Fox Valley Soapbox

Too bizarre

In one final sop to his party, Dennis Hastert is likely to leave his U.S. House 14th District seat before the end of the year. That will trigger the need for a special election, likely to be held at exactly the same time the regular primary is held to choose his successor. If anybody doubts why citizens are so fed up with politicians, this is it. They could end up voting four times in less than a year for a single seat. Either finish out your term or quit on a schedule that leaves the field open -- saving us all a lot of money and voting booth aggravation in the process.

An odd definition of 'gentleman'

Why do the radio ads for suburban nudie bars always refer to themselves as "gentlemen's clubs?" Not to be judgmental about the entertainment choice, mind you, but we question whether "gentleman" is an apt description of most of the clientele.

A damp dry run

There's nothing like a little fog and mist to produce a test run for holiday travelers. And nothing quite like this week's weather-related delays at O'Hare International Airport and video travel tips from the Transportation Security Administration to remind fliers that the next six weeks of air travel will require patience, planning and packing skills. Happy holidays.

The burning question

Whether intentional or not, East Dundee trustees once again can't decide what to do about leaf burning, meaning yet another smoke-filled season will pass without action. This time they're agonizing over a change that would limit burning to second and fourth Saturdays in October, November and April. Why doesn't the village quit clogging everyone's airways for miles around and join the rest of the crowded suburban world with an outright ban? Then they'd need not agonize endlessly over definitions of "recreational fires" and "health hazards."

Randall, Route 72 redux

Already named one of the most dangerous intersections in Kane County, the Randall Road/Route 72 crossroads added to that dark reputation once again this week. A six-car pileup sent at least two people to the hospital following a rush-hour crash there on Monday. This time, no one was seriously hurt. But the continuous parade of ambulances to that intersection while officials talk much and accomplish little is hard to swallow.

Winning revitalization

Elgin carried home substantial hardware from the 2007 Lieutenant Governor's Awards for Excellence in Downtown Revitalization recently in Danville. The city's riverfront Festival Park shared honors in the public improvement category, the 2nd District Appellate Court next to city hall won the building stewardship award and the Downtown Neighborhood Association won best design committee project for its "I Spy" architectural treasure hunt for kids. The awards came at the 14th annual Illinois Main Street Conference.

Getting tougher

Hoping to reduce pressure on school secretaries and collect about three-quarters of a million dollars in unpaid school fees, Elgin School District U-46 plans to hire a collection agency to do the deed. That would free up secretaries, many of whom were asked to collect unpaid fees for their building, to revert to "welcoming" students and making the initial fee collection attempt. The new approach would allow the district to recoup its money, minus the 25 percent that will go to the get-tough collectors.