Good News Sunday: Cute, colorful bug sculptures on display in Naperville

This is Good News Sunday, a compilation of some of the more upbeat and inspiring stories recently published by the Daily Herald:

Cute and colorful bug sculptures on display in Naperville

Giant bugs have invaded downtown Naperville.

But don’t fret. These bugs don’t creep or crawl. And you won’t have to swat them away.

The vibrant creatures, some as tall as 4 feet, are friendly welcomes to the downtown district and part of the annual summer art exhibit. This year’s exhibit features 18 “bugs” including snails, ladybugs, honeybees and caterpillars.

The Downtown Naperville Alliance has organized the summer sculpture series for more than a decade.

“It’s something we’ve done every summer to the delight of many,” said Katie Wood, executive director of the Downtown Naperville Alliance.

The bug sculptures were installed Monday, and “already people are swarming downtown,” Wood said.

She said this year’s theme of bugs was selected in the wintry months, long before the cicada invasion began or most people were even thinking about the noisy bugs.

For the full story, click here.

Schaumburg fifth grader excels at National Science Bee in Orlando

An especially bright fifth grader at Link Elementary School in Elk Grove Village tested his limits, and that of the competition, when he finished as a semifinalist in the IAC National Science Bee in Orlando last month.

Devansh Agrawal, 11, of Schaumburg demonstrated exceptional knowledge and attained a rare level of achievement in the International Academic Competitions event, according to Link Principal Quinn Wulbecker.

“In my 12 years as a principal, we have not had a student reach this level of success in the National Science Bee,” he said. “It is incredibly rare for a student to accomplish what Devansh recently completed.

“It shows he is deeply committed to learning and handles the pressures of competition very well,” Wulbecker added. “To know lots of information about a subject area is one thing, but to be able to showcase that knowledge in a competitive environment is even more impressive.”

“Being in this competition showed me how important it is to work hard and not give up,” Devansh said. “I also learned how to stay calm under pressure.

For the full story, click here.

Wheeling woman honored for saving neighbor’s life

A Wheeling woman who helped rescue a neighbor experiencing a cardiac emergency was publicly honored Monday night.

Margarett Neilson received a Citizen Life Saving Award from Fire Chief Scott Salela during the evening’s village board meeting.

On May 5, Neilson and neighbor Oscar Mendoza had stopped to chat while mowing their respective lawns on Virginia Place when Mendoza grabbed his chest and collapsed, Salela said. Neilson ran to her home and told her father to call 911, and then she ran to Mendoza’s house and told his family to do the same.

Neilson then raced back to Mendoza and started CPR compressions while his wife breathed air into his lungs, she said.

“I didn’t hesitate,” said Neilson, who learned CPR as a child.

Police officers and firefighter-paramedics arrived in about four minutes and took over. Mendoza wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse, Salela said, so they shocked his heart with a defibrillator to restart a good rhythm.

Mendoza was taken to Endeavor Health Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview. He was released May 10 and has made a full recovery, Salela said.

For the full story, click here.

• Good News Sunday will run each weekend. Please visit dailyherald.com/newsletters to sign up for our Good News Sunday newsletter.