👀 Will CPS leader get fired?

School Board to Consider Firing CPS CEO Friday

The Chicago Board of Education is calling a special meeting Friday to consider the future of CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. Tension has been brewing between the school district leader and Mayor Brandon Johnson for months. [Chalkbeat]

Sox Park Dropping ‘Guaranteed’ From Name

The White Sox are changing the name of their ballpark to Rate Field from Guaranteed Rate Field to align with the sponsor changing its company name. The ballpark has been previously known as U.S. Cellular Field and Comiskey Park. [AP]

Does Your Tap Water Look Weird?

If the water out of your faucet looks discolored, Chicago officials said that could be because they’re changing how they treat water to help reduce lead levels. [NBC Chicago]

• Chicago has the most lead pipes of any U.S. city. [City Cast Chicago 🎧]

South Side Metra Stations Finally See Upgrades

The 79th Street/Chatham station, which reopened this week, is the first of three Metra stations to get accessible enhancements. Similar upgrades are expected at 87th Street/Woodruff station and the 103rd Street station next year. [Block Club]

Chicago Food Facts We Learned (And Forgot) in 2024

All year, we talked about new restaurants to try out, shared our takes on Chicago classics, and brought you the latest food headlines. But how much information did the City Cast Chicago team retain? Not much, especially your favorite newsletter editor.* [City Cast Chicago 🎧]

*Full disclosure: I’m not usually that bad at trivia. City Cast Chicago executive producer Simone Alicea made an extremely difficult quiz.

The holidays are always a time of fantasy, whimsy, and magic. And what better time than this to step out of your usual routine to experience something exciting and new? If you are a Christmas movie fan like we are, chances are, you’ve seen "Home Alone." It was one of my favorite holiday movies as a kid. True fans can check out the "Home Alone" house in the flesh (or brick) in Winnetka, Illinois! It is the actual home used in part of the filming of this classic Christmas movie. This "Home Alone" movie house in Illinois will surely bring back some of your fond childhood memories like it did for us!

If you’ve ever wondered, “Where Is the ‘Home Alone’ house in Illinois?” Well, it's located at 671 Lincoln Ave. in Winnetka and it's absolutely incredible. It's as good a holiday tradition as any in northeast Illinois to visit an iconic home once featured in a popular Christmas movie that is known and loved by millions.

The house was built in 1920. Situated in the north suburb of Chicago, it was chosen for the 1990 hit film for its timeless appearance and size. It is certainly the type of home that a kid wouldn't mind being left home alone in ... I know I wouldn't mind! And it is also the type of home that bandits could use to get up to a lot of childlike fun and mischief.