chicagosun-times--2020-10-28--High school basketball will start as scheduled despite Gov. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of

High school basketball will start as scheduled despite Gov. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines (LIVE UPDATES)

IHSA will defy Gov .
Pritzker , says basketball season can start on schedule According to several sources , the Illinois High School Association will announce Wednesday that the basketball season can start as scheduled .
It ’ s a totally unexpected move that directly contradicts the guidelines Gov .
J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health outlined on Tuesday .
Pritzker and the IDPH put winter sports on an indefinite hold and moved basketball from a medium-risk sport to a higher-risk sport in the IDPH guidelines .
‘ ‘ As with sports in the fall , nothing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on hold until we ’ re through the thick of this pandemic , ’ ’ Pritzker said in a statement .
According to the IHSA calendar , basketball practices are scheduled to start on Nov. 16 and the first games can be played on Nov. 30 “ After diligent discussion , the Board has made the decision today to follow the recommendation of the IHSA SMAC as it relates to basketball , ” IHSA spokesperson Matt Troha wrote in an email to athletic directors .
“ The Board remains considerate of rising COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of adhering to safety guidelines for the good of all citizens .
However , the Board has not been presented any causal evidence that rising COVID-19 cases make basketball more dangerous to play by the IDPH or any other health organization nationally or internationally.
” 6:52 p.m. Pandemic forces American Hockey League to move start of season to Feb. 5 The American Hockey League is planning to drop the puck on its next season on Feb. 5 in hopes of syncing up its schedule with the NHL and getting some fans into arenas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of its 31 teams .
AHL President and CEO Scott Howson said “ everything ’ s on the table ” when it comes to divisional alignment , formats and how many games are played , though beginning in early February answers one question after it became unrealistic to start the season Dec. 4 as initially planned because of the state of the COVID-19 pandemic .
“ This gives us the best chance to have a significant season with fans in the building and we ’ ll just see what happens here in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by phone after the AHL ’ s Board of Governors voted to approve the Feb. 5 start date .
“ We ’ re going to be flexible and we ’ re going to do everything we can to play.
” The AHL is the top minor league affiliate for the NHL , which is targeting a Jan. 1 start for the season .
A typical AHL season usually starts after the NHL gets underway .
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday she is not asking for “ special favors ” for Chicago restaurants and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ J.B. Pritzker ’ s order banning indoor dining in the city .
One day after voicing her concern about the devastating impact on Chicago restaurants , Lightfoot held an hour-long meeting with the governor and came away resigned to the rollback .
She reiterated that the biggest cause of Chicago ’ s second surge is the dinner parties , card games and other social gatherings that people are having in their own homes , where they ’ re more inclined to let their guards down .
But even though Chicago restaurants are not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the price when the governor ’ s ban on indoor dining takes effect , as scheduled , on Friday .
“ We had a very frank and productive conversation with the governor and his team and my team as well .
We explored a lot of issues .
And we came out of that discussion really committed to making sure that we work hard together , ” the mayor said at an unrelated event in Pullman .
“ We ’ ve got to … make sure that we communicate effectively to the businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affected .
… The most important point is how do we move forward .
… We ’ ve committed to make sure that we continue to work together.
” The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 943 points Wednesday as surging coronvirus cases in the U.S. and Europe threaten more business shutdowns and pain for the economy .
The S & P 500 dropped 3.5 % , its third straight loss .
The index has now given up 5.6 % so far this week and is on track for its biggest weekly fall since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ downward spiral .
European markets also sank .
Crude oil prices fell sharply as investors anticipated that demand for energy will weaken along with the economy .
Treasury yields fell as investors sought shelter in safer assets .
The drop was also based in part on worries the worsening pandemic will mean more restrictions on businesses and drag down the economy .
Markets were dropped even more sharply in Europe , where investors expect the French president to announce tough measures to slow the virus ’ spread and German officials agreed to impose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may not be as stringent as the shutdown orders that swept the world early this year , but the worry is they could still hit the already weakened global economy .
3:00 p.m .
Families struggle as COVID cases surge : ‘ We ’ re running out of money really fast ’ The tears come when Preslie Paur thinks about the government ’ s refusal to require wearing face masks in public settings in Utah , where she lives .
The South Salt Lake City woman can ’ t work at her special @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Her husband , also a special ed teacher , quit because his school district wouldn ’ t let him work remotely to protect her and their 5-year-old son , who has asthma .
In Twin Falls , Idaho , new data suggest that one in 24 residents has contracted the coronavirus , according to Dr. Joshua Kern , vice president of medical affairs at St. Luke ’ s Magic Valley Medical Center , where , amid a crush of new cases , nurses have been brought in from Boise , elective surgery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pediatric patients halted .
“ It ’ s gotten kind of out of hand , ” Kern said .
“ We ’ ve had something like a third of our total COVID cases in our community in the last two to three weeks .
There are a lot of parts of the state suffering under the same burden.
” No .
9 Wisconsin has canceled its game at Nebraska on Saturday and paused all team activities for at least seven days after a dozen people within the program including coach Paul Chryst tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday that athletic director Barry Alvarez and Chancellor Rebecca Blank made the decision in consultation with Big Ten officials .
The game with Nebraska won ’ t be rescheduled .
“ This morning I received the news that I had tested positive via a PCR test I took yesterday , ” Chryst said .
“ I informed my staff and the team this morning and am currently isolating at home .
I had not been experiencing any symptoms and feel good as of this morning.
” Wisconsin said six players and six staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ five days .
Additional test results were pending .
Wisconsin becomes the first Big Ten school to postpone a game since the league started its pandemic-delayed season last week .
This is the 37th game involving Football Bowl Subdivision teams to be postponed or canceled since Aug. 6 .
12:01 p.m. Pritzker says he won ’ t bow to Lightfoot on COVID-19 restaurant crackdown in Chicago Friday will be closing time for Chicago ’ s restaurants no matter what Mayor Lori Lightfoot might argue , Gov .
J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s enhanced COVID-19 restrictions that prohibit indoor dining service in the city and said she ’ d try to persuade him not to implement them , Pritzker said he wouldn ’ t budge from his restaurant crackdown .
“ The same mitigations that went in place for other areas of the state that have tripped those metrics , where we ’ ve got people getting sick and going into the hospital — places like , Will County and in Kankakee , all the collar counties and many of the regions downstate — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of metrics and startup mitigations , and we ’ ll be doing that for the city of Chicago.
” Back when the state was easing down from its first coronavirus peak in July , Pritzker released a resurgence plan outlining potential “ mitigations ” like indoor dining bans that his health team would slap on regions that cross the 8 % testing positivity rate threshold for three consecutive days .
They can also go into effect when a region sees a week or more of increased hospital admissions and daily positivity increases , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Now , with “ a COVID storm that ’ s hit the entire country , ” Pritzker said , mitigations will be in effect in eight of the state ’ s 11 regions by Saturday , including the entire Chicago area .
9:35 a.m. Is it the flu or COVID-19 ?
How to tell the difference Due to overlapping symptoms between influenza and COVID-19 , physicians and health experts are urging everyone six months and older to get vaccinated for the flu this year .
One infection can make you more susceptible to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The flu vaccine reduces the severity and risk of serious complications , according to the Mayo Clinic .
But it will not protect you from COVID-19 .
Many of the steps recommended to prevent the spread of COVID-19 – such as mask-wearing , hand-washing , and physical distancing – also help prevent the spread of seasonal flu .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that positive test results for flu dropped from more than 20 % during the pandemic .
The flu and COVID-19 share several common symptoms .
Here ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apart : 8:13 a.m .
Send it back to the chef ?
Lightfoot wants Pritzker to rethink looming Chicago restaurant crackdown Four months after reopening from the first devastating coronavirus shutdown , Chicago restaurateurs will be forced to close their dining rooms again beginning Friday as COVID-19 infections soar to spring-like highs statewide .
While Mayor Lori Lightfoot indicated she ’ d push Gov .
J.B. Pritzker to reconsider his latest restrictions on indoor dining , the Democratic governor said skyrocketing case counts and testing positivity rates mean businesses and residents have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winter looming .
“ For a time late in the summer , Chicago seemed to have this more under control than other regions of Illinois , but that ’ s no longer the case , ” Pritzker said while announcing the restaurant rollback Tuesday .
“ We can ’ t ignore what is happening all around us , because without action , this could look worse than anything that we saw last spring.
” But Lightfoot , who announced last call for indoor bar service as the city ’ s coronavirus numbers shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s new restrictions , saying she ’ s not sure they ’ re “ reaching the right people.
” Reporters Mitch Armentrout and Fran Spielman have the full story .
7:28 a.m. Sisters stabbed guard 27 times after being told to wear masks at Chicago store , prosecutors allege He just asked them to wear masks and use hand sanitizer .
And for that , a security guard was stabbed 27 times by a woman while her younger sister held him by his hair in Lawndale over the weekend , Cook County prosecutors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complete randomness of this .
It ’ s terrifying , ” Judge Mary Marubio said Tuesday before ordering the siblings held without bail on attempted murder charges .
Before the stabbing at Snipes shoe store Sunday , 18-year-old Jayla Hill took out her cellphone and began filming the security guard who asked her and her sister to leave for refusing to wear masks , prosecutors said .
Hill allegedly said she was calling someone to “ kick his ass , ” prompting the 6-foot-5 , 270-pound security guard to reach out and try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
• The latest wave of the storm included 6,110 new COVID-19 cases announced by the Illinois Department of Public Health Wednesday , just shy of the record-high 6,161 cases reported by the state last weekend .
They were confirmed among 70,752 tests , raising the statewide average positivity rate to a nearly five-month high of 6.7 % .
• Average deaths per day across the country are up 10 % over the past two weeks , from 721 to nearly 794 as of Sunday , according to data from Johns Hopkins University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rising in 47 states , and deaths are up in 34 .
7:11 a.m. Control the virus and protect workers — and the American economy will roar back Over the past few months , President Donald Trump ’ s performance has been both unprecedented and unpresidential .
He ’ s endangered those around him by trying to transform the pandemic into a culture war .
He ’ s derided science , claiming facts are fiction and that his own beliefs should be considered canon .
He ’ s stoked xenophobia without a second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s shown that he neither understands nor respects the heroes protecting this country — the men and women defending it from enemies abroad and those others protecting it from a virus that ’ s already killed more than 220,000 Americans .
While we can never tolerate or grow numb to Trump ’ s behavior , the sad reality is that it is no longer surprising .
This is who he is .
Read the full guest column from Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Richard Trumka here .

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday she is not asking for “special favors” for Chicago restaurants and has no plans to challenge Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s order banning indoor dining in the city.
New restrictions are coming to Chicago. Here’s what we learned Wednesday about the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
News
8:57 p.m. IHSA will defy Gov. Pritzker, says basketball season can start on schedule
According to several sources, the Illinois High School Association will announce Wednesday that the basketball season can start as scheduled. It’s a totally unexpected move that directly contradicts the guidelines Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health outlined on Tuesday.
Pritzker and the IDPH put winter sports on an indefinite hold and moved basketball from a medium-risk sport to a higher-risk sport in the IDPH guidelines.
‘‘As with sports in the fall, nothing is ‘canceled,’ just put on hold until we’re through the thick of this pandemic,’’ Pritzker said in a statement.
According to the IHSA calendar, basketball practices are scheduled to start on Nov. 16 and the first games can be played on Nov. 30
“After diligent discussion, the Board has made the decision today to follow the recommendation of the IHSA SMAC as it relates to basketball,” IHSA spokesperson Matt Troha wrote in an email to athletic directors. “The Board remains considerate of rising COVID-19 cases in Illinois and understand the importance of adhering to safety guidelines for the good of all citizens. However, the Board has not been presented any causal evidence that rising COVID-19 cases make basketball more dangerous to play by the IDPH or any other health organization nationally or internationally.”
6:52 p.m. Pandemic forces American Hockey League to move start of season to Feb. 5
The American Hockey League is planning to drop the puck on its next season on Feb. 5 in hopes of syncing up its schedule with the NHL and getting some fans into arenas for most, if not all, of its 31 teams.
AHL President and CEO Scott Howson said “everything’s on the table” when it comes to divisional alignment, formats and how many games are played, though beginning in early February answers one question after it became unrealistic to start the season Dec. 4 as initially planned because of the state of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This gives us the best chance to have a significant season with fans in the building and we’ll just see what happens here in the next two months,” Howson said by phone after the AHL’s Board of Governors voted to approve the Feb. 5 start date. “We’re going to be flexible and we’re going to do everything we can to play.”
The AHL is the top minor league affiliate for the NHL, which is targeting a Jan. 1 start for the season. A typical AHL season usually starts after the NHL gets underway.
Read the full report here.
4:20 p.m. Lightfoot won’t challenge governor’s indoor dining ban
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday she is not asking for “special favors” for Chicago restaurants and has no plans to challenge Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s order banning indoor dining in the city.
One day after voicing her concern about the devastating impact on Chicago restaurants, Lightfoot held an hour-long meeting with the governor and came away resigned to the rollback.
She reiterated that the biggest cause of Chicago’s second surge is the dinner parties, card games and other social gatherings that people are having in their own homes, where they’re more inclined to let their guards down.
But even though Chicago restaurants are not the primary cause, they will pay the price when the governor’s ban on indoor dining takes effect, as scheduled, on Friday.
“We had a very frank and productive conversation with the governor and his team and my team as well. We explored a lot of issues. And we came out of that discussion really committed to making sure that we work hard together,” the mayor said at an unrelated event in Pullman.
“We’ve got to … make sure that we communicate effectively to the businesses across Chicago that are gonna be affected. … The most important point is how do we move forward. … We’ve committed to make sure that we continue to work together.”
Read the full story here.
4:18 p.m. Stocks tumble as surging virus cases threaten shutdowns
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 943 points Wednesday as surging coronvirus cases in the U.S. and Europe threaten more business shutdowns and pain for the economy.
The S&P 500 dropped 3.5%, its third straight loss. The index has now given up 5.6% so far this week and is on track for its biggest weekly fall since March, when markets were in a downward spiral.
European markets also sank. Crude oil prices fell sharply as investors anticipated that demand for energy will weaken along with the economy. Treasury yields fell as investors sought shelter in safer assets.
The drop was also based in part on worries the worsening pandemic will mean more restrictions on businesses and drag down the economy.
Markets were dropped even more sharply in Europe, where investors expect the French president to announce tough measures to slow the virus’ spread and German officials agreed to impose a four-week partial lockdown. The measures may not be as stringent as the shutdown orders that swept the world early this year, but the worry is they could still hit the already weakened global economy.
Read the full story here.
3:00 p.m. Families struggle as COVID cases surge: ‘We’re running out of money really fast’
Karla Taylor-Bauman, 50, looks over her piles of medical bills as she sits on her adjustable hospital-type bed in the living room of her parents’ North Chicago home, Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 16, 2020. After spending three weeks in a coma earlier this year as a result of severe complications from the coronavirus, Taylor-Bauman moved in with her parents because she requires constant care during recovery. File photo. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
The tears come when Preslie Paur thinks about the government’s refusal to require wearing face masks in public settings in Utah, where she lives.
The South Salt Lake City woman can’t work at her special education job because of an autoimmune disease.
Her husband, also a special ed teacher, quit because his school district wouldn’t let him work remotely to protect her and their 5-year-old son, who has asthma.
In Twin Falls, Idaho, new data suggest that one in 24 residents has contracted the coronavirus, according to Dr. Joshua Kern, vice president of medical affairs at St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center, where, amid a crush of new cases, nurses have been brought in from Boise, elective surgery has been scaled back and admissions of pediatric patients halted.
“It’s gotten kind of out of hand,” Kern said. “We’ve had something like a third of our total COVID cases in our community in the last two to three weeks. There are a lot of parts of the state suffering under the same burden.”
Read the full story here.
12:36 p.m. Wisconsin cancels Nebraska game after 12 people, including coach Paul Chryst, test positive for COVID-19
No. 9 Wisconsin has canceled its game at Nebraska on Saturday and paused all team activities for at least seven days after a dozen people within the program including coach Paul Chryst tested positive for COVID-19.
School officials said Wednesday that athletic director Barry Alvarez and Chancellor Rebecca Blank made the decision in consultation with Big Ten officials. The game with Nebraska won’t be rescheduled.
“This morning I received the news that I had tested positive via a PCR test I took yesterday,” Chryst said. “I informed my staff and the team this morning and am currently isolating at home. I had not been experiencing any symptoms and feel good as of this morning.”
Wisconsin said six players and six staff members had tested positive over the last five days. Additional test results were pending.
Wisconsin becomes the first Big Ten school to postpone a game since the league started its pandemic-delayed season last week. This is the 37th game involving Football Bowl Subdivision teams to be postponed or canceled since Aug. 6.
Read the full story here.
12:01 p.m. Pritzker says he won’t bow to Lightfoot on COVID-19 restaurant crackdown in Chicago
Friday will be closing time for Chicago’s restaurants no matter what Mayor Lori Lightfoot might argue, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday.
A day after the mayor criticized the governor’s enhanced COVID-19 restrictions that prohibit indoor dining service in the city and said she’d try to persuade him not to implement them, Pritzker said he wouldn’t budge from his restaurant crackdown.
“The same mitigations that went in place for other areas of the state that have tripped those metrics, where we’ve got people getting sick and going into the hospital — places like, Will County and in Kankakee, all the collar counties and many of the regions downstate — we’ve imposed the same sets of metrics and startup mitigations, and we’ll be doing that for the city of Chicago.”
Back when the state was easing down from its first coronavirus peak in July, Pritzker released a resurgence plan outlining potential “mitigations” like indoor dining bans that his health team would slap on regions that cross the 8% testing positivity rate threshold for three consecutive days. They can also go into effect when a region sees a week or more of increased hospital admissions and daily positivity increases, as was the case for Chicago.
Now, with “a COVID storm that’s hit the entire country,” Pritzker said, mitigations will be in effect in eight of the state’s 11 regions by Saturday, including the entire Chicago area.
Read the full story here.
9:35 a.m. Is it the flu or COVID-19? How to tell the difference
Due to overlapping symptoms between influenza and COVID-19, physicians and health experts are urging everyone six months and older to get vaccinated for the flu this year. One infection can make you more susceptible to others by weakening your immune system.
The flu vaccine reduces the severity and risk of serious complications, according to the Mayo Clinic. But it will not protect you from COVID-19.
Many of the steps recommended to prevent the spread of COVID-19 – such as mask-wearing, hand-washing, and physical distancing – also help prevent the spread of seasonal flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that positive test results for flu dropped from more than 20% during the pandemic.
The flu and COVID-19 share several common symptoms. Here’s how to tell the two viruses apart:
8:13 a.m. Send it back to the chef? Lightfoot wants Pritzker to rethink looming Chicago restaurant crackdown
Four months after reopening from the first devastating coronavirus shutdown, Chicago restaurateurs will be forced to close their dining rooms again beginning Friday as COVID-19 infections soar to spring-like highs statewide.
While Mayor Lori Lightfoot indicated she’d push Gov. J.B. Pritzker to reconsider his latest restrictions on indoor dining, the Democratic governor said skyrocketing case counts and testing positivity rates mean businesses and residents have to buckle down now with a potentially troubling winter looming.
“For a time late in the summer, Chicago seemed to have this more under control than other regions of Illinois, but that’s no longer the case,” Pritzker said while announcing the restaurant rollback Tuesday. “We can’t ignore what is happening all around us, because without action, this could look worse than anything that we saw last spring.”
But Lightfoot, who announced last call for indoor bar service as the city’s coronavirus numbers shot up last week, criticized Pritzker’s new restrictions, saying she’s not sure they’re “reaching the right people.”
Reporters Mitch Armentrout and Fran Spielman have the full story.
7:28 a.m. Sisters stabbed guard 27 times after being told to wear masks at Chicago store, prosecutors allege
He just asked them to wear masks and use hand sanitizer.
And for that, a security guard was stabbed 27 times by a woman while her younger sister held him by his hair in Lawndale over the weekend, Cook County prosecutors said.
“It’s the complete randomness of this. It’s terrifying,” Judge Mary Marubio said Tuesday before ordering the siblings held without bail on attempted murder charges.
Before the stabbing at Snipes shoe store Sunday, 18-year-old Jayla Hill took out her cellphone and began filming the security guard who asked her and her sister to leave for refusing to wear masks, prosecutors said.
Hill allegedly said she was calling someone to “kick his ass,” prompting the 6-foot-5, 270-pound security guard to reach out and try to grab the phone, prosecutors said.
Read the full report here.
New Cases
The latest wave of the storm included 6,110 new COVID-19 cases announced by the Illinois Department of Public Health Wednesday, just shy of the record-high 6,161 cases reported by the state last weekend. They were confirmed among 70,752 tests, raising the statewide average positivity rate to a nearly five-month high of 6.7%.
Average deaths per day across the country are up 10% over the past two weeks, from 721 to nearly 794 as of Sunday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Newly confirmed infections per day are rising in 47 states, and deaths are up in 34.
Analysis & Commentary
7:11 a.m. Control the virus and protect workers — and the American economy will roar back
Over the past few months, President Donald Trump’s performance has been both unprecedented and unpresidential.
He’s endangered those around him by trying to transform the pandemic into a culture war. He’s derided science, claiming facts are fiction and that his own beliefs should be considered canon. He’s stoked xenophobia without a second thought. And time after time, he’s shown that he neither understands nor respects the heroes protecting this country — the men and women defending it from enemies abroad and those others protecting it from a virus that’s already killed more than 220,000 Americans.
While we can never tolerate or grow numb to Trump’s behavior, the sad reality is that it is no longer surprising. This is who he is.
Read the full guest column from Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Richard Trumka here.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-28--CPS board president says reopening has to happen eventually to help vulnerable students, acknowledge

CPS board president says reopening has to happen eventually to help vulnerable students, acknowledges it will be before ‘100% ... are satisfied that it is safe’

Chicago school board members sought to quell parent and teacher concerns Wednesday about a possible return to in-person learning , stressing that nobody would be brought back to classrooms under dire public health circumstances but emphasizing that the youngest kids and those in special education need a more viable option than remote learning .
Reopening “ will take place , and it will take place probably before 100 % of you are satisfied that it is safe , ” Board President Miguel Del Valle told members of the public .
“ Because that ’ s reality .
But we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if there ’ s any indication , particularly from the science , that there is danger to our faculty , to our staff and to our students.
” CPS CEO Janice Jackson reiterated that the district is trying to balance health and safety with the need for all students to have a quality education .
She said the push to resume in-person learning stems from families ’ worries about the limits of remote classes as well as plummeting enrollment in pre-K and elementary schools that officials called an “ educational crisis.
” Though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this month to bring preschoolers and some special education students back to classrooms during the second academic quarter that starts Nov. 9 — and other students potentially in January — Jackson said CPS is working with the city ’ s public health officials to figure out the best time to do so .
A recent rise in cases and test positivity in the city has complicated matters , including setting a hard return date for any group of students .
Forms were sent last week to families and staff to indicate whether they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choose not to send their children back , Jackson indicated for the first time that the district could offer live simultaneous lessons from the classroom .
Staff would be required to return unless granted medical leave .
One of two dozen parents and teachers speaking in opposition to a return to schools at Wednesday ’ s virtual monthly school board meeting was Catherine Henchek , who serves on the Local School Council at Vaughn Occupational , a special education high school on the Northwest Side .
Henchek ’ s son has epilepsy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if he contracted COVID-19 and had a fever .
She was shocked to hear plans for in-person learning announced as cases rise across the city , she said , especially because remote learning has been better than in the spring .
“ It ’ s not the same as in-person learning from before the pandemic , ” she said .
“ But the in-person learning that they ’ d go back to wouldn ’ t be the same , either.
” Board member Sendhil Revuluri said he hears the concerns , but argued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ completely eliminate the risk of exposure , and it ’ s the district ’ s responsibility to mitigate danger while getting kids back in classrooms as soon as possible .
“ The science on COVID is evolving really quickly , ” Revuluri said .
“ The science on kids ’ learning and development has been around for decades .
We know that being out of school has negative academic , social , emotional , even economic and life effects on kids in the longer term.
” Board member Luisiana Melendez , whose expertise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ research is clear that it ’ s very hard for young kids to learn remotely .
Children need an adult sitting with them at home for it to be effective , and that ’ s not a privilege a lot of families have , she said .
At the same time , she recognized there are additional health concerns particularly with special education students .
“ I am really awed by the complexity of this issue , ” Melendez said .
Del Valle said he sees a “ gulf between what we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the district feels it ’ s taking .
He urged CPS officials to do a better job getting the word out about their plans , priorities and timeline , because he believes they have answers to a lot of questions .
“ Communication is never perfect , ” del Valle said .
“ But that ’ s not an excuse for us to say , ‘ Well , we have a plan.
’ Yes , we do have a plan .
But we must continue to look for ways of communicating those plans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We have details.
” Del Valle said board members , district administrators and principals “ all live in the communities we ’ re talking about .
... We are in this together .
”

Chicago school board members sought to quell parent and teacher concerns Wednesday about a possible return to in-person learning, stressing that nobody would be brought back to classrooms under dire public health circumstances but emphasizing that the youngest kids and those in special education need a more viable option than remote learning.
Reopening “will take place, and it will take place probably before 100% of you are satisfied that it is safe,” Board President Miguel Del Valle told members of the public. “Because that’s reality. But we are not going to plan to open schools if there’s any indication, particularly from the science, that there is danger to our faculty, to our staff and to our students.”
CPS CEO Janice Jackson reiterated that the district is trying to balance health and safety with the need for all students to have a quality education. She said the push to resume in-person learning stems from families’ worries about the limits of remote classes as well as plummeting enrollment in pre-K and elementary schools that officials called an “educational crisis.”
Though the district made its intention public earlier this month to bring preschoolers and some special education students back to classrooms during the second academic quarter that starts Nov. 9 — and other students potentially in January — Jackson said CPS is working with the city’s public health officials to figure out the best time to do so. A recent rise in cases and test positivity in the city has complicated matters, including setting a hard return date for any group of students.
Forms were sent last week to families and staff to indicate whether they would return. For the families that choose not to send their children back, Jackson indicated for the first time that the district could offer live simultaneous lessons from the classroom. Staff would be required to return unless granted medical leave.
One of two dozen parents and teachers speaking in opposition to a return to schools at Wednesday’s virtual monthly school board meeting was Catherine Henchek, who serves on the Local School Council at Vaughn Occupational, a special education high school on the Northwest Side.
Henchek’s son has epilepsy and said his threshold for seizures would drop if he contracted COVID-19 and had a fever. She was shocked to hear plans for in-person learning announced as cases rise across the city, she said, especially because remote learning has been better than in the spring.
“It’s not the same as in-person learning from before the pandemic,” she said. “But the in-person learning that they’d go back to wouldn’t be the same, either.”
Board member Sendhil Revuluri said he hears the concerns, but argued there’s no practical way to completely eliminate the risk of exposure, and it’s the district’s responsibility to mitigate danger while getting kids back in classrooms as soon as possible.
“The science on COVID is evolving really quickly,” Revuluri said. “The science on kids’ learning and development has been around for decades. We know that being out of school has negative academic, social, emotional, even economic and life effects on kids in the longer term.”
Board member Luisiana Melendez, whose expertise lies in early childhood education, said research is clear that it’s very hard for young kids to learn remotely. Children need an adult sitting with them at home for it to be effective, and that’s not a privilege a lot of families have, she said. At the same time, she recognized there are additional health concerns particularly with special education students.
“I am really awed by the complexity of this issue,” Melendez said.
Del Valle said he sees a “gulf between what we have some people saying” and the steps the district feels it’s taking. He urged CPS officials to do a better job getting the word out about their plans, priorities and timeline, because he believes they have answers to a lot of questions.
“Communication is never perfect,” del Valle said. “But that’s not an excuse for us to say, ‘Well, we have a plan.’ Yes, we do have a plan. But we must continue to look for ways of communicating those plans. People are desperate for details. We have details.”
Del Valle said board members, district administrators and principals “all live in the communities we’re talking about. ... We are in this together.”


chicagosun-times--2020-10-28--The Mix: Drive-through Halloween parade, Lucinda Williams and more things to do in Chicago Oct. 29-N

The Mix: Drive-through Halloween parade, Lucinda Williams and more things to do in Chicago Oct. 29-Nov. 4

The annual family-friendly event “ Arts in the Dark , ” which showcases the creativity of Chicago ’ s diverse cultural community , this year transforms from an evening event to a daytime drive-through spectacle called “ An Upside Down Parade.
” Here you ’ ll find large-scale puppets , musicians , dancers and more .
Each car will receive a goody bag .
Participants include Chicago Children ’ s Theatre , Cirques Experiences and the South Shore Drill Team .
The free event takes place from noon-3 p.m. Oct. 31 in the South Side ’ s Washington Park , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Visit artsinthedark.org .
Cosmic Country Showcase celebrates Halloween with performances by Evil , Ana Fabrega , Sarah Squirm , Nick Shoulders , Nico , Andrew Sa and more .
Streams at 8 p.m. Oct. 30 , $ 15 .
Visit hideoutchicago.com .
... Riot Fest Halloween features live performances ( New Found Glory , Knuckle Puck ) and movies ( “ Beetlejuice , ” “ The Exorcist ” ) .
At 7 p.m. Oct. 30 and 8 p.m. Oct. 31 , Chicago Drive-In , 7000 S. Harlem , Bridgeview .
Tickets begin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ...
The Magic Parlour Halloween Show features magician Dennis Watkins in a fundraiser for Camp Kids Are Kids Chicago .
Streams at 8 p.m. Oct. 31 , $ 65 .
Visit themagicparlourchicago.com .
...
The Cleve Carney Museum of Art and McAninch Arts Center celebrate Dia de Los Muertos ( Day of the Dead ) with drive-by ofrendas , music performed by Mariachi Monumental de Mexico and a food drive .
From 4-6 p.m. Nov. 1 at Camera Park , 101 E. Fullerton , Glendale Heights .
Visit theccma.org/upcoming-events .
More than 100 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local businesses .
... Wicker Park and Bucktown Trick-or-Treat takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at The Bucktown Green , 1714 N. Hoyne Avenue ( behind Bucktown-Wicker Park Library ) .
Local businesses will spread out across the park for a socially distanced way of handing out candy at various stations .
A Halloween photo wall will be available for photo ops .
Admission is timed and ticketed for a safe experience .
Visit www.wickerparkbucktown.com .
Singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams launches “ Lu ’ s Jukebox , ” a six-episode series of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Down a Dream : A Tribute to Tom Petty ” ( $ 20- $ 40 ) at 7 p.m. Oct. 29 .
Upcoming shows , all performed with her stellar band , dive into Southern soul , the Bob Dylan songbook , country classics , the holidays ( the rockin ’ version ) and the music of the Rolling Stones .
This series is Williams ’ way of helping out struggling venues across the country including Evanston ’ s Space , the local participating club .
Find more info about the stream and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past few years , Laurie Berkner , the “ Adele of the preschool crowd , ” has performed a family Halloween concert in New York City .
This year , when trick-or-treating may not be the best option , families everywhere can instead livestream “ Laurie Berkner ’ s Halloween Party ” ( noon and 5 p.m. Oct. 31 ) .
Expect lots of songs including several new ones , Halloween games and pre-show music and videos ( doors open an hour before show ) .
Tickets : $ 20 or $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Visit laurieberkner.com Facets is streaming “ Nationtime , ” a long-lost film by director William Greaves about the National Black Political Convention of 1972 .
The convention drew 10,000 black politicians , activists and artists to Gary , Indiana , where they forged a national unity platform in advance of the Democratic and Republican presidential conventions .
The delegates were a range of public officials , advocates and entertainers , ranging from Jesse Jackson , Amiri Baraka , Coretta Scott King and Fannie Lou Hamer to Harry Belafonte and Isaac Hayes .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tickets : $ 10 .
Visit facets.org .
It ’ s not Halloween without another edition of The Annoyance Theatre ’ s tribute to all things gruesome and gory .
Now in its 34th year , the annual slasher spoof “ Splatter Theater ” has been updated for a fresh take on 2020 and will be performed live from each cast member ’ s home .
Streams at 9 p.m. two nights .
The Oct. 30 performance is pay-what-you-can with a suggested donation of $ 20 .
The price for the Oct. 31 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10 add-on option for a virtual costume after-party .
Visit theannoyance.com .
The gallery Soccer Club Club has extended “ The Sun Sinks , ” an exhibit of abstract paintings by Dominique Knowles , a poet , accomplished equestrian and graduate of the School of the Art Institute , who takes inspiration from the relationship between humans and nature and animals .
His paintings feature earthy sunset colors — fiery reds , golden yellows , burnt umbers — plus striking purples and blues .
Outlines of animal figures such as horses are incorporated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has created a billboard-size mural adjacent to the gallery .
The exhibit is on view through Nov. 6 by appointment from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday at Soccer Club Club , 2923 N. Cicero or online at soccerclubclub.com .
To celebrate the release of the box set “ A Dream in the Dark : Two Decades of Okkervil River Live , ” the Texas-based band revives its popular “ Rarities & Requests ” show format for a livestreamed concert .
Okkervil River fields a lively sound — a blend of Americana , indie rock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 8 p.m. Oct. 29 .
Tickets : $ 15 .
A portion of ticket sales benefits the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund , which raises money to keep music venues going during the pandemic .
Visit oldtownschool.org .

Halloween spectacle
The annual family-friendly event “Arts in the Dark,” which showcases the creativity of Chicago’s diverse cultural community, this year transforms from an evening event to a daytime drive-through spectacle called “An Upside Down Parade.” Here you’ll find large-scale puppets, musicians, dancers and more. Each car will receive a goody bag. Participants include Chicago Children’s Theatre, Cirques Experiences and the South Shore Drill Team. The free event takes place from noon-3 p.m. Oct. 31 in the South Side’s Washington Park, along Russell Drive. Reservations are required. Visit artsinthedark.org.
More Halloween fun
Cosmic Country Showcase celebrates Halloween with performances by Evil, Ana Fabrega, Sarah Squirm, Nick Shoulders, Nico, Andrew Sa and more. Streams at 8 p.m. Oct. 30, $15. Visit hideoutchicago.com. ... Riot Fest Halloween features live performances (New Found Glory, Knuckle Puck) and movies (“Beetlejuice,” “The Exorcist”). At 7 p.m. Oct. 30 and 8 p.m. Oct. 31, Chicago Drive-In, 7000 S. Harlem, Bridgeview. Tickets begin at $25. Visit riotfest.org. ... The Magic Parlour Halloween Show features magician Dennis Watkins in a fundraiser for Camp Kids Are Kids Chicago. Streams at 8 p.m. Oct. 31, $65. Visit themagicparlourchicago.com. ... The Cleve Carney Museum of Art and McAninch Arts Center celebrate Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with drive-by ofrendas, music performed by Mariachi Monumental de Mexico and a food drive. From 4-6 p.m. Nov. 1 at Camera Park, 101 E. Fullerton, Glendale Heights. Visit theccma.org/upcoming-events. More than 100 Chicago families in festive costumes and 25 local businesses. ... Wicker Park and Bucktown Trick-or-Treat takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at The Bucktown Green, 1714 N. Hoyne Avenue (behind Bucktown-Wicker Park Library). Local businesses will spread out across the park for a socially distanced way of handing out candy at various stations. A Halloween photo wall will be available for photo ops. Admission is timed and ticketed for a safe experience. Visit www.wickerparkbucktown.com.
Lucinda Williams Danny Clinch
Evenings with Lu
Singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams launches “Lu’s Jukebox,” a six-episode series of themed live performances beginning with “Running Down a Dream: A Tribute to Tom Petty” ($20-$40) at 7 p.m. Oct. 29. Upcoming shows, all performed with her stellar band, dive into Southern soul, the Bob Dylan songbook, country classics, the holidays (the rockin’ version) and the music of the Rolling Stones. This series is Williams’ way of helping out struggling venues across the country including Evanston’s Space, the local participating club. Find more info about the stream and the remaining concerts at evanstonspace.com.
Laurie Berkner Jamie Thornton
Family Halloween fun
For the past few years, Laurie Berkner, the “Adele of the preschool crowd,” has performed a family Halloween concert in New York City. This year, when trick-or-treating may not be the best option, families everywhere can instead livestream “Laurie Berkner’s Halloween Party” (noon and 5 p.m. Oct. 31). Expect lots of songs including several new ones, Halloween games and pre-show music and videos (doors open an hour before show). Tickets: $20 or $80 for a virtual meet-and-greet package. Visit laurieberkner.com
Amiri Baraka in “Nationtime.” Kino Lorber
Lost & found
Facets is streaming “Nationtime,” a long-lost film by director William Greaves about the National Black Political Convention of 1972. The convention drew 10,000 black politicians, activists and artists to Gary, Indiana, where they forged a national unity platform in advance of the Democratic and Republican presidential conventions. The delegates were a range of public officials, advocates and entertainers, ranging from Jesse Jackson, Amiri Baraka, Coretta Scott King and Fannie Lou Hamer to Harry Belafonte and Isaac Hayes. “Nationtime” streams through Nov. 5. Tickets: $10. Visit facets.org.
“Splatter Theater” Annoyance Theatre
Chills and thrills
It’s not Halloween without another edition of The Annoyance Theatre’s tribute to all things gruesome and gory. Now in its 34th year, the annual slasher spoof “Splatter Theater” has been updated for a fresh take on 2020 and will be performed live from each cast member’s home. Streams at 9 p.m. two nights. The Oct. 30 performance is pay-what-you-can with a suggested donation of $20. The price for the Oct. 31 performance is $20 with a $10 add-on option for a virtual costume after-party. Visit theannoyance.com.
Dominique Knowles Griffin Goodman
Poetic art
The gallery Soccer Club Club has extended “The Sun Sinks,” an exhibit of abstract paintings by Dominique Knowles, a poet, accomplished equestrian and graduate of the School of the Art Institute, who takes inspiration from the relationship between humans and nature and animals. His paintings feature earthy sunset colors — fiery reds, golden yellows, burnt umbers — plus striking purples and blues. Outlines of animal figures such as horses are incorporated into the paintings. The artist also has created a billboard-size mural adjacent to the gallery. The exhibit is on view through Nov. 6 by appointment from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday at Soccer Club Club, 2923 N. Cicero or online at soccerclubclub.com.
Okkervil River Provided
Live from Texas
To celebrate the release of the box set “A Dream in the Dark: Two Decades of Okkervil River Live,” the Texas-based band revives its popular “Rarities & Requests” show format for a livestreamed concert. Okkervil River fields a lively sound — a blend of Americana, indie rock and psych-pop. Stream the show at 8 p.m. Oct. 29. Tickets: $15. A portion of ticket sales benefits the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund, which raises money to keep music venues going during the pandemic. Visit oldtownschool.org.
Mary Houlihan is a Chicago freelance writer.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-28--Cop killer Shomari  Legghette gets life in prison for murder of Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer

Cop killer Shomari Legghette appeared neither shocked nor dismayed when he was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for the murder of Chicago Police Cmdr .
Paul Bauer .
The stoic Legghette didn ’ t apologize for the deadly February 2018 shooting and he didn ’ t acknowledge the emotional , yet composed statements Bauer ’ s widow and daughter made in Cook County Judge Erica Reddick ’ s courtroom minutes before .
Instead , Legghette , 47 , said his trial had been anything but fair , and sought to re-litigate the case , casting himself as the victim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this prosecution , ” Legghette said .
Bauer ’ s family later released a statement expressing relief that Legghette will “ never be able to cause this pain to another family.
” However , the slain officer ’ s loved ones also noted , “ Justice will never truly be served though , because his killer is still here , but Paul isn ’ t .
For a brief moment I thought he would apologize , but no , he still hasn ’ t accepted responsibility for killing Paul.
” In her victim-impact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wife , Erin , said she preferred to focus on her husband ’ s life rather than his death , recounting how he was a gentleman and a hero who never sought recognition for his good deeds .
She also tenderly reflected on those qualities and dreams a partner most treasures : His sweet tooth , that he would do the dishes after she cooked and how he hoped to work in a bookstore after retiring as a cop .
“ It ’ s sad not knowing what else he would have done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Grace Bauer said she often thinks about the many milestones her father will not be present for .
In a perfect world , she said , he would still be making Eggo Waffles for her every morning .
“ I ’ m not living in my perfect world anymore , and I can never go back to it , ” Grace Bauer said .
Legghette was a “ human crime wave ” on Feb. 13 , 2018 as he was carrying a gun with an extended clip , wearing body armor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prosecutors said .
“ He knew he was going back to prison and that it was going to be a long stay based on his record , ” Assistant State ’ s Attorney John Maher said Wednesday , explaining Legghette ’ s motive to gun Bauer down .
Legghette was found guilty on all six counts against him at the conclusion of a seven-day jury trial in March — right before most in-person hearings were halted due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Legghette said he did not know Bauer was a police officer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ veteran into stairwell near the Thompson Center .
Bauer , 53 , was shot multiple times as he tried to take Legghette into custody .
During Legghette ’ s trial , Maher said Bauer ’ s police radio was squawking and that he had handcuffs out during the fateful encounter .
Before Bauer ’ s murder , plainclothes officers saw Legghette urinating on a support column on Lower Wacker Driver .
When an officer called out , Legghette took off running , according to court testimony .
Bauer , who was leaving City @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of a stairwell and joined the pursuit .
Edin Kulic , a cab driver who was waiting for his next fare outside the Thompson Center , testified that he saw the two men sprint across Clark Street .
The two struggled at the top of a stairwell before they fell down the stairs out of view , Kulic said , adding that he recognized one of the men as a police officer .
Backing up the Kulic ’ s account was a security video from a camera inside his taxi .
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Kulic took cellphone video of officers arresting Legghette at the scene .
Chicago Police Supt .
David Brown , in a statement Wednesday , called Bauer “ a compassionate police officer and leader ” who “ showed bravery when he sacrificed his own life to protect this city.
” Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara , who watched the sentencing in an overflow room at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse , took a more bombastic approach : “ The piece of garbage ” who took Bauer ’ s life made him “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effect in Illinois.
” Legghette eventually opted not to take the stand during his trial — a decision defense attorney Scott Kamin said likely doomed his self-defense argument .
While Kamin disagreed with the outcome of the trial , he said he was not surprised by the judge ’ s sentence as he went to file a motion for an appeal Wednesday .
“ Mr .
Legghetti wasn ’ t in a position where he was luring or trying to shoot a police officer , ” Kamin said .
“ I still wish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trial .
I think that would have made all the difference .
”

Cop killer Shomari Legghette appeared neither shocked nor dismayed when he was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for the murder of Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer.
The stoic Legghette didn’t apologize for the deadly February 2018 shooting and he didn’t acknowledge the emotional, yet composed statements Bauer’s widow and daughter made in Cook County Judge Erica Reddick’s courtroom minutes before.
Instead, Legghette, 47, said his trial had been anything but fair, and sought to re-litigate the case, casting himself as the victim.
“There was nothing fair about this prosecution,” Legghette said.
Bauer’s family later released a statement expressing relief that Legghette will “never be able to cause this pain to another family.”
However, the slain officer’s loved ones also noted, “Justice will never truly be served though, because his killer is still here, but Paul isn’t. For a brief moment I thought he would apologize, but no, he still hasn’t accepted responsibility for killing Paul.”
In her victim-impact statement in court, Bauer’s wife, Erin, said she preferred to focus on her husband’s life rather than his death, recounting how he was a gentleman and a hero who never sought recognition for his good deeds.
She also tenderly reflected on those qualities and dreams a partner most treasures: His sweet tooth, that he would do the dishes after she cooked and how he hoped to work in a bookstore after retiring as a cop.
The late Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer’s wife, Erin Bauer, makes an impact statement as Shomari Legghette, 47, is sentenced Wednesday. Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/pool
“It’s sad not knowing what else he would have done with his life,” Erin Bauer said.
Grace Bauer said she often thinks about the many milestones her father will not be present for. In a perfect world, she said, he would still be making Eggo Waffles for her every morning.
“I’m not living in my perfect world anymore, and I can never go back to it,” Grace Bauer said.
The late Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer’s daughter, Grace, and wife, Erin Bauer, watch as Shomari Legghette, 47, is sentenced. Chicago Tribune
Legghette was a “human crime wave” on Feb. 13, 2018 as he was carrying a gun with an extended clip, wearing body armor and was in possession of narcotics, prosecutors said.
“He knew he was going back to prison and that it was going to be a long stay based on his record,” Assistant State’s Attorney John Maher said Wednesday, explaining Legghette’s motive to gun Bauer down.
Legghette was found guilty on all six counts against him at the conclusion of a seven-day jury trial in March — right before most in-person hearings were halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Legghette said he did not know Bauer was a police officer when he was chased by the CPD veteran into stairwell near the Thompson Center.
Bauer, 53, was shot multiple times as he tried to take Legghette into custody.
This Oct. 19, 2016 photo provided by the Chicago Police Department shows Chicago Police Commander Paul Bauer. Cmdr. Bauer was killed after a foot chase Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018 in downtown Chicago. AP
During Legghette’s trial, Maher said Bauer’s police radio was squawking and that he had handcuffs out during the fateful encounter.
Before Bauer’s murder, plainclothes officers saw Legghette urinating on a support column on Lower Wacker Driver. When an officer called out, Legghette took off running, according to court testimony.
Bauer spotted Legghette coming out of a stairwell and joined the pursuit.
Related Suspected cop killer prowled seedy world of Lower Wacker
Edin Kulic, a cab driver who was waiting for his next fare outside the Thompson Center, testified that he saw the two men sprint across Clark Street. The two struggled at the top of a stairwell before they fell down the stairs out of view, Kulic said, adding that he recognized one of the men as a police officer.
Backing up the Kulic’s account was a security video from a camera inside his taxi.
After a quick succession of gunshots rang out, Kulic took cellphone video of officers arresting Legghette at the scene.
Chicago Police Supt. David Brown, in a statement Wednesday, called Bauer “a compassionate police officer and leader” who “showed bravery when he sacrificed his own life to protect this city.”
Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara, who watched the sentencing in an overflow room at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, took a more bombastic approach: “The piece of garbage” who took Bauer’s life made him “wish the death penalty was still in effect in Illinois.”
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 President John Catanzara speaks to reporters outside the Leighton Criminal Courthouse after Shomari Legghette was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer, Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 28, 2020. Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Legghette eventually opted not to take the stand during his trial — a decision defense attorney Scott Kamin said likely doomed his self-defense argument.
While Kamin disagreed with the outcome of the trial, he said he was not surprised by the judge’s sentence as he went to file a motion for an appeal Wednesday.
“Mr. Legghette wasn’t in a position where he was luring or trying to shoot a police officer,” Kamin said. “I still wish Mr. Legghette had taken the stand during trial. I think that would have made all the difference.”


chicagosun-times--2020-10-28--IHSA defies Gov. Pritzker, says basketball season can start on schedule

The Illinois High School Association announced Wednesday that the basketball season can start as scheduled .
It ’ s a totally unexpected move that directly contradicts the guidelines Gov .
J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health outlined on Tuesday .
Pritzker and the IDPH put winter sports on an indefinite hold and moved basketball from a medium-risk sport to a higher-risk sport in the IDPH guidelines .
‘ ‘ As with sports in the fall , nothing is ‘ canceled , ’ just put on hold until we ’ re through the thick of this pandemic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Tuesday .
The disagreement between the IHSA and the governor/IDPH likely means the final decision will come down to the individual school districts .
Theoretically the school districts would open themselves up to tremendous liability by playing against the guidelines of the governor and the IDPH .
Pritzker seemed confident that was the case when asked about the issue on Wednesday .
“ We ’ ve told school districts what the rules are and I think they all know , ” Pritzker said .
“ So IHSA may have their views of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rules are and it ’ s unfortunate but they would probably be taking on legal liability if they went ahead and moved beyond what the state has set as the mitigation standard.
” IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson admitted that he wasn ’ t sure what impact defying the governor and the IDPH ’ s guidelines could have on schools .
“ I really don ’ t know what is going to happen from now till Nov. 30 , ” Anderson said .
“ It ’ s a big deal to say to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are going to go a different direction from how you are advising .
I have no idea how that is going to play out for us.
” Some local athletic directors worried that defying the government agencies could result in the Illinois State Board of Education withholding funding .
“ I haven ’ t had time to think about that , ” Anderson said .
“ I guess that is a possibility .
I would hope that wouldn ’ t be the case.
” According to the IHSA calendar , basketball practices are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first games can be played on Nov. 30 .
The board said teams would have to adhere to the IDPH guidelines that say teams can only play within their COVID regions and their conference .
“ After diligent discussion , the board has made the decision today to follow the recommendation of the [ IHSA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee ] as it relates to basketball , ” the IHSA board said in a statement .
“ The board remains considerate of rising COVID-19 cases in Illinois and understand the importance of adhering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all citizens .
however , the Board has not been presented any causal evidence that rising COVID-19 cases make basketball more dangerous to play by the IDPH or any other health organization nationally or internationally.
” The IHSA board said schools would have to follow the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee ’ s mitigations , which stipulate that players , coaches and officials wear masks .
“ Illinois is a large and diverse state , and the IHSA membership is reflective of that , ” the IHSA board said in a statement .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each high school and district differently .
Some schools who remain in remote learning may not be able to start winter sports on time , and we feel for those in that situation .
However , we have also learned that we can not continue to look down the road to a season that may never come.
” The IHSA board also voted to move wrestling from the winter season to the summer season , which starts on April 19 .

The Illinois High School Association announced Wednesday that the basketball season can start as scheduled. It’s a totally unexpected move that directly contradicts the guidelines Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health outlined on Tuesday.
Pritzker and the IDPH put winter sports on an indefinite hold and moved basketball from a medium-risk sport to a higher-risk sport in the IDPH guidelines.
‘‘As with sports in the fall, nothing is ‘canceled,’ just put on hold until we’re through the thick of this pandemic,’’ Pritzker said in a statement on Tuesday.
The disagreement between the IHSA and the governor/IDPH likely means the final decision will come down to the individual school districts. Theoretically the school districts would open themselves up to tremendous liability by playing against the guidelines of the governor and the IDPH.
Pritzker seemed confident that was the case when asked about the issue on Wednesday.
“We’ve told school districts what the rules are and I think they all know,” Pritzker said. “So IHSA may have their views of it but school districts know what the rules are and it’s unfortunate but they would probably be taking on legal liability if they went ahead and moved beyond what the state has set as the mitigation standard.”
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson admitted that he wasn’t sure what impact defying the governor and the IDPH’s guidelines could have on schools.
“I really don’t know what is going to happen from now till Nov. 30,” Anderson said. “It’s a big deal to say to government officials and health departments that we are going to go a different direction from how you are advising. I have no idea how that is going to play out for us.”
Some local athletic directors worried that defying the government agencies could result in the Illinois State Board of Education withholding funding.
“I haven’t had time to think about that,” Anderson said. “I guess that is a possibility. I would hope that wouldn’t be the case.”
According to the IHSA calendar, basketball practices are scheduled to start on Nov. 16 and the first games can be played on Nov. 30. The board said teams would have to adhere to the IDPH guidelines that say teams can only play within their COVID regions and their conference.
“After diligent discussion, the board has made the decision today to follow the recommendation of the [IHSA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee] as it relates to basketball,” the IHSA board said in a statement. “The board remains considerate of rising COVID-19 cases in Illinois and understand the importance of adhering to safety guidelines for the good of all citizens. however, the Board has not been presented any causal evidence that rising COVID-19 cases make basketball more dangerous to play by the IDPH or any other health organization nationally or internationally.”
The IHSA board said schools would have to follow the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee’s mitigations, which stipulate that players, coaches and officials wear masks.
“Illinois is a large and diverse state, and the IHSA membership is reflective of that,” the IHSA board said in a statement. “We understand that this decision will impact each high school and district differently. Some schools who remain in remote learning may not be able to start winter sports on time, and we feel for those in that situation. However, we have also learned that we cannot continue to look down the road to a season that may never come.”
The IHSA board also voted to move wrestling from the winter season to the summer season, which starts on April 19.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-28--Murder charge filed in slaying of Maywood teen

A 19-year-old man has been charged in a fatal shooting last month during in Maywood in the west suburbs .
@ @ @ @ @ a count of first-degree murder in the Aug. 24 slaying of 16-year-old Tyshawn Stone , @ @ @ @ @ Maywood police .
Officers responded just after midnight to the 1100 block of 12th Avenue @ @ @ @ @ involving a large group of people , police said then .
Authorities found Stone with @ @ @ @ @ him to Loyola University Medical Center , where he was pronounced dead .
Jennings is @ @ @ @ @ bail hearing Thursday .

A 19-year-old man has been charged in a fatal shooting at a large gathering in Maywood in the west suburbs.
Markwon G.L. Jennings faces a count of first-degree murder in the Aug. 24 slaying of 16-year-old Tyshawn Stone, according to a statement from Maywood police.
Officers responded just after midnight to the 1100 block of 12th Avenue for reports of a fight involving a large group of people, police said then.
Authorities found Stone with multiple gunshot wounds and took him to Loyola University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Jennings is scheduled to appear for a bail hearing Thursday.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-28--Person shot to death in Chatham: police

Person shot to death in Chatham: police

A person died after being shot Wednesday evening in Chatham on the South Side , according to police .
The @ @ @ @ @ times about 5:50 p.m. in the 8000 block of South Perry Avenue , according to @ @ @ @ @ .
He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center and pronounced dead , @ @ @ @ @ County medical examiner ’ s office hasn ’ t released details on the death .
@ @ @ @ @ and track the city ’ s homicides .

A 31-year-old man died after being shot Wednesday evening in Chatham on the South Side.
He was shot multiple times about 5:50 p.m. in the 8000 block of South Perry Avenue, according to from Chicago police.
Officers responded to a call of gunfire and found him lying near a sidewalk, police said.
Rapheal D. Edwards was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center and pronounced dead at 6:32 p.m., police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.
An autopsy conducted Thursday ruled Edwards’ death a homicide.
Police are conducting a homicide investigation.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-29--Coronavirus fallout: Some who struggled early in crisis are on brink, others find hope

An out-of-work travel agent whose mortgage payments were deferred now worries about losing her house .
A couple can ’ t pay their bills after the $ 600 unemployment bonus ran out .
An idled maintenance supervisor has fallen further behind on rent .
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic , many people have edged closer to financial calamity , while others have finally landed full- or part-time jobs .
Here are some of their stories : In Naperville , Rachel Metcalfe , 23 , is starting to see her health and her finances emerge from the depths .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitalized after contracting what she believes was COVID-19 .
She also had been furloughed from her social media marketing job and couldn ’ t pay an $ 11,000 bill for a hospital stay to cover expenses including a coronavirus test , which is supposed to be free .
Metcalfe had launched a GoFundMe effort to cover her blood work , X-rays and CT scan .
She still has minor chest pain symptoms , she says , but her health has improved .
Metcalfe has gotten a part-time job as a retail assistant manager @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than what she made at her old full-time job .
But she might be able to go back to her social media job in the coming weeks as her employer ’ s offices reopen .
“ All around , I feel OK , ” she said .
“ Not great , not bad , but in that middle ground.
” Her boyfriend moved in over the summer , which helps offset some of her rent .
She got a $ 1,200 stimulus check and $ 600-a-week unemployment boost , which helped her make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I would have been evicted , ” Metcalfe said .
The hospital later dismissed the $ 11,000 bill , so she refunded the GoFundMe money to everyone who stepped in to help .
Julie Antoine ’ s struggles to stay afloat have only grown more dire as she copes with the ups and downs of federal assistance and a financial support base that becomes wobblier by the month .
Antoine , 59 , lost her job as a corporate travel agent in mid-March after a nearly 40-year career , as business trips @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Gainesville , Florida , resident turned to friends and family to pay phone , Internet and cable bills until she finally received unemployment benefits in the spring , including the extra $ 600 a week from the federal government .
In August , the $ 600 had expired , forcing her to make do with $ 275 in state weekly benefits and to again rely on friends and relatives .
In mid-August , President Donald Trump signed an executive order reinstating half of the $ 600 benefit , and Antoine got an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of payments — the following month .
In late September , though , Antoine ’ s regular state benefits expired .
Her certification for food stamps also ran out .
She has applied for extensions to both programs and expects to be approved but for now has no income .
As for the help from friends and family , “ That has kind of dwindled down , ” the Saint Lucia native says .
“ You ’ re going from helping somebody to becoming a dependent.
” Her bills are paid through the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up on groceries by taking advantage of discounts .
But Antoine hopes her unemployment benefits and food stamps start flowing again before her bills are due at the end of the month .
She has continued to do without the occasional takeout dinners and home furnishing purchases she enjoyed when the $ 600 federal aid was coming in .
Recently , she canceled her $ 5-a-month Amazon music subscription .
Even if the government assistance is reinstated , Antoine worries about the future .
The state jobless benefits are set to expire permanently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of her $ 1,600 monthly mortgage payment ends in February .
“ If I don ’ t get a job between now and December , I will be put out of my house , ” she says .
Recently , her heart rate spiked while she was sitting at her desk , requiring a trip to an emergency room .
“ It is emotionally taxing , ” she says .
Antoine says she has steadily applied for travel agent jobs , but “ nothing has come through.
” For Eleanore Fernandez of Milpitas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spring was tough , and fall has felt like a reprise after some summer relief .
In the early days of the pandemic , Fernandez , who is in her late 40s , had been laid off from her job at a catering company , and her husband lost his freelance jobs doing sound production .
To save money , the couple and their 13-year-old daughter ate less meat , clicked off lights to lower their electric bill and canceled their HBO subscription .
Since then , her husband has picked up some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ portion of her $ 1,200 stimulus check to pay bills and shore up savings .
It took months for the couple to receive unemployment benefits , but the aid , including the extra $ 600 a week , briefly helped cover their expenses .
But now they ’ re back to surviving on much leaner unemployment checks .
She ’ s getting $ 900 a month , while her husband gets about half that .
With the $ 600 supplement , “ I could pay my full rent … and was comfortable paying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re paying just a quarter of their rent and juggling other bills .
“ I ’ m trying to stagger payments and also make the minimum payment on things like my water bill or even my garbage bill , ” she says .
Utility companies “ have been understanding because of what ’ s been going on .
“ We still don ’ t have full cable , and , at this point now , I ’ m thinking we may have to cut it off .
But I feel like that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fernandez continues to look for work .
“ It ’ s just hard , ’ ’ she says .
“ I feel like , these days , because there are so many people out of work … I ’ m getting lowballed when we get to the point where they ask how much money I want in terms of salary .
I feel like it keeps getting lower and lower.
’ ’ Congress not delivering a new relief package is frustrating , she says .
“ I just feel like they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she says .
“ I don ’ t think it ’ s logical or rational when people need the help.
’ “ If Joe Biden is elected , I ’ ll feel a lot better , ” she says .
“ I just feel if people can just follow a leader who will tell them the truth and be honest with them , maybe we can get through this a lot quicker , out of this tunnel that we ’ re all stuck in.
’ ’ Christopher Bolei ’ s financial hole has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been struggling to find work for months and couldn ’ t afford rent after losing his job as a maintenance supervisor for a real estate management company .
Since then , he has fallen further behind on his rent payments , and fears he ’ ll be evicted once rent moratoriums expire early next year .
The $ 8,700 in back rent Bolei owed in July has swelled to $ 13,000 .
He has been missing his nearly $ 3,000 monthly rent payment due to medical costs for his partner , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and faces $ 30,000 in medication costs this year to treat a brain injury from a car accident .
State benefits haven ’ t been enough to help him make ends meet after the $ 600 federal bonus went away in late July .
In California , state unemployment maxes out at $ 450 a week .
“ Congress needs to reinstate the extra $ 600 in unemployment aid so that jobless Americans can pay their bills before millions of us end up in the street because we ’ re evicted , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an extra $ 300 in weekly payments retroactive to Aug. 1 after Trump ’ s executive action , but it ended after six weeks .
Once the rent moratoriums expire in January , he ’ ll owe even more , he says .
Bolei is paying 25 % of his rent so he won ’ t get evicted .
But he doesn ’ t know how he ’ ll pay his full balance in a lump sum once it comes due early next year since job prospects remain scarce .
“ We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Bolei says .
“ We ’ ve been abandoned and left alone .
This isn ’ t how America works .
It ’ s a scary time in this country.
” Texas woman : Clawing all the way back Charlotte Mahler , 52 , of Plano , Texas , is one of the fortunate Americans who , after being laid off because of the pandemic , landed a new job , transferring her skills from an industry pummeled by the crisis to one that has been buoyed by it .
In early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a recruiter for a staffing firm that had her working with an aerospace company , an industry that was devastated when the outbreak sharply curtailed air travel .
In mid-May , Mahler hadn ’ t yet gotten unemployment checks because of overwhelmed computer and phone systems , so she drew down her savings to pay rent and utilities .
She also canceled her cable and Netflix subscriptions and switched to cheaper generic products at the grocery store .
Monthly visits to the hairdresser were out .
Even after her jobless benefits arrived , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mahler maintained her more frugal lifestyle and applied for about 20 recruiting jobs a week .
She also day-traded stocks and worked temporary recruiting jobs .
“ I knew unemployment wouldn ’ t last forever , ” she says .
In July , Mahler ’ s former staffing firm told her a recruiting job was available at a Life Sciences company called MilliporeSigma that has ramped up hiring .
The company makes equipment and services for manufacturers of pharmaceuticals , biotech , health testing and industrial products , items that have had strong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ started work in early August , just after the $ 600 unemployment bonus ended .
“ It was just such a relief , ” she says .
Mahler resumed her cable and Netflix subscriptions and her monthly visits to the hairdresser and is again shopping for clothes and eating out .
“ I started slowly going back to things , ” she says .
“ It feels great .
”

An out-of-work travel agent whose mortgage payments were deferred now worries about losing her house. A couple can’t pay their bills after the $600 unemployment bonus ran out. An idled maintenance supervisor has fallen further behind on rent.
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, many people have edged closer to financial calamity, while others have finally landed full- or part-time jobs.
Here are some of their stories:
Naperville woman: ‘I feel OK’
In Naperville, Rachel Metcalfe, 23, is starting to see her health and her finances emerge from the depths.
In early spring, she had been hospitalized after contracting what she believes was COVID-19. She also had been furloughed from her social media marketing job and couldn’t pay an $11,000 bill for a hospital stay to cover expenses including a coronavirus test, which is supposed to be free. Metcalfe had launched a GoFundMe effort to cover her blood work, X-rays and CT scan.
She still has minor chest pain symptoms, she says, but her health has improved.
Metcalfe has gotten a part-time job as a retail assistant manager that pays $5 an hour less than what she made at her old full-time job. But she might be able to go back to her social media job in the coming weeks as her employer’s offices reopen.
“All around, I feel OK,” she said. “Not great, not bad, but in that middle ground.”
Her boyfriend moved in over the summer, which helps offset some of her rent. She got a $1,200 stimulus check and $600-a-week unemployment boost, which helped her make ends meet.
“On my own, I would have been evicted,” Metcalfe said.
The hospital later dismissed the $11,000 bill, so she refunded the GoFundMe money to everyone who stepped in to help.
Julie Antoine, 59, lost her job as a corporate travel agent in mid-March after a nearly 40-year career. LinkedIn
Florida woman: ‘I can’t do it’
Julie Antoine’s struggles to stay afloat have only grown more dire as she copes with the ups and downs of federal assistance and a financial support base that becomes wobblier by the month. Antoine, 59, lost her job as a corporate travel agent in mid-March after a nearly 40-year career, as business trips became a thing of the past.
The Gainesville, Florida, resident turned to friends and family to pay phone, Internet and cable bills until she finally received unemployment benefits in the spring, including the extra $600 a week from the federal government.
In August, the $600 had expired, forcing her to make do with $275 in state weekly benefits and to again rely on friends and relatives.
In mid-August, President Donald Trump signed an executive order reinstating half of the $600 benefit, and Antoine got an additional $1,200 — covering four weeks of payments — the following month.
In late September, though, Antoine’s regular state benefits expired. Her certification for food stamps also ran out.
She has applied for extensions to both programs and expects to be approved but for now has no income. As for the help from friends and family, “That has kind of dwindled down,” the Saint Lucia native says. “You’re going from helping somebody to becoming a dependent.”
Her bills are paid through the end of October, and she stocked up on groceries by taking advantage of discounts. But Antoine hopes her unemployment benefits and food stamps start flowing again before her bills are due at the end of the month.
She has continued to do without the occasional takeout dinners and home furnishing purchases she enjoyed when the $600 federal aid was coming in. Recently, she canceled her $5-a-month Amazon music subscription.
Even if the government assistance is reinstated, Antoine worries about the future. The state jobless benefits are set to expire permanently in December. And a 12-month deferral of her $1,600 monthly mortgage payment ends in February.
“If I don’t get a job between now and December, I will be put out of my house,” she says.
Recently, her heart rate spiked while she was sitting at her desk, requiring a trip to an emergency room.
“It is emotionally taxing,” she says.
Antoine says she has steadily applied for travel agent jobs, but “nothing has come through.”
California woman: Back to square one
For Eleanore Fernandez of Milpitas, California, near San Jose, spring was tough, and fall has felt like a reprise after some summer relief.
In the early days of the pandemic, Fernandez, who is in her late 40s, had been laid off from her job at a catering company, and her husband lost his freelance jobs doing sound production. To save money, the couple and their 13-year-old daughter ate less meat, clicked off lights to lower their electric bill and canceled their HBO subscription.
Since then, her husband has picked up some short-term contract work. Fernandez used a portion of her $1,200 stimulus check to pay bills and shore up savings. It took months for the couple to receive unemployment benefits, but the aid, including the extra $600 a week, briefly helped cover their expenses.
But now they’re back to surviving on much leaner unemployment checks. She’s getting $900 a month, while her husband gets about half that.
With the $600 supplement, “I could pay my full rent … and was comfortable paying utilities on time.”
Now, they’re paying just a quarter of their rent and juggling other bills.
“I’m trying to stagger payments and also make the minimum payment on things like my water bill or even my garbage bill,” she says. Utility companies “have been understanding because of what’s been going on.
“We still don’t have full cable, and, at this point now, I’m thinking we may have to cut it off. But I feel like that’s a first-world problem.’’
Fernandez continues to look for work.
“It’s just hard,’’ she says. “I feel like, these days, because there are so many people out of work … I’m getting lowballed when we get to the point where they ask how much money I want in terms of salary. I feel like it keeps getting lower and lower.’’
Congress not delivering a new relief package is frustrating, she says.
“I just feel like they’re a little out of touch,” she says. “I don’t think it’s logical or rational when people need the help.’
“If Joe Biden is elected, I’ll feel a lot better,” she says. “I just feel if people can just follow a leader who will tell them the truth and be honest with them, maybe we can get through this a lot quicker, out of this tunnel that we’re all stuck in.’’
Christopher Bolei, 63: “Congress needs to reinstate the extra $600 in unemployment aid.” USA Today
California man: ‘We’re in a world of hurt’
Christopher Bolei’s financial hole has gotten deeper.
In July, Bolei had been struggling to find work for months and couldn’t afford rent after losing his job as a maintenance supervisor for a real estate management company. Since then, he has fallen further behind on his rent payments, and fears he’ll be evicted once rent moratoriums expire early next year.
The $8,700 in back rent Bolei owed in July has swelled to $13,000. He has been missing his nearly $3,000 monthly rent payment due to medical costs for his partner, who has lupus, an autoimmune disease, and faces $30,000 in medication costs this year to treat a brain injury from a car accident.
State benefits haven’t been enough to help him make ends meet after the $600 federal bonus went away in late July. In California, state unemployment maxes out at $450 a week.
“Congress needs to reinstate the extra $600 in unemployment aid so that jobless Americans can pay their bills before millions of us end up in the street because we’re evicted,” says Bolei, 63.
He got an extra $300 in weekly payments retroactive to Aug. 1 after Trump’s executive action, but it ended after six weeks.
Once the rent moratoriums expire in January, he’ll owe even more, he says. Bolei is paying 25% of his rent so he won’t get evicted. But he doesn’t know how he’ll pay his full balance in a lump sum once it comes due early next year since job prospects remain scarce.
“We’re in a world of hurt,” Bolei says. “We’ve been abandoned and left alone. This isn’t how America works. It’s a scary time in this country.”
Charlotte Mahler on finding work after a pandemic-related layoff: “It was just such a relief.” USA Today
Texas woman: Clawing all the way back
Charlotte Mahler, 52, of Plano, Texas, is one of the fortunate Americans who, after being laid off because of the pandemic, landed a new job, transferring her skills from an industry pummeled by the crisis to one that has been buoyed by it.
In early April, Mahler lost her job as a recruiter for a staffing firm that had her working with an aerospace company, an industry that was devastated when the outbreak sharply curtailed air travel.
In mid-May, Mahler hadn’t yet gotten unemployment checks because of overwhelmed computer and phone systems, so she drew down her savings to pay rent and utilities.
She also canceled her cable and Netflix subscriptions and switched to cheaper generic products at the grocery store. Monthly visits to the hairdresser were out.
Even after her jobless benefits arrived, including the $600 federal bonus, Mahler maintained her more frugal lifestyle and applied for about 20 recruiting jobs a week. She also day-traded stocks and worked temporary recruiting jobs.
“I knew unemployment wouldn’t last forever,” she says.
In July, Mahler’s former staffing firm told her a recruiting job was available at a Life Sciences company called MilliporeSigma that has ramped up hiring. The company makes equipment and services for manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, biotech, health testing and industrial products, items that have had strong demand during the health crisis. She started work in early August, just after the $600 unemployment bonus ended.
“It was just such a relief,” she says.
Mahler resumed her cable and Netflix subscriptions and her monthly visits to the hairdresser and is again shopping for clothes and eating out.
“I started slowly going back to things,” she says. “It feels great.”
Contributing: Dalvin Brown
Read more at USA Today.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-29--Dear Abby: Couple confused about why they seldom can see their grandkids

DEAR ABBY : My brother “ Brian ” and his wife , “ Laurel , ” have an adult son , “ Dick , ” who dated a girl I ’ ll call “ Crystal ” for 10 years before they got married .
Everyone got along fine , until Crystal gave birth .
After their first child was born , Crystal started withholding visits from my brother and his wife .
Crystal and Dick had two more children .
The oldest is now 6 .
The only way Brian and Laurel see their grandchildren is if there ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Crystal allows her parents to see the kids and spend time with them whenever .
Brian and Laurel are flabbergasted by what has happened .
They have no idea why all of a sudden after giving birth , their DIL has not allowed them to visit the grandkids , babysit or anything .
My brother and his wife are great people .
They don ’ t drink to excess or use drugs and would be wonderful grandparents for these children .
Would it be appropriate as a family member ( aunt ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in a kind , nonaccusatory way , explain the hurt this has caused and how much their children are missing out from not being around these two great individuals ?
— MISSING OUT IN OREGON DEAR MISSING OUT : While it isn ’ t unheard of for the wife ’ s parents to take precedence over the husband ’ s , Crystal ’ s behavior does appear to be extreme .
It also appears the way she ’ s acting is retaliatory , but the people who must get to the bottom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wife .
I don ’ t think there is anything to be gained by involving yourself in this sad mess , because if you do , Crystal and her husband will resent it .
Sympathize , but stay out of it .
DEAR ABBY : Five years ago , my daughter , “ Angie , ” and her two children moved in with me after she and her husband separated .
I hoped she would get her finances and life together and be able to get a place of her own .
What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time was that Angie had started a relationship and had fallen in love with a man she met online .
Her daughter was very upset about it .
Angie was in a custody dispute over her youngest child , and we disagreed more than once about issues concerning the children .
After a couple of years , she moved into her own place .
She ’ s still involved with this individual .
I haven ’ t met him and have no desire to .
She ’ s upset with me because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to see him with her because he has been married several times and is involved with drugs .
I realize who Angie is involved with is her business and not mine , but I want nothing to do with him .
How can I avoid a rift with her over this ?
— SOURED IN SOUTH CAROLINA DEAR SOURED : No law says you HAVE to meet this person , and it is your privilege to avoid him if you wish .
I ’ m not sure what your daughter expects from you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him ?
Common sense would dictate that you do not want anyone who is involved with illegal substances in your home .
However , I do think you should agree to meet him once .
If Angie ’ s relationship with you is predicated on the idea that you will welcome this individual into your life with open arms because she has , you will then have to figure out how to navigate this .
That she would allow someone like him to interact with her children shows very poor judgment .
Dear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 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 .
\What teens need to know about sex , drugs , AIDS and getting along with peers and parents is in “ What Every Teen Should Know.
” Send your name and mailing address , plus check or money order for $ 8 ( U.S. funds ) , to : Dear Abby , Teen Booklet , P.O .
Box 447 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Shipping and handling are included in the price . )

DEAR ABBY: My brother “Brian” and his wife, “Laurel,” have an adult son, “Dick,” who dated a girl I’ll call “Crystal” for 10 years before they got married. Everyone got along fine, until Crystal gave birth.
After their first child was born, Crystal started withholding visits from my brother and his wife. Crystal and Dick had two more children. The oldest is now 6. The only way Brian and Laurel see their grandchildren is if there’s a family reunion, wedding, etc. Crystal allows her parents to see the kids and spend time with them whenever.
Brian and Laurel are flabbergasted by what has happened. They have no idea why all of a sudden after giving birth, their DIL has not allowed them to visit the grandkids, babysit or anything. My brother and his wife are great people. They don’t drink to excess or use drugs and would be wonderful grandparents for these children.
Would it be appropriate as a family member (aunt) to write a letter to Crystal and, in a kind, nonaccusatory way, explain the hurt this has caused and how much their children are missing out from not being around these two great individuals? — MISSING OUT IN OREGON
DEAR MISSING OUT: While it isn’t unheard of for the wife’s parents to take precedence over the husband’s, Crystal’s behavior does appear to be extreme. It also appears the way she’s acting is retaliatory, but the people who must get to the bottom of it are your brother and his wife. I don’t think there is anything to be gained by involving yourself in this sad mess, because if you do, Crystal and her husband will resent it. Sympathize, but stay out of it.
DEAR ABBY: Five years ago, my daughter, “Angie,” and her two children moved in with me after she and her husband separated. I hoped she would get her finances and life together and be able to get a place of her own.
What I didn’t realize at the time was that Angie had started a relationship and had fallen in love with a man she met online. Her daughter was very upset about it. Angie was in a custody dispute over her youngest child, and we disagreed more than once about issues concerning the children.
After a couple of years, she moved into her own place. She’s still involved with this individual. I haven’t met him and have no desire to. She’s upset with me because of it. I don’t want to see him with her because he has been married several times and is involved with drugs. I realize who Angie is involved with is her business and not mine, but I want nothing to do with him. How can I avoid a rift with her over this? — SOURED IN SOUTH CAROLINA
DEAR SOURED: No law says you HAVE to meet this person, and it is your privilege to avoid him if you wish. I’m not sure what your daughter expects from you. Does she want you to entertain him? Common sense would dictate that you do not want anyone who is involved with illegal substances in your home. However, I do think you should agree to meet him once.
If Angie’s relationship with you is predicated on the idea that you will welcome this individual into your life with open arms because she has, you will then have to figure out how to navigate this. That she would allow someone like him to interact with her children shows very poor judgment.
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.
\What teens need to know about sex, drugs, AIDS and getting along with peers and parents is in “What Every Teen Should Know.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds), to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)