chicagotribune--2020-10-03--3 dead, 12 wounded in Chicago shootings since Friday afternoon, police say

About 5:45 p.m. , the girl and the man were on the sidewalk when a vehicle approached and an occupant @ @ @ @ @ girl in the thigh and ankle , and hitting the man in the head .
@ @ @ @ @ Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn , where he was pronounced dead , said @ @ @ @ @ taken to Comer Children ’ s Hospital , where she was listed in good condition @

Three people were fatally wounded and at least 12 others were injured in shootings since Friday afternoon, Chicago police said.
The first fatal shooting happened shortly before 4 p.m. Friday in the 4000 block of West Madison Street in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. Police said an unidentified man was struck in the back of the head and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
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He was later identified as Levarge L. Harvey, 43, of the 1500 block of North Central Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Less than two hours later, a 14-year-old girl and a 35-year-old man were shot, the man fatally, in the 6600 block of South Oakley Avenue in the West Englewood neighborhood, police said.
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About 5:45 p.m., the girl and the man were on the sidewalk when a vehicle approached and an occupant opened fire, striking the girl in the thigh and ankle, and hitting the man in the head. The man was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead, said police. The girl was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was listed in good condition.
The man was identified as Joe Winters of the same block where he was killed, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, a 25-year-old man was fatally wounded in the 2600 block of West 62nd Street in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood. The man was dropped off by a friend at Holy Cross Hospital with wounds to the right shoulder and hip, and was pronounced dead.
He was identified as Recardo Fonza of the 6300 block of South Rockwell Avenue, according to the medical examiner’s office.
In other shootings:
Shortly before 6:45 a.m. Saturday, a 34-year-old man was shot in the 9000 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue in the Burnside neighborhood. Police said the man was walking down the street when a vehicle cut him off. A passenger inside the vehicle tilted his seat back, and the driver fired shots. The man suffered wounds to the left shoulder and right foot, and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in serious condition. Police said the man’s condition was stabilized.
Shortly before 6:30 a.m. Saturday, a 35-year-old man and his girlfriend were standing in the 6300 block of South Artesian Avenue in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood when the man was shot in the left shoulder and clavicle. He was first taken to Holy Cross Hospital and later transferred to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was listed in good condition, police said.
Shortly before 3:30 a.m. on the West Side in the Fifth City neighborhood, a 26-year-old man was walking on the sidewalk when someone inside a vehicle fired shots, striking him in the torso. He was taken in critical condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, police said.
About 3 a.m. Saturday, two teenage boys were shot while they were walking south in the 7000 block of South California Avenue in the Marquette Park neighborhood. One boy, 17, was driven to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn with a gunshot wound to the back. The other boy, 16, also was driven to the same hospital with a graze wound to the right arm and was listed in good condition, police said.
About 2:15 a.m., a 44-year-old man was shot in the neck and face in the 5000 block of West Quincy Street in the South Austin neighborhood. Police said the victim was involved in an argument with someone who pulled out a gun and fired shots. The victim was taken in serious condition to Stroger Hospital, and a 21-year-old man was placed in police custody.
Shortly before 2 a.m., an 18-year-old man was standing in a backyard of a residence in the 3500 block of West 63rd Street in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood when shots were fired, and he was struck in the head. He was taken in good condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center, police said.
Shortly after 9 p.m. Friday, a 40-year-old man was shot while standing in the 5000 block of West Chicago Avenue in the South Austin neighborhood. Police said someone approached the victim and opened fire, striking him in the right leg and buttocks. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition.
Shortly before 6:30 p.m., two men, 19 and 24, were in the 1100 block of West 63rd Street in the Englewood neighborhood when they heard shots and felt pain. The younger man suffered wounds to the hand and feet, and was taken in good condition to the University of Chicago Medical Center. The older man was hit in the leg and arm, also was taken to the same hospital and was also listed in good condition, police said.
About 5 p.m., a 19-year-old man was shot while he was waiting for a bus in the 2900 block of North Cicero Avenue in the Cragin neighborhood. Police said a dark-colored vehicle pulled up and someone opened fire in the man’s direction. The victim suffered a wound to the left leg and was taken in good condition to Community First Hospital.
dawilliams@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-03--1 dead, 4 displaced in early morning fire in Lawndale neighborhood

Police also said the origin of the fire was not immediately known , but the blaze appears to be accidental @ @ @ @ @ yet been identified .

A 64-year-old was discovered dead in the basement of a Lawndale neighborhood residence after a fire broke out Saturday morning, according to Chicago police.
The Chicago Fire Department extinguished the fire in a building in the 1600 block of South Homan Avenue shortly before 1:30 a.m. where firefighters found a man unresponsive in the basement, police said.
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Police said at least four people have been displaced due to the fire.
Police also said the origin of the fire was not immediately known, but the blaze appears to be accidental. The victim has not yet been identified.
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Officials were investigating, police said.


chicagotribune--2020-10-03--Watch live: Update on President Trump’s health from White House doctor

President Donald Trump ’ s physician , Dr. Sean Conley , will give an update on Trump ’ s health @ @ @ @ @ hospital in Maryland on Saturday .
The briefing was scheduled for 11 a.m. EDT , @ @ @ @ @ .

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chicagotribune--2020-10-03--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what happened Oct. 2 with COVID-19 in the Chicago area

The league on Saturday announced the Bears game — originally scheduled for noon on CBS-2 — was being moved to @ @ @ @ @ the New England Patriots-Kansas City Chiefs game was postponed to Monday or Tuesday .
The @ @ @ @ @ the Patriots and Chiefs tested positive for COVID-19 , and multiple reports said Patriots star @ @ @ @ @ the positives .

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Americans awoke Friday to find that President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Additionally, the University of Notre Dame’s president has tested positive for COVID-19, a school spokesman confirmed Friday morning, less than a week after he attended Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination ceremony at the White House without wearing a mask.
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In Illinois, public health officials on Friday said 28 counties, none in the Chicago area, were considered at “warning level” for the coronavirus, and again scolded businesses that “blatantly disregard” mitigation measures such as social distancing.
The warning list came out as the state reported 2,206 new known cases of COVID-19 and 47 deaths connected to the virus. The death toll is the highest daily count since late June, but still far below the 24-hour numbers reported during the pandemic’s peak in June.
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There have now been 297,646 known cases and 8,743 deaths in Illinois since the pandemic began.
A day earlier, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot unveiled Thursday a series of rules for Halloween that she said will allow people to celebrate safely, including a requirement that everyone including candy-givers wear masks.
Among the rules, candy-givers are asked to leave a light on or hang a sign in their window letting people know whether they’re participating in the holiday while following social distancing rules and providing hand sanitizer. Trick-or-treaters are asked to stay on the move in groups of six people or fewer.
Here’s what’s happening Friday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
7:15 p.m.: Someone present at Lane Tech high during SAT exam has tested positive for coronavirus
At least one person who was at Lane Tech College Prep High School during SAT testing last week has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to an email from principal Brian Tennison.
Despite Chicago Public Schools giving classes remotely this fall, many of its high schools opened last Wednesday for the SAT test, a makeup date for seniors who missed the test last year because of the pandemic. State education officials have been criticized for not waiving the SAT as a graduation requirement and providing the in-person testing.
Read more here. —Hannah Leone
7 p.m.: CPS violated union contract by failing to provide safe work environment for clerks: arbitrator
An independent arbitrator has ruled that Chicago Public Schools violated its contract with the Chicago Teachers Union by making employees such as clerks work in school buildings that may not have been safe.
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The ruling that CPS did not fulfill its “promise” of “safe and healthful” working conditions came a day after a teacher at Funston Elementary died from COVID-19, according to the union.
The arbitrator ruled that clerks, assistants and others who have been reporting to school buildings during remote learning should be allowed to work from home when feasible, and gave the parties two days to agree on how to move forward.
Read more here. —Hannah Leone
6:05 p.m.: Cubs co-owner, RNC finance chair Todd Ricketts was tested for COVID-19 after attending Trump fundraiser in Minnesota
A member of the Ricketts family that owns the Chicago Cubs got tested for COVID-19 after attending a Minnesota fundraiser this week with members of President Donald Trump’s family.
Todd Ricketts, the finance chair for the Republican National Committee and a co-owner of the Cubs along with other members of the Ricketts family, has not received results from the COVID-19 test, but is exhibiting no symptoms, a Ricketts family spokesman said Friday afternoon.
Ricketts attended a Wednesday fundraiser with Trump in a suburb of Minneapolis, the spokesman said. Trump announced late Thursday night on Twitter that he and first lady Melania Trump had both tested positive for COVID-19. Ricketts got the test after learning of Trump’s positive test.
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The Cubs were eliminated from the playoffs Friday by the Miami Marlins. Ricketts did not attend the game and is quarantining until he gets the results, the spokesman said.
—John Byrne
3:49 p.m.: Looking to buy a new car? Auto industry is rebounding from pandemic shortage, but you still may need to wait till 2021 for next year’s model.
The hardest part about buying a new car during the pandemic may be finding a new car.
While the automotive industry is showing signs of recovery, months of production stoppage, supply chain interruption and stay-at-home disruption has left many Chicago-area dealers with few new cars and lots of empty spaces.
Adding to the inventory shortage, the new model year — an automotive rite of fall — has yet to hit showrooms in any significant numbers. Many 2021 models may not actually arrive until 2021.
“It’s kind of hard to sell from an empty cupboard when you don’t have any new vehicles,” said John Webb, a principal with family-owned Packey Webb Ford, a 58-year-old Downers Grove dealership.
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Read more here. —Robert Channick
3:14 p.m.: Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis sends final stage of election into further chaos — and no one knows exactly what comes next
An election year already defined by a cascade of national crises descended further into chaos Friday, with President Donald Trump declaring that he’s tested positive for the coronavirus after consistently playing down the threat.
Democratic challenger Joe Biden, who spent 90 minutes on stage with Trump in their Tuesday debate, tested negative and moved forward with plans to attend a campaign event in Michigan Friday afternoon.
No one knows exactly what comes next.
Read more here. —Associated Press
2:53 p.m.: Illinois puts 28 counties on latest coronavirus warning list; daily death toll of 47 is highest since late June as total cases climb toward 300,000
Illinois public health officials on Friday said 28 counties, none in the Chicago area, were considered at “warning level” for the coronavirus, and again scolded businesses that “blatantly disregard” mitigation measures such as social distancing.
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The warning list came out as the state reported 2,206 new known cases of COVID-19 and 47 deaths connected to the virus. The death toll is the highest daily count since late June, but still far below the 24-hour numbers reported during the pandemic’s peak in June.
There have now been 297,646 known cases and 8,743 deaths in Illinois since the pandemic began.
The counties on the warning list are put there after surpassing two more metrics such as the number of cases per 100,000 people and test positivity rates. The counties on the latest list are:
Bond, Boone, Brown, Calhoun, Christian, Clinton, Coles, Crawford, DeKalb, DeWitt, Fayette, Greene, Hancock, Jasper, Lee, Livingston, Macon, Massac, Monroe, Morgan, Pulaski, Putnam, Richland, Saline, St. Clair, Wabash, Washington and Winnebago.
On Saturday, the northwest region of the state, which includes Rockford, DeKalb and Galena, will be placed back under tighter restrictions after its seven-day average of positive cases reached 8% or higher for three consecutive days. The Metro East region outside St. Louis has been under the same stricter rules since Aug. 18.
Read more here. —Chicago Tribune staff
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12:38 p.m.: Notre Dame president also tests positive for COVID-19 after attending Rose Garden ceremony
The University of Notre Dame’s president has tested positive for COVID-19, a school spokesman confirmed Friday morning, less than a week after he attended Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination ceremony at the White House without wearing a mask.
The Rev. John Jenkins has mild symptoms and contracted the illness “from a colleague he was in regular contact with at Notre Dame,” according to university spokesman Paul Browne.
Jenkins, who’s led the Catholic university since 2005, has drawn scrutiny in recent weeks for appearing not always to follow COVID-19 safety precautions.
Read more here. —Elyssa Cherney
12:10 p.m.: 2,206 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 47 additional deaths reported
Illinois public health officials reported Friday they had logged 2,206 newly diagnosed cases and 47 additional confirmed deaths of people with COVID-19, raising the statewide tally to 297,646 known cases and 8,743 deaths.
—Chicago Tribune staff
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8:05 a.m.: US hiring slows for 3rd month but jobless rate falls to 7.9%
America’s employers added 661,000 jobs in September, the third straight month of slower hiring and evidence from the final jobs report before the presidential election that the economic recovery has weakened.
With September’s hiring gain, the economy has recovered only slightly more than half the 22 million jobs that were wiped out by the viral pandemic. The roughly 10 million jobs that remain lost exceed the number that the nation shed during the entire 2008-2009 Great Recession.
The unemployment rate for September fell to 7.9%, down from 8.4% in August, the Labor Department said Friday. Since April, the jobless rate has tumbled from a peak of 14.7%.
Read more here. —Associated Press
7:32 a.m.: Amazon: Nearly 20,000 workers tested positive for coronavirus
Amazon says nearly 20,000 of its workers have tested positive or been presumed positive for the virus that causes COVID-19.
Amazon says in a corporate blog it examined data from March 1 to Sept. 19 for its 1.37 million workers at Amazon and Whole Foods Market.
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It said it compared COVID-19 case rates to the general population, as reported by Johns Hopkins University for the same period. Based on that analysis, if the rate among Amazon and Whole Foods employees were the same as it is for the general population, it estimated it would have seen 33,952 cases among its workforce.
Read more here. —Associated Press
6:35 a.m.: Bloomington-Normal police discourage door-to-door trick-or-treating this Halloween
Bloomington and Normal police are discouraging door-to-door trick-or-treating on Halloween because of COVID.
“We strongly recommend families social distance and choose alternative ways to celebrate Halloween this year,” Normal police Chief Rick Bleichner said in a statement released by the Bloomington Police Department. “We recognize some families are going to participate and we want them to do this as safely as possible. To ensure this, we’ve set trick-or-treat hours and released safety tips in line with guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health.”
If residents do take part, the agencies encouraged them to take steps to prevent the spread of infection. State officials earlier this week released guidelines for safely celebrating the holiday.
—Bloomington-Normal Pantagraph via Tribune Content Agency, Tribune staff
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5 a.m.: Loss, heroism and hope: Catching up with Chicagoans whose lives were forever changed by COVID-19
Some of them fought the new coronavirus from hospital beds, others at makeshift testing sites.
Some mourned their closest loved ones; others came to the aid of strangers.
And some saw the pandemic upend their lives and dreams.
Six months into the greatest public health crisis in a century, how are they now faring? Here’s an update on six COVID-19 stories of loss, heroism and resilience.
Read more here. —Stacy St. Clair, Christy Gutowski, Karen Ann Cullotta and Susan Berger
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:


chicagotribune--2020-10-04--Man shot during carjacking, police say

Man shot during carjacking, police say

The man was stopped at a red light at 11:05 p.m. in the 6800 block of South Halsted Street in @ @ @ @ @ said .
Two men walked up to his 2017 white Ford Escape and pulled him @ @ @ @ @ gunpoint .

A 40-year-old man was shot Saturday night on the South Side after two men pulled him out of his Ford Escape at gunpoint, according to Chicago police.
The man was stopped at a red light at 11:05 p.m. in the 6800 block of South Halsted Street in the Englewood neighborhood, police said. Two men walked up to his 2017 white Ford Escape and pulled him out of the vehicle at gunpoint.
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As the man ran away, he was shot in the buttocks, police said. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.
The men took off in his SUV, police said. No arrests have been made.
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pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-10-04--Trump leaves hospital briefly to greet supporters outside; White House doctor says Trump’s blood oxy

Trump leaves hospital briefly to greet supporters outside; White House doctor says Trump’s blood oxygen level dropped suddenly twice in recent days

“ I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude that the team , the president , that his course of @ @ @ @ @ ’ t want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ And in doing so , you know , it came off that @ @ @ @ @ something , which wasn ’ t necessarily true .
The fact of the matter is @ @ @ @ @ really well .
”

JILL COLVIN, STEVE PEOPLES and JONATHAN LEMIRE

A member of the cleaning staff sprays the James Brady Briefing Room of the White House on Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. (Alex Brandon/AP)
BETHESDA, Md. — For the latest updates on President Trump’s hospitalization due to COVID-19, click here.
Infected and contagious, President Donald Trump briefly ventured out in a motorcade on Sunday to salute cheering supporters, a move that disregarded precautions meant to contain the deadly virus that has forced his hospitalization and killed more than 209,000 Americans.
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Hours earlier, Trump’s medical team reported that his blood oxygen level dropped suddenly twice in recent days and that they gave him a steroid typically only recommended for the very sick. Still, the doctors said Trump’s health is improving and that he could be discharged as early as Monday.
With one month until Election Day, Trump was eager to project strength despite his illness. The still-infectious president surprised supporters who had gathered outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, driving by in a black SUV with the windows rolled up. Secret Service agents inside the vehicle could be seen in masks and other protective gear.
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The move capped a weekend of contradictions that fueled confusion about Trump’s health, which has imperiled the leadership of the U.S. government and upended the final stages of the presidential campaign. While Trump’s physician offered a rosy prognosis on his condition, his briefings lacked basic information, including the findings of lung scans, or were quickly muddled by more serious assessments of the president’s health by other officials.
In a short video released by the White House on Sunday, Trump insisted he understood the gravity of the moment. But his actions moments later, by leaving the hospital and sitting inside the SUV with others, suggested otherwise.
“This is insanity,” Dr. James P. Phillips, an attending physician at Walter Reed who is a critic of Trump and his handling of the pandemic. “Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary presidential ‘drive-by’ just now has to be quarantined for 14 days. They might get sick. They may die.”
“For political theater,” the doctor added. “Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater.”
White House spokesman Judd Deere said Trump’s trip outside the hospital “was cleared by the medical team as safe to do.” He added that precautions were taken, including using personal protective equipment, to protect Trump as well as White House officials and Secret Service agents.
In this image from video, President Donald Trump waves as he drives past supporters gathered outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., on Oct. 4, 2020. (Carlos Vargas/AP)
Joe Biden’s campaign, meanwhile, said the Democratic presidential nominee again tested negative for coronavirus Sunday. The results come five days after Biden spent more than 90 minutes on the debate stage with Trump. Biden, who has taken a far more cautious approach to in-person events, had two negative tests on Friday.
For his part, Trump still faces questions about his health.
His doctors sidestepped questions on Sunday about exactly when Trump’s blood oxygen dropped — an episode they neglected to mention in multiple statements the day before — or whether lung scans showed any damage.
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It was the second straight day of obfuscation from a White House already suffering from a credibility crisis. And it raised more doubts about whether the doctors treating the president were sharing accurate, timely information with the American public about the severity of his condition.
Pressed about conflicting information he and the White House released on Saturday, Navy Cmdr. Dr. Sean Conley acknowledged that he had tried to present a sunnier description of the president’s condition.
“I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude that the team, the president, that his course of illness has had. Didn’t want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction,” Conley said. “And in doing so, you know, it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasn’t necessarily true. The fact of the matter is that he’s doing really well.”
Medical experts said Conley’s revelations were hard to square with his positive assessment and talk of a discharge.
“There’s a little bit of a disconnect,” said Dr. Steven Shapiro, chief medical and scientific officer at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
According to CDC guidelines, “In general, transport and movement of a patient with suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection outside of their room should be limited to medically essential purposes.”
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Even before Trump’s motorcade outing on Sunday, some Secret Service agents have expressed concern about the lackadaisical attitude toward masks and social distancing inside the White House, but there isn’t much they can do, according to agents and officials who spoke to The Associated Press. This close to the election, thousands of agents are engaged on protective duty so they can be subbed out quickly should someone test positive.
The disclosures about Trump’s oxygen levels and steroid treatment suggested the president is enduring more than a mild case of COVID-19.
Blood oxygen saturation is a key health marker for COVID-19 patients. A normal reading is between 95 and 100. Conley said the president had a “high fever” and a blood oxygen level below 94% on Friday and during “another episode” on Saturday.
He was evasive about the timing of Trump oxygen drops. (“It was over the course of the day, yeah, yesterday morning,” he said) and asked whether Trump’s level had dropped below 90%, into concerning territory. (“We don’t have any recordings here on that.”) But he revealed that Trump was given a dose of the steroid dexamethasone in response.
At the time of the briefing, Trump’s blood oxygen level was 98% — within normal rage, Trump’s medical team said.
Signs of pneumonia or other lung damage could be detected in scans before a patient feels short of breath, but the president’s doctors declined to say what those scans have revealed.
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“There’s some expected findings, but nothing of any major clinical concern,” Conley said. He declined to outline those “expected findings.”
Asked about Conley’s lack of transparency, White House aide Alyssa Farah suggested the doctors were speaking as much to the president as to the American public, “when you’re treating a patient, you want to project confidence, you want to lift their spirits, and that was the intent.”
In all, nearly 7.4 million people have been infected in the United States, and few have access to the kind of around-the-clock attention and experimental treatments as Trump.
Trump’s treatment with the steroid dexamethasone is in addition to the single dose he was given Friday of an experimental drug from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. that supplies antibodies to help the immune system fight the virus. Trump on Friday also began a five-day course of remdesivir, a Gilead Sciences drug currently used for moderately and severely ill patients. The drugs work in different ways — the antibodies help the immune system rid the body of virus, and remdesivir curbs the virus' ability to multiply.
Garibaldi, a specialist in pulmonary critical care, said the president was not showing any side effects of the drugs “that we can tell.”
The National Institutes of Health COVID-19 treatment guidelines recommend against using dexamethasone in patients who do not require oxygen. It has only been proven to help in more serious cases. Among the concerns with earlier use is that steroids tamp down certain immune cells, hindering the body’s own ability to fight off infection.
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Trump is 74 years old and clinically obese, putting him at higher risk of serious complications.
First lady Melania Trump has remained at the White House as she recovers from her own bout with the virus.
Several White House officials this weekend expressed frustration with the level of transparency and public disclosure since the president announced his diagnosis early Friday.
They were particularly upset by the whiplash between Conley’s upbeat assessment Saturday and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows' more concerned outlook. They privately acknowledge that the administration has little credibility on COVID-19 and that they have unnecessarily squandered what remains of it with the lack of clear, accurate updates on Trump’s condition.
Many in the White House are also shaken and scared — nervous that they have been exposed to the virus and confronting the reality that what seemed like a bubble of safety has become a COVID-19 hot spot. It took until late Sunday for the White House to send a generic note to staffers suggesting they not come to the building if they do not feel well.
Peoples reported from New York. Miller reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Lauran Neergaard, Jonathan Lemire and Aamer Madhani in Washington, and Bill Barrow in Wilmington, Del., and Marilynn Marchione in Milwaukee contributed to this report.


chicagotribune--2020-10-04--Forecasters: 'Significant frost risk’ overnight throughout much of northern Illinois, northwest Indi

Forecasters: 'Significant frost risk’ overnight throughout much of northern Illinois, northwest Indiana

The weather service issued a warning for significant frost risk late Sunday and early Monday , “ away from the @ @ @ @ @ ” according to its website .
Counties listed under the hazardous weather outlook were : @ @ @ @ @ , DuPage , Ford , Grundy , Iroquois , Kankakee , Kendall , Lake , @ @ @ @ @ , Will and Winnebago in Illinois and Benton , Jasper , Lake , Newton and @ @ @ @

Sweater weather is expected to get serious throughout much of northern Illinois and northwest Indiana — if only for a day, forecasters said.
Temperatures are expected to begin falling Sunday night, reaching the low- to mid-30s by early Monday and leaving open the possibility of widespread frost across the area overnight, said Lee Carlaw, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
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“It’s been a little breezy with peaks of sunlight,” Carlaw said. “The last week of cold front weather was spawned from rain."
Frost is likely tonight through early Monday AM outside of the urban center of Chicago. Temps are expected to drop into the low to mid 30s, with upper 30s to low 40s in Chicago. Sensitive outdoor plants and vegetation could be killed or damaged if left uncovered. #ILwx #INwx pic.twitter.com/RUkuV4FyuI — NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) October 4, 2020
The weather service issued a warning for significant frost risk late Sunday and early Monday, “away from the urban center of Chicago,” according to its website. Counties listed under the hazardous weather outlook were: Boone, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Ford, Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, McHenry, Ogle, Will and Winnebago in Illinois and Benton, Jasper, Lake, Newton and Porter in Indiana.
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However, the marked temperature drop will be short-lived. Temperatures will rise into the low 50s Monday night and creep upward to the mid- to low-70s as early as Tuesday or Wednesday, according to Carlaw.
A man and dog walk across West Adams Street at South Dearborn Street on Oct. 3, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
“It’ll be the coolest night we see in the foreseeable future,” he said about Sunday.
The expected frost will be similar to dew on the grass but in ice form, he added. The weather service recommends those with sensitive and nonnative plants bring them indoors or cover them to avoid damage.
For more on the week’s forecast, visit the Tribune’s weather page.
@JessicaVillag


chicagotribune--2020-10-04--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--2020-10-04--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--2020-10-04--Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 17 new deaths, 1,453 new confirmed cases and 51,656 new test resu

Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 17 new deaths, 1,453 new confirmed cases and 51,656 new test results

Illinois announced 1,453 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Sunday for a total of 301,541 .
The state also announced 17 @ @ @ @ @ of 8,791 and 51,656 new test results for a total of 5.89 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--2020-10-04--Highland Park High School student tests positive for COVID-19: District officials

“ We understand your concern as to the identity of the student so individuals can assess their possibility of exposure @ @ @ @ @ laws prevent administration or the school district , from sharing the name of the student @ @ @ @ @ would otherwise lead to the identification of this student , ” school officials said in @ @ @

Two weeks after reporting that an adult at one Township High School District 113 school tested positive for COVID-19, notification was sent Monday informing of another positive case – this time, a student.
“We are writing to inform you that a student at Highland Park High School tested positive for COVID-19 on September 28,” Highland Park High School Principal Deborah Finn wrote in a notification emailed to parents, students and staff. “The student is now in isolation. We are closely working with the Lake County Health Department on contact tracing. The health department will contact the student directly and any close contacts will be identified, contacted and provided guidance.”
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Notice of the HPHS student testing positive follows the Sept. 15 announcement about an adult at Deerfield High School contracting the disease, which is caused by the novel coronavirus.
Highland Park and Deerfield high schools are the two school that make up SD113.
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District officials said in both cases that no information about the identity of the persons who tested positive could be revealed.
“We understand your concern as to the identity of the student so individuals can assess their possibility of exposure. However, federal privacy laws prevent administration or the school district, from sharing the name of the student or providing any information that would otherwise lead to the identification of this student,” school officials said in both notifications.
As of Friday, SD113 officials did not provide any additional information outside of what was in the notification.
The notification urged people to follow public health authorities' guidelines that call for frequent hand-washing, social distancing and wearing a mask or other face covering.


chicagotribune--2020-10-04--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,453 new known COVID-19 cases and 17 additional deaths reported Su

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,453 new known COVID-19 cases and 17 additional deaths reported Sunday as state’s total case number climbs above 300,000

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Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois public health officials reported Sunday they had logged 1,453 newly diagnosed cases and 17 additional confirmed deaths of people with COVID-19, raising the statewide tally to 301,541 known cases and 8,791 deaths.
The state surpassed 300,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Saturday, public health officials reported.
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On Friday, public health officials said 28 counties, none in the Chicago area, were considered at “warning level” for the coronavirus, and again scolded businesses that “blatantly disregard” mitigation measures such as social distancing.
That warning list came out as the state reported 47 deaths connected to the virus Friday. That death toll is the highest daily count since late June.
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Meanwhile, with Election Day fast approaching and early voting already underway, apprehension is surging in Washington after President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump announced late Thursday they were stricken with the virus, as well as many other aides and allies in the president’s circle.
Here’s what’s happening this weekend with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
Sunday
1,453 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 17 additional deaths reported
Illinois public health officials reported Sunday they had logged 1,453 newly diagnosed cases and 17 additional confirmed deaths of people with COVID-19, raising the statewide tally to 301,541 known cases and 8,791 deaths.
—Chicago Tribune staff
Local farmers markets get through season in good shape, despite coronavirus pandemic
While the coronavirus pandemic has had a negative, and in some cases even a lethal, effect on many businesses, local farmers markets have done well during the spring and summer, as many are winding down for the year in October.
“I really didn’t know what to expect this year, but it’s been really great,” said Laura Marquardt, co-president of the Clarendon Hills Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the village’s weekly downtown Thursday markets on Prospect Avenue. “Our vendors have sometimes closed a little early because they run out of stuff for the week."
Marquart said she believes farmers market business, in some cases, has been stronger than usual because of the pandemic, something with which Margaret Reed of Westmont agreed while she shopped at the Clarendon Hills market Thursday.
Read more here. —Chuck Fieldman and Kimberly Fornek
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White House doctor says Trump continues to improve during treatment for COVID-19; president’s blood oxygen level dropped suddenly Saturday
President Donald Trump’s blood oxygen level dropped suddenly on Saturday, but he “has continued to improve,” the White House physician said Sunday, suggesting that Trump could be discharged from the hospital as early as Monday.
Navy Cmdr. Dr. Sean Conley sought to clarify contradictory statements and confusion about the president’s condition on the steps of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where Trump was being treated for COVID-19.
Conley said the president had a “high fever” and a blood oxygen level below 94% on Friday and again on Saturday. The level currently stands at 98%, Trump’s medical team said.
“The president has continued to improve,” Conley said.
Read more here. —Associated Press
Saturday
Bears' game against Colts moved to 3:25 p.m. Sunday after COVID-19 hits the NFL
Kickoff for the Chicago Bears' game against the Indianapolis Colts at Soldier Field has been moved to 3:25 p.m. Sunday after a number of COVID-19 cases popped up around the NFL.
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The league on Saturday announced the Bears game — originally scheduled for noon on CBS-2 — was being moved to a later time slot because the New England Patriots-Kansas City Chiefs game was postponed to Monday or Tuesday. The NFL said members of both the Patriots and Chiefs tested positive for COVID-19, and multiple reports said Patriots star quarterback Cam Newton was among the positives.
The postponement is the second Week 4 game to be moved because of the coronavirus. The Tennessee Titans' outbreak — currently at 18 players and staff — pushed their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers to a later date.
Sunday marks the first Bears start for quarterback Nick Foles, who replaced incumbent Mitch Trubisky mid-game to lead a second-half comeback against the Atlanta Falcons.
—Chicago Tribune staff
More than 300,000 Illinoisans stricken with COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, officials say
Illinois has surpassed 300,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases since the global pandemic hit last spring, state health officials on Saturday said.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 2,442 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases and 31 additional deaths.
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There have now been 300,088 known cases and 8,774 deaths in Illinois since the pandemic began, according to the state’s coronavirus response website.
Read more here. —Rosemary Sobol
Senate cancels legislative work after 3 GOP senators test positive this week, but McConnell says confirmation hearings still on
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said Saturday that he tested positive for COVID-19 and Senate Republicans have canceled legislative work until Oct. 19 as the coronavirus sweeps through their ranks and lawmakers increasingly call for comprehensive testing on Capitol Hill.
Johnson’s office announced the diagnosis in a statement Saturday morning. He’s the third Republican senator to report a positive test this week, joining Utah Sen. Mike Lee and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis and adding to tension in Washington since President Donald Trump announced his positive test Friday.
Read more here. —Associated Press
White House doctor says Trump is fever free and COVID-19 symptoms are improving, but dodges on oxygen questions
President Donald Trump’s doctor insisted Saturday that he is doing “very well” as he is treated for COVID-19 at a military hospital. But Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley and other doctors raised more questions than they answered at a briefing, leaving unclear whether the president has ever required supplemental oxygen.
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Conley’s assessment was contradicted by an account provided by a person familiar with Trump’s condition, who said some of his vital signs over the past 24 hours were “very concerning” and that the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
A person familiar with President Donald Trump’s medical condition says the president had been administered supplemental oxygen at the White House on Friday before he was hospitalized.
Read more here. —Associated Press


chicagotribune--2020-10-04--Naperville’s first recreational marijuana store to open Thursday

Any customer who wants to be ensured they can make a purchase place their name and phone number on the @ @ @ @ @ receive an estimated arrival time , she said .
The waitlist be accessible 15 minutes @ @ @ @ @ s opening so there ’ s no need to camp outside before the store opens @ @ @ @

Naperville's existing medical marijuana dispensary at 1700 Quincy Ave. has been renamed Rise Naperville in advance of its expansion this week to include recreational marijuana sales. (Green Thumb Industries)
The city’s first recreational marijuana store, Rise Naperville, is scheduled to open Thursday, with profits from first-day sales going to a local anti-hunger agency.
The former 3C Compassionate Care Center at 1700 Quincy Ave. has been rebranded as Rise Naperville by Green Thumb Industries Inc., a national cannabis consumer packaged goods company and owner of Rise and Essence retail stores.
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Rise Naperville is the eighth Green Thumb store to offer adult-use marijuana in Illinois, and the company has licenses to open two more locations in the state. Green Thumb also owns and operates two manufacturing facilities in Rock Island and Oglesby, both of which are undergoing capacity expansion to meet increased demand in Illinois.
“We worked hard to offer adult-use cannabis sales in Naperville and are excited to meet new customers while continuing to serve our (existing medical cannabis) patients,” said Ben Kovler, Green Thumb founder and chief executive officer in a news release.
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“We have been proud members of the Naperville community since 2016 and will remain good neighbors, creating jobs and tax revenue and making a positive impact through our corporate responsibility programs,” he said.
Profits from the first day of adult-use sales will be donated to Loaves & Fishes Community Services, a Naperville-based anti-poverty, hunger relief agency that provides food and services to those in need.
Nancy Wiersum, executive vice president of advancement for Loaves & Fishes, said her agency is grateful for Green Thumb’s generosity.
“During the pandemic, Loaves & Fishes has seen a marked rise in the number of people needing help. It is only possible to serve nearly 1,000 families a week with healthy food and programs for self-sufficiency because of the support of our community,” Wiersum said in the release.
On the jobs front, the company said it added 20 new positions to prepare for the onset of adult recreational-use sales in Naperville and generated 15 construction jobs for work on the store’s exterior and interior to accommodate additional customers and complete the rebranding process.
When it comes to revenue, city officials have been told an Illinois marijuana market study indicates Naperville could collect as much as $1 million annually in sales tax from marijuana sales.
Green Thumb said the Quincy Avenue store has been remodeled and expanded to ensure ample space to accommodate the existing medical-use community and the new recreational customers.
Over the past few months, city council members raised questions about increased traffic, the amount of parking, and long lines during the first weeks after the opening.
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Linda Marsicano, vice president of corporate communications for Green Thumb, said the company has a plan to address those concerns.
“We are working with the Naperville police to help with traffic management for at least a week and will assess needs at that point and on an ongoing basis,” Marsicano said.
“We will not allow any line of cars on the public way,” she said.
Rise also is planning off-site parking for staff and will tackle added customer parking issues and long lines through its website, Marsicano said.
The company provides a two-way communication for managing customer arrivals at risecannabis.com, she said.
“We will communicate with our guests prior to visiting the stores if we are at capacity, and they will get on a waiting list,” Marsicano said.
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Any customer who wants to be ensured they can make a purchase place their name and phone number on the store’s website and receive an estimated arrival time, she said. The waitlist be accessible 15 minutes prior to the store’s opening so there’s no need to camp outside before the store opens, she said.
Those who show up without an assigned time can be added to the list by a parking lot attendant, Marsicano said. “We will provide a rough estimate of the wait time and ask them to come back,” she said.
Customers also will be able to see their position online so they can monitor it from their phone, she said.
When the store reaches peak capacity, the waitlist will appear inactive and no more arrival times will be assigned for that day.
Rise Naperville will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
3C Naperville opened in January 2016, shortly after the sale of cannabis for medical purposes became legal.
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The Naperville City Council initially voted to prohibit recreational pot stores before sales became legal in Illinois on Jan. 1. However, council members later reversed that position after a March election referendum indicated a majority of voters were in favor of allowing marijuana sales.
Almost $61 million in recreational pot was sold in Illinois in July alone and $300.1 million since sales became legal in January. Municipalities can collect up to a 3% tax on sales, which is the amount Naperville will assess.
“The community has joined in thoughtful deliberation, a city-wide referendum, and consideration on all sides of the adult use recreational cannabis discussion,” said Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico in a statement.
“In the end, we have demonstrated our commitment to fostering a dynamic business environment and expanded economic opportunity in our city,” he said. “I look forward to celebrating the grand opening of Rise Naperville and welcoming adult use recreational cannabis to Naperville.”
subaker@tribpub.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-05--Daywatch: Trump contends with COVID-19, census outreach workers struggle in final days and Malort in

Daywatch: Trump contends with COVID-19, census outreach workers struggle in final days and Malort introduces a cocktail

Chicago is known as the Second City , but when it comes to the size of single-family homes , the @ @ @ @ @ spot .
Among the country ’ s 20 largest metropolitan areas , Chicago takes first @ @ @ @ @ homes , according to data from a recent study .
When it comes to apartment @ @ @ @ @ falls toward the bottom of the list , with its average apartment growing smaller over @ @

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Good morning, Chicago. Illinois public health officials reported Sunday they had logged 1,453 newly diagnosed cases and 17 additional confirmed deaths of people with COVID-19.
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Over the weekend, the state broke a grim record: more than 300,000 Illinoisans have been stricken with COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.
Also, as the election approaches and people weigh their voting options, some say they’re concerned about voting by mail. Between secure drop boxes, extra sorting machines and a decade of experience, here’s why Illinois election officials say voting by mail is safe.
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Here’s more coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
Dr. Sean Conley, physician to President Donald Trump, briefs reporters at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. on Oct. 4, 2020. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
Two days after being hospitalized with COVID-19, President Donald Trump declared, “I get it,” in a message to the nation Sunday before briefly leaving the hospital to salute supporters from a motorcade, a move that suggested the president would continue to disregard basic precautions to contain the virus that has killed more than 209,000 Americans.
Hours earlier, Trump’s medical team reported that his blood oxygen level dropped suddenly twice in recent days and that they gave him a steroid typically only recommended for the very sick. The doctors also said Trump’s health is improving and that he could be discharged as early as Monday.
Trump’s treatment suggests severe COVID-19, medical experts say: ‘They’re throwing the kitchen sink at him’
Volunteer Martha Pita, left, interviews a woman for the 2020 census before David Moscoso, right, gives her a ticket to enter the Our Heritage Counts 2020 Census Party in Humboldt Park on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. People were allowed to enter the grounds after filling out the 2020 census. The Our Heritage Counts 2020 Census Party featured free food and access to no-profit and health vendors. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Working at food pantries in Chicago this summer, 17-year-old Lizbeth Vidal walked up and down lines of families, trying to get them counted for the 2020 census.
It was not an easy job, even though many of the people she approached came from some of the neediest neighborhoods in Chicago and stood to lose the most if not counted for a census that will determine billions of dollars in federal resources for the next 10 years.
Paletero Ananias Ocampo, 76, pushes his cart along 18th Street to Paulina Street to sell ice cream in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood on Sept. 25, 2020. Ananias Ocampo suffers from severe arthritis, diabetes and osteoarthritis. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
In December, hundreds of older immigrants will be eligible for Medicaid-like coverage in Illinois for low-income immigrants age 65 and older regardless of their immigration status. Initially, between 400 and 2,000 people are expected to sign up for the program, which was part of the state budget passed this spring.
The median price of a single-family home in the Chicago area rose 11.6 percent to $217,700 in December, while the median price of a condominium rose by a more modest 4.3 percent, to $166,900, according to the Illinois Association of Realtors. (Gerry Broome / AP)
Chicago is known as the Second City, but when it comes to the size of single-family homes, the Windy City takes the top spot. Among the country’s 20 largest metropolitan areas, Chicago takes first place for having the biggest homes, according to data from a recent study. When it comes to apartment sizes though, the city falls toward the bottom of the list, with its average apartment growing smaller over time.
Malort Spritz is made with CH Distillery's Malort, grapefruit soda, hibiscus and lime juice. It is a collaboration between CH and Maria’s Packaged Goods and Community Bar, where the recipe was developed. (CH Distillery)
This year has seen the release of Jeppson’s Malort hand sanitizer. And Jeppson’s Malort made from India pale ale. And Jeppson’s Malort aged in bourbon and rum barrels. Now comes Jeppson’s Malort Spritz, a bright, refreshing take on the intensely bitter liqueur that can be so off-putting — think burnt rubber bands and sweaty socks — it has earned its own horrified posture: Malort face.


chicagotribune--2020-10-05--Man faces charges in CTA Red Line shooting on South Side, police say

The man was shot about 8:15 p.m. Sept. 24 while he was on the platform , according to police .
@ @ @ @ @ wound to the abdomen and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center , @ @ @ @ @ in critical condition .
The gunman got away on a southbound train , police said @ @ @ @ @ .

A judge on Monday denied bail to a prior gun offender accused of shooting two people in a span of 20 days last month.
In the first shooting, authorities said Jack Raymond, 45 was quarreling with a friend about 1:15 p.m. Sept. 4 on the street in the 7100 block of South Euclid Avenue in the South Shore neighborhood, when he pulled out a handgun and opened fire.
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Twenty days later, Chicago Transit Authority video captured Raymond, shooting a 25-year-old passenger on a Red Line train platform in the Englewood neighborhood, according to Cook County prosecutors.
Raymond, of South Shore is facing two charges of aggravated battery for discharging a firearm in the two shootings, police said.
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Jack Raymond, 45, of the South Shore neighborhood, was arrested about 5:30 p.m. Friday after police identified him as the suspect who shot a man Sept. 24 on the 63rd Street train platform in the Englewood neighborhood, police said. - Original Credit: Chicago police booking photo (Chicago police photo / HANDOUT)
Circuit Judge John F. Lyke Jr. approved a petition denying Raymond bail, citing video evidence linking the defendant to both shooting scenes and because both shootings occurred in public and could have injured bystanders. The judge also cited a 2007 felony gun conviction and 13 prior missed court appearances, calling him a flight risk.
During the bail hearing broadcast on Youtube, prosecutors said surveillance from a nearby business captured Raymond shooting his friend in the right thigh and walking away with a gun in his hand.
The victim, a 28-year-old woman, according to police, gave authorities Raymond’s name and physical description, and positively identified him and the gunman that same day, prosecutors said.
In an odd twist, the victim in the Sept. 4 shooting was with Raymond when he shot the second victim on the train platform at the 63rd Street station around about 8:15 p.m.
The second victim, who didn’t know Raymond, had a brief exchange with him before Raymond pulled a handgun and wounded the victim in the upper left abdomen, authorities said. Both Raymond and the victim fled the scene on a southbound train and exited at the 69th Street stop, prosecutors said.
Investigators were able to track Raymond by his Ventra card and arrested him Friday afternoon at the Red Line Wilson stop.
Raymond is expected to return to court Friday.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-10-05--Column: Trump supporters risk their lives for him. Most wouldn’t get the same health care he’s getti

Column: Trump supporters risk their lives for him. Most wouldn’t get the same health care he’s getting.

The stark contrast with how the well-to-do Republicans in the Rose Garden were treated points to a well-defined division within @ @ @ @ @ more value was placed on the lives of those with money and prestige than the @ @ @ @ @ the party .

Several people who attended a nomination ceremony for Judge Amy Coney Barrett at the White House on Sept. 26, 2020, including President Trump, have since tested positive for COVID-19. (Alex Brandon/AP)
It was the hottest ticket of the year for conservatives. They were inching toward the dream of a lifetime, having a solid majority on the U.S. Supreme Court.
When the invitation came to attend Donald Trump’s announcement of his pick to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, what gun-loving, abortion-hating Republican would turn it down?
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So about 150 people sat shoulder to shoulder in the White House Rose Garden on Sept. 26, most without masks. They hugged, shook hands, bumped fists, whispered in each other’s ears and cheered the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett.
It was as if the COVID-19 pandemic was over or never existed at all.
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There is a growing concern that this conservative pep rally was a COVID-19 “superspreader.” At least eight people, including Trump and the first lady, tested positive for the virus afterward, though it has not been confirmed that they contracted it there.
Still, the event seems strikingly similar to a case charted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this year, in which one infected man spread the virus to 16 people at a funeral and a birthday party in Chicago. Three of them died.
The Rose Garden gathering hailing their beloved president at a crucial time in his reelection campaign was no different from the political rally in Duluth, Minnesota, two days before Trump revealed that he had the virus.
It had the makings of a superspreader event too. The only difference is that the attendees at the Rose Garden rally were more refined, better dressed and held prominent positions in the Republican hierarchy.
Over the past few days, it has become obvious that there were more substantive differences between the two groups too. Both violated CDC guidelines for social distancing, putting participants at risk.
But not everyone was treated the same beforehand or in the aftermath.
We might never know how many of the 3,000 people who packed the outdoor rally at the Duluth airport contracted the virus. Most of them weren’t wearing masks. But unlike the Rose Garden event, no one administered rapid coronavirus tests before they entered.
The stark contrast with how the well-to-do Republicans in the Rose Garden were treated points to a well-defined division within the Republican Party. Far more value was placed on the lives of those with money and prestige than the red cap-wearing lower echelon of the party.
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It is a class division that has long separated establishment Republicans, whose primary focus is big business and finances, and the far right wing, which is more interested in the party’s social agenda. The Supreme Court is perhaps the single issue that unites them.
This time, though, it could be a matter of life and death.
Former White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, University of Notre Dame President John Jenkins and Republican Sens. Mike Lee and Thom Tillis tested positive after the Rose Garden event.
Trump and Christie are both hospitalized and receiving the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir, which is not widely available to the public. While the medication does not cure the coronavirus, it has shown some promise in reducing the amount of time a patient requires hospitalization.
Trump called the drug cocktails “miracles coming down from God.” But not everyone is deemed worthy of such a miracle.
Remdesivir is only available through hospitals and requires a special dispensation to use it. That means it would be out of reach for most people at the Duluth rally. Most other regular Americans don’t have easy access to it either.
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Once Trump recovers, he will tout the superior care he received at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. On Saturday, he released a video on Twitter calling the hospital the “finest in the world.”
It is no surprise that the president would receive the most groundbreaking treatment available. It also should be expected that the former governor of New Jersey would receive the finest treatment available in that state.
But the regular Americans who risked exposure to the virus at Trump’s many rallies held across the country are, for the most part, on their own.
Most Americans, particularly those low on the economic chain, don’t have access to such premier medical care. Many Americans don’t have health insurance, and Trump at this moment is trying to get the Supreme Court to overturn Obamacare.
The variances in access to lifesaving treatments are symbolic of the class and economic divisions that have allowed the virus to soar through disadvantaged communities.
Contact tracing in four states where Trump recently held rallies or made other appearances, including Minnesota, Ohio, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, has been a nightmare for officials seeking to pin down possible exposures.
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That has been exacerbated by the White House’s refusal to provide a clear timeline for when Trump and others may have contracted the virus.
Trump supporters who have risked their lives to help him get reelected should be livid that he lied to them about the risks of COVID-19. It seems as if they would look at his illness and realize that his stance against masks was irresponsible.
But they haven’t.
They are lining up outside Walter Reed waving their “Make America Great Again” and “Trump 2020” signs to show their undying love.
Some are standing close and breathing on each other, still refusing to put on a mask.
dglanton@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @dahleeng


chicagotribune--2020-10-05--Over some Democrats’ objections, Cook County Board approves a property tax break for south suburban

Over some Democrats’ objections, Cook County Board approves a property tax break for south suburban gun club

The resolution prevailed in an 11-5 vote with one commissioner marked as present , meaning the gun club ’ s @ @ @ @ @ 10 % of its market value instead of the usual 25 % for a decade @ @ @ @ @ club follows the assessor ’ s office ’ s terms .
Based on the property @ @ @ @ @ market value in 2019 , such a tax incentive aimed to help areas of “ @ @ @ @ @ have theoretically saved the business roughly $ 245,000 if it were applied this year .

A south suburban gun club stands to receive a Cook County property tax incentive under a resolution the Board of Commissioners recently approved, but divisions remain over whether — during an especially violent year — it’s appropriate to give a financial break to a business where patrons buy and shoot firearms.
Before the board passed the incentive at its September meeting, Commissioner Larry Suffredin said he could not support taxpayer money helping out the Eagle Gun Club LLC, 5900 W. 159th St. in Oak Forest.
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“Tax incentives are granted as a privilege to businesses that are to be developing our society,” Suffredin, an Evanston Democrat and longtime gun control advocate, said at the meeting. “I do not believe, with the violence that we have in the hospital that we run and the issues we’ve been dealing with in our court system, that we should be giving tax incentives to gun dealers.”
Eagle Sports Range, 5900 West 159th St. in Oak Forest, on Sept. 30, 2020. The business will receive a property tax incentive under a resolution that the Cook County Board of Commissioners recently approved. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Commissioner Sean Morrison, a Palos Park Republican, retorted that helping out the gun range “supports the Second Amendment, which is protected by our Constitution, and we should never single out any independent business that qualifies otherwise.”
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The resolution prevailed in an 11-5 vote with one commissioner marked as present, meaning the gun club’s property will be assessed at 10% of its market value instead of the usual 25% for a decade, so long as the club follows the assessor’s office’s terms. Based on the property’s $3.6 million market value in 2019, such a tax incentive aimed to help areas of “severe economic stagnation” could have theoretically saved the business roughly $245,000 if it were applied this year.
Cook County Board members approved the same tax break for Eagle Gun Club in April regarding an adjacent property.
Eagle Gun Club officials did not respond to emails or phone calls seeking comment. The business’s website and Facebook page advertise it as a destination for firearm education classes, shooting range practice and gun purchases. The website describes the business as “One of the Largest Gun Shops in the Midwest.”
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Constitutional experts differ on whether denying the incentive would have run up against the Second Amendment. Rejecting the tax break on the grounds that it is a shooting range could be problematic, but the verdict would come down to how the governing body phrased its objection, said Steven Schwinn, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago John Marshall Law School.
“What we would be concerned about is whether the commission’s decision was based upon the fact that this was protected Second Amendment activity or whether it was based upon some other neutral criteria,” Schwinn said. “Declining to extend the tax exemption because this is a place where people shoot guns, I mean that raises some red flags.”
But a rebuff for public safety reasons might be a stronger defense, Duke University law professor Joseph Blocher said. That’s because a government usually has wide discretion when it comes to tax incentives that are not entitlements.
“If the stated grounds for denying the tax incentive were simply, with nothing else, hostility towards guns or gun ranges, then it’s easy to imagine a kind of a constitutional problem,” Blocher said. “But if what the commissioners are doing is saying, ‘We don’t want to support, incentivize activities that we think are threatening to public safety,’ then it’s not so clearly a problem that the Constitution cares about.”
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Suffredin along with two other commissioners who voted against the incentive told the Tribune their reasoning had nothing to do with the Second Amendment but with Cook County gun violence. This year’s number of gun-related homicides is up by more than 40% compared with the same period in 2019, according to the medical examiner’s database.
“There’s a moral context to everything we pass and that relates to tax policy as well,” Commissioner Scott Britton, D-Glenview, said over the phone. “What moral issue is supported by giving a tax incentive to a gun range? It’s exactly the opposite of what we should be doing.”
Morrison said he sees less correlation between firearm dealers and the mounting gun violence in the county. Commissioners should not be discerning among types of businesses when it comes to tax breaks, he said, and to do so when guns become involved is “placating to the base.”
“What you were seeing there, I think, was political theater that just got a little bit too far,” Morrison said about Suffredin’s comments. “A well-operated business that sells firearms has nothing to do with the gangs that are killing themselves within Chicagoland and our lack of prosecution and our lack of judicial sentencing.”
Much of the county’s human toll of gun violence can be witnessed at what some call the “Bermuda Triangle of Cook County” — West Ogden and South Damen avenues, Suffredin said. That’s where one can stand and see Stroger Hospital, where bullet wounds are treated; the medical examiner’s office, where the bodies of those killed in shootings are autopsied; and the juvenile courthouse, where some gun trials take place.
Eagle Sports Range, 5900 West 159th St. in Oak Forest, on Sept. 30, 2020. The business will receive a property tax incentive under a resolution that the Cook County Board of Commissioners recently approved. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
In Suffredin’s view, local gun dealers are at least partly the source of that crisis, whether they intend to be or not.
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“You have straw purchasers, you have people who say their guns were stolen, you have all kind of ways that these guns get into the underground economy and then end up being used to hurt people,” Suffredin said. “That’s why I just can’t — I don’t want to be part of giving a tax break to a business that I believe adds to that burden.”
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-05--Older people will soon receive health coverage in Illinois regardless of immigration status under fi

Older people will soon receive health coverage in Illinois regardless of immigration status under first-in-nation program: ‘It’s a relief’

But the change comes as a new study shows the number of older immigrants without legal status in Illinois is @ @ @ @ @ the next 10 years .
The study suggests that the expansion of health care was @ @ @ @ @ said Graciela Guzman , director of the Healthy Illinois Campaign .
The group has advocated @ @ @ @ @ guarantee health care for all Illinoisans regardless of income or immigration status since 2016 .


chicagotribune--2020-10-05--An Illinois university got major pushback for cutting religion, French and anthropology. But other c

An Illinois university got major pushback for cutting religion, French and anthropology. But other colleges are dropping the humanities  too.

He said faculty were initially led to believe that no tenured professors would lose their jobs as a result of @ @ @ @ @ minutes from an October 2019 stating Nugent “ has made it clear to the faculty @ @ @ @ @ we will not be firing any tenured faculty members , ” according to a copy @ @ @ @ @

Scott Sheridan didn’t expect his 23 years of teaching at Illinois Wesleyan University to end like this.
Though fewer students are pursuing degrees in his areas of study these days, many still participate. This semester, more than 50 students at the campus in Bloomington are taking advanced classes in French cinema and Italian cultural history. The spots filled up so quickly that more were added, Sheridan said.
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But programs in French and Italian won’t continue beyond this school year. And neither will those in religion, anthropology, American cultural studies and three other academic departments slated to close in the 2021-22 school year. School officials say they plan to offer introductory courses in some of the affected topics, but new students won’t be able to major or minor in them.
Scott Sheridan, a tenured professor of French and Italian at Illinois Wesleyan University, is losing his job as the school eliminates many offerings in the humanities. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The cuts are the result of a controversial curriculum review that began last year, pitting administrators trying to revamp offerings for career-oriented students and balance the budget against defenders of the humanities, including professors and alumni, who worry IWU will lose its identity as a bastion for liberal arts. Current students working toward degrees in affected programs will be able to complete them.
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“People sometimes disregard or dismiss terms like humanities and liberal arts. They don’t understand what that does to their careers,” Sheridan said, explaining that skills such as critical thinking and communication are marketable. “We have an educational model in the United States that sometimes privileges the professional degree tracks.”
After Sheridan, a tenured professor, received notice that his position will be terminated in August 2021 and other instructors raised concerns about the decision-making process, a national association for university professors intervened and opened an investigation into whether IWU violated regulations in the faculty handbook.
The situation reflects the broader struggle in U.S. higher education to sustain interest in humanities courses. In the last decade, dozens of colleges that once operated as liberal arts schools have closed, merged with other institutions or shifted their focus to preprofessional programs, research shows. And fewer students are choosing to major in disciplines such as history or philosophy, instead steering their tuition dollars toward career and technical training.
On paper, IWU President Georgia Nugent might seem like an ally for worried professors. Before joining IWU last year, Nugent taught classics at Princeton and Brown universities and served as president of Kenyon College, a small school in Ohio that boasts its “long-standing literary tradition.” As a senior fellow at Council of Independent Colleges, Nugent also helped spearhead a campaign promoting the benefits of a liberal arts education.
But while Nugent described herself in a Tribune interview as a “huge believer in liberal arts,” she said that colleges must evolve to best serve students and their changing desires.
Nugent said fewer than 30 of IWU’s 1,600 students chose to major in religion, anthropology and French last year. There were no Italian majors because the school had only offered a minor. But other subjects, such as nursing and accounting, are seeing significantly higher enrollment, she said.
“There are places like a Harvard or a Stanford with multiple of billions of dollars of endowment,” Nugent said. “(There), it doesn’t matter. When I was teaching at Princeton, we could offer Sanskrit if one student took it. That was fine. In my mind, it’s kind of impossible to separate education and finance.”
Tough choices aren’t limited to IWU, where the endowment stands at $204 million. They are happening across the country as schools face difficult financial conditions and declining enrollment, further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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In all, nine tenured faculty members at IWU were affected by the program cuts. Two transferred departments, while others are taking early retirements or negotiated departure dates over the next couple of years, Nugent said.
The school has been able to reach employment agreements with everyone but Sheridan, though faculty supporters contend the terms are not satisfactory. Other affected professors contacted by the Tribune did not respond or provide comment.
Are humanities courses doomed?
Academics have long bemoaned the decline of the humanities on America’s college campuses, and the data suggests they have cause for concern.
The number of undergraduate students earning degrees in the humanities dropped sharply between 2012 and 2015, according to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Compared with fields such as medicine and engineering, the overall share of undergrads earning humanities degrees had fallen for 10 consecutive years, sinking below 12% in 2015, the most recent year for which cumulative data was available.
In a May report, the academy found that at least 6 million students were enrolled in humanities courses in 2017, but many liberal arts disciplines continue to see substantial declines. Fewer undergraduate degrees were awarded in English, history and philosophy in 2017 than five years prior, the report says.
Not all scholars are willing to accept the downward trajectory. Eric Boynton, provost and dean of Beloit College in Wisconsin, said schools should be assessing their staffing levels to adapt, creating interdisciplinary opportunities and trying to show students that liberal arts courses are worthwhile no matter what career path they are pursuing.
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At Beloit, for example, Boynton merged the departments of religious studies and critical race theory because the courses had overlapping themes and one professor was retiring, he said.
“I actually think the world is in crisis, and what the world needs is a liberal arts-trained population,” Boynton said. “Part of my job is to alter that narrative: It’s not the decline in liberal arts that we’re experiencing, it’s the recognition that liberal arts needs to once again rethink and reimagine itself.”
At some schools, however, decisions to collapse departments or reduce humanities classes have elicited widespread backlash.
In 2019, the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point nixed an unpopular idea to cut 13 majors, including history and foreign languages. And last month, Adrian College in Michigan backtracked on plans to eliminate the theater, history and joint religion and philosophy departments after students objected in a social media campaign.
After receiving a deluge of angry messages from alumni, faculty and staff, Adrian’s president announced Sept. 1 that layoff notices issued to 11 affected faculty members would be rescinded. The programs will remain permanently, a spokeswoman said.
‘It wasn’t on anyone’s radar’
Students at Illinois Wesleyan have tried to create the same momentum, but administrators show no signs of budging.
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In June, alumni launched an online petition titled “In Support of IWU’s Liberal Arts” that garnered 875 signatures from graduates and urged the trustees to reconsider the “draconian” program cuts.
In July, two weeks before a board of trustees meeting where changes would be finalized, students rallied on campus to express their opposition. Maeve Plunkett, a senior majoring in German and international studies, said she traveled from her home in Glenview, with her parents and boyfriend, to speak at the demonstration.
Plunkett said she felt compelled to participate because the German language program was cut the year before, while she was studying abroad, and she knows firsthand how difficult it can be to complete a major once a department has vanished.
To earn her degree, Plunkett said she’s had to take German classes at other schools, such as Loyola University Chicago, and pay out of her own pocket. At the time of the rally, trustees were also considering eliminating programs in the music school, sociology and philosophy.
“It wasn’t really on anyone’s radar that anything else was going to be taken away,” said Plunkett, 21. “And it definitely wasn’t on anyone’s radar that it would happen this quickly and this broadly.”
But the event didn’t entirely sway trustees. The six-person board unanimously voted July 16 to close departments in religion, French, Italian and anthropology. They spared others, voting instead to “transform” them.
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In a less contentious decision this spring, the board approved closures of programs in American cultural studies, international business, design technology and entrepreneurship and Greek and Roman studies, based on faculty recommendations.
Taylor Plantan, a senior English literature major, finds it troubling that students were largely left out of the discussion. She said students were not asked for feedback or ideas by administrators. Though she sent a letter outlining her position to Nugent and the trustees, she said she never got a response.
“I’ve gained skills that I would otherwise not be privy to, and I think these departments have shown a dedication to bettering our generation,” said Plantan, 21, of Rolling Meadows. The program closures, she added, “that push for social change, for human understanding for diverse perspectives would be limited.”
Though the cuts are finalized, opponents haven’t stopped mobilizing. An online fundraiser created by concerned alumni and students has collected more than $7,000 for faculty who need help with legal fees connected to the employment dispute.
“Interrupting a faculty member’s career after many years at an institution has devastating prospects,” the page says. “These individuals have dedicated their lives to become experts in their fields and years investing in the development of IWU’s reputation for excellence. Simply finding a new position, during a global pandemic no less, is not so simple.”
Despite the student pushback, media attention and conflict with faculty, Nugent said she stands by the decisions to revise the curriculum.
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IWU’s enrollment has shrunk by 400 students in the last five years and the school needs to make changes to meet that reality, Nugent said. And the students who are coming are not flocking to the same courses anymore.
“This generation of students, in their lifetimes, have experienced two major worldwide economic upheavals,” Nugent said. “They’ve seen technology change their everyday lives continually since they were children. They see climate change. They see the racial injustice. And they’re more pragmatic, in a sense. They want to get out there and do something to make change.”
Tenured professors losing their jobs
The dispute over how decisions were made at Illinois Wesleyan and whether, as some say, Nugent and the board of trustees overrode faculty input, has prompted the American Association of University Professors, a nonprofit representing academic professionals, to investigate. Should the AAUP find that administrators overstepped, it can sanction the university. That’s a largely symbolic gesture but could be viewed as a stain on the school’s reputation.
An AAUP spokeswoman said it plans to issue a report in early 2021.
In a letter to the AAUP last month, the university defended its process, saying faculty were given opportunities to research the departments under review, collect data on enrollment and provide written testimony. The university maintains that faculty played a key role in course evaluations by participating in a program review task force, even if some final decisions diverged from their recommendations.
“The ultimate decision belonged to the Board,” the letter says. “The question is whether the views of the faculty were solicited and considered. The answer to that question is indisputably yes.”
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Michael Theune, an English professor who serves on IWU’s version of a faculty senate, disputes the university’s motives, saying the cuts were made out of financial considerations and not to improve the curriculum.
He said faculty were initially led to believe that no tenured professors would lose their jobs as a result of the review, pointing to minutes from an October 2019 stating Nugent “has made it clear to the faculty and to the Board that we will not be firing any tenured faculty members,” according to a copy provided to the Tribune.
“Tenure is supposed to create a kind of deep connection between the institution and the professor,” he said. “With so many of the professors who have been affected by what’s happened, it’s not just their jobs going away. It’s that deep connection they had fostered with the institution that students benefited from greatly.”
Nugent said her comments have been misconstrued, suggesting the emotional nature of the issue affected recollections. She said the goal was never to terminate professors, a message she tried to communicate repeatedly in written correspondences.
For Sheridan, the recent events have resulted in shock and disappointment. Sheridan, 54, said he feels a close connection to IWU and Bloomington, where he’s lived and raised his children for more than two decades, and is processing next steps. He said he’s working with an attorney and considering filing a employment grievance with IWU.
“We believed that our positions were valued and relevant,” Sheridan said. “To be told by the administration and the board of trustees that you are no longer needed, it’s like a loss. ... Like grieving the death of a loved one because you are grieving the death of part of your identity. It’s devastating.”
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echerney@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-05--In the final days of the census, outreach workers struggle with apathy and distrust

But Vidal said that once she is able to connect with families and discuss their needs , they are often @ @ @ @ @ forms .
Vidal found it can come down to issues as simple as funding for @ @ @ @ @ know most of them complain about the potholes , ” she said .

Working at food pantries in Chicago this summer, 17-year-old Lizbeth Vidal walked up and down lines of families, trying to get them counted for the 2020 census.
It was not an easy job, even though many of the people she approached came from some of the neediest neighborhoods in Chicago and stood to lose the most if not counted for a census that will determine billions of dollars in federal resources for the next 10 years.
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One day, she stood next to a family of 13 as they waited at a pantry, chatting with them all the way to the end when they finally agreed to complete a census questionnaire. She is constantly telling people how filling out the form will make their parks, libraries and schools better for their children.
“A lot of us are learning from home and … that money is going to be helpful for us,” Vidal told residents near her home in West Englewood. “I know not everyone has computers. ... That’s the way we get computers, books.”
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Still, response rates remain low in many areas across the South and West sides, with some neighborhoods reporting rates around 30%. The same areas have poverty rates of 30% and 40%, according to data gathered by the University of Illinois at Chicago.
“The reason people are hard to count is because they don’t trust the system,” said state Rep. La Shawn Ford, who has been involved in census efforts on the West Side. “People don’t believe they should participate because our communities suffer, and they believe they are never going to spend the money on our neighborhoods anyways.”
The pandemic put up new barriers. The original deadline of July 31 was extended to Oct. 31 because it was harder to reach homes or gather people for events. The Trump administration abruptly moved up the deadline to Sept. 30, but a federal judge has ruled the deadline should remain the end of this month to guarantee an accurate count.
Groups like Increase the Peace, where Vidal works as a youth organizer, determined one of the best ways to get their neighborhoods counted was to set up food pantries, with census outreach workers on hand to help residents complete census forms.
Volunteer Martha Pita, left, interviews a woman for the 2020 census before David Moscoso, right, gives her a ticket to enter the Our Heritage Counts 2020 Census Party in Humboldt Park on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. People were allowed to enter the grounds after filling out the 2020 census. The Our Heritage Counts 2020 Census Party featured free food and access to no-profit and health vendors. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Working in communities with large undocumented populations, Vidal said the first hurdle was often explaining that people who were not U.S citizens should still fill out the census. Vidal said there were times when she ran into families who did not know what the census was.
Many of the people she has approached have been through a difficult year, losing jobs and living in neighborhoods that have suffered from decades of disinvestment. They doubted filling out a form would finally change the places where they live.
But Vidal said that once she is able to connect with families and discuss their needs, they are often willing to fill out the forms. Vidal found it can come down to issues as simple as funding for new roads “because I know most of them complain about the potholes,” she said.
The Data Visualization Lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago found that most of the undercounted areas in the city have high unemployment rates.
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In one census tract in the Englewood neighborhood, self-response rates stand around 26%, the lowest in the city. The tract is facing an unemployment rate close to 40%, with more than 30% living below the poverty level, according to UIC’s “Map the Count” project.
Back of the Yards and Lawndale also report some of the highest percentages of unemployment and lowest rates of census responses.
UIC also found that many of the undercounted areas have a large proportion of residents who did not finish high school and therefore have more limited opportunities.
In the Little Village neighborhood, nearly 60% of residents in some census tracts did not have a high school diploma, UIC found. The census response rates are just under 40% there.
Regan Sonnabend, census director at the YWCA, said she uses schools in her argument for why people should be counted.
The YWCA was tasked with aiding census outreach in Englewood, West Englewood, New City and Pilsen. Sonnabend said neighborhood schools in all those areas are woefully underfunded and many have been shut down.
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Sonnabend also mentioned funding for mental health programs, which she believes is “largely overlooked” in the discussion of the 2020 count but crucial to improving the lives of the residents they serve.
She noted that funds spent on COVID-19 efforts in Chicago were directly tied to the 2010 census data. Census information is also used to determine things like new CTA stops, which Sonnabend said can have huge impacts on employment and public health.
UCAN, a community organization based across the South and West sides, focuses on providing clinical and counseling services, as well as transitional and independent living programs for at-risk youth. But this year, it helped with census outreach, subcontracting with the YWCA.
As advocacy workers and community leaders reached out, they found most residents had other issues on their minds.
“When COVID hit ... communities of color saw huge numbers of positive cases and yet again we saw unemployment and yet again we saw the inequities in our education and in our health system,” Cook County Commissioner Alma Anaya said during a recent outreach event.
Anaya’s district covers parts of Little Village, Brighton Park and Back of the Yards that have some of the city’s lower self-response rates. Like Ford, she said it became almost impossible for people to see how a 5-to-10-minute questionnaire could have any impact.
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Ford said he has been involved in census outreach in Austin, Lawndale, Garfield Park and Roseland, where the distrust of the federal government is high. “They don’t really want to have anything to do with the census,” he said. “People may not want to participate because they feel that the system did them wrong to begin with.”
Felipe Mayviewstein, 29, said he lives in an apartment in Back of the Yards owned by his family and he hasn’t filled out the census.
“I’ve been very occupied, it’s not on my list of priorities,” he said. “It’s obviously important, it’s a very significant thing in terms to its relationship to the economy and country as a whole, but from a merely personal level, I feel like if one person doesn’t fill it out, it doesn’t make a significant difference.”
Mayviewstein is one of many who have a difficult time understanding the individual impact the census has on Chicago’s largest underreported communities.
Ford spoke specifically of Austin, Lawndale, Garfield Park and Roseland neighborhoods and the growing mistrust in government throughout those communities.
“They don’t really want to have anything to do with the census, people may not want to participate because they feel that the system did them wrong to begin with,” he said.
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It’s not clear how much more time census outreach workers have. While a federal judge has ruled the deadline is the end of this month, the Trump administration has said it will appeal.
Many community organizations like UCAN have run out of initial funding set aside for census work. UCAN workers are now doing what they can to combine census and voter outreach efforts in this final month.
Kim Casey, an officer with UCAN, said she found many people in the community weren’t aware of the census. She worries what that could mean for the upcoming election.
“People were just not aware,” she said. “Also people weren’t hearing that it’s time to vote again, so I was a little bit concerned about the census and the vote. … Information just wasn’t reaching our people.”
ssherry@chicagotribune.com
jvillagomez@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-05--Trump leaves hospital briefly to greet supporters outside; White House doctor says Trump’s blood oxy