Today’s Headlines for Thursday, December 29

• Hit-and-run driver critically injured army vet Tom Kownacki at Irving Park/Rockwell, near where IDOT blocked ped improvements (ABC)
• …In June a distracted driver killed pedestrian Peter Paquette, 75, five blocks east at Irving Park/Hoyne
• 2 people died early Thursday morning in fiery single-car rollover crash on Kennedy near Addison (ABC)
• CPD: Speeding driver who struck semi at Taylor/Desplaines shot at man who went over to the crash scene (FOX)
• 3 suspects in custody after man, 26, beaten, kicked, hit in face with bottle on Monroe Red platform (ABC)
• Ben Joravsky praises passage of Red Line extension TIF, but claims it “will raise property taxes on every Chicago property” (Reader)
• Megan Kirby: CTA wraparound vehicle ads deprive us of one of the key pleasures of riding transit: checking out views (Reader)

Streetsblog is on a light publishing schedule this week, including Today’s Headlines and occasional posts, as we focus on fundraising tasks.

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