Niles Herald-Spectator

Televise Hawk game in United Center Tuesday

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 17:53:16 -0500

It would be absolutely super if the United Center televised the Hawk game on the big screen following the Bulls game conclusion Tuesday. For many of the Bulls/Hawk supporters it will take us 60-90 minutes to make it home....... making us miss the Blackhawks series clincher. …

Skokie letter to the editor: Homeowners bearing burden of school retirements

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 06:04:23 -0500

I gasped a bit when reading the Sept. 27 Skokie Review piece on the District 219 budget with a 15-percent increase for employee benefits. I presume that figure includes pensions and retiree health care. From what I read, the Teachers Retirement System isn’t in the greatest fiscal condition, and the state is considering pushing more and more of the retiree cost onto homeowners. Is anyone out there giving any thought to older residents who work in the private sector and would someday like to retire and stay in their homes? And have something left over for food, heat and health …

Letter to the editor: Say no to school board’s tax increase

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 06:08:47 -0500

Again, the District 67 school board is asking for a tax increase. Again, this is wrong and should be voted down. If this and previous incompetent boards had acted correctly we would not be having this discussion. They talk about two areas. One is maintenance and repair. The problems they mentioned did not happen yesterday. Boilers don’t deteriorate and roofs don’t leak in one year. Where is the money they should annually have put aside for these things? The other area they discuss is personnel and programs. Face it! We’re in the midst of a depression. Anyone who has a …

Letter: Cat Grandma to the rescue

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 19:08:45 -0500

To the Grey Lantern: Call me Cat Grandma. I am a super hero, too. As Cat Grandma, I bring wrongs to right. You know the texting fool in front of you who doesn’t move when the light turns green? I, Cat Grandma, am the one who uses her horn to get the line moving. Surely you are aware of people who lose their doggy’s doo on a neighbor’s lawn. I, Cat Grandma, return it to the owner’s front porch. Yes, I admit it, I’m partial to kitties, so when dogs roam the forest preserve bike trail unleashed, I confront the …

Park Ridge letter to the editor: Fond memories of the Pickwick

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 06:05:46 -0500

Today I received an article from my friend in Park Ridge about the overhaul at the Pickwick Theatre. This brought wonderful memories to me, as I was raised in Park Ridge and the Pickwick was the place that my mother and grandmother went to on a regular basis. Especially on Wednesday evening when there were dishes given out and a drawing from a revolving large cage that was wheeled out on the stage during a intermission between films. I also remember the square section you entered first where the ticket man accepted your ticket and returned a torn-half back. When you …

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 11:47:04 -0500

A little respect, please Look, I’m old, but not so old I can’t decide what your fingers are shouting at me. The index finger is saying you’re number one. Yeah I get it. And your gnarly third finger is telling me what you think of me. Perfectly clear. The only two I’m bitching about are two and three. Lately you’re flashing them at every camera, cop or crowd you see. This is where I take exception. You see, kiddo, I grew up during the great achievements of the Greatest Generation. Back then, that “V” stood for only one thing . …

Letter to the editor: Grateful to ‘angel’ for help after accident

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 14:50:32 -0500

I was involved in a serious automobile accident on Touhy Avenue this month. As I sat in my car immediately after the accident in a dazed condition, someone entered the rear seat of my car and said he was a retired Park Ridge fireman, my guardian angel for the day. This man asked how I was doing and calmed me down, asked about my injuries and told me not to move until the paramedics arrived. And then, he disappeared. I want to express my deep appreciation to him for his concern and help. I would be remiss if I did …

Letter to the editor: Don’t take the humanity out of progress

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 14:49:47 -0500

Like you, I’ve had some dreams come true: walking the white beaches of the Bahamas, strolling the crooked streets of New Orleans, climbing the Eiffel Tower, sipping Chianti in a Tuscany trattoria. Then there was beholding both the Sistine Chapel and the Grand Canyon, struggling to explain either. But now Apple has come up with Siri — my very own voice-activated pocket-assistant. The app is available on the iPhone45, and it’s been selling in town briskly. Just speak into it and Siri will tell me where I am, where’s the nearest Chinese restaurant, call a cab ... oh, and tell …

Letter to the editor: Przybylo mayoral bid promises politics

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 01:59:41 -0500

A local Niles newspaper recently printed an interview with Trustee Andrew Przybylo to get his reaction to the passage of a bill in Springfield which would permit liquor-license holders like him to occupy the office of mayor. The interview clearly states that he’ll run probably for mayor but not for trustee. Decisions, decisions. Oh, yes, he doesn’t want you to ask him who else in the state faces such a problem because he doesn’t want to tell their names. Shhhh … whatever. Three politicians handled the bill. It was introduced by Democratic State Rep. Louis Lang, of Skokie, who took …

Letter to the editor: Golf Mill is key to retail rehabilitation

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 06:01:27 -0500

Over the past several months, the village of Niles has composed its Niles 2030 Comprehensive Plan creating a vision for Niles in the next 20 years. The plan itself seems to encompass the entire community and provide for redevelopment among many of our business corridors. But to enact a vision of this magnitude we need to start today. The Niles Chamber of Commerce and Industry had supported the Golf Mill Shopping Center Business District proposal, as we felt it was a positive step toward redevelopment for our largest and most commercial corridor. We were disappointed to see it rejected by …

Letter to the editor: Embrace wonder of youth, but let go of the past

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 12:44:43 -0500

Another season of college graduations — of diplomas, which proudly display all the years and lessons needed to reach this day. And yet, one wonders how many of us watching the ceremony can admit we lost almost as much as we gained from those four years? With each new book read and course passed, we gathered up what our professors and our culture define as knowledge and truth. Surely we believe “the truth shall make us free.” But here’s the funny thing: There was a trade-off taking place. The more knowledge and truth that filled our life, the less room …

Guest essay: Maine Center charity cruise shoves off June 10

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:48:30 -0500

The world’s economic crisis is constantly in the news. Attempts at local levels to deal with the problem have resulted in blame-finding and dollar-cutbacks in every phase of governmental budgetary funding. Regardless of how we got here and why the money just isn’t there, a concerned individual can only write letters to politicians and wait to vote the perceived bad guys out of office at the next election. Of course, the worst fallout always hits the segments of our society with the least political clout — people in need of social services. This is a terrible injustice, but a harsh …

Letter to the editor: Why District 67’s bond issues did not pass

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 08:57:02 -0500

Maybe the bond issues for School District 67 did not pass because people believe the school board is less-than-competent and quite arrogant. They bring up these issues about leaks and repairs. Did all this happen last week? Did their previous budgets include repairs and replacements? What were they doing when these problems were minor and first occurred? Any homeowner knows these issues only get worse and need to be fixed before they become major expenditures. The last board meeting I attended was years ago but that was enough to see nothing good was to come of it. The board members …

Letter to the editor: Look out for safety for students on Talcott

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 18:25:41 -0500

I am writing in regard to the safety issue for Maine South students crossing Talcott. I know that this has been an issue for some time and I’m grateful that it is being brought to the forefront again. The traffic engineer stated that a signal light is not warranted “because it does not draw the minimum number of pedestrians during peak hours.” I know many families that live close enough for their children to walk to Maine South, but the parents choose to drive, so their kids will not have to navigate crossing Talcott. This further exacerbates the problem by …

Letter to the editor: Honor emergency dispatchers during second week in April

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:42:12 -0500

I am writing this letter regarding an important group of professionals who work behind the scenes alongside police and fire departments. These are the people who dispatch your police, fire, and emergency medical services. They are responsible for answering your calls and sending help when needed. Emergency Telecommunications Specialists are specially trained to provide life-sustaining instructions such as childbirth, CPR and Heimlich instructions while at the same time dispatching emergency personnel to help. These professionals work day in and day out (24 hours a day, 365 days a year), to ensure the health and safety of the citizens in the …

Letter to the editor: Say no to District 67 school referendum

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 08:54:33 -0500

In tough economic times, citizens need to say “no” to school-referendum tax hikes. Like all of us, District 67 needs to budget with what they have. Here, their track record over the past years is not good. When citizens vote “yes” all administrators often get a big raise. When citizens vote “no” the district intimidates citizens that programs will be cut if they don’t get their money. It would be very foolish to continually give school-district administrators more and more of our hard-earned money. Vote “no” on both of the upcoming March 20 School District 67 referendums. Agnes Lebensztejn Morton Grove …