Also in the news tonight: due to an increase in COVID-19 cases statewide, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White is announcing that all Secretary of State departments will NOT conduct in-person transactions, including Driver Services facilities, starting Monday and extending until January 17th; the city has been busy with planning for the New Years celebration, with the centerpiece being a fireworks display along the Chicago River and Navy Pier. And there are concerns about how it will play out; and much more.

Also in the news: UChicago Medicine is temporarily closing its Urgent Aid location in South suburban Flossmoor; Advocate Aurora Health is offering free credit monitoring for more than 1,600 hospital patients from Illinois because of a computer software error; a federal judge in Illinois has ordered a trans woman prison inmate be evaluated for gender affirmation surgery; a 15-year old boy is hospitalized after being shot at a gas station on the South side last night; and much more.

In other stories tonight: the Chicago area is under a winter weather advisory for the next couple of hours but we're already getting a pretty clear picture of the area's first significant snowfall; a Des Plaines man is dead after a hit and run last night; the list of states covered by the city of Chicago's coronavirus travel advisory has grown today; the Chicago Public Schools reminds parents that today’s the day they should use the COVID tests that were sent home with their students before the winter break and that they need to send the tests back today but Chicago teachers are giving the school system's COVID testing a failing grade; and much more.

In other stories: the Chicago area is about to get the first snow since last March; leaders of Illinois' hospital systems say doctors, nurses, and other employees are tired and worn out as the pandemic continues to surge, with no immediate end in sight; small venue owners are now able to more easily offer competitive health and savings plans to their employees; ground is expected to be broken early next year on a south side greenhouse to grow produce for people who don't have access to healthy food; and much more.

Also in the news tonight: Governor Pritzker says the state will make it possible for more people to be tested and vaccinated as COVID-19 case numbers break records in Illinois; a holiday lights show in the western suburbs was shut down because of a few bad eggs; people working at smaller performing arts venues in Chicago and across the country now have access to better health insurance and other benefits thanks to a new agreement; a Northwest Indiana judge says former Portage Mayor James Snyder will NOT have to be in custody as he appeals his case; a Chicago 9-1-1 dispatcher has taken to speaking on a Facebook LIVE feed, pointing out what he calls extreme understaffing within the department; and much more.

Also in the news: new COVID-19 rules go into effect today at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry; a new study from the Illinois Department of Transportation finds the state's airports were responsible for a 95.5 billion dollar boost to the economy; a woman remains hospitalized after being shot in the head at a gun range in Merrillville, Indiana; an alert neighbor is being credited with helping prevent more serious damage to a home due to a fire last night; and much more.

In other news: A 29-year-old man is to appear in court today after being charged with the attempted murder of a Chicago police officer on Christmas Eve in University Park; Tonight is the first night of Kwanzaa and one event in Lake County, Indiana is hosting a celebration to mark the holiday; Police still are seeking information from anyone who witnessed the gunfight on Thursday at the Oakbrook Center Mall; and much more.

In other stories tonight: the Archdiocese of Chicago is reminding all Christmas church-goers that COVID protocols will be in place at all Masses this holiday weekend; today we're hearing from the Chicago police officer who's being praised for rescuing a wheelchair-bound man from a house fire yesterday in Englewood; a small fire on the 8th floor of a 15-story residential building in the Gold Coast neighborhood created a lot of smoke this afternoon, but no injuries were reported; we’re learning more about a carjacking involving a state senator on Tuesday; Chicago Police have issued an alert about a gunman suspected of robbing more than 20 people and businesses on the North and West sides since the end of November, usually while speaking in a polite manner; and much more.

Also in the news:  The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Illinois is rising rapidly and suburban hospitals are again being pushed to the limit;  The Better Business Bureau is warning area residents to be on the lookout for winter-related scams. Officials say they include furnace inspections, snow shoveling and plowing services, and other scams;  Police say a man who allegedly stole an Amazon delivery truck was arrested after he drove it through a red light; Illinois Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford says she's thankful to be alive after becoming the victim of a carjacking in Broadview; and much more.

Also in the news: Illinois State Senate majority leader Kimberly Lightford has released a statement after being carjacked last night in Broadview; a routine day turned into a rescue today, as Chicago Police rushed to help people escape a house fire on the South Side; a ceremony was held this morning in the Portage Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side for fallen Chicago Firefighter MaShawn Plummer and three others he was trying to save in a house fire last week; Illinois State Police are handling an investigation into the fatal shooting of a man on Monday night by a Yorkville police officer; the Illinois Department of Public Health has reported more than 16,000 new confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus; and much more.