Today’s Headlines for Wednesday, January 14
• Brown Line delayed after train-car crash near Francisco Station in Albany Park (WGN)
January 14, 2026
Shifting money from roads to public transportation saved Illinois transit. A new map shows how other states can benefit from this approach.
Last October 31, Illinois public transportation boosters rejoiced after state legislators passed a robust transit reform/funding bill with $1.5 billion in new annual funding during the early-morning hours. This legislation rescued Chicagoland bus and train service from a looming fiscal cliff that would have resulted in drastic cuts and layoffs.
January 13, 2026
Today’s Headlines for Monday, January 12
• Hit-and-run driver fatally struck Samantha Bragg, 44, 12/17 around 1:39 AM in 3900 block of West 5th Ave, in East Garfield, $1K reward offered for info (FOX)
January 12, 2026
The negligent driver who killed Steve Bender on his bike was merely cited for failure to reduce speed. His family wants tougher state laws.
On the afternoon of Wednesday, May 29, 2024, in beautiful late-spring weather, Steve Bender, 73, bicycled east from his home in the Chicago suburb of Tinley Park. According to his wife Mary, he was riding an orange Orbea road bike and wearing a bright blue jersey, making him easy to see. They were planning to celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary the next month.
January 11, 2026
Today’s Headlines for Friday, January 9
• Crain's picks up Nik Hunder's op-ed on speeding bus service, previously run on Streetsblog
January 9, 2026
Tragically, two more CDOT records of 2025 pedestrian deaths on Chicago surface streets bring the total number of fatalities to 28
Streetsblog Chicago's Fatality Tracker series seeks to document all deadly pedestrian and bicycle crashes on surface streets within the city of Chicago. Our goal is to draw attention to the need for policy and infrastructure changes to help prevent these kind of tragedies.
January 8, 2026
Today’s Headlines for Thursday, January 8
• "Trailer bill tweaking some parts of state’s transit bill could surface when General Assembly reconvenes, legislative leaders said Wednesday" (Herald)
January 8, 2026
Today’s Headlines for Wednesday, January 7
• Driver fatally struck pedestrian Tuesday around 5:55 PM at intersection of 8-lane roads with no sidewalks in Schererville, NW Indiana (ABC)
January 7, 2026
Round 5 of the dueling Archer Avenue rallies, plus ex-alder George Cardenas enters the chat with a windshield POV
I've reported on most of the Monday evening dueling anti- and pro- Archer Avenue traffic safety project rallies over the past month or so. But I took a break from showing up on Monday, December 29, when the fourth of the competing demonstration sessions took place, in front of Ald. Julia Ramirez's 12th Ward office, 3868 S. Archer Ave.
January 6, 2026
Today’s Headlines for Tuesday, January 6
• Ryan Riccio, 33, who delivered for Snap Courier, "passed away suddenly" on 12/22. A 7/22 Sun-Times article on working in the heat: "Riccio enjoys his job."
January 6, 2026