chicagotribune--2020-11-10--Daywatch: Pritzker warns of possible stay-at-home order, Underwood holds slim lead over Oberweis and

Daywatch: Pritzker warns of possible stay-at-home order, Underwood holds slim lead over Oberweis and where to order Thanksgiving dinner

Meanwhile , you may have seen the headlines Monday morning that the company Pfizer announced preliminary results on their COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ more than 90 % effective .
Although many saw the news as a glimmer of @ @ @ @ @ questions remain .
Here ’ s what we know , and don ’ t know @ @ @ @ @

Good morning, Chicago. On Monday, Illinois health officials reported more than 10,000 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases for the fourth consecutive day, with 10,573, and 14 more deaths. The state seven-day positivity rate increased to 11.4%, up from 10.6% just a day earlier.
Meanwhile, you may have seen the headlines Monday morning that the company Pfizer announced preliminary results on their COVID-19 vaccine — suggesting it was more than 90% effective. Although many saw the news as a glimmer of hope, a number of questions remain. Here’s what we know, and don’t know, about the vaccine.
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Here’s more coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Personal direct people to get tested outside a mobile COVID-19 testing site at Resurrection Project in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, Nov. 9, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
With the coronavirus continuing to surge largely unabated, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday that he would impose a 10-person limit on gatherings in parts of suburban Chicago and much of southern Illinois and suggested a statewide stay-at-home order is back on the table as a possible step to bring COVID-19 under control.
DuPage, Kane, Will and Kankakee counties, along with the state’s 20 southernmost counties, will come under the stricter rules, which also include a limit of six people per table for outdoor restaurant and bar service, beginning Wednesday. They join the northwest region, home to Rockford, DeKalb and Galena, in facing the next level of restrictions in Pritzker’s 11-region reopening plan.
President-elect Joe Biden sjoins Vice President-elect Kamala Harris onstage in Wilmington, Del., on Nov. 7, 2020. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times/Erin Schaff/The New York Times)
Joe Biden is looking to build out his nascent White House staff with more traditional Washington insiders, a notable departure from four years in which President Donald Trump filled his team with outsiders and government antagonists.
Edward Gatson, second from left, a Democratic election judge and Ken Kosirog, third from left, a Republican election judge, look over and agree on each mail-in ballot being counted at the DuPage County Clerk's office on Nov. 9, 2020 in Wheaton. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Buoyed by mail-in ballots counted since election night, Rep. Lauren Underwood now has a slim advantage over Republican challenger Jim Oberweis in the extraordinarily close race to see who will represent the sprawling, suburban 14th Congressional District.
Tony La Russa, left, before a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox on April 19, 2019, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Chris O'Meara/AP)
Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa, hired by the Chicago White Sox last month, was charged with driving under the influence after a February arrest in Arizona, ESPN reported Monday, citing court records.
The case was filed Oct. 28 — one day before the Sox announced La Russa’s hiring — the report said.
16" on Center restaurant group brings together several of its restaurants to offer Thanksgiving takeout options. (Lillie’s Q)
With dining rooms shut down across the state, restaurants wasted no time in pivoting to be ready for Thanksgiving. Menus range from full meals to elements you can add to your own, and run the gamut from traditional turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes to those featuring duck or pork or fried chicken. We’ve rounded up offerings across the city and suburbs.


chicagotribune--2020-11-10--Kyle Rittenhouse’s mother didn’t know what he was doing on night of fatal Kenosha protest shootings

However , she has received a substantial amount of money in donations .
Two organizations — one that supports gun @ @ @ @ @ militias across the country — have given a combined $ 100,000 to help with personal @ @ @ @ @ He told the Tribune that she has complete control of the money , which she @ @ @ @ @ bills while on leave from her job and living in an undisclosed location .

Kyle Rittenhouse, center, walks into the courtroom with attorney Corey Chirafisi for a motion hearing in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Sept. 17, 2021. (Sean Krajacic/The Kenosha News )
Kyle Rittenhouse’s mother says she would have tried to stop her teenage son from going to downtown Kenosha with an AR-15-style rifle during chaotic protests in August, but she didn’t know where he was or what he was doing. By the time she found out, he had fatally shot two men and wounded a third.
Since the shootings made international headlines, many have wondered what influence the 17-year-old’s parents had on his decision-making and access to a gun. In an interview with the Tribune, Wendy Rittenhouse, a single mother of three, conceded her son shouldn’t have been there but declined to talk about the weapon he used.
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She repeatedly sought to deflect blame for the shootings away from her son and the friend now charged with illegally providing him with the rifle used to shoot three men. While she voiced anger at the authorities, some politicians and protesters, she expressed little sympathy toward the families of the men her son shot.
“No one should have been there,” she said. “The protesters should not have been there, also. My son shouldn’t have been there either.”
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Wendy Rittenhouse, mother of 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, speaks with the Chicago Tribune on Nov. 5, 2020, in a Chicago suburb. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Rittenhouse, 45, largely has limited her public comments since her son’s arrest. Her attorney, John M. Pierce, has been offering time to other media organizations in recent days. She spent much of her Tribune interview calling for her son’s release on bail.
Asked if she had anything to say to the families of the two men killed that night, she pointed to a recent online bail hearing at which one man’s father made critical comments about her son.
“I am not saying nothing because I watched when he had his bail hearing and I’m not going to say anything,” she said.
Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, has been charged with fatally shooting two men and injuring a third during a protest in Kenosha in late August. (Antioch Police Department)
Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, died from their injuries, while a third man, Gaige Grosskreutz, who prosecutors have said was armed with a handgun, survived being shot in the arm. Rittenhouse’s attorneys have argued he shot all the men in self-defense.
Huber tried to stop Rittenhouse, hitting him with a skateboard after the teen shot Rosenbaum. John Huber, his father, told the court that Kyle Rittenhouse thinks he is “above the law” and would be a flight risk if he was released.
“It’s not about gun rights. My son was killed. Another man was killed. They didn’t deserve to be killed,” John Huber said during the hearing.
Kimberley Motley, an attorney for Grosskreutz, said it was troubling that no one prevented a teenager from going to a protest with a gun during a pandemic.
“I cannot think of any good reason why Rittenhouse was carrying a weapon on the streets during the protests, and I don’t think he can either,” she told the Tribune.
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Citing “the incredibly serious charges,” a Kenosha County court commissioner found Rittenhouse would be a flight risk and kept his bail at $2 million. He remains in jail on a murder charge and other counts. He has been held there since Oct. 30, the day he was extradited from Lake County to Wisconsin.
As Wendy Rittenhouse and her son’s attorneys try to raise money for both his release and legal defense fund, she scoffed at the suggestion her son could flee the area before a trial.
“I have $1.20 in my account,” she said. “You think I can get on a plane?”
However, she has received a substantial amount of money in donations. Two organizations — one that supports gun rights and another that backs militias across the country — have given a combined $100,000 to help with personal expenses, Pierce said. He told the Tribune that she has complete control of the money, which she is using to pay her bills while on leave from her job and living in an undisclosed location.
The donations reflect the backing Kyle Rittenhouse has received in conservative circles. A legal-defense fund has raised nearly $2 million, Pierce said. He said he hopes it will raise millions more.
Individual online fundraising campaigns on behalf of those shot have raised about $250,000 combined. The largest one, aimed at helping Huber’s girlfriend and her daughter with expenses, garnered more than $150,000.
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“Anthony decided to use his voice and stand up for a cause that meant something,” a statement on the verified fundraising page read. “While peacefully protesting, Anthony selflessly tried to aid in taking down an attacker when he was gunned down.”
Violent protests erupted in Kenosha after police Officer Rusten Sheskey, who is white, shot Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, several times in the back at close range. The demonstrations — fueled by video of the shooting — turned destructive at points, leaving parts of the city damaged.
In response to the unrest, vigilantes, many of them claiming a connection to a local militia group, walked downtown streets with guns as local law enforcement did little to dissuade them.
Kyle Rittenhouse was among those on the streets Aug. 25, unbeknown to his mother. Wendy Rittenhouse, a certified nursing assistant at a local nursing home, said she worked a 16-hour shift the previous night, slept late the next morning and was unaware of her son’s plans.
“It’s a tragedy what happened to Mr. Blake. It is,” she said. “But my son and everybody else should not have been in Kenosha.”
Rittenhouse said her son does not belong to any militia group, including the Kenosha Guard, which put out a call to arms on Facebook during the unrest. Prosecutors also have not suggested any connection between her son and militias.
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Kyle Rittenhouse and friend Dominick Black initially went to Kenosha to help clean graffiti off a school, according to his mother and Pierce. While there, they learned about a used car dealership that had been hit particularly hard the night before and offered to protect the business.
Asked if it was an appropriate job for a teen, Wendy Rittenhouse said no. The blame, she said, is on police officers who didn’t protect the businesses and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, for failing to deploy reinforcements.
“The police should have helped the businesses out instead of having a 17-year-old kid helping him,” she said. “The police should have been involved with these people that lost their businesses. They should have stepped up. I’m not mad at the police. I’m not. They have a hard enough job as it is.”
Prosecutors have charged Kyle Rittenhouse with carrying his gun illegally, an allegation his lawyers dispute. On Monday, a court commissioner set Black’s bail at $2,500 on felony charges that he supplied a dangerous weapon to a minor, causing death. Black’s attorney could not be reached for comment.
The rifle used in the Kenosha shooting was seized from the trunk of Kyle Rittenhouse's friend's car hours after the shooting, according to police reports. (Antioch Police Department)
Wendy Rittenhouse repeatedly declined to discuss what she knew about her son’s semi-automatic rifle. Police reports indicate Black, then 18, bought the gun for Kyle Rittenhouse earlier this year at a northern Wisconsin hardware store. Black, who was with Kyle Rittenhouse in Kenosha that night, kept the gun at his stepfather’s house in Wisconsin, police said.
Black told investigators that Wendy Rittenhouse was going to apply for a firearm owner’s identification card in Illinois so they could legally keep the gun in Antioch, according to police reports.
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Wendy Rittenhouse refused to discuss Black’s statement to investigators or his alleged role in obtaining the gun, saying only that she loves him like a son. She also would not say if she knew her son owned the rifle, but she said has no problem with teenagers possessing guns.
A native of northern Michigan, she grew up around guns but does not own any herself.
“I believe in my Second Amendment. I do,” she said. “I’m 100% right to bear arms. If it’s a handgun, a 12-gauge, a 22, AR-15. You have to respect the gun. And I told my son, ‘you have to respect the gun’ and everything like that.”
Social media users accused Wendy Rittenhouse of driving her son to Kenosha that day, sharing a picture of a woman who is not her as proof. In reality, she was 20 miles away in Illinois, getting a COVID-19 test required for her job and running errands with her oldest daughter, she said.
She said she did not check in with her son until around midnight, when she texted him to ask what he was doing and received a reply about him “doing medic” duties. She said she briefly fell asleep but then woke up, “knowing something was wrong.”
Alarmed, she and her daughters soon started driving around looking for him, she said. Their search proved futile and they returned to their Antioch apartment, where Kyle and Black were waiting.
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Describing her memories of that night as “fuzzy,” Wendy Rittenhouse said the family talked for about 20 minutes before deciding to go to the Antioch Police Department. According to police records, Kyle Rittenhouse told authorities there he shot two people and killed at least one.
Echoing earlier statements from her son’s attorneys, Wendy Rittenhouse said the teen acted in self-defense. Prosecutors, on the other hand, alleged that Rittenhouse’s actions showed “utter disregard for human life.”
She said she has watched video of the shootings in small increments, singling out one that made her “sick.” In describing her disgust, she cited recordings of the men approaching her son — not the images of him shooting them.
“Self-defense,” she said, as her voice rose. “He was in danger.”
Huber’s father disagreed.
“This defense of self-defense? That is impossible,” said John Huber at last week’s bail hearing. “(Rittenhouse) was an active shooter and he tried to flee. And my son lost his life protecting other people. He was a hero. Anyone who says otherwise is dead wrong.”


chicagotribune--2020-11-10--Police investigate vehicle arson at Far South Side car dealership

Just after 3 a.m. , someone used an incendiary device to ignite the vehicles in a parking lot in the @ @ @ @ @ L in the East Side neighborhood , police said .
No one was injured .

Six to eight cars went up in flames early Tuesday at a Far South Side car dealership, according to Chicago police.
Just after 3 a.m., someone used an incendiary device to ignite the vehicles in a parking lot in the 9900 block of South Avenue L in the East Side neighborhood, police said. No one was injured.
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No one is in custody and the incident is under investigation, police said.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-11-10--6 shot, 2 fatally in West Side shootings within three hours

One person , whose age is not yet known , was shot in the head and died at the scene @ @ @ @ @ 32-year-old man was also shot in the head and died at the scene .

In less than three hours, two people were killed and four others — including a 16-year-old boy — were wounded in shootings on the West Side Monday night, according to Chicago police.
The fatal attack occurred at 5:50 p.m. Three people were standing on a corner in the 3600 block of West Division Street in Humboldt Park when a black Chevy Equinox pulled up and someone inside started firing, police said.
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Two people were shot in the head and died at the scene, police said. Their names were not released, but one of them was a 32-year-old man. A third person, a 26-year-old man, was hit in the left leg and was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center in good condition, police said.
About 7:10 p.m., two men were standing on a sidewalk in the 3600 block of West 16th Street in the Lawndale neighborhood when someone opened fire, police said. A 28-year-old man was shot in the chest and thigh, and a 34-year-old man was shot in the foot and hip. They were both taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center in serious condition.
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Just after 8 p.m., a 16-year-old boy was shot in the right leg in the 1900 block of South Troy Street in the Little Village neighborhood, police said. He drove to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where he was in good condition. The shooting was believed to have happened during a drug purchase, police said.
Earlier in the day, two teenagers were shot on the West Side.
About 3:45 p.m., a 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy were on a sidewalk in the 1800 block of South St. Louis Avenue in Lawndale when there were shots, police said. The younger boy was shot in the foot and arm and his hip was grazed, police said. The older boy was shot in the chest and leg. They were both taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center in critical condition.
No arrests have been made in any of the shootings.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-11-10--20-year-old man fatally shot in Rogers Park, police say

About 5:30 p.m. , Zetina was in a parked vehicle in the 7400 block of North Oakley Avenue in the @ @ @ @ @ a male walked up to him and fired shots , police said .
He was @ @ @ @ @ and the left arm , and he was taken to Amita Saint Francis Hospital in @ @ @ @ @ pronounced dead .

An 18-year-old man died after he was shot once in the chest about 7 p.m. Nov. 9, 2020, in the 6700 block of North Newgard Avenue in the Rogers Park neighborhood, according to Chicago police. (Paige Fry/Chicago Tribune)
A 20-year-old man died after being shot once in the chest Monday night in the Rogers Park neighborhood, according to Chicago police.
At 7 p.m., the man was sitting in the rear seat of a parked vehicle when a male walked up to the vehicle in the 6700 block of North Newgard Avenue on the North Side, police said. The two exchanged words then the male on foot fired shots.
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The 20-year-old man was driven by friends to Amita Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, where he was pronounced dead.
A neighbor, who asked not to be named, said she heard one gunshot, heard a group of men yell, then saw a car drive away and a man run down an alley.
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On Saturday, another 20-year-old man, Daniel Zetina, was also killed in Chicago police’s Roger Park police district.
About 5:30 p.m., Zetina was in a parked vehicle in the 7400 block of North Oakley Avenue in the West Rogers Park neighborhood when a male walked up to him and fired shots, police said. He was shot in the left side and the left arm, and he was taken to Amita Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, where he was pronounced dead.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-11-10--Elkhart Woman accused of supporting ISIS sentenced to 6.5 years

“ Adding to her betrayal , Ms. Elhassani willfully chose to put her young children ’ s lives at risk @ @ @ @ @ exposing them to an atmosphere of violence and hatred .
She knew exactly what she @ @ @ @ @ ” FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan said .
“ She was an @ @ @ @ @ activity and is now facing the consequences .
”

A former Elkhart woman accused of helping ISIS was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison Monday, according to a release.
Samantha Marie Elhassani, now 35, pleaded guilty in November 2019 to financing terrorism. Her sentence also calls for three years supervised release.
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She has been in federal custody since July 2018, when a military cargo transport plane brought her and her children to Gary from Syria. The children were placed with the Department of Child Services.
Last year, Elhassani affirmed that when her husband, Moussa Elhassani, and his brother intended to join ISIS, she made three trips to Hong Kong between November 2014 and August 2015 transporting more than $30,000 in cash, gold and precious stones. Those assets were intended to be used by ISIS, she said.
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Elhassani previously pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to the Islamic State group, and aiding and abetting individuals in providing material support to ISIS.
Her lawyer, Thomas Durkin, previously said her case is “quite different from any other national security case” he’s handled. He’s argued that the charges were a proxy case for her now-deceased husband, who forced her to go to Syria.
The government, however, has said that Elhassani was being prosecuted for her own role. She knew what she was doing but brought her children into a dangerous situation anyway, prosecutors said.
Sisters Samantha Elhassani, left, and her sister, Lori Sally, in a photo from the early 2010s. (Provided by Lori Sally)
In 2014, Elhassani learned that her husband and his brother wanted to go to Syria and fight for ISIS, court records state. In 2015, Samantha Elhassani, her husband, her brother-in-law and two minor children crossed the border into ISIS-controlled territory in Syria through Turkey, prosecutors said.
Moussa Elhassani has since died, attorneys said. Samantha Elhassani told CNN he was killed in a drone strike. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Kolar said in 2018 he could not say publicly whether the brother-in-law was alive or not.
Samantha Elhassani took a series of trips abroad with her minor children “to secure funding and tactical gear” for the brothers before going to Syria, court records state.
Prosecutors said Elhassani took her then-7-year-old son, who she had from a previous relationship, out of school. She posted a photo of him at a gun range and said he would be the next “American sniper,” court records state.
[ Sister of woman accused of supporting ISIS shares her family's story: 'I've always been there for her' ]
There were also videos of the boy assembling a rifle and suicide belt, saying he would use it to kill U.S. troops and “go to heaven as a martyr,” according to court records.
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In August 2017, the boy "appeared in an ISIS propaganda video promising President Donald Trump that the battle will not end in Raqqa or Mosul, but “in your lands,” court records state. The video showed the boy “as an ISIS sniper with a rifle scope,” according to court records.
“Once again, the Justice Department has held accountable an individual who turned her back on her country to support a terrorist organization,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers said in a statement on Monday.“
“Adding to her betrayal, Ms. Elhassani willfully chose to put her young children’s lives at risk through her selfish actions, exposing them to an atmosphere of violence and hatred. She knew exactly what she was doing and why,” FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan said. “She was an active participant in this heinous activity and is now facing the consequences.”
Elhassani appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Philip P. Simon, represented by Durkin and lawyer Josh Herman.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Indianapolis Division and Joint Terrorism Task Force and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abizer Zanzi, Jennifer Chang and Nathaniel Whalen and the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.


chicagotribune--2020-11-10--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: More than 10,000 new cases of COVID-19 reported for 4th consecutive

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: More than 10,000 new cases of COVID-19 reported for 4th consecutive day as suburban counties face 10-person gathering limit

On Oct. 22 , Chicago police said in a prepared statement the department requires all of its officers to wear @ @ @ @ @ coverings in situations where they can ’ t maintain 6 feet of social distance , @ @ @ @ @ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
But the department ’ s COVID-19 online directive @ @ @ @ @ as a requirement for officers if they ’ re on duty for 14 days after @ @ @ @ @ with coronavirus .

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday announced three more regions of the state — including those covering DuPage, Kane, Will and Kankakee counties — will be ordered to limit gatherings to 10 people this week as the percentages of positive coronavirus tests in those areas continue to rise.
The suburban and northeast counties along with the state’s 20 southernmost counties, will come under the stricter rules, will also include a limit of six people per table for outdoor restaurant and bar service, beginning Wednesday. They join the northwest region, home to Rockford, DeKalb and Galena, in facing the next level of restrictions in Pritzker’s 11-region reopening plan.
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The governor’s announcement comes as state health officials Monday reported more than 10,000 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases for the fourth consecutive day, with 10,573. There also were 14 more deaths reported Monday, bringing the confirmed statewide death toll to 10,210. The seven-day statewide positivity rate increased to 11.4%. A day earlier, the rate was 10.6%.
The nation passed the sobering total of 10 million infections on Monday, and there have been more than 237,000 deaths from COVID-19.
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Here’s what’s happening Monday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
6:35 p.m.: Pritzker raises possibility of another stay-at-home order as coronavirus surge continues unabated
With the coronavirus continuing to surge largely unabated, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday that he would impose a 10-person limit on gatherings in parts of suburban Chicago and much of southern Illinois and suggested a statewide stay-at-home order is back on the table as a possible step to bring COVID-19 under control.
DuPage, Kane, Will and Kankakee counties, along with the state’s 20 southernmost counties, will come under the stricter rules, which also include a limit of six people per table for outdoor restaurant and bar service, beginning Wednesday. They join the northwest region, home to Rockford, DeKalb and Galena, in facing the next level of restrictions in Pritzker’s 11-region reopening plan.
The latest restrictions came on the fourth consecutive day that state health officials reported more than 10,000 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19. The virus is flaring in much of the country, but there was some good news as a major pharmaceutical company announced significant progress on a coronavirus vaccine.
Pritzker last week said he was considering renewed statewide restrictions to slow the spread of the virus, and on Monday he appeared to open the door to a new stay-at-home order. The stay-at-home order that went into effect March 21 and was lifted May 29 was Pritzker’s most drastic measure to date to combat the spread of the virus.
“We are looking at, really, all the possibilities: the possibility that we would have to go back a phase, the possibility that we would have to, ultimately, have a stay-at-home order,” Pritzker said at his daily coronavirus briefing. “Those are not things I’d prefer to do.”
It was a subtle shift for the governor, who as recently as Thursday had said a new stay-at-home order was “not something right now that we’re considering.”
Read more here. —Dan Petrella
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4:30 p.m.: CTU seeks mediation in CPS reopening talks, says most voters want remote learning to continue for now
As second quarter began Monday, Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union had yet to agree on a plan for reopening schools, and the union has asked for an independent mediator to get involved as the coronavirus pandemic surges in Illinois.
While CPS leaders announced last month that they’d like to offer in-person learning this quarter to students in prekindergarten and special education clusters, eventually phasing in other grades, Mayor Lori Lightfoot last week said she wasn’t ready to “put a specific date on it.”
In a written request for mediation sent to CPS over the weekend, CTU lawyer Thad Goodchild asked CPS officials to confirm they will bargain over the decision to reopen and to ask a mediator to help with negotiations.
“We have a mutual obligation to deliver the best possible education to the children of the City of Chicago under the safest possible conditions,” Goodchild’s letter states. “It is the endeavor of the CTU to meet its obligation in that regard, and the CTU believes a mediator will help us to achieve what it hopes is a shared goal.”
Chicago Public Schools officials on Monday indicated they’re thinking about it.
“While the law does not require the district to bargain over the decision to reopen, the district has received the Union’s request, and we are reviewing it,” CPS spokeswoman Emily Bolton said in a statement. “We continue to meet and work with CTU, as we have all year, in the hopes they will become a productive partner in getting students safely back to in-person learning.”
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Read more here. —Hannah Leone
4:15 p.m.: CPD launches awareness campaign to make sure officers wear masks or face coverings
The Chicago Police Department has launched an awareness campaign for its roughly 13,000-strong force to make sure officers wear masks or face coverings to protect themselves and the public from COVID-19, officials said Monday
The “I Wear My Mask” campaign includes a video shown to department members that includes officers of different ranks, including police Superintendent David Brown, stressing the importance of wearing face coverings while working city streets during the pandemic.
The campaign comes as the department has faced criticism from Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who said last month CPD’s officers must do a better job covering their faces while in the field.
On Oct. 22, Chicago police said in a prepared statement the department requires all of its officers to wear surgical masks or other face coverings in situations where they can’t maintain 6 feet of social distance, as recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the department’s COVID-19 online directive only mentions wearing a mask as a requirement for officers if they’re on duty for 14 days after their last exposure to someone with coronavirus.
As part of the campaign officers will be further reminded with signs in police stations and through regular dispatch radio transmissions, according to a CPD statement. The department also said it had been sending “frequent internal messages” to officers about masks since the pandemic began.
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—Jeremy Gorner
3:30 p.m.: Schaumburg School District 54 halts in-person instruction as hundreds of students and teachers are quarantined and COVID-19 rates hit record levels
With hundreds of students and teachers in quarantine and COVID-19 rates at record levels, Schaumburg School District 54 has halted in-person instruction and returned to remote learning.
Superintendent Andy DuRoss told parents in an email last week that the district may return to a hybrid model — combining face-to-face instruction with online learning — as early as Nov. 30 if "local health conditions and our ability to staff classrooms improve.
“In order to achieve that goal, we need to work together to prevent the spread of this virus,” DuRoss said in Friday’s email.
In the meantime, all students will connect with their teachers and classmates by Zoom, with staff members teaching the remote lessons from their schools, DuRoss said.
The district, which enrolls around 15,500 students in prekindergarten through eighth grade, had reopened for in-person instruction in mid-October.
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Read more here. —Karen Ann Cullotta
3:20 p.m.: After hundreds of Notre Dame students storm the field for football victory, school intensifies exit testing protocols ahead of Thanksgiving break
In the week leading up to the showdown with the top-ranked Clemson football team, University of Notre Dame leaders urged students to stay vigilant against COVID-19 when the players faced off Saturday just outside of South Bend, Indiana.
More than 7,000 undergraduate students were required to take COVID-19 tests to enter the stadium. Emails from administrators reminded fans to keep festivities outdoors and limit gatherings to 10 as cases crept up among students and in the surrounding county.
But that didn’t stop about 2,000 students from spontaneously rushing the field when the Fighting Irish beat Clemson University in an upset win in double overtime, an image broadcast to millions of at-home viewers and shared across social media. The footage showed students crammed together, and while most seemed to be wearing face masks, some mouths and noses were exposed.
A day after the victory, Notre Dame officials expressed “disappointment” about several large off-campus gatherings on Friday and Saturday nights. The messages outlined stricter testing protocols for students who intend to leave campus for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and winter break but did not address the students who stormed the field.
“It was very disappointing to see evidence of widespread disregard of our health protocols at many gatherings over the weekend,” wrote the university president, the Rev. John Jenkins, in a message to students.
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The critical words were directed at off-campus parties, some with groups of about 50 people, and not the short period of time when mostly masked students rushed the field, said university spokesman Paul Browne.
“Father John’s concern was the social gatherings, and not actually rushing the field,” Browne said. County health officials do not think the incident posed a high risk of transmission because of other precautions in place, he said.
About 11,000 people attended the game, the majority of whom were students, Browne said. The school capped attendance this season to 20% of the stadium’s 80,000 seats and curbed ticket sales. Students are given first priority for purchase.
Under the revised exit testing plans announced Sunday, all students intending to leave the South Bend area for Thanksgiving must take a COVID-19 test and cannot depart until the results are back, Jenkins' note says. Those who leave without testing will not be able to register for classes next semester, receive a transcript or return for spring classes.
Read more here. —Elyssa Cherney
2:45 p.m.: DuPage and Kane among counties in Chicago area and southern Illinois to face 10-person limit on gatherings as coronavirus surge continues unabated
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday announced three more regions of Illinois, including those covering DuPage, Kane, Will and Kankakee counties, will be ordered to limit gatherings to 10 people this week as the percentages of positive coronavirus tests in those areas continue to rise.
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The suburban and northeast counties along with the state’s 20 southernmost counties, will come under the stricter rules, will also include a limit of six people per table for outdoor restaurant and bar service, beginning Wednesday. They join the northwest region, home to Rockford, DeKalb and Galena, in facing the next level of restrictions in Pritzker’s 11-region reopening plan.
Positivity rates on coronavirus tests in the suburban and southern Illinois regions have continued to increase even after Pritzker ordered the shutdown of indoor dining and bar service and capped gatherings at 25 people in those areas roughly two weeks ago. Many establishments have flouted the governor’s orders, and local officials in some areas have refused to enforce them.
In DuPage and Kane counties, the seven-day average for the test positivity rate was 13.7% as of Friday, up from 9.5% when the tighter restrictions took effect Oct. 23. In Will and Kankakee counties, the positivity rate was 16.4%, up from 9.3% on Oct. 23. Southern Illinois was faring slightly better, with a positivity rate of 11.5% as of Friday, up from 8.7% when tighter restrictions went into effect Oct. 22.
In the nine counties in the northwest corner of the state, the positivity rate hit 17.6% on Friday, up from 13% on Oct. 25, when the region entered the next level of restrictions.
Statewide, the test positivity — the share of positive tests out of all tests take in a 24-hour period — was at a seven-day average of 12.4% as of Sunday, up from 8.2% when the state began reporting the figure on Oct. 29.
Under the governor’s plan, the next step for those regions under tighter restrictions would include suspending indoor and outdoor recreational activities and in-store shopping at nonessential retailers.
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Pritzker said last week that he was not considering a new statewide stay-at-home order like the one he issued in March, his most restrictive step to date, but he is looking at renewing some restrictions from earlier phases of the reopening plan on a statewide basis.
Read more here. —Dan Petrella
2:17 p.m.: 2 more judges, four other employees under Cook County chief judge test positive for COVID-19
Two judges, one at Cook County’s main criminal courthouse and the other at Juvenile Court, as well as four other employees of the chief judge, tested positive recently for the coronavirus, the chief judge’s office said in a news release Monday.
A total of 154 employees under the chief judge, including eight judges, have tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the release. The most recent of the new cases was discovered late last week, according to Mary Wisniewski, a spokeswoman for the judge’s office.
One of the judges who tested positive most recent works at the Leighton Criminal Courts Building, while the other works at the Cook County Juvenile Center, according to the release.
The employees were a juvenile probation officer, who was last at work in May, an adult probation officer who works in the Criminal Court Administration Building, a court reporter at the Skokie Courthouse, and a social service caseworker at Chicago Domestic Violence Court, 555 W. Harrison St.
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A total of 64 juvenile detention center employees and 49 juveniles detained there have tested positive, Wisniewski said. Another 21 employees at Juvenile Court at the juvenile center, not including judges, have tested positive.
When someone tests positive, officials with the chief judge’s human resources department contact anyone “identified as having had close contact with infected persons at the workplace” who may have been exposed, according to the release. The area where the person works also is deep-cleaned.
—Liam Ford
2 p.m.: US hits 10 million confirmed coronavirus cases as Joe Biden implores Americans to wear masks
President-elect Joe Biden on Monday implored Americans to wear masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus, even as he cheered promising news about the development of an effective vaccine.
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced strong results from a vaccine trial and said it was on track to file an emergency use application with regulators later this month. But Biden warned Americans against complacency, pleading with them to be aggressive in wearing masks and practicing social distance as cases of the virus surge.
The nation passed the sobering total of 10 million infections on Monday, and there have been more than 237,000 deaths from COVID-19.
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Read more more. —Associated Press
12:21 p.m.: Notre Dame mandates COVID-19 testing after football victory celebration where students rushed the field
The University of Notre Dame has implemented mandatory coronavirus testing for students and strict penalties for those who don’t comply after students rushed the school’s football field to celebrate a double-overtime upset over Clemson and held numerous weekend parties.
The mass of students, players and coaches crammed close together on the field in the minutes following the Fighting Irish’s 47-40 win Saturday night in South Bend over then-No. 1 Clemson. Many of the thousands who stormed the field were not wearing masks or had their masks pulled down.
Now, all Notre Dame students are required to undergo coronavirus testing before they leave South Bend for the extended winter break, Notre Dame President the Rev. John Jenkins told students Sunday night. The email announcement didn’t specifically reference the storming of the field, but rather “many gatherings” over the weekend.
Read more here. —Casey Smith
12:08 p.m.: 10,573 new known COVID-19 cases and 14 additional deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Monday announced 10,573 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 14 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 498,560 and the statewide death toll to 10,210 since the start of the pandemic. Officials also reported 64,760 new tests in the last 24 hours.
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The seven-day statewide positivity rate is 11.4%.
—Chicago Tribune staff
11:43 a.m.: HUD Secretary Ben Carson tests positive for coronavirus as Trump election party draws scrutiny
It was supposed to be a scene of celebration.
Instead, the Trump campaign’s election night watch party in the White House East Room — with few masks and no social distancing — is being eyed as a potential coronavirus super-spreading event and yet another symbol of President Donald Trump’s cavalier attitude toward a virus that is ripping across the nation and infecting more than 100,000 people a day.
Ben Carson, the secretary for Housing and Urban Development, is the latest attendee to test positive, a department spokesman confirmed. The event has been under scrutiny since another attendee, the president’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, contracted the virus, which has now killed more than 237,000 people in the U.S. alone.
Read more more. —Associated Press
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10:44 a.m.: DePaul won’t have fans at home basketball games to start the 2020-21 season because of COVID-19 guidelines
DePaul will not permit fans to attend men’s or women’s basketball games at the start of the 2020-21 season, the university announced Monday.
The university cited “the ongoing pandemic surging locally in the state of Illinois and city of Chicago.”
If health and safety restrictions ease later in the season, DePaul will sell tickets on a single-game basis.
Read more here. —Shannon Ryan
10:43 a.m.: Chicago-area hospitals again restricting visitors amid latest COVID-19 surge
Some Chicago-area hospitals are again barring visitors, as the number of COVID-19 cases in Illinois continues to climb.
Advocate Aurora Health, which has 12 hospitals in Illinois, last week said that it would no longer allow visitors at most of its hospitals — except in certain cases, such as childbirth, emergency department visits, pediatric appointments, patients with disabilities and end-of-life patients.
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“This is a proactive measure to keep our patients and team members safe and to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” spokeswoman Johnna Kelly said in an email.
Read more here. —Lisa Schencker
9:50 a.m.: Pfizer says early data signals COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective; company on track for emergency use application
Pfizer said Monday that an early peek at the data on its coronavirus vaccine suggests the shots may be a robust 90% effective at preventing COVID-19, putting the company on track to apply later this month for emergency-use approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
The announcement, less than a week after a presidential election that was seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump’s handling of the crisis, was a rare and major piece of encouraging news lately in the battle against the scourge that has killed more than 1.2 million people worldwide, including almost a quarter-million in the U.S. alone.
Pharmaceutical companies and various countries are in a global race to develop a vaccine against the virus.
Read more here. —Associated Press
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7:40 a.m. Biden names COVID-19 task force, including former Chicago public health official
Dr. Julie Morita, a staff member of Chicago’s health department for 20 years who was city health commissioner from 2015 to 2019, was among those named to presumptive president-elect Joe Biden’s COVID-19 task force Monday.
Also named to the task force was former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s older brother, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, an oncologist and chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania.
Biden on Monday named the members of the team of public health and science experts to develop a blueprint for fighting the coronavirus.
The group includes doctors and scientists who have served in previous administrations, many of them experts in public health, vaccines and infectious diseases.
Notable among the members is Rick Bright, a vaccine expert and former head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. He had filed a whistleblower complaint alleging he was reassigned to a lesser job because he resisted political pressure to allow widespread use of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug pushed by President Donald Trump as a COVID-19 treatment.
Public health officials warn that the nation is entering the worst stretch yet for COVID-19 as winter sets in and the holiday season approaches, increasing the risk of rapid transmission as Americans travel, shop and celebrate with loved ones.
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Read more here. —Associated Press
6:55 a.m. Chicago’s Christmas tree to be delivered to Millennium Park
Chicago’s city Christmas tree was scheduled to arrive Monday morning at Millennium Park.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the city won’t be holding a tree-lighting ceremony. But the tree, donated by an 85-year-old retired Chicago teacher, will be decorated as usual. And the city will hold a number of online events related to the holidays and involving the tree.
The tree was scheduled to arrive in the park around 10 a.m. Monday.
—Chicago Tribune staff
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
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chicagotribune--2020-11-11--COVID-19 hospitalizations rising as 12,623 newly confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Illinois s

COVID-19 hospitalizations rising as 12,623 newly confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Illinois send total case count past 500,000

“ We have similar contingency plans to what we worked out in the spring .
The difference is we ’ @ @ @ @ @ them up , make sure that they ’ re the right way to do it @ @ @ @ @ it in an effective , relatively quick fashion , ” Pritzker said .

CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
A number of Illinois regions are nearing or surpassing the COVID-19 hospitalization rates experienced during this spring’s initial coronavirus surge, as Illinois on Tuesday set another daily record for newly confirmed and probable cases that sent the total count since the pandemic began soaring past half a million.
“Outside of Cook and the collar counties, much of Illinois' communities are experiencing the worst surge that they’ve seen yet,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at a coronavirus briefing Tuesday in Chicago.
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While Chicago and suburban Cook County “remain a fair distance behind their worst hospitalization peaks in the spring,” the suburban part of the county is showing “concerning trends,” Pritzker said.
The hospitalization issue is a national one, as The New York Times reported Tuesday that COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S. have hit an all-time high of 61,694.
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Illinois public health officials reported 12,623 new cases and 79 additional deaths, raising the case tally to 511,183 over the course of the pandemic and the death toll to 10,289.
As of Monday night, 4,742 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide. Of those patients, 911 were in intensive care units and 399 were on ventilators.
The seven-day average of COVID-19 hospitalizations has risen to 4,207, short of the spring peak of 4,822 but up significantly from the seven-day average as of Oct. 1, which was 1,579.
Hospitalizations are considered a key metric for tracking the spread of the virus because the daily case counts are strongly influenced by how many people get tested — a number that’s changed dramatically between the spring and fall surges.
Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike warned last week that a hospital bed issue was “brewing” and would continue to grow, as some hospitals have already slowed down elective surgery to preserve bed space.
[ Michigan added to Chicago’s revamped travel order — with new exceptions for travelers to avoid quarantine ]
Despite the rapid increase in hospitalizations, Pritzker said he had no immediate plans to order a halt to elective surgeries or reopen facilities that were converted this spring into field hospitals that wound up being largely unused.
“We have similar contingency plans to what we worked out in the spring. The difference is we’ve had months to shore them up, make sure that they’re the right way to do it, that we can do it in an effective, relatively quick fashion,” Pritzker said.
“So, it depends on how fast the numbers rise, and right now they’re rising at a linear rate, but they’re on the cusp of going exponential. It’s hard to tell when or if that would happen," he said.
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As of Tuesday, the seven-day average number of deaths of people with COVID-19 was 59, up from 41 on Nov. 1 and 29 a month earlier, on Oct. 10.
The state health department also reported that three residents of the Illinois Veterans' Home in LaSalle had died over the previous 24 hours. The facility, which has reported that 68 residents and 70 staff members have contracted COVID-19, and six residents have died, since the beginning of the pandemic, has put in place testing, isolation and sterilization efforts.
This spring saw COVID-19 outbreaks in congregate facilities such as nursing homes and correctional centers in Illinois and across the nation. Ezike on Tuesday called the situation in LaSalle a “significant outbreak."
“We’re deploying all of our available resources to support that, to quell that as quickly as possible, but there is unfortunately going to be some significant morbidity, and we’ll be hoping for the best for all of the individuals at that facility,” Ezike said.
Tuesday also marked the first day the state reported that more than 100,000 tests had been conducted. The new known cases reported Tuesday came out of a batch of 101,955 test results over the prior 24 hours.
The seven-day statewide rolling positivity rate for cases as a share of total tests was 12% for the period ending Monday, up from 8% on Nov. 1.
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jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-11--Former Kane County Sheriff’s sergeant charged with attempted criminal sexual assault

Between January 2018 and June 2020 , Russell H. Norris , 48 , of Montgomery , who was a supervisor @ @ @ @ @ accused of making unlawful physical contact with the four employees while they were working .
@ @ @ @ @ of a sexual nature , Kane County prosecutors allege .

A former Kane County Sheriff’s corrections sergeant has been charged with attempted criminal sexual assault, official misconduct and criminal sexual abuse after allegedly making unlawful physical contact with four employees while working at the county jail, officials said.
Russell H. Norris (Kane County States Attorney / HANDOUT)
Between January 2018 and June 2020, Russell H. Norris, 48, of Montgomery, who was a supervisor in the jail, is accused of making unlawful physical contact with the four employees while they were working. Some of the contact was of a sexual nature, Kane County prosecutors allege.
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Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain said an employee filed a complaint about Norris on July 4 and he was placed on administrative leave two days later. Norris resigned from the sheriff’s office on Aug. 3, officials said.
A Kane County judge signed a warrant for Norris' arrest on Nov. 6 and set his bail at $100,000. Norris surrendered Tuesday at the sheriff’s office, posted bond and was released. He was ordered not to have any contact with the four employees, court records show.
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Norris had worked for the sheriff’s office for 22 years and was promoted to sergeant in the Corrections Division in 2009.
He is due in court again on Dec. 8.
The Kane County Major Crimes Task Force conducted the investigation into the matter, according to a press release from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office.
mejones@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-11--Storms rip through Chicago area, with temperatures set to drop to 30s and 40s after record November

Storms rip through Chicago area, with temperatures set to drop to 30s and 40s after record November heat wave

There has never been so long a stretch of 70-plus-degree days so late in the year since the weather service @ @ @ @ @ city in 1871 , according to Todd Kluber , a meteorologist with the agency .
@ @ @ @ @ it warmed to 70 degrees at O ’ Hare International Airport , the city ’ @ @ @ @ @ , 2020 made that historic first .
Myriad other warm-weather records were set this week @

Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas, Jessica Villagomez

People on Belmont and Sheffield Ave. try to shield themselves from the rain as a cold front moves into Chicago on Nov. 10, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Severe storms and strong gusting winds ended the November heat wave Tuesday, but not before Chicago first set records for warmth.
Thunderstorms and winds of up to 70 mph began hitting the Chicago area around 4 p.m. amid a severe thunderstorm warning. The storms started to move into northwest Indiana by 7 p.m.
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That followed a tornado watch through 8 p.m. for the city and suburbs, as well as the rest of northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and parts of eastern Iowa, according to the National Weather Service.
A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin until 8 PM CST pic.twitter.com/13fIItspoX — NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) November 10, 2020
The storms lasted only an hour or two, but were intense.
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“The main area of concern for a higher tornado threat is roughly west of a Streator to Aurora to Woodstock line, while a damaging wind threat exists across much of the area,” the weather service said.
Before the storms rolled in, the Chicago area set a record at seven consecutive days at 70 degrees or higher.
Well before noon, the city also passed the record high of 71 degrees set on this date in 1949, according to the weather service. By midnight, temperatures were expected to drop to the 30s and 40s. The high Wednesday is forecast at a more typical 49.
There has never been so long a stretch of 70-plus-degree days so late in the year since the weather service began record keeping in the city in 1871, according to Todd Kluber, a meteorologist with the agency. At 10:12 a.m., when it warmed to 70 degrees at O’Hare International Airport, the city’s official weather recording site, 2020 made that historic first. Myriad other warm-weather records were set this week.
Among them, the weather service announced Tuesday, was a new record high minimum temperature. The previous record for Nov. 9 was 59 degrees in 1999, which was bested by this year’s daily low of 63 degrees. It also ties the record high minimum temperature for any November day, joining Nov. 6, 1924, and Nov. 7, 1975.
"Quite a potent cold front” brought the potential for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms as the front hits warm air, Kluber said.
Sustained south or southwest winds of 20 to 30 mph began, according to the weather service. Storms with gusts as strong as 70 mph hit west of Rockford around 3 p.m., according to the weather service.
The storms flipped over two box trucks into a ditch along U.S. Highway 20 just west of the village of Winnebago west of Rockford about 3:30 p.m., as numerous trees were downed in Winnebago County, hitting cars and damaging their windows, according to the weather service. Poplar Grove in Boone County suffered about 5 minutes of 70 mph winds, with pea-sized hail.
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A change arrives Tuesday especially the P.M. hours:
• Wind gusts to 40+ mph in the afternoon & evening - loose objects will blow; tents impacted 🌬
• Showers & storms, a few near to possibly severe, late afternoon/early eve ⛈
• Temps ⬇https://t.co/Lf9w8HcFBz #ILwx #INwx pic.twitter.com/glj0dcfIC8 — NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) November 10, 2020
Most of northern Illinois is expected to get varying amounts of rain from the storms, which won’t stay in any one place for long. The potential for tornadoes was low but included the northwest quadrant of the city.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-11-11--Rep. Lauren Underwood’s narrow lead over Republican challenger Jim Oberweis widens slightly, but mor

Rep. Lauren Underwood’s narrow lead over Republican challenger Jim Oberweis widens slightly, but more votes to be counted

The two candidates ' fortunes have been split among the types of ballots cast so far , with Underwood ’ @ @ @ @ @ counted and Oberweis faring better among those who voted in person on Election Day .
@ @ @ @ @ or less evenly divided .

Edward Gatson, second from left, a Democratic election judge and Ken Kosirog, third from left, a Republican election judge, look over and agree on each mail-in ballot being counted at the DuPage County clerk's office on Nov. 9, 2020, in Wheaton. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Rep. Lauren Underwood’s lead over Republican challenger Jim Oberweis grew slightly but remained razor-thin as counting continued in a race that will determine whether she will get a second term after flipping the sprawling, suburban 14th District for Democrats two years ago.
As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, the 34-year-old Democrat from Naperville had a 3,524-vote lead, according to unofficial results from The Associated Press. But bundles of mail-in and provisional ballots were still being counted.
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A spokeswoman for Oberweis, 74, a state senator and dairy magnate from Sugar Grove, said on Monday that a recount will be “almost inevitable.” Both candidates have expressed the belief they will win, with Oberweis claiming victory last week when he narrowly had the upper hand.
On Tuesday, Underwood spokeswoman Andra Belknap said, “Our statement remains the same: We’re confident that once the ballots are counted, congresswoman Underwood will be reelected.”
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The two candidates' fortunes have been split among the types of ballots cast so far, with Underwood’s advantage in vote-by-mail ballots counted and Oberweis faring better among those who voted in person on Election Day. The early-voting vote was more or less evenly divided.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 28 State Sen. Jim Oberweis, left, contests Rep. Lauren Underwood’s reelection in U.S. House. (Armando L. Sanchez and Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Election officials across the district continue to tabulate mail-in ballots, including those postmarked by Election Day but delivered after Nov. 3 and those deposited into drop boxes in the hours leading up to the polls closing.
Illinois election officials have until Nov. 17 to complete their count of vote-by-mail ballots. The Lake County clerk’s office provided a count update Tuesday, the final day for provisional voters to submit additional information to verify their registration. The office did not respond to questions about how many ballots were left to count.
The DuPage County’s clerk’s office also updated its totals Tuesday, with 2,193 mail-in ballots on hand that needed to be counted.
In McHenry County, there were 642 vote-by-mail ballots that had been returned but not yet counted and 1,211 uncounted provisional ballots as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the clerk’s office.
Will, Kendall and DeKalb counties have not released new vote counts since the hours after the election. Lake, DuPage, McHenry and Kane have updated their counts in the days since, with more votes still to be tabulated.
As of Tuesday morning, more than 107,000 mail-in ballots had yet to be returned in the seven counties that make up the 14th Congressional District, although not all of those voters are within the district’s borders.
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Underwood is attempting to keep the district in the Democrats' column two years after she defeated Republican incumbent Randy Hultgren, part of a suburban blue wave that helped Democrats take control of the U.S. House. Underwood became the youngest Black woman ever elected to Congress.
This year, Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump in every county with portions of territory within the 14th District, except for McHenry.
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-11--Legislators cancel fall session over pandemic as Pritzker calls for meeting with leaders to address

Legislators cancel fall session over pandemic as Pritzker calls for meeting with leaders to address $4 billion budget shortfall

Despite the looming budget problems , Harmon said in a statement Tuesday that it is “ not safe or responsible @ @ @ @ @ ” with COVID-19 surging in Springfield and around the state .
The decision also provides @ @ @ @ @ , who is facing questions about whether his support among House Democrats is eroding due @ @ @ @ @ investigation in which he ’ s been implicated but not charged , as well as @ @ @ @ @ voters rejecting the graduated tax .

Despite the surging coronavirus pandemic, the latest estimates from Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s budget office show Illinois is on track to bring in roughly $2.2 billion more revenue than was projected when the budget year started in July.
But the state still faces a huge hole in a budget that counted on an estimated $1.3 billion from the governor’s failed graduated-rate income tax proposal, and another $5 billion in federal COVID-19 relief aid that also was never a sure thing.
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Pritzker has called for a meeting with the top legislative leaders to begin crafting a plan to fill a nearly $4 billion budget after last week’s resounding defeat of the proposed graduated-rate income tax amendment. The governor made his request in a letter Monday, a day before House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President Don Harmon called off the scheduled six-day fall veto session, which was set to begin next Tuesday.
With Republicans potentially maintaining control of the U.S. Senate, depending on the outcome of two January runoffs in Georgia, Illinois and other states may not be able to depend on help from Washington to close the gaps the pandemic has created in their budgets.
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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during a daily news conference regarding the coronavirus pandemic and other issues on Nov. 4, 2020, at the Thompson Center in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
As it stands, Illinois' budget calls for spending $43.1 billion from the state’s general funds but only anticipates bringing in $39.2 billion in revenue, creating a shortfall of $3.9 billion, or about 9%.
Despite the looming budget problems, Harmon said in a statement Tuesday that it is “not safe or responsible to have a legislative session” with COVID-19 surging in Springfield and around the state. The decision also provides some political cover for Madigan, who is facing questions about whether his support among House Democrats is eroding due to an ongoing federal corruption investigation in which he’s been implicated but not charged, as well as over his perceived role in voters rejecting the graduated tax.
Along with the budget, another item left hanging by the cancellation of the fall session is a broad legislative agenda the Black Caucus is developing that aims to address systemic racism in areas ranging from criminal justice to workforce development and economic access.
Asked earlier Tuesday about the possibility that the fall legislative session would be canceled, Pritzker said the decision “would be disappointing.”
“We have so many things we need to accomplish," he said at his daily coronavirus briefing. “With regard to the budget in particular, we have major efforts underway that will require the legislature’s engagement."
In his letter to Madigan, Harmon and the Republican legislative leaders, Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington and Rep. Jim Durkin of Western Springs, Pritzker laid out the state’s financial challenges and wrote of the “need for maintaining vital state services that taxpayers expect.”
“The situation calls for us as elected leaders to come together and develop a set of solutions with the goal of bringing our budget into balance,” Pritzker wrote.
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Pritzker said the first order of business when leaders meet — which could happen without lawmakers being in session — will be “coming to an agreement on the size and scope of the deficit we face in the current fiscal year.”
Pritzker in September ordered the heads of state agencies under his authority to propose 5% budget cuts for the current year. The proposals were due Oct. 2, but the governor’s office denied an open-records request for the documents, citing an exemption for “preliminary drafts, notes, recommendations, memorandums and other records in which opinions are expressed, or policies or actions are formulated.”
Despite the pandemic, the state is on pace to bring in nearly $1.5 billion more in individual and corporate income tax revenue, and $364 million more in sales tax revenue than projected in July, according to the latest estimates from the Pritzker administration. Other smaller revenue streams are also up, leading to the $2.2 billion total.
In his letter to legislative leaders, the Democratic governor said his office is taking unspecified “proactive steps” to manage the budget, “including undertaking cost reductions and efficiencies with executive branch operations.” He also said he continues to lobby Congress for federal aid.
Pritzker said during one of his daily coronavirus briefings last week that solving the budget crisis would involve “painful” cuts, and pinned the blame on Republicans and the billionaire donors who backed efforts to defeat the proposed graduated income tax amendment.
The governor had long warned that failure of the graduated income tax proposal also could lead to a 1 percentage point increase in the flat-rate income tax of 4.95%, but it’s unclear how willing Democrats, who control both chambers of the legislature, will be to approve a tax increase without some GOP support.
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Republicans have criticized Pritzker and Democratic legislators for passing a budget that relied on uncertain federal aid to come into balance.
“The House Republican Caucus saw this coming back in the early days of the pandemic, but instead of heeding any warning, the majority Democratic Party decided to go it alone and depend on higher taxes and more reckless spending,” Durkin wrote in a letter to Pritzker on Tuesday.
“Passing a budget based on hypothetical revenue and false promises from a now-failed tax increase was unconstitutional and totally disingenuous to the citizens of our state who depend on government services," Durkin said.
Durkin urged Pritzker to use his authority to make unilateral cuts to bring the budget into balance. “I suggest you begin with the 6.5% cuts your office directed agencies to identify in 2019,” Durkin wrote.
Pritzker has said cuts alone will not be enough to address the state’s long-term structural deficits.
“Remember this: If you set aside federally protected programs, court-ordered obligations, and our bond and pension debt, we would have to reduce discretionary spending in our state by approximately 15%,” he said last week.
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dpetrella@chicagotribune.com
jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-11--Illinois General Assembly cancels fall session amid surging pandemic

“ We have so much work to do in Springfield , there ’ s no doubt , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ people are concerned about gathering .
I am discouraging gathering across the state , but @ @ @ @ @ be disappointing .
There are so many things we need to accomplish , with regard @ @ @ @ @ particular .
We have major efforts underway that will require the legislature ’ s engagement @ @

Proclaiming Springfield “unsafe for session,” Illinois legislative leaders on Tuesday canceled the fall veto session amid concerns about convening hundreds of lawmakers and staff in the capital city as the coronavirus again surges across the state.
Of particular concern were the rising number of coronavirus infections in the Springfield area and the potential for overwhelming the local health care system, Illinois Senate President Don Harmon said in a statement announcing the cancellation.
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“This is not the time to physically bring together hundreds of people from all around the state,” Harmon said. “Given what’s happening, it was an obvious decision. It’s not safe or responsible to have a legislative session under these circumstances.”
A “strong majority” of House Democrats preferred delaying session, “primarily motivated by concerns about the rising COVID-19 rates and proximity to upcoming holidays,” House Speaker Michael Madigan’s chief of staff, Jessica Basham, wrote in an email to lawmakers Tuesday afternoon.
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The pandemic also cut the General Assembly’s spring session drastically short.
Lawmakers were due to return to Springfield on Tuesday for the first day of a scheduled six-day fall veto session, but now it is unclear when they will again convene. The next General Assembly is due to be inaugurated Jan. 13.
Among the items left hanging by the cancellation of the fall session is a broad legislative agenda the Black Caucus is developing that aims to address systemic racism in areas ranging from criminal justice to workforce development and economic access.
Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford, the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus chairwoman, said in a statement the legislation will be ready when lawmakers return.
“While we will not be able to pass legislation as soon as we hoped, the urgency to bring an end to systemic racism remains,” Lightford said.
The fall session was scheduled for the three days in each of the weeks before and after Thanksgiving, and the cancellation avoids a potentially precarious situation as the state continues to see increasing COVID-19 deaths, hospitalizations and case counts.
But it’s unclear where Illinois will be in its ongoing struggle to control the new coronavirus come January.
Legislative leaders “will continue to monitor the situation, consult medical experts and do intend to schedule additional session days so we can finish our important work,” Madigan said in a statement.
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Also on hold is a package of ethics law changes born out of a wide-ranging federal corruption investigation, which also is expected to be one of the major pieces of legislation during this year’s spring session.
Madigan has been caught up in the investigation, with Commonwealth Edison admitting to a “yearslong bribery scheme” involving Madigan allies that was aimed at currying favor with the powerful and long-serving Democratic lawmaker.
A handful of House Democrats have said they won’t support Madigan for another term as speaker, part of a growing chorus of Democrats who have called for him to step aside.
Madigan has denied wrongdoing and said he had no plans to step aside in a statement issued after Gov. J.B. Pritzker said last week he should no longer be leading the state Democratic Party.
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The cancellation of the fall session comes a week after Pritzker’s graduated-rate income tax plan was defeated at the polls, which coupled with pandemic-driven instability means the state is facing an increasingly daunting financial dilemma.
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Before the session cancellation was official, Pritzker said at a news conference Tuesday it would be “disappointing” if lawmakers didn’t return to Springfield for the fall session.
“We have so much work to do in Springfield, there’s no doubt,” he said. “I know why people are concerned about gathering. I am discouraging gathering across the state, but I must say it would be disappointing. There are so many things we need to accomplish, with regard to the budget, in particular. We have major efforts underway that will require the legislature’s engagement.”
Not all legislators were on board with the cancellation.
“There’s a lot of frustration that we haven’t been down in Springfield,” state Rep. Mark Batinick of Plainfield, the House Republican floor leader, said Tuesday before the announcement was made. “Other states have found a way to operate. Congress has found a way to operate during COVID, and we need to be part of the process."
Republican Rep. Avery Bourne of Morrisonville said the decision to cancel would show that Madigan “doesn’t want to get his caucus together because he has such an issue with not being able to have the confidence of his own caucus.”
When Illinois was in the grip of the initial COVID-19 surge in the spring, the General Assembly canceled weeks of scheduled session, returning only for a four-day pandemic-driven special session in May to pass a $43 billion state budget and an enhanced vote-by-mail program for the November election.
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The state Senate met in its chamber at the Capitol for that abbreviated session, with limits on the number of lawmakers and staff permitted on the floor at any given time. The House met at the Bank of Springfield Convention Center to allow for more space between lawmakers.
jmunks@chicagotribune.com
dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-11--Michigan added to Chicago’s revamped travel order — with new exceptions for travelers to avoid quara

Michigan added to Chicago’s revamped travel order — with new exceptions for travelers to avoid quarantine

The following update to the Chicago travel order will be next week , and then after that it will be @ @ @ @ @ of weekly .
Lightfoot had initially implemented the self-quarantine requirement during the Fourth of July @ @ @ @ @ is generally not being enforced aside from signs and billboards telling people that they must @ @ @ @ @ to fines of $ 100 to $ 500 per day , up to $ 7,000 @

Dick DeGray, of Brattleboro, Vt., puts on his mask before going into the Municipal Building, in Brattleboro, as the town started to require visitors and staff to put their masks back on Aug. 11, 2021, due to COVID-19 virus numbers increasing in Windham County. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer)
Four months after the city rolled out a mandatory travel quarantine order, officials revamped it Tuesday to a color-coded tiered list in an acknowledgment that most states it wants to restrict movement from are faring the same or better than Chicago in terms of coronavirus rates.
The new travel quarantine system that goes into effect Friday in Chicago also will impose mitigation steps for travelers returning from Michigan, making it the final Midwestern state added to the order as the region grapples with a grueling autumn wave of the virus. Though the fines for someone caught violating the quarantine order are potentially hefty, officials have not announced rigorous enforcement measures to ensure travelers abide by the mandatory two-week quarantine rule.
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Up until this week, any state averaging an infection rate higher than 15 daily cases per 100,000 residents over a seven-day period was added to the city’s list. That sometimes meant that travelers coming from a state with lower infection rates than Chicago would still have to quarantine for 14 days.
Starting Friday, however, the city’s mandatory quarantine list will be divided into three tiers — red, orange and yellow — to match the level of outbreak. In the red zone, travelers from states above Chicago’s number of daily cases per 100,000 residents, which is now 60, must still quarantine for 14 days.
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For orange states, which will be designated as those reporting above the 15 daily cases per 100,000 residents but below Chicago’s own rolling seven-day average, travelers can either quarantine for two weeks or test negative no more than 72 hours before arriving in the city.
A city spokesman said Tuesday there are no plans to add checkpoints at airports or other passages into the city to crack down on travelers’ statuses. People should still hold on to their negative test results, however, as residents who become part of a COVID-19 case investigation may have to present that record to prove they had followed the rules, the spokesman said.
For yellow states, or those below the 15 daily cases per 100,000 residents threshold, there are no restrictions beyond the usual masking and social distancing requirements.
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While including Michigan in the quarantine order for the first time, the city added 11 other states along with it to the “orange” category. The map that goes into effect Friday will have:
12 red states: Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming
31 orange states and Puerto Rico: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia
6 yellow states: California, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont.
The new system comes as city officials have run up against a second surge of the virus, along with fears of increased travel as the holidays loom. During a Tuesday news conference, public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady evoked the same firm tone she had since the start of fall, when the city began losing ground it gained in curbing the spread of the virus, and urged residents to even avoid the yellow states.
“Remember, the goal of this travel order is to protect Chicago,” Arwady said. “When you are traveling to a place that has an outbreak significantly worse than what we are seeing here, you are at increased risk of bringing COVID back.”
In the city, the rolling seven-day positivity rate is averaging about 13%, according to Sunday figures. That’s a jump from last week’s 10% as positive cases spike at a higher rate than the rise in tests performed.
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Statewide, Illinois also surpassed 500,000 total COVID-19 infections Tuesday as state health officials announced 12,623 new confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus and 79 additional fatalities. The total number of known infections in Illinois now stands at 511,183 and the statewide death toll is 10,289.
The steady increase means state and city officials are not just clamping down on travel. On Monday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker alluded to returning to a stay-at-home order and Mayor Lori Lightfoot said more restrictions could arrive in Chicago, though she hinted she did not want to shut down the whole city again.
“We’ve got to use a surgeon’s knife and not a blunt ax. In thinking about the next steps, that is really the mindset that we are taking,” Lightfoot said.
Arwady did not elaborate on upcoming plans on Tuesday besides saying the city would look at ZIP codes and census tracts to determine testing plans and “very specific” outreach.
The following update to the Chicago travel order will be next week, and then after that it will be revised every two weeks instead of weekly. Lightfoot had initially implemented the self-quarantine requirement during the Fourth of July weekend, but the order is generally not being enforced aside from signs and billboards telling people that they must self-quarantine. Violators are subject to fines of $100 to $500 per day, up to $7,000.
Exceptions to the self-quarantine order include essential workers, those traveling for medical treatment and those who are at the airport for a connecting flight or are driving through the city on their way elsewhere. People who commute across the Wisconsin and Indiana state lines to or from Chicago to work or go to school will be exempt from the quarantine rule.
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Arwady said at the time the list was intended to educate residents about travel risks, but on Tuesday she mentioned the limits of her job as the city’s top doctor.
“I don’t have all the answers in terms of how to convince people to change their behaviors,” Arwady said after expounding on how the city seemingly grew more lax about stopping coronavirus spread since the spring. “It’s the oldest problem in public health. But in this particular setting, it’s got a very immediate need.”
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-11--Marni Yang’s attorney seeks new probe into murder of ex-Bear Shaun Gayle’s girlfriend, questioning f

Marni Yang’s attorney seeks new probe into murder of ex-Bear Shaun Gayle’s girlfriend, questioning former player’s alibi

At the news conference , private investigator Steve LaPino said Gayle told police he had been sleeping the morning of @ @ @ @ @ 9 or 9:15 a.m. , but that his first documented activity was a text message @ @ @ @ @ 8:50 a.m. After that , he made various phone calls until he showed up at @ @ @ @ @ was informed that Reuter had been killed , LaPino said .

Marni Yang stands in the library at Logan Correctional Center, Feb. 25, 2020 in Lincoln. Prosecutors said she committed the crime out of jealousy and admitted her involvement. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
The attorney for Marni Yang, the woman convicted nine years ago of murdering the pregnant girlfriend of former Chicago Bear Shaun Gayle, has asked a judge to reopen the investigation, saying Gayle’s alibi on the morning of the murder doesn’t hold up.
Jed Stone filed a motion in Lake County Circuit Court on Monday pointing to the grand jury testimony of a detective who said Gayle had been at a North Chicago barbershop between 8:30 and 9 a.m. on Oct. 4, 2007, the day Rhoni Reuter was shot to death just before 8 a.m. in her Deerfield condominium.
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In fact, Stone said, surveillance video of the parking lot shows Gayle entering at 10:32 a.m.
“The alibi (prosecutors) created for Shaun Gayle has fallen apart,” Stone said at a news conference Tuesday. “That and other evidence belies the alibi of Shaun Gayle. And so ... we filed a motion asking that the murder investigation of Rhoni Reuter be reopened. We believe due process requires that the state look again at who the murderer was in this case.”
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Authorities viewed Gayle, who played safety for the Bears during their 1985 Super Bowl season, as a suspect early in the investigation but ruled him out within days. Yang, who was also romantically involved with Gayle, was convicted of Reuter’s murder after making a covertly recorded admission of guilt to a friend — an admission she now says was false, intended to draw police attention away from her son.
At the news conference, private investigator Steve LaPino said Gayle told police he had been sleeping the morning of Reuter’s murder until 9 or 9:15 a.m., but that his first documented activity was a text message he sent to Reuter at 8:50 a.m. After that, he made various phone calls until he showed up at the barbershop, where he was informed that Reuter had been killed, LaPino said.
Stone said the inconsistencies in Gayle’s accounts draw his credibility into question.
Gayle, who now provides NFL commentary for Sky Sports in England, could not be reached for comment. A spokesman for Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim, whose office has sought to dismiss Yang’s petition for a new trial, declined to comment, but in an earlier filing Nerheim discounted the attack on Gayle’s alibi, saying it was old news the court had examined and rejected.
“It is clear the defendant continues to rehash these salacious claims regarding Shaun Gayle for their sensationalism value in an effort to deflect from her own clear guilt,” he wrote.
In another motion filed Monday, Stone asked the judge to order prosecutors to hand over various evidence, including information that would allow Yang’s defense team to play wiretapped conversations they say would prove her innocence. Yang says she told her father in a recorded phone call that she planned to lie about her involvement in Reuter’s murder to get the heat off her son.
“We need to find that conversation,” Stone said. “We’ve obtained the wiretap tapes, but because of the complexity of the equipment used by the state in this wiretap, our experts cannot play those tapes. Disclosing a tape to the defense without the ability to play it is like not disclosing it at all.”
Yang’s next court date is set for Jan. 12.
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jkeilman@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @JohnKeilman