Chicago Sun-Times columnists

Chicago Cubs' broadcaster Harry Caray sings "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" during the seventh inning stretch at Chicago's Wrigley Field in 1989.

Why did Harry Caray always say ‘Holy Cow?’ It could be linked to a 1930s flying bovine. No bull!

In 1930, a 15-year-old Harry Caray was living in St. Louis when the city hosted an aircraft exhibition honoring aviator Charles Lindbergh. “The ‘first ever’ cow to fly in an airplane was introduced at the exhibition,” said Grant DePorter, Harry Caray restaurants manager. “She became the most famous cow in the world at the time and is still listed among the most famous bovines along with Mrs. O’Leary’s cow and ‘Elsie the cow.’”

By Michael Sneed

Mason (John Travolta) wants out of the robbery racket after an attempted car theft goes awry.

Movies and TV

Routine heist movie 'Cash Out' relies on Travolta's sturdy star power

At 70, the screen stalwart charms as reformed thief with a goofball brother and an inscrutable ex.

By Richard Roeper

Columnists

The art of Lisa Edelstein: 'Messy, imperfect, awkward, beautiful, these people'

Edelstein, a popular actor on TV, mines art from the piles of old photographs that everyone is burdened with eventually.

By Neil Steinberg

Columnists

How Chicago got buried under a mountain of pension debt

Part of the pension mess that’s emerged in the past two decades stems from state laws that made it easier for the city to underfund its pension systems.

By Ralph Martire

An anxious Chihuahua with a to-do list next to it.

Someone in Chicago

Someone in Chicago is struggling with the 'Sunday scaries'

Here are some tips for building a routine to calm anxieties about the start of a new workweek.

By Ismael Pérez

Columnists

Having a cow: A farmer's tale

Columnist Gene Lyons recalls how a cow named Trudy gave birth to a newborn calf who initially had trouble being nursed.

By Gene Lyons

Columnists

Republicans are now the party of Putin

It’s worth exploring how the Republican Party, the party of “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” became the party of Vladimir Putin, trafficking in Russian disinformation and flirting with betraying an important ally, Ukraine, along with all of its principles.

By Mona Charen

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks during a gathering in Manchester, N.H., last year.

Columnists

No dice for No Labels? How Chris Christie almost made third-party presidential run — but didn't

In an exclusive interview, Dan K. Webb, who was in charge of creating the vetting process for the No Labels third-party run, tells Michael Sneed “the ticket came this/close to reality weeks ago.”

By Michael Sneed

College Sports

DePaul's Chris Holtmann got off the mat and went back to work — like never before

After being fired for the first time in his career, Holtmann wanted to unplug from basketball. Instead, he plugged back in.

By Steve Greenberg

Columnists

Memo to Jerry Reinsdorf: There's 'next to no appetite' in Springfield to fund new stadium

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon clears up any confusion on stadium talk and a proposed biometric privacy law that has had businesses in a tizzy.

By Rich Miller

A crowd of pedestrians react as they watch the Jumbotron television screen in New York's Times Square, Oct. 3, 1995, and the news that O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of killing Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

Columnists

O.J. Simpson is gone, but the division his life reflected remains

The legacy Orenthal James Simpson leaves behind is painful, a study of what truly drives American culture.

By Scoop Jackson

Hoa Xuande (left) stars in "The Sympathizer" alongside Robert Downey Jr., who plays four roles.

Movies and TV

A man from Vietnam feels rooted nowhere in bold HBO series 'The Sympathizer'

Adaptation of the Pulitzer-winning novel boasts intriguing characters, glorious dialogue and lots of Robert Downey Jr.

By Richard Roeper

Gail and Tom Wise wear black coats as they sit in an early 1965 light blue convertible Ford Mustang with the top down, in front of a closed, off-white garage door.

Gail Wise bought the first Ford Mustang sold in the United States; 60 years later, she still owns it

By Neil Steinberg

Columnists

The varied memories of O.J. Simpson come busting through

Has there ever been an athlete — I could almost say, has there ever been a man? — who rose to such a peak in life and then descended into such a valley?

By Rick Telander

Movies and TV

'The Absence of Eden' a border drama that's compelling and only slightly political

Zoe Saldaña and Garrett Hedlund star in a story absorbing enough that the viewer is left wanting more.

By Richard Roeper

Entertainment and Culture

Ito, Kato and the getaway Bronco: How O.J. Simpson's murder case spawned a circus

Frenzy over the star’s alleged crimes turned many side players — from Faye Resnick to Johnnie Cochran — into dubious celebrities.

By Richard Roeper

Movies and TV

Michael Douglas turns on the charm as the cheeky Founding Father in 'Franklin'

Intriguing but overlong Apple TV+ series saved by star’s multi-layered portrayal of the indulgent diplomat lobbying the French for aid.

By Richard Roeper

White Sox

There's nothing surprising about the White Sox' awful start — not the losses, not the injuries

Bad players and an owner who doesn’t care are a recipe for disaster.

By Rick Morrissey

Donald Trump speaks while pointing to something or someone while standing at a lectern and microphone.

Columnists

Donald Trump's abortion stance is politically convenient and sensible

The Constitution does not give Congress the authority to regulate abortion. It’s an issue for the states.

By Jacob Sullum

Donald Trump speaks to workers standing near the counter of a Chick-fil-A.

Columnists

Donald Trump abandons anti-abortion folks. Will they stick with him?

Former President Trump has kicked the abortion issue over to the states, which can rightly be seen as an act of political cowardice and expediency.

By S. E. Cupp

In a post-apocalyptic America, Lucy (Ella Purnell) is forced to leave the safety of the underground shelters and venture into the outdoor wasteland in “Fallout.”

Movies and TV

'Fallout' an awesome, sometimes gruesome trip into America's wild future

On Prime Video, the hit video game transforms into a clever mix of action, social commentary and constant plot twists.

By Richard Roeper

Columnists

How Black colleges and universities have been underfunded by billions for decades

Tennessee State University has been hit the worst, having been underfunded by $2.1 billion over 30 years. Chicago State University’s funding has declined by 46% over the last quarter-century.

By Marc H. Morial

Former police partners (Vincent Cassel, left, and Samuel L. Jackson) reunite to stop a killing spree in Scotland in "Damaged."

Movies and TV

Brooding noir 'Damaged' takes cop from Lake Shore Drive to lochs of Scotland

Samuel L. Jackson commands the screen again as Chicago detective investigating serial murders in Edinburgh.

By Richard Roeper

In this still shot from the movie "Civil War," Cailee Spaeny wears a bulletproof vest that says "press" and sits against a spray-painted wall as men in military fatigues carry guns and escort other people wearing black hoods.

Movies and TV

'Civil War': Powerful depiction of combat on U.S. soil shocks the senses

Searing saga stars Kirsten Dunst as one of the journalists witnessing explosions and executions in New York City, Pennsylvania and elsewhere.

By Richard Roeper

College Sports

2005 Illini head our list of Big Ten's best men's basketball teams since Michigan State won it all in 2000

The Big Ten’s national-title drought is nearing the quarter-century mark, but the conference has seen lots of elite teams since young Tom Izzo led the Spartans to the mountaintop. Here are the top 10.

By Steve Greenberg

Columnists

Museum of Science and Industry closed for mysterious reasons last week; here's why

Beyond statement that “trained military personnel” were on hand, the museum offered no details. Thankfully, the Pentagon talked.

By Neil Steinberg

College Sports

Caitlin Clark scored more than everyone, but context is needed

Records come, records go. Clark is deserving of plaudits, but an explanation of the scoring record requires a deeper dive.

By Rick Telander

College Sports

UConn or Purdue? Men's NCAA title game definitely got the best-two-teams thing right

March Madness finale is the very matchup a Sun-Times scribe predicted it would be. Wait a minute — did that genius really pick the Boilermakers over the Huskies?

By Steve Greenberg