You could make a list of what David Pope has accomplished in his 10 years of village board service — eight of those years as our village president. Or you could just ask Mr. Pope for his list because, yes, he has been keeping track. He could likely produce that list as a spreadsheet or on the back of a napkin — we've seen both versions.

Why have 45 states so quickly adopted the Common Core State Standards, and why was there great interest but so little critical questioning when Advance Illinois joined with District 97 to pitch the Common Core at Irving School on April 29?

Now that spring finally seems to have arrived (I'm keeping my fingers crossed), the following column, which first ran on April 15, 2009, deserves a reprise.

I believe that the best we can hope for is that things will get worse slowly. I guess that makes me a pessimist. Like a fancy craft beer, my pessimism is tinged with cynicism and skepticism.

As some of you know, Nathan Linsk and I have been shuttling back and forth to Africa since 2001 where Nathan has been involved in developing university-level social work education programs for vulnerable children and people with HIV in Tanzania and Ethiopia.

A recent conversation I had with my nephew-in-law stimulated me to order my thinking about gun-control laws and engendered some new thoughts.

On Saturday, May 11, newly elected state Representative Chris Welch will hold a town meeting in River Forest. This will be an opportunity for residents to learn about the political comings and goings at our state capital.

Your cover photo of the children trying to cross Oak Park Avenue [News, May 1] horrified me! If these children are walking to school, I would assume they live in Oak Park and their parents are already paying taxes to District 97.

On Monday, April 29, I witnessed an unfortunate lack of action on the part of the Oak Park Board of Trustees. Proposed amendments to the village code that would have resolved issues faced by President-Elect Abu-Taleb were put off without debate. While President Pope committed to placing the item on the agenda for the May 6 meeting, this delay was unnecessary.

In my letter titled, "If trees could talk," published in the Wednesday Journal Viewpoints section on May 1, it was not my intention to imply I was representing the opinions of the Oak Park Library Board by signing off as library trustee.