Category: News
Lake Forest schools closed on Friday because of frigid weather forecasts
The three local public school districts are canceling classes on Friday due to predictions of frigid weather in the Chicago area.
Officials from Lake Forest High School, as well as Lake Forest District 67 and Lake Bluff District 65, announced Thursday afternoon that classes on Jan. 23 will be canceled due to expectations of extreme temperatures enveloping the Chicago area.
The school districts will not be converting the day into an e-learning day. Instead, the two Lake Forest school districts will now have April 24 as a regular attendance day as opposed to an emergency day.
In Lake Bluff, the last day of school is now set for Monday, June 8, with an early release.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/lake-forest-schools-closings-frigid-weather/
Porter, LaPorte counties likely added to Indiana Crime Guns Task Force in 2027
Porter and LaPorte counties are one step closer to joining the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force after it passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday.
Senate Bill 148, authored by State Senators Rodney Pol Jr., D-Chesterton, and Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, would add Porter and LaPorte counties to the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force.
The task force was created during the 2021 legislative session and there are currently 10 counties on the task force. Lake County was added to the task force during the 2025 legislative session.
The bill was amended in the appropriations committee to state that both counties would be added to the task force July 1, 2027.
“This would help our agencies take part in what has been a fantastic public safety measure that we’ve been able to establish here in the state of Indiana,” Pol said.
State Sen. Michael Crider, R-Greenfield, asked why the legislature has been adding one or two counties to the task force each year instead of opening it statewide.
“They’re doing tremendous work,” Crider said. “You look at the quarterly reports that come out, they are pulling guns off the street and they’re arresting bad guys.”
Pol said the task force would like to encompass as much of the state as possible, and as more counties are added, create subcommittees of the task force.
“What we’re doing is essentially building the groundwork for that statewide approach,” Pol said.
When the bill was heard in the Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee Jan. 13, Porter County Sheriff Jeffrey Balon testified that the department supports the bill.
“Porter County is 100% in favor of joining the task force. I think it makes sense. It’s going to help keep our communities safe,” Balon said.
Balon said LaPorte County Sheriff John Boyd couldn’t make it to the statehouse, but Balon said Boyd told him to share with the committee that Boyd “is on board as well.”
Fishers Police Department Chief Ed Gebhart testified that Fishers was one of the founding members of the task force. In 2025, the task force seized 349 illegal guns in Marion County, which led to 293 state charges and 28 federal charges, Gebhart said.
In Fishers, 555 illegal guns have been seized since the task force was established in 2021, Gebhart said.
“The success kind of speaks for itself,” Gebhart said.
Gebhart said he supports Senate Bill 148 because when the task force was established, it was with the notion that it would expand throughout the state. But, it’s important that the state fund the addition of two more counties, he said.
“We, as a task force, cannot support bringing on these agencies with the current budget that’s set forth now,” Gebhart said.
The bill passed 13-0 from the Senate Appropriations Committee. It moves forward for consideration by the Senate.
akukulka@post-trib.com
Vintage Chicago Tribune: When the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. moved to the city
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. turned his focus to Chicago 60 years ago this month.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner came to the city at the request of Al Raby — then a young public schoolteacher and co-founder of the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations — to assist with the city’s fledgling civil rights efforts.
Though King told reporters he only expected to spend a few days a week here, his presence was significant and even viewed as provocation by some.
Vintage Chicago Tribune: How Illinois became the first state to recognize MLK Day
“He was not very well received by the white establishment and, in particular, by Mayor (Richard J.) Daley who saw him as an outsider, a troublemaker and a threat to his regime,” Jonathan Eig, Chicago-based author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography “King: A Life,” told the Tribune in 2023.
Throughout this year we’ll take a look back at King’s efforts in Chicago and his movements throughout the city. Here’s a look back at January 1966 — King’s first month here — as reported by the Tribune.
Jan. 7, 1966
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., third from left, speaks at a news conference at the Sahara Inn at O’Hare International Airport on Jan. 7, 1966. Sitting at the table with King are the Rev. James Bevel of Chicago, from left, Al Raby of Chicago, the Rev. Andrew Young, of Atlanta, and the Rev. Walter Fauntroy, of Washington, D.C. (Jack Mulcahy/Chicago Tribune)
“I want to announce the first significant northern freedom movement ever attempted by major civil right forces,” King told reporters at the Sahara Inn in Schiller Park near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
King told reporters he was working on a three-phase plan to mobilize the city’s roughly 1 million Blacks.
King planned to target public and private institutions “which have created infamous slum conditions directly responsible for the involuntary enslavement of millions of Black men, women and children.”
Jan. 22, 1966
A crowd gathers outside the Chicago apartment rented by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta, at 1550 S. Hamlin Ave. in Chicago on Jan. 26, 1966. (Tom Kinahan/Chicago Tribune)
After spending time at hotels during his Chicago stays, it was revealed to the Tribune that King would live in a four-room, third-floor walk-up apartment at 1550 S. Hamlin Ave. in the North Lawndale neighborhood. Rent was $90 per month (about $917 in today’s dollars).
Jan. 26, 1966
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta, wave to a crowd after moving into an apartment on the city’s West Side at 1550 S. Hamlin Ave. on Jan. 26, 1966, at the start of his Chicago campaign against segregated housing. With him is Andrew Young, far left, who later became mayor of Atlanta. (William Vendetta/Chicago Tribune)
King and wife, Coretta, moved into their Chicago apartment.
The records of Alvin Shavin, the building’s landlord, were subpoenaed by the Illinois Legislative Commission on Low Income Housing. Shavin was accused of keeping his properties in a state of disrepair.
Jan. 27, 1966
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., left, and O.W. Wilson, superintendent of police, have a coffee break during their conference at police headquarters, 1121 S. State St., on Jan. 27, 1966, in Chicago. (Joe Mastruzzo/Chicago Tribune)
In a meeting at Chicago police headquarters at 11th and State streets with Superintendent O.W. Wilson, King laid out his three-phase plan — 1) educating people about slum conditions; 2) organizing slum dwellers into a union to force landlords to comply with demands at the risk of rent strikes; and 3) mobilizing tenants of rundown homes into an army of nonviolent demonstrations — and said he was willing to risk a jail sentence, but would aim to “persuade rather than to create bitterness.”
King said he chose Chicago for this effort because it was a “typical urban community in the sense that it has the same racial problems of many large cities.”
Want more vintage Chicago?
Become a Tribune subscriber: It’s just $1 for a 1-year digital subscription.
Thanks for reading!
Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago’s past.
Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Kori Rumore at krumore@chicagotribune.com.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/vintage-chicago-tribune-rev-martin-luther-king-jr-moved/
Afternoon Briefing: Jury deliberating in Gregory Bovino bounty trial
Good afternoon, Chicago.
A federal jury is deliberating today in the high-profile trial of a Chicago man accused of soliciting the murder of Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino at the height of Operation Midway Blitz last fall. Juan Espinoza Martínez, 37, a construction worker who has lived in Chicago for years but is not a U.S. citizen, is charged in an indictment with a single count of solicitation of murder for hire, which carries up to 10 years in prison.
After a fast-moving trial that began Tuesday, the jury of six men and six women listened to about two hours of closing arguments before being sent back to deliberate shortly after 12:30 p.m.
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.
Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History
This illustration released by the city of Gary depicts the proposed Chicago Bears stadium and promenade and entertainment district. (Illustration provided by the City of Gary)
Bill aimed at attracting Chicago Bears to Indiana passes committee
The Senate Appropriations Committee passed a stadium authority bill, aimed at attracting the Bears to Northwest Indiana, which means the bill will move forward for consideration by the Indiana Senate. Read more here.
More top news stories:
CPS cancels class tomorrow due to extreme cold
Man found guilty of murdering Cook County judge in 2017
Alison Lindburg, Aurora’s director of sustainability, speaks during an event held to launch the city’s CEJA Workforce Development Hub on Jan. 20, 2026. (R. Christian Smith/The Beacon-News)
Aurora looking to create hub for clean energy job training
The city of Aurora has announced it will be launching a new center that will offer job training in green energy-related fields through a partnership with two educational organizations. Read more here.
More top business stories:
Women’s boutique store Francesca’s to close all of its locations, including Naperville’s
US stocks climb again after Trump calls off his tariffs for Greenland
The Mets’ Luisangel Acuña slides safely into home on a sacrifice fly against the Yankees on May 17, 2025, in New York. (Noah K. Murray/AP)
A closer look at Luisangel Acuña and Truman Pauley, the new Chicago White Sox acquired in Luis Robert Jr. deal
Luisangel Acuña had been on the Chicago White Sox’s radar for a long time. General manager Chris Getz described the infielder/outfielder as “a young, exciting player that plays all over the diamond, a strong defender, an elite defender, elite base runner, can make contact, very strong instincts for the game.” Read more here.
More top sports stories:
Ben Johnson on his Chicago Bears assistants getting opportunities with other teams: ‘I’m all for it’
Column: Bears coach Ben Johnson already locked in on 2026. ‘We go back to square one.’
Via Rosa and Na’el Shehade of Drama before their set at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, on April 23, 2023. (David Brendan Hall for SCNG)
What to do in Chicago: Drama at Salt Shed, ‘Disney on Ice’ and puppets from around the world
The Chicago-based dance-R&B duo Drama lights up the Salt Shed this weekend with new tunes from their just-released album, “Platonic Romance.” Read more here.
More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:
‘Sinners’ makes history, setting Oscars nomination record
Review: No ‘Mercy’ for audiences from this schlocky sci-fi flick
A shopper buys groceries Jan. 21, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee, ahead of a winter storm expected to hit the state over the weekend. (George Walker IV/AP)
Crews spread salt on roads and people stock up on batteries as a winter storm threatens the US
A storm was expected to hit starting tomorrow, stretching from New Mexico to New England and across the Deep South. The damage could rival that of a major hurricane. Read more here.
More top stories from around the world:
Trump rolls out his Board of Peace at Davos, but many top US allies aren’t participating
Trump’s European threats could make it harder for future US leaders to repair ties
Man Charged In YouTube Threat To Kill Feds: DOJ
Man Charged In YouTube Threat To Kill Feds: DOJ
Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
A man from Oklahoma has been arrested for allegedly threatening on YouTube to murder federal agents and other individuals, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a Jan. 21 statement.
The U.S. Department of Justice in Washington on Aug. 7, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
The arrested individual, Taylor Ryan Prigmore, 30, is from McLoud.
“On Jan. 17, the FBI received information from Google regarding several threatening statements made by a YouTube user. The YouTube account holder—alleged to be Prigmore—posted several comments on videos between May 9, 2025, and Jan. 17 threatening to kill Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and others,” the department said.
Last week alone, Prigmore allegedly left eight threatening comments in which he expressed a desire to carry out these murders. He also threatened to kill any law enforcement officers who came to his residence, warning he would take the lives of “as many as possible,” the DOJ said.
A criminal complaint filed against Prigmore at the District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma on Tuesday listed the threatening comments allegedly made by him.
For instance, on Jan. 17, he allegedly posted: “I’m prepping physically and mentally to kill federal agents. Have you not seen the news of late. The nazi’s are winning over here. WWIII is on it’s way, and a great depression is probably around the corner. Our presidents needs to die to save lives. sex slaves, lynchings, rapes, disappearances and murders, are being perpetrated by ICE. In the open now. I intend to kill these people as law has abandon justice here,” according to the complaint.
On Monday, Prigmore was charged with communicating a threat through interstate commerce and was arrested by the FBI, DOJ said.
Prigmore appeared before a judge the next day, and was ordered detained pending trial. He faces $250,000 in fines and up to five years in prison if found guilty.
FBI Director Kash Patel said there will be “no free passes” for people making threats against men and women who wear the badge and protect communities.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi said: “As attacks on law enforcement rise around the country, this Department of Justice will continue to identify and prosecute violent threats against the brave men and women who keep us safe. Hiding behind a screen will not protect you from severe legal consequences.”
The Epoch Times was unable to ascertain whether Prigmore has been assigned legal representation.
Prigmore’s arrest comes amid a spike in threats against federal enforcement officers.
In a Jan. 9 statement, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that its officers have been facing an 8,000 percent increase in death threats, a 3,200 percent jump in vehicular attacks, and a more than 1,300 percent rise in assaults while doing their work.
On Jan. 15, DHS said ICE arrested an illegal immigrant from Cuba who weaponized his vehicle against federal law enforcement officials, ramming into two ICE vehicles. One officer who was in an ICE vehicle in the front seat suffered injuries.
A day earlier, DHS revealed that an ICE agent was admitted to the hospital after being ambushed and attacked with a shovel by a Venezuelan illegal immigrant in Minneapolis.
Immigration Enforcement Oversight
Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s federal immigration crackdown efforts have been criticized by Democrats.
On Jan. 15, a group of Democratic senators wrote a letter to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, asking him to conduct oversight of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions.
The DHS has deployed an “unprecedented” number of federal agents across the country, with these officers having engaged in operations involving “excessive use of force,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter.
The senators cited the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minnesota as an example of the use of excessive force. A phone video of the incident taken by the ICE agent who shot Good shows that when the agent walked in front of the vehicle, Good reversed the vehicle and turned the steering wheel to drive forward.
Vice President JD Vance shared the video on his X account, saying that it shows the agent acted in self-defense.
“Many of you have been told this law enforcement officer wasn’t hit by a car, wasn’t being harassed, and murdered an innocent woman,” Vance said. “The reality is that his life was endangered and he fired in self defense.”
Tyler Durden
Thu, 01/22/2026 – 15:00
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/man-charged-youtube-threat-kill-feds-doj
Putin Puts A Price Tag On Greenland, Appears To Relish NATO Turning On Itself
Putin Puts A Price Tag On Greenland, Appears To Relish NATO Turning On Itself
“This certainly does not concern us,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday at a moment it seems the entirety of the West’s attention is fixated on President Trump’s designs on Greenland. “I think they will sort it out among themselves.”
Putin acknowledged the US and Denmark must ultimately settle the question, but he interestingly hinted his sympathies could be with the US position, given he offered up as a model for resolving the dispute America’s historic acquirement of Alaska. He also offered up some quick math.
He distanced himself from the inter-NATO spat and standoff, presenting some mediation-type advice at a meeting of the National Security Council in Moscow, which he chaired.
Putin explained that Russia has experience in selling Arctic territories to the United States, recalling that the Russian Empire sold the sprawling and resource-rich Alaska peninsula for $7.2 million in 1863.
“At today’s prices, taking into account inflation over the decades, this sum is equivalent to about $158 million,” Putin said. He then said that given Greenland is a bit bigger than Alaska, a similar deal would have seen Greenland priced at roughly $200 million to $250 million.
Factoring in the relative value of gold at the time, he described that the true valuation could be pushed up to “probably about $1 billion.” And he concluded, “Well, I think the United States can afford such a sum.”
On the politics of it, while stressing Moscow has no interest in entering this purely Western dispute, he said, “Incidentally, Denmark has always treated Greenland as a colony and has been quite harsh, if not cruel, towards it. But that is a different matter altogether, and hardly anyone is interested in it now.”
This well-timed swipe at Denmark came in the context of Moscow having long been miffed at the tiny Scandinavian country for its outsized role in supporting Ukraine – even hosting a pilot program and sending fighter jets.
The Russian leader also made passing reference to acquirement of the US Virgin Islands:
He added that Denmark had sold the U.S. Virgin Islands to Washington in 1917 in exchange for recognizing its ownership of Greenland, and that Russia itself offloaded Alaska to the U.S. in 1867.
As for Greenland, Washington and NATO leadership (specifically Mark Rutte) have expressed deep concern over supposed Russian and Chinese inroads in the Arctic region just off the large far northern island.
Putin does math:
Regarding Greenland… well, this doesn’t concern us at all—what happens with Greenland.
But we do have experience in resolving similar issues with the United States in the 19th century, I believe in 1867. As we know, Russia sold Alaska, and the United States… pic.twitter.com/BF8sHjYmwg
— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 21, 2026
But Russia is more likely enjoying this display of disunity within the alliance. Even Reuters has noted, “Moscow has watched with glee as US President Donald Trump’s drive to acquire Greenland has widened Washington’s split with Europe, even though his moves could have ramifications for Russia, which already has a strong Arctic presence.”
Tyler Durden
Thu, 01/22/2026 – 14:40
Middle school tackle football may be coming to East Aurora School District, following board green light
Following a green light from its school board, East Aurora School District 131 is beginning the process of starting up middle school tackle football, with the goal of debuting a program next fall.
At the district’s school board meeting on Tuesday, Superintendent Bob Halverson said that East Aurora hasn’t offered tackle football for middle-schoolers for some years now.
“We really want to focus on trying to build these youth programs out,” Halverson said. “And we wanted to start with the football program here.”
Halverson said a middle school tackle football program would provide physical health benefits, give students “the opportunity … to collaborate” and allow for partnership with the community.
It would also serve as a feeder for the high school football program, a district presentation notes.
And it would help get students engaged, Halverson said.
“We know that our students need buy-in at the younger ages to stay involved, to find the things that they love,” Halverson said. “This is another opportunity for us to foster that.”
It could also have academic benefits, according to Halverson.
“When students are involved in athletics, they definitely perform better (academically), because they’re ready, they’re prepared, they have other goals outside of the academic side,” he said.
Asked about demand, Halverson said he thinks there’s “definitely an interest.” The district’s plan would be to have a single program for all middle-schoolers hosted at one of the district’s middle schools, with varsity and junior varsity options. The tackle football program would be a boys program, the district’s spokesperson confirmed.
In addition to this impending change, the district also recently started a girls high school flag football team, joining a number of other districts in the state that have started teams after the sport became IHSA-sanctioned in 2024.
As for the middle school football program, the district would need to offer tackling training for coaches and meet Illinois State Board of Education requirements, as well as ensure it has safety protocols in place and have updated equipment, Halverson said. Equipment costs would likely be around $6,000.
Tuesday’s vote by the school board was to approve and move forward with the process of finalizing the program, the district’s spokesperson said on Wednesday, with the hopes of starting up in the fall.
mmorrow@chicagotribune.com
Elizabeth Shackelford: Humoring Donald Trump is appeasement, and appeasement is surrender
Most of us learned this lesson in grade school: Appeasement doesn’t stop a bully. It invites only more bullying. The only thing that works is standing up for yourself. It isn’t a guaranteed win. You might still get a bloody nose. But if you don’t fight back, you are certain to lose, again and again.
Europe learned this lesson in 1938, when Adolf Hitler threatened war on Europe unless Czechoslovakia surrendered its border region of Sudetenland. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain infamously led Europe’s negotiations, on behalf of the United Kingdom, France and Italy. He ultimately capitulated, pressuring Czechoslovakia to cede Sudetenland to Germany in return for the promise of peace. That appeasement only emboldened Hitler, and the rest is history.
Europe faces a similar choice today, and the continent needs to admit it. Threatening broad financial punishment or military force if Denmark, a close and reliable NATO ally, doesn’t hand Greenland to President Donald Trump, is not something Europe can negotiate with, even if Trump later walked it back. There is no middle ground here. If Europe does not stand up now, it surrenders.
China understands this lesson. By April of last year, Trump’s tariffs on China reached 145%, but China consistently counterpunched. China not only escalated tariffs on U.S. goods to nearly the same prohibitive amount, but it also introduced export restrictions on rare earth minerals — something the United States cannot live without or effectively substitute from elsewhere. The Trump administration backed down each time within weeks, amid no Chinese concessions. The two major powers have since continued a cycle of trade escalations and truces. Trump keeps blinking and tries to cover his tracks, as things returned more or less to the status quo. One year into Trump’s trade war, his administration is worse off vis-à-vis China than it was before.
Other countries can punch back too. As Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney explained during his powerful and on-point speech at the World Economic Forum this week: “Other countries, particularly middle powers like Canada, are not powerless. … The power of the less powerful begins with honesty.” He added that sovereignty “that was once grounded in rules … will be increasingly anchored in the ability to withstand pressure.”
When Trump claimed he would make Canada the 51st state, Canada didn’t respond by trying to determine how it could make him happier with less. It responded by diversifying and preparing for a world that no longer depended on a southern neighbor it couldn’t count on anyway. Canada has since signed 13 trade and security deals across four continents. Carney’s message is simple: Other countries might not be strong enough to withstand a great power’s bullying on its own, but they are together. “Middle powers must act together because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu,” Carney said. It’s a lesson that U.S. law firms and universities should have internalized too.
Europe needs to relay to Trump that his threats are unacceptable, not negotiable, and it has the tools to do so. Some European leaders called for the use of Europe’s Anti-Coercion Instrument, known as the European Union’s “trade bazooka,” a legal tool established in 2023 specifically to counter the use of economic tools as blackmail. This tool allows the EU to impose or increase customs duties, restrict exports or imports with quotas or licenses, restrict trade in services, and curb public procurement access, foreign direct investment, intellectual property rights and access to EU financial markets.
Europe could also finally impose the tariffs on the more than $100 billion in U.S. goods that it designated after Trump’s “Liberation Day” in April but froze for six months based on negotiations with the Trump administration. That freeze is set to expire in February.
The EU collectively — across public and private sectors — also owns about $8 trillion in U.S. stocks and debt, which is “twice as much of the rest of the world combined,” according to Deutsche Bank’s head of foreign exchange research. This matters, since dumping a chunk of this debt would undoubtedly trigger a financial crisis in the United States — something Trump couldn’t ignore. That would mean significant financial losses in Europe too, but if it were sufficient to scare the Trump administration straight, the continent’s sovereignty would remain intact, and ultimately that’s the whole ballgame.
Some European leaders are still hoping to avoid the worst by offering concessions and buying time. NATO officials are reportedly considering rewarding Trump’s aggression with sovereignty over the land where it houses its foreign military bases. This is a fool’s errand that will only embolden a president who continues relentlessly to storm past the limits of laws and reason precisely because people keep letting him do so.
Some European leaders understand this reality and steadfastly oppose compromising with wrong. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X, “Appeasement is always a sign of weakness. … Appeasement means no results, only humiliation. European assertiveness and self-confidence have become the need of the moment.”
Admittedly, this is not an easy path, but it’s the only choice to preserve sovereignty in Europe. Europeans, more than anyone, should understand that this is no time for Chamberlains.
Elizabeth Shackelford is a senior adviser with the Institute for Global Affairs at Eurasia Group and a foreign affairs columnist for the Chicago Tribune. She is also a distinguished lecturer with the Dickey Center at Dartmouth College. She was previously a U.S. diplomat and is the author of “The Dissent Channel: American Diplomacy in a Dishonest Age.”
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/column-donald-trump-greenland-shackelford/
House Republicans Pass Reconciliation Bill Banning Welfare For Illegal Aliens
House Republicans Pass Reconciliation Bill Banning Welfare For Illegal Aliens
House Republicans passed a sweeping new framework for a second reconciliation bill that would ban illegal aliens from receiving a single dime from taxpayer-funded federal welfare programs.
The proposal, which was led by the Republican Study Committee (RSC) also seeks to reform federal funding allocations to states, ensuring that taxpayer funds are spent solely on U.S. citizens.
Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) emphasized the urgency of the reconciliation bill during a press conference earlier today, saying, “Republicans in Congress can and must go it alone with the second reconciliation bill.”
🚨 BREAKING: House Republicans just filed a new reconciliation bill BANNING illegals from obtaining a dime of taxpayer welfare
Only 51 votes required in the Senate! GET THIS DONE 🔥
It also:
– Ensures only citizens count for purposes of allocating funding to states
– Cracks… pic.twitter.com/EK1HVt8rDx
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 13, 2026
Hamadeh spoke of how the framework “is all about making life affordable again for the American people” and seeks to put the American worker first.
He added, “It prevents illegal immigrants from obtaining all government handouts, cracks down on rampant fraud like the abuse and mess that we’ve seen in Democrat states like Minnesota, and reforms funding so only citizens count when they’re doling out federal funds to the states.”
The Arizona congressman also noted that he and his colleagues “didn’t run for office to continue the status quo” and described the primary goals of the measure, saying, “This is our moment to flip the script, restore balance for the American people, and put power back in your hands—not bureaucrats, foreign nationals, or illegal immigrants.’
The measure only requires a simple majority of 51 votes in the U.S. Senate in order to pass.
The emphasis on prioritizing American citizens in federal spending could spell budget trouble for states like California that rely on federal funds to serve illegal aliens and mixed-status families.
The bill, introduced as H.R. 1, builds on the first reconciliation package passed in 2025, which included major tax cuts and border security funding.
This latest version focuses on putting an end to what Republicans call “rampant fraud” in welfare programs, implementing spending cuts estimated to save $1.6 trillion over the next decade and codifying former President Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 01/22/2026 – 14:20
Park Ridge City Council committee revisits use of plastic grocery bags in town, likely to ban them at big stores
Park Ridge leaders are a little bit closer to eying a plastic bag ban at large retailers, with the City Council expected to decide on the issue next month or in March.
At the Park Ridge Committee of the Whole Meeting Tuesday, city leaders revisited the topic, generally agreeing on a ban of the ubiquitous plastic grocery at stores in the city that are 7,500 sq. feet or larger, a move aimed at improving the town by reducing plastic waste.
A handful of residents also spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting in favor of banning point-of-sale plastic bags. But, for now, it’s all just discussion. The city has been debating a ban since late last summer. Jan. 20
The ban would not affect deli or produce bags. And, only nine stores in Park Ridge would be affected – its grocery stores, along with the town’s Walgreens, Ace Hardware, and Wheel and Sprocket. Paper bags would not be affected.
City leaders reported that they reached out to major supermarkets multiple times, but never heard back, though some smaller stores did express support for the ban. John Scopelliti, a city planner, said the store management he spoke with asked for a rollout period of up to six months and members of the City Council appeared agreeable to that.
Lauren Rapisand said she supported the ban and added that a citywide education effort should be included in the effort.
“(The yet-unintroduced ordinance) basically bans or prohibits plastic bags, it does not charge a fee,” Community Preservation and Development Director Drew Awsumb explained at the meeting Tuesday.
He said charging a fee or tax on bags got too complicated, and retailers seemed to think a switch to paper bags was easier.
“I moved to Park Ridge in 2023 from the New York City area where plastic bags have been gone for many years,” said Kelly Delaney. “They feel a little bit like a relic, especially for a town that is so environmentally conscious.”
She said when New York City banned the bags, she could feel a difference.
“It does feel like a pretty straightforward change with a really big impact,” she said.
Andrea Cline, chair of the city’s Sustainability Commission, added to the support.
“Plastic is found in every part of the world and every part of the body including in our brains,” Cline said. “It’s a real problem and a real health concern. … Our wastewater treatment plants have no way to filter microplastics out. It’s something to think about and I hope you approve this ban.”
Alderman Joseph Steinfels asked Awsumb to bring before the council text of an ordinance calling for a ban on plastic bags.
“I would urge that we start with 7,500 or over,” Steinfels said. “Let’s leave the restaurants out of it for now.”
He did say he’d like restaurants to be “brought into the fold” at some point in the future, though.
Jesse Wright is a freelancer.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/park-ridge-city-council-may-ban-plastic-grocery-bags/
