Community: July 2009 Archives

By Chris Magee
Night editor

I saw the press release earlier in the week that there was an abortion protest planned for Naperville, but other than realizing we'd be doing a story on it, I didn't think much of it.

That is, until Saturday when I was driving down Ogden to Jewel to pick up some milk. Traffic was heavy and as usual backed up at the lights, so there was a lot of time to look around. On the side of the road next to Naperville North, I notice a sign warning of graphic abortion images ahead.

Now, I suppose if you have young kids in the car that sign might give you time to tell them to avert their eyes, but it's not like you can take another route, because Ogden is the main road through the north side of town, and since my destination was at the intersection of Ogden and Washington - where the protest was centered - there would be no avoiding it.

The kids are why this protest bothers me. I am an adult and I can handle reality. Those protesters were set up in front of the grocery store, a place families are likely to be taking their young kids. Thekids are going to see that and they won't know what it is or why it's there and then the parents are stuck having to deal with a very uncomfortable situation they weren't prepared for. And the kids will never understand a complicated issue like this anyway.

And I'm pro-life, so if I don't approve I can only imagine how the pro-choice people feel about this. Regular readers of this blog will have learned how sometimes the message can get lost in the tactics of the messenger. Someone has a decent point, but their tactics and the way they go about the debate turns people off.

That's what happens with a protest like this. Instead of a conversation about abortion, the conversation is going to be about "you're scaring my kids." That's not helping the cause these protesters represent.

Both Joliet and Aurora already have theaters on the scale proposed by the Omnia group for the area near the downtown Naperville train station. A spokesman for the Joliet's Rialto said another theater would seriously affect his venue's revenue base. But officials with Aurora's Paramount say they think there's room for more arts options in an area that houses more than 300,000 people. However, they also say working together to create "synergy" between the two would be most important to make sure both would be profitable.

What do you think? Is Naperville's art community alive and well? With the recently constructed Wentz Concert Hall and Fine Arts Center at North Central College, would a 950-seat venue be overkill? Would you see second-run Broadway shows in downtown Naperville at a venue here? How about the promise that the theater would be self-sustaining? How would owners be able to generate enough revenue to keep it from becoming a drain on the local economy?

Sexting, for those of you unfamiliar with it, is sending sexual pictures to someone else with a cell phone.

Increasingly popular among teenagers, the trend has led to some teens being charged with child pornography and left them facing serious jail time and a lifetime of registering as a sex offender. Many times the intentions are (relatively) innocent - the teens just think of it as flirting - but after a relationship goes sour, the photos can end up being distributed throughout a school.

Naperville state Rep. Darlene Senger is sponsoring a bill that will make it illegal for a minor under the age of 17 to knowingly disseminate any material that depicts nudity or other sexual conduct.

Those caught would meet with a juvenile officer and receive consequences such as community service, writing term papers, apology letters, curfew regulations and allowing parents to install software on their cell phones to closely monitor their child.

Under current law, sending a naked or lewd display of genitalia of a minor is a felony, as is requesting that someone else take, receive or distribute such an image.

Senger's bill would seek to step back from the severe penalties currently permitted by law and take more of an educational approach, at least for first-time offenders.

Do you think sexting should be a crime? And if so, what is the appropriate level of punishment?

The first day of Naperville's annual Ribfest came with a few changes to help manage the crowds. Electric scanners and barcoded tickets, and bike racks were a few of the changes to help control the hoards of people who will make their way to Knoch Park this holiday weekend.

In years past, complaints about overflowing crowds, closed gates and too many people for local residents to catch the fireworks have plagued the Fourth of July weekend festival. Organizers hope to alleviate some of those problems.

We're curious to know if these measures are making a difference this year. How was crowd control? Did the new ticketing system make a difference. Then, of course, we'd also like to hear your opinions about the ribs and other food, the rides, the musical acts, the spectators and whatever else you'd like to tell us about this year's fest -- good and bad.

And remember: Have fun!