🦬 Say hello to Fermilab’s new baby bison

In case you missed it this weekend, Batavia’s Fermilab released some big news — and it had nothing to do with particle physics or neutrino science.

Two baby bison became the newest members of Fermilab’s famous herd on Friday, marking the beginning of a busy calving season. Officials expect births of up to 20 calves this spring.

Fermilab's bison herd currently consists of 24 female bison (or cows, as they’re known) and two bulls. Last year, the cows gave birth to 20 calves.

Robert Wilson, Fermilab's first director, turned the facility into a bison sanctuary back in 1969. In 2022, Fermilab launched its live bison cam, which means you can check in on the majestic mammals whenever you want — and perhaps even see a live birth if you’re lucky.

You can always visit the bison live and in person; Fermilab is open from dawn to dusk daily.

If you’ve never seen bison, I highly recommend checking them out this season — they’re incredible, massive animals. (Just make sure you have a REAL ID or US Passport).

Some other Fermilab bison-related resources:

• Photos of Fermilab’s bison herd over the years with historical anecdotes

• More photos dating back to 1994

• Live virtual bison cam

• A broadcast segment about the bison that ran on ABC7 Chicago last week

• Videos: The story behind Fermilab’s herd and footage of a calf and her mother in 2017

Given that roughly 20 calves seem to be born each year, I was curious how the herd remains steady at around 25 bison.

When I contacted Fermilab media relations, a rep told me, “The Fermilab bison program is self-sustaining and in the fall some of the bison are sold to regional farmers.”

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📰 News to use

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☑️ From STC to NFL: Tyler Nubin — a former star football player for St. Charles North — was selected in the second round of this weekend’s NFL Draft by the New York Giants. (Paywall article here)

☑️ Geneva project: Remember the 302 River PUD residential development we covered last Monday? The Planning & Zoning Commission voted to recommend denying the developer's requests.

☑️ Your Story Matters: A new campaign from the Kane County Health Department will raise awareness about the worsening epidemic of opioid and fentanyl overdoses.

☑️ Road work tomorrow: Geneva will close West State Street (Route 38) traffic lanes on Tuesday to repair a water leak. Drivers should expect delays.

🔒 Interstate maintenance: If you’re planning any trips out west on I-88 toward DeKalb, prepare for construction-related delays and lane closures throughout the summer and fall.

🔒 Elburn crossing: The railroad crossing on Route 47 in downtown Elburn will be closed May 1 to May 10 for repairs with traffic detoured to the Anderson Road bridge.

🏘️ In the community

☑️ Be heard: St. Charles is encouraging folks to attend the next Fox River Dam Joint Task Force meeting on Thursday at 6PM in the Municipal Building.

☑️ Enroll in summer fun: SciTech is hosting one-week youth summer camps in Batavia and Geneva that will offer a blend of education and entertainment for first through sixth-graders.

☑️ Local preservation: Restoration work has begun on Geneva’s historic “Yellow House,” an 1867 building that has served a variety of purposes during its storied past.

☑️ Generosity in action: St. Charles veteran organizations teamed up with local Girl Scouts groups to deliver 900+ boxes of cookies to area veterans — bringing smiles to lots of faces.

☑️ Resident input: Batavia City Council is hosting two public hearings on Wednesday at 7PM regarding proposed zoning amendments — one related to a property on the corner of McKee and Randall and the other regarding a west-side residential neighborhood (the one I grew up in, incidentally).

🎸 Live music 

There are a couple more “TBDs” than usual in the weekday live music lineup — Flagship on the Fox hasn’t announced their May performers yet. I’ll update that as soon as I hear who’s lined up for Wednesday and Thursday.

Also: Live music returns to Whiskey Bend’s patio with a performance from Paul & Jay on Wednesday!

🏬 Local biz

☑️ Familiar face, new space: Gather Bakery — formerly a Batavia Boardwalk Shop — is debuting its permanent State Street location in Geneva on Saturday with a grand opening celebration.

☑️ Outdoor bliss: The STC Business Alliance has released its 2024 guide to patio season in St. Charles — and suddenly I’m clearing my schedule.

☑️ Podcast eps: The “What’s Up St. Charles” podcast recently featured conversations with Fox River Trail Runners, Rudy’s Bar, R House, The Beach Hut and St. Charles Motorcars.

🗓️ Events + things to do

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☑️ Latin + South American Cuisine | Tuesday, 6:30PM | STC Library | Spend the evening with Chef Susan Maddox learning and exploring diverse cultures and cooking methods.

☑️ History Roundtable | Wednesday, 10AM | Batavia Depot Museum | Pop in for coffee, snacks and an engaging conversation about life in the Batavia of yesteryear.

🎟️ Chicago & The Home Front in WWII | Wednesday, 1-2:30PM | Baker Community Center, STC | A fascinating, visually stimulating presentation from an award-winning author and historian.

🎟️ History Rocks 2024 | Wednesday, 6-9PM | Rock N’ Ravioli, STC | Enjoy live music, an Italian fest and raffles while benefitting the STC History Museum.

🗞️ Un-classifieds

☑️ Local home sales: Residential property sales for the week ending April 20 included eight in Batavia, 10 in Geneva and seven in St. Charles — including one on Marsh Lane in Batavia for $850K.

☑️ Deal of the day: Did you know that Gia Mia in Geneva offers half-priced pizzas every Monday? Dine-in or carry-out. (Shout out to reader Cheryl for the heads up).

🌖 Weather snapshot

🌦️ Today: High 72F | Low 46F | Morning shower

🌤️ Tuesday: High 76F | Low 60F | Summery day

🌥️ Wednesday: High 79F | Low 56F | Hot n’ cloudy

🌧️ Thursday: High 79F | Low 58F | Wet n’ windy