Violent CTA attacks surge
Good morning, Chicago. ✶
???? Below: Violent attacks on the CTA have surged to the most in decades, as President Donald Trump threatens a $50 million funding cut over crime.
????️ Plus: Chicagoans with ties to Iran share their worries, a judge orders 32 ICE detainees released and more news you need to know.
???? Keeping score: The Bulls beat the Bucks, 120-97; the Blackhawks bested the Mammoth, 4-0.
????️ Just to note: Happy Pulaski Day to all who celebrate! All Chicago and Cook County government offices and courts — plus all Chicago Public Library branches — will be closed today.
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⏱️: An 8-minute read
TODAY’S WEATHER ☀️
Sunny with a high near 43.
TODAY’S TOP STORY ????
CTA suffers most violent attacks in decades as Trump threatens $50M cut over crime
By David Struett
Wrong direction: Aggravated assaults and batteries on the Chicago Transit Authority reached a 24-year high in 2025 as the Trump administration threatened to cut millions of dollars in funding after a series of jarring attacks. The upward trend has continued into 2026, with those crimes climbing 33% over the same period last year, according to city data dating back to 2001.
By the numbers: Attacks on the CTA rose last year even as the same crimes fell 15% citywide between 2024 and 2025 — the largest drop in a decade. The police department recorded 469 aggravated assaults and batteries on the CTA last year, more than the 441 reported in 2024, city data shows. A new record for those crimes has been set every year since 2021.
Key context: It’s bad news for the CTA and its interim leader, Nora Leerhsen, who’s trying to highlight positive crime trends on the transit system and secure $50 million in grant funding from the federal government. Unsatisfied with the authority’s decision in December to boost the number of officers patrolling trains and buses, the Federal Transit Administration has threatened to withhold the money if the CTA doesn’t enact an acceptable safety plan by mid-March.
Troubling trend: The CTA has touted an overall drop in crime, due in part to falling reports of robberies and thefts. But the record number of felony assaults and batteries underscores the work still needed to improve the authority’s image and appease the feds.
LET’S HEAR FROM YOU ????️
What do you think would be an effective way to address violent crime on the CTA? Explain.
Reply to this newsletter (please include your first and last name). We may run your answer in a future newsletter or story.
NATION AND WORLD ✶
Chicagoans with ties to Iran and the Middle East worry as bombs fall
By Violet Miller, Kaitlin Washburn and Kade Heather
Anxious waiting: Talla Mountjoy has been sitting by her phone on a charger, waiting for calls from family in Iran since the U.S. and Israel attacked. Bombs razed areas around the neighborhood in Tehran where her grandmother and other loved ones live, but so far they have been safe, said Mountjoy, a senior director at the University of Chicago’s Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression. "I just want to be able to connect with my family in real time again," she said, noting communications blackouts pose difficulties.
Key context: U.S. and Israeli forces launched a major attack on the country early Saturday, killing its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other high-ranking officials, the Associated Press reported. At least 200 people were killed on the first day of fighting, including 115 reported dead when a girls’ school was struck — and at least four U.S. service members. Retaliatory attacks from Iran and Iranian-backed militias have hit Israel and other Middle Eastern nations.
Chicago protests: Dozens of antiwar activists descended Saturday evening onto Federal Plaza in the Loop to denounce the U.S.-Israel attack. Earlier in the day, about 100 demonstrators in Chicago who supported the strikes rallied in Daley Plaza, flying American flags and the prerevolution Iranian flag. At Saturday evening’s protest, Iranian American and refugee rights advocate Ali Tarokh said, "The message is simple: Stop this war."
REV. JESSE JACKSON ✶
Students get crash course of life of Jesse Jackson and are wowed by legacy
By Emmanuel Camarillo
Inside the classroom: Many students at Kenwood's King College Prep High School say they aren't all that familiar with the work of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson. But after one class embarked on a crash course on Jackson’s life over several days, students said they came away with a newfound respect for what he accomplished. "Now that I’ve learned about him, he’s really impressive," one student said. "That man was a boss," another said.
New generation: The lessons happening at King are one example of how a new generation is learning about Jackson and identifying with him in their own ways. Students at King connected with Jackson’s lyrical turns of phrase, likening his swagger to that of a hip-hop artist, and admired the fearlessness with which he fought for the Black community.
Teacher's take: Erik Young, a social science teacher, has taught at King for 18 years. He included mentions of Jackson and his work in Chicago in his lessons before, but after Jackson’s death, Young decided it was time for his world studies class to take a deeper dive. "Many of the students here really had not heard of him, and it’s no fault of their own," he said.
More on Jackson:
- Young mourners reflect on Rev. Jackson’s legacy and carry it forward
- Friends and family say Chicago embraced and nurtured Jackson from the start
- For Jackson, economic justice and civil rights were intertwined
MORE NEWS YOU NEED ????️
- Judge orders releases: A federal judge ordered the release Friday of 32 people, including two caught up in the military-style raid on a South Shore apartment complex, arrested during Operation Midway Blitz, citing violations of a longstanding consent decree. But many of them have already been released or deported.
- Hearing delayed: A Friday detention hearing was delayed for Muhammad Thomas, who allegedly fatally shot a father and son in November in Little Village. Thomas could not attend the hearing Friday because of a medication issue and narcotics withdrawal, prosecutors said.
- New affordable housing: Community leaders and prospective homeowners on Saturday toured two newly built houses available for purchase in Back of the Yards. The event was part of a community-led campaign aimed at building 2,000 homes across the South and West sides.
- Scam alert: The Cook County Circuit Court is warning residents about a scam "hearing notice" soliciting payments for fake parking charges.
- Hawthorne Race Course files for bankruptcy: The move marks an attempt for the 134-year-old fixture to restructure its debt, attract a new investor and ultimately save the struggling horse racing industry in Illinois.
- Health and education: The Pritzker Traubert Foundation is awarding $5 million to City Colleges of Chicago and Cook County Health to form a partnership aimed at accelerating job placement to meet a high demand of health care jobs.
- Loop Arts District: The Chicago Loop Alliance announced plans for a new arts district, supported by nearly 90 arts organizations, in hopes of developing the neighborhood as an arts and culture destination.
ELECTIONS ☑️
Pro-Israel group’s donors and affiliates pour $13.7M into Chicago-area primaries
By Mariah Woelfel, Mawa Iqbal and Chip Mitchell
Spending big: Donors with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and its affiliates have spent $13.7 million on the group’s preferred candidates in four wide-open Chicago-area congressional primaries, a WBEZ analysis of federal campaign disclosures found.
Outstanding issue: Several Democratic candidates in these races reportedly met with AIPAC and learned the group had drawn a hard line on one thing: Unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel. The topic has become a flashpoint for candidates and voters as more Democrats call for improving human rights in Gaza.
New survey: WBEZ surveyed the 46 candidates in those March 17 primaries about whether there should be strict U.S. conditions on military aid to Israel, whether that country has committed genocide in Gaza, and whether AIPAC funding should be off-limits in these races. Most respondents said "yes" to all the questions. Four AIPAC-aligned candidates, all Democrats, would not answer "yes" or "no": Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller in the 2nd District; Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin in the 7th; former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean in the 8th; and state Sen. Laura Fine in the 9th.
Early voting widens: More early voting sites have opened, including 50 ward voting sites in the city and 55 sites in suburban Cook County. Prepare for the March 17 primary with our voter guide and get a preview of your ballot.
FROM THE PRESS BOX ⚾????
- Sox’ strong start: The White Sox’ young catchers are raising expectations heading into their second seasons.
- DePaul’s getting it done: After completing a season sweep of Marquette, the Blue Demons have their most Big East men's basketball victories in 19 years and three Big East road wins in a row for the first time ever.
- Ramblers’ rough patch: Loyola men's basketball coach Drew Valentine is addressing the team's "bizarre" 7-22 season.
- Boys basketball: Lockport, Simeon, St. Laurence and Hersey return after winning regionals, and Brother Rice debuts in Michael O'Brien's Super 25 high school basketball rankings for March 1.
- Girls basketball: We’ve arrived at the final week of the season. Here are Kyle Williams' Super 25 high school girls basketball rankings for March 1.
CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD ????
Today's clue: 3D: Kosciuszko ___ (spot whose fieldhouse was once home to the School of Polish Language)
BRIGHT ONE ????
Swimmers jump in frigid Lake Michigan for annual Polar Plunge
By Sun-Times staff
With air temperatures hovering below freezing Sunday morning, thousands of Chicagoans decided it was a great day for a swim.
About 4,300 swimmers gathered at North Avenue Beach for the 26th annual Polar Plunge, put on by Special Children’s Charities. Each year, participants raise money for Special Olympics Illinois, and this year’s group has garnered more than $1.5 million in donations, falling short of the $2 million goal and down from last year’s $1.7 million, according to the event’s website.
Swimmers — some in bathing suits, others in full costume — ran into the lake and dunked, shrieked and gasped from the cold. The lake temperature was 35 degrees as they jumped in. Crayons, Santa Claus and hot dogs were among the costumes participants donned.
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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Eydie Cubarrubia
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