The Soapbox
Good call:
Kudos to Rob Sherman for calling attention to a move by the Buffalo Grove village board to almost double water rates. On the agenda, the item was listed as a municipal code change. The board tabled a vote for two weeks after Sherman complained about that wording.
Safety on the lakes:
Several drownings already this summer remind us that seemingly tame suburban lakes deserve respect. Make sure to carry a flotation device if you jump off a boat for a swim, take care that the boat doesn’t drift too far away while you’re in the water, and never swim on a dare or when you’ve been drinking.
Rockin’ Rosemont:
Rosemont has long been a bustling place, but new restaurants and, starting next week, a new Zanies comedy club makes it an even stronger entertainment destination. This is good news for tourists, who drop dollars in the community. And it’s good news for residents looking for a fun night out.
Glug, glug:
Was that the sound of suburban gardens thirstily gulping down the late-week rains? Oh, for more.
Don’t light that match:
Even if your neighborhood got some of Friday’s storm, there’s still a real danger of fire these days. It is not wise — and in many cases it’s illegal — to ignite fireworks in your neighborhood any time this summer. Leave it to the professionals.
Local Olympian:
Our headbands are off to you, Evan Jager, for making the cut for the U.S. Olympic team. You’ve accomplished a lot since your days at Jacobs High School in Algonquin. We know your sport still is relatively new to you, but many of us don’t have the foggiest what steeplechase is about. We’re eager to learn.
A numbers game?
The day after Chicago made it legal to give $250 to $500 tickets to folks holding less than 15 grams of marijuana, the city made an 8-ton pot bust. Imagine the fine if authorities could break that into 15-gram increments. They could issue “tickets” worth $121 million to $242 million, much more than the $40 million street value. No, not realistic, but an interesting math problem.
Keeping it real:
Millionaire Steve Kaplan of Buffalo Grove took the opportunity recently to experience life at the other end of the economic spectrum — something he thought he knew from his own days of struggle. His clandestine work on Chicago’s South Side — for a reality TV show — provided new insight into the realities of being poor.
Don’t mess with drains:
A Wood Dale man was sentenced to prison for secretly pouring hundreds of gallons of truck-washing soap he had sold to the U.S. Postal Service into sewer drains. He not only cheated taxpayers, but the dumping posed a risk to wildlife and could damage water treatment equipment. For all of us, sewers are not the place to dispose of whatever we want.
Important signs:
If you travel along Route 137 near Libertyville, watch for a couple of blue signs that carry a solemn reminder and warning. The signs honor John Sligting and warn about reckless driving. The Round Lake Beach man was killed in 2007 when his motorcycle was struck by a teen driver talking on a cellphone.