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Mark Brown biography

Mark Brown is a local news columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times who writes about everything from political corruption to family life. Roger Ebert once called …Read More

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  • William Beavers: ‘I’m not begging’ at sentencing Wednesday

    Six months after a federal jury found him guilty of tax evasion, a defiant William Beavers said Monday he’s not about to back down when he goes before U.S. District Judge James Zagel for sentencing this week. “I’m still the same Beavers: The hog with …Read More

  • No good reason to keep Webb report secret: Brown

    MARK BROWN: It’s unfathomable to me that an effort undertaken to shed light on the troubling inconsistencies surrounding the investigation into the death of David Koschman would result in a secret report.

    • Bill Daley faced bittersweet reality of realizing his dream was just that: Brown

    There was one moment in Bill Daley’s speech Tuesday explaining his pullout from the governor’s race when his emotions got the better of his vocal cords. “Throughout my life,” he was saying, “I’ve looked forward to serving as an elected official. But that isn’t going …

    Navy Yard, Newtown, Chicago — all underscore same message: Brown

    It’s just a coincidence Illinois Congresswoman Robin Kelly will be escorting a group of Chicago parents of gun violence victims to Washington on Tuesday to meet with parents of the Newtown school massacre victims — as the capital reels from the nation’s latest mass shooting. …

    RTA should fight its public transportation battles in public: Brown

    Rather than air his agency’s internal fighting in public, RTA Chairman John Gates abruptly cancelled an important board meeting scheduled for Friday. I hate that. Gates imposed the cooling-off period until Tuesday so that RTA board members and representatives of CTA, Metra and Pace can …

    Dueling RTA letters show ‘reform’ debate really a battle over money and power: Brown

    The debate over how to revamp oversight of Chicago area mass transit took an intriguing turn Wednesday with publication of a letter from Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s RTA appointees taking RTA Chairman John Gates to task for suggesting an expansion of the agency’s authority. That letter, …

    Legislators’ foot dragging on same-sex marriage has life and death consequences: Brown

    Robb Smith and Steven Rynes would have liked to be married, but the State of Illinois never afforded them the opportunity. Now, it’s too late. While Illinois legislators continue to delay a vote on legalizing marriage for gay and lesbian couples so as not to …

    Senate needs to get the lead out and confirm Fardon: Brown

    You couldn’t have missed the big headlines back in May when President Barack Obama nominated Zach Fardon to be the new U.S. attorney in Chicago. What you might not realize is that Fardon, best known for his role in prosecuting former Gov. George Ryan, still …

    Legislative race to watch is second challenge to Berrios’ daughter: Brown

    Novice Will Guzzardi snuck up on Chicago’s political establishment in 2012 and fell just 124 votes short of ousting state Rep. Toni Berrios, daughter of Joe Berrios, the Cook County assessor and Democratic Party chairman. “No one saw us coming,” said Guzzardi, formerly a Huffington …

    Restoring majestic state Capitol is one thing, but $669,608 for doors?: Brown

    I’d just finished making an impassioned defense to my colleagues of the $50 million renovation of the state Capitol in Springfield, knowing full well the potential for comeuppance, when the other shoe dropped Wednesday. State officials confirmed they’d spent $669,608 to buy and install three …

    Mark Brown: Program pays veterans’ families to care for disabled soldiers

    J oe Santoscoy relies on his wife, Ingrid Meijia, to drive him everywhere, including from where they live in Rogers Park to his medical appointments at the veterans’ hospital in North Chicago. The federal government, in effect, subsidizes her to do that, which might seem odd until you hear the rest of the story.

    Mark Brown: Cardinal George says same-sex marriage is irrational

    You might expect the leader of the Catholic Church in Chicago to explain his opposition to same-sex marriage on the basis of his religious tenets, but Cardinal Francis George says that’s secondary. “This is first of all a rational issue before it’s a faith issue,” …

    Cardinal George hopes gay marriage is blocked, says pope’s remarks were misinterpreted

    MARK BROWN: “If they had the votes, they would have passed it already,” the cardinal said of gay-marriage supporters in response to my assertion that it’s only a matter of time at this point before a law is passed. As to the pope’s widely publicized “Who am I to judge?” comment about gay priests in the Vatican, George said reporters misunderstood the context. “He wasn’t saying we can’t judge that homosexual relations are sinful or not. Objectively, they are,” George said.

    Brown: Simple task of getting an ID card not simple for the homeless

    Eddie Bakion, better known on the streets as Red Fox, thinks he might finally be ready to leave those streets behind. “I’m getting too old to be out here,” said Bakion, who will soon turn 65, a rough age to be homeless. First, though, he …

    Brown: Gutierrez crossing country to push immigration reform

    When I caught up with him Wednesday afternoon, Rep. Luis Gutierrez said he was sitting on the front porch of his Northwest Side home enjoying the milder-than-predicted weather. Catching up with him isn’t just a figure of speech these days. By Sunday, Gutierrez will be …

    Brown; RTA proposes way to avoid future Metra fiascos. Guess who they want to get more power.

    Eager to re-establish its relevance as the overseer of Chicago area mass transit, the Regional Transportation Authority put the blame Tuesday on Metra’s board for mismanaging the Alex Clifford affair. And how do you suppose the RTA proposes we keep something like this from happening …

    Brown: Raising speed limit to 70 mph will seem like license to go 80

    On a drive down to Louisville the weekend before last, I was surprised to realize that 80 miles per hour had become the new 70. By that I mean that most of the traffic on I-65 through Indiana, especially south of Indianapolis, was zipping along …

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