Good morning, Chicago. Citing this year’s record property tax hikes, the Cook County Board of Review is giving taxpayers another brief shot at knocking down their bills for next year. Every Cook County township will reopen for appeals to property tax assessments, the county’s estimate of a hom e or business’ value, through Dec. 12. Successful appeals won’t offer any immediate relief on the bills that just landed, however. Any savings would apply to next year’s second installment bills, which typically land in the summer. People who already appealed aren’t eligible. Read the full story from the Tribune’s A.D. Quig. Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including: what a lawyer for the Trump administration said about the dismissal of an Operation Midway Blitz suit, a historic settlement approved by the Chicago school board and our holiday book guide. Today’s eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles Games | Today in History People walk through the snow along North Michigan Avenue as a winter storm passes through the area on Nov. 29, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune) A snowy, cold start to winter follows a very warm fall. How are Illinois seasons changing? After years of little snow across the Chicago area, recent record-breaking snowfall and below-freezing temperatures might seem to contradict scientific reports of winters getting warmer. But climate change is still transforming how locals experience the changing seasons, including this fall, one of the top 10 warmest recorded in Illinois. Chicago weather: How our 2025-26 seasonal snowfall compares with previous years Angry crowds face off with federal agents after a raid at the Discount Mall on West 26th Street in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood on Oct. 23, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune) Trump lawyer claims dismissal of Operation Midway Blitz suit would block future use-of-force claims An attorney for the Trump administration claimed in court yesterday that the dismissal of a lawsuit over the use of force by immigration agents in Chicago would bar journalists and protesters from bringing similar claims of constitutional violations in the future. Mayor Brandon Johnson, right, shakes hands with Matthew Brewer, interim board chairman of the Chicago Housing Authority, during a ribbon cutting event for the Edith Spurlock Sampson Apartments in Lincoln Park on Feb. 27, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune) Chicago Housing Authority head told HUD ‘we do not recommend’ Mayor Brandon Johnson ally as CEO The Chicago Housing Authority board told the federal government this fall that Mayor Brandon Johnson was pressuring the agency behind the scenes to install a close political ally to lead the nation’s third-largest public housing agency. CHA board Chair Matthew Brewer wrote to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Oct. 1 laying out what he said were Johnson’s attempts to influence the agency to name former Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. as CEO, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Tribune. Perplexity cofounder and CEO Aravind Srinivas speaks during during a technology conference in Washington on Oct. 28, 2025. (Jim Watson/Getty-AFP) Chicago Tribune sues Perplexity AI for copyright infringement The Chicago Tribune filed a copyright infringement lawsuit yesterday in New York federal court against Perplexity AI, alleging the California-based startup has been unlawfully profiting off the newspaper’s content in building its AI-driven search engine. The complaint challenges the unauthorized use of often fully reproduced Tribune reporting to provide answers on the Perplexity AI platforms – both a chatbot and newly launched search engine – essentially bypassing the need to link to the newspaper’s website. Brian Crowder gets into a vehicle after leaving the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago on July 1, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) Chicago school board approves $17.5 million sex abuse settlement for former student The Chicago Board of Education approved a historic $17.5 million settlement over the sexual abuse of a student by a former Little Village high school dean. The settlement is believed to be the largest school-related sexual abuse settlement in state history, according to the former student’s legal team. Park Forest police Officer Timothy Jones, who was shot in the line of duty in March 2016 and suffered life-threatening injuries, was released from Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital in Wheaton, May 26, 2017. (Zak Koeske/Daily Southtown) Park Forest police Officer Tim Jones dies nearly a decade after shooting  Tim Jones, a Park Forest police officer and the son of the Country Club Hills Police chief William Jones, died Wednesday, nearly 10 years after he was shot multiple times in a nearly deadly confrontation with an intruder in a vacant house. Chicago Bears passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Al Harris, left, works with cornerback Kyler Gordon before the game against the Eagles on Nov. 28, 2025, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) Column: Al Harris has made an impact on the Chicago Bears for years — and wherever he goes, takeaways follow Al Harris had a profound impact on the Chicago Bears long before being hired as defensive backs coach/passing game coordinator, writes Brad Biggs. A two-time Pro Bowl cornerback for the Green Bay Packers, Harris is the assistant who was tasked with piecing things together while Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon missed much of the season. He’s the guy who vouched for Nahshon Wright before the Bears signed him in April — seven months before he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month for November. Bears CB Jaylon Johnson says fasting and faith helped in recovery from season-threatening groin injury Sign up for the Bears Insider newsletter Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin are the finalists for the Chicago Tribune Silver Football award. (Ryan Sun and Barry Reeger/AP, Luke Hales/Getty) Meet the 3 finalists for the 2025 Chicago Tribune Silver Football, awarded to the Big Ten’s best player The three finalists for the Chicago Tribune Silver Football will share a field tomorrow night during the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis. "Lee Friedlander: Christmas," by Lee Friedlander, “Norman Rockwell’s Christmas,” by Norman Rockwell, “The Uptown: Chicago’s Endangered Movie Palace,” by Robert Loerzel and James A. Pierce and “Chicago’s Holiday Train,” by Daniel Moreno. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) Holiday book guide 2025: The best gift books of the season, paired to some very specific people The secret to a happy pairing? Being honest about who that person is, not who you want them to be. With this in mind, what follows are the best gift books of the season, paired to some very specific people. Felicia Martis (Jovie) and Jack Ducat (Buddy) in the touring production of "Elf the Musical" at the Auditorium Theatre. (Evan Zimmerman) Review: ‘Elf’ at the Auditorium Theatre has a fine Buddy in a middling musical “Elf the Musical” is the theatrical equivalent of pouring maple syrup on spaghetti; kids may love it, but nostalgia aside, it’s too sickly sweet to have broad appeal for adults, writes Emily McClanathan. Based on the 2003 film starring Will Ferrell, the 2010 stage adaptation returned to Broadway last year, directed by Philip Wm. McKinley, and a new national tour based on this production is now playing a limited run at the Auditorium Theatre. ...read more read less