* ICYMI: Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino praises police assistance in immigration enforcement as CPD denies support. Tribune…

- As they drove into Edgewater on DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Chicago police officers had stopped a man who was trailing Bovino and a convoy of agents and livestreaming on social media. Police said they were responding to a call from a federal agent who said another vehicle was “attempting to ram them.”
- At a Home Depot in Evanston afterward, Bovino told the Tribune that “luckily we’re, for the first time, receiving some assistance from both Chicago PD and Evanston Police Department.”
-Evanston police officers directed traffic out of the parking lot, appearing to slow the progress of civilian cars. Evanston Mayor Biss said, however, that he didn’t personally see Evanston police blocking residents from protesting. He said police don’t help or facilitate the agents’ actions, rather that they “keep the peace.”

* Related stories…

• Block Club: Where Does Your Alderperson Stand On ICE? We Checked All 50
• Block Club: Bovino Leads Caravan Through Chicago Before Clashing With Evanston Mayor
• NBC Chicago: Border Protection officers work through Chicago, suburbs in renewed push

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*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois Education officials brace for lean fiscal year ahead: With economic forecasts projecting little or no growth in state revenues over the next year and growing demands for increased spending in other areas of state government, Sanders said the budget proposal he plans to bring to the board in January is likely to be modest. “I just want to level set for the board that as we bring in our budget proposal asking for an increase in education funding, it’s coming at a time there’s a lot of other fiscal pressures on state government,” Sanders said. “So we’re keeping that in mind in our preparation.”

* Sun-Times | ‘There is no accountability.’ Lawmakers, advocates call for more oversight of prison health care: Peters said he and his legislative colleagues must provide more oversight of the system, and are still working out specific measures to hold IDOC as accountable as other state agencies. “There is so much oversight in long-term care in Illinois. There are also systems of accountability built into the [Illinois Department of Children and Family Services] that we can use as examples,” Peters said.

* Chalkbeat | Illinois quietly changes scholarship for teachers of color amid lawsuit, threats from federal government: The changes are a response to a lawsuit by a conservative group that challenged the scholarship in 2024 and the Trump administration’s push against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at K-12 schools and higher education. A spokesperson for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission confirmed that the lawsuit was dismissed in court earlier this month. The motion to dismiss cited changes in Illinois’ law. Illinois lawmakers passed House Bill 3065, which replaces the Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarship with the Teachers of Illinois Scholarship, during the General Assembly’s veto session by a vote of 96-0 in the House and 59-0 in the Senate. It was signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker in November.

*** Statewide ***

* WGLT | Rediscovering an overlooked linchpin of Illinois industry: Bicycling: Sweet said the hub of Chicago, access to rail, and to raw materials such as iron from Michigan and Wisconsin allowed bicycle makers to take up a large part of the market. “Chicago is already a manufacturing center,” he said. “They were very good at building all sorts of things. Factories could flip in a matter of a month and move from making like an agricultural implement to making bikes. And some did choose to do that.” […] Peoria had some of the same advantages as Chicago. It was the second largest Illinois city and a manufacturing center. In at least one case, bicycles became a side business for a watch company, said Sweet.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Press Release | Gov. Pritzker Celebrates 2025 Accomplishments: “This year, Illinois doubled down on our work to improve the lives of hardworking Illinoisans that make our state the best in the nation,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “In 2025, we ushered in critical investments and improvements in infrastructure, education, workforce development, healthcare, and civil rights for working families statewide. In a year full of economic uncertainty and chaos at the federal level, I’m focused on protecting our state and investing in the safety, education, and well-being of the People of Illinois.”

* Center Square | IL House Speaker: ‘not even close’ to school choice legislation: “I have said, in our chamber, if you can get 60 Democrats to support it, we put it on the board and call the bill, but there’s more work to do because they’re not even close,” Welch told The Center Square. At Tuesday’s transit bill signing in Chicago, Welch said school choice supporters need to build coalitions the way lawmakers did with transit legislation.

* WAND | Illinois law expands opportunities for craft distillers, brewers: A new Illinois law will help craft brewers and distillers grow their business by updating state regulations. The legislation also makes the popular cocktails to go program permanent. The new law creates a Class 3 distiller license, allowing distilleries to make up to 100,000 gallons of spirit annually. License holders can then apply to self-distribute up to 2,500 gallons of liquor each year.

* NBC Chicago | New Illinois laws will impact thousands of students in the new year: Schools will not be permitted to discourage students from going to school based on their real or perceived immigration status, such as asking for Social Security Numbers. They also cannot disclose information about a student’s immigration status, and must develop protocols for when law enforcement seek to enter school property, according to the text of the bill. In addition to the immigration enforcement actions taken by the Pritzker administration, numerous other laws are also going into effect that will affect the learning programs of students. Under provisions of HB 3039, all seventh and eighth grade students are permitted to enroll in high school courses to receive high school credits.

*** Chicago ***

* ICYMI…

A goofy timeline:

June 2021: Bears bid $197 million for Arlington Heights land.

April 2024: Bears hold presser about building Chicago stadium.

September 2025: Bears claim they’re 100 percent committed to AH.

December 2025: They’re open to moving, even to Indiana.

— Gregory Royal Pratt (@royalpratt) December 18, 2025

Governor Pritzker’s response…

Statement the Governor Pritzker spokesperson on Bears stadium announcement:
“Suggesting the Bears would move to Indiana is a startling slap in the face to all the beloved and loyal fans who have been rallying around the team during this strong season. The Governor’s a Bears fan…

— Paris Schutz (@paschutz) December 18, 2025

* ABC Chicago | Full City Council meets Thursday as committee moves alternative budget forward: Right now, the alternative budget is falling just short of being able to override a mayoral veto ,which requires 34 votes. The alternative budget calls for raising a plastic bag shopping fee from 10 to 15 cents, includes a pilot program that would place advertising on bridge houses and light poles, youth jobs and other efforts.

* The Chicago Mayor’s Office…

NEW: Official analysis found the Secret Budget would run a $157 million deficit fueled by an overreliance on speculative, un-proven revenue sources.

Projections show many of the key proposals would end up losing the city money. pic.twitter.com/GCyIsJLwvl

— Chicago Mayor's Press Office (@ChicagoMPO) December 17, 2025

* Crain’s | City Council pushes ahead on rival budget despite $163 million warning: By pushing their proposal through committee, those behind the alternative budget have shown they have the numbers to get their plan approved, but it’s unclear if they have strength to overcome a potential Johnson veto, which would require 34 votes. The committee also approved the so-called management ordinance that will require more frequent budget data from the administration, but stripped out a proposal from Johnson that would have required the City Council to approve any overtime spending in the Chicago Police Department above what is budgeted in an effort to rein in spending.

* Tribune | Lead prosecutor in Bovino murder-for-hire case unexpectedly leaving US attorney’s office ahead of trial: Bradley Tucker, who joined the U.S. attorney’s office in June 2022 and had been assigned to the Narcotics and Money Laundering Section, would be the latest in a string of federal prosecutors to depart in recent months. His final day is scheduled to be in early January, said Joseph Fitzpatrick, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office. It’s not clear why Tucker is leaving. But news of his departure comes a little over a month before he had been scheduled to lead the prosecution of Juan Espinoza Martinez, whose arrest on murder-for-hire charges at the height of Operation Midway Blitz made national headlines amid daily clashes between agents and protesters.

* Block Club | Residents Pushing To Place Quantum Campus Referendum On March Primary Ballots: A March referendum would ask residents near a South Side quantum computing development whether local leaders should stop the project. The elections board is reviewing the effort, but it appears to meet signature requirements for ballot placement, officials said.

* Center Square | IL comptroller: Chicago mayor’s policies chase businesses away: Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza says the city’s most crippling policies are the ones that chase job creators away. “I think that rather than punish our business community for creating jobs which are necessary for people’s quality of life, we should be partnering with our business community and not creating policies that, frankly, chase them away pretty quickly,” Mendoza told The Center Square.

* Block Club | Vote-By-Mail Registration Is Open For March Primary. Here’s How To Apply: Voters can request their vote-by-mail ballot using an online form. Voters can also opt to join the permanent vote-by-mail roster to receive a ballot by mail without needing to request one ahead of every election by completing this form. The deadline to apply to vote by mail is 5 p.m. March 12.

* Block Club | Chicago Hip Hop Heritage Museum Closes As Curators Prepare For Next Chapter: The team — Darrell “Artistic” Roberts, Carrico “Kingdom Rock” Sanders, Danta “StylesRaw” Williams and Brian Gorman — will vacate the two-story greystone at 4505 S. Indiana Ave. by the end of the month. The building’s owner is in poor health and has decided to sell, Roberts told Block Club. The museum will go dark Dec. 27. […] Though the museum will be without a physical home for now, the quartet will continue pop-up activations and collaborations. A multimedia exhibit now being displayed at Columbia College — “On Record” — explores the history of hip hop at the liberal arts school and will run through the spring.

* Daily Herald | Reese says she plans to return to Sky for third season: Speculation about her future have swirled after her late-season team suspension. “I’m under contract, so yes, I plan on returning to the Sky,” Reese said last week at Team USA’s training camp at Duke. “(I’m) continuing to talk to (coach) Tyler (Marsh) and building that relationship with (general manager) Jeff (Pagliocca) and Tyler.” Reese is one of four players under contract with Chicago next season, joining fellow 2024 all-rookie player Kamilla Cardoso and 2025 draftees Hailey Van Lith and Maddy Westbeld.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Tinley Park appoints Frederick Melean police commander, after predecessor arrested: The Tinley Park Village Board swore in Frederick Melean, a retired Chicago deputy police chief, as village police commander Tuesday after the previous commander, Patrick St. John, resigned and was charged with domestic battery and violating an order of protection. Melean begins the position Jan. 5, and he said Tuesday he looks forward to gaining trust and establishing partnership with the Tinley Park community.

* Fox Chicago | Brighton Park woman says federal agent pointed gun at her while she recorded immigration enforcement: Viviana Corral, a mother of four, told Fox 32 Chicago she was documenting a neighbor being detained when the confrontation occurred. “Who knows if he would have reacted and pulled the trigger and I could have been hurt or maybe dead,” Corral said. Corral said she was at home when she heard honking outside and saw federal agents detaining a man, the neighbor captured in the video. She rushed outside and began filming the encounter.

* Aurora Beacon-News | District 204 board OKs contracts, bids for secure entryway projects and solar installation at some district schools: In 2024, voters approved a proposal from District 204 to sell up to $420 million in bonds to pay for facility improvements. Without the bonds, the district would have needed to cut the equivalent of 50 full-time positions to pay for some of these projects, officials said. The bonds are to be paid for using a continuation of an existing 37-cent property tax per $100 of equalized assessed value that would otherwise have expired at the end of 2026, meaning the tax rate for residents in terms of their contribution to capital projects will effectively remain flat as a result of the referendum question’s passage.

* WaPo | After secret church trial, Illinois N. American Anglican bishop acquitted: An ecclesiastical court in the Anglican Church in North America has acquitted a Chicago-area bishop who was accused of violating church laws by mishandling a sex abuse case and allowing men with troubling histories into his diocese as worshipers or leaders Stewart Ruch III, who oversees the denomination’s Upper Midwest diocese of 18 churches across six states, was found not guilty of violating his ordination vows and engaging in conduct that brought “scandal,” among other church charges. Ruch, 59, denied all charges before the trial, which was conducted on Zoom and closed to the public.

* NBC Chicago | Pope names fellow Chicagoan, Bishop Ronald Hicks, as new archbishop of New York: Bishop Ronald Hicks, the current bishop of Joliet, Illinois, replaces the retiring Cardinal Timothy Dolan, a prominent conservative figure in the U.S. Catholic hierarchy. Hicks takes over after Dolan last week finalized a plan to establish a $300 million fund to compensate victims of sexual abuse who had sued the archdiocese.

*** Downstate ***

* WGEM | Performance evaluation supports WIU president, stability and sustainability remain priorities: One thing that Dillard said jumped out to him was the rating of overall satisfaction with Mindrup’s priorities, and if she’s moving the university towards a stable and sustainable future. “To me, that’s the equivalent of if we’re moving in the right direction and her score was almost perfect on that,” Dillard told the board. “She’s very good on the vision thing, which I think is really important where we’re going in the future.”

* WAND | Springfield to install EV charging stations with state funding: The Office of Public Utilities will begin installing Level 2 chargers thanks to state dollars. Springfield City Council heard the first reading of a proposal Tuesday night to set the rate for what customers will pay. The rate will be set at about 26 cents per kilowatt, but could be adjusted later based on how much chargers are used.

* WGLT | Unit 5 board approves 2025 tax levy, hears from Carlock Elementary supporters: Thomas Hoerr, director of financial services, said he anticipates Unit 5 to continue having one of the lowest tax rates in the county. In 2024, it wound up being the third lowest. This year, Hoerr said it dropped about 25 cents. “If other districts’ tax rates stay the same for the 2025 levy, Unit 5 will probably move over into that number two position, or possibly even the first position,” he said, adding the drop in the tax rate will help minimize the impact of rising EAV [Equalized assessed value] issues.

* WCIA | City of Decatur seeking input on Oakwood District revitalization project: It’s an area that officials said was vibrant and well-loved for a while but has seen little activity recently and a few challenges. The city partnered with local developers, business owners and Millikin University to bring the district back to life, with new parking, lighting and neighborhood safety measures.

* WMBD | Peoria Airport goes sky high breaking an old record: Peoria International Airport is cheering a successful year before it even ends, as their all-time passenger record whizzed past their previous personal best. In 2019, the airport saw 689,416 passengers. In 2025, PIA saw 741,724 passengers. They got the updated numbers this November, that even with a government shutdown, they were able to beat their personal best.

*** National ***

* LA Times | A California newspaper, back from the dead: A paper born in 1868, the second oldest in Southern California, the Santa Barbara News-Press had withered away before shutting down entirely in 2023, when its parent company declared bankruptcy. When the company’s assets went up for sale, locals feared they would be sold to an offshore content mill that had no stake in Santa Barbara. Instead, up stepped locals, including William Belfiore, a recent Harvard grad who grew up in Santa Barbara. He wrote an op-ed in the Santa Barbara Independent. “Santa Barbara’s Collective Memory, Sold for Kindling,” read the headline. The story galvanized locals to submit a winning bid for the News-Press’s archives, which they promptly turned over to Newswell. The nonprofit, in turn, hired Belfiore as general manager to oversee the second coming of the News-Press.

* AP | DOJ vowed to punish those who disrupt Trump’s immigration crackdown. Dozens of cases have crumbled: The Justice Department has struggled to deliver on that commitment, however. In examining 166 federal criminal cases brought since May against people in four Democratic-led cities at the epicenter of demonstrations, The Associated Press found: — Of the 100 people initially charged with felony assaults on federal agents, 55 saw their charges reduced to misdemeanors or dismissed outright. At least 23 pleaded guilty, most of them to reduced charges in deals with prosecutors that resulted in little or no jail time.

* The Verge | AI’s water and electricity use soars in 2025: AI created as much carbon pollution this year as New York City and guzzled up as much H20 as people consume globally in water bottles, according to new estimates. The study paints what’s likely a pretty conservative picture of AI’s environmental impact since it’s based on the relatively limited amount of data that’s currently available to the public. A lack of transparency from tech companies makes it harder to see the potential environmental toll of AI becoming a part of everyday tasks, argues the author of the study who’s been tracking the electricity consumption of data centers used for AI and crypto mining over the years.