Steve Daniels

Editorial: How Chicago’s white-hot Fulton Market district caught a chill More than 20 major real estate projects in Fulton Market District long have had city approval but can’t get financing to break ground.

Fulton Market is the "hottest" neighborhood economically in Chicago, but developers are sitting on more than 20 fully approved projects and can't get financing to build them. @chicagotribune.com edit board explains why www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/07/e...

The Amazonification of Whole Foods Is Finally Here—Bring On the Doritos Amazon is shaking up the natural-foods grocer with robots in the backroom and Pepsi outside the exit in its push for a bigger slice of the supermarket business.

Great @wsj.com story on Amazon's move to sell Pepsi and Doritos out of Whole Foods stores. Is it a surprise they're test-marketing this concept in Chicago rather than, say, Seattle? Nope www.wsj.com/business/ret...

Jon Banner: McDonald’s supports 67,000 jobs in Illinois. Why is Chicago making it hard on businesses? Illinois lawmakers are doubling down on the policies that will not attract companies and will hamstring our economy.

McDonald's reacts to @mayorofchicago.bsky.social's business tax proposals. "Ultimately, corporations have a choice where they are headquartered" www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/22/o...

Editorial: This is not a Chicago budget replay of 2024. The business community must fight harder. Brandon Johnson’s budget is a disaster for Chicago. Leaders must fight back.

@chicagotribune.com editorial board: It's time for the business community to make clear to aldermen — in ways that may not be comfortable for either side — what's at stake in the budget battle to come www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/19/e...

After years on TV, Tim Smithe sues his brothers for allegedly pushing him out at Walter E. Smithe Furniture Tim Smithe alleges he was squeezed out of the family-owned business nearly a decade ago in an undervalued buyout.

When you mix family and business, what can go wrong? Plenty, as this wild @robertchannick.bsky.social piece on the Smithe brothers (of furniture retailing fame) demonstrates www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/10/b...

The Wieners Circle hands out free hot dogs — and insults — for Caleb Williams’ 4 TD passes The Wieners Circle made good on the promise of free hot dogs Tuesday if Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams threw four TD passes vs. the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

It's not all investigations, politics and crime news. A good daily newspaper captures the flavor of its city. @zareensyed.bsky.social did that masterfully with her coverage of the craziness at the Wiener Circle yesterday www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/23/w...

Editorial: Alarm bells are ringing for Chicago in Kraft Heinz’s decision to split in two Chicago is in another cycle of losing too many corporate headquarters. So it’s bad news for the city that Kraft-Heinz is taking steps that could lead to a sale.

With the news this morning that Kraft-Heinz is definitely splitting in two, here's @chicagotribune.com editorial board's take from July on how this is likely bad news for Chicago www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/15/e...

Editorial: The last thing Chicago needs is Washington-style dystopia The last thing Chicago needs is a federal takeover, a la Washington, D.C.

President Trump says Chicagoans are "screaming for" federal troops to fight crime here. @chicagotribune.com edit board begs to differ www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/22/e...

Editorial: Chicago’s pension investments likely are doing worse than your 401(k). Big problem. Returns at all of Chicago’s municipal pension funds have lagged the median performance of public pension funds across the country.

@chicagotribune.com editorial: When your "set it and forget it" 401(k) returns are doing better than the performance being turned in by Chicago's pension-fund managers, that's a problem www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/20/e...

Editorial: Brandon Johnson and friends think it’s ‘a privilege to do business in Chicago.’ Wrong. Citadel’s Chicago workforce once numbered 1,100. It now stands at 250. Pass a corporate payroll tax, and lots of other Chicago employers will follow suit.

@chicagotribune.com editorial: A 5% Chicago tax on payrolls above $200k would impel corporations to move staff out of the city. Includes news on just how few Citadel workers are left in Chicago following Ken Griffin's HQ move to Miami www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/07/e...

Editorial: Gov. Pritzker needs to veto this pension bill. Chicago can’t afford it. Gov. JB Pritzker must veto a state bill sweetening pensions for many Chicago cops and firefighters. This financially crippled city can’t afford it.

@govpritzker.illinois.gov just signed this bill and in one stroke of his pen transformed Chicago police and fire pension funds from 25% funded to 18% funded www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/29/e...

Pritzker, Welch and Harmon: Homeowners deserve transparency from State Farm, not unexplained rate hikes Other insurance companies work with the state on rate hikes. State Farm has refused.

In @chicagotribune.com op-ed, @govpritzker.illinois.gov, House Speaker Welch and Senate President Harmon accuse State Farm of refusing to share info with state regulators that would justify its 27% homeowners rate hike www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/30/o...

Editorial: Soaring ComEd bills have us all on edge. Springfield must confront our electricity woes head-on. A sweltering summer and significantly higher ComEd rates have ramped up public angst over electric bills. The ball’s in your court, Springfield.

@chicagotribune.com editorial: Illinois' electricity crisis draws nearer, as our ComEd bills are showing. Springfield needs to act — pragmatically, not ideologically
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/24/e...

Editorial: Gov. Pritzker and State Farm should stop throwing rhetorical bombs at each other and start negotiating Gov. JB Pritzker and State Farm need each other. There should be a path to compromise over the insurer’s eye-watering 27% homeowners rate hike.

@chicagotribune.com editorial board: Intense war of words between @govpritzker.illinois.gov and State Farm on the nosebleed cost of insuring homes is serving no one. There should be plenty of room to negotiate www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/16/e...

Editorial: Alarm bells are ringing for Chicago in Kraft Heinz’s decision to split in two Chicago is in another cycle of losing too many corporate headquarters. So it’s bad news for the city that Kraft-Heinz is taking steps that could lead to a sale.

@chicagotribune.com editorial: Why Kraft Heinz's decision to split in two is probably bad news for Chicago www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/15/e...

Upcoming Chicago budget ‘grimmest picture of all’ for Mayor Brandon Johnson, aldermen Chicago ended 2024 with a $161 million deficit. And a state bill boosting benefits for police and fire pensioners through 2055 will cost $7 billion, an analysis said.

Chicago faces one of the grimmest budget years in ages. @adquig.bsky.social with the gory details www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/13/u...

Who better than @pwsullivan.bsky.social to remember the now dearly departed Lee Elia and his rant for the ages on the Bleacher Bums? www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/10/l...

Can Ken Burns Get Everyone to Agree on America’s Origin Story? American history is more polarizing than ever. But the country’s leading storyteller hopes to prove there’s still an appetite for hard truths.

Ken Burns' Civil War captivated the country 35 years ago. He looks set to do it again with the forthcoming "American Revolution." The timing couldn't be better www.wsj.com/arts-culture...

Editorial: Why Chicago has a restaurant crisis Only restaurants funded by chains and private equity groups are growing in Chicago. For independents, it’s an existential crisis.

@chicagotribune.com editorial: Independent restaurants are hanging on for dear life. @chicagosmayor.bsky.social needs to backtrack on eliminating the subminimum wage for tipped workers, or many more like Gale Street Inn will close www.chicagotribune.com/2025/06/29/e...

Editorial: A sale of Northern Trust would be a major blow to Chicago A report that a New York rival has made a merger overture to Chicago’s largest locally headquartered bank should raise alarm bells.

@chicagotribune.com editorial: A larger rival wants to buy NorthernTrust. If Bank of New York Mellon is successful, it would be a tremendous blow to Chicago www.chicagotribune.com/2025/06/23/e...

Editorial: The sad application of justice in the Michael Madigan saga At age 83, Michael Madigan will spend more than six years in prison at least. A brutal cap to his fall, but that doesn’t make it unjust.

@chicagotribune.com editorial on the Madigan verdict www.chicagotribune.com/2025/06/13/e...

Errol Samuelson: I work at Zillow and I know the harms of private listing networks Sellers should retain full control over how and where they market their homes.

Provocative @chicagotribune.com op-ed by a Zillow exec on how private listings often are bad for many home sellers but invariably good for the agents www.chicagotribune.com/2025/06/09/o...

Editorial: Reassessments are done. Many Chicago homeowners will see hefty tax increases this fall. Residential taxpayers in Chicago will shoulder more of the property tax burden due to lagging commercial property values.

@chicagotribune.com editorial: Not all the math is in yet, but enough is to know that residential property tax bills in Chicago this fall will be painful www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/29/e...

US Rep. Jonathan Jackson spending taxpayer dollars to rent district office space from longtime business partner House rules typically ban members of Congress from leasing from business partners but US Rep. Jonathan Jackson’s spokesman says ethics officials OK’d the arrangement.

Outstanding reporting here on U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson's highly questionable lease with long-time business partner and connected developer Elzie Higginbottom, using taxpayer money www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/18/j...

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s second year found him fighting unexpected battles As Mayor Brandon Johnson marks two years in office, some of the thorniest issues have come from unexpected fronts: education and Chicago’s political left.

Excellent @chicagotribune.com piece on the political standing of @chicagosmayor.bsky.social, two years into his difficult term www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/11/m...

Editorial: Brandon Johnson strong-arms Board of Ed to install his ill-qualified chief of staff Mayor Brandon Johnson wants school board members to overturn a vote they took less than two months ago to install a favorite as Chicago Public Schools CEO.

@chicagotribune.com editorial: @chicagosmayor.bsky.social's bid to roll the school board to install Cristina Pacione-Zayas as CPS CEO is a power play a la Machine mayors of old www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/07/e...

Editorial: Judge clears the way for a titanic trial pitting old-school traders against CME Group After 11 years, members of the Mercantile Exchange and Chicago Board of Trade will have their day in court against CME Group.

From the Editorial Board:

It was 2014 when longtime members of the Chicago Board of Trade and Chicago Mercantile Exchange first lodged a class-action lawsuit against CME Group.

After the failure of multiple CME attempts to kill the suit, there now is a court date: July 7.

‘Breakfast Club’ is reuniting at C2E2. What do Gen-Zers at John Hughes’ school think of the Gen-X movie? We asked some students at Glenbrook North, the school depicted in John Hughes’ movie, to watch it for the first time. SO MUCH in the film wouldn’t fly today, they said, but one big part remains spo…

Great concept! Deftly executed. Current north suburban high school students are gathered to watch "The Breakfast Club." Oh, how things have changed. And some aspects of high school life are forever www.chicagotribune.com/2025/04/11/t...

Editorial: Jenner & Block is right to fight back against a bullying Trump. The integrity of the legal profession is at stake. Chicago’s Jenner & Block was unfairly targeted by the Trump administration, but unlike many of its Big Law peers has chosen to fight.

@chicagotribune.com editorial: More is at stake than one big law firm's future in Jenner & Block's battle against a bullying Trump. Other firms need to join in the fight www.chicagotribune.com/2025/04/10/e...

Editorial: Chicago has struggled to regain international tourism. Now that’s coming true for the entire nation. Donald Trump has torpedoed international tourism. How will this affect Chicago?

@chicagotribune.com editorial: Choose Chicago finally hires a new tourism chief. Just as the U.S. increasingly becomes a pariah to large parts of the rest of the world www.chicagotribune.com/2025/04/06/e...