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Today’s Daily Chicagoan is brought to you, in part, by: |
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Still have more Christmas shopping to do? Good luck with that. Perhaps you can distract yourself for a bit by catching up with these news stories. |
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Four Illinois members of Congress left to right; Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., and Jesus Garcia, D-Ill., leave after a visit to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in Broadview, Ill. (AP Photo / Sophia Tareen) |
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A group of Illinois Congressional representatives on Monday were allowed inside Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s processing center in suburban Broadview, months after they were previously turned away.
Illinois U.S. Reps. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Delia Ramirez, Jonathan Jackson and Danny Davis toured the controversial west suburban facility as part of a routine congressional inspection, six months after they said they were denied access by ICE agents without authority.
“After all that obstruction, we are here to say we were right then and we are right now,” Garcia said at a press conference following the visit. “Congressional oversight is not optional, it’s the law.”
More context:
The Broadview facility has been at the heart of the Trump administration’s enhanced immigration enforcement operations across Chicago and Illinois known as “Operation Midway Blitz.”
Representatives have repeatedly been denied entry to Broadview and other ICE-operated sites throughout the Trump administration’s ongoing operation.
Former detainees testified in court last month that they were crammed into overstuffed holding rooms with dozens of others, had difficulty contacting their families or attorneys and weren’t able to shower or change their clothes sometimes for multiple days.
While the number of detainees has declined, ICE and Customs and Border Patrol have renewed their enforcement operations in and around Chicago in recent days, highlighted by the return last week of CBP chief Greg Bovino. |
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Sponsor Message |
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Power lines carry electricity over fields near Glasford. (Andrew Adams / Capitol News Illinois) |
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Illinois’ electric grids may soon face power shortages and further price increases as fossil fuel plants go offline and data centers fueling the rise of artificial intelligence demand ever-increasing amounts of power.
That’s the conclusion of a new report by three state agencies that foreshadows an upcoming state grid planning process and a potential legislative fight on how lawmakers will regulate power-hungry data centers, if at all, Capitol News Illinois reports.
The projected shortfalls would begin in the Commonwealth Edison service territory in northern Illinois by 2029 and downstate by 2031. They’d continue to worsen and make Illinois more reliant on energy imports without action by state policymakers or grid operators.
The warning from the Illinois Power Agency, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Commerce Commission came the same week that prices once again rose at a procurement event in the area that serves northern Illinois consumers.
Contrasting views:
Advocates behind recent renewable energy reforms and the governor who says he will sign them argue the report’s findings prove that a plan passed by lawmakers in October was essential to avoiding a potential crisis.
“The state set up a deliberate process to address findings from this resource adequacy study and ensure Illinois continues to lead the country in delivering a clean, reliable, affordable energy future for all,” Gov. JB Pritzker’s office said in a statement.
Critics, including the state’s manufacturers, say the report makes clear that Illinois’ decarbonization policies were overly ambitious.
“We didn’t need a 222-page report to tell us what we already know — Illinois is facing an energy crisis resulting from the forced closure of dispatchable baseload generation and growing demand,” Mark Denzler, president & CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, said in a statement. |
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(WTTW News) |
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The Chicago Police Board voted unanimously last week to fire a Chicago police officer who tested positive for marijuana, records show.
The move marks the first time a CPD officer was terminated for failing a test for marijuana since Illinois legalized the recreational use of the drug. The officer is also the first to be fired by the Police Board in nearly a year and a half amid a protracted legal battle that has frozen the city’s police disciplinary system. He could challenge his termination in Cook County Circuit Court.
The Police Board reaffirmed its policy of upholding CPD’s prohibition on officers’ use of marijuana, even the use of the drug is now permitted by Illinois law.
Up next:
The Illinois Supreme Court will decide in 2026 whether CPD officers accused of serious misconduct have the right to ask an arbitrator — and not the Police Board — to decide their fate and whether those proceedings must take place in public.
The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 says officers have a right to demand that an arbitrator decide behind closed doors whether they should be terminated or suspended for more than a year. |
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If you’ve always wanted a ‘BDASMOM’ license plate, we’ve got bad news for you. More than 550 personalized license plate requests were denied by the Illinois Secretary of State’s office this year after it deemed them inflammatory, profane, offensive or too difficult to read. Peruse (and laugh at) some of the notable rejections.
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Back in the Day: Dec. 23, 1964 - Pearl Jam Frontman Eddie Vedder Born in Chicago
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When someone brings up Pearl Jam, you might think of Seattle grunge, their excellent marathon live shows, flannel shirts or the fact that they’re WTTW News reporter Heather Cherone’s favorite band. Another fact to add to that list is that frontman Eddie Vedder was born at the city’s Edgewater Hospital on this date in 1964. He grew up in Evanston. Though his musical career has taken him to San Diego and Seattle, his heart has remained in the Chicago area. He’s a lifelong Cubs fan and got to sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” at Wrigley Field twice this season. His Grammy-winning and Rock Hall of Fame-inducted band last headlined the baseball stadium in 2024 for two sold-out shows. |
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This Week’s Staff Recommendations |
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Every Tuesday, WTTW News staffers highlight their favorite things about Chicago. Here’s WTTW News reporter Eunice Alpasan on her favorite places to get matcha.
Eunice Alpasan: As someone who gets too jittery from coffee, but still wants to have a fun drink at coffee shops, matcha is a great alternative for those looking for a lighter caffeine buzz. The Japanese green tea powder that’s traditionally whisked with hot water (and then added to milk for a matcha latte) has been having a moment. And while iced matcha lattes can be great, nothing beats the comfort of a hot matcha latte during the winter time.
Matcha Latte at Sawada Coffee: I went in skeptical of the Sawada hype, but their matcha lattes speak for themselves. So much so, that it has become the baseline for how I judge other matcha lattes. For the coffee-inclined, there’s a signature drink called the “military latte,” which combines matcha, vanilla, espresso, cocoa powder and milk. The coffee shop shares a space with a barbeque restaurant (it works, somehow) and there’s a wooden bleacher seating section that’s a great place for people watching. But I don’t do that, obviously. 112 N Green St., Chicago
Ube Matcha at Mano Modern Cafe: Ube is a purple yam native to the Philippines, and as someone who grew up eating ube, it’s interesting to see it becoming trendy. Naturally, I’m a big fan of the matcha latte with ube flavor offered at the Filipino café Mano Modern in West Town. Whether I get it hot or iced, the familiar and sweet flavor of the ube takes me back to eating the Filipino Magnolia brand of ube ice cream as a kid. This doesn’t matter as much, but the green matcha alongside the vibrant purple ube color also makes for a really pretty drink. 851 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago
Matcha Goma at Milli by Metric: For those feeling adventurous (and splurge-y), the Avondale coffee shop Milli by Metric has matcha goma on its winter menu, a matcha latte made with orange, maple, cardamom, cinnamon and black sesame. With hints of sweet and savory, the matcha is a good option for those who aren’t big on the grassiness of matcha but still open to its earth-y flavors. The coffee shop itself has an upscale and trendy feel, if you’re into that, a beautiful space that offers plenty of seating. 3110 N. Kedzie Ave., Chicago |
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What's your favorite thing about the holidays in Chicago? |
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. |
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