chicagosun-times--2020-04-17--Disbarred southwest suburban lawyer caught up in Bridgeport bank failure probe

A disbarred southwest suburban lawyer who spent seven years in prison in a mortgage-fraud scheme is now entangled in the investigation of a failed Bridgeport bank whose president was found dead in a customer ’ s bedroom as federal regulators rushed to shut down the bank over massive fraud .
It ’ s unclear why federal investigators have been talking with the disbarred attorney John Farano Jr. , about the collapse of Washington Federal Bank for Savings .
The bank , which had long ties to the 11th Ward Regular Democratic Organization that ’ s long been the Daley family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been run by Farano ’ s longtime friend John F. Gembara .
Farano got out of prison last July on his fraud conviction , which didn ’ t involve Gembara ’ s bank .
Since then , he ’ s been fighting a foreclosure lawsuit on a $ 274,400 mortgage he got from Gembara ’ s bank 13 years ago for four condominiums in Worth .
That was the only outstanding loan he had from Washington Federal , according to Farano , who says he repaid another mortgage last fall on his former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show Farano and his partners , including his late father , also got 25 other loans from Gembara ’ s bank over the past two decades .
He says those all have been repaid .
Washington Federal didn ’ t file any documents with the Cook County recorder of deeds office to show that 11 of his loans were ever released — either repaid or forgiven and thus are no longer owed .
“ Whatever loans I had , the federal government knows I paid them off , ” says Farano , 57 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I wonder why [ Gembara ] didn ’ t release my loans .
This guy had bad bookkeeping , or he kept the money.
” Farano , who remains on supervised release as part of his sentence in the mortgage fraud case , says he has spoken with federal officials and isn ’ t a target of the investigation into the failed bank .
According to his lawyer , Ivan Tomic , “ Farano ’ s not looked at as a target but a victim.
” In some cases , Washington Federal made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the properties , the Sun-Times has reported — and sometimes didn ’ t require borrowers to actually repay the money .
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Netols , the prosecutor in the ongoing federal investigation of the bank , has said in court that he expects “ many ” people will face criminal charges over a massive fraud scheme at the bank .
Criminal charges so far have been filed against Gembara ’ s friend Robert M. Kowalski , a lawyer and developer who filed for bankruptcy after federal regulators said he owed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the bank .
Kowalski , who , like Farano , says he repaid the loans and blames Gembara for failing to record that , has been accused of hiding assets from the bankruptcy court .
The federal investigation has centered on Gembara ’ s board of directors : his sister Janice Weston , who was also the bank ’ s vice president ; George Kozdemba , a retired electrician for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago ; William Mahon , a deputy commissioner with the city of Chicago ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lester Stepien , comptroller of a Chicago meatpacking company .
Stepien is believed to be cooperating with federal investigators .
The U.S. attorney ’ s office didn ’ t respond to requests for comment .
Netols also prosecuted Farano , who was convicted in 2011 of wire fraud , mail fraud and theft of public funds for his role in a mortgage theft scheme that involved buying and selling residential properties in Englewood and other low-income neighborhoods .
Farano and six others were convicted in the fraud scheme that ran from 2002 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development , inflating the value of the homes with rigged appraisals , then falsely inflated the incomes of prospective buyers so they ’ d qualify for loans to buy the homes even if they couldn ’ t actually afford to make the payments .
Farano also was found guilty of continuing to collect government-subsidized Section 8 rent payments from tenants living in the properties , which he no longer owned .
Besides his nine-year prison sentence , Farano was ordered to pay more than $ 1.1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , National City Bank and HUD , among others .
The amount of restitution later was reduced to $ 372,180 , which court records show has been paid .
The money for the repayments included $ 150,000 that came from F & D Services Inc. , which Farano formed with his former law partner Patrick J. Doherty .
Federal officials discovered F & D had $ 300,000 in assets , but Doherty maintained he was sole owner of the company .
Doherty eventually agreed to give $ 150,000 towards Farano ’ s restitution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when Gembara ’ s bank sued F & D Services , saying the company , Farano and Doherty had failed to repay a $ 400,000 mortgage they got in 2006 for apartments in the 7100 block of West 107th Street in Worth .
Farano didn ’ t appear in court , and a Cook County judge entered a default judgment ordering Farano to pay $ 228,740 , which he says has never did .
It appears the bank never recovered any of that money and never took title to the property , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which Doherty ’ s wife is listed as manager .
Doherty ended up suing Gembara and the bank , saying he discovered the bank had amended the mortgage without his knowledge .
He says someone forged his signature and maybe also Farano ’ s on the document , which increased the amount of the loan to $ 500,000 .
Doherty says he subsequently overpaid the loan by as much as $ 200,000 .
In 2016 , a Cook County judge dismissed Doherty ’ s lawsuit .
He appealed that ruling to the Illinois @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2017 , with the case still pending , Gembara was found dead , with a rope around his neck , in the master bedroom of the Park Ridge home of bank customer Marek Matczuk , a contractor who owed Washington Federal $ 2.8 million , according to public records .
Soon after , federal regulators shut down the bank .
They turned over its deposits to Royal Savings Bank and some of its loans to other companies — those included the mortgage in the pending foreclosure case against Farano and his ex-wife .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ transferred to federal court , where the case is still pending .
Farano says he was unaware of Doherty ’ s lawsuit or Doherty ’ s claims that their signatures might have been forged on a bank document involving the loan that Doherty says has been repaid when his wife ’ s company obtained a loan from Chase .
In the foreclosure case involving the four condos in Worth , Farano and his lawyer tried to settle , but that was rejected .
That case was over a $ 274,400 loan that his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2007 .
Regulators turned over that loan to Amos Financial LLC , which says Farano ’ s company stopped making payments shortly after Gembara died and that it still owes $ 272,823 .
Amos is suing Farano ’ s company and his ex-wife Cheryl Farano , who now owns the property .
Farano transferred the property to her shortly via a quitclaim deed before he went on trial for fraud .
Farano says his late father , a former Chicago police officer who became a developer , had a longstanding relationship with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gembara ’ s grandfather founded in 1913 .
The bank passed onto his son Emil Gembara , who turned it over to his son John Gembara about 20 years ago .
“ My dad dealt with that bank for 30 years , ” Farano says .
Of Gembara , he says , “ I ’ ve known him since I was a teenager.
” Gembara was living on Chicago ’ s Southwest Side when he bought a piece of land in Palos Hills from Farano ’ s father in December 2002 , records @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a house on that lot for Gembara , his wife and two daughters .
Gembara ’ s widow sold the home last year .

A disbarred southwest suburban lawyer who spent seven years in prison in a mortgage-fraud scheme is now entangled in the investigation of a failed Bridgeport bank whose president was found dead in a customer’s bedroom as federal regulators rushed to shut down the bank over massive fraud.
It’s unclear why federal investigators have been talking with the disbarred attorney John Farano Jr., about the collapse of Washington Federal Bank for Savings.
The bank, which had long ties to the 11th Ward Regular Democratic Organization that’s long been the Daley family’s base of power, had been run by Farano’s longtime friend John F. Gembara.
Farano got out of prison last July on his fraud conviction, which didn’t involve Gembara’s bank.
Since then, he’s been fighting a foreclosure lawsuit on a $274,400 mortgage he got from Gembara’s bank 13 years ago for four condominiums in Worth.
That was the only outstanding loan he had from Washington Federal, according to Farano, who says he repaid another mortgage last fall on his former law office in Palos Hills.
Records show Farano and his partners, including his late father, also got 25 other loans from Gembara’s bank over the past two decades. He says those all have been repaid.
Washington Federal didn’t file any documents with the Cook County recorder of deeds office to show that 11 of his loans were ever released — either repaid or forgiven and thus are no longer owed.
“Whatever loans I had, the federal government knows I paid them off,” says Farano, 57, who lives in Justice. “I wonder why [Gembara] didn’t release my loans. This guy had bad bookkeeping, or he kept the money.”
Farano, who remains on supervised release as part of his sentence in the mortgage fraud case, says he has spoken with federal officials and isn’t a target of the investigation into the failed bank.
According to his lawyer, Ivan Tomic, “Farano’s not looked at as a target but a victim.”
In some cases, Washington Federal made loans without requiring any collateral or appraisals of the properties, the Sun-Times has reported — and sometimes didn’t require borrowers to actually repay the money.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Netols, the prosecutor in the ongoing federal investigation of the bank, has said in court that he expects “many” people will face criminal charges over a massive fraud scheme at the bank.
Robert M. Kowalski. Provided
Criminal charges so far have been filed against Gembara’s friend Robert M. Kowalski, a lawyer and developer who filed for bankruptcy after federal regulators said he owed $27 million on loans he got from the bank. Kowalski, who, like Farano, says he repaid the loans and blames Gembara for failing to record that, has been accused of hiding assets from the bankruptcy court.
The federal investigation has centered on Gembara’s board of directors: his sister Janice Weston, who was also the bank’s vice president; George Kozdemba, a retired electrician for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago; William Mahon, a deputy commissioner with the city of Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation; and Lester Stepien, comptroller of a Chicago meatpacking company. Stepien is believed to be cooperating with federal investigators.
The U.S. attorney’s office didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Netols also prosecuted Farano, who was convicted in 2011 of wire fraud, mail fraud and theft of public funds for his role in a mortgage theft scheme that involved buying and selling residential properties in Englewood and other low-income neighborhoods.
Farano and six others were convicted in the fraud scheme that ran from 2002 to 2004. They bought dilapidated homes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, inflating the value of the homes with rigged appraisals, then falsely inflated the incomes of prospective buyers so they’d qualify for loans to buy the homes even if they couldn’t actually afford to make the payments.
Farano also was found guilty of continuing to collect government-subsidized Section 8 rent payments from tenants living in the properties, which he no longer owned.
Besides his nine-year prison sentence, Farano was ordered to pay more than $1.1 million in restitution to Wells Fargo Bank, National City Bank and HUD, among others. The amount of restitution later was reduced to $372,180, which court records show has been paid.
The money for the repayments included $150,000 that came from F & D Services Inc., which Farano formed with his former law partner Patrick J. Doherty. Federal officials discovered F & D had $300,000 in assets, but Doherty maintained he was sole owner of the company. Doherty eventually agreed to give $150,000 towards Farano’s restitution.
Farano was in prison in 2014 when Gembara’s bank sued F & D Services, saying the company, Farano and Doherty had failed to repay a $400,000 mortgage they got in 2006 for apartments in the 7100 block of West 107th Street in Worth.
Farano didn’t appear in court, and a Cook County judge entered a default judgment ordering Farano to pay $228,740, which he says he never did.
It appears the bank never recovered any of that money and never took title to the property, which is now owned by a company for which Doherty’s wife is listed as manager.
Doherty ended up suing Gembara and the bank, saying he discovered the bank had amended the mortgage without his knowledge. He says someone forged his signature and maybe also Farano’s on the document, which increased the amount of the loan to $500,000.
Doherty says he subsequently overpaid the loan by as much as $200,000.
In 2016, a Cook County judge dismissed Doherty’s lawsuit. He appealed that ruling to the Illinois Appellate Court.
On Dec. 3, 2017, with the case still pending, Gembara was found dead, with a rope around his neck, in the master bedroom of the Park Ridge home of bank customer Marek Matczuk, a contractor who owed Washington Federal $2.8 million, according to public records.
The Park Ridge home of a Washington Federal Bank for Savings customer where bank chief John F. Gembara was found dead. The homeowner told police in the northwest suburb that Gembara said he “needed to hide due to ‘troubles’ at the bank.” Kevin Tanaka / Sun-Times file
Soon after, federal regulators shut down the bank. They turned over its deposits to Royal Savings Bank and some of its loans to other companies — those included the mortgage in the pending foreclosure case against Farano and his ex-wife.
Bank regulators got Doherty’s lawsuit transferred to federal court, where the case is still pending.
Farano says he was unaware of Doherty’s lawsuit or Doherty’s claims that their signatures might have been forged on a bank document involving the loan that Doherty says has been repaid when his wife’s company obtained a loan from Chase.
In the foreclosure case involving the four condos in Worth, Farano and his lawyer tried to settle, but that was rejected. That case was over a $274,400 loan that his company JFJ Realty got from Washington Federal in 2007.
Regulators turned over that loan to Amos Financial LLC, which says Farano’s company stopped making payments shortly after Gembara died and that it still owes $272,823.
Amos is suing Farano’s company and his ex-wife Cheryl Farano, who now owns the property. Farano transferred the property to her shortly via a quitclaim deed before he went on trial for fraud.
Farano says his late father, a former Chicago police officer who became a developer, had a longstanding relationship with Washington Federal, the neighborhood bank that Gembara’s grandfather founded in 1913. The bank passed onto his son Emil Gembara, who turned it over to his son John Gembara about 20 years ago.
“My dad dealt with that bank for 30 years,” Farano says. Of Gembara, he says, “I’ve known him since I was a teenager.”
Gembara was living on Chicago’s Southwest Side when he bought a piece of land in Palos Hills from Farano’s father in December 2002, records show. Farano says his dad built a house on that lot for Gembara, his wife and two daughters. Gembara’s widow sold the home last year.


chicagosun-times--2020-04-17--MJ sends a loud message — season-high 55 points deflates Knicks

Michael Jordan , in only the fifth game of his comeback , used the NBA ’ s biggest stage to offer some irrefutable evidence that he still is the game ’ s best — hands down , no doubt about it .
Jordan lit up Broadway for 55 points — the most ever against the New York Knicks at the current Madison Square Garden — Tuesday night in leading the Bulls to a dramatic 113-111 victory .
The 55 points , which came on 21-for-37 shooting , also established a new high for points scored in an NBA game this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ points by Willie Burton , but Jordan needed only four games and eight practices to beat that total .
“ I just let my game go , let my game come to me , ” he said .
“ It was a statement Michael Jordan is back to play basketball , no question , ” Bulls coach Phil Jackson said .
“ But I don ’ t know if it ’ s a statement that we ’ re back to playing our kind of basketball.
” That is true .
The Bulls ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Their defense was spotty and they still had rebounding lapses , but they did get the big ones down the stretch .
But none of that was the least bit comforting to the Knicks ( 44-24 ) or the sellout crowd of 19,763 , who came to see a New York victory and some evidence that this Knicks team can beat a Jordan-led Bulls team come playoff time .
They got neither .
“ This is a game where you have to make everything count , especially when you have a guy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Knicks coach Pat Riley said .
“ The implications ?
We have to look at it as a regular-season game .
We have to get ready for the playoffs.
” Yes , it was a regular-season game , but few playoff games can compare with the intensity in the Garden .
All the stars were out — too numerous to name — and the ticket scalpers were living large .
Jordan seemed to feed off that energy and came out firing .
He began by opening the game ’ s scoring with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next possession and drilled an 18-footer .
Before the dust settled , Jordan had pumped in 20 points on 9-for-11 shooting in the first quarter .
By halftime , he had 35 points on 14-for-19 shooting .
But the exploits weren ’ t enough to give the Bulls — who trailed by as many as 14 points — the lead , as they trailed 56-50 at the intermission .
Because his team was ahead , Riley decided against aggressively double-teaming Jordan .
Jordan continued to rack up the points in the third @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at 82 heading into the fourth .
At that point , Jordan rested .
Trailing 88-87 , the Jordanaires — that ’ s what they had been to that point — produced a 12-2 run for a 99-90 lead with 7:33 to play , with Scottie Pippen ( 19 points ) , B.J .
Armstrong ( 16 ) and Luc Longley leading the way .
Jordan came back and so did the Knicks .
Finally , the game came down to a series of can-you-top-this offensive plays .
Not the sort of match @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hot Jordan .
Jordan hit a short jumper after a pump fake for a 111-109 lead with 25.8 seconds to go .
The Knicks came down and tied the score as John Starks ( 14 points ) hit two free throws .
But there were still 14.6 seconds left .
Plenty of time for Jordan .
That ’ s what the Knicks thought , and they ran Patrick Ewing - who had blocked a shot a couple of possessions earlier - at him .
Jordan fed the ball to a wide-open Bill Wennington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left .
He then completed the great performance by forcing Starks to lose the ball at the other end , wrapping things up .
Amazingly , Jordan , who scored 50-plus points 33 other times , was asked if he could do it again .
“ I don ’ t know , ” he said with a slight , sly grin .
“ That ’ s the fun thing about it .
Tomorrow , you don ’ t know what I can do .
”

Originally published March 29, 1995.
NEW YORK — Message delivered. Message accepted.
Michael Jordan, in only the fifth game of his comeback, used the NBA’s biggest stage to offer some irrefutable evidence that he still is the game’s best — hands down, no doubt about it.
Jordan lit up Broadway for 55 points — the most ever against the New York Knicks at the current Madison Square Garden — Tuesday night in leading the Bulls to a dramatic 113-111 victory.
The 55 points, which came on 21-for-37 shooting, also established a new high for points scored in an NBA game this season. The previous high was 53 points by Willie Burton, but Jordan needed only four games and eight practices to beat that total.
Some statement, huh?
“I just let my game go, let my game come to me,” he said.
“I forgot how to make a statement.”
Yeah, right.
“It was a statement Michael Jordan is back to play basketball, no question,” Bulls coach Phil Jackson said. “But I don’t know if it’s a statement that we’re back to playing our kind of basketball.”
That is true. The Bulls (37-33) have played better this season. Their defense was spotty and they still had rebounding lapses, but they did get the big ones down the stretch.
But none of that was the least bit comforting to the Knicks (44-24) or the sellout crowd of 19,763, who came to see a New York victory and some evidence that this Knicks team can beat a Jordan-led Bulls team come playoff time.
They got neither.
“This is a game where you have to make everything count, especially when you have a guy like Michael Jordan going off,” Knicks coach Pat Riley said. “The implications? We have to look at it as a regular-season game. We have to get ready for the playoffs.”
Yes, it was a regular-season game, but few playoff games can compare with the intensity in the Garden. All the stars were out — too numerous to name — and the ticket scalpers were living large.
Jordan seemed to feed off that energy and came out firing. He began by opening the game’s scoring with a 15-footer. He then stretched out on the next possession and drilled an 18-footer.
Before the dust settled, Jordan had pumped in 20 points on 9-for-11 shooting in the first quarter. By halftime, he had 35 points on 14-for-19 shooting.
But the exploits weren’t enough to give the Bulls — who trailed by as many as 14 points — the lead, as they trailed 56-50 at the intermission. Because his team was ahead, Riley decided against aggressively double-teaming Jordan.
Jordan continued to rack up the points in the third quarter, and the Bulls pulled even at 82 heading into the fourth. At that point, Jordan rested.
Trailing 88-87, the Jordanaires — that’s what they had been to that point — produced a 12-2 run for a 99-90 lead with 7:33 to play, with Scottie Pippen (19 points), B.J. Armstrong (16) and Luc Longley leading the way.
Jordan came back and so did the Knicks. Finally, the game came down to a series of can-you-top-this offensive plays. Not the sort of match you want to get into with a hot Jordan.
Jordan hit a short jumper after a pump fake for a 111-109 lead with 25.8 seconds to go. The Knicks came down and tied the score as John Starks (14 points) hit two free throws. But there were still 14.6 seconds left. Plenty of time for Jordan.
That’s what the Knicks thought, and they ran Patrick Ewing - who had blocked a shot a couple of possessions earlier - at him. Jordan fed the ball to a wide-open Bill Wennington for a game-ending dunk with 3.1 seconds left.
He then completed the great performance by forcing Starks to lose the ball at the other end, wrapping things up.
Amazingly, Jordan, who scored 50-plus points 33 other times, was asked if he could do it again.
“I don’t know,” he said with a slight, sly grin. “That’s the fun thing about it. Tomorrow, you don’t know what I can do.”


chicagosun-times--2020-04-17--Pritzker promotes social distancing — to penguins at the Shedd Aquarium

Illinois Gov .
J.B. Pritzker had some words of advice for Wellington when he visited the famous penguin at the Shedd Aquarium on Sunday .
“ All right now , 6 feet apart , everyone , ” Pritzker tells a group of penguins in a new video for his social media campaign , # AllInIllinois .
“ Wellington , come on back , ” Pritzker says , as the Shedd ’ s oldest — and perhaps most popular — penguin listened and rejoined a group of penguins walking in order — 6 feet apart .
The 60-second video — which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ otters and garden eels — is the latest in Pritzker ’ s attempt to get residents to stay home and follow health guidelines , like social distancing and washing hands , as the battle continues in the deadly coronavirus outbreak .
The latest pitch is intended for the state ’ s families and children .
“ Remember , we ’ ve got to stay indoors .
Stay inside .
Because your ’ e doing your neighbors , your friends , your grandparents , everyone a favor , ” Pritzker says in the video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leave your house , make sure you ’ re 6 feet apart .
And that means everyone.
” Wellington , a 32-year-old rockhopper penguin , has received thousands of views on the Shedd Aquarium ’ s social media pages during the outbreak .
One of the most watched videos includes Wellington astonished to visit belugas at the aquarium .
Another features him walking on the front steps outside the Shedd .
The governor also cracks some jokes to schools of fish : “ What is this ?
Lollapalooza ?
All right .
Too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 10 or less .
Break it out , ” Pritzker says to the tank .
Pritzker ’ s office said the social media campaign has reached more than 11 million people in the last two weeks since it ’ s launched .
The program at allin.illinois.gov features public service announcements from more than 40 celebrities with Illinois roots , as well as ads targeting the African American and Latino communities .
Hillary Clinton , a longtime Pritzker friend and an Illinois native , released a video for the campaign Wednesday .

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker had some words of advice for Wellington when he visited the famous penguin at the Shedd Aquarium on Sunday.
“All right now, 6 feet apart, everyone,” Pritzker tells a group of penguins in a new video for his social media campaign, #AllInIllinois.
“Wellington, come on back,” Pritzker says, as the Shedd’s oldest — and perhaps most popular — penguin listened and rejoined a group of penguins walking in order — 6 feet apart.
The 60-second video — which also features the governor preaching to sea otters and garden eels — is the latest in Pritzker’s attempt to get residents to stay home and follow health guidelines, like social distancing and washing hands, as the battle continues in the deadly coronavirus outbreak. The latest pitch is intended for the state’s families and children.
“Remember, we’ve got to stay indoors. Stay inside. Because your’e doing your neighbors, your friends, your grandparents, everyone a favor,” Pritzker says in the video. “But if you need to leave your house, make sure you’re 6 feet apart. And that means everyone.”
Wellington, a 32-year-old rockhopper penguin, has received thousands of views on the Shedd Aquarium’s social media pages during the outbreak. One of the most watched videos includes Wellington astonished to visit belugas at the aquarium. Another features him walking on the front steps outside the Shedd.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker reminds Wellington the penguin about the importance of social distancing for an #AllInIllinois video. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office
The governor also cracks some jokes to schools of fish: “What is this? Lollapalooza? All right. Too many of you together. Schooling groups of 10 or less. Break it out,” Pritzker says to the tank.
Pritzker’s office said the social media campaign has reached more than 11 million people in the last two weeks since it’s launched. The program at allin.illinois.gov features public service announcements from more than 40 celebrities with Illinois roots, as well as ads targeting the African American and Latino communities. Hillary Clinton, a longtime Pritzker friend and an Illinois native, released a video for the campaign Wednesday.


chicagosun-times--2020-04-17--Sky’s Stefanie Dolson says her entire family tested positive for coronavirus

During the 2020 WNBA draft , Sky center Stefanie Dolson revealed on ESPN that her family tested positive for the coronavirus last month .
Dolson , who ’ s from Port Jervis , New York , said they ’ re all recovered now , though her mother was briefly hospitalized due to complication from the virus .
She thanked healthcare workers and those who are on the front lines fighting the pandemic for their hard work and sacrifices at this time , calling them “ inspirational and amazing.
” Dolson returned to the U.S. earlier this year after playing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Win Power of the Women ’ s Chinese Basketball Association .
While home in January , Dolson learned the the WCBA suspended its season due to the coronavirus outbreak .
“ I ’ m not usually one to be dramatic or scared about sicknesses or dangerous things , but once this virus went to widespread so quickly and hasn ’ t stopped it ’ s momentum , it ’ s definitely made me a little more scared and cautious about going back , ” Dolson told the Sun-Times at the time .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for updates .

During the 2020 WNBA draft, Sky center Stefanie Dolson revealed on ESPN that her family tested positive for the coronavirus last month.
“The virus has hit pretty close to home,” Dolson said.
Dolson said they’re all recovered now, though her mother was hospitalized for four days with severe symptoms and pneumonia that was a result from the virus. She thanked healthcare workers and those who are on the front lines fighting the pandemic for their hard work and sacrifices at this time, calling them “inspirational and amazing.”
Dolson, who’s from Port Jervis, New York, is the first known Chicago athlete to test positive for COVID-19 and is potentially the third WNBA player. Sparks guard Sydney Wiese contracted the virus and Aces star Liz Cambage, who played part of this offseason in the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association, said last month that she believes she had coronavirus in December.
Dolson also played in the WCBA this winter. She was home on a monthlong break when the league suspended its season in January due to the virus outbreak.
Coach James Wade said he’s been in contact with all his players throughout this unprecedented time and offered support to Dolson while her family battled the virus.
He encouraged everyone to follow social distancing guidelines to help limit the spread of COVID-19.
“Sometimes we selfishly want to do the things we want to do,” he said, “but this is a good test for mankind and human beings to actually be unselfish and think about other people.”


chicagosun-times--2020-04-17--‘Once-in-a-lifetime’ moments likely lost for the class of 2020: Graduation ceremonies, proms unlikel

‘Once-in-a-lifetime’ moments likely lost for the class of 2020: Graduation ceremonies, proms unlikely to go on

Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s announcement that schools across Illinois would remained closed for the rest of the school year has almost certainly meant the yearly rituals of graduating seniors won ’ t take place in a traditional way for the class of 2020 .
Speaking at a press conference Friday , Prtizker lamented the impact his decision would have on those students who stand to miss out on prom , graduation ceremonies and other senior events .
“ To our high school seniors who are leaving this phase of their teen years behind in a way that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I know you ’ re feeling sad about missing the rituals of senior prom and senior pranks , senior nights , and of course , graduation .
Hear it from me as your governor : There ’ s room for you to feel all those things , big and small .
You will get through this , too.
” Mayor Lori Lightfoot called the announcement “ difficult news , ” especially for students who will experience “ the pain of missing the many special milestones , which our families and young people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year.
” Chicago Public Schools has yet to say how they will tackle graduation for the senior class , which this year numbered 25,000 students , including those enrolled at city charter schools , according to district figures .
“ I ’ m sorry , ” CPS CEO Janice Jackson told students , saying that “ while it will not be the same , we will do our best to celebrate , support and lift you up during this difficult time.
” Students say they ’ re disappointed they wont be able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in person , as well as make those lasting memories .
Evelyn Roman , an 18-year-old senior at Hancock College Prep in West Elsdon , said the not being able to walk across a stage and be handed a diploma will be the most difficult part of an already disrupted final year in high school .
“ It ’ s a once-in-a-lifetime moment to graduate from high school , ” said Roman , who said she wanted to thank her teachers in person and see her friends before school ended .
“ You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but it ’ s just not the same .
You can ’ t hug .
It doesn ’ t feel as personal.
” As the first in her immediate family to get a diploma , Roman said her disappointment will also be shared by her relatives .
Still , she .
understands why the governor did what he did : “ It ’ s disappointing , but you can ’ t really blame anyone and when you think of the people that are dying , graduation doesn ’ t seem like as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
CPS senior Nayeli Flores , 18 , of Gage Park , went shopping for graduation clothes and prom dresses with her friends only a a few weeks ago .
She planned to wear “ something long , simple , [ and ] colorful.
” Her friends were coordinating colors to make sure they didn ’ t wear the same thing and had already made plans to get ready together at a friends home and rent a party bus .
“ Prom is only going to happen once and it ’ s sad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every other class did , ” she said .
Like Roman , walking across the stage held special significance for her and her family .
“ I wanted to walk across the stage and feel like I made it , ” Flores said .
Both students said they hoped the district would find an alternative date for these end-of-year events .
Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Stacy Davis Gates said the loss of senior events like this was “ something that no one in our generation has ever experienced.
” “ We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how to provide that ritual to them because that is a rite of passage and it is one that they have earned and deserve to participate in , ” the union leader said by phone Friday .
“ We ’ re going to have to be creative in the meantime to figure that out.
” Josh McMahon , principal of Morton West High School in west suburban Berwyn , said his district was also trying to think creatively to try and make sure students don ’ t miss out .
Those could include @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6-feet-apart that would be live-streamed ; a drive-in graduation ceremony , similar to how a drive-in movie theater is laid out , with a backdrop that looks like a stage ; and even a drive-thru ceremony , so families can celebrate inside their vehicles when their student receives a diploma .
McMahon said he was “ holding out hope that we could do something over the summer.
” All of that , though , would depend on how long the state ’ s social-distancing and stay-at-home orders continue .
The district will rely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state ’ s superintendent of schools .
“ We don ’ t want to offer something that we later can ’ t do , ” McMahon said .
“ This year has just been a difficult time .
I hope we can come up with a great plan .
”

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s announcement that schools across Illinois would remain closed for the rest of the school year has almost certainly meant the yearly rituals of graduating seniors won’t take place in a traditional way for the class of 2020.
Speaking at a press conference Friday, Prtizker lamented the impact his decision would have on those students who stand to miss out on prom, graduation ceremonies and other senior events.
“To our high school seniors who are leaving this phase of their teen years behind in a way that they never expected,” Pritzker said, “I know you’re feeling sad about missing the rituals of senior prom and senior pranks, senior nights, and of course, graduation. Hear it from me as your governor: There’s room for you to feel all those things, big and small. You will get through this, too.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot called the announcement “difficult news,” especially for students who will experience “the pain of missing the many special milestones, which our families and young people count on and look forward to every year.”
25,000 CPS seniors in limbo
Chicago Public Schools has yet to say how they will tackle graduation for the senior class, which this year numbered 25,000 students, including those enrolled at city charter schools, according to district figures.
“I’m sorry,” CPS CEO Janice Jackson told students, saying that “while it will not be the same, we will do our best to celebrate, support and lift you up during this difficult time.”
Students say they’re disappointed they wont be able to say goodbye to their teachers and classmates in person, as well as make those lasting memories.
Evelyn Roman, an 18-year-old senior at Hancock College Prep in West Elsdon, said the not being able to walk across a stage and be handed a diploma will be the most difficult part of an already disrupted final year in high school.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment to graduate from high school,” said Roman, who said she wanted to thank her teachers in person and see her friends before school ended. “You can do that over Zoom or Facebook, but it’s just not the same. You can’t hug. It doesn’t feel as personal.”
As the first in her immediate family to get a diploma, Roman said her disappointment will also be shared by her relatives. Still, she. understands why the governor did what he did: “It’s disappointing, but you can’t really blame anyone and when you think of the people that are dying, graduation doesn’t seem like as big of a deal,” she said.
Nayeli Flores, 18, of Gage Park regrets her senior class wont experience a prom “like every other class did.” Provided
CPS senior Nayeli Flores, 18, of Gage Park,went shopping for graduation clothes and prom dresses with her friends only a a few weeks ago. She planned to wear “something long, simple, [and] colorful.” Her friends were coordinating colors to make sure they didn’t wear the same thing and had already made plans to get ready together at a friend’s home and rent a party bus.
“Prom is only going to happen once and it’s sad we wont get to have that like every other class did,” she said.
Like Roman, walking across the stage held special significance for her and her family.
“I wanted to walk across the stage and feel like I made it,” Flores said.
Both students said they hoped the district would find an alternative date for these end-of-year events.
Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Stacy Davis Gates said the loss of senior events like this was “something that no one in our generation has ever experienced.”
“We’re going to have to figure out how to provide that ritual to them because that is a rite of passage and it is one that they have earned and deserve to participate in,” the union leader said by phone Friday. “We’re going to have to be creative in the meantime to figure that out.”
Alternative celebrations explored
Josh McMahon, principal of Morton West High School in west suburban Berwyn, said his district was also trying to think creatively to try and make sure students don’t miss out.
Those could include: a students-only ceremony with graduates spread 6-feet-apart that would be live-streamed; a drive-in graduation ceremony, similar to how a drive-in movie theater is laid out, with a backdrop that looks like a stage; and even a drive-thru ceremony, so families can celebrate inside their vehicles when their student receives a diploma.
McMahon said he was “holding out hope that we could do something over the summer.”
All of that, though, would depend on how long the state’s social-distancing and stay-at-home orders continue. The district will rely on guidance from Carmen Ayala, the state’s superintendent of schools.
“We don’t want to offer something that we later can’t do,” McMahon said. “This year has just been a difficult time. I hope we can come up with a great plan.”


chicagosun-times--2020-04-17--Record spike of 1,842 new Illinois coronavirus cases: ‘The curve is bending. But it isn’t flat yet’

Record spike of 1,842 new Illinois coronavirus cases: ‘The curve is bending. But it isn’t flat yet’   (LIVE UPDATES)

Record spike of 1,842 new Illinois coronavirus cases : ‘ The curve is bending .
But it isn ’ t flat yet ’ Illinois officials on Friday announced 62 more deaths due to the coronavirus and a record-high number of newly confirmed cases , capping a topsy-turvy week for the state that had shown signs of progress more than five weeks into the pandemic .
A day earlier , Illinois recorded its highest number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 in a single day — 125 — while the 1,842 new diagnoses tallied Friday marked the biggest case surge since the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January .
Gov .
J.B. Pritzker has voiced cautious optimism that the state is bending the curve to ease the burden on its health care system , but he and Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike acknowledged Friday the state has not yet hit its peak , with cases likely to continue rising for now .
“ We did not think we were at our peak yet .
So given that , we do expect cases to rise , ” Ezike said .
“ One of the byproducts of being able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delay the peak , and maybe it ’ s not a peak where you go straight up and down — maybe , if I can use a term , ‘ plateau , ’ where you ’ re kind of flattened for a while .
We ’ re looking at all these numbers to figure out exactly where we are in our curve .
And it ’ s really been a day-by-day thing.
” Bernie Butler was looking forward to his $ 1,200 “ economic impact payment ” check from the federal government for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Facebook or texting , saying , ‘ I got mine , did you get yours ?
’ ” says Butler , a Calumet City resident who ’ s lost one of his two jobs during the statewide shutdown .
He got a shock when he checked the “ Get My Payment ” tool Wednesday on IRS.gov — it showed the payment was deposited but into an account he ’ s never seen before .
“ I knew right away that ’ s not my account number , ” he says .
During @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of parents everywhere in search of new ways for their kids to fill their days outside of school work , watching movies or FaceTime playdates , former first lady and bestselling author Michelle Obama has got it covered .
Obama , in a special arrangement with Penguin Young Readers , Random House Children ’ s Books and PBS KIDS , will be hosting “ Mondays with Michelle Obama ” kicking off at 11 a.m. April 20 .
The Facebook and YouTube four-part weekly series ( through May 11 ) will feature Obama reading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of the recently announced “ Read Together , Be Together ” online initiative .
See the full list of books Obama will be reading here .
University of Chicago Medicine is now conducting up to 1,000 coronavirus tests a day as the health system partners with other facilities to ramp up screening for the deadly virus .
An increase in supplies needed to administer the tests , most notably swabs , has allowed U. of C. to extend testing to anyone with mild symptoms consistent with the disease , falling in line @ @ @ @ @ @ @ J.B. Pritzker on Thursday .
The list of possible symptoms is wide-ranging and includes fever , coughing , sneezing , upper respiratory issues and diarrhea .
“ We really expect that that should alone expand the number of folks who would be now eligible for testing , ” Dr. Stephen Weber , U. of C. ’ s chief medical officer , said .
Patients at the U. of C. ’ s campus won ’ t have to pay for the testing .
Those with health insurance will simply have their provider billed and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while uninsured patients will be tested for free .
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump urged supporters to “ LIBERATE ” three states led by Democratic governors Friday , apparently encouraging the growing protests against the stay-at-home restrictions aimed at stopping the coronavirus .
A day after laying out a roadmap to gradually reopen the crippled economy , Trump took to Twitter with the kind of rhetoric some of his supporters have used in demanding the lifting of the orders that have thrown millions of Americans out of work .
“ LIBERATE MINNESOTA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ LIBERATE VIRGINIA , ” he said in a tweet-storm in which he also lashed out at New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo for criticizing the federal response .
Cuomo “ should spend more time ` doing ’ and less time ` complaining , ’ ” the president said .
Read the full story by the Associated Press .
3:47 p.m. Man punches nurse on CTA bus after saying , ‘ Did you just cough on me ?
’ : police A man on probation for beating a veteran allegedly attacked a nurse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after claiming she coughed on him .
Quindrell Yarbrough , 29 , was standing near the center door of a bus in the Loop on April 1 when the nurse sitting in an adjacent seat , and who just finished her shift at Northwestern Memorial Hospital , raised her arm and coughed into her elbow , Cook County prosecutors said , citing surveillance video from the bus .
Yarbrough turned and said , “ Did you just cough on me ?
” but the nurse denied that she had , Chicago police said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raised her arm and coughed into the crook of her arm , Assistant State ’ s Attorney James Murphy said at a bond hearing Friday .
Read the full story by the Sun-Times wire .
3:14 p.m .
Inside the life of a homeless Chicago student in the age of the coronavirus : Fear of failing — or not surviving For the first three months , it was a park bench by Douglas Park on the West Side .
Then her older sister ’ s apartment in Homan Square .
Three different places @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In all , Mariah Bingham has lived in 13 different places since she was born .
She ’ s likely to be on the move again in the coming months .
She ’ s 11 years old and one of 17,000 homeless students at Chicago Public Schools .
Mariah ’ s going into the home stretch of fifth grade having already gone to seven schools , never with a stable learning environment .
Now the coronavirus has taken over , and Mariah feels she might take a step back academically .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerns : Mariah and her mother are both asthmatic .
Her mom is diabetic , Mariah , pre-diabetic .
“ I am terrified of the coronavirus , ” Mariah says , “ because I love my life.
” 2:33 p.m. Illinois sees drop in deaths , big rise in coronavirus cases as Pritzker announces school closures Illinois officials on Friday announced 62 more deaths due to the coronavirus and a record-high number of newly confirmed cases , as Gov .
J.B. Pritzker announced Illinois schools will remain closed for the rest of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the state has lost 1,134 people to the outbreak .
The Illinois Dept .
of Public Health also reported 1,842 new diagnoses , bringing the state ’ s tally to 27,575 cases .
The Friday case total , however , is the largest number of positive cases the state has seen since the outbreak began .
In total , the state ran 7,575 tests on Thursday .
The virus has now been confirmed in 92 of the state ’ s 102 counties .
City officials confirmed Friday that the COVID-19 field hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The alternate-care facility is being built to handle an overflow of patients from the city ’ s hospitals .
Patients began arriving Tuesday .
“ The area hospital system is not at full capacity right now , ” said Mary May , a city spokeswoman .
“ However , the ACF , as part of its preparation and training , did begin accepting patients from Chicago-area hospitals.
” She would not provide the number of patients at the facility , citing privacy issues .
Three wings in McCormick Place are being retrofitted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stations to treat coronavirus patients .
Each wing represents a different level of illness .
Authorities have said the facility is being built in stages , with up to 3,000 beds planned .
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov .
J.B. Pritzker were among the officials who toured the facility Friday .
1:01 p.m. Pritzker expected to close all Illinois schools for remainder of academic year Illinois Gov .
J.B. Pritzker is planning to close the state ’ s schools for in-person instruction through the end of the academic year because of the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The governor and his team have worked through the details of the extended closures this week and will announce the decision Friday afternoon , sources said .
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is fully on board with the move but isn ’ t expected to attend the news conference with the governor because of scheduling conflicts , sources said .
Lightfoot on Thursday hinted strongly that the decision was coming but said it was up to Pritzker and she would like to be part of that discussion .
Pritzker ’ s original stay-at-home order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already has extended it once — until April 30 — and has hinted for days about a second extension deep into May .
By shutting down school buildings for the rest of the year , Illinois will join 27 states and 3 U.S. territories that have either ordered or recommended the same action , Education Week reported .
Those orders impacted more than 25 million students .
Read the latest on this developing story here .
As a girl growing up in Italy , Emilia Pontarelli once had to be held back for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a German soldier who seized her pet goat for dinner .
In her 90s , she challenged her son-in-law to arm-wrestle to show she still had the strength that had enabled her to climb the mountains in her hometown of Rocchetta a Volturno .
She grew up , married Vincenzo Pontarelli , and they started their family .
In 1967 , they decided to immigrate to Chicago , where they had relatives , seeking more opportunities for their children : Tony , Maria and Anna .
She landed a factory job at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worked construction .
Eventually , she became known as a fixture at the cash register of her son Tony ’ s Italian Deli on Northwest Highway in Edison Park .
“ She always made a point of how lucky we were to live here , ” her grandson said .
Mrs. Pontarelli died April 10 at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge after contracting the coronavirus , according to her grandson .
11:35 a.m. 4 die of coronavirus at Lincoln Park nursing home A man and three women who live at a Lincoln @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contracting the coronavirus , a spokesman for the facility said Friday .
Ten more people at St. Mary ’ s Home , 2325 N. Lakewood Ave. , have been diagnosed with the illness , said Sister Constance Veit , a spokeswoman for Little Sisters of the Poor , the organization that owns and operates the home .
Six of the afflicted are residents , while another four are employees , Veit said .
“ These are people who are not sick enough to require ICU level of care or ventilator support , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The sisters are caring for them at home in their own rooms.
” The Lincoln Park facility has 76 licensed nursing beds and 50 independent-living apartments , Veit said .
Click here to read more .
A third Chicago Police officer has died of COVID-19 , the department announced Friday .
The officer was assigned to the 4th District on the city ’ s South Side , according to Tom Ahern , a department spokesman .
His name and length of service with the department were not immediately disclosed , as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being notified of his death Friday morning , Ahern said .
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and acting CPD Supt .
David Brown were expected to release more details about the officer at a news conference Friday afternoon .
Read the full story from Sam Charles here .
9:43 a.m. Antiviral drug being tested at UChicago Medicine shows promise against COVID-19 As researchers race to find treatments for COVID-19 , a new report appears to show that patients with severe symptoms who are participating in clinical trials at the University of Chicago Medicine have responded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early findings were detailed in a video obtained by Stat News that shows Kathleen Mullane , an infectious disease specialist helming the studies at U. of C. , telling fellow faculty members that patients with fevers and respiratory symptoms had recovered quickly after being treated with Remdesivir .
As part of the trials at U. of C. , 125 COVID-19 patients were treated with Remdesivir , 113 of whom had severe symptoms .
Two of them have died , according to Mullane .
In the video , Mullane says most patients were being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a week .
That ’ s notable because the study is investigating both five- and 10-day courses of the drug .
Read our full report about the Remdesivir clinical trials here .
As a Chicago firefighter , Paul Richard once climbed to the top of a 100-foot-tall crane to safely talk down a young man who was threatening to jump .
In the past week , Richard survived a different kind of ordeal — coming home after two weeks at Advocate Trinity Hospital on the South Side battling COVID-19 .
The virus attacked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Oh , brother , you better believe I was scared , ” says Richard , who is now recovering at home in Beverly .
“ I didn ’ t know what was going on .
It was like I was in a daze.
” His half-brother drove him to the hospital about two and a half weeks ago .
That was after he ’ d been feeling so weak he barely could tie his shoes .
It felt like a “ little elephant ” was sitting on his chest .
His @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hospital is foggy .
At one point , he says he thought angels had appeared to him on the walls of his hospital room .
“ I believe in God , ” Richard says .
“ He ’ s saved me .
And he ’ s still working with me.
” Read more first-person stories in the full feature from Stefano Esposito .
6:43 a.m. CPS teachers share what remote learning looks like Rosa Jimenez-Hernandez didn ’ t know what to expect when she opened her laptop this week to remotely teach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first time .
To her surprise , a dozen of her Sadlowski Elementary students were already logged on , waiting for their scheduled online video conference with their teacher .
The next day , it was up to 15 kids .
But Jimenez-Hernandez wasn ’ t giving them a lecture or a typical lesson — it was scavenger hunt time .
Her students ran around their homes for five minutes looking for items their teacher had listed .
“ It ’ s not academic at all .
It ’ s communication , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well , and let ’ s have some fun together , ” Jimenez-Hernandez said .
“ If they know that there ’ s going to be something fun going on , they ’ ll have more of a reason to join us.
” Like Jimenez-Hernandez , teachers all across the city are trying to come up with creative ways to keep kids engaged and overcome the challenges of teaching from home — including a massive technology deficit — as Chicago Public Schools ’ remote learning plan rolls out .
“ We ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jimenez-Hernandez said , noting that she ’ s still trying to reach half her students .
“ And we ’ re just going to have to figure it out together.
” 6:18 a.m. ‘ I feel like I lost the battle for my husband , ’ widow of dead Cook County Jail detainee says Nickolas Lee was struggling to breathe , much less hold up his end of the conversation as he talked on the phone with his wife Saturday night from a Stroger Hospital bed .
“ I told him a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and he was going to be one of them , ” Cassandra Lee-Greer told her high school sweetheart .
The 42-year-old , who had been transferred to Stroger from the Cook County Jail just six days earlier , died Sunday morning .
Lee ended up in jail in February for a 2018 armed robbery — a case he thought he had a good shot of beating .
But in March , he noticed two detainees on his tier had the flu-like symptoms that sounded like what his wife had been telling him were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the globe .
A few days later , he came down with a sore throat .
Chills , muscle aches and a loss of sense of smell and taste followed .
He tested positive for COVID-19 .
A week later , he was transported from the jail ’ s Cermak medical facility to Stroger , where he died of cardiac arrest likely caused by complications related to coronavirus .
He was the third Cook County Jail detainee to die after contracting COVID-19 .
• A man and three women who live at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after contracting the coronavirus , a spokesman for the facility said Friday .
• A third Chicago Police officer has died of COVID-19 , the department announced Friday .
• Another employee at the Cook County Circuit Court clerk ’ s office has tested positive for COVID-19 , bringing the overall total to 19 .
• Chicago police announced Thursday 49 more confirmed cases of COVID-19 , raising the total number of cases in the department to 288 .
Of the cases , 276 are officers and 12 are civilian employees , Chicago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Von Miller has COVID-19 , is in good spirits “ I ’ m not feeling sick or hurting or anything like that.
” • Los Angeles Rams center Brian Allen says he tested positive for COVID-19 three weeks ago .
He ’ s the first active NFL player to acknowledge testing positive during the coronavirus pandemic .
• The Office of the Chief Judge of Cook County announced Wednesday another employee tested positive for COVID-19 , bringing the number of cases in that office to 17 .
7:24 p.m .
In praise of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all to brave the storm of coronavirus Here ’ s to the essential worker .
To all the previously “ invisible people ” who some of us may suddenly now have discovered make the world go ‘ round .
To those workers who sometimes have been reduced to being “ just a CNA.
” To workers marginalized in the eyes of some who see your job as being “ less than ” — less glorious , less important , less essential .
To all the “ thanked-less ” men and women who happen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ Just a hospital orderly.
” “ Just a cook.
” “ Just a bus driver.
” “ Just a trash man.
” “ Just a gas station attendant.
” This one ’ s for the overlooked , over-taxed underpaid worker .
For every nameless , faceless person who does all the little things that even the least grateful among us these days ought to now see aren ’ t so little after all .
For each and every one of you without whom this global pandemic would be made unendurable , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s for you .
3:26 p.m. As pandemic crushes the young , all student loan rescue efforts should be created equal Say you ’ re a recent college graduate , working as a barista and driving for Uber while looking for a career in your chosen field .
You ’ re managing to make ends meet , but now the coronavirus pandemic hits .
The coffee shop shuts down .
Uber customers stop calling .
You ’ re not thrilled about picking up fares anyway because anybody could expose you to the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for now .
The economy is virtually at a standstill .
Everything ’ s upside down except your bills — including a monthly student loan payment — which never go away .
Read the full editorial by the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board .
10:10 a.m. COVID-19 SBA loan funds exhausted : At Devon Bank , ‘ applications with no place to go ’ At a few minutes before 9 a.m. Chicago time on Thursday , an official with the Small Business Administration sent out an urgent email : “ hitting limit in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ message , obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times .
With funds appropriated by Congress exhausted , minutes later , the door slammed shut – for now – on the SBA accepting applications for two COVID-19 emergency loan packages .
That ’ s the new Paycheck Protection Program — known as PPP — and existing Economic Injury Disaster Loans , both in enormous demand .
“ It leaves us stuck , ” said David Loundy , the chairman and CEO of the 75-year-old family-owned Devon Bank headquartered at 6445 N. Western Ave. with branches in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for small businesses and nonprofits are urgently needed by employers to meet payrolls and remain viable until lockdowns are lifted .
Loundy said he had a backlog of 70 to 85 applications — asking for about $ 10 million in loans .
“ They are applications with no place to go .
These are people who just won ’ t get money .
They represent small business operators ; they represent sole practitioners ; nonprofit organizations ; religious organizations , across the board , ” Loundy said .
Read the full story from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s keep our foot on the gas against the coronavirus , Chicago — it ’ s working The coronavirus stay-at-home order hasn ’ t been easy on Chicago .
But we can ’ t let up — or the bug could come roaring back .
We know it ’ s tough to be indoors .
We see the economy cratering .
We see the jobs being lost .
Statewide on Thursday , there were some grim numbers , too : Health officials announced that another 125 people had died from the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of COVID-19 deaths in Illinois in a single day .
The state also reported 1,140 confirmed new cases , raising the total to 25,733 .
More than 1,000 Illinoisans have died in all .
Despite this , Gov .
J.B. Pritzker for days has signaled some optimism based on the doubling rate of infections slowing down .
And his stay-at-home order is slowing the spread of the virus in Chicago — flattening the curve — City Hall says .
Mayor Lori Lightfoot ’ s administration announced Wednesday that the city has seen 9,666 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 347 COVID-19 deaths as of this week .
But the city could have suffered more than 62,000 COVID-19 cases and 2,000 deaths by now had Pritzker not issued his order on March 21 and had the city not closed its parks and lakefront , officials say .
Read the full editorial from the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board here .

It’s official: Illinois children won’t be back in their classrooms for the rest of the year. The state also saw its highest number of positive coronavirus cases in a single day: 1,842.
But that’s not all that happened today. Here’s what else went on in Chicago and around the state as the struggle against the coronavirus pandemic continued.
News
8:58 p.m. ‘Once-in-a-lifetime’ moments likely lost for the class of 2020: Graduation ceremonies, proms unlikely to go on
Graduating Hancock College Prep senior Evelyn Roman, 18, said not walking across the stage to receive her diploma will be the hardest part of an already tough school year upended by the coronavirus. Provided
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s announcement that schools across Illinois would remained closed for the rest of the school year has almost certainly meant the yearly rituals of graduating seniors won’t take place in a traditional way for the class of 2020.
Speaking at a press conference Friday, Prtizker lamented the impact his decision would have on those students who stand to miss out on prom, graduation ceremonies and other senior events.
“To our high school seniors who are leaving this phase of their teen years behind in a way that they never expected,” Pritzker said, “I know you’re feeling sad about missing the rituals of senior prom and senior pranks, senior nights, and of course, graduation. Hear it from me as your governor: There’s room for you to feel all those things, big and small. You will get through this, too.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot called the announcement “difficult news,” especially for students who will experience “the pain of missing the many special milestones, which our families and young people count on and look forward to every year.”
Reporter Matthew Hendrickson has the full story.
8:32 p.m. Lightfoot seeks expanded emergency spending and procurement powers during pandemic
Mayor Lori Lightfoot has already used an executive order to grant herself extraordinary spending and contracting powers during the coronavirus pandemic.
Now she’s asking the City Council’s Budget Committee to give her even more authority — even though aldermen have adopted rules allowing them to hold virtual Council meetings to conduct substantive city business.
The mayor’s ordinance will be introduced directly to the Budget Committee in preparation for a vote on Tuesday and final sign-off Wednesday by the full Council.
It would give Budget Director Susie Park carte blanche to “appropriate emergency-related funds from federal, state and other sources, establish new funding lines, consolidate funding lines and transfer or otherwise reallocate currently appropriated funds, including transfers between city departments ... to maximize effectiveness of the city response” to the pandemic.
City Hall reporter Fran Spielman has the full story.
8:09 p.m. Record spike of 1,842 new Illinois coronavirus cases: ‘The curve is bending. But it isn’t flat yet’
Dr. Ngozi Enzike Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, tells reporters that today marks the largest spike in confirmed coronavirus cases in Illinois during Pritzker’s daily coronavirus press conferences, Friday, April 17, 2020. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Illinois officials on Friday announced 62 more deaths due to the coronavirus and a record-high number of newly confirmed cases, capping a topsy-turvy week for the state that had shown signs of progress more than five weeks into the pandemic.
A day earlier, Illinois recorded its highest number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 in a single day — 125 — while the 1,842 new diagnoses tallied Friday marked the biggest case surge since the state confirmed its first case in late January.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has voiced cautious optimism that the state is bending the curve to ease the burden on its health care system, but he and Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike acknowledged Friday the state has not yet hit its peak, with cases likely to continue rising for now.
“We did not think we were at our peak yet. So given that, we do expect cases to rise,” Ezike said. “One of the byproducts of being able to flatten the curve is that you will delay the peak, and maybe it’s not a peak where you go straight up and down — maybe, if I can use a term, ‘plateau,’ where you’re kind of flattened for a while. We’re looking at all these numbers to figure out exactly where we are in our curve. And it’s really been a day-by-day thing.”
Read the full story by Tina Sfondeles.
7:51 p.m. Medical examiner confirms 71 new COVID-19 deaths, bringing total to 855
The Cook County medical examiner’s office confirmed 71 more coronavirus-related deaths Friday, raising the county’s total to 855.
Earlier Friday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced 62 more deaths and 1,842 new positive cases, raising the statewide total to 25,733 cases. This is a record spike for new cases in the state.
Cook County makes up about 75 percent of the 1,134 deaths across Illinois.
— Sun-Times wire
7:24 p.m. Calumet City man asks: Where’s my $1,200 COVID-19 stimulus check?
Bernie Butler was looking forward to his $1,200 “economic impact payment” check from the federal government for coronavirus relief.
“Everyone’s on Facebook or texting, saying, ‘I got mine, did you get yours?’ ” says Butler, a Calumet City resident who’s lost one of his two jobs during the statewide shutdown.
He got a shock when he checked the “Get My Payment” tool Wednesday on IRS.gov — it showed the payment was deposited but into an account he’s never seen before.
“I knew right away that’s not my account number,” he says.
Reporter Stephanie Zimmermann has the full story.
6:46 p.m. Michelle Obama to host kids’ storytime series online during coronavirus quarantine
During the coronavirus pandemic, which finds millions of parents everywhere in search of new ways for their kids to fill their days outside of school work, watching movies or FaceTime playdates, former first lady and bestselling author Michelle Obama has got it covered.
Obama, in a special arrangement with Penguin Young Readers, Random House Children’s Books and PBS KIDS, will be hosting “Mondays with Michelle Obama” kicking off at 11 a.m. April 20.
The Facebook and YouTube four-part weekly series (through May 11) will feature Obama reading classic children’s storybooks aloud as part of the recently announced “Read Together, Be Together” online initiative.
5:28 p.m. Chicago greatly expands coronavirus testing across South Side
University of Chicago Medicine is now conducting up to 1,000 coronavirus tests a day as the health system partners with other facilities to ramp up screening for the deadly virus.
An increase in supplies needed to administer the tests, most notably swabs, has allowed U. of C. to extend testing to anyone with mild symptoms consistent with the disease, falling in line with new guidance outlined by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday. The list of possible symptoms is wide-ranging and includes fever, coughing, sneezing, upper respiratory issues and diarrhea.
“We really expect that that should alone expand the number of folks who would be now eligible for testing,” Dr. Stephen Weber, U. of C.’s chief medical officer, said.
Patients at the U. of C.’s campus won’t have to pay for the testing. Those with health insurance will simply have their provider billed and won’t be subjected to co-pays, while uninsured patients will be tested for free.
Read the full story by Tom Schuba.
4:56 p.m. Trump urges three states to lift stay-at-home orders
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump urged supporters to “LIBERATE” three states led by Democratic governors Friday, apparently encouraging the growing protests against the stay-at-home restrictions aimed at stopping the coronavirus.
A day after laying out a roadmap to gradually reopen the crippled economy, Trump took to Twitter with the kind of rhetoric some of his supporters have used in demanding the lifting of the orders that have thrown millions of Americans out of work.
“LIBERATE MINNESOTA!” “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” “LIBERATE VIRGINIA,” he said in a tweet-storm in which he also lashed out at New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for criticizing the federal response. Cuomo “should spend more time `doing’ and less time `complaining,’” the president said.
Read the full story by the Associated Press.
3:47 p.m. Man punches nurse on CTA bus after saying, ‘Did you just cough on me?’: police
A man on probation for beating a veteran allegedly attacked a nurse earlier this month on a CTA bus after claiming she coughed on him.
Quindrell Yarbrough, 29, was standing near the center door of a bus in the Loop on April 1 when the nurse sitting in an adjacent seat, and who just finished her shift at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, raised her arm and coughed into her elbow, Cook County prosecutors said, citing surveillance video from the bus.
Yarbrough turned and said, “Did you just cough on me?” but the nurse denied that she had, Chicago police said. The video clearly showed the woman raised her arm and coughed into the crook of her arm, Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said at a bond hearing Friday.
Read the full story by the Sun-Times wire.
3:14 p.m. Inside the life of a homeless Chicago student in the age of the coronavirus: Fear of failing — or not surviving
For the first three months, it was a park bench by Douglas Park on the West Side.
Then her older sister’s apartment in Homan Square.
Three different places in Englewood. One over in Gresham.
In all, Mariah Bingham has lived in 13 different places since she was born. She’s likely to be on the move again in the coming months.
She’s 11 years old and one of 17,000 homeless students at Chicago Public Schools.
Mariah’s going into the home stretch of fifth grade having already gone to seven schools, never with a stable learning environment.
Now the coronavirus has taken over, and Mariah feels she might take a step back academically.
That’s not to mention the health concerns: Mariah and her mother are both asthmatic. Her mom is diabetic, Mariah, pre-diabetic.
“I am terrified of the coronavirus,” Mariah says, “because I love my life.”
Read the full story by Nader Issa.
2:33 p.m. Illinois sees drop in deaths, big rise in coronavirus cases as Pritzker announces school closures
Illinois officials on Friday announced 62 more deaths due to the coronavirus and a record-high number of newly confirmed cases, as Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Illinois schools will remain closed for the rest of the school year.
With 62 new deaths, the state has lost 1,134 people to the outbreak. The Illinois Dept. of Public Health also reported 1,842 new diagnoses, bringing the state’s tally to 27,575 cases.
The Friday case total, however, is the largest number of positive cases the state has seen since the outbreak began. In total, the state ran 7,575 tests on Thursday.
The virus has now been confirmed in 92 of the state’s 102 counties.
Read the full story by Tina Sfondeles.
2:02 p.m. McCormick Place field hospital is now accepting COVID-19 patients
City officials confirmed Friday that the COVID-19 field hospital at McCormick Place has started accepting patients.
The alternate-care facility is being built to handle an overflow of patients from the city’s hospitals. Patients began arriving Tuesday.
“The area hospital system is not at full capacity right now,” said Mary May, a city spokeswoman. “However, the ACF, as part of its preparation and training, did begin accepting patients from Chicago-area hospitals.”
She would not provide the number of patients at the facility, citing privacy issues.
Three wings in McCormick Place are being retrofitted with hospital beds, tents and nursing stations to treat coronavirus patients. Each wing represents a different level of illness.
Authorities have said the facility is being built in stages, with up to 3,000 beds planned.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov. J.B. Pritzker were among the officials who toured the facility Friday.
— Frank Main
1:01 p.m. Pritzker expected to close all Illinois schools for remainder of academic year
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is planning to close the state’s schools for in-person instruction through the end of the academic year because of the coronavirus, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times.
The governor and his team have worked through the details of the extended closures this week and will announce the decision Friday afternoon, sources said.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is fully on board with the move but isn’t expected to attend the news conference with the governor because of scheduling conflicts, sources said. Lightfoot on Thursday hinted strongly that the decision was coming but said it was up to Pritzker and she would like to be part of that discussion.
Pritzker’s original stay-at-home order was to expire April 7. He already has extended it once — until April 30 — and has hinted for days about a second extension deep into May.
By shutting down school buildings for the rest of the year, Illinois will join 27 states and 3 U.S. territories that have either ordered or recommended the same action, Education Week reported. Those orders impacted more than 25 million students.
Read the latest on this developing story here.
12:18 p.m. Remembering Tony’s Italian Deli matriarch, who died of COVID-19
As a girl growing up in Italy, Emilia Pontarelli once had to be held back for her own safety after raining verbal abuse on a German soldier who seized her pet goat for dinner. In her 90s, she challenged her son-in-law to arm-wrestle to show she still had the strength that had enabled her to climb the mountains in her hometown of Rocchetta a Volturno.
She grew up, married Vincenzo Pontarelli, and they started their family. In 1967, they decided to immigrate to Chicago, where they had relatives, seeking more opportunities for their children: Tony, Maria and Anna. She landed a factory job at Illinois Tool Works, and her husband worked construction. Eventually, she became known as a fixture at the cash register of her son Tony’s Italian Deli on Northwest Highway in Edison Park.
“She always made a point of how lucky we were to live here,” her grandson said.
Mrs. Pontarelli died April 10 at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge after contracting the coronavirus, according to her grandson.
Read our obituary from Maureen O’Donnell.
11:35 a.m. 4 die of coronavirus at Lincoln Park nursing home
A man and three women who live at a Lincoln Park nursing home died this week after contracting the coronavirus, a spokesman for the facility said Friday.
Ten more people at St. Mary’s Home, 2325 N. Lakewood Ave., have been diagnosed with the illness, said Sister Constance Veit, a spokeswoman for Little Sisters of the Poor, the organization that owns and operates the home. Six of the afflicted are residents, while another four are employees, Veit said.
“These are people who are not sick enough to require ICU level of care or ventilator support,” Veit said of the sickened residents. “The sisters are caring for them at home in their own rooms.”
The Lincoln Park facility has 76 licensed nursing beds and 50 independent-living apartments, Veit said.
Click here to read more.
11:02 a.m. 3rd CPD officer dies of COVID-19
A third Chicago Police officer has died of COVID-19, the department announced Friday.
The officer was assigned to the 4th District on the city’s South Side, according to Tom Ahern, a department spokesman.
His name and length of service with the department were not immediately disclosed, as the officer’s extended family was still being notified of his death Friday morning, Ahern said.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and acting CPD Supt. David Brown were expected to release more details about the officer at a news conference Friday afternoon.
Read the full story from Sam Charles here.
9:43 a.m. Antiviral drug being tested at UChicago Medicine shows promise against COVID-19
As researchers race to find treatments for COVID-19, a new report appears to show that patients with severe symptoms who are participating in clinical trials at the University of Chicago Medicine have responded to a promising antiviral drug.
The early findings were detailed in a video obtained by Stat News that shows Kathleen Mullane, an infectious disease specialist helming the studies at U. of C., telling fellow faculty members that patients with fevers and respiratory symptoms had recovered quickly after being treated with Remdesivir.
As part of the trials at U. of C., 125 COVID-19 patients were treated with Remdesivir, 113 of whom had severe symptoms. Two of them have died, according to Mullane.
In the video, Mullane says most patients were being discharged from the hospital in less than a week. That’s notable because the study is investigating both five- and 10-day courses of the drug.
Read our full report about the Remdesivir clinical trials here.
8:15 a.m. Chicago COVID-19 survivors share their stories
As a Chicago firefighter, Paul Richard once climbed to the top of a 100-foot-tall crane to safely talk down a young man who was threatening to jump.
In the past week, Richard survived a different kind of ordeal — coming home after two weeks at Advocate Trinity Hospital on the South Side battling COVID-19. The virus attacked his kidneys, liver and immune system.
“Oh, brother, you better believe I was scared,” says Richard, who is now recovering at home in Beverly. “I didn’t know what was going on. It was like I was in a daze.”
His half-brother drove him to the hospital about two and a half weeks ago. That was after he’d been feeling so weak he barely could tie his shoes. It felt like a “little elephant” was sitting on his chest.
His memory of the time he spent in the hospital is foggy. At one point, he says he thought angels had appeared to him on the walls of his hospital room.
“I believe in God,” Richard says. “He’s saved me. And he’s still working with me.”
Read more first-person stories in the full feature from Stefano Esposito.
6:43 a.m. CPS teachers share what remote learning looks like
Rosa Jimenez-Hernandez didn’t know what to expect when she opened her laptop this week to remotely teach her fifth grade language arts class for the first time.
To her surprise, a dozen of her Sadlowski Elementary students were already logged on, waiting for their scheduled online video conference with their teacher. The next day, it was up to 15 kids.
But Jimenez-Hernandez wasn’t giving them a lecture or a typical lesson — it was scavenger hunt time. Her students ran around their homes for five minutes looking for items their teacher had listed.
“It’s not academic at all. It’s communication, it’s are you alive and well, and let’s have some fun together,” Jimenez-Hernandez said. “If they know that there’s going to be something fun going on, they’ll have more of a reason to join us.”
Like Jimenez-Hernandez, teachers all across the city are trying to come up with creative ways to keep kids engaged and overcome the challenges of teaching from home — including a massive technology deficit — as Chicago Public Schools’ remote learning plan rolls out.
“We’re all going to be behind,” Jimenez-Hernandez said, noting that she’s still trying to reach half her students. “And we’re just going to have to figure it out together.”
Read the full story from Nader Issa.
6:18 a.m. ‘I feel like I lost the battle for my husband,’ widow of dead Cook County Jail detainee says
Nickolas Lee was struggling to breathe, much less hold up his end of the conversation as he talked on the phone with his wife Saturday night from a Stroger Hospital bed.
“I told him a lot of people are beating this thing, and he was going to be one of them,” Cassandra Lee-Greer told her high school sweetheart.
The 42-year-old, who had been transferred to Stroger from the Cook County Jail just six days earlier, died Sunday morning.
Lee ended up in jail in February for a 2018 armed robbery — a case he thought he had a good shot of beating.
But in March, he noticed two detainees on his tier had the flu-like symptoms that sounded like what his wife had been telling him were telltale signs of an illness spreading across the globe. A few days later, he came down with a sore throat. Chills, muscle aches and a loss of sense of smell and taste followed. He tested positive for COVID-19. A week later, he was transported from the jail’s Cermak medical facility to Stroger, where he died of cardiac arrest likely caused by complications related to coronavirus.
He was the third Cook County Jail detainee to die after contracting COVID-19.
Reporter Andy Grimm has the full story.
New Cases
Analysis & Commentary
7:24 p.m. In praise of the ‘essential workers’ helping us all to brave the storm of coronavirus
Here’s to the essential worker. To all the previously “invisible people” who some of us may suddenly now have discovered make the world go ‘round.
To those workers who sometimes have been reduced to being “just a CNA.” To workers marginalized in the eyes of some who see your job as being “less than”— less glorious, less important, less essential.
Here’s to you.
To all the “thanked-less” men and women who happen to be “just a blue-collar worker.” “Just a hospital orderly.” “Just a cook.” “Just a bus driver.” “Just a trash man.” “Just a gas station attendant.”
This one’s for the overlooked, over-taxed underpaid worker. For every nameless, faceless person who does all the little things that even the least grateful among us these days ought to now see aren’t so little after all.
For each and every one of you without whom this global pandemic would be made unendurable, if not un-survivable. This one’s for you.
Read John W. Fountain’s full column here.
3:26 p.m. As pandemic crushes the young, all student loan rescue efforts should be created equal
Say you’re a recent college graduate, working as a barista and driving for Uber while looking for a career in your chosen field.
You’re managing to make ends meet, but now the coronavirus pandemic hits. The coffee shop shuts down. Uber customers stop calling. You’re not thrilled about picking up fares anyway because anybody could expose you to the virus.
Meanwhile, forget about that career for now. The economy is virtually at a standstill.
Everything’s upside down except your bills — including a monthly student loan payment — which never go away.
Read the full editorial by the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board.
10:10 a.m. COVID-19 SBA loan funds exhausted: At Devon Bank, ‘applications with no place to go’
At a few minutes before 9 a.m. Chicago time on Thursday, an official with the Small Business Administration sent out an urgent email: “hitting limit in the next few mins,” said the message, obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.
With funds appropriated by Congress exhausted, minutes later, the door slammed shut – for now – on the SBA accepting applications for two COVID-19 emergency loan packages. That’s the new Paycheck Protection Program — known as PPP — and existing Economic Injury Disaster Loans, both in enormous demand.
“It leaves us stuck,” said David Loundy, the chairman and CEO of the 75-year-old family-owned Devon Bank headquartered at 6445 N. Western Ave. with branches in Glenview and Wheeling.
These PPP loans for small businesses and nonprofits are urgently needed by employers to meet payrolls and remain viable until lockdowns are lifted.
Loundy said he had a backlog of 70 to 85 applications — asking for about $10 million in loans.
“They are applications with no place to go. These are people who just won’t get money. They represent small business operators; they represent sole practitioners; nonprofit organizations; religious organizations, across the board,” Loundy said.
Read the full story from Lynn Sweet here.
6:33 a.m. Let’s keep our foot on the gas against the coronavirus, Chicago — it’s working
The coronavirus stay-at-home order hasn’t been easy on Chicago. But we can’t let up — or the bug could come roaring back.
We know it’s tough to be indoors. We see the economy cratering. We see the jobs being lost.
Statewide on Thursday, there were some grim numbers, too: Health officials announced that another 125 people had died from the virus. That’s the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in Illinois in a single day. The state also reported 1,140 confirmed new cases, raising the total to 25,733. More than 1,000 Illinoisans have died in all.
Despite this, Gov. J.B. Pritzker for days has signaled some optimism based on the doubling rate of infections slowing down. And his stay-at-home order is slowing the spread of the virus in Chicago — flattening the curve — City Hall says.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration announced Wednesday that the city has seen 9,666 confirmed cases of the coronavirus cases and 347 COVID-19 deaths as of this week. But the city could have suffered more than 62,000 COVID-19 cases and 2,000 deaths by now had Pritzker not issued his order on March 21 and had the city not closed its parks and lakefront, officials say.
Read the full editorial from the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board here.