Good morning, Chicago.
Just before the weekend began, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that all fully vaccinated students and staff will not be required to wear masks for the upcoming school year. Soon after, Illinois officials announced changes to the state’s COVID-19 guidelines, following the federal guidance. In Chicago, the teachers union stressed the need for unvaccinated students to wear masks, and renewed its call for an 80% vaccination bench mark for eligible students and teachers.
Meanwhile, in baseball news, the Cubs ended the first half of their season with a 44-46 record — and with catcher Willson Contreras calling out his teammates after a loss. The White Sox stand at 54-35, good for an eight-game lead in the AL Central.
— Nicole Stock, audience editor
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Latino aldermen today will stake their claim to protecting and perhaps expanding their City Council representation in the upcoming ward remap based on new census numbers.
With the once-per-decade political fight over ward boundaries set to kick into high gear, members of the Latino Caucus are preparing to lay out their case.
Top Lightfoot aides took days off leading into violent Fourth of July weekend despite “all hands on deck” strategy
’26th and Cal’ eyes a post-pandemic return to normal, warily
The COVID-19 pandemic brought seismic changes to the Cook County court system. And after more than a year, a reopening reckoning is close at hand. Prosecutors are facing a stiff backlog of felony cases. Beginning today, judges at 26th Street will have significant freedom to decide whether to hold court in person. Capacity for jury trials will be expanded later this summer. And on Oct. 1, speedy-trial clocks will officially start ticking again.
A few years ago, a professional sports franchise had a problem: It was located in a leased stadium that was inferior to those of its competitors. Team officials wanted to renovate, but that required a lot of costly upgrades.
Unable to reach an agreement with city officials, the team bought a large site outside the city and built a new stadium, modernized for its sport, and surrounded it with restaurants, housing and entertainment. The team was the Atlanta Braves, but its predicament, and potential solution, sounds similar to that facing the Chicago Bears.
A Chicago developer hopes to nail down city approval for a Near North Side apartment tower, after taking the unusual step of increasing the height from its previous proposal despite vocal opposition from neighboring condominium owners.
The 25 best burgers in Chicago, ranked
Now might seem like a terrible time to discuss the best burgers in Chicago. We are only a few months out from the easing of pandemic restrictions, which has caused some of the city’s most esteemed burger spots to either close temporarily or permanently. But despite that, Tribune food critic Nick Kindelsperger can’t remember a time when there were so many outrageously great burgers around. Here are his picks for the 25 best burgers in Chicago.
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Eating out costing more as Chicago restaurants emerge from the pandemic — and price hikes may not slow down anytime soon