An alleged drunken driver rear-ended another car Saturday evening in Harvey, causing the second vehicle to run off the road and crash into a house, according to the Harvey Police Department.

Both drivers were traveling north on Halsted Street, near the intersection with 159th Street. Wendall Williams, who was driving a black Chevrolet, rear-ended a silver Toyota, according to the report, which police did not release without the Daily Southtown filing a request under the Freedom of Information Act.

The Toyota went crossed the southbound lanes of traffic and crashed into a house. The report said the damage was more than $1,500, the highest category on the form.

When police arrived, they observed Williams was off balance and slurring his words, according to the report. Williams was taken to UChicago Ingalls Memorial Hospital for treatment and was arrested once discharged.

Williams was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and driving an uninsured vehicle. A court date has been set for Dec. 8.

elewis@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/driver-dui-in-harvey-crash-house-crash/ 

The NFL is excited about the Chicago Bears.

The league on Thursday flexed the Dec. 7 matchup between the Bears and Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field from a noon kickoff to 3:25 p.m. In a corresponding move, the league moved the Cincinnati Bengals-Buffalo Bills game from 3:25 to noon.

The Week 14 game, which will be broadcast on Fox-32, will be the first of two Bears-Packers meetings in a three-week span. The teams also will play Saturday, Dec. 20, at Soldier Field at either 4 or 7:20 p.m.

The Bears lead the NFC North at 7-3, with the Packers (6-3-1) and Detroit Lions (6-4) on their heels.

More Bears news

Bears Q&A: How is this season different from Matt Nagy’s ‘fluky’ NFC North title in 2018?
What we learned from the Bears, including why Ben Johnson isn’t talking about the playoffs
How has Aaron Rodgers’ game changed since the Chicago Bears last saw him? Here’s what the numbers say.
Most Chicagoans want the Bears to stay, poll finds, but don’t want to spend tax dollars for a new stadium
What to know about the Bears’ possible move from Soldier Field to suburban Arlington Heights

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/chicago-bears-green-bay-packers-flex/ 

Marshall Field’s has returned to State Street for the holiday season. It’s been almost 20 years since the brand was just about discarded from its longtime emporium on State Street by the new owner, Macy’s.

This year, however, the retailer is capitalizing on nostalgia to bring shoppers back to the multilevel destination at 111 N. State St. in downtown Chicago. The building’s windows are aglow with animated elves who highlight what the classic department store was known for: iconic clocks, Frango mints, the mosaic Tiffany dome, Uncle Mistletoe and Aunt Holly, and elegant dinners shared with family. The cherished wood-paneled restaurant on the seventh floor is now known as the Marshall Field’s Walnut Room and Field’s fans will recognize the giant green shopping bag at the base of the Great Tree.

Many might wonder, “What took them (Macy’s) so long?” to revive the brand at the flagship. The merchant had been frequented by generations of Chicagoans.

Visitors take pictures in front of the Great Tree at the Marshall Field’s Walnut Room on the seventh floor of the Macy’s State Street department store on Nov. 6, 2025, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Marshall Field’s started out in 1852 as P. Palmer & Co. (as in real estate mogul and hotelier Potter Palmer). An 1854 advertisement for the dry goods store at 137 Lake St. boasted it could “sell goods cheaper than any other establishment in the city.”

In 1865, Palmer brought on younger wholesalers Marshall Field and Levi Leiter, who together purchased an interest in Palmer’s store. That’s when it became known as Field, Palmer & Leiter. After Palmer stepped back from the business in 1867, it was called Field, Leiter & Co.

One year later, the duo opened their first State Street store — inside a building owned by Palmer. When Leiter departed in 1881, it finally became Marshall Field & Co.

Here are highlights from the Chicago retailer’s reign.

Oct. 12, 1868

Marshall Field, circa 1900. (Library of Congress).

Marshall Field opened their first State Street store.

“The attendance of wealth, beauty and fashion which assembled last evening to take the benefit of the grand opening was something unparalleled in Chicago’s history, and the event was one long to be remembered,” the Tribune reported. “One would have thought that the opening last night was an adjourned meeting of the ‘Charity Ball,’ judging from the long lines of carriages, filled with the cream of the avenues.”

Palmer was praised for his idea of widening State Street and constructing a building fronted by Corinthian columns, clad in balconies of marble and richly decorated.

Oct. 11, 1871

The First National Bank building stands in ruins at State and Washington streets after the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. The Field, Leiter & Co. store, which became Marshall Field & Co., lay in ruins. (Marshall Field & Co.)

The elaborate building was destroyed during the Great Chicago Fire, yet a Tribune editorial noted Field and Leiter were ready to “recommence business” just one day after the conflagration was extinguished thanks to inventory that was saved.

A temporary retail store opened on Nov. 6, 1871, in a horse car barn at State and 20th streets.

Another fire on Nov. 14, 1877, destroyed the Singer Building at State and Washington streets, which meant the retailers were forced to rebuild again on the same site. A new complex of buildings arose in the decades ahead.

Nov. 26, 1897

Fireworks fill the sky behind the famous Marshall Field’s clock on Jan. 1, 1980. (Arthur Walker/Chicago Tribune)

An “immense clock, with four great dials” was erected at the corner of Field’s building at State and Washington streets. Covered with ornamental ironwork, it became a landmark at the busy intersection. Another was soon added at State and Randolph streets.

Sept. 30, 1907

Christmas is in the making as decorators working from a three-story scaffold trim the Christmas tree in Marshall Field’s & Co. State Street store on Nov. 20, 1966. (William Yates/Chicago Tribune)

The new State Street store opened one year after Field’s death in New York. He contracted pneumonia during a winter game of golf and is now buried in Graceland Cemetery.

The South Grill Room (which became known as the Walnut Room in 1937) was opened to the public, and the first Great Tree — which was a live evergreen — was decorated and placed there for the first time during the holidays.

The Tiffany dome inside Macy’s on State Street in Chicago on Dec. 14, 2022. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Opulence abounded inside with elaborate interior decorations, merchandise and window displays. But the best piece was above the customers’ heads.

“The new Mosaic Dome of Tiffany Favrile Glass will be unveiled to the public,” an advertisement proclaimed. “This is the largest single piece of glass mosaic in the world, and the first dome ever built of iridescent glass. It is, we believe, destined to become famous among architects, decorators and other artists throughout the world.”

1914

Helen Alexander, of Northwestern University, is at Marshall Field & Co. on Aug. 29, 1928. (Chicago Herald and Examiner)

With the addition of the North Wabash Avenue building to the Field’s complex, the State Street store became the largest department store in the city — occupying a full city block. The Narcissus Fountain Tea Room was on the new building’s seventh floor.

July 1929

Candy makers on Marshall Field’s 13th floor at the State Street store in Chicago make Frangos in Field’s kitchen, circa the early 1900s. (Chicago Tribune archive)

When Field’s acquired Seattle-based chain Frederick and Nelson Co., it also acquired the Frango mint. The mint was originally called Franco, an acronym of the department store’s name.

The mints, which were renamed Frango in 1934 after the rise of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, were minted on the 13th floor of the State Street store for nearly 70 years until the candy kitchen closed in 1999. Minneapolis-based Dayton Hudson, which bought Field’s in 1990, outsourced production of Frangos to a Pennsylvania company over the objections of civic leaders and longtime customers alike.

The popular Frango mint chocolates by Marshall Field’s. (James F. Quinn/Chicago Tribune)

Federated Department Stores bought the parent of Field’s in 2005 and converted the Chicago-area stores to Macy’s. In 2007, Macy’s struck a deal with Chicago-based Cupid Candies, returning some production of Frangos to the city.

The chocolate brand was bought by Garrett Brands, owner of Garrett Popcorn Shops, in 2017.

1946

Freddie Fieldmouse and Uncle Mistletoe are on State Street to introduce children to the holiday spirit as stores began to decorate their windows, including Marshall Field’s, on Nov. 13, 1978. (Ovie Carter/Chicago Tribune)

Almost a decade after Montgomery Ward created Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Field’s introduced Uncle Mistletoe — its toy department ambassador. The so-called “puppet assistant to Santa Claus” with bushy eyebrows and a top hat was an immediate hit.

By 1948, Uncle Mistletoe had his own TV show and daily drew crowds of 250,000 fans, who visited him and his wife, Aunt Holly, at Cloud Cottage on the store’s eighth floor.

1975

Thousands of people jam the Loop on Nov. 25, 1976, to view the Christmas decorations in the store windows, including Marshall Fields & Co. shown here, along State Street in Chicago. (John Bartley/Chicago Tribune)

Holiday shoppers had a new place inside Field’s to recharge: Crystal Palace ice cream parlor.

“The once-drab, third-floor waiting room has been transformed into a pretty, cheerful Gay ’90s parlor, decked out in soft rose pinks and moss greens, glass chandeliers, an apothecary-like entrance, painted Victorian mirrors, hanging plants, potted palms and stained glass arches,” the Tribune reported. “There’s a soda bar with wirebacked chairs, hot pink seats and piped-in period music.”

March 10, 2004

People walk past the Street Street store for Marshall Field’s on the day it was sold, June 6, 2004, in downtown Chicago. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune)

For the second time in less than a year, Field’s was searching for a new owner. Ownership changes had been frequent since BATUS took Field’s over in 1982.

Target Corp. announced it was putting Chicago retailing icon Marshall Field’s up for sale.

Field’s was sold to May Department Stores Co. in June 2004, for $3.24 billion. Then, May’s was acquired by Federated Department Stores Inc. — the parent company of Macy’s — in 2005.

Sept. 9, 2006

All 40 Marshall Field’s awnings at the State Street store are replaced on Aug. 29, 2006, with the Macy’s logo. (Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune)

On Sept. 20, 2005, Federated announced it would retire the Field’s name and rebrand all Field’s stores as Macy’s.

Marianne Nathan, of Oak Park, joins others in protest of Marshall Field’s name change to Macy’s at the corner of State and Washington streets in Chicago on Sept. 9, 2008. The protest came at the two-year anniversary of the name change. (José M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)

The State Street location officially became Macy’s a year later. But, just like the Sears Tower, many locals still call it Field’s.

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/2025/11/20/vintage-chicago-tribune-remembering-the-lore-of-marshall-fields-state-street-store/ 

WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to end its monthslong deployment of National Guard troops to help police the nation’s capital.

U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb concluded that President Donald Trump’s military takeover in Washington, D.C., violates the Constitution and illegally intrudes on local officials’ authority to direct law enforcement in the district. She put her order on hold for 21 days to allow for an appeal, however.

District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued to challenge the Guard deployments. He asked the judge to enjoin the White House from deploying Guard troops without the mayor’s consent.

Border Patrol is monitoring US drivers and detaining those with ‘suspicious’ travel patterns

In August, President Donald Trump issued an executive order declaring a crime emergency in Washington. Within a month, more than 2,300 National Guard troops from eight states and the district were patrolling the city under the command of the Secretary of the Army. Trump also deployed hundreds of federal agents to assist in patrols.

It’s unclear how long the deployments will last, but attorneys from Schwalb’s office said Guard troops are likely to remain in the city through at least next summer.

“Our constitutional democracy will never be the same if these occupations are permitted to stand,” they wrote.

Government lawyers said Congress empowered the president to control the D.C. National Guard’s operation. They argued that Schwalb’s lawsuit is a frivolous “political stunt” threatening to undermine a successful campaign to reduce violent crime in the district.

“There is no sensible reason for an injunction unwinding this arrangement now, particularly since the District’s claims have no merit,” Justice Department attorneys wrote.

Trump’s Guard deployments have led to other court challenges. On Monday, a federal appeals court suspended an order blocking Trump from taking command of 200 Oregon National Guard troops. In September, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration illegally sent Guard troops to the Los Angeles area after days of protests over immigration raids.

In Washington, the Trump administration deputized Guard troops to serve as special U.S. Marshal Service deputies. Schwalb’s office said out-of-state troops are impermissibly operating as a federal military police force in D.C., inflaming tensions with residents and diverting local police resources.

“Every day that this lawless incursion continues, the District suffers harm to its sovereign authority to conduct local law enforcement as it chooses,” his office’s attorneys wrote.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/trump-national-guard-dc/ 

The Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission voted 8-1 in favor of a controversial data center proposal Wednesday evening, marking the fourth and final commission meeting on the topic.

“This has been long, it’s been unlike any case we’ve ever worked through,” Commissioner Whitney Robbins said.

Developer Karis Critical is proposing one 211,000 square-foot, 36-megawatt data center to be built on the 40 acres of land at the former Alcatel-Lucent site at 1960 Lucent Lane, located off the Interstate 88 (I-88) corridor. The request is scaled back from the initial proposal, which called for two data center buildings that would total 72 megawatts.

The area Karis is looking to build their data center is zoned for office, research and light industry use, a category that includes data centers. The area is also surrounded by multiple housing subdivisions. Naperville residents, particularly those in nearby Naper Commons, Danada Woods and Fairmeadow neighborhoods, have been pushing back against the project ever since the proposal came to light.

A petition circulating online in opposition to the data center has gathered thousands of signatures. Similar to previous meetings, Wednesday’s Planning and Zoning Commission once again saw a packed room and tense moments. Some attendees brought their children to the meeting while others held up signs stating “Put kids over tax money!” and “No data centers near neighborhoods!”

This artist’s rendering shows what the Karis Critical data center campus could look like if built at 1960 Lucent Lane in Naperville. It’s proposed for the former Alcatel-Lucent property off of the Interstate 88 research and technology corridor. (Karis Critical)

“We opened (the case) in August, continued through September, October and November,” Commissioner Robbins said. “This wasn’t to rush or delay anything. It was very intentional. I wanted to hear from all of you. I wanted to hear every side of it.”

In their vote on the topic, commissioners acknowledged how emotional the process has been, especially for those who would live near the proposed site.

But for most commissioners, after reviewing everything from noise levels to the 24 back-up diesel generators that would be included with the data center, many felt that the project fell within appropriate use of the land off I-88, which historically has been used for business purposes in Naperville.

“We also must acknowledge the fundamental truth of the I-88 corridor: air quality and noise are not blank slates here,” Robbins said. “This area is already home to unavoidable environmental factors that contribute to the regional air shed. We have high volume traffic on I-88, constant source of tailpipe emissions and particulate matter.”

Other commissioners added that the economic benefits of the data center will bring a significant investment to the I-88 corridor. Karis’ proposed data center for Naperville is projected to generate anywhere between $1.6 million to $2.2 million in annual new local tax revenue, which could make it one of the city’s largest tax generators, according to Russ Whitaker, an attorney representing Karis.

Naper Commons resident Hashem Said holds up a sign in opposition to a proposed data center at the Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025 Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. (Carolyn Stein/Naperville Sun)

Commissioner Courtney Naumes was the sole ‘no’ vote against the data center. While Naumes acknowledged Karis’ efforts – including their stewardship pledge – to address resident concerns, Naumes ultimately felt that the pledge did not do enough to mitigate resource consumption or noise and health-related impacts.

“The general area is comprised of neighborhoods, parks, forest preserves, low intensity commercial use,” Naumes said. “I believe it makes the proposed use out of character and creates potential adverse effects on the nearby properties.”

Other commissioners, however, felt that Karis had done enough to demonstrate that they can responsibly integrate the data center with the surrounding community in a way that minimizes harm.

“I know that change can feel uncertain and uncomfortable, but I genuinely believe that with the safeguards and conditions we have required, this project can co-exist responsibly within our community,” Commissioner Meghna Bansal said.

Concerns over noise levels and emissions from the back-up generators took center stage at the Nov. 5 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, where dozens of people argued that emissions from the diesel generators and noise from the data center would lead to negative health outcomes for nearby residents.

Naperville residents hold up signs during the Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. From left to right: Ken Schmidt, Julian Szucko, Joanne Szucko and Robin Schmidt. (Carolyn Stein/Naperville Sun)

Wednesday’s meeting saw similar discussions. Air quality permitting expert Brian Goldman testified on behalf of Karis, stating that the Tier 4 back-up generators Karis is proposing to install “far exceed” current regulatory requirements. Goldman said the generators are expected to run about 10 hours a year for testing, with additional permitted hours included only as a buffer for emergencies.

Actual emissions, he said, would remain well under legal limits and significantly lower than older equipment operating elsewhere in Naperville, including at Edward Hospital and the adjacent Nokia building.

Goldman’s testimony, it appears, did little to persuade residents, who questioned his findings at the meeting.

“Although Tier 4 diesel technology represents an improvement over older diesel engines, the assertion that a bank of 24 Tier 4 generators is safe simply because it meets EPA and Illinois standards is incomplete and misleading,” Naper Commons resident Asim Babar, a cardiologist,  said.

The proposal will head to the City Council for final approval.

cstein@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/planning-and-zoning-commission-data-center-vote/ 

Good afternoon, Chicago.

Federal prosecutors today abruptly moved to dismiss all charges against a woman shot by a Border Patrol agent after she allegedly rammed his vehicle in Brighton Park last month, marking a striking conclusion to one of the most controversial cases to emerge from “Operation Midway Blitz.”

The motion to dismiss assault charges against Marimar Martinez and her co-defendant, Anthony Ruiz, must still be approved by the judge, though such motions are routinely granted.

The U.S. attorneys office made the surprise move just hours before a hearing before U.S. District Judge Georgia Alexakis where defense attorneys were expected to describe new texts from the Border Patrol agent who shot Martinez and discuss witnesses for an upcoming hearing over what the agent did with his vehicle after the Oct. 4 incident.

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

Border Patrol agents transfer a person to a van after he was detained during immigration enforcement actions in the area on Oct. 31, 2025, in Niles. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Federal appeals court temporarily halts release of hundreds of Operation Midway Blitz detainees

Most of those arrested were originally processed at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in west suburban Broadview, but have since been moved to jails around the country. Read more here.

More top news stories:

Mayor Brandon Johnson calls Blue Line fire attack ‘isolated incident’
Chicago architect Bruno Ast, who designed a memorial for Kent State University shooting victims, dies at 88

Financier and former Fruit of the Loom President and CEO William F. Farley, along with his wife, sold their seven-bedroom apartment in a building at 209 E. Lake Shore Drive for $7.5 million. (Jeff Lowe)

Financier and former Fruit of the Loom CEO William F. Farley sells Chicago apartment for $7.5M

William F. Farley and his wife, Shelley, sold their seven-bedroom apartment on the 14th floor of the cooperative building at 209 E. Lake Shore Drive for $7.5 million — less than half of the original asking price when the Farleys first listed the unit in 2023. Read more here.

More top business stories:

Abbott Laboratories announces $21 billion deal to buy Cologuard-maker Exact Sciences
Verizon is cutting more than 13,000 jobs as it works to ‘reorient’ entire company

Illinois forward David Mirković gets trapped in the first half against Alabama on Nov. 19, 2025, at the United Center. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Column: Illinois could make some noise in March, but it’s not close to being a championship contender

The Illini are seemingly a work in progress. They have a ways to go before they can call themselves serious contenders for the Final Four, even as Alabama coach Nate Oats insisted they are championship material. Read more here.

More top sports stories:

Jeremiyah Love is making his Heisman Trophy case for No. 9 Notre Dame — but can a running back win it?
Chicago Bulls beat the Portland Trail Blazers on another buzzer-beater — but ‘that’s not sustainable basketball’

J’Kobe Wallace, second right, one of the dance captains from the production “A Beautiful Noise,” leads a music workshop with Parkinson’s disease patients, including Sonia Vargas, second from left, and Lamar Johnson, right, that has stretching exercises and choreography at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago on Nov. 19, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Parkinson’s patients get a little choreographic help from a dance captain of the Neil Diamond musical

The cast of the Neil Diamond show “A Beautiful Noise” have been fundraising and pursuing their goal of collecting $1 million to donate to the Parkinson’s Foundation for research. Read more here.

More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:

Review: Lumbering ‘Wicked: For Good’ gets some levity from Ariana Grande
Review: Brendan Fraser connects in affecting ‘Rental Family’

Alek Schott stands next to a Flock Safety license plate reader in his neighborhood in Houston on Oct. 16, 2025. (David Goldman/AP)

Border Patrol is monitoring US drivers and detaining those with ‘suspicious’ travel patterns 

The U.S. Border Patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide in a secretive program to identify and detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious, The Associated Press has found. Read more here.

More top stories from around the world:

Dick Cheney’s funeral brings bipartisan tributes, but Trump was not invited
TSA to introduce $18 fee for passengers without REAL ID or passport at airport checkpoints

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/afternoon-briefing-feds-move-to-dismiss-charges-against-woman-shot-by-border-agent/ 

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle won swift approval of her $10.12 billion 2026 budget on Thursday, calling its passage a protection against President Donald Trump’s cuts.

Preckwinkle made special note of the fact there is money in the budget to expand county Public Defender Sharone Mitchell’s immigration unit, which will get seven more positions next year, bringing it to 15.

By adding more lawyers, county officials expect to be able to represent more clients who are in the midst of the immigration process or facing criminal prosecution and deportation. The unit, Mitchell said Wednesday, has so far represented 190 clients.

Like the last several years, the 2026 budget does not include any layoffs or new taxes, fines or fees. The county has not raised its base property tax levy in nearly three decades. Avoiding those unpopular moves is a political boost for Preckwinkle and board members who are facing primary elections in March.

The budget remains largely unchanged from Preckwinkle’s initial proposal in October. Commissioners will give themselves pay raises, to $102,170 per year from $99,194, the latest such increases tied to inflation that they voted to enact starting in 2022. Finance Chairman John Daley’s salary goes up from about $105,000 to $108,198.

Recent tweaks include roughly two dozen new positions at State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke’s office and new mental health and domestic violence programs. And thanks to the city’s planned record surplus of special taxing district funding, there will be nearly $20 million in new spending on homelessness, food benefits, and help for renters.

Its easy passage and the “collegiality” board members celebrated stood in stark contrast to the budget struggles swirling on the other side of the City-County building, which several commissioners alluded to after quickly approving a series of amendments in the Finance Committee.

Even Sean Morrison, the board’s lone Republican, supported the budget, estimating the county was in the “best fiscal position” in the state thanks to difficult pension fixes funded by a sales tax hike approved in 2015, the decision to refinance hundreds of millions in debt, and a flood of federal dollars hitting Cook County Health. The county has received a ratings upgrade every year for the last four years.

But many expect the following budget to be more difficult. The 2026 spending plan will tap reserves to weather what county officials think will be stormy conditions in 2027 and beyond. Health officials predict state and federal changes could result in an estimated $400 million “negative impact” on Cook County Health.

Reductions in federal Affordable Care Act tax credits could lead to more uninsured patients with limited ability to pay their bills coming to county facilities for care. New Medicaid work requirements that kick in starting in 2027 could lead to an estimated 10% of current enrollees losing coverage.

Eligibility checks for Medicaid patients will also happen twice a year instead of annually, which could lead to another 5% to 12% drop in coverage. Other stresses to the safety net hospital system could also bring in more uninsured patients, leaders have warned.

The county expects to lose nearly 29,000 members in its Medicaid managed care program, CountyCare, next year.

To prepare for that and other looming cuts, the board agreed to move some of the nearly $1 billion sitting in the county’s “unassigned” reserves. $65 million will go into a “grant risk mitigation fund” in case the Trump administration scales back federal grants and $55 million would go to a pension reserve.

Nearly $200 million will help make up for money the county expects to lose thanks to a lawsuit first brought by the Illinois Roadbuilders in 2018. A judge is scheduled to rule in early December about whether the county improperly spent money that should have been used on transportation projects. The county spent some of that money on public safety offices they argued helped enforce traffic laws.

Cook County state’s attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke speaks to Cook County commissioners during her 2026 budget hearing in the Cook County Board room in the County Building on Oct. 29, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Elsewhere in the budget, State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke won budget tweaks to add ten positions to an “in-house digital forensics unit” she argued was sorely needed for attorneys to skim through reams of video evidence. That is paid for with a reroute of money set aside for capital projects. Six other new technology positions and eight victim witness specialists assigned to domestic violence cases in the office were also added in amendments.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plans to sweep roughly $1 billion from the city’s tax increment financing districts would deliver an additional $19.9 million windfall to the county. If that money comes through, commissioners voted to spend $5.8 million on help for renters in court; $4.1 million on homeless services and $10 million on food access. Another half a million dollars from Stroger Hospital’s budget will go to hosting community mental health forums for young people in suburban districts.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/cook-county-budget-2026-holds-line-taxes-fees-federal-cuts/ 

People who drive along Randall Road in Elgin have most likely already seen the Colorado blue spruce that Elgin was putting up as its holiday tree on Thursday along DuPage Court downtown.

Since the early 1990s, the 55-foot-tall evergreen has stood off the northwest corner of Randall and Highland Avenue by the illuminated sign for Journey of Hope United Methodist Church.

“My son, Web, was a little guy back then. He and I and (the late) Chuck Stettner (cq) planted it there one fall,” Jim Eby said.

Workers from BrightVIew Landscape Development and La Grange Crane Service Thursday morning, removed a portion of a 55-foot-tall Colorado blue spruce tree from the Journey of Hope United Methodist Church property at the northwest corner of Randall Road and Highland Avenue in Elgin. The tree was being taken to Du Page Court in downtown Elgin, where it will be set up and decorated for the holidays. Crews would return to take out the remainder of the tree, city officials said. (Mike Danahey/ for the Elgin Courier-News.)

Eby worked for the Bartlett Park District at the time. He won the tree, which came from a now-closed nursery in Algonguin, during a raffle at a meeting for staff from various park districts.

“The tree was just 6-feet-tall at the time, but I knew it would grow too big for where we live in Elgin. So we wound up donating it to our church, where it’s become known as the big tree on the corner,” Eby said.

The church began as Epworth United Methodist Church in 1895 and moved from the east side of Elgin to this location in the early 1980s, current lead pastor, Rev. Jarrod Severing, said.

“So much growth has happened over the decades as God has grown not only the tree, but also this wonderful community of faith now known as Journey of Hope,” Severing said.

Eby said the spot chosen on church grounds was a perfect, wide-open one, allowing the tree to thrive, even as traffic grew along Randall Road.

“But the tree was reaching the point of being a bit overwhelming on this corner, and was also diagnosed as reaching the end of its life,” Severing said. “Before we just cut it down, we thought it would be a wonderful gift to the Elgin community’s Christmas season and allow the entire community to enjoy the majesty of this wonderful evergreen.”

(From left) Web Eby and his father, Jim Eby, stand in front of the Colorado blue spruce that they and the late Chuck Stettner planted on the grounds of Journey of Hope United Methodist Church off the northwest corner of Randall Road and Highland Avenue in Elgin. The tree was cut down on Thursday to be used on DuPage Court in downtown Elgin for the holiday season.

(Photo courtesy of Journey of Hope Church.)

Eby said the church had at one time submitted the tree to be the one used in downtown Chicago, as well. Elgin picked it from six submitted entries, city officials said.

Elgin taking the tree for the holidays is not only a very appropriate use for the spruce, Eby said, but also saves the church money it would have had to ultimately spend on having to remove it.

The tree’s new role will also provide Eby and his family some new holiday memories of their own. He recalled that, as a child, his family would head from Streator to downtown Chicago to see the big city’s decorations, particularly the window displays at Marshall Field’s and the Christmas tree in the Walnut Room there.

“It’s going to be really fun for me and (my wife) Lisa to take our grandkids to see the tree in downtown Elgin,” Eby said.

Eby was also happy to hear what Elgin would be doing with the tree after the holidays, giving it one final role to play.

According to a news release, once removed from DuPage Court, the spruce will be cut down to a manageable size and taken by the city’s Land Management and Forestry staff to Lords Park Zoo. There, it will be used as enrichment for animals, as a perching structure and for composting to help enrich the soil.

“All this gives the tree’s life a happy ending,” Eby said.

Elgin’s tree-lighting celebration is set to take place at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29. For more information, visit elginil.gov/2499/Winter-Holiday-Events.

Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for the Elgin Courier-News.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/elgin-christmas-tree-donated-by-church/ 

New Lenox police said a resident recently lost $235,000 in an online fraudulent investment scheme, and officials are urging residents to be cautious when sending funds online.

Police received a call from a man of Stonebridge Drive Nov. 14 reporting that he lost $235,000 after transferring the funds from his crypto wallet account to a website called ATFX markets inc, according to police reports.

The resident said he received texts from a subject named Brittney telling him to make the online account and transfer the funds.

After the transfer, the resident was locked out of the account. When the resident regained access, the account balance was zero. The resident said he attempted to contact Brittney, but did not receive any responses.

New Lenox deputy Chief Tim Perry said Thursday the investigation is ongoing, and police have not identified suspects. He said his department consulted with the FBI financial crimes division and that he hopes to work with them on this investigation.

Perry and police Chief Micah Nuesse both urged residents to be cautious when sending online funds.

“We always encourage people to research anything that’s involving crypto currency and to always verify where you’re sending money to,” Perry said.

Nuesse said residents should be cautious of unsolicited investment offers and said it’s a red flag if someone unknown makes an offer about an exclusive or guaranteed investment opportunity.

He also said before residents give anyone access to their finances, they should confirm that person’s identity and licensing through reputable sources, such as state regulatory agencies or recognized financial institutions.

Nuesse said scammers often pressure victims by claiming the opportunity is time-sensitive. He advised residents against rushing financial decisions.

“Legitimate financial professionals will always allow you the time to research and consider your options,” he said.

Residents should avoid sending money or personal information to individuals they have not met in person, he said. This includes bank transfers, cryptocurrency payments or providing access to financial accounts, he said.

Nuesse urged residents to consult a trusted professional, such as a licensed financial adviser, accountant or an attorney, and to report suspicious activity promptly.

awright@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/new-lenox-resident-loses-235000-online-scam/