chicagotribune--2020-07-03--Bars and restaurants find themselves at coronavirus crossroads for July Fourth: ‘It’s going to be a

Bars and restaurants find themselves at coronavirus crossroads for July Fourth: ‘It’s going to be a tough weekend'

Metropolitan Brewing posted a profanity-tinged statement on social media this week saying that irresponsible behavior from customers and bars “ @ @ @ @ @ over the past few months ; render all of our painstaking efforts to get back @ @ @ @ @ and frankly , is deeply disrespectful to our industry and to the health of our @ @ @

Grace Wong, Josh Noel, Adam Lukach, Gregory Pratt, Louisa Chu

A sign stating that a mask is required for entry hangs from a window at Happy Camper on Clark Street in Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood on July 2, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Ahead of a summer holiday weekend that, in normal times, would mean packed patios and crowded bars, restaurant and bar owners are facing fines of up to $10,000 if COVID-19 restrictions are flouted.
It’s a tough line to toe for businesses just barely scraping by after nearly three months of being closed due to the pandemic. In Pilsen, La Vaca Margarita Bar has been open for outdoor dining for a few weeks, converting its parking lot into a patio with tables spaced 6 feet apart.
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One Monday night, a few customers reveling in the newfound freedom got up to dance.
”We had to cut the music off and tell them to please be seated and to please respect other customers and staff as well,” La Vaca owner Ivan Gutierrez said.
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He’s planning for a July Fourth weekend full of such challenges.
As infection rates surge in southern and western states, Chicago officials warned bar and restaurant owners Thursday that failing to have customers adhere to social distancing guidelines could result in their industry being shut down again, just as it was for two-and-a-half months this spring.
City officials have vowed to patrol restaurants and bars, keeping tabs on safe distancing. Investigators from the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection have been empowered “to immediately close businesses in cases of egregious violation of the phase four guidelines,” the city said. Fines could be as much as $10,000.
[ Mayor Lori Lightfoot threatens to shut down bars that don’t follow social distancing guidelines ]
To help comply, Gutierrez said, he has set up a public address system to remind customers about appropriate behavior via loudspeaker as needed. Security staff are to direct people to keep moving if crowding occurs on sidewalks as customers wait to enter.
People hang out in the cabanas at Deuce's on Clark Street in Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood on July 2, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
”I know it’s going to be a tough weekend,” Gutierrez said. “We heard that the city is cracking down on bars and restaurants and there are $10,000 fines, and that’s what we’re trying to avoid.”
But doing so could prove a challenge, as throngs of people eager for social interaction flock to popular Chicago corridors.
In recent weeks, some bars in neighborhoods like Wrigleyville have struggled to rein in swarms of unmasked drinkers, many of whom appear to do conspicuously little to socially distance themselves during the ongoing pandemic.
Lakeview Ald. Tom Tunney, 44th, declined to comment on the situation.
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Following last weekend’s well-publicized crowds, the Lakeview neighborhood’s Clark Street corridor was tame Thursday afternoon. Small handfuls of friends occupied larger tables at Happy Camper and patio cabanas at Deuce’s and Diamonds.
Managers from both bars said city officials contacted the establishments ahead of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s remarks about stricter enforcement, and they said they were confident their measures would be in compliance.
Tables at both establishments were noticeably distanced from one another, surrounded by prominent signage alerting guests that masks are required. Happy Camper is also limiting parties to two hours per visit.
All staff members were masked on Thursday. Most guests had removed theirs, which is allowed while seated and eating or drinking under city guidelines.
Nick Kane, from left, Joe Rosario and Jack King hang out at Happy Camper on Clark Street in Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood on July 2, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Kelly Toms, a bartender at Bernie’s Tap & Grill on the corner of Clark Street and Waveland Avenue, said the bar didn’t have as many issues with unwieldy crowds as others farther south on the stretch, but it would still be focusing on strict measures for the weekend.
“We’ll be more diligent about asking people to keep their masks on when coming inside to use the bathroom, and about disinfecting surfaces and pens and other items,” she said.
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The city’s crackdown comes the same week Texas closed bars due to a surge in cases, and the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, singled out bars as a danger zone, calling them “really not good, really not good.”
“Congregation at a bar, inside, is bad news,” Fauci told the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on Tuesday. “We really have got to stop that.”
On a 45-minute webinar Thursday morning, Lightfoot told bar and restaurant owners that they control their own fates — and those of their businesses — during the holiday weekend.
“They made it very clear that they’re not going to tolerate people pushing the envelope,” said Michael Roper, owner of Hopleaf Bar in Andersonville, who joined the webinar that included a slideshow of social distancing guidelines and photos of Chicago bars that have failed to comply with the rules.
“The places (that are) not being responsible will ruin it for everyone,” he said. “That was the tone.”
Though he couldn’t tell how many people logged on to the webinar, Roper said it didn’t seem particularly well-attended due to a lack of questions. He said he only found out about it Thursday morning in an email from a neighborhood chamber of commerce.
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A Paradise Park staff member checks the temperature of a guest before entering the restaurant on July 1, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Lightfoot acknowledged warning bar owners on the call, saying the city won’t allow people to congregate in large numbers and would shut down those who don’t keep crowds under control. She called it “a make-or-break weekend” for restaurants and bars.
“Your financial fate is in your hands,” Lightfoot said she told bar owners. “Follow the rules, or you’re going to suffer the consequences.
“I don’t want to have to shut you down, but if you make me, we will,” Lightfoot said.
In a follow-up email to webinar participants, Rosa Escareno, BACP commissioner, reiterated the threat of a $10,000 fine.
“I am asking you all — do not be the reason why our COVID-19 cases spike,” she wrote.
Bars are working under several restrictions from the city: Patrons must be seated; indoor capacity must be limited to 25% or 50 people (whichever is fewer); tables must be spaced 6 feet apart; face coverings must worn by employees and customers (except when seated and eating or drinking); alcohol can’t be served after 11 p.m.; and lines of people must be properly spaced.
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To avoid crowding, many restaurants are encouraging customers to make reservations, including Big Star, which typically touts one of the Northwest Side’s most crowded patios.
Dining tables are set at least 6 feet apart on the patio at Big Star on July 1, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
The taco restaurant is a part of the One Off Hospitality chain, which spokeswoman Heidi Hageman said approaches every day as though it were a busy holiday weekend in terms of its commitment to safety. The policy will continue to be heavily enforced, she said.
Other establishments have taken to social media to demand compliance from patrons and bars alike.
Metropolitan Brewing posted a profanity-tinged statement on social media this week saying that irresponsible behavior from customers and bars “will squander every sacrifice made over the past few months; render all of our painstaking efforts to get back to business safely useless; and frankly, is deeply disrespectful to our industry and to the health of our community.”
The Avondale brewery called for bars operating without safety measures to be reported and cited.
“We care about the life and health of our community above profit — always have,” the brewery wrote. “Always will.”
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jbnoel@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Downstate judge voids Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s coronavirus  orders; state to appeal

“ This is a victory for freedom .
This is a victory for the people of Illinois , ” Bailey @ @ @ @ @ , where he was greeted by supporters , some of whom wore T-shirts that read @ @ @ @ @ idiot ” on the front and “ Fire Pritzker ” on the back .
None @ @ @ @ @ wearing the face coverings required under Pritzker ’ s executive order .

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during his daily coronavirus pandemic briefing at the Illinois State Capitol on May 20, 2020, in Springfield. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
A southern Illinois judge on Thursday declared void Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s orders aimed at slowing the spread of the new coronavirus, saying state law doesn’t allow governors to extend disaster proclamations beyond 30 days or restrict the activities of residents and businesses by executive order.
Pritzker first declared a statewide disaster because of COVID-19 on March 9 and has issued extensions every 30 days. Those proclamations have been the legal basis for the governor’s stay-at-home order and restrictions in each phase of his “Restore Illinois” reopening plan.
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The immediate implications of Clay County Circuit Judge Michael McHaney’s order, which stemmed from a lawsuit filed by state Rep. Darren Bailey, were not clear.
The state is in the fourth phase of Pritzker’s reopening plan, which includes a number of restrictions, such as a limit on crowd sizes and stricter regulations on businesses.
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“That’s gone as we stand here right now,” said Bailey’s attorney, Thomas DeVore.
The Illinois attorney general’s office, which is expected to appeal, had no immediate comment.
The ruling came hours after U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis denied the Illinois Republican Party’s request to temporarily block Pritzker’s limit on gatherings from applying to political parties.
The Clay County ruling is the latest twist in a legal battle that has raised the profile of Bailey, a Xenia Republican who is running for a state Senate seat in the November election.
Bailey has drawn personal rebukes from the governor and was kicked off the House floor in a bipartisan vote during the General Assembly’s special session in May for violating a rule requiring lawmakers to wear masks.
McHaney previously ruled in Bailey’s favor, exempting him personally from Pritzker’s stay-at-home order. Bailey later withdrew and refiled his lawsuit, bringing the case back before the judge. The governor’s office attempted to move the case to federal court, but a federal judge in southern Illinois sent it back to Clay County.
“This is a victory for freedom. This is a victory for the people of Illinois,” Bailey said Thursday outside the courthouse, where he was greeted by supporters, some of whom wore T-shirts that read, “My governor is an idiot” on the front and “Fire Pritzker” on the back. None of them appeared to be wearing the face coverings required under Pritzker’s executive order.
Pritzker spokeswoman Emily Bittner downplayed the significance of the ruling in a statement.
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“Every other court — both state and federal — that has considered these exact issues has agreed with the administration that executive orders protecting Illinoisans’ health and safety are well within the governor’s constitutional authority,” Bittner said. “This includes a federal court decision earlier today.”
DeVore said those rulings were largely preliminary and did not deal directly with the governor’s authority under Illinois law and the state constitution.
The Clay County ruling is not final and did not include an injunction barring the state from enforcing Pritzker’s phase four rules, Bittner said.
In the federal lawsuit filed last month, the state Republican Party and three local GOP organizations allege that Pritzker’s executive order capping the size of gatherings violates the party’s First and 14th Amendment rights.
The Republican groups are asking the court to exempt political parties from the limits and seeking permission to hold in-person events without size restrictions in the run-up to the November election.
They also sought a preliminary order barring enforcement of the rule, arguing that there was an urgent need to allow gatherings including a Fourth of July picnic planned by the Will County Republican Central Committee, one of the groups suing the first-term Democratic governor.
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Judge Ellis wrote in a 21-page ruling issued Thursday that the GOP groups “have not shown how this exemption is a plain invasion of their constitutional rights” and denied their request for a temporary restraining order.
“Plaintiffs ask that they be allowed to gather — without limitation — despite the advice of medical experts and the current rise in infections,” Ellis wrote. “The risks in doing so are too great.”
The GOP lawsuit also challenges the governor’s authority to extend disaster proclamations beyond 30 days, but that wasn’t part of the request for immediate action, so Ellis’ ruling didn’t address the issue.
Ellis’ decision marked the latest court ruling to provide legal backing for the steps the governor has taken to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.
Republicans have vowed to appeal.
“We are disappointed with today’s results and obviously disagree with the ruling,” Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider said in a statement. “Our fight to secure our First Amendment right is not over, however.”
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At issue is whether Pritzker’s executive orders limiting gatherings violate the First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly and the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause.
Republicans argue that the governor’s limits on gatherings discriminate based on the content of speech. They note he’s granted an exemption for religious groups and also participated in a protest with hundreds of other people in south suburban Matteson last month in response to the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd.
“Political parties are for political expression what churches are for religious expression: the corporate manifestation of speech and interaction within a community of shared belief,” the lawsuit state. “Political parties’ events and rallies are also like protest rallies and marches. And like churches and marches, political parties operate in a world where time matters; the 2020 election is only months away.”
Ellis ruled that while allowing religious gatherings to operate under a different set of rules does create a “content-based restriction,” allowing them to continue while urging adherence to safety guidelines “is indeed the least restrictive means” to protect both the free exercise of religion and public health.
“The Constitution does not accord a political party the same express protections as it provides to religion,” Ellis wrote.
She added: “Allowing Plaintiffs to gather would open the floodgates to challenges from other groups that find in-person gatherings most effective. It would also require that the Court turn a blind eye to the increase in infections across a high majority of states, which as of July 1, 2020 includes Illinois.”
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State officials on Thursday announced 869 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 36 additional fatalities, bringing the number of known cases to 144,882 cases and the death toll to 6,987 statewide since the pandemic began.
The seven-day rolling average of new cases, which health officials look at to smooth day-to-day fluctuations in the numbers, has been on the rise in Illinois over the past two weeks, but the number of people being tested also is increasing, which can lead to higher numbers. The percentage of tests returning positive results, meanwhile, has remained relatively stable, hovering between 2% and 3% on a seven-day average.
Pritzker’s initial statewide stay-at-home order took effect March 21 and ended May 29, when the state entered phase three of his “Restore Illinois” reopening plan. The state moved into phase four last Friday, which raised the cap on in-person gatherings to 50 people from 10 and loosened other restrictions.
The governor’s orders largely have been upheld so far in the face of legal challenges by churches and religious organizations, businesses and Republican lawmakers.
The U.S. Supreme Court even weighed in, declining to take action on behalf of two Chicago-area churches that sought to overturn a previous executive order that placed the 10-person limit on religious gatherings. However, that ruling came after Pritzker lifted the size limit on religious gatherings in favor of safety guidelines from the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals later ruled that the limit on religious gatherings did not discriminate or violate the First Amendment.
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dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--South Side hospital failed to properly triage a pregnant woman who later died, Illinois regulators f

South Side hospital failed to properly triage a pregnant woman who later died, Illinois regulators find

The Department of Public Health is inspecting Roseland to make sure it ’ s following the correction plan .
If @ @ @ @ @ in compliance with state and federal requirements , the state department will “ continue to @ @ @ @ @ action to correct the deficiencies , ” spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said in an email .

A pregnant woman died after Roseland Community Hospital failed to triage her upon arrival and conduct a medical screening exam, the state health department found in a recent investigation.
The woman, who was 30 weeks pregnant, died at the South Side hospital in May after complaining of abdominal pain, dehydration and general malaise after she arrived at the hospital by ambulance. Her triage note was marked 2:54 p.m. — more than three hours after she arrived.
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The Illinois Department of Public Health found Roseland to be out of compliance on the requirement that hospitals meet the emergency needs of patients “in accordance with acceptable standards of practice.”
The state report did not name the woman who died. But the Cook County medical examiner’s office said a 31-year-old Black woman named Lolita Davis, of Chicago, died May 15 at Roseland of a COVID-19 infection with pregnancy as a contributing factor. Former Roseland hospital board member Theresa Siaw confirmed that Davis was the woman described in the state report.
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According to the report, hospital leaders have since updated Roseland’s medical screening exam and triage policy, provided training to all emergency department nurses on the new policy and now have triage nurses rounding in the emergency department lobby every 30 minutes to make sure patients are evaluated quickly, among other actions.
Health department spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said in an email Thursday that state officials were inspecting Roseland to make sure it was following the correction plan. If the hospital was still not in compliance with state and federal requirements, she said, the department would “continue to cite the facility and require action to correct the deficiencies.”
She said Thursday that Roseland could face federal decertification and license revocation if the problems were not corrected.
In a statement Friday, the hospital said the state health department had visited the facility on Monday and Tuesday for a “focused re-survey” and that the federal government had then removed an “immediate jeopardy” label from the hospital. The label had indicated noncompliance with requirements that placed patients’ health and safety at risk.
“We deeply mourn the loss of all patients who have been taken from us by COVID-19,” the statement said. “This virus is diabolical and disproportionately impacts those with co-morbidities.”
[ Of the COVID-19 pregnancy cases reported in Illinois, Black and Latina women make up over 70% ]
Siaw, the former board member, said she reported the incident involving Davis to the Illinois Department of Public Health after the hospital’s board failed to take the situation, along with other allegations about COVID-19 testing and precautions, seriously enough.
“I felt like my hands were tied,” said Siaw, who owns a medical student training company. Siaw said she and her students volunteered in the hospital during April and May.
The Roseland hospital board voted to fire Siaw from the board after she made “numerous wholly unsubstantiated charges” against Roseland and after she “attempted to individually capitalize upon your (former) Board position,” according to a June 8 letter to Siaw from the hospital’s board chair that Siaw provided to the Tribune.
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In an interview Thursday, Siaw said she did not attempt to capitalize upon her position.
Other issues uncovered in connection with the state’s investigation at Roseland included a nurse telling a patient in a nonprivate hallway, on June 2, that the patient was COVID-19 positive, despite patient privacy rights.
The hospital also failed to ensure that contracted employees were monitored and tracked for exposure to COVID-19 and failed to report all patients with COVID-19-positive tests to local health authorities, according to the investigation.
Investigators also observed a housekeeper at the hospital entering and exiting the rooms of COVID-19-positive patients with the same gloves and gown, and wearing that same PPE throughout the intensive care unit. Investigators also saw a certified nursing assistant check the blood glucose of a patient and then return the machine to the docking station without disinfecting it.
Following those incidents, the hospital changed its process for tracking workers with COVID-19, and provided training to all clinical staff on proper equipment disinfection and to housekeeping staff on infection control, among other moves, according to the state’s report.
The hospital said in its statement Friday that “zero infection control deficiencies” were noted after the state’s focused re-survey Monday and Tuesday.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the challenges faced by pregnant hospital patients, especially Black and Latina women. It also has taken a significant toll on the staff and resources at Roseland, the Tribune reported in April.
lschencker@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Rooftops around Wrigley Field will be allowed to open for Cubs games, but with reduced capacity

The city ’ s guidelines for restaurants include operating at 25 % capacity or 50 people per room indoors , @ @ @ @ @ including spacing tables 6 feet apart and requiring face coverings when patrons are not eating @ @ @ @ @ the rooftop facilities have both indoor and outdoor spaces , so they must adhere to @ @ @ @ @ guidelines , a city spokeswoman said .

The Blue Angels fly over the rooftops during the Air and Water Show while the Chicago Cubs play on Aug. 20, 2017, at Wrigley Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
The city of Chicago will allow rooftops around Wrigley Field to open at 25% capacity for Cubs games, according to the city and a rooftop manager.
The rooftop buildings, which overlook the stadium on Waveland and Sheffield avenues, are included in the city’s guidance for restaurants and taverns that was announced late last month. Restaurants and bars were allowed to reopen for limited indoor dining last Friday, after the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered restaurants and bars for more than two months earlier this year.
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“As the rooftop patios overlooking Wrigley Field are also restaurants and taverns, they are included in this overarching guidance and must operate within the guidelines established by the city in coordination with public health guidance,” the city said in a statement on Thursday.
After waiting for word about whether the Wrigley rooftops would be allowed to open, Freddy Fagenholz, general manager of Murphy’s Rooftop, said he was informed by the city on Wednesday that Murphy’s would be able to operate with restrictions to stem to the spread of the virus.
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“We are excited, but safety comes first,” he said.
The city’s guidelines for restaurants include operating at 25% capacity or 50 people per room indoors, along with other guidelines, including spacing tables 6 feet apart and requiring face coverings when patrons are not eating or drinking. Most of the rooftop facilities have both indoor and outdoor spaces, so they must adhere to the more restrictive, indoor guidelines, a city spokeswoman said.
Fagenholz said much is unknown, as there has not been an announcement about when baseball may return in Chicago and under what conditions. He is waiting for the schedule to come out before listing tickets.
If officials decide not to allow fans inside the stadium during games or put a limit on attendance, the rooftop seats could become hot commodities.
“It could be the biggest ticket in town,” Fagenholz said.
Major League Baseball in March delayed the start of the season because of the coronavirus. Last month, Commissioner Rob Manfred announced there would be a 60-game season, with opening day scheduled for July 23 or 24. But the schedule has not been released.
In the city’s statement, officials said whether fans will return to the stadium “is an ongoing conversation.”
“The city has remained in close coordination with all of Chicago’s major sports teams throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and looks forward to welcoming back fans at a time when it is deemed safe,” the statement read.
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The Cubs, whose owners own most of the rooftops around Wrigley Field, did not immediately respond to request for comment.
The Ricketts family, which owns the team, acquired most of the rooftops surrounding the stadium in a series of deals from January 2015 through February 2017. The Cubs collect 17% of revenue from the few remaining rooftops that are not affiliated with the team, as part of a 20-year agreement reached in 2004.
The rooftops, which feature stadium seating with views of the field and food and drink deals, have long been a bone of contention with the team, and subject to lawsuits over the years.


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 869 new known COVID-19 cases reported as Lightfoot orders anyone co

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 869 new known COVID-19 cases reported as Lightfoot orders anyone coming to Chicago from states where virus is surging to quarantine

The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in north suburban Skokie will reopen to visitors July 15 — with free @ @ @ @ @ limits on the number of visitors at any one time .
The museum , devoted @ @ @ @ @ Holocaust in mission but in practice embracing a wide range of subjects and exhibits having @ @ @ @ @ human rights , also has announced an extension of the popular current “ Notorious RBG @ @ @ @ @ of Ruth Bader Ginsburg .
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The Fulton Market area of Chicago is no longer the ghost town it was during the depths of the COVID-19 virus pandemic shutdown. As restrictions on restaurants are eased, a worker takes a woman's temperature before she can enter Federales restaurant on Morgan Street on July 1, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
People coming to Chicago from 15 states experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases must self-quarantine for 14 days upon entering the city beginning next week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced late Thursday afternoon.
The order, which will go into effect on Monday, does not apply to people who are at the airport for a connecting flight or driving through the city on their way elsewhere, city officials said.
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The city of Chicago will also shut down bars that aren’t following social distancing guidelines and increase patrols in “problem areas,” Lightfoot and other officials told liquor license holders on a conference call ahead of the Fourth of July weekend.
”If you squander this opportunity we will shut you down and you will not reopen anytime soon,” Lightfoot said on the call, according to two sources.
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Illinois health officials Thursday reported 869 new known cases of COVID-19 and 36 additional confirmed fatalities, bringing the total number of known cases to 144,882 and the confirmed death toll to 6,987.
[ How to assess your COVID-19 risk when going out in public: Use this chart ]
[ Phase four of Illinois’s COVID-19 reopening: Settle in, folks, we may be here a while ]
[ Illinois enters phase 4 of reopening plan. Here’s a guide to what’s allowed. ]
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
Here’s what’s happening Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
8:24 p.m.: No apparent COVID-19 spread from George Floyd protests; Chicago and Cook officials keep wary watch on reopening
Protests in Chicago and the suburbs over the Minnesota death of George Floyd as a police officer knelt on his neck so far have caused no identifiable uptick in COVID-19 cases, city and suburban Cook County officials said this week.
But they also noted that cases have been leveling off in Chicago and the suburbs, and increasing slightly statewide. Those trends came not only in the wake of the protests, but also as testing expanded across the state and stay-at-home orders were relaxed, making it tough to know precisely why the numbers changed, they said.
“I would use caution to pin that to protests,” said Dr. Jennifer Layden, chief medical officer for the Chicago Department of Public Health. “At a similar time we were seeing the protests, we also were gradually coming out of shelter in place, meaning more people are going back to work, there was opening up of restaurants and stores, (and) we were seeing small gatherings. ... So, if we saw an uptick, it would be very difficult to know if it was related to protests or social gatherings that people are having in their home.” Read more here. — Hal Dardick
7:44 p.m.: Bars and restaurants find themselves at coronavirus crossroads for July Fourth: ‘It’s going to be a tough weekend’
Ahead of a summer holiday weekend that, in normal times, would mean packed patios and crowded bars, restaurant and bar owners are facing fines of up to $10,000 if COVID-19 restrictions are flouted.
It’s a tough line to toe for businesses just barely scraping by after nearly three months of being closed due to the pandemic. In Pilsen, La Vaca Margarita Bar has been open for outdoor dining for a few weeks, converting its parking lot into a patio with tables spaced 6 feet apart. Read more here. — Josh Noel, Louisa Chu, Adam Lukach, Gregory Pratt and Grace Wong
5:46 p.m.: Chicago Cubs expand COVID-19 testing to the families of players and coaches
The Chicago Cubs are expanding their efforts in the battle against the coronavirus by inviting the families of uniformed personnel to participate in testing.
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Cubs President Theo Epstein said Thursday the wives of several players have been through the testing process. Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy revealed Wednesday that he spent 30 days quarantined after testing positive and wanted to share his experience with players and their families. Read more here. — Mark Gonzales
5:23 p.m.: Lightfoot orders anyone coming to Chicago from states where COVID-19 is surging to quarantine for 14 days
People coming to Chicago from 15 states experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases must self-quarantine for 14 days upon entering the city beginning next week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced late Thursday afternoon.
The city ordered the quarantine for anyone who has spent more than 24 hours in the following states before arriving in Chicago: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.
The order, which will go into effect on Monday, does not apply to people who are at the airport for a connecting flight or driving through the city on their way elsewhere, city officials said.
”Like every action we have taken in response to the COVID-19 crisis, this decision was difficult but necessary in order to ensure the continued health and safety of Chicago’s residents and businesses,” Lightfoot said in a statement.
Anyone violating the order could face fines of $100 to $500 per day, up to a maximum $7,000, the city said.Under the order, “quarantine means staying at a single designated home or dwelling for 14 days before doing any activities outside of the home or dwelling,” the city said.
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The order by Lightfoot mirrors a similar measure taken in New York City. It was unclear how the city plans to monitor or enforce the order.With neighboring Indiana and other states pausing their reopening plans or even moving backward as new cases of the coronavirus surge, officials in Chicago and Illinois said Wednesday they have no plans to alter loosened rules that took effect statewide last week.
Lightfoot previously said the city tracks its data closely and will “not hesitate” to take action if they see an upward swing. Read more here. — Gregory Pratt
4:23 p.m.: Hurricane Harbor may reopen soon, but Six Flags Great America still questionable
Six Flags’ Hurricane Harbor water parks in Gurnee and Rockford may be reopening soon, though a reopening for Six Flags Great America remains less certain.
More than a month has passed since Six Flags laid out how it thought it could reopen as safely as possible considering the ongoing pandemic, but its Gurnee-based amusement and water parks remain closed, as do all amusement parks, trampoline parks and indoor playgrounds.
Six Flags has received word from the Governor’s Office that its two water parks are allowed to begin opening, spokeswoman Caitlin Kepple said. An opening date has not yet been set.
”Our full-time team is now back on property and working to implement our comprehensive reopening safety plan so that we can welcome guests to Hurricane Harbor Chicago and Hurricane Harbor Rockford soon,” she said in an email. Read more here. — Emily K. Coleman
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4:21 p.m.: Of the COVID-19 pregnancy cases reported in Illinois, Black and Latina women make up over 70%
At around 25 weeks pregnant with her first child, a 21-year-old Hispanic woman became infected with COVID-19.
The young woman’s doctors at St. Anthony Hospital in Little Village were just learning more about the coronavirus as it hit Illinois in the spring, and they wanted to monitor the baby’s growth.
But her insurance did not initially approve the growth ultrasound, her doctors said. So they had to wait to schedule a scan to check her baby. This delayed their ability to assess the pregnancy and created extra stress.
“There were a lot of barriers for her,” said Margarita Flores, a St. Anthony midwife who helped treat her.
When she delivered in June, she was diagnosed with preeclampsia — high blood pressure in pregnancy that can lead to serious, or even fatal, complications for both mom and baby. The baby was born small.
The mom and her baby, whose names were not shared for privacy reasons, are doing well now, said Flores and her doctors.
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The coronavirus has amplified the challenges pregnant women face. And even more so for Black and Latina women, who might be disproportionately affected by COVID-19, according to recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, and who experience extra burdens of not only implicit racism within the health care industry, but also socioeconomic factors that can impact their ability to access care. Read more here. — Alison Bowen
3:32 p.m.: Chili Davis, the former Cubs hitting coach, will work remotely when the Mets open camp because of COVID-19 concerns
Former Chicago Cubs hitting coach Chili Davis will keep working remotely when the New York Mets open summer training camp Friday.
The New York Post was first to report that Davis, 60, won’t be on site at Citi Field for the beginning of practices because of concerns about the coronavirus.
“The timeline for him to join us is uncertain yet,” Mets manager Luis Rojas said on a video call Thursday.
The Post, citing unidentified sources in its report, said Davis does not have the virus.
Davis was the Cubs hitting coach in 2018 but was fired nine days after the Rockies beat the Cubs in the National League wild-card game. Read more here. — Mike Fitzpatrick
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2:31 p.m.: 869 new known COVID-19 cases, 36 additional deaths
Illinois health officials Thursday reported 869 new known cases of COVID-19 and 36 additional confirmed fatalities, bringing the total number of known cases to 144,882 and the confirmed death toll to 6,987.
—Chicago Tribune staff
1:44 p.m., (Updated 5:43 p.m.): Federal judge denies GOP request to prevent Pritzker’s crowd limit rule from applying to political gatherings
A southern Illinois judge on Thursday declared Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s orders aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 to be void, saying state law doesn’t allow governors to extend disaster proclamations beyond 30 days.Pritzker first declared a statewide disaster because of the pandemic on March 9 and has issued extensions every 30 days.
The implications of Clay County Circuit Judge Michael Mchaney’s order, which stemmed from a lawsuit filed by state Rep. Darren Bailey, were not immediately clear. The state is in the fourth phase of Pritzker’s reopening plans and continues to be under a number or restrictions, including on crowd sizes and on how businesses can operate.
The ruling came hours after U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis denied the Illinois Republican Party’s request to temporarily block Pritzker’s limit on gatherings from applying to political parties.
The Clay County ruling is the latest twist in a legal battle that has raised the profile of Bailey, a Xenia Republican who is running for a state Senate seat in the November election.
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Bailey has drawn personal rebukes from the governor and was kicked off the House floor in a bipartisan vote during the General Assembly’s special session in May for violating a rule requiring lawmakers to wear masks.
McHaney previously ruled in Bailey’s favor, exempting him personally from Pritzker’s stay-at-home order. Bailey later withdrew and refiled his lawsuit, bringing the case back before the judge. The governor’s office attempted to move the case court, but a federal judge in southern Illinois sent it back to Clay County.”
This is a victory for freedom. This is a victory for the people of Illinois,” Bailey said Thursday outside the courthouse, where he was greeted by supporters, some of whom wore T-shirts that read “My governor is an idiot” on the front and “Fire Pritzker” on the back but none of whom appeared to be wearing the face coverings required under Pritzker’s executive order.
Pritzker spokeswoman Emily Bittner downplayed the significance of the ruling in a statement.”Every other court — both state and federal — that has considered these exact issues has agreed with the administration that executive orders protecting Illinoisans’ health and safety are well within the governor’s constitutional authority,” Bittner said. “This includes a federal court decision earlier today.”
The Illinois attorney general’s office is expected to appeal the ruling in state court. Read more here. —Dan Petrella
1:24 p.m.: Illinois Holocaust Museum reopens July 15 in Skokie
The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in north suburban Skokie will reopen to visitors July 15 — with free admission for the day and limits on the number of visitors at any one time. The museum, devoted to the subject of the Holocaust in mission but in practice embracing a wide range of subjects and exhibits having to do with tolerance and human rights, also has announced an extension of the popular current “Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.”
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The exhibit about the Supreme Court justice and her popularity now will run through Jan. 3, 2021. Before the closure, said museum marketing vice president Marcy Larson, “‘RBG’ had been on track to be one of the most popular we’ve ever had.”
Read more here. —Doug George
1:22 p.m.: Brookfield Zoo has reopened, and the animals might outnumber the humans
Brookfield Zoo is reopening this week, albeit slowly, with lions and tigers and zoo members first. The zoo’s gates swung open Wednesday for those holding seasonal memberships, with the general public to follow July 8. Tickets are being sold at reduced capacity, with timed admissions and only in advance.
On a hot and sunny first morning with temperatures edging their way towards 90 degrees, those admissions were just a trickle, with whole tree-lined boulevards inside the park free from strollers, crowds, humans of any kind. If you’ve ever wanted to feel like it was just you and the animals, this is your chance.
But be warned not all exhibits are open yet. Visitors will not be able to enter any of the indoor habitats — so still closed are the primate houses, the dolphins and aquatic shows, and all of the indoor bird and aviary exhibits. But that leaves a lot open in the zoo’s 216 acres of grounds — including the lions, tigers and big cats, bears, hoofed animals such as bison and zebra, kangaroos and more.
Read more here. —Doug George
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1:21 p.m.: Mayor Lori Lightfoot, city officials threaten to shut down bars that don’t follow social distancing guidelines
The city of Chicago will shut down bars that aren’t following social distancing guidelines and increase patrols in “problem areas,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other officials told liquor license holders on a conference call ahead of the Fourth of July weekend.
”If you squander this opportunity we will shut you down and you will not reopen anytime soon,” Lightfoot said on the call, according to two sources.
Maureen Martino, executive director of the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce, said the message from the mayor was clear and stern.
”Obviously the mayor has been very careful about reopening because of the virus and we don’t want to go backwards. It’s everyone’s best interests to follow the rules,” Martino said. “A couple bad operators can set us back. We’re hoping to make the mayor proud this weekend.”
On the call, the city said that the Chicago Police Department and Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Department would be proactively canvassing “problems areas,” with potential for immediate closure orders and citations of up to $10,000 each on bar owners that aren’t following rules.
A PowerPoint slide with that message said: “The time for education is over.”
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Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
12:23 p.m.: Horses stand idle and clowns call it quits as the coronavirus cancels Illinois rodeos. ‘This is the first time ever that we won’t have a rodeo.’
Forty horses are crowded around Lenora Calzavara, their breath hot and their tails swishing.
These aren’t riding horses, waiting for someone to take them out for a trot. These are rodeo horses, bred for their ability to buck riders off in less than eight seconds.
A horse named Mafia Witch is the queen bee in the bunch, with her witchy-white mane blowing in the wind. She was the 2016 world champion bareback horse.
There’s her son, a blonde called Capone; another bareback bronc, the copper-colored mare named Angel Heart, and Shaken Not Stirred, a light brown saddle bronc who bucks his riders out of the saddle.
Summer is usually the busiest time of year for the horses, who travel from rodeo to rodeo, throwing off riders and entertaining crowds.
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But for months, the horses haven’t done much besides graze on Calzavara’s pasture in Harvard, Illinois.
”They are all bored to death because this is the first time ever that we won’t have a rodeo,” said Calzavara, owner of Big Hat Rodeo.
Read more here. —Ally Marotti
10:25 a.m.: Alabama college students held coronavirus parties and whoever got virus first won cash prize, officials say
Several college students in an Alabama city organized “COVID-19” parties as a contest to see who would get the virus first, officials said.
Tuscaloosa City Councilor Sonya McKinstry said students hosted the parties to intentionally infect each other with the new coronavirus, news outlets reported.
McKinstry said party organizers purposely invited guests who tested positive for COVID-19. She said the students put money in a pot and whoever got COVID first would get the cash.
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“It makes no sense,” McKinstry said. “They’re intentionally doing it.”
Read more here. —Associated Press
10:20 a.m.: Bars and nightclubs are becoming dangerous hot spots for COVID-19, health experts warn'
When the bars in Michigan reopened in June, Tony Hild forgot about face masks, social distancing and caution and headed out to Harper’s Restaurant and Brewpub, a popular spot in the college town of East Lansing. There was a line out the door. Inside were 200 people dancing, drinking and shouting over the music.
“It was just so crowded, and I’m like, ‘This is going against everything I’m told not to do,’” said Hild, 23, a college student. “But I didn’t think I was going to get it.”
As people eager for a night out flood back into public after months of confinement, public health experts say that college-town bars, nightclubs and corner taverns are becoming dangerous new hot spots for the coronavirus, seeding infections in thousands of mostly young adults and adding to surging cases nationwide.
Louisiana health officials tied at least 100 coronavirus cases to bars in the Tigerland nightlife district in Baton Rouge. Minnesota has traced 328 recent cases to bars across the state.
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And in East Lansing, home to Michigan State University, nearly 140 cases have been linked to Harper’s, Hild included. He came down with a sore throat, chest pains and fatigue, and by then — more than a week later — he had already visited four other restaurants.
Read more here. —The New York Times
10:18 a.m.: For some suburban theaters, reopening not feasible with fraction of audience capacity
As some entertainment venues are starting to slowly welcome patrons back, others are finding it’s not feasible to open under the state’s Phase 4 guidelines.
Among those is the Tivoli Theatre in downtown Downers Grove, part of the family-owned Classic Cinemas movie theaters. The historic 1,012-seat theater had planned to open June 26, but was caught off guard when the guidelines issued June 22 in Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan allowed for a lower audience capacity than anticipated. Per the state’s guidelines, theaters should operate “at lesser of 50 guests OR 50% of overall theater or performance space capacity.”
”We can open, but ... because (the Tivoli) only has a single screen, that would be 50 people per show time and there’s no way we can make that work financially,” said Chris Johnson, CEO of Classic Cinemas.
“It doesn’t mean we won’t reopen at some point, it just makes it extremely challenging.”'
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Read more here. —Kathy Cichon
10 a.m.: Wrigley Field rooftops reach agreement with city to open for Cubs games, rooftop manager says
The city of Chicago has approved rooftops around Wrigley Field opening at 25 percent capacity for Cubs games, according to the general manager of a rooftop venue.
"We can open our rooftop," said Freddy Fagenholz, general manager of Murphy's Rooftop.
Fagenholz said he received a call from the city Wednesday that their license was approved with safety restrictions related to COVID-19.
Read more here. —Madeline Buckley
9:15 a.m.: What’s it like as COVID-19 Phase 4 allows jazz clubs like Andy’s to reopen
When Chicago guitarist Andy Brown headed out for his gig Wednesday night at Andy’s Jazz Club, he realized he’d forgotten something.
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”I was so excited as I walked out of my house, I was halfway to my garage when I realized” what he had left behind, Brown told the audience during his first set. ”My guitar.”
So he rushed back inside to get it.That’s what happens when you haven’t played a concert gig in 3-1/2 months.
But Brown and his bandmates – pianist Jeremy Kahn and bassist Joe Policastro – clearly have been practicing during the shutdown, judging by their exuberant performance at Andy’s, which reopened last weekend. Each instrumentalist packed so much melodic content and rhythmic drive into their solos, it sounded as if they were unleashing a torrent of pent-up musicality. Which, of course, they were.
”I was sort of planning for this period,” said Brown in an interview. “The game hadn’t even begun till this past weekend,” when phase four of the state’s reopening plan allowed clubs to reopen at 25% occupancy.
Read more here. —Howard Reich
7:05 a.m.: Chicago to focus on ticketing bar, restaurant violations of COVID-19 guidelines over July 4 weekend
Chicago’s Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Department on Thursday “will begin ramping up its enforcement” of health guidelines for phase four of the state’s coronavirus reopening plan, especially at bars and restaurants, according to a news release from the mayor’s office.
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The city has focused on reaching out and educating businesses up to this point, but this weekend expects to focus on writing tickets up to $10,000 “related to social distancing, capacity limits and face coverings,” according to the release.
City inspectors also are now able to immediately order the close of businesses they believe are committing “egregious” violations of the guidelines, according to the release.
Among the rules under the city’s version of phase four: customers must practice social distancing and use face coverings; bars and restaurants have to keep to 25% of indoor capacity or 50 people; alcohol sales end at 11 p.m.; and lines outside must be managed.
The city’s encouraging anyone who sees violations to call 311.
Since phase three of COVID-19 reopening began June 3, the city has issued 59 warnings or notices to correct and 9 citations, after 377 investigations of violations.
—Chicago Tribune staff
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6 a.m.: Lightfoot dismissed questions about ability to afford new CTU contract if economy tanked. Then COVID-19 hit, damaging CPS budget for years.
After the Chicago Board of Education approved an expensive new teachers’ contract last fall following a bitter strike, Mayor Lori Lightfoot dismissed as “100% wrong” the notion that the school district could have trouble affording the deal if there was an economic downturn.
Then came COVID-19, stay-at-home orders and a resulting recession that has hammered public finances across the country. Now, the financial fault lines that the Tribune identified have been breached as Chicago Public Schools officials try to put together a new spending plan in the coming weeks.
There are short-term problems: The state, which has its own financial woes, did not include extra education funding in its new budget that CPS was counting on to help pay for the teacher contract. And property tax collections the district is heavily relying on could decline because people and businesses might not have the wherewithal to pay their bills.
Over the longer haul, the school district faces the double-whammy prospect of further erosion in property tax collections and higher pension contribution costs triggered by the economic downturn, budget analysts said.
Read more here. —Hal Dardick and Hannah Leone
6 a.m.: You think the first half of 2020 was unpredictable? Wait until the second half.
The first six months of 2020 have been, shall we say, a lot: a whipsaw presidential primary, a worldwide pandemic, economic collapse and massive, sometimes violent protests over police brutality and racial injustice.
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If little of that was predictable, imagine how volatile the next six months might be.
While COVID-19 cases are decreasing in Illinois, a sharp contrast to other areas of the country, nearly all plans for major events remain subject to change. But as it stands, schools will return to in-person instruction, some safety net benefits related to the pandemic will cease and the Chicago Bears will start their season by playing the Detroit Lions at noon on Sept. 13.
That’s the plan, anyway. As 2020 has amply demonstrated, who knows how things will actually shake out? Here are some things to look forward to in the second half of 2020.
Read more here. —John Keilman, Madeline Buckley
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Here are five things that happened Wednesday related to coronavirus in Illinois:
As other states reverse course amid COVID-19 surge, Illinois and Chicago officials said they’re watching metrics but have no plans yet to tighten restrictions.
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Illinois will open more small-business development centers, including 5 in Chicago, to help COVID-19 recovery
Brookfield Zoo reopening at reduced capacity — right now there may be more animals outside than people.
McDonald’s plan to reopen dining rooms has been put on hold as COVID-19 cases surge in parts of U.S.
Taste of Chicago To-Go details announced.


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Former Chicago Tribune advertising staffer dies at 90: ‘Always a joyous person’

“ My mom often said that he probably should ’ ve made the military his career because he loved it @ @ @ @ @ “ He would always talk about how he liked the structure , he liked the @ @ @ @ @ the rules .
It was just something that really agreed with him .
”

Edwin Roman Labuz, who worked in advertising for the Chicago Tribune for 27 years, died June 23 in a place much the opposite of the city where he spent most of his career.
In recent years, Labuz, 90, lived in the small village of Central Lake, Michigan, a place filled with maple and oak trees, cherry orchards hidden in the hills and lakes glistening with clear water.
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“There’s more deer than people,” Charles Schroeder, an 81-year-old neighbor, said.
Edwin Roman Labuz (Family photo)
Labuz’s health had declined with age, his daughter, Lisa Labuz-Stowers, said. Labuz was born July 13, 1929, in Hamtramck, Michigan, to Polish immigrant parents.
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Before retiring from the Tribune in 1991, Labuz spent long hours coordinating the newspaper’s sales and printing staff.
Labuz-Stowers, who works at WBEZ-FM 91.5 in Chicago, remembers visiting her father at Tribune Tower. As a child, she watched the printing press transfer ink onto newspaper pages from metal letters.
“All the machines were huge and loud, and the guys who worked at the printing press, sometimes they’d give you a letter or something,” Labuz-Stowers recalled.
Labuz’s son, Jeff Labuz, said workers even gave him one of their self-made newspaper hats.
“I remember we had the guys that painted the flagpole on the top of the tower come paint our house one summer,” Jeff Labuz said.
In 1974, someone gave Edwin Labuz the printing plate with the historic headline “Nixon Resigns” following the Watergate scandal.
The plate is now a keepsake for Labuz-Stowers.
Edwin Labuz didn’t care for his long hours and commute at the downtown location. He eventually transferred to an Oakbrook location, closer to his home.
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Edwin Labuz served in the military before working at the Tribune. At his alma mater Michigan State University, he was required to participate in ROTC for two years, but he completed four.
“My mom often said that he probably should’ve made the military his career because he loved it,” Labuz-Stowers said. “He would always talk about how he liked the structure, he liked the camaraderie, and he liked the rules. It was just something that really agreed with him.”
After graduating from college, Edwin Labuz went overseas to help in the Korean conflict, but United States involvement ended before he was deployed. He spent 35 years as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve.
Neighbor Schroeder said he often listened to Edwin Labuz tell stories, the veteran pausing to recall exact names.
“Ed is just one of these people who was always a joyous person,” Schroeder said. “He was stubborn, but in all the years I’ve known him, I’ve never heard him say an unkind thing about anybody.”
Labuz-Stowers saw her father’s sweet nature in the form of jokes. When he got home from working at the Tribune, he had a riddle prepared for his daughter.
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“I couldn’t tell you a single one of them — just that he did that was a sweet memory,” Labuz-Stowers said.
Not very musically inclined, Edwin Labuz still hummed old songs from his college days. His favorite was military marching band music, Labuz-Stowers said.
In his final days at a Michigan hospital, Edwin Labuz went in and out of sleep. Labuz-Stowers heard a familiar sound. Her father began following the beat of “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” — a tune sung by World War I soldiers.
“God, he was so corny,” Labuz-Stowers laughed.
In addition to his daughter and son, Edwin Labuz is survived by his wife, Elaine Labuz, sister Janina Kroneman and two grandchildren.
“He had some humility. He didn’t think he taught me very much,” Jeff Labuz said. “Once, after a couple of drinks, he said, ‘You know, I don’t think I’ve been a great father,’ and I said, ‘You know what? You’ve been the greatest father I could ever wish for.‘ ”
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There will be a small family celebration at a later date. Memorials can be made to the youth center at First Congregational Church, 8066 W. State St., in Central Lake, Michigan.


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Lawyer helps fellow Peace Corps volunteer from Illinois save dog from being sent back overseas after

Lawyer helps fellow Peace Corps volunteer from Illinois save dog from being sent back overseas after COVID-19-forced separation

Someone following Elam ’ s story on social media alerted Brown to the situation , and the lawyer soon put @ @ @ @ @ volunteered to help .
They located a federal statute that allows dogs more than 3 @ @ @ @ @ in the U.S. after arrival and confined for 30 days after .
According to the @ @ @ @ @ 28 days to be fully effective .

Audra Elam with her dog, Socrates, on her porch in western Africa before attending a local festival in 2019. (Ian Fingado)
A Peace Corps volunteer feared her beloved dog would be sent back overseas Friday because of issues with his paperwork.
Then, a former Peace Corps worker used his legal expertise to help stop the separation.
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Audra Elam, the 27-year-old dog owner, originally from western Illinois, was teaching children in Togo in western Africa when she had to leave in mid-March because of the spread of coronavirus.
“He would follow her to school,” Andrew Orland, another Peace Corps member, said of the dog. “When she did English classes in the afternoon, he would come hang out with the kids.”
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Elam left behind the terrier mix, Socrates, with the hope she could return to the village and extend her stay. But when it became clear she couldn’t go back, she arranged for her dog to receive a required rabies vaccination in Africa.
A company then flew the dog to the United States. Socrates arrived June 26, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initially barred the dog from staying in the United States for his required quarantine, citing inaccuracies in his rabies documentation.
The CDC requires that anyone bringing a dog to the U.S. from countries at high risk for rabies — including most countries in Africa — provide proof the animal received its rabies vaccination.
Terrier mix Socrates and owner Audra Elam on a community soccer field in western Africa during a 2019 festival to honor ancestors. (Ian Fingado)
Elam said she provided proper rabies documentation, translated from French to English with all the requested information. The dog also received a rabies vaccination Tuesday at an animal care facility at Kennedy International Airport in New York. Elam appealed the CDC decision, but at first, it looked like the agency would stand firm.
It wasn’t until Washington, D.C.-based attorney Reginald Brown got involved that the situation changed.
“Her tenacity just represents the best of the Peace Corps,” Brown, a former Peace Corps volunteer himself, said of Elam.
Someone following Elam’s story on social media alerted Brown to the situation, and the lawyer soon put together a seven-person team that volunteered to help. They located a federal statute that allows dogs more than 3 months old to be vaccinated in the U.S. after arrival and confined for 30 days after. According to the CDC, the vaccination requires 28 days to be fully effective.
“They weren’t even following their own rules and regulations,” Elam said of the CDC.
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Brown said he contacted the Department of Health and Human Services, of which the CDC is part, for help resolving the matter. The CDC referred to Health and Human Services when asked for comment.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar’s official account tweeted a statement Thursday afternoon from his chief of staff, Brian Harrison, about Socrates.
After reviewing the case when Socrates’ plight was brought to Azar’s attention, the agency has “determined there is nothing within the law that requires Socrates to return to Ghana for the duration of his quarantine,” Harrison said in the statement.
“The Trump administration has once again shown a dogged determination to pursue deregulation and unleash some common sense,” Harrison said. “Happy 4th, and welcome to America, Socrates!”
At first worried her dog would be sent to Ghana, Elam cried when Brown called her with the news. Socrates will stay on American ground for his quarantine and she can pick him up July 28 from JFK.
Statement from @HHSGov's Chief of Staff Brian Harrison regarding #SaveSocrates. 🐶🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Gs7QJxQHTM — Secretary Alex Azar (@SecAzar) July 2, 2020
The dog was her rock overseas, Elam said. When her grandfather died in March 2019, she relied on Socrates for support.
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“Socrates was my lifeline during those moments,” Elam said. “It’s really hard to express your emotions fully when you’re speaking in another language that’s not your native language.”
Elam, originally from Beardstown in western Illinois, drove 15 hours straight to the New York area last week to be closer to Socrates.
She’s staying with a friend about an hour outside New York City and gets calls regularly from the animal care facility where he’s staying, which she says is taking good care of him.
“They love him so much,” Elam said. “Every time I call, they’re like, ‘Oh, he’s such a cutie pie.‘”
sczyzon@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Is your pet frightened by fireworks? Here’s what to do this Fourth of July weekend.

A central part of these festive celebrations , fireworks , causes anxiety for many pets distressed by the abrupt explosions @ @ @ @ @ cities across the country , including Chicago , are seeing unprecedented numbers of calls about @ @ @ @ @ , as people bored with coronavirus shutdowns blow off steam .
In Chicago , 911 @ @ @ @ @ were up 756 % from 2019 through Sunday , to 10,833 calls so far this @ @ @ @ @ same period in 2019 .

Sarge, a 6-month-old male Labrador mix dog, looks on at PAWS Chicago Medical Center in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood on March 6, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)
With the Fourth of July approaching, many Americans are eager to celebrate with family, fun and food.
A central part of these festive celebrations, fireworks, causes anxiety for many pets distressed by the abrupt explosions. And this year, cities across the country, including Chicago, are seeing unprecedented numbers of calls about illegal fireworks being lit off, as people bored with coronavirus shutdowns blow off steam. In Chicago, 911 calls about fireworks this year were up 756% from 2019 through Sunday, to 10,833 calls so far this year from 1,265 in the same period in 2019.
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But there are some ways pet owners can help make this weekend less painful for their animals.
Here are some tips and advice Chicagoland animal welfare experts have for pet owners when fireworks are going off all over.
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Be proactive, contact a veterinarian
If a pet owner knows ahead of time that their pet becomes anxious during fireworks, they should consult a veterinarian for treatment.
“If they know ahead of time that their dog is noise sensitive, they should probably contact their vet ahead of time, because there are medications that can lower anxiety,” said Joan Harris, director of canine training and behavior at PAWS, Illinois’ largest animal shelter.
Whitney Armstrong, director of Joliet Township Animal Control, encouraged people to take their pets outside to relieve themselves before it gets dark and the fireworks start.
Help your pet find tranquillity inside your home
Owners should look for quieter, more comfortable places to put their pets while fireworks are exploding. Closets, basements and rooms in the interior of a house often work best, animal welfare experts said.
To create a more soothing environment, pet owners can also play music, sounds from a television or white noise to help drown out the thunderous fireworks.
The Joliet animal facility plays music over its radio system on the Fourth of July, Armstrong said.
Don’t be afraid to comfort your pet
If a pet shows signs of discomfort or fear, a pet owner should not hesitate to cuddle with or comfort it.
“That is a total fallacy that says you should never comfort your dog when they’re frightened,” Harris said.
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Melissa Klett, a behavior specialist with the Anti-Cruelty Society, agreed.
“Fear is such an unpleasant emotion for your dog that doing something in that moment that they like is not going to cause them to associate the fear with comfort, said Klett. “All you’re doing is calming them, not reinforcing that bad behavior.”
Help your pet find its way home if it runs off
A lot of pets are lost over the July Fourth weekend because of their reaction to fireworks, Harris said. The day after Independence Day is notoriously one of the busiest days of the year for animal shelters across the country, including Chicago’s Animal Care and Control facility, which typically receives a lot of stray dogs after the holiday.
Animal specialists strongly recommend pets have collars and tags and are microchipped with updated contact information, so they can quickly be identified and returned home if they get lost.
“You never know when there is going to be an accident,” Klett said. “Maybe someone goes through the door and isn’t looking, and the cat just freaks and runs, or a branch falls and breaks a window.” If your pet’s microchip is up to date, your pet can be easily reunited with you.”


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Air quality alert issued for Chicago area ahead of hot July 4 holiday weekend

“ We are going to have a string here of several days where we ’ re getting into the 90s @ @ @ @ @ of this warm weather could weigh on some people , ” Birk said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re not expecting oppressive heat and humidity .
”

The Chicago skyline seen from the Whihala Beach in Whiting, Indiana, on July 2, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
An air quality alert issued for the greater Chicago area was extended through Saturday night by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency as the region preps for a hot July Fourth holiday weekend.
Poor air quality is expected to continue throughout the weekend, said Illinois EPA spokesperson Kim Biggs. Active adults and children, particularly those with respiratory or pulmonary diseases such as asthma, should avoid extended outdoor activity.
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The alert was issued because of elevated ozone levels deemed unhealthy for sensitive groups, Biggs said. This type of ozone developed when vehicle and industry emissions react with sunlight, Biggs said. Originally issued Wednesday to last through Thursday night, the alert was extended Thursday afternoon through Saturday night.
“We see the highest level of ozone in the summer months, because you do need the heat and the sunlight to cause that reaction,” Biggs said.
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This weekend’s air pollution issue is unrelated to the Sahara dust cloud, which Biggs said would instead bring elevated particulate matter. The Illinois EPA has not seen any changes in the air quality forecast related to the dust cloud, Biggs said.
On top of higher levels of air pollution, Chicagoans can expect temperatures in the high 80s and low 90s over the Fourth of July weekend, according to the National Weather Service. The weather’s expected to remain clear.
The forecast high temperatures are not atypical for this time of year, said Kevin Birk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Chicago-area office. Normal average high temperatures are in the mid-80s the first week of July, according to the weather service.
Birk advised locals to try to stay out of the sun as much as possible and drink plenty of fluids.
“We are going to have a string here of several days where we’re getting into the 90s, so the progressive nature of this warm weather could weigh on some people,” Birk said. “The good news is we’re not expecting oppressive heat and humidity.”
Daytime highs away from Lake Michigan are likely to be in the low 90s, while temperatures near the lakefront will be around the 80s because of onshore winds, Birk said.
Though some may be tempted to flock to Lake Michigan in search of cooler temperatures, Birk cautioned against crowding the lakefront and recommended Chicagoans keep social distancing in mind.
Chicago’s beaches aren’t yet open for swimming, because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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For more details and updates on the forecast, check the Tribune’s weather page.
chao@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Lightfoot orders anyone coming to Chicago from states where COVID-19 is surging to quarantine  for 1

Lightfoot orders anyone coming to Chicago from states where COVID-19 is surging to quarantine  for 14 days

The order , which will go into effect on Monday , does not apply to people who are at the @ @ @ @ @ or driving through the city on their way elsewhere , city officials said .

Mayor Lori Lightfoot takes off her face mask to answer questions after announcing a new broadband initiative for students during a press conference at Evergreen Academy Middle School in Chicago on June 25, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
People coming to Chicago from 15 states experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases must self-quarantine for 14 days upon entering the city beginning next week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced late Thursday afternoon.
The city ordered the quarantine for anyone who has spent more than 24 hours in the following states before arriving in Chicago: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.
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The order, which will go into effect on Monday, does not apply to people who are at the airport for a connecting flight or driving through the city on their way elsewhere, city officials said.
“Like every action we have taken in response to the COVID-19 crisis, this decision was difficult but necessary in order to ensure the continued health and safety of Chicago’s residents and businesses,” Lightfoot said in a statement.
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Anyone violating the order could face fines of $100 to $500 per day, up to a maximum $7,000, the city said.
Under the order, “quarantine means staying at a single designated home or dwelling for 14 days before doing any activities outside of the home or dwelling,” the city said.
The order by Lightfoot mirrors a similar measure taken in New York City. It was unclear how the city plans to monitor or enforce the order.
With neighboring Indiana and other states pausing their reopening plans or even moving backward as new cases of the coronavirus surge, officials in Chicago and Illinois said Wednesday they have no plans to alter loosened rules that took effect statewide last week.
Lightfoot previously said the city tracks its data closely and will “not hesitate” to take action if they see an upward swing.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Despite new agreement, triggering events could free Alden to buy more shares of Tribune Publishing -

Despite new agreement, triggering events could free Alden to buy more shares of Tribune Publishing - or  the entire company

But a filing Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission lays out a number of circumstances — from other major @ @ @ @ @ making an offer to buy Tribune Publishing — that would terminate the agreement and allow @ @ @ @ @ .

The Chicago Tribune newsroom at One Prudential Plaza on June 12, 2018. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
When Tribune Publishing and its largest shareholder, Alden Global Capital, struck a deal Wednesday to extend an ownership standstill agreement, it appeared to buy a year before the hedge fund could potentially take control of the newspaper company.
But a filing Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission lays out a number of circumstances — from other major shareholders teaming up to someone making an offer to buy Tribune Publishing — that would terminate the agreement and allow Alden to buy more shares.
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In fact, Alden itself could make an offer to buy a majority stake in the company, despite the standstill agreement.
“Alden, or any other entity, has the ability to make a tender offer at any time,” confirmed Tribune Publishing spokesman Max Reinsdorf.
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An Alden spokesman did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Alden, a New York-based hedge fund with a reputation for sweeping layoffs at its newspaper properties, took a 32% stake in Tribune Publishing in November, but was restricted from buying additional shares through June 30. In return, Alden added two representatives to Tribune Publishing’s board.
Wednesday’s standstill agreement added Alden co-founder Randall Smith to the Tribune Publishing board, giving the hedge fund three seats on the now seven-member board. It also restricts Alden’s stake from passing 33% until after Tribune Publishing’s next annual shareholder meeting, which can take place no later than June 15, 2021.
The agreement includes several provisions that terminate the standstill restrictions. One is any person or group, other than Alden, acquiring 30% of outstanding shares.
Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, Tribune Publishing’s second-largest shareholder with a 24% stake of the company, also was bound by a standstill agreement through June 30. He is now free to buy or sell shares.
Reached through a spokeswoman, Soon-Shiong declined to comment Thursday.
A provision that was not included in the previous agreement spells out that if someone offers to buy the company, Alden can buy more shares, mount a proxy fight or take other actions to assert more control over Tribune Publishing.
If the company executes a definitive agreement with a potential acquirer or the board accepts a tender offer that would result in someone acquiring a majority stake in Tribune Publishing, the standstill would be terminated.
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The standstill agreement also would end if any Alden representative to the board is not reelected at next year’s annual meeting with shareholders.
Launched in 2007, Alden owns about 200 publications through an operating company known as MediaNews Group, formerly Digital First Media. Its larger newspapers include the Denver Post, San Jose Mercury News and the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
In addition to the Chicago Tribune, Tribune Publishing also owns the Baltimore Sun; Hartford Courant; Orlando Sentinel; South Florida Sun Sentinel; New York Daily News; the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland; The Morning Call in Allentown, Pennsylvania; the Daily Press in Newport News, Virginia; and The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia.
rchannick@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--Woman who was convicted of murder in 1979 shooting death of husband in Inverness will get new trial

In April 1979 , two gunmen broke into the couple ’ s home , tied up the defendant and three @ @ @ @ @ locked them in a closet , and shot Gaimari to death with his own guns @ @ @ @ @ .
The couple ’ s 16-year-old daughter discovered what happened when she came home .

Jacquelyn Greco was convicted of murder in the shooting death of Carl Gaimari in 2016. (Cook County state's attorney's office)
A court has ruled that a woman convicted of having her husband murdered in Inverness in 1979 should get a new trial to present her defense that she changed her mind about the scheme.
Jacquelyn Greco was convicted of murder in the shooting death of Carl Gaimari in 2016, based largely on incriminating statements she made decades after the crime. Prosecutors said she went along with a plan to kill her husband so she could be with her boyfriend, a Chicago police officer she later married.
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The Illinois Appellate Court decided that the trial court improperly failed to instruct the jury to consider Greco’s defense that she had withdrawn from any such plot.
In April 1979, two gunmen broke into the couple’s home, tied up the defendant and three of their young children, locked them in a closet, and shot Gaimari to death with his own guns that were in the house. The couple’s 16-year-old daughter discovered what happened when she came home.
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Carl Gaimari, murdered in 1979. He was a 34-year-old broker at the Chicago Board of Trade. (Family photo)
A Barrington squad car blocks the driveway to the rambling home in Inverness on April 30, 1979, where commodities broker Carl Gaimari was slain. (Don Casper / Chicago Tribune)
Greco’s sister, Elsie Fry, testified that when she arrived at the scene, Greco told her, “I didn’t do it.”
About a year before the murder, Fry testified, Greco had told her, “we figured out a way to kill Carl,” that someone was going to break in and tie her up and kill him.
In 2012, Fry agreed to tape record a phone conversation with Greco, who confirmed her previous statements, saying, “I told you exactly what was going to happen.”
Later, Greco added, “That is enough to put me away. Not that I killed him but that I knew.”
“That is what I wanted to happen, but then I didn’t want it to happen,” she said, adding that Greco used to beat her.
Under Illinois law, someone can be held accountable if they take part in a plan to commit murder, even if they don’t commit the crime directly.
Evidence at the trial established that both Greco and Gaimari had affairs during their marriage. Greco’s boyfriend, Sam Greco, moved into the couple’s house just a week after the murder. The couple married that August and later moved the family to California before returning to Chicago.
Sam Greco was never charged in the crime, and died last year. Prosecutors have never publicly identified or charged the gunmen, but said the investigation remains open.
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Jacquelyn Greco was sentenced in 2016 to 30 years in prison, which at age 73, may have meant she would die in prison. If convicted again, she would face a new sentence.


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--St. Louis couple who pulled guns on protesters on private street once armed selves when friend cut t

St. Louis couple who pulled guns on protesters on private street once armed selves when friend cut through property in 80s

The McCloskeys — he ’ s 63 and she ’ s 61 — are both personal injury lawyers and their @ @ @ @ @ street called Portland Place in St. Louis ’ well-to-do Central West End .
Their attorney @ @ @ @ @ the couple are long-time civil rights advocates and support the message of the Black Lives @ @ @ @ @ they grabbed their guns when two or three protesters — who were white — violently @ @ @ @ @ their property and that of their neighbors .

Mark and Patricia McCloskey, standing in front their house along Portland Place, confront protesters marching to St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson's house in the Central West End of St. Louis on June 28, 2020. The McCloskeys brandished firearms from their property, pointing the barrel of a handgun towards marchers. (Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
O'FALLON, Mo. — The St. Louis couple who became internationally famous for standing guard with guns outside their mansion during a protest have pulled a gun before in defense of their property, according to an affidavit in an ongoing case.
As demonstrators marched near the Renaissance palazzo-style home of Mark and Patricia McCloskey on Sunday, video posted online showed him wielding a long-barreled gun and her with a small handgun. No shots were fired.
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The protesters, estimated at around 500 racially mixed people, were passing the house on the way to the nearby home of Mayor Lyda Krewson. The protest was among dozens in St. Louis since George Floyd's death in Minneapolis on May 25.
The McCloskeys — he’s 63 and she’s 61 — are both personal injury lawyers and their home is on a private street called Portland Place in St. Louis’ well-to-do Central West End. Their attorney, Albert Watkins, said the couple are long-time civil rights advocates and support the message of the Black Lives Matter movement. He said they grabbed their guns when two or three protesters — who were white — violently threatened the couple, and their property and that of their neighbors.
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Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner said her office was working with police to investigate, saying she was alarmed because “peaceful protesters were met by guns and a violent assault.”
A letter released Wednesday by more than three dozen neighbors of the couple condemned “the behavior of anyone who uses threats of violence, especially through the brandishing of firearms, to disrupt peaceful protest, whether it be in this neighborhood or anywhere in the United States.”
The McCloskeys and the trustees of Portland Place are involved in a three-year legal dispute over a small piece of property. The McCloskeys claim they own it, but the trustees say it belongs to the neighborhood.
A judge on Monday ruled against motions from both sides to end the case without a trial. Details about the legal case were first reported Thursday by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Mark McCloskey said in the affidavit that he and his wife purchased the home in 1988 and have taken several measures to improve the disputed piece of land.
The affidavit states they have “regularly prohibited all persons, including Portland Place residents, from crossing the Parcel including at least at one point, challenging a resident at gunpoint who refused to heed the McCloskeys’ warnings to stay off such property.”
Watkins said in an interview that the McCloskeys have “touched their weapons” just twice in their 32 years on Portland Place — during the incident in 1988 or 1989 cited in the affidavit, and on Sunday.
In the earlier incident, Watkins said, Patricia McCloskey heard a noise at night and saw someone.
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“She looked down, had a gun and screamed for the person to stay off her property,” Watkins said. It turned out to be a neighbor cutting through on the way home from a nearby business district.
Watkins said the neighbor was then, and is now, a friend of the couple.
Demonstrators on Sunday were angry at Krewson, a Democrat, for reading aloud the names and addresses of several residents who wrote letters calling for defunding the police force. The group of at least 500 people chanted, “Resign, Lyda! Take the cops with you!” Krewson’s home is just a few blocks from the McCloskeys’ home.
Police said the McCloskeys heard a loud commotion in the street and saw a large group of people break an iron gate marked with “No Trespassing” and “Private Street” signs. The video showed the protesters walking through the gate and it was unclear when it was damaged.


chicagotribune--2020-07-02--The Spin: Mayor threatens to close bars, restaurants over crowding | Lightfoot pleads with would-be

The Spin: Mayor threatens to close bars, restaurants over crowding | Lightfoot pleads with would-be gunmen for ‘humanity’ | Willie Wilson formally launches senate bid

A change in strategy ?
“ Activists and civil libertarians have criticized the city over Brown ’ s plan to @ @ @ @ @ drug corners ” by making arrests in an effort to tamp down gun violence.
” @ @ @ @ @ “ Though critics have raised questions about the legality of Brown ’ s proposal and @ @ @ @ @ further harm the relationship between police and Black residents , the mayor earlier in the @ @ @ @ @ misplaced as officers try to save young lives .

Mayor Lori Lightfoot announces a new broadband initiative for students at Evergreen Academy Middle School in Chicago on June 25, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
With neighboring Indiana and other states hitting the pause button on reopening plans or even moving backward as new cases of coronavirus surge, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot have no plans to reverse course alter lifting some restrictions statewide last week, the Tribune’s Dan Petrella and Gregory Pratt report.
But the mayor had a message for bars and restaurants ahead of a long Fourth of July weekend: Let crowds of maskless patrons pack your establishment in violation of occupancy and face covering rules and “I will shut you down and if you’re shut down, you’re not coming back anytime soon.”
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The mayor’s tough talk came during an afternoon news conference about the city’s crime-fighting strategy ahead of a summer holiday that’s been marred annually by gun violence. The mayor appealed directly to the would-be shooters.
“Before you pick up a firearm and pull the trigger, aiming for somebody else, think about the number of children that have been killed just in the last two weeks. A 1-year-old, a 3-year-old, a 13-year-old, a 10-year-old. A list that is painful for me to even recite.”
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And if we thought the first half of 2020 was unpredictable — the final last six months will prove to be a veritable roller coaster in the world of politics
Local election authorities will be put to the test as they juggle an expected onslaught of mail-in ballot requests while carefully opening up polling places for in-person voting amid a pandemic that could pick up momentum in the fall.
Voter turnout in all its forms will be a key factor nationally in determining whether Republican President Donald Trump stays or goes. Illinois voters will also decide Nov. 3 whether to switch from a flat income tax to a graduated system what would require the wealthy to pay a higher rate; a Pritzker-backed referendum, the initiative could very well serve as a midterm referendum on his leadership.
Welcome to The Spin.
Glen Brooks, center, of the Chicago Police Department, speaks during a community event called "Operation Wake-Up" at 61st and Halsted streets in Chicago on Monday, June 29, 2020. The event is meant to raise community awareness about violent crime in the area. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s Gregory Pratt: “Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her police superintendent acknowledged Thursday that it will take more than the 1,200 extra officers pressed into duty this Fourth of July weekend to reduce rampant gun violence in many neighborhoods.”
He notes: “The traditionally violent weekend comes as Lightfoot and Brown face daily criticism about their handling of the gun violence. Several recent shootings of young children have brought intense scrutiny about the way the Lightfoot administration is addressing crime heading into the July Fourth weekend.”
A change in strategy? “Activists and civil libertarians have criticized the city over Brown’s plan to clear people off of “drug corners” by making arrests in an effort to tamp down gun violence.” This weekend Pratt reminds. “Though critics have raised questions about the legality of Brown’s proposal and cautioned that sweeping arrests will further harm the relationship between police and Black residents, the mayor earlier in the week said such condemnation is misplaced as officers try to save young lives.
“On Thursday, she said Brown’s comments had been mischaracterized by reporters.
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“For his part, Brown attempted to make clear that the goal is to bring down high-level drug dealers.” Read the full story here.
Amid an upswing in violence, Arne Duncan a former Chicago Public Schools chief under then-Mayor Richard M. Daley and an Obama-era U.S. secretary of education, who now heads a nonprofit that helps at-risk youth, turned out at a vigil to support the family of 20-month-old Sincere Gaston, shot to death while riding in a car with his mother in the Englewood community last weekend.
Chicago police said they believe the gunman was after the toddler’s father. But at the vigil, a grieving Thomas Gaston, Sincere’s father, along with his wife and others, urged that the boy’s father not be demonized.
Duncan said the elder Gaston had been active with his nonprofit organization for at-risk youth — Creating Real Economic Destiny (CRED) — over the last two years, my Tribune colleagues report. The father would often bring Sincere to meetings and events, Duncan said.
“He’s a guy who’s been through a lot,” Duncan said of the father. “He’s the reason we do this work. These are guys who are choosing to do something different and be better.” Read the full story here.
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Guests eat and drink on the rooftop bar at LondonHouse, 85 E. Wacker Drive on Wednesday, June 17, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lightfoot said this is a “make or break weekend” for bars and restaurants.
Earlier in the day, the mayor’s office announced via news release that it would “begin ramping up its enforcement” of health guidelines for phase four of the state’s coronavirus reopening plan, especially at bars and restaurants. While the city’s Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Department can issue tickets of up to $10,000, the mayor said during an afternoon news conference the city also wouldn’t hesitate to shut down a business.
“And if you’re shut down, you’re not coming back anytime soon,” the mayor said, adding at one point “your fate is in your hands.” The mayor also issued her stern warning to liquor license holders in a phone call today, the Tribune’s Gregory Pratt reports here. Increased patrols will be visible in “problem areas” Lightfoot said - later identified by a city official as entertainment districts in neighborhoods including Wrigleyville, River North, the West Loop and Wicker Park.
Headlines about a spike in new COVID-19 cases nationally and some states heading back to lockdown mode have both Lightfoot and the governor keeping a close watch on local cases, There are no plans to reverse course on recently loosened restrictions in Chicago and the rest of the state, the Tribune’s Dan Petrella and Gregory Pratt report.
When Pritzker announced his “Restore Illinois” reopening plan in early May, he acknowledged that surges in hospitalizations or the percentage of people testing positive, or shortages of intensive-care unit beds or ventilators could lead him to restore tighter restrictions.
He’s reiterated that point since then. Mayor Lightfoot said the city tracks its data closely and will “not hesitate” to take action if they see an upward swing. Read Petrella and Pratt’s full story here.
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Wrigley Field rooftops reach agreement with city to open for Cubs games, rooftop manager says: The Tribune’s Madeline Buckley and John Byrne have the details here.
McDonald’s plan to reopen dining rooms on hold as COVID-19 cases surge in parts of U.S.: The Tribune’s Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz has the details here.
Federal judge denies GOP request to prevent Pritzker’s crowd limit rule from applying to political gatherings: The Tribune’s Dan Petrella has the story here.
How do you convince people they’re safe inside? In the 1920s, the Uptown Theatre had some cool ideas: The Tribune’s Chris Jones has the fascinating story here.
Illinois to open more small-business development centers, including five in Chicago, to help COVID-19 recovery: The Illinois Small Business Development Centers, which offer a range of assistance including help applying for state and federal emergency assistance programs and other business-related aid, are funded in part by the state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the U.S. Small Business Administration, universities, community colleges and other local institutions, the Tribune’s Abdel Jimenez reports. Read his full story here.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot uses her gavel to begin a virtual City Council meeting from her office at City Hall on Wednesday, June 17, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s Hal Dardick and Hannah Leone: “After the Chicago Board of Education approved an expensive new teachers’ contract last fall following a bitter strike, Mayor Lori Lightfoot dismissed as ’100% wrong’ the notion that the school district could have trouble affording the deal if there was an economic downturn.
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“Then came COVID-19, stay-at-home orders and a resulting recession that has hammered public finances across the country. Now, the financial fault lines that the Tribune identified have been breached as Chicago Public Schools officials try to put together a new spending plan in the coming weeks.
“There are short-term problems: The state, which has its own financial woes, did not include extra education funding in its new budget that CPS was counting on to help pay for the teacher contract. And property tax collections the district is heavily relying on could decline because people and businesses might not have the wherewithal to pay their bills.
“Over the longer haul, the school district faces the double-whammy prospect of further erosion in property tax collections and higher pension contribution costs triggered by the economic downturn, budget analysts said.” Read the full story here.
New normal for reopened Chicago, suburban schools come fall likely to be very different: The Chicago Sun-Times’ Lauren Fitzpatrick digs in here.
Beecher parents, others continue to fight for District 200U superintendent after board votes against negotiating new contract: Read the Daily Southtown story here.
Willie Wilson prepares for a mayoral candidate forum at the Renee Crown Public Media Center on Feb. 18, 2019, in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Millionaire Chicago businessman and former mayoral and presidential candidate Willie Wilson formally announced he’s running as an independent for the U.S. Senate seat held Democrat Dick Durbin, who is seeking a fifth term.
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“Durbin has been in public office for 37 years and many communities in Illinois have been ignored or forgotten,” Wilson said. Wilson painted the veteran lawmaker, who served in the U.S. House before joining the upper chamber, as unfriendly to Black and Latino communities, pointing to Durbin’s support of the 1994 crime bill, widely viewed as responsible for the mass incarceration of African American men.
Durbin’s campaign manager Greg Bales fired back in an emailed statement, saying “Dr. Wilson is not an independent — he’s a Republican who publicly supported Donald Trump, Bruce Rauner, and contributed tens of thousands of dollars to Republican candidates this election. On police reform, he opposes the Congressional Black Caucus and every major civil rights organization — including the NAACP and Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund — and instead supports Trump’s position. A vote for Wilson is a vote for Trump and a Mitch McConnell controlled U.S. Senate.”
Former Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran is the Republican candidate in the race.
A man checks information in front of Illinois Department of Employment Security in Chicago on April 30, 2020. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)
From the AP: “U.S. employers added a substantial 4.8 million jobs in June, and the unemployment rate fell to 11.1%, as the job market improved for a second straight month yet still remained far short of regaining the colossal losses it suffered this spring.
“The nation has now recovered roughly one-third of the 22 million jobs it lost to the pandemic recession. And with confirmed coronavirus cases spiking across the Sun Belt states, a range of evidence suggests that a job market recovery may be stalling. In those states and elsewhere, some restaurants, bars and other retailers that had reopened are being forced to close again.”
Programming note: The Spin will hit pause tomorrow for the Fourth of July holiday weekend but returns next week.
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