John McCarron

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, listens as Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner delivers his State of the State address in the Illinois House chamber on Jan. 25, 2017, in Springfield, Ill.

Will Madigan and Rauner act like statesmen or Illinois politicians?

May 11, 2019 at 8:52 a.m.

Return we now to Springfield, for while we've been gnashing our teeth about the goings-on in the nation's capital there's been a bipartisan breakthrough in Illinois. OK, a potential breakthrough....

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner speaks to reporters after meeting with legislative leaders during veto session in Springfield, Ill., on Nov. 16, 2016.

Compromise should not be a dirty word in Springfield

May 11, 2019 at 8:49 a.m.

Compromise is possible in Springfield. Don't believe it when Democrats say Gov. Bruce Rauner's reform agenda has no place in negotiations over a state budget. Technically that's true, but informal...

Supporters of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump react to early results during election night at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York on Nov. 8, 2016.

When white guys push back at the polls

May 11, 2019 at 8:42 a.m.

Once again the country has parted company with its culture. As if that wasn't plain enough while watching Tuesday's election returns, and just before CNN called Florida for Donald Trump,...

Reflection of the Illinois State Capitol building, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, in Springfield.

Three fixes to repair Illinois’ money woes

May 11, 2019 at 8:48 a.m.

Sometimes the trees and underbrush get so thick you can't see the forest. When it comes to public finance, this is one of those times. We've been bombarded lately with...

Bicyclists use a protected bike lane along Dearborn Street on June 2, 2016.

Bike lanes give cyclists free ride at expense of drivers, urban planning

May 11, 2019 at 8:35 a.m.

Have we reached "peak driving"? It's the question of the year among urban planning and transportation wonks. Car sales remain strong, yet when corrected for population gain and other factors...

Changing all those monthly auto-pay accounts you've set up can be a digital nightmare.

Getting back on track after being hacked is a digital nightmare

May 11, 2019 at 8:33 a.m.

Hacked! Again. This time by some guy in London who tried to buy a $2,001.37 airline ticket to who-knows-where from Qantas Airways. Good thing I had set security alerts on...

A cyclist passes buildings in the Fulton Market area in Chicago on April 29, 2015.

‘Youthification’ and the two Chicagos

May 11, 2019 at 8:30 a.m.

Chicago is riding a wave of "youthification" — a trend that is reinvigorating parts of the city yet doing little to lift the fortunes of have-not neighborhoods on the South...

The 10-year tab for upgrading Illinois' transportation system to where it needs to be would require the state to raise by half its license plate fees and more than double its motor fuel tax to finance $43 billion worth of repairs and improvements.

Deficit-laden Illinois’ infrastructure is crumbling

May 11, 2019 at 8:12 a.m.

It's not often that the prayer offered at the start of a civic luncheon fires the imagination as much as the exhortations of the featured speaker. But midway in the...

Commuters utilize the CTA Loop Link during the morning rush hour on Friday, Jan. 22, 2016.

Getting around Chicago faster

May 11, 2019 at 8:05 a.m.

Rode Chicago's new Loop Link recently, and it reminded me a lot of the old No. 20/Madison Street CTA bus. Come to think of it, it was the same old...

A hospital bill to make you sick

May 11, 2019 at 8:00 a.m.

Regular unleaded is pumping for less than $2 a gallon, so a lot of amateur economists are asking why folks aren't spending their newfound gasoline savings at the shopping malls....

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