Cory Franklin

Broadway composer Jerry Herman at his home in Beverly Hills, California, in 2002. His 1983 hit, "La Cage aux Folles," was one of the first shows with an openly gay couple.

Commentary: Jerry Herman, composer of ‘Hello, Dolly,’ should also be remembered as an early HIV survivor

January 3, 2020 at 5:43 p.m.

When composer Jerry Herman died last month at 88, he was universally acclaimed as a legend of the musical theater. He wrote three of the greatest shows of the 20th...

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., departs Burlington International Airport after disembarking from a plane in South Burlington, Vermont, on Oct. 5, 2019.

Commentary: Bernie Sanders’ heart attack and the secrecy around past presidential medical crises

October 7, 2019 at 9:40 p.m.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, a leading Democratic candidate for the presidential nomination, was discharged Friday from a Nevada hospital after suffering a myocardial infarction, the medical term for a heart attack....

Cubs outfielder Willie Smith gives a boost to a fan who fell from the bleachers, helping him climb back up to avoid a $25 fine on July 13, 1969. The Cubs installed a 42-inch chain-link fence around the top of the wall the next year.

Commentary: Why the 1969 Cubs mattered so much

August 22, 2019 at 7:28 p.m.

My son, a Cubs fan, was at a game recently and texted me pictures of several members of the 1969 Cubs throwing out the first pitch at Wrigley Field. It...

The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox play in London on June 30, 2019. The game was a ridiculous slugfest, with the teams scoring a combined 30 runs.

Commentary: Baseball games are a drag. 3 ways to make the MLB fun again

August 1, 2019 at 5:20 p.m.

Baseball has become a boring game. And not just boring, but slow, approaching the neighborhood of interminable. Even die-hard fans admit that sitting through a three-hour game, an hour longer...

When service transcended party: D-Day, my dad and Gen. Dwight Eisenhower

June 4, 2019 at 6:01 p.m.

This week marks the 75th anniversary of the Allied forces landing on the Normandy beaches during World War II, the largest amphibious military assault in history. This year is also...

Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., recounts experiencing sexual abuse while serving in the Air Force. McSally said that she was raped by a superior officer.

The U.S. military needs a ‘sexual assault unit’ to address its alarming rape problem

May 31, 2019 at 9:25 p.m.

The recent announcement by Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., that she was sexually assaulted while serving in the U.S. Air Force highlights once again the importance of preventing sexual assault in...

A partially covered statue of singer Kate Smith is seen near the Wells Fargo Center on April 19, 2019, in Philadelphia. The statue has since been removed.

Moral clarity? Kate Smith’s ‘God Bless America’ vs. Woody Guthrie’s ‘This Land Is Your Land’

May 31, 2019 at 9:25 p.m.

The New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Flyers both recently announced they would stop using their traditional recorded versions of Kate Smith singing "God Bless America" during games. In a...

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Russell Baker, who died on Jan. 21, is shown at his home in Leesburg, Va., in 2012.

Russell Baker and why you should read the obituaries

May 31, 2019 at 9:27 p.m.

With the death of Russell Baker on Jan. 21, America lost one of its great journalists. The two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist had not written regularly for many years, and some...

Bears kicker Cody Parkey (1) reacts after missing the potential game-winning field goal in the final seconds of the fourth quarter against the Eagles at Soldier Field on Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019.

Sympathy for Cody Parkey — and the ‘double doink’ difficulty of being an NFL kicker

May 31, 2019 at 9:18 p.m.

On Sunday the name Cody Parkey was etched indelibly into the annals of Chicago sports infamy. As the whole city knows by now, Parkey missed a 43-yard field goal at...

Santa's feeling low, what with the North Pole warming over and Amazon big-footing his gift-delivery gig.

Santa Claus vs. Amazon — a modern Christmas story

May 31, 2019 at 9:25 p.m.

The old man with the red suit and white beard trudged dejectedly into the psychiatrist’s office. The psychiatrist motioned him to lie down on the couch. “What did you say...

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