What’s nu? Omicron. Why the World Health Organization skipped a few Greek letters on its way to naming the latest COVID-19 strain …
■ … whose existence is prompting the world’s nations again to clamp down on travel.
■ The Conversation: The speed with which it was designated a variant of concern was dizzying.
■ The Associated Press rounds up what we know and what we don’t know about omicron.
■ New York Times columnist Zeynep Tufekci: “The U.S. Must Act Now.”
■ National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins: “There’s no reason to panic, but it’s a great reason to get boosted.”
■ President Biden: Vaccination’s the way out.
■ Merriam-Webster’s word of the year: Vaccine.
■ The Onion’s wistful headline Friday: “Nation Nearly Strings Together 3 Good Days In Row.”
Remap deadline. If the Chicago City Council doesn’t approve a new ward map by Wednesday, Politico explains, the decision could go directly to voters for the first time since 1992.
■ Council members will convene on the matter twice today—in a full meeting at 10 and a committee meeting at 1.
‘Arrogant and incompetent.’ A Sun-Times editorial looks forward to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s ouster.
■ Chicago Congressman Mike Quigley wants the Postal Service to stop enabling the “buying, selling, possessing or receiving any animals for purposes of the animal participating in a fighting venture.”
‘Chicago’s greatest mayor.’ Thirty-four years after his death, Sun-Times columnist Laura Washington remembers Harold Washington (no relation) …
■ … who once upon a time read A Visit from St. Nicholas for WXRT-FM listeners.
■ And then there’s Rahm Emanuel, whose birthday’s today and who once joked about handcuffing journalists.
‘No one at Walgreens has had to take personal responsibility for stealing millions from its employees.’ Popular Information’s Judd Legum contrasts the consequences for a guy who stole a few hundred dollars’ worth of stuff from a San Francisco Walgreens store with the company’s mistreatment of its own staff.
■ Columnist Matthew Yglesias: Pay for members of Congress—and even more so its staff—is way too low.
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‘If you think you’re going to have to explain that the guy who pays the bills didn’t bully you into running something, don’t run it.’ Critics on and off the staff are sounding an alarm about the Chicago Reader’s decision to run a column by the paper’s co-owner opposing COVID-19 vaccinations for children.
■ The Reader’s co-publisher defends the decision this way.
■ Media critic Robert Feder: “His explanation leaves a lot to be desired.” (Middle of today’s column.)
■ Still, the Sun-Times’ Mark Potash contends, “The firing of Nagy is considered by many as fait accompli.”
■ Ex-Bear Dan Hampton was arrested over the weekend on drunk driving charges, but Feder notes his radio home WGN avoided mentioning it.