chicagosun-times--2020-04-15--Illinois official suggests school closures could extend through the end of the academic year, report

Illinois official suggests school closures could extend through the end of the academic year, report says

An Illinois official suggested Wednesday that schools could remain closed through the end of the school year , a decision that could leave 2.2 million students and their teachers continuing remote learning for the next month or two .
Illinois Deputy Gov .
Jesse Ruiz said in a press call that the suspension of in-person instruction for all schools , which began March 17 , could be extended through the end of the school year , the Daily Herald reported .
Ruiz , talking about the state ’ s applications for federal waivers from testing , said “ it became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extend beyond the initial two-week announcement and most likely again through the end of the school year.
” He said an announcement is expected by the end of the week , according to the Daily Herald .
Ruiz made his comments on the same call the College Board said it was canceling the SAT college entrance exam on June 6 .
Illinois schools have been closed since March 17 , with the initial two-week closure later extended to April 30 .
While the Chicago Public Schools academic year isn ’ t scheduled to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ districts finish classes weeks before that .
In Chicago , a remote learning plan went into effect Monday for all 355,000 students .
The district is in the process of distributing 100,000 laptops and tablet computers to students .

An Illinois official suggested Wednesday that schools could remain closed through the end of the school year, a decision that could leave 2.2 million students and their teachers continuing remote learning for the next month or two.
Illinois Deputy Gov. Jesse Ruiz said in a press call that the suspension of in-person instruction for all schools, which began March 17, could be extended through the end of the school year, the Daily Herald reported.
Ruiz, talking about the state’s applications for federal waivers from testing, said “it became clear that suspension of in-person instruction would extend beyond the initial two-week announcement and most likely again through the end of the school year.”
He said an announcement is expected by the end of the week, according to the Daily Herald.
Ruiz made his comments on the same call the College Board said it was canceling the SAT college entrance exam on June 6.
Illinois schools have been closed since March 17, with the initial two-week closure later extended to April 30. While the Chicago Public Schools academic year isn’t scheduled to end until June 18, many suburban districts finish classes weeks before that.
In Chicago, a remote learning plan went into effect Monday for all 355,000 students. The district is in the process of distributing 100,000 laptops and tablet computers to students.


chicagosun-times--2020-04-15--U. of I. expects $158M loss — at least — as state’s public universities ask for more federal aid (LI

U. of I. expects $158M loss — at least — as state’s public universities ask for more federal aid (LIVE UPDATES)

U. of I. expects $ 158M loss — at least — as state ’ s public universities ask for more federal aid The University of Illinois System expects to lose an estimated $ 158 million by June due to the coronavirus , as leaders from other public state universities also reported millions of dollars in losses this semester .
Last week , the system ’ s president , Timothy Killeen , joined the presidents of eight other public state universities in a letter to state ’ s congressional delegation to ask the federal government for additional help , saying the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 224 million loss this spring .
But costs have already mounted since then , and U. of I.
’ s share of that total has already gone up , Paul Weinberger , the director of federal relations for the system , said this week .
5:29 p.m. Metra may lose over $ 500 million — and 97 % of riders — due to coronavirus Metra is expecting significant loss in vital revenue streams due to the coronavirus pandemic impinging on the lives of its traditional riders .
Tom Farmer , CFO of Metra @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 536 million in revenue this year and through 2021 .
He warns the figures presented were preliminary ; it could be less or far more .
“ To deal with this we need to understand what the ‘ new normal ’ is , ” Farmer said .
“ We need to actively innovate to meet the changing public needs.
” Metra has seen a significant drop in passengers as many now work remotely or have lost jobs during the statewide stay-at-home order .
Ridership on the commuter rail line dropped by more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order was issued .
On March 31 , only 7,000 passengers used Metra ; on the same day in 2019 , ridership was 286,000 .
It projects to lose 97 % of riders in both April and May .
That impact is expected to be only slightly less in June , when a 90 % drop in riders is projected .
4:51 p.m. Coronavirus surfaces for first time among Chicago ’ s federal jail inmates For weeks , as the coronavirus spread through the Cook County jail and state prisons , Chicago ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no cases of the virus among its detainees .
Six inmates in Chicago ’ s Metropolitan Correctional Center have now tested positive for the coronavirus , according to John Murphy , executive director of the Federal Defender Program in the Northern District of Illinois .
That ’ s a sharp uptick from Tuesday , when the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed one inmate had tested positive for the first time .
It could also lead to renewed scrutiny about who is held there .
Before the first positive test , Chicago ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ release inmates for fear of the virus alone .
But Wednesday afternoon , defense attorneys began making new bids for release on behalf of individual clients , citing the new number .
4:33 p.m. Lightfoot worried about ‘ new wave of mortgage foreclosures ’ due to coronavirus Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday she ’ s “ very worried about a new wave of of mortgage foreclosures ” stemming from the economic pain caused by the coronavirus and the next federal stimulus program needs to prevent it .
The last wave of mortgage foreclosures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet another blow to South and West Side neighborhoods already suffering from decades of disinvestment and struggling to control gang violence .
This time , the culprit could be the statewide stay-at-home order forcing all but the most essential businesses to close their doors and lay off workers .
“ The affordability of housing , paying rent , making mortgages … I ’ m very worried about a new wave of mortgage foreclosures that might be at our doorstep as a result of this issue , ” the mayor said .
More than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assistance grants , quickly gobbling up the $ 2 million Lightfoot had set aside .
A second member of the Chicago Fire Department has died from the coronavirus , the department announced Wednesday .
Firefighter Edward Singleton , 55 , died Tuesday night from complications of the virus , CFD spokesman Larry Langford said in a statement posted to Twitter .
“ It is my sad duty to announce another member of the CFD has died from complications of COVID-19 , ” Langford said .
Singleton worked at the firehouse at Midway Airport @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two adult children , Langford said .
He joined the department in 1987 .
3:44 p.m. Chicago small businesses grasping for federal help ‘ can ’ t wait another week ’ Photographer Chris Costoso had just signed the lease to expand his business when Gov .
J.B. Pritzker issued his first stay-at-home order in early March .
Costoso initially saw the statewide shutdown of nonessential businesses as a chance to regroup after two busy years that included several destination weddings as well as being Bill Daley ’ s personal photographer in his failed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ big weddings were canceled in the first week of the stay-home order , which for now runs through the end of April .
So , like many small businesses in Chicago , Costoso was left hoping for a little help from the federal government .
“ All of our income stopped , and if I don ’ t have some kind of support soon I will have to turn in the key to the new storefront , ” said Costoso .
“ If this extends past April 30 , we will have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rebuild.
” 2:36 p.m. 80 more deaths , 1,346 new cases , as Gov .
Pritzker outlines state ’ s coronavirus budget mess Illinois health officials on Wednesday said another 80 people have died from the coronavirus , with 1,346 new cases reported — but Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s administration says both the new hospitalization and death rate remain flat .
Pritzker for days has said Illinois is indeed “ bending the curve.
” But he ’ s warned repeatedly that residents must continue to stay home in order for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abiding by executive orders that mandate school closures and the stay-at-home order until April 30 , but many are expecting an extension .
With the additional 80 deaths reported on Wednesday , Illinois has now lost 948 people to the coronavirus .
With 1,346 new positive cases , the state has now seen 24,593 total cases .
1:28 p.m .
Cell phone data from ‘ hundreds of thousands ’ of devices show Chicagoans are mostly staying home , city says City Hall released new data related to the coronavirus Wednesday , including numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Illinois ’ stay-at-home order based on “ anonymous ” data from potentially hundreds of thousands of mobile devices .
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady told reporters Wednesday that the information was provided by the risk software company BlueDot through the data collection company SafeGraph .
They characterized it as “ anonymous ” data gathered from users of mobile device applications who agreed to let certain applications track their locations .
Arwady said potentially “ hundreds of thousands ” of mobile devices were tracked as part of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those phones every half-hour , she explained .
The study assumed the device ’ s most common location between midnight and 9 a.m. was its “ home.
” From there , the median weekly proportion of device check-ins within 200 meters of the home went from 59 percent in late February to roughly 70 percent when the stay-at-home order went into effect .
The number grew to as high as 79.2 percent in early April .
Those numbers were higher on the North Side , where the percent of check-ins at home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 90 % .
Elsewhere in the city , the numbers tended to range from 70 % to 80 % .
Click here to read the full story from Jon Seidel and Caroline Hurley .
1:06 p.m. 2nd Chicago firefighter dies of COVID-19 ; nearly 100 CFD employees have tested positive A second member of the Chicago Fire Department has died from the coronavirus , the department announced Wednesday .
Firefighter Edward Singleton , 55 , died Tuesday night from complications of the virus , CFD spokesman Larry Langford said in a statement posted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ firehouse at Midway Airport , and leaves behind a wife and two adult children , Langford said .
He joined the department in 1987 .
In a statement , CFD Commissioner Richard C. Ford II said , “ We don ’ t need to lose another CFD member to understand the gravity of the circumstances that first responders are currently operating under .
As of Tuesday , 94 employees in CFD had tested positive for COVID-19 .
Of those , 18 members have already returned to duty , while another 18 are quarantined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Click here to read the full story .
Several Cook County court proceedings started livestreaming on YouTube Wednesday in an effort to limit person-to-person contact during the coronavirus pandemic .
“ The goal is to limit the number of individuals in Circuit Court of Cook County courtrooms during this time , ” Pat Milhizer , a spokesman for Chief Judge Timothy Evans , said in a statement .
So far , 16 employees of the chief judge ’ s office have tested positive for COVID-19 .
As of Wednesday , courtrooms with livestreams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were bail reviews in courtrooms 101 and 506 at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse .
The proceedings are being held on the videoconferencing application Zoom , and then streamed to the public on YouTube .
For more information , read the full story from David Struett here .
As the U.S. grapples with personal protective equipment shortages amid the coronavirus pandemic , one local business is making an effort to make sure face shields get into the hands of those who need them most .
WavePads Water Rafts in Plainfield switched its manufacturing plans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for healthcare workers and first responders who are on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic .
WavePads has been producing face shields for nearly three weeks and has distributed roughly 10,000 units — free of charge — to hospitals , fire stations and police departments in at least seven states .
“ We wanted to give back , ” said WavePads owner Matt Yassinger , who estimated his company can produce roughly 500 shields per day .
“ I ’ m happy that I ’ m able to do something .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyways just because everyone ’ s already frantic as it is.
” WavePads ordered vinyl sheets for the shields and is using the foam from its rafts as the padding .
It costs “ only a few dollars ” to make one face shield , said Yassinger , who is paying for the production and shipping out of his own pocket .
“ I see what these competitors are charging , ” Yassinger said .
“ They ’ re actually charging for them and they ’ re doing minimums of [ orders ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but they want somebody to buy 1,000 of them so that ’ s like $ 4,000-something for face shields and this applies to anyone that ’ s purchasing , they ’ re not doing any discounts or anything to help .
” At this point , everybody needs to help each other and not take things for granted.
” Yassinger said he ’ s had several people reach out about donating money to help , so he set up a GoFundMe , which has raised nearly $ 3,000 since March 27 .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true hero because I ’ m making these shields , ” Yassinger said .
“ But the true heroes that are out there are the first responders and the doctors and nurses , the people who are working in the grocery stories.
” Advocate Aurora Health discharged its 1,000th COVID-19 patient this week , a landmark that health care workers at the hospital system are celebrating by spotlighting the many individual victories behind that figure .
At Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Lake View , Carmen Benabe , 86 , was released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being admitted to the emergency room with a COVID-19 diagnosis , according to a release from the hospital system .
Benabe ’ s daughter , Dalia Colon , said the family is thankful in a statement , and that her mom is looking forward to enjoying home-cooked Puerto Rican meals again soon .
At Advocate Trinity Hospital on the South Side , Paul Richards , 69 , a retired Chicago firefighter and a Vietnam veteran , headed home amid a standing ovation , passing handmade posters that read “ # GOINGHOME ” after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for COVID-19 symptoms .
“ It was like being in Vietnam , ” Richards said in a release from the hospital .
“ Everyone responded with no hesitation .
Everyone stepped up to do what they had to do and put their lives on the line to care for me.
” Dr. Gary Stuck , chief medical officer of Advocate Aurora Health , said he was “ grateful for [ the ] service and sacrifice ” of doctors and nurses at the hospital system , emphasized that there ’ s more work to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Chicagoans .
According to the latest figures from the state , Illinois has now seen 868 deaths and 23,247 coronavirus cases .
“ The public must continue to do their part by practicing social distancing and staying home as much as possible , ” Stuck said in a release .
“ There will be more milestones to come , both happy and tragic .
And our actions now will determine how much celebrating or grieving we do later .
We ’ re all in this together.
” 11:35 a.m. Abbott launches COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Wednesday it is launching a third COVID-19 test , this time focusing on antibodies the company said could support the development of treatments and vaccines .
The lab-based blood test detects the IgG antibody , which could identify if a person previously had the COVID-19 virus , the North Chicago-based company said in a statement .
Antibody testing of someone who has been previously infected could provide more understanding of the virus , including how long antibodies stay in the body and if they provide immunity , officials said .
Read the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
9:58 a.m. China didn ’ t warn public of likely pandemic for 6 key days In the six days after top Chinese officials secretly determined they likely were facing a pandemic from a new coronavirus , the city of Wuhan at the epicenter of the disease hosted a mass banquet for tens of thousands of people ; millions began traveling through for Lunar New Year celebrations .
President Xi Jinping warned the public on the seventh day , Jan. 20 .
But by that time , more than 3,000 people had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ silence , according to internal documents obtained by The Associated Press and expert estimates based on retrospective infection data .
That delay from Jan. 14 to Jan. 20 was neither the first mistake made by Chinese officials at all levels in confronting the outbreak , nor the longest lag , as governments around the world have dragged their feet for weeks and even months in addressing the virus .
But the delay by the first country to face the new coronavirus came at a critical time — the beginning of the outbreak .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
8:26 a.m. People staying home or nearby discover the wild wonder of what is outside With people sequestered at home , and perhaps looking out their windows more , Dale Bowman reports that he ’ s seen more animal stories come in the last three weeks with the stay-at-home edict than in the last half year .
Photos and stories of red foxes , pelicans , an early hummingbird and more are today ’ s report .
6:56 a.m. State coronavirus budget includes two secret chartered flights from Shanghai Gov .
J.B. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ masks and gloves from China and bring those supplies back to Illinois on charter jets — but he ’ s keeping the details secret out of fear the Trump administration might seize the cargo for the federal stockpile , sources said Tuesday .
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza announced Tuesday that the state has spent more than $ 174 million on purchases related to COVID-19 , including supplies such as ventilators , masks , gloves , gowns , protective eyewear and hand sanitizer .
But one of the items on the list of expenditures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for $ 888,275 , to FedEx Trade Networks Transport for “ aircraft charter flight to Shanghai , China for COVID-19 response .
... Prepayment required.
” Jordan Abudayyeh , the press secretary for Pritzker , wouldn ’ t provide details about the flights , including when they will happen , how many there will be and what the routes are .
6:18 a.m .
Nursing home workers claim they were fired over demands for more PPE Three nursing home workers accused three Chicago-area facilities Tuesday afternoon for wrongfully firing or suspending them after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , president of SEIU Healthcare Illinois , said these were just a few instances during the COVID-19 pandemic where union members ’ concerns were being disregarded by nursing home owners .
Kelley said workers at Bridgeview Health Care Center , Alden Lakeland and Berkeley Nursing & Rehab Center brought their concerns to management but were “ disrespected , insulted and have in fact been fired ” for raising issues with their employers .
“ These employers seem to care more about maintaining their profits than the safety of those who live and work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Read the full story by Manny Ramos here .
• A second member of the Chicago Fire Department has died from the coronavirus , the department announced Wednesday .
Firefighter Edward Singleton , 55 , died Tuesday night from complications of the virus .
• A CTA bus driver with COVID-19 has died , the transit agency announced Tuesday , becoming the second CTA employee to die of the coronavirus .
• Two more employees at the Cook County Circuit Court clerk ’ s office have tested positive for COVID-19 , bringing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At least 19 children and two employees at a Chicago shelter for immigrant youth have tested positive for COVID-19 since Friday .
5:48 p.m .
When farmers plow under crops in a nation of bounty , the tragedy of COVID-19 becomes all the more vivid When , during this pandemic , we see dairy farmers dump milk into ditches and when we see vegetable farmers plow their crops back into the soil , it is tragically obvious that major agricultural markets have dried up .
It is an indication , as well , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenge in getting food to where it is needed most — one that the federal government needs to tackle immediately .
Chicago knows a lot about food .
At our height in the last century , we shipped more than 80 % of the nation ’ s meat supply from processing plants at the city ’ s stockyards .
To this day , Illinois remains a key agricultural state that exports food globally .
But the systems needed to efficiently move food to market , especially perishables , take years to develop .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the coronavirus pandemic , especially at a time when some of their own workers have fallen ill or are afraid to come to work .
Read the full editorial from the Chicago Sun-Times editorial board .
5:10 p.m. Donald Trump is the virus : His coronavirus response confirms how toxic he is for our nation We ’ ve put up with a lot as a nation over the years .
But whatever your political party , the latest antics from President Trump , during a global pandemic which has killed more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We need out of this mess for good .
Our threshold for the absolutely absurd and the inarguably indefensible has been fairly high , considering just how far Trump has pushed the boundaries of decency and incompetence .
Since the day he was elected , there has been a near constant-barrage of collateral damage — all the stuff that came with him when a mere 27 % of the eligible voting population ushered him into office .
10:37 a.m. Plague catches up with artist in Chicago Doménikos Theotokópoulos was lucky when it came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Venice in 1575 , the year the Black Death killed a third of the residents of that crowded maritime port .
He was on his way from Rome , where he had studied under the great painter Titian — who himself would soon after die of plague — to Spain , where he would establish his own enduring fame as El Greco , “ The Greek.
” But his luck with plagues ran out recently , as a major show of his work , “ El Greco : Ambition and Defiance , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March 7 , only to go dark six days later when the museum closed to slow the spread of COVID-19 .
I was fortunate to see the show during the brief span it was open , admiring how it reunited scattered works that had not been in the same room for centuries .
I couldn ’ t help but feel sympathy for the show ’ s curators , and wonder : what is it like to dedicate years of your life to such a project only to have it displayed to empty galleries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t reopen America alone , but neither can governors Imagine , if you will , that President Trump announces in two or three weeks that it ’ s time for life to get back to normal in the United States .
Go ahead , folks !
Go to church again , reopen your restaurant , get back to work at the factory , visit Grandma in the nursing home .
Imagine , too , that Gov .
J.B. Pritzker — or another governor — says “ hell no ” to all that .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ people !
Keep hunkering down at home .
Now ’ s no time to let up on social distancing .
The coronavirus is on the run but not beaten .
To whom would you listen ?
The president or the governor ?
Millions of Americans no doubt would take their cue from Trump while others would stick with their state ’ s governor — and the result could be chaos .
Continued efforts to thwart the spread of the virus might be undermined as some people return to their normal lives , even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a conflict-loaded limbo , part open and part closed .

Illinois health officials on Wednesday said another 80 people have died from the coronavirus, with 1,346 new cases reported — but Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration says both the new hospitalization and death rate remain flat.
Here’s what else happened in Chicago and around Illinois as the battle against the coronavirus pandemic continued.
News
8:57 p.m. As coronavirus cases rise, public health experts race to reach Latinos
A woman wearing a protective mask walks past a closed children’s clothing store in the Hispanic, Little Village in Chicago, Wednesday, April 15, 2020. The first U.S. economic indicators to capture the devastation brought on by the pandemic have begun to arrive, showing a plunge in retail sales exceeding what happened during the economic crisis a decade ago. AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast
Dr. Marina Del Rios has lost count of how many coronavirus myths she’s had to dispel on social media.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to correct my own family on rumors flying around the internet about how if you do gargles with vinegar or lemon juice and baking soda, that somehow that’s going to protect your throat from the entry of the virus,” she said.
So when a Puerto Rican community group asked her to make a bilingual video about the virus, Del Rios, a professor of clinical emergency medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago, quickly said yes — but hit a wall when looking for sources on COVID-19 in Spanish.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “had plenty of information in English,” Del Rios said, “but when you look at the Spanish version of the website and click on a lot of those links, it takes you to a website that’s in English.”
Del Rios is a member of the Illinois Latino COVID-19 Initiative, a new collective of more than two dozen public health experts and elected officials racing to reach as many people in the state’s large Latino community before the virus spreads further.
Reporter Carlos Ballesteros has the full story.
8:29 p.m. U. of I. expects $158M loss — at least — as state’s public universities ask for more federal aid
University of Illinois President Timothy Killeen is pictured in this May 18, 2015 file photo. AP file photo
The University of Illinois System expects to lose an estimated $158 million by June due to the coronavirus, as leaders from other public state universities also reported millions of dollars in losses this semester.
Last week, the system’s president, Timothy Killeen, joined the presidents of eight other public state universities in a letter to state’s congressional delegation to ask the federal government for additional help, saying the schools had already suffered a combined $224 million loss this spring.
But costs have already mounted since then, and U. of I.’s share of that total has already gone up, Paul Weinberger, the director of federal relations for the system, said this week.
Read the full story by Matthew Hendrickson.
8:11 p.m. 24 more COVID-19 cases in Chicago Police Department
Chicago police announced Wednesday 24 more confirmed cases of COVID-19, raising the total number of cases in the department to 239.
Of the cases, 230 are officers and 9 are civilian employees, Chicago police said.
A total of 315 employees have reported positive test results, but the department’s medical section has only confirmed 239 of those cases, police said.
Read the full report here.
7:36 p.m. Illinois official suggests school closures could extend through the end of the academic year, report says
An Illinois official suggested Wednesday that schools could remain closed through the end of the school year, a decision that could leave 2.2 million students and their teachers continuing remote learning for the next month or two.
Illinois Deputy Gov. Jesse Ruiz said in a press call that the suspension of in-person instruction for all schools, which began March 17, could be extended through the end of the school year, the Daily Herald reported.
Ruiz, talking about the state’s applications for federal waivers from testing, said “it became clear that suspension of in-person instruction would extend beyond the initial two-week announcement and most likely again through the end of the school year.”
Read the full report here.
7:05 p.m. Illinois looks to ramp up contact tracing of coronavirus patients as state’s COVID-19 curve appears to bend
Both Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Wednesday that state and city officials are working to bolster the ability to trace the contacts made by thousands of coronavirus patients, an onerous process that will likely require the addition of new health care workers to help track transmissions of COVID-19.
Gov J.B. Pritzker has identified contact tracing as one of the measures necessary to ease the stringent statewide social restrictions, along with expanding diagnostic testing and identifying a treatment for the virus.
During Wednesday’s press briefing, Pritzker said he’s been in touch with Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and representatives from the Boston-based nonprofit Partners in Health, who announced a joint initiative earlier this month to deploy 1,000 people to conduct contact tracing in that state.
“We’re looking at putting that together for the state of Illinois,” Pritzker said.
Reporter Tom Schuba has the full story.
5:29 p.m. Metra may lose over $500 million — and 97% of riders — due to coronavirus
Metra is expecting significant loss in vital revenue streams due to the coronavirus pandemic impinging on the lives of its traditional riders.
Tom Farmer, CFO of Metra, projected a loss of nearly $536 million in revenue this year and through 2021. He warns the figures presented were preliminary; it could be less or far more.
“To deal with this we need to understand what the ‘new normal’ is,” Farmer said. “We need to actively innovate to meet the changing public needs.”
Metra has seen a significant drop in passengers as many now work remotely or have lost jobs during the statewide stay-at-home order.
Ridership on the commuter rail line dropped by more than half in March when the first stay-at-home order was issued. On March 31, only 7,000 passengers used Metra; on the same day in 2019, ridership was 286,000.
It projects to lose 97% of riders in both April and May. That impact is expected to be only slightly less in June, when a 90% drop in riders is projected.
Read the full story by Manny Ramos.
4:51 p.m. Coronavirus surfaces for first time among Chicago’s federal jail inmates
For weeks, as the coronavirus spread through the Cook County jail and state prisons, Chicago’s downtown federal lockup continued to report no cases of the virus among its detainees.
That’s changed.
Six inmates in Chicago’s Metropolitan Correctional Center have now tested positive for the coronavirus, according to John Murphy, executive director of the Federal Defender Program in the Northern District of Illinois. That’s a sharp uptick from Tuesday, when the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed one inmate had tested positive for the first time.
It could also lead to renewed scrutiny about who is held there. Before the first positive test, Chicago’s federal judges did not appear inclined to release inmates for fear of the virus alone. But Wednesday afternoon, defense attorneys began making new bids for release on behalf of individual clients, citing the new number.
Read the full story by Jon Seidel
4:33 p.m. Lightfoot worried about ‘new wave of mortgage foreclosures’ due to coronavirus
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday she’s “very worried about a new wave of of mortgage foreclosures” stemming from the economic pain caused by the coronavirus and the next federal stimulus program needs to prevent it.
The last wave of mortgage foreclosures hit Chicago in 2008. It was yet another blow to South and West Side neighborhoods already suffering from decades of disinvestment and struggling to control gang violence.
This time, the culprit could be the statewide stay-at-home order forcing all but the most essential businesses to close their doors and lay off workers.
“The affordability of housing, paying rent, making mortgages … I’m very worried about a new wave of mortgage foreclosures that might be at our doorstep as a result of this issue,” the mayor said.
More than 86,000 people applied for 2,000 city rental assistance grants, quickly gobbling up the $2 million Lightfoot had set aside.
Read Fran Spielman’s full story here.
4:10 p.m. 2nd Chicago firefighter dies of COVID-19
A second member of the Chicago Fire Department has died from the coronavirus, the department announced Wednesday.
Firefighter Edward Singleton, 55, died Tuesday night from complications of the virus, CFD spokesman Larry Langford said in a statement posted to Twitter.
“It is my sad duty to announce another member of the CFD has died from complications of COVID-19,” Langford said.
Singleton worked at the firehouse at Midway Airport, and leaves behind a wife and two adult children, Langford said. He joined the department in 1987.
Read the complete story by David Struett.
3:44 p.m. Chicago small businesses grasping for federal help ‘can’t wait another week’
Photographer Chris Costoso had just signed the lease to expand his business when Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued his first stay-at-home order in early March.
Costoso initially saw the statewide shutdown of nonessential businesses as a chance to regroup after two busy years that included several destination weddings as well as being Bill Daley’s personal photographer in his failed 2019 mayoral bid.
But then five big weddings were canceled in the first week of the stay-home order, which for now runs through the end of April.
So, like many small businesses in Chicago, Costoso was left hoping for a little help from the federal government.
“All of our income stopped, and if I don’t have some kind of support soon I will have to turn in the key to the new storefront,” said Costoso. “If this extends past April 30, we will have to shut down both [spaces] and rebuild.”
Read the full story by Manny Ramos.
2:36 p.m. 80 more deaths, 1,346 new cases, as Gov. Pritzker outlines state’s coronavirus budget mess
Illinois health officials on Wednesday said another 80 people have died from the coronavirus, with 1,346 new cases reported — but Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration says both the new hospitalization and death rate remain flat.
Pritzker for days has said Illinois is indeed “bending the curve.” But he’s warned repeatedly that residents must continue to stay home in order for the curve to truly drop. Residents are abiding by executive orders that mandate school closures and the stay-at-home order until April 30, but many are expecting an extension.
With the additional 80 deaths reported on Wednesday, Illinois has now lost 948 people to the coronavirus. With 1,346 new positive cases, the state has now seen 24,593 total cases.
Read the full story by Tina Sfondeles.
1:28 p.m. Cell phone data from ‘hundreds of thousands’ of devices show Chicagoans are mostly staying home, city says
City Hall released new data related to the coronavirus Wednesday, including numbers that show how well Chicagoans are sticking to Illinois’ stay-at-home order based on “anonymous” data from potentially hundreds of thousands of mobile devices.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady told reporters Wednesday that the information was provided by the risk software company BlueDot through the data collection company SafeGraph. They characterized it as “anonymous” data gathered from users of mobile device applications who agreed to let certain applications track their locations.
Arwady said potentially “hundreds of thousands” of mobile devices were tracked as part of the study. A check-in occurred on each of those phones every half-hour, she explained. The study assumed the device’s most common location between midnight and 9 a.m. was its “home.”
From there, the median weekly proportion of device check-ins within 200 meters of the home went from 59 percent in late February to roughly 70 percent when the stay-at-home order went into effect. The number grew to as high as 79.2 percent in early April.
Those numbers were higher on the North Side, where the percent of check-ins at home last week ranged from 80% to 90%. Elsewhere in the city, the numbers tended to range from 70% to 80%.
Click here to read the full story from Jon Seidel and Caroline Hurley.
1:06 p.m. 2nd Chicago firefighter dies of COVID-19; nearly 100 CFD employees have tested positive
A second member of the Chicago Fire Department has died from the coronavirus, the department announced Wednesday.
Firefighter Edward Singleton, 55, died Tuesday night from complications of the virus, CFD spokesman Larry Langford said in a statement posted to Twitter.
Singleton worked at the firehouse at Midway Airport, and leaves behind a wife and two adult children, Langford said. He joined the department in 1987.
In a statement, CFD Commissioner Richard C. Ford II said, “We don’t need to lose another CFD member to understand the gravity of the circumstances that first responders are currently operating under.
As of Tuesday, 94 employees in CFD had tested positive for COVID-19. Of those, 18 members have already returned to duty, while another 18 are quarantined after being exposed to the virus.
Click here to read the full story.
12:29 p.m. Cook County will livestream court proceedings during coronavirus pandemic
Several Cook County court proceedings started livestreaming on YouTube Wednesday in an effort to limit person-to-person contact during the coronavirus pandemic.
“The goal is to limit the number of individuals in Circuit Court of Cook County courtrooms during this time,” Pat Milhizer, a spokesman for Chief Judge Timothy Evans, said in a statement.
So far, 16 employees of the chief judge’s office have tested positive for COVID-19.
As of Wednesday, courtrooms with livestreams on the circuit court’s webpage were bail reviews in courtrooms 101 and 506 at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.
The proceedings are being held on the videoconferencing application Zoom, and then streamed to the public on YouTube.
For more information, read the full story from David Struett here.
12:10 p.m. WavePads Water Rafts in Plainfield pivots to manufacturing face shields
As the U.S. grapples with personal protective equipment shortages amid the coronavirus pandemic, one local business is making an effort to make sure face shields get into the hands of those who need them most.
WavePads Water Rafts in Plainfield switched its manufacturing plans from making water rafts to face shields for healthcare workers and first responders who are on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.
Face shields produced by WavePads Water Rafts in Plainfield. Provided
WavePads has been producing face shields for nearly three weeks and has distributed roughly 10,000 units — free of charge — to hospitals, fire stations and police departments in at least seven states.
“We wanted to give back,” said WavePads owner Matt Yassinger, who estimated his company can produce roughly 500 shields per day. “I’m happy that I’m able to do something. It does scare me on a daily basis anyways just because everyone’s already frantic as it is.”
WavePads ordered vinyl sheets for the shields and is using the foam from its rafts as the padding. It costs “only a few dollars” to make one face shield, said Yassinger, who is paying for the production and shipping out of his own pocket.
“I see what these competitors are charging,” Yassinger said. “They’re actually charging for them and they’re doing minimums of [orders]. They’re charging $4 but they want somebody to buy 1,000 of them so that’s like $4,000-something for face shields and this applies to anyone that’s purchasing, they’re not doing any discounts or anything to help.
”At this point, everybody needs to help each other and not take things for granted.”
Yassinger said he’s had several people reach out about donating money to help, so he set up a GoFundMe, which has raised nearly $3,000 since March 27.
“People are saying I’m the true hero because I’m making these shields,” Yassinger said. “But the true heroes that are out there are the first responders and the doctors and nurses, the people who are working in the grocery stories.”
— Madeline Kenney
11:42 a.m. Chicago health care workers cheer patients released after beating COVID-19
Hospital workers at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois cheer for Carmen Benabe, 86, as she’s released after four days of treatment for COVID-19. Provided
Advocate Aurora Health discharged its 1,000th COVID-19 patient this week, a landmark that health care workers at the hospital system are celebrating by spotlighting the many individual victories behind that figure.
At Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Lake View, Carmen Benabe, 86, was released to quarantine at home four days after being admitted to the emergency room with a COVID-19 diagnosis, according to a release from the hospital system. Benabe’s daughter, Dalia Colon, said the family is thankful in a statement, and that her mom is looking forward to enjoying home-cooked Puerto Rican meals again soon.
At Advocate Trinity Hospital on the South Side, Paul Richards, 69, a retired Chicago firefighter and a Vietnam veteran, headed home amid a standing ovation, passing handmade posters that read “#GOINGHOME” after he spent two weeks on a ventilator for COVID-19 symptoms.
“It was like being in Vietnam,” Richards said in a release from the hospital. “Everyone responded with no hesitation. Everyone stepped up to do what they had to do and put their lives on the line to care for me.”
Dr. Gary Stuck, chief medical officer of Advocate Aurora Health, said he was “grateful for [the] service and sacrifice” of doctors and nurses at the hospital system, emphasized that there’s more work to be done, for medical staff and for Chicagoans. According to the latest figures from the state, Illinois has now seen 868 deaths and 23,247 coronavirus cases.
Related Live map of Illinois coronavirus cases
“The public must continue to do their part by practicing social distancing and staying home as much as possible,” Stuck said in a release. “There will be more milestones to come, both happy and tragic. And our actions now will determine how much celebrating or grieving we do later. We’re all in this together.”
Read the full story here.
11:35 a.m. Abbott launches COVID-19 test that focuses on antibodies
Abbott Laboratories said Wednesday it is launching a third COVID-19 test, this time focusing on antibodies the company said could support the development of treatments and vaccines.
The lab-based blood test detects the IgG antibody, which could identify if a person previously had the COVID-19 virus, the North Chicago-based company said in a statement. Antibody testing of someone who has been previously infected could provide more understanding of the virus, including how long antibodies stay in the body and if they provide immunity, officials said.
Read the full story from the Daily Herald here.
9:58 a.m. China didn’t warn public of likely pandemic for 6 key days
In the six days after top Chinese officials secretly determined they likely were facing a pandemic from a new coronavirus, the city of Wuhan at the epicenter of the disease hosted a mass banquet for tens of thousands of people; millions began traveling through for Lunar New Year celebrations.
President Xi Jinping warned the public on the seventh day, Jan. 20. But by that time, more than 3,000 people had been infected during almost a week of public silence, according to internal documents obtained by The Associated Press and expert estimates based on retrospective infection data.
That delay from Jan. 14 to Jan. 20 was neither the first mistake made by Chinese officials at all levels in confronting the outbreak, nor the longest lag, as governments around the world have dragged their feet for weeks and even months in addressing the virus.
But the delay by the first country to face the new coronavirus came at a critical time — the beginning of the outbreak.
Click here to read the full report.
8:26 a.m. People staying home or nearby discover the wild wonder of what is outside
With people sequestered at home, and perhaps looking out their windows more, Dale Bowman reports that he’s seen more animal stories come in the last three weeks with the stay-at-home edict than in the last half year.
Photos and stories of red foxes, pelicans, an early hummingbird and more are today’s report.
Read the full story here.
6:56 a.m. State coronavirus budget includes two secret chartered flights from Shanghai
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is planning to obtain millions of masks and gloves from China and bring those supplies back to Illinois on charter jets — but he’s keeping the details secret out of fear the Trump administration might seize the cargo for the federal stockpile, sources said Tuesday.
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza announced Tuesday that the state has spent more than $174 million on purchases related to COVID-19, including supplies such as ventilators, masks, gloves, gowns, protective eyewear and hand sanitizer.
But one of the items on the list of expenditures was unusual: two invoices, each for $888,275, to FedEx Trade Networks Transport for “aircraft charter flight to Shanghai, China for COVID-19 response. ... Prepayment required.”
Jordan Abudayyeh, the press secretary for Pritzker, wouldn’t provide details about the flights, including when they will happen, how many there will be and what the routes are.
Read the full story from reporter Frank Main.
6:18 a.m. Nursing home workers claim they were fired over demands for more PPE
Three nursing home workers accused three Chicago-area facilities Tuesday afternoon for wrongfully firing or suspending them after they raised safety issues.
Greg Kelley, president of SEIU Healthcare Illinois, said these were just a few instances during the COVID-19 pandemic where union members’ concerns were being disregarded by nursing home owners.
Kelley said workers at Bridgeview Health Care Center, Alden Lakeland and Berkeley Nursing & Rehab Center brought their concerns to management but were “disrespected, insulted and have in fact been fired” for raising issues with their employers.
“These employers seem to care more about maintaining their profits than the safety of those who live and work in their facility,” Kelley said.
Read the full story by Manny Ramos here.
New Cases
Analysis & Commentary
5:48 p.m. When farmers plow under crops in a nation of bounty, the tragedy of COVID-19 becomes all the more vivid
America has a food problem.
When, during this pandemic, we see dairy farmers dump milk into ditches and when we see vegetable farmers plow their crops back into the soil, it is tragically obvious that major agricultural markets have dried up.
It is an indication, as well, that our nation faces an unsettling new challenge in getting food to where it is needed most — one that the federal government needs to tackle immediately.
Chicago knows a lot about food. At our height in the last century, we shipped more than 80% of the nation’s meat supply from processing plants at the city’s stockyards. To this day, Illinois remains a key agricultural state that exports food globally.
But the systems needed to efficiently move food to market, especially perishables, take years to develop. Private companies are struggling to redesign them during the coronavirus pandemic, especially at a time when some of their own workers have fallen ill or are afraid to come to work.
Read the full editorial from the Chicago Sun-Times editorial board.
5:10 p.m. Donald Trump is the virus: His coronavirus response confirms how toxic he is for our nation
We’ve put up with a lot as a nation over the years. But whatever your political party, the latest antics from President Trump, during a global pandemic which has killed more than 25,000 Americans, seal the deal: We need out of this mess for good.
Our threshold for the absolutely absurd and the inarguably indefensible has been fairly high, considering just how far Trump has pushed the boundaries of decency and incompetence.
Since the day he was elected, there has been a near constant-barrage of collateral damage — all the stuff that came with him when a mere 27% of the eligible voting population ushered him into office.
Read the full column by S.E. Cupp.
10:37 a.m. Plague catches up with artist in Chicago
Doménikos Theotokópoulos was lucky when it came to plague.
The painter passed through Venice in 1575, the year the Black Death killed a third of the residents of that crowded maritime port. He was on his way from Rome, where he had studied under the great painter Titian — who himself would soon after die of plague — to Spain, where he would establish his own enduring fame as El Greco, “The Greek.”
But his luck with plagues ran out recently, as a major show of his work, “El Greco: Ambition and Defiance,” opened at The Art Institute of Chicago March 7, only to go dark six days later when the museum closed to slow the spread of COVID-19.
I was fortunate to see the show during the brief span it was open, admiring how it reunited scattered works that had not been in the same room for centuries.
I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the show’s curators, and wonder: what is it like to dedicate years of your life to such a project only to have it displayed to empty galleries?
Read the full column from Neil Steinberg.
6:45 a.m. King Donald can’t reopen America alone, but neither can governors
Imagine, if you will, that President Trump announces in two or three weeks that it’s time for life to get back to normal in the United States.
Go ahead, folks! Go to church again, reopen your restaurant, get back to work at the factory, visit Grandma in the nursing home.
Imagine, too, that Gov. J.B. Pritzker — or another governor — says “hell no” to all that.
Stay put right where you are, people! Keep hunkering down at home. Now’s no time to let up on social distancing. The coronavirus is on the run but not beaten.
To whom would you listen? The president or the governor?
Millions of Americans no doubt would take their cue from Trump while others would stick with their state’s governor — and the result could be chaos. Continued efforts to thwart the spread of the virus might be undermined as some people return to their normal lives, even as the economy would be thrown into a conflict-loaded limbo, part open and part closed.
Read the full Sun-Times’ editorial here.


chicagosun-times--2020-04-15--As David Brown takes over CPD, Charlie Beck given hero’s farewell

For many , it was a bittersweet moment .
Charlie Beck — the now-former interim superintendent of the Chicago Police Department — handed the reins to David Brown Wednesday , completing his five-month stint of leading the second-largest police department in the country .
“ Obviously , I can not wait to go home to my family , who I miss very much , ” Beck said during his final news conference at CPD headquarters in Bronzeville .
“ But I ’ m also leaving family behind .
Even though I came to Chicago without knowing virtually anybody that was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leave feeling very much connected to them and very much part of the CPD family.
” Mayor Lori Lightfoot , who called on Beck to lead the department late last year , was effusive in her praise .
“ There ’ s simply not enough words for me to express what I personally feel about Charlie Beck ’ s contributions to Chicago , only that we owe him a debt of gratitude for his incredible service , ” Lightfoot said .
“ Now it may be my last time calling you by this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this : Superintendent , we love you.
” As part of his send-off , Beck was given a certificate of appreciation and a ceremonial police baton .
Soon after , Beck handed off the superintendent ’ s badge to his successor , Brown , the former Dallas police chief .
“ The policing mind of Charlie Beck is deep , it ’ s wide and it ’ s quick , ” Brown said .
“ And I want to assure that what he ’ s begun to set in place , in motion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ full potential .
The City Council ’ s Public Safety Committee is expected to hold Brown ’ s confirmation hearing Monday and his appointment will be put before the full council for a vote two days later .
After the news conference , Beck headed straight to O ’ Hare Airport to catch a flight back to California .
Beck — who spent 40 years with the Los Angeles Police Department , the final nine as chief — arrived in Chicago five months ago .
He was to take over for former Supt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retiring from the department at the end of 2019 .
Those plans , though , soon went up in smoke .
In early December , Lightfoot moved to fire Johnson , who ’ d been with the CPD for 31 years .
The mayor said Johnson “ intentionally misled the people of Chicago and he intentionally misled me ” about an embarrassing drinking-and-driving episode that occurred near Johnson ’ s Bridgeport home two months earlier .
During Beck ’ s time in Chicago , Lightfoot said , she ’ s come to know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leader who by his mere presence makes us feel safer.
” And though his tenure atop the CPD was brief , Beck was no less busy .
He did away with the CPD ’ s much-maligned merit promotions system and moved to drastically restructure the operations .
Beck said from the outset that he wouldn ’ t take the permanent superintendent job even if was offered .
That afforded him freedom to make sweeping decisions without having to walk on eggshells .
“ I think that there ’ s a number of things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Police Department that can get done by an interim that would be a heavier lift for a full-time ” superintendent , Beck told the Chicago Sun-Times last December .
Beck has confidence in the longevity of the moves he ’ s made , too .
“ I hope that the changes that I made survive time , ” he said last week .
“ I ’ m confident that they will , or I wouldn ’ t have made them .
And I hope that they bring Chicago the police department that it @ @ @

For many, it was a bittersweet moment.
Charlie Beck — the now-former interim superintendent of the Chicago Police Department — handed the reins to David Brown Wednesday, completing his five-month stint of leading the second-largest police department in the country.
“Obviously, I cannot wait to go home to my family, who I miss very much,” Beck said during his final news conference at CPD headquarters in Bronzeville. “But I’m also leaving family behind. Even though I came to Chicago without knowing virtually anybody that was in the Chicago Police Department, I leave feeling very much connected to them and very much part of the CPD family.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who called on Beck to lead the department late last year, was effusive in her praise.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot thanked now-former interim police Supt. Charlie Beck for his service in Chicago at his sendoff ceremony on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. Annie Costabile/Sun-Times
“There’s simply not enough words for me to express what I personally feel about Charlie Beck’s contributions to Chicago, only that we owe him a debt of gratitude for his incredible service,” Lightfoot said. “Now it may be my last time calling you by this title, but let me just say this: Superintendent, we love you.”
As part of his send-off, Beck was given a certificate of appreciation and a ceremonial police baton. Soon after, Beck handed off the superintendent’s badge to his successor, Brown, the former Dallas police chief.
“The policing mind of Charlie Beck is deep, it’s wide and it’s quick,” Brown said. “And I want to assure that what he’s begun to set in place, in motion, in Chicago flourishes and reaches its full potential.
Now-former interim police Supt. Charlie Beck presented David Brown with the superintendent badge at his farewell ceremony on April 15, 2020. Annie Costabile/Sun-Times
The City Council’s Public Safety Committee is expected to hold Brown’s confirmation hearing Monday and his appointment will be put before the full council for a vote two days later.
After the news conference, Beck headed straight to O’Hare Airport to catch a flight back to California.
Beck — who spent 40 years with the Los Angeles Police Department, the final nine as chief — arrived in Chicago five months ago. He was to take over for former Supt. Eddie Johnson, who planned on retiring from the department at the end of 2019.
Those plans, though, soon went up in smoke.
In early December, Lightfoot moved to fire Johnson, who’d been with the CPD for 31 years.
The mayor said Johnson “intentionally misled the people of Chicago and he intentionally misled me” about an embarrassing drinking-and-driving episode that occurred near Johnson’s Bridgeport home two months earlier.
During Beck’s time in Chicago, Lightfoot said, she’s come to know him as “a unique and gifted leader who by his mere presence makes us feel safer.”
And though his tenure atop the CPD was brief, Beck was no less busy.
He did away with the CPD’s much-maligned merit promotions system and moved to drastically restructure the operations.
Beck said from the outset that he wouldn’t take the permanent superintendent job even if was offered. That afforded him freedom to make sweeping decisions without having to walk on eggshells.
“I think that there’s a number of things that will benefit Chicago and the Chicago Police Department that can get done by an interim that would be a heavier lift for a full-time” superintendent, Beck told the Chicago Sun-Times last December.
Beck has confidence in the longevity of the moves he’s made, too.
“I hope that the changes that I made survive time,” he said last week. “I’m confident that they will, or I wouldn’t have made them. And I hope that they bring Chicago the police department that it deserves.”


chicagosun-times--2020-04-15--Trump threatens to use his power to adjourn both houses of Congress

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to invoke his constitutional authority to adjourn both chambers of Congress in order to confirm nominations to his administration he said are needed to deal with the coronavirus crisis .
” The Senate should either fulfill its duty and vote on my nominees or it should formally adjourn so that I can make recess appointments , ” Trump said during a Rose Garden press conference .
“ If the House will not agree to that adjournment I will exercise my constitutional authority to adjourn both chambers.
” According to Article II , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ on extraordinary occasions , convene both Houses , or either of them , and in case of disagreement between them , with respect to the time of adjournment , he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper.
” The Republican-controlled Senate and the Democratic-controlled House would have to disagree on when to adjourn in order for Trump to intervene .
Trump ’ s ire seems to be directed at the Senate , which has the power to confirm appointments .
The Senate , which is not due back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been holding pro forma sessions , in which the upper chamber convenes briefly .
Trump called on the Senate to stop holding these sessions or formally adjourn so he can make recess appointments , which he said are crucial to his administration ’ s response to the spread of COVID-19 .
He called the extended recess during the coronavirus pandemic “ a dereliction of duty.
” ” The current practice of leaving town while conducting phony pro-forma sessions is a dereliction of duty that the American people can not afford during this crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a scam and everybody knows it , and it ’ s been that way for a long time.
” If the Senate is in recess , the president could then appoint some officials who would otherwise require Senate confirmation , which is why the upper chamber holds “ pro forma ” sessions in order to block the president from making recess appointments .
The Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that then-President Barack Obama ’ s recess appointments made in 2012 were invalid because he made them while the Senate was holding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ action would get a legal challenge .
” If they don ’ t approve it , we will go this route .
And we ’ ll probably be challenged in court and we ’ ll see who wins , ” he said .
Jonathan Turley , a constitutional lawyer who argued against Trump ’ s impeachment last year , said the power has never been used before “ and should not be used now.
” “ Senators of both parties should vote to support the congressional control over adjournment .
Absent a ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to adjourn under Article II .
A pandemic should not be an invitation for pandemonium , ” he tweeted .
Barb McQuade , a former federal prosecutor and University of Michigan law professor , questioned whether Trump really has the power to dismiss Congress .
“ No and no .
Trump has no authority over a separate and co-equal branch of government .
It is odd that he keeps boasting of authority he lacks , while rejecting responsibility he has , ” she said .
During the press conference , the president railed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including the undersecretary of agriculture who is responsible for food security programs , two members of the Federal Reserve Board and the director of national intelligence .
“ Perhaps it ’ s never been done before , nobody ’ s even sure if it has , ” he said .
“ But we ’ re going to do it .
We need these people here .
We need people for this crisis , and we don ’ t want to play any more political games .
”

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to invoke his constitutional authority to adjourn both chambers of Congress in order to confirm nominations to his administration he said are needed to deal with the coronavirus crisis.
”The Senate should either fulfill its duty and vote on my nominees or it should formally adjourn so that I can make recess appointments,” Trump said during a Rose Garden press conference. “If the House will not agree to that adjournment I will exercise my constitutional authority to adjourn both chambers.”
According to Article II, Section 3, a president may, “on extraordinary occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in case of disagreement between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper.”
The Republican-controlled Senate and the Democratic-controlled House would have to disagree on when to adjourn in order for Trump to intervene.
Trump’s ire seems to be directed at the Senate, which has the power to confirm appointments.
The Senate, which is not due back in Washington until May 4, has been holding pro forma sessions, in which the upper chamber convenes briefly. Trump called on the Senate to stop holding these sessions or formally adjourn so he can make recess appointments, which he said are crucial to his administration’s response to the spread of COVID-19.
He called the extended recess during the coronavirus pandemic “a dereliction of duty.”
”The current practice of leaving town while conducting phony pro-forma sessions is a dereliction of duty that the American people cannot afford during this crisis,” he continued. “It’s a scam and everybody knows it, and it’s been that way for a long time.”
If the Senate is in recess, the president could then appoint some officials who would otherwise require Senate confirmation, which is why the upper chamber holds “pro forma” sessions in order to block the president from making recess appointments.
The Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that then-President Barack Obama’s recess appointments made in 2012 were invalid because he made them while the Senate was holding pro-forma sessions.
Trump acknowledged such an action would get a legal challenge.
”If they don’t approve it, we will go this route. And we’ll probably be challenged in court and we’ll see who wins,” he said.
Jonathan Turley, a constitutional lawyer who argued against Trump’s impeachment last year, said the power has never been used before “and should not be used now.”
“Senators of both parties should vote to support the congressional control over adjournment. Absent a ‘disagreement’ there is no presidential power to adjourn under Article II. A pandemic should not be an invitation for pandemonium,” he tweeted.
Barb McQuade, a former federal prosecutor and University of Michigan law professor, questioned whether Trump really has the power to dismiss Congress.
“No and no. Trump has no authority over a separate and co-equal branch of government. It is odd that he keeps boasting of authority he lacks, while rejecting responsibility he has,” she said.
During the press conference, the president railed against Democrats for holding up long-pending appointments, including the undersecretary of agriculture who is responsible for food security programs, two members of the Federal Reserve Board and the director of national intelligence.
“Perhaps it’s never been done before, nobody’s even sure if it has,” he said. “But we’re going to do it. We need these people here. We need people for this crisis, and we don’t want to play any more political games.”


chicagosun-times--2020-04-15--Warrant issued for second suspect in killing of ex-Marine pushed into CTA train

An arrest warrant has been issued for a second suspect in connection with the fatal attack of a former marine who was pushed into a moving Red Line train last week .
The warrant for first-degree murder was issued Tuesday in the April 7 death of 29-year-old Mamadou Balde , Chicago police said .
Ryan Munn , 18 , has already been charged with first-degree murder in Balde ’ s killing after he allegedly admitted to taking part in the attack , Cook County prosecutors said .
Balde was approaching passengers about 5:10 p.m. at the Jackson Red Line station @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s accomplice , prosecutors said .
Balde smiled and jokingly put his arms up as if to fight and the suspect punched Balde in the face , prosecutors said .
Munn allegedly jumped in and the pair pushed Balde , who fell in between two train cars .
He was dragged along the platform until his head and upper body ultimately slammed into a meta partition inside a tunnel .
He was pronounced dead at the scene .
Munn was arrested April 10 and denied bail at a court hearing Sunday .

An arrest warrant has been issued for a second suspect in connection with the fatal attack of a former marine who was pushed into a moving Red Line train last week.
The warrant for first-degree murder was issued Tuesday in the April 7 death of 29-year-old Mamadou Balde, Chicago police said.
Ryan Munn, 18, has already been charged with first-degree murder in Balde’s killing after he allegedly admitted to taking part in the attack, Cook County prosecutors said.
Balde was approaching passengers about 5:10 p.m. at the Jackson Red Line station platform when he started talking to Munn’s accomplice, prosecutors said.
Balde smiled and jokingly put his arms up as if to fight and the suspect punched Balde in the face, prosecutors said. Munn allegedly jumped in and the pair pushed Balde, who fell in between two train cars.
He was dragged along the platform until his head and upper body ultimately slammed into a meta partition inside a tunnel. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Munn was arrested April 10 and denied bail at a court hearing Sunday.


chicagosun-times--2020-04-15--Blackhawks cancel 2020 fan convention, scheduled for late July, due to coronavirus

Chicago ’ s coronavirus pandemic has nixed the Blackhawks Convention more than three months before the scheduled event .
The Hawks canceled the 13th annual edition of the event — slated this year for July 24-26 — on Wednesday , citing the uncertain status of the remainder of the 2019-20 NHL season and the advice of public health officials .
Full refunds for previously purchased convention passes and hotel rooms will be issued .
Last year ’ s convention drew thousands of fans to downtown Chicago for autograph sessions , meet-and-greets , new player introductions , alumni and front office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It spanned from Friday night through Sunday afternoon , just as this year ’ s edition was supposed to .
Illinois ’ current ban on large gatherings — although it doesn ’ t yet extend anywhere near late July — would theoretically make the convention impossible , however .
And even if the ban is lifted by then , many fans may have been reluctant to attend given the close proximity they ’ d have with thousands of others , leading to attendance concerns .
There ’ s also a chance that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the summer , although a plethora of obstacles lie in the way .
If the season does return , the most likely way seems to be in a single , neutral-site host city , ideally one with relatively few coronavirus cases but infrastructure sufficient enough to house thousands of players , coaches , league officials , television crews and more .
Even still , the games would almost certainly be held in empty arenas .
So far , the cities reportedly under consideration are Grand Forks , North Dakota ; Manchester , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Grand Forks is home to the University of North Dakota ’ s hockey facilities .
Manchester ’ s SNHU Arena is the former home of a Kings minor-league affiliate .
Saskatoon ’ s spacious SaskTel Centre typically hosts the WHL ’ s Saskatoon Blades .
But the league is far away from making any serious commitments to such sites , and equally little is known about the format the abridged season ’ s conclusion would take on .
Unless the regular season was resumed or the playoff field was expanded , the @ @ @ @ @ @

The coronavirus pandemic has nixed the Blackhawks Convention more than three months before the scheduled event.
The Hawks canceled the 13th edition of the event — slated for July 24-26 — on Wednesday, citing the uncertain status of the rest of the 2019-20 NHL season and the advice of public-health officials. Full refunds for previously purchased convention passes and hotel rooms will be issued.
The 2019 convention drew thousands of fans to downtown Chicago for autograph sessions, meet-and-greets, new-player introductions, alumni and front-office panels and numerous other types of programming. It spanned from Friday night through Sunday afternoon, just as this edition was supposed to do.
Illinois’ ban on large gatherings — although it doesn’t extend anywhere near late July yet — theoretically would make the convention impossible. And even if the ban were to be lifted by then, many fans might be reluctant to attend, given the close proximity they would have with thousands of others, leading to attendance concerns.
There’s also a chance the NHL season will resume around that point of the summer, although a plethora of obstacles would lie in the way of that.
If the season does resume, the most likely way would seem to be in a single, neutral-site city, ideally one with relatively few coronavirus cases but with infrastructure sufficient enough to house thousands of players, coaches, league officials, TV crews and more. Even still, the games almost certainly would be held in empty arenas.
So far, cities reportedly under consideration are Grand Forks, North Dakota; Manchester, New Hampshire; and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Grand Forks is home to the University of North Dakota’s hockey facilities. Manchester’s SNHU Arena is the former home of a Kings minor-league affiliate. Saskatoon’s spacious SaskTel Centre typically hosts the Blades of the Western Hockey League.
But the NHL is far away from making any serious commitments to such sites, and little is known about what the format the end of the season would look like. Unless the regular season was resumed or the playoff field was expanded, the Hawks wouldn’t take part.


chicagosun-times--2020-04-15--U. of I. expects $158M loss — at least — as state’s public universities ask for more federal aid

The University of Illinois System expects to lose an estimated $ 158 million by June due to the coronavirus , as leaders from other public state universities also reported millions of dollars in losses this semester .
Last week , the system ’ s president , Timothy Killeen , joined the presidents of eight other public state universities in a letter to state ’ s congressional delegation to ask the federal government for additional help , saying the schools had already suffered a combined $ 224 million loss this spring .
But costs have already mounted since then , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that total has already gone up , Paul Weinberger , the director of federal relations for the system , said this week .
“ It continues to grow every day , ” Weinberger told the Sun-Times .
Schools in the U. of I .
System , which enrolled more than 88,000 students last fall at campuses in Chicago , Springfield and Urbana-Champaign , will see greater losses if the pandemic continues to limit on-campus enrollment through next fall , although those cost estimates are still being compiled .
The University of Minnesota , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a $ 300 million financial hit — 7.5 % of the school ’ s budget — if the pandemic continues into the fall , according to the Star Tribune .
In the letter from Illinois schools , university leaders said the losses stem from refunding students for room and board after campuses were shut down , the cost to move to remote learning and lost revenues from canceled events , closed facilities and delayed grant funding .
Larry Dietz , president of Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal , said that as of two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ losses totaled more than $ 16 million .
“ I would imagine you could probably add at least a couple [ million ] to that , ” Deitz said Wednesday of the rising total .
University leaders said that the $ 14 billion in nationwide grants for higher educational institutions — the Coronavirus Aid , Relief , and Economic Security ( CARES ) Act — approved by the U.S. Congress on March 27 was only a quarter of the amount that education leaders had said was needed .
“ I think we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expenses are and what the future ones are going to be , ” Deitz said .
“ I think for some places it may be the difference between having good packages that will allow us to keep the workforces that we have , our faculty and our staff are very important to us , it provides the quality services , the quality instruction that our students and families expect .
“ It ’ s also important in terms of infrastructure , we have terrific needs now in terms of technology and moving all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goes on .
So it ’ s very important.
” Schools in Illinois and around the country are concerned that they will see a drop in fall enrollment , in part because international students — which typically pay far higher tuition than other students — may fail to return to the United States for school after the pandemic .
Nearly 16,000 international students attend U. of I. , which has one of the biggest foreign-student populations of any public university in the country .
A recession in the country could also put college @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Dietz said although his school has about 21,000 students enrolled , its fall numbers “ have slipped a little bit ” already .
“ I think that would be true for most universities in the state , ” Deitz said .
“ And I think all of that is related to uncertainty and concern about loss of jobs for families who were planning to send their students .
”

The University of Illinois System expects to lose an estimated $158 million by June due to the coronavirus, as leaders from other public state universities also reported millions of dollars in losses this semester.
Last week, the system’s president, Timothy Killeen, joined the presidents of eight other public state universities in a letter to state’s congressional delegation to ask the federal government for additional help, saying the schools had already suffered a combined $224 million loss this spring.
But costs have already mounted since then, and U. of I.’s share of that total has already gone up, Paul Weinberger, the director of federal relations for the system, said this week.
“It continues to grow every day,” Weinberger told the Sun-Times.
Schools in the U. of I. System, which enrolled more than 88,000 students last fall at campuses in Chicago, Springfield and Urbana-Champaign, will see greater losses if the pandemic continues to limit on-campus enrollment through next fall, although those cost estimates are still being compiled.
The University of Minnesota, for example, said it could see a $300 million financial hit — 7.5% of the school’s budget — if the pandemic continues into the fall, according to the Star Tribune.
In the letter from Illinois schools, university leaders said the losses stem from refunding students for room and board after campuses were shut down, the cost to move to remote learning and lost revenues from canceled events, closed facilities and delayed grant funding.
Larry Dietz, president of Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal, said that as of two weeks ago, the school’s losses totaled more than $16 million.
“I would imagine you could probably add at least a couple [million] to that,” Deitz said Wednesday of the rising total.
University leaders said that the $14 billion in nationwide grants for higher educational institutions — the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act — approved by the U.S. Congress on March 27 was only a quarter of the amount that education leaders had said was needed.
“I think we’re all struggling with what the existing expenses are and what the future ones are going to be,” Deitz said. “I think for some places it may be the difference between having good packages that will allow us to keep the workforces that we have, our faculty and our staff are very important to us, it provides the quality services, the quality instruction that our students and families expect.
“It’s also important in terms of infrastructure, we have terrific needs now in terms of technology and moving all these classes online, and the list goes on. So it’s very important.”
Schools in Illinois and around the country are concerned that they will see a drop in fall enrollment, in part because international students — which typically pay far higher tuition than other students — may fail to return to the United States for school after the pandemic. Nearly 16,000 international students attend U. of I., which has one of the biggest foreign-student populations of any public university in the country.
A recession in the country could also put college out of financial reach for in-state students.
Dietz said although his school has about 21,000 students enrolled, its fall numbers “have slipped a little bit” already.
“I think that would be true for most universities in the state,” Deitz said. “And I think all of that is related to uncertainty and concern about loss of jobs for families who were planning to send their students.”


chicagosun-times--2020-04-15--Gullible people during a pandemic are a real danger

Possibly you recall the “ information superhighway.
” As the New York Times explained way back in 1993 , “ one of the technologies Vice President Al Gore is pushing is the information superhighway , which will link everyone at home or office to everything else — movies and television shows , shopping services , electronic mail and huge collections of data.
” Oh , frabjous day !
Callooh !
Callay !
In the bright future imagined by the forward-looking vice president , the invention of what we now call the internet had the potential to bring about nothing less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So a couple of weeks ago , I wrote a column praising House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for maneuvering Senate Republicans into adding hundreds of billions in stimulus aid for small businesses and workers unemployed by the coronavirus crisis .
The original GOP proposal was pretty much classic Republicanism : a corporate-only , Save-the-Fortune-500 effort .
Thanks to Pelosi and congressional Democrats , I wrote , laid-off workers would “ have sufficient funds for rent , food , utilities and other necessities.
” Via email , I received the following brilliant riposte : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not good for the United states.
” That ’ s right , fellow travelers on the Information Superhighway : I got called an idiot by a guy who can ’ t spell it .
( He repeated it several times . )
And who also can ’ t tell “ you ’ re ” from “ your.
” What I sometimes call the Mystery of the Apostrophe eludes many .
A cheap shot ?
Maybe so .
After all , people in my line of work have been receiving semi-literate screeds up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mail since forever .
What ’ s different , in my experience , is the ( pardon me ) viral spread of mis- and disinformation not only made possible but actively encouraged by various malicious actors , foreign and domestic .
For all the immense good it ’ s done — and I could scarcely produce a column without it — the internet has also fostered ignorance and delusion on a planetary scale .
Probably the most mordant dissection of this phenomenon is my pal ( and Esquire political blogger ) Charles P. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America : How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free.
” Pierce unveils what he calls the “ three great premises ” of the internet age : “ Any theory is valid if it sells books , soaks up ratings , or otherwise moves units ” ; “ Anything can be true if someone says it loudly enough ” ; and “ Fact is that which enough people believe .
Truth is determined by how fervently they believe it.
” To his credit , Al Gore has also written a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The Assault on Reason : Our Information Ecosystem , From the Age of Print to the Age of Trump.
” Charlie Pierce is a whole lot funnier .
But back to Pelosi and the question of belief .
One of the classic sources of politicized nonsense is , of course , Facebook .
Just the other day , I noticed a bunch of old-timers all worked up about a link a friend posted claiming that the speaker had drunkenly proclaimed that “ Social Security recipients are just a burden on society ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absurdity had a galvanizing effect .
“ Pelosi is a waste of oxygen , ” one fellow offered .
“ She needs to croak and let someone with common sense use the air !
!
!
!
” Others countered that the quote was clearly fake .
After all , liberal Democrats invented Social Security ; defending it against GOP attacks has been a party priority since FDR ’ s presidency .
Indeed , Pelosi was mainly credited with defeating George W. Bush ’ s plan to “ privatize ” the program in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posted the phony quote acknowledged that he ’ d learned it was false , but he hated Pelosi anyway .
He went on to post an equally ludicrous claim that New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer ( a Jew ) had said Christians should be disqualified from serving as federal judges .
And the same pack went hooting off down yet another false trail .
A fair amount of this preposterous disinformation , of course , originates in Russia .
Setting Americans at one another ’ s throats ultimately weakens our democracy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It ’ s all about seeding lack of trust in government institutions , ” Peter Pomerantsev , a Soviet-born British journalist and author of “ Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible , ” told The New York Times .
If nobody can be trusted , you see , the strongman is your only alternative .
That said , conspiracy theorists based in China , the United States and elsewhere are catching up fast .
Only recently , for example , I saw a cheap politician on TV insinuate that hospitals report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doctors are stealing them to sell for profit .
Precisely , I suppose , as that eminence would do , given the chance .
But the real danger during a worldwide pandemic is that frightened people , gullible and easily hoodwinked under the best of circumstances , can be manipulated into blaming the contagion upon a favored enemy : preferably of a different race or religion .
And that way lies catastrophe .

Possibly you recall the “information superhighway.”
As the New York Times explained way back in 1993, “one of the technologies Vice President Al Gore is pushing is the information superhighway, which will link everyone at home or office to everything else — movies and television shows, shopping services, electronic mail and huge collections of data.”
Columnists bug Columnists In-depth political coverage, sports analysis, entertainment reviews and cultural commentary.
Oh, frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! In the bright future imagined by the forward-looking vice president, the invention of what we now call the internet had the potential to bring about nothing less than a revolution in human understanding.
So a couple of weeks ago, I wrote a column praising House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for maneuvering Senate Republicans into adding hundreds of billions in stimulus aid for small businesses and workers unemployed by the coronavirus crisis. The original GOP proposal was pretty much classic Republicanism: a corporate-only, Save-the-Fortune-500 effort.
Thanks to Pelosi and congressional Democrats, I wrote, laid-off workers would “have sufficient funds for rent, food, utilities and other necessities.”
Via email, I received the following brilliant riposte: “No facts your a idoit nancy Pelosi is not good for the United states.”
That’s right, fellow travelers on the Information Superhighway: I got called an idiot by a guy who can’t spell it. (He repeated it several times.) And who also can’t tell “you’re” from “your.” What I sometimes call the Mystery of the Apostrophe eludes many.
A cheap shot? Maybe so. After all, people in my line of work have been receiving semi-literate screeds up to and including death threats via snail mail since forever. What’s different, in my experience, is the (pardon me) viral spread of mis- and disinformation not only made possible but actively encouraged by various malicious actors, foreign and domestic.
For all the immense good it’s done — and I could scarcely produce a column without it — the internet has also fostered ignorance and delusion on a planetary scale. Probably the most mordant dissection of this phenomenon is my pal (and Esquire political blogger) Charles P. Pierce’s 2009 book “Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free.”
Pierce unveils what he calls the “three great premises” of the internet age: “Any theory is valid if it sells books, soaks up ratings, or otherwise moves units”; “Anything can be true if someone says it loudly enough”; and “Fact is that which enough people believe. Truth is determined by how fervently they believe it.”
To his credit, Al Gore has also written a book on a similar theme, called “The Assault on Reason: Our Information Ecosystem, From the Age of Print to the Age of Trump.” Charlie Pierce is a whole lot funnier.
But back to Pelosi and the question of belief. One of the classic sources of politicized nonsense is, of course, Facebook. Just the other day, I noticed a bunch of old-timers all worked up about a link a friend posted claiming that the speaker had drunkenly proclaimed that “Social Security recipients are just a burden on society” at a San Francisco fund-raiser.
This absurdity had a galvanizing effect. “Pelosi is a waste of oxygen,” one fellow offered. “She needs to croak and let someone with common sense use the air!!!!” Others countered that the quote was clearly fake. After all, liberal Democrats invented Social Security; defending it against GOP attacks has been a party priority since FDR’s presidency.
Indeed, Pelosi was mainly credited with defeating George W. Bush’s plan to “privatize” the program in 2005.
Eventually, the fellow who posted the phony quote acknowledged that he’d learned it was false, but he hated Pelosi anyway. He went on to post an equally ludicrous claim that New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer (a Jew) had said Christians should be disqualified from serving as federal judges.
And the same pack went hooting off down yet another false trail.
A fair amount of this preposterous disinformation, of course, originates in Russia. Setting Americans at one another’s throats ultimately weakens our democracy and advances Vladimir Putin’s goals. “It’s all about seeding lack of trust in government institutions,” Peter Pomerantsev, a Soviet-born British journalist and author of “Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible,” told The New York Times.
If nobody can be trusted, you see, the strongman is your only alternative.
That said, conspiracy theorists based in China, the United States and elsewhere are catching up fast. Only recently, for example, I saw a cheap politician on TV insinuate that hospitals report shortages of protective masks because nurses and doctors are stealing them to sell for profit.
Precisely, I suppose, as that eminence would do, given the chance.
But the real danger during a worldwide pandemic is that frightened people, gullible and easily hoodwinked under the best of circumstances, can be manipulated into blaming the contagion upon a favored enemy: preferably of a different race or religion.
And that way lies catastrophe.
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com.