chicagotribune--2020-08-17--Postal Service warns last-minute Illinois ballot requests may not be turned around fast enough to be

Postal Service warns last-minute Illinois ballot requests may not be turned around fast enough to be counted

“ If a voter submits a request at or near the ballot request deadline , and if the ballot is @ @ @ @ @ mail , there is a significant risk that the ballot will not reach the voter @ @ @ @ @ accordingly that the voter will not be able to use the ballot to cast his @ @ @ @ @ Thomas J. Marshall , general counsel and executive vice president of the Postal Service , @ @ @ @ @ July 30 .

A U.S. postal worker sits inside a truck outside of the Davis Street post office in Evanston on Aug. 13, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
The U.S. Postal Service has warned Illinois state election officials that there’s a “significant risk” voters who make late requests for mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 election won’t get them in time to be counted.
Election authorities said the timing issue is not new and that voters who want a mail-in ballot have always been urged not to wait until the final days before an election to make their request.
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But some privately expressed concerns that the Postal Service notice of “delivery standards” and recommendations could be an attempt by the agency to inoculate itself from criticism if ballots are late arriving and can’t be counted.
The Postal Service’s warnings to states, along with concerns about equipment changes, cuts to overtime and the speed of mail delivery, prompted U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to call the chamber into session this week to consider legislation to return postal operations to the status quo.
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In some other states, mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by authorities within a few days of the election.
But under Illinois law, ballots with a proper postmark are counted if they are received up to 14 days after Election Day.
The law allows voters to apply for a mail-in ballot as late as five days before Election Day, and gives local election authorities two business days to send out a ballot after receiving a request.
The Postal Service told election officials that’s cutting it too close.
“If a voter submits a request at or near the ballot request deadline, and if the ballot is transmitted to the voter by mail, there is a significant risk that the ballot will not reach the voter before Election Day, and accordingly that the voter will not be able to use the ballot to cast his or her vote,” Thomas J. Marshall, general counsel and executive vice president of the Postal Service, wrote to Illinois election officials July 30.
The Postal Service recommended that Illinois voters wanting to cast a ballot by mail submit their applications “at least 15 days before Election Day at a minimum, and preferably long before that time.”
Those recommendations from the Postal Service are new, some election officials say, prompting questions about the agency’s intent.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new Illinois law enhanced the state’s mail-in ballot program. About 5 million voters who cast a ballot in the 2018 general election, 2019 municipal election or 2020 March primary should have received an application to vote by mail to return to election authorities. Illinois does not require a reason to vote by mail.
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Matt Dietrich, spokesman for the State Board of Elections, said officials with the state’s 108 election authorities have routinely stressed to voters that if they wanted to vote by mail, they should request a ballot early. Those who have submitted a mail-in ballot request should see their ballot in mailboxes after Sept. 24.
“That aspect of it is something we always emphasize,” Dietrich said of the timing factor. “Five days, you can do that and in a lot of places in the state it may not be a problem to get your ballot to you quickly enough that you can vote it and get it postmarked. But, it’s still kind of close.”
For voters concerned about using the mail, there will be early voting and traditional in-person voting on Nov. 3. Voters who get a mail ballot can also return it to their local election authority in person.
In addition, many election jurisdictions will be setting up secure drop boxes for voters to deposit a mail ballot. Chicago will have drop boxes at all early-voting sites, at least one in each of the city’s 50 wards, that will be overseen by a city elections commission worker for security.
“Vote by mail voters will skip the line to the early voting and be able to go directly to the drop box. There, a board worker will remind voters to make sure they’ve signed and sealed the envelopes and then date and time-stamp the envelope before the voter deposits the envelope,” said Marisel Hernandez, who chairs the city election board.
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Hernandez said the drop box would be available during early-voting hours only. Its contents would be collected and transported to the board every night. The drop boxes will be locked overnight and checked before reopening the next morning.
In the city, drop boxes at early-voting sites will be open from Oct. 14 to Nov. 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends, and from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.
In expressing its warning to the state on timing, the Postal Service also recommended that local election authorities should use first-class mail to send out ballots and allow one week for delivery to the voters who request them.
The use of first-class mail, which is quicker but more expensive than marketing mail, has also become an issue. Election experts have said the Postal Service has typically treated all election mail as first-class, whether it is stamped that way or not.
Nothing in Illinois law mandates that local election authorities usefirst-class mail for election materials, though many of them do, including in Chicago
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chicagotribune--2020-08-17--At virtual Democratic convention, Mayor Lori Lightfoot says Trump is mounting a ‘full-out assault’ o

At virtual Democratic convention, Mayor Lori Lightfoot says Trump is mounting a ‘full-out assault’ on Postal Service, election and democracy

“ Donald Trump thrives in chaos .
He likes creating this , this atmosphere of uncertainty , of danger — @ @ @ @ @ it not right ?
What we need to do is make sure that we block @ @ @ @ @ people know that their vote is safe , that there ’ s many ways in @ @ @ @ @ , and that they ’ re not going to be prevented from voting , ” @ @ @ @ @ is one of the most important things is to break through the noise and the @ @ @ @ @ his campaign are trying to create that somehow their vote won ’ t matter , @ @ @ @ @ t be able to vote .
Not true .
”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot cast President Donald Trump and Republicans as “enemies of democracy” who are mounting a “full-out assault” on the integrity of the November election by undermining the U.S. Postal Service and making it more difficult for people to vote by mail amid a pandemic.
Lightfoot made the comments Monday morning during a virtual roundtable discussion at the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee focused on protecting the right to vote this fall.
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“Every day the importance of this fall’s election grows and grows, and every day, unfortunately, we see increasing evidence that this administration is mounting a full-out assault on every pillar of our democracy, including the integrity of our elections,” Lightfoot said. “This is real, folks. It’s not an exaggeration. It’s not a conspiracy theory.”
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The former federal prosecutor then went on to hammer the Trump administration and Republicans for draconian cuts at the Postal Service that have disrupted the delivery of mail in recent days. Trump has acknowledged opposing funding for the Postal Service as an effort to undercut vote-by-mail efforts, which he has insisted would lead to corruption while offering no evidence and voting by mail himself in Florida.
Lightfoot said since the White House had failed to keep Americans safe from the COVID-19 pandemic, “vote by mail is the lane we need to run in” to avoid having people “risk their health just to cast a vote.”
“That’s why we cannot allow this administration to undermine the Postal Service in a way that is clearly trying to drive the Postal Service to its knees, making mail service unreliable — putting postal workers at risk by changing hours and stretching into the night and failing to give the post office the resources that it needs to fulfill its basic mission,” Lightfoot said. “This assault, of course, is about election integrity.”
The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Lightfoot also slammed Republicans for what she portrayed as additional attacks on the election, including a “thinly veiled poll tax” in some states to ban felons from voting, purging voter rolls in certain areas of the country and closing polling places in targeted neighborhoods. She called on Democrats to push back on those efforts and GOP desires to sow confusion about voting by mail.
“What we need to do in the face of this pandemic is to make sure that Americans understand that it is safe to vote, not dangerous,” Lightfoot said. “They are drumming up a climate of anxiety that is driven by their desperation to hold on to power. You can see the Senate majority eroding and the Oval Office is slipping from their grasp. Their current efforts reflect their desperation and their fear.”
During a speech Monday afternoon in Mankato, Minnesota, Trump repeated previous criticism that Amazon and other companies are taking advantage of the Postal Service, which he contended loses money by having to deliver large volumes of packages. Trump, however, did not address the criticism that the Postal Service changes are aimed at undermining the election.
“The post office has been a disaster for many, many decades,” he said. “We want to strengthen the post office and make it good.”
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As he often does, Trump also managed to lob criticism at Chicago in his Minnesota speech, saying that “criminals are terrorizing civilians in Chicago, Portland and now New York City.” He also said that outside of New York and Chicago, crime stats nationally have improved during his time in the White House, blaming Democratic leaders for the problems.
“Do you want the failed policies of (New York) Mayor Bill de Blasio or Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Chicago, or (Minneapolis) Mayor Jacob Frey brought to every city and town in this nation?” Trump asked as the crowd shouted, “No!” back. “If left-wing Democrats can’t run a city, why on earth would you let them run your country?”
At an event later Monday in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Trump again warned that if Democrat Joe Biden is elected, the looting and violent protests seen in Portland, Minneapolis, New York and Chicago would become the norm nationwide.
“In Chicago, they literally raised up the drawbridges to prevent hordes of rioters from ransacking the city. Can you believe it?” Trump said of Lightfoot’s security measures to protect the downtown shopping district from looting. As he has before, Trump compared Chicago’s high level of gun violence with war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“This is the future that Joe Biden plans to bring to every city, town and suburb in our nation,” Trump said.
Lightfoot made her comments about Trump during a virtual online roundtable discussion along with Emily Cain, executive director of EMILY’s List; Alex Morgan, executive director of the Progressive Turnout Project political organization; and Rachana Desai Martin from the Biden campaign.
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When panelists were asked what keeps them up at night on the subject of protecting people’s ability to vote, Lightfoot said it was the “chaos and uncertainty” over the integrity of mail-in balloting.
“Donald Trump thrives in chaos. He likes creating this, this atmosphere of uncertainty, of danger — is something right, is it not right? What we need to do is make sure that we block out the noise and let people know that their vote is safe, that there’s many ways in which they can do it, and that they’re not going to be prevented from voting,” Lightfoot said. “That is one of the most important things is to break through the noise and the chaos that this administration and his campaign are trying to create that somehow their vote won’t matter, somehow, they won’t be able to vote. Not true.”
Lightfoot also appeared for a little more than 30 seconds during the prime-time two-hour telecast of the convention Monday night, as part of a roundtable with Biden on social justice. When Biden asked what she’s doing to tackle systemic racism, the mayor explained that she’s working to improve the quality of life in all communities and bringing more diverse stakeholders into the decision-making process at City Hall.
Also on Monday, in a preview of the Illinois delegation’s salute to allies in organized labor, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said union postal workers as well as the public were being victimized by a “post office under assault by Donald Trump.”
“America’s message to Donald Trump is very simple: Keep your hands out of our mailboxes,” Durbin said. “We believe the Postal Service does a great job and needs our support. They don’t need to be sabotaged in the name of political victory for Donald Trump.”
At the same event, U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García said Trump’s actions involving the Postal Service represent “one of the most flagrant violations of democracy” in the president’s efforts to undermine government institutions.
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Trump, he said, was seeking “to advance his own interest, to prevent a fair election by causing destruction, confusion and undermining one of the most important essentials of any democracy and that is a post office.”
García is scheduled to visit the Postal Service’s Chicago headquarters Tuesday morning along with a delegation of other Illinois Democrats in Congress to speak about the controversy.
bruthhart@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @BillRuthhart
Twitter @rap30


chicagotribune--2020-08-17--Aurora man sentenced to 15 years in prison for drug deal turned robbery

Padilla and two other men arranged a meeting on Oct. 22 , 2018 , to buy marijuana from someone , @ @ @ @ @ Around 6 p.m. , the trio went to the seller ’ s apartment in the @ @ @ @ @ Avenue in Aurora while armed with handguns with the intent to rob him , officials @ @

An Aurora man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after he stole marijuana from someone at gunpoint and then pointed a gun at a police officer on Aurora’s near West Side, officials said.
Giovanni A. Padilla, 28, agreed to the sentence after he pleaded guilty Wednesday to armed violence and aggravated assault to a peace officer, Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office officials said.
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Giovanni A. Padilla. (Kane County Jail)
Padilla and two other men arranged a meeting on Oct. 22, 2018, to buy marijuana from someone, prosecutors said in court. Around 6 p.m., the trio went to the seller’s apartment in the 1100 block of North Farnsworth Avenue in Aurora while armed with handguns with the intent to rob him, officials said.
Once inside, the men pulled out guns, stole the drugs and escaped before the victim called police, according to Beacon-News archives. An officer in the police station parking lot heard the call about the incident and responded.
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The officer saw Padilla and gave him a command to stop, but he continued to run. He then turned around and pointed a loaded semi-automatic handgun at the officer, officials said. The officer fired at Padilla in response, injuring him in the arm.
Police found 168 grams of marijuana in Padilla’s coat pocket and a loaded handgun beside him.
Padilla, of the 300 block of Brown Court, was treated at a local hospital and released. He receives credit for 657 days served in the Kane County jail.
Two 18-year-olds, Michael C. Paige, of Montgomery, and Tyrone T. Smith, of Chicago, were also charged in connection with the incident. Both were sentenced to four years in prison in 2019.
The state’s attorney’s office said in December 2018 the police officer was justified in the shooting.
mejones@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-17--Rip currents played a role in pair of drownings at Porter Beach, Portage Lakefront involving two Ill

Rip currents played a role in pair of drownings at Porter Beach, Portage Lakefront involving two Illinois residents: officials

He is certain he went by the teen a few times Sunday but because of the high waves , was @ @ @ @ @ .
Still , he wishes he could have done more to help .

Family of a Chicago teen who went missing in the waters near Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk on Sunday watch as emergency crews and dive teams search on Monday, August 17, 2020. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
First responders recovered the body of an Illinois teen late Monday morning who went missing while swimming off of the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk the previous day, and officials said another Illinois resident brought in from Porter Beach died late Sunday.
The Porter County Coroner’s Office was not immediately releasing identification of the two people who drowned, pending notification of relatives.
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There were multiple rescues along the lakefront Sunday, according to Terri Millefoglie, a conservation officer with Indiana Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement.
Portage dive team members search the waters at the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk on Monday, August 17, 2020, for the body of a 16-year-old Chicago resident who went missing on Sunday. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
Responders were dispatched to the area near the riverwalk Sunday because five people were in distress in the water as a result of strong rip currents in the area, according to a release from Millefoglie.
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Rescuers were able to transport four of them to area hospitals; the search for the Illinois boy, 16, resumed Monday morning. A diver with the Portage Fire Department located his body around 11:12 a.m.
The other victim, a 21-year-old man, was transported to Porter Regional Hospital from Porter Beach on Sunday and died in the intensive care unit at 11:54 p.m., according to the coroner’s office.
A beach hazard had been issued by the National Weather Service Sunday and continued Monday, noting waves of 4 to 6 feet and strong rip currents.
The victim whose body was recovered Monday was located in 7 feet of water near the Portage Riverwalk break wall, Millefoglie said in a release.
Portage dive team members search the waters at the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk on Monday, August 17, 2020, for the body of a 16-year-old Chicago resident who went missing on Sunday. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
Jeremiah Schwanke said he was on his personal watercraft on Lake Michigan by the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk Sunday morning when people on the beach started waving him down to ask for help because a handful of young swimmers were in trouble.
Schwanke, of Lakes of the Four Seasons, said he was able to bring two of them to shore.
“I’m having a hard time,” said Schwanke, who said he returned to the riverwalk Monday morning as first responders from multiple agencies continued to search for the missing teen’s body.
He is certain he went by the teen a few times Sunday but because of the high waves, was unable to get to him. Still, he wishes he could have done more to help.
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“I talked to the family” at the riverwalk, he said. “I told them sorry. It’s just hard.”
The drowning is still under investigation, Millefoglie said.
Assisting agencies include the U.S. Coast Guard; Porter Fire Department; Burns Harbor Fire Department; Portage Fire Department; Portage Police Department; Ogden Dunes Fire Department; Lake County Marine Unit; and Porter County Coroner’s Office.
Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.


Corrections and clarifications

Publishing information quickly and accurately is a central part of the Chicago Tribune ’ s news responsibility and a value @ @ @ @ @ .
Our editorial code of principles governs professional behavior and journalism standards .
Everyone in @ @ @ @ @ live up to this code of conduct .
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· In a Heidi Stevens column on Monday, Democratic legislator Sara Feigenholtz was referred to as a state representative. She is a state senator.
The Tribune regrets the error.
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Publishing information quickly and accurately is a central part of the Chicago Tribune’s news responsibility and a value shared in all our publications. Our editorial code of principles governs professional behavior and journalism standards. Everyone in our newsroom must agree to live up to this code of conduct. Download the file.
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chicagotribune--2020-08-17--Illinois orders tighter restrictions in Metro East area outside St. Louis in effort to slow surge in

Illinois orders tighter restrictions in Metro East area outside St. Louis in effort to slow surge in COVID-19 positivity rate

“ What we ’ re doing isn ’ t working .
And so , with that being said , I @ @ @ @ @ a whole , but I would challenge Region 4 in particular , let ’ s @ @ @ @ @ common foe , ” Belt said .
“ It ’ s really not about a @ @ @ @ @ right or wrong value to this thing .
We don ’ t have that type @ @ @ @ @ .
People are dying as we speak .
People are affected at an alarming rate @ @ @ @ @ .
”

Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
The Metro East region outside St. Louis on Tuesday becomes the first in Illinois to be put back under stricter rules meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 after surpassing a state positivity rate threshold.
The step backward in reopening in the Metro East comes as the state on Monday reported 1,773 newly confirmed coronavirus cases and 12 deaths of people with COVID-19.
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The statewide totals now stand at 207,854 known cases and 7,756 deaths throughout the course of the pandemic.
The restrictions that take effect in the Metro East region on Tuesday include an 11 p.m. closing time for bars, restaurants and gaming facilities, capping gathering sizes at the lesser of 25 people or 25% of a room’s capacity and a requirement for no seating or congregating at a bar.
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[ COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital data in your area ]
The Metro East has been hovering near the metrics that Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration has set for triggering stricter rules for weeks. The governor warned Monday at a news conference in East St. Louis that the region could see even stricter measures imposed, such as the closure of indoor bars and dining, if the COVID-19 metrics don’t improve over the next two weeks.
The specific measures that are being imposed took into consideration the area’s proximity to Missouri, Pritzker said.
“This is just tier one, and so there are other mitigation strategies that we can put in place,” Pritzker said. “This was the beginning, we want to see whether these will be effective, trying to match the mitigations around bars and restaurants in St. Louis seemed like the right thing to do.”
“What we didn’t want to have happen was if we put a more stringent application in place, we didn’t want people to get up and try to drive into St. Louis to go to their bars and restaurants, which would be open later than the bars and restaurants here,” he said.
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
The stricter rules were triggered by the region logging three consecutive days with a test positivity rate of 8% or higher, which Pritzker’s office announced Sunday. Once the new rules take effect on Tuesday in the Metro East, they will remain in effect for 14 days.
If the region’s average test positivity rate falls below 6.5%, the region will return to the set of rules that have been in place statewide since late June, when the entire state moved into the fourth phase of Pritzker’s “Restore Illinois” reopening plan.
State Sen. Chris Belt, a Cahokia Democrat, had a message Monday for “anti-maskers, or to those who believe that this virus is a figment of your imagination.”
“What we’re doing isn’t working. And so, with that being said, I would challenge the state as a whole, but I would challenge Region 4 in particular, let’s come together and fight this common foe,” Belt said. “It’s really not about a philosophical debate about assigning a right or wrong value to this thing. We don’t have that type of time to do that. People are dying as we speak. People are affected at an alarming rate and sick as we speak.”
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[ Illinois’ new COVID-19 plan: How the state will manage any outbreaks, in 3 charts ]
As of Sunday, the seven-day average statewide positivity rate was 4.2%, up from 3.1% a month earlier. As of Sunday night, 1,544 people in the state with COVID-19 were hospitalized and of those, 340 were in an intensive care unit, while 126 were on ventilators.
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Monday also launched a new COVID-19 travel map, which designates states and countries with an average daily coronavirus case rate of 15 or more cases per 100,000 people as “higher risk.”
Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike urged residents to consult the map if they’re making plans to travel out of state.
“Maybe it will help you make a choice to pick one location over another, this can help you decide,” Ezike said. “We know that travel can’t always be avoided. You might be crossing the border every day to go to work, you might have family just on the other side of the border. You might have a family matter that you have to go to one of these ‘hot states.’”
Of the states that border Illinois on the state’s COVID-19 travel map, Iowa and Missouri are currently considered “higher risk.” Much of the South, as well as North Dakota, Nevada, Idaho and California, are also currently considered in the higher risk category.
jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-17--Column: In Jussie Smollett case, special prosecutor finds Kim Foxx misled public. That’s unacceptabl

Column: In Jussie Smollett case, special prosecutor finds Kim Foxx misled public. That’s unacceptable.

Former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb released a detailed statement Monday outlining his team ’ s investigation into the celebrity case @ @ @ @ @ ’ s shoe like gum since late January 2019 .
We already knew Webb ’ @ @ @ @ @ good for Smollett .
The actor best known for his role on “ Empire ” @ @ @ @ @ in February with six counts of disorderly conduct alleging he staged a fake hate crime @ @ @

We didn’t need a special prosecutor’s report to tell us Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s handling of the Jussie Smollett case was shambolic. But now we have one, just in case.
Former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb released a detailed statement Monday outlining his team’s investigation into the celebrity case that has stuck to Chicago’s shoe like gum since late January 2019. We already knew Webb’s work wasn’t good for Smollett. The actor best known for his role on “Empire” was charged (again) in February with six counts of disorderly conduct alleging he staged a fake hate crime against himself.
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But Monday’s news was bad for Foxx. While Webb found no criminal wrongdoing by her or anyone in the Cook County state’s attorney office, he found ample reason for voters to question Foxx’s trustworthiness.
The Smollett case has been, from the jump, remarkably bizarre.
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The actor’s allegations of an attack by supporters of President Donald Trump in the ritzy and diverse Streeterville neighborhood seemed odd. And his claims that two men put a noose around his neck, hit him and shouted Trump slogans felt almost scripted.
The police rightfully took the matter seriously, and Chicagoans had to reckon with the idea that a hate crime against a Black and openly gay actor might have happened on our streets. It was international news.
But the actor’s allegations quickly fell apart.
We learned Smollett didn’t want to turn over his cellphone data to investigators. And in a city of cameras, there was no video of the attack. By Feb. 20, 2019, Smollett was charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report.
The previous day, Foxx recused herself from the case, saying she had contact with a member of Smollett’s family early in the investigation.
On March 8, 2019, Smollett was indicted on 16 counts of disorderly conduct. The Chicago Police Department poured enormous resources into the investigation and seemed to have built a clear case that the attack was a hoax.
After a little more than two weeks, Cook County prosecutors dropped all charges against Smollett, surprising everyone, including the police.
Nobody understood the decision. There was no clear statement about what had changed. Smollett maintained he was a victim. The police maintained it was a hoax.
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The only thing that seemed clear was that something dodgy happened in Foxx’s office. That’s why Webb was appointed as a special prosecutor by Cook County Circuit Judge Michael Toomin. And the aforementioned dodginess is exactly what Webb’s investigation revealed.
One of the key findings relates to the biggest question in the case: What changed between charges against Smollett being filed and those charges being dropped?
The answer is: Nothing.
From Webb’s statement, the state’s attorney’s office “decision-makers on the Initial Smollett Case (acting State’s Attorney Joseph Magats and lead prosecutor Risa Lanier) did not learn of any new evidence between when the CCSAO filed a 16-count indictment against Mr. Smollett on March 7, 2019, when the CCSAO believed it had a strong case against Mr. Smollett, and March 26, 2019, when the entire indictment was dismissed.”
That sure is quirky!
Webb also found that “decision-makers on the Initial Smollett Case have significantly and meaningfully divergent explanations for how the resolution was reached.”
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I bet they do.
While Foxx had recused herself, there are multiple places in Webb’s investigation where she was found to have said things that were not true:
· Foxx “made false public statements representing that $10,000 was the most Mr. Smollett could have been ordered to pay in restitution under the law when there is no such cap under the provision of the disorderly conduct statute.”
· Foxx “made false public statements representing that Mr. Smollett had no criminal background.”
· After telling reporters her office “had a strong case and would have prevailed at trial, State’s Attorney Foxx published an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune on March 29, 2019, where she falsely represented that the ‘office believed the likelihood of securing a conviction was not certain.’ ”
Webb also found that Foxx’s recusal from the case was “legally defective in a major way” and that Foxx and her office “made the decision to ignore this major legal defect seemingly because they did not want to admit that they had made such a major mistake of judgment.”
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There are more unflattering details in Webb’s summary. The special prosecutor has asked Toomin to release the full report.
Again, Webb found no evidence of criminal behavior, and he also “did not develop evidence of improper influence by any outside third parties in the decision-making” by Foxx or anyone in her office, debunking claims that first lady Michelle Obama’s former chief of staff played any role in the case.
But that’s cold comfort for Foxx.
Webb’s investigation seems to confirm what many suspected: Foxx made false statements to the public and mismanaged the case. That’s unacceptable. We have to be able to trust our prosecutors to fairly and competently hold people accountable, famous or not.
We may never get a full and honest accounting of what happened with Smollett in Streeterville that night in January 2019.
But I have a pretty good idea what should happen to Foxx on Nov. 3, 2020.
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rhuppke@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-17--After push to change the name of Douglas Park, Chicago Park District considers new rules and new nam

After push to change the name of Douglas Park, Chicago Park District considers new rules and new names for 3 other parks

Kujawa was born on the South Side on May 15 , 1924 , Heather Gleason , the Park District ’ @ @ @ @ @ construction , said at last week ’ s meeting .
He was among those who @ @ @ @ @ February 1945 with the 5th Marine Division , C Company , 2nd Platoon .
Kujawa @ @ @ @ @ one of four survivors of his company , Gleason said .
He fought for 36 @ @ @ @ @ the Japanese surrendered .

An extra "s" is painted on a Douglas Park sign as people rest and play July 22, 2020, in Chicago. The park, named after U.S. Sen. Stephen A. Douglas, will likely be renamed after abolitionist Frederick Douglass. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
The process to rename three Chicago parks kicked off last week, along with changes to renaming rules that follow the unprecedented step to change the title of Douglas Park.
The Chicago Park District voted Wednesday to begin the process of updating its park naming procedures. Under the new rules, renaming would be split into two parts, with a name removal period and then a separate period to choose a new name.
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The public will be able to weigh in on the proposed amendment over a 45-day period, and then the board will give final approval.
The action follows an ongoing push to rename Douglas Park after the celebrated abolitionist Frederick Douglass, rather than Stephen A. Douglas — a U.S. senator from Illinois who in the mid-1800s advocated that voters should decide the legality of slavery rather than abolish it and also profited from his wife’s ownership of a Mississippi slave plantation.
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The Chicago Park District took the step toward changing the park’s name last month. For years, the Park District has renamed parks that go by numbers or trees, and has faced pushback over some name changes, but there was no precedent for swapping out a historical figure.
The Douglas Park news followed protests at the since-removed Christopher Columbus statue in Grant Park and comes at a time when attention is focused on the legacies of those with monuments and symbols named in their honor.
Students at Village Leadership Academy spent years campaigning for the name change of the West Side park. At Wednesday’s meeting, teacher Bianca Jones said after “feeling left out and ignored by the board of commissioners,” the group would like to see the renaming include the name of Anna-Murray Douglass, Frederick’s wife.
“Adding the name of a Black woman who was an abolitionist in her own right to our city landscape would allow the Park District to be ahead of the curve in this moment of reckoning,” Jones said.
That proposal was formally submitted and is being considered, according to the Park District. Once the public comment period comes to a close, and without any delays, the renaming will go before the board for approval in October.
The other parks likely to be renamed include Park 543, which would be called Printers Row Park, and Park 568, updated to West Ridge Nature Preserve — both changes that reflect the parks’ locations.
Additionally, the Park District voted to initiate the process to rename Catalpa Park in the Archer Heights neighborhood after Chester Frank Kujawa, a former resident of the Southwest Side neighborhood and a decorated World War II veteran. The proposal is backed by Ald. Edward Burke.
Kujawa was born on the South Side on May 15, 1924, Heather Gleason, the Park District’s director of planning and construction, said at last week’s meeting. He was among those who landed on Iwo Jima in February 1945 with the 5th Marine Division, C Company, 2nd Platoon. Kujawa, then 20, was one of four survivors of his company, Gleason said. He fought for 36 days with fellow Marines until the Japanese surrendered.
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Kujawa died Dec. 12, 2016, and in September 2019, the City Council passed a resolution to honor him and his division, and requested the Park District rename Catalpa Park as Chester Frank Kujawa Park.


chicagotribune--2020-08-17--Investigation continues after crash involving Lake County Sheriff’s police car

The collision happened about 9:42 p.m. Saturday , police said , as the officer responded to an emergency call of @ @ @ @ @ knife and attempting to enter a residence in the 13400 block of Victoria Lane in @ @ @

A motorist involved in a weekend collision with a Lake County Sheriff’s officer remained hospitalized in stable condition Monday, according to sheriff’s police.
The officer, who was also injured in the crash, was discharged from Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville Sunday morning, Sgt. Christopher Covelli said Monday.
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The collision happened about 9:42 p.m. Saturday, police said, as the officer responded to an emergency call of a subject armed with a knife and attempting to enter a residence in the 13400 block of Victoria Lane in Beach Park.
The officer was westbound on Wadsworth Road when her patrol car struck a southbound Nissan Sentra in the intersection with Green Bay Road in Beach Park, according to police.
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The impact forced the Sentra to strike an eastbound Honda Civic, whose driver and passenger were uninjured, police said. The Sentra driver and the deputy were transported to Condell.
Covelli said the officer had activated her siren and emergency lights. The incident remains under investigation by the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team.
Authorities responding to the original call took a juvenile into custody, and charges are pending, Covelli said.
Clifford Ward is a freelance reporter for the Lake County News-Sun.


chicagotribune--2020-08-17--Chicago closes 5 more restaurants and bars for COVID-19 guideline violations

The task force aimed at preventing large , commercial gatherings and conducted 38 investigations over the weekend , including eight @ @ @ @ @ task force was a collaboration between the Department of Buildings , the Fire Department and @ @ @ @ @ , BACP conducted 101 investigations and issued 14 citations to seven businesses .
Since June @ @ @ @ @ 1,239 investigations and issued 76 citations .

Five businesses were closed down over the weekend after investigators from the city of Chicago’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection found them to be in violation of reopening requirements.
Barba Yianni (4761 N. Lincoln Ave.) was closed and issued two citations for having more than 80 people inside, operating after midnight, and violating social distancing and face covering guidelines.
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Juanita’s Restaurant #2 (6539-6541 W. 63rd St.) was closed and issued two citations for having more than 70 people inside, operating after midnight, and violating social distancing and masking guidelines.
Retro Cafe and Restaurant (3246 N. Central Ave.) was closed and issued two citations for operating after midnight and violating social distancing and masking guidelines.
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La Estrella Blanca Nightclub (3049 N. Cicero Ave.) was closed and issued two citations for allowing guests to drink alcohol inside without a retail food license and for violating masking guidelines.
And Second Time Around (8303 W. Irving Park Road) was closed and issued two citations for operating after midnight.
All of the businesses were closed for one night.
A task force that was a collaboration between the Department of Buildings, the Fire Department and the Police Department conducted 38 investigations over the weekend, including eight at residential locations. The task force aimed to prevent large, commercial gatherings.
Overall, the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection conducted 101 investigations and issued 14 citations to seven businesses over the weekend. Since June 3, BACP has conducted 1,239 investigations and issued 76 citations.
“While the vast majority of Chicago’s businesses are doing an incredible job following the guidelines and keeping their customers and employees safe, BACP continues to take strong enforcement action when necessary, including to prevent unsafe events, gatherings and parties,” read a BACP news release.
gwong@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-17--9-year-old boy suffers graze wound to the head while riding in a car on South Side

The boy was wounded just after 2 p.m. when someone fired shots at the car in the first block of @ @ @ @ @ Chatham neighborhood .
He was hit near the ear and was taken to Comer Children @ @ @ @ @ said .

A 9-year-old boy suffered a graze wound to the head as he rode in a car on the South Side Monday afternoon, according to police and fire officials.
The boy was wounded just after 2 p.m. when someone fired shots at the car in the first block of West 87th Street in the Chatham neighborhood. He was hit near the ear and was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, police said.
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Chicago fire officials said he suffered a graze wound.
Check back for updates.


chicagotribune--2020-08-17--Little Beans Cafe closes Chicago location in hopes of keeping Evanston play space afloat. ‘We need t

Little Beans Cafe closes Chicago location in hopes of keeping Evanston play space afloat. ‘We need this to work.’

But now , restrictions designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have limited their business so much that Valko said @ @ @ @ @ Spengler , Little Beans Cafe ’ s co-owner , have no choice but to close @ @ @ @ @ where Little Beans Cafe began in hopes of keeping their second site , in Evanston @ @ @

Children ranging in age from 3 to 5 play in their "pod" play space at Little Beans Cafe in Evanston on Aug. 17, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
With more and more schools starting the year with virtual learning, working parent-friendly child care has never been more in demand.
That should be good news for Little Beans Cafe, which Shannon Valko launched a decade ago after making the rounds of kids’ play spaces with her oldest child and failing to find one that didn’t make parents feel like an afterthought — especially working parents.
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But now, restrictions designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have limited their business so much that Valko said she and her brother Rob Spengler, Little Beans Cafe’s co-owner, have no choice but to close the North Side play space where Little Beans Cafe began in hopes of keeping their second site, in Evanston, afloat.
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“We want to get to the other side of this because it’s so important for families,” said Valko, who has never been more worried for kid-oriented businesses like hers — even competitors.
“It would be a shame to see us all leave,” she said. “If everything fun for kids ends, why raise kids in the city?”
Aukosua Stokes, of Chicago, hugs her daughter Willow, 7, as she's dropped off at Little Beans Cafe in Evanston on Aug. 17, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
At Little Beans Cafe, kids can take classes or explore a child-size village with a grocery store and firehouse, or play with blocks, puzzles and ride-on cars. Parents can join in or get work done in the cafe.
In March, when Little Beans Cafe decided to close for two weeks as a precaution, staff members cracked open Coronas and told each other it would be a well-deserved break. Valko had no idea it would be the last time she saw kids playing in the Chicago location she considers Little Beans Cafe‘s “heart and soul.”
She and her brother hoped to keep both locations until they saw that Illinois’ guidelines for activities permitted in Phase 4 of reopening wouldn’t work for their Chicago site. Businesses like Little Beans Cafe can operate socially distanced summer camps, where kids wear masks and stay in pods that don’t mix.
That works in the 16,000-square-foot Evanston location, but not at the 5,800-square foot site on Chicago’s North Side, in the Logan Square community area near the Bucktown neighborhood.
The extra space at the Evanston location has given it more flexibility during the pandemic. That site has started hosting summer camp programs and drive-in movie nights. The Evanston location, which used to be a drugstore, also has a drive-thru lane where, early in the pandemic, costumed characters served coffee.
Chris Kilpatrick, a supervisor at Little Beans Cafe in Evanston, gets a drive-thru coffee order for a customer on Aug. 17, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Families would wait as long as an hour for the character visits, though the business has since slowed: Kids didn’t understand why they couldn’t come in and play. Employees “saw a lot of crying in the drive-thru window,” Valko said.
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A bigger change is coming this fall. Little Beans Cafe in Evanston will hold socially distanced educational programs and activities like arts, drama and sports for kids ages 2 to 6 in the morning and afternoon, with a separate supervised virtual learning program for older kids.
Since Little Beans Cafe isn’t a licensed day care, parents must be on-site, so the cafe set up a co-working space for parents, with adult-sized Ikea desks divided by mirrors normally used during dance classes.
The program will be able to accommodate 28 kids and about 15 parents, who will sign up in two-week increments.
But the drop-in play that accounted for about 60% of the business is still off-limits. When Little Beans Cafe ran the numbers, keeping both locations meant the company would have run out of money before the end of the year.
The Evanston landlord was willing to work with them on rent. Valko said she and her brother took on a significant amount of debt when opening the site six years ago, secured by their home.
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“We need this to work, or we’re personally in a very hard spot,” Valko said.
Camp counselor Stazi Martinez conducts circle time with 3-5 year old kids at Little Beans Cafe in Evanston on Aug. 17, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
If they can keep the Evanston site’s educational and co-working programs 75% full, the pivot will buy them nine extra months, Valko said. By that point, she’s hoping they will be able to host birthday parties again, or that another round of federal assistance will bring funding that further extends their runway.
“None of this is sustainable for a long period because it’s not our model and it still requires a lot of staffing. Hopefully it’s a Band-Aid,” she said.
In the meantime, Little Beans Cafe is hoping to find someone willing to purchase the Chicago business and keep it going. There have been inquiries, but people are wary of taking on the risk when it’s unclear how much longer the pandemic will last, Valko said.
Still, she’s optimistic that once a vaccine or other development lessens concerns about sharing indoor spaces, the growing acceptance of working from home could make the original vision for Little Beans Cafe stronger than ever.
“It could be our heyday,” she said. “Kids need a place that feels like theirs, and where parents feel comfortable.”
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lzumbach@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-17--Watch live: Gov. J.B. Pritzker gives a coronavirus update

Illinois Gov .
J.B. Pritzker discusses the state ’ s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in a briefing scheduled for @ @ @ @ @ updates on COVID-19 in Illinois here .

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chicagotribune--2020-08-17--COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital da

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

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-08-17--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-08-17--Illinois coronavirus graphs: 7,756 deaths, 207,854 confirmed cases and 3.41 million tests

• How are Illinois regions doing ?
Check our daily charts on where each region stands on positivity rate and @ @ @ @ @ .

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


chicagotribune--2020-08-17--Picked up on Missouri warrant, Valparaiso man admits having meth: police report

“ While en route to the Porter County Jail , Bryan spontaneously advised me that he had a glass smoking @ @ @ @ @ He also stated he had two baggies of methamphetamine in his pants as well , @ @ @ @ @ “ When I asked Bryan where those items were located , he stated they were @ @ @ @ @ region of his crotch .
”

A Valparaiso man arrested over the weekend on an out-of-state warrant admitted to police taking him to jail that he had a glass smoking pipe and two small bags of methamphetamine in his crotch, according to a report.
Around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, a deputy with the Porter County Sheriff’s Department was patrolling eastbound U.S. 30 near Washington Street in Valparaiso when the car in front of him reportedly cut in between several construction cones to get partially in the left lane, a report said.
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Police pulled over the car, driven by Bryan Walker, 31, of the 200 block of Nickel Plate Avenue, about his driving, and determined there was a warrant for Walker’s arrest in Missouri for a parole violation.
Walker told police he didn’t know about the warrant and police took him into custody.
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“While en route to the Porter County Jail, Bryan spontaneously advised me that he had a glass smoking pipe in his pants. He also stated he had two baggies of methamphetamine in his pants as well,” the report stated. “When I asked Bryan where those items were located, he stated they were under his pants/underwear in the region of his crotch.”
In addition to the warrant, Walker faces initial charges of a possession of methamphetamine, a felony, and a misdemeanor count of possession of paraphernalia.
Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.


chicagotribune--2020-08-17--‘Nobody to toast to victory with’: Illinois Democratic National Convention delegation will cheer Joe

‘Nobody to toast to victory with’: Illinois Democratic National Convention delegation will cheer Joe Biden over President Trump from home

“ Latinos are very touchy-feely people and not being there together , in person with people who have something in @ @ @ @ @ for the future is almost distressing , ” said U.S. Rep. Jesús “ Chuy ” @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We value looking somebody in the eye , grabbing them by the shoulder @ @ @ @ @ cheer .
What about the balloons , the confetti ?
At the end of the @ @ @ @ @ supposed to open up a beer or two , and there is nobody to toast @ @ @ @ @ ’ s totally bizarre .
”

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Democratic Party will hold a largely virtual convention this week. A more traditional convention had been planned at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, pictured here on Aug. 5, 2020. (Morry Gash/AP)
For Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, the 2020 Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee promised to be the experience of a lifetime — a chance to witness history, network with fellow Democrats from across the country and rub in some bragging rights.
The first-time delegate supported Joe Biden during the party’s historically large and diverse primary while her husband, West Side Ald. Jason Ervin, filed as a delegate to represent former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who dropped out of the race before Illinois voted.
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But instead of sending her husband selfies from the convention floor and cheering along with thousands of the nation’s most loyal Democrats while he’s back in Chicago, the move to a largely virtual convention amid the COVID-19 pandemic will leave Conyears-Ervin stuck at home watching it with him on the couch.
“I tease him all the time, ‘See, dear, I know how to pick the right horse,‘” she said with a laugh. “I guess I’ll have to take selfies in front of the TV now instead. This is so weird.”
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Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin at her office inside City Hall on Nov. 21, 2019. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
When the Democrats’ convention gets underway Monday, no delegates will be traveling to Wisconsin for it, with the coronavirus pandemic still coursing through the country. Neither will any of the speakers. Not even Biden will accept the party’s nomination in the key swing state’s largest city.
Instead, virtually all of the convention will be held remotely — four nights of solely for-TV festivities, capped by Biden’s speech on Thursday night.
For the 182 Illinois delegates and 13 alternates, the social event will be attempted virtually by the state party on a nightly basis before the two-hour national prime-time festivities. There will be no raucous nightly parties, no lunches paid for by special interest groups and no morning breakfast rallies where guest speakers and surrogates from the national campaign aim to put the state’s delegates in a rallying mood.
“Latinos are very touchy-feely people and not being there together, in person with people who have something in common and share a vision for the future is almost distressing,” said U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, a Chicago Democrat. “We value looking somebody in the eye, grabbing them by the shoulder and having the ability to cheer. What about the balloons, the confetti? At the end of the night, I’m supposed to open up a beer or two, and there is nobody to toast to victory with? It’s totally bizarre.”
On Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020, a sign advertises the 2020 Democratic National Convention at Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP)
Southeast Side Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza has been going to the political and labor conventions for most of her life. As the daughter of union activist and leader Edward Sadlowski, she remembers going to a steel workers’ labor convention with her father, living in a Las Vegas efficiency apartment for two weeks in back of the now-defunct Westward Ho Hotel and Casino.
“There’s still people I know who were at that convention, and we still talk about it,” Sadlowski Garza said. “A convention brings a sense of solidarity, it brings you together, it makes you feel as one and that’s all gone. It’s just going to be a TV show. I’m going to be very honest, I’m not excited about it at all.”
The 10th Ward alderman is a Bernie Sanders delegate and was an early and enthusiastic supporter of the Vermont senator, so much so that he came to Chicago to endorse Sadlowski Garza in her successful 2015 bid to unseat a close ally of then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel. She said the only thing she’s excited about is “getting rid of Trump,” and she’ll do whatever it takes to do so, but expressed disappointment that the party once again has not fully embraced a more progressive agenda.
With much of the party platform already settled ahead of time, there won’t be much lobbying for the Sanders delegates to do either.
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“We’re trying to push Joe to the left as much as we can,” Sadlowski Garza said. “Being there in person, you can go back and forth, talk to people, argue your way in. In a Zoom meeting, someone can push a mute button at any time.”
Chicago Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza, 10th, speaks at a rally and fundraising event for presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders at Park West in Chicago on Aug. 17, 2015. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
Clem Balanoff, head of Our Revolution, a political action offshoot of the Sanders presidential bids, said one of the main things missing is the ability to network with people inside and outside the Illinois delegation. Balanoff recalled the convention four years ago when he and other Sanders delegates agreed to smuggle “nonapproved” signs onto the convention floor to “make a statement” opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement as benefiting corporations over workers.
But there’s no real convention floor this time around. And, unlike some of the acrimony four years ago between supporters of Sanders and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Balanoff said Donald Trump’s presidency “is a very serious unifying factor for Democrats.”
That’s how García is looking at the political landscape. He’s more willing to put off some progressive causes for the sake of a unified effort to oust Trump.
“I’m passionate and unabashed about my positions on immigration reform, ‘Medicare for All,‘ the Green New Deal, racial justice, increasing the minimum wage, but I also feel like the country has such a great need to get rid of these characters in the White House, that I’m willing to figure out ways to keep fighting for those things beyond the convention,” García said. “I’m really just focused on getting this ticket elected, winning the Senate and increasing our margin in the House.”
Conyears-Ervin said she very much looked forward to the short trip to Milwaukee and the ability to network with top officials from across the country. But she sees a silver lining in missing out — getting to watch with her 4-year-old daughter at home as California Sen. Kamala Harris accepts the nomination for vice president.
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“A young Black girl with her Black mom, and we’ll be watching history being made,” Conyears-Ervin said. “During a time such as this, where we’re seeing so much injustice and where we are fighting for equity on a daily basis, that Joe Biden saw fit to tap a Black woman on the shoulder to join him in leading this country is still an incredible moment.”
The nature of the virtual event also means fewer speakers onstage, likely costing some Illinois politicians their moment in the spotlight. Down-ballot Democrats either seeking reelection or challenging a Republican customarily would receive a five-minute spot at the podium to showcase them to other delegates before the prime time speakers.
That’s an opportunity two freshman U.S. representatives, Lauren Underwood of Naperville and Sean Casten of Downers Grove, won’t receive. The same goes for Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, who again is running for the central Illinois congressional seat of Republican Rodney Davis after a narrow loss two years ago.
It’s also possible with a larger slate of speakers that Mayor Lori Lightfoot might have received some main stage podium time, as Emanuel did in 2012. Instead, she was involved in a panel discussion Monday morning on protecting election integrity and was scheduled to take part in one with Biden and others about racial justice.
Illinois, however, will still have some representation. U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, one of Biden’s finalists for the VP slot, will give a speech on Thursday night.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth speaks to the media before faith leaders and politicians participate in the Juneteenth faith-led peaceful demonstration on Columbus Drive in Grant Park on June 19, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
While the conventions are national affairs, they also are a moment for the Illinois delegation to take stock of its key issues and rising stars.
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In 2004, state Sen. Barack Obama tried to downplay the hype over his national keynote speech as “a little overstated,” but it went down as one of the top convention speeches of all time and is widely regarded as the prelude to his presidency.
Four years later in Denver, then-Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. staged a tearful hug fest on a stage with his political enemies, including then-Mayor Richard Daley and then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich. In 2012, labor leaders did little to hide their anger with then-Gov. Pat Quinn, who would go to become the only Democratic governor in the nation to lose reelection.
And in 2016 in Philadelphia as Democrats pondered their challenger to Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin took himself out of the running but Christopher Kennedy, a member of the iconic Massachusetts political family, delivered a speech harshly critical of Rauner. But afterward, Kennedy fled reporters and ran into an elevator, pleading, “Have some decency.” Kennedy, who eventually fled down a fire escape, ended up running but lost in the primary to current Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who was then a boldface name in gossip columns.
Perhaps no one is breathing a bigger sigh of relief that the convention will be a virtual one than embattled Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, who undoubtedly would have been the focus of four days of intense media scrutiny.
Madigan, who also holds the role of state Democratic Party chairman, has been implicated in an alleged federal bribery and influence scheme involving ComEd. The state’s largest utility has agreed to pay $200 million in fines and cooperate with investigators for three years after prosecutors alleged it worked to gain Madigan’s favor for nearly a decade by providing jobs and contracts to Madigan allies.
Madigan has not been charged with any wrongdoing and has denied making any legislative decision with improper motives.
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Despite the power he has displayed as the nation’s longest-serving statehouse speaker, a post he has held for 36 of the past 38 years, Madigan’s control has been shaken by the ComEd issue and a growing list of Democratic elected officials, including some lawmakers in the chamber he runs, has called for him to step down from his government role, his party position or both.
It is the right atmosphere for Illinois delegates at an in-person convention to organize around, said Carol Ronen, a former North Side state senator and one of three members of the 36-member Democratic State Central Committee to call on Madigan to exit his various state and party roles.
“There’d be little groups forming together. More people agreeing with me then are coming forward,” Ronen, a longtime convention delegate, said in picturing what discussions about Madigan would look like.
“We obviously have a very critical election coming up, the election of our lifetime. We have to make sure that Joe Biden wins,” she said. “(Madigan) strikes the discordant tone. He’s a distraction from what we’re trying to accomplish going forward.”
bruthhart@chicagotribune.com
rap30@aol.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-17--A timeline of the Jussie Smollett case

A timeline of the Jussie Smollett case

— A law enforcement source says Chicago police are now investigating whether Smollett paid the two brothers to stage an @ @ @ @ @ information provided by the two while they were in custody .
Investigators also have been @ @ @ @ @ rope that Smollett said was made into a noose and placed around his neck as @ @ @ @ @ in the 300 block of East North Water Street , the source said .
Detectives @ @ @ @ @ to find the source of the rope but the new information allowed them to narrow @ @ @ @ @ it was sold , the source said .

Actor Jussie Smollett leaves the Cook County Jail on March 16, 2022, after he was ordered to be released pending appeal of his conviction and 150-day sentence. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Actor Jussie Smollett told Chicago police in January that two men attacked him near his apartment building in Streeterville, slipping a noose around his neck and yelling racial and homophobic slurs. More than three weeks later, authorities said they believed Smollett was lying and charged him with disorderly conduct, alleging he filed a false police report. On March 26, prosecutors announced they were dropping charges against Smollett, who said he had been “consistent and truthful” from day one.
Here are some key moments:
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Jan. 22, 2019
— The week before he says he was attacked in Streeterville, Smollett reported receiving an envelope addressed to him at production studios on Chicago’s West Side. The envelope was postmarked in southwest suburban Bedford Park four days earlier, on Jan. 18. The letters “MAGA” were written, in red ink, in the return address section of the envelope. Smollett told police he and the show’s executive producer used gloves to open the envelope. Inside was a threat in cut-out letters: “You will die black (expletive).” There was white powder in the envelope, but it was determined to be crushed pain reliever, according to police.
Jan. 29
— Smollett reports he was attacked by two men while out getting food from a Subway sandwich shop around 2 a.m. The actor, black and openly gay, said he was walking back to his apartment in the 300 block of East North Water Street when two men walked up, yelled racial and homophobic slurs, declared “This is MAGA country,” hit him and wrapped a noose around his neck.
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Jan. 30
— Chicago police report they have at least a dozen detectives reviewing hundreds of hours of surveillance camera footage, including of Smollett walking downtown, but none of the videos show the attack. Police release images of two people in the area at the time whom they would like to question. The two people were captured by a surveillance camera on New Street near Illinois Street between 1:30 and 1:45 a.m. Smollett said he was attacked about 15 to 30 minutes later around the corner. The images, however, are dark, and faces indistinguishable.
— Reports of Smollett's attack draw outrage and support on social media, including from U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California, U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush of Chicago and openly gay TV host Ellen DeGeneres.
Jan. 31
— President Donald Trump tells reporters at the White House that he saw a story the evening before about Smollett and that, "It doesn't get worse, as far as I'm concerned."
— Despite the support of celebrities and politicians, skepticism continues to grow on social media. Smollett's family issues a statement calling the attack a racial and homophobic hate crime. The family says he "has told the police everything" and "his story has never changed," disputing assertions on social media that he has been less than cooperative and has changed his story.
Feb. 1
— Smollett issues a statement telling people that he is OK and thanking them for their support. He says he is working with authorities and has been "100 percent factual and consistent on every level."
Feb. 2
— Smollett gives a concert in West Hollywood, Calif., his first performance since the reported attack. "I had to be here tonight, y'all. I can't let (them) win," he said, visibly fighting tears. "I have so many words in my heart. The most important thing I have to say is thank you so much and that I'm OK. I'm not fully healed yet, but I'm going to. And I'm gonna stand strong with y'all.” Smollett also said he had to play the show because he “couldn't let his attackers win.”
Feb. 12
— Chicago police say Smollett turned over some, but not all, of the phone records that the detectives requested as part of their investigation. Smollett has said his music manager was on the phone with him at the time of the attack and can corroborate this story. But police say the heavily redacted files aren't sufficient. Smollett says the information was redacted to protect the privacy of contacts and people not relevant to the attack.
Feb. 14
— Smollett gives a national television interview on “Good Morning America,” seeking to put doubts to rest about whether he was attacked. “You do such a disservice when you lie about things like this,” Smollett told “GMA” co-anchor Robin Roberts. "I’ve heard that it was a date gone bad, which I so resent that narrative,” he told Roberts. “I’m not gonna go out and get a tuna sandwich and a salad to meet somebody. That’s ridiculous. And it’s offensive.” He says he is convinced that the men in the surveillance images were his attackers. “I don’t have any doubt in my mind that that’s them. Never did.”
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— Chicago police announce hours later that detectives are interviewing the two "persons of interest" captured on video. A law enforcement source said the two men, brothers in their 20s, were brought in for questioning Wednesday night from O’Hare International Airport after arriving from Nigeria. One of them worked as an extra on “Empire,” the source said.
— Chicago police later say local media reports that the attack against Smollett was a hoax are unconfirmed.
— Producers of "Empire" dispute media reports that Smollett's character was being written off the show.
Feb. 15
— Early in the day, Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi says the two "persons of interest" are now considered potential suspects. He says the men are in custody but have not been charged with a crime.
— Twelve hours later, police release the brothers, saying they no longer were considered suspects. “Due to new evidence as a result of today’s interrogations, the individuals questioned by police in the Empire case have now been released without charging and detectives have additional investigative work to complete,” Guglielmi said in a tweet. He did not say what the evidence was or what work detectives still must do.
Feb. 16
— A law enforcement source says Chicago police are now investigating whether Smollett paid the two brothers to stage an attack, following up on information provided by the two while they were in custody. Investigators also have been given new details about the rope that Smollett said was made into a noose and placed around his neck as he walked toward his apartment in the 300 block of East North Water Street, the source said. Detectives had been searching area retailers to find the source of the rope but the new information allowed them to narrow their search and find where it was sold, the source said.
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— The attorney for the brothers, Gloria Schmidt, is asked whether Smollett set up the attack. “There’s still a lot of moving parts to this. … I’m not part of Jussie’s defense," she said. "I’m not part of what’s going on with him. I can just tell you that my guys (are) innocent of the charge and they’re going home."
— The actor issues a strongly worded statement late Saturday insisting the attack happened. "Jussie Smollett is angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with. He has been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack. Nothing is further from the truth." The statement said one of the brothers was Smollett's personal trainer, the first time he has acknowledged knowing either of them. The two also reportedly worked with Smollett on “Empire.”
Feb. 19
— In another twist in the investigation, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx recuses herself from the case as prosecutors in her office began questioning two brothers who had been possible suspects. Foxx says she made the decision "out of an abundance of caution" because of her "familiarity with potential witnesses in the case."
— Hours before Foxx’s statement, the two brothers who had been under arrest appeared at the criminal courthouse to talk to prosecutors and detectives, authorities said. They and their attorney were seen near the grand jury rooms Tuesday afternoon, but police said they did not appear before it.
Feb. 20
—Smollett was charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report about the attack, the Cook County state’s attorney’s office said. Hours earlier, the Chicago Police Department announced that Smollett was officially classified as a suspect in a criminal investigation for filing a false police report, a felony.
— New details emerge about why Foxx recused herself: In a statement, one her aides says the Cook County state’s attorney “had conversations with a family member of Jussie Smollett about the incident” after the initial report of the attack and “facilitated a connection to the Chicago Police Department who were investigating the incident.”
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— Former Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, whom Foxx defeated in 2016 to win the chief prosecutor job, takes a shot at Foxx on Facebook for her recusal. Alvarez writes, “Maybe I should have just recused myself from the difficult cases that came across my desk when I was state's attorney. I was under the impression that when the voters elected me and I took my oath of office it meant I had to do my job.”
— Before Smollett was called a suspect, Fox television says Smollett “continues to be a consummate professional on set,” and it has reiterated that he is not being written out of the show.
Feb. 21
— Smollett surrenders to Chicago police and is arrested in the early morning hours. He is booked and his mug shot is taken.
— In a forceful news conference, Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson says Smollett faked both the threatening letter and the attack because “he was dissatisfied with his salary” on the show. Johnson, who is African-American, calls the alleged hoax “despicable” and says Smollett “dragged Chicago’s reputation through the mud.” He also reprimands the assembled media for not paying as much attention to each case of gun violence in the city as has been paid to the Smollett case.
— A Cook County prosecutor reads the state’s detailed case — known as a proffer — to assembled media at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.
— An African-American Cook County judge, noting the presumption of innocence, rebukes Smollett while setting his bond at $100,000. Smollett will have to post $10,000 cash and surrender his passport to leave lock-up, which he posts later in the afternoon and is released.
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— Smollett heads to the “Empire” set at studios on the West Side, where cast members and crew are shooting the final episodes of Season 5. His legal team releases a statement slamming police and maintaining Smollett’s innocence: “The presumption of innocence, a bedrock in the search for justice, was trampled upon at the expense of Mr. Smollett and notably, on the eve of a mayoral election. Mr. Smollett is a young man of impeccable character and integrity who fiercely and solemnly maintains his innocence and feels betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due process and proceed directly to sentencing.”
Feb. 22
— “Empire” executive producers announce Smollett will not appear in the final episodes of the show’s fifth season, saying in a statement, “We have decided to remove the role of ‘Jamal’ from the final two episodes of the season.”
Feb. 25
— In an interview on “Good Morning America,” Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson disputed media reports that the thousands of dollars "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett paid two brothers was actually for personal training and nutrition, not for staging a phony racist and anti-gay attack. Johnson said there is more evidence against Smollett that hasn’t been disclosed yet.
March 8
— A Cook County grand jury indicts Smollett on 16 counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly lying to police about being the victim of a racist and homophobic attack. Smollett’s attorney said the new charges, which came a little more than two weeks after Smollett was charged with a single felony count, are overkill.
March 13
— According to texts and emails provided to the Tribune, State’s Attorney Foxx asked Chicago police Superintendent Johnson to turn over the investigation of Smollett’s reported attack to the FBI at the urging of a politically connected lawyer. The exchanges began Feb. 1, three days after Smollett claimed he was attacked near his Streeterville apartment building. The released texts stopped on Feb. 13, the same day a memo was sent out by Foxx’s office saying that she “is recused” from the Smollett investigation.
March 14
— Smollett pleads not guilty to the 16 counts of disorderly conduct in front of Cook County Judge Steven Watkins, a Howard and DePaul University graduate with a background in criminal defense work. — One of the brothers in the case competes in and wins a semifinal bout in Chicago’s Golden Gloves tournament.
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March 21
— One of the brothers in the case competes in the semifinals of the Chicago Golden Gloves tournament. He wins his bout.
March 26
— Cook County prosecutors drop all charges against Smollett, calling it an “appropriate resolution to this case.”
“After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollett’s volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case,” the statement said.
Smollett’s attorneys issued a statement after the announcement, saying their client had been “vilified.”
“This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion,” the statement said.
Smollett, his hands shaking as he read from notes, told reporters in the lobby of the Leighton Criminal Court Building that he was thankful for the support from friends and family, and that he was glad the state was “attempting to do what’s right.”
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“I have been truthful and consistent from day one,” said Smollett.— “Empire” co-star Taraji P. Henson tells USA Today is she is happy Smollett is vindicated, saying, "I'm happy that the truth has finally been set free, because I knew it all along.”"I'm not going to jump on clickbait just because someone says something derogatory about a person I know and love,” Henson said. “I'm not easily swayed like that. Those little clickbait (reports) weren't enough to deter me from his immaculate track record. I know the type of activism this young man does in his community, I know that he's a giver – he's not an attention-seeker.”
March 27
— In response to an open records request, Chicago police release a redacted file containing some of their investigative materials to the media. The Cook County state’s attorney’s office quickly informs them not to release any additional information.
— Cook County State’s Attorney Foxx tells a reporter, "There's some people who were never going to be satisfied unless Mr. Smollett spent many nights in prison. Right now there's a lot of emotion, and I wholeheartedly believe in our line of work we cannot be driven by emotion. We have to be driven by facts." Foxx later expresses regret over her handling of the investigation and her office clarifies her recusal was only informal.
March 28
— Trump sends an early morning tweet saying the FBI and Department of Justice would review the handling of the Jussie Smollett case in Chicago, calling it "outrageous" and "an embarrassment to our Nation!"
— Smollett’s attorney, appearing on NBC’s “Today” show, suggests the African-American brothers in the case wore white make-up around their eyes, under ski masks, to disguise themselves while attacking her client, which would explain why Smollett identified his attackers as white or pale-skinned.
— Attorneys for the Chicago Tribune and other news organizations went to Cook County court to block records from being destroyed if Jussie Smollett’s legal team seeks to expunge his criminal case.
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March 29
— In an op-ed for the Tribune, Foxx writes that she welcomes an outside investigation of her office’s handling of the Smollett matter, and says the evidence against the TV star turned out to be weaker than it was initially presented when the state sought charges.
April 4
— A group of suburban police chiefs joined with the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police to give Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx a vote of no confidence over her office’s abrupt dismissal of charges against Jussie Smollett. FOP President Kevin Graham and some 30 suburban police leaders took it a step further at a news conference, calling on Foxx to resign from her elected office.
— A South Side attorney filed a petition asking for a special prosecutor to look into whether Smollett should be recharged with staging a hate crime as well as whether Foxx or her subordinates interfered with the investigation. The filing marked the first formal request that a special prosecutor be appointed since the decision to drop all charges against Smollett.
— Outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration said it plans to sue Smollett after the actor missed a deadline to repay the city of Chicago $130,106 — the cost of the police overtime hours expended in the investigation into his allegations.
April 5
— Attorneys for Smollett responded to the city of Chicago’s threat to file a lawsuit seeking repayment to the city for the cost of its investigation by warning they would depose Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson and other key players in the case. In a letter obtained by the Tribune, attorney Mark Geragos wrote that Smollett “will not be intimidated into paying the demanded sum.”
— Retired Illinois Appellate Court Judge Sheila O’Brien filed a petition requesting that a special prosecutor investigate Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s handling of the case, the second such petition in two days.
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April 11
— Emanuel’s administration filed a lawsuit to try to force Smollett to repay the city $130,106 — the cost of the police overtime hours expended in the investigation into his allegations.
April 12
— Foxx requested that Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard investigate her office’s handling of the Smollett case. Blanchard said his office “will proceed with this review.”
— “Abel” Osundairo wins his division in the Chicago Golden Gloves, knocking out his opponent in the first round.
April 16
— Foxx releases hundreds of internal texts and emails on the Smollett case to the Chicago Tribune in response to public-records requests. In one exchange, Foxx suggested in a text message to her top deputy that the charges against Smollett, who she called a “washed up celeb who lied to cops,” were excessive.
“Sooo…...I’m recused, but when people accuse us of overcharging cases...16 counts on a class 4 (felony) becomes exhibit A,” she sent in a text message to Joseph Magats on March 8.
April 18 and April 19
—Foxx’s chief spokeswoman and two top deputies leave their jobs with the Cook County state’s attorney’s office. Director of External Affairs Kiera Ellis, who joined the office in October, is no longer with the office. A spokeswoman declined to say whether she had been fired or resigned.
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Her departure came as two other top deputies submitted separate resignations. April Perry, Foxx’s chief ethics officer, is leaving for another job and Mark Rotert, who led the office’s Conviction Integrity Unit, also stepped down. Both resignations are effective May 3.
April 23
— Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, the brothers who said Smollett paid them to stage an attack, filed a federal lawsuit against the actor’s attorneys, saying they smeared them after Cook County prosecutors dropped charges against Smollett.
May 23
— A Cook County judge ordered the case file unsealed in the aborted prosecution of Smollett in a victory for the Chicago Tribune and other news organizations who had filed a lawsuit. In the end, little new information was revealed, but now record requests made to the Chicago Police Department and the Cook County state’s attorney’s office could now be fulfilled.
May 30
— Chicago police released hundreds of pages of police reports in the Smollett case, a week after a judge ordered the court case file unsealed. One detail uncovered is that detectives who reviewed Smollett’s phone and financial records found he discussed drug deals with one of the two brothers who later claimed to have helped Smollett stage a hate crime.
May 31
— Cook County Prosecutor Kim Foxx’s office released 2,000 pages of emails and text messages in the Smollett case. Among the revelations, Foxx recused herself only because of false rumors that she was related to the actor, not because of any communications she had with his relative, according to text messages. Foxx also termed as “bull---” the explanation her own office gave for her withdrawal at the time, the texts show.
June 5
— Audio from two 911 calls reporting an alleged attack against Jussie Smollett were released by Chicago officials. In the first 911 call at 2:22 a.m., lasting just over three minutes, a colleague of the actor’s told the dispatcher he needed police to stop by Smollett’s building, near where the actor claimed he was attacked. At 2:38 a.m., Smollett’s colleague made a second 911 call, which lasted more than four minutes. He told another dispatcher he was still waiting for the police to arrive.
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June 21
— Cook County Judge Michael Toomin orders the appointment of a special prosecutor to look into the investigation and short-lived prosecution of Smollett. The effort to get the prosecutor appointed was spearheaded by former Judge O’Brien.
June 24
— Chicago police released hundreds of videos as well as hundreds of pages of texts, emails and internal documents from its investigation into Jussie Smollett’s allegedly staged attack. The videos from police are likely the last in a drawn-out succession of public records releases since charges were dropped against the actor.
Aug. 23
— Former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb was appointed special prosecutor to look into why State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office abruptly dropped all charges against actor Jussie Smollett. Webb and his team will wield extensive power to follow the probe where it leads, including investigating “the actions of any person or office involved in all aspects of the case,” Judge Michael Toomin said. They could also file new charges against Smollett — or anyone else they reasonably believe committed a crime.
Sept. 4, 2019
— Lawyers for Jussie Smollett say the former “Empire” actor could never have foreseen that Chicago police would investigate his claims of a brutal hate crime attack so thoroughly — and therefore he shouldn’t be stuck with the bill. The unusual argument was made in a court filing explaining why a judge should dismiss a lawsuit by the city seeking to recoup $130,000 in police overtime costs.
Jan. 8, 2020
— Google was ordered to turn over Jussie Smollett’s emails, photos, location data and private messages for an entire year as part of the special prosecutor’s investigation into the alleged attack on the actor in Chicago.
— Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and her office retained some high-powered, private legal assistance in the ongoing probe of Foxx’s controversial handling of the Jussie Smollett case. It was not clear how much the move will cost taxpayers.
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Jan. 29
— Attorneys for actor Jussie Smollett have subpoenaed a slew of documents about the scandal that led to the ouster last month of Chicago police superintendent Eddie Johnson, including any any paperwork showing he was “untruthful or misleading in any statement.”
Feb. 11
— Jussie Smollett is facing new criminal charges nearly a year after Cook County prosecutors dropped disorderly conduct counts against him for allegedly orchestrating a racist, homophobic attack on himself early last year. Smollett was indicted by a special Cook County grand jury on six counts of disorderly conduct.
March 6
— Illinois’ highest court rejected Smollett’s attempt to throw out the new charges against him and remove the special prosecutor who brought them. In an emergency petition to the Illinois Supreme Court, Smollett’s attorneys argued that Cook County Judge Michael Toomin overstepped his authority and misinterpreted the law when he ordered the appointment of a special prosecutor in Smollett’s case. The higher court denied the request without explanation.
June 12
— Jussie Smollett’s new criminal charges do not violate his right against double jeopardy, a Cook County judge ruled. The controversial end to Smollett’s case — in which the actor entered an informal arrangement to forfeit his $10,000 bond, with no admission of wrongdoing, in exchange for his charges being dropped — does not count as criminal punishment, Judge James Linn ruled.
June 25
— A day after claiming they would no longer cooperate with Jussie Smollett’s prosecution, the case’s key witnesses — a pair of bodybuilding brothers who told police they helped the actor stage a hoax hate crime on himself last year — reversed course, saying they would now continue voluntarily working with authorities.
Aug. 7
— Chicago police investigating the Jussie Smollett case apparently inadvertently taped 37 seconds of a private conversation between a key witness and his lawyer last year — a tape that has since made it into the hands of Smollett’s defense team, which says it helps prove the actor’s innocence.
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Aug. 17
— The Cook County State’s Attorney’s office engaged in “substantial abuses of discretion and operational failures” in its prosecution of Jussie Smollett, but prosecutors’ conduct did not rise to the level of criminal wrongdoing, according to Special Prosecutor Dan Webb.
The Associated Press contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-08-17--3 people injured after explosion levels home in Joliet

JOLIET — One person was critically injured and two other people also were hurt following an explosion that leveled a @ @ @ @ @ .

JOLIET — One person was critically injured and two other people also were hurt following an explosion that leveled a home on Sunday in Joliet.
The blast occurred about 3 p.m., according to the Will County sheriff’s office.
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The homeowners were outside the house doing yard work when the house exploded. They suffered injuries. A neighbor was struck by debris.
Authorities on Sunday night were trying to determine what caused the explosion.


chicagotribune--2020-08-17--Tracking Chicago homicide victims

Tracking Chicago homicide victims

Though there are homicides recorded throughout the city they are most concentrated in the South and West sides .


chicagotribune--2020-08-18--What is ‘kettling’? It’s a controversial tactic to contain crowds, and Chicago police are accused of

What is ‘kettling’? It’s a controversial tactic to contain crowds, and Chicago police are accused of using it during downtown protests.

“ For example , during protests against the Iraq War in 2003 , police trapped hundreds of protesters on a @ @ @ @ @ of Michigan Avenue , then arrested them for failing to disperse , even though most @ @ @ @ @ the order and could not disperse anyway because they were trapped between police lines , @ @ @ @

Police use pepper spray on protesters at the corner of Randolph and Dearborn streets in downtown Chicago on Aug. 15, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
After violent clashes between police and protesters in downtown Chicago over the weekend, it seemed everyone from lawmakers and civil rights advocates to activists were accusing officers of “kettling,” a controversial practice for controlling crowds.
The tactic usually involves lines of police officers corralling a group of people, who are either contained in a small area or are allowed to leave through an exit controlled by police. Some call it “trap and detain.” Others say it is dangerous and unconstitutional and should be outlawed.
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Chicago police Superintendent David Brown denied his officers resorted to the practice as they struggled to control demonstrators during a protest Saturday night that injured at least 17 officers and led to at least two dozen arrests.
“I haven’t heard those allegations that there was kettling going on,” Brown said, a day after organizers specifically used the term to describe police tactics.
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Berto Aguayo, 26, executive director for Increase the Peace, said he was at the protest and it was clear what officers were doing. “They were surrounding us and making the circle smaller and smaller and not letting — even though people wanted to leave the protest, they weren’t letting us go home.
Chicago police check bags and allow a few people out at a time after police cornered protesters on Lasalle Street in downtown Chicago on Aug. 15, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
“We get to Adams and LaSalle and we’re kettled in,” he said. “There’s no way out and people are having panic attacks because they want to go home.”
Protesters across the country have repeatedly accused police of using the tactic during the marches and demonstrations sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the end of May.
Basically, the tactic involves herding demonstrators into a confined space so they can’t leave. Officers can then make arrests or slowly break up the crowd. If there have been violent clashes, supporters of the tactic say, kettling helps police control a space and detain those causing the trouble.
But critics say the situation can become dangerous if police use force and there is no way for people to escape. “Kettling is potentially dangerous and raises serious constitutional concerns,” said Rebecca Glenberg with the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.
“For example, during protests against the Iraq War in 2003, police trapped hundreds of protesters on a block of Chicago Avenue east of Michigan Avenue, then arrested them for failing to disperse, even though most of them had not heard the order and could not disperse anyway because they were trapped between police lines,” Glenberg said.
A protester argues with a Chicago police officer as police check bags and allow a few people out at a time after police cornered protesters on LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
A federal court held that the arrests were unconstitutional, and the city of Chicago settled the case for $6.2 million.
A similar lawsuit was filed last fall in St. Louis on behalf of scores of protesters who said they were forced into a “kettle” during a downtown demonstration.
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“It can certainly be just a horrifying experience,” said Noam Ostrander, a professor at DePaul University who has studied violence in Chicago. “In popular culture you could use a ‘Game of Thrones’ example. It is very much a war-type tactic, surrounding your enemy and pushing in.
“It really does create this pressure cooker,” he said. “You have a lot of people that get confined to a small space, you have people charging towards you, batons flying and ramming bikes into people and shields into people.”
Ostrander said the practice is “constitutionally questionable.”
“People are being detained without being told they’re being detained,” he said. “It does sweep up everybody indiscriminately and there’s a concern about violating the First Amendment.”
Kettling can also backfire, according to David Stovall, a professor of Black studies, criminology, law and justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
“I always see the strategy as problematic,” he said. “It’s based around the preemptive suppression of a violent threat. The belief is, oftentimes, that if you show force then people won’t respond as vehemently, and actually what we’ve seen is that that’s not the case.
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“When law enforcement escalates, there’s a greater chance of escalation,” he said.
On Sunday, United Working Families, a frequent critic of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, posted an open letter to Brown and the mayor, insisting that kettling took place.
“We once again condemn Mayor Lightfoot and Superintendent Brown for their use of police force against these demonstrators Saturday night, and for the continued escalation of surveillance, violence and detention of protesters,” the letter said. “Mayor Lightfoot and Superintendent Brown stationed thousands of officers downtown, where they kettled, pepper-sprayed, and beat demonstrators.”
The Chicago Police Department declined to comment on the letter or expand on Brown’s denial earlier Monday.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews