The Sun-Times’ Mitch Dudek’s obituary on Della Maffiola, who “pressed for change after her son died in Our Lady of Angels School fire,” brought back a vivid memory from when I was 10 years old. My mother wasn’t a radio listener. But one afternoon, I came into the kitchen and found her sitting at the table listening to a news report on the Zenith.
She was sobbing, face in her hands. This was Dec. 1, 1958, and she was listening to reports about the fire. Ninety-two children and three nuns died. I asked what was wrong. She sobbed, “How can all these children die like that in school?” The radio reporter described little bodies being carried out of the building. I was aware this was a horrible news story. But I had never seen my mother cry like that.
Blaise J. Arena, Des Plaines
Plan discourages community investment by banks
A recent proposal by the Department of the Treasury and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation threatens to undermine the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act. This proposal effectively serves as a federal disinvestment plan for housing, small businesses and nonprofits, directly contradicting Congress’ recent passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which was designed to incentivize community investments. Even the Federal Reserve has refused to support the proposal.
Under the proposal, 40% of banks in Illinois would lose their regulatory mandate to finance affordable housing, small businesses or local social services. Furthermore, 62% of the 81 largest banks serving Illinois would no longer be held accountable for maintaining physical branches, volunteering or investing in low-income areas. Suburban and rural community banks would have no obligation to reinvest local deposits back into their communities. This shift could cost Illinois communities billions of dollars in critical infrastructure, entrepreneurship, subsidized housing, childcare and healthcare loans.
The proposal achieves this by significantly raising the asset threshold required for a financial institution to be classified as a “large bank.” By reclassifying hundreds of institutions as “medium” banks, the rule applies much lower regulatory standards. According to data from the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, several prominent Illinois institutions — including Wintrust Bank, Byline Bank, First Mid Bank & Trust, Old Second National Bank and Heartland Bank & Trust — would be downgraded to this medium tier. Compounding the issue, the proposal allows these institutions to fail Community Reinvestment Act lending metrics for homes, small businesses and small farms while still receiving a passing grade of “satisfactory” under the law.
The Community Reinvestment Act was originally born out of Chicago’s community-organizing movement to combat contract selling, block-busting and redlining. Organizations like the Woodstock Institute have spent decades ensuring that banks equitably serve the communities where they operate and take deposits. Instead of allowing financial institutions to do less, Illinois residents and communities must demand that these institutions remain fully accountable and continue to provide the financial products and services required for local economies to thrive.
Horacio Méndez, president and CEO, Woodstock Institute
A slick attempt to gut Head Start
The outcomes from Head Start for children and their families are very real.
We see parents who arrive unsure how to access services and leave empowered to advocate for their children. We see children whose developmental delays are identified early enough to receive crucial help.
For millions of Americans, including tens of thousands of Illinoisans, Head Start is a lifeline. Easterseals Chicago & Rockford Regions partner with nearly 40 independently operated early childhood programs to deliver Head Start and Early Head Start services to low‑income families who often have no other options.
For 60 years, Head Start has helped level the playing field for these children and families. It has provided early learning, nutritious meals, healthcare, family support, resources and a pathway to opportunity for children.
But today that future is under threat.
A proposed federal rule would fundamentally reshape how Head Start operates across the country. The proposal is being painted as a way to expand access and empower parents. But make no mistake, it would dismantle many of the nationally consistent standards that have defined Head Start for decades. It also puts significant federal funding at risk, creating budget shortfalls that states likely could not cover on their own.
A mother recently shared how important Head Start is to her family: “Knowing that my daughters are being cared for by qualified staff in an environment designed specifically to support young children gives me peace of mind.”
The long-term outcomes of Head Start are clear: Children who attend Head Start are more likely to graduate from high school, attend college, earn a college degree and achieve economic self-sufficiency as adults. Head Start provides families access to crucial resources and support systems that set the stage for generational success.
If we are serious about helping more children thrive, we should not be asking Head Start programs to do more with less. We should be asking what they could accomplish with sustained investment and flexibility to innovate.
Federal leaders should abandon any changes that would gut Head Start and reduce the programs needed to deliver safe, high-quality and innovative services. If our leaders truly believe every child deserves the opportunity to succeed, their investment in children’s lives must match their words.
Amy Blythe, assistant vice president of early learning services, Easterseals Chicagoland and Greater Rockford Regions
Shine more light on playing politics with disaster aid
Saturday’s Sun-Times print story headlined “Trump denies Illinois disaster relief request” deserved a place of greater prominence than Page 13. We all should be concerned when a president awards aid to Indiana and not to Illinois after the same tornado devastated towns on both sides of the state line in August. I hope this disgraceful partisanship is remembered by voters.
Jennifer DeFreeuw, Flossmoor