Soapbox: Work with meaning in Fremont Township, Naperville's moving up, hard-won success in Arlington Heights and more.

Are you ready?

Well, that photo of a car afloat in Schaumburg during Wednesday's rain caught our attention. Time to brush up on storm prep, check the sump pump, stash a radio and supplies in the tornado shelter area and go over the emergency plan with the kids. Ready.gov is a good starting point.

Meaningful project

For his Eagle Scout project, 16-year-old Thomas McGormley wanted to do something meaningful, so he worked doggedly to clear and renew the Fremont Township site of the tiny Swan Cemetery, which was established in 1849 and includes graves of two Civil War soldiers and another from the War of 1812. Mission accomplished.

We're Number Four!

Congratulations to Naperville, which recently passed Rockford to become the state's fourth-largest city and, thanks to a special census, could pass Joliet later this year to become the third-largest behind only Chicago and Aurora. All that growth has come with its share of challenges, but the city largely remains a suburban jewel.

Scenes of summer

While we worry so much about the future, it's nice to see that we still have a lot of communities that treasure the past. Take some time this summer to stroll around the various retro car shows and farmers' markets that set up in our towns. They are a feast for our eyes and our appetites, a reminder of days past.

If at first you don't succeed ...

When Arlington Heights resident and retired Marine Charles Jones sat down to write the son of fallen colleague, he couldn't find the right words. That led him to create the Dear Calvin Project, documentary-style videos for survivors of soldiers killed in action. The project gave its first video last week to a Mount Prospect family. A noble success, born of failure.

A greater vision

Let us endorse the inspirational vision Rolling Meadows High School principal Eileen Hart expressed Thursday night while picking up her Circle of Success award from the Rolling Meadows Chamber of Commerce "Our focus is not to get kids to graduate. We care much more about how they'll contribute to the community after they graduate."

A trip down memory lane

Wow, has it really been 20 years since Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa rattled the record books with their home run race? As Bruce Miles explains in his story Sunday about Sosa's 20 homers in June of 1998, the specter of performance-enhancing drugs changed the view that many fans had that summer. But not all. To some, it remains magical.

Out of this world art

Roland Miller, a space program photographer and College of Lake County dean, worked with Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli to produce 150 photos of the International Space Station. Such work is "bringing humanity to space," says former astronaut Catherine Coleman. Miller and Nespoli plan exhibits and a book of their photographs. We can't wait.

Winding down

As we close in on the final events of the high school sports season, it's appropriate to thank all our student-athletes, coaches and readers for another successful and exciting season. Have a safe summer!