Chicago Tribune Opinion

Edward Robert McClelland: The Illinois debate that made Abraham Lincoln a national figure

Edward Robert McClelland: The Illinois debate that made Abraham Lincoln a national figure Abraham Lincoln’s arguments against slavery in his first debate with Stephen Douglas in Ottawa, Illinois, would make him a national figure.

Tom Montgomery Fate: What it’s like to lose a father to Alzheimer’s

Tom Montgomery Fate: What it’s like to lose a father to Alzheimer’s The hard thing with Alzheimer’s is that your dad or mom becomes like a child again, and you must parent them.

Tribune Opinion quotes of the week

Tribune Opinion quotes of the week Here are the best quotes of the week, as chosen by the Tribune Opinion team.

Letters: Family outing on Metra helped me understand why it has a reputation problem

Letters: Family outing on Metra helped me understand why it has a reputation problem We still love Metra, and we’ll ride again, but I’m starting to understand why others despise it so.

Editorial: A broadside against the plans for North DuSable Lake Shore Drive, but cars have to go somewhere

Editorial: A broadside against the plans for North DuSable Lake Shore Drive, but cars have to go somewhere The solution for the iconic DuSable Lake Shore Drive on Chicago’s North Side needs compromise, realism and honest debate.

Aaron Feldman: Let’s fix Western Avenue and make Chicago stronger

Aaron Feldman: Let’s fix Western Avenue and make Chicago stronger Rezoning and improving bus transit along Chicago’s Western Avenue address the dual crises of transit and housing in a bold manner.

Letters: Don’t scar our lakefront with a new Bears stadium

Letters: Don’t scar our lakefront with a new Bears stadium Leave the lake alone, please, except for true improvements that allow use for free to all.

David McGrath: My father knew how to make all of his 8 kids feel special

David McGrath: My father knew how to make all of his 8 kids feel special My dad was a salesman in debt half his life and never able to buy us things. But he gave to each of us something way more valuable: himself.

Elizabeth Shackelford: The far right makes unnerving gains in EU elections

Elizabeth Shackelford: The far right makes unnerving gains in EU elections The steady trend of increased support for a platform that had been on the fringes of European politics since World War II remains alarming.

Heidi Stevens: A reminder to give our kids the space to dream big about their one precious life — including who they’ll love

Heidi Stevens: A reminder to give our kids the space to dream big about their one precious life — including who they’ll love Part of the deal when we are gifted with kids is to love them exactly the way they are. That goes for our LGBTQ kids and our straight kids.

Carole Hopson: How did Bessie Coleman, daughter of an enslaved woman, become a queen?

Carole Hopson: How did Bessie Coleman, daughter of an enslaved woman, become a queen? Bessie Coleman became a pioneer at the dawn of the Great Migration and at the dawn of aviation by being the first African American female pilot.

Editorial: Riot Fest’s exit to the suburbs is a blow to the West Side. It was preventable.

Editorial: Riot Fest’s exit to the suburbs is a blow to the West Side. It was preventable. Chicago can’t afford to lose revenue-generating events like Riot Fest. Tell that to the Park District.

Willie Wilson: Lessons from my father on love

Willie Wilson: Lessons from my father on love I grew up in Louisiana during the time of Jim Crow laws. In spite of all the hate, my parents taught me to love.

Letters: Police officers face risks every day, especially during traffic stops

Letters: Police officers face risks every day, especially during traffic stops With every stop, police risk being shot, stabbed, punched, kicked or hit by a vehicle.

Al Llorens: Illinois just took a vital step forward for safer schools

Al Llorens: Illinois just took a vital step forward for safer schools A new bill requires Illinois to publish guidance on student behavior interventions, which will make classrooms safer for teachers and students.

Editorial: Judge rightly halts state Democrats’ cynical bid to cement supermajorities

Editorial: Judge rightly halts state Democrats’ cynical bid to cement supermajorities A judge raps Democrats’ knuckles in a naked bid to preserve supermajorities.

Paul Vallas: CTU’s contract demands are divorced from reality. Here’s what Chicago must demand.

Paul Vallas: CTU’s contract demands are divorced from reality. Here’s what Chicago must demand. No matter which way it’s sold, the CTU deal will stick taxpayers with another unaffordable contract that further degrades school quality.

Editorial: A lesson from the Hunter Biden verdict: Beware the memoir

Editorial: A lesson from the Hunter Biden verdict: Beware the memoir If Hunter Biden and Prince Harry have cause to regret their own autobiographies, what might we all learn?

My brother’s struggles with mental illness are why the work to transform Chicago’s mental health care infrastructure is personal for me, Mayor Brandon Johnson writes.

Brandon Johnson: My brother Leon would have lived longer if he had received the mental health care he needed My brother’s struggles with mental illness are why the work to transform Chicago’s mental health care infrastructure is personal for me.

The bottom line is that the mayor needs to refocus his so-called progressive agenda from that of enabling wrongdoers to enforcing the law and showing some sympathy for the victims of these attacks, a reader writes.

Letters: Mayor Brandon Johnson needs to refocus his agenda on sympathizing with victims The mayor needs to support Ald. Brian Hopkins’ proposed ordinance and change his focus to the reality of what’s happening as a result of street takeovers.

The former defense secretary for Donald Trump is advocating a national service mandate in the U.S., Clarence Page writes.

Clarence Page: Talk of mandated national service percolates among former Trump advisers The former defense secretary for Donald Trump when he was president is advocating a national service mandate in the U.S.

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office opted not to prosecute a reputed gang leader for a brazen 2021 killing. Now the feds are stepping in, the Tribune Editorial Board writes.

Editorial: Three years after brazen killing of a National Guard member on Chicago’s Northwest Side, the feds step in to pursue justice Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office opted not to prosecute a reputed gang leader for a brazen 2021 killing. Now the feds are stepping in.

The government alleges that three activists acted as Russian agents when they criticized U.S. interference in Ukraine. This is an important case threatening First Amendment rights, a lawyer writes.

Leonard C. Goodman: An important case threatening First Amendment rights is about to go to trial The government alleges that three activists acted as Russian agents when they criticized U.S. interference in Ukraine.

The United States is considering boosting its nuclear arsenal based on the questionable belief that it’ll deter Russia and China from increasing theirs, foreign affairs columnist Daniel DePetris writes.

Daniel DePetris: Should the US increase its nuclear arsenal? The United States is considering boosting its nuclear arsenal based on the questionable belief that it’ll deter Russia and China from increasing theirs.

Excessive noise outside Family Planning Associates, a Chicago health care clinic, is putting everyone’s safety at risk, the clinic's medical director and the CEO of Personal PAC write.

Sarah Garza Resnick and Allison Cowett: Aldermen must establish a quiet zone outside Chicago abortion clinic Excessive noise outside Family Planning Associates, a Chicago health care clinic, is putting everyone’s safety at risk.

Letters: The Illinois Eats program holds promise for farmers and communities in need

Letters: The Illinois Eats program holds promise for farmers and communities in need The IL-EATS program holds promise not just for us but also for all socially disadvantaged farmers.

Editorial: An early summer weekend of gun deaths in Chicago shows how far we have to go

Editorial: An early summer weekend of gun deaths in Chicago shows how far we have to go Gunshots and death overshadowed a gorgeous summer weekend in Chicago.

Editorial: Hey, United Airlines, no targeted ads at 30,000 feet, please

Editorial: Hey, United Airlines, no targeted ads at 30,000 feet, please If United Airlines wants to tailor seat-back ads to whomever is sitting there, it should pay for the privilege.

Mike Viola: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s education policy should take a lesson from other cities

Mike Viola: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s education policy should take a lesson from other cities Instead of yielding to the demands of the Chicago Teachers Union, Mayor Brandon Johnson should learn from Austin and Denver.

Letters: Why is President Joe Biden taking action on the border now?

Letters: Why is President Joe Biden taking action on the border now? Now President Joe Biden can do something about the southern border without the GOP? Wow, what a turnaround!