The Soapbox

Still bullish:

So, the crushing defense and late-game heroics of the Miami Heat proved too much after all for the Bulls’ NBA playoff hopes. It’s disappointing. But for fans who’ve been longing for a revival of past glory, it was a magical season. And, we can actually look forward to next year.

A memorial at last:

Leave it to a class of sixth-graders to manage a job started two decades before they were born. On the 30th anniversary of the doomed Flight 191, which crashed in 1979, the kids, whose assistant principal’s parents were on the flight, took up the call to create a permanent memorial. A dedication is expected this fall. Way to go, kids.

Self defense:

A man-crush on Alexander Hamilton. A hair brush as an extension of his right hand. Teary memories of meeting the woman who would become his wife. Wow. It’s vintage Blagojevich. Who can say whether it will sway the jury, but at least the former governor’s getting what he’s asked for all along — a chance to make his case his way.

It’s always been so, Joe:

Is anyone surprised by the stories of nepotism and favoritism in the office of Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios? Maybe voters don’t care about someone who, in the midst of downsizing, hires friends and family and gives his daughter a huge raise. Or, maybe they weren’t paying attention. Let’s hope they’re paying attention now.

Rose queen woes:

Roselle’s Rose Queen pageant organizers did the best they could by omitting contestants’ onstage questions from scoring after a mix-up resulted in some being asked questions for which they hadn’t prepared. Public sniping that the teenage winner was treated favorably in other ways seems, well, not very poised.

Cool at the pool:

Having been spared this year’s deadly tornado spree, it’s unseemly to gripe about Chicago weather. But we’re sure glad we’re not lifeguards shivering under towels as local pools open this weekend.

Classy goodbye:

For those who are not committed Oprahphiles, who roll their eyes at her “You get a car” moments, the shows leading up to her curtain call may have been hard to take. But her final, stripped-down goodbye showed in a classy way that the audience may mean as much to Oprah as she suggests.

That finger gets us a knuckle sandwich:

Democrat Carol Davis was succinct about a DuPage County Board map that carves out Laura Fitzgerald: “Having that knuckle or finger or whatever it’s called going right into Lombard, the people in that little island won’t really be represented as well as they would be in District 2.” In a tense debate, we appreciated the understatement.

Rooted to trees:

Mature trees often define suburban neighborhoods, so we sympathize with Des Plaines residents losing 17 maples to a storm sewer project. City workers say they’ve done their best to avoid removing them, but still, new driveway aprons and residents’ choice of replacement saplings are small consolation.

Making a point visually:

Grayslake residents fighting a plan for low-income apartments floated a big red balloon over the site to demonstrate how high the proposed four-story structure would be. Whatever your position, you have to admire their creativity.