Good morning, Chicago. ✶
🔎 Below: Can a herd of bison restore the Prairie State? We look into what the reintroduction of the animal to Kane County means to environmental advocates and indigenous Illinoisans.
🗞️ Plus: Another loss in the courts for Trump’s Midway Blitz, the arctic chill arrives and more news you need to know.
📝 Keeping score: The Bulls beat the Timberwolves, 120-115. Oliver Moore lifted the Blackhawks to a 4-3 shootout victory Thursday night — and it was his 21st birthday.
📧 Subscribe: Get this newsletter delivered to your inbox weekday mornings.
⏱️: A 9-minute read
TODAY’S WEATHER 🧊
Wind chills down to -35 degrees are expected as Arctic cold snap moves in
By Mohammad Samra
Weekend forecast: Friday’s high is expected to be -6 degrees, with a wind chill value as low as -35. Temperatures are projected to stay below zero well into next week, according to the National Weather Service, which has issued an extreme cold warning. A winter storm hitting a chunk of the U.S. could bring the Chicago area 1-4 inches of snow Saturday night into Sunday.
Announced closures: A number of government offices and businesses across the city announced closures for Friday. Chicago Public Schools is one of nearly 200 area districts canceling classes due to the weather. Several of the city’s major museums, like the Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum and Alder Planetarium, also announced they’ll close. And organizers have called off Saturday’s planned Polar Plunge.
Stay safe: We have tips from experts about how to stay safe in this weather and avoid costly damage to your home. Among their advice: Layer up and cover exposed skin when you go out (frostbite is a real threat); and keep the water moving in your faucets at home (to keep pipes from freezing).
ENVIRONMENT 🦬
Bison return to Kane County, marking chance for Native Americans to reclaim what’s lost
By Zachary Nauth
Historic herd: Last month, six bison were reintroduced to Burlington Prairie, about an hour northwest of downtown Chicago, through a partnership between Kane County and the American Indian Center. The herd is the first bison in 200 years to dwell on Kane County tallgrass prairie. About 50 Native Americans from different tribes were there to welcome the moment, singing, drumming and praying — and some members of the group teared up.
Key context: For thousands of years, tens of millions of American bison thundered over the prairie and through the forests across North America. Today, many representing Illinois’ urban Natives have never seen an American bison in person. Some tribes saw their federal recognition “terminated” by the government in the 1950s. Grandparents or parents were relocated to big cities like Chicago, home to the country’s third-largest Native American population, with 65,000 people representing 170-some tribes.
Prairie State problem: Here in the Prairie State, less than 1% of true prairie remains. State environmental officials are attempting to address that loss, aiming to recreate the authentic ecologies that were in place before European settlement — and in the process, build a more sustainable cycle of life. In northern Illinois, that means propagating native plants and animals that sustained the tallgrass prairie.
Bottom line: The return of bison to a former soybean field is an occasion filled with meaning for Indigenous Americans. Local officials are counting on the spectacular-looking animal to give them a hand with prairie restoration — and to draw a fascinated taxpaying public off their couches.
PUBLIC SAFETY ✶
Video shows man fatally shot in head by Chicago police ‘posed no threat,’ family’s lawyers say
By Sophie Sherry
‘No threat’: Body-worn camera video released Thursday shows that a 20-year-old man “posed no threat” before he was fatally shot in the head last month by a Chicago police officer in West Ridge, according to lawyers for the man’s family. It’s unclear from the chaotic videos when exactly the deadly shot was fired.
What happened: Two officers responded to the 5700 block of North Washtenaw Avenue late Dec. 9 to investigate a call of a stolen vehicle and encountered Roberto Calvario Jr., who struggled with one officer while inside the driver’s seat of a dark sedan, according to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability and the footage. Calvario was struck by a single gunshot and the cop was briefly dragged by the sedan as it careened into a parked car, the video shows. Officers later found a gun in Calvario’s waistband and COPA reported that a second weapon was recovered.
IMMIGRATION ✶
Federal jury rejects Bovino murder plot
By Jon Seidel
‘Not guilty’: Despite the sinister labels federal authorities have slapped on Chicago’s Juan Espinoza Martinez since arresting him in the fall, a federal jury Thursday found him “not guilty” in an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino.
Key context: Espinoza Martinez is one of 31 known defendants charged in Chicago’s federal court with non-immigration crimes tied to the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation campaign. With Thursday’s acquittal of Espinoza Martinez, 15 of them have now been cleared. At least three of those dismissals resulted from so-called “no bills,” whereby a grand jury found insufficient evidence or probable cause to return an indictment. Charges against the remaining 11 defendants were dropped for various other reasons. None of the cases has led to a conviction so far.
More headlines:
- Judge dismisses Chicago-area use-of-force lawsuit at plaintiffs’ request
- Judge rules feds must release arrest data, video footage on conditions at Broadview ICE facility
- Residents long suspected feds’ South Shore raid was spurred by landlord now under state investigation
MORE NEWS YOU NEED 🗞️
- Homelessness census: Volunteers Thursday night hit the streets and shelters to conduct the city’s annual “point-in-time” census of Chicagoans experiencing homelessness. The count determines how federal funds are distributed, though some advocates flag its accuracy.
- Officer benched: Late last year, Chicago Police Officer Joseph Vecchio was stripped of his policing powers after the city’s police boss raised concerns about his record — 15 lawsuits and 76 complaints since joining the department in 2019.
- CTA patrols: Chicago police officers in groups of six to eight are making their presence known on CTA trains and platforms as part of a new Transit Rider Interaction Program, designed to deter crime, the CTA’s boss said.
- Bally’s bets on end-of-year opening: Bally’s executives said they hoped to have the $1.7 billion casino and entertainment complex in River West “substantially completed” by the end of 2026 and didn’t anticipate needing all of a proposed yearlong extension.
- Durbin weighs in: Sen. Dick Durbin on Thursday said President Donald Trump’s threats to acquire Greenland — and his stark criticism of NATO allies — have caused “irrevocable damage” to the international alliance.
- First for Chicago: Mayor Brandon Johnson named Antonio King as the city’s first-ever LGBTQ+ affairs director, a position in which King will develop policy to strengthen protections and ensure opportunities for Chicago’s queer communities.
- 4 stars for ‘Eureka Day’: A profoundly funny satire about vaccine policy, this production is a vehicle for laughing at our own society’s predicament — exactly what we need now, writes Steven Oxman in a review for the Sun-Times.
ELECTIONS ✶
What to know about U.S. Senate candidates’ debate
By Sun-Times staff
What: The Sun-Times, WBEZ and the University of Chicago Institute of Politics are hosting a debate with the three leading Democratic candidates in the March 17 primary for the open U.S. Senate seat to replace outgoing Sen. Dick Durbin.
When: The debate will be 6 p.m. Monday at the University of Chicago’s International House.
Who: U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. The debate will be co-moderated by Sun-Times national political reporter Tina Sfondeles and Institute of Politics Senior Director Jennifer Steinhauer, and hosted by WBEZ’s “In the Loop” host Sasha-Ann Simons.
How: Tune in via the Institute of Politics Youtube livestream, the Sun-Times’ Youtube livestream or live on air at WBEZ 91.5 FM.
WEEKEND PLANS 🎉
🎭 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Through Feb. 1
📍 Multiple venues
This fest spans dozens of venues and more than 100 puppetry showcases.
Admission: Prices vary
🍽️ Chicago Restaurant Week
Friday to Feb. 8
📍Multiple participating restaurants
The annual citywide food fest is back with more than 500 restaurants offering prix-fixe meals.
Admission: Prices vary
❄️ Polar Adventure Day
11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday
📍Northerly Island Park, 1521 S. Linn White Drive
Bundle up and enjoy winter activities like a husky sled dog demonstration, live ice sculpting, fishing lessons, arts and crafts, and hot cocoa by a bonfire. Check online before going in case of a weather cancellation.
Admission: Free
💃 Martha Graham Dance Company
7:30 p.m. Saturday
📍The Auditorium, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Dr.
Now celebrating its 100th anniversary, the legendary company performs Graham’s “Diversion of Angels,” the Chicago premiere of Hope Boykin’s “En Masse” and more.
Admission: $35+
FROM THE PRESS BOX 🏈🏀⚾📺
- Ranking Williams: Patrick Finley has ranked Bears QB Caleb Williams’ best five throws of the season, and each was ridiculous, he writes.
- Illini ready for Purdue: Illinois’ Brad Underwood spoke with the Sun-Times ahead of Saturday’s game and what could be his 100th Big Ten win.
- Offseason analysis: Maddie Lee breaks down how the new Cubs infielder Alex Bregman’s contract highlights shifts in budget and team policy.
- Local Olympic angle: NBC 5 Chicago’s Alex Maragos is set for his third Olympics trip to cover Chicago-area athletes Feb. 6-22 in Milan.
- Boys basketball: Joe Henricksen previews and predicts this weekend’s top high school basketball games, including the When Sides Collide shooutout.
CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD 🌭
Today’s clue: 1A: Train line whose color was chosen via an essay contest for Chicago-area schoolchildren
BRIGHT ONE 🔆
Green City Market finds permanent home for year-round farmers market
By Mariah Rush
After years of searching, the group behind some of Chicago’s most popular farmers markets has secured its first permanent location.
The nonprofit Green City Market announced last week that it purchased the North Center building at 2457 W. Montrose Ave. and will build out the space to host year-round farmers markets.
The 4,872-square-foot property was previously home to Plants, an interior landscaping company and retail greenhouse. The building was purchased for $899,000, and the deal closed Dec. 23, Green City Market Executive Director Letisha Steele said.
Steele said she expects to open the space sometime this year and plans to host a community event in March.
Green City’s mission is to expand accessibility to fresh, locally grown food. Its markets are “producer only,” meaning farmers sell what they grow and other vendors must source ingredients directly from the nonprofit’s farmers whenever possible, Steele said.
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
What tip should every Midwesterner know when it comes to enduring extreme winter weather?
Email us here. (please include your first and last name). We may run your answer in a future newsletter or story.
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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Eydie Cubarrubia
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