Good afternoon, Chicago.
Under one of the few significant mandates of the controversial 2021 SAFE-T Act that was backed by both advocates for police reform and law enforcement, every police officer in Illinois as of New Year’s Day is required to wear a body camera while on duty.
Police departments are required to report their use of bodycams, but whether all of the state’s roughly 1,000 law enforcement agencies were in compliance with the law, which gave smaller departments and state agencies more time to get equipped with the technology, remained unclear at the Jan. 1 deadline.
Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
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Man with knife fatally wounded by police overnight in Little Village
A man who advanced toward officers holding a knife was fatally wounded overnight at an apartment building in the Little Village neighborhood, Chicago police said. Read more here.
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President Joe Biden rejects Nippon Steel’s proposed deal to acquire US Steel
Biden has rejected the nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel — affirming his vow in March to block the acquisition. Read more here.
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What do Chicago Bears players want in the team’s next coach? ‘We need a culture shift.’ ‘A man of his word.’
Two days before the Chicago Bears experienced their 10th consecutive loss and Cole Kmet experienced his 55th defeat in five seasons, the veteran tight end considered a few bigger-picture questions. What now? And what next? Read more here.
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Members of the Lincoln-Way High School District 210 marching band prepare to step off Jan. 1, 2025, for the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. (Jenny Clark)
Lincoln-Way marching band makes 4th ‘fantastic’ appearance in Tournament of Roses Parade
The band brought 202 musicians and several parent volunteers, and the trip also included a performance and parade Sunday at Disneyland as well as taking part in Bandfest, one of the events connected to the parade. Read more here.
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- Wayne Osmond, singer and guitarist for The Osmonds, dies at 73
Will a devastating New Year’s Eve explosion change Hawaii’s fireworks culture?
Each New Year’s Day, Honolulu officials publish a list of fireworks casualties from the night before, typically a litany of burns, shrapnel wounds or amputations. Sometimes there are deaths. But none of the damage has matched Tuesday night’s tragedy. Read more here.
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