And Campaign Chicago to host "Whole Life Ambassador" training

Have you ever wanted to learn more about what it means to be pro-life for the whole life? Come join us for a training to find out more.

Feb 16, 2024

In three weeks, And Campaign Chicago will host a Whole Life Ambassador training at the Chicago City Life Center. To learn more about And Campaign’s Whole Life Project, visit our Whole Life Project page.

And be sure to RSVP at the link below.

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The Round Up

Here are the stories that caught our eyes this week and what they mean for the weeks ahead.

South Shore voters to weigh need for protection from gentrification sparked by Obama Presidential Center

Advocates pushing to expand protections for longtime homeowners in South Shore from gentrification sparked by the under-construction Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park are hoping a nonbinding ballot question will breathe new life into their yearslong fight.

Voters in two precincts of the 7th Ward will find an advisory referendum on their March 19 primary ballot asking whether Ald. Greg Mitchell (7th Ward) and Mayor Brandon Johnson should “support a Community Benefits Agreement ordinance to prevent the displacement of renters, condo and home owners in South Shore in light of the impact of the Obama Center and growing development in the area.”

Five months ago, Alds. Desmon Yancy (5th Ward) and Jeanette Taylor (20th Ward) introduced a measure backed by a coalition of community groups designed to blunt the impact of gentrification spurred by the $500 million presidential center now under construction in Jackson Park in South Shore.

The measure has yet to get even a hearing, much less a vote, by the City Council’s Housing Committee, frustrating Dixon Romeo, the executive director of Not Me We, a member of the coalition that has described South Shore as the “ground zero” of Chicago’s housing crisis, with a high eviction rate and surging real estate prices.

CDC might drop 5-day COVID-19 isolation guideline — prompting mixed feelings in Chicago expert

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering recommending that people with COVID-19 only isolate for as long as they’re symptomatic rather than the current five-day isolation guideline.

Under the proposed change, the CDC says people would no longer need to stay home if they are fever-free for at least 24 hours without the aid of medication, and their symptoms are mild, according to the Washington Post, which first reported the proposal.

The new recommendation for COVID-19 would be in line with the CDC’s current guidelines on how to avoid spreading the flu and RSV. The agency last changed its isolation guidelines in 2021 when it went from recommending 10 days of isolation to five.

Early voting for Illinois primary election begins in Loop

Early voting for the March 19, 2024 Illinois primary election is now open in downtown Chicago.

The early voting supersite at Clark and Lake is up and running along with the location at the Chicago Board of Elections office at 69 West Washington Street on the sixth floor.

There was a steady stream of voters since the Clark and Lake site opened at 9 a.m. Election officials said voters can play it safe and vote early by mail or early voting sites.