Letters to the Editor
There is perilous disconnect between official pronouncements and on-the-ground reality when temperatures rise, a reader says. Also, special education classroom assistants, the value of newspapers and being pummeled with review requests.
Readers sound off about AI-generated summer reading list that appeared in a syndicated section of the Sun-Times.
Chicago’s chief homelessness officer encourages residents to fill out survey to help curb the number of unhoused Chicagoans. Also, a thumbs up for Sun-Times Pope souvenirs and thoughts on Joe Biden’s health, Trump supporters and the president’s verbal attack on Bruce Springsteen.
Before the law was adopted, if a person was incarcerated during the once-in-a-decade census they were counted at the prison, not in their home community, stripping political power from Black and Brown communities. Also, advocates urge state lawmakers to pass two bills that would help address Illinois’ housing shortage.
Recent actions by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency contradict what Gov. JB Pritzker has been saying about fighting the Trump administration. Also, patriotism in the United Kingdom, reactions to the coverage of Pope Leo XIV and suggestions on what issues U.S. Senate candidates should be addressing.
More on the new pope, including American haters who can’t accept he speaks a foreign language and his brother’s controversial musings. Also, a plan on what Trump can do with money saved by DOGE cuts.
An Uber driver says Uber’s recent overcharges cost her and her peers tips and trust. Also, speakings out against ‘right-to-die’ legislation, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s firing of Dr. Allison Arwady still stings and Kristi Noem’s flawed logic when demonizing undocumented immigrants.
Two views on the use of proposed Artificial Intelligence Systems Use in Health Insurance Act. Also, weighing in on Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on foreign films and the new homegrown pope.
Mental health requires continual attention — every day, week and month of the year, writes Jana L. Jones of The Family Institute at Northwestern University. Also, building up the 340B Drug Pricing Program, the new Pope, Neil Steinberg’s library card woes, Donald Trump and the Supreme Court.
A youth leader schools adults on how to help young people instead of steering them away. Also, Cardinal Timothy Dolan shouldn’t be shocked by Donald Trump’s pope photo and another thumbs-down on proposed state legislation tied to the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program.
House Bill 1828 is a smart step toward creating safe, clean and reliable water and wastewater service, says the CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. Also, Donald Trump’s divine aspirations and proposal to reopen Alcatraz.
Without collective advocacy and funding, commitments to students would not be possible, a Chicago Public Schools teacher writes. Also, stressing the difference between Hinduism and Hindutva, and a pitch for an old-school public service announcement for parents to keep an eye on their kids at night.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s tribute to Pope Francis after the religious leader’s funeral. Also, thoughts on the U.S. attorney’s office, Head Start, caring for foster children, city curfew for minors, nurses and the mug shot Donald Trump hung outside the Oval Office.
Some covered entities have been pocketing the difference between the amount they are reimbursed through the 340B program and the 340B price they paid for the medicine — earning billions in the process, a local rheumatologist says. Also, many Americans’ fear of Donald Trump and a chuckle over Kristi Noem’s stolen purse.
Jewish college students actually want to be included in DEI initiatives, a local educator says. Also, Robert Crimo III’s absence at his sentencing hearing, Neil Steinberg’s library card woes, purse tips for Kristi Noem’s and a plea for Americans to stop littering.
The head of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools says he and others from the charter school community were not consulted about a proposed resolution dealing with the charter school authorization process.
Although Hispanics get cancer less frequently than the non-Hispanic white population, they experience far worse outcomes, often because their cancers are diagnosed at later stages, making it more difficult to treat. Also, support for the Broadway Land Use Framework plan; outrage over the president’s treatment of Kilmar Abrego Garcia; and lessons Illinoisans can learn from Wisconsin voters and Gandhi in resisting the current administration.
Trees lower energy costs, boost property values, reduce stormwater expenses, create jobs and support economies across Illinois. Trees also improve public health by reducing heat, cleaning the air, easing stress and encouraging activity — making our communities stronger. Also, a tip for Mayor Brandon Johnson.
To the more conservative Christians, including Catholics, a Lincoln Park resident urges, “Now it is time to grow up.” Other readers also honor the late pope while one laments Donald Trump’s presence at Pope Francis’ upcoming funeral.
A recent study by the Sinai Urban Health Institute found the Black infant mortality rate in Chicago is more than four times higher than the white rate. Also, a call to all Americans to stand up against the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and a classic TV sitcom recommendation for the president.
Criminalizing “ballot selfies” in Illinois doesn’t make sense. “They aren’t a threat to democracy — they’re a celebration of it,” writes one young voter. Also, the importance of creatives meeting up, Real ID efficiency and more criticism of Trump.
This agreement clearly weaponizes the integrity of millions of hardworking members of our communities, writes a leader of the Illinois Latino Agenda. Others say there are plenty of carmakers who deserve your business besides Tesla, while some hope Americans who are seeing their life savings dwindle will wake up.
The mission of Chicago Nonprofit Connect is simple: to create a space for resource-sharing, partnership-building and mutual support across the sector, says Josie Flanagan of the Honeycomb Project. Also, another Sun-Times reader pleads for the newspaper to focus on chaos and injustices caused by the Trump administration.
A Princeton Park reader says Cory Booker’s recent marathon speech wasn’t just about fighting bad policy. Also, thoughts on the Sun-Times’ recent decision to cease editorials, Harvard University’s refusal to cave in to Donald Trump’s demands, the White House’s stance on antisemitism, deportation of migrants, young police officers style and the president’s tendencies to hurt the country.
A Sun-Times reader says while he appreciates reading local stories, the news organization should be focusing on the deportation debacle of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Also, RFK Jr.'s autism research quest and the vote on the CTU contract.
The online tool, which was unveiled last week, gives residents direct access to case initiation data dating back to 2020, says Clerk of the Circuit Court Mariyana T. Spyropoulos. Also, the importance of speaking out against the Trump administration and addressing the city’s ambulance shortage.
John LaPlante, who was scapegoated in the city’s flood fiasco, was a career bureaucrat, just like so many of the people Elon Musk is firing, a local historian writes. Also, a thumbs up for Dillon’s Law, employee stock ownership plans and CPS CEO Pedro Martinez; a thumbs down to Democrat leaders’ ineffectiveness and Donald Trump’s harshness and ineptitude.
Many voters travel for work, don’t drive, can’t drive or walk to polling places, live overseas or simply know who they want to vote for and want to “get voting out of the way.” These circumstances know no party, says League of Women Voters of Illinois Vice President Kathy Cortez. Also, defending WBEZ and other public media.
The hit four-part series “doesn’t indict masculinity itself but challenges the harmful constructs and societal norms that define it,” writes domestic violence attorney Kinza Khan. Also, letters on the cuts to U.S. Veterans Affairs, making sports outings more affordable and Neil Steinberg’s recent column on an ailing grandmother’s will to survive for her grandchild.
The numbers tell us the goal of making Illinois a no-kill state is achievable. Of the 120,000 pets entering Illinois shelters each year, roughly 10,000 more need to be saved for the state to be considered no-kill, writes the director No-Kill Advancement at Best Friends Animal Society. Also, disdain for Donald Trump for skipping the “dignified transfer” service for fallen U.A. soldiers.
Some Sun-Times readers are upset that the newspaper’s story on protests against President Trump’s policies was “buried” in the back of Sunday’s print edition. Also, ridiculing the GOP response to the protests, praise for the Sun-Times and likening Donald Trump to a certain Roman emperor.