Saturday Soapbox

Turnabout's unfair play

A few weeks ago, we slapped Mark Walker's hand for unseemly direct mail attacks against Christine Prochno of Elk Grove Village in their battle for State Rep. Carolyn Krause's seat. Walker, an Arlington Heights Democrat, has toned down some since then. But the Republican Party's gone completely off the wall on behalf of Prochno with an ugly series of unfair and dishonest direct mail attacks against Walker. Christine, please elevate your campaign.

Getting back on track

Metra officials say it was all a misunderstanding. You know, that e-mail they sent to organizers of Lisle's Polar Express and the Naperville Jaycees' Santa Train explaining there just weren't enough choo-choos and crews to provide traditional holiday rides for hundreds of kids and their families. Happily, the muddled lines of communication cleared up after a Daily Herald reporter made some calls and now the trains - and the kids who ride them - will be back on the right track.

Get real

Some measure of common sense prevailed in Wauconda Township this week as the town board approved raises of more than 12 percent over four years for all its elected officials. That's half of the more than 25 percent package initially proposed. In this economy? Get real. Raises of 3 percent for each of four years in office is downright generous these days. A lot of workers would take that in a heartbeat. Town board members and the supervisor, assessor and highway commissioner seated after the April election will collect. The town clerk waived the increase. Kudos to the residents who spoke up before the vote.

Time is money

That's the reminder the Blackhawks sent this week when they fired Denis Savard after four games and hired veteran coach Joel Quenneville to take his place. Say what you will about all the changes the Hawks have made in the last year, but they're determined to make the playoffs this season. Anything less is clearly unacceptable.

The beauty of it all

For many of us, the gorgeous fall colors, brisk mornings and warm afternoons represent a few of the reasons we love living in the Midwest. That's great, but a few weeks from now we'll be complaining about the neighbor not shutting off his leaf blower outside our window, the blisters on our hands from all the raking, and the rain coming down as we try to collect the final remnants of a brilliant fall. Enjoy it while it lasts.

That championship feeling

OK, so it didn't happen for the Cubs or White Sox. No one is expecting much from the Bulls, and the Bears and Blackhawks have started their seasons with issues. But there is a team hanging a championship banner tonight at Allstate Arena - the Chicago Wolves. Forget the World Series. For tonight, Rosemont is Title Town.

Justice, better late than never

It took 10 years, but Leobardo Barraza was finally brought to justice for the kidnapping that led to the murder of Maria Eloiza of Prospect Heights and her 5-year-old son, Jesus Ramirez. And much of the credit should go to the Prospect Heights detectives and Cook County prosecutors who didn't give up on this case. These law enforcement officials made sure she and her son weren't just two more statistics.