chicagotribune--2020-04-28--The Spin: On Illinois’ deadliest COVID-19 day, Pritzker pressed on stay-home order | Biden’s ‘virtua

The Spin: On Illinois’ deadliest COVID-19 day, Pritzker pressed on stay-home order | Biden’s ‘virtual’ Chicago fundraiser | Dr. Fauci doesn’t rule out Milwaukee Democratic convention his summer

“ We ’ ve done a good job in Illinois of acquiring our own supplies but now the White House @ @ @ @ @ ’ re promising to deliver to us for the month of May about 20,000 swabs @ @ @ @ @ very important , ” he said during the interview , noting that those will be @ @ @ @ @ tests per day already being done statewide .

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he spoke with White House officials this morning and they’re promising to provide 20,000 testing swabs per day in May, a boost that will help the governor determine when it’s safe to begin lifting his statewide stay-at-home order aimed at curbing the COVID-19 outbreak.
Hard to think about all of that when Illinois saw it’s deadliest day of the pandemic - 144 deaths in a 24-hour period. But the discussion comes after Pritzker lost a first-round battle over his statewide stay-at-home order and President Donald Trump, who seems antsy to reopen things, issued a testing “blueprint” last night with state targets set to sample at least 2.6% of their populations monthly.
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It was a who’s who of wealthy Chicago Democrats gathered, so to speak, for Joe Biden’s virtual fundraiser last night. Hosted by Penny Pritzker, the governor’s sister who also served as U.S. commerce secretary in the Obama-Biden administration, Mayor Lori Lightfoot made a cameo.
Biden was upbeat about remaining visible in the campaign, even though it means he isn’t pressing flesh on the campaign trail.
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As for the future of the Democrats’ national convention this summer in Milwaukee, where Biden is expected to be formally nominated? Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal government’s top infectious disease expert, says it’s possible the event will go on in August, but expect extra precautions, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting.
Welcome to The Spin.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker at the Thompson Center during the coronavirus pandemic on April 19, 2020. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
During an appearance this morning on the “Today” show, Gov. Pritzker said he talked with White House officials but couldn’t resist sticking in a low-key dig at the president.
“We’ve done a good job in Illinois of acquiring our own supplies but now the White House is getting engaged and they’re promising to deliver to us for the month of May about 20,000 swabs per day, which is very important,” he said during the interview, noting that those will be on top of the 12,000 tests per day already being done statewide.
The governor was asked about the president’s aim to make sure roughly 2% of the population is tested, and Pritzker said “we’re aiming to do much more than that. We’re currently among the top 10 states in terms of how many tests we’re doing on a per-day basis and we want to vault ourselves near the top.”
Ramping up testing is “very important when you think in terms of reopening the economy," but he again said that a system of contact tracing — which maps out how a person contracted the virus and with whom they’ve been in contact — is needed to contain it.
Governor: There was 'laughter’ in the courtroom before judge handed down Bailey vs. Pritzker ruling: Also during his “Today” show appearance, Pritzker was asked about Republican state Rep. Darren Bailey’s first-round win in a lawsuit he filed challenging the governor’s authority to extend his stay-at-home order to May 30.
Clay County Circuit Judge Michael McHaney ruled yesterday that Bailey, of Xenia, could ignore the governor’s order. While the judge’s decision only applies to Bailey, it opens the door for other opponents to do the same.
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During the nationally televised interview, Pritzker accused Bailey of political showboating: “This state representative was looking to gain some celebrity for himself. He took it to a local court, to a local elected judge and got the ruling that I think he knew he was going to get in that local courtroom.”
The governor also painted Bailey’s backers in the courtroom — he was told there were 90 — as heartless: “They even seemed to have laughed when our attorney general’s representatives talked about the fact that people will die if we lift this stay-at-home order. It’s abominable, it’s disgusting frankly.”
Mark Maxwell, the Capitol Bureau Chief for Champaign CBS affiliate WCIA, reported who covered the hearing, wrote on Twitter today “The audience in the courtroom yesterday laughed on several occasions, including at one point when the Attorney General’s office argued people’s lives would be at stake if the stay-at-home order was nullified. People who wore masks were openly mocked.”
Pritzker said he’s confident McHaney’s ruling will be overturned. He said it’s important for the stay-at-home order to remain in place as Illinois continues to see an increase in new cases and hospitalizations, though there is evidence that the state is starting to peak.
“But it doesn’t happen if you remove all the restrictions and people go about their business," Pritzker said.
But is another GOP lawmaker about to file a similar lawsuit? That was raised by a reporter at this afternoon’s press briefing with the governor, a first-term Democrat, who said, “well, it appears to me to be some partisan endeavor at a moment when, frankly, political parties shouldn’t matter at all.”
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As deadline to pass constitutional amendment looms, Illinois lawmakers fear missed opportunity for redistricting reform - After years of unsuccessful legislative and citizen-led efforts to strip the General Assembly of the power to draw congressional and legislative district boundaries, the coronavirus shutdown appears to have doomed any chance of constitutional redistricting reform before the state’s maps are set for another decade, the Tribune’s Antonia Ayres Brown writes. Read her full story here.
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Mayor Lori Lightfoot at the historic Water Tower to talk about . the coronavirus economic recovery plan on April 23, 2020. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
My Tribune colleague John Byrne writes: Mayor Lightfoot laid out a plan to aldermen to distribute disposable masks around the city as businessman Willie Wilson on Tuesday held an event across the street from City Hall to donate masks himself to City Council members to give to residents.
The question of how to make sure Chicagoans have enough masks has become more urgent as Pritzker’s order is set to take effect Friday requiring people older than 2 to wear a face covering or mask while inside stores and other places where they can’t maintain safe social distancing.
Wilson, a former mayoral candidate who had a falling out with Lightfoot after she took office, has been putting forward his own proposals to directly distribute disposable masks through his medical supply company. Read the full story here.
As domestic violence calls rise, victims will have free access to hotel rooms through a partnership between the city of Chicago and Airbnb: The Network, a group of advocates against domestic violence, will coordinate placement for callers to the Illinois Domestic Violence hotline, which is at 877-863-6338 (TTY 877-863-6339). Rooms will be paid for with state funds. City officials said the Chicago Police Department has seen a 12% increase in domestic violence-related calls from January to mid-April, compared to the same period in 2019.
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The city of Chicago will give $5,000 grants to small businesses with four or fewer employees: It’s part of a program to help businesses hurt by the coronavirus. The city will give up to 1,000 businesses in low and moderate-income neighborhoods $5,000 as part of its Microbusiness Recovery Grant Program, Mayor Lightfoot announced today. Interested businesses can apply through the city’s website here until May 4, and the administration plans to make awards May 11.
Money for the grants is coming from the Chicago Community Trust and The One Chicago Fund, and will be distributed via lottery, Lightfoot said. (Gregory Pratt)
Minority- and women-owned firms may have lost out on Chicago’s coronavirus contracts, the Sun-Times’ Frank Main and Lauren FItzpatrick are reporting. Read the story here.
Economy or lives? It’s not that simple: 7 ways to talk politics in the COVID-19 era — As political tension grows over when states should reopen their economies, anxiety is rising that the pandemic could become the deadliest battle in our ongoing culture war, the Tribune’s Jennifer Day writes. She talks to some experts about holding constructive political discussions amid the pandemic.
Beyond the pandemic: Lightfoot has said she didn’t want a rubberstamp city council. A new analysis shows she may be getting what she hoped for - University of Illinois at Chicago professor Dick Simpson released a report on Tuesday analyzing the City Council’s voting records with the mayor.
Simpson’s report is known for regularly concluding that the City Council is a rubberstamp for the city’s mayor, especially under Richard M. Daley and Rahm Emanuel. This year, the report concluded that the City Council under Lightfoot is divided into four blocs: A Center-Liberal Bloc, a Progressive-Socialist Bloc, a Conservative Bloc, and a Chicago Machine Bloc.
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Lightfoot told reporters she doesn’t necessarily agree with Simpson that there are four blocs, as voting patterns by members can be fluid on the City Council, but Lightfoot said she respects his work. Simpson endorsed her candidacy and has been a supporter.
Days after her emergency powers ordinance passed by a 29-21 margin, which is a lot tighter than Chicago mayors typically see on their ordinances, Lightfoot reiterated her frequent refrain that she does not want a rubberstamp City Council.
“I do not have a quid pro quo relationship with the aldermen. I do not buy votes,” Lightfoot said. “What I’ve worked toward is to build as much consensus as possible but 26 is what I need for a majority and that’s really what I’m concerned about. Anything over that, in my mind, is gravy.” (Gregory Pratt)
Rep. Brad Schneider, left, Senator Dick Durbin, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, center, Rep. Mike Quigley, Rep. Robin Kelly, Rep. Bill Foster, and Rep. Danny Davis, join Jill Biden, center, in announcing their endorsements of Joe Biden, during a news conference at the Union League Club on March 6, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Last night’s hourlong Biden fundraiser — conducted via Zoom — drew some 160 people, according to a pool report from the event. Well-known Chicagoans listed as attending, besides Penny Pritzker and Mayor Lightfoot, include billionaire Rivers Casino co-owner owner Neil Bluhm, John Atkinson, a Chicago businessman and Democratic fundraiser who played a big role in Barack Obama’s presidential bids, Rachel Pritzker — a cousin to the governor and Penny Pritzker, developer Elzie Higginbottom, Chicago Cubs co-owner and Democratic political donor Laura Ricketts, attorney and Democratic donor Bill Singer and North Side state Sen. Heather Steans.
Lightfoot offered opening remarks, blasting Trump as “the most dangerous president that we’ve had in the White House in our lifetime and possibly in the nation’s history." The Republican president took aim at Democrats earlier in the day on Twitter, apparently musing about a fourth relief package Congress is mulling to help local governments but questioned: “Why should the people and taxpayers of America be bailing out poorly run states (like Illinois, as example) and cities, in all cases Democrat run ...?”
Lightfoot told the virtual crowd: “As you’ve seen with recent Republican and Trump rhetoric, the White House is going to deny everything that they can to deny support to Illinois, and other blue states, despite the fact that our state is one of only 10 states that gives the federal government more than it gives back,”
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Some other things Biden addressed:
What his COVID-19 response would look like: The former vice president said he’d enact a “massive surge in testing" and added that “we can never ever, ever be caught flat-footed as this administration was this time around, notwithstanding the warnings."
How to tackle the economic fallout: Biden touted his work on the 2009 Recover Act, aimed at pulling the nation out of the Great Recession, and said the relief packages to date haven’t done enough to help cash-strapped states “keep teachers cops, firefighters, health care workers on the job.”
On how campaigning virtually: Biden said his campaign has tracked “plus-63 million people” who “watch our video content, watch us on the air, giving speeches, press briefings, interviews, with everyone from morning cable to late-night TV to local news to the most trusted news source for most voters.”
Obamas announce new Netflix documentary about Michelle’s ‘Becoming’ book tour: You can read the details here.
I’m excited to share that on May 6, @Netflix will release BECOMING, a documentary directed by Nadia Hallgren that shares the stories of the amazing people I met after the release of my memoir. During this difficult time, I hope you’ll find some inspiration and joy in this film. pic.twitter.com/fqsIbhXYeL — Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) April 27, 2020
FILE - In this April 22, 2020 file photo President Donald Trump watches as Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP)
Democrats already have postponed their presidential nominating convention until August. But even the party’s presumed nominee - Biden - has questioned whether a “virtual” gathering is the wiser course amid the coronavirus outbreak.
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But the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that the government’s nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, isn’t ruling out Democrats gathering for a convention: “Where Milwaukee will be at that point in the convention is difficult to predict because If we successfully really suppress the dynamics of this outbreak and Milwaukee is capable of being able to do the kind of identification, isolation and contract tracing that they may be able to do it,” he said.
But if goes on as planned, Dr. Fauci suggests the convention may look very different from past events, the Journal Sentinel reports. Read that story here.
“I think there will almost certainly be some degree of extra care and physical distancing that isn’t completely normal,” Dr. Fauci said. “Because I’m sure there will be still the danger lurking of outbreaks. Now the extent to which that will occur is really going to depend on the situation on the ground.”
An empty classroom at Trico Junior High School, which remains closed amid Illinois' statewide stay-at-home order during the coronavirus pandemic. (Provided by Larry Lovel)
Since the March shutdown of schools across Illinois, teachers at one rural southwestern district have been stuffing 800 envelopes with learning packets and mailing them to students’ homes because many families in the area don’t have computers or high-speed internet, ProPublica Illinois’ Jodi S. Cohen and the Tribune’s Jennifer Smith Richards report.
Trico District 176’s remote learning challenges were highlighted in a Tribune-ProPublica Illinois story last month that exposed a digital divide across Illinois as schools shifted to remote learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic. State agencies later released a map touting publicly accessible Wi-Fi hot spots at about 250 locations; none are in the 250 square miles that make up the Trico district.
Now, a local internet provider is installing Wi-Fi service to connect families to the district network. An anonymous donor pledged to donate a dozen hot spots. And a school district in Chicago’s suburbs said it would ship about 250 used Chromebooks to Trico when the computers are replaced after this school year. Read the story here.
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Will college campuses reopen in the fall? If they do, expect changes: ‘All of this is in uncharted waters’: The Tribune’s Elyssa Cherney examines what’s happening in Illinois.
Contributing: Associated Press
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chicagotribune--2020-04-28--Watch live: President Trump and members of the coronavirus task force hold a press briefing

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chicagotribune--2020-04-28--COPA releases videos from Red Line station shooting

Warning : graphic content .
New video from a police-involved shooting that wounded a man at a Red Line subway @ @ @ @ @ released on Tuesday .


chicagotribune--2020-04-28--Airbnb and HotelTonight to help domestic violence victims in Chicago during coronavirus pandemic

“ There is a growing need to support victims of domestic violence as there is increased demand for shelters during @ @ @ @ @ are pleased to work with the city of Chicago and The Network to help fill @ @ @ @ @ ” Kelley Gossett , head of Chicago Policy for Airbnb , said in a statement @ @ @ @ @ Network with accommodations , we hope to help Chicago domestic violence survivors get to a @ @ @ @ @ as possible .
”

Airbnb and HotelTonight will work with anti-domestic violence workers to help domestic violence victims find a place to stay amid the coronavirus, Chicago officials announced.
Under Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, there’s been an increase in domestic violence calls to the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline, and the police department has seen a 12% increase in domestic violence calls from Jan. 1 to mid-April, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office said.
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Airbnb and HotelTonight will work with the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline to help people “flee a violent situation.” The hotline will work with HotelTonight and The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence to place a hotel reservation on the caller’s behalf, officials said.
The Network will cover the costs with money from the state, the city said.
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“There is a growing need to support victims of domestic violence as there is increased demand for shelters during the pandemic, and we are pleased to work with the city of Chicago and The Network to help fill this transitional housing need,” Kelley Gossett, head of Chicago Policy for Airbnb, said in a statement. “By connecting The Network with accommodations, we hope to help Chicago domestic violence survivors get to a place to stay as quickly as possible.”
Lightfoot praised Airbnb in a statement.
“This new partnership with Airbnb creates a key link for individuals fleeing violent situations by affording them immediate safe shelter and enabling them to take the next steps in their journey of recovery and growth,” Lightfoot said.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @royalpratt


chicagotribune--2020-04-28--Illinois COVID-19 restrictions will ease Friday for nonessential retailers and animal groomers, but

Illinois COVID-19 restrictions will ease Friday for nonessential retailers and animal groomers, but it won’t be business as usual

Beltrame has continued to offer delivery amid the shutdown , but said he ’ s only doing only a fraction @ @ @ @ @ would .
About 85 % of his business is from foot traffic , he said @ @ @ @ @ won ’ t salvage that because no one is downtown .

Thousands of vegetables, herb and house plants died after Adams & Son Gardens closed more than five weeks ago to help stop the spread of the new coronavirus.
But since Gov. J.B. Pritzker revised the state’s stay-at-home order, the Humboldt Park shop, which didn’t have to close but chose to, is again receiving truckloads of plants to sell to people who are staying close to home and eager to start gardening.
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The changes to the stay-at-home order, which take effect Friday, are expected to generate some sales at cash-crunched businesses while providing Illinois residents with more ways to help a battered economy.
Adams & Son Gardens co-owners Irene Adams, center, her husband Gus Adams, right, and neighborhood volunteer Lionel Santiago, unload plants and flowers from a truck as they prepare to partially open on Friday. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
But merchants and many service providers, most of which had been branded nonessential, will operate under conditions still considered far from business as usual, especially amid ongoing concerns about the risk of exposure to COVID-19.
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Under the revised rules, retail stores not considered essential still won’t be able to invite shoppers inside but will be allowed to take orders for pickup. Animal grooming services also can reopen May 1, and it’s clear people aren’t the only ones needing a trim.
A day after Pritzker announced pet groomers could reopen, Uncle Paws Grooming Salon was booked almost three weeks out.
Pet owners are trying to make up for lost time, said Tina Kozinski, owner of the East Side neighborhood grooming salon. Grooming is typically advised for dogs every four to six weeks to prevent health concerns such as fur matting or nail issues.
Kozinski welcomes the appointments after being closed for so long.
“I had to start working on my savings," she said. "I’m going to be working probably seven days a week for the next three weeks just to try to get myself afloat.”
Groomers must also figure out how to incorporate social distancing into the rush of appointments. Mary Gagliardi, owner of Animal House Grooming in Orland Park, said she plans to space out the appointments more than normal so customers aren’t waiting together in the lobby.
One group of merchants embracing the revised order: retailers that rely on Mother’s Day sales.
Adams & Son Gardens co-owners and neighborhood volunteers unload plants and flowers off a truck as they prepare to partially open on Friday. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
“That week is huge for us," said Esther Fishman, owner of Art Effect, which sells clothing, jewelry and gifts in the Sheffield Neighbors neighborhood. "We’ve already been getting phone calls from people asking, ‘How can I get a Mother’s Day gift?’”
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Art Effect already was shipping online orders and making contact-free deliveries near the shop. Curbside pickup should help sales, in part because “I think people want an excuse to get out,” she said.
Even so, some were bracing for slower-than-usual holiday sales. Jazzy Flowers, a Near West Side florist, slashed its initial order for Mother’s Day flowers by about 75%. Most of its business comes from walk-in shoppers, said manager Monica DeLuna.
“It’s going to be up to us to really encourage people to preorder,” she said.
Frank Michael Jewelers still plans to launch its advertising campaign for Mother’s Day this week, said owner Frank M. Beltrame Jr. Typically, Mother’s Day is more lucrative than the December holiday shopping season for the Loop jewelry shop, Beltrame said.
Beltrame has continued to offer delivery amid the shutdown, but said he’s only doing only a fraction of the business he normally would. About 85% of his business is from foot traffic, he said, and a limited reopening won’t salvage that because no one is downtown.
“Until people are boots on the ground, let’s call it, back to the workforce and the daily engine continues, I don’t foresee that doing anything positive for us,” he said. “It’s just a little perk.”
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As part of Pritzker’s revisions, he also extended the state’s stay-at-home order through the end of May. A Republican legislator has challenged Pritzker’s authority to do so, and filed a lawsuit to block the extension.
On Monday, Clay County Circuit Court Judge Michael McHaney ruled that Rep. Darren Bailey could disregard the extended order. McHaney’s ruling applied only to Bailey, but it could pave the way for other Illinois residents to seek relief from the stay-at-home order.
Some national retailers, like craft chains Michaels and Joann, already offer curbside pickup. Others are moving in that direction cautiously.
Plants and flowers are unloaded from a truck at Adams & Son Gardens on April 28, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Beauty retailer Ulta is easing back into operations with curbside pickup in some areas, but it’s unlikely the service will be available in Illinois on Friday, said spokeswoman Eileen Ziesemer. In addition to local regulations, Bolingbrook-based Ulta considers data on how prevalent COVID-19 is in communities near stores.
Once Ulta decides to offer curbside service at a store, the beauty retailer can roll it out quickly, Ziesemer said. Store managers and master and elite stylists were not furloughed and can manage the curbside service after going through training on safety protocols to limit contact, she said.
Chicago-based Paper Source, whose 135 greeting card, stationary and gift stores are temporarily closed, is starting to offer curbside pickup and delivery options, but none of the initial locations are in Illinois.
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Cosmetics seller Lush also is looking at curbside pickup and hopes to begin tests at a few locations in certain states in the coming weeks, spokeswoman Brandi Halls said in an email.
Evanston-based Vogue Fabrics, which handles wholesale orders from companies and hospitals and sales to individuals, has been letting customers pick up online orders at its warehouse, where an employee tosses packages to shoppers from the loading dock.
Even if the changes meant Vogue Fabrics could also offer curbside service at its retail store, co-owner Rogie Sussman Faber said she isn’t interested — the current system was set up with employees’ safety in mind.
“It’s a risk for everyone to come in,” she said. “We want to socially distance as well.”
lzumbach@chicagotribune.com
amarotti@chicagotribune.com
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chicagotribune--2020-04-28--Man who allegedly bragged on social media about ‘putting two bodies’ on a gun is indicted in second

Man who allegedly bragged on social media about ‘putting two bodies’ on a gun is indicted in second slaying

The oldest of three brothers and an 11th grader with big hopes for the future , Salgado ’ s death @ @ @ @ @ family , who said they never suspected such a crime in their town .
They @ @ @ @ @ typical teenager who could often be found on his PlayStation console , or asking for @ @ @ @ @ to see friends .

A 20-year-old man already charged with killing an alleged marijuana dealer after being caught bragging on social media that he used a gun to kill two people has now been charged with a second homicide, authorities said.
Julius Thomas III was indicted by a Cook County grand jury last week on a first-degree murder charge for the Feb. 2 fatal shooting of 18-year-old Andres Damian Salgado in suburban Elmwood Park, authorities said.
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Thomas, of the 4400 block of West Fulton Street in Chicago’s West Garfield Park neighborhood, has been held in Cook County Jail since last month when he was charged in the March 2 slaying of 30-year-old Diviris Garfeed on Chicago’s West Side.
In the Elmwood Park killing, Thomas allegedly went to a home in the 2800 block of North 77th Avenue where Salgado was hanging out, authorities said. Some time after being dropped off there, Thomas shot and killed Salgado outside the home, according to Elmwood Park police.
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Salgado, who lived several blocks away in the suburb, suffered multiple gunshot wounds before being taken to Gottlieb Hospital in Melrose Park, where he was pronounced dead.
The news of the indictment was bittersweet for Salgado’s family, who had waited for months for charges to be filed, but who are left wondering why their son was killed. Authorities did not know the motive for the shooting but Elmwood Park police Chief Frank Fagiano described the shooting as “an isolated incident.”
“We still want to know why. My son was never a gangbanger,” said Salgado’s father, who asked not to be named because he fears for his family’s safety following the shooting. Salgado had simply stepped outside the home of a friend with whom he regularly played video games when he was shot three times, according to his family.
“I don’t know if he thought (Salgado) was a gangbanger, but his life shouldn’t have been taken like that,” said the dad, 38.
The oldest of three brothers and an 11th grader with big hopes for the future, Salgado’s death has been devastating to his family, who said they never suspected such a crime in their town. They added that Salgado was a typical teenager who could often be found on his PlayStation console, or asking for a few bucks before going to see friends.
“He was always respectful and we were always tough parents,” Salgado’s father said of himself and his wife. “He always texted us and he sent us pictures where he was. He was never in trouble. We were about to give him a car. He wanted to go to the Army.”
The shooting was investigated by the West Suburban Major Crimes Task Force with the help of the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. Authorities declined to discuss in detail how they connected Thomas to the killing but said evidence obtained through social media, cellphone data and video surveillance helped crack the case.
"From a community that suffered a homicide," Fagiano said, "I’m very fortunate that through their hard work and dedication they were able to bring the appropriate charge to the alleged offender."
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Salgado’s killing happened a month before the fatal shooting of Garfeed in Chicago’s Humboldt Park community. In that killing, Cook County prosecutors said Thomas was the passenger in a white Pontiac sedan when it pulled up to the corner of Augusta Boulevard and Springfield Avenue about 12:35 a.m. March 2.
Thomas asked Garfeed and one of two other people standing with him if they had $20 worth of marijuana. Garfeed told the car’s driver to pull over, authorities said.
After the car turned onto Springfield, Thomas pulled out a “large, shiny gun” and fired three shots through the open window toward Garfeed and two others, prosecutors said. Two of the witnesses with Garfeed fled as the shots rang out. One of them returned to the scene and found Garfeed barely breathing and bleeding from the head, authorities said.
Garfeed, of the 1000 block of North Springfield, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.
One of the witnesses identified Thomas from a photo array as the shooter, according to prosecutors.
On a Facebook livestream, authorities said Thomas bragged that he “put two bodies” and a gang rival on the gun, meaning he’d killed two people. Thomas was also still wearing the same blue sweater that the witness had described to responding officers in Garfeed’s slaying.
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Thomas was arrested a day after the shooting at his home as he got into the Pontiac, prosecutors said. Inside the car, police recovered a single 9 mm shell casing that matched casings found at the shooting scene in Humboldt Park.
Cook County Judge Charles Beach II has since ordered Thomas held without bail in Garfeed’s killing. But Thomas has yet to appear before a judge in Salgado’s death.
Thomas has a 2018 conviction for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and was sentenced to 18 months probation, according to court records.
Salgado’s father said his family would be diligently watching developments in Thomas’ court case until they finally see justice for their son.
“I hope they give him years and he never comes out,” he said. “We hope he gets life in prison for what he’s done.”
jgorner@chicagotribune.com
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wlee@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-28--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--2020-04-28--Two police officers taken to hospital in Englewood crash that left officer, pedestrian seriously hur

Two police officers taken to hospital in Englewood crash that left officer, pedestrian seriously hurt

At the scene , the box truck , which had front-end damage , was stopped across the southbound lanes of @ @ @ @ @ SUV was on the parkway and sidewalk on the east side of Loomis , south @ @ @ @ @ north .
The police SUV , which had heavy damage on its passenger side , @ @ @ @ @ at the southeast corner of Loomis and 69th and a sign pole on Loomis .

A Chicago police officer moves a sign pole near a police vehicle that was involved in a collision in the 1400 block of West 69th Street, April 28, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Two Chicago police officers and a pedestrian were injured in a collision with a box truck that sent four people to hospitals Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
A police SUV was in a crash with a box truck in the 1400 block of West 69th Street near Loomis Street about 12:25 p.m. Tuesday, according to preliminary information from police. It wasn’t immediately clear how the accident occurred, officials said.
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One police officer was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in serious to critical condition, according to Fire Department spokesman Larry Merritt. The other officer was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in fair to serious condition.
The pedestrian was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in serious to critical condition. And the driver of the box truck was taken to Holy Cross Hospital in good to fair condition, officials said.
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At the scene, the box truck, which had front-end damage, was stopped across the southbound lanes of Loomis, while the police SUV was on the parkway and sidewalk on the east side of Loomis, south of 69th Street, pointing north. The police SUV, which had heavy damage on its passenger side, had hit a brick home at the southeast corner of Loomis and 69th and a sign pole on Loomis.
Beverly Dorsey, who has lived since about 1960 in the building struck by the police vehicle, said she was on the other side of the building watching “Gunsmoke” on television when she heard a “screech and then boom!”
Check back for updates.
Chicago Tribune’s Terrence Antonio James contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-04-28--Illinois adding $250 million to small-business loan fund for coronavirus relief

“ We ’ ve had growing interest in our program as people become frustrated with the administration ’ s PPP @ @ @ @ @ State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said Tuesday .
“ It was rushed out too quickly without @ @ @ @ @ make sure it was serving those it was meant to help .
”

The Illinois Treasurer’s office is adding $250 million to a small-business loan fund used to help employers navigate the economic disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The fund, now totaling $500 million, offers low-interest bridge loans to small businesses through a statewide network of community banks and credit unions. The financial institutions determine eligibility and loan terms.
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The Illinois Small Business COVID-19 Relief Program launched in March with an initial $250 million. Since then, the state treasurer’s office has committed $220 million to 27 banks and credit unions for the bridge loans, according to a Monday news release.
The program was designed as a complement to federal COVID-19 relief funds such as the Small Business Administration’s $660 billion Paycheck Protection Program. But for some small businesses that have been shut out of the federal funds, the state program may represent a viable alternative.
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“We’ve had growing interest in our program as people become frustrated with the administration’s PPP loan program,” Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said Tuesday. “It was rushed out too quickly without enough guidelines in place to make sure it was serving those it was meant to help.”
Chicago-area businesses have other alternatives to federal programs, including the $100 million Chicago Small Business Resiliency Fund and a $60 million state fund with low-interest loans of up to $50,000 each for small businesses outside of Chicago.
On Tuesday, Chicago announced a $5 million microbusiness recovery program, offering $5,000 grants to businesses with four or fewer employees in low- and moderate-income areas of the city that have been severely impacted by COVID-19.
Funds for the state treasurer’s program are drawn from its $13 billion investment portfolio, which is made available to local banks — mostly outside the Chicago area — at a near-zero interest rate to provide liquidity to issue the small-business bridge loans.
There is a limit of $25 million per financial institution, and the business loans are capped at an interest rate of 4.75%.
“This is designed for smaller banks,” Frerichs said. “Big banks may not be so interested in our program because they don’t have the capital needs a smaller bank does.”
The Milledgeville State Bank, located two hours west of Chicago, was one of the recipient institutions, using $350,000 from the state fund to help seven small businesses, including a convenience store, a body shop, a rock quarry and a golf course.
Other small banks have used the state money to make Paycheck Protection Program loans, which are backed by the SBA, but still require liquidity to disburse the funds to the approved businesses.
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Getting the Illinois small business COVID-19 relief loan in the Chicago area, however, may be a challenge.
Only a handful of Chicago-area banks are among the 26 listed on the treasurer’s website as participating in the program, including The First National Bank of Ottawa, United Trust Bank in Palos Heights and Brickyard Bank in Lincolnwood.
“We can offer a program, but we can’t make banks participate,” Frerichs said.
rchannick@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-28--New police Superintendent David Brown takes key step in attempt to reduce runaway CPD overtime

“ Our City Hall budget department has worked with a lot of the other agencies and departments including the Police @ @ @ @ @ reasonable overtime budgets that they should allocate on a monthly basis , ” Lightfoot said @ @ @ @ @ the superintendent is doing is wholly consistent with the message that we have sent all @ @ @ @ @ we can ’ t continue to spend overtime dollars like drunken soldiers , particularly not @ @ @ @ @ Department have more than enough personnel to be able to get the job done .
@

A Chicago police sergeant gives instructions to officers in the 4700 block of West Madison Street in the West Garfield Park neighborhood April 24, 2020. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
In one of his first major policy initiatives since being named Chicago’s new top cop last week, police Superintendent David Brown has ordered that all department overtime must be approved by at least a deputy chief in an attempt to reduce city expenses.
The move pleased Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who told reporters Tuesday she’s had many conversations about curtailing overtime with Brown. Lightfoot has repeatedly criticized the Chicago Police Department for spending more than its overtime budget, and has said the city can no longer afford it.
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“We can’t keep living in a world where the Police Department blows its overtime budget year in and year out by $100 million,” Lightfoot said.
The overtime spending is magnified by the city’s current officer head count of some 13,400, its highest number in "probably a decade,” the mayor said.
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“Our City Hall budget department has worked with a lot of the other agencies and departments including the Police Department to come up with reasonable overtime budgets that they should allocate on a monthly basis,” Lightfoot said. “I think what the superintendent is doing is wholly consistent with the message that we have sent all city departments, which is we can’t continue to spend overtime dollars like drunken soldiers, particularly not when departments like the Police Department have more than enough personnel to be able to get the job done.”
Reflexively throwing more officers at problems is not smart policing strategy and is not fiscally responsible, the mayor said.
The policy change comes after the Lightfoot administration announced last fall the budgets of the Police Department, Chicago Fire Department and the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications would be consolidated under a new Office of Public Safety Administration.
Among that office’s duties would be providing data analysis for overtime management at each department, the mayor’s office said, and developing long-term strategies with City Hall to decrease overtime.
Reduction of those extra hours has been a priority for Lightfoot at a time when CPD has exceeded its overtime spending budget on an annual basis.
In September, Lightfoot said she was “angry and frustrated” with the department’s overtime expenses, which totaled $67.6 million in the first six months of 2019.
In 2017, the city’s inspector general’s office issued a report showing how CPD failed to closely monitor its massive spending on officer overtime — then-a combined $575 million over the prior six years — or take measures to prevent officers from abusing the system.
The report from the office of Inspector General Joseph Ferguson found that the lax oversight had allowed officers to use “potentially abusive practices” in piling up overtime, usually at time-and-a-half pay. The report said officers sometimes sought out activities sure to lead to overtime, such as making arrests that would likely require frequent court appearances.
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The city relied on overtime as the department’s ranks dwindled under former Mayor Rahm Emanuel to about 12,000 officers of all ranks, a low point before a hiring surge toward the end of his second term. Overtime costs swelled from $42.1 million in 2011, Emanuel’s first year in office, to $146 million in 2016, nearly twice the budgeted amount of $79.6 million, the report said.


chicagotribune--2020-04-28--Tracking Illinois coronavirus: 2,125 deaths, 48,102 confirmed cases, 242,189 tests, 26% ICU beds, 68

Tracking Illinois coronavirus: 2,125 deaths, 48,102 confirmed cases, 242,189 tests, 26% ICU beds, 68% ventilators open

As the coronavirus spreads and local , state and national governments work to contain and mitigate the outbreak , the @ @ @ @ @ .

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--2020-04-28--Running list of Chicago-area closings and cancellations because of coronavirus

When it became clear residents weren ’ t practicing social distancing on a warm weekend in March , Lightfoot announced @ @ @ @ @ 606 , the Lakefront Trail , and the Riverwalk .
She also banned contact sports @ @ @ @ @ , and baseball .
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle , who has already shut @ @ @ @ @ preserves in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19 , and has closed parking @ @ @ @ @ preserves on weekends .
The county has shuttered all public buildings , nature centers , @ @ @ @ @

Chicago Tribune staff, Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
What began as a trickle of individual closings and event cancellations has become a free fall as the battle to contain the new coronavirus has ramped up with an intensity befitting the virus’s own rate of spread.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has issued and extended a stay-at-home order, a “modified” version of which will be in effect until at least May 30, and asks people to stay home with few exceptions for essential needs — and even then wear a face mask covering both nose and mouth. Pritzker also has extended the closure of Illinois schools to the end of the school year.
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When it became clear residents weren’t practicing social distancing on a warm weekend in March, Lightfoot announced she was ordering closed The 606, the Lakefront Trail, and the Riverwalk. She also banned contact sports such as basketball, football, and baseball. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who has already shut down parts of the forest preserves in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19, and has closed parking lots at some more popular preserves on weekends. The county has shuttered all public buildings, nature centers, campgrounds and public restrooms.
Officials have converted McCormick Place from a giant convention center into a makeshift hospital with beds for thousands of people in case there’s nowhere else to put them. The United Center also has been transformed into a logistics hub for Chicago’s coronavirus response — used for food distribution, first responder staging and collecting medical supplies.
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With more than 2,100 deaths and more than 48,000 known cases reported in Illinois as of Tuesday, event organizers here have reacted to the local transmission of the virus.
For south suburban closings and cancellations, click here. For North Shore closings and cancellations, click here. Here are Chicago-area cancellations, closings and modifications prompted by the pandemic:
Events
Museums
The Shedd Aquarium announced it was closing.
The Museum of Science and Industry, Adler Planetarium and Field Museum have joined Shedd Aquarium in announcing coronavirus-related temporary closures. MSI said it would close in order to help minimize the spread of COVID-19. Adler said its closure will last “until further notice.”
The Art Institute shut its doors “so that we can thoroughly and thoughtfully respond to the escalating impact of COVID-19,” said a museum statement.
The Illinois State Museum suspended all of its programs, events and school group visits, due to then coronavirus. The program suspension affects the Springfield museum and branch facilities, the Lockport Galley and Dickson Mounds Museum, but those facilities currently remain open during regular operating hours.
Lincoln Park Zoo is closed.
The Chicago Botanic Gardens in Glencoe announced it will keep outside grounds and gardens open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but canceled all programs, classes and events, then closed after the governor’s stay-at-home order.
The Museum of Broadcast Communications said it would be closed beginning March 16, and the Poetry Foundation is canceling its programming. Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum said it would close beginning March 14.
Local museums, such as the Edgewater Historical Society Museum in Chicago, have closed their doors.
Government
Hospitals
Many Chicago-area hospitals are not allowing most visitors, with limited exceptions, because of the spread of the coronavirus.
Highland Park Hospital is among a number of Lake County hospitals that have increased visitor restrictions. Most county hospital policies that limited hours due to COVID-19, have now been changed to exclude all visitors except in special cases.
Lake Forest Hospital allows only one visitor over the age of 18 per patient. North Shore University HealthSystem — which includes Highland Park Hospital, Glenbrook Hospital, and Evanston Hospital — prohibits all visitors, with few exceptions. Vista Health System in Waukegan and Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, part of the Advocate Health Care group of hospitals in the region, also are not allowing any visitors, with some exceptions.
Businesses
All nonessential businesses are closed or have workers at home, with grocery stores, pharmacies and some department stores with groceries open, and restaurants limited to carry out or delivery.
Ford shut down production at the Chicago Assembly Plant on the city’s Southeast Side after a confirmed coronavirus case at a Hammond, Indiana, seat manufacturing plant disrupted the supply chain. Sources later told The Associated Press that all of the Big Three automakers were shutting down production to slow spread of the virus.
On Tuesday, Dispensary33 in the Uptown neighborhood stopped recreational sales until further notice, said marketing director Abigail Watkins. The dispensary could not serve recreational customers and keep everyone at a safe distance from each other, she said. MOCA Modern Cannabis in the Logan Square neighborhood halted recreational sales last week.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered all bars and restaurants to close except for delivery or takeout service.
CME Group is closing its Chicago trading floor as a precaution to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus; floor-based trading will cease until further notice. The Chicago-based futures exchange will continue to trade products electronically.
The Illinois Gaming Board ordered all casinos in the state to close for two weeks starting Monday.
Apple is closing all of its stores outside China.
360 Chicago Observation Deck, 875 N. Michigan Ave., formerly known as the John Hancock Building, closed March 15. Reopening date was not announced. All events and classes planned for the space are also canceled.
Two luxury hotels in Chicago, The Peninsula and Park Hyatt, have temporarily closed. The Peninsula’s website says no reservations will be available until further notice, while the Park Hyatt “is not currently accepting room, restaurant, bar, or other reservations until April 30.” Hotel Zachary, across from Wrigley Field, also is closed.
Schools
Gov. J.B, Pritzker ordered all public and private schools in Illinois closed from Tuesday, March 17, through the end of the month. Pritzker has now ordered all schools closed through the end of the school year.
The University of Illinois has canceled commencement ceremonies set for May at Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield campuses because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a letter from the school to students, faculty and staff. Schools will mail diplomas and are exploring possible alternatives such as rescheduling or holding virtual events to honor the class of 2020.
The Illinois Institute of Technology has canceled its commencement ceremonies, and the school president will instead preside over a virtual event May 16, according to a post on its website. All graduating students will be invited to participate in future ceremonies, and they will be refunded their graduation fees.
All Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago, which covers Cook and Lake counties, were closed indefinitely before Pritzker’s order.
Pritzker’s closing order followed many piecemeal closings of schools related to the spread of COVID-19, including:
Check back for updates.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-04-28--As Illinois facial covering requirement nears, Lightfoot and opponents put forward dueling plans to

As Illinois facial covering requirement nears, Lightfoot and opponents put forward dueling plans to distribute masks in Chicago

But she also chastised those who came to the Thompson Center to pick up masks from Wilson , saying they @ @ @ @ @ social distancing .
“ The glimpse that I saw , it brought a bit of @ @ @ @ @ of those people were social distancing , so that ’ s a problem , ” @ @ @

Mayor Lori Lightfoot laid out a plan to aldermen to distribute disposable masks around the city as businessman Willie Wilson on Tuesday held an event across the street from City Hall to donate masks himself to City Council members to give to residents.
The question of how to make sure Chicagoans have enough masks has become more urgent as Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s order is set to take effect Friday requiring people older than 2 to wear a face covering or mask while inside stores and other places where they can’t maintain safe social distancing.
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Wilson, a former mayoral candidate who had a falling out with Lightfoot after she took office, has been putting forward his own proposals to directly distribute disposable masks through his medical supply company.
Last week, Far South Side Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, a mayoral critic, asked the Lightfoot administration to let aldermen convert local ward funds usually reserved for infrastructure projects to instead use the money to buy masks from Wilson. The Lightfoot administration hasn’t yet responded to that idea, Beale said.
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And on Tuesday morning, Wilson set up in a plaza outside the Thompson Center across the street from City Hall with a pledge to give away 20,000 disposable masks to each alderman who came downtown to get them.
Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, 35th, posted a photo of himself outside the Thompson Center, saying he was there to get the free masks. Ramirez-Rosa, another Lightfoot critic, said he would distribute the masks in his Northwest Side ward to essential workers and their families, plus other residents.
Lightfoot on Tuesday said she didn’t know about the particulars of Wilson’s giveaway. “Believe it or not, I have a few more things on my plate. I’m not really following what any particular donor is doing,” she said.
But she also chastised those who came to the Thompson Center to pick up masks from Wilson, saying they weren’t practicing appropriate social distancing. “The glimpse that I saw, it brought a bit of a crowd, but none of those people were social distancing, so that’s a problem,” Lightfoot said.
And the mayor said disposable masks such as the ones Wilson gave away are better suited for first responders and medical personnel. Others should use cloth masks they can wash and reuse, she said.
Lightfoot doesn’t want to appear flat-footed as political opponents fill the need to get people masks.
After Wilson announced his giveaway plan, Lightfoot sent a letter to aldermen Monday saying she would be sending out a request for proposals to try to find companies to make reusable cloth masks.
The goal is to use federal coronavirus relief bill money to buy 5,000 cloth masks for each alderman to distribute to vulnerable people in their wards, and an additional 750,000 for the city to distribute, Lightfoot’s letter to aldermen says.
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And in the meantime, Lightfoot said she would be distributing 2,000 disposable masks to each alderman this week.
Last week, Lightfoot accused Wilson of requesting millions of dollars from the city in upfront cash to help buy protective masks. “Millions of dollars in cash is not something I’m ever going to do with taxpayer dollars," Lightfoot said then.
In response, Wilson denied wanting the money in cash and said the city didn’t get back to him about his proposal.
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @_johnbyrne


chicagotribune--2020-04-28--3D office tours grow in popularity as coronavirus brings in-person visits to a halt

The idea was that many tenants , particularly smaller businesses , lacked the time and expertise needed to physically tour @ @ @ @ @ negotiate a lease .
The app allows tenants to narrow their search based on desired @ @ @ @ @ .
Back-and-forth negotiations with the landlord allow leases to be completed through Truss , which @ @ @ @ @

Truss photographer Robert Neumann uses a 3D rotating camera, tripod and tablet on April 16, 2020, to scan an office space from various locations in order to create virtual tours of an office at 230 W. Monroe St. in Chicago. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Four years after introducing virtual office tours, Chicago-based real estate technology firm Truss is facing both its biggest challenge and greatest opportunity.
The new coronavirus has led to a near shutdown of the commercial leasing market, which has caused Truss’ biggest source of revenue — lease commissions — to slow to a trickle. But the loss of in-person building tours has led to increased interest in its 3D virtual tours of Chicago offices, Truss co-founder Bobby Goodman said.
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Bobby Goodman is a co-founder of Truss, a real estate technology company that offers virtual tours of office spaces. He said Truss grew to 51 employees by early 2020, but had to lay off 16 workers because of the COVID-19 slowdown. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Goodman, the son of Chicago developer Mark Goodman, was an office broker representing tenants at Jones Lang LaSalle when he left to create the Redfin-like platform for commercial tenants in 2016.
The idea was that many tenants, particularly smaller businesses, lacked the time and expertise needed to physically tour dozens of office buildings and negotiate a lease. The app allows tenants to narrow their search based on desired square footage and other criteria. Back-and-forth negotiations with the landlord allow leases to be completed through Truss, which collects a broker commission.
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Truss grew to 51 employees by early 2020, before recently laying off 16 workers because of the COVID-19 slowdown, Goodman said.
“We’re hoping we don’t have to make any more cuts,” he said.
While commission fees plunge, requests by landlords to add properties increased to 500 in a two-week period, compared with 50 for the previous month, Goodman said. The company is working through the backlog by sending 3D cameras to buildings to create virtual tours.
“When people are making money in this industry, they don’t need to change anything,” Goodman said. “That has changed very rapidly, where people are really interested in getting up to speed on technology products that are out there.”
Truss photographer Robert Neumann uses a 3D rotating camera, tripod and tablet to scan an office space from various locations in order to create virtual tours of the office. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Truss has raised just over $24 million from investors including General Catalyst, Redfin chairman and former Priceline executive Robert Mylod Jr., Hyde Park Angels, Hyde Park Venture Partners and Navitas Capital. The startup was nearing profitability before the leasing market all but shut down, Goodman said.
The company does business in the Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston and Washington, D.C., areas and expects to continue expanding nationally and internationally after the real estate market bounces back, Goodman said.
[ Pandemic pivot: How Chicago-area businesses and workers are managing the coronavirus crisis ]
Truss has more than 13,500 office properties listed in those cities, with more than 310 million square feet of available space combined, ranging from tiny spaces to hundreds of thousands of square feet, Goodman said.
Most of the company’s employees are in River North and Evanston offices.
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“When we built this platform, we envisioned adoption to take place over a number of years,” Goodman said. “This black swan event has accelerated that adoption. Whenever this is over, we are extraordinarily well-positioned for the changes coming to our industry.”
rori@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @Ryan_Ori
The coronavirus pandemic is forcing Chicago-area companies and workers to face harsh realities about their paychecks and their place in the local economy. The Tribune is reaching out to hear, and share, their stories.


chicagotribune--2020-04-28--Smartphone location data can tell if people stay home during the pandemic. Experts worry users are s

Smartphone location data can tell if people stay home during the pandemic. Experts worry users are sacrificing privacy for safety.

The data , which is compiled using GPS coordinates on phones , is being used to track everything from how @ @ @ @ @ home to how those patterns stack up to pre-pandemic travel .
Foot traffic at bus @ @ @ @ @ tracked .
Some of the data can be broken down to the state or county @ @ @ @ @ block .

Arturo Ruiz, center, plays football with Brandon Ruiz and Alina Bautista in La Villita Park in the Little Village neighborhood on April 7, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
The coronavirus outbreak has sparked a new use for data smartphones collect about users’ locations.
Technology companies are using location data to track how much people are staying at home during the pandemic. Often, the findings are made available to government officials, including in Chicago, to help them determine how well containment efforts are working.
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The data, which is compiled using GPS coordinates on phones, is being used to track everything from how far people are straying from home to how those patterns stack up to pre-pandemic travel. Foot traffic at bus stops and parks can be tracked. Some of the data can be broken down to the state or county level, or by city block.
The city of Chicago is using location data to help inform its decision-making during the pandemic, said Peter Ruestow, senior epidemiologist at the Chicago Public Health Department’s Communicable Disease Program.
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The city works with a tech company called BlueDot, which aggregates geolocation data to show how many devices stayed at home each week in each of the city’s 77 community areas.
By the time the city gets the data, it’s in the form of trends, and is anonymous, Ruestow said. If the data shows devices tended to move farther from home, that might indicate that people who live there are traveling farther for work or services.
“We have not used it stand-alone to make any major decisions,” Ruestow said. “It’s just an additional data point that allows us to better inform our response and help us to understand the effect of the interventions we put in place.”
The location information is the same data that helps push the local weather report to your phone and allows Google maps to show what time a restaurant is busiest. Users can opt out of sharing the data.
Still, some experts worry people will choose to sacrifice privacy for safety amid the public health crisis — and that reclaiming that privacy could be difficult once the pandemic ends.
“How do you balance on the one hand the need to keep people safe … and on the other hand, our civil liberties and freedoms?” said David Gunkel, a media and technology professor at Northern Illinois University. “It’s a difficult balancing act.”
A pedestrian wearing a face mask passes under the marquee of the James M. Nederlander Theatre on April 24, 2020, in Chicago. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Users typically benefit from allowing apps to know their location. A retail brand, for example, might push coupons to users’ phones when they’re near a store.
But by allowing their devices to collect data on their location, consumers are agreeing to share important details about their whereabouts that could be used for more than marketing.
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“We’ve been trading privacy for convenience for a long time now,” Gunkel said. “Now we’re being asked to trade privacy for safety, and I think more and more people are willing to make that trade … because now it’s a matter of life and death.”
The question, Gunkel said, is how much privacy are people willing to give up to stay safe, and is there an expiration date on that privacy trade-off?
Some tech companies that have started putting out reports using location data have made their own promises. Google, for example, said its coronavirus-related data sets will only be available for as long as public health officials need them.
Several weeks ago, the tech giant began releasing reports that show changes in trips to places like grocery stores, pharmacies and parks. Anyone can download the reports. The information is meant to help officials decide whether hours need to be changed or if more buses need to be added to a route to better promote social distancing, according to a company blog post.
Google’s mobility reports are separate from its partnership with Apple on contact tracing technology. In that effort, the tech giants plan to build software into smartphones that would use Bluetooth wireless technology to find out if users had been in contact with someone who had COVID-19. Users would need to opt in.
Other tech companies that typically focus on marketing are venturing into providing pandemic-related data.
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New York City-based tech company Cuebiq uses its location data to help brands and retail companies understand if marketing campaigns are driving more visits to their stores. But amid the pandemic, Cuebiq also has been releasing mobility data.
CEO Antonio Tomarchio said the location data is anonymous. The company works with various mobile apps that embed its location technology, and users can opt in or out. The insights it draws are trends, and not individualized, he said.
“We don’t know anything about the user, we don’t know anything about the owner of the device, and we don’t care,” Tomarchio said. “We care about aggregate trends of visits at commercial venues like retailers or malls, or places like airports.”
Experts point out that using location data to look at trends excludes those who don’t have smartphones, who opt out of sharing their data or simply leave their phones at home.
Still, some experts say people might find location insights increasingly useful if the economy begins to reopen while the coronavirus is still a threat. People might want to know where in the city the disease is still spreading, or how crowded the lakefront is, for example. That information might prove more important than location privacy.
“Will safety become the No. 1 thing?” said Jeremy Hajek, an industry associate professor within the School of Applied Technology at the Illinois Institute of Technology. “That’s what people in society have to decide.”
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amarotti@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @AllyMarotti


chicagotribune--2020-04-28--Elderly man fatally injured in Mundelein head-on crash

Another man sustained minor injuries in the accident , which occurred at 8:35 a.m. at the intersection of Route 176 @ @ @ @

Authorities on the scene of a fatal head-on crash at Route 176 and Route 60-83 in Mundelein, April 28, 2020. (Joe Shuman / Pioneer Press)
An 81-year-old man died Tuesday morning after a head-on collision in Mundelein, police say.
Another man sustained minor injuries in the accident, which occurred at 8:35 a.m. at the intersection of Route 176 and Route 60-83.
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Police say the 81-year-old man was driving a Hummer, while the other man was driving a pickup truck.
Authorities on the scene of a fatal head-on crash at Route 176 and Route 60-83 in Mundelein, April 28, 2020. (Joe Shuman/News-Sun)
Both were taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where the elderly man died.
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Mundelein police Commander Gary DuHamel said the crash was “intersection-related,” adding additional details will not be released until the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team finishes its investigation.


chicagotribune--2020-04-28--As deadline to pass constitutional amendment looms, Illinois lawmakers fear missed opportunity for r

As deadline to pass constitutional amendment looms, Illinois lawmakers fear missed opportunity for redistricting reform

“ I ’ m very disappointed that it ’ s come to this moment in time — in an effort @ @ @ @ @ working on for all of the past decade , ” said Rep. Ryan Spain , @ @ @ @ @ sponsoring the bill in the House .
“ It just makes me look back and @ @ @ @ @ and frustration that we didn ’ t engage and get this issue solved much earlier @ @ @ @ @ so many chances to do so .
”

After years of unsuccessful legislative and citizen-led efforts to strip the General Assembly of the power to draw congressional and legislative district boundaries, the coronavirus shutdown appears to have doomed any chance of constitutional redistricting reform before the state’s maps are set for another decade.
Going into the spring legislative session, backers of change were hoping to make one more effort at getting something done before a looming deadline. In February, lawmakers filed identical state constitutional amendments in the Illinois House and Senate that would hand over the power to draw and approve district boundaries to an independent, citizen-led commission.
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The amendment’s ratification would require a three-fifths majority in both legislative chambers as well as approval from Illinois voters. Legislators have until May 3 to put the amendment on November’s ballot, and the joint resolution’s sponsors admit that’s essentially impossible.
The General Assembly, which has not convened since early March, has canceled session days in Springfield until at least May 5.
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“I’m very disappointed that it’s come to this moment in time — in an effort that we’ve been working on for all of the past decade,” said Rep. Ryan Spain, a Peoria Republican who is sponsoring the bill in the House. “It just makes me look back and really feel such tremendous disappointment and frustration that we didn’t engage and get this issue solved much earlier on, when we had so many chances to do so.”
Redistricting occurs every 10 years after the U.S. census to account for changes in population. This spring is the last chance for Illinois legislators to overhaul how district maps are decided before they are redrawn in 2021.
Under the Illinois Constitution, the General Assembly has the power to approve the state’s legislative boundaries. Without any constitutional or legislative changes to the redrawing process, Democrats — who control the state legislature and governor’s office — could decide the next decade’s maps without Republican input.
“What we cannot have happen is for another 10 years — and, you know, a generation — to go by before we end what is essentially now happening in a back room with partisan gerrymandering,” said Madeleine Doubek, executive director of CHANGE Illinois, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for redistricting reform.
The Illinois Supreme Court has struck down previous petition-driven attempts to change the state’s method of redistricting, saying they did not meet strict legal requirements for citizen initiatives to alter the state constitution. These rulings have basically determined that only Illinois legislators can change how the state’s legislative maps are decided.
With Democrats holding supermajorities in both chambers of the General Assembly, redistricting reform faced a difficult road this spring even without the pandemic, since party leaders have little political incentive to give up control over the maps.
House Speaker Michael Madigan, who holds significant control over the redistricting process and also chairs the state Democratic Party, opposed a proposed referendum in 2016, saying it could harm minority representation in the General Assembly.
Known by supporters as the Fair Maps Amendment, the amendment proposed this session would create a 17-person commission appointed by the state Supreme Court’s chief justice and the most senior justice of a different political party. The commission would consist of three nonpartisan members and 14 partisan members, split equally between the two parties.
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Proponents of the proposal say it would tackle gerrymandering — the process by which politicians draw districts to their political advantage — by requiring 11 of the 17 commissioners to approve the redrawn maps.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who supported the idea of removing legislators from the map-making process while campaigning, has said he will veto any partisan map that reaches his desk. The governor’s office did not respond Friday or Monday to requests for comment on the redistricting amendment’s upcoming deadline.
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Grayslake Democrat Melinda Bush and Woodridge Republican John Curran, who are sponsoring the amendment in the Senate, said they are exploring backup legislation that could reform the redistricting process even if the General Assembly has final approval over the state’s maps.
“My hope would be that we’re able to get most of these things done — the important pieces of it done — legislatively. And look, we can always come back with the constitutional amendment question in 2022,” Bush said.
Among preliminary ideas for legislative improvement is the possibility of still creating an independent, citizen-led commission that would submit map proposals for the General Assembly’s final approval, Doubek said.
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John Patterson, spokesman for Senate President Don Harmon, said Harmon still sees ways to increase public participation in the map-drawing process and will explore possible legislative action.
“Given the unfortunate realities we now face during the COVID-19 pandemic, he looks forward to working with Sen. Bush and other advocates to try to find ways to improve the map-making process going forward,” Patterson said.
In a statement Monday, Senate GOP leader Bill Brady of Bloomington urged Democratic leaders to convene the Illinois legislature “to take up the timely and important issues facing Illinois and its residents such as the fair maps amendment and COVID-19 related issues.”
Curran said that while the COVID-19 pandemic has complicated the timeline for passing the proposed amendment, it has also underscored the importance of nonpartisan redistricting reform in the state.
“It certainly does highlight that partisanship — when we need to be the best Illinois we can be, and meet the crisis at hand — partisanship is not the preferred method for the general public, nor the leaders of the state,” Curran said.
Bush likewise said she has learned from the current predicament in which advocates of redistricting reform find themselves.
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“I guess that’s a lesson from this — is, you know, you can’t kind of expect anything. And don’t be basing your decisions based on deadlines. Be working on things earlier,” Bush said.
“Don’t count on tomorrow to get things done. Be working today to get something done if it’s important to you.”
aayres-brown@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-28--Chicago to give $5,000 grants to small businesses with four or fewer employees in lower-income neigh

Chicago to give $5,000 grants to small businesses with four or fewer employees in lower-income neighborhoods

Lightfoot said the money is meant for businesses in low and moderate-income neighborhoods hurt by COVID-19 who may not be @ @ @ @ @ the federal government or other means .

The city of Chicago will give $5,000 grants to small businesses with four or fewer employees as part of a program to help businesses hurt by the coronavirus, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Tuesday.
The city will give up to 1,000 businesses $5,000 as part of its Microbusiness Recovery Grant Program, Lightfoot said. Interested businesses can apply through the city’s website until May 4, and the administration plans to make awards May 11.
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Lightfoot said the money is meant for businesses in low and moderate-income neighborhoods hurt by COVID-19 who may not be able to get financing through the federal government or other means.
Most of the eligible areas are on the South and West sides, according to a city map.
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In addition to having four or fewer employees, the businesses must have less than $250,000 in annual revenue and have lost 25% of revenue due to COVID-19, the city said.
Money for the grants is coming from the Chicago Community Trust and The One Chicago Fund, and will be distributed via lottery, Lightfoot said.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @royalpratt


chicagotribune--2020-04-28--Naperville man’s death investigated as part of double homicide in Joliet

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call Joliet detectives Frank Coleman or Jose Martinez at 815-724-3020 .
@ @ @ @ @ to the Will County Crime Stoppers by calling 800-323-6734 or going to crimestoppersofwillcounty.org/ .

A 24-year-old Naperville man died Saturday as part of what Joliet police are investigating as a double homicide.
Three men with gunshot wounds were found about 12:45 a.m. in the 1100 block of Parkwood Drive by officers responding to calls about shots being fired, according to police reports.
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The men were transported to local hospitals where two of them, Treshon L. Holland, of Naperville, and Treveal T. Barefield, 18, of Joliet, died from their injuries, police said.
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call Joliet detectives Frank Coleman or Jose Martinez at 815-724-3020. Anonymous tips can be given to the Will County Crime Stoppers by calling 800-323-6734 or going to crimestoppersofwillcounty.org/.
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subaker@tribpub.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-28--El Milagro temporarily closes plant for cleaning after worker’s COVID-19 death; company’s corn torti

El Milagro temporarily closes plant for cleaning after worker’s COVID-19 death; company’s corn tortilla output to fall 75%

An employee of El Milagro who asked to remain anonymous said the plant ’ s nearly 100 employees weren ’ @ @ @ @ @ the first few weeks of the pandemic and weren ’ t required to wear them @ @ @ @ @ She also said that although there were rumors that employees were infected , workers received @ @ @ @ @ , when they learned of the death .

Shoppers wind through stacks of wood pallets to enter a Costco store in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, April 11, 2020, in Chicago. The store is limiting the number of shoppers entering at one time to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, or coronavirus. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
El Milagro has closed its tortilla plant on the city’s Lower West Side for two weeks to sanitize the facility after one worker died and others tested positive for the new coronavirus.
In a weekend letter to employees, the company, whose products are a fixture in area grocery stores, said it was notified that a longtime sanitation employee died due to complications from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. The employee had not been at work since April 9.
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Two other workers at the facility have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and four workers have shown symptoms, El Milagro said in the letter.
The company hired an outside janitorial business to sanitize and deep clean the facility and employees scheduled to work while the facility is closed will continue to be paid for 40 hours a week, El Milagro told employees.
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People wait in line outside Tortilleria El Milagro on 26th Street in Chicago on March 20, 2020. El Milagro is temporarily closing its plant on Western Avenue. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
The temporary closure of the plant "will also allow all employees at this plant to essentially quarantine for two weeks and reduce the risk of this virus spreading,” El Milagro said in its letter to workers.
In an emailed statement to the Tribune, El Milagro said the temporary closure of the facility will slow down production.
“We expect to be able produce about 25 percent of our corn tortillas and hope to get back to our regular production after our 14-day shutdown,” Anna De Leon, safety manager for El Milagro, said. The plant makes tortillas, chips, tostadas, and taco shells.
[ Increased demand for tortillas causes buying limits in Chicago ]
At Pete’s Fresh Market, which has 16 stores in the Chicago area, El Milagro tortillas are the top-selling grocery product, said Vanessa Dremonas, executive officer at Pete’s. The chain found out about the factory’s closure this weekend when it didn’t get its daily shipment of fresh tortillas, and already some stores are sold out.
“I think people got wind that they closed and this weekend we got raided,” Dremonas said.
Pete’s sells up to 100 cases of El Milagro tortillas a week and the brand’s 12-pack of corn tortillas was the best-selling grocery item for the entire chain in 2019, she said.
Pete’s is increasing its orders with Tortilleria Atotonilco, a local company that makes tortillas in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, and Mission Foods. There will be enough tortillas to meet demand but there is strong brand loyalty with tortillas and El Milagro is a favorite to many, including Dremonas. “You can tell it’s made with love, it’s homemade, it’s authentic,” she said. “It’s a huge loss.”
In a letter to its customers, El Milagro said its facility will be closed through May 9.
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The El Milagro tortilla factory in the 2900 block of South Western Avenue in Chicago is shown April 27, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Jorge Mujica, a strategic campaign organizer with Arise Chicago, an organization that advocates for workers’ safety, said employees have complained for weeks that El Milagro wasn’t doing enough to increase safety at the facility.
Mujica said employees tend to work close to one another in the production lines, closer than the minimum 6 feet recommended to reduce the spread of the virus.
“The problem is that as long as they are overcrowded and sneezing in the workplace, the issue will continue,” Mujica said.
An employee of El Milagro who asked to remain anonymous said the plant’s nearly 100 employees weren’t given face masks during the first few weeks of the pandemic and weren’t required to wear them until two weeks ago. She also said that although there were rumors that employees were infected, workers received no notification until last Thursday, when they learned of the death.
El Milagro said in the employee letter that it provided a number of safety protocols. The company said it supplied and required face mask for all workers, installed acrylic partitions to separate employees at production lines, staggered shift start times and required everyone to wash their hands and their work stations.
In Illinois, companies aren’t required to report temporary closures to the state.
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The city said it does not comment on individual cases or specific locations, but when city officials "learn of clusters of cases we provide tailored guidance to facility staff on infection control, including cleaning protocols and how to properly manage both COVID-19 positive and exposed staff,” city spokeswoman Cristina Villarreal said in an emailed statement.
Laura Presa Rodriguez and Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz contributed.
abjimenez@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @abdel1019


chicagotribune--2020-04-28--Economy or lives? It’s not that simple: 7 ways to talk politics in the COVID-19 era

Be respectful and try to see the situation from your loved one ’ s point of view .
Be curious @ @ @ @ @ they ’ re experiencing the crisis and consider how their background may influence their perceptions @ @ @ @ @ is dredging up old trauma for many .
“ Someone might be saying , ‘ @ @ @ @ @ ’ but three layers down what they might be saying is , ‘ It ’ @ @ @ @ @ stuck in my house because growing up my house was unsafe and my core pain @ @ @ @ @ Or , given the economic uncertainty of the moment , someone may need space to @ @ @ @ @ paying bills .
Solomon suggests using “ XYZ ” statements — “ When you say @ @ @ @ @ and Z ” — to ground the tone of the conversation in collaboration rather than @ @

You’re stuck at home, mindlessly scrolling through Facebook when you stumble upon a post from a cousin. He’s touting a COVID-19 conspiracy theory as justification to reopen the economy. You normally ignore his politically charged posts, but this one gives you pause.
You wonder: Does he really believe COVID-19 is no worse than the flu? Is he social distancing? Is he infecting Grandma?
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Should you say something to him? What could you say that would make a difference?
Given the dysfunctional state of our national politics, many have spent the past four years tuning out friends and family who live on the other side of the partisan divide. But as political tension grows over when states should reopen their economies, anxiety is rising that the pandemic could become the deadliest battle in our ongoing culture war.
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Last week, a southern Illinois judge issued a temporary injunction blocking Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order from applying to state Rep. Darren Bailey, a Republican from Xenia who filed a lawsuit.
“There is a real debate to be had about when and how to open up,” said William Howell, professor of American politics at the University of Chicago and co-host of “Not Another Politics Podcast.” “There are different populations suffering in different kinds of ways. This isn’t just a public health catastrophe; it’s also a political challenge and justifiably so. What a healthy politics is, is one that allows for meaningful and civil disagreement and engagement.”
And yet, nothing feels particularly healthy these days.
Here are some tips on how to have a constructive political conversation in an era when nearly everyone, regardless of ideology, has thrown their hands up and asked themselves, How do you talk to these people?
1. Don’t be reductive.
First, stop thinking of your loved ones (and fellow voting citizens) as “these people.” Remember what bonds you to friends who disagree with you. Try to see the situation through their eyes, says Alexandra Solomon, a licensed psychologist and assistant clinical professor at Northwestern University. Likewise, acknowledge that our current moment is complex. “We’ve made this very strange false dichotomy: You either support the economy or you support human life,” she said. “That’s false.”
2. Do they really believe what they’re saying?
People often spout opinions to signify their party affiliation. This is especially true in the social media era when people forward articles online without even reading them first. “I grew up in Chicago, and there were perennial debates about who was better: the White Sox or the Cubs,” said Gregory Huber, professor of political science at Yale University. “There was always an actual objective fact, which was who was better in that given year. And people weren’t really arguing about the facts; they were arguing about which team they liked better. I think that often when people are debating politics, they’re really just trying to say which team they’re on.”
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A demonstrator shows a sign with "Make America safe again" written on it while driving past the Governor's Mansion during a drive-by protest in Atlanta on April 24, 2020. (CHANDAN KHANNA / Getty/AFP via Getty Images)
3. Consider your own motives.
Before you engage, question yourself: What are you trying to accomplish? Are you hoping to engage and clarify your own thinking? Or are you looking for the cheap thrill of the zing? Solomon recommends observing how your body feels. If you’re so worked up that you’re going to feel nauseated after getting into it with your uncle, maybe don’t do it — or find a different approach.
4. Use FaceTime, not Facebook.
If you really want to have a meaningful conversation, pick up the phone. Video calls are especially helpful, Solomon said, because facial cues and body postures are essential in connecting with one another.
5. Listen carefully.
Be respectful and try to see the situation from your loved one’s point of view. Be curious. Ask questions about how they’re experiencing the crisis, and consider how their background may influence their perceptions. Solomon said the pandemic is dredging up old trauma for many. “Someone might be saying, ‘Open up the economy,’ but three layers down what they might be saying is, ‘It’s pretty horrifying to be stuck in my house because growing up my house was unsafe and my core pain was feeling trapped.’” Or, given the economic uncertainty of the moment, someone may need space to talk through their anxieties about paying bills. Solomon suggests using “XYZ” statements — “When you say X, I feel Y and Z” — to ground the tone of the conversation in collaboration rather than conflict.
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6. Forget about data.
It’s important to have credible sources of information to guide your decisions, but don’t expect to convince anyone of anything using facts — especially during a pandemic when so much is still unknown, said Andy Slavitt, a senior adviser for the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington. “No one’s going to be bullied or out-data’d. Most people are going to respond to personal experience,” he said, adding this is an unprecedented time. “I think there are a few things everyone can agree on, though: Which is when you don’t know, it’s better to be safer than not to be safe.”
7. Remember, we’re more united than it may seem.
Yes, small protests have broken out in recent days, and a recent working paper in the National Bureau of Economic Research suggested Republicans didn’t take social distancing as seriously as Democrats. But polls show Americans are generally united in their support of stay-at-home orders. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research reported last week that only 12% of Americans felt their states’ lockdowns went too far; the vast majority felt the measures were about right or didn’t go far enough.
Differences in policy may have more to do with the fact that COVID-19 simply hasn’t arrived yet in certain geographic areas. “The situation is dramatically different on the ground in these different places,” Huber said. “I don’t think you’re finding Democrats and Republicans saying vastly different things on average about the coronavirus being scary. There seems to be a lot of consensus on the public health matter, and this is encouraging.”
jeday@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @dayjenn


chicagotribune--2020-04-28--Man who mailed pipe bomb that exploded at East Chicago post office argues for release based on sente

Man who mailed pipe bomb that exploded at East Chicago post office argues for release based on sentence served, COVID-19 virus

According to Krieg , who has served 29 months , his sentence is “ much more likely a sentence of @ @ @ @ @ because recent court rulings undoing the term “ violent crime ” for two charges against @ @ @ @ @ 85 % of 33 months is 28 months , which means he “ has likely @ @ @ @ @ about to serve , his likely sentence .
”

A man whose pipe bomb exploded at an East Chicago post office is requesting that a judge block prosecutors from filing a fifth extension to his 2019 motion that his sentence was calculated incorrectly.
Eric Krieg, of Munster, filed a hand-written motion representing himself April 20 stating that the most recent deadline for the government to respond is May 1. But, he argues that he has already served 85% of his actual sentence and, given the COVID-19 pandemic, he should be released.
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Krieg, 48, was sentenced in April 2019 to 29 years in prison. After taking a plea deal, he pleaded guilty in December 2018 to four counts, including making an unregistered device, mailing a destructive device, malicious use of explosive materials and mailing a threatening communication.
In exchange for his guilty plea, the government agreed to dismiss one charge that carried a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in prison with a maximum sentence of life.
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In 2013, attorney David Westland represented a client who sued Krieg over statements Krieg made on his blog. The lawsuit was settled for $45,000, and Krieg was also required to post an apology on his blog.
As “retaliation” for the lawsuit, Krieg mailed a pipe bomb addressed to Westland, intending to kill or injure him, court records state. But the pipe bomb exploded Sept. 6, 2017, at a post office at 901 E. Chicago Ave. It injured a postal worker, who was seven months pregnant at the time, who suffered minor injuries, officials said.
Krieg also sent a threatening letter Sept. 29, 2017, to a Hammond resident who Krieg talked to online. The letter included a bullet and a message that read, “The next one will be in the back of your head.”
In July 2019, Krieg filed a motion stating his sentence was “calculated improperly" and that he should be resentenced. The government has requested an extension to respond to Krieg’s motion four times, according to court records, with the most recent deadline approaching May 1.
According to Krieg, who has served 29 months, his sentence is “much more likely a sentence of 27 to 33 months" because recent court rulings undoing the term “violent crime” for two charges against him. Krieg stated that 85% of 33 months is 28 months, which means he “has likely already served, or is about to serve, his likely sentence.”
“Any further delay just makes the defendant’s actual sentence that much longer than ... his likely sentence at resentencing, and therefore unjust,” Krieg said.
If Krieg is resentenced to more than 33 months, he stated that a halfway house or home confinement is also an option that the Bureau of Prisons is offering inmates.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Krieg said while jails are taking action “there is only so much that can be done to protect a prison, which many health experts have said is almost perfectly designed to spread pandemics like coronavirus.”
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Krieg said that two of his charges are “no longer considered violent crimes," so he should be considered for release as inmates charged with non-violent crimes are being released amid the pandemic.
“The defendant asks the court to weigh the prosecutor’s alleged need for yet another delay against the likelihood of coronavirus sweeping through the (Bureau of Prisons) and infection those who, in other circumstances, like a proper plea, would not longer even be in ... custody,” Krieg said.


chicagotribune--2020-04-28--28-year-old woman injured in drive-by shooting in Evanston

Police responded after receiving a call that a woman had been shot in the chest .
Officers did not find @ @ @ @ @ the scene , police said .
About 10 minutes later , a 28-year old Evanston @ @ @ @ @ with gunshot wounds in her chest and right arm , police said .

Evanston police are investigating after a 28-year-old woman was shot in the chest and arm Monday afternoon.
The shooting was reported at 12:47 p.m. at the intersection of Howard Street and Chicago Avenue, according to a news release.
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Police responded after receiving a call that a woman had been shot in the chest. Officers did not find any victims or suspects at the scene, police said. About 10 minutes later, a 28-year old Evanston woman arrived at Evanston Hospital with gunshot wounds in her chest and right arm, police said.
Officers and detectives learned the woman was a passenger in a car when another car pulled up alongside and someone opened fire, police said. The driver took the woman to the hospital.
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The woman is expected to recover, police said. There are currently no suspects in custody, police said Monday evening.
Anyone with information should call Evanston police at 847-866-5040 or Text-A-Tip to CRIMES and start the message with EPDTIP.


chicagotribune--2020-04-28--Nearly 200 at Cicero nursing home test positive for COVID-19

As the coronavirus spreads globally , it has been revealed that some notable people have tested positive for the virus @ @ @ @ @ of most recently reported .

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chicagotribune--2020-04-28--Hormel furloughs 150 employees at its Fontanini Foods’ Italian sausage plant in McCook

About 1 in 6 American workers have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic , with stay-at-home orders closing many @ @ @ @ @ million people have filed for unemployment benefits across the U.S. since mid-March , including 737,472 @ @ @

Fontanini Foods, which makes Italian meats and sausages for restaurants, sports arenas and other venues, is furloughing 150 employees at its southwest suburban McCook plant due to a “dramatic decline” in food service business during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Roughly 30% of the plant’s 500 workers will be off as of Saturday, with affected employees receiving health benefits but not pay during the temporary furlough.
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“There is no timeline for return as that will depend on when restaurants, sports venues and other food service operations restart,” John Kempen, Fontanini’s plant manager, said in an email Tuesday.
Kempen said the decision will affect a “wide variety of positions” from across the company, but did not specify the salary range of the 150 employees on furlough.
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About 1 in 6 American workers have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic, with stay-at-home orders closing many businesses. More than 26 million people have filed for unemployment benefits across the U.S. since mid-March, including 737,472 in Illinois.
The food service industry has been particularly hard hit, with restaurants, hotels and sports venues essentially shut down by COVID-19.
Fontanini Foods was founded as a Chicago-area family business in 1960, specializing in Italian meats and sausages, including pizza toppings and meatballs.
The company was based for years on Randolph Street in Chicago. In the 1970s, the business grew as it began making bulk and rope Italian sausages for pizzerias and restaurants. Fontanini built its 188,000-square-foot plant in McCook in 2008.
Minnesota-based Hormel Foods bought Fontanini for $425 million in 2017.
rchannick@chicagotribune.com