chicagosun-times--2020-12-04--As pandemic surges, US employers cut back on hiring, pressure mounts for Congress to pass relief pac

As pandemic surges, US employers cut back on hiring, pressure mounts for Congress to pass relief package

WASHINGTON — With the viral pandemic accelerating across the country , America ’ s employers sharply scaled back hiring last month , adding 245,000 jobs , the fewest since April and the fifth straight monthly slowdown .
At the same time , the unemployment rate fell to a still-high 6.7 % , from 6.9 % in October as many people stopped looking for work and were no longer counted as unemployed , the Labor Department said .
November ’ s job gain was down drastically from a 610,000 gain in October .
Friday ’ s report provided the latest evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ faltering in the face of a virus that has been shattering daily records for confirmed infections .
Economic activity is likely to slow further with health officials warning against all but essential travel and states and cities limiting gatherings , restricting restaurant dining and reducing the hours and capacity of bars , stores and other businesses .
In Congress , meanwhile , after numerous fits and starts and months of inaction , optimism is finally building for a COVID-19 aid bill .
It would offer relief for businesses , the unemployed , schools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others struggling as caseloads spike .
Under pressure from moderates in both parties , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have initiated late-game negotiations in hopes of combining a relief package of , in all likelihood , less than $ 1 trillion with a separate $ 1.4 trillion governmentwide omnibus spending bill .
The duo were the architects of the $ 1.8 trillion CARES Act , the landmark relief bill passed in March .
President Donald Trump has voiced support for more financial assistance , though key differences between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what , if any , relief is passed , most experts say the economy and job market won ’ t be able to fully recover until the virus can be controlled with an effective and widely used vaccine .
And the picture could worsen before it improves .
“ The recovery is not insulated from the effects of the pandemic , ” said Daniel Zhao , senior economist at employment website Glassdoor .
“ This is the calm before the storm .
We face a long and difficult winter ahead.
” The jobs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Two enhanced federal unemployment benefit programs are set to expire near the end of this month — just as viral cases are surging and colder weather is shutting down outdoor dining and many public events .
Unless Congress enacts another rescue aid package , more than 9 million unemployed people will be left without any jobless aid , state or federal , beginning after Christmas .
Speaking at a news conference Friday in Wilmington , Delaware , President-elect Joe Biden said the jobs report was “ grim ” and “ shows an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congress to act quickly to approve another rescue aid package .
Before the pandemic , last month ’ s job gain would have been considered healthy .
But the U.S. economy is still nearly 10 million jobs below its pre-pandemic level , with a rising proportion of the unemployed describing their jobs as gone for good .
Faster hiring is needed to ensure that people who were laid off during this spring can quickly get back to work .
There is also evidence that the pandemic is inflicting long-term damage on millions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of work for six months or more — one definition of long-term unemployment — now make up nearly 40 % of the jobless , the highest such proportion in nearly seven years .
The long-term unemployed typically face a harder time finding new jobs .
And the proportion of Americans who are either working or seeking work fell in November , suggesting that many people soured on their prospects for finding a job and stopped looking .
That proportion declined to 61.5 % , a level that before the pandemic hadn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Columbus , Ohio , Agnes Makokha is unemployed and receiving jobless benefits for the first time in her life .
Makokha , 45 , lost her job as a human resources administrator nearly a year ago , well before the pandemic struck .
Yet since the virus intensified , it ’ s become much harder for her to find work .
Makokha doesn ’ t have a car .
And in April , bus service on her route was temporarily canceled .
She struggled to buy groceries , much less look for work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scraping by with the help of food pantries and unemployment benefits .
But those benefits are set to run out Dec. 26 .
“ I am a little bit scared now about the help coming to an end because I ’ m not quite sure what ’ s going to happen , ” Makokha said .
“ If McDonald ’ s will hire me , I will take that job .
If anyone will hire me , I would take the job.
” The consequences of the slowdown aren ’ t falling evenly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like restaurants and bars and retail stores , actually cut jobs last month .
And many mothers have been forced to stop working to take care of children that are in school online .
The unemployment rates for Black and Latino workers fell much more last month than for whites .
Still , the Black unemployment rate was 10.3 % and for Latinos 8.4 % , compared with 5.9 % for whites .
Friday ’ s jobs report also reflects how the coronavirus has transformed the holiday shopping season .
Transportation and warehousing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than half the total job gain for the month .
That trend reflected rapid hiring by shipping and logistics firms that are benefiting from the surge in online purchases by consumers shopping at home .
That was the biggest monthly job gain for that industry on records dating back to 1972 .
Retailers , by contrast , shed 35,000 jobs — a reflection of fewer consumers shopping in physical stores .
Becky Frankiewicz , president of the temporary staffing firm Manpower Group ’ s North American division , said that roughly 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ November that her firm tracks were related to warehousing and logistics .
Manpower ’ s clients were still interested in hiring last month .
But the worsening virus and the uncertainty it brings have made them more cautious .
The impact of the pandemic last month was particularly visible in an employment category that includes hotels and entertainment industries such as casinos and movie theaters .
This group added just 31,000 jobs in November .
That ’ s only about one-tenth of the gains of the previous two months and suggests that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colder weather are forcing many businesses to closer their doors or limit hours .
U.S. deaths from the coronavirus topped 2,800 Thursday , a new high , with more than 100,000 Americans hospitalized with the disease , also a record , and new daily cases topping 200,000 .
In response , at least 12 states have imposed new restrictions on businesses in the past month , according to an Associated Press tally .
Jon Tigges , who owns a bed-and-breakfast and wedding venue near Leesburg , Virginia , has lost about two-thirds of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dealing a sharp blow to his bottom line .
Out of about 35 part-time workers Tigges had employed before the pandemic , just a handful are likely to work on any given weekend .
“ We ’ re hoping there will be another relief bill — I need another loan to bridge the winter months , ” he said .
“ It ’ s going to take me 10 years to dig out of the hole that I ’ m in.
” The CARES Act , passed earlier this year , created a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that sustained household incomes and consumer demand during the springtime shutdowns .
It expired at the end of July and Republicans oppose renewal .
The CARES Act also allowed for additional weeks of emergency pandemic unemployment payments at regular benefit levels — which are themselves about to expire , on Dec. 31 .
Any deal is sure to extend the emergency benefits , and a bipartisan compromise framework that ’ s helping guide the talks calls for restoring half of the bonus benefit , or $ 300 per week more .
Another sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Protection Program , also established by the CARES Act , to give a second round of subsidies to businesses struggling through the pandemic and make other changes to the program , which enjoys bipartisan support but is particularly revered by Republicans .
Leftover PPP funds from two springtime infusions into the program would cover almost half of the $ 300 billion or so cost .
President Trump has long supported another $ 1,200 round of direct payments to most Americans , subject to income limits that make upper-bracket taxpayers ineligible .
House Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unpopular with many Senate Republicans and was left out of a scaled-back Senate GOP plan .
A bipartisan bill by Sens .
Susan Collins , R-Maine , and others , leaves out the direct payments as well , and their cost — up to $ 300 billion — could render them too expensive for the year-end package , though lawmakers ranging from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , D-N.Y. , to Sen. Josh Hawley , R-Mo.
, are pushing to retain them .
This is one of the trickiest issues in the talks — another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governments to follow a $ 150 billion installment this spring .
It ’ s a top priority of Pelosi and other Democrats but is opposed by many Republicans , who warn it would bail out states run by Democrats like California and New York .
Trump doesn ’ t like the idea as well , but Pelosi ’ s demands for the money have been slashed from earlier amounts approaching $ 1 trillion .
Revenue losses due to COVID-19 haven ’ t been as large as feared .
But smaller localities left out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eager for funding .
A plan endorsed by moderates would provide $ 160 billion .
Businesses reopening during the pandemic have for months been seeking a shield against lawsuits claiming negligence for COVID-19 outbreaks .
McConnell is the most potent backer of the idea and he ’ s drafted sweeping protections against lawsuits for businesses , universities , and other organizations .
The powerful trial lawyers lobby — which still holds great influence with Democrats — is opposed , and McConnell ’ s fears of a wave of COVID-related lawsuits haven ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dick Durbin , D-Ill. , and John Cornyn , R-Texas , have been deputized to negotiate the issue , a sign the talks are at a serious stage .
Numerous smaller items are ripe for inclusion : a $ 10 billion for the Postal Service ; a $ 20 billion-plus deal adding food aid sought by Democrats and farm subsidies favored by Republicans ; more than $ 100 billion in funding for schools seeking to reopen ; and funding for child care , Amtrak , transit systems , and health care providers .

WASHINGTON — With the viral pandemic accelerating across the country, America’s employers sharply scaled back hiring last month, adding 245,000 jobs, the fewest since April and the fifth straight monthly slowdown.
At the same time, the unemployment rate fell to a still-high 6.7%, from 6.9% in October as many people stopped looking for work and were no longer counted as unemployed, the Labor Department said. November’s job gain was down drastically from a 610,000 gain in October.
Friday’s report provided the latest evidence that the job market and economy are faltering in the face of a virus that has been shattering daily records for confirmed infections. Economic activity is likely to slow further with health officials warning against all but essential travel and states and cities limiting gatherings, restricting restaurant dining and reducing the hours and capacity of bars, stores and other businesses.
In Congress, meanwhile, optimism is finally building for a COVID-19 aid bill. It would offer relief for businesses, the unemployed, schools, and health care providers, among others struggling as caseloads spike.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have initiated late-game negotiations in hopes of combining a relief package of, in all likelihood, less than $1 trillion with a separate $1.4 trillion governmentwide omnibus spending bill. The duo were the architects of the $1.8 trillion CARES Act, the landmark relief bill passed in March.
Most experts say the economy and job market won’t be able to fully recover until the virus can be controlled with an effective and widely used vaccine. And the picture could worsen before it improves.
“The recovery is not insulated from the effects of the pandemic,” said Daniel Zhao, senior economist at employment website Glassdoor. “This is the calm before the storm. We face a long and difficult winter ahead.”
The jobs slowdown comes as two enhanced federal unemployment benefit programs are set to expire near the end of this month — and just as viral cases are surging and colder weather is shutting down outdoor dining and many public events. Unless Congress enacts another aid package, more than 9 million unemployed people will be left without any jobless aid, state or federal, beginning after Christmas.
Friday in Wilmington, Delaware, President-elect Joe Biden said the jobs report was “grim” and “shows an economy that is stalling.” Biden urged Congress to act quickly.
Before the pandemic, last month’s job gain would have been considered healthy. But the U.S. economy is still nearly 10 million jobs below its pre-pandemic level, with a rising proportion of the unemployed describing their jobs as gone for good. Faster hiring is needed to ensure people laid off during this spring can quickly get back to work.
There is also evidence the pandemic is inflicting long-term damage on millions of workers. People who have been out of work for six months or more — one definition of long-term unemployment — now make up nearly 40% of the jobless, the highest such proportion in nearly seven years. The long-term unemployed typically face a harder time finding new jobs.
And the proportion of Americans either working or seeking work fell in November, suggesting that many people soured on their prospects for finding a job and stopped looking. That proportion declined to 61.5%, a level that before the pandemic hadn’t been seen since the 1970s.
In Columbus, Ohio, Agnes Makokha is unemployed and receiving jobless benefits for the first time in her life. Makokha, 45, lost her job as a human resources administrator nearly a year ago, well before the pandemic struck. Yet since the virus intensified, it’s become much harder for her to find work.
Makokha doesn’t have a car. And in April, bus service on her route was temporarily canceled. She struggled to buy groceries, much less look for work. Since then, Makokha has been scraping by with the help of food pantries and unemployment benefits. But those benefits are set to run out Dec. 26.
“I am a little bit scared now about the help coming to an end because I’m not quite sure what’s going to happen,” Makokha said. “If McDonald’s will hire me, I will take that job. If anyone will hire me, I would take the job.”
The consequences of the slowdown are uneven. Low-wage industries, like restaurants and bars and retail stores, actually cut jobs last month. And many mothers have been forced to stop working to take care of children that are in school online.
The unemployment rates for Black and Latino workers fell much more last month than for whites. Still, the Black unemployment rate was 10.3% and for Latinos 8.4%, compared with 5.9% for whites.
Friday’s jobs report also reflects how the coronavirus has transformed holiday shopping. Transportation and warehousing firms added 145,000 jobs in November, more than half the total job gain for the month. That trend reflected rapid hiring by shipping and logistics firms benefiting from surging online purchases by consumers shopping at home. That was the biggest monthly job gain for that industry on records dating back to 1972.
Retailers, by contrast, shed 35,000 jobs — a reflection of fewer consumers shopping in stores.
U.S. deaths from the coronavirus topped 2,800 Thursday, a new high, with more than 100,000 Americans hospitalized with the disease, also a record, and new daily cases topping 200,000. In response, at least 12 states have imposed new restrictions on businesses in the past month, according to an Associated Press tally.
Jon Tigges, who owns a bed-and-breakfast and wedding venue near Leesburg, Virginia, has lost about two-thirds of his normal wedding events this year, dealing a sharp blow to his bottom line. Out of about 35 part-time workers Tigges had employed before the pandemic, just a handful are likely to work on any given weekend.
“We’re hoping there will be another relief bill — I need another loan to bridge the winter months,” he said. “It’s going to take me 10 years to dig out of the hole that I’m in.”
Here’s where the relief package stands:
Jobless benefits
The CARES Act, passed earlier this year, created a $600 per-week bonus COVID-19 unemployment benefit that sustained household incomes and consumer demand during the springtime shutdowns. It expired at the end of July and Republicans oppose renewal. The CARES Act also allowed for additional weeks of emergency pandemic unemployment payments at regular benefit levels — which are themselves about to expire, on Dec. 31. Any deal is sure to extend the emergency benefits, and a bipartisan compromise framework that’s helping guide the talks calls for restoring half of the bonus benefit, or $300 per week more.
Business subsidies
Another sure thing is a reauthorization of the Paycheck Protection Program, also established by the CARES Act, to give a second round of subsidies to businesses struggling through the pandemic and make other changes to the program, which enjoys bipartisan support but is particularly revered by Republicans. Leftover PPP funds from two springtime infusions into the program would cover almost half of the $300 billion or so cost.
Direct payments
President Trump has long supported another $1,200 round of direct payments to most Americans, subject to income limits that make upper-bracket taxpayers ineligible. House Democrats support the idea, but it is unpopular with many Senate Republicans and was left out of a scaled-back Senate GOP plan. A bipartisan bill by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and others, leaves out the direct payments as well, and their cost — up to $300 billion — could render them too expensive for the year-end package, though lawmakers ranging from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., to Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., are pushing to retain them.
State and local governments
This is one of the trickiest issues in the talks — another round of aid to states and local governments to follow a $150 billion installment this spring. It’s a top priority of Pelosi and other Democrats but is opposed by many Republicans, who warn it would bail out states run by Democrats like California and New York. Trump doesn’t like the idea as well, but Pelosi’s demands for the money have been slashed from earlier amounts approaching $1 trillion. Revenue losses due to COVID-19 haven’t been as large as feared. But smaller localities left out of the first tranche of payments are eager for funding. A plan endorsed by moderates would provide $160 billion.
Liability shield
Businesses reopening during the pandemic have for months been seeking a shield against lawsuits claiming negligence for COVID-19 outbreaks. McConnell is the most potent backer of the idea and he’s drafted sweeping protections against lawsuits for businesses, universities, and other organizations. The powerful trial lawyers lobby — which still holds great influence with Democrats — is opposed, and McConnell’s fears of a wave of COVID-related lawsuits haven’t materialized. Veteran Senate Judiciary Committee members Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, have been deputized to negotiate the issue, a sign the talks are at a serious stage.
Odds and ends
Numerous smaller items are ripe for inclusion: a $10 billion for the Postal Service; a $20 billion-plus deal adding food aid sought by Democrats and farm subsidies favored by Republicans; more than $100 billion in funding for schools seeking to reopen; and funding for child care, Amtrak, transit systems, and health care providers.


chicagosun-times--2020-12-04--37 Chicagoans’ mailed-in November ballots were sent on time but arrived too late to be counted

It turns out that 37 Chicago voters who asked to vote by mail in November ’ s election did everything right — got their ballots postmarked or scanned in time to be valid — but their ballots didn ’ t arrive in time to be counted , the Chicago Board of Elections said Friday .
Though that ’ s unfortunate for them , the small number of late ballots wouldn ’ t have made a difference in any race .
This fall , amid the coronavirus pandemic , a record 554,000 Chicago voters had asked for mail ballots , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a healthy 73.3 % Chicago voter turnout .
Voters who were aware of problems with the U.S .
Postal Service that had been the source of numerous news stories seem to have taken steps to make sure their ballots were cast on time , including dropping them off at secure ballot boxes rather than via the regular mail to a degree that ’ s never been seen before , according to the elections board .
Mail ballots had postmarked or to have had their “ intelligent mail ” barcode scanned as having been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 to be valid .
Then , those mailed ballots had to arrive within two weeks — by Nov. 17 — to be counted .
In the week before the Nov. 3 general election , Chicago elections officials saw 80 % of ballots returned via their 50-plus drop boxes and just 20 % via regular mail .
“ It was a very successful program , ” elections board spokesman James Allen said of voting by mail .
“ We hoped to hit 82-83 % , and we ’ re way past that.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 37 voters could see in the online tracking that the elections board used that their ballots went missing .
Another 1,454 ballots from voters citywide weren ’ t counted because they were postmarked or scanned in after the deadline for the election that saw Joe Biden elected over President Donald Trump and also saw Illinois voters reject a progressive income tax .
Elections officials assured the public they had checks in place to track ballots — but also warned voters not to wait until the last minute .
For the most part , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Susan Stokes , founder of the Chicago Center on Democracy at the University of Chicago .
The election “ was a real triumph , ” Stokes said .
“ The fact that it was such a historically high turnout in a pandemic is amazing .
”

It turns out that 37 Chicago voters who asked to vote by mail in November’s election did everything right — got their ballots postmarked or scanned in time to be valid — but their ballots didn’t arrive in time to be counted, the Chicago Board of Elections said Friday.
Though that’s unfortunate for them, the small number of late ballots wouldn’t have made a difference in any race.
This fall, amid the coronavirus pandemic, a record 554,000 Chicago voters had asked for mail ballots, and 1.1 million ballots were cast overall for a healthy 73.3% Chicago voter turnout.
Voters who were aware of problems with the U.S. Postal Service that had been the source of numerous news stories seem to have taken steps to make sure their ballots were cast on time, including dropping them off at secure ballot boxes rather than via the regular mail to a degree that’s never been seen before, according to the elections board.
Mail ballots had postmarked or to have had their “intelligent mail” barcode scanned as having been received by the postal service by Nov. 3 to be valid. Then, those mailed ballots had to arrive within two weeks — by Nov. 17 — to be counted.
In the week before the Nov. 3 general election, Chicago elections officials saw 80% of ballots returned via their 50-plus drop boxes and just 20% via regular mail.
“It was a very successful program,” elections board spokesman James Allen said of voting by mail. “We hoped to hit 82-83%, and we’re way past that.”
It’s not clear whether those 37 voters could see in the online tracking that the elections board used that their ballots went missing.
Another 1,454 ballots from voters citywide weren’t counted because they were postmarked or scanned in after the deadline for the election that saw Joe Biden elected over President Donald Trump and also saw Illinois voters reject a progressive income tax.
Elections officials assured the public they had checks in place to track ballots — but also warned voters not to wait until the last minute.
For the most part, voters heeded those warnings, according to Susan Stokes, founder of the Chicago Center on Democracy at the University of Chicago.
The election “was a real triumph,” Stokes said. “The fact that it was such a historically high turnout in a pandemic is amazing.”


chicagosun-times--2020-12-04--In the book of life, Fast Eddie writes another chapter

“ Life is like a book .
There are good chapters and bad chapters.
” So said one of Ed Vrdolyak ’ s defense lawyers , Catharine O ’ Daniel , explaining to a judge Friday why Fast Eddie shouldn ’ t be sent to prison , not even for a day , for tax fraud .
In the most recent “ chapter ” of his life — the last 10 years — Vrdolyak has been a good egg who has helped many people , O ’ Daniel argued .
And , she added , he ’ s really old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who are really old and frail .
But U.S. District Judge Robert Dow was having none of it .
Or not much .
“ Those who are concerned about facing punishment at age 80 or older ought not to be committing crimes at age 70 or 75 , ” he said .
Dow sentenced Vrdolyak to 18 months in prison , which was no gift of mercy for an 82-year-old man in declining health , though the sentence was below the 24 to 30 months recommended by federal guidelines .
But he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is like a book , Vrdolyak wrote every word in this latest dark chapter .
From the moment he exploded on the scene in the early 1970s , as a wise-cracking alderman , Vrdolyak has always played the angles hard , showing little regard for ethics or laws .
Forever in a rush for money and power , he ruled the City Council until it blew up on him .
He ran an ugly campaign for mayor and went bust .
He grabbed beneath the table for every dollar he could — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he was sentenced to 10 months in prison for bribery .
But even as Vrdolyak back then was being tried , convicted and dispatched to prison , he continued to work a second big scam .
He and a partner , lawyer Daniel Soso , were quietly pocketing millions of dollars each year from a legal settlement between Illinois and Big Tobacco — though they did little or nothing to earn the money — and Vrdolyak was helping Soso hide his earnings from the IRS .
On Friday , Vrdolyak presented himself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took “ full responsibility.
” But Dow seemed to pick up a little of that old Fast Eddie vibe .
The judge just wouldn ’ t let it go that Vrdolyak had hid his involvement in a second criminal scheme during the entire time he was in trouble for the first scheme , and for years afterward .
Had Vrdolyak “ come clean ” and “ accepted his medicine ” in 2011 , Dow said , he would not now — at age 82 — be going off to prison again .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus pandemic subsides .
“ It ’ s really on him , ” Dow said , “ that he didn ’ t come forward when he could.
” Fast Eddie was nine years too slow .

“Life is like a book. There are good chapters and bad chapters.”
So said one of Ed Vrdolyak’s defense lawyers, Catharine O’Daniel, explaining to a judge Friday why Fast Eddie shouldn’t be sent to prison, not even for a day, for tax fraud.
In the most recent “chapter” of his life — the last 10 years — Vrdolyak has been a good egg who has helped many people, O’Daniel argued. And, she added, he’s really old and frail. Prison is hard on people who are really old and frail.
But U.S. District Judge Robert Dow was having none of it. Or not much.
Editorials bug Editorials
“Those who are concerned about facing punishment at age 80 or older ought not to be committing crimes at age 70 or 75,” he said.
Dow sentenced Vrdolyak to 18 months in prison, which was no gift of mercy for an 82-year-old man in declining health, though the sentence was below the 24 to 30 months recommended by federal guidelines. But he had it coming.
If life really is like a book, Vrdolyak wrote every word in this latest dark chapter.
From the moment he exploded on the scene in the early 1970s, as a wise-cracking alderman, Vrdolyak has always played the angles hard, showing little regard for ethics or laws.
Forever in a rush for money and power, he ruled the City Council until it blew up on him. He ran an ugly campaign for mayor and went bust. He grabbed beneath the table for every dollar he could — and got caught red-handed.
Ten years ago, he was sentenced to 10 months in prison for bribery.
But even as Vrdolyak back then was being tried, convicted and dispatched to prison, he continued to work a second big scam. He and a partner, lawyer Daniel Soso, were quietly pocketing millions of dollars each year from a legal settlement between Illinois and Big Tobacco — though they did little or nothing to earn the money — and Vrdolyak was helping Soso hide his earnings from the IRS.
On Friday, Vrdolyak presented himself as Contrite Eddie. He said he took “full responsibility.” But Dow seemed to pick up a little of that old Fast Eddie vibe. The judge just wouldn’t let it go that Vrdolyak had hid his involvement in a second criminal scheme during the entire time he was in trouble for the first scheme, and for years afterward.
Had Vrdolyak “come clean” and “accepted his medicine” in 2011, Dow said, he would not now — at age 82 — be going off to prison again. He is to begin serving his time once the coronavirus pandemic subsides.
“It’s really on him,” Dow said, “that he didn’t come forward when he could.”
Fast Eddie was nine years too slow.
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com.


chicagosun-times--2020-12-04--Nursing home workers reach tentative deal to end strike against Infinity

A tentative agreement between Infinity Healthcare Management and its nursing home workers was reached Friday evening after nearly 700 employees @ @ @ @ @ weeks ago .
The nursing home workers — including cooks , housekeepers and certified nursing @ @ @ @ @ for a new contract since June .
Their last contract expired in May .
Workers @ @ @ @ @ Chicago and the suburbs first hit the picket lines on Nov. 23 .
They were @ @ @ @ @ base salaries between $ 15 and $ 15.30 an hour ( up from $ 11.50 @ @ @ @ @ on location ) and hazard pay for the duration of the pandemic .
SEIU Healthcare @ @ @ @ @ striking workers , has said Infinity facilities have struggled to provide protection for workers during @ @ @ @ @ spots in the state .
SEIU Healthcare has an ownership stake in Sun-Times Media .
@ @ @ @ @ Thanksgiving after the owner of Infinity left town unexpectedly , union leaders said .
Bargaining @ @ @ @ @ back for updates on this developing story .

A tentative agreement between Infinity Healthcare Management and its nursing home workers was reached Friday after nearly 700 employees went on strike almost two weeks ago, according to the union representing the workers.
The nursing home workers — including cooks, housekeepers and certified nursing assistants — have been negotiating for a new contract since June. Their last contract expired in May.
Under the new three-year contract, all workers would receive a minimum $1 an hour raise with the average staff member receiving a $2 an hour wage increase. Workers also will earn annual raises in year two and three of the contact, SEIU Healhcare Illinois union leaders said Friday.
Infinity Healthcare Management did not respond to a request for comment or confirmation of the tentative deal Friday night.
Nursing home workers in facilities with verified coronavirus cases or those being monitored because they might have COVID-19 will also receive an increase in pandemic pay, from $2 an hour to $2.50 an hour. They will also gain five days of COVID-19 related sick time and guarantees that adequate personal protective equipment will be provided.
The union believes the plan will be ratified easily when it is voted on Sunday, and employees will be back to work Monday.
While the union didn’t succeed in getting base salaries for all nursing home workers increased to $15 an hour ($15.50 for CNAs), they believe the agreement will instantly improve the standard of living for members.
“This contract is about more than base wages and pandemic pay,” said Greg Kelley, president of SEIU Healthcare Illinois. “It’s about improving the lives of the workers and the residents that they take care of.”
SEIU Healthcare has an ownership stake in Sun-Times Media.
Union leaders said under the new contract, the average hourly wage will jump from $13.65 to $15.58.
“Me and my co-workers was on that picket line for 12 days. We braved the rain, the cold, the snow and we stuck in there,” said Rosalind Reggans, a CNA at Lakeview Rehab & Nursing Center. “This victory means the world to me because it means we can get back to our residents and they can get the care that they deserve.”
Manny Ramos is a corps member in Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster Sun-Times coverage of issues affecting Chicago’s South and West sides.


chicagosun-times--2020-12-04--Federal judge reinstates DACA

Federal judge reinstates DACA

NEW YORK — The Trump administration must accept new applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that protects some young immigrants from deportation , a federal judge ruled Friday , in vacating a memo from the acting Homeland Security secretary that had suspended it .
U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis said the government had to post a public notice within three days that new DACA applications were being accepted .
The ruling follows one from November where Garaufis said Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf was unlawfully in his position .
On Friday , the judge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issued in July suspending DACA for new applications and reducing how long renewals were valid from two years down to one year .
Wolf had issued his memo after the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled in June that President Donald Trump failed to follow rule-making procedures when he tried to end the program .
Garaufis also ordered the government to put together a status report on the DACA program by Jan. 4 .
An email seeking comment was sent to the Department of Homeland Security .
DACA , started during the Obama administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brought to the country as children to legally work and shields them from deportation .
About 650,000 people are currently enrolled in the program .

NEW YORK — The Trump administration must accept new applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that protects some young immigrants from deportation, a federal judge ruled Friday, in vacating a memo from the acting Homeland Security secretary that had suspended it.
U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis said the government had to post a public notice within three days that new DACA applications were being accepted.
The ruling follows one from November where Garaufis said Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf was unlawfully in his position.
On Friday, the judge said that invalidated the memo Wolf had issued in July suspending DACA for new applications and reducing how long renewals were valid from two years down to one year.
Wolf had issued his memo after the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled in June that President Donald Trump failed to follow rule-making procedures when he tried to end the program.
Garaufis also ordered the government to put together a status report on the DACA program by Jan. 4.
An email seeking comment was sent to the Department of Homeland Security.
DACA, started during the Obama administration, allows certain young immigrants who were brought to the country as children to legally work and shields them from deportation.
About 650,000 people are currently enrolled in the program.


chicagosun-times--2020-12-04--CBS names anchors for weekly network newscast based in Chicago and New York

CBS News on Friday announced the co-anchors for its “ CBS Weekend News ” broadcast , which includes a new network broadcast based in Chicago .
National correspondent Jericka Duncan will anchor the program from New York on Sundays beginning Dec. 6 ; Adriana Diaz will anchor the telecast on Saturdays , beginning Dec. 12 , from the WBBM-TV Chicago studio at Block 37 .
Both programs will feature the latest headlines as well as original content and in-depth reports .
Diaz is a national correspondent based in Chicago .
She joined the network in 2012 .
Highlights of her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wards at Wisconsin ’ s largest hospital , the pandemic ’ s impact on minorities , Chicago gun violence , and the Flint , Michigan , water crisis .
Duncan is a national correspondent for “ CBS This Morning ” and CBS News .
She joined the network in 2013 .
Most recently she reported from Pennsylvania on the 2020 elections , and interviewed Tamika Palmer , the mother of Breonna Taylor .
“ Jericka Duncan and Adriana Diaz are outstanding journalists with extensive reporting experience , ” said CBS News president and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement .
“ Adriana ’ s reporting has spanned China , North Korea and Latin America to today ’ s coverage of COVID-19 ’ s devastating impact on the nation .
Jericka has distinguished herself in reporting the toughest , highest-profile stories that have hit the courts and gripped the country including the trials of Harvey Weinstein , Bill Cosby and Breonna Taylor.
” Both anchors will assume their permanent time slots in January .
“ CBS Weekend News ” becomes the second network news telecast based in Chicago , alongside WGN America @ @ @ @ @ @ @

CBS News on Friday announced the co-anchors for its “CBS Weekend News” broadcast, which includes a new network broadcast based in Chicago.
National correspondent Jericka Duncan will anchor the program from New York on Sundays beginning Dec. 6; Adriana Diaz will anchor the telecast on Saturdays, beginning Dec. 12, from the WBBM-TV Chicago studio at Block 37. Both programs will feature the latest headlines as well as original content and in-depth reports.
Jericka Duncan CBS News
Diaz is a national correspondent based in Chicago. She joined the network in 2012. Highlights of her work include reporting from inside COVID-19 hospital wards at Wisconsin’s largest hospital, the pandemic’s impact on minorities, Chicago gun violence, and the Flint, Michigan, water crisis.
Duncan is a national correspondent for “CBS This Morning” and CBS News. She joined the network in 2013. Most recently she reported from Pennsylvania on the 2020 elections, and interviewed Tamika Palmer, the mother of Breonna Taylor.
“Jericka Duncan and Adriana Diaz are outstanding journalists with extensive reporting experience,” said CBS News president and senior executive producer Susan Zirinsky in a statement. “Adriana’s reporting has spanned China, North Korea and Latin America to today’s coverage of COVID-19’s devastating impact on the nation. Jericka has distinguished herself in reporting the toughest, highest-profile stories that have hit the courts and gripped the country including the trials of Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby and Breonna Taylor.”
Both anchors will assume their permanent time slots in January.
“CBS Weekend News” becomes the second network news telecast based in Chicago, alongside WGN America’s nightly “NewsNation.”


chicagosun-times--2020-12-04--Illinois records 10,526 new COVID-19 cases, 148 deaths marking the state’s worst stretch of the pand

Illinois records 10,526 new COVID-19 cases, 148 deaths marking the state’s worst stretch of the pandemic (LIVE UPDATES)

The coronavirus is killing more Illinoisans than ever before , as public health officials on Friday attributed 148 more deaths to the respiratory disease that has infected an additional 10,526 residents statewide .
COVID-19 has claimed almost 1,000 lives in the last week alone , averaging about 137 deaths per day over that span — the worst stretch the state has suffered so far throughout nine months of the pandemic .
During the worst week of the first wave in mid-May , about 117 Illinoisans were dying of COVID-19 each day .
The latest victims included 62 Chicago-area residents , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and two Cook County women in their 40s .
The unprecedented surge in deaths follows the predictable pattern health officials have been laying out for months : an October spike in cases , leading to a November spike in hospitalizations and record numbers of fatalities so far in December .
The 10,526 new coronavirus cases were diagnosed among 112,634 tests to lower the state ’ s average positivity rate a tenth of a percentage point to 10.3 % .
Gov .
J.B. Pritzker has said he ’ s “ very hopeful ” Illinois @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but that ’ s no guarantee as his public health team braces for another uptick in cases due to super-spreading family gatherings held for Thanksgiving last week .
7:03 p.m. House music producer dies of COVID a month before expected birth of son he always wanted Chicago house music producer Matthew Agostini ’ s first son is due to be born Christmas Day .
Agostini , known as Turk to his friends and Dirty Turk in the music world , won ’ t be present for the birth .
Two days before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died from pneumonia caused by COVID-19 .
His death came less than two hours after he was taken by ambulance from his home to the hospital .
Agostini ’ s death was a shock to his many friends , who flooded a Facebook remembrance page with stories of a talented and funny man whose passion was music but who supported his family by working as an electrical rigger on television and movie sets .
Jessica Tapper , 38 , his partner of nine years and mother of their 3-year-old daughter Violet , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for their son-to-be .
Newly hired as a coronavirus contact tracer , Ajamu Carter began reaching out to people who possibly had been exposed to COVID-19 in October .
He quickly ran into a roadblock : Many of them , especially young Chicagoans , didn ’ t want to talk to him .
“ It can be difficult to deal with the millennials , which is interesting because I ’ m a millennial myself , ” says Carter , who ’ s 30 .
A COVID survivor with experience working in health care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hopes to go to medical school .
When the city of Chicago was looking for contact tracers this past summer , he jumped at the chance .
With his health care knowledge and personable approach , Carter seems well suited for the job .
But he figures that , for every 10 people he calls in an effort to trace and slow the spread of the virus , maybe four will call him back .
That ’ s still a far higher success rate than the overall numbers reported by the city ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do initial interviews and then pass along to Carter and others the names of people to call .
From August through late November , the city ’ s public health investigators managed to reach and interview only about 16 % of Chicagoans who ’ d tested positive .
Time has all but run out on the NHL ’ s hope to start the season Jan. 1 , with the league and NHL Players ’ Association now focusing their discussions on opening play in mid-January , a person familiar with the talks told The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ start date has become more realistic given the number of issues that need to be resolved before players can begin traveling to their home cities , according to the person who spoke to The AP on the condition of anonymity because the discussions are private .
The two sides still need to agree on a schedule , with the current working plan featuring between 52 and 56 regular-season games .
There has also been talk of a buffer being worked into the schedule in the event games are postponed due to the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going into detail , NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The AP “ various similar concepts are being discussed ” when asked about the 52- or 56-game schedule and mid-January start .
Also needing to be resolved is a one-time divisional realignment , with the likelihood of there being a seven-team all-Canada division due to cross-border travel restrictions , as well as an updated COVID-19 protocol for players and teams .
2:54 p.m. Cop ’ s family says he died of coronavirus , wants funeral honors ; department delays decision The family of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the coronavirus and can ’ t understand why the police department hasn ’ t determined he ’ s entitled to full honors for his funeral next week .
Paramedics found Officer Titus Moore dead Nov. 24 at his home near 94th Street and South Wabash Avenue after they were asked to do a well-being check .
Moore , 46 , a field training officer in the Fifth District on the Far South Side , had been quarantining at home since he called his lieutenant and said he had flu-like symptoms , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fraternal Order of Police .
He went on medical leave Nov. 9 , Catanzara said .
Dr. Thea Moore , the officer ’ s sister , said she got a voicemail from the Cook County medical examiner ’ s office a week after her brother ’ s body was found and was told he was “ COVID-positive ” and that his remains were being released to a funeral home .
The medical examiner hasn ’ t issued an official cause of death , though , pending test results .
Chicago Police Department officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toxicology exam before they determine whether Moore died in the line of duty , which would mean he ’ d get full honors at his funeral , a department spokeswoman said .
1:28 p.m. ‘ It ’ s safe to keep schools open , ’ pediatric infectious disease specialist says Even as the region enters its worst period of the pandemic thus far , the vast majority of public and private schools in the Chicago area that have reopened in some capacity this fall have had little confirmed exposure to the coronavirus in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chicago Sun-Times analysis of state data .
A small fraction of schools have had outbreaks where virus transmission has been traced to school buildings , while high schools have shown to be more likely to experience COVID-19 scares than elementary schools , records show .
Those findings match nationwide figures showing relatively low instances of significant spread in educational settings , especially among younger students , and provide some insight into why health officials nationally and in Chicago have expressed strong confidence that schools are safer to reopen than first thought , even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difference between elementary and high school infections also partially explains why Chicago Public Schools has prioritized the return of its youngest students as the district makes its third attempt in January to open its classrooms for the first time since March .
“ It ’ s safe to keep schools open , ” said Dr. Daniel Johnson , chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Chicago Medical Center .
Johnson said evidence has shown minimal spread of the virus in school buildings even as transmission rises in the surrounding community .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ through the COVID winter we ’ re facing We asked Chicagoans : What ’ s your plan for getting through the winter during the pandemic ?
What are you doing to stay occupied ?
Some answers have been condensed and lightly edited for clarity .
“ Currently finishing up the third book in a series .
Been at this five years .
First two books on Amazon .
Writing and cooking keep me busy.
” — Joanie Swanson “ We have a quarantine baby boy here , born 17 days ago , keeping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Reading , art projects , music , writing handwritten letters , meditation and baking lots for those in my neighborhood.
” — Angie Mamrot 10:32 a.m. How Britain ’ s COVID-19 vaccination rollout will work Now that British regulators have become the first to authorize the COVID-19 vaccine developed by American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany ’ s BioNTech for emergency use , how will that country implement what potentially will be its biggest-ever immunization program ?
Here ’ s a look at what ’ s known about Britain ’ s vaccination plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Because the vaccine must be stored and transported at about minus-94 degrees Fahrenheit , there are clear logistical issues .
Fortunately , the vaccine is stable at normal refrigerator temperatures , between 35.6 and 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit , for a few days .
That means it can be stored locally ahead of being administered .
Another complication arises from doses coming in packs of 975 that can not be divided at the moment , making it impossible to deliver vaccines to individual care homes .
Simon Stevens , chief executive of NHS England @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a safe way of splitting up the dose packs so the jabs can get to care homes this month in the “ first tranche of priorities.
” 8:42 a.m. Illinois enters deadliest stretch of coronavirus pandemic so far with 192 more fatalities Illinois has fallen into its deadliest stretch of the coronavirus pandemic so far as public health officials on Thursday announced COVID-19 has claimed 192 more lives while spreading to another 10,959 people .
The latest daily death toll is second only to the all-time high 238 coronavirus deaths reported Wednesday by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While the figures from both Wednesday and Thursday included deaths delayed in reporting from the long Thanksgiving weekend , the state has averaged 124 deaths a day since the holiday .
That tops the worst seven-day stretch of the first coronavirus wave in the spring , during which the state was losing an average of 117 residents to COVID-19 every day .
More than 3,000 Illinois deaths have been attributed to the coronavirus in the last month alone , almost double the state ’ s death toll over the entire summer .
7:58 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of mask-wearing to curb COVID-19 spread WASHINGTON — Joe Biden said Thursday that he will ask Americans to commit to 100 days of wearing masks as one of his first acts as president , stopping just short of the nationwide mandate he ’ s pushed before to stop the spread of the coronavirus .
The move marks a notable shift from President Donald Trump , whose own skepticism of mask-wearing has contributed to a politicization of the issue .
That ’ s made many people reticent to embrace a practice that public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ways to manage the pandemic , which has killed more than 275,000 Americans .
The president-elect has frequently emphasized mask-wearing as a “ patriotic duty ” and during the campaign floated the idea of instituting a nationwide mask mandate , which he later acknowledged would be beyond the ability of the president to enforce .
Speaking with CNN ’ s Jake Tapper , Biden said he would make the request of Americans on Inauguration Day , Jan. 20 .
• Illinois has fallen into its deadliest stretch of the coronavirus pandemic so far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 has claimed 192 more lives while spreading to another 10,959 people .
On Wednesday , Illinois broke its record for the highest single-day death toll attributed to the coronavirus with 238 deaths .
• A judge and 12 more employees at the Cook County chief judge ’ s office have tested positive for COVID-19 , the judge ’ s office reported Tuesday .
These 13 additional cases bring the total number of employees infected with COVID-19 to 180 since the start of the pandemic , the judge ’ s office said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Bush , Clinton will take COVID-19 vaccines : Need to build trust in new drug We ’ re at ground zero when it comes to the new COVID-19 vaccines awaiting federal Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization .
There are unfolding stories about how the vaccines are being distributed and cold stored and who will get the shots in the beginning since there won ’ t be that many doses available in the first wave .
Then there is the matter of trust , especially when the vaccines become widely available @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are not lab rats .
There are many reasonable folks who just want to make sure the COVID-19 vaccine will work and they won ’ t suffer from awful side effects or worse .
Building trust in the midst of this pandemic will be a challenge .
President Donald Trump rushing FDA scientists does not build credibility .
President-elect Joe Biden said on CNN on Thursday night he would be “ happy ” to get vaccinated in public .
Ex-Presidents Barack Obama , George W. Bush and Bill Clinton also have volunteered to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when it ’ s their turn .
We ’ re in a climate where , sadly , conspiracy theories and baseless notions get traction .

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said he’s “very hopeful” Illinois has seen the worst of its resurgence, but that’s no guarantee as his public health team braces for another uptick in cases due to super-spreading family gatherings held for Thanksgiving last week.
Here’s what else happened Friday in coronavirus-related news.
News
8:55 p.m. 148 more Illinois coronavirus deaths amid state’s worst stretch of pandemic
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
The coronavirus is killing more Illinoisans than ever before, as public health officials on Friday attributed 148 more deaths to the respiratory disease that has infected an additional 10,526 residents statewide.
COVID-19 has claimed almost 1,000 lives in the last week alone, averaging about 137 deaths per day over that span — the worst stretch the state has suffered so far throughout nine months of the pandemic.
During the worst week of the first wave in mid-May, about 117 Illinoisans were dying of COVID-19 each day.
The latest victims included 62 Chicago-area residents, a DuPage County man in his 30s and two Cook County women in their 40s.
The unprecedented surge in deaths follows the predictable pattern health officials have been laying out for months: an October spike in cases, leading to a November spike in hospitalizations and record numbers of fatalities so far in December.
The 10,526 new coronavirus cases were diagnosed among 112,634 tests to lower the state’s average positivity rate a tenth of a percentage point to 10.3%.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said he’s “very hopeful” Illinois has seen the worst of its resurgence, but that’s no guarantee as his public health team braces for another uptick in cases due to super-spreading family gatherings held for Thanksgiving last week.
Read the full story here.
7:03 p.m. House music producer dies of COVID a month before expected birth of son he always wanted
Chicago house music producer Matthew Agostini’s first son is due to be born Christmas Day.
Agostini, known as Turk to his friends and Dirty Turk in the music world, won’t be present for the birth.
Two days before Thanksgiving, the 50-year-old Logan Square resident died from pneumonia caused by COVID-19. His death came less than two hours after he was taken by ambulance from his home to the hospital.
Agostini’s death was a shock to his many friends, who flooded a Facebook remembrance page with stories of a talented and funny man whose passion was music but who supported his family by working as an electrical rigger on television and movie sets.
Jessica Tapper, 38, his partner of nine years and mother of their 3-year-old daughter Violet, said they already had picked the name Matteo for their son-to-be.
Columnist Mark Brown has the full story.
4:38 p.m. Why COVID contact tracing isn’t working in Chicago
Newly hired as a coronavirus contact tracer, Ajamu Carter began reaching out to people who possibly had been exposed to COVID-19 in October.
He quickly ran into a roadblock: Many of them, especially young Chicagoans, didn’t want to talk to him.
“It can be difficult to deal with the millennials, which is interesting because I’m a millennial myself,” says Carter, who’s 30.
A COVID survivor with experience working in health care and a degree in biology, Carter hopes to go to medical school. When the city of Chicago was looking for contact tracers this past summer, he jumped at the chance.
With his health care knowledge and personable approach, Carter seems well suited for the job. But he figures that, for every 10 people he calls in an effort to trace and slow the spread of the virus, maybe four will call him back.
That’s still a far higher success rate than the overall numbers reported by the city’s case investigators, the ones who do initial interviews and then pass along to Carter and others the names of people to call. From August through late November, the city’s public health investigators managed to reach and interview only about 16% of Chicagoans who’d tested positive.
Read the full story here.
3:00 p.m. NHL could start season in mid-January
Time has all but run out on the NHL’s hope to start the season Jan. 1, with the league and NHL Players’ Association now focusing their discussions on opening play in mid-January, a person familiar with the talks told The Associated Press on Friday.
A mid-January start date has become more realistic given the number of issues that need to be resolved before players can begin traveling to their home cities, according to the person who spoke to The AP on the condition of anonymity because the discussions are private.
The two sides still need to agree on a schedule, with the current working plan featuring between 52 and 56 regular-season games. There has also been talk of a buffer being worked into the schedule in the event games are postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the person said.
Without going into detail, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The AP “various similar concepts are being discussed” when asked about the 52- or 56-game schedule and mid-January start.
Also needing to be resolved is a one-time divisional realignment, with the likelihood of there being a seven-team all-Canada division due to cross-border travel restrictions, as well as an updated COVID-19 protocol for players and teams.
Read the full story here.
2:54 p.m. Cop’s family says he died of coronavirus, wants funeral honors; department delays decision
The family of a Chicago police officer says he died of the coronavirus and can’t understand why the police department hasn’t determined he’s entitled to full honors for his funeral next week.
Paramedics found Officer Titus Moore dead Nov. 24 at his home near 94th Street and South Wabash Avenue after they were asked to do a well-being check.
Moore, 46, a field training officer in the Fifth District on the Far South Side, had been quarantining at home since he called his lieutenant and said he had flu-like symptoms, according to John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police. He went on medical leave Nov. 9, Catanzara said.
Dr. Thea Moore, the officer’s sister, said she got a voicemail from the Cook County medical examiner’s office a week after her brother’s body was found and was told he was “COVID-positive” and that his remains were being released to a funeral home.
The medical examiner hasn’t issued an official cause of death, though, pending test results.
Chicago Police Department officials are waiting on the results of a toxicology exam before they determine whether Moore died in the line of duty, which would mean he’d get full honors at his funeral, a department spokeswoman said.
Read the full story here.
1:28 p.m. ‘It’s safe to keep schools open,’ pediatric infectious disease specialist says
Sun-Times Media
Even as the region enters its worst period of the pandemic thus far, the vast majority of public and private schools in the Chicago area that have reopened in some capacity this fall have had little confirmed exposure to the coronavirus in the past month, according to a Chicago Sun-Times analysis of state data.
A small fraction of schools have had outbreaks where virus transmission has been traced to school buildings, while high schools have shown to be more likely to experience COVID-19 scares than elementary schools, records show.
Those findings match nationwide figures showing relatively low instances of significant spread in educational settings, especially among younger students, and provide some insight into why health officials nationally and in Chicago have expressed strong confidence that schools are safer to reopen than first thought, even as the pandemic rages on.
The difference between elementary and high school infections also partially explains why Chicago Public Schools has prioritized the return of its youngest students as the district makes its third attempt in January to open its classrooms for the first time since March.
“It’s safe to keep schools open,” said Dr. Daniel Johnson, chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Johnson said evidence has shown minimal spread of the virus in school buildings even as transmission rises in the surrounding community.
Read Nader Issa’s full report here.
12:11 p.m. How Chicagoans plan on getting through the COVID winter we’re facing
We asked Chicagoans: What’s your plan for getting through the winter during the pandemic? What are you doing to stay occupied? Some answers have been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
“Currently finishing up the third book in a series. Been at this five years. First two books on Amazon. Writing and cooking keep me busy.” — Joanie Swanson
“Basement remodeling project.” — Kevin Roecker
“We have a quarantine baby boy here, born 17 days ago, keeping us very busy.” — Pete Kurasz
“Reading, art projects, music, writing handwritten letters, meditation and baking lots for those in my neighborhood.” — Angie Mamrot
Read more reader responses here.
10:32 a.m. How Britain’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout will work
Now that British regulators have become the first to authorize the COVID-19 vaccine developed by American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech for emergency use, how will that country implement what potentially will be its biggest-ever immunization program? Here’s a look at what’s known about Britain’s vaccination plan:
HOW WILL THE ROLLOUT WORK?
Because the vaccine must be stored and transported at about minus-94 degrees Fahrenheit, there are clear logistical issues. Fortunately, the vaccine is stable at normal refrigerator temperatures, between 35.6 and 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit, for a few days. That means it can be stored locally ahead of being administered.
Another complication arises from doses coming in packs of 975 that cannot be divided at the moment, making it impossible to deliver vaccines to individual care homes. Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said he hoped authorities will approve a safe way of splitting up the dose packs so the jabs can get to care homes this month in the “first tranche of priorities.”
Read the full report here.
8:42 a.m. Illinois enters deadliest stretch of coronavirus pandemic so far with 192 more fatalities
Illinois has fallen into its deadliest stretch of the coronavirus pandemic so far as public health officials on Thursday announced COVID-19 has claimed 192 more lives while spreading to another 10,959 people.
The latest daily death toll is second only to the all-time high 238 coronavirus deaths reported Wednesday by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
While the figures from both Wednesday and Thursday included deaths delayed in reporting from the long Thanksgiving weekend, the state has averaged 124 deaths a day since the holiday.
That tops the worst seven-day stretch of the first coronavirus wave in the spring, during which the state was losing an average of 117 residents to COVID-19 every day.
More than 3,000 Illinois deaths have been attributed to the coronavirus in the last month alone, almost double the state’s death toll over the entire summer.
Read the full story here.
7:58 a.m. Biden to call for 100 days of mask-wearing to curb COVID-19 spread
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden said Thursday that he will ask Americans to commit to 100 days of wearing masks as one of his first acts as president, stopping just short of the nationwide mandate he’s pushed before to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
The move marks a notable shift from President Donald Trump, whose own skepticism of mask-wearing has contributed to a politicization of the issue. That’s made many people reticent to embrace a practice that public health experts say is one of the easiest ways to manage the pandemic, which has killed more than 275,000 Americans.
The president-elect has frequently emphasized mask-wearing as a “patriotic duty” and during the campaign floated the idea of instituting a nationwide mask mandate, which he later acknowledged would be beyond the ability of the president to enforce.
Speaking with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Biden said he would make the request of Americans on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.
Read the full report here.
New Cases
Analysis & Commentary
9:21 a.m. Why Biden, ex-presidents Obama, Bush, Clinton will take COVID-19 vaccines: Need to build trust in new drug
We’re at ground zero when it comes to the new COVID-19 vaccines awaiting federal Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization.
There are unfolding stories about how the vaccines are being distributed and cold stored and who will get the shots in the beginning since there won’t be that many doses available in the first wave.
Then there is the matter of trust, especially when the vaccines become widely available. People have to be convinced they are not lab rats.
There are many reasonable folks who just want to make sure the COVID-19 vaccine will work and they won’t suffer from awful side effects or worse.
Building trust in the midst of this pandemic will be a challenge. President Donald Trump rushing FDA scientists does not build credibility.
President-elect Joe Biden said on CNN on Thursday night he would be “happy” to get vaccinated in public. Ex-Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton also have volunteered to get a COVID-19 vaccine in public — when it’s their turn.
We’re in a climate where, sadly, conspiracy theories and baseless notions get traction.
Read Lynn Sweet’s full column here.


chicagosun-times--2020-12-04--Shannon Bennett is a community organizer for these times, as more people soon will see

If you ’ re a public servant wrestling with community issues in Chicago , you already know Shannon Bennett .
The rest of you will soon learn that Bennett , 49 , is a community organizer for these times .
A born and bred West Sider who has lived on the South Side for the past 30 years , Bennett has quietly developed the leadership skills needed to bridge the gap between young activists on the streets and the old-school organizers still fighting the good fight .
The Kenwood Oakland Community Organization , where Bennett has served in several roles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s been named executive director .
The move comes as KOCO is campaigning to prevent the closing of Mercy Hospital , a pillar of the South Side .
“ Our biggest fight right now is to save Mercy Hospital , ” Bennett told me .
“ The company is planning to move against countless voices and close in February .
“ Mercy Hospital— where ‘ the Mayor Daley ’ was born and where we found has the second-highest amounts of black births in this city after Northwestern — they are threatening to close @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
“ Guess what , everybody should be outraged and should be pushing back against this .
But they have been quiet as a mouse , ” Bennett said of government officials .
At KOCO , he succeeds Jawanza Malone , who led the organization for the past eight years and was a leader in forming the Obama Presidential Center Community Benefits Coalition .
“ Shannon brings deep experience as a seasoned organizer , strategist and trainer and has worked behind the scenes of many of KOCO ’ s most successful organizing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chairman Jitu Brown wrote of his appointment .
Bennett started out wanting to be a journalist .
“ I thought I had something to say , ” he said .
But during his sophomore year of college , a mentor got him involved in a program that sent college students to work with kids in Chicago elementary schools , and volunteerism hooked him .
“ I became a summer camp coordinator , a youth development coordinator and went on from there to do youth organizing and housing organizing , ” he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ or four of my mother ’ s cars commuting from the western suburbs to the South Side.
” His passion for helping seniors matches his love for showing young people how to take control of their destiny .
“ We have a proud 55 years of independent black leadership , and our organization is made up of members who refuse to accept that we don ’ t have a right to be in these neighborhoods and in this city , ” he said .
“ We work to make sure that we not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and we thrive.
” On the day that Mayor Harold Washington died , Bennett pointed out , he had attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the Woodlake Townhomes at 44th Street and Lake Park Avenue , a KOCO project .
“ That famous picture of Washington with the shovel in his hand was taken at our project that developed over 120 units of housing , ” Bennett said .
“ That was one of the last things that Washington did because he understood the the collective power of the community .
No other mayor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counts as wins the campaign to save Dyett High School , the passage of a city ordinance that will provide affordable housing for low-income and working families in an area that will feel the impact of the Obama Presidential Center and the opening of a trauma center at the University of Chicago Medical Center .
He also has worked with young people to address issues that often are overlooked , such as the alarming number of young Black girls reported missing .
Bennett also has confronted the Chicago Housing Authority and other developers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citizen buildings .
“ Organizing gets a bad rap , but organizing is the only way that low-income and working families can use their voices and their actions to determine what happens in their lives , ” Bennett said .
And , as they say , actions speak louder than words .

If you’re a public servant wrestling with community issues in Chicago, you already know Shannon Bennett.
The rest of you will soon learn that Bennett, 49, is a community organizer for these times.
A born and bred West Sider who has lived on the South Side for the past 30 years, Bennett has quietly developed the leadership skills needed to bridge the gap between young activists on the streets and the old-school organizers still fighting the good fight.
The Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, where Bennett has served in several roles since 1991, announced Thursday he’s been named executive director.
The move comes as KOCO is campaigning to prevent the closing of Mercy Hospital, a pillar of the South Side.
“Our biggest fight right now is to save Mercy Hospital,” Bennett told me. “The company is planning to move against countless voices and close in February.
“Mercy Hospital— where ‘the Mayor Daley’ was born and where we found has the second-highest amounts of black births in this city after Northwestern — they are threatening to close this hospital in the middle of a pandemic.
“Guess what, everybody should be outraged and should be pushing back against this. But they have been quiet as a mouse,” Bennett said of government officials.
At KOCO, he succeeds Jawanza Malone, who led the organization for the past eight years and was a leader in forming the Obama Presidential Center Community Benefits Coalition.
“Shannon brings deep experience as a seasoned organizer, strategist and trainer and has worked behind the scenes of many of KOCO’s most successful organizing campaigns,” KOCO’s board chairman Jitu Brown wrote of his appointment.
Bennett started out wanting to be a journalist.
“I thought I had something to say,” he said.
But during his sophomore year of college, a mentor got him involved in a program that sent college students to work with kids in Chicago elementary schools, and volunteerism hooked him.
“I became a summer camp coordinator, a youth development coordinator and went on from there to do youth organizing and housing organizing,” he said. “I must have torn up three or four of my mother’s cars commuting from the western suburbs to the South Side.”
His passion for helping seniors matches his love for showing young people how to take control of their destiny.
“We have a proud 55 years of independent black leadership, and our organization is made up of members who refuse to accept that we don’t have a right to be in these neighborhoods and in this city,” he said. “We work to make sure that we not only remain, but we develop, and we thrive.”
On the day that Mayor Harold Washington died, Bennett pointed out, he had attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the Woodlake Townhomes at 44th Street and Lake Park Avenue, a KOCO project.
“That famous picture of Washington with the shovel in his hand was taken at our project that developed over 120 units of housing,” Bennett said. “That was one of the last things that Washington did because he understood the collective power of the community. No other mayor since him has gotten it.”
Bennett counts as wins the campaign to save Dyett High School, the passage of a city ordinance that will provide affordable housing for low-income and working families in an area that will feel the impact of the Obama Presidential Center and the opening of a trauma center at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
He also has worked with young people to address issues that often are overlooked, such as the alarming number of young Black girls reported missing.
Bennett also has confronted the Chicago Housing Authority and other developers about the deteriorating conditions of some senior citizen buildings.
“Organizing gets a bad rap, but organizing is the only way that low-income and working families can use their voices and their actions to determine what happens in their lives,” Bennett said.
And, as they say, actions speak louder than words.


chicagosun-times--2020-12-04--House music producer dies of COVID a month before expected birth of son he always wanted

Chicago house music producer Matthew Agostini ’ s first son is due to be born Christmas Day .
Agostini , known as Turk to his friends and Dirty Turk in the music world , won ’ t be present for the birth .
Two days before Thanksgiving , the 50-year-old Logan Square resident died from pneumonia caused by COVID-19 .
His death came less than two hours after he was taken by ambulance from his home to the hospital .
Agostini ’ s death was a shock to his many friends , who flooded a Facebook remembrance page with stories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passion was music but who supported his family by working as an electrical rigger on television and movie sets .
Jessica Tapper , 38 , his partner of nine years and mother of their 3-year-old daughter Violet , said they already had picked the name Matteo for their son-to-be .
A recent ultrasound showed the boy has his father ’ s nose .
Tapper told me that , during one particularly difficult recent day , her young daughter had told her : “ Don ’ t cry , Mommy .
Put your feelings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Violet but had begged her for a son since they began their relationship .
Agostini has two older daughters from previous relationships — Devin Whitman , 29 , who lives in Arizona , and Lucia , 14 , in California .
“ He always wanted a baby boy , ” said Whitman , who spoke glowingly of her dad .
“ Violet was his world .
He loved being a father.
” In an online tribute , she described him as : “ The King of Useless Information .
The bearer of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all Sicilians and the King of the Lower East Side .
Type One Warrior… Poet .
Musician .
Artist .
Sculptor.
” Whitman and her mother have established fundraising sites on Facebook and GoFundMe.com to help pay for Agostini ’ s funeral and to support his younger children .
Agostini , a well-traveled native New Yorker , moved to Chicago 12 years ago to focus on his music because of the city ’ s status as the home of house music .
Whitman said he considered himself a “ deep house ” musician @ @ @ @ @ @ @ house , ” she said .
Agostini was also a songwriter and session musician , playing keyboards , guitar and bass .
“ He would be walking down the street and just start writing a song in his head , ” Tapper said .
“ He ’ d call his own voicemail and hum the song so he wouldn ’ t forget the melody.
” Agostini learned electrical work as a teenager and later operated his own contracting business , his daughter said .
In Chicago , he worked on most of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ member of International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 476 .
His specialty was setting up generators for filming locations outside the studio .
As a teenager , Agostini aspired to be a professional breakdancer .
He competed in contests along the East Coast and appeared briefly as a dancer in the 1984 movie “ Breakin.
’ ” His brand of humor was along the lines of “ breakin ’ balls , ” as one of his old buddies put it .
“ He liked to roast people , ” Whitman said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ cried and peed their pants , literally.
” Tapper said she and Agostini stuck close to their apartment since she learned she was pregnant shortly after the pandemic began in March .
Agostini , who had diabetes and high blood pressure , was careful to wear a mask when he needed to go out , she said .
He was sick for two weeks before he died , his symptoms becoming progressively worse , with a cough and fever .
He suspected he caught the virus at a pharmacy where another customer was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even as his breathing became labored , he never sought treatment and wasn ’ t diagnosed until he went to the hospital the night he died .
Tapper isn ’ t sure of this but suspects “ he was afraid of dying on a ventilator.
” When the ambulance came , Agostini walked to it and went to Norwegian-American Hospital .
“ He was there for an hour and a half , and then he was dead , ” Tapper said .
Why do I keep writing about COVID victims ?
Maybe so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put our feelings away .

Chicago house music producer Matthew Agostini’s first son is due to be born Christmas Day.
Agostini, known as Turk to his friends and Dirty Turk in the music world, won’t be present for the birth.
Two days before Thanksgiving, the 50-year-old Logan Square resident died from pneumonia caused by COVID-19. His death came less than two hours after he was taken by ambulance from his home to the hospital.
Agostini’s death was a shock to his many friends, who flooded a Facebook remembrance page with stories of a talented and funny man whose passion was music but who supported his family by working as an electrical rigger on television and movie sets.
Jessica Tapper, 38, his partner of nine years and mother of their 3-year-old daughter Violet, said they already had picked the name Matteo for their son-to-be.
A recent ultrasound showed the boy has his father’s nose.
Matthew “Turk” Agostini posed beside an ultrasound photo of his son, who is due to be born on Christmas Day. He’ll have his father’s nose. Provided
Tapper told me that, during one particularly difficult recent day, her young daughter had told her: “Don’t cry, Mommy. Put your feelings away.”
Tapper said Agostini was devoted to Violet but had begged her for a son since they began their relationship.
Agostini has two older daughters from previous relationships — Devin Whitman, 29, who lives in Arizona, and Lucia, 14, in California.
“He always wanted a baby boy,” said Whitman, who spoke glowingly of her dad. “Violet was his world. He loved being a father.”
In an online tribute, she described him as: “The King of Useless Information. The bearer of bad news. The most Sicilian of all Sicilians and the King of the Lower East Side. Type One Warrior… Poet. Musician. Artist. Sculptor.”
Whitman and her mother have established fundraising sites on Facebook and GoFundMe.com to help pay for Agostini’s funeral and to support his younger children.
Agostini, a well-traveled native New Yorker, moved to Chicago 12 years ago to focus on his music because of the city’s status as the home of house music. Whitman said he considered himself a “deep house” musician.
“He called it progressive jazz house,” she said.
Agostini was also a songwriter and session musician, playing keyboards, guitar and bass.
“He would be walking down the street and just start writing a song in his head,” Tapper said. “He’d call his own voicemail and hum the song so he wouldn’t forget the melody.”
Agostini learned electrical work as a teenager and later operated his own contracting business, his daughter said.
In Chicago, he worked on most of the major TV shows shot here as a member of International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 476. His specialty was setting up generators for filming locations outside the studio.
As a teenager, Agostini aspired to be a professional breakdancer. He competed in contests along the East Coast and appeared briefly as a dancer in the 1984 movie “Breakin.’ ”
His brand of humor was along the lines of “breakin’ balls,” as one of his old buddies put it.
“He liked to roast people,” Whitman said. “He made people laugh until they cried and peed their pants, literally.”
Matthew Agostini with his oldest daughter, Devin Whitman. Provided
Tapper said she and Agostini stuck close to their apartment since she learned she was pregnant shortly after the pandemic began in March.
Agostini, who had diabetes and high blood pressure, was careful to wear a mask when he needed to go out, she said.
He was sick for two weeks before he died, his symptoms becoming progressively worse, with a cough and fever. He suspected he caught the virus at a pharmacy where another customer was coughing and not wearing a mask.
Even as his breathing became labored, he never sought treatment and wasn’t diagnosed until he went to the hospital the night he died.
Tapper isn’t sure of this but suspects “he was afraid of dying on a ventilator.”
When the ambulance came, Agostini walked to it and went to Norwegian-American Hospital.
“He was there for an hour and a half, and then he was dead,” Tapper said.
Why do I keep writing about COVID victims?
Maybe so that we aren’t tempted to put our feelings away.


chicagosun-times--2020-12-05--IDOT vehicle struck by gunfire in I-290 shooting

An Illinois Department of Transportation truck was struck by gunfire Saturday morning in a shooting on the Eisenhower Expressway near @ @ @ @ @ happened about 4:15 a.m. on the I-290 eastbound ramp to Independence Boulevard , according to @ @ @ @ @ IDOT truck was struck by at least three rounds of gunfire , state police said @ @ @ @ @ shot but was run off the road and transported to Mount Sinai Hospital with minor @ @ @ @ @ from Cicero Avenue to Independence Boulevard as police investigate the shooting .
Less than 24 @ @ @ @ @ was fatally shot on the Eisenhower Expressway just east of the Jane Byrne Interchange .

An Illinois Department of Transportation truck was struck by gunfire Saturday morning in a shooting on the Eisenhower Expressway near Independence Boulevard.
The shooting happened about 4:15 a.m. on the I-290 eastbound ramp to Independence Boulevard, according to Illinois State Police.
An IDOT truck was struck by at least three rounds of gunfire, state police said.
The driver was not shot but was run off the road and transported to Mount Sinai Hospital with minor injuries. No other injuries were reported, according to state police.
I-290 is closed from Cicero Avenue to Independence Boulevard as police investigate the shooting.
Less than 24 hours earlier, a man was fatally shot on the Eisenhower Expressway just east of the Jane Byrne Interchange.


chicagosun-times--2020-12-05--With Erik Condra hiring, Blackhawks’ loaded player development staff adds another retired NHL regula

With Erik Condra hiring, Blackhawks’ loaded player development staff adds another retired NHL regular

Erik Condra , like millions of others , watched the 2020 Stanley Cup Final between the Lightning and Stars from his couch .
Yet a number of the players Condra watched in the Final were there in small part due to his mentorship .
Indeed , from 2016 to 2018 , Condra — his days as a reliable bottom-six NHL forward behind him — played for the Syracuse Crunch , the Lightning ’ s AHL affiliate .
Then in 2018-19 , Condra moved on to the Texas Stars , the Stars ’ AHL affiliate .
He was a productive scorer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mainly there to teach and look after both franchises ’ top prospects on their journeys up to the NHL .
Out of the millions of viewers , likely only Condra could claim that level of influence .
“ I felt like a proud dad , ” he said .
“ Playing in the minors , I didn ’ t think some of them were going to make it right at the start of the year .
But they ended up becoming really good players and growing in their development , and some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stanley Cup.
” Condra , 34 , now hopes to continue that remarkable golden touch with the Blackhawks , who hired him as a player development coach on November 23 — the same day he officially announced retirement from his playing career .
He joins an excellent Hawks player development department loaded with former NHL players .
Mark Eaton , who played 650 games as a defenseman for the Flyers , Predators , Penguins and Islanders from 1999 to 2012 , was recently promoted to department head .
Brian Campbell , who played @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 2017 and was a key part of the Hawks ’ 2010 Cup team , works closely developing prospects with the AHL Rockford IceHogs .
He took on a bigger role this past season , spending 35 games behind the bench .
Yanic Perreault , who played 859 games as a center for the Maple Leafs , Kings , Canadiens , Predators , Coyotes and Hawks from 1993 to 2008 , works most often with IceHogs forwards .
Chris Kunitz , who played 1,022 games as a left wing — most famously with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , helps young players already on the Hawks ’ NHL roster .
“ We all bring different skill sets and mindsets to the organization , but we ’ re all fighting for the same thing , ” Condra said .
“ [ We ’ re ] supporting each other and also giving our specific ways that we came up and roles that we played .
The more you hear the same thing from different voices , the more the young guys start to believe it.
” Condra himself played 372 NHL games as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senators , from 2010 to 2019 .
The Notre Dame alumnus was never a star , offensively topping out at 25 points in 2011-12 , but served a valuable role as a defensive forward and penalty-killing specialist .
“ I got the most out of the skill I had , ” he said .
“ That accomplishment of my first game in Ottawa was amazing .
All of a sudden , I blinked and it was 11 years later and almost 400 games in the NHL and just as many in the AHL @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve enjoyed every minute of it.
” As he transitions moving forward from player to coach , he ’ ll receive plenty of advice from the other members of the department who have made similar transitions , including Campbell .
“ It ’ s fairly natural , ” Campbell said .
“ There ’ s a lot of things to learn : how to deal and handle expectations , timelines of how [ prospects ] develop ...
But if you ask a lot of questions , you learn from a lot of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out.
” Condra will work most closely with the Hawks ’ forward prospects — opposing Eaton , who works most closely with the Hawks ’ defensive prospects .
He ’ s technically replacing Derek Plante , who left the Hawks in July to become associate head coach at Minnesota-Duluth .
If he can do to those prospects anything close to what he did with the Lightning and Stars ’ prospects , the future Hawks will be in great shape .
In Syracuse , Condra mentored the likes of Anthony Cirelli , Mitchell Stephens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of whom played significantly for the Lightning in 2019-20 .
Cirelli finished fourth in Selke Trophy voting for the league ’ s best defensive forward .
And in Texas , Condra played some with both Denis Gurianov , who emerged as a breakout star in the 2020 playoffs , and Roope Hintz .
“ I tried to take those guys under my wing , ” Condra said .
“ You see how good of a player Cirelli was ; he was always going to turn into that .
But some of these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think it ’ s going to be easy because they ’ re good players , but the first 15 to 20 games , they really struggle .
You just have to get their confidence back and help them along the way , which I tried to do.
” Both Condra and Campbell said one of the most important lessons to impart on young players is patience .
The majority of NHL players spent several years in the minor leagues before eventually breaking through ; in fact , Condra and Campbell themselves are living @ @ @ @ @ @ @ breakthrough finally arrives , the feelings of joy and validation are contagious .
Condra has experienced that secondhand satisfaction an incredible number of times already as a player-coach , and he expects it to be the most rewarding part of doing the latter role full-time .
“ The biggest thing for me is building a relationship with these young kids so they trust you and so they take the ownership of their careers into their own hands , ” he said .
“ When you see that happen , and they send texts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or you see them raise the Cup , that means the most .
”

Erik Condra, like millions of others, watched the 2020 Stanley Cup Final between the Lightning and Stars from his couch.
Yet a number of the players Condra watched in the Final were there in small part due to his mentorship.
Indeed, from 2016 to 2018, Condra — his days as a reliable bottom-six NHL forward behind him — played for the Syracuse Crunch, the Lightning’s AHL affiliate. Then in 2018-19, Condra moved on to the Texas Stars, the Stars’ AHL affiliate. He was a productive scorer on those teams, but he was mainly there to teach and look after both franchises’ top prospects on their journeys up to the NHL.
Out of the millions of viewers, likely only Condra could claim that level of influence.
“I felt like a proud dad,” he said. “Playing in the minors, I didn’t think some of them were going to make it right at the start of the year. But they ended up becoming really good players and growing in their development, and some of them were very impactful in winning the Stanley Cup.”
Condra, 34, now hopes to continue that remarkable golden touch with the Blackhawks, who hired him as a player development coach on November 23 — the same day he officially announced retirement from his playing career.
He joins an excellent Hawks player development department loaded with former NHL players.
Mark Eaton, who played 650 games as a defenseman for the Flyers, Predators, Penguins and Islanders from 1999 to 2012, was recently promoted to department head.
Brian Campbell, who played 1,082 games as a defenseman from 1999 to 2017 and was a key part of the Hawks’ 2010 Cup team, works closely developing prospects with the AHL Rockford IceHogs. He took on a bigger role this past season, spending 35 games behind the bench.
Yanic Perreault, who played 859 games as a center for the Maple Leafs, Kings, Canadiens, Predators, Coyotes and Hawks from 1993 to 2008, works most often with IceHogs forwards. Chris Kunitz, who played 1,022 games as a left wing — most famously with the Penguins — from 2003 to 2019, helps young players already on the Hawks’ NHL roster.
“We all bring different skill sets and mindsets to the organization, but we’re all fighting for the same thing,” Condra said. “[We’re] supporting each other and also giving our specific ways that we came up and roles that we played. The more you hear the same thing from different voices, the more the young guys start to believe it.”
Hawks fans remember Brian Campbell fondly from the 2010 Stanley Cup team, but Campbell is one of many retired players who still fill large roles in the organization. AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast
Condra himself played 372 NHL games as a right wing, primarily for the Senators, from 2010 to 2019.
The Notre Dame alumnus was never a star, offensively topping out at 25 points in 2011-12, but served a valuable role as a defensive forward and penalty-killing specialist.
“I got the most out of the skill I had,” he said. “That accomplishment of my first game in Ottawa was amazing. All of a sudden, I blinked and it was 11 years later and almost 400 games in the NHL and just as many in the AHL. It flies by but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”
As he transitions moving forward from player to coach, he’ll receive plenty of advice from the other members of the department who have made similar transitions, including Campbell.
“It’s fairly natural,” Campbell said. “There’s a lot of things to learn: how to deal and handle expectations, timelines of how [prospects] develop... But if you ask a lot of questions, you learn from a lot of people, and then you figure those things out.”
Condra will work most closely with the Hawks’ forward prospects — opposing Eaton, who works most closely with the Hawks’ defensive prospects. He’s technically replacing Derek Plante, who left the Hawks in July to become associate head coach at Minnesota-Duluth.
If he can do to those prospects anything close to what he did with the Lightning and Stars’ prospects, the future Hawks will be in great shape.
In Syracuse, Condra mentored the likes of Anthony Cirelli, Mitchell Stephens, Mathieu Joseph and Carter Verhaeghe, all of whom played significantly for the Lightning in 2019-20. Cirelli finished fourth in Selke Trophy voting for the league’s best defensive forward.
And in Texas, Condra played some with both Denis Gurianov, who emerged as a breakout star in the 2020 playoffs, and Roope Hintz.
“I tried to take those guys under my wing,” Condra said. “You see how good of a player Cirelli was; he was always going to turn into that. But some of these guys come into the AHL and they think it’s going to be easy because they’re good players, but the first 15 to 20 games, they really struggle. You just have to get their confidence back and help them along the way, which I tried to do.”
Both Condra and Campbell said one of the most important lessons to impart on young players is patience. The majority of NHL players spent several years in the minor leagues before eventually breaking through; in fact, Condra and Campbell themselves are living proof of it.
But when the breakthrough finally arrives, the feelings of joy and validation are contagious. Condra has experienced that secondhand satisfaction an incredible number of times already as a player-coach, and he expects it to be the most rewarding part of doing the latter role full-time.
“The biggest thing for me is building a relationship with these young kids so they trust you and so they take the ownership of their careers into their own hands,” he said. “When you see that happen, and they send texts or ‘thank you’-s, or you see them raise the Cup, that means the most.”


chicagosun-times--2020-12-05--Chicago outdoors: Cemetery buck, Wis. deer harvest, Park Bait season-ender, Al Lindner on brother Ro

Chicago outdoors: Cemetery buck, Wis. deer harvest, Park Bait season-ender, Al Lindner on brother Ron

Notes come from all around Chicago outdoors .
Dan Filipek emailed , “ Check out this beauty , who resides and roams the grounds of Maryhill Cemetery in Niles.
” BOTW Unplugged , the celebration of live big bucks around Chicago outdoors , runs as apt in the special two-page outdoors section in the Sun-Times Sports Saturday .
Submit nominations by message on Facebook ( Dale Bowman ) , on Twitter ( @ BowmanOutside ) and Instagram ( @ BowmanOutside ) or email ( BowmanOutside @ gmail.com ) .
Tuesday , Dec. 8 : Second scaup/bluebill season , central zone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one Through Jan. 3 : Drive-through light show outdoors , Morton Arboretum , Lisle , check ticket availability at noon Mondays at mortonarb.org Dec. 30 : Deadline to register for Central Illinois Youth Goose Hunt ( ages 10-17 ) on Jan. 18 .
Must register for the lottery at ( 217 ) 785-8060 .
“ If I told you the **** that I went through this year , part of you would expect it , cuz it ’ s the city and Park District , but other parts of it , you would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be like , ‘ What !
’ “ Stacey Greene on the travails of Park Bait , which closed on Sunday , during 2020 A : I think what summed up the year for Park Bait is that on Nov. 18 , Greene weighed her first state record fish ( Luc van Brenk ’ s 9.68-pound burbot ) as Montrose car access to the lakefront was again being locked down .
Click here for the tale of van Brenk ’ s burbot .
188,712 : Preliminary deer harvest during Wisconsin ’ s nine-day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Nov. 29 .
Click here for a fuller breakdown of the preliminary harvest numbers .
“ I also fished with my older brother , Ron , who is ten years my senior .
If I dug the worms , seined the minnows , fixed the tackle , and loaded the boat , he would take me out with him .
He told me everyone starts out as a ` worm boy ’ apprentice , and for years I believed him.
” Al Lindner , in “ Reflections at First Light : A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his older brother Ron , who died Monday .

Notes come from all around Chicago outdoors.
BUCK OF THE WEEK: UNPLUGGED
Dan Filipek emailed, “Check out this beauty, who resides and roams the grounds of Maryhill Cemetery in Niles.”
BOTW Unplugged, the celebration of live big bucks around Chicago outdoors, runs as apt in the special two-page outdoors section in the Sun-Times Sports Saturday. Submit nominations by message on Facebook (Dale Bowman), on Twitter (@BowmanOutside) and Instagram (@BowmanOutside) or email (BowmanOutside@gmail.com).
WILD TIMES
ILLINOIS SEASONS
Sunday, Dec. 6: Final day, second firearm deer season
Monday, Dec. 7: Final day, first scaup/bluebill season, central zone
Tuesday, Dec. 8: Second scaup/bluebill season, central zone, opens, daily bag drops to one
Friday, Dec. 11, to Dec. 13: Muzzleloader deer season
ILLUMINATION
Through Jan. 3: Drive-through light show outdoors, Morton Arboretum, Lisle, check ticket availability at noon Mondays at mortonarb.org
YOUTH HUNTING
Dec. 30: Deadline to register for Central Illinois Youth Goose Hunt (ages 10-17) on Jan. 18. Must register for the lottery at (217) 785-8060.
DALE’S MAILBAG
“If I told you the **** that I went through this year, part of you would expect it, cuz it’s the city and Park District, but other parts of it, you would shake your head and you’d be like, ‘What!’ “ Stacey Greene on the travails of Park Bait, which closed on Sunday, during 2020
A: I think what summed up the year for Park Bait is that on Nov. 18, Greene weighed her first state record fish (Luc van Brenk’s 9.68-pound burbot) as Montrose car access to the lakefront was again being locked down. Click here for the tale of van Brenk’s burbot.
BIG NUMBER
188,712: Preliminary deer harvest during Wisconsin’s nine-day gun deer season, which ended Sunday, Nov. 29. Click here for a fuller breakdown of the preliminary harvest numbers.
LAST WORD
“I also fished with my older brother, Ron, who is ten years my senior. If I dug the worms, seined the minnows, fixed the tackle, and loaded the boat, he would take me out with him. He told me everyone starts out as a `worm boy’ apprentice, and for years I believed him.”
Al Lindner, in “Reflections at First Light: A Fisherman’s Devotional,” on his older brother Ron, who died Monday.