chicagotribune--2020-05-11--‘The Last Dance’ takes up the murder of Michael Jordan’s father, James. 5 things to know about the c

‘The Last Dance’ takes up the murder of Michael Jordan’s father, James. 5 things to know about the criminal case that followed.

Nearly 27 years after James Jordan ’ s killing , Green is still fighting his case in court — though @ @ @ @ @ of options .
He has long claimed that although he helped dump Jordan ’ s @ @ @ @ @ he was not there when Jordan was shot .
Green ’ s lawyers have stressed @ @ @ @ @ tying him to the shooting and that the investigation was fraught with problems .
In @ @ @ @ @ Carolina Superior Court Judge Winston Gilchrist issued an 82-page order denying Green ’ s latest @ @ @ @ @ .
Green ’ s lawyers have said they intend to appeal .

The Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan hugs his father, James Jordan, after the Bulls defeated the Portland Trail Blazers to win the 1992 NBA Championship in Chicago. In July 1993, the elder Jordan was murdered, his body found in a South Carolina swamp. (Chicago Tribune)
The blockbuster Chicago Bulls docuseries “The Last Dance” ventured into tragic territory with Episode 7 on Sunday, dealing with the shocking 1993 murder of Michael Jordan’s father, James, just weeks after the Bulls’ third-straight championship.
But while the episode focused on the effect James Jordan’s death had on the Bulls star — including his abrupt retirement from basketball and subsequent turn with the White Sox — nothing was said about the two teenagers convicted in the brutal crime.
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Daniel Green and Larry Demery are each serving life sentences for shooting James Jordan during what prosecutors said was a botched robbery, then dumping his body off of a bridge near the North Carolina state line and riding around in his stolen red Lexus for several days.
Here are five things to know about a criminal case that shocked Chicago and the nation:
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1. A long legal fight
Nearly 27 years after James Jordan’s killing, Green is still fighting his case in court — though he may soon be out of options. He has long claimed that although he helped dump Jordan’s body after the fact, he was not there when Jordan was shot. Green’s lawyers have stressed there was little physical evidence tying him to the shooting and that the investigation was fraught with problems. In January, however, North Carolina Superior Court Judge Winston Gilchrist issued an 82-page order denying Green’s latest effort for an evidentiary hearing. Green’s lawyers have said they intend to appeal.
2. Co-defendant seeking release
Demery, who pleaded guilty to the murder and testified against Green at trial as part of his plea agreement, is currently being considered for parole. The North Carolina Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission heard the case in August and has asked for more information before rendering a decision, according to a prison spokesman. Demery, who was sentenced to life in prison on May 20, 1996, has been denied parole twice before.
3. A questionable statement?
Green’s attorneys have argued in court filings that Demery was pressured by investigators into implicating Green to avoid a possible death sentence. In a sworn affidavit, lead attorney Chris Mummer said Demery claimed in a prison interview in late 2018 that investigators had insisted he identify Green as the shooter and that Demery felt “coached by law enforcement to lie” on the witness stand. But Gilchrist said in his ruling that Demery’s statements “constitute hearsay evidence" that was not admissible in court.
The burial site of James Jordan's cremated remains outside Rockfish African Methodist Episcopal Church in Teachey, N.C., on May 17, 2018. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
4. Still a gap in series of events
The timeline of James Jordan’s murder continues to be puzzling. Prosecutors said Jordan was shot after he pulled his 1992 Lexus to the side of the road to sleep while on his way back home to Charlotte from a funeral in Wilmington. His body was not discovered in a swampy area until 11 days after the shooting, and he remained unidentified for more than a week until family members reported Jordan missing. By that time, Jordan’s body had been cremated by a South Carolina coroner as a John Doe.
5. Evidence still points to the pair
Green and Demery were arrested and charged with murder 23 days after Jordan’s death. Among the damning evidence against them were 36 calls made from James Jordan’s car phone during a four-day period immediately after the murder, most of them to Green’s and Demery’s friends and family. Prosecutors said the pair also took a collection of prized possessions from the Lexus, including an NBA championship watch that Michael Jordan had given to his father as well as the Bulls star’s 1986 NBA All-Star ring. Green later filmed a rap video in which he could be seen wearing the jewelry, according to prosecutors.


chicagotribune--2020-05-11--Lightfoot advances plan to delay part of worker scheduling protection rules due to virus outbreak

Under the measure , the city would investigate such claims , and the business would have up to 30 days @ @ @ @ @ which some aldermen said is too long .
The employee would be able to sue @ @ @ @ @ and to recover damages from their employer if a violation is discovered .

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is moving to delay a key part of the city’s landmark Fair Workweek ordinance until next year, stopping workers from suing their bosses for violating rules requiring large Chicago businesses to give at least two weeks’ advance notice of their schedules.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot holds a news conference at City Hall on May 8, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
City Business Affairs Commissioner Rosa Escareno said deferring that clause in the ordinance until Jan. 1 is important as companies struggle to navigate the coronavirus pandemic and attempts to reopen different sectors of Chicago’s economy.
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“We understand that all businesses are struggling due to the COVID outbreak, which is why we are coming forward with today’s proposal to postpone implementation of the private cause of action section of the ordinance until Jan. 1of 2021,” Escareno said. “This will allow businesses to implement Fair Workweek policies without fear of lawsuits during the first six months of the regulations.”
The ordinance passed the council in July after being painstakingly crafted over many months to try to appease influential business and labor groups on opposite sides of the issue. It entitles employees working for bigger companies in the areas of building services, health care, hotels, manufacturing, restaurants, retail and warehouse services to two weeks heads-up on their schedules.
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The rest of the rules will take effect July 1 as planned, and city inspectors will investigate complaints that businesses aren’t giving their employees proper notice about when they are scheduled to work. Employees simply won’t be able to act on the results of those investigations by filing suits in Cook County Circuit Court till next year, Escareno said.
Ald. Tom Tunney, 44th, who has long expressed misgivings about Fair Workweek, said he worries the new standards will make it tougher for Chicago’s economy to recover from the pandemic, because businesses will hire back fewer workers.
“This, among other things, is going to be a real drag on our employment for all workers,” Tunney said.
The City Council Workforce Development Committee also passed a Lightfoot ordinance Monday designed to protect workers from getting fired or otherwise retaliated against by bosses if they stay home from work for certain reasons during the coronavirus outbreak.
If a worker stays home while trying to abide by orders from the city or state, or a physician’s recommendation due to possible COVID-19 symptoms, or to care for someone with symptoms, their business can’t take “adverse action” against them, the proposal states.
Under the measure, the city would investigate such claims, and the business would have up to 30 days to fix the violation, which some aldermen said is too long. The employee would be able to sue to get reinstated at work and to recover damages from their employer if a violation is discovered.
The full City Council is set to vote on both ordinances next week.
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
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chicagotribune--2020-05-11--2.3 million more Illinois jobs at risk: The devastating economic toll of the virus in 6 charts

The percentage of vulnerable jobs is slightly higher in Illinois than nationally , but overall , the trends in the @ @ @ @ @ on around the country .
Up to one-third — or 57 million — U.S. jobs @ @ @ @ @ caused by the pandemic , according to the analysis .

Illinois is facing an unemployment crisis unlike any seen since the Great Depression, as the new coronavirus ravages the economy and puts people out of work.
The situation may get worse.
In Illinois, 37% of jobs are at risk of ending in furloughs, layoffs, or sharp reductions in hours or pay because of the COVID-19 outbreak, according to a recent analysis from McKinsey Global Institute. But some positions are more endangered than others.
Vulnerable jobs are concentrated among low-income workers and people of color, who already have been hit harder by the pandemic than white people.
The percentage of vulnerable jobs is slightly higher in Illinois than nationally, but overall, the trends in the state mirror what is going on around the country. Up to one-third — or 57 million — U.S. jobs are vulnerable to economic inactivity caused by the pandemic, according to the analysis.
The dire situation “is going to be very hard to come back from,” said Kweilin Ellingrud, a senior partner in McKinsey’s Minneapolis office.
“Job gain takes quite a bit longer ... than job losses," she said. “We will be steadily working our way back for a number of years.”
The toll has already been heavy, but many more jobs are vulnerable.
The state processed more than 1 million unemployment claims between March 1 and May 2.
All of the Chicago area is at risk
Illinois’ more populous counties, which employ more people in industries affected by the pandemic, like restaurants, tourism and even manufacturing, tend to have the most vulnerable jobs.
Women, people of color and those earning less than $40,000 are more likely to be affected
Early job losses hit women harder than men, in part because they account for almost two-thirds of employment in hard-hit industries like hospitality, education, health and retail. Hispanic, African American and low-income workers also are more likely to be in vulnerable jobs.
Service, retail, travel industries are most vulnerable
Nationally, the states with the most vulnerable jobs are those that have a lot of tourism, which is reflected in hotel, food service and retail jobs. Illinois mirrors that trend.
jsberlin@chicagotribune.com
amarotti@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @AllyMarotti
Twitter@jonathonberlin


chicagotribune--2020-05-11--Watch live: Gov. J.B. Pritzker and health officials provide an update on the coronavirus in Illinois

Gov .
J.B. Pritzker and state health officials are scheduled to provide an update on the coronavirus in Illinois at @ @ @ @ @ the latest coronavirus updates here .

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chicagotribune--2020-05-11--New Lenox man shot outside gas station in possible carjacking attempt: police

Police responded to calls of shots fired outside of the Circle K gas station , 471 Nelson Road , just @ @ @ @ @ found the injured victim .
Police said the 19-year-old reported he was leaving the gas @ @ @ @ @ by a man wearing a surgical mask and armed with a semi-automatic handgun .
The @ @ @ @ @ the gunman shot him in the back .
The masked man then returned to a @ @ @ @ @ pump with at least one other passenger inside and fled the scene .

Police are searching for a man they say shot a 19-year-old New Lenox man in the back during a possible carjacking outside of a gas station early Monday morning.
Police responded to calls of shots fired outside of the Circle K gas station, 471 Nelson Road, just after midnight. and subsequently found the injured victim. Police said the 19-year-old reported he was leaving the gas station when he was confronted by a man wearing a surgical mask and armed with a semi-automatic handgun. The victim tried to run and the gunman shot him in the back. The masked man then returned to a car parked at a gas pump with at least one other passenger inside and fled the scene.
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According to a police report, the victim indicated he did not know the gunman. He was taken to Silver Cross Hospital where he was listed in critical condition.
While the motive of the shooting has not been confirmed, police said it may have been an attempted carjacking.
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Kate McCann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.


chicagotribune--2020-05-11--Navy’s Blue Angels to fly over Chicago in show of ‘national solidarity,’ thanks

Chicago is on the list for Tuesday , along with Detroit and Indianapolis , according to social media posts from @ @ @ @ @ approximately 15-minute flyover will be conducted in the Chicago area starting about 11:45 a.m. , @ @ @ @ @ noon .
From its social media pages , it appeared the Thunderbirds would not be @ @ @ @ @

Rush University Medical Center employees watch as the U.S. Navy Blue Angels fly over the hospital and the city May 12, 2020, to honor front-line workers in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
As part of its “America Strong” campaign to thank medical professionals, emergency responders and essential workers, the Blue Angels will do a flyover of Chicago on Tuesday, according to the flight demonstration squad.
The Blue Angels, an elite flight squad specializing in aerobatics, along with the Thunderbirds, the Air Force demonstration squad, have been conducting flyovers in cities across the country since the end of April, according to a Department of Defense news release that called the effort a show of "national solidarity.”
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Chicago is on the list for Tuesday, along with Detroit and Indianapolis, according to social media posts from the Blue Angels. The approximately 15-minute flyover will be conducted in the Chicago area starting about 11:45 a.m., ending along the lakefront around noon. From its social media pages, it appeared the Thunderbirds would not be in Chicago on Tuesday.
Graphic updates: Your #BlueAngels are heading your way #Detroit, #Chicago and #Indianapolis!
Note: previous posts list overhead times for Indy in CDT. Below is in EDT. Also, the Chicago route ends along the waterfront.#AmericaStrong#InThisTogether#HealthcareHeroes pic.twitter.com/YDIVC49pHI — Blue Angels (@BlueAngels) May 11, 2020
The announcement from the Defense Department said the flyovers were part of a campaign to thank all the people who have worked amid the pandemic to keep the country going strong. “America strong is a collaborative salute,” according to the news release.
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The cities selected for performances for the weekslong run were among those hardest hit by COVID-19.
“This is also our way of showing that we are all in this together and that America’s spirit will prevail,” the news release quoted Air Force Gen. Dave Goldfein as saying.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-05-11--Remembering the lives of those in Illinois who died from coronavirus

As the number of deaths attributable to COVID-19 ticks upward , the Tribune is working to chronicle those who have @ @ @ @ @ Chicago area or who have connections to our region .
These are some of those @ @

They were mothers and fathers, daughters and sons. Many were proud grandparents. Two were sisters from a tight-knit South Side family. All were loved, relatives say, and will be forever missed.
As the number of deaths attributable to COVID-19 ticks upward, the Tribune is working to chronicle those who have lost their lives in the Chicago area or who have connections to our region. These are some of those victims.
If you know of someone or would like to offer a remembrance of someone please share your information here. To file a death notice, go here.
Subscribe to the Chicago Tribune: Our mission is to deliver trusted and meaningful local news. Your support allows us to continue providing the award-winning, watchdog and in-depth journalism our community deserves. Subscribe here.


chicagotribune--2020-05-11--Rita Crundwell, who stole more than $50 million as Dixon comptroller, seeks release from prison over

Rita Crundwell, who stole more than $50 million as Dixon comptroller, seeks release from prison over COVID-19 fears

“ I know at my sentencing you felt I was not given a death sentence with my projected age of @ @ @ @ @ now with my deteriorating health condition , and the danger of the COVID-19 pandemic , @ @ @ @ @ given a death sentence , ” she wrote in a handwritten request to Judge Philip @ @ @ @ @ in federal court in Rockford , according to Sauk Valley Media .

Former Dixon comptroller Rita Crundwell, center, walks into Federal Court in Rockford on Monday with her attorneys, Paul Gaziano, left, and Kristin Carpenter. Crundwell is accused of stealing over 50 million dollars from the city of Dixon. (Stacey Wescott, Chicago Tribune)
DIXON, ILLINOIS — The former Dixon, Illinois comptroller convicted of stealing nearly $54 million from the northern Illinois city is seeking release from federal prison over fears of contracting COVID-19.
Rita Crundwell used the stolen money to fund her nationally renowned horse-breeding operation and luxurious tastes. She was sentenced in 2013 to nearly 20 years in prison after being convicted of wire fraud. The 67-year-old woman's release date is Oct. 29, 2029.
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“I know at my sentencing you felt I was not given a death sentence with my projected age of release of 77, but now with my deteriorating health condition, and the danger of the COVID-19 pandemic, I feel I have been given a death sentence,” she wrote in a handwritten request to Judge Philip Reinhard filed late last month in federal court in Rockford, according to Sauk Valley Media.
Reinhard said she could seek compassionate release if she she's exhausted all administrative avenues. The attorney appointed to represent her has until Friday to submit documents. The judge's decision could come next month.
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Crundwell said she is a model minimum-security prisoner, has learned new skills and has health issues including hypertension and high cholesterol.


chicagotribune--2020-05-11--Firefighters rescue girl trapped in Aurora house during fire

The caller told dispatch that someone was trapped in the home and as fire crews arrived , they could hear @ @ @ @ @ help inside the one-story , single-family home , officials said .
Heavy smoke was showing @ @ @ @ @ building and firefighters forced entry to search for the victim .

Aurora firefighters rescued a girl trapped inside an Aurora house that was burning on the city’s east side, officials said.
Firefighters responded to the fire around 11:10 a.m. Saturday in the 1200 block of 5th Street after a bystander, who saw smoke coming from the house, called 911, Aurora fire officials said in a news release.
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The caller told dispatch that someone was trapped in the home and as fire crews arrived, they could hear the victim calling out for help inside the one-story, single-family home, officials said. Heavy smoke was showing from all sides of the building and firefighters forced entry to search for the victim.
A 15-year-old girl was located and taken to a local hospital in serious condition, suffering from smoke inhalation, officials said. A 19-year-old woman, who was outside the house when crews arrived, was also taken to the hospital for minor smoke inhalation.
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During the fire, a cat and dog escaped the house as the victim was rescued. The 2nd alarm fire was extinguished in 15 minutes and brought 32 firefighters to the scene.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, officials said. The house was deemed uninhabitable and the damage is estimated at $75,000.
mejones@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-11--Sen. Tammy Duckworth among those sharing reflections on prejudice, experience on PBS series ‘Asian A

Sen. Tammy Duckworth among those sharing reflections on prejudice, experience on PBS series ‘Asian Americans’

“ It ’ s been very eye-opening to see how much prejudice still exists in America and how deep seated @ @ @ @ @ But it ’ s part of the price one pays for speaking out , even @ @ @ @ @ as injustice , ” Kim said in an email to The Associated Press .

A century of racist attacks detailed in the new PBS documentary series “Asian Americans” might have felt like ancient history just a few months ago.
But through the lens of the coronavirus pandemic that originated in China and is now hitting the U.S., being painted as a foreign enemy has become all too familiar. Hundreds of Asian Americans have reported verbal and physical assaults since the nation's first infections surfaced in January. Even in cities with large Asian communities, people have hurled century-old slurs like “Chinaman."
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Daniel Dae Kim, a Korean American actor known for TV's “Lost" and “Hawaii Five-0," faced racist trolling when he shared his COVID-19 diagnosis on Instagram in March. Kim, who narrates the documentary with actress Tamlyn Tomita, has recovered and feels "back to 100%.”
“It’s been very eye-opening to see how much prejudice still exists in America and how deep seated it seems to be. But it’s part of the price one pays for speaking out, even against something as seemingly universal as injustice,” Kim said in an email to The Associated Press.
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The five-episode series airing between Monday and Tuesday is a sweeping look at Asian Americans' impact on society, politics and pop culture from the mid-19th century through 9/11. Produced by Asian American filmmakers, the show features reflections from U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, “Fresh Off the Boat” star Randall Park and a host of people from other industries. There are also interviews with descendants whose family stories are heavily featured.
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, when Asians’ contributions to the American landscape are often highlighted.
Sign up for The Spin to get the top stories in politics delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.
The virus-related attacks, however, have been a stark reminder of how quickly Asian Americans can go from neighbor to scapegoat. In a Los Angeles Times editorial last month, Korean American actor John Cho wrote how “belonging is conditional. One moment we are Americans, the next we are all foreigners, who ‘brought’ the virus here.”
That anti-Asian sentiment is all the more reason the documentary needs to be seen now, Kim said.
“Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it,” Kim said. “Asian Americans have a unique history in America. It’s one that should be celebrated as an indispensable part of our nation’s history.”
Renee Tajima-Peña, a series producer and professor of Asian American studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, had the monumental task of deciding how to fit decades of history into just five hours. She began with the arrival of Chinese railroad workers in the 1800s.
“We start at a time where we can still find people, if they’re descendants, with pictures and photographs,” Tajima-Peña said. “On the one hand, there was choosing which stories we felt were most important to tell. On the other hand, it’s TV. We have to make sure it’s something that’s watchable and the audience can engage with.”
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The series covers well-known events like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the World War II internment of Japanese Americans and the 1982 beating death of Vincent Chin in Detroit.
But it also delves into lesser-known moments, like a 1965 labor strike organized by Filipino farmworkers in California, and spotlights people you may not recognize, like Patsy Mink, a Japanese American who in 1964 was the first woman of color elected to Congress.
There's also an interview with Tereza Lee, who inspired the now-stalled DREAM Act that would have given a path to citizenship for young people brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
Comedian Hari Kondabolu, known for his documentary “The Problem With Apu,” speaks in the series about post-9/11 treatment of Muslim Americans and Southeast Asian Americans. The coronavirus-related racism has drawn comparison to that time.
Like Kondabolu did in 2001, many young Asian Americans are now facing outright hate for the first time.
“I had never been targeted the way I had been in 9/11. That shaped how I viewed this country,” he said at a virtual town hall last week. "The generation after 9/11 ... they’re gonna have to question where we are now. It’s going to inform how they will see the world.”
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He's glad that the challenges and prejudices Asian Americans have faced for more than a century are enshrined in a documentary.
“Once it’s on PBS, it feels like an official document," Kondabalu said in an earlier interview. “This marks our place in the history of this country. It wasn’t there before.”
Tajima-Peña wouldn’t alter the episodes to address the pandemic if she could, saying viewers will inevitably connect it to present-day xenophobia. It's a “new story that really is an old story."
“The whole COVID crisis, it’s really just amplified all the fault lines in the United States of race and class, poverty, health care. In terms of Asian Americans, of course, it’s this idea we’re so-called foreigners,” she said.
One of her hopes is the series will inspire younger Asian Americans to think beyond social media rants to activism.
“Our backs are against the walls. How do we move forward together? That’s what you see in the series," Tajima-Peña said. "Asian Americans had to come together to defend our own rights.”
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Tang reported from Phoenix


chicagotribune--2020-05-11--Interstate 57 crash kills Calumet Park man, 25, on Chicago’s Far South Side

Authorities went to the scene and shut down the middle and right lanes of I-57 at 5 a.m. , with @ @ @ @ @ left lane , Ugarte said .
All lanes reopened about 7:40 a.m. , she said @

A Calumet Park man who apparently had been walking on Interstate 57 in Chicago’s Washington Heights neighborhood early Monday died from his injuries when a semitrailer headed north struck him, officials said.
About 4:55 a.m. Illinois State Police troopers were called to northbound I-57 at 103rd Street for a report that a pedestrian was hit by a 2013 white Freightliner, according to news release from agency spokeswoman Trooper Gabriela Ugarte.
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Authorities went to the scene and shut down the middle and right lanes of I-57 at 5 a.m., with traffic getting by in the left lane, Ugarte said. All lanes reopened about 7:40 a.m., she said.
A 25-year-old man from Calumet Park had been walking in the right lane of traffic when the Freightliner hit him, according to the release. His name was not immediately released.
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The driver of the Freightliner was a 36-year-old West Virginia man. It wasn’t immediately clear whether he would be issued any citations.
Check back for updates.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-05-11--Suburban couple who were both in ICU with coronavirus have survived, been moved to care facility. ‘I

Suburban couple who were both in ICU with coronavirus have survived, been moved to care facility. ‘It’s quite frankly a miracle.’

“ I ’ m not here to say how great it is having to stay in the house all day @ @ @ @ @ stay home now to have a future , ” Alexa Boden said .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ important to understand that the whole world is struggling right now , so we have @ @ @ @ @ another , and need to stay strong .
We wish people would realize that even @ @ @ @ @ t have both parents in the hospital like we did , they need to understand @ @ @ @ @ discriminate who it infects .
”

Two suburban sisters whose parents both landed in intensive care with COVID-19 say they feel hope and gratitude as their parents begin what is expected to be a long road to recovery.
Nancy Frohman and David Boden, who are in their 50s, were recently released from Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where they had been in the intensive care unit and on ventilators after testing positive for COVID-19 in March.
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Mariel, and her sister, Alexa, returned home from college in March to find both of their parents feeling ill. The couple’s health rapidly deteriorated and, within days, both were in critical condition and placed on ventilators, according to family and friends.
The Vernon Hills couple are now being treated at a long-term care hospital in a Chicago suburb, “and both are heading in the right direction,” said Mariel Boden, 21.
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Mariel Boden, second from left, and sister Alexa Boden returned from their college campuses to find both their parents ill with what turned out to be the coronavirus. David Boden and Nancy Frohman were both in the ICU but are now in recovery. (HANDOUT)
“It quite frankly is a miracle ... where we’re at right now,” said Boden, a recent graduate of McGill University. “At any point, there is a real possibility for setbacks, but I’m a pathologically optimistic person, which has been super helpful in this situation. I’m realistic about the situation, but that doesn’t mean I’m giving up hope."
Frohman, who works for a nonprofit organization, and David Boden, who is in sales and plays guitar with two local bands, were healthy and active prior to contracting the virus, “but they obviously have a super long way to go, and a long recovery ahead,” Mariel Boden said.
Both of her parents are in the process of being slowly weaned off ventilators, and David Boden is also recovering from a stroke he suffered during his recent hospitalization, Mariel Boden said.
While Mariel said she and Alexa are above all, grateful to the medical community who continue to care for their parents, they also want to underscore the real life stories behind the public health statistics that show the number of those who are categorized as having “recovered” from the coronavirus.
“Yes, there are X amount of recoveries, but that doesn’t mean those people are jumping out of bed, and it’s still a process,” Mariel Boden said. “I’m very, very happy that my parents are alive, and I think that’s because of the amazing care they got at the hospital, not just the doctors and nurses, but the respiratory therapists, the janitors who clean the hallways, the person who brings in food for patients. ... These are the unsung heroes.”
While the sisters are still prohibited from visiting their parents in person, due to heightened restrictions at hospitals and care facilities to avoid the spread of the virus, the Stevenson High School graduates enjoy frequent FaceTime chats with their mom and dad, who are alert, conscious and able to communicate with their daughters for short periods of time.
Sisters Alexa Boden, left, and Mariel Boden, shown outside their Lake County home, returned from college to find both of their parents were sick with COVID-19. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Despite the brevity and limits of the digital visits, these days, even simple gestures, like David Boden, an avid “Star Trek” fan, giving Mariel the “Vulcan salute” — “live long and prosper” — and flashing a peace sign to Alexa, are small moments to be treasured, Mariel Boden said.
Taking a short break on Friday from studying for her online final exams with the University of Connecticut, where she is finishing her freshman year, Alexa Boden acknowledged that some aspects of the past few months “have been absolutely terrifying.”
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“The honest truth is, I’ve really had to work hard to not focus on the negatives, and while I do get stressed and cry sometimes, I just have to keep moving forward with school and staying strong for my family, because that’s what my parents would want me to do,” Alexa Boden said.
While the Boden sisters said they look forward to the day when they can visit the hair salon and hang out with friends, they are determined to serve as public health advocates with the goal of preventing other families from having to deal with the heartbreak wrought by the virus.
“I’m not here to say how great it is having to stay in the house all day, but we need to stay home now to have a future,” Alexa Boden said. “I think it’s really important to understand that the whole world is struggling right now, so we have a global affinity to one another, and need to stay strong. We wish people would realize that even though most people don’t have both parents in the hospital like we did, they need to understand that this virus does not discriminate who it infects.”
For more information, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/md9q5-help-mariel-and-alexa.
kcullotta@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-12--Navy’s Blue Angels to fly over Chicago in show of ‘national solidarity,’ thanks


chicagotribune--2020-05-12--2.3 million more Illinois jobs at risk: The devastating economic toll of the virus in 6 charts


chicagotribune--2020-05-12--Projected peak for coronavirus in Illinois now mid-June, says Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who’s now confined

Projected peak for coronavirus in Illinois now mid-June, says Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who’s now confined to his home after senior staffer tests positive for COVID-19

All four regions have seen decreases in hospitalization rates this month so far , with a nearly 19 % drop @ @ @ @ @ The other parts of the state saw their hospitalization rates decrease even more since May @ @ @ @ @ 36 % decrease in the north-central region , more than 44 % in central Illinois @ @ @ @ @ in southern Illinois .

The Chicago region is not on track to move to the next phase of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan later this month, and models now indicate the state isn’t expected to start coming down from the peak of the coronavirus pandemic until mid-June, Pritzker said Monday.
Delivering the news from his Gold Coast home, where he is isolating after one of his senior staff members tested positive for the disease, Pritzker said the “timeline of plateauing near a peak has been expanded from mid-May into mid-June.”
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“In many ways, this news is disheartening," he acknowledged.
In addition, the governor said northeastern Illinois is not yet on pace to move to the next phase of his plan due to the high rate of positive tests for the virus. That could keep the city and suburbs under the present restrictions of Pritzker’s stay-at-home order for a longer period than the other three regions of Illinois.
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The positivity rate cap is measured over a 14-day period, so it is still possible the northeast region could meet that requirement by the end of the month.
[ How will Illinois reopen? Three charts breaking down Pritzker’s plan ]
Last month, models predicted the state would reach its peak in the pandemic between late April and early May. Daily death and hospital capacity data from the last 2½ weeks led to the change in predictions, according to the governor’s office.
“Flattening the curve,” or curbing the spread of the virus so the spike in new cases isn’t as high, generally leads to a “peak” more like a plateau, so it takes longer for the numbers to begin a sustained drop.
The positive news, Pritzker said, is that the slower rate of infections over a longer period of time alleviates strain on the health care system and allows researchers more time to develop treatments or a vaccine.
While state data has been showing “more stability,” there have still not been “significant declines in key metrics like hospitalization,” Pritzker said.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivers his daily briefing remotely, as seen on screens inside the Channel 2 TV studio in Chicago on May 11, 2020. A member of Pritzker's staff tested positive for COVID-19. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
State officials on Monday reported 54 additional deaths, for a total of 3,459 deaths statewide since the pandemic began earlier this year. There were 1,266 new known cases of COVID-19 reported Monday, pushing the statewide known case total to 79,007.
All four of the regions defined in Pritzker’s phased state reopening plan are meeting “many of the key metrics” deemed necessary to move from one phase to the next.
But the northeast region that includes Chicago, Cook County and the collar counties continues to have a positivity rate for people tested over the 20% cap Pritzker’s plan requires before a region can move to the next phase.
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As of late last week, the northeast region’s positivity rate stood at more than 22%, while north-central was at 9%, the central region at 6% and southern Illinois was just under 11%.
The state has been in the plan’s second phase since May 1, when a number of restrictions in the governor’s stay-at-home order were loosened and new face covering rules went into effect. The earliest a region could move into the third phase is May 29.
The north-central, central and southern regions appear poised to move to the third phase of the plan after the initial 28-day period that began May 1.
[ As the coronavirus spreads, the Tribune is tracking Illinois cases here ]
All four regions have seen decreases in hospitalization rates this month so far, with a nearly 19% drop in the northeast region. The other parts of the state saw their hospitalization rates decrease even more since May 1, with a nearly 36% decrease in the north-central region, more than 44% in central Illinois and more than 54% in southern Illinois.
As of late last week, all four regions met the requirement of available “surge capacity” of at least 14% for intensive care unit beds, medical and surgical beds and ventilators.
Pritzker who rolled out the five-phase approach last week, continues to face criticism that the bench marks for moving from one phase to the next are too strict.
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Pritzker said Monday that models show if all restrictions were lifted at the end of May, it would mean a new surge of COVID-19 across the state.
Aspects of Pritzker’s reopening plan that continue to face pushback include the requirement that a region either shows stability or a decrease in hospital admissions for COVID-19-like illness for a 28-day period before it can move into the next phase.
Republican legislative leaders and the Illinois Municipal League wrote the governor letters Monday asking for adjustments, including halving the time it takes each region to move from one phase to another to 14 days.
Pritzker at his briefing continued to defend his plan, and the timelines and bench marks included that the different regions must hit in order to advance from one phase to the next.
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
In the third phase, manufacturing, offices, retail stores, and barbers and salons would be able to reopen to the public with capacity limits and other precautions. Gatherings of no more than 10 people would be allowed, though wearing face coverings in public and social distancing would continue to be urged.
Not until a region reaches the fourth phase of the governor’s plan would people be able to gather in groups of up to 50, and restaurants and bars, child care and schools could reopen under guidance from the state Department of Public Health.
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Illinois Municipal League Executive Director Brad Cole wrote a letter to Pritzker on Monday asking for the state to be divided into 11 regions rather than the current four delineated in Pritzker’s “Restore Illinois” plan.
Cole, who has appeared alongside Pritzker at previous coronavirus briefings, also called for decreasing from 28 days to 14 days the necessary period of time a region needs to see stability or a decline in COVID-19-like hospitalizations in order to move to the next phase.
Republican legislative leaders Bill Brady and Jim Durkin also wrote a joint letter to Pritzker on Monday echoing the suggestions made by the Illinois Municipal League and asking the governor to call a special session of the Illinois General Assembly so that “we can further discuss and develop the necessary adjustments to your plan that protects the public’s health while at the same time moves our economy forward more quickly.”
After a senior staff member tested positive for COVID-19, Pritzker was tested on Sunday, and the results were negative, his office said. Other staff members also tested negative. All will be working from home until they are cleared to return to their offices in the Thompson Center, which is being deep-cleaned, by the state health department.
Pritzker would not identify the staff member Monday, citing privacy concerns.
[ Chicago to open six more testing sites in neighborhoods, will work with actor Sean Penn’s charity to try reaching goal of 10,000 tests per day ]
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Among those now working from home is Department of Public Health Director Ngozi Ezike, who is leading the state’s response to COVID-19, Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said.
The staff member who tested positive late last week was not showing symptoms and had been in close contact with the governor and other staff.
“I don’t have regular, everyday contact with that person directly, although that person would sometimes, would everyday, sit in a large meeting room where we were all socially distancing,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker is not the first governor to take measures after coming into contact with some who tested positive.
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz went into 14-day isolation on March 24. In neighboring Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Monday that she would follow a “modified quarantine plan” after a White House visit last week at which Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary, who has tested positive for the virus, was present. However, Reynolds said she would continue coming into work but will be tested for the virus daily, among other precautions.
In April, another member of Pritzker’s Chicago office staff tested positive for the coronavirus. The employee started to feel unwell on March 26 and immediately went home, Pritzker said at the time.
Pritzker and Ezike said at an April 7 news briefing that they hadn’t been tested for COVID-19 because they hadn’t exhibited symptoms.
The state also announced it has received its first shipment of the antiviral drug remdesivir, to be used as a treatment for hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
[ Wisconsin GOP lawmakers urge Washington to reject any ‘bailout’ money for Illinois: ‘Our neighbors to the south have spent decades spending and borrowing recklessly’ ]
Illinois received 140 cases of the medication over the weekend that have been shipped to 14 hospitals around the state. Each case includes enough to treat around five patients, and the state used hospitalization and intensive care unit data to determine which hospitals received a share of the first shipment, Ezike said Monday.
Those that did “have seen the most critically ill COVID-19 patients,” Ezike said. “We also included safety net hospitals and hospitals treating large communities of color to address the equity aspects.”
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Also on Monday, the Illinois Supreme Court denied the Pritzker administration’s request for a ruling that the governor acted within his authority when he extended his disaster proclamation for the coronavirus pandemic beyond the initial 30 days.
The governor and the Illinois attorney general’s office asked the court to take up the matter after a southern Illinois judge ruled late last month that Pritzker had exceeded his legal authority under the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act.
The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by state Rep. Darren Bailey, a Republican from Xenia. The circuit judge issued a temporary restraining order exempting Bailey from the stay-at-home order, but the lawmaker later asked an appeals court to withdraw the order so he could refile his lawsuit with new information.
“The Supreme Court is not saying they’re not going to rule on this, ever,” Pritzker said at his daily news briefing. “They’re just saying that they don’t want to skip over the appellate court, is my understanding.”
jmunks@chicagotribune.com
dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-12--Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers allows nearly all nonessential businesses to reopen with limits

“ This is another disciplined turn of the dial that will allow Wisconsin ’ s business owners to safely get @ @ @ @ @ consumers to support their favorite local spots , ” Evers said in a statement .
@ @ @ @ @ need to be confident in their safety , so we need everyone to be diligent @ @ @ @ @ so we can continue to move our state forward while keeping our neighbors , families @ @ @ @ @ healthy .
”

MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Tony Evers on Monday allowed nearly all nonessential businesses to reopen as long as they serve no more than five customers at a time, partially lifting the restriction that has kept them closed for weeks to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The latest order, which took effect immediately, addresses criticism from smaller businesses and Republican lawmakers that it was unfair to allow essential businesses such as grocery stores to remain open while nonessential businesses such as flower shops had to close under Evers' “safer at home” order, which runs until May 26. The latest order applies to all standalone stores and those in strip malls that have entrances to the outside, but not to stores in large indoor shopping malls.
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The order, issued by Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm at Evers' direction, strongly encourages all shoppers and store workers to wear masks, but does not require it. Everyone in the store must maintain a 6-foot distance from one another. Evers also allowed drive-in movie theaters to reopen.
“This is another disciplined turn of the dial that will allow Wisconsin’s business owners to safely get back to work and Wisconsin consumers to support their favorite local spots,” Evers said in a statement. “Both customers and workers need to be confident in their safety, so we need everyone to be diligent in following best safety practices so we can continue to move our state forward while keeping our neighbors, families, and communities safe and healthy.”
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Wisconsin National Guard members administer COVID-19 tests in a parking lot Monday May 11, 2020, in Milwaukee. This was one of two sites in the city to open Monday and offer free testing. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) (Morry Gash/AP)
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is weighing a Republican-backed lawsuit that seeks to block the extension of the order and take away the power of Evers’ health secretary to make similar orders in the future. Instead, the Evers administration would have to work with the GOP-controlled Legislature on enacting a rule.
Also on Monday, free community testing sites opened in Milwaukee and Madison, expanding the number of locations where people can show up without an appointment to get screened for the highly contagious virus without having to leave their vehicles.
The community testing sites are part of the state's ongoing effort to create testing sites in areas with a known lack of access to COVID-19 testing or with community spread, which is when health officials can't trace how a person contracted the disease. The sites, which also conduct walk-up testing, are open to all residents, including those working jobs deemed to be essential.
“I urge anyone who needs a test to go get tested at one of these sites and help protect your community and family from this virus," Evers said in a statement.
Lines of cars stretched for blocked in Milwaukee, with people saying they had to wait for hours to get tested. Milwaukee has been hit hard by the virus, with more than half of the deaths and a third of the confirmed cases recorded in Milwaukee County.
Health officials urge anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or who has been in close contact with someone who has the virus to get tested. National Guard troops are helping process people at the sites. In Milwaukee, as many as 500 people a day were expected to come through.
“The whole goal here is the more we can ramp up the testing, the more we believe we can quickly get our life back to normal,” Mayor Tom Barrett said in an online news conference Sunday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
As of Sunday, more than 10,000 people had tested positive for COVID-19 in Wisconsin, which had a death toll of 400 deaths and 1,820 people hospitalized with the disease.
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Evers' three-phase plan for easing his “safer at home” order would be triggered only after the state meets six criteria, including fewer new diagnoses of coronavirus, fewer new reports of flu-like symptoms, and a lower percentage of positive coronavirus tests for 14 days. As of Monday, only two of six criteria for entering the first reopening phase had been met.
Establishing the community testing sites is part of the Evers administration plan to increase testing to get a better handle on where the virus is and to limit its spread.


chicagotribune--2020-05-12--Daywatch: Illinois’ projected COVID-19 peak now mid-June, Wisconsin Republicans oppose federal relie

Daywatch: Illinois’ projected COVID-19 peak now mid-June, Wisconsin Republicans oppose federal relief for Illinois and where to see the Blue Angels fly over Chicago

As part of its “ America Strong ” campaign to thank medical professionals , emergency responders and essential workers , @ @ @ @ @ a flyover of Chicago on Tuesday , according to the flight demonstration squad .
The @ @ @ @ @ conducted in the Chicago area starting about 11:45 a.m. , ending along the lakefront around @ @

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Good morning, Chicago. Here’s the coronavirus news and other stories you need to know to start your day.
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Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivers his daily briefing remotely, as seen on screens inside the Channel 2 TV studio in Chicago on May 11, 2020. A member of Pritzker's staff tested positive for COVID-19. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The projected peak for the coronavirus in Illinois has been pushed to mid-June, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday during a teleconference from his Chicago home where he is isolating after one of his senior staff members tested positive for the disease.
The “timeline of plateauing near a peak has been expanded from mid-May into mid-June,” Pritzker said. “In many ways, this news is disheartening.”
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, shown May 7, 2020, is preparing a Democratic version of a new coronavirus relief package. (ALYSSA SCHUKAR / NYT)
Members of Wisconsin’s Republican legislative majority are asking the state’s congressional delegation to oppose using any federal coronavirus relief package money to help bail out Illinois and other states with a history of “reckless budgeting.”
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Monday allowed nearly all nonessential businesses to reopen as long as they serve no more than five customers at a time
Northwestern University' is taking additional measures to deal with the financial fallout of the pandemic. (Chris Walker/Chicago Tribune)
In another indication of the financial pressures the coronavirus pandemic is placing on colleges, Northwestern University on Monday announced a series of new cost-saving steps that include furloughing about 250 workers, suspending contributions to employee retirement plans and digging deeper into its endowment.
Uber driver Kelly Pacheco in Chicago's Austin neighborhood on April 7, 2020. She is now advising other ride-share drivers on doing their unemployment applications, consulting for the law firm LegalRideshare, which specializes in the ride-hailing business. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Self-employed workers like piano teachers and web designers started applying for newly available unemployment benefits on Monday through a new state application portal, but there’s a catch.
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels practice ahead of the Chicago Air and Water Show along Lake Michigan near Fullerton Beach on Aug. 15, 2019. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
As part of its “America Strong” campaign to thank medical professionals, emergency responders and essential workers, the Blue Angels will do a flyover of Chicago on Tuesday, according to the flight demonstration squad. The approximately 15-minute flyover will be conducted in the Chicago area starting about 11:45 a.m., ending along the lakefront around noon.


chicagotribune--2020-05-12--Wisconsin special election: Trump-backed senator faces school board president for US House seat

“ I feel much more comfortable moving forward with this election than I did with the last election , because @ @ @ @ @ were so many unknowns , ” Weinkauf said .
“ I don ’ t think @ @ @ @ @ was going on with the COVID-19 .
And so it was that it was maybe @ @ @ @ @ .
I don ’ t feel that way anymore .
”

"I voted stickers" sit on a table during a presidential primary election at the Journey Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on April 7, 2020. (Kamil Krzaczynski/ Getty-AFP)
MADISON, Wis. — Tom Tiffany, a state senator endorsed by President Donald Trump, easily won a special congressional election Tuesday in a heavily conservative, rural Wisconsin district, cheering Republicans even as Democrats argued the victory revealed vulnerabilities for the president among his base.
Tiffany’s win over Democrat Tricia Zunker in northern Wisconsin’s 7th District comes in the state’s second election amid the coronavirus pandemic the past five weeks. Tiffany will replace former reality TV star Sean Duffy, a Republican who retired in September. The district has been vacant since Duffy’s retirement.
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Trump won Wisconsin by less than a point, but carried the district by 20 points, in 2016. Tiffany's win over Zunker was about 6 points less than that, based on preliminary results. Tiffany rejected Democrats' argument that the smaller margin was a sign that Trump's support was waning.
“Any time you lose by 14 points, I don’t think that’s a moral victory," Tiffany said. “This is a decisive victory here.”
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The win is in a district that Trump will need to once again win big if he hopes to again carry Wisconsin, a state he won by less than a point in 2016. Tiffany’s big victory also helps to erase the taste of a loss by a conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court justice in last month’s election, a race that boosted Democrats’ confidence.
“Tonight was a win for President Trump and Tom Tiffany that demonstrates the enthusiasm behind our president across Wisconsin,” said Trump campaign spokeswoman Anna Kelly.
Wisconsin Democratic Party spokeswoman Courtney Beyer said the results showed a drastic swing for Democrats, even though Zunker lost by about 14 points.
“For Trump to win reelection, red areas have to get redder to balance out blue areas getting bluer," she said.
Zunker said the race “laid the groundwork for this seat to turn blue in November.”
Zunker, president of the Wausau School Board, was trying to become the first Native American from Wisconsin elected to Congress. She pulled in big-name endorsements including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, but the numbers were against her. The district has been under Republican control since 2011 and was redistricted to more heavily favor Republicans.
There was uncertainty over whether holding a special election in the middle of the pandemic would affect the outcome. Election clerks said they were prepared, about 20% of registered voters had voted absentee, and there were no calls to delay or alter the election like there were before Wisconsin’s presidential primary last month.
Unlike Wisconsin’s April 7 presidential primary, during which mask-wearing voters endured long lines at congested polling sites in Milwaukee and elsewhere, there were no widespread calls to delay or alter voting in the special election. The 18,800-square-mile district is mostly rural and hasn’t yet been badly hit by COVID-19, with less than 2% of all positive cases in the state and less than 2.5% of all deaths.
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Mary Thompson, 64, of Kronenwetter, a village in Marathon County, said she felt safe as she cast her vote for Tiffany on Tuesday, calling herself a “stubborn, very patriotic person.” She said she felt she had to vote in-person to honor ancestors who served in the military.
Peggy Stalheim, 69, a retired public health nurse in Medford, voted absentee for Zunker. Even though no coronavirus cases had been recorded in her county, Stalheim said she wasn’t going to risk voting in person. Her 92-year-old mother-in-law lives at her house.
Tiffany, 62, was born on a dairy farm in the district and ran a tourist boat business for 20 years. Joining the Legislature in 2011, he was a close ally of then-Republican Gov. Scott Walker and voted to pass the anti-union law, Act 10. He also voted in favor of legalizing concealed carry and moving the state forestry division to northern Wisconsin and pushed to locate an open-pit mine in northern Wisconsin that ultimately never came to the state.
With Tiffany’s win, Republicans hold five of Wisconsin’s eight seats in Congress. Tiffany will serve through the end of the year, but will have to run again in November to serve a full two-year term.
Associated Press writer Carrie Antlfinger contributed to this report from Milwaukee.


chicagotribune--2020-05-12--A Mokena family just wanted a puppy during the pandemic. Now they’re out $250 as advocates say dog s

A Mokena family just wanted a puppy during the pandemic. Now they’re out $250 as advocates say dog scams are on the rise.

As she corresponded with the purported seller , Hanna noticed things that gave her pause .
She saw the website @ @ @ @ @ , as a male , but she wrote that off as a typo .
The @ @ @ @ @ be in Texas but said the dog could be picked up in Virginia , which @ @ @ @ @ figured the business might work with breeders around the country .

Caroline Hanna with daughter Jillian, 16, and their dog Benny at home in Mokena on Friday, May 8, 2020. Hanna and her daughter tried to adopt an Australian shepherd puppy and sent $250 for a dog that didn't arrive. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
The coronavirus pandemic presented the perfect opportunity to train a puppy at home, so 16-year-old Jillian Hanna of Mokena found an Australian shepherd online last month and her mother made arrangements to buy the dog.
Caroline Hanna said she sensed something was wrong as she traded messages with a purported representative from the business about a puppy named “Kate” with a patchwork coat and mismatched eyes. In emails Hanna shared with the Tribune, she got contradictory answers alongside an assurance that the seller wasn’t trying to exploit the pandemic.
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But Hanna wanted to believe, she said, so she sent $250 — money her daughter saved from a part-time job.
“My Spidey-senses were going off," Hanna said. “I should have walked … and I didn’t.”
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After the emails trailed off and a demand for a refund went unfulfilled, Jillian “cried all night," her mother said.
The Hannas reported their situation to the Better Business Bureau, which says such scams are on the rise as homebound people look for companionship from new pets. Nationwide, the BBB received 371 complaints about dog scams in April, up from 118 during the same month last year, said Steve Baker, a St. Louis-based investigator for the consumer group and former head of the Midwest region of the Federal Trade Commission.
While pet rip-offs existed well before the pandemic, they are among the various scams — from fake tests and cures to bogus government aid — that authorities and consumer groups have warned about as fraudsters seek to exploit people’s fears and needs during the crisis. As of mid-April, the FTC had taken 18,235 reports of COVID-19-related scams of all types nationwide, according to the agency.
FTC spokespersons could not be reached for comment on the number of reports of pet scams nationwide during the pandemic.
Baker’s 2017 report for the BBB on dog scams traced many to Cameroon, where fraudsters set up websites advertising in-demand breeds of dogs at low prices. Often the sites use dog pictures lifted from other sites, and Baker said scammers sometimes copy entire websites from real breeders and insert their own contact information.
“These are professionals. These are organized guys,” he said. “I don’t think you can do an internet search for a puppy and not come across a scam. It really is that bad.”
Typically, scammers tell their victims that the dogs have to be shipped from a remote location, preventing a face-to-face meeting, according to the report. Once a buyer has sent an initial payment, scammers sometimes demand more money for equipment, insurance or shots. Frequently, after would-be dog owners begin to suspect they’ve been ripped off, fraudsters claim the dog is trapped in transit and request more money to complete the delivery, the report states.
Their bases abroad generally keep scammers out of the reach of U.S. law enforcement and civil courts, Baker said.
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John Breyault, a vice president of the Washington, D.C.-based National Consumers League, compared dog rip-offs to romance scams in which victims are tricked into sending money to people they meet while dating online. He noted that both exploit the victim’s desire for companionship.
Indeed, Caroline Hanna said her family badly wanted a puppy and they were “willing to almost play ignorant” when they thought they’d found one.
As she corresponded with the purported seller, Hanna noticed things that gave her pause. She saw the website described the dog, Kate, as a male, but she wrote that off as a typo. The person claimed via email to be in Texas but said the dog could be picked up in Virginia, which worried Hanna, but she figured the business might work with breeders around the country.
The person pressed Hanna to use a payment service she felt lacked the fraud protections of other services. During the exchange, the person wrote, “I can promise you we are very very legit and all we want is to see this pups in the best home possible not to exploit people especially in such crisis."
Hanna sent the money, but grew concerned when she didn’t promptly get ownership paperwork. Eventually, she got an email with a crude-looking certificate that carried a stamp from the “USA General Attorneys Pets Advocate."
"And I was like, ‘Ah, OK, we’ve been had,’” she said.
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She demanded a refund but got none, she said.
Jillian said the experience was “heart-wrenching,” though she got over it quickly.
“I was just kinda angry that they would just lead us on,” she said.
The Tribune could not reach the person who corresponded with Caroline Hanna, and is not identifying the website because no one has been charged with a crime in connection with the failed purchase. The site remained active last week, but as of Monday morning it was no longer accessible.
The BBB’s 2017 report advised that the best way to avoid being scammed is to insist on meeting the dog in-person before buying. The organization also recommended closely examining the images and text on sellers’ websites and using Google to see whether they might have been stolen from other sites.
Also, buyers should avoid sending cash via Western Union or money order to strangers and should instead use credit cards so they can dispute charges, the BBB stated. Lastly, the organization said that buyers should be wary of prices that seem too good to be true.
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dhinkel@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @dhinkel


chicagotribune--2020-05-12--A summer without swimming? Pools could be ‘one of the last places’ to reopen as coronavirus restrict

A summer without swimming? Pools could be ‘one of the last places’ to reopen as coronavirus restrictions begin to ease

Last week , the Chicago Park District announced it will offer an abbreviated summer camp season , with camp and @ @ @ @ @ .
But like other parks and recreation agencies across the region , the district is @ @ @ @ @ to determine if pools can safely reopen at all this season .

It could be a summer without swimming in Illinois, as park districts and private clubs try to determine if and when it’s safe to open pools.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s five-phase plan to reopen the state touches on health clubs and outdoor activities, but there is currently no specific guidance available for opening pools.
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Last week, the Chicago Park District announced it will offer an abbreviated summer camp season, with camp and other programs beginning July 6. But like other parks and recreation agencies across the region, the district is still waiting for additional guidelines to determine if pools can safely reopen at all this season.
Gompers Park pool in Chicago is currently empty of water and visitors, and it remains unclear when pools can reopen. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
In Arlington Heights, the park district hasn’t yet made any decisions regarding summer programming. But one thing is certain, Executive Director Carrie Fullerton said: Pools will not open on Memorial Day, as they usually do.
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The park district in neighboring Wheeling, on the other hand, closed its Family Aquatic Center for the rest of the year, according to its website.
University of Chicago chief epidemiologist Dr. Emily Landon is not surprised.
“I suspect that pools are going to be one of the last places that are going to be allowed to be open,” Landon said.
There is no evidence that COVID-19 can spread through water in pools, hot tubs or water parks, and “proper operation and disinfection” of such facilities “should” kill the coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
“I mean, (pool disinfection is) meant to kill a lot of things that are significantly hardier, in the microbiologic world, than coronavirus,” Landon said.
Still, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s nearly impossible to social distance in a public pool, she said.
Whealan Pool Aquatic Center in Chicago, a Cook County Forest Preserve District facility, is closed. It's unclear when pools will be able to reopen this year; at least one public aquatic center in the Chicago area will not. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
“If you take kids to a pool, they play with the other kids at the pool,” Landon said. “It’s the same problem you have with playgrounds. But, playgrounds are a little easier because you could put a mask on the kid.”
There are other concerns, too, like safely handling concession stand food, keeping bathrooms and changing rooms sanitized and establishing protocols for lifeguards.
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In phase three of Pritzker’s recovery plan, a wider range of businesses will be allowed to reopen, including fitness and health clubs. Those businesses will still need to limit their capacity and require patrons to wear face coverings.
But Landon says it’s difficult to wear any sort of face mask while in a pool.
When pools reopen, Landon imagines there will be strict requirements on the number of people who can swim at a time.
“Places that do open pools are going to be really limited private areas, (where) you’re going to have to sign up or make a reservation to use," Landon said.
“And probably no children. Which is kind of awful,” she added.
These sorts of rules would be challenging to implement in public pools, but Landon could see lap pools, used for exercise, reopening sooner with restrictions of one swimmer per lane.
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Private swim schools may also have an easier time adapting to social distancing guidelines.
Goldfish Swim School closed its Chicago locations a few days before the governor’s shelter-in-place order took effect in March. Bob Ryan, owner of the franchise’s Wicker Park and Roscoe Village locations, is eager to reopen in a safe manner.
“The learn-to-swim industry is obviously different than water parks,” Ryan said. “And we can really control the amount of people in the pool, the amount of people walking through and even the flow through the facilities.”
The CDC has been working directly with swim schools, according to Ryan, to ensure they are teaching swim in a way that does not put the student or instructor at risk.
“We're starting to work up to amend our curriculum and amend our policies to give the best customer experience within those guidelines,” Ryan.
Still, it’s unknown when swim schools will be allowed to reopen in Illinois.
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As for Chicago’s beaches, it’s possible their reopening could differ from the pools’. Beaches, along with other lakefront parks and trails, remain closed at least through May 31.


chicagotribune--2020-05-12--Column: Maybe a flyover by the Blue Angels during the pandemic wasn’t such a bad idea after all

Most importantly , though , it gave us a few minutes to exhale .
It allowed us to release the @ @ @ @ @ up inside us for weeks .
It gave us a much-needed reprieve from the anger @ @ @ @ @ consumes us — but only if we were open to it .
Obviously , not @ @ @

Rush University Medical Center employees watch as the U.S. Navy Blue Angels fly over the hospital and the city May 12, 2020, to honor front-line workers in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
I don’t know about you, but I needed the Blue Angels Tuesday. Don’t fault me for saying it. I just have to be honest.
If only for a few minutes, I decided to put politics aside and enjoy the flyover. In my diverse neighborhood, people ventured out of their cocoons to see the jets soar through the air with a precision that never fails to captivate us every time we watch.
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At that moment, it did not matter whether the people standing on their lawns and sidewalks all around me voted for Donald Trump four years ago or whether they plan to vote for him again in November. Citizens or not, we were simply Americans.
We looked upward in solidarity, allowing the sky to become neutral territory.
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As brief as it was, seeing our Navy fighter jets flying overhead in perfect formation warmed my heart. But mostly, I liked the joy it gave the children.
Simple pleasures have been rare this spring. The isolation has been particularly hard on children, who have been away from their friends far longer than ever in their short lives. Their world has been turned upside down for reasons many of them don’t understand.
Our children deserved a smile. And so did we.
Chicago was among the latest cities where the military’s elite flight squadrons have flown the last two weeks. In April, the Navy’s Blue Angels and the Air Force’s Thunderbirds began doing flyovers in hardest-hit cities across the country as a tribute to workers on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Department of Defense dubbed it “Operation America Strong.” It is a suitable title, and some of us refused to allow Trump to co-opt it for his divisive agenda. America is indeed strong — not because of him, but because of its steadfast and resilient people. That is worthy of celebration.
The flight pattern covered nearly every corner of the city — from the South Side to the West Side to the North Side and lakefront. Unlike the Chicago Air and Water Show, which takes place every summer on North Avenue Beach, this flyover was accessible to everyone, regardless of their neighborhood’s economic status.
There were no fancy stunts. But children and adults who had never seen or heard the roar of the Navy’s blue and gold F/A-18 Hornet supersonic combat jets soaring through the air had to do nothing more than walk out their front door on Tuesday.
The inclusiveness alone would have made it worthwhile. But as always, these patriotic showmen reminded us of what we love about America and why we would not choose to live anywhere else, despite its many flaws.
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There is not much these days that unites us as a nation. Certainly, a flyover that lasted only minutes won’t cause us to permanently put aside our differences. But it provided us an opportunity to experience how it might feel if we did.
Most importantly, though, it gave us a few minutes to exhale. It allowed us to release the tension that has been building up inside us for weeks. It gave us a much-needed reprieve from the anger, fear and disappointment that consumes us — but only if we were open to it. Obviously, not everyone was.
Some argued that the money spent on the show, an estimated $60,000 an hour, could have been better used to purchase protective gear for front-line workers, curb the spread of the virus in disproportionately affected communities or assist with food and shelter for those who have lost everything in the pandemic.
Military officials said taxpayers incurred no additional costs for the flyovers. The money is from the Pentagon’s budget and the flyovers are part of the Blue Angels’ and Thunderbirds’ community outreach programs.
Those of us who decided to watch the flyover knew that we risked being ostracized by others who viewed it as a political stunt, orchestrated by Trump to bring attention to himself as he does with everything he touches.
Nobody thinks that unity was on Trump’s mind when he announced the air shows last month, stealing recognition from the men and women of the military. It looked like another attempt to use the military to promote his personal agenda and another step across the line toward autocracy.
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Neither is far-fetched, given that he insisted on a Fourth of July military parade last year and is forcing West Point cadets back to campus amid the pandemic to hear him give a graduation speech.
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Most likely, this was an effort to deflect criticism about how he has handled the COVID-19 response and prompt us to ignore the fact that many of the first responders are still working without adequate protective gear and other lifesaving equipment.
Without a doubt, Trump is a master of distraction. But this time, maybe we needed one.
Regardless of how we feel about Trump or our suspicious about his motives, these flyovers didn’t harm anyone. Unless people defied social distancing and gathered in groups, the Blue Angels didn’t make the pandemic any worse. They didn’t prolong the demand that we shelter in place.
Those who think Trump has done a great job addressing the pandemic will continue to praise him. And those of us who blame him for the failures will continue to hold him accountable. The flyovers did not change that.
If anything, the Blue Angels just might have helped some of us get through this pandemic a little bit easier.
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dglanton@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @dahleeng