chicagosun-times--2020-06-15--Horoscope for Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Horoscope for Tuesday, June 16, 2020

After 6:45 a.m. Chicago time , there are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions .
The moon is in Taurus .
Oh boy !
Another day where you have to tread carefully .
More specifically , surprises and impulsive reactions could relate to money issues , cash flow , purchases , earnings or dealing with your possessions .
You might find yourself at odds with an authority figure .
“ Whaaat ?
” Today the moon is in your sign ; however , it is at odds with stern Saturn , which means it will be difficult to deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authority figures .
Furthermore , as the day wears on , feelings of rebellion will grow within you .
A word of advice : Stay calm because this is an accident-prone day !
Something taking place behind the scenes will catch you off guard .
It could even pertain to some rules or regulations that you didn ’ t know about .
( “ Nobody told me ?
” ) Fortunately , with the sun and fair Venus in your sign , you can ameliorate difficult encounters .
Something out of the blue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friend or someone older or more experienced .
This person might attack you or your ideas when you least expect it .
Or perhaps they feel that you ambushed them ?
Patience is your best ally — as usual .
Tread carefully when dealing with parents , bosses , the police and any figure of authority because you could encounter trouble .
Furthermore , they might say or do something you least anticipate .
“ Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition !
” Expect difficulties dealing with teachers , professors , lawyers and judges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you today .
Likewise , travel plans will be interrupted , changed or delayed .
Events beyond your control will completely change your day .
Yikes !
Pay attention to your bank account and anything to do with shared property or the wealth of your partner because problems could arise today .
You might have difficulty dealing with someone in power .
Or sudden and unexpected news or events could affect your assets .
Stay calm today so that you can avoid arguments with partners and close friends as well as parents and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entrenched in their views and will stand firm regarding rules and regulations .
However , something will upset their position .
Make a point to be patient with coworkers and people at work today because it ’ s very easy to lose it .
You might be annoyed with a boss or a supervisor .
This is also the classic day for the breakdown of equipment and technology .
Just cope as best you can .
( Get through this day . )
Please note this is an accident-prone day for your kids @ @ @ @ @ @ @ today to avoid hissy fits and meltdowns .
However , it ’ s also difficult to deal with authority figures or someone older related to caring for your kids or perhaps a social event ?
“ Canceled ?
!
” Small appliances might break down or a minor breakage could occur because something will change your home routine today .
Parents and older family members might be difficult to deal with .
Give them a wide berth .
Do what you can to promote the peace and stay mellow .
Please note that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , so take precautions .
Avoid arguments with older people or anyone in authority .
Don ’ t be lippy .
( Because you will be tempted to do so . )
Basically , you want the freedom to do your own thing today .
( So say we all . )
If Your Birthday Is Today Actress Missy Peregrym ( 1982 ) shares your birthday .
You are enthusiastic and curious about many things .
You love to learn and also share what you know .
Oh my !
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you are starting to reap the benefits of the efforts you made in the last decade .
You deserve this time of success !
As a result , you might enjoy increased influence and leadership in all your relationships .

Moon Alert
After 6:45 a.m. Chicago time, there are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions. The moon is in Taurus.
Aries (March 21-April 19)
Oh boy! Another day where you have to tread carefully. More specifically, surprises and impulsive reactions could relate to money issues, cash flow, purchases, earnings or dealing with your possessions. You might find yourself at odds with an authority figure. “Whaaat?”
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
Today the moon is in your sign; however, it is at odds with stern Saturn, which means it will be difficult to deal with rules, regulations, bosses and authority figures. Furthermore, as the day wears on, feelings of rebellion will grow within you. A word of advice: Stay calm because this is an accident-prone day!
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
Something taking place behind the scenes will catch you off guard. It could even pertain to some rules or regulations that you didn’t know about. (“Nobody told me?”) Fortunately, with the sun and fair Venus in your sign, you can ameliorate difficult encounters.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Something out of the blue might put you at odds with a friend or someone older or more experienced. This person might attack you or your ideas when you least expect it. Or perhaps they feel that you ambushed them? Patience is your best ally — as usual.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)
Tread carefully when dealing with parents, bosses, the police and any figure of authority because you could encounter trouble. Furthermore, they might say or do something you least anticipate. “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!”
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Expect difficulties dealing with teachers, professors, lawyers and judges because some kind of authority will thwart you today. Likewise, travel plans will be interrupted, changed or delayed. Events beyond your control will completely change your day. Yikes!
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Pay attention to your bank account and anything to do with shared property or the wealth of your partner because problems could arise today. You might have difficulty dealing with someone in power. Or sudden and unexpected news or events could affect your assets.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Stay calm today so that you can avoid arguments with partners and close friends as well as parents and authority figures at home. People are entrenched in their views and will stand firm regarding rules and regulations. However, something will upset their position.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Make a point to be patient with coworkers and people at work today because it’s very easy to lose it. You might be annoyed with a boss or a supervisor. This is also the classic day for the breakdown of equipment and technology. Just cope as best you can. (Get through this day.)
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Please note this is an accident-prone day for your kids. Parents must be patient with kids today to avoid hissy fits and meltdowns. However, it’s also difficult to deal with authority figures or someone older related to caring for your kids or perhaps a social event? “Canceled?!”
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Small appliances might break down or a minor breakage could occur because something will change your home routine today. Parents and older family members might be difficult to deal with. Give them a wide berth. Do what you can to promote the peace and stay mellow.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Please note that this is an accident-prone day for you, so take precautions. Avoid arguments with older people or anyone in authority. Don’t be lippy. (Because you will be tempted to do so.) Basically, you want the freedom to do your own thing today. (So say we all.)
If Your Birthday Is Today
Actress Missy Peregrym (1982) shares your birthday. You are enthusiastic and curious about many things. You love to learn and also share what you know. Oh my! It’s your time of harvest, which means you are starting to reap the benefits of the efforts you made in the last decade. You deserve this time of success! As a result, you might enjoy increased influence and leadership in all your relationships.


chicagosun-times--2020-06-16--Ranking Chicago cop’s last job before retirement: fixing city’s response to riots

For years , Steve Georgas was the Chicago Police Department ’ s strategist for keeping big demonstrations safe and preventing terrorist attacks at stadiums and public spaces like McCormick Place .
So it puzzled some City Hall insiders that Chicago went through a full day of looting and mayhem on May 30 before Georgas was tapped the following day to help with the department ’ s response to the protests .
Georgas — who ’ s credited with coming up with the strategy for the police response to the mostly peaceful protests during the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to help “ settle the ship ” on May 31 .
“ I ’ ve done it so many times .
I knew the ins and outs of how we needed things , ” Georgas said in an interview .
“ For example , we needed to quickly get our hands on 150 rental vans to put us in a better position to win , to be more flexible , more nimble , more agile , to address the little things versus the big things .
“ I had a lot of experience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do you mobilize an entire department with days off , some of the logistical things that maybe some people just don ’ t have the experience with.
” It turned out to be Georgas ’ last crisis to help manage .
On Monday , he retired from the police department after more than 28 years .
Then , on Tuesday , Anthony Riccio , the department ’ s No .
2 official , told rank-and-file officers he plans to retire on Aug. 1 , remaining as first deputy superintendent till then .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ works before the recent protests , sources said .
Last week , Riccio , who ’ s been with the department nearly 34 years , criticized officers who were shown on a security video lounging and sleeping early June 1 in U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush ’ s South Side office , where looters had destroyed adjacent businesses .
“ I ’ m the first one to jump up and defend officers , ” Riccio said .
“ When they ’ re improperly accused , I will defend them 100 percent of the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is indefensible.
” Georgas , 50 , who said he plans to spend more time with his family before deciding on his next career move , joined the department in 1991 , when the number of murders was skyrocketing amid the crack-cocaine epidemic .
The highlight of his career , he said , was helping run the now-defunct Targeted Response Unit , a citywide unit formed in 2003 to saturate high-crime areas with cops .
He said his darkest moment was in 2018 , when Cmdr .
Paul Bauer , a close friend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chasing down a man other officers had said appeared suspicious .
Georgas was commander of the Near North District and deputy chief of the department ’ s specialized units — everything from the marine and helicopter unit to SWAT .
He oversaw the police department ’ s handling of the Chicago Marathon , the Cubs ’ and Blackhawks ’ championship rallies , political demonstrations and hundreds of visits by U.S. presidents and foreign heads of state .
In 2016 , he became chief security officer for Navy Pier and McCormick Place .
Some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new police administration .
According to Georgas , it was a chance to try something new .
But on May 31 , city officials decided they needed his expertise in dealing with big crowds after demonstrations in Chicago over the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd got out hand .
Georgas said “ instigators , ” many from outside Chicago , were communicating through advanced social networks to orchestrate criminal activity .
He said they had access to far more advanced technology than protesters had during the NATO Summit .
The Fraternal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Garry McCarthy have blasted Mayor Lori Lightfoot for what they called a slow and timid reaction to the growing violence across the city that weekend .
Hundreds of officers were injured in the looting and rioting , according to the mayor ’ s critics , including union president John Catanzara , who said there was a “ lack of a plan.
” McCarthy said there was “ complete disorganization ” in the early response to the violence .
The mayor has defended the city ’ s response to the unrest .
Looting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ West Side in a way that would have overwhelmed a police department of any size , Lightfoot has said .
Georgas said he hopes the city never sees riots like that again .
“ I tell the cops all the time the greatest thing is you ’ re protecting somebody who ’ s exercising their First Amendment right to protest against the uniform you wear , ” Georgas said .
“ That ’ s really what this country was founded on , right ?
But , that being said , you still have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elements that want to use those large groups for their own criminal actions .
”

For years, Steve Georgas was the Chicago Police Department’s strategist for keeping big demonstrations safe and preventing terrorist attacks at stadiums and public spaces like McCormick Place.
So it puzzled some City Hall insiders that Chicago went through a full day of looting and mayhem on May 30 before Georgas was tapped the following day to help with the department’s response to the protests.
Georgas — who’s credited with coming up with the strategy for the police response to the mostly peaceful protests during the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago — said Tuesday that he was called in to help “settle the ship” on May 31.
“I’ve done it so many times. I knew the ins and outs of how we needed things,” Georgas said in an interview. “For example, we needed to quickly get our hands on 150 rental vans to put us in a better position to win, to be more flexible, more nimble, more agile, to address the little things versus the big things.
“I had a lot of experience in doing this multiple times — how do you mobilize an entire department with days off, some of the logistical things that maybe some people just don’t have the experience with.”
It turned out to be Georgas’ last crisis to help manage. On Monday, he retired from the police department after more than 28 years.
Then, on Tuesday, Anthony Riccio, the department’s No. 2 official, told rank-and-file officers he plans to retire on Aug. 1, remaining as first deputy superintendent till then.
The retirement plans for both were in the works before the recent protests, sources said.
Last week, Riccio, who’s been with the department nearly 34 years, criticized officers who were shown on a security video lounging and sleeping early June 1 in U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush’s South Side office, where looters had destroyed adjacent businesses.
“I’m the first one to jump up and defend officers,” Riccio said. “When they’re improperly accused, I will defend them 100 percent of the time, and they know it. This is indefensible.”
First Deputy Police Superintendent Anthony Riccio and Mayor Lori Lightfoot after a news conference last Thursday about Chicago police officers who remained in U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush’s campaign office while looters hit nearby stores. Ashlee Rezin Garcia / Sun-Times
Georgas, 50, who said he plans to spend more time with his family before deciding on his next career move, joined the department in 1991, when the number of murders was skyrocketing amid the crack-cocaine epidemic.
The highlight of his career, he said, was helping run the now-defunct Targeted Response Unit, a citywide unit formed in 2003 to saturate high-crime areas with cops.
He said his darkest moment was in 2018, when Cmdr. Paul Bauer, a close friend, was shot to death downtown after chasing down a man other officers had said appeared suspicious.
Georgas was commander of the Near North District and deputy chief of the department’s specialized units — everything from the marine and helicopter unit to SWAT. He oversaw the police department’s handling of the Chicago Marathon, the Cubs’ and Blackhawks’ championship rallies, political demonstrations and hundreds of visits by U.S. presidents and foreign heads of state.
In 2016, he became chief security officer for Navy Pier and McCormick Place. Some insiders said he was being mothballed by a new police administration. According to Georgas, it was a chance to try something new.
But on May 31, city officials decided they needed his expertise in dealing with big crowds after demonstrations in Chicago over the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd got out of hand.
Georgas said “instigators,” many from outside Chicago, were communicating through advanced social networks to orchestrate criminal activity. He said they had access to far more advanced technology than protesters had during the NATO Summit.
The Fraternal Order of Police and former police Supt. Garry McCarthy have blasted Mayor Lori Lightfoot for what they called a slow and timid reaction to the growing violence across the city that weekend. Hundreds of officers were injured in the looting and rioting, according to the mayor’s critics, including union president John Catanzara, who said there was a “lack of a plan.” McCarthy said there was “complete disorganization” in the early response to the violence.
The mayor has defended the city’s response to the unrest. Looting had spread through the South Side and West Side in a way that would have overwhelmed a police department of any size, Lightfoot has said.
Georgas said he hopes the city never sees riots like that again.
“I tell the cops all the time the greatest thing is you’re protecting somebody who’s exercising their First Amendment right to protest against the uniform you wear,” Georgas said. “That’s really what this country was founded on, right? But, that being said, you still have to be prepared to handle those criminal elements that want to use those large groups for their own criminal actions.”


chicagosun-times--2020-06-16--$2 million bail for man charged with fatally shooting girlfriend at Washington Heights home

Bail was set at $ 2 million for a man accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend after an argument last year in her Washington Heights home .
Lawrence Jackson , 23 , was arrested Monday and charged with first-degree murder in connection to the Nov. 19 , 2019 , death of Keishianta Coleman , 22 , according to a bond proffer prepared by the Cook County state ’ s attorney ’ s office .
Jackson regularly stayed with Coleman in her bedroom at her house in the 10200 block of South Morgan Street , prosecutors said .
The morning of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coleman ’ s bedroom after she let him inside .
Later that night , the pair was inside the bedroom about 10:05 p.m. , and Coleman ’ s sister , who was 17 years old at the time , was listening to music and talking on her phone in a bedroom directly across the hall , prosecutors said .
She heard a loud bang , came out of her room , looked into Coleman ’ s bedroom and saw Jackson standing by himself “ looking nervous and rushed.
” The 17-year-old went downstairs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s bedroom when she saw Jackson come downstairs “ in a hurried way ” and run out the front door , prosecutors said .
The teen went back upstairs to check on her sister and found Coleman lying on her side on the bed with blood all over her , prosecutors said .
Police arrived soon after .
Coleman had suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene , authorities said .
Police obtained a search warrant for Jackson ’ s phone and found that the phone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s home at the time of the shooting , prosecutors said .
Investigators also found that Jackson ’ s FOID card had previously been revoked and he had bought a .9mm semi-automatic gun in January 2019 .
A witness found an empty box for the gun inside Coleman ’ s bedroom .
Jackson appeared at hearing Tuesday where his bail was set at $ 2 million .
His next court date was set for July 6 .

Bail was set at $2 million for a man accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend after an argument last year in her Washington Heights home.
Lawrence Jackson, 23, was arrested Monday and charged with first-degree murder in connection to the Nov. 19, 2019, death of Keishianta Coleman, 22, according to a bond proffer prepared by the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.
Jackson regularly stayed with Coleman in her bedroom at her house in the 10200 block of South Morgan Street, prosecutors said. The morning of the murder, Jackson went upstairs to Coleman’s bedroom after she let him inside.
Later that night, the pair was inside the bedroom about 10:05 p.m., and Coleman’s sister, who was 17 years old at the time, was listening to music and talking on her phone in a bedroom directly across the hall, prosecutors said. She heard a loud bang, came out of her room, looked into Coleman’s bedroom and saw Jackson standing by himself “looking nervous and rushed.”
The 17-year-old went downstairs and was standing outside her parent’s bedroom when she saw Jackson come downstairs “in a hurried way” and run out the front door, prosecutors said.
The teen went back upstairs to check on her sister and found Coleman lying on her side on the bed with blood all over her, prosecutors said. Police arrived soon after.
Coleman had suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
Police obtained a search warrant for Jackson’s phone and found that the phone was in the area of Coleman’s home at the time of the shooting, prosecutors said. Investigators also found that Jackson’s FOID card had previously been revoked and he had bought a .9mm semi-automatic gun in January 2019. A witness found an empty box for the gun inside Coleman’s bedroom.
Jackson appeared at a hearing Tuesday where his bail was set at $2 million. His next court date was set for July 6.


chicagosun-times--2020-06-16--Video shows retired Chicago judge swinging at protester after Columbus statue defaced

A retired Cook County judge took a swing at a protester Saturday during a confrontation steps from a statue of Christopher Columbus in Little Italy that hours earlier had been defaced with paint .
Robert Bertucci , who oversaw both criminal and civil cases during his career , is seen in a video talking with a young male protester at Arrigo Park , 801 S. Loomis , when the encounter became heated .
Bertucci , identified by multiple sources who viewed the video , then took a swing , but didn ’ t land a punch .
Chicago police officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bertucci , but ultimately let him go , the video shows .
A Chicago Police Department spokesperson declined to comment on the video .
Bertucci is still a practicing attorney , according to his bio on the Serpico , Petrosino , Dipiero & O ’ Shea law firm ’ s website .
Bertucci was a Cook County judge for 25 years before retiring in 2018 , according to the site , which also lists Bertucci as a professional dispute mediator .
Neither Bertucci nor the protester he tried to slug returned messages seeking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a day after a nearby Columbus statue had been splattered with balloons filled with blue and pink paint .
The Chicago Park District said it had spent $ 4,500 to clean the statue .
Despite being defaced nearly every year , the damage done to the statue struck a particular nerve as heated debates swirled in the community over whether the monument should stay or go .
The defacement spurred some Italian American residents to stand guard at the statue over the weekend , with many viewing it as an attack on their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residents after they had finished a march through the neighborhood .
Tooka Zokaie , 26 , an activist who filmed the encounter , said the young man in the video and Bertucci had been discussing “ Columbus and the idea of institutional racism.
” Zokaie , who started a petition to remove the statue , has lived in Little Italy for about a year .
In the video , Bertucci can be seen calling the young male protester a “ hypocrite , ” although it ’ s unclear why .
The protester then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a youth in suburban Mount Prospect , including having the N-word written on his school locker .
Bertucci at one point calls what happened “ horrible.
” The protester then can be seen coming closer to Bertucci , pointing at him and asking if anything like that had happened to him , the video shows .
“ All you are is bothered by hypocrisy , ” he screams .
Bertucci , who had early told the protester not to spit on him , then steps toward him and swings .
“ Don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bertucci appears to say in the video , after he was held back by police .
“ Don ’ t get close to me.
” “ He just needed to make a reason fast , so he said he got spit on , or maybe he thought he got spit on , or how dare someone raise their voice to me , ” said Zokaie , who works in public health disease prevention .
“ I don ’ t think he even cared that he did it in front of cops , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be held accountable .
“ We just want there to be some sort of accountability , he should be cited or have it on his record in some way , ” she said .
She believes if things were reversed and the young man had swung at the judge , he would have been arrested and charged .
Zokaie said Saturday ’ s protest had been peaceful until the encounter .
The small group of protesters disbanded as counter protesters yelled at them and the atmosphere seemed to be getting more volatile , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the statue can be seen in a separate video telling protesters to go back to “ section eight ” housing , a reference to public housing , and to “ go to f- - - - - - work , like everybody else does.
” Zokaie who said that though she understands some Italian Americans see the statue as a source of pride , it makes a lot of people who see Columbus as a historical figure who ushered in genocide and slavery to North America feel unwelcome .
“ This has nothing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said , noting that a statue of many other Italians who ’ ve contributed to society in a variety of ways could replace the bust of Columbus .

A retired Cook County judge took a swing at a protester Saturday during a confrontation steps from a statue of Christopher Columbus in Little Italy that hours earlier had been defaced with paint.
Robert Bertucci, who oversaw both criminal and civil cases during his career, is seen in a video talking with a young male protester at Arrigo Park, 801 S. Loomis, when the encounter became heated. Bertucci, identified by multiple sources who viewed the video, then took a swing, but didn’t land a punch.
Chicago police officers witnessed the entire encounter and immediately restrained Bertucci, but ultimately let him go, the video shows.
A Chicago Police Department spokesperson declined to comment on the video.
Related Clash over Columbus boils over after statue in Little Italy joins wave of monuments targeted by protesters
Bertucci is still a practicing attorney, according to his bio on the Serpico, Petrosino, DiPiero & O’Shea law firm’s website. Bertucci was a Cook County judge for 25 years before retiring in 2018, according to the site, which also lists Bertucci as a professional dispute mediator. He did not return messages seeking comment.
The protester who dodged the punch, who asked not to be named, said he was still unsure about pursuing criminal charges against Bertucci.
And though he’s been involved in activism for five years, he said the incident with Bertucci will only harden his resolve.
“Going forward, I definitely feel like this is going to be something that is going to push me to feel more…ready to fight this battle,” he said. “Sometimes it does feel hopeless but there’s been a lot of support that I’ve gotten, more than hate, and it’s clear to me [that] the people who got my back understand me.”
The incident happened Saturday, a day after a nearby Columbus statue had been splattered with balloons filled with blue and pink paint. The Chicago Park District said it had spent $4,500 to clean the statue.
Despite being defaced nearly every year, the damage done to the statue struck a particular nerve as heated debates swirled in the community over whether the monument should stay or go. The defacement spurred some Italian American residents to stand guard at the statue over the weekend, with many viewing it as an attack on their heritage.
About 15 demonstrators encountered the residents after they had finished a march through the neighborhood.
Tooka Zokaie, 26, an activist who filmed the encounter, said the young man in the video and Bertucci had been discussing “Columbus and the idea of institutional racism.” Zokaie, who started a petition to remove the statue, has lived in Little Italy for about a year.
Workers with We Save Art clean paint from a Christopher Columbus statue located in Arrigo Park at 801 S. Loomis St., Monday, June 15, 2020. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
In the video, Bertucci can be seen calling the young male protester a “hypocrite,” although it’s unclear why. The protester then recounts to Bertucci the racism he suffered as a youth in suburban Mount Prospect, including having the N-word written on his school locker. Bertucci at one point calls what happened “horrible.”
The protester then can be seen coming closer to Bertucci, pointing at him and asking if anything like that had happened to him, the video shows. “All you are is bothered by hypocrisy,” he screams.
Bertucci, who had early told the protester not to spit on him, then steps toward him and swings.
“Don’t spit on me,” Bertucci appears to say in the video, after he was held back by police. “Don’t get close to me.”
Zokaie denied the young man intentionally spit on Bertucci.
“He just needed to make a reason fast, so he said he got spit on, or maybe he thought he got spit on, or how dare someone raise their voice to me,” said Zokaie, who works in public health disease prevention.
“I don’t think he even cared that he did it in front of cops,” she said.
She believes Bertucci should be held accountable.
“We just want there to be some sort of accountability, he should be cited or have it on his record in some way,” she said.
She believes if things were reversed and the young man had swung at the judge, he would have been arrested and charged.
Zokaie said Saturday’s protest had been peaceful until the encounter. The small group of protesters disbanded as counter protesters yelled at them and the atmosphere seemed to be getting more volatile, she said.
Another counter protester at the statue can be seen in a separate video telling protesters to go back to “section eight” housing, a reference to public housing, and to “go to f- - - - - - work, like everybody else does.”
Zokaie said that though she understands some Italian Americans see the statue as a source of pride, it makes a lot of people who see Columbus as a historical figure who ushered in genocide and slavery to North America feel unwelcome.
“This has nothing to do with anti-Italian sentiment,” she said, noting that a statue of many other Italians who’ve contributed to society in a variety of ways could replace the bust of Columbus.
Contributing: Manny Ramos


chicagosun-times--2020-06-16--African American entrepreneurs launch a craft beer named for two famous Chicago ‘Harolds’

Craft beer makers Jay Westbrook and Sam Ross aren ’ t looking for a seat at the craft beer gatekeepers ’ table — they ’ ve brought their own .
And , in time , they plan to establish their own table .
“ It ’ s been crazy doing this [ beer launch ] in a pandemic because this was already a thing before COVID-19 became official in the city of Chicago , ” said Westbrook .
“ And the fact that we had to work that much harder makes me feel so much better.
” In March , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city , Westbrook , a South Shore native , and Ross , a Harvey native , along with Haymarket Brewing , launched “ Harold ’ s ’ 83 Honey Ale , ” a beer named after a fictional Harold ’ s Chicken Shack location number and for the year Chicago elected its first Black mayor , Harold Washington .
Harold ’ s ’ 83 Honey Ale is comprised of Zuper Saazer hops , Vienna malt and clover honey .
“ Beers have tricky names , cool names like Gumballhead and Anti-Hero , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brand ambassador .
“ How do you get a tricky name and make it sound like a hero down the street ?
What Harold ’ s [ location ] do you go to ?
” There ’ s also a social justice component to one of the ingredients of Harold ’ s ’ 83 .
The honey used in the beer comes from Sweet Beginnings , LLC , a North Lawndale-based nonprofit organization which produces beelove , a line of honey-based products made by formerly incarcerated individuals .
The impetus of Haymarket adding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diversity — to its expanding roster of beers came from a friend of Michael Gemma , Haymarket ’ s director of operations , who attended a City Council meeting where George Blakemore , a longtime City Hall watchdog , mentioned the small number of liquor stores in the city of Chicago owned by African Americans .
Upon hearing how few African Americans are involved in the liquor business , Gemma knew that Westbrook , a bartender at Wrigleyville ’ s Nisei Lounge , would the perfect person to launch a new beer created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s beers is named “ The Defender American-Style Stout ” after the city ’ s legendary Black newspaper , The Chicago Defender .
“ We got the conversation going and I said ‘ hey , I ’ ve got this idea .
I ’ ve got Jay West [ Westbrook ] and his friend [ Ross ] who want to brew a beer and bring this to light in a unique way through their passion for the beer industry and for brewing , ’ ” said Gemma .
“ We ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be a part of what we do as a craft and sharing the experiences , and teaching.
” Gemma says amid the pandemic , Harold ’ s ’ 83 ranks No .
3 in sales out of the 20 in-stock beers at Haymarket.. “ We are blown away ... because [ Westbrook and Ross ] brought in the passion that they did with such vision , and now we want this to be unapologetically Chicago.
” The craft beer industry , which has predominantly been a space for affluent white people to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black ownership — or craft brewers— are few and far between .
Ross wants Harold ’ s ’ 83 to be the catalyst for Black people to get involved in the making of craft beer .
“ We wanted Black people to drink our beer ; we want everybody drinking it , but our goal was to get more people at the bar who look like us , ” said Ross .
“ We know how it is to walk into a taproom and just see you.
” Westbrook and Ross ’ endgame @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of cicerone , a certified professional who has expertise in selecting , acquiring and serving a variety of beers .
Ross , who hosts a podcast named “ Pass the Drink , ” says he knew Harold ’ s ’ 83 Honey Ale was going to be special when he saw customers eagerly buying the beer , and , more importantly , knowing what its presence means for African American entrepreneurship .
“ Before we got any attention on the beer , I was just looking around and being in awe of being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Ross .
I ’ ll always be able to say to my son , my grandson , I was a creator of a recipe of a beer .
I just didn ’ t work at a brewery , or I was a bartender someplace .
I helped create a recipe .
”

Craft beer makers Jay Westbrook and Sam Ross aren’t looking for a seat at the craft beer gatekeepers’ table — they’ve brought their own.
And, in time, they plan to establish their own table.
“It’s been crazy doing this [beer launch] in a pandemic because this was already a thing before COVID-19 became official in the city of Chicago,” said Westbrook. “And the fact that we had to work that much harder makes me feel so much better.”
Harold’s ’83 Honey Ale is poured at Haymarket Brewing. Brian Rich/Sun-Times
In March, as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the city, Westbrook, a South Shore native, and Ross, a Harvey native, along with Haymarket Brewing, launched “Harold’s ’83 Honey Ale,” a beer named for the year Chicago elected its first Black mayor, Harold Washington.
Harold’s ’83 Honey Ale is comprised of Zuper Saazer hops, Vienna malt and clover honey.
“Beers have tricky names, cool names like Gumballhead and Anti-Hero,” said Ross, a Goose Island Brewery brand ambassador. “How do you get a tricky name and make it sound like a hero down the street? What Harold’s [location] do you go to?”
There’s also a social justice component to one of the ingredients of Harold’s ’83. The honey used in the beer comes from Sweet Beginnings, LLC, a North Lawndale-based nonprofit organization which produces beelove, a line of honey-based products made by formerly incarcerated individuals.
Jay Westbrook is photographed at Haymarket Brewing. Brian Rich/Sun-Times
The impetus of Haymarket adding Harold’s ’83 — and diversity — to its expanding roster of beers came from a friend of Michael Gemma, Haymarket’s director of operations, who attended a City Council meeting where George Blakemore, a longtime City Hall watchdog, mentioned the small number of liquor stores in the city of Chicago owned by African Americans.
A growler of Harold’s ‘83 Honey Ale (right) is photographed alongside The Defender American-Style Stout at Haymarket Brewing. Brian Rich/Sun-Times
Upon hearing how few African Americans are involved in the liquor business, Gemma knew that Westbrook, a bartender at Wrigleyville’s Nisei Lounge, would the perfect person to launch a new beer created by African Americans. Another of Haymarket’s beers is named “The Defender American-Style Stout” after the city’s legendary Black newspaper, The Chicago Defender.
“We got the conversation going and I said ‘hey, I’ve got this idea. I’ve got Jay West [Westbrook] and his friend [Ross] who want to brew a beer and bring this to light in a unique way through their passion for the beer industry and for brewing,’” said Gemma. “We’re all about those [who] want to be a part of what we do as a craft and sharing the experiences, and teaching.”
Gemma says amid the pandemic, Harold’s ’83 ranks No. 3 in sales out of the 20 in-stock beers at Haymarket.
“We are blown away ... because [Westbrook and Ross] brought in the passion that they did with such vision, and now we want this to be unapologetically Chicago.”
The craft beer industry, which has predominantly been a space for affluent white people to thrive in, is a place where Black ownership — or craft brewers— are few and far between.
Sam Ross working in the brewery at Haymarket Brewing. Brian Rich/Sun-Times
Ross wants Harold’s ’83 to be the catalyst for Black people to get involved in the making of craft beer.
“We wanted Black people to drink our beer; we want everybody drinking it, but our goal was to get more people at the bar who look like us,” said Ross. “We know how it is to walk into a taproom and just see you.”
Westbrook and Ross’ endgame has them achieving the coveted industry title of cicerone, a certified professional who has expertise in selecting, acquiring and serving a variety of beers.
Ross, who hosts a podcast named “Pass the Drink,” says he knew Harold’s ’83 Honey Ale was going to be special when he saw customers eagerly buying the beer, and, more importantly, knowing what its presence means for African American entrepreneurship.
“Before we got any attention on the beer, I was just looking around and being in awe of being named a maker of a beer,” said Ross. “I’ll always be able to say to my son, my grandson, I was a creator of a recipe of a beer. I just didn’t work at a brewery, or I was a bartender someplace. I helped create a recipe.”


chicagosun-times--2020-06-16--Security officer fatally shot patient, partner at Munster hospital: prosecutor

A psychiatric patient who was beating a nurse Tuesday was shot dead by a security officer who also accidentally fatally wounded another security officer during the incident at Munster Community Hospital in Northwest Indiana , prosecutors said .
Ryan Askew , a 59-year-old retired Lake County sheriff ’ s officer who was working security , was pronounced dead at 2:41 a.m. , according to police and the Lake County coroner ’ s office .
Jamal Williams , 22 , of Lansing , was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m. after he was shot by another retired officer working security , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shooting unfolded about 1 a.m. when Askew responded to someone beating a nurse in the hospital , at 901 McArthur Blvd.
, Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said in an emailed statement .
“ It is my understanding that the patient was beating the nurse pretty badly , ” Martinez said .
When Askew and another retired officer came to the patient ’ s room , the patient grabbed a nurse and started hitting her , according to Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter .
Other nurses and hospital staff tried pulling the nurse away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patient , but he put Askew in a chokehold , lifted him off the ground and hit him several times , causing him to fade in and out of consciousness , Carter said .
The other security officer fired twice , striking the patient in the face and Askew in the arm , Carter said .
Staff began to treat Askew but the bullet traveled to his chest , ultimately killing him .
Carter ’ s statement contradicts earlier police reports that the patient had grabbed the gun from Askew ’ s belt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Munster police haven ’ t released details about the circumstances of the shooting , and the coroner ’ s office hasn ’ t ruled on the victims ’ manners of death .
“ We are deeply saddened and shocked to lose a retired officer in such a horrific incident , ” Martinez said .
Askew leaves behind a wife , a daughter and two foster children .
“ I knew both of these retired veteran officers personally , and they ’ re the kind of people rookies could learn from and look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The second officer involved in the shooting is a 25-year veteran of the sheriff ’ s office , he said .
The 65-year-old officer was hospitalized after the shooting , but officials did not release the reason .
The Northwest Indiana Major Crimes Task Force is assisting Munster police in the investigation .

A hospital security guard in northwest Indiana accidentally shot and killed his work partner early Tuesday while fatally shooting a combative psychiatric patient, prosecutors said.
The shooting unfolded about 1 a.m. at Munster Community Hospital after two security guards responded to a patient who became combative with staff, according to a statement from Lake County Prosecutor Bernard A. Carter.
Upon seeing security in his room, Jamal Williams, 22, grabbed a nurse and began to hit her, officials said.
Staff and the two guards managed to pull the nurse away from Williams, but Williams then placed one of the guards, 59-year-old Ryan Askew, in a chokehold, Carter said.
The patient then lifted Askew, who was still in a chokehold, while striking him repeatedly with his free hand, Carter said. By this time, Askew was allegedly going in and out of consciousness.
The other guard then unholstered his gun and fired twice at the patient, Carter said. Williams was struck in the face, while Askew was shot through his arm and into his chest, Carter said.
Both men were pronounced dead shortly after the shooting, according to the Lake County coroner’s office.
Earlier Tuesday, Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. told the Times of Northwest Indiana that Williams had unholstered the officer’s gun and fatally shot Askew before being shot by the second officer, which contradicts the prosecutor’s account. Prosecutors have not said if they will seek charges.
Sheriff Martinez said both security officers were retired sheriff’s officers.
“We are deeply saddened and shocked to lose a retired officer in such a horrific incident,” Martinez said. Askew leaves behind a wife, a daughter and two foster children.
“I knew both of these retired veteran officers personally, and they’re the kind of people rookies could learn from and look up to,” Martinez said.
The officer who allegedly fired the shots is a 25-year veteran of the sheriff’s office. The 65-year-old officer was hospitalized after the shooting, but officials did not release the reason.
The coroner’s office has not released autopsy results for either fatality.
Munster police said the Northwest Indiana Major Crimes Task Force is assisting in the investigation.


chicagosun-times--2020-06-16--Illinois reports 72 new COVID-19 deaths as June total surpasses 1,000 (LIVE UPDATES)

Illinois remained on its apparent descent from the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic Tuesday , though health officials announced an additional 72 people died of the disease across the state .
With the three-month death toll at 6,398 , the Illinois Department of Public Health said an additional 623 people tested positive for the coronavirus among the latest batch of almost 19,000 test results .
That marks 11 straight days with daily caseloads below 1,000 , and follows the 473 cases announced Monday , which was the lowest number reported since March 30 .
The latest figures push the death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 1,022 deaths over the first 16 days of June average out to just under 64 a day — significantly lower than May ’ s grim daily average of just under 100 .
The next entry to pop up in Chicago ’ s array of pop-up drive-in movie theaters will be in the new Lincoln Yards development on the Near North Side .
The Drive-In at Lincoln Yards will debut June 25 with screenings of “ Ferris Bueller ’ s Day Off ” at 1684 N. Throop St. , near the Fleet Fields @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show “ modern classics ” at 8:30 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays .
Audio will be transmitted through AM radios .
4:34 p.m. Pritzker , Foxx to get tested for COVID-19 after attending event with newly diagnosed state AG Kwame Raoul Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Tuesday he has tested positive for COVID-19 , and Democratic Gov .
J.B. Pritzker said he will get re-tested after attending a south suburban event with the attorney general 10 days ago .
Cook County State ’ s Attorney Kim Foxx is also planning to get tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Raoul and Pritzker .
Raoul said he began experiencing minor symptoms over the weekend and tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday .
Raoul , 55 , is the highest ranking Illinois politician known to have contracted COVID-19 .
“ I have been self-isolating since the onset of my symptoms and I will continue to do so in accordance with guidance from my doctor and public health authorities , ” Raoul said in a statement .
“ Additionally , we are in the process of notifying individuals I may have come into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and seek telehealth guidance.
” All Chicago residents can now get tested for coronavirus at the city ’ s six testing sites as part of an expansion in eligibility announced Tuesday .
Health officials recommend that anyone who had recent high-risk exposure to the virus to visit one of the six sites at Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy , Horizon Science Academy , Dr. Jorge Prieto Math & Science Academy , Kennedy King College , Gately Park and Columbus Park .
Free testing is offered at those sites from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no questions will be asked about citizenship status , and no documents related to citizenship are required .
“ As our city ’ s industries and public spaces cautiously reopen , we must remain steadfast in our fight against the COVID-19 virus , especially in light of the rising case levels we ’ ve seen in other areas nationwide , ” said Mayor Lightfoot .
Registration to sign up for an appointment to be tested at one of the city ’ s six COVID-19 testing sites can be found on this website .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the coronavirus pandemic , it was announced Tuesday afternoon .
The festival will return Sept. 17-19 , in Douglas Park , and will add a first-ever festival Thursday preview party on Sept. 16 , 2021 .
Weekend passes , starting at $ 149.98 , are now on sale .
Refunds and transfers for the 2020 dates will also be available for the next 30 days .
The 2021 lineup retains the reunion of My Chemical Romance , as well as first-time Riot Fest performances from The Smashing Pumpkins , Lupe Fiasco ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The All-American Rejects .
Les Savy Fav , Pixies , Run The Jewels , Coheed and Cambria , Taking Back Sunday and New Found Glory are also among the first wave of artists schedule for the three-day music extravaganza .
2:23 p.m. Summer camps scramble to find new sites as CPS schools stay closed due to the coronavirus As summer camps across the city make plans to open — albeit with smaller numbers due to social distancing — those that rent space at Chicago Public Schools are having to scramble to find new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the summer while school officials try to work out the details of reopening in the fall , a CPS spokeswoman confirmed this week .
“ We certainly recognize the challenges they are facing , just as we all are facing challenges , ” said Addie Goodman , president and CEO of Apachi Day Camps , which has nine locations , including two on CPS properties .
Goodman said CPS officials informed her in early June that schools would not be available for rent this summer .
The Mercury Theater Chicago , long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ location , will be closing permanently at the end of the month , it was announced Tuesday .
In a statement , executive director L. Walter Stearns and partner/business manager Eugene Dizon cited extreme loss of revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic .
The theater had been closed since mid-March , following Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s mandate prohibiting all large gatherings due to the coronavirus .
The mandate forced the early closure of the theater ’ s productions of “ Shear Madness ” and “ Priscilla , Queen of the Desert.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ film nickelodeon , the movie theater would undergo several retail business incarnations in the decades that followed .
In 1994 , it was transformed into a 300-seat live theater rental venue by veteran theater producer Michael Cullen , who also incorporated a restaurant as part of the renovation of the four-city lot site .
It “ reopened ” in 2011 under the current owner/leadership team as an Equity-affiliated commercial theater house , having since produced 25 plays including four world premieres .
According to an official statement , “ the Mercury has employed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and arts administrators , and entertained nearly 400,000 audience members.
” 12:45 p.m. ‘ Inexpensive , on the shelf ’ steroid appears to improve survival rates in severely ill COVID-19 patients Researchers in England say they have the first evidence that a drug can improve COVID-19 survival : A cheap , widely available steroid called dexamethasone reduced deaths by up to one third in severely ill hospitalized patients .
Results were announced Tuesday and researchers said they would publish them soon .
The study is a large , strict test that randomly assigned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compared them with 4,321 patients getting only usual care .
The drug was given either orally or through an IV .
After 28 days , it had reduced deaths by 35 % in patients who needed treatment with breathing machines and by 20 % in those only needing supplemental oxygen .
It did not appear to help less ill patients .
“ This is an extremely welcome result , ” one study leader , Peter Horby of the University of Oxford , said in a statement .
“ The survival benefit is clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sick enough to require oxygen treatment , so dexamethasone should now become standard of care in these patients .
Dexamethasone is inexpensive , on the shelf , and can be used immediately to save lives worldwide.
” Even though the drug only helps in severe cases , “ countless lives will be saved globally , ” said Nick Cammack of Wellcome , a British charity that supports science research .
Citing the “ link between respiratory issues and COVID-19 , ” an influential alderman wants Chicago to ban the sale of flavored tobacco @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lifetime of addiction .
In an email to his Southwest Side constituents , Ald .
Matt O ’ Shea ( 19th ) , one of Mayor Lori Lightfoot ’ s closest City Council allies , said he plans to introduce the ban at Wednesday ’ s City Council meeting .
O ’ Shea cited data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that showed a surge in electronic cigarette use among high school students — from 1.5 percent in 2011 to 27.5 percent in 2019 .
Even more alarming is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school students who use tobacco products “ reported using a flavored tobacco product in the past 30 days , ” the alderman wrote .
Read the full story from City Hall reporter Fran Spielman here .
9:53 a.m. Lowest number of new coronavirus infections reported in Illinois since late March Illinois logged another 19 coronavirus deaths Monday , and an additional 473 new cases of the deadly virus — the lowest daily number of new infections since the early days under Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s stay-at-home order .
Those new cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 133,016 cases and 6,326 deaths in 101 counties in the state .
The 473 new cases is the lowest daily tally since March 30 , which saw 461 cases .
It also marks the first day with fewer than 500 new cases since late March .
Pritzker ’ s initial stay-at-home order came on March 21 , a day that saw 168 new cases .
The state appeared to hit its peak for new infections on May 12 , when 4,014 were announced .
A little more than a week ago , Illinois @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases on June 5 .
Monday ’ s new cases were among the 18,627 new processed tests .
The state ’ s preliminary seven-day positivity rate for cases remains at 3 % .
Chicago ’ s Lakefront Trail , closed since March , will reopen next week , Mayor Lori Lightfoot ’ s office announced Monday .
The city also announced that on Wednesday , “ bars , lounges , taverns , breweries ” that don ’ t serve food can open , though only for outdoor service .
Lightfoot made the Lakefront @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ Excited to share the news ... our Lakefront Trail will be reopening on June 22 for exercise and transit !
“ To ensure we continue the progress we ’ ve made flattening the curve , Social Distancing Ambassadors will be along the route to ensure a safe experience for Chicagoans.
” 7:18 a.m. Public League football coaches say CPS lacks a plan for return-to-play Multiple Public League football coaches have confirmed that they were told by Chicago Public Schools on Monday that there is no timeline for the district to allow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Illinois High School Association ’ s return-to-play plan .
“ I ’ m very worried there won ’ t be a season , ” Clemente football coach Conell Hayes said .
The IHSA released the guidelines for Stage 1 of its return-to-play plan on June 5 .
Schools with district approval were allowed to being voluntary strength and conditioning sessions on June 6 .
A CPS spokesperson told the Sun-Times on June 7 that it was “ working diligently to develop guidance and protocols to ensure our students can safely begin training.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ anytime soon .
Read the full story from Michael O ’ Brien here .
• Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Tuesday he has tested positive for COVID-19 .
• Illinois logged another 72 coronavirus deaths Tuesday , putting the state total at 6,398 since the start of the pandemic .
• The 473 new cases is the lowest daily tally since March 30 , which saw 461 cases .
5:22 p.m. To Chicagoans suffering from social distancing fatigue : Hang in there Fellow Chicagoans , can we not be stupid about this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s just that we ’ ve seen how New Yorkers have behaved , and New Yorkers are supposed to be sophisticated , right ?
Yet no sooner has New York begun to reopen , as the spread of the coronavirus has waned , that many New Yorkers have begun to chuck the basic rules of pandemic safety — wearing face coverings and social distancing .
New Yorkers have been crowding outside bars and restaurants like college kids on spring break .
If New Yorkers can be this stupid , who ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just as stupid ?
Starting Wednesday in Chicago , bars and brew pubs will reopen their doors , and on Monday the city ’ s Lakefront Trail will reopen .
The bars will be limited to outdoor service , like in New York , with tables set six feet apart and no more than six people at a table .
And , in the stern words of Mayor Lori Lightfoot , everybody on the lakefront — bike riders , runners , walkers and Rollerbladers — will have to “ keep it moving.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ Editorial Board here .
7:48 a.m. ‘ It ’ s all just too much , ’ I said , my hands covering my face as I sobbed I honestly can ’ t remember the last time I cried before that .
I don ’ t cry easily , never have .
But at that moment , I couldn ’ t help it .
The psychological toll of relentless bad news — Floyd ’ s murder , the resulting civil unrest , a deadly pandemic , three years of an incompetent and racist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second term and finish destroying our increasingly fragile democracy — is a lot to bear these days .
Especially for African Americans , like me .
We ’ re experiencing record levels of mental distress in the wake of Floyd ’ s murder , according to a recent Census Bureau report .

It’s official: Riot Fest has been canceled for 2020. The Lyric Opera and the Joffrey Ballet have also canceled their fall seasons.
But that’s not all that happened today in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s what else went down in Chicago and around the state.
News
8:57 p.m. 72 more Illinois coronavirus deaths
Surgeons perform on a COVID-19 patient at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Laura Brown/Northwestern Medicine/AFP (file photo)
Illinois remained on its apparent descent from the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic Tuesday, though health officials announced an additional 72 people died of the disease across the state.
With the three-month death toll at 6,398, the Illinois Department of Public Health said an additional 623 people tested positive for the coronavirus among the latest batch of almost 19,000 test results.
That marks 11 straight days with daily caseloads below 1,000, and follows the 473 cases announced Monday, which was the lowest number reported since March 30.
The latest figures push the death toll this month above 1,000, but the 1,022 deaths over the first 16 days of June average out to just under 64 a day — significantly lower than May’s grim daily average of just under 100.
Read the full story here.
7:54 p.m. City officials urge protesters to get tested for COVID-19
City officials on Tuesday urged Chicagoans who participated in recent large protests to get tested for the coronavirus while announcing the expansion of eligibility for six city-operated testing sites.
Anyone with potential “high-risk exposure” to COVID-19 can get tested, even if they haven’t displayed symptoms, according to a statement from Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office.
That includes residents who attended large gatherings or demonstrations in the wake of the police-involved killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Public health officials have warned that protests over Floyd’s death, which swept the nation and spread to other countries, will likely lead to a spike in coronavirus cases.
Reporter Tom Schuba has the full story.
6:47 p.m. Lincoln Yards drive-in theater opens next week with ‘Ferris Bueller’
The next entry to pop up in Chicago’s array of pop-up drive-in movie theaters will be in the new Lincoln Yards development on the Near North Side.
The Drive-In at Lincoln Yardswill debut June 25 with screenings of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” at 1684 N. Throop St., near the Fleet Fields soccer space. The theater promises to show “modern classics” at 8:30 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays.
Audio will be transmitted through AM radios.
Reporter Darel Jevens has the full story.
4:34 p.m. Pritzker, Foxx to get tested for COVID-19 after attending event with newly diagnosed state AG Kwame Raoul
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Tuesday he has tested positive for COVID-19, and Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he will get re-tested after attending a south suburban event with the attorney general 10 days ago.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is also planning to get tested for COVID-19 after attending the same event with Raoul and Pritzker.
Raoul said he began experiencing minor symptoms over the weekend and tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday. Raoul, 55, is the highest ranking Illinois politician known to have contracted COVID-19.
“I have been self-isolating since the onset of my symptoms and I will continue to do so in accordance with guidance from my doctor and public health authorities,” Raoul said in a statement. “Additionally, we are in the process of notifying individuals I may have come into contact with so that they can self-isolate and seek telehealth guidance.”
Read the full story here.
3:38 p.m. Chicago’s city-run COVID-19 testing sites open to all residents
All Chicago residents can now get tested for coronavirus at the city’s six testing sites as part of an expansion in eligibility announced Tuesday.
Health officials recommend that anyone who had recent high-risk exposure to the virus to visit one of the six sites at Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy, Horizon Science Academy, Dr. Jorge Prieto Math & Science Academy, Kennedy King College, Gately Park and Columbus Park.
Free testing is offered at those sites from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The city says no questions will be asked about citizenship status, and no documents related to citizenship are required.
“As our city’s industries and public spaces cautiously reopen, we must remain steadfast in our fight against the COVID-19 virus, especially in light of the rising case levels we’ve seen in other areas nationwide,” said Mayor Lightfoot.
Registration to sign up for an appointment to be tested at one of the city’s six COVID-19 testing sites can be found on this website.
— Satchel Price
3:25 p.m. Riot Fest 2020 canceled due to pandemic
Riot Fest 2020 has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was announced Tuesday afternoon.
The festival will return Sept. 17-19, in Douglas Park, and will add a first-ever festival Thursday preview party on Sept. 16, 2021.
Weekend passes, starting at $149.98, are now on sale.
Refunds and transfersfor the 2020 dates will also be available for the next 30 days.
The 2021 lineup retains the reunion of My Chemical Romance, as well as first-time Riot Fest performances from The Smashing Pumpkins, Lupe Fiasco (performing The Cool in full), The All-American Rejects. Les Savy Fav, Pixies, Run The Jewels, Coheed and Cambria, Taking Back Sunday and New Found Glory are also among the first wave of artists schedule for the three-day music extravaganza.
Read the full story here.
2:23 p.m. Summer camps scramble to find new sites as CPS schools stay closed due to the coronavirus
As summer camps across the city make plans to open — albeit with smaller numbers due to social distancing — those that rent space at Chicago Public Schools are having to scramble to find new locations.
All public schools remain closed for the summer while school officials try to work out the details of reopening in the fall, a CPS spokeswoman confirmed this week.
“We certainly recognize the challenges they are facing, just as we all are facing challenges,” said Addie Goodman, president and CEO of Apachi Day Camps, which has nine locations, including two on CPS properties.
Goodman said CPS officials informed her in early June that schools would not be available for rent this summer.
Read the full story here.
1:35 p.m. Chicago’s Mercury Theater closing permanently, due to fallout from COVID-19 pandemic
The Mercury Theater Chicago, long a fixture at its North Southport Avenue location, will be closing permanently at the end of the month, it was announced Tuesday.
In a statement, executive director L. Walter Stearns and partner/business manager Eugene Dizon cited extreme loss of revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The theater had been closed since mid-March, following Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mandate prohibiting all large gatherings due to the coronavirus. The mandate forced the early closure of the theater’s productions of “Shear Madness” and “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.”
Opened in 1920 as a silent film nickelodeon, the movie theater would undergo several retail business incarnations in the decades that followed. In 1994, it was transformed into a 300-seat live theater rental venue by veteran theater producer Michael Cullen, who also incorporated a restaurant as part of the renovation of the four-city lot site.
It “reopened” in 2011 under the current owner/leadership team as an Equity-affiliated commercial theater house, having since produced 25 plays including four world premieres. According to an official statement, “the Mercury has employed 975 actors, musicians, designers, and arts administrators, and entertained nearly 400,000 audience members.”
Read the full story here.
12:45 p.m. ‘Inexpensive, on the shelf’ steroid appears to improve survival rates in severely ill COVID-19 patients
Researchers in England say they have the first evidence that a drug can improve COVID-19 survival: A cheap, widely available steroid called dexamethasone reduced deaths by up to one third in severely ill hospitalized patients.
Results were announced Tuesday and researchers said they would publish them soon. The study is a large, strict test that randomly assigned 2,104 patients to get the drug and compared them with 4,321 patients getting only usual care.
The drug was given either orally or through an IV. After 28 days, it had reduced deaths by 35% in patients who needed treatment with breathing machines and by 20% in those only needing supplemental oxygen. It did not appear to help less ill patients.
“This is an extremely welcome result,” one study leader, Peter Horby of the University of Oxford, said in a statement. “The survival benefit is clear and large in those patients who are sick enough to require oxygen treatment, so dexamethasone should now become standard of care in these patients. Dexamethasone is inexpensive, on the shelf, and can be used immediately to save lives worldwide.”
Even though the drug only helps in severe cases, “countless lives will be saved globally,” said Nick Cammack of Wellcome, a British charity that supports science research.
12:04 p.m. Mayoral ally proposes Chicago ban on flavored tobacco products
Citing the “link between respiratory issues and COVID-19,” an influential alderman wants Chicago to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products used to lure young people into a lifetime of addiction.
In an email to his Southwest Side constituents, Ald. Matt O’Shea (19th), one of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s closest City Council allies, said he plans to introduce the ban at Wednesday’s City Council meeting.
O’Shea cited data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that showed a surge in electronic cigarette use among high school students — from 1.5 percent in 2011 to 27.5 percent in 2019.
Even more alarming is the fact that 67 percent of high school students who use tobacco products “reported using a flavored tobacco product in the past 30 days,” the alderman wrote.
Read the full story from City Hall reporter Fran Spielman here.
9:53 a.m. Lowest number of new coronavirus infections reported in Illinois since late March
Illinois logged another 19 coronavirus deaths Monday, and an additional 473 new cases of the deadly virus — the lowest daily number of new infections since the early days under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order.
Those new cases bring the state’s total to 133,016 cases and 6,326 deaths in 101 counties in the state.
The 473 new cases is the lowest daily tally since March 30, which saw 461 cases. It also marks the first day with fewer than 500 new cases since late March. Pritzker’s initial stay-at-home order came on March 21, a day that saw 168 new cases. The state appeared to hit its peak for new infections on May 12, when 4,014 were announced.
A little more than a week ago, Illinois Public Health Department officials reported 1,156 new cases on June 5.
Monday’s new cases were among the 18,627 new processed tests. The state’s preliminary seven-day positivity rate for cases remains at 3%.
Read the full report here.
8:10 a.m. Lakefront Trail to reopen June 22
Chicago’s Lakefront Trail, closed since March, will reopen next week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office announced Monday.
The city also announced that on Wednesday, “bars, lounges, taverns, breweries” that don’t serve food can open, though only for outdoor service.
Lightfoot made the Lakefront Trail announcement on her official Facebook page:
“Excited to share the news... our Lakefront Trail will be reopening on June 22 for exercise and transit!
“To ensure we continue the progress we’ve made flattening the curve, Social Distancing Ambassadors will be along the route to ensure a safe experience for Chicagoans.”
Read the full story here.
7:18 a.m. Public League football coaches say CPS lacks a plan for return-to-play
Multiple Public League football coaches have confirmed that they were told by Chicago Public Schools on Monday that there is no timeline for the district to allow schools to participate in Stage 1 of the Illinois High School Association’s return-to-play plan.
“I’m very worried there won’t be a season,” Clemente football coach Conell Hayes said.
The IHSA released the guidelines for Stage 1 of its return-to-play plan on June 5. Schools with district approval were allowed to being voluntary strength and conditioning sessions on June 6.
A CPS spokesperson told the Sun-Times on June 7 that it was “working diligently to develop guidance and protocols to ensure our students can safely begin training.”
Those protocols may not be coming anytime soon.
Read the full story from Michael O’Brien here.
New cases
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Tuesday he has tested positive for COVID-19.
Illinois logged another 72 coronavirus deaths Tuesday, putting the state total at 6,398 since the start of the pandemic.
The 473 new cases is the lowest daily tally since March 30, which saw 461 cases.
Analysis & Commentary
5:22 p.m. To Chicagoans suffering from social distancing fatigue: Hang in there
Fellow Chicagoans, can we not be stupid about this?
Not to sound patronizing, it’s just that we’ve seen how New Yorkers have behaved, and New Yorkers are supposed to be sophisticated, right? Yet no sooner has New York begun to reopen, as the spread of the coronavirus has waned, that many New Yorkers have begun to chuck the basic rules of pandemic safety — wearing face coverings and social distancing.
New Yorkers have been crowding outside bars and restaurants like college kids on spring break.
If New Yorkers can be this stupid, who’s to say Chicagoans can’t be just as stupid?
Starting Wednesday in Chicago, bars and brew pubs will reopen their doors, and on Monday the city’s Lakefront Trail will reopen. The bars will be limited to outdoor service, like in New York, with tables set six feet apart and no more than six people at a table. And, in the stern words of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, everybody on the lakefront — bike riders, runners, walkers and Rollerbladers — will have to “keep it moving.”
Read the full editorial from the Sun-Times’ Editorial Board here.
7:48 a.m. ‘It’s all just too much,’ I said, my hands covering my face as I sobbed
I honestly can’t remember the last time I cried before that. I don’t cry easily, never have.
But at that moment, I couldn’t help it.
The psychological toll of relentless bad news — Floyd’s murder, the resulting civil unrest, a deadly pandemic, three years of an incompetent and racist president who could very well win a second term and finish destroying our increasingly fragile democracy — is a lot to bear these days.
Especially for African Americans, like me. We’re experiencing record levels of mental distress in the wake of Floyd’s murder, according to a recent Census Bureau report.
Read Lorraine Forte’s full column here.


chicagosun-times--2020-06-16--Man charged in drug-induced homicide compared strength of heroin to Mike Tyson in text, prosecutors

Man charged in drug-induced homicide compared strength of heroin to Mike Tyson in text, prosecutors say

A drug dealer accused of selling heroin to a man who later overdosed texted the victim that the product he had sold him was so strong that it would knock him out “ like Mike Tyson in his prime , ” Cook County prosecutors said Tuesday .
That text message and several others led to 30-year-old Christopher Paulus being charged in the drug-induced homicide of Joshua Bloomfield , who died in the spring of 2019 at his Edgewater apartment .
Bloomfield , 29 , and Paulus met in a drug rehabilitation program a few years ago , prosecutors said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bloomfield ’ s “ best friend , ” and that he would never have intentionally sold him a fatal dose .
The day before he died , Bloomfield celebrated his birthday at his mother ’ s home in northwest suburban Cary and had not appeared to be under the influence .
But before he died on May 28 , 2019 , phone records between Bloomfield and Paulus show the pair exchanged messages , with Bloomfield asking Paulus to come over and hang out , prosecutors said .
Bloomfield , who was trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Paulus to purchase the drugs in the texts .
Bloomfield ’ s husband , who found him dead in the 5500 block of North Winthrop Ave. , told police that Bloomfield had also overdosed in February that year after buying drugs from Paulus .
Bloomfield ’ s husband gave investigators screenshots of messages Paulus sent him at that time , including texts that read , “ I ’ m sorry please forgive me ” and “ I told him to be careful.
” Earlier this year , Bloomfield ’ s mother told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ should be enforced.
” “ Refer to it as drug poisoning and not drug overdose , ” Sylvia Schaefer said .
“ My son didn ’ t kill himself .
He wasn ’ t suicidal .
He had great plans on the horizon.
” Bloomfield died from toxicity from alcohol and a cocktail of drugs , including heroin , fentanyl , methamphetamine and clonazepam , according to the Cook County medical examiner ’ s office Paulus , who struggles with addiction , is at a greater risk for contracting COVID-19 because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bacterial infection tied to his drug use , the assistant public defender told Judge Arthur Wesley Willis Tuesday .
The judge , who said he was particularly concerned about the text message comparing the heroin ’ s strength to boxing champion Tyson , ordered Paulus held on $ 2 million bail for Bloomfield ’ s death .
But because Paulus has an arrest warrant from Maryland , he will be held without bail at Cook County Jail .

A drug dealer accused of selling heroin to a man who later overdosed texted the victim that the product he had sold him was so strong that it would knock him out “like Mike Tyson in his prime,” Cook County prosecutors said Tuesday.
That text message and several others led to 30-year-old Christopher Paulus being charged in the drug-induced homicide of Joshua Bloomfield, who died in the spring of 2019 at his Edgewater apartment.
Bloomfield, 29, and Paulus met in a drug rehabilitation program a few years ago, prosecutors said.
An assistant public defender said Paulus was Bloomfield’s “best friend,” and that he would never have intentionally sold him a fatal dose.
The day before he died, Bloomfield celebrated his birthday at his mother’s home in northwest suburban Cary and had not appeared to be under the influence.
But before he died on May 28, 2019, phone records between Bloomfield and Paulus show the pair exchanged messages, with Bloomfield asking Paulus to come over and hang out, prosecutors said. Bloomfield, who was trying to finish college, also allegedly made plans with Paulus to purchase the drugs in the texts.
Bloomfield’s husband, who found him dead in the 5500 block of North Winthrop Ave., told police that Bloomfield had also overdosed in February that year after buying drugs from Paulus. Bloomfield’s husband gave investigators screenshots of messages Paulus sent him at that time, including texts that read, “I’m sorry please forgive me” and “I told him to be careful.”
Earlier this year, Bloomfield’s mother told the Chicago Sun-Times the drug-induced homicide law “should be enforced.”
“Refer to it as drug poisoning and not drug overdose,” Sylvia Schaefer said. “My son didn’t kill himself. He wasn’t suicidal. He had great plans on the horizon.”
Bloomfield died from toxicity from alcohol and a cocktail of drugs, including heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine and clonazepam, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office
Paulus, who struggles with addiction, is at a greater risk for contracting COVID-19 because of a heart condition he has resulting from a bacterial infection tied to his drug use, the assistant public defender told Judge Arthur Wesley Willis Tuesday.
The judge, who said he was particularly concerned about the text message comparing the heroin’s strength to boxing champion Tyson, ordered Paulus held on $2 million bail for Bloomfield’s death.
But because Paulus has an arrest warrant from Maryland, he will be held without bail at Cook County Jail.
Paulus’ is expected back in court July 6.


chicagosun-times--2020-06-16--Raphael Wicky, Fire trust MLS to keep everybody safe

The number of positive COVID-19 cases is increasing in Florida .
Meanwhile , the Fire and the rest of Major League Soccer are scheduled to resume the 2020 season during a tightly quarantined tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex .
During a media availability Tuesday , Fire coach Raphael Wicky said the situation in Florida hasn ’ t come up in discussion between him and his players .
Wicky did say the team trusts the league to keep everybody safe .
“ Should the league think that , OK , this is going to be unsafe , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ react to that , ” Wicky said .
“ It ’ s out of our hands .
We ’ re going to the tournament .
There ’ s a big ( amount of ) trust from us to the league that they will do the best , a good thing and we ’ ll all be safe .
Should that not be the case , I ’ m sure there will be a reaction from the league ’ s side.
” Slated to begin July 8 , teams can begin arriving in Orlando @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early as June 24 .
But with those dates looming , concerns about the coronavirus aren ’ t going away , and Florida appears to be on the wrong track .
Obviously , what will play out before MLS is scheduled to descend on the state is unknown .
Regardless of what occurs , Wicky has a job to do , and as of Monday , that means running full team practices at SeatGeek Stadium .
“ Everyone is happy to interact with each other again , to actually fight and compete in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The first two days were actually going well .
As a coach , I was happy with what I saw.
” The Fire have returned to full team training for the first time since the league ’ s March shutdown .
Following the stoppage , players were given fitness plans , and they were recently allowed to return to individual and then small-group training sessions , but none replicate the practices the Fire can now hold .
And that forces the players to adjust .
“ It ’ s completely different than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three months .
That ’ s just a fact , ” Wicky said .
“ It ’ s different physically .
You can run as much as you want .
You can dribble as much as you want in a rectangle or a square .
You can have small group training with patterns , passing drills , but no opposition .
Now going back into action in full team training , the players as well , they say it feels completely different.
” When the Fire last convened as a full group , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ completed training camp .
Now they ’ re going through what could be called a second camp , preparing to resume a season that had barely begun .
“ It will take a while to get used to it , but ( from ) what I saw was actually good , ” Wicky said .
“ The mentality and the excitement of everyone is very high , and as well from the staff .
I ’ m very happy about that .
”

As the Fire and the rest of Major League Soccer prepare to resume the 2020 season in a tightly quarantined tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, the number of positive COVID-19 cases in Florida is increasing.
On Tuesday, Fire coach Raphael Wicky said that situation hasn’t come up in discussions with the players. Wicky did say the team trusts the league to keep everybody safe.
“Should the league think that, OK, this is going to be unsafe, then we trust them that they will react to that,” Wicky said. “It’s out of our hands. We’re going to the tournament. There’s a big [amount of] trust from us toward the league that they will do the best, a good thing, and we’ll all be safe. Should that not be the case, I’m sure there will be a reaction from the league’s side.”
Slated to begin July 8, teams can begin arriving in Orlando for the MLS is Back Tournament on June 24. But with those dates looming, concerns about the coronavirus aren’t going away, and Florida appears to be on the wrong track.
Regardless, Wicky has a job to do, and as of Monday, that meant running full-team practices at SeatGeek Stadium.
“Everyone is happy to interact with each other again, to actually fight and compete in training again,” Wicky said. “The first two days were actually going well. As a coach, I was happy with what I saw.”
The Fire returned to full-team training for the first time since the league’s March shutdown. After the stoppage, players were given fitness plans, and they were recently allowed to return to individual, then small-group training sessions, but none of those exercises can compare with the type of practices the Fire can hold now.
And the players have had to adjust.
“It’s completely different than what they have done for the last three months; that’s just a fact,” Wicky said. “It’s different physically. You can run as much as you want. You can dribble as much as you want in a rectangle and a square. You can have small-group training with patterns, passing drills but no opposition. Now going back into action in full-team training, the players say it feels completely different.”
When the Fire last convened as a full group, they had played two games and only recently completed training camp. Now they’re going through what could be called a second camp, preparing to resume a season that had barely begun.
“It will take awhile to get used to it, but [from] what I saw, it was actually good,” Wicky said. “The mentality and the excitement are very high. I’m very happy about that.”


chicagosun-times--2020-06-16--Chicago’s buildings commissioner calling it a career

After five years as Chicago ’ s buildings commissioner and 31 years with the city , Judy Frydland is calling it quits .
“ I started in 1989 as an unpaid law clerk and worked my way up , then had a marvelous career and great support all the way throughout , ” Frydland , whose resignation takes effect June 30 , said Tuesday .
“ I have a mother that ’ s 90 years old .
She ’ ll be 91 October 1st , God willing .
And I need to spend some time with my family .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job .
But my family has to come first at this time .
I need to spend this time with my mom because , if something happens to her this year and I waited one more year , I don ’ t think I could forgive myself .
She ’ s been through so much in her life.
” Frydland ’ s mother and father , Rachmiel and Estelle Frydland , both survived the Holocaust with stories so chilling they could fill a book — and did , in her father ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family was wiped out by the Holocaust .
Her mother ’ s family just barely escaped being annihilated .
Their daughter has spent the last five years running a city department once known as a revolving door for those at the top and a haven for corruption for inspectors at the bottom .
Not so under Judy Frydland .
In 2018 , City Hall threw the book at the owner of a Little Village building where 10 children died in a rear coach house fire that was Chicago ’ s most deadly for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire in 1958 .
More recently , there was the disastrous smokestack demolition at a former coal-fired power plant in Little Village that prompted Mayor Lori Lightfoot to discover that it had been 15 years since the last implosion in Chicago .
Despite the inherent dangers and the need for “ massive road closures ” and sign-offs by at least five city agencies when explosives are used , there was “ no separate , in-depth permitting process ” for implosions .
Frydland also was commissioner at a time when now-indicted Ald .
Ed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the department to withhold permits for a Burger King on the Southwest Side .
But , for the most part , the Frydland-run Department of Buildings has been free from the embarrassing scandals that used to be routine in Chicago .
“ Five years as building commissioner may be a record-breaker .
I ’ m not sure .
We got a modern building code .
We streamlined the permit process .
We created a bad actors ’ ordinance to go after bad contractors .
We ’ ve done a lot , ” Frydland @ @

After five years as Chicago’s buildings commissioner and 31 years with the city, Judy Frydland is calling it quits.
“I started in 1989 as an unpaid law clerk and worked my way up, then had a marvelous career and great support all the way throughout,” Frydland, whose resignation takes effect June 30, said Tuesday.
“I have a mother that’s 90 years old. She’ll be 91 October 1st, God willing. And I need to spend some time with my family. I love the city. I love my job. But my family has to come first at this time. I need to spend this time with my mom because, if something happens to her this year and I waited one more year, I don’t think I could forgive myself. She’s been through so much in her life.”
Frydland’s mother and father, Rachmiel and Estelle Frydland, both survived the Holocaust with stories so chilling they could fill a book — and did, in her father’s case.
Her father’s entire family was wiped out by the Holocaust. Her mother’s family just barely escaped being annihilated.
Their daughter has spent the last five years running a city department once known as a revolving door for those at the top and a haven for corruption for inspectors at the bottom.
Not so under Judy Frydland.
In 2018, City Hall threw the book at the owner of a Little Village building where 10 children died in a rear coach house fire that was Chicago’s most deadly for children since the Our Lady of Angels fire in 1958.
More recently, there was the disastrous smokestack demolition at a former coal-fired power plant in Little Village that prompted Mayor Lori Lightfoot to discover that it had been 15 years since the last implosion in Chicago.
Despite the inherent dangers and the need for “massive road closures” and sign-offs by at least five city agencies when explosives are used, there was “no separate, in-depth permitting process” for implosions.
La Voz Sidebar 2023 Lea este artículo en español en La Voz Chicago.
Frydland also was commissioner at a time when now-indicted Ald. Ed Burke (14th) was allegedly pressuring the department to withhold permits for a Burger King on the Southwest Side.
But, for the most part, the Frydland-run Department of Buildings has been free from the embarrassing scandals that used to be routine in Chicago.
“Five years as building commissioner may be a record-breaker. I’m not sure. We got a modern building code. We streamlined the permit process. We created a bad actors’ ordinance to go after bad contractors. We’ve done a lot,” Frydland said.
In an emailed statement, Lightfoot thanked Frydland for her “three decades of service to Chicago’s residents, businesses, and communities.”
The mayor said Frydland “leaves behind a legacy of strengthening City operations through modernizing our building codes, working with communities to maintain housing stock, and streamlining our permitting process.”
Contributing: Tim Novak


chicagosun-times--2020-06-17--Dear Abby: Husband urges me to gain weight to indulge his fetish

DEAR ABBY : My husband and I married two years ago .
A year later we welcomed our first child .
I never imagined I would ever want a divorce .
Well , I found out early this year that my husband has a fetish/fantasy about bigger women .
( He actually said it . )
He is a “ feeder.
” He has purchased books related to these things and watches videos and reads stories about it while sitting next to me on the couch !
It turns him on .
He has asked me to consider gaining weight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I made an appointment for him to see a therapist , and am forcing him to go .
I feel cheated on and disrespected .
I don ’ t know how to handle this bomb he dropped on me .
I don ’ t know how to be with someone who has such a strong impulse .
I hate to feel at fault for walking away and breaking up our family , but I can ’ t go along with this and risk my health .
I also don ’ t know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Any help is appreciated .
— WIFE OF A FEEDER DEAR WIFE : Your husband should have discussed this with you before you married .
Gaining weight to feed your husband ’ s fetish would not be healthy for you physically or — feeling as you do — emotionally .
Because you already have a licensed mental health professional in your database , schedule an appointment for yourself to help you rationally decide what you need to do .
( Can your husband be content to have his fantasy but not involve you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ feel at fault ” for walking away , but you aren ’ t going to change him , and your first responsibility must be to maintain your health so you can parent your child to adulthood .
DEAR ABBY : This has been weighing on me for a long time .
A guy I ’ ve known for years receives tons of food from a food pantry his sister runs .
It sickens me because he ’ s financially set .
He brags to me about never ever having to buy groceries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and families who are in need of food during these terrible times .
He is the worst kind of cheapskate and doesn ’ t like spending money on anything .
Obviously , if his sister is allowing this , she is doing the same thing .
I told him he should be ashamed of himself for taking advantage of this program .
His response was that he served our country , so he ’ s entitled !
( He was dishonorably discharged after seven months . )
He truly feels the food is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bothering me for a long time and , to be honest , I wish he had never told me .
— DISGUSTED IN CONNECTICUT DEAR DISGUSTED : And your question is ?
Those two appear to have no conscience .
Contact the head of the organization that sponsors the food bank and tell the person what you have written to me .
I don ’ t think I ’ m being too harsh to point out that “ Sissy ” is guilty of theft by funneling food to her brother and preventing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
DEAR ABBY : Is it possible to be in love with someone who is incarcerated ?
— ROMANTIC IN TEXAS DEAR ROMANTIC : Yes .
However , it depends upon the length of the relationship and whether you met the person before he or she was incarcerated .
If you knew the person before , it is possible .
However , if your relationship began while he or she was serving time , it is extremely important that you verify ANYthing you are being told and refrain from sending the person money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
For an excellent guide to becoming a better conversationalist and a more sociable person , order “ How to Be Popular.
” Send your name and mailing address , plus check or money order for $ 8 ( U.S. funds ) , to : Dear Abby , Popularity Booklet , P.O .
Box 447 , Mount Morris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handling are included in the price . )

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I married two years ago. A year later we welcomed our first child. I never imagined I would ever want a divorce. Well, I found out early this year that my husband has a fetish/fantasy about bigger women. (He actually said it.)
He is a “feeder.” He has purchased books related to these things and watches videos and reads stories about it while sitting next to me on the couch! It turns him on. He has asked me to consider gaining weight. I told him he needs help.
I made an appointment for him to see a therapist, and am forcing him to go. I feel cheated on and disrespected. I don’t know how to handle this bomb he dropped on me. I don’t know how to be with someone who has such a strong impulse.
I hate to feel at fault for walking away and breaking up our family, but I can’t go along with this and risk my health. I also don’t know how to live apart from him. Any help is appreciated. — WIFE OF A FEEDER
DEAR WIFE: Your husband should have discussed this with you before you married. Gaining weight to feed your husband’s fetish would not be healthy for you physically or — feeling as you do — emotionally.
Because you already have a licensed mental health professional in your database, schedule an appointment for yourself to help you rationally decide what you need to do. (Can your husband be content to have his fantasy but not involve you?) You may not want to “feel at fault” for walking away, but you aren’t going to change him, and your first responsibility must be to maintain your health so you can parent your child to adulthood.
DEAR ABBY: This has been weighing on me for a long time. A guy I’ve known for years receives tons of food from a food pantry his sister runs. It sickens me because he’s financially set. He brags to me about never ever having to buy groceries again. I think about the children and families who are in need of food during these terrible times. He is the worst kind of cheapskate and doesn’t like spending money on anything.
Obviously, if his sister is allowing this, she is doing the same thing. I told him he should be ashamed of himself for taking advantage of this program. His response was that he served our country, so he’s entitled! (He was dishonorably discharged after seven months.) He truly feels the food is owed to him. This has been bothering me for a long time and, to be honest, I wish he had never told me. — DISGUSTED IN CONNECTICUT
DEAR DISGUSTED: And your question is? Those two appear to have no conscience. Contact the head of the organization that sponsors the food bank and tell the person what you have written to me. I don’t think I’m being too harsh to point out that “Sissy” is guilty of theft by funneling food to her brother and preventing a needy family from having it. Shameless.
DEAR ABBY: Is it possible to be in love with someone who is incarcerated? — ROMANTIC IN TEXAS
DEAR ROMANTIC: Yes. However, it depends upon the length of the relationship and whether you met the person before he or she was incarcerated. If you knew the person before, it is possible. However, if your relationship began while he or she was serving time, it is extremely important that you verify ANYthing you are being told and refrain from sending the person money.
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.
For an excellent guide to becoming a better conversationalist and a more sociable person, order “How to Be Popular.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds), to: Dear Abby, Popularity Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)