Arne Duncan / Hawks GM / Konkol Column / St. Patrick's Day Parade

Dr. Ngozi Ezike wept Tuesday as she announced plans to step down as Illinois' public health director later this month.

I suspect, and sincerely hope, hers were tears of joy — an expression of great relief that she no longer has to endure the unexpected consequences of accepting a dream job that turned out to be a nightmare.

Despite her boss's coronavirus policy blunders, Dr. Ezike showed Illinoisans, regardless of their pandemic and political beliefs, empathy and grace amid so much turmoil.

KONKOL COLUMN: Dr. Ngozi Ezike's Empathy Transcended Pritzker's COVID Blunders

Spring-ish. High: 51 Low: 30.

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• Now that mask mandates have been lifted across Illinois, the decision whether to wear face coverings in most public places is a personal choice. More than 8,000 Patch readers who responded to an online poll were divided on whether to wear a mask when it is not required. (Patch)
• The political rumor mill was wrong. Former U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced he won't be running for mayor in 2023. (Patch)
• After a nationwide search for a new leader in the wake of a sexual assault scandal, the Blackhawks stripped the "interim" tag from Kyle Davidson's role as general manager. And Davidson says it's time for the team to rebuild, Jeff Arnold reports. (Patch)
• Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced World Business Chicago will suspend its sister-city relationship with Moscow over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Chicago "needs to go further in its definitive actions against Russia," the mayor said. (NBC5)
• Black people in Chicago are far more likely to be stopped by police, according to a new report from the city's inspector general. And that's not all. "Black people were disproportionately subjected to force, regardless of district demographic composition and district crime level," the report states. (CBS2)

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• The Beths/Lunar Vacation at Metro (8 p.m.)
• Forever Frida at The Old Town School of Folk Music (8:30 p.m.)
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• Bob Odekirk with Tim Meadows at the Music Box (7 p.m.)

Just The Links:

• Chicago's downtown St. Patrick's Day Parade set for post-pandemic comeback.
• Illinois' public health director, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, to step down March 14.
• Bears owner Virginia McCaskey kicks off Women's History month with a message.
• Chicago Architecture Foundation river tours are back!
• Eater's list of Chicago restaurants and bars keeping coronavirus mitigations in place.

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— Mark Konkol

About me: Mark Konkol, recipient of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting, wrote and produced the Peabody Award-winning series "Time: The Kalief Browder Story." He was a producer, writer and narrator for the "Chicagoland" docuseries on CNN and a consulting producer on the Showtime documentary "16 Shots."