chicagosun-times--2020-04-01--Dear Abby: Longtime friend is dating my dad — and telling him my secrets

DEAR ABBY : My father has been mostly absent from my life .
We reconnected when I was an adult .
I have always had feelings of abandonment , and because of this , I have constantly tried to build a relationship with him and allow him to have one with his grandchildren .
Dad met my friend of 10 years , “ Danielle , ” two months ago when I threw him a birthday party .
Since then , he and Danielle have begun a relationship on the sly .
The problem is , Danielle tells Dad things I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and he is coming back to me with whatever she has told him .
Dad has been separated for 14 years , and Danielle insisted that she wouldn ’ t date him under those circumstances , but she did .
Since the start of this , my relationship with my dad is even worse , and my long friendship with Danielle has been ruined because I know I can ’ t trust her .
Dad spends all of his time with her and her child now and hasn ’ t begun to build @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grandchildren , which has been the story of my life , and my friend knows this .
Abby , am I being selfish ?
What do you think I should do ?
— MORE THAN AWKWARD IN ARKANSAS DEAR MORE : I don ’ t think you are selfish .
You have good reason to be hurt and disappointed .
Your father is remaining true to character , but your friend has betrayed your trust .
You may need the help of a licensed therapist to move beyond this , and that is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me , you have my sympathy .
But you can ’ t change your father or Danielle .
You can , however , change the way you react to them , and a therapist will help you do that more quickly than you can do it on your own .
DEAR READERS : On April 1 , I like to share a few of the more offbeat letters I receive .
Here are three : DEAR ABBY : For more than 50 years , my wife has had a close relationship with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was 8 years old .
His name is Daffy , and he sits by our fireplace and pretty much rules the house .
She makes him “ talk ” and takes him places .
When I make a mistake , like not hanging up my jacket , I say that Daffy told me not to do it .
She gets mad , and I get a lecture from Daffy about how he isn ’ t to blame and he never makes a mistake .
I am joking when I blame Daffy , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ find it funny .
Am I wrong to make a joke , or should I not blame Daffy ?
( Daffy told me to write this letter . )
— PANDA-MONIUM OUT WEST DEAR PANDA-MONIUM : It appears there are not one , but three “ daffys ” in your household .
If you can ’ t “ bear ” what ’ s going on , stop joking .
P.S .
You must think I ’ m daffy to believe this letter is legit .
DEAR ABBY : How do you address a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a domestic partnership ?
Two are married to each other and have the same last name .
I addressed it as , “ Drs .
Jane and John Doe and Joe Brown , ” but I wanted to be sure for future correspondence .
— THREE ’ S COMPANY IN ATLANTA DEAR T.C .
: Surrounded by so many doctors , you must be receiving excellent health care !
The correspondence should be addressed to “ Drs .
Jane and John Doe and Joe Brown , M.D.
” Joe earned his degree and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is coming in third .
DEAR ABBY : When I put my hand on my wife ’ s knee at the dinner table last night , she blurted out the name of another man .
What do you make of this ?
— CURIOUS IN CALIFORNIA DEAR CURIOUS : Unless the name she blurted was Alfredo and you were eating pasta , I suspect you may have a problem .
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren , also known as Jeanne Phillips , and was founded by her mother , Pauline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 . )

DEAR ABBY: My father has been mostly absent from my life. We reconnected when I was an adult. I have always had feelings of abandonment, and because of this, I have constantly tried to build a relationship with him and allow him to have one with his grandchildren.
Dad met my friend of 10 years, “Danielle,” two months ago when I threw him a birthday party. Since then, he and Danielle have begun a relationship on the sly. The problem is, Danielle tells Dad things I confided to her over the years, and he is coming back to me with whatever she has told him.
Dad has been separated for 14 years, and Danielle insisted that she wouldn’t date him under those circumstances, but she did. Since the start of this, my relationship with my dad is even worse, and my long friendship with Danielle has been ruined because I know I can’t trust her. Dad spends all of his time with her and her child now and hasn’t begun to build a bond with me or his own grandchildren, which has been the story of my life, and my friend knows this. Abby, am I being selfish? What do you think I should do? — MORE THAN AWKWARD IN ARKANSAS
DEAR MORE: I don’t think you are selfish. You have good reason to be hurt and disappointed. Your father is remaining true to character, but your friend has betrayed your trust. You may need the help of a licensed therapist to move beyond this, and that is what I recommend you do.
Believe me, you have my sympathy. But you can’t change your father or Danielle. You can, however, change the way you react to them, and a therapist will help you do that more quickly than you can do it on your own.
DEAR READERS: On April 1, I like to share a few of the more offbeat letters I receive. Here are three:
DEAR ABBY: For more than 50 years, my wife has had a close relationship with a stuffed panda bear she received when she was 8 years old. His name is Daffy, and he sits by our fireplace and pretty much rules the house. She makes him “talk” and takes him places.
When I make a mistake, like not hanging up my jacket, I say that Daffy told me not to do it. She gets mad, and I get a lecture from Daffy about how he isn’t to blame and he never makes a mistake. I am joking when I blame Daffy, but my wife and Daffy don’t find it funny. Am I wrong to make a joke, or should I not blame Daffy? (Daffy told me to write this letter.) — PANDA-MONIUM OUT WEST
DEAR PANDA-MONIUM: It appears there are not one, but three “daffys” in your household. If you can’t “bear” what’s going on, stop joking.
P.S. You must think I’m daffy to believe this letter is legit.
DEAR ABBY: How do you address a letter to three doctors who are in a domestic partnership? Two are married to each other and have the same last name. I addressed it as, “Drs. Jane and John Doe and Joe Brown,” but I wanted to be sure for future correspondence. — THREE’S COMPANY IN ATLANTA
DEAR T.C.: Surrounded by so many doctors, you must be receiving excellent health care! The correspondence should be addressed to “Drs. Jane and John Doe and Joe Brown, M.D.” Joe earned his degree and deserves that title — even if he is coming in third.
DEAR ABBY: When I put my hand on my wife’s knee at the dinner table last night, she blurted out the name of another man. What do you make of this? — CURIOUS IN CALIFORNIA
DEAR CURIOUS: Unless the name she blurted was Alfredo and you were eating pasta, I suspect you may have a problem.
HAPPY APRIL FOOLS’ DAY, EVERYONE!
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--2020-04-01--‘Elephant’ you’ll never forget: Meghan Markle narrates a gentle Disney documentary

In Botswana ’ s Okavanga Delta , an adorable baby elephant is trapped in a thick muddy quagmire and is in danger of suffocating .
The matriarch of the herd wades into the muck and gets the bull ’ s head above the mud , allowing him to breathe .
But the little guy is still hopelessly stuck , so the matriarch keeps digging and digging until she clears a path for the calf to wriggle free and re-join the herd .
If that scene from the breathtaking Disney+ documentary “ Elephant ” doesn ’ t make your heart skip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ check to make sure your heart is still working .
Director Mark Linfield and co-directors Vanessa Berlowitz and Alastair Fothergill have fashioned a fascinating chronicle of an elephant herd ’ s thousand-mile round-trip journey from the delta during dry season to the Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River .
In one typically gorgeous sequence , the magnificent elephants are framed against an orange-gold sun as they make their way .
A giraffe going in the opposite direction passes .
It ’ s like we ’ re watching nature ’ s unique rush hour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , from the soundtrack strongly reminiscent of music from “ The Lion King ” to the filmmakers assigning names to the three lead elephant “ characters ” to the narration from one Meghan Markle , the actress ( “ Suits ” ) who has returned to work after a hiatus from showbiz in which she married some fellow named Harry and lived in England .
“ For elephants , family is EVERYTHING , ” says Markle , sounding for all the world like a preschool teacher reading to her class .
But it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the material , as this is arguably the gentlest , sweetest , most family-friendly look at elephants ever filmed .
( Note : The Duchess of Sussex donated her fee to Elephants Without Borders in Botswana . )
The camerawork in “ Elephant ” is remarkable , from closeup shots zooming in on the eyes of Gaia , the matriarch of the family , to drone-type long-shots capturing the vast and timeless landscape of Southern Africa .
Time and again , Markle ’ s narration supports the visuals showing us how family really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1-year-old Jomo to the somber moment when the herd comes across the skull and bones of an elephant and pauses in mourning .
Gaia even picks up a bone with her trunk and hands it to Jomo , as if to convey the respect and reverence the herd feels for one of its fallen .
On the lighter side , you ’ ll marvel at the sight of a bull elephant standing up on its hindquarters and pointing its trunk straight up to shake loose some tasty pods from a tree .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fictional movie , you ’ d chalk it up to poetic license .
“ Elephant ” occasionally takes a little poetic license of its own , as when Markle describes Gaia ’ s all-encompassing memory banks and we see rapid-fire footage of images from her past .
It ’ s as if she ’ s a cyborg in a “ Terminator ” movie .
On another occasion , Markle says , “ Shawni reconnects with a cousin she hasn ’ t seen in ages.
” Wait , how do we know it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we know they haven ’ t seen each other in ages ?
It ’ s not like they have Facebook accounts .
No matter .
We forgive “ Elephant ” its conceits because it ’ s such a joy to observe the rituals of these incredible , amazing creatures .

In Botswana’s Okavango Delta, an adorable baby elephant is trapped in a thick muddy quagmire and is in danger of suffocating.
The matriarch of the herd wades into the muck and gets the bull’s head above the mud, allowing him to breathe. But the little guy is still hopelessly stuck, so the matriarch keeps digging and digging until she clears a path for the calf to wriggle free and re-join the herd.
If that scene from the breathtaking Disney+ documentary “Elephant” doesn’t make your heart skip a beat, you might want to check to make sure your heart is still working. Director Mark Linfield and co-directors Vanessa Berlowitz and Alastair Fothergill have fashioned a fascinating chronicle of an elephant herd’s thousand-mile round-trip journey from the delta during dry season to the Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River.
‘Elephant’
Untitled Disneynature presents a documentary directed by Mark Linfield. Rated G. Running time: 85 minutes. Premieres Friday on Disney+.
In one typically gorgeous sequence, the magnificent elephants are framed against an orange-gold sun as they make their way. A giraffe going in the opposite direction passes. It’s like we’re watching nature’s unique rush hour. This is a decidedly Disney-fied production, from the soundtrack strongly reminiscent of music from “The Lion King” to the filmmakers assigning names to the three lead elephant “characters” to the narration from one Meghan Markle, the actress (“Suits”) who has returned to work after a hiatus from showbiz in which she married some fellow named Harry and lived in England.
“For elephants, family is EVERYTHING,” says Markle, sounding for all the world like a preschool teacher reading to her class. But it’s actually a suitable approach for the material, as this is arguably the gentlest, sweetest, most family-friendly look at elephants ever filmed. (Note: The Duchess of Sussex donated her fee to Elephants Without Borders in Botswana.)
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, narrates “Elephants.” Chris Jackson/Getty Images
The camerawork in “Elephant” is remarkable, from closeup shots zooming in on the eyes of Gaia, the matriarch of the family, to drone-type long-shots capturing the vast and timeless landscape of Southern Africa. Time and again, Markle’s narration supports the visuals showing us how family really is everything, from the adults nurturing 1-year-old Jomo to the somber moment when the herd comes across the skull and bones of an elephant and pauses in mourning. Gaia even picks up a bone with her trunk and hands it to Jomo, as if to convey the respect and reverence the herd feels for one of its fallen.
On the lighter side, you’ll marvel at the sight of a bull elephant standing up on its hindquarters and pointing its trunk straight up to shake loose some tasty pods from a tree. If you saw that move in a photo-realism fictional movie, you’d chalk it up to poetic license.
“Elephant” occasionally takes a little poetic license of its own, as when Markle describes Gaia’s all-encompassing memory banks and we see rapid-fire footage of images from her past. It’s as if she’s a cyborg in a “Terminator” movie. On another occasion, Markle says, “Shawni reconnects with a cousin she hasn’t seen in ages.” Wait, how do we know it’s her cousin, and how do we know they haven’t seen each other in ages? It’s not like they have Facebook accounts.
No matter. We forgive “Elephant” its conceits because it’s such a joy to observe the rituals of these incredible, amazing creatures.


chicagosun-times--2020-04-01--Chicago outdoors and COVID-19: Ongoing and new impacts (smelt netting, Heidecke opener, trout season

Chicago outdoors and COVID-19: Ongoing and new impacts (smelt netting, Heidecke opener, trout season)

“ I want people to know that the forest preserves remain open as an option across the county for fresh air , exercise and access to nature , ” Cook County Board president Toni Preckwinkle said Sunday in a COVID-19 update .
Illinois Department of Natural Resources sites and the Chicago lakefront are closed , but nearly all forest preserves around the Chicago area and most Chicago parks/lagoons are open .
Trickier are those lakes scheduled to open Saturday for inland trout season .
Trout waters around Chicago , which were stocked , are closed to fishing until trout season @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , most buildings , including nature centers , are closed .
In open areas , people need to to not congregate and to respect social distancing , including notifying nearby people when biking or hiking .
By now we all know the basics .
In case people don ’ t understand the gravity , Preckwinkle warned , “ If and when we see that a specific location is no longer tenable , due to the behavior of visitors , we will add it to the list of sites that we have shut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the preserves have always offered access to the natural world close to home .
We know this is a great benefit for the physical and mental health of all of our residents .
In these difficult times , that resource is more important than ever.
” She got that right .
Just in case , let me make this plain for those jackasses who act like they don ’ t know .
Forest preserves should remain open if people follow the social distancing/not congregating/hand-washing/stay-home-if-sick guidelines .
HEIDECKE : The former cooling lake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ will remain temporarily closed to the public until further notice , ” according to the IDNR .
SMELT : Smelt netting will not begin , as traditional , tonight .
As a Chicago Park District email explained , `` The Lakefront will remain closed throughout the Governor ’ s order to all public activities , including smelt netting , until the Governor and the Chicago Department of Health deem it safe to reopen.
’ ’ BIG SPACES : The 30 miles of trails at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie near Wilmington remain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facilities are temporarily unavailable .
.
.
.
Indiana ’ s Kankakee Sands has trails and hiking open , but the main building is closed .
Trevor Edmondson tweeted , “ The snipes are really active flying over the prairie now.
” TURKEYS IN ILLINOIS : Turkey hunting is a go on private property and Illinois Recreational Access Program sites , but off limits at closed IDNR sites as long as the closure lasts .
The first youth statewide hunt was last weekend , the second is this weekend .
The regular south @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Colleen Callahan addressed a key question : “ Our current administrative rules under the state ’ s wildlife code prohibit the issuance of refunds or transfer of permits .
We understand the problems these laws create for our sportsmen and women and are reviewing all possible solutions.
’ ” WHEN ?
As to when the IDNR sites might reopen , spokesperson Rachel Torbert emailed , “ IDNR is working closely with the Governor ’ s Office and the Illinois Department of Public Health to monitor the situation and assess when we can safely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunday ’ s progression map on the Facebook Group , Illinois Morel Mushrooms , had finds as far north as Edgar County .
IDNR sites remain off limits for foraging during the closure .
STRAY CAST : While I ’ m glad that the outdoors is the one live thing in the toy section of the Sun-Times , I ’ ve learned to enjoy the virtual NASCAR races .

“I want people to know that the forest preserves remain open as an option across the county for fresh air, exercise and access to nature,” Cook County Board president Toni Preckwinkle said Sunday in a COVID-19 update.
Illinois Department of Natural Resources sites and the Chicago lakefront are closed, but nearly all forest preserves around the Chicago area and most Chicago parks/lagoons are open.
Trickier are those lakes scheduled to open Saturday for inland trout season. Trout waters around Chicago, which were stocked, are closed to fishing until trout season opens at some distant point.
That said, most buildings, including nature centers, are closed. In open areas, people need to not congregate and to respect social distancing, including notifying nearby people when biking or hiking.
By now we all know the basics.
In case people don’t understand the gravity, Preckwinkle warned, “If and when we see that a specific location is no longer tenable, due to the behavior of visitors, we will add it to the list of sites that we have shut down.
“Here in Cook County, the preserves have always offered access to the natural world close to home. We know this is a great benefit for the physical and mental health of all of our residents. In these difficult times, that resource is more important than ever.”
She got that right.
Just in case, let me make this plain for those jackasses who act like they don’t know. Forest preserves should remain open if people follow the social distancing/not congregating/hand-washing/stay-home-if-sick guidelines.
HEIDECKE: The former cooling lake near Morris, scheduled to open today, “will remain temporarily closed to the public until further notice,” according to the IDNR.
Smelt netting on the Chicago lakefront will not open as scheduled on April 1; last year opening night was a rare one that produced some smelt, such as these near the Shedd Aquarium. Dale Bowman
SMELT: Smelt netting will not begin, as traditional, tonight. As a Chicago Park District email explained, ``The Lakefront will remain closed throughout the Governor’s order to all public activities, including smelt netting, until the Governor and the Chicago Department of Health deem it safe to reopen.’’
BIG SPACES: The 30 miles of trails at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie near Wilmington remain open 4 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. Restroom facilities are temporarily unavailable. . . . Indiana’s Kankakee Sands has trails and hiking open, but the main building is closed. Trevor Edmondson tweeted, “The snipes are really active flying over the prairie now.”
TURKEYS IN ILLINOIS: Turkey hunting is a go on private property and Illinois Recreational Access Program sites, but off limits at closed IDNR sites as long as the closure lasts. The first youth statewide hunt was last weekend, the second is this weekend. The regular south zone season opens Monday.
IDNR director Colleen Callahan addressed a key question: “Our current administrative rules under the state’s wildlife code prohibit the issuance of refunds or transfer of permits. We understand the problems these laws create for our sportsmen and women and are reviewing all possible solutions.’”
A file photo of wild turkeys. Dale Bowman
WHEN? As to when the IDNR sites might reopen, spokesperson Rachel Torbert emailed, “IDNR is working closely with the Governor’s Office and the Illinois Department of Public Health to monitor the situation and assess when we can safely reopen our facilities.”
WILD THINGS: Sunday’s progression map on the Facebook Group, Illinois Morel Mushrooms, had finds as far north as Edgar County. IDNR sites remain off limits for foraging during the closure.
STRAY CAST: While I’m glad that the outdoors is the one live thing in the toy section of the Sun-Times, I’ve learned to enjoy the virtual NASCAR races.


chicagosun-times--2020-04-01--A crying doctor, patients gasping for air and limited coronavirus tests: A look inside a triage tent

A crying doctor, patients gasping for air and limited coronavirus tests: A look inside a triage tent in Chicago

Michael Dolan started crying late Saturday afternoon as he walked away from Chicago ’ s Northwestern Memorial Hospital .
Dolan wasn ’ t crying because he had spent a week and a half dealing with severe coronavirus symptoms or because an X-ray confirmed he had an acute upper respiratory lung infection .
He wasn ’ t crying about the fact that he was developing pneumonia or that he had just consoled a crying doctor .
Dolan was crying because , after spending hours at the downtown hospital ’ s outdoor triage tent listening to gasping patients all around him , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of what he believes is the health care system collapsing .
It was “ an entirely preventable human disaster ” caused not by the hard-working health care professionals , but by failed policies , he says .
This didn ’ t happen at a poorly resourced or rural hospital , either .
This was one of the nation ’ s best medical centers .
And despite 15 days of serious symptoms , including a 105-degree fever , Dolan still hasn ’ t been tested for COVID-19 .
Dolan is a native Chicagoan and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a career traveling the world as a media producer and consultant .
He ’ s also a relatively healthy 39-year-old .
But when he walked into his Northwestern doctor ’ s office March 17 for his regularly scheduled physical , his physician took one look and was sure Dolan had the coronavirus .
Dolan was told he couldn ’ t get tested , though , because he was young and hadn ’ t traveled from a hotspot .
Instead , the doctor would consider Dolan an unofficial coronavirus patient and check in with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his condition — just as the physician was already doing with 11 others .
That night , the symptoms started .
And a week and a half later , they had gotten progressively worse .
So Dolan ’ s doctor told him on Friday to go to Northwestern for a test at the hospital ’ s outdoor coronavirus triage tent .
“ If I had asthma , if I had a heart condition , I ’ d be dead by now , ” Dolan said , blaming the federal government for a lack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of tests that prevented him from receiving early treatment .
When Dolan showed up to Northwestern , he had a fever and chills , his heart rate was fluctuating and he had a cough and migraine .
A doctor there told him she knew he certainly had COVID-19 and , according to Dolan , said he was “ the worst patient your age group that I ’ ve seen.
” Yet he still was told he couldn ’ t get a test because he wasn ’ t 65 years or older .
Dr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Chicago Department of Public Health , said Dolan should have been tested .
The lack of tests available means the official count of cases is much lower than reality .
“ If you take a premiere institution like [ Northwestern ] , one of the best in Chicago and it ’ s happening , can you imagine what ’ s happening at community hospitals ?
” Ehrman said .
“ My indignation is not for me , ” Dolan said .
“ If it falls over on the poor , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people dead in this country.
” While Dolan sat in a makeshift room in a cold tent on the sidewalk waiting for a lung X-ray , he was surrounded by five women gasping for air , Dolan said , all facing each other in other bays with no privacy .
At one point , one of the women collapsed off her chair and was carted away .
“ I marveled at the humanity of sitting there , as a sick person , and feeling guilty that I wasn ’ t as sick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ somebody else in my chair , ” he said .
Dolan ’ s doctor told him he had an acute upper respiratory infection and was developing pneumonia .
A nurse gave him a Z-pak , which is used to treat basic cold or flu symptoms and hadn ’ t been prescribed by the doctor .
The doctor started apologizing for the lack of order and the unavailability of tests that caused Dolan to get to this point — and also started crying .
“ I told him you don ’ t have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t do this to me , you ’ re trying to help me , ” Dolan said .
“ So I ’ m now the patient comforting the doctor .
And he needed it .
...
He needed somebody to tell him everything was going to be OK. ” Dolan was prescribed an inhaler and anti-inflammatory medication used for malaria .
A spokesman for Northwestern Medicine declined to comment on his case or the hospital ’ s testing protocol , citing federal law that keeps health care records confidential .
Dr. Robert Murphy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Global Health at Northwestern University , said testing is ramping up but blamed the “ incompetence ” of President Donald Trump and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for a delayed and flawed response to the crisis .
“ The whole system sucks , ” Murphy said .
“ You should see these poor guys in the emergency room .
All they see is coronavirus patients .
COVID , COVID , COVID , COVID , everywhere .
They ’ re all exposed .
Dozens of them have gotten infected themselves .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ but don ’ t blame the health care workers , ” Murphy said .
“ It ’ s the system ’ s fault.
” Dolan said he expects a tough road ahead since his pneumonia is still developing .
But he ’ s taking it one day at a time and urges Chicagoans to recognize the moment .
“ I don ’ t think people get the severity , ” Dolan said .
“ We ’ re watching New York and Washington .
But this is about to hit here .
”

Michael Dolan started crying late Friday afternoon as he walked away from Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Dolan wasn’t crying because he had spent a week and a half dealing with severe coronavirus symptoms or because an X-ray confirmed he had an acute upper respiratory lung infection. He wasn’t crying about the fact that he was developing pneumonia or that he had just consoled a crying doctor.
Dolan was crying because, after spending hours at the downtown hospital’s outdoor triage tent listening to gasping patients all around him, he had just witnessed the first signs of what he believes is the health care system collapsing. It was “an entirely preventable human disaster” caused not by the hard-working health care professionals, but by failed policies, he says.
This didn’t happen at a poorly resourced or rural hospital, either. This was one of the nation’s best medical centers.
And despite 15 days of serious symptoms, including a 105-degree fever, Dolan still hasn’t been tested for COVID-19.
‘Can you imagine what’s happening at community hospitals?’
Dolan is a native Chicagoan and former executive at The Onion who built a career traveling the world as a media producer and consultant.
He’s also a relatively healthy 39-year-old. But when he walked into his Northwestern doctor’s office March 17 for his regularly scheduled physical, his physician took one look and was sure Dolan had the coronavirus.
Dolan was told he couldn’t get tested, though, because he was young and hadn’t traveled from a hotspot. Instead, the doctor would consider Dolan an unofficial coronavirus patient and check in with him a week later for updates on his condition — just as the physician was already doing with 11 others.
Cars approach theCOVID-19 testing area at Northwestern Hospital, on March 20, 2020. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
That night, the symptoms started. And a week and a half later, they had gotten progressively worse. So Dolan’s doctor told him on Friday to go to Northwestern for a test at the hospital’s outdoor coronavirus triage tent.
“If I had asthma, if I had a heart condition, I’d be dead by now,” Dolan said, blaming the federal government for a lack of timely guidance and an insufficient number of tests that prevented him from receiving early treatment.
When Dolan showed up to Northwestern, he had a fever and chills, his heart rate was fluctuating and he had a cough and migraine. A doctor there told him she knew he certainly had COVID-19 and, according to Dolan, said he was “the worst patient your age group that I’ve seen.”
Yet he still was told he couldn’t get a test because he wasn’t 65 years or older.
Dr. Howard Ehrman, a former assistant commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said Dolan should have been tested. The lack of tests available means the official count of cases is much lower than reality.
“If you take a premiere institution like [Northwestern], one of the best in Chicago and it’s happening, can you imagine what’s happening at community hospitals?” Ehrman said.
And that’s Dolan’s worry, too.
“My indignation is not for me,” Dolan said. “If it falls over on the poor, then we’re going to have millions of people dead in this country.”
‘Now the patient comforting the doctor’
While Dolan sat in a makeshift room in a cold tent on the sidewalk waiting for a lung X-ray, he was surrounded by five women gasping for air, Dolan said, all facing each other in other bays with no privacy. At one point, one of the women collapsed off her chair and was carted away.
“I marveled at the humanity of sitting there, as a sick person, and feeling guilty that I wasn’t as sick as they were and there should be somebody else in my chair,” he said.
A doctor told Dolan he had an acute upper respiratory infection and was developing pneumonia. A nurse gave him the wrong medication which hadn’t been prescribed by the doctor.
The doctor started apologizing for the lack of order and the unavailability of tests that caused Dolan to get to this point — and also started crying.
“I told him you don’t have to apologize to me, you didn’t do this to me, you’re trying to help me,” Dolan said. “So I’m now the patient comforting the doctor. And he needed it. ... He needed somebody to tell him everything was going to be OK.”
Dolan was prescribed an inhaler and anti-inflammatory medication used for malaria.
A spokesman for Northwestern Medicine declined to comment on his case or the hospital’s testing protocol, citing federal law that keeps health care records confidential.
‘The whole system sucks’
Dr. Robert Murphy, executive director for the Institute for Global Health at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Dr. Robert Murphy, executive director for the Institute for Global Health at Northwestern University, said testing is ramping up but blamed the “incompetence” of President Donald Trump and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for a delayed and flawed response to the crisis.
“The whole system sucks,” Murphy said. “You should see these poor guys in the emergency room. All they see is coronavirus patients. COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, everywhere. They’re all exposed. Dozens of them have gotten infected themselves.
“The whole thing is insane, but don’t blame the health care workers,” Murphy said. “It’s the system’s fault.”
Dolan said he expects a tough road ahead since his pneumonia is still developing. But he’s taking it one day at a time and urges Chicagoans to recognize the moment.
“I don’t think people get the severity,” Dolan said. “We’re watching New York and Washington. But this is about to hit here.”


chicagosun-times--2020-04-01--CTA bus driver beaten, robbed in Brainerd

A CTA bus driver was beaten and robbed Tuesday while driving through Brainerd on the South Side .
The bus @ @ @ @ @ p.m. and let someone on in the 9400 block of South Ashland Avenue , Chicago @ @ @ @ @ , a male , then started hitting the bus driver , and stole his cellphone @ @ @ @ @ veered onto the sidewalk and struck a sign , police said .
The driver was @ @ @ @ @ in Oak Lawn in good condition .
There were no other passengers on the bus @ @ @ @

A CTA bus driver veered onto a sidewalk and crashed into a sign Tuesday while being beaten and robbed in Brainerd on the South Side.
The bus driver pulled over about 11:40 p.m. and let someone on in the 9400 block of South Ashland Avenue, Chicago police said. The male passenger then started hitting the bus driver and stole his cellphone before fleeing.
The bus veered onto the sidewalk and struck a sign during the robbery, police said. The driver was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in good condition.
No other passengers were on the bus, police said.


chicagosun-times--2020-04-01--1 killed, 3 wounded Tuesday in Chicago shootings

One person was killed and three others were wounded Tuesday in shootings across Chicago .
The day ’ s only fatal shooting killed a 38-year-old man in Humboldt Park on the West Side .
The shooting happened about 5:27 a.m. in the 1500 block of North Spaulding Avenue , Chicago police said .
Officers responded to a call of gunfire and found the man on a sidewalk with two gunshot wounds to his abdomen and one in his arm , police said .
He was taken to Stroger Hospital and pronounced dead .
In non-fatal shootings , a 25-year-old man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canaryville on the South Side .
About 11:25 p.m. , he was inside an apartment in the 500 block of West 45th Street with four males he knew , when shots were fired and he was struck in the left foot , police said .
He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center for treatment , police said .
He is in good condition .
Two men were wounded when they were shot in Englewood on the South Side .
The men , 19 and 24 , were on the sidewalk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of South Morgan Street when they heard gunfire and felt pain , police said .
The 19-year-old was hit in the buttocks and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition , police said .
The older man was shot twice in the abdomen and taken to the same hospital in serious condition .
Five people were shot Monday in Chicago .
Read more on crime , and track the city ’ s homicides .

One person was killed and three others were wounded Tuesday in shootings across Chicago.
The day’s only fatal shooting killed a 38-year-old man in Humboldt Park on the West Side.
The shooting happened about 5:27 a.m. in the 1500 block of North Spaulding Avenue, Chicago police said.
Officers responded to a call of gunfire and found the man on a sidewalk with two gunshot wounds to his abdomen and one in his arm, police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital and pronounced dead.
In non-fatal shootings, a 25-year-old man was wounded inside of an apartment in Canaryville on the South Side.
About 11:25 p.m., he was inside an apartment in the 500 block of West 45th Street with four males he knew, when shots were fired and he was struck in the left foot, police said.
He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center for treatment, police said. He is in good condition.
Two men were wounded when they were shot in Englewood on the South Side.
The men, 19 and 24, were on the sidewalk about 8:15 p.m. in the 6400 block of South Morgan Street when they heard gunfire and felt pain, police said.
The 19-year-old was hit in the buttocks and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition, police said. The older man was shot twice in the abdomen and taken to the same hospital in serious condition.
Five people were shot Monday in Chicago.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-04-01--Murders, shootings up after first quarter of 2020

Chicago saw an uptick in murders and shootings during the first quarter of 2020 , compared to the same period last year , according to data collected by Chicago police .
However , the 24 murders in March 2020 alone was a 36 % drop from the 35 murders in March 2019 , police said .
The number of shootings in March 2020 rose about 7 % from March 2019 , from 136 to 145 .
In total , 93 people were killed in Chicago between Jan. 1 and March 31st , police said .
That is a rise of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ murders during the same period last year .
The Chicago Sun-Times also counted 93 murders so far this year .
Through the end of March , the city recorded 419 shootings , or a rise of about 22 % from the same period in 2019 , when there were 344 shootings , police said .
Roseanna Ander , director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab , told the Sun-Times that last year ’ s lower levels of crime were an anomaly because people stayed indoors more due to the especially cold winter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and shootings , overall crime in the first quarter fell by about 4 % compared to 2019 , after taking into account burglaries , robberies , thefts and carjackings , police said .
The overall crime in March 2020 fell about 10 % from March 2019 .
The drop in overall crime comes amid a statewide stay-at-home order issued by Gov .
J.B. Pritzker that went into effect March 21 in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus .
At the end of the first weekend under the stay-at-home order , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city , one of them fatally .
The coronavirus pandemic has not spared the Chicago Police Department .
As of Monday afternoon , 50 members of the department had been infected across all three areas of the city .
Over 12,000 kits of infection control and personal protective equipment ( PPE ) have been distributed to districts across the city in response , police said .
Those kits — which include masks , gloves , gowns and sanitizing wipes — were put together by department recruits , whose training was suspended due to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and track the city ’ s homicides .

Chicago saw an uptick in murders and shootings during the first quarter of 2020, compared to the same period last year, according to data collected by Chicago police.
However, the 24 murders in March 2020 alone was a 36% drop from the 35 murders in March 2019, police said. The number of shootings in March 2020 rose about 7% from March 2019, from 136 to 145.
In total, 93 people were killed in Chicago between Jan. 1 and March 31st, police said. That is a rise of about 13% compared to the 82 murders during the same period last year.
The Chicago Sun-Times also counted 93 murders so far this year.
Through the end of March, the city recorded 419 shootings, or a rise of about 22% from the same period in 2019, when there were 344 shootings, police said.
Roseanna Ander, director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, told the Sun-Times that last year’s lower levels of crime were an anomaly because people stayed indoors more due to the especially cold winter.
Despite the higher numbers of murders and shootings, overall crime in the first quarter fell by about 4% compared to 2019, after taking into account burglaries, robberies, thefts and carjackings, police said. The overall crime in March 2020 fell about 10% from March 2019.
The drop in overall crime comes amid a statewide stay-at-home order issued by Gov. J.B. Pritzker that went into effect March 21 in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus. At the end of the first weekend under the stay-at-home order, 10 people had been shot across the city, one of them fatally.
The coronavirus pandemic has not spared the Chicago Police Department. As of Monday afternoon, 50 members of the department had been infected across all three areas of the city.
Over 12,000 kits of infection control and personal protective equipment (PPE) have been distributed to districts across the city in response, police said. Those kits — which include masks, gloves, gowns and sanitizing wipes — were put together by department recruits, whose training was suspended due to the virus.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-04-01--Man robbed on the Near North Side

Man robbed on the Near North Side

A 53-year-old man was robbed Tuesday on the Near North Side .
He was outside about 10:10 p.m. in the @ @ @ @ @ Avenue when he was approached by two males who went through his pockets and stole @ @ @ @ @ said .
He fell during the robbery and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for @ @ @ @ @ He is in good condition .
Read more on crime , and track the city @ @ @ @

A 53-year-old man was robbed Tuesday on the Near North Side.
He was outside about 10:10 p.m. in the 600 block of North Michigan Avenue when he was approached by two males who went through his pockets and stole his cash, Chicago police said.
He fell during the robbery and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment, police said. He is in good condition.
Area Central detectives are investigating.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-04-01--2 food deliverers robbed on same Chatham block

Two food deliverers were robbed within days of each other on the same block in Chatham on the South Side @ @ @ @ @ 1 p.m. March 25 and about 8:35 p.m. March 27 in the 900 block of @ @ @ @ @ police said .
In both incidents , the victim was making a food delivery when @ @ @ @ @ with guns and robbed them , police said .
Anyone with information is asked to @ @ @ @ @ 312-747-8273 .
Read more on crime , and track the city ’ s homicides .

Two food deliverers were robbed within days of each other on the same block in Chatham on the South Side.
The robberies happened about 1 p.m. March 25 and about 8:35 p.m. March 27 in the 900 block of East 84th Street, Chicago police said.
In both incidents, the victim was making a food delivery when one or two people approached with guns and robbed them, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Area South detectives at 312-747-8273.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-04-01--Musician Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne dies of coronavirus complications

Musician Adam Schlesinger , a co-founder of the group Fountains of Wayne and an Emmy winner for his contributions to TV ’ s “ Crazy Ex-Girlfriend , ” has died as a result of coronavirus complications , Variety reported Thursday .
Fountains of Wayne member Adam Schlesinger , who ’ s best known for 2003 pop-rock hit “ Stacy ’ s Mom , ” has been hospitalized with coronavirus .
Schlesinger , 52 , had entered a New York hospital last week .
His family revealed the COVID-19 diagnosis on Tuesday .
Throughout a career of more than two decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ music , movies , TV and Broadway .
He was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe for writing the title song of Tom Hanks ’ 1996 comedy “ That Thing You Do.
” As a founding member of power-pop band Fountains of Wayne , he was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 2003 for best new artist and best pop duo/group performance for “ Stacy ’ s Mom , ” which peaked at No .
21 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart .
The band released five studio albums after forming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s “ Sky Full of Holes.
” On TV , Schlesinger won two Emmys for parody songs written for the 2012 and 2013 Tony Awards telecasts , and won another last year for co-writing “ Antidepressants Are So Not a Big Deal ” from Rachel Bloom ’ s CW series “ Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
” His other television and film credits include “ Sesame Street , ” “ A Colbert Christmas : The Greatest Gift of All !
” “ Music and Lyrics ” and “ Shallow Hal .
”

Emmy- and Grammy-winning musician and songwriter Adam Schlesinger, known for his work with his band Fountains of Wayne and on the TV show “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” died Wednesday after contracting the coronavirus.
Schlesinger died at a hospital in upstate New York, his longtime lawyer Josh Grier said. It is not clear where or how Schlesinger, a 52-year-old father of two daughters, contracted the virus.
The musician had entered a New York hospital last week and had been sedated and on a ventilator. He had been sedated and on a ventilator for several days. His family revealed the COVID-19 diagnosis on Tuesday.
Schlesinger was nominated for 10 Emmys for writing comical songs across several television shows, winning three.
He was also nominated for an Academy Award for writing the title song for the 1997 movie “That Thing You Do,” written and directed by Tom Hanks. The snappy pop ditty was the fictional lone hit for a Beatles-esque band called the One-ders, later changed to the Wonders, on a label called Playtone, a name Hanks adopted for his production company.
“There would be no Playtone without Adam Schlesinger, without his ‘That Thing You Do!’” Hanks, who is himself recovering from the coronavirus, said on Twitter. “He was a One-der. Lost him to Covid-19. Terribly sad today.”
Raised in New York and Montclair, New Jersey, Schlesinger formed Fountains of Wayne, named for a lawn ornament store in Wayne, New Jersey, in 1995 with his classmate from Williams College in Massachusetts, Chris Collingwood.
With Schlesinger playing bass and singing backup and Collingwood playing guitar and singing lead, and the two men co-writing songs, the band known for its sunny harmonies and synthesis of pop, rock, punk and comedy would have hits in 1996 with “Radiation Vibe” and 2003 with “Stacy’s Mom.” The latter was nominated for a Grammy.
The band was more New Jersey than New York. While most rock bands live for the city, Fountains of Wayne and Schlesinger’s writing embraced the suburbs with finely-etched tales of lives like a floor installer who’s convinced his crush will come back looking for him and a commuter who’s sure about his “Bright Future in Sales.”
”That’s a real Randy Newman thing,” Schlesinger told the AP in 2003. “That’s a trademark of his writing that I was always amazed by — the sort of unaware narrator, where you learn more about him than he does himself inside of a few verses.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said on Twitter that Schlesinger’s death is a “sad, sad loss for Jersey’s music scene.”
Stephen King, Fran Drescher and many others were also singing his praises on social media.
After Fountains of Wayne’s main run was done, Schlesinger dropped behind the scenes but continued to be known for his writing.
He won the 2009 Grammy for best comedy album for co-writing the songs on “A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!” a companion to a TV Christmas special with songs performed by Stephen Colbert and Elvis Costello.
In recent years he was known along with the show’s star Rachel Bloom as one of the songwriters behind “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” the musical comedy series on the CW.
Last year, Schlesinger, Bloom and Jack Dolgen won an Emmy for the show’s song “Antidepressants Are So Not A Big Deal.”
Bloom was in the hospital having a baby girl while Schlesinger was another hospital across the country with the virus. She said in an Instagram post Wednesday that she, her husband and her baby had returned home safely but it had been the most “emotionally intense” week of her life to be having her daughter while her “dear friend” was suffering 3,000 miles away.
Working again with Colbert associate David Javerbaum, Schlesinger won a 2012 Emmy Award for writing the song “It’s Not Just for Gays Anymore,” performed by Neil Patrick Harris to open the Tony Awards telecast. They wrote another song for Harris that won them another Emmy the following year.


chicagosun-times--2020-04-01--Chicago Police Board unveils 3 finalists for CPD superintendent

Four months after the position was abruptly vacated , the Chicago Police Board Wednesday named the three candidates still in the running to be the next permanent superintendent of the Chicago Police Department .
As the Chicago Sun-Times reported a day earlier , the three are David Brown , the former chief of the Dallas Police Department , current CPD Deputy Chief Ernest Cato , and Kristen Ziman , chief of the Aurora Police Department .
Board President Ghian Foreman said the nine-person panel used a host of criteria — overall experience , decision-making , community policing philosophies , among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the 25 people who applied for the job .
“ These were the three candidates that we thought best fit the bill , ” Foreman said .
“ This was a difficult decision .
We had really good people who applied and I think that there were a number of candidates who would have made a good superintendent .
It was our job to whittle it down to three , which we did , and now the mayor has the hard job of selecting , of those three , the one that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Chicago ’ s police department.
” Sources said Foreman has privately recommended that Lightfoot choose Brown .
As one source put it , “ He checks a couple of boxes .
He ’ s African American .
He ’ s got a lot of integrity .
He had a pretty good record in Dallas .
And he left there on good terms .
His appointment would be good for morale here.
” A source close to the Police Board search has described Brown ’ s strength as his “ amazing personal story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story to connect ” with citizens .
His brother was murdered by drug dealers , his son was killed in a police shootout and his partner died in the line of duty .
Ziman , who would be the first woman to lead the nearly 14,000-person department , was thrust into the national spotlight after a deadly mass shooting in Aurora in 2019 .
Earlier this year , she was the guest of U.S. Rep. Bill Foster at President Donald Trump ’ s State of the Union address .
The Police Board was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ties and polished presentation to make him the only insider among the top three .
But Cato was also a sergeant just three years ago .
Sources said Foreman has told the mayor he believes Cato is not quite ready to make the jump and that he would benefit from a bit more seasoning , making him a better candidate for police superintendent next time around .
“ He ’ ll be good , but he needs time learn .
You can ’ t make the jump that quickly to the big chair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the search .
Not surprisingly , Chicago aldermen who must confirm the mayor ’ s choice would rather see the mayor choose the only insider in Cato .
“ I ’ ve worked with Cato in the past .
He ’ s a good leader .
Cato is someone who has lived in some of these disadvantaged communities in our city , worked in ‘ em and understands them , ” said Ald Jason Ervin ( 28th ) , chairman of the City Council ’ s Black Caucus .
Ervin said his relationship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s days as a tactical lieutenant in the West Side ’ s Austin District and as Austin District commander .
Cato is also from West Garfield Park .
“ I found Cato to be a very community-oriented police officer .
My dealings with him weren ’ t jaded in a police-officer-is-always-right perspective .
They weren ’ t jaded in a community-is-always-right perspective .
He did a very good job of understanding the community has a part to play and the police have a part to play and , if both of us work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stronger , ” Ervin said .

Four months after the position was abruptly vacated, the Chicago Police Board on Wednesday named the three candidates still in the running to be the next permanent superintendent of the Chicago Police Department — though one finalist was a clear-cut favorite.
As the Chicago Sun-Times reported a day earlier, the three are David Brown, the former chief of the Dallas Police Department, current CPD Deputy Chief Ernest Cato, and Kristen Ziman, chief of the Aurora Police Department.
Board President Ghian Foreman said the nine-person panel used a host of criteria — overall experience, decision-making, community policing philosophies, among others — to narrow down their finalists from the 25 people who applied for the job.
“These were the three candidates that we thought best fit the bill,” Foreman said. “This was a difficult decision. We had really good people who applied and I think that there were a number of candidates who would have made a good superintendent. It was our job to whittle it down to three, which we did, and now the mayor has the hard job of selecting, of those three, the one that she feels can best lead the City of Chicago’s police department.”
Related Get to know the three finalists for CPD superintendent
It wasn’t clear when Lightfoot would make her choice. Last November, shortly before former Supt. Eddie Johnson announced plans to retire, the mayor stressed that she valued the process by which the Police Board selects finalists for the superintendent job.
“Having led the last search for a superintendent, I believe in respecting the law and the Police Board process,” Lightfoot said at the time.
Sources said Foreman has privately recommended that Lightfoot choose Brown.
As one source put it, “He checks a couple of boxes. He’s African American. He’s got a lot of integrity. He had a pretty good record in Dallas. And he left there on good terms. His appointment would be good for morale here.”
A source close to the Police Board search has described Brown’s strength as his “amazing personal story” and willingness to “use that story to connect” with citizens. His brother was murdered by drug dealers, his son was killed in a police shootout and his partner died in the line of duty.
Ziman, who would be the first woman to lead the nearly 14,000-person department, was thrust into the national spotlight after a deadly mass shooting in Aurora in 2019. Earlier this year, she was the guest of U.S. Rep. Bill Foster at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.
The Police Board was impressed enough with Cato’s community ties and polished presentation to make him the only insider among the top three. But Cato was also a sergeant just three years ago.
Sources said Foreman has told the mayor he believes Cato is not quite ready to make the jump and that he would benefit from a bit more seasoning, making him a better candidate for police superintendent next time around.
“He’ll be good, but he needs time learn. You can’t make the jump that quickly to the big chair,” said another source familiar with the search.
Not surprisingly, Chicago aldermen who must confirm the mayor’s choice would rather see the mayor choose the only insider in Cato.
“I’ve worked with Cato in the past. He’s a good leader. Cato is someone who has lived in some of these disadvantaged communities in our city, worked in ‘em and understands them,” said Ald Jason Ervin (28th), chairman of the City Council’s Black Caucus.
Ervin said his relationship with Cato was forged during Cato’s days as a tactical lieutenant in the West Side’s Austin District and as Austin District commander. Cato is also from West Garfield Park.
“I found Cato to be a very community-oriented police officer. My dealings with him weren’t jaded in a police-officer-is-always-right perspective. They weren’t jaded in a community-is-always-right perspective. He did a very good job of understanding the community has a part to play and the police have a part to play and, if both of us work together, it will make the community stronger,” Ervin said.