Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza (10) tweeted “The 106th Street bridge will be opened on Friday, December 10th.” 

Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) tweeted “I wonder what the Black Caucus/Rules/Lightfoot “Incumbent Protection” map looks like. Will it be secret until Wednesday 1p when we they try to force a vote on it?”  

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35) tweeted “@ChiLatinoCaucus was excluded from this morning's Rules Committee briefings, where the committee presented ward map drafted by Madigan-attorney Mike Kasper. But from the little we've gathered, the Kasper map is an embarrassment that slices, dices & disenfranchises communities.”  

Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36) tweeted “When you have the law on your side, you argue the law. When you have the facts/data on your side, you argue the facts/data. When you have neither on your side, you just argue.” 

Ald. Harry Osterman (48) tweeted “I want to thank and commend my friend, Majority Leader Greg Harris on his outstanding leadership and dedicated service to the citizens of Chicago and Illinois. Today Greg announced he will not seek another term in the General Assembly.”

The Chicago Department of Human Resources reported Monday that nearly 94 percent of city employees had reported their vaccination status, and of those, nearly 82 percent of whom are fully vaccinated. About 87.3 percent of Chicago Police Department employees, 98.5 percent of fire department employees and 85 percent of aldermen and City Council staffers had reported their vaccination statuses.

House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) posted on Facebook, 'Congratulations to the newest member of the Illinois House, Rep. Michael Kelly, D-15th. An active firefighter and member of the Chicago Fire Department, Rep. Kelly is well prepared to fight for working families. Welcome to the House Rep!"

Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) shared an NBC News article about gerrymandering with the excerpt, ""Illinois is an example of where the fact that districts look funny actually does flag the fact that they not only look funny, but they are extremely politically biased."

Rep. Camille Lilly (D-Chicago) in her latest newsletter promoted Thursday's meeting of the Cook County Commission on Women's Issues, when the commission will hold its annual public meeting titled "Listen, Believe, Support: Exploring Mental Health Needs of Survivors of Gender-Based Violence." Participants can sign up online to speak during the meeting.

Rep. Stefanie Kifowit (D-Oswego) wrote in her latest newsletter, "While the holidays is a wonderful time for some, it's also important to acknowledge that not everyone is as fortunate. I encourage anyone who is struggling in any situation to please call my district office (630) 585-1308. My constituent services office will be able to provide any assistance or resources so that we can help you as winter approaches."

The unemployment rate sank in all 14 of Illinois' metropolitan areas between October 2020 and October 2021, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released last week by the Illinois Department of Employment Security. Unemployment fell most sharply in the Chicago region, where the rate dropped from 8.8 percent to 5.4 percent during the 12-month period. Unemployment remains highest in the Rockford area, where the rate only dropped from 7.5 percent to 7.1 percent. The statewide unemployment rate dropped from 7.5 percent to 5 percent since last October.

Ald. Brian Hopkins (2) tweeted, "Virologist Trevor Bedford says Omicron “potentially has significant immune evasion and appears to be spreading rapidly.” Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests increased transmissibility, but more data is needed before conclusions. The prudent course of action is assume the worst."

Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) tweeted, "Watching “Armageddon” while trying to avoid remap Armageddon" and then "I’m gonna start rooting for the referendum meteor."

Ald. Matt O'Shea (19) tweeted, "On November 26, 2010 Officer Michael Flisk was killed in the line of duty. He will always be remembered as a loving husband and father, a loyal friend an neighbor, and a dedicated member of the Chicago Police Department."

Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33) posted on Facebook, "We want to take a moment to thank our local business El Alebrije Mexican Restaurant & Bar for their donations of hot meals to feed the houseless residents of our ward. This week we went out to deliver the meals and checked in with our neighbors who are living outside during these cold months."

Ald. Harry Osterman (48) wrote in his latest newsletter, "Next week the Chicago City Council will vote on an ordinance creating new ward boundaries. The new citywide map will include increased Latino representation and a new majority Asian-American ward based on population changes from the recent census. The ward boundaries for the 48th Ward will remain mostly unchanged."

Friends of the Parks will host a virtual panel event at noon on Dec. 8 alongside the Illinois Science and Energy Innovation Foundation to launch a "new citywide innovative arts and environment initiative." The panel will include Uzma Noormohamed, program director of the Illinois Science and Energy Innovation Foundation, and environmental composer Norman Long.

Rep. Justin Slaughter (D-Chicago) wrote in a news release that he partnered with Chicago Ald. Howard Brookins (21) and Cook County Comm. Stanley Moore (D-4) to give away more than 100 meals to residents of Chicago’s Southpoint Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. 

Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) tweeted, “While Illinoisans are busy getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving, @JBPritzker decided to continue breaking his own campaign promises by signing another gerrymandered and hyper-partisan map. It's time our Governor and all of our elected leaders put the people first. #twill””  

Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) shared news of JB Pritzker’s signature of Congressional maps and tweeted, “Map drawn by politicians, for politicians — Just the type of map the Governor said he would not sign.”  

Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) tweeted, “Help spread the word! FREE meals and free vaccines every Thursday through January at 11:30am, 3000 N Kedzie Ave  

Thanks to Northwest Side Solidarity network and Roseland Community Hospital!”  

Rep. Lamont Robinson (D-Chicago) tweeted, “There is no better time to get prepared for a rewarding career in a high-demand field at no cost through the Future Ready program offered by @ChiCityColleges” with information about job placement programs. 

Gov. JB Pritzker announced the appointment of Michael Clark, an executive with the Travelers Insurance Company, as a member of the Illinois State Police Merit Board. He will also appoint Boone County Health Department Supervisor Michelle Gibson to serve on the Illinois Pollution Control Board and Blue Cross Blue Shield executive Damon Arnold to serve on the State Board of Health. All appointments must be confirmed by the Senate.  

The Illinois Department of Agriculture will run a holiday special on the Mega Pass and Jumbo Pass for entrance to the Illinois State Fair, at $60 and $70 respectively. The passes will be available throughout the month of December. More information is available online. 

Ald. Daniel La Spata (1) tweeted photos from a senior fair his office hosted at Haas Park.  

Ald. Pat Dowell (3) tweeted “With Thanksgiving & Black Friday later this week, please shop local whenever you can and support our local businesses!!” Dowell included a link to her latest newsletter. 

Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) tweeted: 

“Peoples Map filed without any aldermanic sponsors.  

Black Caucus map filed without any ward boundaries. 

Coalition Map creates 50 distinct wards with ethnic parity 

7 days, 14 hours to the deadline 

Lori being Lori!” 

Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33) shared a Block Club story about the investigation into a sex abuse scandal at a Logan Square school and tweeted “This is terrifying. We send our babies to school every day with trust in our public institutions, which is destroyed when we see this kind of harm. This crisis of leadership and culture of abuse & no accountability needs to make end. Schools need to be places of care & healing.” 

Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36) tweeted “I stand with workers at the Art Institute of Chicago & SAIC forming their union #AICWU. Management must stop interfering with their right to organize. I endorse these principles for a free, fair election, & call on @artinstitutechi @saic_news to do so now” 

Ald. Harry Osterman (48) tweeted in a thread “I am pleased to share that the Kathy Osterman Awards honoring city employees with exceptional service will return this year... My family and I thank Mayor Lightfoot for reinstating the Kathy Osterman awards and join Mayor Lightfoot in recognizing Chicago’s outstanding public servants, especially in light of the dedication and service city employees throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

The Chicago Department of Public Health added Connecticut and Maryland to its COVID-19 Travel Advisory, bringing the list to 40 states and one territory. Unvaccinated travelers from states on the advisory list are asked to quarantine for 10 days or to get a negative test. California, Guam and North Carolina are set to come off the list next week if their average new caseloads stay below 15 per 100,000 residents.  

Chicago’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection and the Chicago Commission on Human Relations announced on Tuesday that city officials are conducting a “comprehensive investigation” into allegations that workers at Parlor Pizza Bar restaurants “were not paid for overtime work, that employees were sexually harassed and that customers were discriminated against based on their race and/or age.” City officials in a news release urged former and current employees of Parlor Pizza location to “step forward and work with us as we investigate these allegations and work to compensate any workers harmed by unjust business practices.” City officials also encouraged Parlor Pizza customers who “believe they were discriminated against based on a protected class which includes race, national origin, age and/or were denied an accommodation related to a disability” to contact the human rights commission at [email protected] or by calling 312-744-4474. Former employees can reach out to the city’s Office of Labor Standards at [email protected] or by calling 312-744-2211. 

Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich), Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville), Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) and Rep. Chris Miller (R-Oakland) issued a joint statement calling on Gov. JB Pritzker to “rescind” his “incendiary remarks on the Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty verdict, saying, “The right of self-defense is a basic right of all Americans regardless of age, race, creed, or gender. To suggest that these rights should be stripped from an individual simply on the basis of perceived political differences is wrong and goes against the values we as Americans hold dear.” 

Rep. Michael Zalewski (D-Chicago) tweeted, “.@GovPritzker got HB3136 today. Illinois collegiate sports betting is a pen stroke away.” 

Rep. Jaime Andrade (D-Chicago) tweeted, “Do not forget to vote for @Ward33Chicago participatory budget. There are a lot of great projects to choose from.” 

Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview) tweeted, “Tune in to my latest episode on the @ILSenDems Sound of the State podcast to hear my discussion with Hugh Brady of @namiillinois on mental health and where the state is headed next with the subject. Listen on all major platforms, including on Spreaker at http://ilsendems.co/3kRtm43” 

Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) tweeted, “It was a pleasure to join [Mid-America Regional Council of Carpenters] on Friday to break ground on its Pekin Apprenticeship & Training Center. The council represents 50,000+ laborers across IL, MO, KS & IA, & I'm pleased that they have chosen to mold the next generation of carpenters here in our community. 

The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced on Monday that unemployment insurance benefit payments will no longer be made by debit card starting Dec, 27. “Claimants who defaulted to a debit card option as their preferred method of payment will begin receiving paper checks instead of the benefits being placed on a debit card,” according to the announcement. “The Department will continue to make benefit payments as normal to those claimants who chose to receive them via direct deposit.” The change comes after the Department’s vendor, KeyBank, made the decision to stop providing debit cards for unemployment insurance benefit purposes. 

Ald. Brian Hopkins (2) in his latest newsletter shared a photo of himself walking in the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival.  

Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33) tweeted “We remember you Tamir. Love and solidarity to his family.” 

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35) tweeted “If I were the mayor's spokesperson I would simply advise her against spewing petty vitriol.” 

Ald. Matt Martin (47) tweeted “This year, a majority of neighbors who filled out our budget survey reported increased mental health challenges due to the pandemic. In December, join us for a town hall to discuss the pandemic's impact on mental health and what policymakers can do” 

Ald. Maria Hadden (49) tweeted “The 49th Ward office is looking for volunteers with their own shovels to help lend a hand to our elderly and disabled neighbors by shoveling the sidewalks in front of their building.” 

The Chicago Department of Housing on Monday announced it will open the next round of its Emergency Rental Assistance Program on Dec. 6, with applications due by Dec. 18. The $102 million round of funding — the program’s largest yet — will be furnished by the American Rescue Plan Act and will offer up to 18 months of rental assistance and utility payment assistance for income-qualifying Chicago residents who can show that the COVID-19 pandemic took a hit on their income. 

The Urban Land Institute will host a virtual community meeting at 6 p.m. on Dec. 6 to present its recommendations on how to “update The Magnificent Mile’s distinct identity and enhance its draw as a premier retail, entertainment, and tourism destination,” according to an announcement. The institute joined the Chicago Department of Planning and Development and The Magnificent Mile Association to convene a “multi-disciplinary panel of real estate development experts” to help develop the recommendations.” Online registration is required. 

Sen. Don DeWitte (St. Charles) wrote in his latest newsletter, “I want to thank everyone who came out to Elgin Community College this week for my listening tour town hall meeting. I was joined at this regional event by my colleagues Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie and Deputy Leader Sue Rezin. Together, we held a panel discussion about important legislative issues that affect Illinoisans, and then we spent over an hour taking questions from a very engaged audience. 

Sen. Napoleon Harris (D-Flossmoor) wrote in his latest newsletter that he “will be hosting a meal pick-up for older adults in the 15th Senate District for Thanksgiving. Older adults will be able to pick up their meals on Tuesday, Nov. 23, from 12 – 3 p.m. at Beggars Pizza, located at 369 East 147th Street in Harvey.”  

Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) wrote in a statement that he “calls on Downers Grove District 99 to protect LGBTQ+ youth in their community from hate and censorship by immediately rejecting calls to censor a queer positive book, GENDER QUEER, in the high school library.”  

Rep. Tom Bennett (R-Gibson City) wrote in his latest newsletter: “The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) issued its October revenue report and found continued revenue growth for the state, but warned about the effect that continued inflation will have. In October 2021, state revenue improved by more than $1 billion over October 2020. Almost half of that growth was in sales tax revenue, with increased corporate income tax revenue also a big part of the gain. Funds flowing in from the federal government increased substantially last month compared to a year ago. 

Rep. Suzanne Ness (D-Crystal Lake) shared a news release that quotes her as saying, “While our state has made huge strides to cut the cost of insulin, it is clear we must do more to make health care more affordable for individuals with diabetes”

The Illinois Department of Public Health on Friday announced the launch of a new “holiday vaccine campaign” to encourage people to get vaccinated ahead of the holidays. “The campaign will reach Illinoisans statewide in both English and Spanish through a variety of traditional and online media channels, including cable, broadcast and connected TV; streaming audio and radio; billboards and bus shelters; digital display and video; print and social media. Like other coronavirus-related expenses, costs are reimbursable by the federal government,” according to to the announcement.

Ald. George Cardenas (12) tweeted, “The bears worth 4B? give me a break” 

Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) tweeted, “If your commentary about Kenosha isn’t as profound & robust as your commentary about Cook County, please keep your opinions to yourself.” 

Ald. Derrick Curtis (18) wrote in his latest newsletter that the STANTEC Engineering Firm “will be taking soil samples for 2-3 weeks” at the Southwest Pumping Station to “determine the consistency of the soil for future construction.” 

Ald. Silvana Tabares (23) wrote in her latest newsletter, “The mayor's hope to keep the current leadership at COPA shows that she would rather protect anti-police bureaucrats than the legacy of fallen officers. We need accountability at COPA and I will be working to oppose confirmation and urging my colleagues to do the same.”  

Ald. Andre Vasquez (40) tweeted a video message for Transgender Day of Remembrance. 

Ald. Matt Martin (47) wrote in his latest newsletter that “the City Council approved an ordinance empowering the city's Police Board to hear appeals from individuals who believe they have been erroneously listed as gang members in the Police Department's new gang database. I voted against this item, as I believe we need additional information about when the new database will be operational and whether the various components of the database have been designed to address the shortcomings involving the old database that the city's Inspector General highlighted in reports from April 2019 and March 2021.” 

Ald. Maria Hadden (49) tweeted, “Today, on #TransDayOfRemembrance and #TransDayofResilience, we honor trans, non-binary, and gender nonconforming people by remembering the contributions they've made in the advancement of civil and human rights for ALL people...” 

The Chicago Department of Public Health and Cook County Department of Public Health both announced that they support the Center for Disease Control’s decision to recommend COVID-19 booster shots for all adults 18 and older who were previously vaccinated. The city health department is “ordering more vaccine from the federal government in anticipation of increased demand and remind Chicagoans that they can get a dose at sites across the city — in hospitals, physicians’ offices, local pharmacies, pop-up clinics hosted by the City, and more,” according to a release sent Friday. A full list of city-backed vaccination sites is available online. 

House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) posted on Facebook, “Yesterday was one of those days that changes your life. I had the transformative opportunity to meet and sit down with the first Black Speaker of the California General Assembly, the Honorable Willie Brown.”  

Rep. Stefanie Kifowit (D-Oswego) wrote a recap of the veto session in her latest newsletter, including that she was “particularly proud of HB 0359. I was the primary sponsor and It passed in both chambers. The bill requires the Department of Veterans' Affairs to create a Veterans' Accountability Unit. This unit will be responsible to ensure the highest and best care is given to our Veterans in our Veteran's Homes and also being served by our state of Illinois Veteran Service Officers.” 

Sen. Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) posted on Facebook, “Sparks fly at ASI! The Metro East is fortunate to have Alton Steel Inc working to retain employees, support labor jobs and supply steel products across the country. I appreciated the tour to see the robust operations firsthand, and I look forward to promoting economic development through local trades in our region.” 

Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) tweeted, “The five openly LGBTQ members of the Illinois General Assembly including myself call on Downers Grove District 99 to protect LGBTQ youth in their community from hate and censorship by immediately rejecting calls to censor a queer positive book in the high school library.” 

Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Deerfield) tweeted, “Today, the Illinois Supreme Court affirmed the Second District Illinois Appellate Court decision upholding @Deerfield_IL ordinance banning assault weapons. This is a great step toward protecting our children and community, and having sensible gun control measures. 

The Illinois unemployment rate fell by 0.2 percentage points to 6 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased by 40,900 in October, according to a report released by the Illinois Department of Employment Security on Thursday. The preliminary report for September monthly payrolls was revised from +9,200 to +11,000 jobs. The September unemployment rate was also revised from the preliminary report, decreasing from 6.8 percent to 6.2 percent, “as a result of a large downward revision” that the Bureau of Labor Statistics introduce to September numbers, according to the announcement.