Soapbox: A quieter, cleaner wait
We need more people like Polly Rerko, who thought up a good idea and, with the help of school officials, implemented it. The St. Charles mother of two watched every day as parents lined up, vehicles idling, to drop off and pick up their kids at Wild Rose Elementary School across the street. If only parents would turn off their engines, there'd be less exhaust fumes fouling the air, Rerko thought. So she spearheaded a campaign to install signs at Wild Rose asking parents to turn off their engines while waiting. The response was so positive that the district put up signs at all 17 schools this year. District officials also should get a pat on the back for making this happen so quickly.
Just what the doctor ordered
Dr. Steven Smunt, chairman of the St. Charles Historic Preservation Commission, did the right thing Friday. He withdrew his nomination for landmark status for the Annshirley Bowie house on South Seventh Street. This means Bowie can attempt to sell her home to an interested developer without the commission's intrusion. The landmarking process began within days of her husband's death in July, and Bowie has been in financial limbo ever since. "With regards to Mrs. Bowie and her family, I truly apologize for any actions in the landmark designation process which caused emotional distress. I do not want the landmark designation process to prevent her from selling her property," read Smunt's letter to the commission and the city.
A problem that didn't have to be
If reporters can find out who donated to a political campaign with just a few keystrokes, it shouldn't have been that hard for political leaders in Aurora to find the information, either. It is at the very least suspicious that the latest attorney hired to perform a supposedly independent review of the Planned Parenthood permit process in Aurora has contributed to an alderman's campaign. The city has invited the public to question the credibility of this attorney doing a truly independent review because of a conflict of interest, and now the whole permit review process is in turmoil. All this surely could have been avoided if the city had taken the time to do its homework.
Homecoming challenge
High schools throughout the area will be celebrating homecomings over the next couple of weeks, and that means all administrations will be on full alert. There's always some tension during this particular week, and that's unfortunate. Let's hope we have an incident-free homecoming season at all our high schools. Call it The 2007 Homecoming Challenge. The past and present come together to make homecoming a special time every year, and this feel-good experience doesn't need any unnecessary disruptions.
West Chicago probes power outages:
With twice-monthly blackouts plaguing a subdivision on the West Chicago's north side -- next to St. Charles -- city leaders are doing the right thing: They are getting involved. The city on Tuesday night is holding a public forum where ComEd representatives will take questions about the frequent outages at the Cornerstone Lakes subdivision. Hopefully, the evening will result in real answers for the hundreds of residents who, so far, have been left in the dark about the power problems.
Las Vegas lanes
If casino money is to be used to build roads, it's only appropriate to name those roads accordingly. Bingo Byway. Hold 'Em Highway. Blackjack Boulevard. Route Roulette. Ace of Spades Expressway.