John Kass
John Kass has covered a variety of topics since arriving at the Chicago Tribune in 1983.
The son of a Greek immigrant grocer, Kass was born June 23, 1956, on Chicago’s South Side and grew up there and in Oak Lawn. He held a number of jobs — merchant marine sailor, ditch digger, waiter — before becoming a film student at Columbia College in Chicago. There, he worked at the student newspaper and caught the attention of Daryle Feldmeir, chairman of the journalism department and former editor of the Chicago Daily News.
Feldmeir and journalism professor Les Brownlee helped him obtain an internship at the Daily Calumet in 1980, where Kass worked as a reporter until he left for the Tribune.
In 2004, Kass was awarded the Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi national award for general column writing, the Scripps Howard Foundation’s National Journalism Award for commentary, the Press Club of Atlantic City’s National Headliner Award for local interest column writing on a variety of subjects, and the Chicago Headline Club’s Lisagor Award for best daily newspaper columnist.
In 1992, Kass won the Chicago Tribune’s Beck Award for writing.
Kass lives in the western suburbs with his wife and twin sons. His column appears on Page A2 of the Chicago Tribune every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
Recent Work
Mayor Rahm Emanuel drops a political bombshell on Chicago, announcing he won't run for re-election, and just like that the ... Read More
Mayor Rahm Emanuel drops a political bombshell on Chicago, announcing he won't run for re-election, and just like that the race for mayor has been transformed: It's Lord of the Flies on LaSalle Street. Read More
As Roman Catholic bishops tear at each other, as Pope Francis refuses comment even while standing accused of covering up ... Read More
As Roman Catholic bishops tear at each other, as Pope Francis refuses comment even while standing accused of covering up sexual abuse, I thought of a Bible story. Read More
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NEW YORK — New prosecution witnesses at former President Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial Friday further undercut the former... Read More
NEW YORK — New prosecution witnesses at former President Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial Friday further undercut the former president’s denials about paying hush money to a former porn star and then falsifying records to cover up their sexual... Read More
LANSING, Mich. — The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the state of Michigan $159 million in bipartisan infrastructure law funding... Read More
LANSING, Mich. — The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the state of Michigan $159 million in bipartisan infrastructure law funding to help lower the cost of community and rooftop solar installations for thousands of low-income households. In announcing receipt of... Read More
WASHINGTON — It’s back to the future for the nation’s internet service providers, as net neutrality makes a comeback thanks... Read More
WASHINGTON — It’s back to the future for the nation’s internet service providers, as net neutrality makes a comeback thanks to a 3-2 vote Thursday by the Federal Communications Commission. The “new” rules governing net neutrality are largely the same... Read More
NEW YORK (AP) — This spring, NBC News, The New York Times and National Public Radio have each dealt with... Read More
NEW YORK (AP) — This spring, NBC News, The New York Times and National Public Radio have each dealt with turmoil for essentially the same reason: journalists taking the critical gaze they deploy to cover the world and turning it... Read More
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans’ majority could tighten by another vote after Tuesday’s special congressional election in Buffalo — at least, temporarily.... Read More
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans’ majority could tighten by another vote after Tuesday’s special congressional election in Buffalo — at least, temporarily. Voters are choosing a replacement for Democrat Brian Higgins, a longtime House member who cited the “slow and frustrating” pace... Read More
Poultry producers will be required to bring salmonella bacteria in certain chicken products to very low levels to help prevent food poisoning... Read More
Poultry producers will be required to bring salmonella bacteria in certain chicken products to very low levels to help prevent food poisoning under a final rule issued Friday by U.S. agriculture officials. When the regulation takes effect in 2025, salmonella will be... Read More
