* ICYMI: Chicago suburbs plan for unscheduled asylum-seeker drop offs. Tribune…

- Deputy Police Chief Zakula said the department would direct buses to Chicago, should they arrive in Niles
- Park Ridge Mayor Maloney said the city would not seek to adopt an ordinance that would restrict unscheduled bus stops
- Skokie’s Communications and Community Engagement Director said village officials had made plans to ensure people could get to Chicago’s landing site

* Related stories…

∙ Patch: Oak Lawn Passes Measure Restricting Unscheduled Migrant Bus Drop-Offs
∙ Landmark: Brookfield limits migrant drop-offs
∙ ABC Chicago: Oak Lawn bans unscheduled migrant bus drop-offs as Burr Ridge takes different approach

* Isabel’s top picks…

* Capitol News Illinois | SIU’s president sheds light on Illinois’ NCAA anti-trust suit: Raoul and others say that’s an “illegal restraint” on athletes’ ability to market their labor, and control their education. Dan Mahony – who in addition to being President of the Southern Illinois University System also holds multiple degrees in Sports Management and has years of experience in intercollegiate athletics. Capitol News Illinois Broadcast Director Jennifer Fuller talked with him about his perspective, and what he hopes this lawsuit might address.

* Tribune | Fireworks erupt at Harvey City Council meeting after residents being boarded up inside their apartments sparks outrage: Harvey’s first City Council meeting following residents being boarded up inside their apartments included impassioned public comments, two aldermen escorted out by police and a request for forgiveness by Mayor Christopher Clark.

Governor Pritzker will speak at 10:30 am at the Salesforce Tower to mark state economic development milestones. Click here to watch.

* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…

* Scott Holland | Dust unsettled as deadline for new gun registration passes: There doesn’t appear to be a penalty for late disclosures. The government doesn’t know everyone who owns now-banned items. Social media posts disclosing possession haven’t (and probably won’t) result in further attention. Similarly, people who see me drive to the grocery store don’t know whether I renew my license or my AllState policy. The dust isn’t fully settled here, which underscores the importance of discretion. For now, most Illinoisans seem content waiting for further development.

* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois Supreme Court weighs admissibility of ‘reenactment’ in murder case: Now, Logan is asking the Illinois Supreme Court to step in and grant her a new trial. She claims the use of that reenactment video violated her constitutional rights under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. Without that evidence, Logan’s attorney argued to the high court on Tuesday, the case might have been decided differently

* Effingham Daily News | Niemerg, Wilhour nominating petitions challenged: Germaine Light of Danville is challenging Niemerg’s Statement of Candidacy. Light resides in the 102nd District that Niemerg represents and is a retired teacher and former Vermilion County Democratic chairwoman. Light charges Niemerg’s statement of candidacy was never notarized as required by Section 8-8 of the Election Code. The objection states Niemerg failed to fill the mandatory requirement because the Statement of Candidacy “is not subscribed and sworn before a Notary Public or some other officer authorized to take acknowledgment of deeds in Illinois.”

* IPM | Illinois to report for first time how many prisoners are taking college courses – and how many are waiting for access: Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, said she sponsored the Higher Education in Prison Act as a step towards ensuring access to higher education programs in all Illinois prisons. She pointed to data on how effective these programs can be. According to one of the most frequently cited analyses, participation in prison education programs reduced recidivism by 43 percent.

* WTTW | As Illinois Officials Push Back Against Book Bans, Some Advocates Wonder About Actual Impact on Prison Libraries: When the Illinois Department of Corrections was asked if this new law changed its criteria on why a book would be disapproved, officials said the department already “does not ban books or resources due to partisan or personal disapproval” and pointed to its publication policy — guidelines that some advocates say can be too sweeping.

* Tribune | Bally’s Chicago boosts casino revenue in December, draws nearly 100,000 visitors to Medinah Temple: “We’ve added free parking, new promotions, and expanded hours to meet customers’ expectations,” Mark Wong, vice president and general manager of Bally’s Chicago, said in a news release Monday. “Our guests have responded positively. In December we saw our highest attendance and revenues to date.”

* Block Club | Golden Dagger Owner, Regulars Mourn A Lost Music Venue As Dog-Friendly Bar Takes Over: Biggins, who worked at Golden Dagger for 14 years, sold the business because he had become exhausted with its upkeep and the long commutes from his home in Oak Park, he said in an interview with Block Club. The owners of Hunter’s On Halsted didn’t respond to requests for comment. In an automatic response to an email, the bar owners said most of the Golden Dagger staff quit shortly after they took over.

* Chalkbeat | NYC sends families from tent shelter to sleep on school floor during storm: The sudden move by the Adams administration drew ire from all sides, with homeless rights advocates and the migrants themselves decrying the disruption for families, and local parents slamming the city’s use of the public school.

* Sun-Times | Mike Perricone, Sun-Times Blackhawks reporter who gave it up to be a stay-at-home dad, dies at 72: “It was a brave move,” said his wife, Joan Vanderbeck. “To be a successful reporter and to give it up to be home with this new baby, that’s just who he was, a wonderful human.”

* Bloomberg | SEC Account Hack Amplifies Concerns Over Security at Musk’s X: The incident, one of the most consequential breaches in years on the platform formerly known as Twitter, began with a post on the SEC’s official verified account, which inaccurately shared that the regulator had approved spot-Bitcoin exchange-traded funds — a decision that had been anticipated for later this week. The price of Bitcoin quickly shot up more than 2.5% as news of the post spread online and via media outlets, including Bloomberg News, that were watching the SEC’s feed for such an announcement.

* Tribune | Second wave of snowstorm hits Chicago Tuesday evening, with snow predicted to be worst in the northwest suburbs: The weather service predicted the commute in and out of Rockford Tuesday evening to be one of the worst and warned in a social media update Tuesday that motorists throughout northern Illinois should be prepared for snowy roads and low visibility overnight. Depending on temperatures, wind gusts of 35 to 40 mph were expected Tuesday night in Chicago.

* SJ-R | Rev. King spoke at the Illinois State Armory in 1965, his visit will be commemorated: King delivered his only Springfield speech to some 4,000 delegates − and apparently a few curious State of Illinois employees − at an AFL-CIO convention at the Illinois State Armory on Oct. 7, 1965.