chicagosun-times--2020-10-26--Virus and retailers’ hardship challenge Six Corners comeback

There was a time when the Six Corners commercial district in Portage Park was a real community nexus .
It was where you went for shopping big and small , for shows at the Portage Theater and for business such as medical appointments .
It laid claim to being the busiest retail stretch in the city outside of downtown .
Today — not so much .
The place where Irving Park Road , Cicero and Milwaukee avenues converge looks more like a patient awaiting a heart transplant .
Prime sites are vacant or unused , although plenty of traffic still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by one consultant ’ s count .
They ’ re just headed somewhere else for the most part .
What ’ s the problem ?
Three come to mind : First , there ’ s the coronavirus and its chilling effect on everything economic .
It ’ s made it harder for even well-capitalized investors to move forward with real estate projects .
Second , and maybe more important for the long term , is the identity crisis facing the retail sector .
Do we need as many stores in the age of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s the old bugaboo of political tensions .
Exhibit A for the ailing Six Corners is the old Sears store at the northeast corner of Irving Park and Cicero .
Opened in 1938 to what Sears archives said was a crowd of almost 100,000 people , it was the retailer ’ s last outlet in Chicago when the store closed in 2018 .
It had been in the hands of Seritage Growth Properties , investor Eddie Lampert ’ s vehicle for making money from Sears ’ real estate .
With Chicago-based Tucker Development @ @ @ @ @ @ @ convert the building to a retail arcade on the lower levels with homes above it , plus more multi-family homes next door to replace an old Sears Auto Center .
It got positive reviews from neighbors and a sign off from Portage Park ’ s alderman , Jim Gardiner ( 45th ) .
But Seritage has been selling assets because the coronavirus has hurt its rent collections across its national portfolio .
So why not sell a parcel producing zero income ?
Gardiner said on social media that Seritage and Tucker sold the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Novak deals in big-box stores and traditional shopping plazas , not multi-use projects , so there ’ s concern about a change in plans .
“ They haven ’ t come up with any plans , ” said Joe Angelastri , chairman of the recently formed Six Corners Chamber of Commerce and owner of the City Newsstand coffee shop and magazine store .
“ We heard rumors they want to demolish the building.
” Novak executives , Seritage and Tucker did not return calls or messages last week .
Across Irving Park @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hole in the ground slated to become an Aldi with senior housing attached to it .
The plan by Ryan Cos. U.S. and Clark Street Real Estate got necessary approvals earlier this year .
Dan Walsh , a senior vice president at Ryan , said construction was delayed slightly by economic concerns but should start in December now that debt financing is in place .
Just east of the hole is a Peoples Gas site where the utility is finishing demolition before turning the 6.5-acres over to GW Properties .
Mitch Goltz , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working with the city on zoning for a 100,000-square-foot retail plaza with a food store as an anchor .
He said the plan is evolving , but there is strong interest from tenants .
It ’ s a mistake to consider all of retail as threatened by the coronavirus , he said .
“ It ’ s a shock to the system , and everybody ’ s had to adapt .
Some are stopping .
Some are pivoting .
Some are stepping on the gas , ” Goltz said .
The last issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Issues in the 45th Ward tend to come down to forces loyal to Gardiner opposing those who aligned with John Arena , whom Gardiner defeated in the 2019 aldermanic race .
Angelastri is a Gardiner supporter whose newly formed chamber of commerce is seeking control of a special service area serving Six Corners .
These SSAs are districts in which businesses tax themselves to fund street cleaning , beautification , marketing and other projects .
Many do good work throughout the city , but with contracts to let , SSAs can become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the established group running the SSA , the Six Corners Association , became politicized .
The association ’ s managing director , Amie Zander , denied that and said she ’ s been frustrated by a lack of communication from Gardiner .
The alderman was unavailable for comment last week .
Zander said she ’ s especially worried about the Sears site and whether a suburban-style strip mall will replace a plan that included multi-family housing , thus bringing in customers for Six Corners retailers .
Above all , the corridor needs street @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that could unite a community .

There was a time when the Six Corners commercial district in Portage Park was a real community nexus. It was where you went for shopping big and small, for shows at the Portage Theater and for business such as medical appointments. It laid claim to being the busiest retail stretch in the city outside of downtown.
Today — not so much. The place where Irving Park Road, Cicero and Milwaukee avenues converge looks more like a patient awaiting a heart transplant. Prime sites are vacant or unused, although plenty of traffic still flows by — 70,000 cars a day by one consultant’s count. They’re just headed somewhere else for the most part.
What’s the problem? Three come to mind: First, there’s the coronavirus and its chilling effect on everything economic. It’s made it harder for even well-capitalized investors to move forward with real estate projects. Second, and maybe more important for the long term, is the identity crisis facing the retail sector. Do we need as many stores in the age of online shopping?
Finally, there’s the old bugaboo of political tensions.
Exhibit A for the ailing Six Corners is the old Sears store at the northeast corner of Irving Park and Cicero. Opened in 1938 to what Sears archives said was a crowd of almost 100,000 people, it was the retailer’s last outlet in Chicago when the store closed in 2018. It had been in the hands of Seritage Growth Properties, investor Eddie Lampert’s vehicle for making money from Sears’ real estate.
With Chicago-based Tucker Development, it cooked up a plan to convert the building to a retail arcade on the lower levels with homes above it, plus more multi-family homes next door to replace an old Sears Auto Center.
It got positive reviews from neighbors and a sign off from Portage Park’s alderman, Jim Gardiner (45th). But Seritage has been selling assets because the coronavirus has hurt its rent collections across its national portfolio. So why not sell a parcel producing zero income?
Gardiner said on social media that Seritage and Tucker sold the site to Chicago’s Novak Construction. Novak deals in big-box stores and traditional shopping plazas, not multi-use projects, so there’s concern about a change in plans.
Chicago Enterprise bug Chicago Enterprise
“They haven’t come up with any plans,” said Joe Angelastri, chairman of the recently formed Six Corners Chamber of Commerce and owner of the City Newsstand coffee shop and magazine store. “We heard rumors they want to demolish the building.”
Novak executives, Seritage and Tucker did not return calls or messages last week.
Across Irving Park from the Sears is an almost four-acre hole in the ground slated to become an Aldi with senior housing attached to it. The plan by Ryan Cos. U.S. and Clark Street Real Estate got necessary approvals earlier this year. Dan Walsh, a senior vice president at Ryan, said construction was delayed slightly by economic concerns but should start in December now that debt financing is in place.
Just east of the hole is a Peoples Gas site where the utility is finishing demolition before turning the 6.5-acres over to GW Properties. Mitch Goltz, GW principal, said he’s working with the city on zoning for a 100,000-square-foot retail plaza with a food store as an anchor.
He said the plan is evolving, but there is strong interest from tenants. It’s a mistake to consider all of retail as threatened by the coronavirus, he said. “It’s a shock to the system, and everybody’s had to adapt. Some are stopping. Some are pivoting. Some are stepping on the gas,” Goltz said.
The last issue facing Six Corners is old-fashioned ward politics. Issues in the 45th Ward tend to come down to forces loyal to Gardiner opposing those who aligned with John Arena, whom Gardiner defeated in the 2019 aldermanic race. Angelastri is a Gardiner supporter whose newly formed chamber of commerce is seeking control of a special service area serving Six Corners.
These SSAs are districts in which businesses tax themselves to fund street cleaning, beautification, marketing and other projects. Many do good work throughout the city, but with contracts to let, SSAs can become playthings for aldermanic influence.
Angelastri said the established group running the SSA, the Six Corners Association, became politicized. The association’s managing director, Amie Zander, denied that and said she’s been frustrated by a lack of communication from Gardiner. The alderman was unavailable for comment last week.
Zander said she’s especially worried about the Sears site and whether a suburban-style strip mall will replace a plan that included multi-family housing, thus bringing in customers for Six Corners retailers.
Above all, the corridor needs street life. Getting it is a cause that could unite a community.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-26--First snowfall of the season reported in Chicago, suburbs: weather service

Parts of Chicago and the surrounding suburbs saw the area ’ s first snowfall of the season Monday , according @ @ @ @ @ , some of which was mixed with snow , moved through the north and northwest @ @ @ @ @ early Monday , the National Weather Service said .
O ’ Hare and Midway airports @ @ @ @ @ about 5 a.m. , according to weather service meteorologist Mark Ratzer .
The city is @ @ @ @ @ , if any , accumulation , however , Ratzer said .
The wintry mix should @ @ @ @ @ in Chicago , according to the weather service .
There ’ s a slight chance @ @ @ @ @ fall through the afternoon and evening , possibly mixing with snow Monday night .
Temperatures @ @ @ @ @ high of about 43 degrees Monday , before dropping to about 34 degrees at night @ @ @ @ @ service .

The Chicago area saw its first snowfall of the season as a mix of snow and light precipitation moved through the area Monday morning.
O’Hare and Midway airports both reported light snow between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.
The snowfall picked up again about 10 a.m. in Chicago and was expected to last until noon to 1 p.m., according to weather service meteorologist Casey Sullivan.
However, the city is not expected to see much, if any, accumulation, he said.
Light snow continues this morning. Locally slick spots north and west of Chicago, and reduced visibility to 1 mile. #ilwx #inwx pic.twitter.com/VmaquxPHwU — NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) October 26, 2020
The weather service hadn’t recorded snowfall above a “trace” amount Monday morning, but weather spotters around Chicago were reporting small accumulation, Sullivan said. Slushy accumulation was spotted on car windows in west suburban Downers Grove, while grassy accumulation of a tenth inch was spotted in Aurora, he said.
La Voz Sidebar 2023 Lea este artículo en español en La Voz Chicago.
A late October snowfall is about average for the Chicago area, which records its first trace amount of snow, on average, Oct. 30, Sullivan said.
Rain may continue into the afternoon and evening, possibly mixing with snow Monday night, the weather service said. Temperatures in the city are expected to hit 42 degrees Monday before dropping to 31 degrees overnight.
The forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday calls for sunny skies with high temperatures in the 40s and 50s.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-26--Next 3 games will tell you everything you need to know about Matt Nagy’s Bears

Bears coach Matt Nagy has earnestly tried to tilt the discussion from winning ugly to just winning over the last week or so .
The same coach who shredded his team after its most impressive victory , 20-19 over the first-place Buccaneers , is rallying his players against the incessant nitpicking of their 5-1 start .
“ You ’ ve been seeing it all over the internet , ” safety Tashaun Gipson said .
“ We are the most talked-about 5-1 team .
I don ’ t think that people truly give us our respect , man .
“ You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to those things and obviously we don ’ t care , but we hear it .
At the end of the day , man , five wins is five wins.
” Hey , 5-1 is a nice record .
And if the season ended today , the Bears would be NFC North champions and the No .
2 seed in the conference .
But the season does not end today , and that 5-1 start won ’ t mean anything if they endure another midseason collapse .
The purpose in criticizing the Bears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coaches are doing internally — is to ascertain whether this is sustainable .
In a league in which the other 31 teams average 25.5 points per game , can the Bears keep getting by on 21.3 ?
Will quarterback Nick Foles — fifth from the bottom in passer rating , second-to-last in yards per attempt — be enough when they run up against Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees ?
They could always try running the ball , but Nagy already seems done with that after averaging 2.3 yards per carry the last three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way to settle this -debate between Nagy and the media over what this 5-1 record really means .
Enter the Rams , Saints and Titans .
Those are the Bears ’ next three opponents , beginning with the 4-2 Rams on Monday .
The Bears host the 4-2 Saints on Sunday and visit the 5-1 Titans on Nov. 8 .
“ We ’ ve already played some pretty good teams , ” Nagy said inaccurately of a collection of opponents that is 13-21 .
“ Whoever they put in front of us , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record is.
” If the Bears are as sturdy as they want everyone to believe they are , they won ’ t get steamrolled in any of those games .
A good team would win at least one and be competitive in the others .
And if the Bears do that , coming out at 6-3 or better and looking viable overall , it ’ ll boost the public ’ s confidence going into the homestretch .
But if these much better foes exploit the flaws that nearly doomed the Bears against lightweights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Giants and Panthers , the ship could sink .
Over the last 30 seasons , teams that started 5-1 made the playoffs 83 % of the time .
The 2012 Bears , who opened 7-1 then went 3-5 in the second half , were one of those unfortunate teams in the 17 % .
They would ’ ve gotten in under the new 14-team playoff field .
At 5-4 , the historical likelihood of making the playoffs plunges to 47 % .
It ’ s going to be a lot tougher for Nagy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ less than a month from now the Bears are clawing to stay above .500 .
There are still enough floundering teams toward the end of their schedule — the Lions , Texans , Jaguars and Vikings ( twice ) — for the Bears to sneak into the playoffs even if they never play any -better than they ’ re playing now .
And if they meander into the playoffs , this argument will resurface .
The media and -public will question whether that kind of team is capable of making any postseason noise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that style points are irrelevant .
Or the Bears could end that conversation altogether over the next three weeks .

Bears coach Matt Nagy has earnestly tried to tilt the discussion from winning ugly to just winning over the last week or so. The same coach who shredded his team after its most impressive victory, 20-19 over the first-place Buccaneers, is rallying his players against the incessant nitpicking of their 5-1 start.
“You’ve been seeing it all over the internet,” safety Tashaun Gipson said. “We are the most talked-about 5-1 team. I don’t think that people truly give us our respect, man.
“You’re taught not to pay attention to those things and obviously we don’t care, but we hear it. At the end of the day, man, five wins is five wins.”
Hey, 5-1 is a nice record. And if the season ended today, the Bears would be NFC North champions and the top seed in the conference. But the season does not end today, and that 5-1 start won’t mean anything if they endure another midseason collapse.
The purpose in criticizing the Bears even as they win — something their coaches are doing internally — is to ascertain whether this is sustainable. In a league in which the other 31 teams average 25.5 points per game, can the Bears keep getting by on 21.3?
Will quarterback Nick Foles — fifth from the bottom in passer rating, second-to-last in yards per attempt — be enough when they run up against Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees?
They could always try running the ball, but Nagy already seems done with that after averaging 2.3 yards per carry the last three weeks.
If only there were a way to settle this -debate between Nagy and the media over what this 5-1 record really means. Enter the Rams, Saints and Titans.
Those are the Bears’ next three opponents, beginning with the 4-2 Rams on Monday. The Bears host the 4-2 Saints on Sunday and visit the 5-1 Titans on Nov. 8.
“We’ve already played some pretty good teams,” Nagy said inaccurately of a collection of opponents that is 13-21. “Whoever they put in front of us, we don’t care what their record is.”
If the Bears are as sturdy as they want everyone to believe they are, they won’t get steamrolled in any of those games. A good team would win at least one and be competitive in the others. And if the Bears do that, coming out at 6-3 or better and looking viable overall, it’ll boost the public’s confidence going into the homestretch.
But if these much better foes exploit the flaws that nearly doomed the Bears against lightweights such as the Lions, Falcons, Giants and Panthers, the ship could sink. Over the last 30 seasons, teams that started 5-1 made the playoffs 83% of the time.
The 2012 Bears, who opened 7-1 then went 3-5 in the second half, were one of those unfortunate teams in the 17%. They would’ve gotten in under the new 14-team playoff field.
At 5-4, the historical likelihood of making the playoffs plunges to 47%.
It’s going to be a lot tougher for Nagy to defend himself and his team if less than a month from now the Bears are clawing to stay above .500. There are still enough floundering teams toward the end of their schedule — the Lions, Texans, Jaguars and Vikings (twice) — for the Bears to sneak into the playoffs even if they never play any -better than they’re playing now.
And if they meander into the playoffs, this argument will resurface. The media and -public will question whether that kind of team is capable of making any postseason noise, and Nagy will echo his rebuttal that style points are irrelevant.
Or the Bears could end that conversation altogether over the next three weeks.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-26--Gresham man killed in crash on Indiana Toll Road

A 26-year-old man died in a crash Sunday on the Indiana Toll Road in northwest Indiana .
Adontis Hoskins was @ @ @ @ @ when , for an unknown reason , he drove his 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier into the @ @ @ @ @ 7.1 , Indiana State Police and the Lake County , Indiana , coroner ’ s @ @ @ @ @ veered back across all lanes of traffic and then hit the guardrail , where it @ @ @ @ @ said .
Hoskins was thrown from the car and taken to St. Catherine ’ s @ @ @ @ @ where he died , officials said .
Hoskins lived in Gresham on the South Side @ @ @ @ @ the coroner ’ s office .

A 26-year-old man died in a crash Sunday on the Indiana Toll Road in northwest Indiana.
Adontis Hoskins was driving west about 7:45 a.m. when, for an unknown reason, he drove his 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier into the median wall near mile marker 7.1, Indiana State Police and the Lake County, Indiana, coroner’s office said.
The car veered back across all lanes of traffic and then hit the guardrail, where it flipped over, state police said.
Hoskins was thrown from the car and taken to St. Catherine’s Hospital in East Chicago, where he died, officials said.
Hoskins lived in Gresham on the South Side of Chicago, according to the coroner’s office.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-25--Kershaw stops steal of home, hands Dodgers 3-2 lead in World Series

ARLINGTON , Texas — Clayton Kershaw ’ s glittering career lacked two of the most satisfying accomplishments : a win deep in the World Series and a championship ring .
He took the mound Sunday night with the Los Angeles Dodgers shaken , and Kershaw steadied his team with a gritty performance , plus one particular delivery home that will long be remembered .
Now with one more victory , the Dodgers would claim their first title since 1988 .
Kershaw beat the Tampa Bay Rays for the second time in six days , escaping a fourth-inning jam with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Margot trying for a rare steal of home , and the Dodgers held on for a 4-2 win and a 3-2 Series lead .
“ Well , it ’ s happened to me before , at least one other time that I can remember , ” Kershaw said .
“ Carlos Gomez tried it against me in Houston one time .
You know , I work on that with the first basemen.
” Max Muncy , looking on from first , was ready .
“ I was fortunate enough to see one or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knew what to expect when he broke , ” Muncy said .
“ I sprinted toward Kersh and said , ` Home !
Home !
Home !
’ ” Mookie Betts and Corey Seager sparked a two-run first inning , and Joc Pederson and Muncy homered off long-ball prone Tyler Glasnow , whose 100 mph heat got burned .
His scraggly dark brown hair dangling with sweat , Kershaw was cruising when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts removed the 32-year-old left-hander in favor of Dustin May after getting two outs on two pitches in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fans in the pandemic-reduced crowd of 11,437 booed when Roberts walked to the mound , well aware of what happened with the bullpen the previous night , when closer Kenley Jansen wasted a ninth-inning lead in a stunning 8-7 loss .
Those boos quickly turned to cheers as the LA rooters saluted Kershaw , a three-time NL Cy Young Award winner , as he walked to the dugout .
Kershaw improved to 13-12 in postseason play , including 4-1 this year .
May , Victor Gonzalez and Blake Treinen combined for two-hit scoreless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gonzalez stranded a pair of runners in the eighth by retiring Randy Arozarena and Brandon Lowe on flyouts , and Treinen got three outs to become the fourth Dodgers pitcher with a postseason save .
“ Kersh , a lot of credit goes to him for what we ’ ve been able to do in this World Series , ” Treinen said .
“ There ’ s a tough narrative on him .
He ’ s a phenomenal pitcher on the biggest stage.
” Margot singled leading off the ninth , but Austin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out and Willy Adames struck out .
Thirty of the previous 46 teams to win Game 5 for a 3-2 lead have won the title , but just six of the last 14 .
Teams that wasted 3-2 leads include last year ’ s Houston Astros .
Los Angeles did not have an obvious candidate to start Game 6 on Tuesday , when Game 2 winner Blake Snell starts for Tampa Bay , Walker Buehler , the 26-year-old right-hander who has supplanted Kershaw at the Dodgers ’ ace , is waiting in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Hollywood understudy ready for a leading role .
With a 175-76 regular-season record , five ERA titles and an MVP , Kershaw ranks alongside Dodgers greats Sandy Koufax , Fernando Valenzuela and Orel Hershiser .
He won World Series openers in 2017 and again this year , but he faltered in Game 5 in both 2017 and 2018 and has never won a title .
A Dallas native pitching near his offseason home , Kershaw shut down the Rays on two runs and five hits with six strikeouts and two walks .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 15 2/3 innings over two starts in this Series with 14 strikeouts and three walks .
Kershaw also set a career postseason record with 207 strikeouts , two more than Justin Verlander ’ s previous mark .
Provided a 3-0 lead , Kershaw allowed Tampa Bay to pull within a run in the third when Kevin Kiermaier singled , Yandy Díaz tripled on a ball down the right-field line that skipped past Betts and Arozarena ’ s single .
The 25-year-old Cuban rookie asked for the ball after his record 27th postseason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Pablo Sandoval in 2014 .
“ I didn ’ t have my stuff like I did in Game 1 , ” Kershaw said .
“ My slider wasn ’ t there as good as it was , so fortunate to get through there.
” Kershaw escaped a first-and-third , no-outs jam in the fourth after Margot walked leading off , stole second and continued to third when the ball got away from second baseman Chris Taylor for his second big error in two games .
Hunter Renfroe also walked , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
With Kiermaier at the plate , Margot bolted for home as Kershaw raised both hands over his head in his instantly recognizable stretch position .
While many pitchers might have panicked and perhaps balked , Kershaw coolly and quickly stepped off the rubber and calmly threw to catcher Austin Barnes .
Barnes grabbed the ball and got his mitt down on the Margot ’ s outstretched hand while the runner ’ s helmet tumbled off and cut his own lip .
Margot went on his own , manager Kevin Cash said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home in the Series since Minnesota ’ s Shane Mack in Game 4 in 2001 .
Globe Life Field ’ s roof was closed on the cool , rainy night , as it was for Game 3 , and the visiting Dodgers broke on top within 10 pitches against Glasnow , a lanky 6-foot-8 right-hander who appeared to be overthrowing .
Glasnow allowed four runs and six hits in five innings , leaving him 0-2 with a 9.64 ERA in the Series .
The two home runs raised his total to a record @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doubled on a 99 mph fastball leading off and scored two pitches later when Seager pulled a curveball into right field for a single and his 19th postseason RBI .
This Series joined 1932 as the only years with runs in four straight top of the first innings .
Seager advanced on a wild pitch , Muncy drew his 20th walk of the postseason and after a two-out wild pitch , Cody Bellinger hit a grounder that was stopped with no play by Lowe , the second baseman positioned on the right field @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 58th run with two outs this postseason and became the first player to cross the plate in each of the first five Series games since the Yankees ’ Derek Jeter in 2000 .
Glasnow tied a Series record with two wild pitches in the 34-pitch inning and set the mark with three in the game .
Pederson hit a 428-foot opposite-field drive to left on a fastball at the letters for a 3-0 lead in the second .
Glasnow retired eight straight before Muncy homered in the fifth to make it 4-2 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to homer in the postseason , one more than the 1989 Oakland Athletics of Bash Brothers fame .
Dodgers : Bellinger was back in center field , a day after switching to designated hitter because of lower back stiffness .
Snell , the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner , allowing two runs and two hits in 4 2/3 innings in Game 2 with nine strikeouts and four walks .

ARLINGTON, Texas — Clayton Kershaw’s glittering career lacked two of the most satisfying accomplishments: a win deep in the World Series and a championship ring.
He took the mound Sunday night with the Los Angeles Dodgers shaken, and Kershaw steadied his team with a gritty performance, plus one particular delivery home that will long be remembered.
Now with one more victory, the Dodgers would claim their first title since 1988.
Kershaw beat the Tampa Bay Rays for the second time in six days, escaping a fourth-inning jam with a quick reaction throw to cut down Manuel Margot trying for a rare steal of home, and the Dodgers held on for a 4-2 win and a 3-2 Series lead.
“Well, it’s happened to me before, at least one other time that I can remember,” Kershaw said. “Carlos Gomez tried it against me in Houston one time. You know, I work on that with the first basemen.”
Max Muncy, looking on from first, was ready.
“I was fortunate enough to see one or two guys break hard, so i knew what to expect when he broke,” Muncy said. “I sprinted toward Kersh and said, `Home! Home! Home!’”
Mookie Betts and Corey Seager sparked a two-run first inning, and Joc Pederson and Muncy homered off long-ball prone Tyler Glasnow, whose 100 mph heat got burned.
His scraggly dark brown hair dangling with sweat, Kershaw was cruising when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts removed the 32-year-old left-hander in favor of Dustin May after getting two outs on two pitches in the sixth inning.
The mostly pro-Dodgers fans in the pandemic-reduced crowd of 11,437 booed when Roberts walked to the mound, well aware of what happened with the bullpen the previous night, when closer Kenley Jansen wasted a ninth-inning lead in a stunning 8-7 loss.
Those boos quickly turned to cheers as the LA rooters saluted Kershaw, a three-time NL Cy Young Award winner, as he walked to the dugout. Kershaw improved to 13-12 in postseason play, including 4-1 this year.
May, Victor Gonzalez and Blake Treinen combined for two-hit scoreless relief. May got five outs, Gonzalez stranded a pair of runners in the eighth by retiring Randy Arozarena and Brandon Lowe on flyouts, and Treinen got three outs to become the fourth Dodgers pitcher with a postseason save.
“Kersh, a lot of credit goes to him for what we’ve been able to do in this World Series,” Treinen said. “There’s a tough narrative on him. He’s a phenomenal pitcher on the biggest stage.”
Margot singled leading off the ninth, but Austin Meadows struck out, Joey Wendle flied out and Willy Adames struck out.
Thirty of the previous 46 teams to win Game 5 for a 3-2 lead have won the title, but just six of the last 14. Teams that wasted 3-2 leads include last year’s Houston Astros.
Los Angeles did not have an obvious candidate to start Game 6 on Tuesday, when Game 2 winner Blake Snell starts for Tampa Bay,
Walker Buehler, the 26-year-old right-hander who has supplanted Kershaw at the Dodgers’ ace, is waiting in the wings for a a Game 7 like a Hollywood understudy ready for a leading role.
With a 175-76 regular-season record, five ERA titles and an MVP, Kershaw ranks alongside Dodgers greats Sandy Koufax, Fernando Valenzuela and Orel Hershiser. He won World Series openers in 2017 and again this year, but he faltered in Game 5 in both 2017 and 2018 and has never won a title.
A Dallas native pitching near his offseason home, Kershaw shut down the Rays on two runs and five hits with six strikeouts and two walks. He is 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA in 15 2/3 innings over two starts in this Series with 14 strikeouts and three walks. Kershaw also set a career postseason record with 207 strikeouts, two more than Justin Verlander’s previous mark.
Provided a 3-0 lead, Kershaw allowed Tampa Bay to pull within a run in the third when Kevin Kiermaier singled, Yandy Díaz tripled on a ball down the right-field line that skipped past Betts and Arozarena’s single. The 25-year-old Cuban rookie asked for the ball after his record 27th postseason hit, one more than San Francisco’s Pablo Sandoval in 2014.
“I didn’t have my stuff like I did in Game 1,” Kershaw said. “My slider wasn’t there as good as it was, so fortunate to get through there.”
Kershaw escaped a first-and-third, no-outs jam in the fourth after Margot walked leading off, stole second and continued to third when the ball got away from second baseman Chris Taylor for his second big error in two games. Hunter Renfroe also walked, but Wendle popped out and Adames struck out.
With Kiermaier at the plate, Margot bolted for home as Kershaw raised both hands over his head in his instantly recognizable stretch position. While many pitchers might have panicked and perhaps balked, Kershaw coolly and quickly stepped off the rubber and calmly threw to catcher Austin Barnes.
Barnes grabbed the ball and got his mitt down on the Margot’s outstretched hand while the runner’s helmet tumbled off and cut his own lip.
Margot went on his own, manager Kevin Cash said, and became the first runner caught stealing home in the Series since Minnesota’s Shane Mack in Game 4 in 2001.
Globe Life Field’s roof was closed on the cool, rainy night, as it was for Game 3, and the visiting Dodgers broke on top within 10 pitches against Glasnow, a lanky 6-foot-8 right-hander who appeared to be overthrowing.
Glasnow allowed four runs and six hits in five innings, leaving him 0-2 with a 9.64 ERA in the Series. The two home runs raised his total to a record nine in a single postseason.
Betts doubled on a 99 mph fastball leading off and scored two pitches later when Seager pulled a curveball into right field for a single and his 19th postseason RBI. This Series joined 1932 as the only years with runs in four straight top of the first innings.
Seager advanced on a wild pitch, Muncy drew his 20th walk of the postseason and after a two-out wild pitch, Cody Bellinger hit a grounder that was stopped with no play by Lowe, the second baseman positioned on the right field grass. Seager scored the Dodgers’ 58th run with two outs this postseason and became the first player to cross the plate in each of the first five Series games since the Yankees’ Derek Jeter in 2000.
Glasnow tied a Series record with two wild pitches in the 34-pitch inning and set the mark with three in the game.
Pederson hit a 428-foot opposite-field drive to left on a fastball at the letters for a 3-0 lead in the second.
Glasnow retired eight straight before Muncy homered in the fifth to make it 4-2. He became the record ninth Dodgers player to homer in the postseason, one more than the 1989 Oakland Athletics of Bash Brothers fame.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: Bellinger was back in center field, a day after switching to designated hitter because of lower back stiffness.
UP NEXT
Snell, the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner, allowing two runs and two hits in 4 2/3 innings in Game 2 with nine strikeouts and four walks.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-25--Horoscope for Monday, Oct. 26, 2020

Horoscope for Monday, Oct. 26, 2020

There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions .
The moon is in Pisces .
Today you feel vaguely excited .
It ’ s nothing to write home about but you do feel it .
Some of you might be contemplating a special purchase of something .
Others are focused on work , which is going well because coworkers are supportive .
It ’ s an interesting day .
You might meet someone interesting or someone you know might say something that surprises you a bit .
In fact , someone might say something that makes you rethink some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future .
You might start to see things in a new light ?
People notice you .
In fact , some people know personal details about your private life .
( Do be aware of this . )
Meanwhile , someone in a position of authority — a parent , teacher , boss or a member of the police might say or do something that you least expect .
It ’ s a bit of a rush .
You ’ re intrigued by something new and different today .
Perhaps you want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who is different ?
You might hear news about the possibility of travel or taking further training or education in some way .
This could be exciting .
You might have an unusual idea about what to do with a certain amount of money or something that you share with someone .
Perhaps someone else will suggest something that is a bit different ?
Meanwhile , double-check bank accounts and financial matters to make sure you know what ’ s happening .
Someone close to you will throw you a curveball or do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hopefully , it ’ s pleasant .
( No two curveballs are alike . )
You might be introduced to someone new today who is unusual and definitely interesting .
( With Venus in your sign , you look swell ! )
Something unusual might occur today regarding your health , or a pet , or your job .
It ’ s not epic but it will catch your attention .
You might see new ways to improve something or you might see how to improve the way that you do something .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ unexpected flirtation might make your heart go pitter patter .
You might receive a surprise invitation to an event that is interesting or exciting ?
Something to do with your kids might be unexpected .
In fact , this is a mildly accident-prone day for your kids , so be vigilant .
Something about your home routine will change slightly today .
Someone unexpected might appear at the door .
Hopefully , a small appliance does not break down .
You might buy something unusual or modern for your home — it could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interesting day .
Today you might meet new people , see new places and have new ideas because something unexpected will make this day sparkle a bit more than usual .
You might also have an original , clever idea ?
( Best to jot it down because it might be hard to be original and clever later . )
Today you ’ re thinking about money .
Where is it ?
Actually , you might have an interesting money-making idea today .
Or perhaps you will make an unusual purchase ?
Something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well as your money , will cause you to think of creative , original ideas .
Today the moon is in your sign dancing with Uranus , which sparks your desire for excitement .
You want to break free of your predictable routine .
You want to meet somebody new and exciting !
You might also be attracted to technical subjects that intrigue you .
If Your Birthday Is Today Actress Rita Wilson ( 1956 ) shares your birthday .
You are sensual , mysterious and very perceptive .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will start to pay off this year !
Channel your energy and focus on building solid foundations now and for the future .
Work with purpose .
Physical exercise will be important , which is why you might want to explore something physical that you enjoy doing .

Moon Alert
There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions. The moon is in Pisces.
Aries (March 21-April 19)
Today you feel vaguely excited. It’s nothing to write home about but you do feel it. Some of you might be contemplating a special purchase of something. Others are focused on work, which is going well because coworkers are supportive. It’s an interesting day.
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
You might meet someone interesting or someone you know might say something that surprises you a bit. In fact, someone might say something that makes you rethink some of your hopes and dreams for the future. You might start to see things in a new light?
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
People notice you. In fact, some people know personal details about your private life. (Do be aware of this.) Meanwhile, someone in a position of authority — a parent, teacher, boss or a member of the police might say or do something that you least expect. It’s a bit of a rush.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
You’re intrigued by something new and different today. Perhaps you want to travel? Perhaps you have met someone who is different? You might hear news about the possibility of travel or taking further training or education in some way. This could be exciting.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)
You might have an unusual idea about what to do with a certain amount of money or something that you share with someone. Perhaps someone else will suggest something that is a bit different? Meanwhile, double-check bank accounts and financial matters to make sure you know what’s happening.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Someone close to you will throw you a curveball or do something you don’t expect. Hopefully, it’s pleasant. (No two curveballs are alike.) You might be introduced to someone new today who is unusual and definitely interesting. (With Venus in your sign, you look swell!)
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Something unusual might occur today regarding your health, or a pet, or your job. It’s not epic but it will catch your attention. You might see new ways to improve something or you might see how to improve the way that you do something. That’s always nice.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
An unexpected flirtation might make your heart go pitter patter. You might receive a surprise invitation to an event that is interesting or exciting? Something to do with your kids might be unexpected. In fact, this is a mildly accident-prone day for your kids, so be vigilant.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Something about your home routine will change slightly today. Someone unexpected might appear at the door. Hopefully, a small appliance does not break down. You might buy something unusual or modern for your home — it could be anything. It’s an interesting day.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Today you might meet new people, see new places and have new ideas because something unexpected will make this day sparkle a bit more than usual. You might also have an original, clever idea? (Best to jot it down because it might be hard to be original and clever later.)
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Today you’re thinking about money. Where is it? Actually, you might have an interesting money-making idea today. Or perhaps you will make an unusual purchase? Something to do with what you own, as well as your money, will cause you to think of creative, original ideas.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Today the moon is in your sign dancing with Uranus, which sparks your desire for excitement. You want to break free of your predictable routine. You want to meet somebody new and exciting! You might also be attracted to technical subjects that intrigue you.
If Your Birthday Is Today
Actress Rita Wilson (1956) shares your birthday. You are sensual, mysterious and very perceptive. It’s encouraging to see that your hard work will start to pay off this year! Channel your energy and focus on building solid foundations now and for the future. Work with purpose. Physical exercise will be important, which is why you might want to explore something physical that you enjoy doing.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-26--A perfect birthday gift for Chicago’s year-old Invest South/West program? Money

There are reasons to be encouraged and , yet , concerned as one of Mayor Lori Lightfoot ’ s marquee initiatives , a $ 750 million plan to reinvigorate long-disinvested South and West side retail corridors , turns a year old this week .
Chicago ’ s Invest South/West program , set to run three years , has started to bear fruit , as Lightfoot touted in a news conference Monday in North Lawndale .
She said a $ 70 million infusion of public funds into targeted communities has attracted $ 300 million in private and philanthropic capital .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for decades in North Lawndale , Roseland and eight other neighborhoods that are the program ’ s focus .
But if Invest South/West is indeed that successful and can leverage a financial return that large — and that quickly — why not give it some sort of increase in the 2021 city budget now being proposed by the Lightfoot administration ?
The program gets no additional city funding , only the original $ 750 million committed last year .
Those funds were set aside before the severe economic downturn caused by the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ growing calls , in the wake of last summer ’ s George Floyd protests , for more equitable public spending and programming to help financially-imperiled areas of the city .
If Lightfoot ’ s budget is designed , as advertised , to address the new realities of our day by rightfully increasing spending on health care , mental health and violence prevention , it follows that more money should be put into Invest South/West .
Because the need to rebuild Chicago ’ s West and South sides is as real as it gets @

There are reasons to be encouraged and, yet, concerned as one of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s marquee initiatives, a $750 million plan to reinvigorate long-disinvested South and West side retail corridors, turns a year old this week.
Chicago’s Invest South/West program, set to run three years, has started to bear fruit, as Lightfoot touted in a news conference Monday in North Lawndale. She said a $70 million infusion of public funds into targeted communities has attracted $300 million in private and philanthropic capital.
Editorials bug Editorials
That kind of investment has been sorely needed for decades in North Lawndale, Roseland and eight other neighborhoods that are the program’s focus.
But if Invest South/West is indeed that successful and can leverage a financial return that large — and that quickly — why not give it some sort of increase in the 2021 city budget now being proposed by the Lightfoot administration?
Opinion Newsletter
The program gets no additional city funding, only the original $750 million committed last year. Those funds were set aside before the severe economic downturn caused by the pandemic. They also were set aside before growing calls, in the wake of last summer’s George Floyd protests, for more equitable public spending and programming to help financially-imperiled areas of the city.
If Lightfoot’s budget is designed, as advertised, to address the new realities of our day by rightfully increasing spending on health care, mental health and violence prevention, it follows that more money should be put into Invest South/West.
Because the need to rebuild Chicago’s West and South sides is as real as it gets.
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-26--Glenview teenager makes big career move with Nashville publishing deal

So many have traveled the road to Nashville .
Sitting in the back seat , just another teenage girl with another tantalizing dream watching the miles go by outside her window , praying that someone in Music City would give her the chance to help her make her music dreams come true .
The singer/songwriter in this case is Queeva McDonagh .
Donning a light blue crop top with ruffled sleeves , the Glenview resident — who goes professionally by the singular Queeva — found herself in Nashville in September seated at a conference table signing a a publishing deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I just can ’ t read or understand contracts , so I ’ m hoping that ’ s what I signed , ” the 17-year-old says with a hearty laugh during a recent phone chat just days after returning from yet another trip to Nashville , this time to film a music video at a local roller rink .
“ Those contracts just have too many words if you ask me.
” It ’ s in fact her words and her songs and her innate way of staying humble that as her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Queeva to begin her trek to become a country music star .
“ Oh , she never came in here saying she wanted to be a star , ” says Chicago area talent mentor Maggie Malone , who helped direct her career starting at the age of 6 .
“ She came in here saying that she wanted to lead a normal life while developing her talents.
” It was that poise .
Malone says , that floored her from the very beginning .
“ She just had so much raw talent , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Queeva land some acting gigs in shows such as “ Chicago Fire.
” “ She had natural abilities that she was just born with .
She always had this intensity to her and a focus on what she wanted to accomplish.
” While acting and modeling seemed to be Queeva ’ s earliest creative pursuits , it was music that seemed to speak to her soul .
One of six children in a classic Irish clan , Queeva has music running through her veins , as her grandmother was an accomplished singer in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ student has long spent her summers there , with her name itself having roots meaning “ gentle , ” “ beautiful ” and “ precious.
” “ I think my dad was the one that first saw that I had a passion for music , ” recalls Queeva , who spoke Gaelic as a child while being raised on a hearty dose of Randy Travis and Johnny Cash .
“ When I was 3 years old , I would sing full Dolly Parton songs .
My parents thought it was pretty unique that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and stay on key at the same time.
” At the age of 9 , Queeva started listening to country songstress Taylor Swift and took her first trip to Nashville under the watchful eye of her mentor , country star Jamie O ’ Neal .
In middle school , Queeva began juggling time in school and time in Nashville .
“ I don ’ t think a lot of my teachers knew what was going on , ” chuckles Queeva , who admits she didn ’ t have even have the time to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But my friends really started to notice that I was taking this whole music thing seriously.
” Of course , grades always came first .
“ I take my schoolwork very seriously , always making sure I put my education first , ” Queeva said .
Flash forward eight years — to a period in which so many artists found their careers screech to a rather unnerving halt due to the pandemic .
Queeva says that 2020 will always be the year that changed her life .
“ This year has given me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be as an artist , ” says Queeva , who listens to and gets inspired by artists such as Thomas Rhett , Maren Morris and Kacey Musgraves .
“ It ’ s given me the time to create music and discover myself and really get excited about all that is to come.
” Queeva soon will release a new EP that will feature her current single “ Waste My Time ” along with the song “ Above Water , ” which already has surpassed over 112,000 streams and has been added to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 1.3 million streams to date collectively for her eclectic music catalog .
But 2020 has also taught her to take it one day at a time .
“ The idea of a ‘ plan ’ is just always so hard for me to figure out because you just don ’ t know what ’ s going to happen , especially in the music industry , ” says Queeva , who still has tentative plans to go to college .
“ It ’ s just one of those things that could go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just going to keep working hard , because music is definitely something I will always want as part of my life .
”

So many have traveled the road to Nashville.
Sitting in the back seat, just another teenage girl with another tantalizing dream watching the miles go by outside her window, praying that someone in Music City would give her the chance to help her make her music dreams come true.
The singer/songwriter in this case is Queeva McDonagh.
Donning a light blue crop top with ruffled sleeves, the Glenview resident — who goes professionally by the singular Queeva — found herself in Nashville in September seated at a conference table signing a a publishing deal contract with Songs of New Town.
“I just can’t read or understand contracts, so I’m hoping that’s what I signed,” the 17-year-old says with a hearty laugh during a recent phone chat just days after returning from yet another trip to Nashville, this time to film a music video at a local roller rink. “Those contracts just have too many words if you ask me.”
It’s in fact her words and her songs and her innate way of staying humble that as her star continues to rise that have allowed Queeva to begin her trek to become a country music star.
“Oh, she never came in here saying she wanted to be a star,” says Chicago area talent mentor Maggie Malone, who helped direct her career starting at the age of 6. “She came in here saying that she wanted to lead a normal life while developing her talents.”
It was that poise. Malone says, that floored her from the very beginning.
“She just had so much raw talent,” says Malone, who quickly helped Queeva land some acting gigs in shows such as “Chicago Fire.” “She had natural abilities that she was just born with. She always had this intensity to her and a focus on what she wanted to accomplish.”
While acting and modeling seemed to be Queeva’s earliest creative pursuits, it was music that seemed to speak to her soul. One of six children in a classic Irish clan, Queeva has music running through her veins, as her grandmother was an accomplished singer in Ireland. The high school student has long spent her summers there, with her name itself having roots meaning “gentle,” “beautiful” and “precious.”
“I think my dad was the one that first saw that I had a passion for music,” recalls Queeva, who spoke Gaelic as a child while being raised on a hearty dose of Randy Travis and Johnny Cash. “When I was 3 years old, I would sing full Dolly Parton songs. My parents thought it was pretty unique that I could remember all of the words and stay on key at the same time.”
At the age of 9, Queeva started listening to country songstress Taylor Swift and took her first trip to Nashville under the watchful eye of her mentor, country star Jamie O’Neal.
In middle school, Queeva began juggling time in school and time in Nashville.
“I don’t think a lot of my teachers knew what was going on,” chuckles Queeva, who admits she didn’t have even have the time to participate in her school choir. “But my friends really started to notice that I was taking this whole music thing seriously.”
Of course, grades always came first.
“I take my schoolwork very seriously, always making sure I put my education first,” Queeva said.
“I think my dad was the one that first saw that I had a passion for music,” recalls Queeva, who spoke Gaelic as a child while being raised on a hearty dose of Randy Travis and Johnny Cash. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Flash forward eight years — to a period in which so many artists found their careers screech to a rather unnerving halt due to the pandemic. Queeva says that 2020 will always be the year that changed her life.
“This year has given me time to focus on who I want to be as an artist,” says Queeva, who listens to and gets inspired by artists such as Thomas Rhett, Maren Morris and Kacey Musgraves. “It’s given me the time to create music and discover myself and really get excited about all that is to come.”
Queeva soon will release a new EP that will feature her current single “Waste My Time” along with the song “Above Water,” which already has surpassed over 112,000 streams and has been added to a slew of Spotify playlists.She has earned more than 1.3 million streams to date collectively for her eclectic music catalog.
But 2020 has also taught her to take it one day at a time.
“The idea of a ‘plan’ is just always so hard for me to figure out because you just don’t know what’s going to happen, especially in the music industry,” says Queeva, who still has tentative plans to go to college. “It’s just one of those things that could go either way. But I’m just going to keep working hard, because music is definitely something I will always want as part of my life.”
Tricia Despres is a local freelance writer.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-26--Amy Coney Barrett confirmed to US Supreme Court

WASHINGTON — Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the Supreme Court late Monday by a deeply divided Senate , Republicans overpowering Democrats to install President Donald Trump ’ s nominee days before the election and secure a likely conservative court majority for years to come .
Trump ’ s choice to fill the vacancy of the late liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg potentially opens a new era of rulings on abortion , the Affordable Care Act and even his own election .
Democrats were unable to stop the outcome , Trump ’ s third justice on the court , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barrett is 48 , and her lifetime appointment as the 115th justice will solidify the court ’ s rightward tilt .
Monday ’ s 52-48 vote was the closest high court confirmation ever to a presidential election , and the first in modern times with no support from the minority party .
The spiking COVID-19 crisis has hung over the proceedings .
Vice President Mike Pence ’ s office said Monday he would not preside at the Senate session unless his tie-breaking vote was needed after Democrats asked him to stay away when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His vote was not necessary .
With Barrett ’ s confirmation assured , Trump was expected to celebrate with a primetime swearing-in event at the White House .
Justice Clarence Thomas was set to administer the Constitutional Oath , a senior White House official said .
“ This is something to be really proud of and feel good about , ” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said during a rare weekend session Sunday ahead of voting .
He scoffed at the “ apocalyptic ” warnings from critics that the judicial branch was becoming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ they won ’ t be able to do much about this for a long time to come.
” Pence ’ s presence presiding for the vote would have been expected , showcasing the Republican priority .
But Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and his leadership team said it would not only violate virus guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , “ it would also be a violation of common decency and courtesy.
” Some GOP senators tested positive for the coronavirus following a Rose Garden event with Trump to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but they have since said they have been cleared by their doctors from quarantine .
Pence was not infected and his office said the vice president tested negative for the virus Monday .
Democrats argued for weeks that the vote was being improperly rushed and insisted during an all-night Sunday session it should be up to the winner of the Nov. 3 election to name the nominee .
However , Barrett , a federal appeals court judge from Indiana , is expected to be seated swiftly , and begin hearing cases .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Warren , D-Mass.
, called the vote “ illegitimate ” and “ the last gasp of a desperate party.
” Several matters are awaiting decision just a week before Election Day , and Barrett could be a decisive vote in Republican appeals of orders extending the deadlines for absentee ballots in North Carolina and Pennsylvania .
The justices also are weighing Trump ’ s emergency plea for the court to prevent the Manhattan District Attorney from acquiring his tax returns .
And on Nov. 10 , the court is expected to hear the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Act .
Trump has said he wanted to swiftly install a ninth justice to resolve election disputes and is hopeful the justices will end the health law known as “ Obamacare.
” During several days of public testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee , Barrett was careful not to disclose how she would rule on any such cases .
She presented herself as a neutral arbiter and suggested , “ It ’ s not the law of Amy.
” But her writings against abortion and a ruling on “ Obamacare ” show a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , R-S.C. , the chairman of the Judiciary Committee , praised the mother of seven as a role model — “ a conservative woman who embraces her faith.
” Republicans focused on her Catholic religion , dismissing earlier Democratic questions about her beliefs .
Graham said Barrett is “ unabashedly pro-life , but she ’ s not going to apply ‘ the law of Amy ’ to all of us.
” At the start of Trump ’ s presidency , McConnell engineered a Senate rules change to allow confirmation by a majority of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 60-vote threshold traditionally needed to advance high court nominees over objections .
That was an escalation of a rules change Democrats put in place to advance other court and administrative nominees under President Barack Obama .
Republicans are taking a political plunge by pushing for confirmation days from the Nov. 3 election with the presidency and their Senate majority at stake .
Only one Republican — Sen. Susan Collins , who is in a tight reelection fight in Maine — voted against the nominee , not over any direct assessment of Barrett .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ do not think it is fair nor consistent to have a Senate confirmation vote prior to the election.
” Trump and his Republican allies had hoped for a campaign boost , in much the way Trump generated excitement among conservatives and evangelical Christians in 2016 over a court vacancy .
That year , McConnell refused to allow the Senate to consider then-President Barack Obama ’ s choice to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia , arguing the new president should decide .
Most other Republicans facing tough races embraced the nominee to bolster @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tillis , R-N.C. , said in a speech Monday that Barrett will “ go down in history as one of the great justices.
” But it ’ s not clear the extraordinary effort to install the new justice over such opposition in a heated election year will pay political rewards to the GOP .
Demonstrations for and against the nominee have been more muted at the Capitol under coronavirus restrictions .
Democrats are unified against Barrett .
While two Democratic senators voted to confirm Barrett in 2017 after Trump nominated the Notre Dame @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , none voted to confirm her to the high court .
In a display of party priorities , California Sen. Kamala Harris , the vice presidential nominee , returned to Washington from the campaign trail to join colleagues with a no vote .
No other Supreme Court justice has been confirmed on a recorded vote with no support from the minority party in at least 150 years , according to information provided by the Senate Historical Office .

WASHINGTON — Amy Coney Barrett, a judge on the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, was confirmed to the Supreme Court late Monday by a deeply divided Senate, Republicans overpowering Democrats to install President Donald Trump’s nominee days before the election and secure a likely conservative court majority for years to come.
Trump’s choice to fill the vacancy of the late liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg potentially opens a new era of rulings on abortion, the Affordable Care Act and even his own election. Democrats were unable to stop the outcome, Trump’s third justice on the court, as Republicans race to reshape the judiciary.
Barrett is 48, and her lifetime appointment as the 115th justice will solidify the court’s rightward tilt.
“This is a momentous day for America,” Trump said at a primetime swearing-in event on the South Lawn at the White House.
Justice Clarence Thomas administered the Constitutional Oath to Barrett before a crowd of about 200. She will be able to participate in the court Tuesday after taking the judicial oath administered by Chief Justice John Roberts in a private ceremony at the court.
In 2017, the Senate confirmed Barrett for a seat on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. Barrett, a Notre Dame Law School graduate who was a professor at the law school, worked most of the time from an office in South Bend. She is the first Notre Dame law school graduate to become a Supreme Court Justice.
Both Illinois Senators, Democrats Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth voted against her confirmation.
Monday’s vote was the closest high court confirmation ever to a presidential election, and the first in modern times with no support from the minority party. The spiking COVID-19 crisis has hung over the proceedings. Vice President Mike Pence’s office said Monday he would not preside at the Senate session unless his tie-breaking vote was needed after Democrats asked him to stay away when his aides tested positive for COVID-19. The vote was 52-48, and Pence’s vote was not necessary.
“Voting to confirm this nominee should make every single senator proud,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, fending off “outlandish” criticism in a lengthy speech. During a rare weekend session he declared that Barrett’s opponents “won’t be able to do much about this for a long time to come.”
Pence’s presence presiding for the vote would have been expected, showcasing the Republican priority. But Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and his leadership team said it would not only violate virus guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “it would also be a violation of common decency and courtesy.”
Underscoring the political divide during the pandemic, the Republican senators, most wearing masks, sat in their seats as is tradition for landmark votes, and applauded the outcome, with fist-bumps. Democratic senators were not present, heeding Schumer’s advice not to linger in the chamber. Some GOP senators tested positive for the coronavirus following a Rose Garden event with Trump to announce Barrett’s nomination last month, but have since returned from quarantine.
Democrats argued for weeks that the vote was being improperly rushed and insisted during an all-night Sunday session it should be up to the winner of the Nov. 3 election to name the nominee. However, Barrett, a federal appeals court judge from Indiana, is expected to be seated swiftly, and begin hearing cases.
Speaking near midnight Sunday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., called the vote “illegitimate” and “the last gasp of a desperate party.”
Several matters are awaiting decision just a week before Election Day, and Barrett could be a decisive vote in Republican appeals of orders extending the deadlines for absentee ballots in North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
The justices also are weighing Trump’s emergency plea for the court to prevent the Manhattan District Attorney from acquiring his tax returns. And on Nov. 10, the court is expected to hear the Trump-backed challenge to the Obama-era Affordable Care Act. Just before the Senate vote began, the court sided with Republicans in refusing to extend the deadline for absentee ballots in Wisconsin.
Trump has said he wanted to swiftly install a ninth justice to resolve election disputes and is hopeful the justices will end the health law known as “Obamacare.”
During several days of public testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Barrett was careful not to disclose how she would rule on any such cases.
She presented herself as a neutral arbiter and suggested, “It’s not the law of Amy.” But her writings against abortion and a ruling on “Obamacare” show a deeply conservative thinker.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, praised the mother of seven as a role model for conservative women. “This is historic,” Graham said.
Republicans focused on her Catholic faith, criticizing earlier Democratic questions about her beliefs. Graham called Barrett “unabashedly pro-life.”
At the start of Trump’s presidency, McConnell engineered a Senate rules change to allow confirmation by a majority of the 100 senators, rather than the 60-vote threshold traditionally needed to advance high court nominees over objections. That was an escalation of a rules change Democrats put in place to advance other court and administrative nominees under President Barack Obama.
Republicans are taking a political plunge days from the Nov. 3 election with the presidency and their Senate majority at stake.
Only one Republican — Sen. Susan Collins, who is in a tight reelection fight in Maine — voted against the nominee, not over any direct assessment of Barrett. Rather, Collins said, “I do not think it is fair nor consistent to have a Senate confirmation vote prior to the election.”
Trump and his Republican allies had hoped for a campaign boost, in much the way Trump generated excitement among conservatives and evangelical Christians in 2016 over a court vacancy. That year, McConnell refused to allow the Senate to consider then-President Barack Obama’s choice to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia, arguing the new president should decide.
Most other Republicans facing tough races embraced the nominee who clerked for the late Scalia to bolster their standing with conservatives. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said in a speech Monday that Barrett will “go down in history as one of the great justices.”
But it’s not clear the extraordinary effort to install the new justice over such opposition in a heated election year will pay political rewards to the GOP.
Demonstrations for and against the nominee have been more muted at the Capitol under coronavirus restrictions.
Democrats were unified against Barrett. While two Democratic senators voted to confirm Barrett in 2017 after Trump nominated the Notre Dame Law School professor to the appellate court, none voted to confirm her to the high court.
In a display of party priorities, California Sen. Kamala Harris, the vice presidential nominee, returned to Washington from the campaign trail to join colleagues with a no vote.
No other Supreme Court justice has been confirmed on a recorded vote with no support from the minority party in at least 150 years, according to information provided by the Senate Historical Office.
Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Andrew Taylor, Mark Sherman, Zeke Miller and Aamer Madhani in Washington and Kathleen Ronayne in Sacramento, Calif., contributed to this report.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-26--‘Horrendously vandalized’ CPS school — shuttered in 2013 — transforming into housing, health center

Community groups in Englewood are working to transform an abandoned elementary school that was one of 50 shuttered by city officials in 2013 into a community center with free transitional housing , life coaching , trades training and a health clinic .
The project is part of a larger effort to revitalize a neglected corridor in the South Side neighborhood that has fallen to decades of disinvestment including a closed CTA station and more recently the school .
The center , dubbed the “ Regenerator , ” would have dormitory-style housing with space for 100 men who are formerly incarcerated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; classrooms for trades training ; a fresh market ; a cafeteria ; a pharmacy and a satellite health clinic , organizers said .
The latter two would be open to the broader community .
The group leading the effort to transform the three-story , 65,000 square foot former Woods Math & Science Academy at 62nd Street and Racine Avenue is the Inner-City Muslim Action Network , a nonprofit that works to address structural racism on the South Side .
IMAN is working on the project with two community groups — the Resident @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — and a fourth organization , E.G .
Woode , that supports entrepreneurs of color .
“ This isn ’ t only a matter of restoring a building , but it ’ s also a process of reclaiming the dignity of these communities , and reclaiming the humanity of these communities after they ’ ve been through a tremendous experience of disinvestment , abandonment and violence , ” said Rami Nashashibi , IMAN ’ s executive director .
Almost every student at Woods Elementary was Black and came from a low-income family before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mayor Rahm Emanuel ’ s infamous and historic massive Chicago Public Schools closures seven years ago .
Woods ’ enrollment , like many schools on the South Side , had plummeted over the years from over 800 students to less than 400 , CPS records show , as Black families left neighborhoods where schools and other public goods were underfunded and economic opportunities disappeared .
The Board of Education is set to approve Wednesday the transfer of the building ownership to the city , which is finalizing talks for a redevelopment agreement with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ renovating the rundown facility by the spring and have it at least partially open by mid-2022 , and is hiring graduates of its trades program along with Black-led contractors for the renovation work .
A $ 90,000 sale of the building fell through in 2017 because of new damage and vandalism before the deal closed .
The center is a piece of the “ Go Green on Racine ” initiative to rejuvenate the area with other projects that include a fresh market that recently opened across the street from the abandoned school , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s in the works close by .
The goal is to convince officials to reopen a shuttered CTA Green Line station in the area .
Nashashibi said the former school building is “ absolutely , utterly , horrendously vandalized and vacant ” and requires a complete rehab , “ which says something.
” “ How do we sit by in these communities and allow 60,000-square-foot facilities to be vacant , vandalized and contribute to the decay and death in a neighborhood ?
” Nashashibi asked .
“ It ’ s one thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shutdown of these schools .
It ’ s another thing to sit by and allow them to just deteriorate in front of the neighborhood .
There should be a level of outrage , and there is in the community , because we all know this would not be tolerated in other neighborhoods.
” Nashashibi estimated the cost of the project around $ 12 million .
The first couple million have been secured through foundation grants with promising leads from other sources , Nashashibi said .
He ’ s hoping the city will chip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but is sure regardless of city investment that the resources will be there to make the center sustainable .
Michael Nash , who grew up in Englewood , at the age of 18 got involved with IMAN ’ s “ Green ReEntry ” program , which provides vulnerable youth and formerly incarcerated men with life skills coaching , trades training and transitional housing .
Nash , now 21 and with a welding certificate in hand , is set to work on the renovation of the former school and help build it into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s a big school that ’ s been abandoned for years , ” Nash said .
“ And the whole area , there ’ s abandoned buildings around it .
It looks bad to the whole community .
“ I ’ m going to be part of everything from start to finish , ” he said .
“ I get to be part of history , bringing up my community .
I ’ m from Englewood .
Anything that goes on in Englewood that brings it up and makes it better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I want to be a part of that .
“ When you come from Englewood and you see poverty , it changes you in many ways .
But when you have the opportunity to be part of this , it does something to you mentally , physically and emotionally .
”

Community groups in Englewood are working to transform an abandoned elementary school that was one of 50 shuttered by city officials in 2013 into a community center with free transitional housing, life coaching, trades training and a health clinic.
The project is part of a larger effort to revitalize a neglected corridor in the South Side neighborhood that has fallen to decades of disinvestment including a closed CTA station and more recently the school.
The center, dubbed the “Regenerator,” would have dormitory-style housing with space for 100 men who are formerly incarcerated or are vulnerable to poverty and violence; classrooms for trades training; a fresh market; a cafeteria; a pharmacy and a satellite health clinic, organizers said. The latter two would be open to the broader community.
The group leading the effort to transform the three-story, 65,000 square foot former Woods Math & Science Academy at 62nd Street and Racine Avenue is the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, a nonprofit that works to address structural racism on the South Side. IMAN is working on the project with two community groups — the Resident Association of Greater Englewood and Teamwork Englewood — and a fourth organization, E.G. Woode, that supports entrepreneurs of color.
The former Granville T. Woods Math & Science Academy Elementary School, Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times 1 of 4 The former Granville T. Woods Math & Science Academy Elementary School, Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times 2 of 4 The former Granville T. Woods Math & Science Academy Elementary School, Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times 3 of 4 The former Granville T. Woods Math & Science Academy Elementary School, Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times 4 of 4
“This isn’t only a matter of restoring a building, but it’s also a process of reclaiming the dignity of these communities, and reclaiming the humanity of these communities after they’ve been through a tremendous experience of disinvestment, abandonment and violence,” said Rami Nashashibi, IMAN’s executive director.
Almost every student at Woods Elementary was Black and came from a low-income family before it was shuttered as part of former Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s infamous and historic massive Chicago Public Schools closures seven years ago. Woods’ enrollment, like many schools on the South Side, had plummeted over the years from over 800 students to less than 400, CPS records show, as Black families left neighborhoods where schools and other public goods were underfunded and economic opportunities disappeared.
The Board of Education is set to approve Wednesday the transfer of the building ownership to the city, which is finalizing talks for a redevelopment agreement with IMAN. The group hopes to start renovating the rundown facility by the spring and have it at least partially open by mid-2022, and is hiring graduates of its trades program along with Black-led contractors for the renovation work.
A $90,000 sale of the building fell through in 2017 because of new damage and vandalism before the deal closed.
The center is a piece of the “Go Green on Racine” initiative to rejuvenate the area with other projects that include a fresh market that recently opened across the street from the abandoned school, and a multi-unit mixed housing development that’s in the works close by. The goal is to convince officials to reopen a shuttered CTA Green Line station in the area.
Nashashibi said the former school building is “absolutely, utterly, horrendously vandalized and vacant” and requires a complete rehab, “which says something.”
“How do we sit by in these communities and allow 60,000-square-foot facilities to be vacant, vandalized and contribute to the decay and death in a neighborhood?” Nashashibi asked. “It’s one thing to fail our communities by the wholesale shutdown of these schools. It’s another thing to sit by and allow them to just deteriorate in front of the neighborhood. There should be a level of outrage, and there is in the community, because we all know this would not be tolerated in other neighborhoods.”
Nashashibi estimated the cost of the project around $12 million. The first couple million have been secured through foundation grants with promising leads from other sources, Nashashibi said. He’s hoping the city will chip in for a share of the cost but is sure regardless of city investment that the resources will be there to make the center sustainable.
Michael Nash (right) stands with Rami Nashashibi (middle) and Ben Gordon, IMAN’s director of construction, outside closed Granville T. Woods Math & Science Academy Elementary School, Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Michael Nash, who grew up in Englewood, at the age of 18 got involved with IMAN’s “Green ReEntry” program, which provides vulnerable youth and formerly incarcerated men with life skills coaching, trades training and transitional housing.
Nash, now 21 and with a welding certificate in hand, is set to work on the renovation of the former school and help build it into the center he and others envision.
“It’s a big school that’s been abandoned for years,” Nash said. “And the whole area, there’s abandoned buildings around it. It looks bad to the whole community.
“I’m going to be part of everything from start to finish,” he said. “I get to be part of history, bringing up my community. I’m from Englewood. Anything that goes on in Englewood that brings it up and makes it better, I’m for it and I want to be a part of that.
“When you come from Englewood and you see poverty, it changes you in many ways. But when you have the opportunity to be part of this, it does something to you mentally, physically and emotionally.”


chicagosun-times--2020-10-26--Take a breath and respond cautiously to GOP’s stacking of the Supreme Court

Democrats should be cautious about enlarging the size of the U.S. Supreme Court , despite the blatantly inappropriate confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett , should they win the Senate this fall and Joe Biden wins the presidency .
It would be wiser to take a breath and watch .
Wait and see how the court really acts with its new 6-3 conservative majority .
This also would give a commission that Biden has proposed — a commission ideally composed of experienced experts respected across the political spectrum — time to study the matter .
Perhaps there are other remedies — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GOP ’ s severe politicization of the one branch of government that is supposed to be above politics .
As University of Chicago Law Professor Geoffrey Stone said to us on Monday , “ As a general matter , Congress should not be tampering with the size of the court without a clear and nonpolitical justification .
We want the court to have the integrity that it needs to be regarded as a legitimate judicial body.
” Unfortunately , that ideal already has been severely compromised .
The Republican-controlled Senate ’ s recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former President Barack Obama ’ s nomination of Merrick Garland , has stacked the court with justices whose ideological views represent only a small minority of Americans .
The Garland atrocity followed years of aggressively political appointments by the GOP to the federal courts .
Before 1869 , presidents and Congress rejiggered the number of Supreme Court justices several times .
To avoid a new arms race , driven purely by politics , any future rejiggering must strike Americans across the political spectrum as fair and justified .
One proposed remedy Stone cites @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s unpatriotic action in confirming Barrett ’ s nomination , assuming Biden and the Democrats prevail in this fall ’ s elections , would be to add two Democratic-appointed justices , enlarging the court from 9 to 11 .
This would result in a 6-5 Republican majority on the court , just as Garland ’ s confirmation would have left the court with a one-justice Republican majority of 5-4 .
Another option , proposed by Gabe Roth , executive director of Fix the Court , would be to limit court terms to 18 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every four years .
Instead of serving life terms on the Supreme Court , justices would return to work in the lower courts , as Thurgood Marshall and David Souter did .
Justices in the early days of the Republic often left the court on their own , having less influence on public policy then .
It was only in the last century , Roth notes , that justices gained the power they wield today .
Term limits might return the court closer to the founders ’ original intent .
There was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the actions of a new justice seemed more difficult to predict .
Republican-appointed Earl Warren and William Brennan turned out to be liberal voices on the court .
Democrat-appointed Felix Frankfurter and Byron White ruled more conservatively than expected .
In the best of cases , the appointment process is less hard-wired to political advantage , allowing for more justices who are not easily pegged .
Raw partisan politics , abetted by the end of the Senate filibuster for Supreme Court confirmations , has gotten us into a nightmare situation .
Only a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supported by the public — will get us out of it .

Democrats should be cautious about enlarging the size of the U.S. Supreme Court, despite the blatantly inappropriate confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett, should they win the Senate this fall and Joe Biden wins the presidency.
It would be wiser to take a breath and watch. Wait and see how the court really acts with its new 6-3 conservative majority.
This also would give a commission that Biden has proposed — a commission ideally composed of experienced experts respected across the political spectrum — time to study the matter. Perhaps there are other remedies — less political in themselves — to the GOP’s severe politicization of the one branch of government that is supposed to be above politics.
Editorials bug Editorials
As University of Chicago Law Professor Geoffrey Stone said to us on Monday, “As a general matter, Congress should not be tampering with the size of the court without a clear and nonpolitical justification. We want the court to have the integrity that it needs to be regarded as a legitimate judicial body.”
Opinion Newsletter
Unfortunately, that ideal already has been severely compromised. The Republican-controlled Senate’s recent actions, particularly its refusal to consider former President Barack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland, has stacked the court with justices whose ideological views represent only a small minority of Americans. The Garland atrocity followed years of aggressively political appointments by the GOP to the federal courts.
Before 1869, presidents and Congress rejiggered the number of Supreme Court justices several times. To avoid a new arms race, driven purely by politics, any future rejiggering must strike Americans across the political spectrum as fair and justified.
One proposed remedy Stone cites as a possibility to the Senate’s unpatriotic action in confirming Barrett’s nomination, assuming Biden and the Democrats prevail in this fall’s elections, would be to add two Democratic-appointed justices, enlarging the court from 9 to 11. This would result in a 6-5 Republican majority on the court, just as Garland’s confirmation would have left the court with a one-justice Republican majority of 5-4.
Another option, proposed by Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court, would be to limit court terms to 18 years, giving each president two picks every four years. Instead of serving life terms on the Supreme Court.
Justices in the early days of the Republic often left the court on their own, having less influence on public policy then. It was only in the last century, Roth notes, that justices gained the power they wield today. Term limits might return the court closer to the founders’ original intent.
There was a time, not long ago, when the actions of a new justice seemed more difficult to predict. Republican-appointed Earl Warren and William Brennan turned out to be liberal voices on the court. Democrat-appointed Felix Frankfurter and Byron White ruled more conservatively than expected. In the best of cases, the appointment process is less hard-wired to political advantage, allowing for more justices who are not easily pegged.
Raw partisan politics, abetted by the end of the Senate filibuster for Supreme Court confirmations, has gotten us into a nightmare situation. Only a thoughtful and determined response — one widely supported by the public — will get us out of it.
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-26--Bars, restaurants in Cook suburbs limited to outdoor service — as owners fight weather, and state ba

Bars, restaurants in Cook suburbs limited to outdoor service — as owners fight weather, and state battles ‘COVID storm on the rise’

Just hours after the first snow flurries fell on the Chicago area Monday , restauranteurs and bar owners in suburban Cook County were told they ’ ll soon be limited to serving customers outdoors .
Gov .
J.B. Pritzker said the new restrictions in the suburbs and in the downstate Metro East area are necessary to curb a spread of the coronavirus in those areas as the state logged 4,729 new COVID-19 cases and saw 2,638 people hospitalized .
“ There seems to be a COVID storm on the rise , ” Pritzker said .
But the food and beverage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the horizon .
“ We ’ re moving into mid- to late fall now , and snow , as we saw outside today , so outdoor dining , even though we did have this winter design challenge … that ’ s not ... going to really help us , ” said Sam Toia , the president and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association .
Under the new restrictions , which take effect Wednesday , bars and restaurants in the Cook County suburbs and Metro East will no longer be allowed to serve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ service will end at 11 p.m. , and meetings , social events and other gatherings will be limited to 25 guests or 25 % of overall room capacity in Region 10 , which is suburban Cook County , and in Region 4 , which is Metro East , the Illinois suburbs of St. Louis , Missouri .
The state imposed similar restrictions Friday on bars and restaurants in DuPage , Kane , Kankakee and Will counties .
And Chicago reimposed a ban on indoor service in bars and a 10 p.m. to 6 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businesses .
The new guidelines were announced by the governor ’ s office and the Illinois Department of Public Health as the Chicago area experienced its first snowfall of the season .
A mix of snow and light precipitation moved through the area between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. , with another light wave hitting in late morning and early afternoon .
Different health metrics trigged the latest crackdown on restaurants and bars .
Suburban Cook County saw eight consecutive days of increases in COVID-19 test positivity and seven days of increased hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the state to meet the metrics for additional mitigations in this way , surpassing warning levels in two categories simultaneously , the governor ’ s office said in a statement .
Metro East has had a seven-day rolling average test positivity rate of 8 % or above for three consecutive days .
Dr. Ngozi Ezike , the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health , said the two regions are also seeing a “ steady increase in hospitalizations , ” which could overwhelm the state ’ s hospitals .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitals are facing both COVID-19 and flu admissions , ” Ezike said in a statement .
“ The same things that can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 will help prevent the spread of flu .
Please , wash your hands , watch your distance , and wear your mask .
And make sure to get your flu shot.
” Toia said the restaurant association he heads doesn ’ t advocate that its members disobey the governor ’ s order , adding “ we always want to hear what the doctors and scientists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures “ outlined today will result in the permanent closures of countless restaurants , eliminating thousands of jobs ” and damaging communities .
“ We ’ d rather see , as we move backwards , maybe to 25 % capacity instead of going from 50 % capacity — basically social distancing — to zero.
” Joe Aurelio , president and CEO of Aurelio ’ s Pizza , said the state ’ s ban on indoor dining will affect two-thirds of its restaurants , including its Homewood location .
At that south suburban location @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When the dining room shuts down , Aurelio ’ s will likely lay off around 80 people , including waitstaff and bartenders .
“ We can only do this so many times , and then eventually you ’ re not going to have any staff to work in your dining rooms , ” Aurelio said .
“ It ’ s going to be like that for the whole industry , all the restaurants and hotels … a bunch of us are going to fail.
” During the first shutdown , Lenice Levy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restaurant in Evanston , let go three-fourths of her 16-member staff .
After working to rebuild her staff by cutting different expenses , she ’ s now afraid she ’ ll have to let her workers go once again , this time in the middle of holiday season .
“ I ’ m devastated .
It ’ s like we took two steps forward and then ten steps back , and this is the worst time of the year , ” Levy said .
Six of the state ’ s 11 regions are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the resurgence of the virus , Pritzker said Monday .
The latest 4,729 COVID-19 cases brought the state ’ s total to 378,985 since the pandemic began .
It ’ s the first time the state ’ s the seven-day case average has exceeded 4,500 .
Of the 2,638 people were hospitalized Sunday night , 589 patients were in the intensive care unit , and 238 people were on ventilators .
An additional 17 deaths were also reported Monday , bringing the state ’ s death toll to 9,522 .
Aurelio said while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tooth and nail ” to keep his long-standing family business afloat , he is frustrated that restaurants and bars are the ones being targeted for the spread of the virus .
“ If you go to a Costco and a Walmart , there ’ s 500 people walking around , touching things — different carts , touching products on the walls .
I don ’ t know how you justify that a restaurant and a bar is so dangerous , ” he said .
“ How do you pinpoint us ?
That ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ”

Just hours after the first snow flurries fell on the Chicago area Monday, restaurateurs and bar owners in suburban Cook County were told they’ll soon be limited to serving customers outdoors.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the new restrictions in the suburbs and in the downstate Metro East area are necessary to curb a spread of the coronavirus in those areas as the state logged 4,729 new COVID-19 cases and saw 2,638 people hospitalized.
“There seems to be a COVID storm on the rise,” Pritzker said.
But the food and beverage industry is worried about other storm clouds on the horizon.
“We’re moving into mid- to late fall now, and snow, as we saw outside today, so outdoor dining, even though we did have this winter design challenge … that’s not ... going to really help us,” said Sam Toia, the president and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association.
Under the new restrictions, which take effect Wednesday, bars and restaurants in the Cook County suburbs and Metro East will no longer be allowed to serve customers indoors. In addition, outdoor service will end at 11 p.m., and meetings, social events and other gatherings will be limited to 25 guests or 25% of overall room capacity in Region 10, which is suburban Cook County, and in Region 4, which is Metro East, the Illinois suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri.
Patrons eat, work and socialize at Cupitol Coffee & Eatery in Evanston, Monday, in a dining room that will soon be off-limits because of COVID-19 restrictions. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
The state imposed similar restrictions Friday on bars and restaurants in DuPage, Kane, Kankakee and Will counties. And Chicago reimposed a ban on indoor service in bars and a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew for restaurants and other non-essential businesses.
The new guidelines were announced by the governor’s office and the Illinois Department of Public Health as the Chicago area experienced its first snowfall of the season. A mix of snow and light precipitation moved through the area between 4 and 6 a.m., with another light wave hitting in late morning and early afternoon.
Different health metrics triggered the latest crackdown on restaurants and bars.
A woman crosses the street at West Randolph and North Clark streets in the Loop as the first snowfall of the season hits Chicago, Monday morning. Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times file
Suburban Cook County saw eight consecutive days of increases in COVID-19 test positivity and seven days of increased hospital admissions, making it the first region in the state to meet the metrics for additional mitigations in this way, surpassing warning levels in two categories simultaneously, the governor’s office said in a statement.
Metro East has had a seven-day rolling average test positivity rate of 8% or above for three consecutive days.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said the two regions are also seeing a “steady increase in hospitalizations,” which could overwhelm the state’s hospitals.
“We are entering flu season, and our hospitals are facing both COVID-19 and flu admissions,” Ezike said in a statement. “The same things that can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 will help prevent the spread of flu. Please, wash your hands, watch your distance, and wear your mask. And make sure to get your flu shot.”
Toia said the restaurant association he heads doesn’t advocate that its members disobey the governor’s order, adding “we always want to hear what the doctors and scientists have to say,” but the measures “outlined today will result in the permanent closures of countless restaurants, eliminating thousands of jobs” and damaging communities.
“We’d rather see, as we move backwards, maybe to 25% capacity instead of going from 50% capacity — basically social distancing — to zero.”
Joe Aurelio, president and CEO of Aurelio’s Pizza, said the state’s ban on indoor dining will affect two-thirds of its restaurants, including its Homewood location.
At that south suburban location there are usually around 150 employees working. When the dining room shuts down, Aurelio’s will likely lay off around 80 people, including waitstaff and bartenders.
“We can only do this so many times, and then eventually you’re not going to have any staff to work in your dining rooms,” Aurelio said. “It’s going to be like that for the whole industry, all the restaurants and hotels … a bunch of us are going to fail.”
During the first shutdown, Lenice Levy, owner of Good To Go Jamaican restaurant in Evanston, let go three-fourths of her 16-member staff.
Good To Go Jamaican Cuisine & Event Space owner Lenice Levy poses for a portrait inside her restaurant in Evanston, Monday. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
After working to rebuild her staff by cutting different expenses, she’s now afraid she’ll have to let her workers go once again, this time in the middle of holiday season.
“I’m devastated. It’s like we took two steps forward and then ten steps back, and this is the worst time of the year,” Levy said.
Six of the state’s 11 regions are now operating under state mitigations to curb the resurgence of the virus, Pritzker said Monday.
The latest 4,729 COVID-19 cases brought the state’s total to 378,985 since the pandemic began. It’s the first time the state’s the seven-day case average has exceeded 4,500.
Of the 2,638 people were hospitalized Sunday night, 589 patients were in the intensive care unit, and 238 people were on ventilators.
An additional 17 deaths were also reported Monday, bringing the state’s death toll to 9,522.
Aurelio said while he’s going to “fight tooth and nail” to keep his long-standing family business afloat, he is frustrated that restaurants and bars are the ones being targeted for the spread of the virus.
“If you go to a Costco and a Walmart, there’s 500 people walking around, touching things — different carts, touching products on the walls. I don’t know how you justify that a restaurant and a bar is so dangerous,” he said. “How do you pinpoint us? That’s the hard part to swallow.”


chicagosun-times--2020-10-26--Cook County reports first 2 cold-related deaths of the season

Cook County ’ s first deaths related to cold exposure this season were reported in Chicago and suburban Matteson , officials announced Monday .
Shelvia Jackson , 69 , was found about 9:21 a.m. Sunday in the 3700 block of West 216th Place in Matteson , the Cook County medical examiner ’ s office said .
She was pronounced dead minutes later at Franciscan Health Hospital in Olympia Fields , the medical examiner ’ s office said .
An autopsy found she died of cold exposure with cardiovascular disease as a contributing factor .
Her death was ruled an accident @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sr. , 58 , of Jefferson Park , was discovered with injuries about 4:37 p.m. in the 4000 block of North Pittsburgh Avenue , the medical examiner ’ s office said .
He was pronounced dead at 12:11 a.m. Oct. 7 at Resurrection Medical Center , the medical examiner ’ s office said .
An autopsy found he died of necrotizing pneumonia due to cold exposure and ruled his death an accident .
Last season , the medical examiner ’ s office recorded 37 cold-related deaths between Nov. 1 , 2019 and Feb. @ @ @ @

Cook County’s first deaths related to cold exposure this season were reported in Chicago and suburban Matteson, officials announced Monday.
Shelvia Jackson, 69, was found about 9:21 a.m. Sunday in the 3700 block of West 216th Place in Matteson, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.
She was pronounced dead minutes later at Franciscan Health Hospital in Olympia Fields, the medical examiner’s office said. An autopsy found she died of cold exposure with cardiovascular disease as a contributing factor. Her death was ruled an accident.
On Oct. 3, James Pierce Sr., 58, of Jefferson Park, was discovered with injuries about 4:37 p.m. in the 4000 block of North Pittsburgh Avenue, the medical examiner’s office said.
He was pronounced dead at 12:11 a.m. Oct. 7 at Resurrection Medical Center, the medical examiner’s office said. An autopsy found he died of necrotizing pneumonia due to cold exposure and ruled his death an accident.
Last season, the medical examiner’s office recorded 37 cold-related deaths between Nov. 1, 2019 and Feb. 26, 2020.