Daywatch: Virus cases hit daily high, runners spark face mask debate and Chicago’s own ‘Tiger King’

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Good morning, Chicago. Here’s the coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.

Illinois officials on Wednesday announced the largest number of new coronavirus cases in a single day since the outbreak began — 2,049 new known cases — and 98 more deaths, bringing state totals to 35,108 cases and 1,565 deaths

In the U.S., there have been more than 840,000 infections recorded and the death toll stands at nearly 47,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University on Wednesday

Worldwide, there are more than 2.6 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and over 183,000 reported deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University on Wednesday

New coronavirus cases hit daily high, but Gov. J.B. Pritzker gives hints on what might reopen as he weighs stay-at-home extension

With millions of Illinois residents anxiously awaiting a decision on whether he will extend his statewide stay-at-home order beyond its April 30 expiration date, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday gave the clearest picture yet of the changes he’s considering.

The easing of restrictions could include reopening state parks and allowing some elective surgeries to resume. But as state officials announced 2,049 more known cases of the new coronavirus, the highest single-day total since the start of the outbreak, Pritzker continued to temper any expectations that the order — in place since March 21 — will be lifted in its entirety at the end of the month.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker not on board with Sen. Mitch McConnell’s support of states declaring bankruptcy to get out of pension debt

Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday rejected Republican U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s call for a pause in federal coronavirus relief aid to the states and support for allowing states like Illinois to file bankruptcy to unload heavy public employee pension debt.

Jussie Smollett’s lawsuit alleging malicious prosecution is tossed by federal judge

A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a suit by former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett alleging he was the victim of a malicious prosecution over his allegedly staged hate crime attack in January 2019. U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Kendall ruled that Smollett’s claim against the city of Chicago and several police officers cannot go forward now that he’s been re-indicted by a special Cook County grand jury on charges stemming from the same incident.

Pedestrians complain runners are passing too close on Chicago sidewalks during the pandemic. How risky is that, and should they wear face masks?

When pedestrians venture outside and try to keep their distance, there’s one encounter that seems unavoidable in some Chicago neighborhoods: Runners, attempting to squeeze by on narrow sidewalks, are getting too close for comfort.

Long before ‘Tiger King,’ Chicago had its own Joe Exotic

See how much of this sounds familiar. A man develops a loosely organized roadside zoo. It becomes an area attraction for the likes of visiting Brownie troops and curious journalists, and at the same time it draws the ire of animal-rights activists.

But along the way it all starts to go south for the man, ending in his conviction for hiring someone to murder a rival. There has been no documentary yet about Lorin Womack, whose Land O’Lorin Exotic Wildlife Haven was at least a Batavia curiosity and in some eyes an attraction in the waning years of the 20th Century.