Saturday Soapbox: Garbage, garbage everywhere
Another great Chef's Fest was held at Arlington Park this past week; it's always one of the best fundraisers around and the food can't be beat. What can be beat, however, is the staggering amount of garbage produced. You've got 2,000 people eating at 70 different restaurants, sampling, say, a meatball here, a cup of salad there or ribs over there. Each sample has its own fork, its own dish or bowl and its own napkin. If people don't like the look or smell of a particular sample, into the trash it goes. Hard to imagine more waste. Not very Earth Day-ish, which is when, ironically, it was held.
A homecoming for Cujo
Certainly there are crimes more heinous, more evil. But there was something about the story of Cujo the pet Chihuahua -- stolen out of a car from a Hanover Park family doing charity work, then recovered two months and miles and miles away in South suburban Dolton -- that just restores a little bit of faith in humanity in a cynical, trying world. No one really believed Cujo would ever be recovered unharmed, but the dedication of a single Chicago police detective made it happen. And being able to share in the simple joy of a child being reunited with a lost pet should warm the coldest of hearts.
Volunteers find joy in helping out
The best side of human nature was on display Monday and Tuesday in Buffalo Grove when 70 volunteers from 13 Home Depot stores in the North and Northwest suburbs helped outfit a two-story house for use by Clearbrook Center and the Hope Foundation for Autism and Epilepsy as a group home for five adult autistic men. Kudos to the volunteers, Home Depot and the two agencies for helping meet a need for a place in the community for autistic adults. As Dori Von Bargen of the Vernon Hills store said: "It's just a good feeling."
Fit for praise
Kudos to the Chicago Bears and Walgreens for getting some professional athletes to support a physical fitness program for schoolchildren. Bears safety Danieal Manning and cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. spent some time this week at a Chicago elementary school assembly promoting the Bears What Moves U fitness program in which they led students in various exercises, and educated them about nutrition and the importance of being physically active. Great start, Bears. Now, if you could convince a certain NFL linebacker about the importance of honoring a commitment to a long-term contract, the rest of Bears Nation might be willing to join you for, say, 54 jumping jacks to applaud your efforts.
Power to the people:Œ
Deerfield officials have taken the unusual step of filing a class action lawsuit against ComEd, alleging the power company is in breach of its franchise agreement with the village for failing to provide reliable service for years to Deerfield's 18,000 residents. Chronic power outages have been occurring in Deerfield since at least 2000, the suit alleges, with 82,347 individual customer power outages in 1,377 separate events. Of course, Deerfield isn't the only place that goes dark. Consumer watchdogs say taking the energy company to court can't hurt -- in fact, it might help get someone's attention. The real solution, according to the Citizens Utility Board, is for the state to step in and regulate utility companies the same way it does for telecommunications companies, providing for penalties and compensation to consumers who received poor service. Worth looking into.