chicagotribune--2020-10-30--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 6,943 new known COVID-19 cases —  a single-day record — and 36 addi

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 6,943 new known COVID-19 cases —  a single-day record — and 36 additional deaths reported as state surpasses 400,000 total infections

Illinois health officials Friday reported 6,943 new known COVID-19 cases , eclipsing a single-day record set just 24 hours earlier and pushing the total number of confirmed infections since the pandemic began past 400,000 .
Along with the record number of new cases , state health officials announced 36 more fatalities on Friday , bringing the statewide death toll to 9,711 .
The state also set a record for testing , with results from 95,111 screenings reported in the previous 24 hours .
The seven-day average for the case positivity rate — the share of confirmed cases out of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % statewide as of Thursday , up from 5.6 % a week earlier and more than double the rate at the start of October .
Meanwhile , Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s office announced a chunk of east-central Illinois that includes Champaign-Urbana and Decatur will become the 10th of 11 regions in the state to come under tighter restrictions , including a ban on indoor dining and bar service .
6:05 p.m. : Some suburban restaurants defy indoor shutdown order , while others watch and await legal challenges : ‘ It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ Their employees need the work .
They doubt the role their businesses play in the transmission of COVID-19 .
Some question whether Gov .
J.B. Pritzker has the authority to close down their dining rooms .
Whatever their motives , as indoor dining is once again banned in the Chicago area due to the persisting pandemic , some suburban restaurants are staying open for indoor sit-down business in spite of the governor ’ s mandate .
Suburban business owners interviewed by the Tribune say there ’ s fatigue and confusion about shifting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforced .
They say their customers want their businesses open .
But most of all , they say , their bars and restaurants can ’ t survive another closure for indoor business , especially as outdoor dining becomes less viable due to colder weather .
“ If we closed for this order , we ’ d be closed for good , ” said Cassi Melvin , a server and assistant manager at The Lucky Penny Diner and Deli in Naperville , which has remained open for dine-in service despite the shutdown order in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a small family business .
It ’ s just us looking out for us.
” 5:15 p.m. : Judges deny requests in McHenry , DuPage for restaurants to remain open for indoor service Judges in McHenry and DuPage counties on Friday upheld Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s authority to stop indoor service at restaurants and bars amid spikes during the COVID-19 pandemic .
McHenry Judge Thomas Meyer ruled against 37 restaurants and bars in the county that had filed suit seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent imposition of Pritzker ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governor predicated his order on the rate of positive COVID-19 tests in the county exceeding 8 % for three days straight , the order was new and different than the prior executive orders Pritzker issued going back to March .
The judge previously said he was concerned that the governor was exceeding the 30-day limit on such orders as stated in Illinois law , but said the new basis for the order rendered that concern moot .
Pritzker issued an initial 30-day order in March that shut down many businesses statewide .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to enter , ” Meyer said , “ but I do believe there was a basis for the new executive order.
” The judge also said that he was troubled by the General Assembly ’ s lack of action on the matter .
4:50 p.m. : Evanston-Skokie District 65 will not return for in-person learning until at least January Under revised plans , the earliest students could return to the classroom for in-person learning is Jan. 19 , a date that could change depending on public health metrics .
“ With public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures currently in effect in Evanston/Skokie and across our region , it is not safe to welcome back hundreds of children and staff members for in-person learning as of November 16 , ” wrote Superintendent Devon Horton , in an update posted to the district ’ s website .
As of Friday , the Region 10 positivity 7-day rolling average was 8.6 % , according to the Illinois Department of Public Health .
The daily test positivity was 11 % .
However , Horton said , waiting until March 8 — the beginning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long to keep students out of the classroom if circumstances improve .
Instead , if the region ’ s COVID-19 positivity rate decreases , students could return to the classroom Jan. 19 , which would provide for a 14-day quarantine after winter break in case students travel or attend large gatherings over the holiday , Horton wrote .
Schubas Tavern and its Tied House restaurant are closing temporarily because of the new city ban on indoor dining due to the worsening COVID-19 pandemic , the business said Friday .
Schubas , a music @ @ @ @ @ @ @ N. Southport Ave. , intends to “ be back open ... as soon as things are safe again , ” said the Twitter announcement .
“ Due to the city-wide restrictions on indoor dining going into effect today , we ’ ve made the incredibly difficult decision to close Schubas/Tied House this Sunday , Nov. 1st for the foreseeable future , ” the statement said .
12:50 p.m. : Judge to rule this afternoon on McHenry County restaurant owners ' request to keep indoor service during COVID-19 rollback A McHenry County judge Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restaurants stay open for indoor service despite Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s order to end such service Saturday .
Attorney John Dickson argued that the restaurants that filed suit this week need a temporary restraining order to prevent the governor ’ s executive order from taking effect .
Otherwise , he said , they will suffer irreparable financial harm , and may not be able to re-open .
Assistant chief deputy attorney general Thomas Verticchio countered that several other county court judges and a federal judge have ruled in other cases that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the duration of his authority by issuing repeated 30 day orders .
The judge was concerned that the restaurants would suffer irreparable harm , and said the governors orders are “ well intentioned , ” and added “ but even good intentions don ’ t justify restricting peoples constitutional rights.
” 12:25p.m .
: Lake Forest High School , despite outcry from teachers and county advice , moves forward with plans to bring more students back to campus Lake Forest High School is moving forward with a plan to return all students to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ move that ’ s drawing strong pushback from teachers and goes against a recommendation from the county health department .
The Lake Forest Community High School District 115 Board of Eduction Thursday evening approved a plan that will result in all students attending class in-person in some form by next month .
Starting Monday , the high school will resume a phased return of students under a hybrid arrangement .
Juniors are scheduled to return for some in-person learning next week , followed by seniors the week of Nov. 9 .
Originally juniors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Oct. 26 , and seniors the week of Nov. 2 .
However , those plans were put on hold one week following a surge of local COVID-19 cases .
On Oct. 20 , the Lake County Health Department recommended that all county schools shift to completely remote learning .
Illinois health officials on Friday announced 6,943 new known cases of COVID-19 and 36 additional fatalities , bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 402,401 and the statewide death toll to 9,711 since the start of the pandemic .
Officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last 24 hours .
The seven-day statewide positivity rate is 7.3 % .
12 p.m. : Is a 96 % attendance rate a bright spot in a pandemic stricken school year ?
Not exactly , as remote learning skews annual report card .
The Illinois State Board of Education released its annual school report card Friday as students across the state adjust to remote and hybrid learning this school year .
Typically , the card is a comprehensive analysis of academic and test performance , demographics and a financial summary of every school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect in-person teaching , many metrics in this year ’ s analysis are not comparable to previous years .
“ This year , COVID-19 had a significant impact on the data we normally collect for the report card , ” Carmen Ayala , state superintendent of education , told news media Tuesday .
While opting to not sue the state of Illinois following a halt this week to indoor dining in Chicago , the suburbs and other parts of the state , the Illinois Restaurant Association @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legal action taken by others .
“ Make no mistake : Restaurants are in crisis , ” said Sam Toia , president of the Illinois Restaurant Association .
“ We urge the state to take a reasonable and pragmatic approach to mitigation.
” The association will file amicus briefs in support of lawsuits challenging the “ fairness and legality ” of the state ’ s restrictions , Toia said .
Such lawsuits have been filed in Kane , Sangamon , McHenry and Cook counties , and the association said it would partner with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to craft supportive briefs .
“ This is brisk , prudent action we can take now to support favorable rulings that are underway , ” Toia said .
“ It ’ s important for the courts to hear about our rights , and how we ’ ve been harmed as an industry.
” The association decided against filing its own lawsuit so it would be able to assist restaurants in multiple counties , Toia said .
In a recent survey it conducted , the association said more than half of Illinois restaurant owners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another six months with the current restrictions .
“ With the latest shutdown order , I can ’ t see light at the end of the tunnel , ” said Jodi Fyfe , whose acclaimed West Loop restaurant Eden closed in July due to the pandemic .
“ What the governor is doing is killing us.
” Fyfe still runs The Paramount Group , a catering company , but she said a business that once employed 536 people is down to just 24 staffers .
Business , she said , is down 90 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restrictive measures for industries that operate as safely as ours only make matters worse when there is no financial relief from the state and no second round of PPP funding or other supportive measures finalized at the federal level , ” Fyfe said .
“ We are fighting to stay alive every day .
Where is the help ?
” 11:50 a.m. : East-central region that ’ s home to Champaign-Urbana and Decatur latest to be hit with tighter COVID-19 restrictions A chunk of east-central Illinois that includes Champaign-Urbana and Decatur will become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state to come under tighter restrictions , including a ban on indoor dining and bar service , as the coronavirus continues its resurgence across Illinois , Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s office announced Friday .
The 21-county region , which shares a long stretch of the Indiana border , saw its seven-day rolling positivity rate on coronavirus tests hit 8.6 % on Tuesday , exceeding the state-established threshold of 8 % for the third straight day and triggering the reopening rollback The restrictions , which go into effect Monday , also include @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from 50 .
The positivity rate data for the region does not include the massive saliva-based testing program at the University of Illinois ' flagship campus , which the state has said artificially lowers the regional rate and skews the level of transmission in the community at large .
Friday ’ s announcement leaves only one region — a wide swath of north-central Illinois that stretches from Kendall County on the outskirts of the Chicago suburbs to the Quad Cities and includes Peoria and Bloomington — without stricter rules aimed at slowing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tents and domes are the new must-have for restaurants during pandemic , but will outdoor dining work when it ’ s 20 degrees ?
The suppliers , which suffered a plunge in business when weddings and other events were canceled in the spring , say they have plenty of inventory to satisfy demand .
One local dome installer started making the geodesic bubbles in Chicago rather than rely on manufacturers in China so he could respond to orders quickly .
But don ’ t expect to see sidewalks and parking lots dotted with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government to lift the ban on indoor dining .
They must calculate whether it ’ s worth spending thousands of dollars — sometimes tens of thousands — on temporary outdoor solutions when it ’ s unclear how many people are interested in eating outside in 20-degree weather .
And there are myriad logistical concerns , such as how servers will brave the elements as they shuttle back and forth from the kitchen .
Restaurants and bars , already devastated by lost sales during the pandemic , suffered a huge setback in recent days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ban on indoor dining in areas of the state where COVID-19 positivity rates and hospitalizations are rising .
The indefinite ban , which applies to most of the state , took effect Friday in Chicago .
11:20 a.m. : Decatur Public Schools to remain in remote learning until at least January Decatur Public Schools students will remain in virtual learning through the rest of the second quarter , the district announced on Friday .
Superintendent Paul Fregeau said the decision was necessary in light of the rising number of COVID-19 cases and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Macon County , will be required to increase restrictions due to the high percentage of positive cases .
“ The numbers are higher than what it was in March and April , ” Fregeau said .
“ And we probably have better data available now , too .
The numbers are not trending in the right direction and we feel it ’ s best to continue as is for the safety of our kids and our staff and the community as a whole.
” The district continues to make plans for a return @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Jan. 4 when the third quarter begins after the winter break , but that will depend on the community ’ s situation , he said .
An announcement about the third quarter will be on Dec. 4 .
A tentative plan is in place that would place students into two groups , with group A attending in person one day a week while group B would attend another day , and the other three days would be all-virtual .
The tentative plan also asks that as many families as possible provide their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school to reduce the number of students riding buses .
This plan will only be implemented if and when in-person learning is deemed to be safe .
In-person appointments are available now and throughout virtual learning for students who have individualized education plans , English language learners , and any student who requires additional help .
The Return to Learn page on the district website , dps61.org , also includes online resources to assist students during virtual learning .
7:41 a.m. : Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence tests positive for COVID-19 — putting into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
4 Notre Dame on Nov. 7 Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence has tested positive for COVID-19 , putting into doubt whether the face of college football will be available to play the top-ranked Tigers ' biggest game of the season .
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said in a statement released by the school Thursday night that Lawrence is in isolation with mild symptoms .
Swinney said Lawrence would miss Clemson ’ s game Saturday against Boston College .
The Tigers are scheduled to play No .
4 Notre Dame in South Bend , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate for a minimum of 10 days .
7:03 a.m. : Chicago joins other parts of the state under tighter COVID-19 restrictions Chicago went under tighter state coronavirus restrictions Friday , after Mayor Lori LIghtfoot dropped her opposition to Illinois officials ' imposition of the rules .
Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s order , effective Friday in Chicago after being imposed in DuPage , Kane , Will and Kankakee counties last week , orders restaurants and bars to stay closed to indoor dining .
Lake and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this weekend .
The restrictions also cap indoor gatherings to 25 people or 25 % of capacity .
In addition to limits on indoor service and gathering sizes , the restrictions require bars , restaurants , gaming and casinos to close by 11 p.m. , and casinos are limited to 25 % capacity .
The tightened regulations are triggered when a region under the state reopening plan hits an 8 % positivity rate for three consecutive days or goes above other benchmarks in COVID-19 case levels .
The list of challenges facing organizations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any that people currently in the workforce have encountered .
Agile employers have answered the adversity by listening to stressed colleagues and undertaking initiatives to keep employees focused and engaged , maintaining and even improving their organization ’ s culture .
Finding creative ways to keep a corporate culture thriving goes far in nurturing a sense of community as companies look ahead to business as usual — pandemic and beyond .
It ’ s important for companies to understand the opportunity they have , said Kate North , vice president at Colliers International @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organizations develop work-from-home and workplace strategies .
Here are five stories from Thursday related to COVID-19 :

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CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois health officials Friday reported 6,943 new known COVID-19 cases, eclipsing a single-day record set just 24 hours earlier and pushing the total number of confirmed infections since the pandemic began past 400,000.
Along with the record number of new cases, state health officials announced 36 more fatalities on Friday, bringing the statewide death toll to 9,711.
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The state also set a record for testing, with results from 95,111 screenings reported in the previous 24 hours. The seven-day average for the case positivity rate — the share of confirmed cases out of the total number of tests — was 7.3% statewide as of Thursday, up from 5.6% a week earlier and more than double the rate at the start of October.
Meanwhile, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office announced a chunk of east-central Illinois that includes Champaign-Urbana and Decatur will become the 10th of 11 regions in the state to come under tighter restrictions, including a ban on indoor dining and bar service.
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Here’s what’s happening Friday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
6:10 p.m.: Elgin’s COVID-19 positivity rate at 28%, four times higher than the number needed to reopen restaurants
The COVID-19 positivity rate at one Elgin testing site this past week was 28%, Mayor Dave Kaptain said.
The percentage reported by the Visiting Nurse Association from tests taken at its Villa Street location is more than four times higher than the 6.5% rate considered low enough for restaurants and bars to reopen indoor seating.
“I don’t think anyone has any idea where it’s going, but it seems to be getting more and more serious by the day,” Kaptain said. “I think it’s a warning signal.”
The mayor routinely receives numbers from the VNA testing site as a means of monitoring what is happening in Elgin, he said, and what it’s shown is the local positivity rate has been exceeding 20% for several weeks now.
Read more here. —Gloria Casas
6:05 p.m.: Some suburban restaurants defy indoor shutdown order, while others watch and await legal challenges: ‘It’s just us looking out for us.’
Their employees need the work. They doubt the role their businesses play in the transmission of COVID-19. Some question whether Gov. J.B. Pritzker has the authority to close down their dining rooms.
Whatever their motives, as indoor dining is once again banned in the Chicago area due to the persisting pandemic, some suburban restaurants are staying open for indoor sit-down business in spite of the governor’s mandate.
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Suburban business owners interviewed by the Tribune say there’s fatigue and confusion about shifting rules and how those rules have been enforced. They say their customers want their businesses open. But most of all, they say, their bars and restaurants can’t survive another closure for indoor business, especially as outdoor dining becomes less viable due to colder weather.
“If we closed for this order, we’d be closed for good,” said Cassi Melvin, a server and assistant manager at The Lucky Penny Diner and Deli in Naperville, which has remained open for dine-in service despite the shutdown order in DuPage County. “We’re a small family business. It’s just us looking out for us.”
Read more here. —Josh Noel
5:15 p.m.: Judges deny requests in McHenry, DuPage for restaurants to remain open for indoor service
Judges in McHenry and DuPage counties on Friday upheld Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s authority to stop indoor service at restaurants and bars amid spikes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
McHenry Judge Thomas Meyer ruled against 37 restaurants and bars in the county that had filed suit seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent imposition of Pritzker’s order.
In DuPage County, Judge Bonnie Wheaton denied a similar request made by a Lombard restaurant owner.
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Meyer ruled that because the governor predicated his order on the rate of positive COVID-19 tests in the county exceeding 8% for three days straight, the order was new and different than the prior executive orders Pritzker issued going back to March.
The judge previously said he was concerned that the governor was exceeding the 30-day limit on such orders as stated in Illinois law, but said the new basis for the order rendered that concern moot. Pritzker issued an initial 30-day order in March that shut down many businesses statewide.
“It is a difficult and unpleasant order to enter,” Meyer said, “but I do believe there was a basis for the new executive order.”
The judge also said that he was troubled by the General Assembly’s lack of action on the matter.
Read more here. —Robert McCoppin and Angie Leventis Lourgos
4:50 p.m.: Evanston-Skokie District 65 will not return for in-person learning until at least January
Evanston-Skokie District 65 students will not return for in-person learning Nov. 16 as previously proposed, the district’s superintendent announced Friday.
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Under revised plans, the earliest students could return to the classroom for in-person learning is Jan. 19, a date that could change depending on public health metrics.
“With public health conditions continuing to decline and additional mitigation measures currently in effect in Evanston/Skokie and across our region, it is not safe to welcome back hundreds of children and staff members for in-person learning as of November 16,” wrote Superintendent Devon Horton, in an update posted to the district’s website.
As of Friday, the Region 10 positivity 7-day rolling average was 8.6%, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The daily test positivity was 11%.
“Based on guidance from leading health experts, we know this is a strong indicator of community spread,” Horton wrote.
However, Horton said, waiting until March 8 — the beginning of the next trimester — is too long to keep students out of the classroom if circumstances improve.
Instead, if the region’s COVID-19 positivity rate decreases, students could return to the classroom Jan. 19, which would provide for a 14-day quarantine after winter break in case students travel or attend large gatherings over the holiday, Horton wrote.
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Read more here. —Genevieve Bookwalter
2:55 p.m.: Schubas Tavern to close temporarily following new city COVID rules restrictions
Schubas Tavern and its Tied House restaurant are closing temporarily because of the new city ban on indoor dining due to the worsening COVID-19 pandemic, the business said Friday.
Schubas, a music club, bar and restaurant at 3159 N. Southport Ave., intends to “be back open ... as soon as things are safe again,” said the Twitter announcement.
“Due to the city-wide restrictions on indoor dining going into effect today, we’ve made the incredibly difficult decision to close Schubas/Tied House this Sunday, Nov. 1st for the foreseeable future,” the statement said.
We love you. Stay safe, friends. See you soon ❤ pic.twitter.com/SXCOnTBIPj — Schubas (@Schubas) October 30, 2020
Read more here. —Steve Johnson
12:50 p.m.: Judge to rule this afternoon on McHenry County restaurant owners' request to keep indoor service during COVID-19 rollback
A McHenry County judge Friday considered whether to let 37 bars and restaurants stay open for indoor service despite Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s order to end such service Saturday.
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George Thomas Meyer said he would rule at 1:30 p.m. Friday, after hearing opposing arguments Friday morning.
Attorney John Dickson argued that the restaurants that filed suit this week need a temporary restraining order to prevent the governor’s executive order from taking effect. Otherwise, he said, they will suffer irreparable financial harm, and may not be able to re-open.
State law provides that the governor’s authority to issue emergency order “shall not exceed” 30 days.
Assistant chief deputy attorney general Thomas Verticchio countered that several other county court judges and a federal judge have ruled in other cases that the governor has the authority to extend the duration of his authority by issuing repeated 30 day orders.
The judge was concerned that the restaurants would suffer irreparable harm, and said the governors orders are “well intentioned,” and added “but even good intentions don’t justify restricting peoples constitutional rights.”
He took a recess to consider his ruling.
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—Robert McCoppin
12:25p.m.: Lake Forest High School, despite outcry from teachers and county advice, moves forward with plans to bring more students back to campus
Despite outcry from teachers and county advice, Lake Forest High School moves forward with plans to bring more students back to campus
Lake Forest High School is moving forward with a plan to return all students to the building by early November, a move that’s drawing strong pushback from teachers and goes against a recommendation from the county health department.
The Lake Forest Community High School District 115 Board of Eduction Thursday evening approved a plan that will result in all students attending class in-person in some form by next month. Starting Monday, the high school will resume a phased return of students under a hybrid arrangement. Juniors are scheduled to return for some in-person learning next week, followed by seniors the week of Nov. 9.
Earlier in October, freshmen and sophomores began attending class at the McKinley Road campus twice a week under a hybrid plan.
Originally juniors were scheduled to come back the week of Oct. 26, and seniors the week of Nov. 2. However, those plans were put on hold one week following a surge of local COVID-19 cases. On Oct. 20, the Lake County Health Department recommended that all county schools shift to completely remote learning.
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Read more here. —Daniel I. Dorfman
12:10 p.m.: 6,943 new known COVID-19 cases and 36 additional deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Friday announced 6,943 new known cases of COVID-19 and 36 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 402,401 and the statewide death toll to 9,711 since the start of the pandemic. Officials also reported 95,111 new tests in the last 24 hours. The seven-day statewide positivity rate is 7.3%.
—Chicago Tribune staff
12 p.m.: Is a 96% attendance rate a bright spot in a pandemic stricken school year? Not exactly, as remote learning skews annual report card.
The Illinois State Board of Education released its annual school report card Friday as students across the state adjust to remote and hybrid learning this school year.
Typically, the card is a comprehensive analysis of academic and test performance, demographics and a financial summary of every school and district in the state. However, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect in-person teaching, many metrics in this year’s analysis are not comparable to previous years.
“This year, COVID-19 had a significant impact on the data we normally collect for the report card,” Carmen Ayala, state superintendent of education, told news media Tuesday.
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Read more here. —Jessica Villagomez
11:55 a.m.: Illinois Restaurant Association to back lawsuits over indoor dining ban
While opting to not sue the state of Illinois following a halt this week to indoor dining in Chicago, the suburbs and other parts of the state, the Illinois Restaurant Association said Friday it would provide support for legal action taken by others.
“Make no mistake: Restaurants are in crisis,” said Sam Toia, president of the Illinois Restaurant Association. “We urge the state to take a reasonable and pragmatic approach to mitigation.”
The association will file amicus briefs in support of lawsuits challenging the “fairness and legality” of the state’s restrictions, Toia said. Such lawsuits have been filed in Kane, Sangamon, McHenry and Cook counties, and the association said it would partner with the Washington, D.C.-based Restaurant Law Center to craft supportive briefs.
“This is brisk, prudent action we can take now to support favorable rulings that are underway,” Toia said. “It’s important for the courts to hear about our rights, and how we’ve been harmed as an industry.”
The association decided against filing its own lawsuit so it would be able to assist restaurants in multiple counties, Toia said. In a recent survey it conducted, the association said more than half of Illinois restaurant owners said their business is unlikely to survive another six months with the current restrictions.
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Restaurateurs Friday stressed the need for federal funding for an ailing industry.
“With the latest shutdown order, I can’t see light at the end of the tunnel,” said Jodi Fyfe, whose acclaimed West Loop restaurant Eden closed in July due to the pandemic. “What the governor is doing is killing us.”
Fyfe still runs The Paramount Group, a catering company, but she said a business that once employed 536 people is down to just 24 staffers. Business, she said, is down 90% this year.
“These overly restrictive measures for industries that operate as safely as ours only make matters worse when there is no financial relief from the state and no second round of PPP funding or other supportive measures finalized at the federal level,” Fyfe said. “We are fighting to stay alive every day. Where is the help?”
—Doug George
11:50 a.m.: East-central region that’s home to Champaign-Urbana and Decatur latest to be hit with tighter COVID-19 restrictions
A chunk of east-central Illinois that includes Champaign-Urbana and Decatur will become the 10th of 11 regions in the state to come under tighter restrictions, including a ban on indoor dining and bar service, as the coronavirus continues its resurgence across Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office announced Friday.
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The 21-county region, which shares a long stretch of the Indiana border, saw its seven-day rolling positivity rate on coronavirus tests hit 8.6% on Tuesday, exceeding the state-established threshold of 8% for the third straight day and triggering the reopening rollback The restrictions, which go into effect Monday, also include a 25-person cap on gatherings, down from 50.
The positivity rate data for the region does not include the massive saliva-based testing program at the University of Illinois' flagship campus, which the state has said artificially lowers the regional rate and skews the level of transmission in the community at large.
Friday’s announcement leaves only one region — a wide swath of north-central Illinois that stretches from Kendall County on the outskirts of the Chicago suburbs to the Quad Cities and includes Peoria and Bloomington — without stricter rules aimed at slowing the surging COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more here. —Dan Petrella
11:30 a.m.: Tents and domes are the new must-have for restaurants during pandemic, but will outdoor dining work when it’s 20 degrees?
Chicago-area restaurants desperate to keep outdoor dining alive amid plummeting temperatures and new coronavirus restrictions are flooding tent and dome rental companies with inquiries.
The suppliers, which suffered a plunge in business when weddings and other events were canceled in the spring, say they have plenty of inventory to satisfy demand. One local dome installer started making the geodesic bubbles in Chicago rather than rely on manufacturers in China so he could respond to orders quickly.
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But don’t expect to see sidewalks and parking lots dotted with the structures while restaurants wait for the government to lift the ban on indoor dining.
They must calculate whether it’s worth spending thousands of dollars — sometimes tens of thousands — on temporary outdoor solutions when it’s unclear how many people are interested in eating outside in 20-degree weather. And there are myriad logistical concerns, such as how servers will brave the elements as they shuttle back and forth from the kitchen.
Restaurants and bars, already devastated by lost sales during the pandemic, suffered a huge setback in recent days as Gov. J.B. Pritzker reinstated a ban on indoor dining in areas of the state where COVID-19 positivity rates and hospitalizations are rising. The indefinite ban, which applies to most of the state, took effect Friday in Chicago.
Read more here. —Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz
11:20 a.m.: Decatur Public Schools to remain in remote learning until at least January
Decatur Public Schools students will remain in virtual learning through the rest of the second quarter, the district announced on Friday.
Superintendent Paul Fregeau said the decision was necessary in light of the rising number of COVID-19 cases and the likelihood that Region 6, which includes Macon County, will be required to increase restrictions due to the high percentage of positive cases.
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“The numbers are higher than what it was in March and April,” Fregeau said. “And we probably have better data available now, too. The numbers are not trending in the right direction and we feel it’s best to continue as is for the safety of our kids and our staff and the community as a whole.”
The district continues to make plans for a return to in-person learning, which could happen by Jan. 4 when the third quarter begins after the winter break, but that will depend on the community’s situation, he said. An announcement about the third quarter will be on Dec. 4.
Families are asked to fill out a form in Skyward Family Access noting their preferences between virtual and in-person learning once the option for in-person learning is available. Those who do not mark a preference will automatically be assigned to all-virtual learning.
A tentative plan is in place that would place students into two groups, with group A attending in person one day a week while group B would attend another day, and the other three days would be all-virtual. The tentative plan also asks that as many families as possible provide their student’s transportation to and from school to reduce the number of students riding buses. This plan will only be implemented if and when in-person learning is deemed to be safe.
In-person appointments are available now and throughout virtual learning for students who have individualized education plans, English language learners, and any student who requires additional help. The Return to Learn page on the district website, dps61.org, also includes online resources to assist students during virtual learning.
—Valerie Wells Herald & Review, via Tribune Content Agency
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7:41 a.m.: Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence tests positive for COVID-19 — putting into doubt whether he’ll face No. 4 Notre Dame on Nov. 7
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence has tested positive for COVID-19, putting into doubt whether the face of college football will be available to play the top-ranked Tigers' biggest game of the season.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said in a statement released by the school Thursday night that Lawrence is in isolation with mild symptoms. Swinney said Lawrence would miss Clemson’s game Saturday against Boston College.
The Tigers are scheduled to play No. 4 Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., on Nov. 7.
Players who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate for a minimum of 10 days.
Read the full story here. —Associated Press
7:03 a.m.: Chicago joins other parts of the state under tighter COVID-19 restrictions
Chicago went under tighter state coronavirus restrictions Friday, after Mayor Lori LIghtfoot dropped her opposition to Illinois officials' imposition of the rules.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s order, effective Friday in Chicago after being imposed in DuPage, Kane, Will and Kankakee counties last week, orders restaurants and bars to stay closed to indoor dining. Lake and McHenry counties will fall under the restrictions this weekend. The restrictions also cap indoor gatherings to 25 people or 25% of capacity.
In addition to limits on indoor service and gathering sizes, the restrictions require bars, restaurants, gaming and casinos to close by 11 p.m., and casinos are limited to 25% capacity.
The tightened regulations are triggered when a region under the state reopening plan hits an 8% positivity rate for three consecutive days or goes above other benchmarks in COVID-19 case levels.
—Chicago Tribune staff
5 a.m.: Confronting 2020′s workplace challenges takes creativity, compassion, courage
Mental health. Physical well-being. Diversity. Inclusion. Isolation.
The list of challenges facing organizations and their employees in 2020 is unlike any that people currently in the workforce have encountered. Agile employers have answered the adversity by listening to stressed colleagues and undertaking initiatives to keep employees focused and engaged, maintaining and even improving their organization’s culture.
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Finding creative ways to keep a corporate culture thriving goes far in nurturing a sense of community as companies look ahead to business as usual — pandemic and beyond.
It’s important for companies to understand the opportunity they have, said Kate North, vice president at Colliers International’s Workplace Advisory, which helps organizations develop work-from-home and workplace strategies.
Read the full story here. —Brenda Richardson
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
In case you missed it
Here are five stories from Thursday related to COVID-19:


chicagotribune--2020-10-30--Some suburban restaurants defy indoor shutdown order, while others watch and await legal challenges:

Some suburban restaurants defy indoor shutdown order, while others watch and await legal challenges: ‘It’s just us looking out for us.’

“ We ’ re always on edge ... always nervous if some enforcement will walk in , ” said the @ @ @ @ @ that has been open less than a year , and which the manager said is @ @ @ @ @ Either closing down and following the order , or staying open — there was no @ @ @ @ @ question of what was a better worse decision , if that makes sense .
”

Their employees need the work. They doubt the role their businesses play in the transmission of COVID-19. Some question whether Gov. J.B. Pritzker has the authority to close down their dining rooms.
Whatever their motives, as indoor dining is once again banned in the Chicago area due to the persisting pandemic, some suburban restaurants are staying open for indoor sit-down business in spite of the governor’s mandate.
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Suburban business owners interviewed by the Tribune say there’s fatigue and confusion about shifting rules and how those rules have been enforced. They say their customers want their businesses open. But most of all, they say, their bars and restaurants can’t survive another closure for indoor business, especially as outdoor dining becomes less viable due to colder weather.
“If we closed for this order, we’d be closed for good,” said Cassi Melvin, a server and assistant manager at The Lucky Penny Diner and Deli in Naperville, which has remained open for dine-in service despite the shutdown order in DuPage County. “We’re a small family business. It’s just us looking out for us.”
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Longtime customer Ron Jitzmiller, left, chats with owner Penny Gounaris at the Lucky Penny Diner in Naperville on Oct. 30, 2020. The Lucky Penny is among suburban restaurants defying Gov. J.B. Pritzker's order to shut down. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Pritzker ordered closures for indoor dining last week in DuPage, Kane, Will and Kankakee counties. A similar restriction took effect in suburban Cook County Wednesday and in Chicago Friday. Lake and McHenry counties are to follow Saturday.
At a news conference Friday, Pritzker said he encourages people to support bars and restaurants for takeout business, and credited bars and restaurants with largely complying with state directives.
But he also called them “amplification points” for possible spread of the virus, citing studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and in various medical journals. Should positivity rates drop below 6.5%, the dining industry will again be able to open for indoor business, he said.
“I want to get restaurants and bars open as soon as possible,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker acknowledged enforcement has been spotty. As of Friday, citations have been issued in five counties across the state, the governor said.
Local law enforcement agencies need to provide support to ensure compliance, he added.
“Some have, some haven’t,” Pritzker said.
Though state infection numbers and positivity rates have climbed in recent weeks — including 6,943 new confirmed cases announced Friday from a new daily testing high of 95,111 — several business owners and restaurant managers said nothing has changed within their walls.
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They still enforce masks for customers, they said. They operate at reduced capacity, habitually sanitize surfaces and follow best practice guidelines from the CDC, they said.
Penny Gounaris, who opened the Lucky Penny Diner four years ago, said she wavered for days about defying the order. But with business down about 75%, she concluded that the restaurant could operate safely while trying to stay afloat.
“I lost so much sleep; you have no idea,” Gounaris said. “And I still do today. I’ve always followed the rules. But my little diner isn’t hurting anyone, and at the end of the day, how do my employees pay their bills? Forget me; I haven’t taken a dime from this restaurant. They have to eat and pay rent and put gas in their vehicles.”
Waiter Jose Dominquez cleans menus at the Lucky Penny Diner in Naperville on Oct. 30, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Gounaris said she’s frustrated to see bars packed with people not following capacity limits or masking requirements. Meanwhile, she said, she has taken steps to be safe — “safety measures on steroids” — in a restaurant that only serves breakfast and lunch.
“What about us little diners or breakfast joints?” she said. “Fifty percent of my sales isn’t alcohol — it’s eggs.”
In recent days, restaurant owners have mounted multiple legal challenges to avoid closing.
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Thirty-seven restaurants and bars in McHenry County filed suit Thursday to avoid enforcement of the shutdown of indoor service, though a judge ruled Friday that the governor had standing to issue the order. Also Friday, a Cook County judge dismissed a similar request filed earlier this week by multiple restaurants primarily in northwest suburban Park Ridge, according to a spokesperson from the Illinois Attorney General’s office.
A DuPage County judge issued a similar initial ruling Friday, denying a restaurant’s request for a temporary restraining order against Pritzker’s executive order. Brauer House owner Steven Brauer, who filed the DuPage County lawsuit and had remained open for business this week, said he would comply with the order as the lawsuit continues.
At least one other case continues; this week a Kane County judge issued an order allowing FoxFire restaurant in Geneva to keep operating despite the order, which the state is appealing.
Kirsten Quinn, left, celebrates her birthday while dining with her aunt, Donna Quinn-Tworek, at Pazzi Di Pizza on Oct. 29, 2020, in Park Ridge. The restaurant's owner is among several Park Ridge owners who had filed a lawsuit this week against Pritzker's executive order. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
On Friday, the Illinois Restaurant Association went public with its opposition to the spate of orders halting indoor dining, and said it would support such lawsuits with legal briefs backing the restaurants.
Sam Toia, president and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association, said restaurants across the state are “in a moment of complete crisis” due to the governor’s orders.
“Closing indoor dining means that the majority of restaurants will no longer be able to sustain their operations,” Toia said. “Takeout, delivery and curbside pickup equate to only a small fraction of normal revenue.
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“They are having painful conversations — again — with dedicated team members whom they will no longer be able to employ,” he continued. “And with no broad-based state or federal relief on the horizon, there seems to be no end in sight.”
Jerome Baker, left, a bartender at Emerald Loop, holds daughter Shiloh, 2, and listens to Sam Toia, president of the Illinois Restaurant Association, talk about Pritzker's order to halt indoor dining Oct. 30, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
In the meantime, restaurant owners said they’ll simply flout the governor’s latest shutdown orders. Some didn’t hesitate to discuss why.
Mike Coughlin, owner for 26 years of Village Tavern and Grill in Carol Stream, said his lawyer advised him that Pritzker lacks the authority to shut down indoor dining. He has kept his business open this week.
“We’ve complied with everything they’ve asked us to do — spent thousands on plexiglass and sanitizer and masks,” Coughlin said.
He said he wrestled with his limited options.
“Of course it was a hard decision, absolutely,” Coughlin said. “But the way I look at it, if I close down, I have nothing. If I stay open, there’s less risk. What can they do?”
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Other restaurants that have confirmed they remain open for dining are Balboa’s Cheesesteaks in Naperville and Brooster’s in Lombard.
Others were more cautious about publicly flouting the governor’s order, expressing concern that they could be penalized by the state.
“We’re always on edge ... always nervous if some enforcement will walk in,” said the manager of a Lombard restaurant that has been open less than a year, and which the manager said is struggling to survive. “Either closing down and following the order, or staying open — there was no reward. It was a question of what was a better worse decision, if that makes sense.”
A day after announcing the first round of shutting down indoor dining Oct. 20, the governor called bars and restaurants “the No. 1 place” in Kane and DuPage counties where “people said when they were contact-traced, that they had been to either just before they got tested, or after they got tested but before they got their result.”
“And that’s true across the state,” he said.
A list of more than 100 suburban restaurants operating in defiance of the order has circulated this week on social media. While many listed are indeed staying open for indoor business, others that have closed their dining room said they are unsure how they landed on the list.
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Dave Hawley, who launched The Beer Cellar in Glen Ellyn in 2014 and a second location in Geneva in 2019, said neither of his locations are serving indoors, but they are on the list.
He acknowledged that he is weighing whether to open for indoor service, however. His businesses need it to survive, and to keep his eight remaining workers — down from 15 before the pandemic — employed.
“We either defy the order and risk losing our liquor license — which it doesn’t sound like they’re actually doing, though they say it in the press conferences — or I don’t serve indoors, and I don’t have enough income to pay my bills and I file for bankruptcy, where a liquor license doesn’t matter,” Hawley said.
Though The Beer Cellar is helped by selling beer to go, Hawley said the draft sales of bar operations are what drive profits.
“I’m going to give it another weekend to decide what we’re going to do,” he said.
Duke Ross, owner of Main Street Social in Libertyville, said losing indoor dining long term could lead to staff cuts. He has not decided whether to open for indoor service in spite of the governor’s order.
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“(The situation) is so fluid,” Ross said. “We’re gonna wait and see.”
Brian Grano, owner of Mickey Finn’s Brewery in Libertyville, also said he was unsure how to proceed. If other nearby restaurants form a “united front” to stay open, he said, Mickey Finn’s probably would as well.
Both Grano and Ross said they were concerned about losing licenses if the state enforced the mandate. However, Libertyville Mayor Terry Weppler has announced the village would not enforce restaurant closures.
Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain said his deputies have visited more than 30 restaurants over the last week that are not in compliance. While they are not issuing citations to businesses, they are completing reports to send to the health department.
“It frustrates everyone that we’re back at this point,” Hain said. “Nobody wants to be here. Some members of the public want to defy or opt out, but this is supposed to be a society where we all work together. We’re not seeing that right now.”
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Tribune staff writers James T. Norman, Megan Jones, Robert McCoppin, Angie Leventis Lourgos and Doug George contributed.
jbnoel@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-30--Coronavirus at Illinois long-term care facilities: 34,278 confirmed cases and 5,127 deaths

The Illinois Department of Public Health is releasing information on COVID-19 tied to long-term care facilities in Illinois .
The @ @ @ @ @ at 1,041 long-term care facilities in 86 counties .
Of those , 598 facilities have @ @ @ @ @ , defined as a positive test result in the past 28 days .
In all @ @ @ @ @ be tied to long-term care facilities , with 5,127 deaths , as of Oct. 30 @

The Illinois Department of Public Health is releasing information on COVID-19 tied to long-term care facilities in Illinois. The data shows outbreaks have occurred at long-term care facilities in 94 counties. Of those, 1,003 facilities have an “active” outbreak, defined as a positive test result in the past 28 days. In all, 71,103 confirmed cases can be tied to long-term care facilities, with 9,263 deaths, as of Jan. 22.


chicagotribune--2020-10-30--The Spin: Lightfoot argues again that bars and restaurants aren’t driving COVID-19 spread | Chicago’

The Spin: Lightfoot argues again that bars and restaurants aren’t driving COVID-19 spread | Chicago’s security plan for Election Day unrest | Foxx-O’Brien nearly tied — in money race

“ So , when I asked you to wear a mask .
When I asked you to take care of @ @ @ @ @ s not because I think it ’ s fun to ask .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ directly from those who have lost someone that they love - those families whose normal @ @ @ @ @ vaccine , or not .
It ’ s because I don ’ t want any @ @ @ @ @ horrible scolding pain of life lost too soon , a pain made all the more @ @ @ @ @ its back on ways to help , ” Pritzker said , saying all that grief @ @ @ @ @ cry .
”

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, right, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, left, and public health officials, announce new precautionary measures against the coronavirus, during a news conference at the Thompson Center on Feb. 28, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois reached yet another one-day high of nearly 70,000 newly diagnosed COVID-19 cases today.
During a morning news conference, Mayor Lori Lightfoot doubled-down on her argument that private gatherings among friends and family members — not public bars and restaurants — are driving the spread of the coronavirus here. The mayor also said she told Gov. J.B. Pritzker during a meeting that his order halting indoor service at bars and restaurants amid rising COVID-19 cases would prompt already devastated Chicago businesses to put up the “closed” sign for good.
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Still, when asked whether the city will enforce Pritzker’s order, Lightfoot said, “Yes, we will.”
In another somber afternoon news conference, the governor reiterated that he didn’t like enacting these restrictions either, but as case numbers soar he said that people’s lives are in the balance, reminding that 10,000 people with the virus have perished statewide and 230,000 nationally.
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As Chicago officials rolled out a 10-day safety plan tied to Halloween and next week’s presidential election, the mayor nodded to simmering tensions. But she also said “we need to de-escalate from this long difficult year. … I know that emotions are already high, there’s a lot of apprehension (about what) might happen next Tuesday, but please, I call upon each of you to channel your emotions into peaceful, productive means of expression.”
And no spoilers here, but after diving into the first few episodes of the politics-heavy Chicago documentary “City So Real,” it’s fair to say that Rickey Hendon, the flamboyant and sometimes foul-mouthed former state senator and Chicago alderman, may have exited from elected office but not the game. And he certainly is within his rights, for better or worse, to own that nickname “Hollywood.”
Welcome to The Spin
Mayor Lori Lighfoot and Gov. J.B Pritzker attend a news conference at the University of Chicago's Harper Center on July 23, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Lightfoot and Pritzker had that “frank” discussion on Wednesday about the state order for Chicago bars and restaurants to halt indoor service amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. She even backed off efforts to try and talk him out of it. But her comments reflected that perhaps the mayor has some hard feelings about it.
Lightfoot said today the cash-strapped city is looking at ways to help bars and restaurants, making a glancing reference to Pritzker’s office alerting her to the order after announcing it at a news conference.
“Of course my team has been working" to figure out how to help workers and business owners "since we got notice … after the governor’s news conference on Tuesday that this was going to go into effect,” the mayor told reporters. The governor’s office told the Tribune she didn’t return a call on Monday about the matter.
Lightfoot choked up as she talked about how she and her wife last night went out for a“last indoor meal” at a local restaurant — at least for the foreseeable future. She said a member of the wait staff asked to have a picture taken with the mayor, and “I was so overcome with emotion I gave her a hug” — concerned about the welfare of restaurant workers and owners as the shutdown kicks in today.
At issue: The mayor said today and previously that contact tracing in the city shows outbreaks are tied to home or private gatherings in Chicago — not bars and restaurants; but the governor and his top public health official have said when there’s a community outbreak, they want to put a lid on gatherings that put people from different households together and could spread the virus.
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Pritzker, facing lawsuits and backlash over tightening restrictions, said lives hang in the balance. He opened his afternoon news conference reflecting on his discussions with those who have lost loved ones to COVID-19. He said they are among the reasons restrictions are in place.
“So, when I asked you to wear a mask. When I asked you to take care of your community, it’s not because I think it’s fun to ask. It’s because I’ve heard directly from those who have lost someone that they love - those families whose normal is never coming back - vaccine, or not. It’s because I don’t want any more people to experience that horrible scolding pain of life lost too soon, a pain made all the more unbearable when the world turns its back on ways to help,” Pritzker said, saying all that grief is “what makes me cry.”
Illinois shatters single-day COVID-19 record set a day earlier with nearly 7,000 new cases: My Tribune colleague Dan Petrella has the story here.
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Chicago police Superintendent David Brown speaks to the media, as Mayor Lori Lightfoot looks on, during the announcement of the opening of two new CPD operation centers, at a news conference in Chicago Police Department Area 4 on April 30, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s Gregory Pratt, Jeremy Gorner and Kelli Smith: “Under pressure to avoid a repeat of this summer’s civil unrest, Mayor Lori Lightfoot unveiled a 10-day preparedness plan aimed at preventing looting and chaos on Chicago’s streets around Halloween and next week’s presidential election.”
The mayor said there’s "no evidence right now of a credible threat,” but officials in Chicago — and other cities — have been preparing for months as tensions rise over the presidential election. As many as 300 garbage trucks and other heavy city vehicles will be deployed to the Loop and neighborhood business districts as a blockade on wheels, they note. And residents can expect to see plenty of police officers and squads with their lights flashing.
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Federal and state law enforcement nationwide — including Illinois — are also preparing in the event of unrest at the polls on Election Day, a response to voter anxieties about safety stoked in part by President Donald Trump, The Associated Press reported earlier this month. Although some residents are concerned about their physical safety, Lightfoot said, “with our planned precautions in place, it is absolutely safe to vote.”
New York building that’s home to Ken Griffin’s $238M condo is hiring security for Election Day, the New York Post is reporting, noting that the city’s “ultra rich are quietly preparing for civil unrest” on Tuesday “by hiring armed guards to stand watch over their luxury Manhattan buildings.”
Final preelection economic reports: Jobless claims fall, GDP rebounds — but COVID-19 endangers recovery: The Associated Press has the details here. Poll after poll shows that the economy is the No. 1 issue for voters in this and just about every presidential election. And in his bid for a second term President Donald Trump has billed the pre-pandemic economy as soaring and “has drawn generally solid public support for his handling of the economy,” the AP piece reminds.
And this late today: Stocks suffer biggest weekly decline since March as virus spreads, the New York Times reports.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, left, and Republican challenger Pat O’Brien.
Incumbent Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx has attacked her Republican challenger Pat O’Brien’s record when he was an assistant state’s attorney decades ago, chiefly for his role in the wrongful conviction of four Black teenagers in the rape and murder of a white medical student. My Tribune colleague Christy Gutowski does a deep dive on the 1986 case and resulting criticism today.
Foxx, a Democrat, and O’Brien are neck-and-neck in general-election fundraising totals heading into the weekend before the final race, Friday numbers show, the Tribune’s Alice Yin writes.
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Foxx has raised $935,565 since the March 17 primary, according to state records. Meanwhile, former Cook County Circuit Court judge O’Brien has $938,144 in his war chest. The near-deadlock in fundraising comes after O’Brien outraised her during the latest quarter that ended Sept. 30. Since then, O’Brien blew past the self-funding threshold when he made a personal contribution to his campaign this month, opening the doors for larger donations to pour into both candidates' coffers.
“As voters learn more about Mr. O’Brien’s history of wrongful convictions the choice becomes abundantly clear,” Foxx spokeswoman Alex Sims wrote in a statement. “Voters do not want to go backwards.”
O’Brien’s spokesman Brad Goodman countered that his candidate has the grassroots support: “Pat O’Brien has all the momentum going into Election Day. … This weekend Pat and his team of volunteers are working hard to get out the vote and are looking forward to an exciting Tuesday for Cook County residents.”
High-profile figures from Illinois and beyond have opened up their wallets for the two. The largest contributions to Foxx this week were from Chicago Sun-Times investor Michael Sacks, who dumped $100,000, nearly doubling his total donations to her during the general election, and Newsweb Corp. owner and Democratic Party donor Fred Eychaner, who donated $200,000 on top of an earlier $100,000 contribution. O’Brien has some wealthy backers as well, such as billionaire CEO Ken Griffin, who poured in $100,000, and Guaranteed Rate CEO Victor Ciardelli, who added $76,800 this month.
Chicago police investigate a shooting that began with a disturbance outside the bar Tai's Til 4, where an officer shot and killed a man, on Feb. 9, 2020 in the 3600 block of North Ashland Avenue in Lakeview. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
The fate of the Tai’s Til 4, which has been open near the corner of Ashland Avenue and Addison Street since 1961, is in the balance on Tuesday as people who live nearby consider whether to vote the precinct dry, the Tribune’s John Byrne writes. The “ballot referendum (is) backed by some local residents who blame the bar for an early morning February shooting incident that occurred outside the establishment,” Byrne notes.
Ald. Tom Tunney, 44th, calls the effort to close the bar unwarranted. Read the full story, which details a series of nonbinding referendums, here.
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Byrne notes there’s also a referendum question for residents of the Bronzeville neighborhood, asking if a Bronzeville mental health program should be funded using up to $600,000 in property tax money in 2021.
Whether the graduated-rate amendment passes or fails next week, taxes are going to go up, Tribune columnist Eric Zorn writes.
On the campaign trail tonight: Gov. Pritzker to U.S. senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and other Democrats are holding a virtual rally to boost support for the tax amendment atop the Illinois ballot. Other big Dem names attending: Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Cook County, State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, Chicago U.S. Rep. Jesus Chuy Garcia who represents Illinois' 4th Congressional District, 3rd Congressional District candidate Marie Newman, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, former State Sen. Daniel Biss, AFL-CIO Illinois President Tim Drea, Chicago Federation of Labor President Bob Reiter, and SEIU Healthcare Illinois President Greg Kelley. The 6:30 p.m.event will stream live on Facebook.
On Monday, President Donald Trump travels to Wisconsin to make his closing arguments in the battleground state. Trump narrowly won Wisconsin in 2016.
Related: Trump hosted virtual rally for Jim Oberweis, the Republican state senator challenging freshman U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood in the Northwest suburban and exurban 14th Congressional District, the Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet reports.
A sign informs motorists of a red-light camera at Madison Street and Ashland Avenue in Chicago. (Brian Cassella, Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s John Byrne: Chicago’s transportation Commissioner Gia Biagi on Friday defended Mayor Lightfoot’s plan to have automated speed cameras across the city issue speeding tickets to cars driving as little as 6 mph over the posted limit, even as aldermen urged her to look at different ways to raise money to help balance the city’s books.
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Biagi talked at the Department of Transportation’s annual budget hearing about a “dramatic increase in vehicle speeds due to fewer vehicles on the road,” and “a crisis” in fatal crashes involving cyclists and motorists.
Southwest Side Ald. Matt O’Shea, 19th, told Biagi it would make sense to install additional cameras on the existing speed camera poles in the vicinity of city parks and schools, while West Side Ald. Michael Scott Jr., 24th, said the city should consider putting in new speed cameras in different locations entirely. Read the rest of the story here.
Thanks for reading The Spin, the Tribune’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons. Have a tip? Email host Lisa Donovan at ldonovan@chicagotribune.com.
Twitter @byldonovan


chicagotribune--2020-10-30--Illinois shatters single-day COVID-19 record set a day earlier with nearly 7,000 new cases; a 10th r

Illinois shatters single-day COVID-19 record set a day earlier with nearly 7,000 new cases; a 10th region hit with tighter restrictions

“ Every day we now see these numbers going through the roof , ” Pritzker said .
“ And so @ @ @ @ @ re going to make the locations that are amplifying the number of cases and the @ @ @ @ @ this virus , that we ’ re going to open those even more at this @ @ @ @ @ to me .
”

Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois on Friday reported nearly 7,000 newly confirmed cases of the coronavirus, eclipsing a single-day record set just 24 hours earlier and pushing the total number of known cases since the pandemic began past 400,000.
“This is an extraordinarily dangerous time,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said during his daily COVID-19 briefing. “And as a result, we must do everything in our power to keep down the infection rate.”
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The 6,943 new known COVID-19 cases brings the seven-day average of new daily cases to 5,481. The previous one-day high, set Thursday, was 6,363. There have now been 402,401 known cases in Illinois.
On the eve of Halloween, Pritzker and Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike urged the public to make “pandemic-guided decisions” and to avoid in-person gatherings.
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Pritzker on Friday also announced a chunk of east-central Illinois that includes Champaign-Urbana and Decatur will become the 10th of 11 regions in the governor’s reopening plan to come under tighter restrictions, including a ban on indoor dining and bar service, as the coronavirus continues its statewide resurgence.
The 21-county region, which includes a long stretch of the Indiana border, saw its seven-day rolling positivity rate on coronavirus tests hit 8.6% on Tuesday, exceeding the state-established threshold of 8% for the third straight day and triggering the reopening rollback. The restrictions, which go into effect Monday, also include a 25-person cap on gatherings, down from 50.
The positivity rate data for the region does not include the massive saliva-based testing program at the University of Illinois' flagship campus, which the state has said artificially lowers the regional rate and skews the level of transmission in the community at large.
A University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign student wears a mask while walking through the quad in September 2020. The positivity rate data for the region does not include the saliva-based testing program at the University of Illinois' flagship campus. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Friday’s announcement leaves only one region — a wide swath of north-central Illinois that stretches from Kendall County on the outskirts of the Chicago suburbs to the Quad Cities and includes Peoria and Bloomington — without stricter rules aimed at slowing the surging COVID-19 pandemic.
That region hit a rolling seven-day positivity rate of 8.5% as of Tuesday, according to state data. If it remains above 8% for two more days, Pritzker could announce tighter restrictions as soon as Sunday.
Still, Pritzker again said he is not considering another statewide stay-at-home order like the one he issued in March, his most drastic step to date to combat the virus.
A renewed prohibition on indoor dining and bar service took effect in Chicago on Friday, and the same rules kick in for Lake and McHenry counties on Saturday and west-central Illinois, including Springfield, on Sunday. The measures have faced a strong pushback from the bar and restaurant industry and Republican lawmakers.
Even as many eating and drinking establishments challenge his restrictions in court or openly defy them, Pritzker called on local officials to enforce the rules.
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Illinois State Police, empowered to enforce the governor’s orders through an emergency rule issued in August, so far have cited only four businesses in central and southern Illinois, though officials say they’ve issued warnings to many more. The Pritzker administration has yet to initiate the process of pulling liquor or gambling licenses from scofflaw businesses, as he has threatened to do.
But the Democratic governor said he would stand his ground in the face of growing resistance.
“Every day we now see these numbers going through the roof,” Pritzker said. “And so the idea that we’re going to make the locations that are amplifying the number of cases and the spread, the transmission of this virus, that we’re going to open those even more at this point, makes no sense to me.”
Along with the record number of new cases, state health officials reported 36 more fatalities Friday, bringing the statewide death toll to 9,711. The state also set a record for testing, with results from 95,111 screenings reported in the previous 24 hours.
The seven-day average for the case positivity rate — the share of confirmed cases out of the total number of tests — was 7.3% statewide as of Thursday, up from 5.6% a week earlier and more than double the rate at the start of October.
The test positivity rate — the share of positive tests out of all tests conducted — was 8.5% statewide on a seven-day average. This figure, which the state began reporting Thursday, is what’s used when assessing which regions need stricter rules to slow transmission of the virus.
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Ezike said health officials are particularly concerned about how well-equipped central and southern Illinois hospitals — which didn’t experience the same surge during the spring — are to deal with the new crush of cases.
Hospitals in some areas already are seeing more COVID-19 patients than they did at the initial peak in the spring, “and we are not at the peak now," Ezike said.
Based on the current trajectory, hospitals in the regions that include Springfield and Champaign could see bed shortages in as little as two to four weeks, she said.
dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-30--Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot unveils security plan for election-related civil unrest, urges peaceful

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot unveils security plan for election-related civil unrest, urges peaceful protests

The Police Department has defended the reallocation of its resources by saying it has made up for the loss of @ @ @ @ @ ’ s 22 patrol districts by forming a new citywide unit currently staffed with about @ @ @ @ @ responding to sudden flare-ups in violence in neighborhoods away from downtown .
Brown also has @ @ @ @ @ summer mobile patrol unit , a temporary citywide unit of about 200 cops , would @ @ @ @ @ residential areas until November .

Gregory Pratt, Jeremy Gorner, Kelli Smith

Damaged windows at the Zara store following early morning looting in downtown Chicago on Aug. 10, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Under pressure to avoid a repeat of this summer’s civil unrest, Mayor Lori Lightfoot unveiled a 10-day preparedness plan aimed at preventing looting and chaos on Chicago’s streets around Halloween and next week’s presidential election.
As part of her plan, Lightfoot will increase police patrols across the city while deploying 60 to 300 garbage trucks and other heavy city vehicles to key neighborhood corridors to be used as a blockade on wheels. The Office of Emergency Management and Communications also has held a number of trainings aimed at severe weather, COVID-19 outbreaks and protests related to the election, city officials said.
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Chicago police and city vehicles block portions of North Michigan Avenue following early morning looting and violence in Chicago on Aug. 10, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The city’s been planning for the election “really since late summer,” Lightfoot said, by taking into account “humbling” lessons learned from the summer’s civil unrest.
No matter who wins the elections, Lightfoot urged people to channel their emotions into peaceful protests.
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“We need to de-escalate from this long difficult year,” Lightfoot said.
Although some residents are concerned about their physical safety, Lightfoot said, “with our planned precautions in place, it is absolutely safe to vote.”
By Friday morning, Chicago had recorded more than 650,000 early votes this election, which were either cast in person, returned by mail or dropped in the city’s drop boxes, located at every early voting site and 26 public libraries. That compares with about 450,000 votes cast during the entire duration of early voting in 2016.
Marisel Hernandez, chairwoman of the Chicago Board of Elections, said election officials feel “very prepared” for Election Day staffing, adding that there’s been “an outpouring of support” from Chicago voters aged 18 to 24 who have volunteered this year to serve as election judges.
“Not only do we have the judges of election assigned, but we have backup judges of election,” Hernandez said Friday at the news conference.
Rich Guidice, OEMC’s executive director, said residents who want to receive public safety alerts, including updates on street closures, traffic and the weather, should sign up at notifychicago.org.
Chicago police Superintendent David Brown said days off will be canceled for officers departmentwide on Halloween, and a few citywide teams will have their days off canceled for the next 10 days.
He also said special hotlines have been set up for business owners’ safety concerns in each of the department’s 22 patrol districts over the next week.
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"People in general have very high anxiety as it relates to the upcoming election and we understand that, and we are focused on ensuring our officers will work to de-escalate to calm tensions so that everyone is comfortable exercising their right to vote
“We’re also there to prevent lawlessness,” Brown continued. “There were be a zero tolerance (of) criminality during this time, and any time for that matter.”
“Our intelligence points to a peaceful weekend and safe election,” Brown said. “Please celebrate safely this weekend, and I also encourage everyone to vote.”
Brown also said the public would not see the Police Department’s presence of undercover officers, its efforts to investigate crimes on social media and its engagement with concerned merchants.
While emphasizing his officers would take a de-escalation approach to lawbreakers, Brown said there’d be “swift action” taken against looters. He insisted he’s taking a “strong stance” on this issue, after the department was caught off guard by groups of looters who ran amok through downtown in August.
Workers board up the Macy's store on State Street in Chicago's Loop on Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, ahead of Election Day. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
“Don’t loot in Chicago,” Brown said. “If you do loot, you will be accountable. If you escape, we will find you and bring you to justice.”
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Facing criticism for the city’s response to this summer’s civil unrest, Lightfoot’s taken extraordinary measures to prevent businesses from being ransacked.
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Ever since downtown was hit with a second bout of looting on Aug. 10, Brown has pulled officers off beat patrols in districts on the North, South and West sides and moved them downtown. The strategy has been controversial, leading some aldermen and community activists to question whether the mayor cares more about high-end merchants and affluent Chicagoans than other parts of the city.
The Police Department has defended the reallocation of its resources by saying it has made up for the loss of cops assigned to the city’s 22 patrol districts by forming a new citywide unit currently staffed with about 500 officers and tasked with responding to sudden flare-ups in violence in neighborhoods away from downtown. Brown also has said the city’s summer mobile patrol unit, a temporary citywide unit of about 200 cops, would be in place in the residential areas until November.
These units, however, are not deployed to every neighborhood.
A third citywide unit, composed of about 250 officers, is tasked with responding to crime hot spots downtown, as well as any protests or large, impromptu gatherings that form across the city.
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Lightfoot’s approach to potential civil unrest also has had a significant financial cost for taxpayers, records released to the Tribune in response to an open records request show. Chicago had spent at least $222 million on overtime for Chicago government workers through August, a budget-busting figure as the city faces historic shortfalls.
To put that into perspective, Lightfoot budgeted roughly $180 million in 2020 overtime costs for all city departments, records show.
Much of the spending is being driven by police and other public safety departments, as well as public health needs generated by the coronavirus pandemic.
But overtime also has skyrocketed due to public safety needs even in departments that do not obviously have public safety at the core of their mission, such as Streets and Sanitation, which already has spent twice its overtime budget.
Officials have defended the moves as necessary uses of taxpayer dollars aimed at protecting local businesses and communities already hit hard by the pandemic and civil unrest.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
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kelsmith@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-30--Outbound lanes remain shuttered following shooting on I-57

It happened in the southbound lanes near 111th Street , and all lanes in that area remained blocked as of @ @ @ @ @ to an Illinois State Police District Chicago trooper .

A person was shot multiple times while traveling in a vehicle on I-57 on the city’s Far South Side, officials said.
It happened in the southbound lanes near 111th Street, and all lanes in that area remained blocked as of about 5 p.m., according to an Illinois State Police District Chicago trooper.
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The victim, a male of an unknown age, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition after the attack, which happened about 3:40 p.m., said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford.
He was shot multiple times in the chest, Langford said.
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rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-30--Judges deny requests in McHenry, DuPage, Cook for restaurants to keep indoor service despite state o

Judges deny requests in McHenry, DuPage, Cook for restaurants to keep indoor service despite state order amid COVID-19 spike

The previous decisions are not binding on other judges , but an appellate court ruling , which does set precedent @ @ @ @ @ that if lawmakers do not object to the application of a law , judges must @ @ @ @ @ deciding whether to allow similar use of the law .

Judges in McHenry, Cook and DuPage counties on Friday upheld Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s authority to stop indoor service at restaurants and bars amid spikes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
McHenry Judge Thomas Meyer ruled against 37 restaurants and bars in the county that had filed suit seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent imposition of Pritzker’s order.
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In DuPage County, Judge Bonnie Wheaton denied a similar request made by a Lombard restaurant owner.
And in Cook County, a judge rejected a request filed earlier this week by multiple restaurants primarily in Park Ridge, according to a spokeswoman from the Illinois attorney general’s office.
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Meyer ruled that because the governor predicated his order on the rate of positive COVID-19 tests in the county exceeding 8% for three days straight, the order was new and different from the prior executive orders Pritzker issued going back to March.
The judge previously said he was concerned that the governor was exceeding the 30-day limit on such orders as stated in Illinois law, but said the new basis for the order rendered that concern moot. Pritzker issued an initial 30-day order in March that shut down many businesses statewide.
“It is a difficult and unpleasant order to enter,” Meyer said, “but I do believe there was a basis for the new executive order.”
The judge also said that he was troubled by the General Assembly’s lack of action on the matter.
The McHenry, Cook and DuPage lawsuits were among other recent legal developments involving the governor’s executive orders aimed at limiting the pandemic. A similar suit in Kane County this week led to a court order allowing FoxFire restaurant in Geneva to keep operating despite the order, which the state is appealing. In addition, numerous restaurants statewide are simply defying the shutdown.
Thomas Verticchio, assistant chief deputy attorney general, argued in McHenry County that circuit judges have upheld the governors power to issue successive emergency orders in Cook, DuPage, DeKalb and Madison counties and in federal court.
Govs. Patrick Quinn, Bruce Rauner and Pritzker issued multiple successive emergency orders regarding the H1N1 and flooding crises without objection from lawmakers, he noted.
The General Assembly also passed three acts in May that referred to the governor making multiple successive emergency orders.
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The previous decisions are not binding on other judges, but an appellate court ruling, which does set precedent for the state, noted that if lawmakers do not object to the application of a law, judges must give that great weight in deciding whether to allow similar use of the law.
A man walks by as patrons dine inside Pazzi Di Pizza in Park Ridge on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020. The pizzeria's owner is among Park Ridge restaurant owners who filed a lawsuit challenging Gov. J.B. Pritzker's order to stop indoor service. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
One of the owners impacted by the Cook County decision was Tony Antonacci, owner of Taco Melly and Pennyville Station.
“It was definitely a letdown,” said Antonacci. “It’s absolutely terrible.”
While he plans to comply with the governor’s order, Antonacci said carryout and curbside service just isn’t profitable. Between the two restaurants, Antonacci said he has close to 70 employees whose livelihoods depend on the business.
“I’m not sure what to tell these guys, there’s no end in sight,” he said. “I feel restaurants in general have lost trust in our government.”
Other restaurants in the Cook suit included Shakou, Pazzi Di Pizza, Hay Caramba, Holt’s, and the Harp and Fiddle in Park Ridge. Also named as a plaintiff was Neoteca Pizza and Wine Bar in Barrington.
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In DuPage County, Steven Brauer, owner of Brauer House in Lombard, also filed a lawsuit earlier this week, arguing that Pritzker doesn’t have the authority to continue declaring emergency disasters beyond the initial executive order in March.
Brauer said he’s concerned about the fate of his independent business and the more than 30 workers employed there. He said Brauer House had tried offering curbside and carryout services earlier this year during the last state shutdown, but these options didn’t prove profitable.
“I feel bad for anyone in the service industry at this point, that relies on indoor service,” he said.
Brauer added that he plans to comply with Pritzker’s executive order as the lawsuit continues.
“We don’t want to put anyone in harm’s way, as far as COVID-19 goes," he said. "But we’d also like to operate legally.”
In the decision to dismiss, Judge Wheaton noted that “the harm to Plaintiff’s business is outweighed by the immense risk to the public health posed by enjoining the Governor’s statutory and constitutional powers to combat COVID-19.”
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Wheaton also cited a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study in September that closely linked dining at restaurants and bars to the spread of the virus; the CDC found that adults who tested positive for COVID-19 were twice as likely to report dining at a restaurant than those who tested negative. Indoor dining was found to be particularly risky, she said, because diners can’t wear masks while eating and the virus can linger indoors.
“The statewide effectiveness of the COVID-19 response is dependent on every person in Illinois sacrificing their individual pursuits for the greater good,” Wheaton said in court documents. “To date, Illinoisans have met this challenge with resolve and the number of deaths is far fewer than would have otherwise occurred. Judicial exemptions to these collective efforts inject uncertainty into the need to comply with the Governor’s directives. And such a disruption can be deadly.”


chicagotribune--2020-10-30--Lightfoot administration official defends plan to ticket speeders driving 6 mph over limit

Commissioner Gia Biagi touted the safety benefits of lowering the threshold for $ 35 tickets to be mailed to drivers @ @ @ @ @ over the limit down to 6 mph over , which is included in Lightfoot ’ @ @ @ @ @ Seeking to close a $ 1.2 billion budget deficit , Lightfoot expects to raise an @ @ @ @ @ year from fines , forfeitures and penalties , a total that includes the speed camera @ @

A speed enforcement camera on Western Avenue south of Addison Street in the Roscoe Village neighborhood on Oct. 26, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago’s transportation commissioner on Friday defended Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan to have automated speed cameras across the city issue speeding tickets to cars driving as little as 6 miles per hour over the posted limit, even as aldermen urged her to look at different ways to raise money to help balance the city’s books.
Commissioner Gia Biagi touted the safety benefits of lowering the threshold for $35 tickets to be mailed to drivers from the current 10 mph over the limit down to 6 mph over, which is included in Lightfoot’s 2021 budget plan. Seeking to close a $1.2 billion budget deficit, Lightfoot expects to raise an additional $38 million next year from fines, forfeitures and penalties, a total that includes the speed camera tickets.
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Biagi talked at the Department of Transportation’s annual budget hearing about a "dramatic increase in vehicle speeds due to fewer vehicles on the road,” and “a crisis” in fatal crashes involving cyclists and motorists.
“This is why we’re using all the tools in our toolbox to combat unsafe driving … and this does include lowering speed limits anywhere we can, investing in rapid-delivery infrastructure projects to make streets safer for everyone, and using our automated speed enforcement program to deter speeding,” Biagi said.
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The Tribune reviewed city crash data and found a more complicated picture of the safety situation than the administration has presented, with total crashes actually down in the first nine months of 2020 compared with the same time period in 2019.
During Friday’s hearing, Southwest Side Ald. Matt O’Shea, 19th, told Biagi it would make sense to install additional cameras on the existing speed camera poles in the vicinity of city parks and schools.
"If the thought process is capturing revenue while trying to once again convince everyone that this will slow down traffic as people get tickets, a second camera would capture the license plate that we’re missing on a lot of these,” O’Shea said.
Biagi said that is something the city will consider.
And West Side Ald. Michael Scott Jr., 24th, said the city should consider putting in new speed cameras in different locations entirely.
“I know that over the course of the last two years, I don’t think you’ve put in any new cameras. So are we looking, since this is a safety issue, are we looking at new traffic patterns?” Scott asked.
CDOT spokesman Michael Claffey said Friday that while the department appreciated the suggestions from aldermen, and will “continue to evaluate options," the department has “no plans to expand speed cameras.”
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South Side Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, told Biagi the lower ticket threshold seems like “a tail wagging the dog situation” in which the city will raise money on the backs of struggling Chicagoans.
And North Side Ald. Maria Hadden, 49th, expressed concerns about “nickeling and diming” residents with a 6 mph threshold instead of simply adding new cameras to existing poles and keeping the enforcement parameters the same.
As a candidate, Lightfoot promised to reform the city’s fines and fees program, saying it was regressive and focused on generating revenue, not safety.
Biagi also told aldermen Friday that the city has been looking into deploying around the city “dynamic speed cameras” that can be moved from location to location.
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @_johnbyrne


chicagotribune--2020-10-30--Campaign trail tracker: Where Trump, Biden and their running mates have traveled in presidential rac

Campaign trail tracker: Where Trump, Biden and their running mates have traveled in presidential race’s final weeks

In the final sprint ahead of the Nov. 3 election , both President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ travel despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic .
Starting in September , Biden abandoned his monthslong @ @ @ @ @ in Delaware while Trump has accelerated his travel and is once again welcoming crowds at @ @ @

In the final sprint ahead of the Nov. 3 election, both President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden have ramped up their campaign travel despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Starting in September, Biden abandoned his monthslong virtual campaign from his basement in Delaware while Trump has accelerated his travel and is once again welcoming crowds at some events.
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Here’s a look at the campaign trail stops made by Trump, Biden and running mates since Sept. 1.
Campaign trail tracker
Tap or click on a dot to see details of the stop.
Don’t see the map? Some mobile browsers disable it. Try this link.


chicagotribune--2020-10-30--Reputed gang leader shot to death in Humboldt Park neighborhood

Police say Sipp was a “ high-ranking ” member of the Four Corner Hustlers street gang , and was killed @ @ @ @ @ Chicago police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration arrested as many as 18 people earlier @ @ @ @ @ a role in the sale of heroin .

A reputed high-ranking gang member was shot to death Thursday night in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, according to Chicago police.
Anthony Sipp, 39, was inside a car in the 3600 block of West Grand Avenue when someone fired at him about 6:40 p.m., according to police. The car crashed into three others, and Sipp was found unresponsive with gunshot wounds to his head and neck.
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He was pronounced dead on the scene at 6:41 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Police say Sipp was a “high-ranking” member of the Four Corner Hustlers street gang, and was killed in the same area where Chicago police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration arrested as many as 18 people earlier this year who allegedly played a role in the sale of heroin.
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At least one block nearby — at Thomas Street and Monticello Avenue — was assigned police on a fixed post to block car traffic to curb drug-dealing and the violence that can come with it.
Sipp previously had been convicted of criminal drug conspiracy in a 2011 case for which he was sentenced to six years in prison, involving drug dealing within a few blocks of where he was shot this week, according to court and state corrections department records.
No one is in custody. Detectives are investigating.