Good morning, Chicago.
After pushback from organizers and vendors, city officials have decided to let up — to a degree — on the contentious capacity limit at Daley Plaza’s 29th annual Christkindlmarket, a development organizers say is a step in the right direction but still not sustainable for the beloved holiday tradition.
The city yesterday agreed to increase the event’s space restriction by nearly 1,000, bringing the amended capacity limit up to 2,500 people, according to Mark Tomkins, the president and CEO of the German American Chamber of Commerce, which runs Christkindlmarket.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Tess Kenny.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including a look at who was detained during Operation Midway Blitz, four things we learned from the Bears and why actor and director Robert Townsend is raising funds for West Side nonprofits.
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Nearly 1,900 immigrants were detained during the first half of Operation Midway Blitz. Most had no criminal record.
Newly released federal data shows that immigration agents booked in roughly 1,900 immigrants in the first half of Operation Midway Blitz – two-thirds of whom had no known criminal convictions or pending charges.
Of the 1,895 people detained by ICE, 1,271 lacked any criminal record. Another 343 people arrested had a pending criminal charge, while 281 had a criminal conviction. Of those with a criminal conviction, the vast majority of offenses were misdemeanors, traffic citations or non-violent felonies. Only 28 arrestees —1.5% — had been convicted of a violent felony or sex crime.
- Federal prosecutors subpoena Evanston for video of Oct. 31 clash between agents and public
- Gary mom thankful to be back with children after immigration raid
Humbled by personal tragedy, Republican Darren Bailey resumes his quest for Illinois governor
Less than two months after four family members died in a tragic helicopter crash, Darren Bailey finds himself not only trying to rebuild his life but also his nascent campaign for the Republican nomination for Illinois governor.
Former Chicago inspector general has no remorse after fine for leaking report on botched implosion
The Chicago Board of Ethics fined former Inspector General Joe Ferguson $5,000 for sharing a confidential report that blasted the city’s handling of a botched implosion that left Little Village coated in dust, city records show.
Son of ‘El Chapo’ Guzman admits flying cartel boss to US, pleads guilty in Chicago trafficking case
One of the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán admitted for the first time in a Chicago courtroom Monday that he orchestrated the dramatic kidnapping of elusive Sinaloa cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada in 2024 and delivered both himself and his quarry to U.S. authorities in the hopes of leniency.
In pleading guilty to narcotics trafficking charges, Joaquín Guzmán López offered new details in his shocking move to betray Zambada, which made global headlines and brought down one of the most wanted figures in the world.
Batavia chiropractor accused of secretly filming patients believed to have acted alone, Kane State’s Attorney’s Office says
David Hanson, of Hanson Family Chiropractic, is believed to have recorded more than 180 patients while they were undressed or unclothed, according to a joint investigation between the Child Exploitation Unit of the state’s attorney’s office and Batavia police. The alleged victims’ ages ranged from young children to adults, and were mostly female, according to officials.
More CPS students are graduating high school, but finishing college is a challenge
Chicago Public Schools students are graduating from high school at near record-high rates, but only half who enroll in college will complete their credential within a decade, a new report says.
The overall college completion rate for CPS alumni is 48% — below the national average of 64%, according to an annual study from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research and the To&Through Project.
4 things we learned from the Chicago Bears, including why the NFC lead ‘doesn’t mean anything’
Bears coach Ben Johnson was back to wearing a shirt yesterday — please see his viral locker-room video — but he still was riding the emotional high of Friday’s 24-15 upset of the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, at least for one more day.
“Just really proud of how the group came out and competed,” he told reporters via Zoom. “They played hard for 60 minutes. That was evident on the tape in all three phases.
- Why did Bears’ Ben Johnson go shirtless? ‘Anytime you get a chance to feed a city, you want to do it.’
- NFL division races tighten after surprises and upsets — and Bears own the NFC’s top seed now
Column: For college coaches like Lane Kiffin and Pat Fitzgerald, the past is no problem
In the mad, mad, mad world of college football, the games that go on behind closed doors are often more interesting than what happens on the field, writes Paul Sullivan. Turning a blind eye to the past is often required when schools put winning before everything else.
Actor and director Robert Townsend raises funds for West Side nonprofits with pop-up film fest
Chicago native Robert Townsend is in Chicago this week to host a pop-up film festival Dec. 6-7 — one that will showcase films significant to him and subsequently raise funds for the Chicago Westside Branch NAACP and The Answer, Inc., the Forest Park-based organization that supports people of color with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their families. Townsend is childhood friends with Karl Brinson, Westside Branch NAACP president, and Debra Vines, CEO and founder of The Answer, Inc.
Rick Steves’ Europe: Oslo, where Norway’s nature, history and culture mix it up
A big statue of a tiger sits in front of the train station of Norway’s capital, Oslo. A local once explained that Oslo is nicknamed “Tiger City” because, in the 19th century, when country boys would visit this wild and crazy “New York City of Norway,” it would “make a mark on their soul.”