Good morning, Chicago.
Happy New Year! With the calendar turning to 2026, roughly 300 new state laws have been ushered in, statutes that will quietly reshape daily life from grocery store checkout lines and police departments to college classrooms, hospital exam rooms and workplaces.
The laws arrive as Springfield braces for another high-stakes legislative year. Lawmakers will soon return to the Capitol to negotiate a multibillion-dollar budget amid the 2026 election as Pritzker runs for a third term and many legislators’ names will be on the ballot for reelection or bids for Congress. Democrats, who retain supermajorities in both the state House and Senate, are also preparing for potential clashes with President Donald Trump’s administration over federal funding, health care and education policy.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner and Olivia Olander.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including President Donald Trump saying he’s dropping push for National Guard in Chicago — for now, sports betting to go on as sportsbooks drop request to halt implementation of licensing law in Chicago and what to do in Chicago this weekend.
Today’s eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History
President Donald Trump says he’s dropping push for National Guard in Chicago — for now
President Donald Trump said he’s dropping — for now — his push to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, a move that comes after legal roadblocks hung up the effort.
As federal health tax credits end, Chicago-area leaders warn about costs to Illinois hospitals
With health care subsidies expiring in the new year, Cook County Health officials and political leaders warned yesterday the impact will not only hurt millions of Americans but also affect the county’s bottom line and hospitals around the state.
Madigan confidant Michael McClain reports to prison
Former ComEd lobbyist Michael McClain, a longtime ally and confidant of disgraced former House Speaker Michael Madigan, reported to prison Monday to serve a two-year sentence for his role in what federal prosecutors have described as a sprawling bribery scheme targeting Madigan, federal prison records show.
$350M Illinois Capitol renovation nears completion following weather delays
It’s been about four years since construction crews began ripping through the north end of the 19th-century Illinois Capitol, the historic building’s latest modernization, which will include updated offices and enhanced security, as well as a refurbished Senate chamber finished last year.
The $350 million project, the second major overhaul of the Capitol in just over a decade, is about seven or eight months from completion, according to Andrea Aggertt, the Capitol architect overseeing the work. The renovation encompasses the building’s north wing, a new underground conference center and parking garage, extensive structural upgrades and a reimagined main entrance for visitors.
If everyone seems sick, it’s not your imagination. Flu is on the rise in the Chicago area.
Across the Chicago area and the country, people have increasingly been coming down with the flu in recent weeks. Flu activity officially jumped to high levels in suburban Cook County, and emergency department visits and hospitalizations for the flu were high in Chicago for the week that ended Dec. 20, according to the county and city health departments.
Chicago-area hospitals say they’ve seen spikes in patients with the flu. Emergency room visits related to the flu nearly tripled in suburban Cook County during the week that ended Dec. 20, said Dr. Kiran Joshi, Cook County Department of Public Health chief operating officer.
Sports betting to go on as sportsbooks drop request to halt implementation of licensing law in Chicago
Sports betting will continue in Chicago after gambling companies dropped their legal fight to immediately halt implementation of the new licensing law.
The lawsuit by the Sports Betting Alliance had asked for an emergency court order to block the law, threatening to halt betting because its members hadn’t been licensed to operate in the new year under the new law.
Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams on 4,000 yards: ‘I was brought here for those types of things’
When the Chicago Bears face the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Soldier Field, Caleb Williams will be staring down history. With 3,730 passing yards this season, Williams is 108 yards shy of tying Erik Kramer’s franchise record of 3,838 passing yards from 1995. He’s also 270 yards shy of becoming the first Bears quarterback ever to total 4,000 passing yards in a regular season.
Toys are talking back thanks to AI, but are they safe around kids?
Stuffed animals that talk back. Chessboards with pieces that move on their own. And a chatty holographic fairy in a crystal ball.
Your next toy purchase might be powered by artificial intelligence and able to converse with your kids.
The Year Past, the Year to Come: Bowie, delivery ‘bots and Broadview
Culturally, where do we begin 2026 in Chicago? Where we ended 2025, of course. From vacant lots to crowds of ‘bots, there are places where you can feel the Earth spin forward.
What to do in Chicago: ‘Amadeus,’ Bowie Ball and Through N Through
Here are our picks for events in and around Chicago this weekend.