I never thought I would utter the words “good riddance” to the cold weather gear and the ice tent, but it has been a long and arduous spell of fighting off the cold, snow and frustration. Of course the harsh weather we just experienced was the same...

When you jump around in the water at Harold Hall Quarry Beach in Batavia, your feet don’t land on the bottom of the former quarry. Your toes are on 1 to 2 feet of beach sand. Below that is a fabric membrane, below that there is supposed to be a 4-in...

It was one of those chilly, rainy days, and I decided to invest some time tying flies. In between concocting my own styles of streamside creatures, I moved between the fly desk and the computer. And as luck would have it, there was a rather lengthy...

I was recently reminded by a reader that despite the fact we are still in the throes of winter, some of the area ice conditions are suitable for exploration. This reader reported he caught some walleyes very close to the McHenry Dam — but he also p...

The possibility of installing a hydroelectric power facility at Elgin's Kimball Street dam took a step forward Wednesday after the city council unanimously voted to fund a feasibility study to look at the issue. The city will pay ORENCO Hydropower o...

Elgin officials are considering installing equipment at the Kimball Street dam that supporters say would generate hydroelectric power and revenue for the city. The city council could decide Wednesday to move forward with a feasibility study on the...