The Chicago Transit Authority says the $1.9 billion in federal funding it’s been promised for the Red Line Extension should be secure, despite the Trump administration’s sweeping freeze of grant money Tuesday.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson have both said they are prepared to confront President-elect Donald Trump's policies head-on. But it is unclear how Trump will make good on his promises of retribution, and what power city and state officials will have to resist or thwart federal authorities.

Outgoing Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval Carter capped his nearly 10-year run leading the massive agency at a board meeting Wednesday, saying he’d be “forever grateful for this opportunity to serve our customers (and) the people of the city of Chicago.”

The Transportation Department said its investigation found that Southwest operated two chronically delayed flights — one between Chicago Midway International Airport and Oakland, California, and another between Baltimore, Maryland, and Cleveland, Ohio.

The City Council voted 49-1 to create a working group to come up with ways Chicago can change its traffic ticketing system so Black, Latino and low-income residents are no longer disproportionately hit with fines.

The proposal comes as the Chicago region’s transit agencies are facing down an estimated $750 million fiscal cliff next year when COVID-19 relief money runs out — and amid conversations in Springfield about tying increased transit funding to major changes to the existing public transit structure.

Under the new bill, Illinois would increase the age for mandatory behind-the-wheel driving tests from 79 to 87. The proposal also creates a mechanism for relatives to report family members of any age they believe are unsafe drivers.

Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval Carter plans to resign on Jan. 31. He plans to take a job as the president and CEO of Saint Anthony Hospital on the city’s West Side.

Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st Ward) said he would ask his colleagues to vote Wednesday on the measure advanced by the Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee in October after working for months behind the scenes to marshal support.

Starting Thursday, three overnight lane closures will be required on the inbound and outbound Kennedy and Edens Expressway to remove the work zone and apply new pavement markings, according to Illinois Department of Transportation.

More than 300 license plate requests in Illinois were denied last year for profanity, offensive language or illegibility, according to the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office.

The statistics, compiled by the Chicago Department of Transportation by comparing 2021 crash data with information from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, are a key justification for members of the Chicago City Council looking to lower the city’s default speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph.

Local public transit agencies are encouraging residents to celebrate the holiday responsibly by taking advantage of free late-night transit services. Here’s how to hitch a ride.

Local and federal officials had been racing to finalize funding for the Red Line Extension before the end of the Biden administration. The $1.9 billion in federal transit grant money will help fulfill a decades-old promise to extend the heavily used train line past 95th Street, down to 130th Street.

Express lanes are set to reopen Jan. 13 pending successful completion of testing, which will begin Jan. 2, weather permitting, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. 

Reliance on school buses has been waning for years as districts struggle to find drivers and more students attend schools far outside their neighborhoods.