Briefs: Fill-in fire chief in Batavia

The Batavia City Council this week appointed Deputy Chief Randall Deicke as interim fire chief. He will fill in while the city searches for a replacement for Chief Bill Darin, who resigned to take a job in East Peoria.

School tax set

The Geneva school board has set the 2008 property tax levy at $71 million, 8.55 percent over the actual 2007 tax extension. But because of the state's property tax cap law, the district will receive only 5 percent increase or a percentage equal to the Consumer Price Index, whichever is less. The extension will now be calculated by the Kane County Clerk, and show up on tax bills May 1.

ECC's forensics team lauded

Elgin Community College's forensics team won five awards during the College of Lake County Holiday Speech Tournament this month in Grayslake. The team placed sixth overall in the tournament, which featured teams from community and four-year colleges. Anastasia Kuttler of Elgin won first place in prose interpretation. Other awards included a third-place award for Ryan O'Connell of Elgin for programmed oral interpretation; a third-place award for O'Connell and C.J. Watkins of Bartlett for duo interpretation; and a fifth place award for Korie Mulholland of Elgin for informative speaking.

Clerk's holiday hours

The Kane County Clerk's Office of Vital Records is altering its hours for the Christmas and New Year's. The office will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and closed Thursday and Friday. The following week, the office will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 30 and closed Jan. 1. Call (630) 232-5950.

Schools host coaches clinic

The baseball programs at Jacobs (Algonquin) and Dundee-Crown (Carpentersville) high schools are hosting a free coaching clinic for youth baseball managers from 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Jan. 17. Former White Sox outfielder Ron Kittle is among the speakers who will discuss coaching techniques. Register by e-mailing jonathan.sawyer@d300.org or call (847) 638-0484.