Chicago Sun-Times Today's Columists

Sorry, Bill, we don't need more Daleys

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

No, it's too much. Somebody needs to tell him. Somebody needs to tell Bill Daley "no." He has no business running for governor of Illinois, not as long as brother Rich is mayor of Chicago and brother John is finance chairman of the Cook County Board.

Michelle's hair

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

MICHELLE OBAMA'S SPEECH at the DNC convention was phenomenal and her outfit and hair style was perfect. She is described as the "Black Jackie O" on the Internet . . . as in the late first lady Jackie Kennedy. I say she is the black Michelle Obama . . . no more . . . no less. And to the women readers asking who did Michelle's hair because they loved it: Top hairstylist Johnny Wright, a former Chicagoan now living in Los Angeles, flew to Denver to coif the potential first lady. Wright has been doing Michelle's hair for about a year. So, now you know.

Hugs replace political back-stabbing

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

DENVER -- No, it wasn't the hug felt 'round the world. No, it isn't in the same category as peace in Northern Ireland.

Obama must reach urban blacks

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

DENVER -- Barack Obama has spent the last four days reaching out to working-class white voters.

McCain-Lieberman ticket won't happen

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

Editor's note: We are pleased to announce that Bob Novak, despite his health problems, will be writing occasional columns.

Jay the Rat

BY ROGER EBERT — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:01 CST

Roger Ebert: An open letter to sports columnist Jay Mariotti, who resigned from the Sun-Times and lashed out during a TV interview announcing that newspapers were dead:

August is good time for pause in the cause

ANNA QUINDLEN anna.quindlen@newsweek.com — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

One night we went to dinner, and when we came down the driveway on our return, it was apparent that the power had gone out. Not a light on anywhere: not by the front door, over the kitchen sink, not even that faint ectoplasmic shimmer we've all learned to recognize as the television screen. At the dining-room table the kids were playing a board game by the light of a Coleman lantern, eating the ice cream they had unselfishly rescued from the out-of-commission freezer. The scene had a nice old-fashioned feel: "Little House on the Big Electrical Grid." Or, for a few hours, off it.

Words to snooze by

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

QT Digest of Democratic Convention's Third Day (for Your Convenience):

Metra bar cars were relics from a past era

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

It's been over a decade since I rode on Metra, so when I heard they were discontinuing "bar cars," my first reaction was:

Clintons get stuck in elevator at DNC

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

Sun-Times exclusive: The Clinton family -- Bill, Hillary and Chelsea -- got stuck in an elevator Wednesday night, shortly after they left their box at the Pepsi Center, where the Democratic National Convention is being held in Denver.

The hugfest . . .

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

Dateline -- Denver: Good grief! Never did Sneed imagine I'd prompt the huge hugfest which spread like mushrooms after rain at the Illinois delegation breakfast here Wednesday.

Bill Clinton: Obama 'ready to lead'

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

DENVER -- Former President Bill Clinton took it all back on Wednesday, all the primary shots about Barack Obama's inexperience, telling a wildly cheering Democratic convention of a time when voters sent a young, inexperienced man to the White House.

Radiothon fit for King

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

Three Clear Channel Radio stations in Chicago -- and 35 others nationwide -- will join forces today to raise money for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial.

Spuds company hopes to grow with McCain's namesake

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

Lewis Lazare: Talk about having the right name at the right time. Given that a certain gentleman named John McCain is about to become the Republican nominee for president, McCain Foods, a Canadian-based producer of frozen french fries and other potato products, has decided the time is right to raise its profile in the United States. McCain is a major brand in the U.S. frozen potato market -- even though Ore-Ida might be the more familiar name.

Flight attendants down at United

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

Lewis Lazare: United Airlines on Wednesday said it will lay off 1,500 flight attendants to cut costs. The news came the same day the Air Line Pilots Association and the airline faced each other in federal court over the issue of pilots calling in sick.

White Sox on Jay Mariotti's split: 'It's about time'

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:01 CST

Chris De Luca: Word of Jay Mariotti's split with the Chicago Sun-Times reached the White Sox' clubhouse minutes after their victory Tuesday night against the Baltimore Orioles, and the reaction could be heard outside.

White Sox on Jay Mariotti's split: 'It's about time'

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:01 CST

Struggling from ace to Z

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:01 CST

Idon't care how many Gatorade containers Carlos Zambrano destroys, how many water coolers he throws or how many bats he breaks over his knee. I don't care if Zambrano throws five hissy fits a game, so long as he dominates on the mound. And you shouldn't care, either. The only thing anyone should ask of Zambrano is that he pitch like the ace he is supposed to be.

Only seldom on 'Sunday' does story ring true

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

Hedy Weiss: Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Tell Me on a Sunday" began life in 1979 as a dramatic (and hugely demanding) 70-minute song cycle for a single actress. By 1985 it had morphed into a two-act piece, "Song and Dance," with a dramatic dance section that recapitulated the story appended to the cycle so that it would have an acceptable running time for Broadway consumption.

Wife makes mess and can't locate important papers

BY ELLIE TESHER — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

DEAR ELLIE: My wife is very disorganized -- she takes receipts and important papers and wastes time searching through these piles for things. I've given her files, file cabinet drawers, but nothing works.