Daily Herald editors offer brief thoughts on suburban topics in the news.
Top dog
No need to travel for a quintessential Chicago hot dog. Those at Firehouse Dogs in Schaumburg were just named best in the state. That's a wiener!
Buy local
Online retailers now have to charge sales taxes on all purchases, but an analysis by Suburban Tax Watchdog columnist Jake Griffin shows why it's still important to buy local: New revenue from the online tax for each suburb is expected to be only $1.76 per resident this year.
Cantigny gardens reopen:
Good news for fans of beautiful flowers: Cantigny Park in Wheaton is reopening its display gardens today after months of renovations as part of its $25 million Project New Leaf that's giving the grounds at 1S151 Winfield Road a fresh new look. See you there!
Hot time in Wheaton:
Note to the 120 golfers participating in this weekend's U.S. Senior Women's Open at Chicago Golf Club: It's not always this hot and humid in Wheaton in July. Just most of the time.
Tee time in the suburbs:
From the Rust-Oleum Championship at Ivanhoe to the KPMG PGA Championship at Kemper Lakes to the U.S. Senior Women's Open at Chicago Golf Club to the Senior Players Championship at Exmoor, it has been a busy summer of professional golf in the suburbs. Let's hope the USGA, PGA, LPGA and WGA don't wait a decade for another visit.
The volunteer spirit:
Not one of those golf tournaments could have survived without the hundreds of suburban volunteers helping the cause by assisting with crowd control, parking, aid stations and more. When you see them later this summer proudly wearing their shirts and caps, give them a hearty thank you for a job well done and an assist for all the charities that benefitted.
Escaping the heat:
If you're looking for something to take your mind off the heat, you might consider attending the 11th Blackhawks Convention July 27-29. The United Center ice puts a chill in the air and you can dream about attending the NHL Winter Classic on Jan. 1 at Notre Dame Stadium. How cool is that?
Thanks, we needed that:
As the world was watching, the final members of a Thai youth soccer team were brought to safety from a flooded cave in a high-risk rescue mission led by Thai Navy SEALs. To the hundreds of others involved in the mission, thank you. Miracles do happen.
Nature's fireworks:
Sky-watchers were treated to one of nature's brief fireworks shows when a meteor streaked across the Midwestern sky at dusk Sunday. The American Meteor Society reported it had received more than 270 sightings. The meteor, which traveled from the northwest to the southeast, was described as having a bluish or greenish tint and leaving a white contrail in its wake. Awesome.
Gardening grows community:
Sometimes the simplest solutions are among the best. That's the case with The Dryden Place Project, an effort by several Arlington Heights organizations to integrate residents of low-income housing into the community. At the heart of the initiative are community gardens that have built connections between green thumbs of all socio-economic and ethnic divisions. We hope those ties continue to grow.