Saturday Soapbox: Homing in

Potential adopters don't have to pay an adoption fee and adoptees don't have to submit to a bunch of inoculations, but the annual Adopt-a-Cougar program is all about finding a new home nonetheless. Most of the 26 minor leaguers on the Kane County Cougars Class A Midwest League roster, paid only about $1,000 a month, welcomed the offers this week from Fox Valley families who opened their homes to the ballplayers at little or no cost. It's a lot easier to hit that fastball, it seems, when you know you've got a roof over your head.

Can you hear us now?

Dare we hope that Huntley's latest legal victory in its long-running battle with Horizon Group Properties will end the developer's insistence on repeatedly taking the village to court? Probably not. Never mind that the moves keep costing taxpayers, stall Huntley's economic development and, thus far, gain nothing for the developer but ill will from village officials and residents alike.

Peace at last

The 2nd District appellate court's dismissal of a Provena St. Joseph Hospital lawsuit against Sherman Hospital should finally end a fight between Elgin's two longtime medical institutions. Though the official arguments were about "access to care" and "imbalances," it was always about money and market share. Provena St. Joseph didn't want Sherman building a new facility in its backyard, fearing potential negative financial impacts. But the appellate court ruling noted, "it is not the (planning board's) responsibility to protect market share of individual providers." And now residents can go back to liking both their hospitals again instead of feeling caught in the midst of a family fight.

Flood of growth

Fear of flooding along the Fox River has had some residents and towns once again scrambling for the sand bags. It has become an annual rite of spring and summer the past couple of years, a worrisome evidence, as experts note, of our penchant to lay down asphalt and concrete, leaving water nowhere to go but into already swollen waterways. We can't control the whims of Mother Nature. But we can control what and how we build. The question is: Will we? Or will we just keep inviting potential disaster?

No roadblock here

When McHenry County transportation planners first proposed a connector road between Randall Road and Route 31 along the Lake in the Hills-Crystal Lake boundary almost two decades ago, neighbors were quick to protest. With the popular road's value now firmly established, the only questions are why it doesn't have more lanes and why there are so many accidents. Transportation officials say the accidents are from impatient drivers and say plans to expand are in full swing, with some spots getting as many as six lanes in a couple of years. Instead of "not in my backyard," it seems the new cry is "hurry up!"

The cost of gridlock

Politicians in Springfield who can't get along should consider the consequences of their stubbornness and ineptitude. Because of a lack of a state capital budget, work on one of Elgin's most dangerous intersections will be put off for another year. Yes, Route 20 will still be a mess due to retaining wall work and bridge work over the EJ&E railway. But the most important need, reconstruction of the Route 20 intersection with Shales Parkway, has been bumped for at least another year. Meaning the city can expect its ambulances to continue making frequent visits to one of its least safe intersections.