Saturday Soapbox: 3-year deal delivered
Nice to see Elgin School District U-46 teachers didn't deliver a strike as a Christmas present for district students and residents. And if they got the attention of an oblivious school board, all the better. But don't be deceived. This was more about money than other issues. The big change between the contract that was rejected and the one that was approved was second-year pay hikes, which went from being tied to inflation to a solid 3.8 percent-plus step increases. Rules for adding elementary aides changed slightly, too, but class size discussions at other levels were put off to a task force.
Guns be gone
Nothing is simple in Carpentersville. It took weeks to decide how to dispose of surplus weapons. Finally, we hope, the village has agreed to sell them to local businessman Tom Roeser for $3,000, after which they will be destroyed. Roeser made the offer after the village voted to sell them to a gun dealer for that amount. One might think getting both the revenue and the destruction in one fell swoop offers obvious dual benefits. Not to Trustee Judy Sigwalt, who was the lone opponent of the sale to Roeser. Nothing sensible can explain her refusal to vote for a measure that would garner $3,000 and end with the destruction of the guns.
It's that simple
Jim Wheeler started Toys for Kids in the Tri-Cities more than two decades ago for a simple reason -- he wanted to make sure the toys he donated went to local kids. The program has become a great success. Kudos to Wheeler and those who help him make the holiday more special for kids.
Malls on the move
Pretty amazing, isn't it, to have two stories in the same week about plans for two St. Charles mall properties -- one abandoned and the other struggling. Designs for Charlestowne are in progress but it is encouraging to see someone with an interest in revitalizing the mall. And the Sho-Deen plans for old St. Charles Mall will be examined, with some concern about whether there's enough retail to go around. But at least there's movement.
It is easy being green
It's hard to know if Algonquin Trustee Bob Smith is right in his contention that global warming is a natural phenomenon and not the result of human behavior. But even if it's Mother Nature at work, what harm could come from joining the Sierra Club's Cool Cities program, aimed at helping towns reduce their carbon dioxide emissions? It's good to see the majority wanted the village continue to be the environmental leader it has been since long before green became a political color.
Gallantly streaming
A tattered and torn U.S. flag hanging above the Carpentersville Post Office near Meadowdale Mall so irked veteran Glenn Gibbs he contacted the media when postal and mall officials were slow to replace it. Within hours of the front-page story, an "emergency call" yielded a new Old Glory waving proudly over the federal building. Enough said.
Full speed ahead
Some road projects seem to take forever, with construction harming nearby businesses and frustrating motorists for months. Not so on Algonquin Road west of Randall Road, where the McHenry County Highway Division made quick work of widening the critical arterial for Algonquin, Lake in the Hills and Huntley residents. In fact, this is the second Algonquin Road widening project handled quickly and ably by the county. Just imagine what it could do if the state finally released federal money intended for more county projects.