Smile for the camera proposal
Smile for the camera proposal:
Some communities are looking for ways to make red-light cameras more palatable to the public. That's no easy task. But Kane County's proposal to use them only as a temporary solution at intersections with a history of crashes is a good start. Three years ought to be enough time to make more solid safety upgrades.
Good vote on Hassell Road:
Hoffman Estates trustees have approved bicycle lanes for Hassell Road. It's a smart move. The road has been a great route for cyclists to get to the Poplar Creek bike trail, to village hall, to the Roselle Road stores. Trustee Cary Collins worried car doors will be opened into cyclists. There's that risk anywhere; we all can learn to be alert.
Guilty conscience?
To the thief who took Elgin resident Natalie Chastain's wheelchair from her driveway on Sept. 17: We have mixed feelings. First off, it's a creepy thing to do. But at least you let your guilty conscience guide you to returning it more than a week later. Not everyone in the same situation would make that decision.
True suburban maze:
Families like to head west in the fall to enjoy the corn mazes at local farms. You can experience the same thing for free at Randhurst Mall in Mount Prospect. The road course from one store to the next shifts constantly during construction there, and figuring out how to get out of it is a challenge for any driver.
Burn concerns:
Speaking of fall traditions, that nostalgic habit of burning your leaves might: 1) cause an out-of-control fire, 2) release particles and chemicals that increase risks of respiratory infections or cancer, or 3) seriously harm neighbors suffering from asthma or other lung disorders. Please start a new tradition and bag or mulch your leaves instead.
Have your say:
You've got until the end of the day Tuesday, Oct. 5, to register to vote in the Nov. 2 election, where you'll have a say about who we'll send to the governor's mansion, U.S. Senate and dozens of other local and state offices. Not sure if you're registered or how to go about registering? Check out your county clerk's website.
That spinning sensation:
Some 44 million pairs of eyes will be on a Roselle native as she twirls her baton and takes the first steps of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Congrats to MerrieBeth Cox, who will lead the Purdue University band in the annual spectacle.
Tweets, twits and twaddle:
Timothy Schneider, a Bartlett Republican, said volumes about the Cook County Board's free speech/Twitter controversy. "It's interesting that we have a budget deficit of $300 million upon us and we're taking time to debate whether to tweet or not tweet," Interesting? That just begins to cover it, commissioners. How about frustrating?
Here's a start:
The U.S. Senate passed a bill this week preventing TV stations from hiking the volume on commercials. Given the high pitch and low aim of political advertising in Illinois this election season, that could be just a start. Really.