International:

Tensions remain between China and Japan, as well as between China and South Korea over China’s new Air Defense Identification Zone. The designated area encompasses territory claimed by the other countries. China claims over this airspace is seen as an attempt to assert control over some of the disputed islands in the South China Sea. The United States has not taken a definite position on the ADIZ,  although the United States flew a pair of military aircraft through the area approximately two weeks ago without notifying China.

National:

A federal judge ruled on Tuesday, December 3rd that Detroit is allowed to file for bankruptcy. The city will not be required to pay pensions in full, despite state legislation to the contrary, in part because federal regulations and federal courts trump state laws. A plan of action for Detroit’s bankruptcy is expected by the end of the year. The judge’s ruling will likely affect other cities across the country with rising debt problems, including Chicago, despite vocal groups who claim the decision does not affect other states. The Supreme Court may be asked to intervene.

City:

Chicago Public School authorities formed a forty-three-person committee to investigate serious levels of truancy. This committee is a result of a 2012 report by the Chicago Tribune, which said that roughly one out of every eight CPS students misses at least a month of school per academic year. The task force’s report is due July 31st. Truancy and absenteeism were an unrecognized problem in CPS because absences of enrollment were not counted. In an early attempt to address the issue, the mandatory school attendance age will be lowered from seven to six, beginning in September.

Local:

People across the North Shore have been complaining more vocally than usual about neighbors’ Christmas decorations this year. Displays have been described as unusually blinding, compared with previous years. In addition, “Christmas is not six to seven weeks,” Adam Augustynski of Wilmette told the Chicago Tribune. Others, too, have remarked on their streets’ twinkle, as well as the presence of reindeer and depictions of St. Nicholas while trick-or-treating or arriving at relatives’ houses for Thanksgiving dinner.