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Chicago Police Officer Faces Felony Charges in Off-Duty Shooting
| Matt Masterson
Kevin Bunge, 39, faces felony charges including aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated discharge of a firearm after he allegedly fired shots at two men on West Irving Park Road on Dec. 11, 2020.
Native Plant Gardens Keep Getting Ticketed as Weeds. Is a Native Garden Registry the Answer?
| Patty Wetli
The ongoing battle to legitimize native gardens in Chicago is about to go another round, with the introduction of an ordinance to establish a native garden registry. But gardeners want to know why they’re bearing the burden of erroneous weed law enforcement.
Is Illinois Getting Closer to Pre-Pandemic Norms?
| Amanda Vinicky
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to announce fresh guidance Thursday that will ease some current restrictions in place to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The Environmental Impact of Bitcoin ‘Mining’
| Paul Caine
The soaring price of Bitcoin has many environmentalists concerned. University of Chicago paleontologist Neil Shubin has more on that and other science stories making headlines around the world.
Cook County’s Dr. Rachel Rubin on the Vaccine Rollout in Chicago’s Suburbs
| Quinn Myers
Chicago is pushing ahead with plans to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines and President Joe Biden has asked states to make all adults vaccine-eligible by May 1. But local governments say further expansion is entirely dependent on vaccine supply.
Southern US Border Sees Surge in Migrant Children Crossing
| Marissa Nelson
Southwest border crossings are on track to reach the highest level in the last 20 years, according to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. We discuss what’s happening at the border and how the Biden administration is addressing it.
Ghost Kitchen Thrives During Pandemic But Disturbs Some North Side Neighbors
| Evan Garcia
A ghost kitchen on Chicago’s North Side is renting out kitchen space to multiple restaurants for delivery-only orders, but the traffic-heavy business model is agitating the ward’s alderman and some neighbors.
Hershey Felder Captures the Life of Giacomo Puccini With Grand Operatic Flair
| Hedy Weiss
How do you tell the story of a musical genius whose operas are among the most beloved works in the Italian opera canon? If you are Hershey Felder, you create something unabashedly in the grand opera style that also manages to be hugely accessible for audiences still distanced from live performance by COVID-19.
Officials: Wisconsin Man Kills 2 Co-Workers, Later Dies
| Associated Press
A worker shot and killed two colleagues at a supermarket distribution center near Milwaukee before crashing his vehicle during a police pursuit and then killing himself, a union official and police said Wednesday.
IRS Will Delay Tax Filing Due Date Until May 17
| Associated Press
Americans will be getting extra time to prepare their taxes. The Internal Revenue Service says it’s delaying the traditional tax filing deadline from April 15 until May 17.
Suburban Cook County to Vaccinate Residents with Underlying Conditions Starting Monday
| Heather Cherone
Officials will open new appointments at the county’s five mass vaccination sites for the residents who are newly eligible at noon Friday. More than 68% of individuals 65 and older in suburban Cook County have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, officials said.
Lightfoot Calls Atlanta Shootings ‘Hate Crime’ as Police Step Up Patrols
Our Spotlight Politics team weighs in on ‘Chicago Tonight’
| Heather Cherone
The murder of eight people Tuesday at three spas in the Atlanta area constitute a hate crime, and former President Donald Trump’s “hateful rhetoric” is partly to blame for the violence, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday.
Chicago to Launch Next Phase of COVID-19 Vaccine Effort March 29: Lightfoot
| Heather Cherone
The next phase of Chicago’s vaccination effort will allow all essential workers and those with underlying health conditions to get doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Wednesday.
Police Investigate Suspect’s Motive in Atlanta-Area Killings
| Associated Press
A white gunman accused of killing eight people, most of them of women of Asian descent, at three Atlanta-area massage parlors was charged with murder Wednesday in an attack that sent terror through the Asian American community that’s increasingly been targeted during the coronavirus pandemic.
Pritzker: Georgia Mass Shooting ‘An Attack on All of Our Communities’
| Kristen Thometz
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday condemned a mass shooting a day earlier in Georgia that left eight people dead, most of them women of Asian descent.
CPS Leaders Set Goal to Vaccinate All Employees by End of March
| Matt Masterson
Chicago Public Schools officials say they've offered COVID-19 vaccine opportunities to all employees and hope to get everyone vaccinated by the end of the month, as the district hits the one-year mark since the pandemic forced the suspension of in-person learning across Illinois.
Crowded Bars: March Madness or Just Plain Madness?
| Associated Press
March Madness arrives as vaccinations increase in the U.S. and the death toll from COVID-19 has dropped, but health experts note that many seniors and other at-risk people still haven’t been vaccinated.
Trump Urges Americans to Get COVID-19 Vaccine: ‘I Would Recommend It’
| CNN
Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged Americans to get vaccinated to help curb the COVID-19 pandemic, calling it “safe” and “something that works.”
How Air Filtration Can Help Dissipate and Kill COVID-19
| Amanda Vinicky
Wearing a mask. Staying home. Getting the vaccine. These are the methods that are likely top of mind when it comes to preventing the spread of the coronavirus. But there’s another tool too — and it’s in the air.
CPS Targeting April 19 as High School Reopening Date
| Matt Masterson
In a letter to parents and families Tuesday, Chicago Public Schools officials said their target goal is to bring back high school students on April 19, the first day of the fourth quarter of this academic year. But the teachers union says no agreement has been made for that date or any other.
Mia Neal Makes Oscar History in Makeup and Hair Category
| Blair Paddock
Ma Rainey made history as the “mother of blues.” Her music and her story are highlighted in the film “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” which depicts a recording session in 1920s Chicago. Not too far from Chicago, Academy Awards history is being made by a native of Gary, Indiana.
Comptroller Susana Mendoza on What the COVID-19 Stimulus Means for Illinois
| Quinn Myers
Echoing statements made by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the state’s comptroller says stimulus funds will first go toward paying back the billions Illinois borrowed from the Federal Reserve early in the pandemic last year.
Inside Advocate Aurora Health, Reflections on an Unprecedented Year
| Paris Schutz
This time last year, hospitals were bracing for the unknown as COVID-19 accelerated its spread across the U.S. We got an exclusive look inside Illinois’ largest private health system as hospital professionals reflect on a year unlike any other.
Artists and Audiences Have ‘Cautious Optimism’ About Return of Live Theater
| Nick Blumberg
Chicago is looking forward to live theater again as vaccines roll out and infection rates remain low. Here’s what you can expect — and when.
Chicago Police Release Footage of Suspects in Shooting of Off-Duty Officer
| Matt Masterson
Detectives are seeking to identify two male subjects in relation to the non-fatal shooting of a 32-year-old off-duty Chicago police officer on Monday afternoon in the Calumet Heights neighborhood.
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