How are schools spending your gas money?

With gasoline costing about $4 a gallon and a good portion of our tax bill going to the schools - and some of that money surely going toward fueling our school buses - do you think we'll see more kids hopping on our buses and fewer getting a ride or driving to school themselves?

Hard to say. I definitely see barely half-full buses on some routes in the morning, meaning plenty of kids are getting to school some other way.

"I would think gas costs would be a factor for some people," said Bob McElligott, transportation director for Geneva schools.

"But we have to have a seat on the bus available for every eligible student." McElligott said that rainy weather, rather than cold, tends to lighten the load on buses as parents take their kids to school.

"The bus is the safest way on those days, because the traffic congestion on rainy days, with parents dropping off kids, can get bad," he said.

Also, will we see our high school sports teams taking fewer long trips? "There have been no discussions on curtailing trips because of fuel costs," Geneva High School athletic director Jim Kafer said. "But I can tell you that we respect the cost involved in traveling and will do what we can to keep it to a minimum."

Related to gas use and costs, I have noticed in the past that team buses keep idling during a game. That seems like it would now cost a fortune. But Kafer was able to clarify that.

"We don't do that as a general rule during winter contests," Kafer said. "But when the temperature is below zero, the driver will start up that bus a few times during the game to make sure that the fuel doesn't gel up on him because of the cold."

Kafer said that buses around Geneva High School are always kept shut off, unless it is below zero, because of the negative effect the fumes would have on the surrounding neighborhood.

Corral some food:

You may notice a bit of a slowdown in new construction this year as a result of the weaker economy, but there are a few spots with earthmovers, lumber and concrete still in play.

The retail area on Main Street, west of Randall Road, in Batavia has some construction unfolding as a Discount Tire shop is going in right next to the current Firestone location.

Also, for those who enjoy family-style buffet restaurants, a Golden Corral restaurant is going up next to the Tuffy auto-care building. The Golden Corral franchise hangs its hat on having one of the larger buffet and steak spreads in the business.

Should have known:

The first thing I saw as I walked into the clothing store was a youngster, maybe about 4 years old, screaming and crying about wanting to go home.

A temporary mental lapse on my part had me walking into a store during the heat of the "Back to School" clothing specials. This is a hot zone you want to be wary of, especially if you no longer have young kids looking for school clothes.

She'll be missed:

When I first came into the Tri-Cities area more than 30 years ago, I heard about a "Joie" Collins who was a generous and active supporter of the community. My editor asked me to call "Joie" regarding something to do with Delnor Hospital.

Everyone assumed I knew that "Joie" was actually Joann Collins. Heck, at that time, I didn't even know that someone nicknamed "Joie" was a female.

It didn't take long to learn of her being the daughter of the city's historic benefactors, Lester and Dellora Norris. And it also didn't take long to discover she was a very nice and generous woman, and that her sons and daughter were great people as well.

She passed away last week, and she left behind a wonderful legacy of generosity for St. Charles.

He'll be missed:

It also was sad to hear about the sudden passing two weeks ago of 51-year-old Mark Lawyer of St. Charles. He's the son-in-law of my friend, newspaper columnist Janet Rossi, whose articles have appeared in virtually every local paper and some Chicago metros through the years.

Janet's been battling her own health woes for some time now and this was a tough setback for her family. She dropped me a note to say that Mark was instrumental in getting Boy Scout Troop 1 off the ground and helped many young men reach their Eagle Scout honor.

He was also a Jaycee and worked on many of that organization's projects.

An Eagle Scout Court of Honor will be on hand at his memorial service Aug. 24 at St. Mark's in St. Charles.

In short, he's another young man who was valuable to his community and is leaving us way too soon.

dheun@sbcglobal.net