Aurora

DeKalb police issued a city-wide alert Sunday night, ordering stores to close and for people to shelter in place because of “protests and looting.”

A weekend of peaceful protests against police violence changed tone Sunday evening after most of the crowd that had been marching in the streets dispersed. There were reports of looting in the area of Hillcrest and Annie Glidden.

The State of Illinois announced Wednesday that two additional Community-Based Testing Sites (CBTS) are opening to the public this week to help test Illinoisans for COVID-19. These new sites will open in Aurora on Wednesday and in Rockford on Friday. They will be open seven days a week.

Who can be tested

-All individuals *with* symptoms

Definition of Symptoms

-Cough or shortness of breath

-Fever

Before You Go

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin says his COVID-19 symptoms made him feel like he went “to the edge” and back.

The mayor held a Facebook live update Wednesday afternoon.

He was joined by Police Chief Kristen Ziman and Police Commander Keith Cross who also tested positive.

Ziman says they don’t know exactly how they got infected but she says early prevention planning meetings involved large gatherings of officers, including in-person meetings with the mayor.

The Copley Hospital campus in Aurora is now on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the first “purposefully-built” city hospital and dates back to 1888.

Rachel Barnhart is with MacRostie Historical Advisors and wrote the nomination. She said the building was important for the types of care it offered.

“The first part of Copley Hospital, now there was an option to give birth under medical supervision. And then also surgical operations could be conducted in the hospital as well," she said. 

Funeral services for Trevor Melvin Wehner of Sheridan are set for this Wednesday, February 20th.

Wehner was a victim of the shooting at the Henry Pratt warehouse in Aurora on February 15th; he was an NIU student and former employee at Tom & Jerry's of DeKalb.

45-year-old Gary Martin shot and killed him and four other people after being fired from his job of 15 years. He also injured five police officers before being shot and killed himself.

Northern Illinois University President Lisa Freeman notified staff through email that two of the people killed in a shooting at an Aurora industrial park have deep NIU connections.

NIU student Trevor Wehner was among those killed when Gary Martin opened fire at the Henry Pratt Co. Friday afternoon. According to the release, Friday was the first day of Wehner's internship at the company.

2014 alumnus Clay Parks was also killed Friday. Parks graduated from the school's College of Business and worked as a human resources manager at the company.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, is in legislative limbo. Seven states are suing the federal government in an effort to end the program.

A Texas district judge will hear this lawsuit Wednesday, August 8th.  The hearing, led by Judge Andrew S.  Hanen, could lead to DACA’s suspension.

Two emergency workshops took place this week in Aurora. Organizers are trying to get as many renewal applications filed before the hearing takes place.

Aurora ranks among the best-run cities in the U.S., according to a recently released survey by WalletHub.

The company measured the operating efficiency of the nation's 150 largest cities by looking at their economy and overall finances, city services (such as schools and public safety), and budget per capita.

Turkey processor Butterball announced it will shut down its Gusto meatpacking plant in Montgomery, south of Aurora.

The closure will result in the loss of about 600 full-time jobs, and the company expects to complete the closure by the end of July.

Gusto's product line includes bacon various types of ham. Most of the plant's products will be discontinued, and executives said they intend to find work for Gusto employees willing to relocate to plants in Missouri, Arkansas and North Carolina.

Rick Guzman conceded to Richard Irvin Friday in the Aurora mayoral race.    

Irvin declared victory late Tuesday night when unofficial totals from the polls put him 170 votes ahead of Rick Guzman. But Guzman said in an email Wednesday morning the race was too close to call. He said an unknown number of outstanding vote-by-mail, grace-period, overseas military and provisional ballots have yet to be counted. That left the possibility that the apparent result of the April 4 election could be reversed.

A mall in Aurora has started a new parental escort policy after eight teens were charged following a large fight the day after Christmas.

The (Aurora) Beacon-News reports that Fox Valley Mall's new policy mandates that guests younger than age 18 be accompanied by an adult age 21 or older during certain ``Parental Escort Policy'' days.

Mall marketing director Kristina Arias says the policy is necessary ``to prevent further disturbance.'' Arias says the mall will institute the policy when large crowds are anticipated.

Police in Aurora say eight juveniles are charged after a large fight broke out at a mall in the city outside Chicago.

The fight was one of several that broke out at malls the day after Christmas.

Aurora police say the teen girls ages 13 to 17 face misdemeanor charges including battery, resisting police and disorderly conduct. Police officials say they're investigating if social media played a role in organizing the fight and if it was connected to the other disturbances nationwide.

Online retailer Amazon.com said Tuesday it plans to open two new fulfillment centers, employing more than 1,000 people full-time between them, in Aurora, Ill. 

Officials say one of the new facilities will focus on smaller items, such as books and small electronics, and the other will handle large items like big-screen TVs. 

DuPage County Board member Tonia Khouri took improper tax exemptions on property she owns, according to published reports.  She's also running against Democrat Bill Foster of Naperville in the Illinois 11th Congressional District. 

Aurora's mayor will step down before his term ends.

Tom Weisner says he'll leave office at the end of October.

He issued a statement citing lingering health concerns.

"I have made this decision based on my sense that I cannot continue much longer to serve our city at the same level I worked to maintain over the past 11+ years," Weisner said. 

Weisner has been battling cancer during his time in office.

Aurora could soon have its first female police chief.  Mayor Tom Weisner picked police commander Kristin Ziman on Thursday (Jan. 7) from a group of four candidates, all from within the Aurora Police Department.  Ziman, a 24-year veteran of the force, would replace retired police Chief Greg Thomas. The department has around 300 sworn officers serving a city of about 200,000.

A U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the conviction of a suburban Chicago man convicted of groping a passenger on a flight while she slept in a seat next to him. 

Lawyers for Srinivasa Erramilli say the trial judge abused her discretion in allowing evidence that Erramilli committed prior sexual assaults. The lawyers also contend U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow issued improper jury instructions.

The appeals court said in its ruling Lefkow did not abuse her discretion in admitting Erramilli's prior acts.

An Aurora air traffic control facility should be fully functioning today after a two-week shutdown.

The FAA said testing was complete, a full shift of air traffic controllers will return and other sites would transfer control back to the center after midnight.