chicagotribune--2020-11-20--Madigan’s 36-year grip on House speaker’s post in doubt as corruption probe erodes once solid suppor

Madigan’s 36-year grip on House speaker’s post in doubt as corruption probe erodes once solid support from Democrats

“ These same individuals will likely claim this indictment should end my tenure as a public official , even though @ @ @ @ @ on my part , nor does it allege I had knowledge of any criminal conduct @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ Some individuals have spent millions of dollars and worked diligently to establish @ @ @ @ @ am corrupt and unethical .
I have publicly ignored their antics because those who know @ @ @ @ @ know that this rhetoric is simply untrue .
”

Then-Speaker Michael Madigan works the floor as the Illinois House convenes at the Bank of Springfield Center on Jan. 8, 2021. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, long undisputed in his role as Illinois’ most powerful politician, now finds his leadership hanging on the precipice as the state faces one of the most tumultuous periods in its history.
A day after his closest political ally was indicted in a bribery and influence-buying scheme involving Commonwealth Edison, Madigan on Thursday saw eight more of his rank-and-file House members pledge not to reelect him when lawmakers reconvene in January.
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On Friday, two more House Democrats issued statements saying they would not vote to retain Madigan as speaker.
That left Madigan at least five votes shy of the 60 he’ll need to win another term in January.
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“I join many of my fellow House members in asking Rep. Madigan not to seek reelection as speaker of the Illinois House,” state Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, said in a statement Thursday. “If he does, we will not be voting for him. And without our votes, we do not believe he will have the requisite number to be reelected as speaker.”
Democratic Reps. Jonathan Carroll of Northbrook and Sam Yingling of Grayslake issued a joint statement saying they will not support Madigan for another term as speaker and “want to see our caucus go in a new direction with different leadership.”
Four Democrats who previously wrote to Madigan asking him to consider stepping aside said after Wednesday’s “expansive and far-reaching indictment, it has become even more clear that the speaker will no longer be able to effectively lead the House Democratic caucus, and we will not be supporting him for speaker.” The statement came from Reps. Deb Conroy of Villa Park, Robyn Gabel of Evanston, Anna Moeller of Elgin and Ann Williams of Chicago.
Incoming North Side Rep.-elect Margaret Croke also released a statement saying that given the challenges the state faces, “Springfield cannot afford distractions that take our focus off of meeting our challenges head on.”
And on Friday, Reps. Eva-Dina Delgado and Daniel Didech of Buffalo Grove issued statements opposing Madigan’s re-election as speaker.
Their voices, along with those of other members of the Democratic caucus who have previously withdrawn their support, make clear the threat to Madigan’s tenure as speaker — from 1983 to 2021 with the exception of two years in the mid-1990s when Republicans held control — is very real.
House Democrats are expected to have 73 members when the new General Assembly is seated in January, and at least 18 Democratic members already have said they will not vote for him. That leaves Madigan at 55 votes if the holdouts stand by their pledges and no one else comes out in opposition.
Rep. Will Guzzardi listens to debate before the House voted on a bill in Springfield in 2019. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Rep. Anna Moeller appears at the Bilandic Building on April 26, 2019. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Opponents say Madigan’s lack of support could be even greater — if lawmakers stay committed to replacing him.
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That could still be a big if.
“I would not count him out,” said one previous Madigan political nemesis, former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar. “He’s the smartest guy in the Capitol building and very determined, and he’s not going to go easily.”
The effort to bring an end to Madigan’s 36-year reign as House speaker, effectively closing out a half-century legislative career that began with his election to the House in 1971, adds more chaos in a state facing some of the most significant problems in its history.
As the pandemic rages on, the state remains under restrictions that have devastated the business community and economy, and led to high unemployment. That has fed a drop in anticipated state revenues and, with federal relief a significant question, the state government faces deficits of $4 billion a year through the next five budget years.
Along with a skyrocketing backlog of overdue bills, the situation raises the need for significant budget cuts and a search for new revenues that could include a general tax increase.
“We are at an incredibly difficult moment in our state. We are all overwhelmed with decisions of life and death and economic distress. The people of Illinois do not deserve a political circus on top of that,” Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker said on Thursday, demanding that Madigan should publicly address questions about the corruption probe or resign as speaker.
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State finances as well as Madigan’s fate were the likely topics for Democratic lawmakers during the fall veto session that was scheduled for this week. But Madigan and Senate President Don Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat, canceled the session amid the latest spike in COVID-19 cases.
But the cancellation also was seen as a way to buy time for the 78-year-old Madigan to build a majority for reelection. Time, however, has not been on the speaker’s side with Wednesday’s indictments coming just as lawmakers ponder Madigan’s future.
Prosecutors indicted former lobbyist Michael McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, former ComEd executive John Hooker and Jay Doherty, a consultant and former head of the City Club of Chicago, on bribery charges. The state’s largest utility had previously paid a $200 million fine and agreed to cooperate with investigators for participating in a yearslong effort to secure Madigan’s favor through jobs and contracts awarded to his allies.
McClain, a former legislator from Quincy, served for decades as Madigan’s right hand in dealing with the private sector and was his closest political confidant. In the indictment, McClain is portrayed as brokering jobs, contracts, a utility board seat and even the number of spots in a special job-training internship program to benefit students in Madigan’s Southwest Side ward. McClain has denied any wrongdoing.
On Thursday, Madigan strenuously denied any wrongdoing and any knowledge of a bribery scheme, and lashed out at his critics.
“I anticipate some will be disappointed that I was not a party to this indictment and find it difficult to swallow the fact that I have not been accused of or charged with any wrongdoing,” Madigan said.
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“These same individuals will likely claim this indictment should end my tenure as a public official, even though it alleges no criminal conduct on my part, nor does it allege I had knowledge of any criminal conduct by others,” he said. “Some individuals have spent millions of dollars and worked diligently to establish a false narrative that I am corrupt and unethical. I have publicly ignored their antics because those who know me and work with me know that this rhetoric is simply untrue.”
Notably, unlike previous brash statements in response to the federal investigation, Madigan made no direct mention of his desire to stay on to lead the House or serve as state Democratic chairman, a role he has held since 1998.
A plaque showing Illinois House speakers is near the office of Speaker Michael Madigan in Springfield in 2016. Though it shows the many years Madigan has been chosen as speaker, efforts to update it have stalled. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Republicans for years have sought to blame the state’s problems on Madigan. The effort was ramped up in legislative campaigns funded by multimillionaire Bruce Rauner during his single term as governor. Democrats survived Rauner, but Republicans who watched Rauner lose battles with Madigan now wonder if he may end up winning the war, should Madigan be removed as speaker.
The negative public impression of Madigan driven by millions of dollars in 2016 TV ads showed itself in the 2018 primary campaign for governor when Pritzker and rival candidate Daniel Biss clashed over who was more closely allied to Madigan.
Much of the discontent with Madigan has come from the sizable Democratic contingent of women in the House. In 2018, the first cracks in Madigan’s wall came as he faced issues regarding sexual harassment in his political and governmental operation. He discarded veteran operatives and acknowledged he needed to do more in the #MeToo era.
It was a signal that despite Madigan’s long-standing ability to adapt politically, he had failed to adjust to issues involving diversity and generational change as he faced a more progressive caucus chafing at the status quo leadership he represents.
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But the federal government’s announcement in July of ComEd’s agreement to pay a $200 million fine and cooperate with prosecutors put the most sharply negative spotlight on Madigan’s lengthy tenure.
Illinois Democrats, like those nationally, anticipated the outcome of the Nov. 3 election would be a huge blue wave spurred by four controversial years under Republican President Donald Trump.
Instead, Democrats saw voters resoundingly reject Pritzker’s prized agenda item, replacing the state’s constitutionally mandated flat-rate income tax with a graduated-rate tax; turn down Democratic Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride’s bid for retention; and defeat central Illinois congressional candidate Betsy Dirksen Londrigan’s effort to unseat four-term GOP U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis.
While the outpouring of voters spurred by Trump’s reelection campaign was not expected by Democrats, the party’s candidates also said that instead of talking to voters about their issues during the campaign, they frequently were asked how they felt about Madigan. After an intense political year, some say he has become more than a distraction and is now a detriment.
Such was the case for Dick Durbin, the state’s senior Democratic senator, who attributed Londrigan’s defeat to efforts by Davis’ camp to tie her to Madigan.
With Durbin, fellow U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Pritzker all calling for new leadership of the party, rank-and-file members were forced to deal with questions about whether Madigan should step down from his governmental or party leadership, or both.
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“My constituents need to trust me and the process of what we do,” Carroll, the Highland Park lawmaker, said. “Ever since I’ve taken office, I promised my constituents that I would be independent. Supporting Mike Madigan for speaker again would ruin my credibility with my constituents.”
To be sure, Madigan has his supporters both within and outside the House Democratic caucus.
The speaker has maintained substantial support among the legislative Black Caucus. Madigan has pledged to work with the caucus to advance a package of bills dealing with criminal justice, violence and police accountability; education and workforce development; economic access, equity and opportunity; and health care and human services.
Rep. Will Davis, an assistant majority leader and Black Caucus member from south suburban Homewood, said Thursday that he remains firmly committed to the speaker.
Madigan earned his continued support because he has been “very absolute in resolve in our efforts to defeat” Rauner and his agenda, and through his ability to bring a diverse caucus together on big issues, Davis said.
Davis has made no secret of his interest in the speaker’s chair but said he wouldn’t pursue it as long as Madigan remains in the running.
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Organized labor remains a big backer and financier of Madigan’s Democratic operations. The state AFL-CIO and the Chicago Federation of Labor issued separate statements of support for Madigan prior to the indictments, and officials said they have not changed their position.
“Through all the challenges and threats that working families in Illinois have faced over the past years, Speaker Michael Madigan has been a firm ally in defense of our rights, our economic security, and the well-being of our families and our communities,” the AFL-CIO said in its statement.
Labor has not always been a willing ally of Madigan. After an ill-fated effort to contain public employee pensions was signed into law in 2013, unions stayed away from the speaker. That led Madigan to back a group opposed to teachers unions that also was supported by Rauner. But the group’s efforts to contain unions failed, and the years of Rauner, who carried a pro-business, anti-union agenda, led to a rapprochement between Madigan and labor.
Now, labor is showing its loyalty to Madigan for fighting Rauner, said one union executive privately, and also acting preemptively. With sizable budget deficits, labor is looking at Madigan to be a protector of public sector jobs, which are facing significant cuts amid the economic downturn.
Traditionally, Madigan’s dispensation of campaign funds to House members and candidates was a way to ensure loyalty — though some Democrats have questioned his spending priorities in the last campaign. The speaker spent millions on a failed attempt to defeat Republican state Rep. Brad Stephens, the mayor of Rosemont, rather than sending that cash to more viable campaigns.
Madigan still also has the power to control everything from choice office and parking spaces in Springfield to committee chairmanships and leadership positions, which offer lawmakers stipends on top of their regular pay.
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More importantly, if Madigan remains in position, he’ll be the architect of new legislative redistricting maps reflecting population changes from the 2020 federal census. Madigan can draw map lines that virtually ensure a member’s reelection with minimal or no challenge, or place a lawmaker in a hotly contested race.
It is with issues like the map, the pandemic and the budget deficit that Madigan defenders say he should stay on as the House speaker, utilizing his accumulated knowledge to assist a first-term Democratic governor through turbulent times.
And while Madigan opponents are lining up their votes, no challenger of significant stature has emerged. Five-term Democratic Rep. Stephanie Kifowit of Oswego announced in October that she would challenge Madigan for the speakership, but she has not received any significant support.
Democratic lawmakers said privately that now that more rank-and-file members have come out in opposition, they expect a number of names to be floated for the post in the next few days, though fear of retaliation from Madigan, should he survive, is a potent reason for working behind the scenes.
Pritzker said he has not gotten involved in the speakership issue with individual lawmakers and said it’s up to them to “make their own decisions about who leads them.”
“I will work with whoever it is that becomes the speaker of the House,” Pritzker said.
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With the legislature’s inauguration day and the date of the election of speaker on Jan. 13, a lot of time remains. But lawmakers will be looking to avoid a replay of what happened in 1975, when it took eight days and 93 ballots for the late Democratic Rep. William Redmond of Bensenville to gain the votes necessary to become speaker.
To win election in a battle of Democrats, Redmond got seven votes from Republicans. They included state Rep. Lee Daniels of Elmhurst, the only Republican to serve as speaker — from 1995 to 1997 — in the Madigan era.
rap30@aol.com
jmunks@chicagotribune.com
dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-20--Lake Michigan's rising waters

Lake Michigan's rising waters

The holiday season is n't canceled !
COVID-19 can not stop us from getting gifts for all of our loved @ @ @ @ @ grandparents , single friends and even self-lovers .
Let our 2020 Gift Guide make your @ @ @ @ @ Our editorial staff compiled this report independently .
Tribune Publishing may earn a commission if @ @ @ @ @ one of the affiliate links .

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chicagotribune--2020-11-20--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: State reports 14,612 new COVID-19 cases and 168 more fatalities — h

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: State reports 14,612 new COVID-19 cases and 168 more fatalities — highest one-day death toll since May — as data shows ‘exponential’ spread during past 12 weeks

Online offerings will continue and can be found on the Park District ’ s website .
The Lakefront Trail and @ @ @ @ @ east of Lake Shore Drive , are open to the public .
Fieldhouses will also @ @ @ @ @ shelter during operating hours .
The Park District is reminding users to “ keep it @ @ @ @ @ , whether alone or with members of the same household , and wear masks .
@ @ @

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois public health officials reported 168 coronavirus-related deaths Thursday, the most in a single day since the height of the disease’s spring surge in mid-May.
With the latests fatalities, the state is now averaging 101 deaths per day over the past week, reaching a triple-digit average for the first time since May 20. Thursday’s death toll was the third-highest since the pandemic began, behind 192 fatalities reported May 13 and 176 on May 5.
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In all, there have been 11,178 COVID-19 related deaths since the pandemic began.
Health officials also reported 14,612 new confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus, a huge spike from the 8,922 cases reported a day earlier and the second-highest daily count after the 15,415 reported last Friday. Over the past week, the state has averaged 12,120 daily cases. Overall, there have been 621,383 cases statewide.
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An analysis of data by the Associated Press shows an exponential spread of the virus during the past 12 weeks and prompted Gov. J.B. Pritzker to say that too many people still consider the pandemic a “hoax.”
According to the analysis of Illinois Department of Public Health data, the virus infected 300,000 people within the first 212 days. To double that number to the current 606,771 took just 46 days, including eight days to jump from 500,000 to 600,000.
Similarly, the death toll is rising at rates seen in the worst days of spring. The most recent 1,000 deaths occurred over less than two weeks.
The nearly 6,000 people hospitalized was another record, and is more than at the worst point last spring when officials scurried to set up field units to handle potential overflow.
Here’s what’s happening Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
7:31 p.m.: Chicago Park District suspends in-person programming
The Chicago Park District is suspending in-person programming as the state enters Tier 3 of its COVID-19 mitigation plan.
Effective Friday, all in-person programming will be suspended until further notice, according to a news release from the Park District.
During summer, the Park District offered day camps and other park programming. Limited in-person programming was offered for fall.
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Online offerings will continue and can be found on the Park District’s website. The Lakefront Trail and city parks, except those east of Lake Shore Drive, are open to the public. Fieldhouses will also remain open for restrooms or shelter during operating hours. The Park District is reminding users to “keep it moving” in outdoor spaces, whether alone or with members of the same household, and wear masks. — Morgan Greene
4:32 p.m.: More south suburban schools pause in-person classes, unable to maintain staffing levels with spike in COVID-19 cases, exposure
As he prepares to send his school district’s 3,300 students home for an extended period of learning remotely, Paul Enderle hopes for better news about COVID-19 in January.
The superintendent of Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123 knows that doing so “puts a great deal of stress on families that need child care,” noting that many parents in his district work in health care and cannot work from home and supervise young children as they attend class virtually.
District 123 is joining the growing number of school districts in the south and southwest suburbs that have decided it’s unsafe to have students in classrooms amid rising numbers of COVID-19 cases and positivity rates.
His district, along with High School District 230 in Orland Park and New Lenox School District 122, have announced plans to, at least for the near term, keep students at home. That follows recent decisions by area districts such as Lincoln-Way 210 and Bremen 228 to hit the pause button on in-person learning.
District 123 students will be off next week for Thanksgiving break, and won’t have school Nov. 30 or Dec. 1 so teachers can prepare for teaching remotely. The district hopes to have students resume a hybrid model mixing in-person and remote learning by Jan. 19.
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In what it terms an “adaptive pause,” District 230, which operates Andrew, Stagg and Sandburg high schools, will shift Monday to remote teaching and potentially return to its hybrid model Dec. 7, according to Superintendent James Gay.
In a message to families Tuesday, New Lenox School District 122 Superintendent Lori Motsch said it has become nearly impossible to maintain adequate staffing levels due to teachers having to quarantine. The district has just under 5,600 students and staff.
There is no school scheduled after Thursday, with students off Friday to allow for remote instruction training for staff, followed by no classes Monday or Tuesday for parent/teacher conferences then a three-day Thanksgiving break. Read more here. — Mike Nolan/Daily Southtown
4:08 p.m.: Citi Foundation gives $15 million in PPP proceeds to 30 lenders serving lower-income communities, including two in Chicago
Citigroup’s philanthropic arm is giving two Chicago-based lenders serving low-income communities $500,000 each from proceeds the bank collected through the federal Paycheck Protection Program.
The funds are part of a $15 million donation from Citi Foundation to 30 community-based lenders in 10 states and D.C., and are drawn from proceeds on the origination fees New York-based Citibank collected processing PPP loans to small businesses early in the pandemic.
The groups receiving the money are Community Development Financial Institutions, which provide financing and assistance to small businesses owned by people of color and nonprofits that aren’t always able to access capital from traditional banks.
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The two Chicago-based recipients are IFF, which lends to nonprofits planning to build child care centers, clinics or schools in low-income communities, and Chicago Community Loan Fund, which provides loans to organizations focused on affordable housing, social services and economic development projects in underserved neighborhoods. Read more here. — Abdel Jimenez
3:31 p.m.: ‘Make yourself happy.’ Christmas trees go up earlier than ever as Chicagoans seek a mood boost amid coronavirus restrictions.
Who gets to say when a Christmas tree is placed too early?
Typically, Jessica Cabe would decorate her tree in late November. A few roommates had politely requested she wait until Thanksgiving, so she agreed.
This year, she is in her own apartment for the first time. So she knew she could indulge herself and put it up as early as she wanted. She planned for the week before Thanksgiving.
But as the 2020 stress mounted, she caved. Read more here. — Alison Bowen
2:04 p.m.: CDC strongly urges Americans to avoid travel for Thanksgiving
As the United States struggles with surging coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday urged Americans not to travel during the Thanksgiving holiday and to consider canceling plans to spend time with relatives outside their households.
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The new guidance states clearly that “the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to celebrate at home with the people you live with,” and that gathering with friends and even family members who do not live with you increases the chances of becoming infected with COVID-19 or the flu or transmitting the virus.
Officials said they were strengthening their recommendations against travel because of a startling surge in infections in just the past week. As of Wednesday, the seven-day average of new cases across the country had surpassed more than 162,000 new cases, and more than 79,000 were hospitalized.
“Amid this critical phase, the CDC is recommending against travel during the Thanksgiving period,” said Dr. Henry Walke, COVID-19 incident manager at the agency, during a news briefing.
Read more here. —The New York Times
1:22 p.m.: Officials report 168 coronavirus deaths in Illinois, the highest one-day total since mid-May; daily case count of 14,612 is second highest of pandemic
Illinois public health officials reported 168 coronavirus-related deaths Thursday, the most in a single day since the height of the disease’s spring surge in mid-May.
With the latests fatalities, the state is now averaging 101 deaths per day over the past week, reaching a triple-digit average for the first time since May 20. Thursday’s death toll was the third-highest since the pandemic began, behind 192 fatalities reported May 13 and 176 on May 5.
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In all, there have been 11,178 COVID-19 related deaths since the pandemic began.
Health officials also reported 14,612 new confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus, a huge spike from the 8,922 cases reported a day earlier and the second-highest daily count after the 15,415 reported last Friday. Over the past week, the state has averaged 12,120 daily cases. Overall, there have been 621,383 cases statewide.
The number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 surpassed 6,000 for the first time as of Wednesday night, just eight days after hospitalizations first exceeded 5,000. Of the 6,037 patients in the hospital Wednesday night, 1,192 were in intensive care and 587 were on ventilators. All three of those figures are on the upswing.
The high numbers come a day before new restrictions take effect statewide aimed at slowing the aggressive fall resurgence of the coronavirus.
—Dan Petrella
12:35 p.m.: Column: How did you get it? And what good are masks if they didn’t protect you? Answers to common reader questions about my COVID-19 ordeal.
On Monday I wrote about my October COVID-19 diagnosis and subsequent hospitalization, and hundreds of readers have reached out through email and social media with support, questions and a few criticisms.
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Thank you sincerely to everyone who wrote. Here, I’m going to try to answer the questions and criticisms that have come up most frequently, in the spirit of us all being in this together.
I’m not sharing my story to apply for sainthood. I’m sure I’ve made mistakes along the way. I’m sharing it so others can possibly learn from my particular experience. We simply will not make it through this without looking out for one another.
Read the full column here. —Heidi Stevens
12:08 p.m.: 14,612 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 168 additional deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Thursday announced 14,612 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 168 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 621,383 and the statewide death toll to 11,178 since the start of the pandemic. Officials also reported 113,447 new tests in the last 24 hours.
The seven-day statewide rolling positivity rate for cases as a share of total tests was 12% for the period ending Wednesday, up from 8% on Nov. 1.
—Chicago Tribune staff
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Chicago Marathon is preparing for 2021 after last year’s race was canceled because of COVID-19. And registration for 2020 deferred runners starts today.
The Chicago Marathon is working on plans to return for 2021 after this year’s race was canceled because of COVID-19 concerns.
The race is scheduled to take place on Oct. 10 with a tiered entry process to ensure registered runners who deferred — as well as charity fundraising runners — would be prioritized.
Registration began Thursday, with a second application window planned in January for the general public.
An event spokesperson said the race will be similar in size to past Chicago Marathons, which usually welcome about 45,000 participants.
Read more here. —Shannon Ryan
11:37 a.m.: For Chicago’s movie theaters, particularly the Music Box Theatre, ‘the gloom and doom has returned.’ Welcome to the club.
Like so much else in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two-screen 1929 landmark Music Box Theatre, on North Southport Avenue not far from Wrigley Field, closed down March 17, aka “the first time.”
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Theater owner William Schopf and general manager Ryan Oestreich reopened July 3, at a capacity of 50 maximum in the big house, which seats 748. The smaller screening venue reopened with an 18-person cap.
When the weather warmed up, in the Music Box’s adjoining outdoor beer garden, Oestreich and company added a 25-person screening option, with titles such as “Purple Rain” and “Best in Show.”
This fall, rather than canceling the annual Music Box of Horrors festival of thriller, horror and retro schlock delicacies, they took it outside. For 31 consecutive nights, at a 130-car capacity, the Halloween-themed festival drew faithful audiences with wheels to the most popular of Chicago’s 2020 pop-up drive-ins: the ChiTownMovies operation in Pilsen.
The ChiTownMovies outdoor venue remains open for business, by the way: You can catch a double feature of “Elf” and “Mean Girls” Friday night, Nov. 20. The website currently lists drive-in offerings through “The Santa Clause” on Dec. 1.
Read more here. —Michael Phillips
7 a.m.: Chicago will livestream lighting of Christmas tree in Millennium Park this evening
Citing COVID-19 safety concerns, the city of Chicago will livestream the lighting of the Christmas tree Thursday evening instead of staging the usual public event in Millennium Park.
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The “virtual holiday program” will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be shown here as the Christmas tree is lit near Michigan Avenue and Washington Street. The 30-minute program will include remarks by Mayor Lori Lightfoot and music performances recorded at the Epiphany Center for the Arts featuring the Chicago Children’s Choir, Sones de México Ensemble and Percy Bady.
Under pandemic guidelines, the park is open every day from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. for groups of 10 or less “who practice physical distancing and wear face coverings,” the city said in a statement. The tree will remain on display until Jan. 7.
—Chicago Tribune staff
7 a.m.: Tighter restrictions begin overnight to curb spike in coronavirus cases. Theaters must close, stores must follow capacity limits and family urged to limit gatherings
Just after midnight tonight, Illinois will begin operating under tighter restrictions designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Starting at 12:01 a.m. Friday, museums, casinos and theaters must close, while retail stores must adhere to new capacity limits, according to mitigation measures developed by the state. Additionally, big-box stores must operate at 25% capacity, while grocery stores can operate at a maximum capacity of 50%.
Schools and child care facilities can continue to operate as long as they adhere to guidelines from the Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, according to the governor’s office.
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Gatherings should be limited to household members, according to the restrictions, and officials have urged residents to celebrate Thanksgiving virtually.
Gyms can operate at 25% capacity but cannot use reservation systems, must close their locker rooms and stop hosting group classes. All indoor youth and adult recreational group sports must temporarily stop, but outdoor sports and recreation can continue as well as individual training. Personal care services that require the removal of masks, such as facials and beard trims, are prohibited.
—Chicago Tribune staff
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chicagotribune--2020-11-20--The Spin: Madigan says alleged ComEd scheme was ‘never made known’ to him | Lightfoot’s budget plan

The Spin: Madigan says alleged ComEd scheme was ‘never made known’ to him | Lightfoot’s budget plan advances, vote could happen next week | Trump summons Michigan lawmakers to Washington

“ If Speaker Madigan wants to continue in a position of enormous public trust with such a serious ethical cloud @ @ @ @ @ he has to at the very least be willing to stand in front of the @ @ @ @ @ answer every last question to their satisfaction , ” Pritzker said during his daily coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ and dodged investigatory hearings are not going to cut it .
If the speaker can @ @ @ @ @ of transparency , then the time has come for him to resign as speaker .
@

In this file photo, House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-22nd, watches as Illinois House votes during session at the State Capitol in Springfield on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan this morning issued a statement denying any wrongdoing in connection to the federal grand jury indictment Wednesday night charging his longtime confidant with bribery conspiracy and bribery.
In addition to charging Michael McClain, a lobbyist from downstate Quincy, the 50-page indictment also charged former ComEd executives and the former head of the City Club of Chicago.
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Hours after the indictments, additional Illinois Democrats said they would not support Madigan getting another term as speaker before Gov. J.B. Pritzker weighed in and called on him to “answer every last question” or resign.
Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s budget plan cleared another hurdle needed for a full City Council vote expected next week.
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And, while everyone’s talking about Rudy Giuliani’s runny hair dye, President Donald Trump has asked a group of Republican state lawmakers from the battleground state of Michigan to meet with him in Washington on Friday — and they have agreed to go, The Associated Press is reporting.
Welcome to The Spin.
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Lobbyist Mike McClain, center, appears outside House Speaker Michael Madigan's office at the State Capitol in Springfield in 2012. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s Jason Meisner and Ray Long: “One of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s oldest and most trusted confidants was among four people charged Wednesday with orchestrating an elaborate bribery scheme with utility giant Commonwealth Edison that allegedly funneled money and do-nothing jobs to Madigan loyalists in exchange for the speaker’s help with state legislation.
Michael McClain, 73, of downstate Quincy, was charged in a 50-page indictment returned by a federal grand jury with bribery conspiracy and bribery. Also charged were former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, 62, of Barrington; lobbyist and former ComEd executive John Hooker, 71, of Chicago; and Jay Doherty, 67, a consultant and former head of the City Club of Chicago. Read the rest here.
Attorneys for Doherty, Hooker, Pramaggiore and McClain all denied any wrongdoing on their clients’ behalf. Madigan, too, released a lengthy statement denying any wrongdoing.
House Speaker Michael Madigan in Springfield on Feb. 19, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Madigan this morning released a statement saying that if anyone at ComEd had tried to bribe him, “it was never made known to me.”
While Madigan has not been accused of any wrongdoing, Madigan’s statement went on to say: “If it had been known to me, it would have been profoundly unwelcome.”
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Also Thursday, an attorney for former ComEd lobbyist John Hooker released a statement saying: “We believe that Mr. Hooker will be found not guilty.”
Attorneys for Madigan confidant Michael McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Prammagiore, and consultant Jay Doherty also released statements for their clients.
A lawyer for McClain, Patrick Cotter, issued a statement, saying “the charges appeared to be ‘driven by an obvious desire to find some way to criminally implicate a current elected official, who happens to be Mike McClain’s longtime friend.’
“In its zeal to find any evidence of criminal misconduct by that official, the government is attempting to rewrite the law on bribery and criminalize long-recognized legitimate, common, and normal lobbying activity into some new form of crime,” Cotter wrote.
A spokesman for Pramaggiore, meanwhile, claimed she had “endured months of baseless innuendo and misinformation” and welcomed “a full and truthful accounting of the facts in this matter.”
“She is confident a review will reaffirm her unwavering adherence to the highest ethical standards and finally put to rest the damaging speculation that any actions she took constitute illegal activity,” the Pramaggiore statement read.
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Doherty’s attorneys said only that their client was innocent of the charges, Meisner and Long reported.
House Speaker Michael Madigan stands behind Gov. J.B. Pritzker as Pritzker delivers his budget address at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on Feb. 19, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
“With opposition to giving Michael Madigan another term as speaker building among Illinois House Democrats, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday called on Madigan to ‘answer every last question’ about an ongoing federal corruption investigation or resign the leadership post he’s held for decades,” Jamie Munks and Dan Petrella report.
“If Speaker Madigan wants to continue in a position of enormous public trust with such a serious ethical cloud hanging over his head then he has to at the very least be willing to stand in front of the press and the people and answer every last question to their satisfaction,” Pritzker said during his daily coronavirus briefing. “Written statements and dodged investigatory hearings are not going to cut it. If the speaker cannot commit to that level of transparency, then the time has come for him to resign as speaker.”
“Three more Illinois House Democrats and one Democratic representative-elect said Thursday they won’t support Madigan for another term as speaker. When added to the Democrats who have already indicated they won’t support him, Madigan is short of the 60 votes he needs to add another term to his decadeslong grip on the position,” Munks and Petrella also report.
“We want to see our caucus go a new direction with different leadership. Therefore we will not be supporting the current speaker for the 102nd General Assembly,” state Reps. Sam Yingling of Grayslake and Jonathan Carroll of Northbrook said in a joint statement issued Thursday morning.
Rep. Will Guzzardi, of Chicago, also said Thursday he won’t support another term for Madigan.
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“The charges announced last night only confirm what we already knew: the old ways of doing business in Springfield will not be adequate to rise to our present challenges,” Guzzardi said in a statement.
Also announcing she wouldn’t support Madigan was representative-elect Margaret Croke, who became the first incoming lawmaker to publicly turn against the speaker. Croke, who in January will be sworn in to represent a district on Chicago’s North Side, said that “given the incredible challenges facing our state, Springfield cannot afford distractions that take our focus off of meeting those challenges head-on.”
As the Tribune’s Gregory Pratt reports, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said: “Yesterday’s indictments are disturbing. I’m concerned not just about the allegations of corruption but how this environment erodes public trust. I’m not a member either of the Illinois House of Representatives or the Democratic Party central committee and they’ll make their own decisions about leadership. I’ve said in the past that if the allegations regarding the speaker’s conduct are true, then he should step down.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot delivers her budget address Oct. 21, 2020, in Council Chambers at City Hall. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
From John Byrne: “Aldermen advanced Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s 2021 spending package Thursday, setting up an up-or-down vote on the full budget next week.
“After the Finance Committee on Wednesday passed the mayor’s controversial $94 million property tax increase, the Budget Committee did the same Thursday by a 26-8 margin for Lightfoot’s proposal to spend city money in the new year as part of her $12.8 billion budget.” Read the rest of the story here.
Cook County Jail in Chicago on April 30, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
As Gregory Pratt reports: Cook County commissioners on Thursday unanimously approved a $14 million payment to settle a lawsuit alleging that a pattern of “masturbation attacks” orchestrated by Cook County Jail inmates against assistant public defenders created a hostile work environment that the Public Defender failed to address.
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A separate lawsuit by jail employees against the sheriff’s office is ongoing.
The lawsuit, initially filed in 2017 on behalf of female Cook County assistant public defenders, alleged that authorities did not do enough to stop male detainees from exposing themselves, masturbating and threatening the attorneys in courtroom lockups and the county jail. Read the rest here.
Dozens file federal suit alleging Chicago police abuse at this year’s protests over the death of George Floyd — Jeremy Gorner reports.
The White House on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020, in Washington. (Evan Vucci/AP)
The Associated Press reports: “President Donald Trump summoned Michigan’s Republican legislative leaders to the White House for an extraordinary meeting Friday amid a long shot GOP push to undermine the democratic process that handed the battleground state to Democrat Joe Biden.
“Two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that Trump invited Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and House Speaker Lee Chatfield. They agreed to go, according to a state official aware of the leaders’ plans. The two officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were discussing private conversations.
“It was not immediately clear what the meeting would be about. Neither Shirkey nor Chatfield commented.
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“The legislature would be called to select electors if Trump succeeds in convincing the state’s board of canvassers not to certify Biden’s 153,000-vote victory in the state.
“Both Shirkey and Chatfield have indicated they will not try to overturn Biden’s win.” Read the rest here.
Rudy Giuliani makes fraud accusations that the Trump team has failed to support in court. Read the New York Times story here.
Thanks for reading The Spin, the Tribune’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons. Have a tip? Email host Lisa Donovan at ldonovan@chicagotribune.com.


chicagotribune--2020-11-20--Cook County commissioners approve $14 million settlement in lawsuit alleging indecent behavior by in

Cook County commissioners approve $14 million settlement in lawsuit alleging indecent behavior by inmates to public defenders, hostile work environment

Attempts by Dart and Campanelli to curb the misconduct were either ineffective or short-lived , according to the suit , @ @ @ @ @ point the sheriff rewarded detainees with a pizza for going 30 days without exposing themselves @ @ @ @ @ ’ s office , however , strongly denied that allegation .
A judge ’ s @ @ @ @ @ the lawsuit to go forward as a class action noted the evidence showed the party @ @ @ @ @ nor funded by the sheriff .

Cook County commissioners on Thursday unanimously approved a $14 million payment to settle a lawsuit alleging that a pattern of “masturbation attacks” orchestrated by Cook County Jail inmates against assistant public defenders created a hostile work environment that the public defender failed to address.
A separate lawsuit by jail employees against the sheriff’s office is ongoing.
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The lawsuit, initially filed in 2017 on behalf of female Cook County assistant public defenders, alleged that authorities did not do enough to stop male detainees from exposing themselves, masturbating and threatening the attorneys in courtroom lockups and the county jail.
The female attorneys’ lawsuit against their boss, Public Defender Amy Campanelli, as well as Sheriff Tom Dart alleged that their inaction has resulted in the sexual harassment only worsening.
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The lawsuit alleged that the problem is so pervasive that one of the female assistant public defenders who brought the suit said she believed “most if not all” of the estimated 200 women who work as attorneys or interns in the office had experienced the abuse.
The women must endure “a toxic work environment” that forces them to witness “heinous sexual misconduct, robbing many of their love of the job,” said the lawsuit, filed in federal court. Some transferred to less desirable assignments — despite the negative impact on their careers — or quit entirely, the suit said.
Attempts by Dart and Campanelli to curb the misconduct were either ineffective or short-lived, according to the suit, which claimed that at one point the sheriff rewarded detainees with a pizza for going 30 days without exposing themselves or masturbating. The sheriff’s office, however, strongly denied that allegation. A judge’s ruling last year that allowed the lawsuit to go forward as a class action noted the evidence showed the party was unauthorized and neither endorsed nor funded by the sheriff.
In the course of their daily work, assistant public defenders confer with many of their indigent clients while they’re being held in crowded lockups behind courtrooms at the Leighton Criminal Court Building as well as other courthouses in the city and suburbs.
During the discussions, other detainees routinely expose themselves or masturbate — often while making verbal threats — in front of the female attorneys, the suit alleged.
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On occasion, the women have faced multiple incidents in the same day, the suit charged.
Six veteran assistant public defenders brought the suit against Campanelli, Dart, Cook County and the public defender’s office seeking a court order to stop the problem and unspecified monetary damages. In addition, the suit revealed, 16 female assistant public defenders have filed discrimination charges with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
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The lawsuit painted a graphic picture of the atmosphere in the courtroom lockups and in two of the maximum-security divisions of the jail.
One assistant public defender who pressed criminal charges against a detainee who masturbated in front of her later had to be in the same lockup with him several times, according to the lawsuit.
“On each such occasion the detainee yelled profanities and threats,” the suit said.
In addition, detainees have grabbed female assistant public defenders and law clerks by the legs or buttocks, the suit said.
Both Dart and Campanelli have denied the allegations, saying that they have taken appropriate steps to try to curtail inmates from exposing themselves.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @royalpratt


chicagotribune--2020-11-19--Chicago police reverse course, signal move back to longer narcotics investigations

“ I saw too many times over the course of the summer where district commanders have to get on the @ @ @ @ @ , if you will , for additional resources because two incidents happened on a Saturday @ @ @ @ @ and they didn ’ t have enough when the third incident happened , ” Lightfoot @ @ @ @ @ are they doing ?
And how are they supporting the frontline work that the districts @ @ @ @

Chicago police Superintendent David Brown briefs reporters outside Mt. Sinai Hospital, where a Chicago police officer was transported after being fatally shot during a domestic dispute call in the Southwest Side, March 1, 2023. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
The Chicago Police Department plans to add as many as 100 officers to its citywide narcotics unit, police confirmed Thursday, signaling a policy reversal from earlier this year when top officials placed more of an emphasis on supporting neighborhood patrols.
No time frame has been disclosed for when the narcotics unit would be expanded, but police sources said the process would be underway shortly.
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Police spokesman Tom Ahern confirmed the unit would add about 80 to 100 more cops and said Superintendent David Brown wanted the unit to focus more on lengthy investigations into “mid-level” and “upper-level” drug dealers.
The narcotics unit consists of mainly undercover cops who buy drugs as part of investigations into drug trafficking and gang violence in certain areas of the city. Its officers partner with federal law enforcement in many investigations.
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Earlier this year, many of those cops got shifted to working under the direction of the department’s five area deputy chiefs, who oversee neighborhood patrol functions in CPD’s 22 districts. That change took place under a reorganization led by then-interim Superintendent Charlie Beck, who sought to emphasize policing that addressed neighborhood concerns.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot in the past has questioned the effectiveness of CPD’s management of specialized police units, including narcotics.
“I think that there are too many people in a bunch of units that look to me like they may be doing redundant functions,” Lightfoot said about the specialized units in a December 2019 interview with the Tribune.
“I saw too many times over the course of the summer where district commanders have to get on the phone and call for backup, if you will, for additional resources because two incidents happened on a Saturday night going into Sunday, and they didn’t have enough when the third incident happened,” Lightfoot said then. “What are they doing? And how are they supporting the frontline work that the districts are doing?”
Meanwhile, Brown, who took over for Beck in April, has expressed desire in recent months to put more effort into longer-term drug investigations as part of his overall strategy to reduce violence in the city.
Chicago’s 692 homicides through Sunday put the city on pace to record its most killings in a single year since the 1990s. Total shootings are also up by more than 50% over last year.
Aside from saying Brown has sought to “refocus” the department’s efforts with respect to the narcotics unit, Ahern, the police spokesman, on Thursday did not get into specific reasons for the policy change.
The move to beef up the narcotics unit also comes at a time when Brown’s department has come under criticism for moving many officers from neighborhood patrols to protecting the downtown area after this year’s looting episodes.
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Chicago Tribune’s Annie Sweeney contributed.


Corrections and clarifications

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Our editorial code of principles governs professional behavior and journalism standards .
Everyone in @ @ @ @ @ live up to this code of conduct .
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· A story on Nov. 13 incorrectly characterized the way the Illinois Supreme Court named Judge LeRoy Martin Jr. to the appellate court. He was assigned, not appointed.
The Tribune regrets the error.
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Publishing information quickly and accurately is a central part of the Chicago Tribune’s news responsibility and a value shared in all our publications. Our editorial code of principles governs professional behavior and journalism standards. Everyone in our newsroom must agree to live up to this code of conduct. Download the file.
To report an error, fill out this form.


chicagotribune--2020-11-19--When are deadlines to certify election results? Track progress in key battleground states.

Each state has laws that set the deadline and process for the results to be certified .
This process takes @ @ @ @ @ the state level .
Those deadlines in key battleground states are underway .

The battle over the results of the 2020 election has brought new attention to an important but often-overlooked part of the U.S. election process: certification of the results.
Each state has laws that set the deadline and process for the results to be certified. This process takes place locally and eventually at the state level. Those deadlines in key battleground states are underway.
Here is where the race stands in the battleground states — and the deadlines for certification. This also lists whether a state has a law to prevent electors casting electoral votes for a party other than the one that nominated them.
How the Electoral College process unfolds
Nov. 3: Election Day
Dec. 8: Deadline for states to resolve any issues over appointing electors
Dec. 14: Electors vote in their states
Dec. 23: Electoral votes and other documentation is received by president of the Senate
Jan. 6: Congress counts the votes in a joint session
Jan. 20: New president is inaugurated
More on the politics and the process
• Love it or hate it, here’s how the Electoral College came to be
• Here’s what will happen between Election Day and Inauguration Day
• ‘We are going to reclaim the United States’: President Trump, his lawyers and allies take frantic steps to overturn Joe Biden’s victory
• What if a state can’t agree which presidential candidate won? It’s happened before, and voters don’t necessarily get the final word.


chicagotribune--2020-11-19--Officials report 168 coronavirus deaths in Illinois, the highest one-day total since mid-May; daily

Officials report 168 coronavirus deaths in Illinois, the highest one-day total since mid-May; daily case count of 14,612 is second highest of pandemic

The number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 surpassed 6,000 for the first time as of Wednesday night , @ @ @ @ @ first exceeded 5,000 .
Of the 6,037 patients in the hospital Wednesday night , 1,192 @ @ @ @ @ 587 were on ventilators .
All three of those figures were on the upswing .

CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois public health officials reported 168 coronavirus-related deaths Thursday, the most in a single day since mid-May during the height of the disease’s spring surge.
With the latest fatalities, the state is now averaging 101 deaths per day over the past week, reaching a triple-digit average for the first time since May 20. Thursday’s death toll was the third highest since the pandemic began, behind 192 fatalities reported May 13 and 176 on May 5.
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In all, there have been 11,178 COVID-19-related deaths since the pandemic began.
Health officials also reported 14,612 new confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus, a huge spike from the 8,922 cases reported a day earlier and the second-highest daily count after the 15,415 reported last Friday. Over the past week, the state has averaged 12,120 daily cases. Overall, there have been 621,383 cases statewide.
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The number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 surpassed 6,000 for the first time as of Wednesday night, just eight days after hospitalizations first exceeded 5,000. Of the 6,037 patients in the hospital Wednesday night, 1,192 were in intensive care and 587 were on ventilators. All three of those figures were on the upswing.
The high numbers came a day before new restrictions take effect statewide aimed at slowing the aggressive fall resurgence of the coronavirus.
Beginning Friday, most retail stores will be limited to 25% capacity, down from the current 50%, with an exception for traditional grocery stores and pharmacies. That’s just one of a host of new rules that also cover fitness centers, hotels, manufacturing plants and other industries.
In one of the few positive signs in recent days, the growth in new cases as a share of total tests appears to have slowed after surging throughout October and early November. The statewide case positivity rate averaged 12% for the week ending Wednesday, down from a high of 13.2% six days earlier. For the week ending Oct. 1, the seven-day average was 3.4%.
After doubling since the beginning of the month, the seven-day average of new coronavirus cases also appears to have leveled off at around 12,000 in the past week.
The state also reached another milestone Thursday: an average of more than 100,000 test results reported per day over the past week.
Despite a few bright spots, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at his daily coronavirus briefing in Chicago that it’s no time for complacency.
“It’s too early at this point to determine if this stabilizing of the average is a meaningful trend or an anomaly,” Pritzker said. “But we’re glad to at least have a pause in our upward movement.
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“That doesn’t mean, of course, that our work to slow the spread is any less important. These numbers are still … extraordinarily high.”
With Thanksgiving a week away, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike repeated her plea for Illinois residents to limit gatherings to those within their own households. That message was bolstered by a new advisory from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with the same recommendation.
“I don’t want anyone to have to look back and say, ‘If only we didn’t have people over for Thanksgiving, such and such or so and so might still be here for New Year’s or Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa,’ ” Ezike said.
Pritzker and Ezike were joined Thursday by Dr. Kamaljit Singh, an infectious disease specialist from NorthShore University HealthSystem, who asked the public to do its part to help keep hospitals from being overrun with COVID-19 patients.
“We need everyone to understand that this battle will be won outside the hospital, not in it. … The only way we can beat this virus is to stop transmission out there,” Singh said.
“Our message to you is, ‘We stay in the hospital for you, and we need you to stay home for us,’ ” he added.
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The governor also announced $60 million in funding for community organizations to hire “pandemic health navigators” as part of a statewide contact tracing effort.
Those workers would help connect people who test positive for COVID-19 or are exposed with medicine, food and other services they need to safely isolate and prevent further spread. State health officials first discussed the idea as the pandemic was taking hold in the spring.
dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-19--Two men charged with killing woman, injuring another in Kendall County drive-by shooting

The assailants allegedly shot AR-15 assault rifles from a black SUV into a residence in the first block of Sierra @ @ @ @ @ woman in her 40s who was pronounced dead at the hospital , and another in @ @ @ @ @ in critical condition , police said .

One woman was killed and another remains in critical condition after a gang-related shooting at a house near Boulder Hill last week, the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office said.
The intended target of the shooting was at the house but was not injured during the drive-by attack at 11:06 a.m. Nov. 11, Kendall County Sheriff’s Deputy Daniel Briars said.
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The assailants allegedly shot AR-15 assault rifles from a black SUV into a residence in the first block of Sierra Road. Bullets struck a woman in her 40s who was pronounced dead at the hospital, and another in her 20s, who remains in critical condition, police said.
James Brown Jr., 26, of North Aurora, and Jaquarance Handley, 31, of Joliet (Kendall County Jail / HANDOUT)
James Brown Jr., 26, of North Aurora, and Jaquarance Handley, 31, of Joliet, were charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated discharge of a firearm by the Kendall County State’s Attorney’s Office.
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Through a still-frame from one of the neighbors’ surveillance cameras, police matched a black SUV near the scene with a vehicle recorded on street cameras in Aurora.
After seizing two vehicles connected to the suspects, law enforcement recovered an AR-15 rifle that was linked to the shooting through shell casings left at the scene.
Various law enforcement agencies assisted in the investigation, including the Aurora, Montgomery, Oswego, North Aurora police, and the Illinois State Police and ATF.
mejones@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-19--Column: Wrigley Field national landmark listing will likely mean millions in tax credits for the Cub

Column: Wrigley Field national landmark listing will likely mean millions in tax credits for the Cubs-owning Ricketts family

But the Cubs will not have free rein at Wrigley .
The ballpark already is an official Chicago landmark , @ @ @ @ @ changes must be approved by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks .

Wrigley Field in Chicago on Friday, Oct. 14, 2016, a day before the Cubs opened game 1 of the NLCS. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
It’s not quite like winning the World Series, but getting listed as a National Historic Landmark, as Wrigley Field was Thursday, is pretty sweet stuff.
There are only about 2,600 National Historic Landmarks, including Mount Vernon and Pearl Harbor. The National Park Service, which administers the list, says it is reserved for “historic places that hold national significance.”
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Soldier Field used to be a National Historic Landmark. Then the Bears dropped a flying saucer of a seating bowl on the multicolumned lakefront stadium and the federal government stripped it of that status in 2006.
In contrast, tens of thousands of historic sites are on the better-known but less-selective National Register of Historic Places, which includes both National Historic Landmarks and properties that are of state and local significance.
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For the Cubs’ owners, the Ricketts family, Wrigley’s designation as a National Historic Landmark represents a vindication of their sometimes controversial, roughly $1 billion renovation of the 106-year-old ballpark, the second oldest in the major leagues.
It is all but certain to make the owners, who were denied public subsidies by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel, eligible for millions of dollars in historic preservation tax credits.
When the Cubs completed the renovation last year, team spokesman Julian Green said the Rickettses could be expected to receive between $100 million and $125 million in tax credits once federal and state officials certified that the work met national historic preservation standards.
The listing “could be very beneficial long-term to them financially,” said Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago, a local advocacy group.
And it appears unlikely to tie the Cubs’ hands if they want to make more changes to Wrigley.
National Historic Landmark status cannot prevent demolition or substantial alteration “if that work is being done with private money or without federal agency approval,” Elizabeth Blasius, a Chicago architectural historian and preservation consultant, said Thursday.
She cited Detroit’s Tiger Stadium, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, but was demolished in 2008 and 2009.
But the Cubs will not have free rein at Wrigley. The ballpark already is an official Chicago landmark, which means any significant design changes must be approved by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks.
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In addition, state and federal officials will review future design proposals if the Cubs seek additional tax credits, according to Rachel Torbert, deputy director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which includes the state historic preservation office.
Originally designed by Zachary Taylor Davis, Wrigley has undergone numerous renovations over the decades. The renovations added such iconic features as the ivy-covered outfield walls, the art deco marquee at the corner of Clark and Addison streets, and the hand-operated center field scoreboard.
Some of the Ricketts-sponsored changes, like large outfield video boards, upset traditionalists who preferred the park’s pastoral atmosphere.
But the Ricketts-backed work restored Wrigley’s exterior with decorative features that adorned the ballpark in the late 1920s, upgraded concessions facilities and added spacious locker rooms.
Boston’s Fenway Park, the oldest major league ballpark, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. It served as a model for the Cubs’ renovation of Wrigley.
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In naming Wrigley a National Historic Landmark, federal officials cited the fact that it is the only remaining ballpark linked to the Federal Baseball League, a one-time rival to the National and American leagues. They also noted legendary events have taken place at Wrigley, including Babe Ruth’s supposed “called shot” during the 1932 World Series.
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“The historical significance of Wrigley Field is interwoven into our nation’s story and a key part of what has become America’s beloved pastime for over a century,” U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt said in a statement announcing the listing.
Blair Kamin is a Tribune critic.
bkamin@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @BlairKamin


chicagotribune--2020-11-19--Citi Foundation gives $15 million in PPP proceeds to 30 lenders serving lower-income communities, in

Citi Foundation gives $15 million in PPP proceeds to 30 lenders serving lower-income communities, including two in Chicago

Launched in April , the PPP offered businesses with fewer than 500 workers forgivable loans of up to $ 10 @ @ @ @ @ those funds were used on payroll .
But some smaller businesses , including those owned @ @ @ @ @ color , struggled to obtain the loans , and banks were criticized for allegedly prioritizing @ @ @ @ @ relief loan program has also been beset by allegations of fraud and abuse .

Citigroup’s philanthropic arm is giving two Chicago-based lenders serving low-income communities $500,000 each from proceeds the bank collected through the federal Paycheck Protection Program.
The funds are part of a $15 million donation from Citi Foundation to 30 community-based lenders in 10 states and D.C., and are drawn from proceeds on the origination fees New York-based Citibank collected processing PPP loans to small businesses early in the pandemic.
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The groups receiving the money are Community Development Financial Institutions, which provide financing and assistance to small businesses owned by people of color and nonprofits that aren’t always able to access capital from traditional banks.
The two Chicago-based recipients are IFF, which lends to nonprofits planning to build child care centers, clinics or schools in low-income communities, and Chicago Community Loan Fund, which provides loans to organizations focused on affordable housing, social services and economic development projects in underserved neighborhoods.
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Launched in April, the PPP offered businesses with fewer than 500 workers forgivable loans of up to $10 million if 60% of those funds were used on payroll. But some smaller businesses, including those owned by immigrants and people of color, struggled to obtain the loans, and banks were criticized for allegedly prioritizing larger clients. The pandemic relief loan program has also been beset by allegations of fraud and abuse.
According to the Small Business Administration, lenders received fees of 5% on loans of up to $350,000, 3% on loans between $350,000 and $2 million, and 1% on loans of $2 million and more.
Joe Neri, CEO of IFF, said the funds from Citi Foundation will support the organization’s core operations, including its training and lending departments, which pivoted this year to help process PPP loans.
IFF processed 159 PPP loans for nonprofits worth about $23 million collectively across its seven offices in the Midwest, including Chicago, Detroit, and St. Louis.
“We diverted our entire lending team to that work,” Neri said. “It was a much needed pivot.”
Now that the federal loan program has ended, Neri said the funds will help IFF shift back to its original work, which includes helping nonprofits make changes to their facilities in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chicago Community Loan Fund will use the funds in part to pay staff for work related to city, county and state loan and grant programs created to assist businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, said Juan Calixto, vice president of external relations. That includes Chicago’s Small Business Resiliency Fund, which provides low-interest loans of up to $50,000 for a five-year term.
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abjimenez@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @abdel1019


chicagotribune--2020-11-19--No charges in 2019 fatal Gary police shooting of Rashad Cunningham, prosecutor says

In the early morning hours of Aug. 17 , 2019 , Gary Police officers were dispatched as a result of @ @ @ @ @ of 23rd Avenue and Vermont Street , the press release said .
Two Gary officers @ @ @ @ @ investigate and encountered three individuals sitting inside of an SUV on 23rd Avenue , west @ @ @ @ @ still in the squad car , officers had discussions with the SUV occupants , including @ @ @ @ @ Cunningham , who , according to two other occupants of the car , became argumentative @ @ @ @ @ said .

Heather Fox makes an emotional plea during the Gary Stand Up! Rally for Justice Friday June 5, 2020. Fox was asking for answers in the case of her boyfriend Rashad Cunningham who was shot and killed by a Gary police officer in August 2019. (Post-Tribune)
The Lake County prosecutor’s office has declined to charge a Gary Police officer who was the subject of an investigation into the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old man more than a year ago, a decision that didn’t surprise the family, their attorney said.
Gary Mayor Jerome Prince called for peace after the decision was released.
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Prosecutor Bernard A. Carter said that after a “thorough and extensive review of the evidence pertaining to the police-involved shooting resulting in the death of Rashad Cunningham on August 17, 2019, it is the decision of this office that criminal charges will not be pursued” against the Gary officer.
Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
In the release, the prosecutor’s office did not find the evidence and circumstances are sufficient to disprove the officer’s claim that deadly force was reasonable under the circumstances, as contemplated by Indiana’s self-defense law.
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Andrew M. Stroth, the Chicago-based attorney representing Cunningham’s family in a civil rights lawsuit against the City of Gary, credited Carter and several members of his team for meeting with the family to go over the decision Thursday morning. The courtesy, however, changes nothing for them, he said.
“The family isn’t surprised at the outcome, but they are devastated and disappointed. And it’s tragic, because now five young children don’t have a father,” Stroth said. “It’s our perspective that without cause or provocation, (the officer) used excessive force, and we believe the city and (the officer) are liable for his death. We will continue with our lawsuit.”
Tonia Simmons, Rashad Cunningham's mother, speaks accompanied by her son's girlfriend, Heather Fox, during a Gary Common Council meeting on Tuesday, August 20, 2019. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
Stroth added that the issue is the Gary Police Department has neither body nor dashboard cameras for its officers, which city officials have confirmed in the past.
“The evidence they relied upon from (the officer and his partner), well, we have eyewitnesses who contradicted their testimony. And in America, we’ve seen statements of officers who’ve lied in the past, he said. “Every major police department in the country has body cams or at least dash cams. How does Gary not have them?”
In a statement issued Thursday by Black Lives Matter-Gary, the group extended its sympathies to the Cunningham family but said it has many questions about Cunningham’s shooting, as well as others, that the prosecutor’s office has yet to address.
Four Gary police officers stand watch over a group of Black LIves Matter-Northwest Indiana protesters Monday over the Aug. 17 police shooting of Rashad Cunningham. PIctured is Jesse Cunningham, left, Rashad's father, and Tasheena Brooks, the mother of Kemonte Cobbs, 15, who was shot and killed by Gary police in 2017. (Carole Carlson / Post-Tribune)
“The people of Gary deserve a fair, impartial and expedient investigation when the lives of loved ones are lost or endangered as a result of police action. We haven’t known that kind of process for a very long time,” it said.
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In the early morning hours of Aug. 17, 2019, Gary Police officers were dispatched as a result of shots fired in the area of 23rd Avenue and Vermont Street, the press release said. Two Gary officers arrived in the area to investigate and encountered three individuals sitting inside of an SUV on 23rd Avenue, west of Kentucky Street. While still in the squad car, officers had discussions with the SUV occupants, including the front seat passenger, Cunningham, who, according to two other occupants of the car, became argumentative and belligerent, the release said.
As the encounter continued, the officers observed Cunningham raise a gun that he had been holding in his lap and point it towards one of the police officers, the release said, prompting the officer to shoot Cunningham multiple times. One of the wounds suffered by Cunningham was a wound track on Cunningham’s right hand and arm and is consistent with his right arm being extended in the direction of the officer, the release said.
In a phone call Thursday, Prince reiterated his condolences to the family.
“Sincerely, my heart goes out and continues to go out to the Cunningham family. I would like to say to them personally I wish them peace in these most difficult times,” Prince said.
[ Aug. 2019: Family, friends call for justice in fatal police shooting of Gary man ]
While the city does not investigate shooting incidents involving its own officers, it does not mean officials are dismissed from the situation, he continued.
Prince said from almost the beginning of his administration in the wake of the George Floyd shooting he his administration has been actively working to improve relations between police and the community.
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In an earlier statement Thursday, Prince called for peace.
“You may be frustrated and upset at the result of this investigation. If you feel the need to join together and express your opinions, I encourage you to do so, but please do so peacefully and respectfully,” Prince said.
Michelle L. Quinn and Carrie Napoleon are freelance reporters for the Post-Tribune.
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chicagotribune--2020-11-19--He trained agents on how to root out financial crimes. Now he’s accused of committing them — and lyi

He trained agents on how to root out financial crimes. Now he’s accused of committing them — and lying to get an informant paid nearly $100,000.

The deposits ranged from $ 1,200 to $ 8,501 , the indictment states .
Often there would be two deposits @ @ @ @ @ none for two or three months .
In all , Sabaini deposited about $ 251,000 @ @ @ @ @ way through 2018 , the indictment charges .
He is further accused of underreporting his @ @ @ @ @ five years .

A Homeland Security investigator from Naperville has been charged with hiding more than $250,000 from federal regulators, filing false tax returns for five years, and concealing information about an informant so the person could get paid nearly $100,000 by the government.
Anthony Sabaini, 38, has worked for the agency since 2009 and was assigned to an investigative unit in Oakbrook Terrace. In 2014, he started making deposits of less than $10,000 at more than 160 ATMs and banks, which allowed him to skip federal reporting requirements for large cash transactions, according to a federal indictment announced Thursday.
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The deposits ranged from $1,200 to $8,501, the indictment states. Often there would be two deposits in a month, then none for two or three months. In all, Sabaini deposited about $251,000 in a special account this way through 2018, the indictment charges. He is further accused of underreporting his income for each of those five years.
In a separate charge, Sabaini allegedly submitted false information to his Homeland Security supervisors so they would approve his use of a confidential informant in a criminal investigation.
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The indictment accuses Sabaini of repeatedly hiding information that could have disqualified the informant, including that he was a target of a federal drug investigation and had allegedly sold cocaine to another Homeland Security agent in 2017.
Federal officials authorized use of the informant twice and paid out a total of $95,000, according to the indictment.
The indictment does not say where Sabaini got the money that he deposited in the special account. And it makes no connection between his alleged financial crimes and his actions with the informant.
As a Homeland Security investigator, Sabaini had been trained on using confidential sources and on various aspects of money laundering, including structuring deposits and other transactions to avoid federal reporting laws, according to the indictment.
If convicted on each charge, Sabaini could face up to 25 years in federal prison.
kelsmith@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @KelliSmithNews


chicagotribune--2020-11-19--Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s 2021 spending plan moves closer to passage

Lightfoot has been fighting for months to get the 26 votes she needs on the full council to achieve a @ @ @ @ @ The 26 votes she got in the Budget Committee Thursday bodes well for her efforts @ @ @ @ @ to sometimes switch their votes between committee and the council , or to support spending @ @ @ @ @ .

Aldermen advanced Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s 2021 spending package Thursday, setting up an up-or-down vote on the full budget next week.
After the Finance Committee on Wednesday passed the mayor’s controversial $94 million property tax increase, the Budget Committee did the same Thursday by a 26-8 margin for Lightfoot’s proposal to spend city money in the new year as part of her $12.8 billion budget.
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The no votes Thursday came from Southwest Side aldermen Matt O’Shea, Marty Quinn and Silvana Tabares, downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly, North Siders Tom Tunney and Debra Silverstein, and Northwest Siders Carlos Ramirez-Rosa and Anthony Napolitano.
And there was some pushback on parts of the plan. South Side Ald. Leslie Hairston, 5th, said nonunion police officials making more than $100,000 per year should have been included in Lightfoot’s proposal to require nonunion city employees making at least that much to take five furlough days in 2021 to help close a $1.2 billion deficit.
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Budget Director Susie Park said police Superintendent David Brown argued those furloughs would have been operationally difficult for the Police Department to handle.
Lightfoot has been fighting for months to get the 26 votes she needs on the full council to achieve a majority for her budget. The 26 votes she got in the Budget Committee Thursday bodes well for her efforts, though aldermen are known to sometimes switch their votes between committee and the council, or to support spending but not a tax hike.
The City Council is set to meet Monday, at which point they are likely to take steps to vote on the entire budget at another meeting later in the week.
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @_johnbyrne


chicagotribune--2020-11-19--Secluding schoolchildren in isolated spaces would be illegal under a new federal bill

ISBE investigated the district after a complaint last December by an occupational therapist at one of the schools .
The @ @ @ @ @ was restrained with a lap belt on several days during lunch , art and morning @ @ @ @ @ student and causing him or her to kick and hit .
The student also was @ @ @ @ @ the lap belt after throwing food .
The complaint was about that one student , @ @ @ @ @ restraints were used districtwide .

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, right, leaves the Capitol on Oct. 21, 2020, in Washington. He's the the Senate sponsor of the seclusion ban legislation. (Stefani Reynolds/Getty)
Congressional Democrats introduced legislation Thursday that would make it illegal to put students in seclusion and would limit the use of physical restraint in schools that receive federal funds.
The bill, called the Keeping All Students Safe Act, would enact a national ban on restraints that can restrict breathing, including prone restraint where students are held face down on the floor. Other restraints in the standing or seated positions could be used only when there is an immediate risk of serious physical harm.
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This story is a collaboration between the Tribune and ProPublica Illinois.
Under the bill, physical restraints could not be included as an option in written behavior and education plans for students with disabilities. That would further emphasize that restraints are to be used only in an emergency and when other efforts to work with children in crisis have failed.
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Seclusion, or confining students alone in a room or area they can’t leave, would be banned entirely on the grounds that it can be traumatic and isn’t helpful for a student in crisis.
The legislation was motivated by differences among rules at the state level, with some states placing few if any restrictions on seclusion and restraint and many providing no oversight, said Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., one of the bill’s sponsors in the House.
The Keeping All Students Safe Act (ProPublica illustration)
“A lot of the states do a terrible job of that. It’s been such a huge problem, it demands national standards,” Beyer said in an interview Thursday.
“The primary thing is there are other techniques that work just fine,” he added. “You don’t have to isolate them.”
The legislation comes one year to the day after ProPublica Illinois and the Tribune published an investigation, “The Quiet Rooms,” that found public schools throughout Illinois had put students in seclusion, isolated from their peers, every day for reasons that violated state law.
The investigation, cited by the lawmakers who introduced the legislation, also found that school employees sometimes physically restrained children not because there was an emergency but out of frustration or as punishment. Similar legislation has been passed in the House before but failed to gain support in the Senate.
New federal data, released last month, confirmed widespread use of seclusion and restraint in Illinois and across the country in 2017-18, the most recent year for which data was collected. In Illinois, school employees reported using seclusion or restraint at least 23,530 times on at least 5,197 students. Nationally, more than 100,000 students were subjected to the practices.
Other Midwestern states — Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Indiana — also stood out among the most frequent users of these interventions, according to an analysis of the federal data by the Tribune and ProPublica Illinois. Wisconsin secluded more students at school than any other state and was second only to Texas in the number of students restrained in the 2017-18 school year, the analysis shows.
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Most of the children who were restrained or secluded nationwide had disabilities. The data shows a disproportionate number of affected students were identified as Black and as boys.
Seclusion rooms are typically small and empty spaces, sometimes padded, that are meant to be used only in a safety emergency. Seclusion does not include times when a student chooses to take a break from class to calm down or go to a sensory room, a space with equipment and tools to help students regulate their emotions.
Disabilities advocates say putting children in seclusion rooms is inhumane and causes lasting trauma, though some school officials say they need the option to educate students with significant behavioral challenges. Some Republicans have opposed similar legislation in the past because they said states are better equipped to identify students’ and schools’ needs.
“No parent should have to send their child to school knowing that his or her child could be pinned down or locked in a closet by school staff,” said Annie Acosta, director of fiscal and family support policy for The Arc, which advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“A federal ban is needed to ensure that all students are protected, not just those who live in states that have some degree of protection. This is a civil rights issue that should not have any geographic boundaries.”
The legislation would require states to have enough school workers who are trained in state-approved programs that teach better ways to address crisis situations. It also would require that parents be notified the same day their child is restrained, followed by more detailed written notification and then a meeting within five days. States also would be required to report annually on their use of restraint.
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The law would allow students who are subjected to seclusion or restraint in a way that violates the law to file a civil lawsuit against the school or program. The U.S. Department of Education would be required to investigate complaints and withhold payments to schools found in violation. The department also could award grant funding to help schools reduce the use of seclusion and restraint.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., the Senate sponsor of the measure, called seclusion and restraint “inhumane” and sometimes fatal. He said the legislation would keep students safe “while providing school staff with alternatives to address disruptive behavior with evidence-based, trauma-informed, proactive strategies and the resources to put those alternatives into practice.”
In Illinois, after publication of “The Quiet Rooms,” the State Board of Education banned locking students in seclusion rooms and began requiring public and private schools to alert the state when they use the interventions. Illinois rules do not ban prone restraint, but the General Assembly plans to take up legislation in January that would prohibit it.
The federal legislation also would prohibit the use of mechanical and chemical restraints. Both already are outlawed in Illinois, but records obtained this week by ProPublica Illinois and the Tribune revealed how one suburban special education program still used mechanical restraints in a program for students with disabilities.
The Mount Prospect-based Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization, which operates several schools and programs for about 400 students, used lap belts to restrain students and restrict them from taking part in classroom activities, according to an Illinois State Board of Education investigation.
ISBE investigated the district after a complaint last December by an occupational therapist at one of the schools. The complaint alleged that a student was restrained with a lap belt on several days during lunch, art and morning circle time, upsetting the student and causing him or her to kick and hit. The student also was sent to timeout while in the lap belt after throwing food. The complaint was about that one student, but ISBE looked at how restraints were used districtwide.
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ISBE determined that there was no medical or therapeutic need for the district to use the lap belts and that they were “utilized as a behavioral restraint to promote attention to task.” The cooperative, known as NSSEO, denied to ISBE that it used lap belts to punish students or out of convenience, contending they were used to help students sit with therapeutic support, according to ISBE’s report.
The district superintendent did not immediately respond to a request for comment. NSSEO used physical restraint more often — 1,170 times — than any other district in Illinois during the 2017-18 school year, according to the new federal data.
Congressional efforts to ban seclusion have repeatedly stalled since 2009. Legislation was last introduced in 2018.
But “The Quiet Rooms” and the swift action Gov. J.B. Pritzker took to ban isolated, locked seclusion in Illinois the day after the story published put the issue in the national spotlight again, Beyer said.
Beyer said he believes this effort to ban seclusion will gain broad bipartisan support, both because of greater public awareness of the issue and because legislative staffers worked with school groups to find common ground in the bill’s language. He said he doesn’t expect the bill to be voted on during the current session but supporters will try to gather more sponsors and reintroduce it when lawmakers reconvene next year.
The legislation’s other sponsors are Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., chair of the House education and labor committee; Rep. Patty Murray, D-Wash.; and Rep. Donald McEachin, D-Va.
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Jodi S. Cohen is a reporter for ProPublica Illinois. Jennifer Smith Richards is a Tribune reporter.
jrichards@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-19--Beach Park man, 76, dies after being struck by car

The man was struck by a 2003 Cadillac Seville around 7 p.m. on Green Bay Road , just north of @ @ @ @ @ Police said the man was crossing from the west side of Green Bay to his @ @ @ @ @ when he was struck by the northbound Seville , which was being driven by a @ @ @ @ @

An elderly Beach Park man died Wednesday evening after he was struck by a car as he crossed the street in front of his home, according to the Lake County sheriff’s police.
Authorities have not yet released the identity of the 76-year-old victim.
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The man was struck by a 2003 Cadillac Seville around 7 p.m. on Green Bay Road, just north of the Waldo Avenue intersection. Police said the man was crossing from the west side of Green Bay to his driveway on the east side when he was struck by the northbound Seville, which was being driven by a 23-year-old Beach Park woman.
The man was transported to Vista East Medical Center in Waukegan and he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival, police said.
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The Sheriff’s Office’s Technical Crash Unit is continuing its investigation, and an autopsy is planned, authorities said.


chicagotribune--2020-11-19--Montgomery man charged with murder after allegedly shooting at car, causing Aurora man to crash, pro

Montgomery man charged with murder after allegedly shooting at car, causing Aurora man to crash, prosecutors say

During a bond call hearing Thursday afternoon , public defender Walter Werderich argued there is no evidence that shows Chatman @ @ @ @ @ Chrysler 300 vehicle that allegedly chased Hardy ’ s Dodge Durango .
Werderich also argued @ @ @ @ @ can attest Chatman was in the vehicle .
While prosecutors said phone records show Chatman @ @ @ @ @ the victim ’ s vehicle at the time of the crash , defense lawyers argued @ @ @ @ @ his phone with him at the time .

A Montgomery man was charged with first-degree murder after he allegedly shot at a car, causing the driver to crash and die last month, officials said.
Prosecutors argued during a bond hearing Thursday that the incident was sparked by jealousy because the victim was dating the defendant’s ex-girlfriend.
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Around 12:05 a.m., Oct. 17, Aurora police officers were near the 1100 block of Plum Street on the city’s West Side when they heard numerous gunshots, police said in a news release Thursday. After searching the area, officers found a 2006 Dodge Durango on Redwood Drive that crashed into a tree.
Chuckie E. Chatman, 30, of Montgomery (Aurora Police Department / HANDOUT)
The driver of the vehicle, Ernest A. Hardy, 39, of Aurora, was taken to a local hospital in critical condition following the crash and later taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, where he was pronounced dead Oct. 22, officials said.
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Evidence technicians and detectives began processing the scene and found the Dodge Durango had been struck by gunfire during the crash. Aurora police found evidence showing a vehicle was chasing and firing shots at Hardy in the car just seconds before the crash, police said.
Aurora police spokesman Paris Lewbel said Hardy was not struck by gunfire and died from injuries related to the crash.
Chuckie E. Chatman, 30, of the 800 block of Victoria Drive, Montgomery, was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm and reckless homicide by the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office, court records show.
During a bond call hearing Thursday afternoon, public defender Walter Werderich argued there is no evidence that shows Chatman was the driver of a Chrysler 300 vehicle that allegedly chased Hardy’s Dodge Durango. Werderich also argued there are no witnesses that can attest Chatman was in the vehicle. While prosecutors said phone records show Chatman’s phone was near the victim’s vehicle at the time of the crash, defense lawyers argued Chatman might not have had his phone with him at the time.
Prosecutors countered by saying Chatman previously dated Hardy’s current girlfriend and had contacted Hardy asking where to meet up to fight. Phone records show Chatman’s phone was tracked from his house to the woman’s house to the victim’s vehicle and back to his residence.
“This is all over a female, who was in the car at the time, and gave a statement to police about the phone conversations they had,” Prosecutor Samantha Cain said. “It’s all essentially a jealousy issue with the defendant.”
Judge Michael Noland said phone records will later substantiate or refute if Chatman was in the car at the time.
Speaking to the judge, Chatman asked to be released to see his mother because his sister was killed last week in a drive-by shooting in Boulder Hill. Kendall County Sheriff officials said the shooting was gang-related and the two women who were shot were not the intended targets.
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“We are going through a lot right now and she needs me,” Chatman said. “I’m the only sibling left. My brother’s in jail, and I’m in this situation. This is very hard for us.”
After Noland set his bond at $1 million with 10 percent to apply, he apologized to Chatman.
“We’re sorry for what you’re going through, and we’re sorry for your loss,” Noland said. “No one should have to experience that.”
If Chatman posts bail, he is barred from contacting the victim’s girlfriend and not allowed to go to her house in Aurora.
If convicted of the most severe charge, Chatman faces 20 to 60 years in prison. He is due back in court Monday.
The incident remains under investigation and police ask anyone with information to call the investigation’s division at 630-256-5500 or call Aurora Area Crime Stoppers to report anonymously at 630-892-1000.
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mejones@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-19--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