A look back at the top Chicago stories of 2024
CHICAGO - The past year featured several big stories in the Chicago area from extreme weather events, some highs and many lows for the Bears, and of course plenty of political drama at the local and national level.
Here is a look back at the biggest local stories from 2024.
Deep freeze creates Tesla graveyard
All the way back in January 2024, Chicago’s bitterly cold temperatures created a graveyard of electric vehicles in suburban Oak Brook.
Dozens of Tesla owners tried desperately to power up their cars at the supercharging station, but many had trouble due to the extreme cold.
It was also the most-read local story on Fox 32's website for all of 2024.
‘Chicago Rat Hole’ goes viral
Perhaps no story created such a social media phenomenon as did the "Chicago Rat Hole" in Roscoe Village near the start of the year.
A local artist and comedian stumbled upon the apparent imprint of a rat pressed into the concrete in the 1900 block of West Roscoe Street.
"What I found was very much like Looney Tunes, I guess," said Winslow Dumaine, who discovered the Rat Hole. "Just a full rat splat in the wet pavement. I just busted out laughing when I saw it."
Tinley Park shooting
One of the most shocking crime stories also took place at the beginning of the year with the fatal shootings of a woman and her three adult daughters in south suburban Tinley Park on Jan. 21.
Majeda Kassem, 53; Halema Kassem, 25; Hanan Kassem, 24; and Zahia Kassem, 25, were all fatally shot in their home.
Maher Kassem, 63, the husband and father of the victims, was charged with four counts of first-degree murder in connection with the shootings.
Fallen Chicago police officers
The Chicago Police Department lost two officers this year in fatal shootings.
Officer Luis M. Huesca was shot and killed while returning home in Gage Park from work on April 21, just two days before his 31st birthday. Xavier L. Tate was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting.
Then on Nov. 4, Officer Enrique Martinez, 26, was fatally shot during a traffic stop in the East Chatham neighborhood. Darion C. McMillian faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder, in connection with Martinez’s death.
Also, in suburban Oak Park, Det. Allan Reddins, 40, was shot and killed on Nov. 29 while he was responding to an armed suspect leaving a bank. Reddins had served as an Oak Park police officer since 2019. He was the first Oak Park police officer killed in the line of duty in more than 80 years.
Property tax shock
Many residents in parts of Chicago and southern Cook County were frustrated this year to see a significant increase in their property tax bills.
The shocking numbers came about due to multiple factors, including an increased reliance by local governments on property taxes from private homes instead of commercial properties, the value of some homes being miscalculated, and other errors.
In one case of significant miscalculation, a Chicago Heights man’s saw his bill for a three-bedroom home go from $1,800 to more than $30,000, a 3,811% increase.
The police shooting of Sonya Massey
Sonya Masey, 36, was shot and killed inside her Central Illinois home by a Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy on July 6.
The police shooting, captured on officers’ body cameras, took place during a tense moment over a pot of water in Massey’s home. She had initially called police to her home for help.
Sean Grayson, a Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy at the time who responded to Massey’s home, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with her death.
The shooting, especially after the release of the body camera footage, prompted outrage among Springfield area residents, civil rights advocates and elected officials around the state and country.
WARNING: The video below may be graphic and disturbing. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.
Dysfunction in Dolton
The political drama surrounding Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard in the south suburbs reached a fever pitch over the past year amid allegations she misused taxpayer money, retaliated against government workers for political purposes, and multiple lawsuits and investigations into her conduct.
As questions swirled about possible misuse of village funds, the FBI began its own investigation and even subpoenaed documents related to village spending. Village trustees hired former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to look into Dolton’s financial situation. Lightfoot found the village was millions of dollars in debt.
The tensions have resulted in several chaotic public meetings.
Even in Henyard’s role as supervisor of Thornton Township, she’s been surrounded by controversy and accusations of playing political games amid a standstill between her and some trustees.
Her future at the township is in question, especially after opponents pushed her out as the Democratic nominee for the next election. Henyard is challenging the move in court.
Residents have also taken to blasting Henyard for all the dysfunction, including one resident who called her "the most infamous mayor in America."
Record number of tornadoes
Between July 14 and July 15, multiple storms swept through the Chicago area, which led to 32 confirmed tornadoes in less than a day. The National Weather Service said it was a record-high for a single day or single event in the Chicago area.
A 44-year-old woman from Cedar Lake, Indiana, died following the storms.
The storms led to dozens of flight cancelations at both O’Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport and thousands of people were left without power.
Weather experts explain unprecedented July 15 tornado outbreak in Chicagoland
On July 15, the Chicago area saw a perfect storm of its own, but this time on land, with a record-setting number of tornadoes touching down in a single day. In a Fox 32 special report, Chief Meteorologist Emily Wahls breaks down exactly what Mother Nature was up to that day.
DNC comes to Chicago
The Democratic National Convention, one of the marquee political events on the calendar, took place in Chicago last August leading up to a historic presidential election.
The Democratic Party had just switched candidates after President Joe Biden dropped out and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, whom the party quickly rallied around to take on former President Donald Trump.
Thousands of elected officials, political operatives, and content creators descended on Chicago to see the roll call, including a surprise appearance by rapper Lil Jon, and other festivities culminating in Harris’ acceptance speech.
But security was a big concern throughout the event, especially after an assassination attempt on Trump and huge protests sparked by the war in Gaza. On the first day of the convention, a security fence was breached by some protesters outside the United Center.
Delphi murders trial
In November, Richard Allen, a former drugstore worker in the small town of Delphi, Indiana, was found guilty of the 2017 murders of Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14.
The verdict and trial were the end of a years-long investigation into the deaths of the two girls who vanished on an afternoon hike.
The case drew a lot of attention for repeated delays, a leak of evidence, and other twists and turns that ultimately resulted in a conviction.
A judge sentenced Allen to the maximum of 130 years in prison for the killings.
Bears make moves on and off the field
This year might prove to be one of the most consequential for the Chicago Bears as a football team and organization.
After securing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft thanks to a previous trade and trading away Justin Fields, the team selected Caleb Williams as its new franchise quarterback.
Expectations were high, especially after a 4-2 start, but the wheels quickly fell off with disastrous loss after disastrous loss. Perhaps most notable among them was the last-minute "Fail Mary" defeat to Washington.
Then, a bungled offensive sequence leading to a loss at Detroit on Thanksgiving led to the firing of head coach Matt Eberflus.
While Williams and company have struggled on the field and the team embarks on another head coach search, the organization’s future home is also in question.
The team had been making plans for a new stadium in suburban Arlington Heights but a dispute over property taxes appeared to stall those plans. The team did eventually reach an agreement with local taxing bodies.
Then, the team said it had a plan to invest more than $2 billion in a new lakefront stadium in Chicago. While there were talks about needing public funding to complete the project, no such funding was secured by the end of the legislative session in Springfield.
Also, Steve "Mongo" McMichael, a Bears legend and a member of the 1985 Super Bowl team, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as he continued to battle ALS. The 66-year-old was inducted alongside other former Bears Devin Hester and Julius Peppers.
CPS leadership in turmoil
Over the last year, Chicago Public Schools weathered disputes over a new teachers union contract, controversy over the turnover of its board and the dismissal of CEO Pedro Martinez.
For months, heightened tensions over contract negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union led to an alleged effort to oust Martinez. Mayor Brandon Johnson reportedly asked Martinez to resign, which he refused.
The CEO and former CPS board members also refused to authorize a short-term, high-interest loan to help plug a budget deficit, pay for worker pensions, and help fund a new CTU contract.
That led to all seven hand-picked members of the board resigning in October after they declined to fire Martinez, a move several City Council members blasted the mayor over.
That preceded a November election in which voters for the first time chose at least some of the members who would sit on the CPS board. The campaign was fueled by millions of dollars given to candidates backed by the CTU.
Then earlier this month, before those elected members were sworn in, the board voted to fire Martinez, a move that also drew another round of intense criticism and prompted a legal challenge.
Because the board fired him without cause, Martinez is expected to stay on the job for another six months.