Latest news with #Elgin
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Wing Park pool in Elgin closed for maintenance issue; may reopen Saturday
Wing Park Family Aquatic Center in Elgin has been temporarily closed after a maintenance issue was uncovered Tuesday during an annual inspection by the Illinois Department of Public Health. 'The inspection revealed that some of the pool's main drain covers are missing required screws,' a city of Elgin social media post said about the 1030 Wing St. facility. 'To meet IDPH safety regulations, we must fully drain the pool and complete the necessary repairs before reopening. This process will take several days, and we are working diligently with the goal of reopening by July 5.' The situation does not affect Lords Park Family Aquatic Center at 325 Hiawatha Drive, which will be open through the holiday week.
Forbes
a day ago
- General
- Forbes
How A Little Blue Box Is Quietly Saving Lives — And Redefining Mental-Health Support
How A Little Blue Box Is Quietly Saving Lives Not a theory. Not a campaign. Just a small blue box, packed by hand and left quietly on a library shelf in Illinois. Inside: cards, a playlist, a letter, and something harder to define—hope. The idea came from Ali Borowsky's own experience. After surviving multiple suicide attempts—her first in eighth grade, her last at age 26—she found herself deeply disillusioned with how the world responded to mental health. What she needed wasn't another hotline or pamphlet. She needed something real. Something human. So she made it herself. That box became the first of what is now Find Your Anchor, a grassroots movement built around small, tangible acts of support for people in crisis. What began as a personal healing project has since reached over 100,000 people, one blue box at a time—and now spans 40+ countries. Ali Borowsky Borowsky started by designing a single box as part of her senior project at the Art Institute. She placed that first one on a shelf at her local library in Elgin, Illinois—and waited. A week later, she received a message: 'When I opened the lid, I just started crying. You must have saved hundreds of lives by now.' She knew then: there was something here. Every box is still assembled by hand, with volunteers writing personal notes and adding meaningful, human touches. No two are exactly alike, but each one carries a simple message: you are not alone. Surveys show just how powerful the impact is: Morgan Cook, who joined Find Your Anchor in 2016, came in around box #90. Today, she and Borowsky run the nonprofit together—and are married. 'I haven't personally struggled with my mental health,' Cook said. 'But I've loved someone who has. And I didn't grow up with the emotional vocabulary to know how to help.' For her, the box became a bridge—something that could hold space when words were hard to find. 'We say anchors are a love language,' she said. 'When Ali's having a hard day, I don't need to fix anything. I just turn on Sister Act 2, order Chinese food, and she knows—I'm here.' In the language of Find Your Anchor, an anchor is anything that helps keep you grounded when you're struggling. It might be a favorite movie, a song, a comforting routine, or a kind word from someone you trust. These small moments offer stability when everything else feels uncertain—and they can be powerful reminders to hold on just a little longer. Find Your Anchor Box Inside each box are 52+ Reasons to Live cards (written and photographed by Borowsky), a bracelet that reads 'You are so incredibly loved,' a button, stickers, a mixtape that links to 11+ hours of feel-good music, a Please Stay pledge co-created with the Born This Way Foundation, crisis resources, and space to add your own anchors before passing it on to someone else. Find Your Anchor's creative approach also includes animated GIFs, inspirational posters, and nonverbal outreach tools—part of a growing toolkit designed to meet people where they are. Since that first placement, the boxes have traveled across the country—left on park benches, mailed anonymously, or passed between friends. Each one carries the possibility of reaching someone at just the right moment. Borowsky recalls one story from Delaware, where a friend placed a box on a bench near the beach. Ninety minutes later, a woman named Marcus messaged the organization: she and her mom had opened it together and cried in the car. 'It felt like divine intervention,' she wrote. Then there's Franny, a teenager whose mother had once requested a box for her. It made such an impact that she later chose Find Your Anchor as her Girl Scout Gold Award project—raising funds and assembling 100 boxes of her own. When her family visited the warehouse in Long Beach, her father came back in after they left. 'He gave me a huge bear hug,' Borowsky recalled. 'He just said, 'Thank you for saving my daughter.'' Strangers who care - FYA volunteers Find Your Anchor has now partnered with groups like the San Francisco 49ers, Las Vegas Aces, Meow Wolf, Kate Spade New York, and over 770 high schools and 96 universities nationwide. These partnerships often include box-building events, where employees or students pack the materials themselves—sometimes writing notes or sharing their own anchors. Borowsky calls it 'sneaky mental health.' 'People think they're just building a box for someone else,' she said, 'but they're actually absorbing the message, too.' At one event, one athlete shared that he had been drumming since childhood—something even his teammates didn't know. It was a moment of unexpected vulnerability that revealed how the act of building boxes can spark connection in surprising ways. Borowsky and Cook have a bold but practical dream: a box on every college campus in America. One in ... More every library. In every public health office. On every flight. In every Congress member's hands. Borowsky and Cook have a bold but practical dream: a box on every college campus in America. One in every library. In every public health office. On every flight. In every Congress member's hands. They also hope to partner with organizations that can help with the rising cost of shipping—a major hurdle. While individual boxes are free for those in crisis, the organization depends on donations and sponsored builds to sustain its work. They name Taco Bell, FedEx, Delta Airlines, Hilton, and Spirit Airlines as some of the dream partners they'd love to collaborate with. And yes, they're manifesting an Oprah moment, too. But beneath the vision is something simpler. 'One life saved is worth all 100,000 boxes in the world,' Borowsky said. And if that starts with just one person opening a lid and feeling less alone—then that's more than enough. To support Find Your Anchor—through partnership, funding, or simply helping spread the word—visit Every box is a small but powerful reminder: you are loved. Please stay.
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Elgin News Digest: No Elgin market, West Dundee French Market on July 4; local police agencies beefing up Independence Day patrols
Because of the holiday, the Downtown Elgin Market and the French Market in West Dundee won't be held on Friday, July 4. Elgin's outdoor market will not operate that day because there are too many other activities going on downtown, including a parade, food trucks, live music and a fireworks show, said Jennifer Fukala, executive director of the Downtown Neighborhood Association. Both weekly seasonal markets will return to their regular hours on Friday, July 11. The holiday will not affect The Depot Market in downtown East Dundee, which will take place as scheduled on Saturday, July 5, Depot attendant Mark Feck said. Law enforcement agencies across Kane County are increasing patrols for the Fourth of July holiday and cracking down on people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The Kane County state's attorney's office will be working with police agencies on an anti-DUI 'no-refusal' operation, which will start at 10 p.m. on Friday, July 4, and end at 2 a.m. Saturday, July 5, according to a news release. Assistant state's attorneys will assist police in obtaining search warrants to conduct blood, breath or urine tests on people who are stopped on suspicion of drunken driving and refuse to submit to testing as required by Illinois law, the release said. Someone who continues to refuse testing even with a search warrant being issued should expect to face additional charges, officials said. Additionally, Carpentersville and Elgin police are conducting a safety campaigns through Monday, July 7, focused on impaired and unbuckled drivers. Admission on Friday, July 4, will be $4 per person at the Dolphin Cove Family Aquatic Center, 300 N. Kennedy Drive/Route 25, Carpentersville. The rate applies to residents and nonresidents, according to a Dundee Township Park District social media post. Daily admission rates are usually $10 residents/$13 nonresidents for ages 3 to 9; $11 residents/$14 nonresidents for ages 10 to 61; and $9 residents/$12 nonresidents for anyone 62 or older. Children 2 or younger are admitted for free. The aquatic center's July 4 hours are 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, go to Paul's Family Restaurant in Elgin will host its third annual car show from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, July 5, in its parking lot at 1300 Lawrence Ave. The show is open to all years and models of cars, trucks and motorcycles, according to a social media post. Registration is $15 and runs from 10 a.m. to noon. The cars are free to view, and the restaurant will be open for business. The rainout date is Sunday, July 6. For more information, call JP Car Shows, 847-275-8290.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Student's Cell Phone Sought In Elgin ISD Coach Sex Solicitation Investigation
(Texas Scorecard) – Prosecutors are seeking cell phone evidence in a case against a Central Texas high school basketball coach accused of sexual misconduct with a female student. Devin Ryan Anderson, 27, was arrested last December on charges of improper relationship between educator and student and possession of child pornography while he was working for Elgin Independent School District. Both charges are felonies punishable by at least two years in prison. 'Improper relationship' includes sexual contact or sexually explicit communication with a student, regardless of the student's age. In February, a Gregg County grand jury indicted Anderson on the charges. The indictment accused Anderson of soliciting the student for sex via text messages and possessing pornographic images of a minor. Last week Anderson appeared in court for a hearing during which prosecutors told District Judge Alfonso Charles they believe the victim's cellphone may contain evidence relevant to the case. Judge Charles directed prosecutors to request that the victim turn over the phone to the Kilgore Police Department. Anderson remains free after posting a $55,000 bond. State records show Anderson's teaching certificate, issued in 2022, remains valid but is under review by the Texas Education Agency. According to his LinkedIn page, Anderson began working at Elgin High School in August 2024 as a world geography teacher, assistant basketball coach, and head boys' cross country coach. Elgin ISD officials said Anderson was placed on administrative leave after his arrest. He is no longer employed by the district. Anderson previously worked as a basketball coach and PE teacher at Cumberland Academy in Tyler in the 2023-24 school year, and as an assistant football and basketball coach and special education inclusion teacher for Taylor ISD in 2022-23. He is among hundreds of Texas school employees accused of sex crimes involving students and other children in just the past few years.
CBS News
23-06-2025
- CBS News
3 people shot, wounded in house near Elgin, Illinois
Two men and a woman were in the hospital Sunday evening after being shot inside a home in unincorporated Elgin, Illinois. The shooting happened just after midnight on Gingerwood Lane in Elgin. Several dozen people were in the home for a family gathering at the time. The three victims were expected to survive the shooting. No one was in custody late Sunday, but CBS News Chicago did reach out to the Kane County Sheriff's office for more information about potential suspects. The Sheriff's office did say the incident was isolated and there was no threat to the public.
