chicagosun-times--2020-05-14--15 shot, 1 killed, Wednesday in Chicago

15 shot, 1 killed, Wednesday in Chicago

Fifteen people were shot , one fatally , Wednesday in Chicago including a 22-year-old man who was killed in a shooting in Gresham on the South Side .
He was sitting in a vehicle at 5:56 p.m. in the 8600 block of South Halsted Street when two people walked up and started shooting into the vehicle , according to Chicago police .
The man was hit in the head and body and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn , where he was pronounced dead , police said .
In non-fatal shootings , a 22-year-old man was shot while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the West Side .
He was traveling about 9:50 p.m. in the 5600 block of West Thomas Street when someone opened fire from the street , police said .
The man was struck in the hand and the vehicle crashed , police said .
He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition .
A 30-year-old woman was grazed by a bullet in Logan Square on the Northwest Side .
She was in her vehicle about 8:50 p.m. in the 1800 block of North Kedzie Avenue when shots rang out as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The woman was grazed on her right ear and taken to St. Mary ’ s Hospital in good condition , police said .
A man was shot in Austin on the West Side .
Someone shot him in the arm just before 8 p.m. in the 500 block of North Lockwood Avenue , police said .
He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital , where his condition was stabilized .
A 30-year-old woman was shot in Lawndale on the West Side .
She was walking about 6:50 p.m. in the 3500 block of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and fired shots at her , police said .
She was struck in the leg and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition , police said .
Two men were wounded in a shooting in Chatham on the South Side .
They were waiting for a bus about 4:40 p.m. in the 700 block of East 87th Street when someone approached them and opened fire , police said .
A 28-year-old was struck in the abdomen and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition , police said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit in the leg and stabilized at the same hospital .
Two men were wounded , one of them critically , in a shooting in Lawndale on the West Side .
They were standing outside about 4:15 p.m. when a green vehicle drove by and someone inside fired shots in the 800 block of South Karlov Avenue , according to police .
A 23-year-old man was hit in the head and chest and taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital , police said .
The other man , 22 , was shot in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ head , police said .
He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital , where he was stabilized .
A 32-year-old man was accidentally shot by someone he knows in Stony Island Park on the South Side .
He was shot in the foot at 1:51 p.m. in the 8600 block of South Bennett Avenue , according to police .
He went to Trinity Hospital on his own and his condition was stabilized , police said .
He told investigators the shooting was an accidental discharge by an acquaintance .
A 25-year-old man was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ West Side .
about 6:40 a.m. he was sitting outside in the 4500 block of West Monroe Street , when three males approached him and opened fire , police said .
He was struck in the left calf and taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition , police said .
A 25-year-old woman was shot in Austin on the West Side .
About 3:40 a.m. she was standing on the sidewalk in the 800 block of North Laramie Avenue , when a male fired shots at her , police said .
She was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stroger Hospital for treatment , police said .
She is in good condition .
A 26-year-old man was carjacked and shot in Englewood on the South Side .
About 2:10 a.m. , he was in sitting in his 2017 Hyundai Sonata in the 5500 block of South Ashland Avenue when two males forced him from the car at gunpoint , police said .
He was shot in the right shoulder during a brief struggle with one of the suspects .
The two males sped off in the man ’ s car but it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ block of South Justine Avenue , police said .
The 26-year-old was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center for treatment , police said .
He is in good condition .
The man told officers he was on the sidewalk about 1:20 a.m. when he heard gunshots and felt a pain , police said .
The location of the shooting is not known .
He walked into Jackson Park Hospital with a gunshot wound to his right leg , police said , and was in good condition .
A 22-year-old woman was shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ West Side .
About 1:25 a.m. , she was in a first-floor apartment in the 4800 block of West Adams Street when she got into an argument with an 18-year-old woman who shot her in the chest , police said .
She was rushed to Mt .
Sinai Hospital in serious condition , police said .
The 18-year-old alleged shooter is in custody .
The shooting is believed to be domestic-related , according to a police source .
Twelve people were shot and two killed Tuesday in Chicago .
Read more on crime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ homicides .

Fifteen people were shot, one fatally, Wednesday in Chicago including a 22-year-old man who was killed in a shooting in Gresham on the South Side.
He was sitting in a vehicle at 5:56 p.m. in the 8600 block of South Halsted Street when two people walked up and started shooting into the vehicle, according to Chicago police.
The man was hit in the head and body and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
In non-fatal shootings, a 22-year-old man was shot while riding in a vehicle in Austin on the West Side.
He was traveling about 9:50 p.m. in the 5600 block of West Thomas Street when someone opened fire from the street, police said.
The man was struck in the hand and the vehicle crashed, police said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition.
A 30-year-old woman was grazed by a bullet in Logan Square on the Northwest Side.
She was in her vehicle about 8:50 p.m. in the 1800 block of North Kedzie Avenue when shots rang out as a black sedan passed, police said.
The woman was grazed on her right ear and taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in good condition, police said.
A man was shot in Austin on the West Side.
Someone shot him in the arm just before 8 p.m. in the 500 block of North Lockwood Avenue, police said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.
A 30-year-old woman was shot in Lawndale on the West Side.
She was walking about 6:50 p.m. in the 3500 block of West 15th Street when a male approached and fired shots at her, police said.
She was struck in the leg and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition, police said.
Two men were wounded in a shooting in Chatham on the South Side.
They were waiting for a bus about 4:40 p.m. in the 700 block of East 87th Street when someone approached them and opened fire, police said.
A 28-year-old was struck in the abdomen and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition, police said. The other man, 53, was hit in the leg and stabilized at the same hospital.
Two men were wounded, one of them critically, in a shooting in Lawndale on the West Side.
They were standing outside about 4:15 p.m. when a green vehicle drove by and someone inside fired shots in the 800 block of South Karlov Avenue, according to police.
A 23-year-old man was hit in the head and chest and taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital, police said.
The other man, 22, was shot in the right hand and grazed on the head, police said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was stabilized.
A 32-year-old man was accidentally shot by someone he knows in Stony Island Park on the South Side.
He was shot in the foot at 1:51 p.m. in the 8600 block of South Bennett Avenue, according to police.
He went to Trinity Hospital on his own and his condition was stabilized, police said. He told investigators the shooting was an accidental discharge by an acquaintance.
A 25-year-old man was shot in West Garfield Park on the West Side.
about 6:40 a.m. he was sitting outside in the 4500 block of West Monroe Street, when three males approached him and opened fire, police said.
He was struck in the left calf and taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition, police said.
A 25-year-old woman was shot in Austin on the West Side.
About 3:40 a.m. she was standing on the sidewalk in the 800 block of North Laramie Avenue, when a male fired shots at her, police said.
She was struck in the abdomen and taken to Stroger Hospital for treatment, police said. She is in good condition.
A 26-year-old man was carjacked and shot in Englewood on the South Side.
About 2:10 a.m., he was in sitting in his 2017 Hyundai Sonata in the 5500 block of South Ashland Avenue when two males forced him from the car at gunpoint, police said. He was shot in the right shoulder during a brief struggle with one of the suspects.
The two males sped off in the man’s car but it was later found abandoned in the 5500 block of South Justine Avenue, police said.
The 26-year-old was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center for treatment, police said. He is in good condition.
A 23-year-old man walked into a South Shore hospital with a gunshot wound.
The man told officers he was on the sidewalk about 1:20 a.m. when he heard gunshots and felt a pain, police said. The location of the shooting is not known.
He walked into Jackson Park Hospital with a gunshot wound to his right leg, police said, and was in good condition.
A 22-year-old woman was shot inside an apartment in Austin on the West Side.
About 1:25 a.m., she was in a first-floor apartment in the 4800 block of West Adams Street when she got into an argument with an 18-year-old woman who shot her in the chest, police said.
She was rushed to Mt. Sinai Hospital in serious condition, police said. The 18-year-old alleged shooter is in custody.
The shooting is believed to be domestic-related, according to a police source.
Twelve people were shot and two killed Tuesday in Chicago.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-05-14--2 in custody after police chase from Cicero to Garfield Park

Two people were arrested Thursday after high-speed chase from west suburban Cicero into Garfield Park on the West Side .
@ @ @ @ @ pursuit about 12:30 a.m. after a vehicle fled from Cicero police onto Interstate 290 , @ @ @ @ @ State police did not say why the vehicle was fleeing .
After being chased down @ @ @ @ @ back , the vehicle eventually crashed near Independence Boulevard , state police said .
Two @ @ @ @ @ and transferred to the Cicero Police Department .
No injuries were reported , state police @ @ @ @ @ not respond to a request for details Thursday morning .
Read more on crime , @ @ @ @ @ s homicides .

Two people were arrested Thursday after high-speed chase from west suburban Cicero into Garfield Park on the West Side.
Illinois state troopers joined the pursuit about 12:30 a.m. after a vehicle fled from Cicero police onto Interstate 290, Illinois State Police said. State police did not say why the vehicle was fleeing.
After being chased down I-290, Interstate 90 and back, the vehicle eventually crashed near Independence Boulevard, state police said. Two people were taken into custody and transferred to the Cicero Police Department.
No injuries were reported, state police said.
Cicero police did not respond to a request for details Thursday morning.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-05-14--Boy, 13, shot inside Washington Park home

A 13-year-old boy was struck by a stray bullet that flew into a Washington Park home early Thursday .
The @ @ @ @ @ a.m. when gunfire erupted outside , sending at least one bullet into the home on @ @ @ @ @ police said .
The boy was struck in the thigh and taken to Comer Children @ @ @ @ @ condition , police said .
No one is in custody as Area Three detectives investigate @ @ @ @ @ , and track the city ’ s homicides .

A 13-year-old boy was struck by a stray bullet that flew into a Washington Park home early Thursday.
The boy was indoors about 1:35 a.m. when gunfire erupted outside, sending at least one bullet into the home on South Calumet Avenue, Chicago police said.
The boy was struck in the thigh and taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in good condition, police said.
No one is in custody as Area Three detectives investigate.
Last week, a 19-year-old woman was struck by stray gunfire inside an Englewood home.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-05-14--Lake County, IN coroner searches for the family of Elisha Anderson

The Lake County , Indiana , coroner ’ s office is looking to find the family of a recently deceased @ @ @ @ @ , 68 , is in the care of the coroner ’ s office , Lake @ @ @ @ @ .
He was a resident of the Munster Med-Inn nursing home but previously lived at @ @ @ @ @ .
The coroner ’ s office is now asking for the public ’ s help @ @ @ @ @ immediate family or relatives .
Anyone with information about Anderson can call the coroner ’ @ @ @ @ @

The Lake County, Indiana, coroner’s office is looking to find the family of a recently deceased Hammond man.
Elisha Anderson, 68, is in the care of the coroner’s office, Lake County Coroner Merrilee Frey said. He was a resident of the Munster Med-Inn nursing home but previously lived at 527 State St. in Hammond.
The coroner’s office is now asking for the public’s help in finding Anderson’s immediate family or relatives.
Anyone with information about Anderson can call the coroner’s office at 219-755-3265.


chicagosun-times--2020-05-14--5 shot, 1 killed at Rockford gas station

Five people were shot , one of them fatally , Wednesday at a gas station in Rockford .
The shooting happened about 7:10 p.m. in the parking lot of the Citgo Way Low gas station , 2914 W. State Rd.
, according to Rockford Chief of Police Dan O ’ Shea .
One person was killed and four others were hospitalized , O ’ Shea said .
One of the wounded was in critical condition , while the other three suffered injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening .
Investigators believe the shooting was targeted , though it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for , O ’ Shea said .
The shooting is the latest in a string of violent incidents to befall Rockford recently .
“ The violent crime that ’ s happened in the last couple weeks — with a couple murders , multiple people being shot — its very disheartening because we were doing so well for the last three years , four years , going downwards , and now we ’ re starting to trend back up on the violent crime , ” O ’ Shea said .
“ We need the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who ’ s doing the shootings .
”

Five people were shot, one of them fatally, Wednesday at a gas station in Rockford.
The shooting happened about 7:10 p.m. in the parking lot of the Citgo Way Low gas station, 2914 W. State Rd., according to Rockford Chief of Police Dan O’Shea.
One person was killed and four others were hospitalized, O’Shea said. One of the wounded was in critical condition, while the other three suffered injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.
Investigators believe the shooting was targeted, though it was not clear who the shooter was aiming for, O’Shea said.
The shooting is the latest in a string of violent incidents to befall Rockford recently.
“The violent crime that’s happened in the last couple weeks — with a couple murders, multiple people being shot — its very disheartening because we were doing so well for the last three years, four years, going downwards, and now we’re starting to trend back up on the violent crime,” O’Shea said. “We need the public’s help, people know who’s doing the shootings.”


chicagosun-times--2020-05-14--Community gardens see steep hike in costs this year to access city hydrants

Community gardeners eagerly waiting to tend their plots as the weather began warming up this spring say the city has blocked their access to low-cost water unless they pay thousands of dollars to use the same nearby fire hydrants they ’ ve tapped for years .
The new restrictions put in place by the Chicago Department of Water Management were created to prevent water contamination , but the prices have been crippling to gardens around the city , especially those in communities where fresh produce is already scarce .
Mekazin Alexander said in previous years it was easy to obtain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s fire hydrant for her garden in Englewood .
She would apply for the permit in person and simply pick up the key to use the nearby hydrant and a backflow device used to protect the city ’ s water supply .
“ This year I went online to fill out the application and I was denied immediately , ” Alexander said .
“ I was surprised , I thought I did something wrong , so I applied again — and I was denied again.
” Alexander said the city was requiring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a reduce pressure zone unit — which is more effective at preventing backflow contamination .
The device would need to be inspected by a certified plumber .
“ It created a major shock and hardship for us , ” Alexander said .
She now welcomes the rain — like the showers that swept through the area Thursday — because it means she doesn ’ t have to walk gallons of water from her home to her garden at 6914 S. Perry Ave. “ If it doesn ’ t rain , we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and carrying it to our garden , ” Alexander said .
“ I ’ m an older person and I don ’ t look forward to carrying all these gallon bottles.
” Not to mention the higher water bills at her home .
$ 3,000 or more in additional costs Sean Ruane , executive director of Advocates for Urban Agriculture , a coalition of urban farms and community and school gardens , said new regulations as well as stricter enforcement of existing ones has led to a wave of denials for water permits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What ’ s more , to get reduced fees for water , the gardens have to register as nonprofits and pay those fees as well .
His group estimates community gardens will be forced to spend nearly $ 3,000 or more in costs to get the new valve installed , inspected , as well as additional fees .
Most of these gardens , Ruane points out , are run by volunteers and aren ’ t making money .
What ’ s more , Ruane said the situation is especially problematic in African American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dealing with food insecurity and have been disproportionately impacted by the novel coronavirus .
“ We should have been consulted by the city and given ample time to respond and adapt , ” he said .
Ruane said would like to see the city install a flat permit rate for urban farms and community gardens .
Megan Vidis , spokeswoman for the Department of Water Management , said the city is committed to helping residents grow their own food , “ particularly during this unprecedented time.
” Any groups , Vidis said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they pull the appropriate permit , but only registered nonprofits are eligible for reduced water fees .
“ The mandated use of Reduced Pressure Zone units is meant to ensure the safety of Chicago ’ s potable water system while protecting against the possibility of contaminated water backflow , ” Vidis said .
The city is hoping to meet with advocacy groups and gardeners in the coming weeks to review the costs of hydrant access .
That can ’ t come soon enough for Cordia Pugh , who oversees the Englewood Veteran ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She said the process to get a permit this year was so difficult with paperwork that they just aborted the process .
Now they are using water from a nearby garden .
“ We now have so many barriers in the application process and the city needs to reevaluate the whole thing , ” Pugh said .
“ In this climate , in particular , I would hope the city would be more considerate .
”

Community gardeners eagerly waiting to tend their plots as the weather began warming up this spring say the city has blocked their access to low-cost water unless they pay thousands of dollars to use the same nearby fire hydrants they’ve tapped for years.
The new restrictions put in place by the Chicago Department of Water Management were created to prevent water contamination, but the prices have been crippling to gardens around the city, especially those in communities where fresh produce is already scarce.
Mekazin Alexander said in previous years it was easy to obtain the permit needed to use the city’s fire hydrant for her garden in Englewood. She would apply for the permit in person and simply pick up the key to use the nearby hydrant and a backflow device used to protect the city’s water supply.
“This year I went online to fill out the application and I was denied immediately,” Alexander said. “I was surprised, I thought I did something wrong, so I applied again — and I was denied again.”
Alexander said the city was requiring her to now have a device known as a reduce pressure zone unit — which is more effective at preventing backflow contamination. The device would need to be inspected by a certified plumber.
“It created a major shock and hardship for us,” Alexander said.
She now welcomes the rain — like the showers that swept through the area Thursday — because it means she doesn’t have to walk gallons of water from her home to her garden at 6914 S. Perry Ave.
“If it doesn’t rain, we are filling up like 30 gallons of water and carrying it to our garden,” Alexander said. “I’m an older person and I don’t look forward to carrying all these gallon bottles.” Not to mention the higher water bills at her home.
$3,000 or more in additional costs
Sean Ruane, executive director of Advocates for Urban Agriculture, a coalition of urban farms and community and school gardens, said new regulations as well as stricter enforcement of existing ones has led to a wave of denials for water permits by the Water Department this year. What’s more, to get reduced fees for water, the gardens have to register as nonprofits and pay those fees as well.
His group estimates community gardens will be forced to spend nearly $3,000 or more in costs to get the new valve installed, inspected, as well as additional fees. Most of these gardens, Ruane points out, are run by volunteers and aren’t making money.
“It’s incredibly unrealistic,” Ruane said.
Southside community garden found at 6914 S. Perry Ave., Thursday, May 14, 2020. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
What’s more, Ruane said the situation is especially problematic in African American and Latino communities, which are already dealing with food insecurity and have been disproportionately impacted by the novel coronavirus.
“We should have been consulted by the city and given ample time to respond and adapt,” he said.
Ruane said would like to see the city install a flat permit rate for urban farms and community gardens.
City hopes to meet with gardeners
Megan Vidis, spokeswoman for the Department of Water Management, said the city is committed to helping residents grow their own food, “particularly during this unprecedented time.”
Any groups, Vidis said, can use the hydrant for water if they pull the appropriate permit, but only registered nonprofits are eligible for reduced water fees.
“The mandated use of Reduced Pressure Zone units is meant to ensure the safety of Chicago’s potable water system while protecting against the possibility of contaminated water backflow,” Vidis said.
The city is hoping to meet with advocacy groups and gardeners in the coming weeks to review the costs of hydrant access.
That can’t come soon enough for Cordia Pugh, who oversees the Englewood Veteran’s Garden at 1728 W. 57th St. She said the process to get a permit this year was so difficult with paperwork that they just aborted the process. Now they are using water from a nearby garden.
“We now have so many barriers in the application process and the city needs to reevaluate the whole thing,” Pugh said. “In this climate, in particular, I would hope the city would be more considerate.”
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. Sam Cholke is a Chicago-based freelance writer.


chicagosun-times--2020-05-14--Missing 38-year-old woman last seen in Ravenswood found safe

Cook County surpasses Queens , NY , as county with most COVID-19 cases in U.S. ( LIVE UPDATES ) Here @ @ @ @ @ today about the continuing spread of coronavirus and its ripple effects in Chicago and Illinois @

Pvt. Travis King entered the North while on a civilian tour of a Korean border village July 18, becoming the first American detained in the North in nearly five years.


chicagosun-times--2020-05-14--Bulls assistant coach Shawn Respert will be moving on when season ends

Jim Boylen is still calling the shots of a head coach .
He ’ s still keeping in contact with his players and the new front office , and he ’ s still making decisions on the coaching staff .
And while it was Boylen ’ s call to not retain assistant coach/player development coach Shawn Respert when his contract is up at the end of the season , it was made obvious to the Sun-Times weeks ago that Respert was looking for a new career path long before this campaign was shut down due to the coronavirus .
Respert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a head coach at either the college or pro level , and didn ’ t really see that path with his current role on the Bulls staff .
Respert was brought into the organization back in 2017 under Fred Hoiberg , and his immediate focus was player development .
He did get more coaching duties the last two years , but was still deemed to be on the player development side .
There was some frustration in that for Respert , who felt like his ideas and philosophies weren ’ t always heard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with him and appreciating his knowledge of the game .
The bigger picture , however , is Boylen is still operating as the head coach and making decisions like a guy that has no plans to be leaving that post anytime soon .

Coach Jim Boylen still seems to be calling the shots.
He’s still keeping in contact with his players and the Bulls’ new front office, and he’s still making decisions on the coaching staff.
Boylen won’t retain assistant coach/player-development coach Shawn Respert when his contract is up at the end of the season, but it was obvious weeks ago that Respert was looking for a new career path long before the season was shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Respert had long hinted that he wanted to be a head coach at the college or pro level and couldn’t really envision achieving that goal with his role on the Bulls’ staff.
He was brought into the organization in 2017 under Fred Hoiberg, and his immediate focus was player development. He did get more coaching duties the last two years but was still considered to be on the player-development side.
There was some frustration for Respert, who felt his ideas and philosophies weren’t always heard even though several players built tight relationships with him and appreciated his knowledge of the game.
The bigger picture, however, is that Boylen is still operating as the Bulls’ coach and making decisions like a guy who has no plans to be leaving the post anytime soon.


chicagosun-times--2020-05-14--With the focus on the coronavirus, Lightfoot opts for bare-bones capital plan

Singularly focused on the war against the coronavirus , Mayor Lori Lightfoot has opted for a $ 100 million , bare bones capital plan — bankrolled by an existing line of credit — to pay for new vehicles , sidewalks and the treasured aldermanic menu program .
Normally , the city issues general obligation bonds backed by property taxes to cover a more sweeping capital program .
But these are not normal times .
The Lightfoot administration is preoccupied with the city ’ s response to the coronavirus and the budget crisis triggered by the stay-at-home shutdown of the Chicago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to proceed only with those capital projects and purchases that absolutely needed to get done and to finance it with a line of credit that remained , even after Lightfoot saved $ 22 million by eliminating a $ 1.4 billion line of credit negotiated by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel .
The bare-bones capital plan is on the agenda for Monday ’ s Finance Committee meeting .
It includes : $ 83 million for the aldermanic menu program ; $ 3 million for the shared sidewalk program ; and $ 13.8 million to replace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We were taking applications for the shared sidewalks in January .
So those commitments have already been made .
We ’ ve got to the snow plows ordered .
We ’ ve got to get these police cars traded out .
These are standard things that have to happen .
And they can ’ t wait , ” said Kristen Cabanban , a spokesperson for the city ’ s Office of Budget and Management .
And what is so urgent about the aldermanic menu program other than the fact that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ They do things like repair streets .
They do a lot of infrastructure improvements too .
Those things are important to residents as well , ” Cabanban said .
A larger and more traditional general obligation bond issue is still a possibility later this year , Cabanban said .
But , she quickly added , “ We will need to go back and have that discussion at a different time .
Right now , our priority is responding to COVID.
” Still unclear is what , if any , impact the shrunken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 95 million police academy in West Garfield Park .
Last year , Emanuel got the go-ahead to issue $ 850 million in general obligation bonds to fund a laundry list of capital improvement projects .
It included $ 65 million for the police and fire training , $ 30 million short of the original price tag .
Last summer , Lightfoot told reporters that the project that critics called a symbol of Emanuel ’ s misplaced spending priorities needed to be made bigger , better and , undoubtedly , more expensive .
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recruits apprehending mock suspects in a dark hallway , Lightfoot said she was not at all certain that the two-building campus to be built at 4301 W. Chicago Ave. on 30.4 vacant acres was big enough to house a training facility that will be “ best-in-class ” not just when it opens , but for decades afterward .
“ I don ’ t know that it ’ s big enough .
I don ’ t know that the plans , particularly on the fire [ department ] side , are gon na provide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scenarios that they need , ” the mayor told reporters outside the current facility , 1300 W. Jackson Blvd .
“ This is gon na be a significant investment on the West Side that desperately needs investment , but if we ’ re gon na make that kind of investment , I want to get it right .
I want it to be the best-in-class training facility for first responders anywhere in the country .
That ’ s what we ought to aspire to.
” Much like Wintrust Arena , the police academy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s misplaced priorities , critics said .
For years , it has drawn fire from Chance the Rapper , Black Lives Matter and other groups who have organized under the # NoCopAcademy label .
Emanuel was even confronted by anti-academy protesters on college campus visits to other cities .
The coalition has argued that the money would be better spent on jobs , youth and education programs .

Singularly focused on the war against the coronavirus, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has opted for a $100 million, bare bones capital plan — bankrolled by an existing line of credit — to pay for new vehicles, sidewalks and the treasured aldermanic menu program.
Normally, the city issues general obligation bonds backed by property taxes to cover a more sweeping capital program. But these are not normal times.
The Lightfoot administration is preoccupied with the city’s response to the coronavirus and the budget crisis triggered by the stay-at-home shutdown of the Chicago economy.
So the decision was made to proceed only with those capital projects and purchases that absolutely needed to get done and to finance it with a line of credit that remained, even after Lightfoot saved $22 million by eliminating a $1.4 billion line of credit negotiated by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
The bare-bones capital plan is on the agenda for Monday’s Finance Committee meeting.
It includes: $83 million for the aldermanic menu program; $3 million for the shared sidewalk program; and $13.8 million to replace aging police cars and other city vehicles.
“We were taking applications for the shared sidewalks in January. So those commitments have already been made. We’ve got to get the snow plows ordered. We’ve got to get these police cars traded out. These are standard things that have to happen. And they can’t wait,” said Kristen Cabanban, a spokesperson for the city’s Office of Budget and Management.
And what is so urgent about the aldermanic menu program other than the fact that it’s a sacred cow politically?
“They do things like repair streets. They do a lot of infrastructure improvements too. Those things are important to residents as well,” Cabanban said.
A larger and more traditional general obligation bond issue is still a possibility later this year, Cabanban said. But, she quickly added, “We will need to go back and have that discussion at a different time. Right now, our priority is responding to COVID.”
Still unclear is what, if any, impact the shrunken capital plan will have on the $95 million police academy in West Garfield Park.
Last year, Emanuel got the go-ahead to issue $850 million in general obligation bonds to fund a laundry list of capital improvement projects. It included $65 million for the police and fire training, $30 million short of the original price tag.
Last summer, Lightfoot told reporters that the project that critics called a symbol of Emanuel’s misplaced spending priorities needed to be made bigger, better and, undoubtedly, more expensive.
After touring the old police academy and seeing recruits apprehending mock suspects in a dark hallway, Lightfoot said she was not at all certain that the two-building campus to be built at 4301 W. Chicago Ave. on 30.4 vacant acres was big enough to house a training facility that will be “best-in-class” not just when it opens, but for decades afterward.
“I don’t know that it’s big enough. I don’t know that the plans, particularly on the fire [department] side, are gonna provide them with the different kind of training scenarios that they need,” the mayor told reporters outside the current facility, 1300 W. Jackson Blvd.
“This is gonna be a significant investment on the West Side that desperately needs investment, but if we’re gonna make that kind of investment, I want to get it right. I want it to be the best-in-class training facility for first responders anywhere in the country. That’s what we ought to aspire to.”
Much like Wintrust Arena, the police academy project became a symbol of Emanuel’s misplaced priorities, critics said. For years, it has drawn fire from Chance the Rapper, Black Lives Matter and other groups who have organized under the #NoCopAcademy label.
Emanuel was even confronted by anti-academy protesters on college campus visits to other cities.
The coalition has argued that the money would be better spent on jobs, youth and education programs.


chicagosun-times--2020-05-14--Sen. Lindsey Graham rejects President Donald Trump’s call to bring in Barack Obama to testify

WASHINGTON — Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham said Thursday his committee is opening a wide-ranging inquiry into the Russia investigation , but rejected President Donald Trump ’ s call to bring in former President Barack Obama to testify .
“ I am greatly concerned about the precedent that would be set by calling a former president for oversight , ” said Graham , a South Carolina Republican and staunch Trump ally .
“ No president is above the law .
However , the presidency has executive privilege claims against other branches of government.
” Graham noted the surprising nature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ To say we are living in unusual times is an understatement.
” The U.S. has a sitting president accusing the former president “ of being part of a treasonous conspiracy to undermine his presidency , ” Graham said .
“ We have the former president suggesting the current president is destroying the rule of law ” by dismissing a case against Trump ’ s first national security adviser , Michael Flynn .
“ All of this is occurring during a major pandemic.
” The Judiciary Committee will first delve into the Justice Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Flynn , as well as actions by the Obama administration to view Flynn ’ s name in intelligence reports during the Russia probe , Graham said .
“ We must determine if these requests were legitimate , ” Graham said , referring to requests by top Obama administration officials to “ unmask ” Flynn ’ s name .
The requests are common , including during the Trump administration , which has made thousands of “ unmasking ” requests .
Graham also said the committee will look into potential abuses of the Foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during a probe of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page .
The FBI identified Page during the early days of its investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 campaign and secretly targeted his electronic communications .
A federal watchdog later concluded that the FBI made significant errors and omissions in applications it made to a U.S. foreign intelligence court for the authorization to eavesdrop on Page .
Those mistakes prompted internal changes within the FBI and spurred a congressional debate over whether the bureau ’ s surveillance tools should be reined in .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ why and how the system got so off the rails , ” Graham said .
The Judiciary Committee also will look at whether Robert Mueller should have been appointed as special counsel in the Russia probe .
The decision to appoint Muller was made in 2017 by then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey .
“ Was there legitimate reason to conclude the Trump campaign had colluded with the Russians ?
” Graham asked .
Graham ’ s announcement comes as Trump and his GOP allies begin a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Russia investigation , including declassifying intelligence information to try to place senior Obama administration officials under scrutiny for routine actions .
The effort has been aided by the Justice Department decision to dismiss the Flynn prosecution , essentially rewriting the narrative of the case in a way that former federal law enforcement officials say downplays the legitimate national security concerns they believe Flynn ’ s actions raised .
Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States during the presidential transition period .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reframe the Russia investigation as a “ deep state ” plot to sabotage his administration , setting the stage for a fresh onslaught of attacks on past and present Democratic officials and law enforcement leaders .
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer railed against Republicans ’ renewed focus on Flynn and the Russia investigation .
“ We ’ re in the middle of a public health and economic crisis , and Senate Republicans are diving head-first into the muck , pursuing diversionary , partisan conspiracy theories to prop up President Trump when President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis , ” Schumer said .
Hearings by the Judiciary Committee will start in early June , Graham said .
Trump tweeted Thursday that Graham should call Obama to testify .
“ Do it @ LindseyGrahamSC , just do it , ” Trump tweeted .
“ No more Mr. Nice Guy .
No more talk !
” Both Trump and Obama are welcome to come before the committee “ and share their concerns about each other , ” Graham said .
“ If nothing else it would make for great television .
However @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would be wise for the country .
”

WASHINGTON — Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham said Thursday his committee is opening a wide-ranging inquiry into the Russia investigation, but rejected President Donald Trump’s call to bring in former President Barack Obama to testify.
“I am greatly concerned about the precedent that would be set by calling a former president for oversight,” said Graham, a South Carolina Republican and staunch Trump ally. “No president is above the law. However, the presidency has executive privilege claims against other branches of government.”
Graham noted the surprising nature of his announcement, saying: “To say we are living in unusual times is an understatement.”
The U.S. has a sitting president accusing the former president “of being part of a treasonous conspiracy to undermine his presidency,” Graham said. “We have the former president suggesting the current president is destroying the rule of law” by dismissing a case against Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. “All of this is occurring during a major pandemic.”
The Judiciary Committee will first delve into the Justice Department’s decision to dismiss its prosecution of Flynn, as well as actions by the Obama administration to view Flynn’s name in intelligence reports during the Russia probe, Graham said.
“We must determine if these requests were legitimate,” Graham said, referring to requests by top Obama administration officials to “unmask” Flynn’s name. The requests are common, including during the Trump administration, which has made thousands of “unmasking” requests.
Graham also said the committee will look into potential abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, during a probe of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. The FBI identified Page during the early days of its investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 campaign and secretly targeted his electronic communications.
A federal watchdog later concluded that the FBI made significant errors and omissions in applications it made to a U.S. foreign intelligence court for the authorization to eavesdrop on Page. Those mistakes prompted internal changes within the FBI and spurred a congressional debate over whether the bureau’s surveillance tools should be reined in.
“My goal is to find out why and how the system got so off the rails,” Graham said.
The Judiciary Committee also will look at whether Robert Mueller should have been appointed as special counsel in the Russia probe. The decision to appoint Muller was made in 2017 by then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.
“Was there legitimate reason to conclude the Trump campaign had colluded with the Russians?” Graham asked.
Graham’s announcement comes as Trump and his GOP allies begin a broad election-year attack on the foundation of the Russia investigation, including declassifying intelligence information to try to place senior Obama administration officials under scrutiny for routine actions.
The effort has been aided by the Justice Department decision to dismiss the Flynn prosecution, essentially rewriting the narrative of the case in a way that former federal law enforcement officials say downplays the legitimate national security concerns they believe Flynn’s actions raised. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States during the presidential transition period.
Trump and his Republican allies are pushing to reframe the Russia investigation as a “deep state” plot to sabotage his administration, setting the stage for a fresh onslaught of attacks on past and present Democratic officials and law enforcement leaders.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer railed against Republicans’ renewed focus on Flynn and the Russia investigation.
“We’re in the middle of a public health and economic crisis, and Senate Republicans are diving head-first into the muck, pursuing diversionary, partisan conspiracy theories to prop up President Trump when President Trump should be focusing on solving this crisis,” Schumer said.
Hearings by the Judiciary Committee will start in early June, Graham said.
Trump tweeted Thursday that Graham should call Obama to testify. “Do it @LindseyGrahamSC, just do it,” Trump tweeted. “No more Mr. Nice Guy. No more talk!”
Both Trump and Obama are welcome to come before the committee “and share their concerns about each other,” Graham said. “If nothing else it would make for great television. However, I have great doubts about whether it would be wise for the country.”


chicagosun-times--2020-05-14--Navy Pier is an arm of government, no matter what it claims — so let’s see every contract

Now that the nonprofit that runs Navy Pier is getting a federal stimulus loan of nearly $ 2.5 million , it ’ s really way past time that it opened its books to the public completely .
Navy Pier Inc. , which leases the 104-year-old pier from the public , is a government body that masquerades as a nonprofit organization .
As such , it has been allowed to hide its workings from public scrutiny while benefiting from public support .
Navy Pier Inc. pays just $ 1 a year to the state and city to lease the pier .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tim Novak and Robert Herguth revealed that the organization , whose president is paid more than $ 540,000 a year , has received a nearly $ 2.5 million coronavirus stimulus loan from the federal government ’ s Paycheck Protection Program .
Like all nonprofits , Navy Pier Inc. must disclose much of its finances by filing 990 forms , but it does not have to comply with Freedom of Information Act requests or disclose the terms of contracts .
The governance of Navy Pier was reshaped as a nonprofit in 2011 .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups and editorial pages have been questioning ever since , was that the pier was in the entertainment and tourism business — hardly a core function of government — and fundraising efforts would be more successful if it were a nonprofit instead of an arm of government .
The Better Government Association first sued Navy Pier Inc. in 2014 to force the release of basic records .
The litigation continues , with some successes and setbacks , with an appeal on file with the Illinois Appellate Court .
Whatever the folks who run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political influence has been docking there for years .
Its board of directors includes former Mayor Richard M. Daley ’ s daughter .
Its chief operating officer , Brian Murphy , was Daley ’ s deputy chief of staff .
And its vice president of operations , Michael Degnan , is the son of longtime Daley family political adviser Timothy Degnan .
As revealed by multiple media investigations , both current and past operators of Navy Pier also have doled out lucrative contracts for restaurants , shops and other attractions controlled by politically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record and history of political favoritism — and because work is underway for a new marina and Hilton hotel at the pier — it only stands to reason that the public should be allowed to look at every contract that ’ s let .

Now that the nonprofit that runs Navy Pier is getting a federal stimulus loan of nearly $2.5 million, it’s really way past time that it opened its books to the public completely.
Navy Pier Inc., which leases the 104-year-old pier from the public, is a government body that masquerades as a nonprofit organization. As such, it has been allowed to hide its workings from public scrutiny while benefiting from public support.
Navy Pier Inc. pays just $1 a year to the state and city to lease the pier.
And just this week, Sun-Times reporters Tim Novak and Robert Herguth revealed that the organization, whose president is paid more than $540,000 a year, has received a nearly $2.5 million coronavirus stimulus loan from the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program.
Like all nonprofits, Navy Pier Inc. must disclose much of its finances by filing 990 forms, but it does not have to comply with Freedom of Information Act requests or disclose the terms of contracts.
Editorials bug Editorials
The governance of Navy Pier was reshaped as a nonprofit in 2011. The argument made then, which independent watchdog groups and editorial pages have been questioning ever since, was that the pier was in the entertainment and tourism business — hardly a core function of government — and fundraising efforts would be more successful if it were a nonprofit instead of an arm of government.
The Better Government Association first sued Navy Pier Inc. in 2014 to force the release of basic records. The litigation continues, with some successes and setbacks, with an appeal on file with the Illinois Appellate Court.
Whatever the folks who run the pier claim it to be, political influence has been docking there for years. Its board of directors includes former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s daughter. Its chief operating officer, Brian Murphy, was Daley’s deputy chief of staff. And its vice president of operations, Michael Degnan, is the son of longtime Daley family political adviser Timothy Degnan.
As revealed by multiple media investigations, both current and past operators of Navy Pier also have doled out lucrative contracts for restaurants, shops and other attractions controlled by politically connected people and businesses.
Given that record and history of political favoritism — and because work is underway for a new marina and Hilton hotel at the pier — it only stands to reason that the public should be allowed to look at every contract that’s let.
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com.


chicagosun-times--2020-05-15--Dear Abby:  Husband ready to ditch his horrible mother, but I can’t agree

DEAR ABBY : My mother-in-law is the WORST !
She has no respect for me .
She has stolen , lied and gossiped about me numerous times .
Each time , I chose to forgive and move on .
Recently , my husband made clear that he wants to cut ties with his mother and siblings because they constantly belittle his success and ask to borrow money .
My problem is , I can ’ t agree to it .
I despise his mother , but I was raised to believe families should never sever ties .
I believe every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ My husband and I constantly argue because I continue to communicate with his mother and extend invitations to her .
Abby , I just want to do the right thing , but I can ’ t seem to figure out what the right thing to do is .
— S.O.S .
IN GUAM DEAR S.O.S .
: Your husband ’ s family is a threat to your financial stability and emotional health .
Unless you want continuing discord in your marriage , respect your husband ’ s wishes .
Recognize that his family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asks .
If you don ’ t , the arguments will escalate until they damage your relationship with him .
DEAR ABBY : After being in a bad marriage for 40 years , I finally left my husband in 2011 .
After two years of separation and therapy , we reconciled .
During the time I was gone , he leaned on his longtime friends for support and shared lots of personal information about me , some of which was untrue .
The other evening while we were having dinner and drinks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about health , and I told him I was hiding a certain hip problem from my husband .
He asked why , because my husband had told him about it years ago .
( I can ’ t imagine why . )
The reason I left was my husband ’ s anger at me over a hospital emergency room bill .
I told this friend that my husband ’ s concern for my health is not sincere because he had recently blown up at me for mentioning an upcoming doctor visit .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m worried that I may have wrecked their friendship by revealing how uncaring a husband he really is .
How did I get here ?
— QUESTIONING MYSELF DEAR QUESTIONING : How did you get here ?
You got here by remarrying a man who has such a big issue with spending money on health .
If you stay with him , it could be catastrophic .
DEAR ABBY : I was taught ( at home and in school ) to speak first when entering a room , a building , etc .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t practice this .
Recently , her sister , upon entering a room I was in , failed to speak first .
After I said hello , she said , “ I was wondering when you were going to say something.
” Are there etiquette guidelines that speak to this situation ?
— ENTERING IN THE EAST DEAR ENTERING : If there is a rule about who should speak first , I confess I have never heard of it .
I know that it is proper for a woman to extend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social situation if she wants to observe the formality , but that ’ s as far as it goes .
When it comes to who says hello first , common sense should rule .
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren , also known as Jeanne Phillips , and was founded by her mother , Pauline Phillips .
Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O .
Box 69440 , Los Angeles , CA 90069 .
To order “ How to Write Letters for All Occasions , ” send your name and mailing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for $ 8 ( U.S. funds ) , to : Dear Abby — Letter Booklet , P.O .
Box 447 , Mount Morris , IL 61054-0447 .
Shipping and handling are included in the price .

DEAR ABBY: My mother-in-law is the WORST! She has no respect for me. She has stolen, lied and gossiped about me numerous times. Each time, I chose to forgive and move on.
Recently, my husband made clear that he wants to cut ties with his mother and siblings because they constantly belittle his success and ask to borrow money. My problem is, I can’t agree to it. I despise his mother, but I was raised to believe families should never sever ties. I believe every family has its ups and downs.
My husband and I constantly argue because I continue to communicate with his mother and extend invitations to her. Abby, I just want to do the right thing, but I can’t seem to figure out what the right thing to do is. — S.O.S. IN GUAM
DEAR S.O.S.: Your husband’s family is a threat to your financial stability and emotional health. Unless you want continuing discord in your marriage, respect your husband’s wishes. Recognize that his family is extremely dysfunctional and do as he asks. If you don’t, the arguments will escalate until they damage your relationship with him.
DEAR ABBY: After being in a bad marriage for 40 years, I finally left my husband in 2011. After two years of separation and therapy, we reconciled. During the time I was gone, he leaned on his longtime friends for support and shared lots of personal information about me, some of which was untrue.
The other evening while we were having dinner and drinks, a mutual friend and I were talking about health, and I told him I was hiding a certain hip problem from my husband. He asked why, because my husband had told him about it years ago. (I can’t imagine why.)
The reason I left was my husband’s anger at me over a hospital emergency room bill. I told this friend that my husband’s concern for my health is not sincere because he had recently blown up at me for mentioning an upcoming doctor visit. I am on Medicare. Now I’m worried that I may have wrecked their friendship by revealing how uncaring a husband he really is. How did I get here? — QUESTIONING MYSELF
DEAR QUESTIONING: How did you get here? You got here by remarrying a man who has such a big issue with spending money on health. If you stay with him, it could be catastrophic.
DEAR ABBY: I was taught (at home and in school) to speak first when entering a room, a building, etc. However, my wife’s family doesn’t practice this. Recently, her sister, upon entering a room I was in, failed to speak first. After I said hello, she said, “I was wondering when you were going to say something.” Are there etiquette guidelines that speak to this situation? — ENTERING IN THE EAST
DEAR ENTERING: If there is a rule about who should speak first, I confess I have never heard of it. I know that it is proper for a woman to extend her hand (first) in a social situation if she wants to observe the formality, but that’s as far as it goes. When it comes to who says hello first, common sense should rule.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
To order “How to Write Letters for All Occasions,” send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds), to: Dear Abby — Letter Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. Shipping and handling are included in the price.


chicagosun-times--2020-05-15--The road to forgiveness; Gun-control backer’s change of heart toward son’s killers: ‘I forgive them’

The road to forgiveness ; Gun-control backer ’ s change of heart toward son ’ s killers : ‘ I forgive them ’ Share All sharing options for : The road to forgiveness ; Gun-control backer ’ s change of heart toward son ’ s killers : ‘ I forgive them ’ When Andrew Young was killed by two teenage gang members in 1996 , his father called them “ vicious , evil punks ” and urged that they get the “ severest possible penalty.
” But nearly a quarter century has passed .
Stephen Young met the gunman and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prison .
And , in a remarkable change of heart , the father believes they are sorry for the terrible crime and says : “ I forgive them.
” Andrew Young , a former speedskating standout from Evanston , was 19 when he was shot in the heart on June 10 , 1996 , in Rogers Park .
He died in the arms of his twin brother , Sam .
His father remembers the reporters and neighbors who swarmed his yard in Evanston .
Later , a man whose sons knew Andrew offered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teenage suspects “ taken out ” in jail .
Young says he didn ’ t consider taking him up on his offer .
But he did want justice .
“ Let the police have them , ” he remembers saying .
Young got his justice .
Triggerman Mario Ramos pleaded guilty and got a 40-year prison sentence .
Accomplice Roberto Lazcano got 55 years after a jury trial .
Ramos completed his sentence in 2016 .
In January , he was arrested on charges of sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl , court records @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Cook County Jail , awaiting trial .
Until his arrest , he was working as a big-rig truck driver in Chicago .
“ I am in a much less forgiving mood about him now , ” Young says .
“ A lot of people put a lot of effort into his rehabilitation.
” In March , Lazcano , too , was freed from prison , after his sentence was reduced — with Young ’ s blessing .
The law firm Jenner & Block worked for free on Lazcano ’ s behalf , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Attorney Kim Foxx to cut about two years from his sentence .
Last month , Lazcano was deported to Mexico .
He has his own apartment in Mexico City and is putting together a resume , hoping to work in financial services .
For Young , it ’ s one more step on a long journey of sorrow , anger and redemption .
“ I truly believe he is sorry , ” Young says .
“ I hope he does OK. ” Nearly 800 people were killed in Chicago in 1996 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by other gang members .
Andrew Young ’ s killing got a lot of news coverage because he wasn ’ t involved in gangs .
He was an Evanston Township High School grad who ’ d been a nationally ranked speedskater .
He was taking courses at a community college .
Lazcano was a 15-year-old dropout and car thief who joined the Latin Kings .
Lazcano and his family , undocumented , came to Chicago from Mexico when he was about 8 .
He didn ’ t fully learn English until prison .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Ramos , 18 , a friend from the gang , were hanging out in Rogers Park , saw Andrew Young ’ s car and mistook the occupants for rivals .
Young was stopped at the light at Clark and Howard streets after cashing a check for his mom at a fruit stand .
Ramos , armed with a 9 mm pistol , jumped on the back of Lazcano ’ s bike .
Lazcano pedaled up to the car .
Ramos jumped off and shot Young .
A Chicago cop saw the shooting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handcuffs within moments .
Lazcano went to trial represented by a lawyer later disbarred for using drugs and stealing clients ’ money .
The attorney didn ’ t present any defense .
He thought the jury wouldn ’ t convict an accomplice .
He was wrong .
The 55 years Lazcano got were 15 more years than Ramos ’ sentence for pulling the trigger .
At Lazcano ’ s sentencing in December 1996 , Young spoke of his family ’ s suffering : “ My wife and I brought Andrew into this world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at school , in athletics , raised him to near-manhood , only to lose him to a fool .
There are days when I feel helpless , others when it seems as if I am losing my mind.
” He told the judge he had to sell the car Andrew was shot in , even if he ’ d lose money on it .
And he recalled traveling with Andrew for skating competitions .
“ I miss him so much I ache inside , ” he said .
“ As far as I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ Lazcano ] just felt like shooting someone , anyone , just to impress the Latin King elders .
I want a message sent to that gang , the families and the two murderers that taking an innocent life calls for the severest penalty .
I , my wife and my three remaining sons are damaged for the rest of our lives by this crime.
” Then , Young talked about Andrew ’ s twin brother , who was in the car with him and two of their friends .
“ Poor Sam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sam and held him in his arms when Andrew left it.
” Lazcano denied any role in the killing .
“ I didn ’ t do nothin ’ , ” he told the judge .
“ My crime was riding around on my bike in the place where the crime was.
” But Judge Henry Simmons Jr. said Lazcano “ lit the match that caused the shooting death of an innocent victim.
” He said Lazcano was “ guilty as the day is long ” and “ very likely ” to commit more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I don ’ t believe he really understands the magnitude of what he set in motion on the date of this murder .
Most gang members don ’ t. ” A few years later , he got a miracle of sorts .
A man with a startup business befriended his mother at the Evanston coffee shop where she worked .
They chatted in Spanish .
In tears , she spoke of her son .
The man decided to contact Lazcano in prison .
They spoke by phone , sometimes weekly — when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ misbehavior .
At first , Lazcano didn ’ t understand why this man was helping him .
But he decided to take his advice , to read everything he could and get an education .
On Lazcano ’ s 21st birthday , he asked the man for a subscription to The Wall Street Journal .
With good behavior , Lazcano was transferred to a medium-security prison in Danville , where he got a bachelor ’ s degree through Ohio University and tried to turn his life around .
He tutored other inmates .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ prisoners were dying .
The businessman who became Lazcano ’ s mentor doesn ’ t want credit for what he did and declined an interview request .
He was instrumental in getting Jenner & Block , the high-powered Chicago law firm , to work on Lazcano ’ s post-conviction appeal in 2000 .
Singer John Legend wrote on Lazcano ’ s behalf in September after hearing about the case from the mentor , whose business now has $ 1 billion in yearly revenue and thousands of employees .
“ Roberto is the kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help with my own racial justice reform initiatives , ” Legend said in a letter to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board .
Mexico ’ s consul general for Chicago also wrote on Lazcano ’ s behalf .
Lazcano ’ s lawyers asked then-Gov .
Pat Quinn to grant Lazcano clemency in 2014 and , in 2016 — the year Mario Ramos was freed — made the same request of Gov .
Bruce Rauner .
Both rejected clemency .
Last year , Lazcano ’ s lawyers tried a third time .
“ I have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solely focused on punishment , ” he wrote to the Prisoner Review Board .
In the latest clemency petition , his lawyers pointed to U.S. Supreme Court decisions that juveniles should be held to a lower standard than adults for sentencing .
They noted that the Illinois Supreme Court has found sentences of more than 40 years for juveniles unconstitutional .
And they said it wasn ’ t fair that Ramos , the shooter , got a lesser sentence .
Before Gov .
J.B. Pritzker could decide Lazcano ’ s fate , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sentence .
In a court filing citing a change in state law , Lazcano ’ s attorneys said he was now required to serve only half of his sentence .
They also said he hadn ’ t been credited with time spent in jail before his trial .
On March 19 , Lazcano was paroled .
In April , he was deported .
More than a dozen relatives signed a letter to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board , saying they could provide housing for Lazcano in the town where they live outside Mexico @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was willing to hire Lazcano , who wants to earn a master ’ s degree in business administration and one day work for his mentor .
It ’ s the right outcome , says Stephen Young , now living in Skokie .
“ The first 10 years , Roberto was unrepentant , ” he says .
“ Then , he grew up , expressed remorse .
He basically turned over a new leaf.
” The Rev .
Bob Oldershaw , Young ’ s pastor , says it ’ s been a long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ His journey was quite different from his ex-wife Maurine , who is much more emotional or feeling-oriented , ” Oldershaw says .
“ She was ready to forgive and move on .
I think he was , too , but it was different .
He was approaching it much more from the head , and Maurine was from the heart .
“ They say forgiveness is a gift you give yourself .
You refuse to let a terrible event keep harming you the rest of your life .
There is a lightness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ letter to the Prisoner Review Board , Young recalled the day he made up his mind Lazcano should go free .
In late 2015 , Young — accompanied by his priest and Lazcano ’ s mentor — met Lazcano at the Danville Correctional Center .
Young , 69 , has spent much of his life working for gun-control , a commitment he made after his son ’ s death .
He wrote the board of meeting Lazcano : “ I told him that ‘ there but the grace of God go I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into fights but we didn ’ t have ridiculously easy access to handguns .
Everybody lived to see the next day .
“ So I took his hand and forgave him , ” Young wrote .
“ He cried .
Tears were dripping onto the table and his body shook .
The immensity of his crime all came to him in that moment .
“ He looked at me and said , ‘ I ’ m sorry Mr. Young .
I don ’ t know what else to say .
I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve caused you.
’ “ I believe he ’ s a changed man , ” Young wrote .
“ He appeared to be rehabilitated and at peace with himself .
Based on what I ’ ve witnessed I believe he will try to give back to the world once he is out .
I don ’ t believe it serves any purpose for him to remain in prison.
” In 2016 , Young spoke at his church , St. Nicholas Parish in Evanston , which Mario Ramos ’ parents also attended .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Young also told the congregation he struggled with his faith after Andrew ’ s death .
He didn ’ t understand why God would let that happen .
Then , he revealed a dream he had in the months after Andrew ’ s killing .
“ I was on a footbridge over the pond watching him skate , but I was afraid .
I feared the ice was thin .
He ’ d break through and drown .
I ran down the bridge to the shore and motioned for him to skate over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our eyes , telepathically .
No words were spoken , just thoughts .
‘ Skate near the shore , ’ I tried to tell him .
‘ If the ice breaks , you won ’ t drown .
You don ’ t have to die.
’ “ He looked deep into me with his beautiful blue eyes , ‘ You don ’ t have to worry about me anymore .
I ’ m safe now .
I ’ m safe .
’ ”

W
hen Andrew Young was killed by two teenage gang members in 1996, his father called them “vicious, evil punks” and urged that they get the “severest possible penalty.”
But nearly a quarter century has passed. Stephen Young met the gunman and his accomplice, now both out of prison. And, in a remarkable change of heart, the father believes they are sorry for the terrible crime and says: “I forgive them.”
Andrew Young, a former speedskating standout from Evanston, was 19 when he was shot in the heart on June 10, 1996, in Rogers Park. He died in the arms of his twin brother, Sam.
His father remembers the reporters and neighbors who swarmed his yard in Evanston. Later, a man whose sons knew Andrew offered to tap mob contacts to have the teenage suspects “taken out” in jail. Young says he didn’t consider taking him up on his offer. But he did want justice.
“Let the police have them,” he remembers saying.
Young got his justice. Triggerman Mario Ramos pleaded guilty and got a 40-year prison sentence. Accomplice Roberto Lazcano got 55 years after a jury trial.
Ramos completed his sentence in 2016. In January, he was arrested on charges of sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl, court records show. He’s back in the Cook County Jail, awaiting trial. Until his arrest, he was working as a big-rig truck driver in Chicago.
“I am in a much less forgiving mood about him now,” Young says. “A lot of people put a lot of effort into his rehabilitation.”
In March, Lazcano, too, was freed from prison, after his sentence was reduced — with Young’s blessing.
Roberto Lazcano. Illinois Department of Corrections
The law firm Jenner & Block worked for free on Lazcano’s behalf, persuading a judge and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to cut about two years from his sentence. Last month, Lazcano was deported to Mexico. He has his own apartment in Mexico City and is putting together a resume, hoping to work in financial services.
For Lazcano, it’s a second chance.
For Young, it’s one more step on a long journey of sorrow, anger and redemption.
“I truly believe he is sorry,” Young says. “I hope he does OK.”
Nearly 800 people were killed in Chicago in 1996 — many of them gang members killed by other gang members.
Andrew Young. Brian Jackson / Sun-Times file
Andrew Young’s killing got a lot of news coverage because he wasn’t involved in gangs. He was an Evanston Township High School grad who’d been a nationally ranked speedskater. He was taking courses at a community college.
Lazcano was a 15-year-old dropout and car thief who joined the Latin Kings. Lazcano and his family, undocumented, came to Chicago from Mexico when he was about 8. He didn’t fully learn English until prison.
The day of the killing, he and Ramos, 18, a friend from the gang, were hanging out in Rogers Park, saw Andrew Young’s car and mistook the occupants for rivals.
Young was stopped at the light at Clark and Howard streets after cashing a check for his mom at a fruit stand. Ramos, armed with a 9 mm pistol, jumped on the back of Lazcano’s bike. Lazcano pedaled up to the car. Ramos jumped off and shot Young.
A Chicago cop saw the shooting, and Ramos and Lazcano were in handcuffs within moments.
Lazcano went to trial represented by a lawyer later disbarred for using drugs and stealing clients’ money. The attorney didn’t present any defense. He thought the jury wouldn’t convict an accomplice.
He was wrong. The 55 years Lazcano got were 15 more years than Ramos’ sentence for pulling the trigger.
At Lazcano’s sentencing in December 1996, Young spoke of his family’s suffering:
“My wife and I brought Andrew into this world, shared in his triumphs and setbacks at school, in athletics, raised him to near-manhood, only to lose him to a fool. There are days when I feel helpless, others when it seems as if I am losing my mind.”
Andrew Young. Sun-Times file
He told the judge he had to sell the car Andrew was shot in, even if he’d lose money on it. And he recalled traveling with Andrew for skating competitions.
“I miss him so much I ache inside,” he said.
“As far as I know, [Ramos] and Roberto [Lazcano] just felt like shooting someone, anyone, just to impress the Latin King elders. I want a message sent to that gang, the families and the two murderers that taking an innocent life calls for the severest penalty. I, my wife and my three remaining sons are damaged for the rest of our lives by this crime.”
Then, Young talked about Andrew’s twin brother, who was in the car with him and two of their friends.
“Poor Sam. He came into the world with Sam and held him in his arms when Andrew left it.”
Lazcano denied any role in the killing.
“I didn’t do nothin’,” he told the judge. “My crime was riding around on my bike in the place where the crime was.”
Retired Cook County Circuit Judge Henry Simmons Jr. LinkedIn
But Judge Henry Simmons Jr. said Lazcano “lit the match that caused the shooting death of an innocent victim.”
He said Lazcano was “guilty as the day is long” and “very likely” to commit more crimes if given a short sentence. “I don’t believe he really understands the magnitude of what he set in motion on the date of this murder. Most gang members don’t.”
Lazcano entered the youth prison system at 16.
A few years later, he got a miracle of sorts. A man with a startup business befriended his mother at the Evanston coffee shop where she worked. They chatted in Spanish. In tears, she spoke of her son. The man decided to contact Lazcano in prison. They spoke by phone, sometimes weekly — when Lazcano wasn’t in segregation for misbehavior.
At first, Lazcano didn’t understand why this man was helping him. But he decided to take his advice, to read everything he could and get an education. On Lazcano’s 21st birthday, he asked the man for a subscription to The Wall Street Journal.
With good behavior, Lazcano was transferred to a medium-security prison in Danville, where he got a bachelor’s degree through Ohio University and tried to turn his life around. He tutored other inmates. He worked in a hospice where ailing prisoners were dying.
The businessman who became Lazcano’s mentor doesn’t want credit for what he did and declined an interview request.
He was instrumental in getting Jenner & Block, the high-powered Chicago law firm, to work on Lazcano’s post-conviction appeal in 2000.
John Legend, seen performing in Beverly Hills, California on March 5: “Roberto is the kind of person whom I am working to help with my own racial justice reform initiatives.” Getty Images
Singer John Legend wrote on Lazcano’s behalf in September after hearing about the case from the mentor, whose business now has $1 billion in yearly revenue and thousands of employees.
“Roberto is the kind of person whom I am working to help with my own racial justice reform initiatives,” Legend said in a letter to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.
Mexico’s consul general for Chicago also wrote on Lazcano’s behalf.
Lazcano’s lawyers asked then-Gov. Pat Quinn to grant Lazcano clemency in 2014 and, in 2016 — the year Mario Ramos was freed — made the same request of Gov. Bruce Rauner. Both rejected clemency.
Last year, Lazcano’s lawyers tried a third time.
“I have faith that the legal system is not solely focused on punishment,” he wrote to the Prisoner Review Board.
Through his attorney, Lazcano declined interview requests.
In the latest clemency petition, his lawyers pointed to U.S. Supreme Court decisions that juveniles should be held to a lower standard than adults for sentencing. They noted that the Illinois Supreme Court has found sentences of more than 40 years for juveniles unconstitutional. And they said it wasn’t fair that Ramos, the shooter, got a lesser sentence.
Mario Ramos. Illinois Department of Corrections.
Before Gov. J.B. Pritzker could decide Lazcano’s fate, a Cook County judge agreed to reduce his sentence.
In a court filing citing a change in state law, Lazcano’s attorneys said he was now required to serve only half of his sentence. They also said he hadn’t been credited with time spent in jail before his trial.
On March 19, Lazcano was paroled. In April, he was deported.
More than a dozen relatives signed a letter to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, saying they could provide housing for Lazcano in the town where they live outside Mexico City. A businessman in Mexico said he was willing to hire Lazcano, who wants to earn a master’s degree in business administration and one day work for his mentor.
It’s the right outcome, says Stephen Young, now living in Skokie.
“The first 10 years, Roberto was unrepentant,” he says. “Then, he grew up, expressed remorse. He basically turned over a new leaf.”
The Rev. Bob Oldershaw, Young’s pastor, says it’s been a long road for Young and his family.
“His journey was quite different from his ex-wife Maurine, who is much more emotional or feeling-oriented,” Oldershaw says. “She was ready to forgive and move on. I think he was, too, but it was different. He was approaching it much more from the head, and Maurine was from the heart.
“They say forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. You refuse to let a terrible event keep harming you the rest of your life. There is a lightness in his step now.”
In his letter to the Prisoner Review Board, Young recalled the day he made up his mind Lazcano should go free. In late 2015, Young — accompanied by his priest and Lazcano’s mentor — met Lazcano at the Danville Correctional Center.
Stephen Young, a founding member of People For A Safer Society, lost his son Andrew to gun violence. Sun-Times file
Young, 69, has spent much of his life working for gun-control, a commitment he made after his son’s death.
He wrote the board of meeting Lazcano: “I told him that ‘there but the grace of God go I’ because when I was young we got into fights but we didn’t have ridiculously easy access to handguns. Everybody lived to see the next day.
“So I took his hand and forgave him,” Young wrote. “He cried. Tears were dripping onto the table and his body shook. The immensity of his crime all came to him in that moment.
“He looked at me and said, ‘I’m sorry Mr. Young. I don’t know what else to say. I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you.’
“I believe he’s a changed man,” Young wrote. “He appeared to be rehabilitated and at peace with himself. Based on what I’ve witnessed I believe he will try to give back to the world once he is out. I don’t believe it serves any purpose for him to remain in prison.”
Andrew Young (in front) at a short-track race in Milwaukee. Provided
In 2016, Young spoke at his church, St. Nicholas Parish in Evanston, which Mario Ramos’ parents also attended. He described meeting Ramos and forgiving him.
Young also told the congregation he struggled with his faith after Andrew’s death. He didn’t understand why God would let that happen.
Then, he revealed a dream he had in the months after Andrew’s killing.
“I was on a footbridge over the pond watching him skate, but I was afraid. I feared the ice was thin. He’d break through and drown. I ran down the bridge to the shore and motioned for him to skate over to me.
“We communicated through our eyes, telepathically. No words were spoken, just thoughts. ‘Skate near the shore,’ I tried to tell him. ‘If the ice breaks, you won’t drown. You don’t have to die.’
“He looked deep into me with his beautiful blue eyes, ‘You don’t have to worry about me anymore. I’m safe now. I’m safe.’ ”


chicagosun-times--2020-05-15--Parents question ‘reckless’ CPS principal who faces discipline, while fellow principal comes to his

Parents question ‘reckless’ CPS principal who faces discipline, while fellow principal comes to his defense

As a Chicago Public Schools principal awaits discipline for allegedly hitting a school lunchroom worker in the face with a water bottle , concerned parents are questioning whether he should stay on the job .
Nearly two months after the lunchroom manager suffered a concussion and filed a police report about the incident , Franklin Elementary Fine Arts Center Principal Kurt Jones was still on the job Wednesday when he proposed a new school budget for the next academic year during an online meeting of Franklin ’ s elected Local School Council .
CPS started its disciplinary process for Jones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ district ’ s Law Department .
The police investigation is ongoing ; he has not been charged with a crime .
If it was up to Rashid Carter , a parent at the school and former chair of the LSC , Jones would be fired .
Even if the principal ’ s account of the incident is to be believed — Jones filed a report saying the worker was hurt during a “ game of dodgeball ” — it still shows inappropriate behavior for a school leader , Carter said during the public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jones listened on without responding .
“ This means he condoned a reckless and violent game that endangered his staff ’ s safety during work hours , which ultimately resulted in one of them being significantly injured , ” Carter said .
“ This alone should be grounds for dismissal.
” Stephanie Cunningham , a mother of a fourth grader at Franklin , said she was “ very concerned ” about the allegations against Jones , especially a 2018 video that surfaced this January of a man identified as Jones throwing a chair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cafeteria .
Jones was given a warning by the district for the incident .
“ What if a student walked in during one of his ‘ just playing ’ antics and got hurt ?
” she asked .
The LSC itself has come under question after it voted unanimously this winter to renew Jones ’ $ 152,330-a-year contract through June 2024 .
The renewal came months before the bottle-throwing incident but after concerns about his behavior and demeanor were raised .
Suzy Rose , a Franklin parent and chair of the LSC , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the information available at the time , including a school survey that went out in November and returned only 20 % participation with both positive and negative views of Jones .
Another parent , though , noted teachers would be reluctant to openly share concerns about their boss and pointed to a different survey that was anonymous and included less favorable opinions .
Erin Galfer , a Franklin parent and the principal at CPS ’ Marine Leadership Academy in Logan Square , said she needed to “ speak on the positive side of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a community , ” and praised Jones for his “ students-first way ” of prioritizing kids , then teachers , then parents .
“ I can tell you if that is your process for priorities , everything else will follow , ” Galfer said .
“ Again , it ’ s not something that parents want to hear , but it is what ’ s best for our school.
” But Ayerim Duenas said at the meeting that she was one of the parents who responded to the survey with criticism of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of my daughter being in the same building with him.
” Duenas separately said in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times that she felt belittled by Jones when he allegedly scolded her after her daughter was late to school during her first week at Franklin in September 2018 .
Duenas said she told him the bus didn ’ t show up .
“ He said , ‘ Me and my husband both work and we find a way to get our child to school every day , so those are just excuses , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accused Jones of telling her in a phone conversation that her daughter didn ’ t “ deserve transportation , ” which is required by her Individualized Education Program , a plan developed for students who receive special education .
Jones in a later email to Duenas strongly denied saying that and refuted Duenas ’ other claims of mistreatment .
Before enrolling her daughter at Franklin , Duenas said she saw Jones at an open house for prospective parents in the summer of 2018 and asked whether certain special education services were provided at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ Yes , but this school might not be good for your child , ’ ” she alleged .
“ The problem with that is he didn ’ t know my daughter ’ s IEP , he didn ’ t know what services were in there , and he was making broad assumptions .
... That could ’ ve scared a special education parent away.
” Jones didn ’ t respond to a request for comment Thursday .
But in one email exchange with Duenas in November , he praised her daughter as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Franklin .
... We know she ’ s going to continue to Fly High as we are driven by her needs , her abilities , and allow her to soar .
”

As a Chicago Public Schools principal awaits discipline for allegedly hitting a school lunchroom worker in the face with a water bottle, concerned parents are questioning whether he should stay on the job.
Nearly two months after the lunchroom manager suffered a concussion and filed a police report about the incident, Franklin Elementary Fine Arts Center Principal Kurt Jones was still on the job Wednesday when he proposed a new school budget for the next academic year during an online meeting of Franklin’s elected Local School Council.
CPS started its disciplinary process for Jones this week after an investigation by the district’s Law Department. The police investigation is ongoing; he has not been charged with a crime.
If it was up to Rashid Carter, a parent at the school and former chair of the LSC, Jones would be fired. Even if the principal’s account of the incident is to be believed — Jones filed a report saying the worker was hurt during a “game of dodgeball” — it still shows inappropriate behavior for a school leader, Carter said during the public comment portion of the LSC meeting as Jones listened on without responding.
“This means he condoned a reckless and violent game that endangered his staff’s safety during work hours, which ultimately resulted in one of them being significantly injured,” Carter said. “This alone should be grounds for dismissal.”
Stephanie Cunningham, a mother of a fourth grader at Franklin, said she was “very concerned” about the allegations against Jones, especially a 2018 video that surfaced this January of a man identified as Jones throwing a chair over a second-floor balcony in the school cafeteria. Jones was given a warning by the district for the incident.
“What if a student walked in during one of his ‘just playing’ antics and got hurt?” she asked.
The LSC itself has come under question after it voted unanimously this winter to renew Jones’ $152,330-a-year contract through June 2024. The renewal came months before the bottle-throwing incident but after concerns about his behavior and demeanor were raised.
Suzy Rose, a Franklin parent and chair of the LSC, said the council could only act on the information available at the time, including a school survey that went out in November and returned only 20% participation with both positive and negative views of Jones. Another parent, though, noted teachers would be reluctant to openly share concerns about their boss and pointed to a different survey that was anonymous and included less favorable opinions.
Erin Galfer, a Franklin parent and the principal at CPS’ Marine Leadership Academy in Logan Square, said she needed to “speak on the positive side of what Mr. Jones has done for us as a community,” and praised Jones for his “students-first way” of prioritizing kids, then teachers, then parents.
“I can tell you if that is your process for priorities, everything else will follow,” Galfer said. “Again, it’s not something that parents want to hear, but it is what’s best for our school.”
Special ed parent raises concerns
But Ayerim Duenas said at the meeting that she was one of the parents who responded to the survey with criticism of the principal and feels “very afraid of my daughter being in the same building with him.”
Duenas separately said in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times that she felt belittled by Jones when he allegedly scolded her after her daughter was late to school during her first week at Franklin in September 2018. Duenas said she told him the bus didn’t show up.
“He said, ‘Me and my husband both work and we find a way to get our child to school every day, so those are just excuses,’” Duenas said. She also accused Jones of telling her in a phone conversation that her daughter didn’t “deserve transportation,” which is required by her Individualized Education Program, a plan developed for students who receive special education. Jones in a later email to Duenas strongly denied saying that and refuted Duenas’ other claims of mistreatment.
Before enrolling her daughter at Franklin, Duenas said she saw Jones at an open house for prospective parents in the summer of 2018 and asked whether certain special education services were provided at the school.
“He said, ‘Yes, but this school might not be good for your child,’” she alleged. “The problem with that is he didn’t know my daughter’s IEP, he didn’t know what services were in there, and he was making broad assumptions. ... That could’ve scared a special education parent away.”
Jones didn’t respond to a request for comment Thursday. But in one email exchange with Duenas in November, he praised her daughter as “a true joy in every way at Franklin. ... We know she’s going to continue to Fly High as we are driven by her needs, her abilities, and allow her to soar.”