Columns
-
2026 tips for how to pay for collegeJan 17, 2026 12:59 pm - Whether your college-bound student is starting college this fall, next fall or the one after that, there are steps you can take in 2026 to help your child get their degree without sabotaging your savings or retirement.
-
Illinois needs spending restraint to help businesses thrive in 2026Jan 17, 2026 11:53 am - The Illinois General Assembly has returned for the 2026 session, and lawmakers already are debating subsidizing the Chicago Bears’ new stadium, making changes to Tier 2 pensions, addressing energy concerns and data centers, and even proposing new progressive income taxes.
-
Lincicome: This is no way for the Bears to reach 100Jan 17, 2026 10:00 am - There must be at least 100 reasons why the Bears could lose to the Rams on Sunday. The Bears could lose if nobody up there likes Caleb Williams. If Montez Sweat cheers up...
-
O’Donnell: Good, better, don’t implode — three easy pieces for Bears over L.A.Jan 17, 2026 10:00 am - PSYCHOLOGISTS MAINTAIN THAT a key part of being a fan is anticipation and that's a good thing. Whether that good thing extends to the 60,000 or so who will be anticipatin...
-
Is the middle class shrinking or struggling? The difference is important.Jan 16, 2026 4:00 am - Syndicated columnist Veronique de Rugy: Under a novel approach to defining the middle class, the "core" of the class does indeed shrink modestly as the country gets richer. But crucially, it shrinks because people are moving up the income ladder, not because they're falling down.
-
The end of the rule of lawJan 16, 2026 4:00 am - Syndicated columnist Susan Estrich: The headline shook me to the core. "Six Prosecutors Quit Over Push to Investigate ICE Shooting Victim's Widow." This is what the end of the rule of law looks like.
-
Bowl season was kind to area football playersJan 15, 2026 6:26 pm - It was another strong bowl season for local football players.
-
In it to win it: Bregman has been target of Cubs, Hoyer for yearsJan 15, 2026 5:47 pm - The Cubs introduced free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman on Thursday. Both sides are expecting his commitment to winning will continue on the North Side.
-
Silvy: Johnson is winning because he dares to challenge Bears cultureJan 15, 2026 6:00 am - For years we asked for coaches and players who truly understood the Bears/Packers rivalry and, more importantly, winning football games. We didn’t want hollow words that would just patronize us; we hoped for someone in the organization to change the culture and all of the losing ways.
-
I've got addiction down to a teaJan 15, 2026 4:00 am - Syndicated columnist Keith Raffel: The advice to “Write drunk, edit sober” is often attributed (probably incorrectly) to the hard-drinking Ernest Hemingway, the Nobel Prize-winning novelist. Here's my own riff on that advice.