chicagotribune--2020-08-06--Auburn Gresham group selected for $10 million prize for plan to address roots of crime and disenfran

Auburn Gresham group selected for $10 million prize for plan to address roots of crime and disenfranchisement

“ We ’ re Chicagoans , and this is our home , ” Traubert said .
“ And Chicago has @ @ @ @ @ But we are not in isolation .
We talk to a lot of people who @ @ @ @ @ more than have to date .
I don ’ t think I need to tell @ @ @ @ @ feeling right now .
We are all in this together .
”

Carlos Nelson, second from right, CEO of the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation, stands with project team Norma Sanders, from left, Erika Allen and Jason Feldman at 839 W. 79th St. on Aug. 6, 2020. The Pritzker Traubert Foundation awarded a $10 million Chicago Prize to the group to turn the shuttered 1920s terra cotta building into a neighborhood hub with health care, green roof, restaurants and community space. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
A shuttered 1920s terra cotta building and a vacant former Chicago police impound lot will be transformed into neighborhood hubs of healthy living, health care, nutrition, urban farming, a recycling enterprise and more under a resident-driven development plan for the Auburn Gresham community.
The $52.8 million plan, “Always Growing, Auburn Gresham,” on Thursday was awarded $10 million by the Pritzker Traubert Foundation, securing the first Chicago Prize, a new grant that supports projects that spur economic development and improve well-being and safety on Chicago’s under-resourced South and West sides.
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For Carlos Nelson, the redevelopment of the shuttered 1920s building, at 79th and Halsted streets, symbolizes the transformation of a community.
A building at 839 W. 79th St. is shown Aug. 6, 2020, in the Auburn Gresham community. The Pritzker Traubert Foundation awarded a $10 million Chicago Prize to the group to turn the shuttered 1920s terra cotta building into a healthy living hub. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
“Seventy-ninth and Halsted, with this four-story (building) sitting ominously vacant, has become the background of our community,” said Nelson, the CEO of the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation, a partner in the project. “What this means for me is we are now able to hope. It literally provides hope to youngsters, families and seniors who have endured decades of disinvestment and blight.
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“We are going to transform this building to a building of light and hope, anchored in health and wellness.”
The foundation announced the Chicago Prize contest last year. Entries were narrowed to six finalists in neighborhoods where historic lack of investment and patterns of segregation have created unhealthy, dangerous living conditions, ranging from a lack of fresh food to inadequate health care to persistent street violence.
Strict criteria were developed and then weighed against each project to assess their financial and operational viability, as well as the expertise of the applicants.
Based on the strength of the proposals, the foundation elected to award not only the main prize but also establish a $2.5 million fund to support the other finalists, cash it hopes will be matched.
“We came out of this great admirers of all six of the plans, and while there is one winner ... our hope is all six finalists are going to get funding,” said Penny Pritzker, former U.S. commerce secretary and sister of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. She runs the foundation with her husband, Bryan Traubert. “We are going to try and help them to get greater visibility.”
Some of the other finalists have already generated funding from other sources, including a $7 million grant from the city of Chicago to support one part of the North Lawndale proposal — a new surgical and ambulatory clinic and campus that will be built across from the main Mount Sinai Hospital.
The cash awards come at a critical time for some of Chicago’s most under-resourced neighborhoods, as they have taken a double blow from high rates of COVID-19 and a sharp uptick in violent crime this summer. In fact, Auburn Gresham just experienced the worst mass shooting in recent Chicago memory when 15 people were shot outside a funeral home.
The devastating effects of the pandemic and the violence have provided a stark look at the tragic cost of disinvestment on the South and West sides, which has stretched over many decades and through many administrations. In the wake of the funeral home shooting, Ald. David Moore, 17th, made an impassioned plea for help, calling for the public and private sector to step up with not millions, but “billions.”
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It wasn’t lost on some contest entrants that they had to seek the Pritzker funds in part because of that history of neglect. Still, one of the North Lawndale finalists said he is not looking back, only forward, intent on using the momentum of the application process to find money and resources to make their plans a reality.
“This has been decades of disinvestment in our community, so what you see is the impact,” said Rodney Brown, a member of the executive committee of the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council. “But we also believe now is a time to invest in communities like North Lawndale. ... It is going to happen going forward. We aren’t going to look at what they didn’t do.
“We sincerely plan to continue to search and find the money,” Brown said. “There is already great things happening here. This is a community that is going to grow. If you want in, get in now.”
“Always Growing, Auburn Gresham” is a collaborative among the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation, Urban Growers Collective and Green Era Partners.
Their initiative was selected for the Chicago Prize because of its “unique” combination of projects that have the potential to create long-term economic opportunity, including the creation of 300 construction and 300 permanent professional jobs, according to the foundation.
In a telephone interview Thursday morning with the Tribune, Pritzker and Traubert noted Auburn Gresham’s sustainable economic model and its focus on jobs, health and creating new amenities for the community. The project also got noticed because it is being developed close to a new Metra stop, planned for 79th Street.
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The “Always Growing, Auburn Gresham” plans are anchored on two locations. The former Rusnak Brothers Furniture Store and Showroom at 79th and Halsted streets (and later a state public aid location) will be turned into a “healthy-lifestyle hub,” with a health center offering a full range of services including dental, behavioral health and nutrition and wellness, as well as a minority-owned pharmacy. The development includes plans for a green roof and outdoor educational and meeting space and a Black-owned sit-down restaurant, a dining opportunity in a community that doesn’t have many.
A little farther south at 650 W. 83rd St. is the location of the second hub, according to the proposal, a renewable energy and urban farm campus that will include a food waste recycling enterprise that is projected to divert 85,000 tons of waste from landfills each year.
The campus also includes an outdoor market and community education and programming facilities. The urban farm, along with a growing collective, is expected to grow up to 26,000 pounds of food per year in on-site greenhouses, serve up to 300 customers a day and offer specialty crops to local restaurants.
The collaborative has secured all the site locations, as well as additional funding from city, state and bank financing, planners said.
For Nelson, that means sights and sounds he has long-imagined will soon be real.
“In the year 2021 ... you will see bulldozers, excavators and cranes in the air,” Nelson said. “That is an image I cannot wait to see. Just as (former Mayor Rahm Emanuel) used to count the cranes in the air downtown, we are going to be counting cranes in Auburn Gresham.”
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Penny Pritzker said Auburn Gresham’s plan — and all of the finalist communities — show the value of tapping into local know-how about where and what to build.
“These projects are driven by the people in those neighborhoods,” she said. “This is what they think is most important, and that is what is really important to the Chicago Prize. We need, as a society, to recognize that and to be humble as we listen to what folks in those communities need and know.”
Traubert, an ophthalmologist who is a former president of the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners, said he believes there is awareness of the inequities in Chicago and that the city will not “thrive” if some neighborhoods are doing fine while others continue to suffer from years of disinvestment.
“We’re Chicagoans, and this is our home,” Traubert said. “And Chicago has some real challenges now. But we are not in isolation. We talk to a lot of people who want to get involved, more than have to date. I don’t think I need to tell people what we are all feeling right now. We are all in this together.”


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--Lakefront restaurants to reopen this week, many as early as Friday

Jenna Alia , whose family owns Whispers at Oak Street Beach and Cafe Michelle at Dusable Harbor , said after @ @ @ @ @ she ’ s excited to reopen on Friday .
She ’ s been working with @ @ @ @ @ few months and has had access to her business , so she ran with the @ @ @ @ @ the resources early on to prepare for a reopening .

Claire Sullivan and Mike Flaherty enjoy the Lakefront Restaurant patio at Theater on the Lake on Aug. 6, 2020, in Chicago. It was hosting a soft launch and is expected to open Friday. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
While beaches remain closed, you’ll still get a chance to enjoy the sand and surf this summer: The Chicago Park District has announced that restaurants and concessions east of Lake Shore Drive are now allowed to reopen.
Beachside establishments must adhere to the same COVID-19 safety guidelines that pertain to other businesses and restaurants in the city. While the Park District is working with each concession on its health and safety plans, proprietors can open as early as this week.
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“Lifting restrictions on lakefront concessions allows the City to maximize the use of outdoor space while supporting lakefront businesses,” according to a statement from the Chicago Park District. “Lakefront restaurants with patios can accommodate seated dining service; grab and go concessions will require patrons to make their purchase and keep it moving.”
Employees walk near the bar as a cyclist passes outside the Lakefront Restaurant at Theater on the Lake on Aug. 6, 2020, in Chicago. It was hosting a soft launch and is expected to open Friday. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Bethany Fisher makes a lakefront spritz behind the bar at the Lakefront Restaurant at Theater on the Lake on Aug. 6, 2020, during its soft launch. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
The reopening announcement came just a day before the state’s highest recorded number of new coronavirus cases since the end of May. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 1,953 new cases Thursday, plus 21 additional deaths. This takes the total number of known cases statewide to 188,424 and 7,594 deaths since the pandemic began.
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Restaurants and bars have been able to open with limited capacity and under strict guidelines for a few weeks, and now, lakefront restaurants and concessions are finally able to do the same.
The Lakefront Restaurant at Theater on the Lake will open Friday, said John Wrenn, president of Lakefront Hospitality Group. He added that it will be following all safety and sanitization protocols from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, plus their own additional safety measures.
It’s been a bit of a scramble since they got the news Tuesday afternoon, but they have stayed hopeful and optimistic during the pandemic, Wrenn said. He hopes he’ll be allowed to open the theater portion soon.
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“We’re just thrilled to be able to get back to business and be able to provide a great setting for people in the city,” he said. “We’ve been prepared for a long time for reopening and we’re glad to say that we’re ready to roll.”
Castaways and Shore Club at North Avenue Beach, Reggie’s On the Beach at 63rd Street Beach all announced reopening on Friday, according to Facebook posts from earlier this week. Other restaurants and concessions reopening include The Dock and Park Bait at Montrose Beach, Cafe Oliva at Ohio Street Beach, Whispers at Oak Street Beach, Del Campos at 12th Street Beach, Fruitalia at Jane Addams, Osho at Museum Campus, and Daniel’s and Morelos at Foster Beach.
Jenna Alia, whose family owns Whispers at Oak Street Beach and Cafe Michelle at Dusable Harbor, said after a difficult pandemic summer, she’s excited to reopen on Friday. She’s been working with the Park District for a few months and has had access to her business, so she ran with the hope she had and expended the resources early on to prepare for a reopening.
“We are really happy to have our customers back and we’re so excited to live out the rest of this summer, albeit short lived,” she said. “There’s always next summer.”
For now, she’s hoping customers will remember to keep their masks on and that they’ll enjoy the steak and elote salad added to the menu.
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gwong@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--The Spin: Is Kanye West getting a GOP boost in Illinois? | Rahm Emanuel’s November crystal ball | Il

The Spin: Is Kanye West getting a GOP boost in Illinois? | Rahm Emanuel’s November crystal ball | Illinois extends unemployment benefits 20 weeks, may have overpaid gig workers

West ’ s ties to Trump go back at least four years , though the president has said the two @ @ @ @ @ for a long time.
” West was part of a parade of boldfaced names who @ @ @ @ @ right after the 2016 election .
West took to Twitter to say the two discussed @ @ @ @ @ West spent part of his childhood .
In 2018 , West traveled to the White @ @ @ @ @ photo op with the president donned a red cap with Trump ’ s campaign slogan @ @ @ @ @ .
”

Several news outlets are reporting that Chicago rapper Kanye West appears to be getting help from Republican operatives, some allied with President Donald Trump, to get on the November ballot as an independent presidential candidate in a handful of states, including Illinois and neighboring battleground state Wisconsin.
That’s prompted observers to question whether West — who once visited the Republican Trump in the Oval Office, wearing a red MAGA hat — might be a spoiler, working to siphon votes from Democrat Joe Biden, The New York Times reports. In an interview with Forbes, West acknowledged it’s a possibility that African American voters, who boosted Biden’s campaign in the primaries, may instead vote for him in the general election.
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Trump was asked during a news conference Wednesday at the White House whether he was aware of, or encouraging, anyone in the party to help West. Trump said, “I like Kanye very much” but “I’m not involved.”
Meantime, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who worked in the Obama and Clinton administrations, this week discussed how he thinks the 2020 election may play out. Reflecting on the political activism of today’s youth, he even shared a personal update on his kids, two of whom are in college and another who graduated from UCLA and, Emanuel said, is now in the armed services.
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Illinois is extending jobless benefits another 20 weeks as laid off workers continued to struggle with a state system that Gov. J.B. Pritzker has acknowledged is problem-plagued. Some, too, are saying they are being asked to return funds because they were overpaid.
And the executive director of the state’s massive Teachers’ Retirement Fund has stepped down, days after being placed on administrative leave for “performance issues.” Zachary Fardon, of the Chicago-based law firm King & Spalding and a former U.S. attorney in Chicago, was tapped to undertake an investigation related to Ingram’s unspecified performance issues
Welcome to The Spin.
Kanye West makes his first presidential campaign appearance July 19, 2020, in North Charleston, South Carolina. (Lauren Petracca Ipetracca/AP)
When celebrity rapper Kanye West launched his eleventh-hour presidential bid last month, he disavowed President Trump, whom he had previously supported.
The ensuing state-by-state effort to get his name on the ballot as an independent, where possible, has drawn some scrutiny, with multiple news outlets reporting that Republican operatives seem to be aiding him. NBC News reported that West is receiving help from Republicans in Illinois, though the outlet had no details.
West’s team submitted nominating petitions here in Illinois — where independent candidates must submit a minimum of 2,500 valid signatures of registered voters to get on the ballot. The petitions are being scrutinized by state election officials amid a handful of objections, a routine maneuver by opponents trying to knock someone off the ballot.
The Chicago attorney representing West’s campaign before the state Board of Elections on those objections did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
This week, West made a move to get on the ballot in Wisconsin with help from attorney Lane Ruhland, who has ties to state GOP and is reportedly representing President Trump, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Wisconsin Public Radio.
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Trump narrowly beat Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin in 2016, and polling suggests that Biden may have a leg up there.
The company Let the Voters Decide, run by a Republican operative, is collecting signatures for the West campaign to get on the ballot in Ohio, West Virginia and Arkansas, The New York Times reported this week. The firm told the Times that it is a nonpartisan organization. And Vice News reported West had a GOP strategist assisting him in Colorado, where the secretary of state announced a few hours ago that West would be on the ballot.
During an interview published in Forbes last month, West said it’s possible Biden supporters will get behind him, a move that could ultimately help Trump.
“I’m not denying it, I just told you,” West told Forbes in a piece that published in July. But “(t)o say that the Black vote is Democratic is a form of racism and white supremacy.”
West’s ties to Trump go back at least four years, though the president has said the two have been “good friends for a long time.” West was part of a parade of boldfaced names who met with the then president-elect right after the 2016 election. West took to Twitter to say the two discussed violence in Chicago, where West spent part of his childhood. In 2018, West traveled to the White House, and during a photo op with the president donned a red cap with Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.”
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Mayor Rahm Emanuel arrives at the south air traffic control tower at O'Hare International Airport on April 22, 2019. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
With a vast political career that includes having been the high-profile finance chair of Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign and former President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel offered some cautious predictions during a virtual discussion on the upcoming election.
Here’s what he was most certain of: “You’re gonna have a big (voter) turnout.”
Emanuel is team Biden, as if you needed the reminder.
With 90 days to go — fewer if you consider mail-in ballots — before the Nov. 3 election, Emanuel said during the 60-minute discussion yesterday, “I think it’s all but certain Donald Trump cannot win the popular vote,” riding the fence with “I think Trump’s only shot is through the electoral vote, not the popular vote, and I even think the doors on that are closing in on him.”
A reminder that the outcome of elections is often decided by what’s happening in the moment: “Whatever you think is true on Tuesday is probably not true by Thursday.”
If the elections were held today, Democrats would take the Senate — the longtime Democrat says: “The Democrats would win both the White House, Senate and add to their ... majority in the House. When that has also been the form of national elections, and you’re gonna have a big turnout.”
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Trump is trying to campaign a la 1968 — This election looks more like 1980 when Ronald Reagan Democrats crossed over to help the Republican win the first of two terms, Emanuel said.
“We’re about to coin a phrase I think ... of what I call Biden Republicans,” who may boost the Democrat’s chances of winning. With senior citizens, the nation’s largest voting bloc, concerned about Trump’s response to COVID-19 and college-educated suburban women increasingly moving out of the GOP trenches and becoming Democratic loyalists, that could make all the difference for Biden.
Today’s kids — including an update on Emanuel’s: The former mayor said today’s younger generation is far more politically engaged than his generation when they were young, saying he was an “anomaly” among his peers. He reminds that while his daughters are still in college, his son just graduated from UCLA and “joined the armed services as an officer.”
The vice presidential factor: With Biden expected to announce his running mate any time now, Emanuel said he has his favorite but is keeping his mouth shut beyond a mysterious, “I have a personal favorite for political reasons.”
Deciding factor: “To me this is the closest thing you get to a partner for life,” and while politics and policy are a factor, there has to be an innate trust — a go-to person when negotiations breakdown in a Cabinet session, for instance.
The webinar was hosted by Brunswick Group and included the public relations firm’s Patti Solis Doyle, a Chicago native who for a time led Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign and later Obama’s camp, along with Neal Wolin, who grew up in Evanston and is the former deputy secretary of the Treasury in the Obama administration.
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FILE - This Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016, file photo, shows the Illinois Department of Employment Security office in Springfield, Ill. On Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017, the Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits the week before. (Seth Perlman/AP)
Illinois extended jobless benefits another 20 weeks as laid off workers continued to struggle with the claims process, including some who say they have to return funds because they were overpaid.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security, the state agency tasked with handling jobless claims, said the extension was available starting Thursday to people who have gone through 26 weeks of state benefits. Illinois is among 19 states providing 20 weeks of extended benefits, the agency said in a news release.
At the same time, several gig and contract workers who were able to apply for benefits under the federal coronavirus relief package told the Tribune they owe thousands of dollars back to the state after learning they were overpaid. Read the full Tribune story here. (Abdel Jimenez)
Central Illinois Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis says he’s tested positive for COVID-19: Read Rick Pearson’s Tribune story here and Davis’ statement about testing positive for the coronavirus here.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine tests positive for coronavirus ahead of planned meeting with President Trump: Read The Associated Press story here.
Richard Ingram, who resigned Monday as executive director of the Teachers' Retirement System, is shown speaking at Fremd High School in Palatine in 2012. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
The board had commissioned Zachary Fardon, of the Chicago-based law firm King & Spalding and a former U.S. attorney in Chicago, to undertake an investigation related to Ingram’s unspecified performance issues. The findings were presented during executive session of the board’s Friday meeting, prior to the unanimous vote to place Ingram on administrative leave, Urbanek said.
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The executive director of the massive Teachers’ Retirement System resigned earlier this week after being placed on administrative leave days earlier following an internal investigation into “performance issues.”
The Teachers’ Retirement System board voted unanimously last Friday to place Richard Ingram on administrative leave “due to performance issues covered by his employment contract,” the board said in a statement issued Thursday. Read the rest of the Tribune story here. (Jamie Munks)
Outside Chicago City on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago’s controversial special property taxing districts are expected to bring in a record $926 million this year, accounting for more than a third of the city’s haul, according to a report issued Thursday.
That enormous sum, to be collected at a time of plummeting revenue for the city as it grapples with an economic downturn caused by the pandemic, is sure to spur another debate about whether so-called tax increment finance districts are sucking money away from where it’s needed most.
Some background on how the special taxing areas work: When the city establishes a TIF district, the property tax collections distributed to the city, CPS and other taxing agencies are frozen for up to 23 years. As property values rise, the extra tax collections that result are put into a fund to be used to spur economic development.
The money is used to pay for new roads, sewers and other infrastructure, as well as job training and sometimes new schools made necessary by new residential development. Money not used for those costs can be declared surplus and distributed to all the city’s taxing agencies.
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They were first used under the late Mayor Harold Washington, and their use grew dramatically under former Mayor Richard M. Daley. Today, there are 136 districts in the city, covering about a fourth of the city’s landmass. Read the rest of the Tribune story here. (Hal Dardick)
Early 2021 groundbreaking planned for controversial $6 billion Lincoln Yards megadevelopment on North Side: The Tribune’s Ryan Ori has the details here.
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.
Twitter @byldonovan


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--Loyola University Chicago says it won’t open residence halls this fall amid ongoing COVID-19 fears:

Loyola University Chicago says it won’t open residence halls this fall amid ongoing COVID-19 fears: ‘We simply cannot put ... students in harm’s way’

“ With predictions of increased outbreaks in the coming months , and early reports of COVID-19 clusters at other higher @ @ @ @ @ can not put our on-campus residential students in harm ’ s way and risk further @ @ @ @ @ families if they needed to move home mid-semester because of an outbreak in one of @ @ @ @ @ if the city reverts back to phase three .

Loyola University Chicago students move out of Mertz Hall in March after the COVID-19 pandemic shut the campus down. Now the school announced it won't open residence halls this fall. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Loyola University Chicago announced Thursday it will not reopen its residence halls this fall because of continued worries about the spread of COVID-19.
About 1,900 students were expected to move in starting Aug. 17, according to spokeswoman Anna Rozenich. Students who paid deposits will receive refunds before classes begin.
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“Evaluating current health conditions, and factoring for uncertainty in the months ahead, has led us to make the very tough decision to suspend plans to host students in on-campus residence halls until conditions are favorable,” according to a letter that went out Thursday, signed by President Jo Ann Rooney and several other administrators.
“Like you, we hoped that the trajectory of the virus would subside over the summer. In fact, it grew stronger,” the statement reads.
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The campus leaders said that under Chicago’s emergency travel rules, 700 dormitory residents would be coming from “hot spot” areas and would have to begin a two-week quarantine upon arrival. The difficult logistics of caring for all students under quarantine and the understanding that COVID-19 spreads fastest in dense, communal settings caused the school to change course.
“With predictions of increased outbreaks in the coming months, and early reports of COVID-19 clusters at other higher education institutions, we simply cannot put our on-campus residential students in harm’s way and risk further disruption to them and their families if they needed to move home mid-semester because of an outbreak in one of our residence halls” or if the city reverts back to phase three.
“This is the most responsible path forward in these uncertain times,” the letter states.
The Rogers Park campus lists more than 20 residence halls on its website.
Bill Behrns, Loyola’s assistant athletics director, said a few athletes moved into dorms early for workouts but will need to relocate “very soon.” The school is looking for alternate housing for them.
The school had already scaled back the number of in-person classes to be offered in the fall, with most now planned as online courses.
Chicago Tribune’s Shannon Ryan contributed reporting.


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--Lane Tech will remove Native American symbol as mascot

The letter continued : “ If we believe we must prioritize the most impacted voices , we need to listen @ @ @ @ @ Native youth .
Those most impacted by inequity , in this case , include Indigenous @ @ @ @ @ well as other Students and Lane Tech community members of Color .
We acknowledge that @ @ @ @ @ , the symbol/mascot represents a deep connection to their historical school experiences , which the @ @ @ @ @ account ; however , those memories can not take precedence over repairing historical harm upon @ @ @ @ @ .
”

Chicago’s Lane Tech College Prep High School will officially remove its Indian mascot, the school said in a Thursday letter.
The Lane Tech school council wrapped up a monthlong process to consider the mascot’s removal Tuesday, according to the letter sent from Lane Tech Principal Brian Tennison and Network 14 Chief Laura LeMone.
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A questionnaire from current students, families, teachers, staff members and alumni showed they “overwhelmingly support” the mascot’s removal, the letter said, and a subsequent public meeting resulted in a unanimous vote by council members to remove the symbol.
“Though the decision rests with the school administration, we wanted an inclusive process that considered the voices of the many stakeholders in our community,” the letter said.
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In a letter to the council, the CPS Office of Equity said the voices of Native American youths and their communities must be prioritized.
“We have recently spoken with the American Indian Center (AIC) who believes the Lane Tech symbol and mascot is racist and upholds our genocidal past as a nation,” the letter said.
The letter continued: “If we believe we must prioritize the most impacted voices, we need to listen to the AIC and our Native youth. Those most impacted by inequity, in this case, include Indigenous students and their communities as well as other Students and Lane Tech community members of Color. We acknowledge that for some Lane Tech constituents, the symbol/mascot represents a deep connection to their historical school experiences, which the Office of Equity took into account; however, those memories can not take precedence over repairing historical harm upon Indigenous people and their heritage.”
The 100-year-old mascot, a generic warrior in a headdress, was being reconsidered earlier this summer, amid growing calls during the George Floyd protests to confront racism. The school’s sports teams have been called the Indians.
In June, Tennison said the school was hearing from stakeholders “during this important time of confronting racist structures within our society and in our school.”
“As a school community, we champion diversity, inclusion, and understanding, and it’s essential that we live up to these ideals in all possible ways,” Tennison said in a June message to parents.
A change.org petition to change the mascot has more than 6,000 signatures. But some alumni had voiced concerns over the controversial mascot for years.
“I was disappointed with this being allowed by the school, and I felt like it was a misrepresentation and misunderstanding of my own Native American culture,” one Native American student at Lane wrote in 2018, in an opinion piece in the school newspaper.
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There have been calls for the removal of Native American mascots at other institutions in recent years, including criticism directed toward the Chicago Blackhawks, which recently banned fans at games from wearing headdresses. In 2007, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign retired its mascot, Chief Illiniwek. Alma Otter was later floated as a possible replacement, then a belted kingfisher.
Lane Tech’s school council will work with the Lane Tech community, Network 14 and the CPS Office of Equity in the upcoming school year to choose a new symbol, according to Thursday’s letter.
In June, the Tribune reported one proposal for Lane Tech’s new mascot focused on showcasing local wildlife, and, jumping off the school’s colors of gold and myrtle, suggested Myrtle the Turtle.
mgreene@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--Formal complaints lodged against Chicago firefighters accused of removing Black Lives Matter banner

Langford did not say how many people were on the truck at the time , but said the matter would @ @ @ @ @ ’ s internal affairs division .
If the complaints are sustained , discipline “ up @ @ @ @ @ is possible .

The Chicago Fire Department has formally lodged complaints against several firefighters as it continues an internal investigation into allegations they removed a Black Lives Matter banner in the Kenwood neighborhood.
All firefighters who were on Fire Truck 15 at the time of the alleged incident last Saturday have been served with the allegations, according to department spokesman Larry Langford.
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Langford did not say how many people were on the truck at the time, but said the matter would be handled by the department’s internal affairs division. If the complaints are sustained, discipline “up to and including termination” is possible.
The allegations were made by Dr. Adele Cobbs, who said she snapped a photo of the truck moments after the banner was taken down. Cobbs said Thursday she gave a formal statement to an assistant fire commissioner earlier in the week.
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Cobbs said she was driving north on Cornell Avenue toward 47th Street when she came upon the fire truck stopped by the side of the narrow, two-way road next to Burnham Park.
She said she pulled over when she saw someone get out of the truck’s passenger side. From her rearview mirror, she could see someone removing the banner from a chain-link fence, she told the Tribune.
wlee@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--Search still on for body of DePaul College Prep teen who disappeared near Diversey Harbor, prompting

Search still on for body of DePaul College Prep teen who disappeared near Diversey Harbor, prompting prayer vigil; new city fencing installed to deter swimmers

The boy , believed to be between 14 and 16 years old , was thought to have gone swimming in @ @ @ @ @ Monday near Diversey Harbor in Lincoln Park when the current took him under .
After @ @ @ @ @ fire officials called the missing case a “ recovery mission ” and police took the @ @ @ @ @

A Chicago police marine unit asks a swimmer to leave a search area as they patrol Lake Michigan at Diversey Harbor searching for a missing teenage boy on Aug. 6, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago police continued the search Thursday for the body of a teenage boy who disappeared Monday in Lake Michigan near Diversey Harbor and who school officials said was a student at DePaul College Prep.
The boy, believed to be between 14 and 16 years old, was thought to have gone swimming in the lake about 4 p.m. Monday near Diversey Harbor in Lincoln Park when the current took him under. After hours of searching Monday, fire officials called the missing case a “recovery mission” and police took the lead in the search.
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Police said Thursday that marine unit officers continued to search the Diversey Harbor area with sonar equipment.
The Chicago Park District and city crews installed temporary fencing this week along the Diversey Harbor Inlet Bridge in Lincoln Park after the boy disappeared. The action was meant to prevent children and teens from jumping in Lake Michigan, according to city officials. Officials haven’t said if the boy who disappeared had jumped off the bridge.
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The fencing will remain in place until the Chicago Department of Transportation designs and constructs a “permanent, more protective measure,” according to Michele Lemons, a Park District spokesperson.
Officials at DePaul College Prep, a Catholic high school in the Irving Park neighborhood, learned late Monday the boy who had disappeared was a student there, according to Michelle Maurer, a school spokesperson.
The school held a prayer vigil for the missing student on its campus Wednesday that was attended “by approximately 300 students, parents, faculty and administrators,” Maurer said in an email.
“The DePaul College Prep community is deeply saddened by the devastating news about our missing student, classmate and friend,” Maurer said. “This is an unspeakable tragedy for the family and for the entire DePaul College Prep community.”
After high waves hit the shoreline this week, the city Transportation Department on Monday closed the Lakefront Trail from Oak Street to Ohio Street. A lakefront flood advisory and small craft advisory were in place Monday through Wednesday after forecasters said waves could reach 10 feet.
The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, which compiles data on lake fatalities, has recorded at least 27 Lake Michigan drownings out of 52 total in the five Great Lakes in 2020 so far.
Dave Benjamin, executive director of the project, said the fencing might deter people from jumping off the bridge, but the installation alone doesn’t go far enough in ensuring water safety for citizens.
Beach closures as a result of COVID-19 push people to some of the more dangerous spots along the Lakefront Trail, Benjamin said. But despite the closures, “we’re pretty much on par” in terms of number of fatal drownings in Lake Michigan this year compared with previous years, with 31 recorded by this time in 2019 and 18 by early August in 2018, he said.
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“At least (the Park District is) doing something, but a fence isn’t going to get in the water and rescue people if they’re in trouble,” Benjamin said.
kelsmith@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @KelliSmithNews


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--Executive director of massive Illinois teachers pension fund resigns after investigation into ‘perfo

Executive director of massive Illinois teachers pension fund resigns after investigation into ‘performance issues’

The board had commissioned Zachary Fardon , of the Chicago-based law firm King & Spalding and a former U.S. attorney @ @ @ @ @ an investigation related to Ingram ’ s unspecified performance issues .
The findings were presented @ @ @ @ @ board ’ s Friday meeting , prior to the unanimous vote to place Ingram on @ @ @ @ @ .

Richard Ingram, who resigned Monday as executive director of the Teachers' Retirement System, is shown speaking at Fremd High School in Palatine in 2012. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
The executive director of the massive Teachers’ Retirement System resigned earlier this week after being placed on administrative leave days earlier following an internal investigation into “performance issues.”
The Teachers’ Retirement System board voted unanimously last Friday to place Richard Ingram on administrative leave “due to performance issues covered by his employment contract,” the board said in a statement issued Thursday.
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Ingram then resigned on Monday. He had been executive director of TRS, the state’s largest government retirement fund, for nearly a decade, spokesman Dave Urbanek said.
Urbanek declined to comment on the substance of the “performance issues,” but said the situation does not put pensioners’ payments in jeopardy.
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“Sometimes in situations like these, our members wonder about their pensions,” Urbanek said. “The underlying issues here in no way imperil the payment of their pension or the pensions in general.”
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The board had commissioned Zachary Fardon, of the Chicago-based law firm King & Spalding and a former U.S. attorney in Chicago, to undertake an investigation related to Ingram’s unspecified performance issues. The findings were presented during executive session of the board’s Friday meeting, prior to the unanimous vote to place Ingram on administrative leave, Urbanek said.
Ingram’s departure was first reported by Crain’s Chicago Business.
Stan Rupnik, the system’s chief investment officer, has been named interim executive director while the board undertakes a national search for a new executive director.
The Teachers’ Retirement System represents more than 400,000 active and retired teachers in suburban and downstate districts, and is governed by a 15-member board of trustees.
According to Ingram’s LinkedIn page, before he began with TRS in January 2011, he was executive director of the New Hampshire Retirement System.
jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--23-year-old man fatally shot in Chicago Heights

The man , identified as Anthony R. Williams , of Chicago Heights , was taken to an area hospital where @ @ @ @ @ than an hour later .

A 23-year-old man was shot to death Wednesday night in Chicago Heights.
Police responded to a report of shots fired in the 500 block of Andover Street at 11:38 p.m. and found a man in front of 567 Andover with multiple gunshot wounds, Chicago Heights police said in a statement.
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The man, identified as Anthony R. Williams, of Chicago Heights, was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office ruled his death a homicide.
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Chicago Heights police have not released any additional information about the shooting, but ask anyone with information to call the detective division at 708-756-6422.
zkoeske@tribpub.com
Twitter @ZakKoeske


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--City Colleges faculty and staff threaten to strike if everyone isn’t allowed to work remotely this f

City Colleges faculty and staff threaten to strike if everyone isn’t allowed to work remotely this fall: ‘I can’t risk getting sick’

“ When it comes to the common areas , I don ’ t have any control over that , ” @ @ @ @ @ just try to do the best that I can .
But I can ’ t @ @ @ @ @ I get sick , I just don ’ t think that I am gon na @ @ @ @ @ want to feel safe at work .
I love my job .
I love what @ @ @ @

Employees of Malcolm X College and other City Colleges of Chicago say they're willing to strike over safe working conditions. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Faculty and staff at City Colleges of Chicago are threatening to hold their first strike in more than a decade if administrators don’t allow all employees to work from home when fall classes begin in late August.
While most instructors have been approved to teach remotely next semester, about 450 employees, including academic advisers and technological support and clerical staff, were required to return to campuses on Monday, according to unions representing those workers. Employees deemed essential by the community college network have been working in person since May despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Tony Johnston, president of the Cook County College Teachers Union, said his members plan to hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss taking a vote of no confidence in the administration, a move that could potentially escalate into a safety-related strike.
“The simple truth is that our colleges, much like K-12 schools, were not made to deliver instruction and student services under these pandemic conditions,” Johnston said.
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A spokeswoman for CCC, the state’s largest community college system with seven campuses, said in-person services are being offered because not all students can access technology from home.
Though more than 80% of classes are online for the fall, some students can benefit from face-to-face support during peak registration times, Katheryn Hayes said in an email. During such interactions, face coverings and social distancing are required, while Plexiglas barriers have been installed and facility cleaning has increased.
Campuses will also be “open as study centers with proper protections in place,” according to the CCC website.
Russha Maclin, who works in Olive-Harvey College’s academic advising office, said she went back to campus Monday even though she is a recent breast cancer survivor and particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. Maclin said she developed congestive heart failure as a result of chemotherapy last year, also putting her at increased risk.
Since returning, Maclin said she’s been disheartened by the cleaning protocols — shared surfaces and doorknobs aren’t being sanitized enough.
“When it comes to the common areas, I don’t have any control over that,” she said. “I just try to do the best that I can. But I can’t risk getting sick because if I get sick, I just don’t think that I am gonna make it. I just want to feel safe at work. I love my job. I love what I do.”
Delores Withers, president of the clerical workers union, said City Colleges must improve its reopening plan in order for staff to work safely on campus. She wants the colleges to provide employees with face shields, conduct temperature checks for anyone entering school buildings and install more Plexiglas barriers.
City Colleges faculty members last went on strike in 2004, and before that they also walked off the job in 1978. The 2004 strike was driven by disagreements over workload and class size and came amid regular contract negotiations.
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Though current contracts have a no-strike provision, Johnston said CCCTU can authorize a work stoppage due to safety concerns and would be willing to defend that in court. CCC, on the other hand, maintains that “a strike would be unlawful under the Illinois Education Labor Relations Act and in violation of collective bargaining agreements.”
echerney@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--‘These survivors are reaching out for help’: Lawyers accuse Dorothy Brown’s office of failing to sen

‘These survivors are reaching out for help’: Lawyers accuse Dorothy Brown’s office of failing to send paperwork for orders of protection in timely manner

At least 200 other petitioners for civil orders of protection in Cook County were in the same position as Kouk @ @ @ @ @ to immediately receive paperwork after securing an order of protection , attorneys who handle these @ @ @ @ @ steps to appear for a hearing , sometimes missing work or fleeing a dangerous situation @ @ @ @ @ without any proof of the order if they need to enforce it .

For seven days after Lina Kouk secured an order of protection in July, the Circuit Court of Cook County did not give Kouk a signed copy, nor did it send the paperwork to the sheriff’s office so local authorities would be aware of the order, a lawsuit alleges.
If Kouk had needed to call the police that week to protect herself from her alleged abuser, officers would not have been able to locate the order in the database, the suit says. And Kouk would not have been able to show police her own signed copy.
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At least 200 other petitioners for civil orders of protection in Cook County were in the same position as Kouk in recent weeks, unable to immediately receive paperwork after securing an order of protection, attorneys who handle these orders say. They took steps to appear for a hearing, sometimes missing work or fleeing a dangerous situation, only to be left without any proof of the order if they need to enforce it.
Legal Aid Chicago, which represents some of the people who sought orders of protection, filed a lawsuit last week on behalf of Kouk against Dorothy Brown, clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, alleging that her office is violating the law by not immediately providing stamped copies of the orders to the petitioners.
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The lawsuit asks a judge to order the office to provide all outstanding copies of the orders of protection, come up with a system to handle future paperwork, and pay damages for wasted time and resources dealing with the problem. The matter is scheduled for a hearing Monday morning.
“For someone to go through that process, sometimes waiting five hours to see a judge ... and they can’t prove they have the order, it is just unacceptable,” said Benna Crawford, an attorney with Legal Aid Chicago.
A spokesperson for the clerk’s office said in a statement that Brown takes these matters “very seriously.”
“In this case, she will determine what, if anything, has occurred with the normal procedures that should be followed, and take corrective actions, wherever necessary,” the statement read.
According to the complaint, Legal Aid attorneys have been frequently unable to obtain copies of protective orders since early July, even though the law says the clerk’s office must provide copies to petitioners immediately and transmit the order the same day to the Cook County sheriff for entry in the Law Enforcement Agency Data System, or LEADS.
Though hearings for orders of protection are being done remotely, the law still applies, the suit says.
During the week of July 6, attorneys spent about two hours each day calling and emailing the clerk’s office to obtain copies of orders of protections awarded for each day, the complaint says. In one case, an attorney was transferred several times before being told that the “system was down.”
Attorneys also called the Cook County sheriff’s office to ask whether the orders had been entered in the LEADS database, but were unable to confirm.
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On July 13, after failing to receive copies of any orders from the previous week, Legal Aid Chicago sent a letter to the clerk’s office demanding they comply with the law, the complaint says.
In Kouk’s case, she obtained the order of protection on July 21, but did not receive a copy that day, or in following days, even after her attorney reached out to the clerk’s office on July 23 and later on July 27 seeking a copy, the suit says.
On July 28, an attorney with Legal Aid Chicago spoke to an employee of the sheriff’s office and learned that Brown’s office never sent the order of protection to the sheriff for entry into the database, the suit alleges.
“(Authorities) would not have been able to respond appropriately had Ms. Kouk called 911 to report violation of the order,” according to the lawsuit.
The attorney was eventually able to speak with a domestic violence advocate, who located the order and hand-delivered it to the sheriff’s office, according to the complaint. Finally, on July 29, Brown’s office emailed Kouk the order of protection, the suit says.
“These survivors are reaching out for help,” Crawford said. “They are doing exactly what police tell them to do.”
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This is not the first time Brown’s office has faced criticism for its case management.
In November, a rollout of upgrades to the county’s ancient case management system caused confusion and delays in routine tasks at county courthouses, with lawyers and crime victims reporting problems with securing paperwork.
mabuckley@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--Man charged with shooting Chicago police officer undergoing psychological evaluation

He yelled that he was God and that his wife is the devil , and he spat at the officers @ @ @ @ @ , “ Two bodies got ta drop , ” fired twice into the air and @ @ @ @ @ , Murphy said .

A man apparently suffering a mental health episode shot 17 rounds from the top floor of a Lawndale greystone toward police officers below, hitting one officer in the thigh, prosecutors said Thursday.
Anthony Marks, 30, faces multiple counts of attempted murder and was ordered held on $1 million bond. The court hearing was conducted in his absence because he is undergoing a psychological evaluation at an area hospital.
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Marks’ wife called 911 twice early Wednesday morning. The first time, Marks took the phone from her and told dispatchers that his name was God, Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said during the hearing.
The second time she called, she requested a squad car. Officers responded to the 1300 block of South Lawndale Avenue and found Marks at the window, yelling at them incoherently, Murphy said.
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He yelled that he was God and that his wife is the devil, and he spat at the officers below. Then he said, “Two bodies gotta drop,” fired twice into the air and began shooting from the window, Murphy said.
The officers ran for cover, including one officer who ducked near an ambulance, prosecutors said. As the ambulance drove off, he tried to take cover behind a parked car but was shot in the right thigh, Murphy said.
The bullet struck his cellphone and lodged in his leg, leaving him with a shattered femur, Murphy said. Two of his fellow officers carried him to safety. He was in “serious but stable” condition.
No officers returned fire, Murphy said.
Police came in through the rear of the building and took Marks into custody, Murphy said.
Marks’ wife has since declined to cooperate with authorities, he said.
Marks’ felony record in Cook County has been clear for a decade, records show. He pleaded guilty to a weapons charge in 2010 and a drug case in 2009. That qualifies him for a charge of being an armed habitual criminal, in addition to this week’s charges of attempted murder.
Cook County Circuit Judge Susana Ortiz noted that while Marks was “apparently being in some kind of mental health episode or crisis,” his actions made him a danger to the public. She ordered him held in lieu of $1 million bail.
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The shooting came less than a week after three officers were struck by gunfire outside a Northwest Side police station. One officer, a 16-year veteran, was shot under his chin and seriously injured. The other two officers suffered minor injures during the gunfire.
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--Man initially believed to be driver in fatal shooting of 10-year-old girl in Logan Square is now cha

Man initially believed to be driver in fatal shooting of 10-year-old girl in Logan Square is now charged as the gunman

Police initially said Lara was considered the getaway driver in the shooting , but prosecutors on Thursday said he was @ @ @ @ @ “ ( He ) sprayed bullets at a number of individuals and had no concern @ @ @ @ @ out there , ” Assistant State ’ s Attorney James Murphy said in court .

A reputed gang member came to rival territory and opened fire on a group of adults gathered outside, wounding none of them but killing a 10-year-old girl watching TV in her living room, prosecutors said Thursday.
A bullet fired by Christopher Lara came through a window and hit Lena Marie Nunez in the head, according to prosecutors.
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Lara, a 19-year-old alleged member of the Maniac Latin Disciples, was charged with murder and ordered held without bail Thursday.
Police initially said Lara was considered the getaway driver in the shooting, but prosecutors on Thursday said he was in fact the gunman. “(He) sprayed bullets at a number of individuals and had no concern for any safety of anybody out there,” Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said in court.
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While no eyewitnesses identified Lara, one witness’s description matched Lara’s clothing and appearance on the night of the shooting And Lara’s 2010 Mercury Mariner was captured on multiple cameras driving to and from the scene, prosecutors said.
Christopher Lara. (Chicago Police Department)
Lena was watching TV with her 8-year-old cousin in an apartment in the 3500 block of West Dickens Avenue on June 27. Outside, a group of family and friends were hanging out in front of the detached garage when Lara fired from the mouth of the alley, Murphy said.
Lara fired multiple shots, and someone in the group with a concealed carry license returned fire in his direction and tried unsuccessfully to chase him down, Murphy said. Someone inside the building heard gunshots and a “thump” as Lena fell to the floor, he said.
A bullet had shattered the window, struck Lena in the head, then grazed her 8-year-old cousin in the nose, prosecutors said. The younger girl’s injury was initially believed to have been from broken glass.
Lena was taken to Stroger Hospital and pronounced dead.
Witnesses told police that about 10 minutes before the shooting, they saw a distinctive tan-colored SUV with tinted rear windows drive past them slowly, as if scoping them out, Murphy said.
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A search for the SUV turned up surveillance footage showing it in the vicinity of the shooting moments before, Murphy said. Police soon found that it was registered to Lara, who was listed as its driver during past traffic stops, records show.
Investigators went on a lengthy hunt for more video that turned up footage from private security cameras, police surveillance and even body-worn camera from an officer who responded to a “gang disturbance” featuring Lara earlier in the evening, Murphy said.
Lara and two “associates” can be clearly seen in bodycam footage from the disturbance at Wabansia and Keystone avenues -- Maniac Latin Disciple territory southwest of the shooting -- a few hours before the attack, Murphy said.
Lara was wearing a black baseball cap and a tan-colored tank top, with a black cloth mask under his chin, Murphy said.
Before the shooting, Lara and the two other men can be seen in the Mariner going east on Armitage Avenue, into rival Imperial Gangster territory, prosecutors said.
Video footage shows the SUV getting closer to the scene of the shooting, then slowing down as it approaches the block and into the alley where shots were fired, Murphy said.
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A Ring camera nearby captured audio of tires screeching just after the shooting, and various cameras show the Mariner driving west, away from the area of the attack, prosecutors said.
Also, records show Lara’s cellphone “ping” off nearby cellphone towers as he made his way around the neighborhoods that night.
Lara’s build and clothing, as captured on camera, matches the witness description of the shooter, Murphy said. In addition, the day after police put out a public bulletin seeking information about the SUV, Lara got a text message urging him to get rid of his car, Murphy said.
Lara was taken into custody Tuesday and told police in a videotaped interview that he heard the shots that killed Lena, but that he was in his car about two miles away at the time -- an assertion contradicted by the video footage.
Lara’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Dylan Barrett, said Lara lives in Streamwood with his family, including his girlfriend and their 4-month-old son. He works in landscaping and had lined up work with a staffing agency when he was arrested, Barrett said, noting that there were no positive eyewitness identifications or physical evidence tying him to the shooting.
But circumstantial evidence is still evidence, Judge Susana Ortiz said, noting that Lara was caught on “more surveillance video than I can count at this time” and ordering him held without bail.
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mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com
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chicagotribune--2020-08-06--Oversight board considers firing Milwaukee police chief after tear gas used at protests, Bucks playe

Oversight board considers firing Milwaukee police chief after tear gas used at protests, Bucks player arrest

Gimbel said problems began when officers arrested Brown for parking illegally in January 2018 .
Officers swarmed the Bucks guard @ @ @ @ @ on him when he didn ’ t remove his hands from his pockets .
The @ @ @ @ @ Steven DeVougas , who is Black , told Morales to fire one of the officers @ @ @ @ @ the attorney said .

Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales poses at the Milwaukee Police Administration in Milwaukee in 2018. An oversight board is considering firing Morales after he ordered officers to use tear gas to break up protests over George Floyd’s death. (Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel )
MADISON, Wis. — An oversight board demoted Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales on Thursday after questioning how he handled multiple incidents, including ordering officers to fire tear gas and pepper spray at protesters demonstrating over George Floyd’s death.
The city’s Fire and Police Commission unanimously voted Thursday evening to demote Morales to captain after three-and-a-half years on the job.
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The chief’s attorney, Franklyn Gimbel, says Morales’ relationship with the commission has been deteriorating since he refused the chairman’s demand to fire an officer involved in the arrest of Milwaukee Bucks player Sterling Brown in January 2018. Most recently the commission criticized Morales for authorizing tear gas to disperse protesters. The board has also raised questions over how the department has policed Black communities.
Morales joined the Milwaukee department in 1993 and was appointed chief in February 2018.
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“His conduct is unbecoming, filled with ethical lapses and flawed decisions, making it inconsistent with someone who has the privilege of leading the Milwaukee Police Department,” Commissioner Raymond Robakowski said.
The board named Assistant Police Chief Michael J. Brunson Sr. as acting chief.
The decision comes as Wisconsin’s largest police department grapples with a surge in gun violence and plans security for a scaled-down Democratic National Convention.
A number of police chiefs across the country have left their jobs as pressure mounts to rethink American policing following Floyd’s death, including Erika Shields in Atlanta, Jami Resch in Portland, Oregon, and William Smith in Richmond, Virginia.
Milwaukee's mayor has urged the commission to slow down, but Morales' attorney, Franklyn Gimbel, said the odds appeared to be stacked against the chief.
“I’m unaware of him having any supporters (on the commission),” Gimbel, said. “There seems like a cumulative sense that they want to dump the guy.”
Gimbel declined comment to The Associated Press after the meeting.
Morales is Latino and the majority of the commissioners are Black. His relationship with the board has deteriorated since it named him to the post in February 2018, particularly over questions about how the department has policed Black communities.
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Gimbel said problems began when officers arrested Brown for parking illegally in January 2018. Officers swarmed the Bucks guard and used a stun gun on him when he didn’t remove his hands from his pockets. The commission’s chairman, Steven DeVougas, who is Black, told Morales to fire one of the officers involved but Morales refused, the attorney said.
“From there it got stressful,” Gimbel said. “DeVougas viewed him as not being a team player.”
In February, the Milwaukee Police Association, which represents rank-and-file officers, filed an ethics complaint against DeVougas alleging he accompanied a real estate developer during an interview with police who suspected the developer of sexual assault. DeVougas practices real estate law for the developer's business. The police association argued DeVougas' presence during the interview was a misuse of his position as commission chairman. A city ethics board is investigating.
Fast forward to May and June, when Milwaukee police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse protesters demonstrating over Floyd’s death. Floyd, who was Black, died on Memorial Day in Minneapolis after a white police officer pressed his knee into his neck for nearly eight minutes.
The decision to use tear gas and pepper spray drew criticism from Democratic Mayor Tom Barrett. The commission in July banned the police department from using tear gas, prompting a number of departments from across the state slated to help with convention security to rescind their support.
The commission on July 20 ordered Morales to produce reams of records related to multiple incidents, including the decision to tear gas and pepper spray protesters, Brown’s arrest and the June arrest of a Black activist on suspicion of burglary. The panel also demanded Morales draft community policing standards, develop a discipline matrix to clarify how officers are disciplined and draft a policy requiring officers to wear face masks during the pandemic.
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“We are in the midst of an urgent overdue reckoning on race and policing in this country,” the commission said in a statement Monday. “Only with transparency, accountability and truth will we move on as a society. This discussion may make some uncomfortable, and may bluntly scare others.”
None of the commissioners, including DeVougas, returned messages Thursday.
The commission gave Morales a week to respond to some of the requests and threatened to discipline or fire him if he didn't comply. Gimbel has said those expectations are ridiculous; he noted the commission gave Morales' predecessor, Ed Flynn, 50 days to respond to a similar request for information on the department's pursuit policy.
The police department Wednesday blasted the orders as vague, invalid and possibly illegal. The department noted the orders weren’t approved during an open meeting and the requests seek information from still-open criminal and internal investigations.
The orders also could violate a 2018 settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union over stop-and-frisk policies because the department would have to release confidential information it has been sharing with a consultant group monitoring compliance with the settlement, the department said.
“The (orders) attempt to paint a picture that MPD has been non-compliant or outright insubordinate with the FPC,” the department said in a statement. “The manner in which business is being conducted at the FPC causes alarm.”
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Barrett, the mayor, dove into the fray on Wednesday, sending a letter to the commission calling for an “orderly review” of the orders and the commission to remove DeVougas as chairman since he’s under investigation.


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--Illinois is extending unemployment benefits by 20 weeks. Meanwhile, some gig workers are learning th

Illinois is extending unemployment benefits by 20 weeks. Meanwhile, some gig workers are learning they’ve been overpaid.

The problem , Cisco said , is that gig workers and other self-employed claimants were asked to enter their 2019 @ @ @ @ @ weekly benefit amount before the state could verify the figures , and the state is @ @ @ @ @ of the funds from people who were overpaid .

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
A woman scans information at the Illinois Department of Employment Security's WorkNet Center in Arlington Heights in April. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)
Illinois extended jobless benefits another 20 weeks as laid off workers continued to struggle with the claims process, including some who say they have to return funds because they were overpaid.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security, the state agency tasked with handling jobless claims, said the extension was available starting Thursday to people who have gone through 26 weeks of state benefits. Illinois is among 19 states providing 20 weeks of extended benefits, the agency said in a news release.
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[ Second stimulus check updates: Here's the latest on the coronavirus relief talks in Washington ]
More than 25,000 Illinoisans filed for unemployment insurance for the first time in the week ending Aug. 1, down from more than 33,000 the week before, according to the state’s latest figures.
At the same time, several gig and contract workers who were able to apply for benefits under the federal coronavirus relief package told the Tribune they owe thousands of dollars back to the state after learning they were overpaid.
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Some claimants say the state is deducting funds from their weekly benefits to pay down the debt.
Chris Markacek, of Orland Park, has been out of work as a DJ since March due to event cancellations. He said the state notified him he owes about $4,000. By late July, Markacek said his benefits were being deducted to pay off the amount.
“There was no explanation for anything. It all happened very sudden and it was confusing,” Markacek, 34, said.
[ Illinois Chamber of Commerce study forecasts job cuts to women and minorities, shrinking economy with graduated income tax. Advocates say not so fast. ]
In an email Wednesday, IDES spokeswoman Rebecca Cisco said the overpayments are an “unfortunate consequence of a federal system haphazardly put together without much foresight” as to how it would affect self-employed workers.
The problem, Cisco said, is that gig workers and other self-employed claimants were asked to enter their 2019 net income to establish their weekly benefit amount before the state could verify the figures, and the state is not allowed to waive recoupment of the funds from people who were overpaid.
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“As anticipated, the amount the claimant previously entered does not match the tax documents they submitted. The claimant has either overstated or understated the amount upon filing. When the amount is overstated, an overpayment is established and the claimant is required to pay it back, per federal guidelines,” Cisco said.
She did not immediately respond to questions about how many people in Illinois have been overpaid or by how much.
Gig workers, meanwhile, are worried about how they’ll pay back the funds as several remain unemployed.
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Alexandra Eliades, a contract worker who lives in Elk Grove Village, said she owes more than $3,000 and has been trying to reach the agency for the last month to fix the issue.
“I went on blind faith that they knew what they were doing,” Eliades, 32, said.
Eliades said the state never explained why she was overpaid or how she’ll have to pay back the money. She is worried she’ll be left without money if the agency deducts the amount from her weekly benefit.
Last week, millions of Americans lost the extra $600 a week in federal unemployment benefits as Congress remained at a standstill in negotiations for the next coronavirus relief package.
“They slapped us with these huge overpayments. I think they should waive them because this wasn’t our fault,” Eliades said.
abjimenez@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @abdel1019


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--Newly released records detail Chicago rapper Juice Wrld’s final moments, but questions still remain

Higgins ’ death six days after his 21st birthday came at a time when his music career was shooting upward @ @ @ @ @ his fatalistic view , particularly in his song “ Legends ” with the line , @ @ @ @ @ 27 Club ?
We ain ’ t making it past 21 , ” a reference @ @ @ @ @ musicians who died from drug use at age 27 .

Juice Wrld performs during his "Death Race for Love Tour" at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia on May 15, 2019. (Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP)
By all accounts, the private flight from Los Angeles to Chicago’s Midway Airport that early Sunday morning in December 2019 went smoothly.
All nine of the charter plane’s passengers — including rapper Jarad Higgins, known as Juice Wrld, his girlfriend and a buddy — slept for most of the flight, the pilot and co-pilot would later tell police investigators.
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No fights or disagreements or raised voices. No signs of any trouble. Until the plane landed and taxied to the Atlantic Aviation terminal around 2 a.m.
Police were waiting, and as they started going through the passengers’ luggage, Higgins began having violent seizures. He died on his way to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to police paperwork on the rapper’s death released to the Tribune.
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Higgins’ death six days after his 21st birthday came at a time when his music career was shooting upward. But critics pointed out his fatalistic view, particularly in his song “Legends” with the line, “What’s the 27 Club? We ain’t making it past 21,” a reference to the pantheon of legendary musicians who died from drug use at age 27.
According to the police reports, Higgins’ girlfriend, his friend who traveled with him from LA and a man who served as security all described the recording artist as a heavy user of narcotics, taking them every day, including the night before he died.
But police found no one who admitted seeing him swallow a handful of pills, presumably to avoid detection by authorities searching the plane’s cargo, as some published reports have stated.
One didn’t need to be a close confidant to know about Higgins’ drug use.
The “Lucid Dreams” rapper — part of a new wave of young rap artists more willing to bare their souls and give voice to hurt and trauma — built a loyal fan base of rap and pop fans performing music about using drugs to cope with self-doubt, loneliness and mental illness.
He openly discussed his drug use in interviews and rapped about taking Percocet in his song “Astronauts.” In “7 AM Freestyle,” he rapped about his affinity for “lean,” a cocktail including cough syrup containing codeine and promethazine. The active ingredient for both drugs were found in a toxicology exam from his autopsy.
Higgins’ death was classified as “Closed Non-Criminal” in late January 2020, shortly after the toxicology tests showed oxycodone and codeine toxicity in what was ruled an accidental death.
Eight months after Higgins’ death, little is known about who or what triggered the drug bust that turned up 41 “vacuum-sealed” bags of marijuana or six bottles of prescription codeine cough syrup taken from the aircraft.
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The reports make one brief mention of “an ongoing investigation” that brought in tactical officers from the nearby Chicago Lawn District to assist a joint task force of police gang officers and federal agents.
The U.S. attorney’s office declined to comment and the FBI did not respond to requests for comment.
When Higgins collapsed from a lounge chair, his girlfriend, Alicia Leon, began screaming.
Two police officers immediately attended to the rapper, placing him on his side to help him breathe. He had “blood coming from the nostrils and then from the mouth,” the police reports state.
A Department of Homeland Security agent gave Higgins two shots of Narcan, a medication used to treat an opioid overdose.
In a news report two days after Higgins’ death, the Tribune reported that Leon was asked by police if Higgins had any medical issues or had ingested any drugs. She replied that he regularly took Percocet, a painkiller, and “has a drug problem.”
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The police reports add statements from friend Christopher Long, who described Higgins as “heavily addicted to Percocet/Oxycodone and uses it on a daily basis.”
Harry Dean, a man who provided security for Higgins and who witnessed his seizure, told police that Higgins had been “in a depressed state,” adding that the rapper “took a lot of Percocet,” according to the reports.
Dean was charged with a misdemeanor after authorities said he was carrying two 9 mm pistols and a high-capacity magazine. Dean had a permit to carry a gun in Illinois, but weapons are banned from airports.
Long was also arrested on misdemeanor gun charges after allegedly carrying a gun in his luggage.
The reports indicate an angry scene as the officers aided the ailing musician. “Several people inside the lobby became irate and belligerent,” according to one report. The identities of the other passengers, men between 18 and 29, were redacted.
A police sergeant who had been helping the federal officers had everyone handcuffed “for officer safety until the people calmed down,” the report said.
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Higgins was placed on a stretcher and taken by ambulance to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn but stopped breathing on the way. He was pronounced dead at 3:14 a.m.
Leon, who goes by Ally Lotti on social media, took an Uber to the suburban hospital.
A sergeant who examined Higgins’ body noticed he had no visible trauma, but nine suspected Percocet pills were found with his clothing, according to the police documents.
Higgins’ death led to an outpouring of emotion from young fans. In the months following his death, his mother, Carmela Wallace, established the Live Free 999 Fund, a charitable organization aimed at helping young people struggling with their mental health.
“Young people around the world were truly touched by Jarad’s music because he spoke to issues and situations in his music that resonated with them so deeply,” Wallace said in a statement at the time. “I made the decision upon his death that I was going to share his struggles with the world with the objective of helping others.”
Higgins’ music has remained popular. His posthumously released final album, “Legends Never Die,” was the No. 1 album in the United States for two consecutive weeks.
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wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--Record $926 million flows into controversial Chicago TIF districts, more than a third of city proper

Record $926 million flows into controversial Chicago TIF districts, more than a third of city property taxes

In one exceptional case , some of the money will automatically go to CPS and the other taxing bodies .
@ @ @ @ @ massive transit TIF that is a mile wide and five miles long along the CTA @ @ @ @ @ case , CPS automatically gets back its regular share of the growing tax base , @ @ @ @ @ of the increased revenue too .
The rest is being used to revamp the busy @ @ @ @ @

Chicago’s controversial special property taxing districts are expected to bring in a record $926 million this year, accounting for more than a third of the city’s haul, according to a report issued Thursday.
That enormous sum, to be collected at a time of plummeting revenue for the city as it grapples with an economic downturn caused by the pandemic, is sure to spur another debate about whether so-called tax increment finance districts are sucking money away from where it’s needed most.
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There are likely to calls to declare a large portion of the take as “surplus” so the money can be used to boost funding for Chicago Public Schools after the state did not increase education funding as planned.
Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey immediately joined the fray. In a statement, he said the entire $926 million in TIF money should be allocated “to critical needs — including housing supports for families teetering on the brink of homelessness and broadband devices for every public school child.” Sharkey, a frequent critic of the mayor, said the need is especially pronounced in South and West side neighborhoods with predominantly Black and brown residents.
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Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration had no immediate comment. Aides are assessing the city’s financial condition as tax revenue from several sources plummets in the age of COVID-19.
Some background on how the special taxing areas work: When the city establishes a TIF district, the property tax collections distributed to the city, CPS and other taxing agencies are frozen for up to 23 years. As property values rise, the extra tax collections that result are put into a fund to be used to spur economic development.
The money is used to pay for new roads, sewers and other infrastructure, as well as job training and sometimes new schools made necessary by new residential development. Money not used for those costs can be declared surplus and distributed to all the city’s taxing agencies.
Critics say the TIF districts primarily benefit well-heeled developers and subvert the normal city budgeting process, giving the mayor more power to spend as she pleases. Advocates say they are a strong tool to spur development in blighted areas, create jobs and, in the end, grow the tax base.
They were first used under the late Mayor Harold Washington, and their use grew dramatically under former Mayor Richard M. Daley. Today, there are 136 districts in the city, covering about a fourth of the city’s landmass.
Several are in the downtown area, making them a target for the critics. Also highly controversial is the Lincoln Yards TIF district approved in the waning days of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration.
A Tribune analysis found the area, west of Lincoln Park, barely qualified for a record subsidy of up to $1.3 billion. The district is still being challenged in court by advocates who say it is drawing money away from economically deprived areas of the city, but they lost their case at the initial trial level.
The Thursday TIF analysis was put out by Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, whose office has no say on whether such districts are established. She questioned whether some TIF districts are needed, but did not single any of them out and made it clear she was talking about both city and suburban TIF districts.
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TIFs “can help bring development to blighted or neglected areas, but too often that’s not how it’s been done,” Yarbrough said during an online news conference. “It sometimes hard to see why every TIF is needed, especially — especially — in affluent areas.”
TIF collections in Chicago are expected to increase by about 10% over the amount collected last year, from what was the previous record of $841 million. That represents about 36% of all the money the city collected through property taxes last year.
In one exceptional case, some of the money will automatically go to CPS and the other taxing bodies. That’s in the massive transit TIF that is a mile wide and five miles long along the CTA Red Line. In that case, CPS automatically gets back its regular share of the growing tax base, and the city gets some of the increased revenue too. The rest is being used to revamp the busy “L” line.
Although that TIF will bring in nearly $128 million, only about $49 million will stay in the TIF district’s fund.
Lightfoot’s budget for this year included a record $300 million TIF surplus declaration, with CPS getting about 45% of that, and the city taking about 22%. The rest went to other taxing agencies, such as Cook County and the Chicago Park District. The distribution would be almost identical for whatever surplus is declared for next year.
TIF collections in the suburbs, which have 308 TIF districts, are also expected to rise, to about $390 million from nearly $339 million, or about 15%, according to the clerk’s report. Virtually all of that increase was logged in suburbs north of North Avenue, where Assessor Fritz Kaegi last year increased property values as calculated for tax purposes.
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Next year, however, could be a different story in both the city and suburbs, because Kaegi is readjusting many property values downward because of the economic downturn caused by the pandemic. In addition, a pair of relatively large city TIF districts are set to expire, although the city can seek an extension.
“In general, when (assessed values) go down, you can also expect TIFs to go down,” said Tanya Anthofer, the clerk’s manager of maps and tax extensions.
hdardick@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--Day care chain Bright Horizons buys Sittercity as parents scramble for child care and tutoring durin

Day care chain Bright Horizons buys Sittercity as parents scramble for child care and tutoring during pandemic

At the end of July , about 390 of 710 Bright Horizons centers in the U.S. were open .
The @ @ @ @ @ % of its centers should be operating by the end of September , but warned @ @ @ @ @ on federal and state guidelines around reopening , and how quickly families return .

Sittercity CEO Elizabeth Harz said the service is seeing a “huge surge” as parents search for a range of child care options during the coronavirus pandemic. (Bob Vonderau photo)
With families scrambling to figure out child care options for kids attending school remotely this fall, day care company Bright Horizons announced it is purchasing Sittercity, an online platform that matches people with providers.
Bright Horizons said the partnership will help it fill the wide range of new child care needs families are facing as a growing list of workplaces and schools, including Chicago Public Schools, delay plans to return to offices and classrooms during the pandemic.
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“With the child care strain families have been experiencing the last five months paired with the prospect of remote learning, this acquisition will allow us to expand our in-home offerings and virtual solutions that are increasingly critical to families,” Bright Horizons CEO Stephen Kramer said in a news release Thursday.
The company has 1,076 child care centers worldwide, including 43 in Illinois. Bright Horizons also works with companies looking to give employees access to child care services.
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Terms of the transaction with Sittercity were not disclosed.
Sittercity will remain based in Chicago, led by current CEO Elizabeth Harz. The company, which was founded in 2001 and had been privately held, plans to grow its Chicago-based team but declined to share the number of people it employs or how many it plans to hire.
Though Sittercity will be run separately, Harz said the acquisition means Bright Horizons and Sittercity will be able to give families more options when it comes to child care.
“This combination allows us to help parents manage their child care needs how they want, when they want, where they want,” Harz said.
The companies have been working together since 2013, when Sittercity raised $13 million from investors including Massachusetts-based Bright Horizons. The companies also signed a partnership agreement that let employers who are Bright Horizons customers give workers access to care through Sittercity as a benefit.
Many families are looking for in-home care during the pandemic, either to reduce kids’ risk of coronavirus exposure or because parents are working from home.
Sittercity is seeing a “huge surge” as parents search for babysitters who can tutor as well as entertain, and even oversee a backyard school pod with children from multiple families, Harz said in an interview Wednesday.
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“As diverse as the school realities are for the next year, that’s how diverse the family plans are,” Harz said.
Bright Horizons temporarily closed most of its child care centers during the COVID-19 outbreak this spring. Its second-quarter revenues plummeted 44 % year-over-year, the company said Wednesday.
At the end of July, about 390 of 710 Bright Horizons centers in the U.S. were open. The company said more than 85% of its centers should be operating by the end of September, but warned those plans could change depending on federal and state guidelines around reopening, and how quickly families return.
Services connecting families with in-home care, from nanny placement agencies to online child care search websites like Sittercity and Care.com, say the spike in demand when schools closed in the spring has continued, and with a new school year approaching, more parents are looking to hire someone who can help kids learning at home.
Sittercity had tutors on its platform before the pandemic, but has done more to promote sitters with an education background in recent weeks, knowing there would be “unprecedented demand,” Harz said. The company also introduced a virtual tutoring option.
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Care.com saw triple-digit percentage increases in the number of Chicago families seeking tutors from the beginning of June to the end of July. Nationwide, demand for people to supervise academic pods has spiked, said Carrie Cronkey, Care.com’s chief marketing officer.
Agencies say they are seeing a similar jump in the number of people looking for jobs as nannies, sitters or tutors.
Some are teachers uncomfortable returning to a classroom or teacher’s aides who found themselves out of a job when schools switched to remote learning. Others are college students with extra time to earn money while attending classes remotely or taking a gap year. One agency heard from a job-hunting theater worker whose fall production was canceled.
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“This is a difficult time in the economy. … We’re maintaining our standards about who can engage in the platform, but we’re seeing unprecedented supply too,” Harz said.
lzumbach@chicagotribune.com
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chicagotribune--2020-08-06--Map: Where to buy legal weed in Chicago and across Illinois

The state approves applications to sell recreational marijuana on a rolling basis , but if a municipality votes down recreational @ @ @ @ @ is moot .
Residents of communities such as Naperville and Arlington Heights , for example @ @ @ @ @ to a different town to legally buy weed .

Throughout the state, 57 marijuana stores are selling recreational weed.
That’s up from the 37 that opened their doors to recreational customers on Jan. 1, when sales began in Illinois. Others are under construction, waiting on local approvals or sorting out permitting issues.
[ Nearly $3.2 million in legal weed was sold in Illinois on the first day of sales, and the long lines continue ]
[ See our full legalization coverage here ]
The dispensaries that have started selling recreational marijuana so far this year are run by companies that already sold medical cannabis.
The state approves applications to sell recreational marijuana on a rolling basis, but if a municipality votes down recreational sales, the state approval is moot. Residents of communities such as Naperville and Arlington Heights, for example, will have to go to a different town to legally buy weed.


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--Richton Park teen charged in Sauk Village slaying

When officers arrested the teen Tuesday , they also picked up 26-year-old Tryzell Batie from Park Forest , who was @ @ @ @ @ a weapon , White said .

A 17-year-old from Richton Park has been charged in a fatal shooting last week in Sauk Village.
The teen was arrested Tuesday in Chicago and charged with first-degree murder in the July 31 slaying of Tevin Watkins, police Chief Malcolm White said.
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He also faces charges of attempted murder and unlawful use of a weapon, White said.
A judge on Thursday ordered the teen held on $1 million bond, the chief said.
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The Daily Southtown is not using his name because he is a juvenile.
The teen gunman allegedly shot Watkins multiple times at about 1:30 p.m. in the rear of a residence in the 1700 block of 223rd Street, police said.
He and at least one other individual then left the scene in a vehicle, White said.
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 >
Watkins, of East Hazel Crest, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The motive for the shooting remains unclear and it’s unknown if Watkins knew the gunman, the chief said.
When officers arrested the teen Tuesday, they also picked up 26-year-old Tryzell Batie from Park Forest, who was with him and armed with a weapon, White said.
Police have not said Batie was involved in Watkins’ shooting, but charged him with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, the chief said.
Batie was paroled in March after serving nearly 3 ½ years of a six-year sentence for aggravated battery to a police officer, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records.
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zkoeske@tribpub.com
Twitter @ZakKoeske


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--Illinois’ new COVID-19 plan: How the state will manage any outbreaks, in 3 charts

The plan also includes mitigation steps unique to different categories , like restaurants and bars , offices or salons , @ @ @ @ @ specifically respond to a type of outbreak in a specific part of the state .
@ @ @ @ @ s plan here .

Jemal R. Brinson, Nausheen Husain, Jonathon Berlin

Amid an uptick of COVID-19 cases over the past month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker laid out a new approach to managing any resurgence across the state.
The new approach is more surgical, dividing the state into 11 regions — Illinois’ existing Emergency Medical Services regions — and tightening the metrics officials will watch to determine if any action is warranted.
The plan also includes mitigation steps unique to different categories, like restaurants and bars, offices or salons, that could be used to specifically respond to a type of outbreak in a specific part of the state. Read more on Pritzker’s plan here.
Check our tracker for daily metrics for each region.
Here is a breakdown of the plan.


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--Illinois coronavirus graphs: 7,594 deaths, 188,424 confirmed cases and 2.94 million tests

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-08-06--Teen still missing near Diversey Harbor

Teen still missing near Diversey Harbor

Treja Kelley had been hesitant to come forward after witnessing the murder of her 17-year-old cousin .
But she found @ @ @ @ @ stand last year and helped secure a guilty verdict .
Her testimony , though , @ @ @ @ @ head , prosecutors said .
Just a few months after testifying , Kelley was shot @ @ @ @ @ not far from where her cousin had been slain .
She was 18 and pregnant @

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chicagotribune--2020-08-06--Man identified following South Austin fatal fire that also claimed woman in her 80s

Preston Lynch , 79 , who lived at the home that burned , was pronounced dead at 2:35 a.m. at @ @ @ @ @ the Cook County medical examiner ’ s office .
The identity of the other victim @ @ @ @ @ .

A woman in her 80s and a man in his 70s died during a house fire on the West Side early Thursday, according to police and fire officials.
Only one smoke detector was found, in the basement of the home in the 1000 block of North Parkside Avenue.
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Mary Lynch, 86, was pronounced dead at 1:55 a.m. Thursday. Preston Lynch, 79, who lived at the home that burned, was pronounced dead at 2:35 a.m. at Loretto Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Public records show the couple owned the building where the fire took place. An autopsy for Mary Lynch performed Thursday died not result in a determination of her cause of death and was marked pending further studies.
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Firefighters entered the home in the 1000 block of North Parkside Avenue in the South Austin neighborhood around 1:10 a.m. after a blaze started in a first-floor bedroom in the center of the home, according to police and Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford.
The two people, who shared a family relationship, were brought out, Langford said.
The woman was taken to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, where she was pronounced dead soon after arriving, police said.
Only one working smoke detector was found, in the basement, according to Langford, who added that careless use of smoking materials may have been the cause of the fire.
sczyzon@chicagotribune.com