Saturday Soapbox: Horse sense

If the 2016 Olympics come to Chicago, you won't find the equestrian events in a Lake County forest preserve. The forest preserve idea has been dropped in favor of staging the events at Tempel Farms in Old Mill Creek. We have to ask: What took so long? Environmentalists and forest preserve district officials have been at odds over the issue for months. The forest preserve district had pitched Lakewood near Wauconda and later Raven Glen near Antioch as the location for riding events. Environmentalists balked, and raised fears about damage to the facilities from people and traffic. Designating the 4,000-acre Tempel Farms for equestrian events should face no such controversy. Tempel is already in the horse business. It is home to the largest privately owned herd of Lipizzan horses and has hosted equestrian events and competitions for years. There are no concerns about trampled plants, facilities are already in place that handle crowds, and it's run by people who understand the sport. That experience can be valuable if the Olympics do come here. What's not to like?

Power to the people

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.

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.

Thank you, Mother Nature

Even those of us with allergies can thank Mother Nature for the daffodils that popped up around the area this week. That sign of spring has been a long time coming.