Naperville Potluck

Sun loses a legend

2013-05-15T20:36:36Z

On Tuesday, The Naperville Sun, and the community of Naperville lost a dear friend and colleague in Tim West. Mr West died after a lengthy battle with cancer. He spent 40 years at the Sun, becoming a font of knowledge about every aspect of the city. His wit, intelligence and, in the end, his bravery in the face of his illness was an inspiration to all who knew him. As former Naperville Mayor Peg Price put it: "Naperville will not be the same without him." How true.
Read Tim's last column
Or choose from a list of his columns.

What's next for Naperville?

2013-04-13T18:24:04Z

Same old same old?
Now that Naperville voters have changed their minds about wards and voted incumbents back to the City Council, things will pretty much go back to normal. Tim West has weighed in.
What do you think?

New year, new Congressman

2013-01-04T03:50:02Z

With the fall elections in the past the 113th Congress will have a member from Naperville. And he's eager to get to work.
The question is what should he be working on?
Let's use this space to let our new Congressman know what is important to you and what he, and Congress, should do on things such as spending cuts, the debt ceiling or whatever else is on your mind.
Let's hear some suggestions.

What's on YOUR mind?

2012-11-06T21:15:00Z

Anything you want to talk about?
The city? The schools? The county?
Happy with the election?
Not happy with the election?
Get a topic started.

Is downtown getting too rowdy?

2012-10-19T03:37:48Z

Recent instances of late-night carousing, drinking and criminal activity have some Naperville leaders calling for a crackdown on the city's downtown nightlife/party scene. Some say bar patrons are overserved while others say people come downtown already inebriated.
Read Tim West's column on the subject.
Any of you out there among the revelers? Or are you avoiding downtown after dark?
Any advice for the City Council?

City's website problems

2012-10-19T03:30:00Z

For two weeks Naperville's website and email have been down or out of service.
City manager Doug Krieger suspects hackers targeting the website Oct. 2.
Now the city is looking at a $600,000 bill to fix the situation and help prevent a repeat of this in the future.
Has this caused you any inconvenience? What's your take on the whole situation?

Posting problem fixed

2012-10-10T20:28:33Z

The issue with not being able to post entries has been fixed. Sorry for any inconvenience.

-The moderator

Does D203 start too early?

2012-09-09T03:47:40Z

After the board set August 14, 2013 as next year's starting date, district parent Tammy Schultz started an online petition asking the board to reconsider. An earlier draft of the district calendar had set the start date a week later, mostly due to a survey which found parents favored a later start by a 5-1 margin. More than 600 names already have attached to Schultz's petition. The district cited balancing the semesters and administering exams as reasons for the early start. Is it time for D203 to reconsider? Is the start date too early? Have parents been unfairly ignored?

Bridges new District 203 superintendent

2012-08-24T23:20:33Z

After three months as interim superintendent, Dan Bridges has been officially been named District 203 superintendent on a full-time basis.
On the heels of his appointment comes word that the Department of Children and Family Services says the West Aurora School District should have filed a report with DCFS regarding a 2010 incident at West Aurora High School of an encounter between a band director and a female student. Bridges was principal at the time and the incident was reported to him

Walmart expansion

2012-08-19T18:17:28Z

Walmart wants to build a new Superstore in Naperville. but they are asking the city for $1.7 million in tax breaks in order to get the project done and Naperville officials appear to be on board. Is the deal necessary? What might be the case if the city had said no?

Teacher compensation

2012-08-15T23:42:49Z

Looks like this topic has life again. Just how much are teachers getting?

UPDATE UPDATE
Looking for the highest-paid teachers? Don't look in Naperville. Districts 203 and 204 don't even crack the top ten. Or the top 25. In fact, they barely make the top 100. So is Naperville a bargain after all? What do you think?

Smart meter issue never dies

2012-07-31T23:55:03Z

It looks like the opponents of Naperville's smart meter installations are not going down without a fight.
Bill Mego say they're safe.
Bob Fischer says the fight is a waste of money.
Why is this issue dragging out? Where do you stand? And when they come to install the meter, will you allow it?
UPDATE: Judge agrees referendum should not be on ballot.
Related: Opponent claims email shows improprieties.

UPDATE The Naperville City Council has been cited for violating the Open Meetings Act during a hearing on Smart Meters. Does this renew or embolden the opposition to Smart Meters? Have you changed your mind on the issue? Anybody want to say "I told you so?"

What's in a nickname?

2012-07-27T04:09:30Z

It's been 20 years since Naperville Central switched from Redskins to Redhawks. Many alumni still wax nostalgic for the Redskins nickname and you still can buy clothing with the old nickname. Are you a Naperville Central grad with thoughts or memories about the Redskins issue? Do you think the name should have been changed? Should the five high schools in Illinois still calling themselves Redskins have to change their names? Share your comments.

Ribfest at 25

2012-06-29T20:09:05Z

Naperville's summer food fest has grown from a small gathering on Rotary Hill in the late 1980s to a nationally-known event over a long weekend. Anybody remember the first Ribfest? Do you still go every year? And how a about sharing a memory or two as Ribfest marks a quarter century.

Odds and ends

2012-05-16T22:54:08Z

These were some suggestions but they never really took off. Nevertheless they will stay up here and anyone can resurrect them if they like.