chicagosun-times--2020-07-23--Barack Obama, Joe Biden buddy up in 2020 campaign video punching at Donald Trump

Former President Barack Obama displayed a pair of red boxing gloves , signed by Muhammad Ali , in his Illinois Senate suite , took them to the White House and then to his post-presidential office in Washington .
In the Illinois Senate office , Obama put the gloves under a big photo of Ali standing over Sonny Liston after landing a blow in one of their famous fights .
You can see a glimpse of the gloves in some of the shots of the video released Thursday of Obama having a “ socially distanced ” conversation with Joe Biden , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Democratic nominee in August .
The video was recorded earlier this month by Obama ’ s video team at his office .
Though they speak regularly , it was the first in-person meeting since Biden clinched the nomination in April .
It ’ s the argument why Biden would be the steady president in these calamitous times , the opposite of what ’ s happening now with President Donald Trump at the helm .
The nostalgic look back at the Obama years and Obama ’ s vouching for Biden is used to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a President Biden .
Stuff , in general , most likely to jazz-up Democratic voters Buddies Obama and Trump are a tag-team jabbing Trump as the popular Obama takes on an increasing role in boosting Biden .
Last month , a fundraiser Obama headlined raised $ 7.6 million with 120,000 people logged in for the virtual event .
The video opens as they emerge , in slow motion , from separate black SUVs in a garage .
Then they appear , masked , getting out of separate elevators .
They sit , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about presidential leadership – in short , they have it , Trump does not .
Biden : “ Can you imagine standing up when you were president , saying , “ It ’ s not my responsibility ” ?
“ I take no responsibility ” ?
I mean , literally… ” Obama : “ Those words didn ’ t come out of our mouths , while we were in office.
” Biden : “ I don ’ t understand his inability to get a sense of what people are going through .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t relate in any way.
” Obama : “ Well , and one of the things that I have always known about you , Joe , it ’ s the reason why I wanted you to be my vice president and the reason why you were so effective — it all starts with being able to relate….
” Trump ’ s name is not mentioned in the video , but you get the reference to “ this guy , ” as they talk about Trump ’ s missteps .
Biden : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in the middle of a pandemic , trying to take away the protection for a hundred million people who have preexisting conditions .
I don ’ t think he has any sense of empathy or any — I don ’ t think he can associate at all.
” Obama : “ You and I had experience dealing with health crises — public health crisis — and in each instance , what you and I understood and why I have so much confidence that you ’ re going to be able to deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other countries , with our kinds of resources that are dealing with it right now , which is smartly .
I have confidence that you ’ re going to actually listen to the experts.
” Not that everything they did was perfect .
Obama on Obamacare likened it to a “ a starter house ” that could , over time , be improved .
Eric Schultz , an Obama spokesman , told the Chicago Sun-Times , “ We put a lot of time and thought into figuring out how to make this work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , was protecting the Vice President and making sure we didn ’ t risk his health .
“ But we also wanted to model , best practices .
Considering how many millions of people would be watching this , in sending a message that you can still be social , and safe .
At the same time ... the challenge was capturing the chemistry between the two leaders , but in a way that was consistent with social distance protocols .
“ …The goal is to discuss the biggest challenges facing the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans to tackle each of them and package it in a way that we ’ re still able to generate attention , ” Schulz said .
The video runs 15 minutes and 50 seconds .
The shoot lasted more than an hour , so there is probably more Obama/Biden footage to be released later .
Obama and Biden didn ’ t land a knock-out punch on Trump .
They ’ re taking their time .
When it comes to Trump , Obama and Biden showed they know a thing or two about translating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political ring .

Former President Barack Obama displayed a pair of red boxing gloves, signed by Muhammad Ali, in his Illinois Senate suite, took them to the White House and then to his post-presidential office in Washington.
In the Illinois Senate office, Obama put the gloves under a big photo of Ali standing over Sonny Liston after landing a blow in one of their famous fights.
You can see a glimpse of the gloves in some of the shots of the video released Thursday of Obama having a “socially distanced” conversation with Joe Biden, his vice president, who will become the Democratic nominee in August.
The video was recorded earlier this month by Obama’s video team at his office. Though they speak regularly, it was the first in-person meeting since Biden clinched the nomination in April.
The video packs a punch Biden needs.
It’s the argument why Biden would be the steady president in these calamitous times, the opposite of what’s happening now with President Donald Trump at the helm.
The nostalgic look back at the Obama years and Obama’s vouching for Biden is used to preview issues and policies to be championed by a President Biden.
Stuff, in general, most likely to jazz-up Democratic voters
Buddies Obama and Biden are a tag-team jabbing Trump as the popular Obama takes on an increasing role in boosting Biden. Last month, a fundraiser Obama headlined raised $7.6 million with 120,000 people logged in for the virtual event.
The video opens as they emerge, in slow motion, from separate black SUVs in a garage.
Then they appear, masked, getting out of separate elevators. They sit, with many feet between them, talking about presidential leadership – in short, they have it, Trump does not.
Biden: “Can you imagine standing up when you were president, saying, “It’s not my responsibility”? “I take no responsibility”? I mean, literally…”
Obama: “Those words didn’t come out of our mouths, while we were in office.”
Biden: “I don’t understand his inability to get a sense of what people are going through. He just can’t, he can’t relate in any way.”
Obama: “Well, and one of the things that I have always known about you, Joe, it’s the reason why I wanted you to be my vice president and the reason why you were so effective — it all starts with being able to relate….”
Trump’s name is not mentioned in the video, but you get the reference to “this guy,” as they talk about Trump’s missteps.
Biden: “But this guy’s in court, in the middle of a pandemic, trying to take away the protection for a hundred million people who have preexisting conditions. I don’t think he has any sense of empathy or any — I don’t think he can associate at all.”
Obama: “You and I had experience dealing with health crises — public health crisis — and in each instance, what you and I understood and why I have so much confidence that you’re going to be able to deal with a COVID in the way that other countries, with our kinds of resources that are dealing with it right now, which is smartly. I have confidence that you’re going to actually listen to the experts.”
Not that everything they did was perfect. Obama on Obamacare likened it to a “a starter house” that could, over time, be improved.
Eric Schultz, an Obama spokesman, told the Chicago Sun-Times, “We put a lot of time and thought into figuring out how to make this work. First and foremost, of course, was protecting the Vice President and making sure we didn’t risk his health.
“But we also wanted to model, best practices. Considering how many millions of people would be watching this, in sending a message that you can still be social, and safe. At the same time...the challenge was capturing the chemistry between the two leaders, but in a way that was consistent with social distance protocols.
“…The goal is to discuss the biggest challenges facing the country today. And Joe Biden’s plans to tackle each of them and package it in a way that we’re still able to generate attention,” Schulz said.
The video runs 15 minutes and 50 seconds. The shoot lasted more than an hour, so there is probably more Obama/Biden footage to be released later.
Obama and Biden didn’t land a knock-out punch on Trump. They’re taking their time. When it comes to Trump, Obama and Biden showed they know a thing or two about translating Ali’s rope-a-dope strategy into the political ring.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-23--In praise of efforts to sing the blues again on Sweet Home Chicago’s South Side

The blues are a cultural cornerstone of Chicago — what of things that make us , us — so we ’ re encouraged by two new efforts to honor and promote this vital music .
First , cheers to the National Trust for Historic Preservation for awarding a $ 50,000 grant to help renovate the former home of the late bluesman Muddy Waters .
A group led by Waters ’ great-granddaughter Chandra Cooper wants to turn the 131-year-old North Kenwood house into the Muddy Waters Mojo Museum , recording studio and community center .
A tip of the trilby also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Park resident who ’ s prepping to re-open the legendary Lee ’ s Unleaded Blues at 74th Street and South Chicago Avenue .
Waters lived in the two-story brick and limestone house at 4339 S. Lake Park Ave. , during his creative peak from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s .
During that time , the electric blues pioneer turned out hits such as “ Hoochie Coochie Man , ” “ Got my Mojo Working ” and the swaggering , stop-time classic “ Mannish Boy.
” The six-time Grammy winner even built a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jam sessions with musical giants such as Chuck Berry and Howlin ’ Wolf .
“ African Americans have been vanguards at the forefront of innovating American music , and this really is a testament to Muddy Waters , ” Brent Leggs , executive director of National Trust ’ s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund , told the Hyde Park Herald .
The fund awarded the grant to the Waters museum effort .
Waters moved in 1973 and resettled in the DuPage County suburb Westmont .
He died in 1983 , and by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the South Side — still owned by Waters ’ heirs — was in such disrepair that it had fallen into demolition court .
The $ 50,000 grant will allow long overdue stabilization work to begin .
Leggs says the Lake Park house is important because it is where Waters “ could contemplate and create his own art — it ’ s more than just a place where he laid his head and slept and ate .
It stands today as a site of art and creativity that represents the life of Muddy Waters.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Waters museum would be Chicago ’ s second blues museum .
Willie Dixon ’ s Blues Heaven Foundation , housed in the historic Chess Records Building , 2120 S. Michigan , has been in operation since 1993 .
The electric blues — a modern , citified sibling of the pioneering acoustic blues invented and perfected in the American South — could be heard in venues throughout the South and West sides from the 1940s through the 1970s .
The clubs started rapidly disappearing in the 1980s , and by the 2000s , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood was one of the few places outside of downtown and the North Side where live blues performances could be heard .
( You can still hear the blues on the West Side at the Water Hole at 14th and Western , and B & B Blues Club at 4422 W. Madison St. ) Lee ’ s closed in 2015 .
But Berger , who bought the place in 2018 , is a finalist to get a $ 136,000 slice of the city ’ s $ 5.4 million Neighborhood Opportunity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use the funds to rehab and re-open the club .
Keeping the South Side location , he said , is important .
“ At a point , we were discussing what we were going to do here with some people from the city , and a recommendation was made we should move the bar to another local area of greater concentration of development , ” Berger told Sun-Times reporter Evan F. Moore .
“ But I felt very strongly that I wanted to keep it here ; I think it ’ s an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , these two key moves could result in a re-emphasis on the blues in Chicago , which too often is dismissed as an dying musical genre , though it continues to influence everything from hip-hop to movie scores .
We might also see a little rebalancing of the city ’ s cultural map — what gets the attention of the entertainment media and the tourist brochures — which has long favored downtown and the North Side , to the neglect of a big part of what has made Chicago one of the great @ @ @

The blues are a cultural cornerstone of Chicago — what of things that make us, us — so we’re encouraged by two new efforts to honor and promote this vital music.
First, cheers to the National Trust for Historic Preservation for awarding a $50,000 grant to help renovate the former home of the late bluesman Muddy Waters.
A group led by Waters’ great-granddaughter Chandra Cooper wants to turn the 131-year-old North Kenwood house into the Muddy Waters Mojo Museum, recording studio and community center.
A tip of the trilby also goes to Warren Berger, a Lincoln Park resident who’s prepping to re-open the legendary Lee’s Unleaded Blues at 74th Street and South Chicago Avenue.
Editorials bug Editorials
A house of blues
Waters lived in the two-story brick and limestone house at 4339 S. Lake Park Ave., during his creative peak from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s. During that time, the electric blues pioneer turned out hits such as “Hoochie Coochie Man,” “Got my Mojo Working” and the swaggering, stop-time classic “Mannish Boy.”
The six-time Grammy winner even built a basement rehearsal room where he held impromptu jam sessions with musical giants such as Chuck Berry and Howlin’ Wolf.
Muddy Waters’ home on the South Side, seen here in 2013, could be restored as a community center, with a recording studio included. Sun-Times Media
“African Americans have been vanguards at the forefront of innovating American music, and this really is a testament to Muddy Waters,” Brent Leggs, executive director of National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, told the Hyde Park Herald. The fund awarded the grant to the Waters museum effort.
Waters moved in 1973 and resettled in the DuPage County suburb Westmont. He died in 1983, and by 2013 the vacant and derelict house on the South Side — still owned by Waters’ heirs — was in such disrepair that it had fallen into demolition court.
The $50,000 grant will allow long overdue stabilization work to begin. Leggs says the Lake Park house is important because it is where Waters “could contemplate and create his own art — it’s more than just a place where he laid his head and slept and ate. It stands today as a site of art and creativity that represents the life of Muddy Waters.”
If it becomes a reality, the Waters museum would be Chicago’s second blues museum. Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven Foundation, housed in the historic Chess Records Building, 2120 S. Michigan, has been in operation since 1993.
Blues club ‘an institution’
The electric blues — a modern, citified sibling of the pioneering acoustic blues invented and perfected in the American South — could be heard in venues throughout the South and West sides from the 1940s through the 1970s.
The clubs started rapidly disappearing in the 1980s, and by the 2000s, Lee’s Unleaded Blues in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood was one of the few places outside of downtown and the North Side where live blues performances could be heard. (You can still hear the blues on the West Side at the Water Hole at 14th and Western, and B&B Blues Club at 4422 W. Madison St.)
Warren Berger, owner of Lee’s Unleaded Blues in the Grand Crossing neighborhood, shows off an original, hand-painted tin sign from the 1960s. Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
Lee’s closed in 2015. But Berger, who bought the place in 2018, is a finalist to get a $136,000 slice of the city’s $5.4 million Neighborhood Opportunity Fund grant. Berger said he would use the funds to rehab and re-open the club.
Keeping the South Side location, he said, is important.
“At a point, we were discussing what we were going to do here with some people from the city, and a recommendation was made we should move the bar to another local area of greater concentration of development,” Berger told Sun-Times reporter Evan F. Moore. “But I felt very strongly that I wanted to keep it here; I think it’s an institution.”
If it all goes right, these two key moves could result in a re-emphasis on the blues in Chicago, which too often is dismissed as a dying musical genre, though it continues to influence everything from hip-hop to movie scores.
We might also see a little rebalancing of the city’s cultural map — what gets the attention of the entertainment media and the tourist brochures — which has long favored downtown and the North Side, to the neglect of a big part of what has made Chicago one of the great American cities.
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-23--Black Lives Matter files suit to stop federal officers sent by Trump from targeting Chicago proteste

Black Lives Matter files suit to stop federal officers sent by Trump from targeting Chicago protesters

Black Lives Matter Chicago and other social justice groups filed suit Thursday against several federal law enforcement agencies seeking to prevent agents deployed in Chicago by President Donald Trump from harassing and detaining protesters .
The civil rights lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court comes a day after Trump said the federal officers would assist local police in reducing violent crime — and not form a camouflaged paramilitary strike force like the one that detained protesters in unmarked vans in Portland , Ore. recently .
Trump , however , did not rule out a heavier-handed response in the future .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have planned because of what they ’ ve been doing in Portland , ” attorney Tess Kleinhaus , who filed the suit , said Thursday during a news conference downtown in Federal Plaza .
“ The lawsuit is seeking injunctive relief to restrain federal law enforcement officers from violating the First and Fourth amendments of protesters , legal observers and journalists , ” Kleinhaus added .
The First Amendment assures freedom of speech , while the Fourth Amendment protects from unreasonable search and seizure .
“ They are trying to suppress our righteous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suppressed , we will continue fighting back , ” Aislinn Pulley , a founder of Black Lives Matter Chicago , told a crowd of about 150 demonstrators Thursday “ We see what ’ s happening in Portland , that was the first test case .
And now it ’ s coming here , ” Pulley claimed .
On Thursday , Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf told Fox News that the overarching federal initiative sending additional agents to Chicago “ is focused on something very different than what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ What we ’ re talking about in Chicago is just that criminal activity that we see in the streets , whether it ’ s gang crime , illicit narcotics and drug crime and the like , ” said Wolf , who is named as a defendant in the suit along with other federal officials .
“ And so the Department of Justice , DEA , FBI and others , along with elements of the Department of Homeland Security , are working on those criminal investigations and those criminal activities every day .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforcement , ” he added .
“ And I think that will continue to operate pretty well.
” The lawsuit comes amid a nationwide reckoning over racial injustice that has spurred mounting calls to cut funding for police departments and has prompted widespread protests — and in some cases rioting — in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd .
In addition to Kleinhaus , of the law firm Loevy & Loevy , law clinics from the University of Chicago and Northwestern and other legal groups also worked on the suit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the complaint alongside a coalition that includes the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America and other local activist groups .

Black Lives Matter Chicago and other social justice groups filed suit Thursday against several federal law enforcement agencies seeking to prevent agents deployed in Chicago by President Donald Trump from harassing and detaining protesters.
The civil rights lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court comes a day after Trump said the federal officers would assist local police in reducing violent crime — and not form a camouflaged paramilitary strike force like the one that detained protesters in unmarked vans in Portland, Ore. recently. Trump, however, did not rule out a heavier-handed response in the future.
“We know the authoritarian tactics they have planned because of what they’ve been doing in Portland,” attorney Tess Kleinhaus, who filed the suit, said Thursday during a news conference downtown in Federal Plaza.
“The lawsuit is seeking injunctive relief to restrain federal law enforcement officers from violating the First and Fourth amendments of protesters, legal observers and journalists,” Kleinhaus added.
The First Amendment assures freedom of speech, while the Fourth Amendment protects from unreasonable search and seizure.
“They are trying to suppress our righteous anger, and we will not be suppressed, we will continue fighting back,” Aislinn Pulley, a founder of Black Lives Matter Chicago, told a crowd of about 150 demonstrators Thursday
“We see what’s happening in Portland, that was the first test case. And now it’s coming here,” Pulley claimed.
On Thursday, Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf told Fox News that the overarching federal initiative sending additional agents to Chicago “is focused on something very different than what’s going on in Portland.
“What we’re talking about in Chicago is just that criminal activity that we see in the streets, whether it’s gang crime, illicit narcotics and drug crime and the like,” said Wolf, who is named as a defendant in the suit along with other federal officials.
“And so the Department of Justice, DEA, FBI and others, along with elements of the Department of Homeland Security, are working on those criminal investigations and those criminal activities every day. And they do that locally with law enforcement,” he added. “And I think that will continue to operate pretty well.”
The lawsuit comes amid a nationwide reckoning over racial injustice that has spurred mounting calls to cut funding for police departments and has prompted widespread protests — and in some cases rioting — in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd.
In addition to Kleinhaus, of the law firm Loevy & Loevy, law clinics from the University of Chicago and Northwestern and other legal groups also worked on the suit. Black Lives Matter Chicago is lodging the complaint alongside a coalition that includes the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America and other local activist groups.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-23--What will be the ‘new normal’ at the ballpark?

There are subtle , if silly , parts of sports you won ’ t realize you love until they ’ re gone .
There ’ s a charm to passing a hot dog down the row at the ballpark .
It ’ s surreal for kids to score a high-five — or a puck flipped to them — from a player at the arena .
Even as sports return to Chicago with the White Sox and Cubs opening Friday , it won ’ t be the same until the coronavirus pandemic ends .
And it will end .
In the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the games communal will be missing .
There ’ s no clear plan for fans to attend games this year .
The NBA and NHL will play in empty buildings as part of their “ bubbles.
” Major League Baseball has an indefinite ban on fans , and the NFL is still deciding .
Some football teams , including the Bears , are optimistic about hosting limited crowds — perhaps 15,000 people in 60,000-plus-seat stadiums — but that ’ s a best-case scenario and almost certainly wouldn ’ t happen were the season @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopen , get ready to rethink every aspect of the fan experience .
Some changes will last until a vaccine is available .
Others will be permanent .
Four of the city ’ s five major pro teams — the White Sox , Bears , Bulls and Blackhawks — declined the Sun-Times ’ requests to discuss in detail what a “ new normal ” fan experience may look like .
In an interview Thursday , Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney offered a look at the Cubs ’ plan , saying that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 7,000 fans to attend games , likely starting midway through the season .
They would enter in groups of two , four and six and have assigned gates to enter and exit the field , among other safety measures .
The plan has been presented to both the mayor ’ s office and MLB , and both need to approve it .
In a statement , the White Sox said they ’ re discussing the possible return of fans with medical experts , elected officials and Major League Baseball , but that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time would be premature and speculative.
” United Center CEO Howard Pizer said in a statement that there will be changes , and arena staff “ is looking at various models with creativity , very cognizant of how important a role ever-changing technology will play in this process.
” Many teams nationwide had already begun shifting to all-digital ticketing and cashless concessions .
Those will become commonplace , as will advanced gate entry procedures .
With tightly packed entry lines a concern , some teams are working to install walk-through security scanners .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ their pockets — or touch anything .
More gates will likely be added .
The independent Chicago Dogs , who held their home opener this month in Rosemont , are the only local pro team hosting fans , albeit at 20 % capacity .
The team ’ s ticketing website ensures social distancing ; nearby seats are made unavailable after purchase .
Fans ’ temperatures are taken at the gate , where ticket bar codes are scanned off their phones .
Concession stands don ’ t take cash .
Bathrooms are scrupulously cleaned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a two-way street , another feature Dogs owner Shawn Hunter believes might outlast the pandemic .
“ Cashless transactions for both ticketing and food and beverage , I see that being an industry norm going forward , ” he said .
As teams look to make their venues safe , including seeking Global Biorisk Advisory Council cleanliness certification , they ’ ll examine tailgating .
Some NFL teams have banned it , while others are considering it .
One possibility : converting parking lots into restaurant-style , socially-distanced dining .
If that goes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Inside the stadium , face masks will muffle the roar of the crowd .
They ’ re essential in every public space — and mandated in every NFL stadium , should they open to fans .
Bulls president Michael Reinsdorf said last month that making masks mandatory “ makes a lot of sense , ” while Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said it “ could be part of the solution.
” That ’ s presuming fans are allowed in at all .
“ It ’ s just completely different not having [ fans ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kyle Hendricks said .
“ But No .
1 is health and safety , you know ?
” Blackhawks star Jonathan Toews said he ’ d be disappointed if there were still no fans in 2021 , while forward Dominik Kubalik seemed resigned to it .
“ We just need to get used to it , ” he said .
“ That ’ s how the world is going right now.
” Staff writers Daryl Van Schouwen , Russell Dorsey and Ben Pope contributed to this story .

There are subtle, if silly, parts of sports you won’t realize you love until they’re gone. There’s a charm to passing a hot dog down the row at the ballpark. It’s surreal for kids to score a high-five — or a puck flipped to them — from a player at the arena.
Even as sports return to Chicago with the White Sox and Cubs opening Friday, it won’t be the same until the coronavirus pandemic ends. And it will end. In the meantime, a lot of what makes the games communal will be missing.
There’s no clear plan for fans to attend games this year. The NBA and NHL will play in empty buildings as part of their “bubbles.” Major League Baseball has an indefinite ban on fans, and the NFL is still deciding.
Some football teams, including the Bears, are optimistic about hosting limited crowds — perhaps 15,000 people in 60,000-plus-seat stadiums — but that’s a best-case scenario and almost certainly wouldn’t happen were the season to start today.
Whenever gates finally reopen, get ready to rethink every aspect of the fan experience. Some changes will last until a vaccine is available. Others will be permanent.
Four of the city’s five major pro teams — the White Sox, Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks — declined the Sun-Times’ requests to discuss in detail what a “new normal” fan experience may look like.
In an interview Thursday, Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney offered a look at the Cubs’ plan, saying that the team proposed protocol would allow 6,000 to 7,000 fans to attend games, likely starting midway through the season. They would enter in groups of two, four and six and have assigned gates to enter and exit the field, among other safety measures.
The plan has been presented to both the mayor’s office and MLB, and both need to approve it.
In a statement, the White Sox said they’re discussing the possible return of fans with medical experts, elected officials and Major League Baseball, but that “any more detailed comments at this time would be premature and speculative.”
United Center CEO Howard Pizer said in a statement that there will be changes, and arena staff “is looking at various models with creativity, very cognizant of how important a role ever-changing technology will play in this process.”
Many teams nationwide had already begun shifting to all-digital ticketing and cashless concessions. Those will become commonplace, as will advanced gate entry procedures. With tightly packed entry lines a concern, some teams are working to install walk-through security scanners. Fans wouldn’t have to empty their pockets — or touch anything. More gates will likely be added.
The independent Chicago Dogs, who held their home opener this month in Rosemont, are the only local pro team hosting fans, albeit at 20% capacity. The team’s ticketing website ensures social distancing; nearby seats are made unavailable after purchase.
Fans’ temperatures are taken at the gate, where ticket bar codes are scanned off their phones. Concession stands don’t take cash. Bathrooms are scrupulously cleaned. The concourse has been turned into a two-way street, another feature Dogs owner Shawn Hunter believes might outlast the pandemic.
“Cashless transactions for both ticketing and food and beverage, I see that being an industry norm going forward,” he said.
As teams look to make their venues safe, including seeking Global Biorisk Advisory Council cleanliness certification, they’ll examine tailgating. Some NFL teams have banned it, while others are considering it. One possibility: converting parking lots into restaurant-style, socially-distanced dining. If that goes well, it could become permanent.
Inside the stadium, face masks will muffle the roar of the crowd. They’re essential in every public space — and mandated in every NFL stadium, should they open to fans. Bulls president Michael Reinsdorf said last month that making masks mandatory “makes a lot of sense,” while Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said it “could be part of the solution.”
That’s presuming fans are allowed in at all.
“It’s just completely different not having [fans] here, obviously,” Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks said. “But No. 1 is health and safety, you know?”
Blackhawks star Jonathan Toews said he’d be disappointed if there were still no fans in 2021, while forward Dominik Kubalik seemed resigned to it.
“We just need to get used to it,” he said. “That’s how the world is going right now.”
Staff writers Daryl Van Schouwen, Russell Dorsey and Ben Pope contributed to this story.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-23--Cubs expect deal between Marquee Sports Network and Comcast in time for home opener

In the negotiating equivalent of the bottom of the ninth inning , Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney predicted Thursday he would nail down a deal with Comcast in time to allow Cubs fans to watch the home opener Friday night against the Brewers on Marquee Sports Network .
Kenney said he ’ s determined to finalize carriage agreement with the Chicago area ’ s largest cable provider , even if he has to work through the night and up until the last minute .
When the Cubs launched their own network , Kenney said there were two groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bandwagon early , such as AT & T and DirectTV , to assure their customers they would carry Cubs games , and those who chose to hold out in hopes of negotiating better terms .
“ This has been a pattern — not just with our station , but with stations all over the country , ” Kenney told the Chicago Sun-Times .
“ Unfortunately for our fans , it has been something that , from Day 1 , was gon na be the m.o .
for Comcast to hold out until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expect the games to be on Comcast … in time for opening day .
Our conversations — the pace of those — picked up right after we received an agreement with the players to come back and start playing this year .
… Issues that remain unresolved will be resolved in time …This has been the case back to my days at WGN .
… The Cubs opener has been the catalyst for a lot of deals to get done in my lifetime .
And I believe it will be the catalyst to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The monthly fee will be “ whatever Comcast elects to charge ” its customers , Kenney said .
The Cubs have “ rates that vary based on your geographic location with Comcast , ” but ultimately it ’ s “ their decision how much they want to pass through to subscribers.
” What happens if Kenney is wrong and a deal does not get done in time for opening day ?
“ Certainly not having carriage on the dominant provider in the market would be a huge negative for our fan base , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fans would have to move their service to one of a dozen other services that are available , including DirectTV and AT & T .
It would be a major dislocation .
And as we all know , changing your television service is not easy .
It ’ s a nuisance .
It would be very difficult for our fan base to have to go through that , ” Kenney said .
To maintain a connection with die-hard Cubs fans at a time when they ’ re not allowed in the stands , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ balls during the 30 games at Wrigley and ship each one to the season ticket holder with the seat closest to where it landed .
Friday night ’ s game will feature a moment of silence and solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement , virtual pitches by Gov .
J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot and an actual first pitch by Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg .
Health care workers on the front lines of Chicago ’ s war against the coronavirus will also be honored .
Still , it will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Kenney said .
“ Typically on opening day , we ’ ve got one eye on , most likely a snowstorm moving east and worrying about weather .
And we ’ re also [ normally ] keeping a close eye on 41,000 people coming into the ballpark .
That ’ s also not happening this year , ” Kenney said .
“ Starting the season in the middle of the summer without fans is certainly not something I thought I ’ d ever see.
” The Cubs are going to great lengths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home experience ” and come as close as possible to duplicating the “ audible energy you get from the fans in the ballpark.
” “ We have mics buried around the ballpark .
You ’ ll be hearing more of the players this year — one , because the crowd noise is gon na be lower , and second , is because we ’ ve put some mics in some unusual locations near the bases , ” Kenney said .
“ It ’ s important for there to be some level of crowd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weren ’ t , hitters could sense the catcher moving behind them and potentially get an advantage as a catcher receives a pitch .
So the league has mandated that every club insert at least one decibel level of crowd noise .
We ’ ve stripped out some of the audio tracks from prior games , sounds that are really peculiar to Wrigley Field , and dropped those into the master track .
We ’ ll also be using the organ extensively .
We ’ re trying to create an experience that will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fans , though .
There ’ s no replacing the energy they bring to the ballpark .
”

In the negotiating equivalent of the bottom of the ninth inning, Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney predicted Thursday that he would nail down a deal with Comcast in time to allow Cubs fans to watch the opener Friday night against the Brewers on Marquee Sports Network.
Kenney said he’s determined to finalize a carriage agreement with the Chicago area’s largest cable provider, even if he has to work through the night and up until the last minute.
When the Cubs launched their own network, Kenney said there were two groups of distributors: those who jumped on the bandwagon early, such as AT&T and DirecTV, to assure their customers they would carry Cubs games and those who chose to hold out in hopes of negotiating better terms.
“This has been a pattern — not just with our station but with stations all over the country,” Kenney told the Chicago Sun-Times. “Unfortunately for our fans, it has been something that, from Day 1, was gonna be the m.o. for Comcast, to hold out until the very last moment.
“I expect the games to be on Comcast . . . in time for Opening Day. . . . The Cubs’ opener has been the catalyst for a lot of deals to get done in my lifetime. And I believe it will be the catalyst to get our deal with Comcast done.”
The monthly fee will be “whatever Comcast elects to charge” its customers, Kenney said. The Cubs have “rates that vary based on your geographic location with Comcast,” but ultimately it’s “their decision how much they want to pass through to subscribers.”
What happens if Kenney is wrong and a deal does not get done in time for the opener?
“Certainly, not having carriage on the dominant provider in the market would be a huge negative for our fan base,” Kenney said.
“Then our fans would have to move their service to one of a dozen other services that are available, including DirecTV and AT&T. It would be a major dislocation. And as we all know, changing your television service is not easy. It’s a nuisance. It would be very difficult for our fan base to have to go through that.’’
To maintain a connection with die-hard Cubs fans at a time when they’re not allowed in the stands, the team has agreed to collect foul balls during the 30 games at Wrigley and ship each one to the season-ticket holder with the seat closest to where it landed.
Friday night’s game will feature a moment of silence and solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, virtual pitches by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot and an actual first pitch by Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg. Health-care workers on the front lines of Chicago’s war against the coronavirus will also be honored.
Still, it will be an Opening Day like no other, Kenney said.
“Typically on Opening Day, we’ve got one eye on, most likely a snowstorm moving east and worrying about weather,’’ Kenney said. ‘‘And we’re also [normally] keeping a close eye on 41,000 people coming into the ballpark. That’s also not happening this year.
“Starting the season in the middle of the summer without fans is certainly not something I thought I’d ever see.”
The Cubs are going to great lengths to enhance what Kenney called the “home experience” and come as close as possible to duplicating the “audible energy you get from the fans in the ballpark.”
“We have mics buried around the ballpark,’’ Kenney said. ‘‘You’ll be hearing more of the players this year — one, because the crowd noise is gonna be lower and, second, because we’ve put some mics in some unusual locations near the bases.
“It’s important for there to be some level of crowd noise in the ballpark. If there weren’t, hitters could sense the catcher moving behind them and potentially get an advantage as a catcher receives a pitch. So the league has mandated that every club insert at least one decibel level of crowd noise. We’ve stripped out some of the audio tracks from prior games, sounds that are really peculiar to Wrigley Field, and dropped those into the master track. We’ll also be using the organ extensively. We’re trying to create an experience that will feel at home. We miss the fans, though. There’s no replacing the energy they bring to the ballpark.”


chicagosun-times--2020-07-23--Marlon Wayans pays tribute to his late mother, Elvira   Wayans

The Wayans family has lost their matriarch .
Elvira Wayans — the mother of 10 children , including entertainers Damon Wayans , Marlon Wayans , Shawn Wayans and Keenen Ivory Wayans — has recently died , Marlon announced Thursday .
She was 81 .
Marlon took to Instagram to pen an emotional tribute to his late mother Thursday on what would ’ ve been her 82nd birthday , which doubles as his 48th birthday .
“ Today i celebrate for the both of ( us ) In the midst of this hurt , ” Marlon captioned a picture with Wayans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said losing his mother “ shattered me into 1000 pieces , ” adding that he ’ s “ putting myself back together piece by piece ” through grieving .
“ You will always be my glue , ” he wrote .
“ i just love you ma .
# missyou i accomplished so much , made you so proud ... but now i got angel to lift me.
” USA TODAY reached out to Marlon for comment .
In another Instagram post , Marlon reflected on spending his birthday alone .
“ Happy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ why me ’ ?
Why am i suffering ?
” he began his lengthy essay .
” I don ’ t question you through this journey .
On the other side of all this tragedy is victory .
So i trust you .
This is merely a journey to challenge me .
You ’ re not breaking me , you ’ re making me.
” The comedian continued : “ I ’ m not a victim I ’ m a hero being challenged to find my greatness .
I ’ m being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worst of times because if i can smile through this then that means my smile is permanent.
” Marlon is the youngest of 10 siblings .
The show business family has produced the series “ In Living Color , ” “ The Wayans Bros. , ” “ My Wife and Kids , ” the Scary Movie film franchise and the movie “ White Chicks.
” Marlon is set to play Aretha Franklin ’ s husband-manager Ted White in the upcoming biopic , “ Respect .
”

The Wayans family has lost their matriarch.
Elvira Wayans — the mother of 10 children, including entertainers Damon Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Keenen Ivory Wayans — has recently died, Marlon announced Thursday. She was 81.
Marlon took to Instagram to pen an emotional tribute to his late mother Thursday on what would’ve been her 82nd birthday, which doubles as his 48th birthday.
“Today i celebrate for the both of (us) In the midst of this hurt,” Marlon captioned a picture with Wayans.
The “White Chicks” actor said losing his mother “shattered me into 1000 pieces,” adding that he’s “putting myself back together piece by piece” through grieving.
“You will always be my glue,” he wrote. “i just love you ma. #missyou i accomplished so much, made you so proud... but now i got angel to lift me.”
USA TODAY reached out to Marlon for comment.
In another Instagram post, Marlon reflected on spending his birthday alone.
“Happy birthday me... i would ask God ‘why me’? Why am i suffering?” he began his lengthy essay. ”I don’t question you through this journey. On the other side of all this tragedy is victory. So i trust you. This is merely a journey to challenge me. You’re not breaking me, you’re making me.”
The comedian continued: “I’m not a victim I’m a hero being challenged to find my greatness. I’m being challenged to find my smile in the worst of times because if i can smile through this then that means my smile is permanent.”
Marlon is the youngest of 10 siblings. The show business family has produced the series “In Living Color,” “The Wayans Bros.,” “My Wife and Kids,” the Scary Movie film franchise and the movie “White Chicks.”
Marlon is set to play Aretha Franklin’s husband-manager Ted White in the upcoming biopic, “Respect.”
Read more at usatoday.com


chicagosun-times--2020-07-23--6 downstate counties sue over Illinois COVID-19 restrictions

SPRINGFIELD — Residents in six central and southern Illinois counties , including the state capital ’ s home , filed lawsuits Thursday against Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s restrictions on social interaction prompted by the coronavirus pandemic .
The actions taken in Bond , Clay , Clinton , Edgar , Richland and Sangamon counties seek court orders declaring there is no public health emergency as defined by Pritzker ’ s Public Health Department .
Springfield , the state capital , is in Sangamon County .
Plaintiffs in each case seek injunctions against the disaster declaration Pritzker ’ s using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ limit transmission of the virus .
The state has reported 7,367 deaths among 167,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 , the illness caused by the coronavirus — mostly in Chicago and Cook County .
“ You can ’ t put a county that has had nine confirmed cases and no one pass away under the same rules and restrictions as counties like Cook , ” said Thomas DeVore , a Greenville attorney representing the plaintiffs .
Richland County has had nine cases and no deaths .
That ’ s also the case in Clay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Republican from Xenia , continues to press his case filed last spring against Pritzker ’ s restrictions .
Bailey filed a request for declaratory judgment Thursday similar to the other five cases .

SPRINGFIELD — Residents in six central and southern Illinois counties, including the state capital’s home, filed lawsuits Thursday against Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s restrictions on social interaction prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The actions taken in Bond, Clay, Clinton, Edgar, Richland and Sangamon counties seek court orders declaring there is no public health emergency as defined by Pritzker’s Public Health Department. Springfield, the state capital, is in Sangamon County.
Plaintiffs in each case seek injunctions against the disaster declaration Pritzker’s using to justify restrictions on public interaction to limit transmission of the virus. The state has reported 7,367 deaths among 167,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus — mostly in Chicago and Cook County.
“You can’t put a county that has had nine confirmed cases and no one pass away under the same rules and restrictions as counties like Cook,” said Thomas DeVore, a Greenville attorney representing the plaintiffs.
Richland County has had nine cases and no deaths. That’s also the case in Clay County, where Rep. Darren Bailey, a Republican from Xenia, continues to press his case filed last spring against Pritzker’s restrictions. Bailey filed a request for declaratory judgment Thursday similar to the other five cases.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-23--Vehicle thefts reported in Englewood: police

Police are warning Englewood residents of a series of vehicle thefts reported in recent weeks .
In each case , @ @ @ @ @ inside when it was stolen , Chicago police said .
• Between 8 p.m. July @ @ @ @ @ 8 in the 6800 block of South Justine Street ; • At 6 p.m. July @ @ @ @ @ of South Bishop Street ; • At 6:30 p.m. July 13 in the 1800 block @ @ @ @ @ • At 7:29 p.m. July 15 in the 6600 block of South Paulina Street ; @ @ @ @ @ July 18 in the 6400 block of South Wood Street .
A suspect was described @ @ @ @ @ male with dreadlocks , police said .
Anyone with information is asked to call Area @ @ @ @ @ Read more on crime , and track the city ’ s homicides .

Police are warning Englewood residents of a series of vehicle thefts reported in recent weeks.
In each case, the owners left the keys inside when it was stolen, Chicago police said.
The thefts happened:
Between 8 p.m. July 7 and 7:20 p.m July 8 in the 6800 block of South Justine Street;
At 6 p.m. July 8 in the 6600 block of South Bishop Street;
At 6:30 p.m. July 13 in the 1800 block of West 68th Street;
At 7:29 p.m. July 15 in the 6600 block of South Paulina Street; and
At 3 p.m. July 18 in the 6400 block of South Wood Street.
A suspect was described as a 15 to 18-year-old male with dreadlocks, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Area One detectives at 312-747-8382.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-24--ABC 7 meteorologist Jerry Taft dies at 77

Jerry Taft , who worked as a meteorologist for 33 years at ABC 7 Chicago , died Thursday night , @ @ @ @ @ He was 77 .
His colleagues and other broadcast journalists in Chicago posted tributes on @ @ @ @ @ had the privilege of working along side him for more than 20 years , ” @ @ @ @ @ said in a Facebook post Friday morning .
“ His infectious laugh and frequent giggles @ @ @ @ @ endeared him to his audience and friends.
” ABC 7 reporter Roz Varon said in @ @ @ @ @ would also remember his “ contagious laugh.
” “ We ’ re sharing special memories @ @ @ @ @ than life personality who had the largest heart , ” Varon said in a post @ @ @ @ @ his wife , Shana , and children Skylar , Storm , Danna and Jay .

Jerry Taft was a household name in Chicago, a beloved meteorologist for more than 40 years, with 33 of those years at ABC 7-Chicago.
Even more so than his love for the weather, and always staying up to date on the latest technology, Mr. Taft’s colleagues and friends will remember him for his sense of humor and one-of-a-kind laugh.
“We used to tease him and say it was a squeaky giggle,” said Ron Magers, 75, who worked with Mr. Taft for much of his career. “What people usually heard was him trying to stifle it because he was really cracking up on the air.”
Mr. Taft died in his sleep Thursday night. He was 77.
Meteorology came as a second career for Mr. Taft, after serving in the Air Force, including a stint in Vietnam. He could have stayed in the Air Force and gone on to have a comfortable retirement, but Magers said when Mr. Taft set his mind to something — even becoming a television weatherman — he did it. He was “guided by his own inner feelings,” Magers said.
After an initial television gig in San Antonio, Mr. Taft moved to Chicago to work for WMAQ, Chicago’s NBC affiliate. After seven years, he switched to ABC 7, where he spent the remainder of his career. He also was the Sun-Times meteorologist for a time.
ABC 7 meteorologist Larry Mowry said he’ll always remember the stories Mr. Taft told in the weather center. He’d reminisce about the old days in TV news, flying in Vietnam and meeting baseball star Mickey Mantle, Mowry said in an email.
“I’ll never forget him telling me, ‘It’s about the connection,’” Mowry said. “The connection to the viewers and the connection to your coworkers. You can’t fake that.”
ABC 7 reporter Roz Varon met Mr. Taft when she was a senior at Columbia College, doing promotions for a country-music radio station at the time. Varon said Mr. Taft was “already a legend” in 1980, but after just a couple of minutes talking with him, Varon realized there was nothing to be intimated about.
Less than a decade later, Varon found herself working with Mr. Taft, who answered any of her questions about working on television and never made her feel nervous. He’d remind her that “this isn’t brain surgery — it’s TV news,” Varon said, and if something went wrong while delivering the news, she should not dwell on it.
Still, Varon said Mr. Taft took his work seriously. He knew his craft well and stayed on the cutting-edge of weather-related technology, but he would deliver information in a way that wasn’t pretentious, she said.
“He was one of the good ones,” Varon said. “He’s going to be missed by a lot of people. They don’t make them like that anymore.”
On and off the camera, good humor and contagious laughter followed Mr. Taft, his coworkers said. And Mr. Taft often laughed hardest when the joke was on him, Varon said.
He taught everyone at ABC 7 the value of being able to laugh at themselves, John Idler, the station’s president and general manager, said in a statement. Mayor Lori Lightfoot called Mr. Taft a “class act” in a tweet.
Jerry Taft was the definition of a class act. His love for meteorology and passion for our city always shined through. My deepest condolences to Jerry's entire family and everyone at @ABC7Chicago. https://t.co/lJf32rJXZJ — Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) July 24, 2020
Mr. Taft gave his time to Chicago charities, and he’d always engage with viewers when he made public appearances, said ABC 7 meteorologist Tracy Butler.
When a thought popped into Mr. Taft’s mind, he couldn’t help but say it, Magers said, making him one of the most honest people Magers knew.
“What you saw with the Jerry on the air every day was the real Jerry,” Magers said. “He was very genuine.”
Magers and Mr. Taft would often escape between newscasts to grab a quick, and often unhealthy, bite to eat. Those quiet moments, talking about family or friends, are memories Magers will hold onto, he said. The pair would also frequent the golf course — Magers said Mr. Taft scored eight or nine holes-in-one over his lifetime, including three while Magers was with him.
Mr. Taft retired in January 2018 to spend more time with family and on the golf course, passing the cold, winter months near Naples, Florida. He dabbled in crock pot cooking and occasionally worked as an Uber driver.
“His life could’ve been a best-selling novel,” said Mark Giangreco, an ABC 7 sports anchor and longtime friend of Mr. Taft’s. “We laughed so hard together we cried. That’s what I’ll miss the most.”
Mr. Taft is survived by his wife, Shana, and children Skylar, Storm, Dana and Jay.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-24--Dear Abby: ‘Too nice’ husband leaves every decision to me, and I’m tired of it

DEAR ABBY : This may seem strange , but my husband is too nice .
His late mother , a domineering woman who always got her way , trained him not to have an opinion .
Almost everything he says is crafted to be neutral so that nobody can possibly take issue with him .
If I ask , “ What do you want for dinner ?
” his reply is , “ Whatever you want.
” If I ask , “ What make of car should we buy ?
” his reply is , “ What kind would you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several choices , he tries to guess what I would prefer .
He is a wonderful , kind , sweet man who will do anything for me .
We both have professional degrees and are in our early 30s .
He lived with his parents through college .
I have been on my own longer than he .
I ’ ve told him I ’ m not like his mother was , and it ’ s safe for him to express his opinions .
After two years of marriage , although I continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has changed .
Abby , I am tired of being in charge of everything .
I ’ m afraid I ’ ll become like his mother and just do what I want because consulting him is a waste of time , and hearing another “ whatever ” answer irritates me .
I feel like I ’ m raising a very obedient child .
I wanted an equal partner in marriage .
How should I handle this ?
— WIFE , NOT MOTHER DEAR WIFE : I am guessing you have had more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There is a saying , “ Give me a child ‘ til the age of 7 , and he ’ s mine for life , ” which references indoctrination .
Your late mother-in-law had her son under her roof for about 25 years , so his personality traits are pretty well cemented in .
You might have better luck if you start phrasing your questions differently .
( “ Do you want chicken or fish tonight ?
” “ Do you want to decide or should I punch you in the nose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t work , you may have to accept the man you married just the way his mother made him .
DEAR ABBY : I am currently living with my fiancee , “ Josie.
” That we are a same-sex couple was hard for our families to come to terms with .
( Mainly Josie ’ s mother . )
We are now planning a small courthouse wedding with a family dinner to follow a week later .
We have made this clear to family and close friends , and nobody has taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s mother thinks it “ isn ’ t right ” that we are inviting only parents to the ceremony and not siblings ( Josie has one ; I have three ) .
She also called Josie crying because Josie and I went dress shopping on our own ( spontaneously ) .
My mother is perfectly happy with all of our decisions and supportive with whatever we decide .
How can we get my fiancee ’ s mother to be more supportive ?
— WEDDING DRAMA IN PENNSYLVANIA DEAR WEDDING DRAMA : It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your family is more accepting , Josie ’ s mother appears to be struggling on a couple of fronts .
As many mothers do , she may have fantasized about a church wedding , helping her daughter select her bridal gown , and having a son-in-law .
In a sense , she is grieving the death of her fantasy .
Frankly , I feel sorry for the woman .
With time , I am sure she will become more accepting and supportive .
You and Josie are about to embark on your lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beacon that guides her mother to acceptance , although it may not happen as quickly as you would wish .
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren , also known as Jeanne Phillips , and was founded by her mother , Pauline Phillips .
Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O .
Box 69440 , Los Angeles , CA 90069 .
Abby shares more than 100 of her favorite recipes in two booklets : “ Abby ’ s Favorite Recipes ” and “ More Favorite Recipes by Dear Abby.
” Send your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or money order for $ 16 ( U.S. funds ) , to : Dear Abby , Cookbooklet Set , P.O .
Box 447 , Mount Morris , IL 61054-0447 .
( Shipping and handling are included in the price . )

DEAR ABBY: This may seem strange, but my husband is too nice. His late mother, a domineering woman who always got her way, trained him not to have an opinion. Almost everything he says is crafted to be neutral so that nobody can possibly take issue with him.
If I ask, “What do you want for dinner?” his reply is, “Whatever you want.” If I ask, “What make of car should we buy?” his reply is, “What kind would you like?” When I give him several choices, he tries to guess what I would prefer. He is a wonderful, kind, sweet man who will do anything for me.
We both have professional degrees and are in our early 30s. He lived with his parents through college. I have been on my own longer than he. I’ve told him I’m not like his mother was, and it’s safe for him to express his opinions. After two years of marriage, although I continue to solicit his opinion, not much has changed.
Abby, I am tired of being in charge of everything. I’m afraid I’ll become like his mother and just do what I want because consulting him is a waste of time, and hearing another “whatever” answer irritates me. I feel like I’m raising a very obedient child. I wanted an equal partner in marriage. How should I handle this? — WIFE, NOT MOTHER
DEAR WIFE: I am guessing you have had more than one conversation with your husband about this. There is a saying, “Give me a child ‘til the age of 7, and he’s mine for life,” which references indoctrination. Your late mother-in-law had her son under her roof for about 25 years, so his personality traits are pretty well cemented in.
You might have better luck if you start phrasing your questions differently. (“Do you want chicken or fish tonight?” “Do you want to decide or should I punch you in the nose?”) But if that doesn’t work, you may have to accept the man you married just the way his mother made him.
DEAR ABBY: I am currently living with my fiancee, “Josie.” That we are a same-sex couple was hard for our families to come to terms with. (Mainly Josie’s mother.)
We are now planning a small courthouse wedding with a family dinner to follow a week later. We have made this clear to family and close friends, and nobody has taken issue with it. However, Josie’s mother thinks it “isn’t right” that we are inviting only parents to the ceremony and not siblings (Josie has one; I have three). She also called Josie crying because Josie and I went dress shopping on our own (spontaneously).
My mother is perfectly happy with all of our decisions and supportive with whatever we decide. How can we get my fiancee’s mother to be more supportive? — WEDDING DRAMA IN PENNSYLVANIA
DEAR WEDDING DRAMA: It might be helpful to recognize that while your family is more accepting, Josie’s mother appears to be struggling on a couple of fronts. As many mothers do, she may have fantasized about a church wedding, helping her daughter select her bridal gown, and having a son-in-law. In a sense, she is grieving the death of her fantasy. Frankly, I feel sorry for the woman. With time, I am sure she will become more accepting and supportive.
You and Josie are about to embark on your lives together. Let your happiness be the beacon that guides her mother to acceptance, although it may not happen as quickly as you would wish.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Abby shares more than 100 of her favorite recipes in two booklets: “Abby’s Favorite Recipes” and “More Favorite Recipes by Dear Abby.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $16 (U.S. funds), to: Dear Abby, Cookbooklet Set, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)


chicagosun-times--2020-07-24--‘Radioactive’: Marie Curie film made up of all the standard biopic elements

Just when the Marie Curie movie “ Radioactive ” seems like a disappointing , paint-by-numbers biopic complete with clichéd dialogue and milestone scenes that play out like a filmed version of a Wikipedia entry , there ’ s a whiplash-inducing , dreamlike sequence set long after Curie ’ s death , from locales ranging from the bombing of Hiroshima to an atomic bomb test in Nevada in 1961 to firefighters dying in Chernobyl in 1986 .
This is a movie with a deeply split personality , and despite some flashes of creativity from a talented director and cast , neither @ @ @ @ @ @ @ creative fancy are particularly resonant .
The gifted director Marjane Satrapi ( adapting a graphic novel by Lauren Redniss ) begins the story in classic historical figure fashion — by starting at the end with Rosamund Pike ’ s Marie Curie collapsing while doing research in her homeland of Poland in 1934 , shortly before her death .
Cue the flashback to Paris in 1895 , where the young and headstrong and generationally brilliant Marie Salomea Sklodowska is storming down the street when she literally bumps into one Pierre Curie ( Sam Riley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a more tired meet-cute than the collision on the street , you tell me what that might be .
Marie has recently been evicted from her university lab by a panel of harrumphing and naysaying male scientists , who are clearly threatened by a woman on the verge of turning their world upside down with new discoveries and groundbreaking theories .
Pierre , a researcher of some renown in his own right , offers Marie lab space and a team of assistants , and despite Marie telling him she has no intention of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as foolish as romance , it ’ s not long before they ’ re married and they become one of the most celebrated couples in the world — especially after they discover two new elements : radium and polonium .
Director Satrapi employs “ A Beautiful Mind ” type graphics to walk us through the science , as the Curies embrace radioactivity in all its forms .
( Ooh , but there ’ s a lot of ominous coughing . )
Interspersed with the march through time , which includes a devastating tragedy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a trippy rendering of Loie Fuller ’ s “ Fire Dance ” at the Folies Bergere ; the introduction of Marie ’ s grown daughter , Irene ( Anya Taylor-Joy ) , who follows in her mother ’ s Nobel-winning footsteps , and the aforementioned flash-forward sequences in which we see everything from a boy in a Cleveland hospital in 1957 receiving radiation treatment for cancer to an artificial Main Street in Nevada , complete with mannequin “ families , ” melting to nothingness after an atomic bomb test .
Rosamund Pike does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s often tasked with making proclamations about how she ’ s going to prove everyone wrong , “ just like Newton did !
” Though well-filmed and well-acted , “ Radioactive ” careens from predictable to the borderline bizarre , and never finds solid footing in either world .

Just when the Marie Curie movie “Radioactive” seems like a disappointing, paint-by-numbers biopic complete with clichéd dialogue and milestone scenes that play out like a filmed version of a Wikipedia entry, there’s a whiplash-inducing, dreamlike sequence set long after Curie’s death, from locales ranging from the bombing of Hiroshima to an atomic bomb test in Nevada in 1961 to firefighters dying in Chernobyl in 1986. This is a movie with a deeply split personality, and despite some flashes of creativity from a talented director and cast, neither the straightforward biography nor the flights of creative fancy are particularly resonant.
The gifted director Marjane Satrapi (adapting a graphic novel by Lauren Redniss) begins the story in classic historical figure fashion — by starting at the end with Rosamund Pike’s Marie Curie collapsing while doing research in her homeland of Poland in 1934, shortly before her death. Cue the flashback to Paris in 1895, where the young and headstrong and generationally brilliant Marie Salomea Sklodowska is storming down the street when she literally bumps into one Pierre Curie (Sam Riley), and if there’s a more tired meet-cute than the collision on the street, you tell me what that might be.
‘Radioactive’
Untitled Amazon Studios presents a film directed by Marjane Satrapi and written by Jack Thorne, based on the book by Lauren Redniss. Rated PG-13 (for thematic elements, disturbing images, brief nudity and a scene of sensuality). Running time: 109 minutes. Available now on Amazon Prime.
Marie has recently been evicted from her university lab by a panel of harrumphing and naysaying male scientists, who are clearly threatened by a woman on the verge of turning their world upside down with new discoveries and groundbreaking theories. Pierre, a researcher of some renown in his own right, offers Marie lab space and a team of assistants, and despite Marie telling him she has no intention of sleeping with him or even considering something as foolish as romance, it’s not long before they’re married and they become one of the most celebrated couples in the world — especially after they discover two new elements: radium and polonium.
Director Satrapi employs “A Beautiful Mind” type graphics to walk us through the science, as the Curies embrace radioactivity in all its forms. (Ooh, but there’s a lot of ominous coughing.) Interspersed with the march through time, which includes a devastating tragedy and a scandalous affair, we get a trippy rendering of Loie Fuller’s “Fire Dance” at the Folies Bergere; the introduction of Marie’s grown daughter, Irene (Anya Taylor-Joy), who follows in her mother’s Nobel-winning footsteps, and the aforementioned flash-forward sequences in which we see everything from a boy in a Cleveland hospital in 1957 receiving radiation treatment for cancer to an artificial Main Street in Nevada, complete with mannequin “families,” melting to nothingness after an atomic bomb test.
Rosamund Pike does fine work as Curie, though she’s often tasked with making proclamations about how she’s going to prove everyone wrong, “just like Newton did!” Though well-filmed and well-acted, “Radioactive” careens from predictable to the borderline bizarre, and never finds solid footing in either world.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-24--Sam T. Godelas, who ran Athenian Candle Co., Greektown’s oldest business, dead at 93

Jean Paspalas , 91 , clearly recalls the moment 75 years ago when a man arrived at her home with a government telegram and asked , “ Are you alone ?
” “ I still remember him coming up the stairs , ” she said .
He was bearing devastating news .
Her brother Peter was missing in action in World War II .
His ship , the SS Leopoldville , had been torpedoed by a German U-boat in the English Channel .
He never came home .
Young Jean was only 16 .
That night , her parents Themistocles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , watching the newsreels that brought them world news .
Her older brother Sam was out , too .
She called Sam , and he rushed home .
When their parents returned , Sam broke the news .
“ My brother told my father first , and my father — all hell broke loose , ” she remembers .
“ My mother , she cried , she screamed .
She never really got over it.
” Paspalas said she ’ s never forgotten how her older brother sped home to comfort her .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and he would watch over me , ” she said .
“ Everybody should have a brother like Sam.
” Sam Godelas , the oldest child in a Greek immigrant family , had dreams of being a chemist and studied at the Illinois Institute of Technology .
But he chose to work in the family business , Athenian Candle Co. , founded in 1922 .
“ He sacrificed his professional career to stay in the family business , ” said Mr. Godelas ’ niece Helen Rubinstein , part of the third generation in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parents come over , started a business , give your child the best life possible — and that ’ s what you do.
” Today , Athenian Candle continues to light up the corner of Halsted and Jackson in Greektown like a lantern .
A vintage neon sign with a giant candle hangs outside .
Candles play a prominent role in Orthodox religious traditions , Rubinstein said : “ We ’ re always , always burning candles.
” The company produces thousands of hand-dipped candles a week , from eight inches long to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Orthodox churches and other customers throughout North America .
It also offers icons , incense , rosaries , komboloi ( Greek worry beads ) , wedding crowns , cemetery lamps and religious jewelry .
It ’ s the oldest original business in Greektown , according to Rubinstein .
Mr. Godelas , who had Alzheimer ’ s disease , died July 7 at his Greektown home .
He was 97 .
His father , from the Greek city of Thessaloniki , arrived in America in 1912 and served in the U.S. Army during World @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the candle business , he “ wrote to his parents in Greece , ” his daughter said , “ and said , ‘ I ’ m ready to get married , and would you send me a nice girl from a nice family ?
’ ” He traveled to New York City to await the boat that carried his bride-to-be .
Efthemia arrived after a two-week journey and stayed with relatives .
The couple soon married in New York and returned to Chicago .
His wife worked alongside him at the original site @ @ @ @ @ @ @ St. in the old Greek-flavored neighborhood known as the Delta .
At first , when he went on sales calls , “ She was hoping no customers would come in because she didn ’ t know the language , ” Jean Paspalas said .
But the family and their business thrived , their daughter said : “ My father always said , ‘ God bless America.
’ ” Sam , their first child , went to Dante grade school .
“ Right after school , we ’ d help with the candles , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a larger role at Athenian Candle , his sister said , “ His talent was calling the churches .
He helped deliver .
He would take care of the orders and the sales.
” He met future wife Angela Bourgikos when she was visiting her sister Helen , who lived in the apartments that his parents built over Athenian Candle .
They were married from 1948 until her death in 1993 .
With development coming , including new expressways and the construction of the University of Illinois at Chicago , the Godelas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greektown location to 300 S. Halsted St. Mr. Godelas and his wife ran the company until 1982 , when he sold it to his sister Jean and brother-in-law Thomas Paspalas , who continue to operate it with their children and grandchildren .
In retirement , Sam and Angela Godelas spent time in Clearwater , Florida , and took trips to the Caribbean , Europe and Las Vegas .
“ He liked the slot machines , ” his sister said , and also enjoyed golf and pheasant-hunting in South Dakota .
Mr. Godelas was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cemetery in a family plot with his wife , mother and father and a photo of his brother Peter .

Jean Paspalas, 91, clearly recalls the moment 75 years ago when a man arrived at her home with a government telegram and asked, “Are you alone?”
“I still remember him coming up the stairs,” she said.
He was bearing devastating news. Her brother Peter was missing in action in World War II. His ship, the SS Leopoldville, had been torpedoed by a German U-boat in the English Channel. He never came home.
Young Jean was only 16. That night, her parents Themistocles and Efthemia Godelas were at the movies, watching the newsreels that brought them world news. Her older brother Sam was out, too.
She called Sam, and he rushed home. When their parents returned, Sam broke the news.
“My brother told my father first, and my father — all hell broke loose,” she remembers. “My mother, she cried, she screamed. She never really got over it.”
Paspalas said she’s never forgotten how her older brother sped home to comfort her.
“I was the little sister, and he would watch over me,” she said. “Everybody should have a brother like Sam.”
Sam Godelas, the oldest child in a Greek immigrant family, had dreams of being a chemist and studied at the Illinois Institute of Technology. But he chose to work in the family business, Athenian Candle Co., founded in 1922.
“He sacrificed his professional career to stay in the family business,” said Mr. Godelas’ niece Helen Rubenstein, part of the third generation in the fourth-generation family-owned company. “Your parents come over, started a business, give your child the best life possible — and that’s what you do.”
Today, Athenian Candle continues to light up the corner of Halsted and Jackson in Greektown like a lantern. A vintage neon sign with a giant candle hangs outside.
Candles play a prominent role in Orthodox religious traditions, Rubenstein said: “We’re always, always burning candles.”
The company produces thousands of hand-dipped candles a week, from eight inches long to five feet high, shipping them to Orthodox churches and other customers throughout North America. It also offers icons, incense, rosaries, komboloi (Greek worry beads), wedding crowns, cemetery lamps and religious jewelry. It’s the oldest original business in Greektown, according to Rubenstein.
Mr. Godelas, who was 97, died July 7 at his Greektown home.
His father, from the Greek city of Thessaloniki, arrived in America in 1910 and served in the U.S. Army during World War I.
After establishing himself in the candle business, he “wrote to his parents in Greece,” his daughter said, “and said, ‘I’m ready to get married, and would you send me a nice girl from a nice family?’ ”
He traveled to New York City to await the boat that carried his bride-to-be. Efthemia arrived after a two-week journey and stayed with relatives. The couple soon married in New York and returned to Chicago.
His wife worked alongside him at the original site of Athenian Candle, 747 S. Halsted St. in the old Greek-flavored neighborhood known as the Delta.
At first, when he went on sales calls, “She was hoping no customers would come in because she didn’t know the language,” Jean Paspalas said.
But the family and their business thrived, their daughter said: “My father always said, ‘God bless America.’ ”
Sam, their first child, went to Dante grade school. “Right after school, we’d help with the candles,” his sister said.
Mr. Godelas attended Crane High School before entering IIT.
In taking on a larger role at Athenian Candle, his sister said, “His talent was calling the churches. He helped deliver. He would take care of the orders and the sales.”
Sam Godelas met Angela Bourgikos when she visited Chicago from Greece to see her sister, who lived in an apartment above his family business, Athenian Candle Co. They were married in 1948. Provided
He met future wife Angela Bourgikos when she was visiting her sister Helen, who lived in the apartments that his parents built over Athenian Candle. They were married from 1948 until her death in 1993.
With development coming, including new expressways and the construction of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Godelas family moved the store from the original Greektown location to 300 S. Halsted St.
Mr. Godelas and his wife ran the company until 1982, when he sold it to his sister Jean and brother-in-law Thomas Paspalas, who continue to operate it with their children and grandchildren.
In retirement, Sam and Angela Godelas enjoyed traveling. Provided
In retirement, Sam and Angela Godelas spent time in Clearwater, Florida, and took trips to the Caribbean, Europe and Las Vegas.
“He liked the slot machines,” his sister said, and also enjoyed golf and pheasant-hunting in South Dakota.
Sam Godelas liked to play the slots in Las Vegas and go pheasant-hunting. Provided
Mr. Godelas was buried at River Grove’s Elmwood Cemetery in a family plot with his wife, mother and father and a photo of his brother Peter.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-24--Brutally attacked in South Shore, Black trans woman questions lagging police investigation

Arhmani Washington says she has been smacked with guns and robbed .
Washington , who describes herself as an escort , knows her line of work puts her in that kind of danger .
But she was never truly frightened until being attacked in her former South Shore home .
“ Until I had someone break in to my house and stab me , that really scared me .
I ’ ve never been more scared in my life.
” says Washington , 25 , who thinks she was targeted because she ’ s transgender .
Washington questions whether , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Chicago Police Department put little effort into finding her attacker .
The police haven ’ t made an arrest .
They say detectives suspended their investigation one day after the April 7 attack and are still awaiting the results of testing of forensic evidence sent to a state lab .
“ When I told them I was trans , ” Washington says of the police , “ they stopped calling .
“ If this was a white woman , and a Black man had stabbed her up , I think they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She says she recognized her attacker as someone she met months earlier , turned him away because he didn ’ t offer payment and thinks the attack was retribution .
The night of the attack , a man slipped through an open window in to Washington ’ s apartment in South Shore , according to the police .
He said , “ B -- -- , I ’ m finally here , ” according to Washington , who says she recognized his eyes .
She says he sliced her arm and forehead and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it caused some of her intestines to spill out .
Her roommate rushed from the bathroom on hearing the commotion , disarmed the man , then dragged him out of the apartment , police say .
Washington was hospitalized for a week .
Violence against women because they are transgender is a national problem .
So far in 2020 , at least 22 transgender people nationwide have died by violence , according to the Human Rights Campaign , which tracks fatal attacks against transgender people .
In Chicago , three trans women have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : • Selena Reyes-Hernandez was shot and killed May 31 by a high school student in Marquette Park after he learned she was transgender , authorities say .
Charged in the murder was 18-year-old Orlando Perez , who the police say told detectives he was so upset that he returned later that day to shoot her lifeless body again .
• Ciara Frazier , , a 31-year-old trans woman , was fatally stabbed in October 2018 by a man in an abandoned building in West Garfield Park .
No one ’ s been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sex worker , was taken to a secluded area in Bronzeville in August 2018 and shot dead , according to prosecutors , by Tremon Hill , then 17 , who they say acted after realizing Stanton was a transgender woman .
“ A lot of guys are , like , ‘ How can you dress like that ?
’ ” Washington says .
“ A lot of guys can ’ t face the fact that they ’ re attracted to a trans woman.
” The charges filed in Stanton ’ s killing were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transgender person in Chicago since at least 2016 , according to the Cook County state ’ s attorney ’ s office .
The charges in the Reyes-Hernandez ’ s death were the second .
Anti-trans violence falls overwhelming on transgender women of color , who account for about 80 % of the killings of trans people , according to the Human Rights Campaign , a Washington advocacy group that says some attacks involve clear anti-transgender bias and that , in others , being transgender puts victims at risk in other ways , such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or survival sex work .
“ We ’ re taught to be afraid of what we don ’ t know , ” says LaSaia Wade , executive director of the black- and trans-led Chicago advocacy group Brave Space Alliance , who says she has raised $ 6,000 for Washington ’ s recovery .
“ We ’ re not taught to love ourselves the way we are , and that brings a level of violence.
” In Chicago , the police have kept statistics on gender-motivated hate crimes since 2012 but have been recording @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 .
Since then , they have labeled 16 crimes as a hate crime against a transgender person .
But they haven ’ t counted anti-transgender crimes such as the killings of Stanton and Frazier and the attack against Washington in that statistic .
Just three arrests have been made in the 16 recorded hate crimes : the murder charge in Reyes-Hernandez ’ s killing and misdemeanor charged in two assaults .
So far , none of those has resulted in a conviction , according to court records .
The limited reporting of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including the trans community ’ s strained relationship with the police and inadequate training of officers to report hate crimes , according to Brian Levin , head of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University , San Bernardino .
Nationally , anti-trans hate crimes are on the rise , though that could be due to improved reporting , according to Levin , who says it ’ s also a sign that authorities are taking those crimes more seriously .
The trans community is vulnerable , facing stereotypes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dignity in the eyes of many people , says Levin , who points to President Donald Trump ’ s tweet targeting transgender members of the military .
Washington says she was born in Wisconsin and was in and out of a series of foster homes before settling in Chicago in high school .
She says she began working as an escort , which had her traveling from state to state , until she found work as a social worker at Chicago House and Social Services , a job she held for three years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to her old life to make a living since moving out of South Shore after the attack .
Police spokesman Luis Agostini says reforms being implemented under the city ’ s federal consent decree will give officers “ the clear policy , training and direction needed to provide equal protection of the law for all Chicago residents .
This includes revising our policies guiding interactions with transgender , intersex and gender nonconforming individuals .
“ Chicago police officers strive to treat everyone with dignity and respect and without bias or reference to any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ethnicity , religion , sexual orientation or any other demographic factor , ” Agostini says .
Washington says it ’ s pathetic how she was treated by the police .
“ Society makes it seem like trans woman are evil people — like they ’ re sex objects .
Look at me .
I did good for three years [ as a social worker ] , and then look at where I ’ m at now .
People act like we don ’ t have the same blood color in our system .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ t know I ’ m trans until I tell them.
” She says she feels fortunate , though , to have survived her attack and to be able now to get the word out .
“ Girls like me , ” she says , “ usually don ’ t live to tell their story .
”

Arhmani Washington says she has been smacked with guns and robbed.
Washington, who describes herself as an escort, knows her line of work puts her in that kind of danger. But she was never truly frightened until being attacked in her former South Shore home.
“Until I had someone break in to my house and stab me, that really scared me. I’ve never been more scared in my life.” says Washington, 25, who thinks she was targeted because she’s transgender.
Washington questions whether, because she’s trans and Black, the Chicago Police Department put little effort into finding her attacker.
The police haven’t made an arrest. They say detectives suspended their investigation one day after the April 7 attack and are still awaiting the results of testing of forensic evidence sent to a state lab.
“When I told them I was trans,” Washington says of the police, “they stopped calling.
“If this was a white woman, and a Black man had stabbed her up, I think they would’ve found that person.”
She says she recognized her attacker as someone she met months earlier, turned him away because he didn’t offer payment and thinks the attack was retribution.
Arhmani Washington, 25, received stitches for several stab wounds in an April attack at her home. Ashlee Rezin Garcia / Sun-Times
The night of the attack, a man slipped through an open window in to Washington’s apartment in South Shore, according to the police.
He said, “B----, I’m finally here,” according to Washington, who says she recognized his eyes.
She says he sliced her arm and forehead and kicked and slashed her abdomen so badly it caused some of her intestines to spill out.
Her roommate rushed from the bathroom on hearing the commotion, disarmed the man, then dragged him out of the apartment, police say. Washington was hospitalized for a week.
Violence against women because they are transgender is a national problem. So far in 2020, at least 22 transgender people nationwide have died by violence, according to the Human Rights Campaign, which tracks fatal attacks against transgender people.
In Chicago, three trans women have been killed in the past two years:
Selena Reyes-Hernandez was shot and killed May 31 by a high school student in Marquette Park after he learned she was transgender, authorities say. Charged in the murder was 18-year-old Orlando Perez, who the police say told detectives he was so upset that he returned later that day to shoot her lifeless body again.
Ciara Frazier, a 31-year-old trans woman, was fatally stabbed in October 2018 by a man in an abandoned building in West Garfield Park. No one’s been charged.
Ciara Minaj Frazier. Provided
Dejanay Stanton, a sex worker, was taken to a secluded area in Bronzeville in August 2018 and shot dead, according to prosecutors, by Tremon Hill, then 17, who they say acted after realizing Stanton was a transgender woman.
Dejanay Stanton. Facebook
“A lot of guys are, like, ‘How can you dress like that?’ ” Washington says. “A lot of guys can’t face the fact that they’re attracted to a trans woman.”
The charges filed in Stanton’s killing were the first in the killing of a transgender person in Chicago since at least 2016, according to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office. The charges in Reyes-Hernandez’s death were the second.
Anti-trans violence falls overwhelming on transgender women of color, who account for about 80% of the killings of trans people, according to the Human Rights Campaign, a Washington advocacy group that says some attacks involve clear anti-transgender bias and that, in others, being transgender puts victims at risk in other ways, such as forcing them into poverty, homelessness or survival sex work.
“We’re taught to be afraid of what we don’t know,” says LaSaia Wade, executive director of the Black- and trans-led Chicago advocacy group Brave Space Alliance, who says she has raised $6,000 for Washington’s recovery. “We’re not taught to love ourselves the way we are, and that brings a level of violence.”
In Chicago, the police have kept statistics on gender-motivated hate crimes since 2012 but have been recording hate crimes against transgender people since only 2016. Since then, they have labeled 16 crimes as a hate crime against a transgender person.
But they haven’t counted anti-transgender crimes such as the killings of Stanton and Frazier and the attack against Washington in that statistic.
Just three arrests have been made in the 16 recorded hate crimes: the murder charge in Reyes-Hernandez’s killing and misdemeanor charged in two assaults. So far, none of those has resulted in a conviction, according to court records.
The limited reporting of hate crimes might be due to factors including the trans community’s strained relationship with the police and inadequate training of officers to report hate crimes, according to Brian Levin, head of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.
Nationally, anti-trans hate crimes are on the rise, though that could be due to improved reporting, according to Levin, who says it’s also a sign that authorities are taking those crimes more seriously.
The trans community is vulnerable, facing stereotypes and a lack of acceptance and basic dignity in the eyes of many people, says Levin, who points to President Donald Trump’s tweet targeting transgender members of the military.
Arhmani Washington, 25, and a kitten she rescued and named “Harry Potter” at her apartment in Chicago Lawn on the Southwest Side. Ashlee Rezin Garcia / Sun-Times
Washington says she was born in Wisconsin and was in and out of a series of foster homes before settling in Chicago in high school.
She says she began working as an escort, which had her traveling from state to state, until she found work as a social worker at Chicago House and Social Services, a job she held for three years.
Washington says she has gone back to her old life to make a living since moving out of South Shore after the attack.
Police spokesman Luis Agostini says reforms being implemented under the city’s federal consent decree will give officers “the clear policy, training and direction needed to provide equal protection of the law for all Chicago residents. This includes revising our policies guiding interactions with transgender, intersex and gender nonconforming individuals.
“Chicago police officers strive to treat everyone with dignity and respect and without bias or reference to any stereotypes based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or any other demographic factor,” Agostini says.
Washington says it’s pathetic how she was treated by the police.
“Society makes it seem like trans women are evil people — like they’re sex objects. Look at me. I did good for three years [as a social worker], and then look at where I’m at now. People act like we don’t have the same blood color in our system. And the thing is people don’t know I’m trans until I tell them.”
She says she feels fortunate, though, to have survived her attack and to be able now to get the word out.
“Girls like me,” she says, “usually don’t live to tell their story.”


chicagosun-times--2020-07-24--16 shot, 3 fatally, Thursday in Chicago

16 shot, 3 fatally, Thursday in Chicago

Sixteen people were shot , three of them fatally , Thursday in Chicago .
The latest fatal shooting killed two people and wounded four others in West Pullman on the Far South Side .
They were standing on the sidewalk about 10:35 p.m. in the 12000 block of South Prairie Avenue when someone in a tan colored sedan unleashed gunfire into the crowd , Chicago police said .
A 25-year-old woman who was shot in the neck and arm was pronounced dead on the scene , police said .
A man whose age isn ’ t known was pronounced dead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He was shot in the torso and arm .
The Cook County medical examiner ’ s office hasn ’ t released details about the fatalities .
Four people were also wounded , police said .
A 25-year-old man , 23-year-old man and 27-year-old man were all hospitalized in good condition .
A woman , 23 , was grazed and was taken to a hospital in good condition .
Earlier , a man was shot and killed while driving in West Garfield Park .
He was in the 3900 block of West Van @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inside a black SUV , possibly a Jeep , according to police .
The man was shot twice in the chest , crashed his car and was pronounced dead at Mt .
Sinai Hospital .
The medical examiner ’ s office has not released his name .
In nonfatal shootings , two men were shot in Roseland on the Far South Side .
The men , 24 and 27 , were found about 11:51 p.m. in the 10600 block of South Champlain Avenue with gunshot wounds , Chicago police said .
The younger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took himself to Trinity Hospital in good condition , police said .
The 27-year-old was shot in the leg , and he took himself to Roseland Hospital in good condition .
In the morning , two men were wounded , one critically , in a drive-by in Englewood on the South Side .
They were outside in the 6600 block of South Wolcott Avenue at 9:30 a.m. when someone opened fire from inside a passing SUV , according to police .
One man , 27 , was shot in his cheek and taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chicago Medical Center , police said .
Another man , 18 , was grazed in his head and taken to the same hospital in fair condition .
The earliest shooting wounded a 26-year-old man was shot in Wicker Park on the North Side .
About 2:20 a.m , he was driving in the 1800 block of West Ellen Street , when someone fired shots in his direction , police said .
He was struck in the buttocks and taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition .
Another person was fatally shot on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The man , who was about 20-years-old , was shot about 1:15 a.m. during an argument near the Howard Red Line station , Evanston police said .
A 21-year-old Evanston resident was also grazed in the incident .
Five other people were wounded in shootings throughout Chicago .
Wednesday ’ s gun violence killed three people and hurt seven others .
Read more on crime , and track the city ’ s homicides .

Sixteen people were shot, three of them fatally, Thursday in Chicago.
The latest fatal shooting killed two people and wounded four others in West Pullman on the Far South Side.
They were standing on the sidewalk about 10:35 p.m. in the 12000 block of South Prairie Avenue when someone in a tan colored sedan unleashed gunfire into the crowd, Chicago police said.
A 25-year-old woman who was shot in the neck and arm was pronounced dead on the scene, police said. A man whose age isn’t known was pronounced dead at the University of Chicago Medical Center. He was shot in the torso and arm.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office hasn’t released details about the fatalities.
Four people were also wounded, police said. A 25-year-old man, 23-year-old man and 27-year-old man were all hospitalized in good condition. A woman, 23, was grazed and was taken to a hospital in good condition.
Earlier, a man was shot and killed while driving in West Garfield Park.
He was in the 3900 block of West Van Buren Street when someone fired shots from inside a black SUV, possibly a Jeep, according to police. The man was shot twice in the chest, crashed his car and was pronounced dead at Mt. Sinai Hospital.
The medical examiner’s office has not released his name.
In nonfatal shootings, two men were shot in Roseland on the Far South Side.
The men, 24 and 27, were found about 11:51 p.m. in the 10600 block of South Champlain Avenue with gunshot wounds, Chicago police said.
The younger man was shot in the buttocks and took himself to Trinity Hospital in good condition, police said. The 27-year-old was shot in the leg, and he took himself to Roseland Hospital in good condition.
In the morning, two men were wounded, one critically, in a drive-by in Englewood on the South Side.
They were outside in the 6600 block of South Wolcott Avenue at 9:30 a.m. when someone opened fire from inside a passing SUV, according to police.
One man, 27, was shot in his cheek and taken in critical condition to the University of Chicago Medical Center, police said.
Another man, 18, was grazed in his head and taken to the same hospital in fair condition.
The earliest shooting wounded a 26-year-old man was shot in Wicker Park on the North Side.
About 2:20 a.m, he was driving in the 1800 block of West Ellen Street, when someone fired shots in his direction, police said. He was struck in the buttocks and taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition.
Another person was fatally shot on the border between Chicago and north suburban Evanston.
The man, who was about 20-years-old, was shot about 1:15 a.m. during an argument near the Howard Red Line station, Evanston police said. A 21-year-old Evanston resident was also grazed in the incident.
Five other people were wounded in shootings throughout Chicago.
Wednesday’s gun violence killed three people and hurt seven others.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-24--Decomposing body found in South Shore apartment: police

Christopher Columbus statue taken down hours after Lightfoot ordered its removal Ald .
Brian Hopkins ( 2nd ) told the @ @ @ @ @ the mayor made `` a unilateral decision '' to take that statue down along with @ @ @ @ @ the Near West Side .

Police are conducting a death investigation after the body of a decomposing woman was found Thursday night in the South Shore neighborhood.
Officers responded to a well-being check about 11 p.m. and found her inside a second-floor apartment in the 7400 block of South Chappel Avenue, Chicago police said.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office has not yet ruled on the cause of death.
Area One detectives are investigating.