The federal government is awarding Illinois $193 million next year to support rural health care — money that’s part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but not enough to make up for Medicaid cuts from the measure, state health leaders say.

Illinois asked the federal government for $200 million a year for each of the next five years in its application for the funds. The federal government instructed all states to apply for the same amount, according to the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Illinois will receive $193 million each year for the next five years, according to the state department.

The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced the award amounts for each state Monday, noting that states are getting an average of $200 million in the first year of funding. The largest amount of $281 million is going to Texas, and the smallest amount of $147 million is for New Jersey.

The cash comes from a $50 billion pot of money set aside for rural health care as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law in July. The fund was created amid concerns that rural hospitals, which often operate on thin margins and serve large numbers of patients on Medicaid, could be devastated by cuts to Medicaid funding within the big beautiful bill.

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the new law will reduce federal Medicaid spending by $911 billion over 10 years, according to an analysis by KFF, a nonprofit organization focused on health policy. The reductions are meant to help pay for tax cuts and enhanced border and national security, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

In a statement, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services said that Illinois’ 1.9 million rural residents face barriers to getting care and often have worse health outcomes as a result, with higher rates of conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and infant and maternal mortality. “This funding will be utilized to help bridge those existing gaps,” the department said in the statement.

The department, however, cautioned that, “While this funding will provide support to improve health care access in rural Illinois communities, it will be far from enough to counteract the cuts imposed to the Medicaid program through various provisions in the Trump administration’s budget bill.”

Margaret Vaughn, executive director of the Illinois Rural Health Association, said she’s grateful Illinois will receive the money, but also said it’s not enough to compensate for Medicaid cuts within the big beautiful bill.

“It’s still going to be very difficult for these people to stay afloat,” she said of the state’s rural health systems and hospitals.

Vaughn said she’ll be interested to see the specifics of where the money will go.

The money is meant to help expand care, support workers and promote regional collaboration, according to the federal government.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. called the funding an “historic investment” in a news release, saying it “puts local hospitals, clinics, and health workers in control of their communities’ health care.”

Award amounts to states were determined based on a formula, in which half of the money was distributed equally among states and the second half was based on other factors, including states’ willingness to adopt certain health care policy priorities of the Trump administration.

In its application for the funding, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services said it planned to use the money to incentivize partnerships between hospitals and other providers; increase the use of technology and mobile health services; and expand the state’s health care workforce. Illinois said it planned to invest the money in chronic disease prevention programs, hospital transformation grants, regional training and certification programs, and the expansion of community college programs, among other initiatives.

Nearly 500,000 people on Medicaid in Illinois live in rural areas, according to a letter sent by Gov. JB Pritzker to the federal government in support of Illinois’ application. Of Illinois’ 65 rural counties, 60 have shortages of primary care, 64 lack adequate mental health services and 57 have gaps in dental care, according to the governor’s letter.

“In response to looming federal cuts to Medicaid, Illinois policy makers estimate that over 270,000 residents could lose coverage, and rural Medicare/Medicaid funding reductions may total $6.36 billion — heightening the existential threat to already fragile rural providers,” Illinois wrote in its application for the money.

Illinois Health and Hospital Association President and CEO A.J. Wilhelmi said in a statement Monday that the association appreciates Illinois’ efforts to secure the federal dollars.

“The economic realities our rural hospitals are facing threaten access to health care services for millions of patients,” Wilhelmi said, adding that in recent years, many rural hospitals have had to cut services and, in some cases, close. “The financial pressures from skyrocketing prescription drug costs and the severe workforce shortages in rural Illinois necessitate that these important resources be distributed to hospitals as effectively and efficiently as possible to support the health care and jobs that our rural hospitals provide.”

The $50 billion fund nationally could offset about 37% of the estimated cuts to federal Medicaid spending in rural areas, according to KFF.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/29/illinois-rural-health-care-big-beautiful-bill/ 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/29/daily-horoscope-for-december-30-2025/ 

Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson said his team will be “playing to win” during the regular-season finale against the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Soldier Field.

The Bears and Lions kick off at 3:25 p.m. Sunday. Detroit is already eliminated from postseason contention and has nothing left to play for, but it sounds like the Lions are taking a similar approach.

Asked if his healthy starters will play in the game, Lions coach Dan Campbell told members of the media on Monday that “if they can play, we’re playing.”

The Bears and the Lions last squared off on Sept. 14 at Ford Field in Detroit. The Lions cruised to a 52-21 victory, which dropped the Bears to 0-2 on the season. Since then, the trajectories for both teams have flipped. The Bears have already won the NFC North division, while the Lions will miss the postseason.

For the Bears, a win on Sunday would lock up the No. 2 seed in the NFC. If the Bears lose and Philadelphia beats Washington, then the Eagles would jump ahead of the Bears, who would fall to the No. 3 seed.

Here’s what else Johnson had to say Monday following Sunday night’s 42-38 loss against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif.

1. The final play didn’t go to plan.

San Francisco 49ers players celebrate after Chicago Bears wide receiver Jahdae Walker failed to make a game-winning end zone catch during the final seconds of the fourth quarter at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Santa Clara, Calif. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Johnson said there was “more chaos than you would like” on the final play of Sunday night’s game. The Bears had the ball at the 2-yard line with four seconds remaining on the clock. As Johnson noted Sunday, not everybody on the offense lined up in the right formation, which caused some confusion.

After the snap, quarterback Caleb Williams evaded one would-be tackler and scrambled to his left before zipping a pass that fell incomplete in the end zone.

“I think Caleb did what he could to make chicken salad out of it,” Johnson said.

Running back D’Andre Swift appeared to be open in the flat at the start of the play, but Williams had his eyes farther downfield. Johnson on Monday said, “I don’t see that as a potential option” when asked about Swift on that play.

Johnson pinned the blame on himself after the game Sunday, saying he needed to get the play call in quicker. With no timeouts, the Bears could only do so much about the pre-snap confusion.

“We really needed to line up in the right formation and get the execution of it down to have a chance, in my opinion,” Johnson said Monday.

2. Bears ‘go down swinging’ with hook-and-ladder play, and Johnson’s OK with that.

Chicago Bears running back D’Andre Swift (4) runs the ball before being brought down just short of the end zone in the final seconds of the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Santa Clara, Calif. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

The Bears ran a hook-and-ladder play moments earlier that resulted in precious time ticking off the clock. Williams completed a pass to tight end Colston Loveland, who pitched to running back D’Andre Swift. The 49ers defense did a good job staying home and Swift was tackled in bounds, short of the end zone. With the clock running, the Bears had to quickly get to the line of scrimmage to spike the ball. That left them with only enough time for one more play.

That hook-and-ladder was an easy play to criticize because it cost the Bears valuable time, but Johnson defended the play call Sunday night. Then again on Monday he indicated he liked the call.

“Obviously, I’m not happy with the result,” Johnson said. “Would have loved to score a touchdown, would’ve loved to get it out of bounds. And yet, I think the guys did a pretty good job with the execution of the play.”

Johnson’s offenses in Detroit, where he was the offensive coordinator, and in Chicago have done some unorthodox things at big moments over the years. He was happy with how his players worked on that play throughout the week. The Bears were hoping the 49ers would be in man-to-man coverage, but they were in zone and the cornerback did a good job closing off the outside.

“I’m not going to call a play that I don’t fully believe in that we’re not going to execute at the highest level,” Johnson said. “So we’ll always — if we go down, we’re going to go down swinging like that.”

More so than the final possession, the one sequence that Johnson most regretted in the game was his play calling on the Bears’ previous drive, when they settled for a field goal that gave them a three-point lead.

The Bears drove down to the 10-yard line with the clock ticking under seven minutes. The offense, which averaged five yards per carry throughout the game, did not run the ball again on the possession. Williams threw an incomplete pass on third down and the Bears settled for a 29-yard field goal from kicker Cairo Santos with just over five minutes to go.

“Out of that whole game, that field goal drive once we got in the red zone, I wasn’t very happy with how I called that,” Johnson said.

3. No updates on Luther Burden III or Rome Odunze, while Noah Sewell reportedly tore his Achilles.

Chicago Bears linebacker Noah Sewell is carted off the field after an injury in the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on Dec. 28, 2025, in Santa Clara, Calif. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

The Bears typically fly back to Chicago directly after their away games, but they deviated from their routine this week. They stayed in the San Francisco area Sunday night and flew home first thing in the morning on Monday.

Given the travel logistics, Johnson said he had no new updates on the injury front. Rookie receiver Luther Burden III, who led the Bears with eight catches for 138 yards and a touchdown, appeared to injure his left leg on the final play of the game. In the locker room after the game, Burden indicated he was fine.

During the game, linebacker Noah Sewell was carted off the field. The NFL Network reported Monday that the belief is Sewell tore his Achilles. Sewell was expected to undergo further testing after returning to Chicago on Monday.

It remains unclear if second-year receiver Rome Odunze, who has missed four games with a foot injury, will be available for the Week 18 matchup with Detroit.

“He’s right on track with where we have him slotted,” Johnson said of Odunze. “We’ll kind of go through the course of the week here and see what his availability is in terms of practice.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/29/chicago-bears-detroit-lions-ben-johnson-week-18/ 

Sunken Russian Ship Allegedly Carried Nuclear Submarine Reactors Destined For North Korea

Tyler Durden
Mon, 12/29/2025 – 18:50

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/sunken-russian-ship-allegedly-carrier-nuclear-submarine-reactors-north-korea 

For the first time in 20 years, rain could be an intruder at the Rose Parade in Southern California, a venerable New Year’s Day event that attracts thousands of spectators and is watched by millions more on TV.

Storms caused Christmas week flooding, mudslides and other miseries across the region. Now comes a 90% chance of rain Thursday in Pasadena, according to the National Weather Service.

“We try not to say that word around here,” joked Candy Carlson, a spokesperson for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the organization behind the 137th Rose Parade, which precedes the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff game.

On New Year’s Eve in New York City, forecasters are predicting temperatures in the low 30s, which is not unusual, when the ball drops in Times Square. Light rain is possible in Las Vegas, where several casinos will be shooting fireworks from rooftops.

During Nashville’s Big Bash, a New Year’s Eve event at a park, temperatures will be in the low 30s when an illuminated music note drops at midnight in the Tennessee city. New Orleans will be in the 40s for a free concert and fireworks along the Mississippi River.

At the Rose Parade, it has rained only 10 times in the parade’s history — and not since 2006, Carlson said.

Rare wet weather is unlikely to keep floats, marching bands, entertainers and others from participating. Carlson said people riding on floats will have rain gear if necessary, and tow trucks will be standing by in case of mechanical problems.

Spectators will need to prepare, too. Umbrellas are not allowed in parade seating areas that require tickets, though the ban doesn’t cover people who simply line up along the nearly 6-mile (9.6 kilometer) route. Curbside camping — no tents — begins at noon Wednesday. Rain also is predicted that day.

“Last year’s parade theme was ‘Best Day Ever!’ and six days later it was the worst,” said Lisa Derderian, spokesperson for the city of Pasadena, referring to the devastating Eaton wildfire in Los Angeles County. “We want to start the new year on a high note. Hopefully Mother Nature cooperates with the weather.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/29/rain-rose-parade-new-years-day/ 

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said Monday that it had conducted another strike against a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people.

The strike, which was announced by U.S. Southern Command on social media, has brought the total number of known boat strikes to 30 and the number of people killed at least 107 since early September, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration.

The military said the vessel “was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” though it did not provide evidence to back up the claim.

In a video of the strike posted to social media, a boat is seen moving through water before being struck by two explosions.

President Donald Trump has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and asserted that the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.

Along with the strikes, the Trump administration has built up military forces in the region as part of an escalating pressure campaign on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who has been charged with narcoterrorism in the United States.

Trump, when asked by reporters Monday about “an explosion in Venezuela,” said the U.S. had “hit” a dock facility along a shore where boats accused of carrying drugs “load up.”

“There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,” Trump said while meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida. Trump, the White House and the Pentagon have provided no other details.

In December, the Trump administration also launched a new tactic by seizing two sanctioned oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela and pursuing a third. As a result, some sanctioned tankers began to divert away from the South American country.

Maduro has insisted the real purpose of the U.S. operations is to force him from power. Trump for months has suggested that he may conduct land strikes in Venezuela or possibly another country.

The Trump administration has been faced scrutiny from lawmakers over the boat strike campaign. It grew amid revelations that the first attack in early September involved a follow-up strike that killed two survivors clinging to the wreckage of a boat after the first hit.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/29/military-strike-alleged-drug-boat/ 

The interim chair of the Chicago City Council’s Zoning Committee is halting its meetings to try to force Mayor Brandon Johnson to appoint a permanent head of the critical committee.

North Side Ald. Bennett Lawson, who has led the committee since August, said Monday he is no longer willing to serve as its interim chief. He has not called a Zoning Committee meeting for January and said Monday was the last possible day to do so.

The decision stalls progress on potentially dozens of developments that will not be able to come before the City Council for final approval votes next month.

“If I continue to be in the acting role, it kicks the can down the road,” Lawson, whose 44th Ward includes Lakeview, told the Tribune. “I think it’s going to force the issue and bring about a quick resolution.”

Appointing a chairperson for the committee has proven politically difficult for Johnson. It has been complicated by a tangled mix of competing political interests, including the aldermanic Black and Latino caucuses and progressive and moderate council members, all vying for control of additional City Council committees.

The mayor’s initial pick, former Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, resigned while facing bullying allegations from fellow aldermen. It was then left open in November 2023 before Johnson tapped former Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. in September 2024. But Burnett stepped down from the council in July.

While the chairmanship has remained unfilled since, Lawson has filled the interim role — first for nine months when Johnson and aldermen failed to select a successor after Ramirez-Rosa’s resignation, and then again after Burnett stepped down. When Burnett resigned, Lawson publicly stated he was unwilling to remain in the interim chairman role indefinitely.

Johnson said Monday he plans to share a proposal to reorganize the City Council chairmanships.

“I’m confident we’ll be able to land an agreement where people will understand the configuration,” he said. “Am I worried about any sort of delay? I don’t have any reason to be worried about that.”

Asked when he would make his proposal, Johnson only said, “Soon.”

In addition to addressing complex issues related to development, the Zoning Committee also has meetings that typically last at least three hours. With an hourlong pre-meeting and the thorny issues it deliberates — gentrification, landmarking, design restrictions and more — the chairmanship adds a great deal of work for whoever holds it, Lawson said.

“If there isn’t a decision made, I get stuck with the responsibility, which is not insignificant,” he said. “There’s a reason that it comes with a larger staff and a different office space and a seat at the Planning Commission, and, you know, a different seat at the table. That just isn’t happening right now.”

Lawson said he hopes to be selected by Johnson and aldermen to lead the committee. It would be a rare plum role for a City Council freshman, though Lawson previously served as the committee’s chief of staff for four years before becoming its vice chair once he was elected as an alderman.

Johnson sought in September to install as chairman Northwest Side Ald. Daniel La Spata, 1st. But aldermen rejected the mayor’s shakeup and did not place the progressive who leads the Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee in the role.

Complicating the matter: Picking many aldermen would pull them away from other leadership positions and require even more reshuffling.

Ald. Gilbert Villegas has also floated himself as a potential candidate for the role. His ambition became clearer in November when Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, called for a vote that would have suddenly landed Lawson the seat.

“There’s not enough diversity within the most important chairmanships,” Villegas told colleagues. “I’d like to make a motion to strike and insert Ald. Villegas as the Zoning chairman so that way we can move forward.”

But instead of selecting Villegas or Lawson, aldermen decided not to vote for a chair.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/29/north-side-alderman-pausing-chicago-zoning-committee-meetings-to-pressure-mayor-brandon-johnson-to-pick-chairperson/ 

The Pence Mirage: Why The Right Isn’t Leaving Trump

Tyler Durden
Mon, 12/29/2025 – 18:25

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/pence-mirage-why-right-isnt-leaving-trump 

The Chicago Board of Education voted Monday to slightly increase its property tax levy, a move expected to yield an additional $20 million to $25 million for the school district.

Due to a months-long delay in county property tax data, Chicago Public Schools had initially set its tax request below the legal limit. Monday’s vote captured the remaining allowable revenue, bringing the levy — the total amount of requested tax money — to $4.12 billion.

“There’s very few levers that we can pull … to raise revenues,” acting Chief Financial Officer Wally Stock told the board at a special meeting. “It isn’t going to alleviate all the pressure that we have going forward, but $25 million is no small amount of money.”

Because Cook County tax data was delayed until September, about four months past its usual release, the district had to rely on estimates when it passed its $10.25 billion budget this summer.  The delay was due to technical issues with the county’s new data system.

Cook County property tax bills were also sent out late, forcing CPS to take out $1.6 billion in short-term loans to cover overdue revenue, according to Stock. That borrowing has cost the district $33 million in interest, or about $220,000 per day.

Stock noted the extra $25 million from the levy hike could help offset those interest costs. “We know there’s pressure on the budget, with a lot of things that come up during the course of the year,” he said.

Because tax raises compound over time, foregoing the increase would have cost CPS hundreds of millions in future revenue. The impact on the average household is relatively small: The increase on a $250,000 home is estimated at about $8, according to Stock.

CPS is facing significant financial challenges, including billions in long-term debt. The district ended its 2025 fiscal year with -$339 million in net cash, which was $485 million less than the year prior.

“You may ask yourself, ‘Well, how do you exist in a negative cash position?’” Stock said. “Well, we do that by borrowing.”

The district closed a $734 million shortfall in August, in part through refinancing debt and the layoffs of central office staff, custodial workers and crossing guards. Some school services also faced cuts.

“Adjusting the tax levy will help CPS navigate its budget challenges while continuing to support its students and educational programs,” a CPS spokesperson said in a statement.

Despite the district’s financial position, five elected board members voted against the levy increase, arguing that the hike is a temporary fix that disproportionately impacts working families.  This year, the median property bill for residents rose 16.7%, with many South and West Side neighborhoods seeing the biggest jumps.

“The families I represent … across the Southwest Side are already at a breaking point,” said board member Angel Gutierrez, district 8A. “For them, another tax increase is not a budget line, it’s the difference between stability and displacement.”

The district’s ability to raise property taxes is governed by the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law, or PTELL. To protect residents, the annual increase is capped at the lower of either 5% or the rate of inflation, this year calculated at 2.9%. CPS still makes up the largest portion of Chicagoans’ property tax bills.

“This district putting more financial pressure on our families to foot this bill is simply irresponsible,” said elected board member Ellen Rosenfeld, district 4B. “This levy will not solve our underlying structural issues.”

But others pushed back. “We have to do all we can for our students, now more than ever, with federal dollars questionable, with state funding not being sufficient,” said Ebony DeBerry, district 2A. “It’s undeniable that we must do all we can in this moment.”

Sources told the Tribune last week that the resolution was supposed to be up for vote at the board’s monthly meeting, but it was abruptly pulled a few days prior.

School board President Sean Harden told the Tribune the decision was related to “outstanding questions” from board members. But the maneuver also came amid City Council’s high-stakes budget battle — and Mayor Brandon Johnson’s push to cast himself as a defender against rising taxes. Harden was hand-picked by Johnson to lead the school board.

“The board made a deliberative effort to understand the impact this would have on the average homeowner versus the impact of foregoing our ability to bring in revenue to meet students’ needs,” Harden said in a statement Monday.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/29/cps-board-hikes-property-tax-levy/ 

Barrington police are investigating the early Sunday morning burglary of a Cook Street consignment business.

At 5 a.m. on Sunday, six burglars broke down a door at Restyle Designers, 121 S. Cook St. in Barrington. The burglars, who were completely dressed in black with masks covering their faces, ransacked the store. In about a minute, they stole almost all of the merchandise from the business.

According to a news release, Barrington police were alerted to the robbery by a resident who lives above the business after she heard yelling and then saw two cars speed away.

When officers arrived on the scene, they discovered the door had been forced open. They contacted the owner who provided surveillance footage of the robbery in progress, showing the burglars grabbing merchandise. The value of the items stolen hasn’t been determined yet.

Barrington police said in the release that they are working to identify the suspects

The owners of Restyle Designers declined to comment, but shared their reaction to the devastation the burglary caused on Instagram today:

“Our hearts are broken. Early this morning, our store was burglarized and nearly all of our inventory was stolen, years of hard work and trust gone in seconds.
We are devastated, but we are not giving up. This store has always been about community, and our clients and consignors are more than customers, you are our family.
We are grateful to the Barrington Police Department for their prompt response and ongoing assistance.
We will be reaching out to our consignors soon with more information. Thank you for standing with us during this heartbreaking time.
With your support, we know we can rebuild. Please share.”

Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/29/barrington-business-burglarized-over-weekend/