THE ISSUE
Many public figures will attend Wheaton’s July 4 parade to begin positioning themselves for the 2010 elections.
OUR VIEW
Voters cannot be tuned out between elections and expect our state’s problems to fix themselves.
SPEAK UP
Does seeing politicians in parades affect your vote? Click here to tell us what you think. Or e-mail your comments here.

OUR BRAND-NEW OPINIONS SECTION DEBUTS IN THIS WEEK'S NEWSPAPER & ONLINE
It features commentary and analysis from our editors as well as thoughts from your friends and neighbors on what's happening in Wheaton. Making our town an even better place to live starts with an active discussion of good ideas. We hope you'll join in.

YOUR VIEW
In addition to more-frequent local editorials, our expanded opinions coverage features a forum seeking your take on a key issue being talked about around town. Here's the current topic.

In order to put more police officers on the street, the city of Wheaton ends its Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. What kind of impact will eliminating the DARE program have on school children?

Click here to leave a comment. You can also e-mail your comment here. Or leave a voice message at (630) 368-8882.

It’s humbling to consider that so many of our fellow Americans deemed our security and prosperity more valuable than their lives. The least we can do is to take a few moments Memorial Day to remember the debt of gratitude we owe them.

The nature of government in Berwyn has been that individual agendas often trump public service. Today’s spirit of cooperation must not be allowed to devolve into tomorrow’s personal attacks on adversaries.

TELL US: Should restaurants in Berwyn be allowed to operate like nightclubs?

Leave us a comment, e-mail us at opinions@mysuburbanlife.com or call and leave a message at (630) 368-8882.

Members of the Cook County Board of Commissioners showed a rebellious side last week that should be on display more often.

Some new members of the Community Unit District 201 School Board campaigned on the theme of increasing transparency. Here’s how they can get off to a good start: They should release information regarding Superintendent Steve Baule’s contract, particularly the goals set forth by the previous board.

The bank holding the deed to the Arcade Building in Riverside wants to sell the structure fast, perhaps a little too fast.

Let’s hope the high school students involved in two recent forums in Wheaton on gun laws weren’t the only ones to learn a lesson about debating public policy.

The death of a child is a parent’s worst nightmare and a horrible shock to the wider community. This tragedy is compounded when the death was by the youth’s own hand. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the third-leading cause of death among people age 15 to 24.

It would have been easy for families, alumni and supporters of Driscoll Catholic High School in Addison to accept the April 2 decision of the Christian Brothers of the Midwest to close the facility at the end of the academic year and move on with their lives. But they chose to pool their resources and make an effort to keep the school open. As of last week, members of a fundraising committee had raised more than $930,000 as part of a plan to save the school.

The state Open Meetings Act mandates public bodies to conduct their business in open session. The only exceptions to this are for personnel, property acquisition and litigation issues.

Some residents of Glen Ellyn still believe they didn’t have their say on the proposed relocation of a school. Are they kidding? Diamante Montessori wants to relocate to a vacant church at Park Boulevard and Hillside Avenue. The Glen Ellyn Village Board signed off on the plan in March, after the village’s Plan Commission held five public hearings.