We all learn from Veterans Day
When I first heard on "The Tonight Show," when Jay Leno was still the host, that District 300 was having their students attend school on Veterans Day, I totally agreed with Jay's humor. The rationale given by the school district was that the students do not know what Veterans Day is all about, so why should they be given a day off from school?

The Dugan jury's search for justice
The DuPage County jury that decided last week that admitted three-time murderer Brian Dugan should be executed spent 11 hours in a room by themselves, trying to agree on his fate.

Dugan's murders cry for execution
You're never going to convince me we should abolish the death penalty. And I can sum up my reasoning in two words. Brian Dugan.

No place for death penalty in enlightened society
If anyone should fry in the electric chair, it's Brian Dugan." Even I have a difficult time arguing against that sentiment. But because there's no middle ground when it comes to the death penalty, I've got to give it a shot.

Series illustrates split over health care issue
Our five-part series on health care, which concluded Thursday, if nothing else revealed the wide range of concerns residents have not only about the Obama administration's health care legislation but about the shortcomings and problems with the way health care in the United States is now funded. As the debate continues nationwide, our readers demonstrate the split that is evident across the country.

No crystal ball was handy in horse-and-buggy days
If the founding fathers of Elgin had gotten out their crystal balls and taken a long, hard look, they would have known years ago that horse and buggies no longer would be taking Elgin citizens to their beautiful Queen Annes, four squares, and Victorians. They would have known that their streets needed to be wider and all homes needed to have at least a three-car attached garage with a long, wide driveway.

Don't blame Kane health department for doing its job
It is tempting to criticize the Kane County Public Health Department for its handling of the free H1N1 vaccination program so far.

The Headless Horseman rides through Sleepy Hollow
When Washington Irving wrote "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," the setting was in New York along the Hudson River. I would be shocked to learn that he had a setting in Illinois in mind when he wrote his famous short story. Nonetheless, for whatever reason, a small quaint village can be found here in the Fox Valley named for that fictional place.

Parents have tough choices due to flu scare
Sesame Street's Kermit the Frog laments, "It's not easy bein' green." These days, it's not easy being a parent, with the H1N1 mania sweeping through the area over the past week.

District 300, Dundee-Crown High School taking steps to make the community proud
When Dundee High School was closed in the mid-1980s, there were a lot of hard feelings from the area residents who had to move over to Irving Crown High School in Carpentersville. The perception was that Carpentersville could not offer what was available at Dundee High School, since East and West Dundee were perceived as more upscale.