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Capitol News Illinois: Suburban Cook County exits mitigation tier
On Tuesday, suburban Cook County moved into more relaxed COVID-19 restrictions, leaving only three of the state’s 11 COVID-19 mitigation regions still under Tier 1 and Tier 2 restrictions.
Regions 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10 and 11 have all entered Phase 4, meaning indoor dining and competitive high school sports can resume in those areas.
The Center Square: U of I Flash Index shows slow economic growth in Illinois
The Illinois economy continued its slow recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in January.
The University of Illinois Flash Index rose to 96.3 from its 95.9 level in December. This is well below the pre-COVID-19 level, but the highest score since March 2020. The report said January results suggest only modest gains for the economy because of the resurgence of the virus and mandated closures.
Belleville News-Democrat: Indoor dining may be back on the menu soon as southwestern IL COVID-19 metrics improve
The metro-east met an important COVID-19 metric Tuesday that could lead to an easing of indoor dining restrictions in the coming days.
The metro-east’s intensive care unit bed availability stood at 20% Tuesday— up from 19% Monday— meaning the region has nearly met all the metrics needed to go to the Rebuild Illinois Plan’s Tier 1 restrictions.
Chicago Tribune: Mayor Lori Lightfoot blames Trump administration for impasse between Chicago Public Schools and teachers union
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot again made an appearance on national television Tuesday to provide a status report of ongoing negotiations between the country’s third-largest school district and the Chicago Teachers Union.
But although she told MSNBC Monday that the issue was “uniquely local,” during a Tuesday appearance on CNN’s “New Day,” she instead laid blame far beyond the scope of the city’s dueling factions.
Associated Press: Chicago schools extend talks with union over in-person class
Chicago Public Schools leaders extended remote learning Monday for two more days and called for a “cooling-off period” in negotiations with the teachers’ union, citing progress but not a full agreement on COVID-19 safety plans for returning to schools.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson said in a joint statement that teachers would not be locked out of teaching platforms for failing to show up to schools “as a gesture of good faith,” walking back earlier threats that had prompted union officials to entertain a strike in the nation’s third-largest school district.
The Center Square: Some find common ground on need for reducing Illinois’ high property taxes to boost economy
There’s agreement from members of opposite parties and from opposite sides of the state on some things that could boost the state’s economy.
Other issues might not yet gel.
Chicago Tribune: Editorial: Teachers stay home due to science, then ignore science when it’s time to go back
Chicago Public Schools have been on the verge of an illegal teachers strike, though Monday evening both sides made progress in talks. Still, without an agreement, thousands of children who already lost so much ground during the pandemic stand to suffer even more as the Chicago Teachers Union, and teacher unions in several suburban districts, prepare for full-blown strikes.
Remember that the next time you hear union leaders claim to be a voice for “the children.”
Chicago Sun-Times: Suburban restaurants cleared to serve more diners; bowling alleys and skating rinks can open
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s health team cleared suburban Cook County to return to Phase 4 of the state’s coronavirus reopening plan Tuesday, meaning bars and restaurants can serve larger parties indoors.
Up to 10 people can sit at a table and local officials have more leeway to increase indoor capacity beyond 25% as the region sheds Pritzker’s Tier 1 level of COVID-19 mitigations.