chicagotribune--2020-06-25--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 715 new known COVID-19 cases and 64 more fatalities as Pritzker say

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 715 new known COVID-19 cases and 64 more fatalities as Pritzker says no plans to quarantine visitors from states with spiking infection rates

” That ’ s not something that we are looking at implementing right now , but going forward if we @ @ @ @ @ that , we might , ” Pritzker said Wednesday at an unrelated news conference in @ @ @ @ @ can say is that New York and New Jersey and Connecticut have been through an @ @ @ @ @ ve had so many people die , so many people hospitalized .
A really tragic @ @ @ @ @ can understand why they might feel a need , when they see other places on @ @ @ @ @ ’ re actually doing a good job of keeping the rates down , that they @ @ @ @ @ way in which to diminish or keep down the number of cases .
”

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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)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday he is not currently considering asking visitors to Illinois from states with spiking coronavirus infection rates to quarantine upon arrival, a measure the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut announced they would impose as summer officially begins.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced a joint travel advisory for those states requiring all incoming visitors from states with coronavirus infection rates above a certain threshold to quarantine for 14 days from the time they were last in contact with that state.
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Illinois health officials on Wednesday announced 715 new known cases of COVID-19 and 64 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known cases to 138,540 and the death toll to 6,770 statewide.
[ Illinois will enter phase 4 of reopening plan Friday. Here’s a guide to what’s allowed. ]
[ How will Illinois reopen? Three charts breaking down Pritzker’s plan ]
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
Here’s what’s happening Wednesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
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8:10 p.m.: Judge orders McDonald’s to improve COVID-19 safety training
A judge on Wednesday ordered several Chicago McDonald’s restaurants to adopt new safety measures for social distancing, training and masks, granting a partial win to workers who sued the fast food giant for allegedly failing to adequately protect them from COVID-19.
In issuing the preliminary injunction, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Eve Reilly said the restaurants were not enforcing their mask policies or training employees about social distancing in a way that is consistent with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s order, creating a public nuisance.
The order was in response to a proposed class action lawsuit filed by five employees of four local McDonald’s, and four of their live-in relatives, against Chicago-based McDonald’s and three franchisees. The suit alleged that inadequate safety protocols endangered the public and sought injunctive relief to require the chain to provide better training and equipment.
The judge denied claims that McDonald’s was negligent and said the company had taken many measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, including putting up plexiglass in the drive-thru and counters, taking employee temperatures and providing masks and gloves.
But she highlighted two “serious failures” in the company’s processes, including training managers that people can be closer than six feet apart as long as it’s not for more than 10 minutes, which she said is inconsistent with the state’s guidelines and “potentially hazardous” in combination with a failure to consistently enforce the proper wearing of masks. Read more here. — Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz
5:44 p.m.: ‘Another unusual school year’ awaits Chicago Public Schools as it figures out if buildings will reopen this fall
Chicago Public Schools is planning for multiple scenarios as it looks to when and how schools will reopen, CEO Janice Jackson told Board of Education members Wednesday.
It’s still undecided if in-class instruction will resume in CPS at all this fall. But one thing seems clear: “We know this will probably be yet another unusual school year,” Jackson said. Read more here. — Sophie Sherry and Hannah Leone
4:17 p.m.: Fitness clubs can reopen for indoor workouts Friday, but stricter rules in Chicago have some gyms worried
After months with nothing but virtual workouts and, more recently, personal training and outdoor classes, CrossTown Fitness has been getting ready to let people back inside its three Chicago gyms.
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There are socially distant workout stations marked on the floor. They’ve stocked up on cleaning supplies to disinfect weights, cardio equipment and frequently-touched surfaces, and purchased devices to check temperatures and disinfect shoes upon entering. One trainer made a video offering advice on how to work out in a mask. Read more here. — Lauren Zumbach
4:14 p.m.: Restaurants, bars reopen Friday: What you need to know about dining out
As Illinois moves into phase four of the coronavirus reopening Friday, restaurants and bars can invite patrons indoors again. After poring through dozens of pages of city, state and federal safety guidelines, we put together a simplified guide to everything you should know about dining out during the continuing pandemic. Read more here. — Louisa Chu
3:11 p.m.: Chicago Dogs will play home games in Rosemont after all — with some fans allowed in
The Chicago Dogs, an independent-league baseball team based in Rosemont, announced Wednesday that they will be playing their home games at Impact Field in the northwest suburb — and a limited number of fans can attend. The home opener is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. July 7 against the Milwaukee Milkmen.
The Dogs originally planned to play at Franklin Field, home of the Milkmen. The American Association of Independent Professional Baseball had devised a “hub city” system in which teams would share a home base in states with more liberal reopening rules. But Illinois will enter phase four of its reopening plan Friday, allowing outdoor spectator sports to resume at 20% capacity.
While the team is working with state and local officials before it sets a limit on spectators, the capacity of Impact Field is 6,300, meaning roughly 1,260 fans would be allowed.
Meanwhile, three other Chicago-area minor-league teams — the Schaumburg Boomers, Joliet Slammers and Windy City Thunderbolts, based in Crestwood — learned Wednesday that their season was canceled. The Frontier League suspended its season because of “ongoing gathering and travel restrictions in many of our locations.” Read more here. — Chris Boghossian
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2:46 p.m.: Pritzker says Illinois has no plans to quarantine visitors from states with spiking COVID-19 infection rates
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday he is not currently considering asking visitors to Illinois from states with spiking coronavirus infection rates to quarantine upon arrival, a measure the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut announced they would impose as summer officially begins.
”That’s not something that we are looking at implementing right now, but going forward if we got the advice to do that, we might,” Pritzker said Wednesday at an unrelated news conference in Geneseo. “All I can say is that New York and New Jersey and Connecticut have been through an awful lot. They’ve had so many people die, so many people hospitalized. A really tragic, tragic situation. I can understand why they might feel a need, when they see other places on the rise, when they’re actually doing a good job of keeping the rates down, that they might look at every possible way in which to diminish or keep down the number of cases.”
Earlier Tuesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced a joint travel advisory for those states requiring all incoming visitors from states with coronavirus infection rates above a certain threshold to quarantine for 14 days from the time they were last in contact with that state.
That joint travel advisory to the three eastern states applies to any traveler coming from a state with a 10% or higher positivity rate over a seven-day rolling average. The states plan to use messaging in airports, on highway signage and on social media, and are asking hotels to communicate the 14-day quarantine to guests traveling from one of the identified states. Read more here. —Jamie Munks
2:35 p.m.: 715 new known COVID-19 cases, 64 more fatalities
Illinois health officials on Wednesday announced 715 new known cases of COVID-19 and 64 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known cases to 138,540 and the death toll to 6,770 statewide.
2:10 p.m.: From closed rest areas to drive-thru testing limitations, truck drivers face rough road during coronavirus pandemic
Life as a long-haul trucker has always had its challenges — boredom, bad traffic and tough schedules.
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But the coronavirus pandemic has added new problems, with closed rest stops and roadside restaurants, along with varying levels of compliance by both drivers and the individuals they encounter when it comes to wearing face masks Drivers say it can also be tough for for them to get tested for COVID-19.
With several interstate highways and its location in the nation’s center, Chicago is a major trucking hub. Truck drivers offer a unique perspective on the coronavirus pandemic because they are one of the few groups of essential workers who have been traveling regularly between different regions of the country.
Read more here. —Mary Wisniewski
1:30 p.m.: University of Chicago hospital eliminating COVID-19 units
The University of Chicago Medical Center is eliminating its units dedicated to COVID-19 patients as the number of people suffering from the illness has dropped.
Instead, patients with COVID-19 will be cared for in isolation rooms, the hospital’s incident commander said in a memo sent to faculty and staff Tuesday. As of Wednesday morning, the hospital had 18 patients with the illness, compared with more than 140 in mid- to late April.
”Our patients and community will be better served by caring for our COVID-19 patients in appropriate isolation rooms and allowing our COVID-19 units to return to serving their regular patient populations,” the memo stated.
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Read more here. —Lisa Schencker
12:46 p.m.: For Aurora area restaurant owners, opening up for indoor dining will be ‘like a family reunion’
Restaurant owners in the Aurora area say they are “excited” for Friday, when indoor dining will be allowed again as the state eases some restrictions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Friday begins Phase 4 of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan. Restaurants will be able to be fully operational as long as tables are at least six feet apart for social distancing, parties do not exceed 10 and standing areas including bars remain at 25% capacity.
Phil Cullen, owner of Ballydoyle Irish Pub in downtown Aurora, said Friday “would be like a family reunion.”
”Frankly, I can’t wait to see some of our regulars again and I’m sure they feel the same way,” Cullen said a few days before Friday’s opening. “It’s a new world in the restaurant business and in some ways, the opening with outdoor seating has been a blessing in disguise. The last few weeks have given us a chance to get our feet wet, and now we can bring the same routine inside.”
Jim Ebel, co-owner of Two Brothers Roundhouse in Aurora, said he and his brother Jason and staff “are excited about the Friday opening.”
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”We have things spaced out and we’re staffed for the reopening, and hopefully people will come out,” Jim Ebel said. “With the rain always being a component of outdoor dining, being able to move indoors will make for a more consistent business.”
Read more here. —David Sharos
11:04 a.m.: Porchlight Music Theatre moves entire 2020-21 season back a year
Porchlight Music Theatre says it is postponing its entire 2020-21 season by a full year.
Instead of beginning its previously announced mainstage slate of “Legally Blonde,” “Titanic” and “25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee” at the Ruth Page Arts Center, 1016 N. Dearborn St., this fall, all of those shows will become the 2021-22 subscription season.
A spokesperson for the company said the decision regarding its 26th season reflects the ongoing uncertainty in the COVID-19 crisis, especially as to when the authorities will allow live theatrical productions to resume in a viable way.
Read more here. —Chris Jones
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10:50 a.m.: New York City Marathon is canceled, but the Chicago Marathon remains in limbo
As another major fall marathon announced its cancellation Wednesday, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon remains in limbo.
The New York City Marathon, the world’s largest marathon, will not be run Nov. 1 because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
The 43rd running of the Chicago Marathon is still tentatively scheduled for three weeks before that on Oct. 11, but earlier this month organizers announced they could not definitely say whether a race would be held. A countdown clock on the website notes 108 days until the race.
”We’re continuing our preparations for the event with the goal of providing a safe race weekend experience,” organizers posted on their website June 8. “This includes working with city and state officials to align our preparations with their current guidelines and re-opening framework.”
The Chicago Marathon typically draws about 45,000 runners and wheelchair athletes to the city, with a record 45,786 finishers from 50 states and more than 100 countries in 2019. Organizers estimate about 1.7 million spectators annually line the 26.2-mile course that starts and ends near Grant Park and travels as far north as Wrigleyville and as far south as Bridgeport.
Read more here. —Colleen Kane
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7:11 a.m.: Chicago to expand outdoor dining program in five neighborhoods
Chicago officials were scheduled to announce an expansion of the city’s outdoor dining program Wednesday, including the closure of streets or expanded sidewalk dining in five neighborhoods to allow more businesses in dense areas to offer outdoor service.
With the state and city moving to Phase Four of the state’s reopening plan Friday, restaurants will be able to offer limited indoor dining, but the city has worked to expand the number of eateries with outdoor seating, especially in areas where they usually don’t have room.
According to a release from the mayor’s office, the new dining areas, which will go into effect over the weekend, are:
Balmoral Avenue on both sides of Clark Street in Andersonville;
Chinatown Square at Archer Avenue between Wentworth and Princeton avenues in Chinatown.
Taylor Street, from Loomis Street to Ashland Avenue in the Little Italy neighborhood.
Oliphant Avenue from Northwest Highway to an alley just north of the Northwest Highway in Edison Park.
And sidewalk dining on 75th Street between Indiana and Calumet avenues in the Chatham neighborhood.
The five new street closures come on top of a small pilot program that has closed parts of Broadway, Rush Street and Oakley Avenue for outdoor dining.
“The announcement comes on the heels of an ordinance passed by City Council earlier this month that temporarily removes regulatory burdens for sidewalk cafe permits and ensures establishments can operate as quickly and safely as possible,” according to a release from the mayor’s office. “As of this week the City has approved over 1,000 sidewalk café permits and will be sending refunds for 75% of the permit fee to over 500 business that already paid for the sidewalk café permit in full.”
—Chicago Tribune staff
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5 a.m.: Column: Chicago’s new ‘social distancing ambassadors’ are helping us stay safe on the lakefront
Congratulate when congratulations are due. Educate when needed. Those are among the principles that Colleen Lammel-Harmon, who manages the city’s new social distancing ambassadors program, has taught her trainees, and education was clearly what was needed with some people now that Chicago’s Lakefront and 606 trails are open.
This week’s reopening has come with big new signs on the lakefront. One invokes the need for face coverings, a protection against the virus that in late March prompted the trail’s closure. Another says in giant letters: KEEP IT MOVING.
Signs alone, however, aren’t as persuasive as people, and that’s where the ambassadors come in. There are 300 so far, mostly Chicago Park District employees. By July there will be more, many of them ages 16 to 24, who will be what Lammel-Harmon calls “example makers.”
Columnist Mary Schmich visited the lakefront with the people working to keep everyone safe amid the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Here is some of what happened Tuesday in Illinois related to COVID-19:


chicagotribune--2020-06-25--Judge orders McDonald’s to improve COVID-19 safety training

“ The current McDonald ’ s environment leads employees , including managers , to believe they can take off their @ @ @ @ @ feet of each other as long as they do not do so in excess of @ @ @ @ @ wrote .
“ This increases the health risk for the employees , their families , @ @ @ @ @ whole and conflicts with the Governor ’ s Executive Order on social distancing potentially undoing @ @ @ @ @ as we fight this incredibly contagious disease .
”

A judge on Wednesday ordered several Chicago McDonald’s restaurants to adopt new safety measures for social distancing, training and masks, granting a partial win to workers who sued the fast food giant for allegedly failing to adequately protect them from COVID-19. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)
Workers at McDonald’s have been among the most vocal in complaining that they weren’t being adequately protected from COVID-19.
On Wednesday, a Cook County judge agreed with them.
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Cook County Circuit Court Judge Eve Reilly ordered several Chicago McDonald’s restaurants to adopt new safety measures for social distancing, training and masks, granting a partial win to workers who sued the fast food giant for allegedly failing to adequately protect them from COVID-19.
In issuing the preliminary injunction, Reilly said the restaurants were not enforcing their mask policies or training employees about social distancing in a way that is consistent with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s order, creating a public nuisance. The injunction comes as the city and state move to phase four of reopening on Friday.
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The order was in response to a lawsuit seeking class-action status that was filed by five employees of four local McDonald’s, and four of their live-in relatives, against Chicago-based McDonald’s and three franchisees. The suit alleges that inadequate safety protocols endangered the public and sought injunctive relief to require the chain to provide better training and equipment.
The judge denied claims that McDonald’s was negligent and said the company had taken many measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, including putting up plexiglass in the drive-thru and counters, taking employee temperatures and providing masks and gloves.
But she highlighted two “serious failures” in the company’s processes, including training managers that people can be closer than six feet apart as long as it’s not for more than 10 minutes, which she said is inconsistent with the state’s guidelines and “potentially hazardous” in combination with a failure to consistently enforce the proper wearing of masks.
“The current McDonald’s environment leads employees, including managers, to believe they can take off their masks and stand within 6 feet of each other as long as they do not do so in excess of 10 minutes,” Reilly wrote. “This increases the health risk for the employees, their families, and the public as a whole and conflicts with the Governor’s Executive Order on social distancing potentially undoing any good it has done as we fight this incredibly contagious disease.”
Reilly ordered the injunction against DAK4, a franchisee that operates a McDonald’s at 10320 S. Kedzie Ave.; and McDonald’s Restaurants of Illinois, a wholly owned subsidiary of the company that operates restaurants at 2438 W. Cermak Rd. and 3867 S. Archer Ave.
McDonald’s, in a statement, said it was pleased the judge found that strong measures were already in place.
“These measures are part of the 50 processes we have enhanced during the pandemic to keep restaurant employees and customers safe,” the company said. “We have also issued a 59-page guide outlining national minimum restaurant standards, including adhering to social distancing guidelines for customers and crew, conducting wellness and temperature checks, requiring protective barriers, face masks and gloves, increasing the frequency of handwashing and providing contactless purchasing options to customers.”
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chicagotribune--2020-06-26--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 894 new known COVID-19 cases and 41 more fatalities as state report

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 894 new known COVID-19 cases and 41 more fatalities as state reports daily testing milestone

“ And just to make it perfectly clear , we would not do this , even if the governor allowed @ @ @ @ @ it would be unsafe .
And so , there will be social distancing when people @ @ @ @ @ ” Kenney said .
“ He mentioned 20 % capacity .
We ’ re looking @ @ @ @ @ how can we responsibly socially distance up to 20 % , or in our case @ @ @ @ @ Field .
As you know , we are one of the smaller ball fields , @ @ @ @ @ footage .
”

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
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)
Illinois health officials Thursday reported 894 new known cases of COVID-19 and 41 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known cases to 139,434 and the death toll to 6,810. The state also announced a record number of test results with 31,686, the first time Illinois has recorded more than 30,000 results in a single day.
Meanwhile, Chicagoans are slowly returning to restaurants, offices and camps, even as much remains unknown about how, exactly, the coronavirus spreads. It’s a question researchers across the globe have been trying to answer for months — and now a team at the University of Chicago is joining efforts to find out.
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[ Illinois will enter phase 4 of reopening plan Friday. Here’s a guide to what’s allowed. ]
[ How will Illinois reopen? Three charts breaking down Pritzker’s plan ]
[ 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:
7:45 p.m.: Illinois looks to further reemerge from coronavirus restrictions on Friday
On the eve of Illinois’ move into the next phase of reopening its economy, Gov. J.B. Pritzker struck a victorious tone but also warned that Illinois would reinstitute more stringent restrictions if there’s an eventual backslide in data that illustrates a coronavirus resurgence in the state.
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Starting Friday, all four regions of the state as designated in Pritzker’s “Restore Illinois” reopening plan will move into the fourth of five phases, when gatherings of up to 50 people as well as restricted indoor dining at restaurants are allowed. Other phase four perks, after months of few entertainment options, include a limited reopening of movie theaters and performing arts centers, zoos and museums.
Wearing facial coverings and social distancing in public will still be required in the next phase. Public health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike had strong words for people who refuse to wear a face covering in public and said not doing so was tantamount to “a game of Russian roulette.”
State officials also will be on guard monitoring health statistics that could give advance warning of a possible reemergence of the silent coronavirus threat.
“Of course when I look at states that are moving backward and at such a rapid pace, I always think, are we doing this right, are we handling this right, are we measured in our reopening? And I think we are measured in this reopening, we’re being careful,” Pritzker said. “You can’t turn on the television and see what’s happening in Arizona, Florida, Texas, South Carolina, etc., and not ask questions — are we getting it right?”
Read more here. —Jamie Munks
5:24 p.m.: Illinois casinos and video gaming locations set to reopen July 1
Chicago-area gamblers will soon have some places to place their bets.
The Illinois Gaming Board announced Thursday casinos and video gaming operators across the state can reopen at 9 a.m. July 1, with capacity limits, social distancing and other required measures aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19.
Customers can expect some elbow room, face masks and the scent of sanitizers wafting through their favorite gambling establishments.
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The gaming board developed a “gaming resumption process that protects the public health of patrons and employees, while restarting gaming activities in a meaningful way,” administrator Marcus Fruchter said in a news release.
Casino and video gaming operations were suspended March 16 as the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a statewide stay-at-home order for everything but essential businesses. Illinois is set to enter Phase 4 of its reopening plan Friday, with museums, restaurants, gyms, movie theaters and other businesses able to reopen their doors — with capacity limits.
Under the gaming board restrictions, Illinois casinos will be limited to 50% capacity, with six-foot social distancing required at all table games, slot machines, sportsbooks, restaurants and other common areas.
Read more here. —Robert Channick
4:00 p.m.: Illinois announces record number of coronavirus test results
Thursday, the state announced a record number of coronavirus test results with 31,686, the first time Illinois has announced more than 30,000 results in a single day.
In early April, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a goal for 10,000 results a day. The state first met that mark on April 24 and hasn’t fallen below that benchmark since.
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In the 62 days since April 24, the state has released more than 20,000 tests a day 36 times and more than 25,000 tests a day 13 times. As of Thursday, the state posted 1.46 million test results.
Read more here. — Chicago Tribune Staff
3:43 p.m.: As Chicago reopens, questions remain about how COVID-19 spreads. Hospital researchers are looking for answers.
Chicagoans are slowly returning to restaurants, offices and camps this month, even as much remains unknown about how, exactly, the novel coronavirus spreads.
It’s a question researchers across the globe have been trying to answer for months — and now a team at the University of Chicago is joining efforts to find out, by attempting to measure where and how the virus spreads in the rooms of COVID-19 patients at the university’s hospital.
Read more here. — Lisa Schencker
3 p.m.: Lightfoot says Chicago’s ‘not there yet’ on fans in stands at ballparks
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday threw up the stop sign on the idea of fans in the stands at Chicago’s ballparks this season, saying neither the Cubs nor the White Sox have provided any specifics on how they would keep attendees safe from the coronavirus.
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With Major League Baseball set to start training camp on July 1 in advance of a 60-game sprint to the playoffs, Cubs vice President of Business Operations Crane Kenney went on the team’s broadcast radio station, 670 The Score, on Thursday and said he’s optimistic there will be fans in seats at Wrigley Field at some point this year.
Not so fast, Lightfoot said at a news conference later in the day. “First of all, that’s a discussion that we have not had with any of the major sports teams in that level of specificity,” she said.
While Gov. J.B. Pritzker this week released a plan for phase four of the state’s re-opening that includes attendance at outdoor sports venues at 20% of stadiums’ capacity, Lightfoot has so far been noncommittal about allowing that.
Kenney during his radio appearance talked about the governor’s capacity restrictions and how to comply with them at the historic North Side ballpark.
“And just to make it perfectly clear, we would not do this, even if the governor allowed it, if we thought it would be unsafe. And so, there will be social distancing when people come into the ballpark,” Kenney said. “He mentioned 20% capacity. We’re looking at manifests to find out how can we responsibly socially distance up to 20%, or in our case about 8,000 fans inside Wrigley Field. As you know, we are one of the smaller ball fields, in terms of just square footage.”
Read more here. —John Byrne
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2:45 p.m.: Lightfoot announces plan to provide free internet to 100,000 Chicago children after coronavirus reveals ‘unacceptable disparities across the city’
Billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin and the Obamas are among the financial backers of an ambitious plan announced by Mayor Lori Lightfoot Thursday to provide free high-speed internet to more than 100,000 Chicago students and their families.
The effort is expected to take four years and cost $50 million, with the largest chunk of startup money, $7.5 million, coming from Griffin, and millions more provided by other local philanthropists and federal CARES stimulus money.
“This first-of-its-kind program will be one of the largest and longest-term efforts in the nation to provide free, high-speed internet over the course of four years to dramatically increase internet accessibility for students and help build a permanent public support system for families in Chicago,” according to a city statement.
The abrupt shift to remote learning amid the coronavirus pandemic this spring laid bare a gaping digital equity issue in Chicago Public Schools, where roughly a third of students were found to lack reliable access to digital schoolwork. Since then the district has provided tens of thousands of laptops and tablets for families in need.
Read more here. —Hannah Leone
2:35 p.m.: 894 new known COVID-19 cases, 41 more fatalities
Illinois health officials Thursday announced 894 new known cases of COVID-19 and 41 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known cases to 139,434 and the death toll to 6,810 statewide.
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—Chicago Tribune staff
1:34 p.m.: US health officials believe 20 million Americans have had coronavirus, nearly 10 times as many infections as confirmed cases
U.S. officials believe as many as 20 million Americans have contracted the coronavirus, suggesting millions had the virus and never knew it.
That’s nearly 10 times as many infections as the 2.3 million cases that have been confirmed and comes as the Trump administration works to tamp down nationwide concern about the COVID-19 pandemic as about a dozen states are seeing worrisome increases in cases.
Read more here. —Associated Press
10:28 a.m.: Chicago restaurants can reopen at 25% capacity Friday, but will they? Here’s what we found when we asked.
Chicago restaurateurs can open their doors to indoor dining on Friday, but not everyone plans to participate.
Relaxed rules in phase four of the coronavirus reopening plan will permit restaurants to operate indoors at 25% capacity, up to a maximum of 50 guests. That’s a bonus, albeit a minor one, for a lot of places, but not nearly enough for others.
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Read more here. —Phil Vettel
7:40 a.m.: US jobless claims drop for 12th straight week, but Illinois sees increase
The number of laid-off workers who applied for unemployment benefits declined slightly to 1.48 million last week, the 12th straight drop and a sign that layoffs are slowing but are still at a painfully high level.
The steady decline in claims suggests that the job market has begun to slowly heal from the pandemic, which shuttered businesses and sent the unemployment rate up to 14.7% in April, its highest level since the Great Depression.
Illinois saw an increase in the number of people filing first-time claims. In the week ended June 20, 46,005 people in the state sought unemployment insurance benefits, compared with 44,694 Illinois residents a week earlier.
The latest national figure also coincides with a sudden resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the United States, especially in the South and West, that’s threatening to derail a nascent economic rebound.
Read more here. —Associated Press
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6 a.m.: ‘Guns are flying off the shelf.’ Permit applications up more than 500% amid coronavirus pandemic and George Floyd fallout.
Take your pick. The pandemic, the police killing of George Floyd, the presidential election. Protests, looting, calls to “defund the police.”
Any one of such similar events historically has been enough to push some people off the fence, prompting them to finally buy a gun or add to their collection.
But with a wave of crises crashing across the country, more than 40,000 Illinoisans applied for a gun permit in a little more than two weeks this month, more than 500% over this time last year, according to Illinois State Police.
From June 1 to June 17, there were more than 42,000 applications for FOID cards, compared with about 7,000 during the same time last year, a 501% increase.
The 42,089 applications over those 17 days come close to the 48,194 applications submitted in the months of December, January and February combined. Applications reached nearly 5,000 on a single day in June.
Read more here. —Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas
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6 a.m.: Former Simeon star Jabari Parker reveals he tested positive for coronavirus
Sacramento Kings forward Jabari Parker, a former standout at Chicago’s Simeon High School, revealed Wednesday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus.
He made the announcement in a statement released by the Kings. Parker expects he will be with his team when the NBA season resumes at the Disney complex near Orlando, Florida, next month.
“Several days ago I tested positive for COVID-19 and immediately self-isolated in Chicago which is where I remain,” Parker said in his statement. “I am progressing in my recovery and feeling well. I look forward to joining my teammates in Orlando as we return to the court for the resumption of the NBA season.”
All 22 NBA teams that will be part of the resumed season began mandated testing Tuesday. League officials have expected that positive tests would be inevitable, and believed that starting a testing regimen now — roughly five weeks before games begin at Disney — will give players with positive results time to recover and get back with their teams before those contests start July 30.
Read more here. —Associated Press
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Here’s are five things that happened Wednesday in Illinois related to COVID-19:


chicagotribune--2020-06-26--After months of limited options from the pandemic, Illinois looks to further reemerge from coronavir

After months of limited options from the pandemic, Illinois looks to further reemerge from coronavirus restrictions on Friday

“ Of course when I look at states that are moving backward and at such a rapid pace , I @ @ @ @ @ doing this right , are we handling this right , are we measured in our @ @ @ @ @ we are measured in this reopening , we ’ re being careful , ” Pritzker @ @ @ @ @ ’ t turn on the television and see what ’ s happening in Arizona , @ @ @ @ @ Carolina , etc.
, and not ask questions — are we getting it right ?
@

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)
On the eve of Illinois’ move into the next phase of reopening its economy, Gov. J.B. Pritzker struck a victorious tone but also warned that Illinois would reinstitute more stringent restrictions if there’s an eventual backslide in data that illustrates a coronavirus resurgence in the state.
Starting Friday, all four regions of the state as designated in Pritzker’s “Restore Illinois” reopening plan will move into the fourth of five phases, when gatherings of up to 50 people as well as restricted indoor dining at restaurants are allowed. Other phase four perks, after months of few entertainment options, include a limited reopening of movie theaters and performing arts centers, zoos and museums.
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Wearing facial coverings and social distancing in public will still be required in the next phase. Public health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike had strong words for people who refuse to wear a face covering in public and said not doing so was tantamount to “a game of Russian roulette.”
State officials also will be on guard monitoring health statistics that could give advance warning of a possible reemergence of the silent coronavirus threat.
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People walk on a closed North Broadway in Chicago on June 12, 2020. Broadway became the first street to close several blocks to allow extra outdoor dining space for restaurants. On Friday, the restaurants will be able to open indoors, with limited capacity. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Pritzker acknowledged Thursday that as the state lifts restrictions that have been in place for months and more person-to-person interactions take place, “there are many more opportunities for the spread of COVID-19.”
A number of other states that lifted restrictions earlier have seen a surge in COVID-19 case numbers, and some governors have paused their reopenings amid those spikes. Pritzker drew a distinction between Illinois and such states that have “opened things up completely or done it in a not measured fashion.”
“Of course when I look at states that are moving backward and at such a rapid pace, I always think, are we doing this right, are we handling this right, are we measured in our reopening? And I think we are measured in this reopening, we’re being careful,” Pritzker said. “You can’t turn on the television and see what’s happening in Arizona, Florida, Texas, South Carolina, etc., and not ask questions — are we getting it right?”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot earlier this week announced Chicago, which had been considering a further loosening of restrictions on July 1, would move to phase four with the rest of the state on Friday as well. As mayor, Lightfoot has the authority to impose stricter limitations than the state.
City Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said because Chicago had “blown right past the benchmarks that we had set for moving to phase four” in terms of lowering the spread of the disease convinced Lightfoot to move ahead despite concerns about spikes in cases in other cities and states.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks alongside Gov. J.B. Pritzker at the Thompson Center in May 2020. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Arwady also said the city had left open the possibility of moving to the next stage with the rest of the state if Chicago exceeded the metrics for new coronavirus cases.
“It’s already the potential for some confusion among people living here in Chicago if they’re hearing about different dates that the state is moving versus dates that the city is moving, and so first I think there’s a practical consideration that if we felt like we were there, we wanted to be able to move at the same time,” Arwady said. “But more importantly the data really let us know that we were there.”
Nevertheless, there appears to be a discrepancy in the language on gathering sizes between Pritzker’s and Lightfoot’s reopening plans. Pritzker’s plan caps gathering sizes at 50 people whether they are held indoors and outdoors, while Lightfoot’s phase four plan says the city would allow for gatherings of 50 people indoors and cap outdoor events at 100.
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A Lightfoot spokeswoman said the city would allow for up to 100 people outdoors, “if everyone is seated or otherwise stationary.”
Under the state rules for phase four, for performing arts venues, recreational and youth sports, and other outdoor events where spectators are seated, there is a limit set at 20% of the venue’s capacity. This would allow different individuals and groups in attendance to socially distance from others, and is considered different from a gathering where a group of up to 50 people is commingling, such as a birthday party, a Pritzker spokeswoman said.
“The state’s guidelines that limit outdoor gatherings to 50 people, are geared towards events like weddings where people are not stationary. The city would not allow this type of gathering for 100 people, and therefore is not less strict,” a Lightfoot spokesperson said in an email.
Asked Thursday about the city placing a 100-person cap on outdoor events and whether he had spoken to Lightfoot about it, Pritzker said “she has not called me about this.”
“Look, it’s very clear, our state has set guidelines and every municipality has the obligation to follow the guidelines ...” Pritzker said at a Thursday news conference in Chicago. “So I think that’s known by the city and understood by really all municipalities across the state.”
If regions in the state see a negative trend in the metrics that public health officials have been monitoring to determine whether they can advance to the next phase of reopening, it could trigger a move back to earlier restrictions, a point Pritzker has repeatedly emphasized.
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According to his reopening plan, sustained increases in the coronavirus positivity rate, hospital admissions for people with COVID-19-like symptoms, a reduction in hospital capacity and a “significant outbreak” in a given region could trigger a move backward.
“If we start to see hospitalizations go up and are unmanageable, we would cut back on elective surgeries,” Pritzker said. “That’s one example of a change we could make, but we’re taking this as it comes.”
Pritzker also left open the possibility for adjustments to the phase four rules if the state sees stable numbers over the next few weeks. While Illinois moved quickly to phase four under the current state reopening guidelines, Pritzker’s plan says in order to get the fifth and final phase, there would need to be a COVID-19 vaccine, “an effective and widely available treatment” or the elimination of new cases over a sustained period of time.
“The goal here is to move ever closer to a restoration of activities and businesses that can be done in a safe and healthy fashion,” he said.
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Thursday announced 894 newly confirmed coronavirus cases and 41 additional deaths. Illinois has now seen 139,434 known cases and 6,810 fatalities since the pandemic began.
Wednesday’s statewide new known case count was 715, which marked the first time the new daily case numbers surpassed 700 since June 11. But Pritzker said officials are more concerned with a seven-day rolling average than with counts from individual days.
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“I would wait to make a judgment about whether there’s some direction here that it’s going, but right now I would call it stable, and that’s why we have some confidence,” Pritzker said. “We’ve been directionally going down, and there’s been stability for a few days, and again, just watch and wait and we’ll react to it as it comes.”
Illinois surpassed 30,000 coronavirus tests conducted in a 24-hour period for the first time Thursday, and Pritzker announced the launch of 12 mobile testing teams that will travel throughout the state in an attempt to mitigate outbreaks in the types of settings that have seen them nationwide, including nursing homes, meatpacking plants and other traceable gatherings.
Ezike said as of Wednesday night, 1,626 people were hospitalized with COVID-19-like illnesses across the state, including 399 patients in intensive care and 216 patients on ventilators.
Ezike said Thursday that the continued use of facial coverings in public, as well as good personal hand hygiene, was paramount to the state’s long-term success against the deadly disease.
“I can’t ignore those voicing opposition to face coverings. You are still part of this contract,” Ezike said. “I have to talk specifically to you: Your individual actions, or even your inactions, will still affect everyone in the state.”
Chicago Tribune’s John Byrne contributed.
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jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-25--Mayor Lightfoot announces plan to provide free internet to 100,000 Chicago children after coronaviru

Mayor Lightfoot announces plan to provide free internet to 100,000 Chicago children after coronavirus reveals ‘unacceptable disparities across the city'

Williams , who lives with her daughter and mother in the upstairs apartment of an Austin two-flat , above her @ @ @ @ @ she was turned away from one such plan .
Even though she checked all the @ @ @ @ @ she was denied because her uncle ’ s account was registered to the same address @ @ @ @ @ each apartment has its own .

Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson listens to the mayor make an announcement to provide free high-speed internet to more than 100,000 Chicago students and their families, during a press event at Evergreen Academy Middle School on June 25, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
When the internet signal from a relative’s apartment downstairs fails to reach Yolanda Williams, it can disrupt the school day for her 13-year-old daughter, a student at William Penn Elementary in North Lawndale.
In those moments, Williams will say it’s time to take a break, and the pair might go outside or bake brownies.
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She’s hopeful they’ll be beneficiaries of an ambitious plan announced Thursday by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to provide free high-speed internet to more than 100,000 Chicago students and their families.
District officials cited census data showing that’s close to the number of students who lack high-speed internet access. Billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin and the Obamas are among the initiative’s financial backers.
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“I think that it’s wonderful it can help some people who are not in the position that I am in, to be able to use my uncle, a relative’s hotspot,” said Williams, whose daughter is what’s known in CPS as a diverse learner. “Some people don’t even have that option.”
The effort is expected to take four years and cost $50 million, with the largest chunk of startup money, $7.5 million, coming from Griffin, and millions more provided by other local philanthropists and federal CARES Act stimulus money.
“This first-of-its-kind program will be one of the largest and longest-term efforts in the nation to provide free, high-speed internet over the course of four years to dramatically increase internet accessibility for students and help build a permanent public support system for families in Chicago,” according to a city statement.
The abrupt shift to remote learning amid the coronavirus pandemic this spring laid bare a gaping digital equity issue in Chicago Public Schools, where roughly a third of students were found to lack reliable computer access for digital schoolwork. Since then, the district has provided tens of thousands of laptops and tablets for families in need.
“This is essential whether we are in a remote learning environment or not,” CPS CEO Janice Jackson said during Thursday’s announcement with Lightfoot at Evergreen Middle School. She added that having high-speed internet and computer access is now “as essential as we thought having textbooks were in the 1980s.”
Graduates and students of Evergreen Academy Middle School attended an announcement of a plan to provide free high-speed internet to more than 100,000 Chicago students and their families. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Lightfoot said families in need on the West and South sides will be the top priority for the new program, which will also weigh in factors such as household income, homelessness and students who have special education needs.
Internet access is “more than just an accessory,” she said. “It is one of the most powerful equalizers we have.”
She cited a national Pew study that found more than 20% of students couldn’t complete schoolwork because they lacked internet access, rising to 40% among low-income households.
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“Unfortunately, the realities of that study are very much borne out here in Chicago,” Lightfoot said. The pandemic revealed “unacceptable disparities across the city,” inequities that have existed for generations, she said.
Even though some internet service providers have been offering free or reduced plans for low-income families, Chicagoans have reported a variety of roadblocks to actually getting that service.
Williams, who lives with her daughter and mother in the upstairs apartment of an Austin two-flat, above her aunt and uncle, said she was turned away from one such plan. Even though she checked all the other boxes, she said she was denied because her uncle’s account was registered to the same address, unlike similar buildings where each apartment has its own. More than 33% of households in Austin lack internet connectivity, affecting 8,000 neighborhood children, according to an April report by Kids First Chicago and the Metropolitan Planning Council.
McKinley Park mom Lilia Guevara said she has one of the $9.99-a-month programs, but it’s often slow and at times impossible for all three of her children to connect for remote learning.
Guevara said she had been working temp jobs and volunteering, but had to stop when the pandemic hit and can’t work full-time because she needs to be constantly supporting her seventh-grade twins, who attend Evergreen and are also considered diverse learners.
“If there is a program that is going to be free, that would be amazing, with better, higher quality,” she said. “... I’m not the only family who can benefit from this. I know there’s a lot of families in this neighborhood and the neighborhoods around us, the level of poverty ... they really need it.”
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In some of the same communities that are most affected by food insecurity, unemployment and housing, nearly half of households with school-age children don’t have broadband at home, according to the Kids First and MPC report.
“We talked with hundreds of families and heard that unstable or unavailable access to the internet was pushing our most vulnerable students even further behind,” said Kids First Chicago CEO Daniel Anello.
The group said they developed a proposal based on a recommendation from their report, creating a “community-based, sponsored internet service program,” at the request of the mayor’s office.
Griffin, founder of the hedge fund Citadel and often cited as Illinois’ richest person, called internet connectivity “a lifeline to education and opportunity — extending learning beyond the classroom and opening pathways for development and wellbeing.”
“With ongoing access, every student and their family, regardless of economic circumstance, will be better positioned to pursue a brighter future,” Griffin said in a prepared statement.
Besides Griffin, the other largest contributions are $5 million from Crown Family Philanthropies and $2.5 million from the Chicago Community COVID-19 Response Fund, through the Chicago Community Trust and United Way of Metro Chicago. Illinois Tool Works has pledged $2 million, and the Pritzker Traubert Foundation — founded by Penny Pritzker, former commerce secretary and sister of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker — is giving $1.5 million.
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A $750,000 joint commitment has also been made by former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Chicago Community Trust to the Children First Fund.
Though the plan’s scope is limited, Lightfoot touched on a need to expand connectivity more broadly, referencing different ways internet access is needed to apply for jobs and promote small businesses. The city was able to make the initial four-year commitment because of donors, she said.
“This is something we have to own responsibility for as a city, and we’re going to continue to work constructively with the various internet service providers to make sure that they are also living up to their commitments and obligation,” she said. “But we have to be in this for the long term.”
hleone@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-25--State allows General Iron move, leaving Mayor Lightfoot as the last hurdle for the scrap shredder

Moving the chronic scofflaw will rid the city ’ s North Side of metallic odors and unsightly piles of flattened @ @ @ @ @ used appliances .
But community leaders near General Iron ’ s new home are angry @ @ @ @ @ of another source of air pollution in their corner of Chicago , which has struggled @ @ @ @ @ industry abandoned the area during the 1980s and ’ 90s .

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is the last hurdle for a troubled but clout-heavy scrap shredder seeking to move from wealthy, largely white Lincoln Park to a low-income, predominantly Latino neighborhood on Chicago’s Southeast Side.
Brushing aside opposition from neighborhood groups and elected officials, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration on Thursday granted General Iron Industries a permit to build a new scrap yard along the Calumet River in the East Side neighborhood.
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Pritzker appointees at the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said state law gave them no choice, despite the company’s repeated violations of federal and local health laws.
Moving General Iron would rid the city’s North Side of metallic odors and unsightly piles of flattened cars, twisted rebar and used appliances. But community leaders on the Southeast Side contend Pritzker is perpetuating environmental racism by approving the company’s new location in a neighborhood that has struggled to recover since the steel industry abandoned it during the 1980s.
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Air quality monitoring shows East Side residents already breathe some of the city’s dirtiest air. Moreover, federal officials are overseeing the cleanup of a Superfund site in the neighborhood, as well as dozens of yards contaminated with toxic manganese and lead pollution traced to past and present industries.
“Lincoln Park neighbors have been fighting (General Iron) for years,” said Gina Ramirez, a Southeast Side resident and Midwest outreach manager for the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council. “If it is not good enough for that neighborhood, why is it good for the Southeast Side?”
General Iron indefinitely closed on the North Side after a May 18 explosion — the second in five years.
During the five months before the explosion, a Chicago Department of Public Health inspector cited the company with health violations on 11 separate days — compared with one citation during former Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s eight years in office.
All of the inspections during Lightfoot’s tenure revealed “untreated emissions” escaping the company’s scrap shredders along the Chicago River near Clybourn Avenue and Cortland Street.
In each of her reports, the inspector described smelling “the pungent odor of sweet metal that burns my nostrils.” She also suggested that pollution-control equipment required last year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency failed to properly control noxious emissions from General Iron’s shredders.
Now it will be up to Lightfoot and her hand-picked health officials to determine if General Iron stays in Chicago.
The health department recently adopted new regulations for General Iron and other scrap operations. Lawyers for community activists point out the rules require less stringent air quality monitoring than the city required of companies handling manganese and petroleum coke in the same neighborhood.
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General Iron posted a statement online contending its East Side operation would be the cleanest scrap shredder in Illinois and neighboring states.
“The (state) permit imposes strict conditions that will ensure we keep our commitment to respect and protect air quality and public health,” the company statement said.
A diverse coalition of neighborhood groups and elected officials urged Pritzker to block General Iron from moving to the Southeast Side.
Jordan Abudayyeh, the governor’s chief spokeswoman, said the administration’s “hands were tied” by judicial interpretations of state law. She took a swipe at “statewide or national” advocates, suggesting it was up to them to propose legislation that would address “a broader regulatory problem that most severely impacts the health and safety of low-income communities — especially those of color.”
Environmental groups pushed legislation in 2019 intended to combat environmental racism but the bill stalled in committee. In formal comments to the Illinois EPA, environment and community groups cited multiple sections of existing state law that Pritzker aides could have invoked to deny General Iron a new permit.
“Now that the state has rubber-stamped this permit, we need the city to step up and prevent this threat from coming to a vulnerable community,” said Olga Bautista, co-founder of the Southeast Side Coalition to Ban Petcoke.
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On the North Side, General Iron is one of the last industries on a stretch of the Chicago River that during the last century was dominated by steel mills and leather tanneries. Now it stands out amid gentrified neighborhoods, upscale commercial strips and Lincoln Yards, a collection of former industrial parcels acquired by Chicago-based Sterling Bay for mixed-use redevelopment.
Family members who owned General Iron for four generations have yet to find a buyer willing to pay what they are asking for the 21.5 acres they own along the North Branch of the river.
mhawthorne@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-25--Mayor Lori Lightfoot says Chicago’s ‘not there yet’ on fans in stands at ballparks

Wrigley Field in Chicago is shown in March 2020. Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney said he’s optimistic there will be fans in seats at some point this year. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday threw up the stop sign on the idea of fans in the stands at Chicago’s ballparks this season, saying neither the Cubs nor the White Sox have provided any specifics on how they would keep attendees safe from the coronavirus.
With Major League Baseball set to start training camp July 1 in advance of a 60-game sprint to the playoffs, Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney went on the team’s broadcast radio station, 670 The Score, on Thursday and said he’s optimistic there will be fans in seats at Wrigley Field at some point this year.
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Not so fast, Lightfoot said at a news conference later in the day. “First of all, that’s a discussion that we have not had with any of the major sports teams in that level of specificity,” she said.
While Gov. J.B. Pritzker this week released a plan for phase four of the state’s reopening that includes attendance at outdoor sports venues at 20% of stadiums’ capacity, Lightfoot has so far been noncommittal about allowing that.
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Kenney during his radio appearance talked about the governor’s capacity restrictions and how to comply with them at the historic North Side ballpark.
“And just to make it perfectly clear, we would not do this, even if the governor allowed it, if we thought it would be unsafe. And so, there will be social distancing when people come into the ballpark,” Kenney said. “He mentioned 20% capacity. We’re looking at manifests to find out how can we responsibly socially distance up to 20%, or in our case about 8,000 fans inside Wrigley Field. As you know, we are one of the smaller ball fields, in terms of just square footage.”
Lightfoot didn’t sound too keen on that large a crowd, though she said she’s happy to talk to all the city’s teams. She has the ability to set stricter standards for Chicago than those laid down by the governor for the rest of the state.
Chicago is heading to phase four on Friday, with caps at 25% of capacity for indoor establishments, but with a ceiling on outdoor gatherings set at no more than 100 people.
“As I understand it, (Kenney) talked about 8,200 people in the stands at Wrigley. That’s a lot of folks, and it absolutely, obviously exceeds both city and state caps on venues and capacity,” Lightfoot said. “But fundamentally, whether it’s 8,000 or 800 or 80, there’s got to be a plan for safety. And we’re happy to engage in that discussion with all the sports teams.”
“Obviously there’s no bigger sports fan than me,” the mayor added. “And I want to be able to enjoy live sports in the stands myself. But we’ve got to do it at a time when we know that that’s appropriate under the public health guidance. And we’re not there yet.”
Cubs spokesman Julian Green said Kenney was simply talking about working with medical professionals and the city’s health department to ensure safety whenever fans are allowed back at the stadium.
“As a sign of things getting back to normal, I think this was just a case of a reporter not accurately reflecting Crane’s comments on the Score and ESPN 1000 this morning,” Green said in a statement. “While he suggested he was hopeful and believed we’re at a point to safely bring some portion of our fan base back into Wrigley Field, at no time during the interviews did he state we were planning to have 8,000 fans in the ballpark.”
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jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @_johnbyrne


chicagotribune--2020-06-25--The Spin: Illinois sees spike in gun permit requests | About that new ad bashing Pritzker | Mayor Li

The Spin: Illinois sees spike in gun permit requests | About that new ad bashing Pritzker | Mayor Lightfoot on baseball fans in the seats this season

New national , state unemployment numbers in the age of COVID-19 : The number of laid-off workers seeking U.S. unemployment @ @ @ @ @ week , and the economy shrank in the first three months of the year — @ @ @ @ @ damage being inflicted by the viral pandemic , the Associated Press notes in a new @ @ @ @ @ Illinois saw an increase in the number of people filing first-time claims .
In the @ @ @ @ @ 46,005 people in the state sought unemployment insurance benefits , compared with 44,694 Illinois residents @ @ @ @ @ the full AP story here .

Illinois enters phase four of its coronavirus reopening plan Friday, but Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned today that, if needed, he’ll reinstitute more stringent restrictions in regions where health officials spot an uptick in COVID-19 cases.
“I’m not afraid to move us backward to the things we’ve done in the past,” Pritzker told reporters this afternoon. For now he’s looking forward. A primer on what phase four means is here.
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We now know that thousands of Illinoisans felt ill-equipped for what 2020 would usher in. Some are arming themselves.
More than 40,000 Illinoisans applied for a gun permit in a little more than two weeks this month, a sixfold increase over a year ago, something experts attribute to a confluence of events, including a pandemic, the police killing of George Floyd and a presidential election year, when experts say they see a slight increase.
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Let me underscore that: It’s a presidential election year. But a new TV ad out this week from a conservative organization bashing Pritzker might make you think there’s a gubernatorial race in the offing.
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A worker puts a rifle into a box at Maxon Shooter’s Supplies and Indoor Range on June 17, 2020, in Des Plaines. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Data points: The Tribune’s Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas writes, “From June 1 to June 17, there were more than 42,000 applications for (firearm owner’s identification) FOID cards, compared with about 7,000 during the same time last year. The 42,089 applications over those 17 days come close to the 48,194 applications submitted in the months of December, January and February combined. Applications reached nearly 5,000 on a single day in June.”
Viewpoints: Experts say that gun sales tend to spike during presidential election years and major tragedies, the latter pointing to the crises of a winter-into-summer deadly pandemic and the late May killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, which has prompted swift calls for criminal justice reforms.
Quotable: “I have seen the emergence of a new class of students seeking training: anti-Second Amendment liberals,” said David Lombardo, owner of Safer USA and a concealed carry gun instructor, who says several callers lately who candidly disclosed their political beliefs and asked him for one-on-one training, because “they don’t want anyone to know they’re doing the training, let alone going to buy a firearm.”
Bureaucratic slowdowns and a lawsuit: Even before the recent surge, the state police were facing criticism for delays in processing applications for FOID cards and gun permits; a lawsuit filed in January accused state police of violating the “fundamental individual rights” of gun owners, Rosenberg-Douglas notes. Read the full story here.
Concealed carry holder shoots man who fired shots at him outside West Side home: Read the Tribune story here.
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An empty Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, home of the White Sox, on May 8, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune / Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s John Byrne: “With Major League Baseball set to start training camp July 1 in advance of a 60-game sprint to the playoffs, Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney went on the team’s broadcast radio station, 670 The Score, on Thursday and said he’s optimistic there will be fans in seats at Wrigley Field at some point this year.
“Not so fast, Mayor Lightfoot said at a news conference later in the day. ‘First of all, that’s a discussion that we have not had with any of the major sports teams in that level of specificity,’ she said.” Lightfoot noted that neither the Cubs nor the White Sox have provided any specifics on how they would keep attendees safe from the coronavirus. Read the full story here.
WHO recommendations vs. Chicago rules on exercise and masks: In her piece about Illinois health and fitness clubs reopening to indoor workouts on Friday, my Tribune colleague Lauren Zumbach lays out the rules: Gyms can open at half their capacity with group classes of up to 50 people, as long as they can practice social distancing. But in Chicago, tighter restrictions not only include a 25% capacity limit but also a requirement to wear a mask indoors.
Chicago’s rule contrasts with global public health leaders, Zumbach writes: “The World Health Organization has advised against wearing masks while exercising and instead concentrating on social distancing to prevent the virus’s spread, since masks can make it more difficult to breathe.”
Getting tough with the maskless is the quickest way back to normal, Tribune columnist Eric Zorn writes.
New national, state unemployment numbers in the age of COVID-19: The number of laid-off workers seeking U.S. unemployment benefits dipped only slightly last week, and the economy shrank in the first three months of the year — evidence of the ongoing economic damage being inflicted by the viral pandemic, the Associated Press notes in a new jobs report out today. Illinois saw an increase in the number of people filing first-time claims. In the week ended June 20, 46,005 people in the state sought unemployment insurance benefits, compared with 44,694 Illinois residents a week earlier. Read the full AP story here.
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Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Commissioner Kevin Morrison join LGBTQ leaders in town hall on health inequities amid coronavirus: The Tribune’s Alice Yin has the details here.
Chicago-area McDonald’s workers score a court victory, as judge orders fast-food giant to do better on COVID-19 protections: My Tribune colleague Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz has the details here.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks to the media March 13, 2020, at the Thompson Center in Chicago. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago / Chicago Tribune)
It is an election year — but not a gubernatorial election year.
Nonetheless, the conservative Illinois Rising Action a 501(c)4 group is on TV with an ad that looks very much like its trying to unseat Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker. You can watch it here.
It begins with criticism over his family having the toilets removed from a Chicago mansion, which resulted in a controversial property tax break, and suggests he’s hiked taxes while giving “pay raises to his politician buddies,” an apparent reference to him signing off on a fast-tracked budget weeks ago that has prompted an argument about whether legislators received a cost-of-living raise as people across the globe tighten their belts over lost jobs and wages in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The ad closes with a mention of ongoing problems with the state’s unemployment filing system, overloaded in the wake of the pandemic.
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According to the organization’s website, Illinois Rising Action is “focused on holding liberal groups and their special interest networks accountable and advancing conservative principles.”
Kayleen Carlson, the organization’s executive director who has managed the campaigns of Illinois Republican U.S. Reps. John Shimkus, of Collinsville, and Darin LaHood, of Peoria, said: Illinois Rising Action — we’re basically here to hold politicians accountable, and that’s what we’re doing. Gov. Pritzker is one of those politicians, he has a record and we’re holding him accountable — and really just bringing focus to those issues.
Carlson points to the woes in the unemployment filing system: “When thousands of Illinoisans have been out of work, when the unemployment system has failed so many people, we think he should have to answer to that.”
Asked how the organization is bankrolled, she didn’t specify: “We’re supported by Illinoisans who want to advocate for conservative issues in Illinois.”
The group said the ad buy is just more than $1 million and is scheduled to run through July 6 in the Chicago, Springfield, Champaign and Decatur markets, as well as in St. Louis and Paducah, Ky. The ad does not mention Pritzker’s graduated income tax proposal that voters will decide on in November. The measure has sparked a heady debate between Democrats and Republicans and is expected to spark a volley of competing (and expensive) ads on the ballot initiative.
Carlson said this wasn’t about early efforts to chip away at Pritzker’s chances of prevailing on that ballot initiative.
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Pritzker political adviser Quentin Fulks issued a statement blasting the ad as false: “It should come as no surprise that Donald Trump’s allies are attacking J.B. Pritzker and lying about his record because that’s what they do — lie. They know there is no legislator pay raise but are using a secretly funded dark money organization to lie about it anyway.”
“J.B. Pritzker is proud of his record from his first two years in office, which includes signing a bipartisan balanced budget into law, signing a bipartisan infrastructure plan that is creating and supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs while repairing our crumbling roads and bridges, raising the minimum wage to a living wage for all Illinois workers, and expanding healthcare to 120,000 more Illinoisans.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks to the media June 11, 2020, at City Hall. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune's Hannah Leone: "Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Thursday she was pleased that elected Local School Councils will continue to have the power to decide if they want police resource officers in their buildings.
“That was the outcome of Wednesday’s vote by the Board of Education, which narrowly defeated a measure to end its $33 million with the Chicago Police Department to provide school-based officers.” The proposal was taken up after weeks of calls from protesters to curb the practice of putting police in schools, as other cities have, after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Leone notes. Read her full story here.
Big names open wallets for ‘free internet’ for CPS kids: Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s just announced a $50 million program to provide free high-speed internet service to approximately 100,000 Chicago Public Schools students that will be largely bankrolled, at least to start, by a who’s who of politicians and philanthropists, including former President Barack Obama and and Chicago born First Lady Michelle Obama and Illinois’ wealthiest man Ken Griffin.
Aimed at bridging the digital divide, the program, “Chicago Connected,” also comes in the midst of a pandemic that canceled in-school learning and leaves a lot of questions about what might happen if there’s another surge in cases.
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Lightfoot said during a news conference today that the first two years of the program will be funded by philanthropic partners, including $7.5 million Chicago billiionaire Griffin, $5 million from Crown Family Philanthropies, $2.5 million from the Chicago Community COVID-19 Response Fund via The Chicago Community Trust and United Way of Metro Chicago) $2 million from Illinois Tool Works, $1.5 million from the Pritzker Traubert Foundation - named for Penny Prizker, who served as Secretary of Commerce in the Obama administration and husband Bryan Traubert - $500,000 from The JPB Foundation, based in New York, and $250,000 from the Joyce Foundation.
Additionally, joint commitment of $750,000 is coming from the Obamas, the MacArthur Foundation and The Chicago Community Trust to the Children First Fund, the independent partnership and philanthropy arm for Chicago Public Schools. The Sun-Times reports that while those monies will cover the first two year, CPS will pick up the tab for the following two years.
‘Only time will tell’ if Lightfoot’s sustainability czar can move the needle on environmental justice: The Better Government Association’s Kiannah Sepeda Miller takes a look in this piece, part of the “Lens on Lightfoot” series, a seven-newsroom initiative in Chicago examining Lightfoot’s first year in office.
President Donald Trump waves as he arrives on Air Force One at Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on June 25, 2020. (Evan Vucci/AP)
President Donald Trump arrived today in the battleground state of Wisconsin, where he traveled to the shores of Lake Michigan in Green Bay and will participate in a town hall to be broadcast by Fox News Channel from an airport there, The Associated Press notes. The trip comes days after he dispatched Vice President Mike Pence to the conservative Milwaukee suburbs.
The two parts of Wisconsin targeted by Trump this week — suburban Milwaukee and the Green Bay media market in northeast Wisconsin — are areas where he needs to run up a big vote advantage in November.
Some polls have suggested Trump has ground to make up in Wisconsin: A Marquette University Law School poll released yesterday showed Democrat Joe Biden with an 8 percentage point lead over Trump. But remember: “Trump trailed Democrat Hillary Clinton in nearly every poll conducted in Wisconsin in 2016 — often by similar margins — before he won the state by fewer than 23,000 votes,” the AP reports.
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Marinette County, where Trump carried 65% of the vote in 2016, helped deliver that win.
And finally, tell them you ‘herd’ about it here: A “herd immunity” rock fest will be happening next month in Wisconsin. Read the story here.
Thanks for reading The Spin, the Tribune’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons. Have a tip? Email host Lisa Donovan at ldonovan@chicagotribune.com.
Twitter @byldonovan


chicagotribune--2020-06-25--Protesters call for Justus Howell case to be reopened; Lake County state’s attorney says officer was

Protesters call for Justus Howell case to be reopened; Lake County state’s attorney says officer was justified in fatal shooting

“ I completely agree the death of Justus Howell was a tragedy , and my heart truly goes out to @ @ @ @ @ on the senseless loss , as it has since this incident occurred in 2015 , @ @ @ @ @ statement .
“ However , the result of the independent investigation into the officer-involved shooting @ @ @ @ @ of Justus Howell shows the officer was justified in his use of deadly force .
@

LaToya Howell, wearing a white cap, hugs her daughter, True Stephens, 6, while raising her fist in the air during a protest calling on Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim to reopen the investigation into the fatal police-involved shooting of her son, 17-year-old Justus Howell, Bishop Jerome McCorry, at left, also spoke at the demonstration outside of the Lake County Courthouse Thursday in Waukegan. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Standing beside the eight blown-up pages of Justus Howell’s autopsy report, an attorney for the 17-year-old’s family called on the Lake County State’s Attorney Thursday to reopen the five-year-old case and convene a grand jury.
A crowd of protesters, many wearing black T-shirts showing Howell’s face, gathered Thursday afternoon outside the Lake County courthouse and county administrative building where Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim’s office is located.
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They were there to protest police brutality, to declare that Black lives matter and to show solidarity with LaToya Howell, who said her son “was brutally slain April 4, 2015, shot twice in his back as he ran for his life.”
“The injustice here is plain to see,” she said. “Justus was not a threat. He was demonstrating his God-given right to run in the face of fear.”
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LaToya Howell holds a flag for her son, Justus Howell, and listens to speakers during a protest Thursday in Waukegan calling on Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim to reopen the case into the fatal shooting of the 17-year-old. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Nerheim issued a statement – made public just minutes before the protest began – saying he would not be reopening the case. The statement included the three-page news release from May 2015 as well as a 11-page synopsis of the investigation.
“I completely agree the death of Justus Howell was a tragedy, and my heart truly goes out to the family of Justus Howell on the senseless loss, as it has since this incident occurred in 2015,” Nerheim said in the statement. “However, the result of the independent investigation into the officer-involved shooting that ended with the death of Justus Howell shows the officer was justified in his use of deadly force.”
That conclusion, which was also reached by a jury in a civil case brought by the Howell family, centered on testimony from Zion Police Officer Eric Hill, who fired the shots that killed Howell, and other witnesses that Howell was carrying a handgun, something his family disputes.
A sheriff's deputy looks on as LaToya Howell speaks during a protest calling on Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim to reopen the case into the police-involved fatal shooting of 17-year-old Justus Howell outside of the Lake County Courthouse on Thursday in Waukegan. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
An investigation by the Lake County Major Crime Task Force, which was assisted by the FBI’s Civil Rights Division, determined that Howell, 17, had sought to purchase a handgun, according to the synopsis provided by Nerheim.
A struggle between Howell and the man selling the gun ensued and a single shot was fired, leading someone in the area to call 911, according to the report. Howell fled the area as police arrived, and Hill chased him on foot, crossing several yards and down an alleyway.
Hill said he fired two shots after he saw Howell lean forward and turn slightly toward him, according to Nerheim’s summary. Both shots hit Howell, and a handgun was found a foot away from his body.
A jury in a civil case brought by the family against the Zion Police Department also found the officer was justified in using deadly force.
Former Lake County coroner Thomas Rudd speaks during a protest calling on Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim to reopen the case into the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Justus Howell outside of the Lake County Courthouse on Thursday, June 25, 2020 in Waukegan. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Howell’s family, their attorney Jed Stone and former Lake County Coroner Tom Rudd disputed the official narrative, arguing that several witnesses did not see Howell with a gun, suggesting that the gun had been planted and that it was Hill’s first shot that caused Howell to turn.
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“Five years ago, this child was murdered because he was Black,” Stone said. “There’s no doubt about that. He joins an ongoing and ever never-ending list of young men and women who have been murdered because they are Black. In the last month, we’ve seen demonstrations across the country and around the world, raising a voice of anger at the senseless murder by police of young Black and brown women and men.”
Several of the speakers said Thursday’s protest needed to be just the beginning, calling on attendees to talk about the case on their social media platforms, to tell their friends about it and to sign the petition calling on the case to be reopened.
The death of George Floyd has “opened the floodgates for us to get justice all over this nation,” said Akema Reid of the Lake County Solidarity Team, which organized the Juneteenth protest Saturday in Waukegan.
“We demand justice,” she said. “Not only do we demand justice, we expect justice. They have opened the door for us to open cases where they have closed the door on many Black faces. We will not stand by anymore. We will be out here protesting. We will come together in solidarity.”


chicagotribune--2020-06-25--Illinois casinos and video gaming locations set to reopen July 1

Out of the more than 7,400 video gaming operators in Illinois , 168 have been approved to resume gaming July @ @ @ @ @ Miller said .
Operators at licensed bars , restaurants , truck stops and fraternal organizations @ @ @ @ @ at least six feet apart or add partitions to maintain social distancing .

This June 3, 2020, photo shows a worker at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. removing the chair from a slot machine, part of distancing measures to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Illinois casinos will be allowed to reopen July 1 under similar restrictions. (Wayne Parry/AP)
Chicago-area gamblers will soon have some places to place their bets.
The Illinois Gaming Board announced Thursday casinos and video gaming operators across the state can reopen at 9 a.m. Wednesday, with capacity limits, social distancing and other required measures aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19.
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Customers can expect some elbow room, face masks and the scent of sanitizers wafting through their favorite gambling establishments.
The gaming board developed a “gaming resumption process that protects the public health of patrons and employees, while restarting gaming activities in a meaningful way,” administrator Marcus Fruchter said in a news release.
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Casino and video gaming operations were suspended March 16 as the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a statewide stay-at-home order for everything but essential businesses. Illinois is set to enter Phase 4 of its reopening plan Friday, with museums, restaurants, gyms, movie theaters and other businesses able to reopen their doors — with capacity limits.
Under the gaming board restrictions, Illinois casinos will be limited to 50% capacity, with six-foot social distancing required at all table games, slot machines, sportsbooks, restaurants and other common areas. Poker rooms, buffet services and valet parking will not be allowed to open.
Each of the state’s 10 casinos has provided a reopening plan to the gaming board.
Patrick Skarr, a spokesman for Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, said the state’s busiest gambling facility would reopen at noon Wednesday.
“Our guests can expect increased cleaning, social distancing and mask wearing by every team member and customer on the floor,” Skarr said Friday. “The safety and enjoyment of our customers and staff is our top priority.”
Penn National Gaming, which operates the Hollywood Casinos in Joliet and Aurora, is also planning to reopen both casinos at noon Wednesday.
“We have been working closely with the Illinois Gaming Board, state and local leaders, and public health officials to finalize comprehensive reopening protocols and new health and safety precautions,” Jeff Morris, a Penn National Gaming spokesman, said Friday.
Harrah’s Joliet will reopen at 9 a.m. Wednesday, with all employees and guests required to wear face coverings.
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Indiana casinos reopened with similar capacity restrictions June 15.
The state’s more than 7,400 video gaming terminals are allowed to resume operations on July 1, board spokesman Joe Miller said. Operators at licensed bars, restaurants, truck stops and fraternal organizations need to keep gaming terminals at least six feet apart or add partitions to maintain social distancing.
Sports bettors have the option to social distance by placing their wagers online. Earlier this month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker suspended the in-person registration requirement for sports wagering, which will allow bettors to create accounts and wager online.
Rivers Casino became the first casino to offer mobile sports betting in Illinois, launching its online sportsbook at BetRivers last week.
This story has been updated to correct the number of video gaming terminals allowed to resume operations in Illinois July 1.
rchannick@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-25--Portage motorcyclist dies after hitting semi during high-speed chase

Theodore D. Hickman , 21 , of Portage , was headed westbound on Interstate 94 at a high rate of @ @ @ @ @ Motorcycle , when his motorcycle rear-ended a truck/trailer that in the process of changing lanes @ @ @ @ @ a result of the collision , Hickman was ejected from the motorcycle and later died @ @ @ @ @ - Original Credit : Handout

Theodore D. Hickman, 21, of Portage, was headed westbound on Interstate 94 at a high rate of speed on his 1998 Honda Motorcycle, when his motorcycle rear-ended a truck/trailer that in the process of changing lanes when the motorcycle. As a result of the collision, Hickman was ejected from the motorcycle and later died at Methodist Hospitals Northlake. - Original Credit: Handout (Indiana State Police / HANDOUT)
A Portage motorcyclist died early Thursday after leading police on a high-speed chase from Portage onto Interstate 94, where he struck a semi-tractor trailer, police said.
Theodore D. Hickman, 21, was transported to Methodist Hospital Northlake in Gary, where he was pronounced dead.
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Around 12:40 a.m., an officer with the Portage Police Department observed a 1998 Honda motorcycle traveling westbound on Central Avenue near the intersection of Willowcreek Road, Portage police said in a release.
The officer tried to catch up to the motorcycle to pace its speed for possible enforcement actions, and observed the driver disregard the stop sign at the intersection of Central Avenue and Willowdale Road while continuing westbound.
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At the intersection of Central Avenue and Dombey Road, the motorcycle disregarded the automatic control signal while traveling at a high rate of speed, police said, adding the officer activated his emergency lights and sirens.
The rider failed to yield to the officer and at the intersection of Indiana 51, disregarded another traffic signal and turned northbound, entering onto westbound Interstate 94.
The officer and the rider were in the center lane, where the officer was able to pace the motorcycle’s speed at around 80 mph in the posted 55 mph zone.
The rider then increased his speed and pulled away from the officer while closing distance with a semi-tractor trailer ahead of them that also was in the center lane, police said.
As the motorcycle approached the rear of the semi, both vehicles simultaneously switched to the right lane, where the motorcycle struck the rear of the semi near mile marker 14 in Lake Station.
As a result of the collision, the rider was ejected from the motorcycle, according to a release from Indiana State Police, and the motorcycle came to rest against the median wall. Lifesaving measures were performed on the rider at the scene.
Despite wearing a helmet, the motorcyclist suffered serious trauma injuries and was transported by EMS to Methodist, Portage police said.
An autopsy and toxicology results are pending through the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
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Hickman held a valid driver’s license with a motorcycle learner’s permit, Portage police said, adding the motorcycle in question did not have a license plate and records show no valid license plate registered to the vehicle.
Officers with the Indiana State Police responded to the scene to conduct an independent crash investigation.
Also assisting at the scene were the Lake County Sheriff’s Department Reconstruction Team, Lake Station Fire/EMS, Burns Harbor Police, First Response Towing and Double T Towing.
Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.


Corrections and clarifications

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· A story Thursday on Page 4 misidentified the Chicago police detective area where Sgt. Donovan Jackson works. It is the Calumet Area, also known as Area 2.
The Tribune regrets the error.
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Publishing information quickly and accurately is a central part of the Chicago Tribune’s news responsibility and a value shared in all our publications. Our editorial code of principles governs professional behavior and journalism standards. Everyone in our newsroom must agree to live up to this code of conduct. Download the file.
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chicagotribune--2020-06-25--Mayor Lightfoot praises vote keeping police in Chicago Public Schools, talks defund movement

“ I have yet to hear one person that says , ‘ Yes , that ’ s it , ‘ @ @ @ @ @ I know they exist , because there are some people who truly believe reform is @ @ @ @ @ wasting our time .
I don ’ t share that belief .
But most people @ @ @ @ @ conversation with around this question are really saying , ‘ Don ’ t starve us @ @ @ @ @ I agree with that .
”

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Thursday she was pleased that elected Local School Councils will continue to have the power to decide if they want police officers in their buildings.
That was the outcome of Wednesday’s vote by the Board of Education, which narrowly defeated a measure to end its $33 million with the Chicago Police Department to provide school-based officers.
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The board, whose members were appointed by the mayor after she took office last year, fended off weeks of calls from protesters to end the practice of putting officers in schools, as other cities have done since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
City and school district leaders in Chicago have said they will continue to allow the Local School Councils to decide the matter for their campuses, as was the case for the school year that just ended.
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The mayor said Thursday it’s not for her or Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson to dictate to schools what they need; that has to be based on unique local circumstances. CPS’s Office of Safety and Security will provide the Local School Councils with information to make informed decisions, officials said.
“Really, the vote yesterday was about allowing that process to continue,” the mayor said.
On defunding police, a common rallying cry at protests in recent weeks, Lightfoot said: “What I hear from folks beyond the hashtag and the slogan is that they want more resources in their communities.”
She said she’s talked to people who say they support defunding, and she has asked if they really want all the police out of their neighborhood or ward.
“I have yet to hear one person that says, ‘Yes, that’s it,‘” Lightfoot said. “I know they exist, because there are some people who truly believe reform is not possible and we are wasting our time. I don’t share that belief. But most people I’ve engaged in conversation with around this question are really saying, ‘Don’t starve us for resources,’ and I agree with that.”
Lightfoot spoke during a news conference at Evergreen Academy Middle School on Thursday, where she announced a $50 million initiative to provide free internet access to 100,000 schoolchildren and their families.