Editorials

In blocking April Perry from U.S. attorney post, J.D. Vance shows he's pro-Trump, pro-crime

April Perry has instead been nominated to the federal bench. But it’s beyond disgraceful that Vance, a Trump acolyte, used the Senate’s complex rules to block Perry from becoming the first woman in the top federal prosecutor’s job for the Northern District of Illinois.

By CST Editorial Board

Editorials

Time for a leadership change at CTA: Show Dorval Carter the exit door

CTA President Carter has held the job since 2015 and has served under three mayors. It’s time for a new captain who can right CTA’s ship and restore public confidence in public transit’s future.

By CST Editorial Board

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Officer Luis Huesca wears a light blue police uniform as he poses for a portrait in front of an American flag.

Editorials

Off-duty CPD Officer Luis Huesca's murder is another city tragedy

Huesca, killed on his way home to Gage Park, was a “great officer, great human being” as police Supt. Larry Snelling put it.

By CST Editorial Board

The words "Village of Dolton Municipal Building" and a sign for Mayor Tiffany Henyard on the front of the white building.

Editorials

Dolton has a leadership mess. Its residents deserve better.

We’d call it a clown show in this south suburb, but the accusations against top leaders, including Mayor Tiffany Henyard, are serious. The latest: an FBI raid on the village hall, a federal indictment of the village administrator and sexual assault allegations in a civil lawsuit against a village trustee.

By CST Editorial Board

Burnham Prairie - Landscape Wetland - Jul19 3.JPG

Editorials

Illinois wetlands deserve protection. Lawmakers should make that happen, while there is still time.

State lawmakers can pass legislation that would restore the safeguards the U.S. Supreme Court removed last year on wetlands, which play a key role in helping to mitigate the impact of climate change and are critical habitats for birds, insects, mammals and amphibians.

By CST Editorial Board

Editorials

When a 9-year-old is gunned down, we must keep sounding the alarm against gun violence

We’ve written time and time again about the scourge of gun violence in Chicago and elsewhere. Sometimes it feels as if we have nothing left to say. But the murder of another child, Ariana Molina, is reason to keep speaking out.

By CST Editorial Board

Editorials

Lawmakers, pass a bill that protects Chicago's selective schools and programs

A proposed bill would prohibit the Board of Education from closing, changing admissions standards or drastically altering funding for selective schools at both the elementary and high school level.

By CST Editorial Board

Editorials

Anthony Robinson spent 11 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. Too often, justice misses the mark.

Evidence shows Robinson, who was exonerated and finally released April 8, could not have committed the murder. On many level, the justice system failed.

By CST Editorial Board

*** BESTPIX *** Texas National Guard Works To Secure Southern Border In El Paso

Editorials

Work permits for all undocumented immigrants? That's asking too much.

Advocates pushing President Biden to make this drastic, legally questionable move should stick with more reasonable measures to help a smaller number of undocumented immigrants, including DACA recipients.

By CST Editorial Board

Editorials

FDA should ban formaldehyde in hair relaxers

Thousands of lawsuits have been filed by Black women alleging that the products cause cancer or other diseases. A ban on formaldehyde, a carcinogen commonly used in relaxers, is pending with the Food and Drug Administration.

By CST Editorial Board

Porscha Banks, sister of Dexter Reed, shouts at Chicago police officers as activists try to de-escalate the situation during a protest outside the District 11 police station, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Reed was shot and killed by police in an exchange of gunfire back in March.

Editorials

Dexter Reed's shooting leaves Chicago with questions that demand answers

It’s tragic when a civilian is killed and a police officer wounded during what began as an apparent traffic stop. What’s needed now is a fair and thorough investigation of the March 21 shooting of Dexter Reed and an action plan for preventing another deadly incident.

By CST Editorial Board

Editorials

Jack Smith's latest Supreme Court filing against Trump immunity claim is a civics lesson for us all

The sooner the court makes it clear that no one is above the law in America, the better for the nation.

By CST Editorial Board

A campaign poster for the Dolton Mayor Tiffany A. Henyard outside the Municipal building at 14122 King Drive in Dolton.

Editorials

Lori Lightfoot gives Dolton a chance to learn the truth about Mayor Tiffany Henyard's spending

Tiffany Henyard’s antics would be bad enough if Dolton were in good financial shape, but the village has a budget deficit upward of $5 million and one of the highest property tax rates in Cook County. Lightfoot’s hiring increases the odds that the village will learn the truth about Henyard.

By CST Editorial Board

WHIFF: Redeveloping the former site of U.S. Steel’s South Works. | Sun-Times files

Editorials

Is the former South Works site ready to take a quantum leap into computing?

The former U.S. Steel South Works site and the Lockport refinery could become home to quantum computing facilities under a plan proposed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office. Chicago certainly would benefit from something big finally happening at South Works, a massive parcel that sorely needs development.

By CST Editorial Board

Cropped image of woman waitress in apron hold out bill folder to cafe visitor of cafe or restaurant.

Editorials

Take a wait-and-see approach before eliminating subminimum wage for tipped workers in Illinois

Lawmakers in Springfield should first see how Chicago restaurants fare under the city ordinance to phase out the subminimum wage. If restaurants in a foodie city like ours start struggling, that would be a big red flag.

By CST Editorial Board

Jackie Wilson, his wife Sandra and niece Candace laugh outside the Leighton Criminal Courthouse Friday afternoon, Oct. 2, 2020.

Editorials

When Chicago keeps fighting police misconduct lawsuits, taxpayers and victims pay the price

Too often, the city turns to costly legal battling instead of finding ways to bring lawsuits for misconduct and wrongful convictions to a close. One 2023 analysis of all police misconduct settlements between 2019 and June 2023 found $313 million in payouts for Chicago.

By CST Editorial Board

Community residents have a chance to own the Roseland Medical and Retail Center strip mall on West 111th Street.

Editorials

Roseland residents have a chance to invest in their community. Go for it.

Any smart effort to boost struggling neighborhoods and save local businesses has our support. Kudos to Chicago TREND for its plan to help Roseland residents become part-owners of a local strip mall.

By CST Editorial Board

Numerous police officers stand outside Peterson Plaza in Edgewater, with houses in the background and police vehicles in the foreground.

Editorials

Making it a felony to violate an order of protection might keep domestic violence survivors safe

State Senate Republicans want to toughen the law and upgrade order of protection violations from a misdemeanor to a Class 4 felony. Senate Democrats should listen. The safety of domestic violence survivors and others must come first.

By CST Editorial Board

Editorials

The youngest victims of gun violence deserve extra efforts to bring justice

Mateo Zastro was 3 when he was gunned down. His murder, and dozens of other murders of children, remain unsolved.

By CST Editorial Board

A rendering of the planned new Terminal 2, the “global terminal,” at O’Hare Airport.

Editorials

Get O'Hare's long-delayed Terminal 2 project ready for takeoff

The project is too big to fail. It’s a needed win for Chicago’s future, and it’s imperative that the financial issues stalling Terminal 2 get resolved.

By CST Editorial Board

A dead bird is seen right outside the McCormick Place Lakeside Center, Friday, Oct. 6, 2023.

Editorials

Saving migratory birds should be a Chicago priority

Chicago has been designated the nation’s most dangerous city for migrating birds. City officials can change that before the Department of Planning and Development’s preliminary proposed construction guidelines are released on April 15.

By CST Editorial Board

Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapses After Being Struck By Cargo Ship

Editorials

Immigrants were on the job when the Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed

The construction workers gave their lives as they worked to maintain the bridge, doing a job that too few Americans are either able or trained to take.

By CST Editorial Board