Columns

Comedian and political satirist Bill Maher waves to the stage during the 27th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor celebrating Maher on June 29, 2026, in Washington. (Kevin Wolf/AP)

Clarence Page: Beware the charm of our rising chatbots

By Clarence Page

October 19, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Besides the existential risks of artificial intelligence, consider how AI chatbots insinuate themselves in the...

The new Cragin Park Fieldhouse stands Oct. 15, 2026, in Chicago’s Belmont Cragin neighborhood. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Edward Keegan: Is the minimalist fieldhouse in Chicago’s Cragin Park architecture or just a building??

By Edward Keegan

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

The Cragin Park Fieldhouse expresses a clear architectural character with its exposed steel structure. I...

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...

The Rev. Michael Enright presides over the 10 a.m. Mass at St. Adalbert Roman Catholic Church in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood on June 26, 2016. The Chicago Academy of Music is interested in purchasing the church and renovating it into a music conservatory.

Column: In a shift, city will take first steps to grant landmark status to Pilsen’s shuttered St. Adalbert Catholic Church

By Blair Kamin

October 30, 2020 at 1:57 p.m.

As debate has raged over a proposed landmark district in Pilsen, activists kept asking why...

Fans of President Donald Trump cheer as he speaks during a campaign rally in Janesville, Wisconsin, on Oct. 17, 2020.

Column: Trump may well beat Biden. Why? Trumpism is a cult, and cult members show up.

By Rex W. Huppke

October 30, 2020 at 5:17 p.m.

It won't surprise me if Donald Trump gets reelected. He shouldn't, of course. It would...

Gov. J.B. Pritzker appears in Chicago on Oct. 22, 2020.

Column: What are Pritzker and Democrats really telling Illinois taxpayers?

By John Kass

October 30, 2020 at 5:00 a.m.

It's been easy for the people of Illinois to get lost in the fog of...

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump greet trick-or-treaters Oct. 25, 2020, on the South Lawn of the White House during a Halloween celebration.

Column: White House of Horrors: A Halloween-themed poem about Donald Trump

By Mary Schmich

October 30, 2020 at 5:00 a.m.

This is the latest in my occasional TrumPoems, a rhyming account of the presidency of...

A CTA Purple Line train appears on the tracks just north of the Merchandise Mart in 2004.

Column: ‘Rolling Thunder:’ The Loop ‘L’ tracks shaped downtown Chicago and unified a divided city. They still matter today, a new book reminds us.

By Blair Kamin

November 3, 2020 at 6:59 a.m.

The best transit systems don't just haul passengers — they become symbols of their cities....

A commuter heads up the stairs to a CTA train station in the Loop in 2004.

CTA ‘L’ tracks in the Loop

By Contributed Content

October 29, 2020 at 8:08 p.m.

State Comptroller Susana Mendoza, pictured at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on Feb. 19, 2020, said Wednesday that state tax revenues have fallen by just over $2 billion since March compared with the same period in 2019, while social service expenditures have surged to address additional needs caused by COVID-19.

Column: Whether the graduated-rate amendment passes or fails next week, taxes are going to go up. The choice is who pays.

By Eric Zorn

October 29, 2020 at 3:26 p.m.

Opponents call it the "tax hike amendment," and they're not wrong. The proposal on the...

The exterior of McDonald's global headquarters in Chicago's Fulton Market district, west of the Loop.

McDonald’s HQ sells for more than $412 million, a record for Chicago’s Fulton Market district

By Ryan Ori

October 29, 2020 at 9:31 p.m.

McDonald's headquarters building has sold for more than $412 million, in the highest-price property sale...

Mike England, his hand raised to signal four more years of President Donald Trump, walks between supporters of the president and the Democratic ticket during a stop by the Biden-Harris campaign bus at Vera Minter Park in Abilene, Texas, on Oct. 28, 2020.

Column: Can a squirrel predict the winner of the election? After one nutty campaign season, anything is possible.

By Dahleen Glanton

October 29, 2020 at 5:00 a.m.

After Donald Trump's surprising victory over Hillary Clinton four years ago, some people are wary...

Column: Independent food and drink businesses ‘destroyed by decree’

By John Kass

October 29, 2020 at 5:00 a.m.

Where do small business owners — all those independent restaurants, bars and caterers "destroyed by...

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