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...

People relax on the lawn while attending the opening night of the Chicago Jazz Festival in Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion, Aug. 31, 2023. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

Edward Keegan: Frank Gehry’s generous and democratic architecture

By Edward Keegan

December 10, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

While his forms could seem casual and arbitrary, Frank Gehry was an amazing planner who...

Demonstrators rally outside a Target store on Dec. 4, 2025, in Minneapolis. Local activists accuse Target of allowing ICE officers to stage in their parking lots as the Trump administration has targeted the Somali immigrant community and increased operations in Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty)

Clarence Page: President Donald Trump’s obsession with Somali immigrants takes a sinister turn

By Clarence Page

December 8, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Even for President Donald Trump, the malevolence and vulgarity of his anti-Somali outbursts was stunning.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s gavel on the rostrum after his budget address to the City Council on Oct. 16, 2025, at Chicago City Hall. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

David Greising: The problem with Mayor Brandon Johnson’s community safety fund plan

By David Greising

December 5, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Mayor Brandon Johnson isn’t putting big new money toward public safety programs; he just doesn't...

Gia Dolfi, Josie Genders and Lucy Hill, all members of Alpha Phi sorority at Miami University in Ohio, create holiday cards to send to members of the LGBTQ+ community who may not otherwise receive any. (Peri Keenan)

Heidi Stevens: In these fraught times, a growing holiday card campaign perhaps means a little bit more

By Heidi Stevens

December 5, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

The Pinta Pride Project raises awareness and support for the LGBTQ+ community despite the cruelty and...

President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Dec. 2, 2025, in Washington with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

Steve Chapman: Why is Donald Trump courting war with Venezuela?

By Steve Chapman

December 3, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Venezuela hasn’t attacked U.S. targets, and a war against Nicolas Maduro has several possible outcomes,...

Displaced Palestinians stand by a fire beside their tent amid the destruction left by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Gaza City on Nov. 28, 2025. (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)

Daniel DePetris: Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza is on life support

By Daniel DePetris

December 2, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

The lack of progress on setting up an international police force in Palestine suggests that...

The exhibit "Frank Lloyd Wright: Modern Chair Design" remains on view through Jan. 25, 2026, at the Museum of Wisconsin Art in West Bend, Wisconsin. (Zak Gruber/Courtesy of the Museum of Wisconsin Art)

Edward Keegan: Frank Lloyd Wright’s chairs get a thoughtful presentation in Wisconsin

By Edward Keegan

November 30, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

The exhibit on Frank Lloyd Wright’s chairs is a unique opportunity to view tangible objects...

Moshtari, left, chata with Nooria while Nargis sits in the top bed and their children play on July 4, 2025, in the room where they slept at the United Nations' International Organization for Migration transit center in Herat, Afghanistan, after being deported from Iran. Organizations that provide such humanitarian relief in Afghanistan are grappling with funding cuts by the U.S. Agency for International Development. (Elise Blanchard/Getty)

Elizabeth Shackelford: Donald Trump’s Black Friday approach to foreign policy

By Elizabeth Shackelford

November 28, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

In Ukraine and around the world, the U.S. has succumbed to a short-term, selfish view...

In this season of gratitude, readers tell us about the loved ones who shaped their approach to life, writes Heidi Stevens. (Dreamstime)

Heidi Stevens: Stories of appreciation about those who shaped us — from parents to uncles to recess supervisors

By Heidi Stevens

November 26, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

In this season of gratitude, readers tell us about the loved ones who helped form...

Laura Washington: I love to host Thanksgiving but can’t cook

By Laura Washington

November 26, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

I have been blessed with family and friends who can cook. So, every Thanksgiving, my...

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