Soapbox: Safety first when trick-or-treating
Parents, when your cute little princesses, goblins and ghouls take to the streets in search of candy Sunday, here's a website that can help alleviate one worry: www.isp.state.il.us/sor/sor.cfm. It's the state police's Sex Offender Registry, where you can learn where sex offenders live in your neighborhood.
Masters of musicals:
Drury Lane Oak Brook is on a roll, winning eight Joseph Jefferson Awards for excellence in Chicago-area theater, including best musical for “Ragtime.” Congratulations!
A fundraiser to buy for:
It seems school organizations are always fundraising, putting coupon books, flower bulbs and frozen cookie dough before neighbors and parents' co-workers to purchase. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire is trying to be more efficient. Its first online auction of donated items is taking place and will benefit several groups at once. If it works, this may start a welcome trend.
Air-current affairs:
All that wind this week reminded us we live in the Chicago area. El Niño? The jet stream? We don't yet know the source, but let's not rule out the politicians.
Be feline-friendly:
Cat owners got a break when Carpentersville repealed its $3 licensing fee. The residents who objected to the fee would do well to instead donate to the local organization that collaborates with the village on its “trap, neuter, return” program for stray cats.
The tough call at COD:
Endorsement decisions often are close calls. This year, we especially wrung our hands over a referendum on major building improvements at the College of DuPage. While we recommended a “No” vote because of the tough economy, we recognize that it's a well-considered proposal and that the work would greatly enhance COD's future.
Putting schools to the test:
There were lessons for the suburbs, if few surprises, in the school report cards released by the state this week. Almost all our schools need to improve in reading and math. Even so, suburban schools are doing fairly well. But the gaps between groups is too high. Flaws or no, the standardized tests help schools identify and address problems.
Great expectations?
Meanwhile, St. Charles Unit District 303 is considering setting aside a 3-year-old policy to raise ACT score goals every year, delicately pointing out that this year's class wouldn't be likely to rise to the occasion. Way to take away the challenge and their confidence.
Political payday:
Job hunters in these hard times best not look to their political leaders as models for finding work. At least six suburban legislative battles have cost in the range of $1 million. Spending in many other races has reached hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is the kind of thinking that will rein in the bloated state budget?
Memory lane:
Last Wednesday night, sports fans in Chicago could face choices between the Blackhawks, the Bulls and the World Series, all in living color and high-definition. Some of us remember the days when our grade-school teacher let the class crowd around a tiny black-and-white Motorola screen to watch the World Series. Now, that said “special.”