Essay wins man trip to see Cubs

Jeff Horn was as dreary about this winter as the rest of us, and he had the flu on top of it. So his desire to get the heck out of here for a vacation was as intense as possible.

The North Aurora resident and his wife, Molly Kozik (a fellow Daily Herald columnist), got their wish when Jeff was able to pen a clever 50-word essay on why he needed to get away and submit it to the Spring Training Getaway contest sponsored by radio station WXRT-FM.

Horn was home sick from work last week when he heard on Lin Brehmer's morning show that he was a lucky winner, which means he and Molly will be off to Arizona to watch the Cubs play the Sox.

"I had entered the contest last year and took a little different tack this time and tried to make it a little more humorous," Horn said. "I got lucky this time and won."

Molly figured her husband deserved the trip, based on the number of years he has listened to WXRT and Brehmer's show.

"He knew exactly what would win this time," she said. "And he had that flu all week, so this really cheered him up."

You can see why Horn's entry was held in such high regard, with a great line from his essay:

"Fully articulating the depth of my pure crankiness would be like Harry Caray struggling to pronounce Kosuke Fukodome backward. I need to get away."

Read Jeff's entry, and more at www.93xrt.com/pages/ 1624517.php

Historic or not?: Cities need to protect their history as best they can.

And that is why historic preservation committees were created.

But that process has led to many contentious debates and situations pitting a city against its residents, particularly those who own houses that are considered to be of historical significance.

It is refreshing, however, to hear St. Charles aldermen embrace the concept that residents do have some rights regarding their property. That is something not always heard in city halls or county board rooms when elected officials are making tough decisions they feel will benefit the city or county as a whole -- and that can mean stepping on the toes of a few people.

Aldermen and county board members should be concerned about what the people in their ward or precinct feel about things.

Even though you want historic preservation efforts taking place in your community, this review by St. Charles is good to hear from the standpoint of allowing all voices to be heard.

Soft spot for Sears: Am I just old-fashioned? I remember getting the Sears catalog as a kid and drooling over the prospect of getting a Fort Apache play set for Christmas. So how can I stop liking the store?

I can't figure out how the store is struggling and how some business experts feel it won't survive in today's complicated retail marketplace.

Here's to hoping someone at Sears can figure out how the corporation can capture its old magic. But remember, I also thought the long-gone Montgomery Ward store on Randall Road in St. Charles was the best place to shop.

dheun@sbcglobal.net