JB Pritzker

Gov. JB Pritzker signed four laws aimed at improving the lives of LGBTQ people, including wiping from the books a 1989 statute that made HIV transmission a crime and expanding infertility treatment options for queer couples.

The company, Sozo Health, sued after it was excluded from two of the three upcoming lotteries. Critics slammed the company as "rich white guys from out of town" who were ruining the process for more diverse applicants.

The work is starting five years after President Obama chose the Jackson Park site. "There has truly never been a better time to invest in our South Side," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

“This violence is the natural conclusion of Donald Trump’s efforts to unleash the forces of hate and divide our nation," Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement. "It must end.”

Chicago, which is in charge of its own vaccination program separate from the rest of Illinois, has not decided if it will also lower its age barrier to 65 for the next round.

Gov. JB Pritzker has held 42 updates this fall, and Friday marked his 155th coronavirus update since the pandemic's start this spring.

Le Piano owner Chad Willetts said music and art are "essential" and he might break the rules and open. Rogers Park neighbors criticized his plan.

Chicago, where cases and the positivity rate have skyrocketed in recent weeks, is well on its way to tripping the same metrics that have led to stricter rules in the suburbs and other parts of Illinois.

The potential for extra revenues at the state level doesn’t make a significant dent in the city deficit, and isn’t a silver bullet for fully funding items Lightfoot campaigned on last year.

The statewide eviction moratorium is "simply not enough" in Chicago, where illegal lockouts are on the rise, one organizer said.

Dr. Allison Arwady of the city's public health department said it's time to "double down" on wearing masks and hand washing to stay safe through the winter and prevent further spread of the virus.

Officials said 3.8 percent of all tests came back positive over the past seven days, a slight uptick from the 3.7 percent reported a day earlier.

Loved ones celebrated the lives of four Illinoisans who died of coronavirus as elected officials and faith leaders gathered for a statewide memorial on the University of Chicago campus.

The expiring eviction moratorium will "let loose an avalanche of misery on… Illinoisians that can’t make the rent,” organizers said, urging Gov. JB Pritzker to extend the eviction moratorium and cancel rent and mortgage payments.

Friday's numbers led to a slight increase in the state's 7-day positivity rate, which now stands at 4.1 percent.

An additional eight people died from coronavirus in the past 24 hours, officials said.

Gov. Pritzker's announcement comes one day after the Pritzker Traubert Foundation granted $10 million to the project.

The governor announced the proposal Friday morning, saying while Illinois has made progress in its fight against coronavirus, "the minority of people who refuse to act responsibly" are putting others at risk.

The rate of positive coronavirus cases is now at 4 percent, up from 2.6 percent a month ago.

Wrigley Field's rooftop clubs will be a rare place to watch live baseball during this coronavirus-shortened season.