NAME SUGGESTIONS SOUGHT FOR LARKIN STADIUM
School District U-46 is community suggestions for the new athletic stadium being built at Larkin High School in Elgin.
The stadium, scheduled to open in the fall, will have a turf field, a running track, and seating for more than 2,000 people, a news release said. It’s the first time the school will have its own sports venue since the school opened in 1962.
Name suggestions can be submitted online at info.u-46.org/stadiumname through Friday, April 24. There also will be a town hall meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, at Larkin High School, 1475 Larkin Ave., where the community can also offer input on the name.
A recommendation will be presented to the U-46 School Board on Monday, May 18, with a final vote expected on June 1, the release said.
ECC NAMED ‘LEADER COLLEGE’ BY NATIONAL GROUP
Elgin Community College has been designated a 2026 Leader College by Achieving the Dream, a national organization committed to advancing community colleges as accessible hubs of learning, credentialing and economic mobility.
“This recognition reflects the intentional, data-informed work happening across our campus to remove barriers, close equity gaps and ensure students complete credentials that lead to meaningful careers,” ECC President Peggy Heinrich said in a news release.
ECC has been part of Achieving the Dream’s network since 2009 and has held Leader College status since 2012. The Maryland-based nonprofit works with more than 300 community colleges to provide those institutions tailored support.
For more information, go to www.achievingthedream.org.
ROUTE 31 TOLLWAY RAMP CLOSED BY CONSTRUCTION
The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority ramp connecting westbound Interstate 90 to southbound Route 31 in Elgin has been closed so an improvement project can be done this summer.
A posted detour routes I-90 traffic to the Randall Road interchange and then back onto eastbound I-90 to access Route 31, according to a news release. Tolls are being waived at the Elgin Toll Plaza following the detour.
Work will include the removal of the existing barrier walls and equipment, followed by the installation of new tolling infrastructure, ramp pavement, shoulder work, electrical, lighting and signage improvements, a news release said.
Closures and detours are being coordinated with the Illinois Department of Transportation, Kane County, the city of Elgin, and local fire and police departments.
This work is part of the Tollway’s 16-year, $15 billion capital program, “Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future,” and the 7-year, $2 billion “Bridging the Future” capital plan.
OSCAR-WINNER WEARS ELGIN WATCH IN ‘SINNERS’
Michael B. Jordan wears an Elgin watch during his Oscar-winning performance as twins Smoke and Stack in “Sinners.”
According to an article in GQ.com, the movie is set in Mississippi in 1932 and Jordan wears an Elgin trench watch. The article notes that toward the end of World War I, Elgin National Watch Co. produced three such models, each named after an Allied general.
The character Smoke served in the war so prop master Douglas Ware told GQ he wanted to “give his watch some history, to show how important it is to him.”
Jordan took home the Best Actor Oscar at the 98th Academy Awards earlier this month. Fellow nominee Timothee Chalamet wore a 1950s-era Elgin watch while portraying ping-pong hustler Marty Hauser in “Marty Supreme.”
The Elgin History Museum has watches in its collection that are similar to the one Chalamet wore, but it doesn’t have one like Jordan wore, curator Beth Nawara said.
“Apparently they didn’t make a lot of trench watches so they are pretty rare,” museum media coordinator Trish LaFleur said. “I thought it was really cool that they got one for the character in ‘Sinners’ though. The amount of detail the costume designers put into the characters is impressive.”
SLUSHIES AND SIRENS AT SOUTH ELGIN MCDONALD’S
The South Elgin Police Department will host “Slushies and Sirens” from 1 to 2 p.m. Monday, March 30, at McDonald’s 100 N. McLean Blvd., South Elgin.
Being held during School District U-46’s spring break, the event invites students and others to meet with police officers while receiving a free frozen drink, according to a social media. The Hamburglar is to attend and there will be an opportunity to take photos in a police car.
For more information, call 847-741-2151.
