Also on Friday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Chicago Public Schools will move forward with plans to reopen schools on Monday, despite ongoing objections by the teachers union and a large group of aldermen. Further, CPS CEO Janice Jackson said staff members who dont show up as about half failed to do this week will be deemed absent without leave and ineligible for pay going forward.
Members of the Chicago Teachers Union took issue with assertions that schools are adequately equipped and ready to open, with one calling Jacksons comments about docking pay heartless.
Heres whats happening Friday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
6 p.m.: Take the vaccine. Rev. Jesse Jackson receives a COVID-19 shot and addresses hesitancy in minority communities
Accompanied by an African American scientist at the forefront of COVID-19 vaccine development, the Rev. Jesse Jackson got his shot against the virus Friday at Roseland Community Hospital, as he praised the safety of the immunization and addressed vaccine hesitancy in minority communities.
After the injection, the civil rights leader and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition raised his fist in the air and appeared to smile behind his protective face mask. He received the Pfizer vaccine, the first one to get federal emergency use authorization last month.
Take the vaccine, Jackson said to the crowd of health care workers and reporters who watched him get vaccinated in a small tent outside the South Side hospital. Take the vaccine now.
5:15 p.m. (update): CPS does not care about my health and safety: Teachers call plan to withhold pay if they dont show up for in-person classes Monday heartless
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Chicago Public Schools will move forward with plans to reopen schools on Monday, despite ongoing objections by the teachers union and a large group of aldermen.
Further, CPS CEO Janice Jackson said staff members who dont show up as about half failed to do this week will be deemed absent without leave and ineligible for pay going forward.
This is not a measure we take lightly, Jackson added.
Members of the Chicago Teachers Union took issue with assertions that schools are adequately equipped and ready to open, with one calling Jacksons comments about docking pay heartless.
The CEO does not care about my health and safety, and is making me decide between getting paid and supporting my family, Lilly Freyer, third grade teacher at LaSalle Language Academy, said at an afternoon CTU news conference. It seems like a pretty heartless comment during a worldwide pandemic.
Union leaders on Friday offered little clarity for those wondering whether they should be preparing for another teachers strike, though the possibility remains on the table.
3:50 p.m.: Chicago using COVID-19 tests that FDA warns may give false negatives
Chicagos public COVID-19 testing sites for months have been using test kits that the Food and Drug Administration warned this week should not be used on people who dont experience symptoms.
The Curative tests have been used since last spring at city testing sites, where Chicagoans who arent showing coronavirus symptoms can get tested.
On Monday, the FDA issued a directive alerting patients and health care providers of the risk of false results, particularly false negative results, with the Curative SARS-CoV-2 test.
Risks to a patient of a false negative result include: delayed or lack of supportive treatment, lack of monitoring of infected individuals and their household or other close contacts for symptoms resulting in increased risk of spread of COVID-19 within the community, or other unintended adverse events, the FDA directive reads in part.
The city has partnered with Curative since the spring to run testing sites around Chicago, with no requirement that people who come in for the tests be showing symptoms. People who are about to travel, who worry that theyve been exposed to someone who has COVID-19 or who are planning to see at-risk family members often will get tested even if they arent showing symptoms.
1:42 p.m.: US surpasses 4,000 deaths in a single day from coronavirus for the 1st time
The U.S. topped 4,000 coronavirus deaths in a single day for the first time, breaking a record set just one day earlier, with several Sun Belt states driving the surge.
The tally from Johns Hopkins University showed the nation had 4,085 deaths Thursday, along with nearly 275,000 new cases of the virus evidence that the crisis is growing worse after family gatherings and travel over the holidays and the onset of winter, which is forcing people indoors.
Deaths have reached epic proportions. Since just Monday, the United States has recorded 13,500 deaths more than Pearl Harbor, D-Day, 9/11 and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake combined.
1:20 p.m.: Joe Biden to speed release of coronavirus vaccines, ending Trump practice of holding back shots for second dose
With COVID-19 surging and vaccinations off to a slow start, President-elect Joe Biden will rapidly release most available vaccine doses to protect more people, his office said Friday, a reversal of Trump administration policies.
The president-elect believes we must accelerate distribution of the vaccine while continuing to ensure the Americans who need it most get it as soon as possible, spokesman T.J. Ducklo said in a statement. Biden supports releasing available doses immediately, and believes the government should stop holding back vaccine supply so we can get more shots in Americans arms now.
Bidens plan is not about cutting two-dose vaccines in half, a strategy that top government scientists recommend against. Instead, it would accelerate shipment of first doses and use the levers of government power to provide required second doses in a timely manner.
1:15 p.m.: 9,277 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 126 additional deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Friday announced 9,277 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 126 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 1,017,322 and the statewide death toll to 17,395 since the start of the pandemic.
Officials also reported 118,665 new tests in the last 24 hours. The seven-day statewide rolling positivity rate for cases as a share of total tests was 8.5% for the period ending Thursday.
12:59 p.m.: Chicagos public health commissioner: City residents 65 or older can get COVID-19 vaccine in the next distribution phase
Chicago residents 65 or older will be eligible for the vaccine in the next phase, but vaccination sites will prioritize the seniors by age and risk factors, Chicago officials said Friday.
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said in a news conference that the city is absolutely on the same page with the state, whose Department of Public Health announced Wednesday that people 65 or older will be part of phase 1b, which includes the elderly and front-line essential workers, effectively lowering federal guidelines for the first group by 10 years. The city is currently in phase 1a, which includes health care workers and long-term care facility staff and residents, and the next stage may not start until February.
The city and the state are not in opposition here, Arwady said. We are thinking here about how just as weve done in every phase so far, well continue to do, how to further prioritize within that phase.
10:29 a.m.: The Magnificent Mile is not invincible. Water Tower Place faces its biggest challenge since the North Michigan Avenue mall opened.
How effectively Water Tower Place can fill its empty spaces amid a pandemic that has devastated the retail industry and accelerated changes in how people shop, as well as looting incidents that have tested the city will help determine the health of Chicagos premier commercial street.
Macys exit is not a surprise, but the fact that its happening is still a bucket of cold water in the face because of what it symbolizes, said David Stone, founder of retail brokerage Stone Real Estate. Michigan Avenue has been seemingly invincible, and this is telling us that its not invincible.
9:38 a.m.: 25 have died of COVID-19 in Wisconsin prisons, with more than half of inmates infected
Two additional inmates have died from coronavirus in Wisconsins prison system, bringing the total number of COVID-19 deaths to 25, according to corrections officials.
The additional deaths come as more than half of the states roughly 20,000 prisoners have been infected.
8:42 a.m.: The best place for charity is often at home, as Chicago artists join forces to help each other manage the COVID shutdown
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, so too do its dire effects in the citys, states, and countrys arts community. Few are as hard hit as the citys underground arts community, which continues to operate on the fringes. Lacking the sort of visibility or size of larger venues and entities, many within the DIY community have had to organize and fundraise on their own. Friday, the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) will hold a benefit show in support of the DIYCHI Mutual Aid fund, which provides much-needed financial relief to members of the underground arts community.
For Zoey Victoria, a co-founder of the mutual aid fund and an organizer for Fridays event, her love of the citys DIY scene dates back to high school, when she took trips into the city to see underground shows. I think what appeals to me about DIY and about underground arts and music spaces is just the freedom to grow and explore and to learn more about yourself and your community, she said.
Now, years after moving here, she has become a firm fixture in the community and continues to advocate for its members. I love the idea of creating intentional spaces and creating intentional communities for artistic exploration. I think art is a very central part to how our country and society evolves and grows, she offered. I think in order for art to prosper, communities need to be safe without influence from capitalism or just any sort of oppression. I think those are values of a good DIY community.
7:39 a.m.: More PPP loans are on the way for small businesses in need of coronavirus relief. Heres what you need to know.
In the latest round, businesses that received loans last year will be able to borrow up to $2 million as long as they have no more than 300 employees and suffered at least a 25% drop in quarterly revenue. First-time borrowers with no more than 500 workers will be able to borrow up to $10 million.
7:05 a.m.: Lightfoot, Jackson to give update on CPS reopening plans
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson were scheduled to give an update on CPS reopening plans, after the school districts 350,000 students have been in remote learning since the beginning of the pandemic.
Lightfoot and Jackson were scheduled to speak Friday morning at CPS headquarters downtown.
The update comes after the Chicago Teachers Union proposed that the Chicago Board of Education delay in-person learning until all employees have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and for the union and school district to develop a mutually agreed-upon schedule for an extended school year.
In the meantime, the union proposes, CPS could allow in-person learning by pairing staff who opt in voluntarily with students who want to return.
6 a.m.: As drivers license offices reopened again, those braving the long lines also had to deal with freezing temps
Many drivers license offices reopened again this week after being closed for nearly two months because of the coronavirus pandemic. But this time, those braving the long lines also had to deal with freezing temperatures.
Olivia Trojan, of the Dunning neighborhood, braced herself Thursday afternoon for the inevitable wait at the Chicago North Illinois Secretary of States facility on Elston Avenue. She donned tall winter boots, a puffer jacket and a beanie for the occasion.
I just turned 21 and my passport also expired so I dont want to get left on thin ice without a valid form of ID, Trojan said, rubbing her hands together. I get cold so easily.
Wait times were expected to be near two hours, Trojan said. Lines weaved down the sidewalk of the Jefferson Park facility while customers stood feet apart.
5 a.m.: Black Caucus social justice agenda, Speaker Madigans future top items as Illinois lawmakers return to Springfield
The Illinois General Assembly returns to Springfield on Friday for a lame-duck session that gives embattled Speaker Michael Madigan a final opportunity to make his case to remain at the helm of the House, while the Black Caucus makes a push for its wide-ranging social justice agenda.
The session is the lead-up to Wednesdays inauguration of the 102nd General Assembly, which will touch off the official process of choosing the next House speaker. For the first time, Madigan faces enough opposition from fellow Democrats to deny him another term in the post hes held for all but two years since 1983.
While Madigans fate provides political intrigue, the Black Caucus agenda, which covers a range of education, criminal justice, economic and health care issues, figures to be the legislative centerpiece of the session.
Friday marks the first time lawmakers will convene in Springfield since a May special session, where they met for four days to pass a host of pandemic-related measures and a spending plan for the budget year that began July 1.
Since then, Madigan has been implicated in a federal bribery investigation in which Commonwealth Edison agreed to cooperate and pay a $200 million fine. Madigan has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged.
Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Here are some recent stories related to COVID-19:
More here:
- Intentional Community and Capitalism - Shareable - April 10th, 2024 [April 10th, 2024]
- How alternative communities have evolved from pacifist communes to a solution to the ageing population - The Conversation - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- Georgia Power Announced T. Dallas Smith named to Georgia ... - All On Georgia - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- CSRWire - Thought Leaders Gather for Critical Community ... - CSRwire.com - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- EPA centers diversity with first-ever environmental youth advisory council - Yahoo News - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Rigor, Relevance, & Reality: Education Collaboratory at Yale ... - Yale School of Medicine - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Gaza: UN experts call on international community to prevent ... - ReliefWeb - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Fathering Together Announces Acquisition of City Dads Group - PR Web - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Company to pay over $50 million in largest environmental lawsuit settlement in D.C. history: Health risks to the public - Yahoo News - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Student death is now part of the routine at Middlebury - The Middlebury Campus - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- We welcomed an abandoned dog into our family. But dog dumping ... - Kansas Reflector - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- The National Climate Assessment Goes Woke - Dallasweekly - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- A Conversation about History, Race and the Meaning of True ... - Philanthropy Roundtable - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- The color of community | WORLD - WORLD News Group - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Kindness has good benefits | News, Sports, Jobs - The Review - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Georgia Power Foundation awards grant for BIG Edge ... - Georgia Southern University Newsroom - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- "Chilling": Maryland lawmakers threaten to cut aid to immigrants ... - Salon - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Three water options come with high cost | News, Sports, Jobs - Evening Observer - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Welcome to the Team, Kintan! | Office of Immigrant Affairs - Philadelphia Water Department - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- Fannie Mae Recognized for Its DEI Efforts - DSNews.com - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- Fannie Mae Named 'Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion' and ... - Fannie Mae - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- Focused on progress - Weekly Challenger - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- Good Ancestors and Messengers of Hope - Digital Journal - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- 'Make it intentional': 3-N-1 Trinity Services helps young ... - Longview News-Journal - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- 'Latinistas' is the World's First All-Latina Fashion Doll Line - hiplatina.com - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- CSU Releases Findings of Three-Year Research Study on NAVA'S ... - InvestorsObserver - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- Press Ganey's Physician of the Year on a cardiology 'game changer ... - Becker's Hospital Review - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- City Officials Join Summer Campers and Local Artists to Kick Off ... - Philadelphia Water Department - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- Merrill and Linda Hutchinson on Communication for a Summer of ... - Digital Journal - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- Feathers installed as Rotary District Governor | News, Sports, Jobs - The Inter-Mountain - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- Theatre at St. Luke's: All Shook Up to The Little Mermaid - Orlando Sentinel - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- Culture wars rage on, forcing marketers to decide whether to ... - Marketing Dive - July 11th, 2023 [July 11th, 2023]
- Some thoughts on governance of the local variety - Resilience - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- 988 is saving lives, but more awareness and support needed - Alton Telegraph - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- The Limitations of Eco-Anxiety | Atmos - Atmos Magazine - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Welcome Back: How JAPER Becomes Real for the People in Brazil ... - Just Security - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Now Is the Time to Go All In on Heat Pumps - Rocky Mountain Institute - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) celebrates 40th ... - Elizabethton.com - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Discrimination or bureaucracy? A Jewish community in Germany ... - The Jerusalem Post - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- AAP Rules And Guidelines For How To Keep Kids Safe From Cars - Fatherly - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Pine County Sheriff's Report and Jail Roster | Communities ... - Pine City Pioneer - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Is a Hanan Ben Ari concert the solution for Jewish divisions? - opinion - The Jerusalem Post - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- What the LGBT wedding website Supreme Court ruling means for ... - The Atlanta Journal Constitution - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Out at CHM hosts its first 2023 event - Windy City Times - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- 'The time is now': Longtime friends launch support organization for ... - The Lawrence Times - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- La Vergne Receives Municipal League Award for Excellence in Fire ... - rutherfordsource.com - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- UW System offers status update on its five-year strategic plan (day 1 ... - University of Wisconsin System - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Hawaii Native Krystal Ka'ai Tackles Equity And Anti-Asian Hate For ... - Honolulu Civil Beat - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- News & events / News - Diocese of York - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Businesses that address social or environmental problems often ... - The Conversation - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- EFOC: Is This Happening To Me Because I'm Black? Combating ... - Essence - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Stations Telling Diverse Stories With Sponsored Segments from ... - Next TV - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Ex-Prisoners Face Headwinds as Job Seekers, Even as Openings ... - The New York Times - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Bungie weighs in on the current argument raging through the ... - PC Gamer - July 6th, 2023 [July 6th, 2023]
- Myanmar: Dire humanitarian and human rights situation ... - OHCHR - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Invest in our public schools - EdNC - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- N.Y. stands up for LGBTQ equality: Having Pride 12 months a year - New York Daily News - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- NASCAR, Bubba Wallace bring 'Bubba's Block Party' to Chicago - Daytona Times - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Fifth Third's 2022 Sustainability Report Shares Progress on Priorities ... - InvestorsObserver - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Top LGBTQ+ Financial Influencers to Learn from in 2023 - Investopedia - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- 'Retirement is so traditional,' try periodic retirement to figure out ... - Morningstar - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people brings federal ... - New Mexico In Depth - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- The Astounding Power of Intentional Productivity (And How You Can ... - The Good Men Project - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- What SCOTUS ruling on affirmative action means for UL schools - Louisiana Radio Network - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Community managers find the path for developers and players to ... - VentureBeat - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- The EPA was ready to clean up 'Cancer Alley.' Then it backed off. - Grist - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- What Bidenomics Means for Workers and Families - UpNorthNews - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- The vital link between a healthy press and our republic - The Fulcrum - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Death, Drag, and Decadence shows off the queer joy of DnD - Wargamer - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Israeli Expats in the U.S.: 'I Speak English, but I Don't Speak American' - Tablet Magazine - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- NTSB hearings end with talks on tanker conditions, fire's aftermath - Marietta Times - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Can 'Friendship Clubs' Cure the Loneliness Created by Remote Work? - The San Francisco Standard - June 4th, 2023 [June 4th, 2023]
- 'Men in Blazers' Podcast Comes to Higher Ground to Talk Vermont ... - Seven Days - June 4th, 2023 [June 4th, 2023]
- Mindfulness, breathwork expert preaches value of slow living to Black and brown communities - Yahoo News - June 4th, 2023 [June 4th, 2023]
- Idaho's physician shortage is here. Here's what we can do about it. - Idaho Capital Sun - June 4th, 2023 [June 4th, 2023]
- Awards Ceremony Shines Spotlight on Caltech's Trailblazers in ... - Caltech - June 4th, 2023 [June 4th, 2023]
- The African American Museum of Iowa Announces Juneteenth ... - River Cities Reader - June 4th, 2023 [June 4th, 2023]
- US Supreme Court Rules Against Striking Drivers Who Abandoned ... - Engineering News-Record - June 4th, 2023 [June 4th, 2023]
- The Future of the Thomaston Green is Green (or should be) - PenBayPilot.com - June 4th, 2023 [June 4th, 2023]
- The Elephant in the Ethernet Port - City Journal - June 4th, 2023 [June 4th, 2023]