chicagotribune--2020-06-25--Chicago restaurants can now reopen at 25% capacity, but will they? Here’s what we found when we aske

Chicago restaurants can now reopen at 25% capacity, but will they? Here’s what we found when we asked.

At Elizabeth restaurant , for example , owner Iliana Regan is sticking to take-out only .
“ If you ’ @ @ @ @ @ know how tiny we are ; we only seat 25 people , ” Regan said @ @ @ @ @ .
“ So , running at 25 % capacity is not economically viable for us @ @ @ @ @ , we don ’ t feel it ’ s safe for us to reopen for @ @ @ @ @ that the risk to our staff and guests is far too great to resume service @ @ @ @

Chef Michael Lachowicz, shown here last year in his restaurant Aboyer, said the phase four indoor reopening on Friday offers his restaurant a way to give patio diners a Plan B in inclement weather. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago restaurateurs can open their doors to indoor dining as of Friday, but not everyone plans to participate.
Relaxed rules in phase four of the coronavirus reopening plan will permit restaurants to operate indoors at 25% capacity, up to a maximum of 50 guests. That’s a bonus, albeit a minor one, for a lot of places, but not nearly enough for others.
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At Elizabeth restaurant, for example, owner Iliana Regan is sticking to take-out only. “If you’ve been here, you know how tiny we are; we only seat 25 people,” Regan said in an email to customers. “So, running at 25% capacity is not economically viable for us. More importantly, though, we don’t feel it’s safe for us to reopen for indoor service. We feel that the risk to our staff and guests is far too great to resume service right now.”
Similarly, Scott Worsham, who with Sari Zernich Worsham owns Bar Biscay and mfk restaurants, is in no hurry to open his dining rooms.
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“We are waiting it out because it’s just not safe enough for our employees,” he said. “You saw what happened at Longman & Eagle this last week.” (Longman & Eagle abruptly ended outdoor dining service after one employee tested positive for COVID-19.) “For us to open, at such low numbers, then to have to close again for two weeks, would be a death blow for us.”
Sean Cuneen, of MOD Pizza and Fox’s on Wolf, is taking a wait-and-see approach. “Gonna wait a couple of weeks,” he said in a text message. “Having to close 2-3 days from a contact trace who ate inside is too much of a financial risk, in my personal opinion. Better to stay the course than be open.”
Hiram Patel is holding off for a different reason.
“Both our locations (Tikkawala and Naansense) are in the Loop,” he said. “We’re waiting until (downtown) companies get back up and running. Maybe towards the end of July.”
Carrie Nahabedian and Michael Nahabedian won’t immediately reopen Brindille, much as they’d like to. The River North restaurant was badly damaged by vandals in late May, and still isn’t ready.
Others are being more optimistic, albeit cautiously.
Bar Biscay, a restaurant at 1450 W. Chicago Ave. in Chicago, will not reopen Friday. Owner Scott Worsham said he and his partner Sari Zernich Worsham don't think it's safe for employees yet. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
“Yes, we’re opening indoors,” said Paul Fehribach, chef/owner of Big Jones restaurant in Andersonville. “Worth it? We’ll see. There’s still no hope for getting to break even (at 25%), but we believe we can do it safely, and will do it safely. This is progress.”
The restaurants most eagerly reopening indoors are those that already are serving customers on outdoor patios — which includes Big Jones. The new guidelines allow them to add a few more tables to an ongoing operation.
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“Almost all (our restaurants) are open already in delivery/carryout and patio seating,” said R.J. Melman, president of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. “We will continue to keep them open, with most dining rooms opening over the weekend, or early next week. We think it’s a step in the right direction, and look forward to getting more open over time.”
Some restaurants without outdoor seating have been adding it. New outdoor areas allowed Paul Virant to reopen Vie (Western Springs), Vistro (Hinsdale) and Gaijin (Fulton Market); adding a few indoor tables will increase profits. Mannish Mallick, managing partner at Rooh, won’t reopen at 25% capacity (”It isn’t enough,” he said), but is working on a patio for the adjacent parking lot, and hopes to open outdoors and indoors by June 30.
Indoor tables also can offer outdoor patios a crucial Plan B, should the weather turn ugly. Last Saturday, chef/owner Michael Lachowicz had several tables of outdoor diners at his Winnetka restaurant, Aboyer, when, as he put it, “the skies opened up.” The only alternative at the time was to offer to pack up the food to go.
“One hundred percent of our guests rolled with it, and we avoided a rainout disaster,” Lachowicz said. But next time, he’ll be able to usher most or all of those guests indoors.
Friday will be more akin to a grand opening for Gene & Georgetti in River North. That venerable restaurant was closed by a fire in October, and though it reopened for carryout and delivery at the end of March, this will be the first chance for diners to see the refurbished interior.
“We feel proud and hopeful. And grateful, too,” said owner Michelle Nicole Durpetti. “We have been through one of the most tumultuous years in our 79-year history. We cannot wait to welcome everyone back to our home.”
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For Aaron Steingold, however, his Steingold’s of Chicago deli will stick with takeout and delivery only for the foreseeable future.
“We are awaiting a vaccine,” he said.
Some restaurants serving indoors, beginning Friday:
Aboyer, 64 Green Bay Road, Winnetka
Anto Pizza & Pasta, 1547 W. Jarvis Ave.
The Barn Steakhouse, 1016 Church St., Evanston
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Chez Moi, 2100 N. Halsted St.
The Clubhouse, Oak Brook Shopping Center, Oak Brook
The Dearborn, 145 N. Dearborn St.
Found Kitchen + Social House, 1631 Chicago Ave., Evanston
Francois Frankie, 222 W. Randolph St.
Fulton Market Kitchen, 311 N. Sangamon St.
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Gene & Georgetti, 500 N. Franklin St.
Hubbard Inn, 110 W. Hubbard St.
Hutch American Bistro, 3301 N. Clark St., and Hutch American Cafe, 416 W. Ontario St.
Jefferson Tap & Grille, 325 N. Jefferson St.
Joy District, 112 W. Hubbard St.
La Pizza & La Pasta, inside Eataly, 43 E. Ohio St.
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Le Sud, 2301 W. Roscoe St.
The Loyalist, 177 N. Ada St.
Manny’s Coffee Shop & Deli, 1141 S. Jefferson St. (full menu launches July 6)
Maple Tree Inn, 18849 Dixie Highway, Homewood
Mundano, 1935 N. Lincoln Park West (opening July 1)
Next, 953 W. Fulton Market
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Niu Japanese Fusion Lounge, 332 E. Illinois St.
Oceanique, 505 Main St., Evanston
Parkway Bank Park, Rosemont: Indoor dining begins at Adobe Gila’s Bub City, Fogo de Chao, Hofbrauhaus and Kings Dining & Entertainment venues
Pelago, 201 E. Delaware Place
Piccolo Sogno, 464 N. Halsted St.
Polo Inn Bridgeport U.S.A., 3322 S. Morgan St.
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Prairie Grass Cafe, 601 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook
The Purple Pig, 444 N. Michigan Ave. (indoor dining launches early next week)
Recess, 838 W. Kinzie St.
Roister, 951 W. Fulton Market
Soho House, 113-125 N. Green St.
Takito Kitchen, 2013 W. Division St. and Takito Street, 2423 N. Lincoln Ave.


chicagotribune--2020-06-25--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what happened June 24 with COVID-19 in the Chicago area

” That ’ s not something that we are looking at implementing right now , but going forward if we @ @ @ @ @ that , we might , ” Pritzker said Wednesday at an unrelated news conference in @ @ @ @ @ can say is that New York and New Jersey and Connecticut have been through an @ @ @ @ @ ve had so many people die , so many people hospitalized .
A really tragic @ @ @ @ @ can understand why they might feel a need , when they see other places on @ @ @ @ @ ’ re actually doing a good job of keeping the rates down , that they @ @ @ @ @ way in which to diminish or keep down the number of cases .
”

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The Fulton Market area of Chicago is no longer the ghost town it was during the depths of the COVID-19 virus pandemic shutdown. As restrictions on restaurants are eased, a worker takes a woman's temperature before she can enter Federales restaurant on Morgan Street on July 1, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday he is not currently considering asking visitors to Illinois from states with spiking coronavirus infection rates to quarantine upon arrival, a measure the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut announced they would impose as summer officially begins.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced a joint travel advisory for those states requiring all incoming visitors from states with coronavirus infection rates above a certain threshold to quarantine for 14 days from the time they were last in contact with that state.
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Illinois health officials on Wednesday announced 715 new known cases of COVID-19 and 64 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known cases to 138,540 and the death toll to 6,770 statewide.
[ Illinois will enter phase 4 of reopening plan Friday. Here’s a guide to what’s allowed. ]
[ How will Illinois reopen? Three charts breaking down Pritzker’s plan ]
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
Here’s what’s happening Wednesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
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8:10 p.m.: Judge orders McDonald’s to improve COVID-19 safety training
A judge on Wednesday ordered several Chicago McDonald’s restaurants to adopt new safety measures for social distancing, training and masks, granting a partial win to workers who sued the fast food giant for allegedly failing to adequately protect them from COVID-19.
In issuing the preliminary injunction, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Eve Reilly said the restaurants were not enforcing their mask policies or training employees about social distancing in a way that is consistent with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s order, creating a public nuisance.
The order was in response to a proposed class action lawsuit filed by five employees of four local McDonald’s, and four of their live-in relatives, against Chicago-based McDonald’s and three franchisees. The suit alleged that inadequate safety protocols endangered the public and sought injunctive relief to require the chain to provide better training and equipment.
The judge denied claims that McDonald’s was negligent and said the company had taken many measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, including putting up plexiglass in the drive-thru and counters, taking employee temperatures and providing masks and gloves.
But she highlighted two “serious failures” in the company’s processes, including training managers that people can be closer than six feet apart as long as it’s not for more than 10 minutes, which she said is inconsistent with the state’s guidelines and “potentially hazardous” in combination with a failure to consistently enforce the proper wearing of masks. Read more here. — Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz
5:44 p.m.: ‘Another unusual school year’ awaits Chicago Public Schools as it figures out if buildings will reopen this fall
Chicago Public Schools is planning for multiple scenarios as it looks to when and how schools will reopen, CEO Janice Jackson told Board of Education members Wednesday.
It’s still undecided if in-class instruction will resume in CPS at all this fall. But one thing seems clear: “We know this will probably be yet another unusual school year,” Jackson said. Read more here. — Sophie Sherry and Hannah Leone
4:17 p.m.: Fitness clubs can reopen for indoor workouts Friday, but stricter rules in Chicago have some gyms worried
After months with nothing but virtual workouts and, more recently, personal training and outdoor classes, CrossTown Fitness has been getting ready to let people back inside its three Chicago gyms.
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There are socially distant workout stations marked on the floor. They’ve stocked up on cleaning supplies to disinfect weights, cardio equipment and frequently-touched surfaces, and purchased devices to check temperatures and disinfect shoes upon entering. One trainer made a video offering advice on how to work out in a mask. Read more here. — Lauren Zumbach
4:14 p.m.: Restaurants, bars reopen Friday: What you need to know about dining out
As Illinois moves into phase four of the coronavirus reopening Friday, restaurants and bars can invite patrons indoors again. After poring through dozens of pages of city, state and federal safety guidelines, we put together a simplified guide to everything you should know about dining out during the continuing pandemic. Read more here. — Louisa Chu
3:11 p.m.: Chicago Dogs will play home games in Rosemont after all — with some fans allowed in
The Chicago Dogs, an independent-league baseball team based in Rosemont, announced Wednesday that they will be playing their home games at Impact Field in the northwest suburb — and a limited number of fans can attend. The home opener is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. July 7 against the Milwaukee Milkmen.
The Dogs originally planned to play at Franklin Field, home of the Milkmen. The American Association of Independent Professional Baseball had devised a “hub city” system in which teams would share a home base in states with more liberal reopening rules. But Illinois will enter phase four of its reopening plan Friday, allowing outdoor spectator sports to resume at 20% capacity.
While the team is working with state and local officials before it sets a limit on spectators, the capacity of Impact Field is 6,300, meaning roughly 1,260 fans would be allowed.
Meanwhile, three other Chicago-area minor-league teams — the Schaumburg Boomers, Joliet Slammers and Windy City Thunderbolts, based in Crestwood — learned Wednesday that their season was canceled. The Frontier League suspended its season because of “ongoing gathering and travel restrictions in many of our locations.” Read more here. — Chris Boghossian
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2:46 p.m.: Pritzker says Illinois has no plans to quarantine visitors from states with spiking COVID-19 infection rates
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday he is not currently considering asking visitors to Illinois from states with spiking coronavirus infection rates to quarantine upon arrival, a measure the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut announced they would impose as summer officially begins.
”That’s not something that we are looking at implementing right now, but going forward if we got the advice to do that, we might,” Pritzker said Wednesday at an unrelated news conference in Geneseo. “All I can say is that New York and New Jersey and Connecticut have been through an awful lot. They’ve had so many people die, so many people hospitalized. A really tragic, tragic situation. I can understand why they might feel a need, when they see other places on the rise, when they’re actually doing a good job of keeping the rates down, that they might look at every possible way in which to diminish or keep down the number of cases.”
Earlier Tuesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced a joint travel advisory for those states requiring all incoming visitors from states with coronavirus infection rates above a certain threshold to quarantine for 14 days from the time they were last in contact with that state.
That joint travel advisory to the three eastern states applies to any traveler coming from a state with a 10% or higher positivity rate over a seven-day rolling average. The states plan to use messaging in airports, on highway signage and on social media, and are asking hotels to communicate the 14-day quarantine to guests traveling from one of the identified states. Read more here. —Jamie Munks
2:35 p.m.: 715 new known COVID-19 cases, 64 more fatalities
Illinois health officials on Wednesday announced 715 new known cases of COVID-19 and 64 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known cases to 138,540 and the death toll to 6,770 statewide.
2:10 p.m.: From closed rest areas to drive-thru testing limitations, truck drivers face rough road during coronavirus pandemic
Life as a long-haul trucker has always had its challenges — boredom, bad traffic and tough schedules.
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But the coronavirus pandemic has added new problems, with closed rest stops and roadside restaurants, along with varying levels of compliance by both drivers and the individuals they encounter when it comes to wearing face masks Drivers say it can also be tough for for them to get tested for COVID-19.
With several interstate highways and its location in the nation’s center, Chicago is a major trucking hub. Truck drivers offer a unique perspective on the coronavirus pandemic because they are one of the few groups of essential workers who have been traveling regularly between different regions of the country.
Read more here. —Mary Wisniewski
1:30 p.m.: University of Chicago hospital eliminating COVID-19 units
The University of Chicago Medical Center is eliminating its units dedicated to COVID-19 patients as the number of people suffering from the illness has dropped.
Instead, patients with COVID-19 will be cared for in isolation rooms, the hospital’s incident commander said in a memo sent to faculty and staff Tuesday. As of Wednesday morning, the hospital had 18 patients with the illness, compared with more than 140 in mid- to late April.
”Our patients and community will be better served by caring for our COVID-19 patients in appropriate isolation rooms and allowing our COVID-19 units to return to serving their regular patient populations,” the memo stated.
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Read more here. —Lisa Schencker
12:46 p.m.: For Aurora area restaurant owners, opening up for indoor dining will be ‘like a family reunion’
Restaurant owners in the Aurora area say they are “excited” for Friday, when indoor dining will be allowed again as the state eases some restrictions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Friday begins Phase 4 of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan. Restaurants will be able to be fully operational as long as tables are at least six feet apart for social distancing, parties do not exceed 10 and standing areas including bars remain at 25% capacity.
Phil Cullen, owner of Ballydoyle Irish Pub in downtown Aurora, said Friday “would be like a family reunion.”
”Frankly, I can’t wait to see some of our regulars again and I’m sure they feel the same way,” Cullen said a few days before Friday’s opening. “It’s a new world in the restaurant business and in some ways, the opening with outdoor seating has been a blessing in disguise. The last few weeks have given us a chance to get our feet wet, and now we can bring the same routine inside.”
Jim Ebel, co-owner of Two Brothers Roundhouse in Aurora, said he and his brother Jason and staff “are excited about the Friday opening.”
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”We have things spaced out and we’re staffed for the reopening, and hopefully people will come out,” Jim Ebel said. “With the rain always being a component of outdoor dining, being able to move indoors will make for a more consistent business.”
Read more here. —David Sharos
11:04 a.m.: Porchlight Music Theatre moves entire 2020-21 season back a year
Porchlight Music Theatre says it is postponing its entire 2020-21 season by a full year.
Instead of beginning its previously announced mainstage slate of “Legally Blonde,” “Titanic” and “25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee” at the Ruth Page Arts Center, 1016 N. Dearborn St., this fall, all of those shows will become the 2021-22 subscription season.
A spokesperson for the company said the decision regarding its 26th season reflects the ongoing uncertainty in the COVID-19 crisis, especially as to when the authorities will allow live theatrical productions to resume in a viable way.
Read more here. —Chris Jones
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10:50 a.m.: New York City Marathon is canceled, but the Chicago Marathon remains in limbo
As another major fall marathon announced its cancellation Wednesday, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon remains in limbo.
The New York City Marathon, the world’s largest marathon, will not be run Nov. 1 because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
The 43rd running of the Chicago Marathon is still tentatively scheduled for three weeks before that on Oct. 11, but earlier this month organizers announced they could not definitely say whether a race would be held. A countdown clock on the website notes 108 days until the race.
”We’re continuing our preparations for the event with the goal of providing a safe race weekend experience,” organizers posted on their website June 8. “This includes working with city and state officials to align our preparations with their current guidelines and re-opening framework.”
The Chicago Marathon typically draws about 45,000 runners and wheelchair athletes to the city, with a record 45,786 finishers from 50 states and more than 100 countries in 2019. Organizers estimate about 1.7 million spectators annually line the 26.2-mile course that starts and ends near Grant Park and travels as far north as Wrigleyville and as far south as Bridgeport.
Read more here. —Colleen Kane
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7:11 a.m.: Chicago to expand outdoor dining program in five neighborhoods
Chicago officials were scheduled to announce an expansion of the city’s outdoor dining program Wednesday, including the closure of streets or expanded sidewalk dining in five neighborhoods to allow more businesses in dense areas to offer outdoor service.
With the state and city moving to Phase Four of the state’s reopening plan Friday, restaurants will be able to offer limited indoor dining, but the city has worked to expand the number of eateries with outdoor seating, especially in areas where they usually don’t have room.
According to a release from the mayor’s office, the new dining areas, which will go into effect over the weekend, are:
Balmoral Avenue on both sides of Clark Street in Andersonville;
Chinatown Square at Archer Avenue between Wentworth and Princeton avenues in Chinatown.
Taylor Street, from Loomis Street to Ashland Avenue in the Little Italy neighborhood.
Oliphant Avenue from Northwest Highway to an alley just north of the Northwest Highway in Edison Park.
And sidewalk dining on 75th Street between Indiana and Calumet avenues in the Chatham neighborhood.
The five new street closures come on top of a small pilot program that has closed parts of Broadway, Rush Street and Oakley Avenue for outdoor dining.
“The announcement comes on the heels of an ordinance passed by City Council earlier this month that temporarily removes regulatory burdens for sidewalk cafe permits and ensures establishments can operate as quickly and safely as possible,” according to a release from the mayor’s office. “As of this week the City has approved over 1,000 sidewalk café permits and will be sending refunds for 75% of the permit fee to over 500 business that already paid for the sidewalk café permit in full.”
—Chicago Tribune staff
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5 a.m.: Column: Chicago’s new ‘social distancing ambassadors’ are helping us stay safe on the lakefront
Congratulate when congratulations are due. Educate when needed. Those are among the principles that Colleen Lammel-Harmon, who manages the city’s new social distancing ambassadors program, has taught her trainees, and education was clearly what was needed with some people now that Chicago’s Lakefront and 606 trails are open.
This week’s reopening has come with big new signs on the lakefront. One invokes the need for face coverings, a protection against the virus that in late March prompted the trail’s closure. Another says in giant letters: KEEP IT MOVING.
Signs alone, however, aren’t as persuasive as people, and that’s where the ambassadors come in. There are 300 so far, mostly Chicago Park District employees. By July there will be more, many of them ages 16 to 24, who will be what Lammel-Harmon calls “example makers.”
Columnist Mary Schmich visited the lakefront with the people working to keep everyone safe amid the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Here is some of what happened Tuesday in Illinois related to COVID-19:


chicagotribune--2020-06-27--Algonquin District 300 condemns video posted by students; described as racist by officials

“ We need to protect the First Amendment Rights of all individuals including those who express opinions for which we @ @ @ @ @ , actions and communications such as these go beyond free speech and rise to the @ @ @ @ @ ” Miller said .
“ We need to protect the safety of our students .
@ @ @ @ @ threats to the well-being of any of our students are not tolerated .
This is @ @ @ @ @ aside but rather something to be addressed head-on .
”

A new social media post by students at Community Unit School District 300 and described as racist by district leaders surfaced within the last week, leading the Board of Education to condemn it and re-evaluate its disciplinary policy for such incidents.
District 300 received messages June 19 on Twitter about a video with racist and inflammatory remarks made by students, Board President Anne Miller said Tuesday. She read from a statement prepared by the board at its monthly meeting.
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“The remarks are vulgar, reprehensive, and disgusting,” Miller said. “It is disappointing to acknowledge that such racism exists in today’s world and even more so within our own community. This is not what we teach in our schools.”
“We need to protect the First Amendment Rights of all individuals including those who express opinions for which we do not agree, however, actions and communications such as these go beyond free speech and rise to the level of hate speech,” Miller said. “We need to protect the safety of our students. Racism, racists remarks and threats to the well-being of any of our students are not tolerated. This is not something to be swept aside but rather something to be addressed head-on.”
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The district, headquartered in Algonquin, did not provide more information about the video in question, and The Courier-News was not able to view or assess the contents of the video.
It’s the fourth incident involving racist social media posts created by D300 students or former students that has come to light in the last month. A 4-year-old video of Hampshire High School students yelling racial slurs was posted on Facebook in early June.
“I’m beyond heartbroken and angry over the most recent attack against a D300 student that has come to light,” Board Member Nancy Zettler said. “Any act of cruelty directed at an individual or group is abhorrent and cannot and will not be tolerated. This most recent occurrence goes beyond just childish words. It’s clearly hate-speech directed at a fellow student because of the color of her skin.”
The students involved are minors, but that shouldn’t excuse their actions, Zettler said.
The board asked Heid and his staff review the district’s disciplinary policies and increase discipline for future situations. Three of the posts revealed this month occurred within the last two years outside of school, Superintendent Fred Heid said. It can be difficult for the district to take disciplinary action involving activities outside school unless a student feels threatened or the incident is connected to a school, he said.
D300 is taking other actions to combat racism and increase diversity in its schools, Heid said. Staff has started revising and developing curriculum specific to the topic and are planning meetings about discrimination involving sexual orientation, race, and disabilities, he said.
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Heid and the board applauded the students who brought the posts to the district’s attention. A step in dealing with such issues is knowing what’s happening, he said.
“These students represent our future leaders,” Miller said.
Dr. David Scarpino disapproved of the racist posts and reminded people the school district “does not have oversight control over what students post outside of the school setting.”
“The people who have the oversight control are parents. I ask parents to monitor what their children post on social media and provide guidance on what is and isn’t socially acceptable,” he said.


chicagotribune--2020-06-27--Trump calls Pritzker, Lightfoot failures on Chicago gun violence; they dismiss as distraction from h

Trump calls Pritzker, Lightfoot failures on Chicago gun violence; they dismiss as distraction from his job on COVID

“ Your lack of leadership on this important issue continues to fail the people you have sworn to protect .
@ @ @ @ @ another example of your lack of commitment to the vulnerable citizens who are victims of @ @ @ @ @ of respect for the men and women in law enforcement , ” Trump wrote of @ @ @ @

President Donald Trump addresses a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, on June 24, 2020. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times)
Republican President Donald Trump lashed out Friday night at Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot over Chicago’s gun violence, saying the two had put their “own political interests” ahead of the lives of residents and insisting that “law and order” was needed.
In a letter, Trump also used the violence issue as a jumping off point to attack the state and city for high taxes and burdensome regulations, contending Pritzker and Lightfoot’s “insatiable appetite” for taxes has led people to flee Illinois.
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A Pritzker spokeswoman said Trump’s letter was a “press stunt” aimed at serving as a distraction “from his long list of failures, especially his response to the deadly coronavirus and nationwide calls for racial justice.”
And Lightfoot, who delights in blasting Trump, responded with a statement saying she doesn’t “need leadership lessons” from Trump and accusing him of using victims of gun violence to try to score “cheap political points.”
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Trump said in his letter that while he has been “heartened” at a reduction of crime on a national level, he has been “horrified by the continued violence in this great American city.” He said the violence was “disproportionately harming young African Americans,” calling it “tragic and unacceptable, particularly on such a shocking scale.”
“Your lack of leadership on this important issue continues to fail the people you have sworn to protect. I am concerned it is another example of your lack of commitment to the vulnerable citizens who are victims of this violence and a lack of respect for the men and women in law enforcement,” Trump wrote of Pritzker and Lightfoot.
“Unfortunately, you continue to put your own political interests ahead of the lives, safety, and fortunes of your own citizens,” he wrote. “The people of Chicago deserve better.”
Trump, who has been a frequent critic of the city’s leadership in dealing with gun crimes throughout his presidency, referenced last weekend’s gun violence when at least 106 people were shot in Chicago, 14 of them fatally, from midafternoon Friday through early Monday, according to authorities and Tribune data.
It was the most people shot in one weekend since at least 2012, but not the deadliest this year, when more than 20 were killed over the last weekend in May, data compiled by the Tribune showed.
Trump once again sought to compare Chicago to the war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq, a day after saying in a Fox News town hall from Green Bay that the city’s gun violence was “worse than Afghanistan.”
“More Americans have been killed in Chicago than in combat zones of Afghanistan and Iraq combined since Sept. 11, 2001, a deadly trend that has continued under your tenure,” Trump wrote, echoing rhetoric he’s used for several years.
Statistics show more Americans have been killed in Chicago than the two war zones since October 2001, but that number is dwarfed by local police, military and civilian deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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Trump has been a strong supporter of law enforcement, while police tactics have come under national scrutiny spurred by the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody last month. On Thursday, Trump again backed stop-and-frisk policing for cities, though the policy has been abused in other cities and raised constitutional concerns.
The president said he was “willing to tackle unsolved challenges” like Chicago’s violence “unlike previous administrations of both parties.” But, he had a caveat.
“If you are willing to put partisanship aside, we can revitalize distressed neighborhoods in Chicago, together. But to succeed, you must establish law and order,” the president said.
“If you are interested, I am willing to ask members of my Cabinet to meet with you and help devise a plan to make Chicago safe, since a successful formula has escaped both you and your predecessors,” he added.
Trump also took a shot at the state’s and city’s finances. Offering a list of federal funding for law enforcement in the city, Trump said the money was in addition to dollars “collected through your combined insatiable appetite to tax the people of Illinois and Chicago” while vulnerable communities continue to “deteriorate.”
Trump’s letter comes after Lightfoot late last month ripped the president over his Floyd remarks, saying, “what I really want to say to Donald Trump. It’s two words. It begins with F and it ends with U.”
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For his part, Pritzker has elevated his national profile during the pandemic by criticizing Trump for his response to COVID-19 and for directly confronting the president on his Floyd comments during a White House call with governors.
Both Lightfoot and Pritzker said Trump was attempting to use gun violence to distract from his handling of the coronavirus, as new cases spike in states that loosened guidelines to open their economy early.
“As our police officers, street outreach workers and residents continue to work tirelessly to keep our communities safe, he’s using the victims of gun violence in our city to score cheap political points, spew racist rhetoric, and ignore the impact of COVID across this country,” Lightfoot said in a statement. “It is despicable, disgusting and all too typical. Same old tired playbook. How about some leadership not steeped in the divide and conquer tactics?”
Pritzker spokesman Jordan Abudayyeh said Trump was trying to turn attention away from his “failure” as a leader.
“The people of this state and this nation have unfortunately come to expect his unhinged attempts to politicize tragedy with his predictable and worn-out strategy to distract, distract, distract. The governor stands with the mayor in working to accomplish meaningful change,” the statement read.


chicagotribune--2020-06-27--‘I’ve been waiting for this day’: Chicago area revels in movies, gyms, indoor dining and other pleas

‘I’ve been waiting for this day’: Chicago area revels in movies, gyms, indoor dining and other pleasures as phase four begins

“ We ’ ve already gone through this in our own town , so now that we ’ re actually @ @ @ @ @ re going through it now , we ’ re used to it , ” Shuster @ @ @ @ @ the new normal , and there ’ s no going back to what we were @ @ @ @ @ not feasible .
”

John Keilman, Stacy St. Clair, Lauren Zumbach, Grace Wong, Steve Johnson, Phil Vettel, Louisa Chu

The Fulton Market area of Chicago is no longer the ghost town it was during the depths of the COVID-19 virus pandemic shutdown. As restrictions on restaurants are eased, a worker takes a woman's temperature before she can enter Federales restaurant on Morgan Street on July 1, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
After more than three dormant months, Fox Bowl in Wheaton came alive Friday.
A half-dozen bowlers lined up outside the alley before its doors opened at 9 a.m., eager to start throwing strikes and socializing with their teammates as Illinois entered phase four of its reopening plan. Within 30 minutes, the business reached its 50-person capacity limit.
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“It feels great to be back,” said Romeoville resident Charley Renfro, who bowled three games with his wife, Kathy. “We didn’t do too badly, either. All the YouTube videos on improving your game that I watched over the past three months must have paid off.”
So it went across the Chicago area as pent-up residents returned to many of the businesses Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered closed as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened in March. Indoor dining, gyms, zoos and movie theaters opened not a moment too soon for those eager to regain a bit of normalcy.
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“It’s really important,” said Ricky Nogal, an idled trampoline park manager from Palos Park who traveled to Elmhurst to catch the noon showing of “The Greatest Showman,” a 2017 film playing at the York Theatre. “I’m a huge movie buff so I’ve been waiting for this day to come for a while.”
Big national chains like AMC and Marcus kept their theaters shuttered Friday, but Classic Cinemas, a 15-theater chain that counts the York Theatre among its holdings, was ready to go, offering a slate of classics like “Space Jam” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (big new releases won’t arrive until next month).
CEO Chris Johnson said the theater, which is allowed to operate at 50% capacity, was taking numerous safety precautions, leaving two empty seats between parties to maintain social distance, requiring masks in the lobby and common areas, and having theater attendants fill sodas and popcorn buckets instead of allowing patrons to serve themselves.
“Other than that, it’s just cleaning and being attentive to everything that’s going on, hand sanitizer all over the place,” he said. “Once you get into the movie, hopefully it will be like it was back in February.”
At the Lincoln Park Zoo’s reopening day, the rain played cat-and-mouse with visitors all morning. But early visitors said umbrellas and rubber boots were a small price for the opportunity to be seeing old animal friends and walking the zoo’s lushly landscaped grounds again.
Among the first in line at the zoo’s East Gate for the members-only opening were Ryan and Tiffany Braun and their three kids, ages 2 to 6.
“We are happy to see it open again,” said Ryan, through the now-mandatory face covering.
“Hopefully, the rain brings the polar bear out,” added Tiffany.
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Sure enough, in her habitat on the north side of the North Side zoo, the female Talini frolicked for a good half-hour in the pool, the one where only a transparent wall separates carnivore and moisture from visitors.
For those in a more exertive mood, indoor workouts began at numerous area gyms, about a month after fitness centers were allowed to hold group exercise classes outdoors.
Still, the North Suburban YMCA, in Northbrook, was mostly quiet Friday morning, with just two people in a room with treadmills and cardio equipment, and three more in a weight room. About a half-dozen more were doing core exercises in a group class on a basketball court. In the pool, five swimmers stroked steadily, filling all but one lane.
After logging a couple of miles on the treadmill, Suzi Henschal, of Northbrook, said she was happy to be back to her workout routine and felt reassured by precautions around social distancing and cleaning.
“When I called and they said there were only four (treadmills) available, I felt really good,” she said.
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Illinois still limits gyms and fitness centers to half their maximum capacity, so the YMCA requires members to reserve 45-minute appointments in the area they want to use. That allows time for cleaning before people arrive for the next session.
“This way, people are well aware of when they can come and no one is waiting in line,” CEO Kathy Fielding said.
Friday was a big day for restaurants, too, which finally were able to allow customers inside after months of subsisting mostly on carryout orders.
At Tweet, a popular brunch spot in Uptown, staff took guests’ temperatures upon entry and offered hand sanitizer. The restaurant is working on a way to collect guests’ phone numbers so they can be alerted should a fellow diner test positive for COVID-19.
“We are evolving on a day-to-day basis,” owner Michelle Fire said. “The big question is: Will people feel comfortable eating inside? … We are fully masked and shielded and still, at the same time, apprehensive. It’s not like we feel we’re invulnerable, so I think everyone is trying to operate out of the highest sense of caution.”
Most restaurants in Chinatown had not reopened their dining rooms Friday, but MingHin, the flagship location of the Cantonese dim sum restaurant, was ready to serve to a handful of customers.
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“They were so happy,” manager Thomas Leong said of his initial diners, who ordered dishes including har gow and shumai (traditional shrimp and pork dumplings, respectively).
Shann Zhon, from left, Mars Guo and Kevin Zhang record themselves eating for a possible blog as guests dine in during the reopening of the MingHin Cusine restaurant in Chicago's Chinatown on June 26, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
At 2 p.m., business was booming inside and outside at Pierce Tavern in Downers Grove. Co-owner Sam Vlahos, forced to remove the restaurant’s bar stools to adhere to capacity rules, moved several high-top tables close to the bar to add “a little bit of normalcy,” he said.
The move met with approval from JoAnn and Mike Monahan, who were dining at one of those tables.
“We’ve eaten at home more in the last two months than probably the last two years,” said Mike Monahan, 59, who works in the financial industry. “It’s so nice to be able to socialize and go out, in a safe way. Some places I’ve gone into and I’ve walked right back out, because I didn’t feel safe.”
After the afternoon rain subsided, Mark Liberson, owner of Replay in Andersonville, measured the distance in between tables on Balmoral Avenue to make sure the tables were appropriately spaced apart.
Josh Shuster and Nathan Rook were visiting from Indianapolis and staying at an Airbnb nearby with their dog. They wanted to get away from the chaos of the world, so they planned a weekend trip to Chicago and made a stop at the restaurant.
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“We’ve already gone through this in our own town, so now that we’re actually visiting Chicago and they’re going through it now, we’re used to it,” Shuster said. “It is the new normal, and there’s no going back to what we were. It’s honestly not feasible.”


chicagotribune--2020-06-27--16-year old from Harvey charged in fatal New Lenox gas station shooting of 19-year old man; first ho

16-year old from Harvey charged in fatal New Lenox gas station shooting of 19-year old man; first homicide in village in nearly two decades

“ Today I am thankful to say that the person responsible for this horrific act of violence is being brought @ @ @ @ @ Sandro said in her statement .
“ Our detectives and our officers with the New @ @ @ @ @ countless hours tirelessly investigating this case .
If it had not been for their dedication @ @ @ @ @ I know we wouldn ’ t be standing here this evening .
”

A 16-year-old boy from Harvey has been charged with murder in a fatal shooting outside a New Lenox gas station last month, officials announced.
The teen faces two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the May 11 slaying of 19-year-old New Lenox resident Charles Baird outside the Circle K gas station on Nelson Road.
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The fatal shooting, which police said appeared to have been completely random and motivated by the juvenile’s desire to steal Baird’s vehicle, was the first homicide within village limits in nearly two decades, Mayor Tim Baldermann said.
Charlie Baird (David Baird)
“There is nothing that we can say other than we did our very best, our department did their very best to bring justice for you,” the mayor said in a message to the Baird family Thursday. “And although that won’t bring Charlie back, hopefully it will bring you some comfort.”
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Baldermann and police Chief April Di Sandro announced the arrest Thursday night in a video address filmed in the New Lenox council chambers and posted on the village’s Facebook page.
“Today I am thankful to say that the person responsible for this horrific act of violence is being brought to justice,” Di Sandro said in her statement. “Our detectives and our officers with the New Lenox Police Department have spent countless hours tirelessly investigating this case. If it had not been for their dedication and commitment to this case I know we wouldn’t be standing here this evening.”
Di Sandro said New Lenox police took the teenager into custody Thursday upon his release from the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, where he was being held on unrelated charges. The Daily Southtown is not using his name because he is a juvenile.
He has since been transferred to the River Valley Juvenile Detention Center in Joliet and is being held on $2.5 million bond following a court appearance Friday, police said. The teen, who is being charged as an adult, is due back in court on July 16.
A police investigation determined that shortly after midnight the morning of May 11 the youth arrived at the Circle K gas station in a stolen Hyundai Santa Fe with at least two other occupants and pulled up to a pump across from Baird’s vehicle while he was inside the gas station.
An occupant of the Santa Fe attempted to open the door of Baird’s Subaru while he was inside, but found it locked and returned to the Sante Fe, which had been stolen out of Lockport two days earlier, police said.
When Baird exited the gas station, a second individual from the Santa Fe approached him brandishing a handgun, police said.
The gunman and Baird briefly exchanged words and then Baird turned to run.
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The gunman fired one shot that struck Baird in the lower back and then hopped into the waiting Santa Fe, which sped off, police said.
Baird was taken to Silver Cross Hospital in critical condition and died three days later at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Police recovered the Santa Fe four days after the shooting when it was T-boned by another vehicle in Dolton after blowing a stop sign at 147th and State streets, police said.
Witnesses reported seeing two or three males flee from the vehicle after the crash and police found two girls inside the stolen SUV, according to police.
The teenage girls were taken into custody briefly, but released without charges. The 16-year-old charged Thursday in Baird’s killing was not among those in the vehicle when it crashed, Deputy Chief Louis Alessandrini said.
That teen was identified through work with other law enforcement agencies in the south suburbs that shared information and evidence with New Lenox about burglaries and car thefts in their areas, he said.
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Police said Thursday that the investigation into Baird’s shooting remains open and that additional charges could be filed against other individuals.
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Alessandrini said police are confident they know the identities of the others who were in the SUV, but declined to comment further.
Baird, a 19-year-old Lincoln-Way West High School graduate, had been living with his parents and working as a cook at Red Robin in Orland Park at the time of his death.
Baird’s father, David, said the teen had shared Mother’s Day dinner with the family a few hours before the shooting and had gone out afterward.
A GoFundMe page established to raise money for Baird’s medical bills and burial costs has raised nearly $25,000.
“As police officers, and for many of us as parents, this case troubled all of us and shook the community,” Alessandrini said Friday in an email. “We were determined to locate the offender(s) and bring a bit of closure for the Baird family. That being said, there is still work to be done.”
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zkoeske@tribpub.com
Twitter @ZakKoeske


chicagotribune--2020-06-27--Appellate court rules marital privilege does not apply to text messages between Melodie Gliniewicz,

Appellate court rules marital privilege does not apply to text messages between Melodie Gliniewicz, late husband

Birkett also pointed in his decision to other information Gliniewicz shared with investigators about her marriage , their finances and @ @ @ @ @ as telling investigators that her husband “ would use the Explorer credit card [ but @ @ @ @ @ back , ” and they were not “ embezzling funds.
” She told them she @ @ @ @ @ program “ about $ 1,000 , ″ including for airline tickets purchased for their son @ @ @ @ @ .

Melodie Gliniewicz exits the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan with her legal team following a hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016. Gliniewicz was indicted on charges of money laundering and misuse of charitable funds. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)
An appellate court has ruled that Melodie Gliniewicz’s text messages with her husband, the Fox Lake police lieutenant who authorities say staged his death to look like a homicide, can be used as evidence in the case against her.
The opinion, which was handed down Thursday, reverses Lake County Circuit Judge James Booras’ April 2019 ruling that marital privilege protected the Gliniewiczes’ text messages from being used in court.
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Gliniewicz has pleaded not guilty to charges of misuse of charitable funds and money laundering in the case, which stems from an alleged series of thefts from funds belonging to the former Fox Lake Police Explorer unit, run by her late husband, Fox Lake police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz.
The text messages “prove the case,” Assistant State’s Attorney Kenneth LaRue said in 2019.
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Both the Lake County state’s attorney’s office and Donald Morrison, the attorney representing Gliniewicz, declined to comment on the appellate court’s decision Friday.
Morrison said the defense is reviewing its options, which include asking the Illinois Supreme Court to weigh in.
The Lake County state’s attorney’s office is prepared for the case to return to the local level and is ready to try it, spokesman Lee Filas said.
The Appellate Court found Thursday that because Gliniewicz had voluntarily agreed to have her phone searched and the contents copied, she waived any marital privilege she would have had, even for email and text messages that weren’t found on her phone but were found on her husband’s.
Booras had ruled Gliniewicz had waived marital privilege for the texts found on her phone after she surrendered it to investigators in October 2015, but not any deleted or otherwise missing messages.
Appellate Judge Joe Birkett, who wrote Thursday’s opinion with Judges Donald Hudson and Liam Brennan concurring, noted in his decision that Gliniewicz had given permission for a “complete search” of her phone after a 2015 conversation with investigators where she acknowledged deleted messages could be recovered by law enforcement and during which investigators questioned her about text messages related to hiding money.
The decision quotes a recorded conversation between Gliniewicz and investigators where she tells them: “honestly, you’re just going to find the same (expletive) on my phone that you’re going to find on Joe’s phone. So, I don’t give a flying (expletive) anymore. My life is over.”
LaRue had questioned in court why the texts appear on Joe Gliniewicz’s phone but not Melodie Gliniewicz’s mobile phone, and suggested she deleted them before voluntarily turning over the phone. The deleted texts could have been recovered by law enforcement, but that was not done when investigators searched the phone.
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Birkett also pointed in his decision to other information Gliniewicz shared with investigators about her marriage, their finances and the Explorers program, quoting as telling investigators that her husband “would use the Explorer credit card (but) we always paid that back,” and they were not “embezzling funds.” She told them she thought they owed the Explorer program “about $1,000,″ including for airline tickets purchased for their son, according to the opinion.


chicagotribune--2020-06-26--2 dead, 1 critically injured in shooting at Springfield Bunn-O-Matic warehouse; police say suspected

2 dead, 1 critically injured in shooting at Springfield Bunn-O-Matic warehouse; police say suspected gunman killed himself

“ I was in the maintenance shop and just heard the gunshots and everybody started running , ” Bantle , @ @ @ @ @ State Journal-Register .
“ And I ’ m in maintenance , so I figured something @ @ @ @ @ I started walking towards it , figured it was the air compressor blowing up or @ @ @ @ @ going to have to go fix it .
But then everyone was screaming and yelling @ @ @ @ @ the other way .
So we all ran and took cover .
”

Law enforcement enter the C1 building to the west of the Bunn-O-Matic warehouse during an active shooter situation, Friday, June 26, 2020, in Springfield, Ill. (Justin L. Fowler/AP)
SPRINGFIELD — A third person died Saturday afternoon who was critically wounded in a shooting at a warehouse in central Illinois where the suspect had fatally shot two coworkers before apparently killing himself, authorities said.
Police believe Michael L. Collins opened fire on three of his coworkers Friday, killing two at the Bunn-O-Matic facility in Springfield, Illinois, shortly after 11 a.m.
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The victims who died Friday are Christopher Aumiller, 25, and Bill Gibbons, 61, both of Springfield, according to Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon. Their autopsies conducted Saturday morning concluded both died of multiple gunshot wounds, Allmon told The (Springfield) State Journal-Register.
The third victim is a 54-year-old woman, who died Saturday just after 4:30 p.m. at HSHS St. John’s Hospital. Her identity hasn’t been revealed because her family hasn’t been notified of her death, Allmon said. The woman’s autopsy is scheduled for Monday, Allmon said.
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Collins and his coworkers had all arrived for work at about 7 a.m. Friday in the welding area of the facility, Springfield Police Chief Kenny Winslow said. They all worked in the same area, he said.
Later Friday after the shooting, Collins was found dead in his car apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Winslow said. Two handguns were also found in his car. No other suspects were being sought.
Aumiller and Gibbons' bodies were found Friday by officers searching the facility building. The woman who died Saturday was found in the parking lot and taken to a hospital.
Bunn-O-Matic manufactures dispensed beverage equipment, and is headquartered in Springfield, according to the company’s website.


chicagotribune--2020-06-27--‘When is this going to stop,' says Chicago police chief after baby boy shot with mom in Englewood di

‘When is this going to stop,' says Chicago police chief after baby boy shot with mom in Englewood dies

When asked by a reporter whether Chicagoans should expect more violence and young children killed going forward this summer , @ @ @ @ @ expect kids to get killed , is that , that ’ s the question you @ @ @ @ @ expect kids to be killed ?
We never expect that .
No one has an @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said .

Rosemary Sobol, Jeremy Gorner, Alice Yin

Chicago police survey the victim's car at St. Bernard Hospital after a woman and child were shot in the 6000 block of South Halsted Street on June 27, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
A 1-year-old boy in a car seat who was shot while riding with his mom in the Englewood neighborhood on the city’s South Side has died Saturday afternoon, police said.
The boy, identified as 20-month-old Sincere Gaston, was with his mother after a visit to a laundromat when it happened shortly after 2 p.m., Chicago police Chief Fred Waller said during a news briefing outside the 7th District station, 1438 W. 63rd St.
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They were southbound on Halsted Street near 60th Street when someone in another car pulled alongside and fired seven or eight times, Waller said. The baby, who was in a back car seat, was shot once in the chest, and his mom, about 22, was grazed in the head.
She then sped to get help at a gas station at 63rd Street and Yale Avenue, and from there a good Samaritan drove her to St. Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center, 326 W. 64th St., where the baby was pronounced dead at 3:02 p.m., according to a police report.
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Earlier, officials said the mother had driven them there.
“Too many times children are killed,” Waller told reporters.
“It seems like just yesterday, it was actually last Saturday, I was in front of you all talking about a 3-year-old kid. ... When is this gonna stop?” Waller demanded.
Waller said detectives were working “feverishly” to solve the case, and he said the motive was unclear.
“I don’t even have the words to see that family at St. Bernard. The tremendous emotion, the tremendous strife that they were going through,” Waller said.
“And we’ll catch them. We will no doubt we’ll catch the person who did it. We’ll catch the person who killed that 3-year-old. We’ll catch the person who killed this kid. But that’s not gonna bring that kid back. And that’s not gonna satisfy that family.”
The child would have turned 2 years old in the fall, according to a law enforcement source.
“When are we going to say enough is enough?”Waller said.
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When asked by a reporter whether Chicagoans should expect more violence and young children killed going forward this summer, Waller balked: “To expect kids to get killed, is that, that’s the question you asked me? Should we expect kids to be killed? We never expect that. No one has an expectation of anything like that,” he said.
Waller defended his department’s mission to recover illegal guns and arrest violent offenders but said “the mindset and to a certain extent the culture that we live in” lead to people settling conflicts through violence.
“We ALL need to be outraged by the violence we are seeing in our city. This baby, and all of our residents, deserve better,” said Chicago police Superintendent David Brown in a statement emailed late Saturday.
“This is not just a problem that Englewood needs to solve. This is not just a problem on the South Side or the West Side. We cannot compartmentalize the violence that is tearing families and communities apart. Someone knows something,” Brown said in the statement. “For the sake of Chicago’s children, please come forward to help bring the trigger pullers to justice.”
Around 4:30 p.m., the Chicago police news briefing was delayed, and onlookers and police officers gathered outside the hospital.
A red car faced the sliding doors of the emergency room and was pocked with at least four bullet holes and surrounded by red and yellow crime scene tape.
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The mother and child were among at least 10 others — five of whom were men who died — shot since daybreak, police said.
Most recently, a male of an unknown age was found with a gunshot wound to his head in the 4400 block of South Kedzie Avenue in the Brighton Park neighborhood shortly before 4 p.m., police said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died.
Earlier, about 11:25 a.m., a 17-year-old boy was fatally shot in the 1100 block of North Monticello Avenue, in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. He was in a “large crowd” when he became embroiled in a fight with someone in the group when somebody shot him, police said.
A 25-year-old man was fatally shot about 10:50 a.m. in the 1300 block of South Springfield Avenue in the Lawndale neighborhood. He was on foot when a silver vehicle drove past him and someone inside fired shots. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died.
Shortly before 7 a.m. in the 1100 block of West 57th Street in the Englewood neighborhood, a 30-year-old man was sitting in a Chevrolet Tahoe when someone shot him in the head, and he was pronounced dead on the scene, police said. Witnesses told police they heard shots and saw a 2003 Nissan flee the scene at a high rate of speed.
A 33-year-old man was slain during a domestic incident about 6:20 a.m. in the 9300 block of South Lyons Avenue in the Burnside neighborhood. A woman who intervened when the 33-year-old began “striking the children” fatally shot him, police said. She was being questioned by detectives.
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Five other men were wounded in nonfatal attacks on the South and West sides.
rsobol@chicagotribune.com
jeremygorner@chicagotribune.com
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-27--A year after Felon Smith’s death on South Side CTA platform, family demands guardrails at train stat

A year after Felon Smith’s death on South Side CTA platform, family demands guardrails at train stations

“ I went down on that platform because I want to make a difference , ” Martin said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ still mourning .
We have nine sisters , now we missing one .
And that @ @ @ @ @ feeling in the world right now .
This is really hard for me .
That @ @ @ @ @ .
And I just actually dealt with it .
”

Family and friends of Felon Smith, who was killed by a CTA Red Line train last year while attempting to retrieve her cellphone on the tracks, releases balloons on June 26, 2020, at the 69th Street overpass above the Dan Ryan expressway, near the train station where Smith was killed a year ago. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
For the past year, Brandy Martin never stepped foot inside the 69th Street Red Line Station.
The 43-year-old could not bear to be in the same place where a northbound train fatally struck her younger sister Felon Smith last year after she climbed down to retrieve her cellphone.
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Martin already had to stomach watching a heavily shared video, leaked from the CTA’s system, that displayed the final moments of Smith’s life and raised questions surrounding the security guard’s actions. All the while, her family weathered a whirlwind of cruelty from social media commenters.
But on Saturday, the one-year anniversary of Smith’s death, Martin led about 20 of Smith’s family members and friends to the Dan Ryan overpass on West 69th Street, across the street from the fateful station. After walking over to the station’s doors and releasing bunches of blue, silver and gold balloons, the group stood on the platform to observe a moment of silence.
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Felon Smith. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Martin said she did it to remember her sister, but also to demand change.
“I went down on that platform because I want to make a difference,” Martin said. “The family is very much still mourning. We have nine sisters, now we missing one. And that’s like the worst feeling in the world right now. This is really hard for me. That was a fear for me. And I just actually dealt with it.”
Smith’s family is advocating for a “Felon Smith Act” that would require guardrails, more warning signs and bigger staffing numbers on train platforms. They are pushing the law to change at all levels, including in Chicago.
Before Smith’s phone tumbled onto the tracks, the 37-year-old’s day had taken a joyous turn. She found out she passed training for a job as an insurance broker, so she decided to get off her southbound train at the 69th Street station and head north to retrieve papers from her downtown office.
While calling her children, she dropped the phone and went on the tracks for 17 seconds before the train hit her. In the leaked CTA video, a security officer appears to be walking slowly toward Smith as she climbs down to the tracks.
A still photo taken from a video the CTA has determined was recorded from its system shows a woman on the train tracks as a security guard with a dog stands on the platform in the background at the 69th Street Red Line platform in Chicago on June 27, 2019.
Smith’s loved ones wore blue shirts Saturday reading, “#No Love on the Platform #No Love on the Street.” It was a nod to the double tragedy Martin and her family endured a year ago, when a week after Smith’s death, Martin’s 22-year-old daughter Akeelah Addison was killed in a shooting while celebrating the Fourth of July.
“The worst feeling in the world for me right now today that I’m experiencing is the fact that I know how my mom feels, because we lost a child in the same week, and I can’t do anything about those tears,” Martin said. “I can’t take anything away. Both of us are strictly leaning on God.”
Smith’s mother, Jorgetta Martin, said the 37-year-old “was a jewel in this family” and guardrails could have saved her and other people killed by trains.
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“She had a promise on her life, as well as my granddaughter Akeelah that was killed a week later,” Jorgetta Martin said. “They both were women of promise. it just didn’t make sense to way they life was snuffed out. I don’t want to see this happen to nobody else because this year has been the most painful time for me.”
After the bouquets of blue balloons floated into the white clouds and blue sky, Jorgetta Martin read out an emotional prayer while being embraced by her son and son-in-law. A small boy stroked the son’s side as tears streamed from all three adults.
“I give you glory to her life Jesus. I glorify you Father God I lift you up. I thank you for Felon Smith. As I release these balloons father God, I lift up my family,” Jorgetta Martin recited.
Meanwhile, Brandy Martin stood at the end of the 69th Street platform and hung a blue bag with a heart bearing Smith’s name on the center. A northbound train whooshed to a stop next to her. “That train just scared her soul,” a woman whispered.
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-27--Health care workers demand racial justice during march through Chicago’s Medical District: ‘People a

Health care workers demand racial justice during march through Chicago’s Medical District: ‘People are dying all the time because of their race'

After a brief exchange , the march continued as planned , with squad cars trailing about a dozen vehicles bringing @ @ @ @ @ .
A lieutenant on the scene said he didn ’ t know how the “ @ @ @ @ @ , but said his focus was on getting the march underway to clear streets for @ @ @

Wivine Ngongo, whose sister suffers from sickle cell anemia, speaks across from the old Cook County Hospital before marching west to North Lawndale's Douglas Park while protesting racism in the health care industry and demanding an excellent standard of care for all people on June 27, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
The health care workers who gathered outside the old Cook County Hospital building Saturday can speak all too well about the discrimination Black people face when seeking care — many of them have faced it firsthand.
Denise Stiger, an organizer with the Teamsters Local 743 union that represents health care workers at University of Chicago, Rush and Mercy medical centers, said dismissive attitudes of health care professionals endangered two of her pregnancies.
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In the case of her son’s birth eight years ago, Stiger asked for a vaccination that would protect her baby from respiratory syncytial virus, the leading cause of infant pneumonia and bronchiolitis. Her doctor said Stiger didn’t fit the criteria and sent her home with assurances her son’s condition would improve overnight.
Instead, he stopped breathing.
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“That was the day I knew they don’t care about us,” Stiger said. “We’re just a number to them.”
Around 140 protesters joined the National Nurses United union in rallying to pressure Mayor Lori Lightfoot to divert funding for the Chicago Police Department to the city’s health care and social services.
Speakers from Black Lives Matter Chicago, Southside Together Organizing for Power, Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation, and other unions and social justice groups pointed to issues like the city’s 2012 closing of half its mental health clinics as evidence that people of color are sidelined while police funding climbs.
“If we had more mental health clinics, our jail system (population) would go down, because half the people in jail have mental health problems,” Stiger said. “If they put nurses back in the school system, psychologists and truancy (officers), I tell you, society will be much better.”
About nine police squad cars were on hand to escort the marchers from outside Cook County Hospital to Douglas Park, which organizers noted is where Rekia Boyd was killed by an off-duty police officer in 2012.
At the start of the march, a squad car and a vehicle of protesters collided, with the protesters’ vehicle sustaining more damage to its bumper and driver’s side. Protesters angrily decried the incident as a means of blocking their caravan and accused officers of striking their vehicle after it had stopped.
After a brief exchange, the march continued as planned, with squad cars trailing about a dozen vehicles bringing up the rear of protesters. A lieutenant on the scene said he didn’t know how the “fender bender” took place, but said his focus was on getting the march underway to clear streets for hospital traffic.
Among the marchers was Margaret Ladner, a midwife who works on Chicago’s West Side, and her young children. Her patients, who are mostly Latino, “have suffered disproportionately from this virus,” she said, because many are considered essential workers in sectors like food production, but lack personal protective equipment to keep them safe.
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To her, attending the rally was a vital way to show her children the realities of the world and to fight for a better one.
“Racism is systemic, and it creates so much unnecessary death,” Ladner said. “People are dying all the time because of their race.”
Black Chicagoans are dying from the coronavirus at far higher rates than other racial demographics, according to a Tribune analysis. In the first month of the stay-at-home order, 60% of COVID-19 deaths were Black people, despite them making up about 30% of the city’s population.
But racial disparities in health care are nothing new, as study after study has shown. Black women are six times more likely to die from pregnancy-related conditions and are less likely to have good heart health while pregnant. Black and Latina women report more pain postpartum than white women, but receive less opioid medication to treat it.
In emergency rooms, nonwhite patients get less pain relief amid health issues like migraines and bone fractures. Black and Latino children are more likely to be living with undiagnosed chronic fatigue. There has been a historic lack of funding for sickle cell disease, which is most common among Black people.
As marchers passed by Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, a Black man named Jimmy King looked on. With a few minutes to spare from his work in the housekeeping department, he took in the sight of dozens of marchers hoisting signs calling for change.
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“It’s a beautiful thing, because you have all these races and creeds and colors finally coming together and saying enough is enough,” King said. “It needs to continue until something is done.”
archeung@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-27--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what’s happening this weekend with COVID-19 in the Chicago a

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what’s happening this weekend with COVID-19 in the Chicago area

A strand in the national political discussion has been that an increase in testing makes for an increase in cases @ @ @ @ @ the net totals of positive coronavirus tests , this is often true and shows in @ @ @ @ @ the the last three days , when the state has averaged 846 new cases a @ @

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The Fulton Market area of Chicago is no longer the ghost town it was during the depths of the COVID-19 virus pandemic shutdown. As restrictions on restaurants are eased, a worker takes a woman's temperature before she can enter Federales restaurant on Morgan Street on July 1, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
For the first time since mid-March, residents are now permitted to dine inside restaurants, go to the movies and work out at the local gym. They also can bowl, take a yoga class, grab a drink at the bar, visit zoos and attend summer camps.
These renewed freedoms, however, come with a caveat from public health officials: It all can be taken away again if there is a spike in confirmed coronavirus cases or hospitalization rates.
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Illinois health officials Sunday reported 646 new known cases of COVID-19 and 15 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known cases to 141,723 and the confirmed death toll to 6,888.
[ Illinois enters phase 4 of reopening plan. Here’s a guide to what’s allowed. ]
[ How will Illinois reopen? Three charts breaking down Pritzker’s plan ]
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
Here’s what’s happening this weekend with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
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4:42 p.m.: World hits coronavirus milestones: 500,000 dead, 10 million confirmed cases
The world surpassed two sobering coronavirus milestones Sunday — 500,000 confirmed deaths, 10 million confirmed cases — and hit another high mark for daily new infections as governments that attempted reopenings continued to backtrack and warn that worse news could be yet to come.
“COVID-19 has taken a very swift and very dangerous turn in Texas over just the past few weeks,” said Gov. Greg Abbott, who allowed businesses to start reopening in early May but on Friday shut down bars and limited restaurant dining amid a spike in cases. Read more here. — Associated Press
12:40 p.m. (Updated 3:30 p.m.): State reports 646 new known cases, 15 additional deaths
Sunday, Illinois added 15 new deaths from COVID-19 as well as 646 new confirmed cases. The state also announced the results of 23,789 test results.
Surging case numbers in the South and West U.S. brought the country’s total cases to more than 2.5 million according to New York Times data.
The Times identified 31 states where the total cases per day has increased over the last two weeks. Illinois is among the 16 states where the total new cases for the last two weeks is largely steady. Six states are seeing declining new cases during that time period. (The data includes Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico).
The total coronavirus cases in the world is now more than 10 million according to data from Johns Hopkins. The U.S. has the most cases of any country, followed by Brazil with 1.3 million, Russia with 633,542 and India with 528,859. Read more here. — Chicago Tribune Staff
11 a.m., Sunday: ‘Window is closing’ to take action to slow coronavirus, US health secretary says
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar stressed that “the window is closing” for the U.S. to take action to effectively curb the coronavirus.
Azar pointed to a recent spike in infections, particularly in the South. He says people have “to act responsibly” by social distancing and wearing face masks, especially “in these hot zones.”
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Speaking on NBC and CNN, Azar argued that the U.S. is in a better position than two months ago in fighting the virus because it is conducting more testing and has therapeutics available to treat COVID-19.
But he acknowledged that hospitalizations and deaths could increase in the next few weeks. Read more here. —Associated Press
Saturday
2:30 p.m. (updated 4:15 p.m.): 786 new known COVID-19 cases, 26 additional deaths
On Saturday, Illinois added 26 new deaths from COVID-19 and 786 new confirmed cases. And for the third straight day, the state announced more than 30,000 new test results.
A strand in the national political discussion has been that an increase in testing makes for an increase in cases. When looking only at the net totals of positive coronavirus tests, this is often true and shows in the data from Illinois over the the last three days, when the state has averaged 846 new cases a day.
Compare that with the week before Illinois hit 30,000 daily tests, and the state averaged 622 cases a day while releasing around 25,000 test results a day.
Alarming? It doesn’t tell the complete story. Looking at the positivity rate, the number of positive tests divided by the total number of tests shows virtually the same level of infections: 2.7% for the last three days with more than 30,000 tests a day and 2.6% for the seven days preceding that.
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The testing push has shot the state’s total test results past a total of 1.5 million.
—Chicago Tribune staff
9 a.m.: ‘It’s that perfect storm’: The new challenges facing college athletes on campus — including legal and ethical questions about COVID-19 guidelines
When Illinois athletes prepared to return to campus for voluntary workouts earlier this month, they were asked to sign a form if they wanted to rejoin teammates.
The document asked athletes to responsibly follow guidelines to reduce the spread of the coronavirus — such as completing a virtual screening, reporting to sports medicine staff any known exposure to COVID-19 or any symptoms, wearing a mask in public places and sanitizing hands frequently — and to agree to testing.
Several other Big Ten schools — but not all — asked their athletes to sign similar documents, as have many programs around the nation. A refusal to sign would not revoke an athlete’s scholarship, the universities made clear, but the athletes could be held out of competition.
Like the debate about the overall safety of returning to workouts amid a pandemic, these documents also open questions about the legality and ethics of asking unpaid college students to sign them.
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Read more here. —Shannon Ryan
7 a.m.: Phase four of Illinois’s COVID-19 reopening: Settle in, folks, we may be here a while
When the first customer in line at MacArthur’s restaurant pulled down his mask to mug for a camera Friday, the establishment’s manager immediately ordered him to put it back on.
“I’m not playing,” said Vanessa Cobbins, whose father, Mac Alexander, founded the beloved Black-owned Southern food cafeteria in South Austin.
That vigilance reflects the high stakes for people statewide as Illinois significantly loosens restrictions aimed at blunting the spread of COVID-19. After nearly three months of sacrifice and solitude, no one wants to see the state backslide into another lockdown.
“We’re so grateful for the business,” said MacArthur’s manager Maurice Gaiter, as he kept a watchful eye on the lunchtime crowd to ensure patrons were adhering to public health regulations. “What we’re doing now is our very best to comply with the social distancing to keep everyone safe.”
All four regions of the state as designated in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s “Restore Illinois” reopening plan moved into the fourth of five phases Friday, with gatherings of up to 50 people allowed and some recreational opportunities restored.
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For the first time since mid-March, residents are now permitted to dine inside restaurants, go to the movies and work out at the local gym. They also can bowl, take a yoga class, grab a drink at the bar, visit zoos and attend summer camps.
These renewed freedoms, however, come with a caveat from public health officials: It all can be taken away again if there is a spike in confirmed coronavirus cases or hospitalization rates.
“I’m not afraid to protect the people of Illinois by moving a region back to an earlier phase if we see a surge,” Pritzker said Thursday. “Ours will not be one of the states that takes no action in response to a return to the peak.”
Welcome to phase four, Illinois.
Even with our best behavior, we may be here awhile.
Read more here. —Stacy St. Clair, Shannon Ryan, Louisa Chu and Phil Vettel


chicagotribune--2020-06-27--Where does Illinois stand on the reopening plan? Here are the charts

With each of the state ’ s four regions in Phase 3 of Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s Restore @ @ @ @ @ starts on moving on to Phase 4 , where more businesses and activities are allowed @ @ @ @ @ Illinois — from restaurants and salons to open space to non-COVID-19 procedures at the hospital @ @ @ @ @ depends on a host of metrics laid out by Pritzker .

Chad Yoder, Nausheen Husain, Jennifer Smith Richards, Jonathon Berlin

With each of the state’s four regions in Phase 3 of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan, the clock starts on moving on to Phase 4, where more businesses and activities are allowed. The plan to reopen Illinois — from restaurants and salons to open space to non-COVID-19 procedures at the hospital to concerts and festivals — depends on a host of metrics laid out by Pritzker.
The metrics focus on a rolling average of positive coronavirus cases and hospitalizations to keep track of the direction of the outbreak as well as availability of hospital beds and ventilators that would be needed to handle a possible surge. There are also benchmarks for testing and tracing positive tests.
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
A key element of the plan is that a region can move both forward and backward, where more parts of society can open and shut depending on the seriousness of the outbreak.
Here is a breakdown of where each region stands.


chicagotribune--2020-06-27--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

Search below by street address , ZIP code or city , then click on the map to see the number @ @ @ @ @ state is not providing data for any ZIP code with five cases or fewer .

Note: With Chicago and Illinois moving into phase 5, the Tribune is no longer updating this data. If the state moves back into bridge phase, the Tribune we reassess. Daily metrics on COVID-19, like cases, deaths and hospitalizations, can be found here. And Daily metrics on the vaccination effort can be found here. More on where the coronavirus stands nationally and around the world can be found here.
Illinois releases the number of positive COVID-19 cases by ZIP code daily. The map below shows the cumulative cases for each area as well as other analysis of the data.
• Check out the Tribune’s coronavirus coverage.
• Tracking daily Illinois coronavirus deaths, cases and tests.
Search below by street address, ZIP code or city, then click on the map to see the number of confirmed and probable cases. The state is not providing data for any ZIP code with five cases or fewer.
Data as of June 10.
The map search tool above works best in Chrome or Firefox and may not perform consistently in Internet Explorer.
Note: Because of a coding error this map was displaying the incorrect rates for new cases in the last 7 days per 100,000 people — the issue should now be resolved.. The Tribune adjusted the data shown on the map below to focus on new cases, those the state tracked in the last 7 seven days. The totals for the entire pandemic are still available, but in the pop-up after tapping or clicking on a ZIP.


chicagotribune--2020-06-27--Illinois coronavirus graphs: 6,873 deaths, 141,077 confirmed cases, 1.52 million tests, 4.61% positi

Illinois coronavirus graphs: 6,873 deaths, 141,077 confirmed cases, 1.52 million tests, 4.61% positivity rate for northeast region

Johns Hopkins University & Medicine tracked coronavirus cases, deaths and test totals from Jan. 22, 2020 through March 10, 2023, but is no longer providing this data. These charts will no longer be updated.
Check the Illinois Department of Public Health for the most up-to-date data for Illinois.
[ Remembering the lives of those in Illinois who died from coronavirus ]
Can’t see these charts? Go here.


chicagotribune--2020-06-27--Phase four of Illinois’s COVID-19 reopening: Settle in, folks, we may be here a while

“ We ’ re all in this together : The restaurant owner-operator and the guests .
That means social distancing @ @ @ @ @ .
When you go into a restaurant , you wear your face mask .
When @ @ @ @ @ , you take it off .
When you get up to go to the restroom @ @ @ @ @ on , ” Toia said .
“ We have to get our heads around that @ @ @ @ @ in even deeper trouble .
”

Stacy St. Clair, Shannon Ryan, Louisa Chu, Phil Vettel

The Fulton Market area of Chicago is no longer the ghost town it was during the depths of the COVID-19 virus pandemic shutdown. As restrictions on restaurants are eased, a worker takes a woman's temperature before she can enter Federales restaurant on Morgan Street on July 1, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
When the first customer in line at MacArthur’s restaurant pulled down his mask to mug for a camera Friday, the establishment’s manager immediately ordered him to put it back on.
“I’m not playing,” said Vanessa Cobbins, whose father, Mac Alexander, founded the beloved Black-owned Southern food cafeteria in South Austin.
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That vigilance reflects the high stakes for people statewide as Illinois significantly loosens restrictions aimed at blunting the spread of COVID-19. After nearly three months of sacrifice and solitude, no one wants to see the state backslide into another lockdown.
“We’re so grateful for the business,” said MacArthur’s manager Maurice Gaiter, as he kept a watchful eye on the lunchtime crowd to ensure patrons were adhering to public health regulations. “What we’re doing now is our very best to comply with the social distancing to keep everyone safe.”
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All four regions of the state as designated in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s “Restore Illinois” reopening plan moved into the fourth of five phases Friday, with gatherings of up to 50 people allowed and some recreational opportunities restored.
For the first time since mid-March, residents are now permitted to dine inside restaurants, go to the movies and work out at the local gym. They also can bowl, take a yoga class, grab a drink at the bar, visit zoos and attend summer camps.
Studio attendant Laura Lopez uses an electrostatic sprayer to sanitize before class as indoor classes resume at Yoga By Degrees in Western Springs on June 26, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Emerson Becker, 20, holds the door for two customers as they put on their masks before entering Classic Cinemas York Theatre in Elmhurst after reopening on June 26, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
These renewed freedoms, however, come with a caveat from public health officials: It all can be taken away again if there is a spike in confirmed coronavirus cases or hospitalization rates.
“I’m not afraid to protect the people of Illinois by moving a region back to an earlier phase if we see a surge,” Pritzker said Thursday. “Ours will not be one of the states that takes no action in response to a return to the peak.”
Welcome to phase four, Illinois.
Even with our best behavior, we may be here awhile.
The governor intends to keep the state in phase four until there is a COVID-19 vaccine, “an effective and widely available treatment” or new cases cease over a sustained period of time. Once that happens, Illinois can enter the fifth and final stage — a return to normalcy when large sporting events, concerts and festivals can take place.
As Illinois cautiously entered the penultimate phase, public health officials announced 857 new cases and 39 reported deaths on Friday. The statewide positivity rate remained at 3%, less than half the national rate.
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The available data continues to show no significant spikes in COVID-19 cases following protests over police killings of African Americans. Chicago was averaging about 400 confirmed cases a day when the protests began, and that number has since dropped to under 160 a day.
“On paper, everything looks good,” said Dr. Rachel Rubin, senior medical officer with the Cook County Public Health Department. “My concern is that there has become a high level of quarantine or stay-at-home fatigue. Vigilance has to remain high as we open up. I wonder how much patience people have. ... I wonder if people realize that this is a new normal. We’re not going back to the way things were before.”
Experts expect it to be many months, or longer, before the Chicago area meets the standards for a complete reopening. For a population that has largely confronted pandemic-related restrictions in 30-day increments, the long-term potential of phase four — with its limited gatherings, mask requirements during the hot summer and restricted recreation options — could prove particularly daunting over an extended period of time.
“We need to help each other maintain this vigilance and respect for the guidelines,” Rubin said. “That’s the only way we’ll get through this phase.”
It’s a delicate issue for a lot of Chicagoans, many of whom have different views on how to reengage with the world after being grounded for three months. Even among friends who take the virus seriously, there can be disagreement on how to best avoid a resurgence like those currently seen in Arizona, Florida and Texas.
Amy Renfro and her wife, Lauren, had planned to attend several concerts this summer — Elton John, Fall Out Boy, The Darkness, Green Day — but instead find their activities limited to essential trips like their Target run Friday. From the couple’s perspective, phase four feels like the floodgates are opening and emboldening people to make more dangerous choices.
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”We know people who are like, ‘Things are fine now,’” Lauren said.
”People are like, ‘Who needs masks now?’” Amy said. “It’s frustrating and anxiety-ridden.”
To the north, a knock on Libertyville resident Brian Lawton’s front door Friday morning — the first in about four months — served as a reminder of the dilemmas people will face as the state reopens.
“Can Nolan come out and play?” a neighborhood kid asked, inviting Lawton’s 8-year-old son.
Lawton doesn’t want to ostracize his kids or expose them to danger, but he said they’ll continue to follow stricter guidelines than the government currently has set. Even as birthday parties and social gatherings are becoming more frequent, his family is not eating out or attending group playdates.
“In the neighborhood there are some who are a little lax, and it makes it a little more difficult because we’re holding them back a little more,” Lawton said. “It makes it more difficult keeping everyone on the same page. I think about it a lot. With all the kids in the neighborhood, I don’t know where they’ve been. I don’t know who they’ve contacted and who they’ve contacted has contacted and going down that daisy chain down the line.”
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Public health experts warn phase four will only prove successful if people remain as observant as they have been the past three months. That means continuing to wear masks, use hand sanitizer and maintain a 6-foot social distance whenever possible.
“We took the appropriate measures in Illinois to prevent the spread of the disease, and it worked because we followed those guidelines,” said Dr. Terrill Applewhite, chairman of the Roseland Community Hospital’s COVID-19 task force. “In some of the other states that did not practice those measures, you’re now seeing a rapid spread of the disease. People need to understand that these safety measures — masks, social distancing, reduced capacity — are in place for a reason.”
Those regulations, however, have severely tested the restaurant industry, which saw inside dining banned for more than 100 days. The lockdown was financially devastating to establishments, many of which laid off employees or, in some cases, closed permanently.
During phase four, indoor dining will be allowed at restricted levels. Many restaurants also will continue to take advantage of laxed rules on outdoor seating and carryout cocktails to boost sales.
Even so, the National Restaurant Association predicts between 20% to 25% of restaurants statewide will not reopen. That would mean about 125,000 hospitality jobs lost in Illinois because of the pandemic, industry experts said.
Raul Pacheco hopes phase four means he can get his job back as a server at a West Loop restaurant. He’s been working part-time for about two months in delivery, but it’s not as fulfilling or financially beneficial.
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“We need to work,” Pacheco said. “I hear people who lose their houses, their apartments they get kicked out. I hope I can return to work. Thank God I could find this other (job).”
A prolonged phase four could prove difficult for dining establishments, particularly if the current indoor capacity restrictions remain in place as the weather gets colder. Pritzker and Chicago officials have indicated they are willing to further loosen the rules if the public health situation continues to improve.
A reversal that leads to another lockdown, however, would bring the industry to its knees, Illinois Restaurant Association President Sam Toia said.
For restaurants to survive, Toia said, everyone needs to follow the public health protocols.
“We’re all in this together: The restaurant owner-operator and the guests. That means social distancing, face masks and sanitizer. When you go into a restaurant, you wear your face mask. When you sit at the table, you take it off. When you get up to go to the restroom, you put it back on,” Toia said. “We have to get our heads around that, or we will be in even deeper trouble.”
As they ate in the open-air dining room at Pierce Tavern in Downers Grove, diners JoAnn and Mike Monahan had no problem with those terms or patronizing restaurants again.
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“If a little bit of discomfort is the price to pay, so be it,” Mike Monahan said. “Now in January, when there’s no outside dining, I might feel differently.”
Chicago Tribune’s John Keilman, Grace Wong, Kasondra Van Treeck and Steve Johnson contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-06-27--Coronavirus at Illinois long-term care facilities: 22,170 confirmed cases and 3,772 deaths

The Illinois Department of Public Health is releasing information on COVID-19 tied to long-term care facilities in Illinois .
The @ @ @ @ @ at 603 long-term care facilities in 45 counties .
Of those , 547 facilities have @ @ @ @ @ , defined as a positive test result in the past 28 days .
In all @ @ @ @ @ be tied to long-term care facilities , with 3,772 deaths , as of June 26 @ @ @ @ @

The Illinois Department of Public Health is releasing information on COVID-19 tied to long-term care facilities in Illinois. The data shows outbreaks have occurred at long-term care facilities in 94 counties. Of those, 1,003 facilities have an “active” outbreak, defined as a positive test result in the past 28 days. In all, 71,103 confirmed cases can be tied to long-term care facilities, with 9,263 deaths, as of Jan. 22.