Saturday Soapbox
Drive Route 59 lately?
If you've driven Route 59 north across DuPage County and into Cook County anywhere near rush hour, well, you've been moving slowly. Isn't it irritating that at various points a lane is closed for a long time because one little patch of cement is being worked on? There must be a reason behind the long lane closure, but it sure is gumming up a key north-south thoroughfare.
The recession's staying power:
All in one day this week, we reported that Buffalo Grove is considering a utility tax, Hoffman Estates likely will lay off safety personnel, Schaumburg may institute a property tax, Wheeling has a $5 million deficit and Mount Prospect may dip into its reserve funds next year. And that's just in our Cook County edition.
These are serious smarts:
Three suburban high school students participated in the regional finals of the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology for a chance at a $100,000 scholarship, and we think they must already be geniuses: Arjun Puranik of Palatine, a Fremd student; Marissa Suchyta of South Barrington, a student at the University of Chicago Laboratory High School; and Fred Schmitt of Bolingbrook, a student at Naperville Central. Congratulations.
Serious smarts Part II:
Good luck to Marissa Suchyta, who advanced to the national finals. Her project? "Geminin mutant reveals the mechanism to inhibit DNA re-replication." We'd tell you what this title means, but we are mere journalists.
Wiley wildlife:
It might seem like there are more coyotes in the fall, but there really are just fewer leaves to give them cover. Steer clear but don't howl if you see one - coyotes want nothing to do with you. They're just one of many threats facing outdoor pets, but you've learned by now to keep cats and small dogs indoors. Right?
A courageous stand:
In facing death, Randy Zisook is surely saving some lives. Zisook begged Vernon Hills High School students to stop smoking cigarettes and avoid his fate, a diagnosis of incurable lung cancer at age 47. We wish him well in his effort and hope his audience meets the challenge to quit.
Help Maday's victim:
We're wondering why the office of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan isn't stepping up to help Roselle resident Domenica Saverino, whose Jetta was carjacked by bank robber Robert Maday during a two-day crime spree. The Illinois Crime Victim's Compensation Act, managed by Madigan's office, was created for situations just like this one. We hope someone steps up. Soon.
No laughing matter:
We all had a chuckle about the teen who called 911 when his parents took away his Xbox. Now it's time to use this example to quickly remind our children of the proper use of 911. Many learned in preschool that frivolous calls could waste lifesaving resources. But a refresher course couldn't hurt.
One more sponsor:
Cook County Commissioner Gregg Goslin, a Glenview Republican, also sponsored the measure to roll back the Cook County sales tax by half a percentage point. We inadvertently left Goslin's name out of our Friday editorial thanking the sponsors.