chicagotribune--2020-08-18--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Aug. 17, 2020

The Metro East region outside St. Louis on Tuesday becomes the first in Illinois to be put back under stricter rules meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 after surpassing a state positivity rate threshold .
The step backward in reopening in the Metro East comes as the state on Monday reported 1,773 newly confirmed coronavirus cases and 12 deaths of people with COVID-19 .
The state has now logged 207,854 cases overall , and has reported 7,756 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic Meanwhile , five Chicago restaurants and bars were closed down over the weekend after investigators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Business Affairs and Consumer Protection found them to be in violation of reopening requirements .
All of the businesses were closed for one night .
8:55 p.m. : Schools begin a new year , many with remote learning and a different feel due to impact of coronavirus Arya Jennens was looking forward to meeting other students on her first day of high school Monday .
That became impossible when Evanston Township High School canceled in-person classes in favor of remote learning due to the coronavirus .
School officials tried to make the best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for small groups to introduce themselves .
Arya described herself as a cross-country runner , with two turtles and a dog , whose favorite color is purple .
“ It ’ s a little awkward to try to get to know your classmates , so freshman year it ’ s going to be a lot more difficult than if we were in person , ” she said .
“ People just aren ’ t very comfortable talking on camera.
” Thousands of school kids across Illinois have begun sharing the experience of returning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attending in person .
Not all Illinois public school students were back in class by Monday .
Most Chicago-area schools will be starting in the days ahead — and in the case of Chicago Public Schools , on Sept. 8 .
7:25 p.m. : Bears announce they currently are not planning to have fans at games at Soldier Field this season The Chicago Bears are not planning to have fans at games at Soldier Field this season because of concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic , the team announced Monday .
After discussing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bears and the city agreed that health data showed it is not safe to host fans at games as of now .
The Bears will put a plan in place “ once it is deemed safe and appropriate , ” according to the statement .
The Bears open their season on the road against the Detroit Lions on Sept. 13 , and their home opener is scheduled for Sept. 20 at noon .
The Chicago Fire Department has temporarily suspended training at the Quinn Fire Academy after multiple cases of coronavirus were reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not specify the number of people who tested positive .
“ The health and safety of Chicago ’ s firefighters , paramedics and recruits are our utmost priority , ” Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said in a statement .
The department plans to clean and disinfect the facility , including all work areas and equipment used .
The current class of recruits will continue to train via remote learning , Langford added .
Those who tested positive for COVID-19 will remain in isolation and close contacts of those affected will quarantine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last-minute Illinois ballot requests may not be turned around fast enough to be counted The U.S .
Postal Service has warned Illinois state election officials that there ’ s a “ significant risk ” voters who make late requests for mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 election won ’ t get them in time to be counted .
Election authorities said the timing issue is not new and that voters who want a mail-in ballot have always been urged not to wait until the final days before an election to make their request @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Postal Service notice of “ delivery standards ” and recommendations could be an attempt by the agency to inoculate itself from criticism if ballots are late arriving and can ’ t be counted .
The Postal Service ’ s warnings to states , along with concerns about equipment changes , cuts to overtime and the speed of mail delivery , prompted U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to call the chamber into session this week to consider legislation to return postal operations to the status quo .
5:50 p.m. : Wilmette boys nurture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neighbor during COVID-19 pandemic : ‘ You ’ ve got to let stuff grow ’ When Wilmette resident Barbara Offenberg gifted a few hosta plants to a neighbor earlier this summer , the conversation between the 81-year-old master gardener and the young mother who lives across the street was overheard by two curious 11-year-old boys .
With the COVID-19 pandemic scuttling their summer youth baseball team , and now with plenty of free time on their hands , rising sixth graders Evan Rick and Jensen Knox wandered over to Offenberg ’ s house @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ How can we start a garden ?
” Two months later , Evan and Jensen are nurturing a flourishing perennial garden along with a growing friendship with their octogenarian neighbor , who they call Barb .
“ I was very much surprised , because at their age , most boys are interested in video games , not starting a garden , ” said Offenberg , a retired church office manager .
“ When they asked me for help in starting a garden , I thought , ‘ Oh my gosh ... these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just couldn ’ t be anything better than this , ” Offenberg said .
4:15 p.m. : Illinois orders stricter rules for bars in Metro East area outside St. Louis in effort to slow surge in COVID-19 positivity rate The Metro East region outside St. Louis on Tuesday becomes the first in Illinois to be put back under stricter rules meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 after surpassing a state positivity rate threshold .
The step backwards in reopening in the Metro East comes as the state on Monday reported 1,773 newly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people with COVID-19 .
The statewide totals now stand at 207,854 known cases and 7,756 deaths throughout the course of the pandemic .
The restrictions that take effect in the Metro East region on Tuesday include an 11 p.m. closing time for bars , capping gathering sizes at the lesser of 25 people or 25 % of a room ’ s capacity and a requirement for no seating or congregating at a bar .
Five businesses were closed down over the weekend after investigators from the City of Chicago ’ s department of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be in violation of reopening requirements .
3:47 p.m. : What you need to know about heading back to school , from pre-K to college Much like everything else , back-to-school has a very different feeling in 2020 .
The excitement about starting a new school year has been overshadowed by changes and restrictions prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic .
From remote learning to gap years and everything in between , our 2020 back-to-school guide will help you navigate this unprecedented return to school .
1:52 p.m. : Little Beans Cafe closes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ play space afloat .
‘ We need this to work.
’ With more and more schools starting the year with virtual learning , working parent-friendly child care has never been more in demand .
That should be good news for Little Beans Cafe , which Shannon Valko launched a decade ago after making the rounds of kids ’ play spaces with her oldest child and failing to find one that didn ’ t make parents feel like an afterthought — especially working parents .
But now , restrictions designed to prevent the spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much that Valko said she and her brother Rob Spengler , Little Beans Cafe ’ s co-owner , have no choice but to close the North Side play space where Little Beans Cafe began in hopes of keeping their second site , in Evanston , afloat .
“ We want to get to the other side of this because it ’ s so important for families , ” said Valko , who has never been more worried for kid-oriented businesses like hers — even competitors .
“ It would be a shame to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ If everything fun for kids ends , why raise kids in the city ?
” At Little Beans Cafe , kids can take classes or explore a child-size village with a grocery store and firehouse , or play with blocks , puzzles and ride-on cars .
Parents can join in or get work done in the cafe .
In March , when Little Beans Cafe decided to close for two weeks as a precaution , staff members cracked open Coronas and told each other it would be a well-deserved break @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be the last time she saw kids playing in the Chicago location she considers Little Beans Cafe ’ s “ heart and soul.
” An overwhelming majority of unionized instructors , clerical workers and adjunct faculty at the City Colleges of Chicago have issued a vote of no confidence in the school ’ s administration , contending its plan to keep some facilities open during the coronavirus pandemic is misguided .
Tony Johnston , president of the Cook County College Teachers Union , said Monday that 96 percent of his members and those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and technical employees , said they had no confidence in the leadership of Chancellor Juan Salgado .
Though largely symbolic , the vote marked the first time since 2015 that faculty members sent this forceful of a message to leaders of the city ’ s seven-campus community college network .
Among many issues , the unions object to the need for some college advisors and support staff to work in person at campus buildings , which began Aug. 3 .
`` We are here again today to urge the City Colleges administration to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and more importantly , halt the reopening of the City Colleges to our students and our communities , '' Johnston said .
A spokeswoman for City Colleges said only a limited number of in-person services are being offered during the peak enrollment period and the school ’ s operational plan has been approved by public health experts .
Classes , about 80 percent of which are virtual , begin Aug. 24 .
“ This is an unprecedented time , and we share our unions ’ concerns for the health and safety of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and community , ” spokeswoman Katheryn Hayes said in an emailed statement .
After Aug. 21 , when the busiest enrollment period has ended , all student services will revert to remote delivery , though computer labs and some in-person tutoring will remain available , according to CCC .
College buildings will also be open as study spaces and for technology and Internet needs .
But right now , Local 1708 President Delores Withers said the network ’ s safety precautions are inadequate .
Withers said the installment of plexiglass barriers is sporadic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purchase face shields for staff interacting with students .
About 96 percent of adjunct faculty and adult education instructors also voted for no confidence in Salgado , according to their unions .
12:50 p.m. : At virtual Democratic convention , Lightfoot says Trump is mounting ‘ full-out assault ’ on Postal Service , election and democracy Mayor Lori Lightfoot cast President Donald Trump and Republicans as “ enemies of democracy ” who are mounting a “ full-out assault ” on the integrity of the November election by undermining the U.S .
Postal Service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to vote by mail amid a pandemic .
Lightfoot made the comments Monday morning during a virtual round table discussion at the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee focused on protecting the right to vote this fall .
“ Every day the importance of this fall ’ s election grows and grows , and every day unfortunately , we see increasing evidence that this administration is mounting a full out assault on every pillar of our democracy , including the integrity of our elections , ” Lightfoot said .
“ This is real folks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s not a conspiracy theory.
” The former federal prosecutor then went on to hammer the Trump administration and Republicans for draconian cuts at the Postal Service that have disrupted the delivery of mail in recent days .
12:45 p.m. : Why is it deemed safe to play high school football in Ohio — but not in the Big Ten ?
The Ohio High School Athletic Association ’ s plan for high school football calls for a modified schedule — six games with every team making the playoffs .
Every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they can spread out on the sidelines by watching from the 15-yard line .
Practices have less physical contact .
And games essentially have eight quarters because there ’ s a two-minute mini-break built in , the idea being linemen should not breathe on each other for such extended periods .
Are all the players being tested for COVID-19 ?
Nope .
That is deemed too expensive .
Contrast all that with the Big Ten Conference , a financial behemoth where Ohio State , Michigan , Penn State and Wisconsin combined to produce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018-19 .
And sticking with college football , how come Iowa State has not canceled football but Iowa has ?
Why is Notre Dame practicing but not Purdue ?
It ’ s no wonder parents are seeking answers , and many players want the Big Ten ’ s decision to be overturned .
9:30 a.m. : Edie ’ s Cafe opens today , bringing a new working space and cafe to River North , a rarity these days During a time when public gathering areas are at a premium , a new restaurant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such space in the Wells Street corridor .
Edie ’ s All Day Cafe and Bar opens Monday in the former Limitless Coffee space on Wells Street in River North .
The project comes in part from Limitless founder Matt Matros , who approached co-founder Arturo Gomez about helping Matros convert one of his existing storefront locations to something different .
The result is an all-day cafe that follows COVID-19 safety protocols .
Edie ’ s boasts a 55-seat outdoor patio , plus indoor seating for up to 30 socially dstanced patrons .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ featuring brunch and snacks , plus a beverage program that includes beer , wine and cocktails , plus Matros ’ coffee .
When the 2020 Democratic National Convention gets underway Monday , no delegates will be traveling to Milwaukee Wisconsin for it , with the coronavirus pandemic still coursing through the country .
Neither will any of the speakers .
Not even Joe Biden will accept the party ’ s nomination in the key swing state ’ s largest city .
6:30 a.m. : Coronavirus brings unlikely classroom : A 56-story apartment tower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Streeterville neighborhood plans to convert some of its office space to small classrooms , betting that frazzled families will seek space outside the home to conduct remote learning amid the coronavirus pandemic .
The 490-unit Optima Signature , a skyscraper at 220 E. Illinois St. known for its bright red lower levels , is no ordinary schoolhouse .
Yet with many parents working from home since March amid COVID-19 , and with many schools planning to conduct classes virtually this fall , the building ’ s owner believes there will be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic pods ” and “ micro-schools ” allow small groups of kids from close-knit families to study together in person with a teacher , tutor or parent .
Widespread closures of schools and day cares has left Chicago-area workers and employers scrambling for solutions .
Glencoe-based architecture and development firm Optima , which completed the Streeterville high-rise in 2017 , last week began marketing four of its 25 office suites for educational purposes .
6:15 a.m. : Can little kids really social distance ?
Lessons from child care centers that have stayed open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might not work in schools Earlier this summer , when Chicago Public Schools still planned to reopen in September , Chicago ’ s top public health official said even elementary-age children are capable of following measures to fight the spread of COVID-19 , such as social distancing and wearing face masks .
“ I have nieces and nephews this age , and when you model this behavior for children and set it as an expectation , they actually do very well with it in my experience , ” Dr. Allison Arwady , commissioner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department , said at a July news conference .
Some parents and teachers — otherwise the biggest believers in their kids and students — were less optimistic .
They said social distancing goes against the very nature of very young children .
Although CPS has since reverted to all remote learning at least until November , the decision will undoubtedly send more Chicago children into day care or other group settings , and many private and suburban schools still intend to open their doors .
CPS leaders have also said it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is developed and completely rolled out .
So the question still remains : Even if kids sometimes slip up in following public health guidelines , how can we keep them safe ?
Here are three stories from the weekend about COVID-19 .
Facing a no-visitor hospital policy due to coronavirus , a Lakeview woman begs to see her terminally ill husband .
House Democrats summoned USPS leaders to testify this month about mail delays across the country .
Illinois puts 14 counties on COVID-19 warning list , blames local officials for failing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @

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Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
The Metro East region outside St. Louis on Tuesday becomes the first in Illinois to be put back under stricter rules meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 after surpassing a state positivity rate threshold.
The step backward in reopening in the Metro East comes as the state on Monday reported 1,773 newly confirmed coronavirus cases and 12 deaths of people with COVID-19. The state has now logged 207,854 cases overall, and has reported 7,756 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic
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Meanwhile, five Chicago restaurants and bars were closed down over the weekend after investigators from the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection found them to be in violation of reopening requirements. All of the businesses were closed for one night.
Here’s what’s happening Monday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
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8:55 p.m.: Schools begin a new year, many with remote learning and a different feel due to impact of coronavirus
Arya Jennens was looking forward to meeting other students on her first day of high school Monday. That became impossible when Evanston Township High School canceled in-person classes in favor of remote learning due to the coronavirus.
School officials tried to make the best of it by holding breakout Zoom meetings for small groups to introduce themselves. Arya described herself as a cross-country runner, with two turtles and a dog, whose favorite color is purple.
“It’s a little awkward to try to get to know your classmates, so freshman year it’s going to be a lot more difficult than if we were in person,” she said. “People just aren’t very comfortable talking on camera.”
Thousands of school kids across Illinois have begun sharing the experience of returning to school remotely, though some are attending in person. Not all Illinois public school students were back in class by Monday. Most Chicago-area schools will be starting in the days ahead — and in the case of Chicago Public Schools, on Sept. 8.
Read more here. —Robert McCoppin, Kelli Smith and Karen Ann Cullotta
7:25 p.m.: Bears announce they currently are not planning to have fans at games at Soldier Field this season
The Chicago Bears are not planning to have fans at games at Soldier Field this season because of concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, the team announced Monday.
After discussing a plan with Chicago health officials, the Bears and the city agreed that health data showed it is not safe to host fans at games as of now. The Bears will put a plan in place “once it is deemed safe and appropriate,” according to the statement.
The Bears open their season on the road against the Detroit Lions on Sept. 13, and their home opener is scheduled for Sept. 20 at noon.
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Read more here. —Colleen Kane
6:48 p.m.: Multiple COVID-19 cases reported at Chicago fire academy
The Chicago Fire Department has temporarily suspended training at the Quinn Fire Academy after multiple cases of coronavirus were reported, according to the department. It did not specify the number of people who tested positive.
“The health and safety of Chicago’s firefighters, paramedics and recruits are our utmost priority,” Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said in a statement. The department plans to clean and disinfect the facility, including all work areas and equipment used.
The current class of recruits will continue to train via remote learning, Langford added. Those who tested positive for COVID-19 will remain in isolation and close contacts of those affected will quarantine.
No individuals who have tested positive have required hospitalization, according to the Fire Department.
—Jessica Villagomez
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6 p.m.: Postal Service warns last-minute Illinois ballot requests may not be turned around fast enough to be counted
The U.S. Postal Service has warned Illinois state election officials that there’s a “significant risk” voters who make late requests for mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 election won’t get them in time to be counted.
Election authorities said the timing issue is not new and that voters who want a mail-in ballot have always been urged not to wait until the final days before an election to make their request.
But some privately expressed concerns that the Postal Service notice of “delivery standards” and recommendations could be an attempt by the agency to inoculate itself from criticism if ballots are late arriving and can’t be counted.
The Postal Service’s warnings to states, along with concerns about equipment changes, cuts to overtime and the speed of mail delivery, prompted U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to call the chamber into session this week to consider legislation to return postal operations to the status quo.
Read more here. —Rick Pearson
5:50 p.m.: Wilmette boys nurture garden, and friendship, with 81-year-old neighbor during COVID-19 pandemic: ‘You’ve got to let stuff grow’
When Wilmette resident Barbara Offenberg gifted a few hosta plants to a neighbor earlier this summer, the conversation between the 81-year-old master gardener and the young mother who lives across the street was overheard by two curious 11-year-old boys.
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With the COVID-19 pandemic scuttling their summer youth baseball team, and now with plenty of free time on their hands, rising sixth graders Evan Rick and Jensen Knox wandered over to Offenberg’s house later that afternoon and politely inquired, “How can we start a garden?”
Two months later, Evan and Jensen are nurturing a flourishing perennial garden along with a growing friendship with their octogenarian neighbor, who they call Barb.
“I was very much surprised, because at their age, most boys are interested in video games, not starting a garden,” said Offenberg, a retired church office manager.
“When they asked me for help in starting a garden, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh ... these boys are so polite!’ There just couldn’t be anything better than this,” Offenberg said.
Before long, Evan, Jensen, and Evan’s 7-year-old brother, Owen, trundled over to Offenberg’s backyard, pulling a red wagon loaded with gardening tools, and anxious to start digging.
Read more here. —Karen Ann Cullotta
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4:15 p.m.: Illinois orders stricter rules for bars in Metro East area outside St. Louis in effort to slow surge in COVID-19 positivity rate
The Metro East region outside St. Louis on Tuesday becomes the first in Illinois to be put back under stricter rules meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 after surpassing a state positivity rate threshold.
The step backwards in reopening in the Metro East comes as the state on Monday reported 1,773 newly confirmed coronavirus cases and 12 deaths of people with COVID-19.
The statewide totals now stand at 207,854 known cases and 7,756 deaths throughout the course of the pandemic.
The restrictions that take effect in the Metro East region on Tuesday include an 11 p.m. closing time for bars, capping gathering sizes at the lesser of 25 people or 25% of a room’s capacity and a requirement for no seating or congregating at a bar.
Read more here. —Jamie Munks
4:13 p.m.: Chicago closes 5 more restaurants and bars for COVID-19 guideline violations
Five businesses were closed down over the weekend after investigators from the City of Chicago’s department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection found them to be in violation of reopening requirements.
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Barba Yianni (4761 N. Lincoln Ave.) was closed and issued two citations for having more than 80 people inside, operating after midnight, and violating social distancing and face covering guidelines
Juanita’s Restaurant #2 (6539-6541 W. 63rd St.) was closed and issued two citations for having more than 70 people inside, operating after midnight, and violating social distancing and masking guidelines
Retro Cafe and Restaurant (3246 N. Central Ave.) was closed and issued two citations for operating after midnight and violating social distancing and masking guidelines
La Estrella Blanca Nightclub (3049 N. Cicero Ave.) was closed and issued two citations for allowing guests to drink alcohol inside without a retail food license and for violating masking guidelines
Second Time Around (8303 W. Irving Park Road) was closed and issued two citations for operating after midnight
All of the businesses were closed for one night.
Read more here. —Grace Wong
3:47 p.m.: What you need to know about heading back to school, from pre-K to college
Much like everything else, back-to-school has a very different feeling in 2020. The excitement about starting a new school year has been overshadowed by changes and restrictions prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. From remote learning to gap years and everything in between, our 2020 back-to-school guide will help you navigate this unprecedented return to school.
—Chicago Tribune staff
1:52 p.m.: Little Beans Cafe closes Chicago location in hopes of keeping Evanston play space afloat. ‘We need this to work.’
With more and more schools starting the year with virtual learning, working parent-friendly child care has never been more in demand.
That should be good news for Little Beans Cafe, which Shannon Valko launched a decade ago after making the rounds of kids’ play spaces with her oldest child and failing to find one that didn’t make parents feel like an afterthought — especially working parents.
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But now, restrictions designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have limited their business so much that Valko said she and her brother Rob Spengler, Little Beans Cafe’s co-owner, have no choice but to close the North Side play space where Little Beans Cafe began in hopes of keeping their second site, in Evanston, afloat.
“We want to get to the other side of this because it’s so important for families,” said Valko, who has never been more worried for kid-oriented businesses like hers — even competitors.
“It would be a shame to see us all leave,” she said. “If everything fun for kids ends, why raise kids in the city?”
At Little Beans Cafe, kids can take classes or explore a child-size village with a grocery store and firehouse, or play with blocks, puzzles and ride-on cars. Parents can join in or get work done in the cafe.
In March, when Little Beans Cafe decided to close for two weeks as a precaution, staff members cracked open Coronas and told each other it would be a well-deserved break. Valko had no idea it would be the last time she saw kids playing in the Chicago location she considers Little Beans Cafe’s “heart and soul.”
Read more here. —Lauren Zumbach
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1:15 p.m.: Staff, instructors at City Colleges of Chicago vote no confidence
An overwhelming majority of unionized instructors, clerical workers and adjunct faculty at the City Colleges of Chicago have issued a vote of no confidence in the school’s administration, contending its plan to keep some facilities open during the coronavirus pandemic is misguided.
Tony Johnston, president of the Cook County College Teachers Union, said Monday that 96 percent of his members and those of Local 1708, which represents clerical and technical employees, said they had no confidence in the leadership of Chancellor Juan Salgado.
Though largely symbolic, the vote marked the first time since 2015 that faculty members sent this forceful of a message to leaders of the city’s seven-campus community college network. Among many issues, the unions object to the need for some college advisors and support staff to work in person at campus buildings, which began Aug. 3.
"We are here again today to urge the City Colleges administration to return to full remote student support immediately, and more importantly, halt the reopening of the City Colleges to our students and our communities," Johnston said.
A spokeswoman for City Colleges said only a limited number of in-person services are being offered during the peak enrollment period and the school’s operational plan has been approved by public health experts. Classes, about 80 percent of which are virtual, begin Aug. 24.
“This is an unprecedented time, and we share our unions’ concerns for the health and safety of our staff, faculty, students, and community,” spokeswoman Katheryn Hayes said in an emailed statement.
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After Aug. 21, when the busiest enrollment period has ended, all student services will revert to remote delivery, though computer labs and some in-person tutoring will remain available, according to CCC. College buildings will also be open as study spaces and for technology and Internet needs.
But right now, Local 1708 President Delores Withers said the network’s safety precautions are inadequate. Withers said the installment of plexiglass barriers is sporadic and the administration has denied requests to purchase face shields for staff interacting with students.
About 96 percent of adjunct faculty and adult education instructors also voted for no confidence in Salgado, according to their unions.
—Elyssa Cherney
12:50 p.m.: At virtual Democratic convention, Lightfoot says Trump is mounting ‘full-out assault’ on Postal Service, election and democracy
Mayor Lori Lightfoot cast President Donald Trump and Republicans as “enemies of democracy” who are mounting a “full-out assault” on the integrity of the November election by undermining the U.S. Postal Service and making it more difficult for people to vote by mail amid a pandemic.
Lightfoot made the comments Monday morning during a virtual round table discussion at the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee focused on protecting the right to vote this fall.
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“Every day the importance of this fall’s election grows and grows, and every day unfortunately, we see increasing evidence that this administration is mounting a full out assault on every pillar of our democracy, including the integrity of our elections,” Lightfoot said. “This is real folks. It’s not an exaggeration. It’s not a conspiracy theory.”
The former federal prosecutor then went on to hammer the Trump administration and Republicans for draconian cuts at the Postal Service that have disrupted the delivery of mail in recent days.
Read more here. —Bill Ruthhart
12:45 p.m.: Why is it deemed safe to play high school football in Ohio — but not in the Big Ten?
The Ohio High School Athletic Association’s plan for high school football calls for a modified schedule — six games with every team making the playoffs. Every player has his own water bottle and they can spread out on the sidelines by watching from the 15-yard line. Practices have less physical contact. And games essentially have eight quarters because there’s a two-minute mini-break built in, the idea being linemen should not breathe on each other for such extended periods.
Are all the players being tested for COVID-19? Nope. That is deemed too expensive.
Contrast all that with the Big Ten Conference, a financial behemoth where Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin combined to produce $427 million in football revenues in 2018-19.
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Wait, which is the group that’s not playing in 2020?
And sticking with college football, how come Iowa State has not canceled football but Iowa has? Why is Notre Dame practicing but not Purdue?
It’s no wonder parents are seeking answers, and many players want the Big Ten’s decision to be overturned.
Read more here. —Teddy Greenstein
9:30 a.m.: Edie’s Cafe opens today, bringing a new working space and cafe to River North, a rarity these days
During a time when public gathering areas are at a premium, a new restaurant is trying to restore at least one such space in the Wells Street corridor.
Edie’s All Day Cafe and Bar opens Monday in the former Limitless Coffee space on Wells Street in River North. The project comes in part from Limitless founder Matt Matros, who approached co-founder Arturo Gomez about helping Matros convert one of his existing storefront locations to something different.
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The result is an all-day cafe that follows COVID-19 safety protocols. Edie’s boasts a 55-seat outdoor patio, plus indoor seating for up to 30 socially dstanced patrons. The space boasts a flexible daytime menu featuring brunch and snacks, plus a beverage program that includes beer, wine and cocktails, plus Matros’ coffee.
Read more here. —Adam Lukach
6:40 a.m.: For Illinois delegates, a ‘totally bizarre’ Democratic convention from the couch
When the 2020 Democratic National Convention gets underway Monday, no delegates will be traveling to Milwaukee Wisconsin for it, with the coronavirus pandemic still coursing through the country. Neither will any of the speakers. Not even Joe Biden will accept the party’s nomination in the key swing state’s largest city.
Instead, virtually all of the convention will be held remotely — four nights of solely -for-TV festivities, capped by Biden’s speech on Thursday night.
For the 182 Illinois delegates and 13 alternates, the social event will be attempted virtually by the state party on a nightly basis before the two-hour national prime-time festivities. There will be no raucous nightly parties, no lunches paid for by special interest groups and no morning breakfast rallies where guest speakers and surrogates from the national campaign aim to put the state’s delegates in a rallying mood.
Read more here. —Bill Ruthhart, Rick Pearson
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6:30 a.m.: Coronavirus brings unlikely classroom: A 56-story apartment tower in Streeterville
A 56-story apartment tower in the Streeterville neighborhood plans to convert some of its office space to small classrooms, betting that frazzled families will seek space outside the home to conduct remote learning amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The 490-unit Optima Signature, a skyscraper at 220 E. Illinois St. known for its bright red lower levels, is no ordinary schoolhouse.
Yet with many parents working from home since March amid COVID-19, and with many schools planning to conduct classes virtually this fall, the building’s owner believes there will be a demand for learning pods. So-called “pandemic pods” and “micro-schools” allow small groups of kids from close-knit families to study together in person with a teacher, tutor or parent.
Widespread closures of schools and day cares has left Chicago-area workers and employers scrambling for solutions.
Glencoe-based architecture and development firm Optima, which completed the Streeterville high-rise in 2017, last week began marketing four of its 25 office suites for educational purposes.
Read more here. —Ryan Ori
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6:15 a.m.: Can little kids really social distance? Lessons from child care centers that have stayed open during the pandemic, and why it might not work in schools
Earlier this summer, when Chicago Public Schools still planned to reopen in September, Chicago’s top public health official said even elementary-age children are capable of following measures to fight the spread of COVID-19, such as social distancing and wearing face masks.
“I have nieces and nephews this age, and when you model this behavior for children and set it as an expectation, they actually do very well with it in my experience,” Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the city’s Public Health Department, said at a July news conference.
Some parents and teachers — otherwise the biggest believers in their kids and students — were less optimistic. They said social distancing goes against the very nature of very young children.
Although CPS has since reverted to all remote learning at least until November, the decision will undoubtedly send more Chicago children into day care or other group settings, and many private and suburban schools still intend to open their doors. CPS leaders have also said it’s likely schools will reopen before a vaccine is developed and completely rolled out.
So the question still remains: Even if kids sometimes slip up in following public health guidelines, how can we keep them safe?
Read more here. —Claire Hao
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Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
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chicagotribune--2020-08-20--Daywatch: Barack Obama says Trump uses presidency like ‘reality show,’ the path toward a COVID-19 va

Daywatch: Barack Obama says Trump uses presidency like ‘reality show,’ the path toward a COVID-19 vaccine and why Chicago won’t get the new Girl Scout cookie

Of the 72 high schools in the Chicago Public Schools system that had police last year , 17 voted to @ @ @ @ @ came after a longtime movement by youth in Chicago , primarily led by Black student @ @ @ @ @ organizing to get police out of schools .
Yet only seven of the schools that @ @ @ @ @ Avenue , and only three have student bodies that are at least 35 % Black @

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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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The Illinois Department of Public Health on Wednesday announced 2,295 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus, the highest daily case tally since the end of May
COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital data in your area
Illinois’ new COVID-19 plan: Here’s how the state will manage any outbreaks, in 3 charts
In this image from video, former President Barack Obama speaks during the third night of the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. (AP)
Former President Barack Obama delivered an unsparing attack on President Donald Trump at the virtual Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night, accusing his successor of using the nation’s highest office to help himself and his friends, and treating the presidency like a “reality show” to get “the attention he craves.”
Speaking from the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia under the convention night’s theme of “A more perfect union,” Obama accused Trump of failing to take the job seriously, resulting in a massive death toll due to the pandemic, job and economic losses, and a diminished U.S. standing around the world.
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On night 3 of DNC, Kamala Harris accepts VP nomination as Democrats pound their message: To oust Trump, you must vote
Illinois Democrats promote racial, social justice at DNC but face divisions on role of policing
Jeffrey Hubbell in his lab at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at University of Chicago, Aug, 12, 2020. He specializes in bioengineering and is involved in early-stage vaccine development. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
The U.S. battle with COVID-19 has left people pining for a big fix, with much attention centered on one great hope: an effective, widely available vaccine that would allow them to again embrace friends, go back to work and ditch that lurking feeling of dread.
Devising a vaccine is a complex, multistep process that typically takes at least five years and sometimes a decade or more. In some cases, the efforts never succeed. Yet, scientists have great expectations this time around.
FDA approves U. of I.‘s ‘potentially game-changing’ COVID-19 saliva test
Roberto Clemente Community Academy Principal Fernando Mojica is flanked by Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson, left, and Mayor Lori Lightfoot at they discuss reforms to school police programs during a news conference at City Hall. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Of the 72 high schools in the Chicago Public Schools system that had police last year, 17 voted to remove them. The votes came after a longtime movement by youth in Chicago, primarily led by Black student activists, who have been organizing to get police out of schools. Yet only seven of the schools that succeeded are south of Madison Avenue, and only three have student bodies that are at least 35% Black.
“The students that need it most did not get the vote that they needed,” said Mya Cavner, a rising senior at Whitney Young Magnet High.
Police in Chicago Public Schools will get more training and oversight in reforms announced by Mayor Lori Lightfoot
Police block the street leading to Mayor Lori Lightfoot's Logan Square home while protesters rally on July 23, 2020. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
The Chicago Police Department has effectively banned protesters from demonstrating on Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s block in the Logan Square neighborhood, ordering officers to arrest anyone who refuses to leave, the Tribune has learned.
Protesters allege rampant physical and verbal abuse by Chicago police at recent demonstrations
Toast-yay! girl scout cookie. (Courtesy of Girl Scouts of the United States of America)
The Girl Scouts of the USA announced yesterday that a new French toast inspired cookie will debut in the 2021 season. The toast-shaped cookie, called Toast-Yay!, will be available in select areas according to a release. Chicago is not one of those areas, and here’s why.


chicagotribune--2020-08-20--An effective COVID-19 vaccine is the great hope. How do we get there?

In that next phase , thousands of people get the vaccine and a relatively equal number receive a placebo .
@ @ @ @ @ of infection are compared to see if vaccinated people fare better .
Ideally , the @ @ @ @ @ are more likely to be exposed to the virus because they live in hot spots @ @ @ @ @ exposure is more likely or are part of a racial or ethnic group in which @ @ @ @ @ illness and death .

Jeffrey Hubbell in his lab at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at University of Chicago on Aug, 12, 2020. He specializes in bioengineering and is involved in early-stage vaccine development. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
As COVID-19 continues to ravage the world, much attention is focused on one great hope: a safe, effective and widely available vaccine that would allow people to again embrace friends, go back to work and ditch that lurking feeling of dread.
Getting there won’t be simple. Devising a vaccine is a complex, multistep process that takes years — and sometimes never succeeds.
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Still, scientists have great expectations this time around, given the worldwide focus on vaccine development, recent leaps forward in biotechnology and the federal government’s declaration of Operation Warp Speed, a multibillion-dollar taxpayer funded effort to ramp up production of vaccines even before scientists determine which one will be effective and safe.
“Right now, we pray that this will work,” said Dr. Kathleen Mullane, an infectious disease expert at University of Chicago Medicine who has been involved in clinical vaccine trials. “We might be able to expect to see a vaccine available commercially either by next fall or Christmas — not the coming one, but a year from now.”
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Despite all the urgency, scientific advances and funding, there are many hurdles. In addition to the difficulty of creating and evaluating vaccines at an accelerated pace, countries must figure out how to manufacture, store and distribute hundreds of millions of doses — as well as convince enough people to be vaccinated to halt the spread of the disease.
Here’s a rundown of how the process works and where we stand now:
How vaccines work
The goal of vaccination is to prevent someone from getting infected with the targeted disease or give their immune system the tools to quickly defeat the infection if it occurs. Some do both.
The idea is to trigger a robust immune response to the attacking virus or bacterium — the same type of bodily reaction that in most cases is able to defeat the infection and prevent a recurrence — but without causing the life-threatening illness.
“We want the vaccine to do as well as severe disease in inducing an immune response, but not have any severity with it,” said Dr. Stanley Perlman, a University of Iowa professor of microbiology and immunology who has studied coronaviruses for 38 years.
Heather Lieberman, 28, receives a COVID-19 trial vaccination at the Research Centers of America in Hollywood, Florida, on Aug. 13, 2020. (Chandan Khanna/Getty-AFP)
A successful vaccine will protect most, but not all, of the individuals it’s given to. The ultimate goal is to vaccinate enough people that it becomes very hard for the disease to spread. This kind of community protection is commonly called herd immunity.
“Vaccines don’t prevent anything — vaccination does,” Dr. Barry Bloom, a professor of public health at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University, said in a recent forum.
The vaccination percentage that is necessary to achieve herd immunity varies from disease to disease. Many scientists estimate that for COVID-19 the necessary percentage is around 60%.
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But doctors and public health experts worry that not enough people will get vaccinated to reach that target, given the government’s involvement in the effort at a time when trust in institutions is waning and an anti-vaccination movement is alive and well.
“Polls show that less than half of Americans would take the vaccine,” Perlman said. “That has to change a lot.”
[ A COVID-19 vaccine still hasn’t emerged — but some are already wary of it ]
Indeed, a recent poll and a separate survey each found reluctance or refusal to take a vaccine in a significant portion of the population. The hesitancy is particularly great in the Black community, which has the highest rate of mortality from COVID-19.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has taken note of the problem, saying the city will develop a vaccination education program to boost the numbers if a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available.
“I hope that people — if we see that it’s effective of course — will follow through and get the vaccine to protect their families, protect their friends and everybody else in the world,” Mullane said.
Building a vaccine
Many vaccines are based on a weakened, partial or killed virus or bacterium that still triggers the necessary immune response. Toxins caused by a targeted bacterium are sometimes also used.
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In addition, scientists for years have been trying to use RNA, a genetic building block, to cause the body to produce a type of toxin called an antigen that would provoke an immune response. It’s hoped that such vaccines will be safer, less expensive and easier to manufacture.
Once a potential vaccine shows promise to work in a test tube, it is typically tried on small animals and then primates. If that all goes well, the research moves into the human trial stage.
Testing for safety is the focus of phase 1 trials.
“The essence of that is do no harm,” Bloom said. “No vaccine can be given to anyone if there’s a reasonable likelihood they will be harmed by it.”
The first phase can also involve scientists measuring the body’s immune response to the vaccine, to make sure they are headed in the right direction.
Phase 2 is based on a larger number of human subjects and involves identifying the proper dosage — one that minimizes any side effects while still prompting an adequate immune response. Several vaccine candidates have passed that hurdle and are now in phase 3.
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In that next phase, thousands of people get the vaccine and a relatively equal number receive a placebo. Then the groups’ rates of infection are compared to see if vaccinated people fare better. Ideally, the test subjects are people who are more likely to be exposed to the virus because they live in hot spots, work at jobs where exposure is more likely or are part of a racial or ethnic group in which the disease is causing more illness and death.
Often, phase 3 can take years, as scientists wait to accumulate enough data to draw final conclusions. But for COVID-19, trials are being accelerated by enrolling more test subjects from the start and then tracking them over time on a compressed schedule that Bloom called “revolutionary.”
But that tighter timeline raises some concern among scientists. A vaccine could be approved, only to have harmful effects show up months or years later, after millions of people are inoculated, they say.
And with the November election approaching, some scientists fear a rush to judgment for political advantage — particularly after the Food and Drug Administration OK’d emergency use of hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment, as well as scores of coronavirus antibody tests, only to rescind those approvals.
Bloom said there’s reason to fear “an October surprise” from the FDA where a vaccine could be rushed into emergency use without waiting for all the data from phase 3 to be collected and analyzed.
“That would really I think compromise what little trust we have in this country left about, A, vaccines in general and, B, the government’s controlling or regulating vaccines to protect the public interest,” he said.
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There’s also a phase 4, which involves tracking everyone who’s been vaccinated for years after inoculation to see if any adverse effects show up later. For example, it took years to fully understand that a 1960s measles vaccine, no longer in use, could cause serious illness in some people.
Prevent or protect?
One thing scientists conducting the trials hope to discover is whether the vaccine will prevent disease or just fight it.
If the vaccine is able to fight the disease, that would be “nothing to sneeze at,” according to Harvard epidemiology professor William Hanage. But, he said, it wouldn’t have the same broad public health advantage of a vaccine that prevents infection and leads to herd immunity.
If a vaccine does prevent infection, scientists will then ask in what percentage of the population it works.
The goal set by the federal government is at least 50%, which isn’t out of line with annual flu vaccines. But at just 50% protection, twice as many people would have to be inoculated to achieve herd immunity than would be necessary if it were 100% effective — which is never the case with any vaccine.
“I think having expectations that everyone who gets a COVID vaccine will be guaranteed protection is something that is an unrealistic expectation,” Bloom said.
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There’s also the question of how many shots will be needed, and how long vaccine immunity will last — both of which could vary from one vaccine to another. If immunity is shorter lived, annual “boosters” could be needed.
Current efforts
The worldwide quest for an effective vaccine for COVID-19 has spawned more than 100 candidates, several of which have progressed to final testing just nine months after SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes the disease, was identified in China.
The rapid progress was made in part because Chinese scientists quickly mapped the virus’ genome and shared that information with the rest of the world.
The efforts also were aided by previous research on coronaviruses other than SARS-CoV-2 and the fact that a certain protein is widely accepted as the most crucial target for a vaccine. That so-called S protein is a spike that sticks out from the surface of the virus, allowing it to invade cells. If a vaccine can trigger production of neutralizing antibodies that block the invasion, the virus can’t infect.
Also speeding development is the U.S. government’s commitment to help cover production costs, given that vaccine-producing factories can cost more than $1 billion to build. Federal scientists also are teaming up with some private companies on the research and trial costs.
University of Chicago professor Jeffrey Hubbell in his lab at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering on Aug, 12, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
“That’s what Operation Warp Speed has been about, just getting money to these companies so that the government takes the financial risk rather than the company,” said Jeffrey Hubbell, a University of Chicago professor who specializes in bioengineering and is involved in early-stage vaccine development.
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Producing vaccines on the assumption they will work is a gamble, Hubbell said. “But it’s better to place those bets than not place those bets.”
Production and distribution
Some of the phase 3 trials underway could be ready for analysis before the end of the year, but that doesn’t mean a vaccine will quickly be available to everyone.
The results must be reviewed by many scientists, then be submitted for FDA approval. If the vaccine is sanctioned, production has to be dramatically ramped up, because it will take millions of doses in the United States, and billions around the world, to get the job done.
“We have no company at the moment that could make 200 million doses for Americans or 5.6 billion doses to get 60% of the world’s people protected against coronavirus,” Bloom said. “And that explains why there has been support for multiple, different vaccines.”
Rachel Wallace, a Ph.D. student in the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago, operates a flow cytometer analyzing immune cells from mice in a vaccine test on Aug, 12, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
If there are multiple effective vaccines, broad availability to the public could come as soon as mid-2021, Bloom said. If it’s just one or a couple, it would likely be at the end of next year.
Once the vaccines are produced, they have to be distributed. It’s a tightly controlled process and sometimes involves keeping the vaccines cold or even frozen. The mRNA vaccines, for example, would need to be stored at below-zero temperatures.
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When vaccines start to become available, the government will have to determine who should get them first. One school of thought is that they should first go to people most at risk: health care workers, nursing home residents and staff, prisoners, essential workers and people in hard-hit areas. Another says vaccines should go first to groups thought to be “spreaders” — perhaps college students or other young people.
Perlman, who sits on a federal advisory committee that deals with this question, said it’s possible that millions of doses could be available for health care workers and other vulnerable people before the end of the year.
The candidates
Some vaccines in the final testing stages include:
⋅ The Oxford vaccine, being developed in conjunction with international drug firm AstraZeneca. It was made by taking a virus from chimpanzees, weakening it so it won’t harm humans and attaching DNA coding that creates the S protein in SARS-CoV-2.
Initial stages of testing found the vaccine triggered an immune response that included not only production of a neutralizing antibody that blocks the virus from invading cells but also the mobilization of the body’s T cells. These cells attack and kill infected cells, and they also can bring on a faster immune response.
“You want both, if possible,” said Mullane, the infectious disease expert at U. of C. Medicine. “You’d like to have a vaccine that will prevent uptake of the virus, but also one that activates the T cells as well to capture any virus that may have escaped the system you’ve set up to prevent infection.”
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⋅ A vaccine being developed by Massachusetts-based Moderna in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health. It uses what’s called messenger RNA, or mRNA, to trigger an immune response. Operation Warp Speed to date has committed nearly $2.5 billion to the Moderna effort.
The mRNA sends signals to the body to create a piece of the virus, but not the whole thing, in the hopes that the benign piece triggers an immune response. Early indications are that this vaccine too can produce neutralizing antibodies and activate T cells, and the government is moving forward with trials involving 30,000 people.
If the mRNA vaccine gets approved, it will be the first of its kind to be deployed, although experimentation with that type of vaccine has gone on for some time. “The mRNA vaccines are completely unproven, but they hold a lot of potential,” Hubbell said.
⋅ Another mRNA vaccine from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer and German company BioNTech that Pfizer says also is triggering neutralizing antibodies and T cells. Through Operation Warp Speed, the federal government has agreed to pay $1.95 billion to mass produce the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine if it proves safe and effective.
⋅ A more traditional vaccine from Sinovac, a Beijing-based company, which has launched a phase 3 trial in Brazil. The vaccine uses an inactivated human virus to trigger an immune response. That method, however, has the potential to actually make an infection worse in a little understood reaction that sometimes occurs with such vaccines.
⋅ A deactivated human virus vaccine approved Aug. 11 by the Russian government even before it underwent phase 3 testing. Scientists expressed concern that this vaccine could turn out to be harmful later.
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hdardick@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-20--CPS schools that voted to oust officers tend to be whiter. One critic said that reflects a ‘racist .

CPS schools that voted to oust officers tend to be whiter. One critic said that reflects a ‘racist ... belief that Black students deserve to be policed.’

But it ’ s not lost on her that discussions about school police are relatively new to Northside , one @ @ @ @ @ most selective high schools , where no students have been arrested on school grounds since @ @ @ @ @ % of Northside students are white , whereas the district overall is only 11 % @ @ @ @ @ and 47 % Hispanic or Latino .

Roberto Clemente Community Academy Principal Fernando Mojica is flanked by Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson, left, and Mayor Lori Lightfoot at they discuss reforms to school police programs during a news conference at City Hall. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
After Northside College Prep’s Local School Council became the first in Chicago Public Schools to vote police officers off campus, student representative Luna Johnston was excited and hopeful more schools would do the same.
In the end, of the 72 CPS high schools that had police last year, 17 voted to remove.
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“That feels like a huge accomplishment to me,” Johnston said.
But it’s not lost on her that discussions about school police are relatively new to Northside, one of the district’s most selective high schools, where no students have been arrested on school grounds since 2017. More than 30% of Northside students are white, whereas the district overall is only 11% white, 36% Black and 47% Hispanic or Latino.
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“I don’t want to give myself credit where I don’t feel like it’s necessarily due,” she said. “I did not realize we were the first school making that decision.”
Youth in Chicago, primarily led by Black student activists, have been organizing to get police out of schools for a long time.
Yet only seven of the schools that succeeded are south of Madison Avenue, and only three have student bodies that are at least 35% Black.
“The students that need it most did not get the vote that they needed,” said Mya Cavner, a rising senior at Whitney Young Magnet High.
Johnston was surprised to see that most of the 17 schools were on the North Side and struck by how many votes were close while others, like Northside’s, were unanimous.
Including Northside, Hancock and Lane Tech, three of CPS’s 11 selective enrollment high schools voted to remove officers. Five selective schools voted to keep officers: Westinghouse, Whitney Young, Lindblom, King and Jones. Three others did not have officers.
“I think one of the most damaging narratives that comes out of the removal of SROs from white schools is like, those schools don’t need cops, but schools with Black students do?” said Cate Durudogan, a Whitney Young alum. “That just exemplifies that people in charge of school decisions are making choices ... that reflect racism and a belief that Black students deserve to be policed.”
Parents, school staff and others who cast their votes for officers cited a variety of safety fears, ranging from neighborhood violence to school shooters, and a desire for students to have positive relationships with police in their communities. Those who wanted officers out cited research on the ways school police can harm students of color, including data on the disproportionate number of Black students who are arrested at schools.
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Principals played key roles in many of the votes, helping secure removals at schools including Northside, Mather High, Hancock College Prep, Lane Tech and Roosevelt.
But at Lincoln Park High, the majority of parents and staff on the council went against the new principal they just hired and voted to remove police. Principal Eric Steinmiller joined Lincoln Park in the spring after years as the assistant principal of Roosevelt.
Principal Femi Skanes of Morgan Park High School said that council’s unanimous vote to keep officers reflects the desire of the community. School-based officers play a key role at Morgan Park and helped form a responsive plan several years ago when there were concerns about student safety during dismissal, she said.
Morgan Park High School Principal Femi Skanes discusses the reforms to the school police program during a news conference at City Hall on Aug. 19, 2020. Her school's council voted unanimously to keep officers. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Roberto Clemente Community Academy Principal Fernando Mojica said community discussion was also reflected in Clemente’s vote to remove officers. Through restorative practices, the school is working to undo years of inequitable policies and heal from trauma, and it’s important to involve students in decisions about their safety, he said during a news conference Wednesday.
“I want every student to think back on their Clemente experience and say, here’s a way I was able to make a difference in my community, by creating a safe and inviting place,” he said.
As it came out that more and more schools would continue to have police, student activists persisted with rallies, protests and social media campaigns. Speaking to a crowd last week in Logan Square, rising Kenwood Academy senior Ana McCullom recalled recent instances in which students felt ignored. In July, her own school voted unanimously to keep officers.
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At Whitney Young, the LSC’s 8-5 vote to keep officers added fuel to a preexisting conflict between student activists and Principal Joyce Kenner.
In a prior interview with the Tribune, Kenner said the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School was one of the defining moments of her life and among the reasons she believes the school needs police officers. During the meeting last week, Kenner said she cares about her students’ safety, along with their voices.
“I should hate police officers for what my family had to go through, but this is not about my family, it’s not about political issues, it’s about trying to keep schools safe,” Kenner said. “... I care about the Black Lives Matter movement. I am Black, I will always be Black.”
Whitney Young students including Cavner are continuing to lobby against police in their school, hoping to pressure the LSC to take a new vote before schools open. In their view, Kenner can prove she is listening by changing her vote.
Cavner said her school has taken initiative in creating a diversity, equity and inclusion committee of staff, students and alumni, which she sees as a good starting point. But having police at the school undoes what the committee aims to achieve, even if officers reflect the demographics of the student body, Cavner said.
“Lots of people justify that because they’re Black that it makes people feel safe, which isn’t true,” Cavner said. “They could be any color and they’re still upholding a system that makes people feel unsafe.”
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Chicago police Officer Rafael Yañez, an LSC representative at Back of the Yards College Prep whose CPD job includes anti-violence organizing and public safety workshops in schools, said his vote to remove officers from campus was influenced by his experience feeling harassed by police as a youth in Pilsen.
While he feels newly announced reforms to the school police program are steps in the right direction, Yañez said he believes police should not be stationed in schools and that youth are often jailed when they should instead be supported.
“I believe that we have a responsibility to create an environment where we push them to succeed and not push them in a way where they can be criminalized and have a record, and then (hurt) their chances of getting a house, a loan or scholarship or job,” Yañez said.
When he walks into a high school in uniform, he notices students’ body language and feels the tension. He starts discussions by asking students to raise their hands if they’ve ever had a bad experience with a police officer.
“Sometimes you see half of the room raising their hand,” Yañez said. “I start with an apology: ‘On behalf of the Chicago Police Department, I’m sorry.‘”
Once students realize he’s going to listen, it’s a different conversation. Police can build relationships with youth through programs that don’t place them in schools full-time, he said.
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Yañez said he has heard of administrators pressuring officers to arrest a particular student whose behavior has been disruptive in order to build a case for expulsion.
“I feel when we have officers assigned to the schools, their role is going to be, to be ready to arrest whoever needs to be arrested,” he said.
But he knows that if he were to arrest a student at a school he was working with, the relationship he was trying to build would “collapse in seconds.”
In one unusual case, Kelly College Prep, the majority of voting members preferred keeping officers, but with two members absent, that did not amount to the majority of all 12 members, and the motion failed.
Another school with a majority issue, Prosser Career Academy, initially voted 5-2 in favor of retaining officers. The 11-member council would have needed six votes to pass the motion, and the district allowed them to hold a special meeting for another vote. Prosser’s LSC voted again Monday with more members present, this time 6-4 in favor of keeping officers. The student spot on the council is empty.
Noting no students called in to comment during Monday’s meeting, teacher representative Kassandra Tsitsopoulos, who voted against school police, said the matter needed to be revisited with student input.
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Principal Sandra Shimon, who supported keeping officers, agreed. “Once we have a student on the council ... it becomes really valuable to have that student have a voice on this,” Shimon said.
A first-year council member at Northside, Johnston said she worked hard to make students part of the decision, and didn’t know where most of the parents stood on the issue until the council voted unanimously, with one abstention.
“I hope this is not the last thing we’ll hear from Northside taking a stand to support our students and make waves in this area, in this moment of history,” Johnston said. “Mostly what I’m taking away from this is how strong and powerful our students are.”
hleone@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-20--‘Fort Lori’: Chicago police ban protests on Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s block, order arrests for anyone w

‘Fort Lori’: Chicago police ban protests on Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s block, order arrests for anyone who won’t leave

“ While Lori is on national stages talking about how we need to reform police by creating fewer day-to-day interactions @ @ @ @ @ her own city is not allowed to move through the neighborhood or feel the same @ @ @ @ @ claiming to advocate for nationally , ” Dean wrote .
“ As a neighbor , @ @ @ @ @ near her home significantly less disruptive than her response to the protestors , which only @ @ @ @ @ having to listen to the voices of her constituents .
”

Gregory Pratt, Megan Crepeau, Jeremy Gorner

The Chicago Police Department has effectively banned protesters from demonstrating on Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s block in the Logan Square neighborhood, ordering officers to arrest anyone who refuses to leave, the Tribune has learned.
The directive surfaced in a July email from then-Shakespeare District Commander Melvin Roman to officers under his command. It did not distinguish between the peaceful protesters Lightfoot regularly says she supports and those who might intend to be destructive, but ordered that after a warning is given to demonstrators, “It should be locked down.”
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[ Citing threats, Mayor Lori Lightfoot defends ban on protesters on her block: ‘I have a right to make sure that my home is secure’ ]
Since the order, and even for a time just prior to its writing, Chicago cops have repeatedly blocked protesters’ access to the block with groups of officers and barricades. Police have often kept protesters contained at the nearby corner of Kimball and Wrightwood avenues, though one standoff between activists and officers last month saw police go as far as bringing in an armored vehicle in case things got out of hand.
Some neighbors in the Logan Square area have complained about the city’s approach to protests around Lightfoot’s house, which at times has included checking residents’ IDs before letting them close. Ron Kaminecki, a 69-year old patent attorney and bike shop owner who lives on Bernard Street a few houses from Lightfoot, said some neighbors have been frustrated by the police presence and barricades.
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“I came up with the name ‘Fort Lori’ because it’s so hard to get in and out,” Kaminecki said.
As recently as Friday, dozens of protesters were turned away from the block after trying to march to the mayor’s house in support of local school councils voting Chicago police off their campuses. Barricades can be seen set aside for quick deployment even on days without demonstrations.
In response to questions from the Tribune, police said state law and Chicago’s municipal code prohibit protests in residential areas.
“CPD remains committed to facilitating First Amendment rights, while also protecting public safety. CPD continues to enforce state law and the City’s municipal code regarding public assembly,” police spokeswoman Margaret Huynh said in a statement. “The block is open at this time.”
[ Protesters allege rampant physical and verbal abuse by Chicago police at recent demonstrations ]
Asked to list specific instances where the city enforced the residential protest ban aside from demonstrations near Lightfoot’s house, Huynh said, “every situation is evaluated by the size of the protests and the available space” but did not provide any examples.
Lightfoot’s office said the city supports residents’ First Amendment right to peacefully protest but did not specifically address whether activists should be allowed to assemble outside her home.
“As with every planned protest in the city, (CPD) implements safety measures and precautions to not only ensure protestors are abiding by the law but also to ensure both protestors and residents are protected and safe,” a spokesman said in a written statement.
The ACLU of Illinois said the position that one residence can be protected is accurate, but the law is less clear when more geography is covered.
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“The Supreme Court has found that the government can prohibit protests at a single home in a residential area, but that does not necessarily extend to the entire block,” ACLU spokesman Ed Yohnka said in a statement. “The right to free speech and peaceable assembly includes the right to choose one’s audience, and government actions that limit that right for the sake of residential privacy must be narrowly tailored to protect that interest.”
First Amendment attorney Matt Topic, who frequently represents clients who sue the city for violating public records law, questioned the city’s position.
“The city interpretation of the statute is on questionable constitutional grounds, and an administration that believes in accountability to the people wouldn’t try to ban picketing near the home of the mayor even if an argument could be made for its constitutionality,” Topic said.
[ What is ‘kettling’? It’s a controversial tactic to contain crowds, and Chicago police are accused of using it during downtown protests. ]
Some Logan Square residents agreed, criticizing the city’s approach to the protests. Lauren Dean, who lives nearby and emailed the Tribune after an inquiry from the newspaper to residents opposing the handling of demonstrations, said the mayor is trying to avoid hearing public criticism.
“While Lori is on national stages talking about how we need to reform police by creating fewer day-to-day interactions between police and citizens, her own city is not allowed to move through the neighborhood or feel the same kind of safety she is claiming to advocate for nationally,” Dean wrote. “As a neighbor, I find protests and actions near her home significantly less disruptive than her response to the protestors, which only aim to keep her from having to listen to the voices of her constituents.”
It was unclear whether some neighbors might be in favor of a police presence keeping protesters at bay. On the block this week, barricades with the look of French railings sat to the side off Wrightwood Avenue near the house, as one passerby pushed a stroller down Lightfoot’s block and another walked a dog.
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Two Chicago police vehicles were parked outside the mayor’s home, across the street from each other.
One of Lightfoot’s neighbors, who said he’s lived on Wrightwood for three years, said he sees no problem with protesters assembling on the block, and doesn’t think the city’s response includes listening to them. At times this summer there have been as many as 50 police officers within two blocks of the mayor’s house, he said.
“The visual of that, I think, could strike a person as kind of chilling,” said the neighbor, who asked not to be identified for privacy reasons. “Seeing such a strong police presence, I would say it can feel intimidating, whether or not it’s intended that way.”
[ Accusations fly between police and protesters one day after violent clash injured dozens ]
Aside from the expanded police presence to block protesters from reaching her home, Lightfoot already receives 24/7 protection from cops including officers stationed at the residence. The aggressive policing has sometimes siphoned away resources from the area’s police district, some sources with knowledge of the situation said, leading to quiet grumbling.
Roman, the police commander who detailed the Police Department’s approach in an email, left that post last month and is assigned to the Crime Prevention and Information Center, a unit that organizes and shares intelligence throughout the department. He did not return repeated messages seeking comment on his email.
In that email to subordinates, he made clear all protests are prohibited near Lightfoot’s home.
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“Please be advised that we are no longer allowing (any) protesters across the street from mayors (sic) residence ... please make sure every officer in the house knows that if anyone shows up to protest (they) are to be immediately told that it is against the city code and state law to protest on a residential neighborhood,” Roman wrote. “They need to be told to leave immediately.”
After the first warning, Roman said, police should immediately secure the block as well as nearby St. Louis Avenue and Kimball “so that no other protesters come and join.” Protesters could stay by the church nearby, Roman said.
“Once locked down and more cars on scene the second ... order should be given,” Roman wrote. “The idea is to make sure the footprint is closed so we don’t have larger numbers to deal with. (Tactical teams) will then come ... help with any arrests that need to be done once third and final warning is given.”
Roman’s directive also requires lieutenants to tell officers on their watch “they should immediately call for cars and a supervisor while (giving) the protesters the first warning.”
[ Assault rifles and armored trucks: Illinois police agencies have obtained $4.7 million in military gear since Trump lifted Obama’s restrictions on a federal surplus program ]
Readily available city statistics list no arrests on Lightfoot’s block in the wake of the instructions being issued. Two crimes were reported, according to the online data, on July 21 and 23 respectively, for “public peace” violations related to demonstrations.
The Lightfoot administration’s handling of protests near her home differs with how the city generally responded to demonstrations against Mayor Rahm Emanuel at his Ravenswood house.
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Activists and police sources could not cite instances when the city repeatedly locked Emanuel’s block down against protesters. The Kenwood block where former President Barack Obama lived with his family when his primary residence was in Chicago was shut down for access only by residents after his election.
To be sure, Emanuel and the city did not see the level of civil unrest Chicago has experienced since the killing of George Floyd during an arrest by Minneapolis police, but he also presided over a tumultuous time, especially after the court-ordered release of a video showing a white Chicago police officer shooting Black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times.
Aaron Sofian, who has lived in Ravenswood near Emanuel’s home for about a decade, said he did not recall the former mayor’s block ever being shut down due to protests.
“I do remember (police) pushing people off the block,” Sofian said, “But no, I don’t ever remember having blocks blocked off so I couldn’t get to his house ... I could have walked through the protests.”
As mayor, Lightfoot has been especially security conscious. She broke with tradition by hiring former Deputy U.S. Marshal Jim Smith to lead her detail instead of using someone from the Police Department.
Then, earlier this summer, Lightfoot gave him leadership control over the Chicago police officers assigned to guard City Hall and her home.
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In February, the Lightfoot administration reassigned the long-serving head of the Chicago Police Department’s City Hall detail hours after a group of activists made its way up to the lobby outside her fifth-floor office and staged a sit-in.
The city’s recent approach to protests outside Lightfoot’s home also differs with how the administration handled such demonstrations earlier in her term. As recently as May, police allowed activists who were protesting over the botched Hilco demolition in the Little Village neighborhood to gather outside her house.
In that instance, Lightfoot took umbrage with Pilsen Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, a first-term democratic socialist who joined the activists. Sigcho-Lopez’s decision to join the protesters outside her home drew criticism from some politicians who believe it’s a breach of decorum for one elected official to demonstrate at another’s home.
“I think there are lines that shouldn’t be crossed,” Lightfoot said then. “That’ll be for him to have to deal with. He’s chosen to exercise himself in ways that I don’t understand, but that’s why we have elections.”
Tribune reporter David Heinzmann contributed to this report


chicagotribune--2020-08-20--Not-so-remote learning: College students return to campus even as classes move online.

Sal Carfagno III , a 21-year-old Loyola University Chicago student from New Jersey , in his temporary lodging at The @ @ @ @ @ Aug. 19 , 2020 .
He returned to Chicago recently even though Loyola moved almost @ @ @ @ @ and shut down dorms .
He 's living in a hotel before moving into his @ @ @ @ @ because he ca n't get out of his lease and has to pay for the @ @ @

Sal Carfagno III, a 21-year-old Loyola University Chicago student from New Jersey, in his temporary lodging at The Guesthouse Hotel in Chicago on Aug. 19, 2020. He returned to Chicago recently even though Loyola moved almost all of its classes online and shut down dorms. He's living in a hotel before moving into his off-campus apartment. He returned because he can't get out of his lease and has to pay for the space anyway. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Sarah Hashim will start school as a transfer student at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in less than a week. Despite the risks of a potential coronavirus outbreak and a sure-to-be limited social experience, she plans to be on campus.
“I want to be there. I’ve been planning to be there for two years, and it’s going to happen,” Hashim said.
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But at the same time, as cases of COVID-19 tick upward in Illinois, Hashim said she believes it would be safer if fewer students were there. “If (the university) really cared about students, they wouldn’t have even opened campus.”
She admitted that the two positions appear to be at odds.
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“It is a bit hypocritical of me to say that, but I’m going to try my hardest” to be safe, Hashim said. “I’m always going to be wearing my mask and be very clean. That’s all I can do. I can’t really control other people.”
As universities across the country invite their students back for the fall, students are torn between difficult and often conflicting interests. Only 9% of returning students and 13% of first-year students surveyed by a higher education research agency in late July said returning to campus to take all their classes online was their top choice for the fall.
But colleges are increasingly shifting classes online, even those branding the fall as a “hybrid semester.” And even among those who disagree with their college’s decisions to reopen, some students with mostly online classes are still moving back — often into off-campus housing outside of their universities’ jurisdiction.
They acknowledge they are looking forward to seeing friends, but also cite a variety of personal and financial factors.
Hashim made sure to enroll in one in-person laboratory class, though she could’ve taken her course load fully remote. She felt it was important to maximize the chance to connect with professors and conduct research, since such opportunities were limited at the community college she previously attended.
U. of I. senior Caitlin Battung is also planning on moving back into her off-campus apartment. Like Hashim, she thinks “it is irresponsible for the university to be open in any capacity, because that kind of gives people the OK or the invitation to come back to campus.”
But when Battung had to go home to Chicago last spring, she struggled to find a quiet place to study. She also had to help her younger siblings with their remote learning.
“I got a taste of being a student and the third parent, and it was a lot,” Battung said. “I think that lifestyle would really poorly impact my semester, so I’m going back to preserve my sanity and make sure I get some good grades.”
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Battung, whose classes are all online, said she would stay in the Urbana-Champaign area even if the university fully closed. Plus, with campus open, she said she hopes to go back to her on-campus job.
In the last few days, the debate about reopening college campuses has become increasingly heated as widespread outbreaks linked to off-campus gatherings at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Notre Dame forced the two schools to move to remote instruction.
But other schools such as Cornell University and the University of Michigan defended their reopening plans early in the month, pointing to a phenomenon Battung alludes to: some will come back to live in off-campus housing regardless of whether colleges are open.
Loyola University student Sal Carfagno III is from New Jersey and returned to Chicago because he can't get out of his lease. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Loyola University Chicago junior Sal Carfagno is one of those students. Though Loyola moved 99% of undergraduate classes online and closed its residence halls earlier this month, he recently moved back to Chicago from his home in New Jersey.
His off-campus lease doesn’t allow subleasing, Carfagno said. He came back because he’d have to pay for the space anyway.
Carfagno said in his social circles, the majority of his peers with off-campus leases are coming back to the city. Almost 30% of students surveyed nationally said they tried and failed to get out of their lease, according to a July study.
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“Unfortunately, there’s not much wiggle room with that, because a contract is a contract, right?” Carfagno said. “There’s nothing that says if your school goes online then you can get out of your lease, because they’re running a business too.”
Loyola University junior Sal Carfagno III's bags at his temporary lodging. He's living in a hotel before moving into his off-campus apartment. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
If students will be coming back to the area regardless, administrators at Cornell and the University of Michigan said, they believe reopening campus is the safest option. Cornell pointed to a recent study by its faculty that concluded administrators would have more control over student behavior, testing and tracing if campus was open.
When presented with this argument, Carfagno disagreed and said he still believes Loyola’s decision to close campus was the right one.
He said closing residence halls emptied the densest part of campus, where many of the university’s essential workers are needed. Not having in-person classes also means campus itself will be mostly empty even if students are in Chicago.
Loyola spokeswoman Anna Shymanski said the Cornell study “is specific to their location in Ithaca, N.Y., which does not compare to the significantly larger and more dense population of the city of Chicago.” Closing campus is “not only the right decision, but the only responsible one we could make to safeguard our community,” she said.
If Loyola reopened, Carfagno said he thinks students in residence halls would’ve had to be evacuated again. “It’s the same situation as last semester, you have to stop and go back home.”
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Even with mostly online classes, it remains to be seen if the influx of students to off-campus housing will lead to the spread of COVID-19.
No matter how the semester plays out, Battung said she hopes that by hiding out in her apartment with her roommates, she’ll avoid the fallout.
“We will probably get sick of each other really quickly, so that’ll be fun being cooped up together,” Battung said. “But whatever campus life looks like for this fall, I think it’ll be better than being at home.”
chao@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-20--The Spin: Obama to attack Trump during DNC speech | FDA approves U. of I.’s COVID-19 saliva test | D

The Spin: Obama to attack Trump during DNC speech | FDA approves U. of I.’s COVID-19 saliva test | Douglas statue to be removed from state Capitol lawn

“ Well , first of all , let me just say I ’ m infuriated by the ComEd scandal .
@ @ @ @ @ be distracted by that kind of thing .
This is the type of corporate scandal @ @ @ @ @ is famous for , ” Newman said .
“ And we as the Democratic Party @ @ @ @ @ to the fore , be united and fight this tooth and nail .
So , @ @ @ @ @ by this in any way , we will move forward and we will win in @ @ @

Then-President Barack Obama stops at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield on Feb. 10, 2016. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given emergency authorization to a saliva-based COVID-19 test under development at the University of Illinois.
A state panel in Springfield today voted 4-0 to remove statues of Stephen Douglas and Pierre Menard from the Illinois Capitol’s lawn.
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And, the Democratic National Convention was continuing Wednesday night with former President Barack Obama and California Sen. Kamala Harris among the headliners scheduled to speak.
Welcome to The Spin.
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After a speech at the Illinois State Capitol, then-President Barack Obama stops at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield on Feb. 10, 2016. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s Rick Pearson and Bill Ruthhart: “Former President Barack Obama is expected to issue an unsparing attack on President Donald Trump at the virtual Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night, accusing his successor of using the nation’s highest office to help himself and his friends, and treating the presidency like a ‘reality show’ to get ‘the attention he craves.'
“Speaking from the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia under the convention night’s theme of ‘A more perfect union,’ Obama was expected to accuse Trump of failing to take the job seriously, resulting in a massive death toll due to the pandemic, job and economic losses, and a diminished U.S. standing around the world.
“‘He’s shown no interest in putting in the work; no interest in finding common ground; no interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself and his friends; no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves,’ Obama said in remarks prepared for delivery to a prime-time national audience.”
“Trump returned the criticism when asked about Obama’s prepared remarks at a White House news conference on Wednesday afternoon saying he was ‘bad’ and ‘ineffective.'
“‘President Obama did not do a good job, and the reason I am here is because of President Obama and Joe Biden,’ Trump told reporters. ‘Because if they did a good job, I wouldn’t be here, and probably if they did a good job, I wouldn’t have even run. I would have been very happy, I enjoyed my previous life very much. But they did such a bad job that I stand before you as president.‘” More here.
* Earlier in the day, Marie Newman, who’s running to replace U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski in Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District, was asked whether Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan will distract from the party’s goals in November, and if he should he step down. Madigan, who has served as House speaker for all but two years since 1983, has been implicated in an alleged federal bribery scandal involving Commonwealth Edison.
The utility has agreed to pay a $200 million fine and cooperate with federal prosecutors for three years over what investigators allege was a near decadelong effort to gain influence with Madigan through the use of jobs and contracts to his allies. Madigan has not been charged with any wrongdoing and has denied he ever made a legislative decision “with improper motives.”
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“Well, first of all, let me just say I’m infuriated by the ComEd scandal. We will not let us be distracted by that kind of thing. This is the type of corporate scandal that the dictator in chief is famous for,” Newman said. “And we as the Democratic Party, we have to fine to the fore, be united and fight this tooth and nail. So, we will not be distracted by this in any way, we will move forward and we will win in November.”
* From Bill Ruthhart: Illinois Democrats celebrate women leaders at virtual convention, take aim at ‘bully boy’ Trump
Nancy Markstahler collects a sample as COVID-19 saliva testing is conducted July 7, 2020, in a tent outside the Alice Campbell Alumni Center on the University of Illinois campus. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
From Jamie Munks and Angie Leventis Lourgos: “A saliva-based COVID-19 test developed by the University of Illinois has received emergency authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, creating the potential for widespread use of a test experts say is faster, cheaper and simpler.
“This has potentially game-changing implications for our statewide testing complex as well as for testing on a national level, particularly for our high-risk communities and settings,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at the news conference Wednesday where he characterized the announcement as “some of the best news that we’ve had since this pandemic began.” Read the rest here.
Ald. Ed Burke, 14th, departs the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on June 4, 2019, after being arraigned on multiple federal corruption charges. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s Jason Meisner: “After months on the back burner, the bribery case against Chicago Ald. Edward Burke is expected to heat up Thursday when his lawyers file long-awaited motions challenging the government’s wiretaps and other evidence.
“How much of the material will be made public, however, remains to be seen.
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“In a filing Tuesday, Burke’s attorneys asked U.S. District Judge Robert Dow for permission to redact key portions of their motions or file them as sealed exhibits.
“Among the protected material, according to Burke’s attorneys, are some details of the government’s 87-page Title III wiretap application that allowed the FBI to tap Burke’s cellphone. The motions will also include discussions of witness statements and other sensitive evidence that should be kept from public view, according to Burke’s attorneys, though the entirety of the motions are not expected to be kept from the public.” Read the rest here.
A statue of Stephen Douglas stands in front of the east entrance to the Illinois State Capitol on Aug. 19, 2020, in Springfield, Ill. Illinois officials approved Wednesday the removal of the statue of the 19th century senator from Illinois who owned slaves and espoused the notion that each territory should decide whether slavery would be allowed. (Justin L. Fowler/AP)
From Munks: “Statues of two historical Illinois figures with ties to slavery, Stephen Douglas and Pierre Menard, are slated to be removed from the Illinois Capitol lawn after a panel voted Wednesday to have them taken down and to begin a comprehensive study of artwork on the Capitol complex.
“Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan last month called for the removal of the statues of Douglas, a staunch defender of slavery, and Menard, the state’s first lieutenant governor and a slaveholder.
“Capitol architect Andrea Aggertt, whose office has control over statues on the Capitol grounds, said she anticipates the pair of statues can be removed from the Capitol grounds within two to three months.” Read more here.
Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton addresses members of the audience after being sworn into office at the Bank of Springfield Center Monday Jan. 14, 2019, in Springfield, Ill. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune) (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
From Pearson and Ruthhart: “Illinois Democrats focused on racial and social justice on the third day of the party’s virtual national convention on Wednesday, branding President Donald Trump as a “racist” who has worked to inflame racial divisions to play to his base.
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“But as they pledged unity in the belief that their party could heal those divisions with a national ticket of former Vice President Joe Biden and California Sen. Kamala Harris, Democrats also find themselves split over the law enforcement response in dealing with violence and recent looting in the Chicago’s downtown amid protests demanding changes in policing affecting minorities.” Read the rest here.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks during a news conference at Milton Lee Olive Park in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2020, held to announce her plan on how to handle any future looting incidents in the city, like the one that rocked the Gold Coast area days earlier. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s Gregory Pratt: “Four Chicago aldermen have filed notice to force a special meeting of the City Council later this week to address looting and call for the National Guard to be deployed.
“The group also wants regular monthly meetings to discuss public safety issues.
“The filing by South Side Ald. Leslie Hairston, 5th, South Side Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, Southwest Side Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, and Northwest Side Ald. Anthony Napolitano, 41st, would set an emergency City Council meeting on Friday via Zoom.
“Late Wednesday, though, it was unclear whether the meeting would take place or if all four aldermen would try and force the issue. Hairston said she might pull herself off the filing to set a meeting for Friday. She said she’s concerned that a quorum won’t be met so the issues wouldn’t be discussed, and would like to be sure that the City Council will meet to address the issues.
“Hairston also said she was working with the Lightfoot administration on an ordinance she backs that would require the Police Department to give arrestees a list of free legal services so they can have legal representation.” Read more here.
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* From Alice Yin: Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart urges Gov. J.B. Pritzker to extend eviction moratorium: ‘It would be incredibly harmful to proceed’
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