How to Find News Sections and Specific Stories on the Chicago Sun-Times Site

Updated

The Chicago Sun-Times homepage is organized so you can either scan the latest stories or jump straight to a topic. Top stories appear as headline blocks with a section label, a short summary, and a byline, and each block links to the full article. If you already know what you want — a team, a beat, or a specific story — the fastest route is to use the section label or the site's navigation rather than scrolling the whole front page.

What the homepage actually shows you

Each story block on the front page follows a consistent pattern:

  • Section label — for example City Hall, Music, Housing, Art, Bears, Cubs, Blackhawks, Theater and Stages, or Dear Abby.
  • Headline and summary — a short description of what the story covers.
  • Byline — the reporter's name, such as Fran Spielman, Erica Thompson, Lee Bey, or Patrick Finley.
  • A "read" link — the entry point to the full article.

A "The Latest News" area collects newer items, and a "More stories" block sits below the main features. Commentary and opinion pieces are grouped separately from straight news, so you can tell analysis from reporting before you click.

Finding a specific section or beat

Use the section label as your filter. If you want sports, look for the team names — Bears, Cubs, Blackhawks — rather than a generic "Sports" heading. If you want local government, City Hall is the label to watch. Arts and culture split into Music, Art, Housing, and Theater and Stages.

A practical example: to follow the parking meters story, look for the City Hall label on the homepage, open that story, then use the section to find related coverage. To follow a team, start from the Bears, Cubs, or Blackhawks label and work from there.

What you get when you open a story

Individual articles carry the reporter's byline and the full text behind the "read" link. Some entries are clearly labeled as Commentary, which signals opinion and analysis rather than news reporting. This matters if you are trying to separate reported facts from a columnist's argument.

Links that are not free articles

Not every link on the site leads to a story you can read immediately. The site shows subscription signals, and some destinations are service pages rather than news:

Link What it leads to
Post Job Opening A job posting purchase page
Photo Archives A page for buying Sun-Times photos and historic articles

If a link takes you to a subscribe or purchase page instead of an article, that is expected — it is a transaction page, not a news story. Treat subscription and archive access as separate from reading the front page.

A quick way to decide where to start

  • Just browsing? Scan the homepage blocks and the "The Latest News" list.
  • Following one topic? Go straight to its section label.
  • Looking for opinion? Check the Commentary group.
  • Want a specific reporter's work? Use the byline to identify their stories, then open the "read" link.
  • Hitting a paywall or purchase page? That link is a subscription or archive service, not a free article.