chicagotribune--2020-08-07--2 dead at Marion federal prison during COVID-19 surge despite restrictive conditions, say inmates an

2 dead at Marion federal prison during COVID-19 surge despite restrictive conditions, say inmates and family members

A low-security inmate , Taiwan Davis , was sent to the hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 in the prison @ @ @ @ @ Davis , said she found out through an inmate that he had been taken to @ @ @ @ @ she wasn ’ t informed by the prison that he had tested positive until after @ @ @ @ @ .
She said that when she called the prison , officers told her he was @ @

A second coronavirus-related death following a weekend surge of positive COVID-19 cases at the Marion federal prison has inmates with medical conditions worried about their health in a prison that is not allowing them to distance, family members and inmates told the Tribune.
A sign at the entrance of the Marion federal prison at Marion in southern Illinois on Aug. 28, 2019. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
The Bureau of Prisons, which was reporting 72 positive cases July 31 at Marion in southern Illinois, reported 133 positive cases Monday. On Tuesday, the number went down to 88, with 49 inmates reported recovered, and then to 84, including four prison employees, on Friday. The number of positives reported fluctuates based on new cases being added and resolved cases being removed, federal prisons spokesperson Emery Nelson said in an email.
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Federal officials announced Monday that one inmate at Marion had died after testing positive for the coronavirus. Late Wednesday, the mother of a second prisoner who had been hospitalized because of COVID-19 told the Tribune he had died. After the man was listed in the Bureau of Prisons inmate directory as having died Wednesday, officials confirmed late Thursday the man, Taiwan Davis, had died after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Experts who have been studying rates of COVID-19 in prisons say the infection rate, death rate and growth rate are significantly higher in prison than in the general population. Between April and June, the mean daily case growth rate was 8.3% in prisons. In the general population, it was less than half that, according to one study. The age-adjusted rate for COVID-19-related deaths was three times the rate in the general population.
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(Jemal R. Brinson)
Three inmates the Tribune communicated with complained this week about other decisions the prison administration has made in recent weeks, such as banning the use of phones and email, using isolation rooms for inmates needing to quarantine, and, for several days, keeping those who tested positive all together in a recreation room. Thursday, phones were turned back on, according to inmates.
And although low-security inmates typically are able to go outside for most of the day, the prison administration has stopped allowing this for weeks.
“What really worries everybody is now that we have (COVID-19 in the prison), once you get it again, it’s going to get worse,” if someone has it and then develops symptoms a second time, said an inmate.
Inmates the Tribune communicated with did not want their names published out of fear of retribution from prison administrators. Despite the unavailability in recent weeks of phones and computers provided by the prison, inmates have been trying to keep family members updated and get the word out about the surge of positives.
Neither the Marion administration nor prison warden Daniel Sproul responded to calls and emails. In a statement, Nelson detailed steps the bureau has taken to address the spread of COVID-19: limiting inmate transfers and movement, implementing screening procedures, and suspending social and legal visits. The statement also said that the Bureau of Prisons has been prioritizing reviewing cases for granting home confinement since Attorney General William Barr’s latest memo in April.
Nelson said phone and computer access were limited to stem the spread of COVID-19 through keyboards and handsets.
The prison at “Marion will continue to evaluate this approach and will make these communication avenues available as soon as possible,” said Nelson in an email. “The institution recognizes how important it is to maintain family contact during these uncertain times. As such, inmate friends and families are strongly encouraged to continue corresponding by mailing letters through the U.S. Postal Service.”
Taiwan Davis died at Heartland Regional Medical Center, his mother said, after being infected with COVID-19. He was an inmate at Marion federal prison. (Family photo)
A low-security inmate, Taiwan Davis, was sent to the hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 in the prison. His mother, Gwendolyn Davis, said she found out through an inmate that he had been taken to the hospital, and that she wasn’t informed by the prison that he had tested positive until after he was at the hospital. She said that when she called the prison, officers told her he was fine.
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An inmate contacted her “over the weekend and told me that he was not fine, and that they had taken him to the hospital,” Davis said.
She wasn’t able to see her son while he was in the hospital before he died.
“They have taken him from me,” she said. “That’s how it feels, that they gave him a death sentence.”
Other family members of Marion inmates said prison officials have been unresponsive to their concerns over the past several months.
The son of a Marion inmate, who did not want to be identified, said that when the prison administration barred the use of phones and computers, he tried to get more information about what was happening inside the prison, but officials said they couldn’t tell him anything.
“The guard I spoke to really directly referenced the fact of not wanting media coverage on the situation,” he said.
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He said his father was previously rejected for compassionate release, even though he has health issues that affect his breathing, has served 50% of his sentence and was convicted of a drug crime, rather than a violent crime. The son said he received a call Wednesday from a case manager saying that his dad would once again be put in for compassionate release.
“It’s a really big scare because I want to know my dad, I want him there for life milestones,” said the man. “I want him with me. I don’t want him to die in there.”
One inmate said he was made to stay in an isolation room for several days after he tested positive for the coronavirus and developed a fever.
“They had to put us in isolation so we wouldn’t infect others,” he said. “Their idea of doing that was putting us in a cell by ourselves in medium security, even though we’re qualified to be in the camp.”
After he and about 20 others tested positive, they were told to walk to the medium-security building and were put in isolation rooms. The rooms did not have air conditioning and only had hot water, and he slept on a “concrete slab” with a plastic covering and a sheet, he said.
Federal prisons officials didn’t answer specific questions about housing and conditions for inmates who have coronavirus, instead sending the same language about all prisons having isolation and quarantine areas in answer to three separate questions.
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The inmates were allowed one 15-minute shower every two or three days, and were given a bottle with two weeks’ worth of Tylenol, to take if they had a fever or pain, he said.
“It feels like we’re being punished for catching corona,” he said.
The surge in cases at Marion mirrors the spread of COVID-19 in federal prisons throughout the country.
One positive aspect of a reported COVID surge in a prison is that it means that the prison is doing COVID-19 testing, which wasn’t always the case, experts who have been studying the coronavirus in prisons said. This isn’t enough of an improvement, though, said University of California, Los Angeles law professor Sharon Dolovich.
“For the longest time, there were many facilities that were reporting zero or one or five cases in a population with 2,000 people,” said Dolovich, who also heads a data project that tracks COVID cases in prisons.
“Of course, the cases were already there, you just didn’t want us to know they were,” and it wasn’t known because there wasn’t enough testing, Dolovich said.
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By early June, the COVID-19 case rate for prisoners was more than five times higher than the U.S. population case rate, according to a paper published recently by Dolovich and others.
An author of the report, Kalind Parish, said the team behind the UCLA tracking project gathers data from the official federal and state reports on prisons, and from news sources. Parish remains skeptical of prison data accuracy.
“I’ve heard stories of someone being transferred to a hospital to receive treatment for COVID, and the DOC might not necessarily count them as one of their deaths,” Parish said. “I think it’s safe to say the death data is underreported.”
This spring, Attorney General Barr issued memos instructing prisons to prioritize home confinement as an option for inmates convicted of nonviolent crimes, especially older inmates in low-security facilities. So far, of the approximately 128,000 federal inmates in Bureau of Prisons facilities, about 7,000 have been placed in home confinement, according to federal figures.
Dolovich said Barr’s language could have been stronger; he could have made home confinement mandatory for older or infirm inmates.
Inside the prison in Marion, one inmate who tested positive expressed frustration at the prison administration for not prioritizing home confinement for the most vulnerable earlier on in the year, when there were fewer cases.
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“No one’s exactly breathing easy right now, thinking they’ll do the right thing. They should be pushing the vulnerable people out of here first,” he said. “They had three months and they did nothing, and now people are dying. I’m scared I’m going to be next.”


chicagotribune--2020-08-07--Judge rebuffs request of Cook County public defender, activists to order Chicago police to promptly

Judge rebuffs request of Cook County public defender, activists to order Chicago police to promptly grant phone calls to arrestees

“ That ’ s exactly what they ’ re told to do and are expected to do , ” Cohen @ @ @ @ @ convinced that there are officers who do that .
The affidavits seem to tell me @ @ @ @ @ who don ’ t .
...
I will not rewrite the law because I ’ @ @ @ @ @ Neither are they .
They are to follow the law .
I won ’ t @ @ @ @ @ effect , but can I say it any stronger than I just did ?
”

Attorney Craig Futterman, shown in 2014, said "(police) shouldn’t be bringing people into custody if they can’t follow the law." (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
A Cook County judge on Friday denied a request by the public defender’s office and a coalition of activist groups to immediately make Chicago police give suspects speedy access to phone calls after arrest, saying the circumstances do not constitute an emergency that requires him to step in.
The activists’ request was part of a larger lawsuit alleging widespread “incommunicado detention.” While proceedings in the overall suit will continue, Judge Neil Cohen made it clear at the hearing that he would not be taking the step of issuing an emergency order that merely tells police to follow what is already the law.
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“That’s exactly what they’re told to do and are expected to do,” Cohen said. “I am convinced that there are officers who do that. The affidavits seem to tell me that there is a number who don’t. ... I will not rewrite the law because I’m not supposed to. Neither are they. They are to follow the law. I won’t issue an order to that effect, but can I say it any stronger than I just did?”
The suit, filed in Cook County court last month, asks a judge to make the city comply with state rules that require police to let arrestees talk to their attorneys and give them access to a phone call within about an hour of being taken into custody.
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Attorneys for the activist groups contend many suspects don’t get access to a phone call at all, let alone within an hour or even a few hours.
Attorney Elizabeth Babbitt, representing the city, said police comply with the law requiring them to give suspects phone access in a “reasonable” time frame.
“One hour isn’t always reasonable, one hour isn’t always practical,” she said at Friday’s hearing.
In rejecting the request for an emergency order, Cohen said the case still merits further review, including closer examination of some of the claims of the office of Cook County Public Defender Amy Campanelli and fleshing out the definition of a “reasonable time.”
But he had stern words about the activists’ request that he order police to stop taking people into custody until they comply with the one-hour phone call deadline.
“What about your next-door neighbors who want to be protected not just from protesters but (from) the looters, who, by the way, diminished the protesters’ effectiveness?” the judge asked. “Don’t they have a right to be protected? Do you want to strike that request?”
Attorney Craig Futterman conceded that it was his side’s most “extreme” demand and said he would strike that line from their request for an emergency order. But ultimately, he said, “(police) shouldn’t be bringing people into custody if they can’t follow the law.”
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-07--Read the indictment of south suburban mayor charged in red-light camera bribery scheme

According to federal prosecutors , Lou Presta was caught on a March 2018 recording accepting an envelope with $ 5,000 @ @ @ @ @ the red-light camera firm SafeSpeed , and then lied to the FBI and IRS when @ @ @ @ @

The mayor of south suburban Crestwood has been indicted on federal charges that he accepted bribes to promote red-light cameras in his village, the latest development in a wide-ranging political corruption probe.
According to federal prosecutors, Lou Presta was caught on a March 2018 recording accepting an envelope with $5,000 cash from a representative of the red-light camera firm SafeSpeed, and then lied to the FBI and IRS when asked about it that September
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Read the indictment below. For more on the story, click here.


chicagotribune--2020-08-07--Another McCormick Place trade show cancels, bringing total number of scrapped events to 145

The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies , a Virginia-based trade group , announced this week that it will hold @ @ @ @ @ it was not possible to have a safe and productive event for attendees and exhibitors @ @

A packaging technology trade show that draws tens of thousands of attendees to Chicago every other year has canceled its in-person gathering due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The show, which was scheduled for Nov. 8 - 11, was expected to draw 71,000 people and account for more than 91,000 hotel room nights, McCormick Place spokeswoman Cynthia McCafferty said via email.
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The cancellation brings the total number of McCormick Place trade shows that have now been scrapped to 145. Those shows were expected to generate more than $1.9 billion, including spending at hotels, restaurants, transportation options and entertainment, McCafferty said.
She said 60% of the events canceled due to the pandemic have rescheduled for future dates at McCormick Place.
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The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, a Virginia-based trade group, announced this week that it will hold the show virtually because “it was not possible to have a safe and productive event for attendees and exhibitors.”
It will be the first time in 60 years the group won’t hold Pack Expo in person, CEO and President Jim Pittas said in a news release. The event showcases developments in packaging machinery, containers and components.
The International Manufacturing Technology Show, which would have drawn more than 129,000 attendees and been the city’s largest trade show at McCormick Place, canceled its event, which was scheduled for September, in June.
With coronavirus cases rising in Illinois, it’s uncertain when organizers will be able to host trade shows in the city. Under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s five-phase reopening plan, large gatherings can’t be held until a vaccine or a highly effective treatment against the virus is in place.
abjimenez@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @abdel1019


chicagotribune--2020-08-07--Woodstock man dies after arm gets stuck in machine in Volo industrial accident

It appeared the man attempted to free some rocks that may have been stuck in the hopper , and his @ @ @ @ @ trauma , according to authorities .

Wauconda Fire Department and Lake County sheriff's police personnel at Kanzler Earth Moving after a man was killed when his arm was caught in an industrial machine, at 30846 Route 12, Volo. Aug. 07, 2020, (Joe Shuman / Chicago Tribune)
A 33-year-old Woodstock man was killed at an excavation company in Volo after sustaining a traumatic injury to his arm shortly after noon Friday.
According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the man’s arm got stuck in a gravel-screening machine at the excavation company where he worked in the 30800 block of North Route 12.
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It appeared the man attempted to free some rocks that may have been stuck in the hopper, and his entire right arm sustained major trauma, according to authorities.
When sheriff’s deputies arrived after another employee called 911, the man was already dead, according to authorities.
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The Lake County Coroner’s Office was at the scene of the accident and has scheduled an autopsy for Tuesday.
The incident does not appear to be criminal in nature, officials said. However, authorities said it remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office andCoroner’s Office.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was notified of the incident, according to authorities.


chicagotribune--2020-08-07--Portage mom gets 20 years for neglect in death of 19-month-old daughter

Additionally , Conley , who must serve 75 % of her sentence , will pay $ 100 for a child @ @ @ @ @ no-contact order involving her two surviving children will remain in effect for the duration of @ @ @ @ @ will receive credit for time served in the Porter County Jail , where she has @ @ @ @ @ July 2017 , and must undergo a dual diagnosis evaluation and comply with recommended followup @ @

A Portage woman whose toddler died after being shaken by her then-boyfriend was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday after a Porter County judge rejected an earlier plea agreement under which she would have served 30 years on probation.
Under the terms of the plea agreement accepted Friday by Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer, Tamika Conley, 26, pleaded guilty to a felony count of neglect of a dependent and two felony counts of battery.
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The charges are lower-level felonies than she initially faced in the death of her 19-month-old daughter, referred to as C.B. in court documents. The plea agreement also represents the dropping of three of the six felonies with which she was originally charged.
Conley was sentenced to 15 years in prison on the neglect count and three years each on the battery counts, with one year on one of the battery counts suspended and to be served on formal probation.
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Additionally, Conley, who must serve 75% of her sentence, will pay $100 for a child abuse prevention fee and a no-contact order involving her two surviving children will remain in effect for the duration of her sentence. She also will receive credit for time served in the Porter County Jail, where she has remained since her arrest in July 2017, and must undergo a dual diagnosis evaluation and comply with recommended followup care.
Conley, appearing via videoconference because of the COVID-19 pandemic, confirmed under questioning by her attorney Marc Chargualaf that she knowingly placed C.B. in a situation that would endanger her life, and touched her other children, who were 4 and 6 at the time of C.B.‘s death, “in a rude, angry or insolent manner.”
The proceedings seemed to hit a snag when Clymer asked Conley whether the state could prove her guilty beyond a reasonable doubt if her case went to trial and she said, “I don’t know.”
Chargualaf told Conley he wasn’t asking her to divulge anything but rather discuss whether the case should go to trial. When he asked Conley if she would like that, she said, “no.”
Clymer agreed to accept the plea agreement because he said Conley’s two surviving children, who have since been adopted, will not be forced to testify.
Her ex-boyfriend, Gary Hanney, 32, plead guilty to a felony count of neglect of a dependent in C.B.‘s death.
Clymer sentenced Hanney in June to 30 years in prison with no time suspended.
The plea agreement for Conley, submitted Dec. 18, 2018, called for her to serve 30 years of probation on three felony counts of child neglect, which Clymer said during a hearing last month he found “too lenient for the alleged crime.”
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According to court documents and testimony, Hanney injured C.B., who suffered abusive head trauma, the night of July 18, 2017, in the Portage mobile home he shared with the child, Conley and her two older children. Conley was working at a local strip club when the injuries occurred.
C.B. later died at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.
Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.


chicagotribune--2020-08-07--Coronavirus at Illinois long-term care facilities: 25,464 confirmed cases and 4,162 deaths

The Illinois Department of Public Health is releasing information on COVID-19 tied to long-term care facilities in Illinois .
The @ @ @ @ @ at 708 long-term care facilities in 61 counties .
Of those , 530 facilities have @ @ @ @ @ , defined as a positive test result in the past 28 days .
In all @ @ @ @ @ be tied to long-term care facilities , with 4,162 deaths , as of Aug. 7 @

The Illinois Department of Public Health is releasing information on COVID-19 tied to long-term care facilities in Illinois. The data shows outbreaks have occurred at long-term care facilities in 94 counties. Of those, 1,003 facilities have an “active” outbreak, defined as a positive test result in the past 28 days. In all, 71,103 confirmed cases can be tied to long-term care facilities, with 9,263 deaths, as of Jan. 22.


chicagotribune--2020-08-07--Investigation continues into Wednesday stabbing death of 15-year-old Glenview boy described as ‘kind

Investigation continues into Wednesday stabbing death of 15-year-old Glenview boy described as ‘kind, charismatic’

“ Elias really connected with wrestling , and he seemed to have found the brotherhood among his teammates that is @ @ @ @ @ ” Fagel wrote .
“ We ’ re glad we had the time we did @ @ @ @ @ a void has been left .
”

The flag flies at half-staff in front of Glenbrook South High School on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020 in Glenview. A Glenbrook South High School student named Elias Valdez, 15, was found stabbed about a mile away. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Police continue to investigate Friday the death of a 15-year-old Glenview boy who was found Wednesday evening with a stab wound to his chest.
On Friday, police said the investigation is active but declined to give any further details or answer questions about the crime.
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“Specifics regarding the investigation will not be released while the investigation is ongoing. We encourage citizens to call the tip line with any information,” said Sgt. Jim Foley, a Glenview police spokesman, in an email.
Elias Valdez, 15, died Aug. 5, 2020, in what Glenview police describe as a homicide. (Glenbrook District 225)
An autopsy on Thursday determined Elias J. Valdez died of a stab wound to the chest, and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
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Valdez, of the 10400 block of Dearlove Road, was found lying in a grassy area in the 1200 block of Greenwood Road shortly after 7 p.m., police said in a news release.
A passerby called 911, Foley said.
Valdez was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, but died in surgery at 8:52 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office and police.
On Friday morning, the area where Valdez was found was quiet with only a small piece of yellow police tape remaining. The area is a patch of tall grass between a subdivision, a few homes and a water pumping station.
Dina Manzella, who lives near the spot where Valdez was discovered, said she was watching the news Wednesday night when she saw lights flashing through her window.
A piece of yellow police crime tape is strewn across the front yard of a home along the 1200 block of Greenwood Road on Aug. 7, 2020 in Glenview. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
She stepped outside and was surprised to see police cars and fire trucks surrounding the front of her home. She said the area is usually very safe and quiet.
Manzella said she didn’t know the boy, but hopes that someone passing by might have seen something.
“It’s sad, such a young boy,” Manzella said.
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Valdez was a rising sophomore at Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, according to an email sent to the school community by Principal Lauren Fagel.
Fagel called Valdez a “kind, charismatic young man who exhibited great leadership qualities.”
Valdez was a member of the school’s wrestling team.
“Elias really connected with wrestling, and he seemed to have found the brotherhood among his teammates that is often provided by sport,” Fagel wrote. “We’re glad we had the time we did have with Elias and know a void has been left.”
In a statement from wrestling coaches Pat Castillo and Chris Albandia provided by the school, they described Valdez as having “natural ability, coupled with drive and work ethic.”
Fagel described Valdez as a student who was devoted to his family, was quick to make friends and could always make others feel welcome.
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On Friday, Glenbrook South offered support services to students and staff both in person and through Zoom. About a dozen students had arrived at the school Friday morning to take advantage of the services, according to school administrators.
Superintendent Charles Johns said Friday morning outside the school that the situation is hard on students and staff and they want to provide as much support as they can.
Valdez’s death marks the first time since 2004 the village has had a homicide, Foley said. Steven L. Zirko was charged with murdering his companion, Mary Lacy, 38, and her mother, Margaret Ballog, 60, in Lacy’s Glenview home on Dec. 13, 2004.
The North Regional Major Crimes Task Force is actively investigating the crime.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the police tip line, 847-901-6055, or via email, gpdtipline@glenview.il.us.
Rosemary Sobol contributed.
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kedquist@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-07--Gov.  J.B. Pritzker issues rule to penalize businesses that don’t enforce mask requirements with fin

Gov.  J.B. Pritzker issues rule to penalize businesses that don’t enforce mask requirements with fines up to $2,500

“ We want to make sure that our workers are safe , and also all the people who are shopping @ @ @ @ @ people who are in bars or restaurants or in other locations , we want to @ @ @ @ @ safe and healthy and this is one way for us to make sure that businesses @ @ @ @ @ this subject know there is a real penalty at the end of the line here @ @

Jamie Munks, Rick Pearson, Lauren Zumbach

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)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, declaring Illinois is at a “make or break” moment in fighting the coronavirus pandemic, issued new emergency rules to require businesses and schools to enforce his mandatory face mask rules or face the prospect of being fined.
The new rule, which got a mixed reception from business leaders, comes as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to stage a resurgence in Illinois. The state’s daily count of known coronavirus cases on Friday topped 2,000 for the first time in more than two months, officials said.
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Pritzker issued a mask mandate May 1 for people over the age of 2 in most public settings, but enforcing it has proved to be a challenge.
The new rules set out a three-step process that give businesses two chances to comply before they’re hit with a fine.
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Businesses that don’t comply with the mask mandate will be given a warning in the form of a written notice. If they don’t voluntarily comply, they will then be ordered to have patrons leave their property “as needed to comply with public health guidance and reduce risks,” Pritzker’s office said in a news release announcing the rules.
If businesses still do not comply, they can receive a Class A misdemeanor, subject to a fine of $75 to $2,500.
“They need to be reminded and reminded and then fined if they are not following this rule for the state of Illinois,” Pritzker said at a news conference Friday in Chicago.
“We want to make sure that our workers are safe, and also all the people who are shopping are safe, all the people who are in bars or restaurants or in other locations, we want to make sure they’re safe and healthy and this is one way for us to make sure that businesses that have been scofflaws on this subject know there is a real penalty at the end of the line here.”
Pritzker said individuals are not subject to penalties for not complying with the mask mandate.
“Look, I’ve said all along I do not want for police to be arresting people or penalizing individuals,” Pritzker said. “On the other hand, I’ve asked local authorities including police, including local health authorities, to remind people as frequently as they possibly can that they need to follow this mask mandate.”
Pritzker was joined in the announcement Friday by representatives of organized labor, teachers unions and other interest groups.
“It would be catastrophic to shut down our economy once again. It would be the death of the hospitality industry here in the state of Illinois,” said Sam Toia, president of the Illinois Restaurant Association, whose members have been hit hard by restrictions put in place because of the pandemic.
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But Rob Karr, president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, criticized the new rule, contending in a statement that it “lacks in common sense and is a slap in the face to the thousands of retailers who have sacrificed so much during this pandemic while actively supporting ever-changing health and safety guidelines adopted by the state.”
“If the goal is to put public health above politics, the administration will amend the rule to focus enforcement efforts on individuals who are not complying instead of punishing and attempting to demonize innocent businesses,” Karr said.
Some businesses said they weren’t worried about potential penalties because they’re strictly enforcing mask rules.
If a customer shows up without a mask, “we’re not letting them in,” said Paul Kozy, owner of Kozy’s Cyclery, which has three stores in Chicago. “No shoes, no shirt, no mask, no service.”
His stores’ doors are locked so employees can limit the number of shoppers inside, which makes it easy to enforce the mask requirement. Most customers have had no problems complying, he said.
Linda Johnson, owner of Village True Value in Western Springs, also said customers have been good about respecting the mask mandate. But she said she still doesn’t think it’s right for the state to penalize businesses for shoppers’ actions, even though the hardware store’s customers have been good about respecting the rules.
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“We definitely, absolutely, support individuals wearing masks. That goes without saying. But if the governor believes individuals are not complying, I believe the enforcement should be on the individual. We can’t control what they do,” Johnson said.
Opposition to the new rule also came from the political sector. Illinois House Republican leader Jim Durkin, who earlier in the week accused Pritzker of overstepping his authority in dealing with the pandemic, urged the governor to “abandon his mask rule” and convene the legislature on the issue.
Durkin said the rule places “undue hardship” on businesses already struggling from the pandemic. The Western Springs lawmaker also repeated his request for lawmakers to also take up ethics reform.
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Friday reported 2,084 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 during the prior 24 hours and 21 additional confirmed deaths, raising the statewide totals to 190,508 cases and 7,613 deaths since the pandemic began earlier this year. The department also listed 13 counties at “warning level” for a coronavirus resurgence, based on key metrics it uses to monitor cases and the potential for spread.
The entire state has been in the fourth phase of Pritzker’s reopening plan since late June, but the governor has repeatedly warned that regions where the COVID-19 metrics show a resurgence could go back to stricter rules aimed at slowing the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus.
Prior to a four-day, pandemic-spurred special legislative session in May, Pritzker’s administration filed a controversial emergency rule with a legislative rule-making body that would have made businesses that flouted the rules in his reopening plan subject to a Class A misdemeanor.
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Pritzker withdrew that rule amid pushback among legislators because it made jail an enforceable option against business owners that failed to abide by the governor’s emergency actions. That prompted some local prosecutors and law enforcement to choose not to enforce them. Pritzker said he wanted to make clear that enforcement would ultimately be through fines, not jail.
The difference in the new rule is that it “focuses on warning and then a fine,” Pritzker said Friday.
“What’s available to us in the law is only essentially a misdemeanor immediately as a solution to the problem and that was something that JCAR (Joint Committee on Administrative Rules) did not want us to move forward with,” he said. “And so we made alterations. We’ve spoken with many members of the General Assembly, including members of JCAR.”
Pritzker said Friday the administration withdrew the earlier emergency rule this spring “because the legislature said they would take it up in session.”
“They didn’t do that. And now, there are a variety of reasons they didn’t do that. Now is the time. This is a make-or-break moment for the state of Illinois for making sure people are doing everything they can to mitigate, to reduce the spread,” Pritzker said. “And so this is a moment for us to enforce the masking requirements across the state.”
Pritzker has found his actions subject to legal challenges around Illinois and has largely been successful in fighting them off — except in Downstate’s Clay County, where Judge Michael McHaney ruled in a case brought by GOP state Rep. Darren Bailey of Xenia that the governor’s powers to issue emergency orders ended July 2.
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Earlier this week, Pritzker referred to McHaney’s rulings against him as “ridiculous.” On Friday, McHaney ordered Pritzker to appear before him on Aug. 14 to show why the governor should not be held in indirect civil contempt and sanctioned for his “willful disregard” of the court. The order notes that “failure to appear may result in a warrant for arrest.”
Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said the judicial order pushed by Bailey was a “sideshow.”
“This motion for contempt is legally baseless, frivolous and a distraction from the serious crisis facing our state,” she said. “Not a single member of the GOP caucus in the General Assembly has yet to publicly express their rejection of or outrage at this legal maneuvering that creates unnecessary confusion around public health guidance.”
Pritzker issued the new rule on masks in tandem with signing a new state law expanding workplace protections for retail workers who have become targets for trying to enforce the state’s mandatory mask policy. The legislation was passed by the General Assembly in May.
The new law enhances the penalty from battery to aggravated battery for assaulting or battering a retail worker who is conveying public health guidelines, such as a mask requirement or social distancing.
It also increases by 60 days the paid disability leave benefits for law enforcement, firefighters and paramedics for any injury occurring after March 9 whose recovery was hindered by COVID-19. The new law takes effect immediately.
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jmunks@chicagotribune.com
rap30@aol.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-07--Mother of Chicago rapper slain on Gold Coast pleads for no retaliation. ‘I am asking for peace.’

Weekly , 26 , was shot Tuesday afternoon while standing in line in front of one of the high-end retailers @ @ @ @ @ of East Oak Street , according to police .
Two cars , a dark Ford @ @ @ @ @ 300 , pulled up and four gunmen jumped out and opened fire about 4:30 p.m. @ @ @ @

LaSheena Weekly, second from left, marches with others down a sidewalk in the Gold Coast after holding a press conference about the death of her son, Carlton Weekly, 26, who performed under the name FBG Duck. Weekly asked for there to be no retaliation shootings after her son was killed in the downtown location earlier in the week. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Standing on the Gold Coast block where her son was slain days ago, the mother of Chicago rapper FBG Duck pleaded Friday that there be no retaliation from members of his gang, as police fear.
“Anything that happens this weekend, they will not blame it on my son,” LaSheena Weekly told the Tribune. “Because as his mother, I’m asking for peace, I want justice for my son, not retaliation.”
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As she spoke, she held up a picture of her son, whose real name was Carlton Weekly, and a platinum album commemorating more than 50 million video streams for his song “Slide.”
Weekly, 26, was shot Tuesday afternoon while standing in line in front of one of the high-end retailers that line the first block of East Oak Street, according to police. Two cars, a dark Ford Fusion and a gray Chrysler 300, pulled up and four gunmen jumped out and opened fire about 4:30 p.m., police said.
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Friends and family hug at the site where Chicago rapper FBG Duck was killed earlier in the week at Oak Street at Michigan Avenue, Aug. 7, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Weekly was shot more than a dozen times, according to a police report. His girlfriend, who told police she was waiting in a parked car, was shot twice in the left wrist. A 36-year-old man was hit in the back and leg.
Chicago police say Weekly may have been targeted because he had recently made a video featuring “derogatory statements” about rival gang members who have died.
Weekly was a member of a Gangster Disciples faction that has been involved in a fierce feud with the Black Disciples on the South Side, according to police.
Officers in at least four police districts — Wentworth, Grand Crossing, Gresham and Englewood — have been warned to use “extreme caution” because of the “high probability of further violence,” according to an advisory issued by the department.
“Intelligence suggests that both these gangs are in possession of large caliber and high capacity firearms,” it adds.
Three years ago, Weekly’s older brother Jermaine Robinson was shot and killed in a double homicide in Woodlawn on the South Side, according to police and Weekly’s Apple Music biography. Robinson was also a rapper who performed under the name FBG Brick.
ssherry@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-07--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-08-07--Illinois coronavirus graphs: 7,613 deaths, 190,508 confirmed cases and 2.98 million tests

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-08-07--New Illinois rules about wearing a face mask in public are in effect. Here’s everything to know.

The N95 is the most effective mask and the ones that medical workers wear to protect themselves from the virus @ @ @ @ @ short supply , so the general public should avoid them and look for disposable masks @ @ @ @ @ which are less effective but good enough to capture vital particles from coming in or @ @ @ @ @ nose .
Here are the types of masks available .

Air travelers with and without face masks use a moving walkway toward their gates at Midway International Airport in Chicago on April 19, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
As of May 1, all Illinois residents over age 2 must wear a face mask when they can’t maintain a 6-foot social distance in public. Studies show that the coronavirus can spread between people interacting in close proximity, including people who are not showing symptoms.
With COVID-19 cases increasing, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Aug. 7 attempted to put more muscle behind the mandate by issuing a rule to penalize businesses and schools that don’t enforce mask-wearing with fines of up to $2,500. Individuals are not covered by the rule and are not subject to penalties.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says nonmedical cloth facial coverings, for the public, help prevent the spread of the coronavirus and help people who may have the virus and are asymptomatic from transmitting it to others. N95 masks, which are in short supply, are best reserved for health care workers, who come into direct contact with COVID-19 patients.
Major retail chains like Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, CVS and Walgreens say they have already mandated that all store employees wear masks or facial coverings. Customers now must wear them in stores, but enforcing the rule can be more challenging.
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According to the CDC, masks should:
Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face
Be secured with ties or ear loops
Include multiple layers of fabric
Allow for breathing without restriction
Be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shape
The Tribune has compiled resources below on what fabrics are best for homemade masks, how to make your own face mask, and who is making and donating them in the Chicago area.
[ We’ve lowered the paywall on this essential coronavirus coverage ]
What kind of face mask should you wear?
The N95 is the most effective mask and the ones that medical workers wear to protect themselves from the virus. These have been in short supply, so the general public should avoid them and look for disposable masks or washable cloth masks, which are less effective but good enough to capture vital particles from coming in or out of your mouth and nose. Here are the types of masks available.
How to make your own face mask
Don’t want to try to find one in stores or online? You can make your own at home. Here are all the tools and material you will need and a handy illustrated tutorial to get you started. And here’s how you can make one with common household items.
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
Best fabrics for homemade masks
A study by University of Chicago professor Supratik Guha and colleagues at Argonne National Laboratory tested more than 15 common household fabrics to see which were best for protecting against the coronavirus. The study investigated the fabric’s filtration efficiencies against the tiny droplets that are how COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses are spread. Wearing a mask or a cloth facial covering reduces the transmission of these respiratory droplets from an infected person, Guha says.
They found the most effective fabrics to be cotton, natural silk and chiffon; synthetic silk and satin did not provide as much protection. Hybrid combinations, such as high thread cotton, along with silk, chiffon or flannel also supplied broad filtration coverage. Read more here.
[ As the coronavirus spreads, the Tribune is tracking Illinois cases here ]
How to properly wash your face masks
Cloth masks are washable and reusable. If you’re looking to maximize hygienic handling of your cloth mask, take a look at this guide from Best Reviews on how to clean and sanitize your masks.
Where you can find face masks — even for free
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Chicagoans are sewing face masks. Inspired by requests from local doctors and nurses, as well as calls for masks from providers such as the Indiana-based Deaconess Health System, volunteers have taken to social media with hashtags such as #1millionmasks. They are dusting off their sewing machines, sharing material and elastic, and arranging drop-offs and pickups from front stoops and porches. Read more here.
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Also, check out neighborhood Facebook pages or email groups to find homemade masks in your area. Here are some other options:
What if I’m running?
Like many new questions related to a new virus, there are few definitive answers about whether runners are more or less likely to possibly spread the virus — despite what might be floating around online. Runners can consider using a circular accessory known as a “buff,” which has light, moisture-wicking fabric, or other household items like bandannas or neck warmers that might be more suitable to exercising and the outdoor elements.
The Chicago Area Runners Association has released a guide on what it considers best practices during the pandemic. If running on sidewalks or in more crowded places, they advise wearing a mask. Read more on running, coronavirus and masks here.


chicagotribune--2020-08-07--Jussie Smollett lawyers say recording mistake, which captured witness talking to attorney, points to

Jussie Smollett lawyers say recording mistake, which captured witness talking to attorney, points to conspiracy

But in appointing attorney Webb as special prosecutor last year , Cook County Judge Michael Toomin wrote that Foxx botched @ @ @ @ @ reins to her top deputy .
Because the recusal was invalid , the entire process @ @ @ @ @ prosecutor at the helm , he wrote — opening the door for Smollett to be @ @ @ @ @ team of special prosecutors .

Actor Jussie Smollett leaves the Cook County Jail on March 16, 2022, after he was ordered to be released pending appeal of his conviction and 150-day sentence. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago police investigating the Jussie Smollett case apparently inadvertently taped 37 seconds of a private conversation between a key witness and his lawyer last year — a tape that has since made it into the hands of Smollett’s defense team, which says it helps prove the actor’s innocence.
The video of conversation between Olabinjo Osundairo and his attorney, Gloria Schmidt Rodriguez, was given to special prosecutors, who unwittingly turned it over to defense attorneys as part of a routine exchange of potential evidence.
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When they realized they had done so, prosecutors asked the defense attorneys to confirm that they would not view it or use it, given that conversations between lawyers and their clients are confidential, attorney Sean Wieber said in court Friday.
But Smollett’s attorneys believe the tape shows what they have long argued: that Osundairo and his brother, who are the suspects-turned-witnesses at the heart of the case, were coached on a phony story to frame Smollett as a way to escape being charged themselves.
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“We believe it’s evidence of them conspiring to come up with a story,” defense attorney Tina Glandian said in court Friday. “It is a significant statement that we would like to introduce into evidence.”
Judge James Linn, who is presiding over the case, hinted strongly that the tape would not ever be made public, saying “this is clear cut attorney-client privilege.”
“Somebody forgot to turn off the tape at the police station,” Linn said. “The lawyers are trying to use this now, and I’m not sure it will be available.”
But before rendering a formal decision, Linn requested to see the video in his chambers to determine whether the defense could use it.
The revelation came at a routine pretrial hearing in the former “Empire” actor’s second criminal case, which was charged in February by a special prosecutor after the initial case was abruptly dropped.
Olabinjo Osundairo and his brother, Abimbola, are key witnesses in the Smollett case. Their statement to police turned the onetime “Empire” actor from victim to suspect, launching a high-profile case that has seen roller-coaster twists in the past 18 months.
Schmidt Rodriguez, could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday’s development.
A special Cook County grand jury indicted Smollett in February on six counts of disorderly conduct alleging he orchestrated a racist and homophobic attack on himself in downtown Chicago in January 2019.
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The allegations were similar to charges brought by State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office last year. Foxx had recused herself from overseeing the prosecution, revealing she’d had contact with a member of Smollett’s family early in the investigation at the request of Tina Tchen, Michelle Obama’s former chief of staff.
But in appointing attorney Webb as special prosecutor last year, Cook County Judge Michael Toomin wrote that Foxx botched the recusal by handing the reins to her top deputy. Because the recusal was invalid, the entire process played out without a real prosecutor at the helm, he wrote — opening the door for Smollett to be charged again by a separate team of special prosecutors.
Smollett’s defense team has launched an effort to get the new indictment thrown out, arguing that the prosecutors were not appointed appropriately. Linn has not yet ruled on that request.
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-07--Joe Biden apologizes for comments on diversity among Black people

He explained that by “ full diversity ” he meant that “ unlike the African American community and many other @ @ @ @ @ from everywhere — from Europe , from the tip of South America , all the @ @ @ @ @ Mexico , and in the Caribbean .
And different backgrounds , different ethnicities .
But @ @ @ @

WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden apologized late Thursday for comments he made earlier in the day that suggested that the African American community was not diverse.
“In no way did I mean to suggest the African American community is a monolith — not by identity, not on issues, not at all,” Biden said in a series of tweets.
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In an interview with Black and Latino journalists published early Thursday, Biden said that “unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community with incredibly diverse attitudes about different things.”
Joe Biden: "most people don't know, unlike the African American community with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community, with incredibly different attitudes about different things" https://t.co/eXnmSklE79 pic.twitter.com/CJf90kNShw — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 6, 2020
Biden enjoyed strong support from Black voters during the Democratic primary season, and Black voters overwhelmingly tell pollsters they will not vote for President Donald Trump in November. But Biden needs to keep momentum among those key Democratic voters ahead of the general election and has been accused by Republicans of taking their votes for granted.
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A Biden adviser explained his comments as being about the diversity of political views among Latinos. But later Thursday during a speech to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials conference, he promised his administration would reflect “the full diversity of Latino communities.”
He explained that by “full diversity” he meant that “unlike the African American community and many other communities, you’re from everywhere — from Europe, from the tip of South America, all the way to our border in Mexico, and in the Caribbean. And different backgrounds, different ethnicities. But all Latinos.”
“Throughout my career I’ve witnessed the diversity of thought, background, and sentiment within the African American community. It’s this diversity that makes our workplaces, communities, and country a better place,” Biden said in his apology tweets.
He also committed that he “will always listen, I will never stop fighting for the African American community and I will never stop fighting for a more equitable future.”


chicagotribune--2020-08-07--Chicago police exchange gunfire with man on South Side, no one injured

Officers had seen the man , a gun in hand , running out of a business near 83rd Street and @ @ @ @ @ Chatham neighborhood about 2:20 a.m. , according to police .
The man ran west on @ @ @ @ @ began firing at an approaching police car .

Chicago police exchanged gunfire with a suspect on the South Side early Friday, but no one was injured and the man was taken into custody after a chase, authorities said.
Officers had seen the man, a gun in hand, running out of a business near 83rd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue in the Chatham neighborhood about 2:20 a.m., according to police. The man ran west on 83rd, turned around and began firing at an approaching police car.
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An officer in the car returned fire and the suspect was taken into custody south of Evans Avenue by other responding officers, police said. A gun was recovered. No injuries were reported.
Earlier this week, a man fired at Chicago police who were responding to a domestic dispute in Lawndale.
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Last week, three officers were wounded when a carjacking suspect exchanged shots with them at the Grand Central District police station.


chicagotribune--2020-08-07--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what happened on Aug. 6 with COVID-19 in the Chicago area

For the first time in more than two months , the statewide count of newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 surpassed 2,000 in Illinois .
Public health officials said Friday 2,084 new cases were logged during the last 24-hour period , and another 21 people with COVID-19 had died .
The last time the newly confirmed case number surpassed 2,000 was May 24 , when the state reported 2,508 cases .
Officials also placed 13 of the state ’ s 102 counties at coronavirus “ warning level.
” Meanwhile , Gov .
J.B. Pritzker on Friday announced his administration is filing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforce mask requirements that include the possibility of fines up to $ 2,500 .
Businesses that don ’ t comply will be given a written notice warning .
If they don ’ t voluntarily comply , businesses will then be given an order for patrons to leave the property “ as needed to comply with public health guidance and reduce risks , ” Pritzker ’ s office said .
If businesses still do not comply , they can receive a class A misdemeanor , subject to a fine of $ 75 to $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delayed the release of its plan for remote learning in the fall , days after the district announced it would start the new school year virtually rather than with the hybrid reopening model it first proposed .
“ We believe an improved remote learning model that engages students for the full school day is the right way to begin the new school year based on both the evolving public health situation and feedback from our families , ” CPS CEO Janice Jackson and Chief Education Officer LaTanya McDade said in the email .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to work with school leaders and labor partners to ensure the plan we finalize for the new school year is thorough and thoughtful , and we will be sharing those guidelines as soon as they are ready.
” 6:27 p.m. : While CPS pivots to remote learning , Catholic schools in Chicago and suburbs stand by plans to reopen fully as teachers and parents fret Even as city and state officials struggle to contain the spread of COVID-19 and warned in recent days about the upward direction of infection numbers , the Archdiocese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schools later this month .
The decision has upset some parents , who are worried and dissatisfied with remote learning alternatives for those who opt out , and some teachers , one of whom is leaving the job rather than return to the classroom .
The Chicago Archdiocesan school system — which educates more than 70,000 students in Cook and Lake counties , a fraction of the size of CPS spread out over a much larger geographic area —announced reopening plans in early July , calling for a full return to in-person learning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The dioceses of Joliet and Rockford have unveiled similar plans .
5:45 p.m. ( update ) : Cubs-Cardinals series in St. Louis will be postponed after another positive COVID-19 test Another positive COVID-19 test from a Cardinals player led to the postponement of the first series between the longtime rivals .
Friday ’ s game was postponed to “ allow for additional testing and to complete the contact tracing process , ” the league said in a statement .
The Cubs were preparing to fly home to Chicago for four off days before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cleveland .
In the days and hours before she gave up on in-school learning at Chicago Public Schools this fall , Mayor Lori Lightfoot was getting squeezed from the outside and the inside .
Her political nemeses in the Chicago Teachers Union repeatedly accused Lightfoot of putting students and teachers at risk , even as the rumblings about an impending strike vote grew louder .
Within her administration , CPS CEO Dr. Janice Jackson desperately was trying to maintain some kind of face-to-face instruction .
Thousands of disadvantaged Chicago children count on schools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , encouragement , structure , meals and “ a lot of other things some people take for granted , ” Jackson said as the district opted out of having students in classrooms to start the new academic year .
Meanwhile , the city ’ s coronavirus point person planted her flag publicly on the idea that the hybrid model with kids going in to school two days per week could work despite rising case counts .
Public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady told reporters that “ with the appropriate procedures in place , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of spread is significant ” inside schools if the virus is under control .
And Lightfoot herself was eager to show Chicago could reopen the right way even as other big cities across the U.S. struggled not to get overwhelmed by the disease .
In the end , with many school districts locally and nationally opting to keep their students at home , Lightfoot said she was “ guided by the science ” and shelved until at least November the hybrid model that would have sent kids to school two days per week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Marion federal prison during COVID-19 surge despite restrictive conditions , say inmates and family members A second coronavirus-related death following a weekend surge of positive COVID-19 cases at the Marion federal prison has inmates with medical conditions worried about their health in a prison that is not allowing them to distance , family members and inmates told the Tribune .
The Bureau of Prisons , which was reporting 72 positive cases July 31 at Marion in southern Illinois , reported 133 positive cases Monday .
On Tuesday , the number went down to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and then to 84 , including four prison employees , on Friday .
The number of positives reported fluctuates based on new cases being added and resolved cases being removed , federal prisons spokesperson Emery Nelson said in an email .
Federal officials announced Monday that one inmate at Marion had died after testing positive for the coronavirus .
Late Wednesday , the mother of a second prisoner who had been hospitalized because of COVID-19 told the Tribune he had died .
After the man was listed in the Bureau of Prisons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials confirmed late Thursday the man , Taiwan Davis , had died after testing positive for the coronavirus .
Experts who have been studying rates of COVID-19 in prisons say the infection rate , death rate and growth rate are significantly higher in prison than in the general population .
Between April and June , the mean daily case growth rate was 8.3 % in prisons .
In the general population , it was less than half that , according to one study .
The age-adjusted rate for COVID-19-related deaths was three times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Three inmates the Tribune communicated with complained this week about other decisions the prison administration has made in recent weeks , such as banning the use of phones and email , using isolation rooms for inmates needing to quarantine , and , for several days , keeping those who tested positive all together in a recreation room .
Thursday , phones were turned back on , according to inmates .
And although low-security inmates typically are able to go outside for most of the day , the prison administration has stopped allowing this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everybody is now that we have ( COVID-19 in the prison ) , once you get it again , it ’ s going to get worse , ” if someone has it and then develops symptoms a second time , said an inmate .
4:07 p.m. : Cook County to provide $ 20 million in CARES Act money to rental aid for suburban households , but Preckwinkle stresses additional federal funds needed Cook County government will give out $ 20 million in federal CARES Act funds to suburban residents struggling to pay rent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday while emphasizing the need for a slow-moving Congress to advance a second stimulus package .
Households earning under 80 % of the area median income , about $ 72,000 for a family of four , can apply for grants that will cover overdue or future rent , Rich Monocchio , executive director of the Housing Authority of Cook County , said at a news conference in Oak Park .
Up to $ 4,500 is available per household to pay between one to three months of rent .
” When this pandemic ravaged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experienced hardship , we knew that we had to do more , ” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said .
“ The need remains critical and urgent.
” Because officials anticipate the demand will exceed their available funds , applicants will be randomly chosen before awards go out to landlords , Monocchio said .
One-quarter of the $ 20 million will go to places bearing the brunt of the economic devastation from the coronavirus pandemic .
Monocchio estimates the maximum number of households benefiting from the program will be about 7,000 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ during a period like this , the county would have a program that helps the most vulnerable renters stay in their homes and weather out this pandemic , ” Monocchio said .
A last-ditch effort by Democrats to revive collapsing Capitol Hill talks on vital COVID-19 rescue money ended in disappointment on Friday , making it increasingly likely that Washington gridlock will mean more hardship for millions of people who are losing enhanced jobless benefits and further damage for an economy pummeled by the still-raging coronavirus .
“ It was a disappointing meeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Schumer , saying the White House had rejected an offer by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to curb Democratic demands by about $ 1 trillion .
He urged the White House to “ negotiate with Democrats and meet us in the middle .
Don ’ t say it ’ s your way or no way.
” With the collapse of the talks , he said President Donald Trump was now likely to issue executive orders on home evictions and on student loan debt .
2:05 p.m. : The Paycheck Protection Program ends Saturday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a Round Two ’ Companies still struggling with sharply reduced revenue are wondering if Congress will give them a second chance at the Paycheck Protection Program , which ends Saturday after giving out 5.1 million loans worth $ 523 billion .
While the program that began April 3 has gotten mixed reviews , business owners still need help as the virus continues to spread and hamstring the economy .
The Illinois Department of Public Health placed 13 of the state ’ s 102 counties at coronavirus “ warning level ” on Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signal a resurgence of highly contagious COVID-19 .
Some of the 13 counties were on the department ’ s warning list a week earlier , while others were new additions .
Other counties that were on the list last week , when 11 counties were warned , were taken off the list .
Those counties are Jo Daviess , Sangamon , Gallatin , Johnson , Randolph and White .
According to the state Department of Public Health , cases and outbreaks in these areas have been traced to businesses , long-term care facilities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The state is monitoring a range of metrics to determine whether there ’ s a coronavirus resurgence in a given community , including deaths , hospital admissions , new cases per 100,000 people , weekly test positivity and ICU availability .
12:28 p.m. : Tonight ’ s Cubs-Cardinals game in St. Louis is postponed after another positive COVID-19 test for the Cardinals Another positive COVID-19 test from the Cardinals clubhouse led to the postponement , MLB announced .
The game was postponed to “ allow for additional testing and to complete the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a statement .
12:04 p.m. : 2,084 new known COVID-19 cases reported , the highest number in more than two months For the first time in more than two months , the statewide count of newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 surpassed 2,000 in Illinois .
Public health officials said Friday 2,084 new cases of coronavirus were logged during the last 24-hour period , and another 21 people with COVID-19 had died .
The new daily tally brings the statewide count of known cases to 190,508 .
There have been 7,613 deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic began earlier this year .
The state reported nearly 2,000 cases on Thursday , when there were 1,953 cases , as the state continues to see consistently higher case numbers than it did through much of June and early July .
The seven-day statewide average positivity rate is 4.1 % .
The rate was 2.5 % on July 7 .
The state remains in the fourth phase of Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s reopening plan , but Pritzker has repeatedly warned that in regions where there is a resurgence in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of public health metrics , stricter rules meant to slow the spread could be reimposed .
The U.S .
Postal Service says it lost $ 2.2 billion in the three months that ended in June as the beleaguered agency — hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic — piles up financial losses that officials warn could top $ 20 billion over two years .
“ Our financial position is dire , stemming from substantial declines in mail volume , a broken business model and a management strategy that has not adequately addressed these issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new postmaster general , said Friday in his first public remarks since taking the job in June .
9:43 a.m. : Gov .
Pritzker issues rule to penalize businesses that don ’ t enforce mask requirements with fines up to $ 2,500 Gov .
J.B. Pritzker , declaring Illinois is at a “ make or break ” moment in fighting the coronavirus pandemic , issued new emergency rules to require businesses and schools to enforce his mandatory face mask rules or face the prospect of being fined .
Businesses that don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ given a written notice warning .
If they don ’ t voluntarily comply , businesses will then be given an order for patrons to leave the property “ as needed to comply with public health guidance and reduce risks , ” Pritzker ’ s office said .
8:47 a.m. : Drug and alcohol use has spiked during pandemic , prompting Chicago ’ s recovery community to find new ways to reach out The pandemic has proven to be a difficult time for addicts .
With persisting unemployment rates and surging reports of anxiety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opioid use have skyrocketed among users who have found themselves stuck inside day after day .
But support is still available .
Over the past few months , recovery groups and treatment centers throughout the Chicago area have learned to adapt their services to the shifting restrictions of the pandemic .
” Over the past few months , our Help Center has worked with hundreds of small business owners to assist them in recovering from interruption caused by the pandemic , and the need is still great , ” Freeman-Wilson said .
Funding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in areas with greater than 25 % Black residency , and qualified applicants would be required to “ participate in non-grant counseling services to access short-term needs , ” the release said .
Chicago was one of six National Urban League affiliates to receive $ 100,000 from Ford for the program .
Ford created the initiative to “ provide a stabilizing influence ” for communities hard hit by COVID-19.
” Small businesses are a cornerstone of the African American community and play a vital role in their economic success , ” Pamela Alexander @ @ @ @ @ @ @ development , said in the release .
“ The impact of the COVID pandemic has created economic uncertainty that necessitates immediate action .
Our long-term partnership with the National Urban League allows us to quickly mobilize an initiative such as the Emergency Capital Access Program to get immediate assistance to those businesses in need.
” 6:30 a.m. : Gov .
Pritzker to announce new COVID-19 guidelines Gov .
J.B. Pritkzer and “ industry leaders ” were scheduled to announce new guidelines Friday morning “ to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Details of the new policies were expected to be released at a morning news conference .
After the Chicago Park District announced this week that restaurants and concessions east of Lake Shore Drive are now allowed to reopen , some were scheduled to start service again Friday .
Beachside establishments must adhere to the same COVID-19 safety guidelines that pertain to other businesses and restaurants in the city .
The Park District is working with each concession on its health and safety plans and owners can open as early as this week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early as Thursday , according to the Park District .
6:15 a.m. : Preckwinkle to announce new coronavirus-related rental assistance program Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle was set to announce Friday a new rental assistance program for people who live suburban Cook County who are “ experiencing financial insecurity ” because of the COVID-19 pandemic , according to Preckwinkle ’ s office .
Preckwinkle and other county elected officials were scheduled to join county housing and economic development officials at an announcement late Friday morning in Oak Park regarding the program .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ when they know what ’ s coming ’ : How parents can navigate back-to-school anxiety , whether students are in class or learning remotely The decision of how children will learn this fall is stressful for parents , who have been under enormous stress already — with many trying to work and simultaneously help teach children at home in the spring , and reckoning with an extended period of COVID-19 restrictions .
Now , they must anticipate what school will look like in the fall .
5 a.m. : Internet slowing down as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s how to speed it up .
Nothing kills work-from-home motivation like slow internet .
It ’ s an issue some in the Chicago area are facing for the first time as the COVID-19 pandemic sent them out of the office and into remote workspaces at home .
With the recent announcement of all-remote learning for students in Chicago Public Schools this fall , and many other districts opting for some degree of e-learning , a torrent of video calls and downloads from multiple family members could test the mettle of even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ families with limited income , it can seem like high-speed internet is out of reach financially .
For Chicagoans looking for ways to improve their connection or get their homes hooked up for the first time , here ’ s some advice .
Here are five things that happened Thursday related to COVID-19 :

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Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
For the second time in a week, Illinois officials reported a new daily count of coronavirus cases that hovered just under 2,000.
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Thursday reported 1,953 new known cases of COVID-19 in the state over the prior 24 hours, and 21 additional deaths of people with the highly contagious illness. Today’s number is the highest daily count of cases since the end of May.
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Those numbers raise the statewide totals to 188,424 known cases and 7,594 deaths since the pandemic began earlier this year. The seven-day statewide average positivity rate stands at 4%. It was 2.6% a month earlier.
Earlier Thursday, the Chicago Park District has announced that restaurants and concessions east of Lake Shore Drive are now allowed to reopen. Beachside establishments must adhere to the same COVID-19 safety guidelines that pertain to other businesses and restaurants in the city. While the Park District is working with each concession on its health and safety plans, proprietors can open as early as this week.
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[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
[ Illinois’ new COVID-19 plan: How the state will manage any outbreaks in 3 charts ]
[ Illinois coronavirus graphs: Here's the latest data on deaths, confirmed cases, tests and more ]
Here’s what’s happening Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
9:03 p.m. (update): Coronavirus relief talks in Washington on brink of collapse as sides still ‘far apart’
Washington talks on vital COVID-19 rescue money are teetering on the brink of collapse after a marathon meeting in the Capitol Thursday night generated lots of recriminations but little progress on the top issues confronting negotiators.
“There’s a handful of very big issues that we are still very far apart” on, said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who depicted impasses on aid to states and local governments and renewing supplemental unemployment benefits.
Both sides said the future of the talks is uncertain. President Donald Trump is considering executive orders to address evictions and on unemployment insurance, but they appear unlikely to have much impact.
A breakdown in the talks would put at risk more than $100 billion to help reopen schools, a fresh round of $1,200 direct payments to most people, and hundreds of billions of dollars for state and local governments to help them avoid furloughing workers and cutting services as tax revenues shrivel.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York emerged to give a pessimistic update about the chances for an agreement.
“We’re very far apart. It’s most unfortunate,” Pelosi said.
Read more here. —The Associated Press
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8 p.m.: Chicago alderman who was at news conference with Lightfoot tests positive for COVID-19
A day after attending a news conference with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other top city officials, West Side Ald. Michael Scott announced he tested positive for COVID-19.
Scott, who’s Lightfoot’s education committee chairman on the City Council, said he was tested last week during a community event and received the results on Thursday.
“I am home now, currently with no symptoms,” Scott said. “I am following all the necessary health protocols in accordance with the Chicago Department of Public Health. As a public official, it is my responsibility to share this news because I have a public facing life.”
Scott was at City Hall with Lightfoot, Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson and public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady when they announced Wednesday that CPS would start the year with remote learning in the fall.
A message to Lightfoot’s press office was not immediately returned. Earlier in the day, Lightfoot abruptly canceled an afternoon news conference without explanation.
Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
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7:30 p.m.: What went wrong? How the US has uniquely failed to control the coronavirus
Nearly every country has struggled to contain the coronavirus and made mistakes along the way.
China committed the first major failure, silencing doctors who tried to raise alarms about the virus and allowing it to escape from Wuhan. Much of Europe went next, failing to avoid enormous outbreaks. Today, many countries — Japan, Canada, France, Australia and more — are coping with new increases in cases after reopening parts of society.
Yet even with all of these problems, one country stands alone as the only affluent nation to have suffered a severe, sustained outbreak for more than four months: the United States.
When it comes to the virus, the United States has come to resemble not the wealthy and powerful countries to which it is often compared but instead to far poorer countries, like Brazil, Peru and South Africa, or those with large migrant populations, like Bahrain and Oman.
As in several of those other countries, the toll of the virus in the United States has fallen disproportionately on poorer people and groups that have long suffered discrimination. Black and Latino residents of the United States have contracted the virus at roughly three times as high of a rate as white residents.
How did this happen? The New York Times set out to reconstruct the unique failure of the United States through numerous interviews with scientists and public health experts around the world. The reporting points to two central themes.
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Read more here. —The New York Times
7:11 p.m.: Illinois will test athletes daily in hopes of containing the spread of the coronavirus and kicking off the football season
Illinois offensive tackle Alex Palczewski wore a mask and couldn’t hug his teammates, but he smiled as he talked about returning to the practice field Thursday after limited interaction for months amid COVID-19 restrictions.
“We have to sacrifice a few months,” said Palczewski, a senior from Mount Prospect whose mom is an intensive care unit nurse. “If at the end of the season, we’re Big Ten champs, it’s all worth it.”
Illini players, coach Lovie Smith and athletic director Josh Whitman stressed during video conferences with reporters the importance of reducing the spread of the coronavirus in hopes of completing a season as uncertainty swirls around the nation about the possibility of kicking off this fall.
Illinois athletes will be required to take daily tests, with at least two PCR tests per week required by Big Ten protocol and saliva tests administered through the university. Currently, saliva tests are available only on weekdays, but the university expects those to be available soon on weekends too.
The amount of testing at Illinois exceeds what most programs have announced.
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Read more here. —Shannon Ryan
6:34 p.m.: Tribune Publishing in talks to leave Prudential Plaza offices amid pandemic
The Chicago Tribune’s offices could be on the move for the second time in less than three years, as the newspaper’s parent company seeks an exit from Prudential Plaza amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Tribune Publishing is in talks with Prudential Plaza owner Sterling Bay for a buyout of its approximately 137,000-square-foot lease in the office complex overlooking Millennium Park, according to real estate sources.
Sterling Bay and Tribune Publishing’s brokers from Jones Lang LaSalle have begun informally marketing the entire space to potential tenants in anticipation of the company’s exit, according to sources.
Tribune Publishing is among many companies taking steps to reduce real estate and other costs during a pandemic that has left many office employees working from home since March.
Measures companies are taking include stopping rent payments, seeking rent relief and offering space for sublease. Uber and Groupon are among those with sublease space on the market, and a wave of additional sublease offerings is expected to flood the market in the coming months.
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Read more here. —Ryan Ori
6:10 p.m.: Diversey Express Driver Services Facility temporarily closed after positive test
An employee at the Diversey Express Driver Services Facility tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Office of the Secretary of State. The facility will be closed until August 10 “out of abundance of caution,” according to a news release Thursday afternoon.
“The Illinois Department of Public Health has been consulted and confirmed that public is not directly impacted by this situation,” the statement said.
Employees who work at the facility are being quarantined for 14 days. The facility is scheduled to be cleaned and sanitized.
—Jessica Villagomez
5:32 p.m.: Loyola University Chicago says it won’t open residence halls this fall amid ongoing COVID-19 fears
Loyola University Chicago announced Thursday it will not reopen its residence halls this fall because of continued worries about the spread of COVID-19.
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“Evaluating current health conditions, and factoring for uncertainty in the months ahead, has led us to make the very tough decision to suspend plans to host students in on-campus residence halls until conditions are favorable,” according to a letter that went out Thursday, signed by President Jo Ann Rooney and several other administrators.
“Like you, we hoped that the trajectory of the virus would subside over the summer. In fact, it grew stronger,” the statement reads.
The campus leaders said that under Chicago’s emergency travel rules, 700 dormitory residents would be coming from “hot spot” areas and would have to begin a two-week quarantine upon arrival.
Read more here. —Elyssa Cherney
4:40 p.m.: City Colleges faculty and staff threaten to strike if everyone isn’t allowed to work remotely this fall
Faculty and staff at City Colleges of Chicago are threatening to hold their first strike in more than a decade if administrators don’t allow all employees to work from home when fall classes begin in late August.
While most instructors have been approved to teach remotely next semester, about 450 employees, including academic advisors and technological support and clerical staff, were required to return to campuses on Monday, according to unions representing those workers. Employees deemed essential by the community college network have been working in person since May despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Tony Johnston, president of the Cook County College Teachers Union, said his members plan to hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss taking a vote of no confidence in the administration, a move that could potentially escalate into a safety-related strike.
“The simple truth is that our colleges, much like K-12 schools, were not made to deliver instruction and student services under these pandemic conditions,” Johnston said.
A spokeswoman for CCC, the state’s largest community college system with seven campuses, said in-person services are being offered because not all students can access technology from home.
Read more here. —Elyssa Cherney
4:17 p.m.: Illinois is extending unemployment benefits by 20 weeks. Meanwhile, some gig workers are learning they’ve been overpaid.
Illinois extended jobless benefits another 20 weeks as laid off workers continued to struggle with the claims process, including some who say they have to return funds because they were overpaid.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security, the state agency tasked with handling jobless claims, said the extension was available starting Thursday to people who have gone through 26 weeks of state benefits. Illinois is among 19 states providing 20 weeks of extended benefits, the agency said in a news release.
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More than 25,000 Illinoisans filed for unemployment insurance for the first time in the week ending Aug. 1, down from more than 33,000 the week before, according to the state’s latest figures.
At the same time, several gig and contract workers who were able to apply for benefits under the federal coronavirus relief package told the Tribune they owe thousands of dollars back to the state after learning they were overpaid.
Some claimants say the state is deducting funds from their weekly benefits to pay down the debt.
Chris Markacek, of Orland Park, has been out of work as a DJ since March due to event cancellations. He said the state notified him he owes about $4,000. By late July, Markacek said his benefits were being deducted to pay off the amount.
“There was no explanation for anything. It all happened very sudden and it was confusing,” Markacek, 34, said.
Read more here. —Abdel Jimenez
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3:50 p.m.: Indiana state superintendent says schools can safely reopen
Indiana's top education official said Thursday that she think schools can safely reopen despite mounting reports of students and staffers testing positive for the coronavirus within days of returning to the classroom in some districts.
Jennifer McCormick, the state’s school superintendent, said that she thinks it’s best for medical experts to determine if, when or how schools should reopen.
“Based on what I have been told, we are good to go — with provisions,” she said during a webinar in Indianapolis.
Read more here. —The Associated Press
(Updated: 2:40 p.m.) 12:33 p.m.: Negotiators trade public broadsides on stalled coronavirus relief package, likely to miss agreement deadline
President Donald Trump and the Senate’s top Republican huddled Thursday over a huge COVID-19 rescue package, but hopes on Capitol Hill for a deal are souring and there’s increasing worry that bipartisan congressional negotiations might collapse.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is a key player in the troubled talks and possesses far more experience than Trump's negotiating team, which is publicly frustrated by the inflexible tactics of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. The Democratic duo has not yielded much ground from an unprecedented $3.5 trillion House-passed rescue package.
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McConnell seemed to downplay the significance of the Trump meeting, telling a reporter “we talked a little bit about everything.”
Pelosi and Schumer are exuding confidence in a political and legislative landscape that’s tilted in their favor. Trump and McConnell both badly want an agreement, but Democrats control the House and may actually provide the lion’s share of votes in the Senate.
Read more here. —The Associated Press
(Updated: 2:08 p.m.) 12:11 p.m.: 1,953 new known COVID-19 cases, 21 additional fatalities
For the second time in a week, Illinois officials reported a new daily count of coronavirus cases that hovered just under 2,000.
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Thursday reported 1,953 new known cases of COVID-19 in the state over the prior 24 hours, and 21 additional deaths of people with the highly contagious illness.
Those numbers raise the statewide totals to 188,424 known cases and 7,594 deaths since the pandemic began earlier this year. The seven-day statewide average positivity rate stands at 4%. It was 2.6% a month earlier.
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Officials reported 1,941 new known cases on Friday, which was the highest daily tally of new cases since late May.
—Jamie Munks
1:09 p.m.: Chicago’s legendary FOBAB beer festival canceled due to COVID-19, but the competition will go on
Few things could be less appealing in the era of COVID-19 than getting buzzed on intensely boozy beer while crushed shoulder-to shoulder with a bunch of strangers in a bland event space.
So it comes as no surprise that Chicago’s legendary Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer has been canceled for 2020, the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild announced Thursday.
However, the Guild will press on with FOBAB’s annual competition, in which medals are handed out across 12 categories to honor excellence in wood-aging beer and cider.
Read more here. —Josh Noel
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1 p.m.: Millions of Americans thrown out of work because of the coronavirus endure loss of $600 aid: ‘My worst nightmare is coming true’
An unemployed makeup artist with two toddlers and a disabled husband needs help with food and rent. A hotel manager says his unemployment has deepened his anxiety and kept him awake at night. A dental hygienist, pregnant with her third child, is struggling to afford diapers and formula.
Around the country, across industries and occupations, millions of Americans thrown out of work because of the coronavirus are straining to afford the basics now that an extra $600 a week in federal unemployment benefits has expired.
“My worst nightmare is coming true,” said Liz Ness, a laid-off recruiter at a New Orleans staffing agency who fears she will be evicted next month without the added help from Washington. “Summer 2020 could be next year’s horror movie.”
Read more here. —The Associated Press
12:32 p.m.: Working from home leaving necks aching and shoulders sore? Ergonomic experts weigh in on how to make your workspace work for you.
Neck ache, back pain, sore shoulders — it’s not just you. University of Chicago physical therapist Zachary Stapleton said these are the most common complaints he receives from people who work desk jobs. “Desk jobs” these days may be more aptly called “couch jobs” or “kitchen table jobs” for some, but as more companies move to make work-from-home a more permanent measure, it might be time to reevaluate your workspace for the long term.
“I encourage people to establish environments that lead them to be as efficient as possible,” said Stapleton, who is also board-certified in orthopedics. Whatever your setup, he said it’s important that you have your feet on the floor and elbows at a 90-degree angle. The top of your computer monitor should be even with your brow and angled upward to take some tension off of your neck, he said.
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Read more here. —Lauren Leazenby
11:18 a.m.: Lakefront restaurants to reopen this week, many as early as Friday
While beaches remain closed, you’ll still get a chance to enjoy the sand and surf this summer: The Chicago Park District has announced that restaurants and concessions east of Lake Shore Drive are now allowed to reopen.
Beachside establishments must adhere to the same COVID-19 safety guidelines that pertain to other businesses and restaurants in the city. While the Park District is working with each concession on its health and safety plans, proprietors can open as early as this week.
Read more here. —Grace Wong
10:49 a.m.: Bright Horizons buys Chicago-based Sittercity as parents scramble for in-home child care and tutoring
With families scrambling to figure out child care options for kids attending school remotely this fall, day care company Bright Horizons announced it is purchasing Sittercity, an online platform that matches people with child care providers.
Bright Horizons said the partnership will help it fill the wide range of new child care needs families are facing as a growing list of workplaces and schools, including Chicago Public Schools, delay plans to return to offices and classrooms during the pandemic.
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“With the child care strain families have been experiencing the last five months paired with the prospect of remote learning, this acquisition will allow us to expand our in-home offerings and virtual solutions that are increasingly critical to families,” Bright Horizons CEO Stephen Kramer said in a news release Thursday. Terms of the transaction with Sittercity were not disclosed.
Read more here. —Lauren Zumbach
10:16 a.m.: ‘This is really devastating.’ Airline workers face tough decisions on whether to exit or hold on through COVID-19 pandemic.
American Airlines flight attendants were warned recently that flying won't be the same after Oct. 1, even for those who avoid furloughs and keep their jobs.
Flight attendants will work more hours, trips will be longer and more will be assigned to on-call "reserve" shifts, even those with 35 years of experience. Some flight attendants may have to relocate across the country to remain employed.
The future of flying is starting to take shape at major airlines, and it won’t be as friendly as the past seven years have been for employees.
Read more here. —The Dallas Morning News
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10:13 a.m.: Thinking of home schooling? Here’s how to do it.
Families across the Chicago area will be getting yet another taste of home schooling this fall, as many school districts opt for some degree of remote learning due to risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
But others are thinking about untethering from traditional schools altogether, adopting their own, more flexible curricula that can be better adapted to parents’ schedules and children’s needs.
Indeed, interest in home schooling — which first gained traction among religious families over the past few decades — has spiked since the pandemic began. Taking responsibility for your children’s education, however, can seem daunting. We spoke with some experts for their tips on how to home-school this fall.
Read more here. —Jennifer Day
5 alternative school options parents are weighing as more Chicago-area districts opt for remote learning
8:24 a.m.: 1.2 million seek unemployment aid after $600 federal pandemic boost ends
Nearly 1.2 million laid-off Americans applied for state unemployment benefits last week, evidence that the coronavirus keeps forcing companies to slash jobs just as a critical $600 weekly federal jobless payment has expired.
The government's report Thursday did offer a smidgen of hopeful news: The number of jobless claims declined by 249,000 from the previous week, after rising for two straight weeks, and it was the lowest total since mid-March.
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Still, claims remain at alarmingly high levels: It is the 20th straight week that at least 1 million people have sought jobless aid. Before the pandemic hit hard in March, the number of Americans seeking unemployment checks had never surpassed 700,000 in a week, not even during the Great Recession of 2007-2009.
Read more here. —The Associated Press
7:20 a.m.: City Colleges unions to announce opposition to in-person classes
Unions representing teachers and other workers at the City Colleges of Chicago was scheduled to hold an online news conference Thursday to “announce (members') willingness to strike for safety,” according to a news release.
The Cook County College Teachers Union as well as other unions representing City Colleges workers were scheduled to hold a news conference at 11 a.m. Thursday to call on the college system’s leadership to pause reopening “until a safe plan is in place,” according to the release.
The unions say that the City Colleges last week “demanded that student service employees such as college advisors and clerical staff return to buildings,” even though the unions say the workers “have been performing their jobs exceptionally well from home,” according to the release.
Check back for updates. —Chicago Tribune staff
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Here are five stories related to COVID-19 from Wednesday.