What to expect from this week's anticipated blizzard. Lawmakers get an earful from gun rights advocates. The controversy over encrypting police scanners. And should Chicago residents switch from gas to electric heat?.

• Updating: Winter Storm Approaching Chicago Could Snarl Holiday Travel Plans With High Winds, Frigid Temperatures
• Gun Rights Advocates Get Their Say as Illinois Legislators Hold Hearings on Assault Weapons Ban
• As Natural Gas Costs Rise and Environmental Concerns Grow, Advocates Call for Transition to Electric Home Heat
• Growing Pressure for Park District To Demolish Unauthorized Museum Construction on Site of Landmarked Building in Humboldt Park
• As Chicago Police Move to Encrypt and Delay Scanner Traffic, Media and 1st Amendment Advocates Push Back
• Ease Up on Food Worries During the Holidays, Nutritionists Say
• Gifts that Give Back at Chicago Fair Trade Holiday Pop-Up Shop