The following is what our readers sounded off about this week:
Was I scammed?
I was at the gas station this past week, and a guy came up to me from a car and he said he left his wallet at home, and he was going to church. This was in the Tri-Cities area. He had six kids in the back seat and his wife. He was nicely dressed. But he said he needed gas money. Usually, I don’t. I’m unemployed. But I gave him $5, and I went in there to pay and I told the guy about this other guy asking, but the attendant didn’t say anything. I gave him $5. But when I left, I was shaking all the way home. What do you do in a situation like this? I’ve never come across this. I donate to the food drives, but when somebody just needs money? I don’t know if I was scammed.
Smoking is not allowed
Batavia parents – smoking is not allowed on the school property, anywhere, including in the tennis court parking lot during football games, hiding behind minivans. It’s not allowed anywhere, any time.
No biking at Fabyan Forest Preserve
This is in response to the mountain biking at Fabyan. There is no biking at Fabyan Forest Preserve Woods. Can you not read the signs? You’re the only one there because you’re not supposed to be there. Use common sense. Be respectful to the woods. And read the signs. You’ve already ruined it. The woods have been disrespected by mountain bikers. So get out of the woods, please. And read the signs. And be respectful.
Don’t want to read about bullying
All week long, I’ve paid for your newspaper to read about bullying. I am a senior citizen, and I want to read about things that interest me. Why don’t you put this stuff about bullying in school newspapers? Why do you impose it on all of us? This is not right. I didn’t pay for this newspaper to read about bullying the whole week. You’ve got to have a different attitude. You’re not really a newspaper. You are just a flier with ads, and now it’s about bullying. We’ve got enough schools, have some things with the teachers and the pupils and the parents. Why do you have to waste my money on your paper for something I have no interest in? Put it in the right venue.
Protect the ancient oaks
I welcomed the article Wednesday about the Kane County Forest Preserve program, to bring back the wonderful oak trees that have been either displaced by development or neglected in our own forest preserves. Great, strong trees that they are, living hundreds of years, usually, the oaks do need our help for optimum longevity and new growth. Recent publicity about plans to have roads and bikers running through Fabyan East Woods had us worried that the forest preserve board really does not understand how much we need those very old oaks there, and how they need our help, if young oaks will grow to one day replace the ancient ones. We urge protection and maintenance for the historic Fabyan East Woods.
No to Lexington Club TIF
I am one of the 1,000 St. Charles residents who signed the petition asking the City Council to say no to the Lexington Club TIF. In these economic times, our property taxes should not be raised to make some fat cat developer richer. I was happy to see that the folks gathering signatures are going to have a presence in the First Street plaza during Scarecrow Fest. I am going to tell all of my friends and relatives who live in St. Charles to go there and sign as well. We need to show City Hall that enough is enough.
We don’t need more homes
Do we need more owner-occupied houses in St. Charles, when we have almost 500 empty homes, and more going into foreclosure every day? Secondly, should we even think about helping an out-of-town builder financially and putting an additional burden on the back of every St. Charles property taxpayer? Thirdly, what is it that motivates the City Council to entertain such plans? Lastly, I say bravo to those citizens opposing the situation. I am going to Scarecrow Fest to sign their petition. I’m mad ... about the whole thing, and I want to do more than simply call in to Sound Off about it.
Get rid of the guns
There’s something I don’t understand. Every morning, when I listen to the news, there are six or 10 killings, and I never hear anybody trying to do anything about getting rid of those ... guns. Nobody is doing anything about it, and that is absolutely ridiculous.
Needing a change
I just finished watching the presidential debates, and I hate to say it, but I didn’t hear one new idea from the president about how he’s going to try to improve the country. Hard for me to say this because I voted for Obama in 2008. I do not think that I am going to vote for him this year. I really feel like we need to change course, and I think if he’s re-elected, we are just going to continue down the same path, and absolutely nothing is going to change.
Obama can’t handle the job
After watching the presidential debate, it certainly appears that the person currently in the White House cannot handle the job. Time to vote him out.
Be fair to Fox Valley’s best teachers
I’m calling in to give some balance to all the complaints from people who don’t like paying taxes and are bashing Geneva’s teachers as a result. Geneva has the best student results among the Tri-Cities, and those are among the best in the state. Geneva’s test scores are among the best in the state, and you can’t just chalk that up to good parenting. The teachers have a huge impact on the success of our students. The successes shown by the students in high school, college and in life is taken for granted by people. The teachers are the reason for this success. While teachers should be paid fairly, what the Geneva School Board is doing is taking money and benefits away from the teachers that they had in past years. There is no deficit. There is $30 million in reserve in the district available to pay teachers what the board already agreed to pay them in past years. Instead of paying $1 million for a state-of-the-art football field, we should remember our priorities and be fair to the best teachers in the Fox Valley.
Scarecrow Fest disappointment
I do not like the setup of the Scarecrow Festival this year. I am very disappointed with how things were arranged in town.
• You can sound off, as well, by calling our Sound Off line at 630-845-5240 or by sending an e-mail to soundoff@kcchronicle.com. Calls must be limited to 1 minute or less.
