chicagotribune--2020-11-18--$66M settlement against Munster cardiology group, hospital for unneeded surgeries, implanted devices

The Indiana Department of Insurance agreed with her in January 2014 that Gandhi “ failed to comply with the appropriate @ @ @ @ @ which was part of her undergoing the implantation of an unnecessary upgrade .
However , @ @ @ @ @ the upgrade did not cause her any long-term harm and that Community Hospital did not @ @ @ @ @ standard of care .

Lawyers said they reached a $66.5 million settlement against a Northwest Indiana-based cardiology group accused of performing unnecessary surgeries and medical device implants.
Theodoros & Rooth, of Merrillville, and Cohen & Malad, of Indianapolis, announced the settlement after six years of litigation, according to a release. Since 2014, their clients had sued Dr. Arvind Ghandi, at least two other doctors at Cardiology Associates of Northwest Indiana and Community Hospital, records show.
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This month’s settlement was reached “with a Northwest Indiana cardiology group, a Northwest Indiana hospital, and with the participation of the Indiana Patient’s Compensation Fund of over 260 medical malpractice claims,” the firm’s release said.
“The settling defendants deny that they had engaged in any negligent or otherwise improper conduct and deny any liability relative to the claims,” according to the release.
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In various lawsuits, the group was accused of unnecessarily implanting pacemakers and other devices, causing death from those implants and performing unnecessary open-heart surgery and angiograms.
Over time, around 300 patients sued the practice.
In a 2014 suit, two patients, Gloria Sargent, then 47, of Griffith, and Raymond Kammer, then 32, of Akron, Ohio, formerly of Hammond, claimed Gandhi used his position at Community Hospital in Munster to skirt rules overseeing who was credentialed to implant pacemaker-defibrillator devices.
In her case, Sargent’s lawsuit said she had received a defibrillator in early 2006 because of a weak heart but that Gandhi told her later that year she needed to “upgrade” to another one.
The first attempt on Dec. 13, 2006, failed, leading doctors to reinstall her original defibrillator, according to the lawsuit. A second attempt the next day was successful, but Sargent claimed she experienced palpitations for the next year and had to go to the emergency room at Methodist Hospitals Southlake campus in Merrillville in February 2008.
Sargent said then that she remained in poor health until she received a heart transplant in August 2013, which the lawsuit claims was needed because of the second implant.
The Indiana Department of Insurance agreed with her in January 2014 that Gandhi “failed to comply with the appropriate standard of care,” which was part of her undergoing the implantation of an unnecessary upgrade. However, the department also ruled that the upgrade did not cause her any long-term harm and that Community Hospital did not fail to meet the appropriate standard of care.
Post-Tribune archives contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-11-18--Mental health issues more likely to affect communities of color during the holidays: ‘This is the ti

Mental health issues more likely to affect communities of color during the holidays: ‘This is the time where people can bottom out’

“ This is the time where people can bottom out through situational depression and anxiety about jobs , about how @ @ @ @ @ feed my family , ” McCue said .
“ And if you had somebody who @ @ @ @ @ for a stretch of time , that would get you over the hump .
... @ @ @ @ @ facilitators are so important to start the process of thinking about talking to someone .
@ @ @ @ @ ‘ It ’ s OK , you can talk to somebody.
’ Once they get @ @ @ @ @ support , they ’ re like : ‘ You know , what ?
This wasn @ @ @ @ @ Can you help me find ( a therapist ) ?
’ ”

For Listiner Martinez, the holiday season never brought feelings of merriment. Coming from an abusive home, she said, she never really celebrated the holidays. Martinez said she tried to move past that feeling when she had children, but sadness around the holidays still lingers.
“I typically look forward to when the holidays are over with,” said the West Ridge mom of three who has been diagnosed with depression, anxiety and seasonal affective disorder — a mood disorder that occurs at the same time each year. Diet and exercise are tools Martinez uses in her mental health journey, but so is therapy.
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Before the pandemic, the mental health advocate said she was seeing her therapist once a month. Then Martinez was diagnosed with breast cancer in January. After surgery, the stay-at-home order meant Martinez wasn’t allowed to bring someone with her during chemotherapy, which started in April.
“I tried to adjust ... but it really took a toll on me emotionally,” she said. “I had people who would check in on me. Friends would video chat … but it was just overwhelming.”
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Listiner Martinez at her home in Chicago on Nov. 17, 2020. (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Dr. Aderonke Bamgbose Pederson, instructor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said mental health challenges are more likely to have an impact on people of color, especially in Black communities.
Public stressors created by the pandemic often worsen for people in the communities most impacted, she added. Data has shown that people of color for example are more likely to get the coronavirus.
“When we look at this year, racial trauma is a compound stressor,” she said. “You have multiple different stressors in terms of the pandemic that disproportionately affects these communities already at greater risk.”
A painting of Listiner Martinez that her friend made when she shaved her hair for chemotherapy is displayed at her home. (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Multigenerational family households are also more common in Black and Hispanic communities, she said. The pandemic adds pressure in families with members at high risk, creating different levels of burden.
Adrienne McCue, president and executive director of Step Up For Mental Health, realizes people are struggling. As the child of a late parent who had schizophrenia, McCue created the nonprofit to help families dealing with mental health issues. Step Up volunteers offer one-on-one peer support to clients by phone or video conference once a week for an hour in four-week or eight-week timeframes. The organization assists different populations with small grants and resources, including the bisexual community.
“This is the time where people can bottom out through situational depression and anxiety about jobs, about how I’m going to feed my family,” McCue said. “And if you had somebody who could talk to you just for a stretch of time, that would get you over the hump. ... We believe that peer support facilitators are so important to start the process of thinking about talking to someone. We want to say, ‘It’s OK, you can talk to somebody.’ Once they get that eight weeks of peer support, they’re like: ‘You know, what? This wasn’t so bad. Can you help me find (a therapist)?’”
Martinez agrees and says people should not go through this difficult time of year alone. She said her support system of family and friends “showed up and showed out” during her breast cancer treatment. Now she shares her mental health journey with others full time to help them move through trauma. Her next virtual conference is Dec. 19; panelists will touch on mental health and self-care.
“I always tell people: I love God, but therapy is important too,” she said. “I recommend it, even when you’re not in a bad place. Like how you have a lawyer on hand? You should have a therapist on hand.”
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“It’s an understatement to say that this holiday season will look different,” said Tytannie Harris, CEO of TMH Behavioral Services. When the Bronzeville practitioner talks to her clients — kids as young as 4 and adults as old as 90 — about how to cope, she offers this advice:
Acknowledge how you feel and know that it’s OK to take time to cry or express how you feel. “And don’t feel like you have to force yourself to be happy just because it’s the holiday season, especially now,” said the licensed clinical social worker.
People should reach out to family members and friends, especially those who live alone. “Technology has to be our best friend during this time,” she said. “If you’re feeling distressed, it’s OK to reach out with a text, call or video chat.”
Be realistic. Don’t put pressure on yourself and feel like it has to be perfect, or “I have to try to re-create last year,” because we can’t. “This may be a new time to develop new rituals within your families,” Harris said. “I think one thing we don’t talk about enough, especially now, is sticking to a budget. We may feel guilty because we can’t be with family, and we may want to overindulge in gift giving. I tell my clients: Don’t buy happiness with an array of gifts, with the overhaul of gifts. Make sure you’re doing what’s within your budget.”
And when feeling sad is affecting your day-to-day functioning in a negative way, that’s when you know you should talk to someone. “If you’ve gone from ‘this is something minor,’ to ‘this is something that could potentially be more significant,’ I would encourage folks to seek mental health services,” she said.
TMH is staffed with Black clinicians, and Harris said she knows people want to talk to people who look like them. The practice has programs for Black men and their mental health, and she is touching base with her senior clients more frequently, as well as sending them self-care packages, Harris said.
“Don’t wait till things are extreme or severe. Get support, and get help early,” Bamgbose Pederson said. “Create spaces for yourself and remember that this, too, shall pass.”
drockett@chicagotribune.com
jvillagomez@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-18--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--2020-11-18--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 @ @ @ @ @ .
The state is not providing data for any ZIP code with five cases or @ @

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--2020-11-18--Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 140 new deaths, 8,922 new confirmed and probable cases and 103,56

Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 140 new deaths, 8,922 new confirmed and probable cases and 103,569 new test results

Illinois announced 8,922 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 Wednesday for a total of 606,771 .
The state also @ @ @ @ @ a total of 11,014 and 103,569 new test results for a total of 9.36 million @

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


chicagotribune--2020-11-18--More Indiana counties listed at highest coronavirus risk; Lake, Porter, Newton counties among 21 of

More Indiana counties listed at highest coronavirus risk; Lake, Porter, Newton counties among 21 of state’s 92 counties at highest risk

The current wave is “ overloading ” Indiana ’ s contact tracers and labs , Indiana Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina @ @ @ @ @ streamlining first contact interviews .
It expects to hire 600 more tracers , bringing the @ @ @ @ @ the future , it ’ s possible some may be asked to notify their own @ @ @ @ @ diagnosed , Box said .

Indiana Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb is currently in quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, Pool) (Darron Cummings/AP)
Nearly a quarter of Indiana’s counties are now listed in the highest-risk category of coronavirus spread as Wednesday’s update from the state health department showed a 60% increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations in just two weeks.
Health officials also reported 60 more coronavirus deaths, with those added to Sunday’s total making it Indiana’s single deadliest COVID-19 day since the pandemic first hit the state in March.
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The health department listed 21 of Indiana’s 92 counties in the highest of its four risk levels for coronavirus spread, up from nine counties in the red level last week. Those additional red-level counties include Lake County, the state’s second most populous, and Fort Wayne’s Allen County. Porter and Newton counties also made the list.
Officials listed 70 counties in the next-highest risk level and none received the lowest-level blue rating.
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Lake County, population 485,000, reported seven new deaths Wednesday, bringing fatalities to 430. Porter County, through its county health department, has 72 total dead. By comparison, South Korea, with 50 million, has reported 496 virus deaths to date.
Gary has seen nearly 25% of all cases this month, or 638, according to the city health department. It has reported 2,600 reported cases with 92 dead. Another free testing site is running at St. Timothy Community Church through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. 1600 W 25th Ave. No insurance is required.
Gov. Eric Holcomb went into quarantine Tuesday after possible coronavirus exposure but took part by phone in a Wednesday afternoon COVID-19 briefing with some hospital executives from around the state. Holcomb cited concerns about the steep increase in COVID-19 patients straining hospital capacity as he announced last week the reinstatement of crowd limits based on county risk levels.
Indiana hospitals were treating 3,040 COVID-19 patients as of Tuesday — a nearly 300% increase since Holcomb announced in late September an end to nearly all statewide business and crowd restrictions.
The current wave is “overloading” Indiana’s contact tracers and labs, Indiana Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box said. Indiana is streamlining first contact interviews. It expects to hire 600 more tracers, bringing the number to 1,500. In the future, it’s possible some may be asked to notify their own close contacts if they get diagnosed, Box said.
We may “start to rely on individuals who are positive to be responsible in identifying other close contacts,” she said.
Indiana had at least 52 coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday, pushing it past the previous high of 50 during the state’s initial surge of cases in April.
Lake County reported more than 400 new cases Wednesday, with almost 24,000 diagnosed to date. Porter County said around 6,921 have been diagnosed, while 4,400 recovered; 66 are currently hospitalized.
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Staff reporter Meredith Colias-Pete contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-11-18--Patrick Fitzmaurice, Chicago's longest serving paramedic retires

The holiday season is n't canceled !
COVID-19 can not stop us from getting gifts for all of our loved @ @ @ @ @ grandparents , single friends and even self-lovers .
Let our 2020 Gift Guide make your @ @ @ @ @ Our editorial staff compiled this report independently .
Tribune Publishing may earn a commission if @ @ @ @ @ one of the affiliate links .

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chicagotribune--2020-11-18--Chicago has twice the city ambulances it did 45 years ago. The outspoken paramedic many credit for t

Chicago has twice the city ambulances it did 45 years ago. The outspoken paramedic many credit for the increase retired Wednesday.

“ You ’ d think the Fire Department would go to the budget hearings and say ‘ We need more @ @ @ @ @ think they ’ d cross-train us rather than pay us millions in overtime just to @ @ @ @ @ sand of us versus them .
They want us to shut up and pay the @ @ @ @ @ deeply , ” Fitzmaurice said .
“ What we do just doesn ’ t count @ @ @ @ @ in the majority of the revenue .
Why is it we respect what they do @ @ @ @ @ respect what we do ?
”

Gregg Bagdade, left, and James Walsh, both with the Chicago Fire Department Pipes and Drums unit, perform as a procession honoring retired paramedic field chief Patrick Fitzmaurice on Chicago Avenue following Fitzmaurice's final shift on Nov. 18, 2020. Fitzmaurice retired after 45 years with the department. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
As far as big names in Chicago history go, Pat Fitzmaurice isn’t exactly well-known.
But fellow paramedics say that in addition to directly saving hundreds or thousands of lives as a paramedic the past 45 years, he made every city resident safer through his tireless crusade to speed up emergency response times by adding to the city’s fleet of ambulances, which has doubled in size during his tenure.
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When he retired Wednesday morning, Fitzmaurice ended his reign as the current longest-serving paramedic on the Chicago Fire Department. His job as a crew chief on the always-hopping West Side, overseeing the city’s busiest rigs, has been one of seemingly nonstop calls. But what sets him apart from his peers is that he’s as well-known for sounding alarms as for responding to them.
“I think that he raised the awareness that we had some extremely long — unreasonably long — response times,” said Robin Alvarez, a fellow paramedic crew chief. “And I do think he’s personally responsible for getting a lot of these ambulances out here.”
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Chicago Fire Department paramedic field chief Pat Fitzmaurice is retiring with 45 years of service. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
The Fire Department ran 39 ambulances when Fitzmaurice started on March 24, 1975; 80 are running today, he said.
“He never spoke out for himself or for any kind of recognition. He did it for the city. And he succeeded,” said his friend and former partner, Bob Zange, who has since retired.
Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said the size of the fleet has more to do with the ever-expanding role of paramedics than Fitzmaurice’s media savvy, although he said Fitzmaurice’s lobbying “certainly didn’t hurt.”
Originally, the department formed paramedic squads to treat injured firefighters, Langford said. Over the years, it shifted to complement privately run ambulance companies serving everyday citizens. Today, of the emergency calls the Fire Department responds to, 87% are for emergency medical services.
“I respect that he is a man of extreme passion and believes in the job — it’s a part of him,” Langford said. “I will miss him because of his passion and dedication. We did not always agree on topics but we respected each other and I think the department will be less with him gone.”
All good things end and today I end my career with the CFD. It’s been a hell of a ride . I just want to say it was my honor and privilege to be apart of the greatest Paramedics and Firefighters in the world . pic.twitter.com/YrhgDLJwm7 — Patrick Fitzmaurice (@PatrickFitzmau2) November 17, 2020
Fitzmaurice didn’t expect to amount to much when he signed on to the job as a 21-year-old. A high school dropout, he had been working at Roma’s Beef stand on Cicero Avenue, he said. The father of the restaurant owner pushed him to go to City Hall to look for a job. Fitzmaurice, who originally wanted to be a police officer, expected to apply for a Streets and Sanitation crew but hiring had just ended.
“Don’t leave there without a job,” Fitzmaurice recalled the man saying. “They asked me if I wanted a job working with Chicago Fire, driving the ambulances. I said. ‘Count me in.’
“I’m almost positive I went home, bought a uniform and started the next day. They taught us how to drive the ambulance, how to carry a stretcher and that was pretty much it.”
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Given that he hadn’t planned on becoming a paramedic, it’s remarkable he managed to serve as one longer than almost anyone in the agency’s history. Before Fitzmaurice’s last shift, Langford said no current paramedics had a longer tenure, but there have been a handful in the department’s history who bested Fitzmaurice’s 45 years, seven months and 28 days.
Police officers and firefighters have mandatory retirement at age 63, but not paramedics. Fitzmaurice considers it just one way the agency treats paramedics as less praiseworthy than firefighters.
“You’d think the Fire Department would go to the budget hearings and say ‘We need more ambulances.’ You’d think they’d cross-train us rather than pay us millions in overtime just to maintain this line in the sand of us versus them. They want us to shut up and pay the rent and it bothers me deeply,” Fitzmaurice said. “What we do just doesn’t count, even though we bring in the majority of the revenue. Why is it we respect what they do but they don’t respect what we do?”
With comments such as those, friends said, he outlasted his peers even with a target on his back. Alvarez, who said Fitzmaurice is the most honorable person she’s ever met, said even though some found his direct and rough style off-putting, his heart was in the right place.
“He’s 100% supportive of the people that he works with, the crews on the street and EMS in general — and that’s really what he’s been, the champion of EMS all these years,” she said.
Considering just how critical he’s been of the department he loves, Fitzmaurice seems shocked to be leaving of his own volition. Many a fire commissioner would have liked to have sent him packing decades ago, he said.
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“They wanted me bad, they wanted me gone,” he said. “At the time I kept telling my wife — we just had a baby — I told her as long as I do my job, they can’t touch me. ... She backed me, but I knew she was scared. My brothers, my parents — my God, I know they were scared for me. But I wasn’t backing down.”
Fitzmaurice learned the power of the media when he was invited onto Bruce DuMont’s then-fledgling talk radio program. A teenager with asthma had died at the Cabrini-Green public housing complex, in part because paramedics couldn’t quickly reach him. Fitzmaurice took exception to people blaming the high-profile death on inadequacies in the city’s emergency medical services.
“You can’t use the elevators — there’s guys there controlling the access and they don’t care that you’re trying to save someone’s life. You can’t get the stairs — the gangs are doing business deals in the stairwells and you’re at risk there,” and without a police escort, Fitzmaurice said — another thing that has changed since those days.
Fitzmaurice was shocked at how many people heard the radio program and told him they were impressed with how he explained the situation.
“I never believed that I would get the response I got,” he said. “And what I kept coming back to was, my driver’s license says ‘United States of America’ and if I want to talk to the press, I’m going to talk to the press.”
And talk he did.
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When longtime Chicago journalist Pam Zekman, then at WBBM-TV, did a series on Fire Department response times, she told Fitzmaurice that she would follow the story wherever it went. When department brass held a news conference about something they wanted to promote, Zekman asked about ambulance run data Fitzmaurice said she “mysteriously” obtained. In the mid-1990s he appeared on WTTW’s “Chicago Tonight” debating department brass about the still-lagging response times.
“I was at war with the department, that’s the way it felt,” Fitzmaurice said.
“And early on, the way I felt I could legitimize it was, ‘I’m not your unnamed source, I’m Patrick Fitzmaurice,'” he said. “I knew for this to work I needed to be willing to use my name, to put it out there and stand by it.”
Through the years, though, when he wasn’t an expert on a topic but felt media should be aware of a problem, he occasionally provided anonymous tips to reporters.
Ambulance commander Melanie Howe, who worked under “Fitz,” as she calls him, until Wednesday, said she’s been inspired by his dedication to shining a light on injustice and his support of the paramedics under him.
“I’ve worked for a lot of really great people over the last 20 years but I’ve never felt more supported ... Fitz is definitely one of a kind,” Howe said. “We run all day and all night on the West Side and I always say, ‘If we’re up, he’s up.' ”
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Fitzmaurice has kept a scrapbook of articles he’s appeared in and he’s developed a friendship with Tribune columnist John Kass, who wrote about Fitzmaurice’s garden this summer. Kass also featured Fitzmaurice in a 2015 column about rules prohibiting paramedics from wearing bulletproof vests over their uniforms. The department consequently amended its policy.
“He loves that job, and the paramedics. He fights for them. Like many EMTs, he’s haunted by all those children he’s treated who’ve been shot in the street gang wars on the West Side,” Kass wrote in an email.
Chicago Fire Department paramedic Patrick Fitzmaurice in his Northwest Side home on Aug. 25, 2015. Fitzmaurice said he was told by top brass he couldn't wear a bulletproof vest on dangerous assignments. . (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)
Fitzmaurice has been outspoken about the city’s violence and said it took him years of reflection to find a coping strategy better than drinking and making others uncomfortable by relaying gory details that no one else wanted to hear.
“This job, it ain’t delivering pizzas. I have seen some s--- that nobody needs to see,” he said.
That included two firefighter deaths, a woman who killed her children and a girl who was run over by an airplane, he said. He told his brothers the graphic details of the girl’s injury, causing a brief rift between them, he said.
“I think I wanted them to feel as bad as I did,” he said, adding that he later turned to exercise as a healthier way to work out the demons. He also boxes and gardens with Marilyn, his wife of nearly 40 years.
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“He’s stubborn. Old school and strong-willed. He’s Chicago. If you were in a tough spot, you’d want him watching your back,” Kass said.
Fitzmaurice, who entered retirement when his last 24-hour shift ended at 6 a.m. Wednesday, eschewed the usual celebration that would accompany a paramedic’s last shift, said Howe.
That usually involves someone volunteering to take over for the soon-to-be-retiree when their ambulance is called out, so the person can greet guests coming into the firehouse, Howe said.
But well before it became clear the pandemic would curtail such a celebration, Fitmaurice decided “He didn’t want to do that because he wanted to have that last day out there with us,” Howe said.
On Monday he went to Costco and purchased a bottle of Champagne to drink in a private celebration with Marilyn, likely on Thursday — after he gets some rest.
Howe said she previously was unsure whether Fitzmaurice was ready to retire or if he was doing it to appease his family, who all sacrificed so much time with him throughout the years. Then, earlier this year, she began to sense a shift in him.
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“There’s a window where you get out when the getting’s good. He got to his window a lot later but over the last six to eight months, I really saw him begin to reconcile that he was going to leave. And he’s doing it for himself. There’s places he wants to go, he’s been talking about doing a trip to Europe,” she said.
“It’s almost like his cup finally got full enough and it’s starting to spill over,” Howe said.He knows now that he’s done so much for so long but he’s taught us right and he doesn’t have to fight the system alone anymore. He knows we’re going to be OK without him.”
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-11-18--Running list of Chicago-area closings and cancellations because of coronavirus

Pritzker in the spring issued a stay-at-home order that was in effect into June , but the state has never @ @ @ @ @ have continued to require people to practice such precautions as wearing a face mask covering @ @ @ @ @ going out in public .
On Tuesday , state officials announced a rollback to a @ @ @ @ @ closing many types of public gathering places and further limiting many businesses ' capacity , @ @ @ @ @ allowing local school districts to decide , in consultation with local health authorities , whether @ @ @ @

Chicago Tribune staff, Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas, Liam Ford

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
In the months since Gov. J.B. Pritzker lifted the state’s coronavirus stay-at-home order, Chicagoans and other residents of Illinois have seen a gradual tightening of restrictions as COVID-19 cases spiked well past levels seen in the spring.
Pritzker in the spring issued a stay-at-home order that was in effect into June, but the state has never fully reopened, and officials have continued to require people to practice such precautions as wearing a face mask covering both nose and mouth when going out in public. On Tuesday, state officials announced a rollback to a Tier 3 mitigation plan, closing many types of public gathering places and further limiting many businesses' capacity, although state officials are still allowing local school districts to decide, in consultation with local health authorities, whether to remain open.
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With more than 10,000 deaths and more than 500,000 known cases reported in Illinois, event organizers, businesses and religious institutions here have reacted to the local transmission of the virus. Starting Nov. 16, Chicago and Cook County went under stay-at-home advisories, and more restrictions could be coming at the state level, as Pritzker has warned the state could be headed for another general shutdown.
Here are Chicago-area cancellations, closings and modifications prompted by the pandemic:
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Events
There are many holiday events planned for November and December in the suburbs, all of them adapted to deal with the coronavirus.
Chicago’s Christkindlmarket and many other events have been canceled or moved online this year, including the city’s Christmas tree-lighting ceremony and the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival.
Theaters, performing arts centers and amusement centers were to close under Tier 3, effective Friday, Nov. 20.
Roman Catholic churches in the Archdiocese of Chicago are still holding services under limited-capacity guidelines put in place in June and the archdiocese in November advised parishes, agencies and its main offices to reinforce current work-at-home advisories, while limiting non-worship gatherings to 10 people.
The annual festival for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Des Plaines has been canceled.
Many other places of worship also remain open, with restrictions, but many are streaming their services.
“Meeting rooms, banquet centers, private party rooms, private clubs and country clubs may not host gatherings” under Tier 3 restrictions, according to the state.
Funerals are limited to 10 family members, not including funeral home staff.
The
Many Chicago-area 12-step recovery meetings were suspended or moved because of coronavirus-related precautions, according to the websites of the local affiliates of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.
Museums, parks and sports
All museums in Illinois were ordered closed as of Friday, Nov. 20, under Tier 3 mitigation measures.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago had announced it was closing down for two weeks as COVID-19 rates climb rapidly in Illinois and across the country and the Shedd Aquarium announced that it was closing again effective Nov. 18, with a target reopening date of Jan. 2.
Indoor recreation centers were ordered closed effective Nov. 20 under Tier 3 measures.
All indoor group sporting and recreational activities, including youth and adult recreational sports as well as park district programs and travel leagues, were ordered halted as of Nov. 20 under Tier 3 measures, although individual training may continue, with facility reservations.
Outdoor sports and recreation involving 10 people or fewer, with social distancing and face masks, are allowed under Tier 3 measures.
The Garfield Park Conservatory has had its outdoor grounds open, but the Lincoln Park Conservatory has remained fully closed. Although the Chicago Park District has had online and some in-person programs, its offerings have been limited.
Government
Hospitals
Many Chicago-area hospitals are again restricting visitors because of the spread of the coronavirus, after relaxing rules over the summer.
On Nov. 16, Advocate Aurora Health said it was delaying half of elective surgeries because of surging COVID-19 cases.
Businesses
Under the state’s coronavirus plan, restaurants throughout the state are limited to outdoor dining, carryout or delivery, with limited hours. Bars have limited hours and can’t have indoor service.
Under Tier 3 measures, all Illinois bars and restaurants must close at 11 p.m. and reopen no sooner than 6 a.m. the next day, effective Nov. 20.
All workers who can work remotely should work remotely under the Tier 3 measures.
Chicago is limiting the hours of what it deems nonessential businesses, requiring they stay closed between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Taverns and restaurants must stop serving alcohol at 11 p.m. and businesses that sell packaged alcohol must stop selling at 9 p.m.
All gaming and casinos will close as of Friday, Nov. 20, under Tier 3 measures.
Grocery stores and pharmacies can operate at 50% capacity.
Health and fitness centers — including at hotels, where reservations are required — retail stores other than groceries and pharmacies, personal care services such as salons and fitness centers can operate at 25% capacity starting Nov. 20 under Tier 3 measures.
The Tribune is keeping a running list of restaurants that have permanently closed because of the pandemic.
Schools
Schools may remain open under Tier 3 measures effective Nov. 20, but state officials say many are choosing to go to remote learning.
Chicago’s public schools remain on remote learning. CPS has talked about starting in-person learning for some groups of students, but that may be derailed by spiking cases.
The Archdiocese of Chicago’s schools remain open for in-person instruction, with a portion of students choosing online instruction. Archdiocese school officials have said they are allow schools to switch to online learning between Thanksgiving and Christmas—all Catholic schools in the archdiocese will be remote the first two weeks of January—but only about 20% of schools are expected to close after Thanksgiving.
Many colleges and universities are following a hybrid model, with some students on campus and others at home, along with some classes in-person and others remote.
Models for suburban schools vary from district to district, and many have been pulling back from in-person instruction, as school boards feel heat from people on both side of the debate over whether to hold in-person classes. Some of the districts' decisions include:
Check back for updates.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-11-18--Appeals court vacates 16-year sentence in Loop bar terror plot, says judge paid only ‘lip service’ t

Appeals court vacates 16-year sentence in Loop bar terror plot, says judge paid only ‘lip service’ to seriousness of Adel Daoud’s crimes

Daoud , of Hillside , was 17 when he came under FBI scrutiny in 2011 while exchanging messages online about @ @ @ @ @ government and his desire to die a martyr .
FBI analysts posing as terrorists eventually @ @ @ @ @ an undercover agent , who was purportedly their “ cousin ” interested in waging jihad @

A federal appeals court has thrown out the 16-year prison sentence for a suburban Chicago man convicted in a terrorist bombing plot, saying the judge paid only “lip service” to the seriousness of the crime and overplayed the defendant’s immaturity at the time the FBI caught him in the sting.
The ruling Tuesday by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sends the case of Adel Daoud back to the district court for resentencing, marking yet another twist in an unusual terrorism case that began more than nine years ago when Daoud was just 17.
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Adel Daoud (U.S. Marshals Service)
In addition to terrorism charges stemming from the plot to bomb the Cactus Bar & Grill, Daoud pleaded guilty to separate indictments accusing him of soliciting the murder of the undercover FBI agent at the center of the sting operation and attacking a fellow inmate with a jailhouse shank while awaiting trial in 2015.
Daoud, now 27, is being held at a federal prison facility in Kentucky and is currently scheduled for release in May 2026.
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In its 26-page opinion, the appellate court wrote that in handing down the lenient sentence — which was less than half of the 40-year term requested by prosecutors — U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman “sterilized Daoud’s offense conduct in ways that cannot be reconciled” with the facts.
The appellate panel wrote it was particularly puzzled by Coleman’s “general emphasis on Daoud’s awkwardness, goofiness and impressionability,” saying the record did not reflect that those character traits played a major role in his crimes.
“We do not see how social ineptitude could excuse repeated violent criminal behavior that reflected an extraordinary disregard for human life,” Judge Amy St. Eve wrote in the opinion, which was joined by Judges Kenneth Ripple and Michael Brennan.
In an emailed statement, Daoud’s attorney, Thomas Anthony Durkin, wrote the wrongheaded opinion slapped away the “sound discretion” of a good judge with an intimate knowledge of the defendant.
“In hindsight we should have tried these cases so the public could have seen the callousness and absurdity of the government’s tactics,” Durkin wrote.
Daoud, of Hillside, was 17 when he came under FBI scrutiny in 2011 while exchanging messages online about his hatred of the U.S. government and his desire to die a martyr. FBI analysts posing as terrorists eventually got Daoud to meet with an undercover agent, who was purportedly their “cousin” interested in waging jihad.
Over several months, Daoud and the agent met a few times in the Chicago area to discuss potential targets for an attack, including movie theaters, a suburban mall and military recruiting centers, prosecutors alleged. Daoud’s handwritten notes he brought to one meeting made reference to a “big bomb.”
In one meeting in Villa Park in August 2012, Daoud allegedly told the agent he wanted to maximize the carnage so he would feel like he “accomplished something.”
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“If it’s only like five, 10 people, I’m not gonna feel that good,” Daoud said in a recording that was played at his sentencing hearing. “I wanted something that’s ... massive. I want something that’s gonna make it in the news like tonight.”
Daoud was arrested in an alley across from the Cactus Bar & Grill on Sept. 14, 2012, after he twice pressed the detonator to what he thought was a 1,000-pound car bomb he’d parked outside the crowded pub.
Two months after his arrest, Daoud was being held at the Kankakee County Jail when he offered to pay $20,000 to his cellmate to have fellow street gang members track down and murder the agent who’d deceived him, saying that “all spies must die,” according to prosecutors.
In May 2015, Daoud attacked a fellow inmate at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, using a toothbrush he’d fashioned into a shank to slash the victim while he slept in his cell, prosecutors said. Daoud was allegedly angry the inmate had previously drawn a picture of the Prophet Muhammad, which Daoud considered an insult to his religion.
In early hearings on the charges, Daoud was prone to frequent outbursts in court and once accused Coleman of being a reptilian overlord. The judge eventually found Daoud mentally unfit for trial and sent him to a federal facility for treatment. A year later, he was found to be rehabilitated.
In issuing her sentence in May 2019, Coleman chided both sides for infusing their arguments through the years with “hyperbole and hysteria” and said it was clear in many of the recorded conversations that Daoud was an “immature young man” who was easily egged on by the undercover agent.
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“(Daoud) continued to do what teenage boys do, which is to talk big,” Coleman said. “He clearly stated he did not know how to build a bomb.”
But the 7th Circuit said in its opinion that Coleman had given “short shrift” to Daoud’s intentions. Not only was Daoud undeterred when the FBI offered him opportunities to call off the bombing, “the possibility of mass casualties excited and motivated (him),” the opinion stated.
“On one hand, the government could have supplied a smaller bomb,” the appellate court wrote. “On the other hand, the large bomb illustrates that Daoud had an apparently large appetite for mass carnage.”
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-18--Man, 81, uses antique shillelagh to chase ruse burglars from Niles home: ‘I was trying to find some

Man, 81, uses antique shillelagh to chase ruse burglars from Niles home: ‘I was trying to find some type of persuasive weapon’

One of the men was carrying what Donovan recognized to be a pillowcase from bedroom .
Shouting and swinging the @ @ @ @ @ he struck the man in the back of the head with the end of the @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t drop the pillowcase .
He followed his partners in crime outside , @ @ @ @ @ .
Barefoot , he approached the SUV they had parked in his driveway and began @ @ @ @ @ stick .

Dan Donovan, joined by his wife, Barbara, holds the antique shillelagh he used to chase burglars from the couple's Niles home on Nov. 4. (Jennifer Johnson / Pioneer Press)
When intruders targeted Dan and Barbara Donovan’s Niles home earlier this month, they picked the wrong couple to burglarize.
Instead of fleeing the modest brick house with valuables, the three men ran in fear as Dan, 81, chased them out the door with an antique shillelagh, a wooden Irish walking stick that once belonged to his grandfather.
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“I hit the one guy on the back of his head,” Donovan, a former Marine, recalled. “I’m certain he had a headache.”
It was late afternoon on Nov. 4 when the couple, 50-year residents of Niles, heard a knock at their door and found a man wearing a reflective vest and a face mask standing outside. The visitor, who was carrying what appeared to be tools, said he was there to check their “fuse box” due a recent fire in the area.
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Barbara Donovan said the visit did not immediately seem unusual.
“We had received a letter from the electric company the day before,” Donovan said, explaining that the letter indicated work would be taking place in their area and would include power outages. “So when he said he was with the electric company, we let him in.”
What the couple didn’t immediately realize was that the man wasn’t a utility worker — and he wasn’t alone. As he led the couple into the basement of their home, two additional people sneaked inside through the now unlocked door.
Downstairs, Barbara Donovan began to feel suspicious about the man who was looking over her electric circuit panel.
“I kept backing up and he kept saying, ‘Come over by me,’” Barbara said. “He said, ‘If you’re home alone, you won’t know what to do,’ and kept telling me to come closer to him. I thought that was kind of weird.”
Dan Donovan holds the shillelagh, an Irish walking stick, that he used to chase intruders from his Niles home on Nov. 4. (Jennifer Johnson / Pioneer Press)
Suddenly, Barbara heard the squeak of floorboards above her head.
“I yelled, 'Danny! Somebody’s in our bedroom!” she said.
Barbara bounded up the steps, followed by her husband and the so-called utility worker. When they reached the main floor, the Donovans discovered there were more than just the three of them inside.
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“I started chasing them to get them out of my house,” Dan Donovan said.
That’s when he grabbed his grandfather’s shillelagh, which was propped up in the corner of the couple’s dining room.
“I was trying to find some type of persuasive weapon,” Donovan said. “So I picked up the Irish shillelagh and that turned out to be the equalizer because I managed to chase them out of the house.”
One of the men was carrying what Donovan recognized to be a pillowcase from bedroom. Shouting and swinging the shillelagh, Dan Donovan said he struck the man in the back of the head with the end of the walking stick, but he didn’t drop the pillowcase. He followed his partners in crime outside, but Donovan continued his pursuit. Barefoot, he approached the SUV they had parked in his driveway and began hitting it with the walking stick.
“I managed to get a good swing at the windshield and the rear window,” he said. “I think I cracked them both.”
In the meantime, Barbara Donovan said she was on the phone to police, who arrived shortly after the intruders fled the scene.
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In all the excitement, and due to the darkening skies, Donovan acknowledged he was unable to get the license plate number or the make and model of the SUV.
Niles police, in their report of the incident, categorized what happened to the Donovans as a “ruse entry,” a common scam in which thieves, posing as utility workers, landscapers, other types of workers or neighbors, approach a home and lure the residents outside or into another part of the house while their partners sneak in and search for jewelry, cash and other small valuables.
The Donovans say they still aren’t quite sure what, if anything, the burglars stole, but they do know their pillowcase was taken and their bedroom drawers had been removed and rummaged through.
“They just scared the heck out of us,” Barbara said.
The couple acknowledged they feel somewhat chagrined that they didn’t catch on right away that they were victims of a scammer. Even their children, they say, ask them why they let the first man inside. Barbara points to the letter they received the day earlier from ComEd, though she now wonders if that, too, was part of the scam.
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For his part, Dan Donovan praises his wife for quickly catching on to what the scammers were up to. The incident has taught him to be more alert, he said, and he urges others to do the same.
And while he doesn’t consider himself a hero, Barbara does.
“I felt a lot better when I saw him with the shillelagh because he was chasing them out of the house,” she said.
“Hopefully they got nothing more than a headache and hopefully they pursue another occupation,” Dan Donovan said.
jjohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @Jen_Tribune


chicagotribune--2020-11-18--Man found dead on CTA tracks in the Loop, police say

About 5 p.m. , a man was discovered on the tracks in the first block of West Van Buren Street @ @ @ @ @ train approached the man but was able to stop and did not hit him .
@ @ @ @ @ at the scene .

A man was found dead on CTA tracks Tuesday afternoon in the Loop, according to Chicago police.
About 5 p.m., a man was discovered on the tracks in the first block of West Van Buren Street, police said. A train approached the man but was able to stop and did not hit him. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Police are investigating how he ended up on the tracks. His cause and manner of death are pending an autopsy by the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-11-18--IHSA puts temporary ‘pause’ on winter high school sports season

`` We have asked Deputy Gov .
( Jesse ) Ruiz and Dr. ( Ngozi ) Ezike to engage with @ @ @ @ @ so that we can collaborate on developing a plan to safely conduct IHSA sports and @ @ @ @ @ .
IHSA schools have been exemplary in adhering to state regulations throughout this pandemic , @ @ @ @ @ programs will hold themselves to the same standard as we all put the long-term health @ @ @ @ @ citizens ahead of short-term athletic competition .
”

Marist’s Kira Chivers, right, tries to drive past Homewood-Flossmoor’s Imani Mitchell during the Class 4A Stagg Sectional final in Palos Hills on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
The winter sports season officially went on a temporary “pause” Tuesday night.
Craig Anderson, the executive director of the Illinois High School Association, released a statement in response to Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health declining an invitation to attend the IHSA’s Thursday board meeting.
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Boys and girls basketball, boys and girls bowling and boys swimming will not begin to play as scheduled until 2021, according to the IHSA statement.
Thornton's Brandon Hall, center, takes the ball to the basket against Bloom during a game in Chicago Heights on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020. (Gary Middendorf / Daily Southtown)
“The IHSA recognizes that today’s announcement by Gov. Pritzker will temporarily pause the IHSA’s winter sports season,” Anderson said. “We remain optimistic that these new mitigations, coupled with the emergence of a vaccine, will aid in creating participation opportunities in the new year for IHSA student-athletes in winter, spring, and summer sports.
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“The IHSA board of directors will meet as scheduled on Nov. 19, 2020, to continue plotting out potential paths for IHSA sport and activity participation through the remainder of the school year. Although representatives from the governor’s office and the Illinois Department of Public Health will be unable to attend the meeting, today’s updated guidance from Gov. Pritzker will aid the board’s decision-making.
"We have asked Deputy Gov. (Jesse) Ruiz and Dr. (Ngozi) Ezike to engage with us in the near future so that we can collaborate on developing a plan to safely conduct IHSA sports and activities as soon as possible. IHSA schools have been exemplary in adhering to state regulations throughout this pandemic, and we hope that non-school programs will hold themselves to the same standard as we all put the long-term health and safety of our fellow citizens ahead of short-term athletic competition.”


chicagotribune--2020-11-17--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what happened Nov. 17 with COVID-19 in the Chicago area

Chicago Public Schools has announced that it will continue to provide classes through remote learning until after the winter break , but then plans to begin bringing students back on Jan. 11 .
The news came down just after Gov .
J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday that he is imposing new restrictions — but reiterated that he ’ s leaving decisions about schools to local districts .
Just ahead of the busiest shopping season of the year , retailers will be under a 25 % capacity limit , down from the current 50 % .
A 50 % capacity limit will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chains such as Walmart and Target that include groceries will be subject to the lower limit .
Meanwhile , Illinois health officials on Tuesday announced 12,601 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 97 additional fatalities , bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 597,849 and the statewide death toll to 10,875 since the start of the pandemic .
And while updating Chicago ’ s new rules Tuesday for staying inside after returning from other states with serious pandemic outbreaks , the city ’ s health commissioner again urged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley , the longest-serving Republican senator and third in the line of presidential succession , said Tuesday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus .
Grassley announced earlier Tuesday that he was quarantining after being exposed to the virus and was waiting for the results of a test .
On Tuesday evening , he tweeted that he had tested positive .
“ I ’ ve tested positive for coronavirus , ” Grassley wrote .
“ I ’ ll b following my doctors ' orders/CDC guidelines & continue to quarantine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will keep up on my work for the ppl of Iowa from home.
” A plan to cap delivery fees charged to Chicago restaurants by third-party delivery companies such as Grubhub and Uber Eats at 10 % of the order ’ s cost as long as indoor dining capacity is set at below 40 % during the coronavirus pandemic moved closer to final passage on Tuesday as aldermen voted to advance the plan .
The proposal , introduced to the City Council on Monday as Mayor Lori Lightfoot and aldermen try to help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passed in the joint committee on finance and license and consumer protection .
4:50 p.m. : Holiday volunteering will look a lot different this year due to COVID-19 .
Here are 10 ways you can still help — in person or virtually .
The holiday season is typically high tide for giving back through volunteering .
But as the COVID-19 pandemic persists , cases surge and a stay-at-home advisory went into effect in Chicago and Cook County on Monday , organizations are seeing volunteer numbers dwindle even as demand for their services increases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always see a surge in individuals seeking us out for our assistance , ” said Lt. Col. Lonneal Richardson , metropolitan division commander for the Salvation Army , who is responsible for all operations in Chicago and the metro area .
For the first time since May , a Cook County Jail detainee who tested positive for COVID-19 has died in custody , authorities said .
Harold Graszer , 85 , died Monday at Stroger Hospital after being diagnosed with the disease .
The official cause of death is pending an autopsy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s office .
Records show that Graszer was awaiting trial on charges of predatory criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a child younger than 13 .
He had been behind bars for about a year .
Seven other COVID-positive detainees have died in custody , but all of those were in the spring , as the jail was dealing with a coronavirus spike it has since taken measures to control.Positive cases at the jail remained in the low double digits through most of the summer , but as cases have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of positive tests in the jail also have climbed .
As of Monday evening , there were 140 detainees with covid in the jail .
And the jail ’ s population has risen significantly since efforts in the spring to release detainees to allow for social distancing .
There were 5,518 people in custody Tuesday —nearly back to pre-pandemic levels .
4:37 p.m. : Chicago Public Schools will begin in-person classes in January as more suburban districts announce they will revert to remote learning amid COVID-19 surge Chicago Public Schools has announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through remote learning until after the winter break , but then plans to begin bringing students back on Jan. 11 .
The news came down just after Illinois Gov .
J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday that he is imposing more restrictions to try to stem the spread of the coronavirus — but reiterated that he ’ s leaving decision about schools to local districts .
( Updated 3:35 p.m. ) 1:12 p.m. : Gov .
J.B. Pritzker lowers capacity for retail shops and shuts down casinos in latest effort to slow COVID-19 surge Just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the year , retailers will be under a 25 % capacity limit , down from the current 50 % .
A 50 % capacity limit will remain for grocery stores , but big-box chains such as Walmart and Target that include groceries will be subject to the lower limit .
While updating Chicago ’ s new rules Tuesday for staying inside after returning from other states with serious pandemic outbreaks , the city ’ s health commissioner urged people to cancel traditional Thanksgiving plans .
Forty six states and Puerto Rico now require @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people coming into Chicago under Mayor Lori Lightfoot ’ s travel order .
Only Maine , Vermont and Hawaii have low enough COVID-19 rates to not fall into the stricter categories , Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said .
And the skyrocketing cases in Chicago and across the country call for not mixing households for the upcoming holiday , she said .
“ Not just for traveling , if you haven ’ t covered your Thanksgiving plans yet with your friends and family , please do cancel your traditional Thanksgiving plans , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be traveling to Michigan , seeing my extended friends and family .
I love Thanksgiving .
This year , I ’ ll be staying home .
I ’ ll be having that celebration over FaceTime or Zoom.
” “ It ’ s not what I want to do , but it ’ s the right thing to do , for myself , for my family and for Chicago .
Please make that same decision , ” she said .
Early in the day Tuesday , Shedd Aquarium announced it would join the MCA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rates rise in Illinois and across the country and officials ask the public to hunker back down .
But Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s afternoon press briefing made it clear they would not be alone .
Beginning at midnight Friday , he said , all indoor museums must close to help stem the spread of the coronavirus , part of a suite of mitigations meant to limit public gatherings .
1:33 p.m. : Iowa governor orders residents to wear masks , then says , ‘ There ’ s science on both sides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to support wherever you are at ’ Iowa Gov .
Kim Reynolds urged residents Tuesday to follow her new partial mask mandate , while claiming “ there ’ s science on both sides ” about whether masks reduce the spread of coronavirus .
She said she changed course because the state has seen an exponential increase in the number of people hospitalized with the virus this month .
She warned that without action , hospitals will be overwhelmed and people will be at risk of not being able to get medical care of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Reynolds defended exceptions in her mask mandate that public health experts say makes it weak .
She said it does not extend to schools because classrooms have not been a major source of virus transmission , and that most districts are already requiring students to wear face coverings .
The mandate only applies when people are within 6 feet of other members of the public outside their households for at least 15 minutes .
Reynolds said it was appropriate to target “ prolonged personal interaction ” given how the virus spreads and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ side of caution .
At the same event , however , she seemed to allow for doubts about their effectiveness .
She noted that neighboring states with mask mandates , such as Illinois and Minnesota , have seen rising numbers of cases , although not as severely as Iowa .
“ Oh there ’ s science on both sides and you know that , ” she said .
“ If you look you can find whatever you want to support wherever you are at.
” The pre-taped festival special is scheduled to premiere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7 and air again at 4 p.m. Nov. 29 .
The broadcast is hosted by Channel 7 anchors Cheryl Burton and Alan Krashesky with Janet Davies contributing .
Hudson , Grammy winner Heather Headley and Rascal Flatts perform on the hour-long special , which will feature Mickey and Minnie Mouse lighting up Michigan Avenue from the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida .
Evans announced Tuesday that two more youths at the detention center have tested positive , the fifth and sixth in recent days .
That brings the total number of cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beginning of the pandemic .
Additionally , 68 staff at the detention center have tested positive for the coronavirus this year.Evans also reported that two employees of the juvenile probation department have tested positive , as well as a judge assigned to Traffic Court at the Daley Center .
Across the system since the pandemic ’ s start , officials said 159 employees working for the chief judge ’ s office have tested positive for COVID-19 , in addition to 11 judges .
The Cook County system employs some 2,600 staffers and about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic hardships have left more residents in need this holiday season .
Local food pantries say there are more helpers , too .
As the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic forces a growing number of local families to seek financial assistance , officials at north suburban social service agencies say the increased need has been accompanied by an outpouring of community support .
Food pantry officials in Niles and New Trier townships and the city of Evanston all say that while it is clear more people are in need this holiday season @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in donations .
That ’ s a trend they hope continues over the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons .
12:12 p.m. : Pritzker restricted the state ’ s eviction moratorium , meaning more renters can be kicked out .
Here ’ s what you need to know .
As the number of new coronavirus cases in Illinois topped 15,000 for the first time — setting a record for consecutive days — Gov .
J.B. Pritzker extended his moratorium on housing evictions , but added new requirements for those tenants requesting a reprieve due to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ This new moratorium will ensure that the rents are paid by tenants who may have been taking advantage of the eviction moratorium but who are , in fact , able to make their monthly rent payments , ” Pritzker said Friday .
Despite the eviction moratorium enacted in March , evictions are still happening .
Housing advocates say both property owners and renters are hurting , and more relief is needed .
Illinois health officials on Tuesday announced 12,601 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 97 additional fatalities , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Illinois to 597,849 and the statewide death toll to 10,875 since the start of the pandemic .
Officials also reported 94,205 new tests in the last 24 hours .
The seven-day statewide rolling positivity rate for cases as a share of total tests was 12.5 % for the period ending Monday , up from 8 % on Nov. 1 .
11:44 a.m. : Mask mandate being discussed for Naperville , mayor says at COVID-19 town hall meeting Speaking during a virtual town hall meeting Monday , Chirico broached the subject as he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic and answered questions on the current case surge that has led to a ban on indoor dining and prompted school districts to step back from return-to-school plans .
“ This is something that I ’ ve been talking about with our staff and with the health department ― that is , whether or not it would be helpful for Naperville to adopt a universal mask ordinance , ” the mayor said .
“ It ’ s somewhat heavy handed , I think people would say , and it wouldn ’ t be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
“ But if it were successful in its goal of trying to get everybody to comply , then it ’ s something that I think would be worth it.
” 11:40 a.m. : Wilmette extends financial help for village restaurants struggling during COVID-19 pandemic Wilmette restaurant owners struggling in the wake of the state ’ s recent tightening of COVID-19 restrictions on indoor dining might be eligible for economic relief through a new village program .
The roughly $ 170,000 economic relief program , which was recently approved by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials said , and will be launched if the current mitigations set by the state in late October extend beyond four weeks , or Nov. 25 .
The program would provide financial support to eligible village restaurants suffering from stricter mitigations recently set by the state for suburban Cook County , including a ban on indoor dining and reduced capacity and party sizes for outdoor dining , officials said in a statement .
11:32 a.m. : States plead for more federal help as coronavirus outbreak worsens , vaccine months away from distribution With @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away from wide distribution , governors across the U.S. are pleading for more help from Washington ahead of what is shaping up to be a bleak winter .
Renewed restrictions on indoor businesses , the coming end of unemployment benefits for millions of Americans and overloaded hospitals have led governors to paint a dire picture of the months ahead unless the federal government steps in with more money and leadership to help them shore up their damaged budgets and beat back the resurgence of the coronavirus .
Public health programs in the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the coronavirus has swept through the country , killing more than 247,000 people .
As state and local public health departments struggle with unprecedented challenges — slashed budgets , surging demand , staff departures and even threats to workers ' safety —- a new generation is entering the field .
Among the more than 100 schools and public health programs that use the common application — a single admissions application form that students can send to multiple schools — there was a 20 % increase in applications to master ’ s in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , to nearly 40,000 , according to the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health .
8:12 a.m. : Why experts say Moderna COVID-19 vaccine holds advantage over Pfizer ’ s candidate The mRNA-based coronavirus vaccine developed by Moderna and vetted in clinical trials at the Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System is based on the same technology used by Pfizer to develop its vaccine candidate , but would not have the same requirement for storage at ultra-cold temperatures .
Pfizer and Moderna are the first companies to release partial results from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to develop a vaccine against the deadly SARS-CoV-3 virus that causes COVID-19 .
6 a.m. : Should college students get a COVID-19 test before heading home for the holidays ?
Some schools urge or even require it , but ‘ it doesn ’ t give you a free pass ’ From requiring students to take COVID-19 tests before departing campus to restricting dorm access , colleges are tightening protocols ahead of Thanksgiving and winter breaks , when thousands of students are expected to journey home for the holidays amid a national coronavirus surge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially in airports or by public transit , is inherently risky when COVID-19 infections are high , and colleges are discouraging students from shuttling back and forth in the coming weeks .
But concern remains that young adults crisscrossing the country might seed new infections in their home communities — or within their own households .
Though schools with resources to conduct exit testing aim to address that worry , doctors say students shouldn ’ t rely solely on negative results .
It can take several days after infection for viral particles to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shows .
6 a.m. : Every toilet flush reveals a clue in fight to stop COVID-19 With COVID-19 infections spiking again at an alarming rate , Chicago is scrambling to catch up to other cities forecasting outbreaks by analyzing human waste flushed down thousands of toilets .
Signs of the novel coronavirus show up in sewers about a week before people surge into hospitals with symptoms of the disease , which during the past nine months has killed more than 1.3 million people worldwide , including 246,000 in the United States .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with more time to prepare for outbreaks , 20 communities in 43 countries are collecting sewage samples and posting charts showing changes over time in the genetic signature of the SARS-CoV-2 virus .
Researchers from four universities and Argonne National Laboratory are rushing to add Chicago to the list early next year .
`` It ’ s much more efficient to test wastewater from a neighborhood , where a couple of samples could tell you as much as testing 500 people over and over again , said Sam Dorevitch , a University of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ project .

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CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
For the latest updates, click here for Wednesday’s live blog.
Chicago Public Schools has announced that it will continue to provide classes through remote learning until after the winter break, but then plans to begin bringing students back on Jan. 11.
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The news came down just after Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday that he is imposing new restrictions — but reiterated that he’s leaving decisions about schools to local districts.
The targeted restrictions for retail shops and a shutdown of casinos are part of the state’s latest effort to slow the surging coronavirus.
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Just ahead of the busiest shopping season of the year, retailers will be under a 25% capacity limit, down from the current 50%. A 50% capacity limit will remain for grocery stores, but big-box chains such as Walmart and Target that include groceries will be subject to the lower limit.
In addition to casinos, video gambling terminals statewide will be shut down under the plan.
Additonally, all indoor museums must close. The new measures take effect at midnight Friday.
[ New coronavirus restrictions: What will be open, closed, different in Illinois starting Friday ]
Meanwhile, Illinois health officials on Tuesday announced 12,601 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 97 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 597,849 and the statewide death toll to 10,875 since the start of the pandemic.
And while updating Chicago’s new rules Tuesday for staying inside after returning from other states with serious pandemic outbreaks, the city’s health commissioner again urged people to cancel traditional Thanksgiving plans.
Here’s what’s happening Tuesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
5:16 p.m.: Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the longest-serving Republican senator, says he tested positive for coronavirus
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the longest-serving Republican senator and third in the line of presidential succession, said Tuesday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Grassley announced earlier Tuesday that he was quarantining after being exposed to the virus and was waiting for the results of a test. On Tuesday evening, he tweeted that he had tested positive.
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“I’ve tested positive for coronavirus,” Grassley wrote. “I’ll b following my doctors' orders/CDC guidelines & continue to quarantine. I’m feeling good + will keep up on my work for the ppl of Iowa from home.”
Read more here. —Associated Press
5:06 p.m.: Proposal to cap delivery app fees in Chicago clears City Council hurdle
A plan to cap delivery fees charged to Chicago restaurants by third-party delivery companies such as Grubhub and Uber Eats at 10% of the order’s cost as long as indoor dining capacity is set at below 40% during the coronavirus pandemic moved closer to final passage on Tuesday as aldermen voted to advance the plan.
The proposal, introduced to the City Council on Monday as Mayor Lori Lightfoot and aldermen try to help restaurants make it through the winter, passed in the joint committee on finance and license and consumer protection.
Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
4:50 p.m.: Holiday volunteering will look a lot different this year due to COVID-19. Here are 10 ways you can still help — in person or virtually.
The holiday season is typically high tide for giving back through volunteering. But as the COVID-19 pandemic persists, cases surge and a stay-at-home advisory went into effect in Chicago and Cook County on Monday, organizations are seeing volunteer numbers dwindle even as demand for their services increases.
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“At Christmas time, we always see a surge in individuals seeking us out for our assistance,” said Lt. Col. Lonneal Richardson, metropolitan division commander for the Salvation Army, who is responsible for all operations in Chicago and the metro area.
Read more here. —Christen A. Johnson
4:47 p.m.: Cook County Jail detainee who tested positive for COVID-19 has died in custody
For the first time since May, a Cook County Jail detainee who tested positive for COVID-19 has died in custody, authorities said.
Harold Graszer, 85, died Monday at Stroger Hospital after being diagnosed with the disease. The official cause of death is pending an autopsy, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office.
Records show that Graszer was awaiting trial on charges of predatory criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a child younger than 13. He had been behind bars for about a year.
Seven other COVID-positive detainees have died in custody, but all of those were in the spring, as the jail was dealing with a coronavirus spike it has since taken measures to control.Positive cases at the jail remained in the low double digits through most of the summer, but as cases have skyrocketed in the larger community, the number of positive tests in the jail also have climbed. As of Monday evening, there were 140 detainees with covid in the jail.
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And the jail’s population has risen significantly since efforts in the spring to release detainees to allow for social distancing. There were 5,518 people in custody Tuesday —nearly back to pre-pandemic levels.
—Megan Crepeau
4:37 p.m.: Chicago Public Schools will begin in-person classes in January as more suburban districts announce they will revert to remote learning amid COVID-19 surge
Chicago Public Schools has announced that it will continue to provide classes through remote learning until after the winter break, but then plans to begin bringing students back on Jan. 11.
The news came down just after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday that he is imposing more restrictions to try to stem the spread of the coronavirus — but reiterated that he’s leaving decision about schools to local districts.
CPS' announcement also coincides with decisions by several suburban district to revert to remote learning as COVID-19 cases surge in Illinois.
Read more here. —Karen Ann Cullotta
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(Updated 3:35 p.m.) 1:12 p.m.: Gov. J.B. Pritzker lowers capacity for retail shops and shuts down casinos in latest effort to slow COVID-19 surge
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday announced targeted restrictions for retail shops and a shutdown of casinos as part of the state’s latest effort to slow the surging coronavirus.
Just ahead of the busiest shopping season of the year, retailers will be under a 25% capacity limit, down from the current 50%. A 50% capacity limit will remain for grocery stores, but big-box chains such as Walmart and Target that include groceries will be subject to the lower limit.
In addition to casinos, video gambling terminals statewide will be shut down under the plan.
The new measures take effect at midnight Friday.
Read more here. —Dan Petrella, Jamie Munks and Gregory Pratt
3:44 p.m.: Chicago updates city’s COVID-19 travel list, urges people to cancel ‘traditional Thanksgiving’
While updating Chicago’s new rules Tuesday for staying inside after returning from other states with serious pandemic outbreaks, the city’s health commissioner urged people to cancel traditional Thanksgiving plans.
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Forty six states and Puerto Rico now require some kind of extraordinary safety steps for people coming into Chicago under Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s travel order. Only Maine, Vermont and Hawaii have low enough COVID-19 rates to not fall into the stricter categories, Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said.
[ Chicago’s travel quarantine order adds 2 states and D.C. to orange list, knocks 1 off red list. Here’s what you need to know to avoid a large fine. ]
And the skyrocketing cases in Chicago and across the country call for not mixing households for the upcoming holiday, she said.
“Not just for traveling, if you haven’t covered your Thanksgiving plans yet with your friends and family, please do cancel your traditional Thanksgiving plans,” Arwady said. “I normally would be traveling to Michigan, seeing my extended friends and family. I love Thanksgiving. This year, I’ll be staying home. I’ll be having that celebration over FaceTime or Zoom.”
“It’s not what I want to do, but it’s the right thing to do, for myself, for my family and for Chicago. Please make that same decision,” she said.
Read more here. —John Byrne
3:43 p.m.: Pritzker orders museums to close back down as COVID-19 rates climb in Illinois
Early in the day Tuesday, Shedd Aquarium announced it would join the MCA in shutting down again temporarily as coronavirus rates rise in Illinois and across the country and officials ask the public to hunker back down.
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But Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s afternoon press briefing made it clear they would not be alone. Beginning at midnight Friday, he said, all indoor museums must close to help stem the spread of the coronavirus, part of a suite of mitigations meant to limit public gatherings.
Read more here. —Steve Johnson
1:33 p.m.: Iowa governor orders residents to wear masks, then says, ‘There’s science on both sides ... you can find whatever you want to support wherever you are at’
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds urged residents Tuesday to follow her new partial mask mandate, while claiming “there’s science on both sides” about whether masks reduce the spread of coronavirus.
After months of opposition, Reynolds signed an order Monday that requires people to wear masks in indoor public places under some circumstances.
She said she changed course because the state has seen an exponential increase in the number of people hospitalized with the virus this month. She warned that without action, hospitals will be overwhelmed and people will be at risk of not being able to get medical care of any kind.
At a news conference, Reynolds defended exceptions in her mask mandate that public health experts say makes it weak. She said it does not extend to schools because classrooms have not been a major source of virus transmission, and that most districts are already requiring students to wear face coverings.
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The mandate only applies when people are within 6 feet of other members of the public outside their households for at least 15 minutes. Reynolds said it was appropriate to target “prolonged personal interaction” given how the virus spreads and said anyone confused should err on the side of caution.
“If you have doubt or aren’t sure, I would say wear a mask,” she said.
At the same event, however, she seemed to allow for doubts about their effectiveness. She noted that neighboring states with mask mandates, such as Illinois and Minnesota, have seen rising numbers of cases, although not as severely as Iowa.
A reporter asked Reynolds how she would convince mask skeptics, who include many of her political supporters, that they work.
“Oh there’s science on both sides and you know that,” she said. “If you look you can find whatever you want to support wherever you are at.”
Read more here. —Associated Press
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1:06 p.m.: Jennifer Hudson to highlight pre-taped Mag Mile lights festival on WLS-Ch. 7
Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson headlines the re-imagined BMO Harris Bank Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, which won’t feature a procession on Michigan Avenue this year because of the coronavirus.
The pre-taped festival special is scheduled to premiere at 6 p.m. Sunday on WLS-Ch. 7 and air again at 4 p.m. Nov. 29. The broadcast is hosted by Channel 7 anchors Cheryl Burton and Alan Krashesky with Janet Davies contributing. Hudson, Grammy winner Heather Headley and Rascal Flatts perform on the hour-long special, which will feature Mickey and Minnie Mouse lighting up Michigan Avenue from the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
—Tracy Swartz
12:24 p.m.: New coronavirus cases announced in Cook County court system, including at juvenile detention center
Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans has announced new cases of COVID-19 in the Cook County court system, including at the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center.
Evans announced Tuesday that two more youths at the detention center have tested positive, the fifth and sixth in recent days. That brings the total number of cases among center residents to 61 since the beginning of the pandemic.
Additionally, 68 staff at the detention center have tested positive for the coronavirus this year.Evans also reported that two employees of the juvenile probation department have tested positive, as well as a judge assigned to Traffic Court at the Daley Center.
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Across the system since the pandemic’s start, officials said 159 employees working for the chief judge’s office have tested positive for COVID-19, in addition to 11 judges. The Cook County system employs some 2,600 staffers and about 400 judges.
—Annie Sweeney
12:21 p.m.: COVID-19 economic hardships have left more residents in need this holiday season. Local food pantries say there are more helpers, too.
As the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic forces a growing number of local families to seek financial assistance, officials at north suburban social service agencies say the increased need has been accompanied by an outpouring of community support.
Food pantry officials in Niles and New Trier townships and the city of Evanston all say that while it is clear more people are in need this holiday season, they have also seen an uptick in donations. That’s a trend they hope continues over the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.
Read more here. —Karen Ann Cullotta, Pioneer Press
12:12 p.m.: Pritzker restricted the state’s eviction moratorium, meaning more renters can be kicked out. Here’s what you need to know.
For those pleading for more rent relief measures for tenants struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, Friday the 13th proved rather unlucky.
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As the number of new coronavirus cases in Illinois topped 15,000 for the first time — setting a record for consecutive days — Gov. J.B. Pritzker extended his moratorium on housing evictions, but added new requirements for those tenants requesting a reprieve due to financial difficulties brought on by the pandemic.
“This new moratorium will ensure that the rents are paid by tenants who may have been taking advantage of the eviction moratorium but who are, in fact, able to make their monthly rent payments,” Pritzker said Friday.
Despite the eviction moratorium enacted in March, evictions are still happening. Housing advocates say both property owners and renters are hurting, and more relief is needed.
Read more here. —Darcel Rockett
12:05 p.m.: 12,601 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 97 additional deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Tuesday announced 12,601 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 97 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 597,849 and the statewide death toll to 10,875 since the start of the pandemic. Officials also reported 94,205 new tests in the last 24 hours.
The seven-day statewide rolling positivity rate for cases as a share of total tests was 12.5% for the period ending Monday, up from 8% on Nov. 1.
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—Chicago Tribune staff
11:44 a.m.: Mask mandate being discussed for Naperville, mayor says at COVID-19 town hall meeting
Naperville officials are considering a local ordinance that would make face mask usage mandatory as a means of combating the rising number of COVID-19 cases, Mayor Steve Chirico said.
Speaking during a virtual town hall meeting Monday, Chirico broached the subject as he and Edward-Elmhurst Health officials discussed the coronavirus pandemic and answered questions on the current case surge that has led to a ban on indoor dining and prompted school districts to step back from return-to-school plans.
“This is something that I’ve been talking about with our staff and with the health department ― that is, whether or not it would be helpful for Naperville to adopt a universal mask ordinance,” the mayor said.
“It’s somewhat heavy handed, I think people would say, and it wouldn’t be without many, many critics,” he said. “But if it were successful in its goal of trying to get everybody to comply, then it’s something that I think would be worth it.”
Read more here. —Rafael Guerrero, Naperville Sun
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11:40 a.m.: Wilmette extends financial help for village restaurants struggling during COVID-19 pandemic
Wilmette restaurant owners struggling in the wake of the state’s recent tightening of COVID-19 restrictions on indoor dining might be eligible for economic relief through a new village program.
The roughly $170,000 economic relief program, which was recently approved by the Wilmette Village Board, is provisional, officials said, and will be launched if the current mitigations set by the state in late October extend beyond four weeks, or Nov. 25.
The program would provide financial support to eligible village restaurants suffering from stricter mitigations recently set by the state for suburban Cook County, including a ban on indoor dining and reduced capacity and party sizes for outdoor dining, officials said in a statement.
Read more here. —Karen Ann Cullotta, Pioneer Press
11:32 a.m.: States plead for more federal help as coronavirus outbreak worsens, vaccine months away from distribution
With more shutdowns looming and a vaccine months away from wide distribution, governors across the U.S. are pleading for more help from Washington ahead of what is shaping up to be a bleak winter.
Renewed restrictions on indoor businesses, the coming end of unemployment benefits for millions of Americans and overloaded hospitals have led governors to paint a dire picture of the months ahead unless the federal government steps in with more money and leadership to help them shore up their damaged budgets and beat back the resurgence of the coronavirus.
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Between now and June 2022, state and local governments could be facing a shortfall or $400 billion or more by some estimates.
Read more here. —Associated Press
9:35 a.m.: Classrooms may be sparse these days, but public health programs see surge in enrollment during pandemic
Public health programs in the United States have seen a surge in enrollment as the coronavirus has swept through the country, killing more than 247,000 people. As state and local public health departments struggle with unprecedented challenges — slashed budgets, surging demand, staff departures and even threats to workers' safety —- a new generation is entering the field.
Among the more than 100 schools and public health programs that use the common application — a single admissions application form that students can send to multiple schools — there was a 20% increase in applications to master’s in public health programs for the current academic year, to nearly 40,000, according to the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health.
Read more here. —Associated Press
8:12 a.m.: Why experts say Moderna COVID-19 vaccine holds advantage over Pfizer’s candidate
The mRNA-based coronavirus vaccine developed by Moderna and vetted in clinical trials at the Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System is based on the same technology used by Pfizer to develop its vaccine candidate, but would not have the same requirement for storage at ultra-cold temperatures.
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Pfizer and Moderna are the first companies to release partial results from Phase 3 clinical trials in the race to develop a vaccine against the deadly SARS-CoV-3 virus that causes COVID-19.
Moderna said Monday its vaccine was found to be 94.5% effective in initial results. Pfizer’s candidate was found to be 90% effective in initial results made public Nov. 9.
Read more here. —The Detroit News
6 a.m.: Should college students get a COVID-19 test before heading home for the holidays? Some schools urge or even require it, but ‘it doesn’t give you a free pass’
From requiring students to take COVID-19 tests before departing campus to restricting dorm access, colleges are tightening protocols ahead of Thanksgiving and winter breaks, when thousands of students are expected to journey home for the holidays amid a national coronavirus surge.
Public health experts say traveling, especially in airports or by public transit, is inherently risky when COVID-19 infections are high, and colleges are discouraging students from shuttling back and forth in the coming weeks.
But concern remains that young adults crisscrossing the country might seed new infections in their home communities — or within their own households. Though schools with resources to conduct exit testing aim to address that worry, doctors say students shouldn’t rely solely on negative results. It can take several days after infection for viral particles to become detectable in a sample, research shows.
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Read more here. —Elyssa Cherney
6 a.m.: Every toilet flush reveals a clue in fight to stop COVID-19
With COVID-19 infections spiking again at an alarming rate, Chicago is scrambling to catch up to other cities forecasting outbreaks by analyzing human waste flushed down thousands of toilets.
Signs of the novel coronavirus show up in sewers about a week before people surge into hospitals with symptoms of the disease, which during the past nine months has killed more than 1.3 million people worldwide, including 246,000 in the United States.
In an attempt to provide doctors and nurses with more time to prepare for outbreaks, 20 communities in 43 countries are collecting sewage samples and posting charts showing changes over time in the genetic signature of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Researchers from four universities and Argonne National Laboratory are rushing to add Chicago to the list early next year.
"It’s much more efficient to test wastewater from a neighborhood, where a couple of samples could tell you as much as testing 500 people over and over again, said Sam Dorevitch, a University of Illinois at Chicago scientist involved in the project.
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Read more here. —Michael Hawthorne
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chicagotribune--2020-11-17--Chicago wants you to boost Black-owned businesses on the day after Thanksgiving: Black Shop Friday

The coronavirus pandemic has made 2020 challenging for all small businesses , but it ’ s been especially tough for @ @ @ @ @ to have more limited access to capital , said Karen Freeman-Wilson , president and CEO @ @ @ @ @ .
The organization worked with the city and advertising agency O ’ Keefe Reinhard & @ @ @ @ @ .

The city is encouraging Chicagoans to support Black-owned businesses on Black Friday, the traditional kickoff to the holiday shopping season, with a website promoting more than 500 local businesses.
The initiative, called “Black Shop Friday,” includes a directory of Black-owned businesses by the type of products sold and neighborhood. The website, www.BlackShopFriday.com, is scheduled to launch Nov. 24, three days before Black Friday.
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The coronavirus pandemic has made 2020 challenging for all small businesses, but it’s been especially tough for Black-owned businesses, which tend to have more limited access to capital, said Karen Freeman-Wilson, president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League. The organization worked with the city and advertising agency O’Keefe Reinhard & Paul to develop the initiative.
Momentum Coffee and Coworking owners Nikki Bravo and Tracy Powell are seen Nov. 17, 2020, at their business in Chicago's South Loop. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Increased visibility and attracting new customers “could make the difference between a business keeping their doors open and having to make the difficult decision to close,” she said.
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The city said the list aims to include all Chicago-area Black-owned businesses, and when the website launches there will be a way for people to submit additional listings.
Calls to support Black-owned businesses received greater attention this summer amid the focus on racial inequality in the wake of the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police. More than 70 Chicago-area restaurants offered specials around Juneteenth, and again in October, during campaigns organized by Black People Eats, a website promoting Black-owned restaurants.
Where earlier initiatives tended to stay within the Black community, “Black Shop Friday” aims to have a broader reach and make it easy for people who are interested in supporting Black-owned businesses to do so, Freeman-Wilson said.
“This time we are making a much wider appeal, and I think it will be well-received because I think there’s greater interest now given some of the occurrences of 2020,” she said.
One of the businesses featured, Momentum Coffee and Coworking, part of Ignite Technology and Innovation, launched during the pandemic. The South Loop shop is Ignite Technology and Innovation’s second co-working space and first coffee shop.
Kimberly Buford, center, owner of the Color Me Beauty Bar, a nail and skin care boutique spa, works with client Shamone Duncan in Chicago's Beverly neighborhood on Nov. 17, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Nikki Bravo, executive director of Ignite Technology and Innovation, said she hopes the directory introduces the business to new customers.
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“We hope they come because of this, but come back because they enjoy what we deliver," she said.
[ Holiday gift guide: 17 gifts from Black-owned Chicago businesses ]
Other businesses featured include Agriculture, a men’s clothing store in the Near North neighborhood; Roasted Leaf Cigar and Coffee Bar, in Englewood; Semicolon Bookstore in the Fulton River District; The Woodshop, an art gallery and custom frame shop in Chatham; Chicago Upholstery and Drapery in Rogers Park and Color Me Beauty Bar, in Beverly.
"I just thought it could be great exposure for the salon,” said Kimberly Buford, owner of Color Me Beauty Bar. “Something people don’t necessarily understand is we do have a lot of businesses in the community that go unnoticed.”
lzumbach@chicagotribune.com