Batavia Officials Warn of Dangers of Fireworks

June 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By: Eric Schelkopf
Source: KC Chronicle  

Batavia fire officials are reminding residents about the dangers of fireworks after a man was injured last weekend in a fireworks-related accident.

The Batavia Fire Department on Saturday night responded to a report of a Batavia resident who was burned after using professional-grade fireworks.

“He had nonlife-threatening injuries,” Batavia Deputy Fire Chief Randy Banker said.

Banker said fireworks not only are dangerous, but they also are illegal in Batavia. That includes sparklers, he said.

Read the rest of the story here.

 

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Cow Statue Brightens Drivers’ Commute Along Route 25

June 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By: Nicole Weskerna
Source: KC Chronicle

Melba, a cow statue made of an oil tank and a milk can, had been hanging out in Mike and Kelly McCormick’s backyard in Batavia for about two months.

People kept stopping to admire the cow and its latest outfits.

Also known as the Route 25 Cow, Melba started getting so much attention that the McCormicks decided it needed a spot in their front yard at 818 Washington Ave. in Batavia, which is where it has stood for almost a year.

“We wheeled it out front, and we were watching to see if people would notice,” Kelly McCormick said. “They would honk and wave at it. It was just fun.”

Melba’s lifelike size and seasonal fashions might be the reasons it has gotten so much attention.

The McCormicks don’t let a holiday pass without giving Melba a makeover. For Christmas, Melba donned strands of red and white lights.

Around St. Patrick’s Day, it was transformed into a green “lep

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Rain Dampens Batavia Green Walk; Hundreds Still Turn Out

June 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By: Jonathan Bilyk
Source: KC Chronicle

Carolyn Burnham and others tasked with organizing downtown Batavia’s early summer festival, the Batavia Green Walk, knew the risks presented anytime anyone throws a party outside.

“It’s always hard with any outdoor event, because of the weather,” said Burnham, who serves on the Green Walk’s organizing committee. “But this event is all about showing people the opportunities they have to enjoy the outdoors.

“So it was important that this be outside, even if it does rain.”

And Saturday morning, rain fell throughout the morning, putting a damper on the sixth annual Batavia Green Walk.

Staged for the last five years, the Green Walk is intended to offer Batavia residents and visitors alike an opportunity to learn more about the surrounding environment, and the variety of local products, services and activities to help promote a more “green” lifestyle.

Burnham noted that this year, the event more than doubled its number of vendors and exhibitors, enlisting about 70 for the 2013 festival.

The various exhibitors were arrayed along the Riverwalk near the Peg Bond Center, Batavia City Hall and the River Street pedestrian bridge. They offered an array of products and services, including products to make a home more energy efficient, locally grown and organic food options, and information on local “green” recreational options.

Visitors also could rent kayaks or paddle boats to take out onto the water of the adjacent lagoon.

Organizers had expected larger crowds at the event, as well, as they opted to stage the Green Walk on a Saturday for the first time in the event’s history. Previously, the Green Walk had been staged on a Friday.

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Batavia Investigating Source of Power Outage

June 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By: Eric Schelkopf
Source: KC Chronicle

Batavia officials still are trying to determine what caused a widespread power outage early Sunday.

The outage occurred at 12:46 a.m. Sunday, Batavia electric superintendent Robert Rogde said.

The outage affected the city’s northeast side, far southeast portion and some of the city’s west side.

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Batavia Teacher in 5th Amendment Flap Ordered to Curb Remarks

June 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By: Alexa Aguillar
Source: Chicago Tribune

The Batavia High School teacher at the center of a recent controversy over his recommendation to students about a school survey was later warned to keep his opinions about all future district initiatives to himself or risk losing his job.

Calling his actions “inappropriate and unprofessional,” the school board officially reprimanded John Dryden, a 20-year teacher at the high school, at a recent school board meeting after dozens turned out to support him.

In its recent “notice to remedy” letter to Dryden, the board also stipulated that Dryden must now refrain from using “flippant” or sarcastic remarks and providing “legal advice” and must not “mischaracterize” or “discredit” any district initiative.

Dryden, a social studies teacher at Batavia High School, was hailed by some as a protector of constitutional rights after he told students that the Fifth Amendment gave them the right not to fill out a school survey that asked questions about drug and alcohol use. The survey had students’ names printed on top.

Read more about his punishment and further action here.

 

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Batavia teacher in 5th Amendment flap ordered to curb remarks

June 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By Alexa Aguilar

Source Chicago Tribune

The Batavia High School teacher at the center of a recent controversy over his recommendation to students about a school survey was later warned to keep his opinions about all future district initiatives to himself or risk losing his job.

Calling his actions “inappropriate and unprofessional,” the school board officially reprimanded John Dryden, a 20-year teacher at the high school, at a recent school board meeting after dozens turned out to support him.

In its recent “notice to remedy” letter to Dryden, the board also stipulated that Dryden must now refrain from using “flippant” or sarcastic remarks and providing “legal advice” and must not “mischaracterize” or “discredit” any district initiative.

Dryden, a social studies teacher at Batavia High School, was hailed by some as a protector of constitutional rights after he told students that the Fifth Amendment gave them the right not to fill out a school survey that asked questions about drug and alcohol use. The survey had students’ names printed on top.

See the rest of the story here.

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Two Youngsters Honored for Raising Donations for Batavia Fireworks Show

June 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By: Eric Schelhopf
Source: KC Chronicle

Batavia will have a Fourth of July fireworks show thanks in part to the efforts of two Alice Gustafson Elementary School students.

The Batavia City Council on Monday honored Rachel and Matthew Rempert, who raised $800 in donations through their school. The city’s Fourth of July fireworks show, now in its 63rd year, is funded solely through private donations.

“I want to thank you for stepping forward and really showing some quality citizenship,” Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke said to the two of them as he presented them with certificates of congratulations.

In February, the Batavia Access Fireworks Committee announced it had to raise $50,000 by May 1 or the show would be canceled. Fourth Ward Alderman Susan Stark, who is on the committee, said Monday that close to $30,000 has been raised, but it has enough to pay for the fireworks.

“We do need food vendors and volunteers,” Stark said.

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ALDI Makes It Easier and More Affordable to Eat Right

June 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Source: PR News Wire

As swim suit season kicks into high gear, ALDI offers a more affordable way to eat right with its exclusive Fit & Active® brand. More than 150 Fit & Active product varieties – including a diverse selection of whole grains, lean meats, lowfat dairy products and wholesome snacks – can be found throughout the store. Each package features “Fit Facts” on the front to help shoppers make healthier choices.

“At ALDI, we believe you can eat healthy, high-quality food without increasing your food budget. With our Fit & Active exclusive brand, ALDI offers our customers high-quality nutritious foods that are lower in calories, fat or sodium; but also taste good and are affordable,” said Chuck Youngstrom , president of ALDI. “We also want to make it easier for our shoppers to fit these foods into their overall eating plan—that’s why we’re committed to our own front-of-pack labeling program that highlights key nutritional facts on every product in the Fit & Active line.”

The Fit & Active “Fit Facts” labeling program includes green tabs that highlight the amount of calories, fat, sodium and sugars contained in each serving – including the amount and percent Daily Value. ALDI was recognized in Supermarket News’ annual “Fit List” for its efforts in promoting healthy diets using the USDA’s MyPlate campaign. The “Fit List” – which recognizes the retailers who are the best in the business in health, wellness and sustainability – praises ALDI Fit & Active products and the marketing tools used to encourage shoppers to make healthier choices.
Read more about their fit & active products here.

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High School Teacher Disciplined for Reminding Students of Their Rights

May 31, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By: Michael Tennant
Source: The New American

An Illinois high school teacher was disciplined for giving his students a real-life lesson in how to apply a subject they had just studied: the Bill of Rights.

On April 18, Batavia High School in Batavia, Illinois, asked teachers to distribute a “social-emotional learning survey” to their students. “The survey is part of measuring how students meet the social-emotional learning standards set by the state,” reported the Arlington Heights Daily Herald. “It is the first year Batavia has administered such a survey.”

As if it weren’t bad enough that the school was delving into students’ personal lives, the survey — each copy of which had a student’s name printed on it — asked questions about students’ drug and alcohol use. When social studies teacher John Dryden, who had just finished teaching a unit on the Bill of Rights, was given the surveys to hand out to his class, he began reading the questions and realized there was a problem: If a student admitted to using drugs or alcohol, he could be incriminating himself, something the Fifth Amendment was designed to prevent. This, he thought, was particularly important in light of the fact that there is a police officer stationed at the school.

Having no time to check with administrators — he’d picked up the surveys 10 minutes before his first class, and they were to be administered that day — Dryden told the Herald he “made a judgment call” to remind his first three classes of their constitutional rights. (The survey was completed during the third class period.) He said he would have discussed the matter with administrators had he received the surveys or been informed of their contents in advance and that he did raise the issue with them afterward.

“I advised my students that they had a Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate themselves,” Dryden told reporters prior to a May 28 school board meeting to review his actions. “It was not my intention for them not to take the survey.”

Dryden suspects another teacher informed the administration of what he had done when the students in that teacher’s class balked at responding to the survey.

Read the rest of the story here.

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Warning lands Batavia teacher in hot water

May 30, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By Susan Sarkauskas

Source Chicago Tribune

A Batavia High School teacher’s fans are rallying to support him as he faces possible discipline for advising students of their Constitutional rights before taking a school survey on their behavior.

They’ve been collecting signatures on an online petition, passing the word on Facebook, sending letters to the school board, and planning to speak at Tuesday’s school board meeting.

Students and parents have praised his ability to interest reluctant students in history and current affairs.

But John Dryden said he’s not the point. He wants people to focus on the issue he raised: Whether school officials considered that students could incriminate themselves with their answers to the survey that included questions about drug and alcohol use.

Dryden, a social studies teacher, told some of his students April 18 that they had a 5th Amendment right to not incriminate themselves by answering questions on the survey, which had each student’s name printed on it.

The survey is part of measuring how students meet the social-emotional learning standards set by the state. It is the first year Batavia has administered such a survey.

School district officials declined to provide a copy of the survey to the Daily Herald, saying the district bought the survey from a private company, Multi-Health Systems Inc., and the contents are proprietary business information.

See the rest of the story here.

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