Good morning, Chicago. Yesterday we saw some positive news on the coronavirus front. Illinois recorded under 1,000 daily cases of COVID-19 for the first time since mid-March, with 946 new cases. Officials also reported that six Illinoisans died from the coronavirus, which is the lowest number since the end of March. Vaccination numbers, on the other hand, have continued to decline with 32,253 doses of the vaccine administered statewide Sunday.
Meanwhile, get ready for summer heat. The National Weather Service said that after a few rainy days this week, we should expect temperatures in the mid-80s starting Thursday.
And speaking of summertime, after a year of canceled festivities due to the coronavirus, Chicago will see some of its favorite events return, including Pitchfork Music Festival, which organizers said is coming back in September with a female-powered lineup.
— Nicole Stock, audience editor
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Fully vaccinated people in Illinois will no longer be required to wear face coverings in most situations under new rules Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued Monday, putting the state in line with new federal guidance that caught many by surprise last week.
The change to the state mask mandate that went into effect more than a year ago comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put out new guidelines Thursday that said people who are two weeks past their final coronavirus vaccine dose can safely resume most of their pre-pandemic activities without wearing a mask.
Chicago businesses scramble after CDC, Pritzker change mask-wearing rules. ‘There was no warning.’
Dahleen Glanton column: We’ve entered the blind-faith, hope-for-the-best phase of COVID-19. Can we trust that person next to us in line is vaccinated?
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker plans to end his statewide moratorium on evictions this summer as Illinois receives $1.1 billion in federal aid to help landlords whose tenants are behind on their rent due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Child tax credit: Most US parents will get monthly checks of $250 or $300 per child, starting in July
An Illinois State Board of Education resolution that’s set for a vote Wednesday would mandate fully in-person classes next school year.
The resolution cites rapid testing programs and vaccines received by many school employees and students 12 and older, along with ongoing trials in younger children. The resolution also references studies supporting in-person learning for more positive academic outcomes and mental health.
When COVID-19 hit, students studying abroad scrambled to get home. Will those programs resume this year? Some schools say there’s still too much uncertainty.
Trailblazing Jeremiah Paprocki — only 21 — is the Cubs’ new PA announcer at Wrigley Field
The voice Cubs fans will hear on the PA system at Wrigley Field from now on? That would be 21-year-old Jeremiah Paprocki. The first-semester college senior is the first Black person to fill the role. Paprocki also is younger than anyone on the Cubs’ current roster.
“It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid,” Paprocki said.
Chicago Cubs open a section for fully vaccinated fans — and offer free hot dogs if you get your shot by Wrigley — while the team remains under full COVID-19 protocols
The airy space that housed Michelin-starred brewpub Band of Bohemia became one of Chicago’s most eclectic places to experience food and beer before that restaurant filed for bankruptcy and went out of business last year.
This summer, that building and the brewery within will hum once more, as a second Chicago location for Forbidden Root.