Every Saturday morning, Daily Chicagoan gives you a quick rundown of the WTTW News coverage you need to know. Here are five essential stories that will inform you a bit more about our city.

It’s 12 days until Christmas, Chicago. Take a few minutes from your holiday preparations to read the latest news about your city from WTTW News.

Happy Wednesday. Stay informed on what’s happening in Chicago today from WTTW News.

This job has ruined road trips for me. I used to love staring out the window and admiring the passing scenery. Look at all that greenery, I thought, as we sped by “forests” and “wildflowers.” So pretty, so healthy. Ah, ignorance was bliss. Today all I see are eco-disasters.

Chicagoans just shivered through one of the coldest Thanksgivings in a decade. Despite the frigid end of the month, November 2024 was still nearly 5 degrees warmer than normal. In fact, the entire year is on track to become the warmest since recordkeeping began in 1872, according to the National Weather Service.

Not even Chicago’s light pollution can dim the glow of Jupiter. On Saturday, the giant planet will shine its brightest of the year and will be visible all night as it travels the sky from sunset to sunrise. According to NASA, look for Jupiter to begin its rise in the east-northeast. Aside from the moon and Venus, it will be the brightest object in the sky.

Have you been wondering how Chicago's new budget will impact your wallet in 2025? We've got answers. Start your Monday off with WTTW News. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News) Chicagoans won’t see their 2025 property tax bills rise to cover the cost of a city-imposed increase, but they will have to dig deeper to cover a host of tax and fee hikes that a deeply divided Chicago City Council approved to fill a massive budget gap. The city’s new budget, which takes effect Wednesday, closed a $982.4 million gap with the help of a variety of tax and fee hikes.

Get over the cold weather and hump day blues with these local stories from WTTW News.   Sucker fish enter a stream in droves as they prepare to spawn. (Courtesy Shedd Aquarium) The Great Lakes are teeming with fish. There’s game fish, which fisherman catch, like bass, walleye, trout and northern pike. But what about the “bottom feeders”? Also known as rough fish, these species include suckers, carp, bullhead and the like.