CHICAGO — As the new year looms, pressing issues that dominated headlines in Illinois in the year 2023 range from significant strikes to devastating storms and drastic changes in the sports scene.
Over the course of the last 12 months, when it came to crime in Chicago, homicides trended down.While a victory for the city’s police department, robbery and thefts spiked, and stolen vehicle reports skyrocketed by more than double.
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For Mayor Brandon Johnson, 2024 will be the first test of his new crime-fighting strategy, unveiled at year’s end.
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COVID-19’s official end as a public health emergency came in 2023, closing a chapter three years after it began.
“Normal” was not the operative word when it came to Chicago politics. For the first time in 40 years, the incumbent mayor lost their run for re-election.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot became a one-term mayor after losing to runoff contenders Paul Vallas and the progressive, former Chicago Teachers Union organizer who would become mayor, Brandon Johnson.
His first and tallest challenge was an inherited one and one of the biggest stories of the year: the migrant crisis.
Bus after bus arrived from the Texas border, bringing asylum seekers from South and Central America. Suddenly the city had to make room for 26,000 new residents.
Most were immediately housed at Chicago’s police stations and at O’Hare Airport. However, the crisis was marked by fighting among neighborhoods unwilling to take on the risk and burden.
Turnover wasn’t just confined to the mayor’s office.
The longest-serving secretary of state, Jesse White, left office. After a months-long search, Larry Snelling became the permanent CPD superintendent.And often-embattled Cook County State’s attorney Kim Foxx announced she wouldn’t seek another term.
Meanwhile, the city mourned the loss of six first responders in the line of duty.
Chicago lost two CPD officers: Andres Vasquez Lasso and Areanah Preston.
The city poured out in grief and respect for the fallen officers and the four firefighters who died in the line of duty.
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Corruption was determined in two high-profile cases. ‘The ComEd Four,‘ close associates of former Illinois house speaker Mike Madigan, were convicted of bribery.
Once the most powerful man in Chicago politics, Ed Burke became the 39th city alderman convicted of a crime. In December he was found guilty of racketeering conspiracy.
Extreme weather also hit hard in 2023.
In May, a blinding dust storm downstate caused a 70-car pile-up on I-55 in Springfield. Eight people died.
Then, the skies over Chicago turned orange in late June. Smoke from wildfires in Canada drifted south, briefly causing the city to have the worst air quality in the world.
Throughout the entire year, Illinois saw more tornadoes than any other state; 119. More than a dozen hit the Chicago area in a single July day.
SEE ALSO: Tornado touches down near O’Hare Airport amid severe weather warnings
That same month, heavy rainfall poured into South Side homes and in Cicero, costing millions in damage, and cries from residents who felt the city didn’t do enough.
That same storm created a water-logged inaugural run for NASCAR’s Street Race around Millennium Park on the 4th of July weekend.
Big crowds for some huge concerts: Taylor Swift’s three-night engagement at Soldier Field for her ‘Eras Tour’, and Beyonce’s put on a show for her ‘Renaissance Tour’ for two nights the next month.
READ MORE: Beyoncé vs Taylor Swift vs NASCAR: Who’s been the biggest boon to Chicago?
Come fall, after years of debate, patrons finally poured in when Bally’s opened its temporary casino at the former Medinah temple in River North.
The year 2023 was also one for labor disputes and union strikes.
In May, Hollywood writers staged a strike, followed later by SAG/AFTRA actors, halting productions and sparking protests in Chicago.
The automotive industry also came to a screeching halt as local UAW employees hit the picket lines against Ford, GM, and Stellantis.Healthcare workers also went on strike at Howard Brown Health and Loretto Hospital.Educators walked out as well at Chicago State, University of Illinois Chicago, Governor’s State, and Columbia College.
On October 7, Hamas fighters stunned the world by launching an attack on Israeli civilians, killing 1,100 people and taking hundreds hostage. A devastating response from Israel followed in Gaza.
READ MORE: Israel and Hamas Conflict
Among the kidnapped: an Evanston teen and her mother. They spent two weeks in captivity before returning home.
Eight American hostages remain. Meanwhile, the United Nations says more than 20,000 Palestinian people are dead.
Teen takeovers brought unrest and concern on several weekends around downtown Chicago while crash and grabs became a popular mode of theft in Chicago.
And a mystery still remains over a shooting at a White Sox game in August, which left two women injured. Police still have not confirmed if the bullets came from outside or inside the park.
The city’s sports world also saw its fair share of turnover.
The Blackhawks marked one end and another beginning, saying goodbye to their star of the past, Jonathan Toews, while welcoming the most exciting hockey prospect in generations by signing teen phenom Connor Bedard.
Two stunning, unexpected moves from the city’s baseball world. The White Sox fired vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn.
READ MORE: Chicago White Sox fire executive vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn
Meanwhile, the Cubs shocked fans when it fired manager David Ross and hired rival skipper Craig Counsel from the Milwaukee Brewers.
SEE ALSO: Cubs hiring Craig Counsell to replace David Ross as manager
Evanston was rocked by two big controversies. One was the fight over a proposal for a new Ryan Field, ultimately approved, and the hazing scandal that resulted in the dismissal of head coach pat Fitzgerald and his resulting lawsuit.
Lastly, the pervasive migrant crisis and the steps to alleviate the problem. Fieldhouses, shuttered schools, and empty lots were put forth as possible solutions but were met with staunch opposition from residents.
Notably, the tent city in Brighton Park is now scrapped over environmental concerns.
Of the many unknowns that await 2024, with the Democratic National Convention headed to Chicago next year that, at least, is clear: Republican leadership will make sure more migrants find their way to the ‘Sanctuary City.’
