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It’s another Tuesday for Chicago but it's Election Day in several parts of the country. Wake up to a healthy serving of local news with these stories from WTTW News. |
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The Capitol is seen on Day 34 of the government shutdown, in Washington, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite) |
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The government shutdown is poised to become the longest ever this week as the impasse between Democrats and Republicans has dragged into a new month. Millions of people stand to lose food aid benefits, health care subsidies are set to expire, and there are few real talks between the parties over how to end it.
Illinois congressional Democrats are putting the uncertainty surrounding SNAP benefits at the feet of Trump and Republicans. WTTW News invited the state’s Republican U.S. representatives to join “Chicago Tonight”; they either declined to appear on the show or did not reply.
What Illinois lawmakers say:
U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, a Democrat whose district includes portions of the west and southwest suburbs, said standing law requires the Trump administration to fully fund SNAP.
“There’s an old Chris Rock joke about people wanting credit for what they’re supposed to do, and in this case the Trump administration has done half of what they’re supposed to do,” Casten said. “I’m glad that some of the money is flowing through, but it’s still less than what’s legally required.”
Although partial funds for SNAP will be released, a senior official from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program, warned that the administrative hurdles could push those payments back for weeks — or even months.
“There’s gonna be some delay that’s leading to a ton of uncertainty going into the holiday season,” Casten said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday that Trump is “desperate” to get SNAP benefits to those in need and blamed Democrats for holding up the funds.
U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, who represents parts of Chicago’s West Side, rejected Johnson’s claims.
“It’s hard to hear Speaker Johnson when you know he’s full of lies,” Ramirez said. “The president, if he wanted to fully fund SNAP today, he could. He always finds a way to get what he wants done. Whether it’s a ballroom or giving ICE agents … billions of dollars. He could make sure that kids are eating today, and that’s a choice that they’re making.”
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Activists protest plans for a metal scrapper on Chicago's Southeast Side at City Hall on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. (Heather Cherone/WTTW News) |
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A measure designed to reduce the burden air, water and soil pollution imposes on South and West side neighborhoods remains stalled, six months after Mayor Brandon Johnson introduced the proposed ordinance and more than two years after the mayor promised to act.
Even though the city’s annual departmental budget hearings were put on hold Monday to allow the Chicago City Council’s Zoning Committee to consider the measure named for Hazel Johnson, known as the mother of the environmental justice movement for her work in Altgeld Gardens, Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th Ward) announced he would not call a vote on the measure, long mired in legislative limbo.
That is typically an indication that a proposed ordinance does not have enough votes to advance to the full City Council.
Instead, alderpeople peppered city officials with questions about the measure, which is opposed not only by business groups, including the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, but also labor organizations, including the Chicago Federation of Labor, because of concerns that the measure would snarl new and expanding businesses in red tape, preventing them from creating new jobs.
Olga Bautista, the executive director of the Southeast Environmental Task Force, told alderpeople that was a “false choice that does a disservice to families like mine.”
“We don’t have to choose between good jobs and clean air,” Bautista said.
Some backstory:
The proposed ordinance would require industries that want to set up shop or expand in Chicago to submit a study that examines the amount of existing air, water and soil pollution in a community — not just what the proposed project is expected to add if it is approved. |
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Sponsor Message |
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This 66-foot Norway spruce will stand tall in Millennium Park as Chicago’s official 2025 Christmas tree. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) |
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When it comes to choosing Chicago’s official Christmas tree, the stakes are high.
“This tradition has gone on for 112 years, so no pressure to find a great tree, right?” joked Neal Heitz, director of event production for the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
The top criteria are: A. Is it tall? and B. Is it beautiful?
This year, Heitz is confident the team picked a beaut that checks all the right boxes: a 6-ton, 66-foot Norway spruce donated by the Mason family from suburban Glenview.
“As soon as we saw this tree, we knew,” said Heitz. “This tree is slightly larger than most applicant trees that we have gotten in the last few years, so this was a real gem to be found here in Glenview.”
On Monday morning, BrightView Landscape pulled up to the Mason house, situated on a leafy cul-de-sac, with a crane and flat-bed tractor-trailer. A four-man crew had already prepped the tree for removal last week, tying up all the branches to make it easier to transport.
Juan Carlos Alvarado, a BrightView veteran, stood at the ready with his chainsaw. When the signal was given, he expertly sliced the tree from its base as a small group of neighbors joined the Masons to say good-bye.
“It’s emotional,” Ryan Mason said. “I think once it finally leaves, it’s going to definitely feel a lot emptier.” |
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Back in the Day: Nov. 4, 2005 - First Ever Riot Fest Kicks Off |
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Before Riot Fest was a massive, three-day music festival that brought in 50,000 people a day to see nearly 100 bands at Douglass Park, it was a small two-day event at the Congress Theater. On this day 20 years ago, the first-ever Riot Fest officially kicked off in Logan Square. The first edition featured headline acts in punk bands like The Dead Kennedys, The Misfits, and a reunited Germs, alongside favorites like the Lawrence Arms, the Effigies, the Bouncing Souls, Agent Orange, and more. Single-day tickets cost $30. Eventually, Riot Fest expanded to a multi-venue, multi-day festival with shows across the city at House of Blues, Double Door, Metro, Cobra Lounge and more. By 2012, it held events and festivals in cities like Dallas, Denver, Toronto and Brooklyn. Since that year, it’s moved from the Congress Theatre to Humboldt to Douglass Park, which has been the festival’s home since 2015. |
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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 reporter Eunice Alpasan on how to celebrate spooky season year round.
Eunice Alpasan: Even though Halloween has already come and gone, I subscribe to the mentality that every season is spooky season. Perhaps, like me, at a way-too-young age, you’ve also experienced the earth-shattering ending of “Silent Hill” (2006) or stumbled across the music video for Slipknot’s “Psychosocial” and gained a deep appreciation for – or are even oddly comforted by – the off-putting. Thankfully, in Chicago, you don’t have to look too hard to find establishments and events that cater to the fellow freaks:
Get Cozy at a Horror-Themed Coffee Shop: The Brewed, in Avondale, is a must-visit coffee shop if you’re a fan of horror. In addition to their drinks and pastries, they have a photobooth, Blu-rays for sale, monthly horror movie trivia and film screenings. Check out their seasonal drink menu with offerings like “The Root of All Evil,” a spiced sweet potato latte, available hot or iced.
Catch a Live Show at the Cemetery: The folks behind the music venue and bar Empty Bottle host the outdoor live music event series, “Beyond the Gate,” held at the Bohemian National Cemetery (right next to WTTW!) in North Park. I recently got to see the post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor perform at one of these events and the mood was so surreal and contemplative. The cemetery shows are announced sporadically.
Drink Alongside Creepy Dolls: I never really had a favorite bar until I went to Electric Funeral in Bridgeport. This cozy bar is decked out with horror-themed decor and spooky ambient lighting, and yet, still manages to feel like a super down-to-earth neighborhood dive bar. Incredible bartenders. Metal music over the speakers. Horror movies playing on the TVs. A solid selection of beers, cocktails and nonalcoholic options. I really can’t ask for more.
Lose Yourself in Physical Media Paradise: For fans of sci-fi, fantasy and horror books and movies, or punk and metal records, Bucket O' Blood in Avondale is the best to do it. I recently checked this place out and I wish I did so sooner. I picked up a blood-splattered hardcover edition of Robert Bloch’s “Psycho” and they even ordered in a copy of Tony Rettman’s “Straight Edge: A Clear-Headed Hardcore Punk History” for me! |
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What’s your favorite cocktail bar in the Chicago area? Tell us where and why. |
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. |
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
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