Welcome to Tri-Cities Central, a twice-weekly newsletter highlighting local happenings in Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles and surrounding communities.
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Local election resources
Illinois’ March 17 primary is coming up fast — and early voting is already underway.
This election will decide party nominees for major national and statewide offices (including governor and U.S. Senate), plus a long list of state legislative and local races.
The Chicago Tribune assembled a useful voter guide with all the key info, including Kane County resources for voter registration, early voting locations, sample ballots, and vote-by-mail applications and drop box locations.
Important change in 2026: Thanks to a new USPS policy, election officials are urging Illinois residents to return their mail-in ballots as early as possible to avoid postmark date issues.
In previous elections, the mail would be postmarked on the day you dropped it in the mailbox. But now, it will be postmarked on the day it's processed at the post office, which sometimes can be days later.
Kane County Connects issued the following guidance:
Recent changes by the U.S. Postal Service mean postmarks now reflect the date mail is processed, not the date it’s dropped off. To avoid any issues, voters are encouraged to return their completed vote by mail ballot as early as possible. For added assurance, take your ballot inside your local post office and ask for a hand-stamped postmark showing the date it was accepted.
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☑️ Road diet updates: Batavia officials are seeking IDOT approval for new “road diet” changes that would affect lanes, parking, and pedestrian crossings on Route 31 downtown — all aimed at slowing traffic and improving safety.
☑️ Daycare charges: St. Charles police charged a Sycamore daycare teacher after investigators said she gave chewable laxatives to three children ages 2 and under at a West Main Street facility in St. Charles.
☑️ Liquor store rejuvenation: Batavia officials are reviewing property improvements for 101 S. Batavia Avenue, a downtown building that was recently purchased with plans to become a dry-cleaning business after sitting vacant for several years.
☑️ STC seniors: St. Charles has reactivated its Senior Services Commission — inactive since 2007 — and is now accepting applications for nine volunteer members to help advise and strengthen local support for older residents.
☑️ New public officials: After months of back-and-forth, the Kane County Board voted to appoint interim members to fill the long-vacant District 2 and District 9 seats ahead of the March 17 primary election.
☑️ Hit & run investigation: Batavia police are asking for the public’s help identifying a silver Chevrolet Tahoe involved in a hit-and-run crash on northbound Kirk Road near Pine Street late last week.
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☑️ Locals honors: St. Charles officials supported adding two honorary street signs — one for Colonel Edward J. Baker and one for St. Charles East state champion wrestler Dom Munaretto.
☑️ Cycling stewardship: Batavia earned the Bronze-Level Bicycle Friendly Community designation, which recognizes a city’s commitment to serving local biking needs through planning, education, policies, and dedicated infrastructure.
🔒 Civic spotlight: A Geneva High School social studies teacher received a $5K grant to create a student-led civics project honoring Geneva veterans, including an interactive Wall of Honor and a mural tied to America’s founding principles.
☑️ Statewide accolades: Home safety and security site Safewise recognized Campton Hills as the safest city in Illinois for the third year in a row. Get the details and see the full list.
☑️ Storytelling sessions: Aspiring local fiction writers may be intrigued by this upcoming six-week creative writing workshop at Caroline / Atelier C in Geneva — a chance to workshop your craft and get feedback from instructor Ariane Elizabeth Scholl and fellow participants.
✳️ Preschool planning: Considering local preschool options for your 2-, 3-, 4-, or 5-year-old? Learn about a typical day at Batavia Covenant Preschool, where kids build confidence through hands-on learning, playground time, music, field trips, and gentle faith-based lessons.
We somehow managed to catch three performances over three hours this past Saturday at Pollyanna and Brother Chimp in St. Charles — all fantastic.
Looking ahead, the middle-of-the-week lineup features a couple of concerts at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre in addition to the regular spots. Enjoy!
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Want to see what’s possible in your kitchen? Call Brian at (630) 777-0688 for a free estimate or visit their website.
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☑️ Now open: Savia Cafe & Bakery just opened at 312 Crescent Place in the Geneva Metra station building, where they’ll be serving “coffee, pastries, and slow moments” every day of the week.
☑️ Restaurant milestone: Villa Verone in Geneva (which happens to be our go-to anniversary dinner spot) is celebrating its 30th anniversary this week with a complimentary buffet from 6-9PM on Wednesday (2/11). No reservations required.
☑️ Market mainstay: With help from a Kane County grant, Mighty Greens Farm in Elburn is growing greens and vegetables year-round while expanding local access to fresh food through farmers markets, subscriptions, and food pantry partnerships.
✳️ Get ahead of Valentine’s Day: From cute plushes to clever cards, comfy shirts, and other heartfelt gifts, Urban Artisan in Geneva has a unique collection of Valentine’s Day items you won’t find anywhere else. View their V-Day selection.
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☑️ Hey business owners! Looking to boost your marketing efforts in 2026? Reach out to explore partnering up with Tri-Cities Central this spring to directly reach thousands of local readers in a positive, engaging way.
☑️ Local home sales: See recent property sales for Kane County — including this $1.3M mansion on a one-acre wooded lot in Batavia’s Tanglewood Hills subdivision.
✳️ Need a trustworthy local realtor? Get in touch with Tri-Cities expert Chris Wallace at [email protected] or chriswallacere.com.
☑️ Local obits: Recent obituaries posted by Tri-Cities funeral homes.
☑️ City meetings:
Monday (2/9): Special Geneva Committee of the Whole meeting focused on FY 2027 budget and FY 2028 budget projections (agenda)
☑️ Police reports: View police reports and arrest logs for Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles and Campton Hills.
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This section is brought to you by Brother Chimp Brewing — your welcoming, neighborhood taproom with convenient locations in St. Charles and North Aurora. See all of their upcoming events.
☑️ Valentine’s & Galentine’s events: See a comprehensive list of local happenings coming up.
☑️ 5-Year Open House | Wed 2/11, 5-8PM | Rising Lights Project, STC | Celebrate five years of serving the community with appetizers, drinks, and special updates.
☑️ Free Retirement Class | Thu 2/12, 6-8PM | Batavia Public Library | Learn retirement basics and plan for today’s changing landscape.
🎟️ Sips + Sushi | Thu 2/12, 6:30PM | moto imōto, STC | Five-course dinner with sparkling wines and sushi pairings.
🎟️ The Complete History of America (Abridged) | Fri 2/13 - Sat, 2/14 | Geneva High School | Fast-paced comedy that races through U.S. history with modern humor.
🎟️ Love Notes Workshop | Sat 2/14, 10AM-12PM | Creating Space Therapy, Geneva | Create self-love notes with simple cut-and-paste art.
Thanks for reading
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