Daywatch: Explore Chicago’s top workplaces

Good morning, Chicago.

The Chicago Tribune's 2024 Top Workplaces report is out. Nearly 160 companies made this year's list, including a leading local pizza chain, a well-known electronics retailer and a Fortune 500 food manufacturer.

Each year, the Tribune works with Energage of Exton, Pennsylvania, a workplace survey and improvement specialist, to conduct a survey of nominated Chicago-area employers. This is the 15th year the Tribune has spotlighted local top employers.

Explore the full list of Chicago-area winners and learn how they were selected .

Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.

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Aldermen give Mayor Brandon Johnson's $300 million property tax plan the boot The Chicago City Council emphatically voted down Mayor Brandon Johnson's plan to hike property taxes by $300 million Thursday, creating a yawning hole in the city's 2025 budget.

In a rare unanimous roll-call vote, aldermen discarded the tax hike in a special meeting that lasted just minutes and included no debate. The council's decisive rejection gives aldermen leverage they have rarely enjoyed in ongoing budget negotiations: Whatever comes next, it won't be Johnson's original plan.

Mayor Brandon Johnson makes no promises after warnings over proposed police reform cuts

Chicago alderman proposes licensing and taxing hemp businesses

School board pushes to keep Acero schools open, as CPS Chief Pedro Martinez' job status remains unclear The Board of Education met Thursday in a special meeting to discuss the closure of seven charter schools and reaffirm their promise to safeguard the rights of LGBTQ and immigrant students, in the midst of a tense standoff between the mayor and the Chicago Public Schools' chief Pedro Martinez.

One year after Yellow Line crash, effects linger for riders, Skokie and CTA The CTA instructor was crammed into a seat on the back end of a snowplow paused on the tracks when he saw the Yellow Line train round the curve headed toward them that November day nearly a year ago.

Another employee sitting next to the instructor jumped up and said, "Oh, my God, oh, my God," the instructor told federal, state and CTA officials days after the crash, a copy of a transcript of the interview shows. The train slammed into the machine and the second employee "flew out the window," even as the instructor tried to grab him, he said. The instructor hit his head and was knocked unconscious for a few seconds.

Family of Stateville inmate who died during June heat wave sues state, prison workers The family of a man who died while in custody at Stateville Correctional Center during an early summer heat wave sued the Illinois Department of Corrections, a prison health care provider and several prison workers on Thursday, alleging that poor handling of Michael Broadway's medical emergency led to his death.

Chicago rapper Lil Durk pleads not guilty to murder-for-hire charges in California Lil Durk pleaded not guilty to murder-for-hire charges at his Los Angeles arraignment, three weeks after his dramatic arrest in Miami as he allegedly tried to flee the country.

The charges are the latest to come from an ongoing violent feud between rival groups of rappers that spans from Chicago's South Side to both coasts.

More Illinois hospitals get A grades for safety; a dozen get D's An increasing number of Illinois hospitals are scoring A grades for safety, according to a new report, though a dozen hospitals in the state earned D grades for their efforts.

In Illinois, 32 hospitals have notched A grades, up from 24 hospitals in the spring, according to the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit founded by large employers and other organizations that buy health insurance. Illinois now ranks 23rd in the nation for patient safety — up from 30th in the spring.

Chicago White Sox starter Garrett Crochet named AL Comeback Player of the Year Garrett Crochet exited a March 31, 2022, Cactus League game with an elbow injury and had Tommy John surgery five days later, costing him all of the regular season. The left-hander was limited to 13 relief outings in 2023, missing some time while recovering from the surgery and later because of left shoulder inflammation.

But Crochet had a healthy and extremely productive 2024: He was named the American League Comeback Player of the Year on Thursday.

Ryan Fuller looks to be a 'catalyst to connect everyone' in new role as White Sox director of hitting

Column: CHSN's new streaming option is an offer some Bulls and Blackhawks fans can refuse Chicago Sports Network's broadcast of Wednesday night's Bulls game was excellent, including a shot of Josh Giddey totally ignoring the huddle among Billy Donovan and his players during the final timeout, an overhead shot of the ball circling the rim on Jalen Brunson's last-second shot and a reaction shot of the Knicks bench celebrating too early, only to put their hands over their heads in disbelief.

Paul Sullivan 's first thought afterward was what a shame it was that so many Bulls fans weren't able to tune in because of the ongoing carriage dispute between CHSN and Comcast.

Chicago Sports Network launching direct-to-consumer streaming service for Bulls, Hawks, Sox games, other programming

'A Real Pain' review: Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg are cousins in a disarming 2024 film highlight Behind the camera as writer-director, Jesse Eisenberg has now made his second feature, "A Real Pain," in which he co-stars. It's quite wonderful, writes Tribune film critic Michael Phillips . While Kieran Culkin's performance has gotten a ton of attention — deservedly; he's heartbreaking and funny, often in the same sentence or wordless close-up — the darting interplay between Culkin and Eisenberg sets up a simple, sure-handed tale of Jewish American family, identity and legacy, told in the unlikely form of a brisk, 90-minute road trip comedy.

What to do in Chicago: Skating and ZooLights open, or catch Deeply Rooted Dance Theater Grab your skates and head downtown as the Maggie Daley Ice Skating Ribbon and the Millennium Park Ice Rink open for the season. Plus, make sure to get to the Lincoln Park Zoo while the weather is still mild to bask in the glow of more than 3 million holiday lights.