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The Soapbox

Perfect setting:

Friday is Pack the Place night at Prospect High School, which hosts Hersey in a boys-girls basketball doubleheader. It’s also where the IHSA will honor Bob Frisk, who championed Pack the Place during his 50 years at the Daily Herald, with its Distinguished Media Service Award. Our pride is as bright as the twinkle in Bob’s eyes when he watches prep sports.

The long road begins:

Reconstruction of the bridge on Barrington Road over the Jane Addams Tollway to create a full interchange, adding ramps to and from the west, is expected to begin in May. Good news: A full interchange is finally coming. Bad news: It will take three construction seasons to get it all done. Patience, anyone?

Hop on the bus:

A Pace park-and-ride station is in the plans for the interchange, providing new transit options for residents in the outer suburbs. That’s an idea whose time is long due.

Fame with class:

Newly minted Hall of Famers Tony La Russa and Greg Maddux had some of their most spectacular successes with teams outside of Chicago, but their statements explaining why they couldn’t choose a team logo for their plaques emphasize the role Chicago’s teams and fans played in their stellar careers. Very classy.

With and within reason:

Who says City Hall can’t listen to reason? Des Plaines police worked with organizers of Our Lady of Guadalupe feast day to reach a manageable compromise on the $30,000 bill for providing traffic control. The new $7,000 figure is a considerable concession. Now, both sides need to be completely clear before next year’s event.

Spinning their wheels?

A federally funded tri-county effort to help the unemployed found jobs for only 85 people since last July. The program is overseen by Kane County personnel, who are pointing to lack of money and other uncontrollable factors. “There’s a disconnect somewhere,” said county board member Melisa Taylor. Indeed.

A new start:

Best wishes to Nicki Anderson, named Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce director this week. The city certainly should be familiar with Anderson, a lifelong resident and operator of a local health and fitness center for 20 years. She hopes to restore some stability to the job, which has seen three directors since 2012.

They’re on it:

Sometimes is simply a relief to see a state department ahead of the game. The Illinois Department of Public Health has an April 30 deadline to draft rules for medical marijuana use, but officials are posting the rules online well ahead of then to give the public time to comment.

Officer Jonah:

Nice gesture by Round Lake officials who granted the wish of a 6-year-old boy with a life-threatening illness and wants to be a cop. Wearing his new uniform, Jonah Kolesar was sworn in as a junior reserve police officer and signed his name on a document to make it official. “Jonah, you are the handsomest police officer in the village of Round Lake,” Mayor Daniel MacGillis said.

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