John Kass

John Kass is a Chicago Tribune columnist.

The son of a Greek immigrant grocer, Kass was born June 25, 1956, on the South Side of Chicago and grew up there and in suburban Oak Lawn, IL. He held many jobs - retailer, ditch digger, waiter - before becoming a student of film at Columbia College in Chicago. There, he worked in the student newspaper and gained the attention of Daryle Feldmeir, president of the media department and previous editor of the Chicago Daily News. Feldmeir and media professor Les Brownlee helped Kass to obtain an internship at the Daily Calumet in 1980, where Kass worked as a reporter until he left for the Tribune.

Kass lives in the southern suburbs of Chicago with his wife and twin children.

Kass also writes about lighter topics, particularly beer can chicken.

Kass's column appears on page 2 of the Tribune's news section.

Kass hosted, first with Jake Hartford and later Lauren Cohn, a talk radio program on WLS-AM radio weekdays from 9:00-11:00 a.m. Topics range from current events, local and national politics, as well as social commentary. His last show was February 26, 2015.