Clare Spaulding – Page 5

Dr. Ngozi Ezike, head of the state's Department of Public Health, speaks to the media at the Thompson Center on Aug. 26, 2021.

Dr. Ngozi Ezike, a familiar face throughout the pandemic, leaving post as top Illinois public health official in mid-March

March 1, 2022 at 6:50 p.m.

Dr. Ngozi Ezike, who helped guide the state's response to the COVID-19 outbreak, will leave her post as Illinois' top public health official days after the second anniversary of a...

A Argosy University student's school folders containing her transcripts prepares to leave campus after learning the school is closing permanently, March 7, 2019.

Agreement reached to cancel $2.1 million in student debt from Argosy University

February 28, 2022 at 4:57 p.m.

Attorneys general from 10 states, including Illinois, announced an agreement Monday to cancel $2.1 million in student debt following the abrupt closing of Argosy University in 2019. The private university...

The body of a Russian soldier lies near destroyed Russian vehicles the day after fighting with Ukrainian soldiers on a highway outside Kharkiv, Ukraine, Feb. 25, 2022.

US Sen. Dick Durbin urges stricter sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

February 25, 2022 at 2:05 p.m.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said Friday that the U.S. needs to "send a strong message" in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and urged a doubling down on the U.S....

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announces on Feb. 9, 2022, that the state's indoor mask mandate will be lifted by the end of February.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s statewide school masking rule undone by courts. Here’s what happened.

February 20, 2022 at 5:00 a.m.

Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker fully embraced his role in guiding the state through the coronavirus pandemic when he launched his reelection campaign in July, just a month after he had...

A sign encouraging mask wearing hangs on a fence outside Jensen Elementary School in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood.

Pritzker to take school mask case to Illinois Supreme Court after ruling leaves masking up to local districts. About 700 are mask optional; CPS staying the course.

February 18, 2022 at 7:41 p.m.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he will ask the Illinois Supreme Court to step in after his administration lost an attempt to keep statewide masking and other COVID-19 mitigation measures at...

The Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on Jan. 6, 2022.

9 GOP lawmakers kicked off Illinois House floor for refusing to wear masks. Democrat calls it a ‘clown show.’

February 17, 2022 at 9:20 p.m.

Nine Republican legislators were ejected from the Illinois House floor Thursday for refusing to wear masks in compliance with House rules. As the unmasked lawmakers packed up and left the...

Students from Larkin High School in Elgin's School District U-46 head out after the last bell on Feb. 16, 2022. U-46 officials said the lawmakers' decision "does not impact the current masking landscape for our district."

Pritzker’s school mask mandate is losing steam as suburban Chicago districts go mask optional

February 17, 2022 at 12:36 p.m.

Despite lawmakers soundly rejecting the Illinois Department of Public Health's bid to extend its COVID-19 rules for schools this week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday his executive order on masks...

A masked student crosses the street and heads to school while dozens of protesters call for mask optional schools outside of Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022.

Democratic lawmakers join GOP to block Pritzker administration effort to set school mask rules ahead of appellate court ruling

February 16, 2022 at 12:05 p.m.

Bucking Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a handful of Democratic state lawmakers on Tuesday joined Republicans to block a rule aimed at ensuring school districts that aren't party to an ongoing lawsuit...

At Laurel Hill Elementary School in Hanover Park, music teacher Lynne Schefke, who normally works at Huff Elementary School in Elgin, dismisses her students after substitute teaching in a dual language kindergarten classroom on Jan. 4, 2022. A surge of COVID-19 cases forced Elgin-based Unit School District 46 to close five of its 57 schools due to staffing shortages, including Huff Elementary.

Legislation would make it easier for CPS to hire retired educators in effort to address teacher shortage

February 11, 2022 at 11:18 a.m.

For more than a decade, schools in Illinois and across the nation have felt the squeeze of a teacher shortage. The pandemic — with divisive rulings on mask mandates disrupting...

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announces on Feb. 9, 2022, that the state's indoor mask mandate in response to the COVID-19 pandemic will be lifted by the end of February.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker will lift indoor mask mandate on Feb. 28, but rules will remain in place for schools

February 9, 2022 at 7:26 p.m.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker will lift his indoor mask mandate for most public places on Feb. 28 if the state's largest coronavirus surge continues to subside, a move that comes...

All Stories