Mandatory minimum sentencing is a stopgap for preventing gun violence
Last week, I wrote about a common-sense gun law that southwest suburban Lyons hammered out with a local gun shop owner, and a reader wanted to know my thoughts on...
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Lyons ordinance a model for commonsense gun laws
A couple of hours before the Lyons Village Board met late Tuesday afternoon to approve a new gun control law, President Barack Obama was about 13 miles away in Chicago...
South Carolina deputy deserved to be fired for rough arrest of girl in video
When I saw the video of the South Carolina girl being thrown around in her chair by the sheriff's deputy because she refused to surrender her cellphone in math class...
Extreme sentencing of children needs to end, advocate says
By the time Xavier McElrath-Bey was 13, he'd been shuttled back and forth between several homes, including that of his mother and stepfather, a foster mother and a group home....
When women call themselves the G-word
On Monday, CBS will premiere its new drama "Supergirl." Although the lead character is a 20-something with powers similar to those of her older cousin, Superman, there's something about calling...
Keeping our fingers crossed for the Cubs
I talked to psychologist Susan Krauss Whitbourne last week about the "psychology of we" and how a winning team lifts the spirits of fans. On Wednesday, with our Cubs down...
Making room in Obama’s ‘Better Make Room’ plan
I like first lady Michelle Obama's "Better Make Room" campaign, launched Monday. There's a "but" coming, which I'll get to in a minute. First, let me tell you what I...
Interactive maps could combat Chicago violence
Before I met Daniel Bassill recently and learned about his mapping project, I had been mulling ways to get a clearer picture of the problems that persist in Chicago's most...
The winning Cubs and the psychology of ‘we’
I was leaving the Tribune Tower on Tuesday afternoon as the Cubs were playing and heard a collective cheer from a nearby restaurant. I jumped in a taxi and the...
Barbara Byrd-Bennett’s sad and disappointing fall
When I was growing up in the Chicago Public Schools system, at least one of my parents would go to school every fall to introduce themselves to their two daughters'...