chicagosun-times--2020-09-10--Public health should come first in setting prison policy

In response to the Sept. 8 Chicago Sun Times editorial , the John Howard Association , an independent prison watch dog organization , believes the focus of where people who are in county jails and have been sentenced to state custody are housed should be on the health of all impacted people , not on the politics that exist between layers of government in Illinois .
JHA urges local and state leaders to put public health first , and consider that : 1 .
To accept new people into Illinois Department of Corrections custody and protect the population of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the prisons , testing and quarantine protocols were created in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Public Health .
2 .
The transfer protocols established jointly by IDPH and IDOC are designed to protect the safety of the many thousands of people in Illinois prisons .
If local officials can not comply with these protocols due to lack of resources or staff , this is an issue that should be addressed and remedied at both the local and state levels .
Reducing exposure to the virus for the greatest number of people requires @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people are sent to IDOC custody .
3 .
The IDOC Northern Reception and Classification Center , which is the facility the majority of people entering IDOC custody enter the system through , is not designed to have people stay for more than a few weeks .
Most of these people are subjected to conditions analogous to disciplinary segregation , although they have not violated any IDOC rule .
Bringing more people into this facility without use of rigorous testing and quarantine measures will increase the prevalence of the virus at NRC and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conditions even worse .
4 .
Information on county detention facility overcrowding is not readily available to the public ( according to the Jail and Detention Standards Unit of IDOC , charged with inspecting Illinois county detention centers and jails , population information is to be sent to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority on an annual basis , the last published information includes population data from 2016 .
Available information indicates that jail overcrowding is not an issue in most counties .
Where jails are overcrowded or lack the capacity to properly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assistance should be provided by IDOC to make sure that people are housed and admitted using public health protocols to achieve the safest possible outcomes .
5 .
While sheriffs may not be able to release people in their custody who have been sentenced to IDOC , sheriffs should work with local law enforcement and system actors to make sure that secure detention is used only when truly needed , in the case of a serious risk to public safety or flight .
6 .
Bringing people who have completed their prison sentences @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a waste of resources that has unfortunately been the norm for many years .
This must stop .
It was our understanding that IDOC had begun sending staff to county jails to reduce the cost of this process by not transferring people solely for this purpose .
If this is not happening , it should be .
I can not believe the gall of Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr .
Since when is the Department of Justice Trump ’ s personal legal staff ?
And why should the citizens of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cost of Trump ’ s misdeeds ?
There is zero integrity left in Trump ’ s cabinet and the Republican Party .
Anyone who still supports this man has no conscience .

In response to the Sept. 8 Chicago Sun Times editorial, the John Howard Association, an independent prison watch dog organization, believes the focus of where people who are in county jails and have been sentenced to state custody are housed should be on the health of all impacted people, not on the politics that exist between layers of government in Illinois.
SEND LETTERS TO: letters@suntimes.com. Please include your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes.
JHA urges local and state leaders to put public health first, and consider that:
1. To accept new people into Illinois Department of Corrections custody and protect the population of people who are incarcerated and who work inside the prisons, testing and quarantine protocols were created in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Public Health.
2. The transfer protocols established jointly by IDPH and IDOC are designed to protect the safety of the many thousands of people in Illinois prisons. If local officials cannot comply with these protocols due to lack of resources or staff, this is an issue that should be addressed and remedied at both the local and state levels. Reducing exposure to the virus for the greatest number of people requires increased testing and use of quarantine before people are sent to IDOC custody.
3. The IDOC Northern Reception and Classification Center, which is the facility the majority of people entering IDOC custody enter the system through, is not designed to have people stay for more than a few weeks. Most of these people are subjected to conditions analogous to disciplinary segregation, although they have not violated any IDOC rule. Bringing more people into this facility without use of rigorous testing and quarantine measures will increase the prevalence of the virus at NRC and make terrible living conditions and challenging work conditions even worse.
4. Information on county detention facility overcrowding is not readily available to the public (according to the Jail and Detention Standards Unit of IDOC, charged with inspecting Illinois county detention centers and jails, population information is to be sent to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority on an annual basis, the last published information includes population data from 2016. Available information indicates that jail overcrowding is not an issue in most counties. Where jails are overcrowded or lack the capacity to properly isolate or quarantine people, collaboration and assistance should be provided by IDOC to make sure that people are housed and admitted using public health protocols to achieve the safest possible outcomes.
5. While sheriffs may not be able to release people in their custody who have been sentenced to IDOC, sheriffs should work with local law enforcement and system actors to make sure that secure detention is used only when truly needed, in the case of a serious risk to public safety or flight.
6. Bringing people who have completed their prison sentences into an IDOC facility for processing is a waste of resources that has unfortunately been the norm for many years. This must stop. It was our understanding that IDOC had begun sending staff to county jails to reduce the cost of this process by not transferring people solely for this purpose. If this is not happening, it should be.
Jennifer Vollen-Katz, executive director, John Howard Association
Zero integrity
I cannot believe the gall of Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr. Since when is the Department of Justice Trump’s personal legal staff? And why should the citizens of the United States be on the hook for the cost of Trump’s misdeeds?
There is zero integrity left in Trump’s cabinet and the Republican Party. Anyone who still supports this man has no conscience.
Regina Gomory, Crystal Lake


chicagosun-times--2020-09-11--Dear Abby: One ex mad that I contacted her, the other sad that I didn’t

DEAR ABBY : What is acceptable after a breakup occurs ?
Several years ago , I reached out to an ex-girlfriend .
We had dated for six months , but she broke up with me to take a job in another state .
A year later , I heard through mutual friends that she had recently moved back .
I didn ’ t call or text , but I did send an email asking how she was doing and if she ’ d like to talk .
She completely freaked out !
She threatened to get a restraining order and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I had been stalking her for a year .
From that experience I learned never to contact an ex-girlfriend if they initiate the breakup .
Fast-forward : I recently ran into another ex-girlfriend who initiated the breakup .
She told me that for an entire year after that breakup she hoped I would call her and , when I didn ’ t , it proved I had never loved her .
Abby , I feel like I can ’ t win .
It ’ s similar to how some women say they won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unless they ask first , and others say if a guy asks , he ’ s a wimp and they would refuse .
As a man , I feel like I ’ m in an impossible position .
No matter what I do , half the women on the planet will either view it as too aggressive or too passive .
Help !
— CONFOUNDED IN OREGON DEAR CONFOUNDED : Welcome to reality .
Accept that no matter what you do , you can ’ t please everyone .
If the only contact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ONE email after her return to your city , then she was either grandstanding to get attention or it was a symptom of emotional instability .
As to your second ex , men with self-esteem rarely call back after being rejected because once is enough .
Please don ’ t let those two “ dolls ” sour you on all women .
As you know , the # MeToo movement has highlighted the importance of consent .
Asking a woman before you make a move is always prudent .
DEAR ABBY : I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
My husband doesn ’ t eat sweets , but we have a friend who insists on dropping off trays of dozens of cupcakes , candies , cookies , etc .
I appreciate the time , money and effort , but I ’ m finally on an eating program that ’ s working for me .
I told her ( nicely ) that while I appreciate her gesture , I can ’ t be trusted alone with such goodies , so please share them with folks who have better self-control .
Well !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to lose her number .
To say the least , I was shocked .
Abby , I was as gentle and appreciative as could be .
I explained that I have a problem and I ’ m the only one here who indulges in such foods .
Was I wrong ?
What gives ?
I would donate them , but since I have a problem with sweets , I prefer not to have them in my house .
— SWEET LOVE/HATE IN NEW JERSEY DEAR SWEET : You did nothing wrong ; you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ woman is not only not a friend , but she is also someone who cares nothing about your health and well-being .
She is a “ saboteur ” with a vested interest in keeping you heavy .
I admire your determination to take a stand on behalf of your eating program and your health .
It took courage , and I applaud you for doing it .
Sadly , too many people are afraid to do what you did .
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren , also known as Jeanne @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mother , Pauline Phillips .
Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O .
Box 69440 , Los Angeles , CA 90069 .
Abby shares more than 100 of her favorite recipes in two booklets : “ Abby ’ s Favorite Recipes ” and “ More Favorite Recipes by Dear Abby.
” Send your name and mailing address , plus check or money order for $ 16 ( U.S. funds ) , to : Dear Abby , Cookbooklet Set , P.O .
Box 447 , Mount Morris , IL 61054-0447 .
( Shipping and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ )

DEAR ABBY: What is acceptable after a breakup occurs? Several years ago, I reached out to an ex-girlfriend. We had dated for six months, but she broke up with me to take a job in another state. A year later, I heard through mutual friends that she had recently moved back. I didn’t call or text, but I did send an email asking how she was doing and if she’d like to talk.
She completely freaked out! She threatened to get a restraining order and told many of our mutual friends that I had been stalking her for a year. From that experience I learned never to contact an ex-girlfriend if they initiate the breakup.
Fast-forward: I recently ran into another ex-girlfriend who initiated the breakup. She told me that for an entire year after that breakup she hoped I would call her and, when I didn’t, it proved I had never loved her.
Abby, I feel like I can’t win. It’s similar to how some women say they won’t let a guy kiss them unless they ask first, and others say if a guy asks, he’s a wimp and they would refuse. As a man, I feel like I’m in an impossible position. No matter what I do, half the women on the planet will either view it as too aggressive or too passive. Help! — CONFOUNDED IN OREGON
DEAR CONFOUNDED: Welcome to reality. Accept that no matter what you do, you can’t please everyone. If the only contact you had with that first ex-girlfriend was ONE email after her return to your city, then she was either grandstanding to get attention or it was a symptom of emotional instability. As to your second ex, men with self-esteem rarely call back after being rejected because once is enough.
Please don’t let those two “dolls” sour you on all women. As you know, the #MeToo movement has highlighted the importance of consent. Asking a woman before you make a move is always prudent.
DEAR ABBY: I have struggled with my weight for years. My husband doesn’t eat sweets, but we have a friend who insists on dropping off trays of dozens of cupcakes, candies, cookies, etc. I appreciate the time, money and effort, but I’m finally on an eating program that’s working for me. I told her (nicely) that while I appreciate her gesture, I can’t be trusted alone with such goodies, so please share them with folks who have better self-control. Well! She swore at me and told me to lose her number.
To say the least, I was shocked. Abby, I was as gentle and appreciative as could be. I explained that I have a problem and I’m the only one here who indulges in such foods. Was I wrong? What gives? I would donate them, but since I have a problem with sweets, I prefer not to have them in my house. — SWEET LOVE/HATE IN NEW JERSEY
DEAR SWEET: You did nothing wrong; you did yourself an important favor. That woman is not only not a friend, but she is also someone who cares nothing about your health and well-being. She is a “saboteur” with a vested interest in keeping you heavy.
I admire your determination to take a stand on behalf of your eating program and your health. It took courage, and I applaud you for doing it. Sadly, too many people are afraid to do what you did.
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.
Abby shares more than 100 of her favorite recipes in two booklets: “Abby’s Favorite Recipes” and “More Favorite Recipes by Dear Abby.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $16 (U.S. funds), to: Dear Abby, Cookbooklet Set, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)


chicagosun-times--2020-09-11--2 Cook County judges, indicted Ald. Ed Burke, 3 retired judges partnered in investment club

Two sitting Cook County circuit judges and three retired judges are partners in a company with attorneys including indicted Ald .
Edward M. Burke ( 14th ) , records show .
Participants in the company , called Table of Wisdom LLC , say it ’ s an investment club formed by a group of longtime friends who regularly met for breakfast and decided to pool their money so they ’ d have something to talk about .
Two of the partners in Table of Wisdom are sitting judges : • Cook County Circuit Judge Michael Toomin , who is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is running in November for another six-year term .
Toomin might be more widely known as the judge who appointed former U.S. Attorney Dan K. Webb as special prosecutor in two high-profile cases , investigating Cook County State ’ s Attorney Kim Foxx ’ s office ’ s handling of the Jussie Smollett case and reinvestigating the death of David Koschman .
That case resulted in former Mayor Richard M. Daley ’ s nephew Richard J .
“ R.J. ” Vanecko pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter and going to jail .
• Cook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hears family law cases in the domestic relations division .
• Burke , the longtime Southwest Side alderman who is charged in a May 2019 federal racketeering and extortion indictment that accuses him of using his position on the Chicago City Council to withhold construction permits for a Burger King in his ward in an unsuccessful bid to get the restaurant to hire his law firm for property tax appeals .
He has pleaded not guilty and remains in office .
He didn ’ t respond to interview requests .
• Attorney Barry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ focuses on family law .
• And attorneys Marvin Leavitt and Michael Stiegel , who practice family law together in the Chicago firm that Leavitt started after he retired from the Illinois Appellate Court .
Judges aren ’ t prohibited from joining such investment clubs in Illinois , according to retired Lake County Circuit Judge Ray McKoski , now an adjunct professor teaching judicial ethics at UIC John Marshall Law School .
But Illinois law warns of the potential for conflicts of interest when judges go into business with attorneys .
Judges should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ involve the judge in frequent transactions with lawyers or persons likely to come before the court on which the judge serves , ” according to the Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct .
Other states have taken a firmer stand on investment clubs .
Judicial ethics boards in New York and Massachusetts have said judges should not participate in investment clubs .
“ In our view , if a judge should not give investment advice to a charity , a judge should not be giving investment advice to twenty private persons in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court ’ s Committee on Judicial Ethics wrote in a 1995 advisory opinion .
Table of Wisdom reflects the court system ’ s reputation as being largely white , older men with financial and personal ties to each other and the Democratic Party .
Of the 10 company partners Toomin disclosed in forms submitted to the Illinois Supreme Court , the nine who could be identified are white , and all but one are men .
More than 70 percent of the Cook County judiciary is white , compared with 42 percent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly 60 percent of judges are men , according to 2018 statistics provided by Chief Cook County Judge Timothy Evans .
Table of Wisdom was incorporated in May 2018 , according to its filings with the Illinois secretary of state ’ s office .
Kulys Hoffman , who retired from the bench last year , said Table of Wisdom is an investment club .
She wouldn ’ t say how much money members were expected to contribute to the investment fund and said she doesn ’ t know whether the group is still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its annual report in May with the secretary of state ’ s office , Steigel said the company disbanded earlier this year over “ disagreements ” on where to invest .
Leavitt is the group ’ s registered agent and , according to Steigel , was the group ’ s founder .
Leavitt ’ s law firm was the third-highest contributor to the political action committee set up to retain Cook County judges , giving a total of $ 20,260 as of 2018 .
A former circuit and appellate judge who served on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s wife , Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke , Leavitt returned to private practice in 2002 .
He practices family law as a founding partner of Grund & Leavitt .

Two sitting Cook County circuit judges and three retired judges are partners in a company with attorneys including indicted Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th), records show.
Participants in the company, called Table of Wisdom LLC, say it’s an investment club formed by a group of longtime friends who regularly met for breakfast and decided to pool their money so they’d have something to talk about.
Two of the partners in Table of Wisdom are sitting judges:
Cook County Circuit Judge Michael Toomin, who is the presiding judge of the juvenile division and is running in November for another six-year term. Toomin might be more widely known as the judge who appointed former U.S. Attorney Dan K. Webb as special prosecutor in two high-profile cases, investigating Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office’s handling of the Jussie Smollett case and re-investigating the death of David Koschman. That case resulted in former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s nephew Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter and going to jail.
Cook County Circuit Judge Michael Toomin on Aug. 23, 2019, after swearing in former U.S. Attorney Dan K. Webb as special prosecutor in the Jussie Smollett case. Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune pool photo
Cook County Circuit Judge James Shapiro, who hears family law cases in the domestic relations division.
Both declined to comment.
Other members include:
Burke, the longtime Southwest Side alderman who is charged in a May 2019 federal racketeering and extortion indictment that accuses him of using his position on the Chicago City Council to withhold construction permits for a Burger King in his ward in an unsuccessful bid to get the restaurant to hire his law firm for property tax appeals. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in office. He didn’t respond to interview requests.
Retired judges Margarita Kulys Hoffman, Clifford Meachem and Warren Wolfson.
Attorney Barry Greenburg, who runs a firm that focuses on family law.
And attorneys Marvin Leavitt and Michael Stiegel, who practice family law together in the Chicago firm that Leavitt started after he retired from the Illinois Appellate Court.
Judges aren’t prohibited from joining such investment clubs in Illinois, according to retired Lake County Circuit Judge Ray McKoski, now an adjunct professor teaching judicial ethics at UIC John Marshall Law School.
But Illinois law warns of the potential for conflicts of interest when judges go into business with attorneys. Judges should refrain from financial and business dealings that “involve the judge in frequent transactions with lawyers or persons likely to come before the court on which the judge serves,” according to the Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct.
Other states have taken a firmer stand on investment clubs. Judicial ethics boards in New York and Massachusetts have said judges should not participate in investment clubs.
“In our view, if a judge should not give investment advice to a charity, a judge should not be giving investment advice to twenty private persons in an investment club,” the Massachusetts Supreme Court’s Committee on Judicial Ethics wrote in a 1995 advisory opinion.
Table of Wisdom reflects the court system’s reputation as being largely white, older men with financial and personal ties to each other and the Democratic Party. Of the 10 company partners Toomin disclosed in forms submitted to the Illinois Supreme Court, the nine who could be identified are white, and all but one are men.
More than 70 percent of the Cook County judiciary is white, compared with 42 percent of the county’s population, and nearly 60 percent of judges are men, according to 2018 statistics provided by Chief Cook County Judge Timothy Evans.
Table of Wisdom was incorporated in May 2018, according to its filings with the Illinois secretary of state’s office.
Kulys Hoffman, who retired from the bench last year, said Table of Wisdom is an investment club. She wouldn’t say how much money members were expected to contribute to the investment fund and said she doesn’t know whether the group is still active.
Though Table of Wisdom filed its annual report in May with the secretary of state’s office, Steigel said the company disbanded earlier this year over “disagreements” on where to invest.
Leavitt is the group’s registered agent and, according to Steigel, was the group’s founder. Leavitt’s law firm was the third-highest contributor to the political action committee set up to retain Cook County judges, giving a total of $20,260 as of 2018.
A former circuit and appellate judge who served on the Illinois Appellate Court with Burke’s wife, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, Leavitt returned to private practice in 2002. He practices family law as a founding partner of Grund & Leavitt.
Contributing: John Seasly
Steve Garrison reports for Injustice Watch, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit journalism organization.


chicagosun-times--2020-09-11--Long delays for justice in Cook County: ‘I’m not at peace,’ mother of murder victim says

Hallena Johnson replays the last time she saw her daughter over and over in her head .
It was August 2009 , and Johnson had a pizza delivered to her home in Harvey for herself and her 18-year-old daughter Kiara Windom .
“ I told her , ‘ When the pizza comes , save some , ’ ” says Johnson , who wasn ’ t feeling well and dozed off .
When she woke up , she found the pizza uneaten and her daughter gone .
She never saw her alive again .
Sonny Pierce has been charged with murder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that of 18-year-old Kimika Coleman .
Pierce used phone chat lines to lure the young women to his ramshackle Blue Island apartment , and DNA evidence links him to their killings , according to prosecutors .
A third teenager , 17-year-old Mariah Edwards , went missing in July 2010 , and police have said they recovered a recording of Pierce having sex with her “ lifeless body.
” They said he admitted he sexually assaulted Edwards and beat her to death .
Her body was never found .
In 2010 , then-Cook County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the young women ’ s lives were cut short in “ yet another example of heinous crimes of violence against women.
” Saying he didn ’ t kill anyone , Pierce told reporters , “ The only thing I am guilty of is having consensual sex with too many women.
” A decade later , Pierce remains at the Cook County Jail , still awaiting trial , at the extreme end of the growing number of murder suspects whose criminal cases have dragged on for years in Cook County .
Nearly 500 people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County Jail for at least three years , according to a Chicago Sun-Times analysis .
Most are awaiting trial for murder .
More than 130 people have been jailed even longer — at least five years , records show .
Six have been there for nine years .
Pierce is one of two who ’ ve been in the jail for a decade .
Johnson says the delays in prosecuting Pierce have robbed her of justice .
“ It ’ s been a long time , ” she says .
“ I wanted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did .
I wanted to get justice .
I wanted to be at peace .
I ’ m not at peace.
” She says prosecutors regularly update her on when Pierce will be in court for a hearing .
But she can ’ t bear to go to because nothing ever happens .
“ I don ’ t want to go to court again , ” says Johnson , 52 .
She thinks of her daughter often .
“ On her birthday , we will watch a clip of her , ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her .
Pray .
I know she is in a better place than I am .
I know one day we will meet up .
Until then , I want justice for her .
I want him to suffer just like she suffered.
” The issue of long jail stays and delayed felony prosecutions is nothing new in Cook County .
In 2003 , finding that prosecutors and defense lawyers were playing the system and that judges weren ’ t standing in their way , the Sun-Times reported 29 people had been jailed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s about one-quarter of the number today .
In a 2002 memo , then-State ’ s Attorney Richard Devine ’ s office told Paul Biebel , who was the presiding judge , that complex murder cases such as those involving multiple defendants should take no longer than 2½ years to come to trial and more typical first-degree murder cases should reach a disposition within a year and a half .
Yet , over the past two decades , the number of detainees awaiting trial for more than three years has continued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prompted the National Center for State Courts to send out-of-state judges to Cook County to study the delays .
The following year , the study resulted in standards being set for how long felony cases in Cook County should take .
“ Our stated goal is to try to resolve murder cases in 24 months , ” says LeRoy Martin Jr. , presiding judge of the criminal division of the Cook County circuit court .
“ More complex cases will take more time to resolve.
” A case-management system is being rolled out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases moving .
So far , about two-thirds of the judges in Cook County ’ s criminal courts are using the system .
Judges ’ caseloads are declining as a result of the new system , court officials say .
And none of the judges in the criminal courts has been transferred to another division because they were considered to be indifferent to the delays .
“ We want cases disposed of as expeditiously as is practical , while , at the same time , balancing the defendants ’ right to be prepared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Delays in felony cases have an impact beyond postponing justice and the burden they place on victims ’ families .
According to the Cook County sheriff ’ s office , the cost to the county of housing a detainee in the jail is estimated conservatively at $ 189 a day .
That ’ s based on 2015 figures .
Still , using that figure , the total cost of housing those who have been held continuously in the jail between three and five years has amounted to $ 94.5 million .
And the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than five years is $ 59 million — for a total cost of $ 153.5 million .
“ The sheriff has long spoken out about the need to address unnecessary delays , which interrupt justice and contribute to overcrowding , ” says Matthew Walberg , a spokesman for Sheriff Tom Dart .
“ At a time where the COVID-19 pandemic has placed severe strain on financial resources and space , the sheriff ’ s office is again urging that we , once and for all , address this embarrassment.
” Prosecutors , defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explanations for the delays .
One reason is that activity in the Cook County courts has slowed down during the pandemic .
But that accounts for only six months of delays .
David Olson , a criminology professor at Loyola University Chicago , says Illinois ’ truth-in-sentencing law , enacted in 1998 , requires people convicted of murder to serve their full sentence .
The minimum sentence for murder is 20 years , but most murder convicts get at least 40 , Olson says : “ In other words , most face de @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t think they have much chance to win have little incentive to plead guilty or demand a speedy trial , according to Olson .
They might prefer to delay their case , he says , because that means they ’ re held longer in the county jail , closer to their families , and perhaps the case against them will weaken with time .
Outdated court practices and poor technology also are among reasons for the delays , according to a retired judge , speaking on the condition she not be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process — in which prosecutors and defense lawyers exchange evidence before trial — is far more streamlined in other states and in the federal courts .
Cook County ’ s courts also rely too heavily on paper records , the former judge says .
Cook County court officials say steps are being taken to speed discovery and to reduce the reliance on a seeming historic relic : carbon paper .
Celeste Stack retired from the Cook County state ’ s attorney ’ s office in 2017 after three decades as a prosecutor .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ It ’ s always been an issue .
“ We used to have to submit lists of cases over a year old to see what we could do to move them along , ” says Stack , now a defense lawyer in Peoria .
“ The local jail system is intended to hold people until their trials .
If , for whatever reason , that goes on for years , it ’ s a burden on the whole system.
” Stack recently was involved in a Cook County murder case that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nine years because of post-trial motions .
In 2014 , Gerardo Servin was convicted in a 2011 fatal shooting .
In 2016 , Servin ’ s trial lawyer , David Wiener , was suspended from practicing law for “ not taking the necessary steps to purse his clients ’ interests , ” according to the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission .
Servin filed two unsuccessful requests for a new trial , citing ineffective counsel among the reasons .
In 2018 , Stack prepared the second of Servin ’ s requests for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testimony , and new evidence pointed to Servin being set up by members of his old gang .
On July 26 , a judge rejected that request for a new trial .
Servin awaits sentencing .
Kimberly Coleman ’ s daughter Kimika Coleman was killed in 2009 in one of the deaths for which Pierce , now 36 , is charged .
She ’ s resigned to how slowly justice moves .
“ My daughter would be 30 years old today , ” Coleman says .
“ She was a happy-go-lucky young lady @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high school .
I get a call every three or four months when [ prosecutors ] bring [ Pierce ] in for discovery .
It ’ s irritating .
I just can ’ t keep going there and looking at him .
“ I went through such a depression , ” says Coleman , 55 .
“ I had to find some peace because I couldn ’ t function .
My justice is that he ’ s still locked up , and he ’ s not able to do this to anyone else @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with this trial situation.
” “ We care and are sensitive to the frustration that victims ’ families may feel , ” he says .
“ Oftentimes , judges feel the same sense of frustration .
”

Hallena Johnson replays the last time she saw her daughter over and over in her head.
It was August 2009, and Johnson had a pizza delivered to her home in Harvey for herself and her 18-year-old daughter Kiara Windom.
“I told her, ‘When the pizza comes, save some,’ ” says Johnson, who wasn’t feeling well and dozed off.
When she woke up, she found the pizza uneaten and her daughter gone. She never saw her alive again.
Sonny Pierce has been charged with murder in Windom’s strangulation death and that of 18-year-old Kimika Coleman. Pierce used phone chat lines to lure the young women to his ramshackle Blue Island apartment, and DNA evidence links him to their killings, according to prosecutors.
Sonny Pierce. Cook County sheriff’s office
A third teenager, 17-year-old Mariah Edwards, went missing in July 2010, and police have said they recovered a recording of Pierce having sex with her “lifeless body.” They said he admitted he sexually assaulted Edwards and beat her to death. Her body was never found.
In 2010, then-Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez said the young women’s lives were cut short in “yet another example of heinous crimes of violence against women.”
Saying he didn’t kill anyone, Pierce told reporters, “The only thing I am guilty of is having consensual sex with too many women.”
A decade later, Pierce remains at the Cook County Jail, still awaiting trial, at the extreme end of the growing number of murder suspects whose criminal cases have dragged on for years in Cook County. Nearly 500 people have been detained continuously in the Cook County Jail for at least three years, according to a Chicago Sun-Times analysis. Most are awaiting trial for murder.
More than 130 people have been jailed even longer — at least five years, records show.
Six have been there for nine years.
Pierce is one of two who’ve been in the jail for a decade.
The number of Cook County Jail detainees held for at least four years has been rising since 2003. Frank Main / Sun-Times
Johnson says the delays in prosecuting Pierce have robbed her of justice.
“It’s been a long time,” she says. “I wanted him to be convicted of what he did. I wanted to get justice. I wanted to be at peace. I’m not at peace.”
She says prosecutors regularly update her on when Pierce will be in court for a hearing. But she can’t bear to go because nothing ever happens.
“I don’t want to go to court again,” says Johnson, 52.
She thinks of her daughter often. “On her birthday, we will watch a clip of her,” she says. “I will talk to her. Pray. I know she is in a better place than I am. I know one day we will meet up. Until then, I want justice for her. I want him to suffer just like she suffered.”
Hallena Johnson, in a 2011 photo, holding a picture of her slain daughter Kiara Windom, who was 18 when she was strangled. Sun-Times file
The issue of long jail stays and delayed felony prosecutions is nothing new in Cook County. In 2003, finding that prosecutors and defense lawyers were playing the system and that judges weren’t standing in their way, the Sun-Times reported 29 people had been jailed then for at least five years. That’s about one-quarter of the number today.
In a 2002 memo, then-State’s Attorney Richard Devine’s office told Paul Biebel, who was the presiding judge, that complex murder cases such as those involving multiple defendants should take no longer than 2½ years to come to trial and more typical first-degree murder cases should reach a disposition within a year and a half.
Yet, over the past two decades, the number of detainees awaiting trial for more than three years has continued to rise.
In 2017, that prompted the National Center for State Courts to send out-of-state judges to Cook County to study the delays. The following year, the study resulted in standards being set for how long felony cases in Cook County should take.
“Our stated goal is to try to resolve murder cases in 24 months,” says LeRoy Martin Jr., presiding judge of the criminal division of the Cook County circuit court. “More complex cases will take more time to resolve.”
A case-management system is being rolled out to help judges set deadlines and keep cases moving. So far, about two-thirds of the judges in Cook County’s criminal courts are using the system.
Judges’ caseloads are declining as a result of the new system, court officials say. And none of the judges in the criminal courts has been transferred to another division because they were considered to be indifferent to the delays.
“We want cases disposed of as expeditiously as is practical, while, at the same time, balancing the defendants’ right to be prepared for trial,” Martin says.
Cook County Circuit Judge LeRoy Martin Jr., presiding judge of the criminal division. Ashlee Rezin Garcia / Sun-Times file
Delays in felony cases have an impact beyond postponing justice and the burden they place on victims’ families. According to the Cook County sheriff’s office, the cost to the county of housing a detainee in the jail is estimated conservatively at $189 a day. That’s based on 2015 figures.
Still, using that figure, the total cost of housing those who have been held continuously in the jail between three and five years has amounted to $94.5 million. And the cost of housing those held for more than five years is $59 million — for a total cost of $153.5 million.
“The sheriff has long spoken out about the need to address unnecessary delays, which interrupt justice and contribute to overcrowding,” says Matthew Walberg, a spokesman for Sheriff Tom Dart. “At a time where the COVID-19 pandemic has placed severe strain on financial resources and space, the sheriff’s office is again urging that we, once and for all, address this embarrassment.”
Prosecutors, defense lawyers, judges and academics offer varying explanations for the delays.
One reason is that activity in the Cook County courts has slowed down during the pandemic. But that accounts for only six months of delays.
David Olson, a criminology professor at Loyola University Chicago, says Illinois’ truth-in-sentencing law, enacted in 1998, requires people convicted of murder to serve their full sentence. The minimum sentence for murder is 20 years, but most murder convicts get at least 40, Olson says: “In other words, most face de facto life sentences.”
So defendants who don’t think they have much chance to win have little incentive to plead guilty or demand a speedy trial, according to Olson. They might prefer to delay their case, he says, because that means they’re held longer in the county jail, closer to their families, and perhaps the case against them will weaken with time.
David Olson, an associate professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Loyola University Chicago. Loyola University Chicago
Outdated court practices and poor technology also are among reasons for the delays, according to a retired judge, speaking on the condition she not be named. She says the pretrial discovery process — in which prosecutors and defense lawyers exchange evidence before trial — is far more streamlined in other states and in the federal courts. Cook County’s courts also rely too heavily on paper records, the former judge says.
Cook County court officials say steps are being taken to speed discovery and to reduce the reliance on a seeming historic relic: carbon paper.
Celeste Stack retired from the Cook County state’s attorney’s office in 2017 after three decades as a prosecutor. She says of delays in felony cases, “It’s always been an issue.
“We used to have to submit lists of cases over a year old to see what we could do to move them along,” says Stack, now a defense lawyer in Peoria. “The local jail system is intended to hold people until their trials. If, for whatever reason, that goes on for years, it’s a burden on the whole system.”
Stack recently was involved in a Cook County murder case that’s gone on for more than nine years because of post-trial motions.
In 2014, Gerardo Servin was convicted in a 2011 fatal shooting. In 2016, Servin’s trial lawyer, David Wiener, was suspended from practicing law for “not taking the necessary steps to pursue his clients’ interests,” according to the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.
Servin filed two unsuccessful requests for a new trial, citing ineffective counsel among the reasons.
In 2018, Stack prepared the second of Servin’s requests for a new trial. She says witnesses recanted testimony, and new evidence pointed to Servin being set up by members of his old gang.
On July 26, a judge rejected that request for a new trial. Servin awaits sentencing.
Celeste Stack, at the time a prosecutor, with then-Cook County State’s Attorney Richard Devine in 2001. Sun-Times file
Kimberly Coleman’s daughter Kimika Coleman was killed in 2009 in one of the deaths for which Pierce, now 36, is charged. She’s resigned to how slowly justice moves.
“My daughter would be 30 years old today,” Coleman says. “She was a happy-go-lucky young lady. She was about to graduate from high school. I get a call every three or four months when [prosecutors] bring [Pierce] in for discovery. It’s irritating. I just can’t keep going there and looking at him.
“I went through such a depression,” says Coleman, 55. “I had to find some peace because I couldn’t function. My justice is that he’s still locked up, and he’s not able to do this to anyone else, even though it’s frustrating with this trial situation.”
Judge Martin says he understands.
“We care and are sensitive to the frustration that victims’ families may feel,” he says. “Oftentimes, judges feel the same sense of frustration.”


chicagosun-times--2020-09-11--Famed Ford collector Jerry Capizzi, his wife Carolyn Capizzi of Park Ridge dead of COVID-19

Carolyn Capizzi and her husband Jerry Capizzi , who was one of the world ’ s best-known collectors of Ford automobiles , have died within three days of each other of complications from the coronavirus .
Relatives announced that the Capizzis died in Park Ridge , where they ’ d lived since the 1970s .
They were married for 55 years before their deaths at Lutheran General Hospital .
Mr. Capizzi was 83 .
Mrs. Capizzi was 85 .
Mrs. Capizzi , who had no surviving siblings , died first , on May 17 .
Mr. Capizzi died three days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there was no time for his sister and brothers , all in California , to arrange a visit .
“ It happened too fast , ” said his brother Michael R. Capizzi , former district attorney for Orange County , California .
“ It ’ s just terrible .
I still can ’ t believe it happened.
” Over the course of his collecting , Mr. Capizzi owned an estimated 100 vehicles .
He had a team of experts who restored his Edsels , Lincolns , Mercuries and Thunderbirds to creampuff condition , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Car connoisseurs said they looked like they ’ d just come off the assembly line .
His passion for Ford vehicles came about because of his childhood .
His father I.A .
Capizzi was Henry Ford ’ s general counsel , and he sent his children to the Edison Institute in Dearborn , Michigan .
Ford established the school at Greenfield Village , a collection of historic buildings he assembled that included the former homes of poet Robert Frost , dictionary author Noah Webster and aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s original laboratory .
Mr. Capizzi ’ s brother , now 80 , remembers the automotive titan dropping in at the school when he was about 5 .
When Mr. Capizzi was a boy , Ford presented him with an engraved gold watch for his birthday , according to Jim Blanchard , president of the Lincoln Motor Car Heritage Museum in Hickory Corners , Michigan .
“ He had told me that he was walking home from school , and this black Ford sedan pulled up ” with its namesake inventor inside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jerry to get in the car , and he gave him the watch .
“ When he passed away , I realized you don ’ t come across many people who knew Henry Ford , ” Blanchard said .
“ That ’ s becoming a rare person.
” Young Jerry wasn ’ t as pleased with some of the industrialist ’ s other largess — foods developed from his soybean research .
Students at Ford ’ s school “ were the recipients of the food products , ” Mr. Capizzi told the Detroit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ milk , soy bread , soy ice cream .
Not surprisingly , to this day I can ’ t stand the sight of soybeans.
” Mr. Capizzi ’ s father was an immigrant from Palermo , Sicily , who entered the United States through Ellis Island around 1900 .
He became a prosecutor in Wayne County , Michigan , and with the Michigan attorney general ’ s office and chief of the Michigan Public Trust Commission before catching Ford ’ s eye with his reputation for integrity , Michael Capizzi said .
Early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Dearborn but moved to a more secluded Michigan locale during World War II .
That was because Ford had switched during the war from building cars to Jeeps and bombers as part of what President Franklin Roosevelt called the “ arsenal of democracy.
” Because of concerns that industrial hubs might be targets of the Axis powers , the Capizzi family moved to a wooded area near Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor .
“ Every day during World War II , a black sedan would come out .
.
.and bring the Capizzi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Skinner , a freelance automotive journalist , former president of the Edsel Owners Club and retired senior market editor for the Kelly Blue Book .
Mr. Capizzi attended the University of Michigan .
He was working in Kentucky when he met his future wife — who went to the University of Louisville — at the Naval Ordnance Station Louisville .
They got married and moved to Cook County , where Mrs. Capizzi had a real estate broker ’ s license and worked in property management , Michael Capizzi said .
Her husband owned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parts including door handles and pieces for emission systems , Skinner said .
He also operated Pioneer Screw & Nut Co. in Elk Grove Village , where for a time he was president of the chamber of commerce .
He named his meticulously restored autos the “ Cappy Collection , ” short for his surname .
“ His cars were gorgeous , ” said Jason Gilmore , editor and publisher of Edsel Quarterly , who owns eight Edsels , including a convertible once owned by President Dwight Eisenhower .
Mr. Capizzi ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ He had a semi truck , and he ’ d be able to put as many as three cars in it , and the crew would take it.
” Then , Mr. Capizzi would fly to the shows .
He always took the time to chat with other Ford enthusiasts , even kids , according to Skinner .
“ In the world of cars and collectors , it ’ s hard to meet a person who was more well-liked than Jerry Capizzi , ” he said .
One of the jewels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Corsair with a gleaming “ President Red ” paint finish that was displayed at the American National Exhibition , a show of American products and ingenuity held in Moscow in 1959 .
In 2006 , wanting to relax and enjoy retirement , Mr. Capizzi sold about 60 vehicles at an auction in Addison .
“ It has become a lot of work , ” he told the Free Press .
“ I ’ d like to stay active in the hobby and not have the pressure to feel I have to win best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vehicles commanded record-setting prices , ” Skinner said .
“ All of them were impeccable.
” One of his auctioned-off cars , a supercharged 1957 Ford Thunderbird F-Code , sold for $ 319,000 .
Mr. Capizzi was the biggest donor to the Lincoln Motor Car Heritage Museum .
In addition to providing the financial support that led to its construction , he donated Lincoln sales literature and publications going back to the 1920s , according to David Schultz , chairman of the Lincoln Motor Car Foundation , which raised money for the museum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laid at the Michigan museum in memory of his father and of his mother Adelaide Capizzi .
He is also survived by his sister Susan and brother Ronald .
Funeral services are being arranged , Michael Capizzi said .

Carolyn Capizzi and her husband Jerry Capizzi, who was one of the world’s best-known collectors of Ford automobiles, have died within three days of each other of complications from the coronavirus.
Relatives announced that the Capizzis died in Park Ridge, where they’d lived since the 1970s. They were married for 55 years before their deaths at Lutheran General Hospital. Mr. Capizzi was 83. Mrs. Capizzi was 85.
Mrs. Capizzi, who had no surviving siblings, died first, on May 17. Mr. Capizzi died three days later.
Their deaths came so quickly there was no time for his sister and brothers, all in California, to arrange a visit.
“It happened too fast,” said his brother Michael R. Capizzi, former district attorney for Orange County, California. “It’s just terrible. I still can’t believe it happened.”
Carolyn Capizzi of Park Ridge worked in real estate before her death at 85 of complications from the coronavirus. Provided
Over the course of his collecting, Mr. Capizzi owned an estimated 100 vehicles. He had a team of experts who restored his Edsels, Lincolns, Mercurys and Thunderbirds to creampuff condition, typically spending 3,500 hours on each one. Car connoisseurs said they looked like they’d just come off the assembly line.
His passion for Ford vehicles came about because of his childhood. His father I.A. Capizzi was Henry Ford’s general counsel, and he sent his children to the Edison Institute in Dearborn, Michigan. Ford established the school at Greenfield Village, a collection of historic buildings he assembled that included the former homes of poet Robert Frost, dictionary author Noah Webster and aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright as well as a replica of Thomas Edison’s original laboratory.
Mr. Capizzi’s brother, now 80, remembers the automotive titan dropping in at the school when he was about 5.
When Mr. Capizzi was a boy, Ford presented him with an engraved gold watch for his birthday, according to Jim Blanchard, president of the Lincoln Motor Car Heritage Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan.
“He had told me that he was walking home from school, and this black Ford sedan pulled up” with its namesake inventor inside, Blanchard said. He “asked Jerry to get in the car, and he gave him the watch.
“When he passed away, I realized you don’t come across many people who knew Henry Ford,” Blanchard said. “That’s becoming a rare person.”
Young Jerry wasn’t as pleased with some of the industrialist’s other largess — foods developed from his soybean research. Students at Ford’s school “were the recipients of the food products,” Mr. Capizzi told the Detroit Free Press in 2006. “Soy milk, soy bread, soy ice cream. Not surprisingly, to this day I can’t stand the sight of soybeans.”
Jerry Capizzi was partial to Ford autos because his father was once general counsel to Henry Ford. John Walczek / Lincoln Motor Car Foundation
Mr. Capizzi’s father was an immigrant from Palermo, Sicily, who entered the United States through Ellis Island around 1900. He became a prosecutor in Wayne County, Michigan, and with the Michigan attorney general’s office and chief of the Michigan Public Trust Commission before catching Ford’s eye with his reputation for integrity, Michael Capizzi said.
Early on, the Capizzi children grew up in Dearborn but moved to a more secluded Michigan locale during World War II. That was because Ford had switched during the war from building cars to Jeeps and bombers as part of what President Franklin Roosevelt called the “arsenal of democracy.” Because of concerns that industrial hubs might be targets of the Axis powers, the Capizzi family moved to a wooded area near Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor.
“Every day during World War II, a black sedan would come out. . .and bring the Capizzi children to school,” said Phil Skinner, a freelance automotive journalist, former president of the Edsel Owners Club and retired senior market editor for the Kelly Blue Book.
Mr. Capizzi attended the University of Michigan. He was working in Kentucky when he met his future wife — who went to the University of Louisville — at the Naval Ordnance Station Louisville. They got married and moved to Cook County, where Mrs. Capizzi had a real estate broker’s license and worked in property management, Michael Capizzi said.
Her husband owned companies that supplied the auto industry with parts including door handles and pieces for emission systems, Skinner said. He also operated Pioneer Screw & Nut Co. in Elk Grove Village, where for a time he was president of the chamber of commerce.
He named his meticulously restored autos the “Cappy Collection,” short for his surname.
“His cars were gorgeous,” said Jason Gilmore, editor and publisher of Edsel Quarterly, who owns eight Edsels, including a convertible once owned by President Dwight Eisenhower.
Mr. Capizzi’s brother said that, for car shows, “He had a semi truck, and he’d be able to put as many as three cars in it, and the crew would take it.” Then, Mr. Capizzi would fly to the shows.
He always took the time to chat with other Ford enthusiasts, even kids, according to Skinner. “In the world of cars and collectors, it’s hard to meet a person who was more well-liked than Jerry Capizzi,” he said.
One of the jewels of his collection was a Ford Edsel Corsair with a gleaming “President Red” paint finish that was displayed at the American National Exhibition, a show of American products and ingenuity held in Moscow in 1959.
In 2006, wanting to relax and enjoy retirement, Mr. Capizzi sold about 60 vehicles at an auction in Addison.
“It has become a lot of work,” he told the Free Press. “I’d like to stay active in the hobby and not have the pressure to feel I have to win best of show.”
“All of his vehicles commanded record-setting prices,” Skinner said. “All of them were impeccable.”
One of his auctioned-off cars, a supercharged 1957 Ford Thunderbird F-Code, sold for $319,000.
Mr. Capizzi was the biggest donor to the Lincoln Motor Car Heritage Museum. In addition to providing the financial support that led to its construction, he donated Lincoln sales literature and publications going back to the 1920s, according to David Schultz, chairman of the Lincoln Motor Car Foundation, which raised money for the museum.
Mr. Capizzi had a cornerstone plaque laid at the Michigan museum in memory of his father and of his mother Adelaide Capizzi.
He is also survived by his sister Susan and brother Ronald. Funeral services are being arranged, Michael Capizzi said.


chicagosun-times--2020-09-11--Picking the Bears’ final 2020 record

Picking the Bears’ final 2020 record

See if this sounds familiar .
The Bears have a very good defense and a not very good offense .
The same issues that plagued the team last season appear to be loitering .
The quarterback again is Mitch Trubisky , who had a poor 2019 but did enough in a bland training camp to beat out Nick Foles .
Trubisky doesn ’ t have a great offensive line or a group of outstanding receivers .
The defense has Khalil Mack , Akiem Hicks , Eddie Jackson and newcomer Robert Quinn , among others .
There ’ s a real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In this season like no other , predictions are pretty much like target darts thrown in a late-night , drunken bar .
( Those used to exist , right ? )
Yet the Bears seem — operative word : seem — to have a lot going for them .
Quinn and Mack sound like a law firm .
If they bookend foe quarterbacks with a devastating rush , the Bears could have a legally great defense .
Offense ?
Who knows ?
If Trubisky fails at the helm , Foles seems capable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after all .
So did the Bears — 35 years ago .
The Bears have built a brilliant defense .
When healthy , they have the league ’ s best edge rusher , one of its top-three safeties , a top-five defensive tackle and a top-10 cornerback — all in their primes .
All the offense needs to do is upgrade to merely-not-a-tire-fire to produce a playoff team .
The NFL added one extra playoff team per conference , remember ?
The bet here , though , is they fall just short .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ optimistic projection that has them opening 3-0 , winning a game at Tennessee and going 3-3 in their division .
The Bears have tough draws in the Buccaneers , Saints and Colts , difficult road games against the Rams and Titans and there ’ s no solid evidence they ’ re better than the Vikings and Packers .
They have major questions at quarterback , tight end , offensive line and kicker .
But if finishing .500 again sounds dreary , keep two things in mind : 1 .
It could get a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 8-8 might get them in the playoffs .
Just as the Bears with Trubisky and that 29th-ranked offense look like an expected win to their opponents , the Bears ’ schedule has plenty of winnable games at this point — including the likely improved Colts and Buccaneers .
Last year the Bears could have started 5-0 but went 3-2 — and it made a difference .
If the Bears ’ defense can avoid injuries , their offense could either turn them into Super Bowl contenders if coach Matt Nagy is the real deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
No promises , but an age-old mantra could play in their favor : Never underestimate the mediocrity of the NFL .

The Sun-Times’ experts predict the Bears’ final record:
RICK MORRISSEY
Record: 8-8
See if this sounds familiar. The Bears have a very good defense and a not very good offense. The same issues that plagued the team last season appear to be loitering. The quarterback again is Mitch Trubisky, who had a poor 2019 but did enough in a bland training camp to beat out Nick Foles. Trubisky doesn’t have a great offensive line or a group of outstanding receivers. The defense has Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Eddie Jackson and newcomer Robert Quinn, among others. There’s a real have-and-have-not dynamic going on here. Again.
RICK TELANDER
Record: 10-6
In this season like no other, predictions are pretty much like target darts thrown in a late-night, drunken bar. (Those used to exist, right?) Yet the Bears seem — operative word: seem — to have a lot going for them. Quinn and Mack sound like a law firm. If they bookend foe quarterbacks with a devastating rush, the Bears could have a legally great defense. Offense? Who knows? If Trubisky fails at the helm, Foles seems capable. He won a Super Bowl, after all. So did the Bears — 35 years ago.
PATRICK FINLEY
Record: 8-8
The Bears have built a brilliant defense. When healthy, they have the league’s best edge rusher, one of its top-three safeties, a top-five defensive tackle and a top-10 cornerback — all in their primes. All the offense needs to do is upgrade to merely-not-a-tire-fire to produce a playoff team. The NFL added one extra playoff team per conference, remember? The bet here, though, is they fall just short.
JASON LIESER
Record: 8-8
Let me stress that this is an optimistic projection that has them opening 3-0, winning a game at Tennessee and going 3-3 in their division. The Bears have tough draws in the Buccaneers, Saints and Colts, difficult road games against the Rams and Titans and there’s no solid evidence they’re better than the Vikings and Packers. They have major questions at quarterback, tight end, offensive line and kicker. But if finishing .500 again sounds dreary, keep two things in mind: 1. It could get a lot worse, and 2. Going 8-8 might get them in the playoffs.
MARK POTASH
Record: 9-7
Just as the Bears with Trubisky and that 29th-ranked offense look like an expected win to their opponents, the Bears’ schedule has plenty of winnable games at this point — including the likely improved Colts and Buccaneers. Last year the Bears could have started 5-0 but went 3-2 — and it made a difference. If the Bears’ defense can avoid injuries, their offense could either turn them into Super Bowl contenders if coach Matt Nagy is the real deal, or drag them into the muck. No promises, but an age-old mantra could play in their favor: Never underestimate the mediocrity of the NFL.


chicagosun-times--2020-09-11--Teen shot in leg near Chinatown Red Line station

A teenage boy was injured in a shooting Friday near the Cermak Red Line station in Chinatown on the Near @ @ @ @ @ told investigators he couldn ’ t remember where he was or what he was doing @ @ @ @ @ SUV approached and heard gunshots at 3:08 a.m. , according to Chicago police .
He @ @ @ @ @ and ran into the train station in the 100 block of West Cermak Road to @ @ @ @ @ .
He was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition .
No one is in @ @ @ @ @ investigate .
Read more on crime , and track the city ’ s homicides .

A teenage boy was injured in a shooting Friday near the Cermak Red Line station in Chinatown on the Near South Side.
The 16-year-old told investigators he couldn’t remember where he was or what he was doing when he saw a black SUV approached and heard gunshots at 3:08 a.m., according to Chicago police.
He was struck in the leg and ran into the train station in the 100 block of West Cermak Road to get help, police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition.
No one is in custody as Area One detectives investigate.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-09-11--1 killed, 7 wounded in shootings Thursday

A man was fatally shot and seven others were wounded in shootings across city limits Thursday .
The man , 29 , was shot to death in West Humboldt Park .
He was found unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the chest about 8 p.m. in the lobby of a home in the 1200 block of North Kildare Avenue , Chicago police said .
He was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital .
The Cook County medical examiner ’ s office hasn ’ t released details on the fatality .
In nonfatal shootings , a 24-year-old mail carrier was left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the South Side .
She was delivering mail in the 9100 block of South Ellis Avenue when gunfire erupted from inside at least two vehicles speeding past , police said in a statement .
The woman was struck in each leg and in the back of her head .
Investigators believe she was not the intended target .
Paramedics responded about 11:40 a.m. and took her to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition .
The U.S .
Postal Inspection Service is offering a reward of up to $ 50,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conviction of the shooter , according to a spokeswoman .
The 42-year-old was in his home about 10:50 p.m. in the 6800 block of South Prairie Avenue when three males entered and one of them fired shots , police said .
He was struck in the thigh and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition .
Earlier in the night , a man was shot in Calumet Heights on the South Side .
About 8:10 p.m. , the 48-year-old was driving in the 9300 block of South Chappel Avenue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by and fired shots , police said .
The man was struck in the back and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in serious condition .
He told officers he believes the shooters were aiming at someone running down the street .
Three men were wounded in separate shootings within a couple hours Thursday evening .
About 7:44 p.m. , a man was shot in Lawndale on the West Side .
The 57-year-old was in the 3800 block of West Flournoy Street when someone fired shots , Chicago police said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition , police said .
A 31-year-old man was shot about 6 p.m. at Chicago and Homan avenues in East Garfield Park , police said .
He was struck in the pinky , abdomen and thigh , and was taken to West Suburban Medical Center in good condition .
About 5:40 p.m. , a man was shot in the leg in South Deering on the South Side .
The 21-year-old was on the sidewalk in the 2500 block of East 106th Street when someone opened fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ struck in the leg and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in serious condition .
Thursday ’ s earliest shooting happened just after midnight in Gage Park on the South Side .
The 23-year-old was walking in the 5200 block of South Sawyer Avenue when he heard shots ring out , and felt one strike him in the arm , police said .
A relative drove him to Mount Sinai Hospital , where he was in fair condition .
Nine people were wounded in shootings across Chicago Wednesday .
Read more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s homicides .

A man was fatally shot and seven others were wounded in shootings across city limits Thursday.
The man, 29, was shot to death in West Humboldt Park.
He was found unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the chest about 8 p.m. in the lobby of a home in the 1200 block of North Kildare Avenue, Chicago police said. He was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office hasn’t released details on the fatality.
In nonfatal shootings, a 24-year-old mail carrier was left in critical condition after she was shot on the South Side.
She was delivering mail in the 9100 block of South Ellis Avenue when gunfire erupted from inside at least two vehicles speeding past, police said in a statement. The woman was struck in each leg and in the back of her head. Investigators believe she was not the intended target. Paramedics responded about 11:40 a.m. and took her to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter, according to a spokeswoman.
The day’s latest shooting wounded a man in Park Manor
The 42-year-old was in his home about 10:50 p.m. in the 6800 block of South Prairie Avenue when three males entered and one of them fired shots, police said. He was struck in the thigh and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.
Earlier in the night, a man was shot in Calumet Heights on the South Side.
About 8:10 p.m., the 48-year-old was driving in the 9300 block of South Chappel Avenue when someone in a black-colored vehicle drove by and fired shots, police said. The man was struck in the back and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in serious condition. He told officers he believes the shooters were aiming at someone running down the street.
Three men were wounded in separate shootings within a couple hours Thursday evening.
About 7:44 p.m., a man was shot in Lawndale on the West Side.
The 57-year-old was in the 3800 block of West Flournoy Street when someone fired shots, Chicago police said. He was grazed in the head and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition, police said.
A 31-year-old man was shot about 6 p.m. at Chicago and Homan avenues in East Garfield Park, police said. He was struck in the pinky, abdomen and thigh, and was taken to West Suburban Medical Center in good condition.
About 5:40 p.m., a man was shot in the leg in South Deering on the South Side.
The 21-year-old was on the sidewalk in the 2500 block of East 106th Street when someone opened fire, police said. The man was struck in the leg and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in serious condition.
Thursday’s earliest shooting happened just after midnight in Gage Park on the South Side.
The 23-year-old was walking in the 5200 block of South Sawyer Avenue when he heard shots ring out, and felt one strike him in the arm, police said. A relative drove him to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was in fair condition.
Nine people were wounded in shootings across Chicago Wednesday.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-09-10--Former DCFS investigators handling AJ Freund case facing charges

Two former employees of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services are facing felony charges nine months after they were fired over their handling of 5-year-old AJ Freund ’ s case in Crystal Lake before his death — his parents charged in his killing .
Carlos Acosta , 54 , and Andrew Polovin , 48 , both face two counts of endangering the life of a child and one count of reckless conduct , the McHenry County sheriff ’ s office announced Thursday .
Acosta and Polovin were fired in December following AJ ’ s death in April 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grave near Woodstock , and a subsequent investigation found that he had been subjected to a pattern of abuse allegedly by his parents , culminating in his death while padlocked inside his bedroom with swelling in his brain .
JoAnn Cunningham , Freund ’ s mother , eventually pleaded guilty to his murder and was sentenced to 35 years in prison .
His father , Andrew Freund Sr. , has also been charged with murder .
AJ ’ s estate sued Acosta and Polovin in October , saying they conducted and approved “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right back into the claws of his abusers.
” DCFS took “ personnel action ” two months later , and the two were fired .
DCFS declined to comment on the charges against their former employees .
The welfare agency kept AJ in his mother ’ s custody despite a December 2018 hotline call informing them that AJ told a doctor “ maybe someone hit me with a belt .
Maybe mommy didn ’ t mean to hurt me.
” An investigation was launched , but deemed unfounded .
AJ died four months @ @

Two former employees of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services are facing felony charges nine months after they were fired over their handling of 5-year-old AJ Freund’s case in Crystal Lake before his death — his parents charged in his killing.
Carlos Acosta, 54, and Andrew Polovin, 48, both face two counts of endangering the life of a child and one count of reckless conduct, the McHenry County sheriff’s office announced Thursday.
Acosta and Polovin were fired in December following AJ’s death in April 2019. AJ was found in a shallow grave near Woodstock, and a subsequent investigation found that he had been subjected to a pattern of abuse allegedly by his parents, culminating in his death while padlocked inside his bedroom with swelling in his brain.
JoAnn Cunningham, Freund’s mother, eventually pleaded guilty to his murder and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. His father, Andrew Freund Sr., has also been charged with murder.
AJ’s estate sued Acosta and Polovin in October, saying they conducted and approved “sham investigations” that “returned AJ right back into the claws of his abusers.” DCFS took “personnel action” two months later, and the two were fired.
DCFS declined to comment on the charges against their former employees.
The welfare agency kept AJ in his mother’s custody despite a December 2018 hotline call informing them that AJ told a doctor “maybe someone hit me with a belt. Maybe mommy didn’t mean to hurt me.”
An investigation was launched, but deemed unfounded. AJ died four months later.
Contributing: Mitchell Armentrout, Associated Press


chicagosun-times--2020-09-11--DuPage County gets coronavirus ‘warning’ as Illinois logs 2,145 new cases (LIVE UPDATES)

DuPage County gets coronavirus ‘ warning ’ as Illinois logs 2,145 new cases A broad swath of Chicago ’ s western suburbs hit a COVID-19 warning level Friday as public health officials announced 2,145 more people have tested positive for the deadly virus statewide .
The latest daily caseload was slightly above Illinois ’ two-week average of about 2,022 new cases per day , and they were confirmed among 56,661 tests to raise the state ’ s rolling testing positivity rate to 3.9 % .
The Illinois Department of Public Health also announced the virus killed 32 more people , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the beginning of the month .
The state has averaged about 20 COVID-19 deaths per day over the last two weeks .
It was an increase in COVID-19 deaths that helped land DuPage County on the state ’ s updated list of counties considered to be at a viral “ warning level.
” Six deaths were reported in the west suburban county last week , up from four the previous week .
The state flags counties if they check off two “ risk indicators.
” DuPage is also seeing a case rate of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the target of about 50 .
7:22 p.m. 5 reasons the pandemic gives cars an edge Not long ago , in the pre-pandemic age , carmakers braced for the possibility that Americans would eventually stop buying vehicles , choosing instead to rely upon ride-hailing , especially once self-driving car technology becomes widely available .
But COVID-19 has upended those expectations , swinging the pendulum back in the direction of personal car ownership as Americans say they ’ re increasingly likely to drive themselves instead of riding in someone else ’ s car or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shopping for vehicles , 22 % had not planned to buy one before the pandemic began , according to a recent survey by car-buying site CarGurus .
Times are still challenging for the industry .
Car sales have declined in 2020 due to the economic downturn and record unemployment .
6:03 p.m. With late start to fall term , some local universities learn from others ’ COVID mistakes For a small subset of local universities with later fall start dates than many schools around the country , waiting to mid- to late-September has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The ever-changing nature of the coronavirus pandemic has rendered every additional day critical to adapting their fall plans , and allowed them to learn from the experience of universities that started last month , according to these schools .
“ We always said we were going to follow developments up until the day we started , ” said Luke Figora , senior associate vice president and chief risk and compliance officer at Northwestern University .
“ We saw a number of different things , developments at colleges and universities across the country having @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the University of Chicago all follow academic quarters , with start dates ranging from Sept. 9 at DePaul to Sept. 29 at UChicago .
These later start dates have allowed schools to glean lessons from other universities in Chicago and across the nation , drawing insight from their COVID-19 responses and adjusting accordingly .
3:51 p.m. Indiana study finds non-white people are dying of COVID-19 at three times the rate of white people How deadly is SARS-CoV-2 , the virus that causes COVID-19 ?
And what are the risks of death for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These have been hard numbers to calculate during this pandemic .
To calculate the true death rate — more accurately called the infection–fatality ratio ( IFR ) — you simply would divide the total number of coronavirus deaths by the total number of infections .
The problem is that with so many asymptomatic cases and limited testing for much of the pandemic , finding the true number of infections has been very difficult .
The easiest way to calculate more accurate infection and death rates is to perform random testing .
I am @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In April , in partnership with the Indiana State Department of Health , I led a team of researchers at Indiana University to randomly select and test people for SARS-CoV-2 .
Based on our statistical sample , we found that 2.8 % of Indiana — or approximately 188,000 people — had been cumulatively infected by that time and determined the death rate in Indiana to be 0.58 % .
Using the data we gathered from that testing program , over the past few months , my colleagues and I set out to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ age , race and other demographic factors .
In a study published on Sept. 2 , we report that the coronavirus is hundreds of times more deadly for people over 60 compared to people under 40 , and that in Indiana , non-white people are dying at three times the rate of white people .
Read the full report from guest columnist Nir Menachemi here .
2:45 p.m. Famed Ford collector Jerry Capizzi , his wife Carolyn Capizzi of Park Ridge dead of COVID-19 Carolyn Capizzi and her husband Jerry Capizzi , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best-known collectors of Ford automobiles , have died within three days of each other of complications from the coronavirus .
Relatives announced that the Capizzis died in Park Ridge , where they ’ d lived since the 1970s .
They were married for 55 years before their deaths at Lutheran General Hospital .
Mr. Capizzi was 83 .
Mrs. Capizzi was 85 .
Mrs. Capizzi , who had no surviving siblings , died first , on May 17 .
Mr. Capizzi died three days later .
Their deaths came so quickly there was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , all in California , to arrange a visit .
“ It happened too fast , ” said his brother Michael R. Capizzi , former district attorney for Orange County , California .
“ It ’ s just terrible .
I still can ’ t believe it happened.
” Doctors from the Chicagoland Children ’ s Health Alliance , a system of pediatric experts , met virtually Thursday to share the importance for children to get a flu shot by the end of October , especially during the COVID-19 pandemic .
“ With @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an extra layer of concern across the Chicagoland area , ” said Dr. Frank Belmonte , co-chief medical officer of CCHA and chief medical officer at Advocate Children ’ s Hospital .
According to the Centers for Disease Control , 188 flu-related deaths were reported among children under the age of 18 during the 2019-2020 flu season .
Illinois has seen more than 250,000 positive cases of COVID and over 8,000 deaths .
Dr. Michael Caplan , co-chief medical officer of CCHA and a pediatric doctor at NorthShore University Healthsystem , said going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see patients with both the coronavirus and the flu .
Former Bears receiver Josh Bellamy was arrested Thursday has been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly participating in a scheme to receive more than $ 24 million from the Paycheck Protection Program through the Coronavirus Aid , Relief and Economic Securities act .
Bellamy , who is injured and was cut by the Jets this week , was charged with wire fraud , bank fraud and conspiracy to commit both in a federal criminal complaint filed in the Southern District @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PPP loan worth $ 1,246,565 for his company , Drip Entertainment LLC , and spent it on Dior and Gucci items , as well as jewelry .
He allegedly spent $ 62,774 in PPP loan money at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in South Florida , and withdrew more than $ 302,000 more .
• Public health officials announced on Thursday that another 1,953 Illinoisans have contracted COVID-19 .
• Carolyn Capizzi and her husband Jerry Capizzi , who was one of the world ’ s best-known collectors of Ford automobiles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each other of complications from the coronavirus .
• Tom Seaver , the Hall of Fame pitcher who was the heart of the Miracle Mets team , has died at 75 of lewy body dementia and COVID-19 .
8:58 a.m. A pandemic didn ’ t stop Chicago Public Schools seniors from planning for life after high school While so many young people are facing unprecedented challenges at this moment , I ’ m optimistic not only for her , but for the 97.5 % of seniors who submitted a strong post-secondary plan under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first car parade graduations and the first online semester , the Class of 2020 is also the first group of students to graduate with this requirement .
Introduced in 2017 , Learn.Plan.Succeed was intended to make sure that every student has meaningful conversations with adults at their school who can help them create a post-secondary plan that lays out a successful path forward after high school .
The results are encouraging : Nearly every student in the Class of 2020 graduated with such a plan .
Good post-secondary guidance is our responsibility at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ student needs and deserves .
It ’ s also a matter of equity , because some of our students don ’ t have the support at home they need to fully evaluate their post-secondary opportunities .
Read the full guest column from CPS CEO Janice Jackson here .

The first week back to school for Chicago Public Schools closed out Friday. Now colleges and universities that have later start dates are looking to other universities and schools for ideas on how to beat back COVID-19 during the school year.
Here’s what else happened in Chicago and around the state as the battle against the coronavirus pandemic continued.
News
8:57 p.m. DuPage County gets coronavirus ‘warning’ as Illinois logs 2,145 new cases
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
A broad swath of Chicago’s western suburbs hit a COVID-19 warning level Friday as public health officials announced 2,145 more people have tested positive for the deadly virus statewide.
The latest daily caseload was slightly above Illinois’ two-week average of about 2,022 new cases per day, and they were confirmed among 56,661 tests to raise the state’s rolling testing positivity rate to 3.9%.
The Illinois Department of Public Health also announced the virus killed 32 more people, the most in a single day since the beginning of the month. The state has averaged about 20 COVID-19 deaths per day over the last two weeks.
It was an increase in COVID-19 deaths that helped land DuPage County on the state’s updated list of counties considered to be at a viral “warning level.” Six deaths were reported in the west suburban county last week, up from four the previous week.
The state flags counties if they check off two “risk indicators.” DuPage is also seeing a case rate of 89 per 100,000 residents, well above the target of about 50.
Reporter Mitch Dudek has the full story.
7:22 p.m. 5 reasons the pandemic gives cars an edge
Not long ago, in the pre-pandemic age, carmakers braced for the possibility that Americans would eventually stop buying vehicles, choosing instead to rely upon ride-hailing, especially once self-driving car technology becomes widely available.
But COVID-19 has upended those expectations, swinging the pendulum back in the direction of personal car ownership as Americans say they’re increasingly likely to drive themselves instead of riding in someone else’s car or taking mass transit.
Of Americans currently shopping for vehicles, 22% had not planned to buy one before the pandemic began, according to a recent survey by car-buying site CarGurus.
Times are still challenging for the industry. Car sales have declined in 2020 due to the economic downturn and record unemployment.
Read the full report here.
6:03 p.m. With late start to fall term, some local universities learn from others’ COVID mistakes
For a small subset of local universities with later fall start dates than many schools around the country, waiting to mid- to late-September has had an added benefit this year.
The ever-changing nature of the coronavirus pandemic has rendered every additional day critical to adapting their fall plans, and allowed them to learn from the experience of universities that started last month, according to these schools.
“We always said we were going to follow developments up until the day we started,” said Luke Figora, senior associate vice president and chief risk and compliance officer at Northwestern University. “We saw a number of different things, developments at colleges and universities across the country having some challenges.”
Northwestern, DePaul University and the University of Chicago all follow academic quarters, with start dates ranging from Sept. 9 at DePaul to Sept. 29 at UChicago. These later start dates have allowed schools to glean lessons from other universities in Chicago and across the nation, drawing insight from their COVID-19 responses and adjusting accordingly.
Reporter Clare Proctor has the full story.
3:51 p.m. Indiana study finds non-white people are dying of COVID-19 at three times the rate of white people
Nurse Jeanette Averett comforts a 56-year-old woman suffering from COVID-19 who was struggling with anxiety because of her non-invasive ventilator at Roseland Community Hospital on the Far South Side in April. File photo. Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times file
How deadly is SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19? And what are the risks of death for people of different ages and demographics? These have been hard numbers to calculate during this pandemic.
To calculate the true death rate — more accurately called the infection–fatality ratio (IFR) — you simply would divide the total number of coronavirus deaths by the total number of infections. The problem is that with so many asymptomatic cases and limited testing for much of the pandemic, finding the true number of infections has been very difficult.
The easiest way to calculate more accurate infection and death rates is to perform random testing.
I am a professor of health policy and management. In April, in partnership with the Indiana State Department of Health, I led a team of researchers at Indiana University to randomly select and test people for SARS-CoV-2. Based on our statistical sample, we found that 2.8% of Indiana — or approximately 188,000 people — had been cumulatively infected by that time and determined the death rate in Indiana to be 0.58%.
Using the data we gathered from that testing program, over the past few months, my colleagues and I set out to determine how the infection–fatality ratio differs by age, race and other demographic factors. In a study published on Sept. 2, we report that the coronavirus is hundreds of times more deadly for people over 60 compared to people under 40, and that in Indiana, non-white people are dying at three times the rate of white people.
Read the full report from guest columnist Nir Menachemi here.
2:45 p.m. Famed Ford collector Jerry Capizzi, his wife Carolyn Capizzi of Park Ridge dead of COVID-19
Carolyn Capizzi and her husband Jerry Capizzi, who was one of the world’s best-known collectors of Ford automobiles, have died within three days of each other of complications from the coronavirus.
Relatives announced that the Capizzis died in Park Ridge, where they’d lived since the 1970s. They were married for 55 years before their deaths at Lutheran General Hospital. Mr. Capizzi was 83. Mrs. Capizzi was 85.
Mrs. Capizzi, who had no surviving siblings, died first, on May 17. Mr. Capizzi died three days later.
Their deaths came so quickly there was no time for his sister and brothers, all in California, to arrange a visit.
“It happened too fast,” said his brother Michael R. Capizzi, former district attorney for Orange County, California. “It’s just terrible. I still can’t believe it happened.”
Read the full obituary from Maureen O’Donnell.
12:43 p.m. Doctors emphasize importance of flu shot for children amid COVID-19 pandemic
Doctors from the Chicagoland Children’s Health Alliance, a system of pediatric experts, met virtually Thursday to share the importance for children to get a flu shot by the end of October, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With the pandemic this year, it puts an extra layer of concern across the Chicagoland area,” said Dr. Frank Belmonte, co-chief medical officer of CCHA and chief medical officer at Advocate Children’s Hospital.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 188 flu-related deaths were reported among children under the age of 18 during the 2019-2020 flu season. Illinois has seen more than 250,000 positive cases of COVID and over 8,000 deaths.
Dr. Michael Caplan, co-chief medical officer of CCHA and a pediatric doctor at NorthShore University Healthsystem, said going into the fall months means doctors will see patients with both the coronavirus and the flu.
Read the full report here.
8:56 a.m. Ex-Bears WR Josh Bellamy charged with coronavirus loan fraud
Former Bears receiver Josh Bellamy was arrested Thursday has been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly participating in a scheme to receive more than $24 million from the Paycheck Protection Program through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Securities act.
Bellamy, who is injured and was cut by the Jets this week, was charged with wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy to commit both in a federal criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of Florida.
Bellamy allegedly received a PPP loan worth $1,246,565 for his company, Drip Entertainment LLC, and spent it on Dior and Gucci items, as well as jewelry. He allegedly spent $62,774 in PPP loan money at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in South Florida, and withdrew more than $302,000 more.
Reporter Patrick Finley has the full story.
New Cases
Public health officials announced on Thursday that another 1,953 Illinoisans have contracted COVID-19.
Carolyn Capizzi and her husband Jerry Capizzi, who was one of the world’s best-known collectors of Ford automobiles, have died within three days of each other of complications from the coronavirus.
Tom Seaver, the Hall of Fame pitcher who was the heart of the Miracle Mets team, has died at 75 of lewy body dementia and COVID-19.
Analysis & Commentary
8:58 a.m. A pandemic didn’t stop Chicago Public Schools seniors from planning for life after high school
While so many young people are facing unprecedented challenges at this moment, I’m optimistic not only for her, but for the 97.5% of seniors who submitted a strong post-secondary plan under Learn.Plan.Succeed.
In addition to holding the first car parade graduations and the first online semester, the Class of 2020 is also the first group of students to graduate with this requirement. Introduced in 2017, Learn.Plan.Succeed was intended to make sure that every student has meaningful conversations with adults at their school who can help them create a post-secondary plan that lays out a successful path forward after high school.
The results are encouraging: Nearly every student in the Class of 2020 graduated with such a plan.
Good post-secondary guidance is our responsibility at CPS. It’s something every student needs and deserves. It’s also a matter of equity, because some of our students don’t have the support at home they need to fully evaluate their post-secondary opportunities.
Read the full guest column from CPS CEO Janice Jackson here.


chicagosun-times--2020-09-11--Great Dane named Ralph saves sleeping family, waking them as devastating fire sweeps home

So when Ralph started up with “ a different kind of bark ” around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday , Walker knew something was wrong , and he got up to check .
That ’ s how Ralph , the Great Dane , ended up saving the lives of Walker , his wife Maria Gilbert and their two kids , 9 and 12 years old .
Walker saw fire outside the kitchen window of his family ’ s rental home near Birmingham , Alabama .
“ I just started screaming ‘ Fire !
’ to get everybody up , ” Walker says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and she got our daughter and got her out.
” Then , she want back for their son .
He was fast asleep as his bedroom filled with smoke .
“ The fire was right outside his wall , ” Walker says .
“ He wasn ’ t awake because he sleeps covered with his blanket.
” He went back for Ralph , getting the 185-pound pet out of his kennel , though one of the the family ’ s two pet pigs , named Pearl , died .
The fire had started @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home , according to Robert Lawson , a battalion chief with the North Shelby County ( Alabama ) Fire Department .
The house was badly damaged , and the family lost most of their belongings .
A church is trying to help them out .
“ Without Ralph , I don ’ t think we would have made it , ” Walker says .
“ He saved our entire family .
”

SHELBY COUNTY, Ala. — Derek Walker’s 4-year-old Great Dane Ralph “doesn’t usually make a sound at night.”
So when Ralph started up with “a different kind of bark” around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, Walker knew something was wrong, and he got up to check.
That’s how Ralph, the Great Dane, ended up saving the lives of Walker, his wife Maria Gilbert and their two kids, 9 and 12 years old.
Walker saw fire outside the kitchen window of his family’s rental home near Birmingham, Alabama.
“I just started screaming ‘Fire!’ to get everybody up,” Walker says. “My wife got up, and she got our daughter and got her out.”
Then, she want back for their son. He was fast asleep as his bedroom filled with smoke.
“The fire was right outside his wall,” Walker says. “He wasn’t awake because he sleeps covered with his blanket.”
He went back for Ralph, getting the 185-pound pet out of his kennel, though one of the the family’s two pet pigs, named Pearl, died.
The fire had started on a grill and spread to the home, according to Robert Lawson, a battalion chief with the North Shelby County (Alabama) Fire Department.
The house was badly damaged, and the family lost most of their belongings. A church is trying to help them out.
“Without Ralph, I don’t think we would have made it,” Walker says. “He saved our entire family.”


chicagosun-times--2020-09-11--White Sox’ Dallas Keuchel penciled in to face Twins next week

General manager Rick Hahn said Dallas Keuchel is progressing and is penciled in to start the fourth game of the White Sox ’ series against the Twins on Thursday , the day Keuchel ( back spasms ) is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list .
“ But we won ’ t know that for sure until he gets back up on the mound here and does his normal between start routine starting early next week , ” Hahn said Friday .
“ Obviously having Dallas right for the postseason is priority one.
” Hahn said Keuchel , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tigers but went on the 10-day IL Thursday ( retroactive to Sept. 7 ) , probably wanted to pitch through it .
“ But it ’ s our job to sort of take that longer term view and make sure we get everything lined up the way we need lined up for greater success than just a one- or two-start stretch here in September , ” Hahn said .
Reynaldo Lopez , recalled from Schaumburg Thursday , will start in Keuchel ’ s turn Saturday .
“ Hopefully it ’ s an efficient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he gives us , ” manager Rick Renteria said .
Lopez ( 0-2 , 8.38 ERA ) has allowed 14 hits and eight walks in 9 2/3 innings and has not pitched more than four innings in his four starts .
He owns a 3.65 career ERA in 12 starts against the Tigers .
If left-handers Aaron Bummer and Carlos Rodon return from injuries , it likely won ’ t happen until the last week of the season .
Rodon , working his way back from a sore shoulder , was sidelined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ area , Hahn said , but is slated to throw on Monday and could return “ in some capacity.
” The biceps strain that sidelined Bummer has healed but he is working through a nerve issue .
Getting him back in his role as a seventh- and eighth-inning stopper would be a huge lift and “ has hit every milestone , so he remains on track to potentially rejoin us at some point on that final road trip [ in Cincinnati and Cleveland starting next Friday ] .
” “ We had him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Hahn said , “ one that would conceivably bring him back for the last week of the season or so .
Hired by the Cubs during their rebuild and let go when Joe Maddon became available , Renteria was hired by the Sox to lead them through their rebuild .
With the Sox transitioning to win mode , Renteria is still the guy to lead in the Hahn ’ s view .
“ I still fully believe he ’ s capable of taking us to that next step , ” Hahn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t be until after this year ’ s over , I hope he ’ s able to look back and take some satisfaction in showing he wasn ’ t a guy who was just here to sort of be the caretaker through the rebuild.
” Two cardboard cutouts located side-by-side behind home plate at Guaranteed Rate Field Friday night tell a remarkable story .
One is of former White Sox pitcher and current Sox minor league pitching coach Rich Dotson .
The other is Turk Farrell , a five-time All-Star whose 14-year career @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s biological father , which Dotson discovered only recently .
The two never met – Farrell died in 1977 in an automobile accident at age 43 – but Dotson , 61 , came to learn about him through a relative , as told in a compelling story by The Athletic ’ s Jayson Stark .
Dotson , who played 12 years with the Sox , was fourth in AL Cy Young voting in 1983 and an All-Star in 1984 .
It was his idea to get the cutouts .

General manager Rick Hahn said Dallas Keuchel is progressing and is penciled in to start the fourth game of the White Sox’ series against the Twins on Thursday, the day Keuchel (back spasms) is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list.
“But we won’t know that for sure until he gets back up on the mound here and does his normal between-starts routine starting early next week,” Hahn said Friday.
“Obviously, having Dallas right for the postseason is priority one.”
Hahn said Keuchel, who was scheduled to start Saturday against the Tigers but went on the 10-day IL on Thursday (retroactive to Sept. 7), probably wanted to pitch through it.
“But it’s our job to sort of take that longer-term view and make sure we get everything lined up the way we need it lined up for greater success than just a one- or two-start stretch here in September,” Hahn said.
Lopez starts Saturday
Reynaldo Lopez, recalled from Schaumburg on Thursday, will start in Keuchel’s turn Saturday.
“Hopefully, it’s an efficient outing for him, whatever it is that he gives us,” manager Rick Renteria said.
Lopez (0-2, 8.38 ERA) has allowed 14 hits and eight walks in 9⅔ innings and has not pitched more than four innings in his four starts. He owns a 3.65 career ERA in 12 starts against the Tigers.
Hope for Bummer, Rodon
If left-handers Aaron Bummer and Carlos Rodon return from injuries, it likely won’t happen until the last week of the season.
Rodon, working his way back from a sore shoulder, was sidelined at Schaumburg with inflammation in his back/rib cage, Hahn said, but is slated to throw Monday and could return “in some capacity.”
The biceps strain that sidelined Bummer has healed, but he is working through a nerve issue. Getting him back in his role as a seventh- and eighth-inning stopper would be a huge lift, and “he has hit every milestone, so he remains on track to potentially rejoin us at some point on that final road trip [in Cincinnati and Cleveland starting next Friday],” Hahn said.
“We had him on a deliberate slow-build throwing program, one that would conceivably bring him back for the last week of the season or so.’’
A thumbs-up for Renteria
Hired by the Cubs during their rebuild and let go when Joe Maddon became available, Renteria was hired by the Sox to lead them through their rebuild. With the Sox transitioning to win mode, Renteria is still the guy to lead in Hahn’s view.
“I still fully believe he’s capable of taking us to that next step,” Hahn said.