chicagotribune--2020-11-21--In-person entrance exams for Chicago’s selective high schools bring high anxiety about COVID-19 risk

Dan Tully , principal of Notre Dame College Prep in Niles , said the school accepts nearly all applicants and @ @ @ @ @ placement decisions .
Families have until test day to opt for a remote test , @ @ @ @ @ one-fifth of the 200 students signed up have done so .
Notre Dame is planning @ @ @ @ @ test on one computer and set up another device for a staff member to observe @ @ @ @ @ loan out extra devices , he said .
They ’ re also prepared to go @ @ @ @ @ handed down .

To have a shot at getting into their favorite Chicago public high school, many eighth graders need to take a three-hour test, a process causing even more anxiety than usual amid an uncontrolled pandemic and after COVID-19 cases were tied to college admissions testing earlier this fall.
Some parents worry that proceeding with in-person testing for Chicago’s 11 selective-enrollment high schools may benefit families willing to take an unnecessary risk, even with all the health and safety measures available.
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Illinois on Friday tallied 13,012 new cases of COVID-19 and 126 more deaths, and the state has reverted to stricter restrictions to slow the spread. The measures close most public gathering places; decrease legal capacity at retail stores, salons and fitness centers; and limit indoor gatherings to household members.
Several eighth-grade parents who spoke to the Tribune said they were hesitant to let their kids test in person and felt Chicago Public Schools had plenty of time to figure out a more pandemic-responsive admissions plan.
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A student with a parent gets directions before in-person selective enrollment testing at Lindblom Math and Science Academy on Nov. 21, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
“We knew this summer that we were going to hit a second wave,” said Brian Gladstein, whose daughter Aviva was signed up to take the test this weekend. “We don’t feel great about it. The fact that school’s not in session to keep kids safe ... and they’re going to have 10 to 15 kids plus an adult in each room? That’s more than what they’re asking everyone else to do.”
The district noted schools are deemed essential and exempt from restrictions under tier three of the Restore Illinois Mitigation Plan.
Close to 1,200 students took selective enrollment tests across five testing sites Nov. 14, according to CPS. In addition to Saturday, upcoming test dates include six dates in December. More may be added “on a rolling basis, depending on demand,” according to CPS officials, who stressed that taking and proctoring the test are both voluntary.
But if students don’t take the test, they can’t be considered for selective-enrollment schools. While some families are sticking to their original plans, others are wondering if it would be worth trying to get a later test date in case the curve of the pandemic turns back around. Or if cases continue to rise, they may have to accept a greater risk or lose the option.
The high-stakes choice is weighing heavily on Gladstein, whose wife works in the medical field with COVID-19 patients. If Aviva takes the exam, they’ve decided she’ll wear an N95 mask.
“This has been a hard week,” said Gladstein, of Rogers Park. “I’ve been stressed and fearful and angry for the first time since March and April. ... Those feelings have come back because of something that CPS is doing because we are exposing ourselves to an unknown. We don’t know what’s going to happen in that school, we don’t know if she’ll get it, and the onus gets put on us.”
Gladstein feels his daughter would be in good hands attending one of their neighborhood high schools such as Senn and Amundsen. Yet not all students in the city have comparable options, and for many, getting into a top high school can greatly influence their futures.
Aviva, 13, said she thinks it could be difficult to focus on the test worrying about COVID-19. While wearing a mask for the three-hour test could also be a distraction, it’s worth doing to be safe, she said.
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“It’s definitely distracting because it’s very serious and there’s a high chance someone in the room will have COVID,” she said.
Friday afternoon, she and her parents were still deliberating about taking the test, and Aviva said she’d be disappointed but would understand if it seemed best to call it off. She doesn’t have her heart set on one school, and is interested in some arts and International Baccalaureate programs that don’t require the additional exam.
“I feel like sometimes selective-enrollment schools are a bit overrated,” Aviva said. “You do so much for them, and there are other factors ... they’re good schools, but people shouldn’t just be trying to get into selective enrollment.”
The test scores account for one-third of selective-enrollment admissions criteria, along with seventh-grade grades and standardized exams. Students can apply to up to six selective-enrollment schools and 20 “choice” programs, such as International Baccalaureate, fine arts, pre-law and pre-engineering. Those have varying admissions criteria, which can include auditions or portfolio reviews, point systems and lotteries.
Given the ways the pandemic has already disrupted education, some parents are wondering why the tests can’t be online, or dropped altogether, though that would raise its own concerns. On one hand, students from more affluent families may have more time and resources to study for the exams. On the other, students whose GPAs have been affected by work or family responsibilities may be banking on high exam scores to boost their profiles.
“It would be a shame for somebody who needs that score to be super high, and I understand that,” said one parent, who asked not to be named fearing retribution at the school level. But ultimately the parent felt tests should be canceled or offered online.
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Some local Catholic schools are holding entrance exams virtually or giving students the choice. St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago and Loyola Academy in Wilmette have both posted online announcements that their entrance exams will be administered online.
Dan Tully, principal of Notre Dame College Prep in Niles, said the school accepts nearly all applicants and uses entrance exams primarily for placement decisions. Families have until test day to opt for a remote test, and so far, about one-fifth of the 200 students signed up have done so. Notre Dame is planning to have students take the test on one computer and set up another device for a staff member to observe, and is prepared to loan out extra devices, he said. They’re also prepared to go all-virtual if further restrictions are handed down.
A CPS spokesman said testing online isn’t a “viable option” for the district, as it could “compromise the integrity” of the exam.
About that, Gladstein said, “You’re talking about the integrity of the test versus people’s lives.”
Aviva’s sibling goes to a contract school where at least two cases were confirmed after SAT testing, he said. Cases have also been tied to SAT testing this fall at district-run schools such as Lane Tech.
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While it’s not clear if COVID-19 has spread during testing, the possibility that it could is a serious concern for the family, he said. If Aviva were exposed, her mom would quarantine as well, and being away from work for 14 days means not delivering services to people who are sick themselves — “just the ripple effect on every family of just one person getting it,” he said.
CPS has promised an online health screener, temperature check, hand sanitizing stations and mask requirements. Students will sit at least 6 feet apart in groups of 10 to 15, with one proctor and windows “slightly ajar.”
“The district is following all public health guidelines and participation in test administration and test taking is completely voluntary, however, the district is taking all health and safety measures in accordance with CDC and CDPH guidelines to ensure a safe testing environment,” according to a statement from CPS.
hleone@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-21--2 people shot dead while driving, at least 16 wounded in city shootings since Friday afternoon

Police said a 45-year-old man was walking on the sidewalk when someone in a white sedan fired shots in his @ @ @ @ @ gunshot wounds to the body and face , and was taken in serious condition to @ @ @ @ @ .

A woman and a man were shot dead while they were driving, and at least 15 others were wounded since 5 p.m. Friday in city shootings on the South and West sides, officials said.
The latest homicide happened shortly before 8:30 p.m. Friday in the South Chicago neighborhood.
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According to police, a 35-year-old woman, Gudalupe Lopez, was behind the wheel of a GMC Yukon driving in the 8300 block of South Yates Boulevard when she heard shots and felt pain.
Lopez, of the 9000 block of South Brandon Avenue, was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 8:55 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
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Hours earlier in the Englewood neighborhood, Alexander Fletcher, 28, was fatally wounded while driving in the 6200 block of South Yale Avenue, police said.
Shortly after 5:15 p.m., officers responded to a call of a person down and discovered Fletcher unresponsive behind the wheel of a vehicle with a gunshot wound to the chest. Fletcher, of suburban Matteson, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The most recent shooting happened shortly before 4:45 a.m. Saturday on the West Side in the 1400 block of North Lawler Avenue in the North Austin neighborhood, police said.
Police said a 45-year-old man was walking on the sidewalk when someone in a white sedan fired shots in his direction. The man suffered gunshot wounds to the body and face, and was taken in serious condition to Stroger Hospital, police said.
In other shootings overnight:
About 4:20 a.m. Saturday, a 16-year-old boy was shot in 5600 block of South Maryland Avenue in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Officers were called to the University of Chicago Medical Center for a call of a person shot and met the teenage boy, who said he was sleeping and woke up when he was shot. The boy had suffered three wounds, two in the right leg and one to the left leg, police said.
Shortly before 2:15 a.m., four women and a man were shot in the Gresham neighborhood in the 7900 block of South Justine Street. The victims were standing on the sidewalk when they were shot. A 31-year-old woman was shot in the left leg and was taken in fair condition to the University of Chicago Medical Center. Another woman, whose age was not immediately available, suffered a wound to the body and went to the same hospital in fair condition. A 33-year-old woman was shot in the right leg and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in fair condition. A fourth woman, 33, suffered a graze wound to the right leg and was taken in fair condition to the University of Chicago Medical Center. The fifth victim, a 32-year-old man, was taken to Holy Cross Hospital with a gunshot wound to the buttocks, police said.
Shortly before 12:30 a.m., a 21-year-old man was shot in the head while he was sitting in the front seat of a vehicle in the 100 block of North Waller Avenue in the Austin neighborhood. Police said a gunman approached on foot and opened fire. The man was taken in serious condition to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.
About 11:45 p.m. Friday, a 17-year-old boy was shot in the 10300 block of South Wallace Street in the Fernwood neighborhood. The boy was inside a residence with a group of people when someone fired into the home from the sidewalk. The boy was shot in the left arm and was taken in good condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, police said.
Shortly before 11:30 p.m., two men were shot in the 2200 block of South Sawyer Avenue in the Little Village neighborhood. The victims were walking when several males opened fire in their direction. A 24-year-old man suffered a graze wound to the right ankle and refused medical attention. The second victim, 27, suffered a wound to the left leg and was taken in serious condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, police said.
About 9:45 p.m., a 27-year-old man was shot in the 7700 block of South Seeley Avenue in the Gresham neighborhood. The man was walking when someone in a red SUV opened fire, striking him in the right leg. He was taken in good condition to Holy Cross Hospital, police said.
About 8 p.m., a possibly 16-year-old boy was in the 1500 block of West 79th Street in the Gresham neighborhood. The boy said he heard shots and felt pain. He was taken to Holy Cross Hospital with a gunshot wound to the arm and was listed in good condition, police said.
Shortly after 7:30 p.m., a 22-year-old man was shot in the 2000 block of East 71st Street in the South Shore neighborhood. The victim told police he heard shots and felt pain. The man suffered a wound to the foot and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was listed in good condition, police said.
Shortly after 7:10 p.m., a 30-year-old man was shot in the Bronzeville neighborhood in the 600 block of East 41st Street. The man was walking when he heard shots and felt pain in the back. he was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, but his condition was not known, police said.
Shortly before 6:25 p.m., a 24-year-old woman was inside a vehicle in the 300 block of East 116th Street in the West Pullman neighborhood when she heard shots and felt pain in the back. She was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where she was listed in good condition, police said.
No one was in custody for any of the shootings, and detectives were investigating.


chicagotribune--2020-11-21--COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital da

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

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-11-21--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-11-21--Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 127 new deaths, 11,891 new confirmed and probable cases and 120,2

Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 127 new deaths, 11,891 new confirmed and probable cases and 120,284 new test results

Illinois announced 11,891 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 Saturday for a total of 646,286 .
The state also @ @ @ @ @ a total of 11,430 and 120,284 new test results for a total of 9.7 million @

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


chicagotribune--2020-11-21--Coronavirus at Illinois long-term care facilities: 43,233 confirmed cases and 5,782 deaths

The Illinois Department of Public Health is releasing information on COVID-19 tied to long-term care facilities in Illinois .
The @ @ @ @ @ at 1,261 long-term care facilities in 89 counties .
Of those , 832 facilities have @ @ @ @ @ , defined as a positive test result in the past 28 days .
In all @ @ @ @ @ be tied to long-term care facilities , with 5,782 deaths , as of Nov. 20 @

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--2020-11-21--COVID-19 Thanksgiving travel: Rising cases force hard family conversations, last-minute changes

If he does go home , he would drive , but isn ’ t sure he ’ s up for @ @ @ @ @ car and 22 hours behind the wheel .
Still , it would be the first @ @ @ @ @ both Thanksgiving and Christmas away from home .

Travelers make their way through Terminal 1 at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on Nov. 20, 2020 in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Erin Vickers didn’t want to be the only one not joining her family for Thanksgiving at her brother’s house in Virginia.
But as soon as Chicago’s stay-at-home advisory was announced, Vickers, 37, of Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, emailed her family and told them she wouldn’t be making the flight. They were sad, but didn’t try to change her mind.
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No one has broached the topic of Christmas.
“To me, it’s too far away to be talking about. If it’s still like this, it will be tough,” she said.
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Erin Vickers outside her Chicago home, Nov. 19, 2020. Vickers decided not to fly to see family in Virginia after the stay-at-home advisory was announced. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Rising COVID-19 case counts and new warnings against travel and traditional Thanksgiving celebrations are forcing people to have tough conversations about whether it’s smart to gather. Some are reluctant to commit amid fast-changing conditions, leaving airlines and other travel companies to react to last-minute changes.
United Airlines’ bookings declined and cancellations increased during the past week as a result of the recent spike in COVID-19 cases, forcing the Chicago-based carrier Thursday to adjust its flying schedule for the fourth quarter. Southwest Airlines and American Airlines also said sales have slowed in recent weeks.
Airlines have worked to reassure wary customers by touting health and safety precautions and dropping change fees.
David Jeffery, 41, of Uptown, said airlines’ decision to drop change fees made him feel more comfortable booking a ticket.
“We felt like we had a bit more freedom in terms of what our choices were,” he said.
Jeffery and his partner, Mike Vance, originally planned to visit friends in Washington, D.C., before celebrating with Vance’s family in Virginia. After hearing about Chicago’s stay-at-home advisory and looking at data on COVID-19 cases, they decided to skip the visit with friends but will fly to Virginia to see Vance’s family.
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David Jeffery, left, and partner Mike Vance, seen Nov. 20, 2020 outside their Chicago home, are traveling for Thanksgiving to see family in Virginia. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
“They said you’re welcome to come but maybe flying, a hotel, friends and Amtrak isn’t the best idea,” Jeffery said.
Carla Benton, 33, of Edgewater, said some family members didn’t understand why she has been avoiding travel since the pandemic began, but were understanding when she said she wasn’t comfortable flying to Houston for Thanksgiving.
“I feel like I would rather let a year go by without seeing them than live with the knowledge of passing it on to a family member,” Benton said.
Despite smooth experiences earlier in the pandemic, some are hesitant to travel during the holidays because of the potential for crowds.
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Shavawnte Sullivan, 26, who lives in Washington D.C. and grew up in West Pullman, felt comfortable on a September flight that only had a dozen passengers but expects planes will be more crowded around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
It wasn’t hard to tell his mom he won’t be home for Thanksgiving. He’s more worried about telling his grandmother he’s thinking about not coming home for her birthday, on Christmas Eve, either.
“It’s the only time of year we all get together,” Sullivan said.
If he does go home, he would drive, but isn’t sure he’s up for the cost of renting a car and 22 hours behind the wheel. Still, it would be the first time he’s spent both Thanksgiving and Christmas away from home.
“I’m a very indecisive person. I live alone, and as it gets closer I might want to go home,” he said.
Raj Gungaram holds on tight to his young son, Rishi Gungaram, as they walk through Terminal 1 at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on Nov. 20, 2020 in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Most people traveling for Thanksgiving are expected to drive, according to AAA. Airlines are still scheduling more flights during the peak holiday travel days, but far fewer than during the busiest days of the holiday period last year.
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The Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving are expected to be American Airlines’ two busiest travel days this holiday season, with more than 4,100 flights per day, down from 7,046 and 6,879 last year.
United expects the week of Thanksgiving to be its busiest since March, even though it anticipates seeing roughly half as many passengers as last year.
“We will continue to be nimble and flexible as we have been with our schedules throughout the pandemic by making the appropriate adjustment to our schedules as needed based on fluctuating demand trends,” spokesman Jonathan Guerin said in an email.
Average domestic airfares are expected to drop roughly 40% around Thanksgiving and Christmas because of lower demand, travel data firm Hopper said last month, and some travel companies are promoting last-minute deals.
“When change is the only constant, a last-minute hotel might be just what you need,” online travel agency Orbitz said in an email promotion.
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Airbnb has also seen people book stays closer to their arrival date and said more U.S. customers are booking entire homes over the holidays. While solo travel is down by nearly half compared with last Thanksgiving, bookings from groups of at least three are up, the company said earlier this month.
Some travelers have changed plans multiple times in search of the safest option. Libby Snyder, 29, of Lincoln Park, decided to book a rental car instead of her usual Thanksgiving flight months ago.
Earlier this month, as case numbers spiked in both Illinois and Kansas, where her family lives, even driving began to seem questionable. Her family had already scaled back plans for their Thanksgiving celebration, which typically includes 30 to 40 people.
When Snyder told her parents she was having doubts, they agreed to think it over for a few hours and talk again.
“We were all really upset. It’s not what I want to do,” she said. “It just came down to, I wouldn’t want to risk it to have this one Thanksgiving that isn’t even going to be that great and have something possibly happen.”
She got all but $50 of the money she spent on the rental car back. On Thanksgiving, she plans to make roasted chicken and pecan pie and eat with family over Zoom, while avoiding talk of Christmas.
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“I don’t think anyone is ready for that conversation yet,” she said.
lzumbach@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-21--New coronavirus restrictions: What is open, closed, different in Illinois

With confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases on the rise , the following new targeted restrictions for the entire state of @ @ @ @ @ .
J.B. Pritzker and took effect at midnight on Friday , Nov. 20 .

With confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases on the rise, the following new targeted restrictions for the entire state of Illinois were announced by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and took effect at midnight on Friday, Nov. 20.
What’s open or allowed
(Jemal R. Brinson)
BARS AND RESTAURANTS
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(Including private clubs and country clubs)
May open no earlier than 6 a.m. and must close by 11 p.m.
No indoor service allowed. No dancing or standing indoors either. All indoor gaming terminals must suspend operations.
All patrons must be seated outside at tables that have a maximum capacity of six people and are spaced 6 feet apart.
Reservations required for each party with a maximum of one party per table.
No ordering or congregating at a bar. All stools should be removed to prevent seating at a bar.
(Jemal R. Brinson)
PERSONAL CARE SERVICES
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(Including hair and nail salons, and physical, occupational and massage therapy clinics)
Maximum capacity: 25 clients or 25% capacity, whichever is less.
Face coverings must be worn at all times by clients and service providers.
Facials, beard trims and all other services in which a face covering cannot be worn are suspended.
Appointments for physical, occupational and massage therapy as deemed necessary by a medical provider may continue, but appointments must be spaced by a minimum of 15 minutes in order to sanitize and circulate air in service rooms before and after each service.
Virtual consultations recommended.
(Jemal R. Brinson)
RETAIL
(Including service counters, general merchandise and convenience stores, “big box” stores offering groceries and pharmacy services)
Maximum capacity: 25%, but grocery stores and pharmacies may operate at up to 50%.
Customers should plan quick, efficient trips with consistent circulation when in-store shopping is necessary.
(Jemal R. Brinson)
HEALTH AND FITNESS CENTERS
Maximum capacity: 25%.
Reservations required.
Face coverings must be worn at all times.
No indoor group classes allowed.
Locker room areas closed.
(Jemal R. Brinson)
GROUP RECREATION
(Including sports and activity facilities)
Outdoor sports and recreation only, no indoor activities allowed.
Limited to 10 people or fewer with each required to wear face coverings at all times and observe social distancing.
Locker room areas closed.
(Jemal R. Brinson)
HOTELS
Maximum capacity per guest room: Number of individuals permissible per existing fire code.
Room occupancy limited to registered guests only.
Fitness centers closed or operated only on a reservation model with capacity limited to 25%.
Grab-and-go food allowed.
Event and meeting spaces closed.
(Jemal R. Brinson)
HOME GATHERINGS
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Home gatherings must be limited to household members.
(Jemal R. Brinson)
OFFICES
All employees who can work remotely should work remotely.
(Jemal R. Brinson)
MUSEUMS AND CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS
(Including theaters, performing arts centers and other amusements)
All indoor activities closed.
Livestreaming of performances is encouraged with social distancing of performers and minimum operational staff.
Outdoor activities allowed with a maximum capacity of 25%; activities limited to 10 people, all required to wear face coverings; and reservations required.
FUNERALS
Limited to 10 family members of the decedent, not including staff, per Illinois Department of Public Health guidance.
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What’s closed or not allowed
Casinos and gaming centers are closed.
Gatherings must not be held at meeting rooms, banquet centers, private party rooms, private clubs and country clubs.
No party buses.
All indoor group sporting and recreational activities including youth and adult recreational sports must pause, including park district and travel leagues.
How long will these mitigations be in place?
The Illinois Department of Public Health will monitor positivity rates and hospital capacity metrics throughout the state during 14-day increments to determine if mitigations can be relaxed, remain in place or if additional steps are required.
To move back to Tier 2, a region must fulfill each of the following requirements:
Less than 12% seven-day average COVID-19 test positivity rate for three consecutive days.
More than 20% available intensive care unit and hospital bed availability for three consecutive days.
Declining seven-day average COVID-19 hospitalizations for seven of the previous 10 days.
Check our tracker for daily metrics for each region.
Source: State of Illinois


chicagotribune--2020-11-21--Thanksgiving weather in Chicago: What to expect next week and the warmest, coldest, snowiest and wet

Thanksgiving weather in Chicago: What to expect next week and the warmest, coldest, snowiest and wettest since 1872

If you need to make some last-minute preparations for the holiday , however , then you might want to make @ @ @ @ @ with you Tuesday night into Wednesday .

Since Thanksgiving doesn’t occur on the same date each year, the temperature and precipitation values can vary dramatically.
Here’s a look back at the warmest, coldest, wettest and snowiest Thanksgiving holidays in Chicago, going back to 1872. Data is from the National Weather Service and was measured at the city’s official recording site, which has been O’Hare International Airport since Jan. 17, 1980. For almost a century prior to that, sites around downtown Chicago, the University of Chicago and Midway International Airport were used to gather definitive weather data.
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Warmest
Chicago experienced its warmest Thanksgiving on Nov. 24, 1966, when it was 69 degrees.
In 2022, the high was 54 degrees.
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Coldest
Chicago experienced its lowest low Thanksgiving temperature on Nov. 23, 1950, when it was -1 degrees.
In 2022, the low was 35 degrees.
Photos and story about the -1 degree low temperature on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23, 1950. As published in the Nov. 24, 1950, edition of the Chicago Tribune. (Chicago Tribune Archives)
Wettest
Rain accumulating in more than 1 inch of precipitation has occurred once since 1872, according to the National Weather Service.
But at least a little bit of rain tends to fall on Thanksgiving — precipitation ranging from a trace to more than an inch has fallen in more than half of the almost 150 years on record.
Snowiest
Since 1872, snowfall of more than a trace has been recorded just 17 times on Thanksgiving.
A record snowfall of 3 inches fell at O’Hare airport on Nov. 27, 1980.
Chicago Tribune, Nov. 28, 1980. (Chicago Tribune Archives)
Sources: National Weather Service Chicago; Tribune archives and reporting


chicagotribune--2020-11-21--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what happened Nov. 20 with COVID-19 in the Chicago area

“ If we all stay home as much as possible , if we all avoid the trips outside the house @ @ @ @ @ need to take right now , we can fight this recent surge and turn things @ @ @ @ @ workers and hospital systems who are facing an increasingly dangerous situation across the state , @ @ @ @ @ said at his daily coronavirus briefing in Chicago .
“ And we can potentially pull @ @ @ @ @ everyone before the December holidays .
”

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
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 on Friday announced 13,012 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 126 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 634,395 and the statewide death toll to 11,304 since the start of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the state moved back into more strict coronavirus restrictions Friday, entering Tier 3 mitigation levels designed to slow the spread of COVID-19.
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[ New coronavirus restrictions: What is open, closed, different in Illinois starting today ]
The measures close most businesses and public places designed for people to congregate, such as theaters, museums and banquet halls, as well as banning indoor dining and closing bars except for outdoor service. The rules limit at-home gatherings to household members, decrease legal capacity at retail stores, personal care service businesses like salons and health and fitness centers.
The crackdown comes as the state continues to see an explosion in COVID-19 cases and a return to high numbers of deaths, coming close to numbers seen in the spring.
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Here’s what’s happening Friday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
8:09 p.m.: Rise in COVID-19 statewide leading to alarming surge in nursing home cases and deaths, health officials say
An increase in COVID-19 across Illinois is leading to an alarming new surge in cases and deaths among its most vulnerable victims in nursing homes, health officials say.
Just as residents of long-term care facilities were the hardest-hit group in the spring, and make up about half of all deaths statewide, they remain especially susceptible to the spread of the virus from the general population, officials warn.
The increases jumped noticeably in October, and have taken off this month. The latest statistics released by the Illinois Department of Public Health on Friday show 3,547 new cases in long-term care facilities, the largest increase in a week since the peak in May. There were also 289 deaths, more than double the number from two weeks ago, and the most since June.
Illustrating the breadth of the new wave, just in the past week, the number of active outbreaks went from 722 to 832 facilities.
Read more here. —Robert McCoppin, Joe Mahr and Chad Yoder
6:20 p.m.: Second stimulus check updates: President-elect Joe Biden calls on Congress for emergency COVID-19 aid before year’s end
President-elect Joe Biden is pushing Congress to approve billions of dollars in emergency COVID-19 assistance before he takes office, saying in a meeting Friday with the top Democrats in the House and Senate that such a package should be approved during the lame-duck session.
Biden held his first in-person meeting since winning the presidential election with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, hosting them at his makeshift transition headquarters in a downtown Wilmington, Delaware, theater.
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Biden’s new governing team is facing intense pressure to approve another coronavirus relief bill and come up with a clear plan to distribute millions of doses of a prospective vaccine. That comes as Biden is just days away from unveiling the first of his Cabinet picks, which are subject to Senate confirmation.
Read more here. —Associated Press
6:10 p.m.: Chicago airports are expected to handle 60%-70% fewer travelers this Thanksgiving, but there’ll still be crowds and precautions to take
Earlier in the day, lines formed at security checkpoints, some people standing close to one another without masks, despite signs urging people to wear them and practice social distancing.
Chicago Department of Aviation spokesman Matt McGrath said pre-Thanksgiving traffic at the airport was about 50% of normal, but with reductions in the number of flights, there have been brief logjams. “There will be flashes where it looks extraordinarily crowded,” he said. “And then for the next two, three, four hours, there’s nobody there.”
The crowds of passengers moving through O’Hare and Midway next week are expected to be 60%-70% smaller than last year, and flight operations down 35%-45%.
Read more here. —Kelli Smith, Laura Rodríguez Presa and Robert Channick
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5:42 p.m.: As COVID-19 rates continue to rise, New Trier High School parents divided on how to best approach in-person classroom instruction
When dozens of parents gathered for a rally last weekend at New Trier High School, the crowd shared a united message about the impact of COVID-19 on their families: Kids are struggling, and in-person learning should be happening five days a week.
But their growing discontent with the high school’s COVID-era hybrid learning plan is not the only view shared by parents. Others, some of whom say they represent the “silent majority” who did not attend the Nov. 14 rally at the high school’s Northfield campus, say a full return to school goes against public health considerations.
“I didn’t attend the rally, but if I had heard about it in time, I would have gone as a counter protester, because I think it’s insane to be asking to bring more kids together into the school at this time,” said Northfield resident Amy Richmond, whose daughter is a junior at New Trier.
Richmond’s daughter has elected to enroll in the high school’s all-remote learning platform.
“I think a lot of parents feel like I do, that science needs to rule these COVID-related school reopening decisions, but we’re a silent majority,” said Richmond.
Read more here. —Karen Ann Cullotta
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5:27 p.m.: COVID-19 death toll in Illinois again above 100 as 7-day average rises to 115
The seven-day average for deaths of people with COVID-19 in Illinois has risen to 115, more than double where it stood two weeks ago, as the entire state moves into another phase of tightened restrictions meant to stem the pandemic’s strong fall resurgence.
State public health officials reported 126 additional deaths on Friday, a triple-digit death toll for the third consecutive day. The latest fatalities raise the statewide death toll to 11,304.
“If we all stay home as much as possible, if we all avoid the trips outside the house that we don’t need to take right now, we can fight this recent surge and turn things around for our health care workers and hospital systems who are facing an increasingly dangerous situation across the state,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at his daily coronavirus briefing in Chicago. “And we can potentially pull back on these mitigations for everyone before the December holidays.”
Read more here. —Jamie Munks
5:19 p.m.: Catholic archdiocese updates COVID-19 guidance for parishes in Cook, Lake counties
The Archdiocese of Chicago released updated guidance for its parishes this week to address the state’s recent tightening of restrictions meant to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The protocols mandate there may be “no in-person meetings on parish grounds unless absolutely essential” and reminded members that non-church gatherings and graveside final committals must be limited to 10 people. For committals within a cemetery chapel, attendance cannot exceed 25% of the room’s capacity.
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Additionally, the protocols said clergy and bereavement ministers do not need to attend or minister wakes or funeral vigils if they have concerns there may be more than 10 people. Parish staff were encouraged to complete work from home.Parishes also must maintain attendance limits for Masses and sacramental celebrations, including for weddings and funeral Masses within the church, as has been done since in-person services resumed in the late spring.
Bishop Robert Casey, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Chicago, said the guidance was sent because people have been concerned with the rise in coronavirus infection rates. He said church officials continue to monitor and update protocols based on advisories from government and health officials.
”It’s just another communication reminding everybody that we remain diligent in observing how we’re living through this,” Casey said.
The archdiocese also sent out surveys to some of its members to gauge the “temperature of how things are going” in parishes and schools. The survey was meant to touch base with church members given particularly high stress levels with the pandemic, Casey said.
”We’re looking at those results,” Casey said. “It’s not because we are determining some drastic change of course, right, it’s simply again being diligent with the ongoing reality of our pandemic that we’ve done for months.”
—Kelli Smith
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4:01 p.m.: Coronavirus at Illinois long-term care facilities: 43,233 confirmed cases and 5,782 deaths
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 1,261 long-term care facilities in 89 counties. Of those, 832 facilities have an “active” outbreak, defined as a positive test result in the past 28 days. In all, 43,233 confirmed cases can be tied to long-term care facilities, with 5,782 deaths, as of Nov. 20.
Read more here. —Chicago Tribune staff
12:55 p.m.: Chicago adding COVID-19 testing facilities at O’Hare and Midway airports next month
The Chicago Department of Aviation is planning to add COVID-19 testing facilities at O’Hare and Midway airports by next month for travelers and employees.
The city announced a request for proposal Friday for drive-up and walk-up facilities, with both the rapid and PCR tests offered. The tests are not free but should be covered by insurance.
”We believe it will be the most comprehensive testing system of any airports in the U.S.,” said Chicago Department of Aviation spokesman Matt McGrath.
At O’Hare International Airport, the plan calls for a drive-up testing site in a remote parking lot on the northeast side of the airport, and a pre-security walk-up site “easily accessible” by foot from the terminals.
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Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago Department of Public Health announced this week plans to open a community-based testing site at a Midway Airport parking lot on Tuesday, but the Aviation Department also is looking to add a walk-up site within the terminal, McGrath said.
Read more here. —Robert Channick
12:04 p.m.: 13,012 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 126 additional deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Friday announced 13,012 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 126 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 634,395 and the statewide death toll to 11,304 since the start of the pandemic. Officials also reported 116,024 new tests in the last 24 hours.
The seven-day statewide rolling positivity rate for cases as a share of total tests was 11.5% for the period ending Thursday, up from 8% on Nov. 1.
—Chicago Tribune staff
10:49 a.m.: Rising COVID-19 cases force hard conversations among families, last-minute travel changes ahead of Thanksgiving
Erin Vickers didn’t want to be the only one not joining her family for Thanksgiving at her brother’s house in Virginia.
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But as soon as Chicago’s stay-at-home advisory was announced, Vickers, 37, of Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, emailed her family and told them she wouldn’t be making the flight. They were sad, but didn’t try to change her mind.
No one has broached the topic of Christmas.
“To me, it’s too far away to be talking about. If it’s still like this, it will be tough,” she said.
Rising COVID-19 case counts and new warnings against travel and traditional Thanksgiving celebrations are forcing people to have tough conversations about whether it’s smart to gather. Some are reluctant to commit amid fast-changing conditions, leaving airlines and other travel companies to react to last-minute changes.
Read more here. —Lauren Zumbach
10:12 a.m.: Cafe Marie-Jeanne, the beloved Humboldt Park restaurant, closing Monday
Though we sadly should be getting used to restaurant closings in 2020, this one really hurts. Cafe Marie-Jeanne (1001 N. California Ave.), which is co-owned by the husband and wife team of Michael Simmons and Val Szafranski, made the announcement Thursday night on Instagram.
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In the message, they explained that they are planning to stay open until Monday. They urge fans to “come say hi, get one last cheeseburger, see what fun cmj classics we have on special, and make a deal on a bunch of wine.”
Read more here. —Nick Kindelsperger
9:50 a.m.: CTA to run holiday train and buses, but riders won’t be able to board
The CTA will run its holiday train and buses, despite the coronavirus pandemic, but only Santa, his elves and CTA workers, not regular riders, will be able to board this year because of COVID-19 danagers, the transit agency announced Friday.
The holiday train will start making its runs Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving, the agency said in a news release Friday. Holiday buses will start moving through Chicago’s neighborhoods Dec. 1.
“Santa and his elves will stay socially distanced this holiday season, meaning that customers won’t be able to board the CTA Holiday Train or the CTA Holiday Bus,” according to the release. “Instead, the CTA Holiday Fleet will run along each rail line and multiple bus routes, spreading holiday cheer across the city.”
The six-car holiday train will be “decorated with holiday scenes, thousands of sparkling lights and bright LED signage displays,” with Santa and his reindeer riding on a flatbed car in the middle of the train, according to the release.
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Read more here. —Chicago Tribune staff
7:53 a.m.: Getting COVID-19 tests for kids can be difficult, but schools often require them. ‘It really puts parents in a tricky position.’
For months, many Illinois parents have struggled to get the COVID-19 tests schools and day cares may require before a child can return after illness. They often face confusing obstacles and requirements: Many pediatricians won’t test kids for COVID-19, some testing sites have age restrictions and some day cares and schools only accept certain kinds of tests.
The situation has gotten worse amid the current COVID-19 surge in Illinois, which in many cases has lengthened wait times for testing. At a time when many parents are working from home or worried about keeping their jobs, the challenges surrounding testing adds another level of stress.
Read more here. —Lisa Schencker
7 a.m.: Illinois under Tier 3 mitigation as COVID-19 cases continue surge
The recent surge in coronavirus cases statewide has caused Illinois to move back into harsher coronavirus restrictions Friday.
The state now is under Tier 3 mitigation regulations designed to slow the spread of COVID-19.
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The measures close most businesses and public places designed for people to congregate, such as theaters, museums and banquet halls, as well as banning indoor dining and closing bars except for outdoor service. The rules limit at-home gatherings to household members, decrease legal capacity at retail stores, personal care service businesses like salons and health and fitness centers.
The crackdown comes as the country sees an explosion in COVID-19 cases and a return to high numbers of deaths, with Illinois well above the number of daily known cases seen in the spring and coming close to the number of daily deaths seen in the pandemic’s first wave.
—Chicago Tribune staff
6:15 a.m.: Pfizer seeking emergency use of COVID-19 vaccine, which could bring first batch of shots to public by December
Pfizer said Friday it is asking U.S. regulators to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine, starting the clock on a process that could bring limited first shots as early as next month and eventually an end to the pandemic — but not until after a long, hard winter.
The action comes days after Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech announced that its vaccine appears 95% effective at preventing mild to severe COVID-19 disease in a large and ongoing study.
The companies said that protection plus a good safety record means the vaccine should qualify for emergency use authorization, something the Food and Drug Administration can grant before the final testing is fully complete. In addition to Friday’s FDA submission, they have already started “rolling” applications in Europe and the U.K. and intend to submit similar information soon.
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“Our work to deliver a safe and effective vaccine has never been more urgent,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement.
Read more here. —Associated Press
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chicagotribune--2020-11-22--Feds draw near House Speaker Michael Madigan as key confidant weighs cooperation choice others have

Feds draw near House Speaker Michael Madigan as key confidant weighs cooperation choice others have faced in Illinois corruption cases

“ I am sure you know how valuable ( Reyes ) is to our Friend , ” McClain allegedly wrote @ @ @ @ @ drill and so do you .
If you do not get involve ( d ) @ @ @ @ @ 850 hours for his law firm per year then he will go to our Friend @ @ @ @ @ me and then I will call you .
Is this a drill we must go @ @ @

Then-Speaker Michael Madigan works the floor as the Illinois House convenes at the Bank of Springfield Center on Jan. 8, 2021. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Federal prosecutors reached the doorstep of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan last week by indicting one of the powerful Democrat’s oldest and most trusted friends in an alleged extensive bribery scheme involving Commonwealth Edison.
But like other major political corruption cases before it, a key question remains when it comes to the charges against Michael McClain.
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Will he flip?
McClain, 73, likely marks the clearest path for investigators if they were to get to Madigan, especially considering the speaker’s well-honed reputation for caution, from avoiding phone and email conversations to leaving much of the day-to-day business of politics to a trusted circle of advisers.
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Lobbyist Mike McClain, center, outside Speaker Michael Madigan's office at the Illinois State Capitol in 2012. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
If there’s no direct evidence of Madigan’s participation in the bribery scheme, any case against him could hinge on the testimony of an insider, someone who could give a jury a believable guide to how the operation was conceived and directed, where the money came from and went, and, most importantly, who ultimately benefited.
“You’ve got a guy in McClain who clearly knows where the bodies are buried and where the dollars were sent,” said former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Cramer, now managing director at Berkeley Research Group. “This is the first time we’ve seen someone this close to Mike Madigan facing time in prison. … There is going to be a lot of pressure on McClain to cooperate.”
Similar scenarios have certainly played out in Chicago before, with varying results.
The prosecution of former Republican Gov. George Ryan got a decided boost from the testimony of top aide Scott Fawell, who flipped on his boss after investigators put the squeeze on his fiance over her own legal troubles.
In the mid-2000s, federal prosecutors were climbing the ladder in a City Hall patronage probe that had reached into the office of then-Mayor Richard Daley, a Democrat. That investigation hit a wall, however, when Daley’s patronage chief, Robert Sorich, held the line for the mayor and refused to cooperate after he was charged.
In the sweeping corruption case against then-Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a series of insiders abandoned the governor and ultimately helped the government. But it was Alonzo “Lon” Monk, Blagojevich’s old roommate at Pepperdine University Law School and groomsman at his wedding, who offered prosecutors the ultimate insider’s look at how Blagojevich benefited from the spoils of state government.
McClain now sits in a similar position. Prosecutors alleged in the charges unveiled Wednesday he was the key go-between in a yearslong scheme by ComEd to give contracts, do-nothing jobs and other perks to Madigan loyalists in exchange for the speaker’s influence on legislation in Springfield.
The 50-page indictment lays out in detail how McClain allegedly quarterbacked the operation, pressuring executives at the utility to hire a clout-heavy law firm favored by Madigan and pushing a list of hires from the speaker’s 13th Ward political operation for ComEd’s summer internship program.
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Among the evidence against McClain are recorded phone conversations and emails in which McClain allegedly refers to Madigan as “our Friend” and warns his co-defendants — former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, lobbyist John Hooker, and consultant Jay Doherty — that it was in the utility’s best interest not to disappoint the speaker.
Madigan, 78, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. In a lengthy statement Thursday, the speaker said that knowing McClain and the others who’ve been charged, he doubted that any scheme as characterized by the government existed.
“To the extent anyone may have suggested to others that I could be influenced, then they, too, were wrong,” Madigan’s statement read. “Had I known about it, I would have made every effort to put a stop to it.”
So far, McClain has given no indication he’s going to roll on his old friend. A source familiar with the ongoing case said prosecutors first asked McClain to cooperate shortly after the FBI raided his home office in downstate Quincy in May 2019. McClain has so far refused the overture, though the invitation has never been rescinded, the source said.
Publicly, McClain came out swinging after the indictment was announced, saying in a statement that prosecutors were misusing the law to climb the ladder to get to their ultimate prize.
“Mike McClain absolutely denies that he has committed any crime, and he will fight these charges as long as it takes, and as long as his age and health allow, to restore his well-earned honest and honorable reputation,” the statement read.
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His lawyer, Patrick Cotter, told the Tribune on Thursday that McClain suffers from prostate cancer and cataracts “among other lesser medical issues.”
Whatever McClain’s posture has been in the past, the charges he’s facing are a game-changer, particularly given his age and apparent health troubles, according to Cramer. It starts the legal clock ticking and forces McClain into a making a stark choice between possible prison and loyalty, he said, and self-preservation often wins the day.
“I’ve heard a lot of guys (say) that they’ll never flip, and it’s an accurate statement right up until the moment they do,” Cramer said.
A staunch loyalist
The story of how McClain became a Madigan insider began when the two served in the House together as young legislators in the 1970s and early 1980s.
McClain joined the Illinois General Assembly following the 1972 death of his father, Elmo “Mac” McClain, who also served as a colleague of Madigan’s. Stepping into his father’s shoes in Springfield, McClain’s move to the statehouse echoed the way Madigan had followed his own father into politics, and the two quickly aligned.
Then-Committeeman Michael Madigan speaks before the park board in 1970. (Alton Kaste / Chicago Tribune)
Madigan was the up-and-coming Irish city boy endeared to Mayor Richard J. Daley, the master of machine politics. McClain, who appreciated his own Irish roots, was from Quincy, a genteel river town across the Mississippi from Hannibal, Missouri, a community made famous by Mark Twain’s tales of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.
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They worked side by side in what some may have viewed as the glory days of the Big House, the one with 177 legislators and the unique cumulative voting system that delivered two House lawmakers from one party and one from another party in each district.
McClain included in his bio material in the Illinois Blue Book — the official record kept by the secretary of state — that the Chicago Daily News named him one of the “13 movers and shakers” of the 80th General Assembly, the term covering 1977 and 1978.
When Ryan, the future Republican governor, was elected House speaker in 1981, Madigan became minority leader and put McClain on his leadership team.
Even though McClain played a role in crafting new legislative boundaries after Democrats won the right to draw them following the 1981 session, the Quincy Democrat could not hold onto his House seat in the 1982 election.
McClain soon would turn to the business of lobbying — a hired gun on contract with companies that needed an insider to make a pitch for help from the legislature.
McClain remained a staunch Madigan loyalist and built an enviable list of clients, such as ComEd, Walgreens, the Chicago Board Options Exchange, Illinois Property Tax Lawyers Association and other mighty special interests that wanted something from Springfield.
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McClain was known for his ability to bend the elbows of elected officials. During the 1980s, he once passed out to delighted lawmakers sparkling white ceramic coasters with black letters that provided a quote from Gideon Tucker, a 19th century politician, lawyer and New York newspaper editor: “No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session.”
It was just a small gesture, of course, but it was one accepted with smiles in the heat of summer debates. McClain was serious about his job, but he knew a touch of humor could break the ice.
Like most any lobbyist, McClain had his critics, and a lobbyist with his type of juice with the speaker drew many detractors.
Bureaucrats still tell stories about how they remained wary of what they viewed as McClain’s one-on-one wrath, never sure if he came down on them because he was on his own mission or one on the speaker’s behalf.
In recent years, McClain often would hold court outside Madigan’s third-floor offices when the legislature was in session, greeting lobbyists who were graduates of Madigan’s staff and occasionally rising for a private meeting by the brass railing overlooking the rotunda.
After hours, McClain was a regular dinner companion with Madigan at his corner table at the back of Saputo’s, a popular, old-school Italian joint six blocks from the Capitol.
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No easy task
Flipping someone as loyal as McClain, no matter how many years behind bars he may be facing if convicted, comes with obvious difficulties for the U.S. attorney’s office.
In 2005, Fawell, the former chief of staff when Ryan was secretary of state, had been considered a reluctant witness at best for prosecutors. But his attitude cooled after prosecutors threatened to push for prison time for his then-fiance, Andrea Coutretsis, who’d been convicted in a bid-rigging scheme at the Chicago Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority.
On his first day on the witness stand, the wisecracking and cocksure Fawell let the jury know he was testifying only because prosecutors “got my head in a vise, basically.”
A plaque showing Illinois House speakers is near the office of Speaker of the House Michael Madigan in Springfield in 2016. Though it shows many years Madigan has been chosen speaker, efforts to update it have stalled. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Ryan eventually was convicted of corruption in the licenses-for-bribes scandal stemming from the time he was secretary of state and was sentenced to 6 ½ years in prison.
The tables were turned when it came to the case against Sorich, the nominal head of Daley’s patronage operation who took his case to trial instead of cooperating. Sorich was convicted by a jury along with two co-defendants and was sentenced in 2006 to just under 4 years behind bars.
At the time, prosecutors publicly said the investigation would soon reach even higher, but Sorich’s loyalty to Daley’s political organization helped put a stop to it. Even after Sorich was granted immunity after his case was finished and forced to testify to a grand jury, no one else in Daley’s circle was ever charged.
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Whatever calculation McClain makes remains to be seen. Cramer, the former federal prosecutor, said that after McClain is arraigned Dec. 2, his lawyer will begin to get a look at the evidence that prosecutors turn over in discovery, including transcripts of phone calls, statements of witnesses and other records.
That’s when the true magnitude of what he’s facing may set in, Cramer said.
“It’s one thing to say hypothetically that you’d never cooperate when you’re sharing a couple of beers at the bar,” he said. “But until you’re looking at years in prison, you don’t know what that pressure is like. No one understands what that feeling is.”
‘I know the drill’
McClain’s coziness with Madigan and his favored lobbyists ultimately drew the spotlight when federal authorities started sniffing around ComEd’s dealings in Springfield.
In July 2019, two months after the FBI raided McClain’s home, the Tribune reported that investigators were scrutinizing thousands of dollars in payments from current and former ComEd lobbyists to former Madigan lieutenant Kevin Quinn, who had been ousted from the speaker’s political operation in early 2018 amid a sexual harassment scandal.
One of the checks came from McClain and was signed by McClain’s wife from the couple’s joint account.
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Those checks tied into a much broader probe into McClain’s marshaling of Madigan-approved lobbyists and consultants, many of whom were paid off the books through Doherty’s consulting firm J.D. Doherty & Associates, according to the federal indictment.
In addition to wiretapping McClain’s cellphone, investigators were also looking into numerous emails from McClain and others that refer to Madigan in veiled ways such as “Friend” or “Himself.”
One such email obtained by the Tribune illustrated McClain’s deep involvement with Madigan’s political operation. The confidential message thanked an undisclosed list of recipients for help on a “secret” project involving campaign fundraising for House Democrats in targeted contests on the November 2018 ballot.
In the message, McClain did not mention the speaker by name, but instead employed a nickname, “Himself,” that some Democratic insiders say they’ve heard him use when talking about Madigan.
“We always called you the ‘Most Trusted of the Trusted,’ ” McClain wrote. “So, again, on behalf of Himself, I thank you for ALL your work to help him and the Caucus.”
The indictment last week also included new emails sent to and from McClain regarding ComEd hiring the Reyes Kurson law firm — headed by longtime political operative and Madigan ally Victor Reyes. When ComEd tried to reduce the hours the firm was to be paid, McClain allegedly fired off a note to Pramaggiore warning her not to upset the boss.
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“I am sure you know how valuable (Reyes) is to our Friend,” McClain allegedly wrote. “I know the drill and so do you. If you do not get involve(d) and resolve this issue of 850 hours for his law firm per year then he will go to our Friend. Our Friend will call me and then I will call you. Is this a drill we must go through?”
The charges also identify for the first time at least one direct phone call between McClain and Madigan related to the scheme. In May 2018, McClain allegedly called Madigan to tell him Pramaggiore was getting pushback on placing a Madigan-approved appointee on the ComEd board. The Tribune has identified the appointee as Juan Ochoa, a former McPier CEO who was ultimately appointed to the utility’s board but is no longer listed as being on it.
McClain’s communications in the alleged scheme were also outlined in the plea agreement of Fidel Marquez, a former ComEd vice president who is cooperating in the probe in exchange for leniency.
According to Marquez’s plea, McClain told Marquez in 2013 that he wanted to shift the payments to Madigan operatives from the lobbying firm he co-owned with his wife to Doherty’s firm. Marquez agreed to facilitate the shift, the plea stated.
And in February 2019, McClain advised Marquez on how to communicate with other ComEd officials about renewing the consulting contract for Doherty’s company, according to court records.
“I would say to you, don’t put anything in writing,” McClain allegedly told Marquez. “All it can do is hurt ya.”
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jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
rlong@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-22--4  injured in Far South Side shooting, police say

A 30-year-old woman was shot in the right leg and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair @ @ @ @ @ Another 30-year-old woman grazed in the body and was taken to the University of Chicago @ @ @ @ @ .

Four people were injured in a shooting early Sunday on the Far South Side, according to Chicago police.
About 12:40 a.m., four people were standing on a sidewalk in the 700 block of East 101st Street in the London Town neighborhood when shots were fired, police said.
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A 28-year-old man was shot in the right arm and body and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition, police said.
A 25-year-old man was shot in the left foot and taken to Roseland Community Hospital in good condition, police said. He will be transferred to Stroger Hospital.
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A 30-year-old woman was shot in the right leg and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition, police said. Another 30-year-old woman grazed in the body and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.
No arrests have been made.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-11-22--3 in custody after shots fired at police on Far South Side

About 10:10 p.m. , officers saw a male firing shots toward them in the 10400 block of South Union Avenue @ @ @ @ @ police said .
The male tried to run away but was taken into custody .
@ @ @ @ @ into custody .

Three people are in custody after someone fired shots at Chicago police officers Saturday night on the Far South Side, according to police.
About 10:10 p.m., officers saw a male firing shots toward them in the 10400 block of South Union Avenue in the Fernwood neighborhood, police said. The male tried to run away but was taken into custody. Two others were also taken into custody.
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No one was injured, and the officers did not return fire, police said. Two weapons were recovered from the scene.
Shortly after 10pm tonight, an offender fired shots at police in the 10400 blk of S. Union in the 22nd Dist. Officers did not return fire, apprehended the offender who is custody, and recovered the firearm. Area 2 Detectives are on scene. @ChicagoCAPS22 #ChicagoPolice pic.twitter.com/DY3fgiYhtL — Tom Ahern (@TomAhernCPD) November 22, 2020
pfry@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-11-22--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 11,891 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 127 additional

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 11,891 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 127 additional deaths reported Saturday

And , according to an informal survey of 635 epidemiologists by The New York Times , the large majority are @ @ @ @ @ their household .
Public health experts from a range of backgrounds answered our questionnaire .
@ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 , but all have professional training about how to think about disease spread and @ @

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
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 Sunday announced 10,012 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 76 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 656,298 and the statewide death toll to 11,506 since the start of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the state moved back into more strict coronavirus restrictions Friday, entering Tier 3 mitigation levels designed to slow the spread of COVID-19.
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The measures close most businesses and public places designed for people to congregate, such as theaters, museums and banquet halls, as well as banning indoor dining and closing bars except for outdoor service. The rules limit at-home gatherings to household members, decrease legal capacity at retail stores, personal care service businesses like salons and health and fitness centers.
The crackdown comes as the state continues to see an explosion in COVID-19 cases and a return to high numbers of deaths, coming close to numbers seen in the spring.
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Here’s what’s happening Friday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
Sunday
10,012 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, 76 deaths reported
Illinois health officials Sunday announced 10,012 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 76 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 656,298 and the statewide death toll to 11,506 since the start of the pandemic.
There were 92,437 tests reported in the previous 24 hours. The seven-day statewide positivity rate stands at 13% and the statewide positivity rate for cases as a percent of total test is 11.3%.
First COVID-19 vaccines could begin on Dec. 12, says US official
The head of the U.S. effort to produce a coronavirus vaccine says the first immunizations could happen on Dec. 12.
A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee is set to meet Dec. 10 to discuss Pfizer Inc.’s request for an emergency use authorization for its developing COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Moncef Slaoui, head of the Operation Warp Speed, the coronavirus vaccine program, says plans are to ship vaccines to states within 24 hours of expected FDA approval.
Slaoui told CNN he expects vaccinations would begin on the second day after approval, Dec. 12.
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Read more here. —Associated Press
Saturday
FDA grants emergency authorization of experimental antibody treatment given to Trump after COVID-19 diagnosis
The Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency authorization for the experimental antibody treatment given to President Donald Trump shortly after he was diagnosed with COVID-19, giving doctors another option to treat COVID-19 patients as cases across the country continue to rise.
The treatment, made by the biotech company Regeneron, is a cocktail of two powerful antibodies that have shown promise in early studies at keeping the infection in check, reducing medical visits in patients who get the drug early in the course of their disease. A similar treatment, made by Eli Lilly, was given emergency approval earlier this month.
Read more here. —The New York Times
What 635 epidemiologists are doing for Thanksgiving
The family of one epidemiologist plans to celebrate Thanksgiving in a garage, with tables 10 feet apart and the doors rolled up. Another epidemiologist’s family is forgoing a traditional meal for an outdoor hot cider toast with neighbors. A third is dining in an outdoor tent, with a heater, humidifier and air purifier running.
And, according to an informal survey of 635 epidemiologists by The New York Times, the large majority are not celebrating with people outside their household. Public health experts from a range of backgrounds answered our questionnaire. Not all of them study COVID-19, but all have professional training about how to think about disease spread and risk.
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Read more here. —The New York Times
In-person entrance exams for Chicago’s selective high schools bring high anxiety about COVID-19 risk
To have a shot at getting into their favorite Chicago public high school, many eighth graders need to take a three-hour test, a process causing even more anxiety than usual amid an uncontrolled pandemic and after COVID-19 cases were tied to college admissions testing earlier this fall.
Some parents worry that proceeding with in-person testing for Chicago’s 11 selective-enrollment high schools may benefit families willing to take an unnecessary risk, even with all the health and safety measures available.
Read more here. —Hannah Leone
Midwestern governors urge residents to wear masks during Thanksgiving, shrink gathering sizes: ‘We know what will happen’
Coronavirus infections are ravaging South Dakota, where more than half of tests have come back positive for weeks.
Republican Gov. Kristi Noem won’t issue a mask mandate but suggests smaller gatherings “may be smarter this year.”
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Some governors who for months echoed President Donald Trump’s criticism of measures to control the coronavirus are now relenting, including North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who recently ordered the use of masks statewide.
Republican and Democratic governors from several Midwestern states issued a joint video urging people to say home for Thanksgiving and wear masks to slow the spread of the virus until a vaccine is widely available.
Hospitals in many states are running out of beds and are short on nurses, including in the states where governors are reluctant to act.
“We know what will happen. We know that three to four weeks from Thanksgiving, we will see an exacerbation of the outbreaks,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association.
CDC scientists believe about 40% of infected people don’t have obvious symptoms but can still spread the virus.
The U.S. leads the world with 11.9 million cases and more than 254,000 deaths.
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—Associated Press
11,891 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 127 additional deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Saturday announced 11,891 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 127 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 646,286 and the statewide death toll to 11,430 since the start of the pandemic. Officials also reported 120,284 new tests in the last 24 hours.
The seven-day statewide rolling positivity rate for cases as a share of total tests was 11.5% for the period ending Friday, up from 8% on Nov. 1.
—Chicago Tribune staff
Can harm reduction, the philosophy that stems HIV transmission and heroin overdoses, help curb a Thanksgiving COVID-19 meltdown?
Millions of Americans appear set to defy government guidance to stay home this Thanksgiving, disregarding the growing peril of COVID-19 to gather with distant loved ones. To Erica Ernst, it is a familiar scenario.
She is president of the Chicago Recovery Alliance, a group that tries to minimize the odds of HIV transmission and drug overdose through harm reduction, which aims to minimize the danger of risky behavior rather than try to stop it altogether.
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Ernst said this phase of the pandemic reminds her of the early days of the HIV crisis, when people lapsed into denial, fatalism or exhaustion instead of taking simple steps to protect themselves.
“A lot of people died,” she said. “Older folks in harm reduction or older gay men can tell you they lost their whole social group. We forget these things. We push them aside. But the messaging just needs to keep going out and keep getting pushed.”
The messaging, in the case of the pandemic, should be about minimizing risk, Ernst and other harm reduction experts said. Some people will gather no matter what, they said, so government officials should talk more about how to do it in the safest possible manner.
Read more here. —John Keilman
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
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chicagotribune--2020-11-22--Body found on South Side beach identified as standout prep basketball player missing from Riverdale

Chicago police contacted the mother of Gross on Saturday morning and said they believed the woman ’ s body was @ @ @ @ @ a beach , according to her aunt , Monique Jones .
Gross had been missing @ @ @ @ @ .

St. Joseph's Davane Gross, right, drives to the basket against Tilden in 2018. (Gary Middendorf / Pioneer Press)
A Riverdale woman who has been missing since late October was found Saturday in Chicago, according to Chicago police and her family.
Davane Gross, 22, was located shortly after 7 a.m. Saturday at Oakwood Beach, 4100 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago police said. Gross, whose identification card was found on her, was pronounced dead at 7:22 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
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Chicago police contacted the mother of Gross on Saturday morning and said they believed the woman’s body was found on the shore of a beach, according to her aunt, Monique Jones. Gross had been missing from her home in Riverdale.
Sunday, relatives will visit the medical examiner’s office to identify her, Jones said. An autopsy will also be performed that will determine the cause and manner of her death.
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An athlete, Gross was about 4-foot-11 and “very powerful” on the basketball team at St. Joseph High School in suburban Westchester, where she graduated from and was also named player of the year.
St. Joseph's Davane Gross, center, holds the game ball as she celebrates with teammates after their team's 63-43 win over Raby in 2016. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune)
“She was a really good basketball player,” Jones said.
Gross had also recently completed her associate’s degree from Rainy River Community College in International Falls, Minnesota, where she also played basketball, said her aunt, who added her position was usually guard.
Gross had been going through some tough times of late, battling depression, but though it’s been an excruciatingly difficult time, the family now feels some sense of peace.
“Yes, we just wanted closure,” Jones said.


chicagotribune--2020-11-22--Kyle Rittenhouse, 17-year-old charged with fatally shooting 2 people in Kenosha protests, poses with

Kyle Rittenhouse, 17-year-old charged with fatally shooting 2 people in Kenosha protests, poses with ‘Silver Spoons’ actor after posting $2 million bail

His case has taken on political overtones .
Supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement have painted Rittenhouse as a @ @ @ @ @ upset over property destruction during recent protests have portrayed him as a patriot who was @ @ @ @ @ arms during unrest .
A legal defense fund for Rittenhouse has raised millions of dollars @ @ @ @ @ mother got a standing ovation from women at a Waukesha County GOP function in September @

KENOSHA, Wis. — An Illinois 17-year-old accused of killing two people during a protest in Wisconsin was seen smiling in a photo with his lawyer and “Silver Spoons” actor Ricky Schroder after being released from custody by posting a $2 million bond.
Kyle Rittenhouse is accused of fatally shooting Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz during a demonstration Aug. 25 that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha. He posted bond through his attorney at about 2 p.m. Friday.
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Hours after being released, L. Lin Wood of Atlanta, who is a member of Rittenhouse’s defense team, tweeted a photo of Rittenhouse, Ricky Schroder and attorney John Pierce, under a title of “FREE AT LAST!!!” Lin earlier tweeted that a donation from Schroder helped put Rittenhouse’s bond fundraising effort “over the top.”
Rittenhouse, of Antioch, Illinois, told police he was attacked while he was guarding a business and that he fired in self-defense.
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[ Kyle Rittenhouse freed from Kenosha jail after attorneys post $2 million bail despite pleas from families of men he shot ]
He faces multiple charges, including intentional homicide, reckless endangerment and being a minor in possession of a firearm. Wisconsin law doesn’t permit minors to carry or possess a gun unless they’re hunting. He is due back in court on Dec. 3 for a preliminary hearing.
His case has taken on political overtones. Supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement have painted Rittenhouse as a trigger-happy white supremacist. Conservatives upset over property destruction during recent protests have portrayed him as a patriot who was exercising his right to bear arms during unrest. A legal defense fund for Rittenhouse has raised millions of dollars in donations, and his mother got a standing ovation from women at a Waukesha County GOP function in September.


chicagotribune--2020-11-22--Volunteers process donations at Holy Trinity Food Pantry in Waukegan

A massive , six-bedroom mansion in the Gold Coast neighborhood was listed Oct. 30 , 2020 , for $ 18.75 @ @ @ @ @ highest residential asking price at present .

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chicagotribune--2020-11-22--Chicago city Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin fires four employees, including chief of staff, as par

Chicago city Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin fires four employees, including chief of staff, as part of office shake-up

“ As we come to the close of this year we are making changes to make the personnel changes to @ @ @ @ @ our agenda and the personnel needed to carry it out , ” Conyears-Ervin said in @ @ @ @ @ four people let go have served us well , with dignity and proficiency and we @ @ @ @ @ said , it is time to move forward .
”

Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin listens as her press secretary speaks during an interview at Conyears-Ervin's office in City Hall on Nov. 21, 2019. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago city Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin has fired four of her employees, including her chief of staff, as part of an office shake-up, she said in a statement.
Her communications director also has resigned to take a job outside city government, officials said.
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The firings took place on Friday, a Conyears-Ervin spokeswoman said.
It’s not unusual for elected officials to make staff changes, but the decision to fire a handful of key staffers just before Thanksgiving raised eyebrows throughout City Hall.
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“As we come to the close of this year we are making changes to make the personnel changes to create a better fit between our agenda and the personnel needed to carry it out,” Conyears-Ervin said in a statement. “The four people let go have served us well, with dignity and proficiency and we wish them well. That said, it is time to move forward.”
A former state representative, Conyears-Ervin was elected city treasurer in April 2019. Last year, she clashed with Mayor Lori Lightfoot over the Police Department’s decision to stop providing the treasurer with a police security detail. In a contentious exchange of emails, Lightfoot stood by the decision to strip Conyears-Ervin of her detail.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @royalpratt


chicagotribune--2020-11-22--Man killed in West Englewood fire identified, 7 others displaced

The fire first was reported to police about 12:15 a.m. Sunday in the 6300 block of South Honore Street , @ @ @ @ @ .
The residence , a two-flat apartment building , was burning when firefighters arrived , @ @ @ @ @ on the first floor was dead , said Larry Merritt , a Fire Department spokesman @ @ @ @ @ immediately clear whether both stories were lashed by flames and the department doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ said .

The Chicago police and fire departments Sunday were looking into a blaze in a residential building on the city’s South Side that killed one man, left a woman seriously burned and displaced seven others who lived there, officials said.
The fire first was reported to police about 12:15 a.m. Sunday in the 6300 block of South Honore Street, according to a police statement. The residence, a two-flat apartment building, was burning when firefighters arrived, and one man who lived on the first floor was dead, said Larry Merritt, a Fire Department spokesman. It wasn’t immediately clear whether both stories were lashed by flames and the department doesn’t release damage estimates, he said.
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Lonnie McDowell, 61, who lived on the first floor, died in the blaze, according to information from the medical examiner’s office. An autopsy was performed Sunday but the cause and manner of death remained pending afterward, according to the medical examiner’s office.
Windows are broken and boarded up at the scene of a fatal house fire in the 6300 block of South Honore Street on Nov. 22, 2020, in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Merritt said the Office of Fire Investigations was working to determine a cause, but one had not been released as of Sunday morning.
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“I don’t know if it is suspicious, I don’t have that information,” Merritt said, adding, “The report may not be done.”
Police were assisting with the investigation, but a spokesman could not say whether the fire was thought to have been the result of foul play. Preliminary information suggests a different cause, however.
“The fire appears to be electrical and originated on the 1st floor,” according to the police statement.
Sadly overnight a Fire Fatality occurred on the 6300 of South Honore, Today at 10:00 the Public Education Div along with the S & B companies that responded will be distributing Smoke Detectors and Fire Safety Literature to the neighboring homes Check your Smoke Detectors 4-1-8. — Chicago Fire Media (@CFDMedia) November 22, 2020
Police said a 55-year-old woman also was injured. Merritt said she was taken to St. Bernard Hospital in serious to critical condition “with burns and smoke inhalation.”
Seven other people were reported as displaced, according to police. Firefighters went around the West Englewood neighborhood, passing out smoke detectors to neighbors, as is customary practice following a fatal fire.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-11-22--COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital da

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

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-11-22--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-11-22--Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 76 new deaths, 10,012 new confirmed and probable cases and 92,437

Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 76 new deaths, 10,012 new confirmed and probable cases and 92,437 new test results

Illinois announced 10,012 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 Sunday for a total of 656,298 .
The state also @ @ @ @ @ a total of 11,506 and 92,437 new test results for a total of 9.8 million @

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


chicagotribune--2020-11-22--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 10,012 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, 76 deaths repo

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 10,012 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, 76 deaths reported Sunday

The messaging , in the case of the pandemic , should be about minimizing risk , Ernst and other harm @ @ @ @ @ people will gather no matter what , they said , so government officials should talk @ @ @ @ @ it in the safest possible manner .


chicagotribune--2020-11-22--Cafe Marie-Jeanne fans flock to restaurant after it announces closing, but it won’t be enough, chef

Cafe Marie-Jeanne fans flock to restaurant after it announces closing, but it won’t be enough, chef says

Once news spread of the closing , crowds flocked to the restaurant , hoping to visit one last time .
@ @ @ @ @ , and Simmons had to shut down early on Friday because he ran out of @ @ @ @ @ s really sweet and overwhelming , ” said Simmons after another busy day on Saturday @ @ @ @ @ think that people need to eat at their favorite restaurants like they are going out @ @ @ @ @ are .
”

Customers line up outside Cafe Marie-Jeanne as they wait to order food on Friday, Nov. 20, 2020. The cafe's announcement that it is closing permanently Monday led to a long line all afternoon. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Though we sadly should be getting used to restaurant closings in 2020, this one really hurts. Cafe Marie-Jeanne (1001 N. California Ave.), which is co-owned by the husband and wife team of Michael Simmons and Val Szafranski, made the announcement Thursday night on Instagram:
“Hi. We have to tell you. The string has run out for CMJ. We hung in as long as we could and it’s time to let go. Everything must end. WE WILL MISS YOU ALL!”
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In the message, they explained that they are planning to stay open until Monday. They urge fans to “come say hi, get one last cheeseburger, see what fun cmj classics we have on special, and make a deal on a bunch of wine.”
Co-owners Mike Simmons and Val Szafranski, pictured May 3, 2017, at Cafe Marie-Jeanne, have asked customers to visit before the restaurant's closing. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
The Humboldt Park restaurant filled its menu with French-influenced dishes, but it was the opposite of a stuffy, pretentious place. In his two-star review, Phil Vettel called the restaurant a “a neighborhood treasure.”
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Once news spread of the closing, crowds flocked to the restaurant, hoping to visit one last time. Lines stretched down the block, and Simmons had to shut down early on Friday because he ran out of food. “It’s really sweet and overwhelming,” said Simmons after another busy day on Saturday. “It made me think that people need to eat at their favorite restaurants like they are going out of business, because they are.”
But even with the rush of customers, Simmons notes that the restaurant still wouldn’t be able to break even. “If we were open six days a week and were as busy as we were today, it would still be a fraction of what we were doing with a dining room,” said Simmons. “Our model is sort of dependent on people sitting for a long time and ordering a bunch of little plates.”
Cafe Marie-Jeanne’s most famous dish was probably the duck frites, which featured crisp-skinned pieces of duck set atop a pile of crunchy fries, all bathed in ultra rich pan sauce. Those in the know made sure to add foie gras to make it even more delectable. But that was just the beginning. From enticing breakfast items to sauteed calf brains, Cafe Marie-Jeanne was always full of surprises. It even had a phenomenal and completely unique burger.
Since the pandemic hit, the restaurant had focused on its to-go offerings, refusing to open its dining room, because Simmons didn’t think it would be safe for his employees or customers. While he wishes that the government had provided more financial help to struggling restaurants, he’s not surprised that nothing came.
“It’s infuriating, but if I’m being honest, I can’t expect anything different with the people who run our country,” says Simmons. “Even big restaurants aren’t making it through this. We’re paying rent on this huge dining room that we don’t use. The rent isn’t stopping. We can’t continue to operate at that big of a loss without getting into bad trouble.”
nkindelsperger@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-22--4 injured in Far South Side shooting, police say