Daywatch: The future of kindergarten in Illinois schools

Good morning, Chicago.

President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy declared they had a productive debt ceiling discussion late Monday at the White House, but there was no agreement and neither side appeared to be giving ground as Washington strained to raise the nation’s borrowing limit in time to avert a potentially chaotic federal default.

It’s a crucial moment for the Democratic president and the Republican speaker, just 10 days before a looming deadline to raise the debt limit.

As soon as June 1, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, said in a letter to Congress, “it is highly likely” the government will be unable to pay all the nation’s bills. Such an unprecedented default would be financially damaging for many Americans and others around the world relying on U.S. stability, sending shockwaves through the global economy.

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A bill requiring public school districts in Illinois to establish full-day kindergarten within the next four years passed the state legislature Friday and awaits Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s approval.

“Full-day kindergarten benefits all parties, giving children more time to learn, teachers more time to educate, and working parents more accessible and affordable sources of child care,” said Rep. Mary Beth Canty of Arlington Heights.

After more than 30 years of reading books, loving books, selling books, and hosting authors and readers at his pleasant Forest Park bookstore named Centuries & Sleuths, Augie Aleksy is preparing to call it quits.

Many local and beloved music acts will make appearances, while some of the biggest national and international artists and bands will make headlining stops throughout the city. Dive into our list of some of the best of the bunch this year.

Chelsea Billingsley, Melissa Co, Ashley Crowe and Ayanna Hardy-Fuller make up this year’s Chicago cohort. The women were selected in a process that included nominations from the 2022 class focused on “embracing higher expectations for the industry and the world around them, transcending conventional standards and paying success forward for the betterment of their communities” and guiding principles.

On “Ted Lasso,” Jeremy Swift plays the team’s delightfully offbeat director of operations, Leslie Higgins. A lover of jazz, he is a man who might be more beaten down if he didn’t have the quiet self-confidence of a person who has his personal life figured out.

But the cringiest moments in an actor’s career, he said, “are the things that happen in live theater.”