Good morning, Chicago.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s security costs continue to rise, as she’s set to add a new vehicle this year for her seven-member team.
Preckwinkle’s executive protection detail is budgeted to cost up to $1.5 million in 2026 for the “salaries, benefits, duty-related personnel expenses and other necessary non-personnel expenses of seven members,” according to Forest Preserves of Cook County documents. The district has handled her detail since 2019.
That’s up from $1.3 million in 2025. The 2026 budget included up to $130,000 to buy a new Ford Expedition to replace a 2019 model SUV in her seven-vehicle security fleet.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s A.D. Quig.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including the Cook County state’s attorney’s office reviewing the legality of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s immigration executive order, this week’s Chicago basketball report and our theater critic reviews “Così fan tutte” by Lyric Opera.
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Every Homeland Security officer in Minneapolis is now being issued a body-worn camera, Kristi Noem says
Every Homeland Security officer on the ground in Minneapolis, including those from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will be immediately issued body-worn cameras, Secretary Kristi Noem said yesterday, in the latest fallout after the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal agents.
Cook County state’s attorney’s office reviewing legality of mayor’s immigration executive order
The Cook County state’s attorney’s office said “a thorough analysis is being conducted” to assess the legality of a mayoral executive order that directs Chicago police to investigate potential wrongdoing by immigration agents, after the weekend signing was overshadowed by a political brouhaha due to social media pushback from the county’s top prosecutor.
Illinois joins World Health Organization network, after Trump administration withdraws from group
Illinois is joining a network of the World Health Organization in hopes of better positioning the state to handle potential health threats, following the U.S. withdrawal from the group last month.
It’s the state’s latest move into an area that was previously the domain of the federal government, before the administration of President Donald Trump began remaking public health policies and guidance.
Waymo-backed bill could make self-driving cars legal in Illinois in three years
Self-driving cars such as Waymos could soon roam the streets of Chicago under new legislation proposed in Springfield.
A bill filed last week would authorize autonomous vehicle pilot programs in a handful of Illinois counties, including Cook, before opening the door to statewide legalization of self-driving cars in three years.
Chicago’s Metropolitan Capital Bank becomes first US bank failure of 2026
For the second year in a row, a Chicago bank became the first in the nation to fail.
Hundreds of students walk out from class across Chicago’s North Side to protest against ICE
Hundreds of students across Chicago’s North Side walked out of their classrooms yesterday in protest of the Trump administration’s continued mass deportation campaign.
- U. of I. Republicans club faces backlash for post supporting ICE: ‘Only traitors help invaders’
- Indiana committee OKs police cooperation with ICE bill amid criticism
Chicago basketball report: No Bulls All-Stars for 3rd straight year — and a viral play from Illinois’ last win
The Chicago Bulls will go another season without an All-Star. And the Illinois men and women have another big week after ranked road wins.
Mallory Swanson says there’s ‘not an exact date yet’ for her return to Chicago Stars or the USWNT
Mallory Swanson welcomed daughter Josie with Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson in November and is still in her “newborn bubble” but is working her way back to join the Chicago Stars at some point this season. U.S. coach Emma Hayes also said there’s no timeline yet for Swanson’s return to the national team.
“We don’t have an exact date,” Swanson said. “I think it’s more about completing phases and just kind of taking it week by week, day by day. Not an exact date yet, but I’m hoping soon.”
Column: Who’s that new anchorman? He’s no Walter Cronkite.
Rick Kogan asks: How many of you are watching Tony Dokoupil?
He is, if you haven’t heard, the new anchorman of “CBS Evening News,” having spent six years at “CBS Mornings” alongside Gayle King and Nate Burleson. He said in interviews that this new job was “a little bit terrifying,” adding that “people really care about this show, and justifiably.”
Trump says he won’t tear down the Kennedy Center arts venue but it needs to be closed for repairs
President Donald Trump said that he won’t tear down the Kennedy Center but said it needs to be closed for about two years for work that cannot be done with patrons coming and going for shows and other performances.
Trump’s comments, though, suggested that the interior of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will be gutted as part of the process.
Review: ‘Così fan tutte’ by Lyric Opera is all comic love games until Mozart surprises us
If whimsy is your bag, the very lively staging at Lyric Opera, originally directed by Michael Cavanagh for the San Fransisco Opera in 2021, has it aplenty, writes Chris Jones.
