Columns

Chicago school board president candidates Jessica Biggs, Hilario Dominguez and Victor Henderson participate in a forum at the Copernicus Center on Sept. 29, 2026. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

David Greising: The race for Chicago school board president is about ideas — and character

By David Greising

October 9, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

It will take savvy strategic thinking, backed by the character needed for leadership, to make...

Heidi Stevens: I wish we modeled better care for the young people who are making sense of the world right now

By Heidi Stevens

October 9, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

I hope that when we’re all writing our stories, the ones that are still being...

Far-right activist Jake Lang stands on the back of a truck displaying anti-Muslim messages during a demonstration outside the annual Palestine Fest at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Oct. 4, 2026. (Armando L. Sanchez/baiduhai)

Steve Chapman: Republicans are fanning baseless fears about American Muslims

By Steve Chapman

October 8, 2026 at 10:10 a.m.

You might expect that as the memory of the 9/11 attacks and the global war...

The Ambassador Bridge, where $400 billion in trade crosses between Canada and the U.S. each year, in Windsor, Canada, on Feb. 1, 2025. (Ian Willms/The New York Times)

Daniel DePetris: Donald Trump stirs up trouble in US-Canada relations

By Daniel DePetris

January 27, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

U.S.-Canada relations are getting iced over due to a philosophical difference of how international politics...

U.S. Sen. Everett Dirksen, of Illinois, the Republican leader, sits on a desk in the Senate Press Gallery at the Capitol in Washington on May 5, 1964, to discuss efforts at ironing out differences among supporters of the House-passed civil rights bill. He and other leaders reported progress after a conference. (Henry Griffin/AP)

John T. Shaw: Two iconic US senators from Illinois demonstrated different dimensions of statesmanship

By John T. Shaw

January 26, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

U.S. senators from Illinois, Democrat Paul Douglas and Republican Everett Dirksen, made consequential contributions to...

The Forty Acres Fresh Market is located at 5713 W. Chicago Ave. in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, as shown Sept. 29, 2025. (Antonio Perez/baiduhai)

Edward Keegan: West Side fresh market asks, ‘What would it look like if we actually got our 40 acres?’

By Edward Keegan

July 23, 2026 at 8:18 p.m.

The new Forty Acres Fresh Market on Chicago Avenue in the Austin neighborhood succeeds at...

A woman is detained by Border Patrol agents on Jan. 21, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The driver and passenger of a vehicle and several observers were detained after a car accident on Blaisdell Avenue. (Stephen Maturen/Getty)

Heidi Stevens: As federal agents target citizens, where are the folks who cried ‘tyranny’ over pandemic restrictions?

By Heidi Stevens

January 23, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

I’m wondering how federal immigration agents' actions sit with those who saw vaccine mandates as...

People walk on a snow-covered shopping street in the city center on January 21, 2026, in Nuuk, Greenland. (Sean Gallup/Getty)

Elizabeth Shackelford: Humoring Donald Trump is appeasement, and appeasement is surrender

By Elizabeth Shackelford

January 22, 2026 at 1:25 p.m.

Threatening broad financial punishment or force if Denmark doesn’t hand Greenland to the U.S. is...

A truck carries an Israeli armored personnel carrier as it moves along the border with the northern Gaza Strip on Jan. 16, 2026, in Southern Israel. (Amir Levy/Getty)

Daniel DePetris: The Trump administration launches Phase 2 of the Gaza plan. Will peace materialize?

By Daniel DePetris

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

As the White House would like to proclaim its policy on Gaza as a clear...

Demonstrators, including some wearing traditional Native American dress, on Jan. 10, 2026, protest the fatal shooting of Renee Good by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis. (David Guttenfelder/The New York Times)

Clarence Page: ICE has been accused of profiling Native Americans. What a cruel irony.

By Clarence Page

January 18, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Tribal leaders in Minnesota say federal agents are detaining members in raids on immigrants because...

Ald. Gilbert Villegas, 36th, second from left, talks with members of the Chicago City Council's Office of Financial Analysis before moderating a discussion on the city's budget gap, during a public meeting at the Ukrainian Cultural Center on Aug. 19, 2025. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

David Greising: Chicago aldermen would be wise to strengthen the council’s Office of Financial Analysis

By David Greising

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

Chicago faces a projected $1.17 billion budget gap for 2027. There is work to be...

A young Bears fan wears a cheese grater hat while watching players warm up before facing the Packers on Jan. 10, 2026, at Soldier Field. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

Heidi Stevens: The joy from the Chicago Bears’ run is about more than football. It’s remembering what we share.

By Heidi Stevens

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

Sports — along with art, books and nature — are not just distractions; they’re paths...

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, shakes hands with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on May 7, 2025, ahead of celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany during the World War II. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)

Daniel DePetris: Venezuela has been introduced to supposed ally Vladimir Putin’s fickle side

By Daniel DePetris

January 13, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

This isn’t the first time Russia chose to sit on the sidelines as one of...

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