Soapbox: The new Randhurst; what's bugging you?
The Randhurst Shopping Center has been such an integral part of the Northwest suburbs for decades. Here's hoping that plans to build it anew as Randhurst Village are successful. It's been sad to watch the mall in a slow but steady decline; plans to convert it to a "lifestyle center" seem likely to inject some much-welcomed vibrancy.
Itchy and scratchy
Gypsy moths. Asian longhorned beetles. Emerald ash borers. 17-year cicadas. What's next? A plague of locusts? Actually, it was the itch mite that became the most recent of the pests to plague our region. Numerous residents are clogging phone lines to the Cook and DuPage county health departments complaining of red, itchy lesions on their skin. While health experts say not to worry, those of us who are scratching away aren't so sanguine. Here's to the onset of winter. Frost bite doesn't look so bad.
What's in the water?
Anybody but us think it shouldn't take an Illinois Department of Public Health warning to know it isn't wise to let pets cavort in human swimming pools? Yet some pet lovers and pool managers seemed shocked the department is advising against such animal swims in public pools because they are, um, unsanitary. A better question would be why anyone thought such pool sharing was a good idea in the first place. Fun for dogs and owners? Sure. But how quickly would the fun turn to finger-pointing the first time a swimmer came down with a water-borne illness as a result of a puppy paddle session.
Ooo-ooo, that smell
We know all about the Hillside Strangler, the portion of highway that, even after massive reconstruction a few years back, always seems to bottle up where I-88 merges with I-290. But how about the Hillside Choker, that raw, terrible odor right along that same stretch of road emanating from the relocating Hillside Landfill closure project? It's bad enough just driving by at high speeds, but when stuck in traffic it's downright unbearable. And it seems to be getting worse each time you travel that road. Not good.
Curbing the bad dogs
The devil, as always, is in the details. What kind of ordinance will be most effective? Which can be most successfully enforced? Which has the best chance of meeting the intended objectives? Rolling Meadows police and aldermen have a lot of details to iron out, but their instincts and efforts to find better ways to protect residents from vicious dogs are laudable.
Hey, wasn't it all Barrett's fault?
The recent skid by the Cubs caught us by surprise. After all, hadn't the team laid the blame for poor performance on Michael Barrett when he was shipped off to San Diego?
Right side of the ledger in 220
Make no mistake: Plenty of challenges lie ahead for Barrington Area Unit District 220, not the least of which is the pressing need for a new middle school building. But this week's word that the district will this year record its 11th consecutive balanced budget is important news indeed. That kind of sustained budget stability gets the attention of bond rating houses and of taxpayers, who, seeing such responsible stewardship over time, may be more receptive when district authorities do identify needs that require tax increases.
Thanks, Mr. Speaker
Our thoughts of appreciation for all his years of service go out to Rep. Dennis Hastert, the former House Speaker who announced Friday that he will not seek re-election.