chicagosun-times--2020-06-10--Wanted: New names for Chicago’s Jackson and Douglas parks

There is no reason why a Chicago park should still carry the moniker of President Andrew Jackson , a slaveholder and racist whose policies caused the deaths of thousands of Native Americans .
And yet there it is .
But as demonstrations against the Minneapolis police killing of African American George Floyd have led to public Confederate monuments coming down in the South — and even NASCAR now banning the Rebel battleflag at its events — Jackson Park , a lakeside Eden on the predominantly black South Side , remains named in Jackson ’ s honor .
The Chicago Park @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Change the name of Jackson Park .
Removing symbols and public monuments of slavery and the Confederacy has been a vigorously debated issue in recent years .
But it has picked up a certain urgency in the wake of Floyd ’ s death last month .
Military officials this week are openly ruminating over changing the names of a dozen bases named for Confederate military commanders .
President Donald Trump , of course — in a Wednesday tweet with the capitalization of a pasted-together ransom note — opposes the proposal : “ These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of a Great American Heritage , and a .
.
.
history of Winning , Victory , and Freedom .
The United States of America trained and deployed our HEROES on these Hallowed Grounds , and won two World Wars .
Therefore , my administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations.
” In just the last week , city crews have removed Confederate monuments in Louisville ; Jacksonville , Florida ; Nashville , Tennessee ; Alexandria , Virginia , and Mobile , Alabama .
Others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including a 112-year-old statue of Robert E. Lee that stood outside a Montgomery , Alabama , high school named after the Confederate general .
It ’ s even happening in other countries .
As a result of Floyd protests there , Brussels officials on Tuesday hauled off a 150-year-old public statue of King Leopold of Belgium , whose armies seized central Africa and slaughtered at least 10 million Congolese in the 19th century .
And on Sunday , protesters in England pulled down a bronze statue of 17th century slave trader Edward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — where Colston ’ s slave ships were once docked more than 350 years ago .
As president , Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act of 1830 , which forced 60,000 Native Americans from the South to territories west of the Mississippi River .
Thousands of Native Americans died of disease , starvation and exposure during the forced march to the territories in what became known as the “ Trail of Tears.
” “ ‘ Who do we want to honor as a society ?
’ Seems like a good time to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Hermitage , a 1,000-acre cotton plantation near Nashville where as many of 150 black people were enslaved at its peak .
The Hermitage is a tourist site today , devoted to Jackson and his history .
But its website doesn ’ t shy away from telling how Jackson amassed his fortune there .
“ In all reality , slavery was the source of Andrew Jackson ’ s wealth , ” the site says .
“ The more land Andrew Jackson accrued , the more slaves he procured to work it .
Thus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was made possible by the profit garnered from the crops worked by the enslaved on a daily basis.
” Jackson died in 1845 .
Chicago parks officials in 1880 asked the public to pick a new name for what had been Lake Park .
The people chose Andrew Jackson .
‘ Who do we want to honor ?
’ A Chicago Park District spokesperson didn ’ t respond to our request for comment for this editorial .
The agency has shied away from renaming Jackson Park , choosing to hide behind its practice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official , rather than placeholder , names .
The district has wrongly sat on a proposal to rename Stephen A. Douglas Park in honor of abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass .
The West Side Park is named after the Illinois senator who debated Abraham Lincoln in 1858 senate race and passed legislation expanding the Illinois Central Railroad , making the Chicago the nation ’ s rail transit hub .
But Douglas was no Douglass .
Rather than abolishing slavery , he thought individual states , rather the federal government , should decide if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inherited a 2,500 acre Mississippi plantation that had belonged to his father-in-law .
More than 6,200 people have signed an online petition by elementary school students at the private Vision Leadership Academy in the South Loop to rename the park .
Juanita Irizarry , executive director of the advocacy group Friends of the Parks , said renaming the two parks is worthy of discussion .
“ It communicates that we value the equity questions and the racism questions that are asked by society [ now ] , ” she said .
“ ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a society ?
’ Seems like a good time to have those conversations.
” There could be no better time .

There is no reason why a Chicago park should still carry the moniker of President Andrew Jackson, a slaveholder and racist whose policies caused the deaths of thousands of Native Americans.
And yet there it is.
But as demonstrations against the Minneapolis police killing of African American George Floyd have led to public Confederate monuments coming down in the South — and even NASCAR now banning the Rebel battleflag at its events — Jackson Park, a lakeside Eden on the predominantly black South Side, remains named in Jackson’s honor.
The Chicago Park District should get with the times. Change the name of Jackson Park.
Editorials bug Editorials
Monuments reconsidered
Removing symbols and public monuments of slavery and the Confederacy has been a vigorously debated issue in recent years. But it has picked up a certain urgency in the wake of Floyd’s death last month.
Military officials this week are openly ruminating over changing the names of a dozen bases named for Confederate military commanders.
President Donald Trump, of course — as stated in a Wednesday tweet with the capitalization of a pasted-together ransom note — opposes the proposal:
“These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great American Heritage, and a . . . history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom. The United States of America trained and deployed our HEROES on these Hallowed Grounds, and won two World Wars. Therefore, my administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations.”
In just the last week, city crews have removed Confederate monuments in Louisville; Jacksonville, Florida; Nashville, Tennessee; Alexandria, Virginia, and Mobile, Alabama.
Others were torn down or defaced by protestors, including a 112-year-old statue of Robert E. Lee that stood outside a Montgomery, Alabama, high school named after the Confederate general.
It’s even happening in other countries. As a result of Floyd protests there, Brussels officials on Tuesday hauled off a 150-year-old public statue of King Leopold of Belgium, whose armies seized central Africa and slaughtered at least 10 million Congolese in the 19th century.
And on Sunday, protesters in England pulled down a bronze statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston and rolled it into Bristol Harbor — where Colston’s slave ships were once docked more than 350 years ago.
Jackson was no prize
As president, Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which forced 60,000 Native Americans from the South to territories west of the Mississippi River. Thousands of Native Americans died of disease, starvation and exposure during the forced march to the territories in what became known as the “Trail of Tears.”
“ ‘Who do we want to honor as a society?’ Seems like a good time to have those conversations.”
Jackson also owned the Hermitage, a 1,000-acre cotton plantation near Nashville where as many of 150 black people were enslaved at its peak.
The Hermitage is a tourist site today, devoted to Jackson and his history.
But its website doesn’t shy away from telling how Jackson amassed his fortune there.
“In all reality, slavery was the source of Andrew Jackson’s wealth,” the site says. “The more land Andrew Jackson accrued, the more slaves he procured to work it. Thus, the Jackson family’s survival was made possible by the profit garnered from the crops worked by the enslaved on a daily basis.”
Jackson died in 1845. Chicago parks officials in 1880 asked the public to pick a new name for what had been Lake Park. The people chose Andrew Jackson.
‘Who do we want to honor?’
A Chicago Park District spokesperson didn’t respond to our request for comment for this editorial. The agency has shied away from renaming Jackson Park, choosing to hide behind its practice of not renaming parks that already have official, rather than placeholder, names.
The district has wrongly sat on a proposal to rename Stephen A. Douglas Park in honor of abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass.
The West Side Park is named after the Illinois senator who debated Abraham Lincoln in 1858 senate race and passed legislation expanding the Illinois Central Railroad, making the Chicago the nation’s rail transit hub.
But Douglas was no Douglass.
Rather than abolishing slavery, he thought individual states, rather the federal government, should decide if servitude would remain legal. Douglas also inherited a 2,500 acre Mississippi plantation that had belonged to his father-in-law.
More than 6,200 people have signed an online petition by elementary school students at the private Vision Leadership Academy in the South Loop to rename the park.
Juanita Irizarry, executive director of the advocacy group Friends of the Parks, said renaming the two parks is worthy of discussion.
“It communicates that we value the equity questions and the racism questions that are asked by society [now],” she said. “ ‘Who do we want to honor as a society?’ Seems like a good time to have those conversations.”
There could be no better time.
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com.


chicagosun-times--2020-06-10--Lightfoot angered by leaked audio from call with aldermen during looting

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday accused Ald .
Ray Lopez ( 15th ) of “ illegally ” taping her May 31 phone call with aldermen upset about looting and mayhem in their wards and “ leaking ” the part that included a profane exchange between them .
The mayor never mentioned Lopez by name , but her comments made it clear he was the one being accused .
Lopez ( 15th ) , Lightfoot ’ s most outspoken critic on the City Council , denied the accusation .
However , he said the mayor ’ s own staff also records @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they release those recordings to the public , arguing the calls violate the Open Meetings Act .
The Illinois attorney general ’ s office said it has received a complaint about the alleged violation , and is looking into it .
It all started Wednesday when Lightfoot was asked whether she regretted using profanity during the May 31 call , which the Chicago Sun-Times first disclosed on June 1 .
A tape of the conversation has since been widely circulated on social media .
“ First of all , if you heard the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I believe on a Sunday night .
The conversation went for an hour and a half .
Unfortunately , one of the aldermen — and I think we know who it is — illegally taped and then shared only that portion of the conversation that served his purposes , ” the mayor said .
The portion of the conversation she referred to was between her and Lopez .
“ These are tough and difficult times .
We ought to be able to have candid conversations .
There were a lot of incredible emotions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fellow aldermen .
Now , aldermen don ’ t feel secure or safe coming together with their colleagues because of one individual who decided to illegally tape a conversation that was intended to be a private conversation among all of us .
Shame on them .
Shame on him.
” Lopez was asked whether he was the person who taped the call and leaked it to the media .
“ I will not — uhh , no .
… Until she proves otherwise , I stand by my assertions that this is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not from me , ” Lopez said .
“ There are 51 elected officials on these calls and about a dozen staff members .
So there ’ s well over 60 possibilities of who could have done what.
” Lopez called Lightfoot ’ s focus on the leaker a “ distraction ” from what was said .
“ What has been said on these calls clearly shows a lack of planning and a lack of preparation by this administration .
… She ’ s most enraged about … her inability to control her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crafting an image of control that is contrary to what the facts are , ” Lopez said .
“ This singular leak shows the complete difference between what she reports to the city and what she ’ s telling aldermen behind closed doors .
Behind closed doors , there were concerns about outsiders and police deployment .
There were objections to the use of National Guard downtown at the expense of the community .
There were concerns raised by many aldermen , myself included , that were brought to her attention and ignored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is in stark contradiction to the message that she has portrayed that it ’ s ridiculous that these things were ever brought up to her .
That she would have acted if she had known .
This is a window into the truth of what was happening during the unfortunate rioting downtown and the sacking of the neighborhoods .
Things were presented to her .
Alarm bells were going off .
And despite all of her pronouncements to the contrary , she did not act on them.
” During the first call on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Lopez said he asked Lightfoot directly what her plan was to protect neighborhoods after sealing off a downtown area devastated by looting , vandalism and arson Saturday night .
According to Lopez , the mayor responded she had a plan for every neighborhood .
“ I said , ‘ I heard on the scanners that we have hundreds of people , caravans , driving in from Indiana and other places to come and terrorize our city , ’ ” Lopez told the Sun-Times last week .
“ She said , ‘ That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can chase that if you want , Ray.
’ ” By Sunday night , Lopez said neighborhoods were in chaos , and he believed his warnings about a “ coordinated attempt to destabilize our city ” had come true .
On a second conference call , Lopez said several aldermen were “ in tears ” about the damage in their communities .
“ I said , ‘ I told you this was gon na happen in the morning .
I warned you .
What is our plan for the neighborhoods ?
How are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We need a five-day plan .
The assumption that this is all gon na go away because you ’ ve got a curfew is wrong .
We need to stabilize the communities .
I want an answer , ’ ” Lopez recalled .
“ When I was finished , she basically said , ‘ OK .
Next.
’ and tried to move onto the next alderman .
...
I interrupted and said , ‘ No .
I demand an answer .
I want to know what your plan is.
’ At which point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s- -t for saying that all she cared about was downtown and that she wasn ’ t prepared and that there ’ s nothing she could say intellectually that would make sense to me.
’ ” “ I told her , ‘ F - - k you .
You don ’ t know what ’ s going on , ’ “ he recalled .
The mayor ’ s office denied that the calls Lightfoot and top mayoral aides have held repeatedly with aldermen during the pandemic and subsequent rioting violated the Open Meetings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and carried out solely for the administration to convey information about the status of COVID-related efforts and field questions on those efforts .
For a meeting to be subject to The Open Meetings Act , it must include deliberation ( for example , legislative debate ) and/or action ( for example , a vote ) , which did not occur on these calls , ” mayoral press secretary Anel Ruiz wrote in an email .
“ If there was a meeting by video or phone where a quorum of the City Council was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if there had not been a majority vote for a closed meeting during a previous open session — then these sessions appear to violate the Illinois Open Meetings Act , ” Yohnka wrote in a text message to the Sun-Times .
Under the Act , a meeting is “ any gathering , whether in person or by video or audio conference , telephone call , electronic means ” attended by “ a majority of a quorum of the members of a public body held for the purpose of discussing public business.
” In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ majority of a quorum ” would be 14 aldermen .
On Sunday night , Lightfoot had another conference call , this time with committee chairmen .
There are 19 council committees .
She told them she would no longer be holding conference calls with aldermen because one of their colleagues had chosen to violate everyone else ’ s trust .
Sources said Lightfoot clearly wanted Council leaders to condemn and ostracize the leaker .
But when the mayor got off the call , sources said , the chairmen chose not to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rebuking Lightfoot for her role in the profane exchange .

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday accused Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) of “illegally” taping her May 31 phone call with aldermen upset about looting and mayhem in their wards and “leaking” the part that included a profane exchange between them.
The mayor never mentioned Lopez by name, but her comments made it clear he was the one being accused. Lopez (15th), Lightfoot’s most outspoken critic on the City Council, denied the accusation.
However, he said the mayor’s own staff also records the calls with aldermen. He demanded they release those recordings to the public, arguing the calls violate the Open Meetings Act.
The Illinois attorney general’s office said it has received a complaint about the alleged violation, and is looking into it.
It all started Wednesday when Lightfoot was asked whether she regretted using profanity during the May 31 call, which the Chicago Sun-Times first disclosed on June 1. A tape of the conversation has since been widely circulated on social media.
“First of all, if you heard the entirety of the conversation, it was I believe on a Sunday night. The conversation went for an hour and a half. Unfortunately, one of the aldermen — and I think we know who it is — illegally taped and then shared only that portion of the conversation that served his purposes,” the mayor said.
The portion of the conversation she referred to was between her and Lopez.
“These are tough and difficult times. We ought to be able to have candid conversations. There were a lot of incredible emotions that were shared on that call by fellow aldermen. Now, aldermen don’t feel secure or safe coming together with their colleagues because of one individual who decided to illegally tape a conversation that was intended to be a private conversation among all of us. Shame on them. Shame on him.”
Lopez was asked whether he was the person who taped the call and leaked it to the media.
“I will not — uhh, no. … Until she proves otherwise, I stand by my assertions that this is not from me. These leaked tapes are not from me,” Lopez said.
“There are 51 elected officials on these calls and about a dozen staff members. So there’s well over 60 possibilities of who could have done what.”
Lopez called Lightfoot’s focus on the leaker a “distraction” from what was said.
“What has been said on these calls clearly shows a lack of planning and a lack of preparation by this administration. … She’s most enraged about … her inability to control her branding during a time of crisis, crafting an image of control that is contrary to what the facts are,” Lopez said.
Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) denied leaking audio to the media from a conference call between Chicago aldermen and Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
“This singular leak shows the complete difference between what she reports to the city and what she’s telling aldermen behind closed doors. Behind closed doors, there were concerns about outsiders and police deployment. There were objections to the use of National Guard downtown at the expense of the community. There were concerns raised by many aldermen, myself included, that were brought to her attention and ignored,” Lopez said.
“That is in stark contradiction to the message that she has portrayed that it’s ridiculous that these things were ever brought up to her. That she would have acted if she had known. This is a window into the truth of what was happening during the unfortunate rioting downtown and the sacking of the neighborhoods. Things were presented to her. Alarm bells were going off. And despite all of her pronouncements to the contrary, she did not act on them.”
During the first call on the morning of Sunday, June 1, Lopez said he asked Lightfoot directly what her plan was to protect neighborhoods after sealing off a downtown area devastated by looting, vandalism and arson Saturday night.
According to Lopez, the mayor responded she had a plan for every neighborhood.
“I said, ‘I heard on the scanners that we have hundreds of people, caravans, driving in from Indiana and other places to come and terrorize our city,’” Lopez told the Sun-Times last week.
La Voz Sidebar 2023 Lea este artículo en español en La Voz Chicago.
“She said, ‘That’s an unsubstantiated rumor. You can chase that if you want, Ray.’”
By Sunday night, Lopez said neighborhoods were in chaos, and he believed his warnings about a “coordinated attempt to destabilize our city” had come true.
On a second conference call, Lopez said several aldermen were “in tears” about the damage in their communities.
“I said, ‘I told you this was gonna happen in the morning. I warned you. What is our plan for the neighborhoods? How are we gonna stabilize the communities? We need a five-day plan. The assumption that this is all gonna go away because you’ve got a curfew is wrong. We need to stabilize the communities. I want an answer,’” Lopez recalled.
“When I was finished, she basically said, ‘OK. Next.’ and tried to move onto the next alderman. ... I interrupted and said, ‘No. I demand an answer. I want to know what your plan is.’ At which point, she said I was full of s- -t for saying that all she cared about was downtown and that she wasn’t prepared and that there’s nothing she could say intellectually that would make sense to me.’”
Lopez wasn’t having it.
“I told her, ‘F - - k you. You don’t know what’s going on,’ “ he recalled.
The mayor’s office denied that the calls Lightfoot and top mayoral aides have held repeatedly with aldermen during the pandemic and subsequent rioting violated the Open Meetings Act.
“These updates were arranged and carried out solely for the administration to convey information about the status of COVID-related efforts and field questions on those efforts. For a meeting to be subject to The Open Meetings Act, it must include deliberation (for example, legislative debate) and/or action (for example, a vote), which did not occur on these calls,” mayoral press secretary Anel Ruiz wrote in an email.
ACLU spokesman Ed Yohnka disagreed.
“If there was a meeting by video or phone where a quorum of the City Council was present and discussing public business — and if there had not been a majority vote for a closed meeting during a previous open session — then these sessions appear to violate the Illinois Open Meetings Act,” Yohnka wrote in a text message to the Sun-Times.
Under the Act, a meeting is “any gathering, whether in person or by video or audio conference, telephone call, electronic means” attended by “a majority of a quorum of the members of a public body held for the purpose of discussing public business.”
In the case of the City Council, a “majority of a quorum” would be 14 aldermen.
On Sunday night, Lightfoot had another conference call, this time with committee chairmen. There are 19 council committees.
She told them she would no longer be holding conference calls with aldermen because one of their colleagues had chosen to violate everyone else’s trust. Sources said Lightfoot clearly wanted Council leaders to condemn and ostracize the leaker.
But when the mayor got off the call, sources said, the chairmen chose not to get involved because it would also require rebuking Lightfoot for her role in the profane exchange.


chicagosun-times--2020-06-10--Teen boy shot in Lawndale

Teen boy shot in Lawndale

A teenage boy was injured in a shooting Wednesday in Lawndale on the West Side .
He was on the @ @ @ @ @ South Sawyer Avenue when he heard gunfire and felt pain , Chicago police said .
@ @ @ @ @ the calf , hand and groin area .
The boy was taken to Mount Sinai @ @ @ @ @ , police said .
No one is in custody as Area Four detectives investigate .
@ @ @ @ @ and track the city ’ s homicides .

A teenage boy was injured in a shooting Wednesday in Lawndale on the West Side.
He was on the street about 6:11 p.m. on South Sawyer Avenue when he heard gunfire and felt pain, Chicago police said. The 17-year-old was hit in the calf, hand and groin area.
The boy was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center in fair condition, police said.
No one is in custody as Area Four detectives investigate.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-06-10--Illinois officials report lowest 1-day COVID-19 case total since March (LIVE UPDATES)

The 2020 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and its country music counterpart Stagecoach are canceled , Riverside County public health officials have announced .
Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser signed an order Wednesday canceling the popular music festivals , citing concerns over a possible surge of coronavirus cases in the fall .
Goldenvoice , the Los Angeles-based company that produces the music festivals over three weekends in April , had previously announced the postponement of both festivals due to the rapidly spreading coronavirus .
“ I am concerned as indications grow that COVID-19 could worsen in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a statement .
“ In addition , events like Coachella and Stagecoach would fall under Governor Newsom ’ s Stage 4 , which he has previously stated would require treatments or a vaccine to enter .
Given the projected circumstances and potential , I would not be comfortable moving forward .
“ These decisions are not taken lightly with the knowledge that many people will be impacted .
My first priority is the health of the community.
” Read more on this story here .
Health officials on Wednesday announced an additional 78 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and another 625 have tested positive statewide .
That ’ s the lowest number of new cases reported by the state in a single day since March 30 , when the state reported 461 cases before the brunt of the pandemic gripped Illinois .
The latest figures from the Illinois Department of Public Health raise the state ’ s coronavirus death toll to 6,095 , and the overall case tally since late January to 129,837 .
The toll now officially includes 9-month-old Chicagoan Joseph Myles , who died in late March .
Final @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical examiner ’ s office attributed his death to COVID-19 , a tragic rarity for infants thus far in the pandemic , according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Read the full story by Mitchell Armentrout here .
6:54 p.m. Pre-flight health checklists are on the way for airline passengers With travel slowly resuming as more states relax coronavirus restrictions , airlines are adding another health safety measure .
United Airlines and Alaska Airlines said this week that they will require passengers to fill out a preflight health checklist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ airline .
Alaska calls it a health and wellness agreement and says travelers must verify they haven ’ t had any COVID-19 symptoms in the past 72 hoursor come into contact with someone who is symptomatic .
5:41 p.m. Budget Committee OKs Lightfoot plan on how to spend $ 1.1 billion windfall from federal stimulus Mayor Lori Lightfoot ’ s plan for how to spend a $ 1.1 billion infusion of federal stimulus funds cleared a City Council committee Wednesday amid concern that not enough money was being set aside for housing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases .
The plan advanced by the City Council ’ s Budget Committee after a marathon meeting would distribute the federal windfall to a string of pressing needs .
It includes : $ 376.7 million for O ’ Hare and Midway airports for operations and concession relief ; $ 189.3 million for a “ public health response ” that includes contact tracing , lab testing and testing personnel ; $ 39.6 million for homeless services ; and $ 16.5 million for rental , mortgage and legal assistance for homeowners facing foreclosure .
Smaller @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; workforce assistance ; mental health and senior assistance ( $ 10 million apiece ) ; community health care infrastructure ( $ 11 million ) ; food assistance ( $ 4.5 million ) ; and broadband for students without internet access ( $ 5 million ) .
Read the full story by City Hall reporter Fran Spielman here .
4 p.m. Northwestern students , faculty rally in support of campus service workers who lost their jobs due to the coronavirus Northwestern University students and faculty rallied Wednesday in support of low-wage service workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus-related campus shutdown .
About 320 workers — most working in dining halls and in hospitality — lost their jobs in mid-March when Northwestern shut down and learning went online , rally organizers said .
The workers earn an average of about $ 15 an hour .
The activists are calling for the workers to be compensated for the wages they ’ ve lost while campus has been on shutdown .
They contend other universities , including the University of Chicago , have continued to pay subcontracted workers during the pandemic .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job , I didn ’ t have savings built up .
After a few weeks of being laid off , I wasn ’ t even able to afford food , ” Melvin Davis , a campus delivery driver , said in a statement .
“ I started getting food from a food pantry.
” Read the full story by Stefano Esposito here .
The Cook County Medical Examiner ’ s Office ruled Wednesday that a Chicago infant ’ s death in March was caused by COVID-19 — marking a rare death of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical examiner ’ s office said 9-month-old Joseph Myles died on March 23 at Mercy Hospital in Chicago as a result of viral pneumonia due to coronavirus NL-63 and COVID-19 infection .
The death was ruled natural .
In first reporting the death on March 28 , Gov .
J.B. Pritzker said he was “ shaken.
” And Illinois Public Health Department Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said there had never been a death associated with COVID-19 in an infant .
She said a full death investigation was underway .
Since then , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from COVID-19 have been reported in other states and parts of the world .
According to the medical examiners ’ office , an autopsy found the infant ’ s lungs were congested , indicating an infection .
Two swabs were taken on March 23 and 24 that revealed conflicting results .
A first swab detected the virus , while a second didn ’ t .
Read the full story by Tina Sfondeles here .
Hoping to avoid the fate of several other major cash-strapped Chicago cultural institutions , workers at the Field Museum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ management shoulder a greater portion of the financial burden to avoid layoffs .
“ People are terrified .
We don ’ t know who is going to still be around in a few days , ” said Roger Tuan , a web developer at the Field and a co-organizer behind a petition seeking , among other things , a moratorium on job cuts .
Tuan said the staff have been told job cuts are coming , as well as pay cuts , possibly as soon as Friday .
About half of the museum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the petition , Tuan said .
Museums across the city have been closed since mid-March as the coronavirus spread in Illinois .
Both the Adler Planetarium and the Museum of Science and Industry have announced coronavirus-related layoffs in recent weeks .
Read the full story by Stefano Esposito here .
12:08 p.m. Pritzker signs ‘ maintenance ’ budget reliant on borrowing from feds to get through coronavirus crisis Gov .
J.B. Pritzker Wednesday signed a $ 42.9 billion “ maintenance ” budget that ’ s largely reliant on borrowing and the hope that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Illinois with COVID-19 assistance .
It ’ s a budget no one could have predicted , but one Democrats said would give the state a lifeline amid a world of uncertainty .
When Pritzker signed his first budget in June 2019 , he called it a “ new era of fiscal stability.
” His plan even generated a $ 150 million surplus to help down the state ’ s bill backlog .
Then came 2020 — with 6,018 killed by the coronavirus , 1,361,036 unemployment claims processed by the state and businesses decimated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ full story by Tina Sfondeles here .
11:10 a.m. $ 5 million fund will help Chicagoans ineligible for federal stimulus help during pandemic Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday announced a $ 5 million cash assistance program for 300,000 Chicago residents excluded from receiving federal stimulus checks .
That includes undocumented residents and college students living in poverty and those who have been recently incarcerated , Lightfoot said , and she doesn ’ t want any of them to fall through the cracks .
Those Chicagoans will get $ 1,000 per eligible household , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will “ always be a strong , welcoming community , ” Lightfoot said .
“ Our diversity is our strength .
We will never abandon our values.
” The federal CARES Act , while providing millions in assistance , “ leaves behind thousands of residents , ” many of whom are essential workers , Lightfoot said at a news conference .
Read the full story by City Hall reporter Fran Spielman here .
10:37 a.m .
Senators call for investigation into Trump administration ’ s PPE sourcing Three Senate Democrats are turning up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Project Air Bridge , which flew in — at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — high demand medical gloves , gowns and masks plus other supplies distributed by six for-profit companies , including the Northfield-based Medline Industries .
Sens .
Elizabeth Warren , Richard Blumenthal and Charles Schumer asked the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee to conduct an independent investigation in a Monday letter .
The senators said in their letter , “ Project Air Bridge—like the broader Trump Administration response to the pandemic—has been marked by delays , incompetence , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agencies and actors.
” They are trying to determine “ the precise role ” played by President Donald Trump and his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner in Project Air Bridge .
An issue for the senators is finding out why Kushner went to his connections in the business world to create Project Air Bridge rather “ than using procurement and logistics experts ” within the federal government .
Taxpayers paid at least $ 91 million for the flights , and no one knows if the goods were in fact delivered to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the full report by Lynn Sweet here .
9:33 a.m. MLB players offer proposal that includes an 89-game season Baseball players moved toward the owners ’ position but remained far apart economically in their latest proposal for starting the pandemic-delayed season , adamant they receive full prorated salaries while offering to cut the regular season to 89 games .
The proposal by the players ’ association , given to Major League Baseball electronically Tuesday evening without a negotiating session , was detailed to The Associated Press by a pair of people familiar with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of anonymity because no announcements were authorized .
MLB did not appear to view the proposal as productive but made no comment .
MLB has said that absent an agreement it could go ahead with a shorter schedule of perhaps 50 games .
Players made their move one day after management cut its proposed schedule from 82 games to 76 .
The union proposed the regular season start July 10 and end Oct. 11 — the day before a possible Game 7 of the NBA Finals .
Another employee at the Cook County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested positive for COVID-19 , bringing the overall total to 25 and three workers have received positive antibody test results .
The latest employee to test positive was assigned to the Criminal Department , located on the 10th floor of the Daley Center , 50 W. Washington St. , and last reported for work more than two months ago , according to a statement from the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County .
The employee is self-quarantining at home .
The Clerk ’ s Office ’ s Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the area where the employee worked , the clerk ’ s office said .
Notification is being sent to all employees regarding the employee that tested positive .
6:53 a.m .
Masks on , buffets off as Illinois gambling regulators set guidelines for casinos to reopen Gamblers might be allowed back around the craps tables at Illinois casinos this summer for their shot at rolling a lucky seven — as long as they stay six feet apart .
But blowing on the dice for good luck ?
No dice , in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ casinos beckoned gamblers back through their doors on the Las Vegas strip — and a week before they do likewise across the border in Indiana — Illinois gambling regulators issued a set of guidelines Tuesday for casinos to resume operations after the coronavirus forced them to fold for nearly three months and counting .
The Illinois Gaming Board ’ s plan doesn ’ t say exactly when the state ’ s 10 casinos will get the green light .
Instead , each has to submit a plan outlining how operators will deep-clean their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and keep gamblers safely distanced , among other hurdles to get regulatory approval to reopen .
But a few customary industry perks are off the board from the get-go , per the Gaming Board .
Read the full report by Mitchell Armentrout here .
• The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 797 newly confirmed cases of the disease Tuesday along with 95 more deaths attributed to it .
The state has now surpassed 6,000 total deaths .
• “ Days of Our Lives ” star Judi Evans has been diagnosed with COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to related blood clots , her publicist says .
• Another employee at the Cook County Circuit Court clerk ’ s office has tested positive for COVID-19 , bringing the overall total to 25 , and three workers have received positive antibody test results .
• Two more detainees and an employee at Cook County Juvenile detention center tested positive for COVID-19 .
• Federal health authorities have received reports of nearly 26,000 nursing home residents dying from COVID-19 across the country .
2:51 p.m .
The NFL can guard against COVID-19 all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to tackle each other The NFL really has this pandemic thing figured out , doesn ’ t it ?
The latest science-driven protocols will be in place when players return to team facilities in the coming weeks .
Testing for COVID-19 will be a regular occurrence .
Proper social distancing will be observed .
Masks will be mandatory at team meetings .
Locker rooms will be cleansed and disinfected so often you might mistake them for operating rooms .
We expect that from a league that prides itself on military-like precision .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keeps tugging at the sleeve : Eventually , the players are going to have to touch each other .
Touching is sort of a necessity when it comes to huddling and blocking and — this is a biggie — hitting , which is the whole point of football .
Touching goes against the concept of keeping 6 feet away from the person closest to you .
Tackling sneers at social distancing and , further , would blow it up like a defenseless receiver if it could .
And what ’ s gang tackling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve learned about keeping the coronavirus at bay ?
A football game is a buffet table of germs .
This virus will be on the menu .
There are too many people involved in the NFL for it not to be .
Read the full commentary from sports columnist Rick Morrissey here .
6:56 a.m .
Senators call for independent probe of ‘ Project Air Bridge ’ and role of Medline , other companies Three Senate Democrats are turning up the investigative heat on the Trump administration ’ s “ Project Air Bridge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — high demand medical gloves , gowns and masks plus other supplies distributed by six for-profit companies , including the Northfield-based Medline Industries .
Sens .
Elizabeth Warren , Richard Blumenthal and Charles Schumer asked the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee to conduct an independent investigation in a Monday letter .
The senators said in their letter , “ Project Air Bridge—like the broader Trump Administration response to the pandemic—has been marked by delays , incompetence , confusion , and secrecy involving multiple Federal agencies and actors.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ precise role ” played by President Donald Trump and his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner in Project Air Bridge .
An issue for the senators is finding out why Kushner went to his connections in the business world to create “ Project Air Bridge ” rather “ than using procurement and logistics experts ” within the federal government .
Taxpayers paid at least $ 91 million for the air flights and no one knows if the goods were in fact delivered to the areas with the most need .
Read the full @ @ @ @ @ @

Health officials on Wednesday announced an additional 78 people have died of COVID-19 in Illinois and another 625 have tested positive statewide.
That’s the lowest number of new cases reported by the state in a single day since March 30, when the state reported 461 cases before the brunt of the pandemic gripped Illinois.
Here’s what else happened in Chicago and around the state and nation as the fight against the coronavirus pandemic continued.
News
8:59 p.m. Coachella, Stagecoach canceled for 2020
Beyonce Knowles performs onstage during 2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival Weekend 1 at the Empire Polo Field on April 14, 2018 in Indio, California. Larry Busacca/Getty Images
The 2020 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and its country music counterpart Stagecoach are canceled, Riverside County public health officials have announced.
Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser signed an order Wednesday canceling the popular music festivals, citing concerns over a possible surge of coronavirus cases in the fall.
Goldenvoice, the Los Angeles-based company that produces the music festivals over three weekends in April, had previously announced the postponement of both festivals due to the rapidly spreading coronavirus.
“I am concerned as indications grow that COVID-19 could worsen in the fall,” Kaiser said in a statement. “In addition, events like Coachella and Stagecoach would fall under Governor Newsom’s Stage 4, which he has previously stated would require treatments or a vaccine to enter. Given the projected circumstances and potential, I would not be comfortable moving forward.
“These decisions are not taken lightly with the knowledge that many people will be impacted. My first priority is the health of the community.”
Read more on this story here.
8:18 p.m. Indiana movie theaters, bars, playgrounds reopenings start Friday
INDIANAPOLIS — Movie theaters, bars, museums and amusement parks across Indiana will be allowed to reopen Friday for the first time in nearly three months, as the governor announced Wednesday that he was moving up by two days the next stage of easing the state’s coronavirus restrictions.
A new state order will allow social gatherings of up to 250 people and retail stores and malls to operate at full capacity, Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb said. Gatherings have been limited to 100 people and stores to 75% capacity for the past three weeks as such limits have been gradually lifted since early May.
Restaurants will be allowed 75% capacity in their dining rooms, while bars, nightclubs, movie theaters, bowling alleys, museums and amusement parks can open at half capacity. Casinos can resume operations starting Monday under safety plans submitted to the Indiana Gaming Commission.
Public playgrounds can reopen Friday, but festivals and parades ares still prohibited.
Read the full report here.
7:35 p.m. Officials report 625 new coronavirus cases, Illinois’ lowest daily count since late March
People line up as a health worker checks for fever at Union Medical Center in Chicago, Tuesday, May 12, 2020. Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo (file photo)
Health officials on Wednesday announced an additional 78 people have died of COVID-19 in Illinois and another 625 have tested positive statewide.
That’s the lowest number of new cases reported by the state in a single day since March 30, when the state reported 461 cases before the brunt of the pandemic gripped Illinois.
The latest figures from the Illinois Department of Public Health raise the state’s coronavirus death toll to 6,095, and the overall case tally since late January to 129,837.
The toll now officially includes 9-month-old Chicagoan Joseph Myles, who died in late March. Final autopsy results released by the Cook County medical examiner’s office attributed his death to COVID-19, a tragic rarity for infants thus far in the pandemic, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Read the full story by Mitchell Armentrout here.
6:54 p.m. Pre-flight health checklists are on the way for airline passengers
With travel slowly resuming as more states relax coronavirus restrictions, airlines are adding another health safety measure.
United Airlines and Alaska Airlines said this week that they will require passengers to fill out a preflight health checklist during check-in.
United’s new policy took effect Tuesday; Alaska’s begins June 30.
The checklists vary by airline. Alaska calls it a health and wellness agreement and says travelers must verify they haven’t had any COVID-19 symptoms in the past 72 hoursor come into contact with someone who is symptomatic.
Read the full report here.
5:41 p.m. Budget Committee OKs Lightfoot plan on how to spend $1.1 billion windfall from federal stimulus
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan for how to spend a $1.1 billion infusion of federal stimulus funds cleared a City Council committee Wednesday amid concern that not enough money was being set aside for housing, violence prevention or another spike in COVID-19 cases.
The plan advanced by the City Council’s Budget Committee after a marathon meeting would distribute the federal windfall to a string of pressing needs.
It includes: $376.7 million for O’Hare and Midway airports for operations and concession relief; $189.3 million for a “public health response” that includes contact tracing, lab testing and testing personnel; $39.6 million for homeless services; and $16.5 million for rental, mortgage and legal assistance for homeowners facing foreclosure.
Smaller amounts would go toward: violence prevention; workforce assistance; mental health and senior assistance ($10 million apiece); community health care infrastructure ($11 million); food assistance ($4.5 million); and broadband for students without internet access ($5 million).
Read the full story by City Hall reporter Fran Spielman here.
4 p.m. Northwestern students, faculty rally in support of campus service workers who lost their jobs due to the coronavirus
Northwestern University students and faculty rallied Wednesday in support of low-wage service workers who were laid off due to the coronavirus-related campus shutdown.
About 320 workers — most working in dining halls and in hospitality — lost their jobs in mid-March when Northwestern shut down and learning went online, rally organizers said. The workers earn an average of about $15 an hour.
The activists are calling for the workers to be compensated for the wages they’ve lost while campus has been on shutdown. They contend other universities, including the University of Chicago, have continued to pay subcontracted workers during the pandemic.
“Because of the low wages at this job, I didn’t have savings built up. After a few weeks of being laid off, I wasn’t even able to afford food,” Melvin Davis, a campus delivery driver, said in a statement. “I started getting food from a food pantry.”
Read the full story by Stefano Esposito here.
3:10 p.m. Chicago baby’s March death caused by COVID-19, investigation finds
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Wednesday that a Chicago infant’s death in March was caused by COVID-19 — marking a rare death of a baby from the deadly virus.
The medical examiner’s office said 9-month-old Joseph Myles died on March 23 at Mercy Hospital in Chicago as a result of viral pneumonia due to coronavirus NL-63 and COVID-19 infection. The death was ruled natural.
In first reporting the death on March 28, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he was “shaken.” And Illinois Public Health Department Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said there had never been a death associated with COVID-19 in an infant. She said a full death investigation was underway. Since then, however, other apparent cases of infants dying from COVID-19 have been reported in other states and parts of the world.
According to the medical examiners’ office, an autopsy found the infant’s lungs were congested, indicating an infection. Two swabs were taken on March 23 and 24 that revealed conflicting results. A first swab detected the virus, while a second didn’t.
Read the full story by Tina Sfondeles here.
1:32 p.m. Staff cuts loom as cultural institutions continue to suffer COVID-19 closures
Hoping to avoid the fate of several other major cash-strapped Chicago cultural institutions, workers at the Field Museum plan to rally Wednesday and demand museum management shoulder a greater portion of the financial burden to avoid layoffs.
“People are terrified. We don’t know who is going to still be around in a few days,” said Roger Tuan, a web developer at the Field and a co-organizer behind a petition seeking, among other things, a moratorium on job cuts.
Tuan said the staff have been told job cuts are coming, as well as pay cuts, possibly as soon as Friday. About half of the museum’s approximately 400 staff have signed the petition, Tuan said.
Museums across the city have been closed since mid-March as the coronavirus spread in Illinois. Both the Adler Planetarium and the Museum of Science and Industry have announced coronavirus-related layoffs in recent weeks.
Read the full story by Stefano Esposito here.
12:08 p.m. Pritzker signs ‘maintenance’ budget reliant on borrowing from feds to get through coronavirus crisis
Gov. J.B. Pritzker Wednesday signed a $42.9 billion “maintenance” budget that’s largely reliant on borrowing and the hope that the federal government will continue to help Illinois with COVID-19 assistance.
It’s a budget no one could have predicted, but one Democrats said would give the state a lifeline amid a world of uncertainty.
When Pritzker signed his first budget in June 2019, he called it a “new era of fiscal stability.” His plan even generated a $150 million surplus to help down the state’s bill backlog.
Then came 2020 — with 6,018 killed by the coronavirus, 1,361,036 unemployment claims processed by the state and businesses decimated by the deadly virus.
Read the full story by Tina Sfondeles here.
11:10 a.m. $5 million fund will help Chicagoans ineligible for federal stimulus help during pandemic
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday announced a $5 million cash assistance program for 300,000 Chicago residents excluded from receiving federal stimulus checks.
That includes undocumented residents and college students living in poverty and those who have been recently incarcerated, Lightfoot said, and she doesn’t want any of them to fall through the cracks.
Those Chicagoans will get $1,000 per eligible household, mayor said.
In Chicago, we will “always be a strong, welcoming community,” Lightfoot said. “Our diversity is our strength. We will never abandon our values.”
The federal CARES Act, while providing millions in assistance, “leaves behind thousands of residents,” many of whom are essential workers, Lightfoot said at a news conference.
Read the full story by City Hall reporter Fran Spielman here.
10:37 a.m. Senators call for investigation into Trump administration’s PPE sourcing
Three Senate Democrats are turning up the investigative heat on the Trump administration’s Project Air Bridge, which flew in — at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — high demand medical gloves, gowns and masks plus other supplies distributed by six for-profit companies, including the Northfield-based Medline Industries.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal and Charles Schumer asked the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee to conduct an independent investigation in a Monday letter.
The senators said in their letter, “Project Air Bridge—like the broader Trump Administration response to the pandemic—has been marked by delays, incompetence, confusion, and secrecy involving multiple Federal agencies and actors.” They are trying to determine “the precise role” played by President Donald Trump and his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner in Project Air Bridge.
An issue for the senators is finding out why Kushner went to his connections in the business world to create Project Air Bridge rather “than using procurement and logistics experts” within the federal government.
Taxpayers paid at least $91 million for the flights, and no one knows if the goods were in fact delivered to the areas with the most need.
Read the full report by Lynn Sweet here.
9:33 a.m. MLB players offer proposal that includes an 89-game season
Baseball players moved toward the owners’ position but remained far apart economically in their latest proposal for starting the pandemic-delayed season, adamant they receive full prorated salaries while offering to cut the regular season to 89 games.
The proposal by the players’ association, given to Major League Baseball electronically Tuesday evening without a negotiating session, was detailed to The Associated Press by a pair of people familiar with the negotiations. They spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcements were authorized.
MLB did not appear to view the proposal as productive but made no comment. MLB has said that absent an agreement it could go ahead with a shorter schedule of perhaps 50 games.
Players made their move one day after management cut its proposed schedule from 82 games to 76. The union proposed the regular season start July 10 and end Oct. 11 — the day before a possible Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Read the full story here.
8:29 a.m. 25th employee contracts COVID-19, 3 positive antibody test at Cook County Circuit Court Clerk’s office
Another employee at the Cook County Circuit Court clerk’s office has tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the overall total to 25 and three workers have received positive antibody test results.
The latest employee to test positive was assigned to the Criminal Department, located on the 10th floor of the Daley Center, 50 W. Washington St., and last reported for work more than two months ago, according to a statement from the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County. The employee is self-quarantining at home.
The Clerk’s Office’s Department of Facilities Management is conducting routine cleaning of the area where the employee worked, the clerk’s office said.
Notification is being sent to all employees regarding the employee that tested positive.
Read the full story here.
6:53 a.m. Masks on, buffets off as Illinois gambling regulators set guidelines for casinos to reopen
Gamblers might be allowed back around the craps tables at Illinois casinos this summer for their shot at rolling a lucky seven — as long as they stay six feet apart.
But blowing on the dice for good luck? No dice, in the age of COVID-19.
And forget the buffet line.
A week after casinos beckoned gamblers back through their doors on the Las Vegas strip — and a week before they do likewise across the border in Indiana — Illinois gambling regulators issued a set of guidelines Tuesday for casinos to resume operations after the coronavirus forced them to fold for nearly three months and counting.
The Illinois Gaming Board’s plan doesn’t say exactly when the state’s 10 casinos will get the green light. Instead, each has to submit a plan outlining how operators will deep-clean their facilities, outfit employees with protective equipment and keep gamblers safely distanced, among other hurdles to get regulatory approval to reopen.
But a few customary industry perks are off the board from the get-go, per the Gaming Board.
Read the full report by Mitchell Armentrout here.
New cases
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 797 newly confirmed cases of the disease Tuesday along with 95 more deaths attributed to it. The state has now surpassed 6,000 total deaths.
“Days of Our Lives” star Judi Evans has been diagnosed with COVID-19, and nearly lost her legs due to related blood clots, her publicist says.
Another employee at the Cook County Circuit Court clerk’s office has tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the overall total to 25, and three workers have received positive antibody test results.
Two more detainees and an employee at Cook County Juvenile detention center tested positive for COVID-19.
Federal health authorities have received reports of nearly 26,000 nursing home residents dying from COVID-19 across the country.
Analysis & Commentary
2:51 p.m. The NFL can guard against COVID-19 all it wants, but players still have to tackle each other
The NFL really has this pandemic thing figured out, doesn’t it?
The latest science-driven protocols will be in place when players return to team facilities in the coming weeks. Testing for COVID-19 will be a regular occurrence. Proper social distancing will be observed. Masks will be mandatory at team meetings. Locker rooms will be cleansed and disinfected so often you might mistake them for operating rooms.
We expect that from a league that prides itself on military-like precision.
But there’s one little thing that keeps tugging at the sleeve: Eventually, the players are going to have to touch each other. Touching is sort of a necessity when it comes to huddling and blocking and — this is a biggie — hitting, which is the whole point of football.
Touching goes against the concept of keeping 6 feet away from the person closest to you. Tackling sneers at social distancing and, further, would blow it up like a defenseless receiver if it could. And what’s gang tackling but a renunciation of everything we’ve learned about keeping the coronavirus at bay?
A football game is a buffet table of germs. This virus will be on the menu. There are too many people involved in the NFL for it not to be.
Read the full commentary from sports columnist Rick Morrissey here.
6:56 a.m. Senators call for independent probe of ‘Project Air Bridge’ and role of Medline, other companies
Three Senate Democrats are turning up the investigative heat on the Trump administration’s “Project Air Bridge,” which flew in — at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — high demand medical gloves, gowns and masks plus other supplies distributed by six for-profit companies, including the Northfield-based Medline Industries.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal and Charles Schumer asked the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee to conduct an independent investigation in a Monday letter.
The senators said in their letter, “Project Air Bridge—like the broader Trump Administration response to the pandemic—has been marked by delays, incompetence, confusion, and secrecy involving multiple Federal agencies and actors.” They are trying to determine “the precise role” played by President Donald Trump and his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner in Project Air Bridge.
An issue for the senators is finding out why Kushner went to his connections in the business world to create “Project Air Bridge” rather “than using procurement and logistics experts” within the federal government.
Taxpayers paid at least $91 million for the air flights and no one knows if the goods were in fact delivered to the areas with the most need.
Read the full column from Lynn Sweet here.


chicagosun-times--2020-06-10--Some things do matter after all

Some things do matter after all

We thought it was a fixed feature of our new era .
We thought that objective reality didn ’ t matter anymore , if it even existed at all .
We thought we were so entrapped by our information silos that nothing could penetrate .
What we ’ ve learned in the past two weeks is that we were wrong .
Reality reasserts itself .
Minds can change .
Just weeks ago , Black Lives Matter was regarded as a fringe movement , a response to a real problem perhaps , but a vastly exaggerated one .
Today , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the White House .
As Politico ’ s Tim Alberta reports , in 2014 , after Eric Garner was choked by police , only 33 % of Americans believed that blacks were more likely to be mistreated by police than others .
Only 26 % of whites thought so .
Today , 57 % of Americans , including 49 % of whites , believe police are more likely to use force against African Americans .
This week , the 2012 Republican nominee for president marched in solidarity with Black Lives Matter in Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president released a statement using the term “ systemic racism , ” which curled the toes of some right-wing commentators but comports with the views of more than 80 % of Americans .
An eyebrow-raising 29 % of Republicans say President Donald Trump has “ mostly increased ” racial tensions , along with 92 % of Democrats and 73 % of independents .
The conservative Drudge Report website , once a redoubt of Trump enthusiasm , hawked “ Justice for George Floyd ” T-shirts .
After the president tweeted , “ When the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Trump ’ s approval rating among independents dropped 10 points , from 40 to 30 % .
His handling of the Floyd murder aftermath has cost him even among Republicans , 83 % of whom rated him favorably in May , compared with 90 % in April .
White evangelical Christians , the constituency that inspired Trump ’ s Bible semaphore in front of St. John ’ s Church , have also soured a bit on the “ law and order ” president .
In May , 62 % rated him favorably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The country is executing a dramatic turn on questions of racial justice .
That vile video of depraved police suffocating a handcuffed man has penetrated our armor-plated opinion silos .
Coming after other high-profile outrages , it has ignited a movement .
And while some have allowed the moment to overwhelm their judgment , calling for example , not just to reform the police but to “ defund ” the police ( which will not happen ) , it will be interesting to see where this leaves the Republican Party .
Have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Amanda Chase , the first announced Republican candidate for Virginia governor in 2021 .
“ Help me save the Robert E. Lee statue !
” she pleads .
That ’ s what the Republican Party of Virginia now stands for ?
One extremist does not a party define .
True enough .
But the Republican Party of Virginia previously nominated Corey Stewart for a U.S. Senate seat .
He defended the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville , and had previously made a name for himself by defending Confederate monuments , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he put it , which is odd because Stewart grew up in Minnesota , the first state to send volunteers to quell the rebellion in 1861 .
The Republican Party of Alabama nominated Roy Moore for the U.S. Senate .
Aside from his predation on young teenage girls , Moore was an enthusiastic “ birther.
” The Republican Party of Oregon has nominated Jo Rae Perkins , a promoter of the QAnon conspiracy , for the U.S. Senate .
The list goes on and on .
The alt-right and the nutty right have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only occasional pushback , as when the Republican caucus denied committee assignments to defeated Iowa Rep. Steve ( “ When did white supremacist become offensive ?
” ) King .
The party of Lincoln has assented to the pardon of Joe Arpaio .
It found nothing much to say about the smearing of Mexicans as drug dealers and rapists .
When the president said an Indiana-born judge could not be fair because his parents were from Mexico , one prominent Republican , Paul Ryan , called that “ classic racism.
” He ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told four darker-skinned members of Congress to “ go back where you came from , ” ( three were born here ) , the Republican Party had nothing .
Most Republicans are not extremists or conspiracists or racists , but they look at their shoes and kick the dirt when those elements succeed in their party .
Now the country is reevaluating questions of policing and race , finding previously elusive agreement on the need for reform , and exposing just how lost the Republican Party has become .
Mona Charen is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Policy Center .

We thought it was a fixed feature of our new era. We thought that objective reality didn’t matter anymore, if it even existed at all. We thought we were so entrapped by our information silos that nothing could penetrate.
“LOL. Nothing matters” ran the Twitter meme.
What we’ve learned in the past two weeks is that we were wrong. Reality reasserts itself. Minds can change.
Untitled COLUMNIST
Just weeks ago, Black Lives Matter was regarded as a fringe movement, a response to a real problem perhaps, but a vastly exaggerated one. Today, the slogan emblazons 16th Street in front of the White House.
As Politico’s Tim Alberta reports, in 2014, after Eric Garner was choked by police, only 33% of Americans believed that blacks were more likely to be mistreated by police than others. Only 26% of whites thought so. Today, 57% of Americans, including 49% of whites, believe police are more likely to use force against African Americans.
This week, the 2012 Republican nominee for president marched in solidarity with Black Lives Matter in Washington, D.C. The last two-term Republican president released a statement using the term “systemic racism,” which curled the toes of some right-wing commentators but comports with the views of more than 80% of Americans.
An eyebrow-raising 29% of Republicans say President Donald Trump has “mostly increased” racial tensions, along with 92% of Democrats and 73% of independents. The conservative Drudge Report website, once a redoubt of Trump enthusiasm, hawked “Justice for George Floyd” T-shirts.
After the president tweeted, “When the looting starts, the shooting starts,” Trump’s approval rating among independents dropped 10 points, from 40 to 30%. His handling of the Floyd murder aftermath has cost him even among Republicans, 83% of whom rated him favorably in May, compared with 90% in April.
White evangelical Christians, the constituency that inspired Trump’s Bible semaphore in front of St. John’s Church, have also soured a bit on the “law and order” president. In May, 62% rated him favorably, down from 77% in April.
The country is executing a dramatic turn on questions of racial justice. That vile video of depraved police suffocating a handcuffed man has penetrated our armor-plated opinion silos. Coming after other high-profile outrages, it has ignited a movement. And while some have allowed the moment to overwhelm their judgment, calling for example, not just to reform the police but to “defund” the police (which will not happen), it will be interesting to see where this leaves the Republican Party.
Have a look at this email I received from Amanda Chase, the first announced Republican candidate for Virginia governor in 2021. “Help me save the Robert E. Lee statue!” she pleads. That’s what the Republican Party of Virginia now stands for?
One extremist does not a party define. True enough. But the Republican Party of Virginia previously nominated Corey Stewart for a U.S. Senate seat. He defended the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, and had previously made a name for himself by defending Confederate monuments, or “taking back our heritage” as he put it, which is odd because Stewart grew up in Minnesota, the first state to send volunteers to quell the rebellion in 1861.
The Republican Party of Alabama nominated Roy Moore for the U.S. Senate. Aside from his predation on young teenage girls, Moore was an enthusiastic “birther.” The Republican Party of Oregon has nominated Jo Rae Perkins, a promoter of the QAnon conspiracy, for the U.S. Senate.
The list goes on and on. The alt-right and the nutty right have made inroads into the Republican Party with only occasional pushback, as when the Republican caucus denied committee assignments to defeated Iowa Rep. Steve (“When did white supremacist become offensive?”) King.
The party of Lincoln has assented to the pardon of Joe Arpaio. It found nothing much to say about the smearing of Mexicans as drug dealers and rapists.
When the president said an Indiana-born judge could not be fair because his parents were from Mexico, one prominent Republican, Paul Ryan, called that “classic racism.” He’s gone now. When the president told four darker-skinned members of Congress to “go back where you came from,” (three were born here), the Republican Party had nothing.
Most Republicans are not extremists or conspiracists or racists, but they look at their shoes and kick the dirt when those elements succeed in their party. Now the country is reevaluating questions of policing and race, finding previously elusive agreement on the need for reform, and exposing just how lost the Republican Party has become.
Mona Charen is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com.


chicagosun-times--2020-06-10--I am not okay, and you shouldn’t be either

I am not okay .
He casually rested his hand on his leg .
Seemingly without a concern in the world , Derek Chauvin casually rested his left hand on his leg as he kept his knee firmly on George Floyd ’ s neck , while on camera , in broad daylight .
It made me regret watching the whole video , but once I started , I could not look away .
It gutted me , a mom of two , to hear a 46-year-old man pleading for his mother — and for his life .
And not one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one .
The casual disregard for Mr. Floyd ’ s life disgusted me .
I am not okay , and you shouldn ’ t be either .
To add insult to injury , this all happened under the color of law at the hands of those charged with the supreme responsibility of protecting our most vulnerable .
As Cook County state ’ s attorney and as a black woman , I am heartbroken — my heart aches each and every time this happens .
As a child of Chicago — and a child @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heart also broke when I saw our communities further damaged in the days that followed .
But there is a gravely important mistake we must not make and must not allow others to make : we can not compare the casual destruction of George Floyd to the opportunistic destruction of buildings , cars and streets at the hands of those who want to hijack this moment for their own selfish motivations .
It is all too convenient to focus on the looters and not on the voices of protesters .
So I challenge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more discerning .
For those who are inclined to think the anger , rage and heartache echoing through our streets right now is solely because of George Floyd ’ s murder , I can only assume that you ’ ve chosen to look away from what got us here .
If you really listen , you are forced to acknowledge that this goes far beyond George Floyd ’ s death .
This is about the longstanding casual disregard for black lives in our country .
It is intentional and structural .
We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 pandemic as black people succumb to the disease at much higher rate , illuminating the underlying health conditions and health disparities that are rooted in systemic bias and lack of access to healthcare .
Yet many look away .
We ’ ve seen it as black people face the pandemic as frontline workers at much higher numbers , make less money or , worse , are more likely to lose their jobs .
Yet many look away .
We ’ ve seen it in the historical disinvestment in our black neighborhoods here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rooted in the discriminatory practice of redlining .
Yet many look away .
We can not face this moment without reckoning with the systemic racism that got us here .
I ’ ve even seen it in my role as Cook County state ’ s attorney — the first black woman to hold the office — implementing progressive reforms rooted in my lived experience as the product of a hardworking single mother , as a survivor of childhood sexual assault myself and as someone who knows what it ’ s like to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ convictions in more than 80 cases , decreased homicides and shootings by nearly 40 percent , launched an initiative to expunge more than 700,000 marijuana-related convictions and begun reforming our bail system to ensure that wealth is not a determinant of whether or not you spend time in jail , I am held to a different standard than my white peers .
This heightened standard is often rooted in the casual expectation of black exceptionalism — the same exceptionalism that did not spare a black bird watcher in Central Park from harassment .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep looking away , and it should not take the constant killing of black men and women to reckon with the systemic nature of what has long been wrong with our country .
To those who choose to stand in defense of black lives as allies , I thank you .
But I also urge you to keep your ears open , to continue to learn so that you are guided by the voices of those directly impacted by this unjust system and not misguided by privilege .
While I will hold accountable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and loot our great city , we must cleave to the rallying cries of protesters who vastly outnumber those who wish to cause harm .
And we must bravely face what got us here — the casual disregard for black lives .
For example , there has been a lot of talk about looting last week , but the decades-long disinvestment is its own form of looting , one far more difficult to fix than restocking some store shelves and calling the problem solved .
For those taking to the streets in earnest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the streets begin to clear , do not stand with your hands in your pockets .
Strengthen your resolve and look even closer at the systemic injustice and continued trauma that plagues black communities in our country .
We can not afford to look away again .
I depend on it , my husband depends on it , my children depend on it , and our country depends on it .

I am not okay. He casually rested his hand on his leg.
Seemingly without a concern in the world, Derek Chauvin casually rested his left hand on his leg as he kept his knee firmly on George Floyd’s neck, while on camera, in broad daylight.
It made me regret watching the whole video, but once I started, I could not look away. It gutted me, a mom of four, to hear a 46-year-old man pleading for his mother — and for his life. And not one of the other officers moved — not one. The casual disregard for Mr. Floyd’s life disgusted me.
I am not okay, and you shouldn’t be either.
Opinion bug Opinion
To add insult to injury, this all happened under the color of law at the hands of those charged with the supreme responsibility of protecting our most vulnerable. As Cook County state’s attorney and as a black woman, I am heartbroken — my heart aches each and every time this happens.
As a child of Chicago — and a child of the Cabrini-Green housing projects — my heart also broke when I saw our communities further damaged in the days that followed.
But there is a gravely important mistake we must not make and must not allow others to make: we cannot compare the casual destruction of George Floyd to the opportunistic destruction of buildings, cars and streets at the hands of those who want to hijack this moment for their own selfish motivations.
It is all too convenient to focus on the looters and not on the voices of protesters. So I challenge you to listen harder, to be more discerning.
For those who are inclined to think the anger, rage and heartache echoing through our streets right now is solely because of George Floyd’s murder, I can only assume that you’ve chosen to look away from what got us here. If you really listen, you are forced to acknowledge that this goes far beyond George Floyd’s death. This is about the longstanding casual disregard for black lives in our country.
It is intentional and structural.
We’ve seen it play out in the COVID-19 pandemic as black people succumb to the disease at much higher rate, illuminating the underlying health conditions and health disparities that are rooted in systemic bias and lack of access to healthcare. Yet many look away.
We’ve seen it as black people face the pandemic as frontline workers at much higher numbers, make less money or, worse, are more likely to lose their jobs. Yet many look away.
We’ve seen it in the historical disinvestment in our black neighborhoods here in Chicago and around the country, rooted in the discriminatory practice of redlining. Yet many look away.
We cannot face this moment without reckoning with the systemic racism that got us here.
I’ve even seen it in my role as Cook County state’s attorney — the first black woman to hold the office — implementing progressive reforms rooted in my lived experience as the product of a hardworking single mother, as a survivor of childhood sexual assault myself and as someone who knows what it’s like to be homeless.
Though my office has overturned convictions in more than 80 cases, decreased homicides and shootings by nearly 40 percent, launched an initiative to expunge more than 700,000 marijuana-related convictions and begun reforming our bail system to ensure that wealth is not a determinant of whether or not you spend time in jail, I am held to a different standard than my white peers.
This heightened standard is often rooted in the casual expectation of black exceptionalism — the same exceptionalism that did not spare a black bird watcher in Central Park from harassment.
We cannot afford for you to keep looking away, and it should not take the constant killing of black men and women to reckon with the systemic nature of what has long been wrong with our country.
To those who choose to stand in defense of black lives as allies, I thank you. But I also urge you to keep your ears open, to continue to learn so that you are guided by the voices of those directly impacted by this unjust system and not misguided by privilege.
While I will hold accountable those who show up under false pretenses and loot our great city, we must cleave to the rallying cries of protesters who vastly outnumber those who wish to cause harm. And we must bravely face what got us here — the casual disregard for black lives. For example, there has been a lot of talk about looting last week, but the decades-long disinvestment is its own form of looting, one far more difficult to fix than restocking some store shelves and calling the problem solved.
For those taking to the streets in earnest protest, I urge you — when the streets begin to clear, do not stand with your hands in your pockets. Strengthen your resolve and look even closer at the systemic injustice and continued trauma that plagues black communities in our country. We cannot afford to look away again.
I depend on it, my husband depends on it, my children depend on it, and our country depends on it.
Kim Foxx was elected Cook County state’s attorney in 2016.
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com.


chicagosun-times--2020-06-10--Just Eat swallows Grubhub creating restaurant delivery giant

Just Eat Takeaway.com is acquiring Grubhub in a $ 7.3 billion deal that will create one of the world ’ s largest restaurant delivery companies .
Amsterdam-based Just Eat Takeaway.com and Chicago-based Grubhub announced the merger late Wednesday .
Earlier in the day Just Eat Takeaway.com confirmed the two companies were in talks .
The companies say the deal would preserve Grubhub ’ s Chicago headquarters .
The two processed 593 million restaurant orders in 2019 and have about 70 million users worldwide .
Just Eat Takeaway.com said it will acquire 100 % of Grubhub ’ s shares at an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Grubhub shareholders will receive depository receipts representing a portion of shares in the new company .
The deal snatches Grubhub away from ride-hailing giant Uber , which was also in talks to merge with Grubhub , according to published reports .
That deal would have given the companies control over a majority of the U.S. food delivery business .
Matt Maloney , Grubhub ’ s founder and CEO , will join Just Eat Takeaway.com ’ s board and will lead the company ’ s North American business , the companies said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restaurant delivery services in Europe , New Zealand , Canada , Mexico and Brazil .
Grubhub operates in 4,000 U.S. cities .

Two pioneers in restaurant delivery — Just Eat Takeaway.com and Grubhub — are combining in a $7.3 billion deal that will create one of the world’s largest delivery companies.
Amsterdam-based Just Eat Takeaway.com said late Wednesday that it was acquiring Chicago-based Grubhub, snatching it away from ride-hailing giant Uber, which had been reportedly seeking to team Grubhub with its Uber Eats business.
The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021. The combined company will be headquartered in Amsterdam, with its U.S. headquarters in Chicago.
Just Eat Takeaway.com and Grubhub processed 593 million restaurant orders in 2019 and have about 70 million users worldwide. Combined, they will be the largest restaurant delivery company outside China.
Just Eat Takeaway.com said it will acquire 100% of Grubhub’s shares at an implied value of $75.15 per share. Grubhub shareholders will receive depository receipts representing a portion of shares in the new company.
Grubhub shares closed at $59.05 Wednesday.
If Uber had succeeded in buying Grubhub, it would have given the companies control over a majority of the U.S. food delivery business but could have run into snags with regulators. Just Eat Takeaway.com doesn’t operate in the U.S.
“Like ridesharing, the food delivery industry will need consolidation in order to reach its full potential for consumers and restaurants. That doesn’t mean we are interested in doing any deal, at any price, with any player,” Uber said in a statement.
Matt Maloney, Grubhub’s founder and CEO, will join Just Eat Takeaway.com’s board and will lead the company’s North American business, the companies said. The merger will let the companies share technology and marketing costs and provide the broadest range of services to restaurants and consumers, the companies said.
Takeaway.com and Grubhub, both founded in the early 2000s, were some of the earliest entries in the sector. But they’ve been joined by a host of others, including Uber Eats, DoorDash, Deliveroo and Postmates.
Customers jump freely between the services, which makes it difficult to deliver stable sales. Aggressive discounting and heavy marketing costs to win new users have also taken a toll on profits, and restaurants have been pushing for lower fees.
As a result, consolidation has been a constant in the industry. Grubhub acquired Seamless in 2013, while DoorDash bought the upscale service Caviar last year.
In January, Takeaway.com bought its British rival Just Eat for $7.8 billion. Combined, those companies have 48 million active users and reported revenue of $1.7 billion in 2019. Grubhub has 23 million active users and reported revenue of $1.3 billion.
The coronavirus pandemic has boosted sales for both Just Eat Takeaway.com and Grubhub, with restaurants shuttered, more people staying home and ordering takeout food. Grubhub’s orders grew 28% over the prior year in April and May, while Just Eat Takeaway.com’s orders grew 41%.
Just Eat Takeaway.com provides deliveries in Europe, Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico and Brazil.
Grubhub operates in 4,000 U.S. cities. It holds around 30% of the U.S. food delivery market, according to Second Measure, a data analysis company. That’s less than the 37% controlled by DoorDash, but more than Uber Eats’ 20% share. Grubhub is the leader in key markets like New York, Boston and Chicago.
Despite winning new customers, Grubhub struggled to remain profitable as competition heated up. The company reported a net loss of $18.6 million in 2019. In the first quarter of this year, Grubhub’s revenue rose 12% to $363 million, but it reported a net loss of $33.4 million.
___
AP Business Writer Cathy Bussewitz contributed to this report.


chicagosun-times--2020-06-11--Man arrested after being caught breaking into school in Grand Crossing, charges pending

A man was arrested Thursday after he was caught breaking into a school in Grand Crossing on the South Side @ @ @ @ @ responding to a burglar alarm at a school in the 7800 block of South Ellis @ @ @ @ @ employee who saw security footage of a man trying to unscrew a camera in the @ @ @ @ @ said .
Officers went into the school and saw the man in the office , @ @ @ @ @ out of a window onto the roof and then down to the ground , police @ @ @ @ @ foot chase , he was taken into custody in the 800 block of East 78th @ @ @ @ @ injured in the chase , police said .
Charges are pending .

A man was arrested Thursday after he was caught breaking into a school in Grand Crossing on the South Side.
About 2:15 a.m. officers responding to a burglar alarm at a school in the 7800 block of South Ellis Avenue, met with an employee who saw security footage of a man trying to unscrew a camera in the main office, Chicago police said.
Officers went into the school and saw the man in the office, at which time he jumped out of a window onto the roof and then down to the ground, police said. After a brief foot chase, he was taken into custody in the 800 block of East 78th Street.
No one was injured in the chase, police said. Charges are pending.


chicagosun-times--2020-06-11--Dear Abby: I’m stressed because husband leaves most of the housework to me

DEAR ABBY : I have been married for seven years and have two beautiful children .
My husband and I both work full-time , yet I do almost all of the household chores .
I have asked him repeatedly to help ease my workload and stress by dividing the chores more equitably , but my requests are met minimally and temporarily .
This has caused arguments , tension and resentment .
He says , “ You and I value different things , ” or , “ This isn ’ t what I want to focus on at home , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high and have negatively impacted your relationship with our kids.
” I do ask our kids to clean up routinely because I want them to be active members of this household , and this is how I was raised .
It ’ s putting a strain on my marriage and affecting my feelings toward my husband .
Do I need to let this go ?
Or are my priorities misplaced ?
— OUT OF BALANCE IN RHODE ISLAND DEAR OUT OF BALANCE : From your husband ’ s perspective , why should he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he can jawbone you into doing the lion ’ s share ?
Perhaps you should offer him a choice — participate more or someone will have to be hired to take some of the burden off your shoulders .
As to your children , please stick to your guns .
It is important they master basic housekeeping skills so that when they become adults , they will be able to take care of themselves .
Few children relish the idea of doing housework , but many of them do it anyway as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ABBY : I was happily married to the same woman for 51 years .
“ Jane ” was married 42 years to the same man .
We were both widowed .
We hooked up and were enjoying our time together , but after about three years it all changed .
Do you believe in split personalities , the Jekyll and Hyde thing ?
Jane started falsely accusing me of having affairs with other women .
The last two women she accused me of being involved with I don ’ t even know .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
One day she ’ s fine ; the next day she is accusing me .
Jane doesn ’ t like vulgar language , and normally she doesn ’ t use it .
But when she ’ s accusing me of communicating with these women , she uses words that would make a sailor blush !
A researcher ’ s first guess was the early stages of Alzheimer ’ s .
I know she is paranoid , but why ?
— HATES THE CHANGE IN NORTH CAROLINA DEAR HATES : A personality change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a symptom of Alzheimer ’ s disease , but it can also be caused by small strokes and other dementias .
Jane ’ s paranoia could also be a symptom of a physical illness .
If she has family , it is very important that you inform them about what ’ s happening so they — and you — can encourage her to be evaluated physically and neurologically .
If you do , it might save not only her life but also your sanity .
DEAR ABBY : When I was 21 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s better to be loved than to be right.
” Fifty years later , I ’ m still trying to follow that advice because it ’ s so true .
Sometimes it is very hard to practice , but I will never forget those words .
— KEN IN SHERMAN OAKS , CALIF. DEAR KEN : Anything that encourages folks to get along better is good advice in my book .
People sometimes place too much importance on trying to be right .
Now , allow me to share an adage with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ I never learned anything while I was talking.
” 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 .
Good advice for everyone — teens to seniors — is in “ The Anger in All of Us and How to Deal With It.
” To order , send your name and mailing address , plus check or money order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to : Dear Abby , Anger Booklet , P.O .
Box 447 , Mount Morris , IL 61054-0447 .
( Shipping and handling are included in the price . )

DEAR ABBY: I have been married for seven years and have two beautiful children. My husband and I both work full-time, yet I do almost all of the household chores. I have asked him repeatedly to help ease my workload and stress by dividing the chores more equitably, but my requests are met minimally and temporarily. This has caused arguments, tension and resentment.
He says, “You and I value different things,” or, “This isn’t what I want to focus on at home,” or, “Your standards are too high and have negatively impacted your relationship with our kids.” I do ask our kids to clean up routinely because I want them to be active members of this household, and this is how I was raised.
It’s putting a strain on my marriage and affecting my feelings toward my husband. Do I need to let this go? Or are my priorities misplaced? — OUT OF BALANCE IN RHODE ISLAND
DEAR OUT OF BALANCE: From your husband’s perspective, why should he have to help with the housework if he can jawbone you into doing the lion’s share? Perhaps you should offer him a choice — participate more or someone will have to be hired to take some of the burden off your shoulders.
As to your children, please stick to your guns. It is important they master basic housekeeping skills so that when they become adults, they will be able to take care of themselves. Few children relish the idea of doing housework, but many of them do it anyway as a way to earn an allowance.
DEAR ABBY: I was happily married to the same woman for 51 years. “Jane” was married 42 years to the same man. We were both widowed. We hooked up and were enjoying our time together, but after about three years it all changed.
Do you believe in split personalities, the Jekyll and Hyde thing? Jane started falsely accusing me of having affairs with other women. The last two women she accused me of being involved with I don’t even know. The accusations have been coming more frequently. One day she’s fine; the next day she is accusing me.
Jane doesn’t like vulgar language, and normally she doesn’t use it. But when she’s accusing me of communicating with these women, she uses words that would make a sailor blush! A researcher’s first guess was the early stages of Alzheimer’s. I know she is paranoid, but why? — HATES THE CHANGE IN NORTH CAROLINA
DEAR HATES: A personality change such as you have described can be a symptom of Alzheimer’s disease, but it can also be caused by small strokes and other dementias. Jane’s paranoia could also be a symptom of a physical illness. If she has family, it is very important that you inform them about what’s happening so they — and you — can encourage her to be evaluated physically and neurologically. If you do, it might save not only her life but also your sanity.
DEAR ABBY: When I was 21, my grandparents told me, “It’s better to be loved than to be right.” Fifty years later, I’m still trying to follow that advice because it’s so true. Sometimes it is very hard to practice, but I will never forget those words. — KEN IN SHERMAN OAKS, CALIF.
DEAR KEN: Anything that encourages folks to get along better is good advice in my book. People sometimes place too much importance on trying to be right. Now, allow me to share an adage with you that I learned from MY grandfather: “I never learned anything while I was talking.”
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.
Good advice for everyone — teens to seniors — is in “The Anger in All of Us and How to Deal With It.” To order, send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds), to: Dear Abby, Anger Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)