Kids in hospitals. The number of Illinois children admitted to hospitals in this wave of the pandemic is 50% higher than a year ago—but the Tribune reports it’s worse in other states.
■ The Illinois High School Association is putting the squeeze on high schools: If they don’t enforce mask rules, their students won’t compete in state-sponsored playoff games.
■ If Illinois’ plight worsens, Gov. Pritzker warns, get ready for more “phases.” (Cartoon: Keith J. Taylor.)
■ Chicago to unvaccinated people in 43 states: Stay home.
■ A psychologist offers guidance on how to endure this round of “pandemic purgatory.”
On the plus side. Bloomberg reports: “Delta will be less scary after booster jabs” …
■ … and Johnson & Johnson says new studies indicate booster doses of its one-shot vaccine do a lot of good.
■ Maybe a special Avengers comic book can persuade skeptics to get the shot …
■ … or how about Delta Airlines’ plan to slap a $200 surcharge on unvaccinated workers’ health insurance premiums?
■ The Sun-Times’ Neil Steinberg asks: What if wearing masks makes us more free—by foiling government surveillance like those cameras coming to Chicago-area expressways?
Shotspotter censure. Chicago’s top watchdog is joining the chorus of critics who’ve concluded the city’s vaunted ShotSpotter technology is an expensive—and racially discriminatory—boondoggle.
■ Read the full report, which concludes that “ShotSpotter alerts rarely produce documented evidence of a gun-related crime.”
■ Whoops: A shooting suspect fleeing a car crash scene ran into a Lincoln Square restaurant where a bunch of cops just happened to be having lunch.
Thompson Center dreams. The Chicago Architecture Foundation has named finalists in a contest to reenvision the state of Illinois’ decaying Chicago headquarters.
■ The roster includes a proposal to transform the place into a water park.
‘How screwed is Adam Kinzinger?’ Politico games out the future for Illinois’ iconoclastic Republican congressman: “Donald Trump would love to take down Adam Kinzinger … in next year’s midterms. But Democrats might beat him to it.”
■ Men Yell at Me columnist Lyz Lenz talks to the new boss of RuralVote.org, a political action committee focused on winning votes in areas Democrats have mostly abandoned.
Robocall retribution. In a rare unanimous vote, the habitually deadlocked Federal Communications Commission is proposing to lower a $5 million boom on conspiracy theorists who bombed minority communities with vote-suppressing robocalls before the last election.
■ In October, a judge considering a separate lawsuit against these guys accused them of carrying out “electoral terror.”
■ A Boston University music prof explains how Watts infused the Stones with a touch of jazz and swing.
Water you waiting for? WTTW News offers a simple way to find out if your home is served by a lead water line.
‘What? It was an article in the Chicago Tribune whose popularity was so embarrassing for Facebook?’ Journalism watchdog Joshua Benton examines the case of a story that became a hit among anti-vaxxers.
■ The Onion: “Breaking: You Have Reached Your Free Article Limit.”
■ If you can’t chip in now, no guilt: You help Square grow simply by opening and reading each day. Or by sharing it with a friend. Thanks to all.