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(WTTW News)

Students Set to Return to Classroom as Chicago Teachers Suspend Labor Action

Chicago students are set to return to their classrooms this week after several days at home as the city and Chicago Teachers Union have reached a compromise on new COVID-19 mitigations inside schools.

January 10, 2022 - Full Show

The latest on the standoff over in-person learning at Chicago Public Schools. Will there be school this week? The Bears chart a path forward. What local leaders plan to do about homelessness during the winter months.

Source: Illinois Department of Public Health

Illinois’ Top Doc on Omicron Spike, In-Person Learning Debate

Dr. Ngozi Ezike breaks down the latest Illinois COVID-19 numbers and says the debate over the safety of in-person learning is nuanced. 

Nonprofit Aims to Address Homelessness as Housing Insecurity Grows During COVID-19

The leader of a Chicago nonprofit focused on homelessness says the demand for their services has skyrocketed. "We are getting inundated with calls, emails and walk-ins from people that never imagined they would ever need help like this before.”

(Foundry Co / Pixabay)

Doctor Offers Tips for Regaining Sense of Smell After COVID-19 Infection

A common indicator of COVID-19 is the loss of taste and smell, which can last for months after infection, according to recent research.

Much to Fix in the Offseason As Bears Begin Search for New GM and Coach

The Bears’ head coach and general manager are out. James “Big Cat” Williams, former offensive lineman for the Chicago Bears, gives us his thoughts on the offseason challenges the team and the incoming new coach and general manager face.

Youngstown City Health Department worker Faith Terreri grabs two at-home COVID-19 test kits to be handed out during a distribution event, Dec. 30, 2021, in Youngstown, Ohio. (AP Photo / David Dermer, File)

Home COVID Tests to be Covered by Insurers Starting Saturday

Starting Saturday, private health insurers will be required to cover up to eight home COVID-19 tests per month for people on their plans. 

(Courtesy of Hershey Felder Presents)

Paying Homage to an Artistic Collaborator in Hershey Felder’s ‘Mozart and Figaro in Vienna’

The “musical film” is a fascinating look at the creation of “The Marriage of Figaro,” the first of the composer’s three major operas in Italian.

Dominick Black testifies during Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wis, on Nov. 2, 2021. Black, who bought an AR-15-style rifle for Rittenhouse has pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in a deal with prosecutors to avoid prison. A Wisconsin judge accepted Dominick Black's plea on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022. (Sean Krajacic / The Kenosha News via AP, Pool File)

Man Who Bought Gun for Kyle Rittenhouse Pleads No Contest

The man who bought an AR-15-style rifle for Kyle Rittenhouse pleaded no contest Monday to a reduced charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in a deal with prosecutors that allows him to avoid prison. 

(Nikolas Noonan / Unsplash)

December’s Tornadoes Among 2021’s 20 Devastating Billion-Dollar Climate Disasters: Report

According to a federal report released Monday, the U.S. experienced 20 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2021, including hurricanes, wildfires and out-of-season December tornadoes.

Buckthorn's telltale sweet potato color, exposed. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Buckthorn Is Highly Invasive, But What Does it Even Look Like? Here’s an ID Hack

It can be hard to tell one tree from another in winter, but there's a simple trick to identifying invasive buckthorn. 

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy reacts during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo / Jason Behnken)

Bears Opt to Make Sweeping Changes, Fire GM Pace, Coach Nagy

Matt Nagy's fate seemed sealed as the Bears struggled through a 6-11 season that ended with a loss at Minnesota on Sunday. But it was not clear if Ryan Pace also would be let go or retained in either his current role or a different capacity.

Adam Gross appears on Chicago Tonight on September 25, 2018. (WTTW News)

Lightfoot Taps Longtime Police Reform Advocate to Lead Oversight Board

Adam Gross will help launch the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability after serving as the director of the police accountability program area for BPI, a public interest law firm.

A sign supporting the Chicago Teachers Union during its car caravan rally on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022. (WTTW News)

Monday Classes Canceled As CPS-CTU Standoff Drags On

“Although we have been negotiating hard throughout the day, there has not been sufficient progress for us to predict a return to class tomorrow,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted Sunday.

Members of the Chicago Teachers Union and supporters stage a car caravan protest outside City Hall in the Loop, Jan. 5, 2022. (Ashlee Rezin  / Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

Chicago's COVID-19 Fight With CPS Teachers Hangs Over a 2nd Week as Talks Resume Sunday

Talks between Chicago school leaders and the teachers' union resumed Sunday amid a standoff over remote learning and other COVID-19 safety measures that canceled three days of classes. 

Shedd Aquarium's Maggie Cooper demonstrates proper sawing technique during a work day at Skokie Lagoons. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

The Battle Against Buckthorn: A Look at How Local Volunteers Fight Back Against the Invasive Species

Skokie Lagoons may look like an oasis of green but a lot of that lush vegetation is actually an invasive species called European buckthorn. WTTW News tagged along as a group of volunteers charged into the thicket and tackled this enemy. 

In this Nov. 21, 2013, file photo reviewed by the U.S. military, a soldier closes the gate at the now abandoned Camp X-Ray, which was used as the first detention facility for al-Qaida and Taliban militants who were captured after the Sept. 11 attacks at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. (AP Photo / Charles Dharapak, File)

Biden’s Low Profile on Guantanamo Rankles as Prison Turns 20

Advocates for closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center were optimistic when President Joe Biden took office. Many are now increasingly impatient.

Marc Smith, director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, discusses the stabbing death of state child welfare worker Diedre Silas during a news conference on Jan. 5, 2022, in Springfield. (AP Photo / John O'Connor)

Illinois Social Workers’ Field Safety Remains Concern After Killing

Illinois officials are seeking answers after the killing last week of a state child welfare worker during a home visit — the second such tragedy to occur in less than five years.

(WTTW News)

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, January 8, 2022 - Full Show

The standoff between CPS and the teachers union leaves parents in the lurch. Plus, contracts for domestic workers. And meet a local man turning his pandemic hobby into a business. 

(WTTW News)

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, January 8, 2022 - Full Show

Parents react to this week’s shutdown of Chicago Public Schools. The story of civil rights legend Mamie Till Mobley gets told on the small screen. Plus, a downtown office building partners with a Black-owned art gallery.

 Students briefly returned to class for the first two days of this week, but since Wednesday, classes have been outright canceled as teachers refused to work in person and CPS refuses to go remote, leaving families in limbo once again. (WTTW News)

CPS Parents on School COVID-19 Safety Standoff

 Students briefly returned to class for the first two days of this week, but since Wednesday, classes have been outright canceled as teachers refused to work in person and CPS refuses to go remote, leaving families in limbo once again.

Mony Bunni (L) and Kristina Magro (R), the founders of Support Staff, both of whom are experienced in the hospitality industry, say they’re filling a need that has gone unaddressed for too long. (WTTW News)

Nonprofit Serves Up Mental Health Resources to Hospitality Workers

The pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on the physical, emotional, and financial health of restaurant workers, especially those in the Latino community. Three years ago, a group of hospitality workers created a nonprofit aimed at getting mental health care for struggling workers.

The Chicago Domestic Workers Contract Mandate covers jobs like nannies, home care workers, and home cleaners. It requires their employers to give them a written contract with mutually agreed-upon terms. (WTTW News)

New Law for 2022 Requires Contracts for Home Workers

The Chicago Domestic Workers Contract Mandate covers jobs like nannies, home care workers, and home cleaners. It requires their employers to give them a written contract with mutually agreed-upon terms.

Juan Lopez says he can make pretty much any 2-D image into a fuzzy, fluffy floor covering. (WTTW News)

East Side Man Starts Small Business Using Tuft Love

In the early days of the pandemic, many Chicagoans used social media to learn new skills and hobbies. One of them is Juan Lopez, a lifelong East Sider who used TikTok videos to teach himself a new skill that he turned into a small business last summer.

A feud between Chicago Public Schools and the teachers union leads to a district wide shutdown. We hear from parents who are stuck in the middle about how this standoff is impacting their children. (WTTW News)

Parents Frustrated as Teachers Refuse to Work In-Person, District Cancels Classes

Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union have been battling all week over whether it’s safe to have kids in the classroom as COVID-19 cases rise. The dispute has led to classes being canceled for three days as teachers refuse to work in-person, and the district refuses to go remote.

Rep. Bobby Rush appears on “Chicago Tonight” via Zoom. (WTTW News)

Illinois Congressman Bobby Rush Announces Retirement

In a major announcement this week, longtime Illinois Congressman Bobby Rush announced he will not be seeking another term.