Good morning. It's cold but not as frigid as yesterday. Here’s what else you need to know.
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(Courtesy of Keeping Moments Photography / Forest Preserve District of Kane County)
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After six were released at Burlington Prairie in the northwest corner of Kane County last month, bison are officially back in Illinois prairies after a 200-year absence. It marked the culmination of a three-year odyssey for the Forest Preserve District of Kane County to reintroduce the species to its old home.
For Jessica Pamonicutt, an enrolled member of Wisconsin’s Menominee tribe and president of Chicago’s American Indian Center, which now owns the herd (though they prefer “steward” to “own”), the occasion held even greater gravity.
“It’s not just to restore them to the prairie. It’s to restore them to our lives,” she said. “It’s part of reclaiming our histories and reclaiming our culture. They were taken from us. … And for us, it’s coming full circle. We’re bringing them back, we’re bringing back that piece of ourselves.”
Some backstory:
Bison are North America’s largest mammal and they once numbered anywhere from 30 million to 60 million by some estimates. For Native tribes like the Lakota, Blackfoot, Pawnee and Shoshone, among others, bison were integral to their culture and survival.
By the late 1800s, bison were nearly extinct. In some places, as White settlers pushed further and further west. Millions of bison were also systematically slaughtered for the express purpose of forcing members of Native tribes onto reservations.
Today, there are an estimated 25,000 bison in conservation herds across the U.S. and Canada.
In prairie ecosystems, bison are considered what’s called a “keystone species,” meaning they have a disproportionately large impact on the system, creating conditions that allow other organisms to thrive. Any restoration of a prairie is incomplete without that keystone, because bison evolved with prairie, and prairie evolved with bison. The animal created a niche that no other species can fill, not even cattle.
It took some time for Kane County to pull all the pieces together, but eventually land was identified; fencing, electricity and water were budgeted for; and talks were in the works with bison farmers.
For now, the bison — two adults and four calves — are acclimating to their new digs, out of sight of the general public, with Burlington Prairie closed, as is typical, for the winter.
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Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino walks alongside his agents after they detain an individual near West 27th Street and South Ridgeway Avenue in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Anthony Vazquez / Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
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A 12-person jury has been selected in the trial of Juan Espinoza Martinez, the Chicago man accused in an alleged murder-for-hire plot that targeted Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino amid the Trump administration’s expanded immigration enforcement efforts across Chicago.
The jury was selected Tuesday afternoon as the case got underway inside a 17th-floor courtroom inside the Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago. Opening statements are slated to begin Wednesday morning.
Federal prosecutors have alleged Espinoza Martinez, 37, posted a Snapchat message offering $10,000 for someone to kill Bovino — the controversial head of Customs and Border Patrol who has overseen several aggressive raids in and around Chicago in recent months.
What happened today?
The jury was whittled down from an initial pool of more than 40 people over the course of the morning and early afternoon Tuesday.
While some questioning was done in open court, most prospective jurors were interviewed in private, preventing any questions and answers from being heard by anyone else in the courtroom. Bovino’s name was largely absent from the public portion of that process.
One potential juror who was excused said he’d had a group of friends who’d been tear gassed. Federal agents, including Bovino himself, repeatedly utilized tear gas in raids across Chicago late last year.
That questioning was done in private, but attorneys discussed his answers in open court.
The case has been fast-tracked through federal court after Espinoza Martinez demanded a speedy trial. Bovino is not expected to testify. The trial is expected to feature testimony from only a small handful of witnesses and conclude before the end of the week.
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An ADA-accessible drinking fountain, with a bottle filler, is among the types of projects the Chicago Park District is expecting to fund through a pilot participatory budgeting program. (Courtesy of Chicago Park District)
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Chicagoans will have a say in how the city's Park District spends a chunk of money on park improvements in 2026, district officials announced.
The district has set aside $500,000 for a participatory budget program in which residents will have an opportunity to submit ideas and vote on the category of projects they want prioritized.
Under this pilot program, nine projects will be selected — three in each of the district's regions (north, central and south).
In announcing the pilot, Chicago Park District General Superintendent and CEO, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, said participatory budgeting “deepens community involvement, increases transparency in public spending, and strengthens resident trust in park planning and resource allocation.”
How it will work:
People can submit park improvement ideas via an online portal through March 31. Look for submission forms at in-person park events as well.
Realistic projects that could be funded through this process include fieldhouse security cameras, a nature play space, and ADA-accessible drinking fountains, benches and bleachers.
The participatory budgeting program is not the place to request a new fieldhouse or some other big-ticket capital project like athletic field lighting, the district said.
Park District staff will review submissions and group feasible projects into categories. These categories will be presented to Chicagoans for a vote. The winning category (or categories) will be prioritized for funding.
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More From WTTW News:
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As coffee behemoth Starbucks closes hundreds of stores, a different type of coffee shop is rapidly expanding: Middle Eastern-style cafes. Along one mile-long stretch of Kedzie Avenue in Albany Park and North Park, near a Starbucks that closed in September, four separate Middle Eastern coffee shops have
opened in the past year, offering light-roasted coffees brewed with spices, desserts featuring nuts and honey, strong teas, and, of course, colorful, social media-ready lattes and refreshers.
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Back in the Day: Jan. 21, 2007 - Bears Win NFC Championship, Clinch Super Bowl Appearance
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Yes, the Chicago Bears fell in the NFL playoffs on Sunday, losing 20-17 to the Los Angeles Rams in a thrilling match that ended up in overtime. We’re still stinging from the defeat, so why not look at postseason victories in franchise history? On this day 19 years ago, the Chicago Bears knocked out the New Orleans Saints 39-14 at a snowy Soldier Field, securing the NFC Championship and lifting the George Halas Trophy for the first time since 1986. The victory secured Chicago’s place in the Super Bowl, where they would face the Indianapolis Colts. Armed with the NFL’s No. 3 defense that included Brian Urlacher, Charles Tillman and Adewale Ogunleye, held the Saints’ No. 1
defense to just 14 points, despite featuring QB Drew Brees, RB Reggie Bush and coach Sean Payton, a former Bears QB.
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Chicago-Area Live Music Recommendations for Jan. 21-27
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Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.
Wednesday, Jan. 21:
Chris Corsano/Steve Marquette/Macie Stewart Trio, Secret Duo at Color Club. Tickets.
Finom’s Macie Stewart continues her January residency on Wednesday in Old Irving Park, promising a duo set with a “secret” co-headliner. Who could it be? Whoever it is, Stewart’s a must-see act every time.
Thursday, Jan. 22:
Moontype, Sleeper’s Bell at Gman Tavern. Tickets.
Two excellent indie rock bands from Chicago. Part of Tomorrow Never Knows Fest.
Friday, Jan. 23:
Shawnee Dez, Lilla Sol at Sleeping Village. Tickets.
This Chicago R&B crooner was featured on “Chicago Tonight” in 2023. Part of TNK Fest.
Saturday, Jan. 24:
Tobacco City, Good Flying Birds, Mass Text, This House Is Creaking, more at Empty Bottle. Tickets.
The Empty Bottle’s annual benefit show for reproductive health and abortion access features a stacked roster of musical talent.
Cassandra Jenkins, Sima Cunningham, Eli Winter at Lincoln Hall. Tickets.
Two locals kick things off for the excellent headlining act. Part of TNK Fest.
Sunday, Jan. 25:
Shame, GHOSTWOMAN at Thalia Hall. Tickets.
England’s best young post-punk band returns to the Pilsen venue.
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What’s the most overrated Chicago food specialty?
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
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5:30 PM | 10:00 PM
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Want more WTTW News content? Follow WTTW on Instagram to check in with us daily, go behind-the-scenes, and more.
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
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