Fox Valley in 60 seconds

Elgin High young writers lauded

Two Elgin High School seniors, Rachel Bruce and Natalie Lalagos, are among 400 students to win prestigious Scholastic Art and Writing awards. More than 140,000 works were submitted nationwide. Judging follows a two-tier system: both Bruce and Lalagos won Gold Key awards in a regional competition. Regional winners were then submitted for judging at the national level. There, Bruce won Gold Key Awards for both of her short stories, and Lalagos won a Silver Key Award for her short story. The students and nominating teacher Lisa Smith are invited to a reception and reading at Carnegie Hall in New York City in June. Winners will have the opportunity to read from their work at the city's Bryant Park as well as to attend writing workshops.

Huntley using tracking device

The Huntley Police Department launched a program that will enable the department to better track residents with special needs if they get lost. The CareTrak program assigns a wristband to high-risk residents who qualify for the program. If a person is reported lost, police can use the CareTrak equipment to find the individual in fewer than 30 minutes. The main participants in the program will be residents with autism and those who suffer from dementia and Alzheimer's. Police expect only a small number of residents to sign up for the program. To apply, call Family Alliance at (815) 338-3590 or the McHenry County Mental Health Board at (815) 455-2828.

Water tower closed

Algonquin officials have temporarily shut down the Hanson water tower while workers paint and perform scheduled maintenance to the facility. The tower is expected to reopen July 1. In the meantime, people living in the tower's service area might experience lower water pressure than usual.