Elgin News Digest: Dundee Middle School music teacher Matt Bishop dies at 34; Rep. Moeller, Elgin Councilwoman Martinez travel to India for conference; Hanover Township recertified as NWS StormReady Community

Dundee Middle School music teacher Matt Bishop dies at 34

Dundee Middle School music teacher Matthew “Matt” Bishop, an Elgin resident, died unexpectedly Saturday, Feb. 24. He was 34.

Whether it was an event at his West Dundee school, local festivals or even just a driveway concert, Bishop always encouraged children to take the stage, according to friend Brad McFeggan, of Carpentersville.

His teaching responsibilities included choir, band, orchestra and a music class for students with special needs, his online obituary said.

Born in Sycamore, Bishop completed a music education degree at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago. In additon to his work at the school, he joined with the Boys and Girls Club of Elgin to establish the annual concert series “Get the Whole World Singing” and served as music director/artistic director for Children’s Theater of Elgin and Fox Valley Theater Company and as music director for Marquee Main Stage Theater, Schaumburg on Stage and Point 2 Productions, his obituary said.

He is survived by his parents, David and Christine Bishop, and his sister, Nicole Taylor.

Visitation will be held from 1 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 1, at Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, 310 E. Main St., East Dundee, according to Bishop’s online obituary. His funeral will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 2, at the church.

Rep. Moeller, Elgin Councilwoman Martinez travel to India

State Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin, and Elgin City Council member Rose Martinez recently attended the nonprofit Water and Waste Management’s sixth international conference and expo in Ahmedabad Gujarat, India.

The organization’s goal is to promote science, technology and policy-based solutions for sustainable water and waste management, according to its website. The conference was held Feb. 12-14.

Martinez said she spoke three times at the conference, including once about how Elgin gets its drinking water from the Fox River. Her three-day hotel stay cost $100 was covered by event organizers. She paid for her own airfare and other hotel stays, she said.

Like Martinez, Moeller said the nonprofit covered her hotel room and she paid for her own airfare and hotel stays outside of the conference.

The two also met with local dignitaries, visited with environmental scientists and engineers at public universities, and took in sites, including the Taj Mahal.

For more information about Water and Waste Management, go to waterandwastemanagement.org.

Hanover Township recertified as NWS StormReady Community

Hanover Township has recertified as a StormReady Community by the National Weather Service (NWS).

The recertification is the result of its Department of Emergency Services’ continued work monitoring weather, receiving watches and warnings from the NWS, and disseminating severe weather warnings throughout the community, according to a news release. Department officers also serve as storm spotters in advance of severe weather and report information to the NWS.

The township was first certified in 2016. It’s one of 96 StormReady communities in Illinois and the only township in the state to be certified.

Side Street Studio Arts unveiling 11th anniversary exhibition Friday, March 1

Side Street Studio Arts will unveil its 11th anniversary exhibition during an event from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 1, at its gallery and theater, 15 Ziegler Court, Elgin.

The event will feature a juried art show and performances by Angrous Jeffries and Atrocious Poets, according to the nonprofit’s website. Admission is a suggested $5 donation at the door.

For more information, go to www.sidestreetstudioarts.org or call 847-429-2276.