Immigration
Homan's Drawdown Plan Undercut Within Hours
Border Czar Tom Homan held a press conference in Minneapolis on January 29, announcing a shift in strategy that he said would lead to a drawdown of federal agents in Minnesota. "I'm not here because the federal government has carried its mission out perfectly," Homan conceded.
The new approach would prioritize arrests at county jails rather than street operations. Homan described it as "safer for the community, it's safer for the agent and it's safer for the alien." He credited Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison with helping forge the agreement—though Ellison immediately denied any such thing: "I did not negotiate with Mr. Homan, come to any agreement, or offer any compromise."
Hours later, President Trump publicly contradicted his own border czar, insisting there would be "no pullback" of federal agents. The conflicting signals leave Minnesota's situation as uncertain as ever.
Wildlife
Bird Alliance Pushes for Rat Poison Alternatives
The Chicago Bird Alliance is leading a petition drive urging the city to cut its rodenticide budget by 20% and redirect the funds toward studying alternatives like contraceptives and carbon monoxide.
The campaign gained urgency in 2024 after three Great Horned Owls in Lincoln Park died from rodenticide poisoning—casualties of a pest control strategy that works its way up the food chain. Research from Lincoln Park Zoo's Urban Wildlife Institute has found that rats are becoming increasingly tolerant of the poison. In one study, about three-quarters of 101 trapped rats tested positive for rodenticide—yet were "alive and well."
Despite a $14.6 million rat control budget, Chicago was named the "rattiest city" in the U.S. by Orkin for the tenth consecutive year in 2024. A rat contraceptive pilot study was reportedly planned for summer 2025 near Lincoln Park; the city has not announced results.
Seattle neighborhoods have experimented with contraceptives to reduce rat populations, while Evanston has tested carbon dioxide—both methods that avoid introducing poison into the environment.
Bikes
South Loop Bike Lanes Partially Removed
A protected bike lane project on 18th Street between Clark and Indiana has been paused, with some already-installed barriers removed, after Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd) requested a reassessment last fall.
Dowell said constituents raised concerns about emergency vehicle access and overall safety. The focus is particularly on the 18th and Wabash intersection. CDOT says construction will resume in the spring but hasn't specified when.
Bike advocate Viktor Köves, who filmed the area before and after installation, argues the protected design was actually working well, improving traffic patterns. Bike Grid Now warns the current "interim situation increases danger for bike riders trying to reach the lakefront from Chinatown, Pilsen, and the west."
Meanwhile, debate continues over the Grand Avenue project's second phase, set to extend protected lanes from Damen to Ogden in 2026. A coalition of business owners wants the city to scrap the protected bike lanes in favor of shared bus-bike lanes instead. Better Streets Chicago director Kyle Lucas called the proposal "not being made in good faith."
The ICE situation in Minnesota remains fluid. For those tracking lead service line replacement: the Senate is still weighing the House-passed $125 million funding cut, and Chicago has until 2077—not 2034—to complete replacements under its state waiver.