chicagotribune--2020-07-24--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what happened on July 23 with COVID-19 in the Chicago area

After announcing more than 1,500 new known coronavirus cases and 19 confirmed deaths , state health officials said Friday four counties are at a “ warning level ” for COVID-19 because of outbreaks of the virus .
A total of 1,532 new known COVID-19 cases were disclosed Friday by the Illinois Department of Public Health , with all new confirmed deaths from Cook , DuPage or Winnebago counties .
The new numbers came a day after officials announced the highest daily total of new cases since Memorial Day , 1,624 new infections .
Counties at warning levels are those identified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for increased COVID-19 cases .
The warnings don ’ t necessarily change a region ’ s lockdown level , but are meant to be a guide for local officials and residents regarding “ personal and family gatherings , as well as what activities they choose to do , ” according to a state news release .
“ As more of our economy reopens and Illinoisans returns to work , the single best thing you can do to help our state is wear a mask everywhere you go , ” Gov .
J.B. Pritzker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ navigate back-to-school shopping , unsure if kids are learning in the classroom or on the couch After switching to virtual learning this spring as the coronavirus pandemic spread , many schools still are figuring out what classes will look like this fall .
On Thursday , Lopez ’ s school said it would only offer remote learning to start , a week after sharing a draft plan that gave students the option to attend class in person one day a week .
“ I ’ m a person who loves to shop for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard to look at them , ” Jocelyn Lopez said .
“ Should I spend my money to buy supplies I won ’ t use ?
I don ’ t know what to do.
” Families still figuring out whether their kids will be learning in classrooms or on couches likely will get a late start on back-to-school shopping , the retail industry ’ s second-biggest shopping period after the holidays .
Shopping lists , too , will look different : Children learning at home may not need lunchboxes and uniforms , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The pool first closed July 9 after two lifeguards tested positive for the coronavirus .
After the facility was deep-cleaned and disinfected , the pool reopened July 15 but closed again the same day , after three more lifeguards reported testing positive .
Now , after another round of sanitization and new staff safety protocols , the Glenview Park District pool is expected to reopen Saturday with reduced daily hours from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m .
Hundreds of Plainfield District 202 teachers joined forces to rally outside district headquarters this week , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan to start the new school year with remote learning until in-person instruction can be done safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic .
Dawn Bullock , president of the Plainfield teachers union , said there are “ too many unanswered questions ” for educators to begin the school year with in-person learning , especially given that COVID-19 cases continue to surge nationwide .
“ We are all wearing masks and social distancing six feet apart at this rally for safety reasons , but to show the school board what it would look like if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fall , ” said Bullock , leader of the Association of Plainfield Teachers .
“ I ’ d give it about 20 minutes before one student says to another , ‘ That ’ s a really cool mask .
Can I try it on ?
’ ” Bullock said .
“ How can we deliver quality instruction when students can ’ t toss a ball to each other , have to sit six feet apart with masks on , and have to give up all their comforts , like group activities and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ book.
” The Thursday morning rally was launched after the District 202 school board on Monday voted down a return-to-learning plan that would have started the year with remote learning and was supported by a majority of the union members .
3:43 p.m. : Bears training camp , set to be held in Lake Forest for first time in decades , will not be open to spectators It ’ s not an unexpected move given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic , but local leaders and residents were looking forward to the first training camp @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in decades .
In a letter to season ticket holders , Bears President and CEO Ted Phillips said players have already started reporting to the first training camp set to be held in Lake Forest since 1983 .
However , with the new NFL health and safety guidelines in place because of the COVID-19 outbreak , all teams will have closed camps this season .
“ While the energy and excitement from the fans that we have enjoyed during camp for many years will be missed , the health and safety of everyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote in the letter .
“ We look forward to fans returning to camp in 2021.
” 3:13 p.m. : As districts make back-to-school plans , Northwest Indiana parents are ‘ going back and forth ’ whether to keep their kids home Parents and guardians across Northwest Indiana have been grappling with the decision to send their children back to in-person classes amid the global pandemic as classes are scheduled to begin in mid-August .
As numbers of COVID-19 cases in Northwest Indiana are on the rise and districts release plans , many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changed their minds multiple times on the decision regarding the 2020-2021 school year .
While some have decided to return to in-person learning , other parents like Erica Bizon — who has a second and third grader in the School Town of Highland — have opted to keep their children at home to do online school .
Bizon said she expected her kids to want to return to school , but found the opposite .
” I have to wait until there ’ s a vaccine , ” Bizon , who is immunocompromised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot younger , so they don ’ t understand … they just didn ’ t want to go back because they don ’ t want to wear masks all the time.
” 2:21 p.m. : Extra $ 600 unemployment aid expires as the coronavirus poses new risks to parts of the Midwest and South As public health officials warned Friday that the coronavirus posed new risks to parts of the Midwest and South , enhanced federal payments that helped avert financial ruin for millions of unemployed Americans were set to expire — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states to catch them .
Since early in the pandemic , the federal government has added $ 600 to the weekly unemployment checks that states send .
That increase ends this week , and with Congress still haggling over next steps , most states will not be able to offer nearly as much .
McDonald ’ s will offer masks to customers who don ’ t have one .
If a customer declines to wear one , their order will be expedited and they will be guided to a designated pickup spot a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 82 % of McDonald ’ s 14,000 U.S. restaurants are in states or areas that require facial coverings for customers , including Illinois , but “ it ’ s important we protect the safety of all employees and customers , ” the company said .
After announcing more than 1,500 new known coronavirus cases and 19 confirmed deaths , state health officials said Friday four counties are at a “ warning level ” for COVID-19 because of outbreaks of the virus .
A total of 1,532 new known COVID-19 cases were disclosed Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with all new confirmed deaths from Cook , DuPage or Winnebago counties .
The new numbers came a day after officials announced the highest daily total of new cases since Memorial Day , 1,624 new infections .
In Cook County , a woman in her 60s , three women in their 70s , one man in his 70s , four women in their 80s and four women in their 90s died .
The DuPage County deaths were three women in their 90s and one woman more than 100 years old .
One @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in her 90s died in Winnebago County .
The state reported 1,471 people in Illinois hospitalized as of Thursday night with COVID-19 .
Hospitals saw 325 of these patients in intensive care units , with 115 patients on ventilators .
Patients with reported cases range from under one year old to more than 100 years old .
Counties at warning levels are those identified as having two or more risk factors for increased COVID-19 cases .
The warnings don ’ t necessarily change a region ’ s lockdown level , but are meant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and residents regarding “ personal and family gatherings , as well as what activities they choose to do , ” according to a state news release .
LaSalle County had coronavirus cases contracted because of family and social gatherings , young people going to bars and inconsistent mask requirements .
The county also saw more cases reported by people younger than 29 .
Peoria County is also had an increase in people younger than 29 getting COVID-19 , and outbreaks related to gatherings and travel to Florida , Iowa , Texas and Wisconsin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residents traveling to Missouri and Iowa , states identified as COVID-19 hotspots .
Outbreaks also happened following large social events , health care exposure , and travel to worship and youth sports , according to state officials .
Randolph County saw cases related to bars not complying with mask and social distancing guidelines , crowded places and parties among households — including one party with more than 200 people , officials said .
Counties with 50 or more new cases per 100,000 people or death numbers increasing more than 20 % for two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to the state .
The agency said seven-day test positivity rates above 8 % can contribute to warnings .
1:27 p.m. : Durbin says Senate Democrats ’ proposal for new coronavirus relief would send more money to schools The Senate Democrat proposal for the next coronavirus relief package would build on the CARES Act to provide almost $ 430 billion for education and childcare with $ 175 billion earmarked for K-12 schools , Democratic U.S .
Senator Dick Durbin and Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson said Friday .
Jackson is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the Senate Democrat proposal “ but we ’ re hoping it is as much or more than we received through the CARES funding , ” she said at Friday ’ s press briefing .
Jackson said the district is in the process of finalizing its operating budget for the upcoming school year but will need support from the federal government to balance the budget .
” Those additional resources are going to be the difference between what kind of supports we can put in place to ensure students are safe when they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Durbin said Congress has “ an active debate underway as to how much money will be included for schools , ” but Democrats “ will take what we can get where we can get it.
” He said he wants “ to get that number as high up as possible because I know many of these school districts are facing real shortfalls.
” Republicans , who hold the majority in the Senate , are proposing $ 105 billion for education , with $ 70 billion directed to primary and secondary education @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funding incentives to schools reopening for in-person instruction , has been delayed due to infighting but will be released next week .
House Democrats passed a $ 3 trillion coronavirus relief bill in May , with $ 90 billion set aside for elementary , secondary and higher education .
The bill also provides $ 1 trillion to state and local governments , some of which can be used for schools .
Last week , CPS announced a hybrid learning approach for most students as its preliminary plan for the fall .
The plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beefing up cleaning procedures and increasing access to technology and internet , though CPS has not specified how much the plan is projected to cost .
12:51 p.m. : Laptops , desks , and lots of hand sanitizer .
How back-to-school shopping looks different this year .
Families still figuring out whether their kids will be learning in classrooms or on couches will likely get a late start on back-to-school shopping , the retail industry ’ s second-biggest shopping period after the holidays .
Shopping lists , too , will look different : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lunch boxes and uniforms , but could require tech tools and desks .
And everyone is worried about tracking down enough disinfecting wipes .
Illinois health officials Friday announced 1,532 new known cases of COVID-19 , a day after announcing the highest daily total of new cases since Memorial Day with 1,624 new infections on Thursday .
That brings the total number of cases in the state to 168,457 .
Chicago has not yet lifted its COVID-19 restrictions to allow fans at sporting events .
But as the Bears prepare for the possibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the time the season starts , their social-distancing plans will require reduced capacity at Soldier Field .
In the event some fans are allowed , the Bears will offer single-game tickets to season ticket holders first .
There will be no multi-game packages .
11 a.m. : Waukegan schools to start with remote learning , uncertain when in-person classes will resume : ‘ We ’ re not going to rush ’ The plan takes the district ’ s 16,000 students from remote learning on computers or with packets , to two hybrid stages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learning to being in school every day .
The initial phase could last for a long time .
The Illinois Department of Public Health , Central Management Services and the Illinois Emergency Management are overseeing the distribution of the masks .
State employees who work at agencies , boards and commissions will receive the masks .
Face coverings and social distancing is required when state workers return to their jobs , the release said .
“ As more of our economy reopens and Illinoisans returns to work , the single best thing you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wear a mask everywhere you go , ” Gov .
J.B. Pritzker said .
“ But if an infected individual is wearing a face covering , it can help prevent the droplets from their mouth or nose from reaching others around them , ” Ezike said .
State employees will not receive medical grade face masks because they are reserved for health care workers , the release said .
The cloth face masks were received from a private source through the Federal Emergency Management Agency .
9:24 a.m. : Gloves may do more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protecting you from COVID-19 People want to debate whether wearing a mask works against COVID-19 , but the CDC says it ’ s the gloves you should take off .
The CDC and the European CDC have both released guidelines stating that glove use isn ’ t a necessary preventive tactic when it comes to COVID-19 .
CDC guidelines say gloves “ will not necessarily protect you from getting COVID-19 and may still lead to the spread of germs.
” 7:25 a.m. : Parts of lakefront trail reopen after repairs , beaches , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ North stretch of Chicago ’ s lakefront trail closed because of erosion damage was reopened Friday morning , but Chicago Park District beaches and lakefront parking lots remain closed , according to the mayor ’ s office .
Reopening Friday was a stretch of the Lakefront Trail between Ohio and Oak Streets ; other parts of the trail , from Fullerton Parkway to North avenues and from 43rd to 51st Streets , are still being repaired , requiring bicyclists , runners and walkers to share the trail as repairs are completed , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. , with those on the path asked to stay in constant motion as part of the COVID-19 restrictions .
7:13 a.m. : Racing resumes at Arlington racecourse with no spectators , but jockeys grateful to be riding Spectators were not allowed in and the grandstand was empty , except for staff and members of the media .
Face coverings were mandatory and those who could attend had to have their temperature taken before they could enter the racecourse .
6:39 a.m. : Tightening of bar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ service restrictions goes into effect Friday Bars , restaurants , fitness clubs and businesses that provide personal services in Chicago will be under tighter control starting Friday , as part of an attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus .
Chicago bars that don ’ t sell food won ’ t be able to serve alcohol indoors starting Friday , and bars and restaurants that do serve food will have to restrict the number of people at a table to six under the new restrictions .
Since the city allowed restaurants to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 25 % capacity , with only 10 people allowed at tables .
In line with Illinois at large , the city ’ s seen a recent uptick in the number COVID-19 cases , which city officials said triggered the new restrictions .
Also included in the changes effective Friday are fitness centers , which are now restricted to 10-person classes .
5 a.m. : MLB players get tested for COVID-19 every other day .
But is this diverting resources from the rest of us ?
As Major League Baseball opened its unprecedented @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to bring back America ’ s pastime mid-pandemic hinges on rigorous COVID-19 testing , with thousands of players and staff to be routinely checked for the new coronavirus .
Yet some medical experts are questioning the ethics of dedicating mass testing to professional sports amid a national shortage of tests and laboratory resources , which has driven up wait times for results and made it more difficult for the general public to get tested .
“ With the massive testing challenges we are facing as a nation , it seems hard to justify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sports , ” said Dr. Neel Gandhi , infectious disease expert and associate professor of epidemiology at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health .
5 a.m. : Chicago ’ s Chinatown restaurants reopen slowly as fear of the coronavirus still lingers Chinatown in Chicago was hit first and hard by the coronavirus .
Not so much by the virus itself , but fear of the unknown .
Masks had sold out and Lunar New Year events were already canceled by the time the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the city was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shows confirmed cases have remained relatively low in the Chinatown area compared with ZIP codes with the highest numbers in Chicago .
Business has still dropped dramatically .
Most restaurants have tried to stay open — some never stopped serving bubble tea , bao and dumplings for takeout and delivery .
The few bars — all karaoke — went dark until recently .
Less than half of the restaurants have reopened for indoor dining and hardly any have room for outdoor dining .
As restaurants and bars across the city reopened indoor service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cautious .
Owners , employees and customers follow the news on Chinese media , for better or worse .
They hear from family and friends in China on WeChat about what might be coming next .
It ’ s becoming increasingly clear , however , from falling case numbers there and rising numbers here , that we ’ re defining our own destiny in this country .

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Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois health officials on Thursday announced 1,624 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, the highest daily total of new cases since Memorial Day, when the state recorded 1,713 new infections. Officials also reported 20 additional fatalities Thursday, bringing the statewide death toll to 7,367.
Also on Thursday, the count of U.S. infections passed 4 million as the nation got another dose of bad economic news. The number of laid-off workers seeking jobless benefits rose last week for the first time since late March, intensifying concerns the resurgent coronavirus is stalling or even reversing the economic recovery. Meanwhile, an extra $600 in weekly unemployment benefits, provided by the federal government on top of whatever assistance states provide, is set to expire July 31.
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[ Illinois’ new COVID-19 plan: How the state will manage any outbreaks in 3 charts ]
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
[ Schools reopening tracker: What suburban Chicago districts are planning for the fall ]
[ 20 questions about assessing your COVID-19 risk at restaurants, gyms and more ]
Here’s what’s happening Thursday regarding COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
8:02 p.m.: Upcoming opening show at the Greenhouse Theater gets some fervent opposition
The Greenhouse Theater Center’s plan to open “Judy & Liza,” a musical tribute show to Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli, Friday night has provoked intense criticism on social media from members of the theater community and a resignation from a staffer.
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Derek Rienzi Van Tassel said in a Thursday interview that he had left his position as general manager of the Greenhouse, located at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., over the theater’s decision to reopen. “I am opposed to any show opening while the (COVID-19) numbers are raging,” Van Tassel said. “I don’t think that any show should be open in any part of the world until there is a vaccine.”
William Spatz, the owner of the Greenhouse, said that Van Tassel had been furloughed in March, when theaters closed, and had agreed to come back to work and had been actively working on preparations for the show’s return. Spatz suggested that Van Tassel had “changed his mind at the last minute” due to the community opposition.
Van Tassel said he had not realized the theater’s intention to reopen so soon and had assumed these were merely advance preparations for a later opening. He also said the current rate of infection in Illinois should cancel out any earlier arrangements.
“Right now,” he said, “it is just not safe. We need to learn that. We need to put aside our desire to create theater in service of the greater good.”
Read more here. —Chris Jones
7:28 p.m.: Tighter restrictions take effect at Chicago fitness centers Friday, and club owners are worried
Gym-goers have been cautiously but steadily returning to health clubs and fitness studios in the 3½ weeks since those businesses were allowed to let members back in for more than personal training.
But gym operators worry a new 10-person cap on the size of indoor fitness classes, which takes effect Friday, will hamper their efforts to rebuild business after the coronavirus pandemic forced them to close temporarily. More stringent rules for bars that also take effect Friday have prompted some to call it quits for good.
Some fitness clubs and studios were surprised by the more stringent regulations. They’ve already taken precautions like temperature checks and more aggressive cleaning, and in Chicago, members must wear masks during exercise in addition to practicing social distancing.
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“We definitely didn’t think we’d be the subject of being pulled back given all the vigilant measures we’re taking,” said David Blitz, CEO of Chicago-based Studio Three.
Read more here. —Lauren Zumbach
5:50 p.m.: Disparities between Black and white students seen in CPS remote learning participation
Participation in remote learning after the coronavirus pandemic closed Chicago Public Schools varied significantly for students with different learning needs or racial backgrounds, despite efforts to connect children citywide with computers and internet, according to data released Wednesday.
“I think we are all disheartened to see the gap between African American student participation and their white peers,” CPS CEO Janice Jackson said at Wednesday’s Board of Education meeting. “I think that begs for greater examination across the board, from the district level all the way down to the classroom level.”
For the entirety of the remote learning period this spring, CPS was unable to make contact with 559 students, mostly elementary age. The district is missing data for another 405 students.
Overall, slightly more than half of students in grades one through 12 logged into a Google platform on any given day, according to CPS data.
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That measure almost represents “an approximation of attendance,” said CPS administrator Shannon Heston, who presented the data to the board. “It gets us started on talking about, what does attendance look like for next year?”
On average, during any one of the last six weeks of the school year, contact was reported with 85% of students — meaning another 15% were not contacted that week, no change from early data released in May.
The new engagement data was released as CPS seeks public input on its draft plan to institute a hybrid of remote and in-person learning this fall. The Chicago Teachers Union and some parent advocacy groups are pushing for remote learning only.
Read more here. —Hannah Leone
4:44 p.m.: Indiana AG criticizes Gov. Holcomb’s mask mandate executive order
The day after Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb announced he would sign an executive order mandating wearing masks in public, Attorney General Curtis Hill stated the state legislature should make that decision.
The governor announced Wednesday afternoon that beginning July 27 anyone ages 8 and older will have to wear a mask in any indoor public or business areas and at outdoor public spaces when sufficient distancing can’t be maintained.
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By Wednesday evening, Hill issued an advisory opinion stating the governor should call a special legislative session to consider a statewide mask mandate instead of issuing an executive order, according to a statement from Hill’s office.
Read more here. —Alexandra Kukulka
3:54 p.m.: US coronavirus cases pass 4 million as jobless claims rise, cutoff of $600 unemployment benefit nears
The nation got another dose of bad economic news Thursday as the number of laid-off workers seeking jobless benefits rose last week for the first time since late March, intensifying concerns the resurgent coronavirus is stalling or even reversing the economic recovery.
And an extra $600 in weekly unemployment benefits, provided by the federal government on top of whatever assistance states provide, is set to expire at the end of the week. It is the last major source of economic help from the $2 trillion relief package that Congress approved in March. A small business lending program and one-time $1,200 payment have largely run their course.
With the count of U.S. infections passing 4 million and the aid ending, nearly 30 million unemployed people could struggle to pay rent, utilities, or other bills and economists worry that overall consumer spending will drop, adding another economic blow.
Read more here. —The Associated Press
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3:45 p.m.: More college faculty and staff add their voices to call to keep campuses mostly closed this fall
A coalition of faculty and staff from Illinois colleges and universities insisted Thursday that their institutions stick with remote learning in the fall, with very few exceptions for courses that require face-to-face interaction.
The group released a joint statement voicing their demands, which included predominantly online learning in the fall until more is understood about COVID-19, extended health insurance, more collaboration with administrators and increased attention to science, rather than economics or the need for normalcy.
“We want to speak in unity to express our concerns and demands that the latest science dictate and guide the reopening of our colleges and universities to protect the safety of our students, faculty, employees, their families and communities,” John Miller, president of University Professionals of Illinois,cq said at a Thursday press conference. “With so much still unknown about COVID-19, this is not the time to rush to reopen our institutions.”
Read more here. —Kelli Smith
1:23 p.m.: Illinois bar exam will move to remote format this year because of lingering coronavirus concerns
The Illinois bar exam, which was to take place in person in September, has been canceled and will be replaced with a remote version in October “due to continuing public health concerns raised by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Illinois Supreme Court announced Thursday.
The change comes after months of student advocacy and a letter earlier this week from nine Illinois law school deans to the court recommending a remote exam.
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Read more here. —Claire Hao
12:07 p.m.: 1,624 new known COVID-19 cases, 20 additional deaths
Illinois health officials on Thursday announced 1,624 new known cases of COVID-19 and 20 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known cases to 166,925 and the statewide death toll to 7,367 since the start of the pandemic. The state also announced the results of 39,706 new test results.
—Chicago Tribune staff
11:30 a.m.: Worries about COVID-19 spreading through the vents send building owners in search of cleaner air
There’s an invisible obstacle to reviving Chicago’s economy from the coronavirus pandemic.
Potential transmission of the virus through air conditioning and heating systems is the latest issue employers and building owners are focusing on as they prepare for more people to head back to office towers and other non-residential buildings, whether they’re office workers or school teachers and students.
Research on the coronavirus continues to evolve, and there’s no clear consensus from public health agencies on how great the threat of airborne illness is compared with close personal contact. The World Health Organization only recently acknowledged the potential for airborne transmission.
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As a precaution, some building owners are making big investments toward cleaner air. Changes to heating and cooling systems are being made late in construction or soon after a building’s completion.
Read more here. —Ryan Ori
11:15 a.m.: Elementary schools may be safer to reopen, doctors say
Elementary schools could potentially more safely reopen than schools for older students, infectious disease doctors said Thursday.
A panel with doctors from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) expressed concern about reopening schools, but also noted research that indicates younger children might be less likely to get COVID-19 or transmit it.
“There’s very good data that suggests that younger children are infected less frequently,” said Wendy Armstrong, a member of the board of directors at the IDSA and a professor at the Emory University School of Medicine. “There seems to be a difference between children under 10 and over 10.”
Opening elementary schools, versus schools with older children, “is definitely a strategy that should be considered,” she said. But even as studies indicate younger children may be less likely to have or transmit COVID, doctors emphasize that much depends on whether local cases are rising and schools use correct protocols.
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Read more here. —Alison Bowen
10:53 a.m.: Virus resurgence sends jobless claims up for first time since March
The viral pandemic's resurgence caused the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits to rise last week for the first time in nearly four months, evidence of the deepening economic pain the outbreak is causing.
The increase in weekly jobless claims to 1.4 million served to underscore the outsize role the unemployment insurance system is playing among the nation’s safety net programs — just when a $600 weekly federal aid payment for the jobless is set to expire at the end of this week.
Last week’s pace of unemployment applications — the 18th straight time it’s topped 1 million — was up from 1.3 million the previous week. Before the pandemic, applications had never exceeded 700,000. An additional 975,000 applied last week for jobless aid under a separate program that has made self-employed and gig workers eligible for the first time.
The weakening of the labor market has raised fears that the economy will shed jobs again in July, after two sharp hiring gains in May and June, and derail prospects for a recovery from the recession.
—Associated Press
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10:05 a.m.: Aurora schools to offer families choice of partial return to classes or full remote learning
West Aurora School District 129 and East Aurora School District 131 will give students options for in-person learning for part of the week and virtual learning for other days as the coronavirus pandemic continues, the districts announced Wednesday.
The models will bring students back to school campuses 2 to 3 days a week on rotating schedules.
The two plans similarly will give families an option for their children to devote their entire year to remote learning as well.
Read more here. — Linda Girardi
7:30 a.m.: Group of unionized university faculty to call for online classes
A group of higher education unions was scheduled to hold an online news conference Thursday morning to call on Illinois colleges and universities to hold online classes this fall because of the dangers of the spread of the coronavirus.
A group of unions including the University Professionals of Illinois, the Cook County College Teachers Union , the UIC United Faculty, the Columbia College Chicago Faculty Union, and the Illinois Education Association - Higher Education Council planned to “demand that campus presidents put science before politics and economics,” according to a news release.
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—Chicago Tribune staff
6 a.m.: Can endowment funds make up for pandemic losses? At Chicago’s big institutions, leaders balance tomorrow’s stability against today’s needs
As cultural organizations across the city have laid off workers and otherwise tightened their belts in anticipation of dismal revenues at least through 2020 and likely beyond, a question keeps coming up: What about the endowment?
Many of Chicago’s most prominent arts institutions have big piles of money on their balance sheets, hundreds of millions of dollars earning revenue that contributes mightily to the annual budget. And if a once-in-a-century global pandemic that forces museum and auditorium doors to shut for months on end isn’t the time to tap that pile more aggressively, when is?
We put that question to leaders at a range of organizations, from Lyric Opera to the Field Museum. Some said, yes, circumstances will force them to skim some number of millions extra from the endowment to make up for COVID-19-related shortfalls. All explained that endowments come with restrictions and encumbrances that complicate the very thought of dipping into them.
But several gave a version of the same answer: not even now.
Read more here. —Steve Johnson and Howard Reich
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Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Here are five things that happened related to COVID-19 on Wednesday.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said rising COVID-19 numbers in Illinois and neighboring states show virus “remains a serious threat.”
CPS students will get the option to continue remote learning in the fall, schools chief says.
Laid-off workers brace for expiration of the extra $600 in unemployment benefits helping them get by.
United Airlines is broadening requirements for where passengers must wear masks as a surge in COVID-19 cases stalls slowly recovering interest in air travel.
Chicago tightens restrictions on workout class sizes, even as gyms say members aren’t rushing back.


chicagotribune--2020-07-23--Tighter restrictions take effect at Chicago fitness centers today, and club owners are worried

Some people have been eagerly returning , especially when it comes to activities tougher to do at home , like @ @ @ @ @ But others are still wary of venturing back to shared workout spaces , especially if @ @ @ @ @ equipment while their gym was closed , or are struggling with new financial pressure .

Daniela Spaid, center, works out with others in a high intensity strength and cardio class at FFC Lincoln Park in Chicago, July 22, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Gym-goers have been cautiously but steadily returning to health clubs and fitness studios in the 3½ weeks since those businesses were allowed to let members back in for more than personal training.
But gym operators worry a new 10-person cap on the size of indoor fitness classes, which takes effect Friday, will hamper their efforts to rebuild business after the coronavirus pandemic forced them to close temporarily. More stringent rules for bars that also take effect Friday have prompted some to call it quits for good.
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Some fitness clubs and studios were surprised by the more stringent regulations. They’ve already taken precautions like temperature checks and more aggressive cleaning, and in Chicago, members must wear masks during exercise in addition to practicing social distancing.
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Jimmie Penro, front desk receptionist, takes clients' temperatures before they enter to work out at FFC Lincoln Park in Chicago, July 22, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Teresa Delgado wipes down doors following a high-intensity strength and cardio class at FFC Lincoln Park in Chicago on July 22, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
“We definitely didn’t think we’d be the subject of being pulled back given all the vigilant measures we’re taking,” said David Blitz, CEO of Chicago-based Studio Three.
In Chicago, workout facilities were capped at 25% of their capacity, and classes had to be small enough to allow for social distancing, with no more than 50 participants. Many businesses made investments to abide by the rules and enlisted members to help, passing out bottles of hand sanitizer or disinfectant at the door.
Chicago Public Health Department Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said the city focused on group classes because they involve a higher risk than other activities, especially now that the uptick in COVID-19 cases increases the chances a participant might have the virus.
“It’s about trying to take a more surgical approach, and limiting that without totally closing things,” she said.
How big a setback the new class size limit poses depends on the type of gym.
Yan Lazaro joins others in a high-intensity strength and cardio class at FFC Lincoln Park in Chicago on July 22, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
A sign reminds people to stay a measured distance from others during a high-intensity strength and cardio class at FFC Lincoln Park in Chicago, July 22, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
For Orangetheory Fitness, 10-person classes simply aren’t sustainable, said Brad Ehrlich, CEO of Orangetheory Fitness in Illinois. Studios were designed to accommodate 24 to 40 people, depending on the location. Even allowing for social distancing, they could accommodate 18 to 21.
Ehrlich said he hasn’t decided whether the new limits could force him to shut down studios that reopened about a month ago.
“Unless this changes, you’re going to start to see fitness deserts in the city of Chicago,” he said.
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Larger fitness clubs that offer more ways to work out than group classes are getting by but say they too have to consider more drastic actions.
Daily visits to East Bank Club are down about 70%, and the club may have to lay off some of its more than 600 employees. It’s never had to resort to such measures in its 40-year history, said Mel Kleist, president and executive director.
“We kind of got looped in with the bar and restaurant scene, but we’re not busy,” said Kleist, who estimated the club has been getting about 30% of its usual daily traffic.
Teresa Delgado sanitizes weights following a high-intensity strength and cardio class at FFC Lincoln Park in Chicago on July 22, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
At Studio Three, which reopened July 1, classes have been drawing only about 10 to 12 people. The studios could accommodate as many as 27 people even with social distancing requirements, so the “slow but steady” growth Studio Three had been seeing would be curtailed, Blitz said.
A new outdoor workout space will provide extra capacity for as long as weather permits, he said.
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Some people have been eagerly returning, especially when it comes to activities tougher to do at home, like strength training or swimming. But others are still wary of venturing back to shared workout spaces, especially if they invested in home exercise equipment while their gym was closed, or are struggling with new financial pressure.
Gale Landers, founder and CEO of Fitness Formula Clubs, with 11 Chicago-area locations, was “pretty pleased” to see traffic at some clubs approaching about half the level they had at this time last year. Locations near offices have been quieter, since many people are working from home.
Jimmie Penro, front desk receptionist, fills bottles with sanitizer that is handed out to clients with a small towel and used to spray down equipment after use. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Landers estimated about 10% of clients have dropped their memberships during the pandemic, though that is roughly in line with the turnover clubs typically see, he said. Meanwhile, new membership sales have been strong since clubs reopened. The number of memberships on pause varies by location, but the “vast majority” of members have resumed paying for access to the clubs, he said.
The city hasn’t seen clusters of cases in Chicago fitness clubs but is aware of the potential for spread, said Arwady, who pointed to a situation in South Korea where 112 COVID-19 cases were linked to fitness dance classes at 12 studios. A separate study in Norway suggested gym-goers were not at greater risk of infection in places where COVID-19 case numbers are low, she said.
That’s why the city wants to respond quickly to increases in case numbers and try to head off the need to reimpose broader restrictions, especially later in the year, when people may have a harder time working out or dining outdoors, she said.
“It’s the moment now to get this as under control as we can,” she said.
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lzumbach@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-24--Black-led groups rally to defund police at site of 2016 Freedom Square Occupation near Homan Square

The problems described in the pieces published by The Guardian include denying detainees access to their lawyers as well as @ @ @ @ @ any information about the whereabouts of their clients and loved ones for hours .
The @ @ @ @ @ and led to calls for demonstrations .
But lawyers said such problems have been a @ @ @ @ @ Department for decades , not one particular to Homan Square .

Black-led groups lead a rally to defund police across from the Chicago Police Department Homan Square facility onJuly 24, 2020. The rally commemorates the 2016 Freedom Square Occupation. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Activists and protesters took to the streets again Friday afternoon on the West Side with two very different messages.
One demanded the defunding of the Police Department and for tax money to be invested in other resources while the other included prayers and urged residents and police to work together to tackle crime problems.
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Both demonstrations happened within the Harrison patrol district, which leads the city in homicides with 55 through Sunday, 13 more than the same period last year, official Chicago police statistics show.
Black-led groups lead a rally to defund police across from the Chicago police Homan Square facility, July 24, 2020. The rally commemorates the 2016 Freedom Square Occupation. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
By 4 p.m. hundreds of people gathered at a vacant lot in the 1100 block of South Homan Avenue, known as Freedom Square, setting up tents and offering food, clothes and other services for free.
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A half-hour earlier across the street, there was a police presence at a facility known as Homan Square, where Chicago police store evidence and recovered property. Some officers still work from there, assigned to units such as narcotics, forensics and gang intelligence.
Freedom Square began as a protest in 2016 where people from several activist groups camped out for 40-plus days to protest the Chicago Police Department’s Homan Square facility, where some, including a British newspaper, claimed abuse occurred.
One attendee, Trina Reynolds-Tyler, said she understands that the concept of defunding police concerns some people.
“That can be scary for people,” she said. “Especially when many people equate safety being to police.”
But Reynolds-Tyler said less money should be allocated to police and more money dedicated to public health, clean water, mental health services and housing in Chicago’s more impoverished areas.
Damon Williams, an organizer and member of the Black Abolitionist Network, agreed with Reynolds-Tyler.
“The same places where shootings are happening are the same places where the most schools have closed down, the same places where we’ve seen displacement, where we’ve seen food apartheid, where we’ve seen a closing of mental health facilities,‘' Williams said. “The resources people need to survive.”
Homan Square became controversial when a British newspaper published a series of articles in 2015 alleging that the Chicago Police Department used the facility as a “CIA-style interrogation black site” where detainees would disappear for hours. Experienced criminal defense and civil rights attorneys disputed the allegation.
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The stories had gone viral online and led to calls for demonstrations. But lawyers said such problems have been a widespread issue with the Police Department for decades, not one particular to Homan Square.
Friday’s protest, which comes one week after protesters and police clashed in Grant Park, injuring both protesters and officers, was organized by the Black Abolitionist Network and several other activist groups,
“This horrific facility symbolizes how policing as a system is oppressive and abusive and should push us to demand new structures,” said Williams. “Freedom Square, as a space grounded in love and community, aims to be the antithesis of state violence, a place to imagine and build healthier relationships between human beings.”
By 7:15 p.m., activists began spilling into the street and were on the move, marching south through the neighborhood.
Meanwhile, about 3 miles away and in the same patrol district, residents on a Humboldt Park block held an event centered around police and residents working together to tackle crime problems within the community.
The anti-crime event was held in the 1000 block of North Harding Avenue. That area drew negative attention nationally five years ago when 7-year-old Amari Brown was shot and killed a block over on July 4, 2015, while he was celebrating Independence Day with his family.
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A small group of people pass an vacant lot during a prayer walk on the 1000 block of North Harding Avenue in Chicago, July 24, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
On Friday, the event on Harding, between Thomas Street and Augusta Boulevard, featured a group of about 10 people from the area, including the block, who recited prayers as they walked up and down the block with some Chicago police officers. A few onlookers sat on their front porches. Others did landscaping work on a dirt patch. Another walked past the marchers and the group wished him well.
“Every cop ain’t bad. We all know that,” the block club president for Harding exclaimed to the group as they gathered in a circle before another marcher led the group in a prayer for police officers. “But you know, so we just need to pray for our officers. They get tired. You know what I mean? The stigma that’s on them. What they’re fighting.”
One of the officers who marched with the group expressed gratitude to the marchers for their support.
“We know when we’re out there, we can tell people are praying for us,” the officer told the marchers.
One marcher, Patricia Carrillo, runs a block club a few blocks away near Augusta and Monticello Avenue, the site of an alleged heroin-dealing operation that led to about 18 people getting arrested in the last few weeks by Chicago police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. At least one block over there on North Monticello needed a police presence earlier this year to block off the street to curb drug-dealing and the violence that can come with it.
On Friday, Carrillo said at the Harding prayer walk event that life along the stretch of Monticello has gotten better since law enforcement made the drug busts.
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“Now it’s like, ‘Wow!' All my neighbors from over there are happy,” she said. “When they come outside they’re like, ‘Oh my God. This is so much better.‘”
“We always call the police,” she said. “We cannot go against them. Never.”
Harding’s block club president, who declined to be identified for this story out of safety concerns, has seen the value in working with the police to make her block safer. She and other residents have contacted their police commander and alderman for the neighborhood for help in getting drug dealers away from their homes.
“When I moved here ... people started showing up selling drugs and I’m like, ‘Whoa, what are you doing? Move around.’ And it became very violent,” said the Harding block club president. “But then I began to pray.”
Inez Washington, who has lived on the block for about 30 years, agreed.
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“I want my police and I don’t want to defund them,” she said, as she and other marchers stood not far from Thomas and Harding. “This corner was terrible. It was awful. We couldn’t even stand up here ... Things are definitely changing for the better.”
jaanderson@chicagotribune.com
jgorner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-28--5 people wounded in shooting in Burnside neighborhood on South Side

Three victims were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center , one was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center @ @ @ @ @ to Advocate Trinity Hospital , all in critical condition , officials said .

Chicago police officers exit a crime scene in the 700 block of East 92nd Place in Chicago where one person was killed and four others wounded in a shooting on July 27, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
A young man was killed and four others wounded Monday evening in a shooting in the Burnside neighborhood on the South Side, authorities said.
The shooting occurred outside a two-story frame house on the southeastern corner of East 92nd Place and Langley Avenue just after 6:20 p.m.
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Two men, both 22, were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where one who was wounded in his back was pronounced dead, according to police. He later was identified as D’Andre Anderson of the 800 block of East 89th Place, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said Tueday morning.
The second man, who was wounded in the left buttock, was listed in critical condition.
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Chicago police officers on the scene where one person was killed and four others were wounded following a shooting in the Burnside neighborhood on July 27, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Two other men, 26 and 24, were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where both were listed in good condition. The fifth victim, a 25-year-old woman, was taken to Advocate Trinity Hospital in Chicago, where she was also listed in good condition.
Police at the scene said it appeared that at least one gunman got out of a white vehicle and opened fire on the group as they stood on the home’s porch. Chicago fire officials initially issued a call for additional medical personnel to help assist all of the victims, according to a department spokesman.
Police evidence technicians marked about 15 bullet casing on the sidewalk and street corner outside the home, as detectives conducted their investigation inside. Outside, only a handful of neighbors stood watch while detectives began their canvass for eyewitnesses.
The Burnside neighborhood, which served as home for a generation of steelworkers and a former hub for the old Illinois Central Railroad, has seen this type of violence before. A few blocks away, gunmen opened fire on mourners attending a funeral for a local rapper in October 2018.
Earlier in the day, Chicago police Superintendent David Brown announced the formation of two citywide units to help quell such sudden outbreaks of violence.
No arrests have been made.
wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Chicago Irish pub Cork & Kerry closed after citations for breaking COVID-19 guidelines

Bill Guide , who has owned the bar since 2003 , said Monday that the investigators got the wrong picture @ @ @ @ @ and that all the people in the bar were employees who were cleaning after the @ @ @ @ @ , a spokesperson for BACP said the people sitting and standing around the bar were @ @ @ @ @ were able to prove they worked there .
The fact that the Sunday incident occurred @ @ @ @ @ the first citation this weekend prompted BACP Commissioner Rosa Escareño to close the business , @ @ @ @ @

Cork & Kerry, sometimes called "the soul of Beverly," must submit a compliance plan before it can legally reopen. (Roger Wolski Photo)
Cork & Kerry, an Irish pub in West Beverly sometimes called “the soul of Beverly,” was closed by the city Sunday after repeated violations of COVID-19 guidelines, according to Ald. Matthew J. O’Shea, of the 19th Ward.
City investigators were sent to the restaurant after the alderman’s office received a written complaint of an employee testing positive for COVID-19 last week and forwarded it to the Chicago Department of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection.
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Friday night, an investigator visited Cork & Kerry and found no violations. But a few hours later, early on Saturday around 1 a.m., BACP investigators found the bar still operating and issued a citation, according to the BACP.
The next day, a follow-up inspection (which is part of enforcement strategies) shortly after midnight found that people were still in the bar, and that employees and patrons were not wearing face coverings, according to a statement by the BACP. Additional citations were issued.
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Bill Guide, who has owned the bar since 2003, said Monday that the investigators got the wrong picture during the second visit, and that all the people in the bar were employees who were cleaning after the bar had closed. However, a spokesperson for BACP said the people sitting and standing around the bar were drinking, and only some were able to prove they worked there. The fact that the Sunday incident occurred less than 24 hours after the first citation this weekend prompted BACP Commissioner Rosa Escareño to close the business, according to the BACP.
“This is ridiculous,” said Guide, who said he believes he’s being unfairly targeted. “It’s not right. We’re doing everything we can to abide by these rules that change on a weekly basis.”
The business closure order requires the business to submit a plan to safely reopen in compliance with the Health Department and the Local Liquor Control Commissioner. It can only reopen once this plan is approved.
This wasn’t the first time Cork & Kerry has been issued citations related to COVID-19, according to Guide. The bar, which does not have a retail food license, was open and operating indoors during phase three, which only allowed for outdoor restaurant service, according to a BACP spokesperson. It was cited for that alleged violation June 5.
Guide blamed the rules issued by the city, saying he misinterpreted the rule about having a food license on the premises, and thought that if he had a food truck with a food license that he would also be covered. A BACP spokesperson said there was no food truck operating on-site at the time of the investigation.
“We’re just trying to pay our bills,” Guide said. He noted that he is not sure how much money he will pay in fines because his original meeting date with the city from the June violation was rescheduled and he has not received any information for a new one pertaining to the more recent violations.
Since June 3, BACP has conducted 784 investigations, issued 130 warnings or notices to correct, cited 48 businesses and ordered the immediate closure of three businesses. Wise Owl Drinkery and Cookhouse on the Near West Side was closed two weeks ago, and Chicago Lakefront Cruises was closed three weeks ago.
“Irresponsible actions like this put our entire city at risk and will not be tolerated,” said a BACP spokesperson in an email.
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gwong@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--‘We have to learn how to live with COVID,’ Chicago schools chief says, but parents remain leery abou

‘We have to learn how to live with COVID,’ Chicago schools chief says, but parents remain leery about fall reopening plan

“ Even with what we know about COVID and the risk being minimal for children , the thought of one @ @ @ @ @ out , so we want to make sure people understand we take that seriously , @ @ @ @ @ But I think the point to underscore here is we have to learn how to @ @ @ @ @ , whether we ’ re talking about schools , going to the grocery store , @ @ @ @ @ or recreational things .
”

Hundreds of messages from parents and educators flooded in as soon as the Chicago Public Schools’ first fall reopening feedback meeting Monday opened up to the audience for questions — many doubting the district’s safety protocols and wanting more detail for what happens when someone in school tests positive for COVID-19.
In response to many of the concerns, CPS officials repeatedly highlighted the district’s proposal to split students into “pods” of 15 to minimize contact with other classmates.
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CPS CEO Janice Jackson said coronavirus will likely be a concern “not just for a few months until a magical vaccination appears” but for the next year-and-a-half to two years.
“Even with what we know about COVID and the risk being minimal for children, the thought of one child getting it freaks everyone out, so we want to make sure people understand we take that seriously,” Jackson said. “But I think the point to underscore here is we have to learn how to live with COVID, period, whether we’re talking about schools, going to the grocery store, doing the most mundane things or recreational things.”
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As concerns over ventilation, cleaning and PPE continued to pour in, a visibly frustrated Jackson again said that the district’s hybrid plan will have to be implemented at some point, even if that is not when the school year starts on Sept. 8. She and CPS officials emphasized the district will only reopen if they believe it is safe to do so.
“All of us know that it’s not safe in our environment and that COVID is a risk,” Jackson said. “But we do know a heck of a lot more today than we did back in March about how to do that safely and that’s what we’re talking about today. ... You can’t talk about and expect perfection in the school setting when people are still doing things outside of the school setting.”
Monday’s session was the first in a series of five feedback meetings, some in English and some in Spanish, to seek community input on the district’s hybrid reopening proposal for the fall, which calls for students to spend two days receiving in-person instruction and the rest through virtual or live online classes. Jackson said the majority of those tuning in to the feedback meeting were CPS parents, according to a poll filled out by attendees at the beginning of the virtual feedback meeting. Teachers, principals and other staff also listened in.
Under the preliminary framework, high school juniors and seniors would take fully remote classes because of their diverse course loads. But Jackson said the district has received much feedback from students and parents on this part of the proposal and is in “a place where we’re continuing to look at our plan.”
As seen in the poll, the meeting included representation from all across the city, Jackson said. CPS has also released a survey, which closes July 31, to gather responses on the draft proposal. Jackson said the survey has seen responses from about 60,000 parents, more than 10,000 staff, more than 6,000 students and about 4,000 other community members.
About 1,800 people participated in Monday’s session, according to CPS.
After hearing input, Jackson said the district plans to release an updated plan in early August.
Many in the chat wanted to know how schools will respond when someone tests positive for the virus.
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“This is where the pod becomes so important,” said CPS Chief Health Officer Kenneth Fox. The infected individual would report the case through a specific channel in CPS, and everyone in the affected pod would then quarantine for 14 days, Fox said.
“We may have to close a pod. We might have to close two pods,” Fox said. “But the good thing is that by controlling who interacts with whom, we know who the direct contacts could be, and we know in a targeted way what pod to shut down.”
CPS proposed a hybrid format for the fall two weeks ago, and it drew immediate criticism from the Chicago Teachers Union, which has argued that remote classes must continue for the health and safety of teachers, staff and students.
CPS Chief Facilities Officer Clarence Carson reassured parents that the district has bought large amounts of cleaning and protective materials such as face masks, hand sanitizer dispensers and thermometers.
“I know a lot of people might have a hard time understanding it because when you go to the store, these items are not as readily available,” Carson said. “But on a district level, we’ve been able to acquire a lot of these materials.”
Jackson emphasized multiple times Monday that families can choose all-remote learning options for their children. However, she said parents can’t “opt in and out, because you’re breaking the pod.”
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“This whole model is to limit the interaction, so what we are calling for is if you make that determination, you are committing to that for a quarter,” Jackson said.
Though teachers who are high risk can seek to opt out of teaching in-person, Jackson has previously said “the expectation will be that everybody else comes to work.” As the school year draws near, teachers are escalating their demands for all-online learning. Dozens of educators across Illinois have expressed a host of concerns, many hoping for more details about how students and teachers will be protected.
Some in the chat questioned whether teachers would become vectors for the virus by moving from pod to pod to teach. Jackson said the administrators are evaluating the maximum number of pods teachers will be allowed to see.
Despite the district’s efforts to increase access to technology, remote learning in the spring saw wide disparities in participation between white and Black students in CPS. The city has also announced a plan to provide free Internet to more than 100,000 students.
The district considered other options, including both full-time in-person learning and full-time remote learning, said CPS Chief Education Officer LaTanya McDade. Administrators believe the hybrid model strikes the best compromise, McDade said, between safety and learning needs, especially for the neediest students.
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“While (full-time remote learning) offers the lowest risk of spreading COVID-19, it also poses significant challenges to learning particularly for our most vulnerable student populations,” McDade said. A hybrid model “balances the critical need for health and safety mandates with the value of in-person learning.”
Molly DiRago, a CPS parent of two kids at A.N. Pritzker Public School, said she registered for the session this morning but never received a link to the meeting. A number of parents commented that they were not emailed the meeting link on a CPS Facebook post.
Because some people had trouble accessing the session link, DiRago said she’s doubtful the meetings are “not just optics. Right now it feels like all they want is for people to see they’re holding a meeting.”
She and her husband are both lawyers, and DiRago said they have “a very vested interest in getting our kids to school.” She said unlike some parents, she thinks pods could work. However, she has many unanswered questions, particularly about how remote learning will be improved for the fall, which is why she had hoped to attend Monday’s session.
“I think kids learn and they’re more resilient than people give them credit, but I want information so I know how it is going to work,” DiRago said.
chao@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,231 new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported as Chicago adds Wiscons

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,231 new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported as Chicago adds Wisconsin to quarantine list and Pritzker visits downstate counties hit with outbreaks

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Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois health officials on Monday announced 1,231 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 18 additional deaths. It was the sixth straight day with more than 1,200 new cases. That brings the state total to 172,655 cases and 7,416 deaths.
The announcement came as Gov. J.B. Pritzker appeared with officials in two downstate counties that have seen coronavirus outbreaks. The governor joined local officials in downtown Quincy in Adams County — one of four counties placed on a “warning level” for COVID-19 last week — and hinted the state would take action if infection rates worsen.
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In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday said people who have spent more than 24 hours in Wisconsin will soon be required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon entering city. Wisconsin becomes the 19th state from which travelers are being told to self-quarantine due to concerns over high coronavirus case rates.
Meanwhile, Northwestern Medicine is searching for 5,000 Chicago adults to partake in clinical trials aimed at understanding COVID-19 prevention, including potential vaccines, according to a Monday news release. Researchers are asking for participants who are at high risk for being exposed to COVID-19. The first study is expected to launch in August, and it will explore a potential vaccine for COVID-19.
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[ Illinois’ new COVID-19 plan: How the state will manage any outbreaks in 3 charts ]
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
[ Schools reopening tracker: What suburban Chicago districts are planning for the fall ]
[ 20 questions about assessing your COVID-19 risk at restaurants, gyms and more ]
Here’s what’s happening Monday regarding COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
8:43 p.m. (update): White Sox manager Rick Renteria is sidelined for precautionary reasons after coming down with a cough and nasal congestion
The Chicago White Sox began their first road trip of the pandemic-shortened season with manager Rick Renteria sidelined.
Renteria awoke Monday morning with a slight cough and nasal congestion and was not with the team before Monday night’s game against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field was postponed because of rain.
“After consulting with our team doctors, Ricky underwent precautionary testing (Monday) at a Cleveland hospital,” Sox general manager Rick Hahn said in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, Ricky will remain at the team hotel and not manage until we receive confirmation of (Monday’s) test result.”
Hahn’s statement didn’t specify that Renteria was being tested for COVID-19. A Sox spokesman called it “a precaution due to the current circumstances.”
Read more here. —LaMond Pope
4:17 p.m.: Notre Dame withdraws as host of presidential debate amid outbreak
The University of Notre Dame has become the second university to withdraw as the host of one of this fall’s three scheduled presidential debates amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The university was set to host the inaugural face-off between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden on Sept. 29. The first debate will now be hosted by Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates announced Monday.
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Read more here. — The Associated Press
2:50 p.m.: Pritzker visits downstate counties hit with COVID-19 outbreaks: ‘What’s happening here ... is alarming’
As Gov. J.B. Pritzker appeared with officials in two downstate counties that have seen coronavirus outbreaks, Illinois on Monday reported 1,231 new known cases of COVID-19, the sixth straight day the tally has topped 1,200.
Eighteen more deaths were confirmed, most of them from Cook County and the rest from DuPage, Peoria and Winnebago counties.
Since the pandemic began, a total of 7,416 deaths and 172,655 cases of coronavirus have been reported in Illinois.
Earlier Monday, Pritzker joined local officials in downtown Quincy in Adams County, in one of four counties placed on a “warning level” for COVID-19 last week, and hinted the state would take action if infection rates worsen.
As of Monday, the seven-day positivity rate for Region 3, which includes Adams County, had increased to 3.8%, Pritzker said. A county health official stated at the news conference that Adams County has 340 reported cases of COVID-19.
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“What’s happening here in Adams County is alarming,” Pritzker said. “And if these trends continue in the negative direction, the state will need to take immediate action to impose additional mitigations to slow the spread and keep more people from getting sick.”
Besides Adams County, LaSalle County, just outside the Chicago area, and Peoria County, as well as rural Randolph County in southwest Illinois, were put on a “warning level” Friday. The four counties all saw outbreaks of coronavirus recently related to various risk factors, according to state officials.
Read more here. —Alice Yin
2:40 p.m.: People coming to Chicago from Wisconsin will have to self-quarantine for 14 days under latest coronavirus order from Lightfoot
People who have spent more than 24 hours in Wisconsin will soon be required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon entering Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday.
Wisconsin becomes the 19th state from which travelers are being told to self-quarantine due to concerns over high coronavirus case rates. Lightfoot, who said Wisconsin will be added to the list later this week, didn’t offer further details during an afternoon press conference.
Lightfoot’s self-quarantine requirement was first implemented during the Fourth of July weekend but is not being actively enforced aside from signs and billboards telling people that they must self-quarantine. The order figures to be particularly problematic with Wisconsin, given its proximity and the high number of people from Illinois who spend weekends and vacations there.
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The order requires people who have spent more than 24 hours in high-risk states to self-quarantine for 14 days after entering Chicago. States already on the list include Florida, Arizona, Louisiana, Alabama, Nevada, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Idaho, California, Arkansas, Utah, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Iowa.
Exceptions include essential workers, those coming here for medical treatment and those for whom “self-quarantine is not possible, practicable or advisable.” The order also does not apply to people who are at the airport for a connecting flight, or are driving through the city on their way elsewhere.
Nobody has been fined yet, and Lightfoot on Monday said she’s trying to “educate” people into compliance.
Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
2:06 p.m.: Responding to conflict, Greenhouse Theater will no longer create shows — though rental stages remain
William Spatz, the co-owner of the Greenhouse Theater Center, said Monday that he no longer intends to produce theater at the multi-space Lincoln Park venue located at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., formerly the home of the Victory Gardens Theater.
Spatz, who shares ownership of the space with his wife, Wendy Spatz, cited online attacks on the couple following their decision to re-open the theater with a production of a musical revue, “Judy & Liza.”
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“The Facebook mob impugned our characters, our reputations, and our contributions to the community,” Spatz wrote in a lengthy letter to the theater community. “There was little nuance, thoughtful suggestions, nor any kindness from our fellow theater producers and creators. We were all swept up in one big pile and treated like total dirt.”
The producers and creative team of “Judy & Liza” said that they had decided to close Sunday night.
“We sincerely thought that our attempt to create a safe production with a two-person cast and a widely-spaced, mask-wearing audience would be met with interest by the theatre community as a possible way forward,” said musical director Robert Ollis, in a shared statement, “but our well-meaning experiment received vocal condemnation, which we heard and are responding to. We love the theatre and had no intention of causing distress or danger to anyone.”
Spatz struck a very different tone, referencing “the self-destructive nature of the theater community and the harm caused by the herd mentality on Facebook.” He said he did not regret his decision to produce the show, which he said followed state and city Phase 4 guidelines, had rigorous safety precautions in place, and attracted only about 20 people to each of three weekend performances in a 200-seat theater.
Read more here. —Chris Jones
1:42 p.m. (update): Cork & Kerry closed by city for violating COVID-19 guidelines
Cork & Kerry, an Irish pub in West Beverly sometimes called “the soul of Beverly,” was closed by the city Sunday after repeated violations of COVID-19 guidelines, according to a news release from Alderman Matthew J. O’Shea of the 19th Ward.
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City investigators were sent to the restaurant after the alderman’s office received a written complaint of an employee testing positive for COVID-19 last week and forwarded it to the Chicago Department of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection. Early Saturday morning, the BACP issued citations to the restaurant when investigators found it operating after midnight and employees and patrons not wearing face coverings. The next day, a follow-up inspection found the same conditions, according to a statement by the BACP. Additional citations were issued.
This wasn’t the first time Cork & Kerry has been issued citations related to COVID-19. The bar, which does not have a retail food license, was open and operating during phase three, which only allowed for outdoor restaurant service. It was cited for this alleged violation June 5.
Read more here. —Grace Wong
1 p.m.: Lightfoot announces $33 million in housing assistance grants, including mortgage and rent relief, from federal coronavirus relief funds
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday announced that $33 million in funding from the federal coronavirus relief bill will go toward housing grants, including mortgage and rental assistance for city residents.
Residents can apply for a series of programs through the city’s website at chi.gov/housinghelp.
For those making up to 50% of the area’s median income, the city will provide between three and six months of rental support through the Department of Family and Support Services, with the amount of the award based on need, officials said.
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Half the funds will go toward those making less than 15% of the area’s median income, the city said. That application opens July 27 and closes Aug. 10.
Through the Department of Housing, the city will provide grants between $2,000 and $3,000 depending on need, available to those earning up to 60% of the area’s median income, which is $67,000 for a two-person household. That application also opens July 27 and closes Aug. 10.
Lightfoot’s housing department will also provide mortgage assistance, up to $3,300, to those whose income is at or below 120% of the area’s median income. The funding would be paid directly to the lenders, the city said. That applications opens Aug. 3, and the city didn’t say when it would close.
In addition, the city will work with Lawyers Committee for Better Housing to provide no-cost legal defense in eviction court for people making 60% of the area median income or below.
Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
12:55 p.m.: Northwestern seeks 5,000 volunteers to participate in COVID-19 vaccine trials
Northwestern Medicine is searching for 5,000 Chicago adults to partake in clinical trials aimed at understanding COVID-19 prevention, including potential vaccines, according to a Monday news release.
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Researchers are asking for participants who are at high risk for being exposed to COVID-19. The first study is expected to launch in August, and it will explore a potential vaccine for COVID-19. Earlier phases of the same study showed the drug safely increased antibody responses, the release said. Antibodies are proteins that fight viruses and bacteria in the body.
People who agree to be on the registry for clinical trials will be contacted when studies match their health profiles. Participants will not receive compensation for being part of clinical trials. The trials will take place at Lake Forest Hospital, Central DuPage Hospital and the downtown Chicago campus.
Participants from high risk backgrounds include retail workers, health care professionals and public transportation employees. Others who live or work in crowded facilities, like nursing homes, are included in this group.
The clinical trials need people from groups that are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, including African American, Latinx and Native American residents. Older people and those with health conditions are also encouraged to participate.
”We are casting a really wide net so we can make sure we have enough people identified and ready to go for upcoming studies,” said Dr. Karen Krueger, principle investigator of the registry and Northwestern Medicine physician and instructor. “This is vital to individuals’ and community health during the coronavirus pandemic.”
People who want to participate can call 312-694-0414, email nuvaccinestudy@northwestern.edu or find the consent form here.
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—Sydney Czyzon
12:30 p.m.: CPS parents skeptical of health protocols as officials emphasize student pods to promote safety
Hundreds of messages from parents and educators flooded in as soon as the Chicago Public Schools’ first fall reopening feedback meeting Monday opened up to the audience for questions — many doubting the district’s safety protocols and wanting more detail for what happens when someone in school tests positive for COVID-19.
In response to many of the concerns, CPS officials repeatedly highlighted the district’s proposal to split students into “pods” of 15 to minimize contact with other classmates.
CPS CEO Janice Jackson said coronavirus will likely be a concern “not just for a few months until a magical vaccination appears” but for the next year-and-a-half to two years.
“Even with what we know about COVID and the risk being minimal for children, the thought of one child getting it freaks everyone out, so we want to make sure people understand we take that seriously,” Jackson said. “But I think the point to underscore here is we have to learn how to live with COVID, period, whether we’re talking about schools, going to the grocery store, doing the most mundane things or recreational things.”
As concerns over ventilation, cleaning and PPE continued to pour in, a visibly frustrated Jackson again said that the district’s hybrid plan will have to be implemented at some point, even if that is not when the school year starts on Sept. 8. She and CPS officials emphasized the district will only reopen if they believe it is safe to do so.
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Read more here. —Claire Hao
11:20 a.m.: Youth baseball ramps up in Chicago’s suburbs, with coronavirus restrictions in place
Youth baseball is back in Chicago’s suburbs, with youngsters from ages 4 through high school hitting, throwing, fielding and catching with regularity.
While the game is the same for the players stepping between the white lines, just outside the playing field’s markers, fans are social distancing by sitting on portable folding chairs. The bleachers are nearly always empty.
Drew Schnurman, a catcher/third baseman for the 9U Red travel team in the Deerfield Youth Baseball and Softball Association, didn’t seem to mind.
”It feels great to be able to play baseball and be with my friends again,” he said.
Schnurman is among hundreds of youngsters who started playing games as early as June 26 when house and travel teams began competing with the arrival of phase four of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan.
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Read more here. —Steve Sadin
10:20 a.m.: There will be a Lollapalooza of sorts after all, a virtual event to be hosted on YouTube, with old and new content
No flower crowns, no underbutt, no stepping on smushed piles of uncertain provenance as you rush to a stage. Is it really Lollapalooza without sunburn, sore feet, the incessant thump of Perry’s and a weekend of human pinball are questions you will have to answer for yourself, but virtual Lolla is happening.
There are lots of twists, but the biggest thing about this year’s event, scheduled to take place over the same four days — Thursday to Aug. 2 — is that it’s free. All of it.
It’s a “four-night broadcast event” exclusively on YouTube that will include more than 150 performances and appearances. There will be fan favorite sets from previous festivals (including international editions), original performances and classic sets. Yeah, you were there for LCD Soundsystem, Chance the Rapper, Metallica, OutKast and Paul McCartney, to name a few. But maybe your vantage point was all backs and butts, or maybe you were dog tired and heading for the exits.
This year’s virtual Lollapalooza will feature new sets from the likes of H.E.R., Kali Uchis, Kaskade, Louis the Child, Vic Mensa and other artists.
Read more here. —Kevin Williams
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9 a.m.: Target to close on Thanksgiving, joining Walmart in ending Black Friday kickoff
Target is joining Walmart in closing its stores on Thanksgiving Day, ending a decade-long tradition of jump starting Black Friday door buster sales.
The move, announced Monday, come as stores are rethinking the Black Friday in-store bargain shopping as they try to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which has seen a resurgence in a slew of states. Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, announced the move on Tuesday, and at the time, analysts expected more would follow.
Read more here. —The Associated Press
6:59 a.m.: Facing shortage, Red Cross seeking donations of plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19
The Red Cross is seeking donations of what’s known as convalescent plasma from those recovered from COVID-19 as the plasma, which studies have shown can help people recover from the coronavirus, has become harder to obtain for patients as the number of virus cases increases across the country.
“Convalescent plasma is plasma that is collected from patients who have recovered from an infection and have antibodies that might help fight that infection—in this case, those who have fully recovered from COVID-19,” according to a Red Cross news release.
“The Red Cross has seen demand for convalescent plasma more than double over the last month as the number of coronavirus cases increases across the U.S.,” according to the release.
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The plasma is “now being distributed faster than donations are coming in,” according to the Red Cross.
Anyone who’s had a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis and has fully recovered is asked to sign up to donate at RedCrossBlood.org/plasma4covid.
Those who donate between Aug. 1 and Sept. 3 will be given $5 Amazon gift cards, according to the release.
The Red Cross also still needs regular blood donations, according to the agency. Anyone can download a free blood donor app, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or use what’s known as the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device.
—Chicago Tribune staff
6:45 a.m.: City to announce housing grants for people affected by COVID-19
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other city officials were expected Monday to announce grants for housing help for people affected by the coronavirus.
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Lightfoot and the city’s housing and family and support services commissioners were scheduled to hold an afternoon news conference at City Hall to announce the grants.
Check back for updates.
—Chicago Tribune staff
6 a.m.: ‘I see a disaster in the making.’ Professors slam reopening plans at Illinois colleges amid COVID-19 crisis, prompting some schools to reverse course.
Illinois State University’s first attempt to articulate its vision for reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic this fall didn’t sit well with everyone.
The plan, dubbed “Redbirds Return” after the central Illinois college’s mascot, drew swift criticism from faculty after it was shared in early June, prompting instructors to draft their own proposals and call for greater precautions when scores of students are expected to descend on campus next month. The faculty’s letter objecting to plan has been signed by more than 500 employees, students, parents and other community members.
“Since releasing the plan, we’ve received a great deal of feedback,” ISU President Larry Dietz said earlier this month. “Many faculty and staff members have also made it clear they would like a greater voice formulating plans.”
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At the same time, Dietz announced modifications the faculty had been seeking: increased flexibility to work from home, through at least December, and to teach remotely if the subject matter allows.
With the fall term rapidly approaching, faculty members at Illinois colleges are escalating their complaints and have emerged as a leading force against the resumption of in-person instruction. Their concerns, aired in petitions and debates in academic senates, are taking on renewed urgency after reports that students returning to some college towns are spreading the coronavirus at parties and other gatherings. Read more here.
—Elyssa Cherney and Claire Hao
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Here are three things that happened this weekend related to COVID-19:


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--People coming to Chicago from Wisconsin will have to self-quarantine for 14 days under latest corona

People coming to Chicago from Wisconsin will have to self-quarantine for 14 days under latest coronavirus order from Mayor Lori Lightfoot

Exceptions to the self-quarantine order include essential workers , those coming here for medical treatment and those for whom “ @ @ @ @ @ practicable or advisable.
” The order also does not apply to people who are at @ @ @ @ @ flight , or are driving through the city on their way elsewhere .

Pedestrians near the lake at Elm Park in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, on May 14, 2020. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago added Wisconsin and three other states to Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s 14-day self-quarantine order on Tuesday.
There are now 22 states from which travelers are being told to self-quarantine upon arrival in Chicago due to coronavirus concerns. The requirement covering Wisconsin, Missouri, North Dakota and Nebraska goes into effect on Friday.
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[ City threatens fines for Chicagoans who don’t self-quarantine upon return from Wisconsin. Up north, concerns are few: ‘I don’t think people are going to listen to it.’ ]
Lightfoot’s self-quarantine requirement was first implemented during the Fourth of July weekend but is not being actively enforced aside from signs and billboards telling people that they must self-quarantine.
The order figures to be particularly problematic with Wisconsin, given its proximity and the high number of people from Illinois who spend weekends and vacations there. Many Illinois and Chicago residents, including Gov. J.B. Pritzker, have homes there.
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The order requires people who have spent more than 24 hours in high-risk states to self-quarantine for 14 days after entering Chicago. States already on the list include Florida, Arizona, Louisiana, Alabama, Nevada, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Idaho, California, Arkansas, Utah, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa.
The mayor’s office said any state with an average of more than 15 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 resident population over a rolling seven-day period goes on the list.
Since July 14, Wisconsin has fluctuations in its number of new known daily cases. The state reported 964 additional cases on July 14, and 957 on Sunday, but has reached totals as high as 1,117 in the last week.
Exceptions to the self-quarantine order include essential workers, those coming here for medical treatment and those for whom “self-quarantine is not possible, practicable or advisable.” The order also does not apply to people who are at the airport for a connecting flight, or are driving through the city on their way elsewhere.
Also exempted, according to the mayor’s office are sports teams — the Milwaukee Brewers were in town to play the Chicago Cubs over the weekend.
Nobody has been fined yet for failing to follow the order, and Lightfoot on Monday said she’s trying to “educate” people into compliance.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--The Spin: Mayor to add Wisconsin to Chicago’s quarantine list | Sign of the times: ‘Catanzara for Ma

The Spin: Mayor to add Wisconsin to Chicago’s quarantine list | Sign of the times: ‘Catanzara for Mayor’ | Countdown to Biden picking running mate

The letter comes on the heels of the White House announcing it would be sending an additional 150 FBI and @ @ @ @ @ beef up existing operations here as violent crime ticks up .
The letter reads in @ @ @ @ @ NOT trust any promises that President Trump has made or will make about their deployment @ @ @ @ @ immediately cease any existing or planned city police and county sheriff cooperation with the federal @ @ @ @ @ pledged to send to Chicago.
” Read the full letter , including which elected leaders @ @ @ @ @

Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced today that Wisconsin will be added to the list of states where anyone spending 24 hours or more will be directed to self-quarantine for 14 days. That could get tricky for Gov. Pritzker, who has a farm and a vacation home up north, calls Chicago home but also resides at the governor’s mansion in Springfield,
Chicago’s controversial police union boss was among the speakers at a combo pro-police and pro-Republican-candidates event over the weekend, with some very professional looking “John Catanzara for Mayor” signs that caught eagle-eyed reporter Stacy St. Clair’s attention.
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He told the crowd Saturday and The Spin today that he was trying to needle Mayor Lori Lightfoot “who’s accused me of being political” and wasn’t interested in running for public office.
And we’re just days away from learning who presumed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will select as his running mate. While the conventional wisdom is that he will pick from among a handful of African American women, several observers say you still can’t discount Illinois U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth from the running.
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Welcome to The Spin.
Traffic on the inbound Kennedy Expressway on Wednesday, July 8, 2020. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s Gregory Pratt: “People who have spent more than 24 hours in Wisconsin will soon be required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon entering Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday. The Pritzker family has a horse farm in Racine and his family visited the farm during Illinois’ coronavirus stay-at-home order.
“Wisconsin becomes the 19th state from which travelers are being told to self-quarantine due to concerns over high coronavirus case rates. Lightfoot, who said Wisconsin will be added to the list later this week, didn’t offer further details during an afternoon press conference.
Pratt notes that the order figures to be particularly problematic with Wisconsin, given its proximity and the high number of people from Illinois who spend weekends and vacations there. The order requires people who have spent more than 24 hours in high-risk states to self-quarantine for 14 days after entering Chicago.
Mayor Lightfoot announces $33 million in housing assistance grants, including mortgage and rent relief, from federal COVID-19 funds: Pratt has the details here.
CPS parents skeptical of health protocols as officials emphasize student pods to promote safety: The Tribune’s Claire Hao has the details here.
Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara, speaks in support of Chicago police and Trump during a rally near the Columbus statue site in Grand Park, Saturday July 25, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
During a weekend rally in downtown Chicago aimed at supporting police and Republican candidates for office, “John Catanzara, the frequently-disciplined cop who leads the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, wore a ‘Cops for Trump’ shirt and said, ‘We need to push back on the politicians who are ruining this city, county and state,‘” my Tribune colleagues write. Read the full story here.
Also spotted: a “John Catanzara for Mayor” sign that, he told The Spin this morning, was “a gag, sort of a jab at the mayor for saying I was political.” Earlier this month, he wrote a letter to President Trump and asked for the aid of federal law enforcement to help put a lid on rising crime, while also criticizing the mayor. The mayor’s office called the letter a “political stunt.”
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Asked whether he has considered running for office he said “No, I’m obviously — my primary concern is to get a contract done.” Another priority — campaigning to see to it that top prosecutor Kim Foxx loses her reelection bid, something FOP officials have been hot on since the Jussie Smollett controversy began.
While at one point in the interview adamant that he wouldn’t run for public office, he followed up by saying “Who knows what the future holds?”
Asked for a response, Lightfoot’s political director Dave Mellet told The Spin in a statement: “Mayor Lightfoot is focused on stopping COVID-19, supporting families struggling with the crisis, reforming the Police Department and many other urgent issues our city faces and is giving no consideration to the next municipal election at this time.” It should be noted that the next mayoral election is in 2023.
About contract negotiations: Lightfoot didn’t respond directly to a question about how all of this barb-trading might affect negotiations between the city and the union that represents the thousands of rank-and-file officers. She said negotiations are ongoing and that the terms would conform to the federal consent decree that calls for sweeping changes in policy and training.
Cantanzara, wearing a “Cops for Trump T-shirt,” says officers need to take this fight to the ballot boxes. Cook SA Kim Foxx is no. 1 target — Stacy St. Clair (@StacyStClair) July 25, 2020
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A work crew removes the Columbus statue in Grant Park in the early hours of Friday July 24, 2020, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot talked publicly for the first time about her decision to remove the Christopher Columbus statues in Grant Park and Little Italy early Friday, the former the scene of a brutal clash between police and protesters.
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Some of my journalist colleagues are comparing Lightfoot’s call to then-Mayor Richard M. Daley’s 2003 middle-of-the-night closure — OK, destruction, bulldozers gouged Xs in the north-south runway — of Meigs Field, the small lakefront airport on Northerly Island.
“I wanted to make sure that we did it as quickly as possible, and we received some information that day ... that raised some very serious public safety concerns. I didn’t want to wait,” the mayor said, declining to elaborate on what she had learned. The Tribune’s John Byrne has the details here.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot takes announces a new broadband initiative for students at Evergreen Academy Middle School in Chicago on June 25, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
In a letter released over the weekend, activists and dozens of elected leaders, from members of the General Assembly to Chicago aldermen, asked Mayor Lightfoot and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart to not allow police and county law enforcement to work with federal law enforcement deployed by Trump administration.
The letter comes on the heels of the White House announcing it would be sending an additional 150 FBI and other law enforcement agents to beef up existing operations here as violent crime ticks up. The letter reads in part: “We DO NOT trust any promises that President Trump has made or will make about their deployment. We ask that you immediately cease any existing or planned city police and county sheriff cooperation with the federal agents that President Trump has pledged to send to Chicago.” Read the full letter, including which elected leaders signed it, here.
Asked about this during a news conference, the mayor said only: “I have not seen that letter, so I really can’t comment.”
She has welcomed the additional law enforcement officers but is also skeptical because it’s coming at the behest of the Trump White House. She has requested — and White House officials have confirmed — that the dispatch of added law enforcement won’t look like what’s happening in Oregon, where activists and elected leaders have accused fatigue-wearing Homeland Security agents of pulling protesters off the streets and putting them into unmarked vans.
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U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D.-Ill., participates in a reenacted swearing-in with Vice President Joe Biden in 2017. (Aaron P. Bernstein / Getty Images)
USA Today and other news outlets have reported that Biden expects to announce a running mate around Aug. 1. We know that U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth is in the running, per U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin.
Duckworth has politely and artfully begged off on all manner of questions about everything from confirming she’s a contender to what it’s like to be in the running.
Biden’s campaign didn’t offer any updates on his pick today and Duckworth’s political team didn’t immediately respond to a question about whether she’s heard from the Biden campaign.
Former first lady Michelle Obama’s first podcast guest will be former President Barack Obama: In a preview released in recent days, husband and wife go back and forth with the president saying “You know me” and Michelle Obama responding, “You are the eternal optimist, (the) ‘yes we can man.’ “He laughs and parrots “I’m the ‘yes we can man.’”
“The Michelle Obama Podcast: kicks off Wednesday on Spotify.
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.
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