chicagosun-times--2020-07-31--Notre Dame has unique opportunity to win ACC title with 10-game conference slate

Notre Dame football dipping its toe into history this fall includes details that have most of the rest of the college football world gawking , even if there ’ s still a trap door that could make it all go away .
What shouldn ’ t be lost in the Atlantic Coast Conference ’ s pop-up scheduling announcement Wednesday is that an Irish team with the potential to be the best of coach Brian Kelly ’ s 11 to date will have a path to prove it .
At least that ’ s what the snapshot looks like at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may eventually have other ideas .
But if the pessimism about a season being played turns out to be overrated and Notre Dame is as good or better than advertised , the Irish will end up playing Clemson twice this season , with a split perhaps enough to coax them into their second playoff appearance .
The two teams will play at least once , and that game will be at Notre Dame Stadium , in a schedule reconfigured to 11 regular-season games and the Irish ’ s season commitment to ACC schools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The other home ACC games are against Duke , Florida State , Louisville and Syracuse .
On the road , the Irish are scheduled to face Boston College , Georgia Tech , North Carolina , Pittsburgh and Wake Forest .
“ We ’ re excited about the opportunity the ACC has provided for our football program , ” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said in a statement .
“ We look forward to announcing our full schedule in the near future.
” There ’ s still a lot we don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Who Notre Dame can/will play for its nonconference opponent .
Whether there will be fans at any of the games .
Whether sports in the United States in 2020 can endure outside a pandemic-resistant bubble .
What we do know , though , is intriguing — and no facet more so than Notre Dame being treated like a conference member in every way in the 15-team , no-division temporary setup .
That means the Irish are eligible to win a title , play in the ACC championship game and play in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of against it if the Irish just fall short of the football final four .
If I were Swarbrick , I would have taken the deal without the league title shot , but this way is a lot more fun and potentially impactful .
We also know the first games are scheduled the week of Sept. 7-12 , which means Notre Dame ’ s training camp likely gets pushed back to mid-August and after fall-semester classes start Aug. 10 .
At least two bye weeks will be built into a regular season that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The ACC championship game will be held either Dec. 12 or 19 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte , North Carolina , a venue where the Irish were originally slated to play Wake Forest .
The title game will feature the top two teams based on highest conference-game winning percentage , well-crafted wording in that not every team might be able to play the same amount of league games .
Far down the relevancy scale is a reality and a supposition that likely will remain media fetishes as long as this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is Notre Dame will share the revenue from its NBC contract with the 14 other schools .
In fact , all television revenue will be shared .
So unless you ’ re a math lover , don ’ t get caught up in the optics .
The supposition — and those stories are already out there en masse — is that perhaps Notre Dame ’ s one year ACC run will be so enchanting it will convince the school to drop its independent schedule , identity and branding and join the league in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a picky eater who tries broccoli for the first time and magically gives up ribs for the green stuff .
The last time Notre Dame tried to play football in a pandemic , its first-year coach didn ’ t get to play any games in October and ended up getting in only six total — and only then through some creative rescheduling — in an era when nine regular-season games was the norm .
The Irish went 3-1-2 that season , 1918 , playing five games on the road .
The next two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ game .

Notre Dame football dipping its toe into history this fall includes details that have most of the rest of the college football world gawking, even if there’s still a trap door that could make it all go away.
What shouldn’t be lost in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s pop-up scheduling announcement Wednesday is that an Irish team with the potential to be the best of coach Brian Kelly’s 11 to date will have a path to prove it.
At least that’s what the snapshot looks like at the end of July.
The COVID-19 pandemic may eventually have other ideas. But if the pessimism about a season being played turns out to be overrated and Notre Dame is as good or better than advertised, the Irish will end up playing Clemson twice this season, with a split perhaps enough to coax them into their second playoff appearance.
The two teams will play at least once, and that game will be at Notre Dame Stadium, in a schedule reconfigured to 11 regular-season games and the Irish’s season commitment to ACC schools swelling from six opponents to 10.
The other home ACC games are against Duke, Florida State, Louisville and Syracuse. On the road, the Irish are scheduled to face Boston College, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest.
“We’re excited about the opportunity the ACC has provided for our football program,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said in a statement. “We look forward to announcing our full schedule in the near future.”
There’s still a lot we don’t know. Specific dates for specific games. Who Notre Dame can/will play for its nonconference opponent. Whether there will be fans at any of the games. Whether sports in the United States in 2020 can endure outside a pandemic-resistant bubble.
What we do know, though, is intriguing — and no facet more so than Notre Dame being treated like a conference member in every way in the 15-team, no-division temporary setup.
That means the Irish are eligible to win a title, play in the ACC championship game and play in the Orange Bowl as the ACC rep instead of against it if the Irish just fall short of the football final four.
If I were Swarbrick, I would have taken the deal without the league title shot, but this way is a lot more fun and potentially impactful.
We also know the first games are scheduled the week of Sept. 7-12, which means Notre Dame’s training camp likely gets pushed back to mid-August and after fall-semester classes start Aug. 10. At least two bye weeks will be built into a regular season that’s set to end Dec. 5.
The ACC championship game will be held either Dec. 12 or 19 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, a venue where the Irish were originally slated to play Wake Forest. The title game will feature the top two teams based on highest conference-game winning percentage, well-crafted wording in that not every team might be able to play the same amount of league games.
Far down the relevancy scale is a reality and a supposition that likely will remain media fetishes as long as this rebooted schedule stays intact.
The reality is Notre Dame will share the revenue from its NBC contract with the 14 other schools. In fact, all television revenue will be shared. So unless you’re a math lover, don’t get caught up in the optics.
The supposition — and those stories are already out there en masse — is that perhaps Notre Dame’s one year ACC run will be so enchanting it will convince the school to drop its independent schedule, identity and branding and join the league in football full time in 2021.
Like a picky eater who tries broccoli for the first time and magically gives up ribs for the green stuff.
The last time Notre Dame tried to play football in a pandemic, its first-year coach didn’t get to play any games in October and ended up getting in only six total — and only then through some creative rescheduling — in an era when nine regular-season games was the norm.
The Irish went 3-1-2 that season, 1918, playing five games on the road. The next two seasons they didn’t lose a game.
The coach? Knute Rockne.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-31--Protest calls out white silence after Confederate flag towel displayed on Evanston beach

Just as problematic as the Confederate flag towel at an Evanston beach Wednesday , LaShandra Smith-Rayfield said , were the beach-goers who didn ’ t speak up about it .
“ Me speaking out against hatred does not make me anti-patriotic , ” Smith-Rayfield said at a protest Friday .
“ It actually makes me patriotic .
... Every person on that beach walked past it .
In my video , you can see people walk on past it .
Why is it okay to walk on past it ?
” Friday , more than 300 people circled around Smith-Rayfield @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beach in North Evanston Friday .
Smith-Rayfield and other organizers called out other people at the beach Wednesday who didn ’ t take action when a white man at the beach hung a Confederate flag towel on the fence , as well as people who stay silent in the face of racism .
On Wednesday , a beach goer set up camp at Lighthouse Beach and hung a towel displaying a Confederate flag on the fence .
Photos of the towel hit social media , and when Smith-Rayfield saw , she got in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and called the man out , demanding he take down the Confederate flag .
She streamed the encounter in a video on Facebook Live .
The video also shows an African-American man who engaged in the argument and identified himself as a veteran .
The man , who asked to remain unnamed out of fear for his safety , told the Sun-Times he didn ’ t get to finish what he was saying in the video .
He said he served in the military so people could have a “ right to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the flag would have started attacking Smith-Rayfield , the man said he would have defended her as well .
The man said he disagreed with the symbol and even intentionally sat next to the group with the Confederate flag , hoping to have a conversation with them about why the flag is wrong .
“ I was going to do it discreetly , ” he said .
“ All I did was defend their right to have a different idea.
” He said they eventually agreed to remove the flag at his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his hand in the video .
Smith-Rayfield deleted the video Thursday because of internet trolls calling her a terrorist and making threats , she told the Sun-Times Friday .
At the protest , Smith-Rayfield told white attendees they need to “ be brave for thirty seconds ” and call out racism when they see it .
“ We ’ re all capable , ” Smith-Rayfield told the Sun-Times .
“ I ’ m not different from anyone here.
” Smith-Rayfield , who ’ s been an educator for two decades , said she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ send out to better educate the community about racism and how to be anti-racist .
In the year 2020 , she said there shouldn ’ t be a “ white beach ” anymore , a reputation some say Lighthouse Beach has .
Khari Rayfield , 19 , one of Smith-Rayfield ’ s four children , spoke at the protest , calling out the unjust deaths of Tamir Rice , George Floyd , Breonna Taylor and others at the hands of police .
Rayfield said these people all “ fit the description ” simply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So do her brothers , sister , mother , father , cousins , Rayfield said .
“ I fit the description , ” Rayfield said .
“ I don ’ t want to be the next hashtag .
I don ’ t want anyone over here to be the next hashtag.
” Atena Danner closed out the rally by singing “ Feeling Good ” by Nina Simone , a civil rights activist .
Danner told the Sun-Times that she chose the song because the racial injustice “ suck the life and joy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Danner said she wants to help reenergize their joy .
People then marched on the beach in groups of 50 in protest .
Evanston Mayor Steve Hagerty , who came to the protest after it started after attending a pandemic task force meeting , first posted on social media calling the incident “ fake news ” before he saw Smith-Rayfield ’ s video and walked further down the beach to find her account to be true .
He posted a second time apologizing and praising Smith-Rayfield ’ s bravery .
City lawyers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ displaying any sign of hate on public property , Hagerty told the Sun-Times .
“ We don ’ t want to hinder speech , ” Hagerty said .
“ But we don ’ t want hate speech on our public property.
” Jiana Belton , 45 , has lived in Evanston for 23 years .
As a Black mother , she attended Friday ’ s protest because there is still systemic division in the schools and neighborhoods , Belton said .
The racism goes farther than the beach , Belton said , manifesting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at schools and racism in policing .
“ We ’ re exhausted , ” Belton said .
“ We want the same thing white people want , for our families to be able to enjoy a day at the beach .
”

Just as problematic as the Confederate flag towel at an Evanston beach Wednesday, LaShandra Smith-Rayfield said, were the beach-goers who didn’t speak up about it.
“Me speaking out against hatred does not make me anti-patriotic,” Smith-Rayfield said at a protest Friday. “It actually makes me patriotic. ... Every person on that beach walked past it. In my video, you can see people walk on past it. Why is it okay to walk on past it?”
Friday, more than 300 people circled around Smith-Rayfield, gathering at a protest outside Lighthouse Beach in North Evanston Friday. Smith-Rayfield and other organizers called out other people at the beach Wednesday who didn’t take action when a white man at the beach hung a Confederate flag towel on the fence, as well as people who stay silent in the face of racism.
LaShandra Smith-Rayfield tears up while speaking at a racial justice rally Friday afternoon after she confronted a group of white people displaying a Confederate flag at the beach Wednesday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
On Wednesday, a beach goer set up camp at Lighthouse Beach and hung a towel displaying a Confederate flag on the fence. Photos of the towel hit social media, and when Smith-Rayfield saw, she got in her car, drove to the beach and called the man out, demanding he take down the Confederate flag. She streamed the encounter in a video on Facebook Live. The video also shows an African-American man who engaged in the argument and identified himself as a veteran.
The man, who asked to remain unnamed out of fear for his safety, told the Sun-Times he didn’t get to finish what he was saying in the video. He said he served in the military so people could have a “right to have a different opinion.” If the men with the flag would have started attacking Smith-Rayfield, the man said he would have defended her as well.
The man said he disagreed with the symbol and even intentionally sat next to the group with the Confederate flag, hoping to have a conversation with them about why the flag is wrong.
“I was going to do it discreetly,” he said. “All I did was defend their right to have a different idea.”
He said they eventually agreed to remove the flag at his request; one can be seen shaking his hand in the video.
Candice Shakur, her husband Abdel and their kids Lucille, Benjamin and Sunny attend a racial justice rally at Lighthouse Beach.
Smith-Rayfield deleted the video Thursday because of internet trolls calling her a terrorist and making threats, she told the Sun-Times Friday.
At the protest, Smith-Rayfield told white attendees they need to “be brave for thirty seconds” and call out racism when they see it.
“We’re all capable,” Smith-Rayfield told the Sun-Times. “I’m not different from anyone here.”
Smith-Rayfield, who’s been an educator for two decades, said she and others are preparing a curriculum to send out to better educate the community about racism and how to be anti-racist. In the year 2020, she said there shouldn’t be a “white beach” anymore, a reputation some say Lighthouse Beach has.
Khari Rayfield, 19 speaks at a racial justice rally Friday afternoon after her mother LaShandra Smith-Rayfield confronted a group of white people displaying a Confederate flag at the beach Wednesday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Khari Rayfield, 19, one of Smith-Rayfield’s four children, spoke at the protest, calling out the unjust deaths of Tamir Rice, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others at the hands of police. Rayfield said these people all “fit the description” simply because of the color of their skin. So do her brothers, sister, mother, father, cousins, Rayfield said.
“I fit the description,” Rayfield said. “I don’t want to be the next hashtag. I don’t want anyone over here to be the next hashtag.”
Atena Danner closed out the rally by singing “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone, a civil rights activist. Danner told the Sun-Times that she chose the song because the racial injustice “suck the life and joy out of you.” With her song, Danner said she wants to help reenergize their joy. People then marched on the beach in groups of 50 in protest.
People march across Lighthouse Beach at the end of a racial justice rally Friday afternoon, after LaShandra Smith-Rayfield confronted a group of white people displaying a Confederate flag at the beach Wednesday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Evanston Mayor Steve Hagerty, who came to the protest after it started after attending a pandemic task force meeting, first posted on social media calling the incident “fake news” before he saw Smith-Rayfield’s video and walked further down the beach to find her account to be true. He posted a second time apologizing and praising Smith-Rayfield’s bravery.
City lawyers are looking into ordinances that could prohibit displaying any sign of hate on public property, Hagerty told the Sun-Times.
“We don’t want to hinder speech,” Hagerty said. “But we don’t want hate speech on our public property.”
Jiana Belton, 45, has lived in Evanston for 23 years. As a Black mother, she attended Friday’s protest because there is still systemic division in the schools and neighborhoods, Belton said.
The racism goes farther than the beach, Belton said, manifesting in unequal punishment of students of color at schools and racism in policing.
“We’re exhausted,” Belton said. “We want the same thing white people want, for our families to be able to enjoy a day at the beach.”


chicagosun-times--2020-07-31--CPS asks parents to decide in next week whether to send kids to school for in-person classes (LIVE U

CPS asks parents to decide in next week whether to send kids to school for in-person classes (LIVE UPDATES)

CPS asks parents to decide in next week whether to send kids to school for in-person classes Chicago Public Schools parents are being asked to decide in the next week whether to send their children to school part-time this fall or keep them home with only one day of live instruction online .
The choice is a monumental one for most families as they figure out how to balance their children ’ s education with the health risks of gathering in groups during a deadly pandemic .
Yet it ’ s now one they have to make a month before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the virus in the city at that time , or exactly what the district ’ s final fall plan looks like .
Officials sent messages to parents Friday afternoon revealing an Aug. 7 deadline for that decision , explaining the district will need time to plan based on how many families decide to stick with remote learning .
“ The district ’ s approach for delivering full-time home-based learning will be tailored to the number of families who choose this option , ” the email from CPS chief executive Janice Jackson and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little known about the direction of the virus between now and Sept. 8 , when the school year is set to start , it may be tough for families to make an educated decision .
CPS also on Friday held its last of five community meetings to take input on its fall framework , and is yet to issue its final plan for the fall .
Illinois ’ rebound in coronavirus cases hit another apex Friday as health officials announced another 1,941 people tested positive for COVID-19 .
That ’ s the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 24 — eclipsing the two-month high tally set a day earlier .
The latest cases were confirmed among a record 49,782 tests received by the state , but it was still enough to raise Illinois ’ rolling positivity rate over the past week to 3.9 % .
That number , which indicates how quickly the virus is spreading , was 2.6 % at the end of June .
The state hasn ’ t topped 2,000 cases since late May , when the state suffered its peak COVID-19 impact , reporting an average about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day .
And after the Illinois curve flattened through June , Gov .
J.B. Pritzker has sounded the alarm on a steady case increase in recent weeks .
On Thursday , he warned the state is “ at a danger point , ” on the precipice of a massive coronavirus flareup like those seen in many other states .
Read the full report with the latest numbers here .
5:26 p.m .
Feds get ready to take a big step at Dirksen courthouse — where there ’ s a jury trial Monday For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s federal courthouse has slowly been trying to get back to business .
Arraignments and sentencing hearings have gone forward after long delays .
Some occurred by video , others with masks and social distancing .
But whenever the question of jury trials has come up , judges have wondered the same thing out loud : If summoned , will jurors appear ?
It looks as if they ’ re about to get their answer .
An Ottawa man is set to go to trial Monday on charges alleging he repeatedly threatened federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remarks made on Instagram toward Nikki Haley , then the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations .
The criminal jury trial of Robert Haas , 40 , appears to be Chicago ’ s first since the coronavirus pandemic began .
It also seems full of pitfalls .
One attorney involved in the case recently told the judge “ I don ’ t feel safe ” and asked for extra precautions .
Haas , representing himself , has been warned against making certain comments to jurors about the virus .
And Gov .
J.B. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new round of closures as COVID-19 cases tick back up — with a federal court security officer among the recently diagnosed .
2:50 p.m. Lost on the frontline : These Chicago , suburban health workers lost their lives to COVID-19 America ’ s health care workers are dying .
In some states , medical personnel account for as many as 20 % of known coronavirus cases .
They tend to patients in hospitals , treating them , serving them food , cleaning their rooms .
Others at risk work in nursing homes or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Lost on the Frontline , ” a collaboration between KHN and The Guardian , so far has identified 878 such workers who likely died of COVID-19 after helping patients during the pandemic .
These , from the Chicago area , are some of them , confirmed by family members , employers and medical examiners .
Read the profiles of locals we lost to COVID-19 here .
11:31 a.m. What Chicagoans think of Lori Lightfoot tightening COVID rules on bars , restaurants , gyms We asked Chicagoans : What do you think of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tighten restrictions on bars , restaurants and gyms after the COVID-19 spike among young people ?
Some answers have been condensed and lightly edited for clarity .
“ She ’ s been given no other choice .
She needs to keep the citizens safe .
I ’ m not thrilled but thankful it ’ s not worse.
” — Brice Notardonato Ellett “ Excellent !
She follows the science , and that ’ s what keeps us safe .
I really trust her.
” — Chris Rutledge 9:18 a.m. Chicago jazz icon calls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moment that I can ever remember ’ Until March , Chicago-based jazz pianist Erwin Helfer was playing shows at the Hungry Brain in Lakeview every Tuesday night and offering piano lessons .
Then , the pandemic hit .
Within weeks , he was hospitalized — not from COVID-19 but from what experts say is likely to become a significant side-effect of the pandemic .
Helfer fell into a deep and debilitating depression .
“ Along came the pandemic , and , at that moment , my life became very difficult , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ played his last gig at the Hungry Brain .
Then , Helfer , who lives alone and , because of his age , is in a high-risk group for the coronavirus , began quarantining at his Lincoln Park home .
The absence of social interaction brought on by the stay-at-home order almost immediately began taking a toll on his mental health .
A close friend , Ivan Handler , picked him up at his home on May 8 and took him to Rush University Medical Center ’ s psychiatric ward , where Helfer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he remained there for six weeks .
“ In the first three days I was there , I was looking for a window to jump out , seriously .
I was taking a certain amount of drugs , I don ’ t know what they were , and I wasn ’ t getting much better.
” Read the full story from Caroline Hurley here .
8:02 a.m. Coronavirus-stricken woman gets lung transplants after mother travels to Chicago to say ‘ goodbye ’ Mayra Ramirez described her worst moment — when she was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been told to catch the first flight to Chicago to come say goodbye .
As Ramirez spoke Thursday , her mother sat a few feet away , silent , most of her face and her outward emotions hidden behind a surgical mask .
“ What hurts the most is knowing everything my family went through during the time I was intubated , ” said Ramirez softly , as she appeared with the team of Northwestern Memorial Hospital doctors who ensured her mother never had to utter that awful word , “ Goodbye.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Brian Kuhns , a 62-year-old mechanic from Lake Zurich were both Northwestern patients who made history : They were the first in the nation to receive double-lung transplants after the coronavirus destroyed those organs .
Ramirez , a paralegal who moved to the city from North Carolina six years ago , told reporters that she ’ d been careful when the pandemic swept through .
She stayed home mostly , but still got sick .
In April , she called her doctor after she lost her sense of taste and smell — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had fainting spells later that same month , she came to Northwestern ’ s emergency room .
“ I was asked who would be making my medical decisions for me , ” Ramirez explained .
Her mother , she said .
A few minutes later , she was being hooked up to a ventilator .
The next few weeks were a blur with Ramirez often unable to distinguish reality from her frequent nightmares .
Get the full story from reporter Stefano Esposito here .
• Illinois ’ rebound in coronavirus cases hit another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,941 people tested positive for COVID-19 .
• Herman Cain , former Republican presidential candidate and former CEO of a major pizza chain who went on to become an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump , has died at age 74 of complications from the coronavirus .
If college football somehow makes it to the field , all we ’ ll get is a shell of a season .
Fewer games .
Conference bubbles .
A limited number of fans in the stadiums — or maybe none at all .
Is it really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coaches and boosters for this ?
The mighty Southeastern Conference , which has produced 10 of the last 14 national champions , delivered the grimmest signal Thursday that this will be a season like no other , if there ’ s actually a season amid a raging pandemic that shows no signs of fading away .
Following drastic moves already instituted by the Big Ten , Pac-12 and Atlantic Coast Conference , the SEC announced a 10-game , conference-only schedule that won ’ t begin until late September .
The Big 12 will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making an aggressive push to play a full , 12-game schedule even as the pool of potential non-league opponents dries up .
The reduced , bubble-like schedules are effectively a Hail Mary to save a season that , frankly , may not be worth saving at this point .
Tim Pyle , executive director of the American Restroom Association , recently got an urgent email from Wichita alerting him that the bathroom at the bus station downtown was closed to the public ; could the ARA help ?
While the Baltimore-based group is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across this great land , Pyle responded sympathetically .
“ Municipalities and governments have dropped the ball in the past 20 years , and have abdicated their responsibilities to store owners , gas stations , and eateries , ” he wrote .
“ Now that COVID has hit , it is more important than ever for ‘ public ’ facilities to do their part and keep them open.
” Which is separate from the issue of whether people should even go into public restrooms that are open .
Public bathrooms are perfect virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ space possible .
They perform functions that are then rendered into whirling vortexes of airborne contamination , thanks to flushing toilets , and blasted through the room by hand dyers .
Two related problems then : keeping bathrooms open , and improving their safety .

Illinois’ rebound in coronavirus cases hit another apex Friday as health officials announced another 1,941 people tested positive for COVID-19.
That’s the state’s highest single-day caseload since May 24 — eclipsing the two-month high tally set a day earlier.
The fight against the coronavirus is far from over. Here’s what happened Friday in Illinois as the state continued its battle with the coronavirus.
News
8:55 p.m. CPS asks parents to decide in next week whether to send kids to school for in-person classes
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
Chicago Public Schools parents are being asked to decide in the next week whether to send their children to school part-time this fall or keep them home with only one day of live instruction online.
The choice is a monumental one for most families as they figure out how to balance their children’s education with the health risks of gathering in groups during a deadly pandemic. Yet it’s now one they have to make a month before school would resume without knowing the state of the virus in the city at that time, or exactly what the district’s final fall plan looks like.
Officials sent messages to parents Friday afternoon revealing an Aug. 7 deadline for that decision, explaining the district will need time to plan based on how many families decide to stick with remote learning.
“The district’s approach for delivering full-time home-based learning will be tailored to the number of families who choose this option,” the email from CPS chief executive Janice Jackson and education chief LaTanya McDade read.
With little known about the direction of the virus between now and Sept. 8, when the school year is set to start, it may be tough for families to make an educated decision. CPS also on Friday held its last of five community meetings to take input on its fall framework, and is yet to issue its final plan for the fall.
Read the full story from reporter Nader Issa.
8:33 p.m. Chicago bars can start serving customers outside — even if they don’t serve food
Bars that that had been closed again to indoor service after a surge of coronavirus among young people have gotten a little help from the city.
New guidelines announced Friday will make it a little easier far bars and taverns that don’t serve food to set up places for customers to drink outside.
As of Friday, businesses that serve alcohol without a retail food license may apply to temporarily operate on their front sidewalk through and expansion of the city’s outdoor dining program, the mayor’s office announced.
Reporter Emmanuel Camarillo has the full story.
6:58 p.m. Illinois reports highest single-day COVID-19 caseload since May
Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times file
Illinois’ rebound in coronavirus cases hit another apex Friday as health officials announced another 1,941 people tested positive for COVID-19.
That’s the state’s highest single-day caseload since May 24 — eclipsing the two-month high tally set a day earlier.
The latest cases were confirmed among a record 49,782 tests received by the state, but it was still enough to raise Illinois’ rolling positivity rate over the past week to 3.9%.
That number, which indicates how quickly the virus is spreading, was 2.6% at the end of June.
The state hasn’t topped 2,000 cases since late May, when the state suffered its peak COVID-19 impact, reporting an average about 2,100 new cases and 100 deaths per day.
And after the Illinois curve flattened through June, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has sounded the alarm on a steady case increase in recent weeks. On Thursday, he warned the state is “at a danger point,” on the precipice of a massive coronavirus flareup like those seen in many other states.
Read the full report with the latest numbers here.
5:26 p.m. Feds get ready to take a big step at Dirksen courthouse — where there’s a jury trial Monday
For the last two months, Chicago’s federal courthouse has slowly been trying to get back to business.
Arraignments and sentencing hearings have gone forward after long delays. Some occurred by video, others with masks and social distancing. But whenever the question of jury trials has come up, judges have wondered the same thing out loud: If summoned, will jurors appear?
It looks as if they’re about to get their answer. An Ottawa man is set to go to trial Monday on charges alleging he repeatedly threatened federal officials who sought him out following angry remarks made on Instagram toward Nikki Haley, then the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
The criminal jury trial of Robert Haas, 40, appears to be Chicago’s first since the coronavirus pandemic began. It also seems full of pitfalls. One attorney involved in the case recently told the judge “I don’t feel safe” and asked for extra precautions. Haas, representing himself, has been warned against making certain comments to jurors about the virus. And Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned just days ago of a new round of closures as COVID-19 cases tick back up — with a federal court security officer among the recently diagnosed.
Reporter Jon Seidel has the full story.
2:50 p.m. Lost on the frontline: These Chicago, suburban health workers lost their lives to COVID-19
America’s health care workers are dying. In some states, medical personnel account for as many as 20% of known coronavirus cases. They tend to patients in hospitals, treating them, serving them food, cleaning their rooms. Others at risk work in nursing homes or are employed as home health aides.
“Lost on the Frontline,” a collaboration between KHN and The Guardian, so far has identified 878 such workers who likely died of COVID-19 after helping patients during the pandemic.
These, from the Chicago area, are some of them, confirmed by family members, employers and medical examiners.
Read the profiles of locals we lost to COVID-19 here.
11:31 a.m. What Chicagoans think of Lori Lightfoot tightening COVID rules on bars, restaurants, gyms
We asked Chicagoans: What do you think of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s decision to tighten restrictions on bars, restaurants and gyms after the COVID-19 spike among young people? Some answers have been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
“She’s been given no other choice. She needs to keep the citizens safe. I’m not thrilled but thankful it’s not worse.” — Brice Notardonato Ellett
“Excellent! She follows the science, and that’s what keeps us safe. I really trust her.” — Chris Rutledge
Read more reader responses here.
9:18 a.m. Chicago jazz icon calls early days of quarantine ‘the worst moment that I can ever remember’
Until March, Chicago-based jazz pianist Erwin Helfer was playing shows at the Hungry Brain in Lakeview every Tuesday night and offering piano lessons.
Then, the pandemic hit. Within weeks, he was hospitalized — not from COVID-19 but from what experts say is likely to become a significant side-effect of the pandemic. Helfer fell into a deep and debilitating depression.
“Along came the pandemic, and, at that moment, my life became very difficult,” he says.
On March 10, he played his last gig at the Hungry Brain.
Then, Helfer, who lives alone and, because of his age, is in a high-risk group for the coronavirus, began quarantining at his Lincoln Park home.
The absence of social interaction brought on by the stay-at-home order almost immediately began taking a toll on his mental health.
A close friend, Ivan Handler, picked him up at his home on May 8 and took him to Rush University Medical Center’s psychiatric ward, where Helfer was admitted. Diagnosed with severe depression, he remained there for six weeks.
“In the first three days I was there, I was looking for a window to jump out, seriously. I was taking a certain amount of drugs, I don’t know what they were, and I wasn’t getting much better.”
Read the full story from Caroline Hurley here.
8:02 a.m. Coronavirus-stricken woman gets lung transplants after mother travels to Chicago to say ‘goodbye’
Mayra Ramirez described her worst moment — when she was close to death and her mother had been told to catch the first flight to Chicago to come say goodbye.
As Ramirez spoke Thursday, her mother sat a few feet away, silent, most of her face and her outward emotions hidden behind a surgical mask.
“What hurts the most is knowing everything my family went through during the time I was intubated,” said Ramirez softly, as she appeared with the team of Northwestern Memorial Hospital doctors who ensured her mother never had to utter that awful word, “Goodbye.”
Ramirez, 28, of Chicago, and Brian Kuhns, a 62-year-old mechanic from Lake Zurich were both Northwestern patients who made history: They were the first in the nation to receive double-lung transplants after the coronavirus destroyed those organs.
Ramirez, a paralegal who moved to the city from North Carolina six years ago, told reporters that she’d been careful when the pandemic swept through. She stayed home mostly, but still got sick. In April, she called her doctor after she lost her sense of taste and smell — and felt excessively tired. When she had fainting spells later that same month, she came to Northwestern’s emergency room.
“I was asked who would be making my medical decisions for me,” Ramirez explained. Her mother, she said. A few minutes later, she was being hooked up to a ventilator. The next few weeks were a blur with Ramirez often unable to distinguish reality from her frequent nightmares.
Get the full story from reporter Stefano Esposito here.
New cases
Illinois’ rebound in coronavirus cases hit another apex Friday as health officials announced another 1,941 people tested positive for COVID-19.
Herman Cain, former Republican presidential candidate and former CEO of a major pizza chain who went on to become an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, has died at age 74 of complications from the coronavirus.
Analysis & Commentary
2:44 p.m. Is a college football season worth it?
If college football somehow makes it to the field, all we’ll get is a shell of a season.
Fewer games. Conference bubbles. A limited number of fans in the stadiums — or maybe none at all.
Is it really worth risking the health of players, coaches and boosters for this?
The mighty Southeastern Conference, which has produced 10 of the last 14 national champions, delivered the grimmest signal Thursday that this will be a season like no other, if there’s actually a season amid a raging pandemic that shows no signs of fading away.
Following drastic moves already instituted by the Big Ten, Pac-12 and Atlantic Coast Conference, the SEC announced a 10-game, conference-only schedule that won’t begin until late September. The Big 12 will likely have to follow suit, despite making an aggressive push to play a full, 12-game schedule even as the pool of potential non-league opponents dries up.
The reduced, bubble-like schedules are effectively a Hail Mary to save a season that, frankly, may not be worth saving at this point.
Read the full column here.
8:04 a.m. Toilet troubles worsened by COVID crisis
Tim Pyle, executive director of the American Restroom Association, recently got an urgent email from Wichita alerting him that the bathroom at the bus station downtown was closed to the public; could the ARA help?
While the Baltimore-based group is not intended to address individual shuttered toilets across this great land, Pyle responded sympathetically.
“Municipalities and governments have dropped the ball in the past 20 years, and have abdicated their responsibilities to store owners, gas stations, and eateries,” he wrote. “Now that COVID has hit, it is more important than ever for ‘public’ facilities to do their part and keep them open.”
Which is separate from the issue of whether people should even go into public restrooms that are open. Public bathrooms are perfect virus spreaders. Strangers gather in the smallest space possible. They perform functions that are then rendered into whirling vortexes of airborne contamination, thanks to flushing toilets, and blasted through the room by hand dyers.
Two related problems then: keeping bathrooms open, and improving their safety.
Read Neil Steinberg’s full column here.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-31--CPS asks parents to decide in next week whether to send kids to school for in-person classes

Chicago Public Schools parents are being asked to decide in the next week whether to send their children to school part-time this fall or keep them home with only one day of live instruction online .
The choice is a monumental one for most families as they figure out how to balance their children ’ s education with the health risks of gathering in groups during a deadly pandemic .
Yet it ’ s now one they have to make a month before school would resume without knowing the state of the virus in the city at that time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ final fall plan looks like .
Officials sent messages to parents Friday afternoon revealing an Aug. 7 deadline for that decision , explaining the district will need time to plan based on how many families decide to stick with remote learning .
“ The district ’ s approach for delivering full-time home-based learning will be tailored to the number of families who choose this option , ” the email from CPS chief executive Janice Jackson and education chief LaTanya McDade read .
With little known about the direction of the virus between now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year is set to start , it may be tough for families to make an educated decision .
CPS also on Friday held its last of five community meetings to take input on its fall framework , and is yet to issue its final plan for the fall .
CPS itself has cited the unpredictable nature of the virus in saying it won ’ t make a final announcement on a return to classrooms until closer to the start of the school year .
Parents who decide their kids won ’ t be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choice through the first quarter of the school year .
Parents who pick the partial in-person option can opt back out at any point .
For those picking full-time remote learning , CPS plans to offer live instruction only one day a week — Wednesday , the same as students who ’ ll go to school twice a week .
The district said attendance will still be tracked the other four days , and kids will be expected to “ engage in a minimum of five hours of instructional activity ” those days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live instruction one day a week , teachers will design activities , including pre-recorded lessons , independent work to build skills , and independent projects connected to the curriculum , ” Jackson and McDade wrote .
Annette Stenner , who has twins going into the third grade next year at Jamieson Elementary , said she was leaning toward keeping her kids in remote learning because of the health risks of going back to school .
But then she found out Friday that meant they would only have live interaction with their teachers one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ That just , to me , is not equitable for those that can not go in person .
It ’ s not giving an equitable education to those children , ” she said .
Stenner attended a CPS community meeting Friday and said she was grateful the district had put time and consideration into crafting the hybrid model .
But she said she felt pushed into the hybrid option because almost no details have been shared about the fully remote choice , and she ’ d be picking something she knew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s now considering picking the hybrid plan so she can leave her options open between now and the start of the school year .
She said she thinks lots of parents will make that choice because of the way CPS has structured the decision , and will unintentionally leave the district scrambling to adjust if potentially thousands of parents opt out at the last minute .
“ They are going to get a skewed result and then they ’ re going to say , ‘ Oh look what parents want , ’ ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t make those decisions that way if they had provided us a better option for learning at home and more information about what that is going to look like.
” Other parents raised their frustrations in a discussion in the Facebook group for parent advocacy organization Raise Your Hand .
“ I ’ m upset , angry , and frustrated , ” a mother wrote in the Raise Your Hand discussion .
“ I understand the need for planning time but parents need more information before choosing .
... And with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot may change in a month .
”

Chicago Public Schools parents are being asked to decide in the next week whether to send their children to school part-time this fall or keep them home with only one day of live instruction online.
The choice is a monumental one for most families as they figure out how to balance their children’s education with the health risks of gathering in groups during a deadly pandemic. Yet it’s now one they have to make a month before school would resume without knowing the state of the virus in the city at that time, or exactly what the district’s final fall plan looks like.
Officials sent messages to parents Friday afternoon revealing an Aug. 7 deadline for that decision, explaining the district will need time to plan based on how many families decide to stick with remote learning.
La Voz Sidebar 2023 Lea este artículo en español en La Voz Chicago.
“The district’s approach for delivering full-time home-based learning will be tailored to the number of families who choose this option,” the email from CPS chief executive Janice Jackson and education chief LaTanya McDade read.
With little known about the direction of the virus between now and Sept. 8, when the school year is set to start, it may be tough for families to make an educated decision. CPS also on Friday held its last of five community meetings to take input on its fall framework, and is yet to issue its final plan for the fall.
CPS itself has cited the unpredictable nature of the virus in saying it won’t make a final announcement on a return to classrooms until closer to the start of the school year.
Parents who decide their kids won’t be attending school have to stick with that choice through the first quarter of the school year. Parents who pick the partial in-person option can opt back out at any point.
For those picking full-time remote learning, CPS plans to offer live instruction only one day a week — Wednesday, the same as students who’ll go to school twice a week. The district said attendance will still be tracked the other four days, and kids will be expected to “engage in a minimum of five hours of instructional activity” those days.
“While they will only have live instruction one day a week, teachers will design activities, including pre-recorded lessons, independent work to build skills, and independent projects connected to the curriculum,” Jackson and McDade wrote.
Annette Stenner, who has twins going into the third grade next year at Jamieson Elementary, said she was leaning toward keeping her kids in remote learning because of the health risks of going back to school. But then she found out Friday that meant they would only have live interaction with their teachers one day a week for a partial day.
“That just, to me, is not equitable for those that cannot go in person. It’s not giving an equitable education to those children,” she said.
Stenner attended a CPS community meeting Friday and said she was grateful the district had put time and consideration into crafting the hybrid model. But she said she felt pushed into the hybrid option because almost no details have been shared about the fully remote choice, and she’d be picking something she knew little about.
Stenner said she’s now considering picking the hybrid plan so she can leave her options open between now and the start of the school year. She said she thinks lots of parents will make that choice because of the way CPS has structured the decision, and will unintentionally leave the district scrambling to adjust if potentially thousands of parents opt out at the last minute.
“They are going to get a skewed result and then they’re going to say, ‘Oh look what parents want,’” Stenner said. “But parents wouldn’t make those decisions that way if they had provided us a better option for learning at home and more information about what that is going to look like.”
Other parents raised their frustrations in a discussion in the Facebook group for parent advocacy organization Raise Your Hand.
“I’m upset, angry, and frustrated,” a mother wrote in the Raise Your Hand discussion. “I understand the need for planning time but parents need more information before choosing. ... And with the number of new infections increasing, a lot may change in a month.”


chicagosun-times--2020-07-31--Missing 10-year-old boy last seen in Gage Park

Police are asking the community for help finding a missing 10-year-old boy who was last seen in Gage Park on @ @ @ @ @ Cruz was last seen July 31 near the 5200 block of South Talman Avenue , @ @ @ @ @ is 4-foot-10 , 75 pounds with brown eyes and black hair .
He was last @ @ @ @ @ , blue pajama pants with images of sharks and gray flip flops , police said @ @ @ @ @ asked to call Area One detectives at 312-747-8380 .

Police are asking the community for help finding a missing 10-year-old boy who was last seen in Gage Park on the Southwest Side.
Luis Cruz was last seen July 31 near the 5200 block of South Talman Avenue, Chicago police said.
He is 4-foot-10, 75 pounds with brown eyes and black hair. He was last seen wearing a white shirt, blue pajama pants with images of sharks and gray flip flops, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Area One detectives at 312-747-8380.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-31--Bears QB Nick Foles’ first task: ‘Memorize names’

Forced to choose among a half-dozen quarterbacks this offseason , the Bears picked the familiar candidate .
Nick Foles knew head coach Matt Nagy ’ s playbook from their time together with the Eagles and Chiefs .
The Bears ’ new offensive brain trust — coordinator Bill Lazor , quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo and offensive line coach Juan Castillo — had all coached the quarterback at earlier stops in his career .
It was jarring , then , on Friday to hear Foles vocalize one of the challenges of the most bizarre offseason in NFL history : he still doesn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Doing my best to memorize names , ” he said .
The season starts six weeks from Sunday .
If Foles is to beat out Mitch Trubisky for the starting job , he ’ ll need to learn earn his teammates ’ trust and learn their names .
And not in that order .
“ My focus is acclimating to being in Chicago , getting to meet a lot of people at this facility , trying my best to memorize names — which is impossible with so many people , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m working on it.
” Foles passed his coronavirus tests and reported to Halas Hall this week , where quarterbacks were allowed to help lead rookies through walk-throughs .
Saturday , healthy veterans will be allowed to join them — by rule , they can enter Halas Hall for physicals and equipment fitting .
“ There ’ s some guys here that know me and some guys that don ’ t , ” Foles said .
“ So , getting to know them as much as I can.
” In a normal offseason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ completed months ago .
Coronavirus concerns canceled all NFL offseason workouts , though .
A new baby — Tori Foles gave birth to a son , Duke , on June 12 — kept the quarterback and his family at their offseason home in Newport Beach , Calif. Foles , who said he ’ s “ only been in Chicago a few times , ” is just getting settled near Halas Hall .
Trubisky , meanwhile , spent the offseason throwing to his Chicago-based teammates — Allen Robinson , Tarik Cohen and David Montgomery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fields .
That familiarity will prove irrelevant if Trubisky can ’ t make his throws or read a defense — and last year , he couldn ’ t do either .
If Trubisky struggles throughout training camp , Foles could call his teammates by their jersey numbers — or “ Champ ” or “ Chief ” or even “ Buckaroo ” — and still be considered an upgrade .
But if the quarterback derby during training camp is a close race , it might be the difference between running on the field in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This year , the derby will be a sprint .
With preseason games canceled , NFL teams are using the next few weeks for strength and conditioning work .
Padded practices won ’ t start until Aug. 17 .
The Bears can then hold only 14 padded practices until Sept. 6 , when they ’ ll become subject to game-week limitations set forth by the Collective Bargaining Agreement .
Foles said he ’ s not worried about how little practice time he ’ ll have to show what he can do .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the verbiage and just seeing the similarities from my Philly offense when I was there … ” he said .
“ I feel right at home , which is huge.
” Nagy admitted this week that “ for sure ” Foles is at a disadvantage because he couldn ’ t throw with his teammates during the offseason .
Foles , who threw to receivers who don ’ t play for the Bears while in Southern California , disagreed .
“ I wouldn ’ t say ‘ disadvantage ’ is the right word , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say , ‘ You know what , that ’ s just the situation.
’ ” The situation , of course , is unique .
It ’ s impossible to blame Foles for not moving his pregnant wife during a pandemic — he and Tori have a 3-year-old daughter , too — immediately after the Bears agreed to trade for him in March .
It would be hard to criticize him , in fact , had he decided not to play this season at all .
In addition to having a 7-week-old , Foles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last year .
Some NFL players with similar circumstances have opted out this week .
“ You have to weigh those different things , ” he said .
“ But it was one of those things where my wife and I both felt great pursuing being in Chicago.
” Foles , who said he respects players who did opt out , has been comforted by the safety measures he ’ s seen at Halas Hall this week .
“ After being in the facility and seeing how much care they put into everything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really is amazing how safe they make us feel here , how everything is separated.
” Until the pads come on , Foles wants to bring his teammates together .
“ Going out there and playing and helping them and getting to know them on and off the field — that ’ s the big thing , ” he said .
“ Just being a part of team that cares for one another — that ’ s the biggest thing .
”

Forced to choose among a half-dozen quarterbacks this offseason, the Bears picked the familiar candidate. Nick Foles knew coach Matt Nagy’s playbook from their time together with the Eagles and Chiefs. The Bears’ new offensive brain trust — coordinator Bill Lazor, quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo and offensive line coach Juan Castillo — had coached the quarterback at earlier stops in his career.
So it was jarring Friday to hear Foles vocalize one of the challenges of the most bizarre offseason in NFL history: He still doesn’t know many of his teammates.
“Doing my best to memorize names,” he said.
The season starts six weeks from Sunday. If Foles is to beat out Mitch Trubisky for the starting job, he’ll need to earn his teammates’ trust and learn their names.
And not in that order.
“My focus is acclimating to being in Chicago, getting to meet a lot of people at this facility, trying my best to memorize names — which is impossible with so many people,” he said. “But I’m working on it.”
Foles passed his coronavirus tests and reported this week to Halas Hall, where quarterbacks were allowed to help lead rookies through walkthroughs. On Saturday, healthy veterans will be allowed to join them. By rule, they can enter Halas Hall for physicals and equipment fitting.
“There’s some guys here that know me and some guys that don’t,” Foles said. “So, getting to know them as much as I can.”
In a normal offseason, Foles’ orientation would have been completed months ago. But coronavirus concerns canceled all NFL offseason workouts. A new baby — Tori Foles gave birth to a son, Duke, on June 12 — kept the quarterback and his family at their offseason home in Newport Beach, California.
Foles, who said he’s “only been in Chicago a few times,” is just getting settled near -Halas Hall. Trubisky, meanwhile, spent the offseason throwing to his Chicago-based teammates — Allen Robinson, Tarik Cohen and David Montgomery, among others — on high school fields.
That familiarity will prove irrelevant if Trubisky can’t make his throws or read a defense — and last year, he couldn’t do -either. If Trubisky struggles throughout training camp, Foles could call his teammates by their jersey numbers — or “Champ” or “Chief” or even “Buckaroo” — and still be considered an upgrade.
But if the quarterback derby during training camp is a close race, it might be the difference between running on the field in Week 1 and holding a clipboard.
This year, the derby will be a sprint. With preseason games canceled, teams are using the next few weeks for strength and conditioning work. Padded practices won’t start until Aug. 17. The Bears can then hold only 14 padded practices until Sept. 6, when they’ll become subject to game-week limitations set forth by the collective-bargaining agreement.
Foles said he isn’t worried about how little practice time he’ll have to show what he can do.
“The big thing is, just hearing the verbiage and just seeing the similarities from my Philly offense when I was there,” he said. “I feel right at home, which is huge.”
Nagy admitted this week that “for sure” Foles is at a disadvantage because he couldn’t throw with his teammates during the offseason. Foles, who threw to receivers who don’t play for the Bears while in Southern California, disagreed.
“I wouldn’t say ‘disadvantage’ is the right word,” Foles said. “I just say, ‘You know what, that’s just the situation.’ ”
The situation, of course, is unique. It’s -impossible to blame Foles for not moving his pregnant wife during a pandemic — he and Tori have a 3-year-old daughter, too — immediately after the Bears agreed to trade for him in March.
It would be hard to criticize him, in fact, had he decided not to play this season at all.
In addition to having a 7-week-old, Foles said his wife went through a miscarriage last year. Some NFL players with similar circumstances have opted out this week.
“You have to weigh those different things,” he said. “But it was one of those things where my wife and I both felt great pursuing being in Chicago.”
Foles, who said he respects players who did opt out, has been comforted by the safety measures he has seen at Halas Hall.
“After being in the facility and seeing how much care they put into everything,” he said. “It really is amazing how safe they make us feel here, how everything is separated.”
Until the pads come on, Foles wants to bring his teammates together.
Metaphorically, of course.
“Going out there and playing and helping them and getting to know them on and off the field, that’s the big thing,” he said. “Just being a part of a team that cares for one another, that’s the biggest thing.”


chicagosun-times--2020-07-31--Bears QB Mitch Trubisky looks to transform as he faces last chance to get it right

The vibes coming from Bears quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles as they head into a pivotal competition couldn ’ t be more different .
Foles popped onto a Zoom call Friday afternoon exuding calmness and seemed almost carefree as he talked about gunning for the job but being content with however it turned out .
At this stage of his career , he ’ s confident in who he is and what he can do .
Trubisky arrived at training camp feeling far more pressure .
He has yet to find a groove as he enters his fourth season @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for consistency that seems to have eluded him dating back to college , when he held North Carolina ’ s starting job just one season and went 8-5 .
Now , after the Bears blitzed him with the trade for Foles ( “ I was kind of pissed off in a good way , ” Trubisky said in June ) and rejection of his fifth-year option while he recovered from surgery on his non-throwing shoulder , he ’ s scrambling to stick around .
Foles ’ contract is guaranteed through 2022 , making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quarterback .
Trubisky is headed toward an uncertain free-agent market in a matter of months .
He spent the offseason with a new trainer at SPEAR in Vernon Hills and reworked his mechanics and footwork under quarterback guru Jeff Christiansen .
He also got an eyeful of his 2019 film , leaving no ambiguity about how much work he needs to do .
“ I watched a lot of ball over this past year and over the summer , and you see the mistakes , ” Trubisky said .
“ You see really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bad plays .
And you see just some dumb things that just shouldn ’ t happen.
” Those “ dumb things ” were very likely what coach Matt Nagy had in mind over the past eight months when he volunteered that Trubisky needs improvement on mastering the offense and reading coverage .
Those flaws were central to Trubisky ’ s nosedive , which central to the Bears ’ flop in a season that began with Super Bowl dreams .
The upside , he believes , is that it ’ s clear what he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mistakes I made last year and just knowing that all of them are easily correctable , that gives me confidence going into the future , ” Trubisky said .
But if they ’ re so easily correctable , why weren ’ t they corrected ?
His passer rating plunged from 95.4 the season before to 83.0 , he threw just 17 touchdowns ( three coming against playoff teams ) in 15 games and his completion percentage dipped by a few points .
No starting quarterback in the NFL produced less than his 6.1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not the whole story , but it ’ s a reasonable quantification of how little Trubisky helped his team last season .
Sure , the Bears had problems on the offensive line , at tight end and in the running game , but he didn ’ t do much to help them overcome those deficiencies .
Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers make it work regardless of their surroundings , and any team that has given up on measuring its quarterback against players of that caliber might as well move on from him .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s vision to mold him into a pure pocket passer , Trubisky was no longer any threat as a runner .
In 2018 , his best season , he averaged 30.1 yards rushing per game and finished fifth among quarterbacks at 421 total .
He was at 7.3 yards through 11 games last season before cutting loose for 63 against the Cowboys .
And as if he didn ’ t have enough buzzing in his head already , Trubisky no longer has the unwavering support of a coaching staff that safeguarded him the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not that they don ’ t support him , obviously , but the coddling is undoubtedly done .
New offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo would balk at being labeled “ Foles guys , ” but they ’ ve both coached him before and are new to Trubisky .
Lazor was the Eagles ’ quarterbacks coach when Foles had a career year in 2013 .
Nagy coached Foles , too , in 2012 with the Eagles and ’ 16 with the Chiefs .
The other voice in the room is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been with Trubisky since the day the Bears drafted him .
“ Between Flip and Bill and Rags and myself , we just have really good open communications , ” Nagy said .
“ One thing that you see constant with [ Foles and Trubisky ] is that they ’ re very committed to being the best quarterback that they can be .
“ We ’ re all kind of refocusing .
We all have our own stories from last year , and that thing ’ s in the past.
” Except @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past is never truly buried , and clean slates don ’ t actually exist in sports .
There ’ s already a book on Trubisky , and the narrative will continue if he repeats the same errors that brought him to a point where he ’ s fighting for his job .
It ’ ll be easy to connect old failures to new ones .
It ’ s a mountainous challenge looming when the Bears start practicing in two weeks .
To prove everyone wrong , including the franchise that declined his option @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about his game and establish himself .
It ’ s his last chance to get it right .

The vibes coming from Bears quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles as they head into a pivotal competition couldn’t be more different.
Foles popped onto a Zoom call Friday afternoon exuding calmness and seemed almost carefree as he talked about gunning for the job but being content with however it turned out. At this stage of his career, he’s confident in who he is and what he can do.
Trubisky arrived at training camp feeling far more pressure. He has yet to find a groove as he enters his fourth season, and he’s still searching for consistency that seems to have eluded him since college, when he held North Carolina’s starting job for one season and went 8-5.
Now, after the Bears blitzed him with the trade for Foles (“I was kind of pissed off in a good way,” Trubisky said in June) and rejected his fifth-year option while he recovered from surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, he’s scrambling to stick around.
Foles’ contract is guaranteed through 2022, making him the ideal bridge to a new quarterback. Trubisky is headed toward an uncertain free-agent market in a matter of months.
He spent the offseason with a new trainer at SPEAR in Vernon Hills and reworked his mechanics and footwork under quarterback guru Jeff Christiansen. He also got an eyeful of his 2019 film, leaving no ambiguity about how much work he needs to do.
“I watched a lot of ball over this past year and over the summer, and you see the mistakes,” Trubisky said. “You see really good plays. You see some really bad plays. And you see some dumb things that just shouldn’t happen.”
Those “dumb things” were very likely what coach Matt Nagy had in mind over the last eight months when he volunteered that Trubisky needs improvement on mastering the offense and reading coverage.
Those flaws were central to Trubisky’s nosedive, which was central to the Bears’ flop in a season that began with Super Bowl dreams. The upside, he believes, is that it’s clear what he must fix.
“Just seeing the mistakes I made last year and just knowing that all of them are easily correctable, that gives me confidence going into the future,” Trubisky said.
But if they’re so easily correctable, why weren’t they corrected?
His passer rating plunged from 95.4 the season before to 83.0, he threw just 17 touchdown passes (three coming against playoff teams) in 15 games and his completion percentage dipped by a few points. No starting quarterback in the NFL produced less than his 6.1 yards per attempt.
That’s not the whole story, but it’s a -reasonable quantification of how little Trubisky helped his team last season.
Sure, the Bears had problems on the -offensive line, at tight end and in the running game, but Trubisky didn’t do much to help them overcome those deficiencies. Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers make it work regardless of their surroundings, and any team that has given up on measuring its quarterback against players of that caliber might as well move on from him.
Meanwhile, as part of Nagy’s vision to mold him into a pure pocket passer, Trubisky was no longer any threat as a runner. In 2018, his best season, he averaged 30.1 yards rushing per game and finished fifth among quarterbacks with 421 total. He was at 7.3 yards through 11 games last season before cutting loose for 63 against the Cowboys.
As if he didn’t have enough buzzing in his head already, Trubisky no longer has the unwavering support of a coaching staff that safeguarded him the last two seasons. It’s not that the coaches don’t support him, but the coddling is undoubtedly done.
New offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo would balk at being labeled “Foles guys,” but they’ve coached him before and are new to Trubisky. Lazor was the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach when Foles had a career year in 2013. Nagy coached Foles, too, in 2012 with the Eagles and ’16 with the Chiefs. The other voice in the room is passing game coordinator Dave Ragone, who has been with Trubisky since the day the Bears drafted him.
“Between Flip and Bill and Rags and myself, we just have really good open communications,” Nagy said. “One thing that you see constant with [Foles and Trubisky] is that they’re very committed to being the best quarterback that they can be.
“We’re all kind of refocusing. We all have our own stories from last year, and that thing’s in the past.”
Except that it’s not. The past is never truly buried, and clean slates don’t actually exist in sports. There’s already a book on Trubisky, and the narrative will continue if he repeats the same errors that brought him to a point where he’s fighting for his job. It’ll be easy to connect old failures to new ones.
It’s a mountainous challenge looming when the Bears start practicing in two weeks. To prove everyone wrong, including the franchise that declined his option, Trubisky needs to transform almost everything about his game and establish himself. It’s his last chance to get it right.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-31--If Gangster Disciples co-founder wins freedom from federal term, Illinois prisons don’t want him

Larry Hoover , co-founder of the Gangster Disciples street gang , won ’ t be allowed to serve his state murder sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections prison system if he succeeds at being freed from federal prison , Illinois officials say .
Hoover is asking a federal judge in Chicago to recalculate his 1998 federal life sentence for running a criminal enterprise .
Prosecutors have said that , under his control , the gang , Chicago ’ s largest , sold more than $ 100 million in drugs , including crack cocaine .
The federal First Step Act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to seek lower sentences based on reductions in the federal penalties for selling crack cocaine .
Before U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber rules on Hoover ’ s request , he has said he wants to know from prosecutors and Hoover ’ s lawyers whether the state prison system would be able to keep him from engaging in gang activity .
That ’ s because Hoover was sentenced separately in state court to 100 to 150 years for a gang murder in 1973 in Chicago .
In a court filing Friday , federal prosecutors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying tht would undermine respect for the law in Chicago .
And they also answered the judge ’ s question about whether the Illinois Department of Corrections could handle Hoover , offering a letter from Eugene Jackson , chief of investigations and intelligence for the state prison system .
“ Larry Hoover presents a unique security challenge due to his notoriety within … the Gangster Disciples , ” Jackson wrote .
“ Out of an abundance of caution and for the purpose of ensuring Mr. Hoover ’ s personal safety , he will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact , the Federal Bureau of Prisons has already agreed to house Mr. Hoover for the remainder of his sentence if necessary.
” It ’ s not unprecedented for the state prison system to send inmates to other state ’ s prisons or to move them to the federal prison system for security reasons .
In 2019 , former Bolingbrook police Sgt .
Drew Peterson was sent to the federal prison in Terre Haute , Indiana , from a prison in southern Illinois for security purposes .
Peterson was convicted of murder in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Savio andalso is a suspect in the disappearance of Stacy Peterson , his fourth wife .
It ’ s unclear where Peterson is being held now .
He ’ s not listed on the Illinois Department of Corrections website .
In the court filing Friday , federal prosecutors told Leinenweber that Hoover is expected to ask the Illinois Prisoner Review Board to parole him if Leinenweber frees him from his federal life sentence .
A Chicago Sun-Times analysis found that the parole board appears to have become more receptive in recent years to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who is 69 .

Larry Hoover, co-founder of the Gangster Disciples street gang, won’t be allowed to serve his state murder sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections prison system if he succeeds at being freed from federal prison, Illinois officials say.
Hoover is asking a federal judge in Chicago to recalculate his 1998 federal life sentence for running a criminal enterprise. Prosecutors have said that, under his control, the gang, Chicago’s largest, sold more than $100 million in drugs, including crack cocaine.
The federal First Step Act, enacted in 2018, allows prisoners to seek lower sentences based on reductions in the federal penalties for selling crack cocaine.
Before U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber rules on Hoover’s request, he has said he wants to know from prosecutors and Hoover’s lawyers whether the state prison system would be able to keep him from engaging in gang activity.
That’s because Hoover was sentenced separately in state court to 100 to 150 years for a gang murder in 1973 in Chicago.
In a court filing Friday, federal prosecutors warned Leinenweber not to free Hoover, saying that would undermine respect for the law in Chicago.
And they also answered the judge’s question about whether the Illinois Department of Corrections could handle Hoover, offering a letter from Eugene Jackson, chief of investigations and intelligence for the state prison system.
“Larry Hoover presents a unique security challenge due to his notoriety within … the Gangster Disciples,” Jackson wrote. “Out of an abundance of caution and for the purpose of ensuring Mr. Hoover’s personal safety, he will be housed outside of Illinois. In fact, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has already agreed to house Mr. Hoover for the remainder of his sentence if necessary.”
It’s not unprecedented for the state prison system to send inmates to other state’s prisons or to move them to the federal prison system for security reasons.
In 2019, former Bolingbrook police Sgt. Drew Peterson was sent to the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, from a prison in southern Illinois for security purposes. Peterson was convicted of murder in the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, and also is a suspect in the disappearance of Stacy Peterson, his fourth wife. It’s unclear where Peterson is being held now. He’s not listed on the Illinois Department of Corrections website.
In the court filing Friday, federal prosecutors told Leinenweber that Hoover is expected to ask the Illinois Prisoner Review Board to parole him if Leinenweber frees him from his federal life sentence.
A Chicago Sun-Times analysis found that the parole board appears to have become more receptive in recent years to releasing older murder convicts like Hoover, who is 69.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-31--Suicide reminds us ‘real danger in police work isn’t physical, it’s psychological and spiritual’

What price do we pay ?
The torturous death of George Floyd was an 8 minute , 46 second iconic reality bite watched worldwide .
It was horrifying .
The price exacted from his killing is our national honor .
Yet , what price do we exact when we demonize all police officers ?
How does that affect police officers increasingly committing suicide , a number exceeding cops who are victims of a homicide ?
Although the full story of why Deputy Police Chief Dion Boyd put a bullet in his chest in the quiet of his office after decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still a mystery , it is still a tragedy .
Is the cop killed in the line of duty the only hero ?
It can be argued a cop is a hero the moment she or he takes an oath to serve and protect ALL of us , that it ’ s the system molding the men and women in blue that is now the legitimate blood-red target .
“ We don ’ t pay when a cop gets killed .
We get fleeced .
Robbed of a human being who made his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his family , ” I wrote after a police officer was shot to death in 1990 .
“ It ’ s a tough time to be a cop , ” former Chicago police chaplain Tom Nangle said .
“ We ’ ve learned the real danger in police work isn ’ t physical , it ’ s psychological and spiritual , ” he added citing the alarming police suicide rate .
“ The bathwater suicide sits in is often depression and untreated addiction .
“ Life is messy , and it is even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with human suffering and evil and the corruption and dysfunction of society , ” Nangle said .
Dr. David Clark , a psychologist at Rush University Medical Center for 34 years and now professor emeritus of psychiatry at the Medical College of Wisconsin — who has worked with the FBI and Chicago Police Department for years — has a new perspective in the time of coronavirus .
He feels police are being left out of the COVID-19 care praise .
“ Compare the much-deserved respect first responders [ hospital workers ] are getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when at the same time police — who are also first responders — are being painted negatively with a broad racism brush on everything media .
“ Of course , there are bad cops — and this national conversation of racism needs to take place .
But it ’ s an odd situation , ” he added .
“ Imagine how these selfless servants doing all sorts of good things we don ’ t know about day in and day out must feel , ” he said .
“ These police officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ We ’ ve learned , however , that whenever the integrity of police are questioned or sullied on a large scale , there can be a spate of suicides.
” Bradford Woods , the CPD ’ s former head of personnel under former Chicago Police Supt .
Terry Hillard , credited his former boss with developing new behavioral intervention programs for cops after noting a rash of police suicides .
“ The one glaring thing police officers have readily available when alone and thinking about suicide — perhaps accompanied by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at their disposal … 365 days a year and 24 hours a day , ” said Woods .
“ A lack of access to a gun may give time to reconsider.
” In addition , the three officers shot Thursday in Chicago — one seriously — by a paroled felon exiting a police vehicle , is a reminder of the danger police face every day .
“ No human being should have to see what a cop sees when he walks in on scenes choreographed in hell , ” Father Nangle once told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at compartmentalizing , keeping all the corruption and depravity and hideousness in a watertight compartment .
“ I ’ ve often wondered how they keep their sanity .
“ They live in a world of intense ambiguity eight hours a day .
“ It ’ s like going to work in a minefield.
” Imagine living in that minefield every day .
Congratulations to Dr. Paolo Gattuso and his wife , Nancy , on their 38th wedding anniversary and being the parents of Sneed ’ s loyal jack of all trades , Francesca @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pop superstar Justin Bieber and supermodel wife Hailey spotted outside Wednesday afternoon at Beatrix in Fulton Market with West Chatham native Chance the Rapper .
The trio later dined on a private outdoor terrace at River North hotspot RPM Seafood before pausing for pix with fans .
.
.
.
Saturday ’ s birthdays : Jason Momoa , 41 ; Coolio , 57 ; and Madison Bumgarner , 31. .
.
.
Sunday ’ s birthdays : Golden Tate , 32 ; Kristaps Porzingis , 25 ; and Charli XCX , 28 .

What price do we pay?
The torturous death of George Floyd was an 8 minute, 46 second iconic reality bite watched worldwide.
It was horrifying. The price exacted from his killing is our national honor.
Yet, what price do we exact when we demonize all police officers?
How does that affect police officers increasingly committing suicide, a number exceeding cops who are victims of a homicide?
Although the full story of why Deputy Police Chief Dion Boyd put a bullet in his chest in the quiet of his office after decades of service and a new promotion is still a mystery, it is still a tragedy.
Is the cop killed in the line of duty the only hero?
It can be argued a cop is a hero the moment she or he takes an oath to serve and protect ALL of us, that it’s the system molding the men and women in blue that is now the legitimate blood-red target.
“We don’t pay when a cop gets killed. We get fleeced. Robbed of a human being who made his life’s work protecting more than his family,” I wrote after a police officer was shot to death in 1990.
It’s still true today.
“It’s a tough time to be a cop,” former Chicago police chaplain Tom Nangle said. “We’ve learned the real danger in police work isn’t physical, it’s psychological and spiritual,” he added citing the alarming police suicide rate.
“The bathwater suicide sits in is often depression and untreated addiction.
“Life is messy, and it is even messier when your job is to deal with human suffering and evil and the corruption and dysfunction of society,” Nangle said.
Dr. David Clark, a psychologist at Rush University Medical Center for 34 years and now professor emeritus of psychiatry at the Medical College of Wisconsin — who has worked with the FBI and Chicago Police Department for years — has a new perspective in the time of coronavirus.
He feels police are being left out of the COVID-19 care praise.
“Compare the much-deserved respect first responders [hospital workers] are getting in the midst of the COVID crisis, when at the same time police — who are also first responders — are being painted negatively with a broad racism brush on everything media.
“Of course, there are bad cops — and this national conversation of racism needs to take place. But it’s an odd situation,” he added. “Imagine how these selfless servants doing all sorts of good things we don’t know about day in and day out must feel,” he said.
“These police officers shy away from publicity,” Clark said.
“We’ve learned, however, that whenever the integrity of police are questioned or sullied on a large scale, there can be a spate of suicides.”
Bradford Woods, the CPD’s former head of personnel under former Chicago Police Supt. Terry Hillard, credited his former boss with developing new behavioral intervention programs for cops after noting a rash of police suicides.
“The one glaring thing police officers have readily available when alone and thinking about suicide — perhaps accompanied by drinking too much — is a gun at their disposal … 365 days a year and 24 hours a day,” said Woods. “A lack of access to a gun may give time to reconsider.”
In addition, the three officers shot Thursday in Chicago — one seriously — by a paroled felon exiting a police vehicle, is a reminder of the danger police face every day.
“No human being should have to see what a cop sees when he walks in on scenes choreographed in hell,” Father Nangle once told me.
“Police officers are good at compartmentalizing, keeping all the corruption and depravity and hideousness in a watertight compartment.
“I’ve often wondered how they keep their sanity.
“They live in a world of intense ambiguity eight hours a day.
“It’s like going to work in a minefield.”
Imagine living in that minefield every day.
Sneedlings . . .
Congratulations to Dr. Paolo Gattuso and his wife, Nancy, on their 38th wedding anniversary and being the parents of Sneed’s loyal jack of all trades, Francesca. . . . I spy: Pop superstar Justin Bieber and supermodel wife Hailey spotted outside Wednesday afternoon at Beatrix in Fulton Market with West Chatham native Chance the Rapper. The trio later dined on a private outdoor terrace at River North hotspot RPM Seafood before pausing for pix with fans. . . . Saturday’s birthdays: Jason Momoa, 41; Coolio, 57; and Madison Bumgarner, 31. . . . Sunday’s birthdays: Golden Tate, 32; Kristaps Porzingis, 25; and Charli XCX, 28.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-31--MLB commissioner Rob Manfred warns season will be shut down unless virus is handled better

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told players union executive director Tony Clark on Friday that if the sport doesn ’ t do a better job of managing the coronavirus , it could shut down for the season , sources familiar with the conversation told ESPN .
The league and players recognize the coming days are a critical juncture following an outbreak among the Miami Marlins in which 21 members of the organization have tested positive for COVID-19 .
Two positive tests by St. Louis Cardinals players on Friday exacerbated concerns inside the sport about the presence of the coronavirus and whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ properly to prevent outbreaks similar to Miami ’ s .
Should another outbreak materialize , Manfred , who has the power to shut down the season , could move in that direction .
Multiple players briefed on the call fear the season could be shut down as soon as Monday if positive tests jump or if players continue not to strictly abide by the league ’ s protocols .
State and local governments have pressured baseball about players skirting the mandates outlined in the league ’ s 113-page operations manual , sources told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high-fiving , spitting and not wearing masks have left government officials wondering how seriously players are taking the protocols , sources said .
Further , there is concern about off-the-field choices , with one high-ranking official saying : “ There are some bad decisions being made.
” The Cardinals ’ game against the Milwaukee Brewers was postponed Friday and rescheduled to a doubleheader Sunday .
Already , the Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies , who last played Miami on Sunday , were missing scheduled games , leaving 20 % of the league ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the MLBPA on Friday jointly announced the results of COVID-19 testing through Thursday .
Of the 11,895 samples taken over the past week , there were 29 positive tests — 20 by players and nine by staff members .

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told players union executive director Tony Clark on Friday that if the sport doesn’t do a better job of managing the coronavirus, it could shut down for the season, sources familiar with the conversation told ESPN.
The league and players recognize the coming days are a critical juncture following an outbreak among the Miami Marlins in which 21 members of the organization have tested positive for COVID-19. Two positive tests by St. Louis Cardinals players on Friday exacerbated concerns inside the sport about the presence of the coronavirus and whether the jointly agreed-upon protocols are being followed properly to prevent outbreaks similar to Miami’s.
Should another outbreak materialize, Manfred, who has the power to shut down the season, could move in that direction. Multiple players briefed on the call fear the season could be shut down as soon as Monday if positive tests jump or if players continue not to strictly abide by the league’s protocols.
State and local governments have pressured baseball about players skirting the mandates outlined in the league’s 113-page operations manual, sources told ESPN. Broadcasts that have shown players high-fiving, spitting and not wearing masks have left government officials wondering how seriously players are taking the protocols, sources said.
Further, there is concern about off-the-field choices, with one high-ranking official saying: “There are some bad decisions being made.”
The Cardinals’ game against the Milwaukee Brewers was postponed Friday and rescheduled to a doubleheader Sunday. Already, the Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies, who last played Miami on Sunday, were missing scheduled games, leaving 20% of the league’s Friday slate empty.
Major League Baseball and the MLBPA on Friday jointly announced the results of COVID-19 testing through Thursday. Of the 11,895 samples taken over the past week, there were 29 positive tests — 20 by players and nine by staff members.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-01--Suburban delivery driver puts 1 million miles on pickup truck and still gets a good trade-in

Some people trade in their vehicles every year .
Brian Murphy prefers to get his money ’ s worth out of the old one .
Fortunately for the auto industry , few take that challenge as seriously as Murphy , who earlier this year surpassed the 1 million-mile mark on his 2007 Nissan Frontier pickup truck .
Rather than take offense over Murphy ’ s thriftiness , Nissan plans to reward him Tuesday with a new 2020 model Frontier .
Now , that ’ s getting your money ’ s worth on a trade-in .
I don ’ t pretend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I realize the million-mile mark is hallowed ground for serious car guys , an exclusive club not unlike Major League Baseball ’ s 3,000-hit club .
Reaching it requires a special kind of determination , durability and luck on the part of man and machine .
Among the most impressive aspects of Murphy ’ s achievement is that he did it while driving almost entirely in Chicago traffic and weather .
And his truck still has its original four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission .
Murphy , 63 , lives in McHenry County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ border .
He uses the truck for work as an independent delivery driver .
Every work day starting at 5:45 a.m. , Murphy heads from his home in rural Ringwood to an operations base in Geneva where he picks up a load of copier parts and supplies before heading downtown to make deliveries in the city .
Then , it ’ s back to Geneva by midday for more assignments .
Before the pandemic , Murphy typically drove 12 to 13 hours a day five days a week , piling up 300 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set out to reach 1 million miles when he bought the Frontier for about $ 20,000 in June 2007 .
He ’ d driven his previous pickup , a Chevy S-10 , for 413,000 miles .
“ If I bought a good truck and I really took care of it , I thought I could do it , and it would be a big achievement , ” he said .
Having gone into business a few years earlier , Murphy also figured he could avoid the expense of a new truck every few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ car guy .
He ’ s restoring his first vehicle , a 1969 Chevy Camaro Z28 he bought used at 16 .
With the Frontier , Murphy did his own oil changes at 10,000-mile intervals — not more frequently because he piled up miles so fast he still was changing it as often as every six weeks .
For other maintenance , Murphy relied on the Crystal Lake dealership where he bought the truck .
The alternator made it 436,000 miles , the radiator about the same .
Murphy replaced both again at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ m a very conservative driver , ” he said .
“ I ’ ve babied this thing.
” But not in ways you might think .
He washed the truck once a week but never bought the rust-protection package .
His garage is unheated .
And this really surprised me : “ I never even waxed it , not even once.
” It still looks remarkably good , except for a little rust on the trailer hitch and right rear wheel .
I just took my 2010 Ford Escape for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that I ’ ll soon surpass 115,000 miles .
Then , I got home and read Nissan ’ s announcement about Murphy , which burst my bubble .
I took it as a sign I should meet this man .
Speaking with him on his driveway , I told Murphy I considered asking him to pose lying down on the Frontier ’ s hood like a Chicago Auto Show model of yore .
“ That would be very bad for the hood , ” joked Murphy , who hopes to keep working until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around 6 p.m. on Jan. 27 .
Nissan recorded the event for posterity .
Actually , the odometer stopped at 999,999 .
Was not seeing it roll over to 1,000,000 a disappointment ?
He put only 500 more miles on it after that .
Nissan gave him a delivery van to use while awaiting his new truck .
Production was delayed by the pandemic .
Nissan plans to display Murphy ’ s Frontier at a Tennessee auto museum near where it came off the assembly line .
After spending as much time inside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 13 years , Murphy might need visitation rights .
“ I ’ m attached to it .
I ’ m going to be sorry to see it go .
It ’ s been very , very good to me .
”

Some people trade in their vehicles every year. Brian Murphy prefers to get his money’s worth out of the old one.
Fortunately for the auto industry, few take that challenge as seriously as Murphy, who earlier this year surpassed the 1 million-mile mark on his 2007 Nissan Frontier pickup truck.
Rather than take offense over Murphy’s thriftiness, Nissan plans to reward him Tuesday with a new 2020 model Frontier. Now, that’s getting your money’s worth on a trade-in.
I don’t pretend to be a car guy. But I realize the million-mile mark is hallowed ground for serious car guys, an exclusive club not unlike Major League Baseball’s 3,000-hit club.
Reaching it requires a special kind of determination, durability and luck on the part of man and machine.
Among the most impressive aspects of Murphy’s achievement is that he did it while driving almost entirely in Chicago traffic and weather. And his truck still has its original four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission.
Murphy, 63, lives in McHenry County less than 10 miles from the Wisconsin border. He uses the truck for work as an independent delivery driver.
Every work day starting at 5:45 a.m., Murphy heads from his home in rural Ringwood to an operations base in Geneva where he picks up a load of copier parts and supplies before heading downtown to make deliveries in the city.
Then, it’s back to Geneva by midday for more assignments. Before the pandemic, Murphy typically drove 12 to 13 hours a day five days a week, piling up 300 to 400 miles daily.
Murphy said he set out to reach 1 million miles when he bought the Frontier for about $20,000 in June 2007. He’d driven his previous pickup, a Chevy S-10, for 413,000 miles.
“If I bought a good truck and I really took care of it, I thought I could do it, and it would be a big achievement,” he said.
Having gone into business a few years earlier, Murphy also figured he could avoid the expense of a new truck every few years.
Brian Murphy is restoring his first car, a 1969 Chevy Camaro Z28 he bought used when he was 16. Mark Brown / Sun-Times
Murphy’s a serious car guy. He’s restoring his first vehicle, a 1969 Chevy Camaro Z28 he bought used at 16.
With the Frontier, Murphy did his own oil changes at 10,000-mile intervals — not more frequently because he piled up miles so fast he still was changing it as often as every six weeks.
For other maintenance, Murphy relied on the Crystal Lake dealership where he bought the truck.
The clutch survived for 801,000 miles.
The original water pump lasted 607,000 miles.
The alternator made it 436,000 miles, the radiator about the same. Murphy replaced both again at 800,000 miles just to be safe.
“I’m a very conservative driver,” he said. “I’ve babied this thing.”
Brian Murphy changed his own oil every 10,000 miles on his way to 1 million miles. Mark Brown / Sun-Times
But not in ways you might think. He washed the truck once a week but never bought the rust-protection package. His garage is unheated. And this really surprised me: “I never even waxed it, not even once.”
It still looks remarkably good, except for a little rust on the trailer hitch and right rear wheel.
I just took my 2010 Ford Escape for its emissions test and noted with pride that I’ll soon surpass 115,000 miles.
Then, I got home and read Nissan’s announcement about Murphy, which burst my bubble. I took it as a sign I should meet this man.
Speaking with him on his driveway, I told Murphy I considered asking him to pose lying down on the Frontier’s hood like a Chicago Auto Show model of yore.
“That would be very bad for the hood,” joked Murphy, who hopes to keep working until 70.
He hit the million-mile mark around 6 p.m. on Jan. 27. Nissan recorded the event for posterity.
Actually, the odometer stopped at 999,999.
Was not seeing it roll over to 1,000,000 a disappointment?
“It was,” Murphy said.
He put only 500 more miles on it after that. Nissan gave him a delivery van to use while awaiting his new truck. Production was delayed by the pandemic.
Nissan plans to display Murphy’s Frontier at a Tennessee auto museum near where it came off the assembly line.
After spending as much time inside the truck as at home the past 13 years, Murphy might need visitation rights.
“I’m attached to it. I’m going to be sorry to see it go. It’s been very, very good to me.”