Saturday, May 4, 2013
Hey neighbors: It's always a good time to save energy. We've got five easy things you can do to conserve and save money on your electric bill, but we need your ideas too. Please share your best tips in the comments.
- GOING GREEN
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Saturday, May 4
Allyson Schmutter, spokesperson for the national nonprofit Alliance to Save Energy, offers these five tips for saving energy and money: 1. Unplug All Those Devices: Believe it or not, many devices still consume energy even when turned off. The typical culprits are televisions and cable boxes, or anything that stays lit with an LED or standby light even when turned off. Schmutter says those devices can suck a month’s worth of electricity from your home each year. 2. Change Your Bulbs: If you haven't already switched your incandescent bulbs out for more energy-efficient options, now's the time to do it. You'll save 75 percent by switching to CFL bulbs. Not sold on CFLs? Take a look at this light bulb checklist for more ideas. To recycle …
Friday, May 3, 2013
Every week, Patch profiles a luxury home currently for sale in the Tri-Cities.
Cost: $1,078,000 Bedrooms: 5 beds Baths: 5.5 baths Built: 1925 Details: The three-story Dutch Colonial at 415 Fulton Street in Geneva offers the best of both worlds. Dating back to 1925 and located in Geneva's historic district, the home has been renovated and expanded to appeal to the needs and desires of modern homebuyers. Among this home's notable features are vauled cathedral 14-foot ceilings, original built-ins throughout, four fireplaces, his and hers offices on the main floor, a gourmet cook's kitchen, and bedroms and full baths on each floor. The family room's french doors open to a large front porch. On the second level, the master suite includes a fireplace, private screened-in porch, his and hers closets and a bathroom with …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
You could purchase one of three comparably priced homes for around $400,000 in Batavia, Geneva or St. Charles. Which would you choose?
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE TRI-CITIES REAL ESTATE FEATURES.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Tri-Cities residents, Patch wants to hear from you on the issues that affect you and your neighbors.
Welcome to Tri-Cities Talk—a regular feature in which we ask our Facebook fans to share their views on current issues facing Geneva, Batavia and St. Charles. Every week, we get the conversation started by taking a look back at a question we asked the Tri-Cities community in recent days on local Patch Facebook pages. The U.S. Senate has been considering the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would require businesses with more than $1 million in annual Internet or catalog revenue to collect sales tax for online purchases and send them to the state where the buyer resides. A Huffington Post report cites a National Conference of State Legislatures estimate that states collectively lost $23.3 billion in sales tax revenue in 2012 due to online …
Friday, April 26, 2013
Every week, Patch profiles a luxury home currently for sale in the Tri-Cities.
Cost: $2,300,000 Bedrooms: 5 beds Baths: 7 baths Square footage: 5,700 Built: 2009 Details: With impressive exterior and interior stonework, among other noteworthy finishes, the home on a half-acre at 4403 Royal Fox Drive in St. Charles is certainly eye-catching. Architectural details inside include a dramatic entrance, fireplaces, arches, niches and transoms with details in marble, stone, wood, iron, glass, hand-carved beams and French limestone flooring. The home offers numerous gathering rooms, including an expansive kitchen, formal dining room, luxurious master suite and a finished basement with space for wine-tasting, gaming and exercise. Represented by: RE/MAX Cornerstone Source: Zillow CLICK HERE TO BROWSE MORE LUXURY TRI-CITIES …
Thursday, April 25, 2013
You could purchase one of three comparably priced homes for around $349,900 in Batavia, Geneva or St. Charles. Which would you choose?
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE TRI-CITIES REAL ESTATE FEATURES.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Patch is hiring a sales rep to cover select sites in Kane and Kendall counties. Know someone who would be a good fit? Here's how to apply.
Patch wants to hire a "rock star" advertising manager with local online advertising sales experience in the Chicago area. Patch provides news and information on about 60 suburban communities, as well as six neighborhood sites in the city of Chicago. The Community Field Sales Representative will work primarily within a group of clustered Patch sites. The position available will manage sales for select sites in Kane and Kendall counties, including St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia, Montgomery, Oswego and Yorkville. It is essential that applicants know the communities and surrounding areas well, and is familiar with the digital and social media world. Also key is someone who loves to see small businesses succeed. Interested? Send your resume to …
Sunday, April 21, 2013
If you got an ouch for your federal income tax return this year, you've got a little more than a month to get ready for the next sting: your Kane County property tax bill.
If taxpayers revolted in the April 9 municipal elections, you wouldn't have noticed. There were a number of exceptions, but for the most part, incumbents won the day in school board, mayoral, park board and library board races. So if you didn't vote in those races, no griping is allowed on your tax bill. (OK, we'll allow some griping, since it's the usual result of those bills that arrive in the mail on or before May 1.) Kane County Treasurer David J. Rickert has sent out the annual press release announcing the "when" and some of the "what" of your upcoming bill. The first installment will be due June 3, and the second installment Sept. 3, 2013. For those keeping track, the net value of taxable real estate in Kane County is a little more …
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Tri-Cities residents, Patch wants to hear from you on the issues that affect you and your neighbors.
Welcome to Tri-Cities Talk—a regular feature in which we ask our Facebook fans to share their views on current issues facing Geneva, Batavia and St. Charles. Every week, we get the conversation started by taking a look back at a question we asked the Tri-Cities community in recent days on local Patch Facebook pages. Even as the waters start to recede this weekend, some of the work is just beginning on flood recovery in the Tri-Cities. Hopefully we emerged a bit wiser, whether it was a lesson in community support from the Herrington rescue, need for higher retention walls and flood plain examination, or something else entirely. That brings us to this week's question: Take a look at what people had to say and join the conversation in the …
Friday, April 19, 2013
More than 31,000 sandbags are distributed to citizen and communities from the north county line to Batavia.
- GOVERNMENT
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Friday, April 19
Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen has signed off on a local disaster declaration—the first step in the process to get Kane County declared a federal disaster area. According to a Kane County press release, the sign-off opens up potential federal assistance to the citizens and municipalities affected by the flood. If federal assistance does become available for Kane County, residents federal assistance centers will be set up to aid those eligible for the assistance, Lauzen said. County officials continue to monitor the damage caused by flooding that has affected a large portion of Kane County. More than 4 inches of rain fell in less than a 24-hour period, causing the Fox River to rise 2 1/2 feet above flood stage. Much of the rain …
Louise Lewis
4:02 am on Monday, May 13, 2013
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