POLITICS

Contributions members of the LGBTQ community have made to society would have to be taught in Illinois’ public schools. Workers, regardless of the size of their employer, will now be protected from discrimination on a number of reasons including race, sex, age, sexual orientation and religion. And distracted drivers who hurt someone while paying attention to their cellphones could face steeper penalties. More than a dozen state laws and policy changes for Illinois kick in July 1. Here’s a look at some of the highlights:

President Donald Trump ripped Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot over Chicago’s gun violence in a Friday night letter.

Walmart says it will reopen Chicago stores that closed during unrest over George Floyd's death at hands of Minneapolis police.

Welcome to The Spin, the Chicago Tribune's politics newsletter.

By Lisa Donovan

Jun 26, 2020

Cook County could incur a projected $410 million budget gap during the next fiscal year — the largest hole since 2011 and a sign of the extent the coronavirus pandemic has capsized local government finances.

Chicago’s annual summer jobs program will hire 20,000 young people this year, including 2,000 as part of a new youth service corps dedicated to service that will include helping with the city’s COVID-19 response, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday put up the stop sign on the idea of fans in the stands at Chicago’s ballparks this season, saying neither the Cubs nor the White Sox have provided any specifics on how they would keep attendees safe from the coronavirus.

Welcome to The Spin, the Chicago Tribune's daily politics newsletter.

By Lisa Donovan

Jun 25, 2020

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and other officials held a virtual town hall on Wednesday with leaders of the LGBTQ community to highlight longstanding health inequities in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Welcome to The Spin, the Chicago Tribune's politics newsletter.

By Lisa Donovan

Jun 24, 2020

The grants will expand internet access for thousands of businesses, ag8亚集团官方网站homes and farms across Illinois.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday he is not currently considering asking visitors to Illinois from states with spiking coronavirus infection rates to quarantine upon arrival, a measure the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut announced they would impose as summer officially begins.

State officials on Tuesday announced guidance for students and teachers to return to the classroom in the fall.

Welcome to The Spin, the Chicago Tribune's politics newsletter.

By Lisa Donovan

Jun 23, 2020

The Illinois Supreme Court announced on Monday that it would recruit a chief diversity and inclusion officer for the state’s judicial branch of government, acknowledging a need to address racism and to address “frailties in the disposition of justice” affecting people of color.

Welcome to The Spin, the Chicago Tribune's politics newsletter.

By Lisa Donovan

Jun 22, 2020

A federal appeals court panel has rejected an effort by state elections officials to delay a lower court ruling setting up new candidate filing rules for independent and third-party contenders to appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Chicago will move to phase four of reopening from the coronavirus this Friday along with the rest of the state, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Monday.

A host of local officials welcomed Amazon Inc.‘s decision Monday to open distribution centers in Matteson and Markham and the 2,000 jobs that go with them, but asked for more — a company decision to use the long proposed south suburban airport as an air cargo hub.

A Southwest Side alderman is calling on residents to help catch wag8亚集团官方网站homever scrawled racist graffiti on the front of a preschool in the Brighton Park neighborhood.

President Donald Trump and Republicans have fully embraced a return to in-person, grassroots organizing while the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his campaign have not, citing health risks to campaign staffers, volunteers and voters.