chicagosun-times--2020-04-23--Cook County Jail director defends handling of COVID-19 outbreak

Lawyers for Sheriff Tom Dart on Thursday defended the handling of a COVID-19 outbreak inside the walls of the Cook County Jail , with one of Dart ’ s top deputies saying Chicago health department and federal officials toured the jail complex last week and were “ very complimentary.
” But advocates for the 4,200 prisoners currently housed in the sprawling West Side jail complex , who have yet to be permitted inside the jail since the the first coronavirus infections were reported , called on a federal judge to mandate the release of prisoners and allow outside inspection .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ video conference , U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly said he intends to rule by Monday on whether to issue a temporary restraining order that could require the release of inmates at risk for serious complications from COVID-19 .
The judge Thursday extended his two-week-old order that required the sheriff to provide additional soap and cleansers for all detainees and staff , and required all inmates known to have been exposed to the virus to wear surgical masks .
So far , 448 detainees have tested positive for COVID-19 since mid-March , including six @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
More than 300 jail staff have contracted COVID-19 , which last week claimed the life of corrections officer Sheila Rivera .
The sheriff ’ s office is also awaiting testing results to see if coronavirus was a factor in the death last week of corrections officer Antoine Stewart , 38 .
At Thursday ’ s hearing , Michael Miller , director of jail operations , thumbed through a thick binder of reports under questioning from lawyers for the sheriff and recounted new protocols the sheriff ’ s office has adopted amid shifting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take to avoid infection .
As the jail population has dropped after more than a month of more liberal use of recognizance bonds by the courts and declining arrests , Miller said jail officials have reopened unused tiers of the jail to allow more detainees to be put into single cells .
City health officials have collaborated with jail staff on the changing policies , and toured the jail with investigators from the federal Centers for Disease Control last week , Miller said .
“ One of them who had been working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We couldn ’ t get this far in a month with a cruise ship as what you guys have done in a few weeks , ’ ” Miller said .
In her closing argument , attorney Sarah Grady noted that the rate of infection inside the jail was three times higher than the rest of the state , and that Miller had conceded that there were areas of the jail where inmates still were bunking in crowded , dormitory-style rooms , where staff were unable to enforce social distancing .
“ Social distancing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this disease , ” she said .
“ And you can ’ t just do some social distancing .
It can ’ t be a partway solution .
”

Lawyers for Sheriff Tom Dart on Thursday defended the handling of a COVID-19 outbreak inside the walls of the Cook County Jail, with one of Dart’s top deputies saying Chicago health department and federal officials toured the jail complex last week and were “very complimentary.”
But advocates for the 4,200 prisoners currently housed in the sprawling West Side jail complex, who have yet to be permitted inside the jail since the the first coronavirus infections were reported, called on a federal judge to mandate the release of prisoners and allow outside inspection.
After a four-hour hearing, conducted by video conference, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly said he intends to rule by Monday on whether to issue a temporary restraining order that could require the release of inmates at risk for serious complications from COVID-19. The judge Thursday extended his two-week-old order that required the sheriff to provide additional soap and cleansers for all detainees and staff, and required all inmates known to have been exposed to the virus to wear surgical masks.
So far, 448 detainees have tested positive for COVID-19 since mid-March, including six who died of complications from the infection. More than 300 jail staff have contracted COVID-19, which last week claimed the life of corrections officer Sheila Rivera. The sheriff’s office is also awaiting testing results to see if coronavirus was a factor in the death last week of corrections officer Antoine Stewart, 38.
At Thursday’s hearing, Michael Miller, director of jail operations, thumbed through a thick binder of reports under questioning from lawyers for the sheriff and recounted new protocols the sheriff’s office has adopted amid shifting advice from public health officials on precautions to take to avoid infection.
As the jail population has dropped after more than a month of more liberal use of recognizance bonds by the courts and declining arrests, Miller said jail officials have reopened unused tiers of the jail to allow more detainees to be put into single cells.
City health officials have collaborated with jail staff on the changing policies, and toured the jail with investigators from the federal Centers for Disease Control last week, Miller said.
“One of them who had been working with cruise ships ... said, ‘We couldn’t get this far in a month with a cruise ship as what you guys have done in a few weeks,’” Miller said.
In her closing argument, attorney Sarah Grady noted that the rate of infection inside the jail was three times higher than the rest of the state, and that Miller had conceded that there were areas of the jail where inmates still were bunking in crowded, dormitory-style rooms, where staff were unable to enforce social distancing.
“Social distancing is absolutely necessary to prevent the spread of this disease,” she said. “And you can’t just do some social distancing. It can’t be a partway solution.”


chicagosun-times--2020-04-23--Man killed in Far South Side shooting: police

A man was killed in a shooting Thursday near Altgeld Gardens on the Far South Side , police said .
@ @ @ @ @ alert about 4:53 p.m. in the 13200 block of South Rhodes Avenue and found the @ @ @ @ @ the head and chest , Chicago police said .
The man was pronounced dead at @ @ @ @ @ .
The Cook County medical examiner ’ s office hasn ’ t released details on @ @ @ @ @ on crime , and track the city ’ s homicides .

A man was killed in a shooting Thursday near Altgeld Gardens on the Far South Side, police said.
Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert about 4:53 p.m. in the 13200 block of South Rhodes Avenue and found the 35-year-old with gunshot wounds to the head and chest, Chicago police said.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office identified him as Mario Lavelle Williams, of Dolton.
Area South detectives are investigating.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-04-23--Poland sending COVID-19 medical team to Chicago, White House says (LIVE UPDATES)

Poland is sending a nine-member medical team to Chicago as the city battles the COVID-19 pandemic , a White House official told the Chicago Sun-Times on Thursday .
The team is being provided by the Polish Ministry of National Defense and is expected to arrive in Chicago on Thursday afternoon and remain until May 2 .
“ The primary goal of the team is to share and exchange experiences in fighting COVID-19 , ” the White House said .
The Polish medical team came to Chicago as part of the Illinois National Guard ’ s longstanding State Partnership Program with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military ’ s support to us here in Illinois during a global pandemic is a testament to the depth and commitment on both sides of our State Partnership with Poland , ” said Brig .
Gen. Richard R. Neely , the adjutant general of the Illinois National Guard in a statement .
Read more from reporter Lynn Sweet here .
7:02 p.m .
The challenges of Down syndrome , the cruelty of COVID-19 , and a mother ’ s pain : ‘ I told her I ’ ll be back ’ Carmen Maya @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the word “ inclusion ” meant before her daughter Larissa was born with Down syndrome .
It became her watchword .
Maya insisted Larissa be included in classes with other students her age at her local elementary school in Skokie and later at Niles North High School , resisting efforts to have her sent outside the district to a special school for kids with developmental disabilities .
“ She learned how to ride a bike .
She learned how to swim .
She learned how to ice skate .
Most important she learned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ I wanted her to be included in our society , in the world that I live in.
” Then last Friday , Larissa Maya , 31 , was included in something her mother never could have imagined during all the years of nurturing her daughter ’ s independence while protecting her from life ’ s dangers .
Larissa became one of 1,565 Illinois residents to die so far from COVID-19 and one of only a relative few to die so young .
Chicago police announced Thursday six more cases of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the department to 380 .
Of the confirmed cases , 361 are officers and 19 are civilian employees , police said .
A total of 384 employees have reported positive tests but the department ’ s medical section has yet to confirm four of those cases , police said .
WASHINGTON — Congress delivered a nearly $ 500 billion infusion of coronavirus spending Thursday , rushing new relief to employers and hospitals buckling under the strain of a pandemic that has claimed almost 50,000 American lives and one in six U.S. jobs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but the lopsided tally belies a potentially bumpier path ahead as battle lines are being formed for much more ambitious future legislation that may prove far more difficult to maneuver through Congress .
The bipartisan measure neared passage as lawmakers gathered in Washington as a group for the first time since March 27 , adopting stricter social distancing rules while seeking to prove they can do their work despite the COVID-19 crisis .
Lawmakers ’ face masks and bandannas added an somber tone to their effort to aid a nation staggered by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic .
“ Millions of people out of work , ” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. “ This is really a very , very , very sad day .
We come to the floor with nearly 50,000 deaths , a huge number of people impacted , and the uncertainty of it all .
We hope to soon get to a recovery phase .
But right now we ’ re still in mitigation.
” 5:11 p.m. Coming May 1 : New mask guidelines ; retail stores , state parks to reopen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daily coronavirus briefing where he announced that the state ’ s stay-at-home order will be extended through the end of May , Gov .
J.B. Pritzker detailed some changes to Illinois ’ COVID-19 guidelines that will be good news for many .
Among the modifications are a “ phased reopening ” of state parks , the governor ’ s office said .
In a tweet from his official account , Pritzker said parks will permit “ hiking , fishing and boating with no more than two people.
” Retail stores can reopen for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and hospitals can resume non-life-threatening surgeries .
These changes will take effect May 1 under Pritzker ’ s revised order , as will a new requirement for people “ to wear a face-covering or a mask when in a public place where they can ’ t maintain a six-foot social distance , ” the governor ’ s office said .
“ I know how badly we all want our normal lives back , ” Pritzker said in a statement .
“ But this is the part where we have to dig in and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made as a state to avoid a worst-case scenario are working — and we need to keep going a little while longer to finish the job.
” Read more from Pritzker ’ s remarks today here .
4:25 p.m.
There ’ s a running boom in Chicago , pandemic leads more people to lace up Huffing and puffing — one foot after the other — in an old sweatshirt and gym shoes .
The people behind a running boom in Chicago are grabbing what they have in their closets and heading out the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Or at least that ’ s what appears to be happening .
“ This is anecdotal , there ’ s no data to support it , but it ’ s being observed , just the number of people you see running .
It ’ s a visible change , and it ’ s being discussed by the entire running industry , ” Chicago Area Running Association Executive Director Greg Hipp said Thursday .
Normal indicators , like a bump in race registrations ( they ’ re off or on hold ) or shoe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aren ’ t accounting for the bump .
Two weeks after its unusual experiment with shelter-in-place comedy , “ Saturday Night Live ” plans to try it again .
A post on the show ’ s Twitter account announced , “ We ’ re back this Saturday !
” It was accompanied by a clip of cast member Colin Jost adjusting a camera lens as his castmates deal with technical hitches of their own .
Get the lowdown on what to expect from Darel Jevens .
2:45 p.m. Bank of America Chicago 13.1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Organizers for theBank of America Chicago 13.1 race , scheduled for June 7 , announced Thursday afternoon that the half marathon would be cancelled .
Registered runners will be contacted soon with the option to receive a refund for their 2020 entry fee , or to defer their registration for next year ’ s race , scheduled for June 6 , 2021 .
Meanwhile , the 2020 Bank of America Chicago Marathon is still on for Oct. 11 , 2020 .
“ Based on the information available to us today , we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America Chicago Marathon , ” Chicago Marathon spokeswoman Alex Sawyer told the Sun-Times Wednesday .
1:09 p.m. What to expect from Pritzker ’ s coronavirus briefing today Illinois Gov .
J.B. Pritzker on Thursday will announce his plans to extend the current stay-at-home executive order until the end of May , sources said .
The current order is set to expire April 30 .
Pritzker will announce the extension on Thursday but will not sign the order until next week , sources said .
The Democratic governor , alongside some state researchers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his decision to keep people home a whole four additional weeks .
Illinois has reached its peak — but that high level in coronavirus deaths could last “ a couple of weeks ” and see as many as 150 Illinoisans dying of COVID-19 a day , officials said .
The extension was anticipated from Pritzker for days .
He has also hinted that there could be some loosening of restrictions for regions that are seeing fewer cases and deaths .
Read more from Tina Sfondeles here , and stay tuned for updates .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as an excuse to consolidate power Mayor Lori Lightfoot was accused Thursday of using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to consolidate power .
One day before the City Council is scheduled to meet again to consider granting Lightfoot expanded spending and contracting authority for the duration of the public health crisis , a handful of aldermen and community leaders tried to drum up opposition .
They argued the mayor has no right to decide on her own how hundreds of millions of federal stimulus dollars should be spent .
Lightfoot has argued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is “ specifically designed to pay for costs incurred because of the COVID-19 crisis ” and that “ long-standing issues ” like reducing homelessness are not eligible for reimbursement .
Former presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced via Twitter Thursday morning that her oldest brother died earlier this week of COVID-19 .
“ My oldest brother , Don Reed , died from coronavirus on Tuesday evening , ” the Massachusetts senator wrote .
Warren wrote about the circumstances of Reed ’ s death as a result of the precautions in place at hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contagious nature of the virus .
“ It ’ s hard to know that there was no family to hold his hand or to say ‘ I love you ’ one more time—and no funeral for those of us who loved him to hold each other close , ” Warren wrote .
“ I ’ ll miss you dearly my brother.
” Reed died Tuesday night in Norman , Oklahoma about three weeks after testing positive for the coronavirus , according to the Boston Globe .
He was 86 .
9:21 a.m. 70 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at South Shore senior home where 10 have died Ten residents at Symphony South Shore senior home have died from COVID-19 , and more than 100 others have tested positive for the disease , according to the senior home ’ s owner .
Test results show that 111 residents — or 70 % — have contracted the the coronavirus at the senior home home , 2425 E. 71st St. , according to an emailed statement from Symphony Care Network spokeswoman Natalie Bauer Luce .
Twenty-seven residents remain hospitalized .
The announcement comes just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quarter of all COVID-19 deaths in Illinois are tied to senior facilities .
Read the full story from David Struett here .
8:30 a.m. 26 million people have sought US jobless aid since virus hit More than 4.4 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week as job cuts escalated across an economy that remains all but shut down , the government said Thursday .
Roughly 26 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the five weeks since the coronavirus outbreak began forcing millions of employers to close their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers have now lost their jobs since mid-March , by far the worst string of layoffs on record .
Economists have forecast that the unemployment rate for April could go as high as 20 % .
In Illinois , 102,736 people filed first-time claims for unemployment benefits last week , down from 141,160 claims filed in the week of April 11 .
More than 737,000 Illinoisans have sought jobless benefits since mid-March .
7:48 a.m. Drive-in celebrations ?
Graduations in December ?
Virtual ceremonies ?
Plans for high school seniors unfold — but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ student videos .
Students and families driving up to a school to get their diplomas from the principal , or parked in a lot in a scene that resembles a drive-in movie .
Or holding smaller ceremonies or events months after seniors finish school — even as late as December .
These are some of the ways high schools in Chicago and the suburbs are considering honoring graduating seniors this year as traditional large ceremonies featuring hundreds or thousands of graduates and family members appear less and less likely this spring .
While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ huge fans of the ideas that are a far cry from what they had anticipated for years , they might not have a choice if Gov .
J.B. Pritzker extends a stay-at-home order into next month or even into the summer , or restricts large gatherings , as he has indicated .
Read the full story from Matthew Hendrickson here .
6:56 a.m. Illinois braces for up to 150 deaths a day at virus ’ s peak To guide its COVID-19 response strategies , Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s administration has had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Illinois Department of Public Health , as well as researchers from Northwestern University , the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign .
Their insights help shape the models of the virus ’ s spread that Pritzker relies on , and often cites in his briefings .
This scientific modeling was released exclusively to the Chicago Sun-Times Thursday ahead of the governor ’ s daily afternoon briefing , where he plans to present graphs and data alongside some of his researchers .
From an early look at the data , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can tell us : • Based on the projections , the peak of the COVID-19 infection rate “ should be somewhere starting now through the first week of May , ” Cameron Mock , chief of staff to the Governor ’ s Office of Management & Budget , told the Sun-Times .
• According to one projection obtained by the Sun-Times , the top of the peak could see 150 deaths a day .
But during that peak period , the daily range of fatalities could fluctuate anywhere from 50 to 150 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ will estimate that the death rate would go up ten times if the stay at home order was lifted Friday – a little less than a week before the scheduled April 30 expiration .
• The model shows deaths in the state slowly flattening into August .
Read the full story from Tina Sfondeles here .
6:16 a.m .
Remote learning ‘ may be the new normal even in the fall , ’ Chicago schools chief says After administrators originally thought remote learning would be needed only on a temporary basis because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jackson said she and other officials came to the realization remote learning could remain in place into the next academic year .
Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey said the district should adopt a credit/no credit system where students could opt into letter grades if needed for transcripts and college admissions .
Jackson said it ’ s a critical focus for the district to come up with a thoughtful grading policy that doesn ’ t harm students who don ’ t have computers , internet or the right learning environment at home by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fourth quarter grading guidelines will be released soon .
But grading students isn ’ t the only concern , Jackson said .
So is ensuring officials are doing their best to create a quality education for kids , no matter the format , and putting the onus on CPS to address students ’ vast needs in a targeted way for the kids who need it most .
CPS has 640 schools , each with its own distinct plan , and needs accountability for adults who might not assign much work when only a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to complete it , she said .
Read the full story from Nader Issa here .
• More than 2,500 health care workers have tested positive for the coronavirus in Illinois so far , including eight who have died since the pandemic began , officials said Wednesday .
• Dr. Ngozi Ezike announced 2,049 newly confirmed cases across the state — the highest increase Illinois has seen in a day , but one that followed the most tests administered in a day .
Another 98 people have died of the virus , raising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,565 .
• An associate at the Trump International Hotel and Tower has been diagnosed with a confirmed case of COVID-19 .
• Another employee at the Cook County Circuit Court clerk ’ s office has tested positive for COVID-19 , bringing the overall total to 20 .
4:15 p.m. Day 19,432 of the lockdown : Kidding , it only feels that way My mother and I talk every day .
Boulder , Colorado , which offered so much when my parents retired there , geez , more than 30 years ago , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was .
Now in their mid-80s , they aren ’ t charging up the trail to Wonderland Lake anymore .
It can be a frustrating conversation .
Particularly when my mother is planning to go to the store .
“ Ma !
” I ’ ll say , “ don ’ t risk your life for coconut shrimp !
” Or , when that doesn ’ t work , “ Ma !
You ’ re going to die alone , surrounded by strangers in masks.
” My father is sometimes watching television when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not Fox — and my mother will mention something on the screen , the latest aftershock from our president ’ s daily twirl in the limelight , like some demented ballerina on the music box in an insecure girl ’ s nightmare .
12:07 p.m. Second round of small business loans may have similar problems The House is poised to vote Thursday afternoon for a fourth coronavirus relief measure totaling $ 483 billion , which includes $ 310 billion for COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program loans .
President Donald Trump could sign the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The PPP program was designed to help small businesses and nonprofits with fewer than 500 employees to meet payroll and some operating expenses .
It turned out that millions of dollars of PPP loans went to companies with other access to capital under what now seems like a loophole .
Some hotel and restaurant chains were able to apply on behalf of each outlet , avoiding the 500-worker ceiling because no one location employed more than 500 people .
The Shake Shack chain is returning a $ 10 million PPP loan after receiving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 60 billion of the $ 310 billion in this new round is set aside for community banks and other small lenders .
But the measure Congress is sending to Trump to sign does not seem to have addressed these other problems of an unfair system .
Read more from Lynn Sweet here .
10:02 a.m .
The Lost Chicago Summer of 2020 : Tough decisions , but necessary ones Chicago ’ s Memorial Day Parade scheduled for May 23 has been cancelled .
Pride Fest , which was set for June 20 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5 and 6 .
The Chicago Pride Parade hasn ’ t been cancelled yet , but organizer Tim Frye hinted at the possibility , telling Windy City Times , “ Unless something astonishing happens , I think it ’ s unlikely we ’ ll be on for June 28.
” This hurts .
Summer in Chicago is our warm , festive and all-too-brief reward for harsh winters and cool springs .
But we also know that summer as usual this year would be deadly .
The Lost Chicago Summer of 2020 is looking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be willing to make to slow and beat back the spread of COVID-19 .
As it is , the Centers for Disease Control is now warning that a second , more virulent , wave of the virus could hit the country come winter .
6:04 a.m. Puzzling over African American COVID deaths — no easy explanation The numbers are preliminary , but it seems that African Americans are dying from COVID-19 at alarming rates .
In Louisiana , for instance , blacks represent 70 % of the dead but only 33 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comprise 33 % of the infected , but 40 % of the fatalities .
A number of reports have also pointed to higher rates of asthma among African Americans as possibly predisposing them to complications from COVID-19 , which seems plausible .
But again , the numbers are surprisingly modest .
The Office of Minority Health at the Health and Human Services department found in 2015 that the percentage of African American adults with diagnosed asthma was 9.1 % .
The percentage among whites was 7.9 % .
On the other hand , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high for blacks as whites for reasons unknown .
The newest evidence from COVID-19 fatalities , however , has downgraded asthma as a risk factor .
Cardiovascular issues appear to be much more significant .
rave traces in the lives of African Americans , but the rush to identify racism as the cause of this particular disparity may be too pat .
Read more from Mona Charen here .

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced plans Thursday to extend his stay-at-home executive order for Illinois residents until the end of May, as the state reported another 123 deaths due to the coronavirus.
Here’s what else happened in Chicago and around the state as the battle against COVID-19 continued.
News
8:56 p.m. Poland sending COVID-19 medical team to Chicago, White House says
A photo of Polish aid workers bound for Chicago, shared by minister Mariusz Błaszczak on Twitter. Mariusz Błaszczak via Twitter
Poland is sending a nine-member medical team to Chicago as the city battles the COVID-19 pandemic, a White House official told the Chicago Sun-Times on Thursday.
The team is being provided by the Polish Ministry of National Defense and is expected to arrive in Chicago on Thursday afternoon and remain until May 2.
“The primary goal of the team is to share and exchange experiences in fighting COVID-19,” the White House said.
The Polish medical team came to Chicago as part of the Illinois National Guard’s longstanding State Partnership Program with the Polish military.
“The Polish military’s support to us here in Illinois during a global pandemic is a testament to the depth and commitment on both sides of our State Partnership with Poland,” said Brig. Gen. Richard R. Neely, the adjutant general of the Illinois National Guard in a statement.
Read more from reporter Lynn Sweet here.
8:11 p.m. Lightfoot outlines plan for post-pandemic recovery
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday asked a who’s who of Chicago’s movers and shakers to plan for the city’s resurgence after the coronavirus pandemic is finally over.
Standing outside the Water Tower, which survived the Great Chicago Fire, Lightfoot announced a COVID-19 Recovery Task Force co-chaired by the mayor along with her longtime friend Sam Skinner.
Skinner served as White House chief of staff and U.S. Transportation Secretary under former President George H.W. Bush. He is also a former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.
“We don’t know when this crisis will end. … But what we do know is that, when it comes to recovering from this crisis, there are no half-measures. No cutting corners. … The crisis we face today is like nothing any of us have ever experienced. … What we are embarking on is nothing less than the most breathtaking recovery effort our city has ever seen,” the mayor said.
With the statewide stay-at-home order extended to June 1, Lightfoot acknowledged Chicago is “still very much in the thick of the fight” and a “long way from being out of the woods.”
Reporter Fran Spielman has the full story.
7:44 p.m. Cook County Jail director defends handling of COVID-19 outbreak
Lawyers for Sheriff Tom Dart on Thursday defended the handling of a COVID-19 outbreak inside the walls of the Cook County Jail, with one of Dart’s top deputies saying Chicago health department and federal officials toured the jail complex last week and were “very complimentary.”
But advocates for the 4,200 prisoners currently housed in the sprawling West Side jail complex, who have yet to be permitted inside the jail since the the first coronavirus infections were reported, called on a federal judge to mandate the release of prisoners and allow outside inspection.
After a four-hour hearing, conducted by video conference, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly said he intends to rule by Monday on whether to issue a temporary restraining order that could require the release of inmates at risk for serious complications from COVID-19. The judge Thursday extended his two-week-old order that required the sheriff to provide additional soap and cleansers for all detainees and staff, and required all inmates known to have been exposed to the virus to wear surgical masks.
Reporter Andy Grimm has the full story.
7:02 p.m. The challenges of Down syndrome, the cruelty of COVID-19, and a mother’s pain: ‘I told her I’ll be back’
An 2013 acrylic painting by Larissa Maya, titled “Love falling.” From artsoflife.org
Carmen Maya says she didn’t know what the word “inclusion” meant before her daughter Larissa was born with Down syndrome. It became her watchword.
Maya insisted Larissa be included in classes with other students her age at her local elementary school in Skokie and later at Niles North High School, resisting efforts to have her sent outside the district to a special school for kids with developmental disabilities.
“She learned how to ride a bike. She learned how to swim. She learned how to ice skate. Most important she learned how to make friends,” Maya said. “I wanted her to be included in our society, in the world that I live in.”
Then last Friday, Larissa Maya, 31, was included in something her mother never could have imagined during all the years of nurturing her daughter’s independence while protecting her from life’s dangers.
Larissa became one of 1,565 Illinois residents to die so far from COVID-19 and one of only a relative few to die so young.
Read Mark Brown’s full column here.
6:38 p.m. 6 more COVID-19 cases in Chicago Police Department
Chicago police announced Thursday six more cases of COVID-19, bringing the number of cases in the department to 380.
Of the confirmed cases, 361 are officers and 19 are civilian employees, police said.
A total of 384 employees have reported positive tests but the department’s medical section has yet to confirm four of those cases, police said.
Read the Sun-Times report here.
5:49 p.m. House passes coronavirus bill, delivering nearly $500B in aid
WASHINGTON — Congress delivered a nearly $500 billion infusion of coronavirus spending Thursday, rushing new relief to employers and hospitals buckling under the strain of a pandemic that has claimed almost 50,000 American lives and one in six U.S. jobs.
The measure passed almost unanimously, but the lopsided tally belies a potentially bumpier path ahead as battle lines are being formed for much more ambitious future legislation that may prove far more difficult to maneuver through Congress.
The bipartisan measure neared passage as lawmakers gathered in Washington as a group for the first time since March 27, adopting stricter social distancing rules while seeking to prove they can do their work despite the COVID-19 crisis.
Lawmakers’ face masks and bandannas added an somber tone to their effort to aid a nation staggered by the health crisis and devastating economic costs of the pandemic.
“Millions of people out of work,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. “This is really a very, very, very sad day. We come to the floor with nearly 50,000 deaths, a huge number of people impacted, and the uncertainty of it all. We hope to soon get to a recovery phase. But right now we’re still in mitigation.”
Read the full report here.
5:11 p.m. Coming May 1: New mask guidelines; retail stores, state parks to reopen, Pritzker says
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
In conjunction with his daily coronavirus briefing where he announced that the state’s stay-at-home order will be extended through the end of May, Gov. J.B. Pritzker detailed some changes to Illinois’ COVID-19 guidelines that will be good news for many.
Among the modifications are a “phased reopening” of state parks, the governor’s office said. In a tweet from his official account, Pritzker said parks will permit “hiking, fishing and boating with no more than two people.”
Retail stores can reopen for pick-up and delivery orders, and surgi-centers and hospitals can resume non-life-threatening surgeries.
Because we are bending the curve, surgi-centers & hospitals can begin non-life-threatening surgeries.
Retail stores can offer pick-up and delivery.
Some of our state parks can reopen for hiking, fishing & boating with no more than two people.
All these changes begin on May 1. — Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) April 23, 2020
These changes will take effect May 1 under Pritzker’s revised order, as will a new requirement for people “to wear a face-covering or a mask when in a public place where they can’t maintain a six-foot social distance,” the governor’s office said.
“I know how badly we all want our normal lives back,” Pritzker said in a statement. “But this is the part where we have to dig in and understand that the sacrifices we’ve made as a state to avoid a worst-case scenario are working — and we need to keep going a little while longer to finish the job.”
Read more from Pritzker’s remarks today here.
4:25 p.m. There’s a running boom in Chicago, pandemic leads more people to lace up
Manya Gupta, of Logan Square, is part of the new wave of runners. Provided
Huffing and puffing — one foot after the other — in an old sweatshirt and gym shoes.
The people behind a running boom in Chicago are grabbing what they have in their closets and heading out the door to burn calories and stress. Or at least that’s what appears to be happening.
“This is anecdotal, there’s no data to support it, but it’s being observed, just the number of people you see running. It’s a visible change, and it’s being discussed by the entire running industry,” Chicago Area Running Association Executive Director Greg Hipp said Thursday.
Normal indicators, like a bump in race registrations (they’re off or on hold) or shoe sales (they’re down) aren’t accounting for the bump.
It makes perfect sense, though.
Reporter Mitch Dudek has the full story.
3:37 p.m. ‘SNL’ plans second stay-at-home episode this Saturday
Two weeks after its unusual experiment with shelter-in-place comedy, “Saturday Night Live” plans to try it again.
A post on the show’s Twitter account announced, “We’re back this Saturday!” It was accompanied by a clip of cast member Colin Jost adjusting a camera lens as his castmates deal with technical hitches of their own.
2:45 p.m. Bank of America Chicago 13.1 race cancelled; October marathon still on
Organizers for theBank of America Chicago 13.1 race, scheduled for June 7, announced Thursday afternoon that the half marathon would be cancelled.
Registered runners will be contacted soon with the option to receive a refund for their 2020 entry fee, or to defer their registration for next year’s race, scheduled for June 6, 2021.
Organizers issued this statement Thursday:
When we launched the last fall, we challenged the running community to reimagine the run. Our hope was to provide participants with an experience that would connect us as a city and celebrate the vibrant and diverse nature of Chicago’s West Side through a world-class race and festival experience. Today, our communities, our city, and our world are faced with the challenges posed by the coronavirus (COVID-19). While we had hoped to hold an event that would celebrate the unique fabric of our communities, we also feel a responsibility to the health and wellbeing of our event participants, volunteers, event staff and spectators, as well as the city resources required to produce the race. With this in mind, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Bank of America Chicago 13.1, which was scheduled for June 7, 2020.
Meanwhile, the 2020 Bank of America Chicago Marathon is still on for Oct. 11, 2020.
“Based on the information available to us today, we are continuing preparations for the 2020 Bank of America Chicago Marathon,” Chicago Marathon spokeswoman Alex Sawyer told the Sun-Times Wednesday.
— Sun-Times staff
1:09 p.m. What to expect from Pritzker’s coronavirus briefing today
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday will announce his plans to extend the current stay-at-home executive order until the end of May, sources said.
The current order is set to expire April 30. Pritzker will announce the extension on Thursday but will not sign the order until next week, sources said.
The Democratic governor, alongside some state researchers, is expected outline the numbers Thursday behind his decision to keep people home a whole four additional weeks.
Illinois has reached its peak— but that high level in coronavirus deaths could last “a couple of weeks” and see as many as 150 Illinoisans dying of COVID-19 a day, officials said.
The extension was anticipated from Pritzker for days. He has also hinted that there could be some loosening of restrictions for regions that are seeing fewer cases and deaths.
Read more from Tina Sfondeles here, and stay tuned for updates.
12:21 p.m. Lightfoot accused of using pandemic as an excuse to consolidate power
Mayor Lori Lightfoot was accused Thursday of using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to consolidate power.
One day before the City Council is scheduled to meet again to consider granting Lightfoot expanded spending and contracting authority for the duration of the public health crisis, a handful of aldermen and community leaders tried to drum up opposition.
They argued the mayor has no right to decide on her own how hundreds of millions of federal stimulus dollars should be spent.
Lightfoot has argued that funding from the so-called CARES Act is “specifically designed to pay for costs incurred because of the COVID-19 crisis” and that “long-standing issues” like reducing homelessness are not eligible for reimbursement.
Ald. Daniel LaSpata (1st) doesn’t buy it.
Read the full report from Fran Spielman.
10:27 a.m. Elizabeth Warren’s brother dies of COVID-19
Former presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced via Twitter Thursday morning that her oldest brother died earlier this week of COVID-19.
“My oldest brother, Don Reed, died from coronavirus on Tuesday evening,” the Massachusetts senator wrote.
“He was charming and funny, a natural leader.”
My oldest brother, Don Reed, died from coronavirus on Tuesday evening. He joined the Air Force at 19 and spent his career in the military, including five and a half years off and on in combat in Vietnam. He was charming and funny, a natural leader. https://t.co/b8m0xKzAmM — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) April 23, 2020
Warren wrote about the circumstances of Reed’s death as a result of the precautions in place at hospitals across the country due to the highly contagious nature of the virus.
“It’s hard to know that there was no family to hold his hand or to say ‘I love you’ one more time—and no funeral for those of us who loved him to hold each other close,” Warren wrote. “I’ll miss you dearly my brother.”
Reed died Tuesday night in Norman, Oklahoma about three weeks after testing positive for the coronavirus, according to the Boston Globe. He was 86.
9:21 a.m. 70% of residents test positive for COVID-19 at South Shore senior home where 10 have died
Ten residents at Symphony South Shore senior home have died from COVID-19, and more than 100 others have tested positive for the disease, according to the senior home’s owner.
Test results show that 111 residents — or 70% — have contracted the the coronavirus at the senior home home, 2425 E. 71st St., according to an emailed statement from Symphony Care Network spokeswoman Natalie Bauer Luce. Twenty-seven residents remain hospitalized.
The announcement comes just days after state health officials said a quarter of all COVID-19 deaths in Illinois are tied to senior facilities.
Read the full story from David Struett here.
8:30 a.m. 26 million people have sought US jobless aid since virus hit
More than 4.4 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week as job cuts escalated across an economy that remains all but shut down, the government said Thursday.
Roughly 26 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the five weeks since the coronavirus outbreak began forcing millions of employers to close their doors. About one in six American workers have now lost their jobs since mid-March, by far the worst string of layoffs on record. Economists have forecast that the unemployment rate for April could go as high as 20%.
In Illinois, 102,736 people filed first-time claims for unemployment benefits last week, down from 141,160 claims filed in the week of April 11. More than 737,000 Illinoisans have sought jobless benefits since mid-March.
Read the full story here.
7:48 a.m. Drive-in celebrations? Graduations in December? Virtual ceremonies? Plans for high school seniors unfold — but students not happy
Streaming ceremonies featuring home-made student videos. Students and families driving up to a school to get their diplomas from the principal, or parked in a lot in a scene that resembles a drive-in movie.
Or holding smaller ceremonies or events months after seniors finish school — even as late as December.
These are some of the ways high schools in Chicago and the suburbs are considering honoring graduating seniors this year as traditional large ceremonies featuring hundreds or thousands of graduates and family members appear less and less likely this spring.
While many seniors say they aren’t huge fans of the ideas that are a far cry from what they had anticipated for years, they might not have a choice if Gov. J.B. Pritzker extends a stay-at-home order into next month or even into the summer, or restricts large gatherings, as he has indicated.
Read the full story from Matthew Hendrickson here.
6:56 a.m. Illinois braces for up to 150 deaths a day at virus’s peak
To guide its COVID-19 response strategies, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration has had daily phone calls with researchers from the Illinois Department of Public Health, as well as researchers from Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Their insights help shape the models of the virus’s spread that Pritzker relies on, and often cites in his briefings.
This scientific modeling was released exclusively to the Chicago Sun-Times Thursday ahead of the governor’s daily afternoon briefing, where he plans to present graphs and data alongside some of his researchers.
From an early look at the data, here’s what reporter Tina Sfondeles can tell us:
Based on the projections, the peak of the COVID-19 infection rate “should be somewhere starting now through the first week of May,” Cameron Mock, chief of staff to the Governor’s Office of Management & Budget, told the Sun-Times.
According to one projection obtained by the Sun-Times, the top of the peak could see 150 deaths a day. But during that peak period, the daily range of fatalities could fluctuate anywhere from 50 to 150.
Another graph Pritzker plans to show will estimate that the death rate would go up ten times if the stay at home order was lifted Friday – a little less than a week before the scheduled April 30 expiration.
The model shows deaths in the state slowly flattening into August.
Read the full story from Tina Sfondeles here.
6:16 a.m. Remote learning ‘may be the new normal even in the fall,’ Chicago schools chief says
After administrators originally thought remote learning would be needed only on a temporary basis because of the coronavirus pandemic, schools chief Janice Jackson said she and other officials came to the realization remote learning could remain in place into the next academic year.
Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey said the district should adopt a credit/no credit system where students could opt into letter grades if needed for transcripts and college admissions.
Jackson said it’s a critical focus for the district to come up with a thoughtful grading policy that doesn’t harm students who don’t have computers, internet or the right learning environment at home by unfairly punishing them in their grades. Fourth quarter grading guidelines will be released soon.
But grading students isn’t the only concern, Jackson said. So is ensuring officials are doing their best to create a quality education for kids, no matter the format, and putting the onus on CPS to address students’ vast needs in a targeted way for the kids who need it most. CPS has 640 schools, each with its own distinct plan, and needs accountability for adults who might not assign much work when only a few students in a class are able to complete it, she said.
Read the full story from Nader Issa here.
New Cases
More than 2,500 health care workers have tested positive for the coronavirus in Illinois so far, including eight who have died since the pandemic began, officials said Wednesday.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike announced 2,049 newly confirmed cases across the state — the highest increase Illinois has seen in a day, but one that followed the most tests administered in a day. Another 98 people have died of the virus, raising the state’s death toll to 1,565.
The statewide COVID-19 case tally stands at 35,108.
An associate at the Trump International Hotel and Tower has been diagnosed with a confirmed case of COVID-19.
Another employee at the Cook County Circuit Court clerk’s office has tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the overall total to 20.
Analysis & Commentary
4:15 p.m. Day 19,432 of the lockdown: Kidding, it only feels that way
My mother and I talk every day. Boulder, Colorado, which offered so much when my parents retired there, geez, more than 30 years ago, isn’t quite the jubilee it was. Now in their mid-80s, they aren’t charging up the trail to Wonderland Lake anymore.
It can be a frustrating conversation. Particularly when my mother is planning to go to the store. “Ma!” I’ll say, “don’t risk your life for coconut shrimp!” Or, when that doesn’t work, “Ma! You’re going to die alone, surrounded by strangers in masks.”
My father is sometimes watching television when I phone — CNN, thank God, not Fox — and my mother will mention something on the screen, the latest aftershock from our president’s daily twirl in the limelight, like some demented ballerina on the music box in an insecure girl’s nightmare.
“Don’t watch TV news mom,” I’ll say. “I never do.”
Read Neil Steinberg’s full column here.
12:07 p.m. Second round of small business loans may have similar problems
The House is poised to vote Thursday afternoon for a fourth coronavirus relief measure totaling $483 billion, which includes $310 billion for COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program loans. President Donald Trump could sign the rescue measure as early as Thursday.
The PPP program was designed to help small businesses and nonprofits with fewer than 500 employees to meet payroll and some operating expenses.
It turned out that millions of dollars of PPP loans went to companies with other access to capital under what now seems like a loophole. Some hotel and restaurant chains were able to apply on behalf of each outlet, avoiding the 500-worker ceiling because no one location employed more than 500 people. The Shake Shack chain is returning a $10 million PPP loan after receiving blowback.
This time around, $60 billion of the $310 billion in this new round is set aside for community banks and other small lenders.
But the measure Congress is sending to Trump to sign does not seem to have addressed these other problems of an unfair system.
Read more from Lynn Sweet here.
10:02 a.m. The Lost Chicago Summer of 2020: Tough decisions, but necessary ones
Chicago’s Memorial Day Parade scheduled for May 23 has been cancelled. Pride Fest, which was set for June 20 and 21, has been postponed until Sept. 5 and 6. The Chicago Pride Parade hasn’t been cancelled yet, but organizer Tim Frye hinted at the possibility, telling Windy City Times, “Unless something astonishing happens, I think it’s unlikely we’ll be on for June 28.”
This hurts. Summer in Chicago is our warm, festive and all-too-brief reward for harsh winters and cool springs.
But we also know that summer as usual this year would be deadly. The Lost Chicago Summer of 2020 is looking like another sacrifice a smart city should be willing to make to slow and beat back the spread of COVID-19. As it is, the Centers for Disease Control is now warning that a second, more virulent, wave of the virus could hit the country come winter.
Read the full editorial here.
6:04 a.m. Puzzling over African American COVID deaths — no easy explanation
The numbers are preliminary, but it seems that African Americans are dying from COVID-19 at alarming rates.
In Louisiana, for instance, blacks represent 70% of the dead but only 33% of the population. In Michigan, blacks comprise 33% of the infected, but 40% of the fatalities.
A number of reports have also pointed to higher rates of asthma among African Americans as possibly predisposing them to complications from COVID-19, which seems plausible. But again, the numbers are surprisingly modest. The Office of Minority Health at the Health and Human Services department found in 2015 that the percentage of African American adults with diagnosed asthma was 9.1%. The percentage among whites was 7.9%. On the other hand, the death rate was three times as high for blacks as whites for reasons unknown.
The newest evidence from COVID-19 fatalities, however, has downgraded asthma as a risk factor. Cardiovascular issues appear to be much more significant.
rave traces in the lives of African Americans, but the rush to identify racism as the cause of this particular disparity may be too pat.
Read more from Mona Charen here.


chicagosun-times--2020-04-23--In first day as superintendent, David Brown apologizes to aldermen for not warning about police surg

In first day as superintendent, David Brown apologizes to aldermen for not warning about police surge

Just one day after he was sworn in as the new leader of the Chicago Police Department , Supt .
David Brown found himself apologizing to several aldermen from the North and Northwest sides for a plan that took dozens of officers from their wards Wednesday and shipped them to the West Side to curb gun crime and help enforce the state ’ s stay-at-home order .
Brown had a conference call Thursday afternoon with more than a half dozen aldermen whose wards were affected by the change in deployment .
“ He came out and apologized immediately and said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I blindsided you guys with this , ’ ” said Ald .
Anthony Napolitano ( 41st ) , whose Northwest Side ward is home to scores of police officers , firefighters and other city employees .
“ He apologized that he had no warning for us.
” The order mandated that officers from police districts across the North and Northwest sides be sent to the Harrison District on the West Side — long one of the most violent areas of the city , where open-air drug markets are common .
A department spokeswoman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted the new superintendent “ will take what [ the aldermen ] said under consideration , but the department is continuing the operation with the goal of saving lives.
” Department officials said they “ unveiled a new strategy last night to deploy resources citywide to districts with the greatest need with the goal of reducing murders and shootings to save lives.
” Other districts that received extra officers were Gresham , Englewood and Deering on the South Side , the department said in a statement .
“ This approach will include officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detective area , community policing as well as our partners in street outreach in federal agencies , ” the statement said .
“ The surge strategy is designed to be unpredictable and will be conducted at all hours of the day and in all parts of the city .
This strategy does not inhibit the department ’ s ability to respond to calls for service in all 22 districts citywide.
” On Friday morning , the department will also launch “ Operation Clean , ” a source said .
City agencies will meet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Madison Street to focus on cleaning lots , litter and overgrown weeds .
The boundaries of the operation are Madison Street and Jackson Boulevard from Hamlin to Karlov avenues on the West Side , the source said .
Harrison District officers have issued hundreds of dispersal orders — police directives telling citizens to stop congregating outside — during the coronavirus pandemic .
Between March 25 and April 21 , there have been nearly 1,450 dispersals of groups in the Harrison District alone and nearly 3,750 citywide .
A total of 17 arrests have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Harrison District has nearly 1,000 more calls for police action regarding the stay-at-home order than other nearby districts , officials say .
Wednesday night ’ s “ surge mission ” was also performed in an effort to limit how many people were outdoors during the stay-at-home order , officials said .
A video posted to social media Monday shows dozens of people getting into a heated but nonviolent confrontations with officers at Madison Street and Springfield Avenue in the Harrison District .
Napolitano said his residents were enraged by the deployment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- ward is f -- -- -- furious that this is happening and it ’ s absolutely unacceptable , ” said Napolitano , himself a former Chicago police officer .
“ I get that there ’ s crime in other places in the city — I get it — but you can ’ t rob Peter to pay Paul to protect the city .
Our residents deserve just as much security by the police force as anyone else does in this city .
“ We shouldn ’ t be punished up here because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bodies.
” The order was made known to police around 4 p.m. Wednesday , according to a source familiar with the deployment .
Officers from North and Northwest side districts were being sent to the West Side— just west of the Harrison District — for a similar surge mission Thursday night .
Deploying officers to the Harrison District has happened before , though there is typically more notice given , according to a veteran supervising officer whose district shipped officers to the West Side .
“ This one , we really didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Through the first three-and-a-half months of 2020 , the Harrison District has seen — by a wide margin — the most violence of any of Chicago ’ s 22 districts .
As of April 15 , the district had recorded 21 murders and another 58 nonfatal shootings .
The Gresham District on the South Side is , to date , the next most violent , with 16 murders and 21 nonfatal shootings .

The honeymoon didn’t last long.
Just one day after he was sworn in as the new leader of the Chicago Police Department, Supt. David Brown found himself apologizing to several aldermen from the North and Northwest sides for a plan that took dozens of officers from their wards Wednesday and shipped them to the West Side to curb gun crime and help enforce the state’s stay-at-home order.
Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41st) in 2018. Sun-Times file
Brown had a conference call Thursday afternoon with more than a half dozen aldermen whose wards were affected by the change in deployment.
“He came out and apologized immediately and said, ‘I’m sorry that I blindsided you guys with this,’ ” said Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41st), whose Northwest Side ward is home to scores of police officers, firefighters and other city employees. “He apologized that he had no warning for us.”
The order mandated that officers from police districts across the North Side and Northwest Side be sent to the Harrison District on the West Side — long one of the most violent areas of the city, where open-air drug markets are common.
A department spokeswoman confirmed Brown apologized to the aldermen and said the new superintendent “will take what [the aldermen] said under consideration, but the department is continuing the operation with the goal of saving lives.”
Department officials said they “unveiled a new strategy last night to deploy resources citywide to districts with the greatest need with the goal of reducing murders and shootings to save lives.”
Other districts that received extra officers were Gresham, Englewood and Deering on the South Side, the department said.
Chicago Police Supt. David Brown speaks to reporters at the funeral for a Chicago police officer Thursday. Tyler LaRiviere / Sun-Times
“This approach will include officers from operations, specialized units, every detective area, community policing as well as our partners in street outreach in federal agencies,” the statement said.
“The surge strategy is designed to be unpredictable and will be conducted at all hours of the day and in all parts of the city. This strategy does not inhibit the department’s ability to respond to calls for service in all 22 districts citywide.”
On Friday morning, the department will also launch “Operation Clean,” a source said.
City agencies will meet at the intersection of Springfield Avenue and Madison Street to focus on cleaning lots, litter and overgrown weeds. The boundaries of the operation are Madison Street and Jackson Boulevard from Hamlin to Karlov avenues on the West Side, the source said.
Harrison District officers have issued hundreds of dispersal orders — police directives telling citizens to stop congregating outside — during the coronavirus pandemic.
Between March 25 and April 21, there have been nearly 1,450 dispersals of groups in the Harrison District alone and nearly 3,750 citywide. A total of 17 arrests have been made citywide regarding the shelter-at-home order.
The Harrison District has nearly 1,000 more calls for police action regarding the stay-at-home order than other nearby districts, officials say.
Wednesday night’s “surge mission” was also performed in an effort to limit how many people were outdoors during the stay-at-home order, officials said.
A video posted to social media Monday shows dozens of people getting into a heated but nonviolent confrontations with officers at Madison Street and Springfield Avenue in the Harrison District.
Napolitano said his residents were enraged by the deployment order.
“My f------ ward is f------ furious that this is happening and it’s absolutely unacceptable,” said Napolitano, himself a former Chicago police officer. “I get that there’s crime in other places in the city — I get it — but you can’t rob Peter to pay Paul to protect the city. Our residents deserve just as much security by the police force as anyone else does in this city.
“We shouldn’t be punished up here because we’re not stepping over dead bodies.”
The order was made known to police around 4 p.m. Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the deployment.
Officers from North and Northwest side districts were being sent to the West Side— just west of the Harrison District — for a similar surge mission Thursday night.
Deploying officers to the Harrison District has happened before, though there is typically more notice given, according to a veteran supervising officer whose district shipped officers to the West Side.
“This one, we really didn’t see coming,” the source said.
Through the first three-and-a-half months of 2020, the Harrison District has seen — by a wide margin — the most violence of any of Chicago’s 22 districts. As of April 15, the district had recorded 21 murders and another 58 nonfatal shootings. The Gresham District on the South Side is, to date, the next most violent, with 16 murders and 21 nonfatal shootings.


chicagosun-times--2020-04-23--Man charged with attempted murder in 2018 Lawndale shooting

A man is facing charges , including attempted murder , in connection with a 2018 shooting in Lawndale on the West Side .
Brian Holland , 27 , was charged with one count of attempted murder , two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and one count of aggravated battery , according to Chicago police and a bond proffer prepared by Cook County prosecutors .
Two others , Sherman Little , 19 , and 20-year-old Kameryn Ivory were also previously charged with attempted murder , among other charges , in connection with the shooting which occurred May 19 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ivory were riding in a tan-colored SUV driven by Holland about 10:50 p.m. in the 1600 block of South Karlov Avenue , prosecutors said .
The trio stopped at a crowded intersection where two police officers were conducting a traffic stop .
Ivory and Little allegedly fired 22 shots in the intersection , striking someone in the cheek , prosecutors said .
The officers chased Holland as he sped off .
Holland ran a red light and was hit by another vehicle .
The SUV flipped over and the trio were arrested after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Two guns — a 9mm and a .40-caliber — were recovered from the floor board of the driver ’ s seat , prosecutors said .
Gunshot residue tests for Little and Ivory came back positive , while Holland ’ s test indicated he may have fired a gun or was nearby a weapon that discharged .
The person who was shot suffered knocked out teeth , split gums , a severed tongue and had to be intubated , prosecutors said .
The bullet remains lodged in the back of their neck @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on no bail , while Holland ’ s court date was scheduled for April 30 .

A man is facing charges, including attempted murder, in connection with a 2018 shooting in Lawndale on the West Side.
Brian Holland, 27, was charged with one count of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and one count of aggravated battery, according to Chicago police and a bond proffer prepared by Cook County prosecutors.
Two others, Sherman Little, 19, and 20-year-old Kameryn Ivory were also previously charged with attempted murder, among other charges, in connection with the shooting which occurred May 19, 2018, authorities said.
Little and Ivory were riding in a tan-colored SUV driven by Holland about 10:50 p.m. in the 1600 block of South Karlov Avenue, prosecutors said. The trio stopped at a crowded intersection where two police officers were conducting a traffic stop.
Ivory and Little allegedly fired 22 shots in the intersection, striking someone in the cheek, prosecutors said. The officers chased Holland as he sped off.
Holland ran a red light and was hit by another vehicle. The SUV flipped over and the trio were arrested after being pulled from the car, prosecutors said.
Two guns — a 9mm and a .40-caliber — were recovered from the floor board of the driver’s seat, prosecutors said. Gunshot residue tests for Little and Ivory came back positive, while Holland’s test indicated he may have fired a gun or was nearby a weapon that discharged.
The person who was shot suffered knocked out teeth, split gums, a severed tongue and had to be intubated, prosecutors said. The bullet remains lodged in the back of their neck.
Little and Ivory are being held on no bail, while Holland’s court date was scheduled for April 30.


chicagosun-times--2020-04-23--‘Parks and Recreation’ cast reunites for a new pandemic episode

America is about to see how the coronavirus pandemic is handled by a truly dedicated public official : Leslie Knope .
NBC announced Thursday that a new episode of “ Parks and Recreation , ” airing next week , will depict the ways quarantine is affecting life in Knope ’ s hometown of Pawnee , Indiana .
Amy Poehler , who played Knope for the show ’ s full run from 2009 to 2015 , will return along with a bevy of the sitcom ’ s regulars , including Rashida Jones ( as Ann Perkins ) , Aziz Ansari ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ron Swanson ) , Aubrey Plaza ( April Ludgate ) , Chris Pratt ( Andy Dwyer ) , Adam Scott ( Ben Wyatt ) , Rob Lowe ( Chris Traeger ) , Jim O ’ Heir ( Garry “ Jerry ” Gergich ) and Retta ( Donna Meagle ) .
“ A Parks and Recreation Special ” will air at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday , April 30 .
NBC ’ s announcement said the plot will concern Knope ’ s determination “ to stay connected to her friends in a time of social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money for Feeding America ’ s COVID-19 Response Fund to help community food banks .
NBC parent NBC Universal , the “ Parks and Recreation ” team and sponsors State Farm and Subaru of America have pledged to match $ 500,000 in donations .
“ Like a lot of other people , we were looking for ways to help and felt that bringing these characters back for a night could raise some money , ” said executive producer Michael Schur .
“ I sent a hopeful email to the cast and they all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Our old ‘ Parks and Rec ’ team has put together one more 30-minute slice of ( quarantined ) Pawnee life and we hope everyone enjoys it .
And donates !
” “ Parks and Rec ” will be the first prime-time , scripted broadcast show to touch on the coronavirus situation .
CBS ’ freshman courtroom drama “ All Rise ” shot an episode that finds Judge Lola Carmichael ( Simone Missick ) presiding over a virtual trial , and it is scheduled to air May 4 .

America is about to see how the coronavirus pandemic is handled by a truly dedicated public official: Leslie Knope.
NBC announced Thursday that a new episode of “Parks and Recreation,” airing next week, will depict the ways quarantine is affecting life in Knope’s hometown of Pawnee, Indiana.
Amy Poehler, who played Knope for the show’s full run from 2009 to 2015, will return along with a bevy of the sitcom’s regulars, including Rashida Jones (as Ann Perkins), Aziz Ansari (Tom Haverford), Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson), Aubrey Plaza (April Ludgate), Chris Pratt (Andy Dwyer), Adam Scott (Ben Wyatt), Rob Lowe (Chris Traeger), Jim O’Heir (Garry “Jerry” Gergich) and Retta (Donna Meagle).
“A Parks and Recreation Special” will air at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 30. NBC’s announcement said the plot will concern Knope’s determination “to stay connected to her friends in a time of social distancing.”
The show aims to raise money for Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund to help community food banks. NBC parent NBC Universal, the “Parks and Recreation” team and sponsors State Farm and Subaru of America have pledged to match $500,000 in donations.
“Like a lot of other people, we were looking for ways to help and felt that bringing these characters back for a night could raise some money,” said executive producer Michael Schur. “I sent a hopeful email to the cast and they all got back to me within 45 minutes. Our old ‘Parks and Rec’ team has put together one more 30-minute slice of (quarantined) Pawnee life and we hope everyone enjoys it. And donates!”
“Parks and Rec” will be the first prime-time, scripted broadcast show to touch on the coronavirus situation. CBS’ freshman courtroom drama “All Rise” shot an episode that finds Judge Lola Carmichael (Simone Missick) presiding over a virtual trial, and it is scheduled to air May 4.


chicagosun-times--2020-04-23--6 more COVID-19 cases in Chicago Police Department

Chicago police announced Thursday six more cases of COVID-19 , bringing the number of cases in the department to 380 @ @ @ @ @ , 361 are officers and 19 are civilian employees , police said .
A total @ @ @ @ @ positive tests but the department ’ s medical section has yet to confirm four of @ @ @ @ @ .
The department announced last week the death of a third police officer from complications @ @ @ @ @ health officials Thursday said 123 more people died from the outbreak , raising the state @ @ @ @ @ .
Officials also announced 1,826 new cases , bringing the state ’ s total count @ @ @ @ @ .

Chicago police announced Thursday six more cases of COVID-19, bringing the number of cases in the department to 380.
Of the confirmed cases, 361 are officers and 19 are civilian employees, police said.
A total of 384 employees have reported positive tests but the department’s medical section has yet to confirm four of those cases, police said.
The department announced last week the death of a third police officer from complications of the virus.
Illinois health officials Thursday said 123 more people died from the outbreak, raising the state’s toll to 1,688. Officials also announced 1,826 new cases, bringing the state’s total count of COVID-19 cases to 36,934.


chicagosun-times--2020-04-24--Dear Abby: Dad moves in and is trying to control my romantic life

DEAR ABBY : I was raised in a very strict household .
At 19 , I left home and never looked back .
Today , I am 54 , divorced and own my own home .
My mother passed away , and my father moved in with me a few months ago because he didn ’ t like living alone .
I have had to make several adjustments to accommodate him .
The problem is , he ’ s extremely traditional and refuses to change his way of thinking where I am concerned .
In his eyes , I am @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respect and abide by his rules .
I have a boyfriend who lives several miles away .
When he visits , I would like him to spend the night with me in my room .
My dad insists ( demands ) that my boyfriend sleep on the couch or in the guest bedroom .
He has informed me that it is my choice , but if I don ’ t abide by his wishes ( demands ) , he will refuse to talk with my boyfriend , which undoubtedly will cause stress in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ father that I am a grown woman and that I refuse to give up my freedom to accommodate him in this area .
After all , this is my home .
How should I handle this ?
— ALL GROWN UP IN ARKANSAS DEAR ALL GROWN : If you knuckle under to Dear Old Dad ’ s demands , you are making a big mistake .
Sit him down , “ remind ” him that you are no longer a little girl and that if he can not accept that you are an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be respectful to your boyfriend , he will no longer be welcome to live under your roof .
Do not try to placate him or you will be living the rest of your father ’ s life in a second childhood , and it won ’ t be a happy one .
DEAR ABBY : I am a 39-year-old woman , recently separated .
I have been seeing a 45-year-old man who is also separated , but not divorced from his wife .
We have been a couple for about a year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t get a divorce .
When his wife ( who has also been seeing someone for more than a year ) found out we were seeing each other , it got ugly .
She came to our place of employment ( her ex and I work in the same place , different departments ) and tried to get me fired .
Fortunately , she was unsuccessful , and she tried to get physical .
She told me she is his wife — she told him as well — and said she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she “ owns him.
” At that point I had to stop seeing him .
After a month apart , I became really depressed , and we hooked back up .
We go out and enjoy each other ’ s company , and the sex is AMAZING .
He told me he has never felt like this with any other woman nor has he ever introduced anyone to his daughter ( who loves me dearly ) .
We are taking things more slowly and carefully , but I am falling in love .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ we are intimate and how grateful he is for me , but it isn ’ t enough .
I want more , but I don ’ t want to scare him away .
Is this a dead end ?
Should I be patient , or should I just walk away ?
— IT ’ S COMPLICATED IN THE EAST DEAR COMPLICATED : I have to wonder why , after a year , you are not in the process of being divorced .
You also need some straight answers about what keeps this man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The woman appears to have serious mental issues .
Is the reason financial ?
Emotional ?
Once you know , you will have a better idea of what to do .
I am troubled by the fact that your boyfriend ’ s wife is so volatile .
As it stands , that woman is controlling not only him but also you , and that ’ s not healthy .
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren , also known as Jeanne Phillips , and was founded by her mother , Pauline Phillips @ @ @ @ @ @ @ P.O .
Box 69440 , Los Angeles , CA 90069 .
Abby shares more than 100 of her favorite recipes in two booklets : “ Abby ’ s Favorite Recipes ” and “ More Favorite Recipes by Dear Abby.
” Send your name and mailing address , plus check or money order for $ 16 ( U.S. funds ) , to : Dear Abby , Cookbooklet Set , P.O .
Box 447 , Mount Morris , IL 61054-0447 .
( Shipping and handling are included in the price . )

DEAR ABBY: I was raised in a very strict household. At 19, I left home and never looked back. Today, I am 54, divorced and own my own home.
My mother passed away, and my father moved in with me a few months ago because he didn’t like living alone. I have had to make several adjustments to accommodate him.
The problem is, he’s extremely traditional and refuses to change his way of thinking where I am concerned. In his eyes, I am still his child, and I should respect and abide by his rules.
I have a boyfriend who lives several miles away. When he visits, I would like him to spend the night with me in my room. My dad insists (demands) that my boyfriend sleep on the couch or in the guest bedroom. He has informed me that it is my choice, but if I don’t abide by his wishes (demands), he will refuse to talk with my boyfriend, which undoubtedly will cause stress in my relationship.
I have told my father that I am a grown woman and that I refuse to give up my freedom to accommodate him in this area. After all, this is my home. How should I handle this? — ALL GROWN UP IN ARKANSAS
DEAR ALL GROWN: If you knuckle under to Dear Old Dad’s demands, you are making a big mistake. Sit him down, “remind” him that you are no longer a little girl and that if he cannot accept that you are an adult with needs of your own and be respectful to your boyfriend, he will no longer be welcome to live under your roof. Do not try to placate him or you will be living the rest of your father’s life in a second childhood, and it won’t be a happy one.
DEAR ABBY: I am a 39-year-old woman, recently separated. I have been seeing a 45-year-old man who is also separated, but not divorced from his wife. We have been a couple for about a year. I don’t understand why he doesn’t get a divorce.
When his wife (who has also been seeing someone for more than a year) found out we were seeing each other, it got ugly. She came to our place of employment (her ex and I work in the same place, different departments) and tried to get me fired. Fortunately, she was unsuccessful, and she tried to get physical. She told me she is his wife — she told him as well — and said she tells him what to do, and she “owns him.” At that point I had to stop seeing him.
After a month apart, I became really depressed, and we hooked back up. We go out and enjoy each other’s company, and the sex is AMAZING. He told me he has never felt like this with any other woman nor has he ever introduced anyone to his daughter (who loves me dearly). We are taking things more slowly and carefully, but I am falling in love.
He tells me he misses me when we are intimate and how grateful he is for me, but it isn’t enough. I want more, but I don’t want to scare him away. Is this a dead end? Should I be patient, or should I just walk away? — IT’S COMPLICATED IN THE EAST
DEAR COMPLICATED: I have to wonder why, after a year, you are not in the process of being divorced. You also need some straight answers about what keeps this man under his wife’s thumb. The woman appears to have serious mental issues. Is the reason financial? Emotional? Once you know, you will have a better idea of what to do.
I am troubled by the fact that your boyfriend’s wife is so volatile. As it stands, that woman is controlling not only him but also you, and that’s not healthy.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Abby shares more than 100 of her favorite recipes in two booklets: “Abby’s Favorite Recipes” and “More Favorite Recipes by Dear Abby.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $16 (U.S. funds), to: Dear Abby, Cookbooklet Set, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)


chicagosun-times--2020-04-24--Charles Custer, dead at 91, with wife Irene Custer took photos capturing a time capsule of Route 66,

Charles Custer, dead at 91, with wife Irene Custer took photos capturing a time capsule of Route 66, Americana

Share All sharing options for : Charles Custer , dead at 91 , with wife Irene Custer took photos capturing a time capsule of Route 66 , Americana The photos shot by Charles and Irene Custer might be the closest many of us will ever get to time travel .
Developed again for the first time in almost 70 years , they capture images of smalltown stores , diners , barbershops and beauty parlors on historic Route 66 and other roads .
It ’ s an America of honky-tonks and hair pomades , where coffee cost a nickel , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the jukebox was ready to play your favorite song .
Their pictures , taken with an Agfa box camera , are panoramic and dioramic , so detailed that even the linoleum floors reveal secrets .
You can see dusty bootprints , each discarded straw at the soda fountain , the individual hairs on barbershop floors .
The images use something called one-point perspective : the composition that makes faraway objects appear to recede .
It ’ s like a continuous tracking shot , making viewers feel as if they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looking into the camera .
“ It ’ s as if you opened the door , and they ’ re right there waiting for you , ” said Richard Cahan , a former Chicago Sun-Times picture editor and author of photo books .
“ They ’ re just fantastic .
What a record , just the drama of every picture , the kind of technical ability .
They lit up the entire space .
The people .
The relationship of the people .
They ’ re perfect .
They ’ re Hollywood stage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michael Wallis , author of “ The Mother Road : Route 66 , ” said he and his wife , the writer Suzanne Fitzgerald Wallis , felt “ seduced.
” “ It ’ s just marvelous , ” said Wallis , who is based in Tulsa , Oklahoma and likens the Custers ’ photos to those of Depression-era greats .
“ Some of these pictures are evocative to us of Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange , portraits of the common folk , if you will .
They ’ re a shorthand of notes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something I ’ ve never seen before , ” Cahan said .
“ There ’ s almost a scientific , ethnographic look at the stores , their relationship with the cameraman .
They ’ re curious about the cameraman .
They ’ re proud about the stores .
What stores were like in the 1950s.
” “ You immediately feel you know these people , ” said Ken Busby , chief executive officer of the Route 66 Alliance in Tulsa .
The Custers ’ picture-taking began during their working honeymoon trip in 1950 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ road trips lasted a couple of years , until Mrs. Custer became pregnant , according to their son Charley .
While visiting Charley Custer ’ s home , his friends Oscar Larrauri Elías and Khela de Freslon — who operate OK More Photography in Cozumel , Mexico — spotted a Kodak box of his parents ’ negatives .
Elías and de Freslon washed , restored and digitally converted them , creating almost 150 images .
De Freslon calls them “ amazing images of incredible quality , portraying people in their workplace.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good that we printed one at 16 feet-by-nine feet and wallpapered a wall with it , ” de Freslon said .
“ It was a picture of a barbershop that we chose because it tells a story .
“ They all look so much alike that it ’ s easy to imagine that the barbershop is owned by brothers , and they are cutting the hair of another two brothers and their boys .
And once the picture was on the wall , we noticed that on the left side there is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s the photographer , Charles Sr .
Even though we ’ ve never met him and only saw pictures in his old age , it couldn ’ t be anyone else because he looks just like our friend Charley , his son .
We ’ re sure he never saw himself in that picture before , and the fact that it ’ s the one we chose to enlarge feels magical.
” The photographers and the Custer family are hoping someone , somewhere might recognize the landmarks or people in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the road trips of Irene and Charles , who were prominent Hyde Parkers with a Bohemian bent .
Their home was a rambling 10-bedroom former boarding house at 5210 S. Kenwood Ave. , where writer Ben Hecht once lived and where Mrs. Custer continued to host roomers and travelers for many years .
“ The dream , since we first saw the negatives , is to trace back their journey through the clues that can be found in the pictures , travel the road they traveled and maybe find those places again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” de Freslon said .
“ Maybe find their families , discover the connection between the places they photographed and today ’ s world and , through all this , find a way to tell the story they hold.
” Thanks to newspapers , license plates and store signs in the photos , it appears this batch was taken in Oklahoma and New Mexico .
But there also are hints of Arizona and Texas .
They ’ re all that is left out of what must have been thousands of negatives , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sold to the subjects of the photos before the Custers moved on to the next town .
Mr. Custer was a resident of the Montgomery Place senior living community in Hyde Park when he died in January at 91 .
A native of WaKeeney , Kansas , he landed a summer job during high school as a candid street photographer in Topeka , Kansas .
While studying at the University of Chicago , he met his future wife , Hyde Parker Irene Macarow Custer .
He cofounded a TV sales and repair business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law firm now known as Vedder Price .
Mrs. Custer , who died in 2011 , cofounded and ran the Harper art gallery in Harper Court .
When they fell in love , Mr. Custer planned to save money for their future by working as a roving photographer .
“ I ’ ll go with you , ” Mrs. Custer said .
So they married , and together they set off .
When the Custers came to a town , they ’ d make sure there were no anti-peddling signs , then walk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up conversations and dropping unannounced into businesses to take pictures with a disarming greeting of “ Hollywood ’ s calling !
” They were an attractive couple — and good salespeople .
Mr. Custer was the photographer .
Mrs. Custer helped people pose and put them at ease .
They developed the prints in their motel-room sinks , blocking out light by pinning blankets over windows , Charley Custer said .
The surviving pictures — all appear to be from the Southwest — portray a bygone America , capturing a time when women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ town , and men wore hats and suspenders .
They show careworn adults and carefree children in pegged jeans who might have just jumped off their bikes to grab a Coca-Cola .
And town beauties — and a kid caught in what could be mid-ogle .
And grease monkeys as dashing as movie stars .
There ’ s a cobbler who could fix your soles and saddle and sell you a concho belt .
There are hints of postwar upward mobility in displays of luggage , jewelry and bikes .
Appliance showrooms show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and an item then commonly referred to as an icebox .
The men appear to be in the executive offices .
The women are at the typewriters .
In an era when African American freedom of movement was mercilessly circumscribed by rules both implicit and explicit , there are only a few black subjects .
One appears to be a “ shoeshine man ” at a barbershop .
Others include mechanics .
Busby says he ’ s “ never ” seen this level of detail in images of shops of the era .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The stores are stocked with some brands still sold today , including Butterfinger , Budweiser , Camel cigarettes , Cheetos , Fritos , Kellogg ’ s Corn Flakes and Quaker Oats .
Other consumer goods are more like tumbleweeds of Americana , like S & H Green Stamps , to be redeemed for appliances and other goods , and Wildroot Cream-Oil for greasing men ’ s hair .
There are quaint signs for Velvet ice cream — “ for vital energy.
” “ It ’ s life , frozen in that moment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ images his father captured .
Wallis — whose Route 66 expertise was tapped for the making of the “ Cars ” movies and who ended up voicing the franchise ’ s Sheriff of Radiator Springs — said the Custer photos show what ’ s most special about one of the world ’ s most famous highways .
“ The best thing about the road , ” Wallis said , “ are the people — the people of the road who managed to eke out a living on the shoulders of the way.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daughters Shannon Nelson and Kelly Custer , sisters Jeanne Conner , Kathleen Bankston and Sara Overton , four grandchildren and two great-granddaughters .
Because of the coronavirus pandemic , a celebration of his life has been indefinitely postponed .
“ Today with this pandemic , we ’ re missing this sense of connectedness , ” Busby said .
“ This is what it means to be part of a community , part of a family .
”

The photos shot by Charles and Irene Custer might be the closest many of us will ever get to time travel.
Developed again for the first time in almost 70 years, they capture images of smalltown stores, diners, barbershops and beauty parlors on historic Route 66 and other roads.
It’s an America of honky-tonks and hair pomades, where coffee cost a nickel, a hot dog set you back 15 cents, and the jukebox was ready to play your favorite song.
Historians of Route 66 and other Americana have marveled at the detail in photos taken by Charles and Irene Custer in the early 1950s. Charles and Irene Custer, redeveloped by OK More Photography
Their pictures, taken with an Agfa box camera, are panoramic and dioramic, so detailed that even the linoleum floors reveal secrets. You can see dusty bootprints, each discarded straw at the soda fountain, the individual hairs on barbershop floors.
Charles and Irene Custer stopped in unannounced at businesses in smalltown America in the early 1950s and took photos that they then sold to their subjects. Charles and Irene Custer, redeveloped by OK More Photography
The images use something called one-point perspective: the composition that makes faraway objects appear to recede. It’s like a continuous tracking shot, making viewers feel as if they’re entering the shops and meeting the people looking into the camera.
In Charles and Irene Custer’s photos, “It’s as if you opened the door ,and they’re right there waiting for you,” said Richard Cahan, a former Sun-Times picture editor and author of photo books. Charles and Irene Custer, redeveloped by OK More Photography
“It’s as if you opened the door, and they’re right there waiting for you,” said Richard Cahan, a former Chicago Sun-Times picture editor and author of photo books. “They’re just fantastic. What a record, just the drama of every picture, the kind of technical ability. They lit up the entire space. The people. The relationship of the people. They’re perfect. They’re Hollywood stage sets.”
Charles and Irene Custer’s photos of smalltown, postwar America are so well-lit and composed that they’re like “Hollywood stage sets,” said Richard Cahan, a former Sun-Times picture editor and author of photo books. Charles and Irene Custer, redeveloped by OK More Photography
After studying the images, Michael Wallis, author of “The Mother Road: Route 66,” said he and his wife, the writer Suzanne Fitzgerald Wallis, felt “seduced.”
“It’s just marvelous,” said Wallis, who is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma and likens the Custers’ photos to those of Depression-era greats. “Some of these pictures are evocative to us of Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange, portraits of the common folk, if you will. They’re a shorthand of notes from the past.”
“This is something I’ve never seen before,” Cahan said. “There’s almost a scientific, ethnographic look at the stores, their relationship with the cameraman. They’re curious about the cameraman. They’re proud about the stores. What stores were like in the 1950s.”
“You immediately feel you know these people,” said Ken Busby, chief executive officer of the Route 66 Alliance in Tulsa.
Irene and Charles Custer on a honeymoon stop in Corpus Christi, Texas. A relative doodled on the picture. Provided
The Custers’ picture-taking began during their working honeymoon trip in 1950 that took them to Texas. Their road trips lasted a couple of years, until Mrs. Custer became pregnant, according to their son Charley.
While visiting Charley Custer’s home, his friends Oscar Larrauri Elías and Khela de Freslon — who operate OK More Photography in Cozumel, Mexico — spotted a Kodak box of his parents’ negatives. Elías and de Freslon washed, restored and digitally converted them, creating almost 150 images.
When Oscar Larrauri Elías and Khela de Freslon redeveloped this photo by Charles and Irene Custer and blew it up for wallpaper, they noticed the image of a young Charles Custer taking the shot in the mirror on the far left. Charles and Irene Custer, redeveloped by OK More Photography
De Freslon calls them “amazing images of incredible quality, portraying people in their workplace.”
The quality of the negatives was “so good that we printed one at 16 feet-by-nine feet and wallpapered a wall with it,” de Freslon said. “It was a picture of a barbershop that we chose because it tells a story.
“They all look so much alike that it’s easy to imagine that the barbershop is owned by brothers, and they are cutting the hair of another two brothers and their boys. And once the picture was on the wall, we noticed that on the left side there is a person reflected in the mirror and that it’s the photographer, Charles Sr. Even though we’ve never met him and only saw pictures in his old age, it couldn’t be anyone else because he looks just like our friend Charley, his son. We’re sure he never saw himself in that picture before, and the fact that it’s the one we chose to enlarge feels magical.”
The photographers and the Custer family are hoping someone, somewhere might recognize the landmarks or people in the pictures, helping them unearth new stories about the road trips of Irene and Charles, who were prominent Hyde Parkers with a Bohemian bent. Their home was a rambling 10-bedroom former boarding house at 5210 S. Kenwood Ave., where writer Ben Hecht once lived and where Mrs. Custer continued to host roomers and travelers for many years.
“The dream, since we first saw the negatives, is to trace back their journey through the clues that can be found in the pictures, travel the road they traveled and maybe find those places again — the ones that may be left,” de Freslon said. “Maybe find their families, discover the connection between the places they photographed and today’s world and, through all this, find a way to tell the story they hold.”
Thanks to newspapers, license plates and store signs in the photos, it appears this batch was taken in Oklahoma and New Mexico. But there also are hints of Arizona and Texas. They’re all that is left out of what must have been thousands of negatives, most discarded after prints were made and sold to the subjects of the photos before the Custers moved on to the next town.
Mr. Custer was a resident of the Montgomery Place senior living community in Hyde Park when he died in January at 91.
A native of WaKeeney, Kansas, he landed a summer job during high school as a candid street photographer in Topeka, Kansas.
While studying at the University of Chicago, he met his future wife, Hyde Parker Irene Macarow Custer. He cofounded a TV sales and repair business and worked as an attorney with the law firm now known as Vedder Price. Mrs. Custer, who died in 2011, cofounded and ran the Harper art gallery in Harper Court.
When they fell in love, Mr. Custer planned to save money for their future by working as a roving photographer.
“I’ll go with you,” Mrs. Custer said.
So they married, and together they set off.
When the Custers came to a town, they’d make sure there were no anti-peddling signs, then walk down Main Street, USA, striking up conversations and dropping unannounced into businesses to take pictures with a disarming greeting of “Hollywood’s calling!”
They were an attractive couple — and good salespeople. Mr. Custer was the photographer. Mrs. Custer helped people pose and put them at ease.
They developed the prints in their motel-room sinks, blocking out light by pinning blankets over windows, Charley Custer said.
The Custer family hopes that sharing images shot by their parents when they were young marrieds might lead to clues uncovering stories about their travels. Charles and Irene Custer, redeveloped by OK More Photography
The surviving pictures — all appear to be from the Southwest — portray a bygone America, capturing a time when women lipsticked and dressed up to go to town, and men wore hats and suspenders.
They show careworn adults and carefree children in pegged jeans who might have just jumped off their bikes to grab a Coca-Cola. And town beauties — and a kid caught in what could be mid-ogle. And grease monkeys as dashing as movie stars. There’s a cobbler who could fix your soles and saddle and sell you a concho belt.
Pride of ownership and newfound prosperity can be seen in the smalltown photos of Charles and Irene Custer. Charles and Irene Custer, redeveloped by OK More Photography
After the deprivation of the Great Depression, the photos of Charles and Irene Custer show creeping signs of postwar prosperity. Charles and Irene Custer, redeveloped by OK More Photography
There are hints of postwar upward mobility in displays of luggage, jewelry and bikes. Appliance showrooms show off gleaming gas ranges and Maytag washers and an item then commonly referred to as an icebox.
The men appear to be in the executive offices. The women are at the typewriters. In an era when African American freedom of movement was mercilessly circumscribed by rules both implicit and explicit, there are only a few black subjects. One appears to be a “shoeshine man” at a barbershop. Others include mechanics.
Ken Busby, CEO of the Route 66 Alliance, says he’s never seen such a level of detail as was captured in Charles and Irene’s Custer’s time-capsule photos. Charles and Irene Custer, redeveloped by OK More Photography
Busby says he’s “never” seen this level of detail in images of shops of the era.
Wallis likens them to “commercial archeology.” The stores are stocked with some brands still sold today, including Butterfinger, Budweiser, Camel cigarettes, Cheetos, Fritos, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes and Quaker Oats.
Route 66 expert and author Michael Wallis likens the photography of Charles and irene Custer to “commercial archaeology.” Charles and Irene Custer, redeveloped by OK More Photography
Other consumer goods are more like tumbleweeds of Americana, like S&H Green Stamps, to be redeemed for appliances and other goods, and Wildroot Cream-Oil for greasing men’s hair. There are quaint signs for Velvet ice cream — “for vital energy.”
The “Biggest Little Drugstore in Clovis” New Mexico — photographed in the early 1950s by Charles and Irene Custer. Charles and Irene Custer, redeveloped by OK More Photography
This barbershop shot by Charles and Irene Custer might be from Arizona, according to Route 66 expert Michael Wallis. Charles and Irene Custer, redeveloped by OK More Photography
“It’s life, frozen in that moment,” Charley Custer said of the images his father captured.
Wallis — whose Route 66 expertise was tapped for the making of the “Cars” movies and who ended up voicing the franchise’s Sheriff of Radiator Springs — said the Custer photos show what’s most special about one of the world’s most famous highways.
“The best thing about the road,” Wallis said, “are the people — the people of the road who managed to eke out a living on the shoulders of the way.”
The best things about Route 66 “are the people — the people of the road who managed to eke out a living on the shoulders of the way,” says Route 66 authority Michael Wallis, a big fan of the Custers’ photography. Charles and Irene Custer, redeveloped by OK More Photography
Mr. Custer is also survived by his daughters Shannon Nelson and Kelly Custer, sisters Jeanne Conner, Kathleen Bankston and Sara Overton, four grandchildren and two great-granddaughters.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, a celebration of his life has been indefinitely postponed.
“Today with this pandemic, we’re missing this sense of connectedness,” Busby said. “This is what it means to be part of a community, part of a family.”