By Thomas J. Dart, Cook County Sheriff On a cold December night, Sheriff’s Police responded to a frantic 911 call from a family whose son was behaving erratically and threatening to kill himself. When they arrived, the distraught and angry young man was being held down by family members attempting to prevent him from grabbing…

By Mara Vanderslice Kelly Human trafficking is the act of compelling someone into work or commercial sex through force, fraud or coercion. It is illegal everywhere but happens every day in big cities and small towns across the United States. Human trafficking takes many forms: A foster care youth forced into commercial sex work by…

By Ray Hanania Do you remember that feeling when you got your first car as a kid? The excitement and thrill? My first was a 1962 Corvair. It wasn’t a hot rod, but it was reliable. A real memory. I feel bad because Kia has prevented my son from having that same experience. I bought…

By Rich Miller In the wake of last week’s Census numbers release, the news media has widely reported a seeming reduction in the number of white people, both nationally and here in Illinois. “Census shows U.S. is diversifying, white population shrinking,” the Associated Press reported. “Overall, in the five collar counties, the white population declined…

By Ray Hanania Rod Blagojevich was always his own worst enemy. An arrogant and selfish politician who cared more for himself than he did the people of Illinois, Blagojevich was an easy target for his many political enemies. His enemies — Republicans and Democrats — not only ousted him from office, but they inflicted punishment…

By Rich Miller When Gov. JB Pritzker recently announced that state employees who work in congregate facilities would have to be vaccinated by Oct. 4, the largest state employee union, AFSCME, released a statement chiding the governor. “We strongly oppose any effort to define them as part of the problem,” the powerful union claimed on…

By Thomas L. Knapp “We can dance if we want to,” sang Ivan Doroschuk of Men Without Hats in 1982. “We can leave your friends behind / ‘Cause your friends don’t dance and if they don’t dance / Well they’re, no friends of mine.” The song seems to be enjoying renewed popularity on classic hit…