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• Metra board approved $1.2 billion operating budget for 2026 with no fare increases or service cuts. It also approved a $515.3 million capital plan.
• Coverage of the fact, like CTA, Metra is largely staying mum for now about future state funding-enabled service improvements (WBEZ)
• "'The winning touchdown': Metra exhales, passes budget without fare hikes, fiscal cliff" (Daily Herald)
• After outrage over TikTokker who killed Darren Lucas, 59, while driving livestreaming, asking for donations, police are investigating crash video (ABC)
• Woman on tracks fatally struck by Blue Line train this morning around 4:30 AM at Logan Square station, shuttle bus service was provided (WGN)
• BNSF service halted twice on Wednesday after train struck pedestrian in Naperville and trucker struck bridge in Little Village (Hoodline)
• "Federal, State, Local Officials, and CREATE Program Partners to Celebrate Completion of the [$380M] Forest Hill Flyover" today (Bluesky, Twitter)
• "Chicagoans Buy Out Street Vendors Amid Federal Immigration Crackdown" (WTTW)
• "Hop Aboard CTA to Get Around Town" (They couldn't at lease include a lame holiday pun like, "Give Thanks That CTA Is Available to Get You Around Town"?)
• SBC leads a ride from Daley Plaza Sun. 11/16, noon, leaving by 12:30 PM, to a showing and Q&A for the doc "Power Trip," about media-inspired risky driving
On November 12, SBC launched our 2026 fund drive to raise $50K through ad sales and donations. That will complete next year's budget, at a time when it's tough to find grant money. Big thanks to all the readers who have chipped in so far to help keep this site rolling all next year! Currently, we're at $358, with $49,642 to go, ideally by mid-February.
If you value our livable streets reporting and advocacy, please consider making a tax-exempt end-of-year gift here. If you can afford a contribution of $100 or more, consider it a subscription. That will help keep the site paywall-free for people on tighter budgets, as well as decision-makers. Thanks for your support!
– John Greenfield, editor
