Regarding “Data centers are hot. We should use Lake Michigan to cool them” (Oct. 6): I think the idea of cooling coils under Lake Michigan for data centers has merit. Of course, a thorough environmental assessment would need to be done prior to moving forward. And with one reservation, the idea of data centers occupying former industrial sites in Chicago is also attractive.
But what about the impact regarding electrical usage? Does Chicago have the capacity to support possibly multiple data centers? What impact would there be on residents’ electric bills if this were to go forward?
While this is good news, there are still a few hurdles to get over before the city leaps forward.
— Tom Canning, Homer Glen
Cooling proposal’s flaws
Regarding Joe Holberg’s op-ed, his mayoral candidacy, math knowledge and business ownership are impressive. But should he be promoting vast, expensive projects such as coolant loops “miles, perhaps tens or hundreds of miles, long and coiled far offshore at or near the bottom” of Lake Michigan to cool data centers?
Holberg addresses the concern that this cooling loop plan for data centers might “cook the lake.” He writes that “setting a sealed coffee thermos in a swimming pool” wouldn’t change the pool’s temperature. He misunderstands heat exchange parameters with that inelegant comparison — a sealed, insulated thermos is not comparable to a metallic coil. He states without evidence that “we likely could not even marginally increase the temperature or create an environmentally noticeable impact.” Tell that to the fish.
Taking his inexact idea of heat exchange even further, hot data centers “should have windows.” As every Chicago resident without air conditioning knows, opening windows does not satisfy the need to cool, and it would only add to atmospheric heat. He must know the heat has to go somewhere, as he quixotically writes “climate change increases the overall temperature throughout the year.”
While seeming to minimize or disregard the impact of data centers on humans and the environment, Holberg spends several paragraphs addressing the saving of money. Normally, when I read commentary supporting the building of these projects, there seems to be an unbalanced emphasis on money, including arguments for creating jobs and adding to local tax bases. Does money have an overriding importance? What is the effect to our neighborhoods and communities, to our noise and pollution levels, to our air and water quality?
Midway, Holberg proposes “a water and environmental study before a single pipe goes in, with the results and data published where anyone can read it.”
Perhaps he should have opened with that.
— Patrick Comer, Clarendon Hills
More study is needed
Joe Holberg’s op-ed contains sufficient information to earn further review and consideration. I was initially concerned about a few of the points, including that miles of coil in Lake Michigan would “not even marginally increase the temperature” of the lake. He saves himself by suggesting a study.
Opening and closing windows to take advantage of Chicago weather vicissitudes seems simplistic, so it, too, needs deep study.
More information about Toronto and Cornell University is intriguing and ought to provide a few clues. Although touting Cornell University’s prowess is gutsy, if not a welcome “first step”-like program.
— Terrance W. Gainer, Wheaton
Who committed these crimes?
Regarding the story “Aldermen advance $261M police misconduct settlement” (Oct. 6): There is a proposed settlement to resolve 16 lawsuits filed against the city of Chicago by people who claim that they were victims of police misconduct by a former Chicago detective and that they were convicted of crimes they did not commit. Dozens of men have been issued certificates of innocence.
Important questions come to mind: If the plaintiffs did not commit these crimes, who did commit the crimes? Have these investigations been reopened? Has anyone new been charged with or convicted of the crimes in question?
Don’t the victims and their families deserve fresh investigations to identify the real perpetrators?
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— John Mulvey, Chicago
Helping Chicago’s seniors
Why do millions of budgeted 2026 funds go unspent while low-income seniors continue to struggle to access help for critical home repairs and modifications? A group of Chicago community organizations — including Housing Opportunities and Maintenance for the Elderly (H.O.M.E.), Access Living, North Branch Works, Mothers Opposed to Violence Everywhere (M.O.V.E.), Illinois Anti-Foreclosure Coalition, Light Up Lawndale, Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago and Northside Community Resources — sent a letter on Sept. 1 to Mayor Brandon Johnson and housing leaders in his administration and in the City Council calling for an explanation. We are still waiting.
Approximately $6.3 million in unspent 2025 funds associated with the city’s Home Repair Program is being carried over into the next budget. At the same time, approximately $28 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funding is identified for administrative costs, including about $20.8 million carried over from 2025 and a new allocation of $7.3 million.
This is not just about looking at numbers in a budget. This represents a disconnect between available resources and the urgent needs of Chicago’s most vulnerable residents.
In 2025, the city folded the Small Accessible Repairs for Seniors (SARFS) program into a general Home Repair Program. SARFS provided safety and accessibility repairs to many senior households yearly.
Since then, seniors who were waiting for assistance through SARFS have voiced to community organizations that they are struggling to find help. Seniors are calling 311 and their aldermen because they need repairs that are urgent and dictate whether they can remain in their homes. Especially troubling is that some seniors are being directed back to community organizations that previously provided these services through SARFS. These organizations had their funding eliminated when the program ended.
If approximately $6.3 million in Home Repair Program funds remain available, why aren’t those resources being used for seniors who need them?
Illinois just received the AARP’s Age-Friendly State designation through the EngAging Illinois Multisector Plan for Aging efforts that Gov. JB Pritzker signed. But we are not helping older adults live and age well if the city of Chicago is leaving critical home repair resources unused. With the planning for the 2027 budget underway, the city needs to be sure to include funds to address the growing home repair need.
The city should explain the unspent funds, identify restrictions on their use and determine whether eligible carryover funds can be directed toward residents facing urgent repair needs.
— Alizandra Medina, director of advocacy and neighborhood engagement, Housing Opportunities and Maintenance for the Elderly (H.O.M.E.), Chicago
Chicago housing challenges
I have an adult son who is trying to get an apartment in Chicago. Is there a password I’m missing? Is Chicago as a city full up? It seems that Chicago housing is harder to get into than the Pentagon. Applicants hand over fees when there was never a real chance.
It’s frustrating to never get a footing, and the decisions are made behind opaque walls.
— Scott Christensen, St. Paul, Minnesota
Compatible moral obligations
Condemning the atrocities of Oct. 7 does not require us to excuse atrocities against Palestinians. Hamas’ murder of civilians and taking of hostages were indefensible. Palestinian civilians are equally entitled to safety, dignity and protection.
Palestinian suffering did not begin on Oct. 7, 2023. By June 2022, the United Nations had documented 15 years of Gaza’s blockade and its devastating effects on livelihoods, healthcare and freedom of movement. Recognizing that history does not justify Hamas’ attacks. It challenges the suggestion that everything began that morning.
Elad Strohmayer’s op-ed (“Three years after Oct. 7, remember how this war began,” Oct. 7) also fails to confront specific actions by Israel. On April 13, 2025, an Israeli airstrike hit Al-Ahli Hospital, destroying its emergency department. On Aug. 25, 2025, Israeli strikes hit Nasser Hospital, killing Palestinians, including journalists and medical personnel. These were places where people sought treatment and protection.
Claims that Hamas operates in hospitals do not erase Israel’s legal obligations. The International Committee of the Red Cross explains that even when a hospital loses its special protection because of military use, attacks must still comply with proportionality and precautions to protect patients and medical workers. Issuing a warning does not automatically make an attack lawful.
The claim that Israel facilitated humanitarian assistance also omits its deliberate suspension. According to the United Nations, Israeli authorities blocked humanitarian supplies beginning March 2, 2025. Nearly 80 days passed before limited aid deliveries resumed on May 19. That blockade included food, medicine and fuel — necessities for civilian survival.
Nor can allegations of war crimes be dismissed as mere propaganda. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Arrest warrants are not convictions, but they represent serious judicial findings.
Calling the genocide accusation a “blood libel” similarly avoids addressing the evidence. In September 2025, a United Nations independent commission of inquiry concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza. That commission’s finding is distinct from a court judgment, but it cannot honestly be reduced to an ignorant slogan.
Antisemitism must be condemned. So must the dehumanization of Palestinians. Holding Israel’s government accountable does not assign collective guilt to Jewish people, just as condemning Hamas does not make Palestinian children responsible for its crimes.
Remembering Israeli victims and demanding justice for Palestinians are compatible moral obligations. Oct. 7 must never be excused. Neither can it become a permanent justification for starving civilians, destroying hospitals or dismissing evidence of genocide.
— Christina Moore, Lake Village, Indiana
Support is slap in the face
Regarding “Endorsements in Illinois Congressional Districts 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10” (Oct. 5): The Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsement of Daniel Biss for Congress in the 9th District is a slap in the face to the large Jewish community that lives and works in this constituency. Biss has proved, by his association with anti-Israel organizations such as J Street, to be a fair-weather friend of Chicago Jewry, despite his nominal connection with the Jewish faith.
Indeed, last summer, in his capacity as mayor of Evanston, Biss defended the decision of his city’s Fourth of July Parade organizers to allow the organization Evanston for a Free Palestine to participate.
— David L. Blatt, Chicago
Shocked by endorsements
Regarding “Tribune endorsements for US Congress in 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th districts” (Oct. 6): I have to say I was shocked by the Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsement of Mike Bost in the 12th District and U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood in the 16th District. These non-MAGA Republicans may look like suitable “holdovers” for their party after President Donald Trump leaves office in 2029, but if the last two years have shown us anything, their loyalty is to him and not the people of Illinois.
Bost and LaHood have been accessories to his agenda (the Iran war, troublesome and vindictive tariffs, and use of our tax dollars for incarceration). You can be sure that if they’re elected, they’ll stay in Trump’s pocket.
These are extraordinary times. Democracy is at stake. Take a closer look, please.
— Kathleen O’Hara, Chicago
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Criticizing Kirk’s appearance
I was at Judson University on Tuesday for the Turning Point USA event that a Tribune suburban paper reported on (“Erika Kirk draws big crowd for Elgin appearance, some protesters,” Oct. 6). The chapel was full. Security was present. The protest amounted to a few people. Erika Kirk spoke for roughly 10 minutes, showed a video of her late husband and presented a scholarship. The afternoon was aimed at students who want to start high school chapters.
Turning Point’s stated mission is to identify, educate, train and organize students for freedom, free markets and limited government. Faith is part of that mission. That is what was said at Herrick Chapel.
The story quotes City Council member Tish Powell, who called the event “not a good look” for a school that recruits students of color. Powell referenced Maya Angelou and wrote, “We see you, Judson University. No more plausible deniability.” Council member Diana Alfaro joined the criticism.
Judson is a private Christian college. It already has a Turning Point chapter. It said it did not invite Kirk. Facilitating a student-group speaker is not a confession.
Charlie Kirk was shot dead on Sept. 10, 2025, while taking questions from students at Utah Valley University. That is why the chapel talk needed heavy security. Since then, students trying to form these clubs have reported having posters torn down, tables flipped and chapters voted down. Some of the commentary after the killing treated it as an explanation rather than a crime.
Everyone doesn’t have to like Kirk. He argued about controversial issues. The answer to a strong argument is a better one. It is not a city official treating a widow’s 10-minute appearance as proof of a university’s character.
— John A. Crone, Rockford
Unhappy with festival?
After reading the article in the Oct. 6 edition (“Apple Fest was too crowded for many“), I had the impression that people in the Lincoln Square neighborhood were unhappy with the latest Apple Fest. I think it’s time for them to decide what type of event they want it to be.
If the people in the neighborhood want it to be an event only for the people who live in their area, maybe there should be free admission only for them. They could obtain a pass from their alderman or sign up and get a QR code on their phones after showing proof of address.
The “outsiders” can pay for admission. This would need to be well publicized ahead of the event, to prevent a mob scene of angry people who expected free admission to the festival. Extra security would be needed, and the vendors would need to be satisfied with smaller profits.
If most people want the event to grow and produce more profits, that means that more people need to want to attend.
You can’t have it both ways.
— Debra L. Cox, Riverside
Note to readers
With Halloween coming, we’d like you to share your most memorable experience related to the holiday, either as a child or as an adult. A costume that you’ve never forgotten? A trip to a haunted house that scared you silly? Neighbors who went above and beyond to make things fun for the kids? Send a letter, of no more than 400 words, by Friday, Oct. 23 to [email protected]. Be sure to include your full name and your city/town.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email [email protected].