If you still haven’t put up your Christmas lights yet, there’s plenty of time, given the expected mild winter most of Illinois is expected to have.  But, there are things you need to do first.

Kyla Kruse with the Illinois-based Energy Education Council says you need to check your strands of lights — and not just to see if there are any bulbs burned out.

She said from a safety standpoint, if there are any cracks or breaks, you don’t want them on your tree or on your house, saying it’s not a safe situation.

Kruse says strands of Christmas lights can be rated for indoor use, outdoor use, or both.  But, Kruse says you have to read the label, because they’re likely not meant to use for longer than the holidays.

She also says to be careful where you lay extension cords, so they’re not a tripping hazard.  She recommends plugging no more than three strands of Christmas lights into one extension cord.

In other State news, Chicago has a reputation as a great architectural city, and few would say it’s because of the James R. Thompson Center.

The Rauner administration has revived the idea of finding a way to get rid of the much-maligned state office building, criticized as being unattractive, inefficient, and neglected. But some developer could pay the state big bucks for its Chicago office building just for the chance to replace it. Bob Reed, director of programming for the Better Government Association, wonders about that.

Reed asked if you would take a scorched-earth policy and knock it down or start over or would you take the building as it currently is and try to find some way of revitalizing it, admitting there are a lot of arguments that can be made for both the issues.

Reed, adding he’s concerned about transparency, says a replacement building would change the character of what’s become kind of a government neighborhood in the Loop.