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Archive for the ‘Kane’ Category

Last day for early voting – Avoid the lines Tuesday

Posted in BACOG, Breakthrough Ideas, Chicago Reader, Cook, County, Daily Herald, Economy, Elections, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, Topics Of Interest on November 2, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Early voting ends today for the November 3, 2026 General Election. Again, polling locations by county are:

For general voting information, visit the Cook, Kane, Lake or McHenry County Clerk’s website(s).

Related: “A sound reason for Barrington Hills residents to vote for McLaughlin and Hills,” “Another sound reason for residents to vote for Hills and McLaughlin,” “Wealth and Party Machine Are Buying the Northwest Suburbs Votes,” “Editorial: Martin McLaughlin for Illinois 52nd House District,” “Editorial: Darby Hills for Illinois 26th Senate District” and “Who really funds Nabeela Syed?”

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East Dundee Public Hearing Nov. 5th Re: Data Center Text Amendment Proposal

Posted in AI, Community Alerts, County, Data Center, East Dundee, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Kane, Land Use, Lennie, Politics, Privacy, Public Hearing, Public Safety, Real Estate, Special Use Permits, Taxes, Transparency, Village Code on October 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

“Notice is hereby given that the Planning, Zoning, and Historic Commission of the Village of East Dundee will hold a special meeting for a public hearing on November 5, 2026, at 6:30 P.M. at the East Dundee Police Station 2nd Floor Village Board Meeting Room, 115 E. 3rd Street, East Dundee, Illinois, to consider the following Village-initiated request:

A proposed text amendment to Chapter 157 of the Village of East Dundee Zoning Ordinance in Section 157.065(A)(1)(h)(1) to reclassify data centers in the M-1 and M-2 Manufacturing Districts from a (P) permitted by-right land use to a (S) permitted by special use permit land use in those areas of the Village north of IL Rt 72 and west of Commonwealth Drive, and in those areas of the Village south of IL Rt 72 and west of Commonwealth Edison transmission right-of-way. PIN: Village-wide Legal Description: N/A All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard.

Any questions regarding this public hearing process may be directed to Franco Bottalico, Interim Village Administrator, in person at 120 Barrington Avenue, East Dundee, Illinois, 60118, via email at FBottalico@eastdundee.net, or by phone at (847) 8150472. Published in Daily Herald October 21, 2026 (169833)​”

A copy of the agenda packet can be viewed and downloaded here. East Dundee public maps can be found here.

Related: “Proposed East Dundee annexation deal would allow future data center”

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General Election early voting expands today, October 19

Posted in BACOG, Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce, Chicago Tribune, Cook, County, Daily Caller, Elections, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Politics, Springfield on October 19, 2026| 1 Comment »

State Rep. Martin “Marty” McLaughlin and State Sen. Darby Hills are endorsed by the Chicago Tribune and a very large number of Mayors in their respective Districts. The Barrington Hills Observer is honored to add our endorsement to that list.

Early voting begins today for the November 3, 2026 General Election. Polling locations by county are:

For general voting information, visit the Cook, Kane, Lake or McHenry County Clerk’s website(s).

Related: “Editorial: Martin McLaughlin for Illinois 52nd House District,” “Editorial: Darby Hills for Illinois 26th Senate District”

 

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Kiosk on Fox River in East Dundee rents kayaks by the hour, day or week

Posted in Chicago Tribune, County, Entertainment, Kane on August 4, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Tim Waldron finishes work on a final piece of the Bartels Park renovation in East Dundee —a self-service, app-automated kiosk for renting kayaks on the Fox River. Waldron is an operations manager for Rent.Fun, a Michigan-based business that runs similar setups across the U.S. | Mike Danahey/The Courier-News

By Mike Danahey | For the Elgin Courier-News

The final piece of the East Dundee renovation of Bartels Park on the Fox River — a self-service, app-automated kiosk for renting kayaks — is ready for use.

“We hope this increases intergenerational outdoor rec opportunities and brings fun to the community,” said Tim Waldron, an operations manager for Rent.Fun who installed the camera-monitored, solar-powered kiosk that holds six single-rider kayaks and two tandem models.

Kayak rentals cost $25 for two hours and $40 for four hours. People who become Rent.Fun members for $99 a year can rent kayaks at any location for $50 a day and $60 a week and can receive a discount for guest passes and other services, according to the company’s website.

The kayak rental kiosk from Rent.Fun is up and running on the Fox River at Bartels Park in East Dundee. Construction on the camera-monitored, solar-powered kiosk that holds six single-rider kayaks and two tandem models finished this week. | Mike Danahey/The Courier-News

“It’s like owning a kayak, but without needing a place of your own to keep it,” Waldron said.

East Dundee signed a $35,000 contract with the Michigan-based company for the amenity and will receive 30% of the kiosk’s annual rental revenue.

The kiosk stands in a shaded area adjacent to a handicapped-accessible, motorless watercraft launch that opened in September 2025. It is one of five launches Kane County funded with $1.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Earlier this year, East Dundee completed a redesign of the section of Water Street along Bartels Park, making it one-way heading north and installing nine parking spaces. The village also has moved street parking to the south side of Barrington Avenue near the park and banned parking on the north side.

Rent.Fun operations manager Tim Waldron shows one of the single-rider kayaks available to rent from a kiosk he built near Bartels Park on the Fox River in East Dundee. | Mike Danahey/The Courier-News

The new kayak kiosk is open from dawn to dusk. Before using it, a renter must be 18 or older, download the company’s app at www.rent.fun and complete online paperwork, which includes a payment method and a liability waiver.

Article continues here.

Related: “Explore the Fox River by kayak”

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Explore the Fox River by kayak

Posted in County, Entertainment, Kane, Topics Of Interest on May 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »

By Lauren Swanson, Forest Preserve District of Kane County

Join the Forest Preserve District of Kane County in touring our local waterways in a paddling adventure!

The 2026 kayaking series begins with a lake-based basic paddling skills class, followed by shorter and less-strenuous river sessions for beginners. As the summer progresses, choose increasingly longer and more technical paddles for intermediate skill levels. Each session, participants will receive dry-land instruction on basic kayaking techniques from an experienced instructor.

Afterward, participants will take to the water for a naturalist-led exploration of the fascinating local ecology. Participants meet and park at the take-out location and are shuttled to the put-in location. Participants may choose any number of sessions; you can take one, two or all six.

For all sessions, participants must be 16 years or older and able to:

  1. Hold their breath under water while wearing a properly fitted life jacket;
  2. Independently turn from a face-down to a face-up position, keeping head above water;
  3. Effectively communicate with the instructor and other participants; and,
  4. Manage all mobility and personal care independently, or with the assistance of a companion.

Dates and meeting locations for sessions are below:

  • Session 1: (Novice Skills Training; Less than 1-mile paddle): 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 30; meeting at Oakhurst Forest Preserve, 1680 Fifth Ave., Aurora
  • Session 2: (Beginner; 4-mile paddle): 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, June 7; meeting at Voyageur Landing Forest Preserve, 50 Airport Road, Elgin
  • Session 3: (Beginner; 4.5-mile paddle): 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 18; meeting at Ferson Creek Park, off Route 31, east of Wildrose Springs Drive, St. Charles
  • Session 4: (Beginner; 4.5-mile paddle): 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2; meeting at Ferson Creek Park, off Route 31, east of Wildrose Springs Drive in St. Charles
  • Session 5: (Intermediate; 7-mile paddle): 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5; meeting at Voyageur Landing Forest Preserve; 50 Airport Road, Elgin
  • Session 6: (Intermediate; 6 miles paddle with portage): 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10; meeting at McCullough Park, 150 W. Illinois Ave., Aurora

The fee for a single kayak for Session 1 is $69 per person and includes use of kayak, personal flotation device and paddle; it is $89 per person for Sessions 2-6. If you provide your own kayak and equipment, the fee is $45 per person, per session, for sessions 2-6. All fees include shuttle service.

Advance registration is required at least one week prior to the program, with payment required at the time of registration.

To register, visit kaneforest.com/register. Rain will not stop a paddle, but trips may be canceled (with full refund) due to lightning, low air/water temps, or unsafe water levels. For more information, visit kaneforest.com or find the Forest Preserve District on social media by searching @forestpreserve.

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Dundee Township Annual Town Meeting Tuesday

Posted in County, Kane, Overhead, Politics, Property Taxes, Unions on April 10, 2026| Leave a Comment »

DUNDEE TOWNSHIP
ANNUAL TOWN MEETING
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN

To the legal voters, residents of the Township of Dundee in the County of Kane and the State of Illinois that the ANNUAL TOWN MEETING of said Township will take place on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, being the second Tuesday of said month (per 60 ILCS 1/30-5) at 7:00 p.m. at the Rakow Center, Adult Activities Room, 665 Barrington Ave., Carpentersville, IL 60110 for the transaction of the miscellaneous business of said Township; and after a Moderator having been selected, will proceed to hear and consider reports of officers, and decide on such measures as may, in pursuance of law, come before the meeting; and especially to consider and decide the following:

AGENDA

Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance
CLERK’S OFFICE
Reading of the Public Notice
Registration of Qualified Township Electors
Announce Number of Electors present and able to vote
Electors Nominate and Elect Moderator for this meeting
Oath of Moderator
MODERATOR
Presentation of the Supervisor’s Annual Financial Statements
Electors approve Supervisor’s Annual Financial Statements
Certification of Accounts
Motion to approve/amend the Minutes of last Annual   Town Meeting April 8, 2025
Elected Officials Reports
Approval of Resolution in Support of House Bill 4616
Approval of Resolution to Recommend that the Dundee Township Supervisor Appoint Dawn Arimura, Dr. Michelle Wright, and Amber Cotter to the Dundee Township Community Mental Health Board
Announcement of Next Annual Town Meeting (April 13, 2027)
Electors move to set Time of Next Annual Town Meeting
Comments/Questions
Adjournment

Signed and dated this 27th date of March 2026. Elizabeth Clark, Dundee Township Clerk

Source

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Bison return to Kane County after 200 years, a crucial step for conservation and Indigenous connection

Posted in Animal Welfare, Chicago Tribune, County, FPDCC, Horizon Farm, Kane on December 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »

American bison on Dec. 22, 2025, in the Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve in Burlington Township, where six of the bison have been introduced. The bison’s return marks yet another victory in efforts to restore the Prairie State to an ecosystem and a landscape that bison shaped for hundreds of years. | E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune

By Adriana Pérez | Chicago Tribune

From their cozy homes in suburban Burlington, children curiously watch their new neighbors through windows and brainstorm nicknames.

Earlier this month, with their distinctive brown fur, big heads, short horns and back hump, a small herd of six American buffalo — the largest land mammals in the country — exited a trailer and took their first steps on 38 acres of prairie restored by the Kane County Forest Preserve District, 60 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. It’s the first time in over two centuries that bison have called the county home.

Inches of snow had piled on the ground, and conservationists had waited for hours in the brutal cold for the animals to show up.

The move was a rematriation, a return of missing relatives, according to Jay Young, co-executive director of the American Indian Center of Chicago, which owns the animals in the collaborative conservation effort.

“I don’t like using the word ownership, because that’s not a Native or Indigenous worldview,” Young said. “We are the stewards of the bison, and so we’re looking after them, we’re taking care of them, we’re making sure they’re OK.”

The Kane Forest Preserve began working toward bringing back bison three years ago, but the project “transcends generations” and has been “hundreds of years in the making,” according to the district’s executive director, Benjamin Haberthur. After an initial deal fell through, staff at the district felt discouraged about finding an Indigenous partner, until the American Indian Center stepped in.

“Without the Native American education component, (it) would have been a huge loss, because the story of the bison is the story of Native Americans in the country,” he said.

Read more here.

Editorial note: Think, “Horizon Farm,” Forest Preserves of Cook County.

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How much did Illinois take from your town’s income taxes?

Posted in Cook, County, Illinois Policy Institute, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Politics, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes on December 23, 2025| 1 Comment »

Illinois local governments lost out on over $10.9 billion in income tax revenue since fiscal year 2012. Here’s what your city or county lost.

By Patrick Andriesen | Illinois Policy Institute

Illinois local governments lost out on more than $10.9 billion in income tax revenue since fiscal year 2012, thanks to state lawmakers cutting the share of income taxes promised to municipalities and counties.

The state kept the difference.

An Illinois Policy Institute analysis found state lawmakers’ decision to reduce the local share from 10% of net income tax collections to less than 7% has cost municipalities over $9.49 billion since FY 2012. That includes cities, towns and villages and meant fewer dollars for programs and services, infrastructure, and potential property tax relief.

Use our table below to find out how much more income tax revenue your municipality would have received.

In addition to the municipal losses, county governments lost another $1.43 billion. Use our table below to find out much more income tax revenue your county would have collected.

More here.

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Illinois firefighter pensions torch local finances

Posted in BCFPD, Cook, Cost of Living, County, Illinois Policy Institute, Jewel-Osco, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Overhead, Property Taxes, Taxes, Unions on November 19, 2025| Leave a Comment »

In Lake County and across Illinois, fire pensions are driving up property taxes and leaving fewer resources for safety.

By LyLena Estabine | Illinois Policy Institute

Chicago fire pensions may be close to insolvency, but the city is not alone: firefighter pensions are consuming most of the resources needed to keep communities safe.

Statewide, the most recent data shows municipal fire department increased property taxes by $371.6 million between 1996 and 2023, adjusted for inflation. While the total tripled, pensions have gone from taking less than half of the property taxes to taking nearly three-fourths: $311.6 million more in 2023 than in 1996.

Actual fire protection operated on $60 million more than in 1996.

Firefighters receive generous pensions, and rightly so given the dangerous nature of their work. However, when those benefits become overpromised – as they have become in Illinois – they undermine retirement security and reduce the amount of money available for service. Police and fire pensions outside of Chicago reported combined liabilities of $493.1 billion in 2024, with only 49 cents on hand for each dollar owed.

The low funding ratio isn’t because property taxes aren’t going towards pensions. In most counties more property tax revenue is going towards pensions than in the past. In 1996, 48% of these revenues went toward pensions compared to 73% in 2023. A similar pattern can be seen in counties across the state.

That doesn’t mean every town is cutting back on fire services, but it does mean an increasing share of local tax dollars is being consumed by pension costs rather than the services residents rely on.

At 1.83% of their home’s value each year, Illinoisans pay the highest average effective property tax rate in the nation. But in some communities, it’s worse than that figure would indicate.

Read more here.

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Kane County Fair returns with live music, rodeos and demolition derby

Posted in County, Entertainment, Goat Rodeo, Kane, Politics, Topics Of Interest on July 14, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Mary Kelley of Elburn gives her Scottish Highland heifer a kiss on top of the head while they practice in the show arena during the 2024 Kane County Fair in St. Charles. | Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com, 2024

By Kane County Fair

The 156th Kane County Fair is a big funfair with a small town feel, filled with grandstand events, popular live bands like the Hillbilly Rockstarz, unlimited carnival rides, 4-H contests, outdoor kids events, and the popular Classic Car Show.

It kicks off early with the carnival rides on Wednesday, July 16, and then opening on Thursday with live music, grandstand events like bull riding and demolition derby, and 4-H animals and competitions.

There’s always something new at the Kane County Fair. The cute racing pigs are back. Watch the Balsters Game Show. Get up close with 4-H animals or check out the petting zoo. See the classic cars on display on Saturday and Sunday.

Midway hours are: 3 to 11 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, noon to midnight Friday and Saturday, and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday at the fairgrounds, located at Randall Road and Oak Street in St. Charles. Parking is free. The 4-H exhibit halls close two hours before the fair each day.

Main stage

Take in the sights and sounds of the Kane County Fair while listening to live music on the Miller Lite Sound Stage. It’s free with paid admission to the fair.

Eric Chesser, a country artist from Nashville, returns to the fairgrounds with a show at 7 p.m. Thursday. Trippin Billies, a national touring tribute to the Dave Matthews Band, will take the stage at 8 p.m. Friday and Mark Atkins at 5 p.m. Saturday. On Sunday, How Rude! will play all the best 1990s hits from pop to grunge from 6 to 8 p.m., followed by the headliners Hillbilly Rockstarz at 8:30 p.m.

Action-packed thrills return to the grandstand starting on Thursday with the women barrel racing at 7:30 p.m., followed by the Professional Championship Bullriders and Cowgirls at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Grandstand tickets are $22.24 or $11.75 for age 10 and under; there’s a $40 Family Four Pack for the matinee. Purchase tickets for Friday and Saturday shows via rodeoticket.com. It is held rain or shine; no refunds. The Gold Buckle seats at the evening shows are already sold out.

The Demolition Derby will be running at 2 and 5 p.m. Sunday for $10 grandstand admission.

Makayla Ramer competes in the demolition derby during the 155th Kane County Fair in St. Charles. This year’s demolition derbies will be at 2 and 5 p.m. Sunday. | Sandy Bressner/Shaw Local News Network, 2024

4-H shows and exhibits

The 4-H judging begins on Thursday with the categories of horse and pony, dairy, poultry and rabbit. The 4-H General Projects will be on exhibit every day in Robinson Hall. The horse and pony judging continues on Friday, as well as the shows for swine, sheep and goats, ending with the “Barnyard Games” in the show ring.

On Saturday, it’s the popular Horse & Pony Dressage Show, the Showmanship Classes, and the Milking Derby, as well as the beef judging show. The day ends with the 4-H awards ceremony.

On Sunday, you can support the Kane County 4-H youth by bidding on livestock in the Blue Ribbon Auction at 1 p.m. in the Livestock Arena.

Carnival rides

The Fantasy Amusements carnival will be opening on Wednesday. There will be unlimited rides for $32 on Wednesday and Thursday from 3 p.m. to close. It will also be $32 from noon to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday. On Sunday, there’s the “Last Blast” discount with $27 unlimited rides from 5 p.m. to close. Individual tickets will also be available for purchase.

The 156th Kane County Fair opens on Wednesday, July 16, with carnival rides only. The fair runs through Sunday, July 20. Sandy Bressner/Shaw Local News Network, 2024

Admission

You can get a season pass for $25. Daily admission is $5 on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday to Sunday, it is $10 or $5 for kids, age 3-12.

There is free daily admission for children under 3, and it’s free for seniors over age 62 and veterans with military ID before 5 p.m. on Thursday.

Tickets to the fair can be purchased upon entry with cash only or in advance by clicking on the “Buy Tickets” in the upper right corner of kanecountyfair.com/Fair-Information. There is a 4% surcharge for credit card purchases.

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