chicagotribune--2020-05-26--Daywatch: Inside Cook County Jail amid a pandemic, what Rahm Emanuel is telling Joe Biden and Chicag

Daywatch: Inside Cook County Jail amid a pandemic, what Rahm Emanuel is telling Joe Biden and Chicago teacher’s daily ‘Dad jokes’ find a following

As the coronavirus pandemic continues and the economic devastation worsens , many Chicago-area high school students have picked up jobs @ @ @ @ @ out parents who have lost jobs or income .
At the same time , they @ @ @ @ @ with the emotional toll COVID-19 is taking on them and their communities but the awareness @ @ @ @ @ them in the virus ’ s path .

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Good morning, Chicago. Here’s the coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Detainees who have tested positive for COVID-19 are held in Division 16 at the Cook County Jail's isolation and quarantine facility May 20, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
COVID-19 tests are now standard during the intake process for all new detainees entering Cook County Jail, one of several measures that officials said has helped them turn a critical corner on the pandemic.
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Dr. Connie Mennella, who oversees medical care at the jail, told the Tribune testing data indicates the facility has moved beyond the stage of flattening the curve and into containment, with a positive test rate that is below 10%. But the reported turnaround has been challenged by a group of civil rights attorneys who have alleged the opposite in a federal court filing.
Deerfield High School junior Avery Martin brings out a food order at Cafe Zupas. "Compared to all the people like the health care workers who are really putting their lives at risk, it’s not as scary," she said of her work. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
As the coronavirus pandemic continues and the economic devastation worsens, many Chicago-area high school students have picked up jobs as essential workers to help out parents who have lost jobs or income. At the same time, they’re dealing not just with the emotional toll COVID-19 is taking on them and their communities but the awareness that their jobs could put them in the virus’s path.
Vice President Joe Biden, right, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel following an event in Chicago in 2013. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Rahm Emanuel is having regular conversations with Joe Biden and his top advisers about economic policy, the selection of a running mate and the political machinations of taking on President Trump. While Chicago’s former mayor is keeping the specifics to himself, he offered some hints about his counsel.
Megan Canty works the pick-up window at Chicago Board Game Cafe, 1965 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago, on Tuesday, May 19, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Over the past few weeks, the Tribune talked to the chefs and owners of six local businesses, plus a Chicago chef working to open a new place in Las Vegas, about how establishments might look and sound when they reopen across the city, suburbs and beyond. Here’s what they said.
Sam Toia of the Illinois Restaurant Association is a Chicago guy who gets Chicago things done. Is he pushing too hard on reopening?
Yair Bernstein, seen outside his Chicago apartment, writes out a dad joke each morning and tapes it up in his window for passersby to see. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
A sign appeared in an Edgewater window recently, it read: “The future, the present and the past walked into a bar. Things got a little tense.” Above it was the line, “Dad joke of the day #29.”
Chicago school teacher Yair Bernstein has been posting jokes that are not “too funny” each weekday in his window — and now neighbors are going out of their way to read and share them.


chicagotribune--2020-05-26--New CDC warning old hat to Chicagoans: Rats scurry for food during COVID-19 restaurant closures

Now , hundreds of thousands of Norway rats , the kind that live in Chicago and don ’ t usually @ @ @ @ @ from burrow to food source , suddenly are changing up their routines , boldly searching @ @ @ @ @ during the day — a shift for the normally nocturnal animals , said Robert Villamil @ @ @ @ @ Pest Control Inc .
Despite the explosion in rat boldness , the business has seen @ @ @ @ @ bars and restaurants closed or limited to takeout orders , as it ’ s been @ @ @ @ @ customers .

Lisa Wiedemann, service manager with Rose Pest Solutions, holds four dead juvenile rats and a dead adult rat as she checks various traps behind a building in Chicago on April 17, 2020. Rats in Chicago are on the move now that their usual food source may be drying up because of the stay-at-home order. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
A new warning from U.S. health officials is old news to many Chicago residents who have seen rats getting increasingly bolder in their hunt for food the last couple of months.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned last week that because of coronavirus-related business closures, particularly by restaurants, “jurisdictions have reported an increase in rodent activity as rodents search for new sources of food … and may see an increase in reports of unusual or aggressive rodent behavior.”
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Residents of other cities, such as New Orleans and New York, have even reported hungry rats traveling in packs.
The CDC warns that while rodent populations may decline during natural disasters, they can snap back “as commercial activity returns to normal.”
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We’ve updated our April story below with the CDC guidance released on May 21.
The COVID-19 pandemic has commanded a new way of life, and not just for people — even Chicago’s rat population has been affected.
Restaurants can remain open for delivery and takeout under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, but plenty have reduced hours or have closed temporarily or permanently, casualties of the coronavirus outbreak.
That means some formerly reliable food sources for rats, such as dumpsters behind restaurants or overflowing outdoor garbage cans stuffed to the brim daily with Chicagoans’ food scraps, now sit empty. But rats are resilient and they’ll move into residential homes, eat dog feces, or even cannibalize dead or young rats before they’ll starve.
Now, hundreds of thousands of Norway rats, the kind that live in Chicago and don’t usually travel more than 150 feet from burrow to food source, suddenly are changing up their routines, boldly searching farther for food, including during the day — a shift for the normally nocturnal animals, said Robert Villamil, owner of Chicago-based Crow Pest Control Inc. Despite the explosion in rat boldness, the business has seen its commercial work slow with bars and restaurants closed or limited to takeout orders, as it’s been getting more business from residential customers.
“Rats have a hierarchy and they’re very territorial," said Villamil, whose overall business is down 5% to 10% because of less commercial work. "As they look for food, people are noticing them more. Rats carry disease and they’re very unsightly, so it’s a big thing. People are wanting to take steps to keep rats away from their homes.”
Rats have a “complex social hierarchy within their colonies,” said Jim Fredericks, of the National Pest Management Association. There are “alpha males,” which get to eat first and have first mating opportunities, then there are “beta males” and rats of lesser importance, which may be forced to sleep outside the safety of a nest or burrow.
“As resources become scarce, whether that be food, or harborage, nesting places, that imposes stress upon that rat community, so to speak, and when there’s stress you do see increased aggressive behavior within that rat social system,” he said.
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Fredericks said in many large cities — including, he suspects, Chicago — videos have surfaced, showing rats acting boldly on largely abandoned streets, much more visible now as they seek out new food sources.
Experts think the city could be capitalizing on the fact that rats are food stressed. Despite repeated requests for comment, Cristina Villarreal, spokeswoman for Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation would not answer questions about whether the changes affect the city’s rat response.
Instead, Villarreal provided a two-sentence statement saying, in part, the department’s “aggressive rodent baiting continues every day with 16-18 crews out across the (city).”
Fredericks said he doesn’t expect the rodent population is going to be permanently or even noticeably dented by the new normal, but said it “does create a pest management opportunity.” Curtis Rand, the vice president of operations for Rose Pest Control, which operates throughout northern Illinois and northwest Indiana, also said the environment creates “a huge opportunity,” for cities with rat abatement programs to be aggressive in their use of baiting because the rats are hungrier than usual.
“Obviously, the less food source the more attractive the bait,” Rand said.
"When you put a hamburger in front of someone’s face every day, the chances of them walking over and going to get a hot dog are few and far between because they’ve got a hamburger there,” Rand said.
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Municipalities he’s aware of that have rodent programs are seeing an increase in interest in the bait being laid out, he said.
“What we’re starting to see is the rodent devices are getting a lot more activity, which is a good sign. That means we’re starting to get bait into the population. And so you’re gonna see some benefits from that,” he said.
Rand also recommended any city that has areas notoriously popular with rats should placing bait near those sites. “Hopefully we’ll come out of this with lower populations,” he said.
Rats are known to resort to cannibalism in times of food stress, such as the conditions the stay-at-home order is creating. Villamil, from Crow Pest Control, said crews have reported rats stuck in traps that have been all or partially eaten by other rats, leaving just a head behind. Cannibalism is further evidence that rodents are going hungry, Villamil said.
“Because the restaurants are closed, food is scarce,” he said.
Villamil also said there’s been an uptick in calls from homeowners noticing burrows in their yards. At homes, Villamil said he typically catches one or two rats in exterior areas or garages. On one recent call, he captured seven.
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“That tells me they’re moving from busier streets to quieter streets closer to people’s homes,” Villamil said.
In its May 21 advisory, the CDC said: “Environmental health practitioners should advise residents and business owners to eliminate conditions that may attract and support rodent presence. Preventive actions include sealing up access into homes and businesses, removing debris and heavy vegetation, keeping garbage in tightly covered bins, and removing pet and bird food from their yards. … Follow established guidelines when cleaning up after rodent infestations to prevent exposure to rodent-borne diseases."
Fredericks said homeowners should use some of their extra time at home to look for any potential entry points into their home and shove a steel wool pad in any holes larger than a quarter: a quarter-sized hole is all a rat needs to squeeze inside, while mice only need a dime-sized hole. Rats are known to chew through plastic trash bins and they’ll make a meal of dog waste because dog food is densely packed with protein and nutrients that are not all absorbed by the dog.
“Believe me, they have a wide and varied and sometimes utterly disgusting diet," Fredericks said. "It’s one of the reasons why rats are considered pests and are associated with disease and illness — and have been for centuries — because they tend to live in and feed in places that are not hospitable to what you and I might think of.”
Villarreal said anyone in Chicago who wants to report a rat concern can use the Chi311 App or call 311.
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kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-05-26--The latest from editorial cartoonist Scott Stantis

Chicagoans relax on the Memorial Day weekend as nice weather is interrupted by storms moving through the area .

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chicagotribune--2020-05-26--Tracking Chicago homicide victims

Tracking Chicago homicide victims

Though there are homicides recorded throughout the city they are most concentrated in the South and West sides .


chicagotribune--2020-05-25--The abandoned lakefront and its animals

The abandoned lakefront and its animals

Say you were to visit the lakefront .
You can ’ t , of course ; the mayor closed the @ @ @ @ @ to recreation , to promote social distancing and slow the spread of coronavirus .
But @ @ @ @ @ right now .
What would you see there ?
What are you missing ?
Well @ @ @ @ @ , and Tribune photographer Jason Wambsgans , he can show you .
He got an @ @ @ @ @ shoot our beloved stretch of recently-abandoned Chicago .
And here ’ s what ’ s @ @ @ @ @ one .
Just animals , a lot of birds , flora in bloom .
Just @ @ @ @ @ steady stillness , a compelling absence of pace .
Robins are not playing cards , @ @ @ @ @ clubs .
Yet raccoons , some waddle up to you in the afternoon .
I @ @ @ @ @ out of a canal , twice , as if delirious with freedom , then splash @ @ @ @ @ .


chicagotribune--2020-05-27--Deaths of more than two dozen residents of Far North Side nursing home tied to COVID-19: ‘It seemed

Deaths of more than two dozen residents of Far North Side nursing home tied to COVID-19: ‘It seemed like there was nothing we could do’

Her father was among more than two dozen residents at Elevate Care Chicago North whose deaths in recent weeks have @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus .
More than 150 residents have tested positive for COVID-19 at Elevate Care , @ @ @ @ @ where her 68-year-old father spent his last years , according to data released weekly by @ @ @ @ @ Health .
The skilled-nursing facility has a capacity of up to 312 beds , according @ @ @ @

More than two dozen residents at Elevate Care Chicago North have died in recent weeks from COVID-19-related illnesses. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
For days, Mirella Bogdan tried reaching her father by phone after she found out he had been exposed to the novel coronavirus at his Far North Side nursing home.
She was never able to reach him. Then, she was told he was taken to an area hospital. A week later, after she’d been able to see him on a video chat but not talk to him, her father, Mitchel Bogdan, died from COVID-19, acute hypoxic respiratory failure and pneumonia along with other illnesses contributing.
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“They didn’t even call to ask what they wanted to do with his belongings,” Mirella Bogdan said by phone about the nursing home. “The way they handled the whole situation is just horrific.”
Mitchel Bogdan, 68, is among more than two dozen Elevate Care Chicago North residents who have died in recent weeks from COVID-19-related illnesses. (Handout / HANDOUT)
Her father was among more than two dozen residents at Elevate Care Chicago North whose deaths in recent weeks have been tied to the novel coronavirus. More than 150 residents have tested positive for COVID-19 at Elevate Care, 2451 W. Touhy Ave., where her 68-year-old father spent his last years, according to data released weekly by the Illinois Department of Public Health. The skilled-nursing facility has a capacity of up to 312 beds, according to state data.
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Daily lists of COVID-19 deaths from the Cook County medical examiner’s office show at least 27 residents of the home had died from COVID-19-related illnesses as of May 20.
The residents who died ranged in age. One was 38 while another was 89, according to the medical examiner’s office.
Elevate Care Chicago North is among the nursing homes that have recorded the most fatalities across the state. Meadowbrook Manor of Bolingbrook in Will County and Center Home for Hispanic Elderly in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood topped the list, each recording 26 deaths as of May 15, when Elevate had had 24 deaths, according to state data.
In a statement, Elevate Care confirmed residents have died from COVID-19 and others have tested positive for the disease, although the facility did not provide exact figures. Amanda Andrews, vice president of operations, said in an email that Elevate Care was following various guidelines such as stopping outside visits for relatives and nonessential people, screening people coming into the home, stopping communal activities and providing personal protective equipment for workers.
“We will continue to follow the guidelines provided to us by public health officials and government leaders, communicate updates with residents and families, and take all precautions necessary for our residents, staff and the community at large," Andrews said in the statement.
On Facebook, the nursing facility recently wrote: “Times are challenging but at Elevate Care, we are doing everything we can to keep our residents safe, and smiling too.”
The nursing home is located on a street in the West Rogers Park neighborhood that’s a mix of homes and businesses, near the intersection of Western and Touhy avenues and across from the local YMCA. It’s one of six facilities the company operates in the Chicago area, according to its website.
Medicare gave Elevate Care Chicago North a below-average rating of two stars, although the facility received average ratings when the agency looked at the nursing home’s staffing and quality measures.
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Jeremy Cloutier’s wife works in the health care industry so he knew that his father, Roy J. Cloutier, who was living at Elevate Care Chicago North, was in the middle of a “perfect storm” for the disease. The first COVID-19-related death at the facility happened April 2, and his 70-year-old father died within two weeks, on April 15.
Jeremy Cloutier knew the facility was tight for space. Still, he wishes something could have been done to better isolate residents and to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Elevate Care Chicago North on May 21, 2020, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
“It’s frustrating, you get angry,” he said by phone. “It seemed like there was nothing we could do. I felt helpless with the situation.”
Cloutier said his family got a letter from the facility in April telling them about cases at the home. He had tried to see his father in March, but by then Elevate Care had stopped allowing visitors.
Then on April 13, the family was told Roy Cloutier was taken to an area hospital because he was having trouble breathing. But the hospital turned him away because his father’s medical records indicated he didn’t want to be resuscitated, Jeremy Cloutier said.
As the elder Cloutier’s condition worsened, the nursing home took him again to a hospital, where he tested positive for COVID-19. By April 15, Roy Cloutier died from COVID-19 with diabetes and hypertension as contributing factors, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
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“Basically, the only thing the ER could do was make him comfortable,” Jeremy Cloutier said.
Roy Cloutier struggled with back ailments and had lived at the nursing home for about five years after living with a relative became too overwhelming, his son said.
His father worked as an electrician for years, and Jeremy Cloutier described him as handy, taking apart computers and working on cars in his downtime.
“He would spend a Saturday in the garage instead of looking at the TV,” he said.
Mirella Bogdan said her father immigrated to the U.S. from Poland in the 1970s. He was a boxer and worked in the metal manufacturing industry. He had spent years at the nursing home. Although she tried to figure out a way for him to move to a different one, her father didn’t want to move, she said.
Weeks after her father died, Bogdan said she isn’t sure what happened to her father’s belongings, and she was too upset to call the home.
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She wishes the facility would have provided more information about what was going on, saying she felt like she was left “in the dark” about her father’s condition.
“I don’t know what my dad was going through,” she said. “They didn’t tell me anything. ... The nursing home hasn’t even called to say, ‘I’m sorry for your loss.’ He’s been there for so long.”
Chicago Tribune’s Cecilia Reyes contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-05-27--Mayor scolds new police superintendent after Chicago sees most violent Memorial Day weekend in five

Mayor scolds new police superintendent after Chicago sees most violent Memorial Day weekend in five years: ‘Whatever the strategy is, it didn’t work. … We have to do better’

She noted that federal agents who usually work with officers “ have been on the sideline now for weeks .
@ @ @ @ @ really aren ’ t taking a lot of criminal cases .
That ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ jails that are effectively closed to new persons , so we have officers that are @ @ @ @ @ arresting people who are absolute drivers of violence , and they ’ re cycling in @ @ @ @ @ , out of the court system , in 24 to 48 hours .
”

Officials examine a car with bullet holes at the scene where four people were shot, one fatally, on Hamlin Avenue just north of Madison Street on May 26, 2020, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot publicly scolded her new police superintendent Tuesday for not coming up with a good enough strategy to contain violence over the Memorial Day weekend, the deadliest in five years, though she acknowledged the department is facing its greatest challenge in decades.
“While I know that there was a lot of energy and coordination among a variety of groups, what I said to the superintendent this morning is this was a fail,” Lightfoot said. “And whatever the strategy is, it didn’t work … This weekend’s violence was out of control.”
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At least 10 people were shot to death and at least 40 others were wounded by gunfire over the long weekend, despite a statewide stay-at-home order and a plan by Superintendent David Brown to step up patrols and better coordinate their deployment across the city.
The death toll nearly matched the long holiday weekend of 2015 when 12 people were killed. Last year, seven people were fatally shot and 36 others were wounded.
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Lightfoot said department brass were “hard at work and looking at the data,” adding, “I have a meeting with them later this afternoon. But we have to do better. We cannot have weekends in the summer turn into a bloodbath.”
Yo I seen HUNDREDS of ppl at millennium park and and pics of even more at the parks on the north side. Outside, no masks, no social distancing, enjoying themselves. Please stop sending large groups of militarized police into our neighborhoods exclusively https://t.co/mnAUSCsevy — Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) May 25, 2020
Despite her harsh words, Lightfoot said she understood this was “one of the most difficult times” for the department in the 20-plus years she’s followed it.
She noted that federal agents who usually work with officers “have been on the sideline now for weeks. We have the courts that really aren’t taking a lot of criminal cases. That’s a problem. We have the jails that are effectively closed to new persons, so we have officers that are risking life and limb and arresting people who are absolute drivers of violence, and they’re cycling in and out of the jail, out of the court system, in 24 to 48 hours.”
“The Police Department really is effectively on its own in fighting (for) public safety across the city,” Lightfoot continued. “And we have officers, and I understand this, who are concerned themselves with getting COVID and whether or not they’re going to be sick themselves or take that to their family members. So this is probably one of the most difficult times for policing that we’ve experienced in this city.”
Hours earlier, at a separate news conference, Brown called the violence “nothing short of alarming” and “unacceptable.” Still, he said he was not discouraged going into the summer months, typically the most violent time of year in Chicago.
I have seen a widely shared video of an incident in the 007th District. We will continue to investigate the incident to ensure proper tactics were used—ensuring constitutional rights are protected—and that CPD officers are wearing face coverings to maintain public health. — Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) May 25, 2020
“My resolve (hasn’t) been shaken at all in making Chicago the safest city in the country, and neither should yours,” Brown said as he was flanked by other top officers at police headquarters. “We are committed and dedicated to making this city the safest in the country. This was a challenging weekend. But we are not shaken. We are not going to ... give up on our city.”
The weekend’s shootings began within hours after Brown spoke to reporters on Friday about his plans to contain the violence, which included a new “summer operations center” that would rely on police cameras and other technology to deploy officers where needed.
Those plans, however, depended on different staffing levels than in the past. “We did not utilize the normal 1,000 additional officers,” Brown said. “We had several hundred that were dedicated and coordinated a little bit better with (the summer operations center). ... But the level of officers ... was different than previous years.”
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More than 1,000 people have been shot this year in Chicago, about 100 more than this time last year, according to data compiled by the Tribune.
Brown said the weekend shootings stemmed from disputes between rival gang factions, as well as clashes involving the sale of drugs. He said the coronavirus outbreak, which prompted the stay-at-home order more than two months ago, has made people eager to spend time outdoors and likely added to the violence.
“People are feeling restless after being cooped up for weeks,” said Brown.
Chief of Operations Fred Waller, one of Brown’s top deputies, told reporters that police responses to the violence and the dispersals in places like Englewood and in the downtown area — where a group demanded that businesses reopen during the pandemic — showed how officers were where they were needed during the long holiday weekend.
“As you can see, our officers were busy in all parts of the city this weekend,” Waller said. “Yes, we need to do better. And we will do better.”
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Lightfoot indicated morale problems may be worsening the department’s problems on the street.
During her news conference, she noted that many officers were dissatisfied when they were sent from the bureau of organized crime — which includes covert narcotics units and officers who do long-term gang investigations — to uniformed patrol assignments. This was part of the reorganization plan of former interim Superintendent Charlie Beck.
Just last week, Brown demoted to the rank of lieutenant two top-ranking organized crime unit officials, Ronald Kimble, who was commander of the narcotics unit, and William Bradley, deputy chief of the entire bureau, law enforcement sources said. One of the sources said Kimble’s demotion to lieutenant in the Rogers Park patrol district occurred after Lightfoot became dissatisfied with him during a meeting with top police brass.
“They’re used to being by themselves as a separate organization, frankly with not a lot of accountability,” Lightfoot said. “I’ve been asking for a year, ‘What do they do?’ And they haven’t been able to demonstrate what they’re doing to really significantly aid in the crime fight.
“So what’s happened over the last couple of weeks is these officers have either been taken out of plainclothes, put into uniform and back in the districts under the control of district commanders and deputy chiefs. Or, if they’re staying in plainclothes, they have to be actively involved in supporting district efforts at crime suppression,” Lightfoot continued. “They don’t like that, and I get that.”
In the midst of the weekend shootings, a viral video showed a scuffle between police officers and a large gathering on the South Side on Sunday night that caught the attention of everyone from Chance the Rapper to Lightfoot.
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Officers were called to the 7000 block of South Lowe Avenue in the Englewood neighborhood to disperse a crowd that had gathered on the street. The video shows a chaotic scene as officers struggled to break up the crowd, grabbing some of the people and chasing off others.
During the incident, an officer saw a man take a handgun and put it in front of a car before running south on Lowe, according to police. Police chased him down and arrested him. Sedrick Monroe, 42, was charged with one count of being an armed habitual criminal. Police said a loaded Glock handgun was recovered.
Not long afterward, officers responded to a “10-1” call — an officer needing immediate assistance — when shots were fired in the area.
Jaquan Hayden, 21, of Homewood, was arrested about 10:45 p.m. in the 7000 block of South Lowe Avenue after he was seen grabbing his waistband and running through a vacant lot, police said. After a short chase, he was taken into custody and a loaded revolver was recovered.
He is facing charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest, police said. He did not have a valid firearm owner’s identification card or concealed carry license.
Two officers were taken to a hospital in good condition for minor injuries, police said. It was unclear what their injuries were.
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Chance the Rapper shared the video and asked the city to “stop sending large groups of militarized police into our neighborhoods exclusively.” He noted that photos had been posted of large gatherings in North Side neighborhoods and in the downtown area without similar police action.
Lightfoot tweeted that she was aware of the video and said, “We will continue to investigate the incident to ensure proper tactics were used — ensuring constitutional rights are protected — and that CPD officers are wearing face coverings to maintain public health.”
Brown said the video from the Englewood incident highlighted how officers are facing challenges on two fronts: fighting violence and getting the public to adhere to the stay-at-home order.
“Officers were challenged with saving lives,” Brown said, reacting to the video. “Because (these) crowds spread the virus. While at the same time there were guns and shots fired in that crowd and our officers had to take action to save lives of people in the crowd that may have been victims of the shots that were being fired . ... We recovered two guns that were in the crowd. ... It’s a twofold challenge that happened.”
Lightfoot said police enforcement should be the last resort to ensure social distancing, but “for the greater good, when absolutely necessary, we will — no matter which neighborhood large crowds are gathering in.” She added that police responded to dozens of reports of social distancing violations across the city, from Lincoln Park and Humboldt Park to Andersonville and Auburn Gresham.
The Englewood district, where the scuffle occurred, logged two fatal shootings over the weekend, the second most gun homicides in the city. The West Side’s Harrison district, one of the most violent in the city, had the most with three. Five other districts — Morgan Park, Grand Crossing, Shakespeare, Gresham and Calumet — all had one homicide each.
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Three teenagers were shot over the weekend, including 16-year-old Darnell Fisher, who was killed Saturday night in the Washington Park neighborhood. Police took someone in custody for a weapons charge, but the person was released about 4 a.m. Sunday because prosecutors denied charges.
A 15-year-old boy was shot in the face, chest and abdomen early Saturday in the South Shore neighborhood and taken to a hospital in critical condition. A 15-year-old girl was grazed in the leg by a bullet early Monday in the West Pullman neighborhood while sitting on a porch.
The tally of shootings doesn’t include an attack in which four people were stabbed at 9:15 p.m. Sunday after an argument erupted with tenants of a Gresham apartment building in their backyard, police said. A 46-year-old woman took out a knife and stabbed three men before someone stabbed her, police said. They were all taken to hospitals with injuries that were not life-threatening. Charges were pending against the woman.
The last homicide of the weekend was about 8:30 p.m. Monday in the 2800 block of West Wilcox Street in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side, police said. Two men, 45 and 52, were standing on the sidewalk when someone in a white sedan fired shots at them, police said.
The younger man was shot in the head and torso. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The older man was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center in good condition with a gunshot wound to the left leg, police said. No arrests have been made.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-05-27--The Spin: Lightfoot announces contact tracing effort | Kinzinger calls out Trump in tweet | Preckwin

The Spin: Lightfoot announces contact tracing effort | Kinzinger calls out Trump in tweet | Preckwinkle uses her 1st veto as County Board president

According to the constitution , to get the issue before voters , it needs “ at least 15 % of @ @ @ @ @ governor in the preceding gubernatorial election , with at least 100 signatures from each of @ @ @ @ @ ” It also needs the signatures from at least 20 members of the House and @ @ @ @ @ , and no more than half can be from the members of the same party @ @ @ @ @ 74-44 and the Senate by a 40-to-19 margin .

Mayor Lori Lightfoot today announced Chicago’s newest effort to ramp up coronavirus contact tracing efforts — a key factor in the city’s and state’s phased reopening plans.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle today vetoed a controversial resolution that commissioners approved last week that would have had public health officials sharing the addresses of coronavirus patients with paramedics and other first responders. Preckwinkle called the plan “extraordinarily bad.”
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And, while many were tuned out for a coronavirus pandemic-altered Memorial Day weekend, Illinois lawmakers were busy late Saturday into Sunday morning. A $40 billion maintenance-level state budget and legislation aimed at making a Chicago casino more attractive to potential investors topped lawmakers’ finished work.
Welcome to The Spin.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during his daily coronavirus pandemic briefing at the Illinois State Capitol on May 20, 2020. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
Sign up for The Spin to get the top stories in politics delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.
If you went to bed before midnight Saturday, you would have missed the General Assembly’s grand finale to its emergency pandemic session. The legislature’s work included the passage of a $40 billion state budget, an expansion of vote-by-mail and legislation to sweeten the tax structure for potential investors in a Chicago casino.
Don’t fret if you missed it. The Tribune’s Jamie Munks, Rick Pearson and Dan Petrella were there with in-depth coverage.
“In a special legislative session called in response to the coronavirus pandemic, state lawmakers debated bills through masks and the Illinois House met on the floor of a downtown Springfield convention center to provide proper social distancing. The three-day session stretched into four and then into the early morning hours of a fifth day, Sunday, before lawmakers adjourned until the fall.” Read the rest of Petrella’s recap here.
In historic pandemic-driven special session, Illinois lawmakers pass budget and clear path for Chicago casino — From Pearson, Munks and Petrella.
Illinois lawmakers send Gov. J.B. Pritzker $40 billion maintenance budget that relies heavily on federal funding — From Munks and Petrella.
Illinois legislators pass bill sought by Mayor Lori Lightfoot that could bring Chicago casino closer to reality — From Munks and Petrella.
Illinois legislators overwhelmingly approve bill allowing bars and restaurants to sell cocktails for pickup and delivery — From Petrella.
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Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan wins latest round in suit alleging sham candidates — From Ray Long.
A person holds a sign reading "Fire Pritzker" while attending a Reopen Illinois rally in Chicago's Grant Park on May 25, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
From Stacy St. Clair: "At a Memorial Day rally in front of Buckingham Fountain, a crowd protested Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order as an affront to the freedoms that service members have died defending. The well-received speeches, though, frequently veered into plugs for online learning courses or political futures.
"State Rep. Darren Bailey, R- Xenia, who is locked in a legal battle with the governor over the order, urged onlookers to get involved in their local government and flood the phone lines of their elected officials.
"The crowd, which held signs saying ‘F-U-J-B’ and ‘Fire Pritzker,’ called on Bailey to run for governor. He told the audience it was ‘time to replace career RINOs,’ a pejorative term for Republicans who aren’t considered conservative enough.
“'If God opens a door, I’ll go through that door,' Bailey said as the crowd erupted in cheers. ‘But it’s going to take a lot of work.’" Read the rest here.
Republican state representative trying to start Pritzker recall effort: State Rep. Allen Skillicorn announced his intentions Tuesday to circulate a petition aimed at long-shot effort to recall Gov. Pritzker over his handling of the state’s unemployment system during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Skillicorn, an East Dundee Republican, cited the troubles that have beset the Illinois Department of Employment Security’s website as huge numbers of people file for unemployment benefits.
“The governor has had ample time to fix this website,” Skillicorn said. “I called him out on it, and nothing has been addressed nor has there been a plan presented to fix the problems. Enough is enough. The incompetence cannot continue.”
Skillicorn also contends that Pritzker has overstepped his authority as governor in fighting the coronavirus.
According to the constitution, to get the issue before voters, it needs “at least 15% of the total votes cast for governor in the preceding gubernatorial election, with at least 100 signatures from each of at least 25 separate counties.” It also needs the signatures from at least 20 members of the House and 10 members of the Senate, and no more than half can be from the members of the same party. Democrats lead the House 74-44 and the Senate by a 40-to-19 margin.
Pritzker was asked about Skillicorn’s efforts at his news conference this afternoon.
“When it became clear that we were going to see a rush of applications, we acted as quickly as we could with a system that, frankly, you can’t just snap your fingers and replace,” Pritzker said of the IDES’ website system. “You have to be, as I have often said, you’re building the plane while trying to fly it and you’re trying to fly it while putting a million passengers on board — an almost impossible job but one that IDES has handled as best it could.”
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Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle waits to speak about the coronavirus economic recovery plan April 23, 2020, at the Historic Water Tower. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
"In the first veto of her administration, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle on Tuesday moved to block a resolution to share addresses of COVID-19 individuals with 911 dispatchers, the latest blow to a controversial practice at the center of a debate on protecting first responders at the cost of individuals’ civil liberties.
“Cook County Board members narrowly approved the resolution, which only applies to suburban Cook County, last week following a heated discussion about the effects of the measure on black and Latino communities. While the resolution was only a recommendation, the Cook County Department of Public Health had said it will follow the address-sharing practice because of Preckwinkle’s instructions.” — Alice Yin has the story.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot wears a mask as she prepares to speak about coronavirus recently at the Historic Water Tower in Chicago. Lightfoot has at times personally enforced the Chicago social distancing orders. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune / Chicago Tribune)
"Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Tuesday announced plans to try to train hundreds of people to track the spread of the coronavirus and warn Chicagoans who’ve had contact with someone who’s carrying the disease.
“Such a large contact tracing program is considered a key way to slow the spread of the virus by promptly warning people who’ve had significant contact with those who are sick so they can quarantine themselves before they spread it further.” — Read more here from the Tribune’s John Byrne and Hal Dardick.
Mayor scolds new police superintendent after Chicago sees most violent Memorial Day weekend in five years: ‘Whatever the strategy is, it didn’t work. … We have to do better’: Jeremy Gorner and Paige Fry have the story here.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot releases guidelines for phase 3 of city’s reopening plan: Read more here from Byrne and Dan Petrella.
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Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., speaks to the media March 6, 2019, at the White House in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger this weekend called on President Donald Trump to stop touting a conspiracy theory about the death of one of TV pundit Joe Scarborough’s interns when he was a member of Congress.
Kinzinger, a Channahon Republican, on Sunday responded to a Trump tweet, writing: “Completely unfounded conspiracy. Just stop. Stop spreading it, stop creating paranoia. It will destroy us.”
According to the AP, the body of Lori Kaye Klausutis, 28, was found in Scarborough’s Fort Walton Beach, Florida, congressional office on July 20, 2001. She had an undiagnosed heart condition, fell and hit her head on her desk at work, said her husband, Timothy J. Klausutis.
Her husband subsequently asked that Twitter remove Trump’s tweets suggesting Scarborough, now a fierce Trump critic, murdered her. “My request is simple: Please delete these tweets,” Timothy J. Klausutis wrote to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.
Completely unfounded conspiracy. Just stop. Stop spreading it, stop creating paranoia. It will destroy us. https://t.co/XgDl6LmANb — Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) May 24, 2020
While Twitter did not alter the president’s tweets on that topic, the social media platform did add “a warning phrase to two Trump tweets that called mail-in ballots ‘fraudulent’ and predicted that ‘mail boxes will be robbed,’” among other things, the AP reported.
Thanks for reading The Spin, the Tribune’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.


chicagotribune--2020-05-27--Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot releases guidelines for phase 3 of city’s reopening plan

The plan for Chicago comes as state health officials announced 1,178 new cases of COVID-19 and 39 additional deaths , @ @ @ @ @ known cases statewide to 113,195 and the death toll to 4,923 .
Illinois Department of @ @ @ @ @ Ezike , the state ’ s top public health official , said case numbers were @ @ @ @ @ in part , because fewer tests are processed and reported over weekends .
Ezike also @ @ @ @ @ in May 16 was the first week with fewer deaths than the previous week since @ @ @ @

Dave Nalezny looks out at the patio of his restaurant Park & Field in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood on May 21, 2020. He hopes restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 virus pandemic will be loosened and he will to be able to open the patio for business during the crucial summer months. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Tuesday announced industry-specific rules for the reopening of restaurants, child care facilities and some industries as part of phase three of Chicago’s reemergence from the coronavirus stay-at-home order.
Though Lightfoot has said she expects Chicago to take that step in early June, she has not yet announced a date. Her guidelines come two days after Gov. J.B. Pritzker released his statewide guidelines and said the state is on track to advance to phase three on Friday.
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Lightfoot has the authority to set stricter rules for Chicago than Pritzker’s statewide framework, but she can’t enact looser ones.
“Our transition to Phase Three of our reopening framework represents a major step for Chicago and our journey to a safe and successful recovery from the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis,” Lightfoot said in a Tuesday afternoon news release. “These new industry guidelines were developed in close partnership with industry leaders in order to provide as clear of a direction as possible on how to keep both employees and customers safe, but our work is far from over.”
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[ Gov. J.B. Pritzker announces reopening rules for businesses as Illinois is poised to move to next phase and loosen restrictions ]
Not included are guidelines for reopening sporting events, bars, religious services, outdoor performances, summer programs and youth activities, the lakefront and museums. Those standards “will be available later in phase three when those entities are predicted to begin reopening,” according to the release.
Among the guidelines at child care facilities, parents and employees will be expected to wear facial coverings at all times. Children will only be expected to do so outside their classrooms.
Restaurants are called on to limit seating to no more than six people per table, limit gatherings to no more than 10 people and space tables 6 feet apart or take them out of commission if they can’t be moved.
The plan for Chicago comes as state health officials announced 1,178 new cases of COVID-19 and 39 additional deaths, bringing the total number of known cases statewide to 113,195 and the death toll to 4,923. Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the state’s top public health official, said case numbers were lower in recent days, in part, because fewer tests are processed and reported over weekends. Ezike also said that the week ending in May 16 was the first week with fewer deaths than the previous week since the pandemic began.
[ Chicago releases rules for restaurants to reopen, but no date yet ]
Many businesses across Illinois, outside of Chicago, are preparing to reopen at the end of the week as all four regions of the state move into the next phase of Pritzker’s five-phase reopening plan. The governor and Ezike on Tuesday laid out a series of positive developments in the state’s battle with the new coronavirus.
Hospitalizations due to COVID-19, which had been plateauing, have dropped to a six-week low. The percentage of tests for the coronavirus returning positive results statewide has dropped from a high of 23% a month ago to an average of just above 9% over the past seven days.
“We seem to have come off the peak,” Pritzker said at his daily press briefing, the first held in person at the Thompson Center in the Loop since he began self-isolating May 11 after a senior staff member tested positive for the virus. Pritzker held in-person briefings last week and over the weekend at the Capitol in Springfield.
“Barring some catastrophe in the next four days,” Pritzker said, a wider range of businesses — including more retailers, barbershops and salons, and gyms and fitness centers — will be able to reopen Friday under new industry-specific public health guidelines his administration issued Sunday.
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[ When can Illinois reopen? Check our daily charts on where each region stands. ]
While a wide range of business will be open in phase three of Pritzker’s “Restore Illinois” plan, there will be big adjustments to pre-coronavirus practices. Barbers and hair stylists and their clients will have to wear masks. Stores only will be able to allow in half as many customers at a time. Restaurants will be able to resume outdoor dining, with permission from the local government and with temperature checks for servers before their shifts.
Pritzker and Ezike urged the public to adhere closely to the state’s guidelines to avoid a resurgence as more Illinoisans resume activities that were part of daily life before the virus hit.
“The fact that we’ve seen these numbers trend in a good direction even after we opened things up in phase two demonstrates the importance of everyday actions,” the governor said, noting that the loosening of some restrictions in his statewide stay-at-home order on May 1 was accompanied by a new requirement for wearing face coverings in public.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks at a news conference at City Hall on May 8, 2020, while Dr. Allison Arwady, left, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, listens. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
The loosening of coronavirus restrictions in Chicago, however, will come at a slower pace. Lightfoot last week said the city’s reopening “will be like slowly turning a dimmer switch and not flipping a light switch" and said it would come in “early June.”
In most ways the Lightfoot’s guidelines are quite similar to Pritzker’s plan.
One place where they differ is in regard to retailers. Pritzker says retailers can operate at 50% of their normal capacity or five customers per 1,000 square feet. Lightfoot distinguishes between essential retailers, which can go up to 50%, and those deemed nonessential, which must cap the number of people in the store at 25% of normal.
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In Chicago parks, noncontact sports will be allowed in small groups in phase three, which means tennis courts should get unlocked again, but don’t expect those basketball rims to get reinstalled. Playgrounds will stay closed.
Lightfoot also promised enforcement of the new rules.
“In order to support the more than 130,000 estimated Chicagoans who will head back to their places of work in phase three, a robust enforcement strategy, which will be led by the Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection and (Health Department), will be put in place to keep employers, employees and customers safe,” the mayor’s news release reads in part.
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-26--Chicago releases rules for restaurants to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic — but no date yet

The city of Chicago Tuesday released details that restaurants will need to follow to be permitted to reopen during the @ @ @ @ @ Lori Lightfoot did not expound on her announcement Friday that opening could happen some time @ @ @

Megan Canty works the pick-up window at Chicago Board Game Cafe, 1965 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago, on Tuesday, May 19, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
The city of Chicago Tuesday released details that restaurants will need to follow to be permitted to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic. But Mayor Lori Lightfoot did not expound on her announcement Friday that opening could happen some time in June.
The broad rules require:
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Contactless pickup available and contactless payment encouraged
Employees required to wear face coverings at all times, face coverings for guests required when not seated.
Outdoor dining permitted* following standard social distancing requirements. (The details: Application process pending; dining areas considered outdoors include rooftops, rooms with retractable roofs and indoor spaces where 50% or more of a wall can be removed via the opening of windows, doors, or panels provided that dining tables are within 8-ft from such openings.)
Employees and diners encouraged to maintain 6 feet physical distancing.
Visual signage posted throughout facilities regarding hygiene, social distancing, proper PPE and more.
Employees frequently disinfect facilities.
[ Here's what the next phase of Chicago's reopening plan will look like for childcare facilities and some other industries ]
The report released by the city included more detail:
Spacing: Tables would need to be 6 feet apart. Barriers are required between tables when that distance is not possible. Some Chicago restaurants have already talked about using bookcases or Plexiglas.
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Barriers would also be required at counters and registers when distancing is not possible.
Areas where patrons or employees line up must be marked with distancing guidance.
No big parties: Tables will be limited to six people. Any area where people may gather (lounge areas, etc.) can have no more than 10 people. Plus no planned events with more than 10 people.
Employee screening. Staff is encouraged to self-identify symptoms and stay home if they’re sick. Before they enter the restaurant, employees must self-screen for symptoms, including temperature over 100 degrees, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath and a loss of taste or smell.
Cleaning: Restaurants must throughly clean and sanitize their spaces before opening and during business.
Supply disposable items when possible, including menus, containers condiments, and sanitize those items that are not disposable, such as tables and chairs. Menu boards or digital menus are encouraged.
Self-serve food and drink stations are out.
Workplace. Proper ventilation is stressed according to CDC guidelines.
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Counter and bar seating is out. But allowed at sushi bars and diner counters, but with 6-feet of spacing.
Other regulations covering testing, training, third party visitors and more can be found here.


chicagotribune--2020-05-28--Staffer at Springfield  convention center where state House met tests positive  for COVID-19

The person who tested positive worked an eight-hour shift on Thursday , and was not in the space that was @ @ @ @ @ floor or a public viewing area , Basham wrote , adding that she is unaware @ @ @ @ @ in Springfield for the session testing positive .

Lawmakers prepare for an extended session of the Illinois House of Representatives to begin at the Bank of Springfield Center on May 23, 2020, in Springfield. (Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register/AP)
A worker at the Springfield convention center where the Illinois House convened for a special session last week has tested positive for COVID-19.
Jessica Basham, chief of staff for House Speaker Michael Madigan, shared the news in an email to lawmakers and staff Wednesday, noting that “at this time it appears this individual had no interaction with any member or other staff person.”
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The person who tested positive worked an eight-hour shift on Thursday, and was not in the space that was used for the makeshift House floor or a public viewing area, Basham wrote, adding that she is unaware of anyone else who was in Springfield for the session testing positive.
The General Assembly held a four-day pandemic-driven session, which they adjourned early Sunday morning. The House met at the downtown Bank of Springfield Center, which allowed for lawmakers to sit at tables spaced 6 feet apart, rather than their chamber at the Capitol.
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Basham urged those who were in attendance to be tested for the virus, monitor their health and self-isolate from others for 14 days after the session ended.
Lawmakers and staff were asked to be tested before the session. People entering the center were subjected to temperature checks and asked to wear masks, and then were advised to self-isolate after leaving.
“It was an unprecedented step to hold session at the BoS Center, which greatly minimized the chance of exposure to the COVID-19 virus,” Basham wrote. "I am working directly with BoS Staff and have asked that all BoS staff members get tested immediately and ensure that appropriate contact tracing efforts are underway.”
jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-27--The Spin: Nation, Illinois, Cook County reach grim coronavirus death milestones | Lightfoot administ

The Spin: Nation, Illinois, Cook County reach grim coronavirus death milestones | Lightfoot administration talks more reopening details | State lawmakers not getting pay raises: Mendoza

“ Events that echo what we have seen happen to too many people , too many times in too many @ @ @ @ @ as people have not yet found the humanity to stop these vile , horrid acts @ @ @ @ @ contend with the racism that permeates our society , and then to root it out @ @ @ @ @ his daily news briefing on Wednesday , in East St. Louis .
“ As a @ @ @ @ @ feel a special responsibility to speak out today and to own the obligation that I @ @ @ @ @ in a more equitable direction .
Being black in America can not be a death @ @ @ @ @ .
In some ways , it is .
And it ’ s dangerous to pretend @ @ @ @ @ do something to change that reality , to make it so men like George Floyd @ @ @ @ @ street corner , gasping for air in broad daylight .
”

Today was a day of grim milestones.
We’re just five months into 2020 and already the Cook County medical examiner’s office has surpassed its 2019 caseload, officials announced. The state of Illinois topped 5,000 coronavirus deaths, and the nation eclipsed 100,000 fatalities from the disease.
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Meanwhile, most of the state is on track to advance to the next stage of reopening later this week. Chicago won’t reach its next stage until some time in early June, but Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration has released details about what the city’s next phase will look like.
And, Gov. J.B. Pritzker was in downstate East St. Louis today and weighed in on recent racially charged incidents, including the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis by a white police officer.
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Welcome to The Spin.
Enrique Barrios paints a planter box at Bar Takito in Chicago on May 27, 2020. Plants will be added Friday morning as the bar gets ready for outdoor dining when the City of Chicago loosens restrictions. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s John Byrne and Dan Petrella, Mayor Lori Lightfoot “announced industry-specific rules for the reopening of restaurants, child care facilities and some industries as part of phase three of Chicago’s reemergence from the coronavirus stay-at-home order.”
In a separate story, Byrne noted: “With desperate Chicago restaurants set to be allowed to host outdoor diners within weeks under the next phase of (the mayor’s) coronavirus reopening plan, city officials are still trying to come up with a process so many of them can legally do so.”
Though Lightfoot has said she expects Chicago to enter the next step of reopening in early June, she has not yet announced a date. "Her guidelines follow Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s release of statewide guidelines as the rest of the state outside Chicago is on pace to advance to phase three on Friday. Lightfoot has the authority to set stricter rules for Chicago than Pritzker’s statewide framework, but she can’t enact looser ones.
“Not included in the plan Lightfoot’s administration released late Tuesday are guidelines for reopening sporting events, bars, religious services, outdoor performances, summer programs and youth activities, the lakefront and museums. Those standards ‘will be available later in phase three when those entities are predicted to begin reopening,’ according to the release,” Byrne and Petrella note.
Meanwhile, Lightfoot’s administration is planning to create several blocks of shared streets on the North and Northwest sides to give people more room to walk and bike while social distancing, according to published reports.
The stretches of roadway identified are Cortland Avenue from Ridgeway Avenue to Rockwell Avenue in the Logan Square neighborhood; Glenwood Avenue from Carmen Avenue to Devon Avenue, which runs through Edgewater and Uptown; Leland Avenue from Lincoln Avenue to Sheridan Road in Lincoln Square and Uptown; Palmer Street from Long Avenue to Kedzie Boulevard, in Hanson Park and Logan Square; Roscoe Street between Narragansett Avenue and Long Avenue, at the border of Portage Park and Belmont Cragin; and Wood Street from Cortland Street to North Avenue, in Bucktown.
The city’s plan was first reported by the transit website Streetsblog Chicago. It was reported second by Block Club. Read the Tribune’s story here.
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This storefront in Britt, Iowa, shown on April 10, 2018, is the listed address for Hobo K-9 Rescue in public records, but a sign on the door identifies it only as the for-profit J.A.K.'S Puppies. An employee told reporters no dogs are kept in the office. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
"A Chicago alderman is trying to close a loophole in the city’s anti-puppy mill ordinance that has allowed some pet shops to sell pricey designer dogs from sham rescues tied to commercial dealers, a furtive practice exposed by a Tribune investigation.
"Under a revamped ordinance introduced earlier this month by North Side Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd, stores only would be permitted to sell shelter dogs at a nominal fee. The price restrictions would make it harder for brokers and breeders to exploit the law, as some have done in recent years.
“'I do have to give them credit for creativity,' Hopkins told the Tribune. ‘In hindsight, of course, there’s so much profit to be made and there’s so many people involved in this shady industry, they were not going to go away quietly.’
"Chicago was among the first major cities in the country to pass a law that permitted pet shops to sell dogs only if they were obtained from government pounds, humane societies or rescue shelters.
“The law went into effect in 2015 with the aim to prevent businesses from sourcing dogs from so-called puppy mills, large-scale breeding facilities often criticized for poor conditions and mistreatment of the mother dogs. Another goal of the city law was to reduce the number of euthanized shelter dogs.” Read the rest of the story from Christy Gutowski and Stacy St. Clair here.
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People gather and pray around a makeshift memorial on May 27, 2020, in Minneapolis, near the site where George Floyd was taken into police custody on Monday and later died. (Jim Mone/AP)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday weighed in on the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis after a white police officer knelt on his neck, and a racially charged incident in New York City’s Central Park where a white woman called the police on a black man after he asked her to leash her dog.
“Events that echo what we have seen happen to too many people, too many times in too many places, and yet we as people have not yet found the humanity to stop these vile, horrid acts from happening, to truly contend with the racism that permeates our society, and then to root it out,” Pritzker said at his daily news briefing on Wednesday, in East St. Louis. “As a white elected official, I feel a special responsibility to speak out today and to own the obligation that I have to shape public policy in a more equitable direction. Being black in America cannot be a death sentence, but it is. In some ways, it is. And it’s dangerous to pretend otherwise. We must actually do something to change that reality, to make it so men like George Floyd are not killed on a street corner, gasping for air in broad daylight.”
Pritzker said the investigation into Floyd’s death “requires all possible accountability and transparency.”
“This moment must become a call to action for Illinoisans, for Americans, to see the humanity in every person no matter their race, their religion, their socioeconomic status or their sexual orientation,” Pritzker said. “To George Floyd, to his family, may his memory be for a blessing.” — (Jamie Munks)
More about the George Floyd story here.
The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus surpassed 100,000 on Wednesday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
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This news came as Illinois officials on Wednesday announced 1,111 new known cases of COVID-19 and 160 additional deaths, pushing the statewide known case count to 114,306 total cases since the pandemic began. The statewide death toll now stands at 5,083.
In ‘grim milestone,’ Cook County medical examiner’s office tops 2019 caseload with more than 6,600 cases this year — over half from the coronavirus: The toll of Cook County’s death investigations during the first five months of 2020 already has surpassed last year’s total medical examiner’s caseload as the region continues to fight the deadly coronavirus, officials announced on Wednesday.
From the start of the year until now, the Cook County medical examiner’s office has ruled on more than 6,600 deaths, over half of whom were COVID-19 patients, board President Toni Preckwinkle said in a Wednesday news conference. Read the rest of the story from Alice Yin here.
State Comptroller Susana Mendoza talks with colleagues before the governor's budget address to a joint session of the Illinois House and Senate, at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on Feb. 19, 2020. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Seeking to put to rest a Republican talking point about the $40 billion state spending plan lawmakers approved over Memorial Day weekend, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza released a video Wednesday making clear that legislators won’t be getting raises in the budget year that begins July 1.
As debate over the budget stretched into the early morning hours Sunday, some Republicans in the Illinois House and Senate objected to the fact that the legislation didn’t include language blocking the automatic cost-of-living raises they’re granted in state law. The conservative Illinois Policy Institute also publicized that fact while lawmakers spent their special session cobbling together a plan for a budget decimated by the coronavirus pandemic.
While it’s true that no such language was included, the budget lawmakers approved would not provide any money to cover the cost of those raises, which means they won’t be paid, according to Mendoza, a Chicago Democrat whose job includes writing lawmakers’ paychecks.
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“Some state legislators seem to think they’ll be getting a pay raise this year,” Mendoza says in the minute-long video. “The answer is: No, they won’t.
“Here’s how much money the General Assembly appropriated for legislator raises … in this year’s budget: zero.
“Which means, here’s how much more money I will be putting in their paychecks this year: zero.”
Mendoza’s office is the defendant in an ongoing lawsuit from two former Democratic state senators over past budgets that did block the cost-of-living raises. Democrats cited that case as the reason similar language was left out this time.
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chicagotribune--2020-05-27--Oak Park man pleads guilty in shooting death of Glendale Heights man at DuPage County recording stud

Oak Park man pleads guilty in shooting death of Glendale Heights man at DuPage County recording studio, authorities say

Authorities said the shooting took place June 3 , 2018 , at a basement recording studio in the 24W700 block @ @ @ @ @ unincorporated area of the county near Roselle .
The victim , Sanchez Townes-Elliot , 27 @ @ @ @ @ , displayed a handgun but was not threatening anyone , authorities said .
But an @ @ @ @ @ said the presence of the gun made her uncomfortable .

An Oak Park man pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder in the shooting death of another man two years ago during an altercation at a recording studio near Roselle, DuPage County authorities said.
Owen Reneau, 32, entered the plea in front of Judge Brian Telander at the DuPage County courthouse in Wheaton. Reneau is scheduled to be sentenced June 24, according to a news release from the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office.
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Owen Reneau. (DuPage County Sheriff's Office: Arrest does not imply guilt, and criminal charges are merely accusations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty and convicted.)
Authorities said the shooting took place June 3, 2018, at a basement recording studio in the 24W700 block of Lake Street in an unincorporated area of the county near Roselle. The victim, Sanchez Townes-Elliot, 27, who was producing music, displayed a handgun but was not threatening anyone, authorities said. But an acquaintance of Reneau’s said the presence of the gun made her uncomfortable.
After Townes-Elliot put the gun on a table, Reneau picked it up, and an altercation began between the two men. Reneau shot Townes-Elliot and then fled from the recording studio, authorities said.
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Reneau was located several weeks later at a relative’s home near Baltimore, Maryland. He was extradited back to DuPage County and has been in the county jail on $5 million bail since.