Ed Shurna

A few months ago, I welcomed James into the world. My grandson joined our cosmic journey on January 25. Several weeks ago, my son and his wife presented baby James to family and friends for a spiritual baptism. Below is the prayer I offered as part of the welcome celebration.

How much is a homeless teenager worth?

How do you talk with a legislator about the impact of budget cuts? A group of homeless youth who are part of an organization known as the Hello Youth Group made a YouTube video and then went to...

The investors in Mayor Emanuel's proposed Infrastructure Trust will expect a significant return on their investments. The city realizes that in order to provide this return, it will have to charge user fees and not just rely on savings from the infrastructure improvements. This may result in increased fees for...

Welcome to life, James.

I became the proud grandfather of James, 9 lb. 2 oz. last Thursday (Jan. 25). My grandson is the first son born to my son David, and his wife, Gina. I popped a bottle of Champagne to share with co-workers at lunch. (That's the first time...

"I know you won't let me die in the street," a former prostitute told Judge Rosemary Higgins as she left the courtroom. On January 19th a seemingly unlikely group of lawyers, judges, former prostitutes and community supporters gathered together to present awards to Judge Paul Biebel, presiding judge,...

I admire the Occupy movement but because I've worked with homeless people for 16 years, I need to clarify something: Homeless people were the original "Occupiers."

In the early 1980's, as more and more youth, women and men were becoming homeless in Chicago and across the U.S., people now...

The Occupy Movement rightly attacks the disparity between the top 1 percent and the other 99 percent. The rich are getting richer. The middle class treads water. And the poor, working or not, are drowning.

When I hear about the government balancing the budget on the backs...