Neither top-seeded Vandebilt Catholic (32-2) nor No Charles Catholic (26-7) has a senior on the roster The Terriers defeated No. 4 Buckeye in the semifinals, 4-1. Freshman shortstop Kallie Waalk The score was tied 1-1 in the fifth inning when second baseman Abby Aguillard and catcher Hays Rutledge drove in three runs Aguillard belted a two-run triple following an RBI single from Rutledge who struck out nine in throwing a five-hitter Third baseman Lexi Matherne was solid with the glove and notched a single 3 Archbishop Hannan 4-2 in the quarterfinals and No Junior Riley Perrilloux hit a two-run single and pitched the Comets to victory Friday to give them their first state tournament appearance since 2022 Shortstop Adrienne Arnett had a double from the leadoff spot for the Comets who are seeking their first state championship since 2006 according to Chris Dabe of The New Orleans Advocate Arnett was 4 for 4 in the quarterfinals with a home run and a triple Both teams in first year under coaches James Spearman (VC) and Zach Weber (SCC) She pops out to second baseman Abby Aguillard Junior outfielder Baileigh Tregre lines a single into left field -Sacrifce bunt moves Tregre to second base Freshman shorstop Kallie Waalk fields a grounder and fires a missle to first base for the third out Pitcher Lauren Baudoin grounds out to Riley Perilloux Two-out singles for Lexi Matherne and Hays Rutledge -Second baseman Abby Aguillard reaches on an error on a ground ball Courtesy runner scores for Vandebilt Catholic -Freshman right fielder Emily Kenyon grounds back to Baudoin the only pitcher to shutout John Curtis and St Thomas More (playing right now in Division I select) Baudoin gets a strikeout to end the inning -Sophomore outfielder Ava Lirette pops out The bottom of the Terriers' order has been productive is another left-handed batter with speed for Vandebilt Catholic Waalk up with two outs and a runner in scoring position The throw is over the head of the first baseman and rolls to the fence Error on the attempt to force out Matherne at second base Pop out brings up Cassidy Chouest with two outs and runners on the corners -Arnett singles and scores on a double by Tregre Vandebilt Catholic 2 (having technical difficulties) -Lirette leading off for Vandebilt Catholic Callais sacrifice moves runners to second and third for Waalk -Matherne doubles in a run and is caught off base for the third out who hits a line-drive shot over the LF fence To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App MIKE COPPAGEMike Coppage is a Louisiana-based veteran reporter with decades of experience covering recruiting and high school sports for Scout The Acadiana Advocate and The Daily Iberian He has been freelancing for High School On SI since 2024 © 2025 ABG-SI LLC - SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (left front) Alex Polk and Arlo Cullum on Saturday Thousands of people lined Illinois Route 64 at Fieldgate Drive in St. Charles on Saturday for an Enough!! Hands Off!! rally against President Donald Trump’s policies and the actions of billionaire Elon Musk. It would be the fifth public anti-Trump and Musk rally in Kane County since March 8. Signs and banners proclaimed concerns, such as “Real Americans respect the Constitution,” “Tax the rich,” “Hands off our judges” and simply: “Defend democracy.” Rosane Menconi and James Norman joined the Hands Off!! rally Saturday, May 3, in St. Charles. (Brenda Schory) They stood in the bright sunshine and brisk breeze of a cool spring day while a cacophony of car horns beeped and blasted their support as they passed by. Deatrice Childs of Aurora held a sign stating, “We stand for your liberty, our rights.” “I am here to express my concern with what’s happening with our country,” Child said. Ed , who would not give his last name, carried a sign stating simply, “No Kings.” “I am upset because I feel like the president is ruling by executive orders – which aren’t even laws – but they’re being accepted as such,” Ed said. “The cabinet meeting that they broadcasted this week looked like an episode of ‘The Apprentice.’ They all lined up to sing his praises. I feel like people aren’t seeing what’s happening, so people have to get out and mobilize.” “The Apprentice” was a reality TV series starring Donald Trump from 2004 to 2017. Ed criticized Congress, as well, for not countering bad legislation. “Yesterday, the House Republicans refused to comment against an amendment on a bill that would allow them to deport U.S. citizens,” Ed said. “They literally just sat there, silently. It’s crazy.” Ed said his brother and sister both had Huntington’s disease, lived in nursing homes and relied on government assistance for their survival until they died. Thousands lined the street Saturday, May 3 in St. Charles for a Hands Off!! rally to protest President Donsld Trump and Elon Musk. (Brenda Schory) “That social safety net is so important and it’s being ripped away, and I’m afraid for the world my kids are going to grow up in, God forbid, they need help,” Ed said. Rosane Menconi and James Norman of West Chicago stood together with their sign, proclaiming “Social Security paid in for 57 years!!” “We’re protesting the current administration and all the rules and things that they’ve done without ... going through proper channels,” Menconi said. “They’ve ignored majority rule by the Supreme Court to bring the guy home and they ... figure we’re just going to go along with it.” “The guy” she was referring to is Kilmar Ábrego García, who was deported from Maryland to El Salvador in March. Judges, including all nine members of the U.S. Supreme Court, ruled that this was done in error, and that Trump’s team should help “facilitate” his return. Children also protested, including St. Charles residents Amber Diepenbrock and Max Cullom, 13; Q Eddy, 14; Brynn Hockey, a third grader at Fearn Elementary School in North Aurora; and Alex Polk and Arlo Cullom, second graders at Munhall Elementary School in St. Charles. “I’m here because something needs to be said,” Amber said. “It’s not OK to just stay quiet about this. This is not OK.” Max and Q said they were standing up for the LGBTQ community. “And I’m also here because I believe that our democracy is under fire directly by Trump and Elon Musk,” Q said. “And I believe that something has to be done about it.” May rallygoers chanted, “Hey hey, ho ho, Trump and Musk have got to go.” Perhaps as a sign of protests to come, the rallygoers also sang along with “We Shall Not Be Moved,” a hymn that became an anthem for Civil Rights and labor, as it played from a portable speaker. “We shall not, we shall not be moved,” they sang. “We shall not, we shall not be moved. Just like a tree that’s planted by the water, we shall not be moved.” Rally organizers were We Can Lead Change Fox Valley, Indivisible Fox Valley Rising, Fox Valley Activists, Kane County, Batavia and St. Charles townships, and Western Kane Democrats. Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here Game Recap: Softball | 5/3/2025 1:41:00 PM Thanks for visiting Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More Charles City and O’Fallon police chiefs and mayors joined other local leaders to cut the ribbon for the completion of phase one of the Center for Advanced Skills Training and Law Enforcement (CASTLE) “My gratitude to you all,” said Mayor Dan Borgmeyer “Nothing makes me prouder than the mayor of St the second phase of construction will start soon with completion in late 2026 Phase two includes an expansion to phase one’s firing range a one-mile emergency vehicle operations course a SWAT training area that includes a school bus and fuselage a drone training area and a training center That center will house seven classrooms and a virtual training room there’s not a facility comprised of all these areas in this region,” said Josh Hoeing “We hope to provide the highest quality of law enforcement training to not only our neighboring municipalities but the entire Midwest region and the country This center will be a one-stop shop for departments to send their officers.” Eastern Missouri Police Academy (EMPA) will rehome to CASTLE upon phase two’s completion The Academy’s board approved the rehoming weeks ago but had to wait for its attorney to sign off on it before they were able to put pen to paper on May 1 Executive Director for Eastern Missouri Police Academy “But as far as the extra type of training—it’s scattered.” Louis but attendees have to travel throughout the county for various training functions “This will be such a tremendous opportunity to for us to get everything in one location Our recruits will be around cops every single day We do a lot of continued education as well but just the facilities and the cooperative group coming together is just such a tremendous opportunity for the academy.” Leasor noted that training is often brought into question in a courtroom and he commends everyone involved for the CASTLE project “It is so profound that these agencies have recognized and their communities have recognized the demand for training and how that equates to better officers out on the street being able to interact with the public being able to be trained to use the technology that’s here today.” ExpandThe 23rd annual Tyler Brett Caruso Memorial Concert will be held from 7 to 9 p.m at Lincoln Park between Fourth and Fifth streets downtown St. Charles community members are invited to celebrate music and hope again this year at the 23rd annual Tyler Brett Caruso Memorial Concert This free annual event celebrates the life of Tyler Caruso, a St. Charles East High School student leader and community activist who died unexpectedly of cardiac arrest on July 14 Caruso was devoted to the betterment of his community and was one of the original high school representatives on the Downtown St Charles High School campus was split into East and North High Schools in the early 2000s Caruso had the idea to bring the community together for an evening of music and friendship Charles Park District and representatives from both high schools came together to turn his idea into a reality and have held the event annually for the past 22 years A scholarship fund was also made in his name the Tyler Brett Caruso Memorial Scholarship fund has awarded a total of 77 scholarships the 2025 recipients from both high schools will be introduced on stage “It is such an honor to help organize this event commemorating Tyler,” St Charles East High School representative Brianna Menezes said in a news release “Promoting a deep sense of harmony and connection was a core value of Tyler’s I hope to adhere to these values and positively impact the scholarship recipients and the greater St but monetary contributions can be made to benefit the scholarship fund Charles East High School at 1020 Dunham Road and should indicate that the contribution is for the Tyler Brett Caruso Memorial Scholarship Fund “Planning this concert the past three years to honor Tyler’s memory has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” St Charles North High School representative Simran Mani said in the release “Bringing the community together for this event is an amazing way to recognize the students receiving scholarships and this 23rd anniversary concert will be a great celebration of Tyler’s life and legacy.” Charles Park District and RJ Recording & Sound in the release for making the concert a successful event year after year For more information, call 630-513-6200 or visit www.tylerbrettcaruso.com. “It is the soundtrack of my fun and formative years growing up.” She says KSHE plays the BEST rock-n-roll from the best bands Dawn says she is a true KSHE listener who tunes in all through her workday anytime she’s in the car or on her radio at home KSHE is #1 on her presets anywhere she goes listening to the waves with the sun on my skin…and KSHE playing in the background!” Welcome to the Real Rock Army and thanks for listening to KSHE 95 Brought to you by Sievers Equipment and Sievers JCB … they’ve got you covered from construction to agriculture There are no listening rewards available at this time Need help accessing the FCC Public File due to a disability Please contact Melissa Johnson at publicfilestlouis@hubbardradio.com This web site is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area Charles City is starting off May by combatting mosquitoes. The city released a comical social media post remindeding the public that they would begin fogging the insects on May 1 at 7 p.m crews spray an invisible pesticide city-wide but will pause the sprayer as a courtesy if they spot walkers The motor continues to run even without dispensing the chemical To minimize potential environmental impact the city uses a thimble full per acre of ground Charles says the pesticide is safe for humans and all animals The pesticide targets mosquito larvae and incapacitates adult mosquitoes from flying which disrupts the bug’s breeding cycle Mosquitoes can develop in any standing standing water that is present for more than five days For more information, visit the city’s website on mosquito control operations or contact the Department of Public Works at (636) 949-3363 Senior left-hander Joey Arend pitched 5 2/3 innings of 1-run ball before sophomore Andrew Evans came on to close the door, recording the game-ending strikeout with the tying run on second base during the Saints’ 3-2 DuKane Conference victory at Northwestern Medicine Field in Geneva. The Saints (11-9, 7-3) came into the game reeling after watching an 8-2 lead disappear in the seventh inning against Lake Park but regrouped at a most opportune time Friday night. “It was a big part of our practice this week,” said Arend, who allowed a pair of hits while walking 3 and striking out 8 during an impressive 100-pitch effort. “After the loss to Lake Park, we went to practice with the mentality that we were going to come out here and get a win. “That mentality put us in a good spot to get a win tonight.” Arend and North Stars junior right-hander Keaton Reinke (5 1/3IP, 6 Ks) were locked in a pitchers’ duel throughout, as the game remained scoreless through 5 innings. That changed in the sixth when the Saints finally broke through with a 3-spot. After a 1-out single by Andrew Zolna (3 for 4), Evans reached on a bunt single before junior James Feigleson lined an RBI single to center — and the Saints added another run on the play following a throw to second base. “I think I was ahead in the count, and I was expecting fastball,” said Feigleson. Sophomore Kyle LaRose drove in the third run of the inning on a fielder’s choice grounder. The North Stars (9-12, 4-6) chased Arend in the sixth when Ty Heimbuch reached on a 2-out walk, took second on a wild pitch, and scored when Mason Netcel’s fly ball to left field was lost in the lights for an RBI double. In the seventh, the North Stars kept battling, as Reinke reached on an infield single, stole second, and scored when Ben Auer reached on an infield error. “I’m proud of the fight,” said North Stars coach Todd Genke, whose team lost its fourth straight game. “We’re a little snakebit right now. We had multiple chances to score runs there.” The North Stars wasted a golden opportunity in the fourth when a misplayed ball in left turned into a leadoff double — but wound up as an out at third following Feigelson’s relay throw to third baseman Evans. “We got thrown out at third — that was a big play,” said Genke. “When the ball gets to the fence in this place, you have to get to third base on that.” “That was a huge first out,” said Feigleson. “It changed the whole momentum of the game.” The win snapped East’s 3-gane losing streak against the North Stars. “That was fun,” said Saints coach Derek Sutor. “Going up against Keaton (Reinke), we understood that it was going to be battle — their stud against ours. “Joey (Arend) has been coming around for us — pitching how he can. Any time he’s on, he’s hard to beat.” The two teams will be back at it Saturday morning at St. Charles North. ExpandPaul Bocska (Sandy Bressner – sbressner@sha) This is part of the warning judges give defendants: if they don’t show up for trial, they can be tried “in absentia,” Latin for “in the absence of.” That is what happened to Paul Bocska, a St. Charles driving instructor, who didn’t show up for his trial, according to a news release from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office. And on Tuesday, a jury found Bocska, 58, a driving instructor for his own company, Drive Now in St. Charles, guilty of four counts of criminal sexual assault and 12 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, according to the release. Judge David Kliment issued an arrest warrant for Bocska when he failed to show up for his trial on April 17. Anyone with information as to Bocska’s whereabouts is asked to call St. Charles police at 630-377-4435 or the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office at 630-232-3500. Bocska’s attorney, Liam Dixon, said he has done trials in absentia before, when clients just didn’t show up. “We did what we could and we respect the jury’s decision,” Dixon said. “We had a defense and we presented that. We tried to point out all the inconsistencies in the state’s case, but not enough to overcome the fact that Mr. Bocska was not there at the trial.” As to why his client did not come to his own trial, Dixon said Bocska had sent him message a week prior regarding his having some medical issues. “But I had no documentation to present to the court,” Dixon said. Assistant State’s Attorneys Matthew Rodgers and Amanda Busljeta said in court that on multiple occasions in April and May of 2021, Bocska sexually abused the victim, according to the release. They knew each other because Bocska had been hired as a driving instructor, according to the release. “The courage of this victim stands in stark contrast to the cowardice of Mr. Bocska,” Rodgers said in the release. “My thanks to the victim and family, as well as Detectives Murawski and Schuessler of the St. Charles Police Department, ASA Amanda Busljeta, and victim advocate Sheila Gray,” Rodgers said in the release. “I’m encouraging anyone with information about Bocska to come forward so that we he can ensure Bocska is taken into custody and held accountable for these horrendous crimes.” Bocska had posted $5,000 bail, or 10% of the $50,000 bond that was set. A sentencing hearing for Bocska is scheduled for June 4. The most serious of his felony convictions are eight Class 1 felonies – the four counts of criminal sexual assault and four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse – punishable by four to 15 years in prison and fines up to $25,000. The other eight counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. “I will be there at the sentencing,” Dixon said. “We will present and be filing a motion for a new trial.” ExpandHector Briseno (Sandy Bressner – sbressner@sha) At the fourth continuance this year for the fifth accused sex trafficker arrested in a July 2023 sweep in St. Charles the judge warned it would be his last continuance appeared briefly before Circuit Judge David Kliment a Spanish language interpreter and Assistant State’s Attorney Christine Bayer on one count of involuntary servitude with threat of physical harm one count of trafficking in persons for labor four counts of involuntary servitude with physical restraint six counts of involuntary servitude with the threat of financial harm and four counts of promoting prostitution for profit Lopez has indicated to me he has some evidence or discovery he wishes to give to me [that he thinks] is going to be perhaps a significant impact on the course of this case,” Bayer said I should have information by then and be able to analyze it.” but cautioned that this was the end of the line for continuances I’m going to set this matter for trial,” Kliment said The other four arrested in the sweep have all pleaded guilty to one count of felony trafficking in persons in exchange for the other charges not being prosecuted Each of Briseno’s four appearances this year were scheduled for a plea or setting a date for a trial Lopez filed court papers waiving a jury trial for Briseno and instead seeking a bench trial before the judge In the process of the arrests, police said they rescued seven women, all from South American, ranging in age from their early 20s to early 30s. Trafficking in persons is a Class 1 felony, punishable by four to 15 years in prison or up to 48 months of probation. The most serious charge they all faced was a Class X involuntary servitude with the threat of physical harm, punishable by six to 30 years in prison if convicted. Charles list of historic buildings as the Barry House The home was purchased by the Baker Memorial United Methodist Church in St Charles in 1993 and the church is now planning to demolish the building to construct parking lots Barry in the mid 1800s and Abraham Lincoln is believed to have stayed in the home while visiting Barry Due to the owners recent attempts to demolish the home, Landmarks Illinois ranked the Barry House as the eighth most endangered endangered historic places in the state in their 2025 top-10 list Other landmarks on the list include the JJ Walser Home in Chicago Louis and the Fordon Horse Barn in Oak Brook Baker Memorial United Mothodist Church purchased the house in 1993 and it has been vacant since at least 2017 The church has been petitioning the city to allow for demolition of the Barry House in order to construct a parking lot on the site Site map for the Baker Memorial United Methodist Church in St Charles and adjacent buildings on Cedar Avenue planned to be demolished While the Barry House has not been given a landmark designation it is located in the city’s historic district and has been classified as a contributing structure to the city’s history the church has been attempting to obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness from the city in order to demolish the building Baker Memorial pastor David Aslesen said on multiple occasions that the Barry House has become a financial burden for the church He said the home’s condition has deteriorated to the point that it is uninsurable and has been the target of break-ins A 2017 architectural survey of the Barry House found that the structure was in remarkable condition and restoration would require only cosmetic work In October, Historic Preservation Commission members denied the church’s request for a Certificate of Appropriateness citing the church’s failure to maintain the property and lack of due diligence in trying to sell it “I can’t approve a demolition by neglect,” History Preservation Commission Chairman Kim Malay said before the commission voted unanimously to deny the request ExpandSteve Bruesewitz performs Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land" song with Aurora LGTBQ+ Advisory Board member Pauline Spika singing along during the Hands Off protest along Randall Road in South Elgin Hundreds of protesters participated in the latest Hands Off protest occurring in the Chicagoland area and the rest of the country marches and rallies against President Donald Trump’s policies are continuing this week across the area on Thursday Enough!! Hands Off!! is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at Illinois Route 64 and Fieldgate Drive in St. Charles Organizers are We Can Lead Change Fox Valley, Indivisible Fox Valley Rising Charles townships and Western Kane Democrats “It’s just an ability for people to express their frustrations with the ongoing chaos caused by the administration under Trump,” said Paula Merrington of Kane County Activists Merrington said their priorities are the safety of participants and minimizing any negative impact to businesses situated near rally locations “Folks are very concerned about the current state of our country and want an outlet to safely and peacefully protest the chaos and harm being wrought on average folks by the Trump administration,” Merrington said According to its Facebook page, Fox Valley Activists are seeking volunteers to serve as march marshals for crowd control, to assist with traffic, to deescalate confrontations, to do photos and videos and provide information. This is the fourth public event targeting the Trump administration and Elon Musk this year. The first was the International Women’s Day rally March 8 and the Hands Off! National Day of Action on April 5 – both in Geneva – followed by another National Day of Action on April 19 at Randall and Silver Glen roads in South Elgin. • A Day Without Immigrants, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday, May 1 at McCarty Park, Aurora, 350 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora • Hands Off! Elgin Fights Back Harder! 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at Kimball Street and Grove Avenue, Elgin. Charles North’s Wylder Smith in the 100-meter dash during the Rolling Meadows boys track meet on Friday Highland Park’s Shamar Wilson finished first with a time of 11.08 (Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald/Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald) ROLLING MEADOWS – The Rolling Meadows Mustang Classic was going to be a good test for area boys track and field teams to see where they stand with about a month to go in the 2025 season When all was said and done, St. Charles North captured the championship of the eight-team meet with 140.5 points. Huntley and Warren (103 points) tied for second followed by Fremd (96 points) in fourth, and the host Mustangs (93 points) in fifth. St. Charles North’s 4x800 squad of Logan Sundquist, Evan Reck, Brian Santos, and Carson Urry won in 8:24.77. The North Stars also got a first from Jack Shannon (1.85 meters) in the high jump, Nathan McLoughlin (4.88 meters) in the pole vault, and Cooper Kowalczyk (15.88 meters) in the shot put. St. Charles North’s 4x200 unit of Josh Wilkerson, Jaden Tran, Jakub Dzioban, and Brandon Pregler (1:34.79) also placed first. The North Stars’ Christian Enger (2:01.49) and Matt Russell went 1-2 in the 800-meter run. “We love this meet, and as we get closer to the championship season we start to put some stuff together,” said St. Charles North coach Kevin Harrington as the final third of the meet was under some steady rain. “The fact that we’re winning a lot is interesting to me, and we’ve got over 20 kids who are meeting our exceeding our standards.” Huntley’s Tommy Nitz continued to shine with a first-place time of 9:05.33 in the 3,200-meter run. The Red Raiders’ 4x100 relay team of UW-Milwaukee-bound Vinny Costa (second in 100), Dominic Giuseffi (second in 200), Jordan Oruche, and Noah Van De Voorde placed first in 42.59 seconds. Huntley’s Grant Tucker (46.81 meters) edged Rolling Meadows’ Luis Carrillo (46.44 meters) for the discus title. “Grant Tucker had a new PR in the discus and he was excited because that moved him up to No. 8 on our all-time list at Huntley and we’ve had a pretty good run of discus throwers,” said Huntley coach Chris Maxedon. “All in all we had some good performances, and we definitely had some kids who stepped up and performed today so I’m really pleased with where we’re at.” Warren won the 4x200 in 1:30.57 behind the team of John DeLaPaz, Jayden Johnson, Nathaniel Welch, and Weston Locke. The Blue Devils’ Jackson Wiklund (15.39 seconds) won the 110-meter hurdles. “The effort of the team overall has been pretty spectacular, and I’m really happy with how they’ve come together,” said Warren coach Dave Wilson. “Our 4x200 is within a second or two of meeting the state qualifying time, and we’re kind of peaking at the right time.” Buffalo Grove sophomore Taras Kilchitskyi (7.09 meters) soared to first place in the long jump while Fremd state qualifier Oluwadamilare Hassan (14.18 meters) won the triple jump. Rolling Meadows’ Jeff McMillen (52.07 seconds) was the 400-meter champion while teammate Gunnar Woetzel (40.66 seconds) won the 300 hurdles. Woetzel, McMillen, Auren Whiting, and Christian Bradley won the 4x400 in 3:29.88. “He (Hassan) went to state last year (in triple jump), and he had a big PR tonight by about a foot,” said Fremd coach Jeff Williams. “As of tonight he is ranked third in the state, and he has experience (downstate) which helps a lot.” https://www.dailyherald.com/20250502/boys-track-and-field/boys-track-and-field-st-charles-north-races-away-with-rolling-meadows-crown/ It’s a Grand Re-Opening party – with free samples, fuel discounts, the Budweiser Clydesdales on-site, and Lern will be giving away a pair of Pointfest tickets every 15 minutes while she’s there including a pair of Grand Prize PIT Tickets It’s a Pointfest Ticketblast on Friday from 2p-4p with Lern at the Grand Re-Opening of the Rocket Convenience Store in St Charles North sophomore Julia Rodney found herself on the sidelines in a walking boot After spending a good portion of the indoor track and field season dealing with stress reactions in both her shins Rodney was a little nervous heading into the Kane County meet about being able to get back to the form that helped her earn All-State honors as a freshman But after winning the 4x800-meter relay and 1,600 races “This is exactly what I needed to give me the confidence that I needed,” Rodney said “Even though I was training in the offseason it’s just been really hard not running as much But now I feel a lot more confident in my abilities.” Rodney’s wins were two of five that the North Stars would accumulate in the meet as they scored 132.5 points to take a commanding victory in the Kane County meet at East Aurora these athletes set goals for themselves to let them have a say in what they want to do and so they’re more confident about it,” North Stars coach Anthony Enright said and it led to a lot of standout performances But they’re also so insatiable and want to continue to improve.” Rodney’s first win of the day came as a part of the 4x800 relay team Elise Pimsner and Reese Thomas running a 9:29.65 the fifth-fastest time in Illinois so far this season “And the crazy thing about it is that we have other options so that may not even be our final team at state,” Rodney said “I feel like we have a lot of depth in the 4x800 still pulling out the deciding move in the final 400 meters to finish in 5:08.21 Also getting two wins on the night for the North Stars was sophomore Alexzandria Richardson who won both the 100 (12.49) and the 200 (26.04) “If you look at her results from last year to now “The work that she’s done with our assistant coaches has transformed her and changed her life where she’s always the one being chased.” Senior Tosin Oshin had the North Stars’ fifth victory of the night winning the shot put with a toss of 11.76 meters (38 feet Batavia ended up taking second as a team with 94.5 points It marked the first time the two teams faced off in full strength since the indoor DuKane Conference championships “It’s always fun and exciting facing them,” Bulldogs coach Justin Allison said But I think it makes conferences a much more exciting event very pleased with where we’re at right now.” Both of the Bulldogs’ wins on the day came in field events Sophomore Abby Wirth won the triple jump with a leap of 11.53 meters (37-10) which is the seventh-best mark in the state Macee Olson also took a win in the pole vault with the sophomore clearing 3.51 meters (11-6) to share the title with Aurora Central Catholic’s Molly Russelburg Allison commended both of them for not only winning their events but also for coming out and racing on the track afterwards with both athletes helping lead the 4x400 team to a second-place finish “We talk about how you’ve got to be a sprinter first in a lot of those events “And we told them that part of their success in those events is their sprinting abilities I’m really happy with their performances all the way around.” Finishing close behind Batavia for the bronze was Geneva with 93 points Sophomore Alyssa Flotte had both of the Vikings’ wins on the day in the 100 hurdles (15.71) and the 300 hurdles (46.05) She also anchored the 4x100 relay team to a school-record 49.08 for second place “I just wanted to get those extra points for my team And I’m glad I got a personal record out of it.” 63 points) finished with the second-most wins on the meet with three Freshman Siri Forsell won the long jump with a leap of 5.16 meters while the 4x200 (1:43.97) and the 4x400 (4:01.01) relay teams both took gold on the track Burlington Central rounded out the top half of the team standings with 59 points for sixth Emilie Anderson repeated as the discus champion in the meet Hampshire finished right behind the Rockets with 56 points for seventh Alyssa Garcia took the gold in the 400 in 59.03 Aurora Central Catholic took eighth in the meet with 39 points Cecilia Hilby also had a gold medal at the meet winning the 800 with a lead at the line in 2:16.69 Katie Kostro had the only win at the meet for Rosary (12th winning the high jump after clearing 1.69 meters (5-6) Charles and an Oak Brook barn are among the historic places in Illinois considered most at risk by a preservation group Landmarks Illinois released its 2025 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois list on Thursday The nonprofit organization’s list includes the Judge William D Charles and the Fordon Horse Barn in Oak Brook Other sites that made this year’s list include the W.A Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1903 JJ Walser House in Chicago “This year’s Most Endangered list is wide-ranging not only in the kinds of troubling threats these places face geographical locations and building types,” Bonnie McDonald Landmarks Illinois launched its Most Endangered program in 1995 to support advocacy and eventual preservation of the properties it annually lists is a Greek Revival built in 1844 by Judge William D the first president of the Kane County Bar Association plans to demolish the house to create space for a parking lot In October 2024, the church petitioned St. Charles’ Historic Preservation Commission for a certificate of appropriateness to tear down the house the commission has recommended denying the request The church has filed an appeal to the city’s Planning and Development Committee could be returned to active use as a residence or for retail space “The Judge Barry House is a rare ‘story house,’ reflecting nearly two centuries of Illinois and national history,” Steve Gibson the circa-1930 Fordon Horse Barn is in Saddle Brook Park within the Saddle Brook community bought the barn in 1941 to house his ponies the Saddle Brook Development Company deeded the barn and surrounding parkland to the Oak Brook Park District the park district sought to raze the structure by the end of April the demolition was delayed because of opposition from residents president of the Oak Brook Historical Society said the Fordon Barn “represents a window to the past … from a time when farms and pastoral settings were the norm.” she cited the impact of Oak Brook’s founder who made the Oak Brook Polo Club “the cornerstone of American polo culture.” “It is worth saving and preserving a place where American history happened,” Arts said Charles North's bench celebrates during a game against Lake Park on Wednesday ST. CHARLES — St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin knew that his team could find another gear. Despite the North Stars’ 11-4 record heading into Wednesday’s matchup against Lake Park, Poulin felt that while it was an impressive slate, the team had barely begun to scratch the surface of their potential as the season begins to shift into the second half of play. But against a tough team and DuKane Conference opponent like the Lancers, North showed they had plenty more to give. Led by senior Mack Patterson and sophomore Julianna Kouba, the North Stars put up three runs in the fifth inning and four runs in the sixth to help secure a 9-1 victory over the Lancers. “This was just a glimpse of what we can do offensively,” North Stars coach Tom Poulin said. “You’re not going to do that to Lake Park very often. But we were able to control at-bats and square some balls up against one of the top teams of the state.” St. Charles North's Mackenzie Patterson makes a catch in left field during a game against Lake Park on Wednesday, April 30, 2025 in St. Charles. (Sandy Bressner) Leading the charge in the game for North was Patterson, a Loyola-Chicago commit who went 4 for 4 in the game and drove in three runs. “She is just so steady and such a student of the game,” Poulin said. “She’s going to be all over these at-bats the same way she would be if she went 0 for 4. She just keeps working and grinding it out and has a high softball IQ and will keep getting better from it.” Patterson got the offense going for the North Stars (12-4, 4-2 DuKane Conference) early on in the contest, slapping an RBI double in her first at-bat to make give North the early advantage. Two batters later, she would make it 2-0 after scoring on a bunt single from junior Abby Zawadski. “These past four years, I’ve been trying to be a leader,” Patterson said. “And now that I’m a senior, I feel like I’m finally able to just go out, contribute on my part, and then it gets the momentum going and everybody follows. And once that gets going, it helps everyone out.” The senior would get the momentum going again in the fifth inning with an RBI single, and would continue it in the sixth, following a two-run double from senior Ivy Gleason with another run-scoring base hit. “It was awesome to see all of our hard work just come alive,” Patterson said. “Everyone was helping each other out and picking each other up. And it just felt so nice to see everything start to fall in place.” St. Charles North's Julianna Kouba (center) celebrates her home run during a game against Lake Park on Wednesday, April 30, 2025 in St. Charles. (Sandy Bressner) Kouba also finished the day with three RBIs for the North Stars. The sophomore had a two-run home run in the fifth inning and had a sacrifice fly in the sixth, marking her fifth consecutive game with multiple RBIs. “Kouba is just on fire,” Poulin said. “She’s as good of a hitter as you’ll see, and we’re just going to let her keep hitting the ball the way she has been.” The Lancers (12-4, 3-2) had some chances to get runs on the board over the final two innings, getting multiple runners on base in those innings, but couldn’t get the key hit to push more runs across. Lake Park's Ariana O'Connell celebrates her home run during a game against St. Charles North on Wednesday, April 30, 2025 in St. Charles. (Sandy Bressner) “It’s always a dog fight when we play them, and I love playing against them,” Lancers coach Lynsey Gunnells said. “But the last couple of games, we’ve been struggling to get that key hit. We also missed getting some bunts down. So little things like that can make a big difference when you play a great team like St. Charles North. Senior Ari O’Connell drove in the Lancers only run on the day with a solo home run to right field in the third inning. The Illinois-Chicago commit had three of the team’s six hits on the day, adding a double and a single. “She’s having a great senior year for us,” Gunnells said. “She’s at eight home runs for us already and she’s a great leadoff hitter for us. She’s just really stepping up for us, and it’s good to see.” Charles North's Julianna Kouba (Photo Provided By St School: St. Charles North, sophomore What she did: Across five wins on the week for the North Stars, Kouba went 10 for 16 (.625 average) at the plate with two doubles, a home run and nine RBIs. Kouba was voted the Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Here is her Q&A with sports reporter Joel Boenitz. How do you feel you performed at the plate? Kouba: I feel that my bat head has started to come alive again. After the first few at-bats in my season, I feel like I’ve found even more confidence in myself to have the outputs that I need for my team. Me and my dad always talk about just being confident, having fun. And I feel like that’s really showing because I just go up there with the mentality to just hit the ball. Nine of your hits came in the final three games of the week. What did you do differently from the beginning? Kouba: I was just thinking about more of the team, of what they needed in that exact moment, more than myself. I feel like that’s the mentality I always have, but it really came into action because I knew where I needed to place the ball in certain situations, and it really just helped me boost my ego and what I needed to do in that exact moment. And my teammates were supporting me the entire way. Your other hit on the week was a home run. How did it feel to hit your first of the season? Kouba: As I was running the bases, I was just so happy. And everybody was hearing me shouting for myself and it just really made me feel like everything is just set in. It made me realize that softball season actually started and we’re running on the road and we’re going so fast. And that I have everybody behind me cheering for me. It just really makes me feel what I need to feel for the game. It really makes me realize how much I love it. You’re coming off a state championship from last season. How do you feel the team has done so far with that title? Kouba: The pressure is definitely still there on the team, and sometimes it’s a little much for us. But we have figured out ways to cope with that, and that definitely helps us when we’re playing. Having that experience will definitely set me up for these next three years, but we’re hitting our valleys and our mountains. It really will push us to be our best once the tournament comes around. Your walk-up song is “Low” by Flo Rida. How did that come to be? Kouba: I always ask my grandparents for a song to make sure they’ll know it too if they come to a game. And my grandma gave me like the idea of a lot of the older songs and I was like, ‘Oh, I feel like they’ll know the song.’ Kouba: Whenever I go into a dugout, the first thing I do is always check the water. I only like water before games, so I’ve got to test if it’s good. And then every time before I go up to bat, I always see my mom in the stands right behind home plate and we’ll always give each other a little smile back and forth. Whenever we do that, somehow I’ve always hit the ball. Hayden Sujack had her second multi-home run game of the week and drove in three runs to help the Saints (11-10, 2-3 DuKane) to a big win over the Vikings (6-12, 0-5). Caleigh Higgins also went yard in the contest and drove in two runs, while Addison Wolf added three hits in the contest. Saints pitcher Kyli Dunn allowed just one hit over five innings, which came from the Vikings’ Caroline Winsininski. Isabelle Reed allowed just one run and one hit while striking out six over 6⅓ innings to help the Rockets (10-9, 8-3 Fox Valley) take down the Chargers while surpassing their conference win total from last season. Antonina Garcia led the offense with two hits and two RBIs. Mia Lindquist had three hits in the contest, while Mei Shirokawa recorded two hits, including a double. Ellie Peck had a two-run home run in the first inning and also had eight strikeouts in the circle to help the Knights (14-8, 1-4 Interstate 8) snap their three-game losing streak. Angelina Campise had the team’s only other RBI in the contest. Amira Mendoza had a three-run home run, while Grace Sartain recorded three hits that tied the game at 6-6, but the Tigers put up four runs in the sixth inning to beat the Bulldogs (4-12, 0-4 DuKane). Will Viebrock and Zane Pollack each had three hits and drove in two runs, while Bennek Braden finished with three RBIs to help the Rockets (11-9, 4-6 Fox Valley) to the conference victory. Chase Powrozek got the win on the mound, allowing three hits and two runs (zero earned) and striking out seven over six innings. Evan Ross allowed just two hits and two runs (zero earned) while striking out eight as the Knights (14-5, 5-2 Interstate 8) fell to the Spartans. Brady Alstott, Antonio Villanueva and Carter Grabowski each had two hits to lead the offense. Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application He was the youngest child of Mae and Harry Sunder Louis University and served as United States Naval Intelligence Officer with the rank of Lieutenant he began his business career in purchasing management at Monsanto Co Janet (Fletcher) and they were married on November 25 volunteered and served in many meaningful ways he continued his commitment to service through active involvement with St Louis Blues and Cardinals and he was an avid Mizzou fan Harry and Jan loved spending time with family especially with their three granddaughters and breakfast with a group of retirees – The Procrastinators Club daughters Gail (Bill) Hunter of Berryville and Joan (Scott) Boessen and granddaughters He is proceeded in death by his sisters Laverne Moon Memorials may be made in Harry's name to St Peter Catholic Church and American Red Cross Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors A search for a former driving instructor convicted of 16 counts of sex crimes is underway in Kane County and beyond — four years after he was accused of sexually abusing and sexually assaulting a minor student enrolled in his driving school failed to appear for his jury trial on April 17 – Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie L According to facts presented in court by Assistant State’s Attorneys Matthew Rodgers and Amanda Busljeta the defendant sexually abused the victim on multiple occasions in April and May of 2021 Bocska had been hired as the victim’s driving instructor through the company he owned located at 121 North 2nd Street Suite H in St and the defendant knew the victim in his capacity as their driving instructor is listed as “Permanently Closed” on Google “Signed up for classes and paid deposit Class was supposed to start today 5/30/2023 Phone number stopped working this morning and teen schedule was removed.” Paul Bocska had previously been released from custody on Thursday 2023 after posting a $50,000 (10%) cash bond ($5,000) The trial took place in Bocska’s absence and the arrest warrant remains active Anyone with information as to the defendant’s whereabouts should contact the St Charles Police Department or the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office The next court date for Bocska is set for June 4 in Courtroom 305 at the Kane County Judicial Center for motions and sentencing “The courage of this victim stands in stark contrast to the cowardice of Mr as well as Detectives Murawski and Schuessler of the St I’m encouraging anyone with information about Bocska to come forward so that we he can ensure Bocska is taken into custody and held accountable for these horrendous crimes.” — Assistant State’s Attorney Matt Rodgers According to the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State residing in the block of 1800 Turtle Creek Drive in a townhouse neighborhood in Aurora was the business agent There was no updated alert regarding Paul Bocska’s arrest warrant posted on St Charles Police Department social media or their official website in April 2025 Pedestrian Crash on Church Rd Near Indian Hill Country Club “Someday soon we’ll stop to ponder what on earth’s this spell we’re under.” so don’t waste it living someone else’s life Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual.” Charles North’s Addyson Priess go after the ball during a Tri-Cities Soccer Night game on Tuesday ST. CHARLES – Round 2 of the crosstown rivalry between St. Charles North and St. Charles East was a bit different from the initial rendition. After the first matchup ended in a 3-0 victory for the Saints, the North Stars pushed the pace with an early goal, while the Saints responded with a goal late in the second half to force a 1-1 tie in the second game of Tri-Cities Night. “In a game where you have the lead early, you’d like to come away with a win,” North Stars coach Brian Harks said. “But the amount of growth that we’ve showed over the season from the last time we played them to this game, I thought it was spectacular. Every player on the field worked their butts off.” St. Charles North’s Kaitlyn Nudera (center) celebrates her goal during a Tri-Cities Soccer Night game against St. Charles East on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in St. Charles. (Sandy Bressner) The North Stars (5-4-3, 1-1-2) controlled the ball for the majority of the first half and proved it with an early goal after junior Kaitlyn Nudera snuck past the Saints’ defenders and placed the ball into the back of the net just nine minutes into the contest. “Obviously it was an amazing feeling,” said Nudera, whose goal was her first of the season. “But what made it so special was how our team went so hard off the bat to make that happen. If we didn’t fight that hard in the beginning, it would have never happened.” The early goal was one of a few changes the team had made since their first bout with the Saints back on March 29. The North Stars also switched up their field formation in order to better contain Saints freshman Mya Leon, who scored a hat trick in the last match, by putting sophomore Aubri Magana on her the entire way. “Aubri played excellent defense and did her job perfectly,” Harks said. “St. Charles East is loaded up top and finds the net regularly, but our defensive line really played well supporting one another and helping each other out.” St. Charles North’s Aubri Magana (left) and St. Charles East's Mya Leon go after the ball during a Tri-Cities Soccer Night game on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in St. Charles. (Sandy Bressner) The game plan worked all the way up to the 65th minute of the game, when Leon managed to worm her way through the North Stars defenders and loft a ball over the goalkeeper’s head and into the net to make it 1-1. “When I saw the ball, I knew I just had to score,” said Leon, who now has 30 goals on the season for the Saints. “I saw the opportunity, and I took it, and it felt amazing when I did it.” The Saints (14-2-2, 2-0-1) struggled out of the gate to respond to the North Stars’ changes on the pitch. But coach Vince DiNuzzo said while it’s not the result he wanted, the match showed the team’s ability to respond while behind. “We’re not going to make excuses for ourselves, we have to be better than what we did in that first half,” DiNuzzo said. “But they responded well in that second half, and we played much better. I just wish there were a couple more minutes on the clock, because we definitely had some momentum at the end.” The Des Allemands Carnival Krewe Committee will host the seventh annual Blessing of the Fleet under the Highway 90 bridge in Bayou Des Allemands on Saturday Michael the Archangel Church will bless each vessel and helpers will pass out prayer cards Boats will line up from Mud Lake and pass under the Highway 90 bridge for their blessing All donations will go toward next year’s boat blessings. and any watercraft or vessel can receive a blessing Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office will patrol the waters for safety and all boaters should adhere to boater safety guidelines a member of the Des Allemands Carnival Krewe Committee said around 180 vessels received a blessing in previous years “We hope to see a great turnout again this year,” she said “Being able to keep the boat blessing going is a blessing so we hopefully can keep it alive for years to come.” The Blessing of the Fleet began in 2018 to bless Bayou Des Allemands and boat owners who wanted to receive a blessing for their vessel “Des Allemands has always been a fishing community and the bayou itself is an important way of life here,” Petit said “It’s also important to remember how blessed we are to be able to enjoy our waterways and be thankful for everyone’s safety when out on the water.” The Des Allemands Carnival Krewe Committee took over the Blessing of the Fleet in 2022 after Hurricane Ida damaged St John the Baptist Catholic Church to form St Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Paradis because of financial pressures a majority of the [carnival krewe] committee members were parishioners of St Gertrude and on the boat blessing committee so it was an easy transition for us,” Petit said “We are always hoping to get an opportunity to bring those things back in the future,” Petit said “Hurricane Ida took away a lot from this community including the church and all the events it hosted we are happy to just be able to arrange the blessing and keep this event going.” This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access. Animal Shelter’s run club enters 10th year  The One Team One Fight organization will host its crawfish cook-off for St. Charles Parish first responders at the Edward A. Dufresne Community Center in Luling Saturday, April 12 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. […] So many knew Harry Lemmon as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Louisiana, which he served upon for more than 20 years.   […] About 20 minutes after Hahnville’s 10-3 loss to Destrehan in the first of two rivalry matchups last week, Tigers’ head coach Jared Vial and his staff heard a loud and clear message from standout sophomore Koa Romero.    […] ballet dancers and circus performers will make appearances at the St Charles Parish Library this summer as part of the library’s 2025 Color Our World Summer Reading program includes events that are free and open to the public but some require registration or have age requirements a drumming show led by musician Johannes Quilitz in which the audience also performs; the Yuck Game Show where volunteers compete in science-themed games and demonstrations; and the Crescent Circus a husband-and-wife duo that join magic and circus arts in their performance Other special guests include River Regional Ballet Bright Star Theater and Louisiana Snake ID the library staff has developed over 100 summer events Summer is the busiest season for the library with over 8,151 people attending summer programs last year free things to do while their kids are off of school so we go all in with offering more events than usual and doing some extra decorating,” Pitz said “Our staff’s creativity is off of the charts so it’s always fun seeing how differently each branch chooses to decorate according to the theme.” Kick-off events for the summer program will feature photo areas Visitors can pick up yard signs and collectible “brag tags” while supplies last and visitors can drop-in anytime during the events The West Regional branch will host its kick-off event on Monday The East Regional library will host its kick-off event on June 2 from 2 p.m The Norco branch and the Paradis branch will host their kick-offs on June 2 from 4 p.m The Hahnville branch will host its event on Tuesday Rose Branch will host its event on Wednesday the library has set a goal of clocking 2,750,000 reading minutes Readers who wish to participate can sign up starting Thursday May 15 through the Beanstack Reading Tracker app online at beanstack.com or in-person at any library branch 2,390 patrons signed up for the reading challenge and 1,459 patrons read at least 360 minutes Readers can track their reading minutes starting June 1 and participants who read 360 minutes by July 31 will receive a completion prize and will be eligible to win a grand prize Visitors can pick-up prizes at all library locations between June 2 and August 31 The summer program also includes other events for adults Events for teens include a teen lock-in with a Legend of Zelda theme You can find more information about the library’s summer program online at https://www.myscpl.org/summer Louisiana Supreme Court judge leaves legacy of integrity Over 650 volunteers have registered for the 17th annual Trash Bash on Saturday, April 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. […] Chase Marcotte strolled to the plate in a tie game with the bases loaded, looking to make his mark on the Battle on the River rivalry.   […] E-edition PLUS unlimited articles & videos Personalized news alerts with our mobile app *Refers to the latest 2 years of stltoday.com stories Please subscribe to continue reading… The Wentzville Church of God located at 9970 State Highway N CHARLES COUNTY — A small rural church here has been entangled in a yearslong legal fight with St Charles County over allegations the county illegally charged it property taxes — and when the congregation didn’t pay up the county sold the land out from under it The dispute has locked the Wentzville Church of God out of its building our piano is in there,” said Catherine McKee How are we supposed to have a church service without our things?” The one-story building at the corner of Morton Lane and Highway N was the Wentzville Church of God’s home for almost 50 years But a longstanding dispute with the county and the property’s new owner has taken the church from the congregation the congregation may lose the fight once and for all — just as the neighborhood becomes a hotbed of new home construction Congregations typically don’t pay property taxes on their churches Charles County officials claim that Wentzville Church of God failed to return its tax-exempt renewal notice in 2017 The four-page form asks the organization to submit and what happens to it if the organization dissolves The county sends these renewal notices every five to seven years County officials say they called and even visited the church but couldn’t figure out if it was still active Charles County Assessor Travis Welge said the church “could never provide anything to prove it was in operation and actively used for services.” So the county reclassified the building as a single-family home the county sold the property for back taxes whose address is a mailbox inside a copy and print center in an O’Fallon strip mall but said the owner had no comment for this story Attorneys for the church and for Magellanic Seven did not respond to interview requests Church leaders said they never got their tax-exempt renewal notice didn’t know the tax status had changed until they owed thousands tried to get county officials to rescind the bills “They railroaded us,” Catherine McKee said of the county Wentzville Church of God was founded in 1968 It’s part of an association of 58 other Missouri churches known as the Church of God that have about 3,500 members statewide The group has several congregations in the St Congregations within the group are independent: They own their own buildings and make key decisions — like picking a pastor — locally The Wentzville congregation was in good standing with the national and state office the association’s state administrative pastor McKee said they held regular worship services on Sundays They also partnered with other congregations and allowed community groups to meet in their fellowship hall They had 20-25 regular attendees each Sunday Leaders contested the tax bills each year after they lost tax-exempt status and repeatedly asked the county to withdraw or cancel the bills the county and Magellanic Seven have been in court in multiple lawsuits over several years Magellanic sued the county to get a clear title on the church’s property but in March 2025 the Eastern District Court of Appeals upheld the ruling against the Wentzville Church of God Magellanic sued the church to evict the congregation from the building but the Court of Appeals in February 2025 upheld the eviction Judge Deborah Alessi ruled in Magellanic’s favor saying the church was trying to re-litigate a decided case after losing its appeal “They took our property from us — that’s the bottom line,” said the church’s pastor Since the county sold the property in 2019 the McKees say the congregation has not been able to meet — missing five years of Christmases and Easter services A row of mailboxes for homes on Morton Lane stand near the Wentzville Church of God located at 9970 State Highway N Charles County as photographed on Wednesday Magellanic has countersued the church for damages Magellanic attorneys describe the church as “unrelentingly litigious” and say leaders there refuse to accept the outcome of the court proceedings “There is no good faith basis for recycling the same facts and same legal claims and refiling them,” attorneys for Magellanic wrote the claims made by Wentzville Church are factually and legally frivolous in that these legal issues have been previously raised and decided — Wentzville Church just did not like the results.” It is unclear what Magellanic Seven plans to do with the property which is currently zoned for agriculture uses window shades pulled down in the sanctuary area The church’s telephone number is still active Charles County Planning & Zoning officials said there are no active development or rezoning requests for the property which is adjacent to three large-scale residential developments that are under construction One development, Autumn Hollow, features more than 460 homes, while two other developments, Harvest at Hopewell and Villages at Post Farms are expected to add more than 1,200 homes to this growing area of rural St Charles County Council it would add an additional 87 homes The McKees said the congregation had plans to raze the Wentzville Church of God’s 3,800-square-foot existing building and build a new one there But now the “plans are at a standstill” while the church awaits a conclusion to its lawsuit A case management conference has been scheduled for July 28 “The property is ours,” said Catherine McKee “God in heaven knows they stole it from us.” Here's what the Post-Dispatch photographers captured in those 31 days Email notifications are only sent once a day The Wentzville Board of Aldermen will hold a public hearing on Ameren's proposal Wednesday as part of its regular meeting Ameren has not said how much this new training facility will cost Customers say the work was never completed — but their checks were all deposited into the business' checking account The library expects to cut two databases from the its research and reference collection switch to a smaller newspaper database and spend less… Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device after being announced the winner of the 2025 Charlemagne Award during the Charlemagne Awards Soirée on Friday And now he can add the Charlemagne Award to his list of accomplishments Charles Chamber of Commerce presented Murphy with the city’s highest honor at the 57th annual Charlemagne Awards Dinner on Friday letting it guide my continued efforts to give back to the community that has given me and my family so much,” Murphy said Murphy was joined at the awards ceremony by his wife April their two children Caitlin Slomski and Patrick Murphy Before Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Becky Greenlee presented Murphy with the award his children said a few words about their father asks for nothing in return and somehow always seems to be there when you need him the most,” Slomski said “Dad your legacy is written in the lives you’ve touched; in your community your family and even in the next generation.” or rolling up his sleeves for the community he just shows up every single time,” Patrick Murphy said but most of all a man who spent his life giving back I truly can’t imagine anyone who’s more deserving.” Charlie Murphy was announced the winner of the 2025 Charlemagne Award during the Charlemagne Awards Soirée on Friday Murphy founded Fox Valley Consulting Company and Midwest Compost Murphy has served as a Chamber board member for the past five years and is on the board of the Illinois Food Scrap and Composting Coalition Big Hearts of Fox Valley and Random Acts Matter through volunteering sponsorships or by donating his company’s services is a lifetime achievement award given annually to one community member with a distinguished history of service to the city of St The Charlemagne Award is a tribute to the vision of St. Charles’ 16th mayor, CV Amenoff, who wrote the short story, “The Legend of Charlemagne.” Amenoff’s story personifies the four bronze fox statues on the Main Street Bridge, said to be Charlemagne’s four sons whom he left to guard and guide the city in becoming “a community where men can live, can work, can be educated, can worship and can play.” The four foxes, like those who receive the award, are said to embody the city’s four-pronged mission statement: “Heritage. Community. Service. Opportunity.” In years past, the winner was selected in secret by the Chamber of Commerce and revealed during the ceremony. This year, for the first time in the award’s history, community members voted to nominate candidates and select the winner. Chamber member and Elgin Community College marketing director Ashley Zeman presented the L.E.A.P Award to First American Bank branch manager Daphne Velez. L.E.A.P. stands for Leadership, Excellence, Achievement and Professionalism, and the award is given annually to a Chamber member who has provided exceptional support to other women. Civic Image Awards were presented at the ceremony to chamber members whose humanitarian efforts, civic initiatives or personal dedication have positively impacted the city and enhanced the community’s image. Professional consultant, local activist and frequent volunteer Albert “Bo” Smith, as well as founders of local nonprofit Kendall’s Kindness, Jim and Kim Maffia, were honored with Civic Image Awards during the ceremony. Murphy thanked his fellow nominees, the chamber and past Charlemagne winners in accepting the award. “This evening is not about me, it’s about all who have given a little extra to make a difference in our community,” Murphy said. “I am here today feeling very humble and honored to have been nominated for this award.” 2025 at 10:40 pm CDTExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 13Charlie Murphy greets his wife Sandy BressnerPhotographer and Photo Editor with over 20 years of working in the newspaper industry. Charles this week demanded culpability from St Charles School District 303 school board members for the decisions that led to yet another relocation of vulnerable students this fall Despite the concerns from parents and teachers the school board voted 5-1 on Monday to recommend moving two ACCESS classrooms at Anderson Elementary School to Corron Elementary School for the 2025-26 school year The plan will transfer ACCESS program students from Anderson to Corron it will be their fourth time switching schools since 2021 terrible case of repeatedly hurting some of the most vulnerable children under your care,” ACCESS parent Alice Froemling told school board members during the meeting on Monday ACCESS is a support classroom for K-5 students with autism spectrum disorder and similar disabilities The program has nearly 50 students in six classrooms — two each at Anderson Multiple changes to schools with ACCESS classrooms and changes to attendance boundaries have occurred since the program began in 2017 with seven students at Ferson Creek Elementary School parents and ACCESS program educators spoke out against the most recent move during public comment pleading with board members not to approve the transfer and demanding they take accountability for the poor planning and decision-making that led them here Froemling said board members should acknowledge the massive disruption it will have on families rather than extending the usual assurances She also asked them to own up to the mistakes that led to the series of transfers and apologize to the families affected by them “To completely upend an autistic child’s educational experience year after year feels insurmountable,” Froemling said told the board that after a difficult and stressful first year ACCESS program students are now thriving at Anderson She said another move would be highly disruptive to their progress board President Joseph Lackner was the only board member who voted against relocating the ACCESS classrooms the ACCESS program will have two classrooms at Munhall Elementary two at Fox Ridge Elementary and three at Corron Elementary with the long-term goal of having three classrooms at each school District 303 officials say the move to Corron is expected to give the program more room for instructional space and greater flexibility to meet students’ specialized needs Corron has dedicated occupational therapy and sensory spaces Other key reasons for the move were that it would minimize the need for future relocations in the program and provide additional placement options on the district’s west side Board member Becky McCabe took accountability for the board’s past mistakes and extended an apology that incited an emotional response from the audience “It’s hard to be a board member on nights like these,” McCabe said “I would like to apologize to the families It wasn’t that we intended to hurt anybody It’s just that we don’t have space in the right places But moving kids as much as we’ve done is really hard A bit of inclement weather on Tuesday didn’t put a damper on a victory by Marysville High School’s boys tennis team The early afternoon stormy weather washed out a number of local high school sporting events enough of a break to allow the Monarchs to host Columbus St Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story misidentified one of the alderpersons speaking Charles City Council member used the closing minutes of a meeting this week to lob accusations against another alderperson and call for his resignation Alderperson Paul Lencioni strongly criticized fellow council member David Pietryla near the end of the city council meeting on Monday for his own personal reasons and for whatever quest of power has recruited to run against me,” Lencioni said Lencioni accused Pietryla of assisting the opponent’s campaign and abusing his power as an elected official The remarks came as unofficial election results show Lencioni trailing newcomer Vicki Spellman in the Ward 3 race Lencioni acknowledged his apparent loss to Spellman He took issue with one Ward 3 candidate — though never named which — who he said was recruited to run by Pietryla Pietryla did not respond to Lencioni’s comments during the meeting But he refuted Lencioni’s claims via text message after the meeting Lencioni’s comments are unfortunate,” Pietryla wrote two city council members — Bryan Wirball and Ron Silkaitis — called Lencioni’s behavior inappropriate and disappointing which led to shouting between him and Lencioni about who had the floor When Mayor Lora Vitek yielded the floor to Lencioni to continue Lencioni accused Pietryla of using his position on the council to intimidate and bully local business owners “David has shown a lack of character and moral strength “You can’t carry the burden of public trust even down the hall.” Wirball said the city council room is not the place for Lencioni’s comments which led again to raised voices between the two “I just think it’s really inappropriate to bring campaigning here in the chamber,” Wirball said You can certainly air your grievance with him if you have it “That’s the most inappropriate thing I’ve heard in this council in a long time,” Silkaitis said “I cannot believe that we’re dealing (with) a political issue about an election that is over Pietryla wrote that he has “a wonderful working relationship” with St “I certainly understand his (Lencioni’s) frustrations post election and wish him the best,” Pietryla said “I have always been available to discuss any concerns; I wish he had reached out to me to cordially discuss his thoughts prior to council.” Charles is local fiber provider i3 Broadband with plans starting as low as $25 and $30 monthly Just keep in mind that i3 Broadband’s $25 monthly fee for 300Mbps jumps to $50 monthly after one year of service The $30 monthly price for 100Mbps doesn’t advertise a price increase but i3 Broadband reserves the right to raise prices at any time those are competitive prices for fiber internet -- especially in a city with most rates starting at $50 monthly with speeds maxing out at symmetrical 8,000Mbps download and 8,000Mbps upload AT&T Fiber takes second place with its symmetrical 5,000Mbps speed tier Both internet providers have 1-gig and 2-gig offerings as well AT&T Fiber boasts some of the fastest speeds in the city maxing out at 5,000 megabits per second.  The speeds you can get with i3 Broadband max out at 8,000Mbps -- beating out national competitor AT&T Fiber i3 Broadband also offers the cheapest plan in the area for $25 a month Let’s take a closer look at what some of these internet providers have to offer St Getty ImagesHow to find internet deals and promotions in St CharlesThe best internet deals and top promotions in St Charles depend on what discounts are available during a given time but we look frequently for the latest offers.  like Verizon 5G Home Internet and Spectrum may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time run the same standard pricing year-round.  For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals Note that these are only guidelines and that internet speed service and performance vary by connection type For more in-depth breakdown, refer to CNET's guide on how much internet speed you really need to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of publication (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page Just keep in mind that i3 Broadband’s $25 monthly fee for 300Mbps jumps to $50 monthly after one year of service The $30 monthly price for 100Mbps doesn’t advertise a price increase About Leadership Communications Tools & Forms Office Locations Resources Stronger United Initiatives President Support Financial Procedures Membership Processing Events & Conferences IEA Calendar Funding Forms ST. CHARLES – The St. Charles Education Association (SCEA) today filed a complaint against attorney Larry Bettag for knowingly engaging in unethical and dishonest conduct related to the St Charles Community Unit District 303 school board elections The complaint was filed with the Attorney Registration and Discipline Commission (ARDC) of the Illinois Supreme Court The ARDC investigates complaints against attorneys and can take disciplinary action on mailboxes and even on cars in church parking lots—despite members of those churches specifically asking these individuals not to distribute materials on their grounds which according to state elections data is chaired by Bettag’s wife “There is a calculated effort in D303 to take advantage of the community’s trust in our educators and it is an effort that manipulates the voters in our community,” SCEA President Jennifer Adam said is working to undermine the work of public educators and public schools by infiltrating our school boards Our students and our communities deserve better than this integrity and leaders who will put education and children above political gamesmanship.” The flyer in question lists only one of the four candidates formally recommended by the coalition of St The official candidates recommended by the union coalition are: “These fake flyers mimic the language our coalition of unions has historically used in support of our recommended candidates falsely claiming that D303 educators have endorsed three school board candidates who did seek the recommendations of our three D303 unions but did not receive them,” SCEA President Jennifer Adam said “This behavior would be wrong for any citizen but it is especially egregious when you know it is coming from an attorney who took an oath to uphold the laws of our great state with integrity and respect.” The union coalition encourages community members to seek accurate information and verify endorsements through trusted sources “We hope our community recognizes the gravity of this situation and it isn’t fooled by the disinformation circulating,” Adam said especially in an election that so directly and deeply impacts our students’ lives.” SCESP and SCT&M represent the more than 1,400 teachers and bus drivers currently working at the 15 schools in District 303 They serve the more than 11,500 students in the district Find more information about the D303 Educator Coalition’s recommended candidates for school board here The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest union IEA represents Pre K-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers Get all your IEA questions answered in one spot Beloved daughter of the late Mary and Norbert Wilmes Devoted mother of Lucy Glosier and Rob (Genny) Glosier; loving grandmother of Dan Glosier Mike Glosier and Mary (DJ) Lair; treasured great grandmother of Jace Gunnar and Kyzar; dear sister of the late James (the late Ginny) Wilmes and Jean (Dave) Schaeffer; sister-in-law to Peggy (Mick) Boschert; treasured aunt and great aunt Mary Dean graduated from The Academy of the Sacred Heart in 1950 and was active in the Alumni Association for many years She worked at Ely Walker and Lindenwood College until she married Bob in 1953 Mary Dean was a devout Catholic and very active at St For nearly 40 years she also coordinated preparation and transportation of casseroles for homeless at St Mary Dean volunteered for many years at Birthright of St Mary Dean was an avid golfer for many years She also enjoyed traveling with family and friends gardening and watching sports on television Most of all she loved spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren She was dearly loved and will be greatly missed by all who knew her The Francis Howell and Wentzville school districts which have been at the center of culture war battles in recent years will have more progressive leadership on their school boards this spring Amy Gryder and Sarah Oelke will be the newest elected members of the Francis Howell School Board Jeremy Way will join the Wentzville School Board while board Vice President Julie Scott retained her seat for another term Gryder and Oelke were endorsed by progressive-leaning Francis Howell Forward which describes itself as a nonpartisan political action committee that advocates for protecting public schools is a teacher in the Parkway School District Gryder is a Francis Howell graduate and now a parent — two of her children graduated from Francis Howell North High School and her youngest attends Barnwell Middle School Oelke thanked voters for choosing her to help lead the district “Our voters sent a clear and resounding message: we are ready to move past the distractions of the ‘culture wars’ and focus on what truly matters—our students and the future of our schools,” Oelke said “We are tired of the “noise” and ready to move beyond the baseless fears that have been impairing our progress.” Gryder said she appreciates the confidence voters placed in her and thanked everyone who cast a ballot — even those who didn’t vote for her “Thank you to all of the voters who came out and got engaged,” Gryder said “It’s really important that we have people paying attention to what’s going on at the local level.” The Francis Howell School District recently hired Mike Dominguez as its superintendent The district is no stranger to controversy: Last year, the board voted to prohibit teachers from discussing gender identity in the classroom and rolled out a newly revised curriculum on Black history and literature The Wentzville School District has been scrutinized for similar cultural flashpoints in public education The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the board voted in March to remove the book “Sold,” which discusses child sex trafficking and was available to students in school district libraries have said they want to bring the focus back to supporting students and teachers and away from politics Both candidates were endorsed by Community Allies for Public Education Success and St. Charles County Families for Public Education — organizations that support funding public schools Scott thanked the community for turning out to vote and said she’s “ready to get started.” She is the current board vice president and has two children enrolled in the Wentzville district Way said he’s looking forward to bringing his experience as both a teacher and longtime school administrator to the board Way is an assistant superintendent in the Wright City R-II School District and plans to retire this summer “I have nothing but love and respect for everybody in public [education],” Way said “The things they do behind the scenes every day is incredible and I’ve had the opportunity to see that for most of my adult life.” 2025 at 7:39 pm CDTExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 16St Charles North's Julianna Kouba hits a home run during a game against Lake Park on Wednesday