Daywatch: Illinois COVID-19 disaster declaration to end

Good morning, Chicago.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 disaster declaration for Illinois will end May 11, falling in line with a decision by the White House to end a pair of federal emergency declarations more than three years after the start of the pandemic.

Illinois is among eight states — and the only one in the Midwest — with disaster declarations still in place. Opponents have criticized the governor for continuing to renew the declaration every 30 days, even as Pritzker for the past year has been unwinding nearly all of the mandates and restrictions that once accompanied it, most notably the highly contentious statewide mask mandate that he rescinded at the end of last February.

Pritzker declared a statewide emergency on March 9, 2020, two days before the World Health Organization labeled the novel coronavirus a pandemic. At the time, there had been 11 confirmed cases and no deaths attributed to the virus in Illinois.

Read the full story from the Tribune’s Jake Sheridan and Dan Petrella.

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Protesters disrupt Chicago mayoral forum as candidates exchange personal attacks

Chicago’s mayoral hopefuls exchanged personal attacks during a contentious candidate forum Tuesday evening that was repeatedly interrupted by loud protesters.

A group of demonstrators chanted against Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, who joked during the live broadcast that he must be doing something right if he isn’t mayor yet but already drawing protests. Mayor Lori Lightfoot, meanwhile, stood up for Johnson, saying he “has a right to talk without interruption.”

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New state superintendent of education named

The Illinois State Board of Education announced that Tony Sanders, superintendent of Elgin School District U-46, was named the new state superintendent of education.

Sanders accomplished a number of things during his tenure at the second-largest school district in Illinois, including the expansion of the dual language program, the launch of full-day kindergarten and the creation of a dual credit program with Elgin Community College, according to a news release from District U-46.

• Elgin leaders say Tony Sanders leaves U-46 ‘in much better shape than when he started’

Luke Getsy’s main goal as a head coach at the Senior Bowl: Make the Bears better

Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy gets a shot to be a head coach during Senior Bowl week. His primary goal? Find some good players to help in the draft process.

“The main thing is to find a way to get our football team better,” Getsy said. “And this gives you a good opportunity to dive into the type of men they are.

Jazz musician Roscoe Mitchell takes center stage as a painter

Roscoe Mitchell is among the most influential living musicians in the free-jazz firmament, famed for his work with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and the Art Ensemble of Chicago, an AACM outgrowth he cofounded.

Mitchell’s first forays into painting coincided with his first footholds in Chicago’s creative music scene in the early 1960s. Those artistic practices might have continued in tandem, had Mitchell not walked away from painting in the 1970s to focus on music.

My worst moment: Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda’s career spans six decades, her winning two Oscars along the way for “Klute” in 1971 and “Coming Home” in 1978. It’s a resume filled with iconic titles, from “Barefoot in the Park” to “Barbarella” to “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” to “The China Syndrome” to “9 to 5.”

When asked about a worst moment in her career, she recalled a memory from her early days as an actor.

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South Korean capital’s coolest, coziest bars are hidden from sight

Seoul gleams with glass towers, but beyond the bright lights, it has a hidden intimate side in cozy, cool bars and hangouts — if you know where to look.

Miles of winding back streets can lead you to a tucked-away cafe, a delicious new restaurant or an entire enclave ripe for exploring. All you have to do is take the first step.