Lightfoot is one of several Democrats who have become ensnared in scandals over COVID-19 restrictions, including President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden who were seen violating Washington, D.C.’s indoor mask mandate at an upscale Georgetown restaurant on Saturday.

The department is down 19 officers; Some who remain are being required to work double shifts. At the same time, violent crime in the city through the end of last month has increased 47% compared to the same period last year.

“We believe that violence is a public health issue and that public safety is one of the top priorities — not only of the administration but of everybody in the city,” Black Caucus Chairman Jason Ervin said. “As a piece of the violence prevention strategy, we believe that we need to expand services, stipends and the like to help essentially guide some of our young people into better directions.”

Sources said that more than 40 officers were initially stripped of their police powers Monday, but more than half of them eventually complied with the vaccine reporting mandate, and their police powers were immediately restored. Most of those officers were assigned to CPD headquarters in Bronzeville.

“We’ve got furious pronouncements, well-paid lawyers, judicial gag orders, badly needed cops being placed on leave and, of course, a prime-time public fight between Mayor Lori Lightfoot and a leading nemesis, Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara. The story has something for everyone, except for those who value common sense.”

“It’s like a preplanned police shortage,” DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick said. “The lack of logic is the thing that astounds me.”

Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain is not on board with the plan: “I will not send my personnel to Chicago unless an officer is under direct duress because I cannot support this slanted agenda. I also will not allow my deputies to be subjected to use of force in the city and be under the prosecutorial jurisdiction of the Cook County State’s Attorney.”

Chicago Public Media, which owns the radio station WBEZ, is currently in talks with the Sun-Times to merge. A final deal would combine their newsrooms and audiences in hopes of creating a financially stable enterprise for both teams.

“If Lightfoot wants to live up to the rhetoric in her budget address — in which she promised to invest in Chicago’s economic recovery while giving predictability and stability to taxpayers — she needs to develop and execute a plan to match long-term revenues and expenses. Only a long-term balanced budget can give city residents confidence that programs will continue and taxes will remain affordable, and only a pension amendment can deliver balance.”

“What that means is there are other statements that constitute possible evidence that, maybe is exculpatory, maybe is aggravating. But you can’t make a responsible determination about disciplinary findings when you know, in fact, that there is evidence other than what you’re able to collect yourself,” Joe Ferguson said.

As a carrot, the district is offering an additional personal day off to vaccinated staff. As a stick: Staff who haven’t received accommodations and still remain unvaccinated as of March 1, 2022, will be placed on a non-disciplinary no-pay status until they have become fully vaccinated.

Several liberal House lawmakers and activists complain that Rahm Emanuel’s handling of the death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, who was shot 16 times as he ran away from police, should have disqualified him for consideration for a coveted role as U.S. Ambassador to Japan.

The city removed Florida, Hawaii and the District of Columbia from the advisory. There are still 45 states and two territories on the city’s COVID-19 map.

The legislation would apply only to Cook County. “Crime is increasing. It’s getting worse and we have a State’s Attorney that is looking the other direction,” House Minority Leader Jim Durkin said.

“We can point fingers all day. We can point them at ourselves, as we should. But if we don’t find solutions, we’re going to deal with this over the next 5 to 10 years so it’s only going to get worse,” said Ald. Chris Taliaferro.