Soapbox: Lawsuit presents a conflict
Naperville City Councilman Richard Furstenau, who earlier this year was acquitted of striking a Naperville police officer, has every right to file a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging that the battery charge brought against him was in retaliation for his persistent questioning of police department spending. But in doing so, Furstenau has opened himself up to questions over whether he can put his personal animosity about the police department aside and make a fair and objective evaluation of any police department agenda item to be voted on by the city council. He would do well to declare a conflict and refrain from voting on such while his lawsuit is on the docket.
Explaining to do?
If Furstenau doesn't win his lawsuit, how will he, as a champion of fiscal conservatism, justify all the money wasted on a claim without merit?
Arboretum in full glory
The leaves have finally given up the green of summer for the gold of fall. No one is happier about that than the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, a great place to see trees in autumn splendor.
Scary waste of time
Remember all the time Indian Prairie Unit District 204 board members spent debating whether there should be Halloween parties at schools? Looks like they could have spent that time coming up with contingency plans if the land they absolutely wanted as a site for a new high school couldn't be purchased. Very little changed in the Halloween celebrations from last year. But a lot has changed in regard to that land being a sure thing for the high school.
Praise for progress
Kudos to the faculty -- and the students -- at Georgetown Elementary School in Aurora for admirable gains in academic achievement. Georgetown students pulled up their scores on standardized tests and met state-set standards this year after falling short in 2006. More than half of the school's disabled students met or exceeded state goals in reading, up from 33.3 percent last time.
Case of the strange suitcase
A suspicious suitcase in Naperville, that forced police to bring out the bomb squad, evacuate the 5th Avenue train station, stop trains and lock down schools, turned out to be harmless. It belongs to a homeless man who had hidden the suitcase in bushes so he didn't have to haul it around. Police firmly told him that it wasn't the smartest thing to do, and not to do it again. And while the whole situation was extremely aggravating, everyone can breathe a sigh of relief that the bag wasn't packed by bin Laden.
Easy thievery
From the Dumb Thing To Never Do Again Department: Three cars were recently stolen in Naperville. Only the owners made things easy for the thieves by not locking the cars -- and leaving the keys in the vehicles. The cars were recovered. Hope the owners of these cars got a stern talking to, too.
Long, compassionate walk
You have to do more than walk a mile in Jim Armbruster's shoes to appreciate his incredible capacity for compassion. You'd have to walk 1,827 miles. That is the distance between Aurora -- where Armbruster began his walk to raise funds for and build public awareness of the Marklund Home in Bloomingdale -- and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, where the walk ended. Armbruster raised more than $200,000 for Marklund, which provides 24-hour care to infants, children and adults with severe disabilities - including Armbruster's 24-year-old son Nathan. This was one heartwarming hike.