The Soapbox: Daily Herald editors offer brief thoughts on suburban topics in the news.
Music to our ears
How's this for the phrase of the weekend? Full capacity. Just let that sink for a minute. Did you ever think you could enjoy the idea of a crowd this much?
Puppy love
In some parts of the country, animal shelters are reporting an uptick in returns of pets adopted during the pandemic. Suburban shelters say that is not the case here, and that's good news. Adopting a dog or cat is a big responsibility, but the rewards can be huge. We need to take good care of our four-legged family members.
There are limits
Encouraging to see Rolling Meadows doing something about the ever-increasing and dangerous need for speed. Concerned residents, after a pair of Kirchoff Road rollover crashes, prompted action. Daily police patrols of Kirchoff resulted in about 100 speeding citations just in May. Could we see a spread of this diligence in our neighborhoods?
Nothing but great memories
Do you remember where you were 30 years ago today? Likely watching the Bulls beat the host Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. It was the Bulls' first of three straight championships and the first Finals MVP trophy for Michael Jordan.
This week's Clippable Quote
"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." - John A. Shedd
Sure, open bar, but don't fill it?
The owner of the Itasca Brewing Co. wants to open the Arlington Beer Co. in Arlington Heights, but, citing parking issues, wanted to limit occupancy to 87 people, instead of the bar's capacity for 200. The owner said she didn't expect that objection. Right, because who expects to open a bar but use less than half of it? The plan commission overruled the staff.
Chipotle coming to site
More than five years after it was closed because of a fire, the former Romano's Macaroni Grill in Wheaton is set to be demolished to make room for a new Chipotle. It's nice to see the property along Naperville Road finally will be improved. The existing building has sat vacant for too long.
Something to crow about
It was good to see how quick thinking and teamwork saved 14,000 chickens. Andrew Loucks, a service technician with Super Truck Service in Addison, started spraying down the chickens on a disabled truck when he saw they were dying in the heat and the Addison Fire Department was quick to add to the mist provided by his garden hose.
Lights! Cameras! Suburbs!
Wauconda and Island Lake got the star treatment this week as Sissy Spacek and J.K. Simmons began filming for a pending science fiction series called "Lightyears" on Amazon Prime. Maybe the suburbs will be the setting for the next must-binge TV. It's fun to think so.
Happy trails, James
After 33 years with the paper, the last 14 in the weekend saddle, Deputy City Editor James Kane is putting out his last Sunday edition today. He's a meticulous and caring journalist, and we're going to miss him. We suspect that as a reader who has benefitted from his work, you will miss him too. Enjoy a well-earned retirement, James.