When asked why the city expanded the program despite knowing of the racial disparities, Dan Lurie, Lightfoot’s policy chief, said the administration saw that traffic fatalities were “at epidemic levels” and that was a “deep concern” to the mayor. “We feel strongly,” he said, “that cameras are a tool in the toolkit to help alleviate that.”

The editorial staff of The Chicago Thinker noted how the decision to mandate boosters for the school’s student body “is demonstrably unsafe, ineffective, unnecessary, inconsistent, and unethical.”

Mark Konkol: “It was the act of a taxpayer-funded employee union with a political agenda and a collection of campaign funds used to lobby Springfield and back candidates. The longer the work action kept kids out of school, the more clear that became to parents, guardians and people with common sense navigating the realities of working through yet another coronavirus wave, too.”

The law covers nannies, cleaners and workers who care for the elderly — regardless of citizenship documentation.

Things the union did get reinstated include metrics outlining when individual schools can switch to remote-only learning. The district also promises to provide KN95 masks to all students and staff, and lets schools decide if they want to reinstate a student health screener. (This article includes a link to the six-page agreement.)

“I am experiencing cold-like symptoms but otherwise feel fine which I credit to being vaccinated and boosted,” she said.

The source of this authority comes from both state statute and the respective municipal codes of the city and county.

CTU forced work stoppages three times in 27 months, including 11 days of instruction lost in 2019. Before that, CTU actions in 2016 cost students a day and in 2012 cost seven days.

“Thank you, Mt. Greenwood teachers, for understanding that even in the midst of a wrenching, two-year pandemic, the mission at CPS must always be twofold: Keep children healthy, and keep their intellectual growth alive and thriving. Both can be achieved concurrently, as long as sensible, science-informed COVID safety measures combine with the understanding that the best way to undo the damage done by remote learning is to commit to in-class instruction. Thank you for having the courage to say no to CTU leadership, which far too often has opted for brinkmanship over constructive dialogue, clout-building over the fate

In conjunction with the American Journalism Project grant, the Chicago Community Trust pledged an additional $450,000 in matching funds to Block Club over three years.

“The reason why we’ve got that vaccination requirement in place in bars, restaurants, gyms and entertainment settings that are serving food and drink is because those are high-risk settings for spread,” Dr. Allison Arwady said. “They are also optional settings.” But, like grocery stores, schools are essential. “Like you have to be able to get food, I also think you actually have the right to be able to get an education, regardless of what your parents have or haven’t done.”

During negotiations, the union asked that no members be disciplined or docked pay and wanted an outside party to resolve disputes. The district did not offer any assurances that pay would be restored.

According to the city’s health department, it has been nearly a year since the last time every state and territory has been on the travel advisory.

Chicago Public Schools did not agree to a districtwide threshold to shutter schools as the union had wanted. It also refused to implement a testing program that would automatically sign up students and require parents to opt out. The question of whether union members will receive pay for the four canceled days of classes will be left up to district CEO Pedro Martinez.

“Seventy-five to 80 percent of my people on home monitoring are charged with a violent offense,” Dart said. “I have about 100 people on home monitoring who are charged with murder.” The sheriff said the Chief Judge’s office also runs a monitoring program, but the number of defendants enrolled in that program is a mystery to Dart.

An indoor mask mandate remains in effect across both the city and state.

“The mental health impacts on kids of not having schools open is very harsh and hard, and he does not want to see schools closed across the country. … There is no secret about that. That continues to be what he states,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said

Mailee Smith, of the Illinois Policy Institute: “Governor J. B. Pritzker, meanwhile, claims that he has ‘said all along that it’s better for our students to have them in class,’ ignoring the fact that he has played a key role in emboldening the union.”

Chicago Public Schools also got $1.78 billion from the federal government, but the money is allocated over multiple years through 2024. A presentation on the district’s website indicates $273 million would be directed to “school reopening needs” this school year. The district is also posting how it’s spending COVID-19 money online.

It’s not just COVID and education that Mayor Lori Lightfoot is dealing with. Crime continues to be a problem plaguing downtown and neighborhoods. “I think we’ve already made some progress this year already, year over year, but, look, the reality is we’re seeing the manifestations of decades of neglect in our neighborhoods,”

Investigators from the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection conducted 121 investigations over the weekend to see if people were wearing masks and whether there were signs posted about the requirement. Only one business was cited.