Columns
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Improving pedestrian safety at Grayslake’s railroad crossingsJun 19, 2026 4:00 am - Guest columnist Melinda Bush: Recent tragedies in Grayslake and neighboring Mundelein have once again focused attention on the risks associated with railroad crossings and train movements in our communities.
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Reflections on changes in what we once called ‘tabloid’ reportingJun 18, 2026 11:01 am - There was a time when you saw Paris Hilton’s picture on the news or in the paper and you said to yourself, “OK, so what has she done now?” And she wasn’t alone in attract...
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Don't Fall for the Gas Tax Shell GameJun 15, 2026 2:04 pm - Gov. JB Pritzker wants Illinois taxpayers to applaud his decision to pause a scheduled 1.3-cent increase in the state's motor fuel tax. His administration is portraying t...
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The real problem in IllinoisJun 12, 2026 4:00 am - Guest columnist Ralph Martire: Illinois does in fact have a revenue, not a spending problem, and that can’t be fixed without comprehensive tax reform.
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Making sure rhetoric is not ‘out of whack’Jun 11, 2026 4:00 am - Columnist Jim Slusher: It’s incumbent not just on us to provide perspective but on readers and viewers as well. “Getting to the truth ASAP,” any serious citizen quickly finds, involves much more than dramatic images and dismissive insults.
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Behind a hot story, there’s a lot of fire you don’t seeJun 05, 2026 4:00 am - For several years, we used to publish in a monthly rotation thumbnail profiles of individual members of our newsroom staff. The short stories provided a reporter or edito...
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Nature Is a Powerful Tool for Mental WellnessJun 03, 2026 9:46 am - Every May, Mental Health Awareness Month invites us to reflect on the many ways we can support emotional well-being. While clinical care, community support, and crisis re...
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How the separate practices of writing and faith can convergeJun 01, 2026 4:00 am - Guest columnist Tom Montgomery Fate: Forty or so years ago, in the early eighties — when telephones still “rang” and were wired to walls, and we still relied on typewriters — I did two seemingly unrelated MA degrees back-to-back. One in creative writing and one in religion.
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Another opportunity to choose skepticism over cynicismMay 28, 2026 4:00 am - Columnist Jim Slusher: Stories about fraud and public misdeeds need to be evaluated on their own terms. They point to issues that deserve attention; they do not cast doubt on every person in a particular field or occupation.
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A Gold Star wife’s Memorial Day messageMay 25, 2026 4:00 am - EDITOR’S NOTE: By request of Greg Padovani, chairman of the Veterans Memorial Committee of Arlington Heights, the following letter is reprinted and updated with the a...