chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Her son was waiting to get into the police academy when he was shot in the head at a block party, bu

Her son was waiting to get into the police academy when he was shot in the head at a block party, but mom holds out hope for him and the city: ‘Chicago can get better’

Body , a security guard who carries a gun on his job , said the violence in Chicago has led @ @ @ @ @ to be stricter gun control across the United States and a reckoning with gang culture @ @ @ @ @ was growing up , he said , there was more accountability for shooting non-gang members @ @ @ @ @ said .

Verndell Smith spoke April 2, 2019, about his friend Senobia Brantley at the Silent Threat Dance Studio after Brantley was killed in a double homicide. A little more than two years later, Smith was also killed. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Verndell Smith’s black-and-crimson sneakers slapped the sidewalk across the street from the University of Chicago Medical Center’s emergency room as his arms and legs swiveled to a rapid-fire juke song booming from a car.
For an hour, he and others with Ultimate Threat Dance Corp. Team broke out in twirls and fancy footwork to support one of their own, Lewis Funches, who has been in a coma since he was shot during a block party on the South Side over the weekend.
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“I just wanted him to be able to wake up so he can be able to live his dreams,” said Smith, 31, who coaches the team. “Because if that time came, it would really be cut short. And we don’t want that at all.”
Lewis Funches smiles for a picture during a surprise party for his 21st birthday. The now-22-year-old’s family has been camped outside University of Chicago Medical Center awaiting his recovery following a shooting in the 3100 block of South Rhodes Avenue. (Tenika Blackman)
One of those dreams is to become a Chicago police officer. His family said he has been waiting for a slot to open at the training academy and his goal is to become a detective.
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“To know that a 22-year-old boy in the South Side of Chicago passed all of that … I know my son is coming out of there,” his mother, Tenika Blackman, 39, said. “And he’s gonna be a police. He’s gonna be my dancing cop because you always see him dancing.”
Around 11:40 p.m. Saturday, Funches was at a block party in the 3100 block of South Rhodes Avenue when a fight broke out between two people in the crowd, according to a police source. At least one person began firing from a moving car, hitting Funches and three other men, the source said.
Funches was shot in the head and taken in critical condition to the medical center. One of the other men, 24-year-old Kehinde Ojunleye, was killed. A police source said none of the four appeared to have been targeted.
The shooting happened during another violent weekend in Chicago that saw at least 65 people shot, 18 fatally, including a 20-month-old boy and a 10-year-old girl, according to Tribune data.
Ultimate Threat Dance Corp. members dance June 30, 2020, near the University of Chicago Medical Center, where fellow member Lewis Funches is hospitalized after being shot at a block party. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Many of the wounded were brought to the same hospital as Funches. On Sunday morning, his mother and other family held a prayer circle with strangers awaiting the fate of their loved ones who had been shot.
“I’ve never had to worry about my son in violence,” Blackman told the Tribune.
An avid fan of the “DLow shuffle” bopping dance popularized by Chicago rapper iAmDLOW, Funches has been dancing with Ultimate Threat since he was 15. He instantly clicked with Smith because of how eager he was to improve.
“Aight, what am I supposed to do?” Funches always piped back when he realized he made a mistake, according to Smith.
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He believes that focus made Funches a good candidate for the Chicago Police Academy. He had recently passed the sight and fitness tests, although the second part took another try.
The burst of dancing was just one of the ways friends have rallied around Funches and his family in the days since the shooting.
Teddy bears, posters and balloons surround Funches' bed. There were so many get-well gifts that Blackman used a wheelchair to haul them up to her son's room. The past few days have been mostly restless, with medical staff telling her he may suffer permanent damage.
She and Funches’ father, Nathaniel Body, have been taking turns staying with him. “I don’t want to sleep because every time I wake up, it’s like I’m reliving it again,” Blackman said.
Body, a security guard who carries a gun on his job, said the violence in Chicago has led him to believe there needs to be stricter gun control across the United States and a reckoning with gang culture in Chicago. When he was growing up, he said, there was more accountability for shooting non-gang members, especially children, he said.
“When it comes down to the violence of guns, the wrong people got guns,” Body, 54, said. “We need to take these guns off the streets, and we need more leaders to get more involved and stop sweeping things under the table, and all of this can stop.”
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Blackman said she is so weary of the headlines about gun violence in Chicago that she doesn’t watch the news anymore.
But she thinks about the generosity of Chicagoans like her son, who would spend weekends on East 79th Street near the Dan Ryan Expressway raising money for dance team members who couldn’t afford the dues. And she thinks about the prayer circle outside the hospital, sparked by the love for shooting victims like her son.
“I will never give up on Chicago,” Blackman said. “Chicago can get better. We have to first pull together.”
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--1 dead, at least 8 wounded in violence since Thursday morning, police say

About 7 a.m. , a 29-year-old man , who was a passenger of a vehicle , was shot in the @ @ @ @ @ man saw three people standing on a corner in the 3300 block of West Cermak @ @ @ @ @ .
A short time later , he was dropped off at home and noticed he @ @ @ @ @ got himself to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was treated and released for a gunshot @ @ @ @ @ police said .

A 34-year-old man was fatally stabbed, and at least eight people have been wounded in shootings since 7 a.m. Thursday on the South and West sides, Chicago police said.
The fatal stabbing happened around 1:40 p.m. in the 200 block of West Pershing Road in the Stateway Gardens neighborhood. Details were scarce but police said the victim was found stabbed and was pronounced dead at the scene.
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In the latest shooting, around 3:20 p.m., a male victim was struck multiple times by gunfire in the Burnside neighborhood in the 800 block of East 87th Place, police said.
He was taken in critical condition to the University of Chicago Medical Center.
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About 2:30 p.m., a 22-year-old man was left in critical condition after a shooting in the 3300 block of North Central Park Avenue in the Avondale neighborhood.
He suffered a chest wound, and was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, police said.
Earlier Wednesday, three people were wounded in what police believe was a domestic-related incident. Around 9 a.m., several people were arguing outside a South Shore neighborhood residence in the 7600 block of South Clyde Avenue when shots rang out, striking two men and a woman, police said.
One of the men, 22, suffered a wound to the side, and the other victim, 58, was shot in the left buttock. The woman, 26, was shot in the lower left leg, police said.
All three victims were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center where their conditions were stabilized. Police said the offender fled the scene and is not in custody.
Shortly after 8:45 a.m., another man was shot while on a porch in the Englewood neighborhood in the 6500 block of South Green Street.
A 21-year-old man was shot four times in the face in the mouth area, left buttock, left wrist and the left side of his chest. Police said the man was taken in critical condition to a local hospital.
About 7:50 a.m., a 40-year-old man was shot in a drive-by in the Humboldt Park neighborhood in the 1300 block of North Springfield Avenue, police said.
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Three men traveling in a gray SUV when one of them opened fire, hitting the victim in the right forearm. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where his condition was stabilized. The SUV fled north from the scene, police said.
About 7 a.m., a 29-year-old man, who was a passenger of a vehicle, was shot in the Little Village neighborhood. The man saw three people standing on a corner in the 3300 block of West Cermak Road when he heard gunshots. A short time later, he was dropped off at home and noticed he was bleeding. The man got himself to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was treated and released for a gunshot wound to the bicep, police said.
Police were investigating.


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Of the COVID-19 pregnancy cases reported in Illinois, Black and Latina women make up over 70%

Unique Clay , a Black postal carrier who tested positive for the coronavirus , died a week after giving birth @ @ @ @ @ May , according to a news report .
Her 11-year-old daughter found her dead at @ @ @ @ @ Eli Solano , a Latina mom , passed away after her battle with COVID-19 shortly @ @ @ @ @ baby boy , according to a fundraiser from her family .
The state Health Department @ @ @ @ @ after a 31-year-old pregnant woman died from the virus there in May .
The report @ @ @ @ @ , but Cook County medical examiner ’ s office records of coronavirus deaths show a @ @ @ @ @ Davis , who was pregnant , died May 15 .

Mary Calderon, a doula who works with young moms, with one of the educational models she uses, on July 1, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
At around 25 weeks pregnant with her first child, a 21-year-old Hispanic woman became infected with COVID-19.
The young woman’s doctors at St. Anthony Hospital in Little Village were just learning more about the coronavirus as it hit Illinois in the spring, and they wanted to monitor the baby’s growth.
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But her insurance did not initially approve the growth ultrasound, her doctors said. So they had to wait to schedule a scan to check her baby. This delayed their ability to assess the pregnancy and created extra stress.
“There were a lot of barriers for her,” said Margarita Flores, a St. Anthony midwife who helped treat her.
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When she delivered in June, she was diagnosed with preeclampsia — high blood pressure in pregnancy that can lead to serious, or even fatal, complications for both mom and baby. The baby was born small.
The mom and her baby, whose names were not shared for privacy reasons, are doing well now, said Flores and her doctors.
The coronavirus has amplified the challenges pregnant women face. And even more so for Black and Latina women, who might be disproportionately affected by COVID-19, according to recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, and who experience extra burdens of not only implicit racism within the health care industry, but also socioeconomic factors that can impact their ability to access care.
“Patients, especially in our area, are very high risk,” said Michele Bucciero, medical director of perinatal services at St. Anthony. The hospital is located in a predominantly Latino neighborhood.
At least 1,089 women in Illinois have had COVID-19 while pregnant, and of those cases, five have died, according to Illinois Department of Public Health data received Thursday. Nearly half of them, 43%, were hospitalized, although the department can’t confirm whether it was related to their pregnancy or fighting the virus.
Among these women, 49% were Hispanic and 23% were Black. Melaney Arnold, a Health Department spokesperson, said the reporting likely underestimates pregnant cases by about 30% because for much of the data, pregnancy status is unknown.
(Jemal R. Brinson)
“COVID-19 brought its own set of issues around disparities, but also highlights issues that have been there all along,” said Ann Borders, an OB-GYN in the NorthShore University Health System and executive director of the Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative. The latest data, she said, confirms concerns doctors like her have always had about pregnant women’s vulnerability. It also confirms the need to be extra vigilant, she said.
Unique Clay, a Black postal carrier who tested positive for the coronavirus, died a week after giving birth to her third child in May, according to a news report. Her 11-year-old daughter found her dead at home. In April, Eli Solano, a Latina mom, passed away after her battle with COVID-19 shortly after giving birth to a baby boy, according to a fundraiser from her family. The state Health Department recently investigated Roseland Community Hospital after a 31-year-old pregnant woman died from the virus there in May. The report does not list a name, but Cook County medical examiner’s office records of coronavirus deaths show a 31-year-old Black woman named Lolita Davis, who was pregnant, died May 15.
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[ Roseland Hospital failed to properly triage a pregnant woman who later died, Illinois regulators find ]
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) cautioned that researchers are still learning about how COVID-19 impacts pregnancies, and noted pregnant women did not appear to be at more risk of death than nonpregnant women.
Doctors should speak with women about their household situations, whether they live with people who are essential workers, for example, and the need to quarantine and take precautions.
“A lot of it’s risk reduction, rather than completely being able to avoid risk,” Borders said. “Not everyone has the luxury of being able to socially distance or stay at home.”
Bucciero says it’s always a balancing act for many of St. Anthony’s patients. “A lot of (our patients) are essential workers that live in multigenerational households,” she said. “They use a lot of public transportation, they rely on their kids being in school, they rely on the programs for meals for their kids.”
Mary Calderon is a doula at New Moms, a nonprofit that works with young mothers, often young Black and Latina women. Many of her clients live with multiple family members, including those who are essential workers and thus must leave the house often, elevating exposure to the virus.
“The issues that our community faces are just being exacerbated and brought to light during the pandemic. They have been issues for a long time,” Calderon said. “When a woman is experiencing chronic stress from scarcity, not having enough food, not knowing where she’s going to live, being unemployed, chronic stress from racism, that seeps in on a cellular level.”
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She and the pregnant moms she speaks to — now over videoconferencing — talk about finding healthy food and the impact that can have on their babies. She tells them about the importance of prenatal care and meeting with doctors. She encourages them to speak up at appointments.
“Arming them with information about their options just helps them advocate for themselves,” she said.
Paris Brown remembers being glued to the TV in March. In her second trimester, she watched as the state of Illinois shut down, worrying about what it meant for her second daughter due in late July.
Paris Brown, left, with her 8-year-old daughter, Naomi Brown. (Paris Brown)
“I would wake up at 3, 4 in the morning and wouldn’t even go back to sleep,” she said. While she hasn’t tested positive for the virus, the pandemic has added stress to her pregnancy.
During each ultrasound, she uses so much hand sanitizer that her doctor told her, “Clearly, you’re very cautious.”
She attended all appointments in person, balancing concerns about being in a hospital with wanting to hear her baby’s heartbeat. Doctors stress that in-person visits are often crucial, depending on each patient’s pregnancy, and that it is safe to attend them.
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“Obviously I have to put the baby’s health first,” Brown said.
The CDC report found that pregnant women with COVID-19 are more at risk for hospitalization, although it could not detail whether hospitalizations were because of pregnancy or the virus, and noted that any barriers for pregnant women to protect themselves from the virus should be addressed.
“With COVID-19 it’s like, OK, now we’re really seeing the challenges to providing good health care to African American women,” said Joy West, an OB-GYN at Roseland.
She noted the closing of OB units, which made it harder for women to receive care close to home, and the disparities in telehealth. Not everyone has a computer or internet service. And when doctors try to assess vitals and weight, not every patient has a blood pressure monitor, thermometer and scale at home. High blood pressure in pregnancy, for example, can signal serious complications.
“We know that high blood pressure in pregnancy is one of the No. 1 reasons why there is an increase in maternal mortality in African American communities,” West said. “Preeclampsia, or high blood pressure, is devastating, and it’s very common in African American women.”
Black women are six times more likely to die from pregnancy-related conditions in Illinois. They are more at risk from dying from cardiovascular disease, a disparity that ACOG attributed in part to racial bias and racism in the health care system.
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As doctors seek to learn more about the coronavirus and its impact, hospitals have been adding precautions, such as testing women who arrive to deliver. And moms who test positive are separated from their newborns — while a precaution, it has added extra stress and heartbreak.
In normal times, pregnancy is a challenge with women at risk for a variety of potential complications.
At St. Anthony Hospital, the doctors often huddle to assess cases.
Now, they are waiting and watching as women who became infected with COVID-19 in March and April prepare to deliver later this summer.
“It’s just a matter of time,” Bucciero said. “They’re going through their third trimester now.”
abowen@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Attorney: Missing Texas soldier was killed at Fort Hood

Later that afternoon , Khawam said , the soldier drove to pick up a woman and took the body to @ @ @ @ @ , Khawam said , the pair tried to burn Guillen 's body , but later @ @ @ @ @ .
Then , they put cement on the body and buried the remains .

AUSTIN, Texas — AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Army investigators believe a Texas soldier missing since April was killed by another soldier on the Texas base where they served, the attorney for the missing soldier's family said Thursday.
Lawyer Natalie Khawam said the U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division told her that the other soldier bludgeoned 20-year-old soldier Vanessa Guillen with a hammer at Fort Hood and later dismembered her and buried the remains in the woods.
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The Army said Wednesday that a soldier who was suspected in Guillen’s disappearance had killed himself. The Army also said a civilian suspect had been arrested.
On Thursday, the Army identified the soldier suspected in Guillen’s disappearance as Aaron David Robinson, of Calumet City, Illinois. The civilian suspect was not named.
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Khawam said she met with investigators from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division on Wednesday evening and was told the other soldier cleaned up the area where Guillen was killed, placed her body in a container and wheeled her out to his car.
Later that afternoon, Khawam said, the soldier drove to pick up a woman and took the body to a nearby river. There, Khawam said, the pair tried to burn Guillen's body, but later dismembered it with a machete. Then, they put cement on the body and buried the remains.
Tim Miller, of Texas Equusearch, who was assisting in the search for Guillen, told KHOU Thursday that investigators found a lid last week that belonged to a container consistent with one a witness saw loaded into a car at 8:30 the night Guillen disappeared.
Investigators were called back to the scene this week when a man working in the area reported a foul odor. Miller said it appeared the suspect “buried her, put lime on her, mixed up concrete, put that over her, put dirt over her, rocks and stuff.”
Guillen was last seen April 22 in a parking lot at Fort Hood. She was set to be promoted to specialist this month. Her car keys, barracks room key, ID card and wallet were found in the room where she was working the day she disappeared.
___
Acacia Coronado is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Hurricane Harbor may reopen soon, but Six Flags Great America still questionable

The current iteration of the governor ’ s Restore Illinois plan does not allow amusement parks , trampoline parks and @ @ @ @ @ Phase 5 when all sectors of the economy are allowed to return to normal .
@ @ @ @ @ require a vaccine or treatment option to be available , or the disappearance of new @ @ @ @ @ of time .

Hurricane Harbor in Six Flags Great America in Gurnee could be reopening soon with new COVID-19 safety restrictions, a spokeswoman said. (Six Flags Great America / HANDOUT)
Six Flags’ Hurricane Harbor water parks in Gurnee and Rockford may be reopening soon, though a reopening for Six Flags Great America remains less certain.
More than a month has passed since Six Flags laid out how it thought it could reopen as safely as possible considering the ongoing pandemic, but its Gurnee-based amusement and water parks remain closed, as do all amusement parks, trampoline parks and indoor playgrounds.
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Six Flags has received word from the Governor’s Office that its two water parks are allowed to begin opening, spokeswoman Caitlin Kepple said. An opening date has not yet been set.
“Our full-time team is now back on property and working to implement our comprehensive reopening safety plan so that we can welcome guests to Hurricane Harbor Chicago and Hurricane Harbor Rockford soon,” she said in an email.
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In preparation for opening, Six Flags has begun hiring for water park positions, including lifeguards and culinary team members, Kepple said. Six Flags will be covering the cost of lifeguard certification training for accepted applicants as an extra incentive this year.
The company is “still working closely” with the state to determine when Six Flags Great America, its amusement park in Gurnee, can also open, Kepple said.
The current iteration of the governor’s Restore Illinois plan does not allow amusement parks, trampoline parks and indoor playgrounds to reopen until Phase 5 when all sectors of the economy are allowed to return to normal. Getting to Phase 5 would require a vaccine or treatment option to be available, or the disappearance of new cases for a sustained period of time.
Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik said it “was pretty scary” to think Six Flags Great America and Hurricane Harbor Chicago would not be allowed to open at all this year.
Six Flags generates roughly $4 million annually in sales, amusement, and food and beverage taxes for the village, according to Village Administrator Patrick Muetz. Revenue generated directly from the park equals almost 10% of this year’s general fund revenue.
It’s harder to measure the “halo effect” area restaurants get from the park, but during peak operating months some establishments can as much as double the sales and food and beverage taxes they generate compared to non-peak months, Muetz said.
Kovarik said she’s “very thankful” to Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his team for recognizing the importance of Six Flags locally, and working with the company to find a way for them to reopen. She called Six Flags’ reopening plan “impressive,” and said “safety is their first priority.”
The plan, which was rolled out at the end of May, envisions a new reservations system to manage attendance, limits on the number of visitors that will be well below the park’s theoretical capacity to facilitate social distancing, and requirements that visitors and employees wear masks.
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Visitors will also be screened for fevers, and empty rows or seats will separate people on all roller coasters, rides and other attractions.


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Extra cops will be on streets this weekend but police Superintendent David Brown acknowledges, ‘We c

Extra cops will be on streets this weekend but police Superintendent David Brown acknowledges, ‘We can’t do it alone'

“ Before you pick up a firearm and pull the trigger , aiming for somebody else , think about the @ @ @ @ @ been killed just in the last two weeks .
A 1-year-old , a 3-year-old , @ @ @ @ @ .
A list that is painful for me to even recite , ” she said @

Chicago police work the scene near where a 3-year-old girl was shot in the 7000 block of South Damen Avenue in the West Englewood neighborhood on June 30, 2020. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her police superintendent acknowledged Thursday that it will take more than the 1,200 extra officers pressed into duty this Fourth of July weekend to reduce rampant gun violence in many neighborhoods.
Chicago police Superintendent David Brown speaks to the media as Mayor Lori Lightfoot looks on during the announcement during a press conference on April 30, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
“We need everyone’s help to make our strategy work. We can’t do it alone,” police Superintendent David Brown said at a news conference with the mayor Thursday. “No one knows their blocks better than the folks who live here.”
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Lightfoot talked about an “all hands on deck” approach and directed a message to the mostly young men who are driving gun violence.
“I ask you, I beg you and I pray that you will find your humanity, that you will think about the sanctity of life,” Lightfoot said.
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“Before you pick up a firearm and pull the trigger, aiming for somebody else, think about the number of children that have been killed just in the last two weeks. A 1-year-old, a 3-year-old, a 13-year-old, a 10-year-old. A list that is painful for me to even recite,” she said.
In addition to the extra cops, the city will run “strategic missions” to recover illegal guns, while working with community groups who work in violence prevention, Brown said.
The city will work with the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago to put more than 150 people on the streets in Austin, West Garfield Park and Back of the Yards as part of violence prevention, officials said.
The traditionally violent weekend comes as Lightfoot and Brown face daily criticism about their handling of the gun violence.
Several recent shootings of young children have brought intense scrutiny about the way the Lightfoot administration is addressing crime heading into the July Fourth weekend.
Earlier in the week, Brown spoke of clearing corners of drug dealers and announced that 1,200 more officers would be on the streets — a number down from the extra 1,500 officers deployed a year ago.
Boosting the number of officers on the street is a tactic that was also a staple of warm-weather holiday crime-fighting efforts under former Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
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Asked about the lower number of cops on the street this year, Lightfoot said, “I think we’ve got the right number of people coupled with all the resources of our community partners, our other city agencies that are going to be out there and visible.”
Activists and civil libertarians have criticized the city over Brown’s plan to clear people off of “drug corners” by making arrests in an effort to tamp down gun violence over the Fourth of July weekend.
Though critics have raised questions about the legality of Brown’s proposal and cautioned that sweeping arrests will further harm the relationship between police and Black residents, the mayor earlier in the week said such condemnation is misplaced as officers try to save young lives.
On Thursday, she said Brown’s comments had been mischaracterized by reporters.
For his part, Brown attempted to make clear that the goal is to bring down high-level drug dealers.
“We are aggressively going after drug and gang criminal networks,” he said, and added that they’re focused on midlevel and upper-level “masterminds behind the drug trade in Chicago because that’s what’s fueling city violence.”
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gpratt@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Man wanted in beating death of New Lenox business owner surrenders to police

Devon L. Ward , a disgruntled customer whom police say beat 39-year-old Wayne Deutsch with a metal object at his @ @ @ @ @ , turned himself into police Thursday and is being held at the Will County jail @ @ @ @ @ ’ s office said in a statement .

A 27-year-old man wanted in connection with the beating death of a New Lenox business owner last month has been taken into custody, police said.
Devon L. Ward, a disgruntled customer whom police say beat 39-year-old Wayne Deutsch with a metal object at his window tinting shop June 12, turned himself into police Thursday and is being held at the Will County jail, the Will County sheriff’s office said in a statement.
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Deutsch, an Orland Park resident who owned Shades of Darkness Window Tinting, 13957 W. Illinois Highway, died five days after the attack.
Ward has been charged with aggravated battery, but the sheriff’s office said it expects the charges to be upgraded once it receives the results of Deutsch’s autopsy.
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Devon Ward (Will County sheriff's office)
The Cook County medical examiner’s office ruled last month that Deutsch’s death was a homicide caused by the accumulation of blood around his lungs, multiple rib fractures and an assault, but has yet to tender its report to sheriff’s officials.
Ward was a Shades of Darkness customer who had returned to the shop June 12 to demand a refund for tinting he’d paid for on his vehicle, police said Deutsch told them before his death.
The men had words and Ward left the store momentarily before returning with a long metal cylindrical object that he used to strike Deutsch several times in the ribs, police said.
Police said after beating Deutsch to the ground, Ward took about $800 from him and fled the scene in a dark Chrysler 300 with tinted windows.
Deutsch spoke with deputies at the scene after the assault and provided detectives a cellphone video he’d taken of his alleged attacker, but refused medical treatment.
The shop owner sought medical care days later after his condition had deteriorated and was diagnosed with multiple broken ribs, police said.
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He died at home June 17.
An autopsy found about two liters of fluid in Deutsch’s lungs at the time of his death, police said.
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On June 22, the sheriff’s office released a screenshot of Ward taken from the video Deutsch had provided them and were able to secure a warrant for his arrest a little over a week later.
Ward’s attorney subsequently contacted the Will County sheriff’s office to negotiate his surrender Thursday.
Ward is being held on $500,000 bond, per the terms of his arrest warrant.
zkoeske@tribpub.com
Twitter @ZakKoeske


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Man out on parole accused in violent attack, sexual assault of woman in Arlington Heights, police sa

Man out on parole accused in violent attack, sexual assault of woman in Arlington Heights, police say

Chadane C. Gordon , 25 , of the 600 block of West Central Road , Arlington Heights , was charged @ @ @ @ @ , aggravated criminal sexual abuse , aggravated battery and attempted aggravated criminal sexual assault , @ @ @ @ @ Commander Joseph Pinnello .
Gordon also was charged with violation of mandatory supervised release from @ @ @ @ @ .
He was released on parole from Stateville Correctional Center in February after serving time @ @ @ @ @ theft , according to the Illinois Department of Corrections .

An Arlington Heights man released on parole earlier this year has been accused in the brutal attack and sexual assault of a woman in the early-morning hours of Wednesday in a woody area off West Central Road in Arlington Heights, police said.
Chadane C. Gordon, 25, of the 600 block of West Central Road, Arlington Heights, was charged July 1 with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, aggravated battery and attempted aggravated criminal sexual assault, according to Arlington Heights Police Commander Joseph Pinnello. Gordon also was charged with violation of mandatory supervised release from prison, according to authorities. He was released on parole from Stateville Correctional Center in February after serving time for residential burglary and retail theft, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.
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According to Pinnello, police responded to a call at 5:45 a.m. July 1 of a woman screaming in a small wooded area along the 1600 block of West Central Road. When police arrived, they found a man in the process of sexually assaulting a woman, he said.
“When he saw officers, he fled on foot and was quickly apprehended in the 800 block of South Dwyer Avenue,” Pinnello said.
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Chadane C. Gordon, 25, of Arlington Heights, has been accused of a violent attack and sexual assault of a woman in Arlington Heights, police said. (Arlington Heights Police / HANDOUT)
Pinnello said the two had met earlier in the night and spent some time together socializing. But when the woman said she wanted to go home, Pinnello said, Gordon insisted on walking her home.
Authorities said that at some point in the walk, Gordon grabbed the woman from behind and pulled her into a small wooded area. He hit her several times in the face when she tried to escape, police said.
Pinnello said Gordon also removed some of her clothing and used it to try to gag her.
In a release to the media, the Arlington Heights Police Department described the attack as “brutal.”
Arlington Heights paramedics treated the 39-year-old woman — who had major injuries to her face and head — and took her to Northwest Community Hospital, authorities said. Her injuries were not thought to be life-threatening, according to a release from Arlington Heights police, but she was still in the hospital due to their severity.
Pinnello said Gordon is being held on no bond and his next court date is scheduled for 9 a.m. on July 17.
Elizabeth Owens-Schiele is a freelance reporter.


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Person being questioned in fatal domestic-related shooting in South Deering neighborhood

About 11:10 p.m. , a 30-year-old woman was in a fight in the 10900 block of South Oglesby Avenue .
@ @ @ @ @ she was fighting pulled out a gun , and it discharged , hitting the victim @ @ @ @ @ .

Detectives were questioning a person of interest following a domestic-related fatal shooting Wednesday night on the Far South Side, Chicago police said.
About 11:10 p.m., a 30-year-old woman was in a fight in the 10900 block of South Oglesby Avenue. At some point the person she was fighting pulled out a gun, and it discharged, hitting the victim in the right upper chest.
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The woman was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where she was later pronounced dead, said police.
Area Two detectives were questioning a person of interest. Police said the fatal shooting was domestic-related.


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--3 men attempted to carjack woman Thursday morning at Glencoe Golf Club, police say

The Chicago woman , who is not being named as she is the victim of a crime , said she @ @ @ @ @ club three days a week .
She was running late Thursday morning and noticed the @ @ @ @ @ the ledge at the golf club entrance on Westley Road around 8:05 a.m .

Three males approached a woman at Glencoe Golf Club Thursday morning, displayed a handgun and attempted to hijack her car, according to police and the woman.
The Chicago woman, who is not being named as she is the victim of a crime, said she typically plays golf at the club three days a week. She was running late Thursday morning and noticed the three young men sitting on the ledge at the golf club entrance on Westley Road around 8:05 a.m.
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She said they were wearing identical khaki shirts and thought in the moment they might have been part of a high school golf team. As she was getting out of her car, a Lexus, they approached her from behind, she said.
“They looked at me funny,” she said.
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She left her purse and phone on the front seat and opened the back seat when they approached.
“I started yelling ‘Get the hell out of here’ and ‘Help, help,’” she said.
One member of the group got in the driver’s seat, one in the passenger’s seat and the third person got in back seat and pushed her to the ground and displayed a gun, she said.
The woman then ran to a maintenance worker on a golf cart, who heard her yell for help, took a video of one the males and started chasing him, she said.
The woman said her car has a keyless ignition and the fob was in her pocket, otherwise they would have easily stolen the car.
Glencoe Deputy Chief Rich Weiner said the three fled into the forest preserves. One suspect was taken into custody and the other two remain at large, Weiner said.
Zayveon Thomas, 18, of Beach Park, was charged with attempted aggravated vehicular hijacking, possession of a stolen vehicle and aggravated battery, police said.
Police said the other two suspects are Black men between the ages of 18 and 20, with slim builds and their hair in braids or a ponytail.
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The handgun has not been recovered, Weiner said.
Weiner said the investigation is ongoing and police remain in the area of the golf club and the forest preserves south of Dundee Road near West School. Other area police departments are assisting in the search for the two other individuals.
Weiner said Glencoe police have been warning residents for years to lock their cars.
“People have become emboldened to come to Glencoe and continue to steal cars,” Weiner said.
The woman, who has a bruised rib, said she is usually more careful but was running late and got caught off-guard.
Susan Berger is a freelance reporter.


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Court rules Jackie Robinson West team may seek reinstatement of 2014 Little League championship

On behalf of their children , who were 11 and 12 at the time they won , the parents alleged @ @ @ @ @ failed to abide by its own regulations and should have verified players ’ eligibility before @ @ @ @ @ afterward .

Confetti explodes over the crowd at Chicago's Millennium Park on Aug. 27, 2014, in celebration of the Little League World Series U.S. champion Jackie Robinson West All-Stars. (Nancy Stone, Chicago Tribune)
Parents of the Jackie Robinson West team that had its Little League World Series national title stripped due to players’ ineligibility may proceed with their lawsuit seeking reinstatement of the championship, a court has ruled.
The ruling is the latest twist in a story that first captivated fans when the team of African American boys from Chicago’s South Side won the national championship in 2014.
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After the title, an administrator from a rival suburban league complained that the team had taken players from outside its territory, which would have made them ineligible.
A Little League Baseball investigation initially cleared the team, but upon further investigation found that officials from the district that Jackie Robinson West represented had used a falsified boundary map.
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Little League Baseball removed the officials and dissolved the district.
On behalf of their children, who were 11 and 12 at the time they won, the parents alleged that Little League Baseball Inc. failed to abide by its own regulations and should have verified players’ eligibility before the championship tournament, not afterward.
If the allegations are true, the Illinois Appellate Court ruled Tuesday, they would be sufficient grounds for the suit, “given the parents and players’ investment of time and money in the organization.”
“The players suffered a distinct injury in fact by the stripping of their hard-won championship title, which would be redressed by reinstating the championship title,” the court ruled. “The allegations thus were sufficient to establish appropriate standing for plaintiffs to raise the claim.”
The appellate court upheld the trial court’s dismissal of most of the allegations in the suit. But the higher court let stand four counts of the suit, including alleged breach of implied contract. The court stated that “reinstatement of the championship title is a possible remedy.”
The suit also claimed that the cable sports channel ESPN and its commentator Stephen A. Smith had committed defamation and inflicted emotional distress by falsely accusing the parents of taking part in the scheme.
The court, in rejecting the claim, noted that though Smith said the parents should be “ashamed,” he never named them on air.
After their championship, the team met with President Barack Obama at the White House and attended a Major League Baseball World Series game. After the revocation, Little League International President Stephen Keener said no one should blame the players, who appeared not to know of the rule violations.


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--It may not be Illinois rodeo’s last roundup, but bucking broncs ‘bored to death,’ clowns out of work

It may not be Illinois rodeo’s last roundup, but bucking broncs ‘bored to death,’ clowns out of work as county fairs cancel

Without the rodeo , there are no entry fees or concession sales , the latter of which usually benefit a @ @ @ @ @ on hot dog duty .
There is no prize money for competitors who come from @ @ @ @ @ their luck on the back of a bull .
And there is no work for @ @ @ @ @ rodeo .

Lenora Calzavara feeds her 38 rodeo horses at her farm, Big Hat Rodeo Ranch on July 2, 2020, in Harvard. Big Hat Rodeo canceled all 10 of its Midwest rodeos this year. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Forty horses are crowded around Lenora Calzavara, their breath hot and their tails swishing.
These aren’t riding horses, waiting for someone to take them out for a trot. These are rodeo horses, bred for their ability to buck riders off in less than eight seconds.
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A horse named Mafia Witch is the queen bee in the bunch, with her witchy-white mane blowing in the wind. She was the 2016 world champion bareback horse.
There’s her son, a blond called Capone; another bareback bronc, the copper-colored mare named Angel Heart, and Shaken Not Stirred, a light brown saddle bronc who bucks his riders out of the saddle.
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Summer is usually the busiest time of year for the horses, who travel from rodeo to rodeo, throwing off riders and entertaining crowds.
But for months, the horses haven’t done much besides graze on Calzavara’s pasture in Harvard, Illinois.
Lenora Calzavara drives a tractor filled with feed into the pasture as her rodeo horses follow along on July 2, 2020, at her Harvard farm. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
“They are all bored to death because this is the first time ever that we won’t have a rodeo,” said Calzavara, owner of Big Hat Rodeo.
None of the 10 rodeos Calzavera had scheduled for this summer will go on, joining other Illinois rodeos called off because of the coronavirus pandemic. The events, often part of county fairs or groups’ annual fundraising, can draw thousands of spectators. Without them, the grandstands are dark and the financial gut-punch reaches far into communities.
Without the rodeo, there are no entry fees or concession sales, the latter of which usually benefit a local group willing to take on hot dog duty. There is no prize money for competitors who come from around the country to try their luck on the back of a bull. And there is no work for the people who work a rodeo.
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This year marks the first Fourth of July weekend that rodeo clown Dusty Myers won’t be at a rodeo in 25 years.
“July is known as cowboy Christmas, because you can go to a rodeo every day in July and sometimes you can hit multiple rodeos (in a day),” he said. “That’s where it affects us the most, because cowboy Christmas is not cowboy Christmas anymore.”
Typically, the 38-year-old packs up his trailer and leaves his Mississippi home for between 115 and 130 performances a year.
He pops out of barrels, rides a bull he brings from Mississippi and performs other slapstick comedy. He’s there to distract the audience while the rodeo crew switches from one event to the next.
If Myers had fulfilled his contracts, 2020 would have been his most profitable year yet, with about $116,000 in income, he said. Instead, he’s performed at just two rodeos since March.
Myers started bull riding when he was 13. His dad rode bulls, horses and was a rodeo clown too. It has always been a part of Myers’ life.
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“I never thought rodeo would ever quit,” he said.
Lenora Calzavara heads out of the barn to check on her rodeo horses at her farm on June 29, 2020, in Harvard. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
In a typical year — which this isn’t — 5 million people attend about 400 rodeos approved by the International Professional Rodeo Association, said Dale Yerigan, general manager of the Oklahoma City-based association. Half of those events have been called off, and Yerigan expects the cancellations to keep mounting.
Last year, the association approved 28 rodeos in Illinois, including Big Hat Rodeo’s shows. Only six rodeos are scheduled to go ahead as planned this year.
“Most of the rodeos have said they truly intend to come back next year,” Yerigan said. “But I worry that some of them may not survive it either, with a year of not being able to raise any funds.”
Big Hat Rodeo has lost $100,000 in income this year, Calzavara said. She’s lucky — she has other income coming in, and can keep the company afloat, at least through this year.
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But the costs to maintain her operation are mounting. She moved into a new farm earlier this year and needs to put in a $75,000 fence. Also, the horses eat more when they’re not working.
Last year, Calzavara’s hay and grain bills added up to $58,000. Grain prices have increased because of the pandemic, and the horses are eating roughly 300 pounds of grain and 1,200 pounds of hay a day, she said. They graze on the grass in the pasture too.
“They’ll eat down to the dirt, goofballs,” said Calzavara, as she walked through her pasture on a recent morning.
She does not plan to sell her horses, though she is pausing her breeding program this year. It’s no time to add more mouths to feed.
This is not the way 2020 was supposed to go for Big Hat Rodeo.
The 10 rodeos it had planned were a centennial celebration, marking the 100 years that Calzavara’s family has been in the business.
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Calzavara’s paternal grandparents immigrated to the Chicago area from Italy, and when her uncle started attending grade school in the U.S., he couldn’t speak, read or write in English. The teacher sent dime-store Western books home with him, to help him learn the language.
He fell in love with the West, as did his father and they started a rodeo.
“The Italian cowboy who grew up in a suburb of Chicago is kind of weird, but that’s my family,” Calzavara said.
Her basement is filled with black-and-white photos of past rodeo performances. There’s a 30-something Calzavara, thick, dark hair waving behind as she swings her bell-bottomed leg high above her horse, mid-stunt. Another photo shows her father, Rudy Calzavara, holding the rein of his horse with one hand and stiff-arming a bucking bronco with the other.
A 1940s photo shows the Graham Western Riders, a family of trick riders from Kansas. Gene Graham, second from the left, married Rudy Calzavara and together they ran the Big Hat Rodeo. (Calzavara family photo)
Lenora Calzavara performs in the 1980s at the Lake County Fair with her family's rodeo, Big Hat Rodeo. (Calzavara family photo)
Her mother, Gene Calzavara, grew up in a rodeo family too. There’s a photo of Gene squeezed between her nine rodeo-loving siblings and posed atop a Clydesdale.
Maintaining a century-old legacy is a lot of pressure in a normal year, Calzavara said. This year, the weight is heavier.
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“(It’s) not only keeping it together, but trying to make it still grow,” she said. “If it doesn’t grow, it’s going to die.”
A 1930s photo shows the Graham Western Riders, a family of trick riders from Kansas. Gene Graham, fouth from left, married Rudy Calzavara and they ran the Big Hat Rodeo. (Calzavara family photo)
Two hours from Chicago, the Ogle County Fairgrounds was supposed to host Big Hat Rodeo on July 31.
“(It’s) a big draw,” said Carol Magnuson, secretary of Ogle County Fair Board, as she stood among the flowering clover in the grandstand field. “It’s a big thing out here.”
But the fair was canceled this year, and with it, the rodeo. No fair queens will be crowned, no rib-eye burgers served. The 20,000 people that usually make their way through the entry gates of the small county fair will instead stay home.
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More than 70 Illinois county fairs have canceled or postponed this year, knowing that it would be nearly impossible to maintain social distancing standards in line for a Ferris wheel, in crowded bleachers or in a livestock barn.
That will be a loss to the state’s economy, and the towns that host county fairs.
Roughly $170 million in spending was tied to 104 Illinois county fairs during the summer of 2014, the most recent numbers available, according to a University of Illinois Extension study. About $91 million of that was spent inside the fair, on food, entry fees and more. The rest was spent on hotels, food outside the fair, transportation and lodging, among other things.
The study also found that without county fairs, Illinois would see a loss of about 1,000 local jobs a year.
Fair attendees often go on rides, see livestock and stroll the midway. But it’s the grandstand shows — the rodeos, demolition derbies and tractor pulls — that can be the biggest draw for fairs, the study found.
“People will travel for a good grandstand show,” said Jon Brodzik Jr., general manager of the Lake County Fairgrounds, which charges a $10 entry fee.
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Big Hat Rodeo was set for two Saturday performances at Lake County Fair, which was scheduled to take place July 29-Aug. 2. Typically, both shows easily fill the 5,000-person bleachers, Brodzik said.
People come from around Chicago and down from Wisconsin to watch. About 120 cowboys and cowgirls from around the country compete.
Calzavara said she has worried about the fairs, along with the people she works with to put on rodeo. She wonders if they’ll have to find something else to do for a living, and what will happen if events can’t come back next year.
“We get so much news on how huge it (the pandemic) is worldwide and countrywide, that we forget how big a difference it is for one business, one family, one person, one company or a fair,” she said. “I could never have even had a nightmare like this.”
amarotti@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @AllyMarotti
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chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Mayor Lori Lightfoot, city officials threaten to shut down bars that don’t follow social distancing

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, city officials threaten to shut down bars that don’t follow social distancing guidelines

“ Obviously the mayor has been very careful about reopening because of the virus and we don ’ t want @ @ @ @ @ ’ s in everyone ’ s best interests to follow the rules , ” Martino @ @ @ @ @ bad operators can set us back .
We ’ re hoping to make the mayor @ @ @ @ @

The city of Chicago will shut down bars that aren’t following social distancing guidelines and increase patrols in “problem areas,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other officials told liquor license holders on a conference call ahead of the Fourth of July weekend.
“If you squander this opportunity we will shut you down and you will not reopen anytime soon,” Lightfoot said on the call, according to two sources.
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[ Para leer en Español, haga click aquí ]
A city Business Affairs and Consumer Protection spokesman later identified the “problem areas’ as entertainment districts neighborhoods including Wrigleyville, River North, the West Loop and Wicker Park.
Maureen Martino, executive director of the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce, said the message from the mayor was clear and stern.
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“Obviously the mayor has been very careful about reopening because of the virus and we don’t want to go backward. It’s in everyone’s best interests to follow the rules,” Martino said. “A couple bad operators can set us back. We’re hoping to make the mayor proud this weekend.”
At an unrelated news conference Thursday, Lightfoot acknowledged warning bar owners that the city won’t allow people to congregate in large numbers and would shut down those who don’t keep it under control.
On the call, Lightfoot said she told bar owners, “This is a make or break weekend for you. Your financial fate is in your hands. Follow the rules or you’re going to suffer the consequences.”
“I don’t want to have to shut you down but if you make me, we will,” Lightfoot said.
“We simply cannot have any large gatherings like we saw last weekend in our bars and restaurants,” she said.
On the call, the city said that the Chicago Police Department and Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Department would be proactively canvassing “problems areas,” with potential for immediate closure orders and citations of up to $10,000 each on bar owners that aren’t following rules.
A PowerPoint slide with that message said: “The time for education is over.”
Although Lightfoot has been a strong advocate for reopening Chicago restaurants, publicly lobbying Gov. J.B. Pritzker to allow indoor dining long before he finally made the decision, she’s taken a harder stance on bars.
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The city was slow to allow bars to reopen, citing concerns about people losing their inhibitions while drinking.
Martino said it would be helpful to have more enforcement support to prevent people from hanging out around popular bars. The business community can only do so much to prevent that, she said.
“You’re in this quandary where, OK, the city’s telling us you can’t be congregating but the law says you have the right to stand there,” Martino said. “We could use a little help in moving people along a little bit that just come to hang.”
This is a developing story.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Watch live: Mayor Lightfoot discusses public safety efforts ahead of the Fourth of July weekend

Mayor Lightfoot will join City departments , agencies and street outreach partners to announce public safety efforts ahead of the @ @ @ @ @ a briefing scheduled for 1 p.m. CDT .

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chicagotribune--2020-07-02--New face masks made to battle the summer ‘sweat factor,’ but do they work? Here’s what you need to k

New face masks made to battle the summer ‘sweat factor,’ but do they work? Here’s what you need to know.

That means you ’ re less likely to end up with a soggy layer of cotton over your mouth , @ @ @ @ @ mask probably isn ’ t doing as good a job of containing respiratory droplets that @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 , said Janse van Rensburg , who wrote about the use of masks during @ @ @ @ @ of Sports Medicine ’ s blog in June .

Francisco Medina monitors a laser cutter making marching band uniform jackets May 20, 2021, at R&S Marching Arts in Chicago. The company pivoted early in the pandemic to 100% mask production and is best known as the maker of the Chicago flag mask worn by Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Now it's back to making marching band uniforms and flags. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
As a pastry chef who spends her workdays in a surgical-style mask next to hot ovens, Leigh Omilinsky is no stranger to the face mask “sweat factor.”
So she has little patience for those griping about muggy mouths now that Chicago’s weather has turned steamy.
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“This has to be more comfortable than a ventilator,” said Omilinsky, 35, of Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood.
When health officials began recommending people wear masks in public places to slow the spread of COVID-19, they turned to whatever was available, be it a hand-sewn fabric mask, cut up T-shirt or winter balaclava. Now they’re often required, in places where social distancing is a challenge. As Illinoisans cautiously return to more activities put on hold during the pandemic, some are looking for masks that are tolerable for more than a quick grocery run.
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Big brands like Under Armour, New Balance and Uniqlo have announced designs using breathable fabrics, and Chicago mask-makers are experimenting with new styles as well.
There’s no magic bullet. Things that make a mask effective at containing droplets that can spread the virus causing COVID-19, like multiple layers of tightly woven fabrics, also tend to make them steamy on hot, humid days. Still, a mask that’s comfortable enough to keep on your face is more effective than one that spends most of its time dangling under your chin, experts said.
“That’s the Catch-22,” said Alan Spaeth, co-founder of Chicago-based PrideMasks. “You make it lighter and more breathable, and it’s not doing its job, which is keeping your particulates close to your face.”
PrideMasks co-founders Alan Spaeth, left, and Steve Ryan, right, with Alan's spouse, Eddie Spaeth, are seen at the custom-designed face mask company's manufacturing space in the Belmont Gardens neighborhood of Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
PrideMasks sewing machine operator Araceli Gomez assembles custom-designed face masks July 1, 2020, at the company's manufacturing space in the Belmont Gardens neighborhood of Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Kourtney Vahle, 45, of Logan Square, wears a thick mask with a filter at the grocery store but chose a lighter, more comfortable version on a recent walk with her daughter in Lincoln Park. She’s been trying out options from different brands, trying to find ones that work for her kids before they go back to school classrooms.
Federal and local health officials recommend wearing masks in public places, especially when social distancing can be difficult. Many retailers require them, and some apparel chains have even started selling them.
The Illinois Department of Public Health advises using a cloth face covering but doesn’t specify the type of material. It recommends the mask be breathable while covering the wearer’s nose and mouth, fit snugly and comfortably against the side of the wearer’s face and have multiple layers of fabric.
PrideMasks opted for a two-layer design with an inner layer of cotton and an outer layer of athletic microfiber fabric to help control moisture, Spaeth said. PrideMasks also started selling neck gaiters, and both styles offer sun protection.
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Mr. Pink’s, a mask-making offshoot of Chicago-based Bangtel, which rents properties in Chicago and New York for vacations and bachelorette parties, originally designed a mask with three layers of fabric and a pocket for a filter. It’s still the most popular, but Mr. Pink’s is constantly experimenting, said owner and founder Liz Klafeta.
There’s also a two-layer option for people worried about overheating. Another has a stiff outer layer that stands away from the wearer’s face, keeping fabric off their mouth. Customers can choose between masks that loop around their ears or tie behind the head. Some styles also offer a choice between an all-cotton mask or one with an inner flannel layer that’s softer against the skin.
Soon Mr. Pink’s will carry a see-through mask with a clear vinyl window along with a line of bachelorette and wedding-themed masks.
“We’ll do it for as long as people need it or are requesting them,” Klafeta said. “It feels good to be doing something a little different that can bring a smile to people’s faces.”
Companies also are adding sizes. Chicago-based menswear maker The Tie Bar, which makes a two-layer, all-cotton mask with room for a filter, added kids’ sizes and an extra-large size after hearing from men who grew “big COVID beards,” said CEO Allyson Lewis.
Masks for exercise
Finding masks breathable enough to wear while working out can be more of a challenge. Chicago requires people wear masks while exercising at indoor gyms. Even for those running outdoors, keeping faces covered on sidewalks and trails where people could encounter others is smart as a safety measure and show of respect, said Chicago Area Runners Association Executive Director Greg Hipp.
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Many runners use neck gaiters that can be worn around the neck for easier breathing when a runner is alone, or pulled up over the mouth and nose when others are near, Hipp said.
Under Armour said its “Sportsmask,” designed for athletes, sold out within an hour when it was introduced in June. The mask has structured fabric designed to sit off the wearer’s mouth and nose for better airflow. There are three layers; the one that sits closest to the skin has an anti-microbial treatment and is designed to feel cool.
The company worked with health experts when designing a mask for workers in hospitals near its Maryland headquarters, and used what it learned to make the Sportsmask, according to Kyle Blakely, Under Armour’s vice president of materials innovation.
Another athletic brand, New Balance, has said it plans to sell an “athletics-ready face mask” in the coming weeks.
Some masks designed for exercise are already on the market. At specialty running store Dick Pond Athletics, a “performance mask” made by Zensah sold out as soon as shipments arrived, said Caroline Clayton, assistant manager of the St. Charles store.
After the pandemic hit, Florida-based Zensah used the same fabric that goes into its other athletic apparel to make face masks. It’s designed to be antibacterial and wick moisture away from the skin, said CEO Ze’ev Feig.
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The company is working on a second version with loops worn behind the ears instead of around the back of the head. The behind-the-head design was meant to keep the mask from tugging on the wearer’s ears, but women who wear their hair down tend to prefer ear loops, Feig said. Zensah is also working on a lighter, cooler-feeling version of its neck gaiter, originally designed to be worn for warmth in winter.
Higher-tech masks can come with a higher price tag. Under Armour’s Sportsmask is $30 — the same price The Tie Bar charges for a pack of five. Masks from Zensah and PrideMasks cost $18 and $15, respectively. Gap sells three-packs for $15.
Custom-designed face masks are stacked on a table at PrideMasks, July 1, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
While any mask is better than no mask, some do the job better than others.
Multiple layers more effective
Two separate studies on the effectiveness of homemade masks at the University of Illinois and Wake Forest Baptist Health found multiple layers are better than one, as are heavier fabrics.
At the University of Illinois, researchers filled an inhaler with distilled water mixed with tiny particles and compared how effectively common household fabrics blocked droplets puffed by the inhaler.
A mask made from a single layer of cotton T-shirt material caught about 40% of the droplets, but two layers blocked about 98%. That’s comparable to a surgical mask but significantly more breathable, said Taher Saif, professor of mechanical science and engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Other fabrics tested, including silk, polyester and a dish towel, were “all pretty good,” meaning consumers shouldn’t feel they need to buy an expensive version, he said.
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Dr. Scott Segal, who led the mask research at Wake Forest Baptist, recommended two layers of high-quality, heavyweight cotton. Even a lighter cotton, paired with an inner flannel layer, was very effective.
Masks with a single layer of fabric or two layers of lower-quality, lightweight cotton performed worse.
If someone isn’t sure whether a fabric will make a good filter, hold it up to the light, said Segal, Wake Forest Baptist’s chair of anesthesiology. If the light highlights individual fibers, it’s likely a looser weave and may not be as effective.
A mask also needs to be breathable, and not just because it’s more comfortable. If the fabric is too good at blocking air, respiratory droplets might escape out the sides of the mask when the wearer exhales, according to the researchers. Ensuring a good fit around the sides of the face helps too, Segal said.
Still, experts said it’s OK to aim for a balance between good protection and something that’s tolerable to wear as designed.
“If you’re wearing a mask with added layers of filtration but keep touching it or dropping it to your chin for a breath of fresh air, you’re better off opting for a more breathable choice,” Christa Janse van Rensburg, professor of sports medicine at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, said in an email.
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Several brands say they use moisture-wicking materials, which should be more comfortable in hot weather since they are designed to move liquid, like sweat, away from your skin to the side of the fabric exposed to the air, where it can dry.
That means you’re less likely to end up with a soggy layer of cotton over your mouth, though it also means the mask probably isn’t doing as good a job of containing respiratory droplets that could transmit the virus causing COVID-19, said Janse van Rensburg, who wrote about the use of masks during exercise for the British Journal of Sports Medicine’s blog in June.
If all else fails, pack spares. A wet, sweaty mask will be less comfortable and could irritate the skin, Janse van Rensburg said.
Segal had another option: Focus on social distancing.
“Maybe don’t go out unless you have to, and then you don’t need a mask.”
lzumbach@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Wealthy family's hedges removed from park land

While it might be true that summer ’ s main attraction is a perfectly grilled steak or an unbeatable burger @ @ @ @ @ time to shine .
Say hello to some fun starters — these salsa and dip @ @ @ @ @ and are sure to wow the family .

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 9 Workers Luis Martinez, left, and Max Garcia remove hedges on July 2, 2020 in the 3000 block of north Lake Shore Drive West that was blocking the perimeter of park district land. From the street the hedges made it seem the land had been the the home's yard. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The politically-connected owner of a Lakeview mansion abruptly removed hedges planted on public park land in front of the home after news organizations revealed the hedges made it appear that the public land was the home's yard.