chicagotribune--2020-08-26--Citing family reasons, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s security detail chief resigns

“ During a self-imposed quarantine earlier this summer , I had the opportunity to spend two full weeks with my @ @ @ @ @ most consecutive time we ’ ve been together in the last 18 months .
It @ @ @ @ @ my young family is growing up , ” Smith said .
“ I have missed @ @ @ @ @ to do so if I were to stay in this 24/7 position .
”

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot confers with her head of security, former U.S. Marshal James Smith, before the City Council meeting on Feb. 19, 2020. (Mark Hume / Chicago Tribune)
Citing family reasons, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s security chief has resigned.
At the start of her term, Lightfoot broke with tradition by hiring former Deputy U.S. Marshal Jim Smith to head her personal protective detail instead of using someone from the Chicago Police Department, leading to grumbling from officers and the Fraternal Order of Police.
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But she vigorously defended the hire, saying Smith had personally protected her during the mayoral campaign and had an accomplished record providing security to Supreme Court justices and high-ranking federal judges.
“In July, Jim Smith spoke with the mayor about the need to leave his command of the mayor’s detail in the coming weeks,” Lightfoot spokesman Pat Mullane said. “(Tuesday) was Smith’s last day. The mayor thanks him for his service.”
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In a statement, Smith said he wanted to spend more time with his family.
“During a self-imposed quarantine earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to spend two full weeks with my family. It was the most consecutive time we’ve been together in the last 18 months. It made me realize how fast my young family is growing up,” Smith said. “I have missed so much and will continue to do so if I were to stay in this 24/7 position.”
Smith’s resignation also comes weeks after Southwest Side Ald. Matt O’Shea, 19th, privately complained to Lightfoot chief of staff Maurice Classen that he believed Smith had given a heads-up to Beverly bar Cork and Kerry about a forthcoming inspection, sources told the Tribune.
City officials declined to comment on O’Shea’s complaint or the steps they took in response, and it’s unclear whether it was connected to Smith’s departure. In an interview, Smith told the Tribune he did not leak any information to the bar.
Cork and Kerry bar owner Bill Guide also denied receiving any heads-up from Smith.
“If I was given a hard tip, believe me, we would’ve been totally on our p’s and q’s that night,” Guide said.
In a statement, Lightfoot’s office said Cork and Kerry was cited on July 25, a Saturday, and was shut down for allegedly violating COVID-19 guidelines. The city went to Cork and Kerry that Friday evening and gave no citations, then came back hours later and sanctioned the bar.
O’Shea declined to comment on the situation, which he called “gossip,” but noted Cork and Kerry’s owners “quickly worked with the Liquor Commissioner to develop and implement a plan of operation and re-opened later the same week.”
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“I am not aware of any new health concerns at this location and hope that all 19th Ward businesses continue to operate safely during this difficult time,” O’Shea said.
Before joining Lightfoot, Smith was a managing partner at Silver Star Protection Group.
Most mayoral security chiefs keep a low profile, but Smith was part of numerous controversies at City Hall.
Smith’s hiring raised questions about how the administration would handle information security around him. His wife, Margaret Houlihan Smith, is a prominent City Hall lobbyist whose clients have included ComEd. But the administration defended the hire, saying he’s a professional who would keep information confidential.
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In 2017, Smith co-authored a report suggesting that the solution to Chicago’s crime problem on the South and West sides was bringing in the National Guard, which raised awkward questions early in Lightfoot’s administration. She disavowed the idea and noted that Smith was not a policy adviser.
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As pressure grew on Lightfoot to cancel the city’s South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade earlier this year amid coronavirus concerns, Smith did local media interviews to promote the parade, as he was the committee’s co-chair.
On ”The EP Podcast,” an Evergreen Park-based podcast, Smith joked that the co-chair role requires him to “do a lot of media stuff” and “drink a lot of Paddy’s Irish whiskey.”
Asked whether the parade would be canceled due to the coronavirus, Smith said no.
“We’re not canceling any parade for some crazy virus,” Smith said. “We’ll make sure we’ll be careful of the kissin’ and huggin’ but we’ll be fine.”
It was canceled shortly thereafter.
Earlier this summer, Lightfoot gave Smith leadership control over the Chicago police officers assigned to guard City Hall and her home.
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In February, the Lightfoot administration reassigned the long-serving head of the Chicago Police Department’s City Hall detail hours after a group of activists made its way up to the lobby outside her fifth-floor office and staged a sit-in.
According to Lightfoot’s office, Chicago police Sgt. Tom Finegan has been appointed as the interim head of the mayor’s security detail while a search begins for a permanent replacement.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @royalpratt


chicagotribune--2020-08-26--Man, 66, shot while thwarting carjacking on Near North Side

The assailant confronted him and demanded the Jeep , but the 66-year-old refused to give him the keys , shoved @ @ @ @ @ in a nearby business .

A 66-year-old man was shot in the arm when he fought off a carjacker trying to steal his Jeep Wednesday afternoon on the North Side.
The victim was entering a Grand Cherokee in the 800 block of West Division Street in the Goose Island neighborhood about 1:05 p.m. police said.
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The assailant confronted him and demanded the Jeep, but the 66-year-old refused to give him the keys, shoved him down and took cover in a nearby business.
But as the assailant tumbled to the ground, he fired the gun at the driver, hitting him in the left arm, police said.
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The carjacker, who fled in a waiting Chevrolet Malibu, was not arrested and the 66-year-old was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was listed in good condition
Area Three detectives are investigating.
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-26--CPS reverses course, cuts cost of tuition-based prekindergarten during remote learning

After CPS announced fall quarter will be virtual , parents unable to afford both day care and tuition have been @ @ @ @ @ , offered at seven of the district ’ s elementary schools for a pre-discounted cost @ @ @ @ @ year .
As recently as last week , CPS officials stood by their decision to @ @ @ @ @ programs , which rely on parents ’ payments and operate on a 10-hour day .
@ @ @ @ @ hours longer than the district ’ s free full-day options , which at this point @ @ @ @

Chicago Public Schools announced Wednesday that it will discount the cost of its tuition-based prekindergarten programs by 50% during remote learning — though that may not be enough to save some of the classes.
After CPS announced fall quarter will be virtual, parents unable to afford both day care and tuition have been withdrawing from tuition-based pre-K programs, offered at seven of the district’s elementary schools for a pre-discounted cost of $15,275 a school year. As recently as last week, CPS officials stood by their decision to charge full price for the programs, which rely on parents’ payments and operate on a 10-hour day. That’s about three hours longer than the district’s free full-day options, which at this point have limited availability.
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In a letter to families Wednesday afternoon, CPS said full tuition “will not be required until health experts determine it is safe for early childhood programs to return to a learn-at-school model.”
But because the program is funded through tuition payments, the letter also states that under-enrolled classes “may not be offered for the upcoming school year.” CPS’s Office of Early Childhood Education is working with school leaders to make final decisions on each classroom, the letter states.
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Remote learning for pre-K will include an hour of live instruction on Google Meet, along with an hour of other academic instruction and a half-hour of motor-skill development, according to CPS.
The district is asking parents interested in the discounted remote learning rate to let their schools know by Friday.
“Once all families have confirmed their interest, we will notify you of your enrollment status and the program options available at your school as soon as possible,” the letter states. “Any outstanding deposits should be paid at this time, and previously paid deposits will be refunded to those who withdraw from the program.”
As the district continues to roll out universal pre-K for 4-year-olds, its new budget for the upcoming school year estimates 900 tuition-free seats will be added through 43 new full-day preschool classrooms in 14 “priority communities.”
hleone@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-26--Former Lake County Sheriff John Buncich serving prison term for bribery appeals new sentence

On Aug. 18 , Connor filed an appeal , and the next day the appeals court filed a notice that @ @ @ @ @ had not been paid .
The notice states that if the fee isn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ the appeal will be dismissed unless Buncich files under a rule that allows inmates to @ @ @ @ @ without paying fees .

Ex Lake County Sheriff, John Buncich, right, walks to the Federal courthouse in Hammond with his attorney Bryan Truitt in January 2018. (Suzanne Tennant / Chicago Tribune)
Former Lake County Sheriff John Buncich is appealing his resentencing hearing and is asking to do so without paying the associated fees because he is unemployed and in debt.
In January 2018, Buncich, 74, was sentenced to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison after he was convicted of bribery and wire fraud, among other charges, for soliciting bribes from county tow operators.
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After Buncich filed an appeal, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued its opinion in June affirming his conviction on charges of bribery and wire fraud, but vacating convictions on three counts of wire fraud, which the government admitted there was insufficient evidence to convict. The appeals court said Judge James Moody in Hammond should resentence Buncich.
The U.S. Supreme Court denied Buncich’s request to have his case revisited by the court of appeals in November.
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Buncich, former Chief Timothy Downs and William Szarmach, of C.S.A Towing, were named in a multicount indictment in November 2016 alleging a towing scheme where the sheriff accepted bribes in the form of thousands of dollars in cash and donations to his campaign fund, Buncich Boosters, according to court records.
Downs pleaded guilty in December 2016, according to court documents, and Szarmach pleaded guilty in July 2017. Both agreed to testify against Buncich during his trial.
Buncich’s attorney, Kerry C. Connor, of Highland, asked Moody to consider resentencing him to time-served and supervised release coupled with home detention.
Moody resentenced Buncich earlier this month to 151 months in prison, which reduced his sentence by 37 months. With credit for time served, he will remain in prison for about 10 more years.
On Aug. 18, Connor filed an appeal, and the next day the appeals court filed a notice that the $505 docket fees had not been paid. The notice states that if the fee isn’t paid within 14 days, the appeal will be dismissed unless Buncich files under a rule that allows inmates to move forward with an appeal without paying fees.
Connor filed records Wednesday requesting that Buncich be allowed to appeal without paying fees. Buncich can’t afford the costs associated with an appeal because he is unemployed while in prison and has many debts to pay, according to court records.
At resentencing, Buncich was ordered to pay $800 in restitution, $35,000 fine and a $300 penalty, according to court records.
Buncich has $3,300 in his commissary account, and his “only other asset” is his Crown Point home valued by Zillow at $203,649, according to court records. The mortgage on the property is $154,722, and his nephew is currently living in the home paying $1,300 in rent each month, according to court records.
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“Mr. Buncich does not have the funds to pay the costs and fees associated with his appeal, including the filing fees and the cost of ordering proceeding transcripts” according to court records. “Mr. Buncich has a number of additional unpaid debts and his daughter is paying for Mr. Buncich’s life insurance.”


chicagotribune--2020-08-26--Chicago man fatally injured in Waukegan motel shooting

Police were called to the motel on North Green Bay Road , north of the Washington Street , about 4:30 @ @ @ @ @ gunfire .
At the motel , they found a man with an apparent gunshot wound @

Waukegan police said they are investigating the death of a Chicago man found shot to death early Wednesday at a motel.
Police were called to the motel on North Green Bay Road, north of the Washington Street, about 4:30 a.m. after receiving reports of gunfire. At the motel, they found a man with an apparent gunshot wound.
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The shooting victim, whom police identified as a Chicago man in his 30s, was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Waukegan Police Investigations Division at (847) 360-9001.
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Corrections and clarifications

· A Commentary piece on July 2 about cultural memes of “ Karens ” as examples of privileged and annoying @ @ @ @ @ to Roger Stokes , a Florida man , who was erroneously identified as being part @ @ @ @ @ Villages , a Florida retirement community .
A video of the protest showed a man @ @ @ @ @ from a golf cart , and the video was publicized by President Donald Trump , @ @ @ @ @ June 28 but later deleted the tweet .
The Tribune has removed the reference in @ @ @ @ @ and apologizes for the error .

· A Commentary piece on July 2 about cultural memes of “Karens” as examples of privileged and annoying behavior wrongly included a reference to Roger Stokes, a Florida man, who was erroneously identified as being part of a protest in The Villages, a Florida retirement community. A video of the protest showed a man saying “white power” from a golf cart, and the video was publicized by President Donald Trump, who tweeted the video on June 28 but later deleted the tweet. The Tribune has removed the reference in the July 2 Commentary piece and apologizes for the error.
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chicagotribune--2020-08-26--Shooting during a Jacob Blake protest in Kenosha

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From left, Matt Muchowski, Vance Wyatt, and Donald Blake hold signs outside the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan on Sept. 25, 2020. Kyle Rittenhouse, accused of killing two protesters days after Jacob Blake was shot by police in Kenosha, Wis., faces a hearing to return him to Wisconsin to face trial on homicide charges that could put him in prison for life. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)