chicagosun-times--2020-05-04--Quarantined kindergartners share their thoughts, fears and tips for beating the coronavirus: ‘Kick i

Quarantined kindergartners share their thoughts, fears and tips for beating the coronavirus: ‘Kick it in the butt!’

Quarantined kindergartners share their thoughts , fears and tips for beating the coronavirus : ‘ Kick it in the butt !
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’ Kindergarten is already a time of momentous change for most kids .
Priorities have to be established — how much play time vs. snack time — and lessons have to be learned — the alphabet , numbers and coins , to name a few .
But the pandemic that has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year ’ s bunch has made their time of transition that much more challenging .
Over the past week , the Sun-Times spoke to a half-dozen Chicago-area kindergartners , who put the coronavirus pandemic in perspective — their perspective .
They recounted how they ’ re coping with closed schools and parks , the activities helping pass their time , and how they ’ re staying in touch with grandparents and other relatives .
They shared their best advice for how to prevent and get rid of the disease — and how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understanding of loss .
Others are focused on hobbies .
One scolded a reporter for working .
All realize life is way different than several weeks ago .
Maryam ’ s sixth birthday is coming up in a few weeks , and the coronavirus has her wondering how to celebrate .
“ I liked to go to Rainforest Cafe for my birthday .
But now it ’ s closed , ” Maryam says .
“ I ’ ve been dreaming about how to spend my birthday in the house .
I want a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because it ’ s too small for me.
” Maryam wants to be a chef when she grows up , so she sees a silver lining in being forced to stay home .
She ’ s making the most of her newfound free time by practicing her cooking and planting skills — and good hygiene .
We pretend the couch is the bus .
We are using our imagination that it ’ s moving , and we ’ re already at school .
“ I have been cooking with my dad , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bread and some pretzels .
I want to be a chef .
I always practice planting with him .
We ’ re going to plant right now .
When we ’ re done putting the dirt in we ’ re going to wash our hands again with soap.
” Washing hands is one way to make the virus go away , Maryam says .
“ Staying home , not shopping , scrubbing your hands with some soap or hand sanitizer , ” she says .
“ The bottle of soap has a thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it so it comes out and then we scrub .
I sing happy birthday to the sink .
It ’ s 8 years old.
” Learning remotely has been an adjustment .
While at home , Maryam has learned about coins and bills , what each one is called and what they look like .
But she misses coloring with her friends and teachers at MCC Academy in Skokie and playing with them in the park .
Her teachers “ like to do their work , ” she says .
“ We would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , go to the car really early , but we would change our clothes first , and then we would go to school , ” Maryam says .
“ Now we wake up , change the clothes , eat breakfast .
We pretend the couch is the bus .
We are using our imagination that it ’ s moving , and we ’ re already at school .
When we don ’ t hurry up it takes even longer time.
” Maryam doesn ’ t get out much , only to go for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away from each other to stay away from the coronavirus ” — and occasionally to the yard to see her grandma and grandpa from a distance .
“ We give them air hugs , air high fives and air kisses .
I miss playing with them , hugging them , high fiving and kissing them , ” Maryam says .
“ I ’ m so scared , ” she says , of catching the virus .
“ It ’ s hurting you , and it makes you very , very , very sick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bye bye !
Bye bye !
Kick it in the butt !
” Hilde and Else didn ’ t used to have bad dreams .
But since the virus started spreading , the 6-year-old twins have been seeing monsters in their sleep .
“ I ’ ve been having ‘ Ghostbuster ’ dreams , scary dreams , ” Hilde says .
“ I know one of my really scary dreams .
I was in the bathroom when I looked into the trash can when I was going to throw something away , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me to monster land .
And I was dead forever because a monster ate me .
Really , really scary.
” Elsie had a similar dream , maybe because the girls watched “ Monsters Inc. ” “ I ’ ll tell you one of my scariest stories , ” Elsie says .
“ I went to my room and locked it up because an orange ghost was trying to follow me .
I ran to my room and locked it , but you know what happened ?
He went through the door and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The girls have been learning from home , including online ballet classes , since their Old Town school , Franklin Elementary Fine Arts Center , shut down .
Their mom , Jessi , draws back to her dance days , too , to help practice .
Hilde and Elsie are sad they ’ ve missed out on seeing relatives and celebrating events such as Passover like they did before .
“ We were going to go on a trip to Baltimore to see our cousins , and it was canceled because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We did Zoom with everybody for Passover .
We said the blessings and we talked and we ate matzah and we played a game called find the matzah .
My mommy and daddy hid the bread , and then we hid it and mommy and daddy could never find it.
” Hilde knows exactly how to get rid of the coronavirus .
“ Cinderella ’ s fairy godmother will wave her magic wand and ‘ Poof !
’ Before summer camp.
” Natasha , 6 , has a pessimistic outlook on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think the coronavirus won ’ t stop because people don ’ t know , ” Natasha says .
“ We wash every single day on dinner time , lunch time and snack time .
Twenty seconds .
Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water.
” I don ’ t see my teachers or my friends .
I just miss my friends , ” she says .
“ I totally miss school .
I miss the park .
I miss my teachers .
Natasha , a student at South Loop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to life at home .
She ’ s learning her ABCs and gets to watch her favorite superheroes in the Avengers — Black Widow and Captain Marvel .
“ My favorite part is having free time , ” Natasha says .
“ I love free time because you can play games.
” But there ’ s no doubt she misses her old life .
“ I don ’ t see my teachers or my friends .
I just miss my friends , ” she says .
“ I totally miss school .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teachers .
“ Sometimes we go to our yard , and we see our daddy ’ s mom and my mommy ’ s mom , ” Natasha says .
“ They come to say hi to us .
We see them in front of the gate .
We totally miss them because the sad news is we can ’ t see them.
” She also hasn ’ t been shielded from the realities of the virus .
“ People die from the coronavirus , ” Natasha says .
“ My mom ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exactly how to end the pandemic .
It ’ s simple , in her mind , if people follow the rules .
“ If people eat a lot of vegetables and fruits , ” she says .
“ We just have to eat healthy stuff .
Pears , apples , grapes , blueberries , carrots.
” Josephine , 6 , is using this time to nail down her role in the Boone Elementary School play .
She ’ s the hedgehog and has to get every line right .
“ I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ But I have to be at home .
I want to do my play , but it won ’ t be fun without it at school.
” She knows exactly what to do to make sure the pandemic comes to a quick end .
“ You have to stand 6 feet away so you don ’ t get germs .
Don ’ t throw trash everywhere , and don ’ t go near people , and don ’ t go to other people ’ s houses , and we have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Josephine says .
“ I sing happy birthday two times .
I sing to me because for real every single day it ’ s actually my birthday .
I turn even more years tomorrow .
… April Fool ’ s !
” Jokes aside , Josephine is strict about the stay-at-home rules .
In the middle of talking about her friends , she realizes the reporter she ’ s speaking with — via Zoom — is working .
“ Wait a minute , are you at your work ?
” she asks sternly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Office ” for a real office .
“ Hey !
You shouldn ’ t be at your work right now , dude !
Why do I see other people ?
” I have to be at home .
I want to do my play , but it won ’ t be fun without it at school .
School hasn ’ t been the same at home : “ It ’ s not how our classes usually went .
And it ’ s a little different because we don ’ t have outdoor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We did an experiment .
We made slime , ” she says , showing off her pink goo .
“ It was supposed to be glow-in-the-dark , but it wasn ’ t .
“ I miss seeing the rest of my family like my grandparents , ” Josephine says .
“ But I ’ m going to go to my grandparents when it ’ s a safe time , when it ’ s summer.
” Ayden is 5 years old , but his expectation is that he ’ ll be much older by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again .
“ I ’ ll be 16 , ” Ayden says .
“ I ’ ll be smarter than I am right now.
” I miss my friends because I like spending time with them .
In that time , he plans to reach that goal by filling his head with knowledge .
He ’ s already well on his way .
“ I ’ ve been learning about numbers .
Like 100 .
And 101 , ” Ayden says .
“ I wrote a book about how to plant Brussels sprouts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back porch , cucumbers , corn .
We planted a tree , and it just grew in one week .
The bean plants are already adults.
” Ayden had a visit from the tooth fairy while he ’ s been at home , but he fell asleep before he was able to see her .
On weekends he watches movies .
And he also has taken on some projects .
“ I made a piñata , ” he says .
“ I made a volcano .
It splashed everywhere.
” Even though he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ayden is still looking forward to getting back to normal .
“ I miss my friends because I like spending time with them .
”

K
indergarten is already a time of momentous change for most kids.
Priorities have to be established — how much play time vs. snack time — and lessons have to be learned — the alphabet, numbers and coins, to name a few.
But the pandemic that has disrupted the first year in school for this year’s bunch has made their time of transition that much more challenging.
Over the past week, the Sun-Times spoke to a half-dozen Chicago-area kindergartners, who put the coronavirus pandemic in perspective — their perspective.
They recounted how they’re coping with closed schools and parks, the activities helping pass their time, and how they’re staying in touch with grandparents and other relatives. They shared their best advice for how to prevent and get rid of the disease — and how to social distance.
Some have an understanding of loss. Others are focused on hobbies. One scolded a reporter for working. All realize life is way different than several weeks ago.
Maryam Rizvi (left) and her younger brother Idris play together in their front yard, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Maryam Rizvi — Morton Grove
Maryam’s sixth birthday is coming up in a few weeks, and the coronavirus has her wondering how to celebrate.
“I liked to go to Rainforest Cafe for my birthday. But now it’s closed ,” Maryam says. “I’ve been dreaming about how to spend my birthday in the house. I want a scooter because my pink one is broken because it’s too small for me.”
Maryam wants to be a chef when she grows up, so she sees a silver lining in being forced to stay home. She’s making the most of her newfound free time by practicing her cooking and planting skills — and good hygiene.
We pretend the couch is the bus. We are using our imagination that it’s moving, and we’re already at school.
“I have been cooking with my dad,” Maryam says. “He made some bread and some pretzels. I want to be a chef. I always practice planting with him. We’re going to plant right now. When we’re done putting the dirt in we’re going to wash our hands again with soap.”
Washing hands is one way to make the virus go away, Maryam says.
“Staying home, not shopping, scrubbing your hands with some soap or hand sanitizer,” she says. “The bottle of soap has a thing on the top, so we squeeze it so it comes out and then we scrub. I sing happy birthday to the sink. It’s 8 years old.”
Maryam Rizvi, 5, holds up a drawing she made of herself giving an air hug, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times 1 of 3 Maryam Rizvi and her younger brother Idris play in their front yard, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times 2 of 3 Maryam Rizvi, 5, sits with her stuffed teddy bear, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times 3 of 3
Learning remotely has been an adjustment. While at home, Maryam has learned about coins and bills, what each one is called and what they look like. But she misses coloring with her friends and teachers at MCC Academy in Skokie and playing with them in the park. Her teachers “like to do their work,” she says.
“We would wake up and we would eat breakfast, go to the car really early, but we would change our clothes first, and then we would go to school,” Maryam says. “Now we wake up, change the clothes, eat breakfast. We pretend the couch is the bus. We are using our imagination that it’s moving, and we’re already at school. When we don’t hurry up it takes even longer time.”
Maryam doesn’t get out much, only to go for short walks — “but we stay away from each other to stay away from the coronavirus” — and occasionally to the yard to see her grandma and grandpa from a distance.
“We give them air hugs, air high fives and air kisses. I miss playing with them, hugging them, high fiving and kissing them,” Maryam says.
“I’m so scared,” she says, of catching the virus. “It’s hurting you, and it makes you very, very, very sick. Then we need it to say bye bye! Bye bye! Kick it in the butt!”
Hilde (left) and Elsie Shapiro-Braddy, 6-year-old twins, sit in their garden where they’ve been spending time during the coronavirus pandemic, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Hilde and Elsie Shapiro-Braddy — Ukrainian Village
Hilde and Else didn’t used to have bad dreams. But since the virus started spreading, the 6-year-old twins have been seeing monsters in their sleep.
“I’ve been having ‘Ghostbuster’ dreams, scary dreams,” Hilde says. “I know one of my really scary dreams. I was in the bathroom when I looked into the trash can when I was going to throw something away, and a goblin just popped out and brought me to monster land. And I was dead forever because a monster ate me. Really, really scary.”
Elsie had a similar dream, maybe because the girls watched “Monsters Inc.”
“I’ll tell you one of my scariest stories,” Elsie says. “I went to my room and locked it up because an orange ghost was trying to follow me. I ran to my room and locked it, but you know what happened? He went through the door and then turned me into a ghost anyway.”
Hilde and Elsie Shapiro-Braddy play their garden, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times 1 of 2 Hilde and Elsie Shapiro-Braddy pose in their garden, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times 2 of 2
The girls have been learning from home, including online ballet classes, since their Old Town school, Franklin Elementary Fine Arts Center, shut down. Their mom, Jessi, draws back to her dance days, too, to help practice.
Hilde and Elsie are sad they’ve missed out on seeing relatives and celebrating events such as Passover like they did before.
“We were going to go on a trip to Baltimore to see our cousins, and it was canceled because of the coronavirus,” Hilde says. “We did Zoom with everybody for Passover. We said the blessings and we talked and we ate matzah and we played a game called find the matzah. My mommy and daddy hid the bread, and then we hid it and mommy and daddy could never find it.”
Hilde knows exactly how to get rid of the coronavirus.
“Cinderella’s fairy godmother will wave her magic wand and ‘Poof!’ Before summer camp.”
Natasha Norwood, left, is chased around by her brother John-Michael in the front yard of the Norwood family home, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Natasha Norwood — Avalon Park
Natasha, 6, has a pessimistic outlook on the future of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think the coronavirus won’t stop because people don’t know,” Natasha says.
“We wash every single day on dinner time, lunch time and snack time. Twenty seconds. Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water.”
I don’t see my teachers or my friends. I just miss my friends. I totally miss school. I miss the park. I miss my teachers.
Natasha, a student at South Loop Elementary, is getting a bit used to life at home. She’s learning her ABCs and gets to watch her favorite superheroes in the Avengers — Black Widow and Captain Marvel.
“My favorite part is having free time,” Natasha says. “I love free time because you can play games.”
Nathasha Norwood hangs hangs on a fence with her brother John-Michael, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times 1 of 3 Tiffany Norwood and her daughter Natasha stand in front of their home, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times 2 of 3 The Norwood family stands in front of their home, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times 3 of 3
But there’s no doubt she misses her old life.
“I don’t see my teachers or my friends. I just miss my friends,” she says. “I totally miss school. I miss the park. I miss my teachers.
“Sometimes we go to our yard, and we see our daddy’s mom and my mommy’s mom,” Natasha says. “They come to say hi to us. We see them in front of the gate. We totally miss them because the sad news is we can’t see them.”
She also hasn’t been shielded from the realities of the virus.
“People die from the coronavirus,” Natasha says. “My mom’s friend died.”
Luckily, Natasha knows exactly how to end the pandemic. It’s simple, in her mind, if people follow the rules.
“If people eat a lot of vegetables and fruits,” she says. “We just have to eat healthy stuff. Pears, apples, grapes, blueberries, carrots.”
The Anderes family enjoys time together swinging on the swing set, Thursday, April 30, 2020. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Josephine Anderes — West Ridge
Josephine, 6, is using this time to nail down her role in the Boone Elementary School play. She’s the hedgehog and has to get every line right.
“I’m practicing my part,” Josephine says. “But I have to be at home. I want to do my play, but it won’t be fun without it at school.”
She knows exactly what to do to make sure the pandemic comes to a quick end.
“You have to stand 6 feet away so you don’t get germs. Don’t throw trash everywhere, and don’t go near people, and don’t go to other people’s houses, and we have to wash our hands a lot,” Josephine says. “I sing happy birthday two times. I sing to me because for real every single day it’s actually my birthday. I turn even more years tomorrow. … April Fool’s!”
Josephine Hope Anderes holds up a picture she drew of herself social distancing, Thursday, April 30, 2020. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times 1 of 3 The Anderes family stands together inside their home, Thursday, April 30, 2020. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times 2 of 3 The Anderes family enjoys time together on the swing set, Thursday, April 30, 2020. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times 3 of 3
Jokes aside, Josephine is strict about the stay-at-home rules. In the middle of talking about her friends, she realizes the reporter she’s speaking with — via Zoom — is working.
“Wait a minute, are you at your work?” she asks sternly, mistaking a virtual background of “The Office” for a real office. “Hey! You shouldn’t be at your work right now, dude! Why do I see other people?”
I have to be at home. I want to do my play, but it won’t be fun without it at school.
School hasn’t been the same at home: “It’s not how our classes usually went. And it’s a little different because we don’t have outdoor recess,” Josephine says.
“We did an experiment. We made slime,” she says, showing off her pink goo. “It was supposed to be glow-in-the-dark, but it wasn’t.
“I miss seeing the rest of my family like my grandparents,” Josephine says. “But I’m going to go to my grandparents when it’s a safe time, when it’s summer.”
Ayden, 5, keeps score for a game with his siblings at home. Provided
Ayden — Humboldt Park
Ayden is 5 years old, but his expectation is that he’ll be much older by the time he can leave his home again.
“I’ll be 16,” Ayden says. “I’ll be smarter than I am right now.”
I miss my friends because I like spending time with them.
In that time, he plans to reach that goal by filling his head with knowledge. He’s already well on his way.
“I’ve been learning about numbers. Like 100. And 101,” Ayden says. “I wrote a book about how to plant Brussels sprouts.
“I planted tomatoes on the back porch, cucumbers, corn. We planted a tree, and it just grew in one week. The bean plants are already adults.”
Ayden had a visit from the tooth fairy while he’s been at home, but he fell asleep before he was able to see her.
On weekends he watches movies. And he also has taken on some projects.
“I made a piñata,” he says. “I made a volcano. It splashed everywhere.”
Even though he’s having fun at home, Ayden is still looking forward to getting back to normal.
“I miss my friends because I like spending time with them.”


chicagosun-times--2020-05-04--‘Becoming’: The admirable Michelle Obama has earned a documentary this flattering

“ I am from the South Side of Chicago .
That tells you as much about me as you need to know.
” – Michelle Obama , in the Netflix documentary “ Becoming.
” Given the Higher Ground production company owned by Barack and Michelle Obama has a lucrative deal with Netflix , you can probably guess which streaming service is running a doc about Michelle ’ s book tour titled “ Becoming , ” and you won ’ t be surprised to learn it ’ s an immensely flattering portrait of the former First Lady .
Then again , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most admirable , impressive , decent and flat-out cool role models of her generation , only a fool or a true hater would expect or want a hit job .
( I ’ m not even sure what factual ammunition could be used to put together a hypothetical slam piece . )
So , yes , “ Becoming ” is a full-length documentary painting Michelle in the loveliest of lights , as we follow along with her on the book tour and revisit her backstory through archival footage , old photos and Michelle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who has gone on a couple of mini-book tours in which crowds of literally dozens , that ’ s right , dozens of people turned out to hear a few stories and ( we always hoped ) buy a book or two , I can say with great authority a Michelle Obama book tour resembles a “ regular ” author ’ s book tour in the same way an Elton John concert at Wrigley Field resembles an Elton John cover band show at Durty Nellie ’ s in Palatine .
With celebrity interviewers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as Jimmy Kimmel , Conan O ’ Brien , Gayle King , Stephen Colbert and Robin Roberts joining Obama onstage , she filled venues such as The Forum in Los Angeles , the American Airlines Center in Dallas , the Pepsi Center Arena in Denver and , of course , the United Center , where the documentary kicks off , with Oprah Winfrey , another fairly well-known figure with deep Chicago ties , doing the questioning .
We see Michelle and her close associates in a prayer circle backstage , as Oprah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ girl from the South Side of Chicago , welcome Michelle Obama !
” ( The welcome from the crowd really does sound like the thunderous applause that greets rock stars when they take the stage . )
Oprah asks Michelle how she felt when the Obamas left the White House after eight years : “ When you got on the helicopter , did you think , Free at last , free at last … ?
” Michelle replies with an anecdote about the last night the family spent in the White House , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last sleepover with friends .
( Too great , right ? )
In the morning , the girls were still sleeping when Michelle had to rouse them up , saying , “ Wake up , the Trumps are coming !
” On a more serious note , Michelle shares that she sobbed upon leaving the White House , as “ the release of eight years of trying to do everything perfectly .
[ As first lady , ] every gesture you make , every blink of an eye , is analyzed .
Your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In quieter , offstage moments , Michelle gets together with her mother , Marian Shields Robinson , and her brother , Craig Robinson , and shares memories as she flips through photo albums .
She notes how in kindergarten , the class photo reflected the racial diversity of her neighborhood , while the eighth-grade class was all black because of white flight to the suburbs .
At Princeton , Michelle was one of just a handful of minority students .
“ One of my roommates moved out because her mother was horrified I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ She felt her daughter was in danger.
” For every sobering note , “ Becoming ” has a dozen uplifting moments , e.g.
, when Michelle meets with young women just starting out on their journeys , or when fans are moved to shaking and tears when meeting her , and she displays such grace and kindness with them .
Then there ’ s the cameo by her husband , who is introduced by Valerie Jarrett and walks onstage with a bouquet of flowers and says , “ This is like when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” and even does a little corny Dad-level rapping as Michelle says , “ Oh , good Lord.
” On the last stop of the 34-city tour , Michelle closes with words to live by : “ This country is good , people are good , people are decent .
… I remain hopeful people want better , if not for themselves , then for the nation .
”

“I am from the South Side of Chicago. That tells you as much about me as you need to know.” – Michelle Obama, in the Netflix documentary “Becoming.”
Given the Higher Ground production company owned by Barack and Michelle Obama has a lucrative deal with Netflix, you can probably guess which streaming service is running a doc about Michelle’s book tour titled “Becoming,” and you won’t be surprised to learn it’s an immensely flattering portrait of the former First Lady.
‘Becoming’
Untitled Netflix presents a documentary directed by Nadia Hallgren. Rated PG (for some thematic elements and brief language). Running time: 89 minutes. Premieres Wednesday on Netflix.
Then again, given Michelle Obama is one of the most admirable, impressive, decent and flat-out cool role models of her generation, only a fool or a true hater would expect or want a hit job. (I’m not even sure what factual ammunition could be used to put together a hypothetical slam piece.) So, yes, “Becoming” is a full-length documentary painting Michelle in the loveliest of lights, as we follow along with her on the book tour and revisit her backstory through archival footage, old photos and Michelle’s on-camera reminiscences.
As someone who has gone on a couple of mini-book tours in which crowds of literally dozens, that’s right, dozens of people turned out to hear a few stories and (we always hoped) buy a book or two, I can say with great authority a Michelle Obama book tour resembles a “regular” author’s book tour in the same way an Elton John concert at Wrigley Field resembles an Elton John cover band show at Durty Nellie’s in Palatine. With celebrity interviewers and FOMs (Friends of Michelle) such as Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O’Brien, Gayle King, Stephen Colbert and Robin Roberts joining Obama onstage, she filled venues such as The Forum in Los Angeles, the American Airlines Center in Dallas, the Pepsi Center Arena in Denver and, of course, the United Center, where the documentary kicks off, with Oprah Winfrey, another fairly well-known figure with deep Chicago ties, doing the questioning. We see Michelle and her close associates in a prayer circle backstage, as Oprah bellows: “She is your hometown girl from the South Side of Chicago, welcome Michelle Obama!” (The welcome from the crowd really does sound like the thunderous applause that greets rock stars when they take the stage.)
Oprah asks Michelle how she felt when the Obamas left the White House after eight years: “When you got on the helicopter, did you think, Free at last, free at last …?” Michelle replies with an anecdote about the last night the family spent in the White House, when daughters Sasha and Malia had one last sleepover with friends. (Too great, right?) In the morning, the girls were still sleeping when Michelle had to rouse them up, saying, “Wake up, the Trumps are coming!”
On a more serious note, Michelle shares that she sobbed upon leaving the White House, as “the release of eight years of trying to do everything perfectly. [As first lady,] every gesture you make, every blink of an eye, is analyzed. Your life isn’t yours anymore.”
In quieter, offstage moments, Michelle gets together with her mother, Marian Shields Robinson, and her brother, Craig Robinson, and shares memories as she flips through photo albums. She notes how in kindergarten, the class photo reflected the racial diversity of her neighborhood, while the eighth-grade class was all black because of white flight to the suburbs. At Princeton, Michelle was one of just a handful of minority students. “One of my roommates moved out because her mother was horrified I was black,” she says. “She felt her daughter was in danger.”
For every sobering note, “Becoming” has a dozen uplifting moments, e.g., when Michelle meets with young women just starting out on their journeys, or when fans are moved to shaking and tears when meeting her, and she displays such grace and kindness with them. Then there’s the cameo by her husband, who is introduced by Valerie Jarrett and walks onstage with a bouquet of flowers and says, “This is like when Jay-Z comes out during the Beyonce concert,” and even does a little corny Dad-level rapping as Michelle says, “Oh, good Lord.”
On the last stop of the 34-city tour, Michelle closes with words to live by: “This country is good, people are good, people are decent. … I remain hopeful people want better, if not for themselves, then for the nation.”
Amen.


chicagosun-times--2020-05-04--Armed robbers hit businesses in Logan Square, Dunning, Portage Park

Police are warning Northwest Side businesses about a series of armed robberies reported since last month in Portage Park , @ @ @ @ @ In each case , a male suspect entered a business , approached an employee and @ @ @ @ @ according to a community alert from Chicago police .
In two of the robberies , @ @ @ @ @ a handgun .
• At 7:07 p.m. May 1 in the 2400 block of North @ @ @ @ @ 10:50 p.m. April 27 in the 6500 block of West Belmont Avenue ; and • @ @ @ @ @ in the 4300 block of North Central Avenue .
In one case , the suspect @ @ @ @ @ , 170-pound man in his 20s , police said .
In another , he was @ @ @ @ @ between 20 and 30 .
The final suspect was described as a male between 5-foot-5 @ @ @ @ @ pounds .
Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 312-746-7394 .
Read more @ @ @ @ @ the city ’ s homicides .

Police are warning Northwest Side businesses about a series of armed robberies reported since last month in Portage Park, Dunning and Logan Square.
In each case, a male suspect entered a business, approached an employee and demanded cash and cigarettes, according to a community alert from Chicago police. In two of the robberies, the suspect was armed with a handgun.
The hold-ups occurred:
At 7:07 p.m. May 1 in the 2400 block of North Milwaukee Avenue;
At 10:50 p.m. April 27 in the 6500 block of West Belmont Avenue; and
At 12:17 p.m. April 13 in the 4300 block of North Central Avenue.
In one case, the suspect was described as a 5-foot-9, 170-pound man in his 20s, police said. In another, he was a 6-foot-, 200-pound man between 20 and 30. The final suspect was described as a male between 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-7 and weighing 130-145 pounds.
Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 312-746-7394.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-05-04--Evanston fire displaces family of 4

Evanston fire displaces family of 4

A family was displaced after a fire tore through their home Saturday in north suburban Evanston .
Crews were called @ @ @ @ @ blaze at the single-family ranch home in the 1500 block of Cleveland Street , the @ @ @ @ @ The family of four was alerted by a smoke detector and escaped , fire officials @ @ @ @ @ hurt , but the family was displaced .
The American Red Cross is assisting them @ @ @ @ @ appeared to originate from the kitchen , fire officials said .
The investigation is ongoing @

A family was displaced after a fire tore through their home Saturday in north suburban Evanston.
Crews were called about 7:37 p.m. to the blaze at the single-family ranch home in the 1500 block of Cleveland Street, the Evanston fire department said.
The family of four was alerted by a smoke detector and escaped, fire officials said. No one was hurt, but the family was displaced. The American Red Cross is assisting them with housing.
The fire appeared to originate from the kitchen, fire officials said. The investigation is ongoing.


chicagosun-times--2020-05-04--Illinois reports 46 more COVID-19 deaths (LIVE UPDATES)

Lightfoot rules out public safety cuts , but worried about state shortfall ’ s impact on state aid to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday she ’ s “ not ever gon na cut back on public safety ” — no matter how much city revenues plummet because of the stay-at-home shutdown of the Chicago economy — but she ’ s worried about a cutback in state aid to Chicago .
Gov .
J.B. Pritzker has projected a $ 2.7 billion shortfall for the current state budget and a $ 4.6 billion gap for the fiscal year beginning July 1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus pandemic , the total shortfall for the fiscal year 2021 budget would be $ 6.2 billion when compared to the budget that Pritzker released in February .
Lightfoot has refused to project Chicago ’ s budget shortfall , fearing an initial estimate would end up too low and must be revised upward at a time when laid off Chicagoans are struggling to pay rent and put food on the table .
She has said repeatedly that to the extent possible , she wants city government to act as a “ local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she wants is to lay off or furlough city employees .
On Monday , the mayor was asked whether Chicago could be forced to follow the lead of other major cities now considering previously unthinkable cutbacks impacting lifeguards at public pools and even police officers on the front lines of the pandemic .
“ We ’ re not ever gon na cut back on public safety .
I can tell you that .
That ’ s not a thing that can or will do — particularly not when we ’ re also continuing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Lightfoot said .
New protocols put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 inside Cook County Jail may be wearing on detainees , and may not be possible to maintain if the usual summertime rise in arrests leads to an influx of inmates , lawyers for Sheriff Tom Dart said in a court-ordered report .
The report details changes made at the jail where more than 500 detainees and 300-plus jail staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 .
Six detainees and one corrections officer have also died from complications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The report given to U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly last week includes more than 200 pages of documentation showing the twice-weekly distribution of soap and cleansers to detainees , and nearly a dozen coronavirus-related disturbances inside the jail complex within the last month .
Inmate advocates in March filed a class-action lawsuit seeking the release or transfer of elderly and medically compromised detainees , prompting Kennelly to order heightened sanitation and single cells for detainees wherever possible .
Dart has angrily contested criticism of his handling of the outbreak , citing massive efforts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and converting a former boot camp into a 500-bed quarantine hospital .
Despite those efforts , the number of detainees who have COVID-19 peaked at 274 on April 12 , according to data compiled from the sheriff ’ s public reports by Injustice Watch .
Read the full report from Andy Grimm here .
6:36 p.m. Illinois ’ high times keep rolling amid coronavirus pandemic as recreational pot sales top $ 37 million in April As Illinois ’ economy has come to a screeching halt in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with sales topping $ 37 million last month .
April ’ s nearly $ 37.3 million in sales trails only the $ 39.2 million worth of adult-use cannabis sold by pot shops in January , the first month the drug was legalized for recreational use , according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation .
Since the start of the year , Illinois dispensaries have sold over $ 147 million in recreational cannabis .
Though many businesses have been forced to temporarily shut their doors as officials look to quell the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recreational and medical pot sales were deemed essential .
To encourage social distancing at stores , new rules have been put in place requiring shoppers to stand six feet apart and allowing curbside pickup for medical pot patients and their designated caregivers through the end of the month .
Read the full report from Tom Schuba here .
5:48 p.m .
Organizer of Little Village parade says to stay home for Cinco de Mayo Hector Escobar has planned the annual Cinco de Mayo festival and parade in Little Village for years , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday , he has one simple request this year : Stay home .
“ Don ’ t go have drinks outside .
Let ’ s be smart about this .
We only have one life , ” Escobar said .
“ Play music in your home and celebrate by keeping others safe.
” The multi-day Cinco de Mayo celebration — which marks the Mexican army ’ s victory over the France at the Battle of Puebla on May 5 , 1862 — was to kick off last Friday at Douglas Park and end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ due to the COVID-19 pandemic changed those plans .
Read the full story from Manny Ramos here .
No face mask ?
No free samples at Costco .
Costco members and guests will be required to wear masks in Costco stores starting Monday to help protect employees as well as other members .
The masks must be worn at all times when in Costco and cover the mouth and nose , according to a statement from the company .
Children under the age of 2 and those unable to wear a mask due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Employees are already required to wear masks while working .
The statement asked shoppers to continue to social distance while in stores , as the masks are not a substitute for social distancing .
“ We know some members may find this inconvenient or objectionable , but under the circumstances we believe the added safety is worth any inconvenience , ” Craig Jelinek , President and CEO of Costco Wholesale , said in the statement .
“ This is not simply a matter of personal choice ; a face covering protects not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Officials on Monday said another 46 people have died of coronavirus in Illinois — marking two days in which the state has seen less than 100 deaths per day .
But it remains unclear whether that lower death rate will stick .
Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s administration has said the state will remain in a death peak through early May , with 50 to 150 deaths projected every day .
And with an uptick in test results , the state has seen more than 2,000 daily coronavirus cases a day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 13,834 tests results on Sunday .
Monday ’ s new case count is 2,341 cases , bringing the state ’ s total to 63,840 positive cases .
With the 46 deaths reported on Monday , the state has lost 2,662 people to COVID-19 .
The virus is in 97 of the state ’ s 102 counties .
Hospitalization numbers have remained relatively flat , according to health officials .
Pritzker has said he wants to see 14 days of declining hospitalizations and new cases before more parts of the state could reopen — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ramp back up .
Read the full story on Illinois ’ latest coronavirus update here .
4:10 p.m. Chicago ’ s African American women restaurateurs ‘ refuse to lose ’ their livelihoods to pandemic Keisha Rucker , co-owner of Hyde Park ’ s The Soul Shack had just celebrated the restaurant ’ s one-year anniversary two days before Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ordered the state ’ s bars and restaurants to close to dine-in customers during the COVID-19 pandemic .
Outside of attending college at DePaul University , Rucker has never truly left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ H. Ray elementary schools , and Kenwood Academy , along with opening up the eatery on 53rd Street ( the neighborhood ’ s business epicenter ) has earned her the nickname “ Mz .
Hyde Park.
” Since the executive order took effect , however , she says she has lost 80 % of her business .
“ We have been able to stay open every day so far ; free delivery service is currently keeping the business afloat , ” said Rucker .
“ So I have been able to keep most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I had a straight business plan for dining and carryout delivery service and I had to revamp my whole system within less than 30 days when they came down with a stay-at-home order .
So far , I have been able to keep the business open ; that is my community.
” On Wednesdays , Soul Shack gives free meals to Hyde Park ’ s homeless community .
The meal consists of fried chicken and two sides — called “ South Sides.
” Read the full story from Evan F. Moore here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Chicago Housing Solidarity Pledge do enough ?
Last week , Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot unveiled her Chicago Housing Solidarity Pledge : an unprecedented but non-binding commitment to show “ flexibility and restraint ” in dealing with one another during this unprecedented time of hardship to prevent the pandemic from triggering another wave of foreclosures .
Participating landlords agreed to offer tenants grace periods with terms that “ avoid repayment at the end of the deferral period.
” They also promised to waive late fees for missed payments and allow renters who miss @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In a letter to the Sun-Times published Sunday , Hyde Park resident Helena Duncan of the Lift the Ban Coalition called the agreement “ a slap in the face to Chicago ’ s renters.
” She writes : Read this and more letters from Sun-Times readers this week here .
2:20 p.m. Galewood townhome that was site of viral party also hosted smaller gathering a month earlier The Galewood townhome used to host a videotaped house party on April 25 was the scene of a smaller gathering March 26 that triggered neighbor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citations , from police .
Like the second gathering , Chicago Fire Department Cmdr .
Christine Matthews said the earlier party , attended by 10 people , was hosted by her 26-year-old son , who doesn ’ t live with her , but has a key to her townhome “ for emergencies.
” Matthews said she didn ’ t find out about the first party until the second , larger party went viral .
Matthews worked 24-hour shifts as a paramedic on both days .
“ If I had known about the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never happened .
.
.
I would have took my keys .
I would have locked my house down .
He wouldn ’ t have access to my house to throw an even bigger , messier party , ” Matthews said .
Read the full story from Fran Spielman here .
Dozens of testing sites for COVID-19 have been established across the Chicago area to help track the spread of the novel coronavirus .
Check out the most up-to-date locations to get tested .
Keep track of how many people have been tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive and negative cases , with additional graphs here .
12:34 p.m. Coronavirus testing site opens in Back of the Yards A new testing site for the coronavirus opened Monday in the Back of the Yards neighborhood , promising to process up to 500 patients a week .
The testing site will operate out of the Access Family Health Center , 5159 S. Ashland Ave. , and is open to anyone who is experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19 .
Testing is offered 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday , with the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ living with disabilities .
The test is free at the point of service for everyone , even those without medical insurance .
Access Community Health Network CEO Donna Thompson said patients who get tested will also leave with educational materials in both English and Spanish about how to manage COVID-19 at home and where to access public resources .
Read the full story from Carlos Ballesteros here .
11:30 a.m. Miami Dolphins unveil plan to host fans in stadium amid coronavirus pandemic The Dolphins have a plan in place to host fans in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even as the NFL is still figuring out its strategy during the coronavirus pandemic .
As other pro sports leagues remain on hold to adhere to shelter-in-place and social-distancing guidelines , the NFL is still set to begin its season Sept. 10 .
The league has been discussing contingency plans to push the season back to October in empty stadiums , according to ESPN .
“ We would have times to come in for security at different gates so people would be separated out , in terms of when they enter the stadium @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Garfinkel said Monday in an interview on “ Good Morning America , ” per ESPN .
” We would exit the stadium much like a church environment , where each row exits so people aren ’ t filing out all at the same time in a herd.
” The mock-up plan mirrors carry-out food line protocol established by restaurants .
The Dolphins would include colored spots on the ground to mark where people stand before entering Hard Rock Stadium , allowing fans to stay six feet apart .
The Dolphins could be down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Chicago ’ s outdoor music festival season has suffered its latest casualty due to the coronavirus pandemic .
The Grant Park Music Festival on Monday announced the cancellation of its 2020 season , originally set for June 10-Aug. 15 at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park and other locations across the Chicago area .
More than 300,000 people attend the festival each year .
The free classical music festival , featuring the Grant Park Orchestra , under the direction of artistic director and principal conductor Carlos Kalmar , and the Grant Park @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bell , has been a summertime tradition since 1935 .
Attracting world-renowned musicians and singers from across the country and around the world , the festival has continuously provided a diverse repertoire of classical music favorites and world premieres .
In addition , the festival has been home to classic movie nights ( featuring the orchestra providing live accompaniment to screenings of some of Hollywood ’ s greatest musicals ) and Broadway show celebrations .
Read the full story from Miriam Di Nunzio here .
9:21 a.m. In-person visits for parents of children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March As millions of people have learned over a lonely springtime of social distancing , phone calls and video chats are no substitute for seeing loved ones in person .
In Illinois , the limitations of phone and online communications are particularly painful for many parents of children in the custody of the Department of Children & Family Services , which in March canceled in-person visits for thousands of children over concern about the spread of COVID-19 .
The agency in late March all but shut down in-person visits for parents who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citing concerns over the health of DCFS workers , children and foster parents .
For Berwyn mother Leticia Seeman , that means video calls have been the only contact she has had since March with her 4-month old daughter , who has been in the custody of her parents since DCFS began an investigation in February .
“ Sometimes I can get a smile out of her , but I don ’ t know if she really recognizes my voice , ” Seeman said Friday , a day when Gov .
J.B. Pritzker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , loosening restrictions on activities for state residents .
“ Today , I woke up , and people can go golfing , but I can ’ t see my baby .
I can ’ t hold her .
I can ’ t feed her .
I have no interaction with her but the phone.
” Read the full story from Andy Grimm here .
8:08 a.m .
Hours after cops broke up Lawndale party , 5 teens were shot at a gathering in the same block Five teenagers were wounded in a shooting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lawndale neighborhood — just hours after officers enforcing the statewide stay-at-home order broke up another get-together in the same block .
Officers initially responded about 8:45 p.m. Saturday to the 3700 block of West 13th Street and dispersed a crowd , police said .
Officers then returned to the block just after 3:30 a.m. Sunday when five males between the ages of 15 and 19 were struck by bullets sprayed from a passing gray sedan during a “ large gathering.
” The teenage victims were all taken to hospitals in fair condition , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , no one was in custody .
The attack happened a day after Mayor Lori Lightfoot offered a stark warning to partygoers as she walked through the East Garfield Park neighborhood , just over a mile from where the gunfire erupted .
6:18 a.m. Illinois sets new daily record by processing nearly 20K coronavirus tests , finding 2,994 new cases Illinois processed a new daily record of 19,417 coronavirus tests Saturday and 2,994 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed , health officials announced Sunday .
Gov .
J.B. Pritzker said Illinois also suffered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , bringing the state ’ s coronavirus death toll to 2,618 and total case count to 61,499 .
The 63 deaths mark only the third time since April 21 that the state has recorded fewer than 70 deaths in a given day , and the 19,417 tests processed shatters the previous record of 16,316 set on April 24 .
The 15.4 percent infection rate — the percentage of tests that came back positive — is also lower than normal .
A total of 4,701 Illinoisans are currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state ’ s 102 counties have recorded cases .
Read the full story by Tom Schuba and Ben Pope here .
• Chicago police announced Monday 22 more cases of COVID-19 , bringing the number of cases in the department to 463 .
• Sheriff ’ s Deputy Richard O ’ Brien , a long-time veteran of the Cook County sheriff ’ s office died Sunday of complications due to the coronavirus .
• Gov .
J.B. Pritzker said reported another 63 deaths from COVID-19 in Illinois on Saturday , bringing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2,618 and total case count to 61,499 .
• CBS News “ 60 Minutes ” correspondent Lesley Stahl said Sunday that she ’ s feeling well after a battle with COVID-19 that left her hospitalized for a week .
• A quick rise in the number of coronavirus cases among inmates held in Chicago ’ s downtown federal jail continued Friday , with the Bureau of Prisons reporting 74 inmates had tested positive , up from 48 on Thursday .
• Chicago police announced five more cases of COVID-19 Friday , bringing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 441 .
5:55 p.m. America ’ s road back from COVID-19 must begin with an end to the politics of division We think we can all agree that the woman who carried an “ Arbeit macht frei , JB ” sign at a downtown rally on Friday was not speaking for a significant number of people in Illinois .
She was speaking for Nazis .
But more importantly , we don ’ t believe the hundreds of demonstrators at the Thompson Center rally , or at a larger rally in Springfield on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a significant number of people — not when it comes to Illinois ’ response to COVID-19 .
The demonstrators in their foolish approach — no masks , no social distancing and no respect for science — were out of step with the vast majority of people in Illinois , who accept that the coronavirus is real and deadly and have been working hard to keep it at bay .
Read the full editorial from the Sun-Times Editorial Board .
5:30 p.m. We must protect the right to vote in the November elections The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do .
The coronavirus is not partisan , but politicians are .
When we should be coming together to address a shared crisis , some are intent on driving us apart and exacting partisan advantage in the midst of the crisis .
Across the country , Republicans are intensifying their efforts to make it harder to vote , with particular focus on suppressing the votes of African Americans and other minorities .
With the pandemic making in-person voting dangerous , Congress should move rapidly to provide resources to help every state create systems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rescue package , the CARES Act , included some money for vote-by-mail programs , but far short of what is needed .
Why not provide it ?
Republicans are worried that voting by mail may increase turnout , particularly among low-income and minority voters .
Donald Trump voiced the fear , saying “ They had things , levels of voting , that if you ’ d ever agreed to it , you ’ d never have a Republican elected in this country again.
” Trump said this in March , dismissing Democratic efforts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easier , and extend voting days .
9:32 a.m. Stay-at-home orders or not , with technology , the doors of the church are always open Everyone has the right to church , says a federal lawsuit filed Thursday on behalf of The Beloved Church , a small evangelical congregation outside of Rockford .
It is fighting Illinois Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s extension of the COVID-19 stay-at-home executive order .
The plaintiffs argue that by classifying sacred worship as “ non-essential , ” Pritzker and other public officials demonstrate “ illegal and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and people of faith ” and are “ relegating them to second-class citizenship.
” The lawsuit was filed by the Thomas More Society , a public interest law firm in Chicago .
“ Most faith leaders have found new ways to connect with parishioners ” via Zoom and other online outlets during the pandemic , Pritzker responded .
The governor also tweaked his executive order , to classify religious gatherings as “ essential activities.
” Illinois residents can now “ engage in the free exercise of religion , provided that such exercise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the limit on gatherings of more than 10 people in keeping with CDC guidelines for the protection of public health.
” To God , nothing is more sacred than life .
In this pandemic , I am staying home to save them .
Read the full column from Laura Washington here .
6:08 a.m. Trump ’ s blatant taxpayer-paid ploy to grab credit for stimulus checks : A note on White House letterhead President Donald Trump hijacked what should have been a routine IRS confirmation letter into a taxpayer-paid election-year messaging tool sent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and across the nation .
Folks who received their COVID-19 economic stimulus cash via direct deposit in mid-April last week received a note on White House letterhead with Trump ’ s grandiose Sharpie signature .
There ’ s a Spanish language version on the other side that Trump also signed .
The top of the letter says “ The White House ” with the word Washington underneath .
The return address on the letters is from the Department of the Treasury , Internal Revenue Service , and it includes the warning , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for private use $ 300 .
The letters , worth mentioning , were mailed through the U.S .
Postal Service , the cash-short agency Trump is angry at because of his grievances against Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos .
Trump wants to deny the USPS emergency COVID-19 aid .
Read the full column from Lynn Sweet here .

The latest
A swab is an item as light as a feather but in short supply as the demand for COVID-19 testing grows. Mass testing is key to trying to reopen our lives, schools and economy. Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP via Getty Images
“We need swabs,” Gov. J. B. Pritzker said at his Sunday briefing, “We don’t have enough swabs.”
Earlier on Sunday, Pritzker said in an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” “Recently we got a call from the White House telling us that in May they’re sending us 600,000 swabs and I’m very grateful for that.”
What is a swab?
It’s an item as light as a feather but in short supply as the demand for COVID-19 testing grows. Mass testing is key to trying to reopen our lives, schools and economy.
The federal Food and Drug Administration in recent weeks has expanded swab testing options and materials, fast tracking decision making in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Swabs are essential to collecting samples from a nose or throat. Swabs are put in a package with a reagent — it could be some kind of a liquid — to preserve the sample. The sample is sent to a lab with a testing machine to see if it is positive for COVID-19.
No swab, no test.
Merriam Webster defines a swab as “a wad of absorbent material usually wound around one end of a small stick and used especially for applying medication or for removing material from an area.”
That definition doesn’t go far enough.
News
9:34 p.m. Church that challenged stay-at-home ruling and lost plans to appeal
Leaders at an Evangelical church in Northwestern Illinois announced Monday they are appealing a federal court ruling that upheld Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s right to scale back in-person church services as part of his stay-at-home order to help prevent spread of the coronavirus.
The legal fracas began when leaders at the Beloved Church in Lena, located about 50 miles west of Rockford, filed a complaint Thursday seeking a temporary restraining order and injunction in order to resume worship services with its 80 congregants.
Pritzker’s stay-at-home order allows 10 people to attend a church service.
A U.S. district judge issued a ruling Sunday upholding Pritzker’s order as constitutional.
“Given the continuing threat posed by COVID-19, the [stay-at-home] Order preserves relatively robust avenues for praise, prayer and fellowship and passes constitutional muster,” Judge John Z. Lee wrote in a 37-page decision.
The lawsuit, filed by the Thomas More Society on behalf of The Beloved Church, had been the first significant legal challenge to Illinois’ stay-at-home order in federal court.
The church’s pastor, Stephen Cassell, has defied the order.
Read the full report from Mitch Dudek here.
8:16 p.m. Lightfoot rules out public safety cuts, but worried about state shortfall’s impact on state aid to Chicago
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday she’s “not ever gonna cut back on public safety” — no matter how much city revenues plummet because of the stay-at-home shutdown of the Chicago economy — but she’s worried about a cutback in state aid to Chicago.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has projected a $2.7 billion shortfall for the current state budget and a $4.6 billion gap for the fiscal year beginning July 1. With short-term borrowing to get through the coronavirus pandemic, the total shortfall for the fiscal year 2021 budget would be $6.2 billion when compared to the budget that Pritzker released in February.
Lightfoot has refused to project Chicago’s budget shortfall, fearing an initial estimate would end up too low and must be revised upward at a time when laid off Chicagoans are struggling to pay rent and put food on the table. She has said repeatedly that to the extent possible, she wants city government to act as a “local stimulus” and that the last thing she wants is to lay off or furlough city employees.
On Monday, the mayor was asked whether Chicago could be forced to follow the lead of other major cities now considering previously unthinkable cutbacks impacting lifeguards at public pools and even police officers on the front lines of the pandemic.
“We’re not ever gonna cut back on public safety. I can tell you that. That’s not a thing that can or will do — particularly not when we’re also continuing to fight the epidemic of gun violence,” Lightfoot said.
Read the full story from City Hall reporter Fran Spielman.
7:01 p.m. Dart touts improvements, warns of security issues as Cook County Jail battles COVID-19
New protocols put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 inside Cook County Jail may be wearing on detainees, and may not be possible to maintain if the usual summertime rise in arrests leads to an influx of inmates, lawyers for Sheriff Tom Dart said in a court-ordered report.
The report details changes made at the jail where more than 500 detainees and 300-plus jail staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. Six detainees and one corrections officer have also died from complications related to coronavirus since late March.
The report given to U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly last week includes more than 200 pages of documentation showing the twice-weekly distribution of soap and cleansers to detainees, and nearly a dozen coronavirus-related disturbances inside the jail complex within the last month.
Inmate advocates in March filed a class-action lawsuit seeking the release or transfer of elderly and medically compromised detainees, prompting Kennelly to order heightened sanitation and single cells for detainees wherever possible.
Dart has angrily contested criticism of his handling of the outbreak, citing massive efforts including reopening long-closed sections of the jail and converting a former boot camp into a 500-bed quarantine hospital. Despite those efforts, the number of detainees who have COVID-19 peaked at 274 on April 12, according to data compiled from the sheriff’s public reports by Injustice Watch.
Read the full report from Andy Grimm here.
6:36 p.m. Illinois’ high times keep rolling amid coronavirus pandemic as recreational pot sales top $37 million in April
As Illinois’ economy has come to a screeching halt in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, recreational weed has remained a hot commodity with sales topping $37 million last month.
April’s nearly $37.3 million in sales trails only the $39.2 million worth of adult-use cannabis sold by pot shops in January, the first month the drug was legalized for recreational use, according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Since the start of the year, Illinois dispensaries have sold over $147 million in recreational cannabis.
Though many businesses have been forced to temporarily shut their doors as officials look to quell the spread of the new coronavirus, both recreational and medical pot sales were deemed essential. To encourage social distancing at stores, new rules have been put in place requiring shoppers to stand six feet apart and allowing curbside pickup for medical pot patients and their designated caregivers through the end of the month.
Read the full report from Tom Schuba here.
5:48 p.m. Organizer of Little Village parade says to stay home for Cinco de Mayo
Hector Escobar has planned the annual Cinco de Mayo festival and parade in Little Village for years, but instead of encouraging people to celebrate on Tuesday, he has one simple request this year: Stay home.
“Don’t go have drinks outside. Let’s be smart about this. We only have one life,” Escobar said. “Play music in your home and celebrate by keeping others safe.”
The multi-day Cinco de Mayo celebration — which marks the Mexican army’s victory over the France at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862 — was to kick off last Friday at Douglas Park and end with a parade on Sunday.
Restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic changed those plans.
Read the full story from Manny Ramos here.
5:30 p.m. Costco requires face coverings in stores starting Monday
No face mask? No free samples at Costco.
Costco members and guests will be required to wear masks in Costco stores starting Monday to help protect employees as well as other members.
The masks must be worn at all times when in Costco and cover the mouth and nose, according to a statement from the company. Children under the age of 2 and those unable to wear a mask due to a medical condition will be exempt. Employees are already required to wear masks while working.
The statement asked shoppers to continue to social distance while in stores, as the masks are not a substitute for social distancing.
“We know some members may find this inconvenient or objectionable, but under the circumstances we believe the added safety is worth any inconvenience,” Craig Jelinek, President and CEO of Costco Wholesale, said in the statement. “This is not simply a matter of personal choice; a face covering protects not just the wearer, but others too.”
— Alison Martin
4:50 p.m. 46 more Illinois deaths reported as daily COVID-19 case count hits 2,341
Officials on Monday said another 46 people have died of coronavirus in Illinois — marking two days in which the state has seen less than 100 deaths per day.
But it remains unclear whether that lower death rate will stick. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration has said the state will remain in a death peak through early May, with 50 to 150 deaths projected every day.
And with an uptick in test results, the state has seen more than 2,000 daily coronavirus cases a day.
In total, the state received 13,834 tests results on Sunday. Monday’s new case count is 2,341 cases, bringing the state’s total to 63,840 positive cases. With the 46 deaths reported on Monday, the state has lost 2,662 people to COVID-19.
The virus is in 97 of the state’s 102 counties.
Hospitalization numbers have remained relatively flat, according to health officials. Pritzker has said he wants to see 14 days of declining hospitalizations and new cases before more parts of the state could reopen — and the state’s economy could ramp back up.
Read the full story on Illinois’ latest coronavirus update here.
4:10 p.m. Chicago’s African American women restaurateurs ‘refuse to lose’ their livelihoods to pandemic
Keisha Rucker, co-owner of Hyde Park’s The Soul Shack had just celebrated the restaurant’s one-year anniversary two days before Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered the state’s bars and restaurants to close to dine-in customers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Outside of attending college at DePaul University, Rucker has never truly left Hyde Park.
Attending Shoesmith and William H. Ray elementary schools, and Kenwood Academy, along with opening up the eatery on 53rd Street (the neighborhood’s business epicenter) has earned her the nickname “Mz. Hyde Park.”
Since the executive order took effect, however, she says she has lost 80% of her business.
“We have been able to stay open every day so far; free delivery service is currently keeping the business afloat,” said Rucker. “So I have been able to keep most of my staff with full-time positions.
“I had a straight business plan for dining and carryout delivery service and I had to revamp my whole system within less than 30 days when they came down with a stay-at-home order. So far, I have been able to keep the business open; that is my community.”
On Wednesdays, Soul Shack gives free meals to Hyde Park’s homeless community. The meal consists of fried chicken and two sides — called “South Sides.”
Read the full story from Evan F. Moore here.
2:35 p.m. Does Lightfoot’s Chicago Housing Solidarity Pledge do enough?
Last week, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot unveiled her Chicago Housing Solidarity Pledge: an unprecedented but non-binding commitment to show “flexibility and restraint” in dealing with one another during this unprecedented time of hardship to prevent the pandemic from triggering another wave of foreclosures.
Participating landlords agreed to offer tenants grace periods with terms that “avoid repayment at the end of the deferral period.” They also promised to waive late fees for missed payments and allow renters who miss payments to amortize those payments over time.
In a letter to the Sun-Times published Sunday, Hyde Park resident Helena Duncan of the Lift the Ban Coalition called the agreement “a slap in the face to Chicago’s renters.” She writes:
This non-binding and totally unenforceable pledge allows landlords to say they’ll go easy on tenants, for example, by eliminating late fees while providing no substantive, universal relief to struggling renters. If Lightfoot truly cared about renters, who comprise more than half of her constituents, she’d use her platform to urge Gov. J.B. Pritzker to repeal a statewide ban on rent control through executive action and institute a rent and mortgage freeze. She’d listen to the tenants and advocacy groups who have been fighting for this, to those of us warning that once the eviction moratorium is lifted, families with several months’ of rent debt will be on the streets.
Read this and more letters from Sun-Times readers this week here.
2:20 p.m. Galewood townhome that was site of viral party also hosted smaller gathering a month earlier
The Galewood townhome used to host a videotaped house party on April 25 was the scene of a smaller gathering March 26 that triggered neighbor complaints and a visit, but no citations, from police.
Like the second gathering, Chicago Fire Department Cmdr. Christine Matthews said the earlier party, attended by 10 people, was hosted by her 26-year-old son, who doesn’t live with her, but has a key to her townhome “for emergencies.”
Matthews said she didn’t find out about the first party until the second, larger party went viral. Matthews worked 24-hour shifts as a paramedic on both days.
“If I had known about the first party, that second party would have never happened . . . I would have took my keys. I would have locked my house down. He wouldn’t have access to my house to throw an even bigger, messier party,” Matthews said.
Read the full story from Fran Spielman here.
1:48 p.m. Chicago-area coronavirus testing map
Dozens of testing sites for COVID-19 have been established across the Chicago area to help track the spread of the novel coronavirus. Check out the most up-to-date locations to get tested.
Keep track of how many people have been tested in Illinois, including the number of positive and negative cases, with additional graphs here.
12:34 p.m. Coronavirus testing site opens in Back of the Yards
A new testing site for the coronavirus opened Monday in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, promising to process up to 500 patients a week.
The testing site will operate out of the Access Family Health Center, 5159 S. Ashland Ave., and is open to anyone who is experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19.
Testing is offered 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday, with the first hour being reserved for seniors and people living with disabilities. The test is free at the point of service for everyone, even those without medical insurance.
Access Community Health Network CEO Donna Thompson said patients who get tested will also leave with educational materials in both English and Spanish about how to manage COVID-19 at home and where to access public resources.
Read the full story from Carlos Ballesteros here.
11:30 a.m. Miami Dolphins unveil plan to host fans in stadium amid coronavirus pandemic
The Dolphins have a plan in place to host fans in their stadium during the 2020 season — even as the NFL is still figuring out its strategy during the coronavirus pandemic.
As other pro sports leagues remain on hold to adhere to shelter-in-place and social-distancing guidelines, the NFL is still set to begin its season Sept. 10. The league has been discussing contingency plans to push the season back to October in empty stadiums, according to ESPN.
“We would have times to come in for security at different gates so people would be separated out, in terms of when they enter the stadium,” Dolphins CEO and president Tom Garfinkel said Monday in an interview on “Good Morning America,” per ESPN. ”We would exit the stadium much like a church environment, where each row exits so people aren’t filing out all at the same time in a herd.”
The mock-up plan mirrors carry-out food line protocol established by restaurants. The Dolphins would include colored spots on the ground to mark where people stand before entering Hard Rock Stadium, allowing fans to stay six feet apart. The Dolphins could be down to 15,000 fans in the 65,000-seat stadium.
Read the full story here.
11 a.m. Grant Park Music Festival canceled due to coronavirus pandemic
Chicago’s outdoor music festival season has suffered its latest casualty due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Grant Park Music Festival on Monday announced the cancellation of its 2020 season, originally set for June 10-Aug. 15 at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park and other locations across the Chicago area. More than 300,000 people attend the festival each year.
The free classical music festival, featuring the Grant Park Orchestra, under the direction of artistic director and principal conductor Carlos Kalmar, and the Grant Park Chorus, under the direction of Christopher Bell, has been a summertime tradition since 1935. Attracting world-renowned musicians and singers from across the country and around the world, the festival has continuously provided a diverse repertoire of classical music favorites and world premieres.
In addition, the festival has been home to classic movie nights (featuring the orchestra providing live accompaniment to screenings of some of Hollywood’s greatest musicals) and Broadway show celebrations.
Read the full story from Miriam Di Nunzio here.
9:21 a.m. In-person visits for parents of children in DCFS care have been suspended since March
As millions of people have learned over a lonely springtime of social distancing, phone calls and video chats are no substitute for seeing loved ones in person.
In Illinois, the limitations of phone and online communications are particularly painful for many parents of children in the custody of the Department of Children & Family Services, which in March canceled in-person visits for thousands of children over concern about the spread of COVID-19.
The agency in late March all but shut down in-person visits for parents who are allowed supervised visits with their children, citing concerns over the health of DCFS workers, children and foster parents.
For Berwyn mother Leticia Seeman, that means video calls have been the only contact she has had since March with her 4-month old daughter, who has been in the custody of her parents since DCFS began an investigation in February.
“Sometimes I can get a smile out of her, but I don’t know if she really recognizes my voice,” Seeman said Friday, a day when Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s modified stay-at-home order took effect, loosening restrictions on activities for state residents.
“Today, I woke up, and people can go golfing, but I can’t see my baby. I can’t hold her. I can’t feed her. I have no interaction with her but the phone.”
Read the full story from Andy Grimm here.
8:08 a.m. Hours after cops broke up Lawndale party, 5 teens were shot at a gathering in the same block
Five teenagers were wounded in a shooting early Sunday at a gathering in the Lawndale neighborhood — just hours after officers enforcing the statewide stay-at-home order broke up another get-together in the same block.
Officers initially responded about 8:45 p.m. Saturday to the 3700 block of West 13th Street and dispersed a crowd, police said. Officers then returned to the block just after 3:30 a.m. Sunday when five males between the ages of 15 and 19 were struck by bullets sprayed from a passing gray sedan during a “large gathering.”
The teenage victims were all taken to hospitals in fair condition, police said. As of Sunday evening, no one was in custody.
The attack happened a day after Mayor Lori Lightfoot offered a stark warning to partygoers as she walked through the East Garfield Park neighborhood, just over a mile from where the gunfire erupted.
Read the full story here.
6:18 a.m. Illinois sets new daily record by processing nearly 20K coronavirus tests, finding 2,994 new cases
Illinois processed a new daily record of 19,417 coronavirus tests Saturday and 2,994 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed, health officials announced Sunday.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Illinois also suffered another 63 deaths from COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the state’s coronavirus death toll to 2,618 and total case count to 61,499.
The 63 deaths mark only the third time since April 21 that the state has recorded fewer than 70 deaths in a given day, and the 19,417 tests processed shatters the previous record of 16,316 set on April 24.
The 15.4 percent infection rate — the percentage of tests that came back positive — is also lower than normal.
A total of 4,701 Illinoisans are currently hospitalized due to COVID-19, with 1,232 occupying ICU beds. Ninety-seven of the state’s 102 counties have recorded cases.
Read the full story by Tom Schuba and Ben Pope here.
New cases
Analysis & Commentary
5:55 p.m. America’s road back from COVID-19 must begin with an end to the politics of division
We think we can all agree that the woman who carried an “Arbeit macht frei, JB” sign at a downtown rally on Friday was not speaking for a significant number of people in Illinois.
She was speaking for Nazis.
But more importantly, we don’t believe the hundreds of demonstrators at the Thompson Center rally, or at a larger rally in Springfield on the same day, were speaking for a significant number of people — not when it comes to Illinois’ response to COVID-19.
The demonstrators in their foolish approach — no masks, no social distancing and no respect for science — were out of step with the vast majority of people in Illinois, who accept that the coronavirus is real and deadly and have been working hard to keep it at bay.
Read the full editorial from the Sun-Times Editorial Board.
5:30 p.m. We must protect the right to vote in the November elections
The coronavirus does not discriminate, but people do. The coronavirus is not partisan, but politicians are. When we should be coming together to address a shared crisis, some are intent on driving us apart and exacting partisan advantage in the midst of the crisis.
Across the country, Republicans are intensifying their efforts to make it harder to vote, with particular focus on suppressing the votes of African Americans and other minorities.
With the pandemic making in-person voting dangerous, Congress should move rapidly to provide resources to help every state create systems for voting by mail. The first rescue package, the CARES Act, included some money for vote-by-mail programs, but far short of what is needed.
Why not provide it? Republicans are worried that voting by mail may increase turnout, particularly among low-income and minority voters. Donald Trump voiced the fear, saying “They had things, levels of voting, that if you’d ever agreed to it, you’d never have a Republican elected in this country again.” Trump said this in March, dismissing Democratic efforts to expand mail-in voting, make registration easier, and extend voting days.
Read the full commentary from Rev. Jesse Jackson.
9:32 a.m. Stay-at-home orders or not, with technology, the doors of the church are always open
Everyone has the right to church, says a federal lawsuit filed Thursday on behalf of The Beloved Church, a small evangelical congregation outside of Rockford. It is fighting Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s extension of the COVID-19 stay-at-home executive order.
The plaintiffs argue that by classifying sacred worship as “non-essential,” Pritzker and other public officials demonstrate “illegal and discriminatory hostility to religious practice, churches, and people of faith” and are “relegating them to second-class citizenship.” The lawsuit was filed by the Thomas More Society, a public interest law firm in Chicago.
“Most faith leaders have found new ways to connect with parishioners” via Zoom and other online outlets during the pandemic, Pritzker responded.
The governor also tweaked his executive order, to classify religious gatherings as “essential activities.” Illinois residents can now “engage in the free exercise of religion, provided that such exercise must comply with social distancing requirements and the limit on gatherings of more than 10 people in keeping with CDC guidelines for the protection of public health.”
To God, nothing is more sacred than life. In this pandemic, I am staying home to save them.
Read the full column from Laura Washington here.
6:08 a.m. Trump’s blatant taxpayer-paid ploy to grab credit for stimulus checks: A note on White House letterhead
President Donald Trump hijacked what should have been a routine IRS confirmation letter into a taxpayer-paid election-year messaging tool sent to millions of potential voters in Illinois and across the nation.
Folks who received their COVID-19 economic stimulus cash via direct deposit in mid-April last week received a note on White House letterhead with Trump’s grandiose Sharpie signature.
There’s a Spanish language version on the other side that Trump also signed. The top of the letter says “The White House” with the word Washington underneath.
The return address on the letters is from the Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, and it includes the warning, “Official Business,” with the penalty for private use $300.
The letters, worth mentioning, were mailed through the U.S. Postal Service, the cash-short agency Trump is angry at because of his grievances against Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos. Trump wants to deny the USPS emergency COVID-19 aid.
Read the full column from Lynn Sweet here.


chicagosun-times--2020-05-04--Is CPS’ new grading policy ‘equity-focused’ or ‘cruel’?

A debate has raged in the days since Chicago Public Schools released new grading and promotion guidelines last week over how best to keep educating students and reward them for their work while ensuring kids aren ’ t further harmed by health or economic circumstances during the pandemic .
The district touted its new policy as an “ equity-focused grading plan , ” and schools chief Janice Jackson said in a news release that it “ allows students to improve their grades while ensuring their academic standing isn ’ t harmed due to circumstances beyond their control.
” The long-awaited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but criticism from parents and Chicago Teachers Union officials who said the system would lead to further inequities .
Student newspapers at three of CPS ’ top high schools joined together Monday afternoon in condemning the policy and calling on the district to change it .
CPS largely will be on a grading system that results in a passing grade or an incomplete , a change that was demanded by parents , students and teachers so no student would fail .
But the biggest point of contention is that the policy affords only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the opportunity for fourth quarter letter grades — those who can ’ t get online can only “ pass ” and won ’ t have a chance to improve their grades no matter how well they do .
High schoolers who only complete printed homework packets will get a “ pass ” mark and earn credit for the class but can ’ t improve their third quarter grades ahead of the college application process .
High school students are given a cumulative second semester grade that reflects an average of their third and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” will leave their GPA unaffected .
That leaves students who were failing heading into the closures with no opportunity to pass their classes if they don ’ t have a computer or internet access .
For seniors , that would mean a delayed graduation as they try to recover that credit over the summer .
CPS is waiving some high school graduation requirements but leaving most grading criteria in place .
CPS has largely bridged a technology gap that saw one in three students of its 355,000 students without computer or internet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But as of last week , there are still 13,000 kids without digital devices , even after CPS said it distributed more than 100,00 over the past three weeks , with high schoolers prioritized .
By the time those final students receive laptops in mid-May as officials expect , a month will have passed since the start of the fourth quarter .
“ To be honest it ’ s not sitting well with me , ” said Jennie Biggs , a CPS mother of three and the communications director for the parent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know there are arguments being made against grades altogether in this entire thing , but grades not even being an option for only those kids just seemed really wrong to me.
” Elementary grades are typically an average of scores received over four quarters .
This year , it ’ ll be an average of only the first three unless a student completes online homework and does well enough to raise their average grade .
Kids without computers and those who do worse than their average will get a “ pass ” mark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promoted to the next grade level in the fall , regardless of their performance .
A discussion on the issue in Raise Your Hand ’ s Facebook group prompted more than 50 comments , including concerns the plan also wouldn ’ t motivate students .
One parent said the policy “ means a B is essentially the same as a D. ” “ If they were trying to make grades a motivator again , this doesn ’ t work well , ” she wrote .
“ A student can do nothing until their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do an assignment and get back up to a D/pass.
” CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates called the grading policy “ Jim Crowish ” for students who are trying their hardest .
“ If we were just providing passes and incompletes for everyone , then that would make sense , ” Davis Gates said .
“ But to put students who are already in a compromised situation , and even more so now , is cruel.
” LaTanya McDade , the chief education officer at CPS , said district officials were thoughtful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would play out in various scenarios .
The district reached what she sees as a good balance despite logistical barriers to offering grades to non-digital students , such as having teachers pick up homework packets and review them in a timely manner .
“ This is a really complex situation .
... All districts are grappling with this , ” McDade said .
“ What we found is that awarding credit for those students who are non-digital that are completing the learning packets and engaging with their teachers , them earning a pass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many students , however , were critical .
In a joint editorial , newspaper editors from the Lane Warrior , the Payton Paw Print , and the Whitney Young Beacon said they “ come together in condemning this deleterious policy , and demanding a replacement that completely eliminates failing grades and can not , under any circumstances , adversely impact students.
” An online petition created by students also demands CPS move to a system that passes all students this school year but allows all kids to opt in for letter grades .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ My dad used to work 45 hours a week and now he can barely get 30 hours , ” student Angel Susano wrote .
“ He doesn ’ t make enough for bills and food so I started to work two jobs of a combined 50 hours so I can help with the bills .
I can ’ t even do homework .
”

A debate has raged in the days since Chicago Public Schools released new grading and promotion guidelines last week over how best to keep educating students and reward them for their work while ensuring kids aren’t further harmed by health or economic circumstances during the pandemic.
The district touted its new policy as an “equity-focused grading plan,” and schools chief Janice Jackson said in a news release that it “allows students to improve their grades while ensuring their academic standing isn’t harmed due to circumstances beyond their control.”
The long-awaited guidelines were received with praise by some but criticism from parents and Chicago Teachers Union officials who said the system would lead to further inequities. Student newspapers at three of CPS’ top high schools joined together Monday afternoon in condemning the policy and calling on the district to change it.
CPS largely will be on a grading system that results in a passing grade or an incomplete, a change that was demanded by parents, students and teachers so no student would fail. But the biggest point of contention is that the policy affords only students with access to digital learning materials the opportunity for fourth quarter letter grades — those who can’t get online can only “pass” and won’t have a chance to improve their grades no matter how well they do.
Chicago Public Schools grading rules for high school students for the 4th quarter of 2019-20. CPS
High schoolers who only complete printed homework packets will get a “pass” mark and earn credit for the class but can’t improve their third quarter grades ahead of the college application process. High school students are given a cumulative second semester grade that reflects an average of their third and fourth quarter scores. A “pass” will leave their GPA unaffected.
That leaves students who were failing heading into the closures with no opportunity to pass their classes if they don’t have a computer or internet access. For seniors, that would mean a delayed graduation as they try to recover that credit over the summer. CPS is waiving some high school graduation requirements but leaving most grading criteria in place.
CPS has largely bridged a technology gap that saw one in three students of its 355,000 students without computer or internet access when remote learning started last month. But as of last week, there are still 13,000 kids without digital devices, even after CPS said it distributed more than 100,00 over the past three weeks, with high schoolers prioritized.
By the time those final students receive laptops in mid-May as officials expect, a month will have passed since the start of the fourth quarter.
“To be honest it’s not sitting well with me,” said Jennie Biggs, a CPS mother of three and the communications director for the parent group Raise Your Hand. “I know there are arguments being made against grades altogether in this entire thing, but grades not even being an option for only those kids just seemed really wrong to me.”
Elementary grades are typically an average of scores received over four quarters. This year, it’ll be an average of only the first three unless a student completes online homework and does well enough to raise their average grade. Kids without computers and those who do worse than their average will get a “pass” mark, and all elementary students will be promoted to the next grade level in the fall, regardless of their performance.
Chicago Public Schools grading rules for elementary students. CPS
A discussion on the issue in Raise Your Hand’s Facebook group prompted more than 50 comments, including concerns the plan also wouldn’t motivate students. One parent said the policy “means a B is essentially the same as a D.”
“If they were trying to make grades a motivator again, this doesn’t work well,” she wrote. “A student can do nothing until their grade drops to a F, then do an assignment and get back up to a D/pass.”
CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates called the grading policy “Jim Crowish” for students who are trying their hardest.
“If we were just providing passes and incompletes for everyone, then that would make sense,” Davis Gates said. “But to put students who are already in a compromised situation, and even more so now, is cruel.”
LaTanya McDade, the chief education officer at CPS, said district officials were thoughtful to take into consideration how the policy would play out in various scenarios. The district reached what she sees as a good balance despite logistical barriers to offering grades to non-digital students, such as having teachers pick up homework packets and review them in a timely manner.
“This is a really complex situation. ... All districts are grappling with this,” McDade said. “What we found is that awarding credit for those students who are non-digital that are completing the learning packets and engaging with their teachers, them earning a pass would be the most equitable option.”
Many students, however, were critical.
In a joint editorial, newspaper editors from the Lane Warrior, the Payton Paw Print, and the Whitney Young Beacon said they “come together in condemning this deleterious policy, and demanding a replacement that completely eliminates failing grades and cannot, under any circumstances, adversely impact students.”
An online petition created by students also demands CPS move to a system that passes all students this school year but allows all kids to opt in for letter grades. The petition has more than 7,500 signatures.
“My dad used to work 45 hours a week and now he can barely get 30 hours,” student Angel Susano wrote. “He doesn’t make enough for bills and food so I started to work two jobs of a combined 50 hours so I can help with the bills. I can’t even do homework.”


chicagosun-times--2020-05-04--22 more Chicago Police Department employees test positive for COVID-19

Chicago police announced Monday 22 more cases of COVID-19 , bringing the number of cases in the department to 463 @ @ @ @ @ , 442 are officers and 21 are civilian employees , police said .
A total @ @ @ @ @ positive test results but the department ’ s medical section has yet to confirm three @ @ @ @ @ said .
The department announced the death of a third officer from complications of the @ @ @ @ @ Illinois health officials Monday said another 46 people died of COVID-19 , raising the state @ @ @ @ @ .
Officials also announced 2,341 new cases of the virus in Illinois .

Chicago police announced Monday 22 more cases of COVID-19, bringing the number of cases in the department to 463.
Of the confirmed cases, 442 are officers and 21 are civilian employees, police said.
A total of 466 employees have reported positive test results but the department’s medical section has yet to confirm three of those cases, police said.
The department announced the death of a third officer from complications of the coronavirus on April 17.
Illinois health officials Monday said another 46 people died of COVID-19, raising the state’s toll to 2,662. Officials also announced 2,341 new cases of the virus in Illinois.