Hey there! It’s Friday, and it’s another gorgeous day. It’s so nice that I opened all the windows and played the best of ABBA for the city crew working in front of my apartment. Here’s what you need to know today.

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1. The end of the pandemic is finally in sight

It really did seem like life in America changed in a matter of minutes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it was OK for fully vaccinated people to ditch face masks in most situations if they feel comfortable.

In Illinois, more restrictions are being relaxed as the state moves closer to a potential full reopening on June 11. Starting today, more people will be allowed in restaurants, shops, bars and other businesses throughout the state, including Chicago. [Chicago Tribune]

Meanwhile, in another sign that this summer will look dramatically different from last year, Lollapalooza will return to Chicago for a four-day music festival from July 29 to Aug. 1, reports Variety. [Variety]

While Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration has previously said some cultural events will return, it’s still not clear if block parties will be allowed. That caused Ald. Tom Tunney, one of the mayor’s closest allies in the City Council, to publicly vent his frustration at the lack of guidance. [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. Yes, the CDC updated its guidance, but what about kids?

The CDC’s updated guidelines didn’t address several issues. For example, a vaccine has not been authorized for children younger than 12 years old.

Drugmakers Pfizer and Moderna are currently running trials for young children, reports The Washington Post. Both companies are trying to gauge the dosage that provides adequate protection without causing a strong reaction. Pfizer is expected to release the results of its nationwide trial as soon as September. [WaPo]

The new federal guidelines also didn’t address schools. And how can you tell if someone is fully vaccinated? Here’s a good explainer on what the guidelines say and don’t say. [NYT]

Meanwhile, the dire outbreak in India is sparking a debate over whether vaccinating American children should be delayed in order to free up more doses for the hard-hit country. [Atlantic]

3. Thousands of Palestinians flee Gaza as death toll climbs

As warlike violence continues between Israel and Hamas, more than 120 Palestinians have been killed, including 31 children, and more than 900 have been injured, according to officials in Gaza.

The Associated Press reports that Israel has deployed tanks to the border as warplanes carry out a barrage on the north end of the Gaza Strip.

“It was a massacre,” said Sadallah Tanani, a relative of a family of six who were killed in an Israeli airstrike. “My feelings are indescribable.”

The airstrikes come as Egypt, Qatar and the U.N. are leading truce efforts. An Egyptian intelligence official told the AP that Israel rejected a proposal for a yearlong truce that would have begun last night. The official said Hamas had accepted that offer. [AP]

4. Lightfoot gets her annual review in the media as she nears two years in office

I completely forgot that Mayor Lori Lightfoot has only been on the job for almost two years after living through a pandemic that felt like a decade, but here we are.

The Chicago Tribune examines the high turnover in the Lightfoot administration, where at least a dozen people have resigned or said they’re walking toward the exit since late last year. Political observers say the exodus threatens the mayor’s agenda, as departments can’t carry out their missions as efficiently during leadership changes.

Why is there so much turnover? One reason could be the pressures of the pandemic. But Lightfoot can be tough on her staff. The newspaper reports that Lightfoot earlier this year emailed a photo of ripped up documents to high-ranking advisers because she was upset that a memo missed a deadline. [Chicago Tribune]

Meanwhile, Crain’s Chicago Business examines the biggest challenges facing the mayor as the next election looms on the horizon. [Crain’s]

5. Gas shortages from Colonial Pipeline cyberattack intensify

About 88% of gas stations in Washington, D.C., were out of fuel today after a ransomware attack caused a major pipeline to shut down, reports The Associated Press. In Virginia, about half of gas stations were dry.

Officials for Colonial Pipeline said they have restarted operations and it could take “several days” for things to return to normal. The pipeline is the largest one between Texas and New Jersey, and it delivers about 45% of gasoline to the East Coast. [AP]

The cyberattack has raised questions about the nation’s defenses against hackers. Several cybersecurity experts told CNBC that the Colonial Pipeline fiasco is likely a result of poor internal security rather than a deliberate attempt to attack the nation’s infrastructure. [CNBC]

Here’s what else is happening

• Rep. Elise Stefanik will replace Rep. Liz Cheney as the House GOP’s No. 3. [NPR]
• China says its Mars probe and rover will land on the red planet sometime between Saturday and Wednesday. [AP]
• Chicago has lost thousands of two-, three- and four-flat buildings since 2013, according to a report from DePaul University. [Block Club Chicago]
• Monty and Rose, the famous pair of endangered piping plovers, have once again laid eggs at Chicago’s Montrose Beach. [Block Club Chicago]

Oh, and one more thing …

A cat jumped from a fifth-floor window and survived as it escaped from a fire in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

“I’m just glad no one got hurt. Thank god that cats do have nine lives. I hope I got nine,” said Elizabeth Thomas, who lives above the unit where the fire started.

Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said the cat was not injured, and he was still trying to find its owner as of last night. There is a video in the link, and it’s very nerve-racking. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Tell me something good …

As we get closer to the big reopening, I’d like to know what you’re looking forward to as life gets more normal.

Tricia McNulty writes:

“I can NOT wait to go back to Maxwell Street Market. It was one of the most missed parts of last summer. Our three young children wheel and deal with vendors for old (often broken) barbies & action figures, then we feast on the best Mexican food in the city in the shadows of skyscrapers. The only thing we missed more were carnivals, which I think we’ll have to wait another summer for.”

Feel free to email me at therundown@wbez.org or tweet me at @whuntah.

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