Saturday Soapbox: DuPage County
Tips from a champion:
How often is it that a child gets a personal audience with a five-time Olympic medalist? Well, just this week, swimmer Josh Davis was on hand with an array of tips during a clinic at the Wheaton Sports Center. Davis, now retired at 35, won three gold medals in the 1996 Olympics and two silvers in 2000. Late last year, he also visited Naperville Central High School. He tells an inspirational story about his inauspicious beginnings when at 13 a coach told him he was so bad, he "should try another sport." By his senior year in high school, Davis was the top freestyler in the country. Good things happen when you work hard, he says. Davis should know. It's great advice for any of us, regardless of age.
Patience is a virtue:
Merchants in downtown Lisle are eager for the village's $10 million renovation project to be complete. The anticipated finish date is Dec. 31. With Main Street down to one lane, proprietors say their cash registers have felt the hit. The project includes new streets, sidewalks, lighting, benches, fountains, extensive landscaping and prairie-style infrastructure. Though loyal customers are dealing with the construction, much of the commuter and walk-in traffic has diminished. But, despite those concerns, many shopkeepers said the communication and cooperation they've received from village officials has helped them remain optimistic. The village is sending out weekly e-mail updates and even put the project coordinator's office in the construction area. "If you want a beautified downtown, these are some of things you have to go through," commented one merchant. Indeed. For their sake, let's just hope the project comes in on time so merchants don't lose all of the holiday shopping revenues.
Brave lad:
Griffin Cox didn't cry. Even though he had been beaned by a line-drive foul ball during batting practice at U.S. Cellular Field, the Glen Ellyn boy didn't want all the White Sox players and others who rushed to his side to think he wasn't tough. And initially, all seemed to be well save for a slight headache. But days later Griffin was rushed to the hospital, where they found multiple skull fractures and significant fluid pressure. The good news, though, is further testing revealed the fluid is blood, meaning, in essence, Griffin has a giant bruise. He'll have to take it easy for a while but the long-term prognosis looks good.
U-46 plan better late than never
Kudos to Elgin Area School District U-46 for catching up to its neighboring districts in offering a dual-credit program. The aim of the program, Executive Director of Secondary Education Tom Donausky said, is to create a stronger link between high school and college. In an era when so much time is necessarily dedicated to bringing so many students up to state standards, it's good to see that those kids who already exceed those standards aren't being left out.
Costlier commuter parking
The city of Aurora has raised parking lot rates at its two commuter stations. This means those using the lot at Route 59, for example, will spend $480 annually compared to $264. The city says the increase is necessary due to higher maintenance and salary costs. We hope this doesn't discourage people from using mass transit at a time when we need more people using this fuel-efficient means of getting to and from work. But we note that no commuters spoke up in opposition to the higher parking fees.