chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Illinois’ COVID-19 death toll in the last seven days is highest in nation at 957

“ But what we think is going to come out is that you ’ re going to have people over @ @ @ @ @ serious co-morbid conditions that we know the virus preys upon and people who form the @ @ @ @ @ that allow us to live life as we know it — that help us to @ @ @ @ @ stores and make sure that sanitation is picked up — all of those will be @ @ @ @ @ ” Ezike said .

CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois has recorded more COVID-19 deaths than any other state over the last seven days, and the seven-day average of COVID-19 deaths in Illinois climbed to a new high of 124 on Thursday.
The state has recorded 957 deaths over the last seven days, far more than Texas, which had 806 fatalities over the same period, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The state’s seven-day average death toll surpassed the spring peak of 118, as state public health officials reported an additional 192 COVID-19 deaths. That number matches a record that was shattered a day earlier, when 238 deaths were recorded.
The bleak reports come as the state readies for the mass distribution of a coronavirus vaccine that still has to receive federal approval.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday said the state expects a first shipment of 109,000 doses of the vaccine between Dec. 13 and 19, “and then there will be hundreds of thousands of others that might come, assuming that there is approval of both of those vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, before the end of the year.”
That won’t be enough to inoculate the top priority groups, hospital-related workers and residents of long-term care facilities. Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said the state is still awaiting final word on who comes next.
“But what we think is going to come out is that you’re going to have people over 65, people with multiple serious co-morbid conditions that we know the virus preys upon and people who form the critical infrastructure of our society that allow us to live life as we know it — that help us to have food in the grocery stores and make sure that sanitation is picked up — all of those will be in that next tier,” Ezike said.
It’s unclear whether the vaccines that are up for federal approval will be able to be administered to children if they are indeed approved, because the majority of the people who participated in the trials were over the age of 18, Ezike said.
“As the FDA rolls out their recommendation, we will get to know more about who it can be given to, from the lower age limit to is there an upper age limit, so those are pieces of information still yet to be finalized,” Ezike said.
The state on Thursday also reported 10,959 newly confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, raising the statewide total to 759,562 known and probable cases throughout the course of the pandemic. The state is also reporting a death toll of 12,830.
The daily cases reported Thursday came out of a batch of 106,778 tests, and the seven-day positivity rate for cases as a share of total tests was 10.4%.
The Illinois Department of Public Health cautioned this week that some data reported midweek this week was delayed from over the holiday weekend.
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As of Wednesday night, 5,653 people were in the hospital with COVID-19, with 1,170 in intensive care units and 693 on ventilators.
Ezike on Thursday also addressed the CDC’s adjustment to the recommended quarantine period for people who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. The quarantine was reduced to 10 days from 14, “as long as the individual does not have any symptoms at all,” she said.
“This does not mean the person can’t develop symptoms on day 12 or 13, but we know from looking at all the data that the risk of that happening is between 1 and 10%,” Ezike said. “Alternatively, a person can discontinue quarantine at seven days if they have no symptoms and they have a negative test in the preceding 48 hours.”
jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 10,959 new COVID-19 cases and 192 additional deaths reported as Coo

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 10,959 new COVID-19 cases and 192 additional deaths reported as Cook County health department investigates large hotel wedding

This is also true in the performing arts , as in many other fields .
Any actor will tell you @ @ @ @ @ , say , eight shows a week at Chicago ’ s Steppenwolf Theatre Company not @ @ @ @ @ and body are trained to peak condition , but the sense memory of that constant @ @ @ @ @ mental acuity crucial to great acting .
Any orchestral musician will confirm that great classical @ @ @ @ @ time , enhancing artistic unity .
Those who sing or play rock , blues or @ @ @ @ @ regular basis usually will tell you that they end up knowing their bandmates almost like @ @ @ @

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
llinois health officials reported 10,959 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 192 additional fatalities on Thursday, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 759,562 since the start of the pandemic.
The new daily figures come as Illinois recorded 957 COVID-19 deaths over the last seven days, more than any other state. The seven-day average of fatalities in Illinois also climbed to a new high of 124 on Thursday.
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Meanwhile, health officials are investigating a large, mostly maskless gathering held at the Hilton Chicago/Northbrook Hotel Wednesday night — the same day Illinois passed the grim milestone.
Photos and videos of the event first reported by CBS 2 show crowded rooms full of people hugging, eating, drinking and talking in close proximity, the vast majority of whom were not wearing masks. The event was a wedding with a few hundred guests in attendance, according to officials.
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Here’s what’s happening Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
6:50 p.m. (updated): Illinois’ COVID-19 death toll in the last seven days is highest in nation at 957
Illinois has recorded more COVID-19 deaths than any other state over the last seven days, and the seven-day average of COVID-19 deaths in Illinois climbed to a new high of 124 on Thursday.
The state has recorded 957 deaths over the last seven days, far more than Texas, which had 806 fatalities over the same period, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The state’s seven-day average death toll surpassed the spring peak of 118, as state public health officials reported an additional 192 COVID-19 deaths. That number matches a record that was shattered a day earlier, when 238 deaths were recorded.
Read more here. —Jamie Munks
5:40 p.m.: Religious leaders in Chicago urge devotees of Our Lady of Guadalupe to avoid pilgrimages to Des Plaines as image will be removed from shrine
Every year, hundreds of thousands of Catholics, devotees of Our Lady of Guadalupe, make a pilgrimage from across Chicago and other cities to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines to honor the mother of Jesus on her feast day, Dec. 12.
This year, the celebration, which brings together more than 200,000 from across the United States, second only to the massive celebration in Mexico City, will be canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions and concerns about a greater spread of the virus.
In a video message released Thursday, religious leaders, including Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich and the Rev. Esequiel Sanchez, rector of the shrine, urged devotees to celebrate this year’s feast at their homes and discouraged individuals or group pilgrimages from visiting the shrine in Des Plaines from Dec. 11-12, as has been done annually for years.
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Sanchez said that the emblematic image of the Guadalupana will be removed from the hill of Tepeyac at the shrine and safeguarded in one of the chapels at the site from the evening of Dec. 11 until Dec. 13. The entrances to the shrine site will be blocked, the lights will be turned off and no parking will be available at the shrine starting the night of Dec 11.
Read more here. —Laura Rodríguez Presa
5:15 p.m.: Biden says he is keeping Fauci on as chief medical adviser
President-elect Joe Biden says he is keeping Dr. Anthony Fauci on as a chief medical adviser and a member of his COVID-19 advisory team.
Biden made the comments Thursday during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper. He said he spoke with Fauci earlier in the day about the need to instill confidence in any coronavirus vaccine and the fact that “you don’t have to close down the economy” to combat the virus.
Biden says he’d be “happy” to get a vaccine in public to prove its safety.
The president-elect also said he would ask the public to wear masks for 100 days to help drive down the spread of the virus, which has killed more than 275,000 Americans.
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Read more here. —Associated Press
3:40 p.m.: ‘We are taking the time that we need’: FDA head defends COVID-19 vaccine approval process
With Americans clamoring for a COVID-19 vaccine, all eyes will be on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration next week.
An FDA advisory committee will meet Dec. 10 to discuss a potential emergency use authorization for a vaccine produced by Pfizer. The committee is set to meet again a week later to consider a second vaccine made by Moderna. The Pfizer vaccine was 95% effective and the Moderna vaccine was 94.1% effective in clinical trials, and the FDA will make the final decisions about both.
Leading up to these historic meetings, the Tribune spoke with FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn Thursday about what happens next, concerns from some that the vaccines were rushed, and worries from others that the U.S. hasn’t moved quickly enough.
Read the interview here. —Lisa Schencker
3:15 p.m.: Inmates quarantined at Will County jail after 38 test postive for COVID-19
An entire pod of inmates at the Will County jail remained quarantined Thursday due to increasing COVID-19 cases after 38 inmates tested positive and three more reported symptoms, according to the Will County sheriff’s office.
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There were 51 inmates in the affected pod and 574 inmates at the Will County Adult Detention Facility as of Thursday, said Kathleen Hoffmeyer, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office.
The spread is thought to have began earlier in November when an inmate in that pod went to court for a sentencing hearing and returned the jail, Hoffmeyer said. The same inmate, who did not show any symptoms of the virus while at the jail, tested positive for the virus about five days after his sentencing hearing and his transfer to the Illinois Department of Corrections, Hoffmeyer said.
Hoffmeyer said the inmate was at the courthouse Nov. 9, about the same time four corrections officers who worked in the courthouse inmate holding area came down with the virus. The sheriff’s office ended up sending 17 corrections officers who worked in that holding area home to quarantine, Hoffmeyer said.
It is unclear if the inmate was infected by one of the corrections officers or someone else he had contact with at the courthouse.
Read more here. —Alicia Fabbre, Daily Southtown
3:10 p.m.: Restaurants are a source of COVID-19 spread, experts say, but there are still ways to save them
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, restaurants have faced some of the biggest challenges compared to many other industries. From constantly changing regulations that affected their bottom line, to investing in expensive HVAC equipment only to have their dining rooms closed, restaurant owners have attempted to convince both themselves and others that they’re not the problem. After all, they’ve been held to strict health, safety and sanitation regulations to simply operate, even before the pandemic set in.
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But as time has gone on and research on COVID-19 has grown, scientists have learned more about the virus and they say that the verdict is clear: Restaurants are indeed a source of spread simply by the nature of what people do at a restaurant — eating and drinking, both of which require removal of a mask, not to mention talking to other people.
But there are still ways for restaurants and bars to operate while minimizing transmission, researchers say. Advocates emphasize the need for financial assistance and transparency on a policy level, should local and national leaders continue ordering restrictions.
Read more here. —Grace Wong
2:41 p.m.: DePaul women’s basketball is one of the few teams that wears masks during games
The complaining lasted a week.OK, it lasted a couple of weeks. All right, maybe it was a month.
Yet DePaul women’s basketball players have dutifully worn face masks during every practice since Aug. 7 and all three of their games this season.
”We’re pretty used to it,” senior guard Deja Church said. “We complained a lot about it. But like Coach (Doug) Bruno says, ‘We’re going to make adversity our best friend.’ With or without masks, we’ll play to the best of our abilities. We’re not going to make masks an excuse.”
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Seeing coaches and players wearing masks on sidelines has become routine as a precaution during the COVID-19 pandemic.But players competing in them? That’s rare.
Read more here. —Shannon Ryan
2:40 p.m.: No fans at the United Center for the start of the Chicago Bulls’ 2020-21 NBA season
The Chicago Bulls will not have fans at the United Center when they return to the court for the 2020-21 NBA season, the team announced Thursday.
The decision does not come as a surprise as COVID-19 cases spike in major cities across the country, including the Chicagoland area.
The full schedule for the Bulls’ upcoming season has not been released, but the team did share their preseason schedule with games slated between Dec. 11 and 18. They will play a pair of home games at the United Center against the Houston Rockets on Dec. 11 and 13 and travel to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder on Dec. 16 and 18.
Read more here. —DeAntae Prince
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12:40 p.m.: Cook County health department investigating large wedding held at Hilton Chicago/Northbrook hotel on day state marked highest number of COVID-19 deaths
Health officials are investigating a large, mostly maskless gathering held at the Hilton Chicago/Northbrook Hotel Wednesday night — the same day Illinois passed a grim COVID-19 milestone.
Photos and videos of the event first reported by CBS 2 show crowded rooms full of people hugging, eating, drinking and talking in close proximity, the vast majority of whom were not wearing masks. The event was a wedding with a few hundred guests in attendance, according to officials.
Read more here. —Kaitlin Edquist
12:06 p.m.: 10,959 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 192 additional deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Thursday announced 10,959 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 192 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 759,562 and the statewide death toll to 12,830 since the start of the pandemic. Officials also reported 106,778 new tests in the last 24 hours.
The seven-day statewide rolling positivity rate for cases as a share of total tests was 10.4% for the period ending Wednesday.
—Chicago Tribune staff
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12:03 p.m.: With the pandemic posing a mass eviction threat, here’s what 11 housing experts say a Biden administration can do to help
Holiday wish lists might look a bit different this year, but when it comes to wishes for the housing industry on a grander scale, it’s little surprise what experts and local leaders hope to find under the metaphorical tree.
At the center of their concerns is a grim outlook at how the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic toll will affect housing insecurity. As job loss and economic hardship leave many unable to pay rent or mortgages, an August report found potential for the most severe housing crisis in U.S. history. If conditions do not change, up to 43% of renter households could be at risk of eviction by the end of the year.
But with the new year will also come a new administration. While Republican election challengers continue to fight in key battleground states won by President-elect Joe Biden, others are looking forward with hope to the incoming administration of Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris — from first-time voters to immigrants.
The Tribune reached out to area housing experts and advocates and asked what they’d like to see from the new administration when it comes to the housing industry.
This is what they had to say. —Darcel Rockett
10:36 a.m.: Facebook to remove COVID-19 vaccine-related misinformation
Facebook said Thursday it will start removing false claims about COVID-19 vaccines, in its latest move to counter a tide of coronavirus-related online misinformation.
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In the coming weeks, the social network will begin taking down any Facebook or Instagram posts with false information about the vaccines that have been debunked by public health experts.
Read more here. —Associated Press
10 a.m.: Northwestern-led researchers unveil data dashboard that aims to spot COVID-19 surges faster
A Northwestern University-based research team has unveiled an online COVID-19 data dashboard that aims to show more quickly where infections are surging in states and across the world.
The dashboard joins scores of others related to the pandemic that are hosted by governments, news media, nonprofits and universities. This one crunches the data in a new way that its creators say can flag surges faster and more precisely, before they become overwhelming.
“Basically the whole idea for this is like an early warning system. What we would hope to do with this is to ... be able to see when things are starting to stoke and an outbreak is occurring,” said Lori Post, the lead investigator and director of the Buehler Center for Health Policy and Economics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
“However, it’s really a difficult time just because all U.S. states are just like out of control right now in America,” said Post, a professor of emergency medicine and medical social sciences.
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Unveiled Thursday morning, the dashboard’s underlying programming code collects case data from other dashboards around the world, then converts it into metrics that Post says will provide an early signal of problems in roughly 200 countries.
Read more here. —Joe Mahr
9:31 a.m.: US COVID-19 deaths top 3,100 in a single day for the first time as new cases begin topping 200,000 a day
The U.S. recorded over 3,100 COVID-19 deaths in a single day, obliterating the record set last spring, while the number of Americans hospitalized with the virus has eclipsed 100,000 for the first time and new cases has begun topping 200,000 a day, according to figures released Thursday.
The three benchmarks altogether showed a country slipping deeper into crisis, with perhaps the worst yet to come, in part because of the delayed effects from Thanksgiving, when millions of Americans disregarded warnings to stay home and celebrate only with members of their household.
Across the U.S., the surge has swamped hospitals and left nurses and other health care workers shorthanded and burned out.
Read more here. —Associated Press
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8:12 a.m.: For museums, 2020 was an open-and-shut, up-and-mostly-down year
A museum on the end of a yo-yo string is not an easy image to conjure. The buildings are heavy, for one thing, and not particularly aerodynamic. Plus, there’s so much fragile stuff inside.
But that is precisely where Chicago’s museums found themselves this year as the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to close in the middle of March. Many of them cautiously re-opened in summer, and then the resurgent public-health crisis and the government attempting to manage it yanked the string again in mid-November and shut them all back down.
Meantime, as with almost everyone else in this nation’s oddly prioritized economy, there were federal relief funds available to help the not-for-profit sector through June. Since then, it’s been crickets or tumbleweeds or, more aptly, the heavy quiet of a big, empty, marble-floored hall.
Read more here. —Steve Johnson
6:13 a.m.: They volunteered for COVID-19 vaccine trials and got the placebo. Do they now deserve the real one?
In October, Judith Munz and her husband, Scott Petersen, volunteered for a coronavirus vaccine trial. At a clinic near their home in Phoenix, each got a jab in the arm.
Petersen, a retired physician, became a little fatigued after his shot, and developed redness and swelling on his arm. But Munz, a social worker, didn’t notice any change. “As much as I wanted it, I couldn’t find a darned thing,” she said. “It was a nothing burger.”
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She knew there was a 50-50 chance that she would get the vaccine, developed by Johnson & Johnson. Judging from her lack of symptoms, she guessed she had received the placebo.
At the time, MsMunz thought that anyone who had received the placebo would get the real vaccine as soon as the trial showed it was safe and effective. She looked forward to the peace of mind it would bring. But last month, she was asked to sign a modified consent form indicating that people who got the placebo might have to wait up to two years to get the vaccine, if they got one at all.
Munz found the form vague, confusing and, most of all, unfair. “You put yourself out there with that risk,” she said. “I am owed that vaccine.”
Read more here. —The New York Times
5:30 a.m.: Column: Recovery is coming in 2021. Will artists be off their games? Or will there be a rush of new talent and ideas?
On Monday, the Bloomberg News Service had a rather chilling headline: “Rusty Pilots Making Flying Errors Is Next Aviation Headache.”
The story set me wondering. Are we now in for a period of similarly rusty artists?
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Bloomberg’s piece probed a logical dilemma as the world recovers from the pandemic in 2021. Given that fewer pilots were flying during the months of reduced demand due to COVID-19, airlines now are starting to worry that even seasoned aviation professionals will need a lot of help to get back to the requisite peak performance. Sit around too long, the reasoning goes, and you aren’t as sharp as when you do something on a daily basis. And if you’ve got peoples’ lives in your hands, there’s no room for error.
This is also true in the performing arts, as in many other fields. Any actor will tell you that the discipline of doing, say, eight shows a week at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company not only ensures that the voice and body are trained to peak condition, but the sense memory of that constant focus ensures the level of mental acuity crucial to great acting. Any orchestral musician will confirm that great classical ensembles become near-singular organisms over time, enhancing artistic unity. Those who sing or play rock, blues or whatever with others on a regular basis usually will tell you that they end up knowing their bandmates almost like they know themselves.
Read more here. —Chris Jones
5 a.m.: Aurora city officials say they’re in a ‘Catch-22’ trying to enforce Tier 3 COVID-19 restrictions
A high-ranking Aurora city official this week used a tightrope, “Catch-22,” a tough spot and a mixed bag to describe the issue of enforcing coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
Alex Alexandrou, Aurora’s chief management officer, said the city does not have jurisdiction to enforce the Tier 3 closing restrictions the state has forced on businesses, particularly restaurants, who are not allowed to have inside customers.
He said the city’s revenue situation is highly reliant on its restaurants, and it has “weighed heavily on us” how to keep those restaurants alive, while enforcing the restrictions. Some city restaurants are defying the state’s orders; meanwhile, the number of deaths, infections and hospital strain is high due to the pandemic.
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“It’s a horrible ‘Catch-22′ that we’re in,” Alexandrou said.
Read more here. — Steve Lord, Aurora Beacon-News
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chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Chance the Rapper says Chicago singer Jeremih is being released from the hospital

When news broke on Nov. 14 , Chance the Rapper , among other musicians , took to social media to @ @ @ @ @ support , writing : “ Please if you can , take a second to pray @ @ @ @ @ He is like a brother to me , and he ’ s ill right now @ @ @ @ @ healing power of Jesus , so if you can for me , please please say @ @ @ @ @ ”

Singer Jeremih is on the road to recovery from COVID-19, according to his friend and collaborator Chance the Rapper.
Chance announced the news via Twitter on Thursday, sharing that Jeremih will be “out the hospital tomorrow (Friday).” “I am filled with praise right now,” he wrote. “I just heard my brother Jeremih’s voice on the phone for the first time in almost a month. ... We give all glory to the father in Jesus name.”
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I AM FILLED WITH PRAISE RIGHT NOW I JUST HEARD MY BROTHER JEREMIH’S VOICE ON THE PHONE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ALMOST A MONTH HE WILL BE OUT THE HOSPITAL TOMORROW WE GIVE ALL GLORY TO THE FATHER IN JESUS NAME pic.twitter.com/gFXbzeQhkg — Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) December 3, 2020
Jeremih, born Jeremy Phillip Felton, has been undergoing treatment for the virus at a hospital in his hometown of Chicago. On Nov. 19, his agent said that Jeremih was “just pulled off the ventilator” and “still in ICU in critical condition.”
When news broke on Nov. 14, Chance the Rapper, among other musicians, took to social media to ask for his fans’ support, writing: “Please if you can, take a second to pray for my friend Jeremih. He is like a brother to me, and he’s ill right now. I believe in the healing power of Jesus, so if you can for me, please please say a prayer over him.”
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Jeremih rose to stardom in 2009, when he signed with Def Jam Recordings and released his debut single, “Birthday Sex,” which led to his self-titled debut album. His success continued with his second album, “All About You,” featuring the hit single “Down on Me.” In 2014, his track “Don’t Tell ‘Em” with YG once again topped the charts, followed by his third studio album, “Late Nights,” released in 2015.
His latest work was a collaboration album in August 2018 with Ty Dolla Sign, titled “MihTy.”


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Kyle Rittenhouse lawyer steps away from criminal case, hours after prosecutors allege fundraising ef

Kyle Rittenhouse lawyer steps away from criminal case, hours after prosecutors allege fundraising effort ‘provides ample opportunity for self-dealing and fraud’

Wood has been particularly active in trying to undermine the election , including with thus-far unsuccessful litigation .
On Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ country was headed for civil war and encouraged Trump to declare martial law .
Wood @ @ @ @ @ a hashtag embraced by followers of QAnon , a right-wing conspiracy theory positing that top @ @ @ @ @ are Satan-worshiping pedophiles .
Wood tweeted in late August that despite his use of the @ @ @ @ @ conspiracy theorist .

Kyle Rittenhouse, center, walks into the courtroom with attorney Corey Chirafisi for a motion hearing in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Sept. 17, 2021. (Sean Krajacic/The Kenosha News )
KENOSHA, Wis. — An attorney for Kyle Rittenhouse indicated Thursday that he’d pull back from the teen’s criminal defense, hours after prosecutors in Wisconsin sought to block him from participating and alleged in a court filing that his involvement with a fundraising effort “provides ample opportunity for self-dealing and fraud.”
Los Angeles civil lawyer John M. Pierce has been the public face of the 17-year-old’s defense against a murder charge and other counts in the three months since the teen fatally shot two men and wounded a third during summer protests in Kenosha. He also has been an enthusiastic fundraiser, helping to secure $2 million for his client’s bail.
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Prosecutors, however, have grown increasingly critical of Pierce’s frequent out-of-court statements and fundraising efforts, which have been aimed at the political right.
In a motion filed Thursday morning, Kenosha County Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger cited public records and news reports as he alleged that Pierce has “significant personal financial difficulties” and argued that he should not be allowed to represent Rittenhouse because “money that should be held in trust for the defendant may instead be used to repay attorney Pierce’s numerous creditors.”
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[ Could Kyle Rittenhouse show he was acting in self-defense in Kenosha shooting? Lawyers say question of provocation, other evidence could sway case. ]
According to the motion, Pierce filed court records last year that indicated he had no income, monthly expenses of $49,581 and owed about $1.2 million for various debts. He also was sued in July over allegations he breached a rental agreement on a $1.3 million home in Ventura County, California, according to the motion.
Alongside their objections to letting Pierce represent Rittenhouse, prosecutors have alleged that he hasn’t followed Wisconsin’s rules about what lawyers can say about cases before trial. In another recent court filing, prosecutors asked for an order barring Rittenhouse’s lawyers from making out-of-court statements that might sway future potential jurors and complained about Pierce publicly attacking District Attorney Michael Graveley. A judge has yet to rule.
Prosecutors also sought to disqualify Pierce’s colleague, Andrew Calderon.
Hours after the motion was filed, Pierce tweeted: “Effective immediately I am taking over all civil matters for Kyle including his future defamation claims. I will also be orchestrating all fundraising for defense costs. The terrific Mark Richards will proceed in Wisconsin.”
[ Kyle Rittenhouse cried, vomited and worried about social media as he told Antioch cops, ‘I shot two white kids’ ]
Richards, a Racine lawyer, told the Tribune it was a joint decision with Pierce. “I will be counsel for Kyle in the criminal matters,” he wrote in an email. “(Pierce and Calderon) won’t be.”
The dust-up over Pierce’s involvement was unusual for the Kenosha County courts, where out-of-state attorneys routinely participate in cases as long as there is at least one defense team member licensed to practice law in Wisconsin.
Pierce could not be reached, and Calderon declined to comment, deferring questions to Pierce.
This undated booking photo from the Antioch (Illinois) Police Department shows Kyle Rittenhouse, who has been charged with fatally shooting two men and injuring a third during protests in Kenosha in late August. (Antioch Police Department/AP)
Before Thursday’s motion challenged the lawyers’ right to participate, Kenosha County Judge Bruce Schroeder had signed orders allowing Pierce and Calderon to represent Rittenhouse. It was unclear whether prosecutor’s request to disqualify the attorneys would still need to be sorted out, given Pierce’s apparent distancing from the criminal case.
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The prosecution’s motion raised questions about the #FightBack Foundation, a group that served as the online fundraising arm for Rittenhouse’s defense. The foundation, which is now focused on challenging the presidential election results, took credit for raising the $2 million needed to free the teen on bail last month.
Prosecutors described it as “an unregulated and unreported slush fund” with close ties to Pierce. He helped start the foundation a few weeks before the Kenosha shootings, but he has told the Tribune he stepped away from its board to avoid any conflicts related to his involvement in the Rittenhouse case.
The prosecution noted Pierce’s calls for donations to the fund and argued that the fundraising could run afoul of Wisconsin’s code of conduct for attorneys.
“This creates a potential conflict of interest for attorney Pierce,” the motion states. “Given his own substantial personal debts, his involvement with an unregulated and opaque ‘slush fund’ provides ample opportunity for self-dealing and fraud. The more that the Foundation raises in donations, the more he may personally benefit. Money that should be held in trust for the defendant may instead be used to repay attorney Pierce’s numerous creditors.”
[ Kyle Rittenhouse freed from Kenosha jail after attorneys post $2 million bail despite pleas from families of men he shot ]
The #FightBack foundation is led by another lawyer connected to Rittenhouse’s defense team, L. Lin Wood of Georgia. He tweeted last week that the foundation “successfully raised $2M cash bail for Kyle Rittenhouse & funded over $300K for his attorney’s fees & expenses. The foundation used approx. $400K of its general funds for Kyle.” Wood went on to tweet that those who wanted to make future donations should contact Pierce, as Wood’s foundation was focusing on other matters.
As they sought to raise Rittenhouse’s bail money, Pierce and Wood appealed to the political right, where Rittenhouse is popular. The lawyers used their Twitter accounts to ask for funds while also championing other causes supported by some on the right, including the push to overturn President Donald Trump’s election loss through baseless claims of widespread voter fraud.
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Wood has been particularly active in trying to undermine the election, including with thus-far unsuccessful litigation. On Tuesday, he tweeted that the country was headed for civil war and encouraged Trump to declare martial law. Wood’s Twitter biography contains a hashtag embraced by followers of QAnon, a right-wing conspiracy theory positing that top Democrats, among others, are Satan-worshiping pedophiles. Wood tweeted in late August that despite his use of the hashtag he is not a conspiracy theorist.
Amid the controversy over Rittenhouse’s legal representation, the teen’s prosecution went forward Thursday as Court Commissioner Loren Keating found there was probable cause to continue with the case. He also rejected Rittenhouse’s lawyers’ motion to dismiss two of the more minor counts — a gun charge and a count of reckless endangerment. The next court date is Jan. 5.
[ Kyle Rittenhouse’s mother didn’t know what he was doing on night of fatal Kenosha protest shootings ]
Before his lawyers bailed him out, Rittenhouse spent 2 ½ months in custody following his shooting of three men with an AR-15-style rifle during chaotic protests Aug. 25. Those sometimes destructive demonstrations came after white police Officer Rusten Sheskey shot Jacob Blake, who is Black, several times in the back at close range.
Rittenhouse fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26. A third man, Gaige Grosskreutz, who prosecutors have said was armed with a handgun, survived the teen shooting him in the arm. Rittenhouse’s attorneys have argued he shot all the men in self-defense.
Prosecutors also have charged Rittenhouse’s friend Dominick Black with illegally providing the rifle to the teen.
Since the shootings, Rittenhouse and his mother, Wendy, have moved from their Antioch apartment and now live in an undisclosed location. Pierce told the Tribune last month that two organizations — one that supports gun rights and another that backs militias across the country — have given the family a combined $100,000 to help with personal expenses unrelated to the criminal defense.
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Pierce previously told the Tribune it would cost “millions” to properly present Rittenhouse’s self-defense claim.
To that end, Pierce tweeted Thursday that he and Wendy Rittenhouse intend to launch a new fundraising effort Friday during an appearance with a conservative news outlet.


chicagotribune--2020-12-03--Religious leaders in Chicago urge devotees of Our Lady of Guadalupe to avoid pilgrimages to Des Plai

Religious leaders in Chicago urge devotees of Our Lady of Guadalupe to avoid pilgrimages to Des Plaines as image will be removed from shrine

The basilica in Mexico City houses the original cloak on which it is believed the image of the Virgin Mary @ @ @ @ @ in December 1531 on the hill where her shrine now stands .
Before it was @ @ @ @ @ , the Des Plaines icon was touched to the original image and blessed at the @ @ @ @ @ s then-rector .
The image now brings thousands of Guadalupanos from across the United States @ @ @ @ @ a pledge is made in exchange for an urgent request made in prayer .

Ana Contreras, left, and her 15 year-old granddaughter, Leila Nunez carry incense during the pilgrimage to pay homage to Our Lady of Guadalupe, a Mexican icon of Catholicism, on Dec. 11, 2019 in Des Plaines. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Every year, hundreds of thousands of Catholics, devotees of Our Lady of Guadalupe, make a pilgrimage from across Chicago and other cities to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines to honor the mother of Jesus on her feast day, Dec. 12.
This year, the celebration, which brings together more than 200,000 from across the United States, second only to the massive celebration in Mexico City, will be canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions and concerns about a greater spread of the virus.
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In a video message released Thursday, religious leaders, including Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich and the Rev. Esequiel Sanchez, rector of the shrine, urged devotees to celebrate this year’s feast at their homes and discouraged individuals or group pilgrimages from visiting the shrine in Des Plaines from Dec. 11-12, as has been done annually for years.
Sanchez said that the emblematic image of the Guadalupana will be removed from the hill of Tepeyac at the shrine and safeguarded in one of the chapels at the site from the evening of Dec. 11 until Dec. 13. The entrances to the shrine site will be blocked, the lights will be turned off and no parking will be available at the shrine starting the night of Dec 11.
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There will also be private security and police to guard the area, according to Sanchez.
“It was a difficult decision, but we need to ensure that people do not feel compelled to come to the shrine,” said Sanchez. “This (is) not going to be done to insult anyone, rather highlight the seriousness of this pandemic, and if we remove the very reason for which people come, we will hopefully discourage many from coming.”
In Mexico City, the Basilica de Guadalupe, home to the original image of the Virgin Mary visited by millions through the weeks approaching the feast on Dec. 12, will be closed from Dec. 10 to 13.
The religious leaders shared their dismay over the cancellation of one of the largest Catholic celebrations in the Archdiocese of Chicago but said it was important to do so.
[ Why 200,000 people travel each December on foot, by horse and even semitruck to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines ]
The basilica in Mexico City houses the original cloak on which it is believed the image of the Virgin Mary appeared before peasant Juan Diego in December 1531 on the hill where her shrine now stands. Before it was brought to the Chicago area, the Des Plaines icon was touched to the original image and blessed at the basilica by the church’s then-rector. The image now brings thousands of Guadalupanos from across the United States to pay a visit after a pledge is made in exchange for an urgent request made in prayer.
Parishes across the city will still hold smaller celebrations and Masses to honor the Virgin Mary. Some started virtual novenas and others have established a limited number of attendees. Sanchez encouraged devotees to participate in local celebrations while wearing a mask and maintaining social distancing.
Sanchez also said that they invite devotees to visit the shrine in smaller groups, even pilgrimages, during the month of December, but not on the days of the traditional celebration.
“We understand the great faith and hope that the mother of God represents for many, but I want to let them know, that even if we can’t celebrate her on her special day as we usually do, she is with us year-round,” he said.
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There will be a number of virtual events and celebrations available to the public on the shrine’s Facebook page. Devotees were also encouraged to put a candle by a window facing the street from 6 p.m. Dec 11 to midnight.
“Perhaps this year it is the lady that will come to our home,” Sanchez said in the video.


chicagotribune--2020-12-03--Someone shot at 4 people in a Kia in Lawndale. After the car crashed, 2 were found dead and 2 injure

Someone shot at 4 people in a Kia in Lawndale. After the car crashed, 2 were found dead and 2 injured, police say.

Two others who were in the vehicle were injured .
The driver , a 25-year-old man , was not shot @ @ @ @ @ suffered in the crash and released , James said .
A 25-year-old woman sitting behind @ @ @ @ @ s side was shot in the lower back and treated at Loyola University Medical Center @ @ @ @ @ had been listed in critical condition .

Two people in their early 20s were killed Wednesday night after their car was shot at and it crashed on the West Side, injuring two others, authorities said.
About 8 p.m., officers were called to the 4300 block of West Roosevelt Road in the Lawndale neighborhood, according to Chicago police. Two people in a white 2015 four-door Kia Optima sedan were found dead after someone in a passing dark blue 2020 Chevrolet Equinox SUV shot at the Kia, causing it to hit a parked car near the intersection of Laramie Avenue and Roosevelt, according to Karie James, a police spokeswoman.
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Kiondria Richards, 21, of East 142nd Place in Dolton and Nautica Banks, 23, of the 700 block of South Kenneth Avenue in Chicago, were both pronounced dead at 8:26 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office. Richards was in the front passenger seat and Banks sat directly behind her, James said.
Both died from multiple injuries resulting from a motor vehicle striking a fixed object and their deaths were ruled homicides, the Cook County medical examiner’s office determined following autopsies Thursday.
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Two others who were in the vehicle were injured. The driver, a 25-year-old man, was not shot but treated for minor injuries suffered in the crash and released, James said. A 25-year-old woman sitting behind him on the driver’s side was shot in the lower back and treated at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where she had been listed in critical condition.
Police indicated there also had been four people in the Equinox, which subsequently crashed in the 5800 block of West Roosevelt Road. Its occupants all ran from the scene.
No arrests had been made.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-12-03--Republican Illinois congressman says to President Trump in tweet: ‘Time to delete your account’

“ This is not just about honoring the votes of 74 million Americans who voted for me , ” Trump @ @ @ @ @ s about ensuring that Americans can have faith in this election .
And in all @ @ @ @

Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger had a five word message for President Donald Trump when he retweeted a link to a video from the White House in which the president continued to question the results of last month’s election:
“Time to delete your account,” Kinzinger tweeted.
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Time to delete your account https://t.co/gURWzRmOW6 — Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) December 3, 2020
Kinzinger’s tweet came out Wednesday night, hours after the president delivered a 46-minute speech from the White House’s Diplomatic room. During what Trump called “the most important speech” of his presidency, he challenged Democrat Joe Biden’s victory, claiming widespread voter fraud.
Biden received a record 81 million votes compared to 74 million for Trump. The Democrat also won 306 electoral votes compared to 232 for Trump. The Electoral College split matches Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton four years ago, which Trump has described as a “landslide.”
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Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., attends a news conference on the China Task Force report, in Washington on Sept. 30, 2020. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call)
“This is not just about honoring the votes of 74 million Americans who voted for me,” Trump said. “It’s about ensuring that Americans can have faith in this election. And in all future elections.”
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Both Facebook and Twitter flagged the president’s post and members of the president’s own administration, including Attorney General William Barr, have said there is no proof of widespread voter fraud. Courts in multiple battleground states also have thrown out numerous lawsuits filed on Trump’s president’s behalf.
Kinzinger’s relationship with Trump has been mixed. He was the only Republican U.S. representative in the state that Trump left off his list of Illinois campaign co-chairs this year.
After The Associated Press and other outlets called the election for Biden, Kinzinger, a Channahon Republican whose 16th Congressional District stretches west from the Indiana border and curves north to the Wisconsin border, offered a congratulatory note to the president elect.
“Sofia and I extend our congratulations to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” Kinzinger wrote on Twitter. “Our nation deserves two competing parties who can work together when possible, and compete honorably when not.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.