dailyheraldchicago--2020-07-13--Feder: Mancow parties with Trump pal Roger Stone

When Chicago radio personality Erich Mancow Muller flew down to Florida last week he thought he 'd be attending a @ @ @ @ @ Roger Stone , who was set to begin serving a 40-month prison sentence for lying @ @ @ @ @ .
But thanks to a last-minute commutation Friday , it turned into a high-spirited celebration @ @ @ @ @ and former adviser to President Donald Trump .
In a series of fundraisers last year @ @ @ @ @ Cumulus Media news/talk WLS 890-AM , raised more than $ 100,000 for Stone 's defense @ @ @ @ @ , and more Chicago media news , at robertfeder.com .

Feder: Mancow parties with Roger Stone after Trump commutes sentence
When Chicago radio personality Erich Mancow Muller flew down to Florida last week he thought he'd be attending a pity party for his friend Roger Stone, who was set to begin serving a 40-month prison sentence for lying to Congress and witness intimidation.
But thanks to a last-minute commutation Friday, it turned into a high-spirited celebration for the Republican political operative and former adviser to President Donald Trump.
In a series of fundraisers last year, the morning host on Cumulus Media news/talk WLS 890-AM, raised more than $100,000 for Stone's defense.
Get the full report, and more Chicago media news, at robertfeder.com.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-07-12--New Zealand mosque gunman to represent himself at sentencing

WELLINGTON , New Zealand -- The Australian white supremacist who admitting killing 51 worshippers in a mass shooting at two New Zealand mosques has dismissed his lawyers and will represent himself when he is sentenced next month .
Brenton Harrison Tarrant had pleaded guilty in March to 51 charges of murder , 40 of attempted murder and one charge of engaging in a terrorist act for the shootings in Christchurch in 2019 .
His sentencing hearing , delayed by the coronavirus pandemic , is scheduled to begin in Christchurch on Aug. 24 and could last more than three days .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court session in Christchurch on Monday that was attended by some shooting survivors .
Tarrant 's defense team , lawyers Shane Tait and Jonathan Hudson , applied during Monday 's hearing for permission to withdraw as his counsel , a role they have filled since April 2019 .
They told the court they had been instructed by Tarrant to withdraw as he wishes to exercise his right to represent himself .
Tarrant participated in Monday 's proceedings by video link from his Auckland jail .
Justice Cameron Mander approved Tarrant 's request to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ satisfied he understood his right to legal representation and wished to waive that right .
A lawyer will still be appointed by the court to provide advice if Tarrant requests it .
Mander called for a pre-sentence report and statements from victims for the hearing .
Tarrant faces life imprisonment , with the judge having some discretion in deciding how many years Tarrant must serve before becoming eligible for parole .
The attacks targeting people praying at the mosques shocked New Zealand , where new laws were quickly approved banning the deadliest types @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global changes to social media protocols after the gunman livestreamed his attack on Facebook , where it was viewed by hundreds of thousands of people .
The sudden guilty plea in March surprised survivors and relatives and relieved many people who had feared Tarrant would try to use his trial as a platform to promote his views .

New Zealand mosque gunman to represent himself at sentencing
FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2019, file photo, Jonathan Hudson, left, and Shane Tait, defense lawyers for Brenton Tarrant, arrive at the Christchurch District Court in Christchurch, New Zealand. Tarrant who has admitting killing 51 worshippers in a mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15, 2019 has dismissed his legal team and will represent himself at a sentencing hearing next month. Tarrant's sentencing hearing, delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, will begin in Christchurch on Aug. 24, 2020 and could last more than three days. Associated Press
FILE - In this March 26, 2020, file image made from video, Brenton Harrison Tarrant appears in a screen via video link in Christchurch, New Zealand. The man who has admitting killing 51 worshippers in a mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15, 2019 has dismissed his legal team and will represent himself at a sentencing hearing next month. Tarrant's sentencing hearing, delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, will begin in Christchurch on Aug. 24. (TVNZ Pool via AP, File) Associated Press
WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- The Australian white supremacist who admitting killing 51 worshippers in a mass shooting at two New Zealand mosques has dismissed his lawyers and will represent himself when he is sentenced next month.
Brenton Harrison Tarrant had pleaded guilty in March to 51 charges of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one charge of engaging in a terrorist act for the shootings targeting people praying at the two mosques in the city of Christchurch in 2019.
His sentencing hearing, delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, is scheduled to begin in Christchurch on Aug. 24 and could last more than three days. The date was confirmed at a High Court session in Christchurch on Monday that was attended by some shooting survivors.
Tarrant's defense team, lawyers Shane Tait and Jonathan Hudson, applied during Monday's hearing for permission to withdraw as his counsel, a role they have filled since April 2019. They told the court they had been instructed by Tarrant to withdraw as he wishes to exercise his right to represent himself.
Tarrant participated in Monday's proceedings by video link from his Auckland jail. Justice Cameron Mander approved Tarrant's request to dismiss his lawyers, saying he was satisfied he understood his right to legal representation and wished to waive that right.
A lawyer will still be appointed by the court to provide advice if Tarrant requests it. Mander called for a pre-sentence report and statements from victims for the hearing.
Tarrant faces life imprisonment, with the judge having some discretion in deciding how many years Tarrant must serve before becoming eligible for parole.
The attacks targeting people praying at the mosques shocked New Zealand, where new laws were quickly approved banning the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons. It also prompted global changes to social media protocols after the gunman livestreamed his attack on Facebook, where it was viewed by hundreds of thousands of people.
The sudden guilty plea in March surprised survivors and relatives and relieved many people who had feared Tarrant would try to use his trial as a platform to promote his views.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-07-13--Manhunt in Germany for man who disarmed 4 police officers

BERLIN -- German authorities have deployed hundreds of police in the hunt for a 31-year-old man who disarmed four officers @ @ @ @ @ Monday .
Police in the southwestern city of Offenburg said that officers are combing through @ @ @ @ @ support of sniffer dogs and helicopters .
Authorities took the unusual step of naming the @ @ @ @ @ , warning that he is carrying several firearms and known to be violent .
Police @ @ @ @ @ Rausch near the Black Forest town of Oppenau early Sunday during which he initially cooperated @ @ @ @ @ gun on officers , threatening them and forcing them to hand over their service weapons @ @ @ @ @ the incident close to Germany 's border with France .
Rausch is described as being @ @ @ @ @ feet , 7 inches ) tall , bald , with a goatee beard and wearing @ @ @ @ @ .

Manhunt in Germany for man who disarmed 4 police officers
Police officers stay next to a police car in Oppenau, Germany, Monday, July 13, 2020. Authorities in Germany say they have deployed hundreds of police in the hunt for a 31-year-old man who disarmed four officers at gunpoint on Sunday, July 12, 2020. (Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa via AP) Associated Press
Police officers stay outside a wooded area on a road near Oppenau, Germany, Monday, July 13, 2020. Authorities in Germany say they have deployed hundreds of police in the hunt for a 31-year-old man who disarmed four officers at gunpoint on Sunday, July 12, 2020. (Sven Kohls/dpa via AP) Associated Press
BERLIN -- Hundreds of German police were involved in a manhunt Monday for a 31-year-old man in camouflage clothing who disarmed four officers at gunpoint a day earlier and then fled into the forest with a pistol, knife and a bow and arrow.
Authorities warned residents in the southwestern town of Oppenau to stay indoors while officers, supported by tactical teams, sniffer dogs and helicopters, combed the the surrounding rough terrain.
In an unusual step, authorities publicly identified the suspect by name as Yves Etienne Rausch, saying he was known to police for previous firearms offenses, was likely carrying several guns and could be violent.
Germany's air traffic control agency declared a no-fly zone of three nautical miles (3.5 miles) in the Black Forest region around Oppenau.
Police were alerted early Sunday by a member of the public about a suspicious person carrying a bow and arrow. Officers thereupon conducted an ID check on Rausch, who was described as being 170 centimeters (around 5 feet, 7 inches) tall, bald, with a goatee beard and needing glasses.
Officials said the suspect initially cooperated but then suddenly pulled a gun on the officers, threatening them and forcing them to hand over their service weapons. Nobody was injured in the incident, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Germany's border with France.
Rausch is believed to have been living in the forest for weeks, according to the regional police office in Offenburg.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-07-13--Illinois' COVID-19 positivity rate much lower than some neighbors'

Cases of COVID-19 rose by 883 Monday as deaths from the respiratory disease increased by six , the Illinois Department of Public Health reported .
The state hit a significant statistic with 2,012,994 tests performed for the virus with a positivity rate of 3 % based on a seven-day average .
For the day , 2.9 % of tests had positive results .
`` Illinois continues to aggressively expand our testing capacity , and we 've reached another milestone , '' Gov .
J.B. Pritzker said in a Twitter post .
`` We now average more than 30,000 tests a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just a month . ''
Statewide , cases reached 154,799 , and 7,193 Illinoisans have died from COVID-19 to date .
The data comes two weeks after Illinois entered Phase 4 of a five-phase reopening plan .
Phase 4 began June 26 and loosened many stay-at-home rules by allowing people to gather in groups of 50 or fewer , dine inside restaurants , and go to movie theaters operating under state restrictions .
The daily increase in cases surpassed 1,000 last week for the first time since June 5 .
Illinois ' positivity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when it hovered at 2.6 % , but compares favorably with other Midwestern averages .
Iowa is at 8.9 % , Indiana is at 8.4 % and Wisconsin is at 6.9 % .
Michigan 's average also is 2.6 % , according to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine 's Coronavirus Resource Center .
The highest positivity rate occurs in Arizona , with 26.6 % and 2,537 daily cases of COVID-19 , Johns Hopkins reported .
In Mississippi , the positivity rate is 21.5 % , and the new case count is 868 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with 1,949 more cases , and Florida is at 18.6 % and is experiencing a record-breaking surge -- 15,300 daily cases on Sunday .
The sharp contrast from state to state reflects the lack of a national policy addressing COVID-19 , Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital physician Jeffrey Huml said .
Cases of the disease are decreasing in Europe because `` their mandates came from the equivalent of the federal government and are based on science , not politicized , '' said Huml , medical director of critical care .
In Illinois ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10 or fewer , outdoor dining and many retail shops to reopen with capacity limits as of May 29 , the average daily case number was 834 .
In Phase 4 , that average as of Monday is 853.6 .
Increased testing is one reason for higher case counts , but it 's also because people are not wearing face masks and are entering crowded , confined areas , Huml noted .
`` I understand people want to get out and live their lives , but you have to live with the situational @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a pandemic and deadly virus , '' he said .
The six Illinoisans who died is the lowest number since March when fatalities were in the single digits .
Monday results can be outliers as some health facilities and coroner 's departments do not issue reports over the weekend .
Hospitalizations , a key indicator of how a state is handling the pandemic , stood at 1,362 as of Sunday , less than the seven-day average of 1,421 .
Since COVID-19 emerged , `` we 've had to learn on the fly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that intense troubleshooting has resulted in multiple ways to attack it , Huml said .
Those include using less invasive ways of providing oxygen than intubation or using steroids to alleviate symptoms .

Illinois' COVID-19 positivity rate much lower than some neighbors'
Cases of COVID-19 rose by 883 Monday as deaths from the respiratory disease increased by six, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported.
The state hit a significant statistic with 2,012,994 tests performed for the virus with a positivity rate of 3% based on a seven-day average. For the day, 2.9% of tests had positive results.
"Illinois continues to aggressively expand our testing capacity, and we've reached another milestone," Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a Twitter post. "We now average more than 30,000 tests a day -- a 50% increase in just a month."
Statewide, cases reached 154,799, and 7,193 Illinoisans have died from COVID-19 to date.
The data comes two weeks after Illinois entered Phase 4 of a five-phase reopening plan. Phase 4 began June 26 and loosened many stay-at-home rules by allowing people to gather in groups of 50 or fewer, dine inside restaurants, and go to movie theaters operating under state restrictions.
The daily increase in cases surpassed 1,000 last week for the first time since June 5.
Illinois' positivity rate has crept up from early July, when it hovered at 2.6%, but compares favorably with other Midwestern averages. Iowa is at 8.9%, Indiana is at 8.4% and Wisconsin is at 6.9%. Michigan's average also is 2.6%, according to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine's Coronavirus Resource Center.
The highest positivity rate occurs in Arizona, with 26.6% and 2,537 daily cases of COVID-19, Johns Hopkins reported. In Mississippi, the positivity rate is 21.5%, and the new case count is 868; South Carolina is at 19.1% with 1,949 more cases, and Florida is at 18.6% and is experiencing a record-breaking surge -- 15,300 daily cases on Sunday.
The sharp contrast from state to state reflects the lack of a national policy addressing COVID-19, Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital physician Jeffrey Huml said.
Cases of the disease are decreasing in Europe because "their mandates came from the equivalent of the federal government and are based on science, not politicized," said Huml, medical director of critical care.
In Illinois' Phase 3, which allowed groups of 10 or fewer, outdoor dining and many retail shops to reopen with capacity limits as of May 29, the average daily case number was 834.
In Phase 4, that average as of Monday is 853.6.
Increased testing is one reason for higher case counts, but it's also because people are not wearing face masks and are entering crowded, confined areas, Huml noted.
"I understand people want to get out and live their lives, but you have to live with the situational awareness that we're in the midst of a pandemic and deadly virus," he said.
The six Illinoisans who died is the lowest number since March when fatalities were in the single digits. Monday results can be outliers as some health facilities and coroner's departments do not issue reports over the weekend.
Hospitalizations, a key indicator of how a state is handling the pandemic, stood at 1,362 as of Sunday, less than the seven-day average of 1,421.
Since COVID-19 emerged, "we've had to learn on the fly how to treat this virus," and that intense troubleshooting has resulted in multiple ways to attack it, Huml said. Those include using less invasive ways of providing oxygen than intubation or using steroids to alleviate symptoms.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-07-13--Family 'shocked' after conviction overturned in 41-year-old Inverness murder case

Helen Gaimari was in her 90s by the time she got the news she had waited decades for : Her daughter-in-law Jacquelyn Greco had been convicted of murdering Helen 's third child , Carl Gaimari , a commodities broker who had been shot to death in the basement of his Inverness home 37 years earlier .
The long-awaited verdict came in October 2016 .
Two months later , a judge sentenced Greco to 30 years in prison .
The day after Greco arrived at the Logan Correctional Center in January 2017 to begin her sentence , 99-year-old Helen Gaimari died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's brother Michael Gaimari said .
`` She wanted to live until that day came about . ''
Family members thought the case was over .
But earlier this month , an Illinois Appellate Court overturned Greco 's conviction and ordered a new trial .
Oh no , thought Michael Gaimari , not again .
`` We were shocked , '' said John Gaimari , Carl 's younger brother .
`` We did n't think there was a snowball 's chance in hell any appeal would win based on the evidence of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if they will retry Greco , now 73 .
A spokeswoman for Cook County State 's Attorney Kimberly Foxx says the office is reviewing the court 's decision to determine the next steps .
During the trial , prosecutors said two men entered the couple 's home on April 30 , 1979 , bound Greco and three of her and Gaimari 's four children and locked them in a master bedroom closet .
Later that afternoon , the men , who were never identified , shot Carl Gaimari six times with his own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Chicago Board of Trade .
The couple 's 15-year-old daughter returned to the family 's Turkey Trail Road home that day to discover her mother and siblings locked in the closet .
A short time later , the couple 's 13-year-old daughter discovered Gaimari 's body in the basement .
Prosecutors say greed motivated Greco whose marriage was described as troubled .
They say she was having an affair at the time of the slaying and that she and her lover -- former Chicago police officer Sam Greco -- came up with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his death , Carl Gaimari 's belongings were removed from the house , said Michael Gaimari .
Within a week , Greco 's lover moved in , and four months later they were married .
Sam Greco was never charged .
He died last year .
For decades , the investigation went nowhere .
Police would get a lead here and there , said Michael Gaimari , but it was n't until 2012 that prosecutors say police received permission to record Greco 's phone conversations .
Authorities claimed Greco implicated herself during a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Elsie Fry .
During that tearful conversation , Fry informed Greco she told prosecutors that Greco mentioned killing Gaimari two months before the murder .
`` I did n't do it , '' Greco said during the conversation , which was played for jurors .
`` I know , '' said Fry during the same conversation , `` but you told me how it was going to be done . ''
Defense attorneys insisted Greco did n't want her husband killed .
They pointed to the recorded conversation with Fry during which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough to put me away .
You 're my sister but you 're a witness against me ... That 's enough to put me away .
Not that I killed him , but I knew . ''
At another point in the recording , Greco spoke of a plan to kill Gaimari , saying : `` It 's what I wanted to happen but I did n't want it to happen .
I would never take my children 's father away . ''
In their appeal , Greco 's attorneys argued that circumstantial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reconcile and that Greco had `` withdrawn from the plan to kill her husband . ''
They said the trial court erred because the judge did not instruct jurors on the defense 's theory .
Assistant Cook County Public Defender Julie Koehler said she always thought Greco 's verdict would be reversed .
If prosecutors retry the case , `` we pull everything out of storage .
We find where witnesses are and we get ready for trial , '' Koehler said .
The Gaimari brothers say they have faith in the system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We 'll be present every day , every hour , '' said Michael Gaimari , 78 .
`` We expect justice to be served , '' said John Gaimari , 65 .
`` We do not expect leniency because of age , health or any other reason .
Carl did not get an option .
... His future was decided by someone else without his consent . ''

Family 'shocked' after conviction overturned in 41-year-old Inverness murder case
Helen Gaimari was in her 90s by the time she got the news she had waited decades for: Her daughter-in-law Jacquelyn Greco had been convicted of murdering Helen's third child, Carl Gaimari, a commodities broker who had been shot to death in the basement of his Inverness home 37 years earlier.
The long-awaited verdict came in October 2016. Two months later, a judge sentenced Greco to 30 years in prison. The day after Greco arrived at the Logan Correctional Center in January 2017 to begin her sentence, 99-year-old Helen Gaimari died.
"Mom knew," Carl's brother Michael Gaimari said. "She wanted to live until that day came about."
Family members thought the case was over. But earlier this month, an Illinois Appellate Court overturned Greco's conviction and ordered a new trial.
Oh no, thought Michael Gaimari, not again.
"We were shocked," said John Gaimari, Carl's younger brother. "We didn't think there was a snowball's chance in hell any appeal would win based on the evidence of the trial."
Prosecutors haven't indicated if they will retry Greco, now 73. A spokeswoman for Cook County State's Attorney Kimberly Foxx says the office is reviewing the court's decision to determine the next steps.
During the trial, prosecutors said two men entered the couple's home on April 30, 1979, bound Greco and three of her and Gaimari's four children and locked them in a master bedroom closet. Later that afternoon, the men, who were never identified, shot Carl Gaimari six times with his own gun after the 34-year-old returned home from the Chicago Board of Trade.
The couple's 15-year-old daughter returned to the family's Turkey Trail Road home that day to discover her mother and siblings locked in the closet. A short time later, the couple's 13-year-old daughter discovered Gaimari's body in the basement.
Prosecutors say greed motivated Greco whose marriage was described as troubled. They say she was having an affair at the time of the slaying and that she and her lover -- former Chicago police officer Sam Greco -- came up with the home invasion/murder. Within days of his death, Carl Gaimari's belongings were removed from the house, said Michael Gaimari. Within a week, Greco's lover moved in, and four months later they were married.
Sam Greco was never charged. He died last year.
For decades, the investigation went nowhere. Police would get a lead here and there, said Michael Gaimari, but it wasn't until 2012 that prosecutors say police received permission to record Greco's phone conversations. Authorities claimed Greco implicated herself during a February 2013 phone conversation with her sister, Elsie Fry. During that tearful conversation, Fry informed Greco she told prosecutors that Greco mentioned killing Gaimari two months before the murder.
"I didn't do it," Greco said during the conversation, which was played for jurors.
"I know," said Fry during the same conversation, "but you told me how it was going to be done."
Defense attorneys insisted Greco didn't want her husband killed. They pointed to the recorded conversation with Fry during which Greco said: "Your testimony is enough to put me away. You're my sister but you're a witness against me ... That's enough to put me away. Not that I killed him, but I knew."
At another point in the recording, Greco spoke of a plan to kill Gaimari, saying: "It's what I wanted to happen but I didn't want it to happen. I would never take my children's father away."
In their appeal, Greco's attorneys argued that circumstantial evidence showed the couple had attempted to reconcile and that Greco had "withdrawn from the plan to kill her husband." They said the trial court erred because the judge did not instruct jurors on the defense's theory.
Assistant Cook County Public Defender Julie Koehler said she always thought Greco's verdict would be reversed.
If prosecutors retry the case, "we pull everything out of storage. We find where witnesses are and we get ready for trial," Koehler said.
The Gaimari brothers say they have faith in the system and hope for a conviction.
"We'll be present every day, every hour," said Michael Gaimari, 78.
"We expect justice to be served," said John Gaimari, 65. "We do not expect leniency because of age, health or any other reason. Carl did not get an option. ... His future was decided by someone else without his consent."


dailyheraldchicago--2020-07-13--A Carol Stream father's struggle to survive as COVID-19 sweeps through his family

The medical team also caring for his wife and son was running out of options to save his life .
While ventilators kept his closest loved ones alive , the machine was n't enough to help Chuck Drungelo , a 54-year-old father and loyal White Sox fan , survive a ferocious case of COVID-19 .
His doctors turned to a last-resort therapy : placing large tubes in his veins and connecting Drungelo to a heart-lung bypass machine .
His blood funneled from his body to an artificial lung that removed carbon dioxide and infused oxygen before the machine pumped it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last line of defense between life and death in some of these patients , '' said Dr. Jeffrey Huml , a critical care specialist at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield .
The process known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation , or ECMO , carries significant risks .
Doctors use it on the sickest coronavirus patients to give their lungs , inflamed and damaged by their infections , time to heal .
Globally , more than 1,800 coronavirus patients have been placed on ECMO , according to a registry by Extracorporeal Life Support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care institutions .
At Central DuPage Hospital , all four patients who have received ECMO support over the course of the pandemic are now out of the intensive care unit .
Drungelo 's lungs were stiff and his blood oxygen levels falling when doctors tried ECMO .
They went to extraordinary lengths to help him beat the virus , and in the process , kept a Carol Stream family -- all COVID-19 survivors -- intact .
COVID-19 spared no one in the household of four .
Drungelo 's mother-in-law , Barbara Elkins , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hospital , followed by his son , Jordan , 25 , and then Drungelo himself , on April 20 .
His wife , Diane , a sign language interpreter at Park View Elementary School in Glen Ellyn , had to call an ambulance for herself .
`` That morning , I could barely move , '' she said .
`` I could barely get myself down the stairs . ''
As Diane Drungelo 's condition increasingly worsened , she had to put other relatives in charge of her son 's and husband @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the only one in the family who did n't need a ventilator .
`` I 've always been the caretaker in the family , and it was probably one of the most difficult things I had ever been through , knowing that I could n't be there for them , '' she said .
Diane Drungelo , 53 , was laying in a hospital bed next to her husband 's room in the intensive care unit .
Their son was two doors down .
Both men in the family have asthma , making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus .
But doctors considered the family patriarch the most critically ill patient at Central DuPage .
Chuck Drungelo had multiple organ systems failing at the same time , and his chances of surviving were slim .
`` His statistical mortality in the ICU at one point in time probably would have been in excess of 90 % , '' Huml said .
Putting Drungelo in the prone position , or turning him onto his stomach , also did n't help his oxygenation .
One of Huml 's colleagues suggested ECMO , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to the global registry .
`` I said the data with ECMO in COVID patients is not really all that good , but we really had no choice , '' Huml said .
Unaware of the toll on his wife and son , Chuck Drungelo remained heavily sedated and required paralytic drugs to keep him still while ECMO diverted blood outside his body .
He also needed blood thinners to prevent clotting .
The process poses risks for bleeding , stroke and infection .
`` There was an immediate response in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but we still needed time to allow his lungs to heal , '' Huml said .
`` And the best way to do that is to basically minimally ventilate the lungs and allow the technology to do all the work .
And so that allows the inflammation in the lungs to decrease , the fibrosis to not develop . ''
After Diane Drungelo had improved enough to have her breathing tube removed , she asked Huml to tell her husband of 26 years she sent her love .
`` 'Hey Chuck , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ya , ' '' Huml told him .
`` And I do n't know whether he heard me or not .
But I think that one of the things that kept this family going is that the father just kept saying over and over again in his mind , ' I have to survive for my son and my family . '
'' Katie Reimer , his ICU nurse , tried to be a positive presence .
A fellow Sox fan , Reimer told Drungelo he had to get out of the hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ together .
`` We were all rooting for him , '' she said .
`` That 's devastating .
The whole family ?
My God , it makes me cry now . ''
During video calls , his nurses showed his wife the complexities of the ECMO machine .
`` I was just so glad that Central DuPage had one because otherwise he would not be here , '' Diane Drungelo said .
`` There 's no doubt in my mind . ''
Chuck Drungelo does n't remember being so close to death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he would leave the hospital alive for the sake of his son and his wife .
`` I did n't ask for myself .
I asked for them , '' Drungelo said , gathering his composure .
He spent 19 days on ECMO , then went to RML Specialty Hospital in Hinsdale , where he was weaned off the ventilator , and finally Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital in Wheaton for physical and occupational therapy .
He impressed his therapists with his progress , reaching his goal of moving on his own without the assistance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ordeal , he finally left Marianjoy at the start of month .
Greeting him were the embraces of his wife and son and the cheers of his ICU nurses .
`` It was a wonderful shot in the arm , and it was vindication for all of our hard work , '' Huml said .
`` And it was vindication for the entire team to see this whole family survive . ''
Drungelo is feeling more and more like his normal self .
But it 's still too soon to return to work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreman at a South Elgin plastics company .
So his family has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to help with expenses not covered by their health insurance .
`` I know I could n't handle eight and a half hours on my feet all day , so I 've got a ways to go , but I keep pushing , '' said Drungelo , who lost about 40 pounds .
His lingering symptoms illustrate how COVID-19 patients face an unclear path to recovery .
`` I know I have an elevated heart rate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's a side effect of COVID , '' Drungelo said .
He 's not sure how he contracted the virus .
He said he was the first person to develop it at his workplace , an essential business .
He suspects he may have picked it up when he was n't wearing a mask running errands at stores .
Illinois would n't order a mask requirement until May .
As the state recorded 1,195 new cases Saturday , Drungelo urged vigilance .
`` We owe it to each other , '' he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this . ''

A Carol Stream father's struggle to survive as COVID-19 sweeps through his family
Julie Dahl, a physical therapist at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital in Wheaton, helps COVID-19 survivor Chuck Drungelo with an exercise. Courtesy of Northwestern Medicine
"There's just so much to be grateful for," says Diane Drungelo, who, along with her, husband, Chuck, and their son Jordan, continue to recover from COVID-19. Courtesy of Northwestern Medicine
The medical team also caring for his wife and son was running out of options to save his life.
While ventilators kept his closest loved ones alive, the machine wasn't enough to help Chuck Drungelo, a 54-year-old father and loyal White Sox fan, survive a ferocious case of COVID-19.
His doctors turned to a last-resort therapy: placing large tubes in his veins and connecting Drungelo to a heart-lung bypass machine. His blood funneled from his body to an artificial lung that removed carbon dioxide and infused oxygen before the machine pumped it back.
"It's really a last line of defense between life and death in some of these patients," said Dr. Jeffrey Huml, a critical care specialist at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield.
The process known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, carries significant risks. Doctors use it on the sickest coronavirus patients to give their lungs, inflamed and damaged by their infections, time to heal.
Globally, more than 1,800 coronavirus patients have been placed on ECMO, according to a registry by Extracorporeal Life Support Organization, a nonprofit consortium of health care institutions.
At Central DuPage Hospital, all four patients who have received ECMO support over the course of the pandemic are now out of the intensive care unit.
Drungelo's lungs were stiff and his blood oxygen levels falling when doctors tried ECMO. They went to extraordinary lengths to help him beat the virus, and in the process, kept a Carol Stream family -- all COVID-19 survivors -- intact.
The family's toll
COVID-19 spared no one in the household of four.
Drungelo's mother-in-law, Barbara Elkins, was the first to end up in the hospital, followed by his son, Jordan, 25, and then Drungelo himself, on April 20.
His wife, Diane, a sign language interpreter at Park View Elementary School in Glen Ellyn, had to call an ambulance for herself.
"That morning, I could barely move," she said. "I could barely get myself down the stairs."
As Diane Drungelo's condition increasingly worsened, she had to put other relatives in charge of her son's and husband's care. Her 81-year-old mother was the only one in the family who didn't need a ventilator.
"I've always been the caretaker in the family, and it was probably one of the most difficult things I had ever been through, knowing that I couldn't be there for them," she said.
Diane Drungelo, 53, was laying in a hospital bed next to her husband's room in the intensive care unit. Their son was two doors down. Both men in the family have asthma, making them more vulnerable to severe complications from the virus.
Chuck Drungelo was at one point the sickest virus patient at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield. - Courtesy of Raeann Shedd
But doctors considered the family patriarch the most critically ill patient at Central DuPage. Chuck Drungelo had multiple organ systems failing at the same time, and his chances of surviving were slim.
"His statistical mortality in the ICU at one point in time probably would have been in excess of 90%," Huml said.
Putting Drungelo in the prone position, or turning him onto his stomach, also didn't help his oxygenation.
One of Huml's colleagues suggested ECMO, a technology available at 264 U.S. hospitals, according to the global registry.
"I said the data with ECMO in COVID patients is not really all that good, but we really had no choice," Huml said.
Unaware of the toll on his wife and son, Chuck Drungelo remained heavily sedated and required paralytic drugs to keep him still while ECMO diverted blood outside his body. He also needed blood thinners to prevent clotting. The process poses risks for bleeding, stroke and infection.
"There was an immediate response in terms of his blood oxygen level, but we still needed time to allow his lungs to heal," Huml said. "And the best way to do that is to basically minimally ventilate the lungs and allow the technology to do all the work. And so that allows the inflammation in the lungs to decrease, the fibrosis to not develop."
After Diane Drungelo had improved enough to have her breathing tube removed, she asked Huml to tell her husband of 26 years she sent her love.
"'Hey Chuck, you know your wife says that she loves ya,'" Huml told him. "And I don't know whether he heard me or not. But I think that one of the things that kept this family going is that the father just kept saying over and over again in his mind, 'I have to survive for my son and my family.'"
Katie Reimer, his ICU nurse, tried to be a positive presence. A fellow Sox fan, Reimer told Drungelo he had to get out of the hospital so they could go to a game together.
"We were all rooting for him," she said. "That's devastating. The whole family? My God, it makes me cry now."
"It is the last-ditch effort to basically allow the lungs time to heal," Northwestern Medicine Dr. Jeffrey Huml says of ECMO machines. - Courtesy of Northwestern Medicine
During video calls, his nurses showed his wife the complexities of the ECMO machine.
"I was just so glad that Central DuPage had one because otherwise he would not be here," Diane Drungelo said. "There's no doubt in my mind."
'Keep pushing'
Chuck Drungelo doesn't remember being so close to death. But he does recall praying that he would leave the hospital alive for the sake of his son and his wife.
"I didn't ask for myself. I asked for them," Drungelo said, gathering his composure.
He spent 19 days on ECMO, then went to RML Specialty Hospital in Hinsdale, where he was weaned off the ventilator, and finally Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital in Wheaton for physical and occupational therapy.
He impressed his therapists with his progress, reaching his goal of moving on his own without the assistance of a walker.
"I'm stubborn. I'm a fighter," Drungelo said.
After a 72-day ordeal, he finally left Marianjoy at the start of month. Greeting him were the embraces of his wife and son and the cheers of his ICU nurses.
"It was a wonderful shot in the arm, and it was vindication for all of our hard work," Huml said. "And it was vindication for the entire team to see this whole family survive."
- Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer As he was discharged from Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital July 1, COVID-19 survivor Chuck Drungelo received an elbow bump from ICU nurse Katie Reimer. Both share a love for the White Sox.
Drungelo is feeling more and more like his normal self. But it's still too soon to return to work for a physically demanding job as a foreman at a South Elgin plastics company. So his family has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to help with expenses not covered by their health insurance.
"I know I couldn't handle eight and a half hours on my feet all day, so I've got a ways to go, but I keep pushing," said Drungelo, who lost about 40 pounds.
His lingering symptoms illustrate how COVID-19 patients face an unclear path to recovery.
"I know I have an elevated heart rate just even at rest, and that's a side effect of COVID," Drungelo said.
He's not sure how he contracted the virus. He said he was the first person to develop it at his workplace, an essential business. He suspects he may have picked it up when he wasn't wearing a mask running errands at stores. Illinois wouldn't order a mask requirement until May.
As the state recorded 1,195 new cases Saturday, Drungelo urged vigilance.
"We owe it to each other," he said. "We need to get past this."


dailyheraldchicago--2020-07-13--Customers rally around Continental Restaurant in Buffalo Grove after flower theft

During his 25 years serving customers at the Continental Restaurant in Buffalo Grove , Pete Panayiotou has earned a reputation for giving back to the community by hosting and sponsoring numerous charity events .
Last week , the tables were turned as the community gave back to him -- making him whole and then some -- after a recent theft .
Panayiotou placed flowers and plants outside the restaurant , 788 S. Buffalo Grove Road , to welcome back customers after the state eased stay-at-home restrictions enacted to curb the spread of COVID-19 .
But in the early morning hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Security footage later revealed that at about 1:45 a.m. , a car pulled up to the popular dining spot and a woman wearing a long dress over a short-sleeved shirt got out , grabbed the flowers and drove off .
`` Who would get up at two o'clock in the morning ... to come out and steal $ 150 worth of flowers ? ''
an incredulous Panayiotou asked .
When video of the theft was shared on Facebook , the community response was overwhelming .
`` I could not believe it , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nine new bouquets of flowers way better than the ones I had before . ''
He also received at least $ 90 in cash , and one customer even started a GoFundMe online fundraiser to help Panayiotou .
So far it 's raised $ 329 .
`` It 's amazing , the support and the respect we picked up from this community , '' he said .
`` Something that was so horrible , it turned out to be so amazing . ''
One of those who brought flowers to the Continental was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sabath .
Sabath , who rents the Continental banquet room every year for a party with her Jewish motorcycle group , the Chaiway Riders , said she was shocked when she learned of theft .
`` It saddens me that someone felt that they could just go and take someone else 's property , '' she said .
`` Especially Pete , of all people .
He 's the most generous person you could ever meet .
Why would someone take something from him ? ''

Customers rally around Continental Restaurant in Buffalo Grove after flower theft
Security camera footage from the Continental Restaurant in Buffalo Grove shows a person stealing flower pots from the outdoor dining area. Courtesy of Pete Panayiotou
During his 25 years serving customers at the Continental Restaurant in Buffalo Grove, Pete Panayiotou has earned a reputation for giving back to the community by hosting and sponsoring numerous charity events.
Last week, the tables were turned as the community gave back to him -- making him whole and then some -- after a recent theft.
Panayiotou placed flowers and plants outside the restaurant, 788 S. Buffalo Grove Road, to welcome back customers after the state eased stay-at-home restrictions enacted to curb the spread of COVID-19.
But in the early morning hours of July 5, the flowers vanished. Security footage later revealed that at about 1:45 a.m., a car pulled up to the popular dining spot and a woman wearing a long dress over a short-sleeved shirt got out, grabbed the flowers and drove off.
"Who would get up at two o'clock in the morning ... to come out and steal $150 worth of flowers?" an incredulous Panayiotou asked.
When video of the theft was shared on Facebook, the community response was overwhelming.
"I could not believe it," Panayiotou said. "I got nine new bouquets of flowers way better than the ones I had before."
He also received at least $90 in cash, and one customer even started a GoFundMe online fundraiser to help Panayiotou. So far it's raised $329.
"It's amazing, the support and the respect we picked up from this community," he said. "Something that was so horrible, it turned out to be so amazing."
One of those who brought flowers to the Continental was Buffalo Grove resident and regular patron Mara Sabath.
Sabath, who rents the Continental banquet room every year for a party with her Jewish motorcycle group, the Chaiway Riders, said she was shocked when she learned of theft.
"It saddens me that someone felt that they could just go and take someone else's property," she said. "Especially Pete, of all people. He's the most generous person you could ever meet. Why would someone take something from him?"


dailyheraldchicago--2020-07-13--Chicago Marathon canceled due to pandemic

The city of Chicago said Monday it has canceled the race and all related weekend activities .
`` While we @ @ @ @ @ line 26.2 miles of our streets this October , the health and safety of everyone @ @ @ @ @ event is our highest priority .
In response to the ongoing public health concerns brought @ @ @ @ @ , event organizers and the city of Chicago announced the decision to cancel , '' @ @ @ @ @ posting .
Registered runners can receive a refund for their race entry or defer their @ @ @ @ @ the race in 2021 , 2022 or 2023 .
The same is true for runners @ @ @ @ @ 5K .
For more information , go to chicagomarathon.com .

Chicago Marathon canceled due to pandemic
The Chicago Marathon is taking a hiatus.
The city of Chicago said Monday it has canceled the race and all related weekend activities.
"While we'd hoped to once again line 26.2 miles of our streets this October, the health and safety of everyone participating in and supporting the event is our highest priority. In response to the ongoing public health concerns brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, event organizers and the city of Chicago announced the decision to cancel," organizers said in an online posting.
Registered runners can receive a refund for their race entry or defer their place and entry fee to the race in 2021, 2022 or 2023. The same is true for runners registered for the International Chicago 5K.
For more information, go to chicagomarathon.com.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-07-13--July 13 COVID-19 cases per county; search by ZIP code

Interactive map Suburbs ' portion Since the outbreak began , there have been 78,463 cases in the suburbs as of Monday , 51 % of the state 's total , according to the Illinois Department of Public Health .
There have been 3,665 deaths in the suburbs , representing 51 % of all deaths in Illinois .
Cook County • As of Monday , suburban Cook County had 40,485 cases and 2,041 deaths , according to the state .
In Chicago : 54,676 cases and 2,666 fatalities .
• Top suburb counts from the county health department and medical examiner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths in Des Plaines , 848 cases and 59 deaths in Wheeling , 766 cases and 19 deaths in Palatine , 700 cases and 22 deaths in Streamwood , 685 cases and 10 deaths in Mount Prospect , 642 cases and 19 deaths in Schaumburg , 618 cases and 34 deaths in Arlington Heights , 633 cases and 48 deaths in Glenview , 527 cases and 10 deaths in Hanover Park ( Cook County portion ) , 534 cases and 27 deaths in Hoffman Estates , 388 cases and 38 deaths in Elk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths in Northbrook , 370 cases and 12 deaths in Rolling Meadows , 287 cases and 8 deaths in Prospect Heights , and 128 cases and 19 deaths in Buffalo Grove ( Cook County portion ) .
DuPage County • The county reported 9,786 cases and 483 deaths as of Monday .
• Top counts : 858 cases and 9 deaths in Addison , 814 cases and 14 deaths in West Chicago , 703 cases and 11 deaths in Glendale Heights , 586 cases and 33 deaths in Naperville ( DuPage County portion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Bensenville , 553 cases and 29 deaths in Carol Stream , 449 cases and 24 deaths in Lombard , 401 cases and 36 deaths in Elmhurst , 380 cases and 11 deaths in Aurora ( DuPage County portion ) , 311 cases and 22 deaths in Wheaton , 274 cases and 4 deaths in Villa Park , 260 cases and 2 deaths in Hanover Park ( DuPage County portion ) , 194 cases and 3 deaths in Glen Ellyn .
Lake County • The county listed 10,422 cases and 408 deaths on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Top counts : 2,760 to 2,764 in Waukegan , 625 to 629 in Round Lake Beach , 400 to 404 in Mundelein , 320 to 324 in Gurnee , 250 to 254 in Round Lake , 205 to 209 in Buffalo Grove ( Lake County portion ) , 195 to 199 in Lake Zurich , 175 to 179 in Vernon Hills , 175 to 179 in Wauconda , 150 to 154 in Libertyville , 110 to 114 in Grayslake .
Kane County • The county confirmed 8,196 cases with 281 deaths on its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3,472 cases in Aurora ( Kane County portion ) , 1,960 in Elgin ( Kane County portion ) , 776 in Carpentersville , 352 in St. Charles , 347 in South Elgin , 219 in North Aurora , 219 in Geneva , 154 in Batavia , and 55 in Algonquin ( Kane County portion ) .
McHenry County • 2,310 cases and 101 deaths , according to the health department Monday .
• 7,340 cases and 326 deaths , as of Monday .
• Cases per town include 460 in Naperville ( Will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Will County portion ) .

July 13 COVID-19 cases per county; search by ZIP code
Interactive map Suburbs' portion Since the outbreak began, there have been 78,463 cases in the suburbs as of Monday, 51% of the state's total, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. There have been 3,665 deaths in the suburbs, representing 51% of all deaths in Illinois.
Cook County • As of Monday, suburban Cook County had 40,485 cases and 2,041 deaths, according to the state. In Chicago: 54,676 cases and 2,666 fatalities.
• Top suburb counts from the county health department and medical examiner's office: 1,828 cases and 101 deaths in Des Plaines, 848 cases and 59 deaths in Wheeling, 766 cases and 19 deaths in Palatine, 700 cases and 22 deaths in Streamwood, 685 cases and 10 deaths in Mount Prospect, 642 cases and 19 deaths in Schaumburg, 618 cases and 34 deaths in Arlington Heights, 633 cases and 48 deaths in Glenview, 527 cases and 10 deaths in Hanover Park (Cook County portion), 534 cases and 27 deaths in Hoffman Estates, 388 cases and 38 deaths in Elk Grove Village, 370 cases and 40 deaths in Northbrook, 370 cases and 12 deaths in Rolling Meadows, 287 cases and 8 deaths in Prospect Heights, and 128 cases and 19 deaths in Buffalo Grove (Cook County portion).
DuPage County • The county reported 9,786 cases and 483 deaths as of Monday.
• Top counts: 858 cases and 9 deaths in Addison, 814 cases and 14 deaths in West Chicago, 703 cases and 11 deaths in Glendale Heights, 586 cases and 33 deaths in Naperville (DuPage County portion), 557 cases and 12 deaths in Bensenville, 553 cases and 29 deaths in Carol Stream, 449 cases and 24 deaths in Lombard, 401 cases and 36 deaths in Elmhurst, 380 cases and 11 deaths in Aurora (DuPage County portion), 311 cases and 22 deaths in Wheaton, 274 cases and 4 deaths in Villa Park, 260 cases and 2 deaths in Hanover Park (DuPage County portion), 194 cases and 3 deaths in Glen Ellyn.
Lake County • The county listed 10,422 cases and 408 deaths on its website as of Monday.
• Top counts: 2,760 to 2,764 in Waukegan, 625 to 629 in Round Lake Beach, 400 to 404 in Mundelein, 320 to 324 in Gurnee, 250 to 254 in Round Lake, 205 to 209 in Buffalo Grove (Lake County portion), 195 to 199 in Lake Zurich, 175 to 179 in Vernon Hills, 175 to 179 in Wauconda, 150 to 154 in Libertyville, 110 to 114 in Grayslake.
Kane County • The county confirmed 8,196 cases with 281 deaths on its website Monday.
• Top counts: 3,472 cases in Aurora (Kane County portion), 1,960 in Elgin (Kane County portion), 776 in Carpentersville, 352 in St. Charles, 347 in South Elgin, 219 in North Aurora, 219 in Geneva, 154 in Batavia, and 55 in Algonquin (Kane County portion).
McHenry County • 2,310 cases and 101 deaths, according to the health department Monday.
Will County • 7,340 cases and 326 deaths, as of Monday.
• Cases per town include 460 in Naperville (Will County portion) and 88 in Aurora (Will County portion).


dailyheraldchicago--2020-07-13--Bowling centers not happy with state's reopening plan

When it comes to activities that can be done while social distancing , you can do worse than bowling .
Bowlers generally use their own ball and share a lane with people they know .
There 's no reason to interact with anyone else or touch shared surfaces .
Even the shoes can be sanitized .
`` We 've always sanitized the house shoes , but now we do it twice , '' said Lyle Zikes , proprietor of Beverly Lanes in Arlington Heights .
`` It 's not business as usual .
My niece is out there cleaning the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ house balls .
We 've never done that .
There was never a need to do that . ''
The state of Illinois cleared the way for bowling centers to reopen on Friday , June 26 .
Bowling center operators are n't happy , though , because the state put a strict 50-person limit for the centers reopening , instead of 50 percent capacity , which is what the owners were expecting .
`` We felt sort of betrayed , '' said Bill Duff , executive director of the Illinois Bowling Proprietors Association @ @ @ @ @ @ @ centers are at stake .
They have to make a decision , can they operate profitably ?
At 50 percent capacity , at least it gives them a chance , but 50 people ?
They have to make a decision whether they should even reopen . ''
A check of websites showed a majority of independent bowling centers in the suburbs opened on June 26 .
The Bowlero chain , which has 14 locations in the area , has not reopened .
Among the centers open for business and trying to survive under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Round Lake .
`` At 50 percent , we can get by in the summertime , because summertime is slow for us anyway , '' Lakes Bowl owner Joe Piagentini said .
`` I put up separators between each pair of lanes .
If you come in with your family of 10 or less people , it 's all sanitized , you can bowl , leave your house balls there .
When you get done , we resanitize it before the next group goes down . ''
The most obvious flaw in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a wide variety of sizes .
In comparison , restaurants opened for indoor dining under Phase 4 guidelines with no limit on the number of patrons that can be served .
The restriction is tables must be six feet apart .
Bowling center operators argue they can create the same distancing guidelines by using every other lane .
This is a major issue for the state 's largest bowling center , Stardust Bowl in Addison , which has 84 lanes and did reopen on June 26 .
`` We thought initially that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and have people come in and get used to ( the new safety guidelines ) , hoping we can get to a break-even point , '' said Jim Saffold , general manager of the Stardust Bowl .
`` The metric on this is we 're actually losing more money now by being open than we were by being shut down .
`` I could have 50 people in this building and you could not even possibly see them all .
I could shoot a cannon off in here and miss every single one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it set up is mind-boggling . ''
All in the family Independent bowling centers in the suburbs tend to have a long history .
There are dozens in the area that have been open since the 1950s or 60s .
The Stardust Bowl originally opened in the 40s and grew to its current size in the early 70s .
`` We opened in 1955 , so we were about to have our 65th anniversary , '' Zikes said of Beverly Lanes .
`` We 'll put that off .
One thing we ca @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' The Wood Dale Bowl has been open since 1948 .
Parkside Lanes in Aurora , another large center with 54 lanes , opened in 1956 , to give two examples .
`` Other than really the Bowlero chain , bowling is still one of the last bastions of independent small-business operators , family-owned , '' Duff said .
One center that has yet to reopen is Elk Grove Bowl , which has 40 lanes and has been in business since 1963 .
Owner Debbie Handler feels it 's not economically feasible to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I 'm third generation , so we 've been through recessions , we 've been through everything , but obviously never anything like this , '' Handler said .
`` I do n't get the feeling the people making these decisions understand bowling .
I do n't think they understand the size of our centers and that we could easily separate people . ''
There is reason to be optimistic about the future of bowling .
The operators interviewed for this story said bowling was booming before the pandemic hit .
`` I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was probably going to be our best year ever , '' Saffold said .
`` It was projecting to be our best season ever , our September to August season .
That 's a lot to be said .
We work very hard and spend a lot of money keeping our place up . ''
Independent bowling centers tend to rely heavily on leagues , which are popular in the winter months .
Handler said Elk Grove Bowl spent more than a million dollars on renovations over the past four years .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and biweeklies , we had about 1,800 league bowlers , '' Zikes said .
`` Of those , about half were weekly league bowlers that we 'd see every Tuesday night or Wednesday night or whatever for 34 or 35 weeks in a season .
That 's what 's kept us going .
That 's why we 've been able to stay around has been our league base . ''
Saffold is concerned because in the next 12 months , Stardust Bowl is scheduled to host two professional women 's tournaments , along @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He pointed out that hundreds of students attend college on bowling scholarships .
`` Do n't get me wrong , we fully understand that we have a problem with this virus , '' Saffold said .
`` We get it .
But we 're working just as hard , if not harder , than any other industry to make sure we keep it under control in our facilities .
`` Something needs to change soon , otherwise we 're all out of business .
They 're telling us that somewhere down the line @ @ @ @ @ @ @ OK , what does that mean ?
Are we talking tomorrow , next month , two or three months ?
And what 's that number going to be ? ''
In the meantime , most independent bowling centers in the suburbs are open , scrambling to survive like every other business that relies on people walking through the door .
`` I think the centers will survive it if we can go into the fall and resume close to a normal operation in terms of leagues , '' Zikes said .
`` If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be very difficult , because if you do n't start off with normal leagues in September , you 've given up a lot of the year , not just the month . ''

Bowling centers not happy with state's reopening plan
When it comes to activities that can be done while social distancing, you can do worse than bowling.
Bowlers generally use their own ball and share a lane with people they know. There's no reason to interact with anyone else or touch shared surfaces. Even the shoes can be sanitized.
"We've always sanitized the house shoes, but now we do it twice," said Lyle Zikes, proprietor of Beverly Lanes in Arlington Heights. "It's not business as usual. My niece is out there cleaning the finger and thumb holes out of the house balls. We've never done that. There was never a need to do that."
The state of Illinois cleared the way for bowling centers to reopen on Friday, June 26. Bowling center operators aren't happy, though, because the state put a strict 50-person limit for the centers reopening, instead of 50 percent capacity, which is what the owners were expecting.
"We felt sort of betrayed," said Bill Duff, executive director of the Illinois Bowling Proprietors Association. "The livelihood of our bowling centers are at stake. They have to make a decision, can they operate profitably? At 50 percent capacity, at least it gives them a chance, but 50 people? They have to make a decision whether they should even reopen."
A check of websites showed a majority of independent bowling centers in the suburbs opened on June 26. The Bowlero chain, which has 14 locations in the area, has not reopened.
Among the centers open for business and trying to survive under the new rules is Lakes Bowl in Round Lake.
"At 50 percent, we can get by in the summertime, because summertime is slow for us anyway," Lakes Bowl owner Joe Piagentini said. "I put up separators between each pair of lanes. If you come in with your family of 10 or less people, it's all sanitized, you can bowl, leave your house balls there. When you get done, we resanitize it before the next group goes down."
The most obvious flaw in the 50-person rule is bowling centers come in a wide variety of sizes. In comparison, restaurants opened for indoor dining under Phase 4 guidelines with no limit on the number of patrons that can be served. The restriction is tables must be six feet apart.
Bowling center operators argue they can create the same distancing guidelines by using every other lane. This is a major issue for the state's largest bowling center, Stardust Bowl in Addison, which has 84 lanes and did reopen on June 26.
"We thought initially that it was important to start having a presence and have people come in and get used to (the new safety guidelines), hoping we can get to a break-even point," said Jim Saffold, general manager of the Stardust Bowl. "The metric on this is we're actually losing more money now by being open than we were by being shut down.
"I could have 50 people in this building and you could not even possibly see them all. I could shoot a cannon off in here and miss every single one. The inequity of how they have it set up is mind-boggling."
All in the family
Independent bowling centers in the suburbs tend to have a long history. There are dozens in the area that have been open since the 1950s or 60s. The Stardust Bowl originally opened in the 40s and grew to its current size in the early 70s.
"We opened in 1955, so we were about to have our 65th anniversary," Zikes said of Beverly Lanes. "We'll put that off. One thing we can't have is a big crowd."
The Wood Dale Bowl has been open since 1948. Parkside Lanes in Aurora, another large center with 54 lanes, opened in 1956, to give two examples.
"Other than really the Bowlero chain, bowling is still one of the last bastions of independent small-business operators, family-owned," Duff said.
One center that has yet to reopen is Elk Grove Bowl, which has 40 lanes and has been in business since 1963. Owner Debbie Handler feels it's not economically feasible to open with a 50-patron limit.
"I'm third generation, so we've been through recessions, we've been through everything, but obviously never anything like this," Handler said. "I don't get the feeling the people making these decisions understand bowling. I don't think they understand the size of our centers and that we could easily separate people."
Slowing the roll
There is reason to be optimistic about the future of bowling. The operators interviewed for this story said bowling was booming before the pandemic hit.
"I've been here 30 years and it was probably going to be our best year ever," Saffold said. "It was projecting to be our best season ever, our September to August season. That's a lot to be said. We work very hard and spend a lot of money keeping our place up."
Independent bowling centers tend to rely heavily on leagues, which are popular in the winter months. Handler said Elk Grove Bowl spent more than a million dollars on renovations over the past four years.
"Our leagues, counting all the monthlies and biweeklies, we had about 1,800 league bowlers," Zikes said. "Of those, about half were weekly league bowlers that we'd see every Tuesday night or Wednesday night or whatever for 34 or 35 weeks in a season. That's what's kept us going. That's why we've been able to stay around has been our league base."
Saffold is concerned because in the next 12 months, Stardust Bowl is scheduled to host two professional women's tournaments, along with college sectionals and national championship. He pointed out that hundreds of students attend college on bowling scholarships.
"Don't get me wrong, we fully understand that we have a problem with this virus," Saffold said. "We get it. But we're working just as hard, if not harder, than any other industry to make sure we keep it under control in our facilities.
"Something needs to change soon, otherwise we're all out of business. They're telling us that somewhere down the line, they'll reassess the numbers. OK, what does that mean? Are we talking tomorrow, next month, two or three months? And what's that number going to be?"
In the meantime, most independent bowling centers in the suburbs are open, scrambling to survive like every other business that relies on people walking through the door.
"I think the centers will survive it if we can go into the fall and resume close to a normal operation in terms of leagues," Zikes said. "If we're not able to, that could be very difficult, because if you don't start off with normal leagues in September, you've given up a lot of the year, not just the month."


dailyheraldchicago--2020-07-13--Missing Palatine woman's body identified at Cook County medical examiner's office

The body of a 21-year-old Palatine woman reported missing by her family in late May lay unidentified in a Cook County medical examiner 's facility for more than a month , authorities said Monday .
Emily Truong was found dead May 23 on the far South Side of Chicago , according to the medical examiner 's office .
An autopsy on Truong -- then identified as a Jane Doe -- revealed she died from an accidental overdose of a mix of drugs , including fentanyl , according to medical examiner 's spokeswoman Natalia Derevyanny .
Truong remained unidentified on June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office staff member submitted her information to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System database , Derevyanny said .
It is standard practice for medical examiner 's office staff also to post information about unidentified bodies on the office 's website , she added .
Palatine police Deputy Chief William Nord said a detective checked database July 7 and found the Jane Doe matching Truong 's description .
The detective met soon after with Truong 's family and brought them to the medical examiner 's office , where they identified the body , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a fantastic job on the case following up on her whereabouts with her friends in the days leading up to her disappearance , '' Nord said .
`` Unfortunately , it ended up this way . ''
Nord said Truong 's family first reported her missing on May 26 .
Officials initially reported she left her family 's home on May 21 and was going to take public transportation to the city .
She was last seen May 23 on Chicago 's West Side .
According to an online obituary , sympathy cards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the Morizzo Funeral Home , 2550 Hassell Road , Hoffman Estates , IL 60169 .

Missing Palatine woman's body identified at Cook County medical examiner's office
The body of a 21-year-old Palatine woman reported missing by her family in late May lay unidentified in a Cook County medical examiner's facility for more than a month, authorities said Monday.
Emily Truong was found dead May 23 on the far South Side of Chicago, according to the medical examiner's office. An autopsy on Truong -- then identified as a Jane Doe -- revealed she died from an accidental overdose of a mix of drugs, including fentanyl, according to medical examiner's spokeswoman Natalia Derevyanny.
Truong remained unidentified on June 29, when a medical examiner's office staff member submitted her information to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System database, Derevyanny said. It is standard practice for medical examiner's office staff also to post information about unidentified bodies on the office's website, she added.
Palatine police Deputy Chief William Nord said a detective checked database July 7 and found the Jane Doe matching Truong's description. The detective met soon after with Truong's family and brought them to the medical examiner's office, where they identified the body, Nord said.
"The detective did a fantastic job on the case following up on her whereabouts with her friends in the days leading up to her disappearance," Nord said. "Unfortunately, it ended up this way."
Nord said Truong's family first reported her missing on May 26. Officials initially reported she left her family's home on May 21 and was going to take public transportation to the city. She was last seen May 23 on Chicago's West Side.
According to an online obituary, sympathy cards can be sent to the Truong Family at the Morizzo Funeral Home, 2550 Hassell Road, Hoffman Estates, IL 60169.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-07-13--St. Charles man charged with indecent solicitation in DuPage County

A St. Charles man has been charged following a weeklong investigation into sexually inappropriate online conversations he was having with @ @ @ @ @ 14-year-old girl , DuPage County Sheriff 's officials said Monday .
Noel Luis Vanscoit , @ @ @ @ @ block of Cumberland Green Drive , is charged with indecent solicitation of a child-aggravated criminal @ @ @ @ @ meet a minor .
If convicted , Vanscoit faces between two and five years in @ @ @ @ @ sheriff 's Digital Forensics Unit worked the investigation with detectives from the Metropolitan Emergency Response @ @ @ @ @ MERIT .
During their probe , authorities said Vanscoit had sexually explicit online conversations and @ @ @ @ @ residence in DuPage where he planned to have sex with a 14-year-old girl in his @ @ @ @ @ by officers shortly arriving at the predetermined location .
His next court appearance is scheduled @ @ @ @ @ in courtroom 4004 .

St. Charles man charged with indecent solicitation in DuPage County
A St. Charles man has been charged following a weeklong investigation into sexually inappropriate online conversations he was having with someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl, DuPage County Sheriff's officials said Monday.
Noel Luis Vanscoit, 31, of the 1700 block of Cumberland Green Drive, is charged with indecent solicitation of a child-aggravated criminal sexual abuse and traveling to meet a minor.
If convicted, Vanscoit faces between two and five years in prison or probation.
The sheriff's Digital Forensics Unit worked the investigation with detectives from the Metropolitan Emergency Response and Investigation Team, or MERIT.
During their probe, authorities said Vanscoit had sexually explicit online conversations and arranged a meeting at a residence in DuPage where he planned to have sex with a 14-year-old girl in his vehicle.
Vanscoit was arrested by officers shortly arriving at the predetermined location.
His next court appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. Aug. 3 in courtroom 4004.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-07-13--BMW Championship: No spectators at Olympia Fields

The BMW Championship at Olympia Fields will be played without spectators , the PGA Tour and tournament officials announced Monday .
All four rounds Aug. 27 to 30 will be broadcast live on NBC and the Golf Channel .
`` As we have said from the start , our No .
1 priority remains the health and safety of everyone in the communities where we are invited guests each week , '' Chief Tournaments and Competitions Officer Andy Pazder said .
`` We appreciate the understanding of the Western Golf Association , BMW and -- of course -- the fans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decision needed to be made . ''
The top 70 PGA Tour players will compete on Olympia Fields Country Club 's North Course , vying to earn one of 30 spots in the Tour Championship .
The tournament benefits the Evans Scholars Foundation , helping it send caddies to college .
`` Our BMW Championship team has been working tirelessly over the past several months to develop a comprehensive plan for a limited number of spectators , following guidance from the PGA Tour and county and state officials , '' said Vince Pellegrino @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` However , we understand the challenges and concerns that COVID-19 has created and recognize the decision to proceed without spectators is in the best interest of everyone involved .
Fans who have purchased tickets through Ticketmaster will automatically receive a full refund within the next 30 days .
Those interested in contributing to the Evans Scholars Foundation 's mission can make a gift through the Foundation 's secure website or by calling ( 224 ) 260-3746 .

BMW Championship: No spectators at Olympia Fields
There will be no spectators at the BMW Championship in August at Olympia Fields Country Club, officials said Monday. Courtesy of the Western golf association
The BMW Championship at Olympia Fields will be played without spectators, the PGA Tour and tournament officials announced Monday.
All four rounds Aug. 27 to 30 will be broadcast live on NBC and the Golf Channel.
"As we have said from the start, our No. 1 priority remains the health and safety of everyone in the communities where we are invited guests each week," Chief Tournaments and Competitions Officer Andy Pazder said. "We appreciate the understanding of the Western Golf Association, BMW and -- of course -- the fans of greater Chicago for recognizing why this decision needed to be made."
The top 70 PGA Tour players will compete on Olympia Fields Country Club's North Course, vying to earn one of 30 spots in the Tour Championship.
The tournament benefits the Evans Scholars Foundation, helping it send caddies to college.
"Our BMW Championship team has been working tirelessly over the past several months to develop a comprehensive plan for a limited number of spectators, following guidance from the PGA Tour and county and state officials," said Vince Pellegrino, WGA senior vice president of tournaments. "However, we understand the challenges and concerns that COVID-19 has created and recognize the decision to proceed without spectators is in the best interest of everyone involved.
Fans who have purchased tickets through Ticketmaster will automatically receive a full refund within the next 30 days.
Those interested in contributing to the Evans Scholars Foundation's mission can make a gift through the Foundation's secure website or by calling (224) 260-3746.
Visit bmwchampionship.com.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-07-13--In-person, online options in District 21's reopening plan

Wheeling Township Elementary District 21 will open its school doors to in-person instruction in the fall , but parents can opt for online distance learning .
The registration form for the distance learning option is due to the district by 11:59 p.m. Sunday , Aug. 2 .
Otherwise , students automatically will be enrolled for in-person instruction , officials say .
Families who choose distance learning will be enrolled for the first 12-week trimester , with the option later in the fall to continue online or return to school in person .
The online program will mirror in-person instruction and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , video conference and individualized instruction , officials said .
But , prompted by several parent questions , district officials on Monday announced they also are researching the feasibility of offering a voluntary hybrid learning schedule with both in-person and distance learning .
That could allow students to attend classes for core subjects in person while completing all other instruction online at home .
A parent survey to collect feedback about that possibility was released Monday and is due by 11:59 p.m. Sunday , July 19 .
The District 21 reopening plan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the school board late last week , calls for parents to perform a daily health check on their children before sending them to school .
Also , face coverings must be worn by students , staff and visitors at all times inside school buildings and buses .
While hoping to maximize in-person learning to the greatest extent possible , Connolly acknowledged that transitions between in-person and distance learning may be necessary , depending on local COVID-19 infection rates and as guidance evolves from federal , state and local health and education officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ district will hinge on our ability and willingness to follow the science , be agile , flexible , and ready to deal with the unknown , '' Connolly wrote in an introduction to the 26-page plan .
`` It will be critical that we acknowledge and embrace that our coming year will be very different than those in our past . ''
The first day of school for grades 1-8 is Thursday , Aug. 20 .
Kindergarten and pre-K will start Friday , Aug. 21 .
The middle school day will run from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ half-hour earlier due to increased time needed for districtwide student bus service .
Elementary schools will remain 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. , while prekindergarten programs will run five days per week in 2½-hour morning and afternoon sessions .

In-person, online options in District 21's reopening plan
Wheeling Township Elementary District 21 will open its school doors to in-person instruction in the fall, but parents can opt for online distance learning.
The registration form for the distance learning option is due to the district by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2. Otherwise, students automatically will be enrolled for in-person instruction, officials say.
Families who choose distance learning will be enrolled for the first 12-week trimester, with the option later in the fall to continue online or return to school in person.
The online program will mirror in-person instruction and include a blend of live small group, video conference and individualized instruction, officials said.
But, prompted by several parent questions, district officials on Monday announced they also are researching the feasibility of offering a voluntary hybrid learning schedule with both in-person and distance learning.
That could allow students to attend classes for core subjects in person while completing all other instruction online at home. A parent survey to collect feedback about that possibility was released Monday and is due by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 19.
The District 21 reopening plan, detailed by Superintendent Michael Connolly and reviewed by the school board late last week, calls for parents to perform a daily health check on their children before sending them to school. Also, face coverings must be worn by students, staff and visitors at all times inside school buildings and buses.
While hoping to maximize in-person learning to the greatest extent possible, Connolly acknowledged that transitions between in-person and distance learning may be necessary, depending on local COVID-19 infection rates and as guidance evolves from federal, state and local health and education officials.
"Our success as a school district will hinge on our ability and willingness to follow the science, be agile, flexible, and ready to deal with the unknown," Connolly wrote in an introduction to the 26-page plan. "It will be critical that we acknowledge and embrace that our coming year will be very different than those in our past."
The first day of school for grades 1-8 is Thursday, Aug. 20. Kindergarten and pre-K will start Friday, Aug. 21. The middle school day will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. -- a half-hour earlier due to increased time needed for districtwide student bus service. Elementary schools will remain 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., while prekindergarten programs will run five days per week in 2½-hour morning and afternoon sessions.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-07-13--Facts Matter: Coin shortage due to COVID-19, not conspiracy

A recent social media post falsely said a coin shortage in the U.S. was a sign of an impending one-world government .
The false claim included a photo of a sign in a grocery store asking customers to use exact change or noncash payments due to a `` national coin shortage , '' according to PolitiFact.com .
The shortage `` was done intentionally , the mint is no longer releasing coins into circulation aka this is the beginning of the end of paper money , '' the Facebook post read .
The shortage , the post claimed , is part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government that will track every private transaction .
There was a recent slowdown in coin production , but it was due to the coronavirus pandemic as the lockdown prevented people from spending money in stores and banks were running low on nickels , dimes and quarters , PolitiFact said .
The reduction of workers at the U.S. Mint because of social distancing resulted in a 10 % decrease in production in April and a 20 % decrease in May , mint spokesperson Todd Martin told PolitiFact .
The organization went to full production @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were produced in June , he said .
The President 's Daily Brief has been in the news following reports it warned President Donald Trump about a Russian threat to American troops in Afghanistan .
Earlier this month , Brian Kilmeade , a co-host of Fox News Channel 's `` Fox & Friends , '' claimed the information was part of a report that is `` like a mini novel , every single day . ''
Although the format and length of the daily brief can vary from one administration to another , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ novel , '' Matt Olsen , former director of the National Counterterrorism Center told PolitiFact .
`` It 's written for somebody who is a busy person . ''
Olsen , director for three years under President Barack Obama , said the report he worked with was divided into articles and bulleted points that `` were very staccato , short-form .
I 'd say a page , sometimes a page and a half . ''
The daily report , prepared for each president since it began with President Harry Truman in 1946 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longer than 25 pages , David Priess , a former CIA intelligence briefer for presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush , told PolitiFact .
`` My understanding is that the current PDB is comprised of very few words and mostly contains graphics to more effectively engage the president , '' former Obama administration intelligence official Derek Grossman told PolitiFact .
A satirical story about the removal of a statue of actor Don Knotts was shared on social media without saying it was a joke , `` leading some to mistakenly believe that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TV history , '' according to Snopes.com .
Knotts , who died in 2006 , was honored with a statue in 2016 in his hometown of Morgantown , West Virginia , according to MetroNews .
The actor , known for playing Deputy Barney Fife on `` The Andy Griffith Show '' in the 1960s , is depicted sitting outside the Metropolitan Theatre , where he once performed .
The fake article claiming the statue was removed was published by satirical website Madhouse Magazine after groups protesting racial injustice called for Confederate monuments to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a veteran Chicago-area journalist and former news editor of the Elgin Courier-News .
Contact him at boboswald33 @ gmail.com .

Facts Matter: Coin shortage due to COVID-19, not conspiracy
Unmarked 5-cent coins sit in a pile after being cut from a coil June 27, 2012, at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. Production slowed in April and May because social distancing reduced staffing, but the mint went into full production last month, a spokesman said. Associated Press
A recent social media post falsely said a coin shortage in the U.S. was a sign of an impending one-world government.
The false claim included a photo of a sign in a grocery store asking customers to use exact change or noncash payments due to a "national coin shortage," according to PolitiFact.com.
The shortage "was done intentionally, the mint is no longer releasing coins into circulation aka this is the beginning of the end of paper money," the Facebook post read.
The shortage, the post claimed, is part of a plan to enable a one-world government that will track every private transaction. There was a recent slowdown in coin production, but it was due to the coronavirus pandemic as the lockdown prevented people from spending money in stores and banks were running low on nickels, dimes and quarters, PolitiFact said.
The reduction of workers at the U.S. Mint because of social distancing resulted in a 10% decrease in production in April and a 20% decrease in May, mint spokesperson Todd Martin told PolitiFact.
The organization went to full production last month and nearly 1.6 billion coins were produced in June, he said.
President's Daily Brief isn't a 'mini novel'
The President's Daily Brief has been in the news following reports it warned President Donald Trump about a Russian threat to American troops in Afghanistan.
Earlier this month, Brian Kilmeade, a co-host of Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends," claimed the information was part of a report that is "like a mini novel, every single day."
Although the format and length of the daily brief can vary from one administration to another, it is "definitely not a mini novel," Matt Olsen, former director of the National Counterterrorism Center told PolitiFact. "It's written for somebody who is a busy person."
Olsen, director for three years under President Barack Obama, said the report he worked with was divided into articles and bulleted points that "were very staccato, short-form. I'd say a page, sometimes a page and a half."
The daily report, prepared for each president since it began with President Harry Truman in 1946, is rarely less than one page or longer than 25 pages, David Priess, a former CIA intelligence briefer for presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, told PolitiFact.
"My understanding is that the current PDB is comprised of very few words and mostly contains graphics to more effectively engage the president," former Obama administration intelligence official Derek Grossman told PolitiFact.
Don Knotts statue untouched
A satirical story about the removal of a statue of actor Don Knotts was shared on social media without saying it was a joke, "leading some to mistakenly believe that West Virginia was attempting to erase its TV history," according to Snopes.com.
Knotts, who died in 2006, was honored with a statue in 2016 in his hometown of Morgantown, West Virginia, according to MetroNews. The actor, known for playing Deputy Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show" in the 1960s, is depicted sitting outside the Metropolitan Theatre, where he once performed.
The fake article claiming the statue was removed was published by satirical website Madhouse Magazine after groups protesting racial injustice called for Confederate monuments to be taken down.
• Bob Oswald is a veteran Chicago-area journalist and former news editor of the Elgin Courier-News. Contact him at boboswald33@gmail.com.