Restaurant owners suffer lifetime of setbacks in heartbreaking year
The economy, it turns out, wasn't hurting Rodeo Red's owners Jody and Jamie Cvek as much as the aftermath of a violent crime that has forced them to close their restaurant on Batavia's east side.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the sudden closing last summer of the eatery in the industrial park on Paramount Parkway. The "for sale" sign appeared like any other during this economic downturn.
But a police report from June indicated Jody Cvek was beaten by a patron in the bar/restaurant on a Saturday night and taken to the hospital. Jamie also suffered a rib injury during the incident and physicians discovered a mass on her liver when scanning images of her ribs.
"They believe it could be cancer, but they need to perform another biopsy," Jody Cvek said Tuesday. "She also has a blood disorder, so she has a few health issues.
"Unfortunately, we got hit hard all at once," said Jody, who spent six weeks in recovery for a head injury.
On top of those setbacks, Jody was still trying to deal with his grief when learning that Gary Perry, his best friend and co-founder of Rodeo Red's, died suddenly while driving a bus a month later.
"It was at the point where I was not sure how much more I could take," said Jody, who is looking for help in any way he can get it.
"It's unfortunate," he added. "A year ago, I was on top of the world, but now we can't afford to keep the business open, and we're going to lose our house."
It strikes nerves: The nuts and bolts of a potential teacher's strike might not resonate with all of the residents in a community. But the potential for a football season to be ruined seems to strike a nerve throughout a region and can quickly become the main topic of discussion.
It surely had to come up in the Kaneland School District the past several weeks. To understand football passion, one need only to look at the excitement in St. Charles last weekend when North and East played its annual rivalry game, and this weekend that features the King Kong of local gridiron battles when Batavia and Geneva square off. The Kaneland Knights are still in the playoff hunt, and it is a factor when people are hoping that the teachers and the school board can reach a compromise before education and sports take a hit. Recent bargaining sessions made it hopeful an agreement could be reached.
Spreading the word: Shop owners in Geneva will soon be experts on their town's history and what it offers for visitors - if they take advantage of a three-hour training session called "Ask Me about Geneva."
Economic development director Ellen Divita said the idea is for business owners and their employees to be able to promote their city and answer questions for visitors.
Dave Oberg of the Geneva History Center and customer service trainer Julie Hillery of Northern Illinois University will provide the sessions for those interested in being ambassadors for the city.