The Soapbox: Daily Herald editors offer brief thoughts on suburban topics in the news.
Last gasp
Cooler weather soon will be upon us, so get outside this Labor Day weekend to enjoy the warmth at a suburban festival. Fun awaits at Schaumburg Septemberfest, Naperville's Last Fling, Buffalo Grove Days, Lake in the Hills Summer Sunset Fest, Long Grove Irish Days, the Fox Valley Folk Festival and many more.
Surviving the Flood of '19
Great to hear the Glen Ellyn History Center will begin to gradually reopen in September, six months after a damaging flood caused by a burst pipe forced the Main Street building to shut down for a major restoration project. Maybe the museum should consider a new exhibit How we survived the Flood of '19.
Let's keep it that way
"It shouldn't be illegal if we're not having problems with them," Schaumburg Trustee Marge Connelly said as Schaumburg trustees discussed, then overturned a decades-old ban on motorized scooters and skateboards. It's reasonable logic. Let's hope users and everyone else reinforces it by thinking safety first.
Mystery on Aisle 5
Schaumburg trustees on Tuesday approved a new grocery store for the former Babies R Us site on Golf Road - without divulging the store's name. Village officials said the design details show the project will be "a quality development." The store wants its name to stay secret for now to maintain its competitive edge. Is that really necessary?
Mikes Bikes at 60
As we celebrate Mikes Bikes on its 60-year anniversary, let's also celebrate how invested the business has been in the Palatine community all that time. Through its Bikes for Needy Kids program, 100 to 200 bicycles are refurbished and donated each year to children who need them. Here's to another 60 years of keeping kids on wheels.
A unique approach
After injuries decimated his team early and throughout the 2018 season, Buffalo Grove High School football coach Jeff Vlk decided this fall to take a different approach to his team's preseason practices - less hitting. The Bison, instead of cracking the pads every day, are doing more weightlifting and even incorporating yoga into their practices.
Come join the discussion
At 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11, two of our editors will lead a discussion on the implications of the economic threats local print newspapers face. It's the first of a four-part Facts Matter series in the District 214 Community Education program at the Forest View Educational Center in Arlington Heights. Register free at https//ce.d214.org/ and join us.
Remembering Rick Drazner
Rick Drazner's volunteerism has been honored with a softball game. The annual charity game that kicked off Buffalo Grove Days this week was renamed the Rick Drazner Memorial Softball Game. The five-term park district commissioner died in April at the age of 58. He also served with the Rotary Club and local chamber of commerce, among other groups.
Remembering James Baloun
A successful accountant and businessman, James Baloun literally helped Inverness take shape when he worked with the village to annex the neighborhood including his own five acres. He went on to serve two terms as a village trustee and led the Palatine Rural Fire Protection District. He died last week at the age of 70. Our condolences to his family.