Good morning, Chicago.
Yesterday the CDC urged all pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID-19, as the highly contagious delta variant surges. According to CDC data, vaccination rates are low for expectant women, with only about 23% having received at least one dose.
Meanwhile, McDonald’s joined the growing ranks of companies requiring the vaccine for its U.S. office yesterday. The news for the locally based fast-food company came as the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce issued a statement encouraging employers to mandate vaccines.
And for a Chicago-area weather update: The rainy, windy, hot and humid conditions we’ve been seeing all week could continue today. Follow along here for the latest updates.
— Nicole Stock, audience editor
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Praise for slain Chicago police Officer Ella French pours in as her death continues to roil city
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Five days after the fatal on-duty shooting of Chicago police Officer Ella French and the wounding of her partner, shock waves of sorrow and anger were being felt from city neighborhoods to the mayor’s office.
Praise for French’s police work poured in from city authorities and everyday citizens alike. Mayor Lori Lightfoot faced escalating questions about her fractious relationship with some rank-and-file cops. And one Chicago family could be caught up in the justice system for years for their alleged roles in the lead-up to the shooting, the shooting itself and its aftermath.
Police Superintendent David Brown says it’s ‘an outrage’ judge ordered release of man accused of supplying pistol used to kill officer
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday laid out a $733 million budget shortfall, less than last year’s but still a deficit that presents a challenge as the city works to recover from the pandemic’s financial toll.
But Lightfoot’s 2022 spending plan will likely not include a property tax increase, aside from a roughly $20 million hike tied to the consumer price index, and the city plans to fill its budget hole by refinancing outstanding debt and using one-time money from the federal American Rescue Plan.
A group of Chicago Public Schools parents on Wednesday called on the district to provide a “serious” remote learning option as the highly transmissible delta variant drives a surge in COVID-19 cases in Chicago.
The group’s petition for a remote learning option for families who are “not comfortable returning to in-person at this time” garnered more than 100 supporters before CPS quickly rejected the idea Wednesday.
Chicago’s iconic Drake Hotel is up for sale, the latest development in the building’s 101-year history. Pricing is expected to be in excess of $250 million, according to people close to the situation who asked not to be named because the matter is private.
Redevelopment of the property could include elevating the food and beverage offerings, reconfiguring the Michigan Avenue-fronting retail space, and converting and developing more space to accommodate high-end residential units.
The Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees begin a three-game series in the most unusual of locations. Thursday’s game will be played at a temporary 8,000-seat ballpark on the Dyersville, Iowa, farm where the Academy Award-nominated 1989 movie “Field of Dreams” was filmed. The game will be televised nationally at 6 p.m.
The late Oak Lawn woman behind the Field of Dreams game that’s bringing the White Sox and Yankees to Iowa could also be worthy of a Hollywood treatment
Chicago White Sox ACE team soaks in an afternoon at Field of Dreams, including a game on the movie site — and batting practice vs. John Smoltz
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Photos: White Sox ACE team at Field of Dreams