Good morning, Chicago.
Mayor Brandon Johnson and aldermen got their 2025 city budget passed just under the wire — and just in time for Chicagoans to start paying more as the calendar flips to 2025 for the host of tax, fine and fee increases the city’s political leaders picked to balance the books.
The chaotic budget battle had its hard lines. Johnson refused to lower spending via broad layoffs and service cuts, and aldermen refused his property tax hike proposals.
So the city’s new spending plan finally came together in large part thanks to a series of smaller — and, theoretically, less politically toxic — hikes expected to bring in nearly $200 million next year. That bill is widespread, targeting everything from Netflix subscriptions and corporate cloud computing to drivers caught speeding by cameras and pedicab licenses.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Jake Sheridan.
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Jimmy Carter is being mourned in his tiny hometown and around the world
Johnny Jones found out about Jimmy Carter’s death within a matter of minutes. That’s how it works in a small town, even for a former U.S. president and Nobel Peace Prize winner known throughout the world.
“Somebody texted my wife and told her about it — that’s when I found out,” Jones said Monday, a day after the 39th president died at the age of 100, surrounded by family in the one-story house he and his late wife, Rosalynn, built before he launched his first political campaign more than 60 years ago.
Ald. Jim Gardiner settles First Amendment lawsuit over blocking detractors on official social media accounts
Far Northwest Side Ald. Jim Gardiner, 45th, has agreed to pay more than $157,000 to settle a federal lawsuit filed by six Northwest Side residents who accused the alderman of violating their First Amendment rights when he blocked them and deleted their comments on his official government social media account.
Police get warrant for suspect in Park Forest double homicide
Park Forest police obtained a warrant yesterday for a suspect in a double homicide last week that left two women dead in a home on the 300 block of Miami Street.
Times Square ball takes final test for New Year’s Eve
The crystal-covered ball that descends down a pole in Times Square to ring in the new year was taken for a test run Monday, as New York City officials laid out their plans for the iconic New Year’s Eve event.
Officials flipped a switch to light up the dazzling geodesic sphere — weighing almost 6 tons and featuring 2,688 crystal triangles — which then successfully ran up and down a 139-foot pole atop the One Times Square skyscraper.
Snow flurries and chilly temps for New Year’s Eve — and the NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field
The National Hockey League’s dreams of a white NHL Winter Classic may come true on New Year’s Eve.
According to the National Weather Service, the city will likely see snow flurries Tuesday evening, however, a significant accumulation of snow is not anticipated. Temperatures are expected to be in the lower 30s beginning New Year’s Eve as it begins to cool down.
NHL Winter Classic: Everything you need to know, from how they build the rink at Wrigley Field to the TV schedule
Perhaps a visit to the Friendly Confines on New Year’s Eve — the nickname for Wrigley Field — is just what the Hawks need right now.
After the aforementioned four straight losses, regular hockey venues (including three on the road) have proven to be hostile work environments.
Commercial real estate executive is buyer of Michael Jordan’s mansion
A commercial real estate executive with a Lincolnwood-based firm has been revealed as the buyer who paid $9.5 million on Dec. 10 for retired Bulls superstar Michael Jordan’s massive mansion on 8.4 acres in Highland Park.
Yes, Caleb Williams will play against the Green Bay Packers — 3 things we learned from the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears interim coach Thomas Brown and his players returned to Halas Hall on Monday from a weekend off to prepare for Sunday’s season finale against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
As the Bears get ready for one more chance to break their now-10-game losing streak before the end of the season, here are three things we learned.
One paddle at a time, volunteer guides forge bonds to Chicago River’s rich history and ecology
Friends of the Chicago River originated from a canoe trip when the organization’s founder Robert Cassidy paddled the river in 1979 for a Chicago magazine article. “That was our founding story,” Frisbie said.
For almost three decades, canoe guides have volunteered with the nonprofit to take locals and tourists exploring up and down the river. Now 35 to 40 people volunteer annually, including veterans like Fournier and younger apprentices like his nephew.
New Chicago-based initiative makes ‘Room at the Table’ for breastfeeding moms at restaurants
Many new moms and moms with a younger baby hold back from resuming their social lives after giving birth, especially in a world that struggles to accommodate them. Eating out, for instance, can be that much-needed semblance of normal during an isolating postpartum period, but sitting down for a meal around strangers with a hungry baby who needs to be breastfed or settled in for a bottle can make the whole experience stressful and bogged down by social stigmas.
To help alleviate these feelings of isolation and discomfort, Chicago-based Lactation Network, an organization that offers breastfeeding and lactation support to new parents, recently launched a new initiative aptly named Room at the Table.
