Chicago Tribune Opinion newsletter
Read the latest editorials and commentary curated by the Tribune Opinion team
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Chicago Tribune Opinion

Thursday, May 8, 2025

Good morning.

All things must pass, George Harrison once sang. And so it goes for Joann, the fabrics retailer that supplied generations of loyal hobbyists and now is set to close all its stores after failing to find a buyer out of bankruptcy. The editorial board offers a suitable eulogy.

The editorial board also took note of a Tribune scoop on how Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Board of Education President Sean Harden are employing unsavory tactics to install a Johnson loyalist as CEO of Chicago Public Schools. One elected school board member, Che Rhymefest Smith, called the maneuver Trumpian. We agree.

It's a challenge, but Timothy Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics, says our politicians need to appeal more to our better angels, starting with Gov. JB Pritzker. His uncles, John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, surely would have agreed.

Willie Wilson, a regular contributor, writes on how President Trump's tariffs are hurting small businesses particularly badly. And former Illinois Senate President John Cullerton and former GOP state Sen. Jason Barickman write in support of legislation to more equitably fund state universities.

We have readers' letters, too, of course. Have a great day, and we'll be back tomorrow.

— Steve Daniels, editorial board member

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Editorial: An ode to the joy of Jo-Ann Fabrics, or is that just Joann making its exit?

Joann, the longtime crafts and fabric retailer formerly known as Joann Fabrics, is closing all 800 of its U.S. stores by the end of May.

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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.

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Timothy Shriver: Gov. JB Pritzker, if you want to solve problems, lose the contempt

Rather than make our arguments with contempt for the other side, make the arguments with dignity. Treat the other side like they matter.

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Willie Wilson: President Donald Trump’s tariffs decimate small businesses

The Trump administration’s argument that we must suffer short-term pain for long-term gain rings hollow to small businesses.

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John Cullerton and Jason Barickman: Illinois higher education is poised to win big

It is time to bring to our public universities the same transformational effort that evidence-based funding brought to K-12 education.

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Letters: Show Congress and President Trump the voting power of Christians

Letters and calls to our politicians stating our disgust at Donald Trump’s mockery might remind them of the voting power of Christians.

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