Chicago Tribune Opinion Friday, July 10, 2026 | | |
| | | | | Happy Friday, Chicago. Who are some of the most influential Illinoisans of all time? The Tribune published a list of the biggest names in our history, prompting a flurry of reader letters you won’t want to miss on Saturday. Today’s lead editorial ponders Chicago’s midyear budget hole, which varies in size depending on who you talk to. For his part, Mayor Brandon Johnson is inflating the deficit to relitigate his favorite tax proposals. Speaking of which, want a millionaire tax? Chicago voters get just three citywide advisory questions each election cycle, making ballot space scarce. This year, competing proposals included yet another millionaire tax question. In our opinion section, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart argues that his office's virtual mental health response program is a more effective and scalable alternative to Chicago's CARE model. Columnist Elizabeth Shackelford writes that this summer's record-breaking heat is further evidence of accelerating climate change and criticizes U.S. policies that continue to promote fossil fuels. — Hilary Gowins, editorial board member Submit an op-ed | Submit a letter to the editor | Meet the Tribune Editorial Board | Subscribe to this newsletter | | | | What’s Chicago’s midyear budget picture? Hard to tell from Mayor Johnson’s ideological framing. | | | | | For a brief time, two different millionaire-tax questions were competing for one of the city’s few available ballot slots. | | | | | Cook County’s 911 mental health program gives officers tablets that connect a person in crisis via video to a mental health professional. | | | | | It isn’t just the U.S. Heat waves have rocked Europe, but these inconveniences to most are nothing compared to what lies ahead if we don’t change course. | | | | | The center makes clear that the Obamas’ journey belongs to a larger American narrative. And for my South Side family, we saw how it belongs to us. | | | | | During Sunday’s World Cup game, I was proud to be Mexican and knew the victory was our squad giving us a reason to celebrate ourselves. | | | |
