Courier News

Les Turner ALS Foundation grateful to Elgin fundraisers

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:02:00 -0500

Les Turner ALS Foundation grateful to Elgin fundraisers Approximately 1,000 people in Illinois have ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, or motor neuron disease, and about 250 more are diagnosed each year. The disease may seem relatively rare, but we find many people know someone who has been affected by the disease. At the Les Turner ALS Foundation, we are working toward the day when no one is affected by the disease. We are dedicated to treating and eliminating ALS through research, patient services, education and advocacy. During National ALS Awareness Month in May, hundreds of Les Turner ALS …

Please don’t ask me for ‘the pension money’

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 02:21:43 -0500

Please don’t ask me, or the other taxpayers, for ‘the pension money’ What kind of mess has our state lawmakers got us into now? Illinois’ pension problem dwarfs the retirement problems of all other states. This state has a $100 billion unfunded liability, or a $45,000-plus debt for every family residing in Illinois. And that number is growing daily. Why aren’t our lawmakers doing something about it? Below are examples of organizations and state legislatures that did. Today, more than 80 percent of private workers belong to 401(k)-style retirement plans. Boeing made headlines earlier this year when workers voted to …

Give blood, save lives: Donations needed even more in summer

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 02:36:24 -0500

Blood donations needed even more in summer June 14 is National Blood Donor Day — and given the recent natural disasters and other unfortunate events our nation has endured this year, I think it warrants some awareness for the gift of blood donations and the gracious volunteers who supply it. According to the American Red Cross, it is estimated that someone in the United States will need blood every two to three seconds, and there is a 97 percent chance that someone you know will need a blood transfusion at some point in their lifetime. Unfortunately, blood cannot be manufactured; …

Speak Out: Upset about gay unions

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 02:36:33 -0500

Upset about gay unions: This is about gay marriage. A man and a woman should be married. There’s nothing wrong if a man is gay or a woman is gay. That’s up to them. This marriage of man to a man or a woman to a woman is way out of line. That’s not the way God made us. The way things are now, it’s just not right. If they want to live with each other, that’s fine. They were doing it before, so what’s the big deal? Man and woman should be married together. Gay marriage laws should not …

Speak Out: Don’t study dealer — stop him

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 02:40:23 -0500

Don’t study dealer — stop him: I’m just calling about the drug sweep that was written about in the paper. They were saying how many deaths have been caused by heroin overdoses. They were observing these dealers for a year while they were making drug sales. Why didn’t they do their job and arrest them when they made a sale instead of having a big investigation with overtime, waste of money, and loss of life? If they would make an arrest the minute they see a sale, they could possibly save lives. It might be a good career move for …

Having too many traffic lights is wasting gas in Elgin

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 02:39:59 -0500

Having too many traffic lights wastes gas in Elgin Did you know that there are 10 traffic lights from Larkin Avenue to Spring Street in Elgin? Did you also know that six of these traffic lights are just blocks away from Route 20? Have you noticed they are not timed? I am willing to bet by getting rid of most of the traffic lights and making sure they are timed, traffic will flow a lot more smoothly and we will not be wasting gas waiting for the light to turn green. What was I thinking? It makes too much sense. …

Speak Out: Obey Elgin sound ordinance

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 02:32:41 -0500

Obey sound ordinance: I know the Elgin police have been swamped by loud music and loud party calls over the last few weeks. The city should do more to educate residents on the sound ordinance before they book a disc jockey or live band. By the way, either one of those will almost always violate the ordinance. Irked about ID theft: In regards to the Speak Out caller who claimed an American stole his identification and racked up a bill at Sherman Hospital, how does he know it’s an American? The only people who seem to be able identify illegal …

Speak Out: Camp fires belong in country, not city of Elgin

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 02:28:50 -0500

Camp fires belong in the country: The weather is getting cooler so you don’t need your air conditioner. It would be nice to have your windows open at night if it weren’t for the people in Elgin who like to sit in their backyards by an open wood fire. They should go out in the country and go camping instead of filling the neighborhood houses with wood smoke. Concerned about concealed carry law: I want to respond to what I call a “Michele Bachmannism,” a moniker where someone puts forth lies as the truth. The concealed carry law has just …

Speak Out: Disappointed in Democratic leaders

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 02:23:53 -0500

Disappointed in Democratic leaders: Our do-nothing, hear-nothing and know-nothing President Obama was in Chicago panhandling. I wonder who paid for the jet flight which should be paid from all of the money he collected. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi was in Chicago going for votes by pushing government help for working mothers. I worked and paid my own babysitters. I didn’t need a nanny government to hold my hand. Sen. Dick Durbin says he feels for immigrants since his family also immigrated. He failed to mention that his family came here legally. Stop schmoozing for votes. The laws of this …

With more motorists on roads, summer means more attention to safety needed

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 10:32:05 -0500

With more motorists on roads for summer, more attention to safety is needed Now that Memorial Day has passed, college students are home for the summer, and teen drivers are heading to and from summer activities, the busy summer travel season has officially begun. As the number of drivers on the road increases, the odds for crashes, injuries and fatalities increase as well. Drivers must ensure they get to and from their destination safely by obeying the rules of the road and practicing responsible driving habits. Traffic safety is an important issue to us, as 11 years ago, a young …

Speak Out: Don’t text while driving

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 10:32:05 -0500

Don’t text while driving: This is in regards to texting and using cellphones while driving. I was watching the television news tonight. There was a lady visiting Chicago who was teaching children not to text while driving. They showed pictures of her daughter who was in a car accident. It happened on a busy highway. Here in Illinois, the government says texting while driving is against the law. Elgin police should follow that state law. It doesn’t matter if you are in a school zone or not. Texting while driving is like drinking and driving. A cellphone while driving doesn’t …

This summer, help kids reconnect with nature

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 02:39:10 -0500

This summer, help kids reconnect with nature The Chicago region is home to an astounding array of natural habitats, including oak savannas prairies, woodlands, wetlands and lakes. Conservation professionals and volunteers have been working together for decades to restore and protect these natural areas, which provide critical habitat for native plants and wildlife, including many threatened or endangered species. But in the last five years, a new species has risen to the top of the endangered list: children playing outside in nature. Rachel Carson titled her seminal work, “Silent Spring,” after the decline of birds (and thus their songs) in …

Is local League of Women voters against the Second Amendment?

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 02:31:00 -0500

Is local League of Women voters against the Second Amendment? One goal of the League of Women Voters is to prevent violence and protect the health and safety of citizens through limiting the accessibility of handguns. So does that mean the League of Women Voters wants to ignore the Constitution? The Second Amendment reads: “… the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” They claim “there is still a possibility that these guns will find their way into the hands of people who use them to commit crimes.” But they only want to prevent …

CPR & AED Awareness Week seeks to save young lives

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 02:47:47 -0500

CPR & AED Awareness Week urges education, preparedness, to save lives On May 25, 2009, my seemingly healthy 22-year-old son Ryan died of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) in his sleep. He had no warning — the first symptom was death. Sudden Cardiac Arrest in youth and young adults is not a rare occurrence. It is the No. 1 cause of death for young athletes in the U.S., with one death every three to four days; and it doesn’t just happen to athletes. National CPR/AED Awareness Week is June 1-7. It is critical that our community recognizes the importance of having …

What IRS should target: tax-dodging companies

Fri, 31 May 2013 02:34:35 -0500

What IRS should target: tax-dodging companies The IRS scandal that Congress should be investigating is allowing Apple to hide $40-50 billion in Ireland every year to avoid U.S. tax liability. It is clear to me that the Treasury Department should insist that the IRS repatriate American tax dollars that large U.S. corporations such as Apple are hiding and prevent them from doing so in the future. It is unjust and un-American for huge corporations such as Apple to out-source manufacturing jobs to China, establish subsidiaries in Ireland for the sole purpose of avoid U.S. taxes and charge a premium price …