Get the latest news from around Illinois.
State Journal-Register: How Michael Madigan left an impact as speaker of the House on the Illinois General Assembly
The man called “the Real Governor of Illinois” by Chicago Magazine is gone as speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, but Michael Madigan’s impact on the institution and the state — good or bad — will remain, observers say.
The new speaker, Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, described what he saw as the Chicago Democrat’s positive influence on Illinois for more than 30 years when Welch was elected Jan. 13 as the chamber’s first Black speaker.
Chicago Tribune: Indoor dining officially allowed back in Chicago, Cook County under COVID-19 restrictions, offering some restaurants ‘a breath of fresh air’
Chicago and suburban Cook County are officially open for indoor dining for the first time since late October under coronavirus pandemic restrictions, officials said Saturday morning.
The announcement that the two regions have moved to Tier 1 means restaurants will reopen for indoor service — but at 25% capacity or 25 people per space, whichever is fewer. Bars and restaurants opening for indoor service will also be held to a raft of other restrictions.
Chicago Sun-Times: City watchdog calls for immediate changes to CPD’s search warrant policy
The Office of the Inspector General on Friday called for the Chicago Police Department to make immediate changes to its policy on search warrants, which has come under heavy scrutiny in light of the botched raid at the home of social worker Anjanette Young.
In a Jan. 20 letter to CPD Supt. David Brown, Deputy Inspector General for Public Safety Deborah Witzburg wrote the CPD should immediately amend its policy on search warrants to require a more thorough vetting process for a source’s information. Witzburg also called for the department to broaden the circumstances under which an internal investigation can be launched after a wrongful raid by police.
Associated Press: Chicago restaurants, some bars reopen to indoor dining
Restaurants and certain bars across Chicago and suburban Cook County opened their doors to customers Saturday for the first time since late October after winning approval from Illinois health officials.
Restaurants and bars that serve food can seat customers indoors at 25% capacity or 25 people per room, whichever is less, after the city and county moved up to Tier I of the state’s coronavirus mitigation plan.
The Center Square: Childcare problems still linger in Illinois
The reopening of Illinois’ public schools for in-person education has become a struggle between districts hoping to curb the documented learning loss of their students forced into virtual education and teacher unions who say their members will die if they’re sent back into classrooms.
Stuck in the middle are families who, as surveys continue to show, are suffering lasting financial hardship from losing the ability to leave for work.
Chicago Sun-Times: One in five eligible students returned for in-person learning, CPS data shows
Only 19% of students eligible for the first wave of in-person learning returned to classrooms when Chicago Public Schools reopened this month for the first time during the pandemic, according to new data released by the district, falling well short of city officials’ hopes.
The worrying attendance data comes as CPS tries to forge ahead with a school reopening plan that faces heavy opposition from the Chicago Teachers Union, which this weekend could announce its intentions to disobey orders for 10,000 more teachers and staff to return to in-person work next week.
State Journal-Register: Lincoln Library, Illinois State Museum to reopen amid improving COVID-19 statistics
Lincoln Library will reopen its doors for limited services on Wednesday, and the Illinois State Museum will reopen Tuesday, all because of encouraging statistics that measure the spread and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said Friday.
Springfield’s public library, 326 S. Seventh St., will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday for browsing and checkouts and walk-in computer appointments. Desks will be staffed for reference, computer help, reader services, cardholder services and youth services.