Columns
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Let video interviews help you make primary election decisionsFeb 05, 2026 4:00 am - Columnist Jim Slusher: One of the unintended consequences of the 2020 COVID-19 shutdowns was a material change in the way our Editorial Board conducts interviews with candidates and - for the better, as it turns out - the way you can follow these interviews.
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Addressing Illinois’ budget problems requires fixing flawed policyJan 30, 2026 4:00 am - Guest columnist Ralph Martire: As Gov. Pritzker prepares to make the FY 2027 General Fund budget proposal next month, his office forecasts that revenue will fall some $2.2 billion short of what’s needed to continue funding the same level of services provided this year, plus cover the growth in the state’s debt service. That’s troubling for four reasons.
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The shared goal of identifying what constitutes ‘enough’Jan 29, 2026 4:00 am - I would like today to write about the Oxford comma. Or maybe the curiosity of watching candidates of similar politics begin to beat each other up to gain purchase on thei...
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Profane ‘salutes’ and a confusion of public standardsJan 15, 2026 4:00 am - Columnist Jim Slusher: In September 1976, then-Vice President Nelson Rockefeller was pictured prominently in newspapers across the country playfully and prominently aiming his middle finger toward a group of hecklers during a campaign event. Today, I’m intrigued by a confusion of incongruities the incident exposes
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Getting fired up for a Bears experience just starting to bubbleJan 08, 2026 4:00 am - Columnist Jim Slusher: Whether you’re an avid Bears fan or an occasional follower who just starts waking up at NFL playoffs time, you likely identify closely with the lead on our Mike McGraw’s column on the front of Tuesday’s Sports section.
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Geneva must again deny demolition of former Mill Race InnJan 08, 2026 4:00 am - Guest columnist Kendra Parzen: The reignited debate in Geneva about the future of the former Mill Race Inn at 4 E. State Street begs the question: What’s changed since the Shodeen Group’s previous demolition requests?
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The Fed cuts rates again — so what?Jan 05, 2026 4:00 am - President Harry Truman once quipped he would really like to find an economist with only one hand. He went on to elaborate: “Give me a one-handed economist. All my economi...
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Helping Chicago veterans through better focus on brain injury researchDec 29, 2025 4:00 am - Chicago is an emerging center for advancing treatments for traumatic brain injuries among U.S. service members, a condition so prevalent that it is considered the signatu...
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On will and energy: A project intended to instill productive conversationsDec 25, 2025 4:00 am - The end-of-the-year holidays are a time for celebration and reflection. And also a time for contemplation and renewal. With that in mind our editorial board has prepared ...
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Christmas 1944: A momentous battleDec 24, 2025 4:00 am - Christmas includes the anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, the largest land battle fought by the United States. The battle was hell on earth. On Dec. 16, 1944, Nazi G...