An absolute must read to kick off your 2026:

“Icing up terribly, can you help me sir?” That was the pilot’s final transmission before a plane crashed into a Chicago home in 1963. On the anniversary, this is the story of loss, survival and tragedy I first learned about at my summer block party.

Happy New Year — wishing you and yours the best in 2026!

Flu activity in suburban Cook County jumped from “low” to “high” during the week ending in Dec. 20, according to the county’s public health department. https://to.wttw.com/45q6IH5

The nonprofit owner of the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ paid its outgoing CEO more than $900,000 in 2024, new tax filings show, as it engaged in staff cuts and other measures to deal with declining revenue.

Isiah Whitlock Jr., a character actor best known for his scene-stealing role as a smooth-talking, corrupt politician in the widely acclaimed HBO show “The Wire,” died on Tuesday. He was 71.

A new law will require employers to disclose use of AI in employment decisions. Capitol News Illinois reporters Brenden Moore and Ben Szalinski joined "Chicago Tonight" to break down what this law and others will mean for Illinois in the new year. https://to.wttw.com/3N2173k

Chicago is set to close out 2025 with a dramatic drop in homicides, even amid a repeated push by the Trump administration to deploy military troops into the city to address what they’ve called a “crime epidemic.” https://to.wttw.com/45noL0x

A steep drop in homicides in the 12 South and West side neighborhoods that had ShotSpotter sensors lasted a full year after Mayor Brandon Johnson scrapped the city’s controversial gunshot detection system, an updated analysis of Chicago crime data shows.

In keeping with tradition, Chicago-area public transit agencies will be offering free rides on New Year’s Eve. Here's what you need to know: https://to.wttw.com/3Ya8mIY

NEW: beginning january 1, chicago will ban unhoused people on the sex offense registry from seeking shelter on public transit. it’s the latest in a concerted effort by mayor johnson’s admin to criminalize homelessness on cta trains + buses and in public parks during the coldest months of the year.

Chicago is once again hosting collection sites for real trees at 27 locations around the city (see the map in the link). Drop off trees in the designated corral at any participating site, Jan. 3-17. 🎄 news.wttw.com/2025/12/26/c...

Illinois’ statewide 1% grocery tax will go away on Jan. 1, though many people will continue to pay it at the local level. Here are some other laws that will take effect in the new year.

Chicago budget | Hear it straight from the source: Mayor Brandon Johnson on “Chicago Tonight” news.wttw.com/2025/12/23/m...

NEW TONIGHT: Mayor Brandon Johnson is scheduled to appear on “Chicago Tonight” Tuesday to discuss the city’s budget after City Council members approved a version that he fiercely opposed. The show airs at 5:30 p.m., 10 p.m. and streams on-demand online. https://to.wttw.com/3Lhpaeb

NEW: Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Tuesday designed to prevent the Chicago Police Department from spending unlimited sums of taxpayer money on overtime after the Chicago City Council declined to approve his crackdown. @wttw.bsky.social

Illinois U.S. Reps. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Delia Ramirez, Jonathan Jackson and Danny Davis toured the controversial west suburban facility, months after being denied access. news.wttw.com/2025/12/22/a...

BREAKING: The officer is the 1st to be fired for failing a test for marijuana since Illinois legalized the drug — and the 1st to be fired by the Chicago Police Board in nearly a year and a half amid a protracted legal battle that has frozen the city’s police disciplinary system. @wttw.bsky.social

It’s a little-known fact, but the Field Museum’s largest exhibit isn’t its grand dinosaur hall. It’s the Rice Native Garden: 100,000 square feet of plantings that wrap around the museum’s exterior. https://to.wttw.com/48KFuNy

Cases of Black students being called the N-word, taunted by classmates saying "white power" are being ignored by the Trump administration. @megomatz.bsky.social, @jodiscohen.bsky.social and I found the Ed Dept has not acted on any racial harassment cases since Jan. 21 to hold districts accountable.

In case you’re in the market for some Epstein files … www.justice.gov/queue/view?c...

NEW: A Texas district in which Black students were allegedly taunted with monkey noises. An Arizona school where students admitted saying “slavery is good.” These are some of the incidents Trump’s Education Department has ignored:

Better grades, big stakes: DOE report card scores for Argonne and Fermilab determine millions in fees and future contracts. See how Chicago’s national labs performed this year…

Federal transit authorities have rejected the CTA’s revised safety plan, calling it “materially deficient” as the Trump administration reiterated its threat to withhold potentially millions in federal funding after reports of “high crime rates” on Chicago’s bus and train lines.

Gov. JB Pritzker’s office blasted the Chicago Bears announcement that they are considering moving to Northwest Indiana, since state officials have declined to subsidize their plans to build a new stadium and entertainment district in Arlington Heights. news.wttw.com/2025/12/18/c...

In May, the Trump administration terminated the federal Digital Equity Capacity Grant, which had provided Illinois $23.7 million to give residents access to internet and digital education.

The Illinois Accountability Commission held its first public hearing in the Little Village neighborhood, where federal agents have repeatedly targeted residents in the predominantly Hispanic neighborhood. news.wttw.com/2025/12/18/o...

Since Trump returned to office, the Education Department’s civil rights office has not resolved a single racial harassment investigation. It sends a message that “people impacted by racial discrimination ... don’t matter,” one attorney said. www.propublica.org/article/trum...

“Suggesting the Bears would move to Indiana is a startling slap in the face to all the beloved and loyal fans who have been rallying around the team during this strong season."

As federal immigration enforcement operations ramp back up around Chicago, a new commission met publicly for the first time to begin documenting a record of any and all abuses committed by federal agents.

FULL STORY: Mayor Brandon Johnson stopped short Thursday morning of vowing to veto a plan to bridge Chicago’s $1.2 billion budget gap without hiking taxes on large firms but called the proposal “morally bankrupt.” @wttw.bsky.social

Got a good snow pun? Enter it in Chicago’s fourth annual “name a snowplow” contest. Extra points if you can combine it with a reference to a homegrown celebrity or a bit of Chicago trivia. Think Mrs. O’Leary’s Plow, Salter Payton or Snower Wacker — all past winners.

While there’s nothing wrong with taking a load off and getting some needed rest, Chicago’s rich arts communities aren’t stopping just because Santa Claus is coming to town. If you feel like venturing out and exploring, here are five suggested events.

Classes help seniors learn how to use technology — from identifying online scams to using Google Maps to navigate public transportation. Funding grants were eliminated by the Trump Administration in May.

Medical Aid in Dying: Supporters of the measure say it gives those who are already dying a peaceful way to go. Despite the restrictions, opponents have said allowing such an option would worsen health care disparities.

Trump Ag Policies: Joining “Chicago Tonight” is Jerry Costello II, director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture

FULL STORY: A plan to bridge Chicago’s $1.2B budget gap without hiking taxes on large firms — now headed to a final vote of the City Council with the endorsement of two key city panels — would leave the city with a deficit of more than $163M, according to Mayor Johnson. @wttw.bsky.social

Budget Director Annette Guzman, Chief Financial Officer Jill Jaworski and Comptroller Michael Belsky told the Chicago City Council’s Budget Committee that only a fraction of those proposals were realistic, legal or even possible.

In a letter addressed to Chicago Bears fans, Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren wrote that the search for a new stadium site will now include “opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana.” news.wttw.com/2025/12/17/t...

He lasted about six months longer than I did as a dishwasher at Chi Chi's.

NEW: As the meeting of the Budget Committee gets underway, the mayor's office releases a new analysis of the spending plan proposal that was advanced yesterday by the Finance Committee, finding that it would create a deficit of $157 million @wttw.bsky.social

“Parents deserve clear, trustworthy, and science-based information when making decisions about their child’s health...our recommendation for universal birth vaccination ensures every newborn in Illinois receives the strongest protection against this potentially deadly infection.”

Chicago residents and tourists will be able to take part in the New Year’s Eve national television special “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” which will feature a live broadcast from downtown Chicago, in addition to being able to view firework displays, the city announced.

NEW: Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, who is running for Congress, confronted Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino today:

Four centrist Republicans broke with Speaker Mike Johnson on and signed onto a Democratic-led petition that will force a House vote on extending for three years an enhanced pandemic-era subsidy that lowers health insurance costs for millions of Americans.

A federal jury determined Chicago police officers did not violate the civil rights of the Chicago man they shot during a February 2020 incident in the Grand Red Line CTA station, records show. @wttw.bsky.social

Live Music Recommendations: Dehd, Old 97s/Rhett Miller, The Waco Brothers and more (via @joshterry.bsky.social)

Where the budget debate stands: *Mayor Johnson holds a news conference at 1 p.m. *The Budget Committee meets at 2 p.m. *The City Council is scheduled to meet Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Tuesday & Christmas Eve **Days until the deadline for a budget to be passed: 13** @wttw.bsky.social