chicagosun-times--2020-12-06--After Bears’ loss, former players vent on Twitter

Several former Bears players took to Twitter in frustration after the team ’ s 34-30 loss Sunday to the Lions , with at least one wondering whether the franchise will fire coach Matt Nagy before the end of the season .
‘ ‘ I saw some .
.
.
firings in my time in Chicago none of which happened mid season , ’ ’ wrote former offensive lineman Kyle Long , who retired after the Bears put him on injured reserve last season .
‘ ‘ I wonder what the tipping point is and who ultimately makes the decision.
’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Bears to ‘ ‘ just throw the whole offense away .
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Coaches included !
’ ’ As for general manager Ryan Pace , Forte wrote that ‘ ‘ football starts in the trenches bruh , ’ ’ a reference to Pace not devoting a single first-round pick to an offensive or defensive lineman during his tenure .
Forte pointed out that coach Lovie Smith , whom he played for , won 10 games in 2012 and still was fired .
He sounded as though he felt bad for the Bears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve played on some awful teams but man .
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y ’ all deserve better , ’ ’ he wrote .
Former linebacker Lance Briggs tweeted during the fourth quarter that ‘ ‘ Nagys gon na Nagy , ’ ’ and ex-cornerback Jerry Azumah used exclamation points to get his point across .
‘ ‘ I deserve better !
You deserve better !
We deserve better !
’ ’ he wrote .
‘ ‘ Everyone deserves better than this !
What a damn joke !
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@ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
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Several former Bears players took to Twitter in frustration after the team’s 34-30 loss Sunday to the Lions, with at least one wondering whether the franchise will fire coach Matt Nagy before the end of the season.
‘‘I saw some . . . firings in my time in Chicago none of which happened mid season,’’ wrote former offensive lineman Kyle Long, who retired after the Bears put him on injured reserve last season. ‘‘I wonder what the tipping point is and who ultimately makes the decision.’’
Former running back Matt Forte encouraged the Bears to ‘‘just throw the whole offense away . . . Coaches included!’’
As for general manager Ryan Pace, Forte wrote that ‘‘football starts in the trenches bruh,’’ a reference to Pace not devoting a single first-round pick to an offensive or defensive lineman during his tenure.
I saw some firings and firings in my time in Chicago none of which happened mid season. I wonder what the tipping point is and who ultimately makes the decision. — KyleLong.ETH (@Ky1eLong) December 6, 2020
Forte pointed out that coach Lovie Smith, whom he played for, won 10 games in 2012 and still was fired. He sounded as though he felt bad for the Bears’ players.
‘‘I’ve played on some awful teams but man . . . y’all deserve better,’’ he wrote.
Just throw the whole offense away...
Coaches included! — Matt Forte (@MattForte22) December 6, 2020
Former linebacker Lance Briggs tweeted during the fourth quarter that ‘‘Nagys gonna Nagy,’’ and ex-cornerback Jerry Azumah used exclamation points to get his point across.
‘‘I deserve better! You deserve better! We deserve better!’’ he wrote. ‘‘Everyone deserves better than this! What a damn joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!’’


chicagosun-times--2020-12-07--With holidays ahead, Pritzker says Illinois has ‘long way to go’ to escape COVID-19 ‘danger zone’

Gov .
J.B. Pritzker said Monday the bulk of Thanksgiving-related hospitalizations for the coronavirus likely still lie ahead — as he warned that hospitals have “ limited leeway ” to handle another surge as the state moves into the winter holiday season .
Pritzker said the two seven-day average positivity rates that public health officials watch have remained around 10 % and 12 % , and while officials haven ’ t seen positivity rates start to creep back up — which is a good sign — those metrics also haven ’ t fallen substantially — which is not a good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be because of mitigations he put in place last month , but “ we won ’ t know that for sure for at least two more weeks.
” “ Our COVID-19 hospitalization total statewide is still 14 % higher than our spring peak , ” Pritzker said , explaining that the ability of the state ’ s hospitals to handle another surge is “ tighter than it was last spring .
“ It ’ s likely too early for us to have yet seen the bulk of Thanksgiving-related hospitalizations , yet , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks may be the most crucial month of this entire pandemic .
We quite literally have very limited leeway in our hospital systems to manage another surge .
So mask up , keep your distance and plan smaller , more intimate holidays this year.
” The warning came as Illinois health officials reported 8,691 new and probable cases of the coronavirus Monday , as well as 90 additional deaths .
Those new cases come from a batch of 77,569 tests done in the past 24 hours .
Sixty-three of the deaths reported Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 13 deaths of men in their 80s .
As of Sunday night , 5,190 people were hospitalized statewide with the virus .
Of that number , 1,123 patients were in intensive care units , and 648 patients were on ventilators .
Illinois is now averaging 152 deaths per day from COVID-19 , Pritzker said at his Monday briefing on the virus .
That ’ s an average of 35 more deaths per day than the worst seven-day rates that state reached back in the spring .
The governor said he ’ s “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improvements in the state ’ s coronavirus trends will continue , but ” the numbers still have a long way to go to move away from what could reasonably be called the danger zone .
“ In other words , the surge on top of a surge that national experts have said might define the holiday season is still the focus of our attention , ” Pritzker said .
Dr. Ngozi Ezike , who leads the Illinois Department of Public Health , said officials should be able to see “ by the end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what impact the holiday may have on caseloads .
The state reported 7,598 new cases of the virus and 76 deaths Sunday , breaking a five-day streak of triple-digit daily death tolls .
Pritzker said last week the state is still “ in a precarious place ” and none of the state ’ s 11 regions will be removed from the stricter coronavirus mitigations he put in place last month as officials evaluate any potential Thanksgiving effect on the state ’ s caseload .
Preparing for a post-Thanksgiving surge , health officials said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gathered for the holiday could begin appearing in the data as early as last week .
The state saw an all-time high of 15,415 new cases on Nov. 13 .
Days later , Pritzker announced the closures of museums , theaters and casinos across Illinois among a slew of other business restrictions to curb the spread of the virus , though those restrictions stopped well short of a second statewide stay-at-home order .
The Tier 3 mitigations also include reducing capacity limits at big-box stores and most other retailers from 50 % to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remain at the 50 % capacity limits that were already in place .

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday the bulk of Thanksgiving-related hospitalizations for the coronavirus likely still lie ahead — as he warned that hospitals have “limited leeway” to handle another surge as the state moves into the winter holiday season.
Pritzker said the two seven-day average positivity rates that public health officials watch have remained around 10% and 12%, and while officials haven’t seen positivity rates start to creep back up — which is a good sign — those metrics also haven’t fallen substantially — which is not a good sign.
The governor said that may be because of mitigations he put in place last month, but “we won’t know that for sure for at least two more weeks.”
“Our COVID-19 hospitalization total statewide is still 14% higher than our spring peak,” Pritzker said, explaining that the ability of the state’s hospitals to handle another surge is “tighter than it was last spring.
“It’s likely too early for us to have yet seen the bulk of Thanksgiving-related hospitalizations, yet,” Pritzker said. “These next four weeks may be the most crucial month of this entire pandemic. We quite literally have very limited leeway in our hospital systems to manage another surge. So mask up, keep your distance and plan smaller, more intimate holidays this year.”
A nurse takes her gloves off as she walks out of a COVID-19 patient’s room in April at Roseland Community Hospital on the Far South Side. Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times file
The warning came as Illinois health officials reported 8,691 new and probable cases of the coronavirus Monday, as well as 90 additional deaths.
Those new cases come from a batch of 77,569 tests done in the past 24 hours. Sixty-three of the deaths reported Monday were recorded in Cook County, including 13 deaths of men in their 80s.
As of Sunday night, 5,190 people were hospitalized statewide with the virus. Of that number, 1,123 patients were in intensive care units, and 648 patients were on ventilators.
Illinois is now averaging 152 deaths per day from COVID-19, Pritzker said at his Monday briefing on the virus. That’s an average of 35 more deaths per day than the worst seven-day rates that state reached back in the spring.
The governor said he’s “hopeful” that some of the recent improvements in the state’s coronavirus trends will continue, but ”the numbers still have a long way to go to move away from what could reasonably be called the danger zone.
“In other words, the surge on top of a surge that national experts have said might define the holiday season is still the focus of our attention,” Pritzker said.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, who leads the Illinois Department of Public Health, said officials should be able to see “by the end of this week and next week” what impact the holiday may have on caseloads.
Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike answers questions from the media last week. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times file
The state reported 7,598 new cases of the virus and 76 deaths Sunday, breaking a five-day streak of triple-digit daily death tolls.
Pritzker said last week the state is still “in a precarious place” and none of the state’s 11 regions will be removed from the stricter coronavirus mitigations he put in place last month as officials evaluate any potential Thanksgiving effect on the state’s caseload.
Preparing for a post-Thanksgiving surge, health officials said cases attributed to people who may have gathered for the holiday could begin appearing in the data as early as last week.
The state saw an all-time high of 15,415 new cases on Nov. 13. Days later, Pritzker announced the closures of museums, theaters and casinos across Illinois among a slew of other business restrictions to curb the spread of the virus, though those restrictions stopped well short of a second statewide stay-at-home order.
The Tier 3 mitigations also include reducing capacity limits at big-box stores and most other retailers from 50% to 25%. Grocery stores and pharmacies remain at the 50% capacity limits that were already in place.


chicagosun-times--2020-12-07--Biden names Lloyd Austin as secretary of defense: AP

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden will nominate retired four-star Army general Lloyd J. Austin to be secretary of defense , according to four people familiar with the decision .
If confirmed by the Senate , Austin would be the first Black leader of the Pentagon .
Biden selected Austin over the longtime front-runner candidate , Michele Flournoy , a former senior Pentagon official and Biden supporter who would have been the first woman to serve as defense secretary .
Biden also had considered Jeh Johnson , a former Pentagon general counsel and former secretary of homeland defense .
The impending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people with knowledge of the pick who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the selection hadn ’ t been formally announced .
As a career military officer , the 67-year-old Austin is likely to face opposition from some in Congress and in the defense establishment who believe in drawing a clear line between civilian and military leadership of the Pentagon .
Although many previous defense secretaries have served briefly in the military , only two — George C. Marshall and James Mattis — have been career officers .
Marshall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Like Mattis , Austin would need to obtain a congressional waiver to serve as defense secretary .
The laws were meant to preserve the civilian nature of the Department of Defense .
Austin is a 1975 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served 41 years in uniform .
Biden has known Austin at least since the general ’ s years leading U.S. and coalition troops in Iraq while Biden was vice president .
Austin was commander in Baghdad of the Multinational Corps-Iraq in 2008 when Barack Obama was elected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. troops from 2010 through 2011 .
Austin also served in 2012 as the first Black vice chief of staff of the Army , the service ’ s No .
2-ranking position .
A year later he assumed command of U.S. Central Command , where he fashioned and began implementing a U.S. military strategy for rolling back the Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria .
Austin retired from the Army in 2016 , and he would need a congressional waiver of the legal requirement that a former member of the military be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before serving as secretary of defense .
That waiver has been granted only twice — most recently in the case of Mattis , the retired Marine general who served as President Donald Trump ’ s first Pentagon chief .
The Mattis period at the Pentagon is now viewed by some as evidence of why a recently retired military officer should serve as defense secretary only in rare exceptions .
Although Mattis remains widely respected for his military prowess and intellect , critics say he tended to surround himself with military officers at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He resigned in December 2018 in protest of Trump ’ s policies .
Austin has a reputation for strong leadership , integrity and a sharp intellect .
He would not be a prototypical defense secretary , not just because of his 41-year military career but also because he has shied from the public eye .
It would be an understatement to say he was a quiet general ; although he testified before Congress , he gave few interviews and preferred not to speak publicly about military operations .
When he did speak , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2015 , in describing how the Islamic State army managed a year earlier to sweep across the Syrian border to grab control of large swaths of northern and western Iraq , Austin said the majority of Iraqi Sunnis simply refused to fight for their government .
“ They allowed — and in some cases facilitated — ISIS ’ s push through the country , ” Austin said .
He earned the admiration of the Obama administration for his work in Iraq and at Central Command , although he disagreed with Obama ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in December 2011 .
Austin was involved in the Iraq War from start to finish .
He served as an assistant commander of the 3rd Infantry Division during the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and oversaw the withdrawal in 2011 .
When Austin retired in 2016 , Obama praised his “ character and competence , ” as well as his judgment and leadership .
Like many retired generals , Austin has served on corporate boards .
He is a member of the board of directors of Raytheon Technologies .

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden will nominate retired four-star Army general Lloyd J. Austin to be secretary of defense, according to four people familiar with the decision. If confirmed by the Senate, Austin would be the first Black leader of the Pentagon.
Biden selected Austin over the longtime front-runner candidate, Michele Flournoy, a former senior Pentagon official and Biden supporter who would have been the first woman to serve as defense secretary. Biden also had considered Jeh Johnson, a former Pentagon general counsel and former secretary of homeland security.
The impending nomination of Austin was confirmed by four people with knowledge of the pick who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the selection hadn’t been formally announced.
As a career military officer, the 67-year-old Austin is likely to face opposition from some in Congress and in the defense establishment who believe in drawing a clear line between civilian and military leadership of the Pentagon. Although many previous defense secretaries have served briefly in the military, only two — George C. Marshall and James Mattis — have been career officers. Marshall also served as secretary of state.
Like Mattis, Austin would need to obtain a congressional waiver to serve as defense secretary. The laws were meant to preserve the civilian nature of the Department of Defense.
Austin is a 1975 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served 41 years in uniform.
Biden has known Austin at least since the general’s years leading U.S. and coalition troops in Iraq while Biden was vice president. Austin was commander in Baghdad of the Multinational Corps-Iraq in 2008 when Barack Obama was elected president, and he returned to lead U.S. troops from 2010 through 2011.
Austin also served in 2012 as the first Black vice chief of staff of the Army, the service’s No. 2-ranking position. A year later he assumed command of U.S. Central Command, where he fashioned and began implementing a U.S. military strategy for rolling back the Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.
Austin retired from the Army in 2016, and he would need a congressional waiver of the legal requirement that a former member of the military be out of uniform at least seven years before serving as secretary of defense. That waiver has been granted only twice — most recently in the case of Mattis, the retired Marine general who served as President Donald Trump’s first Pentagon chief.
The Mattis period at the Pentagon is now viewed by some as evidence of why a recently retired military officer should serve as defense secretary only in rare exceptions. Although Mattis remains widely respected for his military prowess and intellect, critics say he tended to surround himself with military officers at the expense of a broader civilian perspective. He resigned in December 2018 in protest of Trump’s policies.
Austin has a reputation for strong leadership, integrity and a sharp intellect. He would not be a prototypical defense secretary, not just because of his 41-year military career but also because he has shied from the public eye. It would be an understatement to say he was a quiet general; although he testified before Congress, he gave few interviews and preferred not to speak publicly about military operations.
When he did speak, Austin did not mince words. In 2015, in describing how the Islamic State army managed a year earlier to sweep across the Syrian border to grab control of large swaths of northern and western Iraq, Austin said the majority of Iraqi Sunnis simply refused to fight for their government.
“They allowed — and in some cases facilitated — ISIS’s push through the country,” Austin said.
He earned the admiration of the Obama administration for his work in Iraq and at Central Command, although he disagreed with Obama’s decision to pull out of Iraq entirely in December 2011.
Austin was involved in the Iraq War from start to finish. He served as an assistant commander of the 3rd Infantry Division during the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and oversaw the withdrawal in 2011. When Austin retired in 2016, Obama praised his “character and competence,” as well as his judgment and leadership.
Like many retired generals, Austin has served on corporate boards. He is a member of the board of directors of Raytheon Technologies.
Politico first reported Biden’s selection of Austin.


chicagosun-times--2020-12-07--Video shows shootout in killing of retired firefighter during Morgan Park carjacking attempt

Chicago police released surveillance video Monday of the shootout during a carjacking attempt that left a 65-year-old retired firefighter dead last week in Morgan Park on the Far South Side .
Dwain Williams was confronted by four carjackers just after 2 p.m. Dec. 3 after leaving the popcorn shop Let ’ s Get Poppin ’ , 11758 S. Western Ave. , authorities said .
Williams exchanged gunfire with the carjackers and was shot in his abdomen .
He died later at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn .
In the video of the shooting , which unfolded in just a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toward his Jeep with a bag in his hand when a car pulls up and three suspects jump out .
Williams then retreats behind his car as one of the suspects rushes toward him with a gun in his hand .
Williams then pulls out his own gun and is seen firing shots at the suspect , who falls to the ground before jumping back into the car and fleeing .
“ You can see how horrific a crime this was , and we ’ re trying to bring these offenders to justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this as well , ” Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said at a news conference Monday at Chicago Police headquarters .
Investigators believe the suspects followed Williams to the popcorn shop after seeing his car earlier in the day , Deenihan said .
Williams was a beloved Chicago Fire Department lieutenant who retired about two years ago after joining in 1992 , officials said .
He was about to return to work as a civilian employee at the Office of Emergency Management and Communications .
A group of activists and organizations , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Telling , Don ’ t Shoot , ” have put up a combined reward of $ 34,000 for information leading to any arrests in his killing .
Speaking at the news conference , Early Walker , founder of the group , lamented Williams ’ killing in what seemed to be a routine trip to the store .
“ He was trying to get some popcorn , and his life was taken over a vehicle , ” Walker said .
“ Here is a man that gave his life to the city , finally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enjoy his life and now his life was been taken.
” Community activist Andrew Holmes , who also contributed to the reward , implored the offenders ’ family members to call detectives .
“ Give any of us a call because sooner or later you ’ re gon na get a knock at your door and you ’ re gon na wish you hadn ’ t , ” he said .
“ When you see this video ... and you know that ’ s you ’ re relative , you know that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ father .
What if this was your father ?
” Williams ’ slaying comes amid a spike in carjackings across the city .
Cops have responded to 1,254 carjackings so far this year , according to data maintained by the city .
That ’ s a sharp increase from the 514 carjackings reported all of last year .
“ It ’ s not just a Chicago problem ; the carjackings all over Cook County and further out have been an issues , ” Deenihan said.
” Our carjacking task force has been doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We just need to come up with a better comprehensive plan working with the entire criminal justice system in order to try and hold these offenders accountable .
”

Chicago police released surveillance video Monday of the shootout during a carjacking attempt that left a 65-year-old retired firefighter dead last week in Morgan Park on the Far South Side.
Dwain Williams was confronted by four carjackers just after 2 p.m. Dec. 3 after leaving the popcorn shop Let’s Get Poppin’, 11758 S. Western Ave., authorities said.
Williams exchanged gunfire with the carjackers and was shot in his abdomen. He died later at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
Dwain Willaims Chicago Fire Department
In the video of the shooting, which unfolded in just a few seconds, Williams is seen walking toward his Jeep with a bag in his hand when a car pulls up and three suspects jump out.
Williams then retreats behind his car as one of the suspects rushes toward him with a gun in his hand. Williams then pulls out his own gun and is seen firing shots at the suspect, who falls to the ground before jumping back into the car and fleeing.
“You can see how horrific a crime this was, and we’re trying to bring these offenders to justice and give the family some peace in this as well,” Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said at a news conference Monday at Chicago Police headquarters.
Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan provides an update on homicide investigation of retired @CFDMedia Lt. Dwain Williams during an apparent carjacking. Organizations have pledged over $33,000 reward money for information leading to the arrest of suspects. #ChicagoPolice pic.twitter.com/a8CY3G75wN — Tom Ahern (@TomAhernCPD) December 8, 2020
Investigators believe the suspects followed Williams to the popcorn shop after seeing his car earlier in the day, Deenihan said.
Williams was a beloved Chicago Fire Department lieutenant who retired about two years ago after joining in 1992, officials said. He was about to return to work as a civilian employee at the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
A group of activists and organizations, including the anti-violence group “I’m Telling, Don’t Shoot,” have put up a combined reward of $34,000 for information leading to any arrests in his killing.
Speaking at the news conference, Early Walker, founder of the group, lamented Williams’ killing in what seemed to be a routine trip to the store.
“He was trying to get some popcorn, and his life was taken over a vehicle,” Walker said. “Here is a man that gave his life to the city, finally was able to retire to try and enjoy his life and now his life has been taken.”
Community activist Andrew Holmes, who also contributed to the reward, implored the offenders’ family members to call detectives.
“Give any of us a call because sooner or later you’re gonna get a knock at your door and you’re gonna wish you had,” he said. “When you see this video...and you know that’s your relative, you know that’s your homie, think about your father. What if this was your father?”
Williams’ slaying comes amid a spike in carjackings across the city. Cops have responded to 1,254 carjackings so far this year, according to data maintained by the city. That’s a sharp increase from the 514 carjackings reported all of last year.
“It’s not just a Chicago problem; the carjackings all over Cook County and further out have been an issue,” Deenihan said. “Our carjacking task force has been doing an excellent job arresting these offenders. We just need to come up with a better comprehensive plan working with the entire criminal justice system in order to try and hold these offenders accountable.”


chicagosun-times--2020-12-07--Is this proposed pot shop too close to a Catholic school? Parents say Michigan Ave. location is the

Is this proposed pot shop too close to a Catholic school? Parents say Michigan Ave. location is the ‘worst possible spot’

A pot shop proprietor ’ s plan to open a second dispensary in the heart of the South Loop is facing stiff opposition from neighbors and parents raising concerns about the proposed store ’ s close proximity to an elementary school .
The Zoning Board of Appeals is slated to rule Dec. 18 on the fate of the planned weed store at 1420 S. Michigan Ave. , which is less than 10 feet beyond a city-mandated 500-foot buffer from Old St. Mary ’ s School .
“ This is a family community and we ’ re just concerned that this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fit , ” said Sarah Cervini , who has a child at Old St. Mary ’ s and lives in the same block .
Neal McQueeney , the owner of Midway Dispensary in Vittum Park , is petitioning the zoning board for the special-use approval needed to open the new recreational weed store .
Former Chicago Bears defensive end Israel Idonije is linked to the real estate firm that owns the proposed site , which is in Ald .
Pat Dowell ’ s 3rd Ward .
McQueeney didn ’ t respond to messages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be reached .
Dowell declined to discuss the proposal .
However , Cervini and other neighborhood residents were quick to voice their disapproval .
Steven Dollear , an attorney who lives in the area , noted that he has three daughters who attend Old St. Mary ’ s , which he said falls just 508 feet from the planned dispensary site .
“ Really , it ’ s the worst possible spot , ” said Dollear , who claimed local businesses are also pushing back .
“ Just because you can do something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inches out of 500 feet — doesn ’ t mean that you should.
” The neighbors also fear that a bustling bud shop will create more congestion in the area and could potentially pose a security risk , given that dispensaries are largely cash-only businesses .
During a community meeting in October , McQueeney begrudgingly admitted that a dispensary “ adds more risk because people think that it is accessible for the product and the cash.
” While McQueeney acknowledged that armed guards would man the store , he also tried to quell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ current dispensary was “ beta testing ” a system to accept credit cards that could potentially be used .
But McQueeney isn ’ t the first dispensary operator to get pushback from neighbors — or face resistance navigating the city ’ s sometimes onerous zoning process .
In August , the ZBA shot down PharmaCann ’ s plan to open a weed store just outside the Gold Coast after a neighborhood group staged a similar campaign .
NuEra also backed off a plan to open up shop next to a drug treatment facility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Walter Burnett ( 27th ) voiced his disapproval in February .
And in March , the zoning board went over the head of Ald .
Brendan Reilly ( 42nd ) and a neighborhood group in approving MOCA Modern Cannabis ’ petition to open a dispensary in River North .
Cervini said she ’ s concerned something similar could happen in the South Loop .
“ I know it ’ s a huge money maker , ” she conceded .
“ And I know the city of Chicago is viewing it that way .
@

A pot shop proprietor’s plan to open a second dispensary in the heart of the South Loop is facing stiff opposition from neighbors and parents raising concerns about the proposed store’s close proximity to an elementary school.
The Zoning Board of Appeals is slated to rule Dec. 18 on the fate of the planned weed store at 1420 S. Michigan Ave., which is less than 10 feet beyond a city-mandated 500-foot buffer from Old St. Mary’s School.
“This is a family community and we’re just concerned that this type of business is not going to fit,” said Sarah Cervini, who has a child at Old St. Mary’s and lives in the same block.
Neal McQueeney, the owner of Midway Dispensary in Vittum Park, is petitioning the zoning board for the special-use approval needed to open the new recreational weed store. Former Chicago Bears defensive end Israel Idonije is linked to the real estate firm that owns the proposed site, which is in Ald. Pat Dowell’s 3rd Ward.
McQueeney didn’t respond to messages seeking comment. Idonije couldn’t be reached.
After Dowell declined to discuss the proposal with the Sun-Times, she told Crain’s on Monday that she’s “opposed to the location in part because my community is overwhelmingly opposed to having a cannabis dispensary there.”
“I have gotten over 400 letters from residents, condo associations, businesses, churches, and schools and they all have cited security concerns, which I share,” Dowell told the business publication.
Midway hopes to open a marijuana dispensary at 1420 S. Michigan Ave. (gray building) in the South Loop, which is down the block from Old St. Mary’s School. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Cervini and other neighborhood residents were also quick to voice their disapproval. Steven Dollear, an attorney who lives in the area, noted that he has three daughters who attend Old St. Mary’s, which he said falls just 508 feet from the planned dispensary site.
“Really, it’s the worst possible spot,” said Dollear, who claimed local businesses are also pushing back. “Just because you can do something — just because you’re 96 inches out of 500 feet — doesn’t mean that you should.”
The neighbors also fear that a bustling bud shop will create more congestion in the area and, like Dowell, claimed it could potentially pose a security risk, given that dispensaries are largely cash-only businesses.
During a community meeting in October, McQueeney begrudgingly admitted that a dispensary “adds more risk because people think that it is accessible for the product and the cash.” While McQueeney acknowledged that armed guards would man the store, he also tried to quell the security concerns by noting that his current dispensary was “beta testing” a system to accept credit cards that could potentially be used.
But McQueeney isn’t the first dispensary operator to get pushback from neighbors — or face resistance navigating the city’s sometimes onerous zoning process.
In August, the ZBA shot down PharmaCann’s plan to open a weed store just outside the Gold Coast after a neighborhood group staged a similar campaign. NuEra also backed off a plan to open up shop next to a drug treatment facility in the West Loop after Ald. Walter Burnett (27th) voiced his disapproval in February.
And in March, the zoning board went over the head of Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) and a neighborhood group in approving MOCA Modern Cannabis’ petition to open a dispensary in River North.
Cervini said she’s concerned something similar could happen in the South Loop.
“I know it’s a huge money maker,” she conceded. “And I know the city of Chicago is viewing it that way.”


chicagosun-times--2020-12-07--Will Biden establish a national COVID-19 testing strategy, which Trump never did?

As the coronavirus epidemic worsens , U.S. health experts are hoping President-elect Joe Biden ’ s administration will put in place something Donald Trump ’ s has not — a comprehensive national testing strategy .
They say such a strategy could systematically check more people for infections and spot surges before they take off .
Health experts say it would be an improvement from the current practice , which has professional athletes and students at elite universities getting routine tests while many other Americans stand in line for hours — if they get tested at all .
“ We have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our strategy has been no strategy , ” said Dr. Michael Mina , a Harvard University researcher focused on the use of testing to track disease .
Some experts say the lack of such a system is one reason for the national explosion in cases , hospitalizations and deaths .
“ If we ’ d had a more robust approach and testing was scaled up as one of the tools , I think much of this third surge would have been avoidable , ” said Dr. Grant Colfax , director of the San @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are differing opinions on what such a strategy should look like .
But many experts say rapid and at-home tests should be used so Americans can check themselves and stay away from others if they test positive .
Biden has endorsed that strategy , called for making testing free for all Americans , and saying government experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies should be empowered to coordinate the entire effort .
“ The reality is we ’ re not testing enough today , ” said Dr. Marcella @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus advisory board , though Biden ’ s transition team so far has not gone into further detail .
Testing was one of the first — and most enduring — stumbles in the federal government ’ s response to the coronavirus epidemic that hit the nation early this year.In February , the CDC distributed test kits to public health laboratories that initially were faulty .
Federal officials worked with companies to expand testing , but shortages of chemicals , materials and protective equipment meant fewer tests were available than what experts said was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , states and cities were left to compete against each other to buy limited testing services and materials , and with little guidance or training on how to best use the tests.In April , President Donald Trump declared governors were responsible for testing .
Amid complaints about shortages and delays , the federal government began sourcing and shipping key testing supplies to states , beginning with swabs .
In the latest phase , Trump officials are sending more than 100 million rapid , point-of-care tests to states .
The government said the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Such tests are considered key to slowing spread .
But states have distributed them differently .
For example , Alaska is sending tests to oil-drilling sites , Colorado to local public health agencies for testing homeless populations , Mississippi to veterans ’ homes .
There ’ s also no federal standard for reporting test data .
Some states report the number of tests administered .
Others tally the number of people tested .
Some have counted types of tests that others don ’ t , which can skew results because some tests are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump administration officials say they are proud of the current state of testing .
Last month , Vice President Mike Pence celebrated that 170 million tests have been completed and that an expanding array of tests are available .
But the focus should be less on numbers and more on action , said Dr. Ali Khan , dean of the University of Nebraska College of Public Health .
“ It shouldn ’ t be anybody who needs a test can get a test , ” Khan said .
“ It should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gets isolated , ” and the people they were in contact with checked and placed in quarantine .
“ Testing is only useful when we can act on the test , ” said Nunez-Smith , a Yale health equity researcher .
Trump has voiced a lack of enthusiasm for comprehensive testing .
In a June tweet , the president called testing a double-edged sword that is good to have but “ makes us look bad.
” Dr. Scott Atlas — a top pandemic adviser to Trump before he resigned Monday — argued against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ symptoms .
But some regard such thinking as an attempt to spin a leadership failure into something else .
“ The executive branch has seen test results — case counts — as a report card on its performance , ” said Carl Bergstrom , a University of Washington evolutionary biologist who studies emerging infectious diseases .
The United States could be weeks away from coronavirus vaccines becoming available , but that won ’ t erase the need for testing , said Eileen O ’ Connor of the Rockefeller Foundation , which in July @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to better identify people who are infected and don ’ t know it .
“ We ’ re not going to get everybody vaccinated right away , and we still don ’ t know how long that immunity will last , ” O ’ Connor said , so testing still will be needed to monitor where the infection is active and to see whether infections are occurring in vaccinated people .
The Rockefeller Foundation ’ s plan would involve developing and making cheap antigen tests , which provide quick results but are less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hoped the government would push companies to manufacture tests the same way it has pushed vaccine makers to mass produce experimental vaccines..
Some Harvard researchers believe that testing half the population each week would be possible by mailing those tests to millions of U.S. households .
Participation would be voluntary , and positive results would have to be confirmed with genetic tests — the home tests aren ’ t as sensitive as more established lab-based testing .
Even so , that could dramatically expand the amount of infection monitoring going on , proponents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s “ Meet the Press , ” Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health said Americans said people should have easy tests they can do at home .
“ We don ’ t have that , ” Fauci said .
“ We should have that.
” Versions of such an approach have been tried in some places , including Slovakia and Minnesota .
But some experts note there is little precedent for screening tens of millions of people with cheap , rapid tests — which would have a significant portion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s the question of whether people who test themselves at home would follow instructions to quarantine .
Experts agree more data and better coordination are needed .
“ Having every state do its own thing without guidance from the federal level — from CDC in particular — I think has really hampered us , ” said Scott Becker , chief executive of the Association of Public Health Laboratories .
“ It is a federal response as much as it is a state response , but it ’ s a shared responsibility .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @

As the coronavirus epidemic worsens, U.S. health experts are hoping President-elect Joe Biden’s administration will put in place something Donald Trump’s has not — a comprehensive national testing strategy.
They say such a strategy could systematically check more people for infections and spot surges before they take off.
Health experts say it would be an improvement from the current practice, which has professional athletes and students at elite universities getting routine tests while many other Americans stand in line for hours — if they get tested at all.
“We have had no strategy for this virus. Our strategy has been no strategy,” said Dr. Michael Mina, a Harvard University researcher focused on the use of testing to track disease.
Some experts say the lack of such a system is one reason for the national explosion in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
“If we’d had a more robust approach and testing was scaled up as one of the tools, I think much of this third surge would have been avoidable,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
There are differing opinions on what such a strategy should look like. But many experts say rapid and at-home tests should be used so Americans can check themselves and stay away from others if they test positive.
Biden has endorsed that strategy, called for making testing free for all Americans, and saying government experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies should be empowered to coordinate the entire effort.
Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith. Yale University
“The reality is we’re not testing enough today,” said Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, co-chair of Biden’s coronavirus advisory board, though Biden’s transition team so far has not gone into further detail.
Testing was one of the first — and most enduring — stumbles in the federal government’s response to the coronavirus epidemic that hit the nation early this year.In February, the CDC distributed test kits to public health laboratories that initially were faulty. Federal officials worked with companies to expand testing, but shortages of chemicals, materials and protective equipment meant fewer tests were available than what experts said was necessary.
Worse, some experts say, states and cities were left to compete against each other to buy limited testing services and materials, and with little guidance or training on how to best use the tests.In April, President Donald Trump declared governors were responsible for testing. Amid complaints about shortages and delays, the federal government began sourcing and shipping key testing supplies to states, beginning with swabs.
In the latest phase, Trump officials are sending more than 100 million rapid, point-of-care tests to states. The government said the first shipments went out in early October.
Such tests are considered key to slowing spread. But states have distributed them differently. For example, Alaska is sending tests to oil-drilling sites, Colorado to local public health agencies for testing homeless populations, Mississippi to veterans’ homes.
There’s also no federal standard for reporting test data. Some states report the number of tests administered. Others tally the number of people tested. Some have counted types of tests that others don’t, which can skew results because some tests are better at diagnosing active infections than others.
Trump administration officials say they are proud of the current state of testing. Last month, Vice President Mike Pence celebrated that 170 million tests have been completed and that an expanding array of tests are available.
Dr. Ali Khan (right). Eric Francis / Getty Images
But the focus should be less on numbers and more on action, said Dr. Ali Khan, dean of the University of Nebraska College of Public Health.
“It shouldn’t be anybody who needs a test can get a test,” Khan said. “It should be anybody who has a positive test immediately gets isolated,” and the people they were in contact with checked and placed in quarantine.
Biden adviser Nunez-Smith echoes that.
“Testing is only useful when we can act on the test,” said Nunez-Smith, a Yale health equity researcher.
Trump has voiced a lack of enthusiasm for comprehensive testing. In a June tweet, the president called testing a double-edged sword that is good to have but “makes us look bad.”
Dr. Scott Atlas — a top pandemic adviser to Trump before he resigned Monday — argued against testing people who aren’t experiencing symptoms.
But some regard such thinking as an attempt to spin a leadership failure into something else.
“The executive branch has seen test results — case counts — as a report card on its performance,” said Carl Bergstrom, a University of Washington evolutionary biologist who studies emerging infectious diseases.
The United States could be weeks away from coronavirus vaccines becoming available, but that won’t erase the need for testing, said Eileen O’Connor of the Rockefeller Foundation, which in July called for making cheap tests widely available to better identify people who are infected and don’t know it.
“We’re not going to get everybody vaccinated right away, and we still don’t know how long that immunity will last,” O’Connor said, so testing still will be needed to monitor where the infection is active and to see whether infections are occurring in vaccinated people.
The Rockefeller Foundation’s plan would involve developing and making cheap antigen tests, which provide quick results but are less reliable than genetic tests. Foundation officials hoped the government would push companies to manufacture tests the same way it has pushed vaccine makers to mass produce experimental vaccines..
Some Harvard researchers believe that testing half the population each week would be possible by mailing those tests to millions of U.S. households.
Participation would be voluntary, and positive results would have to be confirmed with genetic tests — the home tests aren’t as sensitive as more established lab-based testing.
Even so, that could dramatically expand the amount of infection monitoring going on, proponents say.
During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health said Americans said people should have easy tests they can do at home.
“We don’t have that,” Fauci said. “We should have that.”
Versions of such an approach have been tried in some places, including Slovakia and Minnesota. But some experts note there is little precedent for screening tens of millions of people with cheap, rapid tests — which would have a significant portion of false results. Then, there’s the question of whether people who test themselves at home would follow instructions to quarantine.
Experts agree more data and better coordination are needed.
“Having every state do its own thing without guidance from the federal level — from CDC in particular — I think has really hampered us,” said Scott Becker, chief executive of the Association of Public Health Laboratories. “It is a federal response as much as it is a state response, but it’s a shared responsibility. We need to work together.”


chicagosun-times--2020-12-07--Natalie Desselle Reid, actor from ‘B.A.P.S.’ and ‘Eve,’ dies at 53

LOS ANGELES — Natalie Desselle Reid , who starred in the 1997 film “ B.A.P.S.
” and on the sitcom “ Eve , ” has died .
She was 53 .
Reid ’ s death on Monday was confirmed by Je ’ Caryous Johnson , the CEO of Je ’ Caryous Entertainment , which was planning a stage adaption of “ B.A.P.S.
” The cause of death has not been officially released .
In the film “ B.A.P.S , ” Reid and Halle Berry played the roles of two waitresses at a Georgia food diner who decide to fly to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The tandem ends up living a luxury lifestyle as “ Black American Princesses ” while caring for an elderly Beverly Hills millionaire ( Martin Landau ) .
Johnson said Reid was looking forward to bringing her role as Mickey in the film back to life .
He said everyone fell in love with Reid ’ s “ undeniably witty , always giving and caring and hilariously show-stopping personality ” during rehearsals earlier this year .
“ The world has truly lost one of its most angelic souls here on Earth , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dedicated approach Reid took to her acting .
“ There will never be another woman like her who so effortlessly lit up the screen , as well as any room she walked into.
” Berry said on Twitter that she was “ in total shock .
... completely heartbroken.
” Reid starred as Eve ’ s friend Janie Egins over a three-season span on the UPN sitcom “ Eve.
” The actor also appeared in Tyler Perry ’ s “ Madea ’ s Big Happy Family , ” F. Gary Gray ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Def Jam ’ s “ How to Be a Player .
”

LOS ANGELES — Natalie Desselle Reid, who starred in the 1997 film “B.A.P.S.” and on the sitcom “Eve,” has died. She was 53.
Reid’s death on Monday was confirmed by Je’Caryous Johnson, the CEO of Je’Caryous Entertainment, which was planning a stage adaption of “B.A.P.S.” A rep for the actor’s family said she died after a battle with colon cancer.
In the film “B.A.P.S,” Reid and Halle Berry played the roles of two waitresses at a Georgia food diner who decide to fly to Los Angeles for a music video audition. The tandem ends up living a luxury lifestyle as “Black American Princesses” while caring for an elderly Beverly Hills millionaire (Martin Landau).
Johnson said Reid was looking forward to bringing her role as Mickey in the film back to life. He said everyone fell in love with Reid’s “undeniably witty, always giving and caring and hilariously show-stopping personality” during rehearsals earlier this year.
“The world has truly lost one of its most angelic souls here on Earth,” Johnson said in a statement, noting the dedicated approach Reid took to her acting. “There will never be another woman like her who so effortlessly lit up the screen, as well as any room she walked into.”
Berry said on Twitter that she was “in total shock. ... completely heartbroken.”
Reid starred as Eve’s friend Janie Egins over a three-season span on the UPN sitcom “Eve.” The actor also appeared in Tyler Perry’s “Madea’s Big Happy Family,” F. Gary Gray’s “Set It Off” and Def Jam’s “How to Be a Player.”


chicagosun-times--2020-12-07--Chicago teen killed man after breakup with girlfriend: prosecutors

Antonio Reyes was so upset that his girlfriend broke up with him , he allegedly told her he was going “ to go kill a King right now.
” Moments later , Reyes shot and killed a 26-year-old man who was sitting in his car on the South Side , Cook County prosecutors said Monday .
Luis Davalos-Garcia was parked outside his girlfriend ’ s home on the morning of June 24 when a silver sedan with “ distinctive ” wrap-around tail lights and a “ baby on board ” placard in the right rear windshield drove by and shots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suffered a gunshot wound to his right temple and chin , prosecutors said .
After he was found by his girlfriend in the 5000 block of South Rockwell Street , Davalos-Garcia was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead .
A private surveillance camera across the street captured the silver sedan that belonged to Reyes ’ ex-girlfriend driving by Davalos-Garcia ’ s car at least one time before it stopped and shots were fired , prosecutors said .
A silver sedan with similar characteristics had also been linked to an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , prosecutors said .
No one has been charged in that incident but the two victims identified the car as a silver Lincoln .
Two weeks after Davalos-Garcia was killed , officers found a silver Lincoln MKZ resembling the vehicle involved in the earlier shooting and tried to stop it .
In the midst of a long police chase , a passenger jumped out of the Lincoln and was arrested .
That passenger identified Reyes as the driver during the case , which was called off after the Lincoln traveled onto the Skyway @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passenger also accused Reyes of throwing a two-toned black-and-silver gun with a laser sight out of the window during the pursuit .
Prosecutors also said that person said Reyes admitted to two shootings .
A day after the chase , the Lincoln was discovered in Gary , Indiana , where it was towed and processed , prosecutors said .
Detectives also found Reyes “ acting suspicious ” and locals confirmed that he didn ’ t live there , prosecutors said .
A week later , a landscaper found the gun described by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shore Drive , prosecutors said .
Investigators went on to obtain search warrants for Reyes ’ Facebook account , which revealed numerous messages between him and his ex-girlfriend that included conversations about Reyes ’ buying the Lincoln and putting it in her name and about him owning the gun , prosecutors said .
Records also showed the tumultuous relationship Reyes had with his ex-girlfriend , who is also the mother of his child .
When they broke up , he allegedly said he was going to kill a “ King ” — referring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and sent a video of himself in the car with the two-toned gun before Davalos-Garcia ’ s murder .
Reyes was arrested for his involvement in “ multiple homicides ” Sunday after he was identified as a gunman in a Thanksgiving Day shooting that left a 27-year-old man wounded in Gage Park .
That victim said he did not know nor had he ever seen Reyes before the shooting , prosecutors said .
Reyes has four pending juvenile cases for arrests on charges including unlawful use of a weapon , assault with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Reyes was ordered held without bail Monday for Davalos-Garcia ’ s murder .
He also was given $ 500,000 bail on his attempted murder case .
Reyes , who is charged with first-degree murder , attempted murder and aggravated battery , is expected back in court Dec. 28 .

Antonio Reyes was so upset that his girlfriend broke up with him, he allegedly told her he was going “to go kill a King right now.”
Moments later, Reyes shot and killed a 26-year-old man who was sitting in his car on the South Side, Cook County prosecutors said Monday.
Luis Davalos-Garcia was parked outside his girlfriend’s home on the morning of June 24 when a silver sedan with “distinctive” wrap-around tail lights and a “baby on board” placard in the right rear windshield drove by and shots were fired, prosecutors said.
Davalos-Garcia suffered a gunshot wound to his right temple and chin, prosecutors said. After he was found by his girlfriend in the 5000 block of South Rockwell Street, Davalos-Garcia was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
A relative of Davalos-Garcia told the Chicago Sun-Times that he was not a gang member.
A private surveillance camera across the street captured the silver sedan that belonged to Reyes’ ex-girlfriend driving by Davalos-Garcia’s car at least one time before it stopped and shots were fired, prosecutors said.
A silver sedan with similar characteristics had also been linked to an earlier shooting that left two people injured, prosecutors said. No one has been charged in that incident but the two victims identified the car as a silver Lincoln.
Two weeks after Davalos-Garcia was killed, officers found a silver Lincoln MKZ resembling the vehicle involved in the earlier shooting and tried to stop it. In the midst of a long police chase, a passenger jumped out of the Lincoln and was arrested. That passenger identified Reyes as the driver during the case, which was called off after the Lincoln traveled onto the Skyway into Indiana, prosecutors said. The passenger also accused Reyes of throwing a two-toned black-and-silver gun with a laser sight out of the window during the pursuit. Prosecutors also said that person said Reyes admitted to two shootings.
A day after the chase, the Lincoln was discovered in Gary, Indiana, where it was towed and processed, prosecutors said. Detectives also found Reyes “acting suspicious” and locals confirmed that he didn’t live there, prosecutors said.
A week later, a landscaper found the gun described by the passenger on a median of southbound Lake Shore Drive, prosecutors said.
Investigators went on to obtain search warrants for Reyes’ Facebook account, which revealed numerous messages between him and his ex-girlfriend that included conversations about Reyes’ buying the Lincoln and putting it in her name and about him owning the gun, prosecutors said.
Records also showed the tumultuous relationship Reyes had with his ex-girlfriend, who is also the mother of his child. When they broke up, he allegedly said he was going to kill a “King” — referring to member of the street gang — and sent a video of himself in the car with the two-toned gun before Davalos-Garcia’s murder.
Reyes was arrested for his involvement in “multiple homicides” Sunday after he was identified as a gunman in a Thanksgiving Day shooting that left a 27-year-old man wounded in Gage Park. That victim said he did not know nor had he ever seen Reyes before the shooting, prosecutors said.
Reyes has four pending juvenile cases for arrests on charges including unlawful use of a weapon, assault with a deadly weapon and armed robbery, prosecutors said.
Reyes was ordered held without bail Monday for Davalos-Garcia’s murder. He also was given $500,000 bail on his attempted murder case.
Reyes, who is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and aggravated battery, is expected back in court Dec. 28.


chicagosun-times--2020-12-07--Tunney apologizes for defying COVID-19 order with indoor restaurant service (LIVE UPDATES)

Ald .
Tom Tunney ( 44th ) acknowledged Monday he “ made a mistake ” by allowing some of his regular customers to dine inside his Ann Sather Restaurants in defiance of state and city orders banning indoor dining .
In late October , Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ordered Illinois restaurants to close their dining rooms for a second time since the pandemic to stop a second surge of coronavirus cases that was worse than the first .
Mayor Lori Lightfoot initially voiced her concern about the devastating impact on Chicago restaurants , then came away from an hourlong meeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
On Monday , “ Second City Cop , ” a blog devoted to police issues , disclosed that Tunney has been thumbing his nose at the governor ’ s order .
The item referred to Tunney ’ s restaurants as “ Stan Rather ’ s ” and included photographs of plates of food on indoor tables .
On one table , there was a copy of the Dec. 3 Wall Street Journal along with a slice of bacon in the corner of the photo .
On Monday , Tunney openly acknowledged having @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5:50 p.m. With holidays looming , Pritzker says Illinois has ‘ a long way to go to move away from ... the danger zone ’ of COVID-19 Gov .
J.B. Pritzker said Monday the bulk of Thanksgiving-related hospitalizations for the coronavirus likely still lie ahead — as he warned that hospitals have “ limited leeway ” to handle another surge as the state moves into the winter holiday season .
Pritzker said the two seven-day average positivity rates that public health officials watch have remained around 10 % and 12 % , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rates start to creep back up — which is a good sign — those metrics also haven ’ t fallen substantially — which is not a good sign .
The governor said that may be because of mitigations he put in place last month , but “ we won ’ t know that for sure for at least two more weeks.
” “ Our COVID-19 hospitalization total statewide is still 14 % higher than our spring peak , ” Pritzker said , explaining that the ability of the state ’ s hospitals to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was last spring .
“ It ’ s likely too early for us to have yet seen the bulk of Thanksgiving-related hospitalizations , yet , ” Pritzker said .
“ These next four weeks may be the most crucial month of this entire pandemic .
We quite literally have very limited leeway in our hospital systems to manage another surge .
So mask up , keep your distance and plan smaller , more intimate holidays this year.
” 5:03 p.m. Nearly half a million in state will lose unemployment benefits without new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t expect to be out of work for long when she was furloughed from her Downtown restaurant job at the start of the pandemic .
The single mother thought it would be temporary , just until the curve was flattened , and she would be back serving people with her gracious smile .
Then the call came : She ’ d been laid off .
Like many , she filed for unemployment .
That also would be temporary , she thought .
She ’ d find work .
Eight months later , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she is at risk of losing the $ 260 biweekly unemployment check she has depended on to help with rent , groceries and other essentials for herself and her 3-year-old daughter , Ruby .
That money runs out the day after Christmas .
She isn ’ t alone .
According to the Illinois Department of Employment Security , over 447,000 Illinoisans will lose unemployment benefits the day after Christmas if a new federal stimulus package with safeguards for the unemployed isn ’ t passed by then .
An additional 40,000 workers will likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January .
Read the full story from Manny Ramos here .
4 p.m. Head of LaSalle Veterans Home out after COVID-19 outbreak The administrator of a downstate veterans home where 32 veterans have died of the coronavirus was fired Monday , following investigations into the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the state-run home .
Angela Mehlbrech , the administrator of the LaSalle Veterans Home , was fired after the release of two reports that detailed problems in the home , including ineffective hand sanitizer , employees showing up for work after testing positive for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” practiced by employees .
News of her firing was first reported by WBEZ .
The Department of Veterans ’ Affairs said in a statement the personnel change follows the announcement of an independent investigation into the outbreak at the home led by the Acting Inspector General of the Illinois Department of Human Services .
Acting Assistant Director Anthony Vaughn will serve as the interim Administrator as the department searches for a permanent replacement .
The Chicago Teachers Union is making its second legal attempt in as many months to put Chicago Public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accusing the district of illegally refusing to negotiate health and safety conditions before ordering teachers back into classrooms .
The union returned to the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board with the new charge Monday , less than a month before teachers are expected to start returning to schools for the first time during the pandemic .
The CTU is seeking an injunction that would force the district to negotiate in good faith and reach agreements with the union on several issues before schools reopen , which the union says CPS has not done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anticipated Jan. 4 return for preschool and special education cluster program teachers and staff and could afford the union a closer look at the district ’ s health protocols during a deadly pandemic before sending its members back to schools .
Illinois health officials reported 8,691 new and probable cases of the coronavirus Monday , as well as 90 additional deaths .
Those new cases come from a batch of 77,569 tests done in the past 24 hours .
Sixty-three of the deaths reported Monday were recorded in Cook County , including 13 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As of Sunday night , 5,190 people were hospitalized statewide with the virus .
Of that number , 1,123 patients were in intensive care units and 648 patients were on ventilators .
The state reported 7,598 new cases of the virus and 76 deaths Sunday , breaking a five-day streak of triple-digit daily death tolls .
Gov .
J.B. Pritzker said last week the state is still “ in a precarious place ” and none of the state ’ s 11 regions will be removed from the stricter coronavirus mitigations he put in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potential Thanksgiving effect on the state ’ s caseload .
11:40 a.m. Canada to get vaccine by end of year TORONTO — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday Canada will get up to 249,000 doses of the vaccine developed by American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany ’ s BioNTech before the end of December .
The vaccine is expected be approved by Health Canada as soon as Thursday .
Trudeau had come under criticism from opposition parties for saying Canadians won ’ t be among the first to get a vaccine against COVID-19 because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citizens of the countries they are made in .
Canada doesn ’ t have mass vaccine-production facilities .
11:21 a.m. Food insecurity on rise as many Americans turn to food banks for 1st time The deadly pandemic that tore through the nation ’ s heartland struck just as Aaron Crawford was in a moment of crisis .
He was looking for work , his wife needed surgery , then the virus began eating away at her work hours and her paycheck .
The Crawfords had no savings , mounting bills and a growing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of food ?
The couple had two boys , 5 and 10 , and boxes of macaroni and cheese from the dollar store could go only so far .
A 37-year-old Navy vet , Crawford saw himself as self-reliant .
Asking for food made him uncomfortable .
“ I felt like I was a failure , ” he says .
“ It ’ s this whole stigma ... this mindset that you ’ re this guy who can ’ t provide for his family , that you ’ re a deadbeat.
” Hunger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country in the world .
Even during times of prosperity , schools hand out millions of hot meals a day to children , and desperate elderly Americans are sometimes forced to choose between medicine and food .
The start of the DePaul men ’ s basketball season hit another snag Sunday as the school canceled its matchup against Iowa State under COVID-19 protocols .
It ’ s the fourth consecutive game that the school has called off after members of the program tested positive for the virus last month .
The Blue Demons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 25 against Chicago State , but school officials canceled that game as well as two others – Nov. 28 vs. Alcorn State and Dec. 3 vs. Northern Illinois – after multiple tests from members of the program came back positive in mid-November .
10 a.m. ‘ Obamacare ’ defender tapped to lead coronavirus response in Biden administration President-elect Joe Biden has picked California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be his health secretary , putting a defender of the Affordable Care Act in a leading role to oversee his administration ’ s coronavirus response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infectious disease expert , Dr. Rochelle Walensky , to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
And he announced a new advisory role for Dr. Anthony Fauci , the government ’ s top infectious disease expert .
If confirmed by the Senate , Becerra , will be the first Latino to head the Department of Health and Human Services , a $ 1 trillion-plus agency with 80,000 employees and a portfolio that includes drugs and vaccines , leading-edge medical research and health insurance programs covering more than 130 million Americans .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said that in Congress he helped pass the Affordable Care Act and as California ’ s attorney general he has defended it .
“ As Secretary of Health and Human Services , I will build on our progress and ensure every American has access to quality , affordable health care — through this pandemic and beyond , ” he tweeted on Monday .
8:25 a.m. Illinois driver facilities to stay closed through early January Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White announced Friday that driver services facilities will stay closed until Jan. 5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to rage across the state .
White initially planned to reopen the facilities Monday but decided the current conditions have made it too dangerous , as thousands of Illinois residents continue to test positive for COVID-19 each day .
“ Unfortunately , face-to-face transactions potentially increase the further spread of the virus , and protecting the health and safety of our residents is my top priority , ” White said in a statement .
The deadline for renewing expiring driver ’ s licenses and IDs has already been extended to June 1 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also be facilitated online , at www.cyberdriveillinois.com .
Read the full report here for more .
• The coronavirus has killed an additional 76 people in Illinois and infected another 7,598 , state health officials announced Sunday .
• Bulls guard Garrett Temple is in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 .
11:45 a.m. Reopening Chicago ’ s schools during the peak of the pandemic is a dangerous folly Chicago ’ s public schools are planning an especially ill-timed and ill-conceived partial reopening this January , right in the midst of what every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most horrendous three-month surge of COVID-19 infections , hospitalizations and fatalities of the entire pandemic .
The disease is raging out of control throughout Illinois and the nation , but we have yet to feel the full impact of the Thanksgiving surge when millions of Americans ignored good advice and took to the air to join family gatherings .
And this will soon be followed by the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/New Year ’ s surge .
Though a vaccine will be available early in the new year , it will not be administered to enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the earliest .
The planned reopening of Chicago ’ s schools will be voluntary on the part of parents — the majority of whom are unlikely to participate , according to surveys .
They will opt for remote classes for their children during what also will be the peak of Chicago ’ s ferocious winter .
Read the full commentary from Don Rose here .
8:16 a.m .
LETTERS : State prisoners should be among those who get pandemic vaccine quickly Letter submitted by Ted Pearson , Co-Chairperson , Emeritus - Chicago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I agree that hospital and other health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities should get priority for receiving the new COVID-19 vaccine .
But let us not forget the 40,000 people crammed into Illinois prisons and the prison staff , plus the thousands more in county jails all over the state .
Illinois has abolished the death penalty but these men and women are facing death from this pandemic ; it is raging through facilities where social distancing is not a choice they can make , and where testing , masking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ available .
This is not only a moral and human rights crisis .
It ’ s a public health crisis .
Prison staff go home every day carrying whatever they have contracted inside .
Prisoners are released at the end of their sentences every day and are cast out into a world that is hostile to them , often with little or no available health care or social services .
Employment , housing and medical care are not assured and some become homeless .
From both a public health and a humanitarian perspective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the top of the list of those to receive the new vaccines .
Read the full edition of Letters to the Editor here .

Illinois health officials reported 8,691 new and probable cases of the coronavirus Monday, as well as 90 additional deaths.
Here’s what else happened today in coronavirus-related news.
News
8:55 p.m. Ald. Tom Tunney served restaurant customers indoors, defying state and city orders
Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) speaks during a press conference about supporting restaurants amid a rise in COVID-19 cases in Chicago at City Hall Thursday afternoon, Nov. 5, 2020. Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) acknowledged Monday he “made a mistake” by allowing some of his regular customers to dine inside his Ann Sather Restaurants in defiance of state and city orders banning indoor dining.
In late October, Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered Illinois restaurants to close their dining rooms for a second time since the pandemic to stop a second surge of coronavirus cases that was worse than the first.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot initially voiced her concern about the devastating impact on Chicago restaurants, then came away from an hourlong meeting with the governor resigned to the rollback.
On Monday, “Second City Cop,” a blog devoted to police issues, disclosed that Tunney has been thumbing his nose at the governor’s order.
The item referred to Tunney’s restaurants as “Stan Rather’s” and included photographs of plates of food on indoor tables. On one table, there was a copy of the Dec. 3 Wall Street Journal along with a slice of bacon in the corner of the photo.
On Monday, Tunney openly acknowledged having defied the governor’s order.
Read the full story here.
5:50 p.m. With holidays looming, Pritzker says Illinois has ‘a long way to go to move away from ... the danger zone’ of COVID-19
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday the bulk of Thanksgiving-related hospitalizations for the coronavirus likely still lie ahead — as he warned that hospitals have “limited leeway” to handle another surge as the state moves into the winter holiday season.
Pritzker said the two seven-day average positivity rates that public health officials watch have remained around 10% and 12%, and while officials haven’t seen positivity rates start to creep back up — which is a good sign — those metrics also haven’t fallen substantially — which is not a good sign.
The governor said that may be because of mitigations he put in place last month, but “we won’t know that for sure for at least two more weeks.”
“Our COVID-19 hospitalization total statewide is still 14% higher than our spring peak,” Pritzker said, explaining that the ability of the state’s hospitals to handle another surge is “tighter than it was last spring.
“It’s likely too early for us to have yet seen the bulk of Thanksgiving-related hospitalizations, yet,” Pritzker said. “These next four weeks may be the most crucial month of this entire pandemic. We quite literally have very limited leeway in our hospital systems to manage another surge. So mask up, keep your distance and plan smaller, more intimate holidays this year.”
Read the full story here.
5:03 p.m. Nearly half a million in state will lose unemployment benefits without new federal aid package
April Ibanez didn’t expect to be out of work for long when she was furloughed from her Downtown restaurant job at the start of the pandemic.
The single mother thought it would be temporary, just until the curve was flattened, and she would be back serving people with her gracious smile. Then the call came: She’d been laid off.
Like many, she filed for unemployment. That also would be temporary, she thought. She’d find work.
Eight months later, she still hasn’t.
Now, she is at risk of losing the $260 biweekly unemployment check she has depended on to help with rent, groceries and other essentials for herself and her 3-year-old daughter, Ruby.
That money runs out the day after Christmas.
She isn’t alone. According to the Illinois Department of Employment Security, over 447,000 Illinoisans will lose unemployment benefits the day after Christmas if a new federal stimulus package with safeguards for the unemployed isn’t passed by then. An additional 40,000 workers will likely exhaust their aid by the end of January.
Read the full story from Manny Ramos here.
4 p.m. Head of LaSalle Veterans Home out after COVID-19 outbreak
The administrator of a downstate veterans home where 32 veterans have died of the coronavirus was fired Monday, following investigations into the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the state-run home.
Angela Mehlbrech, the administrator of the LaSalle Veterans Home, was fired after the release of two reports that detailed problems in the home, including ineffective hand sanitizer, employees showing up for work after testing positive for the coronavirus and inadequate “hand hygiene” practiced by employees. News of her firing was first reported by WBEZ.
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs said in a statement the personnel change follows the announcement of an independent investigation into the outbreak at the home led by the Acting Inspector General of the Illinois Department of Human Services.
Acting Assistant Director Anthony Vaughn will serve as the interim Administrator as the department searches for a permanent replacement.
Read the full story here.
2:35 p.m. CTU files challenge to delay CPS reopening next month
The Chicago Teachers Union is making its second legal attempt in as many months to put Chicago Public Schools’ reopening plans on hold, accusing the district of illegally refusing to negotiate health and safety conditions before ordering teachers back into classrooms.
The union returned to the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board with the new charge Monday, less than a month before teachers are expected to start returning to schools for the first time during the pandemic.
The CTU is seeking an injunction that would force the district to negotiate in good faith and reach agreements with the union on several issues before schools reopen, which the union says CPS has not done.
Following that process could delay the anticipated Jan. 4 return for preschool and special education cluster program teachers and staff and could afford the union a closer look at the district’s health protocols during a deadly pandemic before sending its members back to schools.
Read the full story here.
12:40 p.m. State reports 8,691 new COVID-19 cases, 90 deaths Monday
Illinois health officials reported 8,691 new and probable cases of the coronavirus Monday, as well as 90 additional deaths.
Those new cases come from a batch of 77,569 tests done in the past 24 hours. Sixty-three of the deaths reported Monday were recorded in Cook County, including 13 deaths of men in their 80s.
As of Sunday night, 5,190 people were hospitalized statewide with the virus. Of that number, 1,123 patients were in intensive care units and 648 patients were on ventilators.
The state reported 7,598 new cases of the virus and 76 deaths Sunday, breaking a five-day streak of triple-digit daily death tolls.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said last week the state is still “in a precarious place” and none of the state’s 11 regions will be removed from the stricter coronavirus mitigations he put in place last month as officials evaluate any potential Thanksgiving effect on the state’s caseload.
Read the full story here.
11:40 a.m. Canada to get vaccine by end of year
TORONTO — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday Canada will get up to 249,000 doses of the vaccine developed by American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech before the end of December.
The vaccine is expected be approved by Health Canada as soon as Thursday.
Trudeau had come under criticism from opposition parties for saying Canadians won’t be among the first to get a vaccine against COVID-19 because the first doses will likely go to citizens of the countries they are made in. Canada doesn’t have mass vaccine-production facilities.
Read the full story here.
11:21 a.m. Food insecurity on rise as many Americans turn to food banks for 1st time
The deadly pandemic that tore through the nation’s heartland struck just as Aaron Crawford was in a moment of crisis. He was looking for work, his wife needed surgery, then the virus began eating away at her work hours and her paycheck.
The Crawfords had no savings, mounting bills and a growing dread: What if they ran out of food? The couple had two boys, 5 and 10, and boxes of macaroni and cheese from the dollar store could go only so far.
A 37-year-old Navy vet, Crawford saw himself as self-reliant. Asking for food made him uncomfortable. “I felt like I was a failure,” he says. “It’s this whole stigma ... this mindset that you’re this guy who can’t provide for his family, that you’re a deadbeat.”
Hunger is a harsh reality in the richest country in the world. Even during times of prosperity, schools hand out millions of hot meals a day to children, and desperate elderly Americans are sometimes forced to choose between medicine and food.
Read the full story here.
11:10 a.m. DePaul cancels 4th straight basketball game due to COVID-19
The start of the DePaul men’s basketball season hit another snag Sunday as the school canceled its matchup against Iowa State under COVID-19 protocols. It’s the fourth consecutive game that the school has called off after members of the program tested positive for the virus last month.
The Blue Demons’ season was supposed to start Nov. 25 against Chicago State, but school officials canceled that game as well as two others – Nov. 28 vs. Alcorn State and Dec. 3 vs. Northern Illinois – after multiple tests from members of the program came back positive in mid-November.
Read the full report here.
10 a.m. ‘Obamacare’ defender tapped to lead coronavirus response in Biden administration
President-elect Joe Biden has picked California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be his health secretary, putting a defender of the Affordable Care Act in a leading role to oversee his administration’s coronavirus response.
Separately, Biden picked a Harvard infectious disease expert, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And he announced a new advisory role for Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert.
If confirmed by the Senate, Becerra, will be the first Latino to head the Department of Health and Human Services, a $1 trillion-plus agency with 80,000 employees and a portfolio that includes drugs and vaccines, leading-edge medical research and health insurance programs covering more than 130 million Americans.
Becerra, a former senior House Democrat, said that in Congress he helped pass the Affordable Care Act and as California’s attorney general he has defended it. “As Secretary of Health and Human Services, I will build on our progress and ensure every American has access to quality, affordable health care — through this pandemic and beyond,” he tweeted on Monday.
Read the full report here.
8:25 a.m. Illinois driver facilities to stay closed through early January
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White announced Friday that driver services facilities will stay closed until Jan. 5, 2021, as the coronavirus continues to rage across the state.
White initially planned to reopen the facilities Monday but decided the current conditions have made it too dangerous, as thousands of Illinois residents continue to test positive for COVID-19 each day.
“Unfortunately, face-to-face transactions potentially increase the further spread of the virus, and protecting the health and safety of our residents is my top priority,” White said in a statement.
The deadline for renewing expiring driver’s licenses and IDs has already been extended to June 1, 2021. Those services and others can also be facilitated online, at www.cyberdriveillinois.com.
Read the full report here for more.
New Cases
Analysis & Commentary
11:45 a.m. Reopening Chicago’s schools during the peak of the pandemic is a dangerous folly
Chicago’s public schools are planning an especially ill-timed and ill-conceived partial reopening this January, right in the midst of what every expert forecasts will be the peak of the most horrendous three-month surge of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and fatalities of the entire pandemic.
The disease is raging out of control throughout Illinois and the nation, but we have yet to feel the full impact of the Thanksgiving surge when millions of Americans ignored good advice and took to the air to join family gatherings.
And this will soon be followed by the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/New Year’s surge.
Though a vaccine will be available early in the new year, it will not be administered to enough people to make a difference until spring at the earliest.
The planned reopening of Chicago’s schools will be voluntary on the part of parents — the majority of whom are unlikely to participate, according to surveys. They will opt for remote classes for their children during what also will be the peak of Chicago’s ferocious winter.
Read the full commentary from Don Rose here.
8:16 a.m. LETTERS: State prisoners should be among those who get pandemic vaccine quickly
Letter submitted by Ted Pearson, Co-Chairperson, Emeritus - Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression:
I agree that hospital and other health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities should get priority for receiving the new COVID-19 vaccine. But let us not forget the 40,000 people crammed into Illinois prisons and the prison staff, plus the thousands more in county jails all over the state.
Illinois has abolished the death penalty but these men and women are facing death from this pandemic; it is raging through facilities where social distancing is not a choice they can make, and where testing, masking, and cleaning supplies are not readily available.
This is not only a moral and human rights crisis. It’s a public health crisis. Prison staff go home every day carrying whatever they have contracted inside. Prisoners are released at the end of their sentences every day and are cast out into a world that is hostile to them, often with little or no available health care or social services. Employment, housing and medical care are not assured and some become homeless.
From both a public health and a humanitarian perspective, prisons and prisoners should be near the top of the list of those to receive the new vaccines.
Read the full edition of Letters to the Editor here.


chicagosun-times--2020-12-08--Dear Abby: ‘Soul mate’ left after I caught him lying, but I want him back

DEAR ABBY : I made a friend on Facebook .
“ Drew ” and I texted through Messenger , and I went to ride four-wheelers with him one day .
We hit it off great .
We started dating , and he moved in with me for a few months .
In the beginning , Drew didn ’ t mention he was working only part time .
After he told me he had been moved to part time , I told him he needed to tell his boss he needed full time or a different job .
I wrote a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and his boss texted me back saying Drew can work as much as he wants !
He also said Drew hasn ’ t worked full time since he started working there .
Well , Drew got mad at me and left .
I still love him .
I thought he was my soul mate .
Should I keep wishing we could get back together ?
— FEELING LIFELESS DEAR FEELING LIFELESS : No !
In a sense , you were taken for a ride , and I ’ m not talking about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be someone who is completely honest and , preferably , fully employed .
Drew is neither .
DEAR ABBY : Because my husband and I work , I take our 6-month-old to a sitter several times a week .
I understand little ones tend to be mean sometimes — hitting , biting and pushing — but in this case , it ’ s a little different .
My sitter cares for her 3-year-old granddaughter as well as her clients ’ children , and her granddaughter pushes the littler ones .
I have seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have never observed any of the other children do it , only the granddaughter .
I wouldn ’ t be so worried if my daughter were 2 and could defend herself , but she ’ s only 6 months old .
She is crawling , sitting up and standing already , and I ’ m gravely worried the girl will harm my infant .
I don ’ t want my baby ending up with a head injury .
What can I do to try to resolve this ?
— DEEPLY CONCERNED IN THE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sitter about your concerns .
Ask if it is possible to keep the older girl separate from the younger ones , however , the only way to be absolutely certain your little one is safe would be to change babysitters .
DEAR ABBY : I have been remarried for four years to a wonderful man who treats me like a queen .
However , he and my 18-year-old daughter dislike each other , which causes a huge amount of stress and conflict .
They fight , and I ’ m stuck in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know what I can do to resolve this problem .
I love them both with all my heart !
— DESPERATE FOR PEACE DEAR DESPERATE : I wish you had mentioned why your husband dislikes your daughter and vice versa .
Is he overbearing and trying to parent her ?
That is YOUR job , not his .
Your daughter is no longer 14 .
At 18 , she is now considered to be an adult , and because the “ combatants ” are both adults , they should act like it , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disagreements into open warfare .
Your mistake has been allowing yourself to be placed in the middle .
A better solution would be to get family counseling if your daughter plans to continue to live with you .
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 .
What teens need to know about sex , drugs , AIDS and getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ What Every Teen Should Know.
” Send your name and mailing address , plus check or money order for $ 8 ( U.S. funds ) , to : Dear Abby , Teen Booklet , P.O .
Box 447 , Mount Morris , IL 61054-0447 .
( Shipping and handling are included in the price . )

DEAR ABBY: I made a friend on Facebook. “Drew” and I texted through Messenger, and I went to ride four-wheelers with him one day. We hit it off great. We started dating, and he moved in with me for a few months.
In the beginning, Drew didn’t mention he was working only part time. After he told me he had been moved to part time, I told him he needed to tell his boss he needed full time or a different job. I wrote a comment to that effect on their page, and his boss texted me back saying Drew can work as much as he wants! He also said Drew hasn’t worked full time since he started working there.
Well, Drew got mad at me and left. I still love him. I thought he was my soul mate. Should I keep wishing we could get back together? — FEELING LIFELESS
DEAR FEELING LIFELESS: No! In a sense, you were taken for a ride, and I’m not talking about four-wheelers. Your next soul mate should be someone who is completely honest and, preferably, fully employed. Drew is neither.
DEAR ABBY: Because my husband and I work, I take our 6-month-old to a sitter several times a week. I understand little ones tend to be mean sometimes — hitting, biting and pushing — but in this case, it’s a little different.
My sitter cares for her 3-year-old granddaughter as well as her clients’ children, and her granddaughter pushes the littler ones. I have seen her push a 1-year-old down. I have never observed any of the other children do it, only the granddaughter.
I wouldn’t be so worried if my daughter were 2 and could defend herself, but she’s only 6 months old. She is crawling, sitting up and standing already, and I’m gravely worried the girl will harm my infant. I don’t want my baby ending up with a head injury. What can I do to try to resolve this? — DEEPLY CONCERNED IN THE SOUTH
DEAR DEEPLY CONCERNED: Talk to the sitter about your concerns. Ask if it is possible to keep the older girl separate from the younger ones, however, the only way to be absolutely certain your little one is safe would be to change babysitters.
DEAR ABBY: I have been remarried for four years to a wonderful man who treats me like a queen. However, he and my 18-year-old daughter dislike each other, which causes a huge amount of stress and conflict. They fight, and I’m stuck in the middle. I don’t know what I can do to resolve this problem. I love them both with all my heart! — DESPERATE FOR PEACE
DEAR DESPERATE: I wish you had mentioned why your husband dislikes your daughter and vice versa. Is he overbearing and trying to parent her? That is YOUR job, not his.
Your daughter is no longer 14. At 18, she is now considered to be an adult, and because the “combatants” are both adults, they should act like it, be civil and refrain from turning their disagreements into open warfare. Your mistake has been allowing yourself to be placed in the middle. A better solution would be to get family counseling if your daughter plans to continue to live with you.
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.
What teens need to know about sex, drugs, AIDS and getting along with peers and parents is in “What Every Teen Should Know.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds), to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)