Daywatch: 2023 Holiday Cookie Contest winners announced
Good morning, Chicago.
After almost four decades, Tribune Holiday Cookie Contest bakers continue to submit delicious, yet sometimes surprisingly simple recipes that readers turn to year after year.
The winners of this year’s 37th annual contest are no different.
For the baker who doesn’t have time to spare, this year’s first-place recipe can be done in less than a half-hour and only needs four ingredients.
To the bakers and readers who reignite this contest each year, we appreciate your continued interest. We hope you can enjoy these recipes from the first snowfall to spring’s first blooms. Happy holidays and happy baking, Chicago!
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
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As Chicago considers city-run grocery, officials say all options are on the table. But the challenges are steep.
The grocery industry is a notoriously challenging business; stores operate on razor-thin margins and operators must manage a highly perishable inventory. In interviews with the Tribune, industry and economic development experts expressed skepticism that the city, which is facing a $538 million budget gap next year, could effectively operate its own traditional supermarket.
“This mayor’s looking at bold and innovative solutions,” said S. Mayumi “Umi” Grigsby, the mayor’s policy chief. “So for us, it wouldn’t be a rehashing of what currently exists.”
Hamas frees more hostages from Gaza as fragile truce with Israel holds
In the latest swap since the cease-fire began Friday, Israel said 10 of its citizens and two Thai nationals were freed by Hamas and had been returned to Israel. Soon after, Israel released 30 Palestinian prisoners. The truce is due to end after one more exchange Wednesday night.
Jurors in ex-Ald. Ed Burke corruption trial hear first secret recordings by FBI mole Daniel Solis
Chicago Ald. Daniel Solis was a newly minted FBI mole in August 2016 when he was instructed to call his then-powerful colleague, Ald. Ed Burke, and talk about the massive $600 million renovation of the Old Post Office.
After some seemingly innocuous conversation about the project’s New York-based developers and local contractors who’d be vying for work, Burke made an unsolicited comment that surely perked up the ears of the FBI agents listening in the wire room.
Chicago small businesses face uncertainty heading into holidays as shoppers show signs of caution
Last year, major retailers slashed prices early in the holiday shopping season, anticipating shoppers would pull back from nonessential shopping as they struggled with sky-high inflation.
But despite slowed inflation and good employment numbers, some small business owners told the Tribune shoppers were still struggling with sticker shock.
Former House GOP leader Jim Durkin takes himself out of Cook County state’s attorney race
Jim Durkin said Tuesday he will not seek the GOP nomination for Cook County state’s attorney, saying he thinks Donald Trump’s likely spot at the top of the Republican ticket would be disastrous for any GOP candidate running countywide in next year’s general election.
“If I’m gonna get in the race, I have to know I can win it. I can’t run to compete. I can’t run to make a statement. And I just see no pathway to success under the circumstances in this environment in Cook County,” he said.
Player reinstated to Hinsdale South basketball team after mother files suit
A former all-conference player has been reinstated to the Hinsdale South High School basketball team, his mother said, after she filed a federal lawsuit to get him back on the court.
An emotional Kyle Davidson addresses the Blackhawks’ decision to waive Corey Perry for ‘unacceptable’ conduct
The Chicago Blackhawks waived veteran forward Corey Perry on Tuesday because of undisclosed misconduct, the team said.
During a news conference to address the situation, general manager Kyle Davidson called it a “workplace matter” but declined to divulge whether it involved a team employee. Davidson became emotional several times during his address.
Liam Hendriks and Cody Bellinger selected MLB’s Comeback Players of the Year
Reliever Liam Hendriks and outfielder Cody Bellinger were selected Major League Baseball’s Comeback Players of the Year. The pair, both free agents, were chosen in voting by MLB.com beat writers.
When Don and Barbara Rickles met Bob and Ginnie Newhart, they became friends for life — as told in Judd Apatow’s latest film
Bob Newhart and Don Rickles were friends for nearly 60 years and that unlikely pairing has been captured in the latest film from Judd Apatow, the acclaimed director/producer of such hit movies as “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “The King of Staten Island,” and TV’s “Freaks and Geeks.”
Searching for a holiday miracle in Branson — Missouri’s ultimate Christmas town
In Branson, it’s an “unwritten rule that by Nov. 1, your Christmas decorations should be up,” said Amanda Stout, jack of all trades at the Sugar Leaf Bakery.
The city, nestled in the Ozarks, has about 12,000 residents, but that number swells to about 2 million visitors around the most wonderful time of the year. Chicagoans can get there via a two-hour flight into Springfield, Missouri, and then about a 45-minute drive. By car alone, it’s a little over eight hours.
