Being immersed in the holidays and all, I thought it’d be fun to look back at local newspapers from seasons gone by.

The December 27, 1878 issue of St. Charles Review provided some chuckles — and illustrated how some things haven’t changed dramatically over the past 145 years.

Take this passage from the “Local Matters” section, for example:

Swap “tin horns” with “iPads” and this remains pretty spot on, right?

Another sampling of local happenings that week:

Gotta hand it to Professor Hatch — his hat gets stolen at the Christmas party, so he turns to the newspaper to give the thief his “permission” to return it. Well played, professor.

And I need more info on the snow-cleaning team that apparently fell into a frozen Fox River above the dam, and the “much trouble” they had in “getting them extricated from their perilous position.” Are they all alive? Were they sent to the hospital? Did some local hero save them?

We’ll keep digging and see if we can’t find answers those questions.

In the meantime, let’s look back at what our readers found the most interesting over the last few months.

☑️ Batavia’s Downtown Plan: In October, the city brought the community together to weigh in on its Downtown Plan framework.

🔒 Geneva’s former blacksmith shop: In November, the owner of the 1840 building pushed to remove the building's landmark status.

🔒 Senior home dispute: When the new owner of a St. Charles senior community abruptly switched it to a rental model, residents found themselves scrambling.

🔒 “The Killer” film premiere: In November, a David Fincher movie filmed in St. Charles was released on Netflix.

🔒 City takes over maintenance: The developers of a street construction project in St. Charles refused to complete the work — forcing the city to take over.

☑️ Riverfront residential project: Geneva considers a five-story, 114-unit apartment building and two seven-unit townhome buildings.

☑️ Thorabella’s heading to downtown Batavia: The new restaurant in the former Gaetano’s space should be open any day now.

☑️ Nemec Brothers Pizza: The new Zaza’s Pizzeria location opened under a new name on State Street in Geneva earlier this month.

☑️ Grainology BrewStillery: Batavia’s new brewery/distillery combo opened its doors to great fanfare in November.

☑️ Acquaviva + JT’s Tavern: One Batavia restaurant finds a new home while another takes over the former Full Moon space.

☑️ Nacho Burger opens: The new local spot from Bien Trucha Group is located next to Bien Trucha on State Street in Geneva.

☑️ New bar for downtown STC: Rudy’s Bar, a new country-themed tavern, opened in late October.

And now we return to the present day…

The 🔒 icon indicates a potential paywall.

☑️ Cold case: In 1978, a Batavia couple found a skull (plus other bones) while remodeling their home. Today, investigators have reopened the old case — and are seeking the public’s help.

🔒 Migration response: After 38 asylum seekers arrived at the Elburn Metra station unannounced on 12/21, city officials helped 34 of them take a train into Chicago. In response, the village board voted last night to ban unscheduled migrant bus drop-offs.

Last Friday, Aurora approved an ordinance to restrict bus companies from bringing in migrants as well.

☑️ Drunk driving crackdown: Local authorities will be running an anti-DUI initiative from the late hours of New Years Eve into the early hours of New Years Day.

🔒 Disappointing conduct: State Rep. Matt Hanson, who represents District 83 (including parts of Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles), pleaded guilty to DUI last week.

🔒 To the highest bidder: 65 properties in Kane County are going up for auction due to unpaid real estate taxes from 2019 and previous years. Bids can be submitted online.

🔒 Water wars: Local officials recently participated in a friendly water-tasting competition — and one of the Tri-Cities came away with second place.

🔒 Lifesaving skills: Kane County will be offering free CPR classes to equip interested residents with the knowledge needed to potentially save a life during a medical emergency.

☑️ STC C.A.R.E.S.: A new volunteer program led by the St. Charles Police Department will offer help and support to residents who suffer from mental health issues.

🔒 The giving spirit: Several local nonprofits received a nice boost from Bethlehem Lutheran Church of St. Charles, receiving nearly $24K in Expansive Church Grants to support their impactful efforts.

☑️ A holiday obsession: If you’ve done any driving in the McHenry area recently, you may have noticed the 1990 Ford Taurus GL that a local man has transformed into a replica of the Griswold station wagon from "Christmas Vacation." It’s been a big hit.

🔒 Utility update: Geneva will use $30 million in alternate revenue bonds to fund electric infrastructure improvements for major road corridors and expanding the Geneva Business Park substation.

🔒 Family business: The Bike Rack — a St. Charles cycling shop off Campton Hills Road — now has a second location along the Fox River after acquiring Oswego Cyclery.

This weekend’s live music lineup covers 46 performances happening today (12/28) through Sunday (12/31) — including 13 New Years Eve specials.

A sampling of what’s to come:

Several venues and establishments have live music on tap for New Years Eve (see above), while plenty of other restaurants and bars will be hosting celebrations or offering special menus.

Here’s a sampling of the non-music NYE events happening across the Tri-Cities:

🎟️ NYE Celebration | Tap House Grill | St. Charles | 5PM

☑️ Funway happenings | The Batavia amusement center is hosting a Family Skate Party from 5:30-9PM and a Countdown Party from 10:30PM-1AM.

🎟️ New Year's Eve Four-Course Wine Dinner | Preservation | Geneva | Starting 6PM

🎟️ Roll into the New Year | St. Charles Bowl | 7-9PM or 10PM-1AM

🎟️ NYE 23 at The Lewis | The Lewis | St. Charles | 8PM

🎟️ Stockholm’s NYE Pairing Party | Stockholm Brewery | Geneva | 8:30PM

☑️ NYE Party | The Filling Station Pub & Grill | St. Charles | 10PM

🌧️ Today: High 38F | Low 37F | Raw + wet

🌧️ Friday: High 39F | Low 26F | Precip early

🌤️ Saturday: High 41F | Low 27F | Is that…the sun!?

☁️ Sunday: High 34F | Low 24F | Chilly + dreary

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