Pass: Kids help clean trash on Sycamore streets

More than 150 kids from Sycamore and surrounding areas helped pick up litter Saturday, according to the Daily Chronicle.

Kids Work Day, organized with the help of Sycamore High School Key Club, took place Saturday in order to prepare for Sycamore’s Pumpkin Festival.

What’s better than kids helping clean up their community? I always appreciate seeing people take responsibility and make efforts to keep their hometowns clean. I also tip my hat to the people who felt garbage cans were just too inconvenient for them. Without litterers, there wouldn’t have been a cleanup event to begin with.

Many children expressed their belief in the importance of keeping a clean city and being responsible, the Daily Chronicle reported.

Had I picked up these kids’ maturity when I was younger, I might have learned the value of cleaning my room regularly.

Fail: Government shutdown causes Ill. park closures

More than 128,000 acres of wildlife preservations and state parks have been closed due to the federal government shutdown, according to The Associated Press.

Included in the off-limits area is a patch of hunting and hiking territory on the edge of the Ozark foothills, which brought in millions of dollars for the economy of that region.

Once again, the only people who suffer from the government acting like spoiled 6-year-olds are the ones who our regrettably elected representatives supposedly serve. So now, while politicians are bickering among petty differences, people who simply want to enjoy Illinois’ beauty cannot do so legally until this whole mess is over.

The preservations, when open to the public, are used for hunting, hiking, public events and environment education, AP reported.