Good morning, Chicago. 

There is a truce in the Iran war, and negotiations for permanent peace are underway, but Operation Epic Fury, as it is known, left 13 Americans dead and more than 380 wounded. Scott W. Patton, a combat veteran, points that out today in an op-ed and notes that the diplomacy happening now has real stakes. If the tenuous agreement collapses, U.S. service members' lives could again be at risk in the Middle East, he writes.

Legal scholar and regular contributor Pegah Banihashemi also writes today about the end of hostilities, but from the other side. Iran’s leaders are not united behind the memorandum of understanding signed by the presidents of both countries, and they continue to repress their citizens. Our readers are also focused on the end of the war in letters to the editor. 

The Tribune Editorial Board wants Chicago and Arlington Heights to enjoy themselves a little bit more, within reason. First, the board writes in support of a plan that would allow suburbanites to walk around an area of downtown Arlington Heights with alcoholic beverages. Second, the board writes that Chicago should stick to its agreement with Bally’s and not allow new video gambling terminals in gas stations, bars and elsewhere. 

“We’re not in the business of carrying water for a casino operator that has yet to prove itself in Chicago, but given the choice between a backroom machine in a corner bar or a gas station and a fancy place with restaurants, lounges and a hotel, we’re on the side of the latter,” the board writes. 

Also today a housing advocate reaffirms support for Evanston’s reparations program as it faces new attacks from the U.S. Department of Justice. 

Thanks for reading. 

— Grace Miserocchi, opinion editor

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