The Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners appointed Rosa Escareño as the Interim General Superintendent and CEO of the park district, concurring with Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s recommendation for the post. Escareño takes the helm of the park district following CEO Michael Kelly’s resignation amid a sex abuse scandal involving park district lifeguards at Chicago pools and beaches. Escareño previously served as commissioner of the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection before stepping back in July. “Having served three mayors and with more than three decades of public service experience, Rosa has proven leadership skills and a breadth of experience that will inform her efforts to lead our Park District and maintain our beautiful public spaces and facilities during this interim period,” Lightfoot wrote in a news release.  

Chicago’s COVID-19 Travel Advisory remains unchanged at 47 states and three territories, the Department of Public Health announced on Wednesday. However, the following states and territories are on track to be removed from the list next week if they can keep average new daily case counts below 15 per 100,000 residents: Alabama, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Massachusetts and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

The City Council Democratic Socialist Caucus will join members of the Chicago chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America to host a virtual town hall event at 6:30 p.m. Thursday to discuss the city’s 2022 budget. Caucus members will join “grassroots community organizations and the public to advance a socialist analysis of the budget and build support for the coalition’s budget demands,” according to an announcement. Attendees can register to participate via Zoom or watch the event live on Facebook.