Good morning, Chicago.
As tensions continue to brew over which schools Evanston/Skokie School District 65 will close at the end of the school year, the Board of Education reduced its target from closing three schools at the end of the year to two schools.
Parents showed up at the Board of Education meeting this week in force, rallying to protest the school closures the board is considering to balance the school district’s budget and deal with nearly a decade of reduced enrollment. Previous cost-reduction scenarios that have been shared with the Board pointed toward Lincolnwood and Kingsley Schools as the most likely options the district could close at the end of the year.
Ever since the indictment of former D65 Superintendent Devon Horton earlier in October, however, public trust in the district has faded and the frustration of parents potentially impacted by school closures has reached a boiling point at times.
And here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including what Republican leaders said about a potential third presidential term, a plan for property tax relief in Cook County and a Halloween arcade run out of a family’s garage in Naperville.
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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to reporters outside his office on day 28 of the government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Oct. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Trump says he’d love a third term. House Speaker Johnson says there’s ‘no path.’
President Donald Trump’s musings about a potential third-term bid for the White House have run up against at least one obstacle: House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Johnson, the Republican leader who has built his career by drawing closer to Trump, said they have discussed the issue, but the speaker held the line against a Constitution-bending third term.
A group of people wear transportation-themed T-shirts and cardboard cutouts while waiting to deliver petitions to legislators during the legislative session at the Illinois Capitol, Oct. 28, 2025, in Springfield. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois House Democrats introduce new transit funding plan, eye billionaire and entertainment taxes
Illinois House Democrats late yesterday introduced their own plan to overhaul the Chicago region’s mass transit systems, betting that proposed new taxes on many large entertainment events and billionaires, as well as taking some revenue from speed cameras outside Chicago and other sources, will raise $1.5 billion in new revenue.
Cook Couty Assessor Fritz Kaegi heads to the lectern to speak during the Cook County Democratic Party primary slating at the I.B.E.W hall on July 17, 2025, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune))
Cook County leaders want property tax relief for more seniors, but south suburban mayors group resists
As election season kicks off in earnest and the Springfield veto session hurtles to its conclusion, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Assessor Fritz Kaegi are both pressing state legislators to expand property tax break eligibility for lower-income seniors.
Students from the Little Village Lawndale High School campus walk along West 26th Street to protest recent immigration enforcement actions in the area, Oct. 28, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Students walk out of Little Village schools, hold march in protest of recent ICE activity
In an over 2-mile walk, hundreds of students made their way from Little Village Lawndale High School to the Little Village Arch, denouncing recent ICE action and supporting immigrant communities.
Six people are sworn in as members of the Dolton Historic Preservation Commission, set to plan next steps for Pope Leo XIV’s childhood home, on Oct. 23, 2025. (Village of Dolton)
Six chosen to plan possible uses of Pope Leo XIV’s boyhood home
Dolton clerk Alison Key was sworn in as leader of the commission that also includes Democratic state Rep. Will Davis, village co-chaplain Deborah White, former Illinois GOP finance committee chairman Vince Kolber, and longtime residents Garrett Ghezzi and Lisa Montgomery.
The Game Over Haunted Arcade at 2129 Countryside Circle in Naperville on Oct. 17, 2025. (Carolyn Stein/Naperville Sun)
What started with a claw machine is now a Halloween arcade run out of a Naperville garage
For four years, Patrick Mueller has been running a Halloween-themed arcade out of his home at 2129 Countryside Circle in Naperville. What started as a birthday gift for his eldest daughter’s 7th birthday has turned into a yearly operation known as the Game Over Haunted Arcade.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) runs the offense in the fourth quarter Oct. 26, 2025, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears Q&A: Can Caleb Williams be counted on to break through with other 2nd year QBs flourishing?
The Chicago Bears’ four-game winning streak is over, and the questions about second-year quarterback Caleb Williams are heating up.
Brad Biggs tackles the latest on Williams’ development in his weekly Bears mailbag.
Kings guard Zach Lavine dribbles upcourt during the second half against the Lakers on Oct. 26, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)
Zach LaVine returns to face a 3-0 Chicago Bulls team that relies on grit over style points
Former Bulls stars Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan took different routes to Sacramento, but the narrative of their leaving remains the same.
DeRozan was sent to the Kings in a three-team sign-and-trade deal after the 2023-24 season so coach Billy Donovan could install a fast-paced offense, and LaVine was traded there in February in another multiteam deal after he’d requested a trade the previous season.
The Tribune’s annual Cookie Contest is celebrating its 39th year. (Brian Cassella and Peter Tsai/Chicago Tribune. Food styling by Shannon Kinsella)
Here are the 12 finalists for the Tribune’s 2025 Holiday Cookie Contest
After days of voting, more than 1,800 readers cast over 3,800 votes to decide the 12 finalists in this year’s Holiday Cookie Contest. Here are the recipes that received the most votes and are continuing on to the final round.
The Grant Park Orchestra and pianist Andrew Litton perform George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” during the opening concert of the Grant Park Music Festival at Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park on June 11, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Grant Park Music Festival president Paul Winberg steps down
The Grant Park Music Festival announced today that its president, Paul Winberg, will step down in the spring of 2026.
Winberg has served as president and CEO since 2011. The festival, which puts on Chicago’s free outdoor classical music series every summer at Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, said in the announcement that its board of directors has begun a national search for his replacement.
Long time Michael Jackson impersonator, Enrico “Rico” Hampton signs autographs on stage after his performance during a pre-Halloween festival at the Foss Park District’s Community Recreation Center in North Chicago on Oct. 24, 2025. (Michael Schmidt/for the Chicago Tribune)
Longtime South Side Michael Jackson impersonator has made the King of Pop his career
Enrico “Rico” Hampton isn’t your average Michael Jackson fan. He’s loved the “Bad” album since its debut in 1987, specifically songs like “Dirty Diana” and “The Way You Make Me Feel.” So every weekend, he dons makeup, boots, gloves and goes wherever he’s called.
Now, with the rise of short video platforms like TikTok and Instagram, the Ashburn resident is connecting with the next generation of Michael Jackson fans who never had the chance to see the legend perform live.
