Good morning, Chicago.
The Trump administration is expanding its travel ban to include five more countries and impose new limits on others.
This move is part of ongoing efforts to tighten U.S. entry standards for travel and immigration. The decision follows the arrest of an Afghan national suspect in the shooting of two National Guard troops over Thanksgiving weekend.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including a new report that Illinois could be only five years away from electricity shortages, five things we learned from the Bears and this year’s pick for Chicagoans of the Year for Museums.
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U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino walks with agents after detaining a person while conducting an immigration enforcement operation in Little Village on Dec. 16, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino and agents return to Chicago in show of force across city and suburbs
Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino and dozens of federal immigration agents returned in force across Chicago and the suburbs yesterday for a seemingly made-for-television jaunt about a month after he and scores of Border Patrol agents left town.
At least 100 U.S. Homeland Security agents or officers were in the Chicago area for the latest wave of federal immigration enforcement activity, according to a federal source familiar with the effort.
What to know about immigration enforcement raids in Chicago
The power lines that run northeast of 75th Street in Hodgkins are part of the ComEd power distribution system that connects the nuclear plants in Will County to the city. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois could be only 5 years away from electricity shortages, higher bills, report says
With artificial intelligence sparking a surge in electricity demand, Illinois could be only five years away from chronic shortages and higher monthly bills, according to a report released late Monday by three state agencies.
Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the state health department, speaks before Gov. JB Pritzker signed Illinois House Bill 767 on Dec. 2, 2025, at the Illinois Department of Human Rights office in Chicago’s West Loop. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois should recommend hepatitis B vaccines for all newborns, committee says, despite federal guidance
Illinois should continue to recommend that nearly all newborns be vaccinated against hepatitis B, a state advisory committee decided yesterday, in a move that could represent another break with federal vaccine guidance.
The family of slain Chicago police Officer Andrés Mauricio Vásquez Lasso, including his widow Milena Estepa de Vásquez, left, and mother, Rocio Lasso, second from right, at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, Dec. 16, 2025, after Steven Montano was sentenced to life in prison for Vásquez Lasso’s murder in 2023. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Man given life sentence in slaying of Chicago police officer, though recent law offers a chance at parole
After several hours of arguments and testimony, Cook County Judge John Lyke ordered a sentence of life in prison for Steven Montano, 21, after a jury in July convicted him of first-degree murder following a weeklong trial that showcased body camera footage of the slaying and emotional testimony from his wife and other responding police officers.
Medline Industries, Inc. on Nov. 1, 2018, in Waukegan. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
Medline raises more than $6.2 billion in initial public offering, one of the largest of the year
Medline sold about 216 million shares at $29 a piece — a larger offering than the company had initially outlined. The company said earlier this month that it planned to sell 179 million shares for between $26 and $30 a share. Shares of the massive medical supply company will begin trading publicly today on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol MDLN.
A group prays the Rosary during a vigil held by the Diocese of Gary outside the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City on Oct. 9, 2025, hours before the scheduled execution of Roy Lee Ward. (Michael Gard/for the Post-Tribune)
Indiana Senate bill would allow firing squad for death penalty
A bill allowing for firing squad executions for death penalty inmates was filed in the Indiana legislature for the 2026 session.
Gov. JB Pritzker smiles after signing the Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act, a state transit funding and reform bill, at Union Station, Dec. 16, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
JB Pritzker signs transit bill that should avert major service cuts, but cautions that ‘transformation’ takes time
Gov. JB Pritzker celebrated his enactment of a new law that advocates say will avert catastrophic service cuts on Chicago’s public transit systems and make the region’s trains and buses safer and more reliable — even as he acknowledged “transformation takes a little bit of time.”
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams waits in the tunnel before a game against the Browns on Dec. 14, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
5 things we learned from the Chicago Bears, including why Caleb Williams is OK with being a little ‘arrogant’
The Bears had a rare Tuesday workday, holding a walk-through as they prepare for Saturday night’s NFC North showdown against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field.
Here are five things we learned at Halas Hall.
Bears Q&A: Has the schedule prepared them for playoffs? Is it a surprise Packers are favored?
Bears QB Caleb Williams has dubbed each of his O-linemen an Avengers character — see who he picked
Chicago Cubs pitcher Caleb Thielbar pitches against the Chicago White Sox during spring training at Sloan Park on Feb. 22, 2025, in Mesa, Arizona. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Cubs to bring back veteran lefty reliever Caleb Thielbar after his bounce-back season
The Cubs are bringing back one of their most reliable relievers.
The Cubs have a deal in place with veteran left-hander Caleb Thielbar, pending a physical, a source confirmed to the Tribune. Thielbar, who turns 39 in January, is coming off one of his best big-league seasons following an underwhelming performance with Minnesota in 2024.
Line cook Jesus Rosario has a laugh with chef Darryl “D.C” Carter, left, and executive chef Corey Rice as Rosario prepares a wine reduction for a short ribs dish at Burnham Yacht Club in Chicago on Dec. 12, 2025. Rice hired Rosario for a full-time role in September after Rosario interned at the club following his completion of the free culinary bootcamp style 12-week program at Inspiration Kitchens. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Inspiration Kitchens’ free culinary boot camp helps students break barriers to find jobs in food service
“Dine well, do good.”
It’s a simple quote plastered in big, bold letters above Inspiration Kitchens’ service window in East Garfield Park. But it’s a value that extends beyond the front-of-house and out into the world, where students hope to land a job in the culinary industry after they’ve sharpened their knife skills and learned to chiffonade basil.
Executive director Lisa Lee, center, is surrounded by staff, artists and former public housing residents at the National Public Housing Museum on Dec. 3, 2025, in Chicago. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Chicagoans of the Year for Museums: National Public Housing Museum staff keeps residents at heart
The National Public Housing Museum opened on the Near West Side in the spring on the former site of the Jane Addams Homes, near the University of Illinois Chicago.
A gleaming LED display in the lobby recaps decades of public housing history. Nearby, the museum’s gift shop promotes small businesses and merch by public housing residents. Upstairs are an oral history studio and an interactive listening room, allowing visitors to spin LPs by musicians who once lived in public housing.
See the list of 2025 Chicagoans of the Year announced so far
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/17/daywatch-travel-ban-extended-by-trump-administration/
