Four Democrats are vying to succeed Rep. La Shawn Ford, who has held this West Side and near west suburban seat for nearly two decades and is relinquishing it to run for Congress.

They are Latonya Mitts, community activist and daughter of 37th Ward Ald. Emma Mitts; Shantel Franklin, real estate agent and former legislative liaison for Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul; John Harrell, a pastor at churches in Maywood and Chicago, as well as president of Black Men United, a national community service organization; and Jill Bush, director of community engagement for 29th Ward Ald. Chris Taliaferro.

Franklin is endorsed by CTU, and her policy prescriptions — heavy on taxes on the wealthy — reflect that union’s views.

Harrell noted his involvement with a large group of pastors who organized to reopen the appeals window for homeowners on the West Side hammered by a spike in property taxes. But his answers to our questions were skimpy.

We reached Mitts, who is endorsed by retiring U.S. Rep. Danny Davis among others, and let her know our deadline, but she didn’t get responses to our questions back to us in time.

Bush, 62, is a lifelong West Side resident whose career has included stints in the private sector (e.g., Waste Management and PepsiCo) and public sector (e.g., Chicago Public Schools and the city of Chicago). She identified property taxes as the leading issue for the district’s voters and said she was open to a surcharge on millionaires as a means of providing relief on property taxes exclusively.

But she also said that pension reform needed to be part of that property tax discussion and is willing to consider options anathema to public sector unions such as 401(k) plans for new hires and the consolidation of public pension plans, among other ideas. We need more people in Springfield willing to put pressure on public sector unions to come to the table on pension solutions.

Jill Bush has our endorsement.

Read all of the Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsements for the 2026 Illinois primary election here. 

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/13/editorial-jill-bush-illinois-8th-house-district-democratic-primary/ 

When Tyler Balentine was hired at the Music Box Theatre in 2023 as a concessionaire to serve popcorn and check tickets, he was informed that he could have a hand in programming too. From that seed sprouted a short film series that Balentine created, dedicated to local filmmakers of color called “Life Within the Lens.”

Born from the Rogers Park resident’s desire to see more such representation on screen, the series is back for another Black History Month. This month, the series has extended to another iconic film venue, Facets, with the series “Sunday’s Best.”

Balentine, an Alton native, curated both series as a celebration of local Black filmmakers who have contributed to Chicago’s cinematic landscape.

“With this current administration, it’s more important to celebrate Black stories, Latino stories, Asian stories, trans stories, queer stories, understanding disabilities, and to move away from the marginalization and to use film as a way of informing, and giving that perspective of somebody else that might not live the same way that you live,” he said.

Filmmaker George Ellzey Jr. was invited to screen his 2023 MFA thesis film, “Cottage Grove,” at the Music Box for “Life Within the Lens” last year. This time around, five short films and two new projects of his can be seen at Facets, work that spans narrative, experimental, and hybrid forms and explores Black interiority, intimacy and communication. One of the films is “Division,” an anti-“La La Land” story set in Chicago.

“It was an exploration of what it’s like to live in a big city, and you find someone that you connect with, but then the city provides obstacles to you. I can’t wait to watch it again with an audience,” Ellzey said. “These two new works in progress that I’m showing are called ‘Closed Mouths’ and ‘Accessories.’ I love slice-of-life stories, which you get with ‘Closed Mouths,’ with a little bit of fantasy. ‘Accessories’ shows my comical side — very zany and bombastic, but still deals with hard-hitting issues of identity and appropriation in our culture.”

All of Ellzey’s films have strong Midwest sensibilities; the Bronzeville resident takes pride in how the South Side molded who he is, as a person and a creative. He likes making simple but complex stories that show our humanity on screen.

“I want to make ordinary lives look extraordinary on screen,” he said. “‘Accessories’ shows the real tension that we feel as Black artists, feeling tokenized on screen and with ‘Closed Mouths,’ it’s an exploration of how Black men are dealing with societal pressures and depression.”

Filmmaker Eve Wright, a Hyde Park resident, will showcase her first film, an 11-minute short called “The Scorekeeper,” at “Life Within the Lens.” It’s the world premiere of the project.

“‘The Scorekeeper’ is an intense psychological thriller that explores what it is when trauma lingers, when it haunts, and it follows that through a young woman who, on the eve of a first date, is stalked by a supernatural audiovisual cart-hauling interloper that wants her to reckon with this traumatic past,” Wright said. “It’s exploring the intimacies of the inner human psyche, but through an accessible, interesting way, and following it through are two leads who are mirror reflections of each other.”

A scene from Eve Wright’s short film, “The Scorekeeper.”

Wright is looking forward to submitting her film to other film festivals after being a part of Balentine’s local series. Knowing there’s always been a thriving Black independent film scene, she’s happy to see more of that being celebrated in her hometown.

“I think it’s really important that we reflect the entirety of human experiences,” Wright said. “It’s about sharing my voice, my artistic vision with other individuals, hoping it connects with people, and continuing to build that community of filmmakers who are excited about the idea of showing complex Black women in anti-hero roles or vulnerable roles that we typically would only associate with white characters.”

Sandrel “Sanicole” Young will have her 20-minute film “The Bet” featured at the Music Box. The work is about a young boy and a disillusioned spirit guide who doesn’t believe humanity is worth saving. A bet is made between the two to see if humanity is kind.

Inspired by the deaths of three close friends in fast succession, Sanicole wrote, directed and produced the 2024 film as a way to grapple with the loss.

“I wondered if my friends became spirit guides and they were watching my steps every day, would they be proud of me? Am I living the life I’m supposed to be living? Am I treating people the way they should be treated? And is my spirit team supporting my work? That’s the mind frame that I was in when I was creating ‘The Bet.’”

Sandrel “Sanicole” Young on “The Bet” set in Hyde Park in fall 2023. (Nate Brikett)

The Ashburn resident filmed “The Bet” on the city’s South and West sides. Young only shoots her projects in Chicago because she loves Chicago. She said her stories are always in the wheelhouse of family, love and community.

“I’m thankful to Tyler for creating things like this, so the younger filmmakers that are still climbing the ladder can have an audience to reach out to, and someone to support them,” Young said.

“You have to appreciate filmmaking, especially in the current day and what it still represents — film is there to teach people, to give a new perspective,” Balentine said. “There’s so many great directors out there making great work. But there are always those outside of the festival circuit, still looking for ways to show their work.”

Having provided an outlet for those filmmakers at the Music Box and now Facets, he wants to keep the relationships and momentum of the film festivals growing in the future.

“I’d like to have ‘Life Within the Lens’ every month at the Music Box, that’s a goal of mine,” Balentine said. “I would love to take Chicago’s short films on the road, not just in the United States but Canada, Mexico, Africa somehow.”

“Life Within the Lens” is Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. “Sunday’s Best” at Facets runs on Sundays at 2 p.m. with the work of Brain Studios (Kin Marie and Brenden Smith) on Feb. 15, jellystone robinson’s work on Feb. 22, and George Ellzey Jr. on March 1. Tickets are on sale at Facets and the Music Box Theatre for $12 general admission, $9 for members at Music Box.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/13/black-history-month-film-series/ 

Incumbent Rep. Lilian Jimenez seeks a second full term in this district including Latino neighborhoods on the North and Northwest sides such as Humboldt Park, West Town, Belmont-Cragin and Hermosa. Kirk Ortiz, vice president with Chicago-based Arms Security Corp., is challenging her for the second straight cycle.

We endorsed Lilian Jimenez in 2024, and she has our endorsement again despite views well to the left of ours. But her stances are appreciated, we’re sure, by many in this very liberal district.

Read all of the Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsements for the 2026 Illinois primary election here. 

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/13/editorial-lilian-jimenez-illinois-4th-house-district-democratic-primary/ 

Por MARCIA DUNN

CABO CAÑAVERAL, Florida, EE.UU. (AP) — Una nueva tripulación despegó el viernes rumbo a la Estación Espacial Internacional para reemplazar a los astronautas que regresaron a la Tierra antes de tiempo en la primera evacuación médica de la NASA.

SpaceX lanzó a los sustitutos lo antes posible a pedido de la NASA. Los astronautas de Estados Unidos, Francia y Rusia se embarcaron en una misión que se espera que dure entre ocho y nueve meses, hasta el otoño. Se espera que lleguen al puesto orbital el sábado, cubriendo las vacantes que dejaron sus colegas evacuados el mes pasado y devolviendo a la EEI a su plantel al completo.

“Resulta que el viernes 13 es un día de mucha suerte”, dijo por radio el centro de lanzamiento de SpaceX una vez que los astronautas alcanzaron la órbita. “Ha sido todo un viaje”, respondió la comandante de la cápsula, Jessica Meir.

La agencia espacial estadounidense tuvo que suspender caminatas espaciales y aplazó otras tareas mientras a la espera de la llegada de Meir y Jack Hathaway, de la NASA; de la francesa Sophie Adenot, de la Agencia Espacial Europea, y del cosmonauta ruso Andrei Fedyaev. Se unirán a los tres astronautas —un estadounidense y dos rusos— que han mantenido el laboratorio orbital en funcionamiento durante el último mes.

Satisfecha con los procedimientos médicos vigentes, la NASA no ordenó chequeos adicionales a la tripulación antes del despegue y no envió nuevo equipos de diagnóstico. Una máquina de ultrasonidos que ya estaba en la EEI para labores de investigación se empleó de forma intensiva con el tripulante enfermo el 7 de enero. La agencia no ha revelado la identidad del paciente ni qué problema padecía. Los cuatro astronautas que regresaron fueron directamente al hospital después de amerizar en el Pacífico cerca de San Diego.

Era la primera vez en 65 años de vuelos espaciales tripulados que la NASA acortó una misión por razones médicas.

A medida que las misiones se vuelven más largas, la NASA busca constantemente mejorar el equipo médico de la estación espacial, señaló la subdirectora del programa, Dina Contella. “Pero hay muchas cosas que simplemente no son prácticas y ahí es cuando necesitas traer a los astronautas de regreso desde el espacio”, declaró a principios de semana.

Como preparación para viajes a la Luna y a Marte, donde la atención médica será aún más difícil, los recién llegados probarán un filtro diseñado para convertir agua potable en líquido intravenoso de emergencia, pondrán a prueba un sistema de ultrasonidos que depende de inteligencia artificial y realidad aumentada en lugar de en expertos en tierra y realizarán ecografías de sus yugulares en un estudio sobre coágulos sanguíneos.

También demostrarán sus habilidades de alunizaje en una prueba simulada.

Adenot es la segunda francesa en viajar al espacio. Tenía 14 años cuando Claudie Haignere voló a la estación espacial rusa Mir en 1996, lo que la inspiró a convertirse en astronauta. Haignere viajó hasta Cabo Cañaveral para animarla.

Hathaway, como Adenot, es nuevo en el espacio, mientras que Meir y Fedyaev realizan su segundo viaje a la EEI. Justo antes del despegue, Fedyaev lideró a su tripulación para gritar “Poyekhali” —en ruso, “¡Vamos!”—, la palabra pronunciada en el despegue por la primera persona que viajó al espacio, el soviético Yuri Gagarin, en 1961.

En su primera misión en 2019, Meir participó en la primera caminata espacial realizada únicamente por mujeres. Su compañera entonces, Christina Koch, está entre los cuatro astronautas del Artemis II que se espera que vuele alrededor de la Luna tan pronto como en marzo. Está previsto que ambas tripulaciones conecten por radio.

Meir no estaba segura de que los astronautas regresarían a la Luna durante su carrera. “Ahora estamos justo aquí, al borde de la misión Artemis II”, dijo antes del despegue. “El hecho de que ellos estarán en el espacio al mismo tiempo que nosotros… es tan genial ser astronauta ahora, es tan emocionante”.

___

El Departamento de Salud y Ciencia de The Associated Press recibe apoyo del Departamento de Educación Científica del Instituto Médico Howard Hughes y de la Fundación Robert Wood Johnson. AP es la única responsable de todo el contenido.

___

Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/13/nuevos-astronautas-parten-a-la-estacin-espacial-internacional-tras-evacuacin-mdica/ 

A significant improvement project at the Hinsdale Public Library is scheduled to continue throughout the rest of the year.

The $4 million project is funded with the library’s existing capital reserves, set aside for building repairs, maintenance, and improvements, said John Kokoris, the library’s marketing & outreach manager.

He said the project was the result of a series of community conversations conducted in 2022 by the Library Board that led to a 2023-25 strategic plan.

“One of the top priorities to come out of this process was finding ways to make our space more flexible, accessible, and welcoming, especially as the ways our community use the library have changed so much since the pandemic,” Kokoris said. “We hired architects to audit the ways our building could be improved, and then we created a plan that could be paid for using our capital reserves, implemented in phases to keep the library open, and laser-focused on making high-demand areas more accommodating.”

Kokoris said 2006 was the last time the board had evaluated the building holistically.

“We have had a handful of small projects since then — study room construction, a small meeting room, and a new service desk,” he said.

The first phase of work on the new project includes creating a more flexible Storytime space and stairwell widening.

‘Our Storytimes are almost always full,” Kokoris said. “A new layout will allow more room for caregivers, better lighting, and flexibility for others to use the space in between sessions.”

The stairwell widening will modify the stairs to the lower level to improve traffic flow and visibility, allowing clear lines of sight from the Youth Services desk, he said.

Additional work will move the teen space to the lower level in an effort to help keep adult spaces quieter, while providing teens with more room “to be themselves,” Kokoris said. Other patrons can use this space while teens are in school, he added.

A meeting room will be moved to the main floor to make it easier to access and create more space for children and teens on the lower level. Patrons can use the room when there are no events.

One additional study room will be added, and the public service desks will be reconfigured to better serve patrons, Kokoris said.

Lastly, worn carpeting will be replaced and lighting will be upgraded in parts of the building.

“We planned this project in phases so we could remain open and continue offering access to programs and collections, even if they move around a bit throughout the year,” Kokoris said. “Certain parts of the building may be inaccessible for short periods of time, but our staff will help patrons get whatever they need.”

When work is completed, library patrons will have a building that works better for them, as it will be more flexible, accessible and welcoming, he said.

“They’ll have more usable space, more room for early literacy programming, better lighting, and easier access to our community room,” he said. “Our teens will have more room to be themselves in the lower level, and adults will have more room on the main floor for meetings, co-working, and quiet study.”

Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/13/hinsdale-library-renovation/ 

Thirteen educators from Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills Elementary District 181 have been recognized with the 2026 Those Who Excel award from the Illinois State Board of Education.

The awards are presented in six areas: classroom teachers, early career educators (1-4 years of teaching experience), school administrators, student support personnel, educational service personnel, and community volunteers.

There are three award categories:

Jessica Brady, a fourth grade teacher at Oak School, and Christopher Reid, pupil service administrator at Elm and Madison Schools, received the Award of Excellence. For this most prestigious honor of the Those Who Excel awards, recipients have demonstrated a significant commitment to equity and student success, regularly collaborate to create positive school cultures and serve as lifelong learners who inspire the broader community, according to the ISBE.

The Award of Meritorious Service goes to experienced educators who have gone above and beyond in their service, taking on leadership roles that uplift the culture of learning and becoming integral members of their districts.

In District 181, Prospect School principal Kristin Cummings, assistant superintendent of student services Erica Ekstrom, Elm School reading specialist Mary Jo Guzaldo, assistant superintendent of human resources Gina Herrmann, Clarendon Hills Middle School speech language pathologist Yvonne Honings, Madison School fourth grade teacher Melonie Jackson, pupil service administrator Michelle Nugent and Elm School speech language pathologist Cassie Soofi earned this award.

The ISBE also has an Award of Special Recognition, which goes to valued members of the school community who are recognized by colleagues, students, and families for the unique skills and passions they bring to their roles.

Hinsdale Middle School instructional assistant Mary Black, Clarendon Hills Middle School teacher Lisa Brough and Hinsdale Middle School resource teacher Mallory Roman received this recognition.

The ISBE has sponsored the Those Who Excel program to honor educators who have made significant contributions to the state’s public and non-public elementary and secondary schools since 1970.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/13/hinsdale-clarendon-hills-elementary-district-181-educators-earn-state-those-who-excel-awards/ 

Looking for a romantic getaway this Valentine’s Day? You might check into the Hotel Chocolat, a British chocolatier that last year made Chicago its home base in the new world. 

While there are no actual overnight stays at any of the four Hotel Chocolat locations in Chicago, a visit could provide an exotic European escape, with hot chocolate drinks, a wide variety of flavored chocolates and a cozy cafe to indulge. 

Purchased by Mars two years ago, Hotel Chocolat may soon be expanding beyond Chicago, bringing elevated drinking chocolate and candy to markets across the country, according to Kelly Goering, 45, a veteran Mars executive who became the inaugural general manager of Hotel Chocolat US. 

“Chocolate is a category that is ripe for disruption,” said Goering, 45, during a visit Thursday at the Lakeview store on Southport Avenue. 

Hotel Chocolat launched its first Chicago store last April in Lakeview and has since opened three other locations, including its U.S. flagship on North Michigan Avenue. The immersive stores feature Hotel Chocolat’s “Wall of Chocolate” flavors, as well as its Velvetiser Café, serving the brand’s signature drinking chocolates — a continental take on hot chocolate and more.    

Founded in 2004, Hotel Chocolat sources its cacao and its roots to a farm and hotel on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. The company also has a manufacturing facility and 160 retail stores in the United Kingdom. 

In January 2024, candy giant Mars completed a $662 million acquisition of Hotel Chocolat, putting the premier British chocolatier under the umbrella of its Chicago-based candy division.

Hotel Chocolat soon began the mission of retail expansion in the U.S., starting in the home market as a standalone segment within Mars Snacking, which includes everything from M&M’s to Snickers. After the sale, Hotel Chocolat founder Angus Thirlwell, who remains president of the company, relocated to Chicago to oversee his creation’s expansion in the U.S., working with Goering. 

In addition to four Chicago stores, Hotel Chocolat is set to open two suburban locations this year: Hubbard Woods and Oak Brook. Hotel Chocolat is also planning to expand into new U.S. markets on the West and East coasts, with a target of eight to 12 stores by year’s end, Goering said.  

Longer term, the chain has more ambitious growth plans to open 70 to 100 stores across the U.S. within the next five to seven years, Goering said. 

The 2,800-square-foot Southport store features a hot chocolate cafe and a wall of chocolate featuring small boxes with a dizzying variety of flavors, from Pistachio & Raspberry to Orange Marmalade, which sell for $8 each or three for $20, according to the illuminated sign above the display. 

Another illuminated sign on the wall near the cafe’s tables and couches reads, “More Cacao, Less Sugar,” the company’s motto. 

The store is redolent with the aroma of warm chocolate and an ambience evoking the agricultural roots of cacao with plants and growing tunnels. Beyond the cafe, shoppers will find a wide variety of gifting chocolates, with special packages targeting the chain’s first U.S. Valentine Day’s and upcoming Easter.  

Last-minute shoppers can score major Valentine’s Day points with a modest budget, Goering said. For example, the “With Love” assortment features a variety of 27 heart-shaped truffles for $50.

In the pipeline for Easter is a football-sized sculpted white paper pulp egg filled with assorted chocolate — long a favorite in the U.K. — which will hit U.S. stores next week with a price tag of $45. 

Early holiday returns have been promising, Goering said. 

While declining to disclose revenue, Goering said the Chicago stores have seen over 60,000 customers since opening last spring. 

Kelly Goering, general manager of Hotel Chocolat U.S., in the Lakeview location on Feb. 12, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

“The response has been exceeding expectations, which is fueling the expansion and where we want to head,” Goering said. 

About a half-dozen people wandered around the Lakeview store during the midday Thursday, casually perusing the offerings.

Amna Baig, 23, of Plainfield, was among them, stopping in with a friend for their first visit to Hotel Chocolat after learning about it on social media. She got a hot chocolate to go.

“It’s good quality,” Baig said. “I think it’s one of the best I’ve had. I’d get it again.”

Shoppers can also buy the actual Velvetiser for about $150, with packets of shredded chocolate for sale as well, enabling them to bring the Hotel Chocolat experience home. 

For those who don’t think a chocolate shop can be romantic, just Jack Anton and Betsy Lamb, associates at the Lakeview store who have been whipping up chocolate drinks together since its opening. The co-workers are now engaged.  

Down the road, Hotel Chocolat is looking to add a European feature that has yet to travel across the pond — chocolate-flavored alcoholic drinks that employ the Velvetiser to whip up such concoctions as an espresso martini. But getting a liquor license in Chicago may take some time, Goering said. 

While cocoa prices have risen dramatically in recent years, a box of chocolates may still be a relatively economical way to navigate Valentine’s Day.  

A study released Wednesday by BMO, the Canadian banking giant whose U.S. operations are headquartered in Chicago, found that Chicagoans are spending an average of $183 per date, up from $169 last year. 

The so-called “date-flation” may be a deterrent to going out, even when Valentine’s Day lands on a Saturday, as it does this year. BMO is projecting a 21% decline in the number of dates Chicagoans go on this year, according to a study. 

Staying home with a box of chocolates may be an economic alternative. 

“With a dating budget and open financial communication with their partner, Americans can keep the spark alive without setting flames to their budget this Valentine’s Day,” Paul Dilda, head of U.S. consumer strategy at BMO, said in a news release. 

rchannick@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/13/hotel-chocolat-chicago-expansion/ 

Regarding the letter “Reform immigration policy” (Feb. 9): In October 2023, Senate Republicans made it clear that they would not back additional aid for Ukraine without a bill that would help secure the southern border of the United States. With the blessing of Sen. Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, and Sen. Mitch McConnell, the minority leader, a bipartisan team of senators began negotiations to produce a bill that enough members of both parties could accept to overwhelm objections from progressive Democrats and “America First” Republicans.

The team negotiated for months to produce this bill.

Donald Trump, the all-but-certain Republican presidential nominee, contacted House Speaker Mike Johnson and told him that any congressional solution to that problem would hurt his election chances in the 2024 election.

Johnson stated publicly that he would not allow the Senate bill to reach the House floor for a vote, even though the Senate bill probably had enough House votes to pass and President Joe Biden was sure to sign it. Once the House speaker made that statement publicly, Republican senators were unwilling to run the political risk of supporting a measure that would not become law, and the Senate bill failed.

Trump, with the assistance of his lackey Johnson, not Congress, is the person who killed what the letter writer calls for: “a humane solution to immigration. One that protects our borders and respects the dignity and humanity of all people, those here and those who desire to enter our country.”

Trump will also be the person who prevents any possible immigration solution for the next three years, since it takes 66.7% of the House and Senate to override his veto.

— Alan E. Krause, Oak Park

Resignation over ‘Go ICE’

Regarding the Feb. 8 article about the West Chicago teacher who resigned after posting “Go ICE” on social media (“Teacher on leave resigns”): The article notes that parents, students and officials felt it was necessary for him to resign so children “feel safe” in the classroom.

How about the woman, believed to be a Chicago Public Schools teacher, who mocked Charlie Kirk’s assassination by using her hand like a gun and putting it to her neck? I didn’t see a call for her resignation reported in the Tribune. Did she even face any discipline?

In my opinion, that was far more egregious than posting “Go ICE.”

— Dave Bohac, Willow Springs

Students using their voices

I was deeply moved by the coverage of several Elgin High School students who courageously staged a walkout to protest the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Seeing young people speak out against racial profiling, deportations without due process and families being torn apart is both heartbreaking and hopeful and a powerful reminder of how urgent this moment is.

When students as young as 14 understand that people are being detained simply because of the color of their skin, it should force all of us to pay attention. These aren’t just policies or statistics. These are real families in our community whose lives are being changed forever.

The fact that nearly 80% of students at the high school reportedly participated speaks volumes. Our youths are recognizing that fear-based enforcement and mass deportations are not justice.

I’m also grateful that the school district allowed students the space to peacefully express themselves and engage in civic action. This is what supporting young leaders looks like. There should be more walkouts like this across our communities as well as more opportunities where students are encouraged to speak up for what is right and stand up for their neighbors.

I applaud these brave students for using their voices and standing in solidarity with their neighbors. History has shown us time and again that meaningful change often begins when young people refuse to stay silent.

The world is watching, and so is the next generation of leaders.

— Candiss Shumate, Elgin

In detention at our expense

One year ago, they were working people, often with more than one job. One year ago, they were paying rent, buying gas and groceries, and going to church. One year ago, they were paying into a system they would never get anything from.

One year ago, they were contributing to the economy, seeking work and seeking a better life. They were not living off of the government.

Now, 70,000 of these immigrants are living in detention facilities, completely at government expense. At your expense. Public dollars are going to private profit in the most inhumane way possible. What is the cost? What good could that money be used for to improve the country?

Immigrants built this country. My people came from somewhere else, and if you are not indigenous, yours did too. This is pure evil, and the good people of this country will no longer let it happen in our name.

This will end, and our children and grandchildren will look back at this time in horror. Rightly so.

— Jeff Bibik, Chicago

Power versus violence

Robert Pape’s op-ed “Why Tucker Carlson’s civil war narrative is dangerous for America” (Feb. 8) is, if I may say, worthy of praise for its insight and clarity.

We often confuse the distinction between power and violence. Some have suggested that “power” equates to the amount of violence — weaponized, militarized intimidation and warfare — a government has at its disposal in order to impose its will on its own people. For other folks, governmental institutions capable of imposing their will on others without the use of violence — through authority or power legitimized by the will of the people — is where authentic “power” resides.

Thus, if one is willing to casually throw around words such as “civil war,” as Tucker Carlson apparently does, then it is incumbent upon readers to take Pape’s warning seriously.

— Leonard Costopoulos, Dallas, Georgia

Election oversight push

In the current political climate, “nationalization” is often treated as an all-or-nothing proposition, but we are applying it to the wrong sectors of American life. We have our priorities backward: We should be keeping our elections local and our energy profits public.

The push to nationalize election oversight is a solution in search of a problem that would only create a single point of failure. Our current decentralized system — run by local officials and neighbors — is our greatest safeguard against mass hacking or systemic fraud. Local control ensures that voting reflects the needs of the community, not the dictates of a federal bureaucracy. Keeping elections local isn’t about partisan politics; it’s about security through distribution.

Conversely, the case for nationalizing the oil and gas industry is becoming an economic and environmental necessity. Currently, these companies rake in record-breaking profits while socializing their costs through environmental damage and taxpayer-funded subsidies. By bringing these resources under a public mandate, we could stabilize prices for families and direct revenues toward the renewable energy transition rather than private dividends.

Resources found in our soil should benefit the people who live on it, not just the executives who trade it. It is time to stop treating our democracy like a commodity and start treating our energy like a public utility.

— Brad Trom, Blooming Prairie, Minnesota

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/13/letters-021326/ 

WASHINGTON — House Republicans have used a slim majority to push through some of President Donald Trump’s biggest priorities — and shield him from political and legal trouble — since Trump returned to the White House last year.

But as Trump’s approval ratings slide and the federal government faces a partial shutdown this weekend, their united front is showing hairline cracks.

Republicans hold a 218-214 majority in the House, with three vacant seats. Such a narrow margin means only a handful of disgruntled GOP members are needed to deal a defeat to their party leadership.

Republican House members bucked Trump and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson repeatedly in recent weeks. They forced a vote to repeal Trump’s Canadian tariffs, mandated the release of the files related to notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and criticized the aggressive tactics of immigration agents in Minnesota.

Each of those issues is likely to command significant time in Congress in the days and weeks ahead.

The rules governing agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol are at the center of a funding fight that could result in a partial government shutdown starting this weekend, even after the Trump administration announced Thursday it would wind down operations in Minnesota. Opponents of Trump’s tariffs, meanwhile, have vowed to force more House votes on taxes on goods from Mexico and other U.S. allies in the weeks to come. And outrage over Epstein on Capitol Hill has only grown as more details have been released.

That could force Illinois’ three House Republicans — all loyal Trump supporters from deep-red districts who reliably vote with the president — to recalibrate how they show their loyalty to Trump as they weigh in on many of his increasingly unpopular positions.

There are signs that may already be happening.

The day after Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood of Peoria called for a “comprehensive and transparent investigation” into the death. LaHood, a former prosecutor, said the investigation should involve federal, state and local law enforcement. He issued a similar statement after an ICE agent shot Renee Good in her car in early January.

Those statements came as federal officials blocked state and local officers from conducting normal criminal investigations into the shootings.

That has become a significant issue in Congress, too. Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked long-term funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE and Border Patrol, to add more accountability measures for those agencies. Now, Democratic leaders want to ensure federal agencies share evidence with local authorities as part of a list of demands they shared with Republicans.

In an interview with the Tribune, LaHood said his concern was less about who did the investigations and more about how they were done.

“I don’t think Congress should be in the business of dictating who should do the investigation,” he said. “There needs to be, obviously, an independent, thorough investigation that’s done with proper law enforcement and a full vetting of the facts and evidence, and then ultimately, once that’s done …  a prosecutorial body will make a decision on whether there should be any charges.”

But LaHood said he didn’t think federal agents automatically had immunity from state and local prosecution.

“If you’re asking whether there’s some prohibition on that, I don’t think there is,” LaHood said. “If they have the facts and evidence and a good case and can bring it to a grand jury and get an indictment, I don’t think that’s out of the realm of possibility.”

Vice President JD Vance suggested federal officers have “absolute immunity” when doing their jobs, although he later clarified he thought they should only be subject to federal investigations.

As negotiations over DHS funding continue, LaHood said he supports one proposal advanced by Democrats that would require ICE and CBP agents to wear body cameras, a practice the Trump administration has begun rolling out on its own.

He also supported clarifying when agents must obtain judicial warrants before entering private property.

“If you’re an ICE agent and you determine someone is illegal — maybe they committed criminal offenses — and they run into a house, does that give (the agent) the exigent circumstances to avoid a warrant and go in and arrest them because they’re illegal or they just committed a crime? I think that’s justifiable,” LaHood explained.

“But if you don’t know that they’re illegal and you don’t know that they’re involved with criminal activity, should you go seek a warrant like you normally would with any other criminal case? I think that, yes, they should be abiding by the Fourth Amendment and the warrant requirement,” he added.

But LaHood objected to demands that immigration agents not wear masks, arguing that ICE opponents have been “going after (agents’) families, exposing them, doxing them, all of those things that have been put on social media.”

The Peoria lawmaker told the Tribune he opposed the Trump administration’s tariff policies, but hours later voted against rescinding Trump’s tariffs on Canada. LaHood said he objected to the broad taxes Trump imposed on foreign goods “from an affordability standpoint, from an inflation standpoint and an open market standpoint.”

“When you get into a trade war, which these tariffs have caused us to do, in many ways, the first pawn in the trade war is agriculture,” he said. “So I have concerns about blanket tariffs, particularly on many of our allies, and the economic effect that it’s had on my farmers and my manufacturers.”

The House measure on taxes on Canadian goods now returns to the Senate. If it passes there, Trump can still veto it. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is considering a challenge to the legal authority Trump relied on to unilaterally change tariffs for dozens of countries.

“I think the Supreme Court, in all likelihood, will rule that the predicate the president used will be found unconstitutional. I think this is an opportunity for the administration to pivot and have a transition on tariffs,” LaHood said.

“It’s a bit of a head scratcher on why we’re putting tariffs on a number of our allies, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the EU (European Union),” he added. “I am perfectly supportive of tariffs on countries that don’t play by the same rules and standards that we do — China, for instance, and obviously Russia,” he said.

LaHood’s comments come as public opinion has shifted away from the Trump administration on many of those topics.

Six in 10 voters disapprove of the way Trump is handling immigration, according to a new AP-NORC poll, while a majority of voters in separate surveys indicated they disapprove of how the Trump administration has handled the release of files related to Epstein. Trump’s tariff policies are also widely unpopular, with 60% of voters disapproving of the increases he ordered, according to the Pew Research Center.

U.S. Rep Mary Miller speaks during a Lincoln Day Dinner hosted by the Logan County Republican Central Committee at the American Legion on Feb. 5, 2026, in downstate Lincoln. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

U.S. Rep. Mary Miller of Hindsboro, meanwhile, has continued to push a hard line on immigration and shown little light between her beliefs and Trump’s. 

“The Democrats were the ones that facilitated the invasion of our country for votes and they are not going to, without a fight, allow us to remove these criminal illegal aliens,” she said during an interview with Newsmax.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, she said, “and the rest of the Democrats are going to sabotage American safety in order to keep their status quo and keep their power.”

U.S. Rep. Mike Bost of Murphysboro could not be reached for comment.

Still, it’s unlikely any of the three Illinois Republican House members will veer too far from the party line. “They’re in a tight spot,” said Mark Hansen, a political science professor at the University of Chicago.

“The major danger to them still is probably a Trump-sponsored primary challenge,” Hansen said. “They’re still in a place where they need to be pretty attentive to what Trump is up to.”

This year, though, both LaHood and Bost are running unopposed in the March 17 GOP primary and Miller’s facing only nominal opposition.

Collin Corbett, a Republican strategist from Palatine and a founder of Cor Strategies, said he appreciated LaHood and other Republicans who have spoken out about the deaths in Minnesota.

“He put out a statement that maybe you wouldn’t typically see from a conservative Republican who’s allied with Trump and who has worked with Trump,” Corbett said. “I appreciate (his) backbone in doing that, and I can tell you I’ve privately heard from more Republicans than I can count saying, ‘They screwed up on this one, we’re going to need to make some changes.’”

He said other Republicans in Illinois have also kept their concerns about the shootings in Minnesota — and ICE’s operations in the Chicago area — to themselves because of political considerations.

“During a primary season, you can’t be seen as going against your own team, otherwise you might be kicked off that team,” Corbett said. “In (the) Trump era of Republican Party politics, if you’re perceived — you don’t even have to actually be anti-Trump — if you’re perceived to be anti-Trump, that’s going to seriously damage you with the ballot box in the primary.”

“Right now, the public is angry about ICE, and Democrats smell blood in the water, so they’re going to make as much of it as they absolutely can,” he added. “Republicans are going to have to show that they’re going to be the adults in the room and do some governing here.”

Hansen, the University of Chicago political scientist, said the Republican caucus has held up well over the last year, considering its knife-edge majority. “They have managed to keep it together pretty well, and they’ve been aided in that, in particular, by Trump’s willingness to bully people,” he said.

But those considerations could change if Republican lawmakers hear growing unease about people being deported from their communities or the economic consequences of Trump’s policies.

“Politicians are always looking at what reaction they’re getting from their constituents,” Hansen said. “In the end, Donald Trump does not elect them to Congress, their constituents do.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/13/illinois-republicans-weigh-fealty-to-trump/ 

The love we speak of at Valentine’s Day almost always pertains to the romantic variety. We make our holiday efforts on behalf of that person with whom we are entwined in this manner or wish to be.

But there’s something we tend to overlook on Valentine’s Day, and that’s friendship — a lost art of love in today’s world.

Can two partnered people be successful in their union if they are not also friends? Can an artist truly be great if she doesn’t seek to be a friend to those who partake of her work by offering them something vital and helpful that may be lacking in their own lives?

A friend is loyal, protective, nurturing. They help us grow. We can turn to them. They’re true to their word. A parent doesn’t want to be a friend to their child in the “one of the gang” sense, but these tenets of friendship also undergird parenting.

To have a true friend, one must be a true friend.

What happens often now is that people find someone with whom to pair up, and they remove themselves — as if on an island.

Children are had. The family unit all but has a circular wall put up around it for the adults. Sure, Dad knows this dad from Little League practices, and Mom joined a book club with other moms. But actual friendship requires effort, empathy, vulnerability and courage, and rarely do we “show out” in these areas.

Think of the couples you know. How many of those people have true friends? Consider yourself. How many true friends do you have?

I’d bet that most of us didn’t expect it to be like this, for it to be hard to make friends and have friends. There was a time in our lives where we never would have thought of our future self as friendless.

We may have encountered a maxim such as, “You’re lucky to ever have a single real friend,” but a part of us likely viewed that as clever lip service. A quote that sounds weighty, but surely it’s not that grim?

Or we’re a bit like that selfish grasshopper who has himself a gay time in summer without thought of choices and consequences and then must be bailed out in winter by the ant who made a point of becoming wiser.

Sarah Polley, right, laughs with her friend Isabel while making friendship bracelets during Dillo Day, an end of the school year festival produced by Northwestern University’s student organization Mayfest Productions, on May 17, 2025, in Evanston. (Audrey Richardson/Chicago Tribune)

There are seasons to friendship. Friendships are easier to start in school, during the spring and summer of our lives, before we’re prone to retreat within ourselves, busted and reluctant.

Fall comes along, and if we’ve not bunkered down with our official family unit, we may find ourselves embarrassed by our friendlessness and taking pains to hide the truth. Phrases like “Living my best life” may or may not be used.

Then in life’s winter, friendship can seem like a memory, a dream left over from another existence.

I’d argue that everything that is worthwhile in life involves friendship. To sit with one’s thoughts, doing nothing else, is an act of friendship. From you to you, for you, which in turns helps you be a better friend to someone else. If you aren’t open and vulnerable with yourself, you won’t be with anyone else either. Say it again: To have a true friend, one must be capable of being a true friend.

Friendship means making sure someone else is OK and then ministering to yourself. Who does that now? Who looks outward first? Who looks outward, period? Who looks outward for reasons other than seeing what others can do for us, hand to us, offer us? Remunerate us for the latest selfie we posted.

If you love, if you seek to be loved, if you wish to love better, be a friend. Build anew as a person who is able to be a part of the best kind of relationship any of us may have with others, which is right, decent, giving. Friendship is the foundation, even when we call the soul of it other things.

If you can’t be a true friend, then you will become a stranger to love, whatever form love takes. Just because Valentine’s Day cards don’t say this doesn’t mean it isn’t true. 

Colin Fleming is the author of “Sam Cooke: Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963,” an entry in Bloomsbury’s 33 1/3 series.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/13/opinion-valentines-day-friendship/