Just stay home. Stopping short of another official pandemic lockdown, the Illinois
Department of Public Health is encouraging residents
to work remotely if possible and to avoid gatherings—even small ones—for the next three weeks.
■ An adviser to President-elect Joe Biden recommends a 4- to 6-week national lockdown—with financial aid to match.
■ Analysis of office key-card and fob data across 47 states concludes Chicago-area companies have had “some of the least success” in bringing people back to the office. (Or, if you’re Gov. Pritzker, maybe you’d consider it some of the greatest success in embracing pandemic workplace reality.)
‘It’s going to get worse before it gets better.’ Politico: Illinois is among states with the highest number of new coronavirus cases in the past seven days.
■ One suburban hospital has reverted to a COVID-only facility.
‘Science is back, baby.’ Mayor Lightfoot’s cut a video needling President Trump’s handling of the pandemic.
■ The post-election announcement of a COVID
vaccine reportedly prompted Trump to scream at his FDA commissioner. (Cartoon: Keith J. Taylor.)
■ The Daily Beast: The president’s own COVID task force warns that his refusal to concede to Biden will increase COVID casualties.
Plastic plague. A joint ABC7/Sun-Times investigation concludes increased demand for carryout food in the pandemic has triggered a flood of plastic waste that’ll be with us a century or more.
■ A Chicago alderman says that, with restaurants and bars closed and hotel rooms going cheap, Chicago-area young people are renting rooms for unregulated “spreader event” parties.
She seems nice. Subject line of fundraising email from Georgia Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler: “My plan to destroy Biden.”
■ Loeffler—a candidate in one of two crucial Senate runoffs in January—is an Illinois native (October link) and a product of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2019 link).
Battle for the benighted. CNN’s Brian Stelter surveys the field of challengers to Fox News for right-wing hearts and minds.
■ Membership in social media platform Parler has doubled as rival Twitter has lowered the boom on election-related lies and stupidity.
■ Axios: Trump has been telling people he wants to start a digital media company to “wreck Fox.”
■ The Onion, again: “‘I … I Am The Mainstream Media,’ Realizes Horrified Tucker Carlson
Spiraling Live On Air.”
Books bonus. The Chicago Public Library’s elimination of late fees has increased the number of long-overdue books returned.
■ People may need those books more than ever: The pandemic and related anxiety may fuel an unprecedented wave of Illinois teacher retirements.
The show must Zoom on. American Blues Theater isn’t letting the pandemic cancel its traditional holiday performances of It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!
■ The Tribune’s Steve Johnson salutes the seemingly Daily Show-inspired name the Kohl’s Children’s Museum has bestowed on its holiday offering: “Kohlights: A Mesmertastic Holiday Lightacular.”
■ The Sun-Times’ Richard Roeper gives four stars to Netflix’s new holiday movie, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey.
Burn of the day. “No go. The job requires ability to read.” — Former Trump spokesman Anthony Scaramucci on Twitter …
■ … responding to speculation the president could be the next host of Jeopardy!
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