chicagotribune--2020-12-24--Chicago Christmas forecast — slight chance of flurries overnight: Here is the warmest and coldest ho

Chicago Christmas forecast — slight chance of flurries overnight: Here is the warmest and coldest holiday weather since 1871

O'Hare International Airport , the city 's official recording site , reported a high of 57 degrees on Dec. 25 , 2019 , making it the second warmest Christmas in the area since 1871 .
The last time the area experienced a high in the 50s on Christmas was in 1994 .
Yet neither were as balmy as the high of 64 degrees on Dec. 25 , 1982 — the warmest Christmas recorded here since 1871 .
The following year , however , Chicago experienced the low temperature of minus 17 degrees — the city 's coldest Christmas .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years when opposing temperature extremes hit the area in back-to-back years .
Here 's a chronological look back at how the Chicago Tribune covered the Top 10 Christmas temperature highs ( shown in red ) and lows ( shown in blue ) : '' Yesterday was the most uneventful and unsensational of all Christmases that have been celebrated in Chicago since the city has had an existence and a name .
The 25th of December of last year was furiously cold .
That of the preceding year was sloppy and chilly .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day of continuous rain , without a vestige anywhere of the snow and ice which generally characterize the season . ''
`` In yesterday 's change of weather there was a drop of nearly 25 degrees in a few hours , and many who had gone out for a drive in fairly warm clothing felt well chilled before they could get home again . ''
`` It seemed a little like the weather of old-time yule-tides that came with cold blasts from the north .
Drifts of snow , bursts of sunshine , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ follows in the wake of a roaring winter storm . ''
`` There was nothing in the weather repertoire that was not used yesterday on Chicago except hail .
There was fan weather , fur weather , umbrella and parasol weather , overcoat and seersucker weather .
Any one dissatisfied with the weather needed only to wait a few minutes and it would change . ''
`` The unique sight of an endless stream of children carrying dolls wending their way along Michigan Avenue attracted the attention of the guests of the hotels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spectators become in the children that many were stopped and their dolls examined and commented on . ''
`` The mercury shot below the zero mark early this morning .
Between 3 o'clock and 9 last night the mercury dropped fourteen degrees and stood at two above .
By midnight it had reached zero , and was still going down . ''
`` Yesterday was the coldest Christmas day in fifty-two years in Chicago .
The mercury dropped to 6 degrees below zero at 3:30 a.m. and hovered close to the zero @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brilliant sunshine .
... Four deaths ascribed to the cold and 154 fire alarms were recorded during the day . ''
Before Anthony Kiecal of Truck company No .
3 got through the battle with a fire on River Street yesterday he was garbed in a raiment of ice .
( Chicago Tribune , Dec. 26 , 1924 ) '' As Chicagoans awoke to find there was still no snow on the ground and that the gentle breeze outside was even balmier than those that blessed Christmas shoppers , a general exodus to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ courses remaining open .
The parks were filled with strolling couples , and brand new bicycles and velocipedes were taken straight from the Christmas tree to sidewalks . ''
Mary Lou MacKay , 4 makes good use of her present , but brother , Charles , finds his new sled quite useless .
( Chicago Tribune , Dec. 26 , 1936 ) '' Although the cold snap was the worst of the young winter season , winds were relatively still , sparing those who had to travel Thursday the added bite of an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , icy fingers of winter held the city in their grip despite the glistening sun Christmas morning .
The temperature hit a record 8 below zero .
( Michael Budrys/Chicago Tribune ) '' While the warm weather lasted Saturday , sunshine sent a few hardy sailors onto Lake Michigan , prompting a dramatic rescue in which a wind surfer whose craft broke up after it was blown far from land was plucked from icy waters by a Fire Department helicopter . ''
Jake Huppert , 11 , makes the best of Christmas Day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lincoln Park , where he scaled a statue of the park 's namesake and tweaked its nose .
( Chuck Berman/Chicago Tribune ) '' Pat Sammarco spent Christmas day serving the needs of others .
She helped some sloths mate .
...
The ( Lincoln Park Zoo ) is open every day of the year , and zookeeper Sammarco , along with her husband , Larry , who 's in charge of the large mammals , and several dozen colleagues , drew the holiday shift this year .
It was n't so bad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Not when there were Christmas visitors to watch , intrepid souls willing to brave a wind-chill factor that hovered around 30 below all day . ''
A walk on a winter 's day .
A well-bundled pedestrian takes a decidedly brisk walk along an icy pier on Montrose Beach at sunset on Dec. 25 , 1985 .
Christmas Day 's temperatures ranged from 11 degrees below zero to a meager 1 degree above ; the wind chill reached 42 below .
( Michael Fryer/Chicago Tribune )

1877 50 degrees "Yesterday was the most uneventful and unsensational of all Christmases that have been celebrated in Chicago since the city has had an existence and a name. The 25th of December of last year was furiously cold. That of the preceding year was sloppy and chilly. But this one was memorable for being a day of continuous rain, without a vestige anywhere of the snow and ice which generally characterize the season." — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1877 (Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1877)
1891 52 degrees "In yesterday's change of weather there was a drop of nearly 25 degrees in a few hours, and many who had gone out for a drive in fairly warm clothing felt well chilled before they could get home again." — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1891 (Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1891)
1892 Minus 2 degrees "It seemed a little like the weather of old-time yule-tides that came with cold blasts from the north. Drifts of snow, bursts of sunshine, and all the train of jollity that follows in the wake of a roaring winter storm." — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1892 (Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1892)
1893 52 degrees "There was nothing in the weather repertoire that was not used yesterday on Chicago except hail. There was fan weather, fur weather, umbrella and parasol weather, overcoat and seersucker weather. Any one dissatisfied with the weather needed only to wait a few minutes and it would change." — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1893 (Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1893)
1895 56 degrees "The unique sight of an endless stream of children carrying dolls wending their way along Michigan Avenue attracted the attention of the guests of the hotels along the way. So interested did the spectators become in the children that many were stopped and their dolls examined and commented on." — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1895 (Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1895)
1903 Minus 3 degrees "One death, numerous accidents, and delayed street car traffic have already resulted from the storm, which came unannounced and caught the city unawares." — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1903 (Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1903)
1914 Minus 1 degree "The mercury shot below the zero mark early this morning. Between 3 o'clock and 9 last night the mercury dropped fourteen degrees and stood at two above. By midnight it had reached zero, and was still going down." — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1914 (Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1914)
1924 Minus 6 degrees "Yesterday was the coldest Christmas day in fifty-two years in Chicago. The mercury dropped to 6 degrees below zero at 3:30 a.m. and hovered close to the zero mark throughout the day, despite the brilliant sunshine. ... Four deaths ascribed to the cold and 154 fire alarms were recorded during the day." — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1924 Before Anthony Kiecal of Truck company No. 3 got through the battle with a fire on River Street yesterday he was garbed in a raiment of ice. (Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1924)
1935 Minus 2 degrees "Christmas brought Chicago a freak cold snap and a snowstorm which surprised the weather forecaster almost as much as it did the public." — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1935 Willis Herman, right, takes Lillian Bertrang and Delores Koller for a sleigh ride in Lincoln Park aboard a 75-year-old cutter on Dec. 25, 1935. (Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1935)
1936 56 degrees "As Chicagoans awoke to find there was still no snow on the ground and that the gentle breeze outside was even balmier than those that blessed Christmas shoppers, a general exodus to the outdoors began. Golfers invaded all courses remaining open. The parks were filled with strolling couples, and brand new bicycles and velocipedes were taken straight from the Christmas tree to sidewalks." — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1936 Mary Lou MacKay, 4 makes good use of her present, but brother, Charles, finds his new sled quite useless. (Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1936)
1940 50 degrees "It won't be a white Christmas." — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 25, 1940
1971 55 degrees "Chicagoans who had visions of Christmas snowflakes yesterday were instead treated to drizzle, fog, and temperatures in the mid-forties." — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1971 Chicago police officers from the Shakespeare Avenue District distribute Christmas gifts to kids on Dec. 24, 1971. (James Mayo/Chicago Tribune)
1980 Minus 8 degrees "Although the cold snap was the worst of the young winter season, winds were relatively still, sparing those who had to travel Thursday the added bite of an arctic wind-chill combination." — David Axelrod, Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1980 The long, icy fingers of winter held the city in their grip despite the glistening sun Christmas morning. The temperature hit a record 8 below zero. (Michael Budrys/Chicago Tribune)
1982 64 degrees Highest Christmas high temperature since 1871 "While the warm weather lasted Saturday, sunshine sent a few hardy sailors onto Lake Michigan, prompting a dramatic rescue in which a wind surfer whose craft broke up after it was blown far from land was plucked from icy waters by a Fire Department helicopter." — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1982 Jake Huppert, 11, makes the best of Christmas Day's balmy weather with a romp in Lincoln Park, where he scaled a statue of the park's namesake and tweaked its nose. (Chuck Berman/Chicago Tribune)
1983 Minus 17 degrees Lowest Christmas low temperature since 1871 "A year ago, the high Christmas Eve was 62. On Christmas Day, it was 64. ... The weekend's deadly cold -- the wind-chill factor dropped to 82 below -- convinced many to stay home Christmas Eve and Christmas Day." — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1983 (Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1983) An ice floe appears to be bearing down on Chicago at Lake Shore Drive and Oak Street as a record deep freeze of 25 degrees below zero on Dec. 24, 1983, gripped Chicago in an arctic embrace. (Phil Greer/Chicago Tribune) Ice covers a truck after firefighters fought a blaze in Downers Grove on Dec. 26, 1983. (John Dziekan/Chicago Tribune)
1984 Minus 3 degrees "At the same time children throughout Chicago were diving into their presents, several hundred of the city's homeless waited patiently in the 3-below-zero weather." — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1984 Jackie George finds the Christmas Eve snow and cold a little hard to face while she waits for a bus at Division and state Streets. (Chuck Berman/Chicago Tribune) Despite an official high of only 19 degrees, a bright sun brought out the brave, from snow shovelers to joggers to sun worshippers. With the help of eggnog to dispel the chill, Judith Ann Jonassen works on her tan outside her home at 4144 N. Damen Ave. on Dec. 25, 1984. (Chuck Berman/Chicago Tribune)
1985 Minus 11 degrees "Pat Sammarco spent Christmas day serving the needs of others. She helped some sloths mate. ... The (Lincoln Park Zoo) is open every day of the year, and zookeeper Sammarco, along with her husband, Larry, who's in charge of the large mammals, and several dozen colleagues, drew the holiday shift this year. It wasn't so bad, though, the zookeepers agreed. Not when there were Christmas visitors to watch, intrepid souls willing to brave a wind-chill factor that hovered around 30 below all day." — Howard Witt, Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1985 A walk on a winter's day. A well-bundled pedestrian takes a decidedly brisk walk along an icy pier on Montrose Beach at sunset on Dec. 25, 1985. Christmas Day's temperatures ranged from 11 degrees below zero to a meager 1 degree above; the wind chill reached 42 below. (Michael Fryer/Chicago Tribune)
1990 Minus 1 degree Rite of winter. With temperatures below freezing, a motorist in a lot in Merionette Park uses jumper cables to start his car on Dec. 24, 1990. (Walter Neal/Chicago Tribune) Pat Gannor of Evergreen Park checks on his Christmas meal -- a barbecued turkey -- on Dec. 25, 1990. He said he cooked the meal outside because it tastes better that way. (Walter Neal/Chicago Tribune)
1994 52 degrees "Christmas this year shattered another illusion -- namely that it's supposed to occur in winter. Instead, there were in-line skaters wearing shorts, volleyball players in the parks and temperatures above 50 degrees." — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1994 Debbie Scheitel of Park Ridge rides her son's new four-wheeler down Beloit Avenue in Forest Park on Dec. 25, 1994. In tow are her brother Larry Buckley Jr. guiding Adam Scheitel, 3, left, and Buckley's son, Larry; Mike Rausch and Elizabeth Buckley, both 12. (Chuck Berman/Chicago Tribune)
2000 Minus 7 degrees "Tradition merged with science during the rare Christmas eclipse, which was visible above Chicago from 9:45 a.m. until 12:49 p.m. Monday. Brighter than any star atop a tree, the half-hidden sun seemed to allude to other celestial lights, to ancient miracles and a heaven full of mysteries." — Vanessa Gezari, Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 2000 Doug Duncan, a University of Chicago astronomer, watches a reflection in a cardboard box held by his wife, Laura, as the moon casts a shadow across the face of the sun on Dec. 25, 2000. (Chuck Berman/Chicago Tribune) Matthew Weintrob, 6, wears special eclipse-viewing glasses he got from his dad Dave, of Oak Park, on Dec. 25, 2000. Students, parents and those fascinated by the heavens gathered in the cold at Hatch Elementary School in Oak Park to safely view the rare Christmas morning partial solar eclipse under the guidance of University of Chicago astromer Douglas Duncan. (Chuck Berman/Chicago Tribune) The shadow of the moon falls across the face of the sun during the partial solar eclipse, as seen from Oak Park, on Dec. 25, 2000. (Chuck Berman/Chicago Tribune)


chicagotribune--2020-12-24--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Seven-day average for COVID-19 deaths is lowest in weeks as 7,037 n

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Seven-day average for COVID-19 deaths is lowest in weeks as 7,037 new cases and 96 additional fatalities reported on Christmas Eve

The short-term rentals site has clamped down on listings during the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort to prevent large gatherings @ @ @ @ @ are urging people to avoid .
That includes instituting a global ban on all parties @ @ @ @ @ and restricting users under 25 from booking entire homes in the areas where they live @ @ @ @ @ spokeswoman said has resulted in more than 770,000 blocked reservation attempts in the U.S. and @ @

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Laquitta Boyd, holds her 6-year-old daughter Venisha while receiving her first COVID-19 vaccination at a back-to-school health fair hosted by RUSH University Medical Center at the Salvation Army Freedom Center on July 30, 2022, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois’ seven-day average for coronavirus deaths fell to 116 on Thursday, its lowest point since Dec. 2.
The state recorded another 96 deaths on Christmas Eve, the third time in the past week that there have been fewer than 100 deaths reported in a day. The average number of fatalities per day was down 25% from the pandemic’s peak weekly average of 154 deaths during the week ending Dec. 11.
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Thursday also marked the first time since early this month that the average number of daily deaths fell below the spring peak of 118, recorded in mid-May. In all, Illinois has recorded 15,643 COVID-19 deaths since March.
State health officials also reported 7,037 new confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus, the third straight day-over-day increase. The average number of daily cases was 6,526 for the week ending Thursday, down from 7,985 cases per day the prior week.
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Here’s what’s happening Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
3:10 p.m.: United will require negative COVID-19 test for passengers flying from UK to O’Hare
United Airlines on Monday will begin asking passengers traveling from London to Chicago and other cities for proof of a negative COVID-19 test before departure in an effort to stop the spread of a new mutant coronavirus strain.
The Chicago-based airline said the new policy, which requires a test to be taken within 72 hours of a flight, applies to passengers who are older than 5 years old and whose travel originates in the U.K. The policy affects people departing London Heathrow Airport to O’Hare International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport.
The new policy won’t affect passengers who have U.S.-connecting flights at Heathrow.
Beginning next month, United will operate two daily flights from London Heathrow to its hubs in Chicago and Newark.
United will accept results from a molecular or antigen coronavirus test before departure, and said a site offering rapid tests is available at Terminal 2 at London Heathrow for passengers.
Read more here. —Abdel Jimenez
2:46 p.m.: Vaccines coming to Southland nursing homes
After Chicago-area hospitals received their initial doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, nursing homes and long-term care centers in the south suburbs expect to begin getting their shots starting next week.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has contracted with drugstore chains CVS and Walgreens to administer the vaccines.
At his daily update on the pandemic Wednesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said that about 37,000 doses of the vaccine were heading to long-term care facilities outside of Chicago.
Residents and staff at senior care facilities are part of the initial phase of vaccinations that included hospital workers.Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ingalls Memorial in Harvey, Little Company of Mary in Evergreen Park and Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest received initial doses a week ago. This followed Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, which received its first doses earlier that week.
At Little Company, 1,131 employees were vaccinated over five days, according to Libby Allison, a spokeswoman for the hospital’s operator, OSF HealthCare.
Aperion Care, which operates post-hospital rehabilitation and long-term skilled nursing care centers in the Midwest, expected to get its first doses before the new year, with deliveries continuing through January and into February, according to Frederick Frankel, general counsel for the Lincolnwood-based company.
ProMedica Senior Care, which operates ManorCare nursing homes, is getting doses from CVS and has vaccinations underway at locations in Florida and Ohio, said Julie Beckert, a company spokeswoman.
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Smith Senior Living, which operates Smith Crossing in Orland Park and Smith Village in Chicago’s Beverly community, was expecting both locations to receive vaccines by early January, said spokeswoman Sheila King.
Residents and staff at Smith Crossing will get the Pfizer vaccine and Smith Village staff and residents the Moderna shot.
Walgreens is administering the vaccines at both locations, and the shots are available to all residents, including those in independent living, she said.
Read more here. —Mike Nolan, Daily Southtown
1:55 p.m.: Illinois’ seven-day average for COVID-19 deaths is lowest in weeks
Illinois’ seven-day average for coronavirus deaths fell to 116 on Thursday, its lowest point since Dec. 2.
The state recorded another 96 deaths on Christmas Eve, the third time in the past week that there have been fewer than 100 deaths reported in a day. The average number of fatalities per day was down 25% from the pandemic’s peak weekly average of 154 deaths during the week ending Dec. 11.
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Thursday also marked the first time since early this month that the average number of daily deaths fell below the spring peak of 118, recorded in mid-May.
In all, Illinois has recorded 15,643 COVID-19 deaths since March.
State health officials also reported 7,037 new confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus, the third straight day-over-day increase. But the number of test results reported in the previous 24 hours also was up significantly from the previous days, and the seven-day average of new cases, which officials monitor to smooth out day-to-day fluctuations, continues to decline.
The average number of daily cases was 6,526 for the week ending Thursday, down from 7,985 cases per day the prior week.
The case positivity rate — the percentage of positive cases as a share of total tests — reached a statewide seven-day average of 7.2% for the week ending Wednesday, the lowest its been since the week ending Oct. 28, when the rate was 6.9%
Read more here. —Dan Petrella
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12:06 p.m.: 7,037 new and probable cases of COVID-19, 96 additional deaths reported
Illinois public health officials Thursday announced 7,037 new and probable cases of COVID-19. The total number of known infections in Illinois was 925,107 since March. The state also announced 96 additional fatalities, bringing the statewide death toll to 15,643 since the start of the pandemic.
There were 94,909 tests reported in the previous 24 hours. The seven-day statewide positivity rate is 8.9%.
—Chicago Tribune staff
10:51 a.m.: As COVID-19 eviction crisis looms, housing grants come from unlikely source: Beyonce
With the federal moratorium on foreclosures and evictions set to expire at the end of 2020, housing advocates are bracing for a crisis that could have millions of Americans forced from their homes.
And as government programs are overwhelmed with applications for relief, one celebrity is stepping up to help fill the need.
Beyoncé Knowles, through her BEYGood Impact Fund, will offer $5,000 grants to families and individuals facing eviction or foreclosure starting in January, the singer announced Tuesday. Applications open Jan. 7 for the first round, which will be awarded to 100 recipients in late January. A second round will begin in February.
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In Illinois, the state ban on most pandemic-related evictions and foreclosures is set to expire Jan. 9, although it has been extended each month throughout most of 2020.
If enacted, the new federal relief package as it stands would extend the national moratorium through January and allot $25 billion to federal rental assistance, but it’s unclear how much longer both measures will last into the new year.
1.28 million households in Illinois have doubts they’ll be able to afford mortgage payments next month, amounting to more than one-third of Illinoisans who have a mortgage, according to survey data. In Illinois, 990,000 have doubts they’ll be able to pay rent next month — more than half of renters in the state.
The need for relief has overwhelmed city and state resources. In April, 83,000 Chicagoans applied for 2,000 city grants for housing assistance. After a second round in July was awarded via a lottery system, the city said it anticipates using up all of the available funds, although a new federal relief package could allot more money for the program.
The state and Cook County have offered similar programs in past months.
Read more here. —Ariel Cheung
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9:41 a.m.: Black doc dies of COVID-19 complications weeks after complaining about racist treatment at Indiana hospital
Lying in a hospital bed with an oxygen tube hugging her nostrils, the Black patient gazed into her smartphone and, with a strained voice, complained of an experience all too common among Black people in America.
Susan Moore, the patient, said the white doctor at the hospital in suburban Indianapolis where she was being treated for COVID-19 had downplayed her complaints of pain. He told her that he felt uncomfortable giving her more narcotics, she said, and suggested that she would be discharged.
“I was crushed,” she said in a video posted to Facebook. “He made me feel like I was a drug addict.”
In her post, which has since circulated widely on social media, she showed a command of complicated medical terminology and an intricate knowledge of treatment protocols as she detailed the ways in which she had advocated for herself with the medical staff. She knew what to ask for because she, too, was a medical doctor.
But that was not enough to get her treatment and respect she said she deserved. “I put forth and I maintain if I was white,” she said in the video, “I wouldn’t have to go through that.”
She was eventually sent home, and on Sunday, just more than two weeks after posting the video, Moore, 52, died of complications from COVID-19, said her son, Henry Muhammed.
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Read more here. —The New York Times
9:20 a.m.: Here’s what Airbnb is doing to discourage large holiday gatherings
That secret party-house rager you were hoping to throw on New Year’s Eve? Don’t think you can book it on Airbnb.
The short-term rentals site has clamped down on listings during the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort to prevent large gatherings of the sort health authorities are urging people to avoid. That includes instituting a global ban on all parties and events until further notice and restricting users under 25 from booking entire homes in the areas where they live, a move that a spokeswoman said has resulted in more than 770,000 blocked reservation attempts in the U.S. and Canada.
Over Halloween weekend, Airbnb prohibited one-night reservations in entire-home listings to reduce parties. It is implementing a similar (though slightly looser) measure for New Year’s Eve, banning guests without a history of positive reviews from making one-night reservations for entire homes.
Guests who have a history of positive reviews will not be subject to the rule, and those who booked one-night reservations for New Year’s Eve before Dec. 3 can go ahead with their plans as well.
Read more here. —Los Angeles Times
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6 a.m.: New year, new reopening plan — and continued uncertainty for CPS parents
Blanca Sandoval-Perez was still figuring out how to get her father-in-law’s body back to Mexico when she logged in to Clinton Elementary’s December Local School Council meeting.
With his death during the coronavirus pandemic on her mind, Sandoval-Perez gave her full support to a resolution opposing Chicago Public Schools’ reopening plan.
After learning her father-in-law was positive for COVID-19, the whole family got tested. Sandoval-Perez’s oldest son and husband were both positive, though they had no symptoms, she said. She thought about what could have happened if her third grade daughter had been infected but asymptomatic, and had gone to school.
“I don’t think it’s fair for the teachers to have to choose between having to work and their lives,” Sandoval-Perez said. “I thought that if we support them in this way, we are saying, ‘We are with you.’”
A growing number of Local School Councils, from West Ridge to Logan Square to West Englewood, have passed similar resolutions in recent weeks, opposing the plan to start bringing young learners and children in special education “cluster” programs back to school buildings in the new year.
More than 77,000 students have opted to return to classrooms in person, roughly 1 of every 3 who were eligible. With an unsettled labor dispute, however, winter break finds parents — and educators — still wondering what to expect.
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Read more here. —Hannah Leone
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 6 Enrique Leon plays guitarron and sings Dec. 4, 2020, during the funeral service for his friend and fellow musician Florentino Chavez at Martinez Funeral Home in Chicago. Leon is the leader of Mariachi Mexico Vivo. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
6 a.m.: Chicago mariachis sing farewell to fellow players at their wakes and funerals, a ritual to honor one another through a craft that united them
For decades, Florentino Chavez played the guitar in different mariachi bands in the Chicago area, cheering up thousands during celebrations and comforting many more following a heartbreak or a loss.
On Dec. 4, fellow members of the group Mariachi Mexico Vivo played and sang his favorite song one last time.
This time, they comforted each other and his family as they sang farewell to Chavez, whose body lay in a casket dressed in a black mariachi suit with his sombrero by his side.
He died suddenly from a stroke, making him the 10th compañero Enrique Leon has had to sing goodbye to in 2020.
The ritual of having the mariachi community come together to play at the funeral or wake of a musician who has died has become a common practice, and it is a sign of respect and camaraderie, said Leon, leader of Mariachi Mexico Vivo.
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More than six of his fellow musicians have died of COVID-19 complications, and the rest, like Chavez, had other health problems, he added.
“It’s been a sad year, to say the least,” said Leon, who said mariachi has helped keep him and many other families strong. In past years, he said, one or two fellow musicians would die, “never so many” as in 2020.
Nearly 30 musicians from the Chicago area, some who knew Chavez well and others just acquaintances, showed up to pay their respects at his wake and services, all while following COVID-19 safety guidelines.
Read more here. —Laura Rodríguez Presa
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Corrections and clarifications

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· The byline for Nara Schoenberg was inadvertently left off a Page 1 story Thursday about the Logan Square Christmas house.
The Tribune regrets the error.
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chicagotribune--2020-12-24--Man found shot to death in parked car in Calumet Heights

Officers responded to a report of a suspicious car in an alley and discovered the body with multiple gunshot wounds @ @ @ @ @ the 9300 block of South Oglesby Ave. , police said .
The car was parked @ @ @ @ @

A man was found shot to death Thursday in a parked car near a hospital in the Calumet Heights neighborhood, according to Chicago police.
Officers responded to a report of a suspicious car in an alley and discovered the body with multiple gunshot wounds at about 12 p.m. at the 9300 block of South Oglesby Ave., police said. The car was parked near Advocate Trinity Hospital.
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The man appeared to be between 25 and 35 years old, and had been dead for some time before his body was found, police said.
Check back for updates.
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kelsmith@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @KelliSmithNews


chicagotribune--2020-12-24--Pace bus security guard charged in Harvey with punching handcuffed man in incident caught on viral v

Pace bus security guard charged in Harvey with punching handcuffed man in incident caught on viral video

Edward Undraitis , 60 , of Calumet City , is facing a misdemeanor charge of battery in connection with the @ @ @ @ @ a felony weapons charge because he did not have the proper licensing for the gun @ @ @ @ @ Cook County court records .

A Pace bus security guard was arrested Saturday after a Harvey police officer witnessed him punch a handcuffed man, officials said.
The incident was caught on a viral social media video that appears to show the alleged assault as well as the Harvey police officer taking the security guard into custody.
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Edward Undraitis, 60, of Calumet City, is facing a misdemeanor charge of battery in connection with the alleged assault as well as a felony weapons charge because he did not have the proper licensing for the gun he carried, according to Cook County court records.
A Pace spokesperson said Undraitis was contracted through A P Private Detective & Security Agency in Hazel Crest, and is no longer allowed to work on Pace contracts.
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About 3 p.m. on Saturday, Harvey police were called to a disturbance near a Pace terminal near 154th Street and Broadway Avenue in the south suburb, according to Harvey police Chief Robert Collins.
Undraitis, who works for a security company contracted by Pace, had a scuffle with a 30-year-old Chicago Heights man, Collins said.
Harvey police officers arrived on the scene and arrested the man on suspicion of battery after a struggle on the ground, Collins said.
Police in Harvey, Illinois arrest someone on their side for lunging at a man in cuffs pic.twitter.com/kYJd5k2inA — Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) December 22, 2020
After the officers handcuffed him, Undraitis punched the man, Collins said.
“The officer just took action immediately and had the security officer placed in handcuffs,” he said.
The video shows officers struggling to arrest the man on the ground. After the officers handcuff the man and stand him up, the video appears to show Undraitis swing in the direction of the man’s head.
One of the officers then handcuffed Undraitis, the video shows.
“He knew it was wrong and he took action right away,” Collins said of the officer.


chicagotribune--2020-12-24--Illinois’ seven-day average for COVID-19 deaths is lowest in weeks as state records 7,037 new cases,

Illinois’ seven-day average for COVID-19 deaths is lowest in weeks as state records 7,037 new cases, 96 more fatalities

State health officials also reported 7,037 new confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus , the third straight day-over-day increase @ @ @ @ @ test results reported in the previous 24 hours also was up significantly from the previous @ @ @ @ @ average of new cases , which officials monitor to smooth out day-to-day fluctuations , continues @ @ @

Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois’ seven-day average for coronavirus deaths fell to 116 on Thursday, its lowest point since Dec. 2.
The state recorded another 96 deaths on Christmas Eve, the third time in the past week that there have been fewer than 100 deaths reported in a day. The average number of fatalities per day was down 25% from the pandemic’s peak weekly average of 154 deaths during the week ending Dec. 11.
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Thursday also marked the first time since early this month that the average number of daily deaths fell below the spring peak of 118, recorded in mid-May.
In all, Illinois has recorded 15,643 COVID-19 deaths since March.
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State health officials also reported 7,037 new confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus, the third straight day-over-day increase. But the number of test results reported in the previous 24 hours also was up significantly from the previous days, and the seven-day average of new cases, which officials monitor to smooth out day-to-day fluctuations, continues to decline.
The average number of daily cases was 6,526 for the week ending Thursday, down from 7,985 cases per day the prior week.
The case positivity rate — the percentage of positive cases as a share of total tests — reached a statewide seven-day average of 7.2% for the week ending Wednesday, the lowest its been since the week ending Oct. 28, when the rate was 6.9%
The average number of people in Illinois hospitals with COVID-19 also has continued to decline.
Despite the progress in slowing the pandemic that surged throughout the fall and the arrival of thousands more doses of two COVID-19 vaccines in Illinois this week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other officials remain concerned about the potential for another upswing following Christmas and New Year’s.
In a Christmas Eve text alert, the Illinois Department of Public Health continued encouraging the public to stay home and follow safety precautions:
“With the holidays approaching, remember: You can be social with people in your household, just social distance and mask when in public. Let’s all stay safe together this holiday season and prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-24--‘Free Kyle’ Rittenhouse merchandise supporting teen charged in Kenosha shootings no longer for sale

‘Free Kyle’ Rittenhouse merchandise supporting teen charged in Kenosha shootings no longer for sale at online retailer Printify

Prosecutors have accused Rittenhouse , a white 17-year-old , of opening fire on Anthony Huber , Joseph Rosenbaum and Gaige @ @ @ @ @ Kenosha on Aug. 25 .
The protest was sparked after a white police officer shot @ @ @ @ @ Black , in the back seven times during a domestic dispute .
The shots left @ @ @ @ @ down .

KENOSHA, Wis. — An online sales company has stopped selling merchandise supporting an Illinois teen who killed two people and wounded a third during a protest in Wisconsin this summer.
The Kenosha News reported Thursday that Kyle Rittenhouse’s family began selling “Free Kyle” merchandise through Printify last week. Printify creates custom products for designers and sells them online.
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The company tweeted that it has terminated the Rittenhouse family’s account because it violates a policy banning content that promotes or condones violence.
“We have chosen to discontinue our business relationship with this store in order to mitigate business risk,” the company said in a statement. “Ultimately, we don’t want to be affiliated with a store that’s involved in such a complex, controversial and ongoing case.”
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Kyle Rittenhouse at an extradition hearing in Lake County court on Oct. 30, 2020, in Waukegan, Ill. (Nam Y. Huh / AP)
Prosecutors have accused Rittenhouse, a white 17-year-old, of opening fire on Anthony Huber, Joseph Rosenbaum and Gaige Grosskreutz during a protest in Kenosha on Aug. 25. The protest was sparked after a white police officer shot Jacob Blake, who is Black, in the back seven times during a domestic dispute. The shots left Blake paralyzed from the waist down.
Rittenhouse faces multiple charges, including first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless homicide. The teen has maintained he fired in self-defense and conservatives have rallied around him, working to raise money for his legal defense.
Kimberley Motley, an attorney representing Grosskreutz, called the merchandising effort “vile and disgusting and in extreme poor taste.”
According to FreeKyleUSA social media, which the Rittenhouse family operates, the family is trying to secure another company to handle merchandising. They criticized Printify’s decision to drop them as “a powerful, concerted effort solely focused on preventing the truth from getting out.”


chicagotribune--2020-12-24--COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital da

COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital data in your area

Among the metrics ( see below ) tracked under guidelines set by Gov .
J.B. Pritzker are the percentage of @ @ @ @ @ , the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19-like illnesses , and the capacity of hospitals @ @ @ @ @ state will decide how much or how little to restrict activities based on these metrics @

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.
To assess how different parts of Illinois are handling the COVID-19 pandemic, officials look at the state through the 11 regions of Emergency Medical Services. The city of Chicago is one region, for example, and the rest of Cook County is another.
Among the metrics (see below) tracked under guidelines set by Gov. J.B. Pritzker are the percentage of coronavirus tests that return positive, the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19-like illnesses, and the capacity of hospitals to take in new patients.The state will decide how much or how little to restrict activities based on these metrics. (Cases, deaths and tests data is as of Dec. 31).
• Check out the Tribune’s coronavirus coverage.
• Remembering the lives of those in Illinois who died from coronavirus.
• Other Chicago, suburbs and Illinois COVID-19 metrics.
• See how the governor’s plan to manage the regions works.
Source: Illinois Department of Public Health
Created by the Chicago Tribune dataviz team. On Twitter @chitribgraphics


chicagotribune--2020-12-24--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 @ @ @ @ @ .
The state is not providing data for any ZIP code with five cases or @ @

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--2020-12-24--Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 96 new deaths, 7,037 new confirmed and probable cases and 94,909

Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 96 new deaths, 7,037 new confirmed and probable cases and 94,909 new test results

Illinois announced 7,037 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 Thursday for a total of 925,107 .
The state also @ @ @ @ @ a total of 15,643 and 94,909 new test results for a total of 12.78 million @

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--2020-12-24--Rep. Adam Kinzinger through the years

Rep. Adam Kinzinger through the years

1535 W. Jackson Blvd.
, Chicago : $ 1,199,000 | Listed : Sept. 26 , 2020 This updated row house @ @ @ @ @ School has four bedrooms and 3½ bathrooms .
Five fireplaces , 12-foot-high ceilings and five @ @ @ @ @ , while the chef-level kitchen touts heated floors and has been featured in O Magazine @ @ @ @ @ Chicago PD.
” The primary bedroom suite is outfitted with a new bathroom , custom @ @ @ @ @ home ’ s award-winning garden .
Outside , the home has a Trex deck , @ @ @ @ @ garage with attic space .
Agent : Linda Levin of Jameson Sotheby ’ s International @ @ @ @ @ photos are “ virtually staged , ” meaning they have been digitally altered to represent @ @ @ @ @ .
To feature your luxury listing of $ 800,000 or more in Chicago Tribune ’ @ @ @ @ @ listing information and high-res photos to ctc-realestate @ chicagotribune.com .
Join our Chicago Dream Homes @ @ @ @ @ listings and real estate news .

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 37 U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger speaks on Dec. 19, 2022, during the last hearing of the house select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who has represented a sprawling exurban and rural district that stretches from Rockford down to the Indiana border, has been virtually alone among members of his party in readily criticizing some of Donald Trump’s most egregious statements and proposals on social media and in national newscasts.


chicagotribune--2020-12-24--Woman, 12-year-old boy killed in hit-and-run in Gage Park neighborhood, Chicago police say

The boy , identified as Giovanne Bucio , 12 , of Chicago , was taken to the University of Chicago @ @ @ @ @ s Hospital , where he was pronounced dead just after 9 p.m. , according to @ @ @ @ @ ’ s office .
The woman , identified as Araceli Gutierrez , 48 , also @ @ @ @ @ to U. of C. Medical Center , where she was pronounced dead just before 9 @ @ @ @ @ ’ s office said .

A 48-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy were fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver while crossing a street in the Gage Park neighborhood Wednesday night, Chicago police said.
The two were struck by a dark-colored SUV, possibly a 2009-12 Chevrolet Malibu, traveling westbound in the 3100 block of West 55th Street shortly after 8 p.m., police said. The driver left the scene without stopping and should have front-end damage on the driver’s side of the car, police said.
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According to a police report, one witness told police he saw both pedestrians heading south, crossing the street in the crosswalk, when the suspect’s vehicle struck them while traveling west at a high rate of speed. The vehicle then continued heading west on 55th Street, the witness said.
The woman was thrown into the air and landed near a curb while, according to another witness, the boy was found underneath a parked vehicle, the report stated.
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The boy, identified as Giovanne Bucio, 12, of Chicago, was taken to the University of Chicago’s Comer Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead just after 9 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. The woman, identified as Araceli Gutierrez, 48, also of Chicago, was taken to U. of C. Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead just before 9 p.m., the medical examiner’s office said.
Anyone with information is urged to call 312-745-4521.


chicagotribune--2020-12-24--8 great Chinese restaurants open on Christmas Day — with holiday specials — in Chinatown and beyond

Here are eight more restaurants that will be open on Christmas Day — without specials , but where I ’ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic .
There are many more restaurants of course , but eight is the @ @ @ @ @ and right now we need all the luck we can get .

Traditionally most restaurants in Chinatown, the historic Chinese neighborhood on the South Side of the Chicago, remain open on Christmas Day. Relatively few offer holiday specials though, yet some do. This year, perhaps more than ever, they deserve their own story. As I’ve reported, the Chinese community was the first and one of the hardest hit due to unfounded coronavirus fears and racism.
Here’s a list of eight great Chinese restaurants. All are open on Christmas Day, with holiday specials and their regular menu too. They’re found in Chinatown and beyond, across the greater Chicagoland area. As an added bonus, you’ll find eight more at the bottom of the story, like extra presents under a Christmas tree.
Qing Xiang Yuan Dumplings
Pre-order red and green QXY Christmas special dumplings by Christmas Eve only on Tock for pickup at the restaurant in Chinatown. You can choose any fillings from vegan wood ear mushroom ($17.99) to chicken, pork, beef and seafood with sea urchin ($37.99).
2002 S. Wentworth Ave., 312-799-1118, qxydumplings.com
Chiu Quon Bakery
Order limited edition Christmas cakes by calling the bakery directly for pickup at the Chinatown location only. Choose from adorable deer ($57 for 10 inch), pine cones ($57 for 10 inch), Santa ($50 for 8 inch) or strawberry snowmen ($50 for 8 inch). The oldest bakery in Chinatown also just opened a location at the new 88 Marketplace supermarket food court, featuring special collaborations with Doux Cake until Jan. 3, including one with matcha, mascarpone and strawberry.
2253 S. Wentworth Ave., 312-225-6608, cqbakery.com
Go 4 Food
The self-described “Asian fusion” seafood restaurant in Chinatown is offering four special dinner sets ($52.95 to $158.95) for Christmas and New Year’s if you’re planning ahead. The dinners vary in courses and dishes, but each set includes ginger and green onion lobster.
212 W. 23rd St., 312-842-8688, go4foodusa.com
Rotary Sushi
Reserve the holiday special platter ($55) now until Jan. 5 by calling or ordering online from the Chinatown or Aurora locations. The massive sushi meal includes miso soup, octopus salad, 16 pieces of nigiri, and a nine-piece baked Choo Choo roll with shrimp tempura and smoked duck inside, topped by spicy crab, tobiko and tempura flakes, plus two slices of cheesecake for dessert.
2131 S. Archer Ave., 312-929-2446, rotarysushi.com
Golden Bull
The double lucky number priced $88 special deal stars two stir-fried lobsters among five courses. Plus when you spend $100 or more, you get a $10 gift certificate. The Chinatown restaurant says Christmas is one of its busiest days so pre-order if possible, now until Jan. 3.
242 W. Cermak Road, 312-808-1668, goldenbullonline.com
Sun Wah
The James Beard America’s Classics-award winning duck dinner specialists in the Uptown neighborhood will be open, but they do sell out and will close early, so order ahead as soon as possible. The Cheng family restaurant will also do a collaboration pop-up at Longman & Eagle in Logan Square now until Dec. 27, with Sun Wah roast duck ($18 for half) and L&E specials, like General Foie’s Chicken ($15).
5039 N. Broadway, 773-769-1254, sunwahbbq.com
Triple Crown
At the only restaurant in Chinatown with a collaboration beer, when you buy a four-pack of the Triple Crown Lager ($15), made by Marz Brewing in neighboring Bridgeport, you get one free Triple Crown branded pint glass while supplies last. If you order the beer online, the coveted glass will automatically be included. A dim sum pairing is highly recommended.
2217 S. Wentworth Ave., 312-842-0088, triplecrownchicago.com
New Furama
Pre-order the Peking duck special ($38.95) now until New Year’s Eve at least 24 hours in advance. The meal includes crispy skinned sliced duck with vegetables on 10 steamed buns, and shredded duck fried rice.
2828 S. Wentworth Ave., 312-225-6888, newfuramasouth.com
And 8 more
Here are eight more restaurants that will be open on Christmas Day — without specials, but where I’ve ordered terrific takeout throughout the pandemic. There are many more restaurants of course, but eight is the luckiest number in Chinese numerology and right now we need all the luck we can get.
B.B.Q. King for Chinese barbecue in Chinatown Square mall. 2148 S. Archer Ave., 312-326-1219, bbqkingonline.com
D Cuisine for creative dim sum in the Park West neighborhood. 2723 N. Clark St., 773-360-7239, dcuisinechicago.com
Hello Jasmine for Taiwanese boba drinks and popcorn chicken in Chinatown and Sheffield Neighbors. 2026 S. Clark St., 312-988-0920; 953 W. Webster Ave., 773-687-9524; hellojasmineus.com
Katy’s Dumplings for hand-pulled noodles and definitely dumplings in Westmont and Oak Park. 665 N. Cass Ave., Westmont; 630-323-9393; 1113 Lake St., Oak Park, 708-383-9888, katysdumplings.com
MingHin for more dim sum and Cantonese main dishes from multiple locations in the city and suburbs. 2168 S. Archer Ave., 312-808-1999, minghincuisine.com
My Place South Loop for Hong Kong style breakfast and afternoon tea deals. 1307 S. Wabash Ave., 312-763-6935, myplacesouthloop.com
Qiao Lin Hotpot for spicy Chongqing hot pot, next to 88 Marketplace in East Pilsen. 2105 S. Jefferson St., 312-600-9779, qiaolinhotpot.com
Saint Anna Bakery & Cafe for egg tarts, pineapple buns and much more back at the Chinatown Square mall. 2158 S. Archer Ave., 312-225-3168, facebook.com/Saint-Anna-Bakery-Cafe-362220768544


chicagotribune--2020-12-25--A COVID-19 Christmas — less glitter, but still some silver linings: ‘It gets back to what’s importan

A COVID-19 Christmas — less glitter, but still some silver linings: ‘It gets back to what’s important’

The family took selfies with it and sent them to Kosin , then gave him a call .
Still , @ @ @ @ @ said they wished they could have celebrated again together , but they now have “ @ @ @ @ @ and plan to keep Kosin ’ s cutout to scare their other friends when they @ @ @ @ @ future .

Elyssa Cherney, Diana Wallace, Alice Yin, Paige Fry

Eight-year-old Marcus Trotter carries presents with his family during a toy and food giveaway hosted by the Equality Should Be Normal organization Dec. 25, 2020, in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago. The organization was founded earlier this year by Romel Murphy. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Kevin Hermanek crossed his legs while sitting in a wheelchair and peered out the tall first-floor window of a senior living facility in Lincoln Park where his daughter waited outside — the closest the two could get on Christmas Eve.
As light snow swirled overhead, Margaret Hermanek set up her headphones, dialed her 66-year-old father’s cellphone and struck up a holiday conversation about relatives, entertaining television shows and what items she would put on hold for him at the Chicago Public Library.
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Though it’s no replacement for the typical Christmas Eve dinner that’s become a family tradition, the Hermaneks relish the moments they can share together — even if separated by a pane of glass. To put her dad in a festive mood, Margaret also dropped off a bag brimming with cookies, holiday cards and games — Santa’s version of no-contact delivery.
“It’s a little weird, but it’s the best that we can do, and I’m glad that we’re able to do it,” Margaret, 33, said through a plaid-patterned face mask. “He feels like he’s missing out because that’s just his frame of reference and he doesn’t realize that everybody out here is going through some version of not seeing people and not being able to do things.”
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For most Chicago-area residents who observe Christmas, this year’s holiday is like no other in their lifetimes, with traditional gatherings of loved ones in homes and churches curtailed, modified, Zoom-ified or done away with altogether, along with meals and exchanges of presents.
Margaret Hermanek makes a Christmas Eve "window visit" with her father, Kevin Hermanek, at Belmont Village Senior Living in Lincoln Park. “When you take away all of the trappings, all the fancy, frilly add-ons and get back to just getting together with family ... it gets back to what’s important about Christmas," Kevin Hermanek said. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Many are still trying to count their blessings and make the best of things.
For Chicago resident Arnold Park, family holiday gatherings were limited this year to dropping off presents at the front doors of loved ones with brief, masked and socially distant visits standing outside. He and his wife, Tanya, and their children, Sebastian and Elena, made a quick trip to Michigan to check in on Tanya’s parents and give them a chance to interact with the Parks’ two new puppies, Baby and Maui, who joined the family a couple of weeks ago.
“We treated ourselves to two brand new puppies since we knew would be spending an inordinate amount of time at home this winter,” Park said. “Our family dog of 12 years, Bear, passed away in November and we were going to wait some time for a new dog, but the grim news and weather motivated us to get the two new puppies.”
The Parks also planned to make a Christmas donation of food and treats in honor of Bear to the rescue where they got him. That was another curbside drop-off, as the rescue center wasn’t allowing visitors.
It’s also one of the many charitable efforts that continued unabated, if modified, on Christmas Day around Chicago, with houses of worship, along with social service groups and community activists, handing out meals, COVID-19-related supplies and other needs for those struggling this year, in some cases for the first time.
The organization Ombudsman Chicago said it responded to the overwhelming need it saw at Thanksgiving by joining with other community groups to provide free toys, meals and COVID-19 supplies to families at Legends Chicken and Fish on the South Side on Friday. Chi-Care said it planned to deliver thousands of meals to homeless people around Chicago on Friday.
Pam Harris puts water bottles into meal packages as volunteers and contributors work together to offer free holiday meals, toys and COVID-19 supplies at Legends Chicken and Fish in Chicago. (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Lamarr Jackson, left, receives a food package from Carlos Estes from Ombudsman Alternative High School, as volunteers work together to distribute free holiday meals, gloves and COVID-19 supplies at a homeless encampment near Wentworth Avenue and 51st Street in Chicago. (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Romel Murphy, 42, had the blueprint of his organization’s Christmas toy giveaway planned out to a T. Around noon, speakers were to boom with a playlist ranging from Mariah Carey to the Jackson 5. A purple Christmas tree, representing his late mother’s favorite color, was set up to greet families in the doorway. A Black Santa Claus as well as Mickey and Minnie Mouse characters were on hand for photos with children.
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And piles of at least 400 toys, collected through donations to his nonprofit, Equality Should Be Normal, as well as the Jack and Jill Lake Shore chapter, waited to be unwrapped by excited children.
Murphy, a Bronzeville resident originally from St. Louis, founded his organization in June because the devastation of the pandemic and the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck, spurred Murphy to want to dismantle racism and government disinvestment on the South Side, he said. That starts with giving something back.
“I just want to carry that torch and pay it forward,” Murphy said. “That’s how we change the cycle and we fight to eradicate racism: by building generations on generations of youth and strong Black men and women that want to create change.”
Murphy has repeatedly heard from neighbors who have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and are coming to his community center for the first time in search of food, coats and hygiene products — “stories of desperation,” he said. He believes many children may not expect lavish gifts due to the financial crunch many parents are under.
But for him, this year’s Christmas will feel more uplifting than years past because he believes the toy giveaway will ease some of the burden on families to provide Christmas cheer.
“A lot of parents, we make sacrifices for our children,” Murphy said. “My goal is to allow parents to focus on the necessities of food and meals and allow us to meet the warmth of Christmas for their kids, so that way they won’t go without a meal to give their kids a toy to open on Christmas. We want to fill that gap.”
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Eight-year-old Marcus Trotter carries presents with his family during a toy and food giveaway hosted by the Equality Should Be Normal organization on Dec. 25, 2020, in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago. The organization was founded earlier this year by Romel Murphy. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
For South Side residents Mollie and Juan Rojas, Christmas plans were fluid because he works as a critical-care physician at UChicago Medicine. Because both he and his wife, a dentist, work in health care, they have not visited the extended family in months.
“Recently, my husband got the vaccine, and I am hoping to have it in the near future so we can more safely interact with family,” Mollie Rojas said.
Celebrating Christmas this year, then, involved Zoom calls with loved ones, lots of baking and special meals to share with their son.
Throughout her husband’s training, “he has often worked on the holidays, like so many other essential workers, and we just make the best of it,” Rojas said via email. “Growing up, my father was a fireman, so our family is used to improvising during the holiday season as he often had to work on either Christmas Day or Christmas Eve.”
Kevin Hermanek and his wife normally host relatives at their home in the South Loop, where she still lives, for the holiday. On Christmas Eve, their small family gathers to open trinkets, listens to him play the piano and faces off in a game of charades after dinner.
But this year, Hermanek wouldn’t be leaving his assisted living facility — Belmont Village Senior Living — and everyone planned to connect through a Zoom call instead. Guests are not allowed inside his building due to high infection rates in the city, and residents are discouraged from exiting.
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Despite the changes, he said still looked forward to the holiday.
“I like to talk to my family,” said the retired attorney, who moved to senior living about two years ago due to health and mobility issues. “We don’t get together real often, so it’s a treat just to have some time together.”
On Thursday, Hermanek wore a thick red sweater — his favorite color — and sipped on a Diet Coke during the “window visit,” as the residents call them, with his daughter. While he stayed warm inside, his daughter pushed her gloveless hands into her coat pockets to shield them from the 16-degree weather.
As the pair talked, trucks clanged down a busy Fullerton Avenue behind them and pedestrians strolled the sidewalks, sometimes stopping to watch with their dogs or children.
“This is going to make us all appreciate Christmas a little bit more,” Kevin Hermanek said. “When you take away all of the trappings, all the fancy, frilly add-ons and get back to just getting together with family ... it gets back to what’s important about Christmas.”
This year, Mark Kosin, also known as “Uncle Marky,” didn’t let the pandemic stop him from figuratively being with his 5-year-old goddaughter, Evelina, and her twin sister, Vivian, for Christmas, even if he lives a couple of time zones away.
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After some planning, a photo shoot with a co-worker, and $150 for shipping, Kosin arrived at his best friend’s house in Orland Park just in time for Christmas morning. Except, that version of Uncle Marky was made of cardboard.
“The girls thought it was funny and cute. I even got a stupid speech bubble that said, ‘Ho, ho, ho! It’s Uncle Marky,’” Kosin, 36, said. “If nothing else, it just gives me another leg up over the other uncles and aunts in their lives. I hope I raised the bar.”
Evelina, left, and Vivian Del Priore. 5, hug a life-size cutout of their family friend Mark Kosin, who couldn't join their Christmas celebration due to the pandemic, next to their father, Nick Del Priore, at their home in Orland Park on Dec. 25, 2020. (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Kosin has been best friends with Nicholas Del Priore, 36, since they were college roommates at Loyola University Chicago. After graduating in 2007, Kosin moved to California but continued to come back to Chicago for the holidays.
This year has been more challenging for Del Priore and his wife, Kelly, as the parents of two kindergartners. They were concerned about how the pandemic would affect such an important educational milestone, but the twins have been resilient, they said.
“Once they adjusted, they haven’t looked back,” Nicholas said. “Because of their age, they are not searching for the way things were. They’re living with the restrictions and with the knowledge that at some point it will be over, and they’ll move forward.”
The girls have been able to attend their private school in person since August. Nicholas and Kelly have also been able to work from home during the pandemic. The girls catch up with Kosin over FaceTime. Their Thanksgiving was spent with just the four of them.
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“It’s sort of best worst-case scenario,” Kelly said. “We’re obviously super fortunate to be in that position, which we do not take for granted in the slightest.”
The life-size cutout of Uncle Marky arrived the night of Christmas Eve.
“Quite frankly, I think it’s not a great photo. I didn’t clean up that much for it. It was just like on an average day after remote work,” Kosin said. “Very kind of ad-hoc, on the run, 2020-style stuff.”
On Christmas morning, the family — including additional relatives who had self-isolated for the last two weeks — wore matching long-sleeved Christmas pajamas that Kelly picked out.
The girls closed their eyes for the gift and cutout reveal. Vivian jumped up and down and Evelina had a huge smile on her face, said “Oh, Uncle Marky!” and ran over to hug it and try to replicate their piggyback rides.
The family took selfies with it and sent them to Kosin, then gave him a call. Still, Kosin and the Del Priores said they wished they could have celebrated again together, but they now have “a new terrifying tradition” and plan to keep Kosin’s cutout to scare their other friends when they plan to stay in the future.
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“This is difficult and terrible,” Kosin said, “but if we can use a little hope and ingenuity and kind of get through it with that sort of mentality, then I think we will come out in a better place when, quote, unquote, this is all over.”


chicagotribune--2020-12-25--‘Chance made us neighbors. ... Quarantine made us family’: Albany Park residents come together for a

‘Chance made us neighbors. ... Quarantine made us family’: Albany Park residents come together for arch display to cheer up a coronavirus Christmas

“ You may have noticed the festive arches that were recently put up in front of my house and a @ @ @ @ @ .
If you are interested in adding some to the front of your house , @ @ @ @ @ show you how !
” she wrote .
“ It would be great if we @ @ @ @ @ lined with some festive arches to help the dreary last days of 2020 !
Also @ @ @ @ @ neighbors you might not have stopped to say hi otherwise .
”

People walk under lighted arches over the sidewalk along West Belle Plaine Avenue Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020, in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago. Neighbors in the area came together to construct the arches, in part to provide a pandemic-friendly way to socialize during the holidays. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune) (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Theresa Martinez doesn’t know how many people have stopped to take photos outside of her house. Her decorative Santa and snowman provided the perfect centerpiece, but what drew people to her block is the long tunnel of over 100 lit-up arches that march down both sides of the street.
Theresa, 43, and her husband, Rudy Martinez, 47, who live in the 3200 block of West Belle Plaine Avenue in the Albany Park neighborhood, got the idea from someone who started the arches last year at Francisco Avenue and Belle Plaine. They spoke to the creator and learned how he made them. Then, because of the pandemic, they decided there was nothing better to do but make the arches for their house.
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Rudy Martinez spoke with his friend and neighbor Warren Poetzing, 32, about the idea, and he quickly got on board. They got to work on Thanksgiving Day, starting with the Martinezes’ house. They ended with four done on Thanksgiving Day. By the end of that weekend, they recruited more neighbors.
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Theresa Martinez, center, with her husband, Rudy Martinez, right, and neighbor Alyce Henson talk about the creation of lighted arches over the sidewalk along West Belle Plaine Avenue in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago. Neighbors came together to construct the arches, in part to provide a pandemic-friendly way to socialize during the holidays. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
They figured out a system and some helpers fell into specific arch-making tasks. One person did the Home Depot runs, one put together the PVC pipes, one would wrap the lights and another would decorate. By the end of the weekend, 77 were done, said neighbor Randy Dixon, 59.
Poetzing even figured out how to put the pipes on a drill to spin them while wrapping the lights, making them perfectly tight and spaced out.
“We got down to a minute and 44 seconds to wrap it with the lights,” Theresa Martinez said. “We timed ourselves.”
To make sure everyone on the block had an opportunity to be included, she passed out flyers:
“You may have noticed the festive arches that were recently put up in front of my house and a few other neighbors’ houses. If you are interested in adding some to the front of your house, I’d like to show you how!” she wrote. “It would be great if we could get the whole block lined with some festive arches to help the dreary last days of 2020! Also a great way to meet neighbors you might not have stopped to say hi otherwise.”
She added that each arch cost about $20 in materials, and each house averages three to six arches, depending on the size of the land. But if people weren’t able to pay for the arches or put them up themselves, other neighbors were willing to pitch in.
People were welcome to decorate their arches how they liked. One house made theirs an under-the-sea theme, another Jewish household lined theirs with blue and white tinsel, and some neighbors who are metal workers bent their arches into a different shape.
“Every house came out and helped, which was nice. We met some people that we didn’t ever know as neighbors,” Dixon said. “It wasn’t any religious belief. It was just to get everyone together.”
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Everett Poetzing, 1, looks at snowflake lights projected onto the sidewalk under holiday arches that were built along Belle Plaine Avenue in the Albany Park neighborhood. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
As the main group of about 14 neighbors got close, they communicated through a group chat and called themselves the “Belle Plainians.” They even came up with a motto, Theresa Martinez said: “Chance made us neighbors. Alcohol made us friends. Quarantine made us family.”
Just on Wednesday, her Santa fell down, and when she looked outside her window, two of her neighbors were already there to put it back together. If someone’s arch lights are having problems, they’ll communicate through the group text to see who can be on light duty to help out.
Even though the arches weren’t their original idea, the Belle Plainians’ block has the most pronounced presence in light-up arches. Other nearby blocks also took on the idea and have patches of arches here and there. Then the Belle Plainians took it a step further and created a giant arch in front of 45-year-old Avi Nachom’s house at the entrance to the block. Two other neighbors also got Christmas trees to put on either side of the large, sparkling arch.
Nachom said he once walked outside his house in the middle of the day and a family was taking photos outside. They came up and said, “Thank you so much. This is so awesome. It just makes us all smile,” he recounted.
More dog walkers and drivers started coming past the neighborhood at night. “In a year where things are just so negative, it gave a little bit of hope, right? People felt that,” Poetzing said. “Even random people on the street just saying some things like that, just made it worth it — made all the work, worth it.”


chicagotribune--2020-12-25--Albany Park arches brings neighbors together

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 8 People walk under lighted arches over the sidewalk along West Belle Plaine Avenue on Dec. 23, 2020, in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago. Neighbors in the area came together to construct the arches, in part to provide a pandemic-friendly way to socialize during the holidays. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
Neighbors along West Belle Plaine Avenue in Albany Park came together to construct the arches decorated with lights, in part to provide a pandemic-friendly way to socialize during the holidays.


chicagotribune--2020-12-25--After blast shakes Nashville, Chicago police say they’re monitoring situation, aware of no ‘actionab

After blast shakes Nashville, Chicago police say they’re monitoring situation, aware of no ‘actionable’ threat here

According to an Associated Press report , Nashville police said the blast was from a recreational vehicle that exploded after @ @ @ @ @ of a potential bomb .
The blast injured three people and damaged buildings and sent @ @ @ @

This undated image posted on social media by the FBI shows Anthony Quinn Warner. Federal officials now turn to the monumental task of piecing together the motive behind the Christmas Day explosion that severely damaged dozens of buildings and injured three in downtown Nashville, Tenn. While officials have named 63-year-old Warner as the man behind the mysterious explosion in which he was killed, the motive has remained elusive. (Courtesy of FBI via AP)
Chicago police have released a statement in response to an explosion that shook downtown Nashville Friday and that authorities said appeared to be intentional.
“The Chicago Police Department is closely monitoring the reported vehicle explosion in Nashville and will maintain the appropriate level of readiness here in Chicago,” the statement said.
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“We have no actionable intelligence of any threat to Chicago, but we will remain diligent across the city,” local police said.
According to an Associated Press report, Nashville police said the blast was from a recreational vehicle that exploded after blaring a recording that warned of a potential bomb. The blast injured three people and damaged buildings and sent broken glass flying.


chicagotribune--2020-12-25--Community rallies for woman and 12-year-old boy killed in hit-and-run in Chicago’s Gage Park; no arr

Community rallies for woman and 12-year-old boy killed in hit-and-run in Chicago’s Gage Park; no arrests reported

Giovanne Bucio , 12 , of Chicago , was taken to the University of Chicago ’ s Comer Children ’ @ @ @ @ @ was pronounced dead just after 9 p.m. , according to the Cook County medical examiner @ @ @ @ @ woman , Araceli Gutierrez , 48 , also of Chicago , was taken to U.
@ @ @ @ @ where she was pronounced dead just before 9 p.m .
Both Bucio and Gutierrez died @ @ @ @ @ result of a motor vehicle striking a pedestrian , according to the medical examiner ’ @ @ @

A reward has been offered for information in the deaths of a 12-year-old boy and a 48-year-old woman who were struck by a hit-and-run driver while crossing a street in the Gage Park neighborhood Wednesday night.
Giovanne Bucio, 12, of Chicago, was taken to the University of Chicago’s Comer Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead just after 9 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. The woman, Araceli Gutierrez, 48, also of Chicago, was taken to U. of C. Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead just before 9 p.m. Both Bucio and Gutierrez died of multiple injuries as a result of a motor vehicle striking a pedestrian, according to the medical examiner’s office.
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At a news conference in Gage Park Friday morning, Raul Montes, a civic activist, said the community gathered to offer a $5,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the offender.
“He could have at least stopped,” Montes said. “We want him to turn himself in because this was a heinous crime, he should have stopped, and he didn’t. The family is so distraught.”
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According to police reports, Giovanne Bucio, 12, of Chicago, and Araceli Gutierrez, 48, were struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver near the 3100 block of 55th Street on Wednesday night. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago police confirmed Friday that no arrests have been made in the case.
The two victims were struck by a dark-colored SUV, possibly a Chevrolet Malibu made between 2009 and 2012. The vehicle was traveling west in the 3100 block of West 55th Street shortly after 8 p.m. when the crash occurred, police said. The driver left the scene without stopping and should have front-end damage on the driver’s side of the car, police said.
According to a police report, one witness told police he saw both pedestrians heading south, crossing the street in the crosswalk, when the vehicle struck them while traveling west at a high rate of speed. The vehicle then continued west on 55th Street, the witness said.
The woman was thrown into the air and landed near a curb. According to another witness, the boy was found underneath a parked vehicle, the report stated.
Montes said there has been an increase of hit-and-runs in the area, and the activists called for legislation to prevent further incidents.
“Someone has seen something. We don’t want this to become another cold case,” Montes said.


chicagotribune--2020-12-25--COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital da


chicagotribune--2020-12-25--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood


chicagotribune--2020-12-25--Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 156 new deaths, 5,742 new confirmed and probable cases and 98,958

Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 156 new deaths, 5,742 new confirmed and probable cases and 98,958 new test results

Illinois announced 5,742 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 Friday for a total of 930,849 .
The state also @ @ @ @ @ a total of 15,799 and 98,958 new test results for a total of 12.89 million @


chicagotribune--2020-12-25--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 5,742 new and probable cases of COVID-19 and 156 additional deaths

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 5,742 new and probable cases of COVID-19 and 156 additional deaths reported Christmas Day

Amid a surge of coronavirus infections this fall in Italy , Francis broke with tradition for Christmas .
Instead of @ @ @ @ @ Orbi ” speech — Latin for “ to the city and to the world ” @ @ @ @ @ of St. Peter ’ s Square , he read it from inside a cavernous hall @ @ @ @ @ flanked by two Christmas trees with blinking lights .

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
Laquitta Boyd, holds her 6-year-old daughter Venisha while receiving her first COVID-19 vaccination at a back-to-school health fair hosted by RUSH University Medical Center at the Salvation Army Freedom Center on July 30, 2022, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois reported 3,767 new and probable cases of COVID-19 Sunday, bringing the statewide total since the beginning of the pandemic to 937,909. The state also reported 104 new deaths, raising the overall toll to 15,969.
It was the second straight day with cases under 4,000. There were 3,293 new and probable cases reported Saturday, the lowest total in Illinois since Oct. 19, when 3,113 cases were reported.
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Here’s what’s happening this weekend with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
Sunday
3,767 new and probable cases of COVID-19, 104 additional deaths reported
Illinois reported 3,767 new and probable cases of COVID-19 Sunday, bringing the statewide total since the beginning of the pandemic to 937,909. The state also reported 104 new deaths, raising the overall toll to 15,969.
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There were 46,226 tests reported in the previous 24 hours. The seven-day statewide positivity rate is 8.5%.
—Chicago Tribune staff
Vaccination effort expected to arrive in Lake County long-term care centers Monday
COVID-19 inoculations are expected to start Monday in Lake County long-term care facilities, local health officials said.
The move follows the vaccination of nearly 8,000 Lake County front line health care workers since December 17. More vaccine is arriving, and the Lake County Health Department will begin offering injections of health care personnel, emergency medical workers and some others next week.
Mark Pfister, the executive director of the Lake County Health Department, said the entire shipment of 6,825 doses of Pfizer vaccine was shipped to six of the county’s hospitals December 17. It produced more shots than anticipated. An additional 3,900 packages arrived Tuesday.
Read more here. —Steve Sadin, Lake County News-Sun
Unemployment benefits for millions of Americans expire as Trump refuses to sign COVID-19 relief bill
Unemployment benefits for millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet lapsed overnight as President Donald Trump refused to sign an end-of-year COVID-19 relief and spending bill that had been considered a done deal before his sudden objections.
The fate of the bipartisan package remained in limbo Sunday as Trump continued to demand larger COVID relief checks and complained about “pork” spending. Without the widespread funding provided by the massive measure, a government shutdown would occur when money runs out at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.
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“It’s a chess game and we are pawns,” said Lanetris Haines, a self-employed single mother of three in South Bend, Indiana, who stood to lose her $129 weekly jobless benefit unless Trump signed the package into law or succeeded in his improbable quest for changes.
Washington has been reeling since Trump turned on the deal after it had won sweeping approval in both houses of Congress and after the White House had assured Republican leaders that Trump would support it.
Read more here. —Associated Press
Saturday
Unemployment benefits for millions in limbo and government shutdown looms as Trump rages
Unemployment benefits for millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet were set to lapse at midnight Saturday unless President Donald Trump signed an end-of-year COVID relief and spending bill that had been considered a done deal before his sudden objections.
Trump’s refusal to sign the bipartisan package as he demands larger COVID relief checks and complains about “pork” spending could also force a federal government shutdown when money runs out at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday in the middle of a pandemic.
“It’s a chess game and we are pawns,” said Lanetris Haines, a self-employed single mother of three in South Bend, Indiana, who stands to lose her $129 weekly jobless benefit unless Trump signs the package into law or succeeds in his improbable quest for changes.
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Washington has been reeling since Trump threw the package into limbo after it had already won sweeping approval in both houses of Congress and after the White House assured Republican leaders that Trump would support it.
Instead, he has assailed the bill’s plan to provide $600 COVID relief checks to most Americans — insisting it should be $2,000. House Republicans swiftly rejected that idea during a rare Christmas Eve session. But Trump has not been swayed.
Read more here. —Associated Press
Illinois reports 3,293 new and probable COVID-19 cases and 66 new deaths
Illinois reported 3,293 new and probable cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the statewide total since the beginning of the pandemic to 934,142.
The case total is the lowest in Illinois since Oct. 19 when 3,113 cases were reported.
The state also reported 66 new deaths — the lowest total in about a month — raising the overall total to 15,865.
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The deaths ranged from a man in his 20s to two women who were 100 or older.
A spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Public Health said reported cases and deaths are typically lower after weekends, and “this could be the case for the holiday weekend.”
As of Friday night, 4,021 people were hospitalized with the virus, including 874 in the ICU and 494 on ventilators.
—Madeline Buckley
Friday
5,742 new and probable cases of COVID-19 and 156 additional deaths reported
Illinois public health officials Friday announced 5,742 new and probable cases of COVID-19. The total number of known infections in Illinois is 930,849 since the pandemic began in March.
The state reported another 156 deaths on Christmas Day. The statewide death toll is now 15,799 since the start of the pandemic.
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There were 98,958 tests reported in the previous 24 hours. The seven-day statewide positivity rate for the week ending Dec. 24 fell to 8.6%.
—Chicago Tribune staff
A COVID-19 Christmas — less glitter, but still some silver linings: ‘It gets back to what’s important’
For most Chicago-area residents who observe Christmas, this year’s holiday is like no other in their lifetimes, with traditional gatherings of loved ones in homes and churches, and exchanges of presents and meals, curtailed, modified, Zoom-ified or done away with altogether.
For some that has meant dropping off presents at front stoops instead of getting together, or visiting with relatives at care facilities through the window.
But many are still trying to count their blessings and make the best of things.
Read more here. —Elyssa Cherney
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Pope Francis: COVID-19 vaccines for all, but for needy and vulnerable first
Pope Francis made a Christmas Day plea for authorities to make COVID-19 vaccines available to all, insisting that the first in line should be the most vulnerable and needy, regardless of who holds the patents for the shots.
“Vaccines for everybody, especially for the most vulnerable and needy,” who should be first in line, Francis said in off-the-cuff remarks from his prepared text, calling the development of such vaccines “light of hope” for the world.
“We can’t let closed nationalisms impede us from living as the true human family that we are,” the pope said.
He called on the leaders of nations, businesses and international organizations to “promote cooperation and not competition, and to search for a solution for all.”
Amid a surge of coronavirus infections this fall in Italy, Francis broke with tradition for Christmas. Instead of delivering his “Urbi et Orbi” speech — Latin for “to the city and to the world” — from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Square, he read it from inside a cavernous hall at the Apostolic Palace, flanked by two Christmas trees with blinking lights.
Read more here. —Associated Press
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US to require negative COVID-19 test from all travelers from Britain because of new strain of virus, CDC says
xThe United States will require airline passengers from Britain to get a negative COVID-19 test before their flight, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced late Thursday.
The U.S. is the latest country to announce new travel restrictions because of a new variant of the coronavirus that is spreading in Britain and elsewhere.
Airline passengers from the United Kingdom will need to get negative COVID-19 tests within three days of their trip and provide the results to the airline, the CDC said in a statement. The agency said the order will be signed Friday and go into effect on Monday.
Read more here. —Associated Press
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
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chicagotribune--2020-12-25--Low temperatures and sunshine expected to continue today, but there will be no white Christmas in Ch

Low temperatures and sunshine expected to continue today, but there will be no white Christmas in Chicago this year

Temperatures are going to remain in the low teens with wind chills in the single digits , Birk added .
@ @ @ @ @ good deal of sunshine , rising the heat into the low 20s .

Stay asleep if you are dreaming of a white Christmas.
Though the Chicago area experienced one of the coldest Christmas mornings in recent history, the city shouldn’t be seeing any more flurries, according to the National Weather Service.
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Message for Christmas Day: Dress warmly in layers!
Today will be the coldest morning of the young winter thus far. Temperatures will moderate into the lower 20s this afternoon, about 10 degrees below normal highs for Christmas day. 🎄https://t.co/Lf9w8HcFBz #ILwx #INwx pic.twitter.com/9tCi3DmVQc — NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) December 25, 2020
“It’s going to be a cold day and that will continue through the afternoon,” said Kevin Birk, a meteorologist with the service.
Temperatures are going to remain in the low teens with wind chills in the single digits, Birk added. But Chicago will see a good deal of sunshine, rising the heat into the low 20s.
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Normally, Christmas mornings are in the high 30s, making this the coldest Christmas morning in the last few years.
“Last year, Christmas was on the warm side and was mild,” Birk said. “The lake effect snow we saw this morning was mainly in northwest Indiana and lower Michigan.”
With the residual snowfall comes added driving warnings, Birk added. However, there is hope for brighter and merrier times.
“We will warm up, we are the coldest right now,” he said. “There will be highs in the low 40s by Sunday.”
A small chance of snow is expected late Sunday into early morning Monday, with another potential storm system hitting the area in the middle of next week.
jvillagomez@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @JessicaVillag


chicagotribune--2020-12-25--‘I moved in 10 days before Christmas. Oh my God.’  A Chicago housing program has helped a record num

‘I moved in 10 days before Christmas. Oh my God.’  A Chicago housing program has helped a record number of families buy homes this year

In all , 54 families in public or subsidized housing bought their own home this year through the Chicago Housing @ @ @ @ @ Own program , which allows people to use a housing subsidy for the purchase , @ @ @ @ @ process and provides them with monthly financial assistance for at least 15 years after the @ @

Sonja Robinson talks with security technician Abraham Arce at her new home in Chicago on Dec. 12, 2020. The Chicago Housing Authority has given 54 families in public housing their own home this year through their Choose To Own homeownership program. (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune)
A home for Christmas.
For years, Sonja Robinson wanted to move out of her three-bedroom apartment and buy a home where her three boys would have room to grow in Chicago. This month, the first grade teacher finally realized her dream.
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“I moved in 10 days before Christmas so I’m like, ‘Oh my God,’ ” Robinson said, laughing as she added that she has plenty of boxes to open beyond any presents.
Robinson, 36, closed on the four-bedroom, red brick home in the Brainerd neighborhood on the South Side with the help of a Chicago Housing Authority program that has gotten more than 50 families into homes of their own this year.
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Desra Webster, 40, bought a new gray-and-white house in Chatham this month with three stories and three full bathrooms. LaShawn Cobb moved into a home in Woodlawn with her 28-year-old son and their 9-year old Boston terrier Jack Russell, Bongo.
LaShawn Cobb decorates her Christmas tree at her new home in Chicago on Dec. 19, 2020. (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune)
In all, 54 families in public or subsidized housing bought their own home this year through the Chicago Housing Authority’s Choose To Own program, which allows people to use a housing subsidy for the purchase, guides them through the buying process and provides them with monthly financial assistance for at least 15 years after the sale.
The number of closings soared over previous years, with low interest rates during the pandemic enabling more people to make the move, according to Mary Howard, the CHA’s chief resident services officer.
“This is their dream come true,” Howard said. “Any homeowner that I’ve spoken with has such a sense of pride in being able to purchase a home (and) fit into what they’ve heard about the American ideal — the American Dream — to be able to provide for their family.”
The program was launched nationally and came to Chicago about 17 years ago through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Howard said. It was originally intended for those participating in the HUD voucher program, or Section 8, but the CHA expanded it a few years ago to include public housing residents.
The CHA partners with various agencies to help prepare participants for homeownership, like taking required sessions and ensuring their credit is in line. The program provides free legal representation and supplies a recommended list of lenders, real estate agents and inspectors.
“Probably the best present they can give themselves and their family is to meet their goals, and if homeownership is one of those that’s terrific,” Howard said.
Webster had looked at several homes before settling for the one in Chatham. “When I walked in, it was home,” she said. “I’m like, ‘This is the one.’ I had walked in a few of them but none of them gave me that feeling.”
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Her 7-year-old son Doneyale Martin Jr. was constantly asking for a new home because the two had always lived in apartments, Webster said. She had hoped to buy her late grandmother’s home earlier this year, but her finances didn’t line up. Then she turned to the CHA.
“We all have dreams of wanting a house and sometimes we hit roadblocks that don’t let us accomplish those things,” Webster said. “But when I did the Choose To Own program, it made me feel like I could do this.
“With COVID and everything going bad, it was good to have something good for me this year,” she said, adding that her family had struggled through sicknesses and high emotions. “I was able to get my son the house he’s been asking for.”
Cobb’s new home is just down the block from her old apartment. But the journey to homeownership wasn’t easy.
LaShawn Cobb carries a step stool at her home in Chicago, Dec. 19, 2020, on a day when she was decorating for Christmas. (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Cobb, 49, said she constantly questioned whether she was making the right move or if she was in over her head. Woodlawn, Hyde Park, Bronzeville, Washington Park — she looked in neighborhoods across the city, but time and time again, she was told she couldn’t afford the homes she picked out.
“The process is long, it’s frustrating, at times I wanted to cry,” she said. “There were times where I felt that I will always be a renter.”
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The pandemic only multiplied her worries. She was told in the spring everything was shutting down because of COVID-19 and she had to wait to continue her search.
But after years of searching for an affordable home, tedious inspections and piles of paperwork that had her “signing her life away,” Cobb closed on the house around Sept. 30 — an accomplishment she dubbed “surreal.”
“I’m a single mom, I sent my son to Catholic school and I’m not making a lot of money, so it was all on me and it was something that I wasn’t sure I would be able to accomplish,” Cobb said, adding that she knew it would be a “really big responsibility” jumping from renter to homeowner.
But now, heading into Christmas, she said she feels joyful as she prepares for a simple holiday celebration with close family members in her own home.
“It’s my first holiday as a homeowner,” she said. “My first Christmas as a homeowner so I’m very excited.”
kelsmith@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @KelliSmithNews