Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶
After a decade at the helm of the Chicago Transit Authority, agency president Dorval Carter has reached the end of the line.
Carter announced this morning that he’ll retire by the end of the month, capping a long CTA career that has turned rocky over the last few years.
In today’s newsletter, we’re digging into Carter’s career and complicated relationship with the City Council, Gov. JB Pritzker and CTA riders.
Plus, we’ve got live updates from the Dirksen Federal Courthouse downtown, where federal prosecutors have begun their cross-examination of former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan.
Also below — a look at the life of late activist José “Cha Cha” Jiménez, Chicago’s next starring role onscreen and more community news you need to know this afternoon. 👇
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter
TODAY’S TOP STORY
After a long, often rocky ride, CTA President Dorval Carter will retire
Reporting by Fran Spielman
Bidding farewell: Dorval R. Carter, Jr., president of the Chicago Transit Authority, announced Monday that he will retire at the end of the month, ending his stewardship of an agency characterized by growing concerns about public safety, service reliability, hiring issues and ridership.
Career track: Carter’s departure will close out his 40-year career in public transportation, including nearly 10 years as CTA president. He began his CTA career in 1984 as a staff attorney and has worked at the agency for 26 years, holding posts as acting president, executive vice president, chief administrative officer and a number of legal roles.
Final run: In one of his last major acts, Carter last week finalized an agreement to guarantee federal funding for the southern extension of the Red Line. Securing that money was crucial before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. A Trump-led Department of Transportation is not expected to be as friendly to mass transit funding.
Key context: Carter’s career outside Chicago includes nearly 15 years in senior leadership roles at the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration. His connections in Washington have been seen as one reason he has endured amid a rocky tenure, complicated by a prickly relationship with the City Council.
Not on board: Just eight months ago, a nonbinding resolution backed by 19 alderpersons demanded that Carter either resign his $376,060-a-year job or be fired by Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Springfield route: Gov JB Pritzker, who appoints three of the CTA’s seven board members, likewise demanded a leadership change at the CTA before the Illinois General Assembly would even consider giving the Chicago area’s four mass transit agencies the money to avert a $730 million fiscal cliff.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
- Live courthouse updates: Federal prosecutors have begun their cross-examination of former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, kicking off what could be one of the most memorable and high-profile confrontations at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in years. Sun-Times reporters are sharing live updates.
- Racist meme judge reprimanded: Caroline Glennon-Goodman, a Cook County judge, was reassigned, ordered to undergo bias training and will face a state disciplinary investigation for allegedly circulating the meme.
- Man sentenced for Capitol attack: Justin LaGesse, 38, of McLeansboro, was sentenced Friday to nearly a year in federal prison for smashing a window in the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021.
- State-approved cannabis treatments: The Illinois Department of Public Health added endometriosis, ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids and female orgasmic disorder to the list of health concerns that can be treated with cannabis.
- Timeshare Jordan: The new owner of Bulls legend Michael Jordan’s longtime home in Highland Park announced Friday that bidding is open for ownership shares of the property, which he’s branding as Champions Point.
- Christmas tree recycling: Chicagoans can drop off Christmas trees at one of the city’s 27 locations now through Jan. 25.
- 3.5 stars for ‘Uncle Vanya’: This production showcases an amazingly accomplished cast in a highly intimate setting — a factory, writes Steven Oxman in a review for the Sun-Times.
JOSÉ ‘CHA CHA’ JIMÉNEZ 1948–2025
José ‘Cha Cha’ Jiménez, human rights activist and former chair of Young Lords organization, has died at 76
Reporting by Violet Miller
José “Cha Cha” Jiménez, a human rights activist who co-founded the Rainbow Coalition and served as chairperson of the Young Lords organization, died Friday. He was 76.
Mr. Jiménez spent much of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s fighting gentrification in Lincoln Park, allying with other organizations in Chicago to uplift minority and low-income communities, and rallying for an independent Puerto Rico.
“We didn’t start this movement, and we didn’t finish it, but we definitely contributed to it, and that’s our victory,” Mr. Jiménez told WBEZ in 2018.
CHICAGO ON SCREEN 📺
‘Deli Boys,’ an upcoming series shot in Chicago, centers on 2 brothers in Philadelphia
Reporting by Selena Fragassi | For the Sun-Times
“Deli Boys,” a 10-episode series debuting on March 6 on Hulu, centers around Pakistani American brothers Mir and Raj Dar (played by “WandaVision” actor Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh of “The Marvels”), who are thrust into an underground crime ring after the unexpected death of their father, A.B.C. Deli tycoon Baba, reveals dark secrets about the family business. Mir and Raj are taken under the wing of newly anointed mob boss Lucky (played by “Never Have I Ever” actor Poorna Jagannathan) as chaos ensues.
The dark comedy/action plot calls to mind a sharp mix of “The Sopranos” meets “Schitt’s Creek” and a bit of “Righteous Gemstones,” though conceptually, it’s unlike any crime series we’ve seen, with South Asian protagonists and antagonists in the leads and a woman in charge of the whole operation.
Though “Deli Boys” takes place in Philadelphia, the entirety of it was filmed in Chicago, including the pilot, as far back as 2022 before the SAG-AFTRA writer’s strike delayed production.
In addition to sound stages at Cinespace Studios in North Lawndale, remote site locations included Essence of India in Lincoln Square, Devon Avenue in Rogers Park, a private home in Oak Park, and spots around McKinley Park, Lake View and Villa Park, among others.
BRIGHT ONE ✨
SOL Collective performers share power of music through personal stories
Reporting by Erica Thompson
It’s incredible what one song can do.
Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds” can bring back the memory of a first kiss. Usher’s “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love” can serve as a reminder of a college friendship. Jon Batiste’s “Freedom” can conjure a feeling of hope for the future.
Those were some of the songs and anecdotes shared Saturday during SOL Collective’s packed storytelling event, “Last Night a DJ Saved My Life,” at the Promontory in Hyde Park. Eight women speakers told personal tales about the effect music has had on their lives. The attentive audience laughed, nodded and mumbled words of affirmation from their tables adorned with disco balls and roses.
Since 2020, the SOL Collective has been amplifying the voices and experiences of women of color through such themed events. And the hope is that their stories resonate with others, regardless of gender or background, according to co-founder Shelley Davis.
“We all have this amazing collection of experiences, and there’s all these lessons that are worth sharing with somebody else for pure entertainment purposes because it’s fun,” said Davis, 54, of Bronzeville. “But also because it helps us think about ourselves in a new way.”
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
What’s the No. 1 issue you’d like the CTA’s next president to address? Tell us why.
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Written by: Matt Moore
Editor: Esther Bergdahl
Copy editor: Angie Myers