New Aurora Police Chief
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin has announced Keith Cross as the city’s new police chief. His choice was revealed at a press conference today where he also announced Commander Matthew Thomas as new deputy chief, and Guillermo Trujillo as his deputy mayor. Cross has been with the Aurora Police Department since 1994, and for the last year and a half has been a deputy chief. He’ll take over the position from Kristen Ziman, who is retiring from the department on August 6. Aurora City Council must still approve the police chief and deputy chief appointments.
Grand Marshal Announced
The Naperville Jaycees announced that Edward Hospital’s frontline workers will be the Grand Marshal of the 2021 Labor Day Parade. They bestowed the honor as thanks for the hard work the healthcare workers put in during the pandemic to keep the public safe and in good health. The parade kicks off at 10 a.m. on Monday, September 6 at Naperville North High School. It will run south on Mill Street through downtown until its endpoint at Naperville Central High School.
D203 Growth Assessment
Naperville School District 203 administration presented its Spring MAP Growth Assessment results at Monday’s board meeting. Kindergarten through eighth grade students were assessed in reading and math. National percentile rank medians for the district showed the median student was in the 71st percentile rank in spring 2021, compared to 76th in the winter 2021 assessment. Math also saw a downward trend – the median student was in the 70th percentile in spring 2021 compared to 75th in winter 2021. District administration said this could have happened due to lower participation or fatigue on students due to the pandemic, noting that these tests were done at the end of the school year. This shift down has also been seen on a national level.
Naper Nights
Naper Settlement’s annual Naper Nights Community Concert Series starts up this Friday and Saturday. The event was canceled last year due to the pandemic. But this year the two-night concert series, taking place in July, August and September is back. This weekend’s performances will feature tributes to James Brown, Talking Heads and Tina Turner, among others. There will be food and drink options for purchase on site, and activities for kids. Concerts run from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Ticket info is available on the Naper Settlement website.
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