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.

Also in the news: An early-morning fire on Chicago's Northwest Side left a firefighter critically injured and three other people hurt; A crash last night in the South Shore neighborhood resulted in a homicide; The Lightfoot Administration wants to make sure sugary soft drinks are not the first choice for a beverage when *kids order meals; The Blackhawks have reached a settlement with a former player who says he was sexually assaulted by a team coach; and much more.

Also in the news tonight: Cook County health administrators say the suburbs' first confirmed case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant did not have symptoms and was fully vaccinated; a year after Chicago administered its first COVID-19 vaccines, the city’s top doctor is reflecting on the intervening months and still pushing hesitant residents to get the shot; leaders in Gary last hour took the wraps off a new series of recommendations designed to reform the city's police force; and much more.