WBEZ’s Rundown Of Today’s Top News: Will Chicago’s High Schools Reopen Next Week?

Janice Jackson
Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson visits Hawthorne Scholastic Academy on March 1, 2021. Janice and other high-ranking school officials say they are “firmly committed” to reopening high schools on April 19, 2021. WBEZ
Janice Jackson
Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson visits Hawthorne Scholastic Academy on March 1, 2021. Janice and other high-ranking school officials say they are “firmly committed” to reopening high schools on April 19, 2021. WBEZ

WBEZ’s Rundown Of Today’s Top News: Will Chicago’s High Schools Reopen Next Week?

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Good afternoon! It’s Monday, again, and I didn’t sleep well last night because my dog, Princess Leia, kept trying to snooze on my pillow. Here’s what you need to know today.

(By the way, if you’d like this emailed to your inbox, you can sign up here.)

1. Chicago Public Schools says it’s “firmly committed” to reopening high schools next week. Will it happen?

School district officials today signaled they are confident high school students will return to classrooms on April 19 even though an agreement hasn’t been reached with the Chicago Teachers Union. High school teachers are back in classrooms today, but the union says they will work remotely on Wednesday in an effort to put pressure on the district.

Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson and the district’s chief education officer, LaTanya McDade, wrote in a letter to families that there have been “productive discussions with CTU leadership to ensure a smooth transition back for our students and staff.”

The union, however, says several “critical sticking points” remain, such as creating high school schedules that minimize potential infections, providing accommodations for teachers in high-risk groups and creating a vaccination plan for students and their families.

If there isn’t “adequate movement” on getting a deal done, union leaders say high school teachers could extend their walkout past Wednesday. [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. Most Illinois residents are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccines

All residents 16 and over can schedule vaccination appointments today — unless you live in Chicago, where officials say they cannot open up eligibility unless the federal government provides more doses.

But Gov. JB Pritzker said Chicago residents are welcome to get shots in nearby suburbs. As WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel reports, the state is in a race to vaccinate as many people as possible as health officials are concerned about the rising number of coronavirus cases. [WBEZ]

If you’re having trouble securing an appointment, here’s a look at your options in what can be a confusing and frustrating process. [WBEZ]

Beginning April 20, anyone who schedules a walk-in appointment at the United Center will receive the one-and-done Johnson & Johnson shot. [NBC5]

Meanwhile, Chicago officials today are reporting an average of 675 new cases per day, up 14% from last week. The positivity rate has climbed to 5.6% from last week’s 5.1%. [COVID Dashboard]

Cases are also rising across the state. This map from The New York Times shows that Peoria County and some nearby areas are emerging as hot spots. [NYT]

The situation is far worse in Michigan, where local officials are being urged by the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to enact shutdown measures. [NYT]

3. Judge refuses to sequester jury in Chauvin murder trial after police fatally shoot another man

Judge Peter Cahill today denied a request from Derek Chauvin’s attorney to sequester jurors and requestion them due to concerns they could be swayed by a recent fatal police shooting near Minneapolis.

On Sunday, 20-year-old Daunte Wright died after being shot by an officer during a traffic stop, sparking protests and unrest. Cahill rejected the defense’s request because Wright’s death is a totally separate case. [NPR]

The officer who fatally shot Wright accidentally pulled out her gun instead of her Taser, according to Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon. [Axios]

Meanwhile, jurors in the Chauvin murder trial today heard from Dr. Jonathan Rich, a Chicago cardiologist who said George Floyd’s death was “absolutely preventable.” [NYT]

4. Adam Toledo was holding a gun, told twice to drop it, prosecutors claim

Pressure mounts on city officials to publicly release video footage of the fatal police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo after Cook County prosecutors claimed the boy was holding a gun and was told twice to drop it.

Prosecutors made those allegations over the weekend during a bond hearing for Ruben Roman, a 21-year-old who faces felony gun charges in connection to the police shooting. Prosecutors say Roman was with Adam the night he died.

Adam’s family is expected to review footage of the shooting this week, opening up the possibility that city officials could soon publicly release the video. [Block Club Chicago]

5. Iran vows “revenge” against Israel after blackout at nuclear site

Iranian officials are blaming Israel for a sabotage attack at a key underground nuclear facility. Details are scarce about what happened at the Natanz facility. But Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said centrifuges used to enrich uranium were damaged.

“The answer for Natanz is to take revenge against Israel,” Khatibzadeh said.

The assault, which Israel has not claimed responsibility for, could jeopardize international discussions to entice Tehran to recommit to nuclear limits in exchange for lifting U.S. sanctions that have hurt Iran’s economy.

The Natanz nuclear site has been targeted in the past. In 2010, officials discovered the Stuxnet computer virus that disrupted and destroyed centrifuges at the facility. The U.S and Israel are widely believed to be behind the Stuxnet cyberattack. [AP]

Here’s what else is happening

  • After months under a near-total lockdown, people in the U.K. today visited pubs and other shops as the kingdom began easing restrictions. [BBC]
  • President Joe Biden is expected to nominate a critic of Trump-era immigration policies to oversee U.S. Customs and Border Protection. [Axios]
  • Major law firms are joining corporations in opposition to restrictive voting laws that are being considered across the nation. [New York Times]
  • Chicago’s Brown Sugar Bakery is seeing a spike in business after Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit last week. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Oh, and one more thing …

A lot of friends and readers have mentioned how much they enjoyed Promising Young Woman, a dark comedy about a woman who goes after sexual predators.

I won’t spoil anything in case you haven’t seen the movie yet, but writer and director Emerald Fennell was on Fresh Air today talking about how the film was partly inspired by Hollywood’s portrayal of alcohol and consent.

“When I was growing up — and I think still probably it’s the case now — in movies, getting women drunk to sleep with them, filling up their drink more than you’d fill your own, waiting at the end of the night to see who’s drunk at the club, girls waking up not knowing who’s in bed next to them — it was just comedy fodder,” Fennell said. “We live in a culture where this sort of stuff is normalized.” [NPR]

Tell me something good …

How are you preparing to go back to the office when this pandemic is over?

I’ve been waking up earlier than usual to prepare myself for the dreaded commute to work. And I’ve also created a log of all the excuses I can give for being late.

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

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