| Good morning. What a beautiful weekend of weather. Former Illinois lieutenant governor, state legislator and president of Boise State University Bob Kustra and his daughter, editor Jenny Kustra-Quinn, make the case today against keeping Beluga whales in captivity. "Beluga whales deserve better, and the time for imprisoning them for our entertainment or “education” has passed," the two write together. Edward Keegan, our architecture columnist, made a strong argument Sunday that the resident neighborhood known as Dearborn Street needs a makeover. Dearborn Park’s initial plan in the 1970s created a protective wall around itself in order to make it economically viable," Ed writes. "Dearborn Park now sits as an island in the midst of these new developments," he continues. "It’s time to open Dearborn Park to its surrounding neighborhoods." Other must reads in our Opinion section include columnist John Shaw on what we might learn from the President of Finland (yes, Finland) and a piece arguing against moving the Amtrak rail yard to Bridgeport on environmental grounds. The editorial board, meanwhile, has been engrossed in endorsements for the upcoming general elections. We rolled out our choices in the first 10 Illinois districts for the U.S. House of Representatives over the weekend. There are many more to come and then we move on to the Illinois Statehouse. We look at each race as carefully as we can and our offices have been filled with candidates over the last several days. Even if you are not in the districts of the day, I think you'll find the endorsements interesting, if only to see (a) what gerrymandering has wrought in terms of non-competitive candidates from one party or another and (b), to see what candidates have on their minds. We try to help readers who might disagree with our general points of view as we assess those running for office and give everyone their say, at least as much as our space and time allows. We hope you have a great October Monday and also enjoy our readers' letters on the provocative topics of the day! — Chris Jones, editorial page editor
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