John McCarron

Just finished the cover story of this week's Time Magazine ("Kiss your mall goodbye") on the explosive growth of on-line shopping. Pretty impressive stuff--the idea that shop-by-Internet sales are doubling...

Now that they're back from their 4th of July break, Congress is getting down to the nitty-gritty of putting together next year's federal budget. This is hard work. Harder, say,...

Too bad about young Michael Cutler, the college kid who was shot dead last May on the West Side in an apparent robbery-homicide. Say you don't recall that name, Michael...

Aside from a few weirdos who groove on the problems of others, who wouldn't support a change in federal law that could help millions of working Americans without health insurance...

The HMOs are mad as hell and they're not going to take it anymore. They know they're doing a good job (all of their feedback data tells them so) yet...

Michael Jordan is the king of Chicago's West Side, no question. But the queen? My vote goes to Our Lady of Pompeii. M.J. arrived in 1984, started a basketball dynasty,...

Cook County Assessor James Houlihan is looking for advice. He is about to convene a bipartisan Tax Policy Forum. The blue-ribbon gathering of civic, business and community leaders will draft...

This is a column about balloons. At McCormick Place, it's OK for exhibitors to blow up their own balloons--if their intention is to hand them out to convention-goers. But if...

Just in time for Memorial Day, and before the walleye go deep, the Illinois General Assembly has finished its business and gone home for the summer. Say what you will...

The British had a name for what has become of Cicero. They called them "rotten boroughs," or districts with so few voters that a small, well-organized faction dominated the political...