It’s beginning to look like last year with more than 90% of ICU beds in the area occupied and nearly 12,000 newly reported cases of COVID-19 in Illinois.

The latest coronavirus surge is in full force right before holiday gatherings. So, how soon will Chicago institute mandatory vaccination requirements for indoor activities?  And, how prepared are hospitals?

Meanwhile, Chicago surpassed 800 homicides as Bucktown employs private security patrols to thwart crime and violence.

After alderpeople agreed to a $2.9 million settlement, a prestigious law firm released a report on the city’s dealings surrounding the botched police raid on Anjanette Young with her.

In other city news, sports betting has been approved in professional stadiums here. And five casino developers have made their pitches public after decades of talk about a Chicago casino.

Billionaire hedge fund manager, Ken Griffin, is rumored to be ready to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a Republican to challenge Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Two-term Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin is reportedly on the short list.

Meanwhile, the governor announced a $70 million deal with a developer to take over Thompson center who plans to renovate the Helmut Jahn building, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

And a week of wild weather started with a huge system of tornadoes tearing thru downstate Illinois and surrounding states.

In Edwardsville, Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials are investigating the deaths of six people after the Amazon warehouse where they were working during the tornado collapsed.

Guests

Sarah Schulte, ABC 7 News | @SchulteABC7 @ABC7Chicago

Laura Washington, Chicago Sun-Times | ABC 7 News | @ABC7Chicago @SunTimes @MediaDervish

David Schaper, NPR | @NPR @DavidSchaperNPR

Alex Nitkin, The Daily Line  | @TheDailyLineChi @AlexNitkin

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