chicagosun-times--2020-07-17--Feds cast wide net on Berrios, get records on gov’s Gold Coast mansion,  118 other properties

Federal prosecutors have made a series of requests to the Cook County assessor ’ s office over the past five months for records regarding the $ 330,000 property tax break that Gov .
J.B. Pritzker got on a Gold Coast mansion — a break he got in part because the toilets were disconnected during a stalled remodeling job .
Records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times show the U.S. attorney ’ s office in Chicago has asked Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi for all emails and any other communications dating to 2012 regarding the tax break that Kaegi ’ s predecessor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As they continue an investigation prompted by a Sun-Times report in May 2017 , they have asked for information including the name of every employee who , under Berrios , “ worked , reviewed and/or approved ” the tax break for one of the two mansions Pritzker owns on North Astor Street .
Pritzker reimbursed Cook County the full value of the tax break in 2018 .
Rather than obtain those names through subpoenas , prosecutors sent Kaegi ’ s staff a series of emails beginning Jan. 17 that cited a wide range @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreed to turn over , records show .
The seven emails to the assessor ’ s office for records since then also show that , besides the investigation of Pritzker ’ s tax breaks , prosecutors have sought records of other property tax appeals to Berrios between 2010 and 2018 made on 118 properties .
Those include the United Center , Gibson ’ s steakhouse on Rush Street , a Bob Rohrman auto dealership in Schaumburg and several homes , including the Rev .
Jesse L. Jackson ’ s residence .
A spokesman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wouldn ’ t talk about the records requests .
Many of the properties — but not all — got tax breaks during the eight-year tenure of Berrios , whom the Sun-Times reported in December is under federal investigation .
In most of those cases , the owners hired politically connected law firms to make their case that the assessor was overvaluing their properties , and Berrios agreed .
The successful bids to get Berrios to cut his office ’ s estimation of how much those properties were worth brought those landowners savings that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly $ 2 million in property taxes for one year , according to a Sun-Times analysis .
Among the clout-heavy law firms involved in those appeals were Chicago firms headed by Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan , D-Chicago , Ald .
Edward M. Burke ( 14th ) and Steve Pearlman , a close friend of former Mayor Richard M. Daley .
Six of the property owners hired Schmidt Salzman & Moran , the same firm that convinced Berrios to slash the assessment on Pritzker ’ s mansion by arguing that it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been disconnected .
The governor and his family live in a 12,500-square-foot mansion in the 1400 block of North Astor Street that a Pritzker company called Astor Street LLC bought for $ 14.6 million 14 years ago .
An email from prosecutors that Kaegi received on May 17 asked for records of all appeals Schmidt Salzman & Moran filed with Berrios “ for high-value residential properties based on vacancy and uninhabitability ” between 2014 and 2016 .
Kaegi ’ s staff responded with a list of more than 40 homes in Chicago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ less than either of Pritzker ’ s side-by-side mansions .
The same email also asked Kaegi for any other tax appeals since 2016 that Schmidt Salzman “ filed on behalf of entities affiliated with the Pritzkers , including Hyatt , Astor Street , and Pritzker Group.
” Kaegi ’ s staff said it didn ’ t find the firm had handled any other cases for the Pritzkers other than the governor ’ s mansions .
Schmidt Salzman didn ’ t return messages regarding Prtizker ’ s tax break or prosecutors requests for property @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tax break involved the 6,387-square-foot mansion next door to his residence , which Pritzker ’ s company bought for $ 3.7 million in 2007 .
The governor started to do renovations , during which time it remained vacant .
Berrios put the vacant home ’ s value at $ 6.3 million in 2016 .
That valuation was appealed by Astor Street manager Thomas Muenster , who ’ s the brother of Pritzker ’ s wife , and the Schmidt Salzman firm .
They argued that the home was uninhabitable and offered photographs showing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreed , slashing his original $ 6.3 million assessment to under $ 1.1 million .
The lower assessment saved Pritzker more than $ 330,000 on the property taxes he paid on the home between 2012 and 2016 .
The Sun-Times revealed Pritzker ’ s big tax break as the billionaire venture capitalist was seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge then-Gov .
Bruce Rauner .
That prompted an investigation by Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard , who concluded that the removal of the toilets was part of a “ scheme to defraud ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ released weeks before the November 2018 election .
Three days after Blanchard ’ s report came out , Pritzker ’ s company sent Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas five checks totaling $ 331,432 — the value of the tax breaks he got from Berrios .
He went on to unseat Rauner .
Berrios resigned as chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party after losing the Democratic primary to Kaegi .
Berrios has been under federal investigation , the Sun-Times reported last December based on a subpoena prosecutors issued on Dec. 5 .
About @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sending Kaegi emails seeking records .
Berrios says he wasn ’ t aware federal investigators had been looking at specific appeals while he was in office filed by law firms that had contributed to his campaign funds .
“ It ’ s news to me , ” he says .
The properties that prosecutors sought records about include : • 1 N. LaSalle St. , a Loop skyscraper owned by ONL Properties .
Burke ’ s law firm filed eight appeals between 2010 and 2017 .
During that time , Berrios moved to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s value but backed down .
That resulted in Burke getting more than $ 1.9 million in property savings for the owners .
On top of that , he got them a tax refund of $ 101,951 last year when a Cook County judge agreed to lower the 2015 assessment , when the tax bill totaled $ 2,098,342 .
Burke , who didn ’ t return calls seeking comment , has been indicted and is awaiting trial on federal charges that accuse him of using his aldermanic power to withhold construction permits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ward in a failed effort to get the restaurant to hire his firm to handle its property tax appeals .
Attorney Thomas D. Flanagan of the Flanagan/Bilton law firm took over the appeals in 2018 , when Berrios initially raised the assessment by 60 percent .
Berrios later slashed the increase to less than 2 percent .
The owners ended up paying more than $ 2.9 million in property taxes last year — which was $ 1.5 million less than they would have under Berrios ’ initial valuation .
• The United Center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , filed seven appeals while Berrios was assessor .
All were filed by two lawyers who were close friends of Daley — first Terry Newman and now Pearlman .
During Berrios ’ s final year in office , he initially moved to increase the assessment of the arena and the surrounding property the United Center owns by 30 percent .
That would have seen the United Center ’ s total property tax bill rise from $ 6.9 million to nearly $ 8.9 million .
Pearlman appealed .
And Berrios agreed to raise his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 9 percent .
That meant the United Center avoided a tax increase .
Instead , its tax bills remained at $ 6.9 million .
Pearlman responded to interview requests with a written statement from a public relations firm saying his law firm “ has always been and will continue to be responsive to any government agency making inquiry about the firm and client matters .
We can not comment on specifics regarding any pending federal investigation.
” Rocky Wirtz , an investor in the Sun-Times , co-owns the United Center with Jerry Reinsdorf @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commercial building at 300 W. Superior St. , filed five appeals to Berrios ’ office , at first using Madigan ’ s law firm and then switching to Flanagan last year .
Twice , Madigan ’ s firm got Berrios to reduce his initial assessment increases , saving the building ’ s owners more than $ 153,317 in real estate taxes .
Flanagan saved them $ 248,819 in taxes when Berrios scrapped his initial plan to increase the assessment by more than 50 percent in 2018 , instead raising it by just 4 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tax bill last year of $ 416,343 — its lowest in three years .
Asked about federal prosecutors interest in the tax appeals on the property , Madigan ’ s law partner Vince Getzendanner said : “ We ’ ve never been contacted .
This is our first knowledge of any file being requested .
I ’ m not worried about it.
” • Bob Rohrman Kia , 1100 E. Golf Rd.
, Schaumburg .
The car dealer filed seven appeals under Berrios , who initially planned to increase the assessment on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent in 2018 and raise the assessment on an adjoining lot by nearly sixfold .
Attorney Thomas Battista filed an appeal , and Berrios sharply reduced his initial assessment increases .
That saved Rohrman ’ s dealership more than $ 209,000 in property taxes last year , when the business paid $ 382,622 .
“ I wouldn ’ t be able to comment on that , ” Battista says .
“ Nobody ’ s contacted me.
” In January , the Cook County treasurer ’ s office sent Rohrman three property tax refund @ @ @ @ @ @ @ firm , Amari & Locallo , won three lawsuits to further reduce the dealership ’ s assessments for 2012 , 2013 and 2015 .
• Gibson ’ s , 1028 N. Rush St. , a steakhouse popular with Chicago ’ s movers and shakers , has long been represented by property tax attorney Michael Crane , whose nephew Christopher Crowley was Berrios ’ s chief of staff in the assessor ’ s office .
Crane lost five of the six appeals he filed with Berrios , who agreed to a slight reduction in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2015 , shaving $ 3,693 off the tax bill , which ended up being $ 88,416 .
Crane also got the restaurant refunds totaling $ 52,244 by going to court and getting judges to agree the assessments for 2011 and 2015 were too high .
The property is owned by a Florida company whose lawyer says the restaurant is responsible for challenging the property assessments and paying the real estate taxes , which totaled $ 119,003 last year — its lowest in three years .
Gibson ’ s chairman Steven Lombardo III and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • Erie Cafe , 530 E. Erie St. , a steakhouse where Berrios is among the clout-heavy regulars .
It was also the site of his retirement party before he left office in December 2018 .
During the time Berrios was assessor , Burke ’ s law firm lost two of the three appeals filed to contest Berrios ’ assessments for the restaurant , whose tax bill has steadily risen , from $ 87,042 in 2015 to $ 176,469 last year .
But Burke did get the restaurant a total of $ 46,456 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six successful appeals with the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board since 2012 .
Ronald Lenzi , whose family owns the restaurant , says he never discussed his property taxes with Berrios .
“ To say that because Joe Berrios is a customer and has been coming here for a while , that we got any preferential treatment would be flat out wrong , ” Lenzi says .
• A small apartment building in the 2600 block of West Fullerton Avenue that was sold a year ago by Ald .
Felix Cardona Jr. ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the assessor ’ s office , and Cardona ’ s father .
A few months before the Cardonas sold the property in June 2019 , Berrios initially decided on a 45 percent increase in the assessed value .
The Cardonas appealed , and Berrios decided to increase the value by 36 percent .
That gave the Cardonas a $ 620 break on their taxes , which totaled $ 4,292 in 2018 .
Cardona was Berrios ’ director of special assessments in the assessor ’ s office before running for alderman in 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Berrios ’ daughter , former state Rep. Maria “ Toni ” Berrios .
A few months before Cardona was elected alderman , the county treasurer issued four checks totaling $ 4,967 in property tax refunds to “ Felix Cardona ” after Berrios agreed that the property owner was entitled to senior citizen homestead exemptions between 2014 and 2017 .
The alderman says he doesn ’ t know why federal prosecutors want to review the assessment reduction Berrios gave them .
“ It was my father ’ s property , ” the alderman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the property .
My dad handled everything.
” • Sixteen properties , including condos , in Bridgeview and Justice owned by Sebastian Jachymiak — the owner of Technicraft Collision Repair Experts , a body shop in Justice that provides towing services for several suburbs — and his business partners .
Jachymiak has been named in search warrants federal agents served on McCook , Lyons and former state Sen. Martin Sandoval , D-Chicago .
Jachymiak and his business partner Kinga Bartoszek hired former Chicago Ald .
Ambrosio Medrano in 2012 , seeking to lower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Berrios had placed on seven properties .
Berrios rejected all of Medrano ’ s appeals .
In May , Medrano , who has been convicted in three corruption cases , got an early release from his 13-year federal prison sentence , after serving five years , because of the risk posed by the coronavirus pandemic .
Jachymiak , Bartoszek and Medrano couldn ’ t be reached for comment .
• A two-story home in the 6800 block of South Constance Avenue owned by the Rev .
Jesse L. Jackson and his wife Jacqueline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Jacksons never filed an appeal to contest the value of their home in Jackson Park Highlands .
In 2018 , Berrios lowered the home ’ s assessed value by about 8.6 percent when he reassessed the entire city of Chicago .
That saved the Jacksons about $ 1,055 in property taxes .
The county treasurer issued Jackson four checks totaling $ 1,181 last year because he and his wife had failed to apply between 2014 and 2017 for senior homestead exemptions , small property tax breaks allowed under state law .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ perplexed by the interest from federal prosecutors in their home : “ What would they like to know ?
”

Federal prosecutors have made a series of requests to the Cook County assessor’s office over the past five months for records regarding the $330,000 property tax break that Gov. J.B. Pritzker got on a Gold Coast mansion — a break he got in part because the toilets were disconnected during a stalled remodeling job.
Records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times show the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago has asked Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi for all emails and any other communications dating to 2012 regarding the tax break that Kaegi’s predecessor, Joseph Berrios, gave Pritzker.
As they continue an investigation prompted by a Sun-Times report in May 2017, they have asked for information including the name of every employee who, under Berrios, “worked, reviewed and/or approved” the tax break for one of the two mansions Pritzker owns on North Astor Street. Pritzker reimbursed Cook County the full value of the tax break in 2018.
Rather than obtain those names through subpoenas, prosecutors sent Kaegi’s staff a series of emails beginning Jan. 17 that cited a wide range of specific records, which he has agreed to turn over, records show.
The seven emails to the assessor’s office for records since then also show that, besides the investigation of Pritzker’s tax breaks, prosecutors have sought records of other property tax appeals to Berrios between 2010 and 2018 made on 118 properties. Those include the United Center, Gibsons steakhouse on Rush Street, a Bob Rohrman auto dealership in Schaumburg and several homes, including the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson’s residence.
Gov J.B. Pritzker on Friday: “As I’ve always said, any review will show that all the rules were followed.” State of Illinois
A spokesman for the federal prosecutor’s office wouldn’t talk about the records requests.
Many of the properties — but not all — got tax breaks during the eight-year tenure of Berrios, whom the Sun-Times reported in December is under federal investigation. In most of those cases, the owners hired politically connected law firms to make their case that the assessor was overvaluing their properties, and Berrios agreed.
A lower property assessment results in a lower tax bill.
The successful bids to get Berrios to cut his office’s estimation of how much those properties were worth brought those landowners savings that ranged from a few hundred dollars to nearly $2 million in property taxes for one year, according to a Sun-Times analysis.
Among the clout-heavy law firms involved in those appeals were Chicago firms headed by Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, D-Chicago, Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th) and Steve Pearlman, a close friend of former Mayor Richard M. Daley.
Six of the property owners hired Schmidt Salzman & Moran, the same firm that convinced Berrios to slash the assessment on Pritzker’s mansion by arguing that it was uninhabitable — in part because the toilets had been disconnected.
The governor and his family live in a 12,500-square-foot mansion in the 1400 block of North Astor Street that a Pritzker company called Astor Street LLC bought for $14.6 million 14 years ago.
An email from prosecutors that Kaegi received on May 17 asked for records of all appeals Schmidt Salzman & Moran filed with Berrios “for high-value residential properties based on vacancy and uninhabitability” between 2014 and 2016. Kaegi’s staff responded with a list of more than 40 homes in Chicago and the suburbs, all worth substantially less than either of Pritzker’s side-by-side mansions.
The same email also asked Kaegi for any other tax appeals since 2016 that Schmidt Salzman “filed on behalf of entities affiliated with the Pritzkers, including Hyatt, Astor Street, and Pritzker Group.” Kaegi’s staff said it didn’t find the firm had handled any other cases for the Pritzkers other than the governor’s mansions.
Schmidt Salzman didn’t return messages regarding Prtizker’s tax break or prosecutors requests for property tax records involving other clients.
“As I’ve always said, any review will show that all the rules were followed,” Pritzker said Friday, “but I’ve not been contacted by federal authorities, nor has my wife.”
His tax break involved the 6,387-square-foot mansion next door to his residence, which Pritzker’s company bought for $3.7 million in 2007. The governor started to do renovations, during which time it remained vacant.
J.B. Pritzker’s $3.7 million mansion next door to his residence on North Astor Street. Rich Hein/Sun-Times file
Berrios put the vacant home’s value at $6.3 million in 2016.
That valuation was appealed by Astor Street manager Thomas Muenster, who’s the brother of Pritzker’s wife, and the Schmidt Salzman firm. They argued that the home was uninhabitable and offered photographs showing disconnected toilets to prove that.
Berrios agreed, slashing his original $6.3 million assessment to under $1.1 million. The lower assessment saved Pritzker more than $330,000 on the property taxes he paid on the home between 2012 and 2016.
The Sun-Times revealed Pritzker’s big tax break as the billionaire venture capitalist was seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge then-Gov. Bruce Rauner.
That prompted an investigation by Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard, who concluded that the removal of the toilets was part of a “scheme to defraud” taxpayers, according to a report he released weeks before the November 2018 election.
Three days after Blanchard’s report came out, Pritzker’s company sent Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas five checks totaling $331,432 — the value of the tax breaks he got from Berrios. He went on to unseat Rauner.
Berrios resigned as chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party after losing the Democratic primary to Kaegi.
Berrios has been under federal investigation, the Sun-Times reported last December based on a subpoena prosecutors issued on Dec. 5.
About six weeks later, federal prosecutors began sending Kaegi emails seeking records.
Berrios says he wasn’t aware federal investigators had been looking at specific appeals while he was in office filed by law firms that had contributed to his campaign funds. “It’s news to me,” he says.
The properties that prosecutors sought records about include:
• 1 N. La Salle St., a Loop skyscraper owned by ONL Properties. Burke’s law firm filed eight appeals between 2010 and 2017. During that time, Berrios moved to drastically increase his estimation of the property’s value but backed down. That resulted in Burke getting more than $1.9 million in property savings for the owners. On top of that, he got them a tax refund of $101,951 last year when a Cook County judge agreed to lower the 2015 assessment, when the tax bill totaled $2,098,342.
Burke, who didn’t return calls seeking comment, has been indicted and is awaiting trial on federal charges that accuse him of using his aldermanic power to withhold construction permits for a Burger King restaurant in his ward in a failed effort to get the restaurant to hire his firm to handle its property tax appeals.
Attorney Thomas D. Flanagan of the Flanagan/Bilton law firm took over the appeals in 2018, when Berrios initially raised the assessment by 60%. Berrios later slashed the increase to less than 2%. The owners ended up paying more than $2.9 million in property taxes last year — which was $1.5 million less than they would have under Berrios’ initial valuation.
• The United Center, home to the Bulls and Blackhawks, filed seven appeals while Berrios was assessor. All were filed by two lawyers who were close friends of Daley — first Terry Newman and now Pearlman.
During Berrios’ final year in office, he initially moved to increase the assessment of the arena and the surrounding property the United Center owns by 30%. That would have seen the United Center’s total property tax bill rise from $6.9 million to nearly $8.9 million.
Pearlman appealed. And Berrios agreed to raise his valuation of the property to less than 9%. That meant the United Center avoided a tax increase. Instead, its tax bills remained at $6.9 million.
Attorney Steven Pearlman Colin Boyle/Sun-Times file photo
Pearlman responded to interview requests with a written statement from a public relations firm saying his law firm “has always been and will continue to be responsive to any government agency making inquiry about the firm and client matters. We cannot comment on specifics regarding any pending federal investigation.”
Rocky Wirtz, an investor in the Sun-Times, co-owns the United Center with Jerry Reinsdorf.
• 730 Franklin Building, a commercial building at 300 W. Superior St., filed five appeals to Berrios’ office, at first using Madigan’s law firm and then switching to Flanagan last year.
Twice, Madigan’s firm got Berrios to reduce his initial assessment increases, saving the building’s owners more than $153,317 in real estate taxes.
Flanagan saved them $248,819 in taxes when Berrios scrapped his initial plan to increase the assessment by more than 50% in 2018, instead raising it by just 4%. The building ended up with a tax bill last year of $416,343 — its lowest in three years.
Flanagan didn’t return messages.
Asked about federal prosecutors’ interest in the tax appeals on the property, Madigan’s law partner Vince Getzendanner said: “We’ve never been contacted. This is our first knowledge of any file being requested. I’m not worried about it.”
• Bob Rohrman Kia, 1100 E. Golf Rd., Schaumburg. The car dealer filed seven appeals under Berrios, who initially planned to increase the assessment on one part of that property by 50% in 2018 and raise the assessment on an adjoining lot by nearly sixfold.
Attorney Thomas Battista filed an appeal, and Berrios sharply reduced his initial assessment increases. That saved Rohrman’s dealership more than $209,000 in property taxes last year, when the business paid $382,622.
“I wouldn’t be able to comment on that,” Battista says. “Nobody’s contacted me.”
In January, the Cook County treasurer’s office sent Rohrman three property tax refund checks totaling $70,085 after another law firm, Amari & Locallo, won three lawsuits to further reduce the dealership’s assessments for 2012, 2013 and 2015.
• Gibson’s, 1028 N. Rush St., a steakhouse popular with Chicago’s movers and shakers, has long been represented by property tax attorney Michael Crane, whose nephew Christopher Crowley was Berrios’ chief of staff in the assessor’s office.
Crane lost five of the six appeals he filed with Berrios, who agreed to a slight reduction in his assessed value for the restaurant in 2015, shaving $3,693 off the tax bill, which ended up being $88,416.
Crane also got the restaurant refunds totaling $52,244 by going to court and getting judges to agree the assessments for 2011 and 2015 were too high.
The property is owned by a Florida company whose lawyer says the restaurant is responsible for challenging the property assessments and paying the real estate taxes, which totaled $119,003 last year — its lowest in three years. Gibson’s chairman Steven Lombardo III and Crane didn’t return calls.
• Erie Cafe, 530 E. Erie St., a steakhouse where Berrios is among the clout-heavy regulars. It was also the site of his retirement party before he left office in December 2018.
During the time Berrios was assessor, Burke’s law firm lost two of the three appeals filed to contest Berrios’ assessments for the restaurant, whose tax bill has steadily risen, from $87,042 in 2015 to $176,469 last year.
But Burke did get the restaurant a total of $46,456 in refunds for the restaurant by filing six successful appeals with the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board since 2012.
Ronald Lenzi, whose family owns the restaurant, says he never discussed his property taxes with Berrios.
“To say that because Joe Berrios is a customer and has been coming here for a while, that we got any preferential treatment would be flat out wrong,” Lenzi says.
• A small apartment building in the 2600 block of West Fullerton Avenue that was sold a year ago by Ald. Felix Cardona Jr. (31st), who worked for Berrios in the assessor’s office, and Cardona’s father.
Ald. Felix Cardona Jr. (31st). Ashlee Rezin Garcia / Sun-Times
A few months before the Cardonas sold the property in June 2019, Berrios initially decided on a 45% increase in the assessed value. The Cardonas appealed, and Berrios decided to increase the value by 36%. That gave the Cardonas a $620 break on their taxes, which totaled $4,292 in 2018.
Cardona was Berrios’ director of special assessments in the assessor’s office before running for alderman in 2019. He also was the campaign treasurer for Berrios’ daughter, former state Rep. Maria “Toni” Berrios.
A few months before Cardona was elected alderman, the county treasurer issued four checks totaling $4,967 in property tax refunds to “Felix Cardona” after Berrios agreed that the property owner was entitled to senior citizen homestead exemptions between 2014 and 2017.
The alderman says he doesn’t know why federal prosecutors want to review the assessment reduction Berrios gave them.
“It was my father’s property,” the alderman says. “I had co-ownership in the property. My dad handled everything.”
• Sixteen properties, including condos, in Bridgeview and Justice owned by Sebastian Jachymiak — the owner of Technicraft Collision Repair Experts, a body shop in Justice that provides towing services for several suburbs — and his business partners. Jachymiak has been named in search warrants federal agents served on McCook, Lyons and former state Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Chicago.
Jachymiak and his business partner Kinga Bartoszek hired former Chicago Ald. Ambrosio Medrano in 2012, seeking to lower their property taxes by appealing the assessments Berrios had placed on seven properties. Berrios rejected all of Medrano’s appeals.
In May, Medrano, who has been convicted in three corruption cases, got an early release from his 13-year federal prison sentence, after serving five years, because of the risk posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Jachymiak, Bartoszek and Medrano couldn’t be reached for comment.
• A two-story home in the 6800 block of South Constance Avenue owned by the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson and his wife Jacqueline.
During the time Berrios was assessor, the Jacksons never filed an appeal to contest the value of their home in Jackson Park Highlands.
In 2018, Berrios lowered the home’s assessed value by about 8.6% when he reassessed the entire city of Chicago. That saved the Jacksons about $1,055 in property taxes.
The county treasurer issued Jackson four checks totaling $1,181 last year because he and his wife had failed to apply between 2014 and 2017 for senior homestead exemptions, small property tax breaks allowed under state law.
But Jacqueline Jackson says she’s perplexed by the interest from federal prosecutors in their home: “What would they like to know?”
Contributing: Mitchell Armentrout


chicagosun-times--2020-07-17--Boxer Tom O’Shea, a father figure to Chicago high school students he coached, dead at 81

Tom O ’ Shea taught his students to love Hemingway and Gwendolyn Brooks and also how to deliver a good left hook .
As a young man , he fought in the same tournaments as Muhammad Ali .
He went on to be a high school English teacher and boxing coach who sent the students he called his “ Matadors ” on to the Olympics , Hollywood and productive lives .
He was one of Chicago ’ s “ Fighting O ’ Shea Brothers.
” Back when the city ’ s Golden Gloves boxing finals were one of the nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Irish immigrant siblings were some of its most popular pugilists .
This was an era long before people had hundreds of TV channels , streaming and video games .
All four O ’ Sheas — Brian , Michael , Rory and Tom — fought in national Golden Gloves competitions in the early 1960s .
Brian , Rory and Tom won at the national level — Tom in 1961 , according to the book “ Chicago Amateur Boxing.
” They fought at some of the same amateur tournaments as the young Muhammad Ali , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Muhammad Ali was in the family house and visited my Irish nana , ” said Laurie O ’ Shea , Tom ’ s daughter .
“ He came over to the house and had tea , ” said another daughter , Colette O ’ Shea .
Their mom never wanted her boys to fight each other .
So the O ’ Shea brothers used to work out which of them would gain or lose a few pounds so they could compete in different weight classes .
Thomas , who fought 378 amateur bouts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teacher and a boxing coach to thousands of kids who called their mentor simply “ O ’ Shea.
” He sent three boxers to the 1996 Olympics : Anthony Stewart and Darnell Wilson , all as alternates , and Nate Jones , who dedicated himself to boxing after serving time for armed robbery .
Jones won a bronze medal in Atlanta and now trains fighters in Las Vegas , where he works with boxer Floyd Mayweather .
“ He made me feel great , ” Jones said .
“ He made me feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Actor Joseph Sikora , who starred as Tommy Egan on the Starz TV series “ Power , ” calls Mr. O ’ Shea “ my hero.
” “ O ’ Shea often referred to boxing as a metaphor for life , ” said Sikora , a former Norwood Park resident .
“ There is nowhere to hide in the ring .
Being an actor and a writer is an unbelievably brutal business to try to go into .
I didn ’ t have any connections when I started , but I applied those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taught me : Listen to people who you trust , work hard , and just fight like hell.
” Mr. O ’ Shea ’ s family had been considering holding a memorial service for him in August , when he would have turned 82 .
But it ’ s been hard to think about .
They remain stunned over his death in April from the coronavirus .
“ We ’ re still in shock , ” Laurie O ’ Shea said .
“ In December , he ’ s in his winter coat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later , he ’ s not on the planet anymore.
’ After tearing a groin muscle in a fall , Mr. O ’ Shea , who had Lewy body dementia , entered a North Side rehabilitation facility .
But when his daughters learned another patient there had tested positive for COVID-19 , “ We pulled him out immediately , ” she said .
They moved Mr. O ’ Shea back to his Lincoln Square home , but he , too , developed the coronavirus and died April 16 .
For comfort , his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on their dining room table .
It includes books by some of his favorite authors , family photos and memorabilia about the sweet science .
It makes them feel as if he ’ s joining them for dinner .
Young Tom was 13 when the O ’ Sheas immigrated from Dublin to Chicago in the mid-1950s .
His father William , a plasterer , arrived first , then sent for his wife Josephine and their six children .
“ My grandma came over on the boat with the six kids , ” Laurie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the O ’ Sheas had been taught by the Christian Brothers .
Their disciplinary methods sometimes included an invitation to put on boxing gloves and face off against the brothers .
“ Everybody fights in Ireland , whether you like it or not , ” Mr. O ’ Shea once told the Sun-Times .
“ I was coached by priests and Christian Brothers .
It ’ s almost like a religion there.
” In Chicago , he was coached by Tony Zale , the former world middleweight champion known as Gary ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the years , he had some ribs broken and cracked his front teeth , according to Laurie O ’ Shea .
Still , he could dance around the ring .
“ I was a different kind of fighter than my brothers , ” Mr. O ’ Shea once told the Chicago Reader .
“ They were tough guys who could knock you out with a punch .
My claim to fame was I never got knocked down in 378 amateur fights .
I was fast , I moved around .
Sometimes , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit than it is to hit .
It ’ s as true in life as it is in boxing.
” The O ’ Sheas grew up in the 2500 block of North Halsted Street and belonged to St. Clement ’ s parish .
Tom , the oldest , and his brother Brian , the second oldest , dropped out of school to get jobs and help pay the mortgage , according to Laurie O ’ Shea .
At a social at St. Lucy ’ s parish on the West Side , he met @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and she worked at a bank to put him through school .
He graduated from Austin High School and earned a bachelor ’ s degree at what ’ s now the University of Illinois at Chicago and a master ’ s degree in English from Northeastern Illinois University .
In the 1970s , he started teaching at Sullivan High School .
After moving to King High School , he started a boxing club he called the Matadors .
“ He brought in Joe Frazier , Julio Cesar Chavez and Roy Jones Jr. ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Colette O ’ Shea .
His ring philosophy was : “ Be the Matador instead of the bull.
” “ Many students don ’ t accept what I can give them in the classroom , ” Mr. O ’ Shea told the Sun-Times in 1988 .
“ There is so much youthful energy out there and so many negative channels .
This is one of the positive ways of using it.
” When his athletes triumphed , “ He would call up the school and have their names announced that they won certain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ Chicago ] Defender , ” Colette O ’ Shea said .
He continued coaching the Matadors after a transfer to Wells High School .
Mr. O ’ Shea also coached at Seward Park near Cabrini Green .
“ My dad would give up his pay at the park and say , ‘ Give it to the kids , give them summer jobs , ’ ” Colette O ’ Shea said .
Often , he ’ d buy dinners for the kids , who were starving after their workouts , his family said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Laurie O ’ Shea said .
“ He paid that back by trying to create a better life for kids.
” He also coached at Eckard Park and the Northwestern Settlement House at 1400 W. Augusta Blvd.
, where Sikora started taking boxing lessons as a teenager in 1993 .
In an posting on Instagram , Sikora wrote that Mr. O ’ Shea “ would help me with homework after boxing and came to see me along with his daughters , Laurie and Colette , in every play I did in Chicago , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me to pursue a life in the arts.
” “ I ’ m a Matador for life , ” Sikora told the Sun-Times .
“ It means that you put on the gloves , got in the ring and fought as a Matador .
Unlike a lot of coaches around the city , ‘ being tough ’ wasn ’ t on O ’ Shea ’ s agenda .
It was about learning the chess match that boxing can be.
” “ Boxing also gave me the coordination that I have used time and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Sikora said .
A former King student credits Mr. O ’ Shea for his career .
“ If it wasn ’ t for him , I wouldn ’ t be in the position I ’ m doing now , ” said Rodney Wilson , 52 , a boxing coach for the Chicago Park District who ’ s Darnell Wilson ’ s brother .
“ I ’ ve got kids coming to me like I did with O ’ Shea .
I honor that.
” Mr. O ’ Shea didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ O ’ Shea , but she said , “ He saved three T-shirts , and they all had Muhammad Ali ’ s name on them.
” In addition to his daughters and former wife Sally , who took care of him when he was ill , he is survived by his brother Brian , sister Teresa and grandson Liam .
One of his proudest days “ was the day they named Norah O ’ Donnell anchor ” of the CBS Evening News , Laurie O ’ Shea said .
“ For him to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ name do the evening news was the punctuation to his life .
It was a big moment for him .
“ He wasn ’ t ready to go , that ’ s for sure , ” she said .
“ He just wanted another great day .
Another great evening watching Norah O ’ Donnell .
Another great meal .
”

Tom O’Shea taught his students to love Hemingway and Gwendolyn Brooks and also how to deliver a good left hook.
As a young man, he fought in the same tournaments as Muhammad Ali. He went on to be a high school English teacher and boxing coach who sent the students he called his “Matadors” on to the Olympics, Hollywood and productive lives.
Tom O’Shea as a young pugilist. Provided
He was one of Chicago’s “Fighting O’Shea Brothers.” Back when the city’s Golden Gloves boxing finals were one of the nation’s hottest tickets, the four Irish immigrant siblings were some of its most popular pugilists. This was an era long before people had hundreds of TV channels, streaming and video games.
All four O’Sheas — Brian, Michael, Rory and Tom — fought in national Golden Gloves competitions in the early 1960s. Brian, Rory and Tom won at the national level — Tom in 1961, according to the book “Chicago Amateur Boxing.”
They fought at some of the same amateur tournaments as the young Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay.
“Muhammad Ali was in the family house and visited my Irish nana,” said Laurie O’Shea, Tom’s daughter.
“He came over to the house and had tea,” said another daughter, Colette O’Shea.
Their mom never wanted her boys to fight each other. So the O’Shea brothers used to work out which of them would gain or lose a few pounds so they could compete in different weight classes.
Tom O’Shea and the rest of the Fighting O’Shea Brothers often attended amateur fights with Muhammad Ali. Here, Tom O’Shea’s brother Brian is carried around a Central Park reservoir by Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, and boxer Jefferson Davis. Provided
Thomas, who fought 378 amateur bouts without a loss, became a Chicago teacher and a boxing coach to thousands of kids who called their mentor simply “O’Shea.”
Boxing coach Tom O’Shea. Sun Times file
He sent three boxers to the 1996 Olympics: Anthony Stewart and Darnell Wilson, all as alternates, and Nate Jones, who dedicated himself to boxing after serving time for armed robbery. Jones won a bronze medal in Atlanta and now trains fighters in Las Vegas, where he works with boxer Floyd Mayweather.
“He made me feel great,” Jones said. “He made me feel like I was important in life.”
Actor Joseph Sikora, who starred as Tommy Egan on the Starz TV series “Power,” calls Mr. O’Shea “my hero.”
Actor Joseph Sikora, star of the Starz hit “Power,” with his boxing coach Tom O’Shea. “Coach O’Shea taught me: Listen to people who you trust, work hard, and just fight like hell,” Sikora says. Mr. O’Shea always ended his phone message to Sikora the same way: “Stay off the ropes and out of the corners.” Joseph Sikora / Instagram
“O’Shea often referred to boxing as a metaphor for life,” said Sikora, a former Norwood Park resident. “There is nowhere to hide in the ring. Being an actor and a writer is an unbelievably brutal business to try to go into. I didn’t have any connections when I started, but I applied those same rules that Coach O’Shea taught me: Listen to people who you trust, work hard, and just fight like hell.”
Mr. O’Shea’s family had been considering holding a memorial service for him in August, when he would have turned 82. But it’s been hard to think about. They remain stunned over his death in April from the coronavirus.
“We’re still in shock,” Laurie O’Shea said. “In December, he’s in his winter coat walking in Winnemac Park. Four months later, he’s not on the planet anymore.’
After tearing a groin muscle in a fall, Mr. O’Shea, who had Lewy body dementia, entered a North Side rehabilitation facility. But when his daughters learned another patient there had tested positive for COVID-19, “We pulled him out immediately,” she said.
They moved Mr. O’Shea back to his Lincoln Square home, but he, too, developed the coronavirus and died April 16.
Tom O’Shea’s family created a dining room shrine so relatives can feel like they are still having dinner with him. Provided
For comfort, his family set up a shrine to him on their dining room table. It includes books by some of his favorite authors, family photos and memorabilia about the sweet science. It makes them feel as if he’s joining them for dinner.
Young Tom was 13 when the O’Sheas immigrated from Dublin to Chicago in the mid-1950s. His father William, a plasterer, arrived first, then sent for his wife Josephine and their six children.
“My grandma came over on the boat with the six kids,” Laurie O’Shea said.
In Ireland, the O’Sheas had been taught by the Christian Brothers. Their disciplinary methods sometimes included an invitation to put on boxing gloves and face off against the brothers.
“Everybody fights in Ireland, whether you like it or not,” Mr. O’Shea once told the Sun-Times. “I was coached by priests and Christian Brothers. It’s almost like a religion there.”
In Chicago, he was coached by Tony Zale, the former world middleweight champion known as Gary’s “Man of Steel.”
Over the years, he had some ribs broken and cracked his front teeth, according to Laurie O’Shea. Still, he could dance around the ring.
“I was a different kind of fighter than my brothers,” Mr. O’Shea once told the Chicago Reader. “They were tough guys who could knock you out with a punch. My claim to fame was I never got knocked down in 378 amateur fights. I was fast, I moved around. Sometimes, it’s more important to avoid getting hit than it is to hit. It’s as true in life as it is in boxing.”
The O’Sheas grew up in the 2500 block of North Halsted Street and belonged to St. Clement’s parish. Tom, the oldest, and his brother Brian, the second oldest, dropped out of school to get jobs and help pay the mortgage, according to Laurie O’Shea.
Tom O’Shea with his future wife Sally. They met at a dance. Provided
At a social at St. Lucy’s parish on the West Side, he met Sally Stapleton. They got married, and she worked at a bank to put him through school. He graduated from Austin High School and earned a bachelor’s degree at what’s now the University of Illinois at Chicago and a master’s degree in English from Northeastern Illinois University.
In the 1970s, he started teaching at Sullivan High School. After moving to King High School, he started a boxing club he called the Matadors.
“He brought in Joe Frazier, Julio Cesar Chavez and Roy Jones Jr.” to talk with the kids, said Colette O’Shea.
His ring philosophy was: “Be the Matador instead of the bull.”
Tom O’Shea giving a boxing lesson at King High School. Sun Times file
“Many students don’t accept what I can give them in the classroom,” Mr. O’Shea told the Sun-Times in 1988. “There is so much youthful energy out there and so many negative channels. This is one of the positive ways of using it.”
When his athletes triumphed, “He would call up the school and have their names announced that they won certain tournaments and have them announced in the [Chicago] Defender,” Colette O’Shea said.
He continued coaching the Matadors after a transfer to Wells High School.
Mr. O’Shea also coached at Seward Park near Cabrini Green.
“My dad would give up his pay at the park and say, ‘Give it to the kids, give them summer jobs,’ ” Colette O’Shea said.
Often, he’d buy dinners for the kids, who were starving after their workouts, his family said.
“America fed him,” Laurie O’Shea said. “He paid that back by trying to create a better life for kids.”
Tom O’Shea. Sun Times file
He also coached at Eckard Park and the Northwestern Settlement House at 1400 W. Augusta Blvd., where Sikora started taking boxing lessons as a teenager in 1993.
In a posting on Instagram, Sikora wrote that Mr. O’Shea “loved poetry and Shakespeare. He was an English teacher and would help me with homework after boxing and came to see me along with his daughters, Laurie and Colette, in every play I did in Chicago and unlike almost everyone else, encouraged me to pursue a life in the arts.”
“I’m a Matador for life,” Sikora told the Sun-Times. “It means that you put on the gloves, got in the ring and fought as a Matador. Unlike a lot of coaches around the city, ‘being tough’ wasn’t on O’Shea’s agenda. It was about learning the chess match that boxing can be.”
“Boxing also gave me the coordination that I have used time and again on film sets in fight sequences,” Sikora said.
A former King student credits Mr. O’Shea for his career.
“If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be in the position I’m doing now,” said Rodney Wilson, 52, a boxing coach for the Chicago Park District who’s Darnell Wilson’s brother. “I’ve got kids coming to me like I did with O’Shea. I honor that.”
Mr. O’Shea didn’t hang onto possessions, according to Laurie O’Shea, but she said, “He saved three T-shirts, and they all had Muhammad Ali’s name on them.”
In addition to his daughters and former wife Sally, who took care of him when he was ill, he is survived by his brother Brian, sister Teresa and grandson Liam.
One of his proudest days “was the day they named Norah O’Donnell anchor” of the CBS Evening News, Laurie O’Shea said. “For him to see a gorgeous woman with an Irish name do the evening news was the punctuation to his life. It was a big moment for him.
“He wasn’t ready to go, that’s for sure,” she said. “He just wanted another great day. Another great evening watching Norah O’Donnell. Another great meal.”


chicagosun-times--2020-07-17--2 dead, 15 wounded in Chicago shootings Thursday

Two people were killed and 15 others were injured in shootings across Chicago on Thursday .
The wounded victims included a 5-month-old boy and two teenagers .
The most recent fatal shooting happened Thursday afternoon in Lawndale on the West Side .
A 20-year-old man was on a motorcycle about 4 p.m. in the 1500 block of South St. Louis Avenue when two people approached , pulled out guns and opened fire , according to Chicago police .
The man was hit in the back and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital , where he died .
The day ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Englewood on the South Side .
Officers responding to a ShotSpotter alert of gunfire found the male unresponsive in an alley in the 6900 block of South Peoria Street , police said .
He had been shot multiple times in the head and body .
He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center , where he died .
In nonfatal shootings , the 5-month-old boy and two men were wounded Thursday evening in Old Town on the Near North Side .
The shooting happened about 7 p.m. in the 1300 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
The infant was grazed in the temple and taken to Lurie Children ’ s Hospital , where he was stabilized and “ resting comfortably , ” Chicago Police First Deputy Supt .
Eric Carter said during a news conference .
Two men , 19 and 25 , were also shot ; both were stabilized at Northwestern Memorial Hospital .
Two people were taken into custody in connection with the shooting near Princeton Avenue and 37th Street , police said .
Two weapons were recovered during the arrest .
A 16-year-old boy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the Southwest Side .
He was walking about 9 p.m. in the 6000 block of South Maplewood Avenue when someone in a passing black Jeep opened fire , police said .
The teen was struck in the foot and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in fair condition .
He was walking about 7:55 p.m. in the 1500 block of South Lawndale Avenue when someone nearby fired shots during an argument with a group of people , according to police .
The teen was struck in the arm and taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The day ’ s latest shooting left two men injured in East Garfield Park on the West Side .
They were standing outside about 10:16 p.m. in the 3300 block of West Huron Street when someone fired shots , police said .
A 34-year-old was struck in the leg and taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition .
The other man , 32 , was grazed in the ankle and refused medical attention .
Less than an hour before that , a man was shot in West Garfield Park on the West Side @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groin about 10:05 p.m. in the 4100 block of West Jackson Boulevard , according to police .
He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in fair condition .
About 50 minutes before that , a man was wounded on the Near North Side .
The 22-year-old was sitting in a vehicle about 9:15 p.m. in the 600 block of West Division Street when someone in a black SUV opened fire , police said .
He was struck multiple times in the abdomen and once in the leg and taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two men were shot in Chatham on the South Side .
They were in the parking lot of a store about 9:07 p.m. in the 7900 block of South State Street when shots rang out , police said .
An 18-year-old was struck in the shoulder and buttocks and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition .
The other man , 19 , later showed up at the same hospital with a gunshot wound to the foot .
He was listed in fair condition .
About half an hour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wounded in Englewood .
About 8:36 p.m. , the male was in the 6300 block of South Sangamon Street when he heard shots and felt pain , according to police .
He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the chest .
Earlier that evening , a man was shot in Back of the Yards on the South Side .
The 30-year-old was on the sidewalk about 6:50 p.m. in the 4500 block of South Hermitage Avenue when someone approached and opened fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the chest and taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition .
Hours before that , a man was injured in a West Garfield Park shooting .
The 23-year-old was standing in a vacant lot about 3:40 p.m. in the 3800 block of West Maypole Avenue when he heard shots and felt pain , police said .
He was taken to Loretto Hospital in good condition with a gunshot wound to the arm .
Earlier that morning , a man was shot while trying to break up an argument in Roseland on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arguing with another man shot the 21-year-old when he stepped in about 9:05 a.m. in the 200 block of East 107th Street , according to police .
He was taken to Christ Medical Center , where his condition stabilized .
Ten people were shot throughout the city on Wednesday , two of them fatally .
Read more on crime , and track the city ’ s homicides .

Two people were killed and 15 others were injured in shootings across Chicago on Thursday.
The wounded victims included a 5-month-old boy and two teenagers.
The most recent fatal shooting happened Thursday afternoon in Lawndale on the West Side.
A 20-year-old man was on a motorcycle about 4 p.m. in the 1500 block of South St. Louis Avenue when two people approached, pulled out guns and opened fire, according to Chicago police. The man was hit in the back and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died.
The day’s first homicide happened just after 1 a.m. in Englewood on the South Side.
Officers responding to a ShotSpotter alert of gunfire found the male unresponsive in an alley in the 6900 block of South Peoria Street, police said. He had been shot multiple times in the head and body. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he died.
In nonfatal shootings, the 5-month-old boy and two men were wounded Thursday evening in Old Town on the Near North Side.
The shooting happened about 7 p.m. in the 1300 block of North Hudson Avenue, police said.
The infant was grazed in the temple and taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital, where he was stabilized and “resting comfortably,” Chicago Police First Deputy Supt. Eric Carter said during a news conference. Two men, 19 and 25, were also shot; both were stabilized at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Two people were taken into custody in connection with the shooting near Princeton Avenue and 37th Street, police said. Two weapons were recovered during the arrest.
A 16-year-old boy was shot Thursday night in Chicago Lawn on the Southwest Side.
He was walking about 9 p.m. in the 6000 block of South Maplewood Avenue when someone in a passing black Jeep opened fire, police said. The teen was struck in the foot and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in fair condition.
Hours earlier, a 14-year-old boy was wounded in Lawndale.
He was walking about 7:55 p.m. in the 1500 block of South Lawndale Avenue when someone nearby fired shots during an argument with a group of people, according to police. The teen was struck in the arm and taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition.
The day’s latest shooting left two men injured in East Garfield Park on the West Side.
They were standing outside about 10:16 p.m. in the 3300 block of West Huron Street when someone fired shots, police said. A 34-year-old was struck in the leg and taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition. The other man, 32, was grazed in the ankle and refused medical attention.
Less than an hour before that, a man was shot in West Garfield Park on the West Side.
The 24-year-old was shot in the groin about 10:05 p.m. in the 4100 block of West Jackson Boulevard, according to police. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in fair condition.
About 50 minutes before that, a man was wounded on the Near North Side.
The 22-year-old was sitting in a vehicle about 9:15 p.m. in the 600 block of West Division Street when someone in a black SUV opened fire, police said. He was struck multiple times in the abdomen and once in the leg and taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in serious condition.
Minutes earlier, two men were shot in Chatham on the South Side.
They were in the parking lot of a store about 9:07 p.m. in the 7900 block of South State Street when shots rang out, police said. An 18-year-old was struck in the shoulder and buttocks and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition. The other man, 19, later showed up at the same hospital with a gunshot wound to the foot. He was listed in fair condition.
About half an hour before that, a person was critically wounded in Englewood.
About 8:36 p.m., the male was in the 6300 block of South Sangamon Street when he heard shots and felt pain, according to police. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the chest.
Earlier that evening, a man was shot in Back of the Yards on the South Side.
The 30-year-old was on the sidewalk about 6:50 p.m. in the 4500 block of South Hermitage Avenue when someone approached and opened fire, police said. He was hit in the chest and taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition.
Hours before that, a man was injured in a West Garfield Park shooting.
The 23-year-old was standing in a vacant lot about 3:40 p.m. in the 3800 block of West Maypole Avenue when he heard shots and felt pain, police said. He was taken to Loretto Hospital in good condition with a gunshot wound to the arm.
Earlier that morning, a man was shot while trying to break up an argument in Roseland on the South Side.
A woman who was arguing with another man shot the 21-year-old when he stepped in about 9:05 a.m. in the 200 block of East 107th Street, according to police. He was taken to Christ Medical Center, where his condition stabilized.
Ten people were shot throughout the city on Wednesday, two of them fatally.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-17--Pair hit by car while crossing Lake Shore Drive in Gold Coast

Two people were injured , one of them seriously , when they were hit by a car while crossing Lake @ @ @ @ @ Gold Coast .
The 21-year-old woman and 20-year-old man were walking east on Chicago Avenue @ @ @ @ @ median and tried to cross Lake Shore Drive while they had the red light , @ @ @ @ @ were hit by a northbound 2017 Mitsubishi sedan that had the green light on Lake @ @ @ @ @ .
Both were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital with lacerations and neck injuries , the @ @ @ @ @ the man in fair condition .
The 33-year-old woman driving the Mitsubishi was not hurt @ @ @ @ @ two passengers , girls aged 12 and 15 , were taken to Lurie Children ’ @ @ @ @ @ good condition .
No charges or citations are expected in connection with the crash , @ @ @

Two people were injured, one of them seriously, when they were hit by a car while crossing Lake Shore Drive Thursday in the Gold Coast.
The 21-year-old woman and 20-year-old man were walking east on Chicago Avenue when they got to the median and tried to cross Lake Shore Drive while they had the red light, Chicago police said.
They were hit by a northbound 2017 Mitsubishi sedan that had the green light on Lake Shore, according to police. Both were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital with lacerations and neck injuries, the woman in serious condition and the man in fair condition.
The 33-year-old woman driving the Mitsubishi was not hurt, police said. Her two passengers, girls aged 12 and 15, were taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital for observation in good condition.
No charges or citations are expected in connection with the crash, police said.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-17--Obama Foundation contributions dropped in 2019; top staff pay increased, fundraising costs jumped

Obama Foundation contributions dropped in 2019 for the second year in a row , while pay for top staffers increased and fundraising costs almost doubled , according to financial documents released Friday .
The foundation also increasingly depends on gifts from corporations and other foundations rather than from individuals , records show .
The foundation on Friday posted its annual report and Internal Revenue Service Form 990 , which provides more details .
The IRS 990 is filed annually by tax-exempt organizations and must include information about their highest-paid employees and contractors .
Headquartered in Hyde Park , the foundation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. and around the globe and to build the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park .
There is no groundbreaking date for the complex as federal reviews are ongoing , likely through the end of the year and an appeal of a federal case trying to block construction is pending .
• The annual report shows corporations and foundations accounted for 34.36 % of 2019 fundraising , or $ 48.6 million , compared to 15.5 % , or $ 25.7 million , in 2018 .
• Total receipts dipped in 2019 compared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the COVD-19 pandemic .
The Sun-Times was told a $ 50 million pledge made in 2019 was contingent on an online marketplace company , not identified , going public .
The initial public offering of the company was “ delayed due to COVID-19 ” and not included in 2019 fundraising totals .
Totals since the foundation was created in 2014 : • Obama faces a formidable fundraising challenge .
The Obama Center alone is estimated to cost at least $ 500 million to build and the city will demand some upfront millions — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in escrow at the start of construction .
The 990 shows total fundraising expenses for 2019 were $ 10.3 million compared to 2018 costs of $ 5.6 million .
The foundation in 2019 paid seven fundraising firms — in New York , California , Massachusetts and Washington — to develop fundraising strategies and programs to cultivate and solicit donors .
That report also shows the Obama Foundation is looking for contributions from beyond the U.S. — in Europe , South American and East Asia and other Pacific regions .
• The foundation staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from 170 in 2018 , according to the 990 , which also reveals a leap in volunteers , to 985 in 2019 from 215 in 2018 .
• Obama Center architects Billie Tsien and Tod Williams were compensated $ 8.6 million ; other top contractors in 2019 were the Lakeside Alliance in Gary , Ind.
, paid $ 2.7 million for Obama Center construction management , and The Construction Consultant , a design consultant working on the Obama Center , paid $ 2.5 million .
The Sidley Austin law firm received $ 1.7 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grants to other foundations .
Its biggest , $ 150,000 went to the Chicago Community Loan Fund .
Other Chicago gifts were $ 100,000 to the Youth Guidance social services organization ; $ 50,000 to Metropolitan Family Services and $ 10,000 to the Children First Fund , to benefit students in the Chicago Public Schools .
• The Obama Center will not house the Obama Presidential Library , which continues to organize the records of the Obama presidency in temporary quarters in northwest suburban Hoffman Estates .
The Obama Foundation paid $ 1.9 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Archives and Records Administration — which runs official presidential libraries — to digitalize the Obama records .
• Last August , the Obama Foundation hired its first president , Adewale “ Wally ” Adeyemo a former deputy national security adviser in the Obama White House .
Adeyemo is the highest-ranking African American in the foundation ; the Sun-Times was told his annual salary is $ 600,000 .
He is the third-highest paid .
The base salary plus benefits packages for top foundation executives increased for the third year in a row .
Here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of 2019 , according to the 990 : • David Simas , chief executive officer : $ 657,965 in 2019 , compared to $ 641,846 in 2018 and $ 614,636 in 2017 .
• Robbin Cohen , executive director : $ 589,971 in 2019 , compared to $ 589,971 in 2018 and $ 562,055 in 2017 , when Cohen ’ s total pay package was $ 862,055 , including a one-time $ 300,000 bonus ; she was not paid by the foundation in 2014 , its first year .
.
• Glenn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 454,287 in 2019 compared to $ 445,807 in 2018 and $ 378,519 in 2017 .
• Anne Filipic , chief program officer : $ 428,399 in 2019 , up from $ 413,711 in 2018 , her first full year .
• Bernadette Meehan , chief international officer : $ 331,593 , in 2019 , compared to $ 293,637 in 2018 and $ 180,048 in 2017 .
• Michael Strautmanis , chief engagement officer : $ 313,493 in 2019 , compared to $ 305,785 in 2018 and $ 292,044 in 2017 .

Obama Foundation contributions dropped in 2019 for the second year in a row, while pay for top staffers increased and fundraising costs almost doubled, according to financial documents released Friday.
The foundation also increasingly depends on gifts from corporations and other foundations rather than from individuals, records show.
The foundation on Friday posted its annual report and Internal Revenue Service Form 990, which provides more details. The IRS 990 is filed annually by tax-exempt organizations and must include information about their highest-paid employees and contractors.
Headquartered in Hyde Park, the foundation raises money to pay for programs in the U.S. and around the globe and to build the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park.
There is no groundbreaking date for the complex as federal reviews are ongoing, likely through the end of the year, and an appeal of a federal case trying to block construction is pending.
Among the finance highlights:
• The annual report shows corporations and foundations accounted for 34.36% of 2019 fundraising, or $48.6 million, compared to 15.5%, or $25.7 million, in 2018.
• Total receipts dipped in 2019 compared to 2018, and one reason is the COVD-19 pandemic. The Sun-Times was told a $50 million pledge made in 2019 was contingent on an online marketplace company, not identified, going public. The initial public offering of the company was “delayed due to COVID-19” and not included in 2019 fundraising totals.
Totals since the foundation was created in 2014:
2019: $141,308,493
2018: $164,674,309
2017: $232,592,542
2016: $13,182,092
2015: $1,916,266
2014: $5,434,877
• Obama faces a formidable fundraising challenge. The Obama Center alone is estimated to cost at least $500 million to build. According to the Obama Center city ordinance, before construction can begin, the foundation has to certify to the city it has the funds or pledged gifts that in “the aggregate equal or exceed the Projected Total Construction Costs of the Presidential Center.”
The 990 shows total fundraising expenses for 2019 were $10.3 million compared to 2018 costs of $5.6 million. The foundation in 2019 paid seven fundraising firms — in New York, California, Massachusetts and Washington — to develop fundraising strategies and programs to cultivate and solicit donors.
That report also shows the Obama Foundation is looking for contributions from beyond the U.S. — in Europe, South American, East Asia and other Pacific regions.
• The foundation staff is growing, to 203 in 2019 from 170 in 2018, according to the 990, which also reveals a leap in volunteers, to 985 in 2019 from 215 in 2018.
• Obama Center architects Billie Tsien and Tod Williams were compensated $8.6 million; other top contractors in 2019 were the Lakeside Alliance in Gary, Ind., paid $2.7 million for Obama Center construction management, and The Construction Consultant, a design consultant working on the Obama Center, paid $2.5 million. The Sidley Austin law firm received $1.7 million.
• The Obama Foundation gives grants to other foundations. Its biggest, $150,000 went to the Chicago Community Loan Fund. Other Chicago gifts were $100,000 to the Youth Guidance social services organization; $50,000 to Metropolitan Family Services; and $10,000 to the Children First Fund, to benefit students in the Chicago Public Schools.
• The Obama Center will not house the Obama Presidential Library, which continues to organize the records of the Obama presidency in temporary quarters in northwest suburban Hoffman Estates. The Obama Foundation paid $1.9 million to an arm of the National Archives and Records Administration — which runs official presidential libraries — to digitalize the Obama records.
• Last August, the Obama Foundation hired its first president, Adewale “Wally” Adeyemo a former deputy national security adviser in the Obama White House.
Adeyemo is the highest-ranking African American in the foundation; the Sun-Times was told his annual salary is $600,000. He is the third-highest paid.
The base salary plus benefits packages for top foundation executives increased for the third year in a row. Here are the totals for top staffers working all of 2019, according to the 990:
• David Simas, chief executive officer: $657,965 in 2019, compared to $641,846 in 2018 and $614,636 in 2017.
• Robbin Cohen, executive director: $589,971 in 2019, compared to $589,971 in 2018 and $562,055 in 2017, when Cohen’s total pay package was $862,055, including a one-time $300,000 bonus; she was not paid by the foundation in 2014, its first year.
.• Glenn Brown, chief digital officer: $454,287 in 2019 compared to $445,807 in 2018 and $378,519 in 2017.
• Anne Filipic, chief program officer: $428,399 in 2019, up from $413,711 in 2018, her first full year.
• Bernadette Meehan, chief international officer: $331,593, in 2019, compared to $293,637 in 2018 and $180,048 in 2017.
• Michael Strautmanis, chief engagement officer: $313,493 in 2019, compared to $305,785 in 2018 and $292,044 in 2017.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-17--White Sox to let go of special assistant, top scouts

The White Sox are making cuts in their baseball-operations department , a source said Friday , confirming a report that a number of top scouts won ’ t have their contracts renewed when they expire in October .
The reduction in scouting manpower has been a trend across baseball as teams rely more on data and video , but the coronavirus pandemic also is thought to be a factor in the cutbacks .
An abbreviated 60-game season will open next week with no paying customers in the stands .
The minor-league season also has been canceled .
A source said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yoakum , MLB advance scout Bryan Little and pro scout Alan Regier are among those who won ’ t be retained .
Yoakum , special assistant Bill Scherrer and special assistant Nick Hostetler have been handling major-league scouting for the Sox , but the task might be covered by a two-man team upon Yoakum ’ s departure .
Yoakum , 73 , has been a member of the Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame since 2010 .
He is in his 29th season with the Sox .
Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf recently told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ ‘ in the nine figures ’ ’ because of reduced revenues .
Although right-hander Lucas Giolito is expected to start the season opener Friday against the Twins and righty Jose Berrios , and left-hander Dallas Keuchel is expected to go Saturday , manager Rick Renteria wasn ’ t ready to make it official , let alone piece together the rest of the rotation .
Right-handers Dylan Cease and Reynaldo Lopez and left-handers Carlos Rodon and Gio Gonzalez are in the mix , as well , and Renteria said he wants to keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to the opener .
The Sox could use all six starters , perhaps in some piggyback fashion , or one of the six could pitch in relief .
‘ ‘ The depth is important for us , ’ ’ Renteria said .
‘ ‘ [ If ] you have a misstep by any one of your starters , you have guys in your pen who can pick them up and do multiple things.
’ ’ ‘ ‘ The more , the merrier , ’ ’ Gonzalez said .
Third baseman Yoan Moncada @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coordinator Allen Thomas and taking ground balls with coach Nick Capra as he tries to get ready for the season opener .
Moncada , who also tracked live pitches from Keuchel , had tested positive for the coronavirus but returned to the team Thursday after two negative tests .
‘ ‘ I was actually pleasantly surprised , ’ ’ Renteria said .
‘ ‘ His legs looked better than I thought they were going to look — in his movements , in his actions , in his explosiveness .
‘ ‘ The biggest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I don ’ t put him in a position .
.
.
that might hamper him .
All the indications so far , knock on wood , he looks good .
We ’ re doing everything we can to expedite it without putting him in harm ’ s way.
’ ’ Giolito will pitch in the intrasquad game Saturday , his last outing before the opener .
The Sox will play exhibition games Sunday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field , Monday against the Cubs at Guaranteed Rate Field and Wednesday against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be broadcast on NBC Sports Chicago , and the game Sunday will be broadcast on ESPN outside the Chicago area .

The White Sox are making cuts in their baseball-operations department, a source said Friday, confirming a report that a number of top scouts won’t have their contracts renewed when they expire in October.
The reduction in scouting manpower has been a trend across baseball as teams rely more on data and video, but the coronavirus pandemic also is thought to be a factor in the cutbacks. An abbreviated 60-game season will open next week with no paying customers in the stands. The minor-league season also has been canceled.
A source said special assistant to the general manager Dave Yoakum, MLB advance scout Bryan Little and pro scout Alan Regier are among those who won’t be retained. Yoakum, special assistant Bill Scherrer and special assistant Nick Hostetler have been handling major-league scouting for the Sox, but the task might be covered by a two-man team upon Yoakum’s departure.
Yoakum, 73, has been a member of the Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame since 2010. He is in his 29th season with the Sox.
Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf recently told USA Today he was facing financial losses ‘‘in the nine figures’’ because of reduced revenues.
Rotation TBA
Although right-hander Lucas Giolito is expected to start the season opener Friday against the Twins and righty Jose Berrios, and left-hander Dallas Keuchel is expected to go Saturday, manager Rick Renteria wasn’t ready to make it official, let alone piece together the rest of the rotation.
Right-handers Dylan Cease and Reynaldo Lopez and left-handers Carlos Rodon and Gio Gonzalez are in the mix, as well, and Renteria said he wants to keep them all in a competitive mindset leading up to the opener.
The Sox could use all six starters, perhaps in some piggyback fashion, or one of the six could pitch in relief.
‘‘The depth is important for us,’’ Renteria said. ‘‘[If] you have a misstep by any one of your starters, you have guys in your pen who can pick them up and do multiple things.’’
‘‘The more, the merrier,’’ Gonzalez said.
Moncada surprises
Third baseman Yoan Moncada looked good doing leg work with conditioning coordinator Allen Thomas and taking ground balls with coach Nick Capra as he tries to get ready for the season opener.
Moncada, who also tracked live pitches from Keuchel, had tested positive for the coronavirus but returned to the team Thursday after two negative tests.
‘‘I was actually pleasantly surprised,’’ Renteria said. ‘‘His legs looked better than I thought they were going to look — in his movements, in his actions, in his explosiveness.
‘‘The biggest thing for me is to make sure I don’t put him in a position . . . that might hamper him. All the indications so far, knock on wood, he looks good. We’re doing everything we can to expedite it without putting him in harm’s way.’’
Bring on the Cubs
Giolito will pitch in the intrasquad game Saturday, his last outing before the opener.
The Sox will play exhibition games Sunday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, Monday against the Cubs at Guaranteed Rate Field and Wednesday against the Brewers at Guaranteed Rate Field. All will be broadcast on NBC Sports Chicago, and the game Sunday will be broadcast on ESPN outside the Chicago area.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-17--Illinois sees biggest daily COVID-19 caseload in six weeks — travel quarantine order extended to sub

Illinois sees biggest daily COVID-19 caseload in six weeks — travel quarantine order extended to suburban Cook County (LIVE UPDATES)

Illinois sees biggest daily COVID-19 caseload in six weeks — travel quarantine order extended to suburban Cook County Public health officials on Friday announced another 1,384 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Illinois , the highest daily total reported by the state in more than six weeks .
But those new cases were detected among the latest record-high batch of 43,692 coronavirus test results reported to the Illinois Department of Public Health , lowering the state ’ s testing positivity rate over the last week to 3 % .
That rate is still up from just 2.5 % last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Gov .
J.B. Pritzker has said worries him that Illinois could be on the brink of a case surge such as those seen in dozens of other states .
Read the full story by Mitchell Armentrout here .
6:30 p.m. CPS parents have mixed reactions to a part-time return to classroom After months of debate and guesses , Chicago Public Schools families learned Friday what school would look like in the fall — and they had mixed reactions .
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS officials announced their tentative plan to put most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week with remote learning the other three days .
High school juniors and seniors will keep learning at home full-time .
All families can opt out of in-person learning for any reason .
Estrella Cedeno , a 36-year-old mother of five and West Rogers Park resident , has three children in CPS .
She said she thinks it ’ s too soon to bring students back to school , and plans to keep her kids at home even if the two-day-a-week format moves forward .
Read the full story by Jade Yan here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Science has answers and gaps What role children play in the coronavirus pandemic is the hot-button question of the summer as kids relish their free time while schools labor over how to resume classes .
The Trump administration says the science “ is very clear , ” but many doctors who specialize in pediatrics and infectious diseases say much of the evidence is inconclusive .
“ There are still a lot of unanswered questions .
That is the biggest challenge , ” said Dr. Sonja Rasmussen , a pediatrics professor at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention .
Several studies suggest , but don ’ t prove , that children are less likely to become infected than adults and more likely to have only mild symptoms .
INDIANAPOLIS — Northern Indiana ’ s LaPorte County on Friday became the latest local government in the state with a mandate for people to wear face masks in public due to a recent growth in the number of coronavirus hospitalizations .
At least three other nearby counties , along with the cities of Indianapolis , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mask requirements .
Republican Gov .
Eric Holcomb has encouraged the wearing of face coverings but has declined to issue a statewide mandate .
1:40 p.m. 6 key questions about buying a car during the pandemic Looking for a deal on a car in the midst of the pandemic ?
There are some to be had , but don ’ t expect everything to be on sale just because the economy is sputtering .
Automakers dialed back discounts in June after ramping them up in May , and interest rates have ticked upward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deals are still better than this time last year .
Read more to find six key questions about new- and used-car shopping .
11:24 a.m. COVID-19 claims one of Chicago ’ s ‘ Fighting O ’ Shea Brothers ’ Tom O ’ Shea taught his students to love Hemingway and Gwendolyn Brooks and also how to deliver a good left hook .
As a young man , he fought in the same tournaments as Muhammad Ali .
He went on to be a high school English teacher and boxing coach who sent the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on to the Olympics , Hollywood and productive lives .
He was one of Chicago ’ s “ Fighting O ’ Shea Brothers.
” Back when the city ’ s Golden Gloves boxing finals were one of the nation ’ s hottest tickets , the four Irish immigrant siblings were some of its most popular pugilists .
This was an era long before people had hundreds of TV channels , streaming and video games .
All four O ’ Sheas — Brian , Michael , Rory and Tom — fought in national Golden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brian , Rory and Tom won at the national level — Tom in 1961 , according to the book “ Chicago Amateur Boxing.
” After tearing a groin muscle in a fall , Mr. O ’ Shea , who had Lewy body dementia , entered a North Side rehabilitation facility .
But when his daughters learned another patient there had tested positive for COVID-19 , “ We pulled him out immediately , ” she said .
They moved Mr. O ’ Shea back to his Lincoln Square home , but he , too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 16 .
Read the full story from Maureen O ’ Donnell here .
10 a.m. How coronavirus will reshape the upcoming school year Most Chicago Public Schools students are set to return to classrooms two days a week this fall under a plan that still includes part-time remote learning months after efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus forced the closure of schools in an unprecedented disruption to education .
The partial return for the majority of the 300,000 students at non-charter schools means many of the same challenges remain for families @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health , students in special education and working-class parents who will continue scrambling to find reliable childcare on the days their children are at home .
City officials are implementing stringent health protocols at their more than 500 schools — a requirement most parents and teachers requested to support the plan — such as daily temperature checks , universal masking and routine cleaning with the help of 400 new janitors .
They also call for social distancing “ to the greatest extent possible , ” and are keeping high school juniors and seniors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at schools .
Families with students of all ages will be allowed to opt out of in-person schooling for any reason .
Read more about what will change for the 2020-21 school year here .
8:54 a.m. CDC extends US ban on cruise ships through September WASHINGTON — Federal health officials are extending the U.S. ban on cruise ships through the end September as coronavirus infections rise in most U.S. states , including Florida .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that it was extending a no-sail order that had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Major cruise lines that belong to an industry trade group had already canceled cruises until Sept. 15 because of ongoing discussions with federal officials over how to restart operations safely .
Coronavirus infections are rising in 40 states , and daily deaths have climbed more than 20 % from a week ago .
Florida , where many cruises begin and end , reported nearly 14,000 new virus cases and set a single-day record of 156 deaths reported on Thursday , beating the previous high of 132 deaths reported Tuesday .
7:53 a.m .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ masks keeps expanding NEW YORK — Two major retailers on Thursday joined the growing list of national chains that will require customers to wear face masks regardless of where cities or states stand on the issue .
Target ’ s mandatory face mask policy will go into effect Aug. 1 , and all CVS stores will begin requiring them on Monday .
More than 80 % of Target ’ s 1,800 stores already require customers to wear masks due to local and state regulations .
Target will hand out masks at entrances to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come one day after the nation ’ s largest retailer , Walmart , said that it would mandate face shields for all customers starting Monday .
Starbucks , Best Buy , Kohl ’ s and Kroger Co. have also announced mandatory masks nationwide .
• Another 1,257 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Illinois , as cases of the deadly disease keep trending slowly but steadily back upward , officials said Thursday .
The Illinois Department of Public Health also announced an additional 25 deaths have been attributed to the coronavirus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toll to 7,251 .
• The new cases were detected among a record-high batch of 43,006 test results received by the state , good for a testing positivity rate of 2.9 % for the day .
• Boxer Tom O ’ Shea , a beloved Chicago high school teacher and coach who sent three boxers to the 1996 Olympics , has died of COVID-19 .
He was 81 .
1:30 p.m. Pandemic shows the need for an American manufacturing revival that Chicago could lead The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can pave the way for its revival .
A few local demonstrations : • mHUB , a Chicago product startup incubator , teamed with 700 Illinois businesses to produce critical medical supplies as part of Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s essential equipment task force .
The accomplishments included designing and building hospital ventilators that cost just $ 350 , made from off-the-shelf parts .
• Azul 3D , a startup founded by three Northwestern University researchers , used its high-speed 3D printer to make face shield parts .
It developed a prototype @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 48 hours to make 1,000 shields per printer per day .
• Fusion OEM , a Burr Ridge systems integrator specializing in robots that operate alongside humans to perform repetitive tasks , is working with two medical equipment manufacturers and a food-processing company to install more robots to meet pandemic-related spikes in demand .
Read more from columnist Ed Zotti ’ s City at the Crossroads column here .
8:25 a.m. Once kids go back to school , it ’ s mask up or go home At the moment , it makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long as coronavirus cases don ’ t spiral upward dramatically , schools should open in August or September if they can keep students distanced in classrooms , hallways and cafeterias .
That could mean schools with larger enrollments will have to resort to hybrid models for attendance , with students alternating between going to school and participating in remote learning from home .
Schools also will need sufficient staffing , including nurses and janitors .
Beside distancing , wearing facial coverings will be a must .
It will be up to school administrators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students and parents defy it .
And some will defy it .
You can count on it .
I ’ m not talking about those who will accidentally let a facial covering slip below their nose before lifting it up again .
I ’ m talking about defiant teens who want to push boundaries , or think the virus is a hoax , and class cut-ups looking for laughs .
The solution is simple : Send them home .
They can learn remotely .
Read the full column by Marlen Garcia here .

More and more people are getting tested in the state of Illinois — a record-high batch of 43,692 coronavirus test results reported to the Illinois Department of Public Health on Friday, which lowered the state’s testing positivity rate over the last week to 3%.
Many parents heard about Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools officials’ plans for the upcoming school year for CPS. Reaction was mixed among parents, but officials stressed that families with students of all ages will be allowed to opt out of in-person schooling for any reason.
Here’s what happened today in the fight against the coronavirus in Chicago, the state and the nation.
News
9 p.m. Illinois sees biggest daily COVID-19 caseload in six weeks — travel quarantine order extended to suburban Cook County
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Public health officials on Friday announced another 1,384 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Illinois, the highest daily total reported by the state in more than six weeks.
But those new cases were detected among the latest record-high batch of 43,692 coronavirus test results reported to the Illinois Department of Public Health, lowering the state’s testing positivity rate over the last week to 3%.
That rate is still up from just 2.5% last week, a “mild uptick” that Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said worries him that Illinois could be on the brink of a case surge such as those seen in dozens of other states.
Read the full story by Mitchell Armentrout here.
6:30 p.m. CPS parents have mixed reactions to a part-time return to classroom
After months of debate and guesses, Chicago Public Schools families learned Friday what school would look like in the fall — and they had mixed reactions.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS officials announced their tentative plan to put most students back in classrooms two days a week with remote learning the other three days. High school juniors and seniors will keep learning at home full-time. All families can opt out of in-person learning for any reason.
Estrella Cedeno, a 36-year-old mother of five and West Rogers Park resident, has three children in CPS. She said she thinks it’s too soon to bring students back to school, and plans to keep her kids at home even if the two-day-a-week format moves forward.
Read the full story by Jade Yan here
3:15 p.m. How does COVID-19 affect kids? Science has answers and gaps
What role children play in the coronavirus pandemic is the hot-button question of the summer as kids relish their free time while schools labor over how to resume classes.
The Trump administration says the science “is very clear,” but many doctors who specialize in pediatrics and infectious diseases say much of the evidence is inconclusive.
“There are still a lot of unanswered questions. That is the biggest challenge,” said Dr. Sonja Rasmussen, a pediatrics professor at the University of Florida and former scientist at the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.
Several studies suggest, but don’t prove, that children are less likely to become infected than adults and more likely to have only mild symptoms.
2:35 p.m. Northern Indiana county joins others in mandating face masks
INDIANAPOLIS — Northern Indiana’s LaPorte County on Friday became the latest local government in the state with a mandate for people to wear face masks in public due to a recent growth in the number of coronavirus hospitalizations.
At least three other nearby counties, along with the cities of Indianapolis, Evansville and West Lafayette also have imposed mask requirements. Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb has encouraged the wearing of face coverings but has declined to issue a statewide mandate.
Read the full story here.
1:40 p.m. 6 key questions about buying a car during the pandemic
Looking for a deal on a car in the midst of the pandemic?
There are some to be had, but don’t expect everything to be on sale just because the economy is sputtering.
Automakers dialed back discounts in June after ramping them up in May, and interest rates have ticked upward after reaching historic lows.
However, deals are still better than this time last year.
Read more to find six key questions about new- and used-car shopping.
11:24 a.m. COVID-19 claims one of Chicago’s ‘Fighting O’Shea Brothers’
Tom O’Shea taught his students to love Hemingway and Gwendolyn Brooks and also how to deliver a good left hook.
As a young man, he fought in the same tournaments as Muhammad Ali. He went on to be a high school English teacher and boxing coach who sent the students he called his “Matadors” on to the Olympics, Hollywood and productive lives.
He was one of Chicago’s “Fighting O’Shea Brothers.” Back when the city’s Golden Gloves boxing finals were one of the nation’s hottest tickets, the four Irish immigrant siblings were some of its most popular pugilists. This was an era long before people had hundreds of TV channels, streaming and video games.
All four O’Sheas — Brian, Michael, Rory and Tom — fought in national Golden Gloves competitions in the early 1960s. Brian, Rory and Tom won at the national level — Tom in 1961, according to the book “Chicago Amateur Boxing.”
After tearing a groin muscle in a fall, Mr. O’Shea, who had Lewy body dementia, entered a North Side rehabilitation facility. But when his daughters learned another patient there had tested positive for COVID-19, “We pulled him out immediately,” she said.
They moved Mr. O’Shea back to his Lincoln Square home, but he, too, developed the coronavirus and died April 16.
Read the full story from Maureen O’Donnell here.
10 a.m. How coronavirus will reshape the upcoming school year
Most Chicago Public Schools students are set to return to classrooms two days a week this fall under a plan that still includes part-time remote learning months after efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus forced the closure of schools in an unprecedented disruption to education.
The partial return for the majority of the 300,000 students at non-charter schools means many of the same challenges remain for families and staff who are concerned about their health, students in special education and working-class parents who will continue scrambling to find reliable childcare on the days their children are at home.
City officials are implementing stringent health protocols at their more than 500 schools — a requirement most parents and teachers requested to support the plan — such as daily temperature checks, universal masking and routine cleaning with the help of 400 new janitors. They also call for social distancing “to the greatest extent possible,” and are keeping high school juniors and seniors on full-time remote learning to lessen crowding at schools. Families with students of all ages will be allowed to opt out of in-person schooling for any reason.
Read more about what will change for the 2020-21 school year here.
8:54 a.m. CDC extends US ban on cruise ships through September
WASHINGTON — Federal health officials are extending the U.S. ban on cruise ships through the end September as coronavirus infections rise in most U.S. states, including Florida.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that it was extending a no-sail order that had been scheduled to expire July 24.
Major cruise lines that belong to an industry trade group had already canceled cruises until Sept. 15 because of ongoing discussions with federal officials over how to restart operations safely.
Coronavirus infections are rising in 40 states, and daily deaths have climbed more than 20% from a week ago. Florida, where many cruises begin and end, reported nearly 14,000 new virus cases and set a single-day record of 156 deaths reported on Thursday, beating the previous high of 132 deaths reported Tuesday.
Read the full report here.
7:53 a.m. List of national retail chains requiring face masks keeps expanding
NEW YORK — Two major retailers on Thursday joined the growing list of national chains that will require customers to wear face masks regardless of where cities or states stand on the issue.
Target’s mandatory face mask policy will go into effect Aug. 1, and all CVS stores will begin requiring them on Monday.
More than 80% of Target’s 1,800 stores already require customers to wear masks due to local and state regulations. Target will hand out masks at entrances to those who need them.
The announcements come one day after the nation’s largest retailer, Walmart, said that it would mandate face shields for all customers starting Monday.
Starbucks, Best Buy, Kohl’s and Kroger Co. have also announced mandatory masks nationwide.
Read the full report here.
New cases
Yoan Moncada rejoins White Sox after testing positive for coronavirus.
Another 1,257 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Illinois, as cases of the deadly disease keep trending slowly but steadily back upward, officials said Thursday. The Illinois Department of Public Health also announced an additional 25 deaths have been attributed to the coronavirus, raising the state’s pandemic death toll to 7,251.
The new cases were detected among a record-high batch of 43,006 test results received by the state, good for a testing positivity rate of 2.9% for the day.
Boxer Tom O’Shea, a beloved Chicago high school teacher and coach who sent three boxers to the 1996 Olympics, has died of COVID-19. He was 81.
Analysis & Commentary
1:30 p.m. Pandemic shows the need for an American manufacturing revival that Chicago could lead
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of U.S. manufacturing — and shown how digital technology can pave the way for its revival. A few local demonstrations:
mHUB, a Chicago product startup incubator, teamed with 700 Illinois businesses to produce critical medical supplies as part of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s essential equipment task force. The accomplishments included designing and building hospital ventilators that cost just $350, made from off-the-shelf parts.
Azul 3D, a startup founded by three Northwestern University researchers, used its high-speed 3D printer to make face shield parts. It developed a prototype in 24 hours and produced enough components in 48 hours to make 1,000 shields per printer per day.
Fusion OEM, a Burr Ridge systems integrator specializing in robots that operate alongside humans to perform repetitive tasks, is working with two medical equipment manufacturers and a food-processing company to install more robots to meet pandemic-related spikes in demand.
Read more from columnist Ed Zotti’s City at the Crossroads column here.
8:25 a.m. Once kids go back to school, it’s mask up or go home
At the moment, it makes sense to open Illinois schools.
As long as coronavirus cases don’t spiral upward dramatically, schools should open in August or September if they can keep students distanced in classrooms, hallways and cafeterias.
That could mean schools with larger enrollments will have to resort to hybrid models for attendance, with students alternating between going to school and participating in remote learning from home.
Schools also will need sufficient staffing, including nurses and janitors.
Beside distancing, wearing facial coverings will be a must. It will be up to school administrators to enforce the mask rule when unruly students and parents defy it.
And some will defy it. You can count on it. I’m not talking about those who will accidentally let a facial covering slip below their nose before lifting it up again. I’m talking about defiant teens who want to push boundaries, or think the virus is a hoax, and class cut-ups looking for laughs.
The solution is simple: Send them home. They can learn remotely.
Read the full column by Marlen Garcia here.


chicagosun-times--2020-07-17--3 shot, including 14-year-old boy, in Chatham

A 14-year-old boy was among three people wounded in a shooting Friday in Chatham on the South Side .
They were on the sidewalk about 5:30 p.m. in the 8200 block of South Drexel Avenue when a vehicle drove up and someone inside opened fire , Chicago police said .
The teen was struck in the face and taken to Comer Children ’ s Hospital , police said .
A 21-year-old man was struck in the arm , and a woman , 27 , was shot in the buttocks , police said .
They were taken to the University of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the trio was transported in serious-to-critical condition but stabilized at the hospital .
Police taped up an area around a table set up to sell snow cones .
A Divvy bike lay on its side just behind the tape .
Shelton , who lives in the area , said he was in his room when he heard the shots but didn ’ t bother to look out his window .
“ I ’ m used to hearing so many shots going on I didn ’ t take no listen , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ Anybody could have walked out this building and got shot .
It ’ s just senseless , they need to wake up , ” he said .
Read more on crime , and track the city ’ s homicides .

A 14-year-old boy was among three people wounded in a shooting Friday in Chatham on the South Side.
They were on the sidewalk about 5:30 p.m. in the 8200 block of South Drexel Avenue when a vehicle drove up and someone inside opened fire, Chicago police said.
The teen was struck in the face and taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, police said.
A 21-year-old man was struck in the arm, and a woman, 27, was shot in the buttocks, police said. They were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Three people were shot late Friday afternoon in the 8200 block of South Drexel Avenue. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Chicago fire officials said the trio was transported in serious-to-critical condition but stabilized at the hospital.
Area Two detectives are investigating.
Police taped up an area around a table set up to sell snow cones. A Divvy bike lay on its side just behind the tape.
Shelton, who lives in the area, said he was in his room when he heard the shots but didn’t bother to look out his window.
“I’m used to hearing so many shots going on I didn’t take no listen,” said Shelton, who did not want to provide his last name.
“It’s ridiculous,” he added. “Anybody could have walked out this building and got shot. It’s just senseless, they need to wake up.”
Contributing: Tyler LaRiviere
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.