The Soapbox

OK to move slowly, Naperville:

One might be tempted to lament the somewhat arduous approval process for the 2.4 acres immediately east of Naperville's city hall. After all, plans for the underused downtown property on Water Street date back to 2007. The city council this week gave the project - a Hotel Indigo, riverfront plaza, Riverwalk connection, restaurants, shops and offices - preliminary approval.

One chance to get it right:

But the developer, The Marquette Companies, must later get council approval of seven changes to the plans - changes that will increase its size from 22,353 to 28,200 square feet. That gives some council members - and residents - pause as to whether that's too much building for too little space. We don't object to the deliberations; Naperville has only one chance to get it right.

What's in a name?

A nugget from a news release about Cook County corrections officer Jason Marek being charged with smuggling marijuana into Cook County Jail: "Marek, also known as 'Murder' and 'Murda' ..." Our question: Why do we have jail guards nicknamed "Murder"?

Famous visitor:

Regardless of whether you like his politics, Vice President Joe Biden's stop in Vernon Hills this week was exciting. Hundreds of people turned out to get a glimpse of Biden, who was stumping for Democrats on the Nov. 4 ballot. How often does the No. 2 guy come to town? It was Biden's first trip to Lake County while in office.

Every little bit helps:

In our travels around the suburbs, we too often see stop signs, speed limit signs - all sorts of informational signs - obscured by tree limbs and shrubbery. It sure would be appreciated if these were cleared wherever possible.​

A perfect game:

Kudos to Valerie Gagilano of Wheeling, who thrilled the crowd when she bowled a 300 at a Special Olympics tournament Oct. 19 in Addison. Gagliano, 30, is quite the bowler - she got a gold medal at her regional tournament this summer. Now she is headed for the state tournament in Peoria on Dec. 6. Go, Valerie!

An acceptable game:

Is that too much to ask of the Bears? Of course, it will take something more than mere "acceptable" for them to beat the New England Patriots on Sunday.

'Random' thoughts:

Chicago police officers will soon begin checking random passengers' bags for explosives as they enter train stations. The process takes about 30 seconds. Raising the delicate issue of profiling, it might be good for someone to keep track of what the Chicago police mean by "random."

Sight for sore eyes:

We haven't seen gasoline prices below $3 a gallon in four years, so what a delight to find them dipping into that territory at various locations around the suburbs this week. Any more of this and we might start thinking about something else we haven't considered for years: a Sunday drive.

Bye bye, Ben

To legendary Washington Post Editor Ben Bradlee, who died this week at 93, a tip of the green eyeshade - though Bradlee never would have worn such atrocious industry attire. He was the rare print journalist who could put together a wardrobe as well as he could a story. We'll miss you. You inspired many of us to get into the business.