Looking for Kane County News? Check Out Kane County Connects

As I type this, I’m listening to a GovLoop free seminar on “open data.”

Why am I doing this? Because I want to learn how Kane County government can be of service to you. (And as Dave Barry used to say, I am not making this up.)

By way of introduction, my name is Rick Nagel. I’m the former editor of about a billion newspapers in Kane County and former editor of Geneva and Batavia Patch — and I’m the (relatively new) Kane County community outreach coordinator.

For about six months now, I’ve been putting together an electronic-media community outreach initiative called “Kane County Connects,” which is funded by a grant from the recently renamed Grand Victoria Elgin Casino Fund. ( For some “open data” on the GSEC, click this link.)

What exactly is Kane County Connects?

I’m glad you asked. In some ways, it’s a free, Kane County-centric news service. No annual subscription fees, no advertising, no spin.

It’s a vehicle for you to keep up with what’s happening in Kane County government, what’s going on throughout Kane County and what good news people are sharing about the people, places and events in the communities and rural areas we serve.

We have three platforms for doing that: a free, daily or weekly email newsletter (your choice), a website (blog) where we post at least five articles every day, and an array of social media — Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, YouTube and more.

You Mean It’s Free? Where Do I Sign Up?

I’m glad you asked that, too. If you’d like to get started, here’s my recommendation:

Click here to sign up for the Kane County newsletter. We reach about 8,000 people daily and about 230 people with our once-a-week version. (The daily is best, in my opinion, because you’ll miss out on breaking news and other good news if you just get the once-a-week thing.) Here’s what today’s newsletter looks like.

(Also, if you’re with a service organization, business, chamber of commerce or unit of government in Kane County — library, park district, etc. — and you’d like to share news with our wide and growing Kane County audience, email ricknagel23@gmail.com.)

Click here to subscribe to the “blog.” In the upper left, you’ll see a button that says, “Subscribe.” Click that, enter your email address, and you’re good to go.

And/or:

• “Like ” our Facebook page.
• Follow us on Twitter.
• Connect via Google Plus.
• Follow us on YouTube.

What Will I See Once I Get There?

Please visit KaneCountyConnects.com. Here are just a few of the featured stories from today:

GREGORY G. OAKES OF SANDWICH DIES IN SINGLE-CAR CRASH

KANE COUNTY STUDENT PHOTO CONTEST: WEEK 1 WINNER’S SCOPE IS COSMIC

WHERE TO GET A FLU SHOT IN KANE COUNTY

COUNTY SET TO LOWER SPEED LIMIT ON HOPPS ROAD NEAR SUBDIVISION IN ELGIN TOWNSHIP

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH: DOCUMENTARY ON AURORA’S YOUNG, LATINO ACHIEVERS PREMIERES THURSDAY

So, as I listen to this online seminar, here is literally the last quote I typed in my notes:

“We’re really trying to improve people’s lives. And if we’re not doing that, we’re not achieving our goals.”

That’s pretty much what Kane County Connects is trying to do: focus on your needs, provide you with important, useful information (at no cost or obligation) and give you more opportunities to share stuff with your neighbors, speak your mind, participate in this little 200-plus-year experiment in American democracy at the local level ...

And maybe even have a little fun doing it.

Rick Nagel
Kane County Community Outreach Coordinator
Oct. 8, 2014