Aldermen to dive into school reopening debate as teachers’ union tensions flare

Members of the City Council will get a long-awaited chance on Monday to publicly challenge Chicago Public Schools and city health officials over their controversial plan to send some students back to school.  

The council’s Committee on Education and Childhood Development is scheduled to hold a subject matter hearing at 10 a.m. to discuss the district’s reopening plan, at the same time preschoolers and special education students are invited to return to in-person learning for the first time since last March. 

News in brief: Watchdog follow-up finds CDPH implementing recommendations to ‘mitigate risks of excessive emissions;’ ethics board to consider Brookins fine, ‘prayer session’ social media posts 

Campanelli throws in for another 6 years as ‘check and balance’ against ‘horribly racist criminal justice system’ 

When it was Cook County Public Defender Amy Campanelli’s turn last July to beg county commissioners for mercy from a crushing wave of budget cuts, she warned them taking an ax to her office could make it impossible to meet the county’s constitutional obligation to give every defendant access to a lawyer. 

Experts, officials say there’s time to establish independent remap commission but ‘the train is leaving the station’ 

If city leaders want to fulfill Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s 2019 promise to tap an independent commission to redraw boundaries of Chicago’s 50 wards, time is running out to make it happen,  some advocates say. 

Willis, Williams become latest House speaker candidates; Pritzker expands vaccine distribution eligibility; decreased COVID-19 mitigations on the horizon; Pritzker calls for Trump’s impeachment; Miller condemned for Hitler quote

News in brief: Lightfoot, Preckwinkle, Foxx condemn D.C. ‘insurrection;’ Aldermanic hearing on CPS’ reopening plan scheduled for Monday; Lightfoot statement on Georgia elections 

Brady, Pizer resign from legislature; lame duck session expected to begin Jan. 8