opinions
Players need longer vacations
I felt really bad for Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett, who missed a start last week due to a sore back muscle, yet managed to play golf the next day. When he was quickly bombed out of his next start, and roundly booed off the …
Post office offers tips on dog-bite prevention
A dog might be a man’s best friend, but is it a letter carrier’s? Warmer weather introduces the sights and sounds of local neighborhoods; filled with children playing, letter carriers delivering, and dogs barking. Many of these dogs are safely behind a fence or on …
Meigs forever a memory
Even with all the challenges he still faces, I have not forgiven ex-Mayor Daley for his infamous midnight raid on Meigs Field a few years ago! The city certainly had more than enough “park space” along the lake, and nothing contributed more to the loss …
Nothing like Lake Bluff Opening Day
I’m a sucker for Lake Bluff Baseball’s Opening Day! It’s tiny Lake Bluff at its best, as these wonderful volunteer dads and moms devote ridiculous amounts of time to the lucky kids who play in the Lake Bluff Youth Baseball Association. Most of the games …
Bowling? Spare me
What has happened to bowling? When you walk into a modern “bowling center” now, it bears no resemblance to the sport we’ve enjoyed for generations! I can’t say I miss all the smoke that used to permeate those alleys, but it was heaviest in the …
Consolidate the government, give land-tax relief
Upon the passage of the 2012 Highland Park city budget, Councilman David Naftzger lamented that not enough was done by staff to seek shared services with other levels of government. Shared service agreements and government consolidations can lead to greater efficiencies, lower costs and ultimately …
Chuck Wenk’s column for April 12, 2012
I don’t remember everything about the Great Depression. Maybe that’s a good thing! I was only 4 when the stock market crashed in 1929, but by the time I was 8 or 9, in ’33 and ’34, I was certainly aware that almost everybody I …
Classy move
The political signs are gone … at least for a few months until the general election! Now we can enjoy the suddenly green grass and early-blooming flowers along Green Bay Road, Sheridan Road and throughout the North Shore without having to squint to read all …
A ‘Moneyball’ lesson in life: ‘Get on base’
I’ve decided that the correct answer for just about any question this spring is: “He gets on base.” That answer comes from one of last year’s best movies, “Moneyball.” That simple phrase answers the questions put to Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland A’s, …
Shimkus: Senator Kirk is coming back
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed piece submitted by U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, regarding the status of U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Highland Park, who is in recovery from a stroke he suffered in January. As a member of the Illinois congressional delegation, …
My new friend in Highland Park settles in
Always take your own advice, I like to say. And I did. I always tell animal-lovers who lose a treasured pet to immediately go out and get another one. It doesn’t have to be the same kind, or have anything in common with the original …
Congratulations to an excellent Highland Park teacher
A wonderfully talented and dedicated Highland Park teacher has retired after 34 years! Kathy Weaver, who taught at Wayne Thomas and Oak Terrace schools, and was given the “Highland Park Mayor’s Award for the Arts” in 2003, plans to go out with a flourish. This …
Change in course at Fort Sheridan the right move
Lake County Forest Preserve District commissioners the other day certainly took a divot out of plans to build a nine-hole golf course on the grounds of the former Fort Sheridan.
Shimkus: Senator Kirk is coming back
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed piece submitted by U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, regarding the status of U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Highland Park, who is in recovery from a stroke he suffered in January. As a member of the Illinois congressional delegation, …
Duke stole the show
I’ve rarely spoken about my long-time office mate, “Duke,” who has been sharing my office with me here in Highland Park for almost 30 years. Duke has always been a beautiful, green and yellow Blue Amazon parrot who loves me and my daughter, Wendy, spending …
