Good Morning Aurora

Our co-host Kristine had to be on a conference call, we discovered we need an ethernet cable, but we had coffee! Another friend of the show came by to say hello and this was a very cool and different morning! Today was a vibe on the show, we got to know each other more, talk about ideas and goals and have fun.  Today our interview subject was our staff engineer Hunter, who originally hails from Decatur, Illinois. After all the fun we had on the show this morning we think that 'Casual Thursday's' can be a thing going forward. It's a fun, lighthearted and engaging way to get to know us as a team. We also used this time to iron out some kinks and tech issues with the streaming; we're multi-tasking! Tomorrow's episode will be powerful and you don't want to miss this!

Shout out go to Aurora Public Library, Kane Senior Council and the Neighbor Project. Great things are happening in our wonderful city so please get out there and take part. Thank you's go to the Puerto Rican Fraternal Order, PLS Solutions, McCarty Mills, Defense Training Institute and Tredwell coffee. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel and stay tuned to the 2nd largest city's 1st daily news podcast. Have a safe and powerful day today and tune in tomorrow at 8 am!

Today we really knocked it out the park with this interview. We sat down with Brenda Rodgers who is a candidate for Kane County Recorder Of Deeds. Brenda has over 25 years of experience in Kane County politics and was formerly on the Elgin city council. From the power of voting to life in the south prior to coming to Elgin, Brenda was a breath of fresh air. We really learned so much today; Brenda is a realtor and she's confident that her passion to help others in housing has been a strength. Brenda is confident about her abilities, we also spoke about the importance of family & community. She has done so much and continues to do a lot for the residents of Kane County. The election is in November so it's right around the corner. There's still so much to be done, we're glad that there are people like Brenda who are working hard for others!

Shout outs go to all of Kane County and to our friends at LULAC. Shout outs also go to Tredwell, All Spoked Up and Usborne Books. The Book Bash last night was awesome so thanks for letting us take part. Special thanks to all of our listeners and subscribers and shout out to the League Of Women Voters. Advertising packages are now available and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel. We've got much more fantastic content and interviews coming soon. Stay tuned in to the 2nd largest city's 1st daily news podcast. Be blessed and powerful on this Wednesday!

Today was a motivational morning, we had a friend of the show, Mr. Rick Guzman on for an interview. We spoke about the history of the Neighbor Project and its contribution since to Aurora. With so much going on in our city and our country its welcoming to know that there are organizations & people consistently helping. The city of Aurora has a number of initiatives and programs available to help uplift & financially strengthen the community. We hear directly from Rick about what they are and how to access them. We can all do so much, by empowering each other we can do so much more. Much, much more! With a focus on helping others and with a dedicated staff, the Neighbor Project is a blessing to the city and our people. Be sure to register for and check out their virtual events and calendar as well.

Shout outs go to the Aurora Public Library and the City of Elgin, and also a big shout out to all authors and readers. A very special thank you to the staff and team at Two Brothers, Blue Agave & the Fox Valley Mall Specialty Leasing team. Thank you's go to the City of Aurora, KCSO and McCarty Mills Taproom. Shout out to all Aurora artists, and register and exercise your right to vote. Be blessed and motivated on this Tuesday.

A friend of the show returns! Gin Ingram (artist, business owner) came back on for a part 2 episode and it was great and an awesome start to the week! Today is Monday and we wanted to set the tone for the week. Gin has a lot going on and has really been kicking butt since last we sat down and spoke with her. Since then she has created the Peace Of Art Camp (301 5th Street) which has been a fun initiative! Kids and families have registered and we are fans of her and all her work. She was also a featured artist at the recently passed Beyond The Walls gallery & exhibition in Downtown Aurora at Gallery 1904 (1 E. Benton St). Gin is the owner of Grandmabears Day Care and is one of the most creative people in the city. She's a true friend of the show and she even created some artwork for us! On 8/18 at 8 pm there will be the Back To School Usborne Bash which will be online. From helping our youth with art to being a true creative and blessing the whole city with art, Gin is on the front lines of positive change in our city! Stick around because there will definitely be more of Gin in the future!

Shout outs for the day go to VizoArts, McCarty Mills and the Neighbor Project. Don't forget the Economic Empowerment Webinar hosted by the Kane County Sheriff's Office. Shouts to Tredwell and IL House Districts 83 & 84. Shout out to Ward 6 Alderman Mike Saville as well. Big shouts go to Lanphere's furniture, Gremlen studios and all artists and authors in Aurora. Have a motivated, exciting and blessed Monday. Tune in tomorrow morning at 8 for another great episode!

It's Friday and this episode has all the motivation you need for the weekend. Today we had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with an Aurora legend, Arlene Hawks! Arelene has been a staple here in our community for a long time and we're so happy to have had a chance to get to know her. SciTech is also a staple in Aurora and Arlene is the director of SciTech. With a background in teaching Arlene has been shaping the hearts & minds of our youth for many years. We also spoke about chasing one's dreams and about never giving up. From theater to good food, motivation and improvisation, Arlene is a breath of fresh air and we guarantee you'll love this interview. Did you know that Hawks auditorium at East Aurora High School is named after her? Well there's a little history for you on this Friday!

Special thank you to all of our listeners, subscribers and friends out there. Thank you for helping us grow and tuning in. It means a lot to us and our programming is for the benefit of all Aurorans. Extra special thanks to Jason Ivy, Bob and Josh the Marine for the help this week. Much love and respect to Alderman Mike Saville, Alderman at large Sherman Jenkins & IL House Districts 83 & 84. Peace and love to all Aurora artists and authors. Shouts to Deputy Demeter (Kane County Sheriff's Department), Officer 'Sully' (APD), Mike & Phil from Ballydoyle, All Spoked Up and the squad Hunter & JV. We are proud to be the undisputed voice of the people. Independent media, for the people and by the people. Be persevering, hard-working, dedicated, motivated and fearless about whatever it is you're passionate about. Have a safe weekend and we'll see you all on Monday!

From learning about the judiciary to good food in St. Charles, our conversation today with Kane County Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth Flood was great! It was informative, revealing and it was good to get perspective from a true public servant. With 25 years of experience Elizabeth brings fairness and an updated way of thinking to the justice system. For far too long, many of our community members have felt that the justice system is not there to help them. Indeed, many in our community have had a more cynical view of prosecutors, judges and lawyers. But what's more important is dialogue. It's far more important to take the time to understand each other and to learn. There's many things about the law that we ourselves weren't familiar with. Judge Flood explained things well and we appreciate her time this morning. It's also worth mentioning that Judge Flood is involved in many community activities and recently sponsored the Fox Valley Marines golf outing. She's an awesome person and we are happy that people of her caliber are who make up our judges and prosecutors in Kane County.

Shouts go out to the Kane County Bar Association, the Fox Valley Marines and all Air Force veterans. Special shouts to the Aurora Public Library, Crystal House and Gremlen Studios. Thank you's go to all the people of authority making positive change in Kane county. That includes Jamie Mosser (candidate for Kane County States Attorney) and Sheriff Ron Hain (KCSO). Shout out to Alderwomen Hart-Burns & Tammy Smith. Shout out to the Rotary Club and shout out to Hunter & JV (#squadgoals). Peace and love to all of you in Aurora & Kane County. Be blessed & powerful on this Thursday.

Community, charitable works and The Festival of Lights; so much work done & so much to do. Our conversation with Linda Kemp, past President of the Rotary Club was amazingly motivational. Intensely dynamic and engaging, Linda has a remarkable story to tell and this is one of our best 'Women In Business' episodes. With an east coast background and a passion for service, Linda & the Rotary Club have been major contributors to our city. From different events, projects & initiatives, the mark made by the Rotary Club stretches far and wide. The Rotary Club began in Chicago in 1905. Since then it has become a nationwide and international organization and its name is well-known. I this episode we talk business, dealing with stress & anxiety and understanding our respective ability to add positive change. We can all do so much to improve the quality of life of others. When we put 'service over self' great things happen. 

Shout outs go to Tredwell and all Rotary Club chapters. Don't forget that Cape Con is happening at the Aurora Public Library so please check it out online. Shouts go out to all veterans clubs and organizations. Big thanks to Josh (USMC veteran, realtor) for the home improvement tips. Shout out to Cotton Seed Creative Exchange, PreMil (Mac Appeal & Jay Money what up) and Aurora authors Tracy Duran & Xeli Xelz. Much love to the Aurora Rapid Response team and Aurora Public Art. All original, never the same. Be blessed and motivated on this Wednesday.  

'Creativity knows no bounds'; that's one of the many take-away's from our discussion with Mr. Jason Ivy. As an R&B artist, academic and NASA SPACEX ambassador, Jason is on the front lines of tangible, positive representation. From 'Learn To Strut' to the 'Remix Project', Jason's talents and passions take on many forms. It was great to learn about all the changes he's seen and has been involved in. Coming from the Southside of Chicago his voice is a welcome and fresh addition to the Aurora scene. As a show, we are fully committed to highlighting those making positive change and helping others. We spoke with Jason about what's currently happening in the City of Chicago and his thoughts on what he sees. One thing we discovered is Sade is a favorite artist of Mr. Ivy's and certain members of our show! That was very cool! Jason is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. At UPenn he majored in Cognitive Neuroscience & on today's episode he stressed the importance of positive reinforcement through representation. It was truly a pleasure speaking to this talented young man and we support him and all of his endeavors. The world needs more positive, like-minded people. 

Shout out to the Aurora Public Library and Cape Con happening this week & weekend. Also, a big shout out and thank you to Aurora Public Art, Gin Ingram Art and the West Aurora School District 129. We'd also like to say thank you to all of our listeners and supporters. Shout out to Tredwell, All Spoked Up and Amy Nelson Photo. Good job to the City of Aurora, Northern Illinois Food Bank, Ward 3 Alderman Ted Mesiacos & Marie Wilkinson's Food Pantry for another successful pop-up food drive! We have much much more to come so stay tuned to the 2nd largest city's 1st daily news podcast. Be blessed, motivated, powerful and compassionate on this Tuesday and we'll see you tomorrow morning!

Monday morning is here and we had a great chat this morning! It's already been a positive and motivation morning and that's the spirit to carry us throughout the day. Today we were honored to speak with Giselle Gonzalez who is an author, community partner & also works for Planned Parenthood. As an advocate for the latinx community and for women in general her voice is an important, and welcome addition to our show. Far too often in this country, people in communities of color are taken for granted and marginalized. When this happens in healthcare the results can be disastrous. What Giselle has done is lend her voice and talents to benefit those struggling in an effort to break generational issues/curses. she is also an author, student and small business owner as well. She's a powerful force for change in Kendall & Kane counties so we appreciate her contribution to our show.

Shout outs go to Keller Williams Realty, IL House Districts 83 & 84 and the Kane County Sheriff's Office. Much love and respect to the Kane Senior Council, and all parties involved in the Pop-Up Food Bank taking place at Phillips Park. They've been feeding people and taking care of our Aurora residents since the beginning of the pandemic in our country, we appreciate their efforts. Shout out to Vizo Arts and all artists involved in the Beyond The Walls galley on Saturday over the weekend. It was a lot of fun! Shout out McCarty Mills & Gremlen Studios. We will see you back here tomorrow morning on the 2nd largest city's 1st daily news podcast. Be fearless on this Monday.

Business, motivation, legit hustling and positive growth; we had Bob Lockwood on the show this morning for chop-ups. Bob is a Pontiac Michigan native with true, blue-collar roots. Bob has been a fixture in the Aurora business community with over twenty years so his perspective is very welcome. Mr. Lockwood spoke on the fantastic group, Aurora Business United. This team marries, non-profits, the business community & local government. Fun fact: we were able to catch a streaming portion of a Grant Cardone interview that they did and THAT was VERY motivational. Mr. Lockwood's newest endeavor is Hopvine Brewer, re-opening soon and located at 4030 Fox Valley Center Drive near the Fox Valley Mall. Check out Hopvine for a spectacular & safe dining experience! We appreciate Bob for coming on the show and we look forward to working with our brother again in the future!

Today is the Beyond The Walls event this evening at Gallery 1094 at 1 E. Benton in Downtown Aurora. Shouts go out to Vizo Arts, McCarty Mills, Gin Ingram Art, STLTH ART and all the artists involved. Shouts go to TBA crew, Hunter, JV and Joseph Weber for the positive vibes and daily chops. Much love and respect to everyone involved in Aurora Business United, Tredwell and shout out to Cotton Seed. Special thanks to all of our friends, listeners, supporters and subscribers. Much respect to Tracy Duran, the Sideline Project, PreMil, Keller Williams Realty and all small businesses in Aurora. Be blessed, be dedicated, be powerful and be whatever you need to be to accomplish what you want to accomplish. Peace and love; tune in Monday morning at 8 am.