Video: The WTTW News Spotlight Politics team of Amanda Vinicky and Heather Cherone on the year ahead. (Produced by Emily Soto)

The last year was filled with plenty of big news as Chicago saw a new mayor elected, Illinois legislators passed major gun legislation and thousands of migrants arrived, forcing all levels of government to address the ongoing situation.

As a new year begins, here’s a look at the stories that will continue into 2024.

1. Migrant crisis: From August 2022 through the end of 2023, more than 30,000 Latin American migrants arrived in Chicago by way of Texas – many with nowhere to go. That’s enough people to max out concert capacity at the United Center, with thousands left without a seat. So it’s little wonder that shelter and support systems are stressed.

   It’s likely Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will continue to send asylum-seekers to the city, further putting pressure on Chicago and state finances while exacerbating long-simmering tensions as Black residents in particular are upset about the resources dedicated to migrants when majority-Black communities have been neglected. The questions for the year ahead: Will the federal government come through with pleaded-for funding? Where will migrants live? Will Chicago residents accept city plans? Will Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson come together to form a strategy?

2. The Democratic National Convention: The political world’s attention will turn to the Windy City from Aug. 19-22, when Chicago hosts the DNC. Officially, party bigwigs will gather to nominate President Joe Biden for another term. Unofficially, bigwigs will party – hopefully creating a boon to local bars and restaurants.

   It’s on Chicago to be the consummate host as critics will be watching for incidents of crime, for unhoused migrants on the streets and for protests to create turmoil, as they did when Chicago hosted the DNC in 1968. Republicans will host their own grand old party in nearby Milwaukee, from July 15-18.

3. Pritzker’s Prowess: Winning the DNC was a boon for Pritzker, whose connections helped to land the convention. With the billionaire’s new Think Big America PAC, big-dollar donations from in and outside Illinois, profiles in The New Yorker, mentions on national lists as a would-be future White House contender and the unofficial host of the DNC, 2024 could be a make-or-break year for Pritzker’s political future. Maybe he won’t wait to make a move until ’28 –should Biden win reelection, might Pritzker leave Illinois for a possible position in Washington.
4. The 2024 Presidential Election: The top of the ballot could see a repeat of the 2020 presidential contest, as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are leading in the polls. It’s a race that arguably has unparalleled stakes for the nation’s future, with Trump promising a day-one dictatorship and unchartered waters as the first former president to face criminal charges will have to juggle courtrooms as he hits the campaign trial.

   His candidacy is also putting the judicial system in the crosshairs, as the U.S. Supreme Court could be called on to determine whether Trump can claim presidential immunity from prosecution and whether states can disqualify him from the ballot due to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 capital riot.  

5. Madigan on Trial: It will be a jury pool and not voters who will decide the fate of the onetime most powerful politician in Illinois. Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is scheduled to stand trial April 1 on racketeering and bribery charges. Prosecutors allege as the leader of the “Madigan Enterprise,” he used his roles as speaker and chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois to “corruptly solicit and receive personal financial rewards for himself and his associates.” Madigan is fighting the charges, and has said “I was never involved in any criminal activity.”
6. The Synder Situation: Chicago and Illinois’ well-earned reputations at hotbeds of corruption are alive and well, and not just because of the Madigan indictment. The speaker and his co-defendant, Madigan’s longtime friend and lobbyist Mike McClain, are seeking to delay their trial in hopes the U.S. Supreme Court gives them an out. The justices are set to take up James Synder v. U.S., a case involving James Synder, the former mayor of Portage, Indiana, which challenges the federal statute that prohibits a public official from accepting a bribe. The outcome of the Synder case could impact other high-profile corruption cases as well, including the March convictions of McClain and three others found guilty of a scheme to bribe Madigan.
7. Da Bears: The Chicago Bears play games at Chicago’s Soldier Field  — for now. But 2024 could decide if the team picks up and moves to Arlington Heights. Or Naperville. Or Waukegan, Aurora or Country Club Hills. The team purchased, and is already demolishing, the former Arlington horse race course, but is leaving its options open. A key factor will be whether the state legislature approves a tax break package that would help the Bears afford the move and new stadium build. So far, lawmakers haven’t had much of an appetite for a Bears bailout.
8. CPS school board election: Chicago is moving slowly but surely to an elected school board, and that starts in November. Voters will choose 10 members to oversee Chicago Public Schools starting in January 2025, while the mayor will keep the ability to appoint the other half of the board plus a board president. At least, that’s the plan as set by current law. The Illinois General Assembly hasn’t quite figured out the specifics – like the shape of the 10 elected districts – and Senate President Don Harmon is pitching speeding up the representative process, such that the entire board would be elected in 2024.
9. Solar eclipse: The skies will darken around 2 p.m. on April 8, like something out of a sci-fi movie. But this isn’t a matter of fiction. The moon’s path will have it pass between the earth and sun. With the sun blocked, it’ll seem more like dawn or dusk in the middle of the day. The solar eclipse will travel through Illinois, reaching near totality in the southern part of the state (Carbondale, which has dubbed itself the “eclipse crossroads of America,” is hosting a festival). Don’t miss it! According to NASA, “the next total solar eclipse that can be seen from the contiguous United States will be on Aug. 23, 2044.”
10. Johnson’s future: Chicago got new leadership last May when Brandon Johnson was sworn in as the 57^th mayor.  He came into office with progressive bona fides and a progressive platform that’s seen success, like the passage of a landmark ordinance mandating paid time off. But he’s also been besieged by the influx of migrants coming to the city, fears about crime and criticisms he hasn’t followed through on promises of transparency. Chicagoans are watching to see what’s in store for the administration’s future, and by extension, the city’s.
11. Bring Chicago Home: Voters won’t have to wait far into 2024 to make a big decision. In March, residents will weigh in on a binding referendum that would create a dedicated revenue stream to curb homelessness.  The proposal aims to raise an estimated $100 million a year by hiking the tax paid on real estate transactions of more than $1 million. The real estate transfer tax paid for smaller commercial and residential real estate sales would go down.
12. Assault weapons ban: Pritzker started 2023 signing a high-profile, high-impact controversial law that forbids the sale of AR-15 style guns, dozens of other firearms and a high-capacity magazines. The law has been in effect, but whether it will remain so is an open question that will be decided by the courts. Various lawsuits are winding through the judicial system, but there’s a widespread belief that the final call could be made by the U.S. Supreme Court. If they take it up, justices would likely hear the case sometime in 2024. 

Follow Amanda Vinicky on Twitter: @AmandaVinicky