dailyheraldchicago--2020-10-23--How an online recipe for banana bread is helping domestic violence survivors

What do an online recipe for banana bread and a host of tips for making it have to do with helping survivors of domestic violence ?
Nothing , and that 's the point .
Recognizing that it 's not uncommon for an abuser to track a partner 's phones and browsing history , the Vernon Area Public Library in Lincolnshire and Highland Park-based North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic have teamed up to create BananaBreadHelp.com , an inconspicuous-looking website that lets survivors seek help without leaving telltale digital bread crumbs behind .
At first blush , the site appears exactly as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of sliced bread atop a cutting board , with a list of ingredients and instructions below .
Above it are links labeled `` Start with the Best Bananas , '' `` Kitchen Helpers '' and `` Baking Tips . ''
But look closer and you 'll see not all is as it seems .
Click the links and you 'll find subtly disguised videos offering information on how to identify domestic violence , how to leave an abusive relationship , legal rights , and protections available to immigrants who might hesitate about reaching @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closed-captioned so they can be watched without sound .
Elsewhere , visitors will find phone numbers for domestic violence hotlines and emergency shelters , plus information about legal assistance .
`` A person that might be in an abusive relationship might also have their phone or computer checked , so we wanted to create something discreet where they could go , '' said Ashley Johnson , business outreach librarian at the Vernon Area Public Library .
Johnson partnered with the legal aid clinic to create the website and produce its videos .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Domestic Violence Awareness Month -- is part of the library 's mission to help area nonprofits , she said .
Among the site 's other features is information and a video about the Violence at Home Signal for Help , a hand gesture victims can use discreetly on a video call or in person to indicate they are in an unsafe situation and need assistance .
Those behind the `` website in disguise '' said the kind of help it offers is needed more than ever .
The pandemic has led to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safety measures have left survivors more isolated than usual .
`` Domestic abuse is a prevalent issue facing every community , '' said Susan Shulman , executive director of the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic .
`` This year is quite unique as we all know COVID-19 has had a significant impact on those harmed by domestic violence and by extension the work that we do to address this issue in our communities and support survivors .
We have seen a 44 % increase in cases with no end in sight . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ wishing to disseminate the materials through their own channels can contact the clinic at ( 847 ) 737-4042 or info @ NSLegalaid.org .
For the second time this year , Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman has caught the eye of a major city looking for a new top cop .
This time it 's Nashville , Tennessee .
Mayor John Cooper on Monday named Ziman one of five finalists for the city 's open police chief post , according to the Tennessean newspaper .
The paper reported that the finalists will meet with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , then have sessions with Cooper , public safety employees and community leaders .
We reached out to Ziman , but she took a pass on commenting , saying , `` I do n't want to distract from the overall process . ''
Ziman this spring was one of three finalists for Chicago police superintendent before former Dallas Chief David Brown was hired .
Joshua Minniti was just 15 on Oct. 21 , 2001 , when he broke into an Aurora woman 's home , hit her with a crowbar more than 25 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It was a crime so vicious that the judge who heard his trial said `` the words 'brutal ' and 'heinous ' do not adequately describe the degree of depravity . ''
That judge sentenced Minniti to 79 years in prison , later stating in court that if it means the teen spends the rest of his life behind bars , `` I do n't have a real issue with that . ''
But a state appeals court does .
In a ruling handed down nearly 19 years to the day of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Illinois Second District Appellate Court ordered a new -- and presumably shorter -- sentence for the now 34-year-old man .
In the unanimous ruling , the court found that the prison term , leaving Minniti ineligible for parole until 2079 , is a de facto life sentence .
Such lengthy terms have been ruled unconstitutional for juveniles through a number of precedents .
`` While we agree that the circumstances of this offense are horrific , ( precedent ) makes clear that the trial court can not impose a de facto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was beyond rehabilitation , '' Justice Mary Seminara-Schostok wrote .
`` Because such a determination is not clear from the record , and in light of the evolving case law since the defendant 's sentence , we find it appropriate to remand for a new sentencing hearing . ''
Minniti is serving his sentence at the Lawrence Correctional Center in downstate Sumner .
A date for his resentencing has not been scheduled .
Suits for Success board member Tim Ford talks about the nearly 500 clothing items his organization has donated to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closet for female jail inmates .
Suits for Success board member Tim Ford talks about the nearly 500 clothing items his organization has donated to the DuPage County Sheriff 's Office 's clothing closet for female jail inmates .
Suits for Success update Female detainees at the DuPage County jail now have access to appropriate clothing for job interviews and court appearances .
Suits for Success donated the outfits Tuesday .
Outfits also will be given to detainees who need seasonally appropriate clothing upon release , or if their clothes were discarded when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Naperville-based charity started a clothing closet for men at the jail in August .
Our thoughts this week are with the Northbrook Police Department , which is mourning the death Monday of former Police Chief Charles `` Chuck '' Wernick .
Wernick served as the town 's police chief from 2005 until 2017 .
His 45-year law enforcement career also included stops in Evanston and Highwood .
`` Chief Wernick was truly a cop 's cop .
But it did n't stop there .
He cared about everyone he came in contact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Batavia is preparing to sell a 2014 Ford Interceptor SUV : 111,912 miles on it , more than 1,000 hours of engine running time .
Needs $ 1,500 worth of transmission repair work .
Still , Deputy Chief Shawn Mazza told aldermen Tuesday , the department expects to get as much as $ 7,000 for the vehicle , based on an earlier sale of two other Interceptors .
It 's a big change from when the department was using Crown Victoria sedans .
`` We were lucky to get $ 1,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mazza said .

How an online recipe for banana bread is helping domestic violence survivors
Among the features on BananaBreadHelp.com are a description and video explaining the Violence at Home Signal for Help, a hand gesture victims can use discreetly on a video call or in person to indicate they are in an unsafe situation and need assistance. Courtesy of Vernon Area Public Library
A website created by the Vernon Area Public Library in Lincolnshire and Highland Park-based North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic might look like a simple banana bread recipe with some related tips, but look closer and you'll find a guide of resources and suggestions for domestic abuse survivors in need of assistance. Courtesy of Vernon Area Public Library
What do an online recipe for banana bread and a host of tips for making it have to do with helping survivors of domestic violence?
Nothing, and that's the point.
Recognizing that it's not uncommon for an abuser to track a partner's phones and browsing history, the Vernon Area Public Library in Lincolnshire and Highland Park-based North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic have teamed up to create BananaBreadHelp.com, an inconspicuous-looking website that lets survivors seek help without leaving telltale digital bread crumbs behind.
At first blush, the site appears exactly as billed -- it opens to an image of sliced bread atop a cutting board, with a list of ingredients and instructions below. Above it are links labeled "Start with the Best Bananas," "Kitchen Helpers" and "Baking Tips."
But look closer and you'll see not all is as it seems. Click the links and you'll find subtly disguised videos offering information on how to identify domestic violence, how to leave an abusive relationship, legal rights, and protections available to immigrants who might hesitate about reaching out for help. The videos are closed-captioned so they can be watched without sound.
Elsewhere, visitors will find phone numbers for domestic violence hotlines and emergency shelters, plus information about legal assistance.
"A person that might be in an abusive relationship might also have their phone or computer checked, so we wanted to create something discreet where they could go," said Ashley Johnson, business outreach librarian at the Vernon Area Public Library.
Johnson partnered with the legal aid clinic to create the website and produce its videos. The effort -- timed to mark October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month -- is part of the library's mission to help area nonprofits, she said.
Among the site's other features is information and a video about the Violence at Home Signal for Help, a hand gesture victims can use discreetly on a video call or in person to indicate they are in an unsafe situation and need assistance.
Those behind the "website in disguise" said the kind of help it offers is needed more than ever. The pandemic has led to a spike in domestic violence, and pandemic safety measures have left survivors more isolated than usual.
"Domestic abuse is a prevalent issue facing every community," said Susan Shulman, executive director of the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic. "This year is quite unique as we all know COVID-19 has had a significant impact on those harmed by domestic violence and by extension the work that we do to address this issue in our communities and support survivors. We have seen a 44% increase in cases with no end in sight."
Anyone with questions about the program or wishing to disseminate the materials through their own channels can contact the clinic at (847) 737-4042 or info@NSLegalaid.org.
Kristen Ziman -
For the second time this year, Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman has caught the eye of a major city looking for a new top cop.
This time it's Nashville, Tennessee. Mayor John Cooper on Monday named Ziman one of five finalists for the city's open police chief post, according to the Tennessean newspaper.
The paper reported that the finalists will meet with an interview panel next Thursday and Friday, then have sessions with Cooper, public safety employees and community leaders.
We reached out to Ziman, but she took a pass on commenting, saying, "I don't want to distract from the overall process."
Ziman this spring was one of three finalists for Chicago police superintendent before former Dallas Chief David Brown was hired.
Joshua Minniti -
Joshua Minniti was just 15 on Oct. 21, 2001, when he broke into an Aurora woman's home, hit her with a crowbar more than 25 times and raped her before she died. It was a crime so vicious that the judge who heard his trial said "the words 'brutal' and 'heinous' do not adequately describe the degree of depravity."
That judge sentenced Minniti to 79 years in prison, later stating in court that if it means the teen spends the rest of his life behind bars, "I don't have a real issue with that."
But a state appeals court does. In a ruling handed down nearly 19 years to the day of Minniti's murder of 57-year-old Irma Braun, the Illinois Second District Appellate Court ordered a new -- and presumably shorter -- sentence for the now 34-year-old man.
In the unanimous ruling, the court found that the prison term, leaving Minniti ineligible for parole until 2079, is a de facto life sentence. Such lengthy terms have been ruled unconstitutional for juveniles through a number of precedents.
"While we agree that the circumstances of this offense are horrific, (precedent) makes clear that the trial court cannot impose a de facto life sentence without determining that the defendant was beyond rehabilitation," Justice Mary Seminara-Schostok wrote. "Because such a determination is not clear from the record, and in light of the evolving case law since the defendant's sentence, we find it appropriate to remand for a new sentencing hearing."
Minniti is serving his sentence at the Lawrence Correctional Center in downstate Sumner. A date for his resentencing has not been scheduled.
- Paul Valade | Staff Photographer Suits for Success board member Tim Ford talks about the nearly 500 clothing items his organization has donated to the DuPage County Sheriff's Office's clothing closet for female jail inmates.
Female detainees at the DuPage County jail now have access to appropriate clothing for job interviews and court appearances.
Suits for Success donated the outfits Tuesday. Outfits also will be given to detainees who need seasonally appropriate clothing upon release, or if their clothes were discarded when they were admitted to the jail.
The Naperville-based charity started a clothing closet for men at the jail in August.
Condolences
Our thoughts this week are with the Northbrook Police Department, which is mourning the death Monday of former Police Chief Charles "Chuck" Wernick.
Wernick served as the town's police chief from 2005 until 2017. His 45-year law enforcement career also included stops in Evanston and Highwood.
"Chief Wernick was truly a cop's cop. But it didn't stop there. He cared about everyone he came in contact with," Village President Sandra Frum said.
Need a ride?
Batavia is preparing to sell a 2014 Ford Interceptor SUV: 111,912 miles on it, more than 1,000 hours of engine running time. Needs $1,500 worth of transmission repair work.
Still, Deputy Chief Shawn Mazza told aldermen Tuesday, the department expects to get as much as $7,000 for the vehicle, based on an earlier sale of two other Interceptors. It's a big change from when the department was using Crown Victoria sedans. "We were lucky to get $1,000 to $1,500 per vehicle," Mazza said.
• Email us at copsandcrime@dailyherald.com.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-10-22--Owner hopes Stompin' Grounds Cafe will become a community hangout in Lake Zurich

After completing runs around Lake Zurich , Laura Cison used to reward herself with a treat from a bakery in a little strip center facing the water .
But like some other businesses in the traditional downtown area known as Main Street , the bakery closed .
`` For the last three years there was nothing .
It was sad , '' Cison said of the space on North Old Rand Road across from Breezewald Park .
Cison decided to change that when she retired from an executive job in digital signage and brand decor and opened Stompin ' Grounds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ N. Old Rand Road .
`` We were excited there is something new and different , '' customer Jaclyn Clarke said Thursday .
The Lake Zurich resident and her husband , Joe , had seen activity in the vacant space and made sure to stop on opening day .
The name reflects Cison 's hope the coffee house/bistro becomes a community gathering place in an area that could use a boost .
The idea for an independent shop featuring organic , natural and locally sourced products began percolating about a year ago .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Conscious Cup Coffee Roasters , as a consultant to help plan , design and build the cafe .
Conscious Cup has shops in Crystal Lake , Cary , Barrington and Libertyville .
Cison , who also teaches Pilates and yoga , incorporated the business as Akhando Hum Inc. in January .
`` Mantras are important to me , '' she said .
`` Akhando hum means you are limitless . ''
It also reflects a determination to proceed as an independent business rather than a franchisee with guidelines to follow .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cison said .
And she has had to be .
The pandemic hit just after she incorporated , making it impossible to get a loan and difficult to secure equipment and employees .
A planned July opening date came and went .
`` COVID definitely slowed me down , '' she said .
But once the process started rolling , Cison said , she was n't going to stop .
`` No matter what , it 's still a gamble , '' she said .
`` A lot of money went into it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no loans . ''
Stompin ' Grounds features Conscious Cup coffee blends , as well as craft tea , organic juices , natural smoothies , treats and light breakfast fare .
Other offerings include items like handmade candles , locally sourced honey , free-range eggs by the dozen , nondairy spreads and bottles of wine .
`` My whole goal is to provide local and small businesses an outlet , '' Cison said .
Assistant Lake Zurich Village Administrator Roy Witherow said the village has been trying for years to improve the Main @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residents .
`` All of a sudden there are three definite and potentially two new businesses coming online , '' he said .
`` We 're very excited and enthused . ''

After completing runs around Lake Zurich, Laura Cison used to reward herself with a treat from a bakery in a little strip center facing the water.
But like some other businesses in the traditional downtown area known as Main Street, the bakery closed.
"For the last three years there was nothing. It was sad," Cison said of the space on North Old Rand Road across from Breezewald Park.
Cison decided to change that when she retired from an executive job in digital signage and brand decor and opened Stompin' Grounds Cafe, which debuted Thursday at 4 N. Old Rand Road.
"We were excited there is something new and different," customer Jaclyn Clarke said Thursday. The Lake Zurich resident and her husband, Joe, had seen activity in the vacant space and made sure to stop on opening day.
The name reflects Cison's hope the coffee house/bistro becomes a community gathering place in an area that could use a boost.
The idea for an independent shop featuring organic, natural and locally sourced products began percolating about a year ago.
Cison hired Michael Shipley, managing partner of Conscious Cup Coffee Roasters, as a consultant to help plan, design and build the cafe. Conscious Cup has shops in Crystal Lake, Cary, Barrington and Libertyville.
Cison, who also teaches Pilates and yoga, incorporated the business as Akhando Hum Inc. in January.
"Mantras are important to me," she said. "Akhando hum means you are limitless."
It also reflects a determination to proceed as an independent business rather than a franchisee with guidelines to follow.
"I wanted to be nimble," Cison said.
And she has had to be. The pandemic hit just after she incorporated, making it impossible to get a loan and difficult to secure equipment and employees. A planned July opening date came and went.
"COVID definitely slowed me down," she said. But once the process started rolling, Cison said, she wasn't going to stop.
"No matter what, it's still a gamble," she said. "A lot of money went into it, and there are no investors, no loans."
Stompin' Grounds features Conscious Cup coffee blends, as well as craft tea, organic juices, natural smoothies, treats and light breakfast fare.
Other offerings include items like handmade candles, locally sourced honey, free-range eggs by the dozen, nondairy spreads and bottles of wine.
"My whole goal is to provide local and small businesses an outlet," Cison said.
Assistant Lake Zurich Village Administrator Roy Witherow said the village has been trying for years to improve the Main Street area and create an experience for residents.
"All of a sudden there are three definite and potentially two new businesses coming online," he said. "We're very excited and enthused."


dailyheraldchicago--2020-10-23--AP FACT CHECK: Falsehoods and fumbles in Trump-Biden debate

WASHINGTON -- The facts took a hit right out of the gate Thursday night .
President Donald Trump 's first line of the night , about COVID-19 deaths , was false and set the tone as he and Democratic rival Joe Biden unleashed a torrent of claims in their last presidential debate .
Trump misrepresented the reality of the pandemic in myriad and familiar ways , insisting against obvious reality that the pandemic is drawing to a close .
He also boasted about `` clean '' facilities at the border for migrant children , ignoring the filthy conditions under which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , at times , was selective on the coronavirus and other matters , at one point stating that no one under Obamacare lost private health coverage .
Millions did .
A look at how some of the statements on the stage in Nashville , Tennessee , compared with the facts : TRUMP : `` We 're rounding the turn .
We 're rounding the corner .
It 's going away . ''
THE FACTS : No , the coronavirus is n't going away .
It 's coming back .
New cases are on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Deaths have also been increasing .
According to data through Oct. 21 from Johns Hopkins University , the seven-day rolling average for daily new cases in the U.S. rose over the past two weeks from over 42,300 on Oct. 7 to nearly 60,000 on Oct. 21 .
In that time the seven-day rolling average for daily new deaths in the U.S. rose from 695 to 757 .
TRUMP : `` All he does is talk about shutdowns .
But forget about him .
His Democrat governors Cuomo in New York , you look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , you look at Pennsylvania , North Carolina .
Democrats -- Democrats all .
They 're shut down so tight , and they 're dying . ''
BIDEN : `` Look at the states that are having such a spike in the coronavirus .
They 're the red states .
They 're the states in the Midwest or the states in the Upper Midwest .
That 's where the spike is occurring significantly . ''
THE FACTS : Neither of them is right .
Coronavirus is n't a red-state problem or a blue-state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem that affects people no matter where they live or what their politics are .
Some Republican-led states that were quick to reopen saw a surge of virus cases in the summer and are still struggling to get their transmission rates down .
Florida 's test positivity rate is about 12 % currently , a level indicating widespread transmission .
South Dakota is approaching 35 % .
Democratic-led states like New York that were hit hard in the initial wave closed down and got their virus transmission rates down to very low levels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in certain local communities , prompting them to target renewed restrictions .
Nevada and Pennsylvania are two states with Democratic governors and high transmission rates at currently 20 % and 10 % respectively , based on a 14-day trend .
TRUMP on the toll of COVID-19 in the U.S. : `` So as you know 2.2 million people , modeled out , were expected to die . ''
THE FACTS : This was his first line in the debate , and it is false .
The U.S. death toll from the pandemic was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Such an extreme projection was merely a baseline if nothing at all were done to fight the pandemic .
Doing nothing was never an option and public-health authorities did not expect over 2 million deaths .
Trump often cites the number to put the reality of more than 220,000 deaths in a better light and to attempt to take credit for reducing projected mortality .
At an April 1 briefing , when Trump and his officials discussed an actual projection of 100,000 to 240,000 deaths , the president held out hope of keeping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we 're doing better than that . ''
He has repeatedly moved the goal posts to make the massive mortality and infection numbers look better .
TRUMP , speaking about children who were separated from parents at the U.S.-Mexico border : `` They are so well taken care of ; they 're in facilities that are so clean . ''
THE FACTS : Not so .
At the height of the family separations in 2018 , Border Patrol facilities were cramped well beyond capacity with migrants who were kept in squalid conditions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responsible for a federal settlement that governs how children are cared for in immigration custody .
Long-term facilities for adults and children were at capacity , meaning the administration held people in the small border stations for much longer than the 72 hours normally allowed by law .
The stations are hardly meant for long-term care .
Children were not provided hot meals and families slept on the floor on top of Mylar blankets .
Flu and sickness ran rampant , and hundreds of small children were kept together without adequate care .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ from custody in the U.S. to wait out their cases being allowed to stay : `` They say they come back , less than 1 % of the people come back .
We have to send ... Border Patrol out to find them . ''
THE FACTS : That 's false .
There are far fewer no-shows for immigration hearings among those who are released pending their cases .
According to Justice Department Statistics , a majority come back for their hearings .
BIDEN : `` Not one single person with private insurance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , nor did they under Obamacare , they did not lose their insurance , unless they chose they wanted to go to something else . ''
Then-President Barack Obama promised if you liked your health insurance , you could keep it under his Affordable Care Act , but that 's not what happened for some .
When Obamacare took effect in 2014 , several million people lost individual health insurance plans that no longer met minimum standards established by the law .
A backlash forced the White House to offer a workaround , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health insurance is such a complicated area that almost any action has the potential for unintended consequences .
TRUMP : The Paris accord meant `` we were going to have to spend trillions of dollars ...
They did a great disservice .
They were going to take away our business . ''
THE FACTS : The Paris accord , an international agreement that aims to halt the rise in global temperatures , is based on voluntary emission reductions .
No nation was forced to do anything .
BIDEN : `` He says about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were on a stage here , said -- I told them to stand down and stand ready .
Come on .
This guy has a dog whistle as big as a fog horn . ''
THE FACTS : That is not exactly what Trump said and that is not the name of the neo-fascist group .
During the last debate , Trump was asked if he would condemn white supremacist and militia groups that have shown up at some protests in the U.S .
He said , `` Give me a name '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Proud Boys , '' a reference to the far-right extremist group that has shown up at protests in the Pacific Northwest .
`` Proud Boys , stand back and stand by , '' Trump said .
He did not tell them to `` stand ready , '' though it 's debatable whether there is a material difference .
TRUMP on his taxes : `` They keep talking about $ 750 , which I think is a filing fee .
... Tens of millions of dollars ( in income taxes ) I prepaid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : `` I was a businessman in 2013 and I closed the account in 2015 . ''
THE FACTS : Trump is not being honest about his taxes .
Reporting by The New York Times , which obtained his tax records , contradicts his claims .
The IRS does not charge taxpayers a filing fee , though tax preparation services do .
The $ 750 that Trump paid in 2016 and 2017 in the income taxes was to the federal government , not a tax preparation service .
It 's not clear what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prepaying his taxes , but what matters is what he ultimately owed the government .
Americans often have their income tax payments deducted from their paychecks .
The Times reported that Trump , starting in 2010 , claimed and received an income tax refund that totaled $ 72.9 million , which was at the core of an ongoing audit by the IRS .
The Times said a ruling against Trump could cost him $ 100 million or more .
Nor did Trump close his Chinese bank account , according to Alan Garten , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He told the Times that the account remains open , though the company 's office in China has been inactive since 2015 .
TRUMP : `` Joe got $ 3.5 ( million ) from Russia .
And it came through Putin because he was very friendly with the former mayor of Moscow , and it was the mayor of Moscow 's wife .
...
Your family got $ 3.5 million .
Someday you 're going to have to explain why . ''
THE FACTS : There is no evidence of this .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican Sen. Ron Johnson , who investigated Biden 's son , Hunter , and his business dealings in Ukraine .
The report did not allege that Joe Biden himself got $ 3.5 million or that Russia President Vladimir Putin had anything to do with such a payment .
Nor does the report allege that Hunter Biden pocketed the money himself .
The report said the sum went instead to an investment firm he co-founded .
Hunter Biden 's lawyer has said in a statement to reporters that his client had no interest in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ firm .

AP FACT CHECK: Falsehoods and fumbles in Trump-Biden debate
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden answers a question as President Donald Trump listens Thursday during the second and final presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- The facts took a hit right out of the gate Thursday night.
President Donald Trump's first line of the night, about COVID-19 deaths, was false and set the tone as he and Democratic rival Joe Biden unleashed a torrent of claims in their last presidential debate.
Trump misrepresented the reality of the pandemic in myriad and familiar ways, insisting against obvious reality that the pandemic is drawing to a close. He also boasted about "clean" facilities at the border for migrant children, ignoring the filthy conditions under which they were held in 2018.
Biden, at times, was selective on the coronavirus and other matters, at one point stating that no one under Obamacare lost private health coverage. Millions did.
A look at how some of the statements on the stage in Nashville, Tennessee, compared with the facts:
CORONAVIRUS
TRUMP: "We're rounding the turn. We're rounding the corner. It's going away."
THE FACTS: No, the coronavirus isn't going away. It's coming back. New cases are on the rise toward their summer peak. Deaths have also been increasing.
According to data through Oct. 21 from Johns Hopkins University, the seven-day rolling average for daily new cases in the U.S. rose over the past two weeks from over 42,300 on Oct. 7 to nearly 60,000 on Oct. 21.
In that time the seven-day rolling average for daily new deaths in the U.S. rose from 695 to 757.
TRUMP: "All he does is talk about shutdowns. But forget about him. His Democrat governors Cuomo in New York, you look at what's going on in California, you look at Pennsylvania, North Carolina. Democrats -- Democrats all. They're shut down so tight, and they're dying."
BIDEN: "Look at the states that are having such a spike in the coronavirus. They're the red states. They're the states in the Midwest or the states in the Upper Midwest. That's where the spike is occurring significantly."
THE FACTS: Neither of them is right. Coronavirus isn't a red-state problem or a blue-state problem. It's a public health problem that affects people no matter where they live or what their politics are.
Some Republican-led states that were quick to reopen saw a surge of virus cases in the summer and are still struggling to get their transmission rates down. Florida's test positivity rate is about 12% currently, a level indicating widespread transmission. South Dakota is approaching 35%.
Democratic-led states like New York that were hit hard in the initial wave closed down and got their virus transmission rates down to very low levels. But they're now seeing rebounds in certain local communities, prompting them to target renewed restrictions.
Nevada and Pennsylvania are two states with Democratic governors and high transmission rates at currently 20% and 10% respectively, based on a 14-day trend.
TRUMP on the toll of COVID-19 in the U.S.: "So as you know 2.2 million people, modeled out, were expected to die."
THE FACTS: This was his first line in the debate, and it is false. The U.S. death toll from the pandemic was not expected to be that high.
Such an extreme projection was merely a baseline if nothing at all were done to fight the pandemic. Doing nothing was never an option and public-health authorities did not expect over 2 million deaths.
Trump often cites the number to put the reality of more than 220,000 deaths in a better light and to attempt to take credit for reducing projected mortality.
At an April 1 briefing, when Trump and his officials discussed an actual projection of 100,000 to 240,000 deaths, the president held out hope of keeping deaths under 100,000. "I think we're doing better than that." He has repeatedly moved the goal posts to make the massive mortality and infection numbers look better.
MIGRANTS
TRUMP, speaking about children who were separated from parents at the U.S.-Mexico border: "They are so well taken care of; they're in facilities that are so clean."
THE FACTS: Not so.
At the height of the family separations in 2018, Border Patrol facilities were cramped well beyond capacity with migrants who were kept in squalid conditions, according to watchdog reports and the lawyers responsible for a federal settlement that governs how children are cared for in immigration custody. Long-term facilities for adults and children were at capacity, meaning the administration held people in the small border stations for much longer than the 72 hours normally allowed by law.
The stations are hardly meant for long-term care. Children were not provided hot meals and families slept on the floor on top of Mylar blankets. Flu and sickness ran rampant, and hundreds of small children were kept together without adequate care.
TRUMP, on immigrants who are released from custody in the U.S. to wait out their cases being allowed to stay: "They say they come back, less than 1% of the people come back. We have to send ... Border Patrol out to find them."
THE FACTS: That's false. There are far fewer no-shows for immigration hearings among those who are released pending their cases. According to Justice Department Statistics, a majority come back for their hearings.
HEALTH CARE
BIDEN: "Not one single person with private insurance would lose their insurance under my plan, nor did they under Obamacare, they did not lose their insurance, unless they chose they wanted to go to something else."
THE FACTS: He's wrong about Obamacare.
Then-President Barack Obama promised if you liked your health insurance, you could keep it under his Affordable Care Act, but that's not what happened for some.
When Obamacare took effect in 2014, several million people lost individual health insurance plans that no longer met minimum standards established by the law. A backlash forced the White House to offer a workaround, but the political damage was done.
Health insurance is such a complicated area that almost any action has the potential for unintended consequences.
CLIMATE CHANGE
TRUMP: The Paris accord meant "we were going to have to spend trillions of dollars ... They did a great disservice. They were going to take away our business."
THE FACTS: The Paris accord, an international agreement that aims to halt the rise in global temperatures, is based on voluntary emission reductions. No nation was forced to do anything.
EXTREMISTS
BIDEN: "He says about the Poor Boys, last time we were on a stage here, said -- I told them to stand down and stand ready. Come on. This guy has a dog whistle as big as a fog horn."
THE FACTS: That is not exactly what Trump said and that is not the name of the neo-fascist group.
During the last debate, Trump was asked if he would condemn white supremacist and militia groups that have shown up at some protests in the U.S. He said, "Give me a name" and Biden chimed in by saying, "Proud Boys," a reference to the far-right extremist group that has shown up at protests in the Pacific Northwest.
"Proud Boys, stand back and stand by," Trump said. He did not tell them to "stand ready," though it's debatable whether there is a material difference.
TRUMP'S TAXES
TRUMP on his taxes: "They keep talking about $750, which I think is a filing fee. ... Tens of millions of dollars (in income taxes) I prepaid." On his China bank account: "I was a businessman in 2013 and I closed the account in 2015."
THE FACTS: Trump is not being honest about his taxes.
Reporting by The New York Times, which obtained his tax records, contradicts his claims.
The IRS does not charge taxpayers a filing fee, though tax preparation services do. The $750 that Trump paid in 2016 and 2017 in the income taxes was to the federal government, not a tax preparation service.
It's not clear what Trump is talking about with regard to prepaying his taxes, but what matters is what he ultimately owed the government. Americans often have their income tax payments deducted from their paychecks. The Times reported that Trump, starting in 2010, claimed and received an income tax refund that totaled $72.9 million, which was at the core of an ongoing audit by the IRS. The Times said a ruling against Trump could cost him $100 million or more.
Nor did Trump close his Chinese bank account, according to Alan Garten, a lawyer for Trump's company. He told the Times that the account remains open, though the company's office in China has been inactive since 2015.
HUNTER BIDEN
TRUMP: "Joe got $3.5 (million) from Russia. And it came through Putin because he was very friendly with the former mayor of Moscow, and it was the mayor of Moscow's wife. ... Your family got $3.5 million. Someday you're going to have to explain why."
THE FACTS: There is no evidence of this. Trump is falsely characterizing a recent report by Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, who investigated Biden's son, Hunter, and his business dealings in Ukraine.
The report did not allege that Joe Biden himself got $3.5 million or that Russia President Vladimir Putin had anything to do with such a payment. Nor does the report allege that Hunter Biden pocketed the money himself. The report said the sum went instead to an investment firm he co-founded. Hunter Biden's lawyer has said in a statement to reporters that his client had no interest in and was not a founder of the firm.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-10-22--Final presidential debate: Trump, Biden go after each other on coronavirus, taxes

NASHVILLE , Tenn. -- President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden scrapped over how to tame the raging coronavirus in Thursday 's final 2020 debate , largely shelving the rancor that overshadowed their previous face-off in favor of a more substantive exchange that highlighted their vastly different approaches to solving the major domestic and foreign policy challenges facing the nation .
With less than two weeks until the election , Trump sought to portray himself as the same outsider he first pitched to voters four years ago , repeatedly saying he was n't a politician .
Biden , meanwhile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leader of a country facing multiple crises and tried to connect what he saw as the president 's failures to the everyday lives of Americans .
The night in Nashville began with a battle over the president 's handling of the pandemic , which has killed more than 225,000 Americans and cost millions of jobs .
Trump declared that the virus will go away while Biden warned that the nation was heading toward `` a dark winter . ''
Polling suggests it is the campaign 's defining issue for voters , and Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many deaths should not remain president of the United States of America . ''
Trump defended his management of the nation 's most deadly health crisis in a century , dismissing Biden 's warning that the nation had a dire stretch ahead due to spikes in infections .
And he promised that a vaccine would be ready in weeks .
`` It will go away , '' said Trump , staying with his optimistic assessment of the pandemic .
`` We 're rounding the turn .
We 're rounding the corner .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ca n't keep this country closed .
This is a massive country with a massive economy , '' Trump said .
`` There 's depression , alcohol , drugs at a level nobody 's ever seen before .
The cure can not be worse than the problem itself . ''
Biden vowed that his administration would defer to the scientists and said that Trump 's divisive approach hindered the nation 's response .
`` I do n't look at this in the way he does -- blue states and red states , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States .
And look at all the states that are having a spike in he coronavirus -- they 're the red states . ''
With Trump trailing and needing to change the campaign 's trajectory , the debate could prove pivotal though more than 47 million votes already have been cast and there are fewer undecided voters than at this point in previous election years .
Their first debate was defined by angry interruptions but Thursday night featured a milder tone until near the end when Trump resumed his tactic of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sharply on foreign policy , immigration and racial justice .
Biden called out Trump 's previous refusals to condemn white supremacists and his attacks on the Black Lives Matter movement , declaring that the president `` pours fuel on every single racist fire . ''
`` You know who I am .
You know who he is .
You know his character .
You know my character , '' Biden said .
The rivals ' reputations for `` honor and for telling to truth '' are clear , he said .
`` I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Trump countered by pointing out his efforts on criminal justice reform , blasting Biden 's support of a 1990s Crime Bill that many feel disproportionately incarcerated Black men .
Staring into the crowd , he declared himself `` the least racist person in this room . ''
Turning to foreign policy , Biden accused Trump of dealing with a `` thug '' while holding summits with the leader of North Korea , Kim Jong Un .
And closer to home , the former vice president laced into the Trump administration 's policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to illegally cross the southern border .
Biden said that America has learned from a New York Times report that Trump only paid $ 750 a year in federal taxes while holding `` a secret bank account '' in China .
The former vice president then noted he 's released all of his tax returns going back 22 years and challenged the president to release his returns , saying , `` What are you hiding ? ''
Trump said he closed his former account in China and claimed his accountants told him he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' in taxes .
However , as he has for the past four years , after promising to release his taxes , he declined to say when he might do so .
In a visual reminder of the pandemic that has rewritten the norms of American society and fundamentally changed the campaign , sheets of plexiglass had been installed onstage Wednesday between the two men .
But in the hours before the debate , they were removed .
The debate , moderated by NBC 's Kristen Welker , was a final chance for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a television audience of tens of millions of voters .
And questions swirled beforehand as to how Trump , whose hectoring performance at the first debate was viewed by aides as a mistake that turned off viewers , would perform amid a stretch of the campaign in which he has taken angry aim at the news media and unleashed deeply personal attacks on Biden and his adult son .
When he feels cornered , Trump has often lashed out , going as negative as possible .
In one stunning moment during the 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the release of the Access Hollywood tape in which he is heard boasting about groping women , Trump held a press conference just before a debate with Hillary Clinton during which he appeared with women who had accused Bill Clinton of sexual assault .
He then invited them to watch as audience members .
In a similar move , Trump 's campaign held another surprise pre-debate news conference , this time featuring Tony Bobulinski , a man who said he was Hunter Biden 's former business partner and made unproven allegations that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his father on China-related business dealings .
Biden declared the discussion about family entanglements `` malarkey '' and accused Trump of not wanting to talk about the substantive issues .
Turning to the camera and the millions watching at home , he said , `` It 's not about his family and my family .
It 's about your family , and your family is hurting badly . ''

Final presidential debate: Trump, Biden go after each other on coronavirus, taxes
Tonight NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker is scheduled to moderate the second and last Presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden. Associated Press
President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden participate in the final presidential debate at Belmont University, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden scrapped over how to tame the raging coronavirus in Thursday's final 2020 debate, largely shelving the rancor that overshadowed their previous face-off in favor of a more substantive exchange that highlighted their vastly different approaches to solving the major domestic and foreign policy challenges facing the nation.
With less than two weeks until the election, Trump sought to portray himself as the same outsider he first pitched to voters four years ago, repeatedly saying he wasn't a politician. Biden, meanwhile, argued that Trump was an incompetent leader of a country facing multiple crises and tried to connect what he saw as the president's failures to the everyday lives of Americans.
The night in Nashville began with a battle over the president's handling of the pandemic, which has killed more than 225,000 Americans and cost millions of jobs. Trump declared that the virus will go away while Biden warned that the nation was heading toward "a dark winter." Polling suggests it is the campaign's defining issue for voters, and Biden declared, "Anyone responsible for that many deaths should not remain president of the United States of America."
Trump defended his management of the nation's most deadly health crisis in a century, dismissing Biden's warning that the nation had a dire stretch ahead due to spikes in infections. And he promised that a vaccine would be ready in weeks.
"It will go away," said Trump, staying with his optimistic assessment of the pandemic. "We're rounding the turn. We're rounding the corner. It's going away."
"We can't keep this country closed. This is a massive country with a massive economy," Trump said. "There's depression, alcohol, drugs at a level nobody's ever seen before. The cure cannot be worse than the problem itself."
Biden vowed that his administration would defer to the scientists and said that Trump's divisive approach hindered the nation's response.
"I don't look at this in the way he does -- blue states and red states," Biden said. "They're all the United States. And look at all the states that are having a spike in he coronavirus -- they're the red states."
With Trump trailing and needing to change the campaign's trajectory, the debate could prove pivotal though more than 47 million votes already have been cast and there are fewer undecided voters than at this point in previous election years. Their first debate was defined by angry interruptions but Thursday night featured a milder tone until near the end when Trump resumed his tactic of loudly butting in.
The two broke sharply on foreign policy, immigration and racial justice.
Biden called out Trump's previous refusals to condemn white supremacists and his attacks on the Black Lives Matter movement, declaring that the president "pours fuel on every single racist fire."
"You know who I am. You know who he is. You know his character. You know my character," Biden said. The rivals' reputations for "honor and for telling to truth" are clear, he said. "I am anxious to have this race."
Trump countered by pointing out his efforts on criminal justice reform, blasting Biden's support of a 1990s Crime Bill that many feel disproportionately incarcerated Black men. Staring into the crowd, he declared himself "the least racist person in this room."
Turning to foreign policy, Biden accused Trump of dealing with a "thug" while holding summits with the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un. And closer to home, the former vice president laced into the Trump administration's policy of separating children from their parents trying to illegally cross the southern border.
Biden said that America has learned from a New York Times report that Trump only paid $750 a year in federal taxes while holding "a secret bank account" in China. The former vice president then noted he's released all of his tax returns going back 22 years and challenged the president to release his returns, saying, "What are you hiding?"
Trump said he closed his former account in China and claimed his accountants told him he "prepaid tens of millions of dollars" in taxes. However, as he has for the past four years, after promising to release his taxes, he declined to say when he might do so.
In a visual reminder of the pandemic that has rewritten the norms of American society and fundamentally changed the campaign, sheets of plexiglass had been installed onstage Wednesday between the two men. But in the hours before the debate, they were removed.
The debate, moderated by NBC's Kristen Welker, was a final chance for each man to make his case to a television audience of tens of millions of voters. And questions swirled beforehand as to how Trump, whose hectoring performance at the first debate was viewed by aides as a mistake that turned off viewers, would perform amid a stretch of the campaign in which he has taken angry aim at the news media and unleashed deeply personal attacks on Biden and his adult son.
When he feels cornered, Trump has often lashed out, going as negative as possible. In one stunning moment during the 2016 campaign, in an effort to deflect from the release of the Access Hollywood tape in which he is heard boasting about groping women, Trump held a press conference just before a debate with Hillary Clinton during which he appeared with women who had accused Bill Clinton of sexual assault. He then invited them to watch as audience members.
In a similar move, Trump's campaign held another surprise pre-debate news conference, this time featuring Tony Bobulinski, a man who said he was Hunter Biden's former business partner and made unproven allegations that the vice president's son consulted with his father on China-related business dealings.
Biden declared the discussion about family entanglements "malarkey" and accused Trump of not wanting to talk about the substantive issues.
Turning to the camera and the millions watching at home, he said, "It's not about his family and my family. It's about your family, and your family is hurting badly."


dailyheraldchicago--2020-10-22--House District 48 candidates debate ethics reform, Madigan's leadership

Integrity , ethics reform and the leadership of Speaker Michael Madigan are among the key issues in a heated rematch between the candidates vying to represent state House District 48 .
State Rep. Terra Costa Howard , a Glen Ellyn Democrat , says she 's proud of her engagement with constituents and track record in Springfield since ousting Republican Peter Breen of Lombard in 2018 .
But Breen , who previously served two terms in the legislature , says he does n't believe the incumbent has lived up to her promises , prompting him to run again as a challenger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small business owner , Costa Howard said she has stressed the importance of standing up for what is right .
In her first term , she said , she has championed for property tax fairness and worked to pass legislation that directly impacts DuPage County , including offering more spending flexibility in hotel tax revenue .
Breen , an attorney , said he wants to curb the out-migration of Illinois residents by fighting against corruption .
A former Lombard trustee and acting village president , he said the property tax burden and `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back from `` exploding with opportunity , economic and otherwise . ''
Accusations of lies and scare tactics were abundant in a recent Daily Herald endorsement interview , much of which centered around whether Madigan should step down from his leadership positions .
Both candidates agree that he should , and neither intends to vote for him in the future .
But Breen accused his opponent of sticking with the `` Madigan machine , '' even through a string of sexual misconduct allegations against his operatives .
His campaign motto , he says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and rebuild Illinois . ''
In defense of her last vote for Madigan as speaker , Costa Howard said she was simply backing her party .
But she stressed that she also was among a select group of Democratic lawmakers to call for Madigan 's resignation amid the ComEd bribery scandal , saying the accusations `` clearly demonstrate that the speaker 's leadership has failed '' regardless of whether he was directly involved .
In terms of ethics reform , Costa Howard said putting an end to gerrymandering is a top priority .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fair Maps Amendment , she said she has advocated for empowering an independent commission to redraw the state 's legislative districts .
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the process of getting the amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot , she said , but she pledged to continue pushing for reform and strengthening residents ' faith in state government .
Breen called Costa Howard 's amendment `` dead-on-arrival '' and said the way to upend corrupt partisan mapping is through a citizen-led effort .
He drafted an initiative himself , saying `` the parties and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do it on its own . ''
Enacting term limits is an easy first step to fighting corruption and eliminating career politicians in the legislature , Breen said , calling the move a `` no-brainer . ''
`` With a brief time in office , you have to get your work done quickly , because you 'll soon be back in private life , '' he said in a candidate questionnaire .
`` As to the myriad other ethics proposals out there , we should take an 'all-of-the-above ' approach . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and lobbying restrictions , which Costa Howard said she also supports .
Costa Howard said she has been speaking with colleagues on both sides of the aisle about an ethics reform package , saying the issue is bipartisan .
`` I always ask , what is the goal ?
What is the behavior we 're trying to stop or curtail ? ''
she said .
`` We have to know what that is in terms of what type of ethics reform legislation we need to address . ''

House District 48 candidates debate ethics reform, Madigan's leadership
Integrity, ethics reform and the leadership of Speaker Michael Madigan are among the key issues in a heated rematch between the candidates vying to represent state House District 48.
State Rep. Terra Costa Howard, a Glen Ellyn Democrat, says she's proud of her engagement with constituents and track record in Springfield since ousting Republican Peter Breen of Lombard in 2018. But Breen, who previously served two terms in the legislature, says he doesn't believe the incumbent has lived up to her promises, prompting him to run again as a challenger.
As a mom, attorney and small business owner, Costa Howard said she has stressed the importance of standing up for what is right. In her first term, she said, she has championed for property tax fairness and worked to pass legislation that directly impacts DuPage County, including offering more spending flexibility in hotel tax revenue.
Breen, an attorney, said he wants to curb the out-migration of Illinois residents by fighting against corruption. A former Lombard trustee and acting village president, he said the property tax burden and "broken government" are holding the state back from "exploding with opportunity, economic and otherwise."
District 48 primarily encompasses parts of Lombard, Glen Ellyn, Downers Grove, Wheaton and Lisle.
Accusations of lies and scare tactics were abundant in a recent Daily Herald endorsement interview, much of which centered around whether Madigan should step down from his leadership positions. Both candidates agree that he should, and neither intends to vote for him in the future.
But Breen accused his opponent of sticking with the "Madigan machine," even through a string of sexual misconduct allegations against his operatives. His campaign motto, he says, has been to "clean house and rebuild Illinois."
In defense of her last vote for Madigan as speaker, Costa Howard said she was simply backing her party. But she stressed that she also was among a select group of Democratic lawmakers to call for Madigan's resignation amid the ComEd bribery scandal, saying the accusations "clearly demonstrate that the speaker's leadership has failed" regardless of whether he was directly involved.
In terms of ethics reform, Costa Howard said putting an end to gerrymandering is a top priority. As the primary House sponsor for the Fair Maps Amendment, she said she has advocated for empowering an independent commission to redraw the state's legislative districts.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the process of getting the amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot, she said, but she pledged to continue pushing for reform and strengthening residents' faith in state government.
Breen called Costa Howard's amendment "dead-on-arrival" and said the way to upend corrupt partisan mapping is through a citizen-led effort. He drafted an initiative himself, saying "the parties and General Assembly itself can't be trusted to do it on its own."
Enacting term limits is an easy first step to fighting corruption and eliminating career politicians in the legislature, Breen said, calling the move a "no-brainer."
"With a brief time in office, you have to get your work done quickly, because you'll soon be back in private life," he said in a candidate questionnaire. "As to the myriad other ethics proposals out there, we should take an 'all-of-the-above' approach."
That includes policies related to personal ethics and lobbying restrictions, which Costa Howard said she also supports.
Costa Howard said she has been speaking with colleagues on both sides of the aisle about an ethics reform package, saying the issue is bipartisan.
"I always ask, what is the goal? What is the behavior we're trying to stop or curtail?" she said. "We have to know what that is in terms of what type of ethics reform legislation we need to address."


dailyheraldchicago--2020-10-22--U-46 won't bring youngest students back next week

`` The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry . ''
Elgin Area School District U-46 Superintendent Tony Sanders used that quote from Scottish poet Robert Burns to lead off his weekly newsletter and announce Thursday that the state 's second-largest school district is delaying its plan to bring pre-K through second-grade students back to school .
Students were scheduled to return to in-person instruction Tuesday under a hybrid format , but two staff members in the district 's transportation facility on Shales Parkway tested positive for COVID-19 within a 28-hour period , and the department sent home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 14 days .
`` We can not serve 5,000 students in pre-K to second grade without a functioning transportation department , '' Sanders wrote .
`` At this time , we do not have dispatchers available to guide drivers , respond to parent calls and ensure students can be safely transported . ''
U-46 has n't set a new date to bring those students back .
`` We all were looking forward to seeing the smiling eyes of our youngest learners as they returned for their second 'first day ' of school , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that day will come .
It just is not yet . ''
The district will continue to offer in-person instruction for students with special needs .
Buses for those students will operate out of the district 's Chicago Street facility in Elgin .

U-46 won't bring youngest students back next week
"The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry."
Elgin Area School District U-46 Superintendent Tony Sanders used that quote from Scottish poet Robert Burns to lead off his weekly newsletter and announce Thursday that the state's second-largest school district is delaying its plan to bring pre-K through second-grade students back to school.
Students were scheduled to return to in-person instruction Tuesday under a hybrid format, but two staff members in the district's transportation facility on Shales Parkway tested positive for COVID-19 within a 28-hour period, and the department sent home nine additional staff members to quarantine for 14 days.
"We cannot serve 5,000 students in pre-K to second grade without a functioning transportation department," Sanders wrote. "At this time, we do not have dispatchers available to guide drivers, respond to parent calls and ensure students can be safely transported."
U-46 hasn't set a new date to bring those students back.
"We all were looking forward to seeing the smiling eyes of our youngest learners as they returned for their second 'first day' of school," Sanders wrote. "I know that day will come. It just is not yet."
The district will continue to offer in-person instruction for students with special needs. Buses for those students will operate out of the district's Chicago Street facility in Elgin.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-10-23--French woman in Thailand may have acquired virus locally

BANGKOK -- A French woman on the Thai resort island of Samui has tested positive for the coronavirus and probably acquired it after arriving in Thailand in what could be one of few cases of local transmission , health officials said Friday .
The finding was announced the same week that Thailand began allowing some tourists to enter again after banning all commercial flights since early April .
On Tuesday , 39 tourists from Shanghai flew into Bangkok under a special tourist visa program that allows in a limited number of visitors under tight restrictions , including a 14-day quarantine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Bangkok with her husband and son on Sept. 30 , and all three underwent the mandatory 14-day quarantine , during which they tested negative twice for the disease , said Dr. Sophon Iamsirithaworn , director of the Bureau of General Communicable Diseases The family flew on Oct. 15 to Samui , where they maintain a residence .
The woman went to a hospital on Tuesday after experiencing coronavirus symptoms , and on Wednesday tested positive .
Her family has been quarantined again but a new test gave negative results for them .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the flight they took to Samui and 40 workers at the quarantine facility in Bangkok .
Those test results are pending .
Thailand has had few cases of local transmission over the past several months .
Almost all have been found in Thais or foreign residents returning from abroad .
Earlier this week , the Health Ministry announced that five people in the town of Mae Sot , on the border with Myanmar , tested positive .
The five , none of whom exhibited symptoms , were the first locally transmitted cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when a prison inmate in the Bangkok area tested positive .
All five of the Mae Sot cases are members of a family of Myanmar nationals residing in Thailand .
Myanmar has had a serious outbreak that began in August , causing Thai authorities to tighten controls along the border .
Thai health officials on Friday announced eight new confirmed cases , bringing the total to 3,727 , including 59 deaths .

French woman in Thailand may have acquired virus locally
Sailboats sit anchored off Choeng Mon beach on the resort island of Koh Samui, Thailand, on Oct. 15, 2020. Thai Health officials said Friday, Oct. 23, 2020 a French woman who traveled to the resort island on the same day and later tested positive for the coronavirus there probably acquired the infection after arriving in Thailand. Associated Press
BANGKOK -- A French woman on the Thai resort island of Samui has tested positive for the coronavirus and probably acquired it after arriving in Thailand in what could be one of few cases of local transmission, health officials said Friday.
The finding was announced the same week that Thailand began allowing some tourists to enter again after banning all commercial flights since early April. On Tuesday, 39 tourists from Shanghai flew into Bangkok under a special tourist visa program that allows in a limited number of visitors under tight restrictions, including a 14-day quarantine upon arrival.
The 57-year-old woman arrived in Bangkok with her husband and son on Sept. 30, and all three underwent the mandatory 14-day quarantine, during which they tested negative twice for the disease, said Dr. Sophon Iamsirithaworn, director of the Bureau of General Communicable Diseases
The family flew on Oct. 15 to Samui, where they maintain a residence. The woman went to a hospital on Tuesday after experiencing coronavirus symptoms, and on Wednesday tested positive. Her family has been quarantined again but a new test gave negative results for them.
Also under quarantine were passengers and crew of the flight they took to Samui and 40 workers at the quarantine facility in Bangkok. Those test results are pending.
Thailand has had few cases of local transmission over the past several months. Almost all have been found in Thais or foreign residents returning from abroad.
Earlier this week, the Health Ministry announced that five people in the town of Mae Sot, on the border with Myanmar, tested positive. The five, none of whom exhibited symptoms, were the first locally transmitted cases confirmed in Thailand since early September, when a prison inmate in the Bangkok area tested positive.
All five of the Mae Sot cases are members of a family of Myanmar nationals residing in Thailand. Myanmar has had a serious outbreak that began in August, causing Thai authorities to tighten controls along the border.
Thai health officials on Friday announced eight new confirmed cases, bringing the total to 3,727, including 59 deaths.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-10-23--Weakened Hurricane Epsilon moves north over Atlantic Ocean

MIAMI -- A weakened Hurricane Epsilon moved northward Friday over the Atlantic Ocean , a day after after skirting well east of Bermuda .
Epsilon 's top sustained winds fell Thursday to 85 mph ( 140 kph ) , dropping it from a Category 2 to a Category 1 storm , the U.S. National Hurricane Center said .
The Miami-based center said Epsilon was about 195 miles ( 314 kilometers ) east-northeast of Bermuda at 5 a.m. Friday as it moved north at 7 mph ( 11 kph ) .
Bermuda weather officials on Thursday evening had discontinued a tropical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gradual weakening of the hurricane was expected into the weekend .
But large ocean swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along the coast of New England and Atlantic Canada during the next couple of days , the hurricane center warned .
Earlier in the week , Epsilon had gained 50 mph ( 80 kph ) in wind speed in just 24 hours to become a major hurricane on Wednesday .
That officially qualified it as a rapidly intensifying storm .
It was the seventh storm this season to power up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at one point .
Over the past couple decades , meteorologists have been increasingly worried about storms that blow up from nothing to a whopper , just like Epsilon .
Forecasters created an official threshold for this dangerous rapid intensification - a storm gaining 35 mph ( 56 kph ) in wind speed in just 24 hours .
This year 's season has had so many storms that the hurricane center has turned to the Greek alphabet after running out of official names .

Weakened Hurricane Epsilon moves north over Atlantic Ocean
This photo provided by Air Force Reserve shows a sky view of Hurricane Epsilon taken by Air Force Reserve hurricane hunter team over the Atlantic Ocean taken Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. Epsilon's maximum sustained winds have dropped slightly as it prepares to sideswipe Bermuda on a path over the Atlantic Ocean. The National Hurricane Center says it should come close enough Thursday, Oct. 22, evening to merit a tropical storm warning for the island. (Air Force Reserve via AP) Associated Press
MIAMI -- A weakened Hurricane Epsilon moved northward Friday over the Atlantic Ocean, a day after after skirting well east of Bermuda.
Epsilon's top sustained winds fell Thursday to 85 mph (140 kph), dropping it from a Category 2 to a Category 1 storm, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The Miami-based center said Epsilon was about 195 miles (314 kilometers) east-northeast of Bermuda at 5 a.m. Friday as it moved north at 7 mph (11 kph).
Bermuda weather officials on Thursday evening had discontinued a tropical storm warning for the Atlantic island.
Gradual weakening of the hurricane was expected into the weekend. But large ocean swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along the coast of New England and Atlantic Canada during the next couple of days, the hurricane center warned.
Earlier in the week, Epsilon had gained 50 mph (80 kph) in wind speed in just 24 hours to become a major hurricane on Wednesday. That officially qualified it as a rapidly intensifying storm. It was the seventh storm this season to power up so quickly, reaching Category 3 status at one point.
Over the past couple decades, meteorologists have been increasingly worried about storms that blow up from nothing to a whopper, just like Epsilon. Forecasters created an official threshold for this dangerous rapid intensification - a storm gaining 35 mph (56 kph) in wind speed in just 24 hours.
This year's season has had so many storms that the hurricane center has turned to the Greek alphabet after running out of official names.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-10-23--Illinois infection rate dips slightly for first time in 3 weeks

The state 's COVID-19 infection rate dipped slightly to 5.6 % on Friday .
The decline , though small , was the first time the state 's seven-day average infection rate has dropped since Oct. 4 , when it was at just 3.3 % .
Since that time , three of the state 's 11 health regions have been placed under tightened business and gathering restrictions to prevent spread of the disease .
They joined a fourth region that has been under virus mitigation restrictions since late September .
DuPage , Kane , Kankakee and Will counties are among those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday .
Illinois has no plans to issue a statewide stay-at-home order similar to the one at the outset of the pandemic in March , Gov .
J.B. Pritzker said , but will deal with rising caseloads regionally .
The state 's infection rate , which reflects positive results among tests given , was 5.7 % on Thursday .
Despite the infection rate decline , Illinois health officials are not celebrating .
Health officials reported 3,874 new cases Friday and 31 more deaths .
`` This virus has caused a horrible situation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the number of cases , we are seeing the number of people with COVID-19 continue to increase , '' said Dr. Ngozi Ezike , head of the Illinois Department of Public Health .
`` We are seeing the number of individuals in the hospital because of COVID-19 increase .
We are seeing the number of lives lost continue to increase .
And if you 're tired of hearing it from me , please just ask one of your local physicians in your area . ''
Ezike wiped away tears as she reported COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noting these people will not be with their families during the holidays this year .
`` This is a difficult race when you ca n't actually see the end , '' she said .
`` And I 'm sorry that 's the message I have for you .
`` Nevertheless , I 'm asking you to fight the fatigue .
Fight the urge to give up social distancing .
My message to you is stay strong . ''
Illinois has now had 364,033 residents infected with COVID-19 since the outbreak began .
Hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treatment at the end of the day Thursday .
Of those patients , 511 were being treated in intensive care .
In DuPage , Kane , Kankakee and Will counties , the seven-day average test positivity rate remained above the state 's 8 % warning level for the sixth straight day .
Bars and restaurants in those counties were ordered to cease indoor service .
Gathering sizes were also limited to 25 people or less , or 25 % of a facility 's capacity .
Will and Kankakee counties had been under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beginning in late August .
Some restaurant and bar owners flouted the state mandate Friday and continued to serve indoors .
Pritzker said he plans to beef up state police patrols for scofflaws this time around and he threatened to pull a businesses ' liquor or video gambling licenses if owners do n't comply .
`` I would ask people to try to live by the rules that we 've set , '' the governor said .
`` Wear your mask .
The truth is if everybody will wear a mask , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quicker . ''
The state 's seven-county Metro East region adjacent to St. Louis also saw its seven-day average positivity rate climb above 8 % Friday .
That region was already under case mitigation restrictions from mid-August through mid-September .
Two more days of increased positivity will put the region under those restrictions again .
The state 's northwest region , which contains Rockford , Freeport , Galena and Northern Illinois University in DeKalb , and the state 's 19-county southernmost region are also under mitigation restrictions .

Illinois infection rate dips slightly for first time in 3 weeks
The COVID-19 testing location at Arlington International Racecourse is one of 11 state-run testing sites in the state that is free and open to the public, most operating seven days a week. Brian Hill | Staff Photographer, Oct. 16
The state's COVID-19 infection rate dipped slightly to 5.6% on Friday.
The decline, though small, was the first time the state's seven-day average infection rate has dropped since Oct. 4, when it was at just 3.3%.
Since that time, three of the state's 11 health regions have been placed under tightened business and gathering restrictions to prevent spread of the disease. They joined a fourth region that has been under virus mitigation restrictions since late September.
DuPage, Kane, Kankakee and Will counties are among those faced with new restrictions, which began Friday.
Illinois has no plans to issue a statewide stay-at-home order similar to the one at the outset of the pandemic in March, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said, but will deal with rising caseloads regionally.
The state's infection rate, which reflects positive results among tests given, was 5.7% on Thursday.
Despite the infection rate decline, Illinois health officials are not celebrating. Health officials reported 3,874 new cases Friday and 31 more deaths.
"This virus has caused a horrible situation, and though people may want to refute the number of cases, we are seeing the number of people with COVID-19 continue to increase," said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, head of the Illinois Department of Public Health. "We are seeing the number of individuals in the hospital because of COVID-19 increase. We are seeing the number of lives lost continue to increase. And if you're tired of hearing it from me, please just ask one of your local physicians in your area."
Ezike wiped away tears as she reported COVID-19 has now killed 9,418 Illinois residents, noting these people will not be with their families during the holidays this year.
"This is a difficult race when you can't actually see the end," she said. "And I'm sorry that's the message I have for you. "Nevertheless, I'm asking you to fight the fatigue. Fight the urge to give up social distancing. My message to you is stay strong."
Illinois has now had 364,033 residents infected with COVID-19 since the outbreak began.
Hospitals statewide reported 2,498 COVID-19 patients admitted for treatment at the end of the day Thursday. Of those patients, 511 were being treated in intensive care.
In DuPage, Kane, Kankakee and Will counties, the seven-day average test positivity rate remained above the state's 8% warning level for the sixth straight day. Bars and restaurants in those counties were ordered to cease indoor service. Gathering sizes were also limited to 25 people or less, or 25% of a facility's capacity.
Will and Kankakee counties had been under the same mitigation restrictions for about four weeks beginning in late August.
Some restaurant and bar owners flouted the state mandate Friday and continued to serve indoors. Pritzker said he plans to beef up state police patrols for scofflaws this time around and he threatened to pull a businesses' liquor or video gambling licenses if owners don't comply.
"I would ask people to try to live by the rules that we've set," the governor said. "Wear your mask. The truth is if everybody will wear a mask, we can get our businesses back open much quicker."
The state's seven-county Metro East region adjacent to St. Louis also saw its seven-day average positivity rate climb above 8% Friday. That region was already under case mitigation restrictions from mid-August through mid-September. Two more days of increased positivity will put the region under those restrictions again.
The state's northwest region, which contains Rockford, Freeport, Galena and Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, and the state's 19-county southernmost region are also under mitigation restrictions.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-10-23--Feds to help investigate fatal shooting by Waukegan police officer

The U.S. Department of Justice has agreed to review the case where a police officer shot and killed 19-year-old Marcellis Stinnette in Waukegan Tuesday night , Lake County State 's Attorney Michael Nerheim said Friday afternoon .
Nerheim contacted DOJ officials on Wednesday to request they `` review the circumstances surrounding this incident , '' he said in a news release Friday , and the department agreed to .
`` As I have said before , once the investigation is concluded , all the evidence will be reviewed and a final decision will be made with respect to any potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Having all available resources and as many independent fresh eyes as possible is critical to this process . ''
After the shooting , the Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force was called in to investigate .
The shooting happened shortly before midnight Tuesday , Waukegan police said , when an officer fired into a vehicle after the driver started reversing as the officer walked toward it .
Police have said the officer , who is Hispanic and a five-year veteran of the force , feared for his life and acted in self-defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a passenger , and his girlfriend , Tafara Williams , the driver .
Williams suffered serious injuries but is expected to recover , officials said .
More than 100 people marched from the site of the shooting to the Waukegan City Hall Thursday afternoon as part of a protest organized by the Lake County chapter of Black Lives Matter .
Clyde McLemore , who founded the chapter , said several times during the protest that he wanted the DOJ to investigate the shooting because he felt police should n't be investigating police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the Department of Justice was getting involved .
`` That was one of our first demands , '' McLemore said .
`` Now we 're asking that a special prosecutor be brought in .
We do n't want the findings of the DOJ to go to a Lake County prosecutor . ''
He said the organization also wants the officer who shot Stinnette and Williams to be fired , arrested and prosecuted instead of being placed on paid leave .
McLemore said his chapter of Black Lives Matter is holding another protest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had not been established as of early evening Friday .

Waukegan fires police officer who shot, killed Black teenager in car
Marcellis Stinnette, 19, of Waukegan was shot and killed by Waukegan police Tuesday in what they say was self-defense. Courtesy of Clyde McLemore
The Waukegan police officer who shot and killed 19-year-old Marcellis Stinnette on Tuesday night and injured his girlfriend was fired Friday night, the city of Waukegan said.
"The City of Waukegan terminated the officer that discharged his firearm during that incident, for multiple policy and procedure violations," a brief news release said.
The news comes after the U.S. Department of Justice agreed to review the case, according to Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim.
Nerheim contacted DOJ officials on Wednesday to request they "review the circumstances surrounding this incident," he said in a news release Friday, and the federal department agreed to.
"As I have said before, once the investigation is concluded, all the evidence will be reviewed and a final decision will be made with respect to any potential charges," Nerheim said. "Having all available resources and as many independent fresh eyes as possible is critical to this process."
Satrese Stallworth, Stinnette's cousin who has served as the family spokesperson, said the family is "really happy" to hear the news of the officer's firing.
"We're excited," Stallworth said. "We feel like we're accomplishing something, and we just want to see justice."
"We still haven't seen any videos" of what occurred, she said, but "we are happy to see that something has been done about this."
It was something that the officer wasn't simply placed on administrative leave, Stallworth said.
"They don't just terminate you for no reason. So evidently they have evidence showing that the officer was definitely in the wrong," she said.
The shooting happened shortly before midnight Tuesday, Waukegan police said, when an officer fired into a vehicle after the driver started reversing as the officer walked toward it. Police have said the officer, who is Hispanic and a five-year veteran of the force, feared for his life and acted in self-defense.
The gunshots struck Stinnette, who was a passenger, and his girlfriend, Tafara Williams, the driver. Williams suffered serious injuries but is expected to recover, officials said.
After the shooting, the Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force was called in to investigate.
More than 100 people marched from the site of the shooting to the Waukegan City Hall Thursday afternoon as part of a protest organized by the Lake County chapter of Black Lives Matter. Clyde McLemore, who founded the chapter, said several times during the protest that he wanted the DOJ to investigate the shooting because he felt police shouldn't be investigating police.
McLemore said Friday he was happy that the Department of Justice was getting involved.
"That was one of our first demands," McLemore said. "Now we're asking that a special prosecutor be brought in. We don't want the findings of the DOJ to go to a Lake County prosecutor."
He said the organization also wanted the officer who shot Stinnette and Williams to be fired, arrested and prosecuted instead of being placed on paid leave.
McLemore said his chapter of Black Lives Matter is holding another protest at 4 p.m. Saturday at Liberty and Oak streets in Waukegan.
Stallworth said earlier the family is ecstatic that the Department of Justice will be involved.
"They were grateful, because we didn't want the police handling this," she said.
"... This is still so surreal for the family, and we're just trying to deal with it as best as possible."
She said, however, that ultimately the family wants the Illinois attorney general's office to handle the case. "We were definitely not comfortable with the Illinois State Police handling the case."
Stinnette's grandmother is especially distraught, Stallworth said, because Stinnette moved to the area from Florida almost two years ago to be with his grandmother.
"I just appreciate the fact that (Nerheim) did something that was helpful and beneficial for the family. He seemed very sincere," she said.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-10-23--Man running 10 marathons in 10 days to feed suburban families on Thanksgiving

Robert Swiderski of Carol Stream is putting his distance-running experience to use by tackling 10 marathons in 10 days throughout the Northwest suburbs to raise awareness of an effort to feed 2,020 families in need this Thanksgiving .
Swiderski , 48 , is a board member of The Basket Brigade of Suburban Chicago , started five years ago by Brian Walsh of Streamwood to honor the memory of his late mother .
It 's currently registering people for its Run for Hope fundraiser .
Though Swiderski has run significantly longer distances than a marathon in a single go , his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is being done at a more relaxed pace to enable his endurance and allow others to join him for shorter portions of the 1- to 3-mile loops he 's circling each day .
`` I 'm really throttling back and not completely exhausting myself , '' he said of the 11- or 12-minute miles he 's been running .
Nevertheless , his body has been gradually feeling the daily toll it 's been taking over the past week .
On Saturday he 's running his ninth day in an area of Busse Woods @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Elk Grove Village .
On Sunday , he will complete his 10th marathon in Crystal Lake , the hometown of his running club , Ornery Mule Racing .
The goal has been to represent all the communities within The Basket Brigade of Suburban Chicago 's jurisdiction -- Streamwood , Hanover Park , Bartlett , Hoffman Estates , Schaumburg , Palatine , Rolling Meadows , Elk Grove , Elgin and South Elgin .
Because some of the marathons , like Saturday 's , are taking in more than one community at a time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his 10 with a run in his own hometown of Carol Stream and with the last in Crystal Lake for his running club .
At each location , he 's found an all-important home base around which to run and where others can easily find him .
Sometimes he 's been alone and other times with company .
The longest distance anyone else has joined him was a half-marathon .
As with other noncontact , outdoor sports , Swiderski believes running has had a boost in popularity from the pandemic with many opportunities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's seen many more people running and walking during his own runs since the spring .
The Basket Brigade is hoping that popularity will assist its related fundraiser -- the Run for Hope .
A virtual event this year due to the pandemic , the Basket Brigade Run for Hope allows participants to set their own goals , pace and criteria for success , Walsh said .
The $ 95 registration fee provides a printable race bib , finisher 's certificate , medal , T-shirt , goodies from the event 's sponsors -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thanksgiving meal for two families in need .
Swiderski said his own inspiration for joining the organization four years ago came from the difference that help he received in 2008 made to his attitude and sense of hope .
`` Kindness matters , '' he said .
`` You never know what someone else is going through . ''
And Swiderski continues to find inspiration in the help he sees the Basket Brigade of Suburban Chicago provide families at Thanksgiving .
In fact , he breaks down at the memory of a particular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'Mom , now we 've got more food .
Do you think we can eat again today ?
I 'm still hungry . '
'' Walsh said his impetus to start the organization began when his mother was being treated for a long illness in the intensive care unit at the University of Chicago six years ago .
When his family ended up with an extra turkey that Thanksgiving , they turned it into the basis of a meal for the doctors and nurses who spent their holiday treating patients like his mother @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organization to help families in need each Thanksgiving came after Walsh heard philanthropist and motivational speaker Tony Robbins start the International Basket Brigade .
The name of Walsh 's organization honors that inspiration , but there is no actual relationship between the two charities , he said .
All the information people need to donate , register for the Run for Hope , volunteer as a driver , or nominate a family for assistance can be found on the organization 's website at basketbrigade.net .

Man running 10 marathons in 10 days to feed suburban families on Thanksgiving
Robert Swiderski of Carol Stream is putting his distance-running experience to use by tackling 10 marathons in 10 days throughout the Northwest suburbs to raise awareness of an effort to feed 2,020 families in need this Thanksgiving.
Swiderski, 48, is a board member of The Basket Brigade of Suburban Chicago, started five years ago by Brian Walsh of Streamwood to honor the memory of his late mother. It's currently registering people for its Run for Hope fundraiser.
Though Swiderski has run significantly longer distances than a marathon in a single go, his strategy of completing 10 of them consecutively is being done at a more relaxed pace to enable his endurance and allow others to join him for shorter portions of the 1- to 3-mile loops he's circling each day.
"I'm really throttling back and not completely exhausting myself," he said of the 11- or 12-minute miles he's been running.
Nevertheless, his body has been gradually feeling the daily toll it's been taking over the past week.
On Saturday he's running his ninth day in an area of Busse Woods adjacent to Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg and Elk Grove Village. On Sunday, he will complete his 10th marathon in Crystal Lake, the hometown of his running club, Ornery Mule Racing.
The goal has been to represent all the communities within The Basket Brigade of Suburban Chicago's jurisdiction -- Streamwood, Hanover Park, Bartlett, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Elk Grove, Elgin and South Elgin.
Because some of the marathons, like Saturday's, are taking in more than one community at a time, he had the ability to round off his 10 with a run in his own hometown of Carol Stream and with the last in Crystal Lake for his running club.
At each location, he's found an all-important home base around which to run and where others can easily find him. Sometimes he's been alone and other times with company. The longest distance anyone else has joined him was a half-marathon.
As with other noncontact, outdoor sports, Swiderski believes running has had a boost in popularity from the pandemic with many opportunities for exercise restricted. He said he's seen many more people running and walking during his own runs since the spring.
The Basket Brigade is hoping that popularity will assist its related fundraiser -- the Run for Hope.
A virtual event this year due to the pandemic, the Basket Brigade Run for Hope allows participants to set their own goals, pace and criteria for success, Walsh said.
The $95 registration fee provides a printable race bib, finisher's certificate, medal, T-shirt, goodies from the event's sponsors -- and the knowledge it has funded the Thanksgiving meal for two families in need.
Swiderski said his own inspiration for joining the organization four years ago came from the difference that help he received in 2008 made to his attitude and sense of hope.
"Kindness matters," he said. "You never know what someone else is going through."
And Swiderski continues to find inspiration in the help he sees the Basket Brigade of Suburban Chicago provide families at Thanksgiving. In fact, he breaks down at the memory of a particular delivery.
"Kids would say, 'Mom, now we've got more food. Do you think we can eat again today? I'm still hungry.'"
Walsh said his impetus to start the organization began when his mother was being treated for a long illness in the intensive care unit at the University of Chicago six years ago.
When his family ended up with an extra turkey that Thanksgiving, they turned it into the basis of a meal for the doctors and nurses who spent their holiday treating patients like his mother.
The last step in creating an organization to help families in need each Thanksgiving came after Walsh heard philanthropist and motivational speaker Tony Robbins start the International Basket Brigade.
The name of Walsh's organization honors that inspiration, but there is no actual relationship between the two charities, he said.
All the information people need to donate, register for the Run for Hope, volunteer as a driver, or nominate a family for assistance can be found on the organization's website at basketbrigade.net.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-10-23--Should townhouses be added to Wheeling's Prairie Park development?

The developer of a Wheeling condominium complex wants to build townhouses on vacant land within the development .
If the plan progresses , 18 townhouse units in six , two-story buildings would be constructed in the Prairie Park complex , which is west of Milwaukee Avenue off Wolf Road .
The complex now has four , seven-story condominium buildings .
A long-promised fifth building never was constructed , and the townhouses would be erected on its footprint , developer Jamie Smith told the village board during a presentation Monday .
Another condominium building there no longer is economically feasible , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the condo market is n't there .
Units are moving , the prices are great .
The problem is the cost of construction , '' Smith said .
`` The cost to construct a similar building to what 's there today far exceeds the revenue generated from sales of those units . ''
Every townhouse unit would be two stories tall , with three attached units per building .
Each unit would have about 2,200 square feet of living space and attached garages , Smith said , as well as driveways .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ running east and west would bisect the townhouse site , with the homes on either side .
The facades of the townhouses would match the brick-and-stone facades of the larger condominium buildings , Smith said .
Community Development Director Ross Klicker expressed concern about the appearance of two-story buildings surrounded by seven-story condominium buildings , but the issue did n't seem insurmountable .
Smith said the Prairie Park condominium board already has approved the plan , and he said he has n't heard objections from any residents .
Some residents are pleased their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tall condo building , Smith said .
`` I have heard nothing but positive feedback , '' Smith said .
The village board took no formal action on the concept this week .
Trustees unanimously agreed to send the proposal to the village 's plan commission for review .
The Prairie Park development was approved more than 15 years ago , and the buildings went up in stages on the nearly 18-acre site .
The village contributed more than $ 10 million in property-tax revenue to the project .
Smith 's plan would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ development agreement that led to Prairie Park 's construction .

Should townhouses be added to Wheeling's Prairie Park development?
Townhouses could be built within the Prairie Park condominium complex in Wheeling. Daily Herald File Photo, 2015
The developer of a Wheeling condominium complex wants to build townhouses on vacant land within the development.
If the plan progresses, 18 townhouse units in six, two-story buildings would be constructed in the Prairie Park complex, which is west of Milwaukee Avenue off Wolf Road.
The complex now has four, seven-story condominium buildings. A long-promised fifth building never was constructed, and the townhouses would be erected on its footprint, developer Jamie Smith told the village board during a presentation Monday.
Another condominium building there no longer is economically feasible, Smith said.
"It's not that the condo market isn't there. Units are moving, the prices are great. The problem is the cost of construction," Smith said. "The cost to construct a similar building to what's there today far exceeds the revenue generated from sales of those units."
Every townhouse unit would be two stories tall, with three attached units per building.
Each unit would have about 2,200 square feet of living space and attached garages, Smith said, as well as driveways. Layouts would vary.
A new street running east and west would bisect the townhouse site, with the homes on either side.
The facades of the townhouses would match the brick-and-stone facades of the larger condominium buildings, Smith said.
Community Development Director Ross Klicker expressed concern about the appearance of two-story buildings surrounded by seven-story condominium buildings, but the issue didn't seem insurmountable.
Smith said the Prairie Park condominium board already has approved the plan, and he said he hasn't heard objections from any residents. Some residents are pleased their views won't be obstructed by another tall condo building, Smith said.
"I have heard nothing but positive feedback," Smith said.
The village board took no formal action on the concept this week. Trustees unanimously agreed to send the proposal to the village's plan commission for review.
The Prairie Park development was approved more than 15 years ago, and the buildings went up in stages on the nearly 18-acre site. The village contributed more than $10 million in property-tax revenue to the project.
Smith's plan would require an amendment to the planned unit development agreement that led to Prairie Park's construction.