chicagotribune--2020-07-30--‘Everything happened so quickly’: COVID-19 patients who were first in U.S. to undergo double lung tr

‘Everything happened so quickly’: COVID-19 patients who were first in U.S. to undergo double lung transplants at Northwestern share their stories

“ I was told to hurry up ( and ) change , ” she said .
“ I was asked @ @ @ @ @ medical decisions for me .
That ’ s when I told them it would be @ @ @ @ @ who all live in North Carolina .
I only had a couple minutes to contact @ @ @ @ @ what was going on before I was intubated .
”

Brian Kuhns, of Lake Zurich, is introduced as one of two double lung transplant patients at a July 30 news conference at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Mayra Ramirez’s family hadn’t talked to her in weeks.
The 28-year-old was at Northwestern Memorial Hospital on a ventilator with a severe case of COVID-19. She wasn’t allowed visitors. Doctors would call her mother in North Carolina with updates.
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Then, one day, her family was told to head to Northwestern as quickly as possible.
“They were told to come, that I wasn’t going to make it past the night, so they took the first flight out of Wilmington, N.C.,” Ramirez said. “They made the trek just with the intention of saying goodbye.”
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Mayra Ramirez, 28, of Chicago, who received the first double lung transplant at Northwestern Memorial Hospital on June 5, speaks at a news conference at the hospital in Chicago on July 30, 2020. Mayra's mother, Nohemi Romero, is at left. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
By the time Ramirez’s family arrived, doctors had stabilized her. But they asked her mother to make a decision: Would she allow Ramirez to become the first COVID-19 patient in the country to undergo a double lung transplant?
Her mother, Nohemi Romero, said yes.
In June, Ramirez became the first COVID-19 patient in the U.S. to undergo a double lung transplant after her lungs were severely damaged by the disease. Ramirez and Brian Kuhns — a Lake Zurich man who was the second COVID-19 patient to receive a double lung transplant — spoke publicly about their experiences for the first time at a news conference at Northwestern on Thursday.
Doctors have called that first surgery a “milestone” in care for patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Such transplants aren’t right for every critically ill COVID-19 patient, but can be a lifeline for some, said Dr. Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery and surgical director of the Northwestern Medicine Lung Transplant Program. Transplants can be performed on patients who’ve eliminated the virus and have no other significant organ failure, said Dr. Rafael Garza Castillon, a thoracic surgeon.
Northwestern is now considering performing the procedure on other patients, Castillon said, though he said he could not provide further details.
“We are all learning together and sharing best practices, and now lung transplant is part of COVID-19 care,” Bharat said.
Ramirez, who is now at home, said she’s feeling much better, though she’s still working to rebuild her strength and endurance. She still feels fatigued doing everyday tasks.
Before she fell ill, she said, she was an independent, active person. She moved to Chicago in 2014, after growing up in a small, rural town in North Carolina, to work as a paralegal. She had an autoimmune condition but was otherwise healthy.
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She loved spending time with her two dogs. She admitted to eating junk food on occasion, but exercised. Shortly before becoming ill, she went on a 3-mile run.
When Gov. J.B. Pritzker implemented the stay-at-home order in March, she started working from home.
But soon, she started to feel sick. She lost her senses of taste and smell, felt dizzy and had headaches. One day, she fainted, and decided it was time to go to the emergency room.
When she arrived, “Everything happened so quickly,” she said.
“I was told to hurry up (and) change,” she said. “I was asked who would be making my medical decisions for me. That’s when I told them it would be my mother and eldest sister who all live in North Carolina. I only had a couple minutes to contact them to let them know what was going on before I was intubated.”
Ultimately, she spent six weeks in intensive care at Northwestern. She underwent the lung transplant on June 5. She didn’t wake up until mid-June.
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She didn’t know at first that she had undergone a lung transplant.
“I looked at myself and couldn’t recognize my body,” she said. “I didn’t have the cognitive ability to process what was going on. All I knew was that I wanted water.”
It wasn’t until weeks after the transplant that she realized: “There’s a family out there that’s grieving their loved one. I have that person’s lungs.”
Now, as she continues to recover, Ramirez is grateful for the care she received and the opportunity she was given.
She said she doesn’t feel special, but “I think that I definitely have a purpose, and if that purpose is simply telling my story to raise awareness for people to stay safe and take this condition seriously and for centers to understand that lung transplants for terminally ill COVID patients is an option, then I’m fine with that.”
Kuhns, 62, is also recovering. The husband, father and grandfather sought medical care in March after experiencing stomach pain and severe headaches. He didn’t think COVID-19 was a serious threat, so he had continued living his life normally despite the illness’ spread.
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“I was perfectly healthy,” Kuhns said. “This thing took me down hard.”
He received his transplant July 5.
“We finally got some hope,” said Kuhns’ wife, Nancy.
She said she’s been overwhelmed with all the support the family has received, and has advice for those who also think COVID-19 is not a big deal.
“Stay safe and listen to what they’re telling you about washing, masks and everything,” Nancy Kuhns said. “It’s not a joke whatsoever. It’s not a hoax.”


chicagotribune--2020-07-30--Domestic violence case against R. Kelly girlfriend is dropped

Kelly is in federal custody awaiting trial on federal racketeering charges in New York as well as a separate indictment @ @ @ @ @ Chicago alleging the singer conspired with two former employees to rig his 2008 child pornography @ @ @ @ @ paying off witnesses and victims to change their stories .
He has made repeated , @ @ @ @ @ from custody due to COVID-19 risks .

Azriel Clary, left, and Joycelyn Savage, R. Kelly girlfriends at the time, leave following Kelly's hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court building on Sept. 17, 2019. Clary made a public split with Kelly. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Cook County prosecutors have dropped a domestic battery case against a woman previously identified as a girlfriend of R. Kelly after her accuser, another woman Kelly dated, declined to cooperate with them.
Joycelyn Savage, 25, was accused of hitting and kicking Azriel Clary in a January attack at Kelly’s Trump Tower condo that was caught on Instagram Live.
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Savage was charged with misdemeanor battery and spent the night in police lockup before being released on her own recognizance.
In the months since, Clary has repeatedly told prosecutors she does not want to proceed with the case, according to Tandra Simonton, a spokeswoman for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office. The office moved to drop charges earlier this month.
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It is not uncommon for domestic battery cases to end in a similar manner when the victim decides not to cooperate.
Clary has reportedly made posts on social media speaking warmly of Savage and recalling fond memories of their time together, though they apparently remain separated after Clary made a public split with Kelly.
Last year, both women disputed allegations that the R&B superstar had been holding them against their will and brainwashing them. Kelly is facing more than a dozen sex-crime charges filed in two federal courts and two state courts.
The Jan. 8 confrontation between the two women began shortly after 2 p.m. at Kelly’s condo in Trump Tower in the 400 block of North Wabash Avenue.
In one video purporting to show the attack, Clary can be seen inside the condo surrounded by boxes, apparently packing up to move. She appears to be yelling at Savage, who stands outside the doorway.
“The skeletons is coming out, period,” Clary says. “You know what? Rob has been lying to all of y’all, and that’s the sad part about it. … And he had people like me lying for him.”
Savage began striking Clary, according to police and prosecutors, and then fled. Clary was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in good condition.
Kelly is in federal custody awaiting trial on federal racketeering charges in New York as well as a separate indictment brought by federal prosecutors in Chicago alleging the singer conspired with two former employees to rig his 2008 child pornography trial in Cook County by paying off witnesses and victims to change their stories. He has made repeated, unsuccessful attempts to be released from custody due to COVID-19 risks.
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In addition, Kelly, 53, was charged in Cook County criminal court in February 2019 with four separate indictments accusing him of sexual misconduct over more than a decade. Three of those alleged victims were underage at the time.
If convicted in all jurisdictions, the embattled singer, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, could face the rest of his life in prison.
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-30--Illinois’ new COVID-19 plan: How the state will manage any outbreaks, in 3 charts

The plan also includes mitigation steps unique to different categories , like restaurants and bars , offices or salons , @ @ @ @ @ specifically respond to a type of outbreak in a specific part of the state .
@ @ @ @ @ s plan here .

Jemal R. Brinson, Nausheen Husain, Jonathon Berlin

Amid an uptick of COVID-19 cases over the past month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker laid out a new approach to managing any resurgence across the state.
The new approach is more surgical, dividing the state into 11 regions — Illinois’ existing Emergency Medical Services regions — and tightening the metrics officials will watch to determine if any action is warranted.
The plan also includes mitigation steps unique to different categories, like restaurants and bars, offices or salons, that could be used to specifically respond to a type of outbreak in a specific part of the state. Read more on Pritzker’s plan here.
Check our tracker for daily metrics for each region.
Here is a breakdown of the plan.


chicagotribune--2020-07-30--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-07-30--Cook County Board passes symbolic resolution to shift money from police, jails in wake of ‘defund’ m

Cook County Board passes symbolic resolution to shift money from police, jails in wake of ‘defund’ movements

“ What I am most impressed by is the leadership on this board that has made a commitment that we @ @ @ @ @ down a pathway of massive incarceration , ” Johnson said during Thursday ’ s meeting @ @ @ @ @ for an unanimous vote on how to move our county in a direction to make @ @ @ @ @ lives , and building them and not building institutions that break Black people in particular @ @

The Cook County Board of Commissioners overwhelmingly passed a symbolic resolution Thursday that supports diverting money from policing in the wake of nationwide protests demanding police budgets be defunded.
The Justice for Black Lives resolution says in order to mitigate harm from law enforcement that “historically increased unaccountable violence inflicted on Black and Brown communities,” the county should “redirect funds from policing and incarceration to public services not administered by law enforcement that promote community health and safety equitably.”
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Fifteen out of the 17 commissioners signed onto the resolution introduced by Commissioner Brandon Johnson, D-Chicago, with one commissioner voting no and another voting present.
The legislation is nonbinding but could guide deliberations on the upcoming 2021 budget as thousands have taken to Chicago’s streets this summer to rally and march for shifting money from police and jail budgets and reallocating it to social services.
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They join movements across America to reimagine law enforcement in response to the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died after gasping “I can’t breathe” as a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck.
“What I am most impressed by is the leadership on this board that has made a commitment that we are not going to continue down a pathway of massive incarceration,” Johnson said during Thursday’s meeting. “I am hoping for an unanimous vote on how to move our county in a direction to make sure that we are prioritizing lives, and building them and not building institutions that break Black people in particular.”
The resolution does not specify how much money should be redirected, and the county board does not have control over police departments in municipalities including Chicago, the largest U.S. city that hasn’t promised to move funds away from its policing budget.
But the board does decide the budgets of the courts system and Cook County sheriff’s office, which includes Cook County Jail — another target that Chicago activists have sought to defund.
Neither Mayor Lori Lightfoot nor Gov. J.B. Pritzker have backed the defunding police movement, but Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle on Thursday reiterated her support for reducing law enforcement funding.
“I’m for reducing and redirecting our investment in law enforcement,” Preckwinkle told reporters after the board meeting. “Systemic racism continues to plague our communities. We’re overpoliced, and there’s a disproportionate number of Black deaths at the hands of the police.”
The sole no vote came from Commissioner Sean Morrison, R-Palos Park. He said he was against the resolution because of its “bombastic” language to “castigate” law enforcement, and noted the Chicago police officers shot earlier in the morning.
Commissioner Frank Aguilar, D-Cicero, reversed course from his support during Monday’s criminal justice committee meeting and voted present because he felt “very uncomfortable” with defunding and that it would be “very dangerous.”
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Johnson told his two colleagues they were more offended by his resolution’s language than by the struggles of Black people.
“We are tired of being policed and surveilled,” Johnson said. “That’s a failed system. And I will reject that system to the day that I die.”
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart has responded to calls to defund his office by saying he has sought to increase services such as mental health, but further budget slashes would strain those resources.
“People are looking for change. The defunding part of it, I can’t for the life of me think of how that makes any sense,” Dart said Wednesday during a virtual City Club of Chicago speech. “The defund folks, they’re misplaced because I always said, ‘OK, well then what’s your solution? What are you going to do once you defund the police?’ ”
The sheriff’s office already faces a potential $90 million cut to meet a 2021 budget target, tugging it down to $545 million, after county budget officials recalibrated fiscal goals to account for projected shortfalls spurred by the coronavirus pandemic. During a finance committee meeting last week, Dart said he anticipates another 300 personnel cuts to meet the $90 million goal, which he said is “very difficult.”
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 sheriff’s office, which in addition to running Cook County Jail polices unincorporated Cook County and fills in for cash-strapped suburban agencies.
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Since Dart became 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. However, Dart said he has actually reduced staff by about 800, mostly by cutting the number of deputies and correctional officers, and his office attributed the budget increase to employee benefits being shifted to his finances.
Preckwinkle said the resolution comes at the right time.
“This resolution is set upon a backdrop of national and local protests,” Preckwinkle said. “While these conversations are long overdue, they could not happen during a more pressing moment for our nation.”
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-30--Illinois coronavirus graphs: 7,478 deaths, 176,896 confirmed cases and 2.65 million tests

• How are Illinois regions doing ?
Check our daily charts on where each region stands on positivity rate and @ @ @ @ @ .

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


chicagotribune--2020-07-30--Chicago police shooting leaves 3 officers, suspect injured

Former Vice President Joe Biden , the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for the 2020 presidential election , now has to @ @ @ @ @ Odds to be Biden 's vice presidental candidate , according to Bovada , are listed @ @ @ @ @ politician 's photo .

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 11 Chicago police investigate the scene where three police officers and a suspect were injured in an exchange of gunfire July 30, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Three Chicago police officers and a suspect were wounded in an exchange of gunfire at a Northwest Side police station while the suspect was in custody and being transported Thursday morning.


chicagotribune--2020-07-30--Electric scooters return to Chicago on Aug. 12  for 2nd year of pilot program

Riders will be required to use locking mechanisms on scooters to secure them to fixed objects — such as bike @ @ @ @ @ at the end of trips .
The lock mandate is aimed at reducing clutter on @ @ @ @ @ who have visual impairments or disabilities who need clear pathways , one of several problems @ @ @ @ @ .

A woman on a electric scooter joins a pack of bicyclists as they zoom past Milwaukee Avenue near Ashland in Chicago during the morning rush hour, Aug. 13, 2019, (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The next round of the electric scooter pilot program is slated to launch Aug. 12 in Chicago, including 10,000 scooters from Bird, Lime and Spin, according to city and company officials.
The program, which follows one last year involving 10 companies, allows vendors to station scooters everywhere except the lakefront, the central business district and The 606 trail. The scooters can be ridden from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day at speeds up to 15 mph. People cannot ride the scooters on sidewalks.
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Riders will be required to use locking mechanisms on scooters to secure them to fixed objects — such as bike racks or street signs — at the end of trips. The lock mandate is aimed at reducing clutter on sidewalks, especially for people who have visual impairments or disabilities who need clear pathways, one of several problems reported with the initial pilot.
“We have designed a new pilot program that expands on what we learned during last year’s pilot and will test the viability of scooters as a mobility option across Chicago’s neighborhoods this year,” said city Transportation Commissioner Gia Biagi, in a release. “Particularly during this public health crisis, it’s important that CDOT continues to pilot additional and innovative options for Chicagoans to get around.”
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About 43% of the pilot area will be areas “where residents face systemic disadvantages following generations of underinvestment and inequitable access to transportation and other resources,” according to the release. Vendors must put at least 50% of their scooters in these areas, and city officials said they will check for compliance twice each day.
“It’s great to be back in Chicago,” LeAaron Foley, government relations director for Lime in Chicago, said in a release. “Lime scooters will fill transportation gaps in many neighborhoods on the South and West sides — connecting residents to more opportunities while serving as a valuable part of the city’s transportation network.”
Lime said essential workers, including health care workers and first responders, will receive free 30-minute rides. All other riders in priority areas on the South and West sides will get 50% discounts on rides, and there is no enrollment required. Prices for scooters are set by vendors, but last year, most could be rented for $1 plus 15 cents a minute.
This year’s pilot has four times as many scooters as last year’s, which included 2,500 scooters on the North, South and West sides. The city gave permits to 10 vendors last year, but this year is allowing three companies to distribute 3,333 scooters each.
“Chicago residents previously demonstrated significant enthusiasm and support for micromobility,” said Maurice Henderson, director of government partnerships for Bird. “We anticipate that adoption of transportation alternatives such as e-scooters will increase during a time when traditional transportation options are strained or not as readily available to them.” In a news release, the city said the chosen vendors showed an “ability to meet Chicago’s strict operational, safety and equity guidelines.”
In 2019, riders took about 7,000 trips a day on the scooters. But the popularity of the scooters led to nearly 200 related emergency room visits.
The last pilot ended up with scooters scattered across the city, parked on sidewalks and in areas not designated for the devices. Some residents complained of scooters being left in doorways. WBBM-Ch. 2 reported scooters floating in the Chicago River.
The Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection gave 39 citations to nine of last year’s companies, with Lyft excluded, according to a news release. The reasons for citations included failing to respond to complaints within a couple hours and failure to have a working front light, among others.
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“Vendors will be held to the highest standards of accountability in how effectively they manage impacts on the public right of way and how they promote the safety of both scooter riders and other people who are in the right of way,” Rosa Escareno, the business affairs commissioner, said in Thursday’s release.
This year’s vendors will be required to provide educational materials online. They will work with safety ambassadors and police to put on educational events, and they are recommended to give away helmets. New riders will complete safety quizzes on phone apps used to rent the scooters.
The city gathered feedback from residents about last year’s pilot to create its updated rules. This year’s pilot is part of the business and consumer affairs department’s two-year emerging business permit, which can be extended if city officials receive favorable data and feedback about the pilot.
sczyzon@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-30--Will Chicago teachers strike — again — if CPS schools reopen this fall? Union officials remain mum s

Will Chicago teachers strike — again — if CPS schools reopen this fall? Union officials remain mum so far.

“ It ’ s been very difficult communicating with Chicago Public Schools and not having the fullness of their plan @ @ @ @ @ .
“ This is just the beginning .
We are encouraged by parent voices , @ @ @ @ @ take it one step further .
We believe we should have open bargaining , that @ @ @ @ @ be at the table too .
”

The Chicago Teachers Union continues to loudly oppose the Chicago Public Schools preliminary proposal to reopen for in-person learning this fall. Having gone on strike for 11 days last fall, will teachers walk off their jobs again if their demands for remote learning are not met?
Thus far, CTU leaders are evading the question, even as their statewide affiliate, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, announced Wednesday that “health and safety strikes” are on the table if teachers deem COVID-19 protections inadequate.
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When asked Wednesday if CTU is open to striking if CPS continues to push forward with reopening, CTU President Jesse Sharkey did not give a direct answer. Instead, he said: “Our own rank-and-file members deserve and demand protections — including the right to teach without putting our lives or the lives of our students and their families on the line.”
However, in response to what it would take to initiate the process to strike or take CPS to court, Sharkey said: “The tipping point is the continuing threat to the safety of our students, families and educators who serve them — and right now the mayor’s ‘hybrid’ plan simply lacks the essential guarantees or details to ensure the safety of students, families and educators this fall.”
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The IFT and the state’s other large umbrella teachers union, the Illinois Education Association, jointly announced Wednesday they will resort to any means necessary — including “health and safety strikes” — if teachers determine that protocols to control the spread of the coronavirus are lacking.
CPS has proposed a hybrid plan for when schools starts after Labor Day, in which most students would attend in-person classes two days a week, with all-remote options for families who want them. The plan has gotten mixed reviews from parents.
CPS officials have repeatedly emphasized they will not reopen schools in the fall if public health officials do not believe it is safe to do so. A CPS spokesperson defended the hybrid model as one “which accounts for a variety of public health scenarios and allows the district to quickly switch to a remote model if needed.”
“The district meets with the CTU on a regular basis and we are committed to ensuring the strongest possible plan for students, parents, and staff is in place for the fall,” said the CPS spokesperson. He said the proposal is in alignment with the Illinois State Board of Education’s guidance, “which strongly recommends schools provide in-person learning opportunities.”
Like Sharkey, CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates also was vague when asked earlier this month if strikes are on the table after the CPS proposal was first revealed.
“CTU is considering how to keep all stakeholders in our school community safe, and we are going to be dogmatic about that,” she said.
Davis Gates said the July 17 announcement was the first plan CTU had seen from the district.
“It’s been very difficult communicating with Chicago Public Schools and not having the fullness of their plan,” Davis Gates said. “This is just the beginning. We are encouraged by parent voices, but we would like to take it one step further. We believe we should have open bargaining, that parents and the community should be at the table too.”
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“This is their starting point, we’ve been clear about what our starting point is,” she continued.
Dan Montgomery, president of the IFT, said this week: “it’s hard for me to look at (the CPS plan) and the city, all the structural things happening, and think that the responsible thing is to bring all kids back into buildings.” The CTU spokesperson said the union is working closely with the IFT and other labor partners.
However, any plans to strike might not be popular with all students, some already frustrated by 11 days of missed education from strikes in the fall and the difficult transition to remote learning due to the coronavirus in the spring. This includes Lindsey Williams, a rising senior at Kenwood Academy High School, who, when interviewed earlier this month, said she was upset that high school juniors and seniors would have virtually all-remote learning under the current CPS plan.
Williams said CTU strikes last fall disrupted her plans to take the PSAT standardized test while the coronavirus forced the cancellation of her SAT.
“The college preparations process was really canceled for us,” she said.
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CTU has repeatedly compared the mayor’s approach toward schools versus toward businesses. Davis Gates accused Mayor Lori Lightfoot of catering to business interests more than the safety of school communities in the city’s push to reopen schools.
“Corporations and businesses are wanting to push parents back into the work site. It doesn’t matter to them that our students will be placed in schools that are not prepared to receive them. What the mayor has to do is tell the business community to put families first,” Davis Gates said.
Meanwhile, Sharkey compared regulations for businesses with guidelines for schools reopening.
“The mayor’s COVID rules for businesses are currently more stringent than for schools, which makes no sense,” Sharkey said. “The mayor has moved to close businesses like bars to in-person service but is insisting on opening our public schools to hundreds of thousands of students, educators and support staff."


chicagotribune--2020-07-30--‘Lawlessness in Chicago continues,’ says Ald. Raymond Lopez after his Brighton Park office vandalize

‘Lawlessness in Chicago continues,’ says Ald. Raymond Lopez after his Brighton Park office vandalized for 2nd time in month

Although he declined to name the gang , Lopez said he believes those responsible are the same people who threatened @ @ @ @ @ he said “ no innocent lives were lost here , ” after a shooting that @ @ @ @ @ police said had gang affiliations and then two others were killed when two masked gunmen @ @ @ @ @ on a group congregating at Cordova ’ s makeshift memorial .

For the second time in a month, Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, said his office again was vandalized early Thursday. His home also was vandalized this month and he says the three attacks against him are the work of a gang trying to intimidate him.
Officers found at least one brick outside his office, 2736 W. 47th St. on the Southwest Side, where glass had been shattered. Bricks also were used on July 9 when his home was vandalized in what he called “gang intimidation,” and again on July 20 when his office windows were broken with bricks.
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About 4:50 a.m. Chicago police officers were called to Lopez’s Brighton Park office on West 47th Street to investigate a report of criminal damage to property, according to Kellie Bartoli, a police spokeswoman.
“Officers observed damage including two broken windows and a front door with shattered glass but not broken through. A brick was also found at the scene,” she said in an email.
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Authorities said nothing was taken from the office and no injuries were reported.
When the Tribune reported the damage to his home and to his office earlier this month, it quoted Mayor Lori Lightfoot as having said: “We’re not going to tolerate anyone attacking elected officials and engaging in criminal conduct against them, period.”
A frequent critic of Lightfoot’s, Lopez used that same quote attributed to the mayor when again attacking her on social media.
“You failed,” he wrote on Twitter Thursday. “The third attack in a month! Lawlessness continues in Chicago.”
“We’ll make sure that they’ve got the resources they need to be secure. We’re not going to tolerate anyone attacking elected officials, and engaging in criminal conduct against them, period” -Lightfoot.
You failed. The third attack in a month! Lawlessness continues in Chicago pic.twitter.com/DMoEiROFHR — Ald. Raymond Lopez (@RLopez15thWard) July 30, 2020
After the vandalism at his home, Lopez also took to Twitter to share images of windows of his home that were broken out. His neighbor’s garage also was set on fire, though it was extinguished quickly and no one was injured.
Lopez, who also represents parts of the Back of the Yards, Gage Park and West Englewood neighborhoods, said gang members in the area were trying to scare him.
“This is gang intimidation, this is meant to send a message and it failed,” Lopez said at the time.
Although he declined to name the gang, Lopez said he believes those responsible are the same people who threatened him in May 2017 when he said “no innocent lives were lost here,” after a shooting that killed Daniel Cordova, who police said had gang affiliations and then two others were killed when two masked gunmen opened fire with a rifle on a group congregating at Cordova’s makeshift memorial.
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At that time he wrote on Twitter: “This attack only strengthens my resolve to rid our communities of these urban terrorists.”
No arrests have been made and no description of the vandal or vandals was available, Bartoli said.
Check back for updates.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-07-30--COVID-19 cases are increasing in Illinois, making it difficult to bring back jobs. ‘Some people may

COVID-19 cases are increasing in Illinois, making it difficult to bring back jobs. ‘Some people may be put out of the job market for a long time.’

Illinois has reported a gradual increase in COVID-19 cases over the past month , and last week Chicago tightened restrictions @ @ @ @ @ so some jobs that came back may be gone again .
Other businesses are determining @ @ @ @ @ it to operate in the current environment .
The historic Berghoff Restaurant this week said @ @ @ @ @ a lack of customers downtown , and the Wendella Water Taxi has closed until next @ @ @ @ @ aren ’ t feasible on its boats .

Laura Yepez, owner of the Wicker Park Inn, cleans a window in the kitchen seating area as a CTA trains passes by, July 8, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Laura Yepez, owner of the Wicker Park Inn, thought the worst would be over by now.
Even as she laid off her small staff in March and steeled herself for the pandemic’s blow to tourism, she figured that by summer — when events like Lollapalooza usually pack Chicago’s hotels — business would perk up and she could make up for lost time.
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“That’s certainly not turning out to be the case,” said Yepez, 49, who has owned the bed-and-breakfast since 2004.
With events canceled, the virus resurgent and people wary of traveling, few guests are staying at the inn and Yepez remains reluctant to bring back her three employees. She is juggling housekeeping, bookkeeping and other tasks herself.
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“It is difficult to hire staff when I really don’t know if six months from now there will be enough in the bank to cover costs,” Yepez said.
Laura Yepez, owner of the Wicker Park Inn, cleans on July 8, 2020. She's been juggling housekeeping, bookkeeping and other innkeeper tasks by herself. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
As the economy struggles to climb out of the crisis caused by COVID-19, jobs are coming back slowly and unevenly, and worries persist that a resurgence of cases will blunt a more robust recovery.
Illinois employers added 142,000 jobs in June, but there are still 600,000 fewer jobs in the state than there were a year ago. Most of the gains were driven by a 17% rebound in leisure and hospitality, the sector hardest hit by the pandemic, but that industry, a huge employer, is still down 223,000 jobs compared with February. Some professions, like finance and real estate, continued to lose jobs in June.
State officials say they are encouraged that the trend is moving in a positive direction, but are watching it cautiously as cases of COVID-19 rise. If infections get to a point where businesses are required to close again, as has happened in other states where cases have spiked, it could halt or reverse the economic gains.
“The priority has to be trying to get the epidemic under control as much as possible,” said Michael Negron, acting director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. “The better we do on resolving the pandemic and managing its effects the more sustainable growth we can see economically.”
Illinois has reported a gradual increase in COVID-19 cases over the past month, and last week Chicago tightened restrictions on bars and gyms — so some jobs that came back may be gone again. Other businesses are determining it’s not worth it to operate in the current environment. The historic Berghoff Restaurant this week said it is closing temporarily amid a lack of customers downtown, and the Wendella Water Taxi has closed until next season because its anti-virus measures aren’t feasible on its boats.
Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported an average of 66,000 new infections daily over the past week, double what it was seeing a month earlier.
Official jobs data has yet to show the impact the rise in cases has had on the economic recovery — July’s national unemployment report won’t be released until next week — but there are ominous signs. The number of laid-off workers nationwide seeking unemployment benefits rose the week ended July 25 for the second week in a row, reversing a trend of steady decline since March.
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Optimism is waning. Nearly half of Americans whose families experienced a layoff during the pandemic believe those jobs never will come back, a sharp shift from April when more than three-quarters believed those job losses would be temporary, according to a poll conducted mid-July by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, an independent research organization at the University of Chicago.
In Illinois, unemployment has declined since peaking in April, when about 1 million people were out of work and the state’s unemployment rate hit a record high of 17.2%. The number of unemployed in the state fell to 946,000 in June, and the jobless rate to 14.6%.
However, in the Chicago area the number of unemployed people has grown, rising to 614,000 in June from 574,000 in May, according to seasonally adjusted data from the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
Jessica Sample, flanked by her grandmother, Peggy Kelly, and son, Jerell Sample, 15, lost her job working concessions at the United Center in March. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Jessica Sample, 32, has been laid off from her job as a United Center cashier since March. She liked the job, which paid well and was close to her home on the Near West Side, and had hoped to wait out the pandemic until she was called back.
But as the months drag on Sample has gotten no indication of when that might happen. She has had trouble certifying for unemployment insurance and has been unable to reach anyone at the state to correct the problem. With no money coming in, she worries she won’t be able to do something special for her son’s upcoming 16th birthday.
Sample recently applied for a position at Jewel-Osco in Lincoln Park, with the help of the nonprofit job matching agency Skills for Chicagoland’s Future, and encourages others in her position to seek help from such services. She fears people are resorting to crime as times get desperate.
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“A lot of people are out of work and they’re not getting assistance and it is making people real panicky,” she said.
Mass layoffs continue.
Illinois employers reported 15,175 job cuts in June, the most of any month since the pandemic began, according to the state’s monthly report on mass layoffs by employers with more than 75 employees. The vast majority of the cuts were at hotels, but layoffs also hit staffing agencies, catering firms and organizations like the YMCA of Metro Chicago. Many are listed as permanent layoffs rather than temporary furloughs.
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Those numbers don’t include huge layoffs on the horizon from giants like United Airlines, which warned of up to 36,000 job cuts — including nearly 5,000 in Illinois — come October.
Meanwhile, the extra $600 in weekly unemployment benefits offered during the pandemic is about to disappear as lawmakers continue to debate how much support to give to the jobless.
Pedro Villanueva, 27, was laid off in May from his job as a janitor at Midway Airport, and is waiting to be called back. Villanueva, who lives with his parents near the airport and helps support them, worries cuts to unemployment benefits will make it impossible to pay bills, as he will collect just $268 without the $600 bump.
Villanueva said if he continues without work for much longer he will look for something new, but is concerned that there aren’t enough jobs out there. And he is reluctant to start over after building his career at Midway for the past four years.
“I try not to worry about it and be a little patient and pray to God everything will go back to normal soon and I’ll get my job back,” he said.
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Job posting data from the hiring site Indeed offers a sense of which sectors are bouncing back and which are struggling. Jobs related to driving and retail are bright spots, with more postings now versus a year ago, thanks perhaps to consumers’ embrace of delivery.
Over the past two weeks the greatest increases in job postings were in insurance, security and public safety, and cleaning and sanitation jobs, according to a report Indeed released Monday. Healthcare is also making a comeback, with postings up for pharmacy, medical information, medical technician, and nursing jobs. Hiring was flat or down in many office sectors including legal, IT operations, accounting, and marketing.
Low-paying jobs have seen the biggest rebound, driven by a jump in leisure and hospitality, but hiring remains well below normal levels. Indeed showed 50% fewer postings for tourism and hospitality jobs during the week ended July 24 compared with a year earlier.
Face-to-face service jobs are returning, some stronger than before.
Hannah Matousek gives client Sandy Okimura a haircut behind a plexiglass partition, July 9, 2020 at Spa Bleu in West Dundee. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Spa Bleu, a full-service salon and day spa with locations in West Dundee and South Barrington, has not only brought back its 70 furloughed employees but is making additional hires.
Pent-up demand for hair and nail services and waxing has led to an extremely busy period since the salons reopened June 1, said owner Tammy Coakley. She needs more stylists in part because wearing masks all day makes them hot and they need breaks.
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Coakley is hopeful business will stay strong but is concerned about rising cases. The money she received from the federal payroll protection program — $215,000 for one location and $234,000 for the other — has provided a crucial safety net in the event of another shutdown.
“The PPP money will allow us to at least be in a more confident position if it were to happen again,” Coakley said.
Megan Andrews does a pedicure for a client, July 9, 2020 at Spa Bleu in West Dundee. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
High-paying jobs, which weren’t as severely affected at the start of the pandemic, are now seeing the slowest hiring, likely because companies are reluctant to make larger investments amid the uncertainty, said Nick Bunker, research director at the Indeed Hiring Lab. There are 30% fewer postings for higher-wage jobs than they were last year, with software development and banking and finance jobs particularly hard hit.
The Chicago area, like many big cities, has seen a bigger hit to hiring than the national average, with overall job postings down 34% compared with a year ago versus 21% nationally, according to Indeed. That could be because more jobs can be done from home, leading to less demand for workers at downtown stores and restaurants, Bunker said.
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Bunker worries a second wave of the virus will halt progress and lead to layoffs that are permanent because employers won’t be able to plan for the future.
“What I think folks need to appreciate is that the virus dictates things for the next year or so,” he said. “In the short run, the economy and the virus are intertwined.”
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While some employers are rehiring, it isn’t nearly enough to absorb the magnitude of the joblessness, said Marie Trzupek Lynch, CEO of Skills for Chicagoland’s Future.
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There were 99,000 job postings for the Chicago area in June, according to her organization, which cited data from labor market research firm Burning Glass, but more than 600,000 people unemployed. By contrast, in the midst of the Great Recession, unemployed people outnumbered available jobs by about 50,000, Trzupek Lynch said.
“If you want to work there is actually not a job for everybody right now,” she said. “Is this a good time for people to go back to school? Yeah. Is this a good time for people to get a credential? Yes.”
Robert Kinsloe, 32, has spent the past two months training to be a software developer. The Pilsen resident previously made a living walking dogs, pet sitting and doing freelance web development, and watched those gigs dry up when the pandemic hit.
While perusing Craigslist looking for work he came upon the training opportunity at Catalyte, a Baltimore-based software consultancy with offices in Chicago. He signed up for the free five-month training after learning that he would get a two-year contract with the company at the end.
“It really gave me some hope, with all the uncertainty going on right now,” said Kinsloe, whose partner works as a nanny and has been supporting them both.
Catalyte, a 20-year-old firm that develops tech talent and provides on-demand engineering services, launched its RetrainAmerica initiative in May in response to the job losses driven by the pandemic. Some of its recruits have no prior technology experience.
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“We had foresight to see the individuals who had talent but needed the security from an employment standpoint, as well as people who needed a fresh start,” said Carlton Gordon, managing director of the Midwest region for Catalyte. “We believe that talent exists in plain sight and can be built from unexpected places.”
The jolt to the job market has been such that, across the board, everyone needs to take a hard look at their skills, said Murillo Campello, professor of finance at Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management.
“This pandemic is calling for a retooling and reinvention of people, of skills,” he said. “Some people may be put out of the job market for a long time.”


chicagotribune--2020-07-30--Traveling outside Illinois? Chicago residents must quarantine after visiting 22 states. Here’s what

Traveling outside Illinois? Chicago residents must quarantine after visiting 22 states. Here’s what you need to know to avoid a large fine.

Those traveling through Wisconsin on their way to Chicago from a state not on the list do not need to @ @ @ @ @ Wisconsin for less than 24 hours .
But Individuals who travel to Wisconsin , even @ @ @ @ @ hours still need to quarantine upon returning unless deemed an essential worker and follow other @ @ @

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
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)
Chicago has revamped its travel quarantine order to reflect rising rates of the coronavirus in Chicago and the rest of Illinois, moving from a blanket list of states to a color-coded list comparing the rate of infection here with that in other states.
On Tuesday, the city added New York, California and Washington, D.C., to its orange list, requiring all travelers from those states to either quarantine or prove they have had a negative COVID-19 test 72 hours before arriving in Chicago. Idaho was moved from the stricter red list to the orange list.
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Under the original version of the emergency travel order, states had been added to the list when they reached an infection rate greater than 15 cases per 100,000 residents and removed once the daily case average remains below that rate for two consecutive weeks.
Now, the city is using a color-coded list, which will be updated every two weeks.
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“First and foremost, I would like people to avoid travel at this time if at all possible. But by creating a tiered system and using Chicago’s case rate as a category threshold, it allows us to be responsive to the changing dynamics of the pandemic,” said city health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady.
States that weren’t on the quarantine list that were added to the orange list the first week were Michigan, Connecticut, Arizona, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, Oregon, Washington and Louisiana.
Yellow-coded states are those with a rolling seven-day average below 15 cases per day per 100,000 residents. Anyone returning from these states doesn’t have to quarantine. Three states qualified as of Tuesday.
Orange-coded states are those with a rolling seven-day average between 15 cases per day per 100,000 residents and Chicago’s rolling seven-day average, which was 60 as of Tuesday. People traveling from these states must either quarantine for 14 days or show they had a negative COVID-19 test no more than 72 hours before arrival in Chicago. There were 35 orange states, plus Washington, D.C., as of Tuesday.
Red-coded states are those with a rolling seven-day average above Chicago’s. Anyone traveling from these states has to quarantine. There were 11 red-coded states as of Tuesday.
People who commute across the Indiana or Wisconsin state lines to or from Chicago to work or go to school will be exempt from the quarantine rule, a nod to the symbiotic relationship between the neighboring states. But workers in Chicago from Indiana will be expected to avoid restaurants, bars and other public spaces in the city.
Here’s what you need to know about the city’s quarantine policies:
City says people will be fined
Anyone who visits red-listed states should stay inside for two weeks upon their return or risk a fine of $100 to $500 per day, according to the city. Those who visit orange-listed states are subject to the same fines if they don’t have a negative COVID-19 test or quarantine.
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Despite the list’s fluctuating size, enforcement of the order so far has been nonexistent, save for some billboards and signs that Mayor Lori Lightfoot has said are intended to “educate” people into compliance.
Lightfoot’s initial self-quarantine requirement was implemented during the Fourth of July weekend.
If city contact tracers get information that people who’ve caught the virus were in proximity to someone from a quarantine state and flouted the rules, they’ll issue a citation, Arwady has said.
They’ll also be on the lookout for people who are on social media “flagrantly posting their social activities, clearly out and about in Chicago after being in settings that are subject to our quarantine order, within the time frame,” she said. Investigators will look into any reports about city workers not following the guidelines, the health commissioner said.
Arwady has since clarified that the city “is not Big Brother,” nor does it have the resources to dedicate anyone to aimlessly scroll feeds from Chicagoans.
But if the agency receives a tip or is already looking into someone to determine whether to fine them, that’s when the city may scour social media.
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“One of the easiest ways to sort of get enough proof … without me having to send out an inspector … is to look at social media,” Arwady said.
Details for travelers
The order has plenty of exceptions for different types of workers and depending on how long travelers spend in the listed states.
If someone drives through a state on the list but does not stay more than 24 hours, that person does not need to quarantine. But a city employee clarified that Chicagoans who choose to drive into Wisconsin and go out in public, regardless of whether they return later in the same day, do need to quarantine after such voluntary activities.
For example, Chicagoans who drive through Indiana (a red-listed state), Ohio and New York (orange-listed states) to spend a week in Vermont (a yellow-listed state) but who did not stay in Indiana and Ohio more than 24 hours do not need to quarantine. There are similar restrictions for air travelers. .
Travelers visiting Chicago from red- or orange-listed states also are subject to the order if they are staying longer than a day. Everyone older than age 2 who lands at a Chicago airport is required to wear a mask, then quarantine if they’ve come from a listed state.
If someone is staying with a Chicago resident after traveling to an affected state, the traveler must quarantine, but other people in the home who did not travel to a listed state are not required to quarantine. The resident should follow guidance for being around someone who has potentially been exposed.
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Travelers or area residents who leave a Chicago airport and immediately travel to a suburb or outside Chicago limits are not required to quarantine — unless their municipality also has a travel restriction in place. The order also states that face coverings should be worn and that public transportation should not be used by those headed outside city limits.
Testing and exceptions to quarantine requirements in the revised rules
Under the guidance revised in November, Chicago residents returning from travel in red states or residents of red states who travel to the city are required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival here, according to the city travel order website.
People in similar circumstances entering Chicago from orange states must either quarantine for 14 days or, with a “pre-arrival negative test result” from no more than three days before traveling to Chicago, may choose instead to employ “strict masking, social distancing and avoidance of in-person gatherings.”
There also is an option for those who can’t get a test while visiting an orange state, such as a visit not much longer than 24 hours. Someone can quarantine upon arrival in Illinois until a test can be arranged locally, according to the city’s travel order website. The test needs to be issued by a private provider because of concerns about limited capacity at public health testing sites.
“If you cannot be tested for COVID-19 prior to arriving in Chicago and do not take a post-arrival test, you must quarantine for 14 days (or the duration of your stay, whichever is shorter),” according to the website.
Essential workers and other exceptions
For those who live outside Chicago but work in the city, it’s important to determine whether you’re an essential or nonessential worker according to the executive order.
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There are limited exceptions to the quarantine order for essential workers who have to travel for work. Travelers who don’t live in Chicago but who have to be in Chicago to work and who traveled to an orange- or red-listed state for work do not need to quarantine. Travelers who live in Chicago and who travel to a listed state for work do not have to quarantine, according to the order.
But if workers go to a listed state when they didn’t have to, or for medical care, or because of parental shared custody, they would be subject to quarantine.
People who work in Chicago and live elsewhere can do so if they haven’t traveled to a high-incidence state. If they have traveled to a high-incidence state, they are subject to requirements regarding essential workers who are Chicago residents.
For the purposes of the order, an “essential worker” is a person who works in any one of the 16 critical employment sectors. The term also includes any government workers traveling in their official capacities. Essential workers must:
Avoid any nonessential interactions until the quarantine period has ended. They must limit themselves to work-related activities and related functions, and avoid public spaces as much as possible.
Monitor temperature and signs of symptoms, wear a face covering when in public, maintain social distance, and clean and disinfect workspaces.
Avoid as much as possible extended periods in public, contact with strangers and large congregate settings.
What does quarantine mean?
According to the emergency travel order, quarantine means staying at one place for 14 days before doing any activities outside of the home. Included in the restrictions:
Not go out in public or otherwise leave home, unless seeking medical care or COVID-19 testing.
Wear a face covering and do not use public transit if seeking medical care or testing, or when traveling to or from an airport, train station or bus station.
Don’t go to the grocery store; instead have food and other supplies delivered.
Stay in separate quarters with a separate bedroom and, if possible, use a separate bathroom than non-traveling household members.
Travelers still must quarantine even if they had a negative COVID-19 test because people “can develop symptoms and become contagious up to 14 days from their last exposure.”
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Are the rules different for each state or territory?
Generally, the emergency order is applied uniformly to any state or territory on the list. However, with neighboring states, travelers should pay close attention to what constitutes a visit and distinctions between essential and nonessential workers.
What are the state lists?
The following is a rolling list of states on Chicago’s red, orange and yellow lists. The lists will be updated every two weeks:
Red-listed states (11): Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Orange-listed states and Puerto Rico (36): Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.
Yellow-listed states (3): Hawaii, Maine and Vermont.
Chicago Tribune’s Alice Yin, John Byrne and Gregory Pratt contributed.
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kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-07-30--Daywatch: Pritzker warns of ‘reversal’ on reopening, Mercy Hospital is closing and Sketchbook Brewin

Daywatch: Pritzker warns of ‘reversal’ on reopening, Mercy Hospital is closing and Sketchbook Brewing is launching in Skokie

After a long , storied history in Chicago , Mercy Hospital & Medical Center in Bronzeville plans to close next @ @ @ @ @ to the South Side community it ’ s served for more than 150 years .
@ @ @ @ @ in May by Mercy , Advocate Trinity Hospital in Calumet Heights , South Shore Hospital @ @ @ @ @ Bernard Hospital in Englewood not to pursue a planned merger .
State lawmakers failed to @ @ @ @ @ deal .

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Good morning, Chicago. Here’s the coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker at a news conference at the University of Chicago's Harper Center on July 23, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned on Wednesday that Illinois could be headed for a “reversal” in its reopening as the state continues to see a resurgence in coronavirus case numbers, and called on residents to “defend our progress.”
It was the governor’s latest and perhaps strongest caution that if trends across Illinois continue or worsen, the state could clamp back down on businesses and gatherings and possibly even bring back a stay-at-home order for regions where metrics such as the positivity rate exceeds a certain threshold.
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Illinois Commerce Commission Chairwoman Carrie Zalewski leads a meeting in Chicago on July 29, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Here’s an opening sentence one might only get to write in an Illinois newspaper:
Nearly two weeks after admitting to a bombshell bribery charge, ComEd executives outlined their ethics reform plan to a panel of state regulators led by the relative of an alleged player in the criminal plot.
Sisters of Mercy sit in front of Mercy Hospital during a prayer service of healing and renewal on Dec. 15, 2018, following a shooting at the hospital the prior month. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
After a long, storied history in Chicago, Mercy Hospital & Medical Center in Bronzeville plans to close next year, dealing a blow to the South Side community it’s served for more than 150 years. The shutdown follows a decision in May by Mercy, Advocate Trinity Hospital in Calumet Heights, South Shore Hospital in South Chicago and St. Bernard Hospital in Englewood not to pursue a planned merger. State lawmakers failed to set aside funding for the deal.
Laura Yepez, owner of the Wicker Park Inn, cleans a window in the kitchen seating area as a CTA trains passes by, July 8, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
As the economy struggles to climb out of the crisis caused by COVID-19, jobs are coming back slowly and unevenly, and worries persist that a resurgence of cases will blunt a more robust recovery. Illinois employers added 142,000 jobs in June, but there are still 600,000 fewer jobs in the state than there were a year ago.
Sketchbook co-founder Cesar Marron, pictured in the brewery's new production facility in Skokie on July 28, 2020, is optimistic that boosting production, and doing it more cheaply due to increased scale, will offset any loss of sales due to restricted capacity in the new taproom. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Sketchbook Brewing is betting big on itself. It is betting big on Skokie.
But Sketchbook’s ambitious new production brewery and taproom — one of several new breweries to open in the Chicago area this anything-but-normal summer — takes on a significantly different tenor amid the COVID-19 pandemic.


chicagotribune--2020-07-30--Column: A member of Congress called out a colleague for saying her name wrong. As a Dahleen, I can r

Column: A member of Congress called out a colleague for saying her name wrong. As a Dahleen, I can relate.

It would have been much easier for me if my mother had chosen Dahl ’ s middle name , which @ @ @ @ @ d get to walk into a store and buy a bottle of Coke with my @ @ @ @ @ but I never would have experienced the joy of being different .

I am Dahleen. It’s pronounced Dahl-lean. But you can call me Darlene, Dah-lean, Doll-lean, Day-lean or, as howtopronounce.com says, Dalen.
When you have an unusual name, you have to learn how to go with the flow. Few people will say it correctly. Sometimes, even family members and close friends don’t get it right.
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To me, it’s no big deal when someone butchers my name, but it clearly bothers Rep. Pramila Jayapal. Her difficult first and last names are a double whammy.
For reasons much more complex than the simple, inadvertent mispronunciation of someone’s name, Jayapal was right to speak up when Rep. Debbie Lesko repeatedly mispronounced her name during televised congressional hearing Tuesday.
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It’s one thing when someone slips up and makes a mistake, but quite another when a colleague you see every day makes no attempt to get your name right.
The Democratic representative from Washington state got enough of the Arizona Republican mispronouncing her name during a heated House Judiciary Committee hearing and called her out.
Lesko called her Rep. JAY-a-pol — twice. The second time, Jayapal interrupted her and said, “JY-ah-pall. If you are going to say my name, please say it right. It’s JY-ah-pall.”
Jayapal, a naturalized citizen who is of Indian descent, previously had warned that she was “starting to lose my temper” with Attorney General William Barr, who tried to evade her questions about the use of federal forces against protesters in Seattle and other cities.
By the time Lesko took the microphone to challenge Jayapal’s assertions about the takeover of the autonomous protest zone in Seattle, she’d had enough.
Clearly, a lot of this was political. But Jayapal made a very strong unspoken point.
Sometimes people mispronounce someone’s name in an attempt to dismiss what they’re saying. It’s a microaggression that says, “You’re not even important enough for me to figure out how to say your name properly.”
That would anger me too. The women have served together on the 41-member Judiciary Committee for nearly two years. Lesko clearly had enough time to find out the correct pronunciation of her colleague’s name if she’d wanted to.
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This is a lot deeper than I initially intended to go with this column, so let’s get back to me.
I am named after the 1950s actress Arlene Dahl. She was somewhat of a glamor girl in her day, with her flaming red hair and ruby lipstick. She’s still living, dividing her time between New York City and West Palm Beach, Florida. She’ll turn 95 next month.
Her son, Lorenzo Lamas, is best known for playing the irresponsible grandson of the family matriarch in the 1980s nighttime soap opera “Falcon Crest.” I never missed an episode, but I still haven’t seen a single one of Dahl’s films.
I have no idea what prompted my mother to create Dahleen by using Dahl’s last name and adding the unique “leen” to the end. I presume that she had seen Dahl’s name on a movie marquee and fell in love with it.
Dahl and my mother had absolutely nothing in common. But as it turned out, Dahl and I would eventually end up on similar paths. After leaving Hollywood in 1959, she worked for 20 years as a Chicago Tribune columnist, writing about beauty.
I’ve been called Dahleen since childhood, but it isn’t my first name. It’s Angela. For years, I thought I was the only Dahleen in the world, and I loved being special. Then Facebook came on the scene and Dahleen Roberts Kendler sent me a friend request.
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I was shocked and disappointed that someone had stolen my one-of-a-kind identity. Later, I learned that she was named after the Dahlberg radio that was produced in the 1950s. She eventually introduced me to her friend, Dahleen Bonner.
That’s as far as I’ve gotten in the Dahleen name club.
For the most part, the experiences with my name have been positive. However, there was that one time when the city editor at the Houston Post forced me to use Angela in my byline because he thought Dahleen was too complicated for readers.
That was early in my career as a journalist, and I was too green to realize that he was demeaning me. So I let him get away with the microaggression, and to this day, I regret it.
I get emails addressed to Darlene all the time, and it has never been an issue.
Going by a middle name, though, does have a unique set of challenges, regardless of what it is. You have to use your first name on official documents, but it’s OK to use your middle name on everything else. It can get confusing.
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The biggest issue I’ve encountered was at Midway Airport a few years ago. A ticket agent refused to allow me through the gate because Dahleen was on my airline ticket and Angela was on my identification. I missed that flight.
But there’s something nice about having an unusual name that people with the most common names such as Linda, Mary and Patricia, which is my deceased older sister’s name, never experience. That’s individuality.
Plus, it’s always a great icebreaker in conversation. The first question people often ask when they meet me is, “Where did that name come from?” The second is, “How do you spell it?” And then, “How do you pronounce it, again?”
I say, “Dahl-lean.” And nearly every time, they repeat it back to me wrong.
It would have been much easier for me if my mother had chosen Dahl’s middle name, which is Carol. I’d get to walk into a store and buy a bottle of Coke with my name printed on it, but I never would have experienced the joy of being different.
glanton@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @dahleeng


chicagotribune--2020-07-30--Park District workers call for more communication and safety protocols when parks are closed because

Park District workers call for more communication and safety protocols when parks are closed because of COVID-19

“ Prior to reopening our park field houses , safety measures were put into place to protect our workforce and @ @ @ @ @ ” Lemons said .
“ These have included implementing robust safety training programs and policies @ @ @ @ @ procedures , requiring staff and patrons to wear face coverings and practice social distancing , @ @ @ @ @ and minimizing the number of people in our facilities .
In addition , the entire @ @ @ @ @ 3,700 employees is provided an adequate supply of PPE and hand sanitizer .
”

As the pandemic barrels ahead with no end in sight, and some parks have closed due to coronavirus cases, workers are calling for greater transparency and protection from the Chicago Park District while they helm the parks’ front lines.
Recently closed parks include Columbus Park and Haas Park, according to SEIU Local 73, which represents about 2,500 Park District workers. At least 40 Park District workers have had to quarantine after possible exposure, according to the union, and one Park District worker at Columbus Park recently died from complications of the virus.
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Jeffrey Howard, Service Employees International Union Local 73 executive vice president, said “we just want to make sure that our workers are protected.”
Information on closures has been “disjointed” and unclear, he said, and that’s part of the problem. When asked how workers have been notified of closures, Howard said for weeks it was “word-of-mouth.”
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“We want to be public citizens. We want to be servants of the community because we know the community needs our parks,” Howard said. “But at the same time, there are things the parks can do to make sure that their workers are safe. ”
Seven positive cases have affected programming at six parks this month, according to the Park District. Four locations are still closed.
Columbus Park was among the first to shut down, according to the Park District’s website, on July 17, after two staff members tested positive. Day camp families were notified immediately and the park closed for two weeks. The building was cleaned and reopened Tuesday.
Graffiti on a shelter at Columbus Park, on Central Avenue in Chicago, is seen on July 29, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Other cases have been confirmed at Haas Park, which reopened earlier this week after a staff member tested positive earlier this month, along with Cole Park, Davis Square Park, Rowan Park and most recently West Pullman Park, which closed Wednesday.
Additionally, the Park District was notified earlier this month that a child or staff member with the Easter Seals Preschool at Fosco Park tested positive, but the park remained open while the preschool was shutdown for two weeks because the school operates in a dedicated space, according to the Park District’s website.
Blackhawk Park closed programming in late June while staff waited for test results, according to the Park District’s website, but testing came back negative for all park staff.
The Park District says SEIU was alerted when a positive case was confirmed, and the district is now notifying the entire workforce when a case is confirmed.
In a statement, Park District spokeswoman Michele Lemons said “the safety of Chicago Park District patrons and staff is paramount.”
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“Prior to reopening our park field houses, safety measures were put into place to protect our workforce and the communities we serve,” Lemons said. “These have included implementing robust safety training programs and policies such as cleaning and disinfection procedures, requiring staff and patrons to wear face coverings and practice social distancing, as well as modifying programming and minimizing the number of people in our facilities. In addition, the entire Chicago Park District workforce of 3,700 employees is provided an adequate supply of PPE and hand sanitizer.”
With each closure, the Park District followed procedures outlined by the Chicago Department of Public Health, “including notifying staff, and parents of any minors involved in programming to ensure the safety of everyone involved,” the statement said. “CDPH was notified promptly and guided the district’s response. Each park was cleaned and disinfected in accordance with health and safety guidelines.”
Howard said the union would like to see clearer guidelines on testing and handling potential exposure, and additional protections such as more PPE, temperature checks and plexiglass barriers in certain locations.
“We’re not trying to be obstructionists,” Howard said. He thinks the Park District is “trying to do their job” but wants to see more communication so that workers can do their jobs as safely as possible.
Workers have asked the Park District for months to be involved in developing safety plans, according to the union, but a meeting has not been scheduled.
Additionally, Howard said a plan for the fall also needs to be figured out.
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“Especially given the fact that we don’t know what’s going to happen with schools,” Howard said. “And then if schools aren’t open, what role does the Park District play?
Regis Banks, a worker at La Follette Park and SEIU Local 73 executive board member, said he hoped to see more transparency from the Park District.
Banks said colleagues have shared concerns about the mental toll of coming to work amid fears of contracting or spreading the virus. He said the recent death of his colleague at Columbus Park “broke my heart.”
“I just want everybody in the community to be safe,” Banks said. “And that the Park District inform us, the employees, as well as the community, on what’s transpiring in these parks.”
Banks said he worries for his own safety as an attendant, while some park users try to fight mask requirements and his job is cleaning up after those who use park facilities. The general guidelines are “don’t come to work if you don’t feel well,” Banks said, which he worries exclude anyone who may be asymptomatic.
“So if you care about us, you should have an open-door policy,” Banks said, about the Park District. “We should be able to come to you and express our concerns, and we should be able to talk things out and work things out.”
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mgreene@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-30--A dozen students at Bradley University test positive for COVID-19, including some at orientation, af

A dozen students at Bradley University test positive for COVID-19, including some at orientation, after social gathering

The outbreak at Bradley , which plans to offer face-to-face classes next semester , is the latest sign of the @ @ @ @ @ trying to manage the pandemic on campus .
Student athletes who returned to colleges earlier @ @ @ @ @ are already testing positive at various schools , including at Illinois State University .
Realizing @ @ @ @ @ , some colleges are exclusively offering online classes and limiting the number of students in @ @ @

Twelve students at Bradley University in Peoria have tested positive for the coronavirus — including some who helped lead orientation programs for incoming freshmen last week.
Spokeswoman Renee Charles said Bradley learned of the new COVID-19 cases on July 23, marking the first infections directly linked to campus. Charles said additional testing and contact tracing determined the outbreak appeared to stem from an off-campus social gathering that lacked masks and social distancing.
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“We were able to identify those who attended and required them to self quarantine, which some had already started to do,” Charles said in an email.
Bradley, which has about 5,000 students, began offering in-person orientations in early July, and classes are set to begin next month. Some of the infected students participated in orientations held July 20 and July 21 that included both indoor and outdoor activities, Charles said.
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Attendees on those dates were notified about the cases but are not considered to be at high risk of transmission because the programs included precautions, such as requiring masks and social distancing, Charles said. Those who had more than 15 minutes of close contact with an infected person received a phone call or text alert with instructions for further action, according to a university message.
“This event highlights the importance of remaining vigilant about engaging in behaviors proven to slow the spread of the virus,” Bradley President Stephen Standifird said in the message. “Face masks, physical distancing and frequent hand washing matter. This case also highlights the importance of an aggressive testing and contact tracing routine.”
Standifird also disclosed that a staff member had tested positive for COVID-19, though that infection is not related to orientation.
The outbreak at Bradley, which plans to offer face-to-face classes next semester, is the latest sign of the challenges universities will face in trying to manage the pandemic on campus. Student athletes who returned to colleges earlier than their peers this summer are already testing positive at various schools, including at Illinois State University. Realizing the risks of increased spread, some colleges are exclusively offering online classes and limiting the number of students in residence halls.
After Bradley announced the new cases, students were given more time to request accommodations for continuing remote learning in the fall. Bradley has also converted its remaining orientation programs in July to virtual events and rescheduled on-campus tours planned for this week.
The orientation programs were capped at 50 attendees, with students split into smaller groups, to comply with public health requirements.
In the meantime, Bradley is keeping close tabs on infections in Peoria, which was deemed to be at “warning level” because of the rising cases and an increase in emergency room visits for COVID-19 symptoms.
“Our fall plans, we continue to say, are subject to change,” Charles said. “We are meeting regularly for hours at a time, going through scenarios, going through what the policies are, what the procedures are where the loopholes are ... on a regular basis.”
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Emma Hoyhtya, Bradley’s student body president, urged returning students to act responsibly. A rising junior from Minnesota, Hoyhtya said she recently contracted COVID-19, despite following public health guidance, and experienced head cold symptoms and the loss of taste. Hoyhtya, who has since recovered, said she will live in an off-campus residence.
“I just hope that students are aware of the direness, the extent of this virus, and know that if they walk on campus, we are accepting that we are walking out into the world as adults and we need to act as such,” said Hoyhtya, who plans to take some in-person classes.
David Daye, a rising sophomore from Rockford who also serves on the student senate, said he understands the risk of returning to campus but thinks he will do better academically with face-to-face classes. Daye said he will live in a single dorm room and hopes that Bradley’s smaller size will help mitigate community spread.
“I do believe that in order to really understand and get into the course material, it is nice to have an in-person component,” he said. “Everybody is not fit for online learning. ... I’ve taken some initiatives to try to apply myself in an online setting, and sometimes it’s just not the same.”
echerney@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-30--‘Health and safety strikes’ are on the table if schools reopen without adequate COVID-19 protections

‘Health and safety strikes’ are on the table if schools reopen without adequate COVID-19 protections, two Illinois statewide teachers union announce

In his own statement Wednesday , CTU President Jesse Sharkey did not directly address whether the his membership would consider @ @ @ @ @ this fall , having walked off the job just last October for 11 school days @ @ @ @ @ is affiliated with the Illinois Federation of Teachers , said CPS ’ s hybrid proposal @ @ @ @ @ guarantees or details to ensure the safety of students , families and educators this fall @ @

An umbrella union affiliated with the Chicago Teachers Union has said strikes are a possibility this fall if schools reopen with inadequate safety measures. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois teachers and other school employees could strike if school districts implement in-person learning without meeting safety measures outlined by government entities or medical professionals, two of the largest teachers unions in the state said in a joint statement Wednesday.
The Illinois Education Association and Illinois Federation of Teachers — representing around 238,000 employees in public and private schools, colleges and universities in the state, including Chicago Public Schools teachers — said they will pursue whatever means necessary to ensure that schools have adequate safety protections.
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“No avenue or action is off the table — the courts, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board - nothing, including health and safety strikes,” the statement said. “The entire weight of the IEA and the IFT will be used in whatever way is necessary to protect the students and the staff who educate them.”
In response, officials at the state’s largest school system, Chicago Public Schools, reiterated that “under no circumstances will the district open its doors to students and staff in the fall if public health officials do not believe it’s safe to do so.”
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In a statement Wednesday evening, a CPS spokesman said the district’s preliminary plan for a hybrid of in-class and virtual learning “accounts for a variety of public health scenarios and allows the district to quickly switch to a remote model if needed.” The proposal also is “in alignment with guidelines from the Illinois State Board of Education, which strongly recommends schools provide in-person learning opportunities."
CPS is seeking feedback on its hybrid proposal as the Chicago Teachers Union continues to vigorously call for entirely-remote learning, with a final decision expected in the coming weeks. Parents are split on whether schools should reopen, though many are weary with lingering concerns about safety.
In his own statement Wednesday, CTU President Jesse Sharkey did not directly address whether the his membership would consider another strike if schools reopen this fall, having walked off the job just last October for 11 school days. The union, which is affiliated with the Illinois Federation of Teachers, said CPS’s hybrid proposal “simply lacks the essential guarantees or details to ensure the safety of students, families and educators this fall.”
“Our own rank and file members deserve and demand protections — including the right to teach without putting our lives or the lives of our students and their families on the line,” Sharkey said. “We demand to be allowed to educate and support our students remotely until this pandemic has been brought under control.”
The statewide unions said in their statement they do believe some types of in-person learning are possible with mitigation strategies in individual communities. “But absent a practical safety plan that includes a clear line of responsibility and enforcement,” the two groups are calling for the upcoming school year to start with remote learning.
Illinois Education Association president Kathi Griffin said there are several districts especially in central and rural Illinois that satisfy the union’s guidelines. She said these plans were “developed collaboratively with both the administration and the union” and have proper enforcement and cleaning procedures as well as adequate PPE.
Meanwhile, Illinois Federations of Teachers president Dan Montgomery said he thinks “the most prudent thing in most places is to start remotely.” Regarding the CPS plan, “it’s hard for me to look at that plan and the city, all the structural things happening, and think that the responsible thing is to bring all kids back into buildings,” Montgomery said.
Announcements from suburban school districts range from fully remote classes to a partial return, though virtually all give families the option to continue online schooling. Several districts have walked back initial plans for some in-person learning, instead opting to conduct the semester online until further notice.
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Illinois colleges plan to open for some in-person learning in the fall with varying levels of flexibility for instructors to choose how they will teach their classes. Faculty at universities across the state have emerged as a key bloc opposing face-to-face learning, in some cases prompting administrators to reverse course and shift most learning online.
The CTU pointed out that White House coronavirus task force member Dr. Anthony Fauci this week called the reopening of schools an “experiment.”
“We are not science experiments,” Sharkey said. “We are teachers, school nurses, counselors, social workers, school psychologists and workers in a host of other fields who support students. We signed up to educate and support children in a profession we love. We did not sign up to be science experiments in a scenario that may literally take our lives or the lives of our students or their family members.”
CPS, in its Wednesday statement, said: “No one will be asked to come to school if state and local health officials deem it is unsafe to do so.”
Monica Trevino, director of communications for the Illinois Federation of Teachers, said the union has a host of expectations if schools reopen for in-person instruction in the fall. These include limiting classroom capacity to 15, allowing instructors to choose whether to teach in-person or remote, required 2-week quarantine upon exposure, special paid leave for employees who need to quarantine, testing availability and revamping of building ventilation systems.
The two state unions said in their joint statement: “We are working to ensure that any district providing in-person instruction in Illinois is prepared and able to abide by the safety measures outlined by the state, the federal government, and medical professionals. If those measures are not met, we will do everything we can to protect our students and those who care for them — teachers and professors, bus drivers, classroom aides, secretaries, building janitors and everyone in between.”
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The is a developing story. Check back for further details.


chicagotribune--2020-07-30--Police find AK-47, guns with laser attachments and body armor inside Burnside shooting victims’ home

But as officers searched the bloodstained baby blue two-story house near the corner of Langley Avenue and 92nd Place for @ @ @ @ @ they made another discovery : a cache of weapons that included an AK-47 style rifle @ @ @ @ @ with laser attachments ; ammunition ; and body armor , according to police and prosecutors @ @ @ @ @ $ 900 in pills and $ 550 in marijuana and a digital scale .

Chicago Police investigate a crime scene in the 700 block of East 92nd Place in Chicago where several people were injured in a shooting incident on July 27, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago police officers responding to a ShotSpotter call of 21 shots in the Burnside neighborhood earlier this week found a frantic scene: four men and a woman suffering gunshot wounds at the hands of at least one gunman who quickly fled.
But as officers searched the bloodstained baby blue two-story house near the corner of Langley Avenue and 92nd Place for additional victims Monday evening, they made another discovery: a cache of weapons that included an AK-47 style rifle; four handguns — two with laser attachments; ammunition; and body armor, according to police and prosecutors. Officers also recovered about $900 in pills and $550 in marijuana and a digital scale.
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Authorities later charged two residents of the home, cousins with felony backgrounds, with a mix of weapons and drug charges. Jeonte Shepherd, 27, was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, as well as possessing body armor and possession of laser sights. Michael Johnson, 26, was charged with armed habitual criminal and drug possession.
Jeonte Shepherd, 27, left, and Michael Johnson, 26, right. (Chicago Police Department / HANDOUT)
Police still haven’t given a motive for the shooting that left one man dead, but arrest reports for Shepherd and Johnson identify them as members of the Burnside faction of the Gangster Disciples gang and that evidence taken from the home suggested drug sales.
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A judge on Tuesday ordered Johnson, who had a pending armed habitual criminal case, held on $500,000 and Shepherd on $200,000 bail during a hearing broadcast on YouTube.
Police responded to the home around 6:15 p.m. after the ShotSpotter alert that indicated high-capacity rounds and multiple shooters, authorities said. They arrived to find several wounded victims both inside and outside the residence.
As a police sergeant searched the home’s second floor for more victims, he found a clear baggie containing 44 “Oreo stamped” white pills on Johnson’s bed, as well as one suspected ecstasy pill and 55 grams of marijuana, according to police and prosecutors.
Chicago Police invesgtigate a crime scene in the 700 block of East 92nd Place in Chicago where several people were injured in a shooting incident on July 27, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Inside a suitcase in Shepherd’s closet, police found the rifle and white body armor, authorities said. Police also recovered four handguns, two equipped with laser sights; extended magazines; and multiple rounds of ammo. Felons are barred from possessing both weapons and body armor under state law. Police also seized proof that both men lived at the home, according to police records.
Shepherd, who suffered a gunshot to the right arm in the shooting, was arrested and charged after he was released from the hospital. Johnson was arrested up the street from his house shortly after police searched it.
Both men have felony convictions in their background, Shepherd for armed robbery and Johnson for separate felony gun cases and felony marijuana possession, according to court records.
During the men’s bail hearing, their court-appointed attorney suggested that the search that turned up the weapons may have been improper. But prosecutors noted that police received consent to search the house by the men’s grandmother, who owns the home.
In recent years, Chicago police have put extra emphasis in seizing illegal guns off the street in an attempt to curb retaliatory gang violence, particularly during a violent summer that has claimed the lives of suspected gang members and innocent bystanders as young as 1. Police seized more than 10,000 last year and more than 9,000 the year before.
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Both men are expected to return to court next week.
wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy


chicagotribune--2020-07-29--Health officials contacting Lincoln-Way East prom attendees after positive COVID-19 tests

The effort comes after tracers talked to a couple of people who were at the function and who tested positive @ @ @ @ @ .
Brandy said he did not know the exact number and whether the positive cases @ @ @ @ @ seniors or chaperones .

Will County health officials are investigating following a student-organized prom by graduating seniors of Lincoln-Way East High School in Frankfort, where some attendees have tested positive for COVID-19. (Susan DeMar Lafferty / Daily Southtown)
Will County health officials are trying to track down dozens of Lincoln-Way East graduates and chaperones who recently attended a student-organized prom in Indiana after a “couple” of attendees tested positive for the coronavirus.
The event had been planned since April.
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“We’re aware of it,” Steve Brandy, a Will County Health Department spokesman, said Wednesday. “Contact tracers are getting in touch with people who were there.”
The effort comes after tracers talked to a couple of people who were at the function and who tested positive for COVID-19, he said. Brandy said he did not know the exact number and whether the positive cases were Lincoln-Way East recently graduated seniors or chaperones.
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The prom was held at an event center in Indiana, which at the time had looser restrictions than Illinois on the number of people allowed at a social gathering indoors, allowing up to 250.
Some Frankfort residents, where the school is located, have posted concerns on social media, and the mother of a Lincoln-Way East student who will be a senior next month said the event has impacted businesses.
Kristin Eaton said local businesses that rely on high school students for summer help were affected because some students who attended the prom were self-quarantining.
“I didn’t feel like the prom was necessary,” Eaton said, noting that families have lost loved ones to the virus.
“It’s a hard time for many of us to navigate what’s right or wrong,” she said. “I recognize we are at risk every day we walk out of our homes, but we are all responsible for protecting each other.”
Emily Biegel, another Frankfort resident who has commented on social media, said she understood graduating seniors were denied the traditions of prom, but that she’s concerned the unintended consequences could have far-reaching impact on the community.
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“I understand their intent was not to create an outbreak,” she said.
Biegel said the event was well-publicized and that “I wished the (students') parents had intervened.”
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While not clear whether the prom is related to the uptick, residents have posted data from the Will County Health Department showing an increase locally in COVID-19 cases.
According to the department, in the 60423 ZIP code, which includes Frankfort, there were 252 positive virus cases on Wednesday compared with 236 a week earlier.
Earlier this month, students from Lincoln-Way West in New Lenox held a similar prom event at the Morris Country Club. The club posted a photo July 15 on its Facebook page showing the set-up with the comment “It feels good to be back in this space, socially distant with less than 50 people, but boy did we miss it.”
Officials with Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
mnolan@tribpub.com