Today’s Headlines for Monday, December 5

• WTTW: Dozens of bus and train operators paid overtime for average weeks of 80 hours or more
• A draft of RTA’s 2023 Regional Transit Strategic Plan will be released and available for public comment early this week
• 1 dead in fiery semi / car crash on Dan Ryan early this morning, causing suspension of Red Line service (CBS)
• Driver who died after fall from overpass during a 6-vehicle crash on the Dan Ryan IDed as David Ponce De Leon, 26 (ABC)
• Officer was among 3 people after 3-vehicle crash involving CTA bus at North/Central in Austin (Sun-Times)
• One writer’s thoughts on “violence, homelessness, bullies” on the Red Line (StreetSense)
• Can tiny homes combat homelessness in Chicago? Lightfoot’s new budget follows lead of other cities (Tribune)
• Wave of construction is bringing 650 new housing units to Uptown, many near Wilson ‘L’ station (Block Club)
• Did La Spata force a bar to take down giant patio decorations for political revenge, or to preserve safe pedestrian sightlines? (CBS)
• Aurora approves safe routes to school plan (Tribune)
• After years in limbo, is it go-time for Route 53 extension land to become greenway? (Daily Herald)
• You can spend four days circumnavigating Chicagoland on the Outerbelt Trail and still come home for dinner (Sierra)

I’d like to give a big thanks to everyone who has chipped in so far to help Streetsblog Chicago raise $50K by January 31 to keep the site rolling smoothly in 2023. You can make a tax-exempt donation here.

Thanks for your support, and enjoy the holiday season.

– John Greenfield, editor, Streetsblog Chicago