chicagotribune--2020-07-10--A Quiet Rooms follow-up: ‘I can’t breathe’ and the misuse of physical restraint in Illinois schools

He tried to run from his classroom , but employees caught up with him and called for help to hold @ @ @ @ @ to walk him to a seclusion room , he “ resisted , ” employees wrote @ @ @ @ @ so they physically restrained him while sitting and then turned him onto his belly .
@ @ @ @ @ 20 minutes even as he said , “ I can ’ t breathe.
” The @ @ @ @ @ breathe through his nose.
” He kept struggling and said , “ I want my @ @ @ @ @

This still image from a surveillance camera video at Lakeside Academy and released by the law firm representing the victim's family Fieger, Fieger, Kenney & Harrington, PC, shows Lakeside Academy staff members retraining Cornelius Fredericks, 16, after he was thrown to the floor on April 29, 2020, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. (Lakeside Academy / Fieger, Fieger, Kenney & Harrington, Pc)
This is a collaboration between the Tribune and ProPublica Illinois.
A 16-year-old boy in Kalamazoo, Michigan, died this spring after workers pinned him to the floor at the residential facility where he lived — after he’d thrown a sandwich at lunch. While held on the ground, he told them: “I can’t breathe.”
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At least 70 people have died in law enforcement custody in the last decade after saying the words “I can’t breathe,” a recent New York Times investigation found. But just as adults have died after being restrained, so have children.
And though we encountered no fatalities, we also repeatedly saw those words among the 50,000 pages of school incident reports on restraint and seclusion that we reviewed for ”The Quiet Rooms” investigation, published last year. School workers documented they had restrained a child in a facedown, or prone, position and the student pleaded to be let up, saying he or she couldn’t breathe.
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The scenarios were similar to the Kalamazoo case, where video released this week shows Cornelius Fredericks was restrained in the cafeteria at Lakeside Academy for about 20 minutes as school workers held down his arms and legs and sat on top of his chest and abdomen.
Cornelius Frederick. (Courtesy Marko Law / TNS)
“I can’t breathe,” he told the employees who held him down, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of his estate. An autopsy found he died of asphyxia, and three employees were charged with manslaughter and child abuse in his death. They’ve said publicly that they were following the facility’s protocols.
Sequel Youth & Family Services, which operates the for-profit facility, has said that the workers did not follow policy and that restraint is to be used only in an emergency.
Fredericks died May 1, less than a month before the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was held facedown in the street as a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck. He died struggling to tell the officers that he couldn’t breathe. Transcripts of Minneapolis police body camera footage, made public this week, revealed that Floyd said “I can’t breathe” more than 20 times.
“The Quiet Rooms” investigation, published by the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois, found that in 100 public school districts, children were physically restrained more than 15,000 times between August 2017 and December 2018.
School employees often took detailed notes on these incidents; they wrote down that students said “I can’t breathe” while being restrained at least 30 times over the time period we investigated, according to our analysis of the records. It likely happened more often than that, as we didn’t track every incident in which it was noted that students had trouble breathing.
We found that in about 1,800 of the restraint incidents we logged, school workers used facedown restraints, which at least 31 other states have banned at schools.
During prone restraints, school workers perform a “takedown” to force students to the ground and hold them at their arms, legs and hips. School employees learn the technique in training sessions; some behavior-management companies offer training to law-enforcement agencies as well. They typically make clear that restraints can be dangerous and shouldn’t be performed when staff members are angry or if there’s no emergency.
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Here are three of the more than two dozen instances we found where Illinois children told the school workers restraining them that they couldn’t breathe:
“Stop, I can’t breathe” — March 2, 2018
Records from workers at the A.E.R.O. special education cooperative in Burbank don’t explain why a boy’s lunchtime with other students was taken away, just that he was punished with “an academic lunch.” He began to “thrash about his desk,” school workers wrote in an incident report, so other employees were called to take him to seclusion.
When he refused to walk to the seclusion room and tried to pull away, workers initially restrained him in a seated position. When he tried to head-butt them, they moved him onto his stomach and restrained him facedown.
He yelled at them: “I hate you.”
“Stop! My back.”
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“Stop, I can’t breathe.”
The employees noted the prone restraint lasted for seven minutes and that the boy had a nosebleed.
James Gunnell, executive director of A.E.R.O, declined to comment.
“Oh my God, I can’t breathe.” — Aug. 30, 2018
At the Southwest Cook County Cooperative for Special Education in Oak Forest in August 2018, a boy who refused to finish his classwork and kept repeating “I want to die” was sent to a seclusion room.
He tried to get out of the padded room by throwing himself against the door. Workers then restrained him because he did not “get his body under control,” according to the incident records.
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“Oh my God, I can’t breathe, ow. God, I swear to God you broke my right arm,” school employees recorded him saying.
The school has since stopped using prone restraint, the executive director, Gineen O’Neil, said.
“I can’t breathe” — Sept. 7, 2018
During a group session at A.E.R.O., a boy used “inappropriate language.” School workers told him repeatedly to stop, but he didn’t. Instead, he asked if he could use the computer and was told no as punishment for his “misuse of language.”
He tried to run from his classroom, but employees caught up with him and called for help to hold him. When they began to walk him to a seclusion room, he “resisted,” employees wrote in an incident report, so they physically restrained him while sitting and then turned him onto his belly. They held him there for 20 minutes even as he said, “I can’t breathe.” The workers told him “to breathe through his nose.” He kept struggling and said, “I want my mom, please.”
There was no detail in those three incidents to indicate that students were seriously injured.
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About two dozen of the 100 districts we examined used prone restraint. In Illinois, prone restraint will be legal in public and private schools for at least another year.
Kyle Hillman, a Chicago-based legislative affairs director with the National Association of Social Workers who has spoken out against school seclusion and restraint, tweeted this recently in response to Fredericks’ death and Illinois’ continued use of prone restraint:
“It is not if but when the next child in Illinois will die because we aren’t acting to protect them.”
State schools Superintendent Carmen Ayala said last year that she was “taken aback” to learn the extent that schools were using prone restraint, but her administration ultimately allowed it for the upcoming year under pressure from some schools that rely on it. An Illinois State Board of Education spokeswoman has said the agency would like to see the practice banned.
Illinois lawmakers have vowed to vote this fall on legislation proposing a ban. Disability advocates say the discussion has taken on greater urgency with the deaths of Fredericks and Floyd — and their cries of “I can’t breathe.”
Tribune reporter Jennifer Smith Richards and ProPublica Illinois reporter Jodi S. Cohen wrote this for a ProPublica Illinois newsletter as a follow-up to their collaboration on “The Quiet Rooms.”
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jrichards@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-10--Faces of young Chicago gun violence victims shown on White House news briefing screen as press secre

Faces of young Chicago gun violence victims shown on White House news briefing screen as press secretary advocates ‘law and order,’ police support

“ As our police officers , street outreach workers and residents continue to work tirelessly to keep our communities safe @ @ @ @ @ the victims of gun violence in our city to score cheap political points , spew @ @ @ @ @ the impact of COVID across this country , ” Lightfoot said in a statement at @ @ @ @ @ is despicable , disgusting and all too typical .
Same old tired playbook .
How @ @ @ @ @ in the divide and conquer tactics ?
”

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany ended her news briefing Thursday with a call for “law and order” and police support while invoking the names and faces of six young children killed by Chicago gun violence.
“President (Donald) Trump has taken action calling strongly for law and order and peace in our streets, and he has set the tone at the top for mayors and governors,” McEnany said before reading out the names of eight young gun violence victims, six of whom died in Chicago this summer.
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The faces of Natalia Wallace, 7, Mekhi James, 3, Vernado Jones Jr., 14, Sincere Gaston, 20 months, Lena Marie Nunez, 10, and Amaria Jones, 13, were cast on the screen as McEnany spoke about keeping the children “close to our hearts.” She misstated Mekhi’s age as 10.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office did not immediately return a request for comment, but the Democrat has repeatedly shot back at Trump for using Chicago’s violence issue to attack the city and cater to his base.
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McEnany began her remarks closing the briefing by noting the “growing criticism of America’s police” and pointing out a Rasmussen poll conducted last month found 64% of Americans are concerned about such rhetoric. She also highlighted that the poll says 67% of Black Americans are worried about public safety where they live.
McEnany said Trump’s June executive order to encourage better policing already has “enhanced” law enforcement, although Democrats have dismissed it as not far-reaching enough to solve systemic issues in police departments.
She also mentioned the Operation LeGend initiative under Attorney General William Barr and said it will ramp up federal law enforcement forces beginning in Kansas City, Missouri. Named after 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was killed in a shooting while asleep in Kansas City, the plan announced Wednesday will direct federal agents from the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives into the city.
“And as we head into the weekend, this is our last press briefing of the week, and so I just wanted to make a plea for peace in our streets because far too many children have been lost,” McEnany said. “It’s important to know their names. It’s important to see their faces.”
Two weeks ago, Lightfoot joined Gov. J.B. Pritzker in trading barbs with the president after he wrote a letter insulting the two over “lack of leadership” regarding the “tragic and unacceptable” gun violence in the city.
Lightfoot retorted that night that Trump was trying to “score cheap political points.”
“As our police officers, street outreach workers and residents continue to work tirelessly to keep our communities safe, he’s using the victims of gun violence in our city to score cheap political points, spew racist rhetoric, and ignore the impact of COVID across this country,” Lightfoot said in a statement at the time. “It is despicable, disgusting and all too typical. Same old tired playbook. How about some leadership not steeped in the divide and conquer tactics?”
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-10--2 Joliet sergeants placed on administrative duty amid controversy following drug arrest of man who l

2 Joliet sergeants placed on administrative duty amid controversy following drug arrest of man who later died

Esqueda , a field training supervisor , has come under criticism by police brass for what Roechner described as unauthorized @ @ @ @ @ the arrest .
Esqueda , who has been described as a “ whistleblower ” by @ @ @ @ @ Dekirk , has spoken to other local media about the video and questioned some of @ @ @ @ @ the video .
In his statement , Roechner said that when he learned of Esqueda @ @ @ @ @ video in June , he launched a criminal investigation into Esqueda ’ s actions .

Two veteran Joliet police sergeants have been placed on administrative duty following the release of a video showing the arrest in January of a Joliet man who later died.
Sgts. Javier Esqueda and Doug May were placed on administrative duty pending an investigation, Joliet police Chief Al Roechner said in a written statement. Esqueda “gained unauthorized access” to a dashcam video of the arrest of Eric Lurry, Roechner said. The video was shared outside the Police Department. May was involved in the arrest of Lurry, police officials said.
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Neither May nor Esqueda, who each have more than 20 years of police service, could be reached for comment Thursday.
The arrest of Lurry, 37, has sparked criticism and calls from members of his family for criminal charges against the officers involved in his arrest. Lurry was arrested on Jan. 28 in connection with a drug investigation. He died 11 hours after his arrest.
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The Will County coroner’s office said Lurry’s death was caused by an accidental drug overdose. The coroner’s office and the Will County state’s attorney’s office said the arresting officers were not at fault for Lurry’s death.
Dashcam video appears to show Lurry chewing something as he is transported to the Joliet police station. The video also shows an officer identified by police officials as May slapping Lurry, an act officials said may have been done to rouse Lurry, and referring to Lurry in a profane manner.
May also is seen holding Lurry’s nostrils, an act officials say may have been done to prevent Lurry from swallowing drugs, as another officer puts a collapsible baton into Lurry’s mouth, which officials said was done to retrieve plastic bags that contained drugs and to prevent the officer from being bitten.
Esqueda, a field training supervisor, has come under criticism by police brass for what Roechner described as unauthorized access of dashcam video of the arrest. Esqueda, who has been described as a “whistleblower” by Joliet Mayor Robert O’Dekirk, has spoken to other local media about the video and questioned some of the police tactics used in the video. In his statement, Roechner said that when he learned of Esqueda’s access of the video in June, he launched a criminal investigation into Esqueda’s actions.
While City Council members were made aware of the incident in January, O’Dekirk in recent days has questioned why council members were never made aware of the video. Police officials have defended the action, noting they followed protocol and turned over all evidence in the arrest and death to the Will/Grundy Major Crimes Task Force for a criminal investigation and were awaiting those findings before launching an internal affairs investigation to determine if any department policies were violated.
O’Dekirk and three council members recently signed a letter requesting the Illinois attorney general’s office investigate the incident.
“We are concerned with the manner in which this incident has been handled,” they stated.
A spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office confirmed receipt of the letter Thursday but could not say if the office would investigate.
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Meanwhile, interim City Manager Steve Jones on Tuesday tendered his resignation. In his letter, he pointed to the “increasing problematic ethical environment that exists in the current administration.”
Jones pointed to several incidents that have pitted the mayor and some City Council members against police officials.
“When political turmoil and false narratives supersede the goals and objectives of running a city, there are no winners,” he wrote to the City Council.
O’Dekirk declined to comment specifically on Jones’ letter, only noting that council members have been discussing the need to hire a permanent city manager. The city has been without a permanent city manger since late in 2018, when David Hales resigned after less than a year on the job.
Since 2014, the city has had four people serve as city manager — two on a permanent basis and two on an interim basis.
Alicia Fabbre is a freelance reporter.


chicagotribune--2020-07-11--Chicago man recently granted visitation accused of fatally beating his 23-month-old after he broke a

Chicago man recently granted visitation accused of fatally beating his 23-month-old after he broke a fan: prosecutors

After firefighters arrived on the scene , in the 4200 block of South Calumet Avenue , Robinson told a lieutenant @ @ @ @ @ facial bruises that had not been there the night before , had been playing with @ @ @ @ @ told him to stop , he didn ’ t and so he picked up a @ @ @ @ @ 2-year-old , hitting him ” too hard , ‘ ' prosecutors said .

A judge denied bail Friday for a 23-year-old man who told officials he hit his 23-month-old son “too hard’' after the boy broke a fan in the Bronzeville neighborhood earlier this week, prosecutors said.
Michael Robinsonwas charged with first-degree murder in the death Antwun Gayden, according to police.
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About 2 a.m. Tuesday, Robinson, who had recently been granted visitation to see his son, was alone in a bedroom with him and when he emerged upset, he told his foster mother that the child had broken a fan, and the baby “needs a fan,‘' prosecutors said during Robinson’s bail hearing Friday that was broadcast live on YouTube.
The next day around noon, Robinson noticed the child was not breathing and brought him into the foster mother’s room. She began performing CPR on Antwun, and when that did not work, prosecutors said, she placed her own mask that she uses at night for breathing, over the child’s face.
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After firefighters arrived on the scene, in the 4200 block of South Calumet Avenue, Robinson told a lieutenant that Antwun, who had facial bruises that had not been there the night before, had been playing with a fan and when he told him to stop, he didn’t and so he picked up a belt and began beating the 2-year-old, hitting him ”too hard,‘' prosecutors said.
Robinson said he put the child to sleep and when he tried to wake him the next morning, Antwun was unconscious. Robinson and the foster mother told responding firefighters and paramedics the child had been unconscious for 20 minutes before they arrived.
After police got there and Robinson told officers he spanked the child and then put him to sleep, officers placed him into custody, according to prosecutors.
Antwun, who officials said suffered bruises all over his body and bleeding to his brain caused by recent blunt force trauma, was pronounced dead at Comer Children’s Hospital at 12:41 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
According to prosecutors, the medical examiner’s office found Antwun’s bruises “appeared to be fresh'' and he also suffered a “curved bruise pattern consistent with being struck with a belt or stick or rod.‘' There were also several bruises on his head, including one the size of a golf ball.
The Wednesday autopsy determined he died of multiple injuries from child abuse, according to the medical examiner’s office, which ruled his death a homicide.
Robinson and Antwun’s mother are no longer together and live separately, prosecutors said. Robinson had “only recently, within weeks,‘' begun to have visitation with his son.
In Robinson’s bedroom, police recovered a belt, electrical cords, the broken fan and a pen, which appeared burned at the end in a circular shape, according to police, as well as a bloody diaper, prosecutors said.
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Robinson’s next court appearance was set for July 28.
ssherry@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-10--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,317 new known COVID-19 infections reported as state’s daily case

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,317 new known COVID-19 infections reported as state’s daily case count tops 1K for second day in a row

With the motto “ Always ready , always there , ” members of the Guard are used to being called @ @ @ @ @ home or overseas .
But never in its history has it been put to the @ @ @ @ @ , Neely said , as members responded to the high-risk coronavirus pandemic and walked a @ @ @ @ @ protests without overstepping their role .

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
The Fulton Market area of Chicago is no longer the ghost town it was during the depths of the COVID-19 virus pandemic shutdown. As restrictions on restaurants are eased, a worker takes a woman's temperature before she can enter Federales restaurant on Morgan Street on July 1, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois announced 1,317 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, the second day in a row with more than 1,000 casts. The tally brought the total number of confirmed cases in Illinois to 151,767.
Officials also reported 25 additional fatalities, bringing the death toll since the start of the pandemic to 7,144.
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Earlier Friday, Chicago said it was tightening hours for any establishments that serve alcohol, requiring them to close at midnight to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, as officials announced 17 businesses have been cited for violating restrictions since June 3.
The city has restricted alcohol sales in restaurants and bars, requiring them to stop serving at 11 p.m., with stores that sell alcohol for offsite consumption required to end sales at 9 p.m.
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[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
[ Illinois is in phase 4 of its reopening plan. Here’s a guide to what’s allowed. ]
[ How to assess your COVID-19 risk when going out in public: Use this chart ]
[ Remembering the lives of those in Illinois who died from coronavirus ]
Here’s what’s happening Friday regarding COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
6:32 p.m.: Naperville Park Board spent $25K on lawsuit against Pritzker to reopen park facilities only to drop the case a month later
The Naperville Park District spent at least $24,499 to sue Gov. J.B. Pritzker in May for authority to reopen park facilities and restart programs on its own schedule, rather than the state’s, amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The lawsuit filed May 19 sought an emergency judicial ruling that would have given the park district board permission to override the governor on the park district reopening decisions rather than abide by the plan put in place by Pritzker to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Commissioners in May voted 4-3 to proceed with the legal action despite receiving dozens of emails from residents urging them not to, according to documents obtained by the Naperville Sun through a public records request.
Board members who favored the lawsuit argued Naperville should not be part of the phased-in reopening that included Chicago and Cook County and that local officials, not the governor, were in a better position to determine when things could safely resume.
After losing the first round in court and with some park facilities being reopened under the governor’s plan, the board voted 4-3 a month later to drop the lawsuit.
Read more here. —Erin Hegarty
6:10 p.m.: COVID-19 pandemic hits Chicago media hard. ‘There’s never been a more challenging time for newsrooms.’
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on Chicago media.
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From furloughs and layoffs to ceasing operations, economic fallout from COVID-19 has idled hundreds of local journalists, just as more people turn to local TV, radio and newspapers for information about the pandemic.
It also has accelerated financial pressures, forcing Chicago media organizations to find alternative funding sources, refocus their missions and rethink their business models.
“There’s never been a more important time for newsrooms and there’s never been a more challenging time for newsrooms,” said Steve Edwards, 49, chief content officer and interim CEO at Chicago public radio station WBEZ.
Keeping reporters on the streets and the public informed through the health crisis has been job one. Media employees were deemed essential workers by Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home executive order in March, and that has proved out during the pandemic.
Local news outlets are a major source of COVID-19 news for 46% of the public, according to a Pew Research study published in April. That boosted audiences, but with many retail businesses shut down, advertising revenue did not follow.
Read more here. —Robert Channick
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5:13 p.m.: Inundated with unemployment claims, Illinois agency implements callback system to reduce time on hold
The agency charged with handling Illinois unemployment claims this week implemented a new callback system that’s aimed at eliminating with lengthy wait times or the need to call back multiple times to get through.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security, which has struggled to handle a crushing demand for unemployment benefits amid the coronavirus pandemic, on Thursday implemented a system that allows claimants to call to speak with an agent, then places them in a queue to receive a callback when one is available, rather than waiting on hold.
“In addition to doing everything we can to update and improve the process for filing claims, this is a much more equitable way of handling those calls and ensuring people get a call back,” agency spokeswoman Rebecca Cisco said. “The system before was, for lack of a better term, sort of like a lottery, and the queues fill up very quickly.”
Cisco said there was a day earlier this week when 10 minutes after call-in hours began, there were roughly 2,000 in the telephone queue, waiting for their call to be answered.
Read more here. —Jamie Munks
5 p.m.: COVID-19 deaths still falling at Illinois nursing homes, but outbreaks active at 528 facilities
Deaths tied to COVID-19 at long-term care facilities in Illinois continued to drop sharply, according to new state data, and the number of outbreaks lessened as well.
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Friday’s data release links 42 deaths of residents and employees to the new coronavirus in the past week. That’s less than a tenth of the weekly tally at the pandemic’s height nine weeks ago.
The data shows a much smaller drop in the number of facilities considered to have an active outbreak, which is defined as any positive test in the past 28 days.
This week, the state tallied an active outbreak at 528 facilities in 49 counties. That list includes some new facilities, but most were already on the list. Still, six fewer facilities had active outbreaks than last week.
A total of 104 facilities had outbreaks in the past that are now over, according to the state. That number grew this week by 24 facilities.
Health experts caution that death figures are a lagging indicator of infection, because it takes time for an infected person to become sick enough to lose the battle after days or weeks of hospitalization. Trends seen now originated in infections that occurred weeks ago and don’t necessarily indicate how well the virus is being contained today.
The drop in deaths at nursing homes comes amid new fears of a resurgence, as case figures creep up in Illinois and skyrocket in some other states. Advocates for seniors and industry officials have cautioned throughout the pandemic about shortages in staff and gear at nursing homes, as well as the lack of quick, consistent and widespread testing — problems they say have yet to be solved.
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—Joe Mahr
3:36 p.m.: Chicago Catholic parishes got as much as $63 million in federal PPP coronavirus money
Roman Catholic parishes and organizations in the Archdiocese of Chicago received between $24.4 million and $63.6 million in loans through the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program that was designed to save jobs amid the economic shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to federal records.
The money was mostly applied for by individual parishes, so archdiocese officials said they did not immediately know the total of money received here.
The Archdiocese of Chicago itself did not apply for funds because it is a large employer with thousands of employees, many more than the threshold of 500 staff laid out by the PPP program, spokeswoman Paula Waters said.
Since the federal data on who received PPP money was released this week, public scrutiny has mounted on some deep-pocketed corporate interests that received millions from the forgivable loan program.
The Associated Press found that the U.S. Roman Catholic Church used a special and unprecedented exemption from federal rules to amass at least $1.4 billion in taxpayer-backed coronavirus aid, with many millions going to dioceses that have paid huge settlements or sought bankruptcy protection because of clergy sexual abuse cover-ups.
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Some large and relatively prosperous parishes — such as Saints Faith, Hope & Charity in Winnetka and St. Benedict’s on the North Side — received larger loans because the formula for applying was driven by payroll and utility cost size, Waters said.
“Here’s what they applied for: 2½ times your monthly payroll and a set formula for utilities,” she said. “So, some big parishes got a lot of money.”
Read more here. —David Heinzmann
2:35 p.m.: For second day in a row, Illinois’ daily coronavirus counts tops 1,000
For the second day in a row on Friday, Illinois’ reported tally of newly confirmed coronavirus cases climbed back into four-digit territory. State officials on Friday announced 1,317 new known cases, and 25 deaths, raising the statewide death toll to 7,144 since the pandemic began.
The statewide known case count now stands at 151,767.
The daily confirmed statewide coronavirus new case numbers reached over 1,000 on Thursday for the first time since June 5. State officials reported 1,018 new known COVID-19 cases Thursday, following 980 new cases on Wednesday.
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That followed 587 newly confirmed cases on Wednesday, 614 on Tuesday and 639 on Monday. The four days prior to that, the daily new cases hovered between 800 and 900. Weekend day and early weekday numbers are sometimes lower, due to testing result lags over the weekend.
State officials have repeatedly said they’re much more focused on longer-term trends, as opposed to single-day data. The preliminary statewide seven-day positivity rate for cases now stands at 2.9%.
Illinois entered the fourth phase of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan on June 26, which allows for gatherings of up to 50 people, and allowed many businesses to reopen further than previous phases, with capacity limits and other precautions in place.
Pritzker has said if Illinois sees a backslide it could return to earlier and stricter phases of his reopening plan, but no plans to clamp back down with stricter rules have been announced.
Several states that reopened earlier, including Arizona and Texas, have seen sharp increases in their coronavirus metrics, forcing them to again impose stricter measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.
—Jamie Munks
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12:12 p.m.: Chicago Catholic schools to require masks, temperature checks when students return this fall
When more than 70,000 students who attend Roman Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago return to in-person classes this fall, they’ll be required to wear masks indoors and get temperature checks before entering their building each day, under plans announced Friday.
Students also must adhere to designated pick-up, drop-off and walking routes, and they will remain in assigned cohorts with the same classmates throughout the day, according to a news release. Catholic schools in the archdiocese, which covers Cook and Lake counties, possibly will have scattered start dates ranging from August through early September, a spokesman said.
Read more here. —Sydney Czyzon
12:01 p.m.: Glenview’s Flick Aquatic Center closes after 2 lifeguards test positive for COVID-19
Flick Outdoor Aquatic Center in Glenview shut down Thursday afternoon after two lifeguards were diagnosed with COVID-19.
The aquatic center, which opened less than two weeks ago, closed at 3 p.m. Thursday, Glenview Park District officials announced later that night. The center will remain closed Friday for deep cleaning and disinfecting. The closure may be extended if needed, according to officials.
The lifeguards who tested positive for the coronavirus worked in separate shifts, each working twice over the span of the last two weeks, officials said.
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Read more here. —Kaitlin Edquist
11:11 a.m.: PPP loans were meant to help small businesses save jobs amid the pandemic. So why does official data show thousands of recipients retained zero jobs?
When Quest Food Management Services was approved for a forgivable federal loan to help it preserve jobs during the pandemic, the Lombard-based company, which supplies meals to schools throughout the Chicago area, was so grateful that it issued a news release celebrating its ability to keep more than 830 people employed.
But data released this week by the Small Business Administration detailing who received loans from the Paycheck Protection Program did not tie any jobs to Quest’s $5.3 million loan. Like tens of thousands of other loan recipients listed in the official government data, the line item for retained jobs at Quest was listed as 0.
In fact, Quest’s loan was one of about 20 $5 to $10 million loans awarded to Illinois companies that listed zero jobs retained.
For a program meant to help small businesses preserve jobs amid government-mandated shutdowns and the general economic upheaval caused by COVID-19, those zeroes can look alarming. In many cases they are also wrong — raising questions about the reliability of the data showing how billions in taxpayer dollars are being used.
Read more here. —Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz
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7:15 a.m.: City tightens bar and restaurant regulations to help prevent COVID-19 spread
Chicago on Friday was tightening hours for any establishments that serve alcohol, requiring them to close at midnight to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, as officials announced 17 businesses have been cited for violating restrictions since June 3.
The city has restricted alcohol sales in restaurants and bars, requiring them to stop serving at 11 p.m., with stores that sell alcohol for offsite consumption required to end sales at 9 p.m.
“While the vast majority of establishments are following regulations and taking important preventative steps, this directive will minimize the spread of COVID-19 by preventing late-night congregating that could occur after the cutoff of alcohol sales,” according to a news release from the mayor’s office.
Restaurants that serve liquor can only do curbside pickup or delivery after midnight and those that don’t serve liquor aren’t held to the same restrictions.
The city also announced that since June 3, when restaurants could reopen for outdoor service, the city has issued 81 warnings and 17 citations to businesses, ordering the immediate closure of one business, after conducting 483 investigations following 1,112 complaints.
Fines for violating reopening regulations can be up to $10,000 and the immediate closing of a business.
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—Chicago Tribune staff
6 a.m.: City expands reopening of Riverwalk, restoring path to full, daylong use
Since it reopened in June, Chicago’s popular downtown Riverwalk has operated under rules that limited when and where people could use the path but let restaurants and bars expand their seating onto the public space.
While the arrangement helped the establishments recover from the economic hit they took after Mayor Lori Lightfoot closed the Riverwalk in March, public space advocates called it an unwarranted takeover that denied joggers, walkers and others full use of the path.
On Friday, however, Lightfoot’s administration was scheduled to restore the Riverwalk’s former hours — 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. — and reopen the path to the public during those hours.
Read more here. —Blair Kamin
5 a.m.: After historic responses to COVID-19 and civil unrest, Illinois National Guard winds down its deployment
The Illinois National Guard was already in the midst of an unprecedented mission, on the ground around the state administering thousands of COVID-19 tests, when there was another urgent call for help.
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Protests over the death of George Floyd had given way to looting, vandalism and violent clashes in parts of Chicago, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker called for the Guard to assist police in quelling the unrest. It was clear even more of their troops would need to be deployed.
“Those folks all packed their bags, put on their uniforms, laced their boots up really tight and were on the street within 10 to 12 hours,” Air Force Brig. Gen. Richard Neely said Thursday while reflecting on the Guard’s historic mission that is now winding down.
With the motto “Always ready, always there,” members of the Guard are used to being called up when disaster strikes at home or overseas. But never in its history has it been put to the test more than this year, Neely said, as members responded to the high-risk coronavirus pandemic and walked a fine line assisting police at protests without overstepping their role.
Read more here. —Christy Gutowski and Stacy St. Clair
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Here are four things that happened Thursday related to COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
The Chicago Public Schools announced student athletes can start summer workouts next week, but with COVID-19 precautions.
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Chicago’s task force on the city’s COVID-19 recovery recommended city government accelerate spending on the South and West sides to address inequities deepened by the coronavirus.
Chef Grant Achatz explained his thinking after a coronavirus-inspired dish at Alinea drew a backlash.
The Illinois Municipal League said a new state rule could deprive some municipalities of federal coronavirus aid.


chicagotribune--2020-07-10--Chicago police announce weekly community service for summer patrol unit, but one alderman calls it ‘

Chicago police announce weekly community service for summer patrol unit, but one alderman calls it ‘fluff’ without more engagement

“ I ’ m not sure how much trust it can bring , but what I am sure of is @ @ @ @ @ to bring more trust than what they have right now , ” Brooks told the @ @ @ @ @ of the new effort .
“ Right now there is absolutely no trust for police @ @ @ @ @ so engaging in the community , doing projects in the community , having conversations with @ @ @ @ @ that trust level .
”

Chicago police officers talk with residents as they take part in a new community policing initiative with the summer patrol unit in the 6600 block of South Evans Avenue on July 10, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago police Superintendent David Brown announced plans Friday for a new community policing initiative that would require the department’s summer patrol unit to engage in service projects every week across the city’s neighborhoods.
The plan is an attempt to build trust with residents and combat escalating violence, Brown said.
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“This builds trust, getting to know people before you take enforcement action builds trust,” he said during a news briefing in Woodlawn. “It gives officers a valuable perspective on what they are called upon to act.”
The initiative kicked off Friday with an Operation Clean mission in that neighborhood, during which police and other city departments joined residents to help clean up the area.
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At the event, Brown emphasized the summer patrol officers can be deployed anywhere in the city at a moment’s notice. The unit has been used in past years to address violence spikes.
“However, this is not a roving strike force,” Brown said. “These officers ... are here to supplement local efforts to keep people safe and save lives. ... This is just the start of a larger effort to build trust and relationships between police and Chicago residents.”
Colleen Fuller proudly displays a sign as Chicago police officers take part in Operation Clean in the 6600 block of South Evans Avenue on July 10, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Brown has said the department is planning a separate citywide team to suppress violence, a controversial idea that has come and gone in Chicago.
But Friday’s announcement could be a precursor. Details of the new permanent roving team are being finalized, but it would also have a community service aspect, Brown has said.
The move follows an especially bloody July Fourth weekend in Chicago, during which at least 17 were killed by gunfire. The Chicago-area homicide rate in 2020 has risen by about 39% compared with 2019, marking an uptick in violent crime that has seen frequent shooting deaths of children in recent weeks.
CPD will add 66 officers to the summer mobile patrol over the next two weeks. Projects planned include neighborhood peace marches, prayer circles, Operation Clean missions, food drives and COVID-19 resource distributions, Brown said.
“The idea here is simple: Whenever it looks good, the residents feel good about themselves and their neighborhoods,” he said. “And that makes a community safer.”
Jeanette Taylor, an alderman for Chicago’s 20th Ward, spoke at the event. But afterward she told the Tribune that CPD didn’t have any conversations with residents before launching the initiative, which she believes is a publicity stunt unless the police do more to help the community in other areas.
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“I’m not into stuff just to be doing it,” Taylor said. “I want us to have some thought-out, hard conversations that’s hard to have and then do the work. This has been going on for centuries, this is nothing new. So how do we have a thought-out process that includes the community and all the stakeholders and we decide what’s to be done?”
Taylor said she was only at the event to show up for her community, but police failed to engage Woodlawn residents since they didn’t do enough outreach before the event.
“We just need coordination,” Taylor said. “There’s no way you in Woodlawn and you don’t get the majority of Woodlawn to show up. But because you didn’t do a good job with outreach, that’s what you get, fluff. And that’s what it looks like to me: fluff.”
Corey Brooks, CEO of Project H.O.O.D., a nonprofit that works with CPD on violence prevention, said the new initiative is a step in the right direction but is only a starting point in restoring trust with communities.
The department is under a federal consent decree mandating reform. And as in other cities across the country, protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis gave way to looting and unrest here, further straining the department’s relationship with residents in some of the city’s struggling areas.
“I’m not sure how much trust it can bring, but what I am sure of is that it’s going to bring more trust than what they have right now,” Brooks told the Tribune after the Friday announcement of the new effort. “Right now there is absolutely no trust for police in the community, and so engaging in the community, doing projects in the community, having conversations with the community can only increase that trust level.”
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CPD launched the summer mobile unit in May to respond to sudden flare-ups in violence during warmer weather months. Capt. Michael Barz, who was put in charge of the unit and new community-based initiative, said the summer mobile unit consists of young officers embarking on their careers.
“We have focused our community-building in the same areas that we do our enforcement, and that’s primarily on the South and West sides of Chicago,” Barz said during the Woodlawn news briefing.
In response to a question about how the officers will suppress violence, Brown said CPD has experience and data on where violence was occurring over the last three weekends, which he asserted are likely gang conflicts around the drug trade.
“We will be aggressively enforcing the law as it relates to people (using) illegal guns, people doing violent crime,” Brown said. “But that is not the end-all be-all in reducing violence. That’s one part of what you see today — we want to be partners with this community, and we want to work together to reduce violence.”
He said he planned to eventually get to a point when officers are doing community service all the time, every day each week.
“You really have to be where people really see that your efforts are not just enforcement,” Brown said. “And I think that’s important in the way we’re describing summer mobile is that we’re directing them. It’s an order from me to do community service projects. It’s part of their work day.”
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Brooks said the community has to move forward in working with police, but officers should also extend community service events citywide instead of concentrating them only on Chicago’s South and West sides.
“If we go on their past record, their past record is not that great,” Brooks said. “But I think we have to be willing to give people another opportunity to get it right. ... I hope and pray that this time they will get it right.”
kelsmith@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-10--Judge denies bail for man charged with killing woman over May weekend that Tribune data shows saw mo

Judge denies bail for man charged with killing woman over May weekend that Tribune data shows saw more than 100 people shot, 30 of them fatally

The day of the shooting , police did not release information about the attack .
Bolden and the 29-year-old woman @ @ @ @ @ people who were shot May 31 , 20 of them fatally , according to Tribune @ @ @ @ @ at least 112 people were shot between 3 p.m. May 29 and 6 a.m. June @ @ @ @ @ them dying , according to revised Tribune data accounting for shootings that police did not @ @ @ @ @ which are recorded in police data released a week after crimes are reported and other @ @

A single bullet fired during a brawl outside a South Side home exited the chest of one woman, killing her, and lodged in the hip of her friend who was standing behind her, prosecutors said during a bail hearing for the accused gunman during a May weekend that revised Tribune data shows saw at least 112 people shot, 30 fatally.
During a hearing Friday that was broadcast live on YouTube, a judge denied bail for James Reed, 34, of the 5900 block of South Throop Street, who is charged with murder and attempted murder.
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Reed is accused of shooting two women after an argument outside a home in the 5900 block of South Carpenter Street about 4:25 p.m. May 31. An 18-year-old woman, identified by the Cook County medical examiner’s office as Keishanay Bolden, suffered wounds to the chest and back, police said.
A witness contacted police June 3 and gave officers Reed’s name and the name of an uncharged co-offender, prosecutors said.
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The incident began when an argument the witness who contacted police and the co-offender were having about stolen property escalated and several others became involved, prosecutors said.
When Bolden and the 29-year-old victim learned there was going to be a brawl outside, they walked out of the home with the 29-year-old woman wielding a baseball bat, which she gave to another person before any physical altercation began, prosecutors said.
The two victims then became embroiled in an argument with the alleged co-offender, who stood outside the driver’s side of a parked car, as Reed stood on the passenger side.
Bolden, who was 6 to 10 feet from Reed, was flanked on either side by two of the witnesses and the 29-year-old stood directly behind her when Reed fired once, hitting both women, neither of whom were armed with guns, prosecutors said.
Evidence technicians recovered a single spent shell casing and officers canvassed the neighborhood and discovered Ring doorbell camera footage that partially captured the incident, prosecutors said.
Reed was arrested Wednesday in Fernwood by the fugitive apprehension unit and the U.S. Marshals fugitive task force, according to police, who said Reed was positively identified through investigation.
The day of the shooting, police did not release information about the attack. Bolden and the 29-year-old woman were among at least 69 people who were shot May 31, 20 of them fatally, according to Tribune data. In all, at least 112 people were shot between 3 p.m. May 29 and 6 a.m. June 1, with 30 of them dying, according to revised Tribune data accounting for shootings that police did not disclose at the time but which are recorded in police data released a week after crimes are reported and other information.
Reed has four felony weapon convictions: for armed habitual criminal, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, prosecutors said. Additionally, he was convicted of a misdemeanor aggravated assault.
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As a juvenile, Reed was found delinquent of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and an out of state burglary in 2001, prosecutors said.
chao@chicagotribune.com
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-10--The Spin: New Illinois coronavirus cases top 1,000 for second day in a row | Chicago further restric

The Spin: New Illinois coronavirus cases top 1,000 for second day in a row | Chicago further restricts hours for businesses that sell alcohol | Duckworth slams Trump, Fox News host in op-ed

“ They should know , though , that attacks from self-serving , insecure men who can ’ t tell the @ @ @ @ @ hateful nationalism will never diminish my love for this country — or my willingness to @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t have to , ” Duckworth wrote .
“ These titanium legs don @ @ @ @ @

Wearing a mask with the State of Illinois emblem, Gov. J.B. Pritzker arrives at a coronavirus testing site at Coles Elementary School in Chicago's Southeast Side on Wednesday July 8, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois new coronavirus cases topped 1,000 for the second day in a row on Friday. Earlier, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration announced the city’s tightening hours for any establishments that serve alcohol by requiring them to close at midnight to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Illinois U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth fired back — again — at Fox News host Tucker Carlson over his questioning of hers and other Democrats’ patriotism, this time with a scathing op-ed in The New York Times. She also did not miss the opportunity to blast President Donald Trump.
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Meanwhile, White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany invoked the names and images of some of the youths who’ve lost their lives to Chicago gun violence this summer.
Welcome to The Spin.
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Wearing a mask with the State of Illinois emblem, Gov. J.B. Pritzker arrives at a coronavirus testing site at Coles Elementary School in Chicago's Southeast Side on Wednesday July 8, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s Jamie Munks: “For the second day in a row on Friday, Illinois’ reported tally of newly confirmed coronavirus cases climbed back into four-digit territory. State officials on Friday announced 1,317 new known cases, and 25 deaths, raising the statewide death toll to 7,144 since the pandemic began.
“The statewide known case count now stands at 151,767.
“The daily confirmed statewide coronavirus new case numbers reached over 1,000 on Thursday for the first time since June 5. State officials reported 1,018 new known COVID-19 cases Thursday, following 980 new cases on Wednesday.
“That followed 587 newly confirmed cases on Wednesday, 614 on Tuesday and 639 on Monday. The four days prior to that, the daily new cases hovered between 800 and 900. Weekend day and early weekday numbers are sometimes lower, due to testing result lags over the weekend.” The rest of the story can be found here.
A worker takes a woman's temperature before she can enter Federales restaurant on Morgan Street on July 1, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
As Liam Ford reports, Chicago already was restricting alcohol sales in restaurants and bars, requiring them to stop serving alcohol at 11 p.m., with package sales banned after 9 p.m.
Now, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration has announced it was tightening hours for any establishments that serve alcohol, requiring them to close at midnight to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
“While the vast majority of establishments are following regulations and taking important preventative steps, this directive will minimize the spread of COVID-19 by preventing late-night congregating that could occur after the cutoff of alcohol sales,” according to a news release from the mayor’s office. Read the rest of the story here.
Meanwhile, Lightfoot and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker both sent out tweets — not too far apart — reminding people to take coronavirus precautions aimed at preventing the state and its largest city from slipping back from the reopening progress its made in recent weeks.
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Pritzker tweeted a reminder for people to wear masks in public: “No one wants to go back to a world with more restrictions on our daily lives. So do your part: reduce the risk of spreading #covid19 by wearing a mask when in public. #AllInIllinois”
No one wants to go back to a world with more restrictions on our daily lives. So do your part: reduce the risk of spreading #covid19 by wearing a mask when in public. #AllInIllinois pic.twitter.com/8DRzbR66Rz — Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) July 10, 2020
Meanwhile, Lightfoot tweeted a graphic reminding people to keep their distance from each other, “Six feet. Two yards. Let’s preserve the gains we’ve made by continuing to practice physical distancing.”
Six feet. Two yards. Let's preserve the gains we've made by continuing to practice physical distancing. pic.twitter.com/3nGYDenv8F — Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) July 10, 2020
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington on Thursday, July 9, 2020. (Evan Vucci/AP)
From the Tribune’s Alice Yin: “White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany ended her news briefing Thursday with a call for ‘law and order’ and police support while invoking the names and faces of six young children killed by Chicago gun violence.
“‘President (Donald) Trump has taken action calling strongly for law and order and peace in our streets, and he has set the tone at the top for mayors and governors,' McEnany said before reading out the names of eight young gun violence victims, six of whom died in Chicago this summer.”
“The faces of Natalia Wallace, 7, Mekhi James, 3, Vernado Jones Jr., 14, Sincere Gaston, 20 months, Lena Marie Nunez, 10, and Amaria Jones, 13, were cast on the screen as McEnany spoke about keeping the children ‘close to our hearts.' She misstated Mekhi’s age as 10.” Read the rest of Yin’s story here.
Chicago police Superintendent David Brown speaks with the media after he welcomed Chicago police recruits back to the CPD Education and Training Academy on Monday, July 6, 2020, as the recruits resume their training with social distancing and safety precautions in place. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The Tribune’s Kelli Smith reports: “Chicago police Superintendent David Brown announced plans Friday for a new community policing initiative that would require the department’s summer patrol unit to engage in service projects every week across Chicago’s neighborhoods.
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“The plan is an attempt to build trust with residents and combat escalating violence, Brown said.
“‘This builds trust, getting to know people before you take enforcement action builds trust,' Brown said during a news briefing in Woodlawn. ‘It gives officers a valuable perspective on what they are called upon to act.'
“The initiative kicked off Friday with an Operation Clean mission in that neighborhood, during which police and other city departments joined residents to help clean up the area.” Click here for the full story.
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Fox News host Tucker Carlson, from left, in 2017; former Vice President Joe Biden speaking on June 17, 2020, in Pennsylvania; and Sen. Tammy Duckworth speaking in Washington in 2018. (AP)
Earlier this week, Illinois U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth had an exchange with Fox News host Tucker Carlson after he challenged her and other Democratic leaders’ patriotism and charged that they despise the country.
It started when Carlson included in a segment on his show the answer Duckworth, a Purple Heart recipient, gave on CNN last weekend when asked whether she supported removing monuments honoring historical figures in U.S. history who were not members of the confederacy, but were slave owners, such as George Washington.
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In her response, which went on to criticize President Trump’s recent appearance at Mount Rushmore, Duckworth said there should be a national dialogue on the issue at some point. When pressed, Duckworth said, “I think we should listen to everybody.”
On his show Monday night, Carlson noted that Duckworth is among the contenders to be Democrat Joe Biden’s running mate this fall and criticized her call for a national dialogue on the historical monuments issue.
“You’re not supposed to criticize Tammy Duckworth in any way because she once served in the military,” Carlson said. “Most people just ignore her. But when Duckworth does speak in public, you’re reminded what a deeply silly and unimpressive person she is.”
She retorted on Twitter: “Does @TuckerCarlson want to walk a mile in my legs and then tell me whether or not I love America?”
On Tuesday night, Carlson responded by calling Duckworth, along with Minnesota U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, “vandals” who hate the United States, The New York Times reported.
Next, Illinois’ junior senator, who lost both her legs in a 2004 combat helicopter crash in Iraq, submitted an op-ed that The New York Times published defending herself.
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“Setting aside the fact that the right wing’s right to lie about me is one of the rights I fought to defend, let me be clear: I don’t want George Washington’s statue to be pulled down any more than I want the Purple Heart that he established to be ripped off my chest. I never said that I did.”
Duckworth also alleged that the attack was not based on what she said, but about creating a diversion from other matters such as the federal government’s coronavirus response efforts.
“They should know, though, that attacks from self-serving, insecure men who can’t tell the difference between true patriotism and hateful nationalism will never diminish my love for this country — or my willingness to sacrifice for it so they don’t have to,” Duckworth wrote. “These titanium legs don’t buckle.”
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chicagotribune--2020-07-10--Illinois’ daily new coronavirus case count tops 1,000 for second day in a row; Chicago orders bars a

Illinois’ daily new coronavirus case count tops 1,000 for second day in a row; Chicago orders bars and restaurants that sell booze to close by midnight

“ Some places are letting people linger , ” Roper said .
“ Some are probably letting people order a @ @ @ @ @ they can keep drinking for a while .
We have found that our crowd dwindles @ @ @ @ @ serving food and drink at 9 and are clearing the house at 10 .
With @ @ @ @ @ keeps the hours down and focuses our open hours on peak demand times .
”

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
Yashika Hill, right, gives a coronavirus test to Senise Thomas at Coles Elementary School on July 8, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Springfield — Two weeks after Illinois reopened a bit more under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s five-phase plan, the state’s reported tally of newly confirmed coronavirus cases on Friday again climbed to a level not seen since early June.
State officials on Friday announced 1,317 new known cases, and 25 deaths, raising the known case count to 151,767 and the statewide death toll to 7,144 since the pandemic began.
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It was the third consecutive day newly confirmed daily cases stood near or above 1,000. Until Thursday, when 1,018 new cases were reported, the last time new case numbers reached over 1,000 was June 5. The highest case count earlier this week had been 639 on Monday, although the four days prior to that daily new cases hovered between 800 and 900.
Weekend and early weekday numbers are sometimes lower, due to testing result lags over the weekend.
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[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
Workers give instructions and collect swab kits in a drive-through line for COVID-19 testing, July 8, 2020, in the parking lot of Dr. Jorge Prieto Math and Science Academy in Belmont Cragin, one of the city's free test sites. \ (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
State officials have repeatedly said they’re much more focused on longer-term trends, as opposed to single-day data. The preliminary statewide seven-day positivity rate for cases now stands at 2.9%, after hovering around 2.6% since June 30.
Laboratories conducting COVID-19 testing across the state on Friday reported a combined 32,987 tests in the prior 24 hours.
From early April through the end of May, daily case counts reached into four digits every day, topping 4,000 on May 12.
[ COVID-19 cases are spiking in states across the country. How does Illinois compare? ]
Illinois entered the fourth phase of Pritzker’s reopening plan on June 26, allowing for gatherings of up to 50 people, and for many businesses to reopen further with capacity limits and other precautions in place. Restricted indoor dining at restaurants was allowed to resume, along with a limited reopening of movie theaters and performing arts centers, zoos and museums.
Pritzker has said if Illinois sees a backslide in its COVID-19 data that portends a resurgence in the state, it may return to earlier and stricter phases of his reopening plan. But no plans to clamp back down with stricter rules have been announced.
A worker tests a person in a car at Coles Elementary parking lot on July 8, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
“No one wants to go back to a world with more restrictions on our daily lives,” Pritzker tweeted on Friday. “So do your part: reduce the risk of spreading #covid19 by wearing a mask when in public”
The city of Chicago on Friday tightened its restrictions on businesses that serve alcohol, requiring them to close at midnight. The city had previously restricted alcohol sales, requiring businesses to cease serving libations at 11 p.m.
Stores that sell alcohol for off-site consumption will be forced to stop sales at 9 p.m.
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[ Chicago bars and restaurants must close by midnight to help prevent COVID-19 spread ]
Mike Roper, owner of Hopleaf, one of Chicago’s most popular beer bars, said the new closing time will have some impact on bars, but not much.
“Some places are letting people linger,” Roper said. “Some are probably letting people order a few drinks before 11 so they can keep drinking for a while. We have found that our crowd dwindles early, so we stop serving food and drink at 9 and are clearing the house at 10. With our limited staff, it keeps the hours down and focuses our open hours on peak demand times.”
Graduate student Brett Cain completes COVID-19 saliva testing in a tent outside the Alice Campbell Alumni Center on the University of Illinois campus, July 7, 2020. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Pritzker first imposed a statewide stay-at-home order March 21, calling on residents to largely hunker down in their homes to curb the spread of COVID-19, with a range of exceptions for “front-line workers” and allowances for residents to go to the grocery store, pharmacy or exercise outside.
Pritzker later announced a phased-in plan for reopening the state’s economy, which divides the state into four regions and requires each region to meet multiple metrics before it can advance to the next stage.
The state cannot reach the fifth and final phase unless there is a coronavirus vaccine, an effective and widely available treatment or a sustained period of time with no new cases.
On Wednesday, while testifying before a congressional committee about the national coronavirus response, Pritzker called for a national mask mandate and a national containment strategy that focuses on testing and contact tracing. In Illinois, facial coverings have been required for anyone over the age of 2 in most public settings since May 1.
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Several Southern states that reopened earlier, including Arizona and Texas, have seen sharp increases in their coronavirus metrics, forcing them to again impose stricter measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
As Illinois entered the fourth phase of the reopening plan late last month, the governor acknowledged that as the state lifts restrictions “there are many more opportunities for the spread of COVID-19.”
Pritzker drew a distinction between Illinois and such states that have “opened things up completely or done it in a not measured fashion.”
“Of course when I look at states that are moving backward and at such a rapid pace, I always think, are we doing this right, are we handling this right, are we measured in our reopening? And I think we are measured in this reopening, we’re being careful,” Pritzker said June 25. “You can’t turn on the television and see what’s happening in Arizona, Florida, Texas, South Carolina, etc., and not ask questions — are we getting it right?”
jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-10--Man found dead in Grant Park with multiple stab wounds after woman sees him on ground for 2 days

About 9 a.m. Thursday , Chicago police responded to a call of a man found unresponsive in the 1100 block @ @ @ @ @ near the south end of Grant Park .
The man was pronounced dead on the @ @ @ @ @ according to officials .
Chicago police have since reclassified the death as a homicide .

A 58-year-old man was found dead Thursday morning in Grant Park with stab wounds to the neck and back, after a woman called police when she saw him on the ground in the same spot for a third day in a row, according to police.
About 9 a.m. Thursday, Chicago police responded to a call of a man found unresponsive in the 1100 block of South Michigan Avenue, near the south end of Grant Park. The man was pronounced dead on the scene about 9:30 a.m., according to officials. Chicago police have since reclassified the death as a homicide.
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Following an autopsy Friday, the Cook County medical examiner’s office determined the man, who identity was still not being released, died from multiple sharp force injuries in a homicide.
A woman told police she had seen the man in the same spot Tuesday and Wednesday, before deciding to call police Thursday morning.
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No one was in custody Friday and detectives were investigating.


chicagotribune--2020-07-10--Chicago Catholic parishes got as much as $63 million in federal PPP coronavirus money

“ Our offertory took a very big hit , and a lot of our parishes didn ’ t even have @ @ @ @ @ ” when the government-ordered shutdown began in March , she said .
“ So the @ @ @ @ @ obligated to keep operating our schools .
… It was very important to keep our @ @ @ @ @ ’ re grateful for any help we get .
”

Holy Name Cathedral, the seat of the Archdiocese of Chicago, on Friday, July 10, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Roman Catholic parishes and organizations in the Archdiocese of Chicago received between $24.4 million and $63.6 million in loans through the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program that was designed to save jobs amid the economic shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to federal records.
The money was mostly applied for by individual parishes, so archdiocese officials said they did not immediately know the total of money received here.
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The Archdiocese of Chicago itself did not apply for funds because it is a large employer with thousands of employees, many more than the threshold of 500 staff laid out by the PPP program, spokeswoman Paula Waters said.
Since the federal data on who received PPP money was released this week, public scrutiny has mounted on some deep-pocketed corporate interests that received millions from the forgivable loan program.
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The Associated Press found that the U.S. Roman Catholic Church used a special and unprecedented exemption from federal rules to amass at least $1.4 billion in taxpayer-backed coronavirus aid, with many millions going to dioceses that have paid huge settlements or sought bankruptcy protection because of clergy sexual abuse cover-ups.
Some large and relatively prosperous parishes — such as Saints Faith, Hope & Charity in Winnetka and St. Benedict’s on the North Side — received larger loans because the formula for applying was driven by payroll and utility cost size, Waters said.
“Here’s what they applied for: 2½ times your monthly payroll and a set formula for utilities,” she said. “So, some big parishes got a lot of money.”
[ U.S. Roman Catholic Church used special exemption from federal rules to gain at least $1.4 billion in taxpayer-backed coronavirus aid, AP analysis shows ]
St. Benedict’s, in the North Center neighborhood, appeared to have received the largest loan of any parish — between $1 million and $2 million for the parish and school, according to the federal records. Saints Faith, Hope & Charity received between $150,000 and $350,000 for the parish and another $350,000 to $1 million for its school, according to the records. Both parishes operate large schools.
Officials at those parishes could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.
Waters said that Catholic parishes were caught in a bind by the pandemic because they were mandated by law to keep teaching children in their schools even as the shutdown of churches abruptly disrupted revenue from the Sunday collection plate.
Tuition does not cover all the costs of running a Catholic school, she said, so parish schools depend heavily on weekly donations at Mass.
“Our offertory took a very big hit, and a lot of our parishes didn’t even have online giving set up,” when the government-ordered shutdown began in March, she said. “So the money stopped and we were obligated to keep operating our schools. … It was very important to keep our schools open, so we’re grateful for any help we get.”
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[ Which parts of the Chicago area got the most PPP loans? Check out this ZIP code analysis. ]
Some parishes also got money that was not captured by the disclosure this week because the government did not release data on loans smaller than $150,000.
Based on the relatively small size of its payroll, St. Columbanus Church in the Park Manor neighborhood received $80,000 for the parish and $130,000 for the parish school, Augustus Tolton Catholic Academy.
St. Columbanus’ pastor, the Rev. Matthew O’Donnell, said he would have lost all six parish employees and 18 school employees without the assistance. In addition to losing revenue from donations at Mass, the parish runs a 70-team basketball league and relies heavily on concessions and ticket sales from the games to makes ends meet. When the league shut down, so did the revenue.
Meanwhile, the work did not dissipate. O’Donnell and his staff streamed Masses and daily spiritual guidance messages online. The parish also operates a food pantry that routinely served 400 families a week before the pandemic, he said. Demand for food and clothing from the program increased significantly during the shutdown.
“Typically, we serve the 60619 and 60637 ZIP codes. During the pandemic we started serving anyone who came to us,” he said. “There was definitely an uptick in first time people coming to our food pantry.”
dheinzmann@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-10--COVID-19 pandemic hits Chicago media hard. ‘There’s never been a more challenging time for newsrooms

COVID-19 pandemic hits Chicago media hard. ‘There’s never been a more challenging time for newsrooms.’

“ Without this grant , some of them would have folded , ” said Andres Torres , who helped oversee @ @ @ @ @ for the McCormick Foundation , one of six Chicago foundations behind the initiative .
“ @ @ @ @ @ cases , a lifeline for organizations that were on the brink of saying ‘ we @ @ @ @ @ we ’ re going to make our next payroll.
‘ ”

Tracy Baim, left, publisher of the Chicago Reader, and Yazmin Dominguez, project coordinator of the Chicago Independent Media Alliance, are seen at the Reader offices in Chicago on July 8, 2020. The newspaper is going from weekly publication to bi-weekly. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on Chicago media.
From furloughs and layoffs to ceasing operations, economic fallout from COVID-19 has idled hundreds of local journalists, just as more people turn to local TV, radio and newspapers for information about the pandemic.
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It also has accelerated financial pressures, forcing Chicago media organizations to find alternative funding sources, refocus their missions and rethink their business models.
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“There’s never been a more important time for newsrooms and there’s never been a more challenging time for newsrooms,” said Steve Edwards, 49, chief content officer and interim CEO at Chicago public radio station WBEZ.
Keeping reporters on the streets and the public informed through the health crisis has been job one. Media employees were deemed essential workers by Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home executive order in March, and that has proved out during the pandemic.
Local news outlets are a major source of COVID-19 news for 46% of the public, according to a Pew Research study published in April. That boosted audiences, but with many retail businesses shut down, advertising revenue did not follow.
That has meant employee cutbacks at a long list of media companies. A New York Times report updated in May estimated 36,000 news media employees nationwide had been laid off, furloughed or had their pay reduced since the onset of the health crisis.
In Chicago, the job cuts have claimed some high-profile names across a number of media outlets, many of which were already under financial pressure. The number of newsroom employees across the U.S. — reporters, editors, photographers and videographers — dropped by 23% between 2008 and 2019, according to a Pew Research analysis.
The pandemic has advanced the pursuit of alternative funding and a shift away from the advertising-supported business model that has sustained legacy media for more than a century.
This year, some foundations have stepped up to stem the losses. In May, the nascent COVID-19 Journalism Fund awarded 48 grants totaling more than $425,000 to support smaller Chicago media organizations providing information about the pandemic. Inaugural recipients included La Raza, Block Club Chicago and the Chicago Reader.
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“Without this grant, some of them would have folded,” said Andres Torres, who helped oversee the program’s launch for the McCormick Foundation, one of six Chicago foundations behind the initiative. “This was, in some cases, a lifeline for organizations that were on the brink of saying ‘we don’t know how we’re going to make our next payroll.‘”
Copies of the Chicago Reader are seen at the Reader offices on July 8, 2020. The newspaper is going from weekly publication to bi-weekly. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Torres said the criteria for investing the foundation’s resources on an ongoing basis will be more stringent than simply surviving the COVID pandemic.
”We want outlets to survive, but to us, that’s not enough,” Torres said. “The outlet needs to be meeting its full civic purpose. Otherwise, it’s media for media’s sake and not media for democracy’s sake.”
The Chicago Sun-Times has received a series of foundation grants to enhance reporting, most recently adding two journalists in May to cover social justice, income inequality, the environment and public health issues through the largesse of the Chicago Community Trust.
The newspaper, which has struggled financially for years, added its first foundation-supported reporter in 2018.
“When you are facing extinction, you have no option but to try something different,” said Nykia Wright, 40, CEO of Sun-Times Media. “Every single day was a dogfight to ensure extinction was an additional centimeter away.”
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The Sun-Times has avoided layoffs, furloughs or salary reductions during the pandemic. Getting a $2.7 million PPP loan in April has gone a long way toward keeping its 164 employees on the job, Wright said.
Launched April 3, the federal Paycheck Protection Program offers businesses with fewer than 500 employees forgivable loans of up to $10 million to cover 24 weeks of payroll. Other Chicago-area media companies that have received PPP loans include public TV station WTTW-Ch. 11, WBEZ-FM 91.5, the Arlington Heights-based Daily Herald and the Chicago Reader.
Few local media have been harder-hit than the Reader, the nearly 50-year-old alternative weekly, which saw a 90% drop in advertising revenue during the pandemic.
Publisher Tracy Baim, 57, a longtime Chicago journalist and co-founder of the Windy City Times, took the helm of the Reader in 2018. Late last year, the Reader announced it would convert to a nonprofit business model, following the path of the Salt Lake Tribune, the first major daily newspaper to make the transition in November.
The Reader launched the Chicago Independent Media Alliance last year, an organization that brought together small and nonprofit media outlets, in part to “pressure foundations” into supporting community journalism, Baim said.
In May, Baim spearheaded a month-long fundraiser that generated nearly $160,000 for more than 40 independent Chicago-area media outlets.
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The Reader also received a $270,000 PPP loan in May that Baim said was crucial to keeping the publication’s 30 employees on staff through the pandemic. “Without the PPP loan, we would have had to do a huge round of layoffs,” Baim said.
Despite the loan, the Reader announced last month it would scale back to a biweekly publication schedule. Baim said the decision allows the Reader to keep its editorial team intact as it shifts toward a digital future.
“The Reader made a decision to go to biweekly because we wanted to pick people over print,” Baim said “I think ultimately it would have happened anyway. COVID probably accelerated it.”
As a nonprofit organization, Chicago Public Media’s WBEZ-FM 91.5 hasn’t faced the same pressures as its commercial radio counterparts during the pandemic.
The NPR news/talk radio station achieved a ratings high this spring, ranking fourth among all Chicago stations in April with a 5.4 share, according to Nielsen.
Last month, WBEZ announced the layoffs of 12 employees — none in the newsroom. While the station draws most of its revenue from subscribers, a 33% decline in corporate sponsorships in the just-completed fiscal year took a sizable bite out its $30 million annual budget, interim CEO Edwards said.
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The layoffs would have been more far-reaching without obtaining a $2.8 million PPP loan in April, he said.
“It was enormously helpful to us to keep our full team employed, to avoid layoffs and furloughs during the height of the pandemic, and helped with our cash flow significantly,” Edwards said.
Chicago TV stations saw local news ratings peak as the pandemic hit home in March, while advertising revenues fell about 30% to 40%, according to industry sources.
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NBC-owned WMAQ-Ch. 5 has avoided COVID-19 related layoffs or furloughs, in part through a voluntary buyout program for employees in June. About a half dozen employees took the buyout, according to a source familiar with the matter.
David Doebler, 58, president and general manager of NBC-owned WMAQ-Ch. 5 since 2013, declined to comment on the buyouts.
Chicago-based Tribune Publishing, which owns the Chicago Tribune and other major daily newspapers, has implemented furloughs, targeted staff cuts and salary reductions to offset advertising declines.
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Press crew supervisor Steve Bayer oversees his workers as they check for registration and clarity of Saturday editions of the Chicago Tribune at the Freedom Center printing plant. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
In June, Tribune Publishing projected that total revenues during the second quarter would fall 30% to 32% year-over-year, mostly due to COVID 19-related losses. CEO Terry Jimenez said the pandemic accelerated the secular decline of print ad revenue.
“You’ve almost taken the next three years worth of declines and put it all within a three-month window,” said Jimenez, 48, a longtime Tribune Publishing executive who became CEO in February. “That has a fairly significant impact on the print business model.”
Page views at the websites of Tribune Publishing newspapers were up 50% in March, as more readers sought local COVID-19 news and information. Jimenez said he hopes that trend will support a sustainable digital transformation.
Tribune Publishing has sought relief from landlords, vendors and cut other expenses. In the spring, the company reached an agreement with the Chicago Tribune Guild for a three-week furlough for employees making more than $40,000 a year. It also instituted furloughs for some non-union employees, while others received permanent pay cuts.
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“The other alternative … is we’ve just got to slash the overall number of people doing the job on a permanent basis,” Jimenez said. “Our approach of furloughs for some, pay reductions for others, was an attempt to try to keep as many people in the newsroom for as long as we can.”
Tribune Publishing, which also owns the Baltimore Sun, Hartford Courant and Orlando Sentinel, among other newspapers, had about 4,100 full-time employees at the end of 2019, making it too large to qualify for a PPP loan.
Suburban Chicago newspaper chain 22nd Century Media didn’t last long enough to apply.
On March 31, just weeks after the statewide stay-at-home order was issued, the company ceased operations amid a coronavirus-spawned advertising drought. That decision ended a 15-year run for the hyperlocal publisher, whose 14 Chicago-area weeklies ranged from the North Shore to the southwest suburbs.
It also cost about 50 employees their jobs.
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“It hit very hard because we had to give it our all for a couple of days to try to save the company, and a few days later, let everybody go over Zoom,” said Joe Coughlin, 37, the former publisher.
Coughlin and two former 22nd Century editors are launching a nonprofit hyperlocal news venture called The Record North Shore. The group is looking to raise $50,000 through a Kickstarter campaign, focusing on a New Trier edition as the inaugural coverage area.
Coughlin said the “thin margins” of 22nd Century’s traditional advertising-supported business model convinced him that a nonprofit platform was more sustainable.
As of Friday, the online campaign had raised more than $6,000. Coughlin said he hoped to have the news site up and running by September.
“Whether it was fair or not, we abandoned our readers at a crucial time, and left them without reliable local news,” Coughlin said. “But we have the opportunity to build something special and restore local news, one community at a time.”
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rchannick@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-10--Inundated with unemployment claims since pandemic began, Illinois agency implements callback system

Inundated with unemployment claims since pandemic began, Illinois agency implements callback system to reduce time on hold

The caller identification number that will show up when the IDES call back comes through is 800-244-5631 .
If the @ @ @ @ @ , the agent will attempt to leave a voicemail , and then make a second @ @ @ @ @ is answered , the claimant or employer would need to start the process all over @ @ @ @ @ back and being placed into another queue for a callback .

A pedestrian passes the closed Chicago Workforce Center on May 1, 2020. A sign on the window stated that "in order to protect everyone through social distancing, IDES offices are closed to the public until further notice. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Springfield — The agency charged with handling Illinois unemployment claims this week implemented a new callback system that’s aimed at eliminating with lengthy wait times or the need to call back multiple times to get through.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security, which has struggled to handle a crushing demand for unemployment benefits amid the coronavirus pandemic, on Thursday implemented a system that allows claimants to call to speak with an agent, then places them in a queue to receive a callback when one is available, rather than waiting on hold.
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“In addition to doing everything we can to update and improve the process for filing claims, this is a much more equitable way of handling those calls and ensuring people get a call back,” agency spokeswoman Rebecca Cisco said. “The system before was, for lack of a better term, sort of like a lottery, and the queues fill up very quickly.”
Cisco said there was a day earlier this week when 10 minutes after call-in hours began, there were roughly 2,000 in the telephone queue, waiting for their call to be answered.
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Here’s how it works: When someone places a call to the state’s claimant services center, Illinois Job Link, benefit payment control line or the employer hotline, they are placed in a queue to receive a callback without losing their place in line. Call back hours for the claimant services center are 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, while the callback hours for Illinois Job Link, benefit payment control and the employer hotline are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., also on weekdays.
The caller identification number that will show up when the IDES call back comes through is 800-244-5631. If the call isn’t answered, the agent will attempt to leave a voicemail, and then make a second call. If neither call is answered, the claimant or employer would need to start the process all over again, calling the agency back and being placed into another queue for a callback.
Cisco suggested claimants could save the callback number to their phone, or at least be on the lookout for the number and be prepared to answer a series of identifying questions from the agent “to make sure the claimant is who they say they are.”
In April, when the state was in the clutch of the coronavirus pandemic and as newly-jobless Illinoisans reported a litany of issues getting through to IDES, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced computer system upgrades and a new 200-person call center to help field calls from the growing number of claimants. Pritzker has repeatedly blamed outdated technology and agency underfunding that led to decreased staffing, for the issues.
In May, a glitch in a newly launched state system for processing unemployment claims for gig workers publicly exposed personal information.
Pritzker on Thursday announced a new director for the agency, Kristin Richards, who has served as chief of staff for the Illinois Senate president since 2016. During her 18-year career in public service, she’s also served as a deputy chief of staff in the governor’s office.
jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-10--Coronavirus at Illinois long-term care facilities: 23,340 confirmed cases and 3,898 deaths

The Illinois Department of Public Health is releasing information on COVID-19 tied to long-term care facilities in Illinois .
The @ @ @ @ @ at 632 long-term care facilities in 49 counties .
Of those , 528 facilities have @ @ @ @ @ , defined as a positive test result in the past 28 days .
In all @ @ @ @ @ be tied to long-term care facilities , with 3,898 deaths , as of July 10 @

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--2020-07-10--Mother of man whose shooting death in Rogers Park was captured on viral video speaks out: ‘Everythin

Mother of man whose shooting death in Rogers Park was captured on viral video speaks out: ‘Everything I look at, I cry’

His mother raised Pullum on her own , she said , and sometimes worked two jobs to support him while @ @ @ @ @ She described him as a sweet and loving son to whom she was very close @ @ @ @ @ death , Pullum bought his mother birthday gifts , taking her shopping for a bracelet @ @ @ @ @ .
That was the last time she saw him .

The mother of Angelo Pullum wants to move out of Rogers Park.
It’s an area she’s called home for about 30 years. But ever since her son was seen on a graphic viral video being gunned down on Lunt Avenue during an especially violent weekend in Chicago in late June, being in the neighborhood is too painful of a reminder of what happened to him.
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“Everything I look at, I cry,” she said in a telephone interview Friday. “I haven’t been able to eat. I haven’t been able to sleep. And all I do is cry all the time because when I close my eyes, I just see that video of this guy shooting him in the back of the head.
“I’ve lost so much weight,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. “I know I need to be strong, but I’m having a hard time coping with this. I really am because Angelo was my heart. He was everything to me.”
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Pullum, who was 36, was among dozens shot during the last weekend in June, which contributed to a large spike in gun violence in Chicago in the first half of 2020, which in the first days of July has only gotten worse.
Through Sunday, the city’s 353 homicides was close to a 40% increase over this time last year, and overall shootings were up by 42%, official Chicago police statistics show.
Chicago police said Friday no one was in custody for Pullum’s June 28 killing, and detectives were investigating a possible gang- or drug-related motive for his death. But his mother, who declined to be identified for this story out of fear for her safety, said whatever brushes with the law her son had in his past “should not be held against him.”
His mother raised Pullum on her own, she said, and sometimes worked two jobs to support him while he was growing up. She described him as a sweet and loving son to whom she was very close. Five days before his death, Pullum bought his mother birthday gifts, taking her shopping for a bracelet and a pair of shoes. That was the last time she saw him.
“He always used to tell me, ‘You’re my mama and my father,’” she said. “The first time he did it, I said, ‘Honey, I’m not a father.’ He said, ‘Yes, you are, ma. You’re my mother and my father.‘”
She said she was touched by a makeshift memorial set up on Lunt Avenue for her son. She was approached by mourners who knew Pullum and talked about how he’d give them money at times if he could, or buy them food. One time, she said, Pullum and his friends put together a back-to-school barbecue in the neighborhood for children, buying them backpacks and school supplies.
“People said he’d give the shirt off his back,” Pullum’s mother said.
She described her son as a good cook, making baked macaroni and cheese, cornbread, smothered chicken wings and other dishes for his mother and other relatives, especially during holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving.
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Pullum’s mother said he wanted to start a record company. She said he was into promoting rap artists, and Pullum himself also dabbled into music. As a young man, he was a big fan of the late famous rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.
“He was a good rapper. Believe me, he was good. I didn’t like some of the language he used. But he sounded just like the people on the radio,” Pullum’s mother said of him. “He was very talented with that.”
Statistically, Rogers Park overall is one of the safer areas of the city, though parts of it have had flare-ups of violence over the years. Pullum’s mother said he faced challenging times growing up in the neighborhood. As a kid, he got bullied and beat up, and some tried to “make him get involved in things that he didn’t want to get involved in.”
WARNING: Video contains graphic content. In a video provided to the Tribune by a source, a gunman is seen killing a man at point-blank range in Rogers Park. (Chicago Tribune Handout)
Pullum was shot at point-blank range in the back of the head just before 7 a.m. June 28 in the 1400 block of West Lunt, a leafy stretch of apartment buildings a few blocks from the lake in the North Side neighborhood. The gunman’s face is never visible in the video, which was apparently leaked online and shared on social media.
In the video, which is time-stamped 6:56 a.m., two men can be seen crossing Lunt together and weaving between parked cars before settling on a spot in front of a closed black iron gate in front of an apartment building.
They stand facing the street and chatting for about 30 seconds. Pullum, dressed in a black T-shirt and long black shorts, red sneakers and a red baseball cap worn backward, appears to be at ease with the man standing to his right. That man, dressed in royal blue sweatpants with white stripes and a black sweatshirt with the hood covering his head, can be seen rocking back and forth on his feet while they talk.
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After about 30 seconds, when Pullum turned his head away from the man, the killer stepped back and pulled a silver semi-automatic handgun from his pocket or waistband, placed it at the back of Pullum’s head and fired once. Pullum collapsed against the fence gate, which swung inward. The other man trotted off into the street and disappeared at the right of the video frame.
Pullum was pronounced dead shortly thereafter at an area hospital. Chicago police urge anyone with information about the killing to call Area 3 detectives at 312-744-8261, or submit an anonymous tip to cpdtip.com.
A GoFundMe page was set up to pay for Pullum’s funeral arrangements.
On Friday, Pullum’s mother said the video has haunted her, especially since it’s made her son’s killing into such a public spectacle on the internet. She said she’s puzzled that anyone would do that to him.
“What did you get out of this? What was the purpose?” she said she’d like to ask the killer. “Please turn yourself in. Admit you’re wrong. ... Whatever it was, you didn’t have to kill him, especially in a vicious way.”


chicagotribune--2020-07-10--Superkhana, Rooh, Aviary and more reopening in Chicago this weekend for pickup or dining-in service

Cobblestone European Bistro and Cider House .
This North Center restaurant opened quietly in late February , in the space @ @ @ @ @ , only to be closed by the shutdown two weeks later .
But it now @ @ @ @ @ re-opening ? )
Friday .
Created by owner Markus Chwajol ( founder of Bohemian House @ @ @ @ @ run in River North ) , it features chefs Reggie Wilbon and Ian Shuster .
@ @ @ @ @ , focuses on contemporary European cuisine , abetted by a beverage program that includes 50 @ @ @ @ @ local and imported .
4337 N. Lincoln Ave. , 773-935-2255 , cobblestone-chicago.com

More Chicago restaurants are getting back in the game — albeit tentatively — as phase four continues.
The Aviary (and the intimate, lower level The Office) returns this weekend, featuring a la carte cocktails, along with three- and five-course cocktail tastings ($65 and $135, respectively). 955 W. Fulton Market, 312-226-0868, theaviary.com
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Cobblestone European Bistro and Cider House reopens in North Center. (Cobblestone)
Cobblestone European Bistro and Cider House. This North Center restaurant opened quietly in late February, in the space of the former The Northman, only to be closed by the shutdown two weeks later. But it now makes its grand opening (re-opening?) Friday. Created by owner Markus Chwajol (founder of Bohemian House, which had a successful run in River North), it features chefs Reggie Wilbon and Ian Shuster. Cobblestone, like Bohemian House, focuses on contemporary European cuisine, abetted by a beverage program that includes 50 ciders and 50 beers, local and imported. 4337 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-935-2255, cobblestone-chicago.com
[ 19 Chicago restaurants opening or reopening as industry continues to emerge in coronavirus era ]
The new outdoor patio adjacent to Rooh restaurant can seat 75. (Rina Mallick)
Rooh. Closed since the beginning of the shutdown, Rooh was able to create outdoor seating for 75 in the adjacent parking lot (decorated with plants and twinkling lights) and now has opened its first-floor dining room to an additional 30 guests. The contemporary-Indian menu retains Rooh’s signature dishes, with a few new items. 736 W. Randolph St., 312-267-2323, roohchicago.com
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Lula Cafe, which has been offering Lula At Home carryout, has added a few new items, including a Pasta Yia Yia meal kit (the Yia Yia pasta is a long-time Lula signature) and a Lula Cafe Picnic Basket. Place day-before orders through tock.com, or call the restaurant for same-day orders. 2537 N. Kedzie Ave., 773-489-9554, lulacafe.com
Superkhana International reopens for daytime carryout Friday (the takeout window offers bagels, breakfast sandwiches and beverages, closing mid-afternoon), with plans to remain open until 7 p.m. beginning next week. In addition, it will add cocktails to go through Be Cocktails, and bagels, cookies and jams via pastry chef Kelly Helgesen’s Takeaway Bagel. 3059 W. Diversey Ave., 773-661-9028; superkhanachicago.com
Gadabout opens for indoor dining Friday, adding Saturday-Sunday brunch service as well. Full-menu carryout still available. 5212 N. Clark St., 773-944-0429, gadaboutchicago.com