Naperville Potluck

Gas, oil prices set new records

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 06:51:42 -0600

A gallon of gas costs $3.43 around town today, and the price of oil is setting new records, hitting $110 a barrel. How are the high gas prices affecting you? Are you changing your driving habits because of them?

Napergate Open Forum....Continued

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:47:24 -0600

Okay - you wanted it you got it. Moderator Jim here to open this new thread for the home page. The old threads, as you know, are easily accessible, but here's another one due to popular request. However, I would like to make a point that Ted has repeatedly made and I have reiterated. We here at the Naperville Sun can do nothing to further this matter without having access to an ongoing investigation, documentation and cooperation from the Napergate Man. So, please let's try to refrain from blaming the messenger.

Should state confine for 'threat' of crime?

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 06:29:43 -0600

A noteworthy trial gets underway in DuPage County this week. It involves the first priest the state seeks to confine involuntarily and indefinitely under the Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act. What do you think of this law? Is this a necessary tool to protect people from violent sex offenders who are highly likely to hurt more people if they had their freedom? Or does this test our constitution, since offenders who have served their criminal sentences are kept against their will for simply posing a risk of committing another crime?

D203 taxpayers may get a break

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 12:03:33 -0600

Thanks to inflation, Naperville School District 203 may decide to skip the collection of an additional $82 a year, on average, in property taxes that voters recently agreed to pay for facilities improvements.

It's official: D204 parents sue school board

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 06:00:00 -0600

The other shoe has dropped in the contentious debate over the location of the new high school for District 204. An activist group of parents called Neighborhood Schools for Our Children has sued the 204 School Board in DuPage County court. The suit, filed on behalf of the group by Naperville attorney Shawn Collins, calls for injunctive relief for violations of the Illinois and Federal Constitutions. Among the salient points in the 19-page lawsuit are: The board, after holding many meetings with 204 parents, had stipulated that the Brach-Brodie location and the resultant boundary configurations would be the site of the new school. The referendum, according to the suit, passed on the basis of this information after an initial referendum had been voted down. Secondly, the new site of the third school (Eola/Molitor) had previously been considered by the board and had been rejected due to environmental concerns. The suit seeks for the court to order the board to purchase the Brach-Brodie land for the construction of the new high school; cease in its attempts to buy the Eola/Molitor location; in the event a deal is not struck with Brach-Brodie, return all money collected in the 2006 referendum and enjoin it from collecting any future money from the taxpayers and, lastly, have the board pay attorney and court fees. It looks like the beginning of a nasty battle. The comment lines are now open.

Movement on 95th Street extension

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:38:33 -0600

Friday's Sun reports that Will County authorities are asking the federal government for funding to begin the long-awaited extension of 95th Street, east of Plainfield-Naperville Road, over the DuPage River, to Boughton Road in Bolingbrook. If the project is completed by 2011 as officials hope, will it have been worth the wait?

District 204 parents mull boundaries lawsuit

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:06:40 -0600

It looks like they're fed up and they're not going to take it anymore. Tonight (Tuesday, 3.4) parents in District 204 will meet at the White Eagle Country Club to discuss the merits of filing a lawsuit against the district regarding the new site of the planned third high school and the boundary changes that resulted. Invited to attend is prominent Naperville lawyer Shawn Collins who's no stranger to the news, having filed a civil rights lawsuit against the City of Naperville on behalf of Councilman Dick Furstenau. Collins is attending the meeting to answer questions, though he says he has not decided to represent the group or whether there is even a legal basis for the lawsuit. One thing is clear, however: Many residents of 204 are furious over the new boundaries and are taking their ire to the next level. They are mobilizing and calling for action - possibly legal - in the wake of the redistricting. Meanwhile, school board members point out that the actual referendum language was only for the money to build the new high school and that boundaries could change depending on the location. What can we make of all this?

Local biz leaders to lobby Springfield

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 07:10:10 -0600

On Wednesday members of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce head to Springfield. They're scheduled to meet with House Minority Leader Tom Cross, Attorney General Lisa Madigan and others to talk about legislative priorities. What topics do you think ought to be on the agenda?

Naperville's connection to Rezko trial

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:56:17 -0600

As jury selection gets underway for the corruption trial of political fundraiser Tony Rezko, people in Naperville are left to wonder what role will Edward Hospital play in the proceedings.

GOP says it unmasks ballot group as front for Dems

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 08:07:47 -0600

The Ballot Integrity Project has gotten some ink of late, with its tireless criticism of the DuPage Election Commission. Now state Republican Party officials are charging that the Ballot Integrity Project is nothing more than a front for left-wing Democratic organizations, when it had positioned itself as nonpartisan.

Standing up and stopping the EJ&E

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:54:23 -0600

As The Sun has dutifully reported, the proposed acquisition of the EJ&E by the Canadian National means one thing for Naperville - a ton of freight trains rolling through the city at all hours of the day and night. Forget the noise - although that's bad enough - but what about the increased safety hazards to cars, pedestrians and even school buses that have to navigate through the perilous railroad crossings? But help may be on the way. As an update to this story The Sun has exclusively reported that the Dupage Forest District is standing up to the powerful railway barons and drawing a line in the sand, or make that a forest preserve. The Canadian National needs a one-acre parcel smack dab in a DuPage forest preserve for a critical switching station. The District is saying no dice - we're not selling. Will this one acre make a difference in the long run to the acquisition? Who knows. But it's kind of nice to see that an organization dedicated to the preservation of green space is doing what they consider the right thing - saying NO WAY, we don't want your railroad. What do you think? The conversation is now open.

Did Hanson get what he deserved?

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:44:35 -0600

We asked before on another thread if Eric Hanson should get the death penalty, but now it's a reality after a jury took just 90 minutes to decide his fate. He'll be heading off to death row for the cold-blooded slaughter of four family members, where he'll probably spent at least 15 years (or maybe more due to the Illinois moratorium on capital punisment) before his sentence is carried out. Would a more fitting penalty be life without parole for the killer? Maybe he'd suffer more that way for his heinous crime. But, in broader terms, we'd like to ask: Does the state have the right to take a human life, even if that life belongs to Eric Hanson? His case opens the grounds for discussing whether capital punishment - banned in most European countries - is a fitting or even moral punishment no matter how evil the crime, or a throwback to the old days when it was an "eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." What do you think...and make no mistake, we have no sympathy here for Eric Hanson. We're just posing the question.

Should NIU's Cole Hall be demolished?

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:33:21 -0600

Gov. Rod Blagojevich has announced that NIU's Cole Hall - the scene of the horrific campus massacre - will be demolished and, ultimately, be replaced with another classroom building to be called Memorial Hall. To our knowledge, this is the first time the scene of a campus or high school tragedy like this has resulted in the destruction of a building. While we're not disputing the sincerity of the governor's proposal, the question must be asked: Is it a wise decision? First of all, would a lengthy demolition and then construction process serve only to prolong the lingering pain and dark memories for the students and faculty of NIU and, secondly, is it a wise fiscal decision in a cash-strapped state dealing with tough economic times? And just think, everyone who eventually walks into that new building will know exactly why it exists and how it got its name. Do we want that as a permanent legacy for NIU? You be the judge.

Naperville's giving spirit

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:56:14 -0600

Naperville is known for its generosity, its willingness to help others less fortunate. We were reminded of this when we received a message recently from a Naperville native who is doing something good to help others. So we offer her a chance to talk about what she's doing, and what you could do to help.

Your turn: Suggest a topic

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:06:17 -0600

Every so often we invite Potluck visitors to suggest topics. Typically we'll create threads based on your suggestions. So here's your chance to say what's on your mind, about any topic with relevance to Naperville. What do you want to talk about? What topics would you like to see discussed on this blog?