Watch 'Idol,' then catch up on your city news
If Wednesdays are a must-see TV night for "American Idol" in your home, Elgin leaders have a way for you to stay informed and involved.
Last Wednesday, city officials held their final test to pave the way for live, streaming video of weekly city council meetings on the city's Web site, www.cityofelgin.org.
The first meeting that will be streamed is April 9.
City leaders in November inked a $25,947 deal with San Francisco-based Granicus Inc. to stream city meetings.
The bulk of the contract was an initial start-up cost of nearly $17,000; the remainder is a monthly fee.
If you miss the streaming video and you want to catch up later in the week, you don't have to sit through an entire meeting.
City spokeswoman Sue Olafson said users will be able to skip to different parts of the meeting or agenda topics with a simple click of their mouse at www.cityofelgin.org.
The video should be available for viewing one to three hours after a meeting is over.
One firm offered to show meetings for $8,200 a year, but could only promise to post information on the city's Web site between 24 and 72 hours after a meeting ended.
And by then, you probably would have read the result in here or heard it from a neighbor.
About par for the course
A South Elgin man unleashed his inner Tiger Woods in a golf video game contest.
Richard Gregg of South Elgin won $1,000 and a Golden Tee Golf Home Edition game after finishing third overall in Golden Tee Closest-to-the-Pin Challenge.
The overall winner was Marc Muklewicz of Naperville, who earned $5,000 and his own Golden Tee 2008 game.
In January, Illinois Lottery introduced its Golden Tee Instant Ticket, which gives players the chance to win up to $25,000 or their very own Golden Tee machine.
To celebrate the new ticket, Illinois Lottery announced the Golden Tee Closest-to-the-Pin Challenge.
Congrats to
Sherman Health of Elgin, for being named one of 41 "Companies That Care."
The Center for Companies that Care names organizations that exhibit a strong commitment to elevating the quality of life for their employees and who follow 10 characteristics.
Some characteristics include: sustaining a work environment founded on dignity and respect for all employees; encouraging individual pursuit of work/life balance; enabling the well-being of individuals and their families through compensation, benefits and practices.
The winners were a variety of companies in 18 states.
Helping gifted kids
Looking to put your business' best foot forward while helping gifted children in the process?
The Elgin-based Da Vinci Academy's annual benefit auction will be at 6 p.m. May 3 at the Q Center in St. Charles.
Local businesses are invited to donate items, buy sponsorships and/or take out catalog ads.
The Da Vinci Academy is at 37W080 Hopps Road and serves intellectually gifted and talented students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
For more information, visit www.dvacademy.org or call (847) 841-7532.