Good afternoon, Chicago.
The Chicago Harbor Lock is expected to see its federal funding cut by more than 90% this year after an effort by Illinois lawmakers to secure more money for the busy stop lock and dam failed.
The Harbor Lock, the mechanism which boats use to travel between Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, is one of the busiest locks in the U.S. The 24/7 operation is run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
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Kristen Boyer and her 3-year-old son, George Boyer, watch as Amelia Gray, a 9-year-old polar bear, swims at Brookfield Zoo on Jan. 8, 2026. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Brookfield Zoo leads effort to protect polar bears as Trump opens Arctic refuge to oil drilling
The usual challenges to studying polar bears in their natural habitat have been further complicated after President Donald Trump in October announced plans to open 1.6 million pristine acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain in northeastern Alaska to leasing for oil and gas drilling. Read more here.
More top news stories:
Chicago weather: How our 2025-26 seasonal snowfall compares with previous years
Geneva, other suburban communities joining forces to represent interests in potential Union Pacific merger
Homeowner Kevin Sherry stands in his condo on Dec. 23, 2025, in a 40-unit Andersonville building from the late 1800s that once housed a Swedish telephone company and map factory. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
As more homes have community associations, monthly fees can make or break an owner’s living situation
Community associations, which include condominiums, planned developments and co-ops, are rapidly increasing in size and number. Read more here.
More top business stories:
WFLD-Ch. 32 meteorologist Mike Caplan and his wife sell Gurnee home for $675,000
Businesses face pressure to respond to immigration enforcement while also becoming a target of it
Derrick Rose takes a quick peek at the United Center atrium, decorated in his honor, prior to his No. 1 jersey being retired by the Chicago Bulls in a ceremony scheduled for after a game between the Bulls and the Boston Celtics on Jan. 24, 2026. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Column: Derrick Rose celebration gives Chicago sports fans what they love most — a reason to remember
Derrick Rose’s moving number retirement ceremony Saturday at the United Center was the latest in a series of reunions of former athletes and coaches, following celebrations for the 2016 Cubs, the Blackhawks’ Cup-winning teams of 2010, ’13 and ’15, and the return of former Hawks captain Jonathan Toews to the U.C. with the Winnipeg Jets. Read more here.
More top sports stories:
Chicago Bears CB Nahshon Wright added to the NFC Pro Bowl roster as an injury replacement
Chicago Blackhawks allow 4 unanswered goals in loss to defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers
Martha Graham Dance Company performs at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago on Jan. 24, 2026. (Jose Calvo)
Review: Martha Graham Dance Company makes a rare Chicago visit — with a timely finale
“Chronicle” premiered in December 1936 in New York. And it closed the Martha Graham Dance Company’s 100th anniversary program, performed Saturday night at the Auditorium Theatre in the company’s first fully produced visit to Chicago in nearly two decades. Read more here.
More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:
Review: Music of the Baroque presents ‘Fathers & Sons,’ crowned by one of Chicago’s own musical sons
Review: In ‘Salome’ by Lyric Opera, devastating excess is the point
This image taken from video provided by WABI television, emergency cervices work on a scene of the Bombardier Challenger 600 crash at the Bangor Airport in Maine, Jan. 25, 2026. (WABI via AP)
Federal Aviation Administration says 7 killed, 1 survived jet crash in snow in Bangor, Maine
The Bombardier Challenger 600 carrying eight people crashed on takeoff at around 7:45 p.m. Sunday night as New England and much of the country grappled with a massive winter storm. Read more here.
More top stories from around the world:
Federal judge hears arguments on Minnesota’s immigration crackdown after fatal shootings
US aircraft carrier arrives in the Middle East as tensions with Iran remain high
