Two Jensen Elementary parents died within days of each other in September, prompting the union to hold a rally at the school at 3030 W. Harrison Street. However, the medical examiner now lists “chronic ethanolism” as the 32-year-old mother’s cause of death and she did not have COVID-19.

Matt underscores the necessity of school choice and charter school funding in a city where many public schools are underserving students and parents.

“We got a phone call telling us ‘Now is the time to change your name’ and another call saying ‘We’re going to close you down. Get ready, we’re coming,’” said Enesh, co-owner of Russian Tea Time, a Loop restaurant. The restaurant has no such connection — the other co-owner, Vadim Muchnik, is Ukrainian. He founded the restaurant in 1993 with his Ukrainian-born mother, Klara.

In a letter to the mayor, the Chicago teachers union on Friday argued that lifting the mask mandate would violate a safety agreement that requires masking through the end of the school year. Union president Jesse Sharkey said, “If CPS moves toward making masks optional without bargaining to do so safely, this refusal to honor our agreement will have consequences.”

The vacancy rate for industrial space normally is about 10%, said Jeff Lanaghan, of CRG. Now it’s roughly 5% in the Chicago area, or “basically zero because a company has to move out to move in,” said Dan Brown, of Brown Commercial Group in Elk Grove Village. That would make Elk Grove’s vacancy rate of 2.3% essentially subzero.

In practice, few properties make it off the list, with most cycling through the Scavenger Sale for years. If a parcel doesn’t sell in 20 years, it’s forfeited to the state. In the meantime, the property can be an unused blight on the neighborhood. The majority of such lots are in communities of color that already suffer from disinvestment.

CPS officials said the sharp decline in Covid-19 cases in schools and the city plus the increase in Covid testing and vaccination rates, lead to the decision.

Kateryna Yushchenko, who was born in the Humboldt Park area, graduated from Prospect High School and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and later served in the Reagan White House, believes that Ukraine will persevere and remain a sovereign nation, in part because “every single Ukrainian is going to fight to the death.”

The city funds would support a proposed $70.4 million redevelopment of the 96-year-old former movie house at 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave. A developer wants to refurbish the 2,900-seat auditorium for live music and performances and add 20 residential units, with 14 of those homes marketed as affordable under city ordinance.

Those who keep tabs on downtown like the trends. The Chicago Loop Alliance reports that sidewalks and restaurants are getting busier, and more rush-hour commuting is obvious. Data the group has tracked during the pandemic, such as pedestrian counts and parking garage use, support that conclusion. By most accounts, downtown offices are 30% to 40% occupied.

At least two people were killed, including a 16-year-old boy, and 10 people were wounded in shootings in Chicago last weekend.

Gas prices in Cook County are currently sitting at $4.50, which is 20 cents higher than the Illinois state average. The national average currently sits at $4.06.