As a student in Chicago and a relatively new resident, I have quickly learned how much rising utility bills affect everyday life in the city. I hear the concern from neighbors and classmates who are struggling with rising energy bills. I face and share that concern.
The recent article about rising Illinois utility rates (“Proposal targets ‘hidden expenses,’” Feb. 26) highlights hidden charges that increase customer bills through the delivery fee. But it misses a key issue that helps explain why it is that these costs keep climbing. It is imperative that the public understands the full picture of what is driving these increases, because without understanding the cause, it is difficult to know what action regulators and residents should demand.
Gas utilities such as Peoples Gas earn profits from infrastructure spending. Regulators allow utilities to earn close to a 10% return on major capital investments such as pipelines. In effect, the more a utility spends on building or replacing infrastructure, the more profit it generates for shareholders. Those costs are then passed directly to customers through delivery charges on monthly bills, as the Tribune’s Robert Channick reports.
This incentive structure helps explain why Peoples Gas continues to expand its costly Pipe Retirement Program. Chicago residents are being asked to fund billions of dollars in pipeline infrastructure through higher delivery charges, even when less expensive safety solutions exist. Programs such as pipe lining and targeted repairs can reduce leaks and extend pipe life at a far lower cost. Yet large-scale pipe replacement remains the preferred approach because it increases the utility’s regulated return.
The Illinois Commerce Commission should carefully evaluate whether this level of spending truly serves the public interest. Chicagoans deserve safe and reliable energy, but we should not be locked into paying for unnecessary fossil fuel infrastructure that primarily increases corporate profits rather than public safety.
— Caiti Swearingen, Chicago
Courts a stabilizing force
At a time when public confidence in democratic institutions is strained, the judiciary remains one of the nation’s most reliable guardians of constitutional principles. Not through rhetoric or ideology, but through process, precedent and independence.
In Illinois and in Cook County, that role is evident every day.
Courts are where rights move from theory into practice. Where due process is not optional. Where fairness is required, especially when individuals are vulnerable, consequences are high and public discourse is polarized.
That is particularly true in cases involving immigration, civil rights and access to justice.
While immigration law is federally based, state and local courts play a critical role in protecting constitutional rights for people navigating complex systems. Illinois courts issue orders in family, criminal and protective proceedings that carry significant immigration consequences. In doing so, they ensure due process, access to counsel and language services, regardless of status.
Cook County courts are part of that responsibility. They reinforce a simple principle: Access to justice must not depend on where someone was born or the language they speak.
These are not political statements. They are constitutional ones.
Across the country, courts are also upholding civil rights in cases involving voting access, free speech, equal protection and executive authority. Outcomes may vary, but the process remains consistent: Evidence is weighed, arguments are heard and decisions are grounded in law.
That consistency is the judiciary’s strength.
Courts move deliberately. They do not chase headlines or bend to public pressure. Their authority comes from independence and their legitimacy from adherence to established legal principles, even when unpopular.
As clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, I see how those values are upheld not only by judges, but also by the systems that support them. How records are managed, how information is shared and how accessible court services are all shape whether residents experience the courts as fair and trustworthy.
In the past year, Cook County courts have expanded language access, increased online access to information and modernized systems to improve transparency. These efforts may seem administrative, but they are democratic at their core.
At a moment marked by division and uncertainty, the courts remain a stabilizing force. They do not promise agreement. They promise process. That commitment is essential to democracy.
— Mariyana Spyropoulos, clerk, Circuit Court of Cook County
Growing Illinois businesses
The dramatic downsizing of the workforce at the former Discover headquarters is no surprise to anyone who has gone through corporate acquisitions. Chicago has seen huge companies disappear over many decades. It may be mismanagement in some cases (Sears), but often it is a lack of vision or ambition to be an acquirer rather than the acquired (Ameritech). Locally based leadership can also be critical (Boeing). Illinois’ financial problems, tax policies, regulatory regime and governments that are exceptionally labor-friendly also play a part (Caterpillar and Citadel).
Amid all the political campaigning this year, there is little to no talk about growing the state or regional economy, reversing the population flow out of Illinois, or creating conditions that will better position Illinois to preserve existing jobs and attract new ones.
Discover is just the latest example. If the state and region do not mobilize to generate more pro-business policies, there will certainly be more.
— Doug Hurdelbrink, Chicago
The dangers of gambling
I applaud the op-ed by former Illinois state Rep. Jim Nowlan (“Illinoisans are betting their lives. There’s too much gambling in our state,” March 5). Nowlan is absolutely correct about the suffering and heartache caused by gambling disorders, which lead directly to bankruptcy, divorce, foreclosure and suicide. Several members of my social circle have been profoundly affected by this disorder, which is difficult to diagnose or treat, as shame and guilt keep its victims from seeking help until it’s too late.
The revenue the state and local governments receive from legalized gambling is a paper scam. The actual economy is damaged by the money leaving the state to gambling companies, as well as by the time and money lost by Illinoisans that could have served their actual desires instead of their addiction. The smartphone, the most addictive device ever invented, is now combined with the most addictive and sophisticated software to overwhelm victims with constant availability and ease of use.
Gambling in Illinois is much, much different from the days when you had to travel to a working riverboat on the Ohio River to put actual quarters into an actual slot machine before you could gamble.
In addition to the excellent calls to action detailed by Nowlan, I urge Illinoisans to oppose HB5048, a bill introduced in the Illinois House this session. This bill would remove the power of local communities to ban video slot and poker machines, a power that dozens of communities across the state are successfully using to protect their residents from predatory gambling.
Contact your representatives now and urge them to vote no on HB5048.
— Ben Huizenga, Chicago
My wish for campaign ads
Three cheers for Jennifer Obel’s comments on campaign mailers (“Campaign mailers are covering my refrigerator but are not informing voters,” March 6). Most everyone I know is sick of the constant negativity in election ads and mailers. Could it be that candidates, having little knowledge or experience in governing, go into attack mode rather than express a clear and thoughtful explanation as to why they are suited for the office in question?
For once, I’d love to hear a candidate say: “My opponent is a good person. I just happen to believe I am better qualified and here is why.”
— Ken Stead, Aurora
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