After a Fraught 4th, a Plea for Leaders to Make a Free Throw

The horrific Fourth of July violence in Highland Park has surely had an impact on all of us, and for some it is particularly personal and difficult. After 30 minutes of trying to write on Monday afternoon, I thought I might have to throw in the towel on stringing together enough coherent thoughts for a […]

Random Musings from a Cinco de Mayo College Frosh Pick-Up

Observations from a Cinco de Mayo pick-up of my son after his freshman year at Indiana University: Glad we have a van with ample room.  We’ve had the Grand Caravan for a grand total of 15 1/2 years, since the kids were 3-year-olds. It has never been cool, and has increased in its Decidedly Uncool […]

Statistical Curiosity Leads to Coverage of Miguel Cabrera’s 3,000th Hit

My first baseball story of 2022 appeared a few weeks ago in the Daily Herald, on the occasion of Miguel Cabrera’s 3,000th career hit. But its genesis can be traced to 2017. That is when statistical curiosity—one of my incurable traits—prompted me to embark me on a research path that encompasses other baseball greats of […]

Promo Video: Celebrating Seniors Scavenger Hunt

The last time I worked with the Village of Oak Park’s longtime video manager, Joe Kreml, the occasion was our 11th & final “Beer With Baron” interview. That was 2 1/2 years ago, before the coronavirus pandemic. Recently, we teamed up on a video raising awareness of the inaugural Celebrating Seniors Scavenger Hunt, coming Saturday, […]

Three Sides (At Least) to Most Stories–But They Take Time to Uncover

Anyone who says there are “two sides to every story” is vastly understating the case. There are almost always far more than two interpretations of an event or series of events, as a local municipal leader recently affirmed to me with her observation that there are “three sides” to every story. One outgrowth of that […]

Memo to Journalists: Don’t Let Opinion Ruin a Factual Story

Nearly 20 years ago, I delivered a luncheon keynote at the Texas Press Association’s annual conference. The session flowed out of my mathematical literacy (numeracy) training called “Go Figure: Making Numbers Count.” This expertise at the intersection of data and story-telling–that realm where many journalists dread to tread–has taken me throughout the country to lead […]

Set Goals, Keep Score…One Free Throw at a Time (x 100,000)

“Set goals, keep score, break records. Anything else is just exercise.” Fifteen years ago, I met a man named George E. Hood who not only introduced me to those words but embodied them from head to toe. We met shortly after Five Seasons Family Sports Club retained Inside Edge PR + Media to provide public relations […]

A (True) Pre-Christmas Story: Don’t Mess With Momma On the Train

The air was smoky. Yesterday morning, about 10 minutes after getting aboard the “el” bound for downtown Chicago, my wife, Bridgett, and I detect a mysterious cigarette smoke. We can’t identify the source. Figuring it must be some covert sneak-smoker we’re not able to spot, at the next stop we scoot onto the platform and […]

Remembering Keith J. Taylor: A Humble, Humorous Artist

Two years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Keith J. Taylor when he appeared as my guest on “A Beer With Baron.” Humble, humorous and grateful, this talented cartoonist was a joy to interview. It was my first segment at One Lake Brewing, on the border of Oak Park and Chicago, after 10 BWB […]

Elmhurst man organizes relief for rural Tennessee county ravaged by tornado

Atop the front page of today’s Daily Herald is my story on a grateful–and giving–Elmhurst man, Butch Navarro. He was spared by a tornado that ripped through a small Tennessee community a week ago. In response, he is spearheading fundraising efforts for people there. As of late Friday afternoon, that gesture had spurred on more […]