chicagotribune--2020-04-21--‘Better Call Saul’ co-creator Peter Gould on that explosive season finale and how Kim may be breakin

‘Better Call Saul’ co-creator Peter Gould on that explosive season finale and how Kim may be breaking bad

A : Rhea Seehorn is no longer a secret weapon , she is an incredible performer and she and Bob just work together so beautifully .
Here we have a scene where , for the first time she ’ s meeting Tony ’ s character , Lalo , and between the three of them , it was combustion on screen .
That was written and directed by Tom Schnauz , who has an incredible palate .
The four of them worked on that scene quite a bit .
That sequence is a tour de force .
It ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of dialogue .
They spent hours on set , without the crew , and they perfected the scene .
I got to see just a little bit of it while it was shooting , and it was like watching an absolutely riveting play .
Then on screen , it took a new dimension .
Kim , she really is somebody to be reckoned with .
She sees Jimmy starting to sink there , and she comes in like a ton of bricks .
I knew it was going to happen , but when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was very worried for Kim , and what was going to happen to her .

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 5 finale of “Better Call Saul.”
Gus Fring needs to find better assassins. The Chicken Man’s (Giancarlo Esposito) plan to assassinate Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton) massively failed as “Better Call Saul’s” Season 5 finale, “Something Unforgivable,” which aired Monday night on AMC, closed with quite a bang.
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That doesn't bode well for Nacho Varga (Michael Mando), who was on track for a big promotion within the Salamanca operation, but was just looking to escape the family. Lalo's a smart guy, and you can assume he knows Fring is responsible for the hit -- and that Nacho was his accomplice.
This also isn't good news for Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) and Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn), both of whom narrowly escaped Lalo's wrath at the end of episode 9 -- and were only starting to breathe easier after Mike (Jonathan Banks) hinted that Lalo would no longer post a threat.
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Well... now Lalo's going to be an even bigger problem for "Better Call Saul's" key characters as the show eventually returns for one final season.
Meanwhile, Season 5 also ended with a bit of a reversal in the dynamic between Jimmy and Kim. The newlyweds are in a bit of a bizarre place as Jimmy -- still in a bit of shock from his two recent near-death experiences -- has lost a bit of his mojo, while Kim seems ready to break bad and destroy Howard (Patrick Fabian). It's definitely not where fans saw the Jimmy/Kim dynamic going.
Vince Gilligan, center, the co-creator, executive producer and showrunner of the AMC drama series "Better Call Saul," poses with star Bob Odenkirk, left, and co-creator/executive producer Peter Gould during the 2020 Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour. (Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
The writers’ room is currently underway for Season 6 of “Better Call Saul,” and Variety spoke to co-creator Peter Gould about what’s next for the show, especially as it gets closer to the events of “Breaking Bad.” But first, we also discussed the events of the season finale -- which Gould directed -- and how the entire cast, crew, writers and directors stepped up their game this season.
Q: Just when we thought maybe the Lalo problem would be over, talk about what happened. Lalo lives to see another day. What does that mean for the show’s other characters?
A: Lalo can only be fooled so many times. And then he’s caught on to a lot of what’s been going on. He’s a guy who’s not so easy to kill, and he’s on his home turf. And it looks like the guys that Gus Fring hired weren’t quite up to the job. I also think there’s a certain amount of the devil’s luck involved for Lalo. I got to direct this one, and I had not really gotten to work with Tony as a director. He was so much fun and so great. Boy, that look he gives in the last moments of that episode sure makes me worry about what’s going to happen to the rest of our characters.
Q: In particular, I’m curious about Nacho — who, as we know, we never see in “Breaking Bad.” Should I be nervous for Nacho?
A: That’s true! “Nervous for Nacho” -- that’s a good, that’s a good mug or a T-shirt.
Q: Nacho thought on his feet and he did everything right. He pulled off his part of the bargain, so it’s unfortunate that the assassins did not pull off their part. What kind of consequences should we expect?
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A: You’ve got to think on “Breaking Bad,” Gus would have just sent Mike down. And if he had sent Mike down by himself, it would have been a much quieter episode. He might have gotten Lalo. I would imagine that Gus Fring might take some lessons from this, if he ever finds out about it.
Q: I know you can’t give anything away about the final season, but in “Breaking Bad,” Saul still thinks that Lalo is alive. But he doesn’t play a role on the show. What does that mean about the fate of Lalo? I imagine that there must be some interesting debates about where to take his story.
A: Oh, without a doubt. We’re so lucky that the writers’ room has continued meeting electronically in virtual space. And all these characters are giving us fits. Because we’re hoping to end this all as properly, and in the most satisfying way, that we can. Certainly Lalo’s fate is this very much in debate. We have some ideas that I think are pretty damn exciting.
Q: What is going on with Kim? Where’s Kim’s head at right now?
A: I think Jimmy’s asking the same question. After everything that’s happened, there’s one version where Kim says, “Enough is enough. I’ve had it with you, Jimmy McGill,” and goes off into the sunset. But that doesn’t seem to be the choice she’s making. Kim is not a simple person, she’s a complex individual, and she pulls the rug out from under Jimmy at the end of the season. What that is going to mean and what the follow up on that is, is something I guess we’re all going to have to wait and see. There’s no doubt in my mind that she is very attached to Jimmy, and that she loves scamming with him. And in fact, that seems to be their favorite couples’ activity -- which could turn out to be a problem.
Q: The Lalo incident could have been the breaking point for Kim but you didn’t go that way.
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A: No, I mean, I think it was more the breaking point for Jimmy in some ways.
Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler in "Better Call Sall." (Warrick Page/TNS)
Q: Jimmy/Saul is still very damaged from what happened in the desert, and there has been a bit of a role reversal in his relationship with Kim. At this point Kim’s raring to go and Jimmy’s the one saying, “hold on, do you really want to do this?”
A: That’s exactly right and I think Jimmy, and we’ll see if it sticks, but he’s grown up quite a bit since we first met him. And in this season finale he seems to have gained some insight and some perspective into himself and his behavior and where his life is going. And he asks I think the question that I think we’re all asking, which is, “Am I bad for you?” I think most of us would look at the two of them and say, yeah, he is bad for her. On the other hand, Kim is the captain of her own ship. And the actions she takes are her choice, so it’s a complex situation. It’s something that we can all debate, that’s for sure.
Q: Howard thought he was doing her a solid by revealing Jimmy’s secrets, and instead she was offended. Howard seems to have become a bit of a good guy. Or at least better than we thought he was. Is that possible?
A: Isn’t Patrick Fabian great. When we first met Howard, those first impressions have stuck. It’s one of the things that I’ve learned in life and certainly it’s even truer in television. Our first impression of Howard was that he was kind of a shit heel. But I think as time has gone by, he’s grown, and I think he has a lot of regrets for some of his sins of omission early in the series. And now he seems to be a pretty good guy, and he is definitely worried about Kim.
Q: He keeps extending these all have branches and he keeps like getting beat up for doing so.
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A: That’s absolutely true and you’ve got to wonder how far can you push this guy. Because I think there is a decency to Howard Hamlin, but underneath all that, the man has a backbone. So we’ll have to see.
Q: Let’s talk about Episode 9 and that the moment in the apartment between Jimmy, Kim and Lalo. I think everyone agrees that was a tour de force Rhea Seehorn moment.
A: Rhea Seehorn is no longer a secret weapon, she is an incredible performer and she and Bob just work together so beautifully. Here we have a scene where, for the first time she’s meeting Tony’s character, Lalo, and between the three of them, it was combustion on screen. That was written and directed by Tom Schnauz, who has an incredible palate. The four of them worked on that scene quite a bit. That sequence is a tour de force. It’s a very long sequence and has a lot of dialogue. They spent hours on set, without the crew, and they perfected the scene. I got to see just a little bit of it while it was shooting, and it was like watching an absolutely riveting play. Then on screen, it took a new dimension. Kim, she really is somebody to be reckoned with. She sees Jimmy starting to sink there, and she comes in like a ton of bricks. I knew it was going to happen, but when I first saw the scene, I was very worried for Kim, and what was going to happen to her.
Q: As for the progression of Jimmy into Saul Goodman, we started to see him really morph into that character this season. But then in these final few episodes, including after his life was saved by Mike and then again by Kim, it seems like he’s regressed back to Jimmy again. I feel like he’s lost Saul, at least at this moment. How is he going to climb back into that?
A: That’s true, as the season went on, his actions got worse. The low point for this character, and maybe one of the worst things that any of these characters have done on any of the shows, was in Episode Seven, when Jimmy deceived the court in front of the victim’s family in order to get a murderer out on bail. And he knew exactly what he was doing. It’s interesting because it’s a courtroom scene, and there’s no bloodshed in the scene, but it’s one of the most horrific, upsetting scenes in the series -- to me, anyway. He sort of hit bottom with Saul Goodman, and now in Episode 10, I think there’s something else going on with him. I like the way you put it, maybe Saul Goodman has left the room briefly, but something’s going to have to change for him to get back to being that guy.
Q: How does this all lead to the final season? Set the table for what we should expect when the real world returns to normal and we get a final season of “Better Call Saul.”
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A: We just started working the last few weeks, and it is going to be a really big, big season. There are some things going on in the writers’ room that I’m really excited about. I’m so proud of all the seasons of the show and Season Five in particular, so we’re hoping for Season 6 not to be an anti-climax. Hanging over everything is the fact that I was so pleased with how “Breaking Bad” ended. People can’t help but start drawing comparisons between the two shows, and my fervent hope is that we’re able to stick the landing, the way Vince [Gilligan] led us to stick the landing on “Breaking Bad.” I am happy to say that I twisted Vince’s arm and I got him to return to the writers’ room for a good chunk of the season. It’s wonderful to have him there, so we can finish this show that we started together.
Q: With “Breaking Bad” as a guide post, at least you have a landing pad of sorts, you know exactly where the show is going and what it sort of morphs into, right?
A: Or do you? If you do, if you could write it in a little email and send it to me I’d appreciate it!


chicagotribune--2020-04-21--Daywatch: Illinois to ramp up nursing home testing, Lightfoot rips Florida governor for beach reopen

Daywatch: Illinois to ramp up nursing home testing, Lightfoot rips Florida governor for beach reopening and hotels selling ‘bonds’ for future travel

Andy Slavitt knows what we need right now .
He ’ s been thinking , he ’ s been telling @ @ @ @ @ role in the fight against coronavirus , that he would like to provide 50 % @ @ @ @ @ Fred Rogers .
He imagines his new podcast , “ In the Bubble With Andy @ @ @ @ @ difficult truth ( “ I have nothing to offer but blood , toil , tears @ @ @ @ @ gently ( “ Won ’ t you be my neighbor ?
” ) , from @ @ @ @

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Good morning, Chicago. Here’s the coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker takes questions Sunday, April 19, 2020 at the Thompson Center. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Facing questions about the state’s handling of coronavirus outbreaks at nursing homes, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday pledged to ramp up testing at places that have yet to report a case and for all staff at long-term care facilities where there’s already been one.
The governor also said he continues to “think hard” about requiring people to wear masks when they go to the grocery store or other public places. If he follows through, he said, it would be done in concert with other changes to his stay-at-home order, including a possible region-by-region approach to easing social distancing.
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Chicago’s coronavirus disparity: Black Chicagoans still dying disproportionately in city as Mayor Lightfoot creates response teams for hard-hit neighborhoods
Trump says he will sign executive order to temporarily suspend immigration to the US
People walk down the beach on Sunday, April 19, 2020, in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. (Sam Greenwood / Getty Images)
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot ripped Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday, saying he has fumbled his state’s response to the coronavirus crisis and criticizing his decision to reopen the Sunshine State’s beaches by saying: "God help us all.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot says Willie Wilson wanted millions in cash to buy masks; Wilson denies accusation
Andy Slavitt, then-Acting Administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, at the Department of Health & Human Services in Washington, in 2016. (Al Drago/CQ Roll Call)
Andy Slavitt knows what we need right now. He’s been thinking, he’s been telling anyone who wonders about his role in the fight against coronavirus, that he would like to provide 50% Winston Churchill and 50% Fred Rogers. He imagines his new podcast, “In the Bubble With Andy Slavitt,” as the difficult truth (“I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat”) delivered gently (“Won’t you be my neighbor?”), from a virtual fireside.
Tucker Carlson, host of "Tucker Carlson Tonight," poses for photos in a Fox News Channel studio in New York, and Fox News host Sean Hannity during a taping of his show, “Hannity." (Associated Press Staff)
A new study published by the University of Chicago’s Becker Friedman Institute for Economics makes a claim that will strike many as incendiary: “Greater viewership of ‘Hannity’ relative to ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’ is strongly associated with a greater number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the early stages of the pandemic,” says the paper.
Hotel Julian, a 218-room boutique property seen here in 2019, is offering "bonds" for future stays. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Either closed down or operating with most of their rooms empty, hotels are finding ways to put cash in their pockets now for services provided later, spawning some enticing deals for consumers. Take the 452-room hotel LondonHouse Chicago. It’s offering “bonds” that people can buy in $100 increments.


chicagotribune--2020-04-20--Ask Amy: Needy couple might be emotional vampires

Miscarriage can be a truly shattering , tragic event ( I have been through it ) .
But in many @ @ @ @ @ a deeply personal event .
Your friends might have experienced a miscarriage themselves , and @ @ @ @ @ emotionally equipped to handle your personal demands , on your timetable , and according to @ @ @ @ @ two might be needy , emotional vampires -- who take too much and do n't @ @ @ @

Dear Amy: My wife and I have been friends with "Sandy" and "Keith" for years. We truly consider them to be family.
A few weeks ago, my wife and I had a miscarriage, which deeply impacted my faith.
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My wife was upset and confused by my reaction and wanted to talk with our closest friends about it.
Sandy and Keith said that we could come to their house to meet with them. When we were getting ready to leave, they called and said that Sandy wouldn't be able to talk because she wasn't feeling well. She had flu symptoms and was worried she might have COVID-19.
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My wife really wanted Sandy's guidance. We reiterated how important our issue was. We understood that Sandy was sick, but we were willing to get sick ourselves in order to talk with them both.
Sandy wouldn't budge, and we ended up seeking help elsewhere.
Over the course of the following week my wife texted Sandy that we were offended that she was not willing to meet with us. Sandy insisted that she felt "burned out" by help she gave to others, in addition to being sick. We felt that the deep need we had should override her other concerns.
Sandy said that sometimes adults need to step away for their own mental health. She hasn't apologized. Since they weren't there for us when we needed them the most, we have been re-considering their place in our life.
Are we unreasonable to expect Sandy to meet with us during our personal emergency? Shouldn't we expect family to be there when we are experiencing personal crisis?
— Too Close?
Dear Too Close: Well, you (sort of) had me until you stated that you were "willing to get sick, yourselves" in order to share your burden with "Sandy" and "Keith" in person.
Your willingness to expose yourselves (and others) to a potentially deadly illness in order to receive exactly what you were looking for - and on your terms -- is deeply selfish. Can you not receive comfort via phone, text, email, or video conferencing?
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Miscarriage can be a truly shattering, tragic event (I have been through it). But in many ways, it is also a deeply personal event. Your friends might have experienced a miscarriage themselves, and they might not have been emotionally equipped to handle your personal demands, on your timetable, and according to your specifications. Or you two might be needy, emotional vampires -- who take too much and don't give back enough.
My larger point is that you simply never know what burdens others are quietly carrying. When people who love you say they can't help you, you should respect their choice, even if you feel let down. You should understand that they may also be hurting, or flawed, and you should work harder to understand them.
And yes, you should reconsider their primary place in your lives. They deserve a break.
Dear Amy: Our daughter was employed by a family friend. We were very grateful to this friend for giving her a job. Unfortunately, our family friend turned out to be a miserable boss. This was born out by several co-workers, and our daughter.
My daughter succeeded at her job despite this and was offered several promotions and raises over the years that she worked there.
I'm sorry to say that we never talked about any of this to the friend. It felt to us like the elephant in the room, but we could never figure out what to say. Not surprisingly, our personal relationship cooled a lot.
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Our daughter has moved on to a new job and we frequently have social events that include our old friend.
This friend has been more solicitous of our friendship, and we are open to these efforts. Should we try to talk it out? If so, what do we say?
Does everything always have to be resolved, or are we allowed to just put some things behind us?
— Puzzled Parents
Dear Puzzled: You are allowed to put this behind you. Your daughter seems to be thriving, your friend is reaching out, this isn't actually your business to start with, and so - yes - move on.
Ask Amy Daily No-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >
Dear Amy: "Wondering Wife" highly suspected her husband had "Aspergers." You encouraged her to help him to get a diagnosis.
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While I appreciate your compassion and support, "Aspergers" is no longer considered correct. In the future, please refer to "Autism Spectrum Disorder."
— Autism Advocate
Dear Advocate: Several readers offered this correction. Thank you.
Get the latest no-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning with our Ask Amy newsletter. Sign up here.
(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)
Copyright 2019 by Amy Dickinson
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency


chicagotribune--2020-04-20--1 dead, 2 injured in South Side shooting, police say

The shooting occurred at 9 p.m. in the 5400 block of South Bishop Street in the Back of the Yards @ @ @ @ @ Two men and a woman were hit .
The victims later told police they didn @ @ @ @ @ shots came from or who was shooting .

A 28-year-old woman was killed and two others were injured after they were shot while riding in a vehicle Monday night on the South Side, according to Chicago police.
The shooting occurred at 9 p.m. in the 5400 block of South Bishop Street in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, police said. Two men and a woman were hit. The victims later told police they didn’t know where the shots came from or who was shooting.
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After the shooting, they continued driving to the 1500 block of West 47th Street, where the Chicago Fire Department responded, police said.
The 28-year-old woman was shot in the armpit and shoulder, police said. She was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition and later pronounced dead.
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A 30-year-old man was hit in the shoulder and a 27-year-old man was hit in the arm and shoulder, police said. They were both taken to the U. of C. Medical Center in fair condition.
No arrests have been made, police said. The incident is under investigation.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-04-20--Oak Park police seek assistance from neighbors to solve murders of prominent attorneys found stabbed

Oak Park police seek assistance from neighbors to solve murders of prominent attorneys found stabbed to death in their home

“ Part of the investigative process is not only to examine the scene , but also to look beyond the @ @ @ @ @ area that might offer clues that can help solve this heinous crime , ” Reynolds @ @ @ @ @ s why I am asking residents in the surrounding blocks to help by sharing any @ @ @ @ @ recorded up to a week prior to the incident .
”

Friends and neighbors sing during a vigil for Thomas E. Johnson and Leslie Ann Jones in Oak Park on April 15, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
The police chief in Oak Park is asking for residents with surveillance cameras living near Fair Oaks Avenue to share their video footage in an effort to help solve the murders of two prominent attorneys that occurred earlier this month.
Police chief LaDon Reynolds made the plea Monday evening, saying the department is looking for any security video that dates back to a week before the murders. Since the crimes were reported April 13, the department is looking for security video in the April 6 through 13 period.
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“Part of the investigative process is not only to examine the scene, but also to look beyond the incident for movements in the area that might offer clues that can help solve this heinous crime,” Reynolds said. “That’s why I am asking residents in the surrounding blocks to help by sharing any security video they may have recorded up to a week prior to the incident.”
Police were called to the home in the 500 block of Fair Oaks Avenue the evening of April 13 for a welfare check on Thomas E. Johnson, 69, and his wife, Leslie Ann Jones, 67. Officers found their bodies inside the home, and both were pronounced dead at 7:47 p.m.
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Two days later, the Cook County medical examiner ruled both were killed as the result of “multiple sharp force injuries.” Both deaths were ruled homicides.
Attorney Leslie Ann Jones, left, and her husband, fellow attorney Thomas Johnson, were found dead inside their Oak Park home on April 13, 2020. Authorities said the deaths are considered to be under 'suspicious circumstances.' (Don Sorsa) Sorsa took the photos and gave us permission to use. User Upload Caption: Attorney Leslie Ann Jones, left, and her husband, fellow attorney Thomas Johnson, were found dead inside their Oak Park home on April 13, 2020. Authorities said the deaths are considered to be under 'suspicious circumstances.' (Don Sorsa) Sorsa took the photos and gave us permission to use. - Original Credit: Handout (Don Sorsa)
Reynolds said solving the crime is a “top priority” for the department. The West Suburban Major Crimes Task Force, Illinois State Police and FBI are involved and the Chicago Police Department has offered assistance.
“The level of resources focused on solving this crime is unprecedented in Oak Park,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds said nothing in the investigation to date suggests residents are at any increased risk, however, increased police patrols in the area will continue.
Jones and Johnson, both graduates of Harvard Law School, were partners in the downtown law firm of Johnson, Jones, Snelling, Gilbert & Davis. Jones specialized in health care, civil rights and real estate law, while Johnson worked on issues of social justice and corporate accountability, litigating cases all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Johnson was particularly well-known for his work as a hearing officer for the Chicago Police Board, and also represented late Chicago Mayor Harold Washington for a time. Jones, also an accomplished attorney, was known for her charitable efforts, was involved with the arts council in Oak Park and was a longtime board member of Hephzibah Children’s Association.
Private surveillance video can be uploaded through the village of Oak Park’s website at www.oak-park.us/policevideo. Any shared videos are treated as confidential aspects of an ongoing investigation, police said. Files may also be shared anonymously.
Anyone with information about the murders is asked to contact the Oak Park Police Department at 708-386-3800. Crime tips may also be provided anonymously at 708-434-1636 or online at www.oak-park.us/crimetip.
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sschering@pioneerlocal.com
Twitter: @steveschering


chicagotribune--2020-04-20--Illinois was a month away from officially adding an ice hockey program. But the school has ‘hit the

Illinois was a month away from officially adding an ice hockey program. But the school has ‘hit the pause button’ in the wake of COVID-19.

“ We were really close on the hockey thing , ” he said .
“ We continue to remain very @ @ @ @ @ very optimistic about its future , particularly the impact it would have on our community @ @ @ @ @ who have suggested it could be a very helpful reignition to Champaign-Urbana and to helping @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic .

A project almost three years in the making to add a Division I men’s ice hockey program at the University of Illinois has “hit the pause button,” athletic director Josh Whitman told reporters Monday.
Whitman said he was about a month away from announcing the formation of the program before the coronavirus pandemic lowered the project’s priority status.
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“Clearly with everything that’s changed here in the last six weeks, it makes sense for us to hit the — at least the short-term — pause button on that project while we wait and let things unfold in the weeks and months ahead,” Whitman said.
Illinois announced in 2017 it was taking part in a feasibility study for launching a hockey program. Despite producing the fourth-most college hockey players of any state, the state of Illinois has no Division I hockey team.
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Illinois has struggled over the years to secure partnerships, but Whitman often stated confidence in the plan to build a $100 million arena in downtown Champaign. Illinois partnered with local businesses, investors and the local government to work on the arena, which also could house women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s gymnastics and wrestling.
Hockey isn’t a dead idea, Whitman stressed.
“We were really close on the hockey thing,” he said. “We continue to remain very excited about the project, very optimistic about its future, particularly the impact it would have on our community. There are some people who have suggested it could be a very helpful reignition to Champaign-Urbana and to helping our economy get back following the pandemic.
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“We’re going to continue to monitor it. We’re still in very active conversations with all the different partners who have come around the table to help move that forward. I’m hopeful that a short-term pause is not a long-term no.”
Some athletic departments have announced cost-cutting measures, including eliminating Olympic sports programs, reducing travel and instituting pay cuts or furloughs. For now, Whitman said, Illinois expects to be able to “absorb the losses.”
Illinois lost a projected $2 million to $2.5 million by not playing in the Big Ten and NCAA men’s basketball tournaments. The team’s breakthrough season ended abruptly when the conference and the NCAA canceled the postseason to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Eliminating sports is a “back-burner issue” and “something that’s deep, deep down on our list of options,” Whitman said.
Multiyear coaches’ contracts and scholarship commitments make the idea more complicated than “one might want to believe,” Whitman said. He said cutting sports would not have a significant cost-saving benefit for five to 10 years.
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A group of Illinois administrators meets online every Friday, Whitman said, to discuss budget scenarios.
“That’s really devoted to studying various contingency plans and trying to identify cost-savings measures,” he said. “We’ve put together a fairly extensive list of levers we can pull. ... The challenge is we have incomplete information. We’re operating in an environment where we don’t know what our two major revenue drivers in football and men’s basketball will look like.”


chicagotribune--2020-04-20--Big 3 credit bureaus start offering weekly free reports to consumers, citing ‘unprecedented times’

“ These are unprecedented times facing the world .
People are feeling scared and uncertain about the future .
To @ @ @ @ @ reduce some of that anxiety , we are uniting as an industry to help people @ @ @ @ @ financial data , ” the CEOs of the three credit agencies said in a news @ @

The nation’s big three national credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — have begun offering free weekly credit reports so consumers can monitor their financial health and any changes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
The companies, including Chicago-based TransUnion, said the weekly free reports will be available for the next year at AnnualCreditReport.com.
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The announcement comes as worries grow about lasting hits to the economy as layoffs and furloughs rise in multiple industries and others take pay cuts. More than 22 million people nationally have sought unemployment insurance benefits in the past month.
In the past week, many of the nation’s largest banks have set aside tens of billions of dollars to cover credit defaults, such as those tied to small business loans and consumer credit card debt. A recent survey by Creditcards.com found 59 percent of U.S. consumers with a credit card owed money on their cards when the pandemic started.
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“These are unprecedented times facing the world. People are feeling scared and uncertain about the future. To help play our part and reduce some of that anxiety, we are uniting as an industry to help people know the facts about their financial data,” the CEOs of the three credit agencies said in a news release.
The nation’s big three national credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — have begun offering free weekly credit reports for the next year. (Igor Dimovski / iStock)
Credit reports are a record of credit activity and payment history. Lenders use credit scores derived from the reports to evaluate the probability that an individual will repay loans in a timely manner.
In announcing the availability of free reports, the three companies advised consumers with financial challenges to contact their lenders.
crshropshire@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-20--Village officials urge residents to fill out 2020 census as they stay home due to coronavirus pandem

Village officials urge residents to fill out 2020 census as they stay home due to coronavirus pandemic

This marks the first year that the count , taken every 10 years , is available online , and a @ @ @ @ @ completed it that way , according to the census website .
Responses via mail and @ @ @ @ @ % of each municipality ’ s response turnout .

Suburban village officials are encouraging residents to complete the 2020 census online during the stay-at-home order if they have not already done so. (Steve Schering / Pioneer Press / Chicago Tribune)
Northwest suburbs are seeing higher self-response rates for the 2020 census than the state or national average, according to the census website, but village leaders continue to urge their residents to complete it during the coronavirus pandemic.
Jennifer Tennant, assistant director of development services for Barrington, said census responses are important because they affect congressional representation for the state, as well funding allocations at state and local levels.
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“It’s funding for schools, funding for roads, funding for really important things that impact the lives of our residents,” Tennant said.
According to local and federal census officials, each resident represents about $1,400 worth of resources per year for the next 10 years. That’s why, officials say, it’s so important for people to be counted in their communities.
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As of Wednesday, the national response rate was 49.4%, and the state’s rate was 53.9%. Many northwest suburbs have seen 60-70% of households respond already, according to an interactive response rate map on the census website.
In light of the coronavirus outbreak, census leaders have temporarily suspended field operations, including door-to-door census taking, until June. And the self-response deadline, which was originally set for July 31, has now been pushed to Oct. 31, according to the census website.
Despite delays and other difficulties caused by the pandemic, though, the ability to fill out the census online this year should make the process easier for those with access to internet, officials said.
This marks the first year that the count, taken every 10 years, is available online, and a vast majority of households have completed it that way, according to the census website. Responses via mail and phone account for around 1% of each municipality’s response turnout.
As of Wednesday, 64.6% of Barrington households had completed the census. Results from the 2010 census put the village’s population at a little over 10,000 people.
“We are very pleased to see the ... response rate for Barrington thus far,” said village spokeswoman Patty Dowd Schmitz. “I do think that the combination of the new online census form and the stay-at-home order has provided our citizens with an opportunity to easily complete this task.”
Many towns near Barrington are seeing similar trends in their census response rates. Although the suburban rates run higher than the state and national average, responses are still down about 15%-20% compared to final results in 2010. At the 2010 count, Barrington saw a final self-response rate of 80.2%.
Village officials continue to remind their residents — by using emails, newsletters and social media — to take the time now during the stay-at-home order to complete the census.
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Buffalo Grove, a town of just over 40,000 people, had 67.2% participation as of April 15. The village discussed the census in a recent newsletter to residents, which also included photos of Village Manager Dane Bragg and Village Clerk Janet Sirabian completing their censuses online and encouraging residents to join them.
“The more participation our village has, the more resources we will receive - to continue to make Buffalo Grove a great place to live, work and raise a family,” Village President Beverly Sussman said in a separate message to residents Friday.
Melissa Moeller, executive assistant for the village of South Barrington, said the village population sits just under 5,000. She hopes this year’s census brings it over that mark, with new homes built in the last decade.
“We’re so close,” she said.
South Barrington’s census self-response rate was 68.1% as of Wednesday. In addition to population growth, Moeller said she hopes for a high rate of completion so that the residents can benefit from the funds that will be allocated to the village for the next 10 years.
“That benefit is being passed along to the residents, ultimately,” she said.
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kedquist@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @kaitlinedquist


chicagotribune--2020-04-21--Des Plaines has highest number of COVID-19 cases among Cook County suburbs

Des Plaines had 458 cases .
The village of Skokie , which has its own health department and is also @ @ @ @ @ of deaths , said it had 335 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 15 deaths .

A sign for COVID-19 testing is posted at the Ludeman Developmental Center Monday, April 20, 2020, in Park Forest, Ill. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune) (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
The city of Des Plaines reported the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases within suburban Cook County this week, according to Cook County Department of Public Health data.
Des Plaines had 458 cases. The village of Skokie, which has its own health department and is also able to report the number of deaths, said it had 335 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 15 deaths.
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Other suburbs with high numbers include Cicero with 426 cases, Evanston with 253 and Glenview with 215.
The following shows the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases within several North and West suburban Cook County communities as of April 21, with a comparison to the cases reported a week earlier on April 14:
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Des Plaines: 458, up from 227
Glenview: 215, up from 179
Evanston: 253, up from 186 (Evanston has its own health department and is reporting eight deaths)
Niles: 162, up from 103
Oak Park: 136, up from 109 (Oak Park has its own health department and is reporting six deaths)
Park Ridge: 108, up from 90
Elmwood Park: 119, up from 81
Morton Grove: 97, up from 67
Lincolnwood: 78, up from 60
Franklin Park, 78, up from 54
Northlake: 47, up from 31
Harwood Heights: 39, up from 29
Norridge: 57, up from 30
River Grove: 38, up from 27
Rosemont: 24, up from 15
River Forest: 18, up from 15
Updated Cook County health department data can be found at ccdphcd.shinyapps.io/covid19.
The Cook County Department of Public Health reports data for all municipalities in the county with the exception of Chicago, Skokie, Evanston, Oak Park and Stickney Township, which have their own local health departments.
jjohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @Jen_Tribune


chicagotribune--2020-04-21--Another Bears kicking competition? And why was Trey Burton released? 3 things we learned from GM Rya

Another Bears kicking competition? And why was Trey Burton released? 3 things we learned from GM Ryan Pace on Tuesday.

Ryan Pace added former Nevada kicker Ramiz Ahmed to the roster last week to challenge Eddy Pineiro for the job @ @ @ @ @ the kicker out of training camp last year , and he had ups and downs @ @ @ @ @ goals and 27-for-29 on extra points in his rookie season .
He made the winning @ @ @ @ @ in Week 2 and missed a potential winner against the Chargers in Week 8 .

Bears general manager Ryan Pace spoke with reporters via video conference Tuesday morning to preview this week’s NFL draft. Here are three things we learned.
1. The Bears have another kicking competition in store whenever they return to Halas Hall.
This competition, however, should be much smaller than the one coach Matt Nagy held last year at rookie minicamp, when eight kickers faced off in a tryout.
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Ryan Pace added former Nevada kicker Ramiz Ahmed to the roster last week to challenge Eddy Pineiro for the job. The Bears named Pineiro the kicker out of training camp last year, and he had ups and downs while going 23-for-28 on field goals and 27-for-29 on extra points in his rookie season. He made the winning field goal against the Broncos in Week 2 and missed a potential winner against the Chargers in Week 8.
“We see those guys competing,” Pace said. “Look, we love Eddy and we think his future is very bright. We think competition is good for everyone. Don’t expect the number of kickers we had in here last year, but I think those two competing against each other is a really good thing.”
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Ahmed last kicked in 2018 at Nevada, where he made 15 of 20 field-goal attempts and 40 of 44 extra-point attempts. He made the team in 2017 in a walk-on tryout and handled kickoffs that season.
Pace said special teams coordinator Chris Tabor settled on Ahmed after evaluating him at Gary Zauner’s kicking camp.
“We liked him coming out of college,” Pace said. “And we feel like he’s gotten better, like a lot of these young kickers do.”
2. Trey Burton’s 2019 injury struggles were a major factor in the Bears’ decision to cut him last week.
Trey Burton’s health was a problem from the first weekend of 2019 until the last.
He was a surprise inactive for the Bears’ 16-15 playoff loss to the Eagles, sidelined with a groin injury. He later needed surgery to repair a sports hernia. And while the Bears emphasized caution in working the veteran tight end back during training camp in preparation for the 2019 season, Burton was never quite right.
He missed the season opener, a 10-3 home loss in prime time to the Packers. Then, after playing eight games and contributing just 14 catches for 84 yards, he was placed on injured reserve in November after being listed on the injury report with a calf injury.
Ryan Pace divulged immediately after the season that Burton had hip surgery. Last week the Bears moved on, terminating Burton’s contract with a failed physical designation and sending him packing with two years left on the four-year deal he signed in March 2018.
“Unfortunately for him and for us, the injuries kind of added up,” Pace said Tuesday. “We just felt at this time that was the best course of action for our team.”
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The Bears are on the hook for $4 million of Burton’s base salary for 2020 and will wind up paying him $22 million total, a hefty investment for the 68 catches, 653 yards and six touchdowns he provided over two seasons. But by designating Burton’s release as a post-June 1 transaction, they cleared $2.8 million in salary-cap space for 2020.
To strengthen the tight end position, the Bears guaranteed Jimmy Graham $9 million in a two-year deal last month and signed Demetrius Harris to a one-year contract in March. Both players will be featured prominently in the offense, but that won’t necessarily discourage the Bears from drafting a tight end this week.
“If there are guys there that we like, we’d consider it,” Pace said.
3. Ryan Pace didn’t rule out drafting a quarterback.
The Bears have until May 4 to pick up quarterback Mitch Trubisky’s fifth-year option, and Ryan Pace, who has put off discussing the topic all offseason, wasn’t about to shift from draft talk to address it Tuesday.
“Right now, our focus is all on the draft,” he said. “We know we have until May 4 on that, and we’ll cross that bridge once we get through this weekend.”
Entering Trubisky’s fourth season, the Bears traded for Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles, and Pace has declared it an “open competition” for the starting job. The Bears also have third-string quarterback Tyler Bray back under contract.
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But Pace left open the possibility of adding another quarterback to the mix.
The Bears’ first two picks this year are in the second round, Nos. 43 and 50. Second-round quarterback possibilities include Georgia’s Jake Fromm, Washington’s Jacob Eason and Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts. The Bears also could go for a developmental quarterback with a later pick.
“We’re always going to take the best player available,” Pace said. “If a quarterback was there and he was the highest guy on our board in a strong way, we would consider that. We’d consider every position. Let’s face it, the draft is risky enough. When you deviate from taking the best player, you just increase your risk.”


chicagotribune--2020-04-21--North suburban mosques observe Ramadan amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

“ The oldest members don ’ t remember this kind of situation in our lifetime , ” Agić said .
@ @ @ @ @ is a very social and communal month , and meant to be anything but in @ @ @ @ @ Social distancing is such a strange concept to any religion .
Instead of coming together @ @ @ @ @ stay at home in isolation .
”

Muslims pray at SABAH Islamic and Cultural Center in Franklin Park. With social distancing rules in effect, many Muslims will be experiencing a different Ramadan this year. - Original Credit: Handout (Imam Senad Agi / HANDOUT)
To mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan last year, hundreds of Muslims gathered on the football field of Niles West High School in Skokie for a day of prayer, food and celebration.
This year, the field will be empty as the COVID-19 pandemic forces the cancellation of once-anticipated Eid al-Fitr gatherings around the world.
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“We’re probably not going to have Eid,” said Kamran Hussein, president of the Muslim Community Center in Morton Grove, which hosted last year’s event at Niles West.
Before the pandemic and stay-at-home orders, MCC was considering hosting another “Eid on the Field” at Niles West, Hussein said. The cancellation is another casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is also impacting how area Muslim community observes the month of Ramadan this year.
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The MCC, which operates a mosque in Morton Grove, will not be hosting the nightly iftar, the breaking of the day-long fast, or taraweeh, special prayers said during Ramadan, Hussein said. Nightly recitations of the Quran, which also take place during Ramadan, will be live-streamed to viewers at home, but shortened, said Hussein.
One of the prayer services in the Mosque at the Muslim Education in Morton Grove before the pandemic required Illinoisans to shelter at home. (Brian O'Mahoney/Pioneer Press) (Brian OMahoney / Pioneer Press)
The mosque, like others around the Chicago area, will remain closed to daily prayers, Hussein said.
“Obviously, the normalcy of what we expect during the month of Ramadan is gone,” he said.
Ramadan, which begins April 23, is a month of deep spirituality for Muslims, which includes daily fasting from sunrise to sunset. At the conclusion, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr, often over a period of three days, by gathering with friends and family for meals and gift-giving.
Visits to the mosque
Senad Agić of the Society of American Bosnians and Herzegovinians, agreed that this year’s Ramadan will be “very different” for many.
“The oldest members don’t remember this kind of situation in our lifetime,” Agić said. “The month of Ramadan is a very social and communal month, and meant to be anything but in isolation from other people. Social distancing is such a strange concept to any religion. Instead of coming together, we are going to stay at home in isolation.”
Imam Senad Agi is shown at the SABAH Islamic and Cultural Center in Franklin Park. With social distancing rules in effect, many Muslims will be experiencing a different Ramadan this year. - Original Credit: Handout (Imam Senad Agić)
In a normal year, Agić said he would be going to his mosque, SABAH Islamic and Cultural Center in Franklin Park, every day during Ramadan. He said he would stay there as long as two hours in the afternoon and two hours in the evening, with some members staying as late as midnight.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Agić said SABAH cannot allow more than 10 worshipers to attend at a time, and the mosque has had to cancel late evening dinners and prayer services.
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“In the past, we would have up to 200 persons to break fast,” Agić said. "We are asking our members to stay home and break fast with the members of their families. There is no other option left.”
No groups at evening dinners
Munirah Curtis is a member of the Oak Park Muslim Community Organization, which was created last year in order to connect area Muslims.
“It will be different if people won’t be able to make that physical personal connection, but we’ll find different ways of making those connections,” Curtis said. “I can’t predict what it will be like, but it will be different for sure.”
Last year, members of the group would get together for the evening iftar, a practice unlikely to occur now.
In addition to fasting, Ramadan consists of deep spirituality, with many Muslims stepping away from day-to-day fixations in order to refocus on their faith.
The state’s stay-at-home order, which prohibits large group gatherings, may aid in spiritual contemplation, Agić and Hussein each said.
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“Spiritually, you can observe the month without going to the mosque,” Hussein said. “The rituals are still there and you can still do it at home. We’re trying to put a positive spin on it.”
“The only good thing in all of this is we will be given an opportunity to be left alone in order to come to know ourselves better,” Agić said.
Curtis agreed.
“This whole shelter-in-place is making us all more introspective as we stay with each other and ourselves,” Curtis said “It will be a learning experience. Hopefully we’ll be able to make ourselves more focused in making ourselves better. The thing about Islam is, while it’s very communal, it’s also very personal.”
Prayer can still occur
At the same time, with schools closed and many parents at home, families have an opportunity to spend more time together and pray together as a family this year, Hussein said.
“This is a time to be with your family more and observe the month with your family,” he said. “We are trying to emphasize that.”
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K. Rizwan Kadir, director of Sabeel Center, an Islamic community center in unincorporated Maine Township near Park Ridge, said that while the pandemic has disrupted the traditional aspects of Ramadan, prayer can still occur at home this year and families often pray together under regular circumstances.
“This time, it’s an extra obligation to stay at home while making sure you are doing all the extra things you would normally do during Ramadan,” Kadir said. “That’s how most of us are planning to do things.”
At the same time, he noted that this may be a time of profound loneliness for those who live alone and are unable to connect in person with family and friends, particularly for Eid.
“We cannot be oblivious to that segment of the population,” Kadir said. “The way to mitigate that loneliness is to stay in touch with them.”
jjohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @Jen_Tribune
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sschering@pioneerlocal.com
Twitter: @steveschering


chicagotribune--2020-04-21--Police: Oak Park resident has iPhone, AirPods stolen at gunpoint during Monday afternoon robbery

According to police , the gunman is described as black , about 20 years old , standing between 5 feet @ @ @ @ @ feet , 11 inches tall , with a medium complexion , an athletic build and @ @ @ @ @ full black ski mask , a navy blue sweatshirt with orange writing along the chest @ @ @

Oak Park police are searching for a gunman who robbed a pedestrian at gunpoint the afternoon of April 20 in the 700 block of South Oak Park Avenue. ( Steve Schering/Pioneer Press )
Oak Park police are searching for a man who robbed a pedestrian at gunpoint on Monday afternoon.
According to a police summary of the incident, the pedestrian, an Oak Park resident, was walking in the 700 block of South Oak Park Avenue when a man approached at about 1:28 p.m.
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The man displayed a silver-colored firearm and demanded the pedestrian’s property, police said. The pedestrian handed over an iPhone 8 and a set of Apple AirPods valued at $400, police said.
After receiving the items, the gunman fled southbound in the Oak Park Avenue and Euclid Avenue alley, police said.
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According to police, the gunman is described as black, about 20 years old, standing between 5 feet, 9 inches and 5 feet, 11 inches tall, with a medium complexion, an athletic build and was last seen wearing a full black ski mask, a navy blue sweatshirt with orange writing along the chest and jeans.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Oak Park Police Department at 708-386-3800. Crime tips may also be provided anonymously at 708-434-1636 or online at www.oak-park.us/crimetip.
sschering@pioneerlocal.com
Twitter: @steveschering


chicagotribune--2020-04-21--16 deaths related to COVID-19 reported at Park Ridge, Niles area nursing and assisted living facilit

16 deaths related to COVID-19 reported at Park Ridge, Niles area nursing and assisted living facilities

Her agency said it will prioritize testing residents and staff in homes without any known cases to more quickly isolate @ @ @ @ @ .
For homes already with known cases , the agency will test staff to see @ @ @ @ @ for residents , while treating symptomatic residents as if they have the virus , even @ @ @ @ @

Jennifer Johnson, Morgan Greene, Genevieve Bookwalter

Alden North Shore experienced some COVID-19 cases, according to an Illinois Department of Public Health report April 19, 2020, on incidence of the coronavirus in nursing homes. (Pam DeFiglio / Pioneer Press)
Several area nursing homes and assisted living facilities have reported deaths linked to COVID-19, according to data recently released by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
At least 16 people have died of COVID-19 at 16 identified facilities in Park Ridge, Niles, Skokie, Des Plaines, Glenview and Lincolnwood, the IDPH reported Sunday.
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Facilities in Norridge and Morton Grove also have cases of COVID-19.
Local facilities with the highest number of COVID-19 cases reported by the IDPH included Glenview Terrace in Glenview, Sunrise Assisted Living in Park Ridge, Summit of Uptown in Park Ridge and Niles Nursing and Rehabilitation in Niles.
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Summit of Uptown in Park Ridge experienced some COVID-19 cases, according to an Illinois Department of Public Health report April 19, 2020, on incidence of the coronavirus in nursing homes. (Pam DeFiglio / Pioneer Press)
According to the state, nursing home infection data will be released once a week, but because of how reports filter from local to state health officials, what is released may not be the most up to date.
According to the information released April 19, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported confirmed COVID-19 cases and the number of deaths from the virus at the following area locations:
Alden North Shore, Skokie: 11 confirmed cases, 1 death.
Avanti Wellness and Rehabilitation, Niles: 5 confirmed cases, 0 deaths.
Bella Terra, Morton Grove: 1 confirmed case, 0 deaths
Brookdale, Des Plaines: 2 confirmed cases, 0 deaths.
Generations at Oakton, Des Plaines: 4 confirmed cases; 1 death.
Generations at Regency, Niles: 4 confirmed cases, 0 deaths.
Glenview Terrace, Glenview: 24 confirmed cases, 7 deaths.
Landmark of Des Plaines: 7 confirmed cases, 1 death.
Lieberman Center for Health, Skokie: 3 confirmed cases, 0 deaths.
Lincolnwood Place, Lincolnwood: 4 confirmed cases, 1 death.
Niles Nursing and Rehabilitation: 8 confirmed cases, 1 death.
Norridge Gardens, Norridge: 2 confirmed cases, 0 deaths.
Summit of Uptown, Park Ridge: 8 confirmed cases, 1 death.
Sunrise Assisted Living of Park Ridge: 15 confirmed cases, 2 deaths.
The Sheridan of Park Ridge: 7 confirmed cases, 1 death.
Vi at the Glen: 5 confirmed cases, 0 deaths.
Across the state, at least 286 people living in nursing and assisted living facilities had died of COVID-19 as of April 19, the state said.
Avanti Wellness and Rehab in Niles experienced some COVID-19 cases, according to an Illinois Department of Public Health report April 19, 2020, on incidence of the coronavirus in nursing homes. (Pam DeFiglio / Pioneer Press)
Data for the entire state can be found on the IDPH website.
It is unclear how many residents and staff members of each facility have been tested for COVID-19.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, head of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said the state will now be sending more test supplies to nursing facilities to catch infections earlier and curb the spread, including “aggressive testing of staff.”
Her agency said it will prioritize testing residents and staff in homes without any known cases to more quickly isolate those found with the virus. For homes already with known cases, the agency will test staff to see who can continue to care for residents, while treating symptomatic residents as if they have the virus, even if not tested yet.
Lieberman Center in Skokie has ‘under 20’ cases
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Dan Fagin, president and CEO of CJE Senior Life, said the state reported three positive cases of COVID-19 at the group’s Lieberman Center in Skokie, a skilled nursing home. However, Fagin said the number has since grown but remains fewer than 20.
Adding to the uncertainty of just how widespread the virus is, however, is a lack of available testing to see which residents do or do not have the virus.
"We have not conducted much testing at all," Fagin said.
Instead, staff have been told to adhere to state guidance that "anybody with signs or symptoms should be treated like they have the virus," Fagin said.
The first case of COVID-19 was reported at the Lieberman Center at the beginning of April, Fagin said.
As such, "we are doing everything that everyone else in our industry is being asked to do," he said.
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The center is closed to visitors, including private caregivers. All staff are screened twice daily for symptoms, Fagin said. All group activities and community meals have been canceled.
The center operates a COVID-19 isolation unit, and limited staff cares for patients in that area using N95 masks, goggles and face shields, among other personal protective equipment.
Employees are restricted from traveling between the center's buildings, Fagin said.
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News came as surprise to resident’s son
Ken Loredo said he didn’t learn about the two dozen COVID-19 cases at Glenview Terrace, where his mother lives, until the Illinois Department of Public Health released the data over the weekend.
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“We hadn’t heard anything at all,” Loredo said. “I was pretty shocked.”
Loredo said he talks to his mother daily. She had not said anything about coronavirus infections at the facility, he said, but told him about residents being moved around and others who died. “But she didn’t say why.”
About two weeks ago, Loredo’s mother was moved out of her room because her roommate had a fever, he said, along with a neighboring resident. With the Sunday release of the data, Loredo is wondering if those residents were infected with the coronavirus.
“If that person that was in her room passed away from that, and my mother was in that room with her, I would have at least expected them, if possible, to let us know: Your mother was in a room with somebody that was positive so we’re going to be keeping an eye on her for a couple of weeks just to make sure,” Loredo said. “But nothing.”
Loredo said he’s still digesting the news, but he hopes the facility will give residents and affected families more information about cases among staff and residents.
jjohnson@chicagotribune.com
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mgreene@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-21--Mundelein will start requiring face coverings to be worn while in public

People who are outside for physical recreation are not required to wear a face covering as long as social distancing @ @ @ @ @ in their own personal vehicle or at home either alone or with a house member @ @ @ @ @ well .

Cars pass by businesses along Route 45 in Mundelein in this file photo. (Pioneer Press file)
Mundelein is joining a growing number of suburban communities that have required individuals to wear face coverings when out in public and visiting essential businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.
The face-covering requirement in Mundelein takes effect Thursday and will last as long as the village’s emergency order remains in place, officials announced Tuesday.
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Individuals over the age of 5 will have to wear face masks in Mundelein either when patronizing or working at businesses that remain open to the public or using public transportation.
The village’s order also adheres to guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends face coverings be worn in places where social distancing can be compromised.
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The order specifically lays out examples where face coverings will be required, such as trips to grocery stores, restaurants, hardware and building supply stores, financial institutions, laundry services, pharmacies, group homes and assisted living facilities.
People who visit health professionals and ride in buses, trains, taxis and ride shares also will be required to wear face masks.
People who are outside for physical recreation are not required to wear a face covering as long as social distancing is maintained. Those riding in their own personal vehicle or at home either alone or with a house member are not required, as well.
Mundelein’s order comes after numerous municipalities, including Deerfield, Highland Park, Niles and Skokie, have rolled out similar requirements to try and slow the spread of COVID-19.
Like those other towns, Mundelein officials also are encouraging businesses to refuse service to those who refuse to cover their face.
“Like all other physical distancing measures, including the closure of schools, parks and all non-essential businesses, implementing the mandatory face masks in certain locations benefits the well-being of the entire community,” Mayor Steve Lentz stated. “In these trying times, more than ever we need to watch out for each other.”
jnorman@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-21--Watch live: President Trump and members of the coronavirus task force hold a press briefing

Watch live as members of the coronavirus task force provide an update on the coronavirus outbreak in a news briefing @ @ @ @ @ .
Get the latest updates here .

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chicagotribune--2020-04-21--Northbrook requires use of face coverings in public, village will also distribute them to residents

The requirement applies to everyone over age 5 , except for those who can not wear masks due to a @ @ @ @ @ or security risk ” to themselves or the public , Frum said in the order @ @ @ @ @ cloth masks , scarves and bandanas , and should fully cover the nose and mouth @

Northbrook joined the growing list April 20, 2020 of suburbs that are now requiring people to wear masks in public, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
As of Monday, Northbrook joined several other Chicagoland suburbs to require that people wear masks in public, and the village will provide the coverings to those who don’t have them, Village President Sandy Frum announced.
Masks or face coverings are required when visiting or working in essential businesses — including grocery stores and pharmacies, using public transportation, taxis or ride shares, and visiting health care professionals, according to Frum’s order.
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Business owners can refuse to serve or admit anyone who doesn’t wear a face covering, according to the order.
The requirement applies to everyone over age 5, except for those who cannot wear masks due to a “health, safety, or security risk” to themselves or the public, Frum said in the order. Acceptable face coverings include cloth masks, scarves and bandanas, and should fully cover the nose and mouth.
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“Please note that surgical masks and N95 respirators are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders,” village staff wrote in a news release announcing Frum’s order.
Acknowledging that not all residents will have an easy time finding masks, the village made plans to distribute machine-washable, cloth masks on a first-come, first-served basis. Masks will be distributed by the village on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1657 Shermer Road, the site of the former Grainger Company.
Residents can drive up to the site, where volunteers and village staff wearing protective equipment will hand out four cloth masks per vehicle. Proof of residence will be checked and vehicles should have current Northbrook vehicle stickers.
“The village has secured a limited supply, so we encourage residents to be considerate of others and only take what they need,” village staff said in the release
Masks don’t need to be worn in personal vehicles, or while walking, hiking, running or biking while remaining six feet away from others, Frum said.
The village joins neighboring Glenview, which began requiring face coverings April 12, and Evanston and Wilmette.
akim@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-21--Who will the Bears take in the NFL draft? And which positions need upgrades? The Bear Download podca

Who will the Bears take in the NFL draft? And which positions need upgrades? The Bear Download podcast breaks it down.

Dan Wiederer and Brad Biggs are — like the rest of the NFL — working from home in preparation for @ @ @ @ @ preview the upcoming draft from a Bears perspective and address the positions most in need @ @ @ @ @ , anyone ? )
.
They dig through general manager Ryan Pace ’ s draft @ @ @ @ @ release Trey Burton before opening up Brad ’ s mailbag .

Welcome to the Bear Download podcast, a weekly Chicago Bears podcast.
Listen below or subscribe and listen on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Play.
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Dan Wiederer and Brad Biggs are — like the rest of the NFL — working from home in preparation for the 2020 draft. They preview the upcoming draft from a Bears perspective and address the positions most in need of an upgrade (cornerbacks, anyone?). They dig through general manager Ryan Pace’s draft history and the decision to release Trey Burton before opening up Brad’s mailbag.


chicagotribune--2020-04-21--Driver dies in rollover crash near Ogden Avenue in Western Springs

Police officers and paramedics from the Western Springs Fire Department determined the driver , who was alone in the car @ @ @ @ @ life .
He was pronounced dead at the scene , authorities reported .

A driver died when his car rolled over after exiting Interstate 294 at Ogden Avenue and hitting a guard rail and a tree Monday afternoon in Western Springs, according to police.
Western Springs police were notified of a crash just north of the intersection of Ogden and Grand Avenue at 3:08 p.m. April 20. Police identified the driver as David S. Martin, 66, of Beach Park, Ill.
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The accident appeared to occur as the car, a 2007 Cadillac GTS, was exiting northbound I-294, police officials reported in a statement.
A witness said the car struck a guard rail and continued eastbound on Ogden, where it crossed all the lanes of traffic and struck a tree 25 feet north of Ogden between Grand and Lawn Avenue in the Cook County Forest Preserve.
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Police officers and paramedics from the Western Springs Fire Department determined the driver, who was alone in the car, had no signs of life. He was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities reported.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Martin died from blunt force trauma resulting from the impact with the tree, Western Springs authorities reported.
The police are investigating the accident. The Western Springs Police Department asks anyone with information to call the police station at 708-246-8540.


chicagotribune--2020-04-21--His dying wife wrote a viral essay, ‘You May Want to Marry My Husband.’ Now Chicagoan Jason Rosentha

His dying wife wrote a viral essay, ‘You May Want to Marry My Husband.’ Now Chicagoan Jason Rosenthal is telling his story of love and loss

A : Grief has no timetable .
There are going to be moments when you ’ re going to find @ @ @ @ @ re going to say , “ Oh my God !
I just smiled .
I @ @ @ @ @ just happened .
I didn ’ t know I could do that.
” And then @ @ @ @ @ day — not necessarily a milestone like a birthday or an anniversary , although those @ @ @ @ @ could be a random Monday morning when you ’ re having your cup of coffee @ @ @ @ @ a process .
I think it ’ s a lifetime process .
That doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ at the forefront of every moment , but it ’ s with you , always @

Jason Rosenthal received over a thousand letters and emails after his dying wife wrote an essay about their love story. (Brooke Hummer)
Chicago author Amy Krouse Rosenthal was dying of ovarian cancer when she wrote an essay about her beloved husband, Jason.
She told readers how she fell in love with him in a day, how he showed up at her first ultrasound with flowers, how he still presented her with gum balls when he emerged from gas stations and minimarts. He reveled in art, live music and his kids, she wrote, and — bonus! — he was quite the looker. And if all of this sounded like the world’s most unlikely personal ad, that was no accident.
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Rosenthal wanted her husband to find love again when she was gone, and she was casting a wide net, with an essay framed as a call for candidates.
Millions read that essay, published in The New York Times in March 2017 just 10 days before Rosenthal died. And many wondered, what would become of the man Rosenthal so vividly depicted as a real-life romantic hero?
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Jason Rosenthal offers answers in his new memoir, “My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me: A Memoir.”
A lawyer and now a public speaker on the topic of grieving, Rosenthal, 55, tells a love story that begins with two Chicago 20-somethings on a blind date. There’s love, as well as adventure and the joy of a tight-knit, growing family.
And throughout a 26-year-marriage, there’s a striking lack of conflict and frustration.
“I know that it sounds a bit like a fairy tale,” Rosenthal said. “And the truth is we were very, very happy and super compatible, and we gave selflessly to each other. We gave each other space, and we gave each other (closeness) when we needed it. It was just a really, really, really good connection, and there was not a touch of drama, really, and there was a lot of beauty.”
We asked Rosenthal, now following the coronavirus stay-at-home order with two of his adult children, about his late wife, his grieving process and what it’s like to be dating again. The following interview was edited for space and clarity.
Q: Some people took Amy’s call for romantic candidates quite literally. What was it like to be going through intense grieving and at the same time being kind of hit on by strangers?
A: For many months, it was really something that I was not able to process. I was just deep in the throes of my own grief, and while I could see the physical signs of people reaching out in terms of letters and trinkets and things like that, I did not really pay attention to it. I sort of stashed them. So yes, there was an overwhelming response, but it wasn’t something that I truly, truly appreciated until much later.
Q: How many letters and emails did you get?
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A: Over a thousand. I continue to get emails now that are so powerful and beautiful. People seem to really be searching for a place to connect on the topic of loss, and it’s not limited to losing someone close to you. It’s just all kinds of issues, everything from losing a pet, to being laid off, to going through a divorce and everything in between.
Amy Krouse Rosenthal and her husband, Jason Rosenthal, during a family vacation in Florida in late 2016. (Harper)
Q: Your grieving process involved some striking ups and downs.
A: Grief has no timetable. There are going to be moments when you’re going to find joy, and you’re going to say, “Oh my God! I just smiled. I can’t believe that just happened. I didn’t know I could do that.” And then there’ll be another day — not necessarily a milestone like a birthday or an anniversary, although those are very painful. It could be a random Monday morning when you’re having your cup of coffee. So it’s a process. I think it’s a lifetime process. That doesn’t mean it’s at the forefront of every moment, but it’s with you, always.
Q: In the book, you never really talk about anything Amy did that was annoying or about any serious arguments.
A: Oh, I talk about a couple of things (laughs). There’s the legendary story in our family of this long day, driving to her family’s house, spending the day there, and then she was like, “Let’s stop at my friend’s house on the way home!” I was like, “Uh ... no. We have three small children, and we’re going home.”
Q: How are you doing now?
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A: I feel very grateful about where I am in my life. I am comfortable talking about what I’ve been through. I’m really comfortable about talking about Amy and our life together, Amy and what she meant to people — even in the face of questions I get in my own family, like are you sure you want to keep doing this? But it feels good; it feels good mostly because the responses I get from total strangers (as a public speaker with a focus on grieving) have been absolutely amazing.
Q: What about your social life? Are you dating again?
A: As I say in the book, it would be dishonest not to talk a little bit about dating. I’ve met men who are just absolutely unable to move forward, and other men who’ve dated a month after losing a spouse. I’ve seen the gamut of guys, so I just wanted people to know, it’s OK. In my case, I was given literal express permission, not only to me, but to the entire world, that Amy wanted me to move on and find love with someone else. I don’t know how I could have done it personally without that gift, but I’m trying to pay it forward and give that gift to other people.
Q: Does Amy come up when you’re dating?
A: Anyone who’s going to be with me knows that Amy’s got a piece of my heart, always. And yes, that’s something I don’t shy away from.
nschoenberg@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-21--Park Ridge, Des Plaines mayors call for face coverings to be worn in stores, public transport

“ I would want to make sure that if we are implementing this , we do as much education as @ @ @ @ @ calling police on their neighbors who are out in their yards without masks on , @ @ @ @ @ .
John Moran .

These face coverings were made at the Douglas Center, a nonprofit organization serving people with special needs in Skokie. (Pam DeFiglio / Pioneer Press)
The mayors of Park Ridge and Des Plaines said this week that they will require citizens to wear face coverings inside certain public places to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The requirements are expected to come in the form of mayoral executive orders without formal approval from the municipalities’ elected boards, though both did discuss the proposals Monday night during virtual meetings.
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A majority of the elected officials in both communities said they would support an order requiring people to wear face coverings in public places where social distancing can be difficult.
Park Ridge Mayor Marty Maloney’s order takes effect at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 25.
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According to the order, face coverings — described as non-medical-grade masks, scarves, bandanas and handkerchiefs — are required when working in or visiting businesses that are open to the public, such as grocery stores, restaurants, financial institutions, healthcare professionals, drug stores and more. Face coverings are also required while riding on public transportation and in taxis or ride-shares, it says.
Business owners may refuse admission or service to anyone who refuses to wear a face covering, the order says. It also allows for enforcement by the Park Ridge Police Department.
Face coverings would not be required if people are on walks, in their yards or outside while social distancing, Maloney said.
“I would want to make sure that if we are implementing this, we do as much education as possible to prevent people from calling police on their neighbors who are out in their yards without masks on,” said 1st Ward Ald. John Moran.
Fourth Ward Ald. Roger Shubert was the only elected official who did not embrace the plan, suggesting it should be the governor who sets a statewide face mask order instead.
“I don’t think we need to take that separate step ourselves,” he said.
As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases soared in neighboring Des Plaines, Mayor Matthew Bogusz proposed a face covering requirement as well.
In his proposal, which was explained by City Attorney Peter Friedman, anyone patronizing a business or working inside a business that is allowed to be open under the governor’s stay at home order will have to wear a mask. In addition to grocery stores, he said the order would apply to auto repair shops, construction sites, landscaping businesses, delivery people, ride sharing, government services and more.
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Businesses would have the authority to refuse service to any customer refusing to wear a face covering, Friedman said.
The Des Plaines face covering order will take effect at midnight on Friday, April 24.
In both Park Ridge and Des Plaines, failing to follow the order could result in a citation from police and a fine, elected officials were told.
“I’m very optimistic they will (comply), but I want it clear that if someone is being really difficult, the officers have a tool to enforce it,” Park Ridge Police Chief Frank Kaminski said.
The communities of Glenview, Niles, Morton Grove and Skokie are requiring people to wear face coverings in public places as well.
Emails from more than a dozen people asking the city of Des Plaines to enact face covering mandates were read by City Clerk Jennifer Tsalapatanis during Monday’s City Council meeting.
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Many of the emails referenced the high number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Des Plaines, as reported by the Cook County Department of Public Health. As of Monday, there were 438 confirmed cases within Des Plaines — the highest among Cook County suburbs, according to health department data.
City Manager Mike Bartholomew said Des Plaines addresses include areas of unincorporated Des Plaines. This, he said, “expands our number enormously.”
Both Bartholomew and Bogusz suggested that the high number of COVID-19 cases was due to these unincorporated areas being lumped in with the city of Des Plaines, but neither provided evidence that unincorporated residents are being tested positive at higher rates than their counterparts living within the city boundaries.
Residents of unincorporated Maine Township, which is located east of Des Plaines and sandwiched between Glenview and Park Ridge, have Des Plaines and Glenview addresses. There is also a small part of unincorporated Elk Grove Township where residents have Des Plaines addresses.
Laura Morask, Maine Township supervisor, said she had received no indication or data that there was a substantial rate of COVID-19 cases within unincorporated Maine Township. The North Maine Fire Department, which provides service for the area, has not reported a high number of COVID-19 transports, she added.
jjohnson@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter: @Jen_Tribune


chicagotribune--2020-04-21--Under Trump, the EPA has cut back on enforcement of clean water laws in the Great Lakes region

MiHalo , the Ogden Dunes resident , said it has been difficult to watch the responses to pollution spills at @ @ @ @ @ mills .
By her count , Lake Michigan beaches in the area have been closed @ @ @ @ @ shut off at least three times since 2017 , compared with once during the previous @ @ @

The Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk in Portage, Indiana, was closed after a spill of hexavalent chromium by the U.S. Steel Midwest Plant in April 2017. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Two months after President Donald Trump took office, U.S. Steel dumped a plume of cancer-causing metal into a Lake Michigan tributary 20 miles away from a Chicago drinking water intake.
The company reported another spill of hexavalent chromium six months later, around the same time public interest lawyers dug up records documenting scores of other clean water violations at the northwest Indiana steel mill.
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Yet Trump appointees at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declined to punish the company, rebuffing career staff who confirmed U.S. Steel had repeatedly, and illegally, released harmful pollution into the region’s chief source of drinking water.
“It makes me want to weep,” said Susan MiHalo, who has lived in nearby Ogden Dunes for more than 30 years and chairs the town’s environmental advisory board. “In the back of my mind I’m always worried they are dumping pollution into the lake and nobody is going to tell us about it.”
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The lack of enforcement against one of the biggest polluters on the Great Lakes marked an early example of the Trump administration’s more lenient approach to policing industrial pollution.
Well before the administration suspended a range of EPA enforcement activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, the downturn under Trump has been striking.
In Illinois, Indiana and the four other Midwest states surrounding the Great Lakes, the number of water pollution cases filed by the EPA has declined during each of the past three years, according to a new analysis of agency records by the nonprofit Environmental Law and Policy Center.
The president’s political hires also have purged dozens of career employees from the agency.
“Tough but fair enforcement requires knowledgeable, experienced staff with the backing of EPA headquarters in Washington,” said Howard Learner, the center’s executive director. “Without a strong expectation of environmental law enforcement, facilities are more likely to violate the law and avoid accountability.”
Trump’s EPA administrators, first Scott Pruitt and now Andrew Wheeler, have led the president’s rollbacks of clean air and water protections. But they have insisted their anti-regulatory agenda hasn’t affected the agency’s enforcement priorities.
“I am proud of our accomplishments, and I know that none of it would be possible without our talented and dedicated EPA career staff,” Wheeler, a former coal industry lobbyist who served as assistant administrator under Pruitt, said during his January 2019 confirmation hearing.
In a statement Monday, the EPA said cleaning up the Great Lakes remains a priority. "EPA’s enforcement program is concerned with outcomes, not outputs. We don’t set quotas for enforcement cases,” the statement said.
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The agency’s own numbers document the decline in environmental cops on the beat and the drop in cases against polluters.
Last year the EPA filed 208 water cases in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, compared with 319 during President Barack Obama’s last full year in office, agency records show.
At the same time, the number of chronic violators in the heavily industrialized states has skyrocketed under Trump, who as a candidate vowed to abolish the EPA.
Another northwest Indiana steel mill, ArcelorMittal’s Burns Harbor complex, is among 209 facilities across the region on the agency’s high-priority list of companies in “significant noncompliance” with the Clean Water Act.
Others include municipal sewage plants that have failed to prevent the release of untreated human and industrial waste into the Great Lakes, the source of drinking water for 30 million people in the United States and Canada.
During Obama’s last year in office, 125 facilities were on the same high-priority list. (Michigan isn’t included on the list because of data-sharing problems between the state and EPA.)
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EPA documents show the enforcement decline coincided with policies adopted by the Trump administration at the behest of industry lobbyists, in particular those representing oil, gas and corporate agriculture interests.
The slowdown became more apparent as Trump appointees reduced the size of the EPA. There are now 940 career staff at the Chicago-based regional office, which for most of the agency’s history has been an aggressive enforcer of clean air and water laws.
In December 2015, there were 1,103 employees assigned to the Chicago office.
Pruitt required even routine requests for information by the EPA to be cleared by political appointees in Washington. Under previous administrations, led by both Democrats and Republicans, regional EPA offices like the one based in Chicago were given wide latitude to investigate polluters.
“It’s a maxim in environmental protection that the polluter pays,” said Mary Gade, who led the Chicago office during Republican President George W. Bush’s administration. “During the Trump administration, the public pays.”
There are exceptions in almost every administration.
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Gade cracked down on Indiana’s attempts to relax clean water regulations for U.S. Steel’s Gary Works and the BP oil refinery in Whiting, but Bush aides fired her after she took on Dow Chemical’s legacy of toxic pollution dumped into Michigan rivers. President Bill Clinton vowed as a candidate to take action against an Ohio hazardous waste incinerator near an elementary school; the Democrat’s administration largely failed to follow up after taking office.
Today current and former EPA employees say morale at the agency’s regional offices is the lowest in memory. Among other things, they described a staff with deep knowledge of local pollution problems blocked repeatedly by political appointees who are reluctant to move forward with cases, even when the evidence is overwhelming.
“This is all part of their move to neuter the agency for their friends in the oil and gas and steel industries,” said Nicole Cantello, an EPA lawyer who has worked in the Chicago office for nearly three decades.
Cantello spoke with the Chicago Tribune because she is protected as president of the local union of EPA employees.
Often it takes outside pressure from nonprofit groups, including Learner’s team of lawyers, before the EPA takes action.
For instance, the agency announced a settlement with U.S. Steel over the 2017 chromium spills only after a threatened lawsuit from the Abrams Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Chicago.
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Lawyers from the clinic and the city of Chicago are still in federal court seeking tougher penalties than the $900,000 in fines Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel agreed to pay.
EPA officials have yet to take action against ArcelorMittal for dumping fish-killing ammonia and cyanide into a Lake Michigan tributary last year. Instead, it took a threatened lawsuit from Learner’s group before Indiana officials began scrutinizing the steel mill more aggressively.
Pruitt and Wheeler have said it is up to states to decide which environment and public health initiatives should be a priority. At the same time, the Trump White House has proposed deep cuts in federal grants that account for a large share of the funding for state environmental programs.
“A lot of happy talk about 'cooperative federalism’ isn’t going to fix this problem, especially coming from an administration that spends most of its time trying to unravel environmental laws that it should be enforcing,” said Eric Schaeffer, a former top EPA enforcement official who leads the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project.
Like the EPA, many state environmental agencies have fewer employees with less money to do their jobs than a decade ago. In Illinois alone, the inflation-adjusted budget for the state EPA declined 25% between 2008 and 2018, records show.
But water pollution remains a problem across the nation, exacerbated by climate change that federal and state agencies largely aren’t equipped to address.
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MiHalo, the Ogden Dunes resident, said it has been difficult to watch the responses to pollution spills at the region’s steel mills. By her count, Lake Michigan beaches in the area have been closed and the local water intake shut off at least three times since 2017, compared with once during the previous three decades.
“Without the threat of citizen enforcement (of the Clean Water Act) in our back pocket, these companies likely would just keep polluting the lake," MiHalo said. “We’ve been taught to remain eternally vigilant by people who fought years ago to hold the steel mills and other industries accountable. That’s just as true today as it was then.”
mhawthorne@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-21--‘This is something nobody can control’: Park Ridge police officer shares experience of COVID-19

“ I had been to Lutheran General Hospital on a few service calls for work and I know there were @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .
“ I also work out at the Rosemont Health ( and @ @ @ @ @ I got tested , before I was experiencing symptoms , I heard there was a @ @ @ @ @ I would guess I got it from one of those two places , but I @ @ @ @ @ sure .
”

Two days after experiencing a 101-degree fever, Mitchell Stephens thought he was on the mend.
The fever and aches that came with it had mostly gone and Stephens, a Park Ridge police officer, was feeling well enough to get in a workout at home.
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“I thought maybe it was just the flu,” he recalled of the episode on Friday, March 13.
But by Tuesday, the illness that seemed to have come and gone was back — and it wasn’t going to disappear as quickly.
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“I lost my sense of smell and taste, I had diarrhea and body aches — and for longer this time,” Stephens said. “The symptoms lasted close to a week.”
Ten days later and back to feeling much like his normal self, Stephens learned the test he had taken earlier was positive for COVID-19.
“I was on the fence about whether I had it,” Stephens, a Park Ridge patrol officer for the last four years, admitted. “I had such an array of symptoms, so I wasn’t sure. The whole loss of taste and smell wasn’t even reported as a symptom then, so I wasn’t sure what I had.”
Stephens, the only city of Park Ridge employee known to test positive for COVID-19, says he is completely recovered and was able to return to his police duties earlier this month. But he acknowledges that not everyone is as fortunate, like the three police officers with the Chicago Police Department who never recovered after contracting the virus.
“It’s scary to think about,” Stephens said. “It hits home and it makes you think. Obviously we have so many other things to worry about (as police officers), but this is something nobody can control.”
Stephens, 29, isn’t sure how he contracted the coronavirus.
“I had been to Lutheran General Hospital on a few service calls for work and I know there were a few cases there,” he said. “I also work out at the Rosemont Health (and Fitness) Club. Before I got tested, before I was experiencing symptoms, I heard there was a confirmed case from there. I would guess I got it from one of those two places, but I can’t say for sure.”
Stephens questioned whether he was coming down with COVID-19 when he started to feel ill on the night of March 13.
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“I started to have a little bit of a cough, a little fever and body aches, and by Saturday morning it was pretty apparent that the fever was getting worse,” he said.
At one point in the day, it neared 102 degrees, he noted.
“Obviously, with everything going on, I wanted to be super careful,” Stephens said. “I called around to a few places, doctors and immediate care centers to find out how to address the situation. They didn’t want me coming to the ER and if I was feeling OK in terms of breathing, they wanted me to do a virtual visit, so I did a virtual visit with a doctor on Saturday night.”
At the time, testing for COVID-19 was still in short supply and because Stephens reported no breathing problems, the doctor recommended a 14-day quarantine just in case he had been exposed.
But that Tuesday, with the new and unusual symptoms rearing their heads, Stephens was able to make an appointment to be tested, though the results didn’t come back for another 10 days.
“By that time, I felt totally normal,” he said.
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While coughing and difficulty breathing are symptoms largely associated with COVID-19, Stephens said he never had breathing issues and only a “dry” cough during the time he was ill.
“To compare it to a ‘normal’ flu, I would say it was more moderate on the beginning side, but on the other side, I can’t even compare the symptoms,” he said.
During his quarantine and recovery, Stephens was concerned that he might have infected his fiancee, but even though they share a home, she remained healthy, he said.
And even though he considers his case “mild” compared to what other COVID-19 patients have experienced, he warns people that not all cases are the same.
“I just want people to be aware that it’s closer than they may think,” Stephens said. “A lot of people may not know someone who had it because of a lack of testing, but it affects people in so many different ways.”
Stephens said he is considering coronavirus antibody testing, which scientists say could help determine immunity and aid in the development of treatments and vaccines for COVID-19.
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Since Stephens has been back to work, the Park Ridge Police Department has made changes to its day-to-day operations in an effort to protect officers and the public from COVID-19.
Police Chief Frank Kaminski explained that while some officers are on the streets, others are on call and ready to respond in the event of an incident that requires additional police personnel. This type of scheduling is aimed at preventing an outbreak among a large group of officers, he said.
When possible, contact between officers and the public is minimized, with officers taking reports over the phone rather than in person at a home or business, Stephens said. Officers have been given personal protective gear and hand sanitizers, and the police station is being cleaned “all the time,” Kaminski said.
Additionally, when officers receive a call, the dispatcher alerts them as to whether the person they are responding to has COVID-19 symptoms.
“A lot of times they will say ‘no COVID symptoms’ over the air, but even if they say that, on every call I’m wearing gloves or a face mask, especially when I know I have to meet with someone face to face,” Stephens said.
jjohnson@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter: @Jen_Tribune