The biggest story in Chicago politics will play-out into next year. Mayor Daley's stepping down and there's a list of those who covet that fifth-floor office.
It's been quite an election year.
Todd Stroger lost the primary -- and Cook County's top job.
Democrat Pat Quinn beat Republican Bill Brady for the governor's office, and they settled down afterward for a sandwich summit.
In the Senate race, it was beer that brought winner Mark Kirk together with Alexi Giannoulias, while the top Chicagoan in the White House lamented the "shellacking" his party took in the mid-term.
Former governor George Ryan did not get home for Christmas because a judge denied his request to get out of prison early.
And for most of the summer, we watched another former governor come and go to court.
Rod Blagojevich told us he'd take the stand but that never happened. The Feds got him on one count of 24. The sequel begins in April.
Sports fans would like to see a sequel to this: The Blackhawks brought home Lord Stanley's Cup.
About 2 million people packed Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive to celebrate.
Later, the filming of "Transformers 3" turned downtown into a movie set.
But the summer brought real violence in the street. That got the nation's attention, and had some calling for the National Guard to step in.
In October, bizarre shootings along the Illinois-Indiana line took one life and wounded two.
Later, we would see the man responsible trying to rob a tanning salon. Other lives might have been lost if not for a brave customer who grabbed the robber's gun and took him down.
The city lost six police officers: Alan Haymaker, Thomas Wortham, Thor Soderberg, Michael Bailey, Michael Flisk and David Blake, who was off-duty. May their stars always shine.
Two Chicago firefighters lost their lives just before Christmas: Edward Stringer and Cory Ankum.
In August, firefighter Christopher Wheatley was killed when he slipped from a ladder.
Brian Carey, a firefighter from suburban Homewood, lost his life battling a house fire in March.
A fire on Valentine's Day took the lives of seven people in Cicero.
Chicagoans said goodbye to Cubs legend and broadcaster Ron Santo.
Polish-Americans mourned the sudden loss of Poland's president and other leaders in a plane crash.
And the former powerful congressman known as "Rosty" passed away.
We've had our share of nasty weather: Tornadoes in Streator, south suburban Matteson and in Caledonia, near Rockford, not to mention the flooding rains at the end of July.
Chicago's hometown airline, United got hitched with Continental.
Walmart sealed the deal with Chicago.
Speaking of Chicago deals, this year started out with the fuss over the parking meter leasing deal, which still being talked about by the batch of mayoral candidates.
