Warm winter with little snow, what's in store next?

Throughout most of the U.S., this winter has been one of the warmest in memory. There has been less snow, too. Are we experiencing global warming or just a periodically warm winter? 

And what, if anything, does this winter portend for spring and summer?

The bronze bust of President Abraham Lincoln inside the main entrance to Oesterle Library is a replica of an original sculpture created by Gutzon Borglum, best known for his role in creating the memorial at Mount Rushmore.  Photo by News Bulletin staff.

Recent research has uncovered that a bronze bust of Abraham Lincoln displayed at North Central College is linked to the sculptor who created Mount Rushmore.

The Exelon Foundation has become the first major corporate foundation to support the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Partnership School at Aurora University with a $500,000 gift to help create a new national model for mathematics and science education.

 The Fox Valley Park District greenhouse grows and nutures plants that will eventually be transplanted to area parks.  Photo by News Bulletin staff.

Plants are truly amazing. So it wasn’t surprising when a first-grader asked what seemed to be a very logical question.
“Can you grow French fries in your garden?”
Well, no. Actually, yes … kind of.

The City of Batavia is again offering residents the opportunity to purchase a parkway tree as part of its commitment to community reforestation.

Funding comes from the city's Electric Utility, and the program is administered by the Street Division of Batavia Public Works.

Cultivating relationships with employers, employees

Mid-way through FY 2012, Business Solutions is posting net revenues of $225,000, double the projected goal of $100,000 for this year.

Sophomore Northern Illinois volleyball outside hitter Lauren Wicinski of Geneva spent a recent weekend in Colorado Springs, Colo., taking part in open tryouts for several U.S. national teams.

The Huskies' standout was trying out for spots for the U.S. Women’s National Team, U.S. Women’s National A2 Program and U.S. Women’s Junior National Team at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

An early view of the railroad yards near the Fox River in Aurora. This and other historic images are now on display at City Hall.  Image courtesy of Aurora Public Art Commission.

The Aurora Public Art Commission presents “Aurora in Pictures, 175 Years.”

The exhibit will be on display through Jan. 11, 2013 at Aurora’s City Hall, 44 East Downer Place. City Hall is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The legendary Willie Nelson will add a second show in April to his Aurora appearance.  Photo provided by Paramount Theatre.

After selling out Aurora's 1,888-seat Paramount Theatre in record time, country music legend Willie Nelson has just added a second show at the Paramount, Wednesday, April 11 at 8 pm.

 A new study finds Aurora University makes a $325 million-plus contribution to the Chicago area economy.  Photo by News Bulletin staff.

As Aurora University celebrates the 100-year anniversary of its move to Aurora this spring, a new study finds that AU contributes more than $325 million to the Chicago area economy annually, up more than 6 percent from three years ago.

College of DuPage and the Village of Glen Ellyn reached an agreement after mediation session with DuPage County Circuit Court Judge Hollis Webster last week in which all regulatory control and authority over the College campus will be transferred from the Village to DuPage County while the College will remain incorporated in Glen Ellyn.

Studio and control room at Batavia Access Television (BATV).  Photo by News Bulletin staff.

Volunteer crews with Batavia Access Television (BATV) and their equipment are such a familiar site at Kane County Board Meetings, they could almost go unnoticed. 
But Batavia and county governments know how much they would be missed if they weren’t there. 

Residents of unincorporated Kane County, along with 18 municipalities that lie totally or partially within the county’s borders, will be asked in the March 20 General Primary Election if they want their respective governmental units to move forward with bulk or aggregating electric power purchases on their behalf.

Centenial Celebration logo, designed by Geneva High School student Kevin Brouillette.  Image provided by City of Geneva.

In its earliest days, Geneva's City Hall contained offices for the City Clerk, an auditorium, a jail, and housing for a fire truck.
The structure is still in use and will celebrate its 100th birthday on May 19 with a celebration at the building, 22 S. First St.

Plano resident Andy Bohr holds his daughter Kirsten, 6, a cancer survivor, after she performed with Aurora Central Catholic cheerleaders at a boys’ basketball game at ACC on Feb. 4. (Al Benson photo)

Kirsten Bohr Night.
That’s what the Aurora Central Catholic-Aurora Christian School boys’ basketball game at ACC informally became on Saturday, Feb. 4.

A new recording showcases the stunning acoustics of North Central College’s Wentz Concert Hall, which is positioned to become a destination for recordings of classical, jazz and other musical styles.

 Photo by Al Benson.

North Aurora resident Floyd Hoffman, above, celebrated his 94th birthday by sharing successful aging tips with Aurora University students Feb. 1.

Aurora's Provena Mercy Medical Center recently completed phase one of a two phase renovation project on its medical/surgical and telemetry units.

Delnor Health System (Delnor) and Central DuPage Hospital (CDH) have announced that "Cadence Health" is the new name of the locally based health system created through their March 2011 merger.

A rare example of longevity in a volatile music world that stresses style over substance, Los Lobos continues to deliver dependably solid and diverse recordings with distinct style and originality.

Los Lobos will present one concert only on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 8 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Aurora.

Elgin Community College Musical Theatre will perform a joyful send-up to 1920s musicals during its spring production of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The Drowsy Chaperone.

Aurora mayor Tom Weisner speaks to a crowd last Friday at the "Last Blast" on the Downer Place bridges before this week's demolition and rebuilding project begin.  Photo by News Bulletin staff.

Aurora gives Downer Place bridges a big sendoff

Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower rode over it. Presidential John F. Kennedy spoke nearby. And it's been the site of parades too numerous to count.

The swearing in of Northern Illinois University’s newest trustee, Wheeler G. Coleman, ended in unusual fashion Thursday.

It was sealed with a kiss.

It won’t be long before summer barbecue season is in full swing. Picnic shelter reservations are now available through the Fox Valley Park District.  Photo by News Bulletin staff.

It’s not quite time to proclaim spring is here, but you can certainly begin to plan for it, no matter how much snow and ice is outside the window.
That’s how the Fox Valley Park District is thinking.

Kane County began fiscal 2012 on Dec. 1 with nearly 24 percent fewer government employees than in 2004 —even as the county's population continued to grow during the entire period.