The Soapbox

New to our weather lexicon:

Just when we thought we had encountered every possible weather phenomenon — this is the Chicago area, after all — on Friday we were treated to something different. Yep, freezing fog. It occurs when the water droplets that make up fog are supercooled. They remain in a liquid state until they touch something on which they can turn to ice.

Think ahead:

We survived Round One, but some winter driving reminders are in order: Don’t be that guy on the road with only half a windshield scraped; don’t fly down the road with 6 inches of snow blowing off your car; don’t honk impatiently at others spinning their tires as they try to get through intersections. Let’s be more careful and considerate.

Bustling Naperville:

If you needed evidence of the economy’s rebound, look no farther than Naperville. More than a half-dozen major projects will bring hotels, stores, restaurants, a nature center, an activity center, a recycling facility and even an indoor sky-diving business to the city.

We interrupt this meeting ...

The Island Lake village board deviated from its agenda Thursday when Trustee Mark Beeson requested a recess to celebrate Mayor Charles Amrich’s birthday. Cake and coffee were served to all in the room. The meeting resumed 10 minutes later. Nice gesture, but perhaps it could have been done before or after conducting village business.

Cost of assessing cost:

The $40,000 Kane County approved to find out how to fix the judicial center’s heating and cooling system certainly raises eyebrows. But considering the half-million spent a couple years ago on the system and the huge variance in estimates now — from $500,000 to $1 million — the county should expect (and insist on) the expense to pay off.

Plus side of a deep freeze:

Some people are not lamenting but celebrating the deep freeze we just experienced. All the snow and icing can help restore Lake Michigan water levels, for instance, and the cold weather can help curb pesky insects like the tree-killing emerald ash borer. As one environmentalist said, “I’m just happy to see that we have a normal winter for once.”

Suburban spotlight in NFL:

There’s a local connection in every NFL game this weekend. New Orleans coach Sean Payton (Naperville Central) goes against Seattle; Indianapolis and left tackle Anthony Castonzo (Lake Zurich) play at New England; San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh (Bears) and Carolina coach Ron Rivera (Bears) meet; San Diego and linebacker Larry English (Marmion) play at Denver.

The ice is fine:

If football’s not your thing, check out the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. In senior pairs, you’ll find DeeDee Leng (Naperville), Alexa Scimeca (Addison), Daniel O’Shea (Gurnee), Rockne Brubaker (Algonquin) and Jessia Calalang (Glenview). In ladies, Gracie Gold (Springfield) and Agnes Zawadzki (Des Plaines) will show their stuff.

Getting better every day:

We’re glad to hear that Arlington Heights police officer Michael McEvoy is out of the hospital, recovering from the gunshot wound he got Dec. 12. McEvoy was shot in the face by a man holding his former girlfriend hostage. Best of all, McEvoy is “in good spirits,” his colleagues say, even though he has a long recovery ahead.