NEWS BRIEFS

Mental health town hall meetings to be held The Division of Mental Health and the Ben Gordon Center in DeKalb are offering a series of town hall meetings and community webinars. The idea behind the town hall meetings is to assist concerned community members, care providers, health care professionals, landlords, school systems, universities, consumers and families to understand the effects of tragedy in their communities, according to a news release from Ben Gordon Center. A kick-off webinar will be held 1-3 p.m. Friday. Those wishing to attend can log on to https://www1.gotomeeting.com/join/582058471. In addition, three town hall trainings - one each in Chicago, DeKalb and Rockford - will be held later this month, according to the news release. Harvey Barker, executive director from New River Valley Community Services in Blacksburg, Va., Michael Flora, president and CEO from the Ben Gordon Center in DeKalb, and Kris Povlsen, director of prevention for Ben Gordon Center, will provide information on how their organizations met the challenges in their communities and the lessons they learned. The town hall meeting for DeKalb will be held Aug. 26. A location will be announced at a later date. For more information, contact the Ben Gordon Center at 815-756-4875 or bgcbs@bengordoncenter.org, or visit http://www.bengordoncenter.org.

Chamber Duck Race to be held in Genoa The fifth annual Great Genoa Duck Race will start at noon Sept. 6 at Carroll Memorial Park. Fifty ducks can be purchased for $100 under the VIP flock challenge, according to a news release from the Chamber. Reservations for ducks can be made by contacting the chamber at 815-784-2212. For those wanting fewer ducks, two can be purchased for $5 and 12 for $25, according to the news release. First prize is $1,000, according to the news release.

Sycamore Boosters holding ‘Black & Gold' event at high school The Sycamore Sports Boosters will be hosting the annual “Black & Gold” event Friday at Sycamore High School. This year again features the “Taste of Sycamore,” with food selections from eateries including Taxco, Shawn's, Mugzzies, Sweet Dreams, and Culver's, according to a news release from event organizers. The Black & Gold is an opportunity to meet all of the fall athletes that represent the Spartans, according to the news release. The football teams will also entertain the crowd with a full-contact scrimmage. Doors open at 4:30 p.m., and admission is free, according to the news release. Food donations for a local food pantry will be collected.