Saturday Soapbox: 75 percent of life ust showing up
Whoever said that might have had Todd Stroger in mind. At Palatine's request, the Cook County Board president has agreed to come to Harper College on April 30 to defend the Cook County sales tax hike that has had suburban officials -- most notably but not exclusively Palatine -- reviving talk of secession. Will the throng of residents in attendance change his mind about the sales tax? No. Will Stroger convince anyone there of its value? No. And yet he will come, and they will come. And in some fashion, talk. It's a start.
Sweet and bitter of parenthood
Two disparate events this week in the Wheeling-Buffalo Grove area captured the yin and yang of parenthood. Kudos to the family of Jennifer Koh, the amazing 13-year-old violinist from Buffalo Grove who added to her list of accomplishments by taking one of the top three spots in the 2008 Chicago Symphony Orchestra Youth Auditions for Strings. She was the youngest of the top three. And our condolences to the family of Osama Hadi, 25, of Wheeling, feared drowned off the island of St. Kitts in the West Indies after he and a friend had gone swimming. His family can take equal pride in his accomplishments -- he was about to graduate from medical school, nine years after immigrating from Pakistan and attending community colleges because he couldn't afford to stay at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Sad price of progress:
We suppose this'll be a good thing in the long run. While partnering with Barrington-based Health World, Itasca will concentrate on bringing new projects to the fore, such as a riverwalk linking the downtown to the municipal complex, library, water park and Spring Brook Nature Center. But the new partnership signals the demise of the nature center's raptor exhibit, already on borrowed time due to funding concerns. In addition to nursing sick birds back to health, the raptor exhibit also houses 13 birds of prey, including owls, hawks, falcons and vultures -- many of whom are featured at special events and public programs. Perhaps it's not a cost-effective exhibit -- and everyone has to watch the bottom line in these troubled economic times -- but the raptors are a one-of-a-kind exhibit and we lament its passing.
Peace at last
The 2nd District appellate court's dismissal of a Provena St. Joseph Hospital lawsuit against Sherman Hospital should finally end a fight between Elgin's two longtime medical institutions. Though the official arguments were about "access to care" and "imbalances," it was always about money and market share. Provena St. Joseph didn't want Sherman building a new facility in its backyard, fearing potential negative financial impacts. But the appellate court ruling noted, "It is not the (planning board's) responsibility to protect market share of individual providers." Residents can go back to liking both their hospitals again instead of feeling caught in the midst of a family fight.
The cost of gridlock
Politicians in Springfield who can't get along should consider the consequences of their stubbornness. Because of a lack of a state capital budget, work on one of Elgin's most dangerous intersections will be put off for another year. Yes, Route 20 will still be a mess due to retaining wall work and bridge work over the EJ&E railway. But the most important need, reconstruction of the Route 20 intersection with Shales Parkway, has been bumped for at least another year. Meaning the city can expect its ambulances to continue making frequent visits to one of its least safe intersections.