Get over the cold weather and hump day blues with these local stories from WTTW News.
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Sucker fish enter a stream in droves as they prepare to spawn. (Courtesy Shedd Aquarium)
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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.
Karen Murchie, director of freshwater research at Shedd Aquarium, is a big fan of suckers and believes they are vital to the Great Lakes ecosystem. Over the past eight years, she's recruited dozens of volunteers to monitor the arrival of suckers in Great Lakes tributaries.
Here's what she's found:
As they move into creeks and streams to spawn, suckers add a buffet of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous — things you might find in fertilizer — basically acting like gardeners. These nutrients are taken up by algae and invertebrates, with studies showing algae growing 50% faster in areas where suckers were present, and some aquatic insects bulking up by 12%,
In analyzing the first seven years of data, Murchie has been able to determine the best predictor of sucker movement. It’s water temperature: 43.3 degrees Fahrenheit.
Murchie published these results in the journal Environmental Biology of Fishes. In the paper, she name-checks every single one of the 80 volunteers who’ve participated in the project. This is a great example of community science, which brings together researchers and those passionate about a subject.
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The Illinois Pollution Control Board took testimony from Melanie Minuche of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization. (Amanda Vinicky / WTTW News)
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The Illinois Pollution Control Board took hours of testimony from environmental and other advocates encouraging Illinois to make the state’s standards for car and truck emissions stronger than federal regulations. Illinois regulators are considering adopting a set of standards to improve air quality, such as prohibiting the sale of new gas-powered cars in Illinois come 2035.
Another proposed policy would require that in a decade, half of new trucks sold in Illinois must also be zero emission, while a final proposal calls for tightening tailpipe standards for diesel emissions — a move that relies on manufacturers of diesel engines to make them in a way that produces less nitrogen oxide. Pollution from cars and trucks causes short- and long-term health problems, according to Dr. Juanita Mora, a Chicago physician on the national board of the American Lung Association.
The policies mirror those already adopted by California, but advocates believe time is of the essence following the election of Donald Trump as the next president.
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Local Live Music Recommendations for Dec. 4-10
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Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.
Wednesday, Dec. 4:
Billy Woods and Kenny Segal, ShrapKnel, at Thalia Hall. Tickets.
The Brooklyn rapper and Los Angeles producer celebrate five years of their critically acclaimed LP “Hiding Places.”
Friday, Dec. 6:
Mavis Staples, Jackson Browne, Margo Price at Auditorium Theatre. Tickets.
Chicago’s greatest singer celebrates her 85th birthday.
The Lawrence Arms, Smoking Popes, Royal Dog at Metro. Tickets.
It’s the 10th annual “War of Christmas” showcase for the longstanding local punks.
Saturday, Dec. 7:
Ken Vandermark, Dorothy Carlos, Percussion Discussion at Constellation. Tickets.
This show of jazz, experimental, and avant-garde music is part of Catalytic Sound Festival.
Tuesday, Dec. 10:
Andrew Bird, Mary Lattimore at Fourth Presbyterian Church. Tickets.
The multi-instrumentalist and excellent whistler plays his annual “Gezelligheid” holiday shows.
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Back in the Day: December 4, 1969 - The Assassination of Fred Hampton
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On the early morning of December 4, 1969 — 55 years ago today — 14 plainclothes but armed Chicago police officers exited a Peoples Gas truck at 2337 W. Monroe. Under orders from Cook County State’s Attorney Edward Hanrahan, the cops looked at a map outlining the apartment building, which featured the bedroom of Fred Hampton, the 21-year-old leader of the Chicago Black Panthers, who was asleep next to his pregnant fiancé. The officers entered and started shooting, firing 90 rounds, killing Hampton and Black Panther Mark Clark and injuring several others. While Hanrahan held a press conference claiming his officers were "surprise-attacked" by the Panthers, documents later
revealed it was a lie and was part of a secret program from the FBI to neutralize and destroy the Black Panther Party, which sought to quell the dissidence and discord plaguing the country following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, and the DNC protests of 1968. After years of cover-ups and litigation, the government agreed to a settlement in 1982, paying $1.85 million to Hampton and Clark's families, and the other survivors of the 1969 raid.
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Where is your favorite place in the Chicago area to go holiday shopping? Tell us why.
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
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- How two local anti-violence advocates use basketball as a tool to talk through past pain.
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5:30 PM|11:00 PM
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
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