chicagosun-times--2020-08-14--McCormick Place hospital’s cost to taxpayers? $1.7 million per patient. How the deal happened.

Taxpayers spent nearly $ 66 million fashioning McCormick Place into an emergency coronavirus hospital with 2,750 beds this past spring amid fears that COVID-19 patients would overwhelm hospitals in the Chicago area .
Those fears turned out to be unfounded .
Just 38 patients were transferred to the sprawling convention center — meaning taxpayers ’ cost for the makeshift hospital turned out to be more than $ 1.7 million per patient , on average .
But top aides to Mayor Lori Lightfoot say her decision to initiate the project with the federal government and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a time of “ immense emergency.
” “ It ’ s something I ’ m incredibly proud of , ” says Samir Mayekar , Lightfoot ’ s deputy mayor for economic and neighborhood development who says the money was “ not spent in vain.
” He also notes that the medical equipment is being stored and can be redeployed if needed .
To complete the McCormick Place project , the authority — a city-state governmental body known as McPier that runs the convention center and owns Navy Pier — tapped Walsh Construction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s built everything from highways to high-rises .
That followed a selection process so frenzied that McPier hired Walsh just hours after receiving proposals from three construction companies , according to interviews and records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times that show : • McPier solicited proposals from three giants in construction : Walsh , Pepper Construction and Power Construction Company .
And it hired Walsh even though Power said it either would forgo any fees or donate them to pandemic relief because it didn ’ t want to profit from the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including more than $ 5.1 million in fees , records show .
• An official with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — which hired McPier to build the facility , for which the federal government is covering at least 75 percent of the costs — said in internal emails that Power or Pepper was the best choice .
But that decision was left to McPier , which picked Walsh , saying its rates were not “ significantly different ” than the others and that it “ had the most experience .
.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] and working on emergency projects.
” A day before the selection , Marilyn Kelly Gardner , the chief executive officer of Navy Pier Inc. — the private company overseeing the tourist attraction that ’ s run by political allies of former Mayor Richard M. Daley — emailed Larita Clark , McPier ’ s chief executive officer , to put in a word for Walsh .
Under Daley , whose daughter is a Navy Pier Inc. board member , Walsh got huge city contracts , and members of the Walsh family gave heavily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Besides McPier ’ s contract with Walsh to put together the coronavirus hospital at McCormick Place , City Hall gave three contracts for medical supplies and medications for the hospital to a company called Vizient that has billed the city $ 1.3 million .
Those involved in creating the McCormick Place hospital say this was an incredibly unusual situation and that officials acted rapidly to try to fend off disaster .
At the time , New York City hospitals were filling , and there were fears that , if Chicago didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looked like New York or worse , ” says Dr. Nick Turkal , who was executive director of what was formally called the alternate care facility at McCormick Place — one of four in the Chicago region intended to house noncritical coronavirus patients in an effort to keep beds available in hospitals for people more severely ill with the virus .
Officials settled on McCormick Place as one of the four sites in part because it was empty given that the trade shows and conventions it normally hosts have been canceled because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were in Blue Island , Melrose Park and Elgin in previously closed hospitals , where the costs of readying them for patients were considerably lower than at McCormick Place — a total of about $ 50 million for all three , records show .
The Army Corps itself chose the construction companies for the renovations required at the closed hospitals — none of which has treated even one patient .
If the virus ends up raging back , the Blue Island site — the former MetroSouth Medical Center — will be ready , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely to come back on line .
Walsh ’ s contract involved building mobile hospital rooms and acquiring or assembling beds , showers , sinks , nursing stations and pharmacies — jobs for which it enlisted a host of suppliers and subcontractors .
Company officials didn ’ t return calls seeking comment about its selection or how much of the money ended up going toward its bottom line .
Pepper officials wouldn ’ t comment .
Robert Gallo , Power ’ s executive vice president , says he thought the selection process was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , here ’ s how that process evolved from a first contact on a Sunday to the $ 66 million deal by early the following Sunday : • On March 22 , a Sunday , David Bucaro of the Army Corps emailed Maurice Classen , Lightfoot ’ s chief of staff , about doing a survey of McCormick Place .
The following day , those talks continued , now also including Lightfoot aide Mayekar and McPier ’ s Clark .
• That Tuesday , Mayekar emailed city officials and Clark about Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Federal Emergency Management Agency , seeking money to reopen the three hospitals and set up a facility at McCormick Place .
Mayekar wrote that the Army Corps “ had called us to recommend we nudge the Gov ’ s team.
” • That Friday , Philip Stavrides of the Army Corp ’ s Chicago office emailed McPier officials a list of a dozen contractors , saying his top two choices were Power and Pepper .
Walsh was fourth on his list .
• That Saturday , the Army Corps signed a contract for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials to then subcontract the work to a construction company .
McPier contacted Power , Pepper and Walsh , asking for proposals by 8 a.m. the next day .
“ I will be sending out the [ request for proposal ] today — can you let me know realistically when you ’ d be able to turn around a response ?
We might need something as early as tonight/tomorrow morning , ” McPier ’ s procurement director Dao Ngo emailed Pepper Construction at 11:16 a.m. that Saturday .
• Hours later , Sean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asking the Navy Pier Inc. boss for “ any help you can give me in navigating the players.
” Gardner forwarded the email to Clark .
• Shortly after midnight , Power emailed its proposal to Ngo .
Pepper and Walsh submitted their proposals shortly before the 8 a.m. Sunday deadline .
Walsh ’ s plan noted that its team included Eric Green , a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who has worked with the Army Corps on construction projects around the world .
• Within hours , Walsh was chosen to build @ @ @ @ @ @ @ built in New York City at the Javits convention center .
“ MPEA staff reviewed the proposals , ” says Clark , whose agency has been reimbursed nearly $ 700,000 by the Army Corps for its staff time and other costs related to the project .
“ Walsh was selected as the most qualified firm .
There wasn ’ t a dollar amount involved .
We looked at the fact that they had the construction management team .
“ The MPEA board ratified the decision after it was made .
I personally signed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finished , the McCormick Place hospital opened in mid-April , with Pritzker announcing April 17 that it had its first five patients .
One week later , the Army Corps reported construction was done .
On May 8 , Clark announced that the last patient had been released and that the temporary facility was being dismantled .

Taxpayers spent nearly $66 million fashioning McCormick Place into an emergency coronavirus hospital with 2,750 beds this past spring amid fears that COVID-19 patients would overwhelm hospitals in the Chicago area.
Those fears turned out to be unfounded. Just 38 patients were transferred to the sprawling convention center — meaning taxpayers’ cost for the makeshift hospital turned out to be more than $1.7 million per patient, on average.
But top aides to Mayor Lori Lightfoot say her decision to initiate the project with the federal government and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority was an important “insurance policy” at a time of “immense emergency.”
“It’s something I’m incredibly proud of,” says Samir Mayekar, Lightfoot’s deputy mayor for economic and neighborhood development who says the money was “not spent in vain.”
He also notes that the medical equipment is being stored and can be redeployed if needed.
To complete the McCormick Place project, the authority — a city-state governmental body known as McPier that runs the convention center and owns Navy Pier — tapped Walsh Construction, a politically connected Chicago company that’s built everything from highways to high-rises.
That followed a selection process so frenzied that McPier hired Walsh just hours after receiving proposals from three construction companies, according to interviews and records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times that show:
McPier solicited proposals from three giants in construction: Walsh, Pepper Construction and Power Construction Company. And it hired Walsh even though Power said it either would forgo any fees or donate them to pandemic relief because it didn’t want to profit from the pandemic. Walsh charged $65.9 million, including more than $5.1 million in fees, records show.
An official with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — which hired McPier to build the facility, for which the federal government is covering at least 75 percent of the costs — said in internal emails that Power or Pepper was the best choice. But that decision was left to McPier, which picked Walsh, saying its rates were not “significantly different” than the others and that it “had the most experience . . . working with the [Army Corps] and working on emergency projects.”
Marilynn Gardner, chief executive officer of Navy Pier Inc. Brian Jackson / Sun-Times file
A day before the selection, Marilynn Kelly Gardner, the chief executive officer of Navy Pier Inc. — the private company overseeing the tourist attraction that’s run by political allies of former Mayor Richard M. Daley — emailed Larita Clark, McPier’s chief executive officer, to put in a word for Walsh. Under Daley, whose daughter is a Navy Pier Inc. board member, Walsh got huge city contracts, and members of the Walsh family gave heavily to campaign funds associated with Daley.
Besides McPier’s contract with Walsh to put together the coronavirus hospital at McCormick Place, City Hall gave three contracts for medical supplies and medications for the hospital to a company called Vizient that has billed the city $1.3 million.
Those involved in creating the McCormick Place hospital say this was an incredibly unusual situation and that officials acted rapidly to try to fend off disaster.
At the time, New York City hospitals were filling, and there were fears that, if Chicago didn’t act quickly, it would “have looked like New York or worse,” says Dr. Nick Turkal, who was executive director of what was formally called the alternate care facility at McCormick Place — one of four in the Chicago region intended to house noncritical coronavirus patients in an effort to keep beds available in hospitals for people more severely ill with the virus.
Officials settled on McCormick Place as one of the four sites in part because it was empty given that the trade shows and conventions it normally hosts have been canceled because of the pandemic.
The other three facilities were in Blue Island, Melrose Park and Elgin in previously closed hospitals, where the costs of readying them for patients were considerably lower than at McCormick Place — a total of about $50 million for all three, records show.
The Army Corps itself chose the construction companies for the renovations required at the closed hospitals — none of which has treated even one patient.
If the virus ends up raging back, the Blue Island site — the former MetroSouth Medical Center — will be ready, officials say, with the others less likely to come back on line.
Finished medical rooms at McCormick Place’s emergency coronavirus hospital as it was opening in April. Tyler LaRiviere / Sun-Times
Walsh’s contract involved building mobile hospital rooms and acquiring or assembling beds, showers, sinks, nursing stations and pharmacies — jobs for which it enlisted a host of suppliers and subcontractors. Company officials didn’t return calls seeking comment about its selection or how much of the money ended up going toward its bottom line.
Pepper officials wouldn’t comment. Robert Gallo, Power’s executive vice president, says he thought the selection process was fair.
Based on records and interviews, here’s how that process evolved from a first contact on a Sunday to the $66 million deal by early the following Sunday:
On March 22, a Sunday, David Bucaro of the Army Corps emailed Maurice Classen, Lightfoot’s chief of staff, about doing a survey of McCormick Place. The following day, those talks continued, now also including Lightfoot aide Mayekar and McPier’s Clark.
Samir Mayekar. Provided
That Tuesday, Mayekar emailed city officials and Clark about Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, seeking money to reopen the three hospitals and set up a facility at McCormick Place. Mayekar wrote that the Army Corps “had called us to recommend we nudge the Gov’s team.”
That Friday, Philip Stavrides of the Army Corp’s Chicago office emailed McPier officials a list of a dozen contractors, saying his top two choices were Power and Pepper. Walsh was fourth on his list.
That Saturday, the Army Corps signed a contract for construction of the temporary hospital with McPier officials to then subcontract the work to a construction company. McPier contacted Power, Pepper and Walsh, asking for proposals by 8 a.m. the next day.
“I will be sending out the [request for proposal] today — can you let me know realistically when you’d be able to turn around a response? We might need something as early as tonight/tomorrow morning,” McPier’s procurement director Dao Ngo emailed Pepper Construction at 11:16 a.m. that Saturday.
Hours later, Sean Walsh of Walsh Construction emailed Gardner, asking the Navy Pier Inc. boss for “any help you can give me in navigating the players.” Gardner forwarded the email to Clark.
Shortly after midnight, Power emailed its proposal to Ngo. Pepper and Walsh submitted their proposals shortly before the 8 a.m. Sunday deadline. Walsh’s plan noted that its team included Eric Green, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who has worked with the Army Corps on construction projects around the world.
Within hours, Walsh was chosen to build the temporary hospital, similar to one built in New York City at the Javits convention center.
Larita Clark, chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority. Provided
“MPEA staff reviewed the proposals,” says Clark, whose agency has been reimbursed nearly $700,000 by the Army Corps for its staff time and other costs related to the project. “Walsh was selected as the most qualified firm. There wasn’t a dollar amount involved. We looked at the fact that they had the construction management team.
“The MPEA board ratified the decision after it was made. I personally signed the document.”
Even before construction was finished, the McCormick Place hospital opened in mid-April, with Pritzker announcing April 17 that it had its first five patients.
One week later, the Army Corps reported construction was done.
On May 8, Clark announced that the last patient had been released and that the temporary facility was being dismantled.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-14--Amid the pandemic, one small business successfully spices up profits

With a cadre of repeat customers , the Spice House has stores in Chicago ’ s Old Town neighborhood , suburban Evanston and two in Milwaukee , as well as a warehouse in Skokie .
But when COVID-19 hit , Charlie Mayer realized he ’ d have to rethink his spice-selling business , just like experimenting with a new recipe .
It was a learning process .
Mayer , the chief operating officer , originally figured he ’ d have to shut down .
“ We ’ re not a grocery store , ” he thought .
Then the rules @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Mayer saw an opening .
He closed to the public March 18 , but the rules allowed him to keep his stores operating to handle online orders .
The Spice House already had an active digital presence , but that business mushroomed that first weekend and his warehouse couldn ’ t keep up .
Mayer had to add people and reconfigure stores to fulfill more internet orders , laying in supplies of shipping boxes and tape and training employees to package goods in customer friendly ways .
The result ?
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do a fast turnaround .
“ We have almost doubled our headcount because of COVID , ” he said .
The Spice House currently has more than 100 workers .
Its stores reopened to the public in late June .
It ’ s all due to a quick pivot and , Mayer conceded , more than a pinch of luck .
“ The food business has been rocking and rolling .
We ’ re trying to get more product.
” He said he ’ s been part of a “ national pantry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with cocooning customers flocking to favorites like the Back of the Yards Garlic Pepper Rub and a collection of 24 spices he believes should be standard in every kitchen .
Not every business enjoys that situation .
Small businesses account for nearly half of private-sector employment in the U.S. and studies show that their overall state is grave .
A report by McKinsey & Co. in June found that , depending on the sector , from a quarter to a half of small businesses could close from a prolonged slump caused by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found in April that 36 % of small business owners reported having less than 30 days ’ cash on hand .
Mayer said that regardless of a business ’ circumstance , entrepreneurs must not let ego or pride get in the way of asking for help .
In his case , that started with a good banking relationship at Chase that provided connections to the Small Business Administration and other sources of financing .
He said he ’ s also been working with suppliers and other partners in the food industry — some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ways to boost one another .
“ In the food industry , it ’ s been a moment to embrace essential conversations , ” Mayer said .
“ The pandemic has given businesses a new reason to work together.
” To those in tougher straits , Mayer advised , “ There are sources of capital out there .
You should hold on as long as you can and reach out for help anywhere you can.
” Embracing e-commerce works differently depending on the nature of what ’ s being sold .
For the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more in the last four months than in the last several years , ” Mayer said .
“ Anything that can should be sold on the internet.
” The Connected Commerce Council , representing technology companies , surveyed 500 small businesses in May and found that nearly a third said they would close without access to digital tools .
For access to capital , many businesses have turned to a resource such as Accion of Chicago and Northwest Indiana , a nonprofit and a certified Community Development Financial Institution that works with private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
CEO Brad McConnell said his organization has been doing all it can , but the pandemic-forced slowdown has been especially hard on smaller firms with thin financial cushions .
In all of 2019 , Accion provided $ 3.8 million in loans , McConnell said .
Contrast that with just the second quarter of this year , when Accion bankrolled $ 20 million in loans .
However , that was out of $ 500 million in applications , he said .
“ It ’ s not even close to meeting the needs of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McConnell said .
Congress ’ inability to agree on a new round of grants and loans for the economy to replace the expiring CARES Act threatens to make things worse , he said .
But with all that , he ’ s still an optimist , seeing resilience on the part of entrepreneurs and a willingness to explore any avenue for financing .
Groups such as Accion can help businesses identify programs from local chambers of commerce and from state , county and city agencies that provide access to cash , especially from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organizations can come in especially handy for entrepreneurs who don ’ t have deep banking relationships .
For Daniel ’ s Body Shop in Little Village , the key to staying open was getting a $ 50,000 loan from Chicago ’ s Small Business Resiliency Fund , which is now closed to new applications .
“ We were living day to day .
We used up all our savings , ” said owner Olympia Lopez .
Since then , business has rebounded almost to its usual level , she said .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is we ’ ve been in business for more than 35 years .
It ’ s tough for a lot of new businesses , ” Lopez said .
Many of her business colleagues resist seeking debt from any source , she said .
McConnell said stressed businesses should avoid two things : “ Going dark ” on creditors and resorting to high-interest payday loans to stay afloat .
“ Have open conversations with your creditors , whether it ’ s your mortgage lender or suppliers .
This situation is all new for everybody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ source for aid and information is Illinois state government , which might cause some people to roll their eyes .
Yes , people filing for unemployment have encountered delays and dropped calls .
But through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and its ties to 42 Small Business Development Centers , or SBDCs , around the state , it ’ s indeed possible for operators of small businesses to talk to a real person .
Important programs offered by the state include BIG , or the Business Interruption Grants program , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ round of funding soon to help enterprises suffering from COVID-19-related closures and slowdowns .
It has doled out $ 46 million to 2,655 small businesses .
A program called Rebuild Distressed Communities supports businesses that suffered damages from recent looting .
Firms with a somewhat longer track record or larger number of employees should look into the Advantage Illinois program of low-interest loans backed by federal funds .
In addition , the Federal Reserve has launched a Main Street Lending Program , although the rollout has been slow and eligibility includes large businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce runs an SBDC .
The chamber ’ s CEO , Jack Lavin , says its staff will work closely with businesses to develop a plan based on specific needs and cash flows .
That includes access to money , but also ideas for ramping up operations safely , such as referrals for securing low-cost protective equipment for employees .
“ They know companies are struggling .
They want to work with them , ” Lavin says of his employees .
“ The attitude is , ‘ Let ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @

With a cadre of repeat customers, the Spice House has stores in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood, suburban Evanston and two in Milwaukee, as well as a warehouse in Skokie.
But when COVID-19 hit, Charlie Mayer realized he’d have to rethink his spice-selling business, just like experimenting with a new recipe.
It was a learning process. Mayer, the chief operating officer, originally figured he’d have to shut down. “We’re not a grocery store,” he thought.
Then the rules for “essential businesses” came out, and Mayer saw an opening. He closed to the public March 18, but the rules allowed him to keep his stores operating to handle online orders.
The Spice House already had an active digital presence, but that business mushroomed that first weekend and his warehouse couldn’t keep up. Mayer had to add people and reconfigure stores to fulfill more internet orders, laying in supplies of shipping boxes and tape and training employees to package goods in customer friendly ways.
The result? After first laying off workers, Mayer had to do a fast turnaround. “We have almost doubled our headcount because of COVID,” he said. The Spice House currently has more than 100 workers. Its stores reopened to the public in late June.
It’s all due to a quick pivot and, Mayer conceded, more than a pinch of luck. “The food business has been rocking and rolling. We’re trying to get more product.” He said he’s been part of a “national pantry stocking” because of the pandemic, with cocooning customers flocking to favorites like the Back of the Yards Garlic Pepper Rub and a collection of 24 spices he believes should be standard in every kitchen.
Will McCray vacuum seals bottles of spices before placing them on shelves at the Spice House in Old Town. Max Herman/Sun-Times
Not every business enjoys that situation. Small businesses account for nearly half of private-sector employment in the U.S. and studies show that their overall state is grave. A report by McKinsey & Co. in June found that, depending on the sector, from a quarter to a half of small businesses could close from a prolonged slump caused by the pandemic. The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce found in April that 36% of small business owners reported having less than 30 days’ cash on hand.
Mayer said that regardless of a business’ circumstance, entrepreneurs must not let ego or pride get in the way of asking for help. In his case, that started with a good banking relationship at Chase that provided connections to the Small Business Administration and other sources of financing. He said he’s also been working with suppliers and other partners in the food industry — some of them struggling — to figure out ways to boost one another.
“In the food industry, it’s been a moment to embrace essential conversations,” Mayer said. “The pandemic has given businesses a new reason to work together.”
Related A small business tip sheet for tough times
To those in tougher straits, Mayer advised, “There are sources of capital out there. You should hold on as long as you can and reach out for help anywhere you can.”
Embracing e-commerce works differently depending on the nature of what’s being sold. For the Spice House, “digital has accelerated more in the last four months than in the last several years,” Mayer said. “Anything that can should be sold on the internet.”
The Connected Commerce Council, representing technology companies, surveyed 500 small businesses in May and found that nearly a third said they would close without access to digital tools.
For access to capital, many businesses have turned to a resource such as Accion of Chicago and Northwest Indiana, a nonprofit and a certified Community Development Financial Institution that works with private lenders to assist businesses in lower-income areas. CEO Brad McConnell said his organization has been doing all it can, but the pandemic-forced slowdown has been especially hard on smaller firms with thin financial cushions.
In all of 2019, Accion provided $3.8 million in loans, McConnell said. Contrast that with just the second quarter of this year, when Accion bankrolled $20 million in loans. However, that was out of $500 million in applications, he said.
“It’s not even close to meeting the needs of small businesses in emerging capital,” McConnell said. Congress’ inability to agree on a new round of grants and loans for the economy to replace the expiring CARES Act threatens to make things worse, he said.
But with all that, he’s still an optimist, seeing resilience on the part of entrepreneurs and a willingness to explore any avenue for financing. Groups such as Accion can help businesses identify programs from local chambers of commerce and from state, county and city agencies that provide access to cash, especially from all-important grant programs. Contacts with local organizations can come in especially handy for entrepreneurs who don’t have deep banking relationships.
For Daniel’s Body Shop in Little Village, the key to staying open was getting a $50,000 loan from Chicago’s Small Business Resiliency Fund, which is now closed to new applications. “We were living day to day. We used up all our savings,” said owner Olympia Lopez.
Since then, business has rebounded almost to its usual level, she said. “I think the reason we came back up is we’ve been in business for more than 35 years. It’s tough for a lot of new businesses,” Lopez said. Many of her business colleagues resist seeking debt from any source, she said.
McConnell said stressed businesses should avoid two things: “Going dark” on creditors and resorting to high-interest payday loans to stay afloat. “Have open conversations with your creditors, whether it’s your mortgage lender or suppliers. This situation is all new for everybody,” he said.
An important source for aid and information is Illinois state government, which might cause some people to roll their eyes. Yes, people filing for unemployment have encountered delays and dropped calls. But through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and its ties to 42 Small Business Development Centers, or SBDCs, around the state, it’s indeed possible for operators of small businesses to talk to a real person.
Important programs offered by the state include BIG, or the Business Interruption Grants program, which is expected to get a new round of funding soon to help enterprises suffering from COVID-19-related closures and slowdowns. It has doled out $46 million to 2,655 small businesses. A program called Rebuild Distressed Communities supports businesses that suffered damages from recent looting.
Firms with a somewhat longer track record or larger number of employees should look into the Advantage Illinois program of low-interest loans backed by federal funds. In addition, the Federal Reserve has launched a Main Street Lending Program, although the rollout has been slow and eligibility includes large businesses with up to 15,000 employees.
The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce runs an SBDC. The chamber’s CEO, Jack Lavin, says its staff will work closely with businesses to develop a plan based on specific needs and cash flows. That includes access to money, but also ideas for ramping up operations safely, such as referrals for securing low-cost protective equipment for employees.
“They know companies are struggling. They want to work with them,” Lavin says of his employees. “The attitude is, ‘Let’s figure it out.’ ”


chicagosun-times--2020-08-14--2 killed, 9 hurt in Chicago shootings Thursday

Eleven people were shot , two of them fatally , across Chicago on Thursday .
Four teenagers were among the nine people wounded .
The latest fatal attack happened Thursday night in Morgan Park on the South Side .
A 27-year-old man was shot in the chest and back about 11:35 p.m. while driving through an alley in the 1000 block of West 108th Place , Chicago police said .
He was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn , where he died .
About 20 minutes before that , another man was shot to death inside a home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shot in the arm and chest about 11:15 p.m. in a home in the 7500 block of South Chappel Avenue , police said .
He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center , where he was pronounced dead .
Police sources said the shots appeared to have come from the back of the home .
Late Thursday night , two teenagers were shot in Little Village on the Southwest Side .
The boy and girl , both 17 , were outside about 11:45 p.m. in the 1800 block of South Albany @ @ @ @ @ @ @ struck them both , according to police .
The girl was shot in the head and leg and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in serious condition .
The boy was struck in the leg and was in good condition at the same hospital .
About two hours earlier , a 16-year-old boy was shot in South Chicago .
The teen was on the street about 9:45 p.m. in the 2700 block of East 89th Street when he heard gunfire and felt pain , police said .
He was struck once in the buttocks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good condition .
About 15 minutes before that , another teen boy and a man were wounded in Englewood on the South Side .
Officers responding to a ShotSpotter alert found the 16-year-old boy and 21-year-old man with gunshot wounds about 9:30 p.m. in the 6700 block of South Sangamon Street , police said .
The teen was struck in the leg , while the man was hit in the foot .
The teen was taken to Comer Children ’ s Hospital and the man was taken to St. Bernard Hospital , both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ injured about 11:35 p.m. in Austin on the West Side .
Someone walked up to the 29-year-old in an alley in the 1000 block of North Mason Avenue and fired shots , according to police .
He was struck in the calf and taken to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park in good condition .
Earlier that evening , another man was shot in South Chicago .
The 38-year-old was found with a gunshot wound to the abdomen about 7:45 p.m. in the 8300 block of South Jeffery Boulevard , Chicago police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the University of Chicago Medical Center .
Hours before that , a 22-year-old woman was shot in Marquette Park on the Southwest Side .
She was shot in the hip and buttocks during a robbery about 4 p.m. in the 6300 block of South Artesian Avenue , police said .
She declined medical attention and was in good condition .
Thursday ’ s first shooting left a man injured about half an hour earlier in West Pullman on the Far South Side .
The 33-year-old was on the street about 3:27 p.m. in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he heard gunfire and felt pain , police said .
He was struck in the buttocks and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in good condition .
On Wednesday , eight people were injured by gun violence across the city .
Read more on crime , and track the city ’ s homicides .

Eleven people were shot, two of them fatally, across Chicago on Thursday. Four teenagers were among the nine people wounded.
The latest fatal attack happened Thursday night in Morgan Park on the South Side.
Montrell Lee, 27, was shot in the chest and back about 11:35 p.m. while driving through an alley in the 1000 block of West 108th Place, Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. Lee, who lived in Washington Heights, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died.
About 20 minutes before that, another man was shot to death inside a home in South Shore.
Aaron T. Williams, 28, was shot in the arm and chest about 11:15 p.m. in a home in the 7500 block of South Chappel Avenue, authorities said. Lee, who lived in South Shore, was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Police sources said the shots appeared to have come from the back of the home.
Late Thursday night, two teenagers were shot in Little Village on the Southwest Side.
The boy and girl, both 17, were outside about 11:45 p.m. in the 1800 block of South Albany Avenue when they heard shots, which struck them both, according to police. The girl was shot in the head and leg and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in serious condition. The boy was struck in the leg and was in good condition at the same hospital.
About two hours earlier, a 16-year-old boy was shot in South Chicago.
The teen was on the street about 9:45 p.m. in the 2700 block of East 89th Street when he heard gunfire and felt pain, police said. He was struck once in the buttocks and taken to Jackson Park Hospital in good condition.
About 15 minutes before that, another teen boy and a man were wounded in Englewood on the South Side.
Officers responding to a ShotSpotter alert found the 16-year-old boy and 21-year-old man with gunshot wounds about 9:30 p.m. in the 6700 block of South Sangamon Street, police said. The teen was struck in the leg, while the man was hit in the foot. The teen was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital and the man was taken to St. Bernard Hospital, both in good condition.
A man was injured about 11:35 p.m. in Austin on the West Side.
Someone walked up to the 29-year-old in an alley in the 1000 block of North Mason Avenue and fired shots, according to police. He was struck in the calf and taken to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park in good condition.
Earlier that evening, another man was shot in South Chicago.
The 38-year-old was found with a gunshot wound to the abdomen about 7:45 p.m. in the 8300 block of South Jeffery Boulevard, Chicago police said. His condition was stabilized at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Hours before that, a 22-year-old woman was shot in Marquette Park on the Southwest Side.
She was shot in the hip and buttocks during a robbery about 4 p.m. in the 6300 block of South Artesian Avenue, police said. She declined medical attention and was in good condition.
Thursday’s first shooting left a man injured about half an hour earlier in West Pullman on the Far South Side.
The 33-year-old was on the street about 3:27 p.m. in the 11700 block of South Perry Avenue when he heard gunfire and felt pain, police said. He was struck in the buttocks and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in good condition.
On Wednesday, eight people were injured by gun violence across the city.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-14--Cubs’ Tyler Chatwood scratched from start vs. Brewers with mid-back tightness

Right-hander Tyler Chatwood was scratched from his start on Friday against the Brewers with mid-back tightness .
The Cubs say he ’ s considered day-to-day .
Right-hander Alec Mills made the start in his place .
Chatwood has been a bright spot for the Cubs this season and has pitched some of the best baseball not only in his time in Chicago , but in his career .
The Cubs ’ right-hander allowed just one earned run over his first two starts before a rough start against Kansas City in his most recent outing where he allowed eight earned runs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Chatwood is 2-1 with a 5.40 ERA this season .
The Cubs have avoided any significant issues during the shortened season , but their rotation had depth concerns even prior to the start of the season and can ill afford to have one of their starters miss anytime .
The team has been without left-hander José Quintana since July 2 after surgery to repair the sensory nerve in his thumb .
Quintana is on the back-end of his rehab and is scheduled to throw a four-inning sim game on Sunday at alternate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make sense to fill Chatwood ’ s spot in the rotation if he needed to head to the 10-day injured list , manager David Ross isn ’ t ready to turn his southpaw loose just yet .
“ Yeah , I think he ’ s still a little bit away , ” Ross said .
“ He ’ s gon na throw Sunday , another sim game and we ’ ll get a better judge there .
Talking to him , I didn ’ t get the feel that he ’ s quite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll get a lot of feedback from Sunday .
But rushing a guy like that , who is so important , it just doesn ’ t make a lot of sense in this scenario.
” The Cubs announced on Friday that Saturday ’ s game against the Milwaukee Brewers will be played at 2:20 p.m. CT due to the forecast of inclement weather later in the evening .
The game was originally scheduled to begin at 7:15 p.m. CT .
The team also announced that last weekend ’ s postponed series against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of three doubleheaders at Wrigley Field , Each doubleheader will consist of the originally scheduled game , as well as one make-up from last weekend ’ s scheduled series .
The Cubs will be the home team for Game 1 of each doubleheader and the Cardinals will be the home team for Game 2 of each .
The first two doubleheaders are scheduled for Monday and Wednesday with the third and final twin bill coming on Sept. 5 .

Right-hander Tyler Chatwood was scratched from his scheduled start Friday against the Brewers with mid-back tightness. The Cubs said he’s considered day-to-day. Right-hander Alec Mills made the start in his place.
Chatwood was excellent in his first two starts this season before running into some trouble in the third. He allowed only one earned run in his first two starts combined before a rough start against the Royals in his most recent outing, in which he yielded eight earned runs and 11 hits in 21⁄ 3 innings.
Chatwood is 2-1 with a 5.40 ERA overall.
The Cubs have avoided any significant injury issues so far during the shortened season, but they had concerns about the depth of their rotation even before the season and can ill-afford to have one of their starters miss any time.
The Cubs have been without left-hander Jose Quintana since July 2 after he had surgery to repair the sensory nerve in his pitching thumb. Quintana is on the back end of his rehab and is scheduled to throw a four-inning simulated game Sunday at the Cubs’ alternate training site in South Bend, Indiana.
While it would make sense for Quintana to fill Chatwood’s spot in the rotation if Chatwood has to go on the 10-day injured list, manager David Ross said he isn’t ready to turn Quintana loose just yet.
‘‘Yeah, I think he’s still a little bit away,’’ Ross said. ‘‘He’s gonna throw Sunday, another sim game, and we’ll get a better judge there. Talking to him, I didn’t get the feel that he’s quite ready yet. I think we’ll get a lot of feedback from Sunday. But rushing a guy like that, who is so important, it just doesn’t make a lot of sense in this scenario.’’
Cubs move up first pitch, announce doubleheaders
The Cubs announced their game Saturday against the Brewers will be played at 2:20 p.m. because of the forecast for inclement weather later in the evening. The game originally was scheduled to begin at 7:15 p.m.
The team also announced the postponed series last weekend against the Cardinals has been rescheduled as part of three doubleheaders at Wrigley Field.
Each doubleheader will feature an originally scheduled game, as well as one from the scheduled series last weekend in St. Louis. The Cubs will be the home team for the first game of each doubleheader, and the Cardinals will be the home team for the second game of each.
The first two doubleheaders are scheduled for Monday and Wednesday. The third is scheduled for Sept. 5.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-14--More than 2,200 new coronavirus cases, most for Illinois in 3 months; State teetering toward conditi

More than 2,200 new coronavirus cases, most for Illinois in 3 months; State teetering toward conditions during the peak month of May (LIVE UPDATES)

More than 2,200 new coronavirus cases , most for Illinois in 3 months ; State teetering toward conditions during the peak month of May Another 2,264 residents have tested positive for COVID-19 , Illinois ’ largest caseload in almost three months and the third time the state has topped 2,000 daily cases over the last week .
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Friday also announced 25 more deaths attributed to the virus , raising the state ’ s pandemic death toll to 7,721 .
And two Chicago area counties — Will and Kane — are now at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of a combination of troubling signs , including ignoring or not understanding mask requirements .
The state is now averaging more than 1,700 new cases per day over the first two weeks of August — almost double the rate in early July — an increase that has Illinois teetering back toward conditions during the peak month of May when almost 2,200 people were infected each day .
Read the full story by Mitchell Arementrout here .
The Democratic and Republican conventions will lack for crowds but not television coverage .
The standard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Democratic Party in Milwaukee , Wisconsin , and for the GOP in Charlotte , North Carolina , will be largely virtual , constrained by the coronavirus .
That won ’ t stop TV scrutiny of the speeches and other activities leading up to Joe Biden ’ s Democratic Party nomination for president on Thursday , Aug. 20 , and the GOP ’ s renomination of President Donald Trump the following week .
But the coverage will look drastically different .
Gone will be the images of packed convention hall floors with news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely to broadcast from their usual New York or Washington bases .
5:35 p.m. Americans are drinking more during the COVID-19 pandemic .
But how much alcohol is too much ?
The coronavirus pandemic has Americans drinking more .
Sales of at-home alcohol , according to a Nielsen report from June , have spiked nearly 27 % since the start of the pandemic .
And while this doesn ’ t take into account shutdowns of bars and restaurants nationwide , it suggests people are turning to alcohol to cope with a life-altering global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ secretary at Department of Health and Human Services and head of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration , told USA TODAY in May that more people reportedly sought treatment for alcohol misuse in regions where coronavirus has hit the hardest .
A drink or two to take the edge off may seem like a harmless idea .
And given historic unemployment rates , a pandemic that shows no signs of slowing down and the ceaseless specter of racial inequality , a couple more bottles of beer or glasses of wine might sound @ @ @ @ @ @ @ USA Today here .
4:20 p.m. At Sturgis , ‘ Bikers for Trump ’ supporters , defying coronavirus restrictions , look to turn bikers into voters STURGIS , S.D .
— It ’ s a Friday night at a crowded biker bar in South Dakota when Chris Cox , founder of Bikers for Trump , takes the stage .
While many have come to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally for some combination of riding and partying , Cox ’ s focus is on something else : voting .
The coronavirus pandemic may have squashed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but Cox ’ s group remains unbothered by public health recommendations .
As the Trump campaign struggles to gain momentum less than 90 days from the election , Bikers for Trump has taken advantage of recent motorcycle rallies to make direct appeals to register to vote .
While the group has gained a significant online following for its bravado in providing security at some Trump 2016 rallies , it remains to be seen if it can get bikers — many from the suburbs Trump is targeting — to show up at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a strong hint that blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors helps other patients recover , but it ’ s not proof and some experts worry if , amid clamor for the treatment , they ’ ll ever get a clear answer .
More than 64,000 patients in the U.S. have been given convalescent plasma , a century-old approach to fend off flu and measles before vaccines .
It ’ s a go-to tactic when new diseases come along , and history suggests it works against some , but not all , infections .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it fights the coronavirus and , if so , how best to use it .
But preliminary data from 35,000 coronavirus patients treated with plasma offers what Mayo lead researcher Dr. Michael Joyner on Friday called “ signals of efficacy.
” 2:05 p.m. Used car prices spiking as COVID-19 pandemic shakes up the market for new cars If you were hoping to find some savings during the COVID-19 pandemic , you won ’ t find them in the used-car market , unfortunately .
Then again , you might be able to make a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to part with a vehicle because used-car prices are spiking due to an unusual confluence of factors during the pandemic .
Among them are that buyers are flooding the used-car market , looking for deals amid high prices for new vehicles , getting low interest rates and seeing a shortage of new-vehicle inventory , according to car research site Edmunds .
12:45 p.m. Amid the pandemic , one small business successfully spices up profits With a cadre of repeat customers , the Spice House has stores in Chicago ’ s Old Town neighborhood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as well as a warehouse in Skokie .
But when COVID-19 hit , Charlie Mayer realized he ’ d have to rethink his spice-selling business , just like experimenting with a new recipe .
It was a learning process .
Mayer , the chief operating officer , originally figured he ’ d have to shut down .
“ We ’ re not a grocery store , ” he thought .
Then the rules for “ essential businesses ” came out , and Mayer saw an opening .
He closed to the public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him to keep his stores operating to handle online orders .
The Spice House already had an active digital presence , but that business mushroomed that first weekend and his warehouse couldn ’ t keep up .
Mayer had to add people and reconfigure stores to fulfill more internet orders , laying in supplies of shipping boxes and tape and training employees to package goods in customer friendly ways .
The result ?
After first laying off workers , Mayer had to do a fast turnaround .
“ We have almost doubled our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
The Spice House currently has more than 100 workers .
Its stores reopened to the public in late June .
Read the full story from David Roeder here .
12:01 p.m. McCormick Place hospital ’ s cost to taxpayers ?
$ 1.7 million per patient .
How the deal happened .
Taxpayers spent nearly $ 66 million fashioning McCormick Place into an emergency coronavirus hospital with 2,750 beds this past spring amid fears that COVID-19 patients would overwhelm hospitals in the Chicago area .
Those fears turned out to be unfounded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sprawling convention center — meaning taxpayers ’ cost for the makeshift hospital turned out to be more than $ 1.7 million per patient , on average .
But top aides to Mayor Lori Lightfoot say her decision to initiate the project with the federal government and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority was an important “ insurance policy ” at a time of “ immense emergency.
” “ It ’ s something I ’ m incredibly proud of , ” says Samir Mayekar , Lightfoot ’ s deputy mayor for economic and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ not spent in vain.
” He also notes that the medical equipment is being stored and can be redeployed if needed .
To complete the McCormick Place project , the authority — a city-state governmental body known as McPier that runs the convention center and owns Navy Pier — tapped Walsh Construction , a politically connected Chicago company that ’ s built everything from highways to high-rises .
10:39 a.m. We asked Chicagoans if they ’ ll get the COVID-19 vaccine once it ’ s available .
Here ’ s what they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ underway and the news that Russia has approved the first immunization against COVID-19 despite limited testing , we asked Chicagoans : Once a vaccine is available , will you get it ?
Here ’ s what some people said : “ Once it is well-tested as safe and effective , people who don ’ t get vaccinated will be regarded as negligent — like homeowners without working smoke detectors.
” — Kenneth Mayka “ Absolutely not !
I don ’ t get the flu or pneumonia shot , and I definitely won ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They have rushed this shot , and I do not trust that it ’ s safe.
” — Melissa Haney “ I will shoot it into my eyeball if it gets things back to normal.
” — Jonathan Eftink “ Of course , I will get it !
I will do anything preventative .
Always get flu shots , pneumonia shots , shingles shot.
” — Beverly Hendrix Crocker “ Nope .
Something that they whipped up in a lab that hasn ’ t been around long enough to observe side-effects or long-term @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it !
” — BeBe Jones Want to see more responses ?
Read the full story here .
8:20 a.m. La Sardine , a West Loop institution , permanently closes because of coronavirus After a 22-year run , La Sardine , the noted French bistro in the West Loop , will close because of the coronavirus .
The restaurant , located at 111 N. Carpenter , called COVID-19 “ and extinction event for restaurants.
” Without outdoor seating or parking , La Sardine struggled with the coronavirus restrictions .
The closing announcement was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been a true blessing serving you all , and we are so honored that you chose to spend so many of your life ’ s special moments with us .
Truly.
” Read the full story by John Silver here .
7:45 a.m. Pritzker urges precautions , patience and prayers as Illinois ’ case tally from ‘ insidious virus ’ passes 200,000 More than 200,000 people have now tested positive for COVID-19 over the last five months in Illinois — about 1.6 % of the state ’ s population — as health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 1,834 new coronavirus cases .
Since early March , a total of 200,427 people have been confirmed to be carrying the virus , according to the Illinois Department of Public Health .
The state has about 12.7 million residents .
Health officials also announced 24 more residents with COVID-19 have died , raising the statewide pandemic death toll to 7,696 .
About 95 % of the state ’ s coronavirus patients have recovered .
Read the complete story by Mitchell Armentrout here .
• More than 200,000 people have now tested positive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Illinois — about 1.6 % of the state ’ s population — as health officials on Thursday announced the latest batch of 1,834 new coronavirus cases .
6:20 p.m. A little COVID-19 legal sanity arrives on a great day for Gov .
J.B. Pritzker Tuesday , August 11th , was probably the best day , professionally , that Gov .
J.B. Pritzker has had in quite a while .
The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules has been a source of legislative frustration for the governor all year .
He didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work its process-dominated membership and he was handed a major defeat back in May when JCAR members in both parties turned thumbs down on a sweeping plan to impose fines and even jail time on violators of Pritzker ’ s COVID-19 executive orders .
Read the full column by Rich Miller here .
4 p.m. Lakefront ’ s usual array of walks , runs for charity have gone virtual amid the pandemic On a typical weekend morning from early spring to late fall , Chicago ’ s lakefront normally hosts a never-ending array @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s the Walk for This and the Race for That , each dedicated to its own worthy cause , all sharing the common goals of fundraising and community building .
You probably know the drill .
Participants , who are often survivors of the particular illness being recognized , join together with family and friends , then don commemorative T-shirts and race bibs to amble , jog or sprint in mass through the parks as giant speakers blast rock music .
But not in 2020 .
Read the full column by columnist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finally admits it : He ’ s weakening the postal service to sway elections We ’ ve long said President Donald Trump is purposely sabotaging the U.S .
Postal Service in a desperate attempt to steal the November election .
Now there is proof .
And it comes straight from the president himself .
In a FOX Business interview Thursday , Trump admitted he is blocking the postal service from receiving $ 25 billion in coronavirus stimulus money because some of the funds would be used to expand mail-in voting during the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the way of an additional $ 3.6 billion in pandemic funding that states would get to bolster election security and mail-in voting .
Read the full editorial by the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board here .

Illinois coronavirus caseload doesn’t seem to be leveling off. Friday marked another day of 2,000+ daily cases — the third time this week. It marked the largest caseload since May 24.
In other sectors, the coronavirus is raising the costs of used cars, increasing Americans’ alcohol consumption and altering plans for the upcoming convention.
Here’s what happened today in the fight against the coronavirus in Chicago, the state and the nation.
News
9 p.m. More than 2,200 new coronavirus cases, most for Illinois in 3 months; State teetering toward conditions during the peak month of May
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
Another 2,264 residents have tested positive for COVID-19, Illinois’ largest caseload in almost three months and the third time the state has topped 2,000 daily cases over the last week.
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Friday also announced 25 more deaths attributed to the virus, raising the state’s pandemic death toll to 7,721.
And two Chicago area counties — Will and Kane — are now at the state’s “warning level” because of a combination of troubling signs, including ignoring or not understanding mask requirements.
The state is now averaging more than 1,700 new cases per day over the first two weeks of August — almost double the rate in early July — an increase that has Illinois teetering back toward conditions during the peak month of May when almost 2,200 people were infected each day.
Read the full story by Mitchell Arementrout here.
8:25 p.m. House edges back? Illinois casinos rake in $82.6 million in first month since coronavirus shutdown
Masks, plexi-glass shields and an ongoing pandemic haven’t done much to dampen the hopes of Illinois gamblers looking to score a few bucks.
The state’s 10 casinos are limited to half capacity in the age of COVID-19, but they still raked in about three-quarters of the cash they did for a comparable period last year, before the virus slashed admissions.
And the looming specter of the coronavirus certainly hasn’t scared off bettors from returning to the thousands of slot machines that have been turned back on at bars, gas stations and other establishments — and which have gobbled up 24% more dollars than they did last July.
Read the full story by Mitchell Armentrout here.
7:30 p.m. Coronavirus upends political conventions, changes TV coverage
The Democratic and Republican conventions will lack for crowds but not television coverage.
The standard political gatherings that were to unfold for the Democratic Party in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and for the GOP in Charlotte, North Carolina, will be largely virtual, constrained by the coronavirus.
That won’t stop TV scrutiny of the speeches and other activities leading up to Joe Biden’s Democratic Party nomination for president on Thursday, Aug. 20, and the GOP’s renomination of President Donald Trump the following week.
But the coverage will look drastically different. Gone will be the images of packed convention hall floors with news anchors ensconced above them; most are likely to broadcast from their usual New York or Washington bases.
Read the full story here.
5:35 p.m. Americans are drinking more during the COVID-19 pandemic. But how much alcohol is too much?
The coronavirus pandemic has Americans drinking more.
Sales of at-home alcohol, according to a Nielsen report from June, have spiked nearly 27% since the start of the pandemic. And while this doesn’t take into account shutdowns of bars and restaurants nationwide, it suggests people are turning to alcohol to cope with a life-altering global crisis.
Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, assistant secretary at Department of Health and Human Services and head of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, told USA TODAY in May that more people reportedly sought treatment for alcohol misuse in regions where coronavirus has hit the hardest.
A drink or two to take the edge off may seem like a harmless idea. And given historic unemployment rates, a pandemic that shows no signs of slowing down and the ceaseless specter of racial inequality, a couple more bottles of beer or glasses of wine might sound appealing.
Read the full story from USA Today here.
4:20 p.m. At Sturgis, ‘Bikers for Trump’ supporters, defying coronavirus restrictions, look to turn bikers into voters
STURGIS, S.D. — It’s a Friday night at a crowded biker bar in South Dakota when Chris Cox, founder of Bikers for Trump, takes the stage. While many have come to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally for some combination of riding and partying, Cox’s focus is on something else: voting.
The coronavirus pandemic may have squashed most in-person get-out-the-vote efforts across the country, but Cox’s group remains unbothered by public health recommendations. As the Trump campaign struggles to gain momentum less than 90 days from the election, Bikers for Trump has taken advantage of recent motorcycle rallies to make direct appeals to register to vote.
While the group has gained a significant online following for its bravado in providing security at some Trump 2016 rallies, it remains to be seen if it can get bikers — many from the suburbs Trump is targeting — to show up at the ballot box.
Read the full story here.
3:15 p.m. Study: Survivor plasma fights COVID-19 — but can’t prove definitively
Mayo Clinic researchers reported a strong hint that blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors helps other patients recover, but it’s not proof and some experts worry if, amid clamor for the treatment, they’ll ever get a clear answer.
More than 64,000 patients in the U.S. have been given convalescent plasma, a century-old approach to fend off flu and measles before vaccines. It’s a go-to tactic when new diseases come along, and history suggests it works against some, but not all, infections.
There’s no solid evidence yet that it fights the coronavirus and, if so, how best to use it. But preliminary data from 35,000 coronavirus patients treated with plasma offers what Mayo lead researcher Dr. Michael Joyner on Friday called “signals of efficacy.”
Read the full story here.
2:05 p.m. Used car prices spiking as COVID-19 pandemic shakes up the market for new cars
If you were hoping to find some savings during the COVID-19 pandemic, you won’t find them in the used-car market, unfortunately.
Then again, you might be able to make a few bucks if you’re willing to part with a vehicle because used-car prices are spiking due to an unusual confluence of factors during the pandemic.
The reasons?
Among them are that buyers are flooding the used-car market, looking for deals amid high prices for new vehicles, getting low interest rates and seeing a shortage of new-vehicle inventory, according to car research site Edmunds.
Read the full story here.
12:45 p.m. Amid the pandemic, one small business successfully spices up profits
With a cadre of repeat customers, the Spice House has stores in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood, suburban Evanston and two in Milwaukee, as well as a warehouse in Skokie.
But when COVID-19 hit, Charlie Mayer realized he’d have to rethink his spice-selling business, just like experimenting with a new recipe.
It was a learning process. Mayer, the chief operating officer, originally figured he’d have to shut down. “We’re not a grocery store,” he thought.
Then the rules for “essential businesses” came out, and Mayer saw an opening. He closed to the public March 18, but the rules allowed him to keep his stores operating to handle online orders.
The Spice House already had an active digital presence, but that business mushroomed that first weekend and his warehouse couldn’t keep up. Mayer had to add people and reconfigure stores to fulfill more internet orders, laying in supplies of shipping boxes and tape and training employees to package goods in customer friendly ways.
The result? After first laying off workers, Mayer had to do a fast turnaround. “We have almost doubled our headcount because of COVID,” he said. The Spice House currently has more than 100 workers. Its stores reopened to the public in late June.
Read the full story from David Roeder here.
12:01 p.m. McCormick Place hospital’s cost to taxpayers? $1.7 million per patient. How the deal happened.
Taxpayers spent nearly $66 million fashioning McCormick Place into an emergency coronavirus hospital with 2,750 beds this past spring amid fears that COVID-19 patients would overwhelm hospitals in the Chicago area.
Those fears turned out to be unfounded. Just 38 patients were transferred to the sprawling convention center — meaning taxpayers’ cost for the makeshift hospital turned out to be more than $1.7 million per patient, on average.
But top aides to Mayor Lori Lightfoot say her decision to initiate the project with the federal government and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority was an important “insurance policy” at a time of “immense emergency.”
“It’s something I’m incredibly proud of,” says Samir Mayekar, Lightfoot’s deputy mayor for economic and neighborhood development who says the money was “not spent in vain.”
He also notes that the medical equipment is being stored and can be redeployed if needed.
To complete the McCormick Place project, the authority — a city-state governmental body known as McPier that runs the convention center and owns Navy Pier — tapped Walsh Construction, a politically connected Chicago company that’s built everything from highways to high-rises.
Read the full watchdogs story here.
10:39 a.m. We asked Chicagoans if they’ll get the COVID-19 vaccine once it’s available. Here’s what they said.
With several coronavirus vaccine studies underway and the news that Russia has approved the first immunization against COVID-19 despite limited testing, we asked Chicagoans: Once a vaccine is available, will you get it?
Here’s what some people said:
“Once it is well-tested as safe and effective, people who don’t get vaccinated will be regarded as negligent — like homeowners without working smoke detectors.” — Kenneth Mayka
“Absolutely not! I don’t get the flu or pneumonia shot, and I definitely won’t be getting this one either. They have rushed this shot, and I do not trust that it’s safe.” — Melissa Haney
“I will shoot it into my eyeball if it gets things back to normal.” — Jonathan Eftink
“Of course, I will get it! I will do anything preventative. Always get flu shots, pneumonia shots, shingles shot.” — Beverly Hendrix Crocker
“Nope. Something that they whipped up in a lab that hasn’t been around long enough to observe side-effects or long-term effects. I can’t do it!” — BeBe Jones
Want to see more responses? Read the full story here.
8:20 a.m. La Sardine, a West Loop institution, permanently closes because of coronavirus
After a 22-year run, La Sardine, the noted French bistro in the West Loop, will close because of the coronavirus.
The restaurant, located at 111 N. Carpenter, called COVID-19 “and extinction event for restaurants.” Without outdoor seating or parking, La Sardine struggled with the coronavirus restrictions. The closing announcement was posted Thursday on Facebook.
“It has been a true blessing serving you all, and we are so honored that you chose to spend so many of your life’s special moments with us. Truly.”
Read the full story by John Silver here.
7:45 a.m. Pritzker urges precautions, patience and prayers as Illinois’ case tally from ‘insidious virus’ passes 200,000
More than 200,000 people have now tested positive for COVID-19 over the last five months in Illinois — about 1.6% of the state’s population — as health officials on Thursday announced the latest batch of 1,834 new coronavirus cases.
Since early March, a total of 200,427 people have been confirmed to be carrying the virus, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The state has about 12.7 million residents.
Health officials also announced 24 more residents with COVID-19 have died, raising the statewide pandemic death toll to 7,696. About 95% of the state’s coronavirus patients have recovered.
Read the complete story by Mitchell Armentrout here.
New Cases
More than 200,000 people have now tested positive for COVID-19 over the last five months in Illinois — about 1.6% of the state’s population — as health officials on Thursday announced the latest batch of 1,834 new coronavirus cases.
Analysis & Commentary
6:20 p.m. A little COVID-19 legal sanity arrives on a great day for Gov. J.B. Pritzker
Tuesday, August 11th, was probably the best day, professionally, that Gov. J.B. Pritzker has had in quite a while.
The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules has been a source of legislative frustration for the governor all year. He didn’t quite seem to grasp how best to work its process-dominated membership and he was handed a major defeat back in May when JCAR members in both parties turned thumbs down on a sweeping plan to impose fines and even jail time on violators of Pritzker’s COVID-19 executive orders.
Read the full column by Rich Miller here.
4 p.m. Lakefront’s usual array of walks, runs for charity have gone virtual amid the pandemic
On a typical weekend morning from early spring to late fall, Chicago’s lakefront normally hosts a never-ending array of charity walks and runs.
There’s the Walk for This and the Race for That, each dedicated to its own worthy cause, all sharing the common goals of fundraising and community building.
You probably know the drill. Participants, who are often survivors of the particular illness being recognized, join together with family and friends, then don commemorative T-shirts and race bibs to amble, jog or sprint in mass through the parks as giant speakers blast rock music.
But not in 2020.
8:05 a.m. Trump finally admits it: He’s weakening the postal service to sway elections
We’ve long said President Donald Trump is purposely sabotaging the U.S. Postal Service in a desperate attempt to steal the November election.
Now there is proof. And it comes straight from the president himself.
In a FOX Business interview Thursday, Trump admitted he is blocking the postal service from receiving $25 billion in coronavirus stimulus money because some of the funds would be used to expand mail-in voting during the pandemic.
He’s also standing in the way of an additional $3.6 billion in pandemic funding that states would get to bolster election security and mail-in voting.
Read the full editorial by the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board here.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-14--Coronavirus upends political conventions, changes TV coverage

LOS ANGELES — The Democratic and Republican conventions will lack for crowds but not television coverage .
The standard political gatherings that were to unfold for the Democratic Party in Milwaukee , Wisconsin , and for the GOP in Charlotte , North Carolina , will be largely virtual , constrained by the coronavirus .
That won ’ t stop TV scrutiny of the speeches and other activities leading up to Joe Biden ’ s Democratic Party nomination for president on Thursday , Aug. 20 , and the GOP ’ s renomination of President Donald Trump the following week .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gone will be the images of packed convention hall floors with news anchors ensconced above them ; most are likely to broadcast from their usual New York or Washington bases .
The Democratic meeting will be virtual , with Biden planning to make his acceptance speech from Wilmington , Delaware .
Sen. Kamala Harris , his vice presidential pick , is to speak the day before , Wednesday .
The Republican National Convention takes place take the following week , Aug. 24-27 .
The party plans to hold its first day in Charlotte @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the full meeting yet to be released .
Broadcast networks ABC , CBS and NBC plan an hour of nightly coverage of the conventions at 10 p.m. EDT .
PBS will report on the Democratic meeting from 8 to 11 p.m. EDT daily , with coverage details for the Republican convention awaiting the release of the party ’ s schedule .
Wolf Blitzer , Jake Tapper , Anderson Cooper , Dana Bash and John King will be among the hosts for the channel ’ s nightly coverage beginning at 8 p.m. EDT @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commentators for the Democratic meeting include Van Jones , Jennifer Granholm , Andrew Yang , and Scott Jennings .
Commentary for the Republican convention will be handled by Rick Santorum , David Urban , Amanda Carpenter and Granholm .
For the Democratic meeting , Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will co-anchor nightly editions of “ Democracy 2020 ” at 10 p.m. EDT .
The hour-long program will include Chris Wallace , Brit Hume , Dana Perino and Juan Williams as part of a team of commentators and hosts .
Fox News contributors Donna @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also will offer analysis .
Fox has yet to announce its plans for the Republican convention .
Nightly coverage for both conventions will begin at 7 p.m. EDT with Joy Reid ’ s “ The ReidOut ” followed by “ All In With Chris Hayes.
” Reid , Rachel Maddow and Nicolle Wallace will anchor coverage from 9-11 p.m. EDT .
MSNBC correspondents and political reporters will offer analysis and interviews with voters and campaigns in various locations .

LOS ANGELES — The Democratic and Republican conventions will lack for crowds but not television coverage.
The standard political gatherings that were to unfold for the Democratic Party in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and for the GOP in Charlotte, North Carolina, will be largely virtual, constrained by the coronavirus.
That won’t stop TV scrutiny of the speeches and other activities leading up to Joe Biden’s Democratic Party nomination for president on Thursday, Aug. 20, and the GOP’s renomination of President Donald Trump the following week.
But the coverage will look drastically different. Gone will be the images of packed convention hall floors with news anchors ensconced above them; most are likely to broadcast from their usual New York or Washington bases.
The Democratic meeting will be virtual, with Biden planning to make his acceptance speech from Wilmington, Delaware. Sen. Kamala Harris, his vice presidential pick, is to speak the day before, Wednesday.
The Republican National Convention takes place take the following week, Aug. 24-27. The party plans to hold its first day in Charlotte for the delegate vote, with details for the full meeting yet to be released.
Broadcast networks ABC, CBS and NBC plan an hour of nightly coverage of the conventions at 10 p.m. EDT.
PBS will report on the Democratic meeting from 8 to 11 p.m. EDT daily, with coverage details for the Republican convention awaiting the release of the party’s schedule.
Here’s an overview of cable plans:
CNN
Wolf Blitzer, Jake Tapper, Anderson Cooper, Dana Bash and John King will be among the hosts for the channel’s nightly coverage beginning at 8 p.m. EDT for both conventions.
CNN’s commentators for the Democratic meeting include Van Jones, Jennifer Granholm, Andrew Yang, and Scott Jennings. Commentary for the Republican convention will be handled by Rick Santorum, David Urban, Amanda Carpenter and Granholm.
Fox News Channel
For the Democratic meeting, Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will co-anchor nightly editions of “Democracy 2020” at 10 p.m. EDT. The hour-long program will include Chris Wallace, Brit Hume, Dana Perino and Juan Williams as part of a team of commentators and hosts. Fox News contributors Donna Brazile, Karl Rove and Katie Pavlich also will offer analysis.
Fox has yet to announce its plans for the Republican convention.
MSNBC
Nightly coverage for both conventions will begin at 7 p.m. EDT with Joy Reid’s “The ReidOut” followed by “All In With Chris Hayes.” Reid, Rachel Maddow and Nicolle Wallace will anchor coverage from 9-11 p.m. EDT.
MSNBC correspondents and political reporters will offer analysis and interviews with voters and campaigns in various locations.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-14--Former manager’s phone threat to New York theater canceled screening of ‘Surviving R. Kelly’: feds

Federal prosecutors say R. Kelly ’ s former manager called in a gun threat to a New York theater screening a docuseries about the R & B singer ’ s alleged abuse in 2018 .
Donnell Russell , 45 , is charged with one count of threatening physical harm and one count of conspiracy to threaten physical harm , according to the U.S. Attorney ’ s Office in New York .
On Dec. 4 , 2018 , the NeueHouse Madison Square theater in New York planned the premiere screening of “ Surviving R. Kelly , ” which details Kelly ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ girls , according to a complaint .
The premiere also was to feature a panel discussion that included some of R. Kelly ’ s accusers .
That day , the feds allege , Russell made multiple attempts to stop the screening , leading up to a call threatening to shoot up the theater .
He allegedly emailed a cease-and-desist letter to the theater and tried contacting New York fire and police officials to stop the screening , the complaint said .
Russell eventually called the theater from his landline , according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the screening with a gun ready to shoot .
Guests were evacuated , and the event was canceled , according to the complaint , though there was no shooting .
In August 2019 , investigators interviewed Russell , and he told them he contacted NeueHouse but denied making a threat , the complaint said .
Charges were filed under seal in March , and announced Friday , the day Russell was to appear in federal court in New York .
“ By allegedly threatening a shooting at the theater , Russell prevented @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a number of R. Kelly ’ s alleged victims , ” Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement issued Friday .
“ Threats of gun violence aimed at intimidating and silencing victims of sexual abuse are unlawful as well as unacceptable .
We are committed to aggressively investigating and prosecuting such crimes.
” Read more on crime , and track the city ’ s homicides .

Federal prosecutors say R. Kelly’s former manager called in a gun threat to a New York theater screening a docuseries about the R&B singer’s alleged abuse in 2018.
Donnell Russell, 45, is charged with one count of threatening physical harm and one count of conspiracy to threaten physical harm, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York.
On Dec. 4, 2018, the NeueHouse Madison Square theater in New York planned the premiere screening of “Surviving R. Kelly,” which details Kelly’s alleged sexual abuse of women and girls, according to a complaint. The premiere also was to feature a panel discussion that included some of R. Kelly’s accusers. That day, the feds allege, Russell made multiple attempts to stop the screening, leading up to a call threatening to shoot up the theater.
He allegedly emailed a cease-and-desist letter to the theater and tried contacting New York fire and police officials to stop the screening, the complaint said. Russell eventually called the theater from his landline, according to the feds, saying there was a person at the screening with a gun ready to shoot.
Guests were evacuated, and the event was canceled, according to the complaint, though there was no shooting.
In August 2019, investigators interviewed Russell, and he told them he contacted NeueHouse but denied making a threat, the complaint said. Charges were filed under seal in March, and announced Friday, the day Russell was to appear in federal court in New York.
“By allegedly threatening a shooting at the theater, Russell prevented the screening, which was attended by a number of R. Kelly’s alleged victims,” Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement issued Friday. “Threats of gun violence aimed at intimidating and silencing victims of sexual abuse are unlawful as well as unacceptable. We are committed to aggressively investigating and prosecuting such crimes.”
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-14--The ‘scoop’ on Geraldine Ferraro, like the candidate herself, ran up against the old boy network

Back in June 1984 , a very secret source gave me my first national “ scoop.
” It was one of those exclusive stories that lasted about as long as it took ice cream to melt .
It was short and sweet — but it was juicy .
Now that U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris has been chosen our nation ’ s third female ( as well as first Black and of South Asian descent ) veep mate , it caused Sneed to pull a little fluid out of the old ink well , a sort of political palimpsest .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chosen the nation ’ s first major-party female vice presidential nominee during my stint as co-author of the Chicago Tribune ’ s old INC. column , a brokerage house of top tips ; my beat covering politics , crime and hard news .
I wasn ’ t credited with a scoop du jour byline back then , but on Wednesday , June 11 , 1984 , I wrote via INC. that the nation ’ s first female vice presidential nominee had been selected .
Back then , it appeared in the first edition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , June 12 .
What I didn ’ t print , but knew , was Ferraro had definitely been chosen by Democratic presidential contender Walter “ Fritz ” Mondale as his running mate , according to an impeccable source who didn ’ t want to be identified .
The editor was informed before my column went to print .
I presume a second source was the issue .
The old boy network was in full force back then .
We were women .
We cried , after all .
My source was literally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an emissary sent by private jet to pick up the woman Mondale had just chosen as his running mate .
On June 12 , two Tribune male reporters wrote Mondale was poised to make history but still hedged somewhat on Ferraro being a choice written in stone — but noted Ferraro ’ s name was on a plane list en route to Minnesota , where Mondale would make his VP choice official .
But by then the story was everywhere .
But the story behind the story is divine circumstance unfettered by plain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s USDA grade prime tenderloin steak .
And it did involve a plane .
So here goes : • Back shot : Although it was already known in early June 1984 Mondale might make the history books by selecting a woman as his ticket mate , the big question was who ?
• Double shot : It had basically whittled down to then San Francisco Mayor ( and current U.S. senator from California ) Dianne Feinstein , a comely brunette — and the flaxen-haired New Yorker , Ferraro .
• Bank shot : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dark as to the winner , was dispatched to San Francisco from Chicago , to pick up Mondale ’ s choice .
He immediately phoned me upon landing .
Feeling compelled not to disclose the name , the source only stated : “ It ’ s the blonde.
” Back then , it was reported the very formidable Ferraro ’ s placement alongside a very sedate Mondale was expected to give his campaign “ flair.
” On July 13 , 1984 , I quoted a source from the Mondale camp analyzing why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ He needed to do something dramatic , ” said the source .
“ His greatest fault is that he appears too predictable — good ol ’ safe Walter … she ’ s his complete opposite — outgoing , literally overflowing with enthusiasm .
She adds sizzle whereas he ’ s laid-back.
” Mondale once talked to TIME magazine about what Ferraro endured on the campaign trail from the old boy network .
“ We went down to Mississippi , and some old farmer said , ‘ Young lady , do you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And she said , ‘ Yes .
Do you ?
’ “ That was the kind of thing that she was bumping up against , ” Mondale stated .
“ She had to keep her cool .
She had to be nice about it .
And yet she was undergoing a revolution .
Hey , the old boy network is still at work .
And a second source is not required to report an American woman has yet to be elected president of our country .

Identity.
Back in June 1984, a very secret source gave me my first national “scoop.”
It was one of those exclusive stories that lasted about as long as it took ice cream to melt.
It was short and sweet — but it was juicy.
Now that U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris has been chosen our nation’s third female (as well as first Black and of South Asian descent) veep mate, it caused Sneed to pull a little fluid out of the old ink well, a sort of political palimpsest.
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., is the choice to run as the Democratic vice presidential candidate this year. Carolyn Kaster/AP
It was when U.S. Rep. Geraldine Ferraro was chosen the nation’s first major-party female vice presidential nominee during my stint as co-author of the Chicago Tribune’s old INC. column, a brokerage house of top tips; my beat covering politics, crime and hard news.
I wasn’t credited with a scoop du jour byline back then, but on Wednesday, June 11, 1984, I wrote via INC. that the nation’s first female vice presidential nominee had been selected. Back then, it appeared in the first edition of the morning paper the NEXT day, June 12.
“It’s a girl!” I wrote.
What I didn’t print, but knew, was Ferraro had definitely been chosen by Democratic presidential contender Walter “Fritz” Mondale as his running mate, according to an impeccable source who didn’t want to be identified. The editor was informed before my column went to print. I presume a second source was the issue.
The old boy network was in full force back then. We were women. We cried, after all.
My source was literally in the room where it happened, an emissary sent by private jet to pick up the woman Mondale had just chosen as his running mate.
On June 12, two Tribune male reporters wrote Mondale was poised to make history but still hedged somewhat on Ferraro being a choice written in stone — but noted Ferraro’s name was on a plane list en route to Minnesota, where Mondale would make his VP choice official.
But by then the story was everywhere.
But the story behind the story is divine circumstance unfettered by plain old good luck, a reporter’s USDA grade prime tenderloin steak.
And it did involve a plane.
So here goes:
Back shot: Although it was already known in early June 1984 Mondale might make the history books by selecting a woman as his ticket mate, the big question was who?
in early June 1984 Mondale might make the history books by selecting a woman as his ticket mate, the big question was who? Double shot: It had basically whittled down to then San Francisco Mayor (and current U.S. senator from California) Dianne Feinstein, a brunette — and the flaxen-haired New Yorker, Ferraro.
a brunette — and the flaxen-haired New Yorker, Ferraro. Bank shot: Sneed’s source, still in the dark as to the winner, was dispatched to San Francisco from Chicago, to pick up Mondale’s choice. He immediately phoned me upon landing.
Feeling compelled not to disclose the name, the source only stated: “It’s the blonde.”
Mamma Miaaa! Mondale had chosen a blonde Italian-American Catholic!
Back then, it was reported the very formidable Ferraro’s placement alongside a very sedate Mondale was expected to give his campaign “flair.”
Sound familiar, Kamala? She a formidable former prosecutor who could kick the tootin’ out of Putin.
On July 13, 1984, I quoted a source from the Mondale camp analyzing why Mondale saved the first dance for Ferraro.
“He needed to do something dramatic,” said the source. “His greatest fault is that he appears too predictable — good ol’ safe Walter … she’s his complete opposite — outgoing, literally overflowing with enthusiasm. She adds sizzle whereas he’s laid-back.”
Sound familiar, Kamala?
Mondale once talked to TIME magazine about what Ferraro endured on the campaign trail from the old boy network.
“We went down to Mississippi, and some old farmer said, ‘Young lady, do you make good blueberry muffins?’
“And she said, ‘Yes. Do you?’
(Hmmm. I think Hillary Clinton was asked something about baking cookies. )
“That was the kind of thing that she was bumping up against,” Mondale stated. “She had to keep her cool. She had to be nice about it. And yet she was undergoing a revolution.
Hey, the old boy network is still at work.
And a second source is not required to report an American woman has yet to be elected president of our country.
Sneedlings . . .
Saturday birthdays: Joe Jonas, 31; Anthony Anderson, 50; and Debra Messing, 52. . . . Sunday’s birthdays: Madonna, 62; Steve Carell, 58; and Angela Bassett, 62.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-14--‘How many murders of children does it take to make a city’s soul rot?’

“ A riot is at bottom the language of the unheard… Despite the overwhelming odds , the majority of Negroes in the ghetto go on living , go on striving , go on hoping .
This is the miracle .
To be a Negro in America is often to hope against hope.
” –Dr .
Martin Luther King Jr .
This is the last in a series titled , “ Until Black Lives Matter ” If heaven ’ s got a playground , then Janari Ricks is up there .
Got his angels ’ wings at just 9 years old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t care .
Murder in the air .
Assassin ’ s glare .
But that brother didn ’ t give a damn about kids playing everywhere .
Everybody knows bullets don ’ t play fair .
So the bodies will just keep droppin ’ here and there .
Until Black lives matter… Body snatchers stealing Black lives in their prime .
Like picking daisies at summertime .
Like it ’ s seasonal killing time .
The Chi has completely lost its mind .
Way past praying time .
More than just a crime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to right this wrong .
Souls gone home .
Souls gone wrong .
Every summer it ’ s the same blues song : Bittersweet chaos .
The cacophony of children at play mixed with semiautomatic spray .
How many murders of children does it take to make a city ’ s soul rot ?
How many more Black lives have to be shot ?
How many Black bodies to end this cataclysmic plot in what Dr. King called , “ a battle against pathology within and a battle against oppression without ” ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” By them .
And by us .
Until Black lives matter , in only God we trust .
Too much bloodshed .
Visions of demons dashing inside my head .
Flowers and teddy bears mark the spot where Chicago ’ s children bled .
Summer rain .
Come wash away this pain and tears for the slain .
Of souls gone home before their time .
Of this soulless broad-shouldered city that has forfeited its conscience and mind .
That daily sinks deeper into the abyss .
As we gently kiss casket-filled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pretend there are no solutions .
What we lack is the “ will , ” the moral constitution .
To ensure that Black lives matter beyond a mere hashtag , phrase or bumper sticker .
The “ will ” to reinvest in Black neighborhoods and restore the Black family — soul by soul , brick by brick — and to reconfigure this systemic racist design that conspires to keep Black lives oppressed , dispossessed , behind .
Until Black lives matter , there will be trauma upon trauma upon trauma .
And every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ old drama .
Politicians and civic leaders hand-wringing and shruggin ’ .
And do-nothing preachers acting like they lovin ’ .
Mothers mourning daughters and sons as their spirits drift toward the sky .
And no sane answer to the question , “ Why ?
” Mekhi James was only 3 .
Lena Nunez , 10 .
Natalie Wallace just 7 .
One-year-old Sincere Gaston will never see a birthday again .
Vernado Jones Jr. was 14 , Amaria Jones just 13 .
And the slaying of our young : Chicago ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our babies forever gone .
Whispering sweet lullabies , teary-eyed over life songs only half-sung .
We sing .
Cry .
Moan .
Long for an end to these tears and fears that overtake even the strong .
And yet , we won ’ t do a damn thing to right this wrong .
So with another bloody summer lingering , I once again sing this song : Little boy blue making summer mud pies .
Little girls jumping rope , pigtails to the sky .
Never saw it coming .
Never heard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cry before you closed your pretty brown eyes ; No time to say goodbye .
So fly butterfly fly .
Into the Father ’ s loving hands .
To a playground beyond these misty , water-colored skies .
To a play lot of peaceful golden sands .
‘ Cause we didn ’ t give a damn .
Wouldn ’ t even lift a hand .
Couldn ’ t give a damn… Or you ’ d still be here instead .
I wonder : “ Did Janari cry , as he ascended to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he wasn ’ t supposed to die .
Now this whole damn city should have to answer why .
Until Black lives matter…

“A riot is at bottom the language of the unheard… Despite the overwhelming odds, the majority of Negroes in the ghetto go on living, go on striving, go on hoping. This is the miracle. To be a Negro in America is often to hope against hope.”–Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
This is the last in a series titled, “Until Black Lives Matter”
If heaven’s got a playground, then Janari Ricks is up there. Got his angels’ wings at just 9 years old ‘cause down here we didn’t care.
Murder in the air. Assassin’s glare. But that brother didn’t give a damn about kids playing everywhere.
Everybody knows bullets don’t play fair. So the bodies will just keep droppin’ here and there. Until Black lives matter…
Body snatchers stealing Black lives in their prime. Like picking daisies at summertime. Like it’s seasonal killing time. The Chi has completely lost its mind. Way past praying time. More than just a crime.
And we runnin’ outta time to right this wrong. Souls gone home. Souls gone wrong. Every summer it’s the same blues song: Bittersweet chaos. The cacophony of children at play mixed with semiautomatic spray.
Columnists bug Columnists In-depth political coverage, sports analysis, entertainment reviews and cultural commentary.
How many murders of children does it take to make a city’s soul rot? How many more Black lives have to be shot? How many Black bodies to end this cataclysmic plot in what Dr. King called, “a battle against pathology within and a battle against oppression without”?
“Don’t shoot!”
“I can’t breathe.”
“When will the shooting stop?” By them. And by us. Until Black lives matter, in only God we trust.
Too much bloodshed. Visions of demons dashing inside my head. Flowers and teddy bears mark the spot where Chicago’s children bled.
Summer rain. Come wash away this pain and tears for the slain. Of souls gone home before their time. Of this soulless broad-shouldered city that has forfeited its conscience and mind. That daily sinks deeper into the abyss. As we gently kiss casket-filled deaths of dreams forever young while we pretend there are no solutions.
What we lack is the “will,” the moral constitution. To ensure that Black lives matter beyond a mere hashtag, phrase or bumper sticker. The “will” to reinvest in Black neighborhoods and restore the Black family — soul by soul, brick by brick — and to reconfigure this systemic racist design that conspires to keep Black lives oppressed, dispossessed, behind.
Until Black lives matter, there will be trauma upon trauma upon trauma. And every summer— indeed every season — the same old drama. Politicians and civic leaders hand-wringing and shruggin’. And do-nothing preachers acting like they lovin’.
Mothers mourning daughters and sons as their spirits drift toward the sky. And no sane answer to the question, “Why?”
Mekhi James was only 3. Lena Nunez, 10. Natalie Wallace just 7. One-year-old Sincere Gaston will never see a birthday again. Vernado Jones Jr. was 14, Amaria Jones just 13. And the slaying of our young: Chicago’s dreadful recurring theme.
Community devastated. Our babies forever gone. Whispering sweet lullabies, teary-eyed over life songs only half-sung. We sing. Cry. Moan. Long for an end to these tears and fears that overtake even the strong. And yet, we won’t do a damn thing to right this wrong.
So with another bloody summer lingering, I once again sing this song:
Little boy blue making summer mud pies. Little girls jumping rope, pigtails to the sky. Never saw it coming. Never heard the bullets fly. No time to cry before you closed your pretty brown eyes; No time to say goodbye.
So fly butterfly fly. Into the Father’s loving hands. To a playground beyond these misty, water-colored skies. To a play lot of peaceful golden sands. ‘Cause we didn’t give a damn. Wouldn’t even lift a hand. Couldn’t give a damn… Or you’d still be here instead.
I wonder: “Did Janari cry, as he ascended to the sky?” At 9 years old, he wasn’t supposed to die. Now this whole damn city should have to answer why. Until Black lives matter…
Email John Fountain at Author@johnwfountain.com
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com