The Soapbox: Daily Herald editors offer brief thoughts on suburban topics in the news.
Acts of kindness
Thanksgiving and helping others go hand in hand. As the season approaches, consider how you can make a difference. Volunteer to cook at a local Ronald McDonald House or help out at a food pantry or a homeless shelter. Help an elderly neighbor rake leaves or check in on friends struggling with depression. Even small acts of kindness go a long way.
A time of transition
Tuesday's election will bring big changes to Washington, Springfield and suburban counties close to home. We congratulate the many winners, both newcomers and seasoned political veterans. But we also want to take a moment to thank outgoing suburban incumbents for their years of service. We wish them well on their next chapters.
Signs of the times
Now that the election is in our rearview mirror, it would be nice if all those folks who worked on the campaigns could do us a big favor Please take down all those signs!
An excellent first step
It's good to see Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker's transition team roster includes former Gov. Jim Edgar. Even if they didn't agree with all his positions, Illinoisans always appreciated Edgar's calm, reasoned approach to leadership. In a time of national divisiveness, it's an excellent first step to see J.B. call on a Republican to help guide the way into state government.
Careers for vets
The Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce & Industry Veterans Back to Work Boot Camp, now in its second year, held ceremonies for graduates this week. The program helps vets turn the skills they acquired in the service into a career track back in private life. It's such a worthwhile mission.
Drink privileges
Local breweries and wine specialty shops convinced city leaders they do the training and nurture the atmosphere to deter excessive drinking. So the city raised some limits and lifted others altogether on the number of drinks they can serve a patron. We hope the change is good for business - and that no one abuses the privilege.
Needed connection
Arlington Heights is seeking a safer pedestrian connection across Lake-Cook Road to the Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve. Now, people wanting to use the nice trails have to cross Lake-Cook at Wilke Road and make their way over to the forest preserve, or worse, they cross without a traffic light at Schaeffer Road. A solution is sorely needed.
Broken rules of the road
Drivers endangering children getting on a school bus or out trick-or-treating. Drivers creating their own turn lanes, or worse, their own passing lanes. Drivers gunning through a red light or driving 10-15 mph over the limit through our neighborhoods. What's the hurry? Slow down, eyes on the road, and the life you save may (and likely will) be your own.
Welcome back
Wheaton's Metra station reopened Wednesday nearly a year after an accidental fire caused extensive damage to the depot the night before Thanksgiving. Nice to have it back.
Thank you, veterans
The words of a young Elgin man tug at our hearts this 100th anniversary of the end of WW I. In Elgin historian Jerry Turnquist's account, Corp. Henry J. Hines' says that despite the horrors he has experienced, "I know all the boys in Company E would, at the drop of a hat, fight again for the good old U.S.A. if the call would come tomorrow." To him and all veterans, we say thank you.