Soap box: Rove comfortable in DuPage

Karl Rove in DuPage - comfortable:Political strategist and author Karl Rove proved a good fit as the star attraction at DuPage County Republicans' Lincoln Day celebration last week. So good a fit, in fact, one observer described him as looking like a guy who never had to work again if he didn't want to.A little suburban perspective:The stories this week about Hazel Evans of Round Lake Park giving up her infant daughter for adoption temporarily to Jessica-Anne and David Becker of Johnsburg certainly provided a lot to think about. Jessica Becker's statements about her new perspective on the poor perhaps were most provocative. "Those people who are in that situation have to want it so much more than I ever wanted to move up the ladder, because they're not even near the ladder yet," she said.Prom with a social conscience:Kudos to Antioch Community High School and teacher Kerri Elliott, whose upcoming used prom dress sale will not only help make prom more affordable for students but also will benefit an impoverished African school. Elliott is hoping to sell 300 dresses at less than $50 each and donate proceeds to Kilimahewa School in Moshi, Tanzania.Thank you to Marine for sharing story:We're glad World War II veteran William Faulkner, now living in St. Charles, shared the story of his 18 days on Iwo Jima during the great battle there in 1945. Talk about perspective, he's sure got it. When he heard the battle was over, "I stood in the street and cried," he told us. "Wouldn't you?"Casino's got the upper hand:DePaul University is moving its Des Plaines satellite campus 1.7 miles to Chicago to make way for a casino. While the school points to the benefits of leaving the site it has occupied for 33 years, we find it just a tad ironic that casino gambling, originally instituted in Illinois to boost schools, has trumped education.Options for suburban teachers:A proposal to remove the residency requirement for Chicago public school teachers looks like a win-win for students and schools, which could benefit from a wider recruitment area. Some laid-off suburban teachers might be able to benefit, too.If the slipper doesn't fit:Perhaps it's time for writers and broadcasters to stop using the "Cinderella" tag for underdog teams that "make the dance" for the NCAA basketball tournament. Last time we checked, Cinderella was the prettiest there, and she never had 30 wins against her stepmother.Can't debate this:Congratulations to all the students, coaches and schools represented at the IHSA debate finals last weekend. You've all proven yourselves with your outstanding skills. That's good, because our generation has left you with plenty of important issues to resolve.A legal matter: Law requires governments to publicize certain matters via legal notice in local newspapers. Some lawmakers want to change that by allowing fire protection districts to publish notices on their Web sites. This is not a good idea. It fails to establish an easily retrieved printed document on these important matters. It also takes an objective party out of the bidding and notification process. Legal notices are a very small portion of fire district budgets. The potential savings don't add up. Defeat SB3336.