Chicago's 2024 top stories: Migrants, White Sox and the Rat Hole

The big picture: Students, faculty and community members rallied at Chicago universities urging them to support a ceasefire in Gaza and divest in Israel.

Catch up quick: Students and supporters set up encampments in the spring at Northwestern, University of Chicago, DePaul and School of the Art Institute (SAIC), leading to clashes with campus police and even arrests at SAIC.

Zoom out: NU President Michael Schill was one of the university officials called to Congress to testify in front of lawmakers.

• Schill was criticized by some lawmakers for negotiating with protesters.

Zoom in: Summer break calmed the action with fewer students on campus, and by the fall, universities had issued updated protest policies.

The bottom line: The campus protests prepared the city for what to expect at the Democratic National Convention in August, where thousands gathered peacefully in Union Park and marched near the convention.

🏠 Biggest ongoing crisis: Housing migrants

Mayor Brandon Johnson finally got the shelter system operational with help from the state, which included a much more robust check-in and welcoming center in the South Loop.

Yes, but: Fewer migrants arrived in 2024 than the previous two years, eventually forcing the city to roll migrant housing into other homelessness programs, effectively shutting down the migrant shelter system.

Between the lines: The city prepared for even more arrivals ahead of the DNC as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to send more buses, but that didn't happen.

What's next: The migrant crisis has cost more than $600 million, and President-elect Trump and his officials have vowed to make Chicago the center of their plans for mass deportations.

👋 Best local retirement: Did anyone have Tom Skilling, Derrick Rose and Buddy Guy on their 2024 retirement bingo list?

• This year's retirements were only outdone by the legends who passed away: Bob Newhart, Steve Albini and longtime WGN Radio general manager Dan Fabian, who is credited with paying Steve Goodman to write "Go Cubs Go."

(Not) ready for retirement: CPS CEO Pedro Martinez.

After months of speculation, the Chicago school board voted unanimously Friday night to oust Martinez. Frankly, it was shocking that the former Mayor Lori Lightfoot-picked CEO made it this long into former CTU organizer Johnson's tenure.

Yes, but: The board is facing swift backlash for the decision, and because Martinez was fired without cause, his contract stipulates that he remains in the post for another six months.

Runner up: CTA president Dorval Carter, who has been battling calls for his ouster since the pandemic.

⚾️ Biggest villain in town: White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf

• We know, you know, history knows the ball club's dismal stats.

Yes, but: It wasn't just futility on the field. Reinsdorf flirted with selling the team to a Nashville group, started a new Chicago Sports Network that millions of cable watchers can't see, and wants the state to pony up funding for a new South Loop stadium with questionable parking.

• But at least Guaranteed Rate has a new(ish) name.

🏈 Biggest waffler: The Chicago Bears stadium search

• Arlington Heights, here we come! Wait, no, lakefront! That's not gonna work … former Michael Reese site? The future home of the beleaguered Bears is unclear.
• Reality check: What is clear is that Gov. Pritzker doesn't want to foot the bill, but he may not have to now that the NFL has changed its private equity rules.

Runner up: The Kennedy construction

• "Fall" means January, apparently.

🤔 Strangest press conference: Mayor Brandon Johnson announcing new Chicago Board of Education members.

• Just days after the entire board resigned over policy disagreements with Johnson, the mayor announced six new picks at a disorganized news conference at a South Side church that raised more questions than answers.
• The mayor also continued his peculiar behavior of berating the reporters asking the questions.

Runner up: Angel Reese's introductory press conference. While the Indiana Fever literally rolled out the red carpet to introduce Caitlin Clark, the Sky skipped the pageantry and instead offered up an event that had all the charisma of a suburban town hall meeting.

😢 Biggest letdown: The world buzzed that Beyonce was going to make a surprise appearance at the DNC. Or wait, maybe Taylor Swift? Or how about both?

• Alas, Queen Bey didn't materialize, which inadvertently took the wind out of Vice President Kamala Harris' acceptance speech.

Runner up: The Rat Hole. Did you include that photo of you in front of it in your holiday card?

🤷 Most bizarre interview: It may not have been as viral as the Kat Williams interview, but President-elect Trump's onstage event at the National Association of Black Journalists annual conference in Chicago was chock-full of defining moments.

Trump told interviewers he didn't know Harris was Black "until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black."

🎉 Biggest kick-ass party: Axios House at the DNC.

• Joined by our national Axios colleagues, we threw a standing-room-only, over-capacity celebration at RPM Events on the Chicago River, and it packed a lot in: open bar, a Daley interview and even protesters.

Runner up: Chappell Roan at Lollapalooza. We heard her set was OK, but was it a packed happy hour on the river? (laugh emoji)

🫶 Biggest hole in our hearts: The Spire hole. The infamous lakefront hole was finally filled as construction started on a new skyscraper.

🎤 Best comeback story: Riot Fest. It literally came back to Chicago. After publicly scorching the Park District for their policies, the music festival stormed out of Chicago for the SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.

• Yes, but: A few months later, organizers decided to come back to Douglass Park. This all happened before any actual music was performed.

Runner up: Cicadas.

🙌 Best guerrilla marketing: Jeremy Allen White lookalike contest. The organizers tossed up some fliers and posted on TikTok and hundreds of people showed up.

• We hope to piggyback on that viral success with a more Chicago-centric competition: The Dennis Franz lookalike contest is coming in 2025.

🧐 Finally, weirdest statue: It wasn't built in 2024, but the Harry Caray statue at Waveland and Sheffield still reigns supreme as the creepiest memorial in town.

• Are the little Harrys trying to pull the bigger Harry down? We may never know.