chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: State expects to get 109,000 vaccination doses initially, enough fo

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: State expects to get 109,000 vaccination doses initially, enough for 54,500 people

While people around the world wait for the authorization and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines that will eventually allow for a @ @ @ @ @ young children may have to wait longer .
That is spurring an urgent cry from @ @ @ @ @ in trials to reduce their delay in becoming vaccinated .

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CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois plans to distribute its initial allocation of roughly 109,000 doses of a new COVID-19 vaccine to the 50 counties across the state with the highest death rates from the virus, the state’s top public health official said Friday.
In the Chicago area, that includes Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will counties. It also includes Kankakee County but not McHenry.
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First, though, the Pfizer vaccine needs emergency use authorization from the federal Food and Drug Administration, which could come as soon as Thursday. If that happens, Illinois expects to receive its first shipment sometime during the week of Dec. 13.
Meanwhile, state health officials on Friday reported 10,526 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 148 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 770,088 and the statewide death toll to 12,974 since the start of the pandemic.
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Here’s what’s happening Friday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
9 p.m.: Striking workers reach agreement to go back to work at 11 Illinois nursing homes
Workers on strike at 11 nursing homes in Illinois said they reached a tentative agreement Friday to go back to work with raises and increased pandemic pay.
Nearly 700 members of SEIU Illinois agreed on a new three-year contract with Infinity Healthcare Management, union President Greg Kelly said. Pending expected ratification Sunday, they will go back to work Monday for what leaders described as a “family reunion” with the residents for whom they care.
Read more here. —Robert McCoppin
8:15 p.m.: A deadly second surge: COVID-19 fatalities hit a new record in Illinois nursing homes
The new COVID-19 surge is hitting Illinois’ most vulnerable residents harder than ever, with a record 480 deaths recorded in the past week among people living in long-term care facilities.
A Tribune analysis found the surge in deaths was particularly steep outside the greater Chicago area, underscoring the challenges of keeping the virus out of nursing homes and assisted living facilities when infections are spreading in the surrounding communities.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker offered a deep sigh Friday when asked what more could be done to tamp down the surge in long-term care deaths.
“This is frankly the same challenge that exists in all the other populations, and even more so, when we’re at the highest levels of the pandemic,” he told reporters.
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The latest weekly death tally was nearly double that recorded in the prior week, part of a sizable increase in deaths from earlier in the fall. The latest toll was slightly more than the number seen in the previous worst week for such deaths, during the spring surge, in early May.
Read more here. —Joe Mahr
6:05 p.m.: Illinois to distribute first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine to 50 counties with highest death rates
Illinois plans to distribute its initial allocation of roughly 109,000 doses of a new COVID-19 vaccine to the 50 counties across the state with the highest death rates from the virus, the state’s top public health official said Friday.
In the Chicago area, that includes Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will counties. It also includes Kankakee County but not McHenry.
First, though, the Pfizer vaccine needs emergency use authorization from the federal Food and Drug Administration, which could come as soon as Thursday. If that happens, Illinois expects to receive its first shipment sometime during the week of Dec. 13.
While the possibility of the first doses of an effective vaccine being administered within weeks is among the most promising news of the year, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday attempted to temper expectations about how quickly the immunization, which for the Pfizer vaccine requires two doses given three weeks apart, will be widely available.
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“No single person will be fully vaccinated even by Christmas, and it will likely be months before people with low-risk factors for COVID-19 see their first dose,” Pritzker said at his daily coronavirus briefing.
Indeed, if Illinois receives the full 109,000 doses, which is not guaranteed, it would only be enough to vaccinate a small portion of the state’s nearly 655,000 front-line health care workers and more than 109,000 long-term care residents. Based on recommendations from the federal government, those two groups are first in line to be inoculated.
Read more here. —Dan Petrella and Jamie Munks
5:40 p.m.: Cook County health officials issue formal citations to suburban Hilton hotel after indoor wedding with 150 guests
Cook County health officials announced Friday that formal citations were issued to a Northbrook-area hotel following a large gathering this week and a subsequent inspection of the facilities.
A large, mostly maskless wedding event with about 150 guests was held at the Hilton Chicago/Northbrook Hotel Wednesday night, violating the state’s gathering limits aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus. Footage from the event first reported by CBS 2 showed crowded rooms full of people hugging, eating, drinking and talking in close proximity.
“The hotel, restaurant, bride, groom, caterer and guests were all reckless and irresponsible,” Dr. Rachel Rubin, a Cook County Department of Public Health senior medial officer and co-lead, said in a Friday news release. “This event was in violation of the current COVID-19 mitigation order and should not have taken place.”
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The Cook County health department announced the formal citations Friday, after Rubin said one day earlier that the department was investigating and discussing legal options.
The citations issued included a facility order to disperse for non-compliance with the the county health department’s COVID-19 mitigation order, as well as a facility notice of non-compliance for not following the Illinois Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 regulations.
Read more here. —Kaitlin Edquist
5:10 p.m.: Union League Club votes to sell its prized Monet painting to cover pandemic losses
The story of Claude Monet’s “Apple Trees in Blossom” and Chicago is long, significant and now — with the Union League Club’s decision to sell its most valuable art work to cover pandemic-year losses — potentially dire.
The painting is currently hanging in the Art Institute’s expansive “Monet in Chicago” exhibition, on loan as a focal point of the show, the first work by the noted French impressionist to be purchased by a Chicago institution.
The 23-by-29-inch springtime image of a French garden lane alongside a blooming apple tree was significant to the artist himself, Art Institute chief European curator Gloria Groom said during a “Monet in Chicago” tour in September, and became significant to the club and the city after a Union League Club member bought it from an Art Institute show in 1895 and sold it to the club, for $500.
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But the club’s current president, in a recent letter to members obtained by the Tribune, said the old-line private social club lacks “the cash resources to survive the contraction of the economy due to the pandemic.”
One of several remedies on the table, and likely to be by wide measure the most lucrative, was the Union League board’s decision to ready for sale the Monet, which the ULC website calls “the jewel of the club’s collection.” The news was first reported Thursday in Politico’s Illinois Playbook.
Read more here. —Steve Johnson
4:25 p.m.: There are more than 221,000 PPP stories in Illinois. Some small businesses got millions. One got $73.
The Paycheck Protection Program was designed to be a bridge from pandemic panic to business as usual for the stores and offices lining America’s Main Streets.
Despite the Small Business Administration approving 5.2 million loans worth $525 billion to weather the economic disruption wrought by COVID-19, many businesses have come up short.
The PPP offered businesses and nonprofits with fewer than 500 employees forgivable loans of up to $10 million, if at least 60% of the money went toward payroll. Larger companies received the lion’s share of the money, while millions of smaller beneficiaries got far less — all the way down to $1, according to data released Tuesday by the SBA.
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In Illinois, the SBA approved more than 221,000 loans totaling nearly $23 billion for the state’s businesses and nonprofits.
Here are some of their stories. —Robert Channick, Abdel Jimenez and Ryan Ori
4:20 p.m.: Biden predicts ‘bleak future’ if Congress doesn’t act on COVID-19 aid
President-elect Joe Biden is predicting a “bleak future” if Congress doesn’t take speedy action on a coronavirus aid bill amid a nationwide spike in the virus that’s hampering the country’s economic recovery.
He also expressed concern that so far he’s seen “no detailed plan” from the Trump administration on how to distribute an approved coronavirus vaccine, but said he and his team are working on their own proposal to fill in the gaps.
Biden delivered remarks Friday afternoon reacting to November’s national jobs report, which showed a sharp decrease in U.S. hiring even as the country is about 10 million jobs below pre-pandemic levels. The Democrat called the report “dire” and said it “shows the economy is stalling,” but he said quick action from Congress can halt some of the damage.
“If we act now — I mean now — we can begin to regain momentum and start to build back a better future,” he said. “There’s no time to lose.”
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Read more here. —Associated Press
3:35 p.m.: Visits, warnings and little legal action: Enforcing COVID-19 restrictions in Kane County has proved challenging
Five days after the governor’s latest prohibition on indoor dining took effect in Kane County, a sheriff’s deputy visited a Sugar Grove restaurant and found patrons sitting inside.
“I advised I was not here to enforce anything other than I was required to document, and educate on current guidelines,” the deputy wrote in an Oct. 28 report.
The next week, the deputy returned to the restaurant and again saw people dining indoors. This time, the deputy didn’t enter the restaurant “due to the upset nature of the last compliance check,” because “I did not want to further make any situation worse by entering,” according to the report. Again, the deputy was not there to enforce, but rather to document and educate on current guidelines, the report states.
The restaurant, Fireside Grille, also received a call from the county health department, general manager Dan Ferrusquia said.
Like at Fireside, much of the enforcement of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 rules in Kane County has consisted of visits, phone calls and letters or warnings to businesses, documents and interviews show. Little action has been taken through the courts, according to the state’s attorney’s office, and officials in the county’s two largest cities, Aurora and Elgin, say they have not issued any citations or fines due to COVID-19 violations.
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Instead, some city and county agencies say they lack authority to take legal action to enforce the governor’s rules or point the finger of responsibility at each other. Enforcement is patchwork, at best, leaving businesses on their own to interpret local guidance.\
Read more here. —Sarah Freishtat, Beacon-News
2:40 p.m.: ‘Totally unprecedented’: Concern grows as Indiana hospitals fill with COVID-19 patients
As winter comes, concern is growing as Indiana hospitals, intensive care units and emergency rooms are filling with COVID-19 patients.
In the past two weeks, all eight hospitals they serve, including St. Catherine in East Chicago, Franciscan Hammond, Franciscan Dyer and Methodist Northlake in Gary have been on bypass at some point, said Merrillville-based Northwest Ambulance owner Alechia Norwood.
That means, ambulances are told for a certain block of time a hospital is at capacity, directing them elsewhere. By comparison, as an emergency room nurse at Methodist Northlake in Gary from 2006-2015, it went on bypass only once for four hours, she said.
“This is totally unprecedented to see all of the hospitals on bypass,” Norwood said.
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Franciscan Health, with hospitals including in Northwest Indiana, Indianapolis, Lafayette, and Olympia Fields, Illinois, is seeing a big jump in cases and a shrinking number of intensive care unit beds.
“In recent weeks, we have seen a surge in COVID cases across our system. Our inpatient bed occupancy rates are above 90% across the system. Currently, our ICU capacity is low, and varies from day to day, presently ranging between 11 and 20 ICU beds available systemwide. We have adequate ventilator capacity at all our hospitals,” spokesman Robert Blaszkiewicz said.
Read more here. —Meredith Colias-Pete, Post-Tribune
2:35 p.m.: States submit COVID-19 vaccine orders as many report record infections, hospitalizations and deaths
States faced a deadline on Friday to place orders for the coronavirus vaccine as many reported record infections, hospitalizations and deaths, while hospitals were pushed to the breaking point — with the worst feared yet to come.
The number of Americans hospitalized with COVID-19 hit an all-time high in the U.S. on Thursday at 100,667, according to the COVID Tracking Project. That figure has more than doubled over the past month, while new daily cases are averaging 210,000 and deaths are averaging 1,800 per day, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Read more here. —Associated Press
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2 p.m.: Chicago-area vaccination sites will be at hospitals, clinics, pharmacies — but also drive-thrus at schools, parks and maybe Six Flags
This fall, in anticipation of distributing vaccines against COVID-19, Lake County officials tried a small practice run to give out a large number of inoculations.
To get their annual flu shots, county workers drove through an outdoor clinic in a parking lot. After some initial hiccups, officials said, about 300 people were injected at the setup, with average wait times of about five minutes. Organizers hope to mount a similar plan of attack for the coronavirus.
As part of a nationwide effort against the pandemic, Chicago-area health officials are rushing to prepare for vaccinations on a scale never before seen.
In some suburbs, officials say, that is likely to mean drive-thru sites, similar to the mass testing sites currently operating. In Chicago, due to its higher population density, plans call for vaccinations through traditional health care channels like doctors, clinics and pharmacies.
Read more here. —Robert McCoppin
1:01 p.m.: Thanksgiving takeout disasters offer lessons learned on how to do holiday carryout in a pandemic
On a sunny yet chilly Thanksgiving Day, nearly a dozen parties waited over an hour for pickup orders at an independent Chicago restaurant. Across town, a chain restaurant canceled delivery dinners last minute, ruining the holiday for a young couple working from home with their new baby.
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Nearly a year into the pandemic, how can you try to avoid dining disasters when ordering for Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s? Three local restaurant owners share hard lessons learned, for restaurateurs and customers alike.
Read more here. —Louisa Chu
12:36 p.m.: Experience gifts were gaining steam before the pandemic. From DIY meal kits to flexible memberships, here’s what they look like now.
Finding the perfect gift is always hard. This holiday season poses a whole new set of dilemmas for people who prefer to give memorable experiences rather than stuff.
Will that spring concert happen, and if it does, will the recipient feel comfortable going? Is a “date night” gift of dinner and a show still exciting if that means a Netflix subscription and DoorDash gift card?
Should you just give up and wrap up another sweater?
Read more here. —Lauren Zumbach
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12:24 p.m.: Nancy Pelosi gives optimistic update, says momentum growing for COVID-19 relief deal
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave an optimistic assessment of the prospects for a mid-sized COVID-19 relief bill and a separate $1.4 trillion governmentwide spending bill on Friday, teeing up expectations for a successful burst of legislative action to reverse months of frustration on pandemic relief.
Pelosi told reporters that she and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are in sync on a plan to reach agreement on the massive omnibus spending bill and to add COVID-19 relief to it.
Pelosi said a bipartisan, middle-of-the-road plan being finalized by a diverse gaggle of senators that she has endorsed as a foundation for the relief bill is a good effort, even though it’s a significant retreat from where Democrats stood before the election.
Read more here. —Associated Press
12:21 p.m.: U of I’s COVID-19 saliva test reaches 1 million mark
The University of Illinois has performed 1 million COVID-19 tests on its three campuses since launching its saliva-based technology, a point of pride for the state’s largest college at a time when many institutions have struggled to keep coronavirus infections at bay.
Most of the tests — more than 930,000 — were done at the flagship campus in Urbana-Champaign, where faculty researchers developed the test this summer, according to a news release. The Chicago campus has conducted more than 50,000 tests and the Springfield campus nearly 25,000. The test, run through the campus SHIELD team, has enabled administrators to keep classroom doors open and provide in-person learning opportunities this semester, University System President Tim Killeen said in the release.”
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Read more here. —Elyssa Cherney
12:07 p.m.: 10,526 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 148 additional deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Friday announced 10,526 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 148 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 770,088 and the statewide death toll to 12,974 since the start of the pandemic. Officials also reported 112,634 new tests in the last 24 hours.
The seven-day statewide rolling positivity rate for cases as a share of total tests was 10.3% for the period ending Thursday.
—Chicago Tribune staff
11:27 a.m.: Illinois driver services facilities to remain closed through Jan. 4
Illinois driver services facilities will remain closed for in-person business until Jan. 4 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Secretary of State Jesse White announced Friday.
White’s office is encouraging people to use its website, www.cyberdriveillinois.com, for most services, including renewing driver’s licenses, identification cards and license plate stickers.
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A handful of facilities will remain open for new drivers only, including two in Chicago: Chicago North, 5401 N. Elston Ave., and Chicago South, 9901 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Read more here. —Dan Petrella
8 a.m.: CTU criticizes reopening plan for Chicago Public Schools as unsafe and inequitable: ‘We’re in the process of putting forward demands’
The Chicago Teachers Union bashed the city’s reopening plan for public schools on Thursday, calling for specific health guidelines and more thorough protocols before it can support bringing any students into classrooms in early 2021.
“We are in the process of putting forward demands in the city about how our schools can open,” said CTU President Jesse Sharkey during a virtual event billed for Chicago Public Schools parents.
“To be clear, CTU is not advocating schools close. CTU is saying ... if we’re going to do school, any plan has to have three elements to it: safety, there has to be an element of equity and there has to be an element of trust.”
Sharkey also insinuated that CPS is rushing the process because of “political pressure” to jump-start the city’s economy and to enable more parents to resume working.
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The virtual event took place as Illinois saw the highest seven-day average of COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic began, setting a national record. In Chicago, the seven-day rolling average positivity rate stands at 11.6%, with Black and Latino communities seeing the most cases and deaths, according to city data.
Read more here. –Elyssa Cherney
7 a.m.: ‘I think it’s time to get moving.’ Experts call for COVID-19 vaccination trials to begin for young children.
For more than half his life, Alexandra Haake Kamberos’ 18-month-old son has lived under quarantine conditions.
As a result, otherwise normal occurrences, like indoor playdates and trips to the grocery store, aren’t a regular part of the Chicago boy’s life right now, his mother said.
While people around the world wait for the authorization and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines that will eventually allow for a return to normal life, young children may have to wait longer. That is spurring an urgent cry from pediatricians to include these children in trials to reduce their delay in becoming vaccinated.
Children under 12 years old have not been part of the U.S. trials for vaccines that are showing promising results for inoculating people against the virus, which has infected more than 759,000 people in Illinois and killed more than 12,000 statewide since March.
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That means that vaccines will likely be available for the general population of adults months before they are available for children because the trials need to be replicated with children as the test subjects, experts said.
Read more here. —Madeline Buckley


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Will ‘Fast Eddie’ Vrdolyak go back to prison? Former alderman faces sentencing today in tax case rel

Will ‘Fast Eddie’ Vrdolyak go back to prison? Former alderman faces sentencing today in tax case related to tobacco settlement.

Prosecutors want a federal judge to sentence the 82-year-old Vrdolyak to up to 3½ years behind bars , saying his @ @ @ @ @ the IRS and hide portions of the tobacco income was just the latest in a @ @ @ @ @ legal lapses by someone who should have known better .

Former Chicago Ald. Edward Vrdolyak, center, walks with attorney Michael Monico, far right, as they exit the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Nov. 22, 2016. Vrdolyak was arraigned in federal court on charges he improperly shared in millions of dollars from the $9 billion tobacco settlement in Illinois with a lawyer who failed to pay taxes on his cut. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Edward Vrdolyak was still a freshman alderman from Chicago’s rough-and-tumble 10th Ward in the early 1970s, but even then “Fast Eddie” understood the city’s dirty game of politics.
“There are no rules in this town,” Vrdolyak told the Tribune in 1973. “The people who run the city make the rules, and they change them as they go along.”
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On Friday, a lifetime of playing the game by his own rules once again caught up with Vrdolyak, as a federal judge sentenced him to a year and a half in prison for skirting a tax levy related to millions of dollars in payments he and a friend received in the state’s massive settlement with tobacco companies.
The sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Robert Dow marked the second time in the past decade the onetime political powerhouse has been ordered to federal prison.
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Rejecting defense calls for home confinement for the 82-year-old Vrdolyak, Dow said the case was “really a particularly sorry story” because it involved two experienced lawyers — Vrdolyak and co-defendant Daniel Soso — disrespecting the law.
And the defense argument that Vrdolyak was confused by an IRS levy “doesn’t pass the straight-face test,” the judge added.
The judge also said it was an aggravating factor that Vrdolyak decided to try to cheat the IRS even though he’s clearly a wealthy man. “There is a disconnect (when) people who’ve got millions of dollars think it’s OK not to pay their fair share and be honest with the government,” Dow said.
In the end, however, the judge noted that the wrongdoing admitted by Vrdolyak was “not the crime of the century.” He also said he would not consider Vrdolyak’s role in the tobacco settlement — which netted the ex-alderman at least $12 million over the past 20 years — in his sentencing decision.
Vrdolyak, who participated in the three-hour hearing via videoconference from his home, showed no outward reaction at the sentence, blinking and looking straight at the computer screen with two of his sons at his side.
Before Dow announced his decision, Vrdolyak removed his mask and issued a brief apology for what he said was his “selfish” behavior. “I apologize to the court, to the government and to my family,” he said in a wavering voice. “What happened was my own fault and I take full responsibility.”
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Dow did not set a reporting date for Vrdolyak, who suffers from a brain tumor, heart trouble, dementia and other ailments that his lawyers say make him particularly susceptible to the virus. Instead, the judge asked both sides to come back in March to discuss the situation.
The sentencing capped a final legal chapter in Vrdolyak’s long and colorful history in Chicago. It began in the 1960s when Vrdolyak, who grew up in the shadow of the steel mills in the Bush neighborhood on the Southeast Side, rose quickly from ward committeeman to alderman and eventually became chair of the powerful Cook County Democratic Party.
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Vrdolyak, dubbed “Fast Eddie” by friends and foes alike, was known in his heyday as the consummate Chicago political brawler, a backroom deal-maker who made judges, handed out jobs and remembered every favor or slight.
As the chairman of the influential Building and Zoning Committee, Vrdolyak was tapped by then-Mayor Richard J. Daley to rewrite the city’s zoning code, bestowing immense power over how the city would grow into the future.
Later, he became the leader of the “Vrdolyak 29,” a faction of white aldermen who opposed the agenda of Harold Washington, the city’s first Black mayor.
His fast and loose style often led him up — and sometimes across — the line. Over the years, Vrdolyak’s name surfaced repeatedly in various investigations, from grand jury inquiries into campaign spending to an IRS probe in the 1980s that led to Vrdolyak paying back tens of thousands of dollars in back taxes.
For decades he managed to avoid criminal charges. But in 2010, Vrdolyak was sentenced to 10 months behind bars for his role in a $1.5 million real estate kickback scheme linked to the federal probe that felled then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The punishment came down only after prosecutors appealed U.S. District Judge Milton Shadur’s controversial ruling granting Vrdolyak probation.
During the hearing Friday, Dow referenced a wiretapped conversation from the previous case in which Vrdolyak was recorded telling corrupt influence peddler Stuart Levine that “two (expletive) schemers” like themselves should be able to figure out how to avoid paying a gift tax on a pending deal.
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“‘(Expletive) schemer’ is not how you would hope a lawyer would refer to himself,” Dow said. “Unfortunately the description is apt, at least in regard to his now two criminal convictions.”
In the most recent case, prosecutors had asked for a sentence of up to 2 ½ years behind bars, saying Vrdolyak’s decision to once again play games with the IRS and hide portions of the tobacco income was just the latest in a long string of ethical and legal lapses by someone who should have known better.
Vrdolyak’s lawyers, meanwhile, argued for home confinement, saying Vrdolyak’s cut from the tobacco deal was a legitimately earned consulting fee paid by a law firm that had sought his expertise and assistance.
“At some point, the government appears to just be seeking retribution because Mr. Vrdolyak made a lot of money,” Vrdolyak attorney Gabrielle Sansonetti wrote in a filing this week.
His lawyers also said that throwing the octogenarian in prison in the middle of a pandemic could amount to a death sentence.
Former Ald. Edward Vrdolyak, center, departs Chicago's Dirksen U.S. Courthouse with lawyer Michael Monico, right foreground, on March 7, 2019, after he pleaded guilty to a federal tax evasion charge stemming from millions of dollars in payments he received from the state's massive settlement with tobacco companies in the 1990s. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)
Vrdolyak pleaded guilty in March 2019 to a tax charge alleging he obstructed an IRS investigation into payments to and from his friend and associate Soso related to the state’s $9.3 billion settlement with tobacco companies in the late 1990s.
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In asking for prison time, prosecutors said Vrdolyak had been paid at least $12 million in fees stemming from the settlement even though he did no legal work on the case and hid his involvement from the Illinois attorney general.
According to court records, Vrdolyak’s role in the tobacco settlement came after then-Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan negotiated a contingency arrangement promising 10% of the payout to four law firms that handled the litigation. That figure was dramatically reduced after years of court arbitration, but in the end, several law firms were to share in a total of $188.5 million.
One of those firms was Seattle-based Hagens Berman, which was headed by attorney Steve Berman. Identified only as Individual B in the indictment, Berman entered into a secret agreement in 1996 to pay Vrdolyak and Soso fees from the settlement and hide the payments from the attorney general and tobacco companies, the charges alleged.
Berman was not charged with wrongdoing. Vrdolyak’s lawyers have argued in court filings that not only was Vrdolyak’s share of the settlement above board but it also was known to key players in Ryan’s office, including his chief of staff and a deputy attorney working directly on the fee arbitration.
But prosecutors said Vrdolyak’s name was purposefully left off the settlement paperwork because he was a controversial figure.
Evidence uncovered in the probe showed efforts to keep the deal under wraps became frayed over time.
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In 2014, Soso emailed both Berman and Vrdolyak to vent his frustration that Vrdolyak had been withholding money he was owed. He also threatened to sue Vrdolyak, warning the legal action would make “front page news and most definitely open a can of worms that I would rather stay closed,” according to a copy of the email quoted in court records.
Ryan was issued a “non-target letter” by prosecutors and interviewed several times about his recollection of the tobacco settlement, though his memory by that time was diminished by health issues.
Soso, 68, a lawyer and former Chicago cop, pleaded guilty in 2019 to one count of income tax evasion for failing to report more than $3 million in income in the deal. He was sentenced in March to two years in prison.
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--‘I think it’s time to get moving.’ Experts call for COVID-19 vaccination trials to begin for young c

‘I think it’s time to get moving.’ Experts call for COVID-19 vaccination trials to begin for young children.

For more than half his life, Alexandra Haake Kamberos’ 18-month-old son has lived under quarantine conditions.
As a result, otherwise typical occurrences, like indoor playdates and trips to the grocery store, aren’t a regular part of the Chicago boy’s life right now, his mother said.
Advertisement
While people around the world wait for the authorization and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines that will eventually allow for a return to normal life, young children may have to wait longer. That is spurring an urgent cry from pediatricians to include these children in trials to reduce their delay in becoming vaccinated.
Children under 12 have not been part of the U.S. trials for vaccines that are showing promising results against the virus, which has infected more than 759,000 people in Illinois and killed more than 12,000 statewide since March.
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That means vaccines will likely be available for the general population of adults months before they are available for children because the trials need to be replicated with children as the test subjects, experts said.
“If we do not add children to these research trials very soon, there will be a significant delay in when children are able to access potentially lifesaving vaccines. This is unconscionable,” said American Academy of Pediatrics President Dr. Sally Goza in a statement released last month by the Itasca-based association.
[ Should pregnant women get a COVID-19 vaccine? Guidance is hard to find because trials exclude pregnancy ]
Though teens and tweens have been part of major vaccination trials — Pfizer has included children 12 and older, and The New York Times reported that Moderna would begin trials for children between 12 and 17 — doctors say the studies need to start including children under 12, and are calling with increasing urgency for those trials to begin.
A Pfizer spokesperson said in a statement to the Tribune that the company is “working actively with regulators on a potential pediatric study plan” to address the disease in children under 12. Moderna did not respond to a request for comment from the Tribune.
Goza sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar in October to stress the importance of including children in the trials, writing that more than 587,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in children in the United States, including in 109 who have died.
“Children are not just little adults,” said Dr. Elaine Rosenfeld, pediatric infectious disease specialist for Advocate Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, echoing the AAP’s urgency in the need for pediatric trials. “It’s going to be necessary to perform clinical trials on the pediatric population.”
Rosenfeld said the trials will not only indicate whether the vaccine is as safe and effective in children as it is in adults and teens, it will offer important information like proper dosing for children.
Though children generally become less sick with the virus, Rosenfeld said there are cases in which children experienced dangerous complications, such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome, which can cause body parts, including the heart and lungs, to become inflamed.
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Children can also transmit the virus to adults, who may become more sick.
“We’re not going to reach herd immunity … until children are immunized as well,” Rosenfeld said.
Chicago public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady has said the city plans to distribute its first doses of vaccine to health care workers in the city in December, followed by people in other high-risk groups as the health department receives additional doses.
During a virtual question-and-answer session Tuesday, Arwady estimated that the general population might begin to receive vaccinations in the spring, with children following in the summer, though she cautioned, “I almost feel like it is foolish to make predictions at this point.”
“A lot of that is just dependent on vaccine production and how well the vaccine trials do,” she said.
That puts parents like Haake Kamberos in an uncertain position. She plans to send her son to nursery school when he is around 2, but that is subject to change.
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Her family recently had a scare when their nanny experienced some symptoms, though she later tested negative.
“Everyone had to stay home,” she said.
Still, she will feel better when the adults around her son can be vaccinated, at least reducing the risk of exposing him.
Chicagoan Paula Calpo, mother of a 15-month-old girl, is eager for a vaccine and hopes one is available for children soon.
“I’m just ready to stop this,” Calpo said.
Calpo is from Brazil, and close family members haven’t been able to see her daughter since she was 3 months old, before the pandemic began. Now, travel would be off-limits.
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“We’re far away from family,” she said. “It’s a hard time.”
Though it’s normal to test medications on adult populations first, pediatricians say it is safe to begin trials on children, noting that all the long-approved vaccines people take in childhood were once tested on children.
“I feel really confident that these trials in a younger population will be done safely because of the history of vaccine trials in children,” Rosenfeld said.
Nurse Kathe Olmstead, right, gives volunteer Melissa Harting, of Harpursville, N.Y., a vaccine trial injection on July 27, 2020. (Hans Pennink/AP)
Still, doctors worry about the impact of anti-vaccination movements that eschew scientific evidence and, in recent years have coincided with the resurgence of contagious diseases like measles.
In her letter to the Department of Health and Human Services, Goza cited concerns about misinformation spread by such anti-vaccination movements.
“It’s very concerning to us that people do not have the trust in science that they used to,” Goza told the Tribune. “We need to build that trust back.”
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Goza, who is also a pediatrician in Georgia, said she knows parents may be nervous due to the speed at which scientists developed the vaccine, but pointed to robust financing efforts that sped up the process. And she assures people that the process for approval, though accelerated, has been the same as for prior vaccines.
Still, trials must begin on younger children before they can be vaccinated safely, Goza said.
Rosenfeld said pediatricians’ offices have been inundated with calls from parents asking about the vaccine, indicating to her a high interest in obtaining the vaccine for their children.
“I think it’s time to get moving on (the trials), as we know it takes a while to get kids vaccinated properly,” she said.
mabuckley@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Southeast Side superfund site

Southeast Side superfund site

Stacker compiled a list of 25 billionaires who live in some of America 's smallest towns , using data from @ @ @ @ @ Bureau .
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chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Jim Oberweis launches discovery recount effort in election that has Rep. Lauren Underwood winning by

Jim Oberweis launches discovery recount effort in election that has Rep. Lauren Underwood winning by just 5,374 votes

If results from a discovery recount differ , the result of the election would not automatically change .
But the @ @ @ @ @ the basis for a court challenge to the election results .

Republican state Sen. Jim Oberweis launched a discovery recount Thursday after unofficial results from the Nov. 3 general election showed him losing by 5,374 votes to first-term U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood.
“We are seeking a discovery recount in each of the seven counties within the 14th Congressional District,” Oberweis, owner of his family’s namesake dairy and an investment adviser, said in a statement.
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“The first of these recounts have been formally filed in DuPage County,” Oberweis said. “We will be filing paperwork in the other counties in the coming days.”
Unofficial totals showed Underwood, of Naperville, with 203,209 votes, or 50.7%, compared with 197,835 votes for Oberweis, or 49.3%, in the west and northwest suburban and exurban district.
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The day after the election, based on early results that showed him ahead, Oberweis claimed victory. But after mail-in vote results found him trailing, the 74-year-old said he would seek a recount. Underwood, 34, declared victory on Nov. 18.
A discovery recount involves a partial sample of votes cast in the congressional district, which includes DuPage, DeKalb, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will counties. Unofficial results showed Underwood winning in all but McHenry and DeKalb counties.
If results from a discovery recount differ, the result of the election would not automatically change. But the recount could be used as the basis for a court challenge to the election results.
In 2018, Underwood defeated three-term GOP Rep. Randy Hultgren of Plano by 5 percentage points, or about 15,000 votes. Her victory along with Sean Casten of Downers Grove in the suburban 6th District marked a blue suburban wave that flipped longtime Republican-held suburban congressional seats. Casten won reelection defeating former Republican state Rep. Jeanne Ives.
Oberweis’ pursuit of a discovery recount comes as the State Board of Elections meets on Friday to certify the results of the Nov. 3 general election as official.
rap30@aol.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Embattled Madigan to make his case before supportive House Black caucus on Saturday

So far , of the Black caucus ’ 22 members , only Rep. Maurice West of Rockford has said he @ @ @ @ @ ’ s reelection as speaker , a post the Southwest Side Democrat has held since @ @ @ @ @ two years in the mid-1990s when Republicans controlled the chamber .

Embattled House Speaker Michael Madigan, his bid for reelection to the post in jeopardy, will appear Saturday at a “candidate’s forum” hosted by one of his most loyal constituencies — the House Black caucus.
With 19 of the projected 73 Democrats who will sit in the next session of the House opposing Madigan’s reelection — leaving him six short of approval — the move by the nation’s longest-serving speaker is aimed at both shoring up and demonstrating support from a highly active caucus of House Democrats.
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So far, of the Black caucus’ 22 members, only Rep. Maurice West of Rockford has said he will not vote for Madigan’s reelection as speaker, a post the Southwest Side Democrat has held since 1983 with the exception of two years in the mid-1990s when Republicans controlled the chamber.
Steve Brown, a spokesman for Madigan, said the speaker would attend the virtual candidate’s forum. Asked if the event had been organized on behalf of the speaker, Brown referred questions to the leaders of the caucus, which is chaired by Rep. Camille Lilly, D-Chicago.
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In a statement Lilly said the forum is an “opportunity for the caucus members to make the best decision that represents our collective constituency and residents of Illinois”
“This is strictly a forum,” she added.
State Rep. Camille Lilly speaks during a news conference outside of Mercy Hospital in Chicago on Oct. 23, 2020. She chairs the House Black caucus. (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune)
So far, only one member of the Democratic caucus, state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit of Oswego, has announced a challenge to Madigan when the new General Assembly is convened on Jan. 13.
Kifowit said she plans to participate in Saturday’s virtual forum, which she said she sees as an effort to find a way forward with Madigan lacking the votes to win another term.
“I appreciate the Black Caucus taking a leadership role in beginning the discussion,” said Kifowit, who was unopposed in winning a fifth term last month.
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The Black caucus traditionally meets prior to the inauguration of a new legislature to elect a member for the House Democratic leadership team. But one caucus member said privately that the meeting’s role this year was expanded to include the speaker candidate’s forum as a way to provide Madigan with a formidable reelection endorsement.
Madigan has been tied to a federal corruption investigation involving Commonwealth Edison, which has agreed to pay a $200 million fine for participating in a near decadeslong bribery scheme to try to influence the speaker by offering contracts and jobs to his allies.
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Earlier this week, Madigan’s top confidant, former lawmaker and lobbyist Michael McClain of Quincy, along with former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, ex-ComEd executive John Hooker and lobbyist Jay Doherty, pleaded not guilty to charges in the case.
Madigan has not been charged with any wrongdoing and has denied any knowledge of the scheme. But some leading Democrats have said Madigan, who also holds the title of state Democratic chairman, has become a distraction used by Republicans to defeat party candidates and issues.
Madigan has held power in part by providing significant funding for many Democratic candidates. State Rep. Will Guzzardi of Chicago, one of the 19 House Democrats who said they will not back the speaker’s reelection, recently issued a fundraising email with the subject: “I stood up to Madigan. Now I need your help.”
“I have no doubt that it was the right decision. The people of our state deserve leadership we can trust to act ethically and fairly, in the interests of everyone and not just the connected few,” said Guzzardi, a member of the progressive caucus.
“But the political establishment still very much aligns with the Speaker. The labor unions and other institutions that have supported me over the years are pretty unhappy with my decision,” he wrote. “So, I’m turning to you all.”
Guzzardi acknowledged in his email that opposing Madigan “is going to mean we lose a lot of the financial support we’ve historically relied on” to support progressive causes in explaining his need for donations.
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“Together, let’s demand a new day in Illinois politics,” he wrote.
Tribune reporter Dan Petrella contributed


chicagotribune--2020-12-05--Former Chicago Ald. Edward ‘Fast Eddie’ Vrdolyak gets 18 months in federal prison in tax case relate

Former Chicago Ald. Edward ‘Fast Eddie’ Vrdolyak gets 18 months in federal prison in tax case related to tobacco settlement

In the most recent case , prosecutors had asked for a sentence of up to 2 ½ years behind bars @ @ @ @ @ decision to once again play games with the IRS and hide portions of the tobacco @ @ @ @ @ in a long string of ethical and legal lapses by someone who should have known @ @


chicagotribune--2020-12-05--The Spin: Ex-Chicago Ald. Ed Vrdolyak sentenced to 18 months in federal prison | U.S. House votes to

The Spin: Ex-Chicago Ald. Ed Vrdolyak sentenced to 18 months in federal prison | U.S. House votes to decriminalize weed | Illinois planning to distribute vaccine to 50 counties with highest death rates

“ So far , of the Black Caucus ’ 22 members , only Rep. Maurice West of Rockford has said @ @ @ @ @ Madigan ’ s reelection as speaker , a post the Southwest Side Democrat has held @ @ @ @ @ of two years in the mid-1990s when Republicans controlled the chamber.
” More here .

Illinois Department of Public Health Director Ngozi Ezike, with Gov. J.B. Pritzker in the background, gives a coronavirus update from the Thompson Center in Chicago on Tuesday, Dec. 1. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Former Chicago Ald. Edward Vrdolyak was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison today after being convicted in a tax scheme related to his receipt of millions of dollars in Illinois tobacco settlement money.
In what’s viewed as a largely symbolic move, the U.S. House voted to decriminalize cannabis and tax it at the federal level. Two Illinois Democrats joined the rest of the state’s Republican delegation to Congress in voting against the proposal.
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And Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the state’s top public health official, said today that the state is planning to distribute its initial inventory of COVID-19 vaccinations to the 50 counties with the highest coronavirus death rates.
Welcome to The Spin.
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Former Chicago Ald. Edward Vrdolyak leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on March 7, 2019, after pleading guilty to a federal tax evasion charge. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s Jason Meisner: “Former Chicago Ald. Edward Vrdolyak was sentenced Friday to a year and a half in federal prison for skirting a tax levy related to millions of dollars in payments he and a friend received in the state’s massive settlement with tobacco companies.
“The sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Robert Dow marked the second time in the past decade the onetime political powerhouse has been ordered to federal prison.
“In rejecting defense calls for home confinement for the 82-year-old Vrdolyak, Dow said the case was ‘really a particularly sorry story’ because it involved two experienced lawyers disrespecting the law — a reference to Vrdolyak and his co-defendant, Daniel Soso.
“The judge also said it was an aggravating factor that Vrdolyak decided to try to cheat the IRS even though he’s clearly a wealthy man.
“‘There is a disconnect (when) people who’ve got millions of dollars think it’s OK not to pay their fair share and be honest with the government,’ Dow said.
“Vrdolyak, who participated in the three-hour hearing via videoconference from his home, showed no outward reaction at the sentence, blinking and looking straight at the computer screen with two of his sons at his side.” Read the rest here.
* From the Tribune’s John Byrne: Ex-Chicago Ald. Edward Vrdolyak sentenced to federal prison. Here are 5 things to know about the man known as ‘Fast Eddie.’
House Speaker Mike Madigan answers questions from the media following a news conference in 2016 at the Illinois Capitol in Springfield. (Anthony Souffle / Chicago Tribune)
The Tribune’s Rick Pearson reports: “Embattled House Speaker Michael Madigan, his bid for reelection to the post in jeopardy, will appear Saturday at a ‘candidate’s forum’ hosted by one of his most loyal constituencies — the House Black Caucus.
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“With 19 of the projected 73 Democrats who will sit in the next session of the House opposing Madigan’s reelection — leaving him six short of approval — the move by the nation’s longest-serving speaker is aimed at both shoring up and demonstrating support from a highly active caucus of House Democrats.
“So far, of the Black Caucus’ 22 members, only Rep. Maurice West of Rockford has said he will not vote for Madigan’s reelection as speaker, a post the Southwest Side Democrat has held since 1983 with the exception of two years in the mid-1990s when Republicans controlled the chamber.” More here.
William Cadigan, a board member with the Illinois Board of Elections, joins in on a virtual meeting to certify the vote at his office in Winnetka on Friday, Dec. 4, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
“Countering a deadly pandemic with an enhanced vote-by-mail program, Illinois saw a new high of nearly 6.1 million Illinois residents cast ballots in the Nov. 3 general election, representing a voter turnout rate that was the highest in 18 years, State Board of Elections officials said Friday.
“The bipartisan panel voted 8-0 Friday to certify the results of the election, delivering Illinois’ 20 electoral votes for Democrat Joe Biden to become the nation’s next president.
“State election officials said 72.92% of Illinois’ record 8,364,999 registered voters cast ballots — the highest turnout percentage since 1992 when 78.24% of eligible Illinois residents voted in Democrat Bill Clinton’s defeat of Republican President George H.W. Bush.
“The 6,098,729 ballots cast was a record, eclipsing the mark set in 2016 of 5,666,118 votes, board officials said. The record came as the state sent millions of vote-by-mail applications to voters and encouraged early voting to offset fears of spreading and contracting COVID-19 by voters casting ballots on Election Day.” Rick Pearson has more here.
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* Also from Pearson: Jim Oberweis launches discovery recount effort in election that has Rep. Lauren Underwood winning by just 5,374 votes
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Phlebotomist Jocelyn Rios administers COVID-19 tests to occupants in their vehicle as hundreds of people drive up one by one to be tested for the coronavirus in Aurora on Nov. 12. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s Dan Petrella and Jamie Munks: “Illinois plans to distribute its initial allocation of roughly 109,000 doses of a new COVID-19 vaccine to the 50 counties across the state with the highest death rates from the virus, the state’s top public health official said Friday.
In the Chicago area, that includes Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will counties. It also includes Kankakee County but not McHenry.
“First, though, the Pfizer vaccine needs emergency use authorization from the federal Food and Drug Administration, which could come as soon as Thursday. If that happens, Illinois expects to receive its first shipment sometime during the week of Dec. 13.
“While the possibility of an effective vaccine beginning to be administered within weeks is among the most promising news of the year, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday attempted to temper expectations about how quickly the immunization, which requires two doses given weeks apart, will be widely available.
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“‘No single person will be fully vaccinated even by Christmas, and it will likely be months before people with low-risk factors for COVID-19 see their first dose,’ Pritzker said at his daily coronavirus briefing.” Read the rest of the story here.
* From the Tribune’s Robert McCoppin: Chicago-area vaccination sites will be at hospitals, clinics, pharmacies — but also drive-thrus at schools, parks and maybe Six Flags
* From the Aurora Beacon-News’ Sarah Freishtat: Visits, warnings and little legal action: Enforcing COVID-19 restrictions in Kane County has proved challenging
* From the Post-Tribune’s Meredith Colias-Pete: ‘Totally unprecedented’: Concern grows as Indiana hospitals fill with COVID-19 patients
* From Pioneer Press’ Kaitlin Edquist: Local, county health officials issue formal citations to suburban Hilton hotel after indoor wedding with 150 guests
A bud tender holds two marijuana buds on his fingers in Denver in 2015. (David Zalubowski / AP)
Two Illinois Democrats joined the state’s Republican congressional delegation on Friday in opposing a measure to decriminalize and tax cannabis at the federal level.
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The Democratic-controlled House approved the measure on Friday that also would address racial disparities in enforcement of federal drug laws, according to The Associated Press. It’s viewed as mainly a political gesture and heads to the U.S. Senate, where it’s unlikely to pass.
Marijuana already is legal in Illinois and through last month, the state has generated $582 million in recreational weed sales.
As The Associated Press reports: “The bill, which passed 228-164, now goes to the Republican-controlled Senate, where it is unlikely to advance. A related bill that would give pot businesses access to traditional banking services has languished in the Senate after being approved by the House last year.
“Five Republicans supported the bill: Reps. Matt Gaetz and Brian Mast of Florida, Tom McClintock of California, Denver Riggleman of Virginia and Don Young of Alaska.
“Six Democrats opposed it: Reps. Cheri Bustos and Daniel Lipinski of Illinois; Collin Peterson of Minnesota; Chris Pappas of New Hampshire; Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania; and Henry Cuellar of Texas.” Read the rest here.
Lipinski, who represents Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District, is leaving office soon, after losing to Marie Newman in this year’s Democratic primary. Bustos, meanwhile, narrowly won reelection in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District last month, winning by 4.05 percentage points over her Republican opponent.
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* From the Tribune’s Robert Channick: Illinois recreational weed sales flat at $75 million in November
Thanks for reading The Spin, the Tribune’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons. Host Lisa Donovan is on vacation this week. If you have a tip, email her at ldonovan@chicagotribune.com.


chicagotribune--2020-12-05--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 10,526 new COVID-19 cases and 148 additional deaths reported Friday

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 10,526 new COVID-19 cases and 148 additional deaths reported Friday as state says first vaccines will go to 50 counties with highest death rates

The next week , the deputy returned to the restaurant and again saw people dining indoors .
This time , @ @ @ @ @ enter the restaurant “ due to the upset nature of the last compliance check , @ @ @ @ @ not want to further make any situation worse by entering , ” according to the @ @ @ @ @ deputy was not there to enforce , but rather to document and educate on current @ @ @ @ @ .


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Chicago-area vaccination sites will be at hospitals, clinics, pharmacies — but also drive-thrus at s

Chicago-area vaccination sites will be at hospitals, clinics, pharmacies — but also drive-thrus at schools, parks and maybe Six Flags

If the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves the first vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna this month , the @ @ @ @ @ as early as mid-December , officials said .
Shots for the broader public likely would @ @ @ @ @ into next year .
But experts believe this is the way society will stop a @ @ @ @ @ economy and been a factor in the deaths of more than 275,000 people in the @ @ @

This fall, in anticipation of distributing vaccines against COVID-19, Lake County officials tried a small practice run to give out a large number of inoculations.
To get their annual flu shots, county workers drove through an outdoor clinic in a parking lot. After some initial hiccups, officials said, about 300 people were injected at the setup, with average wait times of about five minutes. Organizers hope to mount a similar plan of attack for the coronavirus.
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As part of a nationwide effort against the pandemic, Chicago-area health officials are rushing to prepare for vaccinations on a scale never before seen.
In some suburbs, officials say, that is likely to mean drive-thru sites, similar to the mass testing sites currently operating. In Chicago, due to its higher population density, plans call for vaccinations through traditional health care channels like doctors, clinics and pharmacies. Under a federal agreement, CVS and Walgreens pharmacies are to vaccinate residents and staff at long-term care facilities.
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In any case, the general public will have to wait until after vaccinations are given to those considered at highest risk of contracting the virus. Under federal guidelines, health care workers, residents and staff members of nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, and emergency workers are prioritized to get the first doses. Essential workers, people over 65 and those with weakened immune systems or underlying medical conditions are likely to follow.
If the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves the first vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna this month, the first vaccinations could be given as early as mid-December, officials said. Shots for the broader public likely would not be available until well into next year. But experts believe this is the way society will stop a virus that has crippled the economy and been a factor in the deaths of more than 275,000 people in the United States.
A worker shows how dry ice is used on specific vaccines and medicines to keep them cool during a demonstration of logistics and handling of vaccines and medicines at a cargo warehouse in Steenokkerzeel, Belgium, on Dec. 1, 2020. (Virginia Mayo / AP)
“I’m confident this is the way we will get past this, and it will happen in 2021,” said Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health.
By summer or fall, she said, “We’ll be in a very different place.”
In a development Friday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Illinois’ expected initial federal shipment of 109,000 doses would go to the 50 counties with the highest per capita death rates due to COVID. Locally, that includes Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will counties.
Since Chicago makes up about 21% of the state population, it will get an equivalent proportion, or about 23,000 doses, with the rest of the state to get the other 86,000, Pritzker said.
Details are still being worked out, but initially, in Chicago, the city will distribute vaccines to hospitals, health systems and pharmacies to first inject their workers, and then their patients or customers, said Dr. Candice Robinson, the city health department’s medical director. The city also will provide vaccinations at clinics, initially only for health care workers.
Federally qualified health centers will also be vaccination sites. Eventually, once the supply becomes great enough, the public will be allowed to register for the vaccines.
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The Illinois Department of Public Health expects its first shipment of 109,000 doses as early as Dec. 13.
Similar to Chicago, most vaccinations in Cook County will likely be administered by hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and pharmacies, following federal guidelines, county health department spokesman Don Bolger said.
In the more spread-out suburbs, there may be greater opportunity for mass drive-thru vaccinations. Lake County officials are arranging to administer shots at open-air drive-thru parking lots at more than 20 high schools, the health department, park district and public works sites, and potentially at Six Flags Great America or Metra parking lots, as space permits.
The sites would not all operate simultaneously, but vaccination would be moved around the county to optimize access. There would also be walk-in clinics at the health department in Waukegan and elsewhere for those without cars.
The county purchased a special $12,000 freezer to store the vaccines. Officials also plan to debut an online registration program called AllVax, for people to sign up for appointments, and to track the two doses that need to be given to each recipient.
The health department’s emergency response coordinator, Patti Corn, welcomed the chance to finally go on the offensive against the disease.
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“It’s very exciting,” she said. “We’re hopeful a lot of people get the vaccine. I think it’s how we move forward.”
In McHenry County, officials have discussed plans to use the county fairgrounds, or the Algonquin public works department.
The DuPage County Health Department was working with hospitals, other health care providers and community leaders to plan for equitable and timely distribution of different vaccines under various scenarios. Officials said they want sites that will offer physical distancing, easy access and safety for staff members and patients.
Vaccinations are “the next step toward getting back to normal, Executive Director Karen Ayala said. But, she cautioned, it will take several months before there is enough supply to get most adults immunized.
Health officials in Will County said they’ve been meeting for weeks in anticipation of a vaccine, modifying plans from past vaccinations such as for the H1N1 flu.
They are hoping there will be enough supply for pharmacies to distribute it, while making special plans to address uninsured and underinsured people as well as the homeless, spokesman Steve Brandy said.
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Since the initial supply will be limited, Will County is preparing to survey hospitals and first responders by asking how many workers they have in direct contact with coronavirus patients, how many fall into higher-risk categories such as those 65 or older or with preexisting conditions, and how many plan to take the vaccine.
As elsewhere, in Kane County, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, federally qualified health care facilities, and first responders will be first in line to get vaccines, health department interim director Kathy Fosser said.
Even after the vaccines are distributed, health officials said, people will have to continue wearing masks, washing hands, keeping distance and avoiding crowds for some time, because some people won’t get immunized, and it’s still being determined to what extent people may spread the virus even if they are immunized.
As the percentage of people getting vaccinated nears the goal of 80%, approaching herd immunity and lessening the chance of anyone getting the disease, Arwady said, officials will be able to loosen restrictions.
rmccoppin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Illinois to distribute first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine to 50 counties with highest death rates, p

Illinois to distribute first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine to 50 counties with highest death rates, possibly by mid-December

While the possibility of the first doses of an effective vaccine being administered within weeks is among the most promising @ @ @ @ @ Gov .
J.B. Pritzker on Friday attempted to temper expectations about how quickly the immunization @ @ @ @ @ vaccine requires two doses given three weeks apart , will be widely available .

CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois plans to distribute its initial allocation of roughly 109,000 doses of a new COVID-19 vaccine to the 50 counties across the state with the highest death rates from the virus, the state’s top public health official said Friday.
In the Chicago area, that includes Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will counties. It also includes Kankakee County but not McHenry.
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First, though, the Pfizer vaccine needs emergency use authorization from the federal Food and Drug Administration, which could come as soon as Thursday. If that happens, Illinois expects to receive its first shipment sometime during the week of Dec. 13.
While the possibility of the first doses of an effective vaccine being administered within weeks is among the most promising news of the year, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday attempted to temper expectations about how quickly the immunization, which for the Pfizer vaccine requires two doses given three weeks apart, will be widely available.
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“No single person will be fully vaccinated even by Christmas, and it will likely be months before people with low-risk factors for COVID-19 see their first dose,” Pritzker said at his daily coronavirus briefing.
Indeed, if Illinois receives the full 109,000 doses, which is not guaranteed, it would only be enough to vaccinate a small portion of the state’s nearly 655,000 front-line health care workers and more than 109,000 long-term care residents. Based on recommendations from the federal government, those two groups are first in line to be inoculated.
Of those initial doses, 23,000 would go directly to the city of Chicago, which is managing its own distribution plan in coordination with the state. The remaining 86,000 would be distributed to 10 regional medical centers for distribution to local health departments. The local health departments, in turn, have state-approved plans for administering the vaccine.
Outside of Chicago, the largest share of the initial vaccine shipment, 32% or about 27,300 doses, will go to NorthShore Highland Park Hospital and be distributed from there. That will be followed by Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, which is expected to receive 19% of the initial shipment.
Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin also are among the 10 regional medical centers, along with downstate hospitals in Rockford, Peoria, Springfield, Urbana, Belleville and Carbondale.
The 50 counties — just shy of half of the state’s total of 102 — with the highest per capita coronavirus death rate are spread widely throughout the state and include the most populous counties as well as some of the most sparsely populated.
Several downstate counties where regional medical centers serving as distribution hubs are located, including Sangamon, Champaign and Peoria counties, are not on the 50-county priority list.
If all goes well, the FDA could grant emergency use authorization for a second vaccine, developed by Moderna, on Dec. 17, with the first distribution to Illinois and other states during the week of Christmas.
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Unlike the Pfizer vaccine, which presents some logistical challenges because it has to be stored at ultralow temperatures that require special equipment, the Moderna vaccine can be stored at normal freezer temperature.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, gives a coronavirus update with Gov. J.B. Pritzker from the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago on Dec. 1, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said it could take roughly a month to vaccinate everyone who qualifies for the initial round, though Pritzker said he hesitates to put a time frame on it.
The state is awaiting further recommendations from the federal government on who should be in the next round, which would include “essential” workers.
The positive news about the forthcoming vaccine comes as Illinois and the rest of the country remains in the throes of a fall surge of the virus, one which experts expect could get worse in the coming days as a result of transmission at Thanksgiving gatherings where people ignored public health precautions.
Illinois reported 148 coronavirus-related deaths Friday, bringing the average number of daily deaths over the past week to its highest level of the pandemic.
The seven-day average of daily deaths reached 135 on Friday, based on preliminary figures from the Department of Public Health, exceeding the previous record average of 123 deaths per day set for the week ending Thursday, after adjusting for deaths that were reported Thursday but later removed from the count.
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State data released Friday also shows that the weekly tally of deaths and cases at long-term care facilities both were the highest ever reported in the pandemic — even worse than the worst weeks of the spring in early May.
In the past week, the state tallied 480 deaths of residents in Illinois’ nursing homes, assisted living and other long-term care facilities, along with more than 4,500 new cases of the virus detected in residents.
It’s unclear how much of the boost may be related to a lag in reporting deaths after the Thanksgiving holiday, but the new weekly death tally was nearly double from the week before, which itself was roughly in line with the already high levels in prior weeks.
The new case count also was notably more than the worst week in the spring — also in early May — although it comes as facilities are testing far more frequently than they were in the spring when tests were more scarce.
Those numbers underscore why residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are being put at the front of the line for the new vaccine.
In all, the state has recorded 12,974 COVID-19 deaths since March.
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Illinois also recorded 10,526 new confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus on Friday, bringing the total number of known cases to 770,088 since the start of the pandemic.
Over the past week, the state has averaged 9,289 cases per day, down from a seven-day average of 10,095 daily cases a week earlier. The lower case numbers are partly attributed to fewer people getting tested over the long Thanksgiving weekend.
A recent downward trend in hospitalizations also appears to be continuing.
As of Thursday night, there were 5,453 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Illinois, down from a peak of 6,175 on Nov. 20 but still well above the peak during the first wave of the pandemic in the spring.
Chicago Tribune’s Joe Mahr contributed.
dpetrella@chicagotribune.com
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chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Local, county health officials issue formal citations to suburban Hilton hotel after indoor wedding

Local, county health officials issue formal citations to suburban Hilton hotel after indoor wedding with 150 guests

The health department is requesting a guest list from the wedding party , Rubin said .
They will either reach @ @ @ @ @ or communicate through the wedding party that those in attendance should quarantine .
She said @ @ @ @ @ trace unless someone tests positive , but if someone does test positive , they would @ @ @ @ @ the guest list or the event to find close contacts .

Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle, center, announces that Dr. Rachel Rubin, third from left and Dr. Kiran Joshi, second from right, as leaders in the response to COVID-19 on April 11, 2020. The Cook County Department of Public Health formally cited the Hilton Chicago/Northbrook hotel for hosting a large gathering in violation of COVID-19 regulations. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
Cook County health officials announced Friday that formal citations were issued to a Northbrook-area hotel following a large gathering this week and a subsequent inspection of the facilities.
A large, mostly maskless wedding event with about 150 guests was held at the Hilton Chicago/Northbrook Hotel Wednesday night, violating the state’s gathering limits aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus. Footage from the event first reported by CBS 2 showed crowded rooms full of people hugging, eating, drinking and talking in close proximity.
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“The hotel, restaurant, bride, groom, caterer and guests were all reckless and irresponsible,” Dr. Rachel Rubin, a Cook County Department of Public Health senior medial officer and co-lead, said in a Friday news release. “This event was in violation of the current COVID-19 mitigation order and should not have taken place.”
The Cook County health department announced the formal citations Friday, after Rubin said one day earlier that the department was investigating and discussing legal options.
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The citations issued included a facility order to disperse for non-compliance with the the county health department’s COVID-19 mitigation order, as well as a facility notice of non-compliance for not following the Illinois Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 regulations.
Both were based on observed violations that were identified in photos and videos captured on the evening of the wedding, as well as observed violations made by county health officials during an inspection the following day, officials said.
“I sincerely hope no one becomes sick or dies as a result of this event,” Rubin said in the news release. “All who were in attendance should quarantine for a minimum of 10 days and get tested to keep from spreading COVID to the greater community.”
According to the health department, the notices serve as a warning to the facility while the county’s attorneys continue to review evidence to determine next steps. If officials decide to cite the hotel under Cook County municipal code, “the hotel and restaurant would need to appear in court, and if found guilty, penalties could include arrest, a fine of $1,000 per offense, and further actions.”
During a news conference Thursday, Rubin said the notices of violation would be issued to the hotel and other possible organizations involved, such as catering or wedding planning companies, rather than individuals at the wedding.
News of the event caught the attention of local, county and state officials Thursday. When asked about the event during his coronavirus briefing in Chicago, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he’s concerned for the people who attended the wedding and the people they may go on to infect, as COVID-19 runs “rampant” throughout the state.
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The wedding occurred on the same day Illinois public health officials reported 9,757 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 238 COVID-19 deaths, the most deaths in a single day since the pandemic began.
The hotel released a statement of apology in which general manager Holly Allgauer-Cir said the pandemic has created challenges for the hospitality industry but that their hope “to keep the hotel afloat and employees working should not outweigh health and safety.”
“While the event was booked prior to the implementation of the state’s latest mitigation measures, we sincerely regret allowing this gathering to proceed and our family apologizes to our guests, employees, and the Chicagoland community,” Allgauer-Cir said.
In Rubin’s news conference Thursday, she said she views the wedding as a “potential super-spreader” event.
The health department is requesting a guest list from the wedding party, Rubin said. They will either reach out to the individuals directly or communicate through the wedding party that those in attendance should quarantine. She said the department will not contact trace unless someone tests positive, but if someone does test positive, they would then be able to reference the guest list or the event to find close contacts.
The hotel, 2855 Milwaukee Ave., has a Northbrook address and ZIP code, but it falls under the jurisdiction of nearby Prospect Heights, according to Prospect Heights City Administrator Joe Wade.
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Wade said the event was not initially reported to local police at the time, but they followed up with further investigation.
The city issued a violation notice of its own on Thursday. The notice served as a “written warning of failing to follow the Tier 3 Mitigation Measures” that went into effect Nov. 20.
“As a business owner, it is your responsibility to adhere to the Tier 3 Mitigation Guidelines and reduce the potential for COVID-19 exposure to your guests, employees and their families,” Wade wrote in the official notice.
If the establishment refuses to comply with public health guidance moving forward, they’re subject to a fine ranging from $75 to $2,500 and can be charged with a misdemeanor.
In the hotel’s apology statement, Allgauer-Cir said the hotel will work with local and state health authorities to abide by all guidelines moving forward, as well as contact tracing and testing recommendations.
“It will take time, but we hope to rebuild the trust of our guests, staff and community have placed in us for so many years,” she said.
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Twitter: @kaitlinedquist


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--‘He put his whole heart into the city.’ Family remembers retired Chicago firefighter killed in attac

‘He put his whole heart into the city.’ Family remembers retired Chicago firefighter killed in attack by three armed carjackers

Williams ’ youngest daughter said she used to worry about the danger of her father ’ s job as a @ @ @ @ @ was relieved when he took a desk job as he neared retirement about two years @ @ @ @ @ to have to worry for his safety after he retired .

Karen Armstrong-Williams, center, is comforted Dec. 4, 2020 by her stepdaughter, Dakeeda Williams-Barton, while talking about her husband, Dwain Williams, a retired Chicago firefighter, was fatally shot in an exchange of gunfire with carjackers. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Dwain Williams was a man of many talents. An accomplished chess player, he also mastered the keyboards and guitar, performing in a band of fellow firefighters.
But above all, his passion was serving the city during his more than two decades with the Chicago Fire Department, his family said. “He put his whole heart into the city,” his wife Karen Armstrong-Williams said.
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With her stepdaughter clutching her arm for support, Williams spoke softly about her husband Friday, the day after the 65-year-old retired firefighter was shot dead by carjackers not far from his Southwest Side home. Friends and family members filtered in and out as services were arranged, coordinating COVID-19 tests among the many tasks.
Williams’ youngest daughter said she used to worry about the danger of her father’s job as a firefighter and paramedic, and was relieved when he took a desk job as he neared retirement about two years ago. She never expected to have to worry for his safety after he retired.
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“I was angry. I’m confused. I’m more lost,” Dakeeda Williams-Barton said.
Dwain Williams, a retired Chicago Fire Department lieutenant, was fatally shot in an exchange of gunfire with carjackers on Dec. 3, 2020, in the 2400 block of West 118th Street. (Family pho)
After stopping at his favorite popcorn shop on Thursday afternoon, Williams was walking toward his maroon Jeep Grand Cherokee when a black car slowed down and three people jumped out, all of them with guns.
As they walked toward him, Williams pulled a revolver from his waistband and exchanged fire with them outside the store in the 2400 block of West 118th Street. He was hit once in the abdomen and collapsed. The gunmen piled back into their car and sped off down Artesian Avenue.
The shooting apparently happened so quickly the car was still moving when the attackers jumped in, the police report said.
Responding officers found Williams lying on the pavement next to his Jeep, his revolver close by. It was not known if any of the attackers were hit, but police recovered shell casings from their guns: 9 mm, .40-caliber and .38-caliber.
Police believe the three were trying to steal Williams’ Jeep. No arrests have been reported, and police said they were canvassing the area for security camera footage that would show the gunmen.
An employee at Let’s Get Poppin’ said Williams was a regular and “just came in to buy his popcorn” before he was shot.
Bouquets of flowers were piled outside the shop Friday afternoon. The store manager, Larry James, recalled Williams as a customer who was always nice to the workers, and who chatted and laughed with other customers. He frequently purchased the cheese and caramel combo.
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“He was not just a customer, he was family,” James said.
Larry James, a manager at Let's Get Poppin', talks about his friend, firefighter Dwain Williams on Dec. 4, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
James had arrived at the store shortly before the shooting and saw Williams there, laughing with customers as usual.
Shortly afterward, his employees cried that they heard gunshots and James called 911. He rushed outside and saw Williams on the ground.
“It hurts,” James said.
Williams-Barton spoke fondly of the popcorn shop, calling it “our place.” She and her dad often bought popcorn and watched movies together. As a child, she remembers him taking her to drive-ins.
Her father was heavily involved with children’s groups, coaching basketball teams through the park district, she said.
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“He was my superman,” she said. “I was proud of him.”
Williams joined the Fire Department in 1992. His last assignment was at the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications. He held a concealed carry license, according to police.
His daughter said Williams worked on the front lines as a first responder and had hoped for peace in the city’s epidemic of gun violence. “He just wanted everybody to be peaceful ... and to be able to enjoy the things we’ve worked so hard for,” she said.
Williams is survived by his wife of more than 30 years, four adult children, nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
The attack occurred just blocks from a shooting in August at a pancake restaurant that left one person dead and four others wounded. Chicago police Chief of Operations Brian McDermott was asked what police are doing about crime in the area.
“We hear their concerns loud and clear,” McDermott said Thursday evening. “Just know there are hundreds of officers out there … that lay their lives on the line every day, and we’re continuing to do our job.”
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He was also asked about a recent spike in carjackings across the city. “We’re well aware of the increase in carjackings,” McDermott said. “We’re doing our best.”
mabuckley@chicagotribune.com
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Record number of Illinois residents voted in the Nov. 3 election, and turnout of close to 73% was hi

Record number of Illinois residents voted in the Nov. 3 election, and turnout of close to 73% was highest since 1992

The certified results showed that Democratic Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s top agenda item , a proposed state constitutional @ @ @ @ @ income tax to replace the state ’ s flat-rate levy , was soundly defeated by @ @ @ @ @ proposition — getting only 46.73 % support and needing 60 % for adoption .
Under @ @ @ @ @ — getting more than 50 % approval from among all of those casting ballots in @ @ @ @ @ up short with 44.09 % .

Countering a deadly pandemic with an enhanced vote-by-mail program, Illinois saw a new high of nearly 6.1 million Illinois residents cast ballots in the Nov. 3 general election, representing a voter turnout rate that was the highest in 28 years, State Board of Elections officials said Friday.
The bipartisan panel voted 8-0 Friday to certify the results of the election, delivering Illinois’ 20 electoral votes for Democrat Joe Biden to become the nation’s next president.
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State election officials said 72.92% of Illinois’ record 8,364,999 registered voters cast ballots — the highest turnout percentage since 1992 when 78.24% of eligible Illinois residents voted in Democrat Bill Clinton’s defeat of Republican President George H.W. Bush.
The 6,098,729 ballots cast was a record, eclipsing the mark set in 2016 of 5,666,118 votes, board officials said. The record came as the state sent millions of vote-by-mail applications to voters and encouraged early voting to offset fears of spreading and contracting COVID-19 by voters casting ballots on Election Day.
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Though the board was continuing to examine the source of ballots, it said the use of mail-in ballots, early voting and in-person Election Day balloting appeared almost evenly split, each accounting for about 2 million votes.
“The strong turnout in this election is a testament to the voters of Illinois and the state’s 108 local election authorities,” said Steve Sandvoss, executive director of the state elections board. “Amid a historic public health crisis that presented a formidable obstacle, the election community statewide rose to the occasion.”
Illinois’ certification of the vote came with little comment, a sharp contrast to battleground states where Republican President Donald Trump has sought, with little success, to contest his loss to Biden. The formal results showing Biden’s Illinois victory further solidified the state as overwhelmingly Democratic in presidential elections.
The official vote tally for Illinois showed Biden, the former vice president, with 3,471,915 votes, or 57.54% of the vote, compared with 2,446,891, or 40.55%, for Trump.
Biden’s win continued a consecutive streak of Democratic presidential candidates taking the state by approximately 17 percentage points that began with the second-term victory of home state President Barack Obama in 2012. Obama’s first-term victory in the state was a 25 percentage point blowout over the late Sen. John McCain in 2008.
Biden’s Illinois vote total exceeded the previous high for a Democratic nominee. With Biden as his running mate, Obama won 3,419,348 ballots in getting nearly 62% of the vote as a favorite son in his initial run for the presidency in 2008.
Overall, the certified results showed Trump improved by 300,000 votes over his 2016 loss to Hillary Clinton in the state. But Biden bettered Clinton’s numbers by 381,186 statewide, including by more than 100,000 votes in Cook County, 52,600 votes in DuPage County, 32,937 in Lake County, 31,988 in Will County, 20,399 in Kane County and 17,351 in McHenry County.
The presidential totals also showed a further advancement of Democrats in the once Republican-rich collar counties. Biden defeated Trump in all of them except McHenry County and the former vice president only lost there by 4,706 votes.
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The certified results showed that Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s top agenda item, a proposed state constitutional amendment to allow a graduated-rate income tax to replace the state’s flat-rate levy, was soundly defeated by those voting directly on the proposition — getting only 46.73% support and needing 60% for adoption. Under a second method for ratification — getting more than 50% approval from among all of those casting ballots in the election — it came up short with 44.09%.
While the board’s actions proclaim the official results, individual discovery recounts can still be conducted through the courts. The partial recounts cannot overturn election results but can be used to seek a full recount in a court challenge.
William Cadigan, a board member with the Illinois Board of Elections, joins in on a virtual meeting to certify the vote at his office in Winnetka on Friday, Dec. 4, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Such is the case in the west and north suburban and exurban 14th Congressional District, where Republican Jim Oberweis has launched a discovery recount to try to reverse first-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood’s 5,374 vote advantage. Underwood, of Naperville, has claimed victory in the contest against Oberweis, a dairy magnate and investment manager from Sugar Grove.
On Friday, Oberweis released an email fundraising appeal to help fund his challenge.
“As I have promised you since day one, we are fighting hard to make sure that every legal vote is counted in this critical race — but we can’t do it without your help,” the Republican said in a statement.
But Underwood campaign spokeswoman Andra Belknap said the Democrat was “in Washington focused on the job she has been elected to do.”
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“The votes in this race have been counted and Mr. Oberweis lost,” she said.
[ How did your neighbors vote for president, Senate and the graduated-rate income tax amendment? Search our city and suburban map to find out. ]
rpearson@chicagotribune.com