The latest
Guthrie’s Tavern in Wrigleyville to close, another casualty of COVID-19 restrictions
Guthrie’s Tavern, a Wrigleyville fixture for 34 years, announced its permanent closing Monday in a statement blaming the city’s latest tightening of pandemic-slowing regulations on bars.
“With the new restrictions set today for bars and the ongoing COVID restrictions, we don’t see a way we can survive,” said the statement attributed to “the Guthrie’s staff” on the establishment’s Facebook page.
It said Thursday will be the last day of business. Guthrie’s is at 1030 W. Addison.
Known for its ivy-covered exterior and generous collection of board games, the site had operated as a tavern under several names since Prohibition, becoming Guthrie’s in 1986.
News
7:31 a.m. Republicans mandate at-home COVID-19 pre-convention test for attendees as cases spike in Florida
With COVID-19 cases spiking in Florida, Republican convention goers will have to take an “in-home” COVID-19 test before they depart for Jacksonville, paid for by the Republican National Committee, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
Conventiongoers will have to agree to be tested twice — at home and when they get to Florida.
This comes as President Donald Trump — who moved the main convention venue to Florida from North Carolina to escape coronavirus pandemic restrictions — is confronted with the reality that Florida COVID-19 cases are surging at some 10,000-a-day.
The RNC convention memo, obtained by the Sun-Times, also notes officials are cutting back on the number of people who can attend Jacksonville events, limiting the attendance of alternate delegates and guests.
7:01 a.m. CPS could lose $10M to private schools, district says in lawsuit against Betsy DeVos over coronavirus funding
Chicago Public Schools has joined a federal lawsuit with 12 other states, cities and districts against U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos over her insistence that public school districts share more of their federal coronavirus relief funding with private schools.
The complaint centers around more than $13 billion earmarked for schools in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, known as the CARES Act, which Congress passed in late March.
The legislation calls for states and school districts to receive money based on how much Title I funding they’re allotted to serve low-income students, the lawsuit says. But DeVos, the complaint argues, has instructed funding to be distributed based on a school’s total number of students, which would divert money from public schools serving children from low-income families to wealthier private schools.
CPS’ CARES Act allotment is $205 million of the $569.5 million earmarked for Illinois. Officials estimate CPS would lose about $10 million if DeVos’ distribution guidelines stand.
Read Nader Issa’s full story here.
6:35 a.m. Lightfoot tightens regulations on bars, restaurants, gyms after COVID-19 spike among young people
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday tightened regulations on Chicago bars, restaurants, gyms and personal services to prevent a spike of coronavirus among young people from turning into a dangerous surge.
Effective at 12:01 a.m. Friday:
- Bars, taverns breweries and other establishments without a retail food license that serve alcohol for on-site consumption will be prohibited from serving their customers indoors.
- Restaurants will be permitted to continue to serve alcohol, so long as they strictly enforce the city’s regulations.
- The maximum party size and table occupancy at restaurants, bars, taverns and breweries will be reduced from 10 people to six.
- Indoor fitness classes will be limited to a maximum of 10 people.
- Facials, shaves and other personal services requiring the removal of face coverings will no longer be permitted.
- Residential property managers will be asked to limit guest entry to five-per-unit to avoid indoor gatherings and parties.
Last week, Lightfoot warned of a rollback unless young people who account for 30 percent of new COVID cases in the city get the message.
Read the full report from Fran Spielman here.
New cases
- Illinois saw 1,173 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, the fifth day in the past week that public health officials reported more than 1,000 new cases. Despite the uptick in infections, the state’s death toll from COVID-19 remained relatively low, with only six new deaths reported, the second consecutive day with that number.
