chicagotribune--2020-07-03--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: State COVID-19 death toll passes 7,000 as Fourth of July kicks off

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: State COVID-19 death toll passes 7,000 as Fourth of July kicks off in Chicago without firework shows, parades or open beaches

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Dontana Johnson races against his children, Damurious, 9, left, Kobe-Michael, 6, center, and Baby, 5, on the lawn of Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavilion while celebrating the 4th of July 2020. The family lives in North Lawndale. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois announced just six new deaths from COVID-19 Sunday, as the number of total deaths continues to trend downward this weekend.
Sunday’s death toll marked the lowest recorded in Illinois from coronavirus since March 26, when seven deaths were logged. Ten COVID-19 deaths were reported Saturday. The overall toll now stands at 7,020 deaths.
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While COVID-19 deaths continue to surge in some other states, Illinois recorded its highest daily number – 192 – on May 13.
Also Sunday, there were 639 additional COVID-19 reported cases Sunday, bringing the state’s total to 147,251. This news comes as Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot continues to crack down on bars and restaurants over the Fourth of July weekend, and warns travelers coming from states with high cases they will need to quarantine for 14 days after returning.
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[ How to assess your COVID-19 risk when going out in public: Use this chart ]
[ Phase four of Illinois’s COVID-19 reopening: Settle in, folks, we may be here a while ]
[ Illinois enters phase 4 of reopening plan. Here’s a guide to what’s allowed. ]
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
Here’s what’s happening this weekend regarding COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
11:45 a.m.: Pritzker condemns cartoon comparing face mask order to Holocaust
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said a political cartoon likening Kansas face mask requirement to the murder of Jews during the Holocaust a “disgusting display by ignorant Republicans.”
Pritzker, a lead fundraiser for the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie, said in a Tweet condemning the cartoon that the museum was intended to “fight this kind of hate.” Read more here. – Jessica Villagomez
10:30 a.m.: 2 unnamed White Sox players test positive for COVID-19
Two unnamed Chicago White Sox players have tested positive for COVID-19, the team announced Sunday. Both players are asymptomatic and have been isolated in Chicago, according to the team.
They are being monitored by the Sox medical staff. Follow-up testing will take place in the coming days. The players can return after they have recorded consecutive negative tests and have passed COVID-19 protocols. Read more here. — LaMond Pope
9:35 a.m.: IHSA contact days go into effect Monday as state enters new phase for returning to play
The IHSA announced that its Phase 4 Return to Play guidelines were approved by the Illinois Department of Health, effective Sunday. It means contact days can begin on Monday, July 6.
Originally, the IHSA was calling this Stage 2, but changed its verbiage to Phase 4 to match the wording of Governor J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan, which also will be entering Phase 4.
Phase 4 opens up sport-specific activities. Athletes have been limited to non sport-specific workouts over the past month, basically conditioning in groups of 10.
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Now, groups of 50 are allowed to work together. If outdoors, different groups of 50 must be 30 feet apart from each other. If indoors, there are to be no groups larger than 50, regardless of space. Read more here. — Paul Johnson
9:30 a.m. Sunday: Elgin libraries, museums to reopen beginning Monday, but ‘things will not look the same,’ officials say
The Gail Borden Public Library is to reopen to patrons Monday morning, more than three months after it last welcomed guests.
However, the revolving doors won’t be in use. Plexiglass partitions will divide employees from visitors. Several computers and pieces of furniture have been stored away. And yes, masks will be required.
Gail Borden is among the Elgin-area libraries and museums welcoming guests to their buildings for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March. Officials advise visitors that the library and museum experience will look and feel entirely different.
The nearly 154,000 square-foot main building of Gail Borden is limiting occupancy to no more than 250 visitors at one time. Capacity reductions also will be in place at the smaller Rakow and South Elgin branches, Raleigh said. There will be capacity limits within some sections of the library as well. Read more here. — Rafael Guerrero
4:29 p.m. Saturday: 10 additional deaths from COVID-19, lowest daily total of deaths since the end of March
Illinois announced 10 new deaths from COVID-19 Saturday, the lowest daily total of deaths since March 30.
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Comparing March 30 with July 4 shows the outbreak at two distinct moments. On March 30, the state announced 461 new confirmed coronavirus cases. Saturday, Illinois announced 862.
True, that is nearly twice as many cases, but on March 30 the state only announced the results of 2,684 tests. That means on March 30, 17.2% of those tests came back positive. On Saturday, the state announced 33,836 test results — a positivity rate of 2.6. If you applied the March 30 positivity rate to the number of tests released Saturday that would mean more than 5,800 new cases.
—Chicago Tribune staff
4:26 p.m.: Evanston Independence Day celebration one of many to go online
After 98 years of top-ranked July Fourth traditions, the city of Evanston celebrated this year in an entirely new, virtual manner because of COVID-19.
Themed “Community United Cannot Be Divided,” the day’s celebration featured a 20-minute online behind-the-scenes look at the work that normally goes into the city’s Independence Day, a 45-minute virtual parade showing old videos of various organizations and a pre-recorded concert and fireworks show to conclude festivities at night.
Evanston’s usual Independence Day sights, including about 15,000 people gathered to watch the city’s parade on the streets, were replaced with about 120 online spectators watching pre-recorded visuals of past celebrations from home.
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”Since our organization has been active now for 99 years, we’re very good at doing a traditional celebration,” said Bruce Baumberger, Trustee Emeritus of Evanston’s Fourth of July Association. “… The virtual celebration was something new to us.”
Evanston’s budget was down about $20 million due to COVID-19, which led the association to look into other cost-efficient ways of hosting a celebration, Baumberger said. What normally took hundreds of volunteers to plan needed only “a few people mastering the technology” with the group’s updated plans this year.
”It’s been a great opportunity to build on and maximize this really great opportunity out of adversity,” Baumberger said.
Viewers from across America interacted with each other in the comments section and remarked on the various groups featured in Evanston’s virtual parade. “Born in the USA,” “I’m Proud to be an American” and other patriotic songs were synchronized with the show, which at one point showed a virtual rendition of the “National Emblem March,” a standard for military marching bands that salutes the American Flag.
”Love seeing this. Usually [I travel to] Evanston for the Fourth of July,” one Facebook commenter wrote during the morning livestream. “I am missing this for so many reasons!”
—Kelli Smith
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4:06 p.m.: Farrkhan delivers online speech regarding coronavirus
Minister Louis Farrakhan deliver a speech Saturday to address the current state of America, mentioning the COVID-19 pandemic and the unrest people of color are dealing with after the killing of George Floyd captured on video.
Farrakhan, the leader of the Chicago-based Nation of Islam, started the speech, titled the Criterion, by mentioning the death of one of the Nation of Islam’s student ministers, Abdul Hafeez Muhammad, who died from COVID-19 in April at age 53.
”He was a martyr like all who have lost their lives in this nation, Black and White and the colors in between,” Farrakhan said.
Later in the speech, he said the privileged in our country are being faced with a reckoning for their wrongdoing.
He also warned the Black community to stand clear of those oppressing them, so they won’t be touched by God’s wrath.
He encouraged everyone to remain decent during these times. At one point he told those listening to wear their masks and look into other therapies to treat the disease. He also called upon the world’s scientist and doctors to work together to solve COVID-19.
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In closing he thanked the Rev. Michael Pfleger, who he called his brother, and prayed to God for his protection as he continues to fight injustice in the Black community. He prayed for peace for all Americans and the world suffering from COVID-19.
—Deanese Williams-Harris
12:46 p.m.: Chosen Few DJs move annual House music fest online because of coronavirus
You can’t stop the House continues to be true in 2020 after the Chosen Few DJs moved their annual musical celebration online to bring the disco to Chicago on July Fourth.
The Chosen Few Old School Reunion Picnic has remained a family event over the years, and when COVID-19 struck, its organizers decided to continue the peaceful tradition, which draws hundreds of thousands to Jackson Park, to a virtual celebration.
At noon, the celebration was scheduled to kick off with guest DJ Deon Cole, an actor and comedian who’s a South Side native. The annual House music festival’s virtual party will continue until 9 p.m. and include the Chosen Few DJs, and guest singer and song writer Carla Prather and Byron Stingley of Ten City, officials said.
The virtual celebration can be viewed at www.chosenfewdjs.com.
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On the turntables throughout the day will be the Chosen Few DJs, Wayne Williams, Jesse Sanders, Tony Hatchett, Alan King, Terry Hunter and Mike Dunn.
—Deanese Williams-Harris
8:45 a.m.: Illinois opening more centers to support small businesses hit by coronavirus pandemic
Seven new state-run centers will open this summer to support Illinois small businesses.
The Small Business Development Centers set to launch in July or already opened are in Chicago, Elgin and Joliet. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Development said the $11.5 million effort brings the total of centers statewide to 42.
"With many Illinois businesses currently facing unprecedented burdens as a result of COVID-19 and recent civil unrest, our SBDC community partners can be a lifeline for businesses working to reopen safely," said Michael Negron, acting director of the department.
Business owners can get one-on-one confidential advice and assistance at the centers on many topics including education, training and business planning.
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The centers also have helped small businesses seek financial assistance during the coronavirus pandemic, which forced many to close or dramatically change day-to-day operations. — Associated Press
7:52 a.m.: Hundreds of Joliet nurses strike after hospital, union fail to reach contract
More than 700 nurses at Amita Health Saint Joseph Medical Center Joliet went on strike Saturday morning, after the nurses union and hospital failed to reach a contract agreement.
The nurses at Amita Health Saint Joseph Medical Center Joliet have been working without a contract since May 9 and have been in negotiations since February.
The nurses’ union, the Illinois Nurses Association, has not said how long the strike would last. The union said in a news release Saturday nurses would picket outside the hospital at 333 Madison St., in Joliet.
Amita Health, which has 19 hospitals in Illinois, has contracted with an agency to provide temporary nurses, according to spokesman Tim Nelson. Read the full story here. — Lisa Schencker
7:45 a.m. Saturday: Illinois regulators warn casinos to take virus precautions
Casinos that fail to follow guidelines aimed at limiting the spread of the coronavirus could be disciplined, including loss of their license, Illinois regulators warned this week.
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Illinois allowed video gaming businesses and casinos to begin reopening on Wednesday. Marcus Fruchter, administrator of the Illinois Gaming Board, reminded operators in a message released Thursday that they must follow state protocols for operating during the pandemic.
Requirements include face coverings in gaming establishments and casinos and social distancing along with regular hand washing, Fruchter said.
Failing to comply could result in discipline, including revoked licenses, he said.
“More importantly, disregard of such preventative measures and requirements could contribute to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Illinois and another potential suspension of gaming operations,” he said. “That is a result nobody wants. We urge you not to let it happen.” — Associated Press
3:08 p.m.: Chicago will rely largely on signs along highways and at airports as it orders self-quarantine for people who visit states where COVID-19 is surging
Chicago health officials said Friday they have no plan for enforcing the city’s abrupt quarantine order for people arriving from states where coronavirus cases are surging, but will rely largely on signs posted along highways and at the two airports.
“We do not have a plan to, for example, look for out-of-state license plates and pull people over,” the city’s public health commissioner, Dr. Allison Arwady, said at a news conference. “We do not have a plan to create a list of individuals who are traveling and try to track them down.”
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Arwady said the city’s main goal with the order is to emphasize travel risks during the pandemic. She said the city is also working with airlines to notify people booking Chicago destinations. “We want people to be thinking twice about whether now is a good time to travel,” she said.
Read more here. —Sydney Czyzon
2:45 p.m.: 868 new known COVID-19 cases, 18 additional deaths
The state announced 18 new deaths Friday from COVID-19, bringing the total toll of the virus to 7,005. Also announced were 868 new confirmed cases and the results of 34,318 tests.
In passing the 7,000 mark, Illinois has the fourth most deaths for any state behind New York with 31,836, New Jersey with 15,164 and Massachusetts with 8,132, according to New York Times data.
In Illinois, 2,628 of those deaths, a little over a third, were in Chicago, with 1,990 more in suburban Cook County. Among the collar counties, DuPage and Lake have the most coronavirus deaths with 474 and 421, respectively. Will is lower with 320, as are Kane with 274 and McHenry with 97. There have been coronavirus deaths in 59 of the state’s 102 counties.
—Chicago Tribune staff
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1:43 p.m.: Day after judge declares his executive orders void, Gov. J.B. Pritzker urges restaurants, bars to keep following safety guidelines
A day after a southern Illinois judge ruled that Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive orders aimed at slowing the spread of the new coronavirus are void, the Democratic governor and the state’s top health official are urging restaurants and bars and their customers to continue following safety guidelines heading into the Fourth of July weekend.
“The virus is not taking the holiday weekend off, and neither can we. Letting our guard down now would fly in the face of the progress we’ve made over many months,” Pritzker said in a statement Friday. “We have seen that mitigation measures have worked in our state and we’ve seen too many other states rapidly lose ground in the fight against the virus.”
Those measures include wearing masks in public, maintaining proper social distancing and abiding by capacity limits in restaurants, bars and other businesses.
Read more here. —Dan Petrella
1:20 p.m.: In a Chicago first, the Shedd Aquarium reopens to visitors. What’s different with COVID-19 practices in place?
The Shedd Aquarium officially reopened to the public Friday morning, admitting paying visitors for the first time since March after two days of members-only previews, the first of Chicago’s major museums to do so. Elsewhere on the Museum Campus, the Adler Planetarium and Field Museum have not announced reopening dates.
Inside its marble interior, the glass of the Shedd’s Caribbean Reef tank gleamed, signs and staff members directed foot traffic and the many varied species of fish and aquatic life swam, wide eyed and utterly aloof to visitors, as they always seem to do. Returning museum-goers will notice a one big if unsurprising difference from before — the lack of crowds and noise. For many Chicagoans and suburbanites with families, the metaphor of choice for sweaty overcrowding isn’t a train car, it’s summer at the Shedd.
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Read more here. —Doug George
8 a.m.: Zanies comedy clubs are reopening in Chicago, Rosemont
Call this a COVID-19 era first for comedy in Chicago. The two remaining Chicago-area Zanies comedy clubs have announced they will reopen in July — the downtown Zanies (1548 N. Wells St.; 312-337-4027) and Zanies in Rosemont (5437 Park Place at Parkway Bank Park; 847-813-0484).
Zanies in Chicago opens July 10 with headliner Vince Carone, who released the comedy album “Vincectomy” in March. Plus Ben Noble and host Jayson Cross. 9 p.m. July 10; 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. July 11; $30 plus a 2 item minimum. The following weekend will be Adam Burke with Sonal Aggarwahl July 17-18.
Zanies in Rosemont opens July 17 with headliner and Zanies favorite Pat McGann, who will debut a comedy special July 28 presented by Sebastian Maniscalso. (“When’s Mom Gonna Be Home?” will be via Comedy Dynamics.) McGann is performing July 17 at 9p.m., July 18 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; $35 plus a 2 item minimum.
Tickets must be purchased in advance at www.zanies.com (no tickets at the door). Only 50 tickets will be sold for each show.
In addition, there will be six feet of separation between tables and the club will be disinfected between performances. The clubs are going paperless and cashless, with extra cleaning of barware health screenings for staff. Masks are required for entry and while patrons are not at their seats. More information about upcoming schedules and additional precautions at www.zanies.com.
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—Doug George
7:45 a.m.: Bars and restaurants find themselves at coronavirus crossroads for July Fourth: ‘It’s going to be a tough weekend’
Ahead of a summer holiday weekend that, in normal times, would mean packed patios and crowded bars, restaurant and bar owners are facing fines of up to $10,000 if COVID-19 restrictions are flouted.
It’s a tough line to toe for businesses just barely scraping by after nearly three months of being closed due to the pandemic. In Pilsen, La Vaca Margarita Bar has been open for outdoor dining for a few weeks, converting its parking lot into a patio with tables spaced 6 feet apart.
Read more here. —Josh Noel, Louisa Chu, Adam Lukach, Gregory Pratt and Grace Wong
7:30 a.m.: South Side hospital failed to properly triage a pregnant woman who later died, Illinois regulators find
A pregnant woman died after Roseland Community Hospital failed to triage her upon arrival and conduct a medical screening exam, the state health department found in a recent investigation.
The woman, who was 30 weeks pregnant, died at the South Side hospital in May after complaining of abdominal pain, dehydration and general malaise after she arrived at the hospital by ambulance. Her triage note was marked 2:54 p.m. — more than three hours after she arrived.
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The Illinois Department of Public Health found Roseland to be out of compliance on the requirement that hospitals meet the emergency needs of patients “in accordance with acceptable standards of practice.”
Read more here. —Lisa Schencker
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Here are three things that happened Thursday related to coronavirus in Illinois:
A federal judge denied a GOP request to prevent Pritzker’s crowd limit rule from applying to political gatherings.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and city officials threaten to shut down bars that don’t follow social distancing guidelines.
Wrigley Field rooftops reach agreement with city to open for Cubs games, rooftop manager says.


chicagotribune--2020-07-03--Watch live: Chicago police Superintendent David Brown gives an update

Chicago police Superintendent David Brown gives an update heading into the Fourth of July weekend after recent spikes in violence @ @ @ @

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chicagotribune--2020-07-03--Wheaton College fires chaplain for ‘inappropriate comments and actions of a racial and sexual nature

Wheaton College fires chaplain for ‘inappropriate comments and actions of a racial and sexual nature'

“ I don ’ t know a single person for whom the pandemic has been easy , ” Blackmon wrote @ @ @ @ @ Wheaton ’ s website .
“ To make matters worse , we do not know @ @ @ @ @ human ‘ what , when , where , why , how and now what ’ @ @ @ @ @ uncertainties , I ’ ve been taking life and ministry one day at a time @ @

Wheaton College announced Friday it has dismissed the school’s chaplain for “inappropriate comments and actions of a racial and sexual nature” toward staff members.
In an email to students, staff and faculty of the evangelical Christian college, the school’s president said the action was taken against Tim Blackmon after an outside review of his conduct.
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“While Reverend Blackmon did not engage in sexually immoral relationships or physical sexual misconduct, the investigation revealed conduct inconsistent with Wheaton’s policies and commitments,” college President Philip Ryken wrote. “Following this investigation and adjudication, as well as a trustee review process, Tim Blackmon is no longer employed at Wheaton College.”
Ryken’s email provided no further specifics about the nature of the alleged comments and actions.
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The Rev. Timothy Blackmon has been dismissed from Wheaton College. (Wheaton College, Handout)
The behavior dates to late last year, with a more than four-month investigation concluding in April. Blackmon was fired May 26, but the college held off on making an announcement for more than a month. It did not explain the delay.
Blackmon continued to serve as chaplain during the investigation. On March 19, he wrote a pastoral letter to the campus community about the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I don’t know a single person for whom the pandemic has been easy,” Blackmon wrote in a letter posted on Wheaton’s website. “To make matters worse, we do not know the answers to all the human ‘what, when, where, why, how and now what’ questions. Considering all our uncertainties, I’ve been taking life and ministry one day at a time.”
Blackmon did not respond to requests for comment Friday.
He is a native of the Netherlands and a graduate of Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Blackmon was hired as chaplain in 2015 after serving as senior pastor and head of staff at the American Protestant Church of The Hague in the Netherlands. He previously had been pastor at River Rock Church in Folsom, California.
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Ryken told the campus community in his email that “it grieves us when any community member falls short of the college’s standards, and our prayers and sympathies are with those who experienced these policy violations.
“The senior administrative cabinet remains committed to a campus community that is free from harassment and discrimination, understands our policies, and knows that any concerns brought forward will be heard and addressed,” Ryken wrote.
Ryken told the campus community that he will announce the appointment of an interim chaplain soon to serve during the 2020-2021 school year.
Joseph Moore, a spokesman for the college, said on Friday that the college would have no further comment beyond what was in the internal announcement.
Bob Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.


chicagotribune--2020-07-03--Chicago will rely largely on signs along highways and at airports as it orders self-quarantine for p

Chicago will rely largely on signs along highways and at airports as it orders self-quarantine for people who visit states where COVID-19 is surging

“ We recognize that this is a burden on people who were planning to take a vacation , for example @ @ @ @ @ expecting to have people come to visit from these affected states , ” Arwady said @ @ @ @ @ come too far in Chicago at this point not to do the things that are @ @ @ @ @ prevent the spread of COVID .
”

Chicago health officials said Friday they have no plan for enforcing the city’s abrupt quarantine order for people arriving from states where coronavirus cases are surging, but will rely largely on signs posted along highways and at the two airports.
“We do not have a plan to, for example, look for out-of-state license plates and pull people over,” the city’s public health commissioner, Dr. Allison Arwady, said at a news conference. “We do not have a plan to create a list of individuals who are traveling and try to track them down.”
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Arwady said the city’s main goal with the order is to emphasize travel risks during the pandemic. She said the city is also working with airlines to notify people booking Chicago destinations. “We want people to be thinking twice about whether now is a good time to travel,” she said.
The order was announced Thursday and goes into effect Monday. It requires people who have spent more than 24 hours in 15 high-risk states to self-quarantine for 14 days after entering Chicago. The states are Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.
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Exceptions include essential workers, those coming here for medical treatment and those for whom “self-quarantine is not possible, practicable or advisable.” The order also does not apply to people who are at the airport for a connecting flight, or are driving through the city on their way elsewhere.
Violations could bring fines of $100 to $500 a day, up to $7,000.
Even though the order won’t apply to people who travel to those states over the holiday weekend and return Sunday, Arwady still advised them to pay close attention to their health over the next 14 days
On Thursday, the United States set a single-day record for new cases for the sixth time in nine days, with more than 50,000 reported for the first time. That’s an 85% increase from two weeks ago, when many of the states on the quarantine list began opening up.
Arwady said she is committed to preventing a repeat of the more than 1,000 new cases per day Chicago saw in mid-May. Now, the city is under 200 cases a day and declining.
“We cannot risk going backward,” she said. “The most important thing that we do as a city and as a state to safeguard our progress are the individual decisions that every one of you makes every day.”
Those decisions include whether to wear face coverings, keeping 6-foot social distance and staying home if feeling sick.
“We recognize that this is a burden on people who were planning to take a vacation, for example, or people who were expecting to have people come to visit from these affected states,” Arwady said. “But we have come too far in Chicago at this point not to do the things that are open to us that help prevent the spread of COVID.”
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sczyzon@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-03--Soldier from Calumet City kills himself as police try to arrest him in disapearance of fellow soldie

Soldier from Calumet City kills himself as police try to arrest him in disapearance of fellow soldier at Fort Hood

Khawam said she was told by Army investigators that Robinson cleaned up the area where Guillen was killed , placed @ @ @ @ @ and wheeled her out to his car .
After driving to pick up Aguilar , @ @ @ @ @ drove to a nearby river and tried to burn Guillen ’ s body , but @ @ @ @ @ a machete .
Then they put cement on the body and buried the remains .

A suspect in the disappearance of a soldier at Fort Hood this past spring has been identified as a fellow soldier from Calumet City.
Army Spc. Aaron David Robinson killed himself on Wednesday after police confronted him in Killeen, a central Texas town where the base is located, according to the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command. He had fled Fort Hood late Tuesday.
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Robinson is suspected of beating Pfc. Vanessa Guillen with a hammer at the base in April, then dismembering her body and dumping her remains with the help of Cecily Aguilar, 22, of Killeen, according to a criminal complaint released by the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of Texas. She was arrested Wednesday.
Human remains were found Tuesday near the Leon River in Bell County, about 20 miles east of Fort Hood, during a search for Guillen. Her family said through attorney Natalie Khawam that they believe evidence shows the remains are Guillen, but authorities said they are still awaiting positive identification.
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“The whole thing is devastating, gruesome, barbaric,” Khawam said.
Guillen was last seen April 22 in a parking lot at Fort Hood. She was set to be promoted to specialist this month. Her car keys, barracks room key, ID card and wallet were found in the room where she was working the day she disappeared.
Khawam said she was told by Army investigators that Robinson cleaned up the area where Guillen was killed, placed her body in a container and wheeled her out to his car. After driving to pick up Aguilar, Khawam said, the pair drove to a nearby river and tried to burn Guillen’s body, but later chopped it up with a machete. Then they put cement on the body and buried the remains.
Tim Miller, of Texas Equusearch, who was assisting in the search for Guillen, told KHOU that investigators found a lid last week that belonged to a container consistent with one a witness saw loaded into a car at 8:30 the night Guillen disappeared.
Investigators were called back to the scene this week when a man working in the area reported a foul odor. Miller said it appeared the suspect “buried her, put lime on her, mixed up concrete, put that over her, put dirt over her, rocks and stuff.”
The family had said they believe Guillen was sexually harassed by the military suspect and is calling for a congressional investigation, Khawam said Wednesday.
Guillen’s older sister, Mayra Guillen, told The Associated Press on Thursday that her family was distraught after learning details about her sister’s disappearance. The family had previously said they believe the Army was covering up details of Vanessa Guillen’s disappearance.
“There are a lot of horrifying things that happened that day,” said Mayra Guillen, 22. “There are just no words.””
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Mayra Guillen said her sister had spoken with their mother about experiencing sexual harassment, but that her mother has been to devastated to talk about it. From their text conversations, Mayra Guillen said she believed her sister was afraid during her time at Fort Hood.
Army investigators said Thursday that they had no credible evidence that Vanessa Guillen had been sexually harassed or assaulted.
“We are still investigating their interactions but at this time there is no credible information for reports that specialist Robinson sexually harassed specialist Guillen,” said Fort Hood CID Special Agent Damon Phelps.


chicagotribune--2020-07-03--Daywatch: Lightfoot’s new travel rule, no apparent virus spread from protests and how to celebrate J

Daywatch: Lightfoot’s new travel rule, no apparent virus spread from protests and how to celebrate July 4th in Chicago

Illinois ’ recent progression to phase four of its reopening plan might have some feeling a renewed sense of freedom @ @ @ @ @ Fourth .
And while the reopening of the lakefront , movie theaters and other spots @ @ @ @ @ celebratory mood , surges in COVID-19 cases in the United States are a cautionary warning @ @ @ @ @ out there .
Nevertheless , there are still ways to have fun and commemorate the @ @ @ @ @ practicing social distancing .
Here is a list of activities , restaurant specials and other @ @ @ @ @ weekend .

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Mayor Lori Lightfoot takes off her face mask to answer questions after announcing a new broadband initiative for students during a press conference at Evergreen Academy Middle School in Chicago on June 25, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
People coming to Chicago from 15 states experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases must self-quarantine for 14 days upon entering the city beginning next week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced late Thursday afternoon.
The city ordered the quarantine for anyone who has spent more than 24 hours in the following states before arriving in Chicago: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.
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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during his daily coronavirus pandemic briefing at the Illinois State Capitol on May 20, 2020, in Springfield. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
A southern Illinois judge on Thursday declared void Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s orders aimed at slowing the spread of the new coronavirus, saying state law doesn’t allow governors to extend disaster proclamations beyond 30 days or restrict the activities of residents and businesses by executive order.
A sign stating that a mask is required for entry hangs from a window at Happy Camper on Clark Street in Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood on July 2, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Ahead of a summer holiday weekend that, in normal times, would mean packed patios and crowded bars, restaurant and bar owners are facing fines of up to $10,000 if COVID-19 restrictions are flouted. It’s a tough line to toe for businesses just barely scraping by after nearly three months of being closed due to the pandemic.
Thousands gather for the Chicago March For Justice in honor of George Floyd in Chicago's Union Park on June 6, 2020. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Protests in Chicago and the suburbs over the Minnesota death of George Floyd as a police officer knelt on his neck so far have caused no identifiable uptick in COVID-19 cases, city and suburban Cook County officials said this week. But they also noted that cases have been leveling off in Chicago and the suburbs, and increasing slightly statewide.
Kayla Sheldon, Amy Lippold and Katie Howell, all from Darien, watch the fireworks display during Oak Brook's annual Taste of Oak Brook on July 3, 2015. (Steve Johnston / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois’ recent progression to phase four of its reopening plan might have some feeling a renewed sense of freedom just in time for July Fourth. And while the reopening of the lakefront, movie theaters and other spots has put many in a celebratory mood, surges in COVID-19 cases in the United States are a cautionary warning that the virus is still out there. Nevertheless, there are still ways to have fun and commemorate the birth of our nation while practicing social distancing. Here is a list of activities, restaurant specials and other events happening over July Fourth weekend.


chicagotribune--2020-07-03--Column: ‘Boxes of hope': In Little Village, a food pantry turns the COVID-19 crisis into opportunity

Few places were harder hit than Little Village , sometimes known as the capital of the Mexican Midwest .
Many @ @ @ @ @ died .
In the consequent economic crash , thousands were laid off .
Most of @ @ @ @ @ were poorly paid and doing work that exposed them to the virus , which they @ @ @ @ @ a hundred families a week was no match for the need .

Erika Lobatos, 39, checks in families in line for food boxes and milk at New Life Centers in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood on July 2, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
It’s 8:55 a.m. A muggy summer day in Chicago.
Outside the former fruteria on South Lawndale Avenue, two dozen people have already lined up on the sidewalk, leaning on empty baby strollers and metal grocery carts, sweating, fiddling with their masks. Along the curb, cars with flashing blinkers stretch from the corner at 27th Street, past old brick cottages and iron fences, on beyond the red stop sign at 28th.
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“Let’s pray!” Matt DeMateo calls.
Inside the fruteria the workers stand in a loose circle and bow their heads. The pastor from the church across the street leads the prayer in Spanish
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Gracias, he says, for the workers’ patience and good health, and gracias for the privilegio of living in La Villita. And gracias for this opportunity trabajar y dar a los otros: this opportunity to work and give to others.
“Amen,” the workers say.
Then it’s 9 a.m., right on time, and DeMateo claps his hands once, sharp and loud, and says “Awright, let’s do it,” and the workers are out the door for another day of dispensing what he calls “boxes of hope,” less poetically known as food.
‘We started to dream crazy'
Back in the ordinary midwinter of 2020, New Life Centers of Chicagoland, a nonprofit affiliated with New Life Community Church in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, gave out food once a week from the church basement. With a volunteer staff, it fed 100 families, mostly with donations from Trader Joe’s.
Then in mid-March came the pandemic.
Few places were harder hit than Little Village, sometimes known as the capital of the Mexican Midwest. Many people got sick. Some died. In the consequent economic crash, thousands were laid off. Most of those who kept their jobs were poorly paid and doing work that exposed them to the virus, which they risked bringing home. Feeding a hundred families a week was no match for the need.
So in April, after the renowned Chicago chef Rick Bayless donated 50 boxes of food and Trader Joe’s increased its donations, New Life expanded its vision.
Alex Ramon, 18, right, helps pull a pallet with boxes of food at New Life Centers in Chicago's Little Village on July 2, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Kate Rivera, 19, helps to load food boxes into cars for families in need at New Life Centers. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
“We started to dream crazy,” says DeMateo, the organization’s executive director, a 37-year-old who favors jeans and a backward-facing Cubs cap. “Man, what if we fed a thousand families?”
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By early May, New Life was in a partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, and soon it was feeding 1,000 families a week. Then 2,000. Then 3,000. Truck after truck of food arrived at the fruteria’s back door, and by June, the New Life crew was feeding 6,000 families — 30,000 or so people — at seven sites around the city. DeMateo calls them “lighthouses in the storm.”
“Out of crisis,” he says, “comes opportunity.”
‘You’ll have to move fast'
It’s 9:02 a.m.
“I’m going to follow Abelardo,” I say and from behind his “Stronger Together” face mask, DeMateo laughs. “You’ll have to move fast.”
Abelardo Colin was 16 when he migrated to Chicago from Mexico. He spoke no English. A longtime New Life pantry volunteer, he’s 37 now, and in mid-May, just as he finished his associate degree in social work at Malcolm X College, he took a paid job running the Little Village pantry operation.
On this hot morning, he sprints across the sidewalks, making sure everything’s OK, his walkie-talkie squawking constantly: “Abelardo! Abelardo!” He waves cars into the loading line, calling “Adelante! Buenos dias!” He reminds others to wear their masks.
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He also oversees the workers with clipboards who ask each car a few questions: Address? How many in the home? Are you on food stamps? No names required. Anyone who shows up is welcome.
Today that even includes a city bus driver, who has just maneuvered through the long line of waiting cars to reach the corner stop. Colin slides a box of food through the open door.
“Thanks, bro!” the driver says.
But even as he says it Colin is off, hustling back to the fruteria to roll out a giant pallet of frozen meat.
‘Bringing light'
It was well-timed luck that just as the pandemic hit, the owners of Gela’s Fruteria, across from New Life, decided to retire. They hadn’t sold the building yet, so they handed over the keys, along with access to their coolers, which has helped make the operation possible.
And for an operation that didn’t exist at this scale three months ago, the pantry is remarkably efficient. Cars pull up nonstop in front of a tented area where a line of young people load boxes into the popped trunks.
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“Speed it up!” someone calls, and the workers gladly do. For many of them, like Alex Ramon, tossing, catching and quickly loading the heavy boxes is a form of competitive sport.
Ramon, 18, lives with his mother, who’s retired from a candy factory, and an older brother, who was laid off from a mall job when the pandemic hit. His father died when he was a child, and for a decade DeMateo, who lives across the street, has been his mentor.
A few years ago, Ramon was shot, yet another child victim of gang crossfire not meant for him, but he carried on. He recently graduated from high school and now is one of the 10 pantry workers who, thanks to the government’s Paycheck Protection Program, is being paid. The money keeps his family afloat, but he’s at the pantry for more than a paycheck.
“It’s bringing light to Little Village,” he says.
Talk to the pantry workers and they all use words such as light, joy, opportunity, community. Their happy energy may make it tempting to forget that their work is made urgent by a deadly, contagious disease.
‘Radical hospitality'
The New Life congregation has buried a dozen people because of it, among them Emilia Martínez.
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“Emmy loved on everyone,” says Erika Lobatos, who helps manage the Little Village site. “She gave the best hugs.”
Martinez was a community leader, one of the older women who taught Lobatos, who’s 39, the meaning of “radical hospitality.” Those older women are one reason that on this muggy day, Lobatos stands outside the fruteria, talking to the constant parade of people who come on foot, listening to their stories and their needs, helping them heave boxes into their empty strollers and carts.
Then it’s 10 a.m., then 11, then noon. The lines stay long. A guy named Big Mike shows up to help load a truck for deliveries to people too sick to come themselves. The pantry has also delivered in some Black neighborhoods where the grocery stores closed after recent looting.
Who knows how long this form of radical hospitality will go on in Little Village, but the need will last a while. A new mural across the street from the fruteria will be a reminder of why. It’s dedicated to community members lost during the time of the pandemic, some to violence, others to the disease.
Chicago Tribune Opinion Weekdays Read the latest editorials and commentary curated by the Tribune Opinion team. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >
The names were scheduled to go up Thursday evening. Among the COVID-19-related deaths would be these:
Emilia Lozano Martínez
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Maria G. Ayala
María del Carmen Cárdenas
Guillermo Chávez
There will be space for more, just as there will continue to be the need for boxes of hope.
mschmich@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-03--The latest from editorial cartoonist Scott Stantis

While it might be true that summer ’ s main attraction is a perfectly grilled steak or an unbeatable burger @ @ @ @ @ time to shine .
Say hello to some fun starters — these salsa and dip @ @ @ @ @ and are sure to wow the family .


chicagotribune--2020-07-03--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what happened July 2 with COVID-19 in the Chicago area

“ The virus is not taking the holiday weekend off , and neither can we .
Letting our guard down @ @ @ @ @ face of the progress we ’ ve made over many months , ” Pritzker said @ @ @ @ @ “ We have seen that mitigation measures have worked in our state and we ’ @ @ @ @ @ states rapidly lose ground in the fight against the virus .
”

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The Fulton Market area of Chicago is no longer the ghost town it was during the depths of the COVID-19 virus pandemic shutdown. As restrictions on restaurants are eased, a worker takes a woman's temperature before she can enter Federales restaurant on Morgan Street on July 1, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
People coming to Chicago from 15 states experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases must self-quarantine for 14 days upon entering the city beginning next week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced late Thursday afternoon.
The order, which will go into effect on Monday, does not apply to people who are at the airport for a connecting flight or driving through the city on their way elsewhere, city officials said.
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The city of Chicago will also shut down bars that aren’t following social distancing guidelines and increase patrols in “problem areas,” Lightfoot and other officials told liquor license holders on a conference call ahead of the Fourth of July weekend.
”If you squander this opportunity we will shut you down and you will not reopen anytime soon,” Lightfoot said on the call, according to two sources.
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Illinois health officials Thursday reported 869 new known cases of COVID-19 and 36 additional confirmed fatalities, bringing the total number of known cases to 144,882 and the confirmed death toll to 6,987.
[ How to assess your COVID-19 risk when going out in public: Use this chart ]
[ Phase four of Illinois’s COVID-19 reopening: Settle in, folks, we may be here a while ]
[ Illinois enters phase 4 of reopening plan. Here’s a guide to what’s allowed. ]
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
Here’s what’s happening Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
8:24 p.m.: No apparent COVID-19 spread from George Floyd protests; Chicago and Cook officials keep wary watch on reopening
Protests in Chicago and the suburbs over the Minnesota death of George Floyd as a police officer knelt on his neck so far have caused no identifiable uptick in COVID-19 cases, city and suburban Cook County officials said this week.
But they also noted that cases have been leveling off in Chicago and the suburbs, and increasing slightly statewide. Those trends came not only in the wake of the protests, but also as testing expanded across the state and stay-at-home orders were relaxed, making it tough to know precisely why the numbers changed, they said.
“I would use caution to pin that to protests,” said Dr. Jennifer Layden, chief medical officer for the Chicago Department of Public Health. “At a similar time we were seeing the protests, we also were gradually coming out of shelter in place, meaning more people are going back to work, there was opening up of restaurants and stores, (and) we were seeing small gatherings. ... So, if we saw an uptick, it would be very difficult to know if it was related to protests or social gatherings that people are having in their home.” Read more here. — Hal Dardick
7:44 p.m.: Bars and restaurants find themselves at coronavirus crossroads for July Fourth: ‘It’s going to be a tough weekend’
Ahead of a summer holiday weekend that, in normal times, would mean packed patios and crowded bars, restaurant and bar owners are facing fines of up to $10,000 if COVID-19 restrictions are flouted.
It’s a tough line to toe for businesses just barely scraping by after nearly three months of being closed due to the pandemic. In Pilsen, La Vaca Margarita Bar has been open for outdoor dining for a few weeks, converting its parking lot into a patio with tables spaced 6 feet apart. Read more here. — Josh Noel, Louisa Chu, Adam Lukach, Gregory Pratt and Grace Wong
5:46 p.m.: Chicago Cubs expand COVID-19 testing to the families of players and coaches
The Chicago Cubs are expanding their efforts in the battle against the coronavirus by inviting the families of uniformed personnel to participate in testing.
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Cubs President Theo Epstein said Thursday the wives of several players have been through the testing process. Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy revealed Wednesday that he spent 30 days quarantined after testing positive and wanted to share his experience with players and their families. Read more here. — Mark Gonzales
5:23 p.m.: Lightfoot orders anyone coming to Chicago from states where COVID-19 is surging to quarantine for 14 days
People coming to Chicago from 15 states experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases must self-quarantine for 14 days upon entering the city beginning next week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced late Thursday afternoon.
The city ordered the quarantine for anyone who has spent more than 24 hours in the following states before arriving in Chicago: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.
The order, which will go into effect on Monday, does not apply to people who are at the airport for a connecting flight or driving through the city on their way elsewhere, city officials said.
”Like every action we have taken in response to the COVID-19 crisis, this decision was difficult but necessary in order to ensure the continued health and safety of Chicago’s residents and businesses,” Lightfoot said in a statement.
Anyone violating the order could face fines of $100 to $500 per day, up to a maximum $7,000, the city said.Under the order, “quarantine means staying at a single designated home or dwelling for 14 days before doing any activities outside of the home or dwelling,” the city said.
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The order by Lightfoot mirrors a similar measure taken in New York City. It was unclear how the city plans to monitor or enforce the order.With neighboring Indiana and other states pausing their reopening plans or even moving backward as new cases of the coronavirus surge, officials in Chicago and Illinois said Wednesday they have no plans to alter loosened rules that took effect statewide last week.
Lightfoot previously said the city tracks its data closely and will “not hesitate” to take action if they see an upward swing. Read more here. — Gregory Pratt
4:23 p.m.: Hurricane Harbor may reopen soon, but Six Flags Great America still questionable
Six Flags’ Hurricane Harbor water parks in Gurnee and Rockford may be reopening soon, though a reopening for Six Flags Great America remains less certain.
More than a month has passed since Six Flags laid out how it thought it could reopen as safely as possible considering the ongoing pandemic, but its Gurnee-based amusement and water parks remain closed, as do all amusement parks, trampoline parks and indoor playgrounds.
Six Flags has received word from the Governor’s Office that its two water parks are allowed to begin opening, spokeswoman Caitlin Kepple said. An opening date has not yet been set.
”Our full-time team is now back on property and working to implement our comprehensive reopening safety plan so that we can welcome guests to Hurricane Harbor Chicago and Hurricane Harbor Rockford soon,” she said in an email. Read more here. — Emily K. Coleman
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4:21 p.m.: Of the COVID-19 pregnancy cases reported in Illinois, Black and Latina women make up over 70%
At around 25 weeks pregnant with her first child, a 21-year-old Hispanic woman became infected with COVID-19.
The young woman’s doctors at St. Anthony Hospital in Little Village were just learning more about the coronavirus as it hit Illinois in the spring, and they wanted to monitor the baby’s growth.
But her insurance did not initially approve the growth ultrasound, her doctors said. So they had to wait to schedule a scan to check her baby. This delayed their ability to assess the pregnancy and created extra stress.
“There were a lot of barriers for her,” said Margarita Flores, a St. Anthony midwife who helped treat her.
When she delivered in June, she was diagnosed with preeclampsia — high blood pressure in pregnancy that can lead to serious, or even fatal, complications for both mom and baby. The baby was born small.
The mom and her baby, whose names were not shared for privacy reasons, are doing well now, said Flores and her doctors.
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The coronavirus has amplified the challenges pregnant women face. And even more so for Black and Latina women, who might be disproportionately affected by COVID-19, according to recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, and who experience extra burdens of not only implicit racism within the health care industry, but also socioeconomic factors that can impact their ability to access care. Read more here. — Alison Bowen
3:32 p.m.: Chili Davis, the former Cubs hitting coach, will work remotely when the Mets open camp because of COVID-19 concerns
Former Chicago Cubs hitting coach Chili Davis will keep working remotely when the New York Mets open summer training camp Friday.
The New York Post was first to report that Davis, 60, won’t be on site at Citi Field for the beginning of practices because of concerns about the coronavirus.
“The timeline for him to join us is uncertain yet,” Mets manager Luis Rojas said on a video call Thursday.
The Post, citing unidentified sources in its report, said Davis does not have the virus.
Davis was the Cubs hitting coach in 2018 but was fired nine days after the Rockies beat the Cubs in the National League wild-card game. Read more here. — Mike Fitzpatrick
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2:31 p.m.: 869 new known COVID-19 cases, 36 additional deaths
Illinois health officials Thursday reported 869 new known cases of COVID-19 and 36 additional confirmed fatalities, bringing the total number of known cases to 144,882 and the confirmed death toll to 6,987.
—Chicago Tribune staff
1:44 p.m., (Updated 5:43 p.m.): Federal judge denies GOP request to prevent Pritzker’s crowd limit rule from applying to political gatherings
A southern Illinois judge on Thursday declared Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s orders aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 to be void, saying state law doesn’t allow governors to extend disaster proclamations beyond 30 days.Pritzker first declared a statewide disaster because of the pandemic on March 9 and has issued extensions every 30 days.
The implications of Clay County Circuit Judge Michael Mchaney’s order, which stemmed from a lawsuit filed by state Rep. Darren Bailey, were not immediately clear. The state is in the fourth phase of Pritzker’s reopening plans and continues to be under a number or restrictions, including on crowd sizes and on how businesses can operate.
The ruling came hours after U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis denied the Illinois Republican Party’s request to temporarily block Pritzker’s limit on gatherings from applying to political parties.
The Clay County ruling is the latest twist in a legal battle that has raised the profile of Bailey, a Xenia Republican who is running for a state Senate seat in the November election.
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Bailey has drawn personal rebukes from the governor and was kicked off the House floor in a bipartisan vote during the General Assembly’s special session in May for violating a rule requiring lawmakers to wear masks.
McHaney previously ruled in Bailey’s favor, exempting him personally from Pritzker’s stay-at-home order. Bailey later withdrew and refiled his lawsuit, bringing the case back before the judge. The governor’s office attempted to move the case court, but a federal judge in southern Illinois sent it back to Clay County.”
This is a victory for freedom. This is a victory for the people of Illinois,” Bailey said Thursday outside the courthouse, where he was greeted by supporters, some of whom wore T-shirts that read “My governor is an idiot” on the front and “Fire Pritzker” on the back but none of whom appeared to be wearing the face coverings required under Pritzker’s executive order.
Pritzker spokeswoman Emily Bittner downplayed the significance of the ruling in a statement.”Every other court — both state and federal — that has considered these exact issues has agreed with the administration that executive orders protecting Illinoisans’ health and safety are well within the governor’s constitutional authority,” Bittner said. “This includes a federal court decision earlier today.”
The Illinois attorney general’s office is expected to appeal the ruling in state court. Read more here. —Dan Petrella
1:24 p.m.: Illinois Holocaust Museum reopens July 15 in Skokie
The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in north suburban Skokie will reopen to visitors July 15 — with free admission for the day and limits on the number of visitors at any one time. The museum, devoted to the subject of the Holocaust in mission but in practice embracing a wide range of subjects and exhibits having to do with tolerance and human rights, also has announced an extension of the popular current “Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.”
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The exhibit about the Supreme Court justice and her popularity now will run through Jan. 3, 2021. Before the closure, said museum marketing vice president Marcy Larson, “‘RBG’ had been on track to be one of the most popular we’ve ever had.”
Read more here. —Doug George
1:22 p.m.: Brookfield Zoo has reopened, and the animals might outnumber the humans
Brookfield Zoo is reopening this week, albeit slowly, with lions and tigers and zoo members first. The zoo’s gates swung open Wednesday for those holding seasonal memberships, with the general public to follow July 8. Tickets are being sold at reduced capacity, with timed admissions and only in advance.
On a hot and sunny first morning with temperatures edging their way towards 90 degrees, those admissions were just a trickle, with whole tree-lined boulevards inside the park free from strollers, crowds, humans of any kind. If you’ve ever wanted to feel like it was just you and the animals, this is your chance.
But be warned not all exhibits are open yet. Visitors will not be able to enter any of the indoor habitats — so still closed are the primate houses, the dolphins and aquatic shows, and all of the indoor bird and aviary exhibits. But that leaves a lot open in the zoo’s 216 acres of grounds — including the lions, tigers and big cats, bears, hoofed animals such as bison and zebra, kangaroos and more.
Read more here. —Doug George
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1:21 p.m.: Mayor Lori Lightfoot, city officials threaten to shut down bars that don’t follow social distancing guidelines
The city of Chicago will shut down bars that aren’t following social distancing guidelines and increase patrols in “problem areas,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other officials told liquor license holders on a conference call ahead of the Fourth of July weekend.
”If you squander this opportunity we will shut you down and you will not reopen anytime soon,” Lightfoot said on the call, according to two sources.
Maureen Martino, executive director of the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce, said the message from the mayor was clear and stern.
”Obviously the mayor has been very careful about reopening because of the virus and we don’t want to go backwards. It’s everyone’s best interests to follow the rules,” Martino said. “A couple bad operators can set us back. We’re hoping to make the mayor proud this weekend.”
On the call, the city said that the Chicago Police Department and Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Department would be proactively canvassing “problems areas,” with potential for immediate closure orders and citations of up to $10,000 each on bar owners that aren’t following rules.
A PowerPoint slide with that message said: “The time for education is over.”
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Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
12:23 p.m.: Horses stand idle and clowns call it quits as the coronavirus cancels Illinois rodeos. ‘This is the first time ever that we won’t have a rodeo.’
Forty horses are crowded around Lenora Calzavara, their breath hot and their tails swishing.
These aren’t riding horses, waiting for someone to take them out for a trot. These are rodeo horses, bred for their ability to buck riders off in less than eight seconds.
A horse named Mafia Witch is the queen bee in the bunch, with her witchy-white mane blowing in the wind. She was the 2016 world champion bareback horse.
There’s her son, a blonde called Capone; another bareback bronc, the copper-colored mare named Angel Heart, and Shaken Not Stirred, a light brown saddle bronc who bucks his riders out of the saddle.
Summer is usually the busiest time of year for the horses, who travel from rodeo to rodeo, throwing off riders and entertaining crowds.
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But for months, the horses haven’t done much besides graze on Calzavara’s pasture in Harvard, Illinois.
”They are all bored to death because this is the first time ever that we won’t have a rodeo,” said Calzavara, owner of Big Hat Rodeo.
Read more here. —Ally Marotti
10:25 a.m.: Alabama college students held coronavirus parties and whoever got virus first won cash prize, officials say
Several college students in an Alabama city organized “COVID-19” parties as a contest to see who would get the virus first, officials said.
Tuscaloosa City Councilor Sonya McKinstry said students hosted the parties to intentionally infect each other with the new coronavirus, news outlets reported.
McKinstry said party organizers purposely invited guests who tested positive for COVID-19. She said the students put money in a pot and whoever got COVID first would get the cash.
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“It makes no sense,” McKinstry said. “They’re intentionally doing it.”
Read more here. —Associated Press
10:20 a.m.: Bars and nightclubs are becoming dangerous hot spots for COVID-19, health experts warn'
When the bars in Michigan reopened in June, Tony Hild forgot about face masks, social distancing and caution and headed out to Harper’s Restaurant and Brewpub, a popular spot in the college town of East Lansing. There was a line out the door. Inside were 200 people dancing, drinking and shouting over the music.
“It was just so crowded, and I’m like, ‘This is going against everything I’m told not to do,’” said Hild, 23, a college student. “But I didn’t think I was going to get it.”
As people eager for a night out flood back into public after months of confinement, public health experts say that college-town bars, nightclubs and corner taverns are becoming dangerous new hot spots for the coronavirus, seeding infections in thousands of mostly young adults and adding to surging cases nationwide.
Louisiana health officials tied at least 100 coronavirus cases to bars in the Tigerland nightlife district in Baton Rouge. Minnesota has traced 328 recent cases to bars across the state.
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And in East Lansing, home to Michigan State University, nearly 140 cases have been linked to Harper’s, Hild included. He came down with a sore throat, chest pains and fatigue, and by then — more than a week later — he had already visited four other restaurants.
Read more here. —The New York Times
10:18 a.m.: For some suburban theaters, reopening not feasible with fraction of audience capacity
As some entertainment venues are starting to slowly welcome patrons back, others are finding it’s not feasible to open under the state’s Phase 4 guidelines.
Among those is the Tivoli Theatre in downtown Downers Grove, part of the family-owned Classic Cinemas movie theaters. The historic 1,012-seat theater had planned to open June 26, but was caught off guard when the guidelines issued June 22 in Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan allowed for a lower audience capacity than anticipated. Per the state’s guidelines, theaters should operate “at lesser of 50 guests OR 50% of overall theater or performance space capacity.”
”We can open, but ... because (the Tivoli) only has a single screen, that would be 50 people per show time and there’s no way we can make that work financially,” said Chris Johnson, CEO of Classic Cinemas.
“It doesn’t mean we won’t reopen at some point, it just makes it extremely challenging.”'
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Read more here. —Kathy Cichon
10 a.m.: Wrigley Field rooftops reach agreement with city to open for Cubs games, rooftop manager says
The city of Chicago has approved rooftops around Wrigley Field opening at 25 percent capacity for Cubs games, according to the general manager of a rooftop venue.
"We can open our rooftop," said Freddy Fagenholz, general manager of Murphy's Rooftop.
Fagenholz said he received a call from the city Wednesday that their license was approved with safety restrictions related to COVID-19.
Read more here. —Madeline Buckley
9:15 a.m.: What’s it like as COVID-19 Phase 4 allows jazz clubs like Andy’s to reopen
When Chicago guitarist Andy Brown headed out for his gig Wednesday night at Andy’s Jazz Club, he realized he’d forgotten something.
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”I was so excited as I walked out of my house, I was halfway to my garage when I realized” what he had left behind, Brown told the audience during his first set. ”My guitar.”
So he rushed back inside to get it.That’s what happens when you haven’t played a concert gig in 3-1/2 months.
But Brown and his bandmates – pianist Jeremy Kahn and bassist Joe Policastro – clearly have been practicing during the shutdown, judging by their exuberant performance at Andy’s, which reopened last weekend. Each instrumentalist packed so much melodic content and rhythmic drive into their solos, it sounded as if they were unleashing a torrent of pent-up musicality. Which, of course, they were.
”I was sort of planning for this period,” said Brown in an interview. “The game hadn’t even begun till this past weekend,” when phase four of the state’s reopening plan allowed clubs to reopen at 25% occupancy.
Read more here. —Howard Reich
7:05 a.m.: Chicago to focus on ticketing bar, restaurant violations of COVID-19 guidelines over July 4 weekend
Chicago’s Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Department on Thursday “will begin ramping up its enforcement” of health guidelines for phase four of the state’s coronavirus reopening plan, especially at bars and restaurants, according to a news release from the mayor’s office.
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The city has focused on reaching out and educating businesses up to this point, but this weekend expects to focus on writing tickets up to $10,000 “related to social distancing, capacity limits and face coverings,” according to the release.
City inspectors also are now able to immediately order the close of businesses they believe are committing “egregious” violations of the guidelines, according to the release.
Among the rules under the city’s version of phase four: customers must practice social distancing and use face coverings; bars and restaurants have to keep to 25% of indoor capacity or 50 people; alcohol sales end at 11 p.m.; and lines outside must be managed.
The city’s encouraging anyone who sees violations to call 311.
Since phase three of COVID-19 reopening began June 3, the city has issued 59 warnings or notices to correct and 9 citations, after 377 investigations of violations.
—Chicago Tribune staff
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6 a.m.: Lightfoot dismissed questions about ability to afford new CTU contract if economy tanked. Then COVID-19 hit, damaging CPS budget for years.
After the Chicago Board of Education approved an expensive new teachers’ contract last fall following a bitter strike, Mayor Lori Lightfoot dismissed as “100% wrong” the notion that the school district could have trouble affording the deal if there was an economic downturn.
Then came COVID-19, stay-at-home orders and a resulting recession that has hammered public finances across the country. Now, the financial fault lines that the Tribune identified have been breached as Chicago Public Schools officials try to put together a new spending plan in the coming weeks.
There are short-term problems: The state, which has its own financial woes, did not include extra education funding in its new budget that CPS was counting on to help pay for the teacher contract. And property tax collections the district is heavily relying on could decline because people and businesses might not have the wherewithal to pay their bills.
Over the longer haul, the school district faces the double-whammy prospect of further erosion in property tax collections and higher pension contribution costs triggered by the economic downturn, budget analysts said.
Read more here. —Hal Dardick and Hannah Leone
6 a.m.: You think the first half of 2020 was unpredictable? Wait until the second half.
The first six months of 2020 have been, shall we say, a lot: a whipsaw presidential primary, a worldwide pandemic, economic collapse and massive, sometimes violent protests over police brutality and racial injustice.
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If little of that was predictable, imagine how volatile the next six months might be.
While COVID-19 cases are decreasing in Illinois, a sharp contrast to other areas of the country, nearly all plans for major events remain subject to change. But as it stands, schools will return to in-person instruction, some safety net benefits related to the pandemic will cease and the Chicago Bears will start their season by playing the Detroit Lions at noon on Sept. 13.
That’s the plan, anyway. As 2020 has amply demonstrated, who knows how things will actually shake out? Here are some things to look forward to in the second half of 2020.
Read more here. —John Keilman, Madeline Buckley
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Here are five things that happened Wednesday related to coronavirus in Illinois:
As other states reverse course amid COVID-19 surge, Illinois and Chicago officials said they’re watching metrics but have no plans yet to tighten restrictions.
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Illinois will open more small-business development centers, including 5 in Chicago, to help COVID-19 recovery
Brookfield Zoo reopening at reduced capacity — right now there may be more animals outside than people.
McDonald’s plan to reopen dining rooms has been put on hold as COVID-19 cases surge in parts of U.S.
Taste of Chicago To-Go details announced.


chicagotribune--2020-07-03--It’s a make or break holiday weekend for Chicago bars. Can they control the crowds and follow COVID-

It’s a make or break holiday weekend for Chicago bars. Can they control the crowds and follow COVID-19 restrictions?

Metropolitan Brewing posted a profanity-tinged statement on social media this week saying that irresponsible behavior from customers and bars “ @ @ @ @ @ over the past few months ; render all of our painstaking efforts to get back @ @ @ @ @ and frankly , is deeply disrespectful to our industry and to the health of our @ @ @

Josh Noel, Louisa Chu, Adam Lukach, Gregory Pratt, Grace Wong

A sign stating that a mask is required for entry hangs from a window at Happy Camper on Clark Street in Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood on July 2, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Ahead of a summer holiday weekend that, in normal times, would mean packed patios and crowded bars, restaurant and bar owners are facing fines of up to $10,000 if COVID-19 restrictions are flouted.
It’s a tough line to toe for businesses just barely scraping by after nearly three months of being closed due to the pandemic. In Pilsen, La Vaca Margarita Bar has been open for outdoor dining for a few weeks, converting its parking lot into a patio with tables spaced 6 feet apart.
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One Monday night, a few customers reveling in the newfound freedom got up to dance.
”We had to cut the music off and tell them to please be seated and to please respect other customers and staff as well,” La Vaca owner Ivan Gutierrez said.
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He’s planning for a July Fourth weekend full of such challenges.
As infection rates surge in southern and western states, Chicago officials warned bar and restaurant owners Thursday that failing to have customers adhere to social distancing guidelines could result in their industry being shut down again, just as it was for two-and-a-half months this spring.
City officials have vowed to patrol restaurants and bars, keeping tabs on safe distancing. Investigators from the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection have been empowered “to immediately close businesses in cases of egregious violation of the phase four guidelines,” the city said. Fines could be as much as $10,000.
[ Mayor Lori Lightfoot threatens to shut down bars that don’t follow social distancing guidelines ]
To help comply, Gutierrez said, he has set up a public address system to remind customers about appropriate behavior via loudspeaker as needed. Security staff are to direct people to keep moving if crowding occurs on sidewalks as customers wait to enter.
People hang out in the cabanas at Deuce's on Clark Street in Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood on July 2, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
”I know it’s going to be a tough weekend,” Gutierrez said. “We heard that the city is cracking down on bars and restaurants and there are $10,000 fines, and that’s what we’re trying to avoid.”
But doing so could prove a challenge, as throngs of people eager for social interaction flock to popular Chicago corridors.
In recent weeks, some bars in neighborhoods like Wrigleyville have struggled to rein in swarms of unmasked drinkers, many of whom appear to do conspicuously little to socially distance themselves during the ongoing pandemic.
Lakeview Ald. Tom Tunney, 44th, declined to comment on the situation.
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Following last weekend’s well-publicized crowds, the Lakeview neighborhood’s Clark Street corridor was tame Thursday afternoon. Small handfuls of friends occupied larger tables at Happy Camper and patio cabanas at Deuce’s and Diamonds.
Managers from both bars said city officials contacted the establishments ahead of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s remarks about stricter enforcement, and they said they were confident their measures would be in compliance.
Tables at both establishments were noticeably distanced from one another, surrounded by prominent signage alerting guests that masks are required. Happy Camper is also limiting parties to two hours per visit.
All staff members were masked on Thursday. Most guests had removed theirs, which is allowed while seated and eating or drinking under city guidelines.
Nick Kane, from left, Joe Rosario and Jack King hang out at Happy Camper on Clark Street in Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood on July 2, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Kelly Toms, a bartender at Bernie’s Tap & Grill on the corner of Clark Street and Waveland Avenue, said the bar didn’t have as many issues with unwieldy crowds as others farther south on the stretch, but it would still be focusing on strict measures for the weekend.
“We’ll be more diligent about asking people to keep their masks on when coming inside to use the bathroom, and about disinfecting surfaces and pens and other items,” she said.
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The city’s crackdown comes the same week Texas closed bars due to a surge in cases, and the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, singled out bars as a danger zone, calling them “really not good, really not good.”
“Congregation at a bar, inside, is bad news,” Fauci told the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on Tuesday. “We really have got to stop that.”
On a 45-minute webinar Thursday morning, Lightfoot told bar and restaurant owners that they control their own fates — and those of their businesses — during the holiday weekend.
“They made it very clear that they’re not going to tolerate people pushing the envelope,” said Michael Roper, owner of Hopleaf Bar in Andersonville, who joined the webinar that included a slideshow of social distancing guidelines and photos of Chicago bars that have failed to comply with the rules.
“The places (that are) not being responsible will ruin it for everyone,” he said. “That was the tone.”
Though he couldn’t tell how many people logged on to the webinar, Roper said it didn’t seem particularly well-attended due to a lack of questions. He said he only found out about it Thursday morning in an email from a neighborhood chamber of commerce.
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A Paradise Park staff member checks the temperature of a guest before entering the restaurant on July 1, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Lightfoot acknowledged warning bar owners on the call, saying the city won’t allow people to congregate in large numbers and would shut down those who don’t keep crowds under control. She called it “a make-or-break weekend” for restaurants and bars.
“Your financial fate is in your hands,” Lightfoot said she told bar owners. “Follow the rules, or you’re going to suffer the consequences.
“I don’t want to have to shut you down, but if you make me, we will,” Lightfoot said.
In a follow-up email to webinar participants, Rosa Escareno, BACP commissioner, reiterated the threat of a $10,000 fine.
“I am asking you all — do not be the reason why our COVID-19 cases spike,” she wrote.
Bars are working under several restrictions from the city: Patrons must be seated; indoor capacity must be limited to 25% or 50 people (whichever is fewer); tables must be spaced 6 feet apart; face coverings must worn by employees and customers (except when seated and eating or drinking); alcohol can’t be served after 11 p.m.; and lines of people must be properly spaced.
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To avoid crowding, many restaurants are encouraging customers to make reservations, including Big Star, which typically touts one of the Northwest Side’s most crowded patios.
Dining tables are set at least 6 feet apart on the patio at Big Star on July 1, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
The taco restaurant is a part of the One Off Hospitality chain, which spokeswoman Heidi Hageman said approaches every day as though it were a busy holiday weekend in terms of its commitment to safety. The policy will continue to be heavily enforced, she said.
Other establishments have taken to social media to demand compliance from patrons and bars alike.
Metropolitan Brewing posted a profanity-tinged statement on social media this week saying that irresponsible behavior from customers and bars “will squander every sacrifice made over the past few months; render all of our painstaking efforts to get back to business safely useless; and frankly, is deeply disrespectful to our industry and to the health of our community.”
The Avondale brewery called for bars operating without safety measures to be reported and cited.
“We care about the life and health of our community above profit — always have,” the brewery wrote. “Always will.”
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jbnoel@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-04--Cook County courts start reopening Monday, with thousands of cases stalled by pandemic.  ‘How do you

Cook County courts start reopening Monday, with thousands of cases stalled by pandemic.  ‘How do you wake the sleeping giant?’

“ First and foremost we have to think of everybody ’ s safety , ” De Leon told the Tribune @ @ @ @ @ got to be the priority .
But as defense attorneys , our biggest priority ( @ @ @ @ @ ’ s rights and moving cases along to let people either get on with their @ @ @ @ @ their sentences , and that ’ s a really hard thing .

The plaza outside of Leighton Criminal Court Building, on July 2, 2020, where temperature-taking guards, metal barriers and a tent have been set up to manage visitors ahead of the Monday reopening. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
For months, the “busiest courthouse in America” has been silent.
The rare visitor is greeted with a maze of metal barriers and a security guard wielding a thermometer. Inside, desks are surrounded with plexiglass, and the normally grimy hallways are sparkling clean.
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But on Monday, after three months of coronavirus-induced dormancy, the Leighton Criminal Court Building will start revving back up — and plowing through thousands of cases that have been frozen in place.
“How do you wake the sleeping giant?” defense attorney Alana De Leon mused.
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The reopening is not a full return to normal operations, and many speculated there will be little in the way of significant movement for the cases that have stalled.
Criminal Division judges will be in their courtrooms only two or three days per week; everything but bench trials and evidentiary hearings can be held by videoconference. Jury trials may not be held until next year.
Still, Monday marks the first major expansion in court procedures since a widespread shutdown in mid-March.
Criminal defendants have borne the brunt of the consequences, defense attorneys told the Tribune. It has been difficult to exchange potential evidence with prosecutors, hard to keep track of potential witnesses, and unfair to make people wait in custody without a jury trial date in sight.
The plaza outside the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago shows metal barriers and a tent set up to manage visitors ahead of the Monday reopening. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
A sign displays the mask requirement for the Leighton Criminal Court Building ahead of its reopening. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
“In our country we have certain rights that we give to defendants, that we give to everybody, and because of COVID, we have simply set those all aside,” said Stefan Fenner, who said he is handling about 65 criminal cases in Cook County.
Cook County may not even see its first bench trial until August at the earliest. Prosecutors and defense attorneys first need to track down and subpoena key witnesses — an often difficult prospect in the best of times made much more difficult by the chaos of the past few months.
De Leon had a weeklong jury trial scheduled for mid-April in a predatory criminal sexual assault case. “We’ve got witnesses that we’ve thought about, gosh, what happens if we lose them?” she said. One witness suffers from asthma. “I’m constantly checking in on her to be like, hey, are you taking care of yourself?”
Meanwhile, her client is awaiting trial on home confinement.
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“He would have had a decision back in April, but this is still hanging over his head and we can’t do anything about it, so it’s very frustrating,” De Leon said. “At the same time, there’s so many things to balance. Safety and rights, how do you weigh those against each other?”
Particularly bothersome for some defense attorneys was a move by the state Supreme Court to effectively allow the suspension of speedy trial deadlines due to the pandemic.
In normal circumstances, when a defendant formally invokes his right to a speedy trial, the clock starts ticking: Prosecutors have 120 days to bring him to trial if he is in custody, and 160 days if he is out on bond. If they blow past that deadline, then by law the charges must be dropped.
The state Supreme Court ruled that time spent awaiting trial during the COVID-related shutdown does not count against the speedy trial clock. Some defense attorneys have attempted to invoke their clients’ speedy trial rights anyway, on the grounds that the deadlines were established by the legislature and the judiciary has no right to suspend them.
In a long-shot effort, a pair of Illinois lawyers attempted to take the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Attorney Fenner has also bristled at the lack of jury trials, saying those are a bedrock constitutional right that should not be dismissed out of convenience.
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“(Prosecutors) need to make important decisions on which cases are important for them to proceed on and which cases they need to put in the back of the line,” he said. “We can’t simply take away peoples’ rights and say no, you have to wait indefinitely.”
Grand juries — which along with preliminary hearings are necessary to formalize felony charges in a case — have been operating since the shutdown, but in much reduced fashion.
Normally, the courthouse at 26th and California has two grand juries operating daily, for a month at a time. But due to the shutdown, one of the March grand juries was extended into April, then May, and was finally dismissed at the end of June.
They were operating once a week, and later were joined by a second grand jury that also convened once a week. The jurors use large courtrooms, not the smaller regular jury rooms, so they can maintain distance. By the end of the summer, grand jurors might be operating as often as three times a week.
The reduced operations have forced prosecutors to triage their cases, deciding which to indict and which to let linger, sources said.
Judges have been giving prosecutors significant leeway in extending deadlines for things such as preliminary hearings, according to defense attorney Tracey Harkins.
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“As I’ve been told by many judges, ‘Well Miss Harkins, these are extraordinary times.’ Yeah, for (my client) who’s sitting in jail,” she said. “I’m going to sit outside with a glass of wine with my friends tonight.”
Even with the reopening, it will likely be difficult to get witnesses in the door. Prosecutors often have significant trouble getting witnesses to cooperate; defense attorneys complain that police officers don’t show up when they are supposed to. Both sides told the Tribune the virus provides an extra incentive for witnesses not to set foot in the building.
Some said there may be a spate of plea deals once the building reopens, either because defendants are desperate to get out or because prosecutors will start making better offers to clear the backlog.
But if a generous offer isn’t on hand, and there is no chance of a jury trial or other significant movement in the case fairly soon, a defendant doesn’t have much incentive to plead, especially since they can earn credit on their sentence for time spent in custody, Harkins said.
“If the offers aren’t worth your while, and the person has to sit in jail anyway, then those cases just aren’t going to be (concluded) until whenever things go back to quote normal unquote,” she said. “If they ever do.”
That could keep the standstill lasting long past Monday as attorneys — and defendants — learn to navigate uncharted territory.
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“First and foremost we have to think of everybody’s safety,” De Leon told the Tribune. “That’s got to be the priority. But as defense attorneys, our biggest priority (is also) our client’s rights and moving cases along to let people either get on with their lives or get on with their sentences, and that’s a really hard thing.
“We all want to go back to work but none of us are really sure what it’s going to look like,” she added. “I don’t really see how anybody can be litigating in the environment that we’re in now.”
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-04--Cook County Board considers nonbinding proposal to shift money from ‘failed and racist’ policing, in

Cook County Board considers nonbinding proposal to shift money from ‘failed and racist’ policing, incarceration systems

“ Maybe now that I ’ m older , or maybe they can look at me and tell that I @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m this and that , but no , ” Watkins said , “ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ re Black .
And that ’ s an issue , that we are @ @ @ @ @ .
”

Tanya Watkins in Chicago's Pullman neighborhood on June 29, 2020. She supports a proposed nonbinding resolution voicing support for reallocating funding from the policing and criminal justice system in Cook County to social services. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Growing up on the Far South Side, Tanya Watkins shrank at the sight of police officers.
“I was always taught that you run,” Watkins, 43, said. “Looking at how my friends and people around me and myself were brutalized by officers, cursed out, disrespected with absolutely no recourse … to this day I’m terrified of police.”
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Watkins, who is Black, said the gulf between law enforcement and her neighbors in the London Towne Houses housing cooperative was formative in her decision to become a community organizer in the fight against police brutality. The worldwide protests that followed the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd were long overdue in her eyes.
She was nonetheless surprised at the momentum behind a Cook County board resolution to “redirect money from the failed and racist systems of policing, criminalization and incarceration” into services such as housing and health care. The nonbinding resolution was introduced by Commissioner Brandon Johnson and co-sponsored by all but a handful of the 17 commissioners.
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Despite having a “tremendous amount of skepticism” for politicians and their promises, Watkins said it was time her government representatives set a precedent in calling for defunding the criminal justice system.
“All over the country, Black people are being murdered in cold blood by police,” Watkins said. “Now thousands of people are recognizing that this is a real issue, that this is not imagined.”
While a nod to the “defund police” movement that has taken hold following Floyd’s death, the resolution, which the board is expected to consider at its July 30 meeting, is largely symbolic since the county has no direct control over municipal police department budgets. In addition, the resolution does not specify how much money would be redirected from law enforcement.
But the board does control the budgets for the county’s courts system and sheriff’s office, so the resolution could have weight in future spending plans. And board President Toni Preckwinkle has said law enforcement funding should be reallocated to social services, a view first reported in the Chicago Sun-Times.
It’s a position that Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov. J.B. Pritzker have not backed. Chicago has drawn attention for becoming the biggest U.S. city that hasn’t promised to reallocate money from its Police Department, with city officials reluctant to shrink law enforcement amid a continuing stream of shootings and murders.
Johnson, the sponsor of the county resolution, had to pause every few seconds when discussing Floyd’s death.
“I was horrified. Angry. Really angry,” Johnson told the Tribune. “I felt sorry. And a little impaired. You never get used to anything like that. Ever. And I wanted to destroy every bit of a system that would permit such a heinous crime.”
Johnson grew up in Elgin during the 1990s and saw friends and classmates make poor choices despite a tough-on-crime approach that he said led to a “growing police state.”
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An Austin neighborhood resident for the past decade, Johnson, who is Black, said he feels wary when police are outside his home and has been stopped multiple times in cases of mistaken identity.
“The police state since its inception has always been a tool of violence against Black people,” said Johnson, who made note of the long history of police torture under disgraced Chicago police Cmdr. Jon Burge.
“The only natural response when you’re being choked is to fight for air. And that’s all we’re doing right now is we’re just fighting for air. We just want to breathe,” he said.
More than 20% of Cook County’s $6.2 billion budget this year goes toward public safety, the second-highest expenditure following the health fund.
That public safety fund includes the courts system and the sheriff’s office, which runs Cook County Jail, polices unincorporated Cook County and fills in for cash-strapped suburban agencies.
Since Tom Dart became Cook County sheriff in 2007, his office’s budget has grown by more than one-quarter, adjusted for inflation, despite the jail population dwindling by more than half.
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However, Dart said he has reduced staff by about 800, mostly by cutting the number of deputies and correctional officers, and expanded programming for mental health and drug abuse treatment.
Although he said he is “ecstatic” about nationwide discussions to reform policing, Dart said in an interview that he does not support defunding his office.
He also said his office’s need for funding has actually grown as it has added responsibilities for social issues no longer handled by other government entities — pointing specifically to Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s decision to close half the city’s mental health clinics in 2012.
“If people target our budget just because that’s sort of the thing to do these days, it would actually be cutting back the one entity that has been picking up all the pieces of these very things they’re talking about,” Dart said. “So that’s where it gets a little bit strange for me.”
Preckwinkle said in an interview she was “grateful” to see Johnson’s resolution and believes it is better intended to guide conversations around defunding the incarceration system specifically — a platform that protesters gathering weekly outside Cook County Jail are demanding.
“The tremendous investments we make are not in the relatively modest sheriff’s police, they’re in the jail,” Preckwinkle said. “We have to try to move resources to community-based organizations that are doing the important work of keeping people out of the jail.”
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While highlighting that the jail population is disproportionately Black and Latino, Preckwinkle said, “There’s a lot of talk about endemic racism in this country at this moment in time, and no place is that endemic racism clearer than what happens in our criminal justice system.”
She added the language in Johnson’s resolution was still “pretty broad in scope” and needs to be deliberated by the board’s criminal justice committee before the July vote.
Republican Commissioner Sean Morrison said he was staunchly against Johnson’s resolution, telling the Tribune he would vote against the resolution unless the phrasing was rewritten.
“I’m absolutely not discounting the legitimate issue at hand, the seriousness, especially given the recent tragedies regarding law enforcement within minority communities,” Morrison said. “As for the resolution itself, the insidious language used to describe law enforcement I find completely unacceptable.”
Some say that while they have seen police behavior outlined in Johnson’s resolution, they aren’t convinced defunding is the answer.
Stringer Harris, a 39-year-old Black community activist based in Chicago and the south suburbs, said he has spent years responding to shootings, of consoling grieving mothers amid yellow police tape and blue lights. In his opinion, the policing system needs to be reformed, not defunded.
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Harris wants more rigorous training for police officers, he said, as well as cops carrying their own liability insurance rather than being indemnified by the city.
“I think what people take out of context is the word ‘defund’ instead of saying the word reform,” Harris said. “I think we want accountability. We want training.”
Watkins said she isn’t sure police reform is possible. About a month ago, she said, orange-and-white traffic barriers blocked her way as she drove on South Halsted Street in south suburban Homewood.
Watkins braced herself and decided to ask a nearby police officer, whose department she could not discern, for directions.
“Shut the f--- up and keep moving!” the cop responded, according to Watkins. She pulled over and sobbed into her steering wheel.
“Maybe now that I’m older, or maybe they can look at me and tell that I’m a mom and I’m this and that, but no,” Watkins said, “None of that matters when you’re Black. And that’s an issue, that we are seen as less than human.”
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ayin@chicagotribune.com