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...

Zohran Mamdani supporters cheer election results as his victory is announced at a Democratic Socialists of America watch party at Brooklyn Masonic Hall in Brooklyn, June 24, 2025. (Victor J. Blue/The New York Times)

Clarence Page: New York’s mayoral race could be a testing ground for a Democratic comeback

By Clarence Page

June 29, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Among the many postmortem conclusions in Democratic ranks is the sense that it's time for...

Sometimes some of us need our hurrying to be interrupted by several seconds of kindness, writes Heidi Stevens. (Darren Baker/Dreamstime)

Heidi Stevens: On the hunt for small, kind things — and finding them in some unexpected places

By Heidi Stevens

June 27, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

A few seconds of kindness can remind us that we share this world with other...

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference next to Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25, 2025. Trump and Rubio each said the Iranian program had been dealt a significant blow. (Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times)

Elizabeth Shackelford: Choosing war over diplomacy makes for more dangerous times ahead

By Elizabeth Shackelford

June 27, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Donald Trump has proved no peacemaker. America’s entry into the Iran conflict has undermined the...

An artist's rendering shows the planned exterior view of the Chicago Fire stadium in The 78. (Chicago Fire FC and Gensler)

Edward Keegan: Chicago Fire stadium plans cry out for a bit of quirkiness

By Edward Keegan

June 25, 2025 at 11:51 a.m.

The Chicago Fire stadium needs to be distinctive and genuinely grounded in Chicago’s unique architectural...

Iranian protesters hold up posters showing the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, center, and the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini in a protest following the U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear sites June 22, 2025, in Tehran. (Vahid Salemi/AP)

Daniel DePetris: Is there a diplomatic off-ramp available for the US and Iran?

By Daniel DePetris

June 23, 2025 at 6:14 p.m.

President Donald Trump should continue diplomacy with Iran if only because the other option —...

President Donald Trump walks out of the Oval Office before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on June 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty)

Clarence Page: Did you miss a national holiday, Mr. President?

By Clarence Page

June 20, 2025 at 6:56 p.m.

Juneteenth came and went Thursday, but curiously something seemed to be missing from the annual...

A Pace bus leaves the Howard CTA station in Rogers Park on May 22, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/baiduhai)

David Greising: Where does transit funding and oversight stand in Chicago? Should we panic?

By David Greising

June 20, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

With no revenue resolution yet in sight, the service agencies — the CTA, Metra and...

A person holds Progress Pride Flags during the Los Angeles LGBT Center's "Drag March LA: The March on Santa Monica Boulevard" in West Hollywood, California, on April 9, 2023. (Allison Dinner/Getty-AFP)

Heidi Stevens: Shutting down hotline services for LGBTQ+ youth is malice by Trump administration

By Heidi Stevens

June 20, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

It’s unconscionable that the physical, mental and emotional health of young people is on the...

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei arrives to vote for the parliamentary runoff elections in Tehran, Iran, on May 10, 2024. (Vahid Salemi/AP)

Daniel DePetris: Iranian supreme leader’s options are limited in war with Israel

By Daniel DePetris

June 16, 2025 at 3:16 p.m.

If Iran's attacks are designed to push Israel into suspending its military campaign, then they’ve...

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., is pushed out of the room as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem holds a news conference regarding the recent protests in Los Angeles on June 12, 2025. (Etienne Laurent/AP)

Clarence Page: When the president’s peacemaking efforts invite more chaos

By Clarence Page

June 15, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

We need to give peace a chance. But peace is not what Donald Trump and...

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