Saturday Soapbox

Never forget:

Today is the 65th anniversary of D-Day when Allied Troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France where they encountered heavy resistance and suffered devastating loss - more than 9,000 dead or wounded - as they launched a massive attack that would ultimately release Nazi Germany's grip on Europe. Many of us were not yet born and only know of it through history books, movies and television. Others among us lived it. To those who fought, supported or lost loved ones in that difficult battle, we thank you for your bravery and sacrifice. To the rest of us, we should never forget the toll of a time that changed the world so we can be here today. Thank you, soldiers and families of World War II. Thank you.

A class act:

Teachers, administrators and school board members in Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 and Northwest Suburban High School District 214 deserve a tip of our caps for holding the line on salaries during these difficult times. Under recently approved contracts, teachers will not receive base raises next year. The agreement debunks the notion that teachers are out of touch with what taxpayers are going through.

An extended flu season:

The hype may be gone, but swine flu isn't. The illness claimed Illinois' fifth victim - a Lake County man - this week. Earlier deaths were in Cook and Kane counties and two others in Chicago. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tallied 27 H1N1 deaths; only New York, with eight, has more than Illinois. So it's too early to let your guard down. If you have symptoms of the flu, call your doctor. Visit cdc.gov/h1n1flu/sick.htm for more information.

Here we go again:

It wasn't that long ago that we watched passionate debates about whether a DuPage County municipality should help a dedicated group of residents reinvigorate a downtown theater. In Lombard, that ended when bulldozers razed DuPage Theatre. This week, a different group behind a different renovation wants a different community to support their effort. Residents who want to make the Wheaton Grand a centerpiece for downtown entertainment are looking for the city and park district to vouch for $19.3 million loan. We're not sure if it's the right time to put taxpayers on the hook for a risky project. But we are sure this will be a lively debate.

Worthy of praise:

Congratulations to the dozens of teens honored this week with places on the Daily Herald's teams for accomplishments in academics, baseball, softball, volleyball and soccer. Their scholastic and academic achievements are beyond impressive.

Also worthy of praise:

We've been pretty tough on our legislators, pushing them to fight for corruption reform. We still think more of our rank-and-file Democrats have to band together for real contribution limits, recall and fair redistricting. But reformers in Springfield last week noted state Rep. Kathleen Ryg, a Vernon Hills Democrat, worked long, lonely hours trying to persuade her colleagues to stand up to House Speaker Michael Madigan and against the weak limits he passed. Thank you, Rep. Ryg. We need more courage from many more of our officials, especially the majority Democrats.