chicagosun-times--2020-08-03--Big Star restaurant closes after employee tests positive for COVID-19 (LIVE UPDATES)

Big Star in Wicker Park , 1531 N. Damen Ave. , announced it was closing late Sunday “ for a few days ” so the restaurant could undergo “ a deep clean and complete sanitization ” after an employee tested positive for COVID-19 , according to a post on the restaurant ’ s Instagram .
The statement didn ’ t specify whether the employee who tested positive had interacted with customers while at work .
During the closure , the restaurant will be coordinating testing for all Big Star Wicker Park employees , according to the Instagram post .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Wrigleyville location , 3640 N. Clark St. , which opened in 2018 .
Big Star reopened in June , with COVID-19 safety precautions that included temperature checks at the door , with entry denied to any patrons with a temperature above 100.4 degrees ; mask requirements for anyone not seated at a table and a reduced capacity requiring deposits for reservations .
Future reservations will be rescheduled or their deposits refunded on a case-by-case basis “ in the coming days , ” the announcement said .
The restaurant plans to reopen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do so.
” Big Star is owned by One Off Hospitality Group , whose other restaurants include avec , The Violet Hour and The Publican .
7:19 p.m .
Longtime vendor Nichols Farm and Orchard booted from Wicker Park Farmers Market amid violations of COVID-19 protocols Nichols Farm and Orchard , part of the Wicker Park Farmers Market for two decades , was kicked out last week .
The Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce said Nichols Farms repeatedly violated COVID-19 protocol — not properly wearing masks , not having a rope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a hand-washing station .
But Todd Nichols , a family owner of the farm , blames their removal on a “ spur-of-the-moment decision ” after three years of tension with market manager Alice Howe .
And he expects the farm could lose $ 50,000 to $ 70,000 because of it .
The Wicker Park Farmers Market opened July 5 — later than usual , due to the pandemic .
Vendors received COVID-19 guidelines beforehand , Howe said .
Many booths didn ’ t follow protocol perfectly the first week , said Pamela Maass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Other vendors adjusted , but Maass said Nichols “ stayed in non-compliance.
” Northwestern has halted football workouts after a person in the program tested positive for COVID-19 .
The university tweeted a statement Monday saying the university “ medical staff will implement the University ’ s rigorous contact tracing and quarantine protocols.
” Northwestern ’ s news comes shortly after Illinois ’ athletic department announced it has recorded 23 positive COVID-19 test results since players started arriving on campus for voluntary team activities in early June .
The football team ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for greater than 75 % of the athletic department ’ s positive tests , the university said , though it ’ s unclear the exact number of players the virus has infected .
Read more from Madeline Kenney and Gene Farris here .
3:30 p.m .
Warehouse party shut down as part of crackdown on large public and private gatherings A weekend warehouse party that advertised itself as dragging on until 4 a.m. — without masks or social distancing — was shut down as part of a City Hall crackdown on large public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turn into super-spreader events .
Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Commissioner Rosa Escareno , concerned about what she called “ go-rogue ” large parties , formed a task force “ with the goal of shutting them down before they begin.
” The task force includes three other city departments — CPD , CFD and the Department of Buildings .
During the first weekend of operations , 23 investigations were conducted .
That resulted in five cease-and-desist orders for illegal public places of amusement and three immediate closures .
The most egregious target was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ W. Chicago Ave. , advertised on EventBrite as starting at 10 p.m. and lasting until 4 a.m. with $ 20 tickets sold at the door .
That set off alarm bells , since no place is supposed to be open after midnight , Escareno said .
Inside , city officials found patrons without masks , oblivious to maintaining social distance at what Escareno called an “ unlicensed establishment ” that was providing liquor with no liquor license .
Read more from Fran Spielman here .
Illinois recorded another 1,298 coronavirus cases Monday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just past 4 % , state figures show .
The state also logged another nine deaths , bringing the total number of those killed by the virus to 7,526 .
There have been 183,241 cases of COVID-19 recorded in Illinois since the pandemic gripped the state .
The state has seen a steady uptick in new cases , pushing new case totals back to numbers not seen since May or June .
Monday ’ s latest tally means the state has logged at least 1,000 new cases for 13 days in a row @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s health officials announced 1,467 new COVID-19 cases , with the positivity rate hovering just below 4 % at 3.9 % .
But Monday ’ s numbers pushed the seven-day average positivity rate to 4.01 % ; it was the first time since early June the rate was over 4 % .
And Monday ’ s single-day statewide positivity rate of 4.56 % was the highest since June 6 .
Read more from Rachel Hinton here .
Jeremiah Collier and the REUP ’ s name is getting out there via social media as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mouth .
Since mid-July , Collier and his band have been playing every Thursday from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. in front of his parents ’ Park Manor bungalow in the 7300 block of South Indiana Avenue in an event providing free entertainment to his neighbors , and anyone else who shows up , dubbed “ Porch Sessions with JC and the REUP.
” Collier , 20 , plays drums and is joined by a rotating set of musicians .
For a recent set , he enlists his cousin , bass player Micah Collier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jones ) , 19 ; keyboardist Chris Allison , 22 , and Isaiah Collier , 22 , Jeremiah ’ s brother .
who plays the saxophone in his own band , Isaiah Collier & the Chosen Few .
Other artists including poets , singers and other musicians are invited to join in the sessions .
And as the band plays a meticulously curated set featuring original music and jams from Snoop Dogg , Erykah Badu and Slum Village , among others , the crowd around them starts to rise in numbers as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seasoned ” members of the community turn the weekly event into a “ kickback ” — an impromptu , small gathering .
“ We play mostly jazz standards , ” said Jeremiah Collier .
“ We just take those and rebasing them with our own little spin because not everybody wants to hear the same stuff all the time.
” The gatherings have grown week by week , the band says .
Read more from Evan F. Moore here .
12:20 p.m. Teachers , activists rally to keep CPS schools closed during COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are holding rallies Monday to oppose reopening Chicago Public Schools for in-person learning when classes resume next month .
The protests , which will be held at different sites and converge at City Hall , are part of similar demonstrations in several cities across the nation as the debate over whether to reopen schools during the pandemic heats up .
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS officials have proposed a return to schools that would put most students in classrooms two days a week and school staff , including teachers , four days a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signup children for in-person or fully remote learning by this Friday .
One of the leaders in the push to keep school buildings closed is the Chicago Teachers Union , which has said it believes in-person instruction is not safe for teachers or students as COVID-19 continues to spread .
Members of the union are set to gather at the CTU ’ s Near West Side headquarters at 11 a.m. , then plan to hold a car caravan to head to City Hall by noon .
Read more from Nader Issa here .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with over 1,000 new COVID-19 cases Illinois on Sunday notched its 12th straight day with a four-digit daily coronavirus caseload as health officials announced 1,467 new COVID-19 cases .
The new infections , which brings the state ’ s total to 181,943 cases , account for roughly 3.8 % of the 38,945 tests results reported to the Illinois Department of Public Health in the last 24 hours , keeping the state ’ s testing positivity rate over the last week at 3.9 % .
Illinois averaged 1,503 new cases a day over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state averaged that many cases over a seven-day span was the last week in the peak month of May .
For weeks , Gov .
J.B. Pritzker has been worrying about what he has called a “ mild uptick ” in COVID-19 cases could be a sign the state is “ heading the wrong direction.
” Pritzker sounded the alarm Thursday , saying Illinois was at a “ danger point ” as cases continue to trend upward .
And one day later , health officials put 11 of the state ’ s 102 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ warning level ” after a series of outbreaks — mostly among young people — tied to risky activities , including large gatherings and crowded bars , churches and restaurants where social distancing guidelines weren ’ t enforced .
• Cubs ’ third baseman Kris Bryant was scratched from the Cubs ’ lineup minutes before Saturday ’ s game due to gastrointestinal issues – which fall under the list of COVID-19 symptoms .
• Health officials on Sunday announced another 1,467 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Illinois .
• Lena Dunham says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debilitating month-long struggle with COVID-19 .
8:53 a.m. We continue to fail to protect the elderly in nursing homes and their caretakers from COVID-19 In Letters to the Editor , Pat Comstock , Director of COVID-19 Response for the Health Care Council of Illinois , writes : I couldn ’ t agree more with Bob Gallo of AARP Illinois , who wrote in the Sun-times last week that our elected leaders must do more now to protect nursing home residents and their staff against COVID-19 .
There should be a stronger effort everywhere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures to combat COVID have been in place since the beginning of the pandemic , all the masks , gloves and disinfectant in the world can do only so much given the great danger in congregate settings — community spread .
Consider the example of Major League Baseball .
The league has attempted an elaborate reopening experiment .
But extensive infection control procedures , daily rapid testing and strict physical distancing have not prevented an outbreak of COVID-19 among players .
Professional athletes — young men in pristine health — could not be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we expect that nursing homes would be any different ?
The answer is , we can ’ t .
As studies by Harvard and University of Chicago researchers have shown , COVID-19 gains a foothold in nursing homes whenever the virus is rampant in the surrounding community .
At the end of the day , even when the strictest infection control measures are put in place , nursing homes are congregate settings and home to the most vulnerable members of our society .
Now more than ever , we call on elected leaders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greater priority on the safety of the elderly and their caretakers .
As Gallo wrote , it is truly a matter of life or death .
Read this and more letters from Sun-Times readers here .

Illinois recorded another 1,298 coronavirus cases Monday, pushing the state’s positivity rate just past 4%, state figures show.
Chicago and the rest of the state are still grappling with the virus and its effects. Here’s what happened Monday as the pandemic continued.
News
9:01 p.m. Big Star restaurant closes after employee tests positive for COVID-19
People dining on the patio at Big Star, located at 1531 N Damen Ave. File photo. | Brian Rich/Sun-Times Brian Rich/Sun-Times
Big Star in Wicker Park, 1531 N. Damen Ave., announced it was closing late Sunday “for a few days” so the restaurant could undergo “a deep clean and complete sanitization” after an employee tested positive for COVID-19, according to a post on the restaurant’s Instagram. The statement didn’t specify whether the employee who tested positive had interacted with customers while at work.
During the closure, the restaurant will be coordinating testing for all Big Star Wicker Park employees, according to the Instagram post. The announcement made no mention of Big Star’s Wrigleyville location, 3640 N. Clark St., which opened in 2018.
Big Star reopened in June, with COVID-19 safety precautions that included temperature checks at the door, with entry denied to any patrons with a temperature above 100.4 degrees; mask requirements for anyone not seated at a table and a reduced capacity requiring deposits for reservations.
Future reservations will be rescheduled or their deposits refunded on a case-by-case basis “in the coming days,” the announcement said. The restaurant plans to reopen “as soon as we feel confident to do so.”
Big Star is owned by One Off Hospitality Group, whose other restaurants include avec, The Violet Hour and The Publican.
— Lizzie Schiffman Tufano
7:19 p.m. Longtime vendor Nichols Farm and Orchard booted from Wicker Park Farmers Market amid violations of COVID-19 protocols
Nichols Farm and Orchard, part of the Wicker Park Farmers Market for two decades, was kicked out last week.
The Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce said Nichols Farms repeatedly violated COVID-19 protocol — not properly wearing masks, not having a rope to properly mark boundaries and not having a hand-washing station.
But Todd Nichols, a family owner of the farm, blames their removal on a “spur-of-the-moment decision” after three years of tension with market manager Alice Howe. And he expects the farm could lose $50,000 to $70,000 because of it.
The Wicker Park Farmers Market opened July 5 — later than usual, due to the pandemic. Vendors received COVID-19 guidelines beforehand, Howe said.
Many booths didn’t follow protocol perfectly the first week, said Pamela Maass, executive director of the chamber. Other vendors adjusted, but Maass said Nichols “stayed in non-compliance.”
Reporter Clare Proctor has the full story.
4:45 p.m. Northwestern suspends football activities after positive coronavirus test
Northwestern has halted football workouts after a person in the program tested positive for COVID-19.
The university tweeted a statement Monday saying the university “medical staff will implement the University’s rigorous contact tracing and quarantine protocols.”
Northwestern’s news comes shortly after Illinois’ athletic department announced it has recorded 23 positive COVID-19 test results since players started arriving on campus for voluntary team activities in early June.
The football team’s more than 100 football players have accounted for greater than 75% of the athletic department’s positive tests, the university said, though it’s unclear the exact number of players the virus has infected.
Read more from Madeline Kenney and Gene Farris here.
3:30 p.m. Warehouse party shut down as part of crackdown on large public and private gatherings
A weekend warehouse party that advertised itself as dragging on until 4 a.m. — without masks or social distancing — was shut down as part of a City Hall crackdown on large public and private gatherings that officials feared could turn into super-spreader events.
Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Commissioner Rosa Escareno, concerned about what she called “go-rogue” large parties, formed a task force “with the goal of shutting them down before they begin.” The task force includes three other city departments — CPD, CFD and the Department of Buildings.
During the first weekend of operations, 23 investigations were conducted. That resulted in five cease-and-desist orders for illegal public places of amusement and three immediate closures.
The most egregious target was Trap Warehouse, a party at 4106 W. Chicago Ave., advertised on EventBrite as starting at 10 p.m. and lasting until 4 a.m. with $20 tickets sold at the door.
That set off alarm bells, since no place is supposed to be open after midnight, Escareno said.
Inside, city officials found patrons without masks, oblivious to maintaining social distance at what Escareno called an “unlicensed establishment” that was providing liquor with no liquor license.
Read more from Fran Spielman here.
1:00 p.m. Illinois logs another 1,298 new coronavirus cases; positivity rate creeps past 4%
Illinois recorded another 1,298 coronavirus cases Monday, pushing the state’s positivity rate just past 4%, state figures show.
The state also logged another nine deaths, bringing the total number of those killed by the virus to 7,526. There have been 183,241 cases of COVID-19 recorded in Illinois since the pandemic gripped the state.
The state has seen a steady uptick in new cases, pushing new case totals back to numbers not seen since May or June.
Monday’s latest tally means the state has logged at least 1,000 new cases for 13 days in a row. On Sunday, the state’s health officials announced 1,467 new COVID-19 cases, with the positivity rate hovering just below 4% at 3.9%.
But Monday’s numbers pushed the seven-day average positivity rate to 4.01%; it was the first time since early June the rate was over 4%. And Monday’s single-day statewide positivity rate of 4.56% was the highest since June 6.
Read more from Rachel Hinton here.
12:30 p.m. South Siders revel in Jeremiah Collier’s ‘uplifting’ porch session music jams
Jeremiah Collier and the REUP’s name is getting out there via social media as well as good, old-fashioned word of mouth.
Since mid-July, Collier and his band have been playing every Thursday from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. in front of his parents’ Park Manor bungalow in the 7300 block of South Indiana Avenue in an event providing free entertainment to his neighbors, and anyone else who shows up, dubbed “Porch Sessions with JC and the REUP.”
Collier, 20, plays drums and is joined by a rotating set of musicians. For a recent set, he enlists his cousin, bass player Micah Collier (filling in for regular collaborator Jeremy Jones), 19; keyboardist Chris Allison, 22, and Isaiah Collier, 22, Jeremiah’s brother. who plays the saxophone in his own band, Isaiah Collier & the Chosen Few.
Other artists including poets, singers and other musicians are invited to join in the sessions.
And as the band plays a meticulously curated set featuring original music and jams from Snoop Dogg, Erykah Badu and Slum Village, among others, the crowd around them starts to rise in numbers as the young, the not-so-young and the “seasoned” members of the community turn the weekly event into a “kickback” — an impromptu, small gathering.
“We play mostly jazz standards,” said Jeremiah Collier. “We just take those and rebasing them with our own little spin because not everybody wants to hear the same stuff all the time.”
The gatherings have grown week by week, the band says.
Read more from Evan F. Moore here.
12:20 p.m. Teachers, activists rally to keep CPS schools closed during COVID-19 pandemic
Chicago teachers, activists and families are holding rallies Monday to oppose reopening Chicago Public Schools for in-person learning when classes resume next month.
The protests, which will be held at different sites and converge at City Hall, are part of similar demonstrations in several cities across the nation as the debate over whether to reopen schools during the pandemic heats up.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS officials have proposed a return to schools that would put most students in classrooms two days a week and school staff, including teachers, four days a week. They’ve asked families signup children for in-person or fully remote learning by this Friday.
One of the leaders in the push to keep school buildings closed is the Chicago Teachers Union, which has said it believes in-person instruction is not safe for teachers or students as COVID-19 continues to spread.
Members of the union are set to gather at the CTU’s Near West Side headquarters at 11 a.m., then plan to hold a car caravan to head to City Hall by noon.
Read more from Nader Issa here.
8:18 a.m. Illinois records 12th straight day with over 1,000 new COVID-19 cases
Illinois on Sunday notched its 12th straight day with a four-digit daily coronavirus caseload as health officials announced 1,467 new COVID-19 cases.
The new infections, which brings the state’s total to 181,943 cases, account for roughly 3.8% of the 38,945 tests results reported to the Illinois Department of Public Health in the last 24 hours, keeping the state’s testing positivity rate over the last week at 3.9%.
Illinois averaged 1,503 new cases a day over the last week. The last time the state averaged that many cases over a seven-day span was the last week in the peak month of May.
For weeks, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been worrying about what he has called a “mild uptick” in COVID-19 cases could be a sign the state is “heading the wrong direction.”
Pritzker sounded the alarm Thursday, saying Illinois was at a “danger point” as cases continue to trend upward. And one day later, health officials put 11 of the state’s 102 counties on notice for being at a “warning level” after a series of outbreaks — mostly among young people — tied to risky activities, including large gatherings and crowded bars, churches and restaurants where social distancing guidelines weren’t enforced.
Read the full story here.
New cases
Cubs’ third baseman Kris Bryant was scratched from the Cubs’ lineup minutes before Saturday’s game due to gastrointestinal issues – which fall under the list of COVID-19 symptoms.
Health officials on Sunday announced another 1,467 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Illinois.
Lena Dunham says her body “revolted” in a debilitating month-long struggle with COVID-19.
Analysis & Commentary
8:53 a.m. We continue to fail to protect the elderly in nursing homes and their caretakers from COVID-19
In Letters to the Editor, Pat Comstock, Director of COVID-19 Response for the Health Care Council of Illinois, writes:
I couldn’t agree more with Bob Gallo of AARP Illinois, who wrote in the Sun-times last week that our elected leaders must do more now to protect nursing home residents and their staff against COVID-19. There should be a stronger effort everywhere to support skilled nursing facilities.
While measures to combat COVID have been in place since the beginning of the pandemic, all the masks, gloves and disinfectant in the world can do only so much given the great danger in congregate settings — community spread.
Consider the example of Major League Baseball. The league has attempted an elaborate reopening experiment. But extensive infection control procedures, daily rapid testing and strict physical distancing have not prevented an outbreak of COVID-19 among players.
Professional athletes — young men in pristine health — could not be protected despite limitless resources. How can we expect that nursing homes would be any different? The answer is, we can’t.
As studies by Harvard and University of Chicago researchers have shown, COVID-19 gains a foothold in nursing homes whenever the virus is rampant in the surrounding community. At the end of the day, even when the strictest infection control measures are put in place, nursing homes are congregate settings and home to the most vulnerable members of our society.
Now more than ever, we call on elected leaders and society in general to put a greater priority on the safety of the elderly and their caretakers. As Gallo wrote, it is truly a matter of life or death.
Read this and more letters from Sun-Times readers here.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-03--Teachers, activists rally to keep CPS schools closed during COVID-19 pandemic

As the debate heats up nationwide over the reopening of schools , Chicago teachers , activists and families rallied outside City Hall Monday to oppose a planned return to classrooms when Chicago Public Schools classes resume next month .
The protests are part of similar demonstrations in several cities across the nation and come just days before CPS parents are being asked to tell the district whether their children will go back to in-person learning or continue trying to learn from home .
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS officials have proposed a return to schools that would put most students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school staff , including teachers , four days a week .
The most vocal leader in the push to keep school buildings closed is the Chicago Teachers Union , which has said it believes in-person instruction is not safe for teachers or students as COVID-19 continues to spread .
The union has gone as far as suggesting a potential repeat of last fall ’ s strike could be used as a last resort if staff are forced to return to classrooms .
Mirroring the lead-up to last year ’ s walkout , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by ramping up its public attacks on the mayor , with its harshest criticisms coming Monday .
“ It is failed leadership to believe that we can bring hundreds of thousands of people back into school communities and not suffer loss and sickness , ” said the union ’ s vice president , Stacy Davis Gates , an outspoken and frequent critic of Lightfoot .
“ Instead of pretending as if COVID-19 is not as dangerous and deadly as it is , we should be figuring out how to educate children virtually , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concede it ’ s not ideal , so now we need to figure out how to make it work as best as we can.
” Davis Gates said “ no ” when asked whether there was anything Lightfoot or CPS could do in the next month to get teachers to agree to go back into schools Sept. 8 , the start of the next school year .
At a press conference outside union headquarters on the Near West Side , CTU President Jesse Sharkey said Lightfoot “ does not have the guts to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ direct attack on the mayor .
“ They ’ re putting it on us to close the schools , ” Sharkey said .
“ That ’ s what we feel like is happening.
” Lightfoot and CPS have said a final decision whether to open schools won ’ t be made until late August , and will be based on health conditions at the time .
Asked to respond to the CTU ’ s renewed attacks Monday , the mayor ’ s office said in a statement that “ we have made a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ initiatives on the science and data of this disease , and to communicate decisions to our stakeholders in an open and transparent way .
“ This is the same approach that CPS has taken all along in engaging all the relevant stakeholders in the school community .
The data will drive this decision , ” the statement read .
Andrea Parker , an English Language Arts teacher at Fulton Elementary in Englewood , said at the news conference that she loves her students and wants to see them , but she isn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kids at risk .
“ Sending our students to school in a hybrid model is putting our children and all our staff members in harm ’ s way .
It is very dangerous , ” Parker said .
Parker added that she doesn ’ t believe a return to an unusual school setting will benefit students ’ emotional and social health the way some might think .
“ I have to tell my students they can ’ t hug each other , ” she said .
“ They can ’ t be too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t share pencils .
...
It ’ s not going to be what you think it is.
” CPS has said precautions will be put in place at schools , such as temperature and health checks , social distancing and universal masking .
The district is giving every student and staffer three reusable masks and has pledged to provide all schools with additional cleaning supplies — something CPS failed to do in the spring .
Parents at a separate Logan Square rally Monday said those protections aren ’ t enough .
Mónica @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Square Neighborhood Association and a mother of four , two of which attend CPS schools and the youngest entering pre-kindergarten .
Espinoza , who is planning to keep her children home this fall , said she wishes the district would have spent more time developing its remote learning plan so parents could have more confidence that it will offer a better learning experience than in the spring .
“ Parents want to prepare for the future , for an education .
We don ’ t want to be planning for a funeral for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ And I know it sounds harsh , but it ’ s the reality.
” She added : “ You want to do what is right by your child .
You want them to get educated .
You want them to achieve .
But for me , I don ’ t want to take my chances .
I want to keep my kids at home and do my best.
” The Logan Square group met up with the CTU car caravan outside City Hall , where a few hundred people rallied across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , better health care and affordable housing for the communities of color that make up the majority of students at CPS .

As the debate heats up nationwide over the reopening of schools, Chicago teachers, activists and families rallied outside City Hall Monday to oppose a planned return to classrooms when Chicago Public Schools classes resume next month.
The protests are part of similar demonstrations in several cities across the nation and come just days before CPS parents are being asked to tell the district whether their children will go back to in-person learning or continue trying to learn from home.
La Voz Sidebar 2023 Lea este artículo en español en La Voz Chicago.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS officials have proposed a return to schools that would put most students in classrooms two days a week and school staff, including teachers, four days a week.
The most vocal leader in the push to keep school buildings closed is the Chicago Teachers Union, which has said it believes in-person instruction is not safe for teachers or students as COVID-19 continues to spread.
Protestors rally outside of City Hall on Monday, Aug. 3, 2020. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Strike repeat?
The union has gone as far as suggesting a potential repeat of last fall’s strike could be used as a last resort if staff are forced to return to classrooms. Mirroring the lead-up to last year’s walkout, the CTU is renewing its rivalry with Lightfoot by ramping up its public attacks on the mayor, with its harshest criticisms coming Monday.
“It is failed leadership to believe that we can bring hundreds of thousands of people back into school communities and not suffer loss and sickness,” said the union’s vice president, Stacy Davis Gates, an outspoken and frequent critic of Lightfoot.
“Instead of pretending as if COVID-19 is not as dangerous and deadly as it is, we should be figuring out how to educate children virtually,” she said. “We all concede it’s not ideal, so now we need to figure out how to make it work as best as we can.”
Davis Gates said “no” when asked whether there was anything Lightfoot or CPS could do in the next month to get teachers to agree to go back into schools Sept. 8, the start of the next school year.
At a press conference outside union headquarters on the Near West Side, CTU President Jesse Sharkey said Lightfoot “does not have the guts to close the schools,” adding another direct attack on the mayor.
“They’re putting it on us to close the schools,” Sharkey said. “That’s what we feel like is happening.”
Lightfoot and CPS have said a final decision whether to open schools won’t be made until late August, and will be based on health conditions at the time.
Asked to respond to the CTU’s renewed attacks Monday, the mayor’s office said in a statement that “we have made a firm commitment to base our policies and initiatives on the science and data of this disease, and to communicate decisions to our stakeholders in an open and transparent way.
“This is the same approach that CPS has taken all along in engaging all the relevant stakeholders in the school community. The data will drive this decision,” the statement read.
A white board with various pieces of paper from passersby with questions to CPS during a rally and car caravan outside of City Hall on Monday, Aug. 3, 2020 Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Andrea Parker, an English Language Arts teacher at Fulton Elementary in Back of the Yards, said at the news conference that she loves her students and wants to see them, but she isn’t willing to put herself or the kids at risk.
“Sending our students to school in a hybrid model is putting our children and all our staff members in harm’s way. It is very dangerous,” Parker said.
Parker added that she doesn’t believe a return to an unusual school setting will benefit students’ emotional and social health the way some might think.
“I have to tell my students they can’t hug each other,” she said. “They can’t be too close to each other. They can’t share pencils. ... It’s not going to be what you think it is.”
CPS has said precautions will be put in place at schools, such as temperature and health checks, social distancing and universal masking. The district is giving every student and staffer three reusable masks and has pledged to provide all schools with additional cleaning supplies — something CPS failed to do in the spring.
A protestor holds up a flag as vehicles with signs drive by on West Randolph Street downtown. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Parents at a separate Logan Square rally Monday said those protections aren’t enough.
Mónica Espinoza is an education organizer with Logan Square Neighborhood Association and a mother of four, two of which attend CPS schools and the youngest entering pre-kindergarten.
Espinoza, who is planning to keep her children home this fall, said she wishes the district would have spent more time developing its remote learning plan so parents could have more confidence that it will offer a better learning experience than in the spring.
“Parents want to prepare for the future, for an education. We don’t want to be planning for a funeral for our children,” Espinoza said. “And I know it sounds harsh, but it’s the reality.”
She added: “You want to do what is right by your child. You want them to get educated. You want them to achieve. But for me, I don’t want to take my chances. I want to keep my kids at home and do my best.”
The Logan Square group met up with the CTU car caravan outside City Hall, where a few hundred people rallied across the street to demand more equitable education funding, better health care and affordable housing for the communities of color that make up the majority of students at CPS.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-03--Search suspended for teen who fell into Lake Michigan at Diversey Harbor

Rescue efforts were suspended Monday after a teen fell into Lake Michigan at Diversey Harbor .
Divers searched the lake @ @ @ @ @ the water just before 5 p.m. at 2601 North Cannon Drive , according to a @ @ @ @ @ Department .
Chicago fire spokesman Larry Merritt said he was a teen .
The search @ @ @ @ @ later , fire officials said .
Due to lake conditions , a recovery mission is @ @ @ @ @ Marine unit taking over .
“ We regret we could not bring the young man @ @ @ @ @ ” fire officials said in a tweet .
Monday ’ s forecast urged swimmers and @ @ @ @ @ because of choppy waters and waves as high as 13 feet .
A lakeshore flood @ @ @ @ @ 4 p.m. Tuesday .

Rescue efforts resumed Tuesday after a 14-year-old boy fell into Lake Michigan Monday afternoon at Diversey Harbor.
Divers searched the lake after a male fell into the water just before 5 p.m. at 2601 North Cannon Drive, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
Chicago police said he was 14 years old.
The search was suspended about an hour later, fire officials said. Due to lake conditions, a recovery mission is underway with the Chicago Police Marine unit taking over.
“We regret we could not bring the young man out as a rescue,” fire officials said in a tweet.
Divers resumed their search 8:39 a.m. Tuesday, according to police.
Monday’s forecast urged swimmers and boaters to avoid the lake because of choppy waters and waves as high as 13 feet. A lakeshore flood advisory is in effect until 4 p.m. Tuesday.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-03--White Sox’ Luis Robert looks to be starting something special

A hot start is just a hot start , and putting ‘ ‘ Luis Robert ’ ’ and ‘ ‘ Hall of Fame ’ ’ in the same sentence is as premature as Eloy Jimenez ’ s spring comparisons of Robert to Mike Trout .
But holding a regular big-league job as a 22-year-old rookie is a big step , regardless of Robert ’ s .351/.385/.595 slash line through Sunday .
The players with the best careers tend to reach the majors early .
Twenty-one players have career non-pitcher bWARs of 100 or more .
That includes Babe Ruth ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not his 20.4 as a pitcher .
Only one of the 21 was older than 22 to start his career : Honus Wagner , who was 23 .
Teenagers make up a disproportionate share of the group .
Nine in the 100 WAR club were 19 or younger in their debuts , with Mel Ott the youngest at 17 .
Players in the majors that young have shown their games already are good enough to be there , and they can build from there .
Also , the youngest players are building totals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trout , whose 73.0 bWAR is fourth-highest through age 28 in major-league history , debuted at 19 and had 19.9 bWAR before entering his age-22 season .
The Stathead tool at Baseball-Reference.com shows 783 non-pitchers who reached the majors at 19 or younger ( baseball ages start at midnight June 30 ) .
Fifty-two — 6.6 percent — have made the Hall of Fame .
The percentage of Hall of Famers decreases as debut age increases .
The numbers are 44 Hall of Famers among 951 players ( 4.6 percent ) at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 percent ) at 21 , 34 of 2,347 ( 1.4 percent ) at 22 , 23 of 2,691 ( 0.9 percent ) at 23 and nine of 2,730 ( 0.3 percent ) at 24 before a slight uptick to 12 of 2,188 ( 0.5 percent ) at 25 .
Only six players of 4,522 ( 0.1 percent ) have been enshrined after debuting at 26 or later .
Those include special cases Roy Campanella ( 27 ) and Jackie Robinson ( 28 ) , who should have been in the majors much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There are stars , journeymen and washouts at any age , but those with the biggest chances at the best careers are those in the majors at the youngest ages .
Even in a 60-game season , it ’ s not out of the question Robert will contend for the best season by a White Sox player making his big-league debut at 22 .
The leader is Frank Thomas , who just happens to have played in 60 games for the Sox in 1990 .
Thomas had 240 plate appearances and 191 at-bats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 31 RBI .
That was worth 2.3 bWAR .
The next-highest by a Sox player with an age-22 debut was 2.1 by Gordon Beckham in 430 plate appearances in 2009 .
There ’ s work to be done , but a 60-game start in Thomas ’ class would be a major feather in Robert ’ s cap .
Then again , time is on his side .

A hot start is just a hot start, and putting ‘‘Luis Robert’’ and ‘‘Hall of Fame’’ in the same sentence is as premature as Eloy Jimenez’s spring comparisons of Robert to Mike Trout.
But holding a regular big-league job as a 22-year-old rookie is a big step, regardless of Robert’s .351/.385/.595 slash line through Sunday. The players with the best careers tend to reach the majors early.
Twenty-one players have career non-pitcher bWARs of 100 or more. That includes Babe Ruth’s 162.1 as a position player but not his 20.4 as a pitcher. Only one of the 21 was older than 22 to start his career: Honus Wagner, who was 23.
Teenagers make up a disproportionate share of the group. Nine in the 100 WAR club were 19 or younger in their debuts, with Mel Ott the youngest at 17.
Players in the majors that young have shown their games already are good enough to be there, and they can build from there.
Also, the youngest players are building totals when older rookies are polishing their games. Trout, whose 73.0 bWAR is fourth-highest through age 28 in major-league history, debuted at 19 and had 19.9 bWAR before entering his age-22 season.
The Stathead tool at Baseball-Reference.com shows 783 non-pitchers who reached the majors at 19 or younger (baseball ages start at midnight June 30). Fifty-two — 6.6 percent — have made the Hall of Fame.
The percentage of Hall of Famers decreases as debut age increases. The numbers are 44 Hall of Famers among 951 players (4.6 percent) at 20, then 50 of 1,691 (3 percent) at 21, 34 of 2,347 (1.4 percent) at 22, 23 of 2,691 (0.9 percent) at 23 and nine of 2,730 (0.3 percent) at 24 before a slight uptick to 12 of 2,188 (0.5 percent) at 25.
Only six players of 4,522 (0.1 percent) have been enshrined after debuting at 26 or later. Those include special cases Roy Campanella (27) and Jackie Robinson (28), who should have been in the majors much younger but for the color line.
There are stars, journeymen and washouts at any age, but those with the biggest chances at the best careers are those in the majors at the youngest ages.
Even in a 60-game season, it’s not out of the question Robert will contend for the best season by a White Sox player making his big-league debut at 22. The leader is Frank Thomas, who just happens to have played in 60 games for the Sox in 1990.
Thomas had 240 plate appearances and 191 at-bats, slashing .330/.454/.529 with seven home runs and 31 RBI. That was worth 2.3 bWAR. The next-highest by a Sox player with an age-22 debut was 2.1 by Gordon Beckham in 430 plate appearances in 2009.
There’s work to be done, but a 60-game start in Thomas’ class would be a major feather in Robert’s cap. Then again, time is on his side.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-03--Beating back violent crime in Chicago starts with one word: trust

Children continue to die in a Chicago that ’ s getting nowhere when it comes to curbing violent crime .
This time it was Janari Ricks , a 9-year-old boy .
Janari was playing outside his home on the Near North Side on Friday evening .
Somebody shot into a crowd and Janari caught a bullet in the chest .
An hour later , he was dead .
If there ’ s a corner in heaven for kids killed in Chicago , it ’ s a crowded place .
It seems like only yesterday that we told you about 3-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ June 20 when somebody pulled alongside his mother ’ s car in Englewood and started shooting .
And about 13-year-old Amaria Jones , who was killed that night by a bullet that flew through the window of her home in Austin while she was showing her mother a dance move .
And about 1-year-old Sincere Gaston , who was killed on June 27 in Englewood when somebody shot into her mother ’ s car .
And about 10-year-old Lena Nunez , who was killed that night when a bullet came through the window @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Logan Square .
And about 7-year-old Natalie Wallace , who was killed on the Fourth of July by a stray bullet at a family party in South Austin .
And about 14-year-old Vernado Jones Jr. , who was shot and killed that night while standing on the corner of 61st and Carpenter .
So far this year , at least 430 people have been shot dead in Chicago , including Janari Ricks and eight others this past weekend .
Chicago ’ s on a bloody murder tear , outpacing a national surge in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We see right and wrong all around .
We ’ ll start with guns .
We remain convinced that the easy access to guns in this country lies at the very heart of the matter .
Nothing else explains why murder rates in the United States are so much higher than in most of the rest of world .
So far this year , the Chicago police have recovered 5,736 guns , which works out to 24 or 25 guns for every square mile .
Until our nation finally enacts a federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manufacture of the most lethal weapons , requiring background checks on all gun buyers and the reporting of all sales , guns will continue to flow into Chicago from irresponsible dealers in the suburbs and from states with looser laws .
Experts also point to factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic , the recession and the national backlash against police tactics in the wake of the death of George Floyd beneath a police officer ’ s knee .
The pandemic may actually be discouraging some sorts of crime , such as robberies and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to rob and fewer houses to burglarize when so many of us are staying at home .
But , the experts conjecture , the closing of schools and churches likely has resulted in a softening of social controls on a criminal behavior .
And it is a problem made worse by a greater sense of alienation among police officers — and a greater distrust of the police .
Certainly , that appears to be the case in Chicago , though levels of alienation and distrust were high even before the pandemic and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Supt .
David Brown stressed the hard work of officers in combating the violence .
He singled out for praise the “ brave work ” of detectives who have recovered dozens of illegal firearms in recent weeks , including at a gang funeral .
But there is a general belief in Chicago , we must add , that the police are laying down on the job , as reflected in lower numbers of arrests , traffic stops and street contacts .
Rank-and-file officers , we are told , are fed up with policing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their ability to do their jobs .
They are furious that critics have portrayed them as racists and thugs in the aftermath of Floyd ’ s death .
And they dread the idea of being caught on video doing what they believe to be appropriate police work — such as getting physical with an offender to make an arrest — that others might call excessive force .
It does not help that John Catanzara Jr. , president of the Fraternal Order of Police in Chicago , has exploited those fears and politicized every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threatened to kick out of the union any officer seen “ taking a knee ” in solidarity with Black Lives Matter demonstrators — a threat that has not gone down well with many Black officers and others .
He wrote a letter to President Trump last month in which he invited the help of federal troops and called Mayor Lori Lightfoot a “ complete failure.
” Lightfoot , for her part , has both defended and swatted down the police , but not always with a sense of proportion .
In June , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a group of protesters , the mayor said the cop should be fired .
Fired ?
For flipping somebody the bird ?
In Chicago ?
We remain committed to the cause of police reform in Chicago .
We reject the notion that better police practices , more respectful of civil liberties , are antithetical to effective police work .
On the contrary , they are essential to rebuilding community trust , the foundation of police work .
The Chicago police over the weekend arrested a suspect in the killing of young Janari @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trusting the cops , dropped them a line .
That ’ s a big part of what it ’ s going to take to beat back violent crime in Chicago : The police and every neighborhood working together , on the basis of trust , led by a mayor who seeks to bring out the best in us .

Children continue to die in a Chicago that’s getting nowhere when it comes to curbing violent crime.
This time it was Janari Ricks, a 9-year-old boy. Janari was playing outside his home on the Near North Side on Friday evening. Somebody shot into a crowd and Janari caught a bullet in the chest. An hour later, he was dead.
If there’s a corner in heaven for kids killed in Chicago, it’s a crowded place.
Editorials bug Editorials
It seems like only yesterday that we told you about 3-year-old Mekhi James, who was killed on June 20 when somebody pulled alongside his mother’s car in Englewood and started shooting. And about 13-year-old Amaria Jones, who was killed that night by a bullet that flew through the window of her home in Austin while she was showing her mother a dance move.
And about 1-year-old Sincere Gaston, who was killed on June 27 in Englewood when somebody shot into his mother’s car. And about 10-year-old Lena Nunez, who was killed that night when a bullet came through the window of her grandmother’s apartment in Logan Square.
And about 7-year-old Natalie Wallace, who was killed on the Fourth of July by a stray bullet at a family party in South Austin. And about 14-year-old Vernado Jones Jr., who was shot and killed that night while standing on the corner of 61st and Carpenter.
So far this year, at least 430 people have been shot dead in Chicago, including Janari Ricks and eight others this past weekend. Chicago’s on a bloody murder tear, outpacing a national surge in homicides — and everybody is blaming everybody.
We see right and wrong all around.
Begins with guns
We’ll start with guns. We remain convinced that the easy access to guns in this country lies at the very heart of the matter. Nothing else explains why murder rates in the United States are so much higher than in most of the rest of world.
So far this year, the Chicago police have recovered 5,736 guns, which works out to 24 or 25 guns for every square mile.
Until our nation finally enacts a federal strategy on gun control, limiting the manufacture of the most lethal weapons, requiring background checks on all gun buyers and the reporting of all sales, guns will continue to flow into Chicago from irresponsible dealers in the suburbs and from states with looser laws.
National trend
Experts also point to factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the recession and the national backlash against police tactics in the wake of the death of George Floyd beneath a police officer’s knee.
The pandemic may actually be discouraging some sorts of crime, such as robberies and burglaries. There are fewer people outdoors to rob and fewer houses to burglarize when so many of us are staying at home.
But, the experts conjecture, the closing of schools and churches likely has resulted in a softening of social controls on criminal behavior. And it is a problem made worse by a greater sense of alienation among police officers — and a greater distrust of the police.
Certainly, that appears to be the case in Chicago, though levels of alienation and distrust were high even before the pandemic and the current protests.
On Monday, Police Supt. David Brown stressed the hard work of officers in combating the violence. He singled out for praise the “brave work” of detectives who have recovered dozens of illegal firearms in recent weeks, including at a gang funeral.
But there is a general belief in Chicago, we must add, that the police are lying down on the job, as reflected in lower numbers of arrests, traffic stops and street contacts.
Cops fed up
Rank-and-file officers, we are told, are fed up with policing reforms that, they believe, limit their ability to do their jobs. They are furious that critics have portrayed them as racists and thugs in the aftermath of Floyd’s death. And they dread the idea of being caught on video doing what they believe to be appropriate police work — such as getting physical with an offender to make an arrest — that others might call excessive force.
It does not help that John Catanzara Jr., president of the Fraternal Order of Police in Chicago, has exploited those fears and politicized every disagreement with City Hall.
Catanzara has threatened to kick out of the union any officer seen “taking a knee” in solidarity with Black Lives Matter demonstrators — a threat that has not gone down well with many Black officers and others. He wrote a letter to President Trump last month in which he invited the help of federal troops and called Mayor Lori Lightfoot a “complete failure.”
Lightfoot, for her part, has both defended and swatted down the police, but not always with a sense of proportion. In June, when an officer flipped his middle finger at a group of protesters, the mayor said the cop should be fired.
Fired? For flipping somebody the bird? In Chicago?
A matter of trust
We remain committed to the cause of police reform in Chicago. We reject the notion that better police practices, more respectful of civil liberties, are antithetical to effective police work. On the contrary, they are essential to rebuilding community trust, the foundation of police work.
The Chicago police over the weekend arrested a suspect in the killing of young Janari Ricks.
Somebody from the neighborhood, trusting the cops, dropped them a line.
That’s a big part of what it’s going to take to beat back violent crime in Chicago: The police and every neighborhood working together, on the basis of trust, led by a mayor who seeks to bring out the best in us.
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-03--Longtime vendor Nichols Farm and Orchard booted from Wicker Park Farmers Market

Nichols Farm and Orchard , part of the Wicker Park Farmers Market for two decades , was kicked out last week .
The Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce said Nichols Farms repeatedly violated COVID-19 protocol — not properly wearing masks , not having a rope to properly mark boundaries and not having a hand-washing station .
But Todd Nichols , a family owner of the farm , blames their removal on a “ spur-of-the-moment decision ” after three years of tension with market manager Alice Howe .
And he expects the farm could lose $ 50,000 to $ 70,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Farmers Market opened July 5 — later than usual , due to the pandemic .
Vendors received COVID-19 guidelines beforehand , Howe said .
Many booths did n't follow protocol perfectly the first week , said Pamela Maass , executive director of the chamber .
Other vendors adjusted , but Maass said Nichols “ stayed in non-compliance.
” Maass said Nichols Farm didn ’ t have proper hand-washing stations or rope barriers three different weeks .
The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events inspected July 12 and found Nichols Farm in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Howe said Nichols Farm staff needed “ constant reminders ” to wear masks .
Nichols said the farm bought ropes July 16 , the day they were notified of the violation , and sent them to the farmers market the following week .
He added that the farm has had a hand-washing station at every market this season .
And , he said , the staffer running the Wicker Park booth is a stickler for masks .
“ He ’ s probably one of the most mask-conscious people I know , ” Nichols @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take his mask off in hardly any situations.
” In 2018 , Nichols said Howe asked his staff to move to a smaller spot from the one they ’ d had for nearly two decades .
The market added 20 vendors that year , Howe said , and the shift gave Nichols Farm space proportional to what they pay .
Nichols said he thinks the farm ’ s removal from the market is tied to an altercation between Howe and his staff July 26 .
A customer was touching produce — against market @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked Howe to intervene .
“ The market manager got very upset with us , ” Nichols said .
“ She said at the end of the market we weren ’ t coming back.
” Howe remembers the interaction differently .
She said she already was near the stand when she started talking to the customer , who wasn ’ t a native English speaker .
Her comment about not returning came earlier that day , Howe said , when the manager of Nichols Farm ’ s booth was upset about another produce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told me he would not be returning , ” Howe said .
“ There were already a few other issues with them , reminding them about masks and everything .
I said ‘ I guess you don ’ t need to return , then.
’ ” Howe said she approached Nichols ’ staff at the end of the day and was met with hostility .
Nichols Farm received an email from Howe July 28 saying they couldn ’ t return to the market because of “ several years ” of “ incredibly difficult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ formal written statement ” on the decision .
Maass emailed the next day , detailing failure to comply with COVID-19 protocol on July 5 , 12 and 19 .
The email said the removal decision was final this year .
Maass told the Sun-Times the board discussed the decision extensively .
“ It ’ s not a personal vendetta that I have with the farm , ” Howe said .
“ Just because people are difficult to work with doesn ’ t mean I hold a personal grudge against them and remove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to social media following the second email , wanting the public to have the chance to decide whether their removal was justified .
He said he admits their stand violated different protocols , but the punishment seems “ drastic.
” Nichols Farm will continue to make community-supported agriculture deliveries in the area , Nichols said .

Nichols Farm and Orchard, part of the Wicker Park Farmers Market for two decades, was kicked out last week.
The Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce said Nichols Farms repeatedly violated COVID-19 protocol — not properly wearing masks, not having a rope to properly mark boundaries and not having a hand-washing station.
But Todd Nichols, a family owner of the farm, blames their removal on a “spur-of-the-moment decision” after three years of tension with market manager Alice Howe. And he expects the farm could lose $50,000 to $70,000 because of it.
The Wicker Park Farmers Market opened July 5 — later than usual, due to the pandemic. Vendors received COVID-19 guidelines beforehand, Howe said.
Many booths didn't follow protocol perfectly the first week, said Pamela Maass, executive director of the chamber. Other vendors adjusted, but Maass said Nichols “stayed in non-compliance.”
Maass said Nichols Farm didn’t have proper hand-washing stations or rope barriers three different weeks. The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events inspected July 12 and found Nichols Farm in violation for not having rope barriers. Howe said Nichols Farm staff needed “constant reminders” to wear masks.
Nichols said the farm bought ropes July 16, the day they were notified of the violation, and sent them to the farmers market the following week. He added that the farm has had a hand-washing station at every market this season.
And, he said, the staffer running the Wicker Park booth is a stickler for masks.
“He’s probably one of the most mask-conscious people I know,” Nichols said. “He doesn’t take his mask off in hardly any situations.”
In 2018, Nichols said Howe asked his staff to move to a smaller spot from the one they’d had for nearly two decades.
The market added 20 vendors that year, Howe said, and the shift gave Nichols Farm space proportional to what they pay.
Nichols said he thinks the farm’s removal from the market is tied to an altercation between Howe and his staff July 26. A customer was touching produce — against market guidelines — and Nichols said his staff asked Howe to intervene.
“The market manager got very upset with us,” Nichols said. “She said at the end of the market we weren’t coming back.”
Howe remembers the interaction differently. She said she already was near the stand when she started talking to the customer, who wasn’t a native English speaker.
Her comment about not returning came earlier that day, Howe said, when the manager of Nichols Farm’s booth was upset about another produce vendor setting up nearby.
“He told me he would not be returning,” Howe said. “There were already a few other issues with them, reminding them about masks and everything. I said ‘I guess you don’t need to return, then.’”
Howe said she approached Nichols’ staff at the end of the day and was met with hostility.
Nichols Farm received an email from Howe July 28 saying they couldn’t return to the market because of “several years” of “incredibly difficult and disrespectful staff.”
Nichols demanded a “formal written statement” on the decision. Maass emailed the next day, detailing failure to comply with COVID-19 protocol on July 5, 12 and 19. The email said the removal decision was final this year.
Maass told the Sun-Times the board discussed the decision extensively.
“It’s not a personal vendetta that I have with the farm,” Howe said. “Just because people are difficult to work with doesn’t mean I hold a personal grudge against them and remove them unjustly.”
Nichols said he took to social media following the second email, wanting the public to have the chance to decide whether their removal was justified. He said he admits their stand violated different protocols, but the punishment seems “drastic.”
Nichols Farm will continue to make community-supported agriculture deliveries in the area, Nichols said.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-03--Teaching kids news literacy could be a matter of life and death

It ’ s August 2021 .
The Federal Drug Administration has just approved a COVID-19 vaccine backed by the scientific community , and 330 million doses have become available in hospitals and pharmacies across the country .
But of those doses , 165 million will never leave their sterilized packaging , because so many Americans refuse to take a COVID-19 vaccine .
It ’ s an alarming scenario , but one that very well could materialize , according to recent polling .
Researchers at the Associated Press and the University of Chicago found that only 50 % of Americans say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it becomes available .
The main reason ?
Misinformation about the safety of vaccines , coupled with the public ’ s lack of media literacy skills .
From the ( false ) claim that Bill Gates will use a COVID-19 vaccine to implant people with surveillance microchips to the persistent misconception that vaccines are dangerous , we have seen from the start of the pandemic how conspiracy theorists and others have seized on the public ’ s fear to spread dangerous lies and foment confusion .
The World Health Organization has even coined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ misinformation .
“ We ’ re not just fighting an epidemic ; we ’ re fighting an infodemic , ” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in February .
“ Fake news spreads faster and more easily than this virus and is just as dangerous.
” This phenomenon , unfortunately , is not new .
At NewsGuard , where I work , trained journalists rate the reliability of thousands of news and information websites to provide internet users with context for the news they read online .
We ’ ve seen time and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ events such as the coronavirus as an opportunity to spread lies , sow division , and even make money by selling phony cures .
Longstanding health misinformation sites , many with benign-sounding names like NaturalHealth365.com and HealthImpactNews.com , seized on the pandemic to publish articles touting baseless “ remedies ” for the disease , such as air fresheners and coconut oil ( while conveniently linking to pages to buy those same products ) .
Eventually , when this virus is behind us , they ’ ll move on to the next big thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people tell good information from bad ?
Fact checks and Facebook bans on accounts spreading disinformation can get us only so far .
The best intervention — the only option that can have a real , lasting impact — is education .
There is an urgent need to teach young people how to be more discerning consumers of information .
Research conducted at Stanford shows that students from middle school to college struggle to assess the credibility of the information they encounter online .
Whether you call it media literacy , news literacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it all boils down to the same concept : We need to teach students to be savvier online .
We need to teach them when and how to be skeptical , but also , when to believe the experts .
Misinformation spans every topic — from science to health to politics and beyond .
As a result , the responsibility for teaching media literacy should not only lie with the rare journalism teacher or the school librarian ; it must be embraced by educators in every discipline .
Biology teachers , for example @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claim that the COVID-19 virus contains “ HIV-like insertions , ” suggesting it was engineered in a lab .
Civics teachers should be alarmed by false claims swirling that mail-in ballots routinely result in voter fraud — particularly given the imminence of a major election .
Physical education and health teachers can play a part too , by deterring students from believing in dangerous “ miracle ” cures such as colloidal silver and misguided dietary regimens such as the alkaline diet .
Information literacy is relevant to every discipline .
Before we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ struggle to cover all of their curricular requirements ( even without the added stressor of trying to teach during a pandemic ) , media literacy education needs to be valued and prioritized by the U.S. education system .
Legislators are starting to act on this front , but progress has been limited .
At the national level , U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar , a Democrat from Minnesota , introduced a bill in July of last year that would provide a modest $ 20 million in grant funding for states and local school districts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ curricula .
And here in Illinois , Democratic State Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez introduced a similar bill in January of 2019 , which would promote media literacy education in the state .
While these are steps in the right direction , both bills are currently stalled .
As many school districts decide to remain partially or entirely online this fall , students will spend more time browsing the web — and more time stumbling upon false claims on TikTok , Instagram , and other social media platforms .
The need to teach young people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , rumors , and hoaxes has never been more important .
In a pandemic , discerning reliable information from misinformation can have life-or-death consequences .
Luckily , educators can help students learn to tell the difference .
Sarah Brandt is the Chicago-based vice president of News Literacy Programs at NewsGuard , a nonpartisan organization that reviews the reliability of news sites to combat misinformation and help teach media literacy .
Visit newsguardtech.com/news-literacy/ to learn more about how you can use NewsGuard free at your library or school .

It’s August 2021. The Food and Drug Administration has just approved a COVID-19 vaccine backed by the scientific community, and 330 million doses have become available in hospitals and pharmacies across the country.
But of those doses, 165 million will never leave their sterilized packaging, because so many Americans refuse to take a COVID-19 vaccine.
It’s an alarming scenario, but one that very well could materialize, according to recent polling. Researchers at the Associated Press and the University of Chicago found that only 50% of Americans say they would take a coronavirus vaccine if it becomes available. The main reason? Misinformation about the safety of vaccines, coupled with the public’s lack of media literacy skills.
Opinion bug Opinion
From the (false) claim that Bill Gates will use a COVID-19 vaccine to implant people with surveillance microchips to the persistent misconception that vaccines are dangerous, we have seen from the start of the pandemic how conspiracy theorists and others have seized on the public’s fear to spread dangerous lies and foment confusion.
The World Health Organization has even coined a term to describe the spread of misinformation. “We’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in February. “Fake news spreads faster and more easily than this virus and is just as dangerous.”
This phenomenon, unfortunately, is not new. At NewsGuard, where I work, trained journalists rate the reliability of thousands of news and information websites to provide internet users with context for the news they read online. We’ve seen time and again how peddlers of misinformation view major events such as the coronavirus as an opportunity to spread lies, sow division, and even make money by selling phony cures.
Longstanding health misinformation sites, many with benign-sounding names like NaturalHealth365.com and HealthImpactNews.com, seized on the pandemic to publish articles touting baseless “remedies” for the disease, such as air fresheners and coconut oil (while conveniently linking to pages to buy those same products). Eventually, when this virus is behind us, they’ll move on to the next big thing.
So, how do we help people tell good information from bad? Fact checks and Facebook bans on accounts spreading disinformation can get us only so far. The best intervention — the only option that can have a real, lasting impact — is education.
There is an urgent need to teach young people how to be more discerning consumers of information. Research conducted at Stanford shows that students from middle school to college struggle to assess the credibility of the information they encounter online. Whether you call it media literacy, news literacy, information literacy or something else, it all boils down to the same concept: We need to teach students to be savvier online. We need to teach them when and how to be skeptical, but also, when to believe the experts.
Misinformation spans every topic — from science to health to politics and beyond. As a result, the responsibility for teaching media literacy should not only lie with the rare journalism teacher or the school librarian; it must be embraced by educators in every discipline.
Biology teachers, for example, should be concerned about the false claim that the COVID-19 virus contains “HIV-like insertions,” suggesting it was engineered in a lab. Civics teachers should be alarmed by false claims swirling that mail-in ballots routinely result in voter fraud — particularly given the imminence of a major election. Physical education and health teachers can play a part too, by deterring students from believing in dangerous “miracle” cures such as colloidal silver and misguided dietary regimens such as the alkaline diet. Information literacy is relevant to every discipline.
Before we can expect more from educators, who often struggle to cover all of their curricular requirements (even without the added stressor of trying to teach during a pandemic), media literacy education needs to be valued and prioritized by the U.S. education system.
Legislators are starting to act on this front, but progress has been limited. At the national level, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, introduced a bill in July of last year that would provide a modest $20 million in grant funding for states and local school districts to develop and incorporate media literacy into curricula. And here in Illinois, Democratic State Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez introduced a similar bill in January of 2019, which would promote media literacy education in the state.
While these are steps in the right direction, both bills are currently stalled.
As many school districts decide to remain partially or entirely online this fall, students will spend more time browsing the web — and more time stumbling upon false claims on TikTok, Instagram, and other social media platforms. The need to teach young people how to identify and assess online myths, rumors, and hoaxes has never been more important. In a pandemic, discerning reliable information from misinformation can have life-or-death consequences. Luckily, educators can help students learn to tell the difference.
Sarah Brandt is the Chicago-based vice president of News Literacy Programs at NewsGuard, a nonpartisan organization that reviews the reliability of news sites to combat misinformation and help teach media literacy. Visit newsguardtech.com/news-literacy/ to learn more about how you can use NewsGuard free at your library or school.
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-03--Northwestern suspends football activities after player tests positive for coronavirus

Northwestern has halted football workouts after a player tested positive for COVID-19 .
The university tweeted a statement Monday saying the university “ medical staff will implement the University ’ s rigorous contact tracing and quarantine protocols.
” The player is isolating and several teammates are quarantining , the school said Monday .
The team ’ s most recent workout was Friday .
The next one will be Wednesday at the earliest .
Northwestern ’ s news comes shortly after Illinois ’ athletic department announced it has recorded 23 positive COVID-19 test results since players started arriving on campus for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The football team ’ s more than 100 football players have accounted for greater than 75 % of the athletic department ’ s positive tests , the university said , though it ’ s unclear the exact number of players the virus has infected .
A vast majority of the players who have tested positive have since recovered as only three cases remain active , the athletic department said .
As part of its coronavirus protocol , Illinois said it ’ s testing the 164 student-athletes who are currently on campus at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tests .
Other Big Ten programs — Ohio State , Indiana , Michigan State , Rutgers and Maryland — have suspended practices at some point because of coronavirus concerns .
College football conferences have already made several changes this year because of the pandemic .
The Big Ten , Pac-12 and SEC will play only conference schedules .
The ACC will play an 11-game schedule with 10 league games .
Notre Dame will participate as a full football member of the ACC this year .
This weekend , a group of Pac-12 players @ @ @ @ @ @ @ games if their universities don ’ t provide adequate COVID-19 protections .
Other smaller conferences , including the Ivy League , have canceled all fall sports .

Northwestern has halted football workouts after a player tested positive for COVID-19.
The university tweeted a statement Monday saying the university “medical staff will implement the University’s rigorous contact tracing and quarantine protocols.”
The player is isolating and several teammates are quarantining, the school said Monday. The team’s most recent workout was Friday. The next one will be Wednesday at the earliest.
Northwestern’s news comes shortly after Illinois’ athletic department announced it has recorded 23 positive COVID-19 test results since players started arriving on campus for voluntary team activities in early June.
The football team’s more than 100 football players have accounted for greater than 75% of the athletic department’s positive tests, the university said, though it’s unclear the exact number of players the virus has infected.
A vast majority of the players who have tested positive have since recovered as only three cases remain active, the athletic department said.
As part of its coronavirus protocol, Illinois said it’s testing the 164 student-athletes who are currently on campus at least weekly and has administered more than 1,200 tests.
Other Big Ten programs — Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan State, Rutgers and Maryland — have suspended practices at some point because of coronavirus concerns.
College football conferences have already made several changes this year because of the pandemic. The Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC will play only conference schedules. The ACC will play an 11-game schedule with 10 league games. Notre Dame will participate as a full football member of the ACC this year.
This weekend, a group of Pac-12 players said they would sit out practices and games if their universities don’t provide adequate COVID-19 protections.
Other smaller conferences, including the Ivy League, have canceled all fall sports.
Contributing: Associated Press


chicagosun-times--2020-08-04--Dear Abby: On a date, widow tells me, ‘No man will ever share my bed’

DEAR ABBY : I am a single man who recently met a widow who is nine years older .
We connected via an online dating site .
At the end of our three-hour conversation , she said , “ No man will ever share my bed.
” This is because of her second husband , who died six years ago .
She said if a man shared her bed , she felt it would be cheating on her late husband .
When she said it , I was surprised and shocked .
I hadn ’ t asked her if she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s ) bed .
What are your thoughts on this , and do a lot of widows adhere to this practice ?
Should this be considered a deal-breaker in a potential relationship ?
And would replacing the bed with a new one help ?
— SLEEPLESS IN SAN DIEGO DEAR SLEEPLESS : Some widows — and widowers — become celibate after the death of their spouse .
A phrase I have heard used is , “ I ’ ve had the best , and no one can ever replace _______.
” I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after their grief has lessened , have gone on to have happy , successful second or third marriages .
What the woman you were talking with was doing was eradicating any expectation you might have had about a sexual relationship with her .
She should have specified on her profile that sex was off the table .
Be glad she was honest .
This would be a deal-breaker for any man who is interested in maintaining his sex life .
While replacing her mattress might have been a helpful suggestion , I doubt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the mail I receive , amorous couples make love in many places besides the bedroom .
DEAR ABBY : My daughter , the oldest of four children , and I had a falling-out because I paid for her education but she couldn ’ t be thankful .
She was very entitled as a child , but it was important to me that she graduated .
She ’ s a schoolteacher now .
When she asked me to pay for her wedding , I said , “ Will you be thankful this time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ I ’ ll do it myself !
” I learned today that she went gown shopping with my mom and her fiance ’ s mother and excluded me .
I am so angry , hurt and sad that I don ’ t even want to go to the wedding anymore .
I could use some advice here .
— SAD IN ARKANSAS DEAR SAD : I ’ m surprised you had to demand gratitude from your daughter .
She may have not learned appreciation because she was always handed everything she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ role in her life to continue on that path .
That she went gown shopping without inviting you was her way of punishing you for not forking over the money for her wedding .
( I wonder if your mother and her fiance ’ s mother are contributing . )
I do not think you should skip her wedding , regardless of how tempted you may be .
That said , it is important you realize a pattern has been established in your relationship with your daughter , and she may use your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so be prepared .
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren , also known as Jeanne Phillips , and was founded by her mother , Pauline Phillips .
Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O .
Box 69440 , Los Angeles , CA 90069 .
What teens need to know about sex , drugs , AIDS and getting along with peers and parents is in “ What Every Teen Should Know.
” Send your name and mailing address , plus check or money order for $ 8 ( U.S. funds ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , P.O .
Box 447 , Mount Morris , IL 61054-0447 .
( Shipping and handling are included in the price . )

DEAR ABBY: I am a single man who recently met a widow who is nine years older. We connected via an online dating site.
At the end of our three-hour conversation, she said, “No man will ever share my bed.” This is because of her second husband, who died six years ago. She said if a man shared her bed, she felt it would be cheating on her late husband.
When she said it, I was surprised and shocked. I hadn’t asked her if she would share my (or another man’s) bed. What are your thoughts on this, and do a lot of widows adhere to this practice? Should this be considered a deal-breaker in a potential relationship? And would replacing the bed with a new one help? — SLEEPLESS IN SAN DIEGO
DEAR SLEEPLESS: Some widows — and widowers — become celibate after the death of their spouse. A phrase I have heard used is, “I’ve had the best, and no one can ever replace _______.” I also know women and men who, after their grief has lessened, have gone on to have happy, successful second or third marriages.
What the woman you were talking with was doing was eradicating any expectation you might have had about a sexual relationship with her. She should have specified on her profile that sex was off the table. Be glad she was honest.
This would be a deal-breaker for any man who is interested in maintaining his sex life. While replacing her mattress might have been a helpful suggestion, I doubt she would have been receptive. According to the mail I receive, amorous couples make love in many places besides the bedroom.
DEAR ABBY: My daughter, the oldest of four children, and I had a falling-out because I paid for her education but she couldn’t be thankful. She was very entitled as a child, but it was important to me that she graduated. She’s a schoolteacher now.
When she asked me to pay for her wedding, I said, “Will you be thankful this time?” She stomped out and said, “I’ll do it myself!” I learned today that she went gown shopping with my mom and her fiance’s mother and excluded me. I am so angry, hurt and sad that I don’t even want to go to the wedding anymore. I could use some advice here. — SAD IN ARKANSAS
DEAR SAD: I’m surprised you had to demand gratitude from your daughter. She may have not learned appreciation because she was always handed everything she wanted, so now she expects your role in her life to continue on that path. That she went gown shopping without inviting you was her way of punishing you for not forking over the money for her wedding. (I wonder if your mother and her fiance’s mother are contributing.)
I do not think you should skip her wedding, regardless of how tempted you may be. That said, it is important you realize a pattern has been established in your relationship with your daughter, and she may use your grandchildren as pawns to manipulate you, so be prepared.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
What teens need to know about sex, drugs, AIDS and getting along with peers and parents is in “What Every Teen Should Know.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds), to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)


chicagosun-times--2020-08-04--For Chicago lawyer, life after ‘Indian Matchmaking’ has been ‘an adjustment’

Shekar Jayaraman , a Chicago lawyer , didn ’ t watch any dating shows before he joined “ Indian Matchmaking , ” now streaming on Netflix .
“ I ’ m not much of a TV watcher , to be honest , ” he said .
Instead , Jayaraman heard about the show through a friend and decided to complete the forms and interviews to apply for it .
He wanted “ to find a future partner ” and thought the show presented a “ unique ” opportunity to do so .
In the show , Jayaraman goes on two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Chicago River with the woman he has been paired with , Nadia Jagessar .
Being on camera during the tour was a “ nervous experience ” for the Cincinnati native , partly because it was only his second time being filmed — the first being his earlier date on the show , when he traveled to Houston to meet attorney Aparna Shewakramani .
The cameras also changed how he and Jagessar , a 32-year-old dancer and event planner from New Jersey , interacted .
On camera , they seem like a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this atmosphere was genuine at the time .
But “ off-camera , we had very different dynamics and based on those dynamics we decided that we were to part ways , ” he said .
To add to the pressure , the date included Jagessar ’ s mother , a reminder to viewers of the significant role families play in India ’ s arranged marriage process , which the show aims to reproduce .
The Netflix series centers on a Mumbai-based matchmaker , Sima Taparia , as she strives to find partners for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its release in early July , the show has been criticized for its colorism and emphasis on caste , with matchmaker Taparia describing a potential candidate for a date as “ fair ” in reference to skin tone .
Jayaraman believes that this assessment of the show is fair .
“ There is definitely an issue of colorism and casteism in Indian culture that needs to be addressed , ” he said .
But he also added that the show is a “ docuseries ” that is “ portraying Indian American and Indian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and is not necessarily setting out to comment on it .
When asked whether he thought the show had been successful , Jayaraman said , “ Who am I to say whether [ it ’ s ] successful or not ?
” He added , “ Did I end up with the people I was paired with ?
In that scope , yeah , not largely successful.
” Since “ Indian Matchmaking ” premiered July 16 , Jayamaran has been recognized twice , and he has received a lot of messages and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largely positive— people have been very nice and supportive , ” said Jayaraman of the new attention .
“ It has definitely been an adjustment overall.
” Being on the show has not improved his dating life , he said , but this is mainly because he has been trying to “ stay in balance ” and focus on his work .
While dating remains a focal point , his career and his firm Jayaraman Law are his “ No .
1 priority , ” and he has kept the show from getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ My intention is to take it in a balanced way and stay level-headed , ” he said .

Shekar Jayaraman, a Chicago lawyer, didn’t watch any dating shows before he joined “Indian Matchmaking,” now streaming on Netflix. “I’m not much of a TV watcher, to be honest,” he said.
Instead, Jayaraman heard about the show through a friend and decided to complete the forms and interviews to apply for it. He wanted “to find a future partner” and thought the show presented a “unique” opportunity to do so.
In the show, Jayaraman goes on two dates, one featuring a boat tour of the Chicago River with the woman he has been paired with, Nadia Jagessar.
Being on camera during the tour was a “nervous experience” for the Cincinnati native, partly because it was only his second time being filmed — the first being his earlier date on the show, when he traveled to Houston to meet attorney Aparna Shewakramani.
Shekar Jayaraman on a date with Aparna Shewakramani, in episode three of “Indian Matchmaking.” Netflix
The cameras also changed how he and Jagessar, a 32-year-old dancer and event planner from New Jersey, interacted. On camera, they seem like a promising match, and Jayaraman said that this atmosphere was genuine at the time.
But “off-camera, we had very different dynamics and based on those dynamics we decided that we were to part ways,” he said.
To add to the pressure, the date included Jagessar’s mother, a reminder to viewers of the significant role families play in India’s arranged marriage process, which the show aims to reproduce. The Netflix series centers on a Mumbai-based matchmaker, Sima Taparia, as she strives to find partners for the show’s participants.
Since its release in early July, the show has been criticized for its colorism and emphasis on caste, with matchmaker Taparia describing a potential candidate for a date as “fair” in reference to skin tone.
Jayaraman believes that this assessment of the show is fair. “There is definitely an issue of colorism and casteism in Indian culture that needs to be addressed,” he said.
But he also added that the show is a “docuseries” that is “portraying Indian American and Indian culture for better or for worse,” and is not necessarily setting out to comment on it.
When asked whether he thought the show had been successful, Jayaraman said, “Who am I to say whether [it’s] successful or not?” He added, “Did I end up with the people I was paired with? In that scope, yeah, not largely successful.”
Since “Indian Matchmaking” premiered July 16, Jayamaran has been recognized twice, and he has received a lot of messages and phone calls. “It’s largely positive— people have been very nice and supportive,” said Jayaraman of the new attention. “It has definitely been an adjustment overall.”
Being on the show has not improved his dating life, he said, but this is mainly because he has been trying to “stay in balance” and focus on his work. While dating remains a focal point, his career and his firm Jayaraman Law are his “No. 1 priority,” and he has kept the show from getting in the way of his legal work.
“My intention is to take it in a balanced way and stay level-headed,” he said.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-04--Menu Planner: Reward yourself with Kona pineapple chicken kebabs

Cut chicken into 16 bite-size chunks .
In a medium bowl , whisk together the pineapple juice , oil , lime zest and juice , sugar , ginger and red pepper until sugar dissolves .
Add chicken ; cover and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes .
Thread alternating pieces of chicken , pineapple and bell pepper onto 4 metal skewers .
Discard marinade .
( Remember : Chicken will cook faster on metal skewers because metal will conduct heat ) .
Heat your lightly greased grill or grill pan to medium-high .
Grill kebabs 10 to 12 minutes , turning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is done when it feels firm to touch and internal temperature reaches 170 degrees .
Remove kebabs from grill ; let stand 2 to 3 minutes before serving .
Heat oven to 375 degrees .
Coat a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray .
In a medium nonstick skillet , heat canola oil on medium-high .
Add onion and cook 5 minutes or until softened .
Add spinach and stir 3 more minutes or until spinach is fully cooked ; set aside .
Sprinkle cheese in pie pan .
Top with spinach mixture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ egg whites , whole eggs , cottage cheese , cayenne pepper , salt and nutmeg .
Pour mixture over spinach .
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until set .
Let stand 5 minutes .
Cut into wedges and serve .
In a small bowl , combine the orange juice concentrate , tequila or water , lime juice , ginger , oil , garlic , salt , oregano and cayenne pepper ; mix well .
Place beef in a resealable plastic bag ; add marinade and turn to coat .
Marinate in refrigerator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Remove steak ; discard marinade .
Grill steak , uncovered , 16 to 18 minutes for medium-rare doneness ( 145 degrees ) , turning occasionally .
Carve into thin slices and serve .
Per serving : 185 calories , 25 grams protein , 8 grams fat ( 41 % calories from fat ) , 3 grams saturated fat , 1 gram carbohydrate , 71 milligrams cholesterol , 370 milligrams sodium , no fiber .
Heat 2 cups tomato-basil pasta sauce with 3/4 cup half-and-half .
Toss with cooked and green salad and @ @

Kona pineapple chicken kebabs
Makes 4 kebabs
Preparation time: 15 minutes; marinating time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: less than 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 (6-ounce) can pineapple juice
2 tablespoons canola oil
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon sugar
1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into 16 chunks
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 16 (1-inch) pieces
Cut chicken into 16 bite-size chunks. In a medium bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice, oil, lime zest and juice, sugar, ginger and red pepper until sugar dissolves. Add chicken; cover and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes. Thread alternating pieces of chicken, pineapple and bell pepper onto 4 metal skewers. Discard marinade. (Remember: Chicken will cook faster on metal skewers because metal will conduct heat). Heat your lightly greased grill or grill pan to medium-high. Grill kebabs 10 to 12 minutes, turning every 3 to 4 minutes. Chicken is done when it feels firm to touch and internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. Remove kebabs from grill; let stand 2 to 3 minutes before serving.
Per serving: 261 calories, 37 grams protein, 5 grams fat (16% calories from fat), 1 gram saturated fat, 17 grams carbohydrate, 109 milligrams cholesterol, 200 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.
Carb choices: 1.
Crustless spinach quiche
Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: about 45 minutes; cooling time: 5 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
1 1/2 cups shredded 50% reduced-fat cheddar cheese
4 egg whites
2 whole eggs
1/3 cup reduced-fat cottage cheese
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray. In a medium nonstick skillet, heat canola oil on medium-high. Add onion and cook 5 minutes or until softened. Add spinach and stir 3 more minutes or until spinach is fully cooked; set aside. Sprinkle cheese in pie pan. Top with spinach mixture. In a medium bowl, whisk egg whites, whole eggs, cottage cheese, cayenne pepper, salt and nutmeg. Pour mixture over spinach. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until set. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.
Per serving: 225 calories, 24 grams protein, 12 grams fat (46% calories from fat), 5.6 grams saturated fat, 9 grams carbohydrate, 116 milligrams cholesterol, 537 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.
Carb choices: 0.5.
Margarita beef
Makes 6 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes; marinating time: 6 hours to overnight
Cooking time: 16 to 18 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup tequila or water
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (1 1/2- to 1 3/4-pound) beef top-round steak, cut 1 inch thick
In a small bowl, combine the orange juice concentrate, tequila or water, lime juice, ginger, oil, garlic, salt, oregano and cayenne pepper; mix well. Place beef in a resealable plastic bag; add marinade and turn to coat. Marinate in refrigerator 6 hours to overnight; turn occasionally. Remove steak; discard marinade. Grill steak, uncovered, 16 to 18 minutes for medium-rare doneness (145 degrees), turning occasionally. Carve into thin slices and serve.
Per serving: 185 calories, 25 grams protein, 8 grams fat (41% calories from fat), 3 grams saturated fat, 1 gram carbohydrate, 71 milligrams cholesterol, 370 milligrams sodium, no fiber.
Carb choices: 0.
Spaghetti with creamy tomato sauce
Heat 2 cups tomato-basil pasta sauce with 3/4 cup half-and-half. Toss with cooked and green salad and Italian bread