Christine Ledbetter –

People gather near a mural of Dolly Parton in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago after she died earlier in the day in Nashville, Tennessee, on Aug. 25, 2026. (Armando L. Sanchez/baiduhai)

Christine Ledbetter: Dolly Parton and Gloria Steinem left us with the same lesson

September 10, 2026 at 9:27 a.m.

Dolly Parton and Gloria Steinem took the long view of history in troubled times.

Author Christine Ledbetter's husband, Dean Skylar, center, participates in a 3K fundraising walk in Hinsdale in May 2026 to raise money for Wellness House. At left holding the flag is their son, Sydney Skybetter. (Mason Bendewald)

Christine Ledbetter: Just like in the film ‘The Dink,’ pickleball was the best medicine for my husband

August 7, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Like Dusty in the film “The Dink,” my husband found joy and enduring relationships through pickleball, after he was diagnosed with cancer.

Bicyclists take off as the five-day, four-state CUREage Bike Ride to raise funds for pediatric cancer research begins on Oct. 6, 2024, at Lurie Children’s Hospital. The Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, which ranks among the top 10 cancer programs in the nation, treats 16,000 to 18,000 new patients each year. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Christine Ledbetter: A Northwestern waiting room fills with cancer patients while federal cuts reverse progress

March 20, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The Trump regime has proposed eliminating cancer screening and prevention programs and has cut billions in funds.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend the 48th annual Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center on Dec. 7, 2025, in Washington. (Allison Robbert/Getty)

Christine Ledbetter: President Donald Trump’s self-aggrandizing transformation of the Kennedy Center

January 4, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Once a behemoth of culture and a refuge from politics, the Kennedy Center now endorses a narrow vision of art and espouses a MAGA agenda.

A demonstrator holds a "Resist" flag as fellow demonstrators march on Wacker Drive near the Trump International Hotel & Tower during the "No Kings" rally on Oct. 18, 2025, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

Christine Ledbetter: There’s still time to protest if you stayed home on Saturday

October 21, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

You can be forgiven for self-censoring in this beehive of vengeance. But increasingly, more Americans are fighting back.

Sen. Edward Kennedy walks with his mother, Rose Kennedy, center, following the opening performance for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Sept. 8, 1971, in Washington. (AP)

Christine Ledbetter: Renaming the Kennedy Center Opera House for Melania Trump? It’s not a hotel.

July 25, 2025 at 8:16 a.m.

Congress wants to name the Kennedy Center after Melania Trump, to acknowledge her “support and commitment to the arts.” Wait, what commitment and support?

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to Doha, Qatar, on May 14, 2025. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Christine Ledbetter: The rising revolution is gray-haired and determined

May 22, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Many of the participants in recent Chicagoland protests against the Trump administration’s policies are senior citizens.

Lonnie Bunch, director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History, in Chicago on Nov. 6, 2014. (Zbigniew Bzdak/baiduhai)

Christine Ledbetter: Smithsonian leader stands tall as Trump targets ‘anti-American ideology’

April 4, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

The leader of the Smithsonian may be one of the few leaders fearless enough to navigate Donald Trump’s attacks on the arts.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 10, 2025, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Christine Ledbetter: With the fabric of our democracy unraveling, here’s what we can do

February 12, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

What can an individual do when there’s so little hope while facing a chaotic four years ahead? Stand up and be heard.

The campus of Howard University after the election night campaign watch party for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris on Nov. 6, 2024, in Washington. (Susan Walsh/AP)

Christine Ledbetter: Kamala Harris lost because our country fosters institutional misogyny

November 13, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

When Donald Trump ran against a man, he lost. But when his opponents were women, he won.

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