Chicago Tribune Opinion Monday, July 6, 2026 | | |
| | | | | Hope you had a terrific July 4 and that the fog did not spoil the fireworks, literally or figuratively. We have a lot of must-read content to catch you up on. This weekend the much-loved former Tribune columnist Dawn M. Turner (formerly known as Dawn Turner Trice) returned to our pages with a sad look at what has happened to American small towns. Sunday, the editorial board explored the precipitous rise of the far left within the Democratic Party and argued that the center and center-left of the party had better get its act together quickly if the party is to regain the ability to attract independent voters. Over the weekend, the editorial board also wrote in praise of the Music Box Theatre and mused some about sports and money. Today, we look at why teens need summer jobs and why they seem to be disappearing. Our letters section has been exploring both sides of the debate on bike lanes, a hot topic as the Chicago Department of Transportation either makes our streets safer for everyone or turns the city into gridlock, depending on your point of view. Our Opinion section has plenty more to read. We've got Kenneth Seeskin on the separation of church and state, Ald. Samantha Nugent on the importance of our cultural institutions, Adam Hoffer and Jacob Macumber-Rosin on why Illinois' alcohol tax needs reform and a special cartoon in honor of America's 250th birthday by our own Scott Stantis. Enjoy your Monday, — Chris Jones, editorial page editor Submit an op-ed | Submit a letter to the editor | Meet the Tribune Editorial Board | Subscribe to this newsletter | | | | For more than two decades, I, a Black woman, lived with my family in a small Illinois. Today, I wouldn’t even consider it. | | | | | Centrist Democrats need to find their voice in internal battle with democratic socialists. | | | | | A place to fall in love on a summer weekend. | | | | | Part time work makes for one of the best classrooms ever invented | | | | | If America were to be a Christian nation, the first question we would have to ask is: Whose Christianity? | | | | | An optimal tax on alcohol in Illinois would actually tax alcohol, regardless of its classification. | | | |
