* Don’t forget about LSSI’s annual Christmas toy drive! We’ve raised $28,535 so far, enough to buy 1,141 gifts for the children served by LSSI. That’s amazing—but with 2,530 kids counting on us, we’re not done yet. Click here to donate.

* Scott Holland…

On Monday, the Illinois Flag Commission met to select 10 finalists from almost 5,000 submissions for consideration as our new state flag. Tuesday, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias released images of those finalists, posted along with all the other details at https://apps.ilsos.gov/stateflag/.

Bookmark that website, because it’s where online voting will take place, a key component for the commission’s recommendations to lawmakers, which are due by April 1. In addition to the new designs, we’ll be able to choose to keep the current design or adopt the 1918 centennial or 1968 sesquicentennial flags.

In October, I suggested the flag contest provides an excellent opportunity to give Illinoisans experience with ranked choice voting: “The idea is consensus. It’s impossible for everyone to have their favorite win, but ranked choice allows a broadly acceptable compromise at the expense of more extreme and polarizing options.”

While that concept remains true in practice, it struggles in theory because – at least behind this keyboard – there isn’t a “favorite” among the entire group.

Despite a long-held agreement the current flag is lacking because it’s simply the state seal on a white sheet, and with no offense intended toward the artists, the finalists don’t inspire much of anything beyond a desire to see the few thousand other options out of irascible curiosity.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Sun-Times | Pritzker calls for crackdown on delta-8, but hemp entrepreneurs decry ban: ‘We’re not the bad guys’: The bill sponsored by state Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Hillside, would limit sales of most hemp-derived products to licensed cannabis dispensaries. The goal is keeping psychoactive products packaged like candy away from kids. But merchants of other hemp products worry it would criminalize a massive Illinois industry.

* The Journalist’s Resource | Pharmacy benefit managers: What journalists need to know about the prescription drug middleman industry: What’s drawing widespread criticism and concern about PBMs are the strategies they employ to maximize the profit they can make as middlemen, as well as their dominance in the marketplace. Consumers can benefit from lower prices of medicines. But PBMs themselves can benefit more than consumers do in cases where drugmakers start their negotiations with a high initial offer, or list price. PBMs then, eventually, whittle down the actual payment, often by getting pharmaceutical companies to give back some of the money through payments known as rebates. It’s unclear how much of the rebated funds flow back to health plans this way and how much is kept by the PBMs.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Affordable housing advocates demand action on vacant CHA properties during Las Posadas rally in Logan Square: The demonstration was part of a reenactment of Las Posadas, a 400-year-old Christian tradition of a dayslong prayer that recreates the story of Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter before Jesus was born. The annual protests at Lathrop Homes started in 2013 but have extended over the years to other CHA properties like the one held Saturday in Logan Square.

* Block Club | Citing Trump, CTU Cranks Up Pressure On School District To Settle Contract Before 2025: During nearly two-and-a-half hours of public comment during Thursday’s Board of Education meeting that sometimes featured boos and chants, several union members and CTU President Stacy Davis Gates called for a swift deal. The union also held a rally before the meeting to argue that although the district approved a resolution reaffirming its welcoming status to immigrants, Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans made it crucial to settle the contract and avoid disruptions to students and families.

* Sun-Times | Commanders’ win over Saints eliminates Bears from NFL playoff picture: They are 4-9 and have four games remaining. The best they can finish is 8-9, and in that case they would still be unable to catch any of the current wild-card teams, and the Lions lead the NFC North at 12-1. The Bears’ place in the standings is much more significant as it pertains to the NFL Draft. At 4-9, they went into Sunday holding the No. 9 pick and still had a shot at the No. 1 spot. There were two 2-11 teams (the Raiders and Giants) and six that were 3-10.

* Block Club | In New Holiday Rom-com ‘Christmas In Chicago,’ Lincoln Square Is The Star: When she decides to return home for the weekend, much is made of her elaborate efforts to get on the CTA. But she eventually rides the train to the Western Avenue Brown Line stop, where she has an encounter with a handsome stranger who turns out to be local alderman Austin Ward (Michael Copon), before she heads to her family’s business: Timeless Toys, 4749 N. Lincoln Ave.

* Tribune | Lake Michigan experiences warmest November in 30 years as climate change heats up the Great Lakes: Lake Michigan surface temperatures peaked at over 6 degrees above normal last month, the warmest they have been in November since 1995 when recordkeeping began at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In the first two weeks of December, daily lake temperatures hovered 2 to 4 degrees above the historical average.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Lake County News-Sun | Waukegan-area officials hail Supreme Court coal-ash ruling: ‘The cleanup that our public deserves’: Dulce Ortiz, a co-founder of Clean Power Lake County and a Waukegan Township trustee, said Friday she is happy with the Supreme Court decision and hopes it will lead to the removal of legacy coal ash from the NRG property. “I’m wonderfully surprised by the decision,” Ortiz said. “The corporation has used loophole after loophole, and it has still not cleaned up its mess. I’m pleased the Supreme Court allowed the rule to stay in place. It was good news.”

* Daily Herald | Why suburbs might ‘see’ a difference in Lake Michigan water from Chicago: A change in the city’s water treatment process that began last week should ultimately result in a long-term benefit to consumers, but could cause a temporary “discoloration” of water, authorities say. Chicago water department officials said there is a slim chance of seeing the discoloration, which most likely will appear as cloudiness. They also emphasize there will be no change in water quality. It remains safe to drink, bathe in and cook with.

* NBC Chicago | New documentary explores controversy surrounding Dolton ‘Super Mayor’ Tiffany Henyard: “Super Mayor: The Cost of Chaos in Dolton,” an hour-long documentary from NBC Chicago, dives into Henyard’s rise to power and the controversy that has since unraveled around her. For over a year, NBC Chicago reporter Regina Waldroup has been following the events that have unfolded in Dolton and Thornton Township. She has embedded herself in the community by attending board meetings, speaking with residents and seeking answers to their most pressing questions.

* WGN | Tiffany Henyard’s power struggle takes a twist: South suburban politician Tiffany Henyard’s struggle to stay in power took a strange turn in recent days when her attorney filed – and then quickly dropped – a lawsuit claiming she was illegally blocked from participating in democratic caucus slating meeting. “I am shocked by the politics of it all,” Henyard attorney Max Solomon told WGN Investigates Monday morning.

* Lake County News-Sun | Lake County officials vow not to help any mass deportation efforts: ‘We want everyone in our community to trust in that’: As undocumented Lake County residents and their families begin to worry about deportations promised by President-elect Donald Trump, some local officials are pledging not to be part of the effort. Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said the Illinois Trust Act prevents law enforcement agencies within the state from assisting with the application of federal law, including immigration regulations.

*** Downstate ***

* WICS | Family of Sonya Massey relieved as court keeps ex-deputy jailed: Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump and co-counsel Antonio Romanucci issued the following statement after the Illinois Supreme Court denied former deputy Sean Grayson’s pretrial release, ensuring that he remains jailed. This comes after the Illinois Appellate Court ruled that Grayson be released with conditions in November, saying that the State did not have enough evidence to prove that Grayson was a danger to the community if he were to be released.

* 25News Now | Hundreds of non-tenure track teachers approve 3-year contract with Illinois State University: A release from the ISU Education Association said members ratified the contract on Tuesday, Dec. 10. Terms of the deal have not been released, but the union said the agreement covers compensation, assignment of duties, and other issues related to working conditions. Salary and sick leave benefits were key issues, according to the union, which represents 500 full-and-part-time non-tenure track instructors.

* SJ-R | Here’s why two UIS Performing Arts Center venues will temporarily close in 2025: The Sangamon Auditorium and the UIS Studio Theatre, housed within the University of Illinois Springfield’s Public Affairs Center, will be closing in June of 2025 for work to modernize the building’s plumbing system. The work is estimated to take a year and three months, and the Performing Arts Center plans to reopen in September 2026.

* WCIA | Danville accepting submissions to beautify City: Danville’s new public art initiative is now accepting submissions from designers. The “Angel Alley” project was created to “increase foot traffic, elevate the cultural landscape, and enhance the aesthetic appeal of the area,” according to the City. Both artists and graphic designers are invited to submit their ideas.

* The Southern | Poshard Foundation brings holiday joy to over 700 kids: The Poshard Foundation’s annual Christmas toy giveaway brought together volunteers and caseworkers who worked hard to provide gifts for over 700 children across Southern Illinois this holiday season. The event, held Tuesday and again on Wednesday at John A. Logan College, marks the foundation’s 25th anniversary, aimed to support abused, abandoned and neglected children who might otherwise go without.

*** National ***

* NPR | How are states spending their opioid settlement cash? Look yours up in this database: States allotted, on average, about 18% of their funds for addiction and mental health treatment; 14% for recovery services such as housing, transportation, and legal aid; 11% for harm reduction efforts such as overdose reversal medications; and 9% for prevention programs that aim to stop people from developing substance use disorders. States committed, on average, about 2% for syringe service programs, through which people can get sterile needles. (A variety of entities received this money, from law enforcement to nonprofit organizations to government agencies.)

* NYT | Automakers Thrived in the Pandemic. Many Are Now Struggling: A few years ago, automakers were celebrating record profits as the pandemic created shortages of new cars, allowing them to raise prices. Now the hangover is setting in. Nissan, the Japanese automaker, is laying off 9,000 employees. Volkswagen is considering closing factories in Germany for the first time. The chief executive of the U.S. and European automaker Stellantis, which owns Jeep, Peugeot, Fiat and other brands, quit after sales tumbled. Even luxury brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz are struggling.

* BND | IL congressman eyes modernizing Veterans Affairs department as House committee chairman: Illinois Congressman Mike Bost — who was recently elected for a second two-year term as chair of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs — said he wants to focus on modernizing the department and improving veterans’ health. Bost, a Marine veteran who comes from a long line of military members, said he’d like to cut back on the hoops veterans need to jump through to access their benefits. “We’ve got to modernize the VA to make sure that the VA isn’t created just for the VA,” said Bost, R-Murphysboro. “It’s created for the veterans.”

* Newsweek | More Americans Are Taking the Train Than Ever: Amtrak set its all-time ridership record for a fiscal year in December, surpassing 32.8 million passengers, an increase of 15 percent from 2023. Amtrak’s ticket revenue reached $2.5 billion, a 9 percent increase year-over-year, and also the highest in its history. Board Chair Tony Coscia credited the ridership growth to several factors, saying in a statement that it “reflects not only the need for train travel in America but also the impact of strategic investments that support our long-term vision.