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(WTTW News)

Confused About Chicago’s Proof of Vaccination Policy? Here’s an Explainer

Local business owners discuss implementing the policy

A public health order requiring proof of vaccination against COVID-19 took effect Monday in Chicago. Let’s walk through who needs to show what, and where.

(WTTW News)

As Hospitalizations Reach Record Highs in Illinois, Gov. Pritzker Says He Fears Worst is to Come

“I fear the climb will continue” with the surge accelerated by post-holiday gathering infections, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday.

(WTTW News)

January 3, 2022 - Full Show

Confusion and threats of a CTU work stoppage as CPS kids return to school. COVID-19 hospitalizations are at an all-time high. Day one of Chicago’s indoor vaccine mandate. And what 2022 holds in store for the housing market.

(WTTW News)

As COVID Surges, How Do You Know When It’s Time to Go to the Hospital?

Overwhelmed by an influx of patients suffering from COVID-19, hospital administrators offered guidance on when people should head to the emergency room.

Lucas Kittikamron-Mora, 13, holds a sign in support of COVID-19 vaccinations as he receives his first Pfizer vaccination at the Cook County Public Health Department, May 13, 2021 in Des Plaines, Ill. (AP Photo/Shafkat Anowar, file)

FDA Expands Pfizer Boosters for More Teens as Omicron Surges

Boosters already are recommended for everyone 16 and older, and federal regulators on Monday decided they’re also warranted for 12- to 15-year-olds once enough time has passed since their last dose.

(WTTW News)

CTU Members to Consider Walkout This Week as COVID-19 Cases Spike

“I am so pissed off that we have to continuously fight for the basic necessities, the basic mitigations … this makes no sense,” CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates said Monday.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, wears a face mask during the White House COVID-19 Response Team's regular call with the National Governors Association in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House Campus, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo / Carolyn Kaster)

Fauci: CDC Mulling COVID Test Requirement for Asymptomatic

The Food and Drug Administration last week said preliminary research indicates at-home rapid tests detect omicron, but may have reduced sensitivity. The agency noted it’s still studying how the tests perform with the variant, which was first detected in late November.

University of Chicago men's rugby team players practice on the Midway Plaisance near the campus in Chicago, May 6, 2021. The University of Chicago is delaying its new term and holding the first two weeks online. (AP Photo / Shafkat Anowar, File)

Taking a Step Back: US Colleges Returning to Online Classes

Harvard is moving classes online for the first three weeks of the new year, with a return to campus scheduled for late January, “conditions permitting.” The University of Chicago is delaying the beginning of its new term and holding the first two weeks online. 

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, air travelers wear masks at Love Field in Dallas, Friday, Dec. 31, 2021. Flight cancellations surged again on the last day of 2021, with airlines blaming it on crew shortages related to the spike in COVID-19 infections. (AP Photo / LM Otero)

New Year Brings More Canceled Flights for Air Travelers

Saturday’s disruptions weren’t just due to the virus, however. Wintry weather made Chicago — where forecasts called for 9 inches of snow — the worst place in the country for travelers. More than 800 flights were scrubbed at O’Hare Airport and more than 250 at Midway Airport.

A Healthcare worker directs parents and students arriving at the main entrance of the Adams campus of Oyster-Adams Adams bilingual school, in Washington, Aug. 30, 2021. (AP Photo / Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

Schools Adapt for Return From Break as COVID-19 Cases Surge

With coronavirus infections soaring, the return from schools’ winter break will be different than planned for some as administrators again tweak protocols and make real-time adjustments in response to the shifting pandemic. All are signaling a need to stay flexible.

Elizabeth French, in white, and her son Andrew, left, follow the casket of her daughter, Chicago police officer Ella French, after a funeral service at the St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, in Chicago.   (AP Photo / Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

2021 Ends as Chicago’s Deadliest Year in a Quarter Century

Other cities have also seen an increase in the number of homicides. But Chicago, as it has in previous years, ended 2021 with more homicides than any other city in the United States, including New York and Los Angeles. 

Phil Ponce hosts the 61st episode of “Latino Voices.” (WTTW News)

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, January 1, 2022 - Full Show

A look back at some of our favorite Latino Voices stories of 2021: from the potential impact of the sweeping infrastructure law to a group helping refugee women start a new life, and more.

Brandis Friedman hosts the 61st episode of “Black Voices.” (WTTW News)

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, January 1, 2022 - Full Show

A look back at some of our favorite Black Voices stories of 2021— from a look at how tech leaves marginalized people behind, to the Chicago Sky’s history-making WNBA Championship  — and so much in between.

In Illinois the COVID vaccine distribution got underway, and Illinois fully reopened in June. But, vaccine resistance, the delta variant, and later omicron caused cases to surge again. (WTTW News)

The Week in Review: Another Year Marked By COVID, Political Tensions

From the shocking events of Jan. 6 to COVID’s dip and surge, a changing of the guard in Springfield, to high crime rates and political battles in City Council. We recap the year’s biggest stories.

Stephen Parlato of Boulder, Colo., holds a sign that reads "Hands Off Roe!!!" as abortion rights advocates and anti-abortion protesters demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, Dec. 1, 2021, in Washington, as the court hears arguments in a case from Mississippi, where a 2018 law would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, well before viability. (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik, File)

2021 Notebook: the US Right to Abortion Is in Peril

As 2021 comes to a close, Roe v. Wade — the historic 1973 Supreme Court ruling establishing a nationwide right to abortion — is imperiled as never before. 

 A view near the home of commercial crabber Roy Comardelle, who built a levee around his property, is shown at Des Allemands, La., Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021. (AP Photo / Steve Helber, File)

2021 Notebook: Climate Change, Weather Crises and What Next

Melting glaciers, deadly floods in Germany, record high summer temperatures in generally mild Oregon, more urgent pleas for help from Pacific island nations. With growing urgency, the effects of climate change were felt around the world in 2021.

Ahmaud Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones his hugged by a supporter after the jury convicted Travis McMichael in the trial of McMichael, his father, Greg McMichael, and neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021. (AP Photo / Stephen B. Morton, Pool, File)

2021 Notebook: Redrawing the Conversation About Race

After 2020 became a year of racial reckoning with the public killing of George Floyd and the protests of injustices against Black people, 2021 offered what can best be described as a follow-up year — a continuation of some familiar story threads with other new ones emerging.

Some 300 new laws will take effect in Illinois in the new year. They range from changing how gun licenses are processed — to regulating pet sales. (Wikimedia Commons / Megan Davis)

Almost 300 New Statutes Take Effect Saturday

Some 300 new laws will take effect in Illinois in the new year. They range from changing how gun licenses are processed — to regulating pet sales.

A series of new laws could make it easier for consumers to comparison shop for prescriptions, make sure unused medicine doesn’t go to waste, and expand coverage of fertility treatment. (Flickr / The Javorac)

New Healthcare Laws Expand Infertility Treatment Coverage, Create Unused Medicine Repository

A series of new laws could make it easier for consumers to comparison shop for prescriptions, make sure unused medicine doesn’t go to waste, and expand coverage of fertility treatment.

(WTTW News)

December 30, 2021 - Full Show

The latest on testing snafus and rising COVID cases. One-on-one with CPS CEO on plans to bring kids safely back to school. New laws on the books for 2022. And the Bears get ready to tackle the Giants.

(WTTW News graphic)

Bears Face Giants in Penultimate Game, Look to End Poor Season on a High

The Bears have a chance to finish a lost season on a high note, starting with the last place New York Giants who visit Soldier Field this Sunday. But there are questions as to who will play quarterback, and then the bigger picture questions as to where exactly the organization is headed as fans demand a major overhaul.

A patient on renal dialysis Feb. 26, 2021. (Mishu57 / Wikimedia Commons)

COVID Takes Deadly Toll on Dialysis Patients: ProPublica Illinois

A new report from ProPublica Illinois details the catastrophic loss of dialysis patients during the pandemic. Reporter Duaa Eldeib joins “Chicago Tonight” to discuss her findings 

the combination of the surge and the holidays have left people scrambling to find COVID tests. (WTTW News)

Illinois Reports 30,386 New COVID Cases Thursday

More than 5,600 people are hospitalized with COVID. And COVID patients are occupying 34% of the state’s ICU beds.

Pedro Martinez, CEO of Chicago Public Schools, joins “Chicago Tonight” to discuss the return to school and safety protocols in place amid the Omicron surge. (WTTW News)

Chicago Public Schools CEO on COVID Testing, Protocols and More

Chicago Public Schools distributed over 150 thousand PCR tests Tuesday at more than 300 schools in communities hardest hit by the pandemic. Students who test positive will be asked to stay home.

The House and Senate will still convene Wednesday, largely for organizational purposes and to empower committees to meet and vote remotely. (WTTW News)

State Legislature Suspends Session Due to COVID

The General Assembly canceled its Jan. 4 and 6 session dates, and will likely call the session off the following week as well “amid the ongoing global pandemic.”

Because of the pandemic, in 2020 the legislature was thrown a bit off course, so there weren't a ton of laws that took effect at the start of 2021. Not so for 2022. (WTTW News)

A Crash Course in Illinois’ New Education Laws

Because of the pandemic, in 2020 the legislature was thrown a bit off course, so there weren't a ton of laws that took effect at the start of 2021. Not so for 2022. Dozens of measures will kick in starting Saturday.