Saturday Soapbox: Embarrassment in Grafton Township
What an embarrassment:
You'd think that repeated public exposure in the newspaper would encourage leaders in Grafton Township to at least try to portray a better public image. No dice. Slapfights, lawsuits and general ill will continue. Shape up, folks. The electorate deserves better.
Good news for Hainesville:
Filling any vacant building is reason to celebrate these days, especially when that vacancy is a large former business at a high-profile intersection, like the old Hines Lumber in Hainesville. Add an estimated 30 jobs at the new Russo Power Equipment and you get a big win for the community.
Furry friends stick together:
The Chicago Wolves, who always have been great hosts, have plenty on their minds for tonight's home opener at Allstate Arena. Fortunately, they look beyond their own needs. Tonight they host the first of seven Adopt-A-Dog Nights. In nine years, they've helped find homes for nearly 800 dogs. That's a track record worth howling about.
Try to stay in the lines:
Have you seen how the Jane Addams Tollway is now full of black patches that have been re-striped between lanes? The new stripes don't even come close to lining up with the rest of the striping. If you pay attention too closely you'll feel like you're driving drunk. (and we hope you're not).
Judge makes good points in DUI case:
When Tom Ofenloch Jr. of Aurora tried to make his 926 days of home confinement count toward his 10-year sentence for killing two men in a DUI crash, Kane County Circuit Judge Timothy Sheldon said no. “He had the pleasure of sleeping in his own bed. He had the pleasure of home cooking. . . . Of home entertainment. Right on, Judge.
Good eye from the sky:
Kudos to Marc Kresmery of Elgin for always keeping an eye out for where he might have to land in an emergency, as he did Sunday when his throttle linkage came loose over Cary. Kresmery landed in a soybean field. He fixed the linkage, then took off again an hour later. The takeoff had to be as much a sight as the landing.
He'll always be No. 1:
When Brian McBride of the Chicago Fire walks off the home field tonight, it will be his last time as a pro player. Ever since the Arlington Heights native was the first player ever drafted by Major League Soccer, the former Buffalo Grove High soccer star has raised the bar on and off the field. For many of us, No. 20, a model citizen and a true champion, will always be No. 1.
Clout check in Batavia:
In the last several years there have been few hot-button items in Batavia as searing as the proposal to build a new recreation center in the middle of downtown. Mayor Jeff Schielke is among the supporters. We'll soon know how much sway one of the suburbs' longest-tenured mayors has.
Show your pink side:
What are you doing this month in support of Breast Cancer Awareness? In a five-mile trek Sunday, several Daily Herald staff will join thousands of suburbanites participating in Making Strides walks in the area. More than 9,000 women in Illinois will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year nearly eight times the number of gun deaths. So, again, what are you doing this month?