January 2008 Archives

Many of us in Illinois know that Feb. 12 is President Lincoln's birthday, but few of us know that Charles Darwin shares his birth with the Great Emancipator. That's because they won't let evolution be taught in public schools. Oops, that's Tennessee. Or it was in the 1925.

As you curl up and listen to President Bush's last State of the Union Address, see if Republican congressmen are sporting "I’m a Bush Republican” buttons, especially Rep. Mark Kirk of Highland Park.

We wonder why immigrants keep flooding the shores and borders of the United States? Two recent governmental acts --- free transit rides for seniors and the economic stimulus package --- could exacerbate the situation.

I know I'm sleeping better at night knowing that Sylvester Stallone has endorsed Arizona Sen. John McCain for the Republican presidential nomination. But don't you think Sly's a little old (61) to be playing Rambo for the umpteenth time on the big screen?

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, apparently is having the problem his father had 40 years ago. Looks like he might have been brainwashed.

The Hound hears Waukegan Township is offering anger management classes on Jan. 24 and 31, along with Feb. 7 and 14 at the Staben Center on South Avenue. Think Township Supervisor Pat Jones and People's Voice Publisher Elroy Reed should attend?

Supposedly, The Hound will wake up this morning and face below-zero temperatures and life-threatening windchills during the day and again on Sunday.If the weatherfolks are right, and they've been at a loss for words of late, this will be nothing like The Hound faced as a young pup in the 1980s. It was really cold back then. Really.

If you read that nice and colorful ad in The News-Sun from the Waukegan Park District about the closing of Orchard Hills Golf Course, you may have been struck, as The Hound was, by one of the items spelled out. It had to do with loss control.

The Republican presidential campaign is turning into a free-for-all, and not the kind that Ted Nugent sang about. Let's see, three candidates have won three states. Could this lead to a brokered convention and a Bush waiting to be planted?

There's nothing like a little hope to get one's hopes up. For some odd reason supporters of retaining Orchard Hills Golf Course got their hopes up with talk of reconsidering turning the course into a sports complex. Whomever spread that rumor certainly got it wrong. It wasn't The Hound.

Before presidential candidates arrive in Illinois next month there are a few more hoops to jump through on the campaign trail. One of them is the Nevada caucus on Jan. 19. Since The Hound doesn't live in the Silver State, he is turning to his correspondent in the high desert of Amargosa Valley, many clicks north of Las Vegas, to enlighten us on what to expect in the Nevada caucus.

Vienna's renowned Spanish Riding School is on the verge of bankruptcy, The Associated Press reported Friday, which means if the school closes, Tempel Farms in Wadsworth would be one of the last homes for training Lipizzan stallions.

The Hound was shocked to find out that included in that energy bill signed into law last month by President Bush there is a provision which, for all practical purposes, is the eventual death knell for the Chevy Corvette, a true American road classic. The culprit is the higher fuel effiiciency standards for U.S. vehicles the government is requiring by 2020.

With all the wringing of hands over the installation of red-light cameras in Waukegan and with Gurnee planning to do the same this spring, Wisconsin lawmakers also are pondering a bill that would let municipalities use cameras to crack down on the thousands of roadway renegades who plow through intersections. They'd get tickets mailed straight to their door. Just one more reason for Illinois speed demons not to cross the Cheddar Curtain.

It always warms The Hound's cold heart when folks take his recommendations. Like the voters in New Hampshire who punished, severely, those Iowa caucus winners. So what does this week's outcome mean to Lake County voters? It means you'll have a chance to make a difference come Feb. 5.

With a warm spring-like weekend, there's no reason for your holiday decorations to remain dangling from your roofs or flashing merrily along in the front of your houses. You had your chance. If you're holiday decorations remain up you will be reported to the authorities.

The Hound is in a mood to boot the rascals. Yes, I'm talking about punishing the winners of
those Ioway caucuses. They sure winnowed the field didn't they? Like Chris Dodd was going to get any votes in the farmland.

The FBI issued a plea this week in hopes of solving the mystery of D.B. Cooper. You may remember him: He jumped out of an airplane in late November 1971 with $200,000 and four parachutes. He vanished over southwest Washington State with the money and two parachutes. Calling sasquatch!

The Hound continues to be puzzled by Waukeganites' reaction to the proposal to turn Orchard Hills Golf Course into a sports/soccer complex. It must be something in the air that keeps residents from letting go of the past and moving into the future.

Wisconsin tourism officials want to change the image of America's Dairyland. They are not satisfied with being known for cheese, the Packers, brats, beer and walleye fishing. Nope. They want to reinvent the state's brand. That's marketing talk for: Let's spend money!

As of today, if you smoke, you can't in restaurants and bars in Lake County. Several county towns --- like Libertyville and Lindenhurst --- had already banned smoking in public establishments before the state law took effect. Instead of smoking sections, there will be smokers outdoors, shivering in the cold, at least until summer.