Soapbox: Nice touch
If you've been stuck lately, as many of us have, in traffic near Naperville-Wheaton and Warrenville roads, you've had plenty of time to study the "Thank you" signs posted near the DuPage County Forest Preserve District's latest acquisition: 51 acres it's buying from Alcatel Lucent. Not everyone thought this was a great idea, including the village of Lisle and developers thinking about building a big box store on the site. Money for the purchase will come from the $68 million voters authorized for open space last year. That's the latest of several votes allowing the district to buy 2,900 acres since the 1990s. It's nice the district remembers to thank the people who made the land buy possible. And entirely appropriate.
Land trial at last
The trial revolving around Indian Prairie Unit District 204's attempt to acquire land for a new high school, an issue long bogged down in a condemnation lawsuit, will finally get under way Monday. It's past time to get this new school into the hands of builders and out of the hands of lawyers.
Pushy parents take fun out of sports:
Naperville Central High School is holding two parent awareness programs this fall. One at 7 p.m. Oct. 11, "Student Athletes: Stresses and Performance," featuring clinician Marc Anderson, might be an interesting session for parents to attend. Some studies show that 70 percent of youngsters quit playing organized sports by the time they are teens. One reason? They get weary of being pushed too hard, mentally and physically, by parents who have unrealistic visions of their children becoming professional or college-scholarship athletes. They don't want to go to the $100-an-hour specialized sports lessons their parents think will make them superstars. It's stress they just don't need. And it's stress parents don't need, because for all their agonizing over their child's performance game after game, the chances of their son or daughter playing their game in the pros is less than one-half of 1 percent.
Fitting tribute
Work has been completed on a park in Naperville's Longwood subdivision that has special meaning beyond giving a neighborhood a nice recreational retreat. The new park is named in honor of Sgt. David Caruso, who was killed Nov. 9, 2004, rescuing a team member while on a mission in Iraq. It is also a fitting tribute beyond recognizing Caruso's sacrifice and heroism. Caruso, who was an Eagle Scout, loved the outdoors. He would have loved this park.
The good in controversy
With all the controversy Planned Parenthood has raised recently, it's easy to forget that there's some good in this. Hundreds of "regular people" have gotten involved in the civic process, from marching in rallies to contacting aldermen. Clinic supporters and opponents have filled city council chambers the past two meetings to plead their case. No matter how this ends, those involved should be commended for their passion for their cause. That's democracy at its best.
Fortunate to be in the frigid air
How fair is it that the high schools, middle schools and the administration center in Indian Prairie Unit District 204 have air conditioning, but 19 of 21 elementary schools in the district don't have a cooling system? As we noted in an editorial on Thursday, there are other ways to deal with the heat than to air condition every school. But the cool schools should appreciate the fact that they don't have to be in an environment that only monkeys, iguanas, colorful birds and other members of the rain forest can possibly enjoy.