Saturday Soapbox: DuPage County
Good luck, Judge Bakalis
No one will deny DuPage Circuit Judge George Bakalis is earning his pay. He's already presiding over the arduous death-penalty murder case of Brian Dugan, accused of the 1983 slaying of 10-year-old Jeanine Nicarico of Naperville. On top of that, he's about to take over as the acting chief judge on a full-time basis. Bakalis is not expected to hand off the Dugan case, so he will be challenged managing his new workload. But he has a reputation as a thoughtful, deliberate and unbiased jurist, so Bakalis seems particularly suited for his new role.
All's well at Cantera
In a sluggish economy, it's nice to still see signs of bustling development in DuPage County. A good example occurred this week when the Warrenville City Council OK'd plans for two five-story hotels -- Hyatt Place and Sommerfield Suites -- in the ever-growing Cantera development that straddles the Reagan Tollway.
A wakeup call?
So, we're not No. 1, but at least Chicago ranked in the middle of pack when it comes to our cardiac health. The American Heart Association recently ranked Chicago 15th out of 38 metropolitan areas in its first-ever survey. Researchers hope to call attention to heart disease, which is the No. 1 killer of women in the country. Experts say we need to lose weight, exercise more, quit smoking, eat more vegetables and reduce our stress to improve our score. Pretty good advice. So, where is the best place for heart-friendly living? Minneapolis-St. Paul came out on top. The worst were Nashville, St. Louis and Detroit.
Group takes raptors under its wing
Itasca's raptors aren't going anywhere. Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation this week took over the birds-of-prey program at Spring Brook Nature Center. Thanks to arrangement between the Barrington-based group and the village, Spring Brook visitors will continue to enjoy the program for years to come. There's also plans to will bring back a bird rehabilitation program that was cut several years ago for budgetary reasons. Thankfully, Itasca officials sought an alternative and it paid off.
Government doesn't get it
How do DuPage County Forest Preserve Commissioners show that they are clearly sympathetic to the plight of so many workers in the private sector who are losing their jobs, longing for the days of pay raises even as they take another pay? They vote to give themselves a 3 percent raise every year for the next four years. That means their pay will increase from $50,079 next year to $56,912 in 2012. Yes, the forest district has done a very good job in preserving open space. But a lot of good work is being done in the private sector without expectation of increases in pay. Another example of government just not getting it when it comes to sharing the sacrifices taxpayers are being forced to make in their own field of work. And we guess it's a quaint notion that being a forest preserve commissioner is part-time work that should get part-time pay.