Chicago will reopen gradually once the number of confirmed coronavirus cases begins to decline and hospitalizations drop, according to a plan released by Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Friday.

The Howard Elliott Collection has provided 1 million protective masks, 300,000 face shields, 119,000 gloves and 37,500 cloth masks to the city, officials say. But at least one alderman wants to know why a Chicago-based firm wasn’t selected for the work.

The coronavirus pandemic put conventional campaigning on hold just as campaigns were ramping up, forcing candidates to scrap plans, rewrite budgets and find new ways to connect with voters and show they are the right person to lead in a crisis no one anticipated.

As new numbers show COVID-19 rates among Chicago Latinos have surged in recent weeks, 26th Ward Ald. Roberto Maldonado is pushing for more testing in the community. But that’s not the only problem residents are facing.

Illinois has spent more than $238 million on resources related to the pandemic, even entering into occasional bidding wars with other states for supplies. We ask Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza about state spending — and budget shortfalls.

With schools and many businesses closed, the coronavirus has taken an unparalleled financial toll on Illinois residents, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Thursday afternoon.

Chicago businesses would not have to renew their licenses — or pay late fees if those licenses expire — under a measure that cleared a key city panel on Thursday. 

The federal government has fined Sinclair Broadcasting Corp. $48 million, largely because of actions the TV broadcaster took in its failed attempt to acquire smaller rival Tribune Media.

As with many other local governments, COVID-19 is hurting Cook County’s bottom line. County Board President Toni Preckwinkle says the county could be facing a projected budget shortfall around $260 million. 

Across the state, Latino residents are testing positive for the coronavirus at a rate three times higher than the state’s average, health officials said Wednesday — and those figures could be even higher.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Chicago’s Latino community has more than doubled in the past four weeks, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday, calling the data “no less breathtaking” than the rate of infection in Chicago’s African American community.

Not long ago, driving with an expired license could have led to a ticket. An expired vehicle registration? That might have led to a fine. That’s no longer the case, due to the coronavirus. What else is being impacted.

Illinois’ 14th District includes the Rogers Park neighborhood on Chicago’s North Side. State Rep. Kelly Cassidy says the pandemic has been particularly challenging for some residents in this diverse community. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit African American and Hispanic and Latino communities especially hard in terms of infection and death. We speak with U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly about health disparities, funding and more.

A plan is in place to reopen Illinois, even as the number of coronavirus cases and deaths continue to rise. “We have to figure out how to live with COVID-19 until it can be vanquished,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday.

State tax revenue dropped $2.74 billion in April due to the financial crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.