Good afternoon! I hope everyone is staying safe in this frigid weather. It’s so cold that Teslas are struggling to charge in Chicago. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Texas officials ignore Pritzker’s plea to stop sending migrants amid freezing temperatures

Gov. JB Pritzker over the weekend personally paid for ads in several Texas newspapers, urging Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to stop sending migrants as Chicago faces dangerous sub-zero weather.

Pritzker last week sent Abbott a letter, asking him to show mercy for migrants who are arriving without winter clothing.

“Please, while winter is threatening vulnerable people’s lives, suspend your transports and do not send more people to our state,” Pritzker wrote. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Meanwhile, the dangerous weather caused Mayor Brandon Johnson and his suburban counterparts to postpone a meeting on the migrant crisis. [Chicago Sun-Times]

In Chicago, asylum-seekers sleeping in CTA buses were moved to a temporary warming center in the basement of the Harold Washington Library. [Block Club Chicago]

2. Will state lawmakers set more money aside for migrants?

Illinois lawmakers are back in Springfield today, and among the more pressing items on their agenda is the ongoing migrant crisis.

But lawmakers may not make any moves until after the March 19 primary, my colleague Alex Degman reports.

“The overall goal pre-primary is to do as little as possible as quickly as possible so they can go back to their districts and campaign and raise money,” said Kent Redfield, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois Springfield.

But there are several pressing issues that will need to be addressed. Among them are massive budget problems facing public transportation in the Chicago area and putting in the final details on Chicago’s elected school board before the November election. [WBEZ]

3. A Chicago cop who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 should get a year in prison, federal prosecutors say

The Chicago Police officer, Karol Chwiesiuk, was convicted last summer for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Federal authorities say Chwiesiuk and his sister, Agnieszka, ignored damage and violence outside the Capitol before entering the building that day. And prosecutors have accused Karol Chwiesiuk of lying on the stand.

Karol Chwiesiuk has previously been listed as inactive and on an unpaid leave of absence from the Chicago Police Department, my colleague Jon Seidel reports.

Prosecutors said he “lost his job” after he participated in the Capitol attack. He had been on medical leave due to issues with his back at the time of the riot, according to the feds.

Chwiesiuk and his sister are expected to be sentenced by a federal judge on Jan. 24. [Chicago Sun-Times]

4. Chicago Bulls fans booed Jerry Krause during a celebration, leaving his widow in tears

Bulls fans face widespread condemnation for booing during the team’s inaugural Ring of Honor ceremony featuring the 1995-96 team.

Among those honored was former general manager Jerry Krause, who died in 2017 and had been blamed for breaking up the Bulls dynasty. When Krause’s name was announced during the ceremony, fans began booing, bringing to tears his widow, Thelma.

“I was really disappointed,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “For his wife to have to sit there and go through that and hear that as her husband had passed was just really disappointing to me. It was an opportunity to honor the team and even honor her.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

The Bulls should have anticipated the booing, which is the latest example of how rudeness and a lack of civility have burgeoned in society generally, sports columnist Rick Telander writes. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Michael Jordan also deserves blame for demonizing Krause and turning six NBA titles into something so unpleasant, writes columnist Rick Morrissey. [Chicago Sun-Times]

5. ‘The Bear’ ate it up at the Emmys

The FX/Hulu show — about a once promising chef who inherits a sandwich shop in Chicago — last night took home six Emmys, including the trophy for best comedy series.

Actors Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jeremy Allen White also won awards in acting categories.

“This is a show about family and found family and real family,” Edebiri said from the stage of the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

The Bear has been on an awards streak, emerging triumphantly from the Golden Globe and Critics Choice awards earlier this month. [Chicago Sun-Times]

After winning a Golden Globe, Edebiri declared her love for the South Side restaurant Oooh Wee It Is. [WBEZ]

And here’s a look at how The Bear maintains an authenticity with its Chicago-set scenes and supporting cast of locals. [WBEZ]

Here’s what else is happening

• The U.S. carried out more strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen after a Greek ship was hit by a ballistic missile. [BBC]

• The GOP presidential race moves to New Hampshire as the field of candidates narrows. [NPR]

• The U.S. Supreme Court today declined to hear a transgender bathroom dispute from Indiana. [AP]

• Elton John achieved EGOT status. [The Guardian]

Oh, and one more thing …

You don’t have to twist my arm to go to a happy hour (especially since my job is basically doom scrolling for the public).

If you’re looking for great places to unwind after a chaotic day at work, WBEZ contributor Maggie Hennessy looks at five Chicago spots featuring great food and ambience.

“These five watering holes offer a lively rendezvous any day of the week to cure the winter blues, plus one-of-a-kind shareables that run the gamut from Baja-style tostadas to fried clams and Korean BBQ chicken smothered in cheese,” Hennessy writes. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

After a warmer than usual December, winter is definitely here. Do you have any big plans this season? Any projects or hobbies to work on while we’re stuck indoors?

I’m hoping to catch Dungeons and Drag Queens next month at Color Club. It’s exactly how it sounds — a bunch of drag queens playing Dungeons & Dragons.

I run a game for a bunch of fellow gays, and I had them fight a group of dragulas, which are vampire drag queens. The dragulas infiltrated a bar owned by the players, and one of the undead drag queens was the Potato Queen, a giant sentient potato. Don’t ask me where these ideas come from.

Feel free to email me, and your response might be shared in the newsletter this week.