Category: News
Maduro Describes ‘Cordial’ Trump Call As Senators Reintroduce War Powers Bill
Maduro Describes ‘Cordial’ Trump Call As Senators Reintroduce War Powers Bill
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has very belatedly confirmed speaking with US President Donald Trump by phone late last month amid a huge US military buildup accompanied by Washington threatening war.
The phone call was ten days prior, but Maduro on Wednesday said he decided to speak about his “cordial” call with Trump as he wished to avoid “microphone diplomacy” at a moment international reports are ripe with speculation over the contents of the call.
US Marines of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Source: Stars & Stripes
US media, for example, has widely reported that Maduro and Trump talked amnesty, but this was ultimately rejected by the US side after Maduro attacked certain conditions to the transfer of power in Caracas.
Speaking to state-run Venezolana de Television, Maduro described, “I don’t like diplomacy with microphones; when there are important matters, they must be handled quietly until they are resolved!”
He further welcomed that the call may have been a step towards “respectful dialogue” and that Venezuela would always seek peace. But out of “prudence” and “respect” Maduro said he would not divulge further details of the call.
“With the favor of God and our Commander of Commanders, Our Lord Jesus Christ, everything will go well for the peace, independence, dignity, and future of Venezuela,” he said. Notably he did not confirm whether he was offered a safe exit by Trump or some kind of amnesty if he would relinquish rule of the country.
Meanwhile in Washington a bipartisan group of senators have reintroduced a War Powers Resolution designed to prevent Trump as commander-in-chief from unilaterally initiating military action against Venezuela without approval from Congress.
By and large lawmakers have been missing in action, though there has been rising anger and questions on the over 20 deadly strikes on suspected drug boats. However, this has mostly focused on details of which precise orders Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth did or didn’t give.
The measure was brought forward by Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Adam Schiff (D-CA), the latter who also sponsored the earlier version. There was a new name added – Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) – as a co-sponsor.
There’s obviously some degree of urgency given Trump recently said land operations against cartels in Venezuela could start ‘very soon’. Kaine’s office said in a press release that the renewed resolution is privileged, meaning it can be brought to the Senate floor for a vote within 10 days.
Hope for last-minute diplomacy to avoid all-out military action to accomplish regime change?
President Maduro on his call with Trump:
“I received, I had a call and spoke with the President of the United States, Donald Trump.
I can say that the conversation was respectful in tone. I can even say it was cordial between the President of the United States and the… pic.twitter.com/j82IFqjYfI
— Camila (@camilapress) December 4, 2025
The previous resolution was narrowly defeated last month in a 49–51 vote. It was only two Republicans – Paul and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska – who voted in favor.
“The American people do not want to be dragged into endless war with Venezuela without public debate or a vote,” says Sen. Paul. “We ought to defend what the Constitution demands: deliberation before war.”
Tyler Durden
Thu, 12/04/2025 – 12:05
Pakistán asciende a popular jefe militar, ocupará puesto de coordinación
Por MUNIR AHMED
ISLAMABAD (AP) — El popular jefe del ejército de Pakistán fue confirmado en el recién creado cargo de jefe de las fuerzas de defensa, una posición establecida el mes pasado para mejorar la coordinación entre el ejército, la marina y la fuerza aérea.
La oficina del primer ministro Shehbaz Sharif anunció en un comunicado que se había enviado un resumen para el nombramiento del mariscal de campo Asim Munir como jefe del Estado Mayor del Ejército y jefe de las Fuerzas de Defensa al presidente Asif Ali Zardari para su aprobación. El presidente luego aprobó el nombramiento, confirmando el papel ampliado de Munir.
“El nombramiento es por un período de cinco años”, dice el comunicado.
Sharif también aprobó una extensión de dos años para el mariscal jefe de la fuerza aérea Zaheer Ahmed Babar, según el comunicado.
Munir ha ganado prominencia desde principios de este año, cuando Pakistán dijo que derrotó a India en una guerra de cuatro días. Pakistán e India, en ataques recíprocos en mayo, apuntaron a las posiciones militares del otro después de que India atacara objetivos dentro de Pakistán que, según dijo, estaban afiliados a militantes responsables de la masacre de 26 turistas en Cachemira controlada por India.
Sin embargo, ambas partes cedieron después de que el presidente estadounidense Donald Trump dijera que India y Pakistán habían acordado un alto el fuego completo e inmediato. Desde entonces, la tregua entre los dos rivales nucleares se mantiene.
La elevación de Munir se produce meses después de que Pakistán lo promoviera a mariscal de campo, convirtiéndolo en solo el segundo oficial militar en la historia del país en ostentar el título. El primero fue el general Ayub Khan, quien lideró Pakistán durante la guerra de 1965 con India.
La ley aprobada por el parlamento el mes pasado estipula que Munir permanecerá en uniforme de por vida y gozará de inmunidad frente al arresto, una medida que ha suscitado críticas del partido del ex primer ministro encarcelado Imran Khan, que dice que la concesión de amplios poderes a Munir socava la democracia.
El ejército ha ejercido históricamente una gran influencia en Pakistán, gobernándolo durante la mitad de la historia del país. Pero también ha estado luchando contra militantes locales y extranjeros desde 2001, cuando Pakistán se convirtió en aliado de Estados Unidos en la guerra contra el terrorismo, y miles de personas, incluidos soldados y policías, han muerto desde entonces en ataques.
___________________________________
Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Naperville council passes new e-bike age restrictions, fines for parents
Naperville will see new restrictions on electric bicycles and scooters, including age limits and fines on parents, following action at Tuesday night’s city council meeting.
The new rules, proposed last month, were unanimously approved. State law already governs the use of such vehicles, but many suburban communities are adopting stricter rules to govern e-bike and e-scooter usage, citing issues with young people in particular not following the rules of the road.
Similar to state law, Naperville has three classifications for e-bikes: Class 1 low-speed electric bicycles, which are pedal assist and can reach speeds of up to 20 mph; Class 2 low-speed electric bicycles, which are both pedal assist and throttle and have a maximum speed of up to 20 mph; and Class 3 low-speed electric bicycles, which are pedal assist and can reach speeds of up to 28 mph.
According to state law, riders must be at least 16 to ride a Class 3 e-bike, but under the new Naperville ordinance, riders must be at least 16 to ride any e-bike in Naperville regardless of classification.
Parents whose children are caught violating the local law could be fined between $100 to $500, and each day a violation continues constitutes a separate offense, according to the new rules. The city can also impound e-bikes or e-scooters.
Other new rules for e-bikes include the prohibition of Class 3 e-bikes on multiuse paths. Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes are allowed but cannot exceed a speed limit of 15 mph. Beyond that, e-bikes can be used on roadways and bike lanes, with Class 3 e-bikes only allowed on designated bike lanes.
State law also regulates low-speed e-scooters, limiting them to a maximum speed of 10 mph and prohibiting them on roadways where the speed limit is 35 mph or higher. Riders must be at least 18. Similar to e-bikes, e-scooters can only be used on multiuse paths at a maximum speed of 15 mph in Naperville. They may be ridden on bike lanes and roadways with a speed limit of 35 mph.
Other vehicles like dirt bikes, motor-driven cycles, minibikes and pocket bikes are prohibited on all public streets, sidewalks and multiuse paths in Naperville unless titled and registered as motor vehicles and operated pursuant to state law, according to the new regulations.
“It is not just our young riders that are creating hazards,” Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres said. “We had a crash in the downtown a couple weeks ago where the rider wasn’t a young teen on a sidewalk on an e-bike. I would say more problems than not are the young riders but I would hate to label this just a young riders problem.”
The Class 3 e-bike ban on multiuse paths received some pushback at the Tuesday council meeting, with one Naperville resident arguing that the restriction for multiuse paths does not necessarily enhance safety.
“The bike that I ride now can go as fast as a Class 3 e-bike,” said Dick Page, who was considering buying a Class 3 e-bike. “So I really don’t see how safety is enhanced in this case of not allowing Class 3 e-bikes on the trail when there are plenty of other bikes that can do the exact same thing — non e-bikes — and they would still be there.”
In response to this concern, Arres said the majority of multiuse paths in Naperville are under forest preserve or Naperville Park District jurisdiction. The park district, as well as the forest preserve districts for DuPage and Will Counties, already ban Class 3 e-bikes from their trails. Part of the purpose of the new city ban is to have consistency between all multiuse paths in Naperville.
“(Twenty-eight) miles an hour, while it doesn’t seem like a lot, is still significantly faster than 20 mph,” Chief Arres said. “I don’t think you can underestimate that speed.”
Confusion between municipalities regarding local restrictions is not new, with biking advocate previously raising concerns about the myriad of local laws in different suburbs and the inconsistencies between them. City Manager Doug Krieger noted at the meeting that other municipalities are increasingly banning Class 3 e-bikes from multiuse paths.
“I think given the issue of how many other jurisdictions are setting this exact rule, if we have something different, I just don’t know how that works in practice,” Councilman Ian Holzhauer said. “I think anytime you’re implementing a safety regulation, there’s some level of difficulty drawing a line.”
That said, e-bike fatalities around the metropolitan area show that safety regulations are critical, Holzhauer said.
“But taking a step back, the overall purpose of the regulation is we have evidence around the metropolitan area that there are fatalities that are happening at an alarming rate, particularly from children who are riding these vehicles and getting into pretty gruesome accidents,” Holzhauer said. “The hope here is we don’t see that in Naperville, that we save some lives tonight.”
cstein@chicagotribune.com
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/04/naperville-e-bike-scooter-regulations-rules/
State/Lake ‘L’ station to close Jan. 5 for demolition, construction
The State/Lake ‘L’ station in the Loop will close starting Jan. 5, the Chicago Department of Transportation said Thursday.
The 120-year-old CTA station, one of the system’s most heavily used, will be demolished and reconstructed as part of a massive rebuild the city says will “improve safety, accessibility, and comfort for all riders.”
The new station is not expected to open until 2029.
Throughout construction, the city said, Brown, Green, Orange, Pink and Purple Line Express trains won’t stop at State/Lake. Riders can use nearby stations at Washington/Wabash and Clark/Lake, the city said, as well as the Lake Red Line subway station, which will remain open.
The rebuild will also impact Loop drivers. Starting Dec. 8, eastbound Lake Street between State Street and Wabash Avenue will have intermittent closures during off-peak hours, CDOT said. Starting Jan. 5, Lake St. will be limited to local traffic only between Dearborn Street and Wabash.
An existing southbound closure on State Street will be extended from Wacker Drive to Washington Street. Meanwhile, all lanes will open on northbound State to help mitigate congestion, the city said.
When the new station opens, it will feature elevators for ADA accessibility and wider platforms.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/04/state-lake-l-station-demolition/
USDA Will Withhold SNAP Funds From 21 States That Refused To Provide Data
USDA Will Withhold SNAP Funds From 21 States That Refused To Provide Data
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins says she will be moving to stop federal funding to 21 non-compliant states that have refused to provide data from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
In February, the Trump administration had asked all states to provide their SNAP data to the federal government as part of the administration’s efforts to root out waste and fraud in the welfare program.
29 mostly Republican-led states provided the data and revealed 500,000 cases of duplicate benefits as well as 186,000 deceased individuals’ Social Security numbers in use.
But 21 mostly Democrat-led states, including California, Minnesota and New York, have dug in their heels and refused to provide the information, citing concerns over privacy.
Secretary Rollins told reporters that if a state refuses to share data on criminal use of SNAP benefits, “it won’t get a dollar of federal SNAP administrative funding.”
NO DATA, NO MONEY — it’s that simple.
If a state won’t share data on criminal use of SNAP benefits, it won’t get a dollar of federal SNAP administrative funding.
Let’s see which states stand for accountability and which are just protecting their bribery schemes. 🤔💸 pic.twitter.com/Y1UXXDOoao
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) December 2, 2025
Rollins said that cooperation is needed from all states in order to root out fraud in the SNAP program and that action is impending for those states that refuse to provide names and immigration status of aid recipients.
Speaking at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Rollins said, “We asked for all the states for the first time to turn over their data to the federal government to let the USDA partner with them to root out this fraud, to make sure that those who really need food stamps are getting them, but also to ensure that the American taxpayer is protected.”
Rollins accused former president Joe Biden of trying to “buy an election” by ramping up food stamp funding by 40% last year.
Roughly 42 million recipients currently use SNAP benefits to help buy their groceries, at an annual cost to taxpayers of nearly $100 billion a year.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 12/04/2025 – 11:45
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/usda-will-withhold-snap-funds-21-states-refused-provide-data
La policía en España arresta a 11 por explotación laboral de inmigrantes
Associated Press
MADRID (AP) — La policía española anunció el jueves el desmantelamiento de una red criminal vinculada al contrabando de 300 trabajadores traídos al país, en su mayoría procedentes de Nepal.
Los trabajadores fueron colocados ilegalmente en granjas del centro y este de España.
La policía arrestó a 11 personas y está investigando a otras dos. Un total de 322 personas, la mayoría de Nepal, se encontraban entre las víctimas. De ellas, 294 carecían de la documentación adecuada para vivir y trabajar en España.
En un comunicado, la policía dijo que la mayoría de los contrabandeados ingresaron con visas de turista, incluidas las de otros países dentro del llamado espacio Schengen de la Unión Europea, que está compuesto por 25 de los 27 países miembros de la UE, además de Liechtenstein, Islandia, Noruega y Suiza.
Una vez en España, los trabajadores fueron reclutados y trasladados a varias partes del país, donde se les negaron sus derechos laborales, según la policía.
En un video publicado por la policía española, decenas de personas estaban sentadas lado a lado sobre colchones alineados en una habitación oscura y mal iluminada.
La policía dijo que la red criminal organizó el alojamiento de las víctimas en Albacete, en el sureste de España. Estaban hacinados en habitaciones con mala ventilación y acceso limitado a baños en “condiciones de vida completamente indignas e inhumanas”, según la policía.
Desde ese lugar, supuestamente eran transportados diariamente a las granjas. Los viajes se realizaban en furgonetas, algunas de las cuales no cumplían con las normas de seguridad, dijo la policía, añadiendo que en una ocasión un ciudadano nepalí murió en un accidente de tráfico.
La policía alega que en muchos casos las víctimas empleadas por la red criminal no recibieron pago por meses de trabajo, además de recibir comidas muy básicas.
Según el Banco Mundial, más del 20% de los 30 millones de habitantes de Nepal viven en la pobreza.
______
Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Director de cine iraní planea regresar a su país pese a amenaza de cárcel
Por SAM METZ y MOSA’AB ELSHAMY
MARRAKECH, Marruecos (AP) — El aclamado director de cine iraní Jafar Panahi afirmó el jueves que planea regresar a su país después de la gira con su nueva película, “Fue solo un accidente”, y que nunca ha contemplado el exilio a pesar de la amenaza de prisión que enfrenta en Irán.
Un tribunal en Teherán lo sentenció a un año de prisión en ausencia a principios de esta semana y también le impuso una prohibición de salir del país por dos años por “actividades de propaganda contra el sistema”, según su abogado Mostafa Nili en una publicación en X. Nili dijo que apelaría el fallo.
La sentencia fue dictada mientras “Fue solo un accidente” recibía tres premios en los Gotham Awards de la ciudad de Nueva York, a los que Panahi asistió antes de volar a Marruecos.
“Sé que las películas que hago no agradan al gobierno, pero eso no es razón para dejar mi país”, dijo a una audiencia en el Festival Internacional de Cine de Marrakech el jueves.
“Mi país es donde puedo respirar, donde puedo encontrar una razón para vivir y donde puedo encontrar la fuerza para crear”, agregó, indicando que regresaría a Irán después de que su gira termine el próximo año.
Panahi es uno de los directores contemporáneos iraníes más celebrados y ha continuado haciendo películas a pesar de haber sido encarcelado repetidamente, prohibido de viajar y puesto bajo arresto domiciliario por las autoridades iraníes durante los últimos 20 años.
Filmó “Fue solo un accidente” clandestinamente en Irán tras una estancia de siete meses en prisión que solo terminó en 2023 una vez que inició una huelga de hambre.
La película es un drama de venganza sobre el sistema penitenciario de Irán, basado en historias que Panahi escuchó mientras cumplía condena en la notoria prisión de Evin en Teherán por cargos similares a los más recientes. Sigue a un hombre que cree haber visto a su antiguo captor y torturador.
El hombre inicialmente planea enterrar vivo a su supuesto torturador, pero en su lugar decide confirmar su sospecha llevándolo, encerrado en la parte trasera de su furgoneta, a otros ex prisioneros para determinar si debe prevalecer la venganza o el perdón.
“Fue solo un accidente” ha generado rumores de Oscar como la entrada de Francia en la categoría de Mejor Película Internacional y ganó la Palma de Oro en el Festival de Cine de Cannes en septiembre.
“Solo tengo un pasaporte. Es el pasaporte de mi país, y deseo conservarlo. Aunque se me dio la oportunidad, incluso en los años más difíciles, nunca consideré dejar mi país y convertirme en refugiado en otro lugar”, declaró Panahi.
“He estado trabajando día y noche en esta campaña para el Oscar durante más de tres meses”, apuntó. “Y sí, como mencionaste, esta sentencia llegó en medio del proceso. Pero terminaré esta campaña y regresaré a Irán lo antes posible.”
___________________________________
Metz reportó desde Rabat, Marruecos.
___________________________________
Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Dollar General Soars Most In Six Months As Cash-Strapped Consumers Flock To Value
Dollar General Soars Most In Six Months As Cash-Strapped Consumers Flock To Value
Dollar General shares jumped the most in six months following a quarterly earnings beat and an upward revision to full-year guidance, reflecting continued momentum from value-seeking, cash-strapped consumers.
Dollar General posted a strong quarter, with third-quarter EPS of $1.28, beating last year’s .89 cents and coming in well above the Bloomberg consensus estimate of .94 cents. Same-store sales rose 2.5%, also ahead of BBG expectations, driven entirely by higher traffic (+2.5%) while average ticket remained flat. Gains were broad-based across consumables, seasonal, home, and apparel.
Here’s a snapshot of the third quarter (courtesy of Bloomberg):
EPS: $1.28 vs. $0.89 y/y, estimate $0.94
Net sales: $10.65 billion, +4.6% y/y, estimate $10.62 billion
Comparable sales: +2.5% vs. +1.3% y/y, estimate +2.47%
Gross margin: 29.9% vs. 28.8% y/y, estimate 29.5%
SG&A as % of revenue: 25.9% vs. 25.7% y/y, estimate 26.4%
Operating profit: $425.9 million, +32% y/y, estimate $328.1 million
Dollar General also lifted its FY25 outlook:
Sees comparable sales +2.5% to +2.7%, prior +2.1% to +2.6%, estimate +2.5% (Bloomberg consensus)
Sees EPS $6.30 to $6.50, prior $5.80 to $6.30, estimate $6.12
Sees net sales +4.7% to +4.9%, prior +4.3% to +4.8%
Sees capital expenditure at the low end of $1.3 billion to $1.4 billion, unchanged, estimate $1.39 billion
Still sees an effective tax rate of about 23.5%
In markets, DG shares surged nearly 11% – the biggest jump since early June. The stock had been down as much as 73% from its 2022 highs as high interest rates crushed lower-income consumer activity, but the rebound is now well underway. DG suddenly looks like a name to watch heading into next year.
Goldman Sachs Managing Director Kate McShane is “Buy” rated on Dollar General with a 12-month price target of $126 …
Here’s what other Wall Street analysts are saying:
Bernstein, outperform (Zhihan Ma)
This is another “strong beat and raise” from Dollar General, with gross margin outperformance (up 110bps y/y) the key driver amid shrink recovery, higher inventory markups, partly offset by LIFO charges
NOTE: “Shrink” in retail refers reduced inventory due to theft, damage or other causes of product loss before it is sold to the consumer
Ma notes that comp. sales were “entirely led by traffic growth while ticket was flat”
“We don’t expect outsized comp sales growth from DG, like what Five Below reported yesterday, as DG doesn’t benefit nearly as much from tariff-driven price increases or Temu’s pullback,” she says
For DG, she sees further gross margin recovery potential into FY26
“Jury is still out on the retail media growth potential,” which she hasn’t assigned any value to
Bloomberg Intelligence, Jennifer Bartashus
“Dollar General’s efforts to improve operations by executing well on retail basics like clean stores, in-stock levels and sufficient labor are gaining traction with core and higher- income trade-down shoppers,” though it remains to be seen whether those new customers will stick, Bartashus writes
Gains in both consumable and discretionary categories in 3Q enabled the retailer to boost annual sales and profit forecasts
Jefferies (buy), Corey Tarlowe
This is a “clean beat” on both top- and bottom-line, driven by better‑than‑expected margins and “steady traffic gains”
Boosted guidance signals “confidence in holiday execution and continued market share gains across both departments”
Inventory discipline is “notable”
“Near term, the story strengthens on operational leverage and improved cost efficiency,” while longer term, “store growth and remodel productivity provide visibility into sustained EPS growth”
“The Company is raising its financial expectations for the year, primarily to reflect its outperformance in the third quarter, as well as its improved outlook for the remainder of the year, while also taking into consideration the potential for uncertainty related to consumer behavior,” Dollar General wrote in a press release.
Important to note: Dollar General’s customer base is primarily lower- to middle-income households that have been trapped in the K-shaped economy so far this year, still dealing with lingering woes from the Biden-Harris regime years. The third-quarter beat and rosier outlook suggest improvement within these cohorts as value-seeking consumers continue to trade down.
This previous earnings season revealed that consumers are aggressively hunting for deals:
TJ Maxx Hikes Outlook As Consumers Trade Down In Ominous Economic Signal
And there is good news for working-poor households heading into next year:
As K-Shaped Consumer Breakdown Widens, Bessent Points To Brighter 2026
And Walmart remains the discount retailer consumers gravitate to most.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 12/04/2025 – 11:25
Hobart woman gets 30 years in daughter’s neglect death
A Hobart woman got 30 years Thursday in a plea deal for her daughter’s neglect death.
Tiffany Jenkins, 34, pleaded guilty in September to neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony.
Judge Salvador Vasquez rejected her first plea agreement in May for 20 years saying it was too lenient.
When Jenkins wept during that hearing, Vasquez said she failed the child.
“She should be crying,” he said.
Police responded at 6:30 p.m. June 4, 2023, to the 600 block of Harvest Court in Crown Point for an unresponsive 2-year-old child.
A toxicology report found Avia Jenkins had fentanyl in her system. An autopsy noted she had congested lungs with “foamy fluid” in her nose and mouth.
Paramedics tried to give the child naloxone to counteract the drugs.
Officers found the girl lying in a hallway. She didn’t have a pulse and was “cold” to the touch.
Tiffany said she might have swallowed “mint extract,” or something similar, the affidavit states.
The mother’s DCS drug test was positive for drugs, including cocaine, THC and fentanyl. The case worker noted she was “mentioned” in 28 case files.
Post-Tribune archives contributed.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/04/hobart-woman-gets-30-years-in-daughters-neglect-death/
Repaving just the beginning for Waukegan corridor project: ‘The number one complaint we were getting’
Resurfacing of Washington Street in Waukegan, between Frolic and Park avenues, is nearly complete after months of work and planning for major changes to the roadway.
The project will significantly enhance mobility for motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and public transportation users, with improvements scheduled to begin early next year.
Though planning will start in 2026, Mayor Sam Cunningham said the search for potential grant funding and the necessary engineering work, which must precede the start of any construction, puts completion of the Washington Street Corridor project years away.
Spending $5.2 million to resurface Washington Street now was a necessity even though Cunningham said the Washington Street Corridor project, which is estimated to cost in the neighborhood of $25 million, may be done in as little as five years or as long as 10 years.
“The road was in such disrepair it had to be done right now,” Cunningham said, referring to the resurfacing project. “The condition of Washington Street was the number one complaint we were getting from residents.”
Formal planning for the Washington Street Corridor Project from Green Bay Road to the Metra railroad station is expected to start in early 2026, which, when done, will complement plans for downtown Waukegan and the lakefront.
Crews work on the Washington Street resurfacing project while Waukegan officials begin to plan a much bigger effort for the roadway, one of the city’s major thoroughfares. (City of Waukegan)
“It will be a game-changer for pedestrians who will be able to walk to our lakefront,” Cunningham said. “This could be a 10-year project. It will help rebuild Waukegan.”
With more than one way to secure funding through grants or federal programs where the U.S. government pays 80% of infrastructure programs and the local governing body adds 20%, Cunningham said the first phase may take several years.
One potential source of funds is the Lake County Council of Mayors. The group is one of 11 in the Chicago area with the ability to allocate money for infrastructure projects. Cunningham said it is part of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP).
“We plan to submit the project in 2026 for 2027 funding,” he said. “There is an annual allocation from CMAP. This may have to be a multiyear plan. Some of them take several years.”
Nearing completion, the Washington Street resurfacing project is just the beginning of the forthcoming Washington Street Corridor plan. (City of Waukegan)
Thomas Maillard, who handles special projects and legislative affairs for the city, said the entire Washington Street Corridor project includes rebuilding the road, a more extensive effort than the current repaving. Water, sewer and other underground infrastructure will be redone as well.
Maillard said the project will be multimodal, looking at how to improve the stretch of road for pedestrians, bicycle riders and public transportation like buses. Intersections will be studied to make changes that add to motorists’ efficiency, like turn lanes and traffic control devices.
“We’re already working on improving the bus shelters on Washington Street,” Maillard said. “This will include sidewalks and beautification of the Robert McLory Bike Path. It may include reconfiguring part of it.”
Once the first phase is done and funding secured, Cunningham said the project moves into Phase 2. It is an extensive and detailed engineering process that enables potential contractors to bid on the effort. Phase 3 is the actual construction.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/04/waukegan-washington-street/
