Soapbox: Mundelein students who think outside the box, cooperation in Winfield, a student honor in Crystal Lake, a life well-lived in Des Plaines and more.
Taking care of you:
Make a plan. Pick a realistic goal. Use the buddy system. Track your progress. All pieces of good advice from the Schaumburg Park District to start the new year with a commitment to your health and fitness. Start small, think big, get fit. It's well worth a try.
End fight over logo:
Des Plaines aldermen are fighting over the city's logo, most recently its use on fire uniforms. The patch can be changed if the city abandons its new logo, the fire chief said. No need. The logo is such a minor part of the patch, no one is going to notice its inclusion.
Going for the gold:
The entertainment awards season kicks off Sunday with the Golden Globes, and stars with suburban roots are in the mix. Plainfield native Melissa McCarthy is nominated for the movie "Spy," while former Naperville resident Bob Odenkirk is up for the TV show "Better Call Saul." We wish them both the best of luck.
Dewey Decimal redo:
Here's to students at Fremont Middle School in Mundelein who brainstormed and came up with a new way to catalog materials in their media center. Better than the Dewey Decimal System? Doesn't matter. They are learning it's OK "to think out of the box," to take a new look at something and change it.
High note in Winfield ...:
Nice to see last year end on a high note in Winfield, where Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital agreed to pay the village $900,000 a year to help cover the cost of police protection, road maintenance and other services that benefit the medical facility.
... would be a nice trend?:
What was great about the Winfield deal with CDH was that it appears both sides compromised. Wouldn't it be nice if that set a trend for 2016: people in government actually working together to get things done?
New home for Taste of Glen Ellyn?:
Possible construction in downtown Glen Ellyn is causing organizers of the annual Taste of Glen Ellyn to consider moving the four-day fest to a Metra parking lot. The only problem: It could cause some short-term parking problems for commuters. The village board is doing the right thing by inviting public comment at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 18.
An hour on Arlington Heights Road:
A couple of us got stuck - like, in Park - on northbound Arlington Heights Road near the tollway for an hour Tuesday when a tractor fell off the trailer carrying it. It's amazing how such a thing can happen - and there's just nothing you can do to get out of it unless you can climb medians with a Hummer.
On the other hand, the poor workers:
But as we lament the never-ending work at Arlington Heights Road and the tollway, and countless other road projects, we are reminded that it's January, and we work in warm offices while those workers are outside all day working with large, dangerous machines and plenty of dirt and gunk.
Thumbs-up for Prairie Ridge student:
Aidan O'Connor, a senior at Prairie Ridge High in Crystal Lake, is the first student from the school to be accepted at Yale University. Aidan was humble in acknowledging the honor, and complimentary toward "each and every one of (his) teachers," whom he credited with helping him achieve his goal. Bravo to him. And his teachers.
Pool patter:
Congratulations, also, to Fremd High School, which is the second high school in Dist. 211 to see the completion of its aquatics overhaul. The pool improvement effort at Hoffman Estates is ongoing, while Palatine's is about to begin and Schaumburg's will complete the massive five-pool project that began at Conant.
A life well lived
Des Plaines florist Jim Harney may have done the flowers for Tiny Tim's wedding, but we'll remember him best for brightening up the lives of sick and disadvantaged kids throughout the suburbs with toys. He died at 77, two days after Christmas.