From the sentencing of Brian Dugan to the death penalty for the murder of Jeanine Nicarico to President Barack Obama becoming the first African-American president, this year was filled with great change to great sorrow. The country's economy continues to struggle and unemployement the highest in quite awhile.

We've struggled here in Naperville, too. But rather than us telling you what the top stories are, we'd like to hear what you think. Either comment here or send your top 10 list to readers' editor Heather Pfundstein@scn1.com.

For most people, Christmas is one of the biggest spending times of the year. But since the country has been in a recession for quite awhile now and money is tight for many people, there may not be as many gifts under the Christmas tree and that family vacation may get cancelled. Are you changing the way you celebrate Christmas by cutting back on things, volunteering more, traveling less?

The Sun ran a story in Sunday's paper about a new campaign by local Catholic dioceses to encourage lapsed Catholics to return to the Catholic Church.

The story noted that one out of every 10 Catholics in the U.S. is a lapsed Catholic. Numerous reasons, ranging from disagreeing with church policies and beliefs to anger at priest sex abuse scandals are given for why people fall away.

Illinois and Naperville have a large Catholic population, so doubtless many Sun readers are current or former Catholics.

If you are a Catholic who has fallen away from the church, what turned you off? Is there anything the church could do to change that would bring you back? If you are a Catholic who has remained in the church, what do you like that keeps you coming back?

Since the education debate has taken over the recent open topic, I wanted to present a second forum for those of you who want to discuss anything else. Just not something we're already talking about on a recent thread.

In recent years, the tension between secular and religious forces has constantly simmered beneath the surface of American life. Many religious people think their beliefs are being forced out of the public sphere, while many secular proponents believe Christians are trying to force everyone to conform to their Christian beliefs.

Christmas is a time when this tension frequently erupts into open warfare and disputes break out over displays of religious scenes in various venues and people weigh whether to wish others "merry Christmas" or "happy holidays."

Naperville perhaps narrowly avoided an outbreak of controversy recently when the Park District agreed to allow a menorah to be placed on the Riverwalk.

Are you comfortable with this Jewish symbol on display in a public place? Do you think all religions are treated fairly during the holidays in Naperville and in the country?

The city of Naperville on Monday decided to put up $11 million to match an $11 million federal grant to install a smart electricity grid.

The city's utility will install smart meters in every residence that will give residents detailed information on their electricity use. One consultant said customers could cut their utility bill by 5 to 15 percent by using the meters.

The devices allow residents to run their appliances in off-peak times, when energy costs less, and ideally energy will be used more efficiently, helping to save money and the environment.

Is this something you think you will use, or will you just ignore it. Is it worth the investment?

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/1926415,Naperville-takes-chance-smart-grid_na120709.article

This is a thread to discuss anything you want to talk about that isn't covered by another active thread.

With the old thread on this subject being quite long, I got a request to create a new one for those of you who still want to discuss this.

On Tuesday, the City Council approved in a 5-4 vote a tax levy that is estimated to raise the tax rate by two cents per $100 of assessed valuation. For the owner of a $400,000 home, it only represents and increase of about $25, but that doesn't mean everyone is happy about it.

Councilman Grant Wehrli noted that even though the council expects to abate the increase once it property assessments are issued, it will still result in a tax increase of nearly $1 million.

No one likes to pay more taxes, but do you think it's worth it to preserve city services and city jobs?