chicagotribune--2020-05-22--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: State hits new daily COVID-19 testing high; Chicago restaurants won

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: State hits new daily COVID-19 testing high; Chicago restaurants won’t be ready for outdoor dining next week, Lightfoot says

“ I feel the weight of this moment every day .
And , as a result , as part of @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve leaned into my faith even more .
I make sure every day I @ @ @ @ @ alone , to breathe and put the burdens of the day aside , '' Lightfoot @ @ @ @ @ m intentional about finding hope and love in the selfless acts of others .
And @ @ @ @ @ and feel despair .
That is also part of this moment .
”

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
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)
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said city restaurants won’t be ready to reopen to outdoor dining by May 29 but she hopes they will be ready in June. Lightfoot made the comments after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker opened the door to potentially lift the restriction on sit-down dining next week.
Health officials on Thursday announced 2,268 new known cases of the coronavirus. There were also 87 additional deaths confirmed, bringing the death toll to 4,607 since the pandemic began. Statewide, there have been 102,686 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Illinois also has hit its highest total for the number of COVID-19 tests administered in a single day, officials said.
Advertisement
[ When can Illinois reopen? Check our daily charts on where each region stands. ]
[ How will Illinois reopen? Three charts breaking down Pritzker’s plan ]
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
[ As the coronavirus spreads, the Tribune is tracking Illinois cases here ]
Here’s what’s happening Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
7:41 p.m.: Preckwinkle ‘profoundly disappointed’ after Cook County Board OKs sharing COVID-19-positive addresses with first responders
Cook County Board members narrowly approved a resolution Thursday to share addresses of COVID-19 patients with first responders, following an emotional debate about the measure’s intention to safeguard front-line workers versus fears it would violate individuals’ privacy and civil rights.
Advertisement
Commissioners voted 9-7 with one member abstaining from the resolution, which would direct the Cook County Department of Public Health to disclose locations of those testing positive for the coronavirus with 911 dispatchers in suburban Cook County every day for two months.
While the measure by Commissioner Scott Britton, D-Glenview, is only a recommendation, department of public health spokesman Kim Junius said the Cook County Department of Public Health will follow the address-sharing practice because of the board’s instructions. That’s in spite of public health co-administrator Rachel Rubin’s warning before the vote that the practice was inadequate and dangerous for both citizens and first responders.
County Board President Toni Preckwinkle agreed with Rubin, saying it’s guaranteed the address-sharing plan would contribute to the systemic racism that black and Latino communities suffer.
“I’m profoundly disappointed,” Preckwinkle said after the measure passed. Read more here. —Alice Yin
7:02 p.m.: Illinois opens first high school-based test site in suburban Rolling Meadows
One of the state’s new coronavirus testing sites is also the first one to open at a high school.
Rolling Meadows High School in Chicago’s northwest suburbs will open at 8 a.m. Friday for free testing – after pushing back the date to accommodate Wednesday’s car parade honoring graduating seniors.
The site was chosen in part to try to provide testing to underserved communities that have been hit hard by the pandemic, though the local mayor admitted some residents did voice concerns. Read more here. —Karen Ann Cullotta
6:30 p.m.: Southland records fewest number of weekly COVID-19 deaths since March
The number of Southland deaths attributed to COVID-19 this week dropped below 100 for the first time since late March, according to a Southtown analysis of county data.
Advertisement
As of Thursday afternoon, 800 south and southwest suburban residents had died from the virus, according to the analysis.
At least 548 people in South Cook County and 252 people in Will County have died of complications from the virus since March 19, according to data from the Cook County medical examiner’s office and Will County public health officials.
The South Cook County patients who died — 288 men and 260 women — hailed from 55 different communities and range in age from a 19-year-old Riverdale man to a 108-year-old Evergreen Park nursing home resident.
The vast majority were elderly and many were residents of long-term care facilities.
More than 56% of the South Cook patients who died were at least 75 years old and more than 82% were at least 65 years old, according to data from the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Only 9 of the 548 people who have died of COVID-19 in South Cook County were under 40. Read more here. —Zak Koeske
Advertisement
4:38 p.m.: Malort made of Anti-Hero IPA released Friday as a creative solution to a serious problem: kegs expiring due to coronavirus
When a pandemic hands you old beer, you don’t make lemonade. You make Malort.
In this case, the old beer was 160 kegs of Revolution Brewing’s flagship Anti-Hero IPA that were about to fall out of code while most bars and restaurants remain closed to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
Rather than dump the beer, Revolution teamed up with Chicago’s CH Distillery to create a first: Malort made from beer.
The product, which goes on sale Friday at Revolution, CH Distillery and Binny’s, pairs two modern Chicago icons: the city’s top-selling craft beer and the city’s most iconic spirit, an intensely bitter liqueur that doubles as a civic badge of pride.
But it’s also a playful solution to a serious problem for breweries large and small: What to do with all those useless kegs? Read more here. —Josh Noel
4:27 p.m.: University of Chicago is latest school to get sued for tuition refunds
A University of Chicago student seeking refunds for tuition and campus fees has filed a federal class-action lawsuit against the school, making it at least the second local college to face litigation over its response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Advertisement
The most recent lawsuit, filed Wednesday on behalf of U. of C. student Arica Kincheloe, alleges the school breached its contract to provide in-person experiences when it closed down dorms and moved classes online in early March.
The lawsuit says U. of C. students specifically chose and have paid to enroll at a school that offers a hands-on curriculum, close interactions with faculty and peers and access to extracurricular activities, among other services.
“The tuition and fees for in-person instruction at (U. of C.) are higher than tuition and fees for online institutions because the former’s costs cover not just the academic instruction, but encompass an entirely different experience,” the lawsuit says.
A spokesman for U. of C. did not immediately comment on the lawsuit. A student group, UChicago for Fair Tuition, has criticized the school for failing to reduce tuition prices for modified classes despite having an $8 billion endowment at its disposal.
As students continue to voice discontent over the abrupt transition of coursework to online formats, more schools could face costly lawsuits.
Last week, two students filed a class-action lawsuit against DePaul University for largely the same reasons. That lawsuit also alleged breach of contract and demanded the school refund the difference in value between online and in-person courses. —Elyssa Cherney
Advertisement
4:13 p.m.: Illinois unemployment rate hit 16.4% in April as coronavirus-related job losses multiplied
Illinois’ unemployment rate rose to 16.4% in April, up from 4.2% in March, due to the COVID-19 health crisis, according to the state’s Department of Employment Security.
The state’s April unemployment rate was the highest recorded since the government began collecting data using current methodologies in 1976.
The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April was 14.7%, an increase from 3.6% a year prior and up from 4.4% in March.
The state lost 762,200 jobs in April across all major industries. The leisure and hospitality sector lost the most jobs — nearly 300,000 — over the month. The trade, transportation, and utilities sector lost nearly 100,000 jobs. Read more here. —Abdel Jimenez
3:55 p.m.: Lightfoot announces $1.2 million for mental health programs amid heightened anxiety from COVID-19
The city of Chicago will spend $1.2 million to expand treatment for people with serious mental illness amid heightened anxiety and depression over the coronavirus, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said on Thursday.
Lost mobility and a fractured sense of security have amplified existing despair in the city, Lightfoot said. And just as COVID-19 is especially deadly for people with pre-existing health conditions, Lightfoot said, the disease is having a particularly big impact on people who already have mental health issues.
Advertisement
“What we must not allow is fear to grip us and prevent us from being able to cope with this difficult time,” Lightfoot said.
To address the issue, Lightfoot said the city will give $1.2 million combined to Friend Health, Healthcare Alternative Systems, Thresholds, and Trilogy Behavioral Healthcare.
In a nod to the problems faced by many residents, Lightfoot said she allows herself to cry and feel despair over the crisis.
“I feel the weight of this moment every day. And, as a result, as part of my wellness routine, I’ve leaned into my faith even more. I make sure every day I have time just to be alone, to breathe and put the burdens of the day aside," Lightfoot said. "I’m intentional about finding hope and love in the selfless acts of others. And I allow myself to cry and feel despair. That is also part of this moment.”
There will also be a telephone service people can call at 312-747-1020, Lightfoot said, regardless of income, health insurance or citizenship status. The city also will have a collection of self-help videos available at a “Windy City Wellness” website.
“If you need them, these services are here for you," Lightfoot said.
Advertisement
Before the pandemic, Lightfoot faced criticism from progressive aldermen for backing off a campaign pledge to reopen the city mental health clinics closed by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel. —Gregory Pratt
3:01 p.m.: Pritzker reacts to Lightfoot’s announcement that Chicago restaurants likely won’t have outdoor dining until mid-June
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he has no objection to Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s announcement Thursday that Chicago restaurants likely won’t be able to provide outdoor dining until mid-June.
Under changes Pritzker made to the state’s reopening plan Wednesday, bars and restaurants across the state could begin offering al fresco seating as soon as May 29, but Lightfoot has said Chicago will require more time to make sure restaurants can reopen safely.
“The decision by a municipalities like Chicago to not have outdoor seating is completely up to them,” Pritzker said. He said that the state “tried to provide a baseline to protect people in various communities.”
Still, Pritzker said he didn’t anticipate that many communities would delay on allowing outdoor dining and drinking under precautions such as spacing tables at least six feet apart.
“I think many, many towns, cities and communities and counties across the state will in fact have outdoor seating for restaurants,” Pritzker said. “That’s a completely local decision.” —Bill Ruthhart
Advertisement
2:44 p.m.: Illinois hits new daily COVID-19 testing high
Illinois has hit its highest total for the number of COVID-19 tests administered in a single day, officials said on Thursday.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the state’s top health official, reported that 29,307 individuals had been tested in the last 24 hours “the highest test total to date.”
Ezike reported 2,268 additional cases of COVID-19 for total of 102,686 known cases of the disease in the state. She also reported an additional 87 deaths for a total of 4,607 known COVID-19 deaths.
Statewide, 4,107 individuals remain hospitalized with the virus, with 1,088 of those patients in the intensive care unit and 609 of them on ventilators, Ezike said. —Bill Ruthhart
1:45 p.m.: Chicago restaurants won’t be ready to open to outdoor dining on May 29
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said city restaurants won’t be ready to reopen to outdoor dining by May 29 but she hopes they will be ready in June.
Lightfoot made the comments after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker opened the door to potentially lift the restriction on sit-down dining next week. While “heartened” by Pritzker’s comments, Lightfoot said she wants a more robust plan to make sure restaurants can reopen safely. Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
Advertisement
1:17 p.m.: Illinois attorney general has lawsuit challenging Pritzker’s stay-at-home coronavirus order moved to federal court
After losing an initial ruling in state court, the Illinois attorney general’s office Thursday moved to federal court a lawsuit challenging the validity of the state’s stay-at-home coronavirus order.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office stated in its court filing that it was moving the case from state court because it involves U.S. constitutional rights of free religion and due process.
The suit, brought by state Rep. Darren Bailey, was set for a hearing at 1 p.m. Friday before Clay County Judge Michael McHaney, who had said he would resolve the case then.
McHaney had previously ruled that Bailey was not bound by Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive order shutting down most businesses and churches and requiring people to stay at home with certain exceptions.
Bailey is now attempting to broaden that ruling to make the order invalid for all citizens statewide. Read more here. —Robert McCoppin
1:04 p.m.: Cook County Board passes Sept. 30 disaster proclamation extension, property tax late fee waiver
Cook County Board members voted Thursday to grant president Toni Preckwinkle an extra 120 days of enhanced powers under a disaster proclamation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
Advertisement
Commissioners voted 15-2 to extend the disaster proclamation, which allows Preckwinkle to make decisions without the board’s direct approval, such as issuing executive orders, moving money around and procuring essential supplies such as personal protective equipment. Preckwinkle’s current declaration, approved mid-March, is set to expire at the end of this month.
“I want to just point out that this is not a power grab,” said commissioner Larry Suffredin, D-Evanston, a co-sponsor of the resolution. “A power grab is when you’re grabbing something for fun. This is putting yourself in a position where you create more stress because we’re dealing with such difficult matters.”
Commissioners Bridget Gainer, D-Chicago, and Sean Morrison, R-Palos Park, voted against the extension, stating that there needs to be more oversight of the government process. Gainer suggested a 30-day extension as an “eminently more reasonable” compromise. Read more here. —Alice Yin
12:45 p.m.: Amazon Studios seeking Chicago essential workers for new docuseries
Amazon Studios is casting Chicagoans for its docuseries “Regular Heroes,” which highlights essential workers who are making a difference in their community during the coronavirus pandemic. The weekly docuseries premiered May 8. Read more here. —Tracy Swartz
10:53 a.m.: Admiral Theatre is among a bevy of adult businesses suing to get a PPP loan. So far, the nightclubs are winning.
The federal Payroll Protection Program has hit a few bumps in the road since its rollout last month, from blowback over alleged preferential treatment for larger businesses to growing concern over loan forgiveness requirements.
Now it’s navigating a legal challenge from adult nightclubs including Chicago’s Admiral Theatre alleging the Small Business Administration shut them out of PPP funding.
Advertisement
At issue is a long-standing SBA restriction on loans to businesses that present live performances of a “prurient sexual nature.” Lawsuits brought by adult clubs in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan argue they should be eligible for federal emergency relief, just like any other small business.
“This is not an adult entertainment issue,” said Luke Lirot, a Florida attorney representing the Admiral Theater in the lawsuit, which was filed May 8 in Chicago federal court. “This a guy that sweeps the floor that’s not getting a paycheck issue.”
On Wednesday, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago handed the adult nightclubs a major victory, refusing to block a Wisconsin federal court decision that the SBA couldn’t deny a PPP loan to a Milwaukee gentlemen’s club based solely on the prurient ineligibility standard. Read more here. —Robert Channick
9:53 a.m.: Coronavirus ‘does not spread easily’ on contaminated surfaces: CDC
The uncertainty surrounding coronavirus has been a huge source of anxiety throughout this pandemic, as scientists have struggled to uncover not just a treatment for the disease, but also basic facts about its existence.
Though many have been concerned about infection through items like groceries or mail deliveries, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recently issued updated guidance saying that coronavirus “does not spread easily” from touching surfaces or objects. Read more here. —New York Daily News
9:28 a.m.: Will Trump wear a face mask at Michigan Ford plant? The company and the state’s attorney general think he should.
A day after threatening to withhold funds over Michigan’s mail-in ballot effort, President Donald Trump was set to visit the electoral battleground Thursday to learn how the medical breathing machines governors begged for during the height of the coronavirus pandemic are made.
Advertisement
But hovering over his visit to a repurposed Ford Motor Co. factory in Ypsilanti, outside of Detroit, is whether he will wear a face covering.
Trump has refused to wear a face mask in public, a practice that federal health authorities say all Americans should adopt to help slow the spread of the virus.
Ford says everyone in its factories must wear personal protective equipment, including masks, and that its policy has been communicated to the White House. Trump wouldn’t commit to wearing a mask at the plant when he was asked about the matter earlier this week. Read more here. —Associated Press
9:02 a.m.: State unemployment office has doubled call center staff taking jobless claims, but complaints continue
With the release Thursday of weekly jobless claims from the U.S. Department of Labor, Illinois hit a milestone: Since mid-March, when the state’s stay-at-home order took effect, closing nonessential businesses and sending people home, more than 1 million residents of the state have applied for unemployment insurance benefits.
The state office that processes those applications says it has doubled the number of workers in call centers that assist those seeking jobless benefits.
Yet on social media and in calls to their elected representatives, applicants continue to complain about busy signals and other problems. Read more here. —Mary Wisniewski
Advertisement
7:43 a.m.: Nearly 39 million US layoffs during pandemic; more than 1 million Illinois jobless claims since mid-March
More than 2.4 million people applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week in the latest wave of layoffs from the viral outbreak that triggered widespread business shutdowns two months ago and sent the economy into a deep recession.
Roughly 38.6 million people have now filed for jobless aid since the coronavirus forced millions of businesses to close their doors and shrink their workforces, the Labor Department said Thursday.
With the latest report, Illinois crossed a new threshold as more than 1 million residents have sought unemployment insurance benefits since mid-March. In the most recent week that ended May 16, 72,816 people in the state filed initial claims for benefits, a slight increase from the prior week’s 72,671.
Nationwide, the number of weekly applications for benefits has slowed for seven straight weeks, and last week the figures declined in 38 states and the District of Columbia. Yet historically, they remain immense — roughly 10 times the typical figure that prevailed before the virus struck. Read more here. —Associated Press
7:01 a.m.: City officials to announce mental health supports for Chicagoans
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and city Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady were scheduled to hold a news conference Thursday afternoon to announce “a package of mental health supports” for Chicagoans “facing challenges” because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the mayor’s office.
Details of the city’s plans weren’t available Thursday morning.
Advertisement
Mental health experts have said that social isolation driven by stay-at-home orders and other factors keeping people isolated during the coronavirus pandemic have led to increases in calls to crisis centers. Isolation and stress are often factors in people in substance-abuse recovery programs turning to drugs or alcohol again, even after long periods of abstinence, according to experts.
7 a.m.: Self-swab tests coming to 17 CVS drive-thru sites in Illinois
CVS Health on Friday plans to open COVID-19 testing sites at 17 CVS Pharmacy drive-thru locations in Illinois, the company said in a news release. A list of the expanded testing sites is available at cvshealth.com/covid-19/testing-locations.
The new testing locations will offer only self-swab tests, which will be available to patients meeting age guidelines as well as criteria from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the company. Patients must register in advance and can begin making appointments for testing starting Friday.
At the test site, patients should stay in their cars and will be directed to the pharmacy drive-thru window, where they’ll be given a test kit and instructions; an employee will observe the self-swab process to make sure it’s performed properly, according to the news release.
Tests will be sent to an independent lab for processing and results are expected in about three days, according to CVS Health.
The 17 new drive-up testing sites in Illinois are part of the company’s plan to launch nearly 350 new COVID-19 testing locations across 14 states, and the company plans to announce additional testing sites in Illinois and across the country by the end of May.
Advertisement
CVS Health expects to have up to 1,000 locations nationwide offering this service by the end of May, with the goal of processing up to 1.5 million tests a month, pending the availability of testing supplies and lab capacity, according to the news release. —Angie Leventis Lourgos
6 a.m.: Ahead of Memorial Day weekend, sun and sand are calling. But when will the beaches open?
It’s almost beach season along Lake Michigan, the saving grace of cities known for polar vortexes and frost in May, but this summer, the coast might look a little different.
Some beaches will be entirely empty, aside from a federally endangered bird or two attempting to fledge chicks. Some might have joggers and bikers moving along but no stationary picnics or sunbathers taking any prolonged breaks. Some barely exist because of near-record high lake levels and worsening erosion.
For dozens of communities along Lake Michigan, the rules to reopen beaches are a patchwork — much like the national response to the pandemic. Read more here. —Morgan Greene
6 a.m.: Residents say they are being kept in the dark about COVID-19 as nearly 90 deaths are recorded at low-income housing in Chicago.
At least three people have died from COVID-19 in the senior citizens’ high-rise where Laura Brownlee lives, including a close friend she visited often.
But the landlord has said nothing about them to residents, who are more vulnerable to the disease and might want to take extra precautions, like following the advice of city health experts and moving out of such housing when there’s a heightened risk.
Advertisement
“These are senior suites up in here, seems like someone should be coming in and testing everybody," Brownlee said by phone. “I’m already afraid it’s all over. And I don’t wanna go out like that.”
Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, which runs Kingston Place on the South Side, would not comment on the three deaths reported there by the Cook County medical examiner’s office as of May 19. “In order to respect the privacy of the tenants of the building, we do not release information regarding deaths or those who choose to be tested and are confirmed positive.”
A Tribune investigation found that residents at subsidized housing across Chicago have been told little, if anything, about COVID-19 cases where they live, even though they are generally older and in poorer health and therefore at higher risk.
So far, 89 people in low-income housing in the city have died from complications linked to the novel coronavirus. Half of them were older than 76, an analysis of data shows. Read more here. —Cecilia Reyes and Elvia Malagón
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
May 20
Here are five things that happened Wednesday that you need to know:
May 19
Here are five things that happened Tuesday that you need to know:
Advertisement
May 18
Here are five things that happened Monday that you need to know:


chicagotribune--2020-05-21--Illinois’ first COVID-19 test site at a high school opens in suburban Rolling Meadows

“ We absolutely take into consideration when we ’ re working with the governor ’ s office that underserved communities @ @ @ @ @ said Richard Neely , the adjutant general of the Illinois National Guard , which is @ @ @ @ @ in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Public Health and other state agencies .

Aiming to halt the spread of the coronavirus in underserved communities, Illinois health department officials announced Thursday that the state’s first COVID-19 testing site to be based at a high school opened Friday in northwest suburban Rolling Meadows.
The opening of the new coronavirus drive-up testing operation in the parking lot at Rolling Meadows High School was postponed this week to accommodate a Wednesday car parade honoring graduating seniors.
Advertisement
“We absolutely take into consideration when we’re working with the governor’s office that underserved communities need more testing,” said Richard Neely, the adjutant general of the Illinois National Guard, which is operating its 10th testing site in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Public Health and other state agencies.
According to the 2019 Illinois School Report Card, about 36% of the students at Rolling Meadows are from Latino families — a demographic in the state that has seen higher rates of COVID-19 fatalities.
Advertisement
Neely said officials hope to have Spanish language interpreters at the site, which opened at 8 a.m. Friday, and that “no one should be intimidated by our uniforms.”
“The National Guard is your neighbors and friends, and part of the U.S. Army,” Neely said.
Township High School District 214 Superintendent David Schuler said when officials from the state’s health department approached him about the possibility of opening a COVID-19 testing site at the high school, he immediately supported the plan.
“I absolutely want to do whatever we can to help keep our community and our state safe,” Schuler said.
Rolling Meadows Mayor Joe Gallo said that while he also endorsed the opening of the coronavirus testing site, he acknowledged, “a number of residents did voice concerns.”
“I think the overall reaction was concerns that the community didn’t get a voice, and there was a sense of shock,” Gallo said.
The high school is adjacent to a quiet residential neighborhood, and some residents said they were worried about its impact on local traffic, Gallo said.
But Gallo said he is urging residents to view the new testing site in their hometown as a positive, rather than an imposition.
Advertisement
“It’s conveniently located and can serve so many people from our small town,” Gallo added.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Sean Casten of Downers Grove, who attended the Thursday unveiling of the new testing site, described the scene in the high school’s parking lot, including a fleet of National Guard vehicles and uniformed officers adjacent to a massive white tent, as “a bit surreal.”
“We all know the solution — testing, testing, testing — and we’re so grateful to the National Guard that anybody can get a test here,” Casten said.
While first responders, essential workers, those age 65 and over, and people experiencing coronavirus symptoms remain the top priority for the free testing, officials said those who seek testing at the Rolling Meadows facility will be considered on a case-to-case basis.
After completing a short form, providing their name and address, patients will then be given a swab and vial to self-administer the nasal test, which takes only seconds, officials said.
To minimize contact with the crew, patients will then place their swab in the vial and place the vial in a box to be shipped off to a lab.
Advertisement
Patients should receive results in three to five days, officials said.
"We are grateful for the cooperation and collaboration of district officials to bring this valuable service to the Rolling Meadows community,” Alicia Tate-Nadeau, director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, said in a statement.
The site can accommodate up to 750 tests a day and will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, or until tests run out.
kcullotta@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @kcullotta


chicagotribune--2020-05-21--Chicago restaurants won’t be ready to open on pace with rest of Illinois, Mayor Lori Lightfoot says

Kevin Hickey , chef at The Duck Inn , which has a large outdoor patio in Bridgeport , said the @ @ @ @ @ big surprise ” to him .
“ Immediately after Gov .
Pritzker made the announcement @ @ @ @ @ mayor hoped for more time .
I tend to try not to jump on any @ @ @ @ @ it at the mayor ’ s news conference.
” Hickey said he has been trying @ @ @ @ @ , but he ’ s still waiting on information from the state and city .
@ @ @ @ @ I was measuring the tables and setting it up in a way that would adhere @ @ @ @ @ though we don ’ t know exactly what they are , ” he said .

Gregory Pratt, Nick Kindelsperger, Louisa Chu, Bill Ruthhart, John Byrne, Christopher Borrelli

Dave Nalezny looks out at the patio of his restaurant Park & Field in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood on May 21, 2020. He hopes restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 virus pandemic will be loosened and he will to be able to open the patio for business during the crucial summer months. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
In a blow to Chicago restaurateurs and residents eager for a meal on their favorite patio, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Thursday that city restaurants won’t be ready to reopen to outdoor dining by May 29 but said she hopes they will in June.
Lightfoot made the comments after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker opened the door to potentially lift the restriction on sit-down dining next week. While “heartened” by Pritzker’s comments, Lightfoot said she wants a more robust plan to make sure Chicago restaurants can reopen safely.
Advertisement
“We are hard at work on looking at ways in which we can get our restaurant industry back up. I was heartened by the comments that the governor made yesterday about restaurants, but again like everything, we’ve got to do it safely,” Lightfoot said. “I need to understand and be certain that restaurants across the city, not just the big ones, not just the ones that have a lot of cash flow, but the small ones, too, have the means to protect their employees and members of the public that will patronize them.”
[ Illinois restaurants and bars can go al fresco as soon as next Friday as Gov. J.B. Pritzker nods to reopening pressure ]
The mayor’s declaration also threw cold water on the good news Pritzker offered suffering restaurateurs just a day earlier, when he set May 29 as the date Illinois restaurants and bars could probably open with outdoor seating. The governor’s move constituted a slight softening of his stance in the face of pressure from the Illinois Restaurant Association as dining establishments opened recently in Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri, prompting Illinois residents to flock across the borders to spend their money.
Advertisement
Previously, Pritzker had said restaurants would only open when Illinois reached phase four of the COVID-19 reopening plan, which would arrive no earlier than late June. It’s not clear when city bars would be allowed to reopen.
"That is a huge bummer, but it wasn’t really fair for restaurants who don’t have patios and relied on sidewalk cafes,” said Debbie Sharpe, chef and owner of The Goddess and Grocer, with locations downtown and in Wicker Park. “I think a lot more places will go down the tubes. I understand the mayor’s concern. Chicago doesn’t have wide-open spaces like in the burbs. Maybe we just have to eat crow for another month and see what happens. Well it was a five-minute high!”
[ When can Illinois reopen? Check our daily charts on where each region stands. ]
Kevin Hickey, chef at The Duck Inn, which has a large outdoor patio in Bridgeport, said the news was not “a big surprise” to him. “Immediately after Gov. Pritzker made the announcement, I heard that the mayor hoped for more time. I tend to try not to jump on any new information until I hear it at the mayor’s news conference.” Hickey said he has been trying to get his patio prepared, but he’s still waiting on information from the state and city. “Days before this, I was measuring the tables and setting it up in a way that would adhere to the guidelines, even though we don’t know exactly what they are,” he said.
To help restaurants with their outdoor capacity, Lightfoot said the city also is looking at the possibility of closing streets to help expand restaurants’ dining options. The mayor mentioned downtown, Andersonville, Logan Square and Wicker Park as neighborhoods where city officials may want to close streets — a complicated and potentially costly proposition due to a provision in the city’s parking meters deal that means the city has to pay for meters put out of commission.
“That’s a little heartbreaking,” said Dave Nalezny, co-owner of Park & Field, when a reporter told him about the mayor’s announcement. “I guess I’ll just see what (the mayor’s) plan is and what the timeline is. There’s only so many days in the summer, and we want to get back to some semblance of a healthy restaurant, especially as the PPP loan time clock counts down. This is going to be exceedingly challenging.”
Dave and Kitty Nalezny with their children, Charlie and Mary, and the family's dog Portia on the patio of their restaurant Park & Field in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood on May 21, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Lightfoot’s announcement came as state health officials on Thursday announced 2,268 new known cases of the coronavirus in Illinois. There also were 87 additional deaths confirmed, bringing the state’s death toll to 4,607 since the pandemic began. Statewide, there have been 102,686 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Chicago public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady elaborated on what the city needs to see before it allows restaurants to open up. The biggest thing will be awareness social distancing requires 6 feet of separation, and employees and patrons must wear masks, Arwady said.
“We’re thinking about what needs to happen structurally in restaurants and other food establishments, everything from face coverings to occupancies to not using the same ketchup bottle,” she said.
Advertisement
Pritzker said Thursday he has no objection to Lightfoot’s announcement that Chicago restaurants likely won’t be able to provide outdoor dining until mid-June.
“The decision by municipalities like Chicago to not have outdoor seating is completely up to them,” Pritzker said. He said that the state “tried to provide a baseline to protect people in various communities.”
[ How will Illinois reopen? Three charts breaking down Pritzker’s plan ]
Still, Pritzker said he didn’t anticipate that many communities would delay on allowing outdoor dining and drinking under precautions such as spacing tables at least 6 feet apart.
“I think many, many towns, cities and communities and counties across the state will in fact have outdoor seating for restaurants,” Pritzker said. “That’s a completely local decision.”
Bernie DiMeo, of suburban public relations firm DiMeo Partners, says that the governor and mayor should have been on the same page.
“What’s going on when one comes out with an announcement that we can open up outdoor spaces, and then the other one says we can’t?” asked DiMeo. “They should have talked about it together and come out with the same announcement. We are all for the safety and health of the citizens, but it’s just killing restaurants.”
Advertisement
Some restaurants, however, agreed with the mayor’s move to push off allowing outdoor dining in the city. Before the news conference, Baker Miller, a bakery in Lincoln Square, had posted on Facebook that it would not reopen its patio on May 29, because the owners didn’t feel like it was yet safe. “I think it’s a wise move on the mayor’s part,” co-owner Dave Miller said by phone after the mayor’s announcement. “She’s taking a bold stance to do that. And it’ll inspire confidence when she does say it is time to reopen.” He noted that Baker Miller would only open when medical professionals said it was safe to do so.
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
Bruce Finkelman, a partner in the 16” On Center restaurant group, with operates restaurants and bars such as Moneygun, Empty Bottle and Saint Lou’s Assembly, said it’s important that such decisions be based off advice from medical leaders. He said restaurants will need additional federal help in order to come back from the damage incurred in the pandemic.
“That’s where our focus should remain," Finkelman said. “Instead of throwing darts at a board on when it might be OK to open, we should really be informed by the medical community. Our hope is that this is what our leaders are looking toward for guidance. However, this doesn’t change the fact that we still need to be thinking about the long-term issue of how we will keep our industry intact.”
Lightfoot also said she wants restaurants to have indoor dining options, which she acknowledged would need approval from the state.
“No restaurant I know of is going to be able to survive dependent upon what the weather is going to be like on a particular day in Chicago,” Lightfoot said. “I think having the opportunity to do it and dine alfresco on a larger scale, which is what we certainly are talking about, is important, but they also need to be able to be inside as well, or economically I don’t think the numbers work.”
Illinois Restaurant Association President Sam Toia told the Tribune on Thursday he was “OK” with Lightfoot’s decision.
Advertisement
“Obviously she likes to process everything, she wants to make sure all 77 neighborhoods are ready,” Toia said. “But I don’t think it’s going to be more than a few days north of May 29. I don’t think it’ll be much. She’s open to communication. I just talked to her and said ‘Mayor, I get it.’ We might have to give licensing applications to restaurants that don’t have sidewalk licenses already. That’s what’s going on here. She doesn’t want to just open. She wants Pilsen and Little Village and Andersonville and everywhere ready when it happens. As long as I am being communicated with about it, I’m OK.”
Efforts to reopen Chicago restaurants for safe outdoor dining are further complicated by the terms of the much-reviled 2008 parking meter lease engineered by Mayor Richard M. Daley.
That 75-year deal contains a clause requiring the city to pay Chicago Parking Meters LLC for revenue lost when the city takes parking spots out of commission for events such as parades or for construction work. Lightfoot on Thursday said the contract is in play as she thinks about closing city streets — and the metered parking spots on them — in neighborhoods such as Andersonville, Logan Square and Wicker Park so people can spread out farther to have meals.
“It really depends on where we’re talking about, and that’s certainly an issue that we are working through while we’re thinking about where precisely the spots will be,” Lightfoot said.
Asked about reopening the city’s lakefront, Lightfoot said she is looking at plans for reopening but isn’t there yet.
But the mayor said she’s concerned about thousands of people congregating on the lakefront potentially leading to a surge in coronavirus cases. In the past, Lightfoot’s indicated the lakefront could reopen with access limitations and ushers similar to those at Wrigley Field.
Advertisement
She also noted that the city warned people repeatedly to follow social distancing rules and be careful in the days leading up to her March decision to shut down the lakefront, but they “fell on deaf ears.”
“I’m very worried about a spike and a surge in cases when we do open back up,” Lightfoot said.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
nkindelsperger@chicagotribune.com
lchu@chicagotribune.com
bruthhart@chicagotribune.com
Advertisement
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
cborrelli@chicagotribune.com
Connie’s Pizza has been removed from this article. A representative said that it is not associated with Bernie DiMeo.


chicagotribune--2020-05-21--Closed resale shops provide financial challenge for domestic violence, homeless organizations

Making things worse , the Crisis Center ’ s expenses have skyrocketed because of the need to move the women @ @ @ @ @ residential shelter to hotels as a precaution against contagion by the coronavirus .
The shelter @ @ @ @ @ children who can be housed for up to 60 days .

Crisis Center for South Suburbia residential manager A'Donna Washington carries a box of food to deliver to women victimized by domestic violence and their children displaced from the crisis shelter to a hotel. (Crisis Center for South Suburbia)
Two nonprofit community organizations are fighting a two-pronged battle to continue their missions to aid some of the most vulnerable populations in the Southland during a pandemic that eats away their resources while compounding the need for their services.
The Crisis Center for South Suburbia, which provides emergency shelter and other essential services to victims by domestic violence, says calls to area police departments have increased by 18 percent since the start of the state’s March 20 stay-at-home order.
Advertisement
Together We Cope, a homeless prevention agency serving 26 south and southwest suburban communities, has seen an uptick in clients needing groceries at its food pantry, 17010 S. Oak Park Ave., Tinley Park.
The COVID-19 crisis has shut down the resale shops that fund a significant chunk of revenue for both the organizations. The stores sell gently used clothing, housewares, bric-a-brac and toys donated by the public.
Advertisement
Crisis Center for South Suburbia
For the Crisis Center, net proceeds earned by its two Neat Repeats stores in Worth and Orland Park support 30 percent of its program operations, Executive Director Pam Kostecki said.
Neat Repeats closed March 13, before Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s lockdown order, because the average age of the 180 volunteers who staff them is 75, said Chris Beele, director of resale shops.
The Worth storefront of Neat Repeats bears messages against domestic violence. (Crisis Center for South Suburbia)
“From March 13 through the end of May, that’s a $300,000 loss,” Kostecki said. “We’re just inundated with these worries. What’s going to happen to the retail industry?”
Making things worse, the Crisis Center’s expenses have skyrocketed because of the need to move the women and children living in its residential shelter to hotels as a precaution against contagion by the coronavirus. The shelter can accommodate 35 adults and children who can be housed for up to 60 days.
Its loss of use means paying the costs of hotel stays for all 13 households and delivering meals to them every day.
Kostecki credited several local restaurants in Tinley Park and Orland Park for donating meals delivered by Crisis Center staff to displaced clients and their children. One local eatery provided a multicourse Easter dinner.
Such generosity, however, cannot begin to heal the financial toll.
“Every week of this pandemic, the total of our lost revenue and increased expenses combined is $28,750,” Kostecki said.
Advertisement
The Crisis Center has survived with assistance from the city of Chicago, the state, United Way of Will County, Crown Family Philanthropies and federal Paycheck Protection Program funds, she said.
“Those funds meet our needs through June 30, the end of our fiscal year, but our real crisis begins on July 1,” Kostecki said.
Despite the looming threat, she said “we continue to provide all our core services throughout this time."
The Crisis Center also provides a 24-hour hotline, court advocacy, counseling, outreach programs and transitional housing for clients moving from the short-term crisis shelter. Emegency assistance services also include rent, car repairs, prescriptions and transportation.
Food stocks await delivery to Crisis Center of South Suburbia shelter residents staying in hotels. (Crisis Center for South Suburbia)
Officials hope to reopen both Neat Repeats resale shops in June.
“Our business model is dependent on volunteers,” Kostecki said. “And we don’t know if all our customers will come back.”
Advertisement
Beele said protective measures will include acrylic safety shields at the cashiers’ counters, distancing rules, limited donation drop-off hours and following guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the handling and quarantining of donated merchandise.
“The stores are fully stocked for spring and summer, and we’re not accepting donations right now," Beele said.
He said it is rewarding to work with the staff and volunteers.
“Some of the volunteers have worked at the stores for more than 20 years," he said. "Their dedication to the victims of domestic violence and the Crisis Center is just inspiring and restores my faith for their kindness and generosity.”
The Crisis Center is holding a Matching Gift Challenge, with donations made by June 15 being matched by the Alsip-based Greer Foundation. Donations made be made at crisisctr.org.
The Crisis Center auxiliary’s annual spring fundraising luncheon was postponed until Sept. 15, and the group’s Walk against Domestic Violence at Lake Katherine in Palos Heights, usually held in July, is canceled.
Advertisement
But its Dianne Masters Cup golf outing remains scheduled for Aug. 11 at Silver Lake Country Club in Orland Park. It is named for a founder of the Crisis Center, which was established in the late 1970s by the Palos Branch of the American Association of University Women.
Together We Cope
Together We Cope also faces loss of revenue by the closure of its resale shop in downtown Tinley Park.
“During this COVID-19 shutdown, we are losing on average $32,000 a month in sales revenue from our resale shop, Nu2u, which is closed until further notice,” said Marge Seltzner, communications director.
“Exacerbating the problem is that we can no longer accept the usual material donations at this time from individuals, businesses or community organizations,” Seltzner said. “Thus, when we eventually reopen the shop our stock will be greatly depleted.”
Together We Cope’s Nu2u resale shop assistant Lena Dunn, who works in the agency's food pantry during the store's shutdown, brings groceries to families waiting in their cars for curbside service. (Together We Cope)
Together We Cope gives assistance to families in crisis by providing food, shelter, clothing, some rent or mortgage payments, utility bills and medications, Seltzner said.
“We also provide school supplies and holiday gifts to nearly 1,000 children in need from the south suburban region,” she said. “The crises experienced by our client families range from unemployment or under-employment, to illness or death of a breadwinner, to grandparents raising grandchildren or single mothers struggling to provide for their children.”
Advertisement
Executive Director Kathryn Straniero said the loss of the resale shop revenue is combined with the cancellation of fundraising events during the stay-at-home order, and the loss of donations from longtime supporters who are themselves hurting in a weak economy.
Two fundraisers planned for this spring have been postponed.
"Longtime Together We Cope supporters have gone the extra mile to keep the homeless prevention agency afloat,” Seltzner said.
Two people recently donated the full amount of their $1,200 federal stimulus payments to the nonprofit.
Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >
“One gentleman said, ‘That check the president sent to me? I want to give it to you,’” Seltzner recounted.
People can make donations at togetherwecope.org.
Advertisement
Tony Roman, manager of the organizaiton’s food pantry that has remained open, said there has been a steady flow of clients seeking groceries to keep their families fed, Seltzner said.
The food pantry has temporarily reduced its hours and is providing curbside service of groceries to clients who wait in their cars, she said. Both measures aim to reduce the chance of exposure to the virus.
Together We Cope purchases food from the Greater Chicago Food Depository at greatly reduced cost and has benefited from the generosity of people and companies in northern Illinois during the pandemic, Seltzner said.
“We’re getting more food than usual from the depository, much of it at no cost to us during this crisis,” Roman said. “We’re getting a lot of ‘God bless you’ and ‘thank you so much’ comments.”
Jack Murray is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.


chicagotribune--2020-05-21--The Spin: Lightfoot says Chicago restaurants won’t reopen next week  | Illinois jobless claims soar

The Spin: Lightfoot says Chicago restaurants won’t reopen next week  | Illinois jobless claims soar along with unemployment system complaints | Obama Center’s still just a plan on paper

Fact Check : During an interview that aired over the weekend on Fox 32′s political show “ Flannery Fired Up @ @ @ @ @ Leader Kimberly Lightfoot of Maywood made the same baseless claim others have made about the @ @ @ @ @ This man-made killer — whoever went in there and man-made it , perhaps they should @ @ @ @ @ to figure out how to turn this around.
” She added , `` I don @ @ @ @ @ s a natural virus .
I believe someone was in cahoots for some reason and @ @ @ @ @ a little bit out of control and spread a whole lot further than they anticipated @ @

At City Hall on May 8, 2020, Dr. Allison Arwady, left, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, listens as Mayor Lori Lightfoot announces plans to reopen the city weeks after restrictions were imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago restaurants won’t be ready to reopen to outdoor dining by May 29. That’s the date Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said he will lift some of the statewide stay-at-home restrictions, including allowing restaurants with patios to serve customers al fresco. During a news briefing this afternoon, Lightfoot said she was “heartened” by Pritzker’s comments, but wants a more robust plan to make sure restaurants can reopen safely.
The mayor also got personal in announcing expanded mental health services in the city. While she said she’s leaning into her faith even more to find hope and love, she takes moments to tearfully reflect on the despair in these times.
Advertisement
The state hit a milestone this month of 1 million workers who’ve filed for unemployment since Pritkzer instituted a stay-at-home order to curb the spread of COVID-19. But even as Pritzker, a billionaire businessman, has bulked up staffing at the Illinois Department of Employment Security — which processes jobless claims — the newly unemployed have taken to social media and called elected leaders to complain about problems with the system.
And a day after fellow lawmakers booted state Rep. Darren Bailey from the makeshift statehouse chamber in Springfield after he refused to abide by COVID-19 rules requiring a face covering, the Xenia legislator returned to work today donning a mask.
Advertisement
Welcome to The Spin.
Workers prepare for the arrival of Illinois state representatives at the Bank of Springfield Center, when the Illinois General Assembly returns to Springfield for three days to take up a spring session workload long delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. The House will gather at the downtown location instead of in their chamber in the Illinois Capitol because it affords more space for legislators to practice social distancing. (Ted Schurter/AP)
From the Tribune’s Jamie Munks: “A measure to significantly expand Illinois’ vote-by-mail program in advance of November’s general election was advanced by an Illinois House committee on Thursday" amid concerns about a resurgence of the novel coronavirus in the fall.
“The legislation would direct election authorities to mail or email official vote-by-mail applications for the Nov. 3 general election to any voters who applied for an official ballot in the 2018 general election, the 2019 municipal elections or the March 2020 primary,” Munks notes. Read her full story here.
Nationally, Republicans have opposed expanding vote-by-mail, pointing to unsubstantiated claims it could lead to fraud, something Pritzker dismissed at an afternoon news conference in Springfield. Still, he called the measure was a “reasonable compromise” After a reporter pointed out that the governor was pushing to have ballots mailed to voters - which would be a costly effort for the cash-strapped state - the governor called what’s on the table now “reasonable compromise.”
“In my view, I’d like more done and of course this has been a discussion, a negotiation. a conversation – better said – about how to make sure the most people can get it and that we’re doing the best we can with the resources we have." Nationally, efforts to expand mail-in voting because of the coronavirus pandemic have become a focus of partisan debate, with Republicans led by President Donald Trump opposing voting by mail based in part on unsubstantiated claims that it leads to fraud.
Behind the scenes of Day 1 of the legislature: Faced with the potential of an embarrassing loss to kick off the General Assembly’s special session yesterday, Pritzker backed off a rule his administration quietly instituted via executive authority last Friday that would have meant businesses could be hit with a misdemeanor charge for opening in violation of his stay-at-home order, my Tribune colleagues and other news outlets reported.
It’s a small victory for Republican lawmakers who criticized the rule as executive overreach. Outnumbered by Democrats in both chambers, statehouse Republicans have been able to flex their collective muscle, emboldened by growing discontent over the Democratic governor’s stay-at-home order.
With legislators back in session, it’s evident that some Democrats are becoming frustrated with it too: A bipartisan legislative rule-making panel was prepared to potentially block Pritzker’s rule yesterday. As my Tribune colleagues note: Before that could happen the governor had it withdrawn and said lawmakers would craft their own enforcement mechanism.
Advertisement
COVID-19′s financial price tag for Illinois: $240M and counting - The Daily Herald’s Jake Griffin writes: “In 51 days, Illinois spent almost $240 million on equipment, personnel and other items related to the state’s battle against the spread of COVID-19. That’s roughly $4.6 million a day through a relaxed purchasing process, with no legislative oversight and almost all of it at inflated prices.” Read his story here.
Pritzker moves state Rep. Darren Bailey’s lawsuit to federal court - a move that could delay ruling on the governor’s stay-at-home order: Read Robert McCoppin’s story here. After Bailey filed suit last month in Downstate Clay County, a judge there issued a temporary order freeing Bailey from Pritzker’s directive. “Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office stated in its court filing that it was moving the case from state court because it involves U.S. constitutional rights of free religion and due process,” McCoppin notes.
Bailey made headlines after refusing to wear a mask when lawmakers reconvened in Springfield yesterday; his colleagues voted to boot him from the chamber under a newly instituted rule trotted out by House Speaker Mike Madigan. It requires lawmakers adhere to social distancing and other safety precautions amid the pandemic. Today, he returned with a face-covering.
Fact Check: During an interview that aired over the weekend on Fox 32′s political show “Flannery Fired Up," Illinois Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightfoot of Maywood made the same baseless claim others have made about the origins of COVID-19: “This man-made killer — whoever went in there and man-made it, perhaps they should be in there now trying to figure out how to turn this around.” She added, "I don’t believe it’s a natural virus. I believe someone was in cahoots for some reason and I think it just got a little bit out of control and spread a whole lot further than they anticipated.”
Kiannah Sepeda-Miller, a reporter on the Better Government Association’s investigative team, dub’s the assertion “false.” Read the story here.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot wears a mask as she prepares to speak about the coronavirus recently in Chicago. Lightfoot has at times personally enforced the Chicago social distancing orders. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune / Chicago Tribune)
During a news briefing today, the mayor said restaurants in the city may reopen to al fresco dining in June, but not by May 29 as Pritzker announced yesterday.
Advertisement
It’s not technically a disconnect: The governor has said all along that municipalities must adhere to his stay-at-home order and can enact stricter guidelines to reopen their economies, which appears to be happening in Chicago.
Nevertheless, there are hints, as there have been at different points, that the mayor and the governor are not in lockstep when it comes COVID-19 response.
Lightfoot talked vaguely about that during today’s news conference: “There’s a speed at which we want to move that wasn’t initially contemplated by the state, but we’ll work out whatever those differences are because at bottom, the governor and his team have Chicago in their sights – always. We’re the largest city, we’re the economic engine for the entire state. And as Chicago goes, the state goes and vice versa.”
Pritzker knows that- he calls Chicago home.
Still, the governor said during a news briefing later in the afternoon that he didn’t anticipate that many communities would delay.
Lightfoot gets personal about mental health: As she announced the city would spend $1.2 million to expand treatment for people with serious mental illness amid heightened anxiety and depression over the coronavirus, the mayor looked inward and shared how she's taking care of herself.
Advertisement
“I feel the weight of this moment every day. And, as a result, as part of my wellness routine, I’ve leaned into my faith even more. I make sure every day I have time just to be alone, to breathe and put the burdens of the day aside," Lightfoot said. "I’m intentional about finding hope and love in the selfless acts of others. And I allow myself to cry and feel despair. That is also part of this moment.” Gregory Pratt has the story here. .
“I feel the weight of this moment every day. And, as a result, as part of my wellness routine, I’ve leaned into my faith even more. I make sure every day I have time just to be alone, to breathe and put the burdens of the day aside," Lightfoot said. "I’m intentional about finding hope and love in the selfless acts of others. And I allow myself to cry and feel despair. That is also part of this moment.” Gregory Pratt has the story here.
Cook County Board approves property tax late fee waiver, but ally of Toni Preckwinkle balks at monthslong extension of disaster proclamation giving board president more broad authority amid the pandemic: Commissioner Bridget Gainer, a fellow Chicago Democrat who emerged as a vocal supporter of Preckwinkle’s failed mayoral bid, joined Sean Morrison, R-Palos Park, in voting against the extension, stating that there needs to be more oversight of the government process. The measure passed. The Tribune’s Alice Yin has the details here.
Admiral Theatre is among a bevy of adult businesses suing to get a federal paycheck protection loan approved under COVID-19 relief funding: The Tribune’s Robert Channick notes in a new story that so far, a smattering of U.S. adult clubs such as the Admiral are taking their cases to court — and, so far, they’re winning. Read the story here.
Chicago police fine 3 churches for violating stay-at-home order; businessman Willie Wilson, who’s gearing up for a U.S. Senate run, says he’ll pay: The Tribune’s Gregory Pratt has the story here about the church fines. Wilson, who finished fourth in last year’s historically crowded race for Chicago mayor, told me in August he’s planning to run as an independent in the fall election against popular incumbent U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat. Wilson’s been very visible amid the outbreak of the pandemic holding mask giveaways in Chicago and across Illinois.
Sign up for The Spin to get the top stories in politics delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.
Advertisement
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., speaks as Kenneth Braithwaite, nominated to be Secretary of the Navy, Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., nominated for reappointment to Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force and James Anderson, nominated to be Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, testify during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, May 7, 2020. (Al Drago/Pool via AP) (Al Drago /AP)
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Army combat veteran, is proposing legislation that would overrule what she says is the Trump administration’s “hard deployment stop” next month for members of the National Guard. As Politico first reported, a deployment end date of June 24 had been set for 40,000-plus guard members aiding states with COVID-19 testing and so-called contact tracing that involves alerting those who have come in contact with someone infected with the virus.
The Illinois National Guard has set up multiple coronavirus screening locations across the state, including sites in Aurora, Markham, Bloomington and Harwood Heights.
Duckworth, a Hoffman Estates Democrat, explained in a news release that the June 24 date means the Trump administration’s most recent deployment extension of guard members brought in to assist community response to COVID-19 ends after 89 days. And, that “precludes troops from qualifying for additional federal benefits they would normally be granted if ... (deployment was) extended for 90 days or more.” That includes GI Bill benefits that cover education. She’s among the lawmakers sponsoring the “National Guard COVID-19 Response Stability Act” which would keep guard members on active duty through the duration of the White House declaration of the Public Health Emergency.
Gov. Pritzker activates Illinois National Guard to aid communities dealing with flooding: With flooding forecast for communities along the Illinois River, “as well as moderate to minor flooding along nine other rivers in Illinois” the governor activated nearly 60 guard members to assist with the response, according to a news release from the governor’s office. The governor also issued a state disaster proclamation for Grundy, Pike, Scott and Morgan counties paving the way for state assistance to communities shoring up levees to protect communities from rising river levels, the governor’s office said.
Bright orange construction cones mark the far east end of Illinois Route 390 near Busse Road on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018 in Bensenville. The Tollway plans to continue extending Illinois Route 390 east toward the airport, to connect with a new north-south tollway to be called I-490, which would stretch along the airport's western border. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s Mary Wisniewski: “The Illinois Tollway board on Thursday approved agreements with two major railroads, which will make possible long-anticipated western highway access into O’Hare International Airport.”
She also notes: “When it is finished, Illinois Route 390 east toward the airport will connect with a new north-south tollway to be called Interstate 490, which would stretch along the airport’s western border. The new tollway would connect with Interstate 90 to the north and the Tri-State Tollway to the south.”
Advertisement
The toll authority has argued that western highway access is crucial to an expanded O’Hare. Sens. Duckworth and Dick Durbin, and U.S. Reps. Mike Quigley and Raja Krishnamoorthi, all Illinois Democrats, issued statements praising the agreement. Read Wisniewski’s full story here.
FILE - In this May 3, 2017, file photo, former President Barack Obama speaks near a rendering for the former president's lakefront presidential center at a community event on the Presidential Center at the South Shore Cultural Center in Chicago. Obama's foundation collected contributions of more than $1 million from 11 firms and individuals in the first three months of 2019, records show. The Obama Foundation's donor list, which is updated quarterly, included the AT&T Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation on Monday, along with other family trusts and foundations. The list also included foreign investors like Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes, who is chief executive of AirAsia, and Rumi Verjee, who is a member of the British House of Lords. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File) (Nam Y. Huh/AP)
A federal appeals court began hearing arguments this morning in a lawsuit over the planned Obama Presidential Center. Originally set to be completed next year, design changes and legal challenges over the use of a city park to build the $500 million, four-building campus has effectively put the brakes on the project, the Tribune’s Jason Meisner and Alice Yin report.
The community group Protect Our Parks sued the city over the planned presidential center, “alleging the city illegally handed over the 19.3-acre slice of Jackson Park to the Obama Foundation, which, among other issues, violated the public-trust doctrine governing use of public land for the greater good of citizens,” Meisner and Yin write.
Last year, U.S. District Judge Robert Blakey dismissed the federal suit, noting the center would provide “a multitude of benefits to the public,” including “a range of cultural, artistic, and recreational opportunities” and increased access to other areas of Jackson Park and nearby Museum of Science and Industry. But the organization appealed and today the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals will take up the matter, centering on, as Meisner and Yin write “whether Blakey erred in ruling the center will serve a public function, instead of what the plaintiffs allege was a land and money grab by the city’s political elite.” Read the story here.
‘Under the cover of night’ elite Francis W. Parker School bought condos in covert bid to expand, Lincoln Park neighbors allege in lawsuit: The Lincoln Park dispute brings a school with a well-connected board of trustees up against residents of one of the wealthier parts of the city.
Thanks for reading The Spin, the Tribune’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons. Have a tip? Email host Lisa Donovan at ldonovan@chicagotribune.com.
Advertisement
Twitter @byldonovan


chicagotribune--2020-05-21--Mayor Lori Lightfoot announces $1.2 million for mental health programs amid heightened anxiety from

Mayor Lori Lightfoot announces $1.2 million for mental health programs amid heightened anxiety from COVID-19

The city of Chicago will spend $1.2 million to expand treatment for people with serious mental illness amid heightened anxiety and depression over the coronavirus, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Thursday.
Lost mobility and a fractured sense of security have amplified despair in the city, Lightfoot said. And just as COVID-19 is especially deadly for people with preexisting health conditions, Lightfoot said, the disease is having a particularly big impact on people who already have mental health issues.
Advertisement
“What we must not allow is fear to grip us and prevent us from being able to cope with this difficult time,” Lightfoot said.
To address the issue, Lightfoot said the city will give $1.2 million combined to Friend Health, Healthcare Alternative Systems, Thresholds and Trilogy Behavioral Healthcare.
Advertisement
In a nod to the problems faced by many residents, Lightfoot said she allows herself to cry and feel despair over the crisis.
“I feel the weight of this moment every day. And, as a result, as part of my wellness routine, I’ve leaned into my faith even more. I make sure every day I have time just to be alone, to breathe and put the burdens of the day aside," Lightfoot said. "I’m intentional about finding hope and love in the selfless acts of others. And I allow myself to cry and feel despair. That is also part of this moment.”
There will also be a telephone service people can call at 312-747-1020, Lightfoot said, regardless of income, health insurance or citizenship status. The city also will have a collection of self-help videos available at a “Windy City Wellness” website.
“If you need them, these services are here for you," Lightfoot said.
Before the pandemic, Lightfoot faced criticism from progressive aldermen for backing off a campaign pledge to reopen the city mental health clinics closed by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-21--Malort made from beer released Friday as a creative solution to a serious problem: kegs expiring due

Malort made from beer released Friday as a creative solution to a serious problem: kegs expiring due to coronavirus

As stay-at-home orders took root , breweries mostly stopped filling kegs as almost all beer sales in the U.S. shifted @ @ @ @ @ But hundreds of thousands of kegs were already filled , waiting to head into the @ @ @ @ @ have repurposed some of that beer for sales in cans .
Others have donated kegs @ @ @ @ @ sanitizer .

When a pandemic hands you old beer, you don’t make lemonade. You make Malort.
In this case, the old beer was 160 kegs of Revolution Brewing’s flagship Anti-Hero IPA that were about to fall out of code while most bars and restaurants remain closed to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
Advertisement
Rather than dump the beer, Revolution teamed up with Chicago’s CH Distillery to create a first: Malort made from beer.
The product, which goes on sale Friday at Revolution, CH Distillery and Binny’s, pairs two modern Chicago icons: the city’s top-selling craft beer and the city’s most iconic spirit, an intensely bitter liqueur that doubles as a civic badge of pride.
Advertisement
But it’s also a playful solution to a serious problem for breweries large and small: What to do with all those useless kegs?
As stay-at-home orders took root, breweries mostly stopped filling kegs as almost all beer sales in the U.S. shifted to bottles and cans. But hundreds of thousands of kegs were already filled, waiting to head into the market. The smallest breweries have repurposed some of that beer for sales in cans. Others have donated kegs to turn beer into hand sanitizer.
The majority of kegs, however, won’t be salvaged. As they go out of code, breweries and wholesalers have hatched plans to deal with an unprecedented issue.
Jordan Kanter, packaging manager for Revolution Brewing, empties kegs of Anti-Hero IPA at CH Distillery on April 21, 2020, as the beer was to be distilled and turned into Malort. (Tremaine Atkinson)
Lester Jones, chief economist for the National Beer Wholesalers Association, said about 10 million gallons of beer — the equivalent of about 645,000 standard-sized kegs and valued at about $1 billion — were stranded in the market as shutdown orders took effect in mid-March.
A small amount of beer already on tap was sold in growlers by bars and restaurants, Jones said. But the vast majority needed somewhere to go as it became clear it would never reach beer drinkers before expiring.
Solving the problem has amounted to shared sacrifice between breweries and their distributors.
Anheuser-Busch, Molson Coors and Heineken USA all have said they will split the cost with distributors to pull back out-of-code kegs. Constellation Brands, which makes leading Mexican brands including Modelo and Corona for the U.S. market, has said it will cover 70% of the cost of returned kegs.
Craft breweries including New Glarus and Summit have pledged to absorb all the cost of recalling out-of-code kegs.
Advertisement
“It’s going to be a backbreaking chore to extract all those kegs from all those independent bars and taverns,” Jones said. “That’ll be a lot of work and it won’t be as easy as driving up to the local stadium and unloading a bunch of kegs.”
Revolution Brewing founder Josh Deth said his brewery will split the cost 50-50 with distributors, which maps out to a loss of more than $50 per keg for each party. He said there are more than 1,000 kegs of Anti-Hero in the market that will need to be resolved — plus other Revolution brands.
“We have budgeted several hundred thousand (dollars), but won’t know for sure (the impact) until the kegs all come back,” Deth said.
Malort made from Anti-Hero was intended to be a fun solution to the vexing problem. Revolution and CH Distillery each will donate $5,000 of proceeds from the project to the Comp Tab Relief Fund, which supports workers in the hospitality industry.
“It was never about making us whole on the financial side,” Deth said. “It’s more like we’re bored and we had all this beer.”
As kegs of Anti-Hero sat at the brewery, Deth reached out to CH founder Tremaine Atkinson in April with the idea of distilling something from the beer, though he wasn’t sure what.
Advertisement
“You hate to see something you value wasted — that’s the biggest thing," Deth said.
Efficiency, he said, “is in the lifeblood of the brewer; no one wants to waste beer at this point.”
Atkinson suggested they make Malort. The bottles will retail for $25, a $5 increase from the standard bottle of Malort. Deth and Atkinson will discuss the collaboration Saturday at 4 p.m. on a web chat hosted by the Chicago Brewseum.
Revolution sent several workers to the Pilsen distillery across multiple days for the effort. Atkinson said he hoped to tease out new flavors in Malort, a product known largely for its mouth-twisting bitterness.
They separated the distillate into three flavor profiles — malty-sweet, floral-hoppy and bitter-hoppy — then blended the three to a result that accents Anti-Hero’s malty character as well as the floral notes from its hops, Atkinson said.
Hops also lend bitterness, which accents the bitterness already present in Malort due to its herbaceous key ingredient, wormwood.
Advertisement
“At first it’s like, ‘OK, that’s Malort,’ and then 30 seconds later you’re like, ‘Holy (expletive), that’s bitter,’" Atkinson said. “It bites hard at the end.”
IPA-distilled Malort is the second major diversion for the brand during the pandemic. Last month, CH introduced Malort hand sanitizer, which was initially available only as a donated product to health care workers.
Malort hand sanitizer has since been made available to the public via CH Distillery, seven Ace Hardware stores, Fringe/A hair salon, Dark Matter Coffee and breweries including Pipeworks, Lo Rez and Haymarket.
Atkinson said he has another 160 kegs of Anti-Hero that he would like to use to make a schnapps. Whether he makes another Malort from beer is to be determined.
“We’re not planning to make it an ongoing product, but I could see maybe doing it again next year,” he said. “Then again, there won’t be all this waste beer next year — knock on any hard surface.”
jbnoel@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-21--Illinois unemployment rate hit 16.4% in April, a 44-year high, as coronavirus-related job losses mul

Illinois unemployment rate hit 16.4% in April, a 44-year high, as coronavirus-related job losses multiplied

“ We are calling on Governor Pritzker to begin including unemployment numbers in his metrics for Illinois ’ reopening plan @ @ @ @ @ and CEO Todd Maisch said in a statement .
“ Over 16 percent unemployment is @ @ @ @ @ unemployment statistics need to be considered on equal footing with public health metrics.. ''

Illinois’ unemployment rate rose to 16.4% in April, up from 4.2% in March, due to the COVID-19 health crisis, according to the state’s Department of Employment Security.
The state’s April unemployment rate was the highest recorded since the government began collecting data using current methodologies in 1976.
Advertisement
The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April was 14.7%, an increase from 3.6% a year prior and up from 4.4% in March.
The state lost 762,200 jobs in April across all major industries. The leisure and hospitality sector lost the most jobs — nearly 300,000 — over the month. The trade, transportation, and utilities sector lost nearly 100,000 jobs.
Advertisement
A pedestrian walks in front of the closed Chicago Workforce Center on 18th Street in Pilsen on May 1, 2020. A sign on the window stated that “in order to protect everyone through social distancing, IDES offices are closed to the public until further notice. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
On Thursday, an additional 2.4 million Americans filed first-time claims for unemployment benefits, the U.S. government reported, bringing the nine-week total to more than 38 million. In Illinois, more than 1 million residents have applied for unemployment insurance benefits.
The unprecedented number of jobless claims has prompted some organizations to call on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to include an economic recovery response team as part of the state’s efforts to reduce COVID-19 infection rates.
“We are calling on Governor Pritzker to begin including unemployment numbers in his metrics for Illinois’ reopening plan,” Illinois Chamber President and CEO Todd Maisch said in a statement. “Over 16 percent unemployment is its own crisis and the unemployment statistics need to be considered on equal footing with public health metrics.."
Advertisement
Erin Guthrie, director of the state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, said in a news release the governor “has taken action to support a swift public health recovery that will in turn enable residents and businesses to make an economic recovery."
"This administration’s focus on workforce development, rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, and creating new industries will help us start to bring Illinoisans back to work and rebuild our economy,” Guthrie said.
abjimenez@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @abdel1019


chicagotribune--2020-05-21--Cook County Board passes Sept. 30 disaster proclamation extension, property tax late fee waiver

“ Everything that we ’ ve given you the opportunity to do , you ’ ve done it in accordance @ @ @ @ @ I don ’ t see any reason why anyone should be in opposition , ” @ @ @ @ @ ’ re treading in new waters .
We haven ’ t had a pandemic like @ @ @ @ @ for us to try to stifle this county moving forward is irresponsible .
”

The Cook County Board voted Thursday to grant President Toni Preckwinkle an extra 120 days of enhanced powers under a disaster proclamation in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Commissioners voted 15-2 to extend the disaster proclamation, which allows Preckwinkle to issue executive orders, move money around, procure essential supplies such as personal protective equipment and make other decisions without the board’s direct approval.
Advertisement
The disaster proclamation Preckwinkle approved in mid-March is set to expire at the end of this month.
“I want to just point out that this is not a power grab,” said Commissioner Larry Suffredin, D-Evanston, a co-sponsor of the resolution. “A power grab is when you’re grabbing something for fun. This is putting yourself in a position where you create more stress because we’re dealing with such difficult matters.”
Advertisement
Commissioners Bridget Gainer, D-Chicago, and Sean Morrison, R-Palos Park, voted against the extension, arguing there needs to be more oversight on Preckwinkle’s decisions. Gainer suggested a 30-day extension as an “eminently more reasonable” compromise.
Morrison praised Preckwinkle’s leadership but argued it is still possible for the board to be consulted on decisions through virtual meetings, phone calls and emails.
“You have done a very admirable job, Madam President, in conducting the county’s business,” Morrison said. “The issue, though, comes down to whether or not we fundamentally need to have another grant for 120 more days of this particular order when there’s absolutely no physical reason that we cannot keep up.”
Commissioner Deborah Sims, D-Chicago, said it “just doesn’t make sense” for the board to be consulted each time Preckwinkle wants to conduct emergency business.
“Everything that we’ve given you the opportunity to do, you’ve done it in accordance with the law, so I don’t see any reason why anyone should be in opposition,” Sims said. “We’re treading in new waters. We haven’t had a pandemic like this before. I think for us to try to stifle this county moving forward is irresponsible.”
Commissioners also voted unanimously to not collect the 1.5% interest rate on late property tax payments until Oct. 1. The late fee would normally be charged each month starting Aug. 3, when the second installment of 2019 bills is due, but this year any payments made by October will be considered on time.
“These are incredibly difficult times for our residents and this measure creates much-needed breathing room for Cook County property owners,” Preckwinkle said in a statement last week.
Part of the disaster resolution includes allowing county Budget Director Annette Guzman to approve budgetary transfer requests greater than $50,000. It was approved 15-2, with Commissioners Bridget Degnen, D-Chicago, and Morrison voting no while calling for more board meetings on budget items.
Advertisement
“Working together, broaching questions and thinking about the different items and … the reflection of how those budget items come to pass and the checks and balances generally result in a better work product,” Degnen said.
Guzman said during the meeting that emergency transfers have been used in the past two months to buy supplies such as PPE for Cook County Health, Cook County’s Department of Public Health and the Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security. Such decisions need to be made “quickly” given that vendors are selling out, Guzman said.
Most commissioners stressed the unprecedented times the crisis has thrown Cook County into and said Preckwinkle has stepped up to the plate in responding to the pandemic.
“Challenging times require challenging actions,” said Commissioner Peter Silvestri, R-Elmwood Park. “I will be supporting these (measures) reluctantly. I think everybody, including you, Madam President, wish we didn’t have to do this, that things would get back to normal, but they will someday.”
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-21--Local TV, radio stations still off-air as Willis Tower electrical substation dries out

The iconic skyscraper remained closed several days after electricity at the building was shut down because of the intense flooding @ @ @ @ @ to its highest levels in 60 years .
While still available or available again through @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday , some stations ’ broadcast signals remained off-air .

The Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower, sits in darkness on May 20, 2020 after its electricity was shut down after heavy rain caused flooding in its lower levels. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Willis Tower was still dark Thursday after experiencing a power outage that caused a disruption of the broadcast signals of local television channels and radio stations following a series of floods that hit Chicago this week.
The iconic skyscraper remained closed several days after electricity at the building was shut down because of the intense flooding that sent the Chicago River to its highest levels in 60 years. While still available or available again through cable and satellite systems by Wednesday, some stations’ broadcast signals remained off-air.
Advertisement
As the skyscraper remained dark, social media Tuesday night and Wednesday was filled with photos of the former Sears Tower with no or few lights on.
According to Thomas Dominguez, a spokesman for ComEd, though the building remained closed, the process of restoring power to Willis Tower had begun as of Thursday afternoon.
Advertisement
“Water has been removed from the vault containing the substation that services the building. ComEd crews conducted a full inspection of substation equipment and completed corrective maintenance," Dominguez said Thursday. "They are now performing tests to ensure the safety of the equipment and the building when it is re-energized.”
David Moore, senior vice president of the EQ Office, said significant progress has been made in flood repair as of Thursday afternoon. After reinstating mechanical systems in key floors and determining it is safe to re-enter, power would gradually be restored, he said Wednesday.
The Willis Tower remained closed Wednesday, after electricity at the building was shut down because of the intense flooding that sent the Chicago River to its highest levels in 60 years. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
“We have successfully removed the water from the building, and ComEd is conducting a full and thorough assessment," he said. “We expect to restore initial power over the weekend.”
Several television channels and at least one radio station were knocked off the air by the power outage and were still waiting for power to be restored Thursday.
WTTW-Ch. 11 ″was still dark for over-the-air antenna users due to the flooding and power issues at Willis,” Anne Gleason, a spokeswoman for WTTW-WFMT, said Wednesday.
Radio station WFMT also went off the air but has been broadcasting again since Tuesday morning, and the stream did not lose service, according to Gleason. Web streaming and Comcast viewers did not lose service, Gleason added. As of Tuesday evening, WTTW’s RCN service was restored.
CW affiliate WCIU-Ch. 26 also experienced outages due to the Willis Tower power outage. In a statement, the network said viewers can tune into channels with an over-the-air antenna.
“Comcast and most other cable/satellite viewers of CW26, The U, MeTV, Heroes & Icons, Bounce and Decades are not impacted,” the statement in part said.
Advertisement
WBBM-TV Channel 2 said in an online statement that their ability to broadcast a signal was also affected by recent storms.
“We are working with ComEd and the Willis Tower to restore our broadcast signal just as soon as possible. For all the latest local news check out our new 24/7 digital streaming service, CBSN Chicago,” the statement said.


chicagotribune--2020-05-21--‘The grind is a lot harder’: Sex workers struggle to make a living as COVID-19 batters their industr

‘The grind is a lot harder’: Sex workers struggle to make a living as COVID-19 batters their industry

“ I would say I see maybe one or two people a week , ” she said .
“ As @ @ @ @ @ with them and we are safe , I am OK with that for now .
@ @ @ @ @ have bills to pay or rent to pay I wouldn ’ t see anyone but @ @ @ @ @ goes , and I know a lot of other people in my situation , not @ @ @ @ @ understand .
”

Like a lot of people in these months of quarantine, E.B. Cotenord is having a tough time making ends meet. COVID-19 has made it too risky to pursue her profession as she normally does, so she’s working from home, putting in crazy hours and making a fraction of her former earnings.
What’s different about Cotenord is her job.
Advertisement
She is a full-service sex worker, otherwise known as an escort, whose services normally command $500 an hour. She stopped seeing clients shortly after Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the first stay-at-home order in March, switching her business model almost overnight to subscription video and phone sex.
“It’s a really rough transition,” said Cotenord, who lives in the north suburbs. “It’s definitely not as profitable. The grind is a lot harder. I’m putting in 70-hour weeks of taking calls and creating content to make, at the end of a 10-hour day, half of what I make in an hour doing my full-service work.”
Advertisement
Sex worker E.B. Cotenord in Evanston on May 12, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
While COVID-19 has pummeled most industries, few have been battered as thoroughly as sex-related businesses. Strip clubs have shuttered, dominatrix dungeons have closed and even street prostitution has gone quiet: Chicago police, who normally make dozens of arrests each month, have made exactly two since March 11.
“It’s just like everything else,” police spokesman Tom Ahern said. “Because of the stay-at-home order, there are fewer people out in general in public, even down to the prostitution rings throughout the city. That’s all really slowed down too.”
The sudden loss of business has left sex workers, who for the most part are ineligible for jobless benefits, scrambling to survive.
“It’s kind of like the way the pandemic has laid bare all the inequities in society, especially the economic ones,” said Kathy Rosenfeld of the advocacy group Sex Workers Outreach Project Chicago. “For sex workers whose livelihood is precarious in the best of times, it has exacerbated the (instability) of our lives.”
Income halved
Mistress Vivian Grey is a Chicago dominatrix who considers her sessions, which do not include sex, to be a form of therapy for men and women who want to live out their fantasies. She said that while some longtime clients have sent “tributes” to help get her through the pandemic, her income has been cut in half.
Mistress Vivian Grey, a downtown Chicago dominatrix, at her home on May 16, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
She does most, but not all, of her work virtually now.
“I would say I see maybe one or two people a week,” she said. “As long as I am comfortable with them and we are safe, I am OK with that for now. If I didn’t have bills to pay or rent to pay I wouldn’t see anyone but that’s how it goes, and I know a lot of other people in my situation, not just sex workers, would understand.”
Another Chicago dominatrix, Mistress Mara, has given up in-person sessions altogether out of concern that someone might carry COVID-19 without symptoms. She now focuses entirely on her online ventures, which include phone encounters, texting and video streaming.
Advertisement
She said that with 14 years of experience, she has established a brand that has held up in the highly competitive online scene, though she still prefers to work in person.
“To be honest, I think (online) is a fine substitute but it does not replace the real thing,” she said. “It’s kind of like NutraSweet when you’re used to honey. I much prefer human contact and the conversations. It’s very difficult to have a cerebral dialogue with someone when it’s like, ‘Gee, your time is up for that $2.99-a-minute call.’ ”
The video platform of choice for many sex workers and adult performers is OnlyFans, which allows them to charge viewers a subscription. The average fee is about $10 a month, by some accounts; the company, which claims to have 450,000 content creators, did not respond to the Tribune’s request for comment.
Newbies join the scene
While experienced sex workers say the service is less lucrative than their normal gigs, some newbies have found it to be a badly needed source of income.
A Chicago cosplayer and drag performer who goes by Ask Kaylee Frye, and who prefers the they/them pronouns, occasionally sold nude or suggestive photos of themselves before the pandemic. But when they left their job as a barista because of the stay-at-home order, they started an OnlyFans channel called Twixt My Nethers.
“In less than a week I had made top 10% (of performers) and more money than I made in a month working my regular job,” they said. “So far people have been pretty respectful on the platform, and I like that I get to decide how much or how little I wanna show. It’s annoying that the site takes 20%, and that taxes will take a chunk out of it, but it’s better than having no money during quarantine.”
Advertisement
They have since returned to the coffee shop — they need the health insurance — but would move to the platform full time if they could earn enough.
“It’s way more fun and fulfilling creating content on my own terms than it is working any other job I’ve ever done,” they said.
But for those who depend on sex work to survive, there are few places to turn if they can’t make a living online. Few are eligible to claim unemployment or other government benefits, Rosenfeld said.
“Since sex work is a criminalized industry, there isn’t the kind of paper trail that federal agencies are looking for,” she said. “I would say it goes case by case, but in a lot of cases, people whose living has been sex work have been unable to interface with any government assistance.”
Her group tries to raise money to help people in desperate straits, but typically can give out only modest sums, such as $50 for groceries.
“I don’t know of any organization dedicated to sex workers that has resources to really make a long-term difference in people’s lives economically,” she said.
Advertisement
‘Can’t protect myself’
Though some businesses are starting to reopen after weeks of inactivity, Manisha Shah, a University of California at Los Angeles public policy scholar who has written about the economics of sex work, said that industry will likely trail the pack.
“I don’t think sex work will go back to its pre-pandemic state even when stay-at-home orders ease as potential clients will still feel wary of in-person meetings,” she said. “It will likely take longer, perhaps even until a vaccine, before people feel comfortable interacting in person for sex services.”
Cotenord said she still gets a few calls from clients inquiring about her availability, but with an asthmatic child at home, she dares not take a chance that could expose her to the virus.
Still, she finds virtual work to be a poor alternative to in-person services, and not just financially — “Any kind of emotional intimacy is stripped from the experience. … I’m just there as a body to be consumed for five to 10 minutes” — and is as eager as anyone for a vaccine that will end the pandemic.
“We’re in an incredibly high-risk profession,” she said. “There’s no social distancing in full-service sex work. … We’re very careful about taking care of ourselves, but while I can protect myself from chlamydia, I can’t protect myself from COVID.”
jkeilman@chicagotribune.com
Advertisement
Twitter @JohnKeilman


chicagotribune--2020-05-21--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

Search below by street address , ZIP code or city , then click on the map to see the number @ @ @ @ @ 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.