It’s the weekend. Brace for an arctic blast of freezing, near-zero temperatures coming soon.
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Chicago's new hybrid Board of Education meets for the first time at the Chicago Public Schools Loop headquarters on Jan. 15, 2025. (WTTW News)
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Patty Wetli: Last winter, I went mussel hunting in the Chicago River. The goal was to find pregnant mollusks, whose microscopic larvae could then be lab-reared as part of a project to increase the region’s population of freshwater mussels — among the most endangered wildlife in North America.
Last weekend, I got to check out the lab where the mussel magic happens, during a rare open house at the Urban Stream Research Center in Warrenville, which is involved in the recovery of multiple species. During our backstage tour, we saw pistachio-sized “sub adult” mussels resting in small round bins full of sand and water — like something a toddler might play with at the beach — as they bulked up for eventual release in the wild.
And while the center’s Blanding’s turtles and Hine’s emerald dragonflies — both also endangered — weren’t part of the tour, we did get to meet a very active Great Plains mudbug. The center’s staff are rearing these crayfish because they create the habitat Hine’s emeralds need to survive. In the same way, the center is also raising darter fish, which certain mussel species need as a host for their larvae.
As researchers shared these glimpses into their process, I was struck by the layers of complexity involved in bringing these creatures back from the brink. Not to mention what a long shot the recovery effort seems with so many moving parts. That led to the question, posed by a member of my tour group: “Why are freshwater mussels so endangered?” I expected the usual reply of habitat loss, pollution and displacement by invasive species. All of which are indeed the case, but also … fashion. Huh?
Maybe I’m the last person to learn this, but mussel shells were once harvested — over-harvested, in all truth — to be made into buttons, back before plastic was a thing. Our tour guide told us she’d seen photos of mountains of mussel shells, riddled with button-sized holes, like Swiss cheese. You can see some of those pictures in this article that details the history of mussels’ demise. In that light, the existence of a center devoted to mussel recovery seems like the least we can do.
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A homeless encampment is seen in a file photo. (WTTW News)
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The number of people experiencing homelessness in the United States on a single night was the highest ever recorded in 2024. The overall rate increased by 18%, and in Chicago, the number of unhoused people tripled from 2023 to 2024. But homelessness among Black people is seeing an even higher uptick in Illinois, more than double the national average.
Those figures are part of a report by the University of Illinois Chicago in collaboration with the Illinois Office to Prevent and End Homelessness. The report showed a number of structural issues contributing to this disparity — a lack of affordable housing and sufficient income chief among them. The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning conducted an analysis and found the median household income for White Chicagoans is $89,050, compared to $40,700 for Latino Chicagoans and $27,713 for Black Chicagoans.
Rent burden is a major driver of Black homelessness. If Illinois residents spend 30% of their check on rent, they are considered “rent burdened.” According to the report, Black residents are more likely to experience rent burden than White residents. Statewide, 63% of Black renters were rent burdened in 2022 compared to 51% of White renters.
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Michael Madigan is depicted in court on Jan. 7., 2024. (Illustration by Cheryl Cook)
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Defense attorneys for Michael Madigan have officially rested their case, as the longtime Illinois House Speaker’s corruption trial winds toward its conclusion. Madigan’s team officially rested Thursday morning, nearly three months after opening statements and testimony began in the landmark case. Government prosecutors will now launch into a brief rebuttal case before the evidence portion of the trial officially concludes.
Closing statements are expected to begin next Wednesday, followed by jury deliberations the following week. Madigan, who is charged alongside his longtime right-hand man Michael McClain, is alleged to have orchestrated multiple corruption schemes, wielding his political power to reward loyal allies and enrich himself.
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Back in the Day: January 17, 1915 - 1500 Unemployed Battle With Police Outside Hull House
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Here's how a Chicago Daily Tribune report from January 18, 1915 begins: "For thirty minutes yesterday afternoon South Halsted street, between Polk and Madison streets, was the scene of pitched battle between mounted and fought police reserves and a "hunger procession" of 1,500 unemployed men, women, boys, and girls." The poor had met the day prior at the Hull House, a settlement house founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. On this day 110 years ago, Jan. 17, 1915, Chicago police
confronted a peaceful gathering of the poor at Hull House, who quickly moved to their meeting to the streets for a demonstration. While no one was killed, several shots were fired by the police, and leader Lucy Parsons, widow of Albert Parsons, who was hanged for his participation in the Haymarket Affair, was arrested.
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Outdoor Events and Activities from Patty Wetli
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Succulent plants. (Credit: kinpouge05/iStock)
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Every Friday, WTTW News science and nature reporter Patty Wetli gives the best ways to get outside.
After checking out the Urban Stream Research Center last week, I went for a hike with my husband at nearby McKee Marsh, for an hour or two, in above-freezing temps. Find your comfort zone and know your limits. Or enjoy nature indoors.
On that note, check out the Hygge Hangout event at the Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center in Willow Springs. There will be activities, games and refreshments, all celebrating the Scandinavian concept of coziness. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Because there’s no such thing as too many houseplants, head to the pop-up succulent sale at Garfield Park Conservatory. Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., while supplies last. Advance reservations to the conservatory are recommended.
You know what takes the edge off a cold day? A bonfire. Join an MLK Day of Service at Eggers Grove in Chicago’s Calumet region. Volunteers will clear and burn invasive species (a trained burn captain will handle the fire), with S’mores provided. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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What was your most memorable snow experience in Chicago? Tell us when, where you were and what
happened.
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. Here's what you had to
say:
My most memorable snow experience was getting back to college in DeKalb after 1967 semester break. I got picked up by two out-of-service CTA busses walking first on Grand Ave and then while heading south on Austin to the Lake Street L. The train left late and took hours to get to DeKalb, with stops to shovel snow from the tracks, but I made it back before the women’s dorms closed.
My second most memorable memory was watching my 4-year-old daughter climb the snow bank to touch the street light in front of our house after the blizzards of ’79. —Leah O'Connor
My most memorable snow experience was definitely 1979. I lived in a co-op with eight others on north LaSalle and worked on the northwest side at Peterson and Kimball. I was the person in the office who had to get out and run errands. Once I tried to turn into a side street and realized it was a bad idea and backed into Peterson again. A cop saw me and pulled me over. I explained that if I had turned into the side street I would have immediately gotten stuck.
Bilandic told us the side streets were clear! That storm helped put him out of office.
(PS. The cop let me go.)
—Ellen Brady
The blizzard of 2011. I was in 6th grade at that time. I had just got out of school early, when the evening Rush Hour started, snow began falling like crazy, I had to pick up my grandmother from the Metra station in the storm. The next morning Lakeshore drive was a mess. —Tyrin H.
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