Good afternoon! It’s Monday, and why is the company called Johnson & Johnson and not just Johnsons? Here’s what you need to know today.

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1. Chicago cops need to reform foot-chasing policies, Lightfoot says after police kill 13-year-old

Mayor Lori Lightfoot today called on the Chicago Police Department to overhaul its foot chase policy amid public outrage over the police killing of 13-year-old Adam Toledo last Monday.

Lightfoot appeared with Police Superintendent David Brown today at a press conference aimed at calming the public ahead of the eventual release of video footage of the shooting, reports the Chicago Tribune. However, no details were provided on how the department would change its foot chase policy.

It’s still unclear if Adam was carrying a weapon when he was shot. Initial police reports said the person killed may have been in possession of a weapon, a detail that surprised Adam’s family, according to their lawyer.

Lightfoot today said someone gave Adam a weapon, and she called for an investigation to find that person. [Chicago Tribune]

But Brown refused to address the subject, reports Block Club Chicago. The superintendent said officers saw two “males” the night Adam was killed, and Brown would not answer questions about which of the two was carrying a weapon. [Block Club]

2. Calls grow to resurrect restrictions as coronavirus cases rise in the Chicago area

Chicago is reporting a seven-day average of nearly 600 cases per day, up 34% compared to the average last week. About two week ago, the city’s top public health official said hitting an average of 400 cases per day would be a “sign of real concern.”

So far, the city has taken little action that directly addresses the sharp rise in infections. But some restrictions could return in suburban Cook County in the coming days, warned Dr. Rachel Rubin, a senior medical officer for the county’s Department of Public Health.

“We are in the beginnings of a new surge,” Rubin said over the weekend. [WTTW]

Rubin’s comments come after Dr. Emily Landon, an infectious disease expert at UChicago Medicine who has advised Gov. JB Pritzker, told WTTW that local officials should not have reopened bars as the state began reporting cases of more contagious virus variants.

“I’ve mentioned this to them, I’ve said, please don’t open the bars,” Landon said. “I was worried about the variants, and that the vaccine rollout wouldn’t be fast enough.” [WTTW]

This new wave of cases also coincides with an increase in hospitalizations, raising questions about whether enough people are vaccinated to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed, which was a main reason for business restrictions earlier in the pandemic. Here’s an insightful Twitter thread from Chicago Tribune reporter Joe Mahr on this topic. [Twitter]

3. Local agencies scramble to address migrant surge

The dramatic increase in migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border is beginning to be felt in the Chicago area, reports Crain’s Chicago Business.

Heartland Human Care Services, a Chicago-based social service provider, didn’t house any migrant children in early December. But it is now watching over 240 children, and Heartland will likely hit its capacity of 359 beds, said Executive Director David Sinski. Almost all of them are from Central America.

“They’re seeking safety. They’re escaping violence that is unimaginable,” he told Crain’s.

Most of the children will not end up staying permanently in Chicago. Heartland says many children move to the East and West coasts, where vetted sponsors or family members live. [Crain’s]

4. Minneapolis police chief who fired officers after George Floyd’s death testifies

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo was called to the stand today in the murder trial of former officer Derek Chauvin as it enters its second week of testimony.

Appearing before jurors, Arradondo stressed the importance of good training, saying “it’s so important that we evolve, and meet our communities where they are.”

Earlier, jurors heard from Dr. Bradford W. Langenfeld, the emergency room doctor who pronounced George Floyd dead. Langenfeld testified about Floyd’s medical condition, which is a key issue.

Prosecutors say Chauvin killed Floyd by pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck for about nine minutes, but Chauvin’s defense attorney argues Floyd experienced a drug overdose and had an underlying heart condition. [NPR]

5. Some elephants are closer to extinction than previously thought

Africa’s forest and savanna elephants are now considered “critically endangered” and “endangered,” respectively, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The group previously counted both species as a single group, which had been labeled “vulnerable” to extinction.

But conservationists discovered both types of elephants are closer to extinction when they separated them. The population of African forest elephants has dropped by more than 86% in the last 31 years, the organization said. And the number of savanna elephants has declined by 60% over 50 years.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature blames the loss of habitat and increasing threats of poaching. [AP]

Here’s what else is happening

• Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen made the case for a uniform global corporate tax rate as a way to prevent businesses from moving profits overseas and evade taxes. [Crain’s]
• Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson vetoed a bill that would ban gender confirming treatments or surgery for transgender youth. [AP]
• Justice Clarence Thomas made waves in the tech industry today by saying social media companies are “sufficiently akin” to public utilities and should be regulated the same way. [NPR]
• Mass vaccination sites are now open at Chicago State University and near Wrigley Field. [Block Club Chicago and Block Club Chicago]

Oh, and one more thing …

WBEZ’s Natalie Moore is investigating the history of segregation in Chicago, and your home records could help her out. She’s looking for restrictive covenants and deeds that kept Black Chicagoans out of white neighborhoods.

“If you’re in a home that was sold and/or built between 1916 and 1948, there’s a good chance that it includes a racial restriction,” Moore writes.

“We’re looking to collect these documents — not to shame families or deceased homeowners, but to reckon with our region’s own racist housing history.”

Click the link to learn how you can search your property records and how to contact WBEZ. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

What’s a good TV show or movie you’ve watched recently? I’m looking for suggestions because I’m really hitting the bottom of the barrel after more than a year in this lousy pandemic.

I recently started watching The Fall, a crime show starring Gillian Anderson as a boss detective who has no time for your baloney as she hunts down a serial killer. Anderson really is one of the best actors in the biz. I mean, she made Margaret Thatcher interesting in The Crown.

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

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