chicagotribune--2020-08-13--2 restaurant employee relief funds offering Chicagoans millions of dollars in aid

Southern Smoke , a Houston-based crisis relief organization for members of the food and beverage industry , also announced a @ @ @ @ @ fund for Chicago restaurant , bar and coffee shop workers in Cook County .
Applicants @ @ @ @ @ food and beverage industry for at least 6 months at 30 hours per week , @ @ @ @ @ the application , which is now open .
The fund , sponsored by anonymous donors @ @ @ @ @ restaurant workers who have been furloughed or laid off to work as caseworkers , application @ @ @ @ @ with the fund .
To donate , apply for help or fill out a job @ @ @ @ @

Sam Toia, president of the Illinois Restaurant Association, speaks during a press conference at Chicago City Hall May 8, 2020. He has announced a new program to bring aid to Illinois restaurant workers. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Against the backdrop of the economic blow dealt to the restaurant industry by COVID-19, and predictions of more closings to come, two new funds were announced Thursday to help employees. The Illinois Restaurant Association and Southern Smoke have established emergency assistance funds that aim to directly help restaurant industry workers.
The Illinois Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s Restaurant Employee Relief Fund was created through donations from Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, Telemundo, Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois, EMPLOYERS (a small business insurance specialist), personal donations, corporate partnerships and proceeds from Chicago Gourmet’s upcoming “Go Gourmet” Dining and Virtual Event Series. Anyone can contribute and IRAEF is taking donations now.Applications go live in October.
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[ Dining with heaters, blankets and plastic domes? With more than 5,000 Illinois restaurants predicted to close, extending patio season may be crucial ]
“This fund expands upon the IRAEF’s efforts to ensure the future of our restaurant community statewide,” said Sam Toia, president and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association, in a press release. “While the development of aspiring industry professionals remains the IRAEF’S core mission, it is urgent that we do all we can to secure the stability of our current workforce to ensure opportunities for those to follow.”
The relief fund will give a one-time grant to restaurant employees in Illinois, covering basic living expenses like rent, food and utilities. Priority will be given to restaurant workers who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or are a caregiver for immediate family members who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or quarantined with a doctor’s note; or have been out of work for three weeks or more with no unemployment benefits.
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The Illinois Restaurant Association has raised $100,000 so far and grants will be given in $500 increments. Grants are not taxed and the first disbursements should go out in late October. For more information, visit illinoisrestaurants.org.
Southern Smoke, a Houston-based crisis relief organization for members of the food and beverage industry, also announced a $4 million emergency relief fund for Chicago restaurant, bar and coffee shop workers in Cook County. Applicants must have worked in the food and beverage industry for at least 6 months at 30 hours per week, and demonstrate a need through the application, which is now open. The fund, sponsored by anonymous donors, also is hiring Chicago-based restaurant workers who have been furloughed or laid off to work as caseworkers, application screeners and more to help with the fund. To donate, apply for help or fill out a job application, visit southernsmoke.org/chicago-relief-fund.
Another ongoing relief fund for the restaurant industry is Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, which is still taking donations for restaurant workers and has already distributed 300 grants between $150 and $300 per family. Chicago Service Relief maintains a directory of fundraisers for Chicago bars, venues, restaurants and also has a list of resources for individuals and businesses.
gwong@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-13--Say goodbye to the giant green frog. Chicago’s Rainforest Cafe is closing for good ahead of schedule

Say goodbye to the giant green frog. Chicago’s Rainforest Cafe is closing for good ahead of schedule.

That timeline was accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic , which has left the Chicago restaurant closed since March , building @ @ @ @ @ Conlon already was planning to redevelop the high-traffic site when Rainforest Cafe moved out , @ @ @ @ @ early termination of the lease with parent company Landry ’ s Restaurants .

The Rainforest Cafe frog towers over the intersection of Ohio and Clark streets in Chicago on Aug. 13, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
The giant green frog peering down at traffic from the top of Chicago’s Rainforest Cafe may not have much more time on his perch.
The kid-friendly restaurant in the Near North neighborhood closed sooner than expected after it shut down during the coronavirus pandemic.
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The Tribune reported in December that the restaurant at 605 N. Clark St. was expected to close within two years, when its lease expired.
That timeline was accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic, which has left the Chicago restaurant closed since March, building owner Sean Conlon said. Conlon already was planning to redevelop the high-traffic site when Rainforest Cafe moved out, and he recently negotiated an early termination of the lease with parent company Landry’s Restaurants.
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Rainforest Cafe took down its sign last weekend, and it will move out by the end of August, Conlon said.
“It’s tough enough to be a restaurant in Chicago with the pandemic, but it’s even harder with all the looting,” Conlon said. “They were already on the way out, and I think recent events compounded it.”
[ Dining with heaters, blankets and plastic domes? With more than 5,000 Illinois restaurants predicted to close, extending patio season may be crucial ]
Rainforest’s permanent closure was first reported by Block Club Chicago.
It’s unclear what will happen to “Cha! Cha!”, the 27-foot-long red-eyed frog perched atop the building at 605 N. Clark St.
But the kid- and tourist-friendly restaurant’s animatronic gorilla is getting a new home: Conlon claimed it as part of the lease termination agreement, and plans to bring it to his fiancee’s home near London.
“They said they’d never seen a gorilla clause, but they went along with it,” Conlon said. “I think it added some humor in these dark times.”
Conlon, a native of Ireland, is a colorful and well-known figure in Chicago real estate, although he now lives in Palm Beach, Fla. He is chairman of Chicago-based merchant bank Conlon & Co. and is known for his role in the CNBC house-flipping reality TV show “The Deed.”
If Landry’s doesn’t claim the huge frog, Conlon joked “it will get a first-class ticket to the U.K. as well.”
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[ Running list: Chicago-area restaurants closed permanently due to coronavirus pandemic economic woes ]
Landry’s Restaurants, which also owns restaurants including Morton’s Steakhouse, McCormick and Schmick’s, Bill’s Bar and Burger and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., could not immediately be reached for comment.
The company closed another Chicago-area Rainforest Cafe, at Schaumburg’s Woodfield Mall, when its lease expired on Jan. 1. The only remaining local Rainforest Cafe, at Gurnee Mills, has reopened for indoor dining and takeout, according to the company’s website.
Rainforest had been a tenant in the building since 1997. Conlon bought the 22,000-square-foot building on Clark Street for about $13.7 million in July 2015.
Conlon said he will spend a few months deciding how to redevelop the site. He previously stated an interest in building a residential tower on the site, and said that despite the pandemic there have been several recent inquiries from companies including grocery and drugstore chains.
Chicago Tribune’s Lauren Zumbach contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-08-13--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--2020-08-13--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--2020-08-13--Illinois coronavirus graphs: 7,696 deaths, 200,427 confirmed cases and 3.23 million tests

• How are Illinois regions doing ?
Check our daily charts on where each region stands on positivity rate and @ @ @ @ @ .

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--2020-08-13--Illinois congressman calls for federal ban on electronic cigarettes, citing study that shows link to

Illinois congressman calls for federal ban on electronic cigarettes, citing study that shows link to COVID-19

Gregory Conley , president of the industry-funded American Vaping Association , noted that the study found no significant association between @ @ @ @ @ vaped in the past 30 days , which he said undercuts the argument that occasional @ @ @ @ @ may play a role .
He also cited a recent study in the British Medical @ @ @ @ @ that found that those who smoked were , surprisingly , less likely to get COVID-19 @

Frankie Paulino, of Chicago, uses a vaping device at Dearborn and Jackson streets in Chicago on Sept. 16, 2019. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Citing a study showing a correlation between vaping and COVID-19, an Illinois congressman is calling for a federal ban on all e-cigarettes — though a vaping industry advocate called it a publicity stunt.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Schaumburg and chairman of the House Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, wrote a letter to the Food and Drug Administration this week calling for the agency to “clear the market of all e-cigarettes, temporarily, for the duration of the coronavirus crisis.”
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The letter repeated a request the representative made on April 1 after preliminary studies made similar findings.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi speaks at O'Hare International Airport on Jan. 14, 2019. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
But Krishnamoorthi said the case for a ban is stronger following a study that found that young people ages 13-24 who had ever used e-cigarettes were five times more likely to develop COVID-19.
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“The youth vaping epidemic is colliding with the pandemic to create a very dangerous situation,” he said. “Our young people are the major vectors for spreading COVID-19 right now, so to the extent vaping contributes to that threat, we have a real public health emergency on our hands.”
Krishnamoorthi clarified that he was referring to nicotine vaping devices that were the subject of the study, not those sold for legal cannabis use. He asked for the agency to respond by Tuesday.
Under the Obama and Trump administrations, the FDA has taken years to regulate electronic cigarettes. The agency announced its authority over electronic nicotine delivery systems, or ENDS, as it calls them, in 2016. In January this year, the FDA banned fruit- and mint-flavored e-cigarettes, but allowed menthol and tobacco flavors.
The FDA has declared an “epidemic” of youth e-cigarette use, and took action against more than 1,300 retailers and five manufacturers it blamed for perpetuating youth access. It is just now approaching a Sept. 9 deadline for businesses to submit Premarket Tobacco Product Applications for approval of e-cigarettes deemed “appropriate for the protection of public health.”
The FDA wrote in a statement that cigarette smoking suppresses the immune system and increases the risk of respiratory infections, so smokers may be at increased risk of COVID-19. Whether e-cigarette use does so as well, the FDA said, is not known.
E-cigarette makers maintain that they help many smokers quit or reduce use of combustible cigarettes, thereby eliminating the tar and other products that make tobacco use the single largest preventable cause of death and disease in the United States.
Gregory Conley, president of the industry-funded American Vaping Association, noted that the study found no significant association between COVID and current users who vaped in the past 30 days, which he said undercuts the argument that occasional use in the distant past may play a role. He also cited a recent study in the British Medical Journal of 8 million patients that found that those who smoked were, surprisingly, less likely to get COVID-19.
“The data is not consistent across the study,” Conley said.
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Conley said Krishnamoorthi, who is running for reelection and has crusaded against youth use of e-cigarettes, was seeking publicity, saying his request had little chance of success.
The study was conducted by researchers at Stanford University and the University of California in San Francisco. One author, Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, is executive director of the Tobacco Prevention Toolkit, which tries to prevent youth tobacco use.
She said the study found that those who both vaped and smoked in the past 30 days were seven times more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19. She explained why she found the increased risk due to combined use significant, despite the lack of a link between COVID-19 and vaping in the past 30 days.
“The usual pattern of use for our sample is both e-cigs and cigs,” Halpern-Felsher wrote. “However, most teens START tobacco through e-cigs so we believe that e-cigs are the driver here.”
She said vapers are putting themselves at risk, and that it’s time for the FDA to regulate vaping products.


chicagotribune--2020-08-13--Watch live: Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks in Bloomington

Illinois Gov .
J.B. Pritzker will join local leaders to announce the first round of Business Interruption Grants ( BIG @ @ @ @ @ p.m. Get the latest on COVID-19 in Illinois here .

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chicagotribune--2020-08-13--Edens Expressway crash injures 5, leaving 3 motorcyclists in critical condition

The front end of the motorcycle with the two people on it struck the back of the trailer , sending @ @ @ @ @ center and left lanes .
The Yamaha was forced into the trailer and then into @ @ @ @ @ left side of the road , according to investigators .

Five people were injured in a three-vehicle crash on the Edens Expressway overnight, according to the Illinois State Police.
Three of the people injured had life-threatening or critical injuries in the 11:48 p.m. Wednesday crash on the inbound Edens Expressway just north of Lake Avenue in Wilmette, according to a news release from the Illinois State Police.
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All three of the vehicles involved were traveling south. A motorcycle with a man and woman riding it was in the right lane, behind a 2011 gray Kia pulling a trailer, while a 2008 black Yamaha motorcycle was in a center lane, police said.
The front end of the motorcycle with the two people on it struck the back of the trailer, sending the motorcycle veering into the center and left lanes. The Yamaha was forced into the trailer and then into a concrete wall at the left side of the road, according to investigators.
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The three people on motorcycles all were thrown from their bikes. They all were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, according to the news release from state police.
The man who was driving the Kia and his front-seat passenger, also a man, were taken to area hospitals for treatment of injuries not considered to be life-threatening, authorities said.
At 11:57 p.m., all northbound and southbound on the Edens were closed and all southbound traffic exited to Lake Avenue. Those headed north exited to Old Orchard Road. Northbound lanes were reopened before 1 a.m. and southbound lanes reopened at 5:41 a.m., officials said.
It was not immediately clear whether any citations would be issued.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-08-13--Man who was arrested in Gary on suspicion of shooting Kenosha police officer could be extradited Fri

Man who was arrested in Gary on suspicion of shooting Kenosha police officer could be extradited Friday

The search for Massey spanned Wisconsin , northern Illinois and Indiana , Gonzalez said .
He said there were other @ @ @ @ @ where Massey was arrested , but could not confirm whether any of those other people @ @ @

A man accused of shooting a 30-year-old Kenosha police officer has been arrested after being found wounded in a home in Gary and was scheduled to appear in court Friday to be sent back to Wisconsin, authorities said.
A Gary Police Department SWAT team and a U.S. Marshals task force found the man, 29-year-old Jonathan T. Massey, around 11:20 p.m. Tuesday in the 3700 block of Jefferson Street in Gary, said Inspector Nicolas Gonzalez with the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force.
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Massey had an abdominal gunshot wound from the Saturday shooting involving the officer, who fired back at Massey, according to a news release from the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Massey had multiple firearms with him when arrested, officials said.
The search for Massey spanned Wisconsin, northern Illinois and Indiana, Gonzalez said. He said there were other people in the Gary home where Massey was arrested, but could not confirm whether any of those other people were arrested.
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The Kenosha officer underwent surgery at a hospital in Wisconsin for an abdominal gunshot wound. His condition was stabilized, the release said. Massey was treated for his wound at Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus shortly after being arrested Tuesday.
Wednesday morning, Massey was booked into the Lake County Jail in Crown Point. He will have an extradition hearing Friday morning in Lake County Criminal Court, and will be taken to Wisconsin if his extradition is approved.
Massey is charged in Wisconsin with attempted first-degree intentional homicide, felony possession of a firearm, felony bail jumping and misdemeanor bail jumping.
If convicted of the intentional homicide charge, Massey could face life in the Wisconsin prison system. Combined, the other charges can carry up to 26 years and nine months in the Wisconsin prison system.
Massey has a long criminal history, beginning with a five-year prison sentence at age 15 for a robbery conviction involving threat of force, according to Wisconsin court records.


chicagotribune--2020-08-13--From cabdrivers to concession cashiers, workers supported by Chicago’s airports wonder when — or if

From cabdrivers to concession cashiers, workers supported by Chicago’s airports wonder when — or if — they’ll go back. ‘I don’t see a future.'

The federal government approved billions in financial assistance for the airlines and some companies in the aviation industry this spring @ @ @ @ @ workers on the payroll as stay-at-home orders , travel restrictions and fear of COVID-19 kept @ @ @ @ @ every company that depends on air travel got aid , and even some that did @ @ @ @

Dawn Trandel, director of sales, helps a guest check out Aug. 6, 2020, as Trandel works the front desk at Holiday Inn Express & Suites Chicago O'Hare Airport in Des Plaines. Trandel and other high-level employees are working desk shifts during the lull in hotel business. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Like many cab companies, Peace Taxi Association gets most of its business taking travelers to and from Chicago’s airports.
Or at least it used to. Before the coronavirus pandemic decimated air travel, owner Ali Poorian would have about 70 to 80 taxis on the road. Now, he’s down to seven or eight. Sometimes, drivers wait hours for a single passenger, he said.
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The taxi industry was already having a tough time competing with ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft. The COVID-19 pandemic brought a whole new level of pain.
Taxis are lined up outside Terminal 1 at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on Aug. 13, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
“Our life was already miserable, and with this situation, it’s become more miserable. I don’t see a future,” he said.
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In normal times, Chicago’s airports are reliable, year-round economic engines for the city. More than 105 million passengers traveled through O’Hare International Airport and Midway Airport last year, and the city is pumping $8.5 billion into an expansion project at O’Hare that will help it attract even more.
Those millions of travelers bring more than tourism dollars and business for airlines. They support an entire network of businesses around Chicago’s airports, from catering companies that prepare in-flight meals to airport shops and restaurants where passengers kill time before boarding to airport hotels and car rental agencies.
“There’s an enormous group of businesses that rely on a constant flow of airline traffic … and most are hurting in a big way right now,” said Joseph Schwieterman, a transportation expert at DePaul University.
The federal government approved billions in financial assistance for the airlines and some companies in the aviation industry this spring, meant to help keep workers on the payroll as stay-at-home orders, travel restrictions and fear of COVID-19 kept flyers home. But not every company that depends on air travel got aid, and even some that did still cut jobs.
As a rise in COVID-19 cases nationwide stalls signs of growth, companies and workers alike are realizing what many assumed would be short-term pain isn’t going away anytime soon.
“That’s the No. 1 question, is when are we going back to work?” said Nakita Campbell, who was laid off from her job at a restaurant in O’Hare’s international terminal in March.
Airport workers and supporters listen to speakers during a rally at Schiller Woods East on July 31, 2020, in Chicago. A group of about 100 people gathered to call attention to airport workers asking for extended health care coverage from their employers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Campbell, 29, of Des Plaines, said she was initially told she might be called back in late July or August but has heard nothing from her employer about when, or if, her job will return. Meanwhile, an extra $600 a week in federal unemployment benefits expired late last month.
“We just need to get an idea. If we’re not going back for the rest of the year, we need to find different jobs,” Campbell said.
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The federal coronavirus relief package passed by Congress in March not only gave passenger airlines $25 billion to cover employee pay and benefits, it set aside $3 billion for contractors that handle services like in-flight catering, cleaning and baggage handling. Like the airlines, companies that accepted assistance agreed to avoid involuntary furloughs or layoffs through Sept. 30.
But the prohibition on job cuts only applied after companies reached an agreement with the Treasury Department. United Airlines and other major carriers signed deals in late April, but some contractors’ agreements weren’t finalized for several more weeks, after workers had already been laid off.
Des Plaines-based Prospect Airport Services told Illinois it laid off more than 800 workers at O’Hare and Midway in March and April. Last month, the company signed an agreement with the Treasury Department that is expected to provide $73.2 million to fund employee wages and benefits through the Payroll Support Program funded by coronavirus relief legislation. Prospect declined to comment.
Airline catering company Gate Gourmet, which is expected to received $171.4 million in payroll funding through the same program, cut its April 1 roster of 808 employees by 44%.
Lamar Banks, 31, of Portage Park, said he volunteered for what he thought would be a temporary layoff from his job at Gate Gourmet because he was worried about exposing his fiancee and newborn daughter to the virus. Banks said he self-quarantined for 14 days without pay after a co-worker tested positive in late April, shortly before his daughter was born.
“I was so scared thinking I would possibly put my family at risk,” he said.
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Banks said he later got a letter notifying him his temporary layoff had become permanent. He’s started looking at other jobs but wants to find something that feels safe. He’s also hesitant to give up his seniority at Gate Gourmet. Seniority gives him more control over his schedule, which helps with child care.
“You’re just trying to squeeze every penny you can because you don’t know what to expect,” he said.
No one at Gate Gourmet was laid off after the company finalized the agreement to receive federal funding, and 46 workers were brought back after the supplemental unemployment benefits ended last month, the company said.
“Our goal is to continue to bring people back to work as the airline industry returns to health,” the company said in an emailed statement.
Other companies didn’t qualify for federal relief for the aviation industry, even though they rely on Chicago’s airports for business. Some got other forms of assistance through the coronavirus relief legislation, including employee retention tax credits and loans for small businesses. The Chicago Department of Aviation is using about $40 million of funds it received through the legislation to assist businesses at the airport including car rental agencies, restaurants and shops.
The program forgives airport restaurants and shops’ April and May rent and lets them pay a reduced rent until revenues recover to 75% of last year’s levels. Companies have until March 2023 to pay back the difference.
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Any business that accepts the assistance must commit to rehiring employees on pace with increases in revenue, determined by their revenues and headcount in December 2019.
A similar program forgives the vast majority of car rental agencies’ rent for April, May and June.
Almost every concession operator has applied, and the Aviation Department said it is reviewing their applications.
Early in the shutdown period, car rental agencies Hertz, Avis Budget Group and Enterprise all told Illinois they expected to lay off or furlough workers. Enterprise, which laid off 18 people and furloughed 154 at O’Hare and Midway, said airport locations were hit harder than neighborhood rental agencies.
“As travel has come back, some, we’ve been able to recall some of our employees, including at O’Hare and Midway, and hope we can continue doing so as business returns,” spokeswoman Lisa Martini said in an email.
A loan through the Paycheck Protection Program helped keep Chicago-based Nuts on Clark’s Midway store open throughout the pandemic, said Robert Kenney, who manages and directs sales at the family-owned business. According to the Treasury Department, the loan was between $350,000 and $1 million. Kenney declined to comment on the amount.
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Nuts on Clark’s O’Hare and Midway stores have brought back nearly 25 of the 40 workers they employed before the pandemic, Kenney said.
Still, Nuts on Clark can’t bring everybody back yet, as business has plateaued at airport stores and hours remain more limited than usual, Kenney said.
Nationwide, the number of people passing through airport security checkpoints is still about 70% lower than a year ago, according to the Transportation Security Administration. United Airlines executives have predicted revenues could plateau at half of last years’ levels until a vaccine is widely available.
During the slowest period, when passenger numbers plummeted to roughly 5% of last year’s levels, all but six of the more than 60 restaurants HMSHost operates in O’Hare’s domestic terminals closed, and all but 50 of the company’s more than 1,500 workers were furloughed, said Brad Maher, HMSHost’s senior director of operations at O’Hare.
Travelers with several pieces of luggage wait July 31, 2020, at Terminal 2 at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
As “heartbreaking” as conversations about furloughs were, Maher was initially optimistic workers would be called back quickly.
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“When I was telling people what was happening and that they were temporarily going to be unemployed, I honestly thought this was going to be a four-, six-, eight-week deal,” he said.
HMSHost started reopening O’Hare restaurants in late May as travelers started returning and has 170 people working at 17 locations. But as new pandemic hot spots began appearing, the growth in business plateaued, forcing the company to pause reopening, Maher said.
“We felt like we had to be extremely cautious going forward until see we how this COVID is going to react,” Maher said. “We really, really want to continue to grow, but we have to do it smart.”
HMSHost isn’t the only company slowing reopening plans. Travel convenience store chain Hudson permanently laid off 40% of its employees at the end of last month, including 311 at O’Hare and Midway, according to mass layoff notices filed with the state. The company blamed slow growth in travel and concerns about a potential “second wave” of COVID-19 infections.
About 450 of the company’s more than 1,000 stores are open nationwide, said Hudson, which reported a net sales decline of about 88.4% in the second quarter.
Areas, a restaurant operator with locations in O’Hare’s international terminal, said the dramatic decline in travel left “no choice” but to close all but one restaurant and lay off about 160 people. Nine employees are working at its one open location, though the company said it is working to bring back more.
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Companies serving the city’s airports should recover as air travel picks up, but a full return to normal could take years, especially when it comes to business travel, Schwieterman said. Companies catering to convenience-focused corporate travelers in the belt surrounding the airport, like airport hotels, convention centers and nearby restaurants, are likely to be especially hard-hit, he said.
Between March and July, hotels near O’Hare and Midway warned the state of more than 1,000 upcoming temporary furloughs or layoffs.
Occupancy rates at Chicago’s airport hotels averaged 26.7% in June, down about 70% from the same month last year. Downtown hotels were even emptier, according to STR, a U.S. hotel industry research company. Average daily room rates at airport hotels are down more than 40%.
If anything, the figures underestimate the total number of empty rooms because they don’t include hotels that chose to close. The number of rooms available in Chicago in June was down 16.9% compared with the same month last year, according to STR.
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Room attendant Erika Gallegos sanitizes and mops the floor in room 222 at Holiday Inn Express & Suites Chicago O'Hare Airport on Aug. 6, 2020, in Des Plaines. Gallegos was only one of two room attendants working that morning. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
A Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Des Plaines, which usually employs 20 to 25 people, was staffed by just one person per shift during the slowest stretch, said Patrick Palmer, vice president of operations at Prominence Hospitality Group, which also owns a Hyatt in Rosemont.
Prominence received a loan of between $150,000 and $350,000 through the Paycheck Protection Program, according to Treasury Department data, but the company said the funds were used at other hotels.
The Holiday Inn Express & Suites, which opened in October, had just recorded its busiest-ever week in late March when the pandemic brought occupancy rates down to 15% to 20%, Palmer said. The Hyatt, which gets some business from airline crew members, was at one point only 25% to 30% full.
Occupancy rates have climbed to roughly 40% at both properties — still about half of typical summer rates — and the company is evaluating how many employees to call back.
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“The business traveler just has not come back, and we really need that to be successful,” he said.
lzumbach@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-13--Crestwood Mayor Louis Presta pleads not guilty in alleged red-light camera bribery scheme

In comments last week , Presta attorney Thomas Breen did not address why the campaign filing was more than two @ @ @ @ @ cash was used for “ incidentals during the campaign ” and “ certainly was not @ @ @ @ @ ’ s position on any issue that affected the village .
”

Lou Presta, shown in 2016, has been charged with using a facility in interstate commerce in aid of bribery and official misconduct, willfully filing a false income tax return, willfully failing to file an income tax return and making false statements to the FBI and IRS. (Zak Koeske / Daily Southtown)
Crestwood Mayor Louis Presta pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal charges alleging he accepted bribes to promote a red-light camera company and then lied about it to the FBI.
Presta, 69, was charged last week with three counts of using a facility in interstate commerce in aid of bribery and official misconduct, two counts of willfully filing a false income tax return, one count of willfully failing to file an income tax return and one count of making false statements to the FBI and IRS.
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Presta entered his not guilty plea during a brief telephone arraignment before U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin.
According to federal prosecutors, Presta was caught on a March 2019 recording accepting an envelope with $5,000 cash from a representative of SafeSpeed LLC, and then lied to the FBI and IRS when asked about it that September.
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Presta, who has been mayor since 2013, denied the charges in a statement issued Friday through his attorneys.
[ Watch: Video shows how the Tribune uncovered the red light camera scandal that led to multiple indictments ]
The statement came hours after Presta’s campaign committee made an unusual filing with the State Board of Elections, in which it disclosed that in March 2018, a then-SafeSpeed representative provided him “election day workers and expenses” collectively worth $5,000. The connection to Presta’s criminal charges is unclear.
In comments last week, Presta attorney Thomas Breen did not address why the campaign filing was more than two years late but said the cash was used for “incidentals during the campaign” and “certainly was not used to influence the mayor’s position on any issue that affected the village.”
“The donor was, of course, setting Mr. Presta up in an attempt to induce criminal activity which did not come about,” Breen said.
The indictment said Presta “asked for and accepted benefits from representatives of” the red-light camera firm, which it doesn’t name. But public records indicate the only company with cameras in the village is SafeSpeed, a clout-heavy firm that has surfaced elsewhere in the criminal probe.
Court records show former SafeSpeed principal Omar Maani has been cooperating with investigators. SafeSpeed has said it cut ties with the one-time rainmaker, and issued a statement Friday saying it “does not condone the conduct alleged in the (Presta) indictment.”
“The company holds its employees and representatives to high standards of conduct and ethics. SafeSpeed will continue to take the appropriate action to ensure these standards are followed,” according to its statement.
An attorney for SafeSpeed CEO Nikki Zollar and executive Chris Lai previously has said in a civil filing that the pair were not aware of any bribes paid by anyone on the firm’s behalf.
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jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-13--UIC faculty union files labor complaints over COVID-19 protocols, says it’s ‘being ignored’ by campu

UIC faculty union files labor complaints over COVID-19 protocols, says it’s ‘being ignored’ by campus leaders

In the most recent complaint , UIC United Faculty said a program awarding an extra $ 2,500 to instructors with @ @ @ @ @ fall was “ unilaterally ” rolled out without the proper negotiations , according to a @ @ @ @ @ to the Tribune .

People walk on campus, Oct. 8, 2018, at the University of Illinois at Chicago. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
The faculty union at the University of Illinois’ Chicago campus has filed two labor complaints against the school, alleging it’s been shut out of discussions about how to adjust workloads, class formats and conduct during the coronavirus pandemic.
In the most recent complaint, UIC United Faculty said a program awarding an extra $2,500 to instructors with large, online classes this fall was “unilaterally” rolled out without the proper negotiations, according to a copy of the filing provided to the Tribune.
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Under the compensation program, the university set aside about $1 million for instructors who needed to convert lecture courses with more than 70 students into asynchronous online classes, according to the complaint. About 400 faculty members qualified for the incentive.
The complaints were filed with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board and accuse administrators of engaging in unfair labor practices, such as failing to bargain over changes to the work environment.
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UIC spokeswoman Sherri McGinnis Gonzalez said the university is bargaining with UICUF in good faith and that representatives have met with the union at least nine times to discuss their concerns.
“Overall, we have resolved the vast majority of the union’s concerns and will continue to work through the remaining issues,” McGinnis Gonzalez said Wednesday by email.
But Charitianne Williams, communications chair for UICUF, presented a different picture.
Williams, a senior lecturer in English, said she doesn’t expect the labor board to weigh in before students return to campus for classes on Aug. 24 but hopes the recent filings will spur administrators to work better with faculty.
“We’re being ignored by the administration,” Williams said. “And besides this compensation problem, we have a real issue with the health and safety plan for reopening campus, and that is actually the No.-1 priority.”
UIC is offering online and in-person classes this fall and plans to open its residence halls with increased sanitation and safety measures.
The union’s most recent labor complaint, Williams said, centers on the compensation program because UICUF didn’t agree to its terms, even as payments began.
Instead, the union had advocated for other forms of relief to help instructors shift classes online, such as additional professional development opportunities.
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“The money really isn’t the issue,” Williams said. “This work takes time and preparation, and we really were trying to bargain for time and preparation for our members.”
Specifically, Williams said, some instructors want to have their course loads reduced so they can continue research and writing tasks while also learning new technology for remote learning.
The payments have also been haphazard, Williams said. Some faculty members who don’t qualify for the incentive reported receiving the money while others who are eligible still haven’t, according to Williams.
A separate complaint filed with the board in June alleged a number of instances in which UIC “engaged in bad faith bargaining” or failed to bargain when it “made unilateral changes to faculty working conditions.”
Some of the protocols cited in the June complaint include UIC’s development of the return to campus plan, altering the sabbatical leave policy and changing travel procedures.
echerney@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-13--Tens of thousands in northern Illinois still without power Tuesday following storms that spawned Rog

Tens of thousands in northern Illinois still without power Tuesday following storms that spawned Rogers Park tornado: ‘It was like a dinosaur was running at us’

One such structure was the Sheldon Peck Homestead , the oldest house in Lombard , built in 1839 , according @ @ @ @ @ director of the Lombard Historical Society .
The home , which was restored to its @ @ @ @ @ society , sustained roof damage and has a tree against the east side of the @ @ @ @ @ Officials planned to call for volunteers to help with the cleanup through their social media @ @

Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas, Javonte Anderson, Madeline Buckley

Corbett Wilkinson climbs on a downed tree in Rogers Park after a powerful storm tore through the area Monday evening in the West Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
About 60,000 ComEd customers in Chicago were without power Tuesday evening as the city neared 24 hours since powerful storms, which spawned a tornado that cut through Lincolnwood and the Far North Side, the first time one touched down in city limits in two years.
The National Weather Service also confirmed six other tornadoes in Illinois. They occurred in Spring Grove, Marengo, Wheaton and Lombard, plus two in Rockford.
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More than 340,000 customers in northern Illinois were without power earlier Tuesday afternoon, said John Schoen, a spokesman for the utility. And although the company already had called in 1,500 workers from out of state to help, there are customers who won’t have power restored until Saturday afternoon, he said.
“Right now we expect to have the vast majority of customers up by Friday,” Schoen said.
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Corbett Wilkinson climbs on a downed tree in Rogers Park after a powerful derecho storm tore through the area on Aug. 11, 2020, in the West Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
In areas “with really significant damage” “a limited number of people” will be without power until Saturday, he said. There had been nearly 900,000 customers out at the peak of outages, with about 180,000 of those in Chicago, according to ComEd.
Northern Indiana Public Service Co., which provides electricity to most of the northern third of the state, at the peak of outages had more than 95,300 customers without power, said spokeswoman Wendy Lussier.
The weather service had put out among its highest threats of severe weather, which ended up displaying its forecasting ability when a tornado hit in Rogers Park, said Brian Leatherwood, a meteorologist.
A broken tree fell onto a van along West Jarlath Street after a powerful derecho storm tore through the West Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, Aug. 11, 2020. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
The storm was different for ComEd because it was a derecho, “an organized and long-lived system of storms producing a family of particularly damaging downbursts,” according to the weather service.
“This storm, we haven’t seen anything like it in years,” Schoen said. “There was a tornado in Rogers Park, who’s ever heard of that?”
The Rogers Park tornado was confirmed using radar, photos and two submitted videos, Leatherwood said — including one taken by Sabina Tuladhar on Birchwood Avenue in East Rogers Park, Leatherwood said.
A tornado briefly hit the West Side, crossing the Eisenhower Expressway and only doing minor tree damage, on Labor Day in 2018, according to the weather service. Before that, a weak tornado known as a landspout hit near Midway Airport in 2016. A decade before, in September 2006, a tornado touched down in Rogers Park, on the Loyola University campus.
Reached Tuesday morning, Tuladhar said via text message that she has always been fascinated by clouds and lightning.
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“Just saw it moving so fast, I thought, let me capture that moment. In a matter of a couple seconds debris started flying. ... I haven’t seen anything like that before in my life,” she said.
A video of a tornado taken on Aug. 10, 2020, on Birchwood Avenue in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood by Sabina Tuladhar. (Chicago Tribune Handout)
The Rogers Park tornado first touched down in Lincolnwood and headed east, jumping the North Shore Channel and cutting its way through the Far North Side, eventually petering out over the lake, according to the weather service. At its widest, the F-1 tornado was about 300 yards across, and reached maximum wind speeds of 110 mph.
The tornado cut right through Phillip Rogers Park, 7345 N. Washtenaw Ave. Large trees around the perimeter of the park were flattened. Trees were toppled over wires, house windows were broken and roofs were damaged.
Tuesday afternoon, Brian and Alissa Hacker were in their front yard in the 7300 block of North Campbell Avenue, east of the park, with their two children, who were trying to cut through a branch with small handsaws. Tree limbs damaged their fence, their neighbors to the rear had a damaged roof, and everyone around them lost power.
Damaged trees litter Rogers Park after a powerful derecho tore through the area. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
The storm hit abruptly around 4 p.m. Monday, Alissa Hacker said. She was looking out a window facing the park and trees started falling.
“All the trees started snapping in half,” she said. “It was like a dinosaur was running at us.”
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After seeing that, Hacker said she “freaked out and ran to the basement.”
The derecho that produced the tornado swept east from Nebraska, through Iowa and across Illinois into Indiana, with some gusts as high as 92 mph, the weather service reported.
At least one semi-truck blew over in the Peru area as a result of the 60 mph-plus winds, Leatherwood said. One person was reported injured as a result.
Judy Wood Edstrom’s van was hit by a tree that split nearly in half in North Park following a lightning strike. While she was surveying the damage to her parked van, she noticed a small white car near Catalpa and Spaulding avenues, also trapped under the branches. Police and firefighters responded and cut the branches away and people emerged from the car, seemingly unscathed, she said.
Firefighters also responded to numerous fires started by energized power lines, the Fire Department said in a tweet.
Numerous fires from power lines that have come down and remain energized. — Chicago Fire Media (@CFDMedia) August 10, 2020
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In the Logan Square neighborhood, tree branches plummeted onto power lines, cutting power on several blocks south of Diversey Avenue and east of Kedzie Avenue.
In Lombard, more than 200 homes were in some way damaged by winds that exceeded 50 mph at Glenbard East High School, according to a post on Facebook from the village of Lombard.
One such structure was the Sheldon Peck Homestead, the oldest house in Lombard, built in 1839, according to Alison Costanzo, executive director of the Lombard Historical Society. The home, which was restored to its 1839 configuration by the historical society, sustained roof damage and has a tree against the east side of the building, Costanzo said. Officials planned to call for volunteers to help with the cleanup through their social media pages.
“It’s just incredibly mind-boggling, just the amount of damage that the storm did in a short amount of time,” she said.
There also was damage across a wide swath of Joliet after the storm, according to Mike Eulitz, public assets supervisor.
“This damage seems to have covered the entire city,” Eulitz said.
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About a third of ComEd customers in La Grange had no power Monday night, but Palmer Place Restaurant in the village’s downtown did. The restaurant posted on Facebook: “If your power is out, come to Palmer’s and bring your phone chargers. Enjoy a drink and some food. We got ya covered.”
For an updated forecast, check the Tribune’s weather page.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the name of the high school where winds were reported in excess of 50 mph. The school is Glenbard East High School.
Pioneer Press reporter Kimberly Fornek contributed.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
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chicagotribune--2020-08-13--Kanye West’s Chicago: 25 formative locations around the city and suburbs

“ One of my homies that was one of my artists , he got signed .
But it was supposed @ @ @ @ @ production company , but he ended up going straight with the company .
So , @ @ @ @ @ straight holdin ’ the phone , gettin ’ the bad news that dude was tryin @ @ @ @ @ .
And I got evicted at the same time .
So I went down and @ @ @ @ @ , I took that money , came back , packed all my sh*t up in @ @ @ @ @ ten days before I had to actually get out so I ain ’ t have @ @ @ @ @ cause he ’ s a jerk .
Me and my mother drove to ... ( @ @ @ @ @ , let ’ s just go ’ ) ... Newark , New Jersey .
I @ @ @ @ @ my apartment .
I remember I pulled up ... ( Mother : ‘ Kanye , @ @ @ @ @ here ’ ) ...
I unpacked all my sh*t .
”

Kanye West was born in Atlanta in 1977 and moved to Chicago shortly after his mother, Donda, and father, Ray, divorced in 1980. West was 3 years old.
Chicago and nearby suburbs were home to key locations where the artist of the yet-to-be-released “Donda” album came of age. A listening party for the album took place at Soldier Field Aug. 26.
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Here is a guide to Kanye West’s Chicago, from his South Shore childhood home to sites of notable performances.
Kanye West attended the school at 9510 S. Prospect Ave. in Chicago. (Kori Rumore)
1. John H. Vanderpoel Elementary School
(Then Vanderpoel Magnet School) 9510 S. Prospect Ave., Chicago
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Kanye’s mother, Donda, recalled in a July 2004 interview, that her pre-kindergarten son was asked by testers at the Beverly school to draw a man. Instead, Kanye drew a football player. “They asked him again to draw the man, and Kanye said, ‘Fine, I’ll draw a man that’s wearing a football suit,‘” she said.
“In those days, kids weren’t selected to attend magnet schools by lottery, as they would be in subsequent years. A battery of tests were given. ... Kanye drew his football player and passed the test in flying colors. My baby was in Vanderpoel and there he would stay until he graduated from eighth grade.” — Donda West, "Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar"
The home at 7815 S. South Shore Drive in Chicago is under renovation, as seen on May 11, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
2. Childhood home
7815 S. South Shore Drive, Chicago
Donda West bought the home with her partner, Ulysses B. Blakeley, for $40,000 in late 1981. Kanye lived in the 1,600-square-foot house for about eight years, though his mother owned it until 2003, according to research by Tribune reporter Tracy Swartz. Donda West died in 2007 after undergoing cosmetic surgery.
The house has fallen into disrepair, with the city claiming it had “dangerous and unsafe conditions” in 2019, yet work continues on the home.
The Chicago Academy for the Arts, 1010 W. Chicago Ave., in Chicago, was a popular destination for weekend art classes when Kanye West was young. (Kori Rumore)
3. Chicago Academy for the Arts
1010 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago
“One of my favorite ‘free’ places to take Kanye. ... They offered art lessons for children on Saturdays. Kanye was a gifted artist and I was thrilled that we had someplace where he could get more training for no charge at all.” — "Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar"
Rainbow Beach Park has two playgrounds, fields for many sports, a community garden and a concession stand. (Chicago Park District)
4. Rainbow Beach Park
3111 E. 77th St., Chicago
West’s mother, Donda, recalled in her 2007 book the incident that propelled her to move out of the city with Kanye.
“One day while Kanye was out riding his bike in the park behind our house, some pretty tough kids, all older than he was, demanded that he give it to them. Kanye wasn’t about to do that. Instead of handing it over, he jumped on it and rode off. As he took off though, one kid slashed the tire with a knife. I was through when Kanye told me about it. That could have been him they slashed. ... Call it black flight or whatever, I was ready to go.” — Donda West, "Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar"
Donda West and Kanye West lived with her boyfriend — Willie Scott, whom she refers to as “Scotty” in her 2007 book — in this home at 11917 Longwood Drive in Blue Island. Records show Scott bought the house on Longwood Drive in 1990. (Kori Rumore)
5. Blue Island home
11917 Longwood Drive, Blue Island
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Shortly after the bike incident, Kanye, his mother and Donda’s partner, Willie Scott, moved to Blue Island.
“I was still teaching at Chicago State and was able to arrange my schedule so that I’d usually be home when Kanye came from school. When I couldn’t, Kanye came straight from school to my job at Chicago State until he was twelve. There he’d work on his homework until it was time for us to go home. It was a good arrangement.” — Donda West, "Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar"
Kanye West and his mother, Donda, attended services at Christ Universal Temple at 11901 S. Ashland Ave. in Chicago when he was young. (Kori Rumore)
6. Christ Universal Temple
11901 S. Ashland Ave., Chicago
“I liked the church because the minister, Johnnie Colemon, preached prosperity. ... I wanted Kanye to be steeped in that kind of exposure to God. I never bought into the fire-and-brimstone type of religion or one that was repressive. Certainly, I would not expose Kanye to that. But I felt compelled to see to it that a spiritual component was a key part of Kanye’s upbringing.” — Donda West, "Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar"
The Rev. Johnnie Colemon, shown in July 1985, founded Christ Universal Temple nearly six decades ago. (Jose More, Chicago Tribune)
The building at 10701 Kilpatrick Ave. in Oak Lawn formerly housed Polaris School for Individual Education, the high school attended by Kanye West. Today it is the administrative office for Community High School District 218. (Kori Rumore)
7. Community High School District 218 administrative office
(Then Polaris School for Individual Education) 10701 Kilpatrick Ave., Oak Lawn
Kanye received several awards for art he produced during his time at the school. A portfolio of his high school work was worth thousands, according to an “Antiques Roadshow” appraiser.
The apartment building at 5920 Lake Bluff Drive in Tinley Park was home to Kanye West and his mother, Donda, after she separated from her partner, Willie Scott. (Kori Rumore)
8. Tinley Park apartment
5920 Lake Bluff Drive, Tinley Park
Fifteen-year-old Kanye and his mother moved to the suburb when Donda and her partner, Willie Scott, separated.
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Kanye was disappointed in 2003, his mother wrote in her 2007 book, when he didn’t get the opportunity to appear onstage when Jay-Z and 50 Cent’s ”Roc the Mic” tour stopped at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre (then known as the Tweeter Center), just 10 minutes away.
“It was in his hometown, his backyard, and Kanye wanted so badly to perform in that show. In fact, he fully expected to go out onstage and do his thing, sing his verse on ‘We Are The Champions.’ After all, it was his verse. But once again, he was passed over. That was perhaps the biggest slap in his face. He came to my house that night and I don’t think I have ever seen him that disappointed.” — Donda West, "Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar"
9. American Academy of Art
332 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago
Kanye received a partial scholarship to attend the art and design school, but decided to leave after one semester.
“I knew then that although he went to his classes daily, had a portfolio that raised eyebrows, and really still loved the medium, he was much more interested in music.” — Donda West, "Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar"
(Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune)
10. Chicago State University
9501 S. King Drive, Chicago
Kanye enrolled as an English major at the same school where his mother was chair of the English department. He dropped out after the first semester of his sophomore year to pursue music.
“Kanye dropped out and never looked back. We made a deal. He’d have one year to make it happen. He would continue to live at home, but because he wasn’t in college and pursuing what in my mind was the wisest plan, I would charge him two hundred dollars a month for rent.” — Donda West, "Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar"
The studio for the student radio station at the University of Chicago, 5706 S. University Ave. in Chicago, was the site of an epic freestyle rap battle between Kanye West and Common in 1996. (Kori Rumore)
11. WHPK-FM 88.5 studio
5706 S. University Ave., Chicago
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A freestyle rap battle between Kanye and Common was recorded during a show hosted by DJ JP Chill on the University of Chicago’s radio station in 1996.
Warning: The video below contains explicit lyrics.
Kanye West lived in a second-floor apartment at 1863 W. 95th St. in Chicago's Beverly neighborhood before he moved to New Jersey. (Kori Rumore)
12. Kanye’s first apartment
1863 W. 95th St., Chicago
His first apartment in the Beverly neighborhood was an opportunity for Kanye to focus on creating music.
“It was a spacious two-bedroom apartment over a dress shop. It had a huge living room and dining room and there was even a small room that he used for a studio. It was a perfect space for him. ... But the (landlord) didn’t like the traffic the music was attracting. ... The landlord just wanted Kanye out. That was his right, I suppose. ... It was perfect timing for Kanye to leave the city he had grown to love so much.” — Donda West, "Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar"
“One of my homies that was one of my artists, he got signed. But it was supposed to really go through my production company, but he ended up going straight with the company. So, like I’m just straight holdin’ the phone, gettin’ the bad news that dude was tryin’ to leave my company. And I got evicted at the same time. So I went down and tracked the beats from him, I took that money, came back, packed all my sh*t up in a U-Haul, maybe about ten days before I had to actually get out so I ain’t have to deal with the landlord cause he’s a jerk. Me and my mother drove to ... (Mother: ‘Come on, let’s just go’) ... Newark, New Jersey. I hadn’t even seen my apartment. I remember I pulled up ... (Mother: ‘Kanye, baby, we’re here’) ...I unpacked all my sh*t.” — Kanye West, "Last Call," "The College Dropout"
Warning: The video below contains explicit lyrics.
UNRELEASED Kanye West Freestyle
September 22nd, 2000. 10:45pm. Live from Kanye's home studio on 95th and Longwood. Beverly. Konman Productions HQ.
via ChannelZeroTV pic.twitter.com/h1LN8O5Ts5 — Andrew Barber (@fakeshoredrive) August 10, 2018
13. Dragon Room
809 W. Evergreen Ave., Chicago
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During a February 2004 interview, West cited the former club as one of the locations where he engaged in freestyle rap battles.
A dancer gyrates to DJ mixes in one of the two dance floors at the Dragon Room in 1998. (JOHN LEE)
14. House of Blues
329 N. Dearborn St., Chicago
West headlines two sold-out shows at the venue just days after the Feb. 10, 2004, release of his debut album, “The College Dropout.” He’s joined onstage by Common, John Legend and violinist Miri Ben-Ari.
In February 2005, “Kanye West Day” was celebrated at the House of Blues following a proclamation by Mayor Richard M. Daley.
Martin Luther King has a day. The presidents have a day. Jesus has a day. Now, Kanye West has a day. — Kanye West, in a video aired during the February 2005 "Kanye West Day" event
Kanye West raps and sings through his two headline shows at the House of Blues in 2004. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Borders on Michigan Ave. and Pearson on Jan. 21, 2010. (William DeShazer/Chicago Tribune)
15. Former site of Borders bookstore
830 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago
West signs 500 copies of his second album, “Late Registration,” though an estimated 1,000 fans wait in line to meet him on Sept. 1, 2005.
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Kanye West signs his new CD, "Late Registration," at the Borders on Michigan Avenue. Hundreds of people waited in line. (Jasmin Shah, Chicago Tribune)
The venue at 525 S. Racine Ave. in Chicago, formerly known as UIC Pavilion, hosted a Kanye West concert on Nov. 14, 2005. (Kori Rumore)
16. Credit Union 1 Arena
(Then known as UIC Pavillion) 525 S. Racine Ave., Chicago
Wearing preppy clothes, the 28-year-old chats about growing up on the South Side, working dead-end jobs and trying to establish himself as a hip-hop producer on Nov. 14, 2005, during a concert. Tribune critic Greg Kot called it one of his favorite shows of 2005, saying it was “unlike any hip-hop concert ever staged, more like an avant-garde multi-act play than a wave-your-hands-in-the-air party.”
Kanye West performs at the UIC Pavilion in 2005. (Nuccio DiNuzzo, Chicago Tribune)
17. Butler Field at Grant Park
337 E. Randolph St., Chicago
The first hip-hop act to headline Lollapalooza, Kanye closes the second night of the festival on Aug. 5, 2006, in front of 50,000 fans. The South Side native’s mother, Donda, watches from the wings. Kanye also performs at Lollapalooza in 2008 and 2011.
See, mom, I told ya. I told ya I wanna rap. It works! — Kanye West, Aug. 5, 2006
Kanye West performs at Lollapalooza in 2006. (Stacey Wescott, Chicago Tribune)
Fatburger, a Southern California burger joint, opened at 15100 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park in 2008 and was operated by Kanye's KW Foods LLC. The location was closed by 2011. (Kori Rumore)
18. Fatburger
15100 S. LaGrange Road, Orland Park
The Southern California burger joint opened in 2008 and was operated by Kanye’s KW Foods LLC. According to a July 2009 Tribune review, “The whole experience feels more like a pleasant malt shop than a McDonald’s assembly line.” A Beverly location — less than a mile east of the rapper/producer’s first apartment in the neighborhood — came later.
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Both locations, however, were closed by 2011.
Fatburger's Triple Kingburger is displayed at the restaurant's Orland Park location on Oct. 6, 2008. (Brian J. Morowczynski/Brian J. Morowczynski)
Cars pass the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago on Dec. 9, 2014. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
19. Auditorium Theatre
50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive, Chicago
Kanye was awarded an honorary doctorate during a graduation ceremony for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago on May 11, 2015.
In 2018, Kanye tweets he will be teaching a course at the school, but SAIC confirms “there are no plans for him to do so.”
“When I was giving a lecture at Oxford (University), I brought up this school. Because I went on a mission to create in other spaces — apparel, film, performance — but it would have been easier to have just said I had a degree at the Art Institute of Chicago!” — Kanye West, May 11, 2015
Musician Kanye West receives an honorary doctorate degree at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago graduation May 11, 2015. (Phil Velasquez, Chicago Tribune)
The New Regal Theatre at 79th Street near Stony Island Avenue on May 4, 2015. (John Owens/Chicago Tribune)
20. Avalon Regal Theater
1645 E. 79th St., Chicago
In September 2018, Avalon Regal Theater owner Jerald Gary told Tribune reporter Darcel Rockett that Kanye was committed to help restore the South Shore structure, “I can tell you that it is 100 % true that we have Kanye’s commitment to help fund the remaining repairs to get the venue opened. I’m not at liberty to talk too many details.”
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Kanye, his wife, Kim Kardashian, and their daughter, North, toured the space on the Season 16 premiere of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” in 2019.
“We’re refurbishing the Regal, which is a Chicago landmark. It’s like our Apollo, and it’s on 79th Street, which is the street I grew up on.” — Kanye West, on "Keeping Up With the Kardashians"
The exterior of the Harold Washington Library in Chicago. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
21. Harold Washington Library
400 S. State St., Chicago
“I’ve got to let you all know that I’m moving back to Chicago,” Kanye tells high schoolers on Sept. 17, 2018, at “Open Mike,” Chance the Rapper’s open mic event. “I’m never leaving again.”
Kanye West is moving back to Chicago. pic.twitter.com/YsibUva9Xf — TMZ (@TMZ) September 19, 2018
The Chicago White Sox celebrate a 10-3 win over the Minnesota Twins on July 25, 2020, at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
22. Guaranteed Rate Field
333 W. 35th St., Chicago
Kanye and his son, Saint, throw out the first pitch at the City Series finale on Sept. 23, 2018. After the game, Kanye tweets a photo of him and his late mother, Donda, doing the same in 2007.
Kanye West and his son, Saint, throw out a ceremonial first pitch before the game between the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 23, 2018, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (David Banks/Getty Images)
Two weeks after Kanye West dined and played pool at the Naperville Pepe's Mexican Restaurant and the attached cantina, the restaurant owner said the rapper's visit helped remind people Pepe's is there. (Sandy Rocush)
23. Pepe’s Mexican Restaurant
1270 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville
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West and eight bodyguards arrive around 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 18, 2018. He orders three of the restaurant’s chicken stuffed tacos before taking photos with customers and heading to The Cantina, or “The Can,” to play pool.
Kanye West stands with Pepe's Mexican Restaurant employee Refugio "Ref" Zamora while visiting the restaurant. (The Can Pepe's Cantina / HANDOUT)
People enter Northerly Island’s Huntington Bank Pavilion on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019, to watch Kanye West perform. (Jessi Roti / Chicago Tribune)
24. Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
1300 S. Linn White Drive, Chicago
With no stage, roughly 2,000 people gather around singers and musicians — and, unknowingly, Kanye, himself, who was wearing sweats with a hood up and sunglasses — during a windy, rainy edition of his Sunday Service on Sept. 8, 2019. Chance the Rapper makes a guest appearance and Kanye delivers a minute or so of his signature “Jesus Walks.”
The only real Ye appearance so far — “Jesus Walks,” of course#SundayService pic.twitter.com/5ZWeP7cMNs — Jessi Roti (@JessiTaylorRO) September 8, 2019
25. Gap
555 Michigan Ave., Chicago
Covering three stories of the Gap’s facade is a 60-foot-high and 240-foot-long handwritten note announcing his Yeezy Gap line and a 10-year partnership with the clothing chain that first appeared in July 2020. Kanye worked at the clothing store when he was 15 and rapped about the experience on “Spaceship,” which appeared on his album, “The College Dropout.”
Kanye West's message fills the front of the Michigan Avenue Gap store. Over the weekend, he tweeted he was running for president. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Sources: Chicago Tribune reporting and archives; “Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar”


chicagotribune--2020-08-13--Running, unlocked ambulance stolen from South Loop crashes on North Side, injuring at least 1 woman

A 29-year-old woman was hurt and she was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center , where she was treated @ @ @ @ @ considered life-threatening , according to police .
Preliminary information suggested two people were hurt , @ @ @ @ @ woman in the vehicle that was hit was the only person injured .
Bartoli said @ @ @ @ @ yet finalized but the latest information she had was that only the woman was hurt @

A private ambulance that was parked outside a nursing home unattended, unlocked and running was stolen overnight and later crashed into a car in the Lakeview East neighborhood, sending one woman to the hospital with injuries, police said.
About 12:30 a.m. Thursday, an Elite Ambulance vehicle was left parked outside a nursing home in the 1800 block of South Wabash Avenue in the South Loop. It wasn’t immediately clear if or when the ambulance was reported stolen.
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Authorities did not say whether the ambulance was waiting to transport a nursing home patient to a hospital. Kellie Bartoli, a police spokeswoman, said since the ambulance belongs to a private company, police can’t say what the vehicle or driver were doing at the time.
About 30 minutes after the ambulance was stolen, whoever was driving it rear-ended another vehicle in the 3000 block of North Sheridan Road in Lakeview East, police said.
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A 29-year-old woman was hurt and she was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where she was treated for injuries that were not considered life-threatening, according to police. Preliminary information suggested two people were hurt, but officers later said the woman in the vehicle that was hit was the only person injured. Bartoli said the crash report was not yet finalized but the latest information she had was that only the woman was hurt.
After the crash, the ambulance thief ran from the scene and officers don’t have a description of that person, including whether it was a man or woman. The only information released about the person was that they were “short in height.”
Detectives were investigating.
Check back for updates.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-08-14--Daywatch: Protesters turned away from Lightfoot’s block, state senator charged with tax evasion, and

Daywatch: Protesters turned away from Lightfoot’s block, state senator charged with tax evasion, and why millennials may be leaving Chicago

While the effects of Chicago ’ s violence are wide-reaching—devastating families and scarring communities—it also takes a toll on the @ @ @ @ @ spiritual guides for those who choose to follow .
For many pastors , ministry extends @ @ @ @ @ into the streets .
And as the cycle of bloodshed unfolds , ministers and priests @ @ @ @ @ of the trauma , as they comfort families in mourning and eulogize the dead .

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Good morning, Chicago. Here’s the coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Demonstrators walk down Milwaukee Avenue during the Student Summit and March for Police Free Schools. Protesters tried to march to Mayor Lori Lightfoot's house but were blocked by police. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Frustrated by the mounting tally of Local School Councils voting to keep Chicago police officers stationed on their campuses, more than 100 hundred students and supporters of police-free schools marched to Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s block Thursday afternoon, only to be turned away by a thick wall of police.
“We didn’t get as close as we wanted to, but we’re here,” an organizer said into a megaphone. Rather than try to get through, the group formed a circle around the intersection of Wrightwood and Kimball avenues, where they spent the next half-hour continuing the rally that started at noon at Logan Square Park.
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Sen. Terry Link, D-Gurnee, on the Senate floor at the State Capitol on May 29, 2013 (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Longtime state Sen. Terry Link was charged Thursday with a federal count of income tax evasion — the third Democratic state senator to face felony charges in a little more than a year.
The one-page criminal information filed in U.S. District Court accused Link, of Vernon Hills, of failing to report income on his 2016 tax return to the IRS. Link listed his income as $264,450 when in fact his income “substantially exceeded” that amount, according to the charge.
Demetrius Johnson, left, who grew up in the Englewood neighborhood, pulls old nails out of a two-by-four as Dominique Richardson, lead carpenter, looks on at the work site for the Go Green on Racine project at South Racine and West 63rd Street in Chicago on Aug. 11, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Englewood residents and organizers have big plans for the building at the intersection that unites the east and west parts of their community. It will be home to a Fresh Market grocery and food co-op, the first step of a redevelopment that aims to transform vacant lots and abandoned buildings into amenities that include the food store, a recycling operation, a health center, a business incubator, mixed-use housing, a job training site and a restaurant.
The Rev. Marshall Elijah Hatch at New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church on Aug. 6, 2020. The stained glass depicts five young victims of recent Chicago violence beneath the four girls killed in the 1963 Birmingham, Alabama, church bombing. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
While the effects of Chicago’s violence are wide-reaching—devastating families and scarring communities—it also takes a toll on the religious leaders who serve as spiritual guides for those who choose to follow. For many pastors, ministry extends beyond their church walls and into the streets. And as the cycle of bloodshed unfolds, ministers and priests must also bear a portion of the trauma, as they comfort families in mourning and eulogize the dead.
Katey Frederking in the backyard of her fiance's parents' house Aug. 12, 2020, in Gurnee, Illinois. Frederking and her fiance are selling their condo in Chicago and will be moving to a suburb. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Katey Frederking, 28, used to live in Ravenswood. But she listed her condo two weeks ago, and is looking to move to the suburbs for her health and a yard for her dogs. She said COVID-19 was a catalyst for the move.
“If you asked me 10 years ago, I would have told you the suburbs were the worst place ever. But we’re doing this for me and for my dogs,” said Frederking, who was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder about two years ago.


chicagotribune--2020-08-14--Faith leaders fight their own trauma as they minister to families of those killed in Chicago violenc

Faith leaders fight their own trauma as they minister to families of those killed in Chicago violence

“ You put yourself out there and try to be a voice for the voiceless , and you put your @ @ @ @ @ said the Rev .
Greg Livingston , who has spent three decades as a pastor @ @ @ @ @ South and West Sides .
“ You want to connect with that family and their @ @ @ @ @ a constant ( for him ) .
And an ever-constant way of putting yourself out @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a life of sacrifice for those of us who really take it seriously @ @

The Rev. Marshall Elijah Hatch at New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church on Aug. 6, 2020. The stained glass depicts five young victims of recent Chicago violence beneath the four girls killed in the 1963 Birmingham, Alabama, church bombing. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
There he stood again, centered in his pulpit, trying to make sense of yet another life lost to violence in Chicago’s streets.
Dressed in a gray pinstripe suit, the Rev. Ira Acree glanced at his notes, then skimmed the crowd searching for the right words to comfort the grieving eyes staring back at him.
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“Her life mattered,” Acree said as he gestured to the purple casket where the body of 13-year-old Amaria Jones lay.
“That’s why the city is grieving. Her soul mattered. Her dreams mattered, and her future mattered.”
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It was a Friday evening in early July, and Acree assumed the role many pastors must in the aftermath of a killing — being a steady voice in chaos. But this snapshot of a funeral inside the Greater St. John Bible Church barely starts to convey the burden religious leaders carry.
The Rev. Ira Acree attends a funeral viewing in the North Austin neighborhood on Aug, 7, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
With more than 450 homicides this year and counting, Chicago is on pace for one of its deadliest years.
And while the effects of Chicago’s carnage are wide-reaching — devastating families and scarring communities — it also takes a toll on the religious leaders who serve as spiritual guides for those who choose to follow.
For many pastors, ministry extends beyond their church walls and into the streets. And as the cycle of bloodshed unfolds, ministers and priests must also bear a portion of the trauma, as they comfort families in mourning and eulogize the dead.
“To do a eulogy is to give some meaning to the life, focused around some type of Bible verse of theological concept,” said the Rev. Marshall Elijah Hatch Sr., of the New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church.
Their role is often a hybrid of ministry, counseling and activism.
“You put yourself out there and try to be a voice for the voiceless, and you put your heart out there,” said the Rev. Greg Livingston, who has spent three decades as a pastor on the city’s South and West Sides. “You want to connect with that family and their sorrow, so it is a constant (for him). And an ever-constant way of putting yourself out there for people. It’s a life of sacrifice for those of us who really take it seriously.”
It can be a steep cost to pay for the city’s religious shepherds, at times fracturing their personal lives, damaging their health, and leaving some to question how long they can continue with a ministry that requires so much.
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Each pastor has a few tragic murders that never leave them.
And without hesitation, they can recite the names like they are taking attendance in a classroom.
Bettie Jones, the 55-year-old grandmother who was shot and killed by a Chicago police officer.
Mekhi James, the 3-year-old boy shot and killed while riding in the back seat of a car with his father. Or Heaven Sutton, the 7-year-old girl who was shot and killed while selling candy outside of her home.
Each death is different. But each one takes a piece of their souls.
“The loss of young life, having to minister to families. I call it trying to make sense out of stuff that don’t make sense,” Hatch said.
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For Hatch, 2016 was the year he began acutely feeling the stress of his work. Tribune data show at least 795 people were killed in Chicago in 2016, the deadliest year since the mid-1990s.
The 62-year-old pastor said that “2016 shook me up. It was the first time I was on the verge of tears, thinking about stuff all the time. And it was clear to me; I had been traumatized.”
That year, Hatch delivered more than a dozen eulogies, the majority for homicide victims, including at the funeral of Demetrius Griffin, a 15-year-old boy whose body was found burned beyond recognition in a West Side alley.
In the wake of Demetrius’ death, Hatch did what he knew best.
“Grieving is a complicated process,” he said. “I find it’s best to give the family some space, but make sure they know I’m always here for them.”
While she is still hurting from the unsolved killing of her nephew, Rochelle Sykes, Demetrius’ aunt, said Hatch, her pastor, was a steady presence for her family throughout the entire process.
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"He's just been a big help," she said. "A great support system."
A stained glass window at New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church depicts five young victims of recent Chicago violence beneath the four girls killed in the 1963 Birmingham church bombing. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Demetrius now watches over the sanctuary of his former church home. An image of his face is etched into a colored stained glass window in the church’s sanctuary. Four other Chicago teenagers who were killed also are portrayed in stained glass.
"When they put him up, I had a lot of joy in my heart," Sykes said.
Very few people see as much of the aftermath of the city’s violence as Pastor Donovan Price.
Price is on the ministry team at New Progressive Missionary Baptist Church, but found his calling in being a street pastor.
Price said he began responding to crime scenes in 2016 and estimated he’s been to one-third of all the city’s homicides since, often going out in the wee hours of the night.
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In some instances, Price’s work extends beyond prayer and comforting a victim’s friends and family at a crime scene. He has taken family members of murder victims to the Cook County morgue for body identification, organized candlelight vigils and eulogized people at funerals.
"I'll go as far along in the process as I'm allowed or needed in accordance with (the family's) wishes," Price said.
No matter what time of day or night it is, Price is always ready to visit a homicide scene.
"I've been on call for four years technically," he said. "How many times a day, it doesn't matter."
As Price talked about his experiences, like the other pastors, he instinctively lists the horrific scenes he’s witnessed.
Pastor Donovan Price gives a closing prayer as the Chicago police hold an "Operation Wake-Up" community rally to help stop area violence on the corner of 75th and Coles in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood on April 4, 2017. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
There was the time he was covered in blood after assisting with a mother whose 20-month-old baby was shot and killed while she was driving home from a laundromat.
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Then there was a man, Antoine Jones, 40, who was shot inside a South Side barbershop in front of children. Seeing a “big pool of blood with a bunch of little footprints” will forever be ingrained in his mind, he said. The man charged with murder in the killing, Martez O’Neal, 30, has not been convicted, as the court case continues.
But Price’s commitment takes a toll. Recently, he began having anxiety attacks at night. His family has implored him to take a break.
"I'll wake up with my heart racing, blood pressure up and dizziness," he said.
"It's getting kind of advanced," Price said of the anxiety attacks. "I'm going to figure that part out. But it's a part of what I do. It's not like the injuries of war are not to be expected when you work in a war zone, and you recognize that."
While some pastors have sacrificed their physical and mental health, others’ personal relationships have been marred.
“I’ve lost marriages being involved in this type of ministry,” Livingston said. “I’ve suffered the loss of friendships and relationships because of this ministry.”
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“There are people that don’t want to be around me because they feel that things I deal with are too painful, and I understand that. I really do. It’s a very lonely place.”
Pastor Donovan Price places crosses at Mercy Hospital to remember the victims of a shooting on Nov. 20, 2018. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
But in spite of the drawbacks of their ministry, the pastors said they feel this is their calling, and they remain committed to doing all they can to help the families of homicide victims.
“When I see people, literally dying around me, the question I have to ask myself is what can I do to make a difference. If I were a doctor, I would try to heal them. If I were an educator, I’d try to teach them. But I’m a preacher, and my tools are the word, the narrative, prayer and the spiritual approach,” Livingston said.
Price said while there’s nobility in the work he’s doing, he doesn’t want to be applauded for it, because he’s only doing the Lord’s work. And he couldn’t face seeing people at their most despairing day after day without divine help.
“I’m able to do what I’m able to do only because of God,” Price said. “... I’m on some of the frazzled edges that come with this because it makes a difference. Because I need to give pure love. If I become a casualty of that, then so be it.”
jaanderson@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-14--Column: The giant green frog from Chicago’s Rainforest Cafe must be preserved. Maybe it can help fig

Column: The giant green frog from Chicago’s Rainforest Cafe must be preserved. Maybe it can help fight coronavirus?

Once the snow arrives , city residents who use street parking outside their homes could use a website to bid @ @ @ @ @ borrow ” Cha !
Cha !
and use the giant frog to keep scoundrels from @ @ @ @ @ .
The frog ’ s size would allow neighbors to go in together on a @ @ @ @ @ at a time .

It's uncertain what will happen to Cha! Cha!, the 27-foot-long red-eyed frog perched atop the Rainforest Cafe at the corner of Ohio and Clark streets in Chicago, which has closed. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago is on the brink of losing a historic landmark: The giant green frog that for years has stood like a silent amphibian sentry over the doors of the city’s Rainforest Cafe, a classic meeting spot for tourists and residents who enjoy eating a Jungle Turkey Wrap in the presence of marginally realistic animatronic animals.
The restaurant in the Near North neighborhood shut down in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, but now we learn it’s closed for good and everything will be moved out by the end of the month.
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According to a report by my colleague Ryan Ori, the huge animatronic gorilla that delighted kids and adults (me in particular) will be turned over to the building’s owner, Sean Conlon, who I hope invites me to his home to visit the gorilla.
But the most consequential uncertainty is this: “It’s unclear what will happen to ‘Cha! Cha!’, the 27-foot-long red-eyed frog perched atop the building at 605 N. Clark St.”
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Indeed, what will happen to Cha! Cha!?
In the interest of historic preservation, I have some ideas I hope Conlon as well as officials from the Rainforest Cafe’s parent company, Landry’s Restaurants, and city leaders will consider. The year 2020 has already been hard enough. We can’t let our city lose its giant green frog.
Idea 1: Use Cha! Cha! as a coronavirus deterrent.
While the city has enacted relatively strict rules to slow the spread of COVID-19, we’re still seeing ample signs of people not wearing masks, gathering for large lakefront parties and generally acting like they deserve to be frightened by a 27-foot-long red-eyed frog.
By removing Cha! Cha! from atop the Rainforest Cafe and attaching it to a hydraulic arm mounted to a tractor-trailer bed, Mayor Lori Lightfoot could preserve one of the city’s most-beloved landmarks and use it as a Mobile Frog-Based Jerk-Terrifying Machine (M.F.B.J.T.M.).
Any time people are congregating in large groups, not wearing masks or respecting social distancing rules, the M.F.B.J.T.M. could pull up and stealthily plunge Cha! Cha! down next to the crowd, scaring some sense into them.
If a bar or restaurant isn’t following city coronavirus restrictions, Cha! Cha! could be temporarily placed outside the establishment. The frog’s giant red eyes would peer menacingly through the windows, unnerving customers enough that they clear out.
With a little innovation, Cha! Cha! could be the city’s best ally in the fight against the coronavirus.
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Idea 2: Replace one of the lions outside the Art Institute of Chicago with Cha! Cha!
I know this will be controversial, but let’s be honest. The dual lions “guarding” the museum have been there since they were unveiled in 1894. It’s way past time to shake things up, and in this economy, it seems a bit extravagant to have two lions.
A giant tree frog would add a much-needed “WOW!” factor to the front of the Art Institute, and it would entertain those who don’t particularly care for art. Also, at Christmas, the frog’s bright red eyes would mix perfectly with a massive green wreath around its neck, or whatever frogs have that is the equivalent of a neck.
Idea 3: Install Cha! Cha! on one of the city’s water cribs in Lake Michigan.
This is arguably the best idea. The water cribs that protect Chicago’s offshore intakes on Lake Michigan are visible from the shore, and it would be OUTSTANDING to occasionally see a tourist look out at the cribs and say, “Hold up, is that a giant frog out there?”
I mean, really, you can’t buy that kind of entertainment. It would be a wonderful way to preserve Cha! Cha!‘s important legacy.
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Idea 4: Rent Cha! Cha! out to Chicagoans who want to protect their shoveled-out parking spaces.
I don’t generally approve of for-profit historic preservation efforts, but this is a surefire way to turn Chicago’s most-beloved 27-foot-long tree frog into a cash cow.
Once the snow arrives, city residents who use street parking outside their homes could use a website to bid for the right to “borrow” Cha! Cha! and use the giant frog to keep scoundrels from using their carefully shoveled spot. The frog’s size would allow neighbors to go in together on a bid and preserve two spots at a time.
It’s easy for disrespectful parkers to move a lawn chair or sawhorse and steal a spot. Relocating a giant Rainforest Cafe frog is a whole other kettle of Aloha Salmon & Shrimp.
So let’s do this, Chicago. Let’s not let our humongous bug-eyed tree frog be lost to the pages of history.
This has been a rough year. We need to save Cha! Cha!
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rhuppke@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-14--You’re a college student planning to vote by mail in Illinois. What if COVID-19 sends you home but y

You’re a college student planning to vote by mail in Illinois. What if COVID-19 sends you home but your ballot goes to your college?

If you do not have your mail-in ballot , you can contact your local election authority and file an affidavit @ @ @ @ @ returned your ballot .
You might have to cast a provisional ballot , which means @ @ @ @ @ look into your eligibility before your vote is counted , but as long as a @ @ @ @ @ received and processed in your name the vote should count .

Flat mail trays are seen in the parking lot of Chicago's Ravenswood Station U.S. post office on Aug. 13, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
College students hoping to register to vote in the Nov. 3 general election face extra uncertainty this year as campuses shift plans because of the coronavirus pandemic. Even so, students registered in Illinois can still vote by mail no matter their location.
Here’s what you need to know if you’re a student hoping to vote by mail:
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How to register
College students can vote at their home or campus address, but can only register and vote in one location.
The State Board of Elections has an online voter registration application page you can fill out to register in Illinois. You could also print and send your form by mail to your local registration office, such as your county clerk, or register in person by going to a clerk or driver’s license facility.
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You’ll need your Illinois driver’s license or ID number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you don’t have any of those, you can provide a government document that confirms your name and address.
Voters must be United States citizens and at least 18 years old before Election Day. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 6 if the form is sent by mail and Oct. 18 for online submissions, although people can still provisionally register to vote at an election authority or an early voting site before Election Day and at their home precinct on Election Day.
The state board has a registration lookup site to check if you’re already registered in Illinois.
How to request a mail-in ballot
Any registered voter in Illinois can apply to send in their ballot by mail, including college students. The form can be completed online or printed and mailed to your county clerk’s office.
If your campus is out of state, but you hope to vote by mail in Illinois, you’ll need to apply for an absentee ballot. If you’re in the U.S., the application must be submitted to your local election office no later than Oct. 29 by mail or online, or by Nov. 2 if you’re delivering it in person.
If you’re out of the country, you must apply for an absentee ballot no later than Oct. 4.
What if you’re sent home because of COVID-19?
If your ballot was sent to your campus address but your school closes or you’re sent home because of COVID-19, you’ll still have a few options, according to the Chicago Board of Elections.
If you have your mail-in ballot with you, you’re advised to surrender it in person at early voting sites or your election precinct polling place, where you can then vote through a standard ballot.
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If you do not have your mail-in ballot, you can contact your local election authority and file an affidavit stating you never received and returned your ballot. You might have to cast a provisional ballot, which means election authorities will have to look into your eligibility before your vote is counted, but as long as a ballot hasn’t been received and processed in your name the vote should count.
The Chicago Board of Elections recommends checking your local election authority’s website to ensure all of your information is up to date as soon as any changes to your name or location occur to prevent problems.
How to update your registered address
To update your address, you can access the Illinois Online Voter Registration Application website and start the voter registration application. There, you can input your Illinois driver’s license number or state ID to update your record. The deadline to do so is Oct. 18.
If you don’t have either form of identification to update your record online, you’ll have to print the form from the site and mail it to your local election authority with a copy of government-issued documentation or a valid photo ID.
For more on the 2020 elections, check the Tribune’s Elections Page.
kelsmith@chicagotribune.com