A call for those who haven’t received the COVID-19 vaccine to pay for the cost of their medical treatment. A billion dollar investment in affordable housing. And a second pandemic holiday season.

Even as the threat posed by the omicron variant of COVID-19 has yet to materialize in Chicago, the city is enduring a “very significant” surge of COVID-19 fueled by the holiday gatherings and indoor events, Chicago’s top doctor said Tuesday.

With new tools at their disposal, archeologists are revisiting a prehistoric site discovered 40 years ago at what’s now Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. “What we have here is a real unique opportunity to talk about how humans used this landscape over the last 10,000 years,” one researcher said. 

A few dozen survivors of Pearl Harbor are expected to gather Tuesday at the site of the Japanese bombing to remember those killed in the attack that launched the U.S. into World War II. They will observe a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m., the same minute the attack began decades ago.

The U.S. District Court settlement modifies a previous consent decree that required BP Products North America Inc. to limit releases from the sprawling facility on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan.

More than 1,000 homicides have been recorded in Cook County so far this year. In the suburbs, Harvey has seen the highest total of homicides with 30.

The rise in air travel is coming back down, thanks to the omicron variant’s rapid spread. Ann Dwyer has details on that story and more.

A growing number of states and countries are detecting the omicron variant, though it has yet to be identified in Illinois. Some say the mutation raises concerns about vaccine equity across the globe.

Former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett denied Monday that he staged an anti-gay, racist attack on himself in downtown Chicago, testifying at his trial that “there was no hoax.”

The dispute over Ukraine’s status and its growing alignment with U.S.-led NATO will be at the center of President Vladimir Putin’s video meeting Tuesday with President Joe Biden, whose administration says an extensive Russian military buildup near Ukraine points to a potential invasion.

Pure winter magic. The Joffrey Ballet’s altogether unique production of “The Nutcracker,” has never looked more glorious or been danced more ideally.

The same way you guard against COVID-19 caused by any other variant: Get vaccinated if you haven’t yet, get a booster if you’re eligible and step up other precautions you may have relaxed, like wearing a mask and avoiding crowds.

Reports from South Africa, where it emerged and is becoming the dominant strain, suggest that hospitalization rates have not increased alarmingly.

The impact of travel bans from certain countries as omicron spreads. Homicides in Cook County reach a historic level. How the U.S. is responding to Russian-Ukraine tensions. And the Hall of Fame for Minnie Minoso.

According to police department data, 32 people were shot in 28 shooting incidents over the weekend in Chicago.