BY MIKE CETERA

Perhaps we should stop making "statements" about climate change and instead start doing something, like holding ourselves accountable for fuel standards or demanding (and then using) more public transportation. But, no, we Americans love symbolism much more than making tough choices.

Let's turn the lights out for an hour. That'll show 'em we're serious.

The world will "celebrate" Earth Hour on Saturday, "an international event that asks households and businesses to turn off their lights and non-essential electrical appliances for one hour on the evening of 29 March at 8PM local time to promote electricity conservation and thus lower carbon emissions."

In protest (not because I don't believe in the cause, but because this event is utter pap), I plan to turn every light and appliance on in my house (I kid.). What will you do to celebrate?

BY MIKE CETERA

One advertises herself this way: "If you are looking for an hour of bliss...or a night of pure adult fun...I can accommodate your every desire." Another puts it like this: "I PRIDE MYSELF ON GOING THE EXTRA MILE."

Both leave their phone numbers for anyone to inquire about their services along with a picture for all to see. Though the one lady doesn't explicitly say what "going the extra mile" means, the offer is implicit.

These are ads on Craigslist by women looking to sell something in Aurora. Police say the alleged prostitution ring broken up earlier this week also used the Web site to advertise sex for sale. With all of the prostitution busts going, why haven't these ladies gone into hiding? My guess is there's just too many of them for the cops to keep up. But yet they keep getting caught, as we've mentioned here before.

As it turns out, this is a national phenomenon.

BY MIKE CETERA

When I try to picture a hate crime, I think of pitch forks, burning crosses and racially-motivated beatings. I don't conjure up a domestic dispute between two kids who used to date.

But a 14-year-old high school student in St. Charles is facing a hate crime charge -- a felony -- for writing "disparaging comments" on his ex-girlfriend's locker, among other things.

If both of these teens were the same race, this fallout from the breakup would have been unremarkable. Kids are immature. Nasty comments happen. But he is white and she is black.

From the story:

According to the state's attorney's office, the boy also drew a stick figure of a person in a noose on his computer. At some point the girl saw it and became alarmed -- leading to the hate crime charge, the state's attorney's office said.

BY MIKE CETERA

I know we're in the middle of a perpetual campaign, but it's a bit early to be comparing Bill Foster's voting record to other members of his party.

That's like saying we know how good a ball player Billy Hatcher is because of his batting average in the World Series. (He owns the MLB record for batting average in a four-game series; Hatcher batted .750. Over his career, he was a .264 hitter). Sorry, gratuitous reference. I've got baseball fever.

Still, the analogy holds. We can't possibly know how Bill Foster is going to vote based on two weeks worth of data.

BY MIKE CETERA

The city of Aurora trumpeted it's latest crime statistics last week, something unusual for a town that has in the past taken a PR beating in this regard.

And while the overall decrease is a positive, the last line in Staff Writer Matt Hanley's story caught my eye: "Last year's reduction in major crimes mirrors a national drop in crime rates."

Really? Crime is dropping everywhere? Why is this?

BY DAVE PARRO

As if things weren't bad enough in the East Aurora School District already, now a principal is being investigated for helping students cheat on ISAT standardized tests.

While district officials are downplaying the "improprieties" as isolated incidents -- which they very likely could have been -- there's a larger question here of why the Krug Elementary educator would set such a poor example for her students. In a financially struggling district that has landed schools on the state watch list in the past based on adequate yearly progress standards, the pressure to perform has to be immense.

Has the federal No Child Left Behind Act put administrators in the terrible position of being tempted to cheat on standardized tests, especially in poor districts where budget cuts have led to fewer resources?

BY MIKE CETERA

This week, as the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War approached, Vice President Dick Cheney said the U.S. invasion has been a "successful endeavor."

"'If you look back on those five years it has been a difficult, challenging but nonetheless successful endeavour ... and it has been well worth the effort,' he told a news conference in Baghdad after meeting Iraqi leaders."

As in every conflict, some agree, some disagree, including a group of protesters who on Wednesday night marched on downtown Aurora.

Rather than ask the question that has divided many of us -- Do you support the war? -- I'm more curious to know at what cost do you support the war both in terms of lives lost and money spent?

This month's Vanity Fair has an excerpt from a new book that claims the ultimate cost could exceed $3 trillion.

BY MIKE CETERA

Sometimes the news just isn't all that surprising. The U.S. Census Bureau tells us today that Kendall County is among the fastest-growing counties in the country. We already knew this. But I'm guessing most of the news reports will focus on Kendall's slip in ranking to No. 4.

What I find more interesting is what the data says about DuPage County. More people are moving out than are moving in. Yes, the population overall has grown during the last seven years, but only because there are many more births than deaths.

Still, it appears that when choosing a place to live, DuPage is losing people (That perhaps helps explain the changing voting demographics there.). I suppose the question is, why?

BY MIKE CETERA

Angel "Doc" Luciano was a handyman and landlord who left the gang life behind. Or he was the "head lion" of a dangerous street gang who trained and poisoned the minds of his little cubs. Or he was both.

No matter what Luciano did after the murder of Willie Arce, he must go to prison to balance the scales of justice. This was the message handed down to the 56-year-old Aurora man on Tuesday as he was sentenced to 38 years in prison for the 1989 murder.

The question remains: Was justice served?

BY MIKE CETERA

Ever heard of a niece who "moved in" with her aunt and uncle so she could attend a preferred school? Or how about the athlete who doesn't like the makeup of the team in his district who conveniently moves just down the road?

I suspect the idea of falsifying your address to get out of a bad school district (or to get into a good one) is more common than we think.

And now the West Aurora School District is confronting the issue.

Board members Monday reviewed the plan to scrutinize documentation of student addresses and educate administrators about residency requirements.

Administrators have so far identified "more than 20 students" who do not live in the district but are enrolled in West Aurora Schools, said district spokesman Mike Chapin.

"This is a crime," said Superintendent Jim Rydland. "We are systematically and consistently going to investigate."

Some suspect the illegal students are coming from the neighboring East Aurora School District.

BY MIKE CETERA

A Time magazine columnist makes the compelling case that journalists should disclose their choices at the ballot box. In The Case for Full Disclosure, James Poniewozik argues journalists should tell readers for whom they vote to "expose the sham of neutrality--which few believe anyway--and compel opinion and news writers alike to prove, story by story, that fairness is possible anyway."

The reasons not to say whom you're voting for boil down mainly to the interests of journalists, not those of readers and viewers. It would be a pain in the neck. Campaign sources would mistrust you. Radio hosts and bloggers would have a field day. Readers would become suspicious.

It's an interesting proposition. Would readers best be served by knowing the writer's political bias?

BY DAVE PARRO

In the wake of the 14th Congressional District special election, three area legislators plan to announce legislation Tuesday that would ban the annoying and borderline harassing political "robocalls" that were so prevalent during that race.

State Reps. Tom Cross, Tim Schmitz and Ruth Munson will announce the introduction of the bill at a press conference in Geneva at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow. Political robocalls have been an issue on this blog recently, and the Beacon wrote an editorial about them last week calling for legislation.

Maybe some good will come after all out of the relentless negative campaigning we saw in the congressional race.

UPDATE (3/19): Read the story about the press conference here.

BY DAVE PARRO

It's always fun to watch the political maneuvering candidates do long before an election in an attempt to craft their public images and head off criticism.

Take Rick Lawrence for example. The Aurora alderman who has feuded with Mayor Tom Weisner for the past three years now says he'll run a clean and respectful mayoral campaign that focuses on the positive.

That's convenient because Lawrence has supporters who will do his dirty work for him.

BY MIKE CETERA

With so many communities -- including Aurora -- approving use of cameras to catch people running red lights, I found a new study out of Florida particularly interesting.

The Florida Public Health Review concludes that "crash, injury and mortality risks do not change immediately, if at all" with the introduction of red-light cameras.

Further, the study notes that red-light running fatalities -- at least in Florida -- are not on the rise. So why the need for cameras?

Because the rigorous and robust studies conclude that cameras are associated with increased crashes and costs, any economic analysis of cameras should include these newly generated costs to the public. Indirect costs to the public are usually not considered in the calculation of total revenues and profits generated from red light cameras.... Also, public policy should avoid conflicts of interest that enhance revenues for government and private interests at the risk of public safety (emphasis added).

BY MIKE CETERA

So, Geraldine Ferraro gets roundly criticized because of her remark that Sen. Barack Obama "would not be in this position" if he were a white man.

What if she's right?

"Why is his candidacy historic? Can you give me another reason why it is an historic campaign? Why are we afraid to say this? I am absolutely stunned by this whole thing. I'm not saying he isn't qualified, never did I say that. He is very smart. He has experience issues, but if George Bush can learn to run the country, so can this guy."

Of course, part of the reason Obama's candidacy is historic is because he's an African American who is appealing to a lot of white folks. That's never happened before. So what's wrong with saying it?

BY MIKE CETERA

As you might have noticed, we've had a bit of a site redesign around these parts. The software upgrade caused us to shut things down for a few hours, so if your comments were late in getting posted, we apologize.

We hope you like the new Beacon Blog.

BY MIKE CETERA

So, the very first thing Bill Foster does as a congressman is applaud Denny Hastert for his years of service. And the Republican response? Bill Foster wastes no time compromising national security.

The ugliness continues.

YouTube video (8:35)

BY DAVE PARRO

Rep. Bill Foster was sworn in as the new 14th District congressman Tuesday afternoon on the House floor. Watch the video of the ceremony and his remarks and see the campaign press release and a letter to his supporters below.

BY DAVE PARRO

There's been plenty of post-election analysis and speculation about why Jim Oberweis lost the congressional seat that has only once before been held by a Democrat.

Was Oberweis too negative and divisive? Did Chris Lauzen doom the GOP when he refused to mend fences and urge his supporters to vote for his former opponent? Has the 14th District gone Democratic?

Many of our readers, however, have suggested something else also played a role. Some Republican voters are saying they simply stayed away from the polls because they were so annoyed by the barrage of political 'robocalls' they were receiving at home.

BY MIKE CETERA

I imagine that all the agency heads that had to plead their cases to the state last year are none too happy about having to put on a repeat performance, knowing their cries for money could get twisted into the state's dysfunctional budget game again.

The circus once again is coming to Aurora.

The budget hearing next Tuesday is, according to House Speaker Mike Madigan's office, "designed to give community leaders, business owners, labor officials, service providers, advocacy organizations, health care facilities, school districts, colleges and local residents an opportunity to share their views about state funding priorities, ways to reduce costs and means to improve government efficiency."

Knowing that this year's local hearing could produce the same results as last year's -- close to nothing -- what should the state's priorities be?

BY MIKE CETERA

Did you hear the one about the upstart Democrat who cruised to an unlikely victory only to see his hopes for re-election taken away? Or how about the one about the loyal Republican who was tossed under the bus by his own party?

Jokes? Nightmares? Or just Illinois politics?

9:58 a.m. UPDATE BELOW: Laesch withdraws challenge.

BY MIKE CETERA AND DAVE PARRO

We live-blogged Saturday from the Election Night headquarters of both Bill Foster and Jim Oberweis as the election results came in for the 14th Congressional District special election.

See how the night progressed leading up to Foster's victory and add your comments.

BY MIKE CETERA

Those who love to hate Wal-Mart can recite a littany of reasons why the world's largest corporation is bad for the communities it plops its big-box stores into; some of those arguments are hard to refute.

But with Wal-Mart opening its newest Supercenter in Aurora today, I found another town's story interesting.

It seems Wal-Mart doesn't, in fact, kill off the competition.

BY DAVE PARRO

In the never-ending war of attacks ads in the 14th Congressional District race, the Foster campaign is introducing a new tactic in the days before the Saturday special election. The Democrat is appealing to Republicans who supported Chris Lauzen in the primary election.

The latest mailer criticizes Jim Oberweis for attacking Lauzen and other fellow Republicans during his previous failed campaigns for office. It includes a picture of the Lauzen family splattered with mud and a reference to Ronald Reagan's "commandment" to not speak ill of a fellow Republican. The missive concludes, "It's time to stop Jim Oberweis before he smears again."

This is such a horse race that Foster is sending this mailer to Republican voters. If he can win a few disgruntled Lauzen supporters, it could make a difference.

BY MIKE CETERA

It looks like some lawmakers have seen the proverbial light when it comes to the ill-advised moment of silence law approved last year.

Instead of making the moment of silence mandatory for all schools, a new bill would restore power to local schools -- where it should have remained in the first place -- to decide if the school day should begin with a moment of reflection.

Among those changing their votes from last year were House Minority Leader Tom Cross. But not all local lawmakers voted for this change.

BY MIKE CETERA

It looks like people opposed to the Indian Prairie boundary changes (and the new location of Metea Valley High School) are getting ready to sue.

They've set up a Web site basically announcing an impending court fight:

We are also unhappy with the decisions of district officials and concerned about the future of the district...and, to that end, have secured legal counsel to explore options ranging from stopping the new high school location to overturning the 2006 Referendum.

Did you think it was over? It is not over. Our legal team thinks we have a fighting chance - so should you.

The local news media has stood by the school board and administrations' comments and either lacks the ability or the interest to delve into details of how taxpayers have been misled in a classic "bait and switch" to build a school that is poorly located, too large by any measure, and perhaps, not even needed. Where was the unbiased journalism? The investigative reporting?

BY MIKE CETERA

OneMan has dissected our endorsement of Bill Foster as no big surprise. To him, in races that involve a "real" Democrat, our editorial board almost without fail chooses the Democrat.

He cites several recent races as evidence.

Their attempt to act like that because they endorsed Hastert in the past that the fact that they endorsed a Democrat is a big deal. In virtually every contested local race (where there is a 'real' democrat running) they endorse the democrat. The first Holmes vs Wintermute race, they endorsed Linda Holmes with out even mentioning that she wrote for them. They endorsed Weisner over Irvin, Chapa LaVia over everyone, I don't think anyone would consider the Beacon a 'Republican' paper. Nice try framing it that way Beacon.

I can just as easily pick examples of when we've chosen a Republican over a "real" Democrat (although there aren't a lot of "real" Democrats who have run in these parts), which I suggest just proves the folly over trying to label the editorial board.