Daywatch: Our holiday theater list

Good morning, Chicago.

There’s no better time to get out and support Chicago theater than the festive season, when warm holiday performances abound.

Theater critic Chris Jones has 10 suggestions, all with seasonal themes. Some are new this year but many are seasonal favorites that he heartily recommends. And if none of these float your holiday boat, there also are lots of non-holiday shows on offer.

And whether you’re a staunch “Christmas Carol” traditionalist or looking for off-color holiday humor, our guide has concerts and shows that’ll appeal to all stripes.

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The House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to prevent a government shutdown after new Republican Speaker Mike Johnson was forced to reach across the aisle to Democrats when hard-right conservatives revolted against his plan.

Israeli forces raided Gaza’s largest hospital early Wednesday, where hundreds of patients, including newborns, have been stranded with dwindling supplies and no electricity, as the army extended its control across Gaza City and the north.

After weeks of turbulence at City Hall, Mayor Brandon Johnson is asking aldermen Wednesday to approve his first budget, a proposal saddled with new costs for both next year and the future, compared with when it was introduced last month, but also larded with sweeteners to smooth the pathway for a yes vote.

Ald. Bill Conway is crying foul after Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration said they would have the city remove the tents in which people are sleeping downtown only if Conway voted in favor of two pillars of the mayor’s progressive policy agenda.

Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin violated the city’s ethics code by firing two top aides who alleged she repeatedly misused taxpayer resources and pressured public employees to help her political allies, according to a finding of probable cause by the city’s Board of Ethics.

Monday’s findings follow internal complaints by several now-former employees of the treasurer’s office who accused Conyears-Ervin of ethical lapses or misusing public resources for her private benefit. While many of the allegations were made years ago, they weren’t detailed publicly until recent Tribune reports.

After a long battle against bankruptcy and eviction, Metropolitan Brewing is about to raise its final glass.

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The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature passed a bipartisan measure on Tuesday to overhaul the state’s liquor laws and create new regulations for wedding barns.

As Calumet City prepared to ticket a Daily Southtown reporter for allegedly harassing city employees as he worked on gathering information for a news article, Mayor Thaddeus Jones also asked police to seek a court order prohibiting the reporter from entering City Hall or contacting city employees, records show.

Jake Eder joined the Chicago White Sox organization in a 2023 trade deadline deal that sent infielder Jake Burger to the Miami Marlins. Cristian Mena ranked among the minor-league leaders in strikeouts. The Sox added both pitching prospects to their 40-man roster Tuesday.

Few NBA teams are better than the Chicago Bulls at capitalizing on opponents’ mistakes.

Without new episodes of “Ghosts” to air this fall due to the recent Hollywood strikes, CBS — in a rare stroke of ingenuity — is importing the first season of the original UK version instead.

Critic Nina Metz is glad U.S. viewers are getting a chance to sample this incarnation of “Ghosts” without worrying if they have to fork out money for yet another streaming service to access it.

Near the northernmost point of Wisconsin, 475 miles from Chicago, a sovereign tribal nation with fewer than 1,400 residents is expanding tourism in ways far removed from slot machine dings and cha-chings.