Saturday Soapbox
How about a good fall cleaning?
If you need motivation to clean out toy rooms to make room for the Christmas windfall, Mundelein High School students are offering it. They are collecting used toys for U.S. Army medical workers to give to children in Afghanistan. They'll even take Happy Meal toys. Now, that's community service. Call (847) 949-2200 or e-mail studentleadership@d120.org.
Weighty inspiration:
He may have been kicked off "The Biggest Loser," but Algonquin's Julio Gomez sure looks like a winner to us. Once 407 pounds, the 40-year-old has continued to drop, drop, drop and is now down to 280 pounds and still working at it. Keep it going, Julio!
They run for all of us:
It's easy to be impressed by the size of the field for Sunday's Chicago Marathon. About 45,000 runners registered, and more than 31,000 will finish. What's truly impressive is that more than 8,000 are running for a charity, and they'll raise $10 million in the process, proving the heart truly is the strongest muscle.
Not all Olympic dreams dashed:
You can take Chicago out of the Olympics, but not Chicagoans. While Rio won the right to host the 2016 games, the Winter Olympics in Vancouver are coming soon (February), and six Blackhawks could make various hockey teams. And with stars like Naperville skater Evan Lysacek, we'll have that Olympic spirit back in no time.
Confusion over P.E. waivers:
Barrington District 220 caused some confusion this week when it formalized its P.E. waiver policy. The district now says it was already in compliance with state rules that only students in school-run athletic programs can get out of taking P.E. Thanks for the clarification. But we're still not sure the rules make sense - when they, in theory, could deny a waiver to an Olympic athlete.
Dedicated jurors:
Two capital murder cases stemming from notorious suburban crimes highlight the essential role of jurors. Thanks to those who took on the cases of James Degorski, convicted in the Brown's Chicken & Pasta murders in Palatine, and Brian Dugan, who pleaded guilty to killing Jeanine Nicarico near Naperville. Next time a jury summons comes, don't whine and seek to be excused - consider your value to our justice system.
Was that summer?
With weather wreaking havoc around the globe, it's hard to grumble about the cards we're dealt. Still, any remaining hopes for a few warm days seem dashed for good with the past week's cold rain and the coming week's likelihood of frost - and did they say snow? If it sticks, that would be the earliest measurable snowfall on record.
A win for all:
We're pleased the Sun Times News Group survived this week to publish again in the suburbs and city. Besides enriching our communities, newspapers continue to play an essential role in the democratic process.
Democratic roadblock:
Senate GOP Leader Christine Radogno and House GOP Leader Tom Cross both say they support donation limits on political leaders and parties. Democratic House Speaker Michael J. Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton are the roadblocks risking their candidates' election by not budging. We believe we all must keep the pressure on all legislators to make this change.
Cap and trade for affordable housing?
Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene Mulder seems to suggest the best plan on affordable housing is to put it somewhere else. Mulder "hopes the task force will investigate a regional alliance with surrounding communities to pool money and support affordable housing somewhere within that area." We wonder what Rolling Meadows might want in exchange for taking Arlington Heights' share.
Community service for a death:
Felonious Geneva sisters Jill and Julie Barry were basically excused Friday in the criminal neglect death of their mother. They each received 24 months of conditional discharge and must complete 150 hours of community service. We bet there are many who no longer have their parents who would've liked to be judge for a day.
What about the rest?
The village of Hampshire is offering $3,500 to people who purchase a newly constructed home in the village. OK, novel idea to promote the housing trades in a stuck economy and get more people on the tax rolls. But what about all the people who are trying to sell their own homes? It could price them out of what market there is.