City's proposed electricity rate hike in the spotlight

Batavia city officials will conduct a public meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday Feb. 24 to discuss a proposed electric rate increase and a possible half-cent hike in the city’s sales tax to cover electricity costs and related obligations incurred through the city’s involvement in the Northern Illinois Municipal Power Agency (NIMPA) and Prairie State Energy Campus in downstate Illinois. 

The meeting should be a good opportunity for Batavia residents and business owners (more on this group below) to learn why the city’s has increased electric rates four times since 2006 and why rates need to be increased in 2014. I think Batavia officials can do much more to share information with the public (the city's website is overdue for an overhaul), but this public meeting is a step in the right direction. 

Proposed sales-tax hike concerns business owners

Friends in the Batavia business community tell me many business owners oppose a possible half-cent increase in the city’s sale tax, as discussed above. I spoke with several business owners during the past — each asked that I not identify them here  — and they shared some common concerns.

The business owners believe a hike in sales tax will make it tougher for them to compete with businesses in other communities. That’s a practical concern.  They fear a tax increase tied to electricity costs will never be rescinded and might be increased in the future. They also think a tax hike, combined with the city’s high electric rates, will make Batavia less attractive to new businesses or businesses looking to relocate to Batavia. They told me they have shared these concerns with city staff and aldermen.

City officials argue a hike in the sales tax would allow them to limit the increase in the electricity rate to 10 percent. Without the hike in the sales tax, the rate increase would be 16 percent, according to city officials. Business owners said combining a tax hike with a rate increase only confuses matters and keeps ratepayers from understanding the true cost of Batavia's electricity. They have a point.

What I found particularly interesting about the concerns the business owners shared with me is how their take on all of this contrasts with the version some Batavia aldermen shared with me in recent days. Aldermen I spoke with told me they have heard few objection about the proposed tax increase from the business community. Makes me wonder why their is such disparity between the two versions.

Research group issues report about Batavia’s energy costs

The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis recently released Overpriced Energy: Why Batavia is Paying so Much for Electricity, an eight-page analysis of Batavia’s contract with the Prairie State Energy Campus. The report offers interesting information and some grim conclusions. I encourage Batavia ratepayers to read the report. 

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Restaurant Week returns to St. Charles

More than 30 restaurants are set to take part in the annual St. Charles Restaurant Week, starting Monday, Feb. 24 and continuing through Friday, Feb. 28. Diners can receive a 25 percent discount on dine-in meal purchases by presenting a special coupon for the event. For more information, including a list of participating restaurants go to 

www.stcharlesil.gov/restaurant-week

Kane County Chronicle launches Election Central

The Kane County Chronicle recently launched Election Central 2014, a web page containing information about the candidates in the March 18 primary elections and the questions that will appear on local ballots. The Chronicle does a fine job covering state and local races, so be sure to visit Election Central. Get yourself informed about the candidates and the issues they’re talking about during this election cycle. 

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http://www.ieefa.org/

Orchids, 'Peter Pan' and animal tracks

The Batavia Orchid Society will host its annual Chicago Suburban Orchid Show and Sale Saturday, Feb. 15 and Sunday, Feb. 16 at the DuPage County Fairgrounds, 2015 Manchester Road, Wheaton. The event will include thousands of orchids, demonstrations, displays and more. Shoppers will find plants, books, supplies and other merchandise for sale. Admission and parking are free. The show will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. 

Theater group to stage 'Peter Pan'
Spotlight Youth Theater will present its production of “Peter Pan’ beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14 and continuing on select dates through Sunday, Feb. 23 at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre, 1201 W. Main St., Batavia. The production features performers ages 5 to 18. For ticket information and show times, call 847-516-2298, or go to www.spotlight.org.

Church to host Taize worship service
Our friends at the Congregational Church of Batavia will conduct a Taize worship service at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14. All are welcome. The church is located at 21 S. Batavia Ave. in downtown Batavia. For more information, call 630-879-1999.

Corron Farm to offer Animal Tracks program
Campton Township will offer Animal Tracks, a family wildlife program Saturday, Feb. 15 at Corron Farm 7N761 Corron Road in Campton Hills. Guest naturalist Brock Moran will share information about local animals and lead participants on a hike through the farm. Admission is free. The program will be offered in two sessions. The first session will begin at 8 a.m. and is designed for children ages 10 and older. The second session will begin at 10 a.m. and is for children ages 9 and younger. Reservations are encouraged. For more information or to register for the program, call 630-387-1016.

Forest preserve district sets program at Pioneer Sholes School
Our friends at the Forest Preserve District of Kane County sent word of their Winter Open House from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15 and Sunday, Feb 16 at the Pioneer Sholes School, an 1872 one-room school, in the LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve, 37W700 Dean St., St. Charles. The event will include educational displays, songs, and crafts. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted. The Durant House Museum, located near the schoolhouse, also will be open for tours. For more information, call 630-762-9746

Bethany Lutheran to host movie night
Bethany Lutheran Church in Batavia will screen a movie at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16. All are welcome. Snacks will be provided but visitors may bring some to share. For more information about the event, call 630-879-3444. The church is located at 8 S. Lincoln St., Batavia.

Rauner to speak at Batavia event
Bruce Rauner, a Republican candidate for governor in the March 18 primary elections, will speak at an open house Saturday, Feb. 15 at Water Street Studios, 160 S. Water St. in downtown Batavia. The open house is set for 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission is free and light refreshments will be served.

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Remembering Buddy, Ritchie and the Big Bopper

Buddy Holly

Feb. 3. 2014 marks the 55th anniversary of the day early rock stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. ‘The Big Bopper’ Richardson died in a plane crash in 1959, following a performance in Clear Lake, Iowa. The event is known in rock 'n' roll history as ‘the day the music died.’ 

Ritchie Valens

I was born a couple of years after the three were killed and grew up listening to the Beatles and other rock musicians of the late 1960s. I wasn't familiar with Holly, Valens, the Big Bopper and other performers of the late 1950s and early 1960s until 1975, when I was a freshman at Arlington High School. 

I learned about rock's early years through WVVX 103.1 FM, a Highland Park radio station that back then offered an odd program schedule that featured song's from rock's early years late at night, but switched to foreign-language programs during the day. The radio station's playlist included top hits as well as some obscure titles.

I was fascinated and entertained by most of the music. I developed a serious interest in what became known as rock's formative years and listened to that music almost exclusively throughout high school.

I pause each year to remember the lives lost in that 1959 plane crash. Over the years I have pondered the impact the event had on the history of rock and roll, but mostly I just make an effort to listen to the music these artists left us. I think their music is important (and remains popular) because the lyrics speak of experiences common to generations of American teens. With all of that stated, here are a few modest observations.

I think most rock fans know Holly for ‘Peggy Sue,’ and ‘That Will be the Day,’ but 1957’s ‘Not Fade Away,’ is one of my favorite Holly songs, though not as popular as his other hits. Holly's life and short career was dramatized in the 1978 movie 'The Buddy Holly Story,' which received an Oscar nomination for actor Gary Busey's work in the leading role.

Valens (Richard Steven Valenzuela) is probably best remembered for his 1958 recording of ‘La Bamba,’ which Rolling Stone magazine included in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Times. 

I always enjoy listening to ‘La Bamba,’ but I prefer the melancholy ‘Donna’ and the up-tempo ‘Come On Let’s Go.’ Actor Lou Diamond Phillips portrayed Valens in the 1987 film ‘La Bamba.’

'The Big Bopper' 

The Big Bopper is remembered for ‘Chantilly Lace,’ a rollicking recording of a rockin’ phone call. I also enjoy ‘The Big Bopper’s Wedding,’ a toe-tapper about a groom getting cold feet during the wedding ceremony.

Whether you're a longtime fan of these artists or unfamiliar with their work, I hope you'll take a few minutes to listen to the songs highlighted above. I think you'll enjoy the sounds. I also hope we will continue to remember three talented musicians who made history during rock 'n' roll's early years. 

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