chicagotribune--2020-10-17--Northwestern’s Kellogg School goes remote for two weeks after more than 50 students linked to multip

Northwestern’s Kellogg School goes remote for two weeks after more than 50 students linked to multiple off-campus gatherings and 4 catch COVID-19

“ We are disappointed that we had to make this decision , ” Cornelli wrote .
“ As you know @ @ @ @ @ to stay hybrid in our Full-Time MBA program until the Thanksgiving holiday .
This is @ @ @ @ @ individual actions are in allowing us to achieve our shared goals , and how quickly @ @ @ @ @ ”

A mask hangs from a sign on the Northwestern University campus in Evanston. The university's Kellogg School of Management is the latest to shift to online classes because of COVID-19 cases. (Olivia Obineme/The New York Times)
Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management announced Friday evening that it will suspend in-person classes for two weeks after four students who attended recent off-campus gatherings tested positive for COVID-19.
The temporary shift comes days after a similar scenario at the University of Chicago, where more than 100 business school students were directed to quarantine because of potential exposure during an off-campus social event.
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Kellogg’s program for full-time Master of Business Administration students, based in Evanston, will shift to remote formats through Oct. 30, a school spokesman said.
“The decision to switch to fully remote courses was made after four Kellogg students tested positive for COVID-19 since Thursday,” spokesman Jon Yates said in an emailed statement. “As a result of contact tracing on those individual cases, more than 50 Kellogg students have since been linked to recent off-campus social gatherings of Kellogg MBA students.”
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NU is asking all full-time MBA students in the Chicago area to stay at home and isolate for two weeks. The school’s COVID-19 Response Team was working to notify affected students, conduct contact tracing and provide testing.
About 1,300 students are enrolled in full-time MBA programs, but many are studying remotely from outside of Chicago and not subject to the directive, Yates said. Weekend and evening classes at NU’s Chicago campus will continue as scheduled.
In an email to students Friday, Kellogg Dean Francesca Cornelli said the school learned of “multiple large gatherings that occurred last weekend.”
“We are disappointed that we had to make this decision,” Cornelli wrote. “As you know, our objective was always to stay hybrid in our Full-Time MBA program until the Thanksgiving holiday. This is a reminder of how important individual actions are in allowing us to achieve our shared goals, and how quickly this virus can spread.”
Students directed to stay at home should avoid nonessential activities but can go to the grocery store, see a doctor and go outside for individual exercise. Social gatherings are prohibited, and violations of the directive “can be grounds for disciplinary action, which could include suspension,” Cornelli said.
As of Friday night, NU’s COVID-19 dashboard said eight students had tested positive between Oct. 9 and Thursday. The school had conducted nearly 30,000 tests in the last 50 days.
echerney@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-18--Windy weather dying down after causing handful of issues, including power outages and a few delays a

Windy weather dying down after causing handful of issues, including power outages and a few delays and cancellations at O’Hare and Midway airports

Several brush fires broke out across Illinois , due to the combined gusty winds and dry conditions , according to @ @ @ @ @ about 7:30 p.m. a few delays and cancellations were reported at O ’ Hare International @ @ @ @ @ according to the Chicago Department of Aviation and FlyChicago.com .

High winds on Saturday caused delays at Chicago’s airports Saturday evening and some power outages, officials said.
The strong winds will continue until Sunday, according to the National Weather Service, which said some rain is expected Sunday. Temperatures remain mild Saturday but will plunge a bit on Sunday and remain below normal early next week.
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Several brush fires broke out across Illinois, due to the combined gusty winds and dry conditions, according to NWS, and as of about 7:30 p.m. a few delays and cancellations were reported at O’Hare International Airport and Midway Airport, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation and FlyChicago.com.
At O’Hare, there were delays on average of 15 minutes with 13 cancellations, and Midway was also reporting 15-minute, on average, delays and only one cancellation.
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ComEd also had weather-related outages, according to the agency, which said they beefed up their staffing to prepare.
As of 7:30 p.m., there were less than 100 outages in the area; there were 66, said ComEd spokeswoman Shannon Breymaier. “Crews are out now working on restoring their power.”
“The winds are dying down now, so hopefully we are past any risk,” Breymaier added, saying the outages were considered “negligible.”
A dog leads two people along Loyola Beach in the Rogers Park neighborhood Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Winds will subside by Sunday, but there remains an “active weather pattern” with chances for rain over the next few days, according to the weather service.
By midweek, daytime temperatures will be cooler, but possibly warming up to the 60s.
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-17--National Guard celebrates 50th anniversary of armory dedication to Black military leader

“ I just want y ’ all to know how tremendously proud I am today , ” Pritzker said at @ @ @ @ @ the armory .
“ To be the commander in chief of Illinois ' citizen soldiers @ @ @ @ @ solemn duties in office because the men and women of the National Guard are the @ @ @ @ @ in fact , they are the best of our nation .
”

Lt. Col. Jason Carter introduces invited guests to the 50th anniversary dedication ceremony of the Gen. Richard L. Jones Armory in Washington Park on Oct. 17, 2020, in Chicago. Gen. Richard L. Jones served in World War I and II, and was appointed U.S. ambassador to Liberia in 1955. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
After everyone’s temperature was checked and a small band played, about 30 people sat in chairs spaced apart in the parking lot of the South Side’s Gen. Richard L. Jones Armory on Saturday afternoon.
Fifty years ago to the day, the limestone building with symbolic carvings at 5200 S. Cottage Grove Ave. had its name changed from Washington Park Armory in dedication to Brig. Gen. Richard L. Jones. Jones was a Black military leader who served in both world wars and was a United States ambassador to Liberia, among other endeavors.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker, U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush and Jones' son were all in attendance at the Illinois National Guard’s celebration of the anniversary as well as recognition of the Illinois National Guard’s almost 150-year history in the community. Oct. 17 is also known as Brig. Gen. Richard L. Jones Day, which was proclaimed by former Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and guests attend the 50th anniversary dedication ceremony of the Gen. Richard L. Jones Armory in Washington Park on Oct. 17, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
“I just want y’all to know how tremendously proud I am today,” Pritzker said at the podium in front of the armory. “To be the commander in chief of Illinois' citizen soldiers is one of my most solemn duties in office because the men and women of the National Guard are the best of Illinois and, in fact, they are the best of our nation.”
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The ceremony began with a recognition of the history surrounding Jones and the Illinois National Guard. In 1871, Black community leaders formed the Hannibal Guard, said speaker Lt. Col. Jason Carter. It was accepted into the state’s militia seven years later, but it was disbanded and regained admittance multiple times. The unit formed the center of what became known as The Fighting Eight, and the current soldiers of the 178th Infantry Battalion are descendants of them.
“Gen. Jones, a decorated World War I and World War II hero who ensured the lineage of the nation’s first all-Black and all-Black-led National Guard unit, would not be lost in the integration of the armed forces,” Pritzker said. “He ensured the 178th Infantry carried on the legacy of the Fighting Eight at a time when their country still refused to serve Black Americans like him.”
Speaker retired Col. Eugene Scott said he hopes the state of Illinois “continues in its pursuit of excellence.” He said he hopes to see more young Black men and women embrace the Illinois National Guard, which was the only state to send an all-Black unit to fight in World War I.
“But many of them are unaware of what you have to offer, so it has come upon you to reach out and bring them in to you,” Scott said. “Look at where you are, you are in our midst. So it’s your responsibility to reach out to them.”
Brig. Gen. Rodney Boyd was one of those Black boys from the South Side, he said. He grew up 14 blocks north of the armory and remembers seeing men and women in the armory at the Bud Billiken Day Parade, wearing their uniforms inside fancy vehicles.
“I said, ‘One day, I’m going to wear that uniform,'” he said. “If there’s any doubt that this community does not need a facility like this in it, then shame on you. It’s because this facility in a community like this is what influences people like me to dream big and go for the stars and eventually get one.”
Guests attend the 50th anniversary dedication ceremony of the Gen. Richard L. Jones Armory in Washington Park on Oct. 17, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Rush, an honorably discharged veteran, said he served in the U.S. Army for four years, five months, 28 days and about 13 hours, and couldn’t wait to get out and join the civil rights movement. He spoke to how Black soldiers had been fighting alongside white soldiers since the Civil War, on both sides, but the military still has a lack of high-ranking people of color, which he hopes to see change.
“We celebrate the Black community and Black military individuals,” Rush said. “I dedicate myself to make sure we have more Blacks, more Asians, more Latin Americans who are in the top positions in all the military branches in our nation."
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Maj. Gen. Richard R. Neely, the adjutant general for the Illinois National Guard, said Jones' legacy expands beyond the community and state into the nation. But Jones also helped strengthen the connection between the National Guard and community.
Neely then addressed how the media has talked about the National Guard being sent to Chicago:
“You can’t help but know that the National Guard is a big part of this community and a big part of Chicago.''
Editor’s note: In a previous version of this story, a quote was incorrectly attributed to retired Maj. Ronald Murdock. Retired Col. Eugene Scott said the quote about his hope that more young Black men and women embrace the Illinois National Guard.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-10-17--Watch live: President Donald Trump holds a rally in Janesville, Wisconsin

Just five days removed from his White House coronavirus quarantine , President Donald Trump is set to visit Wisconsin this @ @ @ @ @ from a record-high surge in coronavirus cases .

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chicagotribune--2020-10-17--14-year-old boy among 4 dead and 9 wounded in overnight shootings, police say

The man , 23 , suffered a wound to the right forearm and was taken in good condition to Stroger @ @ @ @ @ in the right leg and buttocks , and was taken in critical condition to Mount @ @ @ @ @ was pronounced dead , said police .

A 14-year-old boy was among four people shot dead and nine people wounded in overnight city shootings, Chicago police said.
The latest fatal attack, which left a woman dead, happened shortly after 4:15 a.m. Saturday on the West Side in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.
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Police said a man and 22-year-old Tynaz Shorter were in a vehicle in the 3700 block of West Chicago Avenue when a black Chevy sedan approached and someone opened fire, striking them both.
The man, 23, suffered a wound to the right forearm and was taken in good condition to Stroger Hospital. Shorter was shot in the right leg and buttocks, and was taken in critical condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, said police.
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Shortly after midnight Saturday, Aaron Campbell, 30, was fatally wounded on the South Side in the East Chatham neighborhood.
Police said the Campbell and a 26-year-old woman where inside a parked vehicle in the 8000 block of South Ingleside Avenue when two males approached and fired multiple shots, then fled north.
Campbell was shot nine times and was taken in critical condition to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. The woman suffered a gunshot wound to the buttocks and was in good condition, police said.
About 11:50 p.m. Friday, a 42-year-old Ramon Flores was fatally wounded on the Northwest Side in the Schorsch Village neighborhood.
Police said the man went outside to smoke in the 6700 block of West Belmont Avenue when two males approached and began firing shots at the victim, then ran north on Normandy Avenue.
Flores suffered a wound to the back and was taken in critical condition to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he was pronounced dead a short time later, police said.
A 14-year-old boy, Antwon Winters, was fatally wounded Friday night in the North Lawndale neighborhood in the 3600 block of West Douglas Boulevard.
Police said officers responding to ShotSpotter technology in the area found Winters and a 15-year-old shot inside of a stairwell.
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Winters was shot in the chest and was taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. The other boy suffered a wound to the right leg and was taken to the same hospital, where he was listed in good condition.
Police said the surviving boy refused to answer any questions and was being “very” uncooperative.
In other shootings overnight:


chicagotribune--2020-10-17--’Vote. Vote. Vote. Vote. Vote.’ Women’s March holds mix of smaller in-person, virtual events amid pa

’Vote. Vote. Vote. Vote. Vote.’ Women’s March holds mix of smaller in-person, virtual events amid pandemic and widening political gender gap

And those pleas come amid a widening gender gap in voting .
During the 2016 cycle , Donald Trump won @ @ @ @ @ % of men and just 41 % of women — an 11 percentage-point gap , @ @ @ @ @ in 20 years , according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers @ @

Mary O’Connor didn’t mind the chilly morning air, the blustery wind or even the occasional drizzle as she joined about 20 others to rally on a suburban corner as part of the Women’s March movement.
“What I tell people is: Democracy requires bravery,” O’Connor said, amid a cacophony of horns, shouts of encouragement and occasional jeers from drivers. “Paul Revere wasn’t afraid.”
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The small rally at a busy Kane County corner joined a mix of smaller in-person and virtual events Saturday across the country tailored to the realities of a pandemic and desire to draw maximum engagement in a divisive election. That included Women’s March Chicago holding a “Zoom to the Polls” Facebook Live event, with more than three dozen speakers, from Chicago’s mayor to neighborhood activists.
The consistent theme of speakers: make a plan to vote, either by mail, early voting or on Election Day. Then make sure others vote too.
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“Vote, vote, vote, vote, vote,” said Fawzia Mirza, who helped emcee the Women’s March Chicago event. “Honestly, this is the best four-letter word there ever was.”
While not ostensibly a rally for Democrats, the get-out-the-vote message was interspersed with pitches for progressive policy ideas and pleas to support Democratic Party candidates up and down the ballot.
And those pleas come amid a widening gender gap in voting. During the 2016 cycle, Donald Trump won with the support of 52% of men and just 41% of women — an 11 percentage-point gap, the widest it had been in 20 years, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.
This year, various polls suggest that gap may be just as wide, albeit with women preferring the Democratic choice even more than the last election cycle.
A Washington Post/ABC News poll from Oct. 6-9 gave Democrat Joe Biden an overall edge of 54%-42% among likely voters, with a 4% margin of error. While that poll showed the race tied among men, women supported Biden 59%-36%, which pollsters described as the widest margin among women favoring a candidate in more than 40 years of such polling.
Then again, Saturday’s speakers were careful to note what happened in 2016, when Democratic contender Hillary Clinton watched a comfortable poll lead dissipate and Trump eke out a victory. The speakers blamed some voters’ complacency.
“You know the three most important things are turnout, turnout and more turnout,” said U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Matteson.
Added Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza: “Polls mean nothing. What matters is the final tally on Election Day.”
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Mendoza spoke from her home, like most speakers. Some spoke from their offices. One spoke from her car. The group also held an outdoor viewing party at Phalanx Family Services in Chicago’s Roseland neighborhood, where sweatshirts and voting information were handed out.
Other events were held in Chicago and across the suburbs, including one that aimed to line miles of west suburban Randall Road with groups in masks holding mini-rallies.
That included the corner that drew O’Connor and others, North Avenue and Randall Road, in the shadow of a Pep Boys auto store.
Among the group was Ursala Klicker, of Batavia. She held up a poster board dotted with pictures of flowers and the phrase “Vote For Kindness.” On the other side was the phrase “We Will Rise.”
“I just hate … everybody fighting, We can’t fix the problems we have if we are so divided,” Klicker said.
Another, Terri Jacobsenof St. Charles, offered a more blunt reason for being there: “Trump freaks us out.”
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For O’Connor, it’s just a continuation of advocacy that began when she helped form a 2017 group spurred by the Women’s March movement called We Can Lead Change – Fox Valley. She echoed others' calls to push the message through the election and beyond.
“We’ve got to grind it. We’ve got to grind it to the end,” she said. “Nothing can be taken for granted, which is why we’re out here in the cold and the rain.”
jmahr@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-17--‘Log off! Log off!’ teacher orders students when sexual assault livestreamed during first grader’s r

‘Log off! Log off!’ teacher orders students when sexual assault livestreamed during first grader’s remote learning class

The 7-year-old muted herself but did not turn off the camera .
When the teacher saw them performing oral sex @ @ @ @ @ the students to log off and then called out the victim ’ s name and @ @ @ @ @ the camera .

An 18-year-old Chicago man out on bond for a gun case livestreamed himself sexually assaulting a 7-year-old first grader during a remote learning class, according to prosecutors.
Catrell A. Walls, of the West Chesterfield neighborhood on the South Side, was arrested shortly after 3:30 p.m. Thursday after he was seen by a teacher and other classmates who were online, police said. Several students were heard asking, “What’s going on, what’s happening?”
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The assault was broadcast on a website accessible to many young students while the girl was on a break from the class and her teacher had asked the students to turn off their cameras and mute themselves.
The 7-year-old muted herself but did not turn off the camera, prosecutors said. When the teacher saw the assault, she repeatedly ordered all the students to log off, and then called out to the victim and told her to turn off the camera.
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The teacher called the police, the school principal and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Officers went to the victim’s home and Walls was arrested.
Walls showed complete disregard of children and a “wanton callousness for human life,” Assistant State’s Attorney Andreana Turano told Judge Charles Beach during a bond hearing Saturday. She said Walls has a history of sexually assaulting her over for the last year.
Walls is a senior in high school and plans on finishing, according to his lawyer. He works 40 hours a week, sometimes six days a week, in construction, has “extensive family ties,” including several siblings and other relatives, and is not a flight risk.
He added that Walls has been diagnosed with a disorder that impairs his ability to control his impulses and concentration, which the lawyer called “somewhat of a disability.”
In denying bail, Beach noted that Walls was “currently on bail for a felony offense" and that Walls had made an “admission” to the crime.
Walls was arrested late one recent evening with a loaded Glock handgun, Turano said, and he was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, a pending case that is up for arraignment Nov. 30.
Walls will be back in court on the sexual assault case Oct. 19.
Chicago Tribune reporter Hannah Leone contributed.
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This story has been updated to correct an earlier version that said the girl was a Chicago Public Schools student and to remove details of the assault.
dawilliams@chicagotribune.com
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-17--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-10-17--COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital da

COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital data in your area

Among the metrics ( see below ) tracked under guidelines set by Gov .
J.B. Pritzker are the percentage of @ @ @ @ @ , the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19-like illnesses , and the capacity of hospitals @ @ @ @ @ state will decide how much or how little to restrict activities based on these metrics @

Note: With Chicago and Illinois moving into phase 5, the Tribune is no longer updating this data. If the state moves back into bridge phase, the Tribune we reassess. Daily metrics on COVID-19, like cases, deaths and hospitalizations, can be found here. And Daily metrics on the vaccination effort can be found here. More on where the coronavirus stands nationally and around the world can be found here.
To assess how different parts of Illinois are handling the COVID-19 pandemic, officials look at the state through the 11 regions of Emergency Medical Services. The city of Chicago is one region, for example, and the rest of Cook County is another.
Among the metrics (see below) tracked under guidelines set by Gov. J.B. Pritzker are the percentage of coronavirus tests that return positive, the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19-like illnesses, and the capacity of hospitals to take in new patients.The state will decide how much or how little to restrict activities based on these metrics. (Cases, deaths and tests data is as of Dec. 31).
• Check out the Tribune’s coronavirus coverage.
• Remembering the lives of those in Illinois who died from coronavirus.
• Other Chicago, suburbs and Illinois COVID-19 metrics.
• See how the governor’s plan to manage the regions works.
Source: Illinois Department of Public Health
Created by the Chicago Tribune dataviz team. On Twitter @chitribgraphics


chicagotribune--2020-10-17--Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 27 new deaths, 3,629 new confirmed cases and 77,489 new test resu

Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 27 new deaths, 3,629 new confirmed cases and 77,489 new test results

Illinois announced 3,629 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Saturday for a total of 339,803 .
The state also announced 27 @ @ @ @ @ of 9,192 and 77,489 new test results for a total of 6.7 million .

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


chicagotribune--2020-10-17--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 3,629 new known COVID-19 cases and 27 additional deaths reported Sa

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 3,629 new known COVID-19 cases and 27 additional deaths reported Saturday

“ I am deeply concerned , ” Gov .
J.B. Pritzker said Friday at a news conference in Elgin .
@ @ @ @ @ , we are in a new wave here .
Anybody that hasn ’ t noticed @ @ @ @ @ television .
We ’ re in a new wave of COVID-19 , rising cases , @ @ @ @ @ nation , not just in the state of Illinois .
”

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Sunday reported 4,245 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus, as well as 22 more confirmed fatalities. There were 79,296 tests.
The total number of known infections now stands at 344,048 and the death toll at 9,214 statewide since the pandemic began. The seven-day statewide positivity rate for the week ending Oct. 17 is 5.3%, the state said.
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Earlier Sunday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker blamed President Donald Trump and his allies for the state’s rise in coronavirus numbers, arguing that the president’s anti-mask rhetoric convinces people that it’s OK to not cover their faces in public.
“He’s modeling bad behavior. He doesn’t wear a mask in public. He has rallies where they don’t encourage people to wear masks in public,” Pritzker told “State of the Union” host Jake Tapper.
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Here’s what’s happening this weekend with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
Sunday
Lightfoot considering $94 million property tax increase, more than 300 city worker layoffs and gas tax hike, as part of plan to close $1.2 billion budget gap: sources
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is considering a $94 million property tax increase, layoffs for more than 300 city workers and a gas tax hike as part of her plan to close a $1.2 billion budget deficit, sources told the Tribune.
Lightfoot also is considering about $500 million in refinancing city debt to help close the deficit, sources said.
The mayor is scheduled to explain her plans to close the city’s coronavirus-fueled budget deficit on Wednesday. One thing is clear: It won’t be easy.
Read more here. —Gregory Pratt and John Byrne
4,245 new known COVID-19 cases and 22 additional deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Sunday announced 4,245 new known cases of COVID-19 and 22 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 344,048 and the statewide death toll to 9,214 since the start of the pandemic. Officials also reported 79,296 new tests in the last 24 hours. The seven-day statewide positivity rate is 5.3%.
—Chicago Tribune staff
Twitter blocks tweet of Trump coronavirus adviser who undermined importance of mask usage during pandemic
Scott Atlas, a member of White House coronavirus task force, was flagged by Twitter for a tweet that violated the social media site’s “misleading information” policy, a spokesperson confirmed to the Daily News Sunday.
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“Masks work? NO,” Atlas, one of President Trump’s closest medical advisors, tweeted Saturday with a link to an article in the American Institute for Economic Research that argues that masks are ineffective. “LA, Miami, Hawaii, Alabama, France, Phlippnes (sic), UK, Spain, Israel.”
Atlas then followed up the tweet with praise of Trump’s lax guidelines.
“Use masks for their intended purpose — when close to others, especially hi risk,” he tweeted. “Otherwise, social distance. No widespread mandates.”
The original tweet has since been deleted by administrators because it “violated the Twitter rules.”
Read more here. —New York Daily News
Fire union complains East Chicago not following CDC policy on coronavirus quarantine
The East Chicago Fire Department Union is warning the community that its ranks might be infecting residents because city leadership isn’t enforcing COVID-19-infected firefighters to quarantine, even though city policy says it should.
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The city, however, says it is following CDC guidelines for first responders. First responders who may have been exposed to COVID-19 are to get tested and return to work, wearing a mask at all times, City Attorney Carla Morgan said in an email,
Four East Chicago firefighters have so far tested positive for COVID-19, and several more are awaiting results of their tests, Local 365 President David Mata Jr. said in a release Thursday. The infection started Sept. 29 out of Station 4, when a firefighter notified the administration that a family member in their household had tested positive, he said.
City policy enacted April 1 and updated Aug. 1 reads that anyone who has a family member with the virus is instructed to “immediately notify his or her Department Head or Supervisor and consult a health care provider with regard to an order for COVID-19 testing,” and that “the employee will not be allowed to report back to work until the employee has been tested for COVID-19 by a qualified physician or other approved testing site and has obtained a ‘negative’ test result.”
Mata said, however, that a fire official told the firefighter to “segregate from the crew and wear a mask.”
Read more here. —Michelle L. Quinn, Post-Tribune
Gov. J.B. Pritzker blames President Trump and his allies for coronavirus spike in Illinois
Facing a resurgence of the coronavirus in Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in an interview with CNN on Sunday that President Donald Trump and his local allies in part responsible for rising case numbers and positivity rates in the state.
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“He’s modeling bad behavior. He doesn’t wear a mask in public. He has rallies where they don’t encourage people to wear masks in public,” Pritzker told “State of the Union” host Jake Tapper. “Truly, this is now rhetoric that people understand, particularly in rural areas in my state, ‘Well, the president doesn’t wear a mask; we don’t need to wear a mask. It’s not that dangerous.’ The truth of the matter is that it is very dangerous.”
The governor appeared with Tapper a day after Trump slammed him during a rally north of the border in Wisconsin, which is seeing one of the worst COVID-19 surges in the country.
Read more here. — Dan Petrella
Saturday
3,629 new known COVID-19 cases and 27 additional deaths reported
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Saturday reported 3,629 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus, as well as 27 more confirmed fatalities.
The total number of known infections now stands at 339,803 and the death toll to 9,192 statewide since the pandemic began.
—Chicago Tribune staff
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Trump returns to Wisconsin for large rally as coronavirus cases hit record levels
Just five days removed from his White House coronavirus quarantine, President Donald Trump is set to visit Wisconsin this weekend as the state suffers from a record-high surge in coronavirus cases.
Trump originally had planned to hold the Janesville rally two weeks ago, but instead spent the day hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center infected with COVID-19.
Two weeks later, Trump will finally arrive in Wisconsin with polls showing the president falling further behind in the state, trailing by as many as 10 points since his diagnosis stunned the nation.
Trump will touch down in Air Force One after Wisconsin set a state record on Thursday and again on Friday for new COVID-19 cases, taxing hospital capacity to the point where some patients were being treated in hallways and leading Gov. Tony Evers to open an emergency field hospital at the state fairgrounds in suburban Milwaukee.
Read more here. —Bill Ruthhart
Rural Midwest hospitals struggling to handle virus surge: ‘I don’t see the end in sight’
Rural Jerauld County in South Dakota didn’t see a single case of the coronavirus for more than two months stretching from June to August. But over the last two weeks, its rate of new cases per person soared to one of the highest in the nation.
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“All of a sudden it hit, and as it does, it just exploded,” said Dr. Tom Dean, one of just three doctors who work in the county.
As the brunt of the virus has blown into the Upper Midwest and northern Plains, the severity of outbreaks in rural communities has come into focus. Doctors and health officials in small towns worry that infections may overwhelm communities with limited medical resources.
And many say they are still running up against attitudes on wearing masks that have hardened along political lines and a false notion that rural areas are immune to widespread infections.
Read more here. —Associated Press
Northwestern’s Kellogg School goes remote for two weeks after more than 50 students linked to multiple off-campus gatherings and 4 catch COVID-19
Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management announced Friday evening that it will suspend in-person classes for two weeks after four students who attended recent off-campus gatherings tested positive for COVID-19.
The temporary shift comes days after a similar scenario at the University of Chicago, where more than 100 business school students were directed to quarantine because of potential exposure during an off-campus social event.
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Read more here. —Elyssa Cherney
COVID-19 numbers are rising in Illinois. How worried should the Chicago area be?
Illinois just announced a record number of new COVID-19 cases. Positivity rates for coronavirus testing are up too. So are hospitalizations and deaths.
But a deeper look at the data can soften the sense of alarm somewhat — at least for the Chicago area, where many pandemic metrics have remained steady for months until some recent upticks. And the state as a whole is still in better shape than its neighbors on most of those same statistics.
As a pandemic-weary public braces for winter, the latest Illinois figures have prompted researchers and public health officials to offer a mix of warnings and reassurance. They worry a second surge may be starting in Illinois while also noting that the shifting pandemic threatens some areas more than others.
Here’s a look at the data researchers are tracking. —Joe Mahr


chicagotribune--2020-10-17--President Trump returns to Wisconsin for large campaign rally as coronavirus cases hit record levels

“ I would love to go .
... Nobody puts a gun to anybody ’ s head making them go @ @ @ @ @ you want to go , COVID or not , this is still a free country @ @ @ @ @ buddy , '' said Hahn , who with his wife , Michelle , owns G @ @ @ @ @ over the Illinois border .
`` We ’ ve got friends since March who hardly @ @ @ @ @ home , scared to death , wear a mask all the time , don ’ @ @ @ @ @ door unless it ’ s family .
I ’ m not going to ride your @ @ @ @ @ re an idiot , but I ’ m not gon na live that way .
@

JANESVILLE, Wis. — Just five days removed from his White House coronavirus quarantine, President Donald Trump held a large rally Saturday in Wisconsin, where he downplayed the pandemic in a state suffering from a record-high surge in COVID-19 cases.
At the top of a meandering 93-minute speech, Trump criticized Gov. Tony Evers for holding Wisconsin back amid the pandemic — despite the fact Republicans already had successfully overturned several of the Democratic governor’s public health measures.
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“We’re doing great, we’re doing really well. I wish you’d have a Republican governor because frankly, you got to open your state up," Trump said. “You got to open it up."
The president’s comments on COVID-19 ignored the fact that cases are on the rise in more than 40 states — with an especially sharp increase in Wisconsin.
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“We’re rounding the corner," Trump said. “We have unbelievable vaccines coming out real soon.”
The rally at the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport in Janesville packed several thousand people into a setting where social distancing was not an option and only about one-third of his supporters wore a mask. The event also required attendees to ride crowded shuttle buses to and from a parking lot a couple of miles away.
Trump originally had planned to hold the Janesville rally two weeks ago, but instead spent the day hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center infected with COVID-19. Two weeks later, Trump finally arrived in Wisconsin with polls showing him falling further behind in the state, trailing by as many as 10 points since his diagnosis stunned the nation.
The president credited an experimental Regeneron antibody cocktail not available to most COVID-19 patients as the reason for his quick recovery from the virus.
“I wasn’t feeling so good. I wasn’t feeling like your president has to feel. I wasn’t feeling like Superman,” Trump said. “There’s a drug, it’s Regeneron, it’s a transfusion. And all I know is the next morning I felt stronger than I ever have; I wanted to get out there.”
Trump touched down in Air Force One after Wisconsin set a state record on Thursday and again on Friday for new COVID-19 cases, taxing hospital capacity to the point where some patients were being treated in hallways and leading Evers to open an emergency field hospital at the state fairgrounds in suburban Milwaukee.
More records we did not want to break. 3,861 confirmed #COVID19_WI cases reported since yesterday. And for the first time, the 7-day average of new confirmed cases tops 3,000. Let's work together to protect everyone in Wisconsin and #StopTheSpread: https://t.co/azIna3TqRR pic.twitter.com/PNIiEJ7NCz — WIDeptHealthServices (@DHSWI) October 16, 2020
The rally only reinforced the wide divide between Democrats and Republicans on how best to approach the pandemic. Trump’s supporters insist the coronavirus should not bring life — and the high-energy rallies — to a halt while the president’s staunch critics accuse him of recklessly endangering Wisconsinites' lives.
Jonathan Spate, Victoria Graham, Julia Wall and Paul Bare traveled together from Maranatha Baptist College in Watertown, Wisconsin, for the rally. The four college students, none of whom wore masks, held up a Trump flag that read, “Make liberals cry again" and rejected the notion that president shouldn’t hold large rallies because of the pandemic.
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“It’s our freedom to do this. If we didn’t feel safe or felt our health was compromised, then it might be best to sit at home and watch,” said Graham, 20. “I think it’s a lot of personal responsibility and being smart about it. We can’t throw caution to the wind, but we also can’t shut everything down.”
Julia Wall, 22, from left, Paul Bare, 22, Jonathan Spate, 20, and Victoria Graham, 20, all of Watertown, Wisconsin, during a campaign rally for President Donald Trump at Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport in Janesville, Wisconsin, on Oct. 17, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
When it comes to masks, all four said that should be an individual decision and not up to Trump to ask people to do so.
“All you can do is tell people what the benefits are and the risks are and leave it up to them to decide,” said Bare, 22. “It comes down to respect. Do you as an individual want to show respect to those who believe masks are important and need to be worn all the time? Or are you in an area where people don’t think masks are all that important?”
To show her patriotism, Gina Lechner dressed for the rally in a head-to-toe bald eagle costume complete with a yellow beak atop her head. Lechner said she takes the pandemic seriously, noting that her husband came down with COVID-19 and had to quarantine in their home for several days as he battled a fever and fatigue.
Gina Lechner, 37, of Oregon, Wisconsin, during a campaign rally for President Donald Trump at Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport in Janesville, Wisconsin, on Oct. 17, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Wearing a Trump mask, Lechner said she wears a face covering as an example to her daughter and acknowledged Trump could do a better job setting an example by asking people to wear masks instead of making light of the issue. Still, she said those who thought the rally should be scrapped because of Wisconsin’s spike in coronavirus cases were overreacting.
“This is not any different than going to the grocery store or other places. I think we have the right to come here and express how we feel,” said Lechner, 37, who lives in Oregon, Wisconsin. “Just because it’s a super big event doesn’t mean we can’t use common sense and safety. We’re outside. You can get this at a big event or a small event, at the laundromat, at a restaurant or your parent’s house. It’s a choice to go anywhere with this virus.”
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Word of Trump coming to town was enough to motivate Jen Kuhnle, a Janesville nurse, to take time out of her brief lunch break to pick up a yard sign for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Asked what brought her by the campaign office in Janesville’s riverfront downtown, Kuhnle replied with one word: "aggression.”
“Coming here and doing this rally is just crazy. This is like a power trip for him — he has to be in front of people cheering him,” said Kuhnle, 40, who has not had to treat coronavirus patients but has many friends who have. “Asking people to wear a mask is very easy, but he won’t do it."
‘A superspreader event'
Over the previous seven days ending Friday, Wisconsin had tallied 21,655 new COVID-19 cases, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That trailed only Texas (28,014) and California (23,601) — two states that have roughly six times and eight times the population of Wisconsin, respectively.
On a cases per capita basis, Wisconsin’s caseload fell behind only North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana. The state also has four of the top seven coronavirus hot spots in the country — Wausau, Marshfield, Neenah and Appleton — according to the Dartmouth Institute, which maps COVID-19 cases by regional hospital districts.
Health care workers welcome residents to a COVID-19 testing site in Janesville, Wisconsin, on Oct. 14, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
The pandemic has only intensified Wisconsin’s bitter political divide as Republicans and some business interests have challenged Democratic Gov. Evers' public health measures. The state’s Supreme Court struck down Evers' initial stay-at-home order earlier this year, and a judge last week temporarily put a hold on the governor’s order limiting capacity at bars and restaurants. Republicans also continue to challenge a statewide mask mandate, which was initially upheld in court.
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“We are at a critical point in the battle against this virus,” Evers told reporters on Thursday. “Just because some folks out there want to see full bars and full hospitals doesn’t mean we have to follow their lead.”
By coming to Janesville, the governor said Trump would be “encouraging a superspreader event.”
“It’s bringing a bunch of people together who aren’t wearing a mask,” he said. “Whether it’s Eric Trump, Vice President Pence or the president himself, they have control over that crowd. They can tell them, if you don’t wear a mask, you have to leave. ... They are unwilling to do that."
Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Andrew Hitt said that while Democrats have tried to make the pandemic a partisan issue, he noted that cases are on the rise in most of the country and in Europe.
“I can’t really explain it, but there’s a lot of people in Wisconsin who don’t want to wear a mask,” Hitt said. “And it’s not just in rural areas — it’s all over the state.”
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Hitt stressed that attendees had their temperatures checked and were asked, though not required, to wear a mask. Asked why Trump couldn’t hold such an event virtually, Hitt said coming to the state draws more attention.
“The president and the whole team view these rallies as very important," Hitt said. “It’s very important to keep his base engaged and energized.”
'It’s already here’
Four years ago, Trump won Wisconsin by less than 1 percentage point over Hillary Clinton, who never campaigned in the state. A new New York Times/Siena poll released last week found Trump trailing Biden by 10 points — double the 5-point lead the same poll found last month. The recent polling average in the state has Biden with a 6-point lead.
The survey, which was conducted entirely after the first presidential debate and Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis, found voters saying by a 2-to-1 margin that Trump had not taken the proper precautions against the pandemic. Wisconsin Republicans dismissed the survey as from out-of-state pollsters and stressed that no poll found Trump ahead before his surprise win over Clinton in the state four years ago.
“We win Wisconsin, we win the whole ballgame,” Trump told the crowd. “What the hell do you think I’m doing here on a freezing night with 45 (mph) winds? Think I’m doing this for my health? I’m not doing this for my health."
Fans of President Donald Trump cheer as he speaks during a campaign rally at Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport in Janesville, Wisconsin, on Oct. 17, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Janesville is in Rock County, where Trump won 41% of the vote to 51% for Clinton. That marked a dramatic dropoff from 2008 and 2012 when Barack Obama won more than 60% in the county, which explains why Trump declared Saturday night, “this is a Democratic area, but I do quite well here.”
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Rock County Democratic Party Chairwoman Tracy Thompson said she thought Biden would fare much better in 2020, citing how unpopular Clinton was, the fact that she did not campaign in the state and stressing how voters now know what they’re getting with Trump — especially with his handling of the pandemic.
Trump’s decision to hold a rally while the the National Guard has conducted emergency COVID-19 testing at a Janesville softball complex all week only hammers home the point, she said. Rock County had single-day spikes in COVID-19 test positivity rates of nearly 91% 83% on two separate days last week.
“We’re trying to do everything we can to mitigate the spread and protect people, and the president has this continued persistence to come into our community and put people at risk," Thompson said. “It’s really disheartening and disappointing.”
Janesville is the home turf of former Republican U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, who did not attend Saturday’s rally. Ryan reluctantly endorsed Trump in 2016 only to later condemn Trump’s comments on an “Access Hollywood” tape bragging in vulgar terms about groping women.
In March 2019, Ryan tweeted that he thought the country was better off under Trump and that he would get reelected, but in a book released a few months later, Ryan revealed he retired from Congress in 2018 to avoid two more years of a Trump presidency and said the president “didn’t know anything about government." That drew a tweet storm and a rebuke from the president who called Ryan “a baby.”
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While historically part of a GOP-represented congressional seat in the southeastern corner of the state, Janesville itself is a solidly Democratic blue-collar union town.
Cecil Piper, of Janesville, Wisconsin, talks outside the Democratic headquarters in downtown Janesville on Oct. 14, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Hence the steady stream of people coming into the Democratic HQ in downtown Janesville recently, including retired machinist Cecil Piper, who needed a replacement for his homemade plywood Biden sign that had suffered water damage.
“I’d like to go out to the airport and protest Trump, tell him to get on his damn plane and get the hell out of here,” said Piper, wearing a bright yellow Green Bay Packers shirt and holding a pair of Biden campaign buttons. “When he knew about COVID in February, he could have ramped up the protective equipment, the masks, the gowns, the ventilators and all that. He had the time, and he sat on his hands and didn’t do a damn thing. He needs to go.”
Piper particularly resented how Trump has touted he beat the virus and told Americans not to let it control their lives — only after he received the top-notch medical care at Walter Reed.
“Easy for him to say,” Piper snorted. “He got the stuff none of us would ever get.”
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Down the street at the Janesville Moose Lodge, Kate Dombeck pulled supplies out of a cramped storage closet for bingo night. The lodge, which has roughly 500 members mostly over the age of 60, used to draw more than 100 people for bingo, but since the pandemic took hold, they’re lucky to get 20.
“Trump should just stay the hell away. He’s still probably got the virus, and he doesn’t need to do his superspreading around here like he was doing at the White House,” said Dombeck, 30, who voted for Libertarian Gary Johnson in 2016, will vote for Biden this year and isn’t discussing politics with her Trump-backing parents.
“Trump has no morals. He has handled the pandemic like an imbecile," she said. "He ignored it for so long, and when he tested positive my first thought was, ‘Deny it now.’”
Undecided voter Frank McNamer, of Janesville, Wisconsin, talks inside the Moose Lodge in downtown Janesville on Oct. 14, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Frank McNamer, 70, is retired and helps out at the Janesville Moose Lodge. He said Trump could have handled the pandemic better, but remains undecided on how he’ll vote after backing Clinton four years ago. On one hand, McNamer said, it’s important to keep continuity in the White House during a pandemic and he thinks Trump did a good job with the economy before it struck. On the other, he thinks Biden would look out more for the working class.
One thing McNamer wasn’t undecided on is whether Trump should hold his rally.
“He’s not bringing COVID in all by himself. It’s already here,” said McNamer, wearing a Moose mask. If they want to run down there, without a mask on, go for it. It’s your a-- on the line, not mine.”
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Seven miles south of the airport where Trump held his rally, farmer Gary Hahn has a giant 10-by-15-foot Trump Pence flag flying from the top of his grain bins. The banner is so large that it’s visible from nearby Interstate 90.
Gary Hahn, owner of G&M Acres, is proud to fly a gigantic flag of Trump Pence on top of his grain elevator, just south of Janesville, Wisconsin, on Oct. 14, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Hahn signed up for tickets to the rally, but couldn’t go — not because he’s diabetic and is at higher risk for serious illness if he contracts COVID-19, but because there was too much corn to be harvested from his 3,400 acres to spend an entire Saturday at a campaign rally.
“I would love to go. ... Nobody puts a gun to anybody’s head making them go to the rallies. If you want to go, COVID or not, this is still a free country, go for it, buddy," said Hahn, who with his wife, Michelle, owns G&M Acres farm just over the Illinois border. "We’ve got friends since March who hardly have been 5 miles from home, scared to death, wear a mask all the time, don’t let anyone in the door unless it’s family. I’m not going to ride your butt and say you’re an idiot, but I’m not gonna live that way.”
bruthhart@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @BillRuthhart


chicagotribune--2020-10-16--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what happened Oct. 16 with COVID-19 in the Chicago area

The results announced Friday do not negate the previous ones , and the WHO study was not as rigorous as @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. National Institutes of Health .
But they add to concerns about how much @ @ @ @ @ because none of the studies have found it can improve survival .

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois public health officials on Friday reported 4,554 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19, topping the single-day record of 4,015 set just a day earlier.
The state also said the seven day-average of coronavirus tests coming back as positive has climbed to 5.1%, surpassing a threshold recommended by the World Health Organization for safely reopening economies.
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The record comes as the state also reports the highest number of test results returned in a 24-hour period. The 87,759 results reported Friday outstrips the previous high of 74,286 on Sept. 19. There were 2,529 newly confirmed cases that day.
There also were 38 more fatalities reported Friday, bringing the statewide death toll to 9,165 since the pandemic began. In all, there have been 336,174 known cases of COVID-19 in Illinois.
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Meanwhile, Chicago Public Schools announced Friday that all students will continue with remote learning when the second quarter starts in November but that some of the district’s “most vulnerable” children will have the option to begin returning to schools before the end of the calendar year.
In explaining their rational for offering in-person classes first to pre-kindergarten and some special education students, CPS officials cited enrollment figures they released Friday that show a drop of 34% in total preschool enrollment from last year.
Here’s what’s happening Friday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
5:40 p.m.: Lake County moved off COVID-19 warning status, but officials warn return to all-remote schooling is a possibility
Lake County was removed from orange COVID-19 warning status by the Illinois Department of Public Health Friday, and is now the only county along the Wisconsin state line not so situated, according to department’s website.
While the reclassification may give residents a temporary sigh of relief, Hannah Goering, the marketing and communications manager for the Lake County Health Department, said it could be short-lived.
Read more here. —Steve Sadin
5:25 p.m.: COVID-19 numbers are rising in Illinois. How worried should the Chicago area be?
Illinois just announced a record number of new COVID-19 cases. Positivity rates for coronavirus testing are up too. So are hospitalizations and deaths.
But a deeper look at the data can soften the sense of alarm somewhat — at least for the Chicago area, where many pandemic metrics have remained steady for months until some recent upticks. And the state as a whole is still in better shape than its neighbors on most of those same statistics.
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As a pandemic-weary public braces for winter, the latest Illinois figures have prompted researchers and public health officials to offer a mix of warnings and reassurance. They worry a second surge may be starting in Illinois while also noting that the shifting pandemic threatens some areas more than others.
Here are the figures researchers cite most often. —Joe Mahr
3:45 p.m.: Kane, Will counties back on state COVID-19 warning list; Kane health director outlines ‘concerning’ trends
Kane and Will counties have returned to the state’s list of those showing “warning signs” of increased coronavirus risk.
They were among 34 counties statewide on the list Friday, based on measures of the virus' spread. Their addition to the warning list came the same day Illinois public health officials announced a record-high number of new COVID-19 cases for the second day in a row, and said the seven-day statewide average for positive coronavirus tests had surpassed the threshold recommended by the World Health Organization for safely reopening economies.
Kane County Health Department Executive Director Barbara Jeffers warned of concerning trends in the county, and urged residents to change their behavior and limit activities that could spread COVID-19.
“Unless we change our behavior as a community, we can expect to see more illness, death and economic hardship,” Jeffers said in a statement. “This is avoidable and by taking precautions, together we can improve the situation for our residents and our businesses.”
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Read more here. —Sarah Freishtat
1:29 p.m.: Child care centers don’t drive coronavirus infections, national study shows
A large national study published Wednesday by the American Academy of Pediatrics provides some of the clearest evidence yet that child care centers don’t hasten the spread of the novel coronavirus, even in communities where overall infections are high.
“This is the largest study of COVID transmission in child care programs that’s been attempted in the U.S., and I think globally,” said Yale professor Walter Gilliam, who led a team of researchers in the groundbreaking study. “These are very positive findings, and they should be very comforting,” both to child care providers and the families who rely on them.
The study surveyed 57,335 providers serving almost 4 million children across two-thirds of counties in the United States, including Puerto Rico. It found that those who continued to work during the first three months of the pandemic were no more likely to have fallen ill than those who did not.
Read more here. —Los Angeles Times
1:06 p.m.: Coronavirus cases surge in key battleground states as election nears
Rising coronavirus cases in key presidential battleground states a little more than two weeks before Election Day are the latest worry for election officials and voters fearing chaos or exposure to the virus at polling places despite months of planning.
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The prospect of poll workers backing out at the last minute because they are infected, quarantined or scared of getting sick has local election officials in Midwest states such as Iowa and Wisconsin opening more early voting locations, recruiting backup workers and encouraging voters to plan for long lines and other inconveniences.
Confirmed virus cases and COVID-19 deaths are on the rise in the swing states of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Read more here. —Associated Press
12:44 p.m.: Illinois reports 4,554 new COVID-19 cases, the second record high in as many days, as positivity rate tops 5%
Illinois public health officials on Friday reported 4,554 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19, topping the single-day record of 4,015 set just a day earlier.
The state also said the seven day-average of coronavirus tests coming back as positive has climbed to 5.1%, surpassing a threshold recommended by the World Health Organization for safely reopening economies.
Before this week, the single-day high case count was 4,014, set on May 12. The state reported 5,368 new cases on Sept. 4, but that was due to a backlog in processing test results.
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Friday’s record comes as the state also reports the highest number of test results returned in a 24-hour period. The 87,759 results reported Friday outstrips the previous high of 74,286 on Sept. 19. There were 2,529 newly confirmed cases that day.
There also were 38 more fatalities reported Friday, bringing the statewide death toll to 9,165 since the pandemic began. In all, there have been 336,174 known cases of COVID-19 in Illinois.
The virus has been surging in Illinois in recent days, as it has been around the U.S and in Europe.
Read more here. —Dan Petrella
11:01 a.m.: Igloos and greenhouses launch in West Loop today, kicking off cold-weather shift for Chicago’s outdoor dining
With the arrival of cooler weather in Chicago, restaurants and bars are beginning to make accommodations to lengthen the outdoor dining season, an attempt to retain expanded capacity during an era of coronavirus occupancy limits indoors. Friday, five prominent restaurants in the Fulton Market district will begin welcoming guests to dine “al fresco” in igloo and greenhouse structures.
Beatrix, Duck Duck Goat, Gus’s Fried Chicken, Kuma’s Corner and the Publican make up the participating restaurants in the Dining Together, Apart initiative, an effort from Anheuser Busch and Stella Artois to help restaurants extend their outdoor dining service into the colder months. Though diners were seen using the spaces Thursday, the initiative kicks off Friday.
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Read more here. —Adam Lukach
10:40 a.m.: Pfizer says it won’t seek emergency authorization for coronavirus vaccine until mid-November, after Election Day
he chief executive of Pfizer said on Friday that the company would not apply for emergency authorization of its coronavirus vaccine before the third week of November, ruling out President Donald Trump’s assertion that a vaccine would be ready before Election Day on Nov. 3.
In a statement posted to the company website, the chief executive, Dr. Albert Bourla, said that although Pfizer could have preliminary numbers by the end of October about whether the vaccine works, it would still need to collect safety and manufacturing data that will stretch the timeline to at least the third week of November.
Read more here. —The New York Times
10:37 a.m.: Large study led by the World Health Organization finds antiviral drug remdesivir didn’t help COVID-19 patients
A large study led by the World Health Organization suggests that the antiviral drug remdesivir did not help hospitalized COVID-19 patients, in contrast to an earlier study that made the medicine a standard of care in the United States and many other countries.
The results announced Friday do not negate the previous ones, and the WHO study was not as rigorous as the earlier one led by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. But they add to concerns about how much value the pricey drug gives because none of the studies have found it can improve survival.
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The drug has not been approved for COVID-19 in the U.S., but it was authorized for emergency use after the previous study found it shortened recovery time by five days on average. It’s approved for use against COVID-19 in the United Kingdom and Europe, and is among the treatments U.S. President Donald Trump received when he was infected earlier this month.
Read more here. —Associated Press
10:29 a.m.: A record-shattering avalanche of early votes is transforming the 2020 election
More than 17 million Americans have already cast ballots in the 2020 election, a record-shattering avalanche of early votes driven both by Democratic enthusiasm and a pandemic that has transformed the way the nation votes.
The total represents 12% of all the votes cast in the 2016 presidential election, even as eight states are not yet reporting their totals and voters still have more than two weeks to cast ballots. Americans' rush to vote is leading election experts to predict that a record 150 million votes may be cast and turnout rates could be higher than in any presidential election since 1908.
Read more here. —Associated Press
8:41 a.m.: CPS will begin to bring back students for in-person learning but hasn’t said when
Chicago Public Schools announced Friday that all students will continue with remote learning when the second quarter starts in November but that some of the district’s “most vulnerable” children will begin returning to schools before the end of the calendar year.
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A CPS news release did not specify when the first students — those in pre-kindergarten and some in special education — will begin phasing back in to in-person learning, saying administrators will make that decision in consultation with public health official “closer to the start of the second quarter” on Nov. 9.
But officials said the goal is to “add additional grades as early as January. Later this year, the district will be engaging parents in other grades to assess their interest in returning to classrooms.”
The Chicago Teachers Union immediately vowed to fight the plan, with CTU attorney Thad Goodchild calling it “Ill-timed, reckless and illegal” and vowing that the union will use “all available resources” to roll it back.
Read more here. —Staff report
7:10 a.m.: Open House Chicago starts, in virtual, socially distanced remake
Open House Chicago, the yearly showcase of Chicago architectural marvels, landmarks and oddities, starts Friday.
Remade this year for the pandemic age, the tours put together by the Chicago Architecture Center in partnership with building owners and scores of volunteers looks different this year, with no in-building tours and scores of online-audio walking tours.
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The tours are using a smartphone app to guide people around Chicago and nearby suburbs.
Read more here. —Chicago Tribune staff
6:44 a.m.: Oak Park District 97 delays return to in-school learning until 2021
Though it had hoped to welcome students back to in-person classes before the end of the calendar year, Oak Park District 97 officials are now saying that won’t occur until after winter break, at the earliest.
In a letter sent to parents Oct. 14 signed by the board of education, it was announced District 97 will delay any transition to on-site, hybrid learning until after winter break. The move means students would, at the earliest, return to some form of in-person learning in January.
In early October, Superintendent Carol Kelley said the district was on track to have hybrid learning opportunities for all students by the end of the second trimester on Nov. 30. The school board, however, asked administrators to extend the reopening timeline at its Oct. 13 board meeting.
Read more here. —Steve Schering, Pioneer Press
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5 a.m.: Decatur Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe tests positive for COVID-19
Decatur Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe announced Thursday morning that she has tested positive for COVID-19.
Moore Wolfe made the announcement during her daily coronavirus update interview on Byers & Co. on WSOY-AM.
“I did test positive for COVID,” Moore Wolfe said, adding she got the positive test result Wednesday afternoon.
“We are in quarantine in our house and hopefully we haven’t been spreading it,” Moore Wolfe said, adding a second family member also has tested positive.
“I cannot urge enough for people to take this seriously,” she said. “I do. I wear a mask. I try to stay socially distant. I may not be as good as I was in the very very beginning of this, but it’s all around us.”
Her announcement came a day after Macon County health officials announced 78 new cases of coronavirus.
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Moore Wolfe said she is fever-free and suffering symptoms she generally associates with nagging seasonal allergies.
“The symptoms I have, it’s like fall allergies that I get all the time so I don’t know how long I’ve had this. I don’t know if this is new and in the beginning or if I’ve been carrying it.”
Moore Wolfe said she began contact tracing and has been reaching out to people she has come into contact with who might be at risk.
She said discussions already are underway to determine how she will be handling city business and taking part in Monday’s Decatur City Council meeting.
—The Decatur Herald & Review
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
In case you missed it
Here are five stories from Thursday related to COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:


chicagotribune--2020-10-18--At large Wisconsin rally, President Trump downplays pandemic as state’s coronavirus cases hit record

At large Wisconsin rally, President Trump downplays pandemic as state’s coronavirus cases hit record levels


chicagotribune--2020-10-18--Mayor Lori Lightfoot considering $94 million property tax increase, more than 300 city worker layoff

Mayor Lori Lightfoot considering $94 million property tax increase, more than 300 city worker layoffs and gas tax hike, as part of plan to close $1.2 billion budget gap, sources say

Ramirez-Rosa , 35th , said it will be interesting to see how the mayor tries to build a coalition of @ @ @ @ @ budget .
“ Will she try to ally with us on the progressive side to @ @ @ @ @ a difficult budget by backing some of our key ideas , or will she turn @ @ @ @ @ and try to get them to back her ?
” he said .

Mayor Lori Lightfoot discusses the $1.2 billion shortfall in the 2021 pandemic budget, during her budget address with the media at the Cultural Center in Chicago on Aug. 31, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is considering a $94 million property tax increase, layoffs for more than 300 city workers and a gas tax hike as part of her plan to close a $1.2 billion budget deficit, sources told the Tribune.
Lightfoot also is considering about $500 million in refinancing city debt to help close the deficit, sources said.
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The mayor is scheduled to explain her plans to close the city’s coronavirus-fueled budget deficit on Wednesday. One thing is clear: It won’t be easy.
Not for the city workers and taxpayers who will be asked to pay for the financial consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. And not for the mayor, who will need to push what could be a politically toxic plan through the City Council.
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Though Lightfoot has kept details close to the vest, sources said a five-day furlough for all nonunion city employees is under consideration, as well as up to 350 layoffs. The layoffs would amount to roughly $13 million, sources said.
Lightfoot also is mulling a possible $77 million in cuts to unfilled positions, or more than 1,000 vacancies.
The city also is weighing whether to ask Chicago Public Schools to reimburse the city for $40 million more in school pension contributions the city makes. Lightfoot made a similar move last year and was criticized for what some said was a cost shift onto CPS to balance the city’s budget.
The city also is considering shifting nearly 900 crossing guard workers to CPS, cutting $12 million from Chicago’s budget but adding an expense for the schools, sources said.
To close the deficit, the city also is counting on almost $300 million in improved fiscal management, a broad term that includes a variety of activities such as improved collection practices. Lightfoot also could boost the city’s “cloud tax” to 9%.
Publicly, Lightfoot’s kept details of her 2021 spending plan vague, saying all options are on the table while declining to get into specifics.
Sources noted the mayor’s plan won’t be final until she unveils it.
In response to questions about the measures under consideration, Lightfoot budget spokeswoman Kristen Cabanban released a statement noting, “There will be a lot of speculation about the contours of that budget before it is presented to the City Council for review and consideration.
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“During this unprecedented time when we’re facing the largest deficit in the City’s history, we plan to present a fiscally responsible budget that is fair, inclusive and rooted in our values,” she said.
But West Side Ald. Emma Mitts, 37th, who joined the City Council in 2000, expects this to be the most difficult budget process in which she has taken part. “We’ve never seen anything like this,” Mitts, who chairs the council license committee, said of the COVID-19 financial calamity that has Chicago in its grip.
Experts said it’s unlikely the city will get much help from Springfield, which has profound revenue problems of its own, and a federal deal among congressional Democrats, Senate Republicans and President Donald Trump has been in limbo for months.
The city is likely to take a large TIF surplus and refinance debt to help close the deficit. But most of the tools at Lightfoot’s disposal will generate some controversy.
The mayor has been considering up to $200 million in cuts to Chicago’s roughly 32,000-person city government workforce, though layoffs and furloughs will draw criticism from labor unions and damage a segment of Chicago’s middle class.
If the mayor borrows to plug the shortfall, she likely will be criticized for putting the current financial burden on future generations. If the city refinances its debts then uses the money to shore up finances in the short term, she’ll likely be criticized for relying on one-time fixes.
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If the mayor raises property taxes, she could face backlash from residents whose finances already have been walloped by the pandemic-fueled economic downturn.
If Lightfoot raises fines or fees, she could be criticized for walking back on her promises to end what she has called the city’s “addiction” to fines and fees.
Dipping into the city’s rainy day fund could negatively affect the city’s already dismal credit rating.
Laurence Msall, head of the Civic Federation, summed up the choices facing Lightfoot: “She doesn’t have very many good options.”
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Msall argued that the city can’t rely on a property tax increase and will need to cut redundant or nonessential services. He said the Fire Department needs to slim down its staffing requirements while the city also should be looking to Streets and Sanitation as well as the water department for cuts, though any such moves could run afoul of labor agreements.
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“There’s going to have to be a significant reduction in personnel or personnel-related expenses,” he said.
Labor leaders will be trying to present the mayor enough cost-saving ideas in other areas to close the budget hole without layoffs or furloughs that will hurt their members. The mayor and union officials so far have been playing nice in public, and Bob Reiter, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, said he wants to collaborate with the administration going forward to find solutions.
“We’re working with our affiliates, our rank-and-file workers, to identify ways to save the city money through efficiencies and the way services are delivered,” Reiter said. “At the end of the day, if we can take these ideas to the city and work with them to close the gaps they’ve identified without impacting the level of service or people’s livelihoods, that’s the goal.”
But Lightfoot’s Wednesday presentation of her plan will start the clock ticking in earnest on negotiating the final proposal the mayor will try to get through the City Council before the end of the year, so the kumbaya atmosphere between her and the unions will be put to the test in coming weeks.
The budget package likely will be the stiffest test the mayor has faced in trying to whip votes in the increasingly restive council. While she hasn’t lost a major vote yet, the 39-11 margin of her 2020 budget was relatively tight for a pretty painless spending plan.
Wrigleyville Ald. Tom Tunney, 44th, said he expects the mayor will have a hard time getting the budget passed. “It’s going to be tough to get to 26 (votes), I told her that as a member of her team,” said Tunney, whom Lightfoot picked to chair the key City Council zoning committee. “The idea of finding revenue in a Depression-type economy, it’s almost impossible.”
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And for employee layoffs or furloughs to “make a dent” in the deficit, police officers would need to be included, Tunney said. “Public safety is 60% of the budget. If you aren’t going to ask for the sacrifice from 60%, then what’s the point?” he asked.
Last year, many of the votes against Lightfoot’s spending plan came from progressive aldermen who said she didn’t do enough to increase funding for mental health services or to make corporations pay more toward the city’s bottom line.
Northwest Side Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, a democratic socialist, said he and like-minded aldermen will again try to push for “progressive revenue” while holding the line on property taxes. And a key agenda item will be to push Lightfoot to adopt “a robust program” to have mental health first responders, rather than Chicago police, be the first on the scene responding to mental health episodes.
Ramirez-Rosa, 35th, said it will be interesting to see how the mayor tries to build a coalition of aldermen to pass the 2021 budget. “Will she try to ally with us on the progressive side to shore up her support for a difficult budget by backing some of our key ideas, or will she turn to the more conservative members and try to get them to back her?” he said.
Sources said the budget could also include more money for violence prevention groups and affordable housing measures.
Also complicating Lightfoot’s budget woes is her combative relationship with aldermen. Lightfoot won office on a platform calling to curb their powers and has frequently criticized members of the City Council, who also complain that she doesn’t consult them.
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Lightfoot acknowledged the troubled relationship earlier this year when she laid out the deficit, saying she needs to work better with people with whom she doesn’t agree. But since then, aldermen continue to grumble that she hasn’t done more to collaborate or keep them informed. She’s clashed privately with some aldermen.
The City Council Latino Caucus wrote Lightfoot earlier this year requesting $150,000 in extra funding for census-related media outreach. Lightfoot denied the request, and the caucus wrote back on Sept. 18 asking her to reconsider.
In a three-page response, Lightfoot again said “no” while highlighting the work her office had done to boost census outreach. But Lightfoot closed the letter with a shot at caucus Chair Ald. Roberto Maldonado, 26th, writing, “outside of these occasional letters, alleging how I have somehow failed the Latino community in Chicago, I never hear from you, and rarely hear from other members of the Latino caucus.”
Lightfoot’s office said she’s met with him since the exchange of letters and it was productive.
Maldonado echoed the administration stance that they had a productive meeting but said he told the mayor, “When you don’t feel welcome, you don’t knock on the door.
“I told her we don’t feel included or welcome in her administration,” he said.
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But, Maldonado added, the mayor promised to work with the caucus.
“She said she’s willing to work with us, I take her at her word,” Maldonado said.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-18--Baby of Stacey Jones — who was pregnant when she was fatally shot last week — has died, officials sa

Baby of Stacey Jones — who was pregnant when she was fatally shot last week — has died, officials say

Jones ’ two other children , 7 and 11 , were sleeping inside at the time of the shooting and @ @ @ @ @ said the person who killed his daughter robbed her children of a devoted mother who @ @ @ @ @ could with the means she had .

The child whom Stacey Jones had been carrying when she was fatally shot last week died Saturday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
“Baby boy Harrison,” for whom the given address was the same as Jones’, in the 2100 block of East 95th Place in the Far South Side Jeffery Manor neighborhood, died at 1:51 p.m. Saturday at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
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He was 4 days old.
“We can confirm this child was indeed the child related to that tragic shooting incident,” Officer Michael Carroll, a Chicago police spokesman, said by email Sunday morning.
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Jones, 35, was fatally shot Tuesday standing just outside her home. Her father, Tommy Baker, said Jones had a concealed carry license and a weapon in her pocket when she was shot. She didn’t have a chance to use it, he said, because “the coward shot her in the back.”
Doctors were able to deliver her baby, who had remained in critical condition until his death. A Chicago police source said the child had not been struck by gunfire.
The medical examiner’s office performed an autopsy on the infant and determined the cause of death was hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, meaning a lack of oxygen restricted blood flow to the brain. The infant’s manner of death was homicide.
“The death of the child has a direct correlation to the murder of the victim’s mother,” Carroll said.
Chicago police on Wednesday said a person of interest was being questioned in Jones’ slaying. That person, who was not identified by authorities, later was released without charges.
Jones moved to Chicago about two years ago to put to work her criminal justice degree from Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee, by accepting a position as a Cook County probation officer, her father said.
Jones’ two other children, 7 and 11, were sleeping inside at the time of the shooting and were not harmed. Baker said the person who killed his daughter robbed her children of a devoted mother who gave them every advantage she could with the means she had.
"You took something from them. You took something from my family, from me. You took my heart, my firstborn, the sweetest little thing. It’s a loss that I’ll never get over,” he said.
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kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-10-18--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 4,245 new known COVID-19 cases and 22 additional deaths reported Su

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 4,245 new known COVID-19 cases and 22 additional deaths reported Sunday

But a deeper look at the data can soften the sense of alarm somewhat — at least for the Chicago @ @ @ @ @ metrics have remained steady for months until some recent upticks .
And the state as @ @ @ @ @ better shape than its neighbors on most of those same statistics .


chicagotribune--2020-10-18--Steelworkers union shines Biden, Harris ‘bat light’ on Chicago’s Trump Tower

“ This was always meant to be fun , it was meant to get some conversations going , to literally @ @ @ @ @ is , how important it is to make a plan to vote , what some @ @ @ @ @ are on the ballot this year , what ’ s at stake , ” she @ @ @ @ @ Sunday morning .
“ It ’ s sort of taken on a life of its @ @ @

The United Steelworkers union was behind an unexpected weekend light display against the backdrop of the Trump International Hotel & Tower: a Biden/Harris logo.
Jess Kamm Broomell, a spokeswoman for the United Steelworkers union that represents about 850,000 current and past members in numerous industries — not just steel — in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean, said the “bat light” as they call it, has been making the rounds for about six weeks now.
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“This was always meant to be fun, it was meant to get some conversations going, to literally spotlight how important this election is, how important it is to make a plan to vote, what some of the issues are that are on the ballot this year, what’s at stake,” she said during a phone interview Sunday morning. “It’s sort of taken on a life of its own.”
A logo for presidential candidate Joe Biden and vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris is projected onto Trump International Hotel & Tower on Oct. 16, 2020. The United Steelworkers union was behind the unexpected light display. (United Steelworkers)
Union representatives recently have traveled from Pennsylvania to Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois. In each location, they meet with rank-and-file members and at night display the bat light, which she said is a fun name that predates this political cycle and has been used for other union campaigns.
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“In this election, I mean voting is a heroic act, right? ... We’ve been trying to make that connection too. That everybody can be a hero and everyone has a role to play, everybody has a responsibility and we’re sort of lighting up the sky to do that,” she said.
Attempts to reach a representative of the building and the Trump Organization were not immediately successful on Sunday.
Kamm Broomell said the union has been politically active long before the presidential election campaign neared its home stretch.
“A lot of what we do as a union on behalf of our workers, such as bargaining and labor agreements, can be really impacted by who’s in Washington, who is controlling the National Labor Relations Board and appointing the people who are overseeing a lot of the decisions. That has a big impact on us,” she said.
The bat light has been traveling with a small group of union representatives who are based in Pittsburgh. While in Chicago this weekend, the light could be seen projected on Wrigley Field. In Wisconsin recently, it was visible on the outside of Lambeau Field, home to the Green Bay Packers. In Pittsburgh it was shone on Mount Washington and on Terminal Tower in Cleveland, she said.
“We would normally be out talking to people in person,” she said. Since that hasn’t been possible amid the coronavirus pandemic, she said the union has been looking for “other creative ways to reach people.”
Members, including about 50,000 health care workers, were surveyed about a year ago to find out what issues of the day they were most concerned about, and health care topped the list, she said. Given President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, which thus far has been unsuccessful, it makes sense union leaders now support Democratic challenger Joe Biden’s ticket with running mate Sen. Kamala Harris.
Kamm Broomell said the organization has tried to find locations that are either “notable” tourist draws or "picturesque, beautiful, or unique parts of the landscape or cityscape.”
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“We’re just looking for places that really spotlight the significance of the election," she said. "And what does that more so than a Trump hotel?”
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-10-18--1 killed, 6 others shot in Chicago violence overnight

About 10 p.m. , a 46-year-old man was in a vehicle in the 4500 block of South Honore Street in @ @ @ @ @ an unknown offender started firing shots , grazing the man on the right side of @ @ @ @ @ .
The man was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition .

One woman died and six others were injured in separate shootings in Chicago from Saturday night to Sunday morning, according to police.
The fatal shooting happened in the Englewood neighborhood about 4:30 a.m. Sunday in the 7500 block of South Emerald Avenue after a 26-year-old woman was in an argument with a man who then followed her to her vehicle and shot her.
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She was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition and later died, police said. No arrests have been made.
In the most recent shooting, an unknown person fired shots at a 23-year-old man in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, according to police. The man suffered gunshot wounds to the arm and leg after the shooter opened fire from a green SUV about 7:15 a.m. Sunday.
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The victim was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in fair condition, according to police.
A 22-year-old woman suffered a gunshot wound to the foot after exiting a gas station in the South Deering neighborhood about 6 a.m., police said. The woman self-transported to Advocate Trinity Hospital in good condition and police are investigating.
In Garfield Ridge, a man, 27, was on the sidewalk when he heard shots and felt pain about 2 a.m. The man was shot once in the buttocks and dropped off at MacNeal Hospital, where he was listed in good condition.
Earlier, about 12:40 a.m., a man, 37, was standing in the 2400 block of South Washtenaw Avenue when he heard shots and felt pain. The man was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition with gunshot wounds to the lower back, police said.
A man, 38, was driving near the 1000 block of West Hollywood Avenue in Edgewater about 11 p.m. when a person in a white sedan approached and fired shots, striking the man several times. The man was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in critical condition, according to police.
About 10 p.m., a 46-year-old man was in a vehicle in the 4500 block of South Honore Street in the New City neighborhood when an unknown offender started firing shots, grazing the man on the right side of the head, police said. The man was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition.
No arrests have been made in any of the shootings.
Twitter @JessicaVillag


chicagotribune--2020-10-18--Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says President Trump is inciting ‘domestic terrorism’ with his ‘lock

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says President Trump is inciting ‘domestic terrorism’ with his ‘lock her up’ chants

“ The president is at it again and inspiring and incentivizing and inciting this kind of domestic terrorism , ” @ @ @ @ @ is wrong .
It ’ s got to end .
It is dangerous , not @ @ @ @ @ family , but for public servants everywhere who are doing their jobs and trying to @ @ @ @ @ People of good will on both sides of the aisle need to step up and @ @ @ @ @ the heat down .
”

DETROIT — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Sunday that President Donald Trump is inciting “domestic terrorism” following “lock her up” chants at his rally in the state the night before.
Whitmer told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the rhetoric is “incredibly disturbing” a little more than a week after authorities announced they had thwarted an alleged plot to kidnap the Democratic governor.
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“The president is at it again and inspiring and incentivizing and inciting this kind of domestic terrorism,” Whitmer said. “It is wrong. It’s got to end. It is dangerous, not just for me and my family, but for public servants everywhere who are doing their jobs and trying to protect their fellow Americans. People of good will on both sides of the aisle need to step up and call this out and bring the heat down.”
WATCH: Trump’s supporters chant “lock her up” at Mich. rally.@GovWhitmer: “Ten days after a plot to kidnap, put me on trial and execute me. Ten days after that was uncovered, the president is at it again. And inspiring and incentivizing and inciting ... domestic terrorism.” pic.twitter.com/ipN3xvEbQ7 — Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) October 18, 2020
At a rally in Muskegon Saturday evening, Trump urged supporters to push Whitmer to reopen the state following COVID-19 restrictions. When the crowd starting chanting “lock her up” Trump added, “Lock 'em all up.”
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” said Trump’s statements were “irresponsible” and accused him of injecting fear tactics.
Several Republican and Trump campaign officials appeared on Sunday news shows to defend the president.
President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally in Muskegon, Michigan. Trump supporters chanted “Lock her up!” Saturday when the president ranted about Michagan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at a rally just 10 days after white supremacists were arrested in an alleged kidnapping plot targeting her. (Rey Del Rio)
“He wasn’t doing anything, I don’t think, to provoke people to threaten this woman at all. He was having fun at a Trump rally, and, quite frankly, there are bigger issues than this right now for everyday Americans,” Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law and a senior campaign advisor, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Democrats have sought to tie Trump to the alleged plot against Whitmer, pointing to the president’s tweet earlier this year to “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” after Whitmer restricted personal movement and the economy in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Michigan — particularly the Detroit area — was hit hard early during the pandemic. Many of the limits have since been lifted.
Authorities allege members of two anti-government paramilitary groups took part in plotting Whitmer’s kidnapping, although some were charged under federal law and others under state law. Six men, led by Adam Fox of the Michigan III%ers, are charged in federal court with conspiring to kidnap her. Eight others who are believed to be members or associates of a group called the Wolverine Watchmen are charged in state court with counts including providing material support for terrorist acts.
Some of the Wolverine Watchmen are accused of planning other violent crimes, such as storming the Michigan Capitol building and attacking law enforcement officers.


chicagotribune--2020-10-18--Gov. J.B. Pritzker blames President Trump and his allies for coronavirus spike in Illinois

“ People are not following the mitigations because the modeling is so bad at the leadership level , the federal @ @ @ @ @ , noting that cases and positivity rates are increasing across the country .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ word out .
We are trying to continue to convince people to do the right @ @ @ @ @ the president ’ s allies in our state , all across the state , who @ @ @ @ @ , ‘ Don ’ t pay any attention to the mitigations .
Don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ ”

Facing a resurgence of the coronavirus in Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in an interview with CNN on Sunday that President Donald Trump and his local allies are in part responsible for rising case numbers and positivity rates in the state.
“He’s modeling bad behavior. He doesn’t wear a mask in public. He has rallies where they don’t encourage people to wear masks in public,” Pritzker told “State of the Union” host Jake Tapper. “Truly, this is now rhetoric that people understand, particularly in rural areas in my state, ‘Well, the president doesn’t wear a mask; we don’t need to wear a mask. It’s not that dangerous.’ The truth of the matter is that it is very dangerous.”
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks to the media Sept. 22, 2020, in Chicago. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
The governor appeared with Tapper a day after Trump slammed him during a rally north of the border in Wisconsin, which is seeing one of the worst COVID-19 surges in the country.
“Illinois could use a new governor,” Trump told supporters in a wide-ranging 93-minute speech in Janesville. “That guy doesn’t know what’s happened. We gotta open up that state. They gotta open up that state. Kids have to get back to school.”
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Illinois has issued safety guidelines for schools but has left reopening decisions up to local districts.
The president, who is trailing Democrat Joe Biden in polls nationally and in Wisconsin, accused Democrat Pritzker of using coronavirus mitigation strategies for political gain.
“You watch what happens,” Trump, a Republican, said. “On Nov. 4, they’ll all say, ‘All right now everybody’ — they’re only doing this for politics, I really believe that, because they want the numbers to look as bad as possible.”
Illinois on Saturday reported 3,629 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19, down from Friday’s record 4,554 cases but still the fourth-highest single-day total since the pandemic began. The past three days have been among the top four for new daily cases. The share of coronavirus tests returning positive results also crept up again Saturday, hitting 5.2% on a seven-day average. The state also has been setting records for daily testing.
Asked by Tapper why Illinois appears headed in the wrong direction, Pritzker again pointed the finger at Trump and his allies.
“People are not following the mitigations because the modeling is so bad at the leadership level, the federal level,” Pritzker said, noting that cases and positivity rates are increasing across the country. “We are trying to get the word out. We are trying to continue to convince people to do the right thing. But it is the president’s allies in our state, all across the state, who are simply saying to people, ‘Don’t pay any attention to the mitigations. Don’t follow the rules.’ ”
The governor reiterated that despite the statewide increase in cases and positivity rates, he’s not considering rolling all of Illinois back to the earlier phase of his reopening plan, when indoor service at restaurants and bars and in-person classes were prohibited.
Currently, only one of 11 regions in Pritzker’s reopening plan — the nine counties in the northwest corner of the state — is under stricter rules because its rolling test positivity rate has remained above a state-established 8% threshold.
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“As regions flip over and need these resurgence mitigations more and more, we may end up in situation where a majority of our regions, or even all of them, are in these resurgences,” Pritzker said.
dpetrella@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @PetrellaReports


chicagotribune--2020-10-18--COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital da


chicagotribune--2020-10-18--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood


chicagotribune--2020-10-18--Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 22 new deaths, 4,245 new confirmed cases and 79,296 new test resu

Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 22 new deaths, 4,245 new confirmed cases and 79,296 new test results

Illinois announced 4,245 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Sunday for a total of 344,048 .
The state also announced 22 @ @ @ @ @ of 9,214 and 79,296 new test results for a total of 6.78 million .