The Soapbox
Thank you, readers:
At 90, Walt Meder is still contributing. The driving force behind the Daily Herald’s Hope for the Holidays campaign is just as pleased as we are at the generosity of readers, who donated more than $18,000 for toys and gifts for families at WINGS, a Palatine-based emergency shelter. As Walt says, “People are pretty good if they just get the chance.”
Spare some closet space?
You’d think a public entity would try to encourage volunteer help, but the Friends of the Barrington Area Library aren’t sure they are wanted anymore. The library board’s plans for a renovation leave the group with no space to prepare for book sales. Cooperation and understanding from both sides will be needed to save this valuable service.
Revving up sales:
Typically, the village of Lombard sells its outdated police cars at auction. But the 2005 Ford Crown Victoria used to rush golfer Rory McIlroy to Medinah on the final day of the Ryder Cup is getting so much attention, the village agreed to cast a wider net with a sale on eBay. Let’s hear it for opportunism in government.
The drought continues:
OK, it can snow now.
Details are good:
If voters are to make an intelligent decision about a tax increase, they need financial details. So, the Libertyville village board is right to ask backers of a proposed advisory referendum to save the former high school building for more specifics. They, and voters, will need to have some ideas about the cost and the size of tax increase to pay it.
Park (carefully) and shop:
Just a little safety reminder for busy holiday shoppers: The speed limit in those mall parking lots is not 25 mph. Many pedestrians, including children, are moving about, so drive sensibly.
The drought, Part II:
Well, OK, we’ll be careful what we wish for. In the spirit of the season, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! (But not too much.)
Bridge to somewhere:
Forty years in the making, the Red Gate bridge in St. Charles becomes a traffic reality today. “This day has been a long time coming,” Mayor Don DeWitte said. No doubt many residents will be making a celebratory drive — or walk — over the Fox River after the 11 a.m. ribbon cutting.
Bring it on:
How good to hear the snarl in the voices of Brandon Marshall and Lance Briggs as they prepared for Sunday’s grudge match against the Packers. Now, gentlemen, (and especially you men on the O-line) let’s get out there and back it up.
A family’s pain:
Someone knows something about the hit-and-run accident that killed 18-year-old Schaumburg High School student Mikias Tibebu last Saturday. It hurts to think the family’s $10,000 reward offer will be needed to lure the information out. Here’s hoping a good conscience will lead to answers — and some closure for Mikias’s family.
Pray for healing:
In the face of unimaginable tragedy, we struggle alongside the rest of the nation to make sense of the incomprehensible. As with too many similar cases from the past, we may never get answers we seek from the massacre of innocents at Sandy Hook Elementary School. We can only offer support, condolences and prayers for all those suffering.