Good morning, Chicago.
When Jodie Yanek received the rest of her long-awaited SNAP benefits for the month — and after buying some food to tide her over — she started thinking about how she could put together a small Thanksgiving dinner for her and her boyfriend with a $60 budget.
The 47-year-old compared turkey and ham prices at a nearby South Deering grocery store. She dreamed of mashed potatoes and green bean casserole and ended up buying a pie.
“I was ecstatic,” Yanek said of getting the benefits. “I cried tears of joy. It was very scary the prospect of losing it.”
Yanek, like countless others across Illinois, say they’ve dealt with confusion and uncertainty heading into the holiday because of the federal back-and-forth on funding for food stamps. Some of the Illinoisans the Tribune spoke to were still questioning whether they’ll be able to put any food on the table let alone turkey and stuffing. Many have relied on local food pantries for help.
As the longest government shutdown in history lumbered on, nearly 2 million people across the state — and more than 40 million nationwide — were cut off from food stamps at the beginning of November, leaving many scrambling.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Rebecca Johnson.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including Northwestern University nearing a deal with the White House to restore funding, what to know about the NFL’s Thanksgiving tripleheader and our picks for what to do this weekend.
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What we do and don’t know about the shooting of 2 National Guard members in DC
The brazen daytime shooting of two National Guard members in the nation’s capital by a man authorities said is an Afghan national has raised multiple questions.
That includes the condition of the wounded troops and details about the suspect and his motive for the attack a day before Thanksgiving. Here’s what we know so far, and what we don’t know.
Illinois ‘Clean Slate’ bill that would speed sealing of many criminal convictions awaits Pritzker signature
Long-sought legislation that would accelerate the sealing of many criminal convictions from employers now sits on Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk, positioning Illinois to join roughly a dozen states that have adopted similar policies to help people pursue better jobs.
Northwestern University nears deal with White House to restore funding
Northwestern University is expected to close a deal “soon” with the Trump administration, potentially restoring $790 million in frozen federal research funding, according to the U.S. Education Department.
George Pullman Educational Foundation gets $10M gift from MacKenzie Scott
For 75 years, the educational foundation’s endowment has awarded almost $38 million in unrestricted merit and need-based scholarships to almost 12,000 students, with 70% of the 2024 class graduating debt-free. What’s more, Pullman scholars who took out a college loan averaged $3,703 — a sliver of the state average of more than $39,000 in student debt.
Wisconsin seeks to block Slender Man attacker’s conditional release after escape from group home
Wisconsin authorities have asked a state court to revoke the conditional release of Morgan Geyser, the woman who in 2014 almost killed her sixth grade classmate in the name of horror villain Slender Man and escaped from a group home earlier this week.
Campbell’s fires executive who was recorded saying company’s products are for ‘poor people’
The Campbell’s Co. said it has fired an executive who was recorded making racist comments and mocking the company’s products and customers.
Lions and Packers kick off NFL’s Thanksgiving tripleheader with high-stakes game for NFC North race
When the NFL regular season wraps up in early January, the result of the Green Bay-Detroit game on Thanksgiving may prove to be pivotal. The Packers (7-3-1) are the favorites to win the NFC North and the Lions (7-4) are slightly behind them, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, even though both teams trail the Chicago Bears (8-3) in the division.
That seems to make the stakes high at Ford Field, where the league kicks off its holiday tripleheader.
Column: Plenty for Chicago sports fans to be thankful for — from Ben and Bananas to Bedard and Byard
For Chicagoans, there are many more reasons to celebrate this Thanksgiving, from the resurgence of the Bears to the Cubs’ playoff run to the fine fall weather we had been having.
In other words, we can all relax, watch football, eat turkey and enjoy each other’s company without bringing up topics that can turn your Thanksgiving meal into that fork-flinging episode of “The Bear.” Paul Sullivan shares some things he’s thankful for in 2025.
Christkindlmarket seeks to shorten lines, appeals to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson for increased capacity
Chicago’s festive Christkindlmarket may be in jeopardy after Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration placed space requirements on the event this year, a move that organizers say has created long lines to enter and severely restricts the number of people who can visit the German-themed food and retail booths on Daley Plaza.
Maple brown butternut squash anyone? The Evolved Network meets Chicago students where they are with food kits.
This month, chef Sebastian White delivered over two dozen fresh food prep kits to students at the Chicago Jesuit Academy, allowing them to whip up roasted butternut squash with maple brown butter and crispy kale chips. White walks them through the seasonal recipe on a YouTube video filmed in his kitchen. This home cooking experience is known as Project T.E.N. (Together. Evolving. Nourishing.), an endeavor of The Evolved Network, also known as TEN.
Straight No Chaser performs at the 87th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Dec. 4, 2019, in New York City.
What to do in Chicago: Holiday concerts and shopping and a ‘Sound of Music’ sing-a-long
Here are our picks for events in and around Chicago this weekend.