Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy faults Pritzker’s policies as a “sociologist approach to economics” that could be causing the economy to stall even more.

“They need to show rules in government hiring are followed strictly and everyone has job opportunities, not just friends and family. They need to show appeals are handled in a fair and professional manner, and that insider dealing and conflicts of interest are a thing of the past…The Illinois Supreme Court has said the Board of Review is a quasi-judicial body. Public sniping among its members is unseemly.”

School districts throughout Illinois are struggling with the mask question, trying to decide whether there is enough health benefit in a low-transmission population to warrant the emotional and developmental costs of making students wear masks.

Meant to conclude its work in April, the commission will continue its work this summer, said Cesar Rodriguez, Lightfoot’s press secretary. “The city’s efforts throughout this process have not been about a single statue or mural, but about creating a formal process that will reflect our values and elevate our rich history and diversity.”

Officials say masks should continue to be worn if you’re not vaccinated and indoors and there should be at least three feet of distancing in classrooms whenever possible.

The 79-page plan includes 84 “strategies” and hundreds of “one-to-three-year targets.” The overriding goals are to make public transportation faster and more accessible, Chicago streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists and expand bike share, bike lanes and dedicated bus lanes.

Ald. Brian Hopkins acknowledged the City Council has imposed countless crackdowns over the years aimed at preventing party bus rides from turning violent. But, after the Wednesday night mass shooting, Hopkins argued that it’s time for yet another crackdown.

An Illinois teacher whose school board voted 5-2 to terminate her over a social media post decrying the George Floyd riots in nearby Chicago says she is not guilty of their alleged accusation the comments “harm[ed] students.” Her attorney wonders how many other educators are having their profiles secretly monitored by school boards or unions.

The Chicago Monuments Project committee is comprised of dozens of people from the academic world, the arts, city leaders and more with varied ethnic backgrounds. They are charged with evaluating 41 controversial plaques and statues around the city. Only three have been removed — all depicting Christopher Columbus.

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss portrayed the suit as part of a concerted effort by conservatives to meddle in the city’s affairs and said the same type of backlash faced by district officials following the suit has traditionally led to lynching, terrorism and incidents such as the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. “Evanston children are not pawns or some kind of canvas for Tucker Carlson to paint his white supremacist fantasy on,” Biss told the crowd.