The Chicago Zoological Society, which operates Brookfield Zoo, announced on April 5 that it had furloughed or laid off about one third of zoo employees whose jobs are deemed "not critically essential to support the minimum operations of the organization."

With last weekend marking two weeks since Illinoisans have been under a statewide executive stay-at-home order due to the coronavirus pandemic, life as we know it has been radically altered.

When the state's bars and restaurants shut down March 16, things got suddenly very dicey over at Quincy Street Distillery, the craft manufacturer of high-end spirits, including vodka, gin, bourbon and moonshine.

Beach Avenue BBQ, slated to open at 3453 Grand Blvd. at Eight Corners in Brookfield, put their restaurant opening on hold as the COVID-19 outbreak took hold in Illinois. 

If you're going to roll out a public safety Twitter feed, there's probably no better time than during a global pandemic. And while, Brookfield officials hadn't exactly planned on the timing, the Village of Brookfield Public Safety (@BrookfieldILPS) feed went live on March 30.

Local independent grocers say they're still very busy since the stay-at-home order has meant families are cooking in more, and while there remains a steady stream of walk-in customers, some customers would rather avoid close contact with fellow shoppers, at least for the time being.