chicagotribune--2020-06-26--Yorkville private school not planning to require masks when classes resume, according to attorney

State guidelines issued this week call for school workers and students to wear masks and maintain social distancing , and @ @ @ @ @ other symptoms of COVID-19 , when schools reopen this fall .
The guidelines also limit @ @ @ @ @ in one place to under 50 and request increased cleaning and disinfection .

Officials at a private school in Yorkville say they won’t follow the state’s precautions against the coronavirus when classes resume, their lawyer said Friday.
Parkview Christian Academy officials are deciding what steps to take, but are “reasonably certain” that they won’t require any type of face covering be worn at all times, according to attorney Thomas DeVore.
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State guidelines issued this week call for school workers and students to wear masks and maintain social distancing, and undergo screening for fever or other symptoms of COVID-19, when schools reopen this fall. The guidelines also limit the number of people gathering in one place to under 50 and request increased cleaning and disinfection.
State officials could not be reached immediately for comment about Parkview, but previously said it will be up to each school or district to decide the details of reopening plans, without state review.
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In a letter to the State Board of Education and health departments, DeVore wrote that the 63-page reopening requirements do not cite any legal authority and are of “questionable efficacy,” since children appear to be less at risk of contracting serious illness than older people.
DeVore has represented state Rep. Darren Bailey in his lawsuit to overturn Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s restrictions on businesses and people in his stay-at-home order, meant to minimize deaths from the virus.


Corrections and clarifications

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· A story on Page 8 Friday incorrectly stated that more than 70 Cook County Health and Hospitals system employees were laid off. More than 70 positions were eliminated, but not all of them were filled.
· Ryan Ori’s column in Friday’s Business section incorrectly stated the neighborhood where the Sinclair apartment tower is located. It is in the Old Town neighborhood.
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The Tribune regrets the errors.
Publishing information quickly and accurately is a central part of the Chicago Tribune’s news responsibility and a value shared in all our publications. Our editorial code of principles governs professional behavior and journalism standards. Everyone in our newsroom must agree to live up to this code of conduct. Download the file.
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chicagotribune--2020-06-26--Remembering the lives of those in Illinois who died from coronavirus

As the number of deaths attributable to COVID-19 ticks upward , the Tribune is working to chronicle those who have @ @ @ @ @ Chicago area or who have connections to our region .
These are some of those @ @

They were mothers and fathers, daughters and sons. Many were proud grandparents. Two were sisters from a tight-knit South Side family. All were loved, relatives say, and will be forever missed.
As the number of deaths attributable to COVID-19 ticks upward, the Tribune is working to chronicle those who have lost their lives in the Chicago area or who have connections to our region. These are some of those victims.
If you know of someone or would like to offer a remembrance of someone please share your information here. To file a death notice, go here.
Subscribe to the Chicago Tribune: Our mission is to deliver trusted and meaningful local news. Your support allows us to continue providing the award-winning, watchdog and in-depth journalism our community deserves. Subscribe here.


chicagotribune--2020-06-26--Walmart says it will reopen Chicago stores that closed during unrest

“ When you look at the size of the investment we ’ re making , we ’ re not making @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s our intention to be here , ” he said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ to future years , if some future generation of Walmart leaders may come by and @ @ @ @ @ loss of these stores and make different choices a store at a time .
But @ @ @ @ @ making is big , so we ’ re intending to be here to stay .
@

Walmart on Friday announced plans to reopen seven Chicago stores that had closed during recent unrest, welcome news for neighborhoods that in some cases had gone weeks without a place to buy groceries.
Company CEO Doug McMillon stood next to Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Friday at City Hall, where she said that “over the coming months,” the retail giant will reopen stores it had closed because of looting in Chicago after George Floyd died at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.
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McMillon noted that “these stores, in many cases, are not profitable” for Walmart, but said the company plans to be in Chicago to stay.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon bumps elbows with Ald. Emma Mitts, 37th, at Chicago City Hall on June 26, 2020, after joining with Mayor Lori Lightfoot, right, to announce Walmart will reopen seven stores that were damaged during unrest after the death of George Floyd. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
“When you look at the size of the investment we’re making, we’re not making it for the short term. It’s our intention to be here,” he said. “I can’t speak to future years, if some future generation of Walmart leaders may come by and look at the profit and loss of these stores and make different choices a store at a time. But this commitment we’re making is big, so we’re intending to be here to stay.”
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The reopenings are a win for residents of the neighborhoods, especially those in struggling areas of the city that have a hard time attracting retailers and suffered some of the heaviest damage during late May looting following Floyd’s death.
In recent weeks, aldermen have expressed concern that many stores would never reopen, decimating neighborhoods in a way similar to the scars remaining in parts of Chicago from rioting after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.‘s murder 50 years ago.
And they’re a win for Lightfoot as she tries to deliver on a campaign promise to prioritize helping lower-income parts of the city that have in many cases been designated as food deserts because of the lack of nearby grocery stores.
Walmart hopes to reopen smaller Neighborhood Market locations and a store in the Hermosa neighborhood by the end of July, and have locations in Chatham and Austin back up and running by the end of 2020.
The company also plans to pay to set up health centers in the Chatham and Austin stores, where residents will be able to get affordable health care service, Lightfoot said.
The locations of the stores that will be reopening by next month are: 2844 N. Broadway, 2511 W. Cermak Road, 4720 S. Cottage Grove Ave., 7535 S. Ashland Ave., 8331 S. Stewart Ave., 4650 W. North Ave. and 4626 W. Diversey Ave.
A store in the Far South Side Pullman neighborhood has remained open.
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Walmart’s presence in Chicago has been controversial for decades. Unions fought hard to keep the retailer out of the city during Mayor Richard M. Daley’s tenure.
After the City Council agreed to let the first Walmart open in Austin, labor groups poured money into the 2007 elections to defeat several aldermen who voted in favor of the store opening.
The second Walmart was built in Pullman after an emotional City Hall fight over wages for workers at the stores that culminated in council approval in 2010.
The retailer now has stores of various sizes around the city, and the contentiousness over the openings has largely dissipated. In 2011, Walmart started opening smaller stores in Chicago that carry fresh groceries, pharmacy and health and beauty aids.
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @_johnbyrne


chicagotribune--2020-06-26--Art Institute lays off 8% of staff due to COVID-19 pandemic

The museum has been closed since mid-March and has spoken of the tentative possibility of reopening by the end of @ @ @ @ @ Chicago does at keeping the spread of COVID-19 to a minimum as it enters the @ @ @ @ @ reopening plan .
But whenever the Art Institute opens back up , city rules will @ @ @ @ @ of capacity , and the encyclopedic Michigan Avenue museum is bracing for major revenue shortfalls @

Mark Witteveen, owner of The Chicago Flyhouse, places a city of Chicago flag mask on one of the lions outside the Art Institute on April 30, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Following on the heels of most of Chicago’s major cultural institutions during the global pandemic, the Art Institute of Chicago this week laid off staff in what it called a necessary adjustment to a new reality and still uncertain future.
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“The Art Institute of Chicago has informed staff of a reduction in force affecting 51 individuals, or just over 8% of our team,” Executive Director of Public Affairs Kati Murphy said in a statement. “This difficult decision was made in response to a reduction in museum visitors and changes to our internal structure that reflect the evolving needs of our institution and our community moving forward.”
The museum has been closed since mid-March and has spoken of the tentative possibility of reopening by the end of July, depending on how Chicago does at keeping the spread of COVID-19 to a minimum as it enters the fourth phase of its five-stage reopening plan. But whenever the Art Institute opens back up, city rules will limit attendance to 25% of capacity, and the encyclopedic Michigan Avenue museum is bracing for major revenue shortfalls.
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The cuts were nearly museumwide, Murphy said.
“We are sad to be losing the skills and contributions of a number of valued colleagues,” she said. “During these challenging times, we must transform our operations, giving us little choice but to make reductions in nearly all of our departments.”
The layoffs were completed Friday, the museum said.
Two weeks earlier, the Field Museum of Natural History told the public of its own layoffs in a June 12 letter from CEO Richard Lariviere. The museum laid off 27 staffers, informed another 17 their “terms will not be renewed” upon expiration in the coming months and eliminated 27 open positions. It furloughed 56 employees, but, Lariviere said, “We hope to bring back the majority of our 56 furloughed employees within six months.”
Also cutting staff have been Adler Planetarium, Lincoln Park Zoo and the Museum of Science and Industry, among others.
sajohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @StevenKJohnson


chicagotribune--2020-06-26--The Spin: Sen. Duckworth’s chances of being Biden’s running mate | Tax hikes, layoffs — Preckwinkle’

The Spin: Sen. Duckworth’s chances of being Biden’s running mate | Tax hikes, layoffs — Preckwinkle’s dire COVID budget forecast | Chicago nears 300 homicides with backdrop of social unrest, new top cop’s rocky start

“ We can ’ t say re-opening is risk-free .
It ’ s not .
And we ’ ve been @ @ @ @ @ the public , and we will continue to be .
We ’ re working with @ @ @ @ @ be sure they are being true to the various guidelines that have been crafted in @ @ @ @ @ the mayor told reporters at an unrelated news conference.
`` I will tell you , @ @ @ @ @ give me pause , and when I do , I call up one of the @ @ @ @ @ Hey , we need to talk to this one or that one.
’ But we @ @ @ @ @ to be diligent in saying COVID-19 is still here .
We have to engage in @ @ @ @ @ watching what is happening all around us in other states with growing concerns .
And @ @ @ @ @ that are necessary to keep Chicagoans safe .
”

U.S.Senator Tammy Duckworth talks with marchers before faith leaders and politicians participate in the Juneteenth faith led peaceful demonstration on Columbus Drive in Grant Park on June 19, 2020. The march is a show of solidarity to celebrate Juneteenth. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune) (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
The national media are keeping an eye — and offers a sometimes lukewarm take — trained on Illinois U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s chances of being presumed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s running mate.
In some ways she fits the bill, The New York Times writes this week, pointing to a compelling life story that includes losing both legs when her Army helicopter was shot down near Baghdad and her left-of-center, moderate politics. Others say it’s unlikely because she’s not from a battleground state — as running mates sometimes are — and that the time is now for an African American woman to step into the role as calls for racial equity in all facets of society and politics grow in the wake of a white Minneapolis police officer killing an unarmed and handcuffed Black man.
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U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Schaumburg Democrat, sits down with “60 Minutes” about the congressional probe of federal officials reportedly failing to immediately put the brakes on what the newsmagazine calls, in a preview of the piece, the “distribution of many COVID-19 antibody tests they knew were flawed,” leading to “inaccurate data about the spread of the virus.” The show airs Sunday at 6 p.m. Chicago time.
And the fiscal hits just keep coming as the COVID-19 pandemic continues its devastation: Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is projecting a $410 million budget hole next year and says “everything is on the table.” That includes tax hikes and layoffs of government workers to balance a budget that largely bankrolls one of the biggest criminal justice operations and public health and hospital systems in the country.
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Mayor Lori Lightfoot has said the city’s COVID-triggered shortfall this year alone would be about $700 million and next year it could be north of $1 billion. Before inking a new budget for the new fiscal year, which kicks in July 1, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he was working to shore up a $2.7 billion revenue shortfall for the state in this fiscal year and up to $7.4 billion next year because of the coronavirus.
Welcome to The Spin.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot takes off her face mask for a Q and A after announcing a new broadband initiative for students during a press conference at Evergreen Academy Middle School, 3537 S Paulina, in Chicago, Thursday, June 25, 2020. At right is CPS CEO Dr. Janice Jackson. (Antonio Perez/ Chicago Tribune) User Upload Caption: (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
As Chicago and the rest of Illinois today entered “Phase 4” in the 5-phase plan to lift COVID-19-related restrictions, the state has seen upticks in new cases and deaths in recent days while pockets of the nation have experienced a surge in newly diagnosed patients - sending the per-day new case total to an all-time high of roughly 40,000 cases in the U.S.
Mayor Lightfoot was asked about what reservations she might have considering that new data.
“We can’t say re-opening is risk-free. It’s not. And we’ve been very, very clear with the public, and we will continue to be. We’re working with the various industry structures to be sure they are being true to the various guidelines that have been crafted in conjunction with them,” the mayor told reporters at an unrelated news conference. " I will tell you, I see some things that give me pause, and when I do, I call up one of the deputy mayors and say ‘Hey, we need to talk to this one or that one.’ But we’re going to continue to be diligent in saying COVID-19 is still here. We have to engage in social distancing. We are watching what is happening all around us in other states with growing concerns. And we will take the steps that are necessary to keep Chicagoans safe.”
Lightfoot was asked if she might tighten restrictions if Chicago sees a spike, but the mayor said “I don’t want to speculate about what might happen.”
“We’re still making, regardless of what’s happening elsewhere, in Chicago, we’re still making good progress on all the public health metrics that we measure: ICU beds, hospitalizations, ventilators, testing, percent positivity. All those continue to trend in a good direction, but we have to remain diligent.” via (John Byrne)
Illinois casinos and video gaming locations set to reopen July 1: The Tribune’s Robert Channick has the details here.
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Cook County court system eyes July reopening, mostly via video: Read the Tribune story here.
Lightfoot announces Chicago’s summer jobs program will include online employment, assisting with COVID-19 response: The Tribune’s Byrne also has that story here.
COVID-19 fallout: Huge drop in Illinois home sales due to COVID-19 might be great for sellers, but not for buyers: The Tribune’s Ariel Cheung has the story here.
City Colleges of Chicago suspend sports for 2020-21 because of COVID-19 ‘caution and concern’: The Tribune’s Shannon Ryan has the details here.
Elsewhere in the city: Pritzker IEPA approves move of scrap shredder to predominantly Latino neighborhood in Chicago -The Tribune’s Michael Hawthorne has the details here.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Police superintendent David Brown during a news conference at Chicago City Hall on June 11, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Data points: The Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner writes, “Through Sunday, the city saw a jump of more than 25% in the number of homicides, reaching 295, which is 60 more than the same period a year ago, according to a review of crime statistics. Shooting incidents with at least one victim shot fatally or nonfatally jumped by almost 40% through Sunday, totaling 1,250.”
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Top cop won’t meet goal this year: That almost guarantees that newly minted Chicago police Superintendent David Brown’s goal of bringing the homicide numbers below 300 won’t happen this year. The department declined to make Brown, who’s had a rocky start, available for an interview on the homicide numbers, Gorner notes.
Perspective: Experts say year-over-year comparisons don’t tell a story about changes in crime, Gorner notes, and one study showed the overall number of homicides in five dozen U.S. cities during the pandemic went down in April compared with an average over the prior three years. But if history is any indicator, the fallout from a white Minneapolis police officer killing George Floyd, an unarmed and handcuffed African American man, could contribute to the rise in violence through summer. Read the full story here.
Investigations of anonymous complaints against some Chicago cops would be allowed under contract decision - The Tribune’s Dan Hinkel writes: “Police reform advocates have pressed city officials for years to eliminate union contract clauses that hamstring the city’s ineffectual disciplinary system, and Roumell’s decision makes at least partial progress toward some of those demands. For example, the decision spelled out that officers would not get the names of complainants until just before the cops speak with disciplinary investigators, a break with the past practice of giving them the names days in advance.‘ Read the story here.
Other city news: Walmart announced Friday that it plans to re-open seven Chicago stores that had closed during recent unrest: The Tribune’s John Byrne has the details here.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle presides over a Cook County Board meeting in Chicago on Feb. 27, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
By the numbers: The $410 million budget hole Preckwinkle is predicting “comes from the combined deficits in the general and health funds, which are projected to rise to approximately $222 million and $187 million, respectively,” the Tribune’s Alice Yin writes.
Lost revenues: As the county loses out on sales, amusement and other nonproperty taxes throughout the coronavirus outbreak, total revenue for the general fund is expected to continue declining, though at a slower rate, by 7% next year while expenses may rise by 5%. Some of the expenses are driven by further responses to COVID-19, such as health care costs for procedures that were delayed until 2021 and overtime costs for public safety officers addressing the pandemic.
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Help from Washington: “The federal CARES Act has provided the county $429 million to offset direct expenditures from COVID-19, but the cash does not apply to lost revenue,” Yin also notes. “Preckwinkle said she is hopeful the proposed federal HEROES Act, which would address lost revenue for local governments, will move forward in the GOP-controlled U.S. Senate this summer after more lobbying from the National Association of Counties with which she is working.”
Another dire warning: It doesn’t look likely the state will move beyond Phase 4 to fully reopening next year: “We do anticipate that we will have moved into phase five of the recovery by next year,” budget Director Annette Guzman told reporters. “However, we’re also anticipating and building into our models the potential of a resurgence of the virus at the end of this year, in the fall, in the winter, and needing to address that.”
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U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth speaks during a news conference at O'Hare International Airport on Jan. 7, 2019. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
The New York Times writes this week that Duckworth, Illinois’ junior senator who is among nearly a dozen under consideration to be Biden’s running mate, “is not one of the Democratic senators who ran for the top job this cycle and then became part of the vice-presidential search. She is not from a battleground state; vice-presidential candidates often are. She is not among the running-mate contenders who are black; many leading Democrats feel Mr. Biden should choose a black woman, in part because of the growing public attention to and support for fighting systemic racism. Her politics are in some ways abstruse; she largely votes with her party but she is not particularly identified with any progressive cause, other than an often bipartisan distaste for protracted foreign entanglements.”
“But presidential candidates generally try to find a running mate who can both complement and highlight their own political qualities, and in that sense, some experts say, Ms. Duckworth fits the bill.” Read the story here.
The Washington Post ranks the 11 candidates Biden’s considering for vice president: Read it here.
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Duckworth calls Trump’s ‘Kung Flu’ comments on coronavirus ‘racist': The Illinois senator took to Twitter and blasted the president for making a “racist joke” about the deadly COVID-19 epidemic during last weekend’s Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally, The Wall Street Journal reported, noting that she wasn’t alone. “Democratic lawmakers, activists and experts have said the phrase, a reference to Chinese martial arts, is rooted in racist stereotypes about Asian people.” Read the full WSJ story here.
120. Thousand. Americans. Dead.
Children will grow up without a parent.
Grandparents will never see grandchildren grow up.
To Trump, it’s all one big racist joke.
And with each rally he holds, he's making the #TrumpPandemic worse. https://t.co/G0W9sOUfmL — Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) June 23, 2020
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi at a news conference calling at O'Hare International Airport on Jan. 14, 2019. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
“60 Minutes” rolled out a preview of its Sunday news show on its website, writing: “Federal officials failed to immediately stop the distribution of many COVID-19 antibody tests they knew were flawed, leading to inaccurate data about the spread of the virus. Congress is now investigating why the FDA did not review the tests it allowed to be distributed widely.”
“Fraudulent tests flooded the market. Hundreds and hundreds of tests taken by hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people,” Krishnamoorthi, who launched a probe, tells the newsmagazine. “When you open the floodgates to virtually any product being sold by anybody, well, guess what? Shysters, scam artists, and people who are preying on unsuspecting consumers enter the fray.”
Also on the D.C. front: “Top Democrats in the House and Senate are backing a measure that would deny coronavirus aid to companies that moved their official headquarters offshore to avoid U.S. taxes,” The Washington Post reports. In a statement to the paper, U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, said: “These companies, which have schemed their way out of paying U.S. taxes, shouldn’t get a dime of American taxpayer funded CARES Act financial relief.” Read the full story here.
Thanks for reading The Spin, the Tribune’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons. Have a tip? Email host Lisa Donovan at ldonovan@chicagotribune.com.
Twitter @byldonovan


chicagotribune--2020-06-26--Family demands answers in death of Jamal Williams, fatally shot at Community Hospital in Munster

“ We rented an Air BnB in Florida for all the children in April , and I told Jamal that @ @ @ @ @ to keep peace and order because I knew he would .
And he said , @ @ @ @ @ this , ’ ” she said .
“ He has two dads who loved him @ @ @ @ @ think of him , I didn ’ t put no caps on what he was @ @ @ @ @ was smart and good enough to be anything he wanted .
”

Protesters march near Community Hospital in Munster on Thursday, June 25, 2020, during a protest of the killing of Lansing man Jamal Williams. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
When Jamal Williams graduated from eighth grade, his older sister, Imani, did what a cool older sister would do and took him to a rave as his present.
The fun-but-straight-edged Jamal hadn’t been introduced to electronic dance music yet, so the two arrived at the party and split up, she said as a vigil honoring him near the place where a security guard shot and killed him at Community Hospital in Munster on June 16 wound down Thursday evening. She’ll never forget the look on his face when they reconvened at the end of the night.
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“He met up with some friends there and made new friends, and he was just blown away by the music,” Imani Williams, 26 and of Chicago, said. “It hasn’t hit me yet that he’s gone.”
Imani Williams, whose brother Jamal Williams was killed by a security guard at Community Hospital last week, speaks during a protest of her brother's death on Thursday, June 25, 2020. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
At least 50 people — many of them family members — gathered in a clearing to the north of Community Hospital to remember their son, nephew, brother and friend as well as call for justice regarding his death. Jamal Williams, 22, of Lansing, Illinois, and hospital security guard Ryan Askew were shot and killed after a fellow security guard fired at Williams, who is said to have had Askew in a chokehold during an altercation in Jamal Williams’s room, according to the Lake County Prosecutor’s office.
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The second security guard hasn’t been charged in their deaths at this time, “but that can be subject to change,” Lake County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Bradley Carter said in an email Friday.
Jamal Williams’s stepfather, Dwayne Davis, said Jamal Williams had been struggling emotionally the last few months since the pandemic hit. On top of dealing with his graduation from Western Michigan University getting canceled over COVID-19, the news of Black men getting killed for spurious reasons really started taking its toll.
When he and his wife, the Rev. Patrice Patterson-Davis, brought their son to the Community Hospital emergency room around 10 p.m. June 15, he was upset but in no way violent, Davis said. Jamal Williams just wanted help.
“One minute, he was fine, and the next he was crying and didn’t know the date,” Davis said. “As we were heading to the hospital, he asked us to pray with him for world peace.”
Eric Williams, center, whose son Jamal Williams was shot and killed in Munster Community Hospital last week, is embraced by friends and family during a protest on Thursday, June 25, 2020. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
Jamal Williams, Davis said, also asked his nurse to pray with him, which she allegedly did. But then when Williams asked if more people could come and pray, the nurse allegedly became concerned and contacted security, he said.
Community Hospital representatives have not issued a statement confirming the chain of events from that night. But Davis remains convinced his son wouldn’t harm anyone.
"Jamal didn't touch her," Davis said. "He walked out of his room and was asking people to pray with him."
Imani Williams, too, said she could see "something wasn't right" with her little brother, but it wasn't anger.
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“It was frustration, exhaustion and pain,” she said. “He knew George Floyd could be any one of us, and he didn’t understand why he and so many others have to prove their life mattered.”
Family friend Chamaine Dade, whom Jamal Williams and his family call “Auntie,” said she “never saw him angry a day in his whole life,” and had a smile “that would melt your heart.”
“We rented an Air BnB in Florida for all the children in April, and I told Jamal that I was holding him responsible to keep peace and order because I knew he would. And he said, ‘Auntie, I got this,’” she said. “He has two dads who loved him dearly, and when I think of him, I didn’t put no caps on what he was going to be because he was smart and good enough to be anything he wanted.”
At approximately 1:15 a.m. June 16, Munster Police officers were dispatched to Munster Community Hospital, 901 McArthur Blvd., about a physical disturbance between a patient and staff, according to a release from the Munster Police. Two armed hospital security guards had already responded to the scene; one of them, along with the patient, were found dead when Munster and Lake County Sheriff’s officers arrived, Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said.
According to a June 16th release from Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter, the patient, identified as Jamal Williams, was beating a nurse when the two security officers arrived and tried to pull the patient away from the nurse.
The security guards were overpowered, the release said, and Williams had Ryan Askew, 59, of Crown Point, in a chokehold.
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Williams lifted Askew off the ground and continued striking him, the release said.
At that point, the other security guard fired two shots at Williams striking him in the face and Askew in the arm, the release said.
The release said the bullet traveled into Askew’s chest, killing him.
Prentella Patterson, whose nephew Jamal Williams was killed by a security guard at Community Hospital last week, holds up a sign during a protest of her nephew's death on Thursday, June 25, 2020. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
Imani Williams called for several items, among them charging the security guard with second-degree murder and getting rid of retired police officers in mental health settings and schools. Community Healthcare doesn’t have mental health capabilities at Community Hospital; Davis said the hospital never told his wife and him that they didn’t.
“(The security guard) shot his own damn partner. Why can’t the police ever take responsibility? Why does ‘looking out for your own’ end with our demise?” she said. “(Jamal Williams) was treated with such incompetence and disrespect.”
Priscilla Patterson, one of Jamal Williams’s aunts, is especially angry at the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, who initially told a local newspaper that Jamal Williams got a hold of one of the security officer’s guns.
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“That’s the first thing people say to me about my nephew, and it was wrong,” she said. “For (Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr.) to lie like that — (people) don’t get the second story.”
Jamal Williams’s father, Eric Williams, of Chicago, said he tried to hide the ugliness of being Black from his son as long as he could, but Jamal Williams caught on. The lessons were especially painful finishing his football career at Western Michigan, Eric Williams said.
“We prepared him to be a good, Christian man, but even he said, ‘You do all these things, so why does the finish line keep moving on me? The same people who cheer for me on the field hate me,’” Eric Williams said.
A short visitation for Jamal Williams will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. June 27th at Anointed Word Ministries Church, 16250 84th Ave., Tinley Park, Illinois, with services to follow. Interment will be at Cedar Park Cemetery, 12540 S. Halsted Street, Calumet Park, Illinois.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.


chicagotribune--2020-06-26--6 hurt when CTA bus plows into commercial building after tow truck broadsided it and flees scene

Five passengers , suffering non-life-threatening injuries , were taken to hospitals , where their conditions had been stabilized .
The @ @ @ @ @ to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center , also with minor injuries , though his condition @ @ @ @ @ given , police said .

A CTA bus jumped the curb and slammed into a commercial building after a tow truck broadsided it and fled the scene on Friday morning, Chicago police said.
It happened shortly before 8 a.m. in the 5200 block of West Fullerton Avenue, in the city’s Cragin neighborhood, said Officer Steve Rusanov, a Chicago police spokesman.
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The bus was eastbound on Fullerton when the tow truck, which was going southbound on Laramie Avenue, hit the driver’s side of the bus, causing the bus to jump the curb and hit a commercial building, where it “came to rest,‘' according to Rusanov.
The tow truck, of an unknown make and model, fled the scene.
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Five passengers, suffering non-life-threatening injuries, were taken to hospitals, where their conditions had been stabilized. The man driving the bus went to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, also with minor injuries, though his condition at the hospital was not given, police said.
pnickeas@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-26--Former CPS principal charged with felony battery was ‘horsing around’ before he threw water bottle a

Former CPS principal charged with felony battery was ‘horsing around’ before he threw water bottle at cafeteria worker, prosecutors say

According to prosecutors , Jones , two cafeteria workers and a security guard were eating lunch in the cafeteria after @ @ @ @ @ a discussion ensued about games , including dodgeball .
When one of the cafeteria workers @ @ @ @ @ want to take part in any game or “ horseplay , ” Jones “ then @ @ @ @ @ floor towards ( the workers ) in an attempt to be funny , ” prosecutors @ @

The week after he resigned amid allegations that he threw a water bottle at a woman working in the school’s cafeteria, former Franklin Elementary Fine Arts Center principal Kurt Jones has been charged with a felony.
Chicago police said Jones, 46, an Uptown resident, was charged with aggravated battery of a school employee. He was released on a signature bond after a hearing Friday and neither he nor his lawyer could immediately be reached.
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Prosecutors said Jones threw the bottle after he had been “horsing around.”
Former Franklin Elementary Fine Arts Center principal Kurt Jones has been charged with felony aggravated battery of a school employee, according to police. (Chicago Police Department / HANDOUT)
Chicago police were called to the Old Town school on March 20 after a cafeteria employee said Jones threw a water bottle at her, causing laceration and bruising, according to police reports, which state the alleged battery was witnessed by another cafeteria worker. It occurred days into the school shutdown prompted by COVID-19. Franklin initially stayed open as a grab-and-go meal distribution site.
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According to the police report, Jones first threw a shoe at the woman while she was facing a freezer with her back to the food serving line, but the shoe missed her and hit the freezer door. She turned, only to be hit in the face with a water bottle, the police report states.
According to prosecutors, Jones, two cafeteria workers and a security guard were eating lunch in the cafeteria after distributing meals that day when a discussion ensued about games, including dodgeball. When one of the cafeteria workers repeatedly said she did not want to take part in any game or “horseplay,” Jones “then threw two lunches on the floor towards (the workers) in an attempt to be funny,” prosecutors said.
The woman and her co-worker then went down the hallway to the kitchen prep area while Jones and the security guard “threw stuff at each other and started to horse around,” and Jones told the guard he wanted to “get” the woman, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said Jones then entered the prep area, threw the shoe and then, though the worker “again made it clear she did not want to horse around,” threw the bottle at her. The bottle hitting her in the face caused cuts near her eye and caused her nose to bleed, said prosecutors, who added she needed stitches, was diagnosed with a concussion and has experienced recurring headaches.
Jones “was shocked and quickly apologized,” taking full responsibility, before leaving the area, prosecutors said.
Jones “had a history of ‘horsing’ around and trying to scare staff members through extreme measures, including throwing chairs from balconies on multiple occasions,” prosecutors stated, adding that he’d tried to scare the same cafeteria worker before, including throwing an apple at her two weeks before.
Jones resigned June 19 after presented with investigatory findings into “allegations of serious misconduct,” according to a letter to Franklin families from Chicago Public Schools Director of Principal Quality Zipporah Hightower.
“As the allegations were reported on publicly, numerous additional complaints were sent to CPS from both current and former employees at Franklin,” Hightower wrote. “In response, the district widened the scope of its investigation. Earlier today, Mr. Jones was presented with the investigative findings and resigned from his position.”
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Jones was working up until his resignation, according to a district spokesperson, who said had he not quit, “the district would have pursued dismissal.”
CPS leaders appointed Joyce Booker-Thomas the school’s administrator-in-charge until the local school council selects a new principal, according to the letter.
“We expect our school leaders to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff, and we cannot accept behavior that compromises the sanctuary of our school communities,” the letter states.
On the school’s Facebook page, community members weighed in on the news of Jones’ resignation, many leaving comments of support for him but others saying no matter what good he had done for the school, if the allegations were true, he needed to go.
hleone@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-26--Illinois coronavirus graphs: 6,847 deaths, 140,291 confirmed cases, 1.49 million tests, 4.66% positi

Illinois coronavirus graphs: 6,847 deaths, 140,291 confirmed cases, 1.49 million tests, 4.66% positivity rate for northeast region

One measure is the positivity rate : total positive tests divided by the total number of tests .
Region 1 @ @ @ @ @ the suburbs , stood at 4.66 % , the highest measure among the four regions @ @ @ @ @ % benchmark .
The state also watches change in positivity rate over the last 2 @ @ @ @ @ 1.5 % , the largest decline among the four regions .

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--2020-06-26--Man held without bail in killing of 2 teens on South Side

“ They don ’ t ever go out into the neighborhood because it ’ s so dangerous , ” he @ @ @ @ @ their mom , can we just go down to the store — it couldn ’ @ @ @ @ @ a half a block away — can we just go down to the store to @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s what they did .
”

A 19-year-old Englewood neighborhood man was ordered held without bail after he was charged with murder in the killings of two teens on the South Side on Saturday during one of the most violent weekends Chicago has seen in years, police said.
Laroy Battle, 19, of the 6100 block of South Racine Avenue, was charged with two counts of murder in the killings of Charles Riley, 16, and Jasean Francis, as well as possession of a controlled substance.
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Battle, who court records show was wanted on a warrant in the killings, was arrested by the Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force at 11:45 a.m. in suburban Schiller Park after being positively identified as the shooter, police said.
Prosecutors said he was identified on video and by two witnesses and when found by the fugitive task force, admitted to being on video and having cut his hair after the shooting of the two Hyde Park High School students.
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Soon after the killings, the Chicago Police Department released video images of the man suspected of being the killer. Two police officers recognized him and multiple other people tipped off police about his identity, a prosecutor said Friday.
When arrested, he had an ecstasy pill on him and was charged with possession of a controlled substance.
Prosecutors said he was on probation for a prior gun case. He’s due back in court on July 15.
The shooting happened in an alley just after 5 p.m. June 20 in the 7900 block of South Luella Avenue.
Riley and Francis were with a friend and had just gone to a mall, Brendan Deenihan, the Police Department’s chief of detectives, said Sunday.
“They don’t ever go out into the neighborhood because it’s so dangerous,” he said. “They asked their mom, can we just go down to the store — it couldn’t have been more than a half a block away — can we just go down to the store to buy some candy? And that’s what they did.”
At the gas station, they noticed Battle with a gun in his waistband, prosecutors said. Battle told the teens that he had a gun and Battle and the teens’ friend told Battle how he wished he were as tall as Battle, so he could play basketball better, according to prosecutors.
Battle left the gas station before the teens, and the friend was walking a little behind Riley and Francis when Battle came up and shot the two, prosecutors said. The friend ran inside his home and told his mother what had happened.
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The boys had almost reached their gangway to return home when someone ran up and shot them “for no reason at all,” Deenihan said.
Francis was shot in the back, chest and left hand while Riley was struck in the back and left flank, police said. Both teens were pronounced dead at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
When police arrived, they found Riley lying in the alley and Francis lying near a parked car on a concrete slab in a backyard, prosecutors said.
“These kids are not criminals, they’re not gang members, they have nothing to do with the ongoing disputes out there and they just get gunned down for no reason at all,” Deenihan said.
The teens were among at least 106 shot, 14 fatally, including a 3-year-old boy, during one of the most violent weekends Chicago had experienced in recent memory.


chicagotribune--2020-06-26--As U.S. reopens, here’s how to handle awkward COVID-19 social interactions — at the office, in resta

As U.S. reopens, here’s how to handle awkward COVID-19 social interactions — at the office, in restaurants and when having sex

Although some may balk at the idea , wearing a mask during sex could be a good idea , especially @ @ @ @ @ your partner is high-risk , or if you or your partner haven ’ t been @ @ @ @ @ masks , or if you simply don ’ t know your partner that well and @ @ @ @ @ exposure risk is .
Until we understand this virus better , enjoy sex at a @ @ @ @ @ sexting ) .
Wait to have sex with someone you know is virus-free , and @ @ @ @ @ whom you have built a real , lasting connection .

The coronavirus pandemic has changed how we interact and relate to one another. We’re hiding our faces behind masks, crossing the street when someone gets too close and staying at least 6 feet away from friends and relatives. This new uncharted territory can sound a bit rude. The “Social Graces” series is addressing your awkward COVID-19 social interactions, and here are some of the new situations we are facing.
For more detailed answers to these questions and more “Social Graces” coronavirus Q’s and A’s, click here.
Pandemic deniers
With some states reopening, some folks think the pandemic is over. (Ruben Earth / Getty Images)
Q: What should you say to friends and family members who think the pandemic is over?
A: The COVID-19 pandemic is not over. It’s still here, it never went away, and it’s not going anywhere until there is a vaccine available.
This virus is very infectious. It’s more infectious than influenza, so we really need to be more vigilant. States reopening may give some a false sense of security because, again, the pandemic is not over.
If friends or family members call COVID-19 a hoax on Facebook, don’t engage online, because social media is not a realistic place to have a conversation.
— Emma Kate Loveday, postdoctoral researcher and virologist
A: This pandemic is so large and terrifying that many would prefer to pretend it’s not happening.
The best way to communicate to people living with this denial is to only speak in facts and to avoid personal stories or feelings.
“I think you should wear a mask” is a statement that invites conversation, but “Several countries have cut their number of infections over 50% by simply having citizens wear masks; it’s proven to reduce the spread of infection” tells other people they’ll have to do research to keep up with this conversation.
— Ike Holter, Chicago playwright and screenwriter
Restaurants
Two women eat lunch indoors at Portside Restaurant in Salisbury, Mass. (Elise Amendola/AP)
Q: Some states are beginning to slowly reopen, but you still have anxiety about the coronavirus. How should you respond when friends want to get together at a restaurant?
A: What I see happening as areas slowly reopen and as people develop quarantine fatigue is a battle between FOMO (fear of missing out) and FOGO (fear of going out).
What gets really tricky is when your group has different mechanisms for managing anxiety. One person wants to go to restaurants and bars, and another wants to avoid any situations that don’t permit social distancing and masking. Be willing to openly and nonjudgmentally share your feelings. Be understanding that these are highly stressful times that bring out myriad anxieties in most of us. Avoid blame and accusation.
Peer pressure to do something that puts you at risk means your peers either don’t understand that’s how you feel or you are too afraid to disappoint them — and you need to work on that. It’s OK to say you’re not comfortable yet, something real friends will understand.
— Dr. Gail Saltz, associate professor of psychiatry at the New York Presbyterian Hospital Weill-Cornell School of Medicine and host of the “Personology” podcast from iHeartRadio.
A: If you’re feeling anxious about getting together with your friends at a restaurant, you could let them know that as much as you would like to spend time with them in person, you would prefer to meet virtually to reduce the risk to everyone you come in contact with. If your friends decide to honor your decision and have a virtual dinner gathering, you can suggest some fun ideas, like ordering dessert to be delivered to your friends. Or set a budget and order food for one another like Secret Santa.
If you’re comfortable with meeting in person, but would prefer to meet outdoors rather than in an enclosed space, you can suggest picking up to-go orders separately from a restaurant and setting up a picnic outside with enough room for everyone to space themselves out.
If your friends insist that they want to get together at a restaurant, let them know you still have anxiety or concerns about gathering in an enclosed space. You should express your appreciation for their invitation and suggest they get together without you this time. Let them know that you’ll join them in the future when you feel more at ease about dining in a restaurant.
— Bonnie Tsai, etiquette expert and founder of Beyond Etiquette
The office
Not everyone is ready to go back to the office. (PeopleImages / Getty Images)
Q: Your company has decided to go back to the office, but you don’t feel safe doing that yet. How should you handle the situation, given the economy and job security?
A: Depending on your circumstances, if you are able to discuss your concerns with your boss, do it. If you can’t refuse to return to work, you can still try to negotiate. Perhaps you can reach an agreement to continue to work from home a couple more weeks until you feel comfortable.
When it’s time to go back to the office, continue to abide by the guidelines put in place by health officials.
Communicate your fears to your employer. For peace of mind, find out what protocols have been put in place to help ease your fears. Things are going to feel awkward for a while. But the rules of social etiquette still apply. It’s all about feeling comfortable and having others around you feel comfortable. When in doubt, refer to the core values of etiquette: respect and consideration.
— Jacquelyn Youst, etiquette expert and owner of Pennsylvania Academy of Protocol
A: This is such a difficult situation because it really pits your financial security against your physical security.
The first step is communication: Talk to your boss, and ask if you can do your job remotely. The biggest concern for a manager is that you won’t work as hard from home. Address that head-on by explaining that you will be working even harder from home (no commute time) and will be just as accessible and accountable.
If this approach doesn’t work, then you will have a tough choice to make. Can you afford to be unemployed for a potentially lengthy period of time? This is not a good market for job seekers. If you need this job to sustain you financially, then you will head back to work in as safe a way as possible.
Now that you have opened the lines of communication with your boss, ask if the office will be requiring everyone to wear masks and maintain at least a 6-foot distance from one another. Let’s hope the answer is yes.
— Samantha Ettus, work/life balance expert and author of “The Pie of Life”
The elevator
Elevators can be scary places. (Karl Tapales / Getty Images)
Q: You have to use an elevator on a daily basis. How should you use it safely during the coronavirus pandemic?
A: If you have to be in close proximity to people outside your household, you should wear a face mask to prevent the spread of the virus. If you can, wait until the elevator is empty and ride it alone.
There’s no need to panic about contracting the virus on an elevator. The current belief is that it is prolonged exposure to a person who is infected that will make it more likely you’ll contract the virus.
Droplets from an infected person are contagious, so the risk of transmission increases the closer two people are to each other and the longer the exposure lasts. Contact with inanimate surfaces like elevator buttons is not an efficient means of transmission, so hand-washing and the use of hand sanitizer minimize those risks. Use hand sanitizer when you are outside your home, and wash your hands as soon as you can get to a sink.
— Dr. Irfan Hafiz, infectious disease specialist and chief medical officer at Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital
A: While waiting for the elevator, we should stand 6 feet from one another. Depending on the elevator’s capacity and the floor we need to reach, we can apply common sense.
If you’re going up a couple of floors, take the stairs if you can. If you are with a larger group using the elevator, appropriate personal space should apply, and only a few people should use the elevator at a time. This might be hard to achieve in a small elevator, but we should still try our best.
Inside the elevator, we should refrain from conversations, positive or negative. If we want to maintain a positive demeanor and upbeat attitude, we can still greet our fellow riders with just a nod of the head; and a brief “Good morning” would be ideal.
— Maryanne Parker, etiquette expert
Sex
How do you decide if you should have sex with someone during the pandemic? (Tom Merton / Getty Images)
Q: With stay-at-home orders lifting, how can you have safe sex with someone outside of your home during the COVID-19 pandemic?
A: If you are thinking of having sex with someone you know or someone you have been in a relationship with, and you trust that this person has practiced social distancing and hand-washing, then great, go for it.
If it’s someone you don’t know, such as someone you’ve met on a dating app, I don’t think so. The days of the one-night stand are over because of the coronavirus. I think now is the time to get to really know someone before you go home together. Again, this is a huge leap of trust you are making with someone you barely know.
— Michele Day, licensed clinical social worker, certified sex addiction therapist and executive director of Chicago Center for Sexual Wellbeing
A: This time offers an invitation for people to think deeper about why they are having sex, what they are getting from it, and whether that benefit is worth the risk.
If you decide the risk of a casual encounter is worth the benefit to you, then be sure to inquire about your date’s travel, health, job and whether anyone your date knows has tested positive for COVID-19.
If you’re meeting up with a boyfriend or girlfriend (as opposed to a hookup), you likely already know the risk your partner has of being infected with the coronavirus.
Although some may balk at the idea, wearing a mask during sex could be a good idea, especially if you are high-risk or your partner is high-risk, or if you or your partner haven’t been social distancing or strictly wearing masks, or if you simply don’t know your partner that well and what your partner’s exposure risk is. Until we understand this virus better, enjoy sex at a distance (such as via sexting). Wait to have sex with someone you know is virus-free, and even better, someone with whom you have built a real, lasting connection.
— Dr. Laura Berman, sex therapist, host of “Uncovered Radio with Dr Laura Berman” and author of “For Women Only, Revised Edition: A Revolutionary Guide to Reclaiming Your Sex Life”
To see all of the coronavirus-related “Social Graces” columns, click here.
hgreenspan@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-26--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--2020-06-26--Chicago State University offers free tuition to incoming freshmen, with a caveat

“ The data shows that the more support you can offer freshmen , particularly those who haven ’ t had @ @ @ @ @ others — first-generation students , students who may not have financial resources — all the @ @ @ @ @ makes that first critical year easier , ” university president Zaldwaynaka “ Z ” Scott @ @ @ @ @ You ’ re more likely to see it show up in graduation and retention rates @ @

Zaldwaynaka "Z" Scott, president of Chicago State University, said providing more support for freshmen "makes that first critical year easier." (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago State University is launching a new program that aims to set freshmen up for a successful college experience.
The program will cover tuition, books, technology expenses and other fees for freshmen at the university — but they must complete a five-week summer program first.
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The initiative is a so-called last dollar program that is meant to fill the gap between the price of college and whatever scholarships or other financial aid a student may have earned.
The stated goal is to “reverse a declining trend and increase college enrollment and graduation rates of underrepresented students,” according to a university news release.
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It’s part of a broader effort involving programming and scholarships and called the Cougar Commitment Initiative, which aims to “close Chicago’s Black and Latinx education and wealth gap,” the release said.
Nearly 70% of students at the South Side school are African American and 8% are Latino, according to a school representative.
“The data shows that the more support you can offer freshmen, particularly those who haven’t had the same academic preparation as others — first-generation students, students who may not have financial resources — all the support you can provide them makes that first critical year easier,” university president Zaldwaynaka “Z” Scott told the Tribune. “You’re more likely to see it show up in graduation and retention rates.”
The program should cost about $1.2 million, Scott said, but that includes elements already in place, like intensive advising. The university estimates spending about $650 per student on a computer and books, but the tuition amount will vary per student.
Free tuition and other items for a year will be offered to Chicago State University freshmen who complete a summer school program. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Students won’t be required to take a loan to cover tuition or fees their first year at Chicago State if they complete the summer program. The main focus is not on increasing enrollment — which grew last year after 10 years of decline — but on making sure students of color who are ready for college are set up for success.
“The rate at which Black students go to college has dropped about 26% the last (few) years,” Scott said. “We want to do what we can to move that number because college has been proven to change outcomes, improve communities, improve health outcomes and improve lives of Black and brown students.”
Following the shift to remote learning this spring prompted by the coronavirus, Scott said the university would be releasing its return-to-campus plan next week and that it would likely involve a mix of remote and on-campus learning.
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“We know that the preferred (learning) method is that they’re on campus and engaged with one another. We know at some point science will permit that to come back,” Scott said. “For now, we are focused on health and safety and wellness. We have to be careful and cautious in how we do that going forward.”
The university hasn’t had to lay off staff or take other drastic cost-cutting measures because of COVID-19, Scott said. But officials have had to cancel events, and the university incurred costs in the transition to remote learning.
“There has been a financial impact,” Scott said. “How we manage that, going forward, is under discussion.”


chicagotribune--2020-06-26--Family buys all of a Chicago paletero’s ice pops on Father’s Day, collects nearly $40K for him: ‘He

Family buys all of a Chicago paletero’s ice pops on Father’s Day, collects nearly $40K for him: ‘He refuses to stop working’

“ I don ’ t like to sit at home doing nothing and without a purpose , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ thank God I ’ m still able to work , but I don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ able to thank ( the family ) who have done this for me , it @ @ @ @ @ .
”

Rosario Del Real, 70, a paletero at ice cream shop Las Tres Abejas, gets emotional after meeting with Michaelangelo Mosqueda and girlfriend Karen Gonzalez, who posted a TikTok video. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Though he is almost 70, Rosario Del Real puts his back into his latest job, strolling through the streets of the East Side neighborhood of Chicago in his snakeskin cowboy boots, pushing a paleta cart while singing his favorite songs.
He wears his Western vaquero suit and his cowboy hat. Don Rosario, as his neighbors know him, also takes great pride in his pitted belt. It’s from Zacatecas, Mexico, his beloved hometown, he said.
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On Wednesday, Don Rosario stopped selling his paletas, Mexican-style ice pops, for a few minutes and cried as he recalled the gift he got for Father’s Day this year: A local family bought all the paletas in his cart to allow him to go home early to enjoy the day.
The gesture was captured by one of the family and shared in a TikTok video. When that video went viral, being shared thousands of times across the mobile video platform, the family decided to set up a GoFundMe account that raised nearly $40,000 within a day to help Don Rosario fully retire from a long life of labor.
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The chain of events started Father’s Day.
Don Rosario stopped by a home where Oscar Gonzalez and Victor Dominguez and their families were having a Father’s Day barbecue. The three men talked and bonded. And during that conversation, Gonzalez and Dominguez decided to buy all of Don Rosario’s paletas and send him home.
Rosario Del Real, 70, a paletero, talks with Michaelangelo Mosqueda at ice cream shop Las Tres Abejas in Chicago on June 24, 2020. Mosqueda and his girlfriend, Karen Gonzalez, set up a GoFundMe for Del Real after Gonzalez's family members bought out his paleta cart on Father's Day so he could enjoy the rest of the day. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
When Michaelangelo Mosqueda, the boyfriend of Gonzalez’s daughter Karen Gonzalez, noticed the connection among the three men, he decided to record the TikTok video.
“He reminded them of their fathers,” said Karen Gonzalez,. Both her father and her uncle, Victor, had lost their dads, “so talking to Don Rosario and learning of his background really touched them.”
Don Rosario had started selling paletas earlier this month after an injury made him unable to continue his carpentry work at home.
“I don’t like to sit at home doing nothing and without a purpose,” he said. “I have to thank God I’m still able to work, but I don’t have enough to ever be able to thank (the family) who have done this for me, it has made me so happy.”
He grabbed a tissue to wipe the tears from his eyes and gasped, still incredulous about the love and attention he has gotten this week.
A very emotional Don Rosario thanks God for the family that bought all his paletas on Sunday. He said that he doesn’t like to stay home and that’s why he decided to go out & sell. He doesn’t know that the same family helped to collect nearly $40,000 for him. pic.twitter.com/eAXnqhYmJY — Laura N. Rodríguez Presa (@LAURA_N_ROD) June 24, 2020
“I don’t deserve this,” Don Rosario repeatedly said in Spanish.
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Don Rosario was born in a rural town in Zacatecas, Mexico. He immigrated to the United States in 1969, crossing the southern border a handful of times before becoming a citizen in 1979, he said.
“When I first decided to immigrate to the U.S., my only wish was that my family and I could eat once a day, at least,” Don Rosario said. “We were very poor.”
California was his first home. He picked fruits and vegetables for many years before working at ranches and other factories in Houston, Texas, and Oregon.
“I’ve had countless jobs,” Don Rosario said.
When he moved to Chicago, he established his family on the Southeast Side, where he was able to buy a home to raise his three children with the help of his wife. In 2015, Don Rosario was able to slow down when he finally finished paying off his house, he said.
Don Rosario said he has made mistakes in his life, including run-ins with the law, but having to deal with them helped him to become a better person.
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“I was diligent to do everything right to pay for the mistakes that I made,” he said Thursday.
He hopes to one day return to his native Zacatecas. The first thing Don Rosario plans to do once he returns to Mexico is to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe to thank God for the blessings he has received, he said.
When Karen Gonzalez and Michaelangelo Mosqueda met Wednesday evening with Don Rosario to tell him about the money raised for his retirement fund, he was speechless. To express his feelings, he sang a song: “El Muchacho Alegre,” a regional Mexican song whose lyrics depict a joyful young man.
“He refuses to stop working,” said Lucero Del Real, one of Don Rosario’s daughters. “I’m still in shock and extremely grateful for the family, and all the people that have changed my father’s life from one day to another.”
Don Rosario started selling paletas because he suffered an injury two weeks ago and could no longer earn money doing carpentry work at home. He asked Carlos Serrano, the owner of ice cream shop Las Tres Abejas, 3614 E. 106th St., to allow him to take out a paleta cart.
At first, Serrano was hesitant because of the risk of an older person getting sick during the coronavirus pandemic, but then he agreed “because I understand that this is the only option many older Latino men have to earn some money,” he said.
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Serrano and his wife have operated their paleteria since 2012. All of their paleta vendors work as independent contractors and earn an average of $50 to $70 a day, “on a good day,” Serrano noted.
“It made me happy to see Don Rosario so joyful when someone bought all of his paletas,” Serrano said.
Although Serrano had kept his ice cream shop closed for more than three months because of COVID-19, he opened again about three weeks ago when some of his vendors contacted him to tell him that they had no more savings.
Most of his vendors, Serrano said, are older Latino men and women who can’t find a job elsewhere due to their immigration status, age or health issues.
“And even though some have worked their whole life in this country, they couldn’t save enough to retire comfortably,” he added.
Like other street vendors, paleteros have been a staple of Latino-majority neighborhoods for decades. Now the ringing bells of a paleta cart can be heard through downtown Chicago and populated beaches during the summer. But Serrano is worried that COVID-19 will not only affect his business, but also the lives of the hundreds of paleteros whose livelihoods depend on the sale of the ice pops.
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For Karen Gonzalez and her family, seeing the emotional Don Rosario has also changed their life.
“We are overwhelmed and so happy for him,” she said.
Mosqueda closed the GoFundMe page when the funds raised reached almost $40,000, surpassing their initial goal of $10,000. Gonzalez and Mosqueda expect to present Don Rosario a GoFundMe check next week.
“Don Rosario is not only a paletero, he reminds us of our fathers, our abuelos, who despite any hardships, age or health issues, they choose to keep working to earn money in a very honest way,” Karen Gonzalez said. “He deserves this.”


chicagotribune--2020-06-26--Investigations of anonymous complaints against some Chicago cops would be allowed under contract dec

Investigations of anonymous complaints against some Chicago cops would be allowed under contract decision

The decision stands to have a limited practical impact on the department , since it would cover only about 1,500 @ @ @ @ @ roughly 13,000 sworn officers .
Mayor Lori Lightfoot still faces the more significant challenge of @ @ @ @ @ Chicago Fraternal Order of Police , which represents a wide majority of the force , @ @ @ @ @ have frequently been involved in controversial shootings and other uses of force .
The union @ @ @ @ @ to fight for their disciplinary protections and generally oppose efforts at reform .

Chicago police disciplinary authorities would be able to investigate some anonymous complaints against high-ranking cops under an independent arbitrator’s decision issued Friday.
That’s one of a few changes to discipline and supervision that George Roumell Jr. called for to the city’s contracts with sergeants, lieutenants and captains in a 105-page decision capping four years of negotiations.
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Police reform advocates have pressed city officials for years to eliminate union contract clauses that hamstring the city’s ineffectual disciplinary system, and Roumell’s decision makes at least partial progress toward some of those demands. For example, the decision spelled out that officers would not get the names of complainants until just before the cops speak with disciplinary investigators, a break with the past practice of giving them the names days in advance.
But the decision did not address other concerns reform advocates have voiced. The contracts would still give cops 24 hours to make disciplinary statements after shooting people and prevent the city from rewarding cops who blow the whistle on misconduct.
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The decision stands to have a limited practical impact on the department, since it would cover only about 1,500 of the city’s roughly 13,000 sworn officers. Mayor Lori Lightfoot still faces the more significant challenge of signing a contract with the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, which represents a wide majority of the force, including the patrol cops who have frequently been involved in controversial shootings and other uses of force. The union’s leaders have vowed to fight for their disciplinary protections and generally oppose efforts at reform.
Lightfoot cast the decision as a victory that provides a potential road map for changes to the FOP contract.
“It’s going to be hard fought ... but we’re up for the challenge,” she said during a call with reporters.
Thomas Pleines, an attorney who represents the police supervisors, described it as a mixed bag that gave both sides some of what they wanted.
“While we’re not 100% satisfied ... it’s to be expected,” he said.
Lightfoot has been under increased pressure to win changes to the union contracts amid protests against police brutality sparked by George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police in May.
Those protests have revived interest in contract provisions that largely went unnoticed for years before the November 2015 release of video of white Officer Jason Van Dyke shooting Black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times. The footage spurred street protests and calls for greater accountability for police.
The crisis gave rise to a 2017 U.S. Department of Justice report that criticized the union contracts. Last year, a federal judge enacted a consent decree, a broad court order requiring an overhaul of police practices and policies. The decree, however, states that it doesn’t override existing union contracts but calls on the city to make its “best efforts” to win changes.
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Lightfoot herself called for changes to the contracts in 2016 when she was the head of then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s police reform task force. In her run for mayor, she touted her experience heading the panel. During the recent protests, however, she’s drawn criticism from activists who want more elemental changes than she has embraced so far, such as cutting the police budget.
Friday’s decision on the contract with three units of the Policemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association of Illinois followed an agreement last year on a 10.5% raise over five years. The arbitrator’s decision, which still must be ratified by the City Council, would govern contracts replacing those that expired in 2016.
In allowing some anonymous complaints, Roumell changed provisions that previously barred them except when crimes were alleged.
Both state law and the contracts, however, will continue to generally require people who complain to sign a sworn affidavit. Roumell’s decision breaks from the past in allowing the city to go through a process to override the need for an affidavit when the alleged victim is anonymous.
Pleines, the police supervisors’ lawyer, said, “We think he was wrong on that and we’re contemplating our additional legal remedies.”
Police union officials have argued that allowing anonymous complaints would lead to a glut of bogus accusations. Reform advocates have countered that requiring people to give their names discourages legitimate complaints.
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The arbitrator’s decision also calls for a change to the timing of when cops learn the names of people who have complained about them. In the past, officers would learn the names of complainants days in advance of a disciplinary interview, Roumell wrote. His decision states that in the future, the city would hold off on giving the names until just before the statement.
The right to confront one’s accuser is a foundational element of criminal law, but those calling for reforms have said that giving cops complainants’ names could lead them to try to intimidate their accusers. Still, the new practice would only delay officers getting the names.
The arbitrator’s decision followed a series of agreements reached through mediation. Under one of those agreements, the city would still be prevented from rewarding cops for blowing the whistle on misconduct. But the agreement would add language saying that whistleblowers are “acting in the highest tradition of the police service” and that the city can give “appropriate acknowledgment of such contribution.”
It’s unclear what impact the new language might have, but reform advocates have said the ban on rewards could dissuade potential whistleblowers from coming forward. They’ve noted that CPD officers often are accused of observing a “code of silence” and enforcing consequences on cops who call out egregious misconduct.
Pleines said the reward clause has had little effect, as police are still obligated to report misconduct.
On the question of how long the city must preserve disciplinary records, the Illinois Supreme Court last week backed the Lightfoot administration’s position with a ruling that negated a provision of the FOP contract that called for the destruction of such records after five years. Roumell’s decision noted that ruling as he cut similar language from the higher-ranking cops’ contracts.
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Beyond discipline, the contract also adds language saying officers must report second jobs to the city and cannot work more than 16 hours in a single day. Cops often work security or other jobs and have not had to disclose them to the city.
Reform advocates have voiced concerns that failing to track second jobs has left the city unable to identify officers who might be under substantial stress. The Justice Department’s 2017 report added, “a significant amount of alleged officer misconduct involves officers working secondary employment.”
dhinkel@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-26--Watch live: Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Walmart make announcement about investment in Chicago neighborhood

Watch live: Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Walmart make announcement about investment in Chicago neighborhoods

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is expected to join Walmart ’ s leadership to make an announcement about an investment in Chicago @ @ @ @ @ p.m. CDT .

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chicagotribune--2020-06-26--Illinois casinos and video gaming locations set to reopen July 1

Casino and video gaming operations were suspended March 16 as the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a statewide stay-at-home order for everything @ @ @ @ @ is set to enter Phase 4 of its reopening plan Friday , with museums , @ @ @ @ @ theaters and other businesses able to reopen their doors — with capacity limits .

This June 3, 2020, photo shows a worker at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. removing the chair from a slot machine, part of distancing measures to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Illinois casinos will be allowed to reopen July 1 under similar restrictions. (Wayne Parry/AP)
Chicago-area gamblers will soon have some places to place their bets.
The Illinois Gaming Board announced Thursday casinos and video gaming operators across the state can reopen at 9 a.m. Wednesday, with capacity limits, social distancing and other required measures aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19.
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Customers can expect some elbow room, face masks and the scent of sanitizers wafting through their favorite gambling establishments.
The gaming board developed a “gaming resumption process that protects the public health of patrons and employees, while restarting gaming activities in a meaningful way,” administrator Marcus Fruchter said in a news release.
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Casino and video gaming operations were suspended March 16 as the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a statewide stay-at-home order for everything but essential businesses. Illinois is set to enter Phase 4 of its reopening plan Friday, with museums, restaurants, gyms, movie theaters and other businesses able to reopen their doors — with capacity limits.
Under the gaming board restrictions, Illinois casinos will be limited to 50% capacity, with six-foot social distancing required at all table games, slot machines, sportsbooks, restaurants and other common areas. Poker rooms, buffet services and valet parking will not be allowed to open.
Each of the state’s 10 casinos has provided a reopening plan to the gaming board.
Patrick Skarr, a spokesman for Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, said the state’s busiest gambling facility would reopen at noon Wednesday.
“Our guests can expect increased cleaning, social distancing and mask wearing by every team member and customer on the floor,” Skarr said Friday. “The safety and enjoyment of our customers and staff is our top priority.”
Penn National Gaming, which operates the Hollywood Casinos in Joliet and Aurora, is also planning to reopen both casinos at noon Wednesday.
“We have been working closely with the Illinois Gaming Board, state and local leaders, and public health officials to finalize comprehensive reopening protocols and new health and safety precautions,” Jeff Morris, a Penn National Gaming spokesman, said Friday.
Harrah’s Joliet will reopen at 9 a.m. Wednesday, with all employees and guests required to wear face coverings.
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Indiana casinos reopened with similar capacity restrictions June 15.
The state’s more than 7,400 video gaming terminals are allowed to resume operations on July 1, board spokesman Joe Miller said. Operators at licensed bars, restaurants, truck stops and fraternal organizations need to keep gaming terminals at least six feet apart or add partitions to maintain social distancing.
Sports bettors have the option to social distance by placing their wagers online. Earlier this month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker suspended the in-person registration requirement for sports wagering, which will allow bettors to create accounts and wager online.
Rivers Casino became the first casino to offer mobile sports betting in Illinois, launching its online sportsbook at BetRivers last week.
This story has been updated to correct the number of video gaming terminals allowed to resume operations in Illinois July 1.
rchannick@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-26--Lightfoot takes part of Chicago summer youths job program online during COVID-19 pandemic

“ One Summer Chicago is among our city ’ s great youth programs , supporting tens of thousands of our @ @ @ @ @ transformative and life-affirming jobs and internships , ” Lightfoot said in a statement .
“ @ @ @ @ @ development and employment and applaud our partners who have adapted and preserved these opportunities for @ @ @ @ @ excited to add a Youth Service Corps this year in response to our belief that @ @ @ @ @ to the city ’ s response to COVID-19 .
CYSC will leverage and lift up @ @ @ @ @ respond to their desires to lead at this time .
”

Chicago’s annual summer jobs program will hire 20,000 young people this year, including 2,000 as part of a new youth service corps dedicated to service that will include helping with the city’s COVID-19 response, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Friday.
The yearly summer hiring program is meant to put some money in kids’ pockets and keep them out of trouble, while teaming them up with mentors who can give them guidance about school and careers.
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With the coronavirus pandemic requiring social distancing, many of the jobs in the six-week program will be taking place online this year.
Lightfoot pointed in particular to the service corps, which will help develop a youth-led COVID-19 public information campaign, craft cloth face coverings, work on social-distancing ambassador activities as the city reopens, and conduct well-being checks with older residents.
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“One Summer Chicago is among our city’s great youth programs, supporting tens of thousands of our young people every year through transformative and life-affirming jobs and internships,” Lightfoot said in a statement. “We remain committed to youth development and employment and applaud our partners who have adapted and preserved these opportunities for our youth. We are excited to add a Youth Service Corps this year in response to our belief that youth have much to contribute to the city’s response to COVID-19. CYSC will leverage and lift up youth talent and voices and respond to their desires to lead at this time.”
Those interested in applying for summer jobs can do so at onesummerchicago.org.


chicagotribune--2020-06-26--Employers brace for a ‘PTO bomb’ as vacation-starved employees make time off requests

That ’ s often because school and day care closures forced many employees to use PTO to stay home with @ @ @ @ @ Conley , an attorney in the Chicago office of Seyfarth Shaw .
Federal law passed @ @ @ @ @ requires employers with fewer than 500 employees to provide paid time off , at two-thirds @ @ @ @ @ to 12 weeks to employees with child care obligations related to COVID-19 .
But that @ @ @ @ @ larger employers , and businesses with fewer than 50 workers can get an exemption .

Among the myriad challenges employers face at the mid-point of this difficult year is how to manage the stockpiles of unused paid time off that many employees have accumulated as COVID-19 sidelined spring break trips and summer getaways. (Jeffrey Coolidge / Getty Images)
Usually by midyear, employees have burned some paid time off on spring break trips or summer getaways.
But with nowhere to get away to during the COVID-19 pandemic, PTO has gone largely unused — and some companies are bracing for an explosion of vacation requests.
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“As people slowly get back to the office there could be a PTO bomb whereby everyone will want to take their PTO by year’s end,” said Brian Alcala, an employment attorney with Nixon Peabody who represents management.
“Vacation-hungry” employees with stockpiles of unused leave present a PTO crunch at one end of the spectrum, said Philippe Weiss, president at Seyfarth at Work, which consults companies on workplace issues. At the other end are “PTO-poor” employees who have exhausted their time off due to the pandemic and will be out of luck if an emergency arises before year’s end, he said.
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[ Should you travel this summer? Here’s a guide to flying, road trips and other vacation concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic. ]
Companies are trying to mitigate the impact by capping the amount of leave employees can take during certain periods, offering to cash out PTO and allowing more vacation days to roll over into next year. Some are setting up programs where employees with excess time can donate it to coworkers without enough.
Mostly, employers are encouraging workers to take breaks now, not only to fend off a deluge of requests at holiday time but also avoid burnout during a very stressful year.
“Lots of companies have said we’re worried about our employees because no one is taking vacation,” said Carol Sladek, a partner at Aon and work/life leader. “There is a lot of emotion and fear, and we want them to be able to get away and come back to us ready to work.”
At Maestro Health, which administers companies’ self-funded health plans, leadership is encouraging employees to take time off so the business isn’t hit with excessive absences during the busy benefits enrollment time in the fall, said CEO Craig Maloney. It has increased the number of vacation days employees can roll over into the next year, to 20 from 15, to give additional flexibility.
Employees have taken off 25% to 30% fewer days so far this year compared with normal years as the pandemic sidelined travel plans and forced everyone to hole up in home offices, Maloney said. That concerns him because working from home often means working longer hours, spending more time in front of screens and feeling the stress of confinement. He doesn’t expect to bring employees back to Maestro’s Chicago office until October.
The company offered employees a paid mental health day in April to encourage them to unplug, and is closing half a day early on Thursday so people can get a head start on the July 4 holiday weekend.
“What we want to do is communicate with teammates and urge them to take time off to de-stress and decompress,” Maloney said. “We need to model the right behavior when it comes to days off.”
At the Nerdery, a digital business consultancy with offices in Chicago, the amount of PTO taken so far this year is down about 25% compared with normal years, said Cassi Hansen, vice president of people operations.
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The company has capped the number of vacation days people can take in the fourth quarter at 10, to ensure it is well-staffed when work gets busy. It also doubled the number of days people can roll over into next year.
Some employees don’t want to take vacation when there is nowhere to go, but the company is urging people to take summer breaks to recharge. With her own family’s annual summer camping trip canceled, Hansen is opting instead for long weekends or intermittent days off to spend quality time with her family.
“I sit at home with my kids 24-7, but they haven’t been getting my full attention,” said Hansen, whose office likely won’t bring people back until September. “I’m using that time to focus on family and be deliberate with time we are spending together.”
For some workers, insufficient leave is a greater concern than managing a surplus.
Federal law does not require employers to offer workers paid leave. Chicago, and some Cook County suburbs, require workers be allowed to earn five days of paid sick time a year.
Though many employers expanded paid leave policies for the pandemic, and the government requires those with fewer than 500 employees to provide 80 hours of paid leave for COVID-19 illness or quarantine, some people have run out.
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[ Summer air travel: Masks, a new boarding routine and bagged snacks. Here’s what you need to know. ]
That’s often because school and day care closures forced many employees to use PTO to stay home with their kids, said Ben Conley, an attorney in the Chicago office of Seyfarth Shaw. Federal law passed in response to the coronavirus requires employers with fewer than 500 employees to provide paid time off, at two-thirds regular pay, for up to 12 weeks to employees with child care obligations related to COVID-19. But that doesn’t apply to larger employers, and businesses with fewer than 50 workers can get an exemption.
One solution has been to set up programs that allow employees to donate their paid time off to colleagues who need it for medical emergencies. The donation can be directed at an individual or it can function like a bank and span departments.
It has tax implications — the person receiving the leave will be taxed on it like income — but it is a low-cost way to manage the dual problems of some employees having excess PTO to burn while others don’t have enough. Still, an Aon survey found just 9% of employers in the survey said they are adopting such programs or considering them.
Many more employers have offered to move people to flexible work schedules so they can juggle work and child care obligations. Others are relaxing rigid counts of PTO days and giving people what they need if a COVID-19-related emergency arises.
“If someone really needs time off and employers can do it, we are encouraging them to just give the paid leave,” said David Baron, an attorney with Hogan Lovells who represents management in employment cases. “If they can’t do paid leave, they can offer job-protected unpaid leave.”
The various tacks employers are taking to address the surfeit and deficit of PTO have hurdles of their own.
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Some are giving priority to vacation requests from essential employees who have had to show up to work through the pandemic, Baron said. The danger there is running afoul of anti-discrimination laws, which protect certain classes of people based on race, sex, age and other characteristics, so they must be careful to apply the policy consistently, he said.
A third of companies surveyed by Aon said they were allowing more vacation days to roll over to give people more time to use them. JP Morgan Chase, which usually allows people to roll over five days that they can use by end of March of the following year, is doubling the allotment to 10 days and extending the deadline to end of June.
Employers have to carry that liability on their books and there is a cost if there is turnover, Aon’s Sladek said. Employees must be paid out for unused paid time off they have accrued, so the more days carried over the bigger payout if someone leaves.
Some employers worried about managing a rush of absences are considering buying back employees’ leave, but that is also costly, Sladek said. It tends to only make sense when a company already has to pay someone to fill in for a worker on vacation.
“Employers are toying with that idea but the expense of it is causing them to turn away,” Sladek said.
At West Monroe Partners, a consulting firm headquartered in Chicago, people are starting to take summer breaks after a long spring slog, said Chief People Officer Susan Stelter. The company doesn’t give people a set amount of paid time off but has a flex-time policy that allows them to take what they need.
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Such a policy — called “unlimited” time off at other companies — avoids the headaches of vacation allocations because there is no rush to use all the days before the end of the year, and there are no unused days to pay out when people leave.
But it can be hard to get people to take vacation.
“Especially in the early days (of the pandemic), people were very anxious,” Stelter said. “People are nervous, they wanted to be available. We have had to remind people, take a long weekend, take a day or two. The stress of being home is heavier than a lot of people anticipated.”
West Monroe Partners introduced a summer leave program that allows people take up to the 10 weeks of unpaid time off, with benefits, so they can take the time drive to visit to family during the pandemic. It’s been especially important to employees who live alone. Five percent of employees have taken advantage of it.
With uncertainty over how schools will open in the fall, Stelter anticipates more time-off needs. The company plans to continue being flexible through the end of the year.