The Chicago Board of Education votes to keep police in schools for now. Chicago and the state enter phase four of reopening. Rumors the city’s top cop is leaving amid spikes in gun violence. 

The Chicago Police Department missed 70% of reform deadlines set out in a consent decree. A landmark week at the U.S. Supreme Court and the Chicago City Council recognizes Juneteenth.

Activists call on Mayor Lori Lightfoot to defund the police – an idea she rejects. She’s pushing to license police after video caught a dozen officers lounging as looters destroyed businesses.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is calling for the firing of the Chicago police officer who flipped off protesters. A citywide curfew will remain in place even though most recent protests have been peaceful.

Illinois partially reopens Friday as the state surpasses more than 115,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 5,000 deaths. Chicago is planning its reopening for June 3.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker greenlights a partial reopening of the state next week. Mayor Lori Lightfoot says Chicago won’t reopen until early June. State lawmakers battle over masks, reopening and the budget.

More than 4,000 have died from COVID-19 in Illinois as Gov. J.B. Pritzker pushes the state’s estimated peak to mid-June. Chicago is on pace to move to the next phase at the end of the month, but the lakefront will remain closed. 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot details how she plans to reopen Chicago days after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker details the state’s blueprint. And the state’s unemployment system is overhauled to handle the deluge of people filing for benefits.

Illinois records more than 3,000 COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, which officials attribute to an increase in testing. McCormick Place is winding down operations as an alternate care site. And as a new modified stay-at-home order begins, hundreds protest.

Illinois sets a new record of confirmed COVID-19 cases as testing capacity expands. Gov. J.B. Pritzker extends the stay-at-home order until May 30 with some modifications. And Chicago aldermen narrowly approve emergency powers for Mayor Lori Lightfoot. 

Gov. J.B. Pritzker closes schools for in-person learning for the rest of the year to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus as cases and deaths continue to climb. Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot fines the company behind the Crawford Power Plant implosion. 

While the COVID-19 death toll is nearing 600 in Illinois, officials are hopeful that the state is starting to flatten the curve, but leaders are urging residents to celebrate the Easter holiday from home.

Illinois saw its largest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases on Friday, with an additional 1,209 people testing positive for the virus. A growing number of Chicago cases prompts the creation of a field hospital at McCormick Place.