Stories by Patty Wetli

When a fish the size of a 10-year-old child was pulled from the Humboldt Park lagoon earlier this month, the reaction quickly went from “Oooh” to “Uh-oh.” The angler had reeled a whopper of an invasive bighead carp accidentally stocked 20 years ago. Are there more?

On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency released its first National Recycling Strategy, which aims for a 50% recycling rate in the U.S. by 2030. 

Buckle up for a bumpy ride this weekend. Friday’s forecast calls for high winds and bursts of heavy snow, more snow is possible Saturday, and Sunday’s temperatures are expected to dip into the teens, according to the National Weather Service.

The Rockford Airport Authority is not ceding Bell Bowl Prairie, an ancient prairie remnant that’s part of the airport’s nearly 3,000-acre property. In an interview with WTTW News, the authority reaffirmed its commitment to a $50 million expansion plan that would impact the five-acre prairie.

Construction on the Chicago Park District’s new $65 million headquarters in Brighton Park is already $4 million over budget just months after the project broke ground, demonstrating how challenging it is to redevelop former industrial sites, officials said.

The district’s proposed $510.9 million budget for 2022 includes a property tax increase that will add $4.3 million to its bottom line. The tax will cost the average homeowner an extra $4 a year, officials said.

The bells will be clanging, but coins won’t necessarily be clinking as the Salvation Army kicks off its annual Red Kettle campaign Monday. With people carrying less cash, the Salvation Army has adjusted to accept more contactless payment methods in 2021.

The National Weather Service is encouraging folks to get out and enjoy what could be the last day to reach the mid- to upper-60s in 2021. 

Clocks turn back an hour this weekend as time reverts to standard at 2 a.m. Sunday. The switch means the sun will rise before 7 a.m. in Chicago — for a brief period, at least — but will set well before 5 p.m. 

Chicago’s official 2021 Christmas tree was hoisted from its longtime home on a Logan Square block and loaded onto a trailer Friday morning. Destination: Millennium Park.

The use of chemicals to treat a grub infestation in Welles Park led some people to question whether there weren't natural alternatives. Why not let skunks take care of the problem? How about setting loose a flock of backyard chickens?

The first snow of the season has officially hit the ground in the Chicago region, with a trace amount recorded at Rockford on Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Buoyed by the recent passage of the ambitious Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, Gov. J.B. Pritzker is heading to the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow, Scotland, to present Illinois as a global player in the emerging green economy.

So little prairie still exists in Illinois, most residents of the state have never encountered this rare landscape. Here, then, is an introduction.

All those green tomatoes still on the vine are in for a shock as November kicks off with a string of overnight temperatures dipping below freezing, according to the National Weather Service.

COP26 is making global headlines as leaders from around the world meet to confront climate change. What exactly is this gathering and what makes it different from other summits?

Members of the coalition that sprung up to save Bell Bowl Prairie from demolition by the Rockford Airport are allowing themselves a brief victory lap to celebrate a temporary suspension of construction.

The annual Pumpkin Smash event encourages people to compost their gourds instead of trashing them. Dozens of sites across the Chicago region will be collecting jack-o’-lanterns and gourds on Nov. 6.

June beetle larvae are responsible for devastating a pair of North Side parks. The Chicago Park District is set to begin treating the infestation, but things could get worse before they get better. 

The Natural Land Institute filed suit Wednesday in U.S. District Court to stop the Greater Rockford Airport Authority from tearing up the 8,000-year-old Bell Bowl Prairie as part of an airport expansion project.

In a dramatic 11th-hour turnaround, Chicago Rockford International Airport officials announced Thursday a change in plans affecting the 8,000-year-old Bell Bowl Prairie remnant. Construction slated to resume Monday has been suspended until further consultations with federal agencies are completed.

Treatment by the Chicago Park District of a grub infestation, which laid waste to a third of Welles Park’s 15 acres, will shut down the affected area to all activity for months, and spring sports are in jeopardy.

Illinois will have a “robust supply” of COVID-19 vaccines for kids ages 5 to 11 as soon as they receive approval, according to Gov. J.B. Pritzker. “Parents should be able to breathe a sigh of relief they’ve been holding in for 18 months,” he said.

Mother Nature is throwing the kitchen sink at Chicago, weather-wise, to kick off the work week.

One of Monty and Rose’s grand-chicks, which hatched this summer in Ohio, never migrated south. The plover will spend the winter being cared for at the Detroit Zoo.

Attention chocoholics: Chicago has announced a citywide Halloween costume contest, with 10-pound bars of chocolate being dangled as the top prize.