joining us on Chicago tonight.

I'm Nick Lumber.

Brandis Friedman has the evening off.

Here's what we're looking at.

Reaction to the ouster of Chicago.

Public Schools, CEO Pedro Martinez.

Is it time for Illinois to waive a new flag?

We take a look at the choices being proposed.

>> It's the festival of 8 day celebration.

>> And W t Tw Geoffrey Baird digs into the celebration of Hanukkah in a new special.

We have a preview.

>> And now to some of today's top stories, the alleged killer of United Healthcare CEO pleads not guilty to murder charges in New York.

26 year old Luigi men.

Joni appeared in court today after he was extradited from Pennsylvania to New York on Thursday.

Jamie's attorney blasted officials for taking him on a highly publicized perp walk where law enforcement officers were armed with assault rifles and embattled Mayor Eric Adams made an appearance.

His lawyer said and Tony's treatment jeopardizes the chances that he'll get a fair trial.

To Illinois ends on federal death row are among the 37 inmates now facing life in prison after action by the White House.

President Joe Biden announced today that he'll commute the death sentences of 37 out of 40 inmates.

The to Illinois INS to be spared are Ronald mucosa doctor convicted of shooting and nurse to prevent her from testifying against him in a fraud case as well as Jorge Aguilar Torres, a former Marine convicted of killing a 20 year-old woman who was a Navy sailor.

He later pleaded guilty to killing 2 young girls in Zion.

In a statement, Biden said that while he condemns the murders and grieves for victims and those left behind, he is, quote, more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.

If you are one of the millions of passengers passing through O'Hare or Midway today, you're in good company or at least a lot of it.

The Chicago Department of Aviation estimates that this is the busiest travel day of the holiday season at O'Hare with an expected 243,000 fliers.

>> Officials project O'Hare will see more than 3 million passengers between this past Friday and January.

2nd, nearly 8% increase over last year.

Midway is expected to see its busiest day this coming Sunday, December 29th.

Up next, reaction to the Friday night firing of Chicago Public Schools, CEO Pedro Martinez.

That's right after this.

>> Chicago tonight is made possible in part why the Alexandra and John Nichols family.

The gym and K maybe family.

The Pope Brothers Foundation.

And the support of these donors.

>> Chicago public schools will soon be searching for its next CEO.

That comes after a highly contested decision by the school board to fire Pedro Martinez.

The vote was unanimous, but the move highlighted the divide among the city's leaders about the future of schools.

Joining us with their reaction are Alderman William Hull of the 6th Ward representing neighborhoods like Englewood, Chatham and Auburn Gresham and Carlos Montoya, the vice chairman of the Latino Leadership Council.

Gentlemen, thank you both for joining.

Thank you so much for having Absolutely.

Alderman Hall spoke out at this past Friday school board meeting in favor of Martinez's dismissal.

Why do you think it was?

Is the right move for essentially also prison-like conditions in my ward and speaking on behalf of the Black Keys even one reports neighborhoods in the city of Chicago.

>> Nearly a week and a half ago we saw helicopters top of the school.

Kids on lockdown in classrooms makes be news.

Police officers everywhere a school that's called Englewood stem.

But STEM teacher.

So you have a stem school know stem teacher noticed an after-school programs Prince was having to make decisions between buses for sporting after school programs as well as field trips.

This is a pipeline for presents.

Let's change name to Englewood Correctional Facility because at the end of day, these conditions with the same conditions.

We saw a robust he tore down ropes and built a new school.

Same thing we've seen at the state tear down prisons, building new ones.

>> Well, to what extent, though, do you think that, you know, CPS, CEO can control, for example, if there are, you know, police helicopters, things like that.

Obviously something like resources of the STEM school is more within his traditional purview.

of all, let's hold the state accountable for the bill that they have not paid.

Page will say that they were billion dollars short.

The state spent a billion presents.

That's Aaron number one.

Give great for that.

Secondly, he signed off on the current budget.

Listen, you have a school that does not have any money for after-school programs.

He signed off on that budget.

So at the end of the day, it is evident that there's not enough money to invest extracurricular activities, schools that need principles.

And then we talk about the school where he and I walked down the hallways in the 6 war wasn't even a music teacher.

So these are the conditions that, again do not spark imagination, but as to the trauma of black kids in black neighborhoods in the 6 war.

>> Carlos you know that we let you know, Leadership Council wrote that the board's firing was, quote, a be trail of progress.

Why do you think that Well, first of all, we think it's a decision that was made in the breach.

A terrible example of poor governance.

You have a revolving door.

>> Going on with mass resignation on one side an ad-hoc appointed interim, a group and then elected board members just weeks away from being sworn in.

But I think that Pedro has been working hard to address inequities, which are systemic their systemic you know, it comes at a time where there is a serious breach in terms of what is the plan going forward right?

What is plan it it?

Does the mayor have the abject power to dismiss somebody?

Okay.

Why all the celebration or the cause celeb around without cause.

And I think that there's pressure there to make a decision from outside forces.

And I don't think Pedro has been given the chance to really show what he can do more to that point about governance, though.

I mean, Martinez at his own press conference after the firing Friday night.

>> You know, he said doesn't hold it against them in terms of the governance issue, their duly appointed.

They have the ability to act as they see fit.

What's your reaction to that?

Well, I think that it's still in a time of you know, to There's too much going on >> outgoing groups in coming groups having been appointed newly elected folks.

And I don't see where this with all that the city has to tackle right now, including being potentially ground 0 for mass deportation that you need to put hundreds of thousands of students at risk.

Nearly 50% of them are Latino as a Latino group were compelled to step up and say, let's take a look at this.

What you know, I find interesting that there's a or a see in the wake of Donald Terrace, Trump.

>> Who has selected the secretary of education that is famous for literally Royal Rumble and WrestleMania yes's urgency to fix that before that storm While we there is urgency finds Austin and understanding of that.

But I also am concerned about like he's going to prison.

That's my bird.

I'm a black man in Chicago.

How be I'd be silent when Pedro has pandered for months, years on and he signed off on a budget before we use this language, the high interest PPP will present pipe.

Hey, Pedro has signed off on it before.

Where was the effort to find the money and hold the state accountable?

So that education agenda from the state is build new prisons, Pedro Penders and then we have it at a local Walked the hallways were page will.

This is the 6 were perspective which I was hired for the lockers with a lap and back door was open principal asking for outdoor construction for activity.

What are we doing to our black kids, especially in poor neighborhoods is unacceptable.

If you flip a burger at McDonald's wrong way you get at will state that will city.

It's the mayor's job to pick his choice.

Lori picked hours.

But the mayor, Pete W really decades of decay and decline to sit here and point at that all of >> You know, the needs of the school district on one guy is just, you know, and to conflate that with it being there for a prison pipeline.

We can say that the school spends money on National Guard.

So therefore, he's National Guard.

Pedro, OK, I come from communities that heavily heavily Hispanic.

>> black given a black Sanders know is not a from I'm not anti.

You use it at.

I mean, can tell you affect a lot wind.

But you know that fact, it was lost.

It was illegal for my people.

Black people to read.

They said it was legal for you to cross the border.

We should be allies in the At the end of the has not produced a state agenda that sufficient to fund schools.

Teachers need trauma care.

Teachers underpaid.

Guess Indy one advocacy and innovation.

We did not see it.

He has enough time that the mayor do his job.

We did not see this one.

Other mayors pick their choice was may have been stuck with what he inherited.

Let them and with job, which has 3 children, by the way, go to public schools.

He always sees children first before he does, the city of Chicago will look, there is, you know, a lot is being made of this being a firing, working every walk the school.

I may not have been to the elementary school and about going to finish the point before I would say this that the there's a lot is being made here of a decision made without cause.

They could be fired without cause.

So let's fire the guy without cause.

Okay.

>> Now, Mr. Martinez will have his people.

Look at what without cause may mean or what the deer various shades of that.

But there's no doubt that the school Ps needs a lot of attention.

Both of my parents were school teachers.

Okay.

And they were wards and sewerage and so on.

And so for some very, very sensitive the greater you sort of macro conditions that affect the school, but to try to justify in retrospect, the firing of one guy and point to him as being a funnel to the prison system.

We've that inflammatory language was inside it that think it was them a week and a half ago.

Look like a prison of walk.

Schools were page really look like prison.

And the reason why which we do not discuss when he got fired before 4 failed performance.

He soon individual board members.

He walked away with 100,000.

He's holding up a teacher contract before WWF tries to take over and he's trying to walk away with over half a million which you can easily find.

Families are in eagle.

Well, into that point about that, you know, of the fired without cause.

He will serve 6 months more on the job.

>> You know, are you concerned, though, about, you know, he will finish the school year, but, you know, having that sort of instability of of a leader being dismissed it at the midpoint of what I think.

First of all, we have a great president.

John Hardin is a great leader.

He's has the respect of the community.

Yes, respect of his colleagues at the board level and he knows what he's doing.

Whether not we wrote realize this.

At the end of the day, we need someone who has innovation and advocacy and in order to have that, you must have won.

marks the issues in explain our missions, a black kids, black kids in poor communities matter and for there to be resistance when there evidence clearly in our face of prison, conditions have not been addressed and his leadership.

I can only speak about what I know and what I've walked through.

What I've seen is prison-like conditions that are being funded without any advocacy to stop.

>> Look, I don't think we should isolate this to whether or not it is a, you a breach or you know, an attack on one particular, you know, group of the community, the Latino Leadership Council.

Is about political inclusion.

We've counseled with the mayor off the record to try to have influence, but where we can't have the influence we have supported new school board members.

But I will say this that.

Hispanic communities are just as impacted by all of the deficiencies in the system and it needs to be addressed across the board have if you have and this guy just should sort of in a lame-duck position because we want to get someone from the community house enough from the community.

He's a he's a he is a student and alumni of Chicago.

school says no.

He walked in my community and his fellow Mike and those 50 different communities.

And we've got a new and the community.

Ahmed Ressam is a 6 word.

fail we need to address failure by removing him.

He'd be accountable.

Hopefully the 6 word will get the attention it needs.

Well, my community welcomes you.

We will forge a new All right.

So something that you can both look forward to.

I'm afraid that's where we will have to leave this.

But there's much more to talk about.

And I know we will be continuing continuing this conversation in the weeks ahead.

tests on Montoya.

Thank you very much, >> Up next, why the state flag might be getting an overhaul.

Stay with us.

We all know Chicago's flag is ubiquitous, Illinois, that so much.

>> W t Tw News reporter Amanda Vinik.

He joins us now with more on an effort to replace have >> Yes, Nick 2024 may well be the last year of the Illinois flag as we know it.

If you know because it is true, the Chicago flag, it is capable hacking.

Sure that you like me have friends with it as a tattoo.

I'll do you one better.

I have the tactical.

If you get your one of my who didn't that but I have around and a lot of longtime residents couldn't tell you what's on the Illinois flag.

Heck, if were not for Illinois in all caps along the bottom, many people might not be able to tell you that it is the state flag.

In a quick factoid here.

By the way, the state like originally featured just that ribbon and shield carrying eagle.

That, by the way, is the state seal.

>> The Illinois across the bottom was added in the 60's because of a complaint.

It couldn't be easily identified as Illinois's banner.

All right.

Fair enough.

So that's why there's talk of replacing it with what?

>> Well, with dozen options, the state basically held a contest earlier this year and got almost 5,000 entries.

A commission made of the few legislators and various other appointees, including representative from the State Museum toast the top 10 high school students came up with butterfly and then there's one that looks like a flower.

But that's actually corn kernels given the state's agriculture background.

Plus, here's for the state's industrial past.

Now, as you can see, stars are popular design often.

21 of them because Illinois is the 21st 8 Lincoln's silhouette also pops up quite a few times.

One finalist is the current flag.

You see it in the middle.

But minus the Illinois and instead has borders added on the side now, sometime next month, an online portal will open and people can vote for one of those 10 or 3 other options.

The centennial flag, the Susquehanna Centennial flag.

So that's when Illinois turned 150 years old in 1968 or last not least voters can choose to stick with the flag as it flies.

Now.

Now this whole process and timeline is laid out in a law that Governor JB Pritzker signed back in 2023.

I recently though asked what he thought of the finalists.

His answer was diplomatic.

>> I really like her current flag.

I also like the designs that were put forward going to send to political about that.

But I mean, I think a lot a lot of effort was put in to that.

>> But ultimately it will be up to him.

The public, as I said, does get to weigh in next month.

>> But >> later who are under no obligation to abide by that nonbinding online vote.

Now, if the legislature does pass a bill changing the flag, it would be up to Governor Pritzker whether to sign it into law and he is not showing us his cards on line.

All right.

Amanda, you.

Thanks very much.

Thank you.

>> And you can read Amanda's full story on our website.

That's wt tw dot com slash news.

Up next, will light up your screen with a new look at Hanukkah.

But first, a look at the weather.

Hawks Amana a celebration of Hanukkah is shining a light on the Jewish festival of lights this holiday season from uncovering the celebrations 2000 year-old origins to frying up golden potato Pancakes.

W t Tw is Jeffrey Bear Lumen 8 Hanak has a rich history and traditions in the new special and our own Jeff Repair joins us now.

Good to see you.

Great to be here.

So this was the first time you've done a Hanukkah special.

Have the idea come about?

Well, you know, they're all these Christmas shows on PBS and there aren't very many Hanukkah shows.

So our program director was complaining about that.

But exactly one year ago.

>> And someone in the meeting said, well, Jeffries, Final point.

certainly I recruited to make a Hanukkah show which had been planning to and I dropped everything and ran all around the city and captured what we what we could capture.

And then we brought a wonderful producer on after that.

And she made a great show is really great.

grew up in a Jewish household, but you didn't necessarily celebrate a lot of the holidays, right?

What was it like?

Getting to learn more about It was amazing.

It was amazing.

I mean, the show I got to say the show is very light hearted.

It is our editor cause a lighthearted through other winter holiday.

But you do learn a lot about Hanukkah.

I'm spoiler alert.

It's going to be on later tonight.

And 8 o'clock and one of the things that, you know, we've always been taught that could last for 8 nights because this miracle of the oil and the temple, they only had oil for one night at it lasted for 8 nights.

That story was made up 600 years after the fact.

So that was something I definitely learned that I didn't know.

It's a good story, though.

You've got to give And it's about light in the darkness, which on a day like today is wonderful.

Absolutely.

So speaking of the oil, you've got to show off your cooking skills Take a look at you making some lucky >> Plus overcome Hanna guys.

He is.

>> Then it's 2 eggs, salt and and it's time to fry.

>> But the trick is is that I fry them in schmaltz.

>> She says any type of vegetable oil will also work.

>> But I just keep turning them both the grease and that smell can linger.

But it's worth it.

>> Of look good.

They were great.

That was Mindy Segal committees bakery.

you know, James Beard, Award-winning chef.

And that was some of the best stuff I ever ate.

Okay.

My hardest hitting question of the night apple sauce or sour cream.

Right?

So this is the traditional toppings on a lot because and I mean, like Governor Pritzker in that last segment.

I like applesauce and sour cream.

I really do.

I mix them together.

It's very good.

That's good.

Sweet and savory.

So, absolutely.

What are some of the other common Hanukkah Foods you feature in the Well, and there's something I never heard of growing up there called their jelly doughnuts.

They're called Super County Haute and they are these there filled jelly doughnuts that now this is she that that these are the the gun, you know, the the shot right before that Mindy puts brisk it on her mask that was one of the best things ever tasted in my life.

Here we are filling the Ghani, Otis, the North Shore, kosher bakery with ALS been as we have area making a total mess out It was was a really fun show to to, to work on.

And there's just a lot of laughs and the whole show.

But, you know, in the U.S. alone times, Hanukkah can be overshadowed by Christmas.

there's been effort in the last few decades to make it more publicly visible.

I mean, how did that all come about?

Well, interestingly, that was the result of a very very religious part.

Jewish Group Chabad is very orthodox Jewish and they have this annual Menorah car top parade.

But they were seeing long ago they were seeing, you Christmas trees in crashes and things in the public square, which is, you know, thought to be a neutral space many Jews and the ACLU with a choose involved were objecting to this.

How about went the whole other direction?

And they took it all the way to the Supreme Court and won.

And so now you see there, they're menorahs displayed in public squares all over the world, actually.

And even if it had not your holiday, what's what's wrong with a little extra light in the wintertime?

Exactly.

Why no to, you know, sort of coming into the mainstream or also can mean a little more of the commercialization happens with Christmas?

I mean, how does that play out?

Well, one of the things I learned from the show was that really the commercialization Christmas really doesn't start until the 1920's, Santa Claus, the way we see him with the red, you know, sued in the beer.

That's a total invention of Coca-Cola.

And it is.

so, you know, Jewish parents saw that these these non Jewish kids with gentiles we're having Christmas was a beautiful holiday.

They felt their kids, you know, maybe a little bit left out.

And so, you know, it's sort of accelerated this Plus, a lot of Jews like in my family, growing up were celebrating Christmas.

Christmas tree.

We had Santa Claus and they were like, you know, hey, let's let's you know, it's another mid winter holiday.

Let give Hanukkah a little bit of love.

Well, locally in Chicago, you know, outside of some of the religious observances, what are other ways that that folks recognize and celebrate the holiday?

Well, I do if you have a clip of this or not, but there's Hanukkah pop-up bar in Wrigleyville called 8 Crazy Nights.

Here we are.

This is a Hanukkah party at a North shore contribution Israel where I wiped out this kid afraid sorry about But there's hull.

So in addition, all this wonderful, lovely family oriented stuff.

There's a Hanukkah pop-up bar in Wrigleyville called 8 Crazy nights with delights as the rock and rabbi, the Sabbath Night Fever and the Messiah And there it is.

That's the Gulf Sunday right there.

There's them aside.

There's the Messiah.

Know that's 7th 19 anyway.

If that's part of the show, too.

I confess I have had a drink there before take to blue.

Does get a little.

so blue like it's all around.

You're out.

You come out seeing whatever the complimentary colors of blue.

When you leave exactly.

Alright.

Well, it was a really fun show to watch.

Seems like it with a lot of fun to make.

It was really fun in the and the response already has been really rewarding.

And I hope everybody tunes in 08:00PM tonight to watch.

And you can also watch online anytime.

Absolutely.

Jeffrey Baer, thanks as always.

So I'm thrilled to be here.

And that's our show for this Monday night.

Check out what our reporters are working on by following us on Instagram at W T Tw Chicago.

And you can also stay connected by following us on Blue sky.

And on a programming note, we're off Tuesday and Wednesday for the holidays.

But we'll see you right back here on Thursday.

Now for all of us here in Chicago tonight, I'm Nick Lumbered.

Thank you for watching.

Have a happy and safe holiday.

Have a good night.

>> A close caption is made possible by Robert a cliff and Clifford are Chicago personal injury and wrongful death?

And