Daywatch: COVID public health emergency ends today

Good morning, Chicago.

More than three years after COVID-19 first sowed death and disruption, state and federal pandemic-related emergencies are officially ending today.

The end of the emergency declarations will bring a slew of changes to state and federal requirements and programs related to COVID-19. The changes come now that hospitals are no longer overflowing with COVID-19 patients and daily deaths across the country have dropped.

Here’s what the end of the emergencies means for Illinois residents, as society learns to live with COVID-19 long-term.

And here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.

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Lori Simmons leads fellow Uber drivers during a protest demanding better wages and a safer work environment along North Avenue on May 4, 2023, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

Ride-sharing giant Uber is trying to leverage Chicago’s hosting of next year’s Democratic National Convention and the city’s need for cash to quash pending legislation in Springfield that would put app-based ride-share companies on par with taxis when it comes to the liability of their drivers.

• GOP lawmakers say lack of guidance from attorney general puts gun buyers in legal jeopardy

Former President Barack Obama leads a panel discussion at Venue Six10 in Chicago for his My Brother’s Keeper initiative. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

Former President Barack Obama returned to Chicago this week to highlight cities across the country who will serve as “model communities” for his namesake My Brother’s Keeper initiative.

“My main charge to everybody here is: fight cynicism,” Obama said at the conclusion of the panel.

An Oak Lawn police officer removes what appears to be a gun from a bag carried by the arrested youth July 27, 2022. (Oak Lawn Police Department)

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In a July 2022 arrest of a teen, police video shows the youth being hit multiple times while pinned facedown on a village street, state police records show.

The department did cooperate with an outside investigation after the Cook County state’s attorney’s office requested it, though the three officers involved refused to be interviewed by the state police investigators.

Mark Guarino, author of “Country & Midwestern: Chicago in the History of Country Music and the Folk Revival,” is flanked by musicians Jane Baxter Miller and Robbie Fulks on May 8, 2023, in Chicago. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Mark Guarino loves the sounds of this city and has spent the last decade researching, interviewing and writing about the people who make music, promote music and those who sit and listen.

The book is titled “Country & Midwestern: Chicago in the History of Country Music and the Folk Revival” (University of Chicago Press).

Bears quarterback Justin Fields warms up in the cold to face the Eagles on Dec. 18, 2022 at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Bears single-game tickets and executive suites for home games at Soldier Field will go on sale after the announcement. A presale for season ticket holders and fans on the season ticket priority list will begin at 7 p.m., followed by sales to the public at 8:30 p.m.

Mario Ferraro makes an Italian beef sandwich at Ciccio’s Italian Beef in Navy Pier on April 20, 2023. (Eileen T. Meslar / Chicago Tribune)

Years before the hit FX show, “The Bear” made the humble Italian beef suddenly hip last year, food critic Nick Kindelsperger was hunting for Chicago’s best version. He has scoured classic beef stands, waited in line at numerous Italian delis and even spotted some creative interpretations from our city’s best chefs.

One place he never thought to look? Navy Pier.

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