Saturday Soapbox: Sound-off time

Tired of awful roads and traffic? A governor who wants to add programs when the state can't pay its bills? Of education and social assistance programs being held hostage by indecision in Springfield? State legislators Jack Franks, Mike Tryon and Pam Althoff invite you to sound off at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the College Conference Center at McHenry County College, Crystal Lake. They want to know how you think the state should spend limited money. You can listen to a panel of experts address issues and then tell your representatives where you think the state's priorities should lie.

Sunshine amid gloom:

The dream ended a win short of a trip downstate, but the mini-run of the Elgin Maroons basketball team nonetheless was a ray of sunshine in a seemingly grim winter. A winter that included the stabbing of one of their teachers by a student and the horror of relatives and friends who attend Northern Illinois University, where a gunman murdered five students before shooting himself. Their unexpected victories over two Rockford teams were just sports moments, of course. But still, they provided moments to cheer when those moments were surely needed.

Keep the money, but…

Kane County has approved municipalities' use of red-light cameras at intersections with county roads and after a $450 permit fee is paid, won't even ask for a cut of ticket revenues. It is, however, wisely asking for oversight, which will include the ability to set the amount of time between a light changing colors and the camera activating for a ticket. And towns will have to provide reports on the impact of the cameras at intersections. Those stipulations are partly designed to assure the cameras are used for safety purposes, not revenue generation, and that they are truly needed. Good idea.

Border wars

First there were the Hatfields and the McCoys. Then, the gamblers and the non-gamblers. Followed by the smokers and the non-smokers. But Cook County's recent sales tax hike in a dismal economy was shocking enough to drive local communities to consider, of all things, secession from the county. That's unlikely to happen, but given the state of the economy, one in which every penny counts, it's more than likely shoppers will avoid Cook County whenever possible, especially for big-ticket items. Unless, of course, the cost of gas stays high enough to make those out-of-county trips less worthwhile.

Questions on plea deal

A former McHenry West High School teacher admitted in court this week that she had sexual contact with a 17-year-old student as part of a plea bargain that keeps her out of jail as long as she stays out of further trouble. Part of the agreement hinged on the fact the boy was four days shy of 18, the legal age for consent. The birthday, however, wouldn't change the fact the boy was a student and she was a teacher and figure of authority at his school. Would the courts have been so lenient if this were a male teacher having had sexual contact with a female student? Do we want the courts to be lenient with any teacher of either gender having sex with students?

The saga continues

Attempts to unionize were followed by less-than-subtle threats to teachers, and then by the village of Pingree Grove injecting itself into the travails of Cambridge Lakes Charter School in an attempt to quell the unrest. Now the leader of the unionization effort is gone, with officials saying there's no connection between his union organizing efforts and his mid-year resignation. Yeah, right.