Saturday Soapbox

Advanced mathematics: Let's see, the Big Ten will have 12 teams, and the Big 12 will have 10.A few more zzzzzs:New research at the Eastern Virginia Medical School links higher rates of teen car crashes to early high-school start times, bolstering a recent case some West Chicago students made to their school board that later start times improve grades and reduce drop-out rates. It might be time for suburban schools to give the issue a serious look.Spill seem distant? For those who aren't too concerned about the oil disaster, may we suggest you tour Shedd Aquarium and make note of all the marine life you wouldn't be seeing if they were living in the Gulf today?Want to take out your anger? If you're eager to protest the oil spill, be informed. Local BP stations are locally owned. So boycotts hurt suburban businesses. And that gas you're getting elsewhere actually might be BP.Story of love: Burt Constable's story on Mary Ann Bork and Brian Messman can warm even the coldest of hearts. Injured in crashes, they fell in love in a South Elgin nursing home, and found the strength, together, to start a life on their own.Ups and downs:St. Charles police Sgt. Joe Cicci's life in Illinois isn't full of ups and downs, but he's looking forward to a week of them. The 47-year-old avid cyclist will swap out his flatter-than-flat training grounds of Illinois for the Eastern Alps at the end of the month when he races against seasoned European cyclists. Here's hoping the wind is at your back, Joe.Who needs a fake ID?Nine out of Mundelein's 44 liquor-selling businesses sold alcohol to minors during a compliance check in May, some after checking IDs that showed the buyers were underage. That's disgraceful and warrants penalties when the owners come before the village board June 28.Well, that's a nice lot:The parking lot at Shoe Factory and Higgins roads for the Poplar Creek Forest Preserve, now Carl R. Hansen Woods, was gutted and repaved. It's a small lot that was a little beat up but not that bad. We have to wonder, was this the best use of county money?But at the Crabtree Nature Center:Now those entrance roads off Palatine Road east of Route 59 were horrible. We're glad those roads got repaved.Kudos to Crime Stoppers: For those who wonder about the value of Crime Stoppers, look no further than Arlington Heights where the organization's efforts led to an arrest in a string of Northwest suburban bank robberies.Remembering thoughtful fathers: We wish a Happy Father's Day on Sunday to all the suburban dads who understand the impact they have on their children and take their child-rearing responsibilities seriously.A correction:Last week, we used this space to call out the Palatine Township Elementary District 15 school board. And we were wrong. Individual schools make decisions on how lunch and recess are worked into the school day. The school board never voted to impose a mandatory minimum amount of recess. The principals and staff set the policies at Jane Addams and Virginia Lake schools.