Saturday Soapbox: Lake County

Congratulations

The Daily Herald's Lake County Academic Team is a salute to the academic success of its 10 member this year, and throughout their high school career. But we hope it means a bit more than that. We'd like to think it also holds the weighty expectation that these teens -- and those who are members of the Daily Herald Leadership team awarded in January -- will play a big role in building a better tomorrow. We think if they join forces with countless other teens working hard in school and in their communities the future is bright in deed.

Support SEDOL

Next week, Lake County school officials will be asked by the Special Education District of Lake County to spend $26.5 million to build a new school and make renovations to existing facilities. Officials with SEDOL, the cooperative special education district that teaches students with learning disabilities, say they are rapidly running out of space at their Gages Lake Road campus. Enrollment is up by more than 200 kids in the past 10 years; SEDOL now educates about 550 students in center-based programs, and another 800 are enrolled in SEDOL classes at public schools across Lake County. The centerpiece of the project is an $18 million new school that would replace a facility with a capacity of 74 students that is now bursting at the seams with 125. That new school, and renovations at other facilities, would accommodate growth for another 20 years, officials say. SEDOL will need approval from at least half of its 36 member districts to go ahead with the plan, and if it's approved, all 36 districts will pay for the project. The amount will differ from district to district, depending in part on how many of its students SEDOL serves. It's true that times are tough, and none of these school districts has money to spare. But we think this plan is a solid investment in Lake County's future, one that school officials should do everything in their power to make.

A wakeup call?

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.