As a thoracic surgeon working in Chicago, I routinely see patients with severe lung disease, including asthma, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Most of my patients come from low-income communities that have long been underserved and/or overburdened by environmental hazards. The solution we need is the proposed Hazel Johnson Cumulative Impacts ordinance, because it represents a critical step toward protecting the respiratory health of vulnerable Chicagoans.
I consistently witness how environmental inequities translate into health disparities. Communities of color bear a disproportionate burden of respiratory illnesses, and a major contributing factor is poor air quality. The American Lung Association’s “State of the Air” 2025 report found that Cook County received an “F” grade for ozone and particle pollution. In Illinois, 93% of people of color live in counties with failing ozone grades, though they are just 41% of the population.
Decades of broken zoning and land use policies have continued to endanger vulnerable populations. Many of my patients arrive with advanced diseases because they cannot afford the ongoing care needed to manage chronic lung conditions. This becomes an unjust cycle where polluted air causes illness they simply cannot afford to treat.
As a physician, my role is not only to treat diseases, but also to advocate against its preventable causes. The proposed city ordinance is a vital opportunity to help address the root environmental injustices that continue to plague our communities and harm the health of our most vulnerable residents, and I urge the City Council to pass it without delay.
Dr. Ozuru Ukoha, Local Leadership board member, American Lung Association, Oakbrook
Building bleakness
As I sat staring at the first news reports of Donald Trump’s wreckage of the White House’s East Wing, I couldn’t help think I’d seen that horrible picture before. Oh yes, it looked exactly like close-ups of the rubble Vladimir Putin has made of Ukraine and even the devastating images of the completely ravaged World Trade Center buildings. What’s next? (And there will be a next). The civil war this lunatic president is likely to foment could very well make the same ugly devastation of your home and mine.
Dee Hoffman, Lake Villa
Castle catastrophe
How long before Donald Trump renames the White House Trump Castle? He’s building a ballroom, but isn’t it really a throne room? This is a democracy. No kings!!!
Christopher Berbeka, Palatine
Bear a loss
Game summary: The Bears were un-BEAR-ably em-BEAR-assing.
If you’re a lifelong Bears fan, you need a little humor to get you through games like this.
Bob Chimis, Elmwood Park