Report from Chicagoland

We trekked to the Chicago area to attend a family (my second cousin-in-law) wedding and to visit long-time friends in the college town of Urbana. Lemme tell you, if there's gloom in nation, a pall on America's spirit, I didn't find it here. Folks are going about their business. They're making lives, working hard, and are hopeful for their kids and grandkids. They're glad for a light snow cover to make December feel like Christmas.

To be sure, we didn't initiate any conversations aobut politics with anyone outside of the decidedly liberal crowd at the taping of Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!. We let people about work and families and the usual fare for people who'd just met.  The most serious social problem that I heard discussed came from one woman who told of neighborhood kids playing baseball in her driveway and denting her garage door.

[caption id="attachment_3029" align="alignleft" width="179" caption="A room with a view"][/caption]

The rehearsal dinner was in a restaurant in the back of a bowling alley. Several people at the lanes were wearing Bowling for Jesus shirts "because He died your pins."

It's true that Marshall Field's has been hollowed out and replaced by Macy's, that Dunkin' Donuts is bringing its alleged coffee to every street corner and gas station. There were few choices for breakfast near our hotel that's at the back of a large shopping mall that's in the middle of the carpet of suburbs. So we had our breakfast at IKEA and were very pleased. We ate lunch at the restaurant next to the Bass Pro Shop.

The people we spoke with were unfailingly polite as you'd expect. Their work was often in flux. The people getting married are in their mid-30s, late by the standards of previous generations, but common now. Housing prices are low, but credit is extremely tight, so attractive homes stay on the market for a long time. There weren't  a lot of little kids around, letting the four-year-old ring-bearer enjoy his day without competition.

We talked long enough to get beyond the introductory niceties. People didn't, of course, get to deep stories, but they did talk of their futures, what they liked and disliked about their jobs, what they did on weekends, and what they imagined for retirement. None of it was on hold until the 2012 election. None of it was about 99% or 1%. None of it was about class war or the war on Christmas or or who believed what. They talked about what they were doing and what they were gonna do.

If you read or watch or listen to the news, you might think that the fabric of the nation is irrecoverably split. The news spends too much time listening to itself.  Chicago may be divided, but it's between Cubs fans and White Sox fans, those who care or don't care that Theo Epstein might bring a World Series championship to Wrigley Field.

Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):
[Editor's note: there were 7 suspicious items this week.]

Holden

Monday -- November 28

7:29 a.m. State police received call from Jackson St. resident concerned about gunshots by watershed property. Advised it is OK for hunters to be in that area
9:09 a.m. Mother dropping off accident report for daughter, Main St.
10:19 a.m. Caller’s house vandalized, Christmas lights torn down and swags stolen, Avery Rd.
10:39 a.m. Resident in lobby to file complaint about neighbor cutting down trees on property line
1:04 p.m. Two young men crossing Holden St.; one carrying old-fashioned crow bar as if trying to hide it. Got into gray Jeep and took off
1:47 p.m. Black/gray pit bull in caller’s backyard, Newell Rd.
2:03 p.m. Bear attacked bird feeder, Lexington Cir.
5:02 p.m. Suspicious white van in front of caller’s mother’s home; OK, flat tire
6:37 p.m. Person in lobby complaining he was almost hit by fire engine/no traffic light in front of station

Tuesday -- November 29

10:10 a.m. Party into lobby to inquire about traffic issue on Shrewsbury St.
11:45 a.m. Small to medium-sized bear seen on rail trail
1:17 p.m. Party in lobby to drop off stuffed animals
2:36 p.m. Party in lobby dropping off stuffed animals
3:50 p.m. Call about group of kids in woods behind home, shooting pellet/airsoft guns, Lovell Rd.; adult males shooting paintball at target/no issue
5:30 p.m. Caller asking if guys from prior incident could be released to owner’s friend; advised no because of ongoing investigation

Wednesday -- November 30

4:34 p.m. Caller says truck dropped box of tools on Main St.
10:30 p.m. Suspicious person on bike came out from woods, Broad St.

Thursday -- December 1

12:49 p.m. Report of missing wheelchair, Mayo Dr.
4:23 p.m. Suspicious vehicle pulled into school lot, Reservoir St.
6:11 p.m. Hitchhiker, Shrewsbury St.

Friday -- December 2

1:52 a.m. Caller advising “at the end of Quinapoxet St., there is a bad person,”; second call from motorist reports male walking in middle of Quinapoxet St., would not get out of way. Arrest: ... drunkenness
11:49 a.m. Animal complaint, Bailey Rd.

Paxton

Monday -- November 28

4:25 a.m. Police remove branch from road, Pleasant St./Lincoln Cir.
11:56 a.m. Report of loose pitbull in Moore State Park near parking lot and access road, Sawmill Rd.
4:33 p.m. Suspicious person in area of Center School, West St.

Tuesday -- November 28

2:44 p.m. Suspicious vehicle in front of different houses all day, Hemlock St.
2:54 p.m. Follow-up investigation at station, Pleasant St.
4:50 p.m. Caller reports issue with credit card his son let someone borrow. Advised it is a civil matter

Wednesday -- November 30

4:06 p.m. German shepherd running loose in Moore State Park

Thursday -- December 1

6:09 p.m. Disturbance, Maple St. Everything OK, no services required
6:34 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, Mower St.

Friday -- December 2

3:26 p.m. Aggressive unleashed dog running in Iron Forge Rd.

Sunday -- December 4

1:09 p.m. Loose dog in area for a few days, Sawmill Rd.
3:43 p.m. Suspicious vehicle drove into driveway, Marshall St.

Princeton

Monday -- November 28

4:39 a.m. Police remove large branch from Sterling Rd.
10:16 a.m. Request for assistance getting skunk from house crawl space, Ball Hill Rd.
12:10 p.m. Horse in caller’s back yard, Hubbardston Rd. Hubbardston PD located owner
3:27 p.m. Caller found stray dog, Hubbardston Rd.
3:48 p.m. Two dogs running around intersection all day, Ball Hill/Schoolhouse Rds.
4:44 p.m. Police check on person napping in his car on side of E. Princeton Rd.
7:24 p.m. Suspicious white car in parking lot for long time, Fitchburg Rd.
8:48 p.m. Police assist person locked out of vehicle, Old Brooks Station Rd.

Tuesday -- November 29

1:04 a.m. Dog barking for past two hours, Prospect St.

Wednesday -- November 30

8:33 p.m. Vehicle hit deer, Mountain Rd. Approximately 12-feet of guardrail damaged

Thursday -- December 1

7:50 a.m. Caller heard gunshots from her property and doesn’t want hunters there, Bullard Rd. Advised of posting regulations
3:41 p.m. Caller wants to speak to animal control officer about neighbor’s dead chicken. Ongoing issue, Wheeler Rd.

Friday -- December 2

12:40 p.m. Police assist person locked out of vehicle, Mountain Rd.
2:39 p.m. Police check building for packages left there, Boylston Ave.
8:45 p.m. Suspicious vehicle with blue light outside passenger window, Sterling Rd.
10:26 p.m. Safety cones removed from Beaman Rd. and taken to Wilson Rd. Police put them back

Saturday -- December 3

4:52 p.m. Suspicious vehicle with three males nearby, Thompson Rd.
5:04 p.m. Dog barking for long time, Merriam Rd.

Sunday -- December 4

Rutland

Monday -- November 28

7:30 a.m. Missing small white/tan Peek-a-Poo, River Rd.
9:13 a.m. Suspicious vehicles in area of Swartz Ave.
11:15 a.m. Injured squirrel, Davis St. animal control officer notified
12:15 p.m. Car parked between houses and no room for a vehicle, E. County Rd.
5:54 p.m. Deer ran into car window, E. County Rd.
6:33 p.m. Male standing near mailbox, Walnut St. Fled on a scooter

Tuesday -- November 29

11:32 a.m. Caller has two kittens living in his gazebo, Stevens Way
9:02 p.m. Report of gunshot close to home, E. County Rd.

Wednesday -- November 30

2:00 p.m. Worcester resident at station reporting her son’s bike that was stolen in Worcester is now on Craig’s List for sale with a Rutland address. She has an appointment to see the bike later in day
5:03 p.m. Officer recovering stolen bicycle, Main St.

Thursday -- December 1

1:46 p.m. Mini-van with three males traveling through the neighborhood very slowly, Emerald Rd.
6:45 p.m. Dog trapped under vehicle, injured but ran off, Main St.
8:20 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, Barre Paxton Rd.
11:23 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, Barre Paxton Rd.
11:41 P.M. Dead raccoon, Main St./Nancy Dr.

Friday -- December 2

4:54 p.m. Suspicious female walking down Emerald Rd.
5:00 p.m. Female at station reporting a sign was spray painted with racial slurs, Welch Ave. Sign taken down
6:00 p.m. Missing black Labrador, Sassawanna Rd.

Saturday -- December 3

12:11 a.m. Police out with person trying to jump-start their car, Ficherman’s/Barre Paxton Rds.
9:03 a.m. Report of animal hoarding, 20 or more cats, some pregnant, Pommogussett Rd.
3:49 p.m. Suspicious vehicle in driveway, Campbell St.
4:04 p.m. Hunter on rail trail, caller wants officer to check it out, Crawford Rd.
4:40 p.m. Caller reports male sitting on the ground by his car, Main St.
8:18 p.m. Caller received call telling her she won $3 dollars, Pommogussett Rd.
8:47 p.m. Deer struck and under vehicle, Pommogussett Rd. Deer gone on arrival, damage to vehicle

Sunday -- December 4

9:43 a.m. Caller wants information about guns turned in five years ago, Main St.

Sterling

Monday -- November 28

3:06 p.m. Missing black standard poodle, Sterling Rd.
10:27 p.m. Caller’s girlfriend in an accident in Sterling somewhere; found to be on Ball Hill Rd. in Princeton. Female arrested in Hubbardston

Tuesday -- November 29

7:30 a.m. Cat found in carrier left near railroad tracks, Campground Rd. DPW advises someone took a kitten from the area, but a mother cat still in area
7:57 p.m. Caller requesting officer regarding male jogger without reflective clothing, Heywood/Rowley Hill Rds. Police find person is wearing safety device clearly visible

Wednesday -- November 30

9:53 a.m. Male and female going through rubbish barrels, Michael Ln.
3:14 p.m. Suspicious vehicle passing by two times, person seems to be looking at front doors of houses, Pratts Jct. Rd.
5:21 p.m. Stray cat in garage, Heywood Rd.

Thursday -- December 1

9:35 a.m. Suspicious vehicle with two occupants, Tanglewood Rd. Going through rubbish for cans
12:39 p.m. Missing Siberian husky from Lancaster

Friday -- December 2

7:34 a.m. Caller reports hunter in woods. Person said he has permission to be on property, Kendall Hill Rd.
8:51 p.m. Suspicious vehicle with blue light, Rte. 62

Saturday -- December 3

10:08 a.m. Caller reports his dog died during the night and was on the kitchen floor, Newell Hill Rd.
3:25 p.m. Caller concerned about hunters behind his house, Old Princeton – West Rd.
6:09 p.m. Suspicious vehicle pulled into driveway, then left and went down the street, came back and pulled into driveway across the street, Wilder Rd.

Sunday -- December 4

8:32 a.m. Car locked behind gate, Albright Rd.
12:08 p.m. Report of pregnant cat that keeps coming to house, Wilder Rd.
10:18 p.m. Caller reports gunshots, Newell Hill Rd.