* WICS | ALPLM earns national accreditation for “exemplary practices”: Only 3 percent of America’s museums are accredited. Those that earn accreditation usually apply several times over many years before demonstrating they qualify. Accreditation is a rigorous process that examines all aspects of a museum’s operations. To earn accreditation, a museum first must conduct a year of self-study and then undergo a site visit by a team of peer reviewers.

* ABC Chicago | Migrants in Chicago: Crews begin construction of Brighton Park migrant camp: After six weeks of speculation and controversy, construction has officially begun in the city’s first migrant tent camp in Brighton Park. Once the winterized base camp is complete, it could house anywhere from 500 to 2,000 migrants. The mayor’s office telling us framing of one to two of the structures will take place Wednesday.

* WBEZ | Chicago’s City Council is tightening public access amid a slew of chaotic meetings: Under new protocols outlined to WBEZ by the committee, only people who have been invited by a public official or have otherwise coordinated a special visit to a City Council meeting — such as a school field trip — will be allowed in the open, second floor gallery of the council.

* Axios | Chicago’s DNC host committee announces key staffers: Maurice (Mo) Green is the new senior director of civic and community engagement. Green was most recently the political director for SEIU Local 73, but before that he worked in Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration. Natalie Edelstein is the new communications director. Edelstein joined Pritzker’s communication staff for his 2022 reelection campaign.

* WBEZ | Her family called police for help, then her lease was terminated: A series of events tied to Jones’ lease termination notice started June 24, 2022, when a shooting occurred on her block. Jones was not home, but her mother, who was watching her daughters, went out to help the shooting victim, according to the lawsuit. The next day, Jones and her family received threats via social media accusing the family of calling police. The family called 911 and reported the threats, according to the lawsuit.

* WCIA | IDOT making progress on massive I-57, I-74 construction project: “Once the dirt freezes to a certain level, then the contractor would have to spend more time unfreezing it, if you will, than actually making progress on the dirt,” IDOT Engineer Jason Smith said. “So, they tend to shut down sometime, probably around Christmas.” I-57 is sometimes closed at night so IDOT can install beams for the flyover, and that work will carry over to I-74 in the coming weeks.

* WCIA | New Illinois law protects drivers with communication disabilities: By filling out a form on the Illinois Secretary of State’s website, drivers with autism or other communication disabilities can feel more comfortable in the face of routine traffic stops. Information from the form will then get printed on the person’s vehicle registration and put in the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System.

* Crain’s | Opinion: The ICC needs to restart Peoples Gas’ pipeline replacement immediately: The existing iron infrastructure, some of which dates back to the mid-19th century, is not equipped to handle the current demands placed upon it. In fact, a recent independent report found 83% of the iron pipes still in use have a remaining average life span of less than 15 years. Upgrading these pipelines is not merely a matter of necessity; it is a strategic investment in the city’s future.

* KSDK | US Steel idles steelmaking at Granite City plant indefinitely, will likely lead to hundreds of layoffs: Workers learned of the decision in an email from U.S. Steel Senior Vice President & Chief Manufacturing Officer Scott Buckiso that was sent out Tuesday morning. As part of the decision, U.S. Steel issued approximately 1,000 employees a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice that they might be laid off and said they anticipated about 60 percent of those workers would likely lose their jobs.

* KHQA | McCann trial delayed until February: The trial has been delayed to February 5th, after McCann filed a motion asking that he represent himself at trial. He had already waived his right to a jury trial at a hearing in mid-November. McCann was indicted in February 2021 on nine counts of wire fraud, money laundering and tax evasion.

* Daily Herald | Two new pop-up DMVs opening in Addison and Westchester: The additional facilities are located in Addison and Westchester, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced Tuesday. The Westchester office is a walk-in “seniors-only” center to handle tests, license renewals and REAL ID needs, officials said.

* Patch | Elmhurst May Hire $50K Lobbyist: This week, City Manager Jim Grabowski told the City Council that he and the mayor had been discussing the possibility of hiring a lobbyist. A number of DuPage County towns use lobbyists to help get state grants, he said. He said the hiring of a lobbyist would go through a council committee and that the city would issue a request for proposals for those interested.

* Rockford Register Star | Rockford teachers air grievances, superintendent contract pulled from agenda: Hand said teachers are choosing other careers because of compensation levels, unrealistic expectations, student behaviors and the inability to protect their mental and physical well-being. “Students have become physically and verbally more aggressive,” she said. “I know not one other profession where being sworn at, hit, bit, kicked, pushed and spit on is accepted or tolerated.”

* The Pantagraph | Illinois State University interim president eyeing Indiana University leadership role: An ISU media relations representative said Tarhule is a finalist for the the role of executive vice president and chancellor at Indiana University Indianapolis (IUI). That’s a rebranded Indiana University (IU) campus, which is in in the process of severing its partnership with Purdue University.

* South Side Weekly | Activists Ask Congress to Treat Gun Violence as a Public Health Crisis: “There are proactive ways we can respond to get in front of the problem,” said Franklin Cosey-Gay, director of the University of Chicago Violence Recovery Program and public health professional. Cosey-Gay shared with lawmakers his experience in treating a twelve-year-old patient with a gunshot wound. The response did not merely involve the medical care involved with taking out the bullet and sending him home to heal. Rather, his team included child life specialists, social workers, and mental health counselors.

* Pioneer Press | Defying fate, woman with early-onset Alzheimer’s gene joins new drug trial at Park Ridge hospital: Advocate Lutheran General is the first Illinois site of the trial, which is sponsored by the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network Trials Unit at Washington University in St. Louis. The randomized, double-blind study has 168 participants in many states and throughout the world, according to information from Advocate.

* Tribune | As Chicago considers city-run grocery, officials say all options are on the table. But the challenges are steep: Over the last two years, major grocers have shuttered at least six stores on the city’s South and West sides, making it harder for residents of neighborhoods like Englewood to access fresh and affordable groceries. U.S Department of Agriculture data shows 63.5% of residents in West Englewood live more than a half mile from their nearest grocery store, according to the mayor’s office. Eight miles due north, fewer than 1% of West Town residents live that far from their nearest grocery.

* Sun-Times | Paul DeJong hopes turning page with simpler approach makes difference with White Sox: New White Sox shortstop Paul DeJong hopes it starts with a fresh start with a new team going into spring training and a different, simpler hitting mindset of less video and swing analysis and more see the ball, hit the ball — with an emphasis on the opposite field and up the middle. “I want to feel it, I want to see the pitcher and let my natural ability shine with that,” said DeJong, who hit 74 home runs and 82 doubles for the Cardinals from 2017-19, his first three seasons.

* ESPN | Andre Dawson wants HOF plaque cap changed from Expos to Cubs: “I respect the Hall of Fame’s decision to put an Expos logo on my cap, and I understand their responsibility to make sure the logo represents the greatest impact in my career,” Dawson said then in a statement issued by the hall. “Cubs fans will always be incredibly important in my heart, and I owe them so much for making my time in Chicago memorable, as did the fans in Montreal, Boston and South Florida, my home. But knowing that I’m on the Hall of Fame team is what’s most important, as it is the highest honor I could imagine.”

* WICS | Chicago Cubs legend Fergie Jenkins to headline Springfield Lucky Horseshoes’ Dinner on the Diamond charity event: Chicago Cubs legend and Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins will be the distinguished guest of honor for this unforgettable experience that combines a night of elegance and the rich history of America’s favorite pastime. During Dinner on the Diamond, you’ll be able to enjoy hearing Ferguson Jenkins speak about his Hall of Fame baseball career and much more while the event is hosted on the actual playing field at Robin Roberts Stadium.

* PJ Star | IHSA schools will vote to change the football scheduling process. Here’s what it means: Programs would no longer set their own schedules or play within a conference, they instead would be placed in one of 64 districts and play a round-robin schedule of seven opponents with similar enrollments. The multiplier and success factor both would be applied. The top half of teams, four in each district, would make the playoffs, which will be seeded similarly to how they are now. Teams in the same district cannot meet in the first round.

* NYT | U.S. Life Expectancy Creeps Up as Covid Deaths Fall: “We’re halfway back to what we lost,” said Eileen Crimmins an expert on gerontology and demography at the University of Southern California. “But we certainly have a very long ways to go before we get to where life expectancy should be.” In 2022, life expectancy at birth was 77.5 years, compared with 76.4 years in 2021. A fall in Covid-19 deaths accounts for more than 80 percent of that increase. In 2019, before the pandemic, life expectancy at birth was 78.8. Drops in deaths from heart disease, unintentional injuries (a category that includes traffic deaths and drug overdoses), cancer and homicide also contributed to the rise in life expectancy, the C.D.C. reported.

* AP | Inheritance money in dispute after death of woman who made millions off sale of Sue the T-rex remains: At the center of the dispute: Darlene Williams had two wills, according to records filed in Lincoln County, South Dakota. The first one, signed in 2017, included all of her children and grandchildren, and listed daughter Sandra Williams Luther as the person in charge of settling the estate and making sure the will was carried out. But a second will dated Nov. 25, 2020 — less than three weeks before Darlene Williams died — designated Luther as the sole heir and executor. The document also cited Darlene Williams as saying that she had lived with her children at odds for too long, and she hoped that in her death they would find peace and become a family again.

* Sun-Times | No longer a traveling troupe, American Blues Theater unveils its first permanent home: “I don’t look at anything as a difficulty,” said Gwendolyn Whiteside, 49, the company’s executive artistic director. “I’m looking at it as opportunities. The fact that this is our first home, everything is a blessing. So if there is a challenge, right now we still are looking at it like this is the best thing that ever happened to us.”

* Crain’s | Rivian launches leasing program for its R1T pickup: Rivian, of Irvine, Calif., is starting its lease offers in 14 states, including California and Texas, with inventory models of the R1T, the company said in an email to Automotive News. The other launch states are Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Washington.

* WICS | Illinois hunters harvest more than 53,000 deer first weekend of firearm season: Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 53,348 deer during the first weekend of the Illinois firearm deer season between Nov. 17-19. Comparatively, hunters took 52,354 deer during the first firearm weekend in 2022.

* Tribune | ‘Devastated’: 160-year-old covered bridge, one of few left in Illinois, severely damaged by truck: Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, the Red Covered Bridge has undergone several upgrades over the last three decades. But a fair portion dates to its construction in 1863. Nelson, who serves as Princeton’s city clerk as well as the town’s planning and zoning administrator, said the truck destroyed several overhead support beams, which caused the roof to partially collapse at the northern end of the bridge. As a result, the walls at the northern end bow outward.

* Center Square | IDOT looking for snow plow drivers: A national shortage of licensed truck drivers means fewer snow plows on the roads this winter. Maria Casteneda of the Illinois Department of Transportation said staffing levels for the winter response team have been down approximately 10-15% since the start of the pandemic. IDOT has openings for both full and part-time snow plow drivers.