chicagosun-times--2020-05-01--Want to support restaurants during the coronavirus pandemic? Here’s how much it costs restaurants wh

Want to support restaurants during the coronavirus pandemic? Here’s how much it costs restaurants when ordering through delivery apps (LIVE UPDATES)

Want to support restaurants during the coronavirus pandemic ?
Here ’ s how much it costs restaurants when ordering through delivery apps With restaurants banned from serving dine-in customers amid the coronavirus pandemic , many owners have turned to food delivery apps — like Grubhub , Postmates and Uber Eats — to facilitate their orders .
Many of those apps have seen a “ definite uptick ” in business over the last six weeks — but it ’ s apparently coming at a big cost to the restaurateurs .
In a Facebook post published this week , Giuseppe Badalamenti , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chicago Pizza Boss , shared a snapshot of a March statement from Grubhub , which detailed just how little restaurants profit off of online orders through the app .
The unidentified restaurant , which is a client of Badalamenti , accepted $ 1,042.63 in 46 pre-paid orders ( 42 delivery and four pickup ) last month .
But it earned only $ 376.54 , according to his post , which has been shared by more than 2,500 people .
Anger and frustration were palpable in the Loop Friday as hundreds of people gathered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against statewide restrictions that have left scores of people across the state out of work during the COVID-19 pandemic .
While the crowd was small early in the day , it grew to about 300 people — still a far cry from the crowd of 5,000 organizers had anticipated .
Street closures were minimal , and the group stayed put at the northwest corner of Randolph and Clark streets throughout the morning and afternoon .
“ We are still the land of the free .
There are still independent people who can think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own self-interest as they see fit , ” former Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica told reporters .
Read Sam Charles ’ full report here and see more photos from the protest .
6:34 p.m. As new stay-at-home guidelines allow people to ‘ expand their quarantine family , ’ one epidemiologist advises people to be cautious As Mother ’ s Day approaches , many wonder if it ’ s safe to hug a loved one during the pandemic .
One renown epidemiologist says it ’ s OK — maybe .
“ I think a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe way with your fabric mask on and your hands clean and after you ’ ve been very careful , maybe OK , but I can ’ t promise that it ’ s going to be OK for everyone .
But I can tell you that for me , it may be worth the gamble , ” University of Chicago epidemiologist Dr. Emily Landon said Friday .
Landon ’ s comment came during a livestreamed discussion with fellow infectious disease expert Dr. Allison Bartlett .
In March , Gov .
J.B. Pritzker brought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state ’ s first stay-at-home order , which ordered people stay inside except from going to work and buying essential goods .
Pritzker eased some of those restrictions on Friday .
Landon said the new set of guidelines are a sign people should start to slowly “ expand their quarantine family , ” with the understanding coronavirus cases are still rising across the state .
“ I ’ m not suggesting that everyone in the family should get together for a big reunion right now , ” Landon said , “ but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you and mom and … if everyone ’ s been really careful , everyone ’ s very low risk and if it ’ s OK with everyone involved , maybe now ’ s the time you put your fabric mask on , you wash your hands , and you give everybody a hug on Mother ’ s Day , and then maybe keep your distance a little bit more again.
” 3:40 p.m. State sees record-high case count — 3,137 — as 105 more die of coronavirus The deaths raised Illinois ’ coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases , the state has seen 56,055 people test positive for the virus .
The state received more than 14,000 test results on Thursday , bringing the tally of tests performed to more than 284,000 , according to the Illinois Dept .
of Public Health .
The virus has been confirmed in 97 of the state ’ s 102 counties .
Read the full report from Tina Sfondeles here .
3:09 p.m. Catholic masses to resume in Chicago with 10-person limit ?
Archdiocese says yes Chicago area Catholics could soon be back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ J.B. Pritzker ’ s modified stay-at-home order — on a tightly limited basis , from a safe social distance .
After a late revision to Pritzker ’ s extended order added a provision for “ the free exercise of religion , ” the local arm of the Catholic Church announced Friday it is planning to resume masses limited to 10 people under guidelines recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Facing a federal lawsuit from a northwest Illinois church challenging the governor ’ s latest order , the Pritzker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ religious services as permitted examples of leaving the home for “ essential activities ” during the coronavirus pandemic .
The new order , effective through May , says leaving home is allowed “ to engage in the free exercise of religion , provided that such exercise must comply with Social Distancing Requirements and the limit on gatherings of more than 10 people in keeping with CDC guidelines for the protection of public health.
” Read the full report from Mitchell Armentrout here .
2:45 p.m. R. Kelly at ‘ high risk ’ for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get singer freed over COVID-19 fears No Rx for R. Kelly … yet .
Singer R. Kelly , who is being held at Chicago ’ s Metropolitan Correctional Center — where COVID-19 is taking up residence and where Kelly is awaiting trial on numerous sexual abuse charges— has been told he may have a deadly appetizer favored by the virus : diabetes .
That diagnosis was delivered to the R & B superstar Thursday after the results of an initial test were revealed to him , his Chicago attorney Steve Greenberg told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speak to Robert [ Kelly ] through a specially arranged phone call and he is now awaiting confirmation he may have diabetes , ” Greenberg said .
The singer broke down during the conversation .
“ He has been experiencing panic attacks , ” Greenberg said .
“ ...
He is petrified .
He is convinced he is going to die while in pretrial detention.
” Get the full scoop from Mike Sneed here .
2:17 p.m. Art Institute lions get new , reinforced masks after one was stolen hours after installation A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lion statues at the entrance of the Art Institute of Chicago was stolen Thursday evening , less than 24 hours after the symbolic masks were applied .
By Friday afternoon , the mask had been replaced and both lion statues were once again sporting the protective gear .
An Art Institute security guard saw two men get out of a black Chevrolet sedan about 10:55 p.m. , climb onto one of the statues at the museum at 111 S. Michigan Ave. , cut the mask from the lion ’ s head and take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The large-scale masks had been installed early Thursday as a symbolic gesture ahead of a statewide mandate starting Friday requiring people to wear masks in public places amid the coronavirus outbreak .
They were designed by Kelly Winter of Dimension Design in Glenview , and the company has plans to replace them .
“ We are remaking both masks with new kinds of cables instead of just the strapping that was requested , ” said Jim Winter , executive vice president of Dimension Design .
“ We ’ re going to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use .
When you use vinyl- or fabric-coated [ steel ] cables , you get the same results but it will make it very difficult cut them.
” 2 p.m. Antibody tests for coronavirus hold promise , but they ’ re not yet reliable enough Chicagoans who have a burning curiosity to know whether they ’ ve been infected with the coronavirus can get an antibody test at a healthcare clinic for about a hundred bucks .
The problem is that no one can say for sure what the test results mean .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that are now available , having been churned out hastily under emergency conditions , the science that will help explain whether the antibodies offer future immunity isn ’ t there yet .
And a recent examination by some of the nation ’ s top scientists found unacceptably high rates of false positives in some antibody tests , calling into question their usefulness .
As more states inch toward reopening their economies , experts caution that antibody tests are just one tool and an imperfect one at that .
“ It ’ s very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much more work , ” says Dr. Mary K. Hayden , chief of the division of infectious diseases at Rush University Medical College and spokeswoman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America .
Read the full report from Stephanie Zimmermann here .
1:20 p.m. New Pritzker , Lightfoot bobbleheads a nod to their handling of coronavirus crisis One of the world ’ s largest commemorative bobblehead producers gave a nod to Gov .
J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot this week for their handling of the coronavirus pandemic in Illinois and Chicago .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Museum on Friday unveiled bobbleheads featuring Pritzker and Lightfoot .
The museum chose to honor Pritzker and Lightfoot , along with several other governors , for their work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the state , co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said in a statement .
Read the full story by Madeline Kenney here .
12:43 p.m. Life after coronavirus : How do you think it will be different post-pandemic ?
We asked , you answered .
Just as 9/11 changed the world in lasting ways , the coronavirus pandemic is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life even after it ’ s over .
We asked how Chicagoans think life will be different .
These were among the answers .
Some have been condensed and lightly edited for clarity .
“ I am hoping people have better health and hygiene .
Also , we really need to revamp the healthcare system .
Maybe now that we know the healthcare field will always need people , more will lean towards that way for their careers.
” — Eric Boyd “ I certainly hope people will be more neighborly , friendly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kind , truthful , honest and forgiving if necessary.
” — Alice Nicholson “ Initially : overcrowding .
Then : anxiety , depression and PTSD through the roof .
Hopefully a more health and hygiene conscious population.
” — Jessica V. Cortés-Negrón Check out more responses from our readers here .
10:56 a.m. ‘ Reopen Illinois ’ rally draws small crowd downtown ; organizer says he expects thousands later today About 40 people had gathered in the Thompson Center Plaza in the Loop by 10 a.m. to rally for “ reopening Illinois.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , of Freedom Movement USA , said he expected 5,000 people to show up later in the afternoon and join him in calling on state and local leaders to ease restrictions that would allow more residents to go back to work .
Harris and others were quick to point out that since the stay-at-home order was put into place , Mayor Lori Lightfoot received a haircut , despite salons and barbershops across the state were ordered to be closed .
To Harris , the haircut illustrates a double-standard .
“ Now they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said .
A counter-protest was scheduled for later Friday morning .
9:52 a.m. Amazon , Whole Foods , FedEx workers call in sick en masse Friday over hazard pay Essential workers will strike nationwide on May Day to demand safer conditions during the coronavirus outbreak , while other groups plan rallies against tight stay-at-home orders they say are crippling the U.S. economy .
Organizers say employees of Amazon , Whole Foods , Target , Fedex and other companies have become the unexpected frontline workers of the pandemic .
Employees will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sick Friday on International Workers ’ Day in cities across the U.S. to demand unpaid time off work , hazard pay , sick leave , protective gear and cleaning supplies .
They say flawed policies by employers caused some of their co-workers to contract COVID-19 .
“ For these reasons , we are engaging in a mass sickout and exercising our right to refuse unsafe work conditions , ” according to a statement by Whole Foods workers .
Across the country , workers who interact with the public — nurses , grocery store @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have taken action in recent weeks to protect themselves .
Rolling job actions have popped up across the limping economy , including by Pittsburgh sanitation workers who walked off their jobs and fast-food employees in California who left restaurants to perform socially distant protests in their cars .
Read more about the May Day protests here .
The 2020 Ravinia Festival in Highland Park has been canceled .
The move is the latest large-event casualty of the coronavirus pandemic , joining the cancellation of Chicago ’ s blues and gospel festivals , announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no way that we could make this [ happen ] , ” said Ravinia president and CEO Welz Kauffman about Friday ’ s announcement .
“ We ’ ve been wracking our brains trying to figure out how to make the social distancing work and ensure the safety of everyone who comes here — the kids and families , the artists , staff and our neighbors .
There was just no way to do it .
... And many artists have already canceled their 2020 tours.
” The season shut-down is the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now 116-year-old festival to close its doors from 1932 to 1935 .
6:56 a.m .
Late-night change marks churches as ‘ essential , ’ but encourages ‘ online or drive-in services ’ On the same day that Gov .
J.B. Pritzker was sued in federal court by a church over the rights of its 80 members to gather , the Democratic governor on Thursday issued an extended stay-at-home executive order that included new language about the “ free exercise of religion.
” The extended executive order filed Thursday evening contains a key change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for “ essential activities ” during the coronavirus pandemic .
But any religious gatherings are limited to ten people , much smaller than the worship services to which most Chicago area residents are accustomed .
The new extended order says leaving home is allowed “ to engage in the free exercise of religion , provided that such exercise must comply with Social Distancing Requirements and the limit on gatherings of more than 10 people in keeping with CDC guidelines for the protection of public health.
” “ Religious organizations and houses of worship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services to protect the health and safety of their congregants , ” according to the order .
Read the full story from Tina Sfondeles here .
6:30 a.m .
Businesses ready to open as some state COVID-19 restrictions lift Myeisha Campbell one of the owners of House of Melanin restocks the shelves with an assortment of haircare products , Thursday , April 30 , 2020 , in Oak Park , Ill. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times Chicago-area business owners are preparing to open their doors Friday , hoping to recoup some of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for more than six weeks because of the state ’ s stay-at-home order .
Changes to the order taking effect Friday will grant some non-essential businesses the ability to begin serving customers again inside brick-and-mortar stores starting Friday .
But the ease in restrictions is far from a return to normalcy .
Businesses with permission to reopen include beauty supply stores , gardening centers , pet grooming and golf courses , as well as some state parks .
Many of these must put in place new safety measures , including restricted hours and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ add new services , such as curbside pickup .
• One of Mexico ’ s best-known protest singers , Oscar Chávez , has died at age 85 , apparently after being infected with the coronavirus .
• Officials reported Thursday that another 141 people have died of COVID-19 in Illinois , marking the second highest daily death toll the state has seen during the pandemic .
The latest deaths — second only to the 144 announced Tuesday — raised the Illinois total to 2,355 .
• The CTA announced the death of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worked in the CTA ’ s technology department for over 20 years .
• Chicago police announced Tuesday seven more cases of COVID-19 , bringing the number of cases in the department to 421 .
• Eighteen employees at a Tootsie Roll manufacturing plant in Chicago have tested positive for COVID-19 since the end of March .
11:58 a.m. How Gov .
Pritzker could slow the spread of COVID-19 at Cook County Jail As efforts continue to slow the spread of COVID-19 at Cook County Jail by reducing the inmate population , Gov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the stroke of a pen .
Pritzker should lift an executive order that now prevents 120 convicted detainees at the jail from being transferred to state prisons .
The governor announced last week he was extending the executive order through the month of May , along with other statewide stay-at-home measures imposed in response to the coronavirus crisis .
Transferring the 120 inmates would provide some relief to Cook County Jail as it fights a pitch battle against a virus that has infected 800 detainees and guards .
One corrections officer and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so far .
Read the full editorial from the Sun-Times editorial board here .
6:12 a.m. COVID-19 lawsuits a symptom of a pre-existing condition in Illinois — and the nation The debate over the legality of Pritzker ’ s directives plays into a national election narrative that the Republicans are testing out right now for President Donald Trump ’ s looming re-election battle .
They contend Democrats are using the COVID-19 pandemic to take away people ’ s freedoms and as a result , wrecking the economy — as if a highly contagious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country needed any help .
So perhaps it ’ s not surprising that the second lawsuit was filed by state Rep. John Cabello , who co-chaired Trump ’ s presidential campaign in Illinois in 2016 .
When somebody in Judge McHaney ’ s courtroom snickered after the state ’ s lawyer talked about “ millions dying ” from COVID-19 , it may have just been a reaction to an unintended misstatement or exaggeration .
The worldwide death toll has only recently exceeded 200,000 with three million confirmed cases .
Just as likely , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sincerely held , if misguided , belief within a segment of the population that the coronavirus isn ’ t as dangerous as it has been portrayed .

Even as officials announced a record-high daily count of 3,137 newly confirmed coronavirus cases, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday said the McCormick Place alternate care facility will be largely dismantled.
Earlier at his daily briefing, Pritzker said the state has “bent the curve.”
Here’s what else happened as the fight against the novel coronavirus in Illinois continued.
News
8:57 p.m. Want to support restaurants during the coronavirus pandemic? Here’s how much it costs restaurants when ordering through delivery apps
While some eateries are seeing an increase in orders made via delivery apps like Grubhub, others have seen their sales take a dive in recent weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic. | AP AP Photos
With restaurants banned from serving dine-in customers amid the coronavirus pandemic, many owners have turned to food delivery apps — like Grubhub, Postmates and Uber Eats — to facilitate their orders.
Many of those apps have seen a “definite uptick” in business over the last six weeks — but it’s apparently coming at a big cost to the restaurateurs.
In a Facebook post published this week, Giuseppe Badalamenti, a restaurant consultant and the owner of Chicago Pizza Boss, shared a snapshot of a March statement from Grubhub, which detailed just how little restaurants profit off of online orders through the app.
The unidentified restaurant, which is a client of Badalamenti, accepted $1,042.63 in 46 pre-paid orders (42 delivery and four pickup) last month. But it earned only $376.54, according to his post, which has been shared by more than 2,500 people.
Reporter Madeline Kenney has the full story.
8:24 p.m. Chicago area companies getting COVID-19 loans include railcar maker that paid CEO $2.1M
Faced with the fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump quickly rolled out the Paycheck Protection Program, aiming to keep workers on the payroll at small businesses as business dwindled because of the COVID-19 shutdowns.
Among the Chicago-area companies to benefit, records show, were:
A railcar manufacturer — which secured the maximum $10 million — that closed a factory in Virginia last year and opened a new one in Mexico while paying its CEO $2.1 million in total compensation.
A clean-energy company in Cicero that told shareholders when it announced its $9.5 million loan that COVID-19 hadn’t harmed its business.
Two companies that employ thousands of workers — well over the program’s usual 500-employee limit, though businesses also can qualify based on net worth or net income.
Reporters Lauren FitzPatrick and Tim Novak have the full story.
7:57 p.m. Michelle Abernathy wasn’t just another COVID-19 victim. She made a difference.
Torrence Jones remembers the day his girlfriend Michelle Abernathy learned a developmentally disabled resident of Ludeman Developmental Center, where they worked, had become the first person there to test positive for COVID-19.
It was March 28, a Saturday. Abernathy had stopped by the Park Forest campus to catch up on work. She was informed the stricken man lived in a housing unit under her supervision.
Abernathy, 52, made sure the resident was receiving proper care and that her staff had personal protective equipment, Jones said.
By the next night, Abernathy had a fever. Fifteen days later, she was dead, a victim of the coronavirus.
Read Mark Brown’s full column here.
7:11 p.m. Reopen Illinois rally draws hundreds to the Thompson Center
Protesters and supporters gather during a news conference at the re-open Illinois protest outside the Thompson Center. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Anger and frustration were palpable in the Loop Friday as hundreds of people gathered in the Thompson Center plaza to rally against statewide restrictions that have left scores of people across the state out of work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the crowd was small early in the day, it grew to about 300 people — still a far cry from the crowd of 5,000 organizers had anticipated. Street closures were minimal, and the group stayed put at the northwest corner of Randolph and Clark streets throughout the morning and afternoon.
“We are still the land of the free. There are still independent people who can think for themselves and who can protect their own self-interest as they see fit,” former Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica told reporters.
Read Sam Charles’ full report here and see more photos from the protest.
6:34 p.m. As new stay-at-home guidelines allow people to ‘expand their quarantine family,’ one epidemiologist advises people to be cautious
As Mother’s Day approaches, many wonder if it’s safe to hug a loved one during the pandemic. One renown epidemiologist says it’s OK — maybe.
“I think a hug or two done in a very safe way with your fabric mask on and your hands clean and after you’ve been very careful, maybe OK, but I can’t promise that it’s going to be OK for everyone. But I can tell you that for me, it may be worth the gamble,” University of Chicago epidemiologist Dr. Emily Landon said Friday.
Landon’s comment came during a livestreamed discussion with fellow infectious disease expert Dr. Allison Bartlett.
In March, Gov. J.B. Pritzker brought Landon to speak alongside him to announce the state’s first stay-at-home order, which ordered people stay inside except from going to work and buying essential goods. Pritzker eased some of those restrictions on Friday.
Landon said the new set of guidelines are a sign people should start to slowly “expand their quarantine family,” with the understanding coronavirus cases are still rising across the state.
“I’m not suggesting that everyone in the family should get together for a big reunion right now,” Landon said, “but if it’s really important to you and mom and … if everyone’s been really careful, everyone’s very low risk and if it’s OK with everyone involved, maybe now’s the time you put your fabric mask on, you wash your hands, and you give everybody a hug on Mother’s Day, and then maybe keep your distance a little bit more again.”
— Carlos Ballesteros
3:40 p.m. State sees record-high case count — 3,137 — as 105 more die of coronavirus
Friday marked the first day of the governor’s extended stay-at-home executive order, which has sparked protests in downtown Chicago and in Springfield. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times file
The deaths raised Illinois’ coronavirus toll to 2,457 while with the new cases, the state has seen 56,055 people test positive for the virus.
The state received more than 14,000 test results on Thursday, bringing the tally of tests performed to more than 284,000, according to the Illinois Dept. of Public Health.
The virus has been confirmed in 97 of the state’s 102 counties.
Read the full report from Tina Sfondeles here.
3:09 p.m. Catholic masses to resume in Chicago with 10-person limit? Archdiocese says yes
Chicago area Catholics could soon be back to celebrating mass in person under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s modified stay-at-home order — on a tightly limited basis, from a safe social distance.
After a late revision to Pritzker’s extended order added a provision for “the free exercise of religion,” the local arm of the Catholic Church announced Friday it is planning to resume masses limited to 10 people under guidelines recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Facing a federal lawsuit from a northwest Illinois church challenging the governor’s latest order, the Pritzker administration lateThursday added new language including limited religious services as permitted examples of leaving the home for “essential activities” during the coronavirus pandemic.
The new order, effective through May, says leaving home is allowed “to engage in the free exercise of religion, provided that such exercise must comply with Social Distancing Requirements and the limit on gatherings of more than 10 people in keeping with CDC guidelines for the protection of public health.”
Read the full report from Mitchell Armentrout here.
2:45 p.m. R. Kelly at ‘high risk’ for diabetes, lawyer says in latest bid to get singer freed over COVID-19 fears
No Rx for R. Kelly … yet.
Singer R. Kelly, who is being held at Chicago’s Metropolitan Correctional Center — where COVID-19 is taking up residence and where Kelly is awaiting trial on numerous sexual abuse charges— has been told he may have a deadly appetizer favored by the virus: diabetes.
That diagnosis was delivered to the R&B superstar Thursday after the results of an initial test were revealed to him, his Chicago attorney Steve Greenberg told Sneed.
“I was able to speak to Robert [Kelly] through a specially arranged phone call and he is now awaiting confirmation he may have diabetes,” Greenberg said.
The singer broke down during the conversation.
“He has been experiencing panic attacks,” Greenberg said. “ ... He is petrified. He is convinced he is going to die while in pretrial detention.”
Get the full scoop from Mike Sneed here.
2:17 p.m. Art Institute lions get new, reinforced masks after one was stolen hours after installation
A face mask adorning one of the iconic lion statues at the entrance of the Art Institute of Chicago was stolen Thursday evening, less than 24 hours after the symbolic masks were applied.
By Friday afternoon, the mask had been replaced and both lion statues were once again sporting the protective gear.
Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images
An Art Institute security guard saw two men get out of a black Chevrolet sedan about 10:55 p.m., climb onto one of the statues at the museum at 111 S. Michigan Ave., cut the mask from the lion’s head and take off, according to the Chicago police.
The large-scale masks had been installed early Thursday as a symbolic gesture ahead of a statewide mandate starting Friday requiring people to wear masks in public places amid the coronavirus outbreak. They were designed by Kelly Winter of Dimension Design in Glenview, and the company has plans to replace them.
“We are remaking both masks with new kinds of cables instead of just the strapping that was requested,” said Jim Winter, executive vice president of Dimension Design. “We’re going to use some of the creative methods we normally use. When you use vinyl- or fabric-coated [steel] cables, you get the same results but it will make it very difficult cut them.”
Read the full story here.
2 p.m. Antibody tests for coronavirus hold promise, but they’re not yet reliable enough
Chicagoans who have a burning curiosity to know whether they’ve been infected with the coronavirus can get an antibody test at a healthcare clinic for about a hundred bucks.
The problem is that no one can say for sure what the test results mean.
Despite a proliferation of COVID-19 antibody tests that are now available, having been churned out hastily under emergency conditions, the science that will help explain whether the antibodies offer future immunity isn’t there yet.
And a recent examination by some of the nation’s top scientists found unacceptably high rates of false positives in some antibody tests, calling into question their usefulness.
As more states inch toward reopening their economies, experts caution that antibody tests are just one tool and an imperfect one at that.
“It’s very early. We need to do so much more work,” says Dr. Mary K. Hayden, chief of the division of infectious diseases at Rush University Medical College and spokeswoman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
1:20 p.m. New Pritzker, Lightfoot bobbleheads a nod to their handling of coronavirus crisis
One of the world’s largest commemorative bobblehead producers gave a nod to Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot this week for their handling of the coronavirus pandemic in Illinois and Chicago.
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum on Friday unveiled bobbleheads featuring Pritzker and Lightfoot.
For every Pritzker and Lightfoot bobblehead sold, the museum will donate $5 to the Protect the Heroes fund, which helps healthcare workers fighting the coronavirus. Provided
The museum chose to honor Pritzker and Lightfoot, along with several other governors, for their work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the state, co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said in a statement.
12:43 p.m. Life after coronavirus: How do you think it will be different post-pandemic? We asked, you answered.
Just as 9/11 changed the world in lasting ways, the coronavirus pandemic is sure to change certain aspects of everyday life even after it’s over.
We asked how Chicagoans think life will be different. These were among the answers. Some have been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
“I am hoping people have better health and hygiene. Also, we really need to revamp the healthcare system. Maybe now that we know the healthcare field will always need people, more will lean towards that way for their careers.” — Eric Boyd
“I certainly hope people will be more neighborly, friendly, prayerful, helpful, loving, kind, truthful, honest and forgiving if necessary.” — Alice Nicholson
“Initially: overcrowding. Then: anxiety, depression and PTSD through the roof. Hopefully a more health and hygiene conscious population.” — Jessica V. Cortés-Negrón
Check out more responses from our readers here.
10:56 a.m. ‘Reopen Illinois’ rally draws small crowd downtown; organizer says he expects thousands later today
Brandon Harris, one of the organizers of today’s Reopen Illinois rally outside the Thompson Center, says 5,000 people are expected to show up later this morning pic.twitter.com/lo9kUvIkNZ — Sam Charles (@samjcharles) May 1, 2020
About 40 people had gathered in the Thompson Center Plaza in the Loop by 10 a.m. to rally for “reopening Illinois.” One of the organizers, Brandon Harris, of Freedom Movement USA, said he expected 5,000 people to show up later in the afternoon and join him in calling on state and local leaders to ease restrictions that would allow more residents to go back to work.
Harris and others were quick to point out that since the stay-at-home order was put into place, Mayor Lori Lightfoot received a haircut, despite salons and barbershops across the state were ordered to be closed.
To Harris, the haircut illustrates a double-standard. “Now they’re breaking their own policies and procedures,” he said.
A counter-protest was scheduled for later Friday morning.
— Sam Charles
9:52 a.m. Amazon, Whole Foods, FedEx workers call in sick en masse Friday over hazard pay
Essential workers will strike nationwide on May Day to demand safer conditions during the coronavirus outbreak, while other groups plan rallies against tight stay-at-home orders they say are crippling the U.S. economy.
Organizers say employees of Amazon, Whole Foods, Target, Fedex and other companies have become the unexpected frontline workers of the pandemic. Employees will walk off the job or call out sick Friday on International Workers’ Day in cities across the U.S. to demand unpaid time off work, hazard pay, sick leave, protective gear and cleaning supplies.
They say flawed policies by employers caused some of their co-workers to contract COVID-19.
“For these reasons, we are engaging in a mass sickout and exercising our right to refuse unsafe work conditions,” according to a statement by Whole Foods workers.
Across the country, workers who interact with the public — nurses, grocery store workers and delivery drivers among them — have taken action in recent weeks to protect themselves. Rolling job actions have popped up across the limping economy, including by Pittsburgh sanitation workers who walked off their jobs and fast-food employees in California who left restaurants to perform socially distant protests in their cars.
Read more about the May Day protests here.
8:02 a.m. Ravinia cancels 2020 season due to coronavirus pandemic
The 2020 Ravinia Festival in Highland Park has been canceled.
The move is the latest large-event casualty of the coronavirus pandemic, joining the cancellation of Chicago’s blues and gospel festivals, announced last week.
“There just is no way that we could make this [happen],” said Ravinia president and CEO Welz Kauffman about Friday’s announcement. “We’ve been wracking our brains trying to figure out how to make the social distancing work and ensure the safety of everyone who comes here — the kids and families, the artists, staff and our neighbors. There was just no way to do it. ... And many artists have already canceled their 2020 tours.”
The season shut-down is the first one since the Great Depression forced the now 116-year-old festival to close its doors from 1932 to 1935.
6:56 a.m. Late-night change marks churches as ‘essential,’ but encourages ‘online or drive-in services’
On the same day that Gov. J.B. Pritzker was sued in federal court by a church over the rights of its 80 members to gather, the Democratic governor on Thursday issued an extended stay-at-home executive order that included new language about the “free exercise of religion.”
The extended executive order filed Thursday eveningcontains a key change under permitted examples of leaving the home for “essential activities” during the coronavirus pandemic.
But any religious gatherings are limited to ten people, much smaller than the worship services to which most Chicago area residents are accustomed.
The new extended order says leaving home is allowed “to engage in the free exercise of religion, provided that such exercise must comply with Social Distancing Requirements and the limit on gatherings of more than 10 people in keeping with CDC guidelines for the protection of public health.”
“Religious organizations and houses of worship are encouraged to use online or drive-in services to protect the health and safety of their congregants,” according to the order.
Read the full story from Tina Sfondeles here.
6:30 a.m. Businesses ready to open as some state COVID-19 restrictions lift
Myeisha Campbell one of the owners of House of Melanin restocks the shelves with an assortment of haircare products, Thursday, April 30, 2020, in Oak Park, Ill. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Chicago-area business owners are preparing to open their doors Friday, hoping to recoup some of the money they lost after being shut down for more than six weeks because of the state’s stay-at-home order.
Changes to the order taking effect Friday will grant some non-essential businesses the ability to begin serving customers again inside brick-and-mortar stores starting Friday.
But the ease in restrictions is far from a return to normalcy.
Businesses with permission to reopeninclude beauty supply stores, gardening centers, pet grooming and golf courses, as well as some state parks. Many of these must put in place new safety measures, including restricted hours and constant sanitizing, Some will have to add new services, such as curbside pickup.
Reporter Manny Ramos has the full story.
New cases
Analysis & Commentary
11:58 a.m. How Gov. Pritzker could slow the spread of COVID-19 at Cook County Jail
As efforts continue to slow the spread of COVID-19 at Cook County Jail by reducing the inmate population, Gov. J.B. Pritzker could help the effort with the stroke of a pen.
Pritzker should lift an executive order that now prevents 120 convicted detainees at the jail from being transferred to state prisons. The governor announced last week he was extending the executive order through the month of May, along with other statewide stay-at-home measures imposed in response to the coronavirus crisis.
Transferring the 120 inmates would provide some relief to Cook County Jail as it fights a pitch battle against a virus that has infected 800 detainees and guards. One corrections officer and six detainees have died from the coronavirus so far.
Read the full editorial from the Sun-Times editorial board here.
6:12 a.m. COVID-19 lawsuits a symptom of a pre-existing condition in Illinois — and the nation
The debate over the legality of Pritzker’s directives plays into a national election narrative that the Republicans are testing out right now for President Donald Trump’s looming re-election battle. They contend Democrats are using the COVID-19 pandemic to take away people’s freedoms and as a result, wrecking the economy — as if a highly contagious, unpreventable, incurable disease sweeping the country needed any help.
So perhaps it’s not surprising that the second lawsuit was filed by state Rep. John Cabello, who co-chaired Trump’s presidential campaign in Illinois in 2016.
When somebody in Judge McHaney’s courtroom snickered after the state’s lawyer talked about “millions dying” from COVID-19, it may have just been a reaction to an unintended misstatement or exaggeration. The worldwide death toll has only recently exceeded 200,000 with three million confirmed cases.
Just as likely, the laughter was an expression of a sincerely held, if misguided, belief within a segment of the population that the coronavirus isn’t as dangerous as it has been portrayed.
Read Mark Brown’s full column here.


chicagosun-times--2020-05-01--When virus is over, I will remember freedoms stolen like a thief in the night

When this storm has finally passed , I will shake another brother ’ s hand , slap hard fives , skin to skin , embrace like the best of friends .
The way we used to .
Before the arrival of coronavirus ’ cold winds .
When this storm finally has been vanquished and it is safe to come out again , to break the barrier of personal space , to converse in intimate human circles over coffee or tea and chill , I will .
And I will stroll slowly across golden sands for miles of beach .
No @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speak to everyone I pass .
Lie blissfully upon emerald blades of park grass .
Watch daylight pass as the orange-red sun sinks from a purplish evening sky and children ’ s voices blend with the crickets ’ song while fireflies twinkle before their widened eyes .
And though I no longer have a head of hair , I just might plop down in a barber ’ s chair .
Break my vow to allow someone beside myself to trim my beard .
To rub my face with lilac tonic after lining me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ear .
When this storm is over , I will remember when freedoms taken for granted were stolen like a thief in the night .
And at the end of the tunnel we could see no sure sign of light .
When hospitals and morgues were swollen with the sick and the dead .
When the hourly news and our conversations were filled with caution and dread .
Too many visions of gloved and masked humanity fill my head .
Inescapable the daily count of the infected and the dead .
Desolate streets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unwelcoming doors .
Anxiety pours like gushing rain .
Undeniable strain .
Economic drain .
Some of us muse that there may be lessons to gain from this storm .
Perhaps joy after pain .
And when this storm has finally passed , there will be no fear of pumping gas .
No migraines over grocery shopping or using cash .
No drive-up only restaurant orders and curbside pick-ups .
No consternation over human touch .
When this storm has finally passed , I will attempt to clear my head of new phobias @ @ @ @ @ @ @ achieving any possible semblances of utopia — scarred for life by the word “ pandemic , ” and having prayed to God for mercy while living in it .
I will purge my nostrils of the pungent scents of Lysol and bleach .
I might even treat my feet : Pedicures and TLC .
Outdoor downtown cafes on summer eves .
The crack of the bat on an afternoon at Wrigley .
Live bigly .
Country music and beer drifting on a late-night breeze .
Rib fests , tank tops and sundresses .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for us to again be free ...
I long simply to sit beneath the umbrella on the veranda of my local coffee house .
Choppin ’ it up with the fellas , and chillin ’ out .
Long to escape this frozen , quarantined world in which we find ourselves nowadays— reflecting on the way we once lived , loved and played .
Remembering the way we were not that long ago .
And longing to return , even as corona ’ s cold winds still blow .
But I can ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ return .
Or is this the new normal ?
My heart still yearns .
I miss the Saturday movie theater matinee .
And by the time this storm passes , I will have missed the sights and sounds of children at play—frolicking at crystal sprinkling water fountains and swimming pools .
The pound of the basketball and squeaking shoes .
I miss the way we moved : Engaging as instruments in the human symphony of life .
Breath-to-breath , hand-to-hand , eye-to-eye .
When the storm passes , I hope we ’ ll @ @

When this storm has finally passed, I will shake another brother’s hand, slap hard fives, skin to skin, embrace like the best of friends. The way we used to.
Before the arrival of coronavirus’ cold winds.
When this storm finally has been vanquished and it is safe to come out again, to break the barrier of personal space, to converse in intimate human circles over coffee or tea and chill, I will.
Columnists bug Columnists In-depth political coverage, sports analysis, entertainment reviews and cultural commentary.
And I will stroll slowly across golden sands for miles of beach. No city code to breach. I will speak to everyone I pass. Lie blissfully upon emerald blades of park grass.
Watch daylight pass as the orange-red sun sinks from a purplish evening sky and children’s voices blend with the crickets’ song while fireflies twinkle before their widened eyes.
And though I no longer have a head of hair, I just might plop down in a barber’s chair. Break my vow to allow someone beside myself to trim my beard. To rub my face with lilac tonic after lining me with a straight edge from ear to ear.
When this storm is over, I will remember when freedoms taken for granted were stolen like a thief in the night. And at the end of the tunnel we could see no sure sign of light.
When hospitals and morgues were swollen with the sick and the dead. When the hourly news and our conversations were filled with caution and dread.
Too many visions of gloved and masked humanity fill my head. Inescapable the daily count of the infected and the dead.
Desolate streets and shuttered stores, people locked behind unwelcoming doors. Anxiety pours like gushing rain. Undeniable strain. Economic drain. Some of us muse that there may be lessons to gain from this storm. Perhaps joy after pain.
And when this storm has finally passed, there will be no fear of pumping gas. No migraines over grocery shopping or using cash. No drive-up only restaurant orders and curbside pick-ups. No consternation over human touch.
When this storm has finally passed, I will attempt to clear my head of new phobias. Forever banish from my thoughts ever achieving any possible semblances of utopia — scarred for life by the word “pandemic,” and having prayed to God for mercy while living in it.
I will purge my nostrils of the pungent scents of Lysol and bleach. I might even treat my feet: Pedicures and TLC. Outdoor downtown cafes on summer eves.
The crack of the bat on an afternoon at Wrigley. Live bigly. Country music and beer drifting on a late-night breeze. Rib fests, tank tops and sundresses. Our souls at ease.
I long for us to again be free ...
I long simply to sit beneath the umbrella on the veranda of my local coffee house. Choppin’ it up with the fellas, and chillin’ out.
Long to escape this frozen, quarantined world in which we find ourselves nowadays— reflecting on the way we once lived, loved and played. Remembering the way we were not that long ago. And longing to return, even as corona’s cold winds still blow.
But I can’t help but wonder if we can ever return. Or is this the new normal? My heart still yearns.
I miss the Saturday movie theater matinee. And by the time this storm passes, I will have missed the sights and sounds of children at play—frolicking at crystal sprinkling water fountains and swimming pools. The pound of the basketball and squeaking shoes.
I miss the way we moved: Engaging as instruments in the human symphony of life. Breath-to-breath, hand-to-hand, eye-to-eye.
When the storm passes, I hope we’ll try.
Email: Author@johnwfountain.com


chicagosun-times--2020-05-01--Chicago area companies getting COVID-19 loans include railcar maker that paid CEO $2.1M

Faced with the fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic , President Donald Trump quickly rolled out the Paycheck Protection Program , aiming to keep workers on the payroll at small businesses as business dwindled because of the COVID-19 shutdowns .
Among the Chicago-area companies to benefit , records show , were : • A railcar manufacturer — which secured the maximum $ 10 million — that closed a factory in Virginia last year and opened a new one in Mexico while paying its CEO $ 2.1 million in total compensation .
• A clean-energy company in Cicero that told shareholders when it announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hadn ’ t harmed its business .
• Two companies that employ thousands of workers — well over the program ’ s usual 500-employee limit , though businesses also can qualify based on net worth or net income .
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said this past week that the rules that had allowed publicly traded corporations and other big companies to quickly deplete the initial $ 349 billion pot — shutting out many mom-and-pop operations — needed tightening .
He warned publicly held companies that got more than $ 2 million through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be audited .
And he has asked large enterprises to voluntarily give back the money or possiblly face criminal charges if found to have cheated .
The U.S. Small Business Administration , which is overseeing the program , requires that “ borrowers still must certify in good faith that their PPP loan request is necessary , ” taking into account access to cash and credit .
“ For example , it is unlikely that a public company with substantial market value and access to capital markets will be able to make the required @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump administration said April 23 .
The SBA won ’ t disclose who got the bailout money .
But some large national franchises have said they ’ ll give back the money they got after reports disclosed that .
Among them : Potbelly , the Chicago-based sandwich giant .
The loans were part of a $ 2 trillion coronavirus-relief package Congress passed in March .
In part , they were to cover fixed costs like rent and utilities , but the bulk of the money for companies under 500 workers was to keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 321 billion has since been added to the program .
Illinois companies secured about 69,000 loans through April 16 totaling $ 15.9 billion , according to SBA data .
Eight publicly traded companies in Illinois have disclosed their participation .
Altogether , they ‘ ve collected more than $ 38 million in the low-interest loans : • FreightCar International , a Chicago manufacturer of rail cars , received the maximum $ 10 million on April 16 .
The president of the company , which has 496 employees , was in line in 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including a $ 750,000 bonus , according to its filings with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission .
That same year , as it reported $ 229.9 million in revenue and a net loss of $ 75.2 million , the company closed a plant in Virginia , then leased a manufacturing facility in Mexico that ’ s set to open later this year .
FreightCar also eliminated medical and vision insurance for retirees and their dependents as of Jan 1 , telling shareholders that saved $ 6.6 million .
• Broadwind Energy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , received $ 9.5 million even as it reported earlier in April that it had $ 12.5 million in available credit and nearly as much in cash .
“ We did not experience significant impacts from the novel coronavirus disease in the first quarter of 2020 , in part , because our facilities currently operate as essential businesses , ” the publicly traded company , which has 521 employeeds , reported in securities filings April 13 .
Jason Bonfigt , Broadwind Energy ’ s vice president , said Friday that changed in recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the PPP loan , there was a strong likelihood that we would have had to consider targeted cost reductions , including a reduction-in-force of valued staff , ” Bonfigt said .
“ Broadwind met all of the requirements set forth by the U.S. treasury to apply for the PPP loan and did so in good faith , ensuring continued employment for our workers during a period of widespread economic uncertainty.
” The SBA permits some businesses , such as restaurants , to treat each location as a separate entity .
That allowed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a loan .
“ We applied for it and were fortunate to get some relief , ” Gibsons chairman Stephen Lombardo III says , though he would not disclose how much money the company got .
Lombardo says that about 1,800 of Gibsons ’ 2,000 workers have gone back to work at its 10 restaurants , which are offering takeout meals during the shutdown .
• SigmaTron International Inc. of Elk Grove Village , which has more than 3,106 employees worldwide , got $ 6.3 million on April 23 , according to its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those employees work at the company ’ s factories in Mexico , Vietnam and China .

Faced with the fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump quickly rolled out the Paycheck Protection Program, aiming to keep workers on the payroll at small businesses as business dwindled because of the COVID-19 shutdowns.
Among the Chicago-area companies to benefit, records show, were:
A railcar manufacturer — which secured the maximum $10 million — that closed a factory in Virginia last year and opened a new one in Mexico while paying its CEO $2.1 million in total compensation.
A clean-energy company in Cicero that told shareholders when it announced its $9.5 million loan that COVID-19 hadn’t harmed its business.
Two companies that employ thousands of workers — well over the program’s usual 500-employee limit, though businesses also can qualify based on net worth or net income.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said this past week that the rules that had allowed publicly traded corporations and other big companies to quickly deplete the initial $349 billion pot — shutting out many mom-and-pop operations — needed tightening. He warned publicly held companies that got more than $2 million through the coronavirus stimulus program that they would be audited. And he has asked large enterprises to voluntarily give back the money or possiblly face criminal charges if found to have cheated.
The U.S. Small Business Administration, which is overseeing the program, requires that “borrowers still must certify in good faith that their PPP loan request is necessary,” taking into account access to cash and credit. “For example, it is unlikely that a public company with substantial market value and access to capital markets will be able to make the required certification in good faith,” the Trump administration said April 23.
The SBA won’t disclose who got the bailout money. But some large national franchises have said they’ll give back the money they got after reports disclosed that. Among them: Potbelly, the Chicago-based sandwich giant.
The loans were part of a $2 trillion coronavirus-relief package Congress passed in March. In part, they were to cover fixed costs like rent and utilities, but the bulk of the money for companies under 500 workers was to keep people on the payroll. Another $321 billion has since been added to the program.
Illinois businesses, including the parent company of the Chicago Sun-Times, secured about 69,000 loans through April 16 totaling $15.9 billion, according to SBA data.
Eight publicly traded companies in Illinois have disclosed their participation. Altogether, they‘ve collected more than $38 million in the low-interest loans:
FreightCar International, a Chicago manufacturer of rail cars, received the maximum $10 million on April 16. The president of the company, which has 496 employees, was in line in 2019 for $2.1 million in total compensation, including a $750,000 bonus, according to its filings with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission.
That same year, as it reported $229.9 million in revenue and a net loss of $75.2 million, the company closed a plant in Virginia, then leased a manufacturing facility in Mexico that’s set to open later this year. FreightCar also eliminated medical and vision insurance for retirees and their dependents as of Jan 1, telling shareholders that saved $6.6 million.
Company representatives didn’t respond to messages seeking comment.
Broadwind Energy, a Cicero manufacturer of clean-energy equipment, received $9.5 million even as it reported earlier in April that it had $12.5 million in available credit and nearly as much in cash.
“We did not experience significant impacts from the novel coronavirus disease in the first quarter of 2020, in part, because our facilities currently operate as essential businesses,” the publicly traded company, which has 521 employees, reported in securities filings April 13.
Jason Bonfigt, Broadwind Energy’s vice president, said Friday that changed in recent weeks.
“Without the support of the PPP loan, there was a strong likelihood that we would have had to consider targeted cost reductions, including a reduction-in-force of valued staff,” Bonfigt said. “Broadwind met all of the requirements set forth by the U.S. treasury to apply for the PPP loan and did so in good faith, ensuring continued employment for our workers during a period of widespread economic uncertainty.”
The SBA permits some businesses, such as restaurants, to treat each location as a separate entity. That allowed the Gibsons steakhouse chain in Chicago to get a loan.
“We applied for it and were fortunate to get some relief,” Gibsons chairman Stephen Lombardo III says, though he would not disclose how much money the company got.
Lombardo says that about 1,800 of Gibsons’ 2,000 workers have gone back to work at its 10 restaurants, which are offering takeout meals during the shutdown.
SigmaTron International Inc. of Elk Grove Village, which has more than 3,106 employees worldwide, got $6.3 million on April 23, according to its federal filings.
Unknown: how many of those employees work at the company’s factories in Mexico, Vietnam and China.
Contributing: Frank Main


chicagosun-times--2020-05-01--North Korea’s Kim Jong Un makes public appearance, ending illness rumors

SEOUL , South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first public appearance in 20 days as he celebrated the completion of a fertilizer factory near Pyongyang , state media said Saturday , ending an absence that had triggered global rumors that he was seriously ill .
The North ’ s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim attended the ceremony Friday in Suncheon with other senior officials , including his sister Kim Yo Jong , who many analysts predict would take over if her brother is suddenly unable to rule .
Neither the KCNA nor the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ online from the ceremony .
It was Kim ’ s first public appearance since April 11 , when he presided over a ruling Workers ’ Party meeting to discuss the coronavirus and reappoint his sister as an alternate member of the powerful decision-making political bureau of the party ’ s central committee .
That move confirmed her substantial role in the government .
Speculation about his health swirled after he missed the April 15 birthday celebration for his late grandfather Kim Il Sung , the country ’ s most important holiday , for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2011 .
Without publishing images , state media reported he was carrying out routine activities outside public view , such as sending greetings to the leaders of Syria , Cuba and South Africa and expressing gratitude to workers building tourist facilities in the coastal town of Wonsan , where some speculated he was staying .
South Korea ’ s government , which has a mixed record of tracking Pyongyang ’ s ruling elite , repeatedly downplayed speculation that Kim , believed to be 36 , was in poor health following surgery .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detected no unusual signs in North Korea or any emergency reaction by the country ’ s ruling party , military and cabinet .
It said it believed Kim was still managing state affairs but staying at an unspecified location outside Pyongyang .
It wasn ’ t immediately clear what caused Kim ’ s absence in past weeks .
In 2014 , Kim vanished from the public eye for nearly six weeks and then reappeared with a cane .
South Korea ’ s spy agency said he had a cyst removed from his ankle @

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first public appearance in 20 days as he celebrated the completion of a fertilizer factory near Pyongyang, state media said Saturday, ending an absence that had triggered global rumors that he was seriously ill.
The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim attended the ceremony Friday in Suncheon with other senior officials, including his sister Kim Yo Jong, who many analysts predict would take over if her brother is suddenly unable to rule.
Neither the KCNA nor the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper immediately released photos online from the ceremony.
It was Kim’s first public appearance since April 11, when he presided over a ruling Workers’ Party meeting to discuss the coronavirus and reappoint his sister as an alternate member of the powerful decision-making political bureau of the party’s central committee. That move confirmed her substantial role in the government.
Speculation about his health swirled after he missed the April 15 birthday celebration for his late grandfather Kim Il Sung, the country’s most important holiday, for the first time since taking power in 2011.
Without publishing images, state media reported he was carrying out routine activities outside public view, such as sending greetings to the leaders of Syria, Cuba and South Africa and expressing gratitude to workers building tourist facilities in the coastal town of Wonsan, where some speculated he was staying.
South Korea’s government, which has a mixed record of tracking Pyongyang’s ruling elite, repeatedly downplayed speculation that Kim, believed to be 36, was in poor health following surgery.
The office of President Moon Jae-in said it detected no unusual signs in North Korea or any emergency reaction by the country’s ruling party, military and cabinet. It said it believed Kim was still managing state affairs but staying at an unspecified location outside Pyongyang.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused Kim’s absence in past weeks. In 2014, Kim vanished from the public eye for nearly six weeks and then reappeared with a cane. South Korea’s spy agency said he had a cyst removed from his ankle.


chicagosun-times--2020-05-01--Warning for Illinois GOP: Suburban voters give Pritzker high marks on handling COVID-19

A recent poll shows Illinoisans strongly approve of Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak in Illinois and an even higher number supports his stay-at-home order .
The We Ask America/Capitol Fax poll of 800 registered voters taken April 23-24 found that 71 % approve of Pritzker ’ s handling of the state ’ s response to the outbreak , while just 23 % disapprove .
A whopping 77 % support the stay-at-home order , while only 18 % oppose it and 4 % don ’ t know .
And 59 % say they strongly support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strongly oppose it .
Meanwhile , the state is split on President Donald Trump ’ s handling of the pandemic .
While 48 % support his response , 49 % disapprove ; 3 % percent didn ’ t know .
A strong plurality of 48 % say they worry that states might lift their stay-at-home orders too soon , while 29 % say they worry states might be too slow ; 23 % don ’ t know .
The results included really bad news for suburban Republicans , who already appeared headed for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Trump performed poorly in the suburbs in 2016 .
The GOP ’ s suburban losses mounted in 2018 , and 2020 was looking like it could be even worse .
Republican legislative leaders have not yet raised the sort of money they ’ ll need to fend off suburban Democratic challenges .
According to the poll , 52.5 % of collar county voters disapproved of President Trump ’ s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak ; 47 % approved .
Those same collar county voters approved of Pritzker ’ s handling of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Those are better marks than Pritzker received from suburban Cook County voters , whose split was 70.5 % to 25 % That ’ s notable because Republicans have already lost a lot of their foothold in suburban Cook , but still had significant strength remaining in the collars .
If that poll is right , and those numbers hold ... whoa .
But it gets worse .
Another 57 % of collar county voters were more worried that states might lift their stay-at-home orders too quickly , versus 22 % who worried they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Again , those are “ better ” numbers than suburban Cook voters , whose split was 54 % — 23 % .
And 81 % of collar county denizens supported Illinois ’ stay-at home-order , while just 17 % opposed it .
Again , those are better numbers than among suburban Cook County voters , who backed the order 77 % — 20 % .
“ 80 percent issues ” have long been pretty nearly impossible to find in this fractured country .
They are campaign unicorns .
Using issues in that percentage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters one way or another .
And , perhaps unsurprisingly considering the other results , more collar county voters “ strongly ” supported the order ( 62 % ) than suburban Cook voters ( 56 % ) .
Polls are just polls and subset numbers are less reliable than the full poll .
But after looking at several national surveys and polling from other states , it ’ s difficult not to conclude that these gubernatorial stay-at-home orders are , at least for right now , a new “ third rail ” of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ great political risk in urban and suburban areas .
Now , throw the lawsuits against the stay-at-home order filed by Republican state Reps. Darren Bailey and John Cabello onto the fire , and you can see why suburban Republican legislators are reaching for the antacid .
The Republican legislative leaders are powerless to stop this behavior .
As they ’ ve steadily lost suburban seats , Downstaters have become a much more powerful voice in the party .
And they ’ re increasingly taking a hard-right turn since the ascension of Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Durkin ’ s spokesperson if Durkin supports or opposes these lawsuits .
“ Leader Durkin is not planning on filing any lawsuits and as a firm believer in the judiciary system , he will follow the court ’ s decision on this important issue.
” Not exactly a profile in courage there , but , if present trends continue , Durkin may not have many suburban members left after November and he ’ s up for reelection as caucus leader next January .
Not that anyone appears to be craving to take his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always change .
The reason “ 80 percent issues ” are so rare these days is because people changed their minds .
It seems unlikely that suburbanites are going to line up behind the current leadership of the stay-at-home opposition , however .

A recent poll shows Illinoisans strongly approve of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak in Illinois and an even higher number supports his stay-at-home order.
The We Ask America/Capitol Fax poll of 800 registered voters taken April 23-24 found that 71% approve of Pritzker’s handling of the state’s response to the outbreak, while just 23% disapprove.
A whopping 77% support the stay-at-home order, while only 18% oppose it and 4% don’t know. And 59% say they strongly support the order, while just 8% strongly oppose it.
Columnists bug Columnists In-depth political coverage, sports analysis, entertainment reviews and cultural commentary.
Meanwhile, the state is split on President Donald Trump’s handling of the pandemic. While 48% support his response, 49% disapprove; 3% percent didn’t know.
A strong plurality of 48% say they worry that states might lift their stay-at-home orders too soon, while 29% say they worry states might be too slow; 23% don’t know.
The results included really bad news for suburban Republicans, who already appeared headed for yet another harsh November before COVID-19.
President Trump performed poorly in the suburbs in 2016. The GOP’s suburban losses mounted in 2018, and 2020 was looking like it could be even worse. Republican legislative leaders have not yet raised the sort of money they’ll need to fend off suburban Democratic challenges.
According to the poll, 52.5% of collar county voters disapproved of President Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak; 47% approved.
Those same collar county voters approved of Pritzker’s handling of the crisis 76.5% to 17%. Those are better marks than Pritzker received from suburban Cook County voters, whose split was 70.5% to 25% That’s notable because Republicans have already lost a lot of their foothold in suburban Cook, but still had significant strength remaining in the collars. If that poll is right, and those numbers hold... whoa.
But it gets worse.
“80 percent” issues
Another 57% of collar county voters were more worried that states might lift their stay-at-home orders too quickly, versus 22% who worried they’ll lift them too slowly. Again, those are “better” numbers than suburban Cook voters, whose split was 54% — 23%.
And 81% of collar county denizens supported Illinois’ stay-at home-order, while just 17% opposed it. Again, those are better numbers than among suburban Cook County voters, who backed the order 77% — 20%.
“80 percent issues” have long been pretty nearly impossible to find in this fractured country. They are campaign unicorns. Using issues in that percentage range can very effectively “move” voters one way or another. And, perhaps unsurprisingly considering the other results, more collar county voters “strongly” supported the order (62%) than suburban Cook voters (56%).
Polls are just polls and subset numbers are less reliable than the full poll. But after looking at several national surveys and polling from other states, it’s difficult not to conclude that these gubernatorial stay-at-home orders are, at least for right now, a new “third rail” of politics.
Opposing them appears to carry great political risk in urban and suburban areas.
Now, throw the lawsuits against the stay-at-home order filed by Republican state Reps. Darren Bailey and John Cabello onto the fire, and you can see why suburban Republican legislators are reaching for the antacid.
The Republican legislative leaders are powerless to stop this behavior. As they’ve steadily lost suburban seats, Downstaters have become a much more powerful voice in the party. And they’re increasingly taking a hard-right turn since the ascension of Donald Trump.
I asked House Republican Leader Jim Durkin’s spokesperson if Durkin supports or opposes these lawsuits. “Leader Durkin is not planning on filing any lawsuits and as a firm believer in the judiciary system, he will follow the court’s decision on this important issue.”
Not exactly a profile in courage there, but, if present trends continue, Durkin may not have many suburban members left after November and he’s up for reelection as caucus leader next January. Not that anyone appears to be craving to take his job at the moment.
Things can always change. The reason “80 percent issues” are so rare these days is because people changed their minds.
It seems unlikely that suburbanites are going to line up behind the current leadership of the stay-at-home opposition, however.
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com
Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.


chicagosun-times--2020-05-01--Canada bans sale, use of assault-style weapons

TORONTO — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an immediate ban Friday on the sale and use of assault-style weapons in Canada , two weeks after a gunman killed 22 people in Nova Scotia .
“ Canadians need more than thoughts and prayers , ” he said , rejecting the reaction of many politicians after mass shootings .
Trudeau cited numerous mass shootings in the country , including the rampage that killed 22 in Nova Scotia April 18 and 19 .
He announced the ban of over 1,500 models and variants of assault-style firearms , including two guns used by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other weapons that have been used in a number of mass shootings in the United States .
“ You do not need an AR-15 to take down a deer , ” Trudeau said .
“ So , effective immediately , it is no longer permitted to buy , sell , transport , import or use military-grade , assault weapons in this country.
” There is a two-year amnesty period while the government creates a program that will allow current owners to receive compensation for turning in the designated firearms or keep them through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out .
Under the amnesty , the newly prohibited firearms can only be transferred or transported within Canada for specific purposes .
Owners must keep the guns securely stored until there is more information on the buyback program .
Mary-Liz Power , a spokeswoman for Canada ’ s public safety minister , said details of how the buyback program will work will be determined by the government and the other parties in Parliament .
“ We can ’ t prejudge what the result of the parliamentary process will be .
That is when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Power said .
Trudeau said the weapons were designed for one purpose and one purpose only : to kill the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time .
“ Today we are closing the market for military-grade assault weapons in Canada , ” he said .
Mass shootings are relatively rare in Canada , but Trudeau said they are happening more often .
Trudeau noted he was nearby when in Montreal when gunman Marc Lepine killed 14 women and himself at Montreal ’ s Ecole Polytechnique college in 1989 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among weapons included in the ban .
Trudeau has said his government would introduce further gun control legislation prohibiting military-style assault weapons , a measure that had already been planned before the coronavirus pandemic interrupted the current parliamentary session .
“ Enough is enough , ” Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said .
“ Banning assault-style firearms will save Canadian lives .
These guns have no legitimate civilian purpose.
” The gunman in Nova Scotia , 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman , shot 13 people to death and set fires that killed nine others in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country ’ s history .
Police have said he used a handgun that was obtained in Canada and long guns that he obtained in the U.S. , but they have not specifically said what guns he used .
The rampage started with an assault on his girlfriend and it ended with 22 people dead in communities across central and northern Nova Scotia .
A number of people had disputes with the gunman .
Blair said two of the illegal long guns that Wortman used are now on the list of weapons banned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Opposition Conservative leader Andrew Scheer accused Trudeau of using the “ immediate emotion of the horrific attack in Nova Scotia to push the Liberals ’ ideological agenda and make major firearms policy changes.
” Scheer said the Nova Scotia shooter did not have a firearms licence , so all of his guns were illegal .
“ Taking firearms away from law-abiding citizens does nothing to stop dangerous criminals who obtain their guns illegally , ” Scheer said in a statement .
But Blair said making such guns illegal in Canada will make it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Every firearm begins legally and then moves into an illegal market , ” Blair said .

TORONTO — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an immediate ban Friday on the sale and use of assault-style weapons in Canada, two weeks after a gunman killed 22 people in Nova Scotia.
“Canadians need more than thoughts and prayers,” he said, rejecting the reaction of many politicians after mass shootings.
Trudeau cited numerous mass shootings in the country, including the rampage that killed 22 in Nova Scotia April 18 and 19. He announced the ban of over 1,500 models and variants of assault-style firearms, including two guns used by the gunman as well as the AR-15 and other weapons that have been used in a number of mass shootings in the United States.
“You do not need an AR-15 to take down a deer,” Trudeau said. “So, effective immediately, it is no longer permitted to buy, sell, transport, import or use military-grade, assault weapons in this country.”
There is a two-year amnesty period while the government creates a program that will allow current owners to receive compensation for turning in the designated firearms or keep them through a grandfathering process yet to be worked out.
Under the amnesty, the newly prohibited firearms can only be transferred or transported within Canada for specific purposes. Owners must keep the guns securely stored until there is more information on the buyback program.
Mary-Liz Power, a spokeswoman for Canada’s public safety minister, said details of how the buyback program will work will be determined by the government and the other parties in Parliament.
“We can’t prejudge what the result of the parliamentary process will be. That is when details about grandfathering would be determined,” Power said.
Trudeau said the weapons were designed for one purpose and one purpose only: to kill the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time.
“Today we are closing the market for military-grade assault weapons in Canada,” he said.
Mass shootings are relatively rare in Canada, but Trudeau said they are happening more often. Trudeau noted he was nearby when in Montreal when gunman Marc Lepine killed 14 women and himself at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique college in 1989. The Ruger Mini-14 Lepine used is among weapons included in the ban.
Trudeau has said his government would introduce further gun control legislation prohibiting military-style assault weapons, a measure that had already been planned before the coronavirus pandemic interrupted the current parliamentary session.
“Enough is enough,” Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said. “Banning assault-style firearms will save Canadian lives. These guns have no legitimate civilian purpose.”
The gunman in Nova Scotia, 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman, shot 13 people to death and set fires that killed nine others in one of the worst mass shootings in the country’s history. Police have said he used a handgun that was obtained in Canada and long guns that he obtained in the U.S., but they have not specifically said what guns he used. The rampage started with an assault on his girlfriend and it ended with 22 people dead in communities across central and northern Nova Scotia. A number of people had disputes with the gunman.
Blair said two of the illegal long guns that Wortman used are now on the list of weapons banned. He declined to identify them.
Opposition Conservative leader Andrew Scheer accused Trudeau of using the “immediate emotion of the horrific attack in Nova Scotia to push the Liberals’ ideological agenda and make major firearms policy changes.”
Scheer said the Nova Scotia shooter did not have a firearms licence, so all of his guns were illegal.
“Taking firearms away from law-abiding citizens does nothing to stop dangerous criminals who obtain their guns illegally,” Scheer said in a statement.
But Blair said making such guns illegal in Canada will make it harder for criminals to obtain them.
“Every firearm begins legally and then moves into an illegal market,” Blair said.


chicagosun-times--2020-05-01--Here’s how much it costs restaurants when you order through delivery apps (Hint: It can be more than

Here’s how much it costs restaurants when you order through delivery apps (Hint: It can be more than they earn)

With restaurants banned from serving dine-in customers amid the coronavirus pandemic , many owners have turned to food delivery apps — like Grubhub , Postmates and Uber Eats — to facilitate their orders .
Many of those apps have seen a “ definite uptick ” in business over the last six weeks — but it ’ s apparently coming at a big cost to the restaurateurs .
In a Facebook post published this week , Giuseppe Badalamenti , a restaurant consultant and the owner of Chicago Pizza Boss , shared a snapshot of a March statement from Grubhub , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of online orders through the app .
The unidentified restaurant , which is a client of Badalamenti , accepted $ 1,042.63 in 46 pre-paid orders ( 42 delivery and four pickup ) last month .
But it earned only $ 376.54 , according to his post , which has been shared by more than 2,500 people .
“ Out of almost $ 1,100 of orders .
Your Restaurant you are trying to support receives not even $ 400 , ” Badalamenti wrote .
“ It is almost enough to pay for the food.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Loop , charges business owners several hefty fees for its services , including a 20 % marketing commission , 10 % delivery commission and a 3.05 % processing fee , according to its website .
In Badalamenti ’ s example , the restaurant was also charged $ 231 worth of “ promotions , ” though it ’ s unclear if the promotion was specifically for the eatery .
In April , Grubhub offered its customers a $ 10 discount on orders of $ 30 or more .
Though the promo was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to eat the cost .
“ Stop believing you are supporting your community by ordering from a 3rd party delivery company , ” Badalamenti wrote .
The statement also shows $ 131.19 worth of adjustments , which Badalamenti said are refunds or credits given to unsatisfied customers who complained that their delivery wasn ’ t quick enough or the food was unsatisfactory .
“ There ’ s three thirds of a restaurant service — you capture the order , you make the food and then you deliver great service at the end .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ part ] , ” Badalamenti told the Sun-Times in a phone interview .
“ The food sits for 20 minutes before anybody shows up , the food doesn ’ t get put in bags .
Yeah , Grubhub is going to say , ‘ Yeah , we ’ re training everybody , everybody knows best practices.
’ But that ’ s not the reality on the ground .
“ The reality on the ground is that orders are late , orders are cold , people are dissatisfied and the person that pays @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no part in that.
” Badalamenti ’ s post has since gone viral with many commenters stunned at how Grubhub is shortchanging restaurant owners .
“ Damn it ’ s that bad , ” one man commented on the post .
“ I have used GrubHub and DoorDash in the past but never again , ” another person wrote .
“ I had no idea how much the restaurant gets shorted .
When you know better you do better.
” “ Create a movement of other restaurants sharing their statements , ” one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a powerful move.
” Badalamenti , who advises his clients not to use third party delivery apps , said independent restaurants feel pressured to sign up for these delivery apps , especially because customers like them and competitors use them .
It also does offer convenience if restaurants don ’ t have an in-house delivery system .
“ The consumer is using these apps under the assumption that everybody is getting a fair shake , but that ’ s not what ’ s going on , ” he said .

With restaurants banned from serving dine-in customers amid the coronavirus pandemic, many owners have turned to food delivery apps — like Grubhub, Postmates and Uber Eats — to facilitate their orders.
Many of those apps have seen a “definite uptick” in business over the last six weeks — but it’s apparently coming at a big cost to the restaurateurs.
In a Facebook post published this past week, Giuseppe Badalamenti, a restaurant consultant and the owner of Chicago Pizza Boss, shared a snapshot of a March statement from Grubhub, which detailed just how little restaurants profit from online orders through the app.
The unidentified restaurant, which is a client of Badalamenti, accepted $1,042.63 in 46 pre-paid orders (42 delivery and four pickup) last month. But it earned only $376.54, according to his post, which has been shared by more than 2,500 people.
“Stop believing you are supporting your community by ordering from a 3rd party delivery company,” Badalamenti wrote. “Out of almost $1,100 of orders. Your Restaurant you are trying to support receives not even $400. It is almost enough to pay for the food.”
Grubhub, which is headquartered in the Loop, charges business owners several hefty fees for its services, including a 20% marketing commission, 10% delivery commission and a 3.05% processing fee, according to its website.
In Badalamenti’s example, the restaurant was also charged $231 worth of “promotions,” though it’s unclear if the promotion was specifically for the eatery.
In April, Grubhub offered its customers a $10 discount on orders of $30 or more. The app covered up to $250 worth of the promotion. After that, restaurants were responsible for funding the promotion, though they had the option to opt out at any time.
“We committed to funding $30 million to restaurants that chose to participate in the optional promotion of $10 off orders of $30 or more, which had the potential to stimulate $100M in food sales for restaurants,” a Grubhub spokesperson said.
The statement also shows $131.19 worth of adjustments, which Badalamenti said are refunds or credits given to unsatisfied customers who complained their delivery wasn’t quick enough or the food was unsatisfactory.
“There’s three thirds of a restaurant service — you capture the order, you make the food and then you deliver great service at the end. Restaurants are missing out on that third [part],” Badalamenti told the Sun-Times in a phone interview. “The food sits for 20 minutes before anybody shows up, the food doesn’t get put in bags. Yeah, Grubhub is going to say, ‘Yeah, we’re training everybody, everybody knows best practices.’ But that’s not the reality on the ground.
“The reality on the ground is that orders are late, orders are cold, people are dissatisfied, and the person that pays for it is the restauranteur who had no part in that.”
But Grubhub said that’s not necessarily true. Adjustments can also reflect special instructions from the diner or be used when a restaurant is out of a selected menu item.
“Restaurant owners select the services they want and only pay a commission to Grubhub when we help generate sales,” a Grubhub spokesperson said. “Grubhub is happy to work with restaurant partners to help them manage costs and grow their business.”
Badalamenti’s post has since gone viral with many commenters stunned at how Grubhub is shortchanging restaurant owners.
“Damn it’s that bad,” one man commented on the post.
“I have used GrubHub and DoorDash in the past but never again,” another person wrote. “I had no idea how much the restaurant gets shorted. When you know better you do better.”
“Create a movement of other restaurants sharing their statements,” one commenter suggested. “This could be a powerful move.”
Badalamenti, who advises his clients not to use third-party delivery apps, said independent restaurants feel pressured to sign up for these delivery apps, especially because customers like them and competitors use them. It also does offer convenience if restaurants don’t have an in-house delivery system.
“The consumer is using these apps under the assumption that everybody is getting a fair shake, but that’s not what’s going on,” he said.


chicagosun-times--2020-05-02--Catalytic converters stolen in Logan Square

Police are warning residents about a series of catalytic converter thefts last month from vehicles in Logan Square on the @ @ @ @ @ case , someone cut the catalytic converter from a vehicle and fled with it , @ @ @ @ @ from Chicago police .
• About 7 a.m. April 20 in the 3500 block of @ @ @ @ @ Between 11:30 p.m. April 19 and 3:45 a.m. April 22 in the 3400 block of @ @ @ @ @ • Between 9 p.m. April 19 and 7:15 a.m. April 20 in the 2400 block @ @ @ @ @ .
No suspect description is available , police said .
Anyone with information is asked @ @ @ @ @ .
Read more on crime , and track the city ’ s homicides .

Police are warning residents about a series of catalytic converter thefts last month from vehicles in Logan Square on the Northwest Side.
In each case, someone cut the catalytic converter from a vehicle and fled with it, according to a community alert from Chicago police.
The thefts occurred:
About 7 a.m. April 20 in the 3500 block of West Medill Avenue;
Between 11:30 p.m. April 19 and 3:45 a.m. April 22 in the 3400 block of West Shakespeare Avenue; and
Between 9 p.m. April 19 and 7:15 a.m. April 20 in the 2400 block of North St. Louis Avenue.
No suspect description is available, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 312-746-7394.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-05-02--Dear Abby: I don’t want my mean dad to walk me down the aisle

DEAR ABBY : For some reason , my father hates my fiance to the point where , when I stayed with my fiance for one day , Dad wouldn ’ t allow me to come home .
Dad said many nasty things after eventually letting me back home , but among the more hurtful ones were that he hoped my fiance would abuse me , and that I shouldn ’ t be allowed to get married .
He doesn ’ t remember saying them , but I remember them well .
Only my immediate family and my fiance ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I say I would rather have my brother walk me down the aisle , my relatives are all in disbelief .
Dad has come to terms with my engagement to my fiance , but he treats him differently compared to my older sister ’ s boyfriend .
Am I really in the wrong for not wanting him to escort me ?
— MISUNDERSTOOD BRIDE-TO-BE DEAR MISUNDERSTOOD : Does your father have a substance abuse problem ?
An anger management problem ?
Under the circumstances , it is understandable that you would prefer someone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Your fiance must be a saint to want to enter a marriage with a built-in in-law problem like your dad .
My advice is to do what is best for the two of you , including considering an elopement .
DEAR ABBY : I ’ m a girl in my teens .
My best friend moved away , and I miss her so much .
It feels like the world has turned against me , and I am depressed .
I don ’ t like to text her , and I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her every single day , although I haven ’ t asked .
I ’ m afraid we ’ re not going to be friends anymore , and I feel so distant from my other friends .
I made a new friend this year , but it isn ’ t the same .
What should I do , Abby ?
Do I talk to her about it ?
Or should I stop being her friend ?
— MISSING MY BEST FRIEND DEAR MISSING : It is painful when life separates people .
As you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blocks , are not interchangeable .
Do not suddenly stop communicating with your friend .
You should absolutely talk to her and tell her how you are feeling because she may be feeling the same way .
With more time , you will get past this .
You will meet more people and establish new relationships .
But in the meantime , try to stay busy , which will help you feel less isolated .
DEAR ABBY : I am an 84-year-old divorced alum from a local college , who has developed feelings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local university .
She works at my former college and visited me a month ago asking for a donation to the college .
Since then , she has shown extreme appreciation of my gift , via letter , emails and phone calls .
I ’ m curious as to how much her feelings of appreciation are for her success as a fundraiser , or if the attraction could be mutual .
Do you think the age difference is too much for me to pursue a meaningful relationship with her ?
I would appreciate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UNKNOWN FEELINGS IN VIRGINIA DEAR UNKNOWN FEELINGS : Depending upon the condition you are in physically and financially , the age difference may not be an insurmountable problem .
At 59 , she is old enough to decide whether it ’ s a deal-breaker .
Invite her out .
See if she accepts .
If she hits you up for another donation , you will know where you stand .
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren , also known as Jeanne Phillips , and was founded by her mother , Pauline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or P.O .
Box 69440 , Los Angeles , CA 90069 .
Good advice for everyone — teens to seniors — is in “ The Anger in All of Us and How to Deal With It.
” To order , send your name and mailing address , plus check or money order for $ 8 ( U.S. funds ) , to : Dear Abby , Anger Booklet , P.O .
Box 447 , Mount Morris , IL 61054-0447 .
( Shipping and handling are included in the price . )

DEAR ABBY: For some reason, my father hates my fiance to the point where, when I stayed with my fiance for one day, Dad wouldn’t allow me to come home. Dad said many nasty things after eventually letting me back home, but among the more hurtful ones were that he hoped my fiance would abuse me, and that I shouldn’t be allowed to get married. He doesn’t remember saying them, but I remember them well.
Only my immediate family and my fiance’s family know the specifics, and whenever I say I would rather have my brother walk me down the aisle, my relatives are all in disbelief. Dad has come to terms with my engagement to my fiance, but he treats him differently compared to my older sister’s boyfriend. Am I really in the wrong for not wanting him to escort me? — MISUNDERSTOOD BRIDE-TO-BE
DEAR MISUNDERSTOOD: Does your father have a substance abuse problem? An anger management problem? Under the circumstances, it is understandable that you would prefer someone else walk you down the aisle.
Your fiance must be a saint to want to enter a marriage with a built-in in-law problem like your dad. My advice is to do what is best for the two of you, including considering an elopement.
DEAR ABBY: I’m a girl in my teens. My best friend moved away, and I miss her so much. It feels like the world has turned against me, and I am depressed.
I don’t like to text her, and I don’t think she would let me call her every single day, although I haven’t asked. I’m afraid we’re not going to be friends anymore, and I feel so distant from my other friends. I made a new friend this year, but it isn’t the same.
What should I do, Abby? Do I talk to her about it? Or should I stop being her friend? — MISSING MY BEST FRIEND
DEAR MISSING: It is painful when life separates people. As you pointed out, friendships, unlike Lego blocks, are not interchangeable. Do not suddenly stop communicating with your friend. You should absolutely talk to her and tell her how you are feeling because she may be feeling the same way.
With more time, you will get past this. You will meet more people and establish new relationships. But in the meantime, try to stay busy, which will help you feel less isolated.
DEAR ABBY: I am an 84-year-old divorced alum from a local college, who has developed feelings for a 59-year-old widowed alum from a local university. She works at my former college and visited me a month ago asking for a donation to the college. Since then, she has shown extreme appreciation of my gift, via letter, emails and phone calls.
I’m curious as to how much her feelings of appreciation are for her success as a fundraiser, or if the attraction could be mutual. Do you think the age difference is too much for me to pursue a meaningful relationship with her? I would appreciate your opinion. Thank you. — UNKNOWN FEELINGS IN VIRGINIA
DEAR UNKNOWN FEELINGS: Depending upon the condition you are in physically and financially, the age difference may not be an insurmountable problem. At 59, she is old enough to decide whether it’s a deal-breaker. Invite her out. See if she accepts. If she hits you up for another donation, you will know where you stand.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Good advice for everyone — teens to seniors — is in “The Anger in All of Us and How to Deal With It.” To order, send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds), to: Dear Abby, Anger Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)


chicagosun-times--2020-05-02--13-year-old girl missing from South Shore since March

Police are looking for a 13-year-old girl who has been missing since March from South Shore .
Marshae Rogers was @ @ @ @ @ the 6700 block of South Paxton Avenue , according to a missing person alert from @ @ @ @ @ a 5-foot-7 , 140-pound girl with brown eyes and black hair , police said .
@ @ @ @ @ visit the area near 70th and Bishop streets in Englewood .
Police previously issued a @ @ @ @ @ in April , but distributed a new flyer Friday with additional photos .
Anyone with @ @ @ @ @ detectives at 312-747-8380 .

Police are looking for a 13-year-old girl who has been missing since March from South Shore.
Marshae Rogers was last seen March 17 in the 6700 block of South Paxton Avenue, according to a missing person alert from Chicago police.
Marshae is a 5-foot-7, 140-pound girl with brown eyes and black hair, police said. She has been known to visit the area near 70th and Bishop streets in Englewood.
Police previously issued a missing person alert for her in April, but distributed a new flyer Friday with additional photos.
Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 312-747-8380.