Throughout 2025, Chicago faced a barrage of attacks from President Donald Trump and other politicians painting the city as a murder-ridden hellscape needing federal — and even military — intervention. Yet as the city brought the year to a close this week, it reported its lowest number of murders in more than half a century, according to preliminary data. Quinn Myers dives into why.

Some of reporters, editors, and staff weigh in on the stories they loved in 2025.

Midway Blitz’s aim was to “target” undocumented immigrants with serious criminal histories — “the worst of the worst,” Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said when announcing the initiative in early September. Yet, neighbors saw immigration agents detain day laborers, construction and landscaping workers and street vendors, mothers and fathers, many of whom had no criminal history. Federal agents often used violent and unlawful tactics during the operations, advocates and lawyers said. And they’ve “displayed a massive show of force,” said Mark Fleming, director of litigation for the National Immigrant Justice Center. Block Club Chicago was part of a team that found federal agents used chemical weapons on people in Chicago at least 49 times this fall. Chicagoans had been preparing for a surge in immigration enforcement since President Donald Trump was reelected. The city has long been a target of Trump’s criticism, and his border czar, Tom Homan, promised that mass deportations would “start right here in Chicago.” Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested nearly 400 people in Chicago and in neighboring states during the 10 days after Trump’s January inauguration, according to records obtained by Block Club. Still, Midway Blitz and At Large — and the chaotic, seemingly random arrests and violence that came with them — have exceeded Chicagoans’ expectations.

In the 1940s, a retired principal named Ethel Percy Andrus, learned that a former colleague of hers had been forced to live in a chicken coop because she couldn’t afford housing or medical care. That moment started her on mission to help retired people in the country. And eventually led to the start of AARP. On today’s Block Club Chicago podcast, sponsored by AARP, we chat with the irIllinois chapter about their efforts today - including a big push in 2026 to help stop seniors from falling victim to fraud.

Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday he will not veto the so-called alternative budget that passed the City Council over the weekend, despite weeks of sharply criticizing parts of the spending plan as unbalanced and harmful to working Chicagoans. The announcement comes one week before a year-end deadline to pass a balanced 2026 budget. If Johnson had issued a mayoral veto, the city ran the risk of facing an unprecedented government shutdown, which could have interrupted services, paychecks and other operations.

On today’s podcast, sponsored by Rush, epidemiologist Dr. Michael Lin on what we’re in for this flu season, and if it’s too late to protect yourself.

A group of 27 alderpeople introduced a set of alternative budget proposals to City Council that would scrap a corporate head tax. Mayor Brandon Johnson has doubled down on his support of the idea. Are we headed toward a government shutdown?

Homeland Security has sought to reshape violent encounters into triumphant narratives — even as judges, journalists and experts said the agency has repeatedly distorted facts, misled the public and attacked those who challenged its story.

Today's podcast is a field trip to the Chase Bank South Shore Community Center at 6650 S. Stony Island Ave. The branch was established to be a place for all neighbors to gather nearly five years ago. Today we attend a forum on fraud prevention, and see how neighbors are buying into the community center, and learning important tips to avoid scammers this holiday season.

A whimsical yet very serious public art project by Logan Square artist Charlie Dean is gaining traction as an alternative to a paid postal service, designed to be used for monumental conversations or difficult news that need softening.

Block Club reporters are putting the spotlight on small, locally owned businesses, which are offering everything from jewelry to toys, books, self-care items, clothing and more during the holidays.

The Bears are 8-3. If you haven't been paying too much attention, now would be a great time to hop on the Bears bandwagon. But guard your heart. They might not be as good as their record suggests. Mark Carman from the CHGO Bears Podcast and WGN Radio breaks it all down.

On today’s Block Club Chicago podcast, sponsored by Rush, Dr. Dipti Gupta on what women, and men, should know about breast cancer, and how Rush is trying to reach all communities in our city.

The City Council’s finance committee on Monday voted against Mayor Brandon Johnson’s latest 2026 budget proposal, throwing what some alderpeople have characterized as an already-strained negotiations process into further uncertainty. After a few hours of debate over a proposed corporate head tax as well as borrowing plans and other issues, the finance committee voted decisively against the budget’s revenue ordinance.

The Groupon story is personal to many Chicagoans. The company at one point was located in the former Montgomery Ward warehouse along the banks of the Chicago River. On today’s Block Club Chicago podcast, sponsored by Groupon, we turn the page to the next chapter - Mike Tepeli from Groupon on what’s next for this still Chicago-based company, and we hear from a small business that exists because of Groupon, and is seeing big results from their current partnership with the company.

A once high-profile Italian restaurant in Fulton Market is facing legal and financial troubles, with records showing more than $400,000 in unpaid rent, vendor bills, taxes and wages, even as its owner tries for a comeback.

The Rink, 1122 E. 87th St., has been a haven for South Side skaters for 50 years. As one skater says as he rolls by, “Everybody’s welcome. No one is invited.” This year, owners and married couple Curtis and Ramona Pouncy hosted a glow-in-the-dark mural contest in honor of The Rink’s 50th anniversary. Artists were asked to create an image that captured what The Rink means to them and the community. A mural celebrating “The Rink Way” now lights the floor under red and green lights.

In “A House of Dynamite,” the U.S. nuclear defense apparatus is caught off-guard by a single intercontinental ballistic missile, which is fired from an unknown point of origin and is headed toward Chicago. What do experts say would happen if this played out in real life?

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis took the unusual step of ordering Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino to appear in court every day to report on “use of force incidents” after a series of tear gassings in Chicago neighborhoods flouted her past orders. On Wednesday, less than two hours before Bovino — the head of Trump’s Chicago immigration crackdown — was set to appear before Ellis for his first check-in, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals put a temporary halt to the judge’s order. Without comment, the appellate court granted an emergency motion from the Trump administration that described Ellis’ order as “extraordinary and extraordinarily disruptive.” On today's podcast, federal defense attorney Mike Leonard on the role of federal judges in Operation Midway Blitz.

65% of men say they avoid seeking medical attention as long as possible Only 3 in 5 men go for their annual physical. And in Chicago, men are 10% less likely to have a primary care provider compared to women. And die 6 years earlier than women on average. On today’s Block Club Chicago podcast, sponsored by Rush, doctor Zachary Glaser from Rush University's Department of Urology, on how 'Movember' can make a difference.