Soapbox: Slow it down
State transportation officials say a stretch of Route 83 through Prospect Heights has neither enough accidents nor driveways to merit lowering the speed limit from 40 mph to 35 mph, as some city officials want. But the state's survey also showed that about 60 percent of those driving this stretch exceed the limit. No surprise there to anyone who drives this route often. The relatively few traffic lights and intersections on 83 seem to make drivers forget that they're going through a residential neighborhood. The good news to emerge is that Prospect Heights police say they'll be watching closely for speeders.
Preaching hygiene
Another week, another weird health threat to worry parents. Fortunately, the Naperville North High School students who contracted potentially fatal staph infections have recovered just fine. And now suburban parents know that good hygiene is just one more sermon they need to give their teens.
Long odds on sports
When the Sears Centre arena first opened, it started with a few small teams and dreams of more sports franchises to come. Today, the Chicago Hounds hockey team is gone, and the National Lacrosse League season has been canceled with the Chicago Shamrox thanks to a labor contract dispute.
Speaking of labor contract disputes
The National Lacrosse League season has been canceled because of disputes over raises and whether to institute a salary cap. We're talking about an average league salary here of $14,500, not megamillions. Whoever's right, whoever's wrong, is there some losing the forest in the trees going on here? All parties should feel lucky there's a professional lacrosse league at all, and do everything they can to keep it going.
Differing economic tales
Anybody else see the irony in the fact that the University of Chicago keeps churning out Nobel prize winners in economics even as the state slides deeper and deeper into economic disaster? This week, professor Roger B. Myerson became the 24th person with ties to the school to win the coveted economics prize since it began being awarded in 1969. That's almost a third of Nobel economics winners with University of Chicago connections. Any chance he or another one of them could take a sabbatical, run for governor and straighten out this mess?
Money everywhere, little else
This week contained a litany of reports about money raised by candidates. Hillary raised $28 million in the third quarter, while Barack raised about $20 million in the same period. U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean has nearly a million to toss about and U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk has a million and a half. Three candidates in the race to replace U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert have raised nearly a half-million each. Too bad none of the positions they seek is "fundraiser." Even more too bad is that such big bucks applied to various problems instead of TV ads might be a whole lot more constructive use of them.
Honors all in the family
Elgin Academy announced that its new media, science and arts center would be called the Harold D. Rider Family Media, Science and Fine Arts Center. Probably didn't hurt that Rider, a Barrington Hills real estate developer, led fundraising efforts for the environmentally sensitive, $9.5 million building on the Elgin campus. Probably didn't hurt that his wife, Susan, and their four sons are all Elgin Academy grads, either. After all, James J. Liautaud, the founder/CEO of the Jimmy John's sandwich chain and a graduate of the school, was a million-dollar donor. But that earned him only a mention in the naming story.