Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Capitol News Illinois: Pritzker deploys 375 National Guard soldiers to Chicago
In the wake of violence, looting and arson that gripped the city of Chicago over the weekend, Gov. JB Pritzker said Sunday he has deployed 375 Illinois National Guard soldiers to aid the city’s police department and other first responders in maintaining law and order.
The violence broke out Saturday night in Chicago and many other cities across the United States in response to the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died Monday, May 25, after being pinned to the ground for nearly nine minutes with a white police officer’s knee on his neck.
The Center Square: Wait staff making more on unemployment may not come back as restaurants prepared to reopen
Restaurants in Illinois are now able to offer outdoor dining, but some may find it difficult to coax wait staff back to work.
The New York Times estimates workers in more than half the states will receive more in unemployment benefits that they did from their normal salaries.
Chicago Tribune: Businesses reeling from pandemic face rebuilding after George Floyd protests give way to looting. ‘It’s going to take a slow climb to build back from this.’
This week was supposed to mark a milestone for a city looking forward to reopening after nearly three months of being sidelined by COVID-19.
Chicago’s economic engine was expected to restart, with outdoor dining permitted at restaurants, hair salons reopening, and nonessential stores welcoming in customers Wednesday for the first time since mid-March. Other workplaces, like offices, also were given guidelines to reopen. Combined, the moves were expected to chip away at the city’s unemployment rate, which had climbed to 18.9% in April.
Daily Herald: Naperville park activities to get back in motion
Naperville Park District is putting the wheels of reopening in motion so residents can get back in motion in June with exercise options including basketball, volleyball, boating, skateboarding, T-ball and softball.
Basketball rims and nets — 104 of them — have been rehung. Volleyball nets and disc golf baskets are set to be put back beginning Monday. Crews are pumping out excess rainwater in advance of opening Paddleboat Quarry as soon as Monday.