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The Soapbox: A special retirement in Elgin U-46, questionable doubts in Rolling Meadows, encouraging clean energy in Naperville and more.

Got talent?

Suburban Chicago's Got Talent is back, and the summerlong competition is seeking acts to audition. The prizes and experience can help launch a career, and it's fun. What are you waiting for? Sign up at events.dailyherald.com/scgt16/ - and good luck!

Spring distractions

If you ever needed a reason to buckle down on cellphone use in the car, now is the time. Young deer, geese, ducks, squirrels, skunks, turtles and humans are crossing the road in greater numbers these days. And many of them are inexperienced with cars. Be the adult; keep your eyes on what's going on around you. Save the phone for later.

Sweet spring?

Finally, warm days and cool nights - it's what we dream about all winter. Nothing like opening the window for fresh air. But as if nature is having a laugh, every night at around 9 something happens that's less than magical. Is someone making bad coffee? Alas, no. It's the return of the neighborhood skunk. Ah, the suburban spring.

Too fast for conditions:

So just when is it a comfort to be sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the expressway? When it's during a bad rainstorm. You realize this when the traffic finally breaks up but it's still a downpour and too many drivers feel they have to make up the lost time. It's still dangerous. Slow down.

Turning the page in Elgin U-46:

About 120 workers in Elgin Area School District U-46 retired this week. None had more fun than Elgin High School teacher Gordon Whiting. After his final class, he went to Garfield Elementary, where he began in kindergarten in 1961. He walked out the door to formally end his 50 years in the district - and found his 91-year-old mom, Janet, waiting.

Hard court heroes at Hersey:

Weather permitting, it will be a quite a scene at Hersey High School this morning. The entire Mid-Suburban League hosts tennis matches in the early stages of the tournament, with only the very best advancing to a chance at victory in the final stage at the home of the Huskies. Good luck to all.

A great learning experience:

It's good to see the growing number of programs run by schools and chambers of commerce that give students the chance to develop and pitch ideas for companies, with winning ideas getting startup funding donated by business people. High School Districts 211 and 214 are among the latest to add these potentially life-changing programs.

Incubating clean energy:

Argonne National Laboratories is providing a lesson of its own in incubation. It announced it's adding $1 million to a $3 million federal grant to promote business projects that advance development of clean energy alternatives. A government official hoped it would produce the "Google of clean energy." Great goal.

Be realistic:

Some Rolling Meadows city councilmen are balking at a proposed senior housing complex at the former Dominick's site on Kirchoff Road. They're still holding out hope for business development. The site's been vacant for 12 years. Whatever the concerns about a complex for seniors, hopes for a new business seem hardly well-founded.

So long, Ron:

An era passed in Chicago broadcast journalism this week when Ron Magers signed off the air as ABC 7 anchorman, ending more than three decades in Chicago and half a century in journalism. There's so much we'll miss, but we'll take his advice via Dr. Seuss and not cry that it's over but "smile that it happened."

Honor our vets:

Memorial Day weekend is the traditional, if not official, start of summer. Enjoy the kickoff at a host of activities around the suburbs, but don't fail to honor the veterans whose sacrifices made them possible. Find listings for both the celebrations and the remembrances in the paper all weekend and online at www.dailyherald.com.

A local icon passes:

It may have been enough that Don Swanson led Carol Stream as mayor through some of its toughest boom years in the late '60s and mid '70s. But he also was a village trustee, a planning and zoning commissioner, a DuPage County Board member and a volunteer firefighter. He died this week at age 81. His service won't be forgotten.

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