Kane Co. voters set against red light cameras

Kane County officials are reviewing their policies for red light cameras.

You know, those little devices at certain intersections that send motorists tickets if they run a red light or dare to turn right on a red without coming to a complete stop on the white line.

It turns out that 70 percent of people who commented to the county opposed the cameras, saying they were nothing but a way to wring more money out of the people without even facing their accusers.

The other 30 percent were cops and other public safety employees who said the cameras improve safety.

The county needs to listen to the populace - and not just on the first Tuesday of November.

I don't think the Founding Fathers had red light cameras in mind when they told England 234 years ago to buzz off.

Do you?

Help shape a play: Ever wonder what goes into a play?

Not exactly the behind the scenes stuff like costumes and set designs - but actually composing a scene and moving a story forward?

The Elgin Cultural Arts Commission will present a free staged reading of the original script "On My Boyfriends' Bicycles" at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 9 and 10, at the Elgin Art Showcase, on the eighth floor of 164 Division St., Elgin.

A staged reading allows a playwright to see and hear a new script performed by actors in front of a live audience.

Cast members carry scripts while delivering their lines and acting out the events of the play. The audience can interact with a playwright through their reaction during the performance and feedback afterward.

This performance is the first in the commission's Page To Stage series, which offers Elgin actors and audiences the chance to participate in the development of new plays.

The plan was written by Nina Wright and follows Mia, a divorced English professor, who finds herself riding away from every new relationship. The production was conceived as either a conventional stage play or a site-specific play with actors using actual bicycles.

Audience members are invited to meet with the playwright, director and cast at an informal reception following each performance.

On Friday, July 9, the reception will take place at Villa Verone, 13 Douglas Avenue. The kitchen will stay open late with a special menu.

On Saturday the reception will be hosted by Red Bar Winery, 74 S. Grove Ave., also with a special menu.

Also, some of the entries in Bicycles on Parade, an Elgin public art exhibit, will be displayed at the Elgin Art Showcase.

Congrats: The new Sherman Hospital in Elgin recently was named the fifth most beautiful hospital in the United States.

In April, Soliant Health, one of the largest health care staffing companies in the country, named the new hospital, which opened in December 2009, one of the Top 50 Most Beautiful Hospitals in America.

Facilities were judged on architectural style, photogenic properties and landscaping.

More that 10,000 were cast on the Soliant Health website, Sherman was fifth on the Top 20 list.

To see the Top 20 list, visit http://blog.soliant.com/most-beautiful-hospitals/2010/