chicagotribune--2020-05-29--Daywatch: Protesters set fire to Minneapolis police station, Chicago to move to phase 3 next week an

Daywatch: Protesters set fire to Minneapolis police station, Chicago to move to phase 3 next week and wildlife returns to the empty lakefront

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday delivered the news stir-crazy and out-of-work Chicagoans have been awaiting for weeks : Restaurants , @ @ @ @ @ will get to start opening Wednesday , albeit with reduced capacities and tight rules in @ @ @ @ @ cases from spiking as more people emerge after months under a stricter stay-at-home order .

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Good morning, Chicago. Here’s the coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Illinois officials on Thursday announced 1,178 new known cases of COVID-19 and 104 additional deaths, bringing the statewide totals to 115,833 known cases and 5,186 deaths
The state’s Northeast region — which includes Chicago and its suburbs — has a 14.2% positivity rate. Check our daily charts on where each region stands on positivity rate and other key metrics for reopening.
Each of the state’s four regions are moving into the next phase of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan today. Here are three charts breaking down Pritzker’s plan.
Curious about what restaurants will look like when they reopen? Find out in this week’s Food & Dining newsletter. Sign up today.
A police officer looks on as firefighters work to put out a blaze on Thursday, May 28, 2020, in St. Paul, Minn. Protests over the death of George Floyd broke out for a third straight night. (Julio Cortez/AP)
Cheering protesters torched a Minneapolis police station that the department was forced to abandon as three days of violent protests spread to nearby St. Paul and angry demonstrations flared across the U.S over the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer kneeled on his neck.
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A police spokesman confirmed late Thursday that staff had evacuated the 3rd Precinct station, the focus of many of the protests, “in the interest of the safety of our personnel" shortly after 10 p.m. Livestream video showed the protesters entering the building, where fire alarms blared and sprinklers ran as blazes were set.
On Friday morning, the Minnesota State Patrol arrested a CNN television crew as they reported on the unrest in Minneapolis. While live on air, CNN reporter Omar Jimenez was handcuffed and led away. A producer and a photojournalist for CNN were also led away in handcuffs.
Chicago Superintendent David Brown condemns police actions that led to death of George Floyd as protesters march on South Side
Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd by kneeling on his neck had nearly 20 prior complaints
Michael Tumbali cleans the patio outside Siena Tavern in Chicago's Near North neighborhood, May 28, 2020. Mayor Lori Lightfoot said restaurants on June 3 will be allowed to serve diners in areas deemed outdoors. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday delivered the news stir-crazy and out-of-work Chicagoans have been awaiting for weeks: Restaurants, hotels and many more businesses will get to start opening Wednesday, albeit with reduced capacities and tight rules in place designed to stop COVID-19 cases from spiking as more people emerge after months under a stricter stay-at-home order.
Banners hang over windows at Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood on Sunday, May 17, 2020. The church is one of two Chicago-area churches challenging a provision in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order that limited the number of people who can gather for in-person religious services. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Facing a barrage of legal challenges from churches, Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to remove a provision limiting the number of people who can attend in-person religious services when he signs a new version of his statewide stay-at-home order on Friday.
State Rep. Jonathan Carroll, a Northbrook Democrat, asks a question during a Jan. 7, 2020, hearing about using isolated time out or quiet rooms to discipline students. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
After months of debate about schools’ use of seclusion and face-down restraints on children, Illinois lawmakers did not act last week on a measure that would have banned the controversial practices immediately, instead delaying the decision until the fall at the earliest.
Raccoons frolic at Jarvis Bird Sanctuary. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
A Tribune photographer Jason Wambsgans, got the OK from the city to shoot our beloved stretch of recently-abandoned Chicago lakefront. And here’s what’s there? Nothing. No one. Just animals, a lot of birds, flora in bloom. Just nature, unimpeded, Tribune writer Christopher Borelli writes.


chicagotribune--2020-05-29--Pushback from school administrators delays bill to ban seclusion for Illinois students

The most recent draft of the legislation would have made it illegal to put students alone in a locked room @ @ @ @ @ the door blocked , and would have required that students placed in seclusion have access @ @ @ @ @ the bathroom .
The bill also would have required school workers to meet with students @ @ @ @ @ days of each instance of time out or restraint and ordered the Illinois State Board @ @ @ @ @ within 90 days to reduce the use of restraint and seclusion in any form within @ @ @

This story is a collaboration between the Tribune and ProPublica Illinois.
After months of debate about schools’ use of seclusion and face-down restraints on children, Illinois lawmakers did not act last week on a measure that would have banned the controversial practices immediately, instead delaying the decision until the fall at the earliest.
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Although Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state schools Superintendent Carmen Ayala have vowed to stop the practices of putting children alone in locked rooms and holding them down on the floor, the bill faced opposition from school groups that viewed oversight requirements as too burdensome.
Months of meetings among lawmakers, school lobbyists and advocates ended with broad agreement that schools should reduce their reliance on the physical interventions, used most often on students with disabilities, according to meeting participants. But a last-minute push from the school groups tabled the matter this session; they thought the bill asked too much of school workers, who would be required to hold debriefing meetings with parents or guardians every time a student is put in time out or is restrained.
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A Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois investigation last year, “The Quiet Rooms,” revealed widespread misuse of both practices in the state’s public schools.
New state rules adopted in April already significantly limit those practices and require state oversight for the first time, but advocates and lawmakers continued to push for a state law that would have superseded the rules and increased restrictions and oversight.
The most recent draft of the legislation would have made it illegal to put students alone in a locked room or in a room with the door blocked, and would have required that students placed in seclusion have access to food, medication and the bathroom. The bill also would have required school workers to meet with students and parents within two school days of each instance of time out or restraint and ordered the Illinois State Board of Education to develop plans within 90 days to reduce the use of restraint and seclusion in any form within three years.
“We’ve had all these meetings, all these meetings, and then at the eleventh hour, they come in and kill the bill,” Rep. Jonathan Carroll, a Democrat from Northbrook, said of the Illinois Statewide School Management Alliance, which lobbies on behalf of the state’s public school principals and administrators, school finance officials and school boards. Carroll, who has spoken about being secluded as a child and the harm it caused, sponsored the House version of the bill.
The alliance and six other groups submitted written opposition together just before lawmakers met last week.
Because of the shortened legislative session due to COVID-19, the language would have been included in an omnibus education bill rather than facing a stand-alone vote. Lawmakers said it was uncertain whether the omnibus bill could pass in the House with the seclusion ban included, but the Senate was prepared to adopt it. Rather than risk other provisions in the omnibus, including some related to remote learning, the sponsoring lawmakers chose to bring the seclusion legislation back in November’s veto session.
“I’m not sure what our next steps will be or what will happen with this legislation in its current state. But I promise you that I will continue working on banning the practices of locking children in closets and throwing them on the ground,” Carroll wrote in an email to the school groups that opposed the latest version of the legislation.
Rules issued by ISBE that went into effect in April ban locked seclusion and specify that time out and restraint can be used only when there’s an “imminent danger” of serious physical harm. Schools are now required to report every seclusion or restraint incident to the state and provide more employee training.
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The rules do not ban restraints in the prone, or face-down, position, instead allowing them for at least one more school year with the goal of eliminating them by July 2021. ISBE officials said the legislative rule-making committee, under pressure from some private schools, insisted that prone restraint be allowed before it would approve the agency’s rules. ISBE has said it supports legislation to ban prone restraint.
“We look forward to reengaging with the General Assembly on this important topic over the next year,” ISBE spokeswoman Jackie Matthews said.
Zena Naiditch, president and CEO of Equip for Equality, a disabilities watchdog in Illinois, said the group is “devastated that the legislature failed to act.” Unlike other states that have outlawed or severely restricted schools’ use of seclusion and restraint, “Illinois’ school industry continues to be steadfast in its opposition to reform, and the legislature has been all too willing to bend to their preferences,” she said.
Alison Maley, who represented school groups in the discussions, said the legislation did not address the burden placed on school workers or concerns about student privacy. The draft legislation required that students’ medical and abuse history be considered when developing individualized behavior plans, and the groups worried that confidential information could be shared without appropriate consent.
She said the group supports a ban on prone restraint. “The ISBE rules really did change a lot of things for the better in a significant way,” said Maley, government and public relations director of the Illinois Principals Association. “We are still committed to working on the issue. We want to make sure student safety and educator safety are in mind. We just weren’t there yet when (the legislative) session started back up again.”
Phil Milsk, a legislative adviser for the Illinois Association of School Social Workers, said the organization opposed the legislation because it was not clear that it applied to all schools, including private schools and special education cooperatives. He said requiring two debriefing meetings after each time out or restraint was “excessive” and would be “a huge burden on staff” and families.
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The proposed legislation would have required one meeting be held with workers involved in the incident and another with employees who had not been involved, such as social workers or behavioral specialists. The goal of both meetings would be to learn what could have been done differently to avoid the time out or restraint.
“Our school social workers can barely keep up with all the responsibilities that they already have,” said Milsk, who added that the school groups asked that the legislation be modified to address their concerns and they “felt like we weren’t being listened to.”
State Sen. Ann Gillespie, an Arlington Heights Democrat who sponsored the Senate bill, at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on Jan. 29, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Kyle Hillman, director of legislative affairs for the National Association of Social Workers, which supported the measure, said he was disappointed that opposition derailed the bill after months of negotiations.
“We have said from the beginning that ... ultimately the bad actors in this state are not willingly going to end this abusive practice,” he wrote in a statement. “We continue to hold out hope our elected officials step up and end this practice now before this becomes another Illinois tragedy story.”
State Sen. Ann Gillespie, an Arlington Heights Democrat who sponsored the Senate bill, said she was disappointed that administrative provisions of the bill, dealing with reporting and meeting requirements, kept it from becoming law.
“There’s gotta be a little pain if you’re trying to overcome inertia,” Gillespie said. “We’ll continue to fight.”
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Smith Richards is a Tribune reporter. Cohen is a reporter for ProPublica Illinois.
jrichards@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-29--Column: In praise of patience as our locked-down world moves to reopen

Often referred to as a virtue , patience is also a skill .
You learn it by doing , and @ @ @ @ @ need to do it .
We live in a 24/7 world of instant this and @ @ @ @ @ , faster , now .
Even the word “ patience ” sounds old-fashioned , like @ @ @ @ @ character in a Victorian novel .

Security guard Anthony Redmond stands on Wednesday, May 27, 2020, at the North & Sheffield Commons shopping mall in Chicago, where several stores have reopened for business at a limited capacity. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
A big orange umbrella was fluttering outside the Peet’s coffeehouse on North Avenue on Wednesday, like a giant hand waving hello. It caught my eye as I drove past, and glancing over I spotted a familiar face.
“Anthony!” I called.
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Anthony Redmond is a security guard at North & Sheffield Commons but he’s also the social heart of the strip mall, always quick with a greeting, a smile and a story for regular customers and strangers alike. Over many years, we’ve talked, often at length, several times a week.
But the mall has been as barren as a tundra since the pandemic hit, the parking lot empty, most of the store windows covered by boards. Peet’s reopened recently for contactless pickup at the door but a coffeehouse without seats is like coffee without beans, so I hadn’t stopped by, which meant I hadn’t seen Anthony.
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“You think we’re ready for everything to open up?” he said almost as soon as I steered my car into the lot.
I rolled my eyes.
“Me neither,” he said. “Why can’t people wait?”
“Because people are fundamentally impatient?” I said.
With a short, rueful laugh, he said, “Impatient to die.”
I’ll get back to Anthony, but first, a few thoughts about patience.
Patience, as defined by one dictionary, is “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.”
Often referred to as a virtue, patience is also a skill. You learn it by doing, and modern life has eroded our need to do it. We live in a 24/7 world of instant this and on-demand that, of fast, faster, now. Even the word “patience” sounds old-fashioned, like the name of a meek character in a Victorian novel.
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But then came a pandemic, and patience was back in vogue.
We’ve needed patience as we wait for our jobs to return, or return to normal. As we wait to go back to the movie theater, the beach, the bar, to a restaurant or to school. As we wait to see the people we love or simply enjoy.
All that waiting is a struggle. But many of us do it with the conviction that patience is an investment. We tolerate “delay, trouble, or suffering” now for the payoff of a better future, one in which more people stay healthy and alive.
So far, patience has paid off. A hundred thousand people in this country are dead from a virus most of us hadn’t heard of not so long ago. Without our collective patience, that terrible number, and all the wreckage that comes with it, would be far greater.
But now here we are in Illinois, in the last week of May, poised for Friday’s phase three of the reopening. That means restaurants, retailers and other enterprises can cautiously get back to business, with modified practices.
Chicago, however, is waiting until June 3 for even a partial loosening of the rules, meaning more patience is required, which brings me back to Anthony. The delay is fine by him.
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“I know everybody’s hurting, but don’t be in a rush,” he said. “My life is worth more than a party or sand on my feet.”
Anthony has continued to work three days a week patrolling the empty strip mall (he noted that his boss has been paying him for five) and he’s glad for the work. But the solitude has been hard.
“I barely saw a roach come past,” he said.
He grew so bored that he spent hours cultivating his skill at kicking a rock aimed at a crack in the sidewalk near Peet’s. His shoes are scuffed from the practice.
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Being home — on one of the safer blocks in the West Side neighborhood of Lawndale— has required patience, too. To fill the time, he’s been tending his two puppies. He often takes care of his grandson. He regularly goes upstairs to check on his 84-year-old mother, always careful to keep a good distance and often smelling of Pine-Sol from his relentless cleaning.
“I can’t sit down,” he said. He even washed the walls.
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On the day we talked, the boards came off the windows of the Pottery Barnand the West Elm at North & Sheffield Commons. People straggled past to peer hopefully into the windows. Anthony will be glad to have some customers around, but he’s hoping that everyone continues to do all the right things — keep social distance, wash their hands, wear a mask — so that all this sacrifice doesn’t wind up wasted.
I asked him if he had any further words for those eager to gather in crowds.
“Yes,” he said. “Stay home. Read a book. Learn to do something. Play checkers. FaceTime.” He laughed. “Wipe your walls.”
In short, stay patient. It’s exciting to think of life opening up again, but the virus is still stalking us. For now, patience is the only escape route.
mschmich@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-29--South and west suburbs see 8%-15% decrease in home values amid coronavirus pandemic, Cook County ass

South and west suburbs see 8%-15% decrease in home values amid coronavirus pandemic, Cook County assessor says

Commercial properties in Cook County have also taken a hit — some as much as 38 % , according to @ @ @ @ @ ’ s analysis of publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trusts .
As a result , @ @ @ @ @ receive an increase in their capitalization rates , which estimate the rate of income return @ @ @ @ @ means their properties will be assessed at a lower value because they are receiving less @ @

The Cook County assessor’s office has estimated double-digit home value declines for property owners in the south and west suburbs this year as the brutal economic impact from the coronavirus rages on.
The region, part of Cook County due for a reassessment in 2020, saw values for single-family homes and condos fall between 8% to 12.2%, while the value of multifamily apartments ( two to six units) plummeted between 10% to 15.2%, according to a report the assessor’s office released Thursday.
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Commercial properties in Cook County have also taken a hit — some as much as 38%, according to the assessor’s office’s analysis of publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trusts. As a result, many commercial property owners will receive an increase in their capitalization rates, which estimate the rate of income return on property. The adjustment means their properties will be assessed at a lower value because they are receiving less income.
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The report is the first official account by the assessor’s office that property values are suffering in Cook County after the COVID-19 pandemic led to record-breaking unemployment and devastated commercial sectors such as the renter’s market. About 41 million people nationwide have applied for unemployment since the pandemic began in March.
“The impact of COVID-19 on employment is unprecedented,” the assessor’s office’s report says. “The volume of unemployment claims and business closings merited research as to the potential impact on real estate values in Cook County.”
The assessor’s office is tasked with determining the value of properties in Cook County for tax purposes, and the process is done in three waves. But amid the coronavirus outbreak the office had to hunker down and apply “COVID-19 adjustments” when applicable in reassessing the south and west suburbs. Thus, those assessment notices, usually mailed late March, were postponed.
“After we began our work, however, the COVID-19 pandemic led to substantial economic, social, and market effects,” the assessor’s office’s report states. “These economic and market effects can have corresponding effects on real property values.”
Normally, Chicago and the north suburbs would not be due for a property reassessment this year. But since the pandemic, the assessor’s office has announced it will update that entire area’s property assessments in the “near future,” the report said. Property owners do not have to appeal their most recent assessment to qualify.
To calculate the adjusted home values, the assessor’s office estimated regional unemployment and declines in housing prices in each neighborhood in the south and west suburbs. Townships in that area that already received initial values this year will receive new numbers after the assessor’s office calculates the COVID-19 adjustment.
Proviso Township had the biggest decrease in one of its neighborhoods, with a 15.21% drop in multifamily property value, while a section of Oak Park had the smallest at 8.02% for single-family homes and condos. But the range of percentages varies within most of the townships in the south and west suburbs.
For commercial properties, which include larger apartments, the assessor’s office researched the extent of missing rent collections, lower hotel occupancy rates and businesses affected by the stay-at-home order to determine how much income property owners are losing.
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The impact of the adjustments will not matter until next year, when 2020’s property taxes will be due. Cook County property owners pay for taxes based on the previous year’s assessments.
The assessor’s office also updated its appeal rules as of May 18. Practitioners will be required to file appeals online, and the appeal period is shortened from 40 to 35 days.
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-29--Chicagoans protest in response to the killing of George Floyd

As the coronavirus spreads globally , it has been revealed that some notable people have tested positive for the virus @ @ @ @ @ of most recently reported .

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chicagotribune--2020-05-29--Chicago police boss David Brown announces mobile unit to fight summer crime, but promises community

Chicago police boss David Brown announces mobile unit to fight summer crime, but promises community service too

Brown talked to the Tribune earlier this month about how he was thinking of starting a permanent , roving citywide @ @ @ @ @ that have come and gone through the years in the department and proven to be @ @ @ @ @ were to start one up , he had said he would add a service component @ @ @ @ @ Thursday .

Chicago police Superintendent David Brown takes off his face mask for a news conference to announce the launch of the summer mobile patrol unit, at McCormick Place on May 28, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago police Superintendent David Brown on Thursday announced the annual start of a citywide unit used to help tamp down violence where it’s most needed in the city.
The summer mobile unit, which began its work Thursday, is used to respond to sudden flare-ups in violence and other unrest only during warmer weather months.
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But this year, Brown said the unit will have a community-policing component to it, requiring officers to use portions of their shifts to get involved in community service.
“This is not just some roving strike force,” said Brown, during a news briefing outside McCormick Place. “We’re adding a component of summer mobile to do some type of community service project as part of their workweek. We don’t want them (to be) perceived, or in actuality, a strike force, or something that’s not connected to the community.”
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Brown talked to the Tribune earlier this month about how he was thinking of starting a permanent, roving citywide unit — similar to others that have come and gone through the years in the department and proven to be controversial. But if he were to start one up, he had said he would add a service component like the one he announced Thursday.
The activities could include delivering meals to senior citizens or engaging with young people, he said.
“It just reminds you that our roles are multifaceted. We can really engage the community in a lot of different ways rather than just coming in when there’s a crisis," Brown said. “And now they go out into the community and they have this sensitivity for the community in a different way than they would without that interaction.”
Chicago police Superintendent David Brown answers reporters' questions during a news conference to announce the launch of the summer mobile patrol unit, at McCormick Place on May 28, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Brown said the unit will be working with the city’s new summer operations center, or “SOC,” where CPD personnel monitors a network of security cameras and works with other city agencies like the CTA, the Chicago Park District and Streets & Sanitation. The SOC will be looking at 911 calls and other crime information to help determine where to deploy the mobile cops.
“When CPD officers have reason to believe there might be trouble coming to a specific block or neighborhood, the summer mobile unit is there to proactively discourage criminal activity,” Brown said.
Brown’s announcement of the unit follows the deadliest Memorial Day weekend here in five years, three days which saw 10 people fatally shot and about 40 others wounded by gunfire.
And the violence continued this week. More than 20 people were shot between Tuesday afternoon and early Wednesday, including a 5-year-old girl and two teenage boys.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot publicly admonished Brown after the Memorial Day weekend bloodshed, calling the department’s crime-fighting efforts “a fail.”
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“... Whatever the strategy is, it didn’t work,” she said Tuesday.
But on Thursday, Lightfoot clarified her remark at a news conference, pledging support for her top cop. She said the "fail” comment was not directed at him personally.
“Superintendent Brown has, and will continue to have, my unflagging support, full stop,” she said.


chicagotribune--2020-05-29--Sens. Durbin and Duckworth defend House Democrats’ $3 trillion pandemic stimulus package, urge end t

Sens. Durbin and Duckworth defend House Democrats’ $3 trillion pandemic stimulus package, urge end to Senate GOP opposition

“ I think the vast majority of Americans are actually listening to scientists and are doing the sensible thing , @ @ @ @ @ contacts but then to keep ourselves and our family members and our neighbors safe , @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s what we need to do , is look out for one another @ @ @ @ @ and we can survive this , but only if we come together as a group @ @ @ @ @ t just listen to those on the fringe .
”

Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth on Thursday defended the $3 trillion coronavirus relief package approved by House Democrats earlier this month and criticized Republicans who control the Senate for not moving more quickly to assist taxpayers and local governments.
Appearing on a televised town hall on WGN-Ch. 9, the two Democratic senators also appealed for a sense of public unity as the pandemic and stay-at-home orders have exacerbated political divides — something Duckworth said has been promoted by President Donald Trump.
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“I think we start off by having a commander in chief, a president in the White House who does not stoke those divides, right? We need to set the example as political leaders, as those who are in government, for the support of health care and to believe and listen to science,” said Duckworth, who has been on the list of those being considered as running mate to presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden.
“I think the vast majority of Americans are actually listening to scientists and are doing the sensible thing, which is to limit our contacts but then to keep ourselves and our family members and our neighbors safe,” she said. “That’s what we need to do, is look out for one another. We can come together and we can survive this, but only if we come together as a group. And we can’t just listen to those on the fringe.”
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Durbin, the state’s senior senator and the No. 2 ranking Democrat in the chamber, said there was a “real sense of urgency” for moving ahead with a new coronavirus relief package. He and Duckworth backed the measure the House passed on May 15, which is opposed by Republicans led by Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell. The Republicans favor a pause in financial relief to see how previous money allocated as a result of the pandemic have been spent.
Durbin said the House package would extend a $600 federal weekly bonus to unemployment checks, which is set to expire at the end of July, provide another round of $1,200 stimulus checks to adults and boost the amount to parents of children, enhance funding for hospitals, and extend and relax provisions of the Paycheck Protection Program to small businesses.
“The biggest piece of it goes to state and local governments,” Durbin said of the $1 trillion allocated for that purpose in the House-passed bill.
“If we don’t get a helping hand from Washington for state and local governments, there are going to be layoffs of policemen and firefighters and teachers and medical workers — the exact opposite of what we need at this moment,” he said.
Illinois lawmakers last weekend approved a new state budget that is heavily dependent upon more federal help from Washington. The state would borrow up to $5 billion from a special municipal program created by the Federal Reserve and would pay it off from relief funds from a new stimulus bill.
Durbin said while people may ask how the nation can afford continued multitrillion-dollar efforts to keep the economy afloat, he cited comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. Powell, he said, is “a very conservative Republican leader, who says, ‘Now is the time to get this economy back and strong, or you ain’t seen nothing yet when it comes to debt and deficit.’”
Duckworth agreed that the House measure had “a lot in here that would really help working families.”
“I just wish Mitch McConnell would wake up to the fact that not everyone is a millionaire and let’s care about working families for a change,” she said.
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rap30@aol.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-29--U. of I. study says Illinois can expect more than half-million full-time job losses, tens of billion

U. of I. study says Illinois can expect more than half-million full-time job losses, tens of billions of dollars in production and income due to pandemic

The study by the university system ’ s Institute of Government and Public Affairs also warned that more than $ @ @ @ @ @ be lost to Illinois citizens and businesses , along with $ 76 billion in economic @ @ @ @ @ goods and services produced due to stay-at-home and business closures .

A pedestrian passes the closed Chicago Workforce Center at 18th St. in Pilsen on May 1, 2020. A sign on the window stated that the office was closed until further notice "in order to protect everyone through social distancing." (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois will lose the equivalent of 550,000 yearlong full-time jobs due to the pandemic, with 40% of them concentrated in trade, transportation, leisure and hospitality services and the professional sector, according to a new study from the University of Illinois.
The study by the university system’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs also warned that more than $28.5 billion in income will be lost to Illinois citizens and businesses, along with $76 billion in economic output representing the value of goods and services produced due to stay-at-home and business closures.
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The study’s authors said that in a slow reopening of the state’s economy, small changes in the critical economic component of household spending, such as non-food shopping or going to restaurants, could significantly impact a recovery.
The authors of the study note that the recession caused by the pandemic appears unlike previous economic-driven recessions, as Illinois’ economy is moving in concert with the entire country rather than lagging behind the rest of the nation.
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“What cannot be forecast at this time is whether Illinois’ recovery will lag that of the U.S. or whether the historical divergence between Illinois and U.S. job growth will persist, widen or narrow,” said the authors, professors Geoffrey J.D. Hewings, Kenneth Kriz and David Merriman.
Illinois, they said, has a complex interactive economy, and interruptions in one sector have ripple effects that affect directly or indirectly other sectors. As a result, the authors projected 400,000 direct yearlong job losses from the pandemic and another 150,000 from a multiplier effect of indirect job losses for each direct job lost.
The study forecast a decline of nearly $52.6 billion in production in the service sector, representing a loss of $19.7 billion in income and more than 389,000 full-time jobs. The transportation, communications and public utilities sector will see a $14 billion loss in production, $4.2 billion in income and a decline of more than 65,000 jobs.
The study said the ripple effect in the state’s economy is evident in less vulnerable sectors. Construction output will fall $2.6 billion and income loss will be $1.3 billion while 26,450 jobs in the sector will be lost. Governments in Illinois will have more than 30,000 full-time job losses, the research found.
“Many of the unemployed will be able to garner relatively generous unemployment benefits due to recently enacted federal legislation” granting an additional $600 in weekly benefits through July, the authors said. “Despite this potentially mitigating factor, the hardship is undeniable and the macroeconomic repercussions are immense.”
The study said a significant influence on economic recovery will be the degree that employees feel comfortable returning to the workplace and how households view the risk of attending cultural and leisure activities.
“These were not risks faced by households in the recovery from previous recessions, so they add an important layer of uncertainty to the current economic situation,” the study said.
rap30@aol.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-29--Here’s what will be different Friday, when most of the state (but not Chicago) moves into phase thre

Here’s what will be different Friday, when most of the state (but not Chicago) moves into phase three of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan

· Child care centers that have been open during the first two phases of Pritzker ’ s stay-at-home order to @ @ @ @ @ of essential workers will be allowed to expand service .
Centers reopening in phase three @ @ @ @ @ infants or 10 children per classroom for the first four weeks .

Bow and Arrow salon owner Riley Craig-Shaffer colors the hair of client Maggie Smith on May 21, 2020, in Springfield, Illinois. Craig-Shaffer reopened the salon and sees one client at a time. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
All four regions of the state are poised to move into the next phase of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan Friday, which means many restaurants will be back open for outdoor service and “nonessential” retailers will be open to shoppers.
Except in Chicago, where Mayor Lori Lightfoot said on Thursday the city won’t advance to the next phase of reopening until Wednesday, June 3, when retail, hotels and restaurants will be allowed to open under guidelines.
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The opening of libraries and park buildings will happen on June 8.
The city (and all cities and counties) can enact tighter guidelines than the state, but not looser ones. For the most part, Chicago’s guidelines are similar to the state’s.
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While the state’s opening up a bit, don’t throw away those masks yet, they’ll continue to be required in public.
After being in almost total shutdown for more than two months, here are the new coronavirus rules of the road in phase three of Pritzker’s “Restore Illinois” plan.
Restaurants and bars
· Outdoor dining and drinking will be allowed, but limited to parties of six or fewer, with tables spaced at least 6 feet apart from one another and from customer service areas. Rooftop establishments are included, but retractable roofs have to stay open.
· Businesses are advised to implement a reservation or call-ahead system, and customers are asked to wear a mask over their nose and mouth except for when they are eating and drinking at a table.
— In Chicago,
· The application process for restaurants to reopen is pending.
Retail
· “Nonessential” retailers — such as those that don’t sell necessities like food and medicine — will be able to open to customers for the first time since mid-March, as will shopping malls. Customers and employees have to wear face coverings.
· Statewide, retailers will have to limit the number of customers in a store at one time to half the usual capacity, or five customers per 1,000 square feet of retail space. That’s similar to the rules that have been in place for grocery stores and other “essential” retailers since May 1.
· Fitting rooms have to be disinfected after each use or must remain closed. Returned items must be disinfected or quarantined for 72 hours before going back on the rack.
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— In Chicago,
· Nonessential retailers will be limited to 25% of normal capacity.
Personal care services
· Hair salons, barbershops, hair braiders, spas, tattoo parlors, nail salons, waxing centers and cosmetology schools are among the personal care services that can reopen, but they must limit services to those that can be performed with both the customer and the employee wearing a facial covering over their nose and mouth.
· Reservations only, no walk-ins.
· Massages and other body treatments must be 30 minutes or less.
— In Chicago,
· Salons and other businesses will be limited to 25% of normal capacity.
Child care
· Child care centers that have been open during the first two phases of Pritzker’s stay-at-home order to provide care for the children of essential workers will be allowed to expand service. Centers reopening in phase three will be limited to eight infants or 10 children per classroom for the first four weeks.
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· Children and staff will have to change shoes upon arrival, and anyone with a temperature of 100.4 or higher must not be admitted.
· Staff must wear masks. Children older than 2 must wear masks when entering and exiting, in hallways and whenever possible in the classroom. Masks will be optional for staff and children during outdoor play.
· Licensed and license-exempt home day cares can reopen. License-exempt homes will be limited to three unrelated children, and licensed homes will be limited to either their licensed capacity or 10 children, whichever is smaller.
· Home day cares have to be able to provide sleep space for each child with 6 feet of separation.
Recreation and fitness
· Outdoor recreation businesses such as driving ranges, outdoor shooting ranges and adventure courses can reopen, with individual stations spaced 10 feet apart. Group sizes will be limited to 10 or fewer people, following social distancing guidelines. Clubhouses and communal gathering spots must remain closed.
· Health clubs and gyms can reopen for one-on-one personal training and outdoor classes with 10 or fewer participants. Workout equipment must be spaced 10 feet apart or 6 feet apart with barriers. Locker rooms must be configured to allow for 6 feet of distance between members.
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· While some state parks reopened as the state moved into phase two on May 1, all state parks and concessions will reopen in phase three, with concessions operating under the same guidelines as other restaurants and retailers.
· Golf courses will be able to allow foursomes, and use of carts can resume, with one person per cart, unless they are members of the same household.
· Camping and boating will be allowed in groups of 10 or fewer, with social distancing and other precautions.
— In Chicago,
· The lakefront will remain closed for the time being, according to Lightfoot’s office, as will playgrounds. Noncontact sports will be permitted in parks.
Youth sports and day camps
· Youth sports may resume noncontact practices, drills and lessons that allow for 6 feet of distance between participants. Competitive games will be prohibited.
· There must be one adult per 10 participants, and there should be no mixing of participants between teams for the duration of a season.
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· Handshakes are out, and participants are required to bring their own water. Spectators are prohibited unless required for parental supervision or social distancing guidelines can be followed.
· Indoor facilities may open at 50% capacity.
· Overnight camps are prohibited, but day camps will be allowed, with enough space for 6 feet of distance between participants for all activities.
· Camp activities that require physical exertion should take place outdoors, but all camps should have enough indoor space to accommodate all participants with 6 feet of distance and groups of 10 or fewer.
— In Chicago,
· Guidelines for summer programs and youth activities “will be available later in phase three when those entities are predicted to begin reopening,” according to the mayor’s office.
Offices
· While offices can reopen at 50% capacity, all employees who can continue working from home should be allowed to do so.
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· Employees should wear face coverings when within 6 feet of co-workers.
· Employers should space out occupied workstations by at least 6 feet or install impermeable barriers between workstations. The use of shared desks and workspaces is discouraged.
· Vending machines should be sanitized after each use.
Manufacturing
· Factories, plants and mills can resume operations with either 6 feet of distance or impermeable barriers between employee workstations, and ramped-up cleaning and disinfecting between shifts.
dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-29--The Spin: Illinois on track for looser COVID-19 restrictions on Friday l Lightfoot says Chicago will

The Spin: Illinois on track for looser COVID-19 restrictions on Friday l Lightfoot says Chicago will ease some next week | President Trump extends National Guard deployments, signs executive order on social media

“ Let ’ s be clear : Under no circumstances should our move to phase three be confused with this @ @ @ @ @ ’ s not .
COVID-19 is still very much part of our present .
I @ @ @ @ @ enough , '' Lightfoot said .
“ And as we reopen , please understand that @ @ @ @ @ the full knowledge that we can not totally eliminate risk of this virus.
” Read @ @ @ @ @ from John Byrne , Dan Petrella and Adam Lukach here .

Craig Mathey, 50, left, and Alexander Gonzalez, 36, install concrete inside the entrance of Happy Camper Pizzeria in the Lakeview neighborhood on May 27, 2020, in Chicago. Mayor Lori Lightfoot recently stated Chicago will begin reopening from the coronavirus lockdown on June 3. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago suburbs and the rest of Illinois have been gearing up for looser coronavirus restrictions to start tomorrow.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker today confirmed that all regions of Illinois will be moving ahead to phase three of his “Restore Illinois” plan on Friday — a phase that offers some additional relaxations for nonessential businesses and other outdoor activities. Remember, Pritzker’s initial stay-at-home order went into effect on March 21.
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Chicago, however, has been waiting for some clarity from Mayor Lori Lighftoot on when the nation’s third largest city might move ahead with the rest of the state in Illinois. That answer came today, when Lightfoot said that would happen on June 3. The city’s plan is largely the same, but has some tighter restrictions than Pritzker’s plan — and the lakefront will remain closed for now.
Meanwhile, Lightfoot and new Chicago police Superintendent David Brown are weighing in on the Minnesota police actions that led to the death of George Floyd.
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Welcome to The Spin.
At City Hall on May 8, 2020, Dr. Allison Arwady, left, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, listens as Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot holds a news conference to announce plans to reopen the city weeks after restrictions were imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 disease. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday delivered the news stir-crazy and out-of-work Chicagoans have been awaiting for weeks: Restaurants, hotels and many more businesses will get to start opening Wednesday, albeit with reduced capacities and tight rules in place designed to stop COVID-19 cases from spiking as more people emerge after months under a stricter stay-at-home order.
The opening of libraries and park buildings west of the lakefront, along with other city services, will happen on June 8, Lightfoot said. The mayor said she will have to see how things go with these initial steps before considering reopening the city’s lakefront.
Even as she made the announcement, Lightfoot struck a warning note: Screw this up and I’ll send the city back to the tougher restrictions of phase two.
“Let’s be clear: Under no circumstances should our move to phase three be confused with this crisis being over because it’s not. COVID-19 is still very much part of our present. I can’t emphasize this enough," Lightfoot said. “And as we reopen, please understand that we are doing so with the full knowledge that we cannot totally eliminate risk of this virus.” Read the rest of the story from John Byrne, Dan Petrella and Adam Lukach here.
Lightfoot backs Chicago’s bid to be one of the NHL’s playoff hubs — if the city meets safety protocols: “Hockey is deeply ingrained into the sports fabric of our city.” Phil Thompson has the story.
But if you’re wondering what the rest of the state outside of Chicago can expect tomorrow, read this analysis from Dan Petrella and Jamie Munks.
Illinois stores everywhere but Chicago can start reopening Friday. Here’s what to expect in phase three, from Lauren Zumbach.
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Here’s what suburban diners need to know starting Friday, from Ariel Cheung and Grace Wong.
And, what to know if you plan to hang out with 10 people or fewer this weekend, from Christen A. Johnson.
Sign up for The Spin to get the top stories in politics delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.
A protester holds a sign with an image of George Floyd during protests May 27, 2020, in Minneapolis against the death of Floyd in Minneapolis police custody earlier in the week. (Christine T. Nguyen | MPR News/AP)
To avoid a local repeat of the videotaped death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, Chicago police Superintendent David Brown on Thursday ordered that his 13,000-strong department undergo mandatory training in light of the incident that has generated outrage across the country.
The death of Floyd, who died after being restrained on the ground earlier this week, has sparked violent protests and prompted that city’s mayor to ask the governor to activate the National Guard. Floyd, who was black, was seen on video saying he could not breathe while a white officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes.
In a statement, Brown said he addressed the incident with his CPD commanders Thursday morning and asked that they discuss it with their officers. Read the rest of Jeremy Gorner’s story here.
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Mayor Lori Lightfoot also discussed the Floyd case, comparing it to Chicago’s Laquan McDonald slaying: Read John Byrne’s story here.
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office before signing an executive order related to regulating social media on May 28, 2020, in Washington. Trump's executive order could lead to attempts to punish companies such as Twitter and Google for attempting to point out factual inconsistencies in social media posts by politicians. (Doug Mills/Pool/Getty Images North America/TNS)
President Donald Trump said Thursday he would extend federally covered National Guard deployments to deal with the coronavirus pandemic through mid-August amid an outcry that an earlier cutoff date would deny members access to benefits.
“The men and women of the National Guard have been doing a great job fighting the Coronavirus. This week, I will extend their Title 32 orders through mid-August, so they can continue to help states succeed in their response and recovery efforts,” the president tweeted.
The Title 32 designation means that the Guard’s activations are federally funded, saving the states from the cost of utilizing Guard members. Trump’s previous extension of Guard deployment lasted until June 24 — one day before thousands of members would have qualified for education and retirement benefits.
Administration critics questioned whether the original date was set intentionally in an effort to avoid awarding benefits, including access to the post-9/11 GI Bill, that become available after 90 days of activation in a federal emergency.
Read the rest of Rick Pearson’s story here.
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From The Associated Press: "President Donald Trump escalated his war on Twitter and other social media companies Thursday, signing an executive order challenging the lawsuit protections that have served as a bedrock for unfettered speech on the internet.
“Announced with fanfare, the president’s action yet appeared to be more about politics than substance. He aims to rally supporters after he lashed out at Twitter for applying fact checks to two of his tweets.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker speaks during his daily coronavirus pandemic briefing at the Illinois State Capitol Wednesday, May 20, 2020, in Springfield, Illinois. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune/pool) (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
The state tried to test for COVID-19 in every nursing home. It’s now ordering homes to do it themselves.
From Joe Mahr: Citing the devastating toll COVID-19 has taken in nursing homes, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday ordered all long-term facilities to figure out how to test residents and staff for the virus.
The new emergency rule for the first time pushes the testing responsibility to the facilities themselves, and it signals the Pritzker administration’s most confrontational stance to date against an industry that increasingly had been pressuring the government to lead and expand testing efforts.
In announcing the rule, Pritzker told reporters that some privately run facilities had refused state help, forcing the state to impose rules “to counteract any heel-dragging” in efforts to stem the spread of a virus that’s already killed more than 2,400 residents and staffers, nearly half of Illinois’ total fatalities from the virus.
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Read the rest of the story here.
Sexual misconduct reports and calls to Illinois’ child abuse hotline have plummeted since coronavirus arrived. But ‘vulnerable students are at greater risk of harm.’
From Hannah Leone: Sexual misconduct allegations in Chicago Public Schools had been on the rise this year until the coronavirus pandemic forced school buildings to close. Since then, the reports have plummeted, with fewer than half as many allegations against adults working in schools made this March and April than during the same months last year.
“When the schools closed and the students were sent home for remote learning, those numbers dropped significantly," said Interim Inspector General Philip Wagenknecht, whose office investigates misconduct allegations against CPS-affiliated adults involving students or other minors.
Working remotely presents a challenge to Wagenknecht’s office, too, he said at Wednesday’s virtual Chicago Board of Education meeting. While investigators are conducting as many phone and video interviews as they can and continue to issue subpoenas, some parts of the job must be done in person, which may result in some cases taking longer than usual to resolve, Wagenknecht said.
Read the rest of the story here.
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Former Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro was launching a new political action committee on Thursday, called People First Future. Castro’s PAC, which is aimed at helping progressive Democratic candidates across the country, initially is backing a dozen congressional candidates including U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood and Illinois 3rd Congressional District candidate Marie Newman, according to a news release.
Castro, a former San Antonio mayor, said the organization will “help mobilize grassroots supporters, provide financial and surrogate support in critical races, and build a nationwide bench of progressive Democrats.”
Castro’s endorsement of Underwood comes a day after the National Republican Congressional Committee elevated her Republican opponent this fall, state Sen. Jim Oberweis, to the final phase of its “Young Guns” program. The group also gave the same designation to former state Rep. Jeanne Ives, a Republican challenging U.S. Rep. Sean Casten in Illinois’ 6th Congressional District.
Ives and Oberweis were among 15 candidates across the country to make it to the next round of the NRCC’s Young Guns program, according to an NRCC news release.
Cook County awards $8 million in animal shelter grants to city of Evanston, south suburban nonprofit: Two animal shelters in Cook County are getting a combined $8 million to expand their facilities and ensure there is no overcrowding. Read the rest from Alice Yin here.
Thanks for reading The Spin, the Tribune’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.


chicagotribune--2020-05-29--What are you planning to do with more stuff open? Our survey shows a lot of you are planning to be c

What are you planning to do with more stuff open? Our survey shows a lot of you are planning to be cautious.

But there are those who are ready .
“ I ’ m going to call on Friday and see if @ @ @ @ @ then we ’ ll make appointment for whenever they ’ ll take us , ” @ @ @ @ @ Elmwood Park .
One respondent was emphatic as to what they ’ ll leave the @ @ @ @ @ !
this will be the only exception I will make is to go get my @ @ @

Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
With most of Illinois on the cusp of being able to go out to eat at a restaurant outdoors, shop at more retail businesses, get a haircut, hit the gym or enjoy a number of outdoor activities that have been shuttered or limited during the COVID-19 outbreak, the pivotal question now becomes: What are you comfortable doing?
The Tribune did a very unscientific survey asking readers of chicagotribune.com what they planned — or did not plan — now that most of the state is entering phase three of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s “Restore Illinois” plan.
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More than 200 people responded, and the overwhelming sentiment was caution, though the specifics and explanations were definitely mixed.
Going out to a restaurant
On the no side, one respondent said, "I'd wait a few weeks after they open to ensure they are not causing a surge in cases."
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Another: “We have been getting by just fine with curbside pickup and takeout. We’ve been tipping 20+% like we would if we were dining in. I wouldn’t feel confident about not being exposed to the virus if we were sitting at a restaurant with strangers and workers,” Laura Earle said.
On the other hand, there were a number of respondents who said they would head out to a restaurant. “Absolutely! I’ll take my less than 1% chance of dying and start living again,” one respondent said.
Getting a haircut
Many respondents said a trip to the barber or salon was not worth the risks or that it wasn’t yet an emergency.
But there are those who are ready. “I’m going to call on Friday and see if they’re open and then we’ll make appointment for whenever they’ll take us,” said Chrissy Litrenta, of Elmwood Park. One respondent was emphatic as to what they’ll leave the house for: “Yes! this will be the only exception I will make is to go get my haircut.”
Going shopping
Many of the no answers for shopping more focused on online retail and sticking to necessities. Yet there were yes answers as well. One respondent said yes to shopping “as soon as possible. Enough of this violation of the rights of the citizens and stealing our freedom.”
Going to the gym
The worry on gyms had to do with germs, like this respondent: “Hell no! Gyms are disgusting as is, as if I trust that sweaty person who just used the machine before me to wipe it down properly with a disinfectant.”
However, the survey was filled with those who expressed a strong desire to hit the gym or the yoga studio again. Many answered that they are working out at home.
Gathering with friends or family
More survey respondents said they would gather with others now that the restrictions are less constrained. “My three best friends and I, before this pandemic, typically had a ‘girls’ night’ at least once a month. Since the pandemic hit, we haven’t been able to do that with not being allowed to meet in person and the fact that we’re all essential workers,” said Kaitlin Cordes, of Effingham.
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But there were also others who said they'd wait on gathering.
“Not at this time. I do not fully trust others to be abiding by social distancing and CDC best practices and am not willing to risk them bringing corona into my life,” one respondent said.


chicagotribune--2020-05-30--Dining, shopping, personal training back on the menu as suburban Chicago reopens during coronavirus

Dining, shopping, personal training back on the menu as suburban Chicago reopens during coronavirus pandemic

The quartet said tennis is a sport that has built-in social distancing , and that they were taking extra steps @ @ @ @ @ .
Each brought her own tennis balls to serve , and when one picked up @ @ @ @ @ , she flipped it up with her racket , never touching it with her hands @ @ @ @ @ tennis bags apart .

Stacy St. Clair, John Keilman, Lauren Zumbach, Grace Wong, Christy Gutowski

Vendors wear masks as customers are reminded to shop with their eyes and not touch the produce at the Oak Park farmers market on May 30, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
After 68 days under a broad government order to stay home, many Illinoisans took their first tentative steps back into restaurants, shopping malls and fitness centers Friday despite a viral pandemic that has slowed but remains a grave threat.
On a gorgeous late spring day, people in the suburbs filled restaurant patios that had been eerily empty even as the temperatures grew more hospitable. Fitness buffs returned to gyms for training sessions long put on hold. Clients entered salons, desperate for bangs to be trimmed and roots to be colored.
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“It’s a strange feeling,” said Christine Clymer, who shared an early lunch with her sister, mother and daughter on the patio of Quigley’s Irish Pub in Naperville. “You know you’re allowed to be doing this, but it’s still an odd sensation. It doesn’t feel normal yet.”
Indeed, for many, the renewed privileges were tempered by concerns that people would handle their renewed freedoms irresponsibly and trigger another wave of disease and death in a pandemic that had already infected more than 117,000 and killed 5,270 statewide. Some decided to deny themselves a quick shopping trip, making their own personal calculation to avoid sickening their loved ones or spreading the disease.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who took the dramatic step of closing nonessential businesses on March 21, acknowledged the continued risk Friday as he praised the public’s cooperation. Illinois is one of the few states to meet the White House guidelines to reopen its economy and has moved into what Pritzker has dubbed phrase three of the reopening plan. Chicago plans to take its first steps in that direction on Wednesday.
“Just so we’re clear on this, the virus is still out there," the governor said. “And it’s still very dangerous.”
Bozica “Betty” Kosanovic understands those risks, so she spent the past several days cleaning, sanitizing and reconfiguring areas of her small Elmhurst salon to maximize social distancing. Though she was required to do so by law, Kosanovic made the effort because of her clients, the longtime patrons who helped sustain her during the shutdown with prepaid appointments, donations and encouraging words that they would be back in her chair before long.
[ Here's how the first day of phase 3 unfolded across the Chicago suburbs ]
Like many Illinois business owners, she could exhale — albeit only slightly — after two drawn-out months that tested her patience, her creativity and her financial resources.
“It’s really like getting ready for a wedding,” she said of her excitement at getting back to work. “My clients are not just my customers. We are like family. When you come here, you don’t just get your hair done.”
At Jim & Pete’s, a long-standing Italian restaurant in Elmwood Park, general manager Robert Settefrati plans to celebrate the state’s reopening Saturday with a six-piece band as a way of thanking customers.
“It’s very hard keeping it full with just pickup and deliveries," he said. "But we did OK, it wasn’t a disaster, unlike other restaurants that don’t have outside seating or pickup and delivery. We were one of the lucky ones.”
With the help of a large tent set up in the parking lot, Jim & Pete’s will be able to serve at least 100 diners at a time. Crest Hill resident Sharon Steinbach was one of them Friday, as she ate calamari rings during a long overdue lunch with her sister.
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“It’s just beautiful,” Steinbach said of the sunny day. “You take precautions, you can’t do much more than that. The rest is in the hands of the Lord.”
[ Illinois’ stay-at-home order ends and restrictions lifted on churches as the state advances to next phase of reopening ]
In Naperville, Anderson’s Bookshop reopened Friday with a sense of relief and purpose, a rare suburban business that can boast of surviving both the 1918 flu pandemic and the coronavirus lockdown.
Owner Becky Anderson grew up listening to her grandmother recount how the family shop — then a drugstore that sold books, gifts and medicine — helped local families during the Spanish flu quarantine. Those stories only steeled her resolve to keep the store afloat.
“Knowing that our family has gone through a lot and still stayed in business helped‚” she said. “I knew we would get to the other side of this, and we did. Now I know that we’re going to make it.”
With reminders about social distancing and masks posted throughout the store, customers walked slowly among the stacks and enjoyed the no-longer-forbidden act of leisurely browsing. Ruth Reynolds drove from Shorewood with a sense of giddiness over her renewed freedom.
She said she told her husband to stay home because she didn’t want anyone to rush her. She wanted to look at book jackets, read the employees’ recommendations taped to the shelves and make a book selection without involving Amazon.
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“This is the biggest thing that has happened to me in two months,” said Reynolds, who was carrying an arm full of literary fiction. “I have to keep reminding myself not to touch the books until I’m sure I’m going to buy them. But, other than that, I am just so happy.”
[ How to hang out with 10 people or fewer as Illinois and Chicago reopen ]
Nancy Schwartz also purchased some books before heading to a nearby barber to get a haircut for her 13-year-old son, William Hawkins.
“I don’t really think I need one,” Hawkins said. “I’m not sure why we have to do this today.”
His mother gave the teen — and his head of hair that hadn’t been cut since February — a look of disbelief.
Schwartz had intended to get it trimmed right before spring break, but the pandemic wreaked havoc on all best-laid plans. And there was no chance that she'd play amateur barber.
“He was already dealing with enough not being able to go to school and socialize with his friends. I didn’t want to traumatize him any more with my attempt at an at-home haircut,” she said, laughing.
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Phillip Tyler handled William’s taper fade. His Naperville barbershop already is booked for the next three weeks.
“I’ve spent the past two months watching YouTube videos (of cutting techniques) and dreaming about holding clippers again, so I am ready for this,” he said. “It feels like it’s my very first day on the job and I’m actually excited.”
Others, however, struggled to understand the excitement felt by the newly liberated.
[ Mayor Lori Lightfoot says Chicago will experiment with shutting down some neighborhood streets for outdoor dining options ]
Sharon Ostrowski voiced bafflement at people voluntarily rushing into newly opened businesses. The 62-year-old Beverly attorney described the situation with a metaphor about bees being in workplaces, stinging and killing people. Folks are going back in even though the metaphorical bees are still there, she said.
"It just boggles my mind. The pandemic is not over,” she said. “Why (do) we suddenly think ‘it’s over, it’s fine, we can go out’? I just don’t understand that thinking.”
Many shoppers and diners appeared to adhere to CDC guidelines Friday, as they wore masks and maintained 6 feet of social distance. At Northbrook Court shopping mall, there were kiosks with hand sanitizer at each entrance and security provided masks to people who requested them.
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In addition to cleaning high-traffic areas more frequently, the mall removed some seating and covered every other restroom sink with blue plastic to encourage people to spread out.
“I’m not afraid,” said Margaret Knurowski, manager of Giuseppe Collection. “I’m just having a hard time with the mask.”
In addition to businesses reopening, Friday also marked the rebirth of many suburban recreational and fitness opportunities.
In Elmhurst, the park district opened its tennis courts, much to the relief of friends Anne Rago Hackett, Lisa O’Brien, Monica Anderson and Christine Juneman, who had been champing at the bit to play.
"I woke up giddy today at the thought of playing," said Rago Hackett, who was at the courts at Eldridge Park. "Very happy to resume tennis."
The quartet said tennis is a sport that has built-in social distancing, and that they were taking extra steps to keep it that way. Each brought her own tennis balls to serve, and when one picked up another player’s ball, she flipped it up with her racket, never touching it with her hands. They even kept their tennis bags apart.
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“It’s safe,” Anderson said. “A lot of people think it’s not safe. If you’re playing doubles correctly, you are 6 feet apart.”
Eve Montesano’s return to the gym Friday was back and biceps day, a welcome change from the home workouts she had done while the stay-at-home order was in effect.
“It’s not the same,” the soon-to-be University of Iowa freshman said at Elite Fitness + Gym in Western Springs. “I definitely missed coming to the gym.”
Fitness centers are now allowed to have outdoor group exercise sessions — Elite Fitness has an outdoor area covered with artificial turf reserved for just that purpose — but inside, patrons must work with a trainer one-on-one during phase three.
Gym co-owner Megan Wolz was playing that role for Montesano, slipping on her mask when she had to get within 6 feet. Training is usually a hands-on job, but for now, Wolz said, she has to rely on verbal instructions and gestures.
“It’s definitely easier, if you have to spot someone, to be able to touch them,” she said. “It makes things tough, but we do what we have to do.”
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The gym will get closer to normal operations in phase four, which can begin as early as June 26 if the state’s COVID-19 numbers continue to improve. Wolz said her gym already is committed to the frequent and intense equipment cleaning that will be necessary when more clients arrive.
“It’s not really that huge of a difference for us,” she said. “My husband was previously a bodybuilder, and that was one of his pet peeves — gyms that are dirty. He hates it.”