🌱 Chicago Colleges Go Remote + Lakeview Pantry Leader Retires

Hello, Lakeview! Thanks for starting your Tuesday with Patch.

First, today's weather: Mostly cloudy; breezy, milder. High: 41 Low: 29.

Rent this space!

Are you a local business owner or marketer in Lakeview? We want to start connecting local businesses with our amazing readers. Click here to learn how it works.

Here are the top stories today in Lakeview:

1. More than 207,200 cases of COVID-19 were reported last week in Illinois, with 738 deaths. More than 357,000 new vaccine doses were administered, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. About 90 percent of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated. (NBC)

2. Chicago college students are “battling feelings of uncertainty again” as many campuses go remote for the first weeks of the semester due to the record-breaking spread of COVID-19. “This feels like March 2020,” University of Chicago student Hope Mailing said. (Paid source: Tribune)

3. About 3,000 scooters will be available on Chicago streets beginning this spring, but they will not be permitted on The Bloomingdale Trail, the lakefront trail or the Riverwalk, Block Club reports. City officials say as many as 12,500 scooters could be allowed if the first fleet meets safety requirements. (Block Club)

4. The Chicago Fire Department is reminding residents to stay off the ice after a Twitter video circulated of two people playing hockey on North Pond. “If you fall in the water, loss of dexterity in your limbs happens in less than three minutes,” the Chicago Police Marine Unit warned. (ABC)

5. Lakeview Pantry Chief Operating Officer Bill Thomas retired this week after more than 40 years serving the food industry and nonprofits. “For months, Thomas helped orchestrate a massive food distribution out of historic Wrigley Field, serving thousands of people affected by the pandemic,” the pantry said in a press release. (Pantry)

Doing a "Dry January" or just looking for a flavorful alternative to regular cocktails? Here's a suggestion: try a non-alcoholic drink from our partners at Betera. Created by an award-winning chef from natural botanicals, Betera’s drinks come in 3 flavors — Ginger-Orange, Elderflower-Lime and Rhubarb-Hibiscus. We tried Ginger-Orange, and it was excellent — lightly effervescent, floral with a hint of bitterness and the sippability of a cocktail.

Betera is offering readers of the Daily a 15 percent discount on their first order: use PATCH15 at checkout. Highly recommended — you can try Betera here.

Today in Lakeview:

• The Music Playhouse of Chicago hosts a free online music class for children younger than six. (11 a.m.)
• Give blood at Lincoln Park Public Library’s Versiti Blood Center drive. (Noon)
• Take a spin in Gallagher Way’s ice bumper cars. (3 p.m.)
• Chicago Public Library hosts an online writing club. (4:30 p.m.)
• See the animated feature “Belle,” already generating Oscar buzz, at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema. (4:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• The Brown Elephant is nominated for Best Retail Shop in the Chicago Reader’s Best of Chicago awards. (Facebook)
• Lincoln Park clean beauty retailer Art of Pure was featured on WGN’s “Chicago Scene” segment. (WGN)
• Nonprofit Coffee, Hip-Hop & Mental Health is planning to open near Belmont and Sheffield, helping Chicagoans find free therapy. (WGN)
• Gordon Ramsay called Chicago a “feisty, determined city that breathes quality” during his visit to promote his new River North restaurant. (Time Out)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

• Improovy Painters Chicago — (Visit website)
• Grants Tax & Accounting — (Visit Website)
• Add your business here

Loving the Lakeview Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

• Send a friend or neighbor this link so they can subscribe
• Get your local business featured in front of readers
• Send me a news tip or suggestion at georgi.presecky@patch.com

That's all for today, Lakeview! See you tomorrow for more neighborhood news.

— Georgi Presecky