Today’s Daily Chicagoan is brought to you, in part, by: It’s already the middle of the week. Time flies when you’re staying up to date on your city with WTTW News.  (FierceAbin / iStock) The Great Lakes, a water-rich region, hold 20% of the planet's surface freshwater. However, that doesn't mean cities across Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and New York couldn't become the next Phoenix.

Today’s Daily Chicagoan is brought to you, in part, by: It’s Tuesday. Check out these stories from WTTW News on the TRUST Act, Chicago Public Schools’ first day of classes and local stationery recommendations from science and nature reporter Patty Wetli.  Federal immigration agents in Chicago in a file photo. (WTTW News via CNN) When it comes to Illinois laws aimed at protecting immigrants, Adams County Sheriff Tony Grootens has made his views clear.

Today’s Daily Chicagoan is brought to you, in part, by: It's a new week, Chicago. Start it off strong with these stories from WTTW News.  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security logo pictured in a file photo. (memoriesarecaptured / iStock) A  new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, detention center is in the works in Indiana, dubbed the “Speedway Slammer.” Similar in size to Florida’s so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” facility, the Indiana center will triple the amount of beds ICE has in the Chicago region.

Today’s Daily Chicagoan is brought to you, in part, by: Happy Friday. End your week with a new column from science and nature reporter Patty Wetli and more stories from WTTW News.   A bulldozer slices through Bell Bowl Prairie, March 9, 2023. (Courtesy of Jessie Mermel) Patty Wetli: This week, we received an update on the status of Bell Bowl Prairie. If you’re thinking, “Wait, didn’t Rockford Airport plow under that ancient prairie back in 2023?”, you have a good memory. Yes, the fight to save the prairie failed.

Today’s Daily Chicagoan is brought to you, in part, by: It’s Thursday and the weekend awaits. Get prepped with our Summer Festival Guide and the latest stories about your city from WTTW News.  (WTTW News) Chicago Public Schools officials are planning to rely on non-classroom cuts, additional revenue streams and a contingency that puts off a $175 million pension payment in order to close a budget gap of more than $700 million.

Today’s Daily Chicagoan is brought to you, in part, by:

Good morning, Chicago. The school year starts next week and WTTW News has stories on the CPS budget crisis, CPD traffic stops and more. 

(WTTW News)

Today’s Daily Chicagoan is brought to you, in part, by: Today, WTTW News has stories on stalled police reform, meteor showers and delicious local recommendations from “Chicago Tonight” host Brandis Friedman.  (WTTW News) More than 200 positions charged with implementing a court order that requires the Chicago Police Department to stop routinely violating Black and Latino residents’ constitutional rights are vacant, with another 226 positions unaccounted for, according to records obtained by WTTW News.

Today’s Daily Chicagoan is brought to you, in part, by: It’s another Monday and another Daily Chicagoan newsletter with everything you need to know about your city today from WTTW News.  (WTTW News) Chicago police officers accused of serious misconduct have the right to ask an arbitrator — and not the Chicago Police Board — to decide their fate, but those proceedings must take place in public, an Illinois Appeals Court ruled.

Happy Friday, Chicago. Start your weekend with a column from WTTW News nature reporter Patty Wetli and an in-depth interview with Sen. Dick Durbin.  A young Ferris, before the Montrose chicks had even received their names. (Courtesy Chicago Piping Plovers) Patty Wetli: This past week started on a tragic note, with news that one of Chicago’s piping plover chicks, Ferris, had … died? … been killed? … was eaten? I struggled with how to characterize what happened to Ferris. “Died” suggested an illness, which wasn’t the case.

This Thursday, WTTW News has stories on crime, City Council and, of course, armadillos.  ShotSpotter screen. (WTTW News) When Mayor Brandon Johnson scrapped the city’s controversial gunshot detection system, he defied critics who warned that without ShotSpotter, police officers would be unable to stop a wave of gun violence.