Briefs: Some Rt. 64 lanes closed
Some lanes of Route 64 in downtown St. Charles will be closed this week while crews repair curbs between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Street. The work is scheduled to start this morning and wrap up each day before rush hour. The project is expected to be complete Friday. For information, call (630) 377-4405.
Boating restrictions on Fox
The Kane County Forest Preserve District closed all boat launches along the Fox River following a boating restriction issued by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, officials announced Tuesday. Boating is prohibited indefinitely between Algonquin and Montgomery due to extremely hazardous river conditions as a result of the recent heavy rains. The unusually high water flows have produced strong, swift currents in the Fox River, especially near bridges and dams. For more information, visit the Kane County Office of Emergency Management Web site at www.kcoem.org.
More evidence of West Nile
Another Kane County mosquito pool has tested positive for the presence of the West Nile virus, the county health department announced Tuesday. The mosquito pool was taken from a trap near Batavia and is the second pool to test positive this year. The news follows the county's first human case of West Nile virus, a 46-year-old Elburn woman. Last year there were four human cases reported in Kane County. Health officials warn residents to protect against mosquito bites by eliminating standing water around their homes, especially with the recent humid, wet weather. West Nile virus -- which can cause sickness and, in rare cases, death -- is transmitted to humans through the bite of a mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird.
Another rabid bat found
A rabid bat was found in an Aurora home, the Kane County Health Department announced Tuesday. This is the second bat found in the county this year to test positive for rabies. A 61-year-old woman bitten by the bat while trying to remove it is receiving treatment -- a series of five shots administered over 28 days to protect against rabies. Illinois has recorded 58 confirmed cases of rabies in animals this year, all found in bats. Bats are the state's primary rabies carriers. Health officials warn residents to protect themselves from exposures to bats and other potentially rabid animals and to report exposures to their doctor or the health department.
TV bandit convicted
A 29-year-old Elgin man has been convicted of breaking into a St. Charles Township home and stealing a 36-inch television in October 2006. A Kane County jury Tuesday convicted Somphong N. Vongsaly, 29, of the 800 block of Deborah Avenue of one count each of felony residential burglary and theft, after less than an hour of deliberations. Vongsaly was driving north on Route 31 on Oct. 24 when he was stopped by an Illinois State Police officer just south of U.S. Route 20 on a suspected traffic violation. Police noted the Toshiba television in the trunk, and 40 minutes after the stop, a St. Charles Township resident called 911 to report a burglary. A South Elgin police officer who assisted with the traffic stop later learned about the burglary in the paper and called sheriff's deputies to tell them of the arrest of a person within the same timeframe of the burglary. The victim eventually was shown the television, identified it as his, and Vongsaly was charged. He faces between four and 15 years in prison and will be sentenced Sept. 17.