. By Ray Hanania I remember watching TV when protesters threw metal barrels through the windows of the Conrad Hilton Hotel and other buildings along Michigan Avenue during the 1968 Democratic Convention. The convention resulted in clashes between anti-war protesters and an army of police driven by then Mayor Richard J. Daley’s anger at how his…

By Rich Miller We’re going to talk some history today. According to testimony at the federal ComEd Four trial, then-House Speaker Mike Madigan’s former 13th Ward alderperson, Frank Olivo, was brought on as a subcontractor under then-ComEd Chairman and CEO Frank Clark. Clark retired in September 2011, almost a dozen years ago. He has never…

. By Ray Hanania It was bad enough when white racists would lie about the physical attributes of African Americans to justify maintaining the dual system of segregation. Just as bad is the reverse racism that grew from the suffering many African Americans faced as a consequence of racism, even as the civil rights movement…

. By Rich Miller The now-notorious violent youth riot in downtown Chicago during a recent weekend got me to thinking of a press conference way back in 2010. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley voiced frustration about what he said were large groups of suburban kids causing trouble on Chicago’s lakefront, even though plenty of Chicago…

. By Ray Hanania Chicago’s City Council aldermen were always intended to be equal to the city’s mayors, to exert influence and represent the needs of their residents. Long before Richard J. Daley took control, creating the Chicago Machine in 1952 and becoming mayor in 1955, aldermen had power. But during those first 100 years,…

By Rich Miller A couple of Chicago mayoral race polling results from last month have been stuck in my head ever since they were released. The BSP Research poll taken March 15-23 for Northwestern University’s Center for the Study of Diversity and Democracy found the two mayoral runoff candidates were running neck and neck. The…

By Ray Hanania Brandon Johnson, the Cook County Commissioner very few people heard of, defeated Paul Vallas in the runoff for Chicago mayor. Don’t believe that the major issues between them determined the election results. Vallas criticized Johnson for his numerous statements calling to defund the police, his support of looters who destroyed businesses in…

. By Ray Hanania Buried in a lot of the news over the past few weeks was the announcement that Social Security recipients will see a 20% cut in monthly payments by 2034, predicting the Social Security trust fund will “run out” by 2035. That’s only 12 years away. What is being done? Nothing. For those still…

. By Rich Miller If you’re getting a strong and unpleasant sense of déjà vu about the new U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimates for counties, including Cook County, you’re not alone. U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-8th) is feeling it as well. Krishnamoorthi, who sits on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, has been trying to…

By Ray Hanania As much as he tries, Brandon Johnson can’t get away from comments that he made about the most important issues facing Chicagoans, his support to “defund” the Chicago police and comments he made defending looters, criminals who destroyed and robbed hundreds of stores after the George Floyd protests. At the time, Johnson,…