by admin | Feb 4, 2026 | Chicago, Climate, Coastal Management, Disaster, Florida, Hurricanes, Insurance, Iowa, Journalism, Movies, Parks, Personal history, Restaurants, Sports, Tornado, Urban Planning, Weather
It was about 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, January 25, when my United Airlines flight from Sarasota, Florida, landed at O’Hare International Airport, and I finally started getting text messages again. The very first one was from Angel, our 22-year-old grandson, whom I had...
by admin | Jan 15, 2026 | Activism, Chicago, Civil rights, Crime, Death, Government, Immigration, Minnesota, Personal history, Politics, Public safety, Racism, Terrorism, Volunteerism
The Grinch paid an early visit in an attempt to steal Christmas in Chicago, but Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chief Greg Bovino did not stay long after a surprise return from warmer haunts down south. In my previous blog post, “Moral Blowback in Chicago,” I made...
by admin | Nov 25, 2025 | Activism, Blogging, Chicago, Christianity, Civil rights, Crime, Government, History, Identity, Immigration, Journalism, National security, Public policy, Public safety, Racism, Social Equity, Social Media, Volunteerism, Writing
Then the righteous will reply, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and fed you, or thirsty and gave you drink, a stranger and took you home, or naked and clothed you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and come to visit you?” And the king will answer, “I tell...
by admin | Aug 5, 2025 | Activism, Books, Business, Chicago, Climate, Colorado, Disaster, Disaster Recovery, Infrastructure, New Orleans, Religion, Renewable Energy, Volunteerism
I had a dream a few weeks ago. Most of my dreams are fleeting and inconsequential. Not so this time. My overladen subconscious mind took me to this empty room, then made me fill it with all that had happened since my “alleged retirement”[1] from the American Planning...
by admin | Mar 3, 2025 | Activism, Books, Chicago, Foreign policy, Government, Gratitude, History, National security, Politics, Public policy, Russia, Ukraine, War
When the nation and the world witness the sort of crude spectacle that was broadcast from the Oval Office last Friday, it should not be surprising that many Americans are embarrassed and upset at the behavior of the men holding the two highest offices in the land....
by admin | Jul 7, 2024 | Business, Chicago, Climate, Cooking, Economics, Energy Conservation, Environment, Government, Public health, Public policy, Technology
Just a month ago, I encountered a problem my wife had previously experienced in April while I had been out of town. At that time, puzzled by why our gas oven seemed not to work, she had to wait until I returned from a conference in Minneapolis and teaching a FEMA...