chicagosun-times--2020-09-14--53 shot, 11 fatally this weekend in Chicago

53 people have been shot , 11 of them fatally , this weekend in Chicago .
The latest fatal shooting killed a 27-year-old man Monday morning in Uptown on the North Side .
He got into a vehicle about 12:45 a.m. in the 1200 block of West Leland Avenue when someone in a dark-colored vehicle shot him in the chest , neck and abdomen , Chicago police said .
The man was pronounced dead on the scene , police said .
The Cook County medical examiner ’ s office hasn ’ t released details about his death .
Sunday night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fatally in Garfield Park on the West Side .
A 28-year-old woman and 26-year-old man were sitting in a vehicle about 11:30 p.m. in the 200 block of North Pulaski Road when someone on foot fired shots , police said .
The woman was struck in the back and was taken to Stroger Hospital where she was pronounced dead , police said .
The Cook County medical examiner ’ s office hasn ’ t released details about her death .
The man was taken to the same hospital in critical condition with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
In the afternoon , a man was killed and three people were wounded in Englewood on the South Side .
Just before 4 p.m. , the group was on a porch in the 6100 block of South Throop Street when two people got out of a passing vehicle and opened fire , police said .
A 35-year-old man was struck in the head and taken to Stroger Hospital , where he died , police said .
The medical examiner ’ s office has not identified him .
A 17-year-old boy was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the University of Chicago Medical Center , while a 60-year-old man who was grazed in the back went to Holy Cross Hospital , police said .
A woman , 26 , went to St. Bernard Hospital with a gunshot wound to her hand .
All three of the wounded were in good condition , police said .
Early Sunday , a man was found shot to death in Woodlawn on the South Side .
He was found outside about 12:10 a.m. in the 6100 block of South Rhodes Avenue with gunshot wounds to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man was pronounced dead on the scene .
The medical examiner ’ s office identified him as Jeremy Akons , of Woodlawn .
Saturday , two men were shot , one fatally , in the East Side neighborhood .
Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert about 11:05 p.m. and found two men unresponsive with gunshot wounds outside a home in the 10600 block of South Mackinaw Avenue , police said .
A 43-year-old man shot in the head and chest was pronounced dead on the scene , police said .
The medical examiner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gomez Torrez .
Another man , 39 , was struck in the torso and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition , police said .
About the same time , a 33-year-old woman was fatally shot in Austin on the West Side .
She was found unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head about 11:05 p.m. in the 500 block of North Pine Avenue , police said .
She was pronounced dead at the scene .
The medical examiner ’ s office identified her as Danielle Pearson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blocks away from the scene where two people were killed and four others were hurt earlier in the morning .
A male suspect fired shots at a crowd about 2:05 a.m. in the 100 block of North Pine Avenue during an argument , police said .
Someone returned fire , striking him as well .
A 47-year-old woman was shot in the face and chest and was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital , police said .
A 35-year-old man was shot in the chest and arm and was pronounced dead at the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michael Mickey and the woman was identified as Lunyea Wilson , according to the medical examiner ’ s office .
Two men and a woman were taken to area hospitals in good condition , police said .
The suspect was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition .
Another man was killed Saturday morning in River West .
Officers responding to reports of shots fired found the 34-year-old man on the ground with a gunshot wound to his back about 3:20 a.m. in the 700 block of North Morgan Street , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Memorial Hospital , where he was pronounced dead , police said .
The medical examiner ’ s office identified him as Patrick L. Clinton .
In the afternoon , a man was shot dead in West Englewood .
A 32-year-old man was driving about 2:05 p.m. in the 2300 block of West 63rd Street when a male suspect in a dark-colored SUV pulled alongside him and fired shots , Chicago police said .
The man was shot in the chest , and he was pronounced dead at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical examiner ’ s office identified him as Joshua Davis , of Chicago Lawn .
The earliest fatal shooting happened in the same neighborhood .
Officers responding to reports of a person shot found the 34-year-old man unresponsive on the ground shortly after midnight in the 6200 block of South Seeley Avenue , police said .
He had a gunshot wound to the back of his head and was pronounced dead at the scene , according to police .
The medical examiner ’ s office identified him as Walter Leflora , of West @ @ @ @ @ @ @ woman was grazed by a bullet Sunday in West Rogers Park in a shooting that also hit a Chicago Fire Department firehouse .
She was driving about 6:30 a.m. in the 6200 block of North California Avenue when someone fired shots at her from the street , police said .
She drove herself to Stroger Hospital and was treated for a graze wound to her head .
The firehouse at 6239 North California Avenue was among the buildings that were shot up , police said .
No other injuries were reported .
Three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Lawndale on the West Side .
Two males walked up to the men and opened fire about 7 p.m. in the 1800 block of South Pulaski Road , police said .
A 26-year-old man was shot four times and taken to Mt .
Sinai Hospital , where police said he was in good condition .
A 37-year-old man was struck in the lower leg and taken to Stroger Hospital , also in good condition .
Another man , 29 , was grazed by a bullet and declined medical treatment .
29 other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday .
An 86-year-old man was found shot to death about 6 p.m. Sunday in the 11900 block of South Lafayette Avenue , police said .
Investigators believe he was shot between 2 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Sunday .
An 85-year-old man was taken into custody .
Last weekend , eight people were killed and 48 others were hurt by gun violence in Chicago .
Read more on crime , and track the city ’ s homicides .

Fifty-four people people were shot, 12 of them fatally, this weekend in Chicago.
The weekend was deadlier than last week’s Labor Day weekend, when eight people were killed and 48 others hurt over three days.
This weekend’s homicide victims were between 27 and 86 years old. The youngest person wounded was 17 years old.
At least seven people were fatally shot Saturday, while four people were killed Sunday and one person was killed Monday before 5 a.m. Three of the fatalities were women.
In addition to the gun violence this weekend, a 42-year-old man was fatally stabbed Sunday in a domestic argument in the Park Manor neighborhood. A woman was arrested at the scene. No charges have been announced.
Chicago has seen a 52% increase in murders in 2020 compared to the same time last year, according to official Chicago police statistics. The city has seen a similar rise in shootings over the same time period.
So far this year, Chicago police have recorded more than 2,200 shootings and 520 murders. That’s compared to 340 murders and 1,400 shootings during by the same time in 2019.
This year’s murder count is already higher than it was in 2016, one of the city’s most violent years in the last decade.
Monday morning
The latest fatal shooting happened about 12:45 a.m. Monday in Uptown. A man got into a vehicle in the 1200 block of West Leland Avenue and someone in a dark-colored vehicle shot him in the chest, neck and abdomen, Chicago police said.
The 27-year-old was pronounced dead on the scene, police said. The Cook County medical examiner’s office hasn’t released his name.
Chicago police investigate after a man was found shot to death Sept. 12, 2020, in the 6200 block of South Seeley Avenue. Carly Behm/Sun-Times
Sunday
About 11:30 p.m. Sunday, two people were shot, one fatally, in Garfield Park on the West Side. A 28-year-old woman and 26-year-old man were sitting in a vehicle in the 200 block of North Pulaski Road when someone on foot fired shots, police said.
The woman was struck in the back and was taken to Stroger Hospital where she was pronounced dead, police said. Her name has not been released. The man was taken to the same hospital in critical condition with a gunshot wound to his abdomen, police said.
About 6 p.m. Sunday, an 86-year-old man was found shot to death in the 11900 block of South Lafayette Avenue, police said. Investigators believe Herbert Davis was shot during a domestic dispute, officials said. An 85-year-old man was taken into custody. No charges have been filed.
Sunday afternoon, a man was killed and three people wounded in Englewood on the South Side. Just before 4 p.m., a group was on a porch in the 6100 block of South Throop Street when two people got out of a passing vehicle and opened fire, police said.
A 35-year-old man was struck in the head and taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died, police said. The medical examiner’s office has not identified him.
A 17-year-old boy was shot in the hip and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, while a 60-year-old man who was grazed in the back went to Holy Cross Hospital, police said. A woman, 26, went to St. Bernard Hospital with a gunshot wound to her hand. All three of the wounded were in good condition, police said.
Early Sunday, a man was found shot to death in Woodlawn on the South Side. He was found outside about 12:10 a.m. in the 6100 block of South Rhodes Avenue with gunshot wounds to the torso, police said. Jeremy Akons of Woodlawn was pronounced dead on the scene, officials said.
Saturday
On Saturday night, two men were shot, one fatally, in the East Side neighborhood. Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert about 11:05 p.m. and found two men unresponsive with gunshot wounds outside a home in the 10600 block of South Mackinaw Avenue, police said. Juan Gomez Torrez, 43, was shot in the head and chest pronounced dead on the scene, officials said.
Another man, 39, was struck in the torso and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition, police said.
About the same time Saturday night, a 33-year-old woman was fatally shot in Austin on the West Side. She was found unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head about 11:05 p.m. in the 500 block of North Pine Avenue, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The medical examiner’s office identified her as Danielle Pearson of Austin.
The shooting happened blocks away from the scene where two people were killed and four others were hurt earlier in the morning. A male suspect fired shots at a crowd about 2:05 a.m. in the 100 block of North Pine Avenue during an argument, police said. Someone returned fire, striking him as well.
A 47-year-old woman was shot in the face and chest and was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital, police said. A 35-year-old man was shot in the chest and arm and was pronounced dead at the same hospital. The man was identified as Michael Mickey and the woman was identified as Lunyea Wilson, officials said.
Two men and a woman were taken to area hospitals in good condition, police said. The suspect was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition.
Chicago police investigate the scene where multiple people were shot Sept. 12, 2020, in Austin. Carly Behm/Sun-Times
Another man was killed Saturday morning in River West. Officers responding to reports of shots fired found the 34-year-old man on the ground with a gunshot wound to his back about 3:20 a.m. in the 700 block of North Morgan Street, according to police. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. The medical examiner’s office identified him as Patrick L. Clinton.
Saturday afternoon, a man was shot dead in West Englewood. A 32-year-old man was driving about 2:05 p.m. in the 2300 block of West 63rd Street when a male suspect in a dark-colored SUV pulled alongside him and fired shots, police said.
The man was shot in the chest, and he was pronounced dead at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, police said. He was identified as Joshua Davis of Chicago Lawn.
The first-reported fatal shooting happened shortly after midnight Saturday in the same neighborhood. Officers responding to reports of a person shot found the 34-year-old man unresponsive on the ground in the 6200 block of South Seeley Avenue, police said. Walter Leflora, of West Englewood, had a gunshot wound to the back of his head and was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.
Nonfatal shootings
In nonfatal shootings, a woman was grazed by a bullet Sunday in West Rogers Park in a shooting that also hit a Chicago Fire Department firehouse. She was driving about 6:30 a.m. in the 6200 block of North California Avenue when someone fired shots at her from the street, police said. She drove herself to Stroger Hospital and was treated for a graze wound to her head.
The firehouse at 6239 North California Avenue was among the buildings that were shot, police said. No other injuries were reported.
Three people were wounded in a shooting Saturday in Lawndale on the West Side. Two males walked up to the men and opened fire about 7 p.m. in the 1800 block of South Pulaski Road, police said.
A 26-year-old man was shot four times and taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where police said he was in good condition. A 37-year-old man was struck in the lower leg and taken to Stroger Hospital, also in good condition. Another man, 29, was grazed by a bullet and declined medical treatment.
At least 29 others were wounded in shootings over the weekend, between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-09-14--Man shot and killed in Uptown

Man shot and killed in Uptown

A 27-year-old man was shot dead Monday in Uptown on the North Side .
He had just entered a vehicle @ @ @ @ @ 1200 block of West Leland Avenue when someone in a dark-colored vehicle fired shots , @ @ @ @ @ man was hit in the chest , neck and abdomen .
He was pronounced dead @ @ @ @ @ Cook County medical examiner ’ s office hasn ’ t released details about the fatality @ @ @ @ @ custody as Area Three detectives investigate .
Read more on crime , and track the @ @ @ @ @

A 27-year-old man was shot dead Monday in Uptown on the North Side.
He had just entered a vehicle about 12:45 a.m. in the 1200 block of West Leland Avenue when someone in a dark-colored vehicle fired shots, Chicago police said.
The man was hit in the chest, neck and abdomen, police said. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office identified him as Demarco Conley of Scottsdale on the Southwest Side. An autopsy ruled his death a homicide.
No one is in custody as Area Three detectives investigate.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-09-14--Person in custody after man stabbed to death in Park Manor

A 42-year-old man was stabbed to death Sunday in Park Manor on the South Side .
He was stabbed in @ @ @ @ @ argument about 11:30 p.m. in the 7400 block of South Evans Avenue , Chicago police @ @ @ @ @ pronounced dead at the University of Chicago Medical Center .
The Cook County medical examiner @ @ @ @ @ t released details about his death .
A female was taken into custody on the @ @ @ @ @ Charges are pending as Area One detectives investigate .
Read more on crime , and @ @ @ @ @ homicides .

A woman was released from police custody after citing self-defense in the fatal stabbing of a 42-year-old man during a domestic argument Sunday on the South Side.
After being choked and fearing for her life, the woman went to the kitchen of a Park Manor home and grabbed a knife, Chicago police said.
She then stabbed Maurice Galvan, who later died of a stab wound to his neck at the University of Chicago Medical Center, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.
The stabbing happened about 11:30 p.m. in the 7400 block of South Evans Avenue, police said.
The woman was arrested at the scene but released later after citing self-defense, police said.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-09-14--Person killed, another injured in crash near Midway Airport

A person was killed , and another was injured Sunday in a crash on the Southwest Side near Midway Airport @ @ @ @ @ authorities from an outside agency saw a Red Kia sedan traveling northbound on Cicero Avenue @ @ @ @ @ The driver ran a red light at the intersection of South State Road and Cicero @ @ @ @ @ car over as it sped off on Cicero , police said .
They found it @ @ @ @ @ in the 5900 block of South Cicero Avenue .
A male inside the car was @ @ @ @ @ dead on the scene , police said .
The Cook County medical examiner ’ s @ @ @ @ @ details about his death .
A 33-year-old man who was a passenger in the Kia @ @ @ @ @ Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition , police said .
Details about his injuries @ @ @ @ @ .
Chicago police ’ s Major Accidents unit and Area One detectives are investigating .

A man was killed, and another was injured Sunday in a crash on the Southwest Side near Midway Airport.
About 11:10 p.m., authorities from an outside agency saw a Red Kia sedan traveling northbound on Cicero Avenue, Chicago police said. The driver ran a red light at the intersection of South State Road and Cicero.
Authorities tried pulling the car over as it sped off on Cicero, police said. They found it had crashed into a viaduct in the 5900 block of South Cicero Avenue.
A male inside the car was found unresponsive and was pronounced dead on the scene, police said.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office identified him as 43-year-old Andres Nevarez of Chicago Lawn. An autopsy ruled his death an accident.
A 33-year-old man who was a passenger in the Kia was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition, police said. Details about his injuries weren’t immediately available.
Chicago police’s Major Accidents unit and Area One detectives are investigating.


chicagosun-times--2020-09-13--Horoscope for Monday, Sept. 14, 2020

Horoscope for Monday, Sept. 14, 2020

There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions .
The moon is in Leo .
You are in the mood to play , and you have the energy to do so .
However , be aware that you can do something to improve your health .
You also can regenerate or re-energize your job in some way .
Lots of possibilities !
This is a lovely day to entertain at home or make your home look more attractive .
Meanwhile , parents might see a new approach to educating or taking care of their kids .
A new truth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chatting to others because you want to reach out to people .
Meanwhile , a family member might insist on something .
In turn , you will be powerful and forceful and so will they !
This might relate to making home improvements .
This is a powerful day for those in sales , marketing , writing , acting or teaching because you are persuasive !
Not only will people listen to you , they will be impressed at how you see the underlying cause for something .
Clever you !
Today you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something you already own .
Likewise , you might see new ways to boost your earnings or discover a new source of making money ?
When it comes to money and assets , you ’ re in a resourceful frame of mind !
Take a realistic look in the mirror and ask yourself what you can do to improve the impression you create on your world .
Something to do with your hair ?
Glasses ?
New wardrobe items ?
Shoes ?
Think about this .
You never get a second chance to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ research abilities are excellent !
If you ’ re looking for answers to old questions or solutions for old problems , you won ’ t not stop until you find what you are looking for .
You ’ ll be like a dog with a bone !
Your endurance and diligence will surprise even you .
A conversation with a friend or a member of a group will be powerful and perhaps even life-changing today .
Someone ( and this person might be you ) wants to make improvements to the way things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Well , there is always room for improvement , isn ’ t there ?
You might want to listen .
Your interactions with a boss , parent or a member of the police will be memorable because powerful people are ready to speak up .
Furthermore , everyone is in an investigative state of mind .
Everyone wants to get things done !
“ Go , go , go !
” Discussions about politics , religion and racial issues will be powerful today .
Someone might try to persuade you to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vice versa , you might try to persuade others to see your way of thinking .
The fact is when it comes to politics , people are entrenched in their views .
You might take a new approach to how you deal with shared property , inheritances or something that you own jointly with others .
That ’ s because today you are more inclined to see the underbelly of things and how certain things actually work .
Discussions with others will be intense and to the point today .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get to the bottom of how or why something works or doesn ’ t work .
People will make a strong impression on each other today as well .
( You will notice is ! )
If Your Birthday Is Today Actor Callum Keith Rennie ( 1960 ) shares your birthday .
Even if in the public eye , basically , you are shy and timid .
You are now starting to sense that you ’ re wrapping up things you began nine years ago because you are letting go of what is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ move on to something new and different .
This is not a time of loss .
Au contraire !
You are lightening your load to make room for new beginnings !

Moon Alert
There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions. The moon is in Leo.
Aries (March 21-April 19)
You are in the mood to play, and you have the energy to do so. However, be aware that you can do something to improve your health. You also can regenerate or re-energize your job in some way. Lots of possibilities!
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
This is a lovely day to entertain at home or make your home look more attractive. Meanwhile, parents might see a new approach to educating or taking care of their kids. A new truth might be revealed to you.
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
Enjoy chatting to others because you want to reach out to people. Meanwhile, a family member might insist on something. In turn, you will be powerful and forceful and so will they! This might relate to making home improvements.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
This is a powerful day for those in sales, marketing, writing, acting or teaching because you are persuasive! Not only will people listen to you, they will be impressed at how you see the underlying cause for something. Clever you!
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)
Today you might see new uses and applications for something you already own. Likewise, you might see new ways to boost your earnings or discover a new source of making money? When it comes to money and assets, you’re in a resourceful frame of mind!
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Take a realistic look in the mirror and ask yourself what you can do to improve the impression you create on your world. Something to do with your hair? Glasses? New wardrobe items? Shoes? Think about this. You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Today your research abilities are excellent! If you’re looking for answers to old questions or solutions for old problems, you won’t not stop until you find what you are looking for. You’ll be like a dog with a bone! Your endurance and diligence will surprise even you.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
A conversation with a friend or a member of a group will be powerful and perhaps even life-changing today. Someone (and this person might be you) wants to make improvements to the way things are done, especially in a group. Well, there is always room for improvement, isn’t there? You might want to listen.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Your interactions with a boss, parent or a member of the police will be memorable because powerful people are ready to speak up. Furthermore, everyone is in an investigative state of mind. Everyone wants to get things done! “Go, go, go!”
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Discussions about politics, religion and racial issues will be powerful today. Someone might try to persuade you to see their way of thinking, or, vice versa, you might try to persuade others to see your way of thinking. The fact is when it comes to politics, people are entrenched in their views.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
You might take a new approach to how you deal with shared property, inheritances or something that you own jointly with others. That’s because today you are more inclined to see the underbelly of things and how certain things actually work.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Discussions with others will be intense and to the point today. It’s a good day to investigate something and get to the bottom of how or why something works or doesn’t work. People will make a strong impression on each other today as well. (You will notice is!)
If Your Birthday Is Today
Actor Callum Keith Rennie (1960) shares your birthday. Even if in the public eye, basically, you are shy and timid. You are now starting to sense that you’re wrapping up things you began nine years ago because you are letting go of what is no longer relevant so that you can move on to something new and different. This is not a time of loss. Au contraire! You are lightening your load to make room for new beginnings!


chicagosun-times--2020-09-14--Illinois reports lowest COVID-19 positivity rate since July as officials warn to stay masked (LIVE U

Illinois reports lowest COVID-19 positivity rate since July as officials warn to stay masked (LIVE UPDATES)

Lowest positive COVID-19 test rate since July ‘ definitely encouraging , ’ but officials warn to stay masked , socially distant Illinois public health officials on Monday reported 1,373 new COVID-19 cases and a seven-day positivity rate of 3.6 % — the lowest the main metric used to measure the spread of the virus has been in more than seven weeks .
The rolling positivity rate has not been lower since July 25 , when the metric dipped to 3.56 % .
The seven-day average rate of tests that come back positive is the figure experts rely on to gauge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday ’ s results were based on 35,930 test specimens processed by laboratories .
The coronavirus also claimed five more lives , the Illinois Public Health Department announced .
“ Any time we see the positivity rate go down , it ’ s definitely encouraging , ” said department spokeswoman Melaney Arnold .
“ But until we have a vaccine , we have to keep up with what works : wearing masks and social distancing.
” The daily case count has been a roller coaster of ups and downs recently , which has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Read the full story from reporter Mitch Dudek here .
A pair of Illinois universities were unable to receive their orders for COVID-19 test kits or test machines for the start of the fall semester because federal health officials directed a manufacturer to send supplies to other needy locations .
Loyola University Chicago hoped to start the school year with six test analyzing machines to help process potentially thousands of coronavirus tests at two locations but had to settle for four because the manufacturer Quidel was ordered by the Trump Administration to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in need .
“ It limits our ability to increase the scope of our testing if we don ’ t have analyzers to give us the results of the tests , ” said Joan Holden , director of Loyola ’ s wellness center .
The university already has the test kits in hand , she said .
6 p.m. Chicago poised for comeback , top mayoral advisers say , insisting downtown security top issue for Lightfoot Chicago is poised for a comeback from the pandemic because of spending growth it has already seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mayoral advisors said Monday , even as they confronted the elephant in the room : downtown security .
Deputy mayor for economic and neighborhood development Samir Mayekar and former White House chief of staff Sam Skinner were prime movers behind the roadmap to economic recovery released by Mayor Lori Lightfoot in early July .
But , since that time , downtown Chicago , River North and Lincoln Park were hit by a second wave of looting more devastating than the first that , once again spread to commercial corridors on the South and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confidence in Chicago to the core and left downtown businesses and residents feeling unsafe .
During a virtual appearance before the City Club of Chicago , Skinner didn ’ t wait to be asked about the second round of looting and the damage it did to Chicago ’ s ability to reverse population losses and attract second corporate headquarters .
He anticipated the question and confronted it head-on .
5 p.m. Wisconsin in danger of returning to Chicago ’ s travel advisory Wisconsin has been an-on-again-off-again state on Chicago ’ s 14-day quarantine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state might be going back on again .
For the second time in two months , Chicago Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady is warning Wisconsin it is getting perilously close to joining the list , which it triggered by averaging more than 15 new COVID-19 cases-per-100,00 residents over a seven-day period .
The city ’ s travel advisory list is updated every Tuesday , with changes taking effect the following Friday .
That list currently includes 21 states .
Wisconsin was added July 31 and removed three weeks later .
“ We are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had their highest-ever number of case of COVID reported last Thursday .
They ’ ve had percent positivities in the 13-to-17 % range , ” Arwady said Monday .
In states that are “ directly bordering , ” the city has taken pains to give Chicagoans who travel there “ pre-warning.
” Such states have been put on notice for a week and added to the list the following week if they can ’ t turn things around .
“ Indiana was able to make those improvements .
Did not need to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it around , but ” it doesn ’ t look good , Arwady said .
Read the full story from City Hall reporter Fran Spielman here .
4:18 p.m. Salvation Army starts kettle campaign two months early due to COVID-19 The familiar sounds of holiday handbells have come early this year .
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the Salvation Army launched its annual red kettle fundraising campaign Monday — two months earlier than the 135-year tradition usually starts .
To kick off this year ’ s effort , titled “ Rescue Christmas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 18 blocks of Michigan Avenue , from Walton to Madison streets .
Since the pandemic began , requests for help to the Salvation Army in the greater Chicago area are up about 500 % , said Jackie Rachev , director of communications for the Salvation Army ’ s Metropolitan Division .
“ We need to be out in the community to raise funds ... and help rescue Christmas for thousands of families , ” Rachev said .
From the start of the pandemic through July , Rachev said the local Salvation Army has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and almost $ 700,000 in emergency financial assistance for rent , utility bills and other expenses .
3:26 p.m. Another key player in CPS ’ Barbara Byrd-Bennett scandal gets to leave prison because of COVID-19 A key player in the scandal that brought down one of then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel ’ s handpicked schools chiefs is set to leave prison three years early because of the coronavirus , court records show .
Gary Solomon , 52 , will be moved to home confinement Sept. 22 after securing approval on Aug. 27 , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prosecutors and Solomon ’ s attorney .
That approval followed a Bureau of Prisons review of inmates with COVID-19 risk factors .
The result of that decision is that all three defendants in the kickback scandal that once left the Chicago Public Schools reeling will be out of prison five years after they were charged in October 2015 .
Officially , Solomon ’ s sentence still runs until October 2023 , prison records show .
After that , a judge also sentenced him to serve a year of supervised release .
However , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reduce Solomon ’ s seven-year prison sentence because of “ substantial assistance ” he ’ d provided to an investigation in Maryland .
2:45 p.m. An American family struggle as pandemic worsens U.S. food insecurity NEW YORK — At the peak of the coronavirus pandemic this spring , Sharawn Vinson often woke up crying .
A recurring thought was making the unemployed single mother desperate : That her kids could go hungry .
There was also fear of contracting the virus , which has disproportionately hit low-income Black families like hers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ racial injustice in decades were transpiring right outside their window , after the family had experienced its own terrifying encounter with police earlier in the year .
There were unpaid bills , and feelings of shame from having to go to a soup kitchen in search of a meal .
So Vinson made the painful decision to send 11-year-old twins Mason and Maddison to live with their father , six states to the south , knowing that way they ’ d at least be fed .
“ I needed them to breathe , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in her living room of peeling gray walls in a Brooklyn housing development .
Vinson was not alone in struggling to put food on the table in this historically tumultuous year .
In New York City alone , an estimated 2 million residents are facing food insecurity , a number that the city ’ s mayor estimates nearly doubled in the pandemic amid the biggest surge in unemployment since the Great Depression .
The scope of the problem outstrips previous crises such as the Great Recession , according to those who are working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s not going away anytime soon .
Read the full story from the Associated Press here .
A drug company says that adding an anti-inflammatory medicine to a drug already widely used for hospitalized COVID-19 patients shortens their time to recovery by an additional day .
Eli Lilly announced the results Monday from a 1,000-person study sponsored by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases .
The result have not yet been published or reviewed by independent scientists , but the government confirmed that Lilly ’ s statement was accurate .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Indianapolis-based Lilly already sells as Olumiant to treat rheumatoid arthritis , the less common form of arthritis that occurs when a mistaken or overreacting immune system attacks joints , causing inflammation .
An overactive immune system also can lead to serious problems in coronavirus patients .
All study participants received remdesivir , a Gilead Sciences drug previously shown to reduce the time to recovery , defined as being well enough to leave the hospital , by four days on average .
Those who also were given baricitinib recovered one day sooner than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
11 a.m. Trump confronts criticisms of COVID-19 handling : ‘ We did it just the right way ’ In times of crisis — wars , hurricanes , pandemics — effective leaders strike a balance between inspirational rhetoric and leveling with the public about the tough times ahead .
Facing the coronavirus , Trump chose a different path , acknowledging that from early on he was intentionally “ playing down ” the threat from an outbreak that has gone on to kill more than 190,000 Americans .
His rosy assessment of the peril @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has faced in trying to steer the United States through the challenge of a pandemic .
Trump on Thursday placed himself in the august company of Roosevelt and Churchill for the way he has handled this crisis , adding that he had low-balled the threat to prevent “ panic.
” He spoke with admiration of Roosevelt ’ s famous admonition against fear and Churchill ’ s ability to project calm during the bombing of London .
Trump said of his own performance : “ We did it the right way and we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ They wanted me to come out and scream , ‘ People are dying , we ’ re dying , ’ ” the president said at a campaign rally in Michigan .
“ No , no , we did it just the right way .
We have to be calm , we don ’ t want to be crazed , lunatics .
We have to lead.
” 8:47 a.m. States brace for worsening teacher shortages as pandemic forces some to opt out INDIANAPOLIS — With many teachers opting out of returning to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around the U.S. are scrambling to find replacements and in some places lowering certification requirements to help get substitutes in the door .
Several states have seen surges in educators filing for retirement or taking leaves of absence .
The departures are straining staff in places that were dealing with shortages of teachers and substitutes even before the pandemic created an education crisis .
Among those leaving is Kay Orzechowicz , an English teacher at northwest Indiana ’ s Griffith High School , who at 57 had hoped to teach for a few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school ’ s leadership was not fully committed to ensuring proper social distancing and worried that not enough safety equipment would be provided for students and teachers .
Add the technology requirements and the pressure to record classes on video , and Orzechowicz said it “ just wasn ’ t what I signed up for when I became a teacher.
” • Public health officials on Sunday announced 1,462 new COVID-19 cases and 14 additional deaths in Illinois .
• Carolyn Capizzi and her husband Jerry Capizzi , who was one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ automobiles , have died within three days of each other of complications from the coronavirus .
7:51 a.m. Pritzker must get tough with Exelon to keep nuclear plants from closing Gov .
Pritzker needs to play hardball with Exelon .
The energy provider is threatening to close its Byron and Dresden nuclear power plants , claiming they no longer are profitable .
Prizker wants the company to be more transparent with its finances first ; Exelon is reluctant to open its books .
To avoid shutting down the plants , Exelon is asking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The inclusion of ZECs in the 2016 Future Energy Jobs Act saved Exelon ’ s Clinton and Quad Cities nuclear power plants and prevented Illinois from becoming more reliant on fossil fuels .
Nevertheless , ZECs have their drawbacks .
According to the Future Energy Jobs Act , utilities in Illinois must purchase ZECs equivalent to 16 % of the megawatt-hours they sold in 2014 .
The utilities then distribute the ZECs to approved power plants and recoup the costs by raising rates .
In terms of preserving the state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But now , more than ever , officials should worry about rate increases .
First , the economic impact of COVID-19 has left many Illinois residents devastated .
A year ago , a modest increase in energy costs would be trivial .
Now , keeping energy costs low is essential for a robust economic recovery .
Read the full Letter to the Editor here .

Wisconsin has been an-on-again-off-again state on Chicago’s 14-day quarantine list. But it looks like the state might be going back on again.
That’s not the only headline in coronavirus news. Here’s what else happened today.
News
8:59 p.m. Lowest positive COVID-19 test rate since July ‘definitely encouraging,’ but officials warn to stay masked, socially distant
A sign on in a hallway at King Elementary School encourages social distancing as the school works to maintain a safe environment during the coronavirus pandemic on September 08, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. Scott Olson/Getty Images
Illinois public health officials on Monday reported 1,373 new COVID-19 cases and a seven-day positivity rate of 3.6% — the lowest the main metric used to measure the spread of the virus has been in more than seven weeks.
The rolling positivity rate has not been lower since July 25, when the metric dipped to 3.56%. The seven-day average rate of tests that come back positive is the figure experts rely on to gauge how rapidly the virus is spreading.
Monday’s results were based on 35,930 test specimens processed by laboratories.
The coronavirus also claimed five more lives, the Illinois Public Health Department announced.
“Any time we see the positivity rate go down, it’s definitely encouraging,” said department spokeswoman Melaney Arnold. “But until we have a vaccine, we have to keep up with what works: wearing masks and social distancing.”
The daily case count has been a roller coaster of ups and downs recently, which has kept the month’s averages high.
Read the full story from reporter Mitch Dudek here.
7:46 p.m. COVID test orders at Loyola, Illinois State thwarted by Trump Administration
A pair of Illinois universities were unable to receive their orders for COVID-19 test kits or test machines for the start of the fall semester because federal health officials directed a manufacturer to send supplies to other needy locations.
Loyola University Chicago hoped to start the school year with six test analyzing machines to help process potentially thousands of coronavirus tests at two locations but had to settle for four because the manufacturer Quidel was ordered by the Trump Administration to redirect orders to other areas deemed most in need.
“It limits our ability to increase the scope of our testing if we don’t have analyzers to give us the results of the tests,” said Joan Holden, director of Loyola’s wellness center.
The university already has the test kits in hand, she said.
Reporter Brett Chase has the full report.
6 p.m. Chicago poised for comeback, top mayoral advisers say, insisting downtown security top issue for Lightfoot
Chicago is poised for a comeback from the pandemic because of spending growth it has already seen after carefully managing its reopening, top mayoral advisors said Monday, even as they confronted the elephant in the room: downtown security.
Deputy mayor for economic and neighborhood development Samir Mayekar and former White House chief of staff Sam Skinner were prime movers behind the roadmap to economic recovery released by Mayor Lori Lightfoot in early July.
But, since that time, downtown Chicago, River North and Lincoln Park were hit by a second wave of looting more devastating than the first that, once again spread to commercial corridors on the South and West Sides.
It shook peoples’ confidence in Chicago to the core and left downtown businesses and residents feeling unsafe.
During a virtual appearance before the City Club of Chicago, Skinner didn’t wait to be asked about the second round of looting and the damage it did to Chicago’s ability to reverse population losses and attract second corporate headquarters.
He anticipated the question and confronted it head-on.
Read the full story here.
5 p.m. Wisconsin in danger of returning to Chicago’s travel advisory
Wisconsin has been an-on-again-off-again state on Chicago’s 14-day quarantine list. But it looks like the state might be going back on again.
For the second time in two months, Chicago Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady is warning Wisconsin it is getting perilously close to joining the list, which it triggered by averaging more than 15 new COVID-19 cases-per-100,00 residents over a seven-day period.
The city’s travel advisory list is updated every Tuesday, with changes taking effect the following Friday. That list currently includes 21 states. Wisconsin was added July 31 and removed three weeks later.
“We are watching Wisconsin with huge concern. They had their highest-ever number of case of COVID reported last Thursday. They’ve had percent positivities in the 13-to-17% range,” Arwady said Monday.
In states that are “directly bordering,” the city has taken pains to give Chicagoans who travel there “pre-warning.” Such states have been put on notice for a week and added to the list the following week if they can’t turn things around.
“Indiana was able to make those improvements. Did not need to be added. We can hope Wisconsin turns it around, but” it doesn’t look good, Arwady said.
Read the full story from City Hall reporter Fran Spielman here.
4:18 p.m. Salvation Army starts kettle campaign two months early due to COVID-19
The familiar sounds of holiday handbells have come early this year.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Salvation Army launched its annual red kettle fundraising campaign Monday — two months earlier than the 135-year tradition usually starts.
To kick off this year’s effort, titled “Rescue Christmas,” 75 kettles were placed along 18 blocks of Michigan Avenue, from Walton to Madison streets.
Since the pandemic began, requests for help to the Salvation Army in the greater Chicago area are up about 500%, said Jackie Rachev, director of communications for the Salvation Army’s Metropolitan Division.
“We need to be out in the community to raise funds ... and help rescue Christmas for thousands of families,” Rachev said.
From the start of the pandemic through July, Rachev said the local Salvation Army has given out around 114,000 bags of groceries and almost $700,000 in emergency financial assistance for rent, utility bills and other expenses.
Read the full story here.
3:26 p.m. Another key player in CPS’ Barbara Byrd-Bennett scandal gets to leave prison because of COVID-19
A key player in the scandal that brought down one of then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s handpicked schools chiefs is set to leave prison three years early because of the coronavirus, court records show.
Gary Solomon, 52, will be moved to home confinement Sept. 22 after securing approval on Aug. 27, according to a joint status report filed Monday by prosecutors and Solomon’s attorney. That approval followed a Bureau of Prisons review of inmates with COVID-19 risk factors.
The result of that decision is that all three defendants in the kickback scandal that once left the Chicago Public Schools reeling will be out of prison five years after they were charged in October 2015.
Officially, Solomon’s sentence still runs until October 2023, prison records show. After that, a judge also sentenced him to serve a year of supervised release. However, prosecutors asked a judge earlier this year to reduce Solomon’s seven-year prison sentence because of “substantial assistance” he’d provided to an investigation in Maryland.
Read the full story here.
2:45 p.m. An American family struggle as pandemic worsens U.S. food insecurity
NEW YORK — At the peak of the coronavirus pandemic this spring, Sharawn Vinson often woke up crying. A recurring thought was making the unemployed single mother desperate: That her kids could go hungry.
There was also fear of contracting the virus, which has disproportionately hit low-income Black families like hers. Meanwhile some of the largest protests against racial injustice in decades were transpiring right outside their window, after the family had experienced its own terrifying encounter with police earlier in the year. There were unpaid bills, and feelings of shame from having to go to a soup kitchen in search of a meal.
So Vinson made the painful decision to send 11-year-old twins Mason and Maddison to live with their father, six states to the south, knowing that way they’d at least be fed.
“I needed them to breathe,” Vinson said, wiping away tears in her living room of peeling gray walls in a Brooklyn housing development.
Vinson was not alone in struggling to put food on the table in this historically tumultuous year. In New York City alone, an estimated 2 million residents are facing food insecurity, a number that the city’s mayor estimates nearly doubled in the pandemic amid the biggest surge in unemployment since the Great Depression. The scope of the problem outstrips previous crises such as the Great Recession, according to those who are working to combat it, and it’s not going away anytime soon.
Read the full story from the Associated Press here.
12:51 p.m. Anti-inflammatory drug may shorten COVID-19 recovery time
A drug company says that adding an anti-inflammatory medicine to a drug already widely used for hospitalized COVID-19 patients shortens their time to recovery by an additional day.
Eli Lilly announced the results Monday from a 1,000-person study sponsored by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The result have not yet been published or reviewed by independent scientists, but the government confirmed that Lilly’s statement was accurate.
The study tested baricitinib, a pill that Indianapolis-based Lilly already sells as Olumiant to treat rheumatoid arthritis, the less common form of arthritis that occurs when a mistaken or overreacting immune system attacks joints, causing inflammation. An overactive immune system also can lead to serious problems in coronavirus patients.
All study participants received remdesivir, a Gilead Sciences drug previously shown to reduce the time to recovery, defined as being well enough to leave the hospital, by four days on average. Those who also were given baricitinib recovered one day sooner than those given remdesivir alone, Lilly said.
Read the full story here.
11 a.m. Trump confronts criticisms of COVID-19 handling: ‘We did it just the right way’
In times of crisis — wars, hurricanes, pandemics — effective leaders strike a balance between inspirational rhetoric and leveling with the public about the tough times ahead.
Facing the coronavirus, Trump chose a different path, acknowledging that from early on he was intentionally “playing down” the threat from an outbreak that has gone on to kill more than 190,000 Americans. His rosy assessment of the peril confronting the nation spotlights the struggles he has faced in trying to steer the United States through the challenge of a pandemic.
Trump on Thursday placed himself in the august company of Roosevelt and Churchill for the way he has handled this crisis, adding that he had low-balled the threat to prevent “panic.”
He spoke with admiration of Roosevelt’s famous admonition against fear and Churchill’s ability to project calm during the bombing of London. Trump said of his own performance: “We did it the right way and we’ve done a job like nobody.”
“They wanted me to come out and scream, ‘People are dying, we’re dying,’” the president said at a campaign rally in Michigan. “No, no, we did it just the right way. We have to be calm, we don’t want to be crazed, lunatics. We have to lead.”
Read the full story here.
8:47 a.m. States brace for worsening teacher shortages as pandemic forces some to opt out
INDIANAPOLIS — With many teachers opting out of returning to the classroom because of the coronavirus, schools around the U.S. are scrambling to find replacements and in some places lowering certification requirements to help get substitutes in the door.
Several states have seen surges in educators filing for retirement or taking leaves of absence. The departures are straining staff in places that were dealing with shortages of teachers and substitutes even before the pandemic created an education crisis.
Among those leaving is Kay Orzechowicz, an English teacher at northwest Indiana’s Griffith High School, who at 57 had hoped to teach for a few more years. But she felt her school’s leadership was not fully committed to ensuring proper social distancing and worried that not enough safety equipment would be provided for students and teachers.
Add the technology requirements and the pressure to record classes on video, and Orzechowicz said it “just wasn’t what I signed up for when I became a teacher.”
Read the full story here.
New Cases
Analysis & Commentary
7:51 a.m. Pritzker must get tough with Exelon to keep nuclear plants from closing
Gov. Pritzker needs to play hardball with Exelon. The energy provider is threatening to close its Byron and Dresden nuclear power plants, claiming they no longer are profitable. Prizker wants the company to be more transparent with its finances first; Exelon is reluctant to open its books.
To avoid shutting down the plants, Exelon is asking the state for more Zero Emission Credits. The inclusion of ZECs in the 2016 Future Energy Jobs Act saved Exelon’s Clinton and Quad Cities nuclear power plants and prevented Illinois from becoming more reliant on fossil fuels. Nevertheless, ZECs have their drawbacks.
According to the Future Energy Jobs Act, utilities in Illinois must purchase ZECs equivalent to 16% of the megawatt-hours they sold in 2014. The utilities then distribute the ZECs to approved power plants and recoup the costs by raising rates. In terms of preserving the state’s clean energy infrastructure, ZECs make sense. But now, more than ever, officials should worry about rate increases.
First, the economic impact of COVID-19 has left many Illinois residents devastated. A year ago, a modest increase in energy costs would be trivial. Now, keeping energy costs low is essential for a robust economic recovery.
Read the full Letter to the Editor here.


chicagosun-times--2020-09-14--Lowest positive COVID-19 test rate since July ‘definitely encouraging,’ but officials warn to stay m

Lowest positive COVID-19 test rate since July ‘definitely encouraging,’ but officials warn to stay masked, socially distant

Illinois public health officials on Monday reported 1,373 new COVID-19 cases and a seven-day positivity rate of 3.6 % — the lowest the main metric used to measure the spread of the virus has been in more than seven weeks .
The rolling positivity rate has not been lower since July 25 , when the metric dipped to 3.56 % .
The seven-day average rate of tests that come back positive is the figure experts rely on to gauge how rapidly the virus is spreading .
Monday ’ s results were based on 35,930 test specimens processed by laboratories .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Illinois Public Health Department announced .
“ Any time we see the positivity rate go down , it ’ s definitely encouraging , ” said department spokeswoman Melaney Arnold .
“ But until we have a vaccine , we have to keep up with what works : wearing masks and social distancing.
” The daily case count has been a roller coaster of ups and downs recently , which has kept the month ’ s averages high .
For the first two weeks of September , the daily average of new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the roughly 2,100 a day in the peak month of May , and up from August ’ s daily average of 1,812 and July ’ s 1,150 .
During that same two-week period this month , the state was averaging 21 deaths a day , up from 17 in August and 19 in July , but down sharply from 51 in June .
Ten days ago , the state saw its highest daily caseload ever — 5,368 , a figure officials said was inflated by a backlog in the coronavirus test reporting system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have see-sawed between caseloads near or exceeding 2,000 and those in the 1,400 range .
As of Monday , the state had reported a total of 262,744 cases and 8,314 deaths .
Altogether , 1,431 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 , 335 of them in intensive care and 131 on ventilators .

Illinois public health officials on Monday reported 1,373 new COVID-19 cases and a seven-day positivity rate of 3.6% — the lowest the main metric used to measure the spread of the virus has been in more than seven weeks.
The rolling positivity rate has not been lower since July 25, when the metric dipped to 3.56%. The seven-day average rate of tests that come back positive is the figure experts rely on to gauge how rapidly the virus is spreading.
Monday’s results were based on 35,930 test specimens processed by laboratories.
The coronavirus also claimed five more lives, the Illinois Public Health Department announced.
“Any time we see the positivity rate go down, it’s definitely encouraging,” said department spokeswoman Melaney Arnold. “But until we have a vaccine, we have to keep up with what works: wearing masks and social distancing.”
The daily case count has been a roller coaster of ups and downs recently, which has kept the month’s averages high.
For the first two weeks of September, the daily average of new cases is 1,980, edging closer to the roughly 2,100 a day in the peak month of May, and up from August’s daily average of 1,812 and July’s 1,150. During that same two-week period this month, the state was averaging 21 deaths a day, up from 17 in August and 19 in July, but down sharply from 51 in June.
Ten days ago, the state saw its highest daily caseload ever — 5,368, a figure officials said was inflated by a backlog in the coronavirus test reporting system. Since then, the daily figures have see-sawed between caseloads near or exceeding 2,000 and those in the 1,400 range.
As of Monday, the state had reported a total of 262,744 cases and 8,314 deaths. Altogether, 1,431 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, 335 of them in intensive care and 131 on ventilators.
Contributing: Caroline Hurley


chicagosun-times--2020-09-14--Chicago players at WAR — wins above replacement, that is

This has not been a banner season for the Cubs ’ offense , which is averaging 4.6 runs per game , below the 4.71 MLB average .
But it has been a banner season for Ian Happ despite a rough last week .
At 1.9 wins above replacement as listed at Fangraphs.com , Happ ranked ninth through Sunday in the National League , where the leader was Padres rookie star Fernando Tatis Jr. at 3.0 .
Meanwhile , there have been banner offensive seasons all around on the South Side .
The White Sox ’ 5.5 runs per game ranked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2.1 ) , Jose Abreu ( 1.9 ) and Luis Robert ( 1.8 ) were fifth , sixth and seventh in American League fWAR .
A pair of Angels , Anthony Rendon ( 2.4 ) and Mike Trout ( 2.3 ) , were at the top .
WAR isn ’ t all offense .
A run is a run in WAR calculations , whether it ’ s created at bat , on the bases or saved on defense .
There are too many variables to give a full calculation , but we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders to get an idea of what it means .
WAR adjusts for park effects and opposition , but it starts with calculations of how many runs a player ’ s production normally would be expected to produce .
Quantity matters .
By wRC+ , which weighs every PA from home runs to double plays then normalizes so 100 is an average hitter , Anderson ( 168 ) leads Abreu ( 163 ) .
But Abreu has produced at that level for 202 PA to 164 for Anderson , so Fangraphs lists Abreu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Anderson .
Steals and caught stealing are factors in baserunning runs , but so are staying out of double plays , taking extra bases such as going from first to third on a single and avoiding outs on the bases .
Fielding runs involve positional adjustments in addition to calculation of how many runs a fielder is worth compared to an average player at his position .
Run totals lead to calculations of expected wins .
Those wins are compared to replacement level , defined as players whose output would be expected to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ With those basics , how do the Chicago leaders compare ?
Abreu leads Anderson in offensive runs , but Anderson leads 1.2-0.6 on the bases .
Both are on the minus side on defense , but Anderson leads -0.7 to -5.2 .
Robert is a positive in all three categories but has been less consistent at bat , where his 125 wRC+ means he has been 25 % better than league average but is far behind Anderson and Abreu .
His 5.9 offensive runs are augmented nicely by 5.2 on defense and 0.5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 13.3 offensive runs with 0.9 on the bases and -1.5 on defense .
Once all adjustments are made , wins calculated and compared to replacement , the fWAR leader among Chicago position players is Anderson at 2.1 , just two-tenths of a win ahead of Happ and Abreu and three-tenths ahead of Robert .
Bubbling under the big four : the Cubs ’ Jason Heyward , 1.6 .

This has not been a banner season for the Cubs’ offense, which is averaging 4.6 runs per game, below the 4.71 MLB average.
But it has been a banner season for Ian Happ despite a rough last week. At 1.9 wins above replacement as listed at Fangraphs.com, Happ ranked ninth through Sunday in the National League, where the leader was Padres rookie star Fernando Tatis Jr. at 3.0.
Meanwhile, there have been banner offensive seasons all around on the South Side. The White Sox’ 5.5 runs per game ranked fourth in MLB. Tim Anderson (2.1), Jose Abreu (1.9) and Luis Robert (1.8) were fifth, sixth and seventh in American League fWAR. A pair of Angels, Anthony Rendon (2.4) and Mike Trout (2.3), were at the top.
WAR isn’t all offense. A run is a run in WAR calculations, whether it’s created at bat, on the bases or saved on defense.
There are too many variables to give a full calculation, but we can look at some numbers for the local leaders to get an idea of what it means.
WAR adjusts for park effects and opposition, but it starts with calculations of how many runs a player’s production normally would be expected to produce.
Quantity matters. By wRC+, which weighs every PA from home runs to double plays then normalizes so 100 is an average hitter, Anderson (168) leads Abreu (163).
But Abreu has produced at that level for 202 PA to 164 for Anderson, so Fangraphs lists Abreu with 16.4 offensive runs to 15.2 for Anderson.
Steals and caught stealing are factors in baserunning runs, but so are staying out of double plays, taking extra bases such as going from first to third on a single and avoiding outs on the bases.
Fielding runs involve positional adjustments in addition to calculation of how many runs a fielder is worth compared to an average player at his position.
Run totals lead to calculations of expected wins. Those wins are compared to replacement level, defined as players whose output would be expected to lead to a .294 winning percentage.
With those basics, how do the Chicago leaders compare?
Abreu leads Anderson in offensive runs, but Anderson leads 1.2-0.6 on the bases. Both are on the minus side on defense, but Anderson leads -0.7 to -5.2.
Robert is a positive in all three categories but has been less consistent at bat, where his 125 wRC+ means he has been 25% better than league average but is far behind Anderson and Abreu. His 5.9 offensive runs are augmented nicely by 5.2 on defense and 0.5 on the bases.
Happ is at 13.3 offensive runs with 0.9 on the bases and -1.5 on defense.
Once all adjustments are made, wins calculated and compared to replacement, the fWAR leader among Chicago position players is Anderson at 2.1, just two-tenths of a win ahead of Happ and Abreu and three-tenths ahead of Robert. Bubbling under the big four: the Cubs’ Jason Heyward, 1.6.


chicagosun-times--2020-09-14--Judicial politics isn’t child’s play — or is it? Democrats link call to dump judge to juvenile justi

Judicial politics isn’t child’s play — or is it? Democrats link call to dump judge to juvenile justice, not Jussie Smollett

The Cook County Democratic Party voted Monday to oppose retention of the judge who appointed a special prosecutor to investigate State ’ s Attorney Kim Foxx ’ s handling of the Jussie Smollett case , bringing immediate accusations of retaliation .
Party officials denied any connection to Foxx ’ s election and said they are seeking to oust Judge Michael Toomin , presiding judge of the county ’ s Juvenile Justice division , over what they said was his “ imperial ” temperament and “ outdated approach ” to juvenile justice .
Mayor Lori Lightfoot was among those who questioned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she was “ deeply concerned ” about it .
“ The optics of this are terrible , ” Lightfoot said .
“ It looks like retaliation.
” It sure does .
The move to dump Toomin had the support of Cook County Democratic Chairman Toni Preckwinkle , who lost to Lightfoot in the 2019 mayor ’ s race and served as Foxx ’ s mentor when the prosecutor was her chief of staff .
But Toomin ’ s potential ouster was also backed by Ald .
Leslie Hairston ( 5th ) , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party officials before the vote .
Toomin accused party leaders of retaliating against him for his decision to name attorney Dan K. Webb to reopen the Smollett investigation .
Webb brought a new indictment against Smollett and later issued a report that was highly critical of Foxx and her office , although it cleared the state ’ s attorney of accusations of improper influence by outside parties .
Toomin declined to make Webb ’ s full report public , but that hasn ’ t prevented it from providing campaign fuel to Republican candidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ top prosecutor and county judge who is opposing Foxx ’ s reelection bid .
Toomin previously had named Webb as special prosecutor to investigate the death of David Koschman , resulting in the prosecution of R.J. Vanecko , former Mayor Richard M. Daley ’ s nephew .
It is very unusual for the Democratic Party to oppose any judge for retention , although it did so four years ago in the case of Judge Matthew Coghlan over his past involvement as a prosecutor in a wrongful conviction case .
After successfully dumping Coghlan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party would undertake more such efforts in the future .
“ This is not about optics , ” Preckwinkle said of Toomin on Monday .
“ It ’ s about judicial accountability.
” In addition to Toomin , another judge Democrats will oppose for retention is Mauricio Araujo , who is under fire over multiple sexual harassment allegations and for issuing more than 80 search warrants to two Chicago police officers convicted of using them to commit crimes .
Elected Circuit Court judges in Illinois face a retention vote every six years , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to keep their seats on the bench .
Eamon Kelly , Evanston Township Democratic committeeperson and chair of the party ’ s Judicial Retention Committee , said he singled out Toomin for closer scrutiny after he was found “ not qualified ” by the Chicago Council of Lawyers .
Although the Council of Lawyers later reversed itself over the weekend and now supports Toomin ’ s retention , Kelly said his own confidential interviews with “ juvenile justice advocates ” caused him to conclude Toomin was “ obstructing efforts at reforming ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report on Toomin cited the judge ’ s personal experience in the juvenile justice system , when he stole a car as a teenager and subsequently entered the Marines , to suggest that his views — “ as a white male , from a privileged community ” — were outdated .
Toomin said he was caught by surprise by the effort to dump him .
Toomin was first elected to the bench in 1984 and became presiding judge of the Juvenile Court in 2010 .
“ This whole thing has been kind of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Toomin said , noting he has always had the support of the bar associations in his previous retention bids .
Toomin was originally elected to the bench as a Republican , another point Kelly raised in his explanation for why Democrats should oppose his retention .
Toomin said that shouldn ’ t have any bearing on whether he remains a judge .
“ If we ’ re following the law and do the right thing , that should be it , ” he said .
Being outside the Democratic Party apparatus has made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chief Judge Tim Evans when looking for a judge to appoint to decide whether to bring in a special prosecutor in politically sticky situations .
Only two Democratic committeepersons voted against the effort to dump Toomin —Ald .
Brendan Reilly ( 42nd ) and Ald .
Tom Tunney ( 44th ) .
Lightfoot is not a committeeperson , so the Democratic mayor had no vote in the matter .
Unlike in Coghlan ’ s situation , there has been no grassroots movement to get rid of Toomin , at least none that has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Toomin has not been the subject of any disciplinary investigation by the courts .
Kelly said the Foxx situation “ didn ’ t have any role in my consideration of the issue , ” except to cause him to consider not pursuing Toomin ’ s ouster because of the potential fallout .
“ I thought it was important for the children in the juvenile system that I play it straight , ” Kelly said .
I should have known .
It was for the children .

The Cook County Democratic Party voted Monday to oppose retention of the judge who appointed a special prosecutor to investigate State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s handling of the Jussie Smollett case, bringing immediate accusations of retaliation.
Party officials denied any connection to Foxx’s election and said they are seeking to oust Judge Michael Toomin, presiding judge of the county’s Juvenile Justice division, over what they said was his “imperial” temperament and “outdated approach” to juvenile justice.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot was among those who questioned the party’s move, saying she was “deeply concerned” about it.
Opinion bug Opinion
“The optics of this are terrible,” Lightfoot said. “It looks like retaliation.”
It sure does.
The move to dump Toomin had the support of Cook County Democratic Chairman Toni Preckwinkle, who lost to Lightfoot in the 2019 mayor’s race and served as Foxx’s mentor when the prosecutor was her chief of staff. But Toomin’s potential ouster was also backed by Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th), who passed along Lightfoot’s concerns to party officials before the vote.
Toomin accused party leaders of retaliating against him for his decision to name attorney Dan K. Webb to reopen the Smollett investigation.
Toomin called it a “blatant rejection of judicial independence.”
Webb brought a new indictment against Smollett and later issued a report that was highly critical of Foxx and her office, although it cleared the state’s attorney of accusations of improper influence by outside parties.
Judge Michael Toomin attends the induction ceremony for newly elected Cook County circuit judges at the Thompson Center in 2012. Brian Jackson~Sun-Times file
Toomin declined to make Webb’s full report public, but that hasn’t prevented it from providing campaign fuel to Republican candidate Pat O’Brien, a former top prosecutor and county judge who is opposing Foxx’s reelection bid.
Toomin previously had named Webb as special prosecutor to investigate the death of David Koschman, resulting in the prosecution of R.J. Vanecko, former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s nephew.
It is very unusual for the Democratic Party to oppose any judge for retention, although it did so two years ago in the case of Judge Matthew Coghlan over his past involvement as a prosecutor in a wrongful conviction case. After successfully dumping Coghlan from the bench, Preckwinkle said the party would undertake more such efforts in the future.
“This is not about optics,” Preckwinkle said of Toomin on Monday. “It’s about judicial accountability.”
Scott Cisek, then executive director of the Cook County Democratic Party, passes out resumes of judicial candidates to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle; then Party Chairman Joe Berrios and Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th) at Plumbers Union Hall in 2011. John J. Kim/Sun-Times
In addition to Toomin, another judge Democrats will oppose for retention is Mauricio Araujo, who is under fire over multiple sexual harassment allegations and for issuing more than 80 search warrants to two Chicago police officers convicted of using them to commit crimes.
Elected circuit judges in Illinois face a retention vote every six years, requiring approval of 60 percent of voters to keep their seats on the bench.
Eamon Kelly, Evanston Township Democratic committeeperson and chair of the party’s Judicial Retention Committee, said he singled out Toomin for closer scrutiny after he was found “not qualified” by the Chicago Council of Lawyers.
Although the Council of Lawyers later reversed itself over the weekend and now supports Toomin’s retention, Kelly said his own confidential interviews with “juvenile justice advocates” caused him to conclude Toomin was “obstructing efforts at reforming” the juvenile court system.
Kelly’s report on Toomin cited the judge’s personal experience in the juvenile justice system, when he stole a car as a teenager and subsequently entered the Marines, to suggest that his views — “as a white male, from a privileged community”— were outdated.
Toomin said he was caught by surprise by the effort to dump him. Toomin was first elected to the bench in 1984 and became presiding judge of the Juvenile Court in 2010.
“This whole thing has been kind of an eye opener for me,” Toomin said, noting he has always had the support of the bar associations in his previous retention bids.
Judge Michael Toomin at the Thompson Center in 2012. Brian Jackson/Sun-Times file
Toomin was originally elected to the bench as a Republican, another point Kelly raised in his explanation for why Democrats should oppose his retention.
Toomin said that shouldn’t have any bearing on whether he remains a judge.
“If we’re following the law and do the right thing, that should be it,” he said.
Being outside the Democratic Party apparatus has made Toomin a convenient choice for Cook County Chief Judge Tim Evans when looking for a judge to appoint to decide whether to bring in a special prosecutor in politically sticky situations.
Only two Democratic committeepersons voted against the effort to dump Toomin —Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) and Ald. Tom Tunney (44th). Lightfoot is not a committeeperson, so the Democratic mayor had no vote in the matter.
Unlike in Coghlan’s situation, there has been no grassroots movement to get rid of Toomin, at least none that has surfaced publicly. And unlike Araujo, Toomin has not been the subject of any disciplinary investigation by the courts.
Kelly said the Foxx situation “didn’t have any role in my consideration of the issue,” except to cause him to consider not pursuing Toomin’s ouster because of the potential fallout.
“I thought it was important for the children in the juvenile system that I play it straight,” Kelly said.
I should have known. It was for the children.


chicagosun-times--2020-09-14--3 shot in Roseland

3 shot in Roseland

Three people were wounded in a shooting Monday in Roseland on the South Side .
About 5:43 p.m. , they @ @ @ @ @ of East 111th Street when someone opened fire , Chicago police said .
A 61-year-old @ @ @ @ @ back and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition , police @ @ @ @ @ 46 , was shot in the leg while a 41-year-old woman was struck in the @ @ @ @ @ Both were taken to Roseland Community Hospital , where the man was in critical condition @ @ @ @ @ .
No arrests have been reported .
Area Two detectives are investigating .
Read more @ @ @ @ @ the city ’ s homicides .

Three people were wounded in a shooting Monday in Roseland on the South Side.
About 5:43 p.m., they were in the 400 block of East 111th Street when someone opened fire, Chicago police said.
A 61-year-old woman was struck in the back and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition, police said.
A man, 46, was shot in the leg while a 41-year-old woman was struck in the foot, police said. Both were taken to Roseland Community Hospital, where the man was in critical condition and the woman was stabilized.
No arrests have been reported. Area Two detectives are investigating.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-09-14--Lisseth Chavez, who plays Rojas on ‘Chicago P.D.,’ will leave for ‘Legends of Tomorrow’

Lisseth Chavez , who played intelligence unit newcomer Vanessa Rojas last season on “ Chicago P.D.
, ” will be @ @ @ @ @ .
NBC confirms that Chavez has left the long-running , locally based police drama to @ @ @ @ @ ” The actress retweeted several news articles confirming the move .
On Season Six of @ @ @ @ @ she ’ ll play Spooner Cruz , a tech whiz convinced she can communicate telepathically @ @ @ @ @ of Tomorrow ” is based on DC Comics characters .
Rojas made her mark quickly @ @ @ @ @ ” moving in as roommate to Tracy Spiridakos ’ Hailey Upton ( Tracy Spiridakos ) @ @ @ @ @ potential love interest for Kevin Atwater ( LaRoyce Hawkins ) .
The eighth season of @ @ @ @ @ scheduled to premiere Nov. 11 on NBC , and production reportedly will resume in early @ @

Lisseth Chavez, who played intelligence unit newcomer Vanessa Rojas last season on “Chicago P.D.,” will be chasing aliens from here on.
NBC confirms that Chavez has left the long-running, locally based police drama to join “Legends of Tomorrow.” The actress retweeted several news articles confirming the move.
On Season Six of the CW sci-fi series, she’ll play Spooner Cruz, a tech whiz convinced she can communicate telepathically with extraterrestrials. “Legends of Tomorrow” is based on DC Comics characters.
Rojas made her mark quickly on “Chicago P.D.,” moving in as roommate to Tracy Spiridakos’ Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) and exciting fans as a potential love interest for Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins).
The eighth season of “Chicago P.D.” is scheduled to premiere Nov. 11 on NBC, and production reportedly will resume in early October.


chicagosun-times--2020-09-14--Remote learning is largely on track, but some Chicago schools have a ways to go

There ’ s good news , and some alarmingly bad news , with respect to remote learning in Chicago ’ s public schools this fall .
After the dismal showing last spring , Chicago Public Schools made an extra effort to get students logged on for digital learning .
Attendance-taking would be mandatory .
A major back-to-school campaign was launched , with a massive barrage of phone calls , text messages , emails , radio ads and other outreach to parents .
So far , it ’ s largely paying off .
According to CPS data released this weekend , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the learning platform on the first day of school last week .
That ’ s a major improvement over the 59 % figure last spring .
And by the end of the week , attendance had risen to 90.2 % , But there can be no letting up on the ultimate goal : To get every one of the district ’ s 355,000 students engaged in remote learning , the only educational option available until the city curbs the spread of COVID-19 .
We ’ re looking to see that attendance number go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are way behind the average .
There ’ s no getting past the alarmingly poor online turn-out at schools in certain lower-income neighborhoods , such as Englewood and Garfield Park , where first-day attendance rates were a shocking 60 % or lower .
The school district ’ s continued outreach efforts — let ’ s get those kids in school — must be focused heavily on those schools .
No child can be left behind , wherever the fault may lie .
Even during a pandemic , every child must be in school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ success this fall in reaching children who essentially have gone missing , as more than 2,000 children did last spring .
Security officers will start to make home visits this week to connect with students who have not responded to other outreach efforts .
If CPS can raise attendance to the typical 95 % , we ’ d call that a huge success .
The end game , of course , remains the same : To get students physically back in their classrooms as quickly as public health officials can safely give the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parent told us , “ We can ’ t stay home forever.
” Even with the “ luxury ” of being able to work at home and oversee her children ’ s lessons , she said , it ’ s a rough ride .
“ We ’ re often having tech issues — kids don ’ t mute themselves , or the screen freezes , ” she said .
“ If I found Google classrooms a little bit clumsy , and I have a tech background , I can ’ t imagine what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ”

There’s good news, and some alarmingly bad news, with respect to remote learning in Chicago’s public schools this fall.
After the dismal showing last spring, Chicago Public Schools made an extra effort to get students logged on for digital learning. Attendance-taking would be mandatory. A major back-to-school campaign was launched, with a massive barrage of phone calls, text messages, emails, radio ads and other outreach to parents.
So far, it’s largely paying off.
According to CPS data released this weekend, 84.2% of students logged on to the learning platform on the first day of school last week. That’s a major improvement over the 59% figure last spring.
And by the end of the week, attendance had risen to 90.2%,
But there can be no letting up on the ultimate goal: To get every one of the district’s 355,000 students engaged in remote learning, the only educational option available until the city curbs the spread of COVID-19.
We’re looking to see that attendance number go up more, especially at schools that are way behind the average. There’s no getting past the alarmingly poor online turnout at schools in certain lower-income neighborhoods, such as Englewood and Garfield Park, where first-day attendance rates were a shocking 60% or lower.
The school district’s continued outreach efforts — let’s get those kids in school — must be focused heavily on those schools. No child can be left behind, wherever the fault may lie. Even during a pandemic, every child must be in school.
We also hope CPS has better success this fall in reaching children who essentially have gone missing, as more than 2,000 children did last spring. Security officers will start to make home visits this week to connect with students who have not responded to other outreach efforts.
If CPS can raise attendance to the typical 95%, we’d call that a huge success.
The end game, of course, remains the same: To get students physically back in their classrooms as quickly as public health officials can safely give the green light.
As one North Side parent told us, “We can’t stay home forever.”
Even with the “luxury” of being able to work at home and oversee her children’s lessons, she said, it’s a rough ride.
“We’re often having tech issues — kids don’t mute themselves, or the screen freezes,” she said. “If I found Google classrooms a little bit clumsy, and I have a tech background, I can’t imagine what some other parents are struggling with.”
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com.


chicagosun-times--2020-09-14--COVID test orders at Loyola, Illinois State thwarted by Trump Administration

A pair of Illinois universities were unable to receive their orders for COVID-19 test kits or test machines for the start of the fall semester because federal health officials directed a manufacturer to send supplies to other needy locations .
Loyola University Chicago hoped to start the school year with six test analyzing machines to help process potentially thousands of coronavirus tests at two locations but had to settle for four because the manufacturer Quidel was ordered by the Trump Administration to redirect orders to other areas deemed most in need .
“ It limits our ability to increase the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t have analyzers to give us the results of the tests , ” said Joan Holden , director of Loyola ’ s wellness center .
The university already has the test kits in hand , she said .
Illinois State University in Normal ordered three Quidel testing machines and 5,000 tests that were expected to arrive before the fall term .
The university is now looking at other options , including possibly using a saliva test from the University of Illinois , a spokesman said .
“ In early summer , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Eric Jome , director of media relations at Illinois State .
“ We saw an opportunity to order some of these things and get ahead of the situation.
” Both Loyola and Illinois State are mostly conducting classes remotely this semester .
Both schools ’ representatives said they wanted to offer testing to those faculty , staff and students who do visit the campuses .
While acknowledging that there are many sources in need of testing , Sen. Richard Durbin said in a letter to Trump ’ s Health and Human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ has unacceptably left these universities with substantial gaps in their testing plans.
” “ I am troubled that this entire situation reflects a broader lack of planning and failure of the administration to bolster our supply chain , coordinate allocations of scarce resources and boost domestic production , ” Durbin said in his letter .
A spokesperson for HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
Brett Chase ’ s reporting on the environment and public health is made possible by a grant from The Chicago Community Trust .

A pair of Illinois universities were unable to receive their orders for COVID-19 test kits or test machines for the start of the fall semester because federal health officials directed a manufacturer to send supplies to other needy locations.
Loyola University Chicago hoped to start the school year with six test analyzing machines to help process potentially thousands of coronavirus tests at two locations but had to settle for four because the manufacturer Quidel was ordered by the Trump administration to redirect orders to other areas deemed most in need.
“It limits our ability to increase the scope of our testing if we don’t have analyzers to give us the results of the tests,” said Joan Holden, director of Loyola’s wellness center.
The university already has the test kits in hand, she said.
Illinois State University in Normal ordered three Quidel testing machines and 5,000 tests that were expected to arrive before the fall term. The university is now looking at other options, including possibly using a saliva test from the University of Illinois, a spokesman said.
“In early summer, we were trying to plan for fall,” said Eric Jome, director of media relations at Illinois State. “We saw an opportunity to order some of these things and get ahead of the situation.”
Both Loyola and Illinois State are mostly conducting classes remotely this semester. Both schools’ representatives said they wanted to offer testing to those faculty, staff and students who do visit the campuses.
While acknowledging that there are many sources in need of testing, Sen. Richard Durbin said in a letter to Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar that the administration “has unacceptably left these universities with substantial gaps in their testing plans.”
“I am troubled that this entire situation reflects a broader lack of planning and failure of the administration to bolster our supply chain, coordinate allocations of scarce resources and boost domestic production,” Durbin said in his letter.
A spokesperson for HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Brett Chase’s reporting on the environment and public health is made possible by a grant from The Chicago Community Trust.


chicagosun-times--2020-09-14--When Cook County inmates await trial for years, true justice is thwarted

A trial is supposed to be about truth-finding and the seeking of justice .
That purpose gets subverted when criminal suspects spend years in Cook County Jail awaiting trial .
As reporter Frank Main disclosed in Sunday ’ s Chicago Sun-Times , nearly 500 people have been detained continuously in the jail for at least three years ; more than 130 people have been jailed at least five years ; and six have been there for nine years .
About four times as many detainees have been in jail awaiting trial for at least five years as there were in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charged with murder .
This clearly doesn ’ t comport with a 2002 memo from then-State ’ s Attorney Richard Devine that complex murder cases should take no longer than 2½ years to come to trial and most should reach a disposition within a year and a half .
It feels like what we are seeing when it comes to moving things along is a collective criminal justice shrug .
Defendants , especially those who see their convictions as likely , have reasons to let criminal proceedings move along at a snail ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cook County Jail instead of at a state prison , where they would go once they are convicted .
For many of them , the jail is closer to home , making it easier for family to visit .
Also , many of them prefer to avoid going to the Northern Reception and Classification Center , which is the first stop after a conviction .
Many people say staying at the center is the hardest part of their incarceration .
Inmates don ’ t have the same access to visitors , phone calls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are assigned to a prison .
The center is supposed to be a temporary place where an inmate spends only about two weeks .
But it is backlogged and overcrowded , partly because of the pandemic , and inmates might stay there for months .
We ’ re told some people have been held there since at least January .
Another motivation for defendants is that cases can weaken over time .
Witnesses can die or lose interest .
If a trial is delayed long enough , the prosecution could collapse .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ handle , they might feel no sense of urgency as long as defendants are locked up .
Whether that is in jail awaiting trial or prison after a conviction isn ’ t a priority .
Judges have the power to insist on moving cases along , but in general they go along when prosecutors and defense lawyers agree on continuances .
We ’ d like to see judges get more serious about bringing cases to a disposition in a timely manner .
It is within their powers to do so .
No one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case deserves careful consideration .
But the players in the criminal justice system need to do a better job of speeding things up .

A trial is supposed to be about truth-finding and the seeking of justice. That purpose gets subverted when criminal suspects spend years in Cook County Jail awaiting trial.
As reporter Frank Main disclosed in Sunday’s Chicago Sun-Times, nearly 500 people have been detained continuously in the jail for at least three years; more than 130 people have been jailed at least five years; and six have been there for nine years. About four times as many detainees have been in jail awaiting trial for at least five years as there were in 2003. Most of the detainees are charged with murder.
Editorials bug Editorials
This clearly doesn’t comport with a 2002 memo from then-State’s Attorney Richard Devine that complex murder cases should take no longer than 2½ years to come to trial and most should reach a disposition within a year and a half. It feels like what we are seeing when it comes to moving things along is a collective criminal justice shrug.
Defendants, especially those who see their convictions as likely, have reasons to let criminal proceedings move along at a snail’s pace, allowing them to stay in Cook County Jail instead of at a state prison, where they would go once they are convicted.
For many of them, the jail is closer to home, making it easier for family to visit.
Also, many of them prefer to avoid going to the Northern Reception and Classification Center, which is the first stop after a conviction. Many people say staying at the center is the hardest part of their incarceration. Inmates don’t have the same access to visitors, phone calls and a commissary as they do once they are assigned to a prison.
The number of Cook County Jail detainees held for at least four years has been rising since 2003. Frank Main / Sun-Times
The center is supposed to be a temporary place where an inmate spends only about two weeks. But it is backlogged and overcrowded, partly because of the pandemic, and inmates might stay there for months. We’re told some people have been held there since at least January.
Another motivation for defendants is that cases can weaken over time. Witnesses can die or lose interest. If a trial is delayed long enough, the prosecution could collapse.
As for prosecutors with other cases to handle, they might feel no sense of urgency as long as defendants are locked up. Whether that is in jail awaiting trial or prison after a conviction isn’t a priority.
Judges have the power to insist on moving cases along, but in general they go along when prosecutors and defense lawyers agree on continuances. We’d like to see judges get more serious about bringing cases to a disposition in a timely manner.
It is within their powers to do so.
No one wants a rush to justice. Every case deserves careful consideration. But the players in the criminal justice system need to do a better job of speeding things up.
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com.


chicagosun-times--2020-09-14--‘Cheer’ star Jerry Harris under FBI investigation for allegedly soliciting sex from minors

The FBI is investigating allegations that celebrity cheerleader Jerry Harris solicited sexually explicit photos and sex from minors , multiple sources told USA TODAY .
Agents executed a search warrant Monday afternoon at a home in Naperville , Illinois , as part of that investigation .
“ The FBI is conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity in the area , ” Siobhan Johnson , FBI special agent and public affairs officer , told USA TODAY .
She declined further comment .
Harris , who gained national prominence when he was featured in Netflix ’ s “ Cheer ” docuseries , has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could not be reached immediately for comment .
The criminal investigation is based on allegations that were reported separately to police by Varsity Brands , a private company that dominates the cheerleading industry and handles everything from uniform sales to major competitions .
In Aug. 1 letters to police in Florida and Texas , Varsity ’ s chief legal officer , Burton Brillhart , said the company learned of “ inappropriate sexual conduct ” allegations against Harris and reported the information to authorities as required by law .
“ As a result of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this person from having any affiliation with Varsity Brands or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates , now and in the future , ” he wrote .
Brillhart included two screenshots in his communication with law enforcement .
In one — a Snapchat message — a picture of the upper part of what appears to be Harris ’ face is labeled with the message , “ Would you ever want to **** ” .
The other screenshot — which is a series of text messages — indicates an exchange that began on May @ @ @ @ @ @ @ named “ jerry harris ” wrote , “ Hey btw I found a place for us to do stuff it ’ s actually pretty good haha.
” Brillhart ’ s letters describe Harris as a former employee who was not working for Varsity at the time of the incidents .
In May 2019 , Harris posted on social media that he was working for the National Cheerleaders Association , a Varsity brand .
That summer , he posted photos and videos of himself coaching athletes at NCA camps .
Varsity did not immediately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Netflix docuseries follows Texas ’ Navarro College cheerleaders in their quest for a national title .
“ Cheer , ” which received six Emmy nominations , was an instant success when it was released in January .
Harris became its breakout star , drawing fans for his positive attitude .
Throughout the documentary , the Illinois native shouted encouragement from the sidelines at teammates as they practiced difficult skills .
In February , Harris stood on a Dallas stage beside Oprah Winfrey , who handed him her microphone and asked him to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ mat talk.
” The same month , he interviewed celebrities on the red carpet of the Oscars for “ The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
” In June , he filmed a short video with former Vice President Joe Biden , encouraging young Black voters to turn out on Election Day .
( The video , part of an IG post , has since been removed . )
Harris ’ Instagram page , which has 1.2 million followers , features partnerships with Cheerios , Starburst and Walmart .

The FBI is investigating allegations that celebrity cheerleader Jerry Harris solicited sexually explicit photos and sex from minors, multiple sources told USA TODAY. Agents executed a search warrant Monday afternoon at a home in Naperville, Illinois, as part of that investigation.
“The FBI is conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity in the area,” Siobhan Johnson, FBI special agent and public affairs officer, told USA TODAY. She declined further comment.
Harris, who gained national prominence when he was featured in Netflix’s “Cheer” docuseries, has not been criminally charged. The 21-year-old could not be reached immediately for comment.
The criminal investigation is based on allegations that were reported separately to police by Varsity Brands, a private company that dominates the cheerleading industry and handles everything from uniform sales to major competitions. In Aug. 1 letters to police in Florida and Texas, Varsity’s chief legal officer, Burton Brillhart, said the company learned of “inappropriate sexual conduct” allegations against Harris and reported the information to authorities as required by law.
“As a result of the recent allegation, we have barred this person from having any affiliation with Varsity Brands or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, now and in the future,” he wrote.
Brillhart included two screenshots in his communication with law enforcement. In one — a Snapchat message — a picture of the upper part of what appears to be Harris’ face is labeled with the message, “Would you ever want to ****”. The other screenshot — which is a series of text messages — indicates an exchange that began on May 3, 2019, when an individual named “jerry harris” wrote, “Hey btw I found a place for us to do stuff it’s actually pretty good haha.”
Brillhart’s letters describe Harris as a former employee who was not working for Varsity at the time of the incidents. In May 2019, Harris posted on social media that he was working for the National Cheerleaders Association, a Varsity brand. That summer, he posted photos and videos of himself coaching athletes at NCA camps.
Oprah Winfrey speaks with the cast of Netflix’s “Cheer”: Monica Aldama (from left), Jerry Harris, Gabi Butler, Lexi Brumback, TT Barker and Dillon Brandt during Oprah’s 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus Tour in Dallas, Texas. Getty Images
Varsity did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Netflix docuseries follows Texas’ Navarro College cheerleaders in their quest for a national title. “Cheer,” which received six Emmy nominations, was an instant success when it was released in January. Harris became its breakout star, drawing fans for his positive attitude. Throughout the documentary, the Illinois native shouted encouragement from the sidelines at teammates as they practiced difficult skills.
In February, Harris stood on a Dallas stage beside Oprah Winfrey, who handed him her microphone and asked him to pump up the crowd with his signature “mat talk.” The same month, he interviewed celebrities on the red carpet of the Oscars for “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” In June, he filmed a short video with former Vice President Joe Biden, encouraging young Black voters to turn out on Election Day. (The video, part of an IG post, has since been removed.)
Harris’ Instagram page, which has 1.2 million followers, features partnerships with Cheerios, Starburst and Walmart.
Read more at usatoday.com