Every time I read police reports in the paper, I am astounded at the number of people charged with driving while intoxicated.

Often these people are involved in accidents…running into ditches, hitting trees, missing curves in the road.  Knowing this, it sometimes scares me to drive at night.

There may soon be a solution to the problem.

My understanding is, by 2026 auto manufacturers will have to install technology to detect impaired drivers in new vehicles. These devices will be more sophisticated and accurate than a breathalyzer installed by a court order and will involve sensors and infra-red cameras.

As far as I am concerned, this is long overdue.

I also would like to see a state law that requires counties and municipalities to annually report on DWI arrests. I think the public should know what happens to drivers who break the law. Are their cases being pleaded down to a lesser charge?  Are the cases being dropped?

With computers as advanced as they are, statistics on DWI cases should be easy to report to the people.

Hickory Grove

Hopefully the city will soon be letting bids to demolish the Hickory Grove complex. The state takes forever to process requests, and it puts everybody in a hurry up and wait mode. Wish they would just get it done.

Speaking of getting it done, why does Illinois Route 38 between Rochelle and the DeKalb County line feel like a third world road? West of Rochelle it is nice, but going east can be bone jarring.

Museum raffle

The Flagg Township Museum is having a raffle. 100 tickets will be sold at $50 a ticket. First prize is $1,500!

If $50 seems a little steep, find a few friends. If five people each put in $10 they could each win $300. That would be a nice bonus for Christmas shopping.

Winners will be drawn Dec. 3, so don’t put off buying a ticket. You can get them at the museum or from museum board members, like me.

Hay bales

If you missed seeing the hay bales, check out the window at Hub City Furniture in downtown.  I believe all the hay bales are pictured there.  I was surprised to see a couple I missed while driving around town.

Speaking of downtown, the old Stone’s store at Fourth and Lincoln is currently being remodeled. The building permit in the window lists a custom sign retail shop as a purpose for the remodel.

Terry Dickow can be contacted at terrydickow@gmail.com