Randy Blaser

A homeless individual's belongings are pictured in an Elgin park in this file photo.

Column: Addressing homelessness in the suburbs will take hard work and creative approaches

January 17, 2020 at 4:22 p.m.

When attempting to address homelessness, an issue that has been cropping up with more frequency in the suburbs for some 20 years now, the immediate task is providing simple shelter,...

Workers install additional protective netting at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago on July 10, 2019. The netting was extended from the dugouts to the fair poles in right and left field.

Column: Catching a foul ball isn’t worth the risk. Put up the nets already.

January 9, 2020 at 7:04 p.m.

For a typical fan, one of the most exciting experiences at any Major League Baseball game is catching a foul ball. Better still, catching a home run ball. It's such...

Workers are rolling joints at Cresco Labs in Joliet on Dec. 17, 2019. Cresco Labs is one of the largest cannabis companies in the state and recently expanded its marijuana growing facilities.

Column: Anyone can recap 2019, let’s try to predict the biggest stories of 2020

December 31, 2019 at 10:23 p.m.

As we say goodbye to 2019, many news organizations are publishing their lists of the top stories of the past year and the last decade. You've already read local versions...

Column: A new year means new ways for Illinois lawmakers to dip into your wallet

December 26, 2019 at 7:05 a.m.

By now everyone knows that as of Jan. 1, people will be able to legally buy recreational marijuana in Illinois. It's good timing because if you take a look at...

The nativity scene in Saint Peter's Square during the Christmas tree switch on ceremony on December 9, 2016 in Vatican City.

Column: This Christmas season, pay attention to the right people

December 23, 2019 at 11:00 a.m.

If the baby Jesus were born today, how would you know? More than likely, you wouldn't. Instead you would probably be too caught up in the news of the day....

The house featured in "Home Alone" is located on Lincoln Avenue in Winnetka. Pictured on Dec. 9, 2019.

Column: Tourists are still flocking to the ‘Home Alone’ house. I get the appeal.

December 12, 2019 at 6:05 p.m.

I read a Pioneer Press story this week that described how the so-called "Home Alone" house is still a huge tourist attraction even though nearly 30 years have passed since...

The American macro beer: Hamm's by MillerCoors (4.7 percent).

Column: The rise of suburban microbreweries has me remembering the days of Hamm’s and Schlitz

December 5, 2019 at 8:22 p.m.

"From the land of sky blue waters," must have been a beautiful place. So thought my little boy brain, which already at a tender age was becoming the target of...

Evanston will use proceeds from a local marijuana sales tax to fund a reparations program in the city.

Column: Evanston will use marijuana tax to fund local reparations. That’s a logical step.

December 31, 2019 at 9:41 p.m.

Open Communities, an Evanston-based organization that works to eliminate discrimination in housing, traces its roots to the 1960s, when a group of moms in Wilmette began to discuss how growing...

Val's Halla Records store owner Shayne Blakely speaks during a ceremony dedicating a new mural honoring long-time record store owner Val Camilletti on Aug. 31, 2019.

Column: A record store can be a magical place. Val’s Halla in Oak Park was certainly that.

November 15, 2019 at 10:39 p.m.

It must have been summer, sometime in the mid-1970s, when I first walked into Val's Halla on South Boulevard just east of Oak Park Avenue. I was in high school...

Illinois school report cards were released earlier this month.

Column: So your high-performing public school didn’t get a top rating? Get over it.

November 8, 2019 at 6:29 p.m.

The annual fall release of the state's school report cards, which purport to evaluate every student's performance at every school, has always been a great opportunity for the best schools...

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