Saturday Soapbox: Best wishes, Mayor Pradel

Warm thoughts for a speedy recovery for Naperville Mayor George Pradel, who suffered a heart attack this week.

It's nobody's fault:Irwin Allen would have slept through the 3.8 earthquake that struck Pingree Grove Wednesday, which swallowed up absolutely nothing. Sure, it jiggled water beds and rattled windows, but the energy produced by people talking about it the next day surpassed the seismic activity. This should remind us all that people in Haiti were infinitely less lucky - and they still need our help.Did you feel it?No, not the earthquake. We're talking about the foot-stomping anger of Cook County property owners opening 2009 tax bills only to discover that they now have to pony up 55 percent of the estimated total instead of only half.Good morning and good luck:We're keeping our fingers crossed for the suburbs' Olympic hopefuls in the 2010 Vancouver Games: Wheaton native Nancy Swider-Peltz Jr. and Brian Hansen of Glenview in speedskating, Evan Lysacek of Naperville in figure skating, Lisa Chesson of Plainfield in hockey, Lana Gehring of Glenview in short track speedskating and Jamie Moriarty of Winnetka in the bobsled.Keep it clean:Palatine Councilman Aaron Del Mar was accused of violating the village ethics ordinance, in part over the way he uses his phone and Web site. On Thursday he was cleared, but we urge him and other elected officials to draw a thicker-than-ever line between public and personal business interests.News parents need about heroin:More than 100 people in the suburbs died last year from heroin overdoses. We hope a rescheduled forum on drug use and detection will help whittle that number. The new time and date is 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18 at Lake Zurich High School, 300 Church St. Admission is free, but RSVP to Lake Zurich police at (847) 719-1695, ext. 129.A gift-free zone:Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora wouldn't allow Valentine's deliveries from outside the school this week. Other suburban schools also ban them because office workers don't have time to deliver all the balloons and flowers, which are mostly from parents. The ban highlights the need to respect the wishes of school officials. Don't send anything - food or other gifts - that disrupt the learning environment.What about your Illinois roots:President Barack Obama should have taken a little of his Chicago mettle to D.C. with him. Do we really need to pay $100 million a day to shut down federal government for snowmageddon when we're already drowning in debt?Crossed signals:Could somebody, anybody, please adjust the timing of the traffic signals at the corner of Meacham and Higgins roads near Woodfield Mall, especially in the late-night, early-morning hours? They do not seem synchronized to any traffic pattern, and it's frustrating to wait at the intersection for no apparent reason. Actually, there are way too many intersections like this all over the suburbs in the wee hours of the day.Thanks, Big Frank: We're glad to see the White Sox will honor Frank Thomas by retiring his number during a "day" in his honor later this summer. Without a doubt, Big Frank was the best right-handed hitter in team history.