The Soapbox: Hard feelings in East Dundee, nice numbers in Naperville, no strike in Lake Villa and more.
Hard times in East Dundee:
Sad to see the handshake relationship between East Dundee and businessman/developer Tom Roeser fall on hard times. Roeser, never shy about making a stink when he thinks he's been wronged, called for new leadership after the village reneged on a pledge to buy back an office suite he couldn't sell.
Honored the deal:
East Dundee leaders, in a rather officious-sounding letter, told Roeser they honored their end of the deal. But Roeser, who has invested millions in buying and sprucing up property in town, seemed more offended that his earlier emails asking for $225,000 went unanswered.
Final word?
Roeser says he won't stop doing business in East Dundee. "But I will not do anything for them without getting it in writing," he said. "That's a very different relationship with them than what I've had."
Some very nice numbers:
More than 5,000 volunteers gathered at Naperville's North Central College last weekend to prepare more than 1 million meals to benefit Feed My Starving Children. It's the second time North Central has hosted the event, which began five years ago with four churches and now involves 25 churches and many other groups.
Good news:
Anytime a teachers strike can be avoided, it's a good day for the community. On Sunday, the teachers union and Lake Villa Elementary District 41 announced a tentative agreement on a four-year deal. Plans are being made to ratify the contract in the coming weeks. A few days earlier, the union indicated it was prepared to strike Feb. 29
Keep debate about the kids:
The debate in the Barrington area over high school start times is mostly intelligent differences of opinion. Now comes the accusation that Input 220 - the panel asked to study the issue - is pushing a slanted agenda. Translation: "I don't agree with you, so therefore you must have a nefarious purpose." That's unproductive dithering. Let's keep it about the kids.
Mr. Schuler goes to Washington:
High School District 214 Superintendent David Schuler testified before a U.S. Senate committee this week about something that should be obvious by now - standardized test scores should not be the only measure of a student's success. Schuler is among those leading the charge on the issue nationally and in the suburbs. Now it's up to the political leaders to catch on.
Leafy suburbs?
About nine years after the first emerald ash borer alarmed tree lovers in the suburbs, towns like Rolling Meadows and Arlington Heights have removed nearly all of their ash trees. Let's hope their strategy of replacing the ashes with diverse tree species will help avoid another suburban deforestation years down the line.
March Madness time:
As March approaches, high school basketball teams in Illinois continue their quest for supremacy. Class 1A-2A girls teams compete in the IHSA finals this weekend, with the Class 3A-4A tourney next weekend. Next week, boys teams continue their state finals march toward Peoria. Here's our wish for healthy competition and great sportsmanship.
Tune in to this:
Speaking of top athletes, we're happy to see two former girls basketball greats will be broadcasting some of the state tourney games on Comcast SportsNet. Glenbard West and Iowa grad Kristi Faulkner and the Daily Herald's Patricia Babcock McGraw (former Miss Indiana Basketball), will be handling duties as color commentators. They've got game.