Good morning, Chicago.
As Northwestern, fresh off a bowl win, wraps up its second season of playing football at a small lakefront field shared with the lacrosse and soccer teams, workers are busy building out a new $862 million football stadium in Evanston.
Beginning next season, the Wildcats, once the doormat of the Big Ten, may finally have home field advantage over their conference rivals.
After nearly a century at the concrete stadium formerly known as Dyche, and two seasons at the temporary lakefront facility, Northwestern will christen what it believes to be the most fan-friendly major college football venue in the U.S. when the new Ryan Field opens in the fall.
“It’ll be the best place to watch a football game in America,” said Pat Ryan Jr., whose family drove the project and funded the majority of the money needed to build their namesake stadium.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Robert Channick — and get a look inside the stadium.
And here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including what to know about the newest flu variant, Brad Biggs’ weekly Bears mailbag and our picks for New Year’s Eve.
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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson talks to reporters at City Hall after meeting with a group of aldermen to discuss the city budget, Dec. 15, 2025. Also with the mayor are Budget Director Annette Guzman, from left, Comptroller Michael Belsky and Ald. Jason Ervin, 28th. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
Sports betting lobby suing to block Chicago’s new online wagering tax
The sports betting lobby filed a lawsuit yesterday seeking to block Chicago’s new tax on online wagering set to go into effect tomorrow.
The national Sports Betting Alliance sued the city in Cook County Circuit Court, arguing the sports betting tax included in the final 2026 budget passed by City Council this month is unconstitutional. The levy will require a new license for all operators and tax online bets in the city at 10.25%.
Bruce Leon, left, greets Phil Andrew at the start of an Illinois 9th Congressional District candidate forum at Oakton College on Oct. 21, 2025, in Skokie. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
9th Congressional District candidate Bruce Leon dropping out of Democratic primary after AIPAC pressure
A candidate in the crowded Democratic primary to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky said he plans to drop out of the race following a pressure campaign from AIPAC, an influential but controversial pro-Israel lobbying organization.
The development appears to be a boon to state Sen. Laura Fine, another Democratic candidate who supports Israel and seems to have received the interest group’s tacit backing.
Leandrea Hernández, center, comforts her mother, Katrina Smith, left, as they talk about the Christmas Eve fire that destroyed their home in Zion, Dec. 27, 2025. Hernández’s son Aiden Hernández, 13, listens. (Michael Schmidt/for the Chicago Tribune)
Christmas comes late for Zion family who lost their home in a fire: ‘I don’t have the words’
Leandrea and John Hernández started gathering gifts in October. After years of small Christmases on tight budgets, the Zion couple wanted to ensure that everyone — from their four kids to extended family — would be tearing open wrapping paper on Christmas.
That moment never came. On Christmas Eve, a fire destroyed the Hernández family’s north suburban home of the past six years. They lost everything, gifts and all, leaving the family of eight to figure out what’s next while they wade through their grief.
A certified medical assistant holds a syringe for a flu vaccine at a clinic in Seattle, on Sept. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Flu is rising rapidly, driven by a new variant. Here’s what to know.
Some states are particularly hard-hit. New York’s health department said the week ending Dec. 20 marked the most flu cases the state had recorded in a single week since 2004: 71,000.
Chicago police Detective Mike Cronin talks to handcuffed suspects in the back seat of his squad car in 1989. (Michael Fryer/Chicago Tribune)
Michael Cronin, a Chicago police expert on West Side street gangs, dies at 81
Across a 35-year career with the Chicago Police Department that culminated as deputy chief of the narcotics and gang investigation section, Michael Cronin was an expert on West Side street gangs, and he cultivated informants who ultimately helped put behind bars some of the city’s most notorious criminals.
“He had a knack for talking bad guys into flipping on their fellow gang members,” said retired Chicago police Superintendent Philip Cline, now the executive director of the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation. “If Mike was after you, you better surrender because he never gave up until you were in handcuffs.”
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams warms up for a game against the Packers on Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears Q&A: Will Caleb Williams reach 4,000 yards? How can the pass defense be improved?
The NFC North champion Bears close out the 2025 regular season Sunday against the Detroit Lions, needing a victory — or a Philadelphia Eagles loss — to secure the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.
Also at stake will be some individual milestones — including one never reached in the Bears’ 105-year history. The Tribune’s Brad Biggs begins his weekly Bears mailbag there.
Officials keep their eyes on the ball as it sails toward the uprights during the “Fog Bowl,” game played at Soldier Field on Dec. 31, 1988 between the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles. (Bob Langer/Chicago Tribune)
Today in Chicago History: Bears win ‘Fog Bowl’ at Soldier Field — but did anyone really see it?
Fans at Soldier Field on Dec. 31, 1988, settled in to watch a divisional playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles in unexpected comfort. There was bright sunshine, little wind and temperatures heading for the 40s.
Until a sudden slap in the face.
Josh Giddey of the Chicago Bulls celebrates a win against the Atlanta Hawks with teammate Coby White at the United Center on Oct. 27, 2025, in Chicago. (Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bulls believe depth is their greatest strength. But is this roster even that deep?
It’s once again time for the Bulls to employ one of the most crucial clichés in sports: Next man up.
The Bulls were forced to embrace that tenet over the last three months. Injuries defined this season before it even began. So when guards Coby White and Josh Giddey exited Monday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves with injuries and were ruled out for today’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans — joining center Zach Collins, who is out for at least a week with a sprained toe — a sense of frustrated familiarity hung over the locker room.
A baby enjoys the Australian version of “RAIN: for babies and their carers.” (ArtPlay)
Theater’s newest audience: Babies
The doldrums of January can be tough, leaving us feeling trapped inside for weeks on end. That can be especially hard on anyone looking after an infant. A new sensory performance from Filament Theatre, called “RAIN: for babies and their carers,” provides a warm and inviting opportunity to leave the house, baby in tow.
New Year’s Eve fireworks explode over the Chicago River on Jan. 1, 2024, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
New Year’s Eve 2025: Our 20 from ‘Rockin’ downtown fireworks to the concerts and dance parties
The mainstage Chicago event for New Year’s Eve has, for the past several years, been the downtown fireworks — this year to be shared with the nation via the cameras for “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.” But there’s lots more going on tonight.
‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’ will broadcast live from downtown Chicago this year
Chance the Rapper to co-host ‘New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’ celebration in Chicago
Times Square to feature patriotic ball drop for New Year’s Eve
NYE 2025: Chicago-area restaurant specials and drink packages to ring in the New Year
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/31/daywatch-inside-northwesterns-862m-ryan-field/
