Saturday Soapbox: Gator aid

Gator aid:We shouldn't have to point out that alligators make extremely bad (not to mention illegal) pets. So we'll focus on these lessons, courtesy of Chewy, Buffalo Grove's recaptured alligator: 1) You never know what your neighbor's got behind that fence, and 2) the idea that you can safely walk your dog at night without a flashlight is a total croc.The rising cost of a scandal:Let's see: a contract for an interim inspector general expected to cost $500,000. Another contract for $2.5 million for lawyers. A contract for auditors that pays $240 an hour. A contract granting up to $400,000 for public relations. That's at least $3.4 million the Metra financial scandal has cost us after it was revealed. And this is progress?Coming through in the clutch:Let's hear it for three at Glenbard East High School who came through a crisis with flying colors. Students D.J. Nack and Catherine Priebe and health teacher Dan Hogan were credited with saving the life of a staff member at the Lombard school who turned purple and collapsed after a heart valve had given out. Hogan gave CPR while the students assisted and summoned help. Bravo!Nothing funny about this prank:To the people who develop apps such as "Scary Phone," which allows a prankster to make a harassing call as if it originated from a victim's land line, here's a better idea: an "Idiot Zap" app. When the offending person places the unwanted call - as someone who panicked a St. Charles Township girl did this week - his or her phone receives an electric jolt that ruins it.Turn 'em in:You took the pills, got better and haven't thought about them since. But a surprising number of unused prescriptions get into the hands of addicts who think nothing of rifling your medicine cabinet under any pretense. Get rid of the leftovers by turning them in today at one of many suburban sites. Find a list of collection sites at dea.gov.Suburban pros:You can't watch the NFL without spotting a connection to the suburbs. When Monday Night Football opened, it featured Jets coach Rex Ryan (Stevenson) against Baltimore player Tom Zbikowski (Buffalo Grove), and San Diego's Larry English (Marmion) against Kansas City's Tony Moeaki (Wheaton Warrenville South). They're everywhere.Back to driver's ed: Perhaps suburban drivers need a refresher. The law requires you to let oncoming traffic proceed through an intersection on a green light before you can make your left-hand turn. Follow it before you hurt yourself and others.Sensitive, but . . .Tough personnel decisions have to be handled with care and sensitivity, especially when they involve a leave ordered for a popular principal. But prolonged secrecy in Mount Prospect District 57 is fueling unfounded rumors, student confusion and parent anxiety. The district is right to be cautious, but it must also give some information, soon.Taking life as it comes: Harold Bergman, the 94-year-old who's still running his hay farm off Algonquin Road in Hoffman Estates, is surprisingly not worried about his farmland being developed someday. "That's progress," he says. "Change what you can, and what you can't, accept." Who are we to question him? But it'd still be sad to see the old family farm go.