Illinois lawmakers race to finish a state budget and a Bears stadium deal. And Mayor Brandon Johnson journeys to meet Pope Leo XIV.

Local leaders rally around Pope Leo after attacks from President Donald Trump. And CPS reaches a deal with CTU to hold May Day classes.

We’re looking back at the stories that defined 2025 — from a massive immigration crackdown and congressional musical chairs to city budget battles and a hometown Holy Father.

Community outrage after immigration agents pull a teacher out of a day care. And U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García says last minute that he’s not running — but his hand-picked successor is.

An escalating row over free speech after the suspension of late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. And tear gas is deployed against protesters outside an ICE facility in Broadview.

Local leaders slam President Donald Trump’s threat to take over policing in Chicago as flat-out illegal. And school board members push back on a CPS budget that puts off a huge pension payment.

Gov. JB Pritzker makes it official — he’s running for a third term. And the interim CPS CEO says Chicago schools face an even higher deficit than had been reported.

Former President Joe Biden returns to the national stage — calling out the Trump administration’s actions on Social Security. And alderpeople are blocking Jan. 6 rioters from working with the city.

The U.S. Department of Justice strikes at Illinois’ immigration laws. And a debate over a controversial piece of art at the Chicago Cultural Center leads to an alderperson’s ejection.

Chicago gets its first elected school board members. And former House Speaker Michael Madigan explains his “making out like bandits” remark.

Mayor Johnson says alderpeople should stop throwing tantrums and start negotiating the budget seriously. And disgraced former Ald. Danny Solis takes the stand in Michael Madigan’s historic corruption trial.

What a possible White Sox sale could mean for Chicago. And CPS board members skip out on the City Council.

The Bears unveil plans for a $4.75 billion state-of-the-art domed lakefront stadium. And pro-Palestinian Northwestern students and staff protest the war in Gaza.

Chicago’s Board of Education votes to remove police officers from schools. And the White Sox head to Springfield in the hopes of scoring a stadium subsidy.

A contentious vote in City Hall to back a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas. And a CPS principal files a police report over allegedly violent rhetoric by CTU President Stacy Davis Gates.

Jurors hear secret recordings in former Ald. Ed Burke’s corruption trial. And construction is underway for a new controversial migrant base camp.