On the 25^th anniversary of the Chicago heat wave, which killed 739 people across Cook County, President Toni Preckwinkle announced the release of the County’s Clean Energy Plan.

 Working to provide assistance to underlying jurisdictions dealing with the financial fallout of COVID-19, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle on Wednesday announced at a Berwyn press conference the County’s plans to award over $51 million of coronavirus relief to local governments.

The National Association of Counties (NACo) recently announced that Cook County has been recognized with nine Achievement Awards. The awards honor innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services for residents.

President Preckwinkle today announced the launch of the 2020 Census online dashboard Census by the Numbers in English and Spanish. The Census dashboard has been designed to show and maintain transparency regarding Census dollars at work. Additionally, Cook County and partners provided updates about the County's 2020 Decennial Census efforts amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a major strategic pivot in outreach and spending. Much in-person outreach rapidly moved to mobile and digital outreach efforts.

Detailing a budget experiencing the strain of the coronavirus pandemic, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle today released the preliminary forecast for the County’s Fiscal Year 2021 showing a projected gap of approximately $280 million for the rest of this fiscal year and $410 million the following year as the widespread financial impacts of COVID-19 are touching nearly all aspect of the County and Health Systems operations.

Today, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle released the Reopening Plan for Offices Under the President. The plan guides the phased approach to reopen Cook County facilities to employees and the public.

While some senior staff members have already returned to work, the first official wave of employees will return on July 6, 2020. Cook County facilities will also reopen to the public on July 6, 2020.

After exceeding last year’s goals with more than 120 properties committed to installing solar, the Solarize Chicagoland program kicks off this week for residents in Cook County. 

For the second year in a row, Cook County is co-sponsoring Solarize Chicagoland, a program aimed at making solar more affordable and easier to attain for residents in Cook, Will, DuPage and Kane counties.

CHICAGO — Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) today announced that CCDPH will be receiving almost $41 million in grant funding from the Illinois Department of Public Health to rapidly scale-up its COVID-19 contact tracing program in suburban Cook County over the next three to six months. The funding will allow CCDPH to focus on communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced today that applications are now open for the Community Recovery Loan Fund.  Launched as part of the Bureau of Economic Development’s Community Recovery Initiative, the $10 million Community Recovery Fund offers one-time, zero-interest loans of up to $20,000 for small businesses and up to $10,000 for independent contractors.  

Cook County welcomed Denise Barreto as its inaugural Director of Equity and Inclusion on May 26, 2020, charged with coordinating and integrating racial equity principles into all County operations, projects and services. She will lead efforts already underway: galvanizing internal employee engagement and external community engagement to inform practices and principles that advance racial equity. Ms.