DuPage Co. Soapbox
Museum director now history
The DuPage County Historical Museum is facing an uncertain future without its executive director. After four years of overseeing the museum in downtown Wheaton, Jody Crago has left. He's departed to take a job building and administering the creation of a new museum in Chandler, Ariz. Anyone who has toured the DuPage museum with Crago could see that he loved his job. His experience and knowledge of DuPage history will be missed. But with the county's financial problems jeopardizing the existence of the history museum, we understand why Crago decided to move on.
Too bizarre
In one final sop to his party, Dennis Hastert is likely to leave his U.S. House 14th District seat before the end of the year. That will trigger the need for a special election, likely to be held at exactly the same time the regular primary is held to choose his successor. If anybody doubts why citizens are so fed up with politicians, this is it. They could end up voting four times in less than a year for a single seat. Either finish out your term or quit on a schedule that leaves the field open -- saving us all a lot of money and voting booth aggravation in the process.
Timing versus presentation
What is the damage done by the Naperville Park Board waiting until the winter to bring in candidates to interview for the executive director position that has been vacant since March? The candidates will be seeing the city at a time when leaves are off the trees, grass is yellow when it is not covered with snow, some district facilities are shuttered for the year and it will likely be very cold. In what scenario is this close to ideal? Of course, you can say there will be pretty holiday lights, and the snow can be beautiful as it can be brutal.
Getting tougher
Hoping to reduce pressure on school secretaries and collect about three-quarter of a million dollars in unpaid school fees, Elgin School District U-46 plans to hire a collection agency to do the deed. That would free up secretaries, many of whom were asked to collect unpaid fees for their building, to revert to "welcoming" students and making the initial fee collection attempt. The new approach would allow the district to recoup its money, minus the 25 percent that will go to the get-tough collectors.
Classes are in session
For those of you who are adamantly against more classes in the Illinois high school state tournaments, insisting more is not better and impacts the status of the title, consider that 16 high schools had state football championship aspirations heading into this weekend. Do you think those 16 schools or communities really cared whether they were Class 1A or Class 8A?
Overdue funding
Still waiting on state leaders to bring the train, with funds for mass transit, into the station.
Blackhawks comeback
Isn't it great to see the Blackhawks playing with passion and success after years of fans having to endure watching their team on ice melt away into mediocrity?
A damp dry run
There's nothing like a little fog and mist to produce a test run for holiday travelers. And nothing quite like this week's weather-related delays at O'Hare International Airport and video travel tips from the Transportation Security Administration to remind fliers that the next six weeks of air travel will require patience. Happy holidays.