The Soapbox: Lights in Campton Hills, looking ahead in LIbertyville help in Hoffman Estates and more.

Saved from Scrooge

A truce has been made between Campton Hills and creator of a nationally acclaimed holiday light show. The village has backed off from banning vehicles from slowing, stopping or parking on roads near the million-light display. Homeowner Brian Larsen, in turn, will pay off-duty sheriff's deputies to direct traffic on weekends. That's the spirit.

Beyond mourning Moto

Good work by BECO Management Inc. for creating the glossy new shared workspace Innovation Park out of the former Motorola Mobility HQ and by the village of Libertyville for helping to make it happen. Instead of continuing to mourn a corporate loss, they're building toward a new economy.

Pressure cooker

Cook a great meal in an hour with no recipe and a surprise list of ingredients? No problem for John Hampson of Antioch, who prevailed in the Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challenge finale in Itasca. Congratulations to John and to fan favorite Teresa Fiocchi of Mundelein and thank you to all the other contestants and attendees.

Straightening the line

When a Metra board chairman exited in 2013 amid a patronage scandal, it fell to Vice Chairman Jack Partelow of Naperville to hold the agency steady. Later, Chicagoan Martin Oberman took over as chairman, taking no salary, and they worked to improve transparency and run the railroad professionally. Their terms end this month; a job well done.

Help for special needs families

At a time of tight or no budgets for human services, it's heartening to see an agency working to help more people. The Center for Enriched Living wants to expand its day program for adults to the Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates and Palatine area by next summer. They'll need as much as $120,000 in contributions to make it happen. We applaud their effort.

Snow money

Lake County will pick up a little extra snow removal money this winter, thanks to the Illinois Department of Transportation. IDOT will pay the county $268,463 to plow and salt 107 miles of state roads as it awaits delivery of new equipment. Nice deal.

Fading traditions

For many years, Friday nights in the fall were reserved for high school football. That's about to change, all because money trumps tradition. Next season, six Big Ten games will kick off in prime-time on Friday nights as part of a massive television rights deal. Don't forget your local stars.

Speaking of which ...

Through all the euphoria of the Cubs winning the World Series, high school sports continues on with the fall season quickly drawing to a close. In Friday's editions of the Daily Herald, we announced our all-area teams and honorary captains in boys soccer and girls volleyball. Congrats to all of those featured on an excellent fall season.

New police chief

Congrats to longtime Naperville cop Brian Cunningham who began work Friday as the new police chief in Woodridge. Good guy. Good cop.

The loyal Cubs fans a century missed

Amid the hoopla, let's pause to remember the fans who went to their graves wishing for a celebration like this.