Elgin News Digest: Hanover Township unveils new emergency services station Saturday; Carpentersville announces holiday lighting contest winners; Elgin library to offers virtual ‘Sweet Treats of the Midwest’ program

Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune
Updated ·3 min read

Hanover Township unveils new emergency services station Saturday

A dedication and ribbon-cutting event was held Saturday for Hanover Township’s new emergency services station at 300 S. Route 59 in Bartlett.

The station serves as headquarters for the Hanover Township Department of Emergency Services and its volunteers. It features 12 vehicle bays, training and communications rooms, a kitchen, overnight quarters and equipment rooms, according to a news release.

The department responds to a wide range of emergencies and nonemergency events in which they either assist primary emergency responders or operate independently during natural and man-made disasters, the release said. Among those it assists are the Elgin police and fire departments and Kane County Office of Emergency Management.

For information on volunteering, call 630-837-0301 or email htes@hanover-township.org.

U-46 to hold boundary change guidelines meeting Thursday

School District U-46 officials are holding a community engagement session Thursday to discuss how boundary changes resulting from the closing of some schools, construction of new schools and renovation of existing schools will be handled.

An update on projects will be given and a review of boundary planning criteria and guidelines explained, according to the U-46 website.

U-46 Chief of Staff Brian Lindholm told the school board Monday that the first boundary changes will be for the former Hawk Hollow Elementary in Bartlett, which is being converted into a middle school.

Maps and scenarios for the new school will be ready in April and presented to the board for approval in May. Changes will not go into effect until the start of the 2025-26 school year, Lindholm said.

Boundary changes for other projects won’t go to the board until April 2025 and won’t be implemented until the 2026-27 school year.

The Thursday meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the library at Elgin High School, 1200 Maroon Drive, Elgin. Registration is not required but is suggested by going to uniteu46.org. For more information, email erinschmalen@u-46.org.

Carpentersville announces holiday lighting contest winners

Carpentersville has announced the winners of its 2023 holiday lighting contest.

There were four categories judged, with first-, second- and third-place winners selected:

Traditional: 7044 Westwood Drive, 310 N. Washington St. and 812 Salem Lane;

Griswald (over-the-top displays): 102 Port Cove, 7348 Grandview Court and 534 Wilmette Ave.;

Rookie: 841 Navajo Drive, 327 Tulsa Ave. and 1026 Rosewood Drive;

Facebook: 2403 Woodside Drive.

Elgin High School alum to give virtual presentation for teach-in

Elgin High School alum Autumn McGowan, who now works as a conservation fellow at The Nature Conservancy, will give an online presentation about her organization’s studies of reefs in the Great Lakes at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 9.

McGowan’s talk is one of more than 15 webinars that are part of the annual National Biodiversity Teach-in, according to the Elgin School District U-46 website. The teach-in is organized by Elgin High School environmental science students and their teachers.

The webinars are free and open to the public. Webinars will be offered Fridays, Feb. 9 and 16. For more information, go to www.nationalbiodiversityteachin.com.

Elgin library to offers virtual ‘Sweet Treats of the Midwest’ program

Author and food enthusiast Amy Gail Hansen will discuss the history of four desserts during “Sweet Treats of the Midwest,” a virtual program presented through Elgin’s Gail Borden Public Library District at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14.

Hansen will talk about Chicago socialite and philanthropist Bertha Palmer’s creation of the chocolate brownie more than 100 years ago at the Palmer House hotel as well as the invention of Twinkies and Rice Krispies treats and the origin story of Bundt cake.

To receive access to a Zoom link to view the presentation, go to gailborden.info/register or call 847-429-4597.