In other news: The head of the Chicago Public School system talks about how he’ll handle the expected increase in COVID infections among students and staff in the coming weeks; The Chicago Fire Department is dealing with the loss of one of its firefighters - who died yesterday at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood; Chicago Congressman Mike Quigley was one of the sponsors of the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act; There's a warning about potentially-contaminated salad products - packaged in the western suburbs; and much more.

In other stories tonight: sadness today after a two-year-old boy died from injuries tied to a house fire late this morning on Chicago's Far South Side; a woman attending last night's special meeting of the Villa Park village board literally gave members lumps of coal after a vote to fire the village manager days before Christmas; a Hammond man will spend a year-and-a-half in prison after he lied about buying guns in Indiana and selling them to people in Chicago; and much more.

Also in the news:  More local universities are shifting to remote education following the winter break to try to slow the spread of COVID-19; Chicago's two major airports are preparing for a busy holiday period. Authorities say they expect two-and-a-half million passengers at O'Hare and about half-a-million at Midway between today and January 3rd; Holiday gathering preparations are well underway and many Chicagoans are finding a shortage of COVID-19 tests;  A Will County Sheriff’s Deputy shot and killed a man following a domestic incident during which he’s alleged to have shot his father in New Lenox; and much more.

Also in the news tonight: a war of words continues in south suburban Calumet City where the mayor and city clerk have been at odds; families are making plans to come together for Christmas in the middle of a new surge in COVID-19 cases and that's triggered a run on coronavirus tests; the testing of wastewater has been a tool used by the Chicago health officials to monitor the virus that causes COVID-19; the special prosecutor looking into the Cook County State’s Attorney’s handling of the Jussie Smollett case is detailing on what he's already called substantial abuses of discretion and operational failures; and much more.

Also in the news: Amazon puts pause on cell phone ban in warehouses until further notice; Arson is suspected in East Chatham fire; Chicago Public Schools are on winter break but says families will not go without meals; Disparities in the counting of vaccine doses; COVID vaccine in the south suburban area of Dixmoor holds event at community center to boost numbers; and much more.

In other news: A deadly fire in Belmont Cragin on the 

Northwest Side Saturday night; one person is dead...a CTA bus driver is hurt...following an overnight crash on the south side; the family of a 12 year old girl who was hit by a car in the Lawndale neighborhood in November is talking about the experience; and much more.

In other news: A deadly crash in West Town, one person is dead, four others hurt; Another legal battle looms between the police union and the city of Chicago over its vaccine mandate; A Chicago man has been charged with brutally beating his infant son; The University of Illinois at Chicago and City Colleges are partnering to help nursing students work in their field as they study to become registered nurses; and much more

Also in the news tonight: a vote by the Illinois Racing Board has sealed the fate of the OTB at the former Arlington Racecourse and several others; long-range planning for Brookfield Zoo includes an enlargement of the huge "Tropic World" exhibit; suburbanites heading home from the city on westbound I-90 will soon be able to better estimate their arrival time; doctors at Loyola University Medical Center are working to save a Chicago firefighter, who was severely injured in a Northwest Side fire yesterday morning that also killed a man and seriously injured two other people; and much more.

Also in the news: Cook County is giving away 10 vacant lots and buildings in the city and suburbs, as a way to encourage more organizations and people to buy other vacant properties; Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez says the district is implementing a new COVID testing plan - amid a significant rise in cases; The companies competing to build and run Chicago's first casino have made their presentations to the city; and much more.

Also in the news tonight: an outside investigation into the wrongful Chicago police raid on the home of Anjanette Young in 2019 says the City made a lot of mistakes; Cook County leaders trying to drum up interest in their program to find buyers for vacant lots in the suburbs may have hit on the perfect way to do that: they're giving some lots away; a Chicago firefighter is among three people who were seriously hurt in a fire that killed a man this morning; and much more.