Phil Arvia

Dum Dums really get the conversation started on social media

June 8, 2018 at 7:14 p.m.

Occasionally, the great controversies of our time burst upon us when we least expect it. So it went for me recently. And no, I am not referring to the White...

Orbert Davis brings ‘soul’ to Jazz Fest opening night

May 22, 2019 at 5:15 p.m.

Orbert Davis is a storyteller. He has written works illuminating the life of Nelson Mandela, New Orleans after Katrina, the reversal of the Chicago River, even the history of "DuSable...

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District's Thornton Reservoir.

Is Deep Tunnel working? The nose knows

June 12, 2018 at 12:43 a.m.

Hey, Blue Island. You're welcome. You too, South Holland, and Calumet City, and Chicago south of 87th Street, and all points in between. Or maybe we of the Village of...

Mazen Kay (left) of Orland Park and his brother Nasser Kay of Mokena at their store, Mr. Kay's Fashions, in the River Oaks Center.

If Macy’s goes, might River Oaks follow?

June 10, 2018 at 2:15 p.m.

Nasser Kay has every right to think he's jinxed. After all, the 60-year-old Mokena resident owned Mr. Kay's Fashions in Evergreen Plaza and Lincoln Mall. Both malls went bust. Mr....

This Tuesday, June 28, 2016, photo shows a McDonald's sign in Miami. Already, the emergence of smaller rivals promising more wholesome alternatives has major restaurant chains scrambling to improve the image of their food. But some of the tweaks they're making underscore how far they have to go in changing perceptions. Convincing people it serves wholesome food is particularly important for McDonald's, which has long courted families with its Happy Meals and Ronald McDonald mascot. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Arvia: McDonald’s health concerns extend as far as its bottom line

June 12, 2018 at 1:49 a.m.

McDonald's popped up in the news a couple of time last week with efforts to define its future of transforming sedentary Americans into sedentary Americans, with cheese. It seems the...

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton huddles with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and daughter Chelsea at her New Hampshire presidential primary campaign rally on Feb. 9, 2016.

Voting for a woman for president has been a long time coming for some

June 10, 2018 at 3:35 p.m.

Irene Kazwara was born 90 years ago next month in a house on 117th Place in Roseland. That was six years after the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was...

Sisters Irene Kazwara (left) and Sophie Peloquin in 2014.

Voting for a woman for president has been a long time coming for some

June 10, 2018 at 3:47 p.m.

Irene Kazwara was born 90 years ago next month in a house on 117th Place in Roseland. That was six years after the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was...

Chris Sale wipes away sweat while throwing in the seventh inning against the Mariners at U.S. Cellular Field on August 26, 2016.

Chris Sale? I don’t like the cut of his jib

June 12, 2018 at 3:09 a.m.

Chris Sale accomplished two things Saturday, when he went all Sid Vicious on a throwback jersey that did not meet his lofty fashion standards. 1. He ensured the White Sox...

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence joins Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a rally in Westfield, Ind., on July 12, 2016.

In race for White House, you have to take a stand

June 10, 2018 at 12:26 p.m.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Never Hillary, I hope you're paying attention this week. Far be it from me to suggest that the "Never Hillary" movement is made up of men...

Zip it, climb it at new Forest Preserves facilities

May 22, 2019 at 5:14 p.m.

Perched on a platform affixed to a cottonwood towering over the neighboring oaks, 55 feet above the forest floor feels like 100. Stepping off that platform for a zip-line ride...

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