The Soapbox: Daily Herald editors offer brief thoughts on suburban topics in the news.

This editorial represents the consensus opinion of The Daily Herald Editorial Board.

This week's Clippable Quote

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Opening doors for females

Thursday was the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the wide-ranging civil rights law President Nixon signed in 1972 essentially saying females and males must receive the same educational and sports opportunities. Changes since have been many and profound. Here's to more progress going forward.

Not the decorations we're used to

As summer begins in the suburbs and many are thinking about festivals and the Fourth of July, the streets and neighborhoods are decorated with ... election campaign signs. It seems weird to have them all around in June, doesn't it? It's part of democracy, but a summertime primary election is not feeling the same.

Speaking of

Only a few days until primary Election Day. Then maybe we'll get a break from the mostly exaggerated or inaccurate TV ads, not to mention the fliers in the mail. Maybe. But we hope you'll vote - after reviewing accurate information about the candidates, such as in this publication and at dailyherald.com/election, or other area media covering the races.

Summer has sprung

Now that we've suffered through the miserable summer heat of spring, summer begins with a stretch of more springlike weather. Which goes to show that in the Chicago area, you can have all four seasons in one day.

By the way, if you've been outside

Any brain fog you're experiencing may not be from COVID-19 but actually from pollen. Brain fog is one of the symptoms of a pollen allergy, and we've had no shortage of pollen in our tree-filled suburbs this month. Hopefully medications or other measures work for you; we don't need another reason to stay cooped up at home.

A carp by any other name...

Illinois is hoping that calling invasive carp "copi" will change diners' attitudes about the fish, which is taking over waterways downstate. We've tried this with our kids. It rarely worked. Here's hoping the state has better success than we did.

Economic warning signs

First Caterpillar to Texas, now Ken Griffin's Citadel hedge fund to Florida. The headquarters relocations of companies like these probably won't have a major impact on Illinois' economy in the short term, but the optics certainly aren't good. The danger is what they mean for the long term. Lawmakers better take notice.

Economic high sign

But there's good news, too, for the state and for Mount Prospect. Mayor Paul Hoefert called the announcement this week of a $2.5 billion data center campus "a game changer" for the village. Millions in tax revenue and hundreds of jobs are definitely something to be thankful for and look forward to.

Thank you, election judges

With the primary just days away, we want to say good luck to all the election judges scheduled to work on Tuesday. Election judges have a variety of duties, including managing polling locations and assisting voters. They devote an entire day doing a challenging job. We thank everyone who makes the time to do it.