Good afternoon, Chicago.
When Mohammed Abuobaid went to pick up a van for Palestinian orphans to go to school roughly two months ago, he was happier than if the vehicle were his own.
“The happiness felt is like walking in a cloud,” Abuobaid told the Tribune in Arabic, using Refugee Life Foundation co-founder Nader Abuzir as a translator.
The 15-seat 2022 GMC Savana gives about 30 children from the Center for the Protection of Childhood, an orphanage in the West Bank, a safe ride to and from school, he said. The large white van was funded by Chicagoans and others who took part in the Refugee Life Foundation’s Humanity 5K last April.
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Dayanne Figueroa, a U.S. citizen, in her mother’s backyard in Northlake on Oct. 26, 2025. An unmarked vehicle driven by federal agents collided with Figueroa’s car as the agents tried to speed away from a hostile crowd, multiple videos reviewed by the Tribune show. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago woman dragged out of her car after colliding with ICE demands accountability
As Dayanne Figueroa tried to drive through the 1600 block of West Hubbard Street on Friday, Oct. 10, an unmarked vehicle driven by federal agents collided with Figueroa’s as it tried to speed away from a hostile crowd, multiple videos reviewed by the Tribune show. Read more here.
More top news stories:
CPD Deputy Chief William Betancourt, a ‘great leader’ in the department, dies over the weekend
North Central University of Naperville? NCC considers name change as it grapples with brand recognition, identity
Illinoisans react with hope and dread after Venezuelan president ousted
The State/Lake CTA Station in Chicago on Dec. 4, 2025. The 120-year-old station closed Jan. 5, 2026 for construction and won’t reopen until 2029. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
State/Lake ‘L’ station in the Loop closed for 3-year rebuild
The station is slated to get demolished and rebuilt as part of a massive $444 million revamp the CTA and the Chicago Department of Transportation say will “improve safety, accessibility, and comfort for all riders.” Read more here.
More top business stories:
Company plans $58M in upgrades to Waukegan plant
Concerns raised about delay of NIPSCO’s Schahfer closure
Bears running back Kyle Monangai celebrates a first down in overtime against the Green Packers at Soldier Field on Dec. 20, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears’ 1st-round playoff game vs. Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field on Saturday
It will be the first Bears playoff game since the 2020 season and the first playoff game at Soldier Field since the 2018 season, when kicker Cody Parkey missed a last-second field-goal try against the Philadelphia Eagles. Read more here.
More top sports stories:
Can Matas Buzelis take the reins as the primary playmaker for the injury-depleted Chicago Bulls?
Tyler Bertuzzi’s 5th career hat trick lifts Chicago Blackhawks to a 3rd straight win — all in extra periods
College football transfer portal tracker: Illinois signs QB Katin Houser — and kicker David Olano moves on
Owner Michael Hornick, center, talks with customers during the dinner rush at The Chicago Diner during its final day of business at the Logan Square location in Chicago, Dec. 12, 2025. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago’s vegan restaurants struggled in 2025. But the reasons why are complicated.
The Chicago Diner is one of at least four vegan or plant-based restaurants in the city that announced closures in late 2025. And several of them — like the diner on Milwaukee Avenue — had outwardly appeared to be prospering, only to suddenly shut down. Read more here.
More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:
Tickets on sale this week for 2026 Chicago Theatre Week
Critics Choice Awards 2026: The complete winners list
President Donald Trump monitors U.S. military operations in Venezuela, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Jan. 3, 2026. (Molly Riley/The White House via AP)
Trump spurs speculation about his plans for Greenland, Cuba and Colombia after capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
A day after the audacious U.S. military operation in Venezuela, President Donald Trump yesterday renewed his calls for an American takeover of the Danish territory of Greenland for the sake of U.S. security interests and threatened military action on Colombia for facilitating the global sale of cocaine, while his top diplomat declared the communist government in Cuba is “in a lot of trouble.” Read more here.
More top stories from around the world:
Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro says ‘I was captured’ as he pleads not guilty to drug trafficking charges
Man who broke windows at Vice President JD Vance’s Ohio home is detained, Secret Service says
