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· In a story in Friday’s Arts+Entertainment section, rapper DaBaby was misidentified as being from Atlanta. He was born in Cleveland and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina.
· A Page 1 headline Monday misspelled the word “addressing” for a story about hateful sports jeering.
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The Tribune regrets the errors.
Publishing information quickly and accurately is a central part of the Chicago Tribune’s news responsibility and a value shared in all our publications. Our editorial code of principles governs professional behavior and journalism standards. Everyone in our newsroom must agree to live up to this code of conduct. Download the file.
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chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Arrest made in Gary double homicide that killed cop’s son, feds say

A man who said he was at Buzz Box Lounge , 1800 Massachusetts St. , claimed the incident started when @ @ @ @ @ second man in the crowded bar , scuffing the second man 's shoe .
An @ @ @ @ @ two , and the man , who declined to give his name , said he @ @ @ @ @ where Rice and the other man were found after the shooting .

The U.S. Marshals arrested a suspect in a double homicide that left a veteran Gary cop’s and ex-mayoral candidate’s son dead, it said.
Michael Sherrod Smith, 35, was arrested July 21 in Oakland, California, U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force Deputy Commander Mark Gregoline said.
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During the arrest, he tossed a gun while running as investigators approached while he was leaving a home, police said. Smith was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Pacific Southwest Fugitive Task Force and the gun was recovered, officials said.
He is scheduled for an extradition hearing in California before he is sent back to Lake County. His next hearing there is scheduled on Aug. 14.
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Indiana court records show he listed a Gary address in June 2019.
Smith is a suspect in the double slaying of Kerry Rice Jr. and Aaron Scott last September, officials said. The shooting wounded Rice’s brother, Steven, 30, and a woman. The incident stemmed from an argument that started at a Gary bar and ended near another two blocks away.
Gary police responded to a call of gunshot victims near a wooded parcel in the 1600 block of Connecticut Street at around 1:58 a.m. Sept. 21, Gary Police spokeswoman Lt. Dawn Westerfield said then in a release.
When officers arrived in the area, they found a man who had been shot and a woman - also shot - in a nearby location, Westerfield said. She said the two of them were taken to Methodist Hospitals Northlake campus for treatment.
Two more men were found shot to death in a car near 1600 Connecticut St., Westerfield said in the release.
The Lake County Coroner’s office identified one of the men as 32-year-old Kerry Rice Jr., whom then-Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson confirmed as Gary Police commander and former mayoral candidate Kerry Rice’s son.
Rice Jr. was pronounced dead at the scene 3:11 a.m., according to the coroner's release.
The coroner’s office had not identified the second man days later but listed him as “John Doe” in an earlier release. The office pronounced him dead at 3:10 a.m. at the scene, according to that release.
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A man who said he was at Buzz Box Lounge, 1800 Massachusetts St., claimed the incident started when a man bumped into a second man in the crowded bar, scuffing the second man's shoe. An argument broke out between the two, and the man, who declined to give his name, said he left for another club near where Rice and the other man were found after the shooting.
The man said when he left Buzz Box, a group of people were out front arguing and it was becoming increasingly hostile. He was inside the Blue Room Lounge, 224 E. 16th Ave., when he heard the shooting outside.
"It sounded like a war zone," the man said. "And all over scuffing your shoe? I have Jordans and Airs, and if someone accidentally steps on them, soap and water and you're fresh again."
Steven Rice died July 1 after he was fatally shot near 15th and Cleveland Avenue, according to a Lake County Coroner’s report and his obituary.


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Coast Guard finds four teen siblings in kayaks pushed 4 miles out into Lake Michigan by storm

The Fire Department called off its search around midnight , a spokesman said .
Sometime before 1 a.m. , a @ @ @ @ @ Harbor found the teenagers about four miles offshore , according to officials .
The teens @ @ @ @ @ night ’ s storm had pushed the group out into the lake , and they @ @ @ @ @ paddle back to shore when they were rescued , according to the Coast Guard release @

After hours of searching, the U.S. Coast Guard found four teen siblings on two inflatable kayaks in Lake Michigan more than four miles offshore early Monday, authorities said.
Three 19-year-olds and a 13-year-old, identified by the Coast Guard as siblings, went out on the kayaks sometime between 5 and 8 p.m. Sunday from Loyola Beach in the 1200 block of West Touhy Avenue in the Rogers Park neighborhood, Chicago police said.
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Authorities received a call about the teenagers around 10:30 p.m., Chicago Fire Deputy District Chief Walter Schroeder said. Their parents went to the beach after realizing their children did not return before it got dark, and found their children’s cellphones and other belongings there, according to a Coast Guard news release.
Chicago Fire Department divers, Chicago police marine and helicopter units and the U.S. Coast Guard all searched for the teenagers, police said. A Coast Guard helicopter from Musekgon, Michigan, joined in the search.
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An inflatable kayak is shown after being brought to shore after a Coast Guard crew rescued four teens early on Monday, July 27, 2020, after they drifted about four miles offshore from a Chicago beach on two inflatable crafts. (U.S. Coast Guard)
The Fire Department called off its search around midnight, a spokesman said. Sometime before 1 a.m., a Coast Guard boat from Wilmette Harbor found the teenagers about four miles offshore, according to officials. The teens told their rescuers that Sunday night’s storm had pushed the group out into the lake, and they were “struggling” to paddle back to shore when they were rescued, according to the Coast Guard release.
Coast Guard and fire officials said the teenagers, who weren’t wearing life vests, were relieved and in good spirits when they were found and had just been waiting for the storm to pass.
They were taken to Montrose Harbor to be evaluated by paramedics, CFD said.
They were found to be in good condition and didn’t need medical attention, police said. They were reunited with their parents.
Jonathan LeBeau, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard, said kayakers can run into safety issues on Lake Michigan if they don’t have a life jacket, a communication device or other distress-signaling devices.
“Anytime you go on the water, you should be wearing your life jacket,” LeBeau said. “I can’t advocate that enough.”
Fire Department spokesman Larry Merritt said officials have been trying to hammer home the necessity that people on boats or kayaks wear life vests “100% of the time.”
“It’s just critical because even the best swimmer, the best boater — everyone has a bad day,” Merritt said. “We just really hate to see folks have a bad day and not have the protection that could potentially help save their lives.”
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LeBeau added it’s very important kayakers watch the weather and should always tell people their plans before going out on the lake.
“Sometimes you have pop-up storms that nobody can predict,” LeBeau said. “But ... no matter if you’re in a 75-foot boat or a kayak you should be aware of the weather in the area.”
kelsmith@chicagotribune.com
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Gov. J.B. Pritzker visits downstate counties hit with COVID-19 outbreaks: ‘What’s happening here ...

Gov. J.B. Pritzker visits downstate counties hit with COVID-19 outbreaks: ‘What’s happening here ... is alarming'

“ I was a businessman before I became governor , ” Pritzker said .
“ I understand the challenge that @ @ @ @ @ mean really for many people , financial ruin sometimes .
And this is horrible .
@ @ @ @ @ .
But if we all took off our masks , it would be much , @ @ @ @

Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
As Gov. J.B. Pritzker appeared with officials in two downstate counties that have seen coronavirus outbreaks, Illinois on Monday reported 1,231 new known cases of COVID-19, the sixth straight day the tally has topped 1,200.
Eighteen more deaths were confirmed, most of them from Cook County and the rest from DuPage, Peoria and Winnebago counties.
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Since the pandemic began, 7,416 deaths and 172,655 cases of coronavirus have been reported in Illinois.
Earlier Monday, Pritzker joined local officials in downtown Quincy in Adams County, in one of four counties placed on a “warning level” for COVID-19 last week, and hinted the state would take action if infection rates worsen.
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As of Monday, the seven-day positivity rate for Region 3, which includes Adams County, had increased to 3.8%, Pritzker said. A county health official stated at the news conference that Adams County has 340 reported cases of COVID-19.
“What’s happening here in Adams County is alarming,” Pritzker said. “And if these trends continue in the negative direction, the state will need to take immediate action to impose additional mitigations to slow the spread and keep more people from getting sick.”
Protesters listen to a speaker talk about suing Gov. J.B. Pritzker over COVID-19 restrictions, during the Million Unmasked March at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on Saturday, July 25, 2020. (Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register)
Besides Adams County, LaSalle County, just outside the Chicago area, and Peoria County, as well as rural Randolph County in southwest Illinois, were put on a “warning level” Friday. The four counties all saw outbreaks of coronavirus recently related to various risk factors, according to state officials.
Pritzker on Monday said the state has maintained a lower positivity rate than neighboring states but warned that good news could swiftly reverse if people don’t heed warnings to wear a mask in public, avoid crowded indoor settings and keep 6 feet away from others.
During his news briefing’s conclusion, he stressed that “this is not a political virus,” adding that he can relate to the economic hurt felt across the state since the outbreak.
“I was a businessman before I became governor,” Pritzker said. “I understand the challenge that this has brought, I mean really for many people, financial ruin sometimes. And this is horrible. This coronavirus is just horrible. But if we all took off our masks, it would be much, much worse.”
The governor later met with officials in Rock Island County, another community bordering a state with spiking COVID-19 cases. Illinois’ Region 2 under Pritzker’s latest reopening plan, which includes the county, reported a 4% seven-day positivity rate on Monday and is “continuing to head in the wrong direction,” Pritzker said.
Neighboring Iowa’s positivity rate was even higher, at 7.2% for Sunday and 9.3% total since the pandemic started. The seven-day positivity rate of Missouri, Adams County’s next-door state, was 8.6%.
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In his Monday appearances, Pritzker reminded Illinois residents living close to other states to take precautions. He blamed uneven enforcement across the nation when it comes to the challenge of stamping out the spread of the coronavirus, especially in border communities.
“You’ve been helping to guide the people of Illinois through this public health crisis amidst a confusing patchwork of messaging nationally,” Pritzker said to a Rock Island public health official at his news briefing. “This is one of the hardest-hit communities, being a border community, so it makes your job that much more difficult.”
As of Sunday night, 1,417 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Illinois, 350 of whom were in intensive care units and 124 on ventilators, state health officials said.
Though Pritzker said the state can fight the outbreak with practices such as mask-wearing, a return to normalcy is not in the near future given predictions that a vaccine likely won’t arrive until 2021.
“My observation is that we’re not going to be able to take off the mask and go about everything we were doing, seven, eight months ago for a few more months,” Pritzker said. “Maybe six-plus months.”
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--DuPage County board candidate withdraws from race over tweet about ‘laughing’ at officer getting hit

DuPage County board candidate withdraws from race over tweet about ‘laughing’ at officer getting hit in face

“ I do not condone violence in any form , and indeed have been one of many voices calling for @ @ @ @ @ problems today , ” she wrote .
“ The specific related video showed a federal @ @ @ @ @ at unarmed protesters , unprovoked , and having it returned seconds later .
I regret @ @ @ @ @ any individuals hurt by the remark .
I do believe , however , that we @ @ @ @ @ against extrajudicial encroachment in municipal matters by the federal government and as a candidate for @ @ @ @ @ want the safest possible life for every resident in District 4 .
”

A Democratic candidate for the DuPage County board withdrew from the race after apologizing for a tweet in which she said she laughed repeatedly at a video of a law enforcement officer getting hit in the face with a projectile.
Twenty-year-old Hadiya Afzal attracted national attention and said she was targeted by a “harassment campaign” after Texas Sen. Ted Cruz posted on Twitter that her comment was “Hateful & sick.”
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Hateful & sick.
Does @JoeBiden agree? Will any reporter ask him? https://t.co/flUCbRneXu — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 26, 2020
The video shows what appears to be an officer behind a barricade wall at a protest throw an object off-screen, and then recoil after getting hit in the face with a projectile.
Afzal, who narrowly won the March primary in District 4, wrote on Twitter, “ive been watching this on repeat for fifteen minutes and laughing every single time.”
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After extensive online criticism, Afzal tweeted a statement Sunday night stating, “My post was in poor taste and doesn’t reflect the values I was raised with and hold dear. I do not support or condone violence in any form. I appreciate and support the role that law enforcement plays in keeping our communities safe. I sincerely apologize for the irresponsible tweet.”
The tweet was reposted by Andy Ngo, a conservative online reporter, who indicated it occurred in Portland, Oregon. That’s the site of the federal courthouse where federal agents have been shooting tear gas canisters and other projectiles to disperse protesters.
On her Facebook page, Afzal said the exposure launched “a wave of coordinated racist, sexist, and Islamaphobic harassment against me.”
“I do not condone violence in any form, and indeed have been one of many voices calling for policy changes to our policing problems today,” she wrote. “The specific related video showed a federal officer throwing a water bottle at unarmed protesters, unprovoked, and having it returned seconds later. I regret the comment and apologize to any individuals hurt by the remark. I do believe, however, that we must continue to push back against extrajudicial encroachment in municipal matters by the federal government and as a candidate for county board, I only want the safest possible life for every resident in District 4.”
In a phone interview Monday, Afzal, who said she is Muslim and wears a hijab, said she has been the target of numerous threats, and that critics have posted the address of relatives, and she was afraid for her safety.
She said she dropped out of the race on the recommendation of the local Democratic Party, and said she did not want to be a “distraction” from the fall election.
In 2018, Afzal won a primary and lost the general election for a county board seat. This year, promoting policies to address climate change, public transit, drug overdoses and criminal justice, she was challenging incumbent Republican Tim Elliott.
Afzal grew up in Glen Ellyn and graduated from Glenbard South High School. District 4 includes Glen Ellyn along with large parts of Wheaton and Carol Stream and portions of several other surrounding towns.
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After a destructive house fire in 2012, Afzal wrote on her campaign site, the community rallied to help her family, and she’s since been looking for ways to give back.
She worked previously in legislative offices, and recently graduated from DePaul University. She thanked her supporters for their work, saying her withdrawal was “an all-around disappointment and a shame.”
Afzal worked as an intern last summer for U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood of Naperville, and before that for state Rep. Will Guzzardi of Chicago, both Democrats, officials said.
Democratic Party of DuPage Chair Cynthia Borbas said in a statement that the party “strongly condemns” Afzal’s original tweet, but said it was Afzal’s responsibility to respond, not Underwood’s. Borbas added in an interview that some of the criticisms of Afzal “crossed the line,” and were Islamaphobic and unacceptable.
Democratic precinct committee members will vote in mid-August on a replacement for Afzal on the ballot, Borbas said.
Elliot, a civil litigation attorney, condemned Afzal’s original tweet, as well as many of the comments attacking her.
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He noted that board member Pete DiCianni, a fellow Republican, also resigned recently as chairman of the county’s health and human services committee, after criticism of his behavior at a pro-police rally in Elmhurst and his response to an email.
DiCianni was shown in a video on social media yelling at close range at counterprotesters while not wearing a mask, despite the coronavirus pandemic. According to Patch.com, when a resident emailed him to call for his resignation, DiCianni reportedly replied, “Go stick your vote in your a--.” DiCianni apologized for the comment.
In both cases, Elliott said, people made “divisive and disrespectful” comments, but then were blasted by “a firestorm of vitriol.”
“On all sides, we need to stop this,” he said. “Does everyone want to be judged by the worst or dumbest email they send? It’s destructive, it results in extremism and kills legitimate conversation. It hurts our ability to compromise.”
rmccoppin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Northwestern seeks 5,000 volunteers to participate in COVID-19 vaccine trials

Researchers are asking for participants who are at high risk for being exposed to COVID-19 .
The first study is @ @ @ @ @ , and it will explore a potential vaccine for COVID-19 .
Earlier phases of the @ @ @ @ @ safely increased antibody responses , according to the release .
Antibodies are proteins that fight @ @ @ @ @ body .

Northwestern Medicine is searching for 5,000 Chicago adults to partake in clinical trials aimed at understanding COVID-19 prevention, including potential vaccines, according to a Monday news release.
Researchers are asking for participants who are at high risk for being exposed to COVID-19. The first study is expected to launch in August, and it will explore a potential vaccine for COVID-19. Earlier phases of the same study showed the drug safely increased antibody responses, according to the release. Antibodies are proteins that fight viruses and bacteria in the body.
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People who agree to be on the registry for clinical trials will be contacted when studies match their health profiles. Participants will not receive compensation. The trials will take place at Lake Forest Hospital, Central DuPage Hospital and the downtown Chicago campus.
Participants from high risk backgrounds include retail workers, health care professionals and public transportation employees. Others who live or work in crowded facilities, such as nursing homes, are included in this group.
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The clinical trials need people from groups that are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, including African American, Latinx and Native American residents. Older people and those with health conditions are also encouraged to participate.
“We are casting a really wide net so we can make sure we have enough people identified and ready to go for upcoming studies,” said Dr. Karen Krueger, principal investigator of the registry and Northwestern Medicine physician and instructor. “This is vital to individuals’ and community health during the coronavirus pandemic.”
People who want to participate can call 312-694-0414 or email nuvaccinestudy@northwestern.edu.
sczyzon@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Chicago police create new units for crime hot spots, protests

“ The mission of the critical incident team is simple .
It is to protect the residents and the visitors @ @ @ @ @ area or any area in the city that are here to peacefully express their views @ @ @ @ @ a festival , ” said Cmdr .
Michael Pigott , who runs the unit .
@ @ @ @ @ work in the downtown area , at the direction of the superintendent , we can @ @ @ @ @ the city that is hosting either a planned or an impromptu large gathering of people @ @

Chicago police Superintendent David Brown greets commanders following his announcement on the formation of citywide teams of police officers to help stem the violence at a news conference at the 10th District police station on Monday, July 27, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago police Superintendent David Brown announced Monday the formation of two citywide units in an effort to tamp down violence and other crime across the city, and to manage large protests in the downtown area and elsewhere.
But unlike similar efforts that have come and gone in past years in Chicago, Brown has put an emphasis on officers stepping up to improve the Chicago Police Department’s relationships with communities who have fostered a deeply rooted distrust for law enforcement.
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One of the units, the community safety team, will respond to crime hot spots. But the unit, made up of about 300 officers, will be also tasked with participating in community service projects such as food drives, prayer circles, peace marches and other neighborhood events with block clubs, churches and the residents most affected by crime.
Critics of the new plan worry these new types of units could have the same problems as now-disbanded police units, saying some were too aggressive in these communities and at least one was rooted in corruption. Brown said he’s cognizant of all that, part of the reason he said he wants to add a neighborhood engagement component to the community safety team — a function usually reserved for community policing, or CAPS, officers and beat officers in each of the 22 patrol districts.
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“They have been successful at reducing crime significantly, and they’ve had their challenges with misconduct,” Brown said of citywide units in general. “And part of that, I’ve diagnosed, was because there wasn’t a big push to interact with the community in a positive way. And so, we try to learn from our mistakes.”
In a Monday morning news conference, Brown said the community safety team would be deployed on the South and West sides, areas of the city generally hit the hardest by violence. Their presence would be based on requests from district commanders, or area deputies, community input and crime data.
Historically, citywide units in Chicago were looked at as roving strike forces whose sole responsibility was to hit crime hot spots, confiscate guns and make arrests. These strike forces often repeatedly worked in the same neighborhoods that drive much of the city’s violence.
On Monday, Brown said the new approach with the community safety team “is a first-of-its-kind” for officers to focus on enforcement and community relations simultaneously. “Let me be clear,” he said, “this is not a roving strike force like what CPD has had in the past.”
“Until you know the community, you can’t very well protect the community,” he also said. “You’ll be stopping the wrong people, the hardworking people who have called for you to help.”
“You likely would get tips from the community if you are able to engage in positive interactions first about the violent crime that’s happening.”
The staffing for the community safety team does not include about 200 other officers working for the Police Department’s summer mobile unit, which has the same function as the new unit but only operates through the end of summer.
Additionally, Brown said a critical incident response team of about 250 officers will focus on large protests where crowd control is necessary and crime hot spots in the downtown area.
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For example, Brown lamented how having officers focused on intense protests in Grant Park on July 17 that left 49 officers hurt and resulted in a dozen arrests diverted much needed resources away from the South and West sides, where violence erupted.
“The mission of the critical incident team is simple. It is to protect the residents and the visitors that come to the downtown area or any area in the city that are here to peacefully express their views or enjoy a ballgame or a festival,” said Cmdr. Michael Pigott, who runs the unit. “While we will predominantly work in the downtown area, at the direction of the superintendent, we can travel to any area of the city that is hosting either a planned or an impromptu large gathering of people.”
Chicago police have used permanent citywide units to aid in their crime-fighting strategies in past years, only to disband them because of controversy and concerns about bad community relations.
Under the administration of Superintendent Phil Cline, who led the department from 2003 to 2007, the Special Operations Section and Targeted Response Unit were used regularly to aggressively patrol dangerous areas and take narcotics and illegal guns off the street. Some within the department credited the units for playing a role in helping homicides drop by 25% in 2004.
But a police scandal involving crews of special operations officers who committed robberies and home invasions led to the shutdown of that unit. Police and city leaders viewed it as problematic to have that often-unsupervised tactical group moving across the city without being limited to certain geography.
A new, better-trained version hit the street in 2008, known as the Mobile Strike Force. But in 2011 that group and the Targeted Response Unit were broken up when Garry McCarthy took over as superintendent under Mayor Rahm Emanuel, over concerns the units fostered division between police and minority communities.
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jgorner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Mayor Lori Lightfoot says removal of Columbus statues is temporary and was ordered after city receiv

Mayor Lori Lightfoot says removal of Columbus statues is temporary and was ordered after city received intelligence ‘of great concern’

“ What we ’ re going to be announcing here shortly is a process by which we take stock of @ @ @ @ @ memorials to our past , but also that we talk about the past that hasn @ @ @ @ @ lifted up , ” she said at an unrelated news conference .
“ There ’ @ @ @ @ @ to our history as Chicagoans , as a city , that doesn ’ t appear @ @ @ @ @ or form a memorialization .
”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday said she ordered Christopher Columbus statues in Chicago taken down in the middle of the night after receiving “intelligence that gave us great concern,” but maintained the removals are not necessarily permanent.
In her first public comments since the statues in Grant Park and Arrigo Park were taken down in the early morning hours last Friday, Lightfoot said she acted quickly in the interest of public safety following a high-profile confrontation near the downtown statue between protesters and police.
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“I wanted to make sure we did it as quickly as possible, and we received some information that day that raised some very serious public safety concerns, and I didn’t want to wait,” Lightfoot said.
Asked to specify the information, Lightfoot said “We got some intelligence that gave us great concern,” but declined to elaborate.
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Told that many are saying the statutes will never be re-erected, Lightfoot said “Well, I said it’s temporary.”
Lightfoot did not directly respond when asked whether Columbus Drive might get renamed as pressure continues to stop honoring Italian explorer Christopher Columbus in light of his treatment of Indigenous people. Instead, she talked about her plan to reassess public honors across Chicago
“What we’re going to be announcing here shortly is a process by which we take stock of murals and monuments and other memorials to our past, but also that we talk about the past that hasn’t been highlighted or lifted up,” she said at an unrelated news conference. “There’s a lot of richness to our history as Chicagoans, as a city, that doesn’t appear in any way, shape or form a memorialization.”
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @_johnbyrne


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--62 shot, 3 fatally, in Chicago’s weekend violence; youngest wounded is 13-year-old girl

A neighbor , who asked not to be named , said he heard 15 shots , a 20-second pause and @ @ @ @ @ shots .
He believed it sounded like at least two guns firing .
He walked @ @ @ @ @ , and police were already outside , he said .
He saw an officer holding @ @ @ @ @ across a nearby empty lot.The man said he ’ d anticipated a shooting would happen @ @ @ @ @ walked by a group of young men standing there three days before while he was @ @ @ @ @

There were 62 people shot, three of them fatally, in Chicago from Friday afternoon to Monday morning, with the youngest person injured over the weekend a 13-year-old girl, at according to Chicago police.
The weekend wasn’t as deadly as the previous weekend, when 71 were shot, 12 fatally, according to data kept by the Tribune, and it didn’t have as many shootings as any of the weekends in the last month. Still, another shooting occurred in the downtown area during overnight hours following a fatal shooting in the Near North neighborhood last week.
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A 26-year-old man was a passenger in a vehicle when he was shot three times in the back at 5 a.m. Saturday in the 200 block of North Wabash Avenue in the Loop, police said. A man on the street pulled out a gun and fired at the vehicle after those inside were arguing with the man. A friend drove the 26-year-old man to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was in serious condition. No arrests were made.
That was near the location where a 35-year-old man was killed and a 25-year-old woman was injured at 2:30 a.m. July 16 when they were shot at while in a car in the 300 block of North Wabash Avenue, police said.
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The youngest person shot over this weekend was a 13-year-old girl who was shot in the leg while she was in an alley around 2 p.m. Saturday in the 3000 block of West Harrison Street in the Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side, police said.
At a news conference Monday morning, Chicago police Superintendent David Brown cast a cautiously optimistic tone when talking about the weekend’s violence.
“This past weekend we did see tenuous progress. I think the most functioning word of that sentence is ‘tenuous,’” Brown said. “Fewer murders and fewer shootings than we’ve seen these past three weekends.”
Brown said the Police Department’s new citywide teams, including a community safety team that’s tasked with responding to crime hot spots while trying to foster a better relationship with residents, got started on Thursday. And he said the teams helped cover more areas that have seen spikes in violence.
“No one here is satisfied by any measure,” Brown said. “There is much work to be done. So, ‘tenuous,’ ‘much work to be done,’ ‘no one’s satisfied.’”
The first killing of the weekend was a 19-year-old woman who was shot in the South Shore neighborhood on the Far South Side, police said. The woman was standing with a 39-year-old woman in the parking area of an apartment complex about 1:50 a.m. Saturday in the 3000 block of East 78th Street when shots were fired.
The younger woman was shot in the head and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she died, police said. The older woman was shot in the right shoulder and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition.
The 19-year-old woman was identified as Annette R. McKay, of South Shore, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. She died after suffering multiple gunshot wounds, according to the office.
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About 1:30 a.m. Sunday, a 37-year-old man was standing on the sidewalk in the 4000 block of West Carroll Avenue in the West Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side when he heard shots, police said. He was struck in the chest and neck, and he was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:55 p.m. Sunday, according to the medical examiner’s office.
About 1:30 a.m. Monday, a man was driving in the 8600 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue in the Chatham neighborhood on the South Side when someone in a black sedan fired shots toward him, police said. The man was hit in the head, abdomen and leg.
The man’s car drove into a residential building in the 8700 block of South Cottage Grove after he was shot, police said. The man was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Information on his identity had not yet been released.
No one else was injured when he crashed into the building, police said.
Several other people were seriously or critically wounded in shootings over the weekend.
A man was found unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head about 2 a.m. Monday in the 5100 block of South Michigan Avenue in the Washington Park neighborhood on the South Side, police said. The man was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, initially in serious condition.
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One man at the scene said he was driving south on Michigan when he heard one gunshot behind him. He circled around the block to see if anyone was hit and saw a man lying on the sidewalk.
At least one shell casing was found at the scene, which was taped off on the east sidewalk. There was a large pool of blood several feet away from a Divvy bike lying on the ground. A crumpled $20 bill and $5 bill were also in the scene.
Other side of scene. One shell casing. Pool of blood with a $5 bill near it. A $20 bill was found next to that open gate. The evidence tech has arrived. #ChicagoScanner pic.twitter.com/0iDYNUZV6B — Paige Fry (@paigexfry) July 27, 2020
Two women were discovered Monday morning with gunshot wounds in unrelated shootings within 10 minutes of each other.
The first discovery occurred at 4:25 a.m. in the 8600 block of South Summit in the Gresham neighborhood on the South Side, police said. Someone found a woman, who was unidentified Monday, on the street with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
She was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition, police said. There were no witnesses to the shooting so further details were unknown.
Minutes later, at 4:33 a.m., officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert in the 2000 block of East 66th Street in the Woodlawn neighborhood, police said. A 25-year-old woman with multiple gunshot wounds to the face, arm and body was found sitting in the driver’s seat of a vehicle.
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She was unable to talk to police because of her injuries and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in serious condition, police said.
Most Chicago shootings over the weekend didn’t end with arrests, but at least one shooting resulted in someone being taken into custody.
About 10 p.m. Sunday, a 22-year-old man was walking in the 6500 block of South Rhodes Avenue when he heard shots, then realized he was struck in the leg, police said. An officer who responded applied a tourniquet to him, according to officers at the scene. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.
Officers found a man running from the area and arrested him, police said. Three weapons were also found and taken into evidence.
A neighbor, who asked not to be named, said he heard 15 shots, a 20-second pause and then another five to six shots. He believed it sounded like at least two guns firing. He walked outside after the shots stopped, and police were already outside, he said. He saw an officer holding a flashlight and chasing someone across a nearby empty lot.The man said he’d anticipated a shooting would happen on the block after he walked by a group of young men standing there three days before while he was going to the store.
The men didn’t see him at first and were startled when he walked by. The neighbor changed his route to go around the back alley so he didn’t have to walk in front of the men because he was afraid of being wounded if a shooting broke out, he said.
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Rhodes is a quiet block compared with nearby Vernon Avenue, which is notorious for its gun violence, the neighbor said.
The area is known for gang conflict between Gangster Disciple gang factions and nearby Black Disciple factions.
The Chicago Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner contributed.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Hersey High School football camp canceled after player tests positive for COVID-19

The student had last attended the varsity football camp held at the high school , at 1900 E. Thomas St. @ @ @ @ @ not experiencing symptoms of the disease , and the school district was informed of the @ @ @ @ @ July 24 , Township High School District 214 spokeswoman Erin Holmes said in a statement @ @

A member of the John Hersey High School varsity football team in Arlington Heights has tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the cancellation of practice for the remainder of the week, officials said Monday.
The student had last attended the varsity football camp held at the high school, at 1900 E. Thomas St., July 22 but was not experiencing symptoms of the disease, and the school district was informed of the teen’s positive test July 24, Township High School District 214 spokeswoman Erin Holmes said in a statement Monday.
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“Out of an abundance of caution, we canceled football camps this week and also canceled lacrosse camp, as the football coach also coaches lacrosse,” Holmes said.
This was to be the final week of camp for members of both teams, Holmes said.
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“Our top priority is the safety of our students and staff,” Holmes said. “We continue to follow the guidelines of the Illinois High School Athletic Association in offering athletic camps, and are collaborating with the Cook County Health Department to provide additional information as necessary.”
Arlington Heights-based Township High School District 214 enrolls more than 12,000 students across six schools, including Hersey and Buffalo Grove High School.
[ Illinois schools reopening updates: What suburban Chicago districts plan for fall ]
Holmes said officials are encouraging, “all members of our school community to continue using preventative measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including practicing social distancing and wearing masks.”
kcullotta@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @kcullotta


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Same man attacked 2 homeless men in Grant Park, killing one, police say as they release surveillance

Same man attacked 2 homeless men in Grant Park, killing one, police say as they release surveillance photos

The community alert describes the suspect as a Black man about 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-1 with a slender build and black @ @ @ @ @ He last was seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt with a red design on the @ @ @ @ @ and dark-colored gym shoes with white soles .
Bartoli did not say whether he had @ @ @ @ @ as scars , tattoos or birthmarks .
He is approximately 20- to 35-years-old , she @ @

Chicago police said two stabbings this month are connected and they released these surveillance images of the man they allege is responsible for both attacks, including one that was fatal. (Chicago Police Department)
Chicago police have released surveillance photos they’re hoping will lead to the identification and arrest of a knife-wielding killer who cops believe has twice sneaked up on and repeatedly stabbed a homeless man sleeping in Grant Park — fatally, in one case.
The attacks happened on or before July 9 and on July 24, both reported in the 1100 block of South Michigan Avenue, according to a community alert issued this weekend.
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“Detectives believe these incidents are connected,” Chicago police spokeswoman Kellie Bartoli said in an email.
Bartoli would not say whether the attacks were personal or if the men might have been targeted because they appeared to be homeless and sleeping in the park. She would not say whether there was more linking the two attacks to a single suspect, citing the ongoing investigation.
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Bartoli said there was no attacker description in the report for the attack reported July 9, which was ruled a homicide. Authorities responded about 9 a.m. that day to a portion of the park after a woman said she had walked by on multiple mornings and realized the man hadn’t moved at all in that time.
According to police, 58-year-old Aaron Curry was found slain, the blade of the knife still lodged in his shoulder, lying on a mattress on the south end of Grant Park. The handle of the knife was nearby, according to a police report.
Weeks later, in the predawn hours of Friday, a second man was attacked.
“In both of these cases, the offender has approached homeless victims while sleeping in the park. Offender attacks the sleeping (unsuspecting victims) and flees the scene,” said the alert, which came out Saturday, just a day after the second attack.
This time, police say they have surveillance photos of the man they believe fatally stabbed Curry and the 53-year-old man who awoke Friday while being stabbed, causing the attacker to return to his rented Divvy bicycle and pedal away.
An internal police memo sent about 10 p.m. Friday said detectives were seeking to identify the man, who they said sat down on a bench on which the 53-year-old was sleeping and started to stab him. The man awoke and “jumped up,” sending his attacker headed south on the bike, it said.
The community alert describes the suspect as a Black man about 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-1 with a slender build and black hair in an Afro. He last was seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt with a red design on the front, dark-colored pants, and dark-colored gym shoes with white soles. Bartoli did not say whether he had any other easily-identifiable characteristics such as scars, tattoos or birthmarks. He is approximately 20- to 35-years-old, she said.
When asked if investigators believe the man pictured and described as the attacker in the July 24 stabbing is the same person who killed the man in the earlier attack, Bartoli replied: “Yes, that is why both incidents are listed on the same alert with the same offender picture.”
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Anyone with information about the crimes or the identity of the man in the images is asked to call detectives at 312-744-8261. Tips also can be submitted anonymously at cpdtip.com.
Chicago Tribune’s Rosemary Sobol contributed.
kdouglas@chciagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Visitation, funerals set for Niles officers killed in motorcycle crash in Texas

Paglia and White were killed July 18 in southern Texas while taking part in a long-distance motorcycle ride with the @ @ @ @ @ Motorcycle Club , the Niles Police Department said in a statement .
Kerr County Sheriff @ @ @ @ @ reported that a group of cyclists were struck when a vehicle heading in the opposite @ @ @ @ @ of traffic on a highway south of Kerrville , a town located 65 miles northwest @ @ @ @ @ driver of that vehicle was arrested and charged with intoxicated manslaughter and intoxication assault , @ @ @ @ @ said in a statement .

Visitation and funeral services will be held this week for two former and current members of the Niles Police Department who were killed in a motorcycle crash in Texas. Authorities said it was caused by a drunk driver.
A wake for retired Niles police officer Joseph Paglia, 52, will take place Wednesday, July 29 from 3 to 9 p.m. at Grove Memorial Chapel, 1199 S. Arlington Heights Road in Elk Grove Village. A funeral mass will be held Thursday, July 30 at 10 a.m. at Queen of the Rosary Catholic Church, 750 W. Elk Grove Boulevard in Elk Grove Village, followed by burial at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside.
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A wake for Niles Community Service Officer Michael White, 28, will be held Thursday, July 30 from 3 to 9 p.m. at Colonial Wojciechowski Funeral Home, 8025 W. Golf Road, in Niles. A funeral mass will take place on Friday, July 31 at 10 a.m. at St. Juliana Catholic Church, 7400 W. Touhy Ave. in Chicago. A private burial for family will follow at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois.
Paglia and White were killed July 18 in southern Texas while taking part in a long-distance motorcycle ride with the Thin Blue Line Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club, the Niles Police Department said in a statement. Kerr County Sheriff’s Department in Texas reported that a group of cyclists were struck when a vehicle heading in the opposite direction crossed into their lane of traffic on a highway south of Kerrville, a town located 65 miles northwest of San Antonio. The driver of that vehicle was arrested and charged with intoxicated manslaughter and intoxication assault, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
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A third member of the Niles Police Department, Sgt. Joseph Lazo, was injured in the crash, Niles police said. A GoFundMe account established for Lazo had raised just over $42,100 as of Monday.
Retired Niles Police Detective Joseph Paglia. - Original Credit: Niles Police Department (Niles Police Department / HANDOUT)
Paglia was employed by the Niles Police Department from 2002 to 2018 and prior to that was a Westchester police officer, said Niles Cmdr. Anthony Scipione.
Paglia was also president of the Chicago chapter of the Thin Blue Line Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club, which supports officers who have been seriously injured or killed in the line of duty.
White was a Niles community service officer who recently obtained a degree in criminal justice and was pursuing a career in law enforcement, Scipione said. He also served in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, according to his obituary.
Niles Community Service Officer Michael White. - Original Credit: Niles Police Department (Niles Police Department / HANDOUT)
jjohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @Jen_Tribune


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Evanston sees 3 fatal shootings over 4 days, first homicides in more than a year

As of Monday , no suspects are in custody for any of the shootings , according to Carter .
Detectives @ @ @ @ @ definitive links between the men but do not believe the attacks are random , he @ @

Evanston experienced three fatal shootings over the last several days, two of which took place within a block of each other.
Three men, all in their 20s, were shot and killed between Thursday and Sunday, each suffering multiple gunshot wounds, police said.
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This string of killings were the first homicides the city has seen in more than a year. Evanston hasn’t seen a homicide since spring 2019, according to police spokesman Sgt. Ken Carter.
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The most recent shooting took place Sunday around 3 p.m. in the 1900 block of Hartrey Avenue, police said.
Andrew Williams, a 29-year-old Evanston resident, was found on the sidewalk with multiple gunshot wounds, according to police. He was later pronounced dead after being transported to NorthShore University HealthSystem Hospital in Evanston.
Witnesses nearby said they saw two males get out of a car, shoot Williams and flee the scene, according to a Monday news release from police.
One day earlier, just around the corner, another shooting claimed the life of a man in his 20s. Police responded to a call around 12:15 a.m. Saturday in the 2200 block of Emerson Street and found Deashawn Turner, 21, of Evanston, with gunshot wounds in his arm and chest.
Turner was also transported to NorthShore University HealthSystem Evanston Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.
In that shooting, investigators are looking into a tip about a male in his 20s who fled the scene on foot wearing light-colored clothing, Carter said.
Police are also investigating a possible link between the two weekend homicides. Carter said Sunday’s shooting could be an act of retaliation from the shooting that happened the day before.
Evanston police investigate a fatal shooting on West Howard Street near the CTA Howard Street station in Evanston on Thursday, July 23, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
The string of shootings began July 23, when Brian Carrion, 20, of Glenview was shot and killed in another early-morning incident.
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Police responded around 1:15 a.m. to the 300 block of Howard Street, near the CTA Howard Street Red Line station. Carrion was pronounced dead shortly after paramedics arrived on scene and attempted to treat him, police said.
A 21-year-old Evanston man was also shot in what seemed to be the same attack, but he survived, suffering a graze wound to the head, police said. The man was transported to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston where he was treated and released.
Initial investigation found that the shooting happened after a dispute on the street near Marshfield Avenue and Howard Street, according to police.
Police are still investigating whether the second man was affiliated with the incident or if he happened to be in the area at the time of the shooting, Carter said.
As of Monday, no suspects are in custody for any of the shootings, according to Carter. Detectives have not yet found any definitive links between the men but do not believe the attacks are random, he said.
Carter said he could not speculate what may have caused the recent spike in shootings, saying police are still investigating possible motives.
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For now, he said the department is “saturating the area” where the shootings occurred, especially the most recent two on the northwest side of town. Investigators are attempting to ease residents’ concerns, he said, by increasing visibility in neighborhoods and talking to residents.
“We have a lot of officers on the street right now,” Carter said. “We’ve increased our manpower.”
The incidents are being investigated by Evanston police detectives and members of The North Regional Major Crimes Task Force.
Police encourage anyone with information about any of the shootings to call detectives at 847-866-5040 or Text-A-Tip to CRIMES (274637), starting the message with EPDTIP.
kedquist@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @kaitlinedquist


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--10-month-old girl wounded in Bishop Ford Freeway shooting, state police say

They say the girl as an enthusiastic and happy child who is just learning shapes and has developed a love @ @ @ @ @ that the girl ’ s mother , who was a passenger in the vehicle , @ @ @ @ @ speak publicly about the incident .

An infant was shot Monday morning while riding on the Bishop Ford Freeway, according to Illinois State Police.
The girl was riding in a northbound vehicle near 115th Street around 11:15 a.m. when a shot rang out, state police said in a news release. The driver, a 21-year-old man whom authorities didn’t identify, saw that the child was injured and drove to an area hospital for treatment.
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The girl, identified by relatives as 10-month-old Nyori Wagner, suffered a gunshot wound to her shoulder and a graze wound to one of her ears. The girl was eventually taken to the University of Chicago medical center, where she was listed in good condition, her family said.
Relatives of the girl who asked not to be identified, said they have not been given details about the shooting, but believed it was a case of mistaken identity.
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They say the girl as an enthusiastic and happy child who is just learning shapes and has developed a love of balloons. They added that the girl’s mother, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was still too distraught to speak publicly about the incident.
Authorities shut down traffic on the northbound freeway for about 40 minutes, while investigators worked on the scene. State police said the shooting remained under investigation.
Shootings on Chicago-area expressways this year have already surpassed the number of shootings for each of the past four years. Some have called for installing more High-definition cameras and license plate scanners along the expressways to better track shooters, though civil libertarians have expressed concerns of their possible misuse.


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Ohio girl, 14, killed in Interstate 65 crash near Crown Point

According to a release from the Indiana State Police , the Indiana State Police Regional Dispatch Center received a 911 @ @ @ @ @ deer crash at approximately 2:50 a.m. on I-65 northbound at the 246 mile-marker .
A @ @ @ @ @ car was struck by another northbound vehicle , the release said .
As a result @ @ @ @ @ Sage N. Albert , 14 , from Union , Ohio , was killed , police @ @

An Ohio girl was killed early Monday, July 27, 2020, after the car she was riding in struck a deer on Interstate 65 in Crown Point and was then struck by another car. - Original Credit: Post-Tribune (Indiana State Police / HANDOUT)
A 14-year-old Ohio girl was killed early Monday after a series of events on Interstate 65 in Crown Point that started when a car hit a deer.
According to a release from the Indiana State Police, the Indiana State Police Regional Dispatch Center received a 911 call of a car vs. deer crash at approximately 2:50 a.m. on I-65 northbound at the 246 mile-marker. A few minutes later, that car was struck by another northbound vehicle, the release said. As a result of that second crash, Sage N. Albert, 14, from Union, Ohio, was killed, police said.
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Preliminary investigation by Trooper William Stancy revealed that a blue 2007 Honda Fit, driven by Willy C. Albert, 42, of Union, Ohio, was traveling northbound when a deer ran onto the roadway. A head-on collision occurred between the deer and the Honda. After striking the deer, the Honda drove into the median guardrail where it sustained additional damage before coming to a final rest in the far left lane, the release said.
Moments later, a silver 2019 Infiniti QX80 driven by a Cincinnati man was northbound in the left lane and struck the disabled Honda on the passenger side, causing the Honda to spin several times back into the median.
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The Infiniti overturned onto its passenger side, rolled back onto its wheels and struck the guardrail head-on. As a result of the crash between the two vehicles, Sage Albert, who was a passenger in the Honda, was ejected, the release said.
Stancy attempted to perform CPR on the child but she was pronounced deceased by the Lake County Coroner, the release said.
Willy Albert was transported to Franciscan Health in Crown Point for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Infiniti refused medical treatment. Alcohol is not believed to have been a factor in the crash, the release said.
Criminal charges may be filed following a review of the report by the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office, police said.


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Illinois’ new COVID-19 plan: How the state will manage any outbreaks in 3 charts

The plan also includes mitigation steps unique to different categories , like restaurants and bars , offices or salons , @ @ @ @ @ specifically respond to a type of outbreak in a specific part of the state .
@ @ @ @ @ s plan here .

Jemal R. Brinson, Nausheen Husain, Jonathon Berlin

Amid an uptick of COVID-19 cases over the past month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker laid out a new approach to managing any resurgence across the state.
The new approach is more surgical, dividing the state into 11 regions — Illinois’ existing Emergency Medical Services regions — and tightening the metrics officials will watch to determine if any action is warranted.
The plan also includes mitigation steps unique to different categories, like restaurants and bars, offices or salons, that could be used to specifically respond to a type of outbreak in a specific part of the state. Read more on Pritzker’s plan here.
Check our tracker for daily metrics for each region.
Here is a breakdown of the plan.


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

Search below by street address , ZIP code or city , then click on the map to see the number @ @ @ @ @ state is not providing data for any ZIP code with five cases or fewer .

Note: With Chicago and Illinois moving into phase 5, the Tribune is no longer updating this data. If the state moves back into bridge phase, the Tribune we reassess. Daily metrics on COVID-19, like cases, deaths and hospitalizations, can be found here. And Daily metrics on the vaccination effort can be found here. More on where the coronavirus stands nationally and around the world can be found here.
Illinois releases the number of positive COVID-19 cases by ZIP code daily. The map below shows the cumulative cases for each area as well as other analysis of the data.
• Check out the Tribune’s coronavirus coverage.
• Tracking daily Illinois coronavirus deaths, cases and tests.
Search below by street address, ZIP code or city, then click on the map to see the number of confirmed and probable cases. The state is not providing data for any ZIP code with five cases or fewer.
Data as of June 10.
The map search tool above works best in Chrome or Firefox and may not perform consistently in Internet Explorer.
Note: Because of a coding error this map was displaying the incorrect rates for new cases in the last 7 days per 100,000 people — the issue should now be resolved.. The Tribune adjusted the data shown on the map below to focus on new cases, those the state tracked in the last 7 seven days. The totals for the entire pandemic are still available, but in the pop-up after tapping or clicking on a ZIP.


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Deer Park woman charged in machete attack on boyfriend

Authorities said Om struck her boyfriend on the head with a machete when she became upset he urinated in the @ @ @ @ @ share in the 22500 block of West Lake Cook Road in Deer Park .

A Deer Park woman was arrested after authorities found her boyfriend with a serious head wound when they arrived at their home on a domestic battery call Sunday.
Bophanary Om, 39, was in the Lake County jail facing charges of aggravated domestic battery, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and two counts of domestic battery, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
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Authorities said Om struck her boyfriend on the head with a machete when she became upset he urinated in the bed at the home they share in the 22500 block of West Lake Cook Road in Deer Park.
The victim is expected to recover, according to the report. Om is due in court on Aug. 25. Her bail was set at $30,000.


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Mayor Lori Lightfoot announces $33 million in housing assistance grants, including mortgage and rent

Mayor Lori Lightfoot announces $33 million in housing assistance grants, including mortgage and rent relief, from federal coronavirus relief funds

Lightfoot ’ s housing department will also provide mortgage assistance , up to $ 3,300 , to those whose income @ @ @ @ @ % of the area ’ s median income .
The funding would be paid directly @ @ @ @ @ city said .
That applications opens Friday , and the city didn ’ t say @ @ @ @ @

Housing activists march on East 51st Street in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood on May 1, 2020, calling for a "rent strike" against large apartment rental companies on the city's South Side due to the economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 virus pandemic. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday announced that $33 million in funding from the federal coronavirus relief bill will go toward housing grants, including mortgage and rental assistance for city residents.
“We anticipate that our funds will assist a minimum of 10,000 households to stay in the places that they call home,” said Housing Commissioner Marisa Novara.
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Residents can apply for a series of programs through the city’s website at chi.gov/housinghelp.
For those making up to 50% of the area’s median income, the city will provide between three and six months of rental support through the Department of Family and Support Services, with the amount of the award based on need, officials said.
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Half the funds will go toward those making less than 15% of the area’s median income, the city said. That application opened Monday and closes Aug. 10.
Through the Department of Housing, the city will provide grants between $2,000 and $3,000 depending on need, available to those earning up to 60% of the area’s median income, which is $72,800 for a two-person household.. That application also opened Monday and closes Aug. 10.
Lightfoot’s housing department will also provide mortgage assistance, up to $3,300, to those whose income is at or below 120% of the area’s median income. The funding would be paid directly to the lenders, the city said. That applications opens Friday, and the city didn’t say when it would close.
In addition, the city will work with Lawyers Committee for Better Housing to provide no-cost legal defense in eviction court for people making 60% of the area median income or below.
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“COVID-19 has laid bare and exacerbated the issue of housing insecurity, a core symptom of the crushing poverty and economic hardship that remains the reality for far too many Chicagoans,” Lightfoot said in a statement.
“This much-needed expansion of our Housing Assistance Grants and the creation of the online Chicago Housing Assistance Portal will ensure that our residents have the support they need to stay in their homes, stay safe and stay afloat during these uncertain times.”
The programs announced Monday are Lightfoot’s latest effort to address the thorny issue of affordable housing amid the widespread economic tumult brought on by the pandemic.
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In March, Lightfoot announced one-time $1,000 grants to help residents who have suffered financially due to the coronavirus outbreak with rent and mortgage payments, though it was criticized as insufficient.
Novara in a statement noted that round of grants showed “how deep the need is across all neighborhoods in Chicago.”
“We have been working to find additional resources to assist those financially impacted by the pandemic, and these new funds will go a long way in stabilizing the lives of residents during these challenging times,” she said.
In April, Lightfoot also unveiled a “Chicago Housing Solidarity Pledge” encouraging landlords and renters to work together through the coronavirus pandemic, which was widely panned by activists for being toothless.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Illinois coronavirus graphs: 7,416 deaths, 172,655 confirmed cases and 2.54 million tests

Illinois announced a 1,231 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Monday , the fifth straight day with more than 1,000 new @ @ @ @ @ announced 18 new deaths and the results of 30,567 tests .

Johns Hopkins University & Medicine tracked coronavirus cases, deaths and test totals from Jan. 22, 2020 through March 10, 2023, but is no longer providing this data. These charts will no longer be updated.
Check the Illinois Department of Public Health for the most up-to-date data for Illinois.
[ Remembering the lives of those in Illinois who died from coronavirus ]
Can’t see these charts? Go here.


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Watch live: Mayor Lori Lightfoot discusses housing and COVID-19

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other officials will announce housing assistance grants for residents impacted by COVID-19 in a briefing @ @ @ @ @ the latest coronavirus updates here .

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chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Youth baseball ramps up in Chicago’s suburbs, with coronavirus restrictions in place: ‘Once they wer

Youth baseball ramps up in Chicago’s suburbs, with coronavirus restrictions in place: ‘Once they were on the field, they were kids again.’

Some of the restrictions in Northbrook prohibit anyone from being behind the backstop and from dugout to dugout .
Gordon @ @ @ @ @ empty .
Masks are required of coaches at all times and by the players when @ @ @ @ @ encouraged for fans .

Buffalo Grove's Tony Aguado, right, tags out Deerfield's Mateo Cossi at home plate during a youth baseball game in Buffalo Grove on Saturday, July 18, 2020. (Mike Mantucca / Pioneer Press)
Youth baseball is back in Chicago’s suburbs, with youngsters from ages 4 through high school hitting, throwing, fielding and catching with regularity.
While the game is the same for the players stepping between the white lines, just outside the playing field’s markers, fans are social distancing by sitting on portable folding chairs.
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The bleachers are nearly always empty.
Drew Schnurman, a catcher/third baseman for the 9U Red travel team in the Deerfield Youth Baseball and Softball Association, didn’t seem to mind.
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It’s a win against so many losses since the coronavirus pandemic began.
“It feels great to be able to play baseball and be with my friends again,” he said.
Schnurman is among hundreds of youngsters who started playing games as early as June 26 when house and travel teams began competing with the arrival of phase four of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan.
Russ Goldstein is the travel director of Buffalo Grove Recreation Association, which operates youth baseball in that suburb. He’s also the coach of its 9U travel team.
He said the players were frustrated with many of the restrictions imposed because of the pandemic. Playing baseball again, however, is seen as part of the cure.
Deerfield's Rafi Feldman rounds third base before scoring a run against Buffalo Grove during a youth baseball game n Buffalo Grove on Saturday, July 18, 2020. (Mike Mantucca / Pioneer Press)
“Once they were on the field, they were just kids again,” Goldstein said. “They were elated to be out there.”
Edwin Ramos, a coach of multiple teams for Elmhurst Youth Baseball, said high-fives and hugs to congratulate teammates are no longer part of the routine. Neither is shaking hands with opponents after a game.
“We want to teach sportsmanship but do it in a way that keeps everyone safe,” Ramos said. “Instead of lining up and shaking hands, we line up along the bases and tip our hats.”
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When the outcome of action in the field is not in question, according to Ramos, players are coached to not make the play to avoid unnecessary contact. It’s also another way to teach sportsmanship.
“If there is no way they can make the play, we want them to socially distance from the runners,” Ramos said.
With the start of the season, new rules like wearing masks and social distancing were in place to assure safety. Andrew Gordon, an official with Northbrook Baseball, said each team has a coach to enforce COVID-19 standards.
Buffalo Grove's Jayden Simon throws to third base for an out against Deerfield during a youth baseball game in Buffalo Grove on Saturday, July 18, 2020. (Mike Mantucca / Pioneer Press)
“They make sure all the rules are being followed as much as possible,” Gordon said. “We want to make sure everyone is safe — the players, the coaches, the umpires and the spectators.”
Some of the restrictions in Northbrook prohibit anyone from being behind the backstop and from dugout to dugout. Gordon said the bleachers must remain empty. Masks are required of coaches at all times and by the players when not competing. Masks are encouraged for fans.
“The COVID enforcer will try to encourage or coax fans to wear them,” Gordon said.
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In Deerfield, association commissioner Paul Chanan said only coaches use the dugouts. Players sit with their equipment in two socially distanced rows of folding chairs at least six feet apart. Umpires stand behind the pitcher’s mound, not home plate.
“I bring three sets of catcher’s equipment,” Chanan said, explaining how to avoid sharing the required tools of the trade.
As the organization’s travel director, Goldstein said he has encountered problems he could not have imagined a year ago. One of the umpires tested positive for the coronavirus. Goldstein had to let everyone who was in contact with the umpire know so they could get tested.
“We had to cancel a lot of games because of the uncertainty,” Goldstein said. “He’s fine now.”
Steve Sadin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--20-year-old University Park woman killed, man wounded in Lansing shooting

Lansing police have not released any additional information about the shooting , citing their ongoing investigation , but did say @ @ @ @ @ be random .

A 20-year-old woman was killed and a 24-year-old man was wounded Sunday in a shooting in Lansing, police said.
Officers found the victims at about 9:20 a.m. after responding to a report of shots fired in the area of 184th Street and Violet Avenue, Lansing police said in a statement.
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The woman, identified as Tayveona Edwards, of University Park, was pronounced dead a short time later at Franciscan Health Munster in Munster, Indiana, police said.
The Lake County, Indiana coroner’s office said Edwards was shot multiple times and ruled her death a homicide.
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The man was treated and taken to an area hospital, where his condition is stable, police said.
Lansing police have not released any additional information about the shooting, citing their ongoing investigation, but did say it does not appear to be random.
Lansing police ask anyone with information about the shooting to contact the criminal investigations division at 708-895-7150.
zkoeske@tribpub.com
Twitter @ZakKoeske


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--There will be a Lollapalooza of sorts after all, a virtual event on YouTube, with old and new conten

There will be a Lollapalooza of sorts after all, a virtual event on YouTube, with old and new content, even a social justice bent

This virtual event , in effect , stakes out the fest ’ s psychological and calendar space .
Mayor Lori @ @ @ @ @ announcing the cancellation , said that Lollapalooza would be back in 2021 .
C3 promised @ @ @ @ @ .
For now , though , we have what are in effect a bunch of @ @ @ @ @ an online space that doesn ’ t usually give its best , in video or @ @ @ @ @ is the biggest game in town , it always works , and everybody is there @ @ @ @ @ to relive is the feeling of a show with fans , even if you ’ @ @ @ @ @ before , and you can ’ t be there .

No flower crowns, no underbutt, no stepping on smushed piles of uncertain provenance as you rush to a stage. Is it really Lollapalooza without sunburn, sore feet, the incessant thump of Perry’s stage and a weekend of human pinball are questions you will have to answer for yourself, but virtual Lolla is happening.
There are lots of twists, but the biggest thing about this year’s event, scheduled to take place over the same four days — Thursday to Aug. 2 — is that it’s free. All of it.
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It’s a “four-night broadcast event” exclusively on YouTube that will include more than 150 performances and appearances. There will be fan-favorite sets from previous festivals (including international editions), original performances and classic sets. Yeah, you were there for LCD Soundsystem, Chance the Rapper, Metallica, OutKast and Paul McCartney, to name a few. But maybe your vantage point was all backs and butts, or maybe you were dog tired and heading for the exits.
This year’s virtual Lollapalooza will feature new sets from the likes of H.E.R., Kali Uchis, Kaskade, Louis the Child, Vic Mensa and other artists. What will be interesting is the presentation. We have seen in the live from Lincoln Hall sets by AudioTree that virtual shows don’t have to be some performer in their living room, plinking and plunking away. A virtual show can be, in its own way, engaging, but production values are paramount. Seeing an artist, as we saw from Lincoln Hall, in HD and proper stereo sound is quite a different experience.
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When Lollapalooza 2020 was called off in June, along with the rest of the Chicago summer festival season, the event’s organizer, C3 Presents, promised a slate of virtual events to do something to manage the absence of four days in Grant Park. Though some people snapped up advance tickets very early, tickets never officially went on sale, nor was a lineup announced.
It will be impossible for any virtual event to capture the feeling of being at Lollapalooza. For all of the issues that people have with the event, it’s a four-day celebration of music featuring 100,000 fans per day. The quality of the lineup in recent years has left much to be desired, a situation not helped by the addition of a fourth day.
At the time the 2020 event was called off, Tribune special contributor Britt Julious suggested that the event could use the year off to raise its game, She wrote in June, “Will it solely cater to the uber-young festival goers who flock from the far suburbs and other parts of the Midwest, or will it try experimenting with music (like more black and female headliners) or length (like a return to fewer days)?”
This virtual event, in effect, stakes out the fest’s psychological and calendar space. Mayor Lori Lightfoot, in her event announcing the cancellation, said that Lollapalooza would be back in 2021. C3 promised a “spectacular” return. For now, though, we have what are in effect a bunch of music videos, hosted on an online space that doesn’t usually give its best, in video or sound quality. But YouTube is the biggest game in town, it always works, and everybody is there. What will be interesting to relive is the feeling of a show with fans, even if you’ve seen most of it before, and you can’t be there.
Attendees dance at the Perry's stage during the last day of the 2019 Lollapalooza Music Festival in Grant Park Sunday Aug., 4, 2019, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Those clamoring for a Chicago stage at Lolla won’t get their wish, but this year’s event will feature four new performances from Chicago artists, recorded at local venues. The lineup includes Jamila Woods, KAINA, Heavy Steppers with Jamal Smallz, Peter CottonTale, Rebirth Poetry Ensemble, Emon Fowler, Linda Sol and The Era Footwork crew. These shows, programmed by DCASE, seek to highlight the ongoing Year of Chicago Music, a celebration of local sounds put on hold due to the pandemic.
The eight performers have been recorded in two groups of four, one at Thalia Hall (Woods, KANIA, Cottontale, Heavy Steppers), and the rest at The Promontory (Rebirth, Fowler, Sol, The Era).
And it might have taken a pandemic to transform Lollapalooza from a lost weekend with 100,000 of your closest friends, to something that feels more like Pitchfork Music Festival from an activism perspective. The festival is partnering with Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote organization, the Equal Justice Initiative and the Arts for Illinois Relief Fund, which is working to provide financial relief to a local arts scene shuttered in the face of COVID-19. Obama will make an “appearance,” and there will also be links so that people can register to vote.
Mayor Lightfoot will be popping up as well throughout the weekend, for conversations with Perry Farrell and LL Cool J. But no kidding, this is going to be weird. The event that has been a summer fixture and rite of passage for seeming ages, isn’t happening. The challenge will be for the event to build some sense of anticipation, fan engagement and excitement.
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The full lineup and schedule of performances will be announced on Wednesday. Visit lollapalooza.com for more information.
kmwilliams@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Man critically injured when he hits head on concrete lake wall steps, falls into Lake Michigan

In a separate incident , between 5 and 8 p.m. Sunday , a group of four teenagers loaded into two @ @ @ @ @ lake from Rogers Park , officials said .
Some of their belongings were located about @ @ @ @ @ , which set the stage for another marine rescue — this one with the help @ @ @ @ @ .

A man fell into Lake Michigan on Sunday night near Diversey Harbor after hitting his head on concrete revetment steps, authorities said.
The police Marine Unit was called about 8 p.m. to the 2600 block of North Cannon Drive, for a report of a near- drowning, according to Chicago police.
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A 28-year-old man “slipped and fell striking his head on the concrete (lake wall) steps and then rolled into the water outside the entrance of Diversey Harbor,” police spokeswoman Karie James said in an email.
Other people were in the area and rushed to the man’s aid.
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People were able to bring the man out of the water “after several attempts,” James said.
The man was rushed to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was in critical condition, James said. It was possible he was having a medical emergency, such as a heart attack, which caused him to fall and hit his head.
In a separate incident, between 5 and 8 p.m. Sunday, a group of four teenagers loaded into two inflatable kayaks and entered the lake from Rogers Park, officials said. Some of their belongings were located about 10:30 p.m. in Rogers Park, which set the stage for another marine rescue — this one with the help of the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Chicago Fire Department had launched rescue divers but called the divers in and suspended the search about midnight. About an hour later, the Coast Guard found the three 19-year-olds and a 13-year-old safe, but some seven miles from shore, officials said.
Because of the pandemic and closure orders, Lake Michigan beaches in Chicago currently are closed and no lifeguards have been on duty this summer, except for those who worked in previous years as lifeguards and are employed this year as social distance ambassadors.
B.J. Fisher, director of health and safety for the American Lifeguard Association, fears drownings could set a record this year, not just because beaches have been closed, but because of a buying binge for backyard pools as a means to keep boredom at bay during coronavirus-related closures.
“When you close a beach down and the temps hit triple digits, people are going to seek relief,” Fisher previously told the Tribune. “There are 10 million backyard pools in the United States. There are 309,000 public pools that people expected to be open this year. They’re filled and treated and then they didn’t open.”
Fisher said drownings this year could reach a record high of half a million worldwide, up from about 350,000 to 380,000 in an average year.
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In Chicago, which is on track to have one of its hottest summers in recent memory, if not of all time, the risk could be exponentially higher because oppressive heat can lead people to take their chances on unguarded beaches, despite warnings that the nearly historic lake level means hazards are hidden and the current is stronger than swimmers realize.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot has said she does not plan to reopen beaches or post lifeguards along the closed lakefront, citing concerns about a recent uptick in COVID-19 numbers.
“We do have some people on the beach, but even if there’s lifeguards there, the lake is dangerous,” she said. “The lake is not safe.”
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Man hit and killed by Red Line train in Englewood

CTA officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
After stopping service for a while between 69th @ @ @ @ @ bypassing 69th Street , trains resumed their regular runs about 5:30 a.m. , according to @ @ @

An unidentified man was struck and killed by an oncoming CTA Red Line train after falling off the platform in the Englewood neighborhood early Monday, police said.
The man, whose age was not known, was pronounced dead on the scene, according to a police media notification.
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The man fell on the tracks at the CTA Red Line 69th Street station, 15 W. 69th St., around 2:15 a.m, according to police.
CTA officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. After stopping service for a while between 69th and 95th Street, then bypassing 69th Street, trains resumed their regular runs about 5:30 a.m., according to CTA tweets.
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The Cook County medical examiner’s office has not released details about the man’s identity or death, except that he was pronounced dead at 4:26 a.m. Area One detectives were investigating.


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Daywatch: What Illinois educators say about reopening, how disinvestment hurts Black and Latino neig

Daywatch: What Illinois educators say about reopening, how disinvestment hurts Black and Latino neighborhoods and Chicago lawyer talks life after Netflix show

Now that eye-widening sale has turned into news Chicagoans can use .
Exuberant , elemental and about 14 feet wide @ @ @ @ @ the painting is now hanging on a wall in the Modern Wing of the Art @ @ @ @ @ be on view when the museum reopens Thursday after its more than four-month COVID-19 closure @

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Good morning, Chicago. Here’s the coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Oak Park River Forest High School teacher Aaron Podolner outside his LaGrange Park home on July 22, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
As Illinois school districts release their reopening plans for the fall, the Tribune asked teachers, social workers and other school staff this question: What are your concerns about the upcoming school year? Here’s what they had to say.
Stressed-out parents navigate back-to-school shopping, unsure if kids are learning in the classroom or at home
New CDC guidance adds pressure for schools to reopen, but teachers’ demands for remote learning are getting louder
Illinois State University professor Stacy Otto, is among faculty there raising the alarm about fall plans on campus. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
With the fall term rapidly approaching, faculty at Illinois colleges are escalating their complaints and have emerged as a leading force against the resumption of in-person instruction during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Their concerns, aired in petitions and debates in academic senates, are taking on renewed urgency after reports that students returning to some college towns are spreading the coronavirus at parties and other gatherings. Anxiety is running particularly high for professors who work at colleges in Chicago and Cook County, where the highest number of cases have been recorded.
(Mapping Inequality and Library of Congress)
It’s an oft-quoted statistic: White families have significantly more wealth than nonwhite families in America — nearly 10 times that of Black families.
The racial wealth gap is rooted in policy and continues to greatly impact differences in opportunity and access. Here’s a look into the severe outcomes of disinvestment on Black and Latino neighborhoods in Chicago, shown in a series of charts.
Curator Hendrik Folkerts talks about "Boy and Dog in Johnnypump," the 1982 painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat at the Art Institute of Chicago, on Friday, July 24, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
When it came out during the pandemic that Chicago billionaire Kenneth C. Griffin had purchased the massive, much admired Jean-Michel Basquiat canvas “Boy and Dog in Johnnnypump” for more than $100 million, it made news.
Now that eye-widening sale has turned into news Chicagoans can use. Exuberant, elemental and about 14 feet wide by 8 feet high, the painting is now hanging on a wall in the Modern Wing of the Art Institute, where it will be on view when the museum reopens Thursday after its more than four-month COVID-19 closure.
Houston attorney Aparna Shewakramani and Chicago lawyer Shekar Jayaraman go on a date on Netflix's "Indian Matchmaking," which premiered in July 2020. (Netflix/Handout)
Chicago lawyer Shekar Jayaraman and New Jersey event planner Nadia Jagessar toured Chicago by boat and had a picnic on the lakefront in the fall. Their date was unusual because cameras were on hand for Netflix’s new hit show “Indian Matchmaking” — and so was Jagessar’s mom.


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Prominent attorney accused of assault, trying to trade sex for custody favors

Due to the allegations in the ARDC complaint , which was made public last week , Pasulka was taken off @ @ @ @ @ of approved court-appointed child representatives by the Presiding Judge of the Domestic Relations Division Grace @ @ @ @ @ internal email provided by the spokesperson for the Office of the Chief Judge .
Dickler @ @ @ @ @ participation in any other of the division ’ s court committees .

A prominent Chicago attorney once told a woman he would tell a judge to give her full custody of her children — but only if she had sex with him, according to disciplinary charges filed by officials with the Illinois attorney registration committee.
David Pasulka told the mother that “in order to receive his support in recommending that she receive sole custody, she only had to ‘do a little extra something,‘” the complaint alleges.
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Pasulka, a well-known family law practitioner who until recently chaired a screening committee for court-appointed child advocacy attorneys, also is accused of sexual misconduct against multiple female subordinates, according to the complaint.
Due to the allegations in the ARDC complaint, which was made public last week, Pasulka was taken off the county’s list of approved court-appointed child representatives by the Presiding Judge of the Domestic Relations Division Grace Dickler, according to an internal email provided by the spokesperson for the Office of the Chief Judge. Dickler also suspended Pasulka’s participation in any other of the division’s court committees.
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Mary Wisniewski, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Chief Judge, said court officials could not provide comment on the complaint as it is a pending matter.
The Tribune could not reach Pasulka for comment Thursday; he told CBS 2 he denies all allegations and feels he is being “dragged through the mud.”
The complaint was filed by Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission officials tasked with investigating accusations of attorney misconduct before a formal charge is brought. After that, a panel of the disciplinary hearing board can consider the evidence and recommend discipline if warranted.
Pasulka has not been criminally charged. A spokeswoman for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office said law enforcement has not asked them to review the matter.
Pasulka has practiced family law for decades, served on or led prominent committees in the field, and was a frequent public speaker on the subject. He was often appointed to represent the interests of children in domestic relations cases — including in some high-profile disputes, such as a paternity matter involving Chicago Bulls great Scottie Pippen.
The alleged offer to trade sex for a favorable custody recommendation immediately raised eyebrows in Chicago’s legal community.
That incident allegedly occurred in 2017, after Pasulka was appointed to represent two children in a thorny divorce case. During a private meeting with their mother, he began touching her breasts and put his hands under her dress, the complaint states.
He then offered to recommend she get sole custody of the children — but only if she had sex with him, according to the complaint.
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He told her “that she was a ‘smart girl’ and that if she really wanted her children, he could ‘do that’ for her if she would have sex with him,” the complaint states.
She complained to her own attorney, who said he would need to withdraw from her case since he may have been witness to an assault. The divorce case settled with a 50-50 custody arrangement.
The complaint also accuses of multiple instances of sexual misconduct at his firm, a pattern that allegedly lasted years.
Pasulka was already on the disciplinary board’s radar because of a previous misdemeanor DUI conviction. He promised the board he would stop drinking, and submit to regular breath testing. Pasulka relapsed at least twice and in February of this year admitted to hooking his breath analyzer to an air compressor in an attempt to pass the test, the complaint states.
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Resumption of federal death penalty could affect two convicted murderers from Illinois

Just such a scenario occurred in the case of 8-year-old Laura Hobbs and 9-year-old Krystal Tobias , who were found @ @ @ @ @ park in Zion on Mother ’ s Day in 2005 .
After being interrogated over @ @ @ @ @ father , Jerry Hobbs , who had found the girls ’ bodies and had a @ @ @ @ @ chasing a man with a chain saw — confessed , and was charged with the @ @

When given the chance in court, Jorge Torrez never said he was sorry.
He didn’t speak at his sentencing for the rape and murders of two young girls in Zion.
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And earlier, when sentenced for murder in a case in Virginia, he told the judge, “There’s nothing I want to say, your honor.”
But his attorney in the Zion case, Jed Stone, believes there remains a spark of humanity in him. Stone believes that the death penalty he faces — for the Virginia crime — is fundamentally unjust.
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The recent imposition of the federal death penalty means Torrez, who grew up in Zion, once again is in line to be executed, along with one other man convicted of murder in Illinois, Richard Mikos.
Torrez was convicted in state court of the murder of the two girls in Zion but doesn’t face the death penalty in that case because Illinois law prohibits capital punishment. Instead, Torrez faces execution under federal law for the murder of a Navy petty officer in Virginia.
Last year, the Trump administration announced it would resume executing death row inmates for the first time since 2003, after an informal moratorium. This month, the Department of Justice used lethal injections on three convicts.
They included a former white supremacist for his role in the murder of a family of three, a man convicted of the murders of a 16-year-old and an 80-year-old polio patient, and a man convicted of killing five people to hide his dealing of methamphetamine, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
Despite the hundreds of murders that occur in Illinois annually, only Torrez and Mikos, who was convicted in federal court, are in line for lethal injection.
Most murders are prosecuted under state law, which previously allowed for the execution of murderers such as serial killer John Wayne Gacy in 1994. But a Chicago Tribune investigation in 1999 found numerous problems with the application of the death penalty in the state and nationwide.
In 2003, citing errors common in the capital punishment system, then-Gov. George Ryan commuted the sentences of 167 inmates on death row, over the outraged objections of prosecutors and some victims’ survivors. In 2011, state lawmakers voted to abolish the death penalty.
The Tribune found numerous cases that were based on historically unreliable jailhouse informants, coerced confessions and bogus forensic evidence. There also were case where Blacks were sentenced by all-white juries, and verdicts that were reversed by court rulings, often based on DNA evidence that proved someone else committed the crime.
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Just such a scenario occurred in the case of 8-year-old Laura Hobbs and 9-year-old Krystal Tobias, who were found stabbed to death in a park in Zion on Mother’s Day in 2005. After being interrogated over 24 hours Laura’s father, Jerry Hobbs, who had found the girls’ bodies and had a lengthy criminal history — including chasing a man with a chain saw — confessed, and was charged with the murders.
Hobbs spent five years in jail awaiting trial, but was eventually freed after DNA evidence from semen in one of the victims was matched to Torrez.
Torrez, now 31, lived two blocks from the park where the girls were found, and was friends with Krystal Tobias’ half-brother and often visited their house. After he graduated from high school in 2006, Torrez joined the Marines.
He spent two years based in Japan, before being transferred to a Marine base in Arlington County, Virginia. It was in 2008 when a court hearing was held over tests revealing that DNA in the girls’ murders didn’t match Jerry Hobbs, but Lake County state’s attorneys continued to prosecute Hobbs for three more years, according to court records.
In the meantime, in July 2009, Petty Officer Amanda Snell, 20, was found dead in the same barracks where Torrez lived.
Authorities didn’t arrest Torrez until 2010, after he abducted two women, and raped and choked one of them and left her to die in a forest in the snow, prosecutors said. She crawled to safety and Torrez was finally arrested.
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A jury in 2014 convicted him of strangling Snell and sentenced him to death.
After his arrest in Virginia, DNA linked him to the Zion killings, authorities said.
In 2018, Torrez agreed to plead guilty to the murders of the girls in Zion and was sentenced to 100 years in prison.
Lake County Judge Daniel Shanes said Torrez crime was “hatefully and shockingly evil,” and that he was beyond rehabilitation.
As part of the deal, he was transferred from Red Onion State Prison in Virginia to the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, the same prison where Ryan had served time, and where two recent executions were carried out.
Torrez’s former attorney, Stone, said there was no proof of it, but he believed Torrez had been abused as a child. He finds capital punishment “senseless.”
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“It’s simply a barbaric form of retribution, and we’re better creatures than that,” he said.
U.S. Attorney Zachary Terwilliger said death was the only just outcome for Torrez.
“Life in prison is simply not an adequate punishment for what he has done,” Terwilliger said in a written statement to the Tribune. “Torrez deserved to be sentenced to death when he was convicted nearly six years ago, and he still deserves that sentence today.”
Fifty-nine prisoners are on the federal death row nationwide, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. That includes only one in which the crime occurred in Illinois. That is Ronald Mikos, who was convicted in a largely circumstantial federal court case of killing a former patient who was cooperating in a Medicare fraud investigation of the former podiatrist.
He was the last person sentenced to death in Illinois.
Twenty-eight states still have the death penalty. Polls generally find that the majority of Americans favor capital punishment. Amnesty International reported that 56 countries executed people last year, with most occurring in China, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
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rmccoppin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-27--Teen called a ‘main driver of violence’ on West Side charged in shooting at memorial that led to acc

Teen called a ‘main driver of violence’ on West Side charged in shooting at memorial that led to accomplice’s death

Following his arrest a short time after the shooting , Lewis allegedly gave a videotaped confession admitting that he and @ @ @ @ @ outdoor party to kill two gang rivals in retaliation for the shooting death of a @ @ @ @ @ He said he learned of their intention to attend the event through social media and @ @ @ @ @ stills from the scene , prosecutors said .

Bail was denied Sunday for a teenager accused of opening fire on a large group of people honoring the birthday of a slain West Side gang member late last week.
Authorities said city surveillance cameras allegedly captured Marcus Lewis and two others approaching the outdoor gathering in the 900 block of North Lamon Avenue and firing several shots early Friday. A 14-year-old girl was wounded in first volley of gunfire. But gunmen among the mourners returned fire, wounding Lewis and mortally wounding one of his accomplices, authorities said.
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Lewis, of the Austin community, faces first-degree murder and aggravated battery charges for the shooting that wounded the 14-year-old bystander and killed Marquis Crump, 18. Lewis told police he saw who shot him but wouldn’t name the person, authorities said.
In court, prosecutors called Lewis, 18, a high school senior and reputed Traveling Vice Lord member, a “main driver of violence” in the Harrison police district on the city’s West Side, “connected with several shootings and homicides in the community within the last year alone.” Authorities also noted that he was a YouTube rapper who posts multiple videos of “firearms, narcotics and street gang activity.”
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Following his arrest a short time after the shooting, Lewis allegedly gave a videotaped confession admitting that he and his group went to the outdoor party to kill two gang rivals in retaliation for the shooting death of a friend, prosecutors said. He said he learned of their intention to attend the event through social media and later identified himself in video stills from the scene, prosecutors said.
The video allegedly captured Lewis, Crump and a third uncharged person arriving around 1:25 a.m. in a blue Dodge Charger and approaching the crowd. After firing several shots into the group, shooters returned fire, striking Crump twice in his torso and once in the eye, prosecutors said. He died at the scene.
The aftermath of the shooting was purportedly captured on Instagram, with an unresponsive Crump lying on the pavement beside a car.
Judge Charles Beach II approved a no-bail petition, calling Lewis a danger to the community.
Lewis will return to court Tuesday.
wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy