Paul Sassone

Prince, the rooster, right, struts in Mo Cahill's backyard during a morning feeding, Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in the Rogers Park neighborhood.

Column: Should people be allowed to keep chickens in their backyards?

May 8, 2019 at 4:57 p.m.

What would you call them? Cluckeasies? I know from watching "The Untouchables" that during Prohibition illegal spots that served liquor were called speakeasies. Now, I understand there are folks in...

Column: Automation is dangerous and sad for American workers, consumers

June 3, 2018 at 6:56 p.m.

It's a misanthrope's dream. You can go through an entire day – working, commuting, shopping, dining, recreating – without encountering another human being. OK, you can't do that now. But,...

Aden Wiley, 2, uses sidewalk chalk to draw on the street with his mother, Michelle Mbekeani-Wiley, at the Hephzipaloozah Summer Festival benefiting Hephzibah Children's Association at Mills Park in Oak Park on June 10.

Column: Oak Park’s Hephzibah a source of hope in a harsh world

May 8, 2019 at 4:57 p.m.

Hope and optimism are pretty hard to come by these days. Wherever we turn we are verbally and visually assaulted by conflict, hatred, prejudice and selfishness. We are fed a...

Comedian Kathy Griffin speaks during a news conference, Friday, June 2, 2017, in Los Angeles to discuss the backlash since Griffin released a photo and video of her displaying a likeness of President Donald Trump's severed head.

Column: Oak Park native Kathy Griffin crossed a line with Trump severed head photo

May 8, 2019 at 4:56 p.m.

Everyone comes from some place. So, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Kathy Griffin comes from Oak Park. In case you are as ignorant of popular culture as I,...

Column: Is it progress, or just change?

May 14, 2019 at 4:20 p.m.

I keep reading that in the foreseeable future our jobs will be taken over by machines. And I believe it. But to what end? I pondered this the other day...

Mary Anne Mohanraj is pictured next to the Little Free Library she has in front of her Oak Park home in October 2013.

Column: Little Free Libraries offer refreshing divergence from political discourse of the day

May 8, 2019 at 4:56 p.m.

They resemble birdhouses. But they definitely are not for the birds. For one thing, they are a little too big. And for another they are full of books, not seed....

Column: Every season should be reading season

May 8, 2019 at 4:55 p.m.

We like our lives to be orderly, even our recreation. So, we squeeze things into seasons. We now are in baseball season. In a few moths we will be in...

In this photo, released by Warner Bros., actor John Wayne plays Ethan Edwards in the remastered and restored special edition DVD of “The Searchers.&#8221

Column: There’s just something special about John Wayne

May 14, 2019 at 4:19 p.m.

Like many of us – for good or ill – a lot of what I know comes from watching television. Occasionally I learn something nice. On a recent episode of...

Ken Griffin, the founder and CEO of Citadel, pictured in November 2014. Griffen contributed $20 million recently to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s re-election campaign. The donation is believed to be the largest contribution ever given to a campaign by a noncandidate in the state.

Column: Big donations mean more commercials for politicians seeking office

May 14, 2019 at 4:19 p.m.

Donations. Gov. Bruce Rauner donated $50 million to his election campaign. Illinois' richest man, Ken Griffin, donated $20 million to Rauner's war chest. Democratic gubernatorial hopeful J. B. Pritzker donated...

A bronze bust of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, anchored in a large rock, greets visitors to Austin Gardens at 167 Forest Ave. in Oak Park. The space is also the outdoor theater venue for the Oak Park Festival Theatre.

Column: Oak Park reverses course to find a way to allow public drinking at Festival Theatre

May 8, 2019 at 4:54 p.m.

It sounds kind of tentative. But, when you want to do something you figure out a way to do it, whether that way is logical or not. Take, for instance,...

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