Columns
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A link between trust, skepticism that can combat ‘fake news’Sep 25, 2025 4:00 am - Columnist Jim Slusher: Addressing the rise of "fake news," an expert explains the importance of news literacy - teaching discernment in evaluating information from various media sources.
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Memory, meaning and the pursuit of magicSep 11, 2025 4:00 am - Columnist Jim Slusher: The number 24 may not be special in itself, but on this anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we are reminded that what matters is not simply that we remember. It is how we carry the memories forward in our daily lives
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The importance of holding, and hosting, G20Sep 11, 2025 4:00 am - Guest columnist Arthur I. Cyr: President Donald Trump has announced the United States will host the next meeting of the G20 in 2026 at his Doral Resort in Florida. This is major, and encouraging, news.
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When fingering a scar helps define, strengthen our resilienceSep 04, 2025 4:00 am - Columnist Jim Slusher: Our two-part retrospective on the Joe Gliniewicz case, where a beloved cop tried to hide financial crimes through his suicide, examines the trauma a community felt and the lessons and character that were revealed.
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Lack of kratom regulation causing health risks in IllinoisAug 29, 2025 4:00 am - Guest columnist Heidi Sykora: The lack of regulation in Illinois threatens access to safe, quality natural kratom leaf.
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The true courage in ‘telling it like it is’Aug 28, 2025 4:00 am - Columnist Jim Slusher: There is a lot to unpack in Gov. JB Pritzker’s appeal to news media to “tell it like it is” and not “pretend there are two sides” to the story of a possible National Guard deployment to Chicago.
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Lawmakers should act to reform utility rate systemAug 28, 2025 4:00 am - Guest columnist Emmanuel Thomas: The biggest driver of rising energy bills is ComEd's delivery charges, not the cost of electricity, as the utility claims; lawmakers must reform utility ratemaking to rein in ComEd's out-of-control spending
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Fear. Money. And a story of a community’s brush with opportunityAug 25, 2025 4:00 am - Guest columnist Louis S. Guagenti: Imagine a ‘Joan’ and the dilemma she poses for an affluent suburb dealing with mental illness and homelessness.
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The obituary as perspective on the news and what mattersAug 22, 2025 9:34 am - I have been writing this column about newspaper issues for more than 25 years. How does it come to pass that I have never talked about obituaries? Apparently, I needed a ...
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The big bill is not beautiful; it’s perniciousAug 22, 2025 4:00 am - Guest columnist Ralph Martire: The Congressional Budget Office projects $536 billion in Medicare cuts over 10 years due to the "Big Beautiful Bill's" tax cuts, worsening inequality and state budget deficits.