Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle threw cold water Wednesday on property owners’ hopes that their second-installment tax bills may be delayed while they reel from the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic.

Gov. JB Pritzker addresses the news media. [Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago]

Illinois residents must stay at home for another 30 days to prevent the state’s health care system from collapsing under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Tuesday.

Board of Review Commissioner Michael Cabonargi [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

A near-total shutdown of in-person government services has not stopped the Cook County Board of Review from churning through tens of thousands of appeals to determine how much in property taxes owners should pay.

A fresh batch of mail-in ballots on Monday propelled Ald. George Cardenas (12) to a 21-vote lead over his arch-rival State Sen. State Sen. Tony Muñoz (D-Chicago) in the race to be the Democratic committeeperson for Chicago’s 12th Ward, erasing the advantage Muñoz has held since Election Day nearly two weeks ago.

A plan to build the city’s second-tallest tower could be approved during Chicago’s first public meeting in the coronavirus era.

As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Illinois continues to double every three or four days, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov. JB Pritzker announced Monday that the battle against the pandemic entered a new phase with the announcement that McCormick Place will become a 3,000-bed hospital.

City housing officials on Monday announced the approval of $13.2 million in tax credits for the construction of up to 1,083 units of affordable housing across Chicago, signaling that the coronavirus crisis has not stopped the city’s long-term fight to expand low-cost housing options.

Chicagoans who lost their jobs or found their paychecks scaled back because of the coronavirus pandemic can apply for $1,000 grants from the city, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Friday.

Activists protest the Lincoln Yards and The 78 developments April 10 outside City Hall. (Hannah Alani/Block Club Chicago)

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Mayor Lori Lightfoot last month unveiled long-awaited plans she said would restructure how Chicago subsidizes massive private developments with tax dollars originally intended to fight urban blight.

Lightfoot’s administration said the changes were a first step toward fulfilling the mayor’s campaign promise to impose “rigorous standards that eradicate waste and abuse and ensure investments in economically distressed neighborhoods” for the controversial tax increment financing program.

Businesses across Cook County will be able to delay paying a combined $35 million in taxes under a “financial relief package” Board President Toni Preckwinkle rolled out on Thursday in an attempt to blunt the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

Dr. Allison Arwady answers reporters questions, as Mayor Lori Lightfoot looks on. [Heather Cherone/The Daily Line]

An angry Mayor Lori Lightfoot closed the entire Lakefront Trail, the Riverwalk and The 606 trail on Thursday, hours after stir-crazy Chicagoans defied a statewide stay-at-home order designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Chicago Police blocked access to all of the parks east of Lake Shore Drive and warned that those who did not turn around and head home could face $500 fines or even arrest.

“Dear God, stay home, save lives,” Lightfoot said. “We can’t mess around with this one second longer.”

The busy lakefront trail Wednesday. JUSTIN LAURENCE/ BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO

Mayor Lori Lightfoot warned Chicagoans who flocked to the Lakefront Trail to stay home, saying she was prepared to shut down the city’s trails and parks to enforce Gov. JB Pritzker’s stay-at-home order designed to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Metra trains sport messages urging Cook County residents to complete the Census. [Twitter/@Metra] 

The coronavirus pandemic instantly scrambled the city, county and state’s coordinated multimillion-dollar campaign to pump up responses to the U.S. Census. But if early results are any indication, those efforts may already be paying off.

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas obtained a court order to delay the county’s annual tax sale for delinquent properties until further notice, she announced on Tuesday.

On paper, Tammy Wendt was never supposed to win the Democratic primary for a seat on the Cook County Board of Review.

The Palos Heights attorney and first-time candidate faced Abdelnasser Rashid, a rising star in the Cook County Democratic Party, who boasted the near-unanimous backing of high-ranking elected officials, regional unions and newspaper editorial boards.

But she won anyway.