Dold answers questions on Facebook

U.S. Rep. Robert Dold took questions about transportation, education, high gasoline prices and other subjects Wednesday afternoon in what his staff called a Facebook town hall. The questions were sent to the Kenilworth Republican through Facebook and Twitter while he was in Washington D.C., and he answered them over live video during the roughly 20-minute session. When asked about the long-proposed extension of Route 53 into Lake County, Dold said he supports the plan. He also called for more exploration into the use of renewable energy and said the U.S. should use a single blend of gasoline instead of the 17 different regional blends now produced. The session was Dold’s first solo virtual town hall effort, his office said. Last year, he held a similar online discussion with Sen. Mark Kirk, the Highland Park Republican who formerly held Dold’s 10th House District seat.