Elgin boy, 10, gifted with Chicago Bears-themed bedroom
Thanks to nonprofit Special Spaces Illinois, Advocate Children’s Hospital, the Chicago Bears and Steinhafels furniture, 10-year-old Elijah Powell, of Elgin, now has a bedroom designed just for him in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness.
Designers and volunteers worked with sponsors, contractors and community members to complete the bedroom project in just one day, according to a news release. Powell is being treated for cancer at Advocate Children’s Hospital.
“Special Spaces Illinois’ mission of creating dream bedrooms to inspire hope and joy in children with a cancer diagnosis resonates deeply with all of us,” Andrew Steinhafel, president of Steinhafels, said in the release.
East Dundee taking downtown community selfie Sunday
East Dundee is inviting business owners, community members and the general public to pose for a giant selfie to be taken at noon Sunday, Sept. 22, in the village’s downtown.
The aerial photo will be taken by a drone camera, according to a social media event for the promotion. Participants are asked to gather in the grass lot south of The Depot, just west of North River Street, between Railroad and Hill streets and close to the caboose that holds Duke’s BBQ,
For more information, call 847-426-2822.
Illinois Sportsmen’s Caucus gives scholarships to Kane groups
State Rep. Dan Ugaste, R-Geneva, has presented three local groups with scholarships from the Illinois Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus.
The bass fishing clubs at South Elgin High School and Geneva High School each received $150 and the St. Charles Sportsmen’s Club received $200, according to Ugaste’s office. The funds are distributed to programs across Illinois to help with the purchase of equipment, uniforms and travel assistance.
“I am excited to be able to award these scholarships to these very deserving youth groups,” Ugaste said in a news release. “I am grateful that the Sportsmen’s Caucus continues to promote outdoor recreational activities for our outstanding students and ensure enjoyment for generations to come in District 65 and throughout Illinois.”
The Illinois Sportsmen’s caucus is a bipartisan group of lawmakers that promotes hunting, fishing, conservation and recreational activities. For more information, go to www.thecaucusblog.com/2025/09/il-legislative-sportsmens-caucus-steps.html.
ECC receives grant from NASA to host robotics competition
Elgin Community College will hold a robotics competition using a $50,000 grant from NASA.
The award was secured through a proposal written and submitted by Farah Bennani, dean of math, science, and engineering at ECC, according to a news release.
Bennani is putting together a competition in which 40 students will design and program lunar rovers, assume specialized team roles and solve real-world challenges inspired by NASA’s “Moon to Mars” objectives, the release said.
The competition’s intention is to provide a hands-on experience that will enhance students’ technical, leadership and problem-solving skills while inspiring them to pursue academic and professional pathways in STEM fields.
ECC was one of 30 institutions nationwide to receive this recognition. It is the only community college in Illinois to get the award. The University of Illinois Chicago was the state’s only other recipient.
Alex Abbott, a former Carpentersville resident, was piloting one of two 115th Fighter Wing planes that flew over Chicago’s Soldier Field on Sept. 8 prior to the Chicago Bears/Minnesota Vikings football game. The planes are part of the Air National Guard stationed in Madison, Wisconsin. (Wisconsin National Guard)
Dundee-Crown alum led flyover at Bears-Vikings game
Alex Abbott, a 2013 graduate of Dundee-Crown High School in Carpentersville, was part of the F-35 flyover at Chicago’s Soldier Field prior to the start of the Sept. 8 Chicago Bears game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Abbott is a captain with the 115th Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard out of Madison, Wisconsin. He and other members of 115th did a similar flyover before a 2024 Green Bay Packers/Los Angeles Rams game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
“When Alex told me he’d be the second ship in the flyover, I was so excited,” said Dickie Abbott, Alex’s father and a member of the Carpentersville Village Board. “Seeing him actually do it before our home team’s stadium was a feeling I can only describe as being in heaven on Earth,”
Videos of the flyovers are posted to the 115th’s Facebook and YouTube pages.