Columns
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A theology of compassion (remembering my father)Jun 14, 2025 2:45 pm - Guest columnist Tom Montgomery Fate: I grew up in a small Iowa town, and my dad was the minister at the Congregational church. Like most small-town clerics, he was expected to be a self-assured, virtuous role model, but was, of course, just as human and vulnerable as everyone else.
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PCA’s acronym status proves he’s arrived as baseball’s latest phenomJun 14, 2025 2:42 pm - The first place Cubs act like they belong there and the dynamic Pete Crow Armstrong acts as if none of it is unusual. Whatever awaits over the long summer and the adventures of a pending playoffs is awash among the sheer joy of waiting for PCA’s next at bat, his next stolen base, his next chasing down any ball that thinks it can get past him.
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Two different pictures and a confusion of masksJun 12, 2025 4:00 am - Columnist Jim Slusher: I’ve seen two very different pictures of journalism and journalists last week. One that is prominent and almost everyone sees. One that is more isolated and rarely rises to the level of the public consciousness.
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Anger, fear and the danger of silence in face of antisemitismJun 11, 2025 4:08 pm - Guest columnist Shira Goodman: When I was growing up, Hebrew School teachers and camp counselors used to tell us that understanding Hebrew and knowing the basics of daily and Sabbath prayer services meant we could walk into a synagogue anywhere in the world and participate. This is no longer the case.
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Jun 07, 2025 2:30 pm - Guest columnist : Illinois must reform its tax and regulatory policies to encourage economic growth rather than continue policies that are leading to an exodus of people and capital.
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To respond to reality, state needs to fix structural tax deficitJun 06, 2025 4:00 am - Guest columnist Ralph Martire: Illinois has cut real spending on core services like education and healthcare by 12% since 2000 due to a structural budget deficit caused by a tax system not designed for the modern economy.
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The role of ‘Homes & Garden’ in a seasonal artistryJun 05, 2025 1:27 pm - Columnist Jim Slusher: As spring arrives, suburban gardens burst into color, transforming neighborhoods into art galleries, thanks to dedicated amateur gardeners inspired by sources like the Sunday Homes & Garden section.
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A Gold Star Wife’s request for Memorial DayMay 26, 2025 4:00 am - Guest columnist Katie Stack: Marine Lance Corporal James Stack was killed in Afghanistan on November 10, 2010. His wife Katie became a Gold Star widow and requests that on Memorial Day, we thank fallen heroes at memorials, gather with meaning, and teach children about those who died for our freedom.
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Public defender reforms promise a fairer kind of democracyMay 25, 2025 4:00 am - Guest columnist K. Edward Copeland: As we move into the next stage of passing the FAIR Act, the legislature must prioritize independence for public defenders.
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O’Donnell: Flanders Fields puts a Wrigley Field All-Star Game in perspectiveMay 24, 2025 5:10 pm - THE GRAY-HAIRED FELLOW WAS ONCE a high school second baseman with a determined spirit but weak bat. He later missed Vietnam only because a fortunate opening put him in a ...