Other Views

Views from outside contributors on issues relevant to Sun-Times readers.

Creating more permanent supportive housing is a question of resources and political will.
Super-conferences, player marketing deals and lawsuits are forcing the NCAA to loosen its grip on college sports and amateurism rules.
You may not know the names Rosemary Mulligan and Penny Pullen, but their 1990 race for a seat in the Illinois Legislature foreshadowed the role of abortion in politics today. Down-ballot races like this highlight the important work of state legislators on issues that affect people most.
Self-financing would be a win-win for taxpayers and fans, even if it’s unpopular with owners and investors in sports franchises with big appetites for public subsidies.
Artists like Matisyahu should not have concerts cancelled or endure threats or abuse because of antisemitic hatred, a leader of the American Jewish Committee writes.
We should be able to ask every leader the same question: “What’s your innovation?” and expect an answer that shows an understanding of its power.
We have the potential to address homelessness and extend housing support services to families who are doubling and tripling up.
Many apartment buildings transferred in Chicago are going to exceed the $1 million threshold, including ones that house middle- and low-income tenants. What actually fights homelessness might be different from what feels progressive.
Why have women’s organizations failed to show outrage about the sexual violence committed against Israeli women and girls by Hamas, a Northwestern University student asks.
Illinois needs to join the partnership to build barriers and stop invasive carp from traveling from the Mississippi River Basin into the Great Lakes.
It is critical that lawmakers vote this week to fully fund WIC in the fiscal year 2024 budget. Now is not the time to limit access to this crucial program.
The Food and Drug Administration doesn’t reevaluate the safety of food chemicals once they’re on the market. Until the FDA begins taking action, states should step up and protect their consumers from these toxic food chemicals. Don’t believe food companies that say there are not safer alternatives, a former food industry executive writes.
Burning gas in our homes for heating and cooking poses significant health risks, especially for Black and Brown communities, a Chicago pastor writes.
Four Illinois counties have no local news source, the State of Local News Project found. When that happens, people can’t participate meaningfully in their local communities and democratic institutions.
The child tax credit and affordable housing would get a boost under this bill, U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood of Peoria writes.
The “medical aid in dying” measure would give mentally capable patients who are terminally ill an option of ending their own lives, an end-of-life doula and educator writes. Another bill would allow the use of psilocybin, which research shows can reduce end-of-life distress.
Nikki Haley attracted most independents, moderates and liberals and South Carolinians who accept the fact that Joe Biden won the last election.
The lawsuit, which a federal appeals court recently ruled can move forward, relies on similar theories about dangerous product design, irresponsible marketing and reckless distribution as in opioid litigation, a law professor writes.
The expansion would certainly provide more government cash for eligible families, but it complicates things further by creating disincentives to work and rise from poverty, especially as it builds on other existing transfers.
In states where physician-assisted suicide is legal, I cannot help but ask if the people who ended their lives had adequate access to services to make life easier, including hospice and palliative care, a disability advocate writes.