Daywatch: Illinois could reopen more next week, CPS faces leadership turnover and why bouquets for Mother’s Day may cost more

Chicago Tribune staff, Chicago Tribune
·3 min read

Good morning, Chicago. On Monday, Illinois public health officials announced 2,049 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 28 additional deaths. There were 16,920 doses of the vaccine administered Sunday — the lowest number in more than two months — however, vaccine data was not yet available from several area pharmacies from the weekend, so those numbers will change, officials said.

Monday was a big day in vaccine news. In Chicago, Walgreens is now offering walk-up COVID-19 vaccinations through a mobile clinic, while city officials said health teams might come looking for unvaccinated Chicagoans at the laundromat, the grocery store or driver’s license offices. Meanwhile, sources said that the FDA is expected to authorize Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for ages 12 and older by next week.

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Gov. J.B. Pritzker says Illinois could reopen a bit more next week as COVID-19 hospital admissions tick down

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday said coronavirus restrictions in Illinois are on track to be loosened next week as COVID-19 hospital admissions have started to come down from a recent surge.

The state’s incremental reopening plan consists of a bridge phase that would precede a full-scale reopening, allowing a wide range of businesses to open their doors to more customers.

CPS CEO Janice Jackson announces departure; Chicago schools face leadership turnover with 2 other top officials also leaving

Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson, who rose from a CPS Head Start student to lead the district through a teachers strike and the COVID-19 shutdown, will leave her post and the school system this summer, announcing her departure Monday as the district continues to cope with the pandemic’s incalculable impact.

She confirmed her departure in a message to the CPS staff, saying it’s “time to pass the torch to new leadership for the next chapter.”

  • Editorial: Janice Jackson is leaving CPS. Who could blame her?

It’s official: the Thompson Center is up for sale

After years of talk, the James R. Thompson Center is officially up for sale.

The state began soliciting bids for the 17-story, state-owned Loop building Monday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Central Management Services announced.

Racism’s toll on Black women includes staggering maternal death rates

Black women have to circumvent racism during their lifetimes, including sometimes one of its brutal side effects: death. Besides economic, workplace and housing disparities, Black women have some of the highest cases of maternal deaths nationwide as well as in Illinois, cited in a study released April 29 by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Mom’s worth it, but her Mother’s Day bouquet may cost more this year. Here’s why.

Uncertainty during the early days of the pandemic and lingering supply chain issues have left some varieties of flowers in short supply and raised prices on others, florists said. That could have buyers paying more for their Mother’s Day bouquets or leave them unable to find specific varieties for holiday or wedding arrangements.