chicagotribune--2020-12-14--Chicago picks Loretto Hospital on West Side for ceremonial first COVID-19 vaccination

During an appearance Sunday on “ Against the Grain ” with Tio Hardiman and Raza Siddiqui on WCPT-AM 820 , @ @ @ @ @ Miller said he understood the skepticism but insisted the vaccine was safe and necessary in @ @ @ @ @ .
Without it , he said , Black Chicagoans likely would continue to die at @ @ @ @ @ of white residents .

The Loretto Hospital, a 122-bed medical facility in the Austin community, will administer Chicago’s ceremonial first COVID-19 vaccination Tuesday, sources told the Tribune.
The community hospital, which treats all patients regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay, was chosen because of the care it has provided to communities hit hardest by the virus, sources familiar with the decision said.
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Home to the first testing center on the West Side, Loretto staff have performed more than 18,000 tests, expanded an intensive care unit and created a 15-bed coronavirus ward to handle the onslaught of cases over the past 10 months.
[ Exhausted, scared and committed: These are the faces on the front lines of Chicago’s COVID-19 battle ]
Austin’s main ZIP code has among the highest death rates in the city, with 1 in every 468 residents killed by the virus, according to data maintained by the Chicago Department of Public Health. The neighborhood death rate is about 62% higher than that of the entire city, a reflection of the deadly consequences that underserved Black communities have endured for generations.
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The hospital is at 92% capacity, with more than half of its ICU beds open.
Loretto Hospital employees gather in May 2020, to see the U.S. Navy Blue Angels perform a flyover to honor front-line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Loretto’s selection also is intended to help public health officials promote the vaccine in the Black community, where the country’s history of inhumane medical experiments such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study remains an unhealed wound. In a recent Pew Research Center poll, more than half of African Americans said they would not get the vaccine.
During an appearance Sunday on “Against the Grain” with Tio Hardiman and Raza Siddiqui on WCPT-AM 820, hospital President and CEO George Miller said he understood the skepticism but insisted the vaccine was safe and necessary in order to achieve herd immunity. Without it, he said, Black Chicagoans likely would continue to die at a rate nearly twice that of white residents.
“We certainly understand and appreciate the history,” Miller said in response to a caller who expressed doubts. “As a gatekeeper, we give that promise to you. At the Loretto Hospital — taking care of African American people, run by an African American CEO — we want to be sure you understand we’re doing the best thing for our community.”
Loretto also has been part of at least four separate COVID-19 treatment trials in tandem with biopharmaceutical companies, Miller said. Hospital leadership recently announced plans to partner on a vaccine trial slated to begin early next year.
Amid the excitement about the Pfizer vaccine, public health officials also have said that multiple vaccines will be needed to ensure access and efficacy across all populations, Miller said. Loretto officials have made public calls for volunteers for their trial, stressing the importance of Black and Latino participants in such studies.
“For 97 years, we have stood together with the Austin community, advocating for health equity and universal access to quality health care,” Miller said last week. “We have the opportunity to make sure our voices are heard and our lives considered as we join in the fight to end the worst pandemic our world has seen in the past century.”


chicagotribune--2020-12-14--Chicago police investigate after homeless man found dead in North Branch of Chicago River

The police marine unit was sent to the river near the 2600 block of West Montrose Avenue , just east @ @ @ @ @ 6:20 a.m. , according to Sally Bown , a police spokeswoman .
There they located @ @ @ @ @ water .

Chicago police officers responding Monday morning to a call in Ravenswood Gardens launched a death investigation after locating a man’s body in the North Branch of the Chicago River.
The police marine unit was sent to the river near the 2600 block of West Montrose Avenue, just east of Horner Park, about 6:20 a.m., according to Sally Bown, a police spokeswoman. There they located a man facedown in the water.
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Bown estimated the man’s age at 37 years, and she said officers from the marine unit determined he was homeless and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The police marine unit “did remove the body from the water. We were not informed of how much water the body was in,” she said in an email.
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Bown said officers don’t believe the man was killed. Police are not looking for a suspect related to the death, which likely was accidental or natural.
An abandoned tent and debris are shown at a homeless encampment near where a man was found dead in the North Branch of the Chicago River near Montrose Avenue in Chicago on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune)
“There is no indication of foul play at this time. This is deemed a death investigation,” she said.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office did not release information Monday on the man’s identity.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-12-14--COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital da

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

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

Note: With Chicago and Illinois moving into phase 5, the Tribune is no longer updating this data. If the state moves back into bridge phase, the Tribune we reassess. Daily metrics on COVID-19, like cases, deaths and hospitalizations, can be found here. And Daily metrics on the vaccination effort can be found here. More on where the coronavirus stands nationally and around the world can be found here.
To assess how different parts of Illinois are handling the COVID-19 pandemic, officials look at the state through the 11 regions of Emergency Medical Services. The city of Chicago is one region, for example, and the rest of Cook County is another.
Among the metrics (see below) tracked under guidelines set by Gov. J.B. Pritzker are the percentage of coronavirus tests that return positive, the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19-like illnesses, and the capacity of hospitals to take in new patients.The state will decide how much or how little to restrict activities based on these metrics. (Cases, deaths and tests data is as of Dec. 31).
• Check out the Tribune’s coronavirus coverage.
• Remembering the lives of those in Illinois who died from coronavirus.
• Other Chicago, suburbs and Illinois COVID-19 metrics.
• See how the governor’s plan to manage the regions works.
Source: Illinois Department of Public Health
Created by the Chicago Tribune dataviz team. On Twitter @chitribgraphics


chicagotribune--2020-12-14--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-12-14--Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 103 new deaths, 7,214 new confirmed and probable cases and 92,256

Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 103 new deaths, 7,214 new confirmed and probable cases and 92,256 new test results

Illinois announced 7,214 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 Monday for a total of 856,118 .
The state also @ @ @ @ @ a total of 14,394 and 92,256 new test results for a total of 11.87 million @

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


chicagotribune--2020-12-14--Here’s how United may fly COVID-19 vaccine: A million doses on one jet, 15,000 pounds of dry ice

In mid-November , American began conducting trial flights between Miami and South America to test a vaccine ’ s thermal @ @ @ @ @ s handling process , American said in a news release .
American said it has @ @ @ @ @ test vaccines and specimens used in COVID-19 vaccine trials .
The airline received its first @ @ @ @ @ night at O ’ Hare , where it was loaded onto a Miami-bound Boeing 777 @ @ @ @ @ delivered to a U.S. territory in the Caribbean , according to a news release .

Cargo handlers unload a Boeing 777-300 from Narita International Airport in Japan at the United Airlines cargo facility at O'Hare International Airport on Dec.10, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
United Airlines’ 55,000-square-foot cargo facility just south of the terminals at O’Hare International Airport has kept humming during the coronavirus pandemic with planes unloading containers carrying anything from mail and packages to pharmaceuticals and personal protective equipment.
Now United is gearing up for an influx of even more critical cargo: the COVID-19 vaccine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine Friday, and Chicago officials are preparing for the rollout, including an initial shipment of 23,000 doses.
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Getting millions of doses to people across the U.S. will require a massive logistical effort with an extra challenge: vaccines that must be kept far more frigid than typical cargo. United is just one of several airlines and shipping companies gearing up for the push.
“We just want to position ourselves to be prepared to do whatever we can to help with the global distribution,” said Chris Busch, United Airlines’ managing director of cargo.
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While it’s not yet clear how large a role United or its Chicago hub will play, the city is so central to the transportation industry that “in almost any logistical operation, it’s going to be coming through Chicago,” said Hani Mahmassani, director of the Northwestern University Transportation Center.
Cargo handlers prepare to unload a Boeing 777-300 from Narita International Airport in Japan on Dec. 10, 2020, at the United Airlines cargo facility at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
United said in a statement Saturday it operated five cargo flights in late November and early December delivering doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine from Brussels to Chicago, becoming the first commercial airline to fly an FDA-approved coronavirus vaccine to the U.S.
Transporting vaccines is nothing new for United, which regularly transports medical cargo. United’s cargo facility at O’Hare, which handles both mail and freight, has three refrigerated rooms and battery-powered refrigerated containers that can keep cargo like pharmaceuticals cold during a flight, and a team of employees monitoring temperature-controlled shipments.
But the Pfizer vaccine wouldn’t be stored in those containers, because it must be kept at temperatures much colder than standard freezer temperatures: about minus 70 Celsius, or minus 94 Fahrenheit. The Moderna vaccine doesn’t need to be kept as cold.
Pfizer said it developed shipping containers for the COVID-19 vaccine that can maintain those temperatures for 10 days with no additional equipment beyond dry ice.
United and other airlines worked with the FAA to get permission to carry more dry ice than usual in the cargo hold. United, for instance, can pack up to 15,000 pounds on charter flights between Brussels and Chicago flown to support distribution of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, according to an FAA letter obtained by the Tribune.
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Those planes can typically carry 3,000 pounds of dry ice. Dry ice is regulated because it turns to carbon dioxide gas at temperatures above about minus 109 degrees Fahrenheit, so airlines need to have procedures in place to keep carbon dioxide from building up in the plane, Busch said.
Climate-controlled shipping containers are seen Dec. 10, 2020, at the United Airlines cargo facility at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. The Pfizer coronavirus vaccine must be kept at temperatures much colder than standard freezer temperatures, though the Moderna vaccine doesn't need to be kept quite as cold. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
A single Boeing 777 can carry up to a million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. To unload, planes will park directly behind United’s cargo facility at O’Hare and lift the doors to the cargo holds, one at each end of the aircraft.
Containers roll one by one onto a platform that lowers them to vehicles waiting to drive them to the cargo facility, where they will be loaded directly onto refrigerated trucks for the next stage of their journey. The process can take less than half an hour.
“We don’t want it at the facility for a long time,” Busch said. “They want it at the final destination.”
American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, which also have experience transporting pharmaceuticals, have also been preparing for the rollout.
In mid-November, American began conducting trial flights between Miami and South America to test a vaccine’s thermal packaging and the airline’s handling process, American said in a news release. American said it has also been involved in transporting test vaccines and specimens used in COVID-19 vaccine trials. The airline received its first vaccine shipment by truck Sunday night at O’Hare, where it was loaded onto a Miami-bound Boeing 777 and was expected to be delivered to a U.S. territory in the Caribbean, according to a news release.
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Delta, which said it successfully transported test vaccines during the summer and fall, has a Vaccine Control Tower monitoring shipments around the clock. The airline has large warehouses and cooler facilities at airports in Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York and Seattle that could handle flights where a vaccine must be stored at a controlled temperature, and 49 other airports that can handle pharmaceutical cargo.
The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically slowed air travel, but Mahmassani said he didn’t think airlines’ reduced flying would limit their ability to transport the vaccine. Throughout the pandemic, cargo-only flights have kept passenger aircraft that would otherwise be idle busy.
United said cargo revenues rose 50% during the third quarter, while passenger revenue dropped 84% compared with last year. The airline has flown more than 6,500 cargo-only flights since March 19. Cargo-only and passenger flights have collectively moved more than 401 million pounds of freight, including 154 million pounds of “vital” shipments like medical kits, PPE, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, United said in October.
Temperature-sensitive cargo is kept in the cold storage area Dec. 10, 2020, at the United Airlines cargo facility at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Shipping companies like UPS and FedEx, meanwhile, can carry vaccines by air and truck. While some vaccines will be flown in from Europe, Pfizer is also expected to ship some from its facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and a distribution center in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, near the Illinois border before sending them out to distribution sites, which will also need to develop plans for storing the vaccines at the required temperatures.
The trucking industry’s capacity is already tight, thanks to booming online sales during the pandemic that have risen even higher during the holiday season.
Vaccines will get priority over consumers’ holiday gifts, but that leaves less slack in the system if drivers get sick or equipment malfunctions, Mahmassani said.
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At a U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Transportation and Safety on Thursday, executives at UPS and FedEx said they reserved capacity for COVID-19 vaccines.
“There will be no higher priority shipments in our networks than these vaccine shipments,” said Richard Smith, regional president of the Americas and executive vice president at FedEx Express.
FedEx, which transported 80 million H1N1 vaccine doses in 2009, has more than 90 facilities across five continents designed to keep items cold during transit, including a 20,000-square-foot temperature-controlled storage center at its headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee. It is also expanding its network of ultralow-temperature freezers, Smith said at the hearing.
UPS, which provided logistics support for Pfizer’s COVID-19 trial and is supporting eight vaccines currently in clinical trials, invested in a “freezer farm” that can maintain the extra-frigid temperatures Pfizer’s vaccine requires, Wesley Wheeler, president of global health care at UPS, said at the hearing.
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The company can produce more than 24,000 pounds of dry ice each day at its Louisville, Kentucky, facility and plans to ship 40 pounds of dry ice to all Pfizer dosing locations after the vaccine arrives to keep it cold after delivery.
lzumbach@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-14--They turned their van into a ‘mobile dining room’ to help support restaurants and bars

The couple had afternoon tea in the van — these days most people pick up their boxes of tea .
@ @ @ @ @ two pots of hot tea .
“ One of my girls went out there and @ @ @ @ @ them in their van , ” Geralds said , “ almost as if they were @ @ @ @ @ It was really sweet .
”

Doug and Kim White of Lombard sit in their van as Kizuna Sushi General Manager Gino Crededio Jr. brings out their order on Dec. 11, 2020. The couple uses the "mobile dining room," for dinner about once a week. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
They talk about how they loved the tuna tartare at Cab’s Wine Bar Bistro in Glen Ellyn.
They talk about how Mexican and Vietnamese flavors fused at Mykha’s before the namesake chef retired.
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While these restaurants’ closings were not a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kim and Doug White fear their favorite restaurants will get added to the closed list. “We still lament them as though they were family members,” said Kim White.
For many, dining out is at the heart of good times and memories. The suspension of indoor dining at restaurants and bars because of the coronavirus has stolen that joy from the Whites. It took away date nights, a way the Lombard couple communicates. “It’s Doug’s love language,” said Kim White. “From the very beginning, we love to go out to eat. It’s been the thing that we do.”
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Like many others, they sought ways to find happiness and some normalcy during an isolating time. Their solution: turn their Ford Transit van into a mobile dining room. Since October, the two have been pulling into restaurant parking lots and eating their takeout at the table covered in a red-and-white checkered table cloth in the back of their van. To help support the restaurants, they’ve been posting their date nights on Facebook and Instagram, logging their favorite dishes.
“Eating out for us is that little teeny tiny bit of normalcy,” said Kim White, who talked about being dealt another blow this year.
Doug and Kim White of Lombard dine in their van outside of Kizuna Sushi in Glen Ellyn on Dec. 11, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
On a Friday night in June, Doug White thought he had a kidney stone and went to the hospital. With COVID-19 affecting hospital visitors’ policies, he was left to hear these words alone: “You have cancer.”
“It just sucks the breath out of you,” said Kim White.
After the diagnosis, the next step was chemotherapy. This, too, stole small delights. Doug White could no longer eat sushi with raw fish from one of his new favorite restaurants, Kizuna, which they discovered this summer on Roosevelt Road in Glen Ellyn.
“Doug and I have always said there’s a couple different types of meals,” Kim White said. “There’s a meal that will feed your body, and there’s a meal that will feed your soul. And if a meal can feed your body and your soul at the same time, that’s the best.”
The couple, who’ve been married 26 years and have two adult children and five grandkids, met decades ago when he was her piano tuner. Five years later, when both were single parents of young children, they went to a concert and then to Reza’s restaurant in Andersonville.
“Doug has a way of describing food that is so romantic,” Kim White said. But when indoor dining closed again in the fall, “It was just like some of that joy was just being taken away from us again,” Kim White said. “It was so sad.”
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Doug White used to work as a bartender at Palmer Place in LaGrange, so he knows how hard it is to stay above water, let alone during a national shutdown. He worried about his eating places.
“Doug and I are cheerleaders at heart,” said Kim White, who runs a nature education business. “Whenever a new restaurant comes into town we try to get there like the first day, if not that first week, to try and go there and support them and welcome them into the community.”
Being able to eat outside in the summer, with real plates and the carrying of voices, was a tonic.
That’s why, when restaurants closed again, they sought another way back.
One day, while out for a drive, Doug told Kim he wished they had a RV so they could just drive up to restaurants and eat in the parking lot.
Kim White of Lombard lights candles inside her van while setting the table for dinner outside of Kizuna Sushi in Glen Ellyn on Dec. 11, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
She assessed her van and thought it could probably be remodeled. She went to Menards and bought a 4-foot table. Her husband had his heart set on a checkered tablecloth. After some sleuthing, she found one at Restaurant Depot. They also have a white tablecloth for fancier venues. They hung lights, which they plug into the van converter.
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Mission BBQ in Downers Grove was their first mobile dining experience. The couple said they love how the restaurant supports veterans. They got takeout boxes and transferred the food to plates they brought from home and used their own silverware.
Since then, van dining adventures have included Rosemary and Jeans Public House in Lombard, where they had bruschetta and butternut squash ravioli, and Vito & Nick’s Pizzeria on South Pulaski Road, where Doug White grew up going to church nearby and loves the “ultra thin cracker crust pie.”
The restaurant workers have joined in on their fun. Waiters are eager to bring plates out to them, Kim White said, not having served diners sometimes for months. Chefs enjoy revisiting food styling skills while plating.
“They’re having just as much fun doing it as we are,” she said.
Pam Geralds, chef and owner at Pinecone Cottage Tea House and Catering in Downers Grove, said the couple’s November visit was a great chance to use teapots that have been sitting dormant.
The couple had afternoon tea in the van — these days most people pick up their boxes of tea. They were able to enjoy two pots of hot tea. “One of my girls went out there and actually poured the tea for them in their van,” Geralds said, “almost as if they were here in the restaurant. It was really sweet.”
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She said of the visit, “Those are the little things that happen during this pandemic that make life a little bit more worthwhile. We have to look for those little shining star moments, right?”
Recently, Kim White stopped by Kizuna, telling the host they miss visiting, now that Doug can’t have raw fish. The host got a menu, circling everything he could still eat. She brought the menu home to her husband. He said, “I can’t eat any of it.” She showed him the circles.
Doug and Kim White share a kiss while dining in their van outside of Kizuna Sushi in Glen Ellyn on Dec. 11, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
They hope to remind people of the smells and the ambiance of dining out. They know takeout on a lap in front of the television isn’t the same experience. But, Kim White said, “It’s bringing these restaurants back into people’s minds, and they say, ‘Let’s go get that.’”
She has been heartened by how people have responded to the Facebook page that she started to document their “Vanbassador” adventures. Some people have sent money for their meals. Kim marvels that somehow out of multiple jobs they had — photographer, nature educator, travel coordinator — COVID-19 claimed them all.
“You can get cynical, you can think that there’s so much bad in this world,” she said. “We have seen such an outpouring of good.”
abowen@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-14--Welcome to winter, Chicago: Forecasters expect single-digit wind chill values this blustery Monday

“ We ’ re expecting a pretty chilly day with wind chill values in the teens for most of it @ @ @ @ @ Borchardt , of the weather service .
“ So far it has been a mild @ @ @ @ @ was pretty warm to start off and December has actually been kind of warm , @ @ @ @ @ ’ t know for sure if these are the coldest wind chill values we ’ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s definitely more typical of winter , I can tell you that .
@

A person looks on as waves build at Loyola Beach in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood on Dec. 12, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
After a wet weekend, northern Illinois’ stretch of unseasonably warm weather has ended and forecasters said much of the area will be in for a blustery Monday with wind chill factors in the teens or even single digits.
The actual temperature wasn’t expected to be much better as the day’s high should be about 32 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. In the north and northwest suburbs, wind chills were expected of about 11 degrees.
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“We’re expecting a pretty chilly day with wind chill values in the teens for most of it,” said meteorologist Brett Borchardt, of the weather service. “So far it has been a mild winter. Remember, November was pretty warm to start off and December has actually been kind of warm, as well. I don’t know for sure if these are the coldest wind chill values we’ve seen all year but it’s definitely more typical of winter, I can tell you that.”
The average temperature for Dec. 14 is in the mid-30s and Monday will fall below that norm with a daytime high of about 32 degrees, he said. On Twitter, the weather service warned residents of “blustery conditions” Monday, “with temps struggling to reach freezing.”
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“In any winter we’re going to get warm stretches and cold stretches. It has been mild but it’s fair to say we’re entering into a colder stretch this week,” Borchardt said.
The lowest wind chills Monday morning will be in the upper single digits to the teens. It's been a mild December so far, so if spending time outdoors remember to dress for the cold! #ilwx #inwx pic.twitter.com/mBeIknzPsU — NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) December 14, 2020
Wind gusts as strong as 15 mph also were expected.
“It’s enough to feel the air bite, but nothing too crazy,” he said.
And the temperature isn’t expected to improve much throughout the week, he said.
“Normal highs are in the mid-30s for this time of year, so we are actually a little below average, and that’s coming off warmer than usual temps, so it’s a big swing,” Borchardt said. “It will probably be the same tomorrow, as well.”
The weather service also recommended anyone who plans to spend an extended period of time outside Monday dress in layers.
Blustery conditions are expected today with temps struggling to reach freezing. Dry conditions are likely through the week amid periods of cloudy skies, though a small chance of light snow exists well southeast of I-57 Wed. morning as a storm system tracks along the Ohio River. pic.twitter.com/1F1FXyvlGo — NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) December 14, 2020
Borchardt said the week should be relatively dry, which is likely welcome after a snowy or soggy weekend for much of the area.
Chicago saw reports of as much as an inch-and-a-half of rain, though most of the city received more like 1 inch of rain, Borchardt said.
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In McHenry County there were reports of nearly 3 inches of snow in communities such as Hebron, he said. Originally the event was expected to produce as much as 6 inches of snow.
“There’s a chance Wednesday we might get some flurries, most likely south and east of the city,” Borchardt said. “But it looks like much of the week will be dry — at least, nothing like this weekend.”
For more, visit the Tribune’s weather page.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article included snowfall totals for Aurora and Bloomingdale that the weather service later retracted, saying those totals were mistakenly included from a November snow event.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-12-14--Column: As COVID-19 vaccine arrives, remember this: Your decisions over the holidays can still save

Column: As COVID-19 vaccine arrives, remember this: Your decisions over the holidays can still save lives

Dr. Robert Redfield , director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave this grim forecast last week : @ @ @ @ @ time frame now that probably for the next 60 to 90 days , we ’ @ @ @ @ @ deaths per day than we had in 9/11 .
This is going to be a @ @ @ @ @ , as all that we ’ ve had so far , and the reality is @ @ @ @ @ is not going to really impact .
”

Mayor Bill de Blasio bumps forearms with Tara Easter, a registered nurse at NYU-Langone Hospital who received the COVID-19 vaccine, Dec. 14, 2020, in New York. (Kevin Hagen / AP)
This week, the first Americans will roll up their sleeves and receive a vaccine to protect them against the coronavirus.
It’s a stunning scientific achievement, led by the work of a married couple in Germany, researchers Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci, the children of Turkish immigrants. In less than a year, the vaccine has moved from the lab at the couple’s company, BioNTech, to global distribution by Pfizer.
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Many didn’t give heed to science over the course of this year, but all should stand in awe of what’s happening now. The work of Sahin and Tureci will save countless lives.
________
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The Chicago Tribune publishes a variety of columnists. Columns are opinion content that reflect the views of the writers and not necessarily the Chicago Tribune
________
But we, the regular folks in America, have a chance to save lives as well.
It’s going to take months for the vaccine to roll out and be available to everyone. There are other vaccines in the pipeline as well, but even with those, it’s unlikely the timeline will move up much.
The first people protected will be front-line health care workers and the residents and staff at long-term care facilities. Next will be people deemed essential workers, people with underlying medical conditions that put them at higher risk of death from COVID-19 and older adults.
For many, a vaccination won’t come until late spring or even early summer.
That means what we do between now and then matters. A lot.
Coronavirus cases are surging, the country is nearing 300,000 COVID-19 deaths and it’s the holiday season, a time of travel, parties and large family gatherings, all perfect opportunities for the virus to spread.
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We’ve struggled as a nation to keep people healthy, obviously. The death toll from COVID-19 is more than the number of World War II combat fatalities. Last Wednesday, the United States recorded its highest one-day total of coronavirus deaths: 3,124, more than the number of lives lost on 9/11, more than the number of American soldiers killed on D-Day.
Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave this grim forecast last week: “We are in the time frame now that probably for the next 60 to 90 days, we’re going to have more deaths per day than we had in 9/11. This is going to be a real unfortunate loss of life, as all that we’ve had so far, and the reality is the vaccine approval this week is not going to really impact.”
What will likely go down as the greatest sin in this dark chapter in American history is the politicization of behavior dictated by science. It has never been easy, but the rules have been relatively simple: Wear a mask; stay distanced; reduce your exposure to only essential activities.
Many tried, but we collectively failed. The proof lies in intensive care units filled to capacity, and in the portable morgues brought in to handle the dead.
It’s possible a country with an inflated sense of entitlement and an irrational spirit of rugged individualism was doomed from the jump. But the reasons matter less than what we do moving forward.
Perhaps Americans need to ask themselves this question: If you had the chance to save a life, would you do it?
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For most of us, the ones who aren’t doctors or nurses, firefighters or cops, that’s not an opportunity that comes along often, if ever. But it’s an opportunity we all have, right here and now. What we do in the coming weeks and months, how we behave and the choices we make, will determine how many more Americans die as the coronavirus vaccine gets distributed.
Will you wear a mask — properly, so it’s covering your mouth and nose — to protect others and to set an example? The mask is one of the best ways to slow the spread of the virus. We didn’t know that at first, but we now know it well.
When you put one on, even if you’re healthy and around people who are healthy, you’re making a difference by modeling good behavior. Mask-wearing should be the norm for now, and if your mask-wearing makes people who aren’t wearing masks feel self-conscious, then you’re doing a good thing.
Can you modify your holiday traditions and celebrations? Can you reach an agreement with family members that stresses the greater good and frames this as a one-year sacrifice? We’re close to wrestling this pandemic to the ground, but treating this holiday season as normal will set the country back.
Your family’s decisions can save lives. That is, in the truest sense of the word, a gift.
What better way to capture the spirit of the holidays than to do something that helps others. What better way to unite as a family than to say: “We’re going to do the right thing, because people out there are suffering. We’re going to change how we do things, just for this year, to help make the world a better place.”
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People like Sahin and Tureci, and all the doctors and researchers who have unraveled the mystery of this virus and put us on a path toward health and normalcy, will save lives.
We can too.
(If you hated this column, why not join the third annual Insult-A-Columnist Holiday Food Drive and make a donation to the Greater Chicago Food Depository under the RexStinks team name? Or, if for some reason you liked the column, you can hop on Team RexRocks. Either way, you help feed people! Just go to: https://www.myfooddrive.org/#InsultRex.)
rhuppke@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-14--CTA 'L' violent crime doubles

CTA 'L' violent crime doubles

It took almost a year , but a new owner paid $ 1.585 million in 2012 for the right to @ @ @ @ @ of the red-brick Winnetka Georgian immortalized in `` Home Alone . ''
Almost 30 years @ @ @ @ @ the movie changed the neighborhood — but they ’ re OK with it .
Read @ @ @

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 11 Passengers wait on the Roosevelt CTA "L" train platform Dec. 4, 2020, at rush hour. As of Nov. 23, the Roosevelt station in the South Loop had about 22 violent crimes this year. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Violent crime on CTA trains and platforms has more than doubled, even though the number of riders has dramatically dropped.


chicagotribune--2020-12-14--Will Chicago see a white Christmas this year? Here’s what 149 years of weather data predict for Dec.

Will Chicago see a white Christmas this year? Here’s what 149 years of weather data predict for Dec. 25.

The National Weather Service considers Christmas to be white only when snow depth on the ground is 1 inch or more the morning of Dec. 25 .
So , any snow that could fall later that day ?
Pretty , but it does n't count .
The most snowfall on Christmas Day in Chicago happened in 1950 , when 5.1 inches blanketed the ground at Midway Airport .
Forecasters predicted light snow for that day .
In 2016 and 2017 , Chicago had 2 inches of snow on the ground heading into Christmas Day , marking the city 's first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no snow on the ground in 2018 or 2019 .
Based on climate normals from 1981-2010 , the National Centers for Environmental Information predicts O'Hare International Airport ( the city 's official recording site since 1980 ) has a 37 percent probability of a white Christmas in 2020 .
Looking for an almost-guaranteed place to find snow on Christmas morning ?
Try Crested Butte , Colo. , which is one of about a dozen locations in the continental U.S. that has 100 percent historical probability of a white Christmas .
Historic probability of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , based on normals between 1981 and 2010 .
Click on a dot to see the chance of snow at that location : Number of days when snow fell on Christmas — and how much Days as counted between 1871 and 2019 at Chicago 's official recording site ( 17 years of Christmas weather data is missing ) The 8 years when 2 inches or more fell “ The snow , which began about 10 a.m. , caught weather forecasters off base .
They had predicted snow for downstate Illinois , but none @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conditions were blamed for the faulty prediction.
” — Chicago Tribune , Dec. 26 , 1950 An automobile abandoned by its owner after it stalled is covered in snow on Lake Shore Drive at 37th Street on Dec. 26 , 1950 .
Snow plows later piled the snow higher around the car .
( Chicago Tribune historical photo published Dec. 27 , 1950 ) “ The snow , which began to fall while the belated shoppers were still scrambling in a last endeavor to atone for their failure to ‘ do it early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yesterday.
” — Chicago Tribune , Dec. 26 , 1909 “ The snowfall began late in the afternoon , following a severe cold snap that dropped the mercury to an official 7 degrees above zero at 6 and 7 a.m .
This made yesterday one of the coldest Christmases since 1903 , when 3 below was recorded .
— Chicago Tribune , Dec. 26 , 1933 A group of skaters `` cracking the whip '' on a frozen pond at Welles Park on Dec. 25 , 1933 .
( Chicago Tribune , Dec. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white Christmas ’ beyond all expectations virtually paralyzed Chicago and much of the state yesterday , dotting streets and highways with thousands of stalled cars , and stranding thousands of hungry families miles from the holiday turkeys they were planning to eat with friends or relatives.
” — Chicago Tribune , Dec. 26 , 1951 Drivers shovel to free their vehicles from clogged drifts on Beacon Street , looking south from Lawrence Avenue , in Chicago on Dec. 25 , 1951 .
( Chicago Tribune , Dec. 26 , 1951 ) “ Chicago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flowers were frozen while being delivered through the zero weather , but in the subzero northwest flower dealers didn ’ t even bother to make deliveries.
” — Chicago Tribune , Dec. 26 , 1935 Willis Herman , right , takes Lillian Bertrang and Delores Koller for a sleigh ride in Lincoln Park aboard a 75-year-old cutter on Dec. 25 , 1935 .
( Chicago Tribune , Dec. 26 , 1935 ) “ One death , numerous accidents , and delayed street car traffic have already resulted from the storm , which came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — Chicago Tribune , Dec. 26 , 1903 “ Widespread flooding plagued the southern suburbs , where the weather bureau reported that 6.6 inches of rain fell on Christmas eve .
The normal rainfall for the entire month of December here is only 1.9 inches.
” — Chicago Tribune , Dec. 26 , 1965 Firefighters in Harvey aid Darlene Burton , left , her brother , Bernard , 3 , and sister Donna , 7 , after their home was flooded on Dec. 25 , 1965 .
( Chicago Tribune , Dec. 26 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ snow has increased the city ’ s seasonal snow tally to 12.7 inches .
That ’ s well ahead of normal and nearly one-third the normal amount of snow that falls over a full season.
” — WGN-TV chief meteorologist Tom Skilling in the Chicago Tribune , Dec. 26 , 2002 Matthew Carney and his dog Ginger head downhill at Oz Park in Chicago on Dec. 25 , 2002 .
( Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune )

The snowfall on Dec. 24, 2017, was almost a whiteout on Chicago's North Side at the lakefront. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)
The National Weather Service considers Christmas to be white only when snow depth on the ground is 1 inch or more the morning of Dec. 25.
So, any snow that could fall later that day? Pretty, but it doesn’t count.
The most snowfall on Christmas Day in Chicago happened in 1950, when 5.1 inches blanketed the ground at Midway Airport. Forecasters predicted light snow for that day.
For the first time in five years, Chicago had a white Christmas in 2022 — with 1 inch of snow on the ground. In 2016 and 2017, Chicago had 2 inches of snow on the ground heading into Christmas Day, marking the city’s first white Christmases since 2013. There was no snow on the ground in 2018, 2019, 2020 or 2021.
(1/3) This Christmas for #Chicago:
• First White Christmas (1+" of snow depth) since 2017
• High temp in the mid teens was the coldest Christmas high since 1996 (2000 was close with 17°)
• Low temp of 2° was the coldest Christmas low since 2008 #ILwx pic.twitter.com/A2lbjd5uJo — NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) December 26, 2022
Based on climate normals from 1991-2020, the National Centers for Environmental Information predicts O’Hare International Airport (the city’s official recording site since 1980) had a 35 percent probability of a white Christmas this year.
Looking for an almost-guaranteed place to find snow on Christmas morning? Try Crested Butte, Colo., which is one of about a dozen locations in the continental U.S. that has 100 percent historical probability of a white Christmas.
Chance of a white Christmas
Historic probability of at least 1-inch of snow on Christmas, based on normals between 1991 and 2020. See an interactive version of the map.
(NOAA Climate.gov, NCEI)
Number of days when snow fell on Christmas in Chicago — and how much
The 8 years when 2 inches of snow or more fell on December 25 in Chicago
5.1 inches (1950)
An automobile abandoned by its owner after it stalled is covered in snow on Lake Shore Drive at 37th Street on Dec. 26, 1950. Snow plows later piled the snow higher around the car. Published in the Dec. 27, 1950, edition of the Chicago Tribune. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)
“The snow, which began about 10 a.m., caught weather forecasters off base. They had predicted snow for downstate Illinois, but none for the Chicago area. Varying wind conditions were blamed for the faulty prediction.” — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1950
5 inches (1909)
As published in the Dec. 26, 1909, edition of the Chicago Tribune. (Chicago Tribune Archives)
“The snow, which began to fall while the belated shoppers were still scrambling in a last endeavor to atone for their failure to ‘do it early,’ continued all night and throughout yesterday.” — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1909
4.3 inches (1933)
A group of skaters "cracking the whip" on a frozen pond at Welles Park on Dec. 25, 1933. Published in the Dec. 26, 1933, edition of the Chicago Tribune. (Chicago Tribune Archives)
“The snowfall began late in the afternoon, following a severe cold snap that dropped the mercury to an official 7 degrees above zero at 6 and 7 a.m. This made yesterday one of the coldest Christmases since 1903, when 3 below was recorded.” — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1933
4 inches (1951)
Drivers shovel to free their vehicles from clogged drifts on Beacon Street, looking south from Lawrence Avenue, in Chicago on Dec. 25, 1951. Published in the Dec. 26, 1951, edition of the Chicago Tribune.
“A ‘white Christmas’ beyond all expectations virtually paralyzed Chicago and much of the state yesterday, dotting streets and highways with thousands of stalled cars, and stranding thousands of hungry families miles from the holiday turkeys they were planning to eat with friends or relatives.” — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1951
3.9 inches (1935)
Willis Herman, right, takes Lillian Bertrang and Delores Koller for a sleigh ride in Lincoln Park aboard a 75-year-old cutter on Dec. 25, 1935. Published in the Dec. 26, 1935, edition of the Chicago Tribune. (Chicago Tribune Archives)
“Chicago florists complained that many of their Christmas flowers were frozen while being delivered through the zero weather, but in the subzero northwest flower dealers didn’t even bother to make deliveries.” — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1935
3.2 inches (1903)
As published in the Dec. 26, 1903, edition of the Chicago Tribune. (Chicago Tribune Archives)
“One death, numerous accidents, and delayed street car traffic have already resulted from the storm, which came unannounced and caught the city unawares.” — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1903
2.9 inches (1965)
Firefighters in Harvey aid Darlene Burton, left, her brother, Bernard, 3, and sister Donna, 7, after their home was flooded on Dec. 25, 1965. Published in the Dec. 26, 1965, edition of the Chicago Tribune. (Chicago Tribune Archives)
“Widespread flooding plagued the southern suburbs, where the weather bureau reported that 6.6 inches of rain fell on Christmas eve. The normal rainfall for the entire month of December here is only 1.9 inches.” — Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 1965
2 inches (2002)
Matthew Carney and his dog Ginger head downhill at Oz Park in Chicago on Dec. 25, 2002. (Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune)
“Our Christmas Day snow has increased the city’s seasonal snow tally to 12.7 inches. That’s well ahead of normal and nearly one-third the normal amount of snow that falls over a full season.” — WGN-TV chief meteorologist Tom Skilling in the Chicago Tribune, Dec. 26, 2002
Sources: National Weather Service, National Centers for Environmental Information, Tribune archives


chicagotribune--2020-12-14--Chicago’s coldest, warmest Christmas weather since 1871

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-12-14--People attend the funeral of Calumet City police Officer Adam Zieminski

With everyone hunkered down at home during the pandemic , the tradition of decorating for the holidays has taken on @ @ @ @ @ .

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chicagotribune--2020-12-14--Investigators continue search for cause of fire that killed 5-year-old, 8-year-old sisters in Lake C

Investigators continue search for cause of fire that killed 5-year-old, 8-year-old sisters in Lake County

Family and friends of the victims started a GoFundMe page , which raised more than $ 168,000 from over 3,100 @ @ @ @ @ afternoon .
The organizer of the page could not be reached for comment Sunday .
@ @ @ @ @ Prickett , father of Elizabeth and Autumn , thanked the community for its support .
@ @ @ @ @ to talk about my precious girls because it hurts too much and I am trying @ @ @ @ @ my family , ” he wrote .

Members of the Fox Lake Fire Department on Dec. 11, 2020, continue to put out hot spots and investigate a fatal fire that killed two young girls the previous night in the 35700 block of Hunt Avenue in northwest suburban Ingleside. Four adults were also injured in the fire. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Investigators continue to search for the cause of an Ingleside house fire that killed two young sisters last week as community members showed support throughout the weekend for survivors of the tragedy.
The sisters, Elizabeth, 8, and Autumn Evans, 5, died from smoke inhalation in the Thursday night fire, according to a Lake County Coroner’s Office press release. Their teenage brother, mother and two grandparents were hospitalized.
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Initially, the girls’ mother, grandmother and grandfather were airlifted to Loyola University Medical Center Friday in critical condition. Their brother, 17, was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in stable condition.
Sgt. Chris Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday via text message that the brother was released from the hospital. The grandparents are now in critical but stable condition while the mother is listed as serious but stable.
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Family and friends of the victims started a GoFundMe page, which raised more than $168,000 from over 3,100 donors as of late Sunday afternoon. The organizer of the page could not be reached for comment Sunday. A post attributed to Teig Prickett, father of Elizabeth and Autumn, thanked the community for its support. “I am not ready to talk about my precious girls because it hurts too much and I am trying to keep it together for my family,” he wrote.
Though a final report on the cause of the fire by both the Fox Lake Fire Protection District and the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal is not complete, Ed Lescher, a Fox Lake deputy chief said in a text Saturday, both agencies indicated preliminarily the cause was undetermined.
Lescher said in a text Saturday both preliminary reports showed nothing suspicious in nature and arson was not the cause. A final report should be issued sometime this week.
“Investigators could not find an exact cause for the fire starting because everything in the room of origin was too badly burned to narrow it down to one specific cause,” Lescher said in the text. “The investigators need to finalize a few things.”
Friends and neighbors began leaving notes, balloons, flowers and ribbons outside the house on Friday. Information on services for the girls was not available Sunday.
Steve Sadin is a freelance reporter for the Lake County News-Sun.


chicagotribune--2020-12-14--Pandemic necessitates new procedures, but calls are down in 2020 for south suburban paramedics

Carr said it is hard to say why call volume has been down in 2020 , though he acknowledged it @ @ @ @ @ with people who are observing restrictions being less likely to participate in activities that might @ @ @ @ @ Conversely , he said there has been an increase in the past couple of weeks @ @ @ @ @ falls , likely because people are out decorating or doing other projects .

In a video produced by Mokena Fire Protection District in April, firefighter/paramedic Dan Reimer, from left, Lt. Mark Sickles and engineer Adam Shefcik explain what their crews will look and how they will act when arriving at the scene of a medical emergency during the pandemic. (Mokena Fire Department)
The spread of COVID-19 has changed the way paramedics look and act when called to the scene of a medical emergency, but despite some spikes those calls have been down overall in 2020, according to area fire departments and districts.
Tinley Park calls were down “probably 25% or more” across police, fire and emergency management over last year, said Pat Carr, director of the village’s emergency management agency and 911 communications.
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The Mokena Fire Protection District has seen a decrease of 3% over the course of the year, though there was a 57% drop in April numbers compared to last year, an 18% drop in June and an 18% increase in September, said Chief Howard Stephens.
A chart created by Mokena Fire Protection District shows, month by month, how 2020 call numbers to date compare to those of 2019. (Mokena Fire Department)
Carr said it is hard to say why call volume has been down in 2020, though he acknowledged it could have something to do with people who are observing restrictions being less likely to participate in activities that might lead to medical events. Conversely, he said there has been an increase in the past couple of weeks of slips, trips and falls, likely because people are out decorating or doing other projects.
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Stephens said people staying home may drive down numbers in other ways.
“The Mokena Fire Protection District attributes the decrease in responses this year due to the community staying home, being safe, wearing masks and washing hands,” he said.
Those same precautions are assisting in the reduction of the transmission of the cold and flu, Stephens said.
Oak Forest fire Chief Jack Janozik said his department has seen a similar decrease in calls in 2020.
“I’d probably attribute that to people not calling because of COVID and not wanting to go to the emergency rooms,” he said. “That seems to be the case.”
New Lenox Fire Protection District Chief Adam Riegel said he saw a similar reluctance, at least in the early going of the pandemic. While numbers for his protection district have “been all over the place” he said overall they are about the same. But calls dropped down to only a couple a day in the early stages.
“People were only calling if it was really serious,” he said.
Riegel said a decent amount of the calls they received are related to COVID-19, and more yet may be asymptomatic cases personnel do not know they are addressing at the time. Janozik said his department’s coding does not classify the patients as COVID-19, so he did not have exact stats, but many of the encounters they have are likely related to the virus.
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“We are taking them in for symptoms that are similar to COVID,” he said.
Stephens said the virus is responsible for much of the work Mokena crews are doing.
‘Without a doubt, the preponderance of the responses are to assist people who know they are COVID positive or to assist people who eventually find out at the hospital that they are COVID positive,” he said.
In Tinley Park, Carr said they do not always know for certain a patient has COVID-19 at the scene but often have their suspicions confirmed.
“Well over 50% are attributable to COVID or at least COVID-related,” Carr said. “We’ve definitely had an uptick in the past few weeks, and they’re COVID. It’s out there and real.”
Safety at the scene
Carr said Tinley Park started planning for the pandemic in January, when it first received notice from Cook County about the potential impact. At that stage, they planned for the possibility that any village department could see its staffing down by up to 30% at any given time.
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“How would we continue services?” he said. “We had plans in place that we were able to still operate.”
Carr said it has thankfully not gotten that bad. While the village may have 10 to 20 personnel out at a time, nothing has approached that 30% threshold in any department, he said.
Tinley Park was also ahead of the game when it came to personal protective equipment. Carr said after the village put protocols into place to battle the spread of H1N1 in 2009, Tinley Park stayed ready with protective equipment.
“Ever since then, we’ve always maintained a 30- to 90-day supply for our people,” Carr said. “We were well-prepared.”
But interactions at the scene are still a concern, both for emergency medical service personnel and those they are assisting. Mokena fire officials created a video in April to explain to potential patients how firefighters and paramedics will look and handle things when they arrive.
While three paramedics still responded to emergency calls, all three do not immediately engage with the patient. Instead, to limit exposure, one paramedic equipped with a gown, N95 mask, gloves and glasses enters the residence to determine if more resources are necessary.
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Oak Forest similarly sends one person in first in a typical response, wearing eye and facial coverings, as well as an N95 mask and a gown. That paramedic masks the patient and gets their history and based on that calls for help as needed. All of those making direct contact have similar equipment, Janozik said.
Janozik said crews have also become much more conscious of people who have medical nebulizers or breathing treatments, as well as more cautious when performing respiratory procedures such as intubation, as all of these can increase the risk of exposure.
Carr said operators are trying to get more information on the phone to give responders a better idea of what they may encounter. Once there, procedures are adaptable “depending on the severity of the incident,” Carr said, because urgency is always going to play a role.
If someone is found deceased, Mokena and New Lenox responders call the Will County coroner’s office, which is responsible for handling the body. But that was routine before the pandemic, Stephens said.
That scenario is handled differently in Oak Forest and the bulk of Tinley Park that is in Cook County. Carr said it depends on whether it is seen as a typical body removal or a hazmat situation.
“When that happens, everyone is in full PPE,” he said. “If we don’t know, we always handle it as a COVID situation.”
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Janozik said in Oak Forest, if a body needs to be transported to the Cook County medical examiner’s office downtown, the fire department hires a private company for that transport. If arrangements had already been made, the funeral home handles it. The only time Oak Forest transports a body is the rare occasion that no other services are in place.
“Nothing’s really changed in that aspect for us,” Janozik said.
Janozik said his department has followed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance throughout the year. It has had five COVID-19 cases to date, four with symptoms and one asymptomatic, in a department of 40.
“We’ve been pretty good with our procedures,” he said. “We haven’t had a huge impact.”
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Despite the new procedures, and staff being cognizant of personal protective equipment, hand-washing and social distancing, Stephens said staffing for Mokena has been a challenge.
“We have remained staffed and ready to respond to our customers’ needs,” he said.
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Riegel said New Lenox has had some staff out with COVID-19 as well, but the district has ultimately been ahead on the numbers game.
“We’ve had a few exposures, but nothing major like we were worried about,” Riegel said. “Exposure has been minimal. Luckily, with our call volume dropping, we didn’t fill some spots.”
Carr said he has also had help from someone working with Tinley Park as a contact tracer for the village’s employees. He said that was set up back in the spring, and he called the work they are doing “remarkable.”
“It allowed us to work effectively (when there is) an impact to employees,” he said.
Bill Jones is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown