Tri-Cities briefs

Baseball writer to speak

Learn the Ten Commandments of Baseball and how they can be applied to everyday living from J.D. Thorne during "Thou Shalt Play Ball" at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Batavia Public Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave. Thorne, a former University of Wisconsin player, and the author of "The Ten Commandments of Baseball," will share classic stories about baseball legends and characters. Admission is free. Registration is requested. Visit bataviapubliclibrary.org or call (630) 879-4777.

Help support troops

Do you know someone deployed from the Fox Valley area? Fox Valley Troop Support, or FVTS, is a group of citizens whose mission is supporting our local troops around the globe with letters and care packages. Tips for letter writing and suggested care package items are listed at fvts.org. FVTS is partnered with the Batavia Veterans of Foreign Wars. The group's community care package dates at the Batavia VFW are: 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 4 for dropping off donations and sorting. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 5 care packages will be prepared and from 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 7 packages will be inspected and sealed. If your service organization would like to collect items for care packages, organize a fund drive to help defray postal rates, or if you have an idea and can help, contact Sarah Giachino at (630) 587-3789 or myconfident@aol.com; or Kathy Tobusch at (630) 406-9172 and kasha2226@aol.com. To add a deployed member to our care package list, send their name, rank and unit address, including APO or FPO. The group also needs their approximate month of return from deployment. Care package deadline is Dec. 10 for Christmas delivery. Packages usually arrive in Iraq or Afghanistan in approximately two weeks.

School board on TV

The Geneva school board now broadcasts its meetings on Geneva and St. Charles cable access Channel 10, and the Internet, at 4 p.m. daily. To view them online, visit geneva.il.us/channel10.htm.

Batavia school history:

The Batavia school Web site, bps101.net, has a new feature, the BPS101 Timecapsule. It features historical photos, documents and other resources. If you know of photographs, film, documents, or other items that would be interesting to feature, contact the district via the instructions on the Web page.