The Soapbox

Some opinions require lots of words and elaboration. Some don't. In this edition of Saturday Soapbox, Daily Herald editors reflect on some of the major suburban stories of 2014.

Get bike-friendly:

Arlington Heights, Barrington, Batavia, Hoffman Estates, Mount Prospect, Wheeling and others all are working to make their communities more bike-friendly, and some suburbs have long set an example, like Schaumburg and Naperville. Let's see if we can get it so people can more safely ride their bikes in town or from suburb to suburb.

Winter 2014, RIP:

We don't remember how many times last winter we checked to see whether the historically frigid weather was worse in our suburbs than it was in Hell, Mich., but we do remember that whenever we checked, we discovered that it had indeed frozen over.

Let's talk to our kids more

In this age of heightened communication, it's all the more important that we continue meaningful conversations with our kids, who have ready access to perils we didn't: heroin, e-cigarettes, sexting and more. Are your kids engaged in any of this stuff? If you aren't sure, it's best to have that tough talk.

Keep heroin battle alive:

We hope suburban officials will continue to combat what DuPage County Coroner Richard Jorgensen called a heroin overdose "epidemic." From a record-breaking 45 deaths in DuPage in 2013, this year's numbers (29 as of mid-December) should drop. As we've chronicled in an ongoing series, authorities have broken new ground in heroin awareness, education and treatment.

Be tougher on e-cigs:

It's time to see electronic cigarettes, better known as e-cigs, for what they are: a health hazard. They aren't harmless toys and they aren't safe alternatives to cigarettes. The American Heart Association advocates e-cigs should have the same extensive regulations, including prohibition of marketing and sale to minors. We strongly agree.

Remember who you work for:

Des Plaines aldermen using the "block" to keep a mayor they don't like from getting anything done - like filling appointments on commissions - need to swallow their politics on the small stuff and remember who they work for. Keep the city moving, and save your voice for your great ideas.

Three C's:

All the legal signs point to a resumption of the battle over teacher pensions, but that's not the only pension battle looming. Municipalities have been waiting for the state to give them their chance to deal with fire and police pensions. These are problems with dire consequences and no easy answers. Three things will be needed: creativity, cooperation and compromise.

Hail to our champs!

It was quite a year for our suburban pro baseball teams. Both the Schaumburg Boomers and the Kane County Cougars captured their league titles, showing that glory doesn't always have to wait until next year.

But Cubs rained on the parade:

Of course, no sooner had the Cougars captured the Midwest League flag than the Chicago Cubs opted out of their affiliation with Kane County, showing that, in the end, baseball is a business.

Transparency watch:

Towns from Carpentersville to Rosemont have shown how suburban residents can be left to the mercy of public officials when they need to know important information about the workings of government. Let's put some teeth in the state's FOIA law.

Extending Route 53:

Proceed or not proceed? The question has dogged discussions about extending Route 53 north into Lake County for decades now. Yes, decades. Issues - serious ones - remain, including funding and minimizing the environmental impact. We continue to push for an inclusive and transparent process that may one day bring the traffic relief long promised.

Moving on:

Schaumburg's police department got back on track in 2014 after the prior year when its reputation came under a cloud with officers accused of shaking down drug dealers and misappropriating confiscated weapons. New Chief James Lamkin pushed for creation of a multi-town drug task force and appears to have righted the ship.

Local sports spotlight:

Besides supporting pro teams that call the suburbs home, we hope some big 2015 events draw well: the Big Ten Women's Basketball tourney in Hoffman Estates, the Encompass Championship in Glenview, and the BMW Championship in Lake Forest, to name a few. Let's hope the rumor about California Chrome racing at Arlington comes true, too.

The changing newspaper landscape:

Ownership of our local newspaper rivals in Aurora, Elgin, Lake County and Naperville changed hands this year from one downtown paper, the Sun-Times, to another, the Tribune. While we're competitors, we hope the change will be good for suburban journalism.