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Happy Wednesday, Illinois. If you can t go to Italy, the
TOP TALKER
Republicans aren’t the only bracing for a big shift in the congressional remap. Democrats are wondering how redistricting might accommodate an additional Latino seat in Congress.
At The Virtual Table: Save the date for your next deep dive into politics
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The Amazon union drive showed us the future of US labor | Donna Murch
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Staff at public high schools across the city stayed home Wednesday, protesting Chicago Public Schools’ reopening plan.
Even so, Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey said that a “fairly limited set of issues” remain and he described bargaining between the union and administration as “fairly productive.” Negotiations continued into Wednesday evening, and it wasn’t yet clear whether teachers would work from home again Thursday or return to schools.
Sharkey later clarified his remarks while talking to reporters on an online news conference, saying, “There has been progress, but not adequate.”
He added: “It’s our feeling CTU is making very reasonable demands.”
Chicago Public Schools, teachers union prepare to reopen high schools
As COVID-19 cases rise in the Midwest, with the most alarming spike in Michigan, the seven-day average COVID-19 positivity rate in the city of Chicago has once again climbed to 5.4 percent. Genetic testing indicates the latest surge is being driven by the B.1.1.7 variant, which is estimated to be 50 percent more transmissible than the wild-type of the virus. As a result of the surge in cases, hospital admissions in the state of Illinois began to tick up last week.
On Thursday, Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Alison Arwady said, “We cannot be letting down our guard yet. At an individual level, it is high risk right now to be out and about and gathering in Chicago. Why are these cases on the rise? Honestly, they’re on the rise because people are feeling like we’re done with COVID and they are just staying home a lot less.”