Good morning, Chicago.
Illinois Senate President Don Harmon is facing a new challenge over a State Board of Elections staff finding that his campaign committee owes $9.8 million in fines for accepting campaign contributions in excess of state limitations.
The libertarian-leaning Liberty Justice Center, which frequently advocates on behalf of Republican causes, last week filed a citizen-initiated complaint with the election board regarding Harmon’s committee. The move could allow the matter to go to court and sidestep the bipartisan election panel’s stalemate on the issue.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Rick Pearson.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including: what we know about the Texas National Guard departing Illinois, what we learned from the Bears and why Ben Johnson isn’t talking about the playoffs and Thanksgiving wines made simple.
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A Palestinian man carries bags of firewood after collecting them from the rubbish in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Nov. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
UN approves the Trump administration plan for Gaza’s future
The Trump administration’s blueprint to secure and govern Gaza won strong approval at the United Nations, a crucial step that provides international support for U.S. efforts to move the devastated territory toward peace following two years of war.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and his wife, first lady MK Pritzker, wait backstage before he announced his candidacy for a third term, June 26, 2025, at the Grand Crossing Park field house in Chicago. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Gov. JB Pritzker deposits $25.5M of his own money into campaign fund as he ramps up bid for third term
By exceeding a $250,000 self-funding threshold, Gov. JB Pritzker has opened the door to unlimited fundraising in the governor’s race next year, regardless of who wins the Republican nomination.
Texas National Guard members patrol outside of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 9, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Texas National Guard departs Illinois
The Texas National Guard has departed Illinois, ending a futile 41-day deployment in which its soldiers spent less than 24 hours working in support of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation mission.
Following a recent large-scale raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, the building at 7500 South Shore Drive has lost many of its former tenants. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Six Venezuelan migrants arrested in South Shore immigration raid among hundreds who could be released
At least six Venezuelan nationals arrested in a controversial immigration raid on a South Shore apartment building in September are among hundreds who could soon be released on bond amid allegations that Operation Midway Blitz agents repeatedly violated a consent decree limiting warrantless arrests.
Mourners pray while the Rev. Roberto Moreno, pastor at Franklin Park United Methodist Church, leads a prayer during a Day of the Dead altar-building event for Silverio Villegas González on Nov. 1, 2025, near where Villegas González was fatally shot in Franklin Park. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
Autopsy shows father of 2 fatally shot by ICE struck in neck, had cocaine in system
A father of two fatally shot by an immigration agent during a traffic stop in Franklin Park in September was struck in the left side of his neck before crashing the car into a semitruck, according to autopsy results obtained yesterday by the Tribune.
The Chicago City Hall and County Building are seen on June 17, 2024. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Arsonist tried to set fire at Chicago City Hall, Mayor Brandon Johnson says
The fire outside the building did not spread beyond the initial flame, and the person who started it was not identified before fleeing, the mayor told reporters during an unrelated news conference.
Pope Leo XIV gestures as he arrives at the Pontifical Lateran University on the occasion of the opening of the academic year, in Rome, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Leo XIV calls for urgent climate action and says God’s creation is ‘crying out’
Pope Leo XIV urged countries at United Nations climate talks to take “concrete actions” to stop climate change that is threatening the planet, telling them humans are failing in their response to global warming and that God’s creation “is crying out in floods, droughts, storms and relentless heat.”
Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Nicholas Robertson (89) moves the puck against Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Alex Vlasic (72) and defenseman Connor Murphy (5) during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Nov. 15, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)
Chicago Blackhawks players call the 7-defensemen lineups ‘a learned skill,’ but see the positives as well
The Blackhawks have used an unusual lineup approach this season, running seven-defenseman lines for the majority of the first 18 games.
Bears coach Ben Johnson looks on from the sideline in the first quarter against the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Nov. 16, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
What we learned from the Chicago Bears, including why Ben Johnson isn’t talking about the playoffs
The Bears sit alone in first place in the NFC North after the Detroit Lions’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night.
At 7-3, the Bears are ahead of the Green Bay Packers (6-3-1) and the Lions (6-4), but Ben Johnson isn’t ready to start talking about the playoffs yet. That’s not how the first-year coach operates.
Ian Barford in “Amadeus” at Steppenwolf Theatre. (Michael Brosilow)
Review: Murderous jealousy in ‘Amadeus’ at Steppenwolf Theatre
It might seem to be about two 18th century Vienna composers, but Peter Shaffer’s masterful 1979 play “Amadeus,” which opened Sunday night at the Steppenwolf Theatre, is really a play about the late-in-life problem of how to deal with the pesky emergence of those younger and more talented than you, writes Chris Jones.
The Brotte La Marasque Gigondas. (Maison Brotte)
Thanksgiving wines made simple: 3 Chicago pros, 9 picks, 1 easy guide
To help demystify the holiday wine hunt, Anna Lee Iijima asked three Chicago wine professionals to find wines from a favorite local retailer that deliver pleasure and versatility at approachable prices.