Sunday was Busiest Day at U.S. Airports Since Pandemic Took Hold in Mid-March

Air travel in the United States on Sunday reached its highest level since the pandemic took hold in mid-March, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

The agency reported screening 1,284,599 passengers at the end of the long Christmas weekend. It was the sixth time in the past 10 days that the daily volume exceeded 1 million. With New Year’s Eve approaching, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention repeated calls Monday for Americans to celebrate the holidays at home.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate is back in session today, one day after the Democrat-led U.S. House voted overwhelmingly to increase COVID-19 relief checks to $2,000. The outcome is the GOP-controlled Senate is uncertain.

Illinois health officials on Monday announced 4,453 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 105 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 942,362 and the statewide death toll to 16,074 since the start of the pandemic.

COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on key metrics in your area

Illinois coronavirus graphs: The latest data on deaths, confirmed cases, tests and more

COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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Here’s what’s happening Tuesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:

6 a.m.: After outbreak of COVID-19 in the spring, changes at Ludeman Center in Park Forest kept resurgence numbers down, officials say

What began as a health emergency at a state-operated development center in Park Forest has become a managed situation, according to two state legislators.

Although still serious, cases of COVID-19 at the Ludeman Center are down significantly from their peak in April, said state Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D- Chicago Heights.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, 21% of staff and 77% of residents at the Ludeman Center had confirmed cases of the virus, according to state data.

In May, challenges at the Ludeman Center included too few employees to manage such a massive viral outbreak and a lack of personal protective equipment for staff members exposed to contagious residents.

Intervention and assistance from state health agencies helped get the situation under control, according to DeLuca, who said shortly before Christmas, 12 residents and 20 staff of the Ludeman Center had COVID-19.

“There’s one resident who’s in the hospital, but I’m told she has underlying health conditions,” DeLuca said. “As of now, there are no issues with staffing and no issues with PPE.”

Read more here. —Carole Sharwarko, Daily Southtown

5 a.m.: Donnie Kirksey, Chicago basketball legend, dies at 57 of complications related to COVID-19

To many Chicagoans who knew him, Donnie Kirksey was a Hall of Famer in every sense of the word.

He was officially recognized as such through accolades in the Chicago Public League, the Illinois Basketball Coach/es Association and in many basketball circles in the state. But the title also extended to a personal level for many of the coaches, students and friends who knew him.

“He’s legendary, but he’s a Hall-of-Fame person and human being,” said Tom Kleinschmidt, 47, head basketball coach at DePaul College Prep who was friends with Kirksey for more than 30 years.

Kirksey, 57, died Monday of complications related to COVID-19, which he had been battling for a few weeks. He was the dean of students and head basketball coach at his alma mater Chicago Vocational Career Academy, but friends say his legacy extended far beyond his most recent position.

Read more here. —Kelli Smith

Illinois’ largest rodents are in city lagoons, rivers and streams. Now, they’re on Instagram and TikTok, thanks to pandemic-weary Chicagoans.

Among the more humble recipients of our longer walks and affinity for nature during the pandemic: beavers.

On recent mornings, shortly before and after sunrise, small groups of people have traveled to a bridge on the Northwestern University campus in Evanston. Some leave willow branches. For the beavers.

“They’ve got this whole following,” said Tamar Selch, who stops by regularly with her husband, Zach. “They’re very cute. And how often do you really get to see beavers out there?”

Illinois’ largest rodents are in city lagoons, rivers and streams. They’re on Instagram and TikTok. Sometimes a nuisance, and at other times a welcomed presence, beavers have found respite all over the state, a switch from when they were wiped out by hunters by the early 1900s — and a sign that water quality and habitat possibilities have long been on the upswing. Now they’re making their last push as the cold sets in to shore up their lodges and stock up on food.

And offering another reminder of what we notice when we spend more time outdoors.

Read more here. —Morgan Greene

In case you missed it

Here are some recent stories related to COVID-19:

COVID-19 vaccinations begin in Chicago’s hard-hit nursing homes.

Here’s a look at what’s in the COVID-19 stimulus package that Trump signed.

A nightmare year for Chicago restaurants and food suppliers may have permanently altered how and what we eat.

Lawry’s the Prime Rib’s final days: No “big last hurrah.”

More COVID-19 vaccines in the pipeline as U.S. effort ramps up.

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