Saturday Soapbox: Entertaining or embarrassing?
The New York Times last year gave the nation at large a glimpse into the immigration debate that had been strangling Carpentersville. And now, with a few keystrokes, you can find a compendium of C'ville's latest village board wrangling over immigration and whether a certain trustee with a fresh criminal record should remain on board. On YouTube. It might not be the "Jerry Springer Show," but it's close. Watch and wince.
Gotta feel for St. Joe
Poor Provena St. Joseph Hospital. First, Sherman Hospital builds a gigantro new hospital a couple miles north of St. Joe on Randall Road in Elgin. And try as it might to persuade state regulators that such a move would put St. Joe out of business, the smaller hospital couldn't stop it. Now, Delnor-Community in Geneva wants to do open-heart surgeries, and St. Joe is urging regulators to say no. Tough times for a hospital that just sank $97 million into an expansion project and wants to protect its investment.
There's no place like home
What was it Dorothy said in "The Wizard of Oz?" "If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard." It seems that oftentimes when municipalities need a new honcho of some sort, they pop for a nationwide search. And then end up hiring someone a good bicycle ride away -- or even in house. Such was the case this week with Pingree Grove, which had attracted 50 candidates from 13 states for its village manager job. And then hired a guy who's worked in West Dundee and Marengo for the past 15 years. There is something to be said for knowing the turf.
Thank you, Mother Nature
Even those of us with allergies can thank Mother Nature for the daffodils that popped up around the Fox Valley this week. That sign of spring has been a long time coming. Maybe it only seemed so because Easter came so early this year. One special request: How about a nice run of 70-degree weather before you stoke the furnace and force us to run into the house and turn on the air conditioning that we can ill afford?
Kudos to Lazarus House
Times are trying for a lot of people and Lazarus House in St. Charles is extending its collective hand. "We encourage households facing significant financial struggles to call us to learn about programs and resources that may be available to them," says Liz Eakins, director of the rental assistance program at the St. Charles facility that helps the homeless as well as those trying to stay afloat. Right now Lazarus is helping 23 households pay rent through a state grant. Eakins said money is available to help more people. That's terrific news that was pointed out in a Daily Herald column earlier in the week. It's certainly worth repeating. Call (630) 587-5872.
Fighting the (trans) fat
With obesity in children becoming more of an issue, it's strange that Elgin Area School District U-46 would balk at the idea of having to serve healthier lunches in schools. Illinois legislators would like to see trans fats outlawed in school lunches by 2010. But school officials in U-46 think the proposal goes too far. School board President Ken Kaczynski said he thinks the district is doing what it can to ensure healthy lunches for students. The district instituted a "wellness policy" and promotes healthy choices for students. But perhaps not only promoting it but making sure the kids have the healthiest options possible is the best way to look out for them.