Columns

A young woman reacts as she looks at her damaged home after Russia's night missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Oct. 14, 2026. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

Elizabeth Shackelford: Trump’s abhorrent Russian diesel deal defies US laws and won’t lower gas prices

By Elizabeth Shackelford

October 16, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Donald Trump has illegally undone sanctions efforts against Russia. For all of this, Americans won’t...

Saturday Night Live Host Shane Gillis during the monologue on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (Will Heath/NBC/TNS)

Heidi Stevens: Shane Gillis ‘SNL’ opener misses the mark — and the moment

By Heidi Stevens

October 16, 2026 at 4:00 a.m.

The most disappointing thing about Shane Gillis’ shopworn, hackneyed, tone-deaf, retrograde, unfunny “Saturday Night Live”...

Former Indiana U,S. Rep. Lee Hamilton, who was co-chair of the Iraq Study Group, in his office at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington on Nov. 24, 2006. (Pete Souza/baiduhai)

John T. Shaw: We need Congress to ponder the long term with a new future-focused group

By John T. Shaw

October 14, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Half a century ago, many lawmakers viewed their responsibilities differently and created a forum to...

Gyros Planet owner Erika Castro hugs her daughter, also named Erika, as Castro's husband, Pablo Sanchez walks through the entrance to their Evanston restaurant on Feb. 24, 2021.

Column: Evanston’s Gyros Planet and Taqueria will stay open after all. It raised more than its $30,000 goal in 24 hours. ‘People just showed us so much love and support.’

By Heidi Stevens

February 28, 2021 at 8:49 a.m.

On Thursday, Erika Castro and Pablo Sanchez were preparing to bid farewell to their family...

Morton Salt’s former warehouse could be hosting concerts by next summer, after City Council OKs $50 million redevelopment

By Ryan Ori

February 26, 2021 at 5:20 p.m.

Morton Salt's former warehouse along the Chicago River could soon begin its transformation into a...

Supporters board a bus at Lincoln Land Community College for a short ride to the 32nd annual Democratic Evening on the Lake fundraiser May 8, 2012, at Island Bay Yacht Club in Springfield.

Column: What happened to the ‘famously cautious’ Michael Madigan when it came time to pick a successor?

By Eric Zorn

February 27, 2021 at 11:51 p.m.

The Michael Madigan we thought we knew would never have screwed up the way he's...

People receive COVID-19 vaccinations Feb. 11, 2021, at a vaccination center at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Column: How Americans rose to the COVID-19 challenge

By Steve Chapman

February 26, 2021 at 2:29 p.m.

This month, the United States recorded a horrific milestone: 500,000 deaths from COVID-19. Someday, historians...

A person waves a rainbow flag in front of the Supreme Court Building in Washington on June 15, 2020, after the court ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects gay and transgender workers from workplace discrimination.

Column: Fight for transgender rights gets a boost from the Newman-Greene feud in Congress

By Clarence Page

February 26, 2021 at 2:21 p.m.

Maybe Rep. Marie Newman, an Illinois Democrat, should send flowers or a fruit basket to...

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) wears a protective mask bearing the words "This mask is as useless as Joe Biden," as she walks with an aide in the Cannon Tunnell on Capitol Hill on Feb. 25, 2021, in Washington.

Column: Marjorie Taylor Greene wants us to ‘trust the science’ on transgender rights. Here’s the science.

By Heidi Stevens

February 26, 2021 at 11:40 a.m.

It's amazing that Jewish space lasers and Satan-worshipping, child-abusing Democratic cabals and 9/11 hoax drivel...

A woman takes off a glove with her mouth while walking along the Lakefront Trail near the 3000 block of North Lake Shore Drive on Feb. 25, 2021, in Chicago.

Column: The sun is out. The air feels almost warm. There’s a word for that: Apricity.

By Mary Schmich

February 26, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.

Apricity. If you live in or near Chicago — or any place where the gray...

Members of the National Guard prepare to give vaccines at Tinley Park Convention Center COVID-19 vaccination site Jan. 25, 2021.

Column: Roll up your sleeves, vaccine refuseniks. Stop endangering my life and yours.

By Eric Zorn

February 25, 2021 at 3:47 p.m.

I'm completely out of patience with people who for no good reason are turning down...

Column: After giving away 25,000 meals, Evanston’s Gyros Planet and Taqueria is set to close Saturday. ‘This restaurant was our dream.’

By Heidi Stevens

February 25, 2021 at 2:56 p.m.

Gyros Planet and Taqueria in Evanston is scheduled to close Saturday, a heartbreaking ending for...

Moving digital images at Lighthouse ArtSpace as the "Immersive Van Gogh" exhibit is previewed in Chicago on Feb. 9, 2021.

Column: Will people come back to live entertainment in Chicago? About 150,000 people already have.

By Chris Jones

February 25, 2021 at 7:00 a.m.

How much pent-up demand exists for live entertainment that involves leaving your home? Chicago finally...

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