It’s cold again (and snowy?). When will it end? Hope you filled out your bracket in time, Chicago. Here’s what else is happening today.
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(terimakasih0 / Pixabay)
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Illinois students have yet to recover from pandemic-era learning losses, according to a recent study from the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative that showed less than a quarter of school districts are “back to pre-pandemic levels in English language arts.” The figure is even lower for math scores.
One change Gov. J.B. Pritzker said could improve student achievement: banning an “impediment to learning in the classroom: cellphones.” During his budget address last month, Pritzker committed to requiring Illinois schools to ban cellphones during classroom instruction.
What lawmakers are doing about it:
Illinois legislators are answering Pritzker’s call, with Republicans and Democrats on the Senate education committee voting this week for a measure that was written in coordination with the governor’s office. Sponsoring state Sen. Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) said she gets distracted when she receives a text, so it stands to reason that students can’t focus on learning if they’re checking their phones during class. While some advocates are calling for Illinois to adopt a stricter policy, Castro said she expects the language advanced by the Senate panel (Senate Bill 2427) will be the final version. If this is the proposal that becomes law, here’s how it would work.
What's in it?
Illinois isn’t banning cellphones in schools outright, but it is mandating a ban on mobile devices during class or “instruction time” as it’s phrased in the legislation.
School districts have flexibility to decide whether the ban carries over during the rest of school hours like during recess, lunch and in the hallways.
School boards would have to have the policy in place before the 2026-27 school year.
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A woman working at the Chicago Women in Trades training center on March 7, 2025. (WTTW News)
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A Chicago nonprofit supporting women in trade work is suing the Trump administration over executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The lawsuit challenges two of President Donald Trump’s executive orders ending government support of DEI initiatives. Those orders call DEI programs illegal and immoral discrimination.
Here's the who and why:
Chicago Women in Trades Executive Director Jayne Vellinga said the federal lawsuit was necessary to support an underrepresented part of the workforce.
“The executive orders seek to undo all of that progress, which is not where it needs to be, to stop this momentum cold and sort of erase all of the efforts of the past many decades to help women achieve economic equity,” Vellinga said. While critics argue DEI focuses on prioritizing race and gender rather than skill, Vellinga said this perspective is far from their reality.
“There’s a very misleading narrative going on about DEI,” Vellinga said. “The one thing that I feel like I need people to understand is that these are not quotas. People are not taking jobs from people. They are getting an opportunity to apply. They are being recruited, so that they fill out their applications, they go through the process. They have an opportunity to show that they are qualified.”
Chicago Women in Trades is represented by a team of civil rights lawyers, including Sabrina Talukder, senior counsel with the Economic Justice Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. She explained there is confusion around the orders because they fail to define or describe the types of DEI activities or speech that could lead organizations to lose their federal grants or contracts.
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(WTTW News)
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A $175 million pension payment has been a major point of contention between Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Public Schools. Let's take a step back and talk pensions. The city’s pensions are underfunded to the tune of $35 billion, so the fear is that those retirement benefits won’t be there when workers retire.
Pensions affect nearly everyone — even if you’re not a public employee. Taxpayers have already been footing the bill to alleviate the pension debt. See, cities are rated on their fiscal stability, and credit rating agencies frown on pension underfunding. If they cut the city’s rating, it becomes more difficult and expensive for Chicago to borrow money. That extra cost either gets put on residents, often through higher taxes, or means less money for other city programs like schools, public safety or filling potholes.
How do pensions work?
They start out like most other retirement plans: A certain amount is taken out of a worker’s paycheck. That money gets invested in an effort to grow it. But a pension is a “defined benefit plan” in which workers are guaranteed a certain amount upon retirement — regardless of how the investment performs.
Why are the city’s pensions so severely underfunded?
The city just flat-out didn’t contribute enough to the pension funds. Chicago was following state law, which didn’t require the city to put in more.
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More From WTTW News
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A hastily scheduled meeting Wednesday afternoon at City Hall between Mayor Brandon Johnson, Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez and Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates failed to immediately result in an agreement to resolve the high-stakes contract negotiations.
Here’s what’s going on with that up-and-down weather we’re having.
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Back in the Day: March 20, 1890 - Sewage in Chicago River Angers Doctor
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If there's one thing most Chicagoans love it's the river. While it's much cleaner now, it used to be a source of pollution and disgust for residents. On this day 135 years ago, Mayor DeWitt Clinton Cregier received a letter from Dr. John Henry Rauch, the ex-secretary of the State Board of Health, on the condition of the Chicago River. The doctor doesn't mince words. “Owing to the increased quantity of sewage that empties into the Chicago River and the small amount removed by the Bridgeport pumps the river, during the last season, was as offensive as at any time before the deep cut in the canal was made, and, in fact, in the history of Chicago," wrote Rauch. "Not only is the river a nuisance in the present condition, but it is a positive source of danger to the health of the citizens of Chicago which will increase with its growth in population.” Rauch recommended increasing the city pumping capacity necessary to push the wastewater westward into the Illinois and Michigan Canal and Des Plaines River. Keep in mind that this was before the river was reversed in 1900, commencing a decades-long effort to make the Chicago River safer for the city. Now, it's even safe(r) to swim in. Hat tip to the great Chicago history blog Connecting Windy City for pointing out this letter.
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This Week’s Arts and Culture Events
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Each Thursday, WTTW News arts reporter Marc Vitali presents must-see cultural events.
In the news this week: Doctors in Switzerland are expanding their range of prescriptions to include visits to art galleries and museums. Would it be malpractice to add music, dance and theater to the list? You don’t need a prescription to experience the arts in Cook County, so go ahead — self-medicate. Take three of these and call me Monday morning.
“Sunny Afternoon” – Chicago Shakespeare Theater
The music of the Kinks is the star of this musical now in previews. Director Ed Hall worked with Ray Davies on the original London production and spent months assembling a Chicago cast that can really sing and play. I was lucky to visit a music rehearsal and went from a skeptic to a believer in minutes. (Yes, it really got me.) Full story next week on WTTW News. In previews-through April 27
“Even Stephen: Schwartz, Sondheim & Wonder” – Rhapsody Theater
I’m a sucker for a music show with an odd theme. The alliance of Chicago Cabaret Professionals delivers with songs from “Wicked,” “A Little Night Music” and … hits by Stevie Wonder. Maybe they’ll get to Stevie Nicks next year. This is the first of a monthly residency at the Rhapsody Theater, a charming and romantic spot on Morse Avenue that usually hosts magic shows. Monday, March 24
“Native Pop!” – Newberry Library
Popular culture meets Native American artists in an exhibition that explores the ways in which Indigenous people have helped shape the cultural canon — and how they’ve adapted the imagery for their own purposes. Consider it a leaping-off point for a deeper dive into the library’s growing collection of American Indian and Indigenous Studies. Opens March 20
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What's your favorite fun fact or piece of trivia about Chicago?
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
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