|
Today’s Daily Chicagoan is brought to you, in part, by: |
 |
|
|
|
|
Happy Friday, Chicago. Ease into the weekend with these stories from WTTW News. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino stands with federal immigration enforcement agents during a skirmish with protesters in Little Village neighborhood, Chicago Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (Anthony Vazquez / Chicago Sun-Times via AP) |
|
As federal immigration enforcement operations ramp back up around Chicago, a new commission met publicly for the first time Thursday to begin documenting a record of any and all abuses committed by federal agents.
The Illinois Accountability Commission held its first public hearing Thursday in the Little Village neighborhood, where federal agents have repeatedly targeted residents in the predominantly Hispanic neighborhood.
“This is only the beginning,” Rubén Castillo, the commission’s chair and former chief judge for the Northern District of Illinois, said Thursday. “We begin with a simple mission just to tell the truth as to what has occurred and to show what the repercussions have been.”
Some backstory:
Gov. JB Pritzker created the commission in October, tasking it with creating a “public record of abuses” committed by the president, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, border czar Tom Homan and Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino.
In doing so, the commission plans to gather video evidence and witness testimony as it works to issue a finalized report by April 2026.
Participation is voluntary as the group cannot compel anyone to testify. It instead serves as an advisory commission that intends to provide guidance and recommendations rather than making legal decisions.
“The images are shocking, impossible to look away from, but more importantly, it’s going to be impossible to forget. And we will not forget,” Castillo said. “This is a historical period that we are going through, but the one thing that we cannot do is to accept this. This cannot be the new normal.”
The hearing comes as Bovino and numerous federal agents returned to the Chicago area this week to resume aggressive immigration enforcement.
Pritzker has repeatedly asked Illinois residents to record the conduct of immigration agents with cameras and smartphones and post those videos on social media. The commission’s website will allow residents to share those videos with state officials to create a record.
Thursday’s three-hour hearing focused largely on federal agents’ use of “less lethal” chemical weapons such as tear gas and pepper balls. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sponsor Message |
|
A simple act of kindness, just one flicker of hope, can make all the difference. Catholic Charities of Chicago brings warmth, meals, and hope to families right here in Cook and Lake counties. Learn more at catholiccharities.net. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
(WTTW News) |
|
Mayor Brandon Johnson stopped short Thursday 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.”
The Chicago City Council took a procedural step Thursday toward adopting a nearly $16.6 billion spending plan for 2026, even though the city’s top finance officials warned it would leave the city with a deficit of more than $163 million.
Supporters of the rival budget plan have repeatedly insisted that it is balanced.
Even as a final, decisive vote by the City Council could come as soon as Saturday, Johnson pledged at a City Hall news conference to “keep working towards a reasonable, responsible compromise.”
While Johnson said he had “not completely made that decision” on whether to veto the spending plan that eliminates his proposal to levy a $33 per month per employee tax on companies with 500 or more employees, he called the plan to replace that revenue by stepping up debt-collection efforts a “deal breaker.”
The proposed spending plan counts on $176.6 million in new revenue to eliminate the so-called head tax and pay an additional $140 million into the city’s woefully underfunded pension funds. But those changes will actually result in an $8.3 million loss to the city, according to Budget Director Annette Guzman, Chief Financial Officer Jill Jaworski and Comptroller Michael Belsky.
“We may walk away with only 98% of what we want,” Johnson said. “And you know, if we can get to a point where it gives us room to fight for that last 2% in a form that I believe the people of Chicago want and deserve, then that’s a fight that’s worth staying a part of.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
(WTTW News) |
|
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.
Submissions are due at Chicagoshovels.org by Jan. 10, 2026. There’s a limit of one entry per person; length is capped at 50 characters.
Staff in the Department of Streets and Sanitation will narrow entries down to 25 finalists, which will be revealed Feb. 1. The public will then vote for their favorites and the top six will be the winners. Why six? That’s the number of city snow districts.
Here are some names chosen in previous years.
-
Mrs. O’Leary’s Plow
-
Da Plow
-
Salter Payton
-
Casimir Plowaski
-
Mies van der Snow
-
Bozo the Plown
-
Lollaplowlooza
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Back in the Day: Dec. 19, 2000 - Gospel Legend “Pops” Staples Dies in Chicago
|
|
Roebuck “Pops” Staples was an inventive, idiosyncratic guitarist and a galvanizing bandleader of the pioneering R&B and Gospel group the Staple Singers. He was the father of five children, four of whom — Cleotha, Pervis, Yvonne and Mavis — joined him in his band that was responsible for some of the ‘60s and ‘70s most enduring hits in “Respect Yourself, “I’ll Take You There,” “If You’re Ready (Come Go with Me)” and “Let’s Do It Again.” Staples lived in Chicago and suburban Dolton from 1936 until his death in 2000, on this day 25 years ago. He was 85, but his legacy as a musician lives on as an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in a 2018 Blues Hall of Fame Induction and through his daughter Mavis, who released the Grammy-nominated album “Sad And Beautiful World” this year.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
The 2025 Holiday Events Guide |
|
Each Friday, WTTW News highlights the city’s fairs, markets, neighborhood gatherings and holiday happenings.
Dec. 19-21: Dinner With Santa | Brookfield Zoo
It’s busy season for Santa Claus, but Saint Nick was kind enough to head down from the North Pole to Brookfield, IL, for its zoo’s “Dinner with Santa.” Bring the kids for some holiday cheer and a good meal with Kris Kringle himself.
Dec. 20-21: Renegade Craft Fair | Morgan Manufacturing
Stroll through the West Loop's Morgan Manufacturing this weekend to shop curated selections from over 170 artists.
Dec. 21: Another Vegan Holiday Market | Emporium Arcade Bar Logan Square
Are you vegan? Have a vegan relative? In the mood for homemade, artisan gifts from local vendors with items ranging from food to beauty products and fashion? Head to Emporium Logan Square for this market that runs from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Dec. 21: The Nut Tapper | Old Town School of Folk Music
When you see a show titled “The Nut Tapper,” you might imagine that it’s a concert that combines tap dancing with “The Nutcracker.” If that’s your first thought, you’re right on the money.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What's your favorite Chicago-made or Chicago-themed holiday gift?
|
|
|
|
Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. Here's what you had to say:
"Neighborhood prints from The Chicago Neighborhoods" — Bluesky
"Edgewater candles" — @patmac53
"If you're attending a holiday party, bring a bottle or two of natural wine bought from Diversey Wines." — Josh Terry, newsletter producer.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
5:30 PM | 7:00 PM |
|
|
|
|
Want more WTTW News content? Follow WTTW on Instagram to check in with us daily, go behind-the-scenes, and more. |
|
Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
|
|
|
|
