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Shared E-Scooter Program Gets Green Light from City Council
| Heather Cherone
City officials are hopeful that the two-wheeled vehicles will reduce congestion and encourage the use of public transportation throughout Chicago.
Council Members Go Out on a Limb To Save Chicago’s Ash Trees, and Money in the Process
| Patty Wetli
During Thursday’s City Council meeting, alderpeople introduced a resolution calling for the Department of Streets and Sanitation to reinstate treatment of the city’s remaining parkway ash trees — numbering close to 50,000 — and also develop a systematic program for removing and replacing infested trees.
The Joffrey Ballet Soars in Opening Night Performance at Its New Lyric Opera Home
| Hedy Weiss
With its ideally titled program, “Home: A Celebration,” the Joffrey Ballet finally made its pandemic-delayed debut as the resident dance company at the Lyric Opera House on Wednesday. And it did so by way of a beautifully constructed and exquisitely danced program.
FDA Panel Endorses Lower-dose Moderna COVID Shot for Booster
| Associated Press
The panel of outside advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously to recommend a booster shot for seniors, as well as younger adults with other health problems, jobs or living situations that put them at increased risk from COVID-19.
FDA Unlikely to Rule on Merck’s COVID Pill Before December
| Associated Press
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it will ask its outside experts to meet in late November to scrutinize Merck’s pill to treat COVID-19.
US Unemployment Claims Fall to Lowest Level Since Pandemic
| Associated Press
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to its lowest level since the pandemic began, a sign the job market is still improving even as hiring has slowed in the past two months.
Deere & Co. Workers Go on Strike After Rejecting Contract
| Associated Press
More than 10,000 Deere & Co. workers went on strike Thursday, the first major walkout at the agricultural machinery giant in more than three decades.
Mercury Even WNBA Finals With 91-86 Overtime Win Over Sky
| Associated Press
Chicago backed up its Game 1 win with another strong offensive performance, yet couldn’t finish it off.
New Film Inspired By 1987 Hijacking of WTTW’s Airwaves
| Blair Paddock
Longtime WTTW fans may remember that back in 1987, our airwaves were hijacked by an unknown TV “pirate.” Now nearly 34 years later, it’s inspired a new film playing Thursday at the Chicago International Film Festival.
Cook County Reports Carjackings Nearly Doubled This Year
| Leslie Hurtado
In March, a task force was formed by the Chicago Police Department, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, the Illinois State Police, and others to try and put the brakes on carjackings.
UIC Lab Tracking COVID-19 Trends and Hot Spots By Testing Wastewater
| Nick Blumberg
A University of Illinois Chicago lab and its partners have been tracking the virus that causes coronavirus in wastewater and sharing the data with local public health agencies.
Joffrey Ballet Debuts with ‘Home: A Celebration’
| Angel Idowu
The Joffrey Ballet is welcoming back company dancers and instructors. It’s also welcoming choreographers, including Chanel DaSilva. As one of Joffrey’s 2020 Winning Works choreographers, the New York based artist is back with a dance interpretation and reimagining of the old Negro Spiritual, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.”
October 13, 2021 - Full Show
| WTTW News
Remembering civil rights icon Timuel Black. Is a shortage of police officers coming this weekend? Tracking COVID-19 in wastewater. A new movie based loosely on Chicago’s Max Headroom incident, and more.
Chicago Police Union Head Urges Cops to Defy Vaccine Mandate
| Associated Press
In a video posted online Tuesday, Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara vowed to take Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration to court if it tries to enforce a mandate, which requires city workers to report their vaccine status by the end of the work week.
Park District Vows to Replace ‘Frat Boy Culture,’ Names City Hall Veteran as Interim Chief
| Heather Cherone
A search for a new leader of the Chicago Park District to usher into “a new era of accountability in our parks system” is underway, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.
Police Board Set to Get Power to Remove Chicagoans from Still Under-Development Gang Database
| Heather Cherone
A measure that grants the Chicago Police Board the power to overrule the Chicago Police Department and remove a Chicagoan from an under-development gang database advanced Wednesday — even though it is not clear when that system will be up and running.
Unvaccinated Chicago Teachers Can Keep Working if They Agree to Weekly COVID-19 Testing
| Matt Masterson
Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez said those staffers who are not fully vaccinated by Friday’s deadline must consent to weekly testing, but will not be immediately barred from working, as had previously been threatened.
Racketeering Charges Filed Against Reputed Gang Members Accused of Killing Chicago Rapper FBG Duck
| Matt Masterson
Federal prosecutors announced charges against five reputed members of the O-Block street gang, accusing them of participating in a criminal organization responsible for murder and of “violently” protecting the gang and its territories on the South Side.
10 Things to Do This Weekend: Oct. 14-17
| Kristen Thometz
Architectural gems, an arts festival, cemetery walk and international films usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.
More Questions for J&J Vaccine Boosters Ahead of FDA Review
| Associated Press
The Food and Drug Administration is wrestling with whether and when to offer another dose of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, while a new study out Wednesday raises the prospect that using a different brand as the booster might work better.
Border Residents Rejoice as US Says It Will Lift Travel Ban
| Associated Press
Beleaguered business owners and families separated by COVID-19 restrictions rejoiced Wednesday after the U.S. said it will reopen its land borders to nonessential travel next month, ending a 19-month freeze.
Scooter-Sharing Program Gets Green Light from Key City Panel to Become Permanent
| Heather Cherone
The Chicago City Council is poised to allow shared electronic scooters to return to Chicago streets this spring — including downtown and the 606 Trail, where they were banned in last year's pilot program.
William Shatner, TV’s Capt. Kirk, Blasts Into Space
| Associated Press
William Shatner, 90, became the oldest person in space, eclipsing the previous record — set by a passenger on a similar jaunt on a Jeff Bezos spaceship in July — by eight years.
Inflation Rises 5.4% From Year Ago, Matching 13-year High
| Associated Press
The unexpected burst of inflation this year reflects sharply higher prices for food and energy, but also for furniture, cars, televisions, and other largely imported goods. COVID-19 has shut down factories in Asia and slowed U.S. port operations.
City Council Committee Chairs Used Their Budgets to Boost Spending in Their Wards: Watchdog
| Heather Cherone
The chairs of the City Council committees examined by Inspector General Joseph Ferguson rejected nearly all of his recommendations, and disputed that state law had been violated.
Congressional Remap Underway, But Little Participation at Public Hearings
| Amanda Vinicky
Illinois lawmakers have turned their attention toward their task of drawing new Congressional district boundaries, but critics aren’t ready to give up on the previous mapmaking task they say the General Assembly fumbled.
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