Saturday Soapbox: Fox Valley
Schools can help as well as educate
A good school district is central to a community in providing education and guidance for students. In times of crisis, a school can also start a chain reaction of help. When a family with six children was displaced by a fire May 2 in Sugar Grove, an e-mail from the PTO at John Shields Elementary School got the ball rolling. Families and restaurant owners rose to the occasion organizing help and donating meals. School officials helped the family with temporary housing. (The family has since found a home in Plano.) It's an excellent example of how a school can do so much more than educate.
Why all the stupid anniversary talk?
May 6 marked the 10th anniversary of Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood's 20-strikeout game. The week before that it was the 25th anniversary of manager Lee Elia's infamous post-game profanity-laced explosion. So why all the reminiscing about Cubbie moments? Because championship-starved Cub fans have had little else to look at but these anniversaries, especially the big one coming up this October.
Why all the stupid Wal-Mart talk?
Wal-Mart has proposed a SuperCenter for West Dundee and there's the usual opposition to the world's largest retailer. While there are complaints about increased traffic and noise, one complaint stands out. Some people do not want "the type of people" Wal-Mart attracts in their town. At a public hearing one man said the West Dundee store would draw customers from places like Elgin, East Dundee and Carpentersville. What he implied was clear. And aren't "these customers" already patronizing West Dundee? After all, that's where Spring Hill Mall is.
Couldn't we have waited a week?
First, Kane County Board members contemplated whether to give raises of 24 percent to the next batch of elected department heads, with single-digit increases for the remaining three years of their terms. After time and discussion they scaled that back to raises more in the 12 percent range -- still with the three annual bumps. And after much discussion at a meeting this week the board agreed on 3½-percent raises for next year. While we like the downward trend, it would have been nice to see where the board would have settled if it had one more meeting to debate it.
Do it yourself
Kudos to McHenry County officials for taking a calculated risk and making it work for taxpayers. The county's decision to handle its employee medical insurance in house last year -- rather than feed the bottom line of an insurance carrier -- has resulted in a savings of more than $400,000. And it would have been higher had there not been a number of big-dollar claims. Stay healthy, all 1,100 of you county workers, and keep the savings going.
Smarts + skill = special
So their championship wasn't on TV and the school didn't hold a prep rally beforehand. But that doesn't take away anything from the achievements of John Rot and Emma Davis, who took first place in the Illinois State Math Contest. The Larkin High School students bested the brightest from more than 200 high schools in the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics event last month. Some kids are strong, some are creative, and some are smart. And in the end, every student is special.
Mr. Skinflint weighs in
So far one of our soapbox writers has been able to avoid the $4-plus posted rate at some area gas stations. Or so he thought. A station on Randall Road Wednesday advertised gas for $3.99. He pumped in the first gallon. He was at 00.99 gallons and the price displayed $4. Sounds like a calibration "problem."