The Soapbox
Hats off to dads:
What better time than the week before Father’s Day to be honored at the White House for promoting men’s involvement in their children’s lives? David Hirsch of Barrington, who founded the Illinois Fatherhood Initiative, is one of President Obama’s Champions of Change. Happy Father’s Day, David, and to all the dads out there who make a difference.
McHealthy:
OK, let’s give McDonald’s credit for trying. The fast food giant is adjusting the contents of Happy Meals by offering healthier alternatives such as apple slices. The company also launched a nationwide contest to get Happy Meals consumers involved.
McWinners:
The contest asked kids ages 8 to 11 to make a video that promotes healthy eating. Two of the 10 winners are Katie and Liz O’Brien of Addison. Katie, 8, demonstrated in her video how she likes to pretend she’s a dinosaur and rips the head off ... a stalk of broccoli.
McPayoff
For their efforts, Katie and Liz, 10, and their parents won a trip to the Summer Olympics in London. There, they’ll attend Olympic sporting events, participate in cooking activities and meet Olympic athletes.
Seat belts save lives:
An 11-year-old boy from Montgomery died this week after he leaned out the window of an SUV that was moving slowly. It may seem obvious, but it bears repeating: Make sure every child in your car has a seat belt fastened before you step on the gas.
Glad you asked:
Plenty of recent research shows teens generally aren’t morning people. So we’re not that surprised at the support in Barrington Unit District 220 for flipping the schools’ staggered schedules so younger kids would start earlier in the morning and high-schoolers later. Changing schedules is a big job. Kudos to District 220 for taking the first step.
Pick a number and add 1-1:
Let’s see. Dialing 911 gets you the police, 411 is for phone numbers, 311 (in some states) gives you government info, 611 is for cellphone questions — and now 211 will connect you with local health and human services. It’s a good idea, but keeping track of all this may be a challenge. After all, it seems no one memorizes phone numbers anymore.
More than serendipity:
Glenbard West High School officials learned this week that lights at Memorial Field will cost about $75,000 less than expected. That’s got to feel good, kind of like finding the gallon of milk you need on sale. And it’s really not just luck; it is worth the effort for any government to get several bids on a project.
Pawnshop by another other name ... :
Quick: How many pawnshops does Elgin have? Wrong. Just one. But city officials are considering another. However, the city asks operators to avoid using “pawn” in their name. Anything for image, we guess.
Where is the gas price equity?:
We saw a national news program this week that showed a gallon of gas now costs less than $3 in some parts of the country. Hey, we’re happy ours is under $4. Can we share in the savings someday?
Lasting judgments:
There’s no disputing the impact famed Inverness attorney Philip Corboy had on personal injury law during his 60-year career. But other reflections marked his passing last week at the age of 87. “Kind.” “Compassionate.” “Wonderful husband.” There’s a legacy to envy.