Good morning, Chicago.
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration passed on applying for state funding for a city-owned grocery store, raising questions about the future of the bold proposal the mayor floated more than a year ago.
Johnson first raised the idea of a publicly owned grocery store in September 2023. He framed the idea as a way to improve food access on the city’s South and West sides, where supermarket closures have left many residents with limited access to fresh groceries in their neighborhoods.
Activists who see groceries as a public good akin to a city water department or post office have long supported the concept. Still, the grocery business is notoriously tough, and critics have expressed skepticism that the city, lacking in-house grocery expertise, could pull off the project.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Talia Soglin.
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Judge denies Trump’s bid to halt Friday’s hush money case sentencing while they appeal to block it
President-elect Donald Trump was thwarted in his bid to indefinitely postpone this week’s sentencing in his hush money case while he appeals a ruling that upheld the verdict and put him on course to be the first president to take office convicted of crimes.
A train repositions itself just south of the CTA Red Line terminus at 95th Street on March 10, 2023.
CTA to lock in federal funding for Red Line extension before Trump takes office
The CTA is set to formally lock in needed federal money for the extension of the Red Line before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, paving the way for the long-planned addition through Chicago’s Far South Side to move forward.
A large, nearly $2 billion federal grant, key to moving the $5.3 billion project forward, had been promised to the CTA but the formal agreement not yet signed. That put the transit agency under pressure to finalize the agreement before the change in administration and a Republican-controlled Congress could potentially throw the commitment into jeopardy.
United Airlines accelerates plans to equip fleet with Musk’s Starlink for Wi-Fi
The airline expects to begin testing Starlink in February with the first commercial flight anticipated in the spring on a United Embraer E-175 aircraft, used for regional flights. United plans to outfit its entire two-cabin regional fleet, about 200 planes, with the service by the end of 2025.
And United anticipates seeing its first Starlink-connected mainline aircraft take off before the end of the year.
Stacy Davis Gates defends CTU’s contract demands, asks to shifts pension payment debate to City Hall
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates adamantly defended the union’s teachers’ contract proposals in a press conference Monday, despite facing significant financial headwinds due to the unaccounted-for costs of a controversial pension payment that covers non-teaching Chicago Public Schools staff.
Crossroads of care: Special education assistants and teacher aides at odds amid CPS cuts
After hundreds of teacher assistants were laid off at the beginning of last year, CTU ramped up proposals in its ongoing contract talks to consider hiring them to support students with disabilities.
Special education classroom assistants — a different type of CPS aide represented by a different union — expressed concerns about what hiring teacher assistants for their role would do to the quality of care provided to students with complex needs.
McDonald’s is the latest company to roll back diversity goals
Chicago-based McDonald’s is ending some of its diversity practices, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision outlawing affirmative action in college admissions.
McDonald’s is the latest to shift its tactics in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling and the conservative backlash that followed. Walmart, John Deere, Harley-Davidson and others have also rolled back diversity programs.
Nippon Steel stands firm on a US Steel takeover and denies risks cited by Biden
Nippon Steel was standing firm on its proposed $15 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel, Chief Executive Eiji Hashimoto said after President Joe Biden’s blocked the top Japanese steelmaker’s move.
“There is no reason or need to give up,” he told reporters at company headquarters in Tokyo. “We are convinced it’s clearly beneficial for both nations.”
Column: The Chicago Bears need some big men to fix the big issues on the offensive line
The makeup of the Chicago Bears will be considerably different in 2025, writes Brad Biggs. General manager Ryan Poles will probably touch on a few goals when he speaks to the media, perhaps as soon as today, but until a new coaching staff is in place, which could be a month or more away, they won’t be able to address personnel goals.
- Thomas Brown can offer the Bears leadership honesty about what has gone wrong, and share his vision for Caleb Williams
- Bears coaching search: Who we know are candidates for the job
How Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vučević is blocking out the trade noise to sustain his career-best shooting season
Nikola Vučević is used to trade rumors.
In the Chicago Bulls center’s experience, they have a nagging habit of cropping up whenever he starts playing well. Maybe it’s a compliment. Maybe it’s a reminder not to get too comfortable in success. Either way, it doesn’t matter — to Vučević, rumors are meant to be ignored.
Even in winter, bees creating a buzz at Brookfield Zoo
An estimated 40,000 bees have created quite a buzz at Brookfield Zoo Chicago.
The bees – rescued from one home in Naperville and another in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood – are now nestled in the Hamill Family Play Zoo.
Grant Park Music Festival announces summer 2025 lineup, the first under new music director Giancarlo Guerrero
The Grant Park Music Festival announced its 2025 season — one that already carries the stamp of Giancarlo Guerrero, its new music director. This summer, the free music festival runs June 11 to Aug. 16, with the usual Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evening programs.
