Walter Jacobson's Perspective

No talkie talkie by me this morning about Chicago or Springfield or Washington government and politics. And no crabbing by me about some elected or appointed public official who’s now misbehaving him- or herself. I’m here this morning to talk about myself being 87-years-old and concerned, carefully concerned, because in the news business we’re always […]

In my opinion, the easiest and most comfortable news to report is good news. And I’ve just come across some very good news that was in the news last week. You may have heard it. But even if you have, and for sure if you have not, I’m here this morning to report it again. […]

There are big and important stories in the news today about that endlessly awful war being waged by Russia and Ukraine. And about disease and starvation around the world. And about $10.00 for a dozen eggs here at home. But I just can’t stop thinking about spring fever and baseball. Our Chicago White Sox and […]

He is quite a character, that Elon Musk, believing it’s true what the media says, that he is the richest person in the world. And now Elon Musk is behaving like he thinks he’s President of the United States. And I believe it’s fair for me to say that because I’ve been listening to Mr. […]

The news about Walgreens closing stores in Chicago is bad news, and day by day it’s getting worse. The latest being that in the next few weeks, five Walgreens in Chicago neighborhoods will be closing their doors, locking them closed, and covering up their windows, while having no plans to unlock the doors or uncover […]

If you’re not watching the Senate hearings about President Trump’s choices for his Cabinet, you’re not missing much that in my opinion is worth watching. Unless what you want to see are a few distinguished and undistinguished members of the Senate making long-winded speeches as if they’re still campaigning for or against Donald Trump moving […]

The public and often obscene arguments over President Trump’s decisions to fire FBI agents and prosecutors in the Department of Justice are being heard all around, everywhere, along with the expensive and damaging tariffs he says he’s planning against Mexico and Canada. And also his threatening speeches about our most committed allies around the world. […]

We can like or dislike our second time President Donald J. Trump. But we better, we all better, listen and pay attention to everything he says, because he’s changing the ways we are living our lives, most dramatically changing the way he’s dealing with our immigration crisis. President Trump is dispatching federal agents, mostly armed […]

I am sure that I am not the only person having had enough, enough, enough already of that Zuckerberg guy. Mark Zuckerberg, the multibillionaire who owns and operates Instagram and Facebook. In case you’ve missed it, Mark Zuckerberg is changing the way he operates Facebook. He’s now permitting messages to be online before they’ve been […]

Good morning, Mr. President Biden. I’m thinking you are ruining your reputation and your legacy with all those presidential pardons and commutations you’ve recently been granting convicted criminals. Like the pardon you granted your son Hunter and more than 1000 pardons and commutations you’ve recently granted in a hurry to beat the clock that in […]

Well, finally, finally, we now have only a few days to wait for the first meeting of Chicago’s first-ever publicly elected Board of Education. Our brand new 21-member Board of Ed is about to begin its difficult process of trying to make our public schools better than they are. I’m dubious about it because the […]

Considering my very sad but nonetheless much-loved Chicago Bears, I’m wondering right now what I’ll do this coming Sunday, knowing very well what I’ll do is what I do every Sunday this time of year: Make myself a chicken salad sandwich, say a prayer to the gods of football, sit down in front of the […]

Here we go again. Or here Rahm goes again. That’s Rahm Emanuel declaring that he may run again for Mayor of Chicago. Or, if Governor Pritzker of Illinois decides not to run again, Rahm Emanuel is saying, Rahm may run for governor. At this particular time in government and politics, Rahm Emanuel is the US […]

It is hard sometimes to keep up with the ups and downs in the government and politics of Chicago’s rookie mayor Brandon Johnson who is trying very hard to quiet and remove from office Pedro Martinez, CEO of our public schools who was hired three years ago by Mayor Lightfoot and since then has been […]

My computer this morning, along with everything else I’m reading, is loaded with news about Donald Trump creating a new White House administration. What I’m not reading, because it’s not being reported anymore, is news about how the newspapers and those talking heads on television helped Donald Trump get reelected. For the end of his […]

Maybe it’s good news, that vote for President. Maybe it’s bad. Depending on whom you voted for, you’re happy or sad. But finally, at long last, we all now know who will be the next occupant of the White House. But we don’t know, and what I am worried about, is who will win the […]

I walked around my neighborhood early this morning before catching the bus that brings me here and I’m still thinking about the Halloween things I saw. Chunky things they seemed to me. Ugly, fake skeletons, coffins, and graveyards dug into charming little gardens alongside the sidewalks in front of some beautiful apartment buildings and private […]

It’s three days now into the Mike Madigan trial and the headlines are in big print on the front pages of Chicago’s biggest newspapers. In the Tribune, for instance, “The Michael Madigan Trial” alongside a big picture of Madigan, his briefcase and his lawyers leaving the courthouse, what they’re calling racketeering case underway. Competing with […]

With happy smiles, beautiful balloons, and tooting trumpets, more than 1,000 people gathered on State Street three days ago to celebrate the Columbus and Indigenous People Parade. Some of them to watch it, others to watch and join the parade. The Columbus people have been hoping, and waiting, and waiting for City Hall to return […]

It’s been 2 1/2 years since Mike Madigan was indicted by a federal grand jury on 23 counts of criminal behavior during 36 years as Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. One of the most, if not the most, powerful and popular Chicago politicians ever. For 2 1/2 years, he’s been ever-so-painfully awaiting his […]

I have some bad news to report this morning. The great New York Times – The uppity, uppity New York Times – is once again beating up on Chicago in its most popular Sunday edition. This last Sunday, The New York Times delivered to the world a special section entitled The Restaurant List. Twenty pages […]

So, in Chicago, those now well-known ShotSpotters have run out of time. Their contract with the city has expired and Mayor Johnson says he will not renew it. But there’s a chance it may be back anyway because some members of the City Council are working on bringing it back. The ShotSpotter is a multi-million-dollar […]

The news about who won the presidential debate in Philadelphia last week is getting old. So, let’s start considering something new. A debate in Chicago City Hall this week. It’s getting hot. It’s about Mayor Johnson’s Director of Internal Affairs, Kennedy Bartley, an outspoken young Black woman who’s been interviewed on national television about the […]

For me, it was an OK debate. A lot of emotion and a little bit of anger. But nothing new from either one of the two. How they spoke and what they said is common this late in a campaign game. They were cautious candidates, very cautious to avoid trying a Hail Mary because if […]

The news in the news is moving so fast it’s difficult sometimes to keep up with it, and even more difficult to decide what to say about it. A good example of that is the story about a popular radio talk show in Chicago and the two on-air people who host it. The well-known hard-right […]