Good morning, Chicago. \u2736<\/h3>\n
\ud83d\udd0e Below<\/b>: The city is counting on about $26 million in next year\u2019s budget from a new tax on sports betting \u2014 which big sportsbooks are trying to stop, arguing it would violate the state constitution.<\/p>\n
\ud83d\uddde\ufe0f Plus<\/b>: A lobster heist, creative New Year\u2019s Eve plans and more news you need to know.<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udcdd Keeping score<\/b>: The Blackhawks fell to the Islanders<\/a>, 3-2.<\/p>\n \ud83e\udde9 New puzzle<\/b>: We\u2019ve got a new puzzle \u2014 and clue \u2014 for you to try further down.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udce7 Subscribe<\/b>: Get this newsletter delivered to your inbox weekday mornings.<\/a><\/p>\n \u23f1\ufe0f: An 8-minute read<\/i><\/p>\n Mostly cloudy with snow likely, a high near 32 and wind gusts as strong as 30 mph.<\/p>\n City officials aim to raise about $26 million by taxing online sports betting, an effort opposed by gambling companies like FanDuel.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/p>\n Ashlee Rezin\/Sun-Times file<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Calling foul<\/b>: A coalition of multibillion-dollar gambling companies are suing to block the city from taxing online sports betting revenue that FanDuel, DraftKings and other major sportsbooks rake in from Chicago bettors.<\/p>\n The suit<\/b>: The Sports Betting Alliance filed Tuesday for a temporary restraining order in Cook County Circuit Court against the 10.25% tax, which is supposed to be levied on the companies\u2019 revenue from online sports bets placed in Chicago when the 2026 city budget kicks in with the new year Thursday.<\/p>\n Key context<\/b>: Mayor Brandon Johnson proposed the tax to raise an estimated $26 million to balance the budget, and an emboldened City Council kept the measure in the spending plan they passed without the mayor\u2019s support. Johnson announced last week he\u2019d let the budget legislation go into effect without his signature.<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n A \u201cghost gun\u201d that a Venezuelan national admits he sold to an undercover officer in January 2025.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Likely imprisonment<\/b>: Four men, one from Venezuela and three from Mexico, are likely heading to prison. They were arrested about the time President Donald Trump\u2019s border czar, Tom Homan, visited Chicago in later January after saying the city would become \u201cground zero\u201d for mass deportations due to its sanctuary status. <\/p>\n Unusual cases<\/b>: What makes their cases unusual, according to federal court records, is that one man admitted to a serious gun charge and the others, while pleading guilty to entering the country illegally, previously served prison time for gun and drug offenses.<\/p>\n Key context<\/b>: Most of the thousands of people taken into custody during the Operation Midway Blitz deportation campaign, which ran from Sept. 8 to mid-December, weren\u2019t accused of committing crimes other than immigration violations and didn\u2019t have any serious crimes in their backgrounds.<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Compensation for Matt Moog rose as the company slashed jobs at the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/p>\n Manuel Martinez\/WBEZ file<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n New filings<\/b>: The nonprofit owner of the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ paid its outgoing CEO more than $900,000 in 2024, new tax filings show, as it engaged in staff cuts and other measures to deal with declining revenue. Chicago Public Media\u2019s payout to former CEO Matt Moog was substantially higher than his compensation in prior years.<\/p>\n Key context<\/b>: Moog was in charge when the Sun-Times and WBEZ combined in 2022, a deal that netted $61 million in a five-year pledge from foundations to support the organizations\u2019 journalism. But revenue for both media outlets has declined in recent years, according to tax filings, and WBEZ is wrestling with a cutoff of federal grants for public broadcasting. As a result, the company has stepped up its requests for donations.<\/p>\n By the numbers<\/b>: Moog in 2024 received a total compensation of $943,475. In 2023, filings show his total compensation was $722,861, up from a total of $633,610 in 2022. The filing breaks down Moog\u2019s 2024 compensation as a base salary of $407,378, \u201cbonus and incentive compensation\u201d of $240,188 and \u201cother reportable compensation\u201d of $257,344. There\u2019s also $38,565 in other compensation, which typically includes benefits and reimbursed expenses. Chicago Public Media also paid $107,227 to Moog\u2019s company Wavetable Studios \u201cfor transitional services after his departure.\u201d<\/p>\n Staff cuts<\/b>: While Moog\u2019s pay rose, the company encountered challenges. In 2024, Chicago Public Media ordered cuts largely affecting staff and programming at WBEZ<\/a>. This year, the belt tightening encircled the Sun-Times, with buyouts that culled 20% of the news staff<\/a>, including senior editors, high-profile columnists and most of the editorial board.<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Author Chris Serb holds a copy of his \u201cEckie: Walter Eckersall and the Rise of Chicago Sports.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Chicago always throws a good New Year\u2019s Eve celebration.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/p>\n Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere\/Sun-Times file<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Chicago always throws a good New Year\u2019s Eve party or two. But this year\u2019s slate of events promises to be over the top. <\/p>\n The biggest celebration will be downtown, where Chance the Rapper will co-host the first local edition of \u201cDick Clark\u2019s Rockin\u2019 New Year\u2019s Eve\u201d in its 55-year-history. Here\u2019s how to watch in person or on your television<\/a>.<\/p>\n But the city also offers plenty of interesting things to do \u2014 including burlesque shows, pop-up bars and loads of family-friendly fun \u2014 to kick off 2026.<\/p>\n FULL LIST HERE<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Today\u2019s clue<\/b>: Chicago aquarium home to Beethoven the Beluga<\/p>\n PLAY NOW<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n The Rev. Vicki Garlock, right, is honored in a ceremony held at Loyola University for setting a Guinness World Records mark.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n After a monthlong quest, the Rev. Vicki Garlock is now the current holder of the Guinness World Record for visiting 185 places of worship in one month.<\/p>\n Garlock\u2019s final count included churches, synagogues, mosques and temples \u2014 as well as galleries, auditoriums and rented spaces where Chicagoans congregate. All in September.<\/p>\n She said her personal single-day record was visiting 14 places in Evanston and Wilmette.<\/p>\n After growing up in Kankakee, Garlock now lives in North Carolina. She chose Chicago for the challenge because of its religious diversity and her familiarity with the city, she said.<\/p>\n She told the Sun-Times that she hopes her record will inspire people to visit places of worship to which they otherwise wouldn\u2019t pay attention and to reach out to others who follow different religions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can share spaces. We can revamp spaces,\u201d Garlock said. \u201cThis is an old, old story in America, and people can figure it out in a way that is in harmony if we let that happen and encourage that, rather than creating all this division.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n What\u2019s a New Year\u2019s tradition that you or your family observe?<\/b><\/p>\n Email us <\/i><\/a>(please include your first and last name). Your answers to this question may appear in Thursday\u2019s Special Edition newsletter.<\/i><\/p>\n Pat Nabong\/Sun-Times file<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Sun-Times is possible because of you.<\/p>\n We serve this city through independent, community-focused reporting \u2014 and we rely on your donations to keep our news free and accessible to everyone.<\/p>\n Every story we tell, every neighborhood we visit, every conversation we spark \u2014 it all happens because you believe that Chicago deserves a strong, independent source of local news.<\/p>\n Give by our midnight deadline at <\/b>suntimes.com\/yearend<\/b><\/a> to help power the news in the new year.<\/b><\/p>\n Any contribution of any amount makes a difference, but as a \u201cthank you\u201d to those willing to make a monthly recurring donation, we\u2019ll throw in a 2026 calendar of historic photos or iconic artwork<\/a>.<\/p>\n Thank you for supporting news that\u2019s for, from and about Chicago.<\/p>\n GIVE HERE<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Help us hit our 2025 goal with Lynn! Every contribution \u2014 no matter the size \u2014 strengthens independent journalism and supports a stronger, more connected Chicago\u2014while giving you a beautiful piece of that history to keep. Go to: suntimes.com\/donate The Chicago Sun-Times is Chicago\u2019s newsroom \u2014 independent, community-funded, and committed to telling the stories that shape our city. We\u2019re free from hedge-fund ownership, shareholders, and political influence. Lynn Sweet is a special correspondent for Chicago Public Media and previously the Washington Bureau Chief for the Chicago Sun-Times. She appears frequently on CNN and other outlets as an analyst. <\/p>\n \u266c original sound – Chicago Sun-Times<\/a> <\/section>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Sun-Times\u2019 Lynn Sweet on why your donation to the Sun-Times matters. | Sun-Times<\/i><\/p>\n Thanks for reading the Sun-Times Morning Edition! Written and curated by<\/b>: Matt Moore The Chicago Sun-Times is a nonprofit supported by readers like you. Become a member to make stories like these free and available to everyone. Learn more at suntimes.com\/member<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nTODAY\u2019S WEATHER \ud83c\udf28\ufe0f<\/h4>\n
TODAY\u2019S TOP STORY \ud83d\udd0e <\/h4>\n
FanDuel, DraftKings, other big sportsbooks sue to block new Chicago sports betting tax<\/a><\/h3>\n
By Mitchell Armentrout<\/a><\/h5>\n
PUBLIC SAFETY \u2736<\/h4>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/2e2249d\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/2344x1700+0+0\/resize\/840x609!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F17%2F2b%2Fbb87e4954e6b8bf6db2d49a62f5f%2Fscreenshot-2025-12-29-at-5-23-38-pm.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/picture>\nImmigrants arrested in Chicago at start of Trump\u2019s second term now face prison time<\/a><\/h3>\n
By Frank Main<\/a><\/h5>\n
MONEY DESK \ud83d\udcb0<\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\n<\/picture>\nEx-CEO of Chicago Public Media saw $900,000 payout in 2024, IRS filings show<\/a><\/h3>\n
By David Roeder<\/a><\/h5>\n
MORE NEWS YOU NEED \ud83d\uddde\ufe0f<\/h4>\n
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HOLIDAY GUIDE \ud83c\udf89<\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\n<\/picture>\nHow to party on New Year\u2019s Eve<\/a><\/h3>\n
By Ambar Col\u00f3n<\/a><\/h5>\n
FROM THE PRESS BOX \ud83c\udfc8\ud83c\udfd2\ud83c\udfc0<\/h4>\n
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CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD \ud83c\udf2d<\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\n<\/picture>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nBRIGHT ONE \ud83d\udd06<\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\n<\/picture>\nIllinois native sets Guinness record by visiting 185 places of worship in Chicago in a month<\/a><\/h3>\n
By Casey He<\/a><\/h5>\n
YOUR DAILY QUESTION \u2615\ufe0f<\/h4>\n
ONE MORE THING \u2665\ufe0f<\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\n<\/picture>\nWATCH: LYNN SWEET ON WHY DONATE \u25b6\ufe0f<\/h4>\n
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Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.<\/a><\/p>\n
Editor<\/b>: Eydie Cubarrubia<\/p>\n