chicagotribune--2020-10-01--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Champaign region could see stricter rules and state officials relea

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Champaign region could see stricter rules and state officials release Halloween guidelines as 2,273 new known COVID-19 cases and 35 additional deaths reported

But one newly released study found that at least a dozen passengers became infected on a March flight from London @ @ @ @ @ a young businesswoman believed to have had COVID-19 .
The other found that two flight @ @ @ @ @ Hong Kong flight got the same genetic strain of the virus as a middle-aged couple @ @ @ @ @ sick with COVID-19 the day after they landed .
The authors at the London School @ @ @ @ @ and the University of Hong Kong concluded that the flight attendants got the virus from @ @ @ @

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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)
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Wednesday urged trick-or-treaters to socially distance on Halloween, while cautioning the holiday is best celebrated sans the usual celebrations.
“IDPH recognizes that some who will choose to gather together anyway, and instead of denying that reality, we are issuing guidance and recommendations for safer ways to celebrate together in person,” IDPH director Dr. Ngozi Ezike wrote in a statement. “Remember, we know what our best tools are: wearing our masks, keeping our distance, limiting event sizes, washing your hands, and looking out for public health and each other.”
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Also on Wednesday, Illinois public health officials reported they had logged 2,273 newly diagnosed cases and 35 additional confirmed deaths of people with COVID-19, raising the statewide tally to 293,274 known cases and 8,672 deaths.
Additionally, the central Illinois region around Champaign-Urbana could be hit with stricter restrictions on restaurants, bars and other businesses as the percentage of positive coronavirus tests is on the rise, state public officials warned on Wednesday.
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Here’s what’s happening Wednesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
8:35 p.m.: American Airlines to furlough 19,000 employees as clock runs out on deal for federal aid
American Airlines will begin furloughing 19,000 employees on Thursday after lawmakers and the White House failed to agree on a broad pandemic-relief package that includes more federal aid for airlines.
CEO Doug Parker said Wednesday night that if Washington comes up with a deal for $25 billion in airline aid “over the next few days,” American will reverse the furloughs and recall the employees.
The move by American represents the first — and likely the largest — involuntary jobs cut across the industry in coming days. United Airlines has indicated it could furlough nearly 12,000 workers.
Read more here. —Associated Press
8:15 p.m.: Pelosi, Mnuchin have ‘extensive’ talks on coronavirus relief
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin held an “extensive conversation” Wednesday on a huge COVID-19 rescue package, meeting face to face for the first time in more than a month in a last-ditch effort to seal a tentative accord on an additional round of coronavirus relief.
After a 90-minute meeting in the Capitol, Pelosi issued a statement saying the two would continue to talk. “We found areas where we are seeking further clarification,” she said. Talks resume Thursday.
“We made a lot of progress over the last few days. We still don’t have an agreement,” Mnuchin said after meeting with Pelosi and briefing top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell.
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At the very least, the positive tone set by Pelosi and Mnuchin represented an improvement over earlier statements. But there is still a considerable gulf between the two sides, McConnell said.
“I’ve seen substantial movement, yes, and certainly the rhetoric has changed,” White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said.
Read more here. —Associated Press
7 p.m.: Cook County Board commissioner tests positive for COVID-19
A Cook County commissioner who appeared in a news conference with board President Toni Preckwinkle last week announced on Wednesday he tested positive for coronavirus.
Commissioner Kevin Morrison, D-15th, released a statement late afternoon that he will self-isolate for 14 days and not resume activities until he tests negative. He said he is mostly asymptomatic.
“Unfortunately, I have tested positive for COVID-19,” Morrison wrote. “Fortunately, I am feeling well with very little symptoms. … I encourage everyone to continue to follow public health guidance and to stay safe.”
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Preckwinkle, who appeared at an event with him last week, received negative test results on Wednesday, a spokesman said. The news conference, announcing a small business recovery fund, was joined by three other political officials.
She took the test on Tuesday after a staffer for Gov. J.B. Pritzker, with whom she attended another news conference last week, tested positive for coronavirus. Also on Tuesday, she canceled her public appearances.
“I wish Commissioner Kevin Morrison a speedy recovery,” Preckwinkle tweeted. “All of us at Cook County look forward to having you back and healthy very soon.”
—Alice Yin
6:45 p.m. (update): Wisconsin sets new record for daily COVID-19 deaths as surge in cases threatens to overwhelm hospitals
Wisconsin set a new record for COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday and the surge in cases in the state threatened to overwhelm some hospitals.
Health officials reported 27 new deaths, breaking the state’s old record of 22 deaths set on May 27. The disease has killed or played a role in the death of 1,327 people in the state since the pandemic began.
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Health officials reported 2,319 newly confirmed cases, bringing the total number of cases in Wisconsin to 122,274 since the pandemic began.
Wisconsin had the third-highest positivity rate of any state as of Wednesday. Hospital officials in some areas said they were close to being overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients — a scenario that health officials have been warning could happen since the pandemic began but that only now seems like it could happen.
Read more here. —Associated Press
6:35 p.m.: COVID-19 tightens grip on American heartland as infections surge in Midwest
The coronavirus tightened its grip on the American heartland, with infections surging in the Midwest, some hospitals in Wisconsin and North Dakota running low on space and the NFL postponing a game over an outbreak that’s hit the Tennessee Titans football team.
Midwestern states are seeing some of the nation’s highest per capita rates of infection, and while federal health officials again urged some governors in the region to require masks statewide, many Republicans have resisted.
Like other states, health officials in Wisconsin had warned since the pandemic began that COVID-19 patients could overwhelm hospitals. That’s now happening for some facilities as experts fear a second wave of infections in the U.S.
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A record number of people with COVID-19 were hospitalized in Wisconsin. Of those 737 patients Wednesday, 205 were in intensive care, with spikes in cases in northern parts of the state driving up the numbers. The state also reported its highest single-day number of deaths — 27 — raising the toll to 1,327.
Read more here. —Associated Press
4:50 p.m.: Chicago’s outdoor dining street closures to continue into the fall and winter
After a summer of street closures dedicated to outdoor dining that saw dozens of Chicago restaurants move tables and chairs into the roadways, rest easy knowing that cold weather won’t stand in the way. Some of the shutdowns will continue this fall, and some even into the winter.
The Chicago Department of Transportation, local chambers and officials are still working with restaurants to determine when exactly street closures will end for each area, but for the time being, many permits will be extended as needed.
Here’s the schedule. —Grace Wong
3:30 p.m.: Hotel job losses in Illinois could double without additional federal aid, industry group warns. ‘We need Congress to act and act now.’
Hotel job losses in Illinois could double if Congress doesn’t pass another coronavirus stimulus bill, according to an industry group report.
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At the start of the pandemic, hotels across the Chicago area furloughed and laid off workers under the strain of stay-at-home orders and suspended travel. The hotel industry, which is a large source of jobs and tax revenue for the state, has been one of the hardest hit by the health crisis. In September, leisure and hospitality jobs in Chicago were down almost 27% from 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“In Illinois, winter is coming both literally and figuratively. We need Congress to act and act now,” said Michael Jacobson, president and CEO of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, during a news conference Tuesday.
Read more here. —Katie Surma
2:36 p.m.: Is it safe to fly during coronavirus pandemic? Research from pre-mask days reveals potential for a superspreader disaster.
While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said air travel can increase the risk of getting COVID-19 because it involves spending lots of time in crowded places, the agency also has said viruses don’t spread easily on flights because of how planes filter and circulate air. And until recently, there has been little research showing the coronavirus spreads aboard planes.
But one newly released study found that at least a dozen passengers became infected on a March flight from London to Hanoi while sitting near a young businesswoman believed to have had COVID-19. The other found that two flight attendants on a Boston to Hong Kong flight got the same genetic strain of the virus as a middle-aged couple on the plane who became sick with COVID-19 the day after they landed. The authors at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Hong Kong concluded that the flight attendants got the virus from the infected passengers.
Read more here. —The Mercury News
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1:46 p.m.: Indiana mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day can be counted through Nov. 13, judge rules
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day can be received and counted through Nov. 13, “if otherwise valid,” according to court records.
After initial review of the injunction, Lake and Porter county election officials had different reactions, but they made one thing clear: It is very unlikely that results will be known on Election Night.
U.S. Judge Sarah Evans Baker issued the preliminary injunction, which stops the state from enforcing the noon deadline on Nov. 3 for mail-in ballots to be considered, according to court records.
The lawsuit filed by Common Cause Indiana and the Indiana State Conference of the NAACP said about 1,500 ballots in Marion County and 400 in Hamilton County were rejected for this year’s primary election because they arrived after the noon deadline.
Read more here. —Alexandra Kukulka
1:42 p.m.: Champaign region could see stricter coronavirus rules as positivity rate rises
The central Illinois region around Champaign-Urbana could be hit with stricter restrictions on restaurants, bars and other businesses as the percentage of positive coronavirus tests is on the rise, state public officials warned on Wednesday.
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The massive saliva-based testing program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign can account for roughly 20% of all tests conducted statewide in a given day, giving the 21-county region a deceptively low positivity rate, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The region’s positivity rate stands at 2% on a seven-day average, but when Champaign County is removed, the rate jumps to 7.2%, approaching the 8% threshold that could trigger stricter rules to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, officials said.
Read more here. —Dan Petrella
1:13 p.m.: Halloween 2020: IDPH releases socially distanced trick-or-treating guidelines for those who 'choose to gather anyway’
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Wednesday urged trick-or-treaters to socially distance on Halloween, while cautioning the holiday is best celebrated sans the usual celebrations.
In a news release pointing out that “the safest way to celebrate is to stay home,” IDPH said trick-or-treaters this year should only travel with other members of their household. Both trick-or-treaters and those passing out candy must wear a mask and maintain a 6-foot distance at all times. That means the latter group should consider leaving the candy outside.
“IDPH recognizes that some who will choose to gather together anyway, and instead of denying that reality, we are issuing guidance and recommendations for safer ways to celebrate together in person,” IDPH director Dr. Ngozi Ezike wrote in a statement. “Remember, we know what our best tools are: wearing our masks, keeping our distance, limiting event sizes, washing your hands, and looking out for public health and each other.”
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Read more here. —Alice Yin
12:10 p.m.: 2,273 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 35 additional deaths reported
Illinois public health officials reported Wednesday they had logged 2,273 newly diagnosed cases and 35 additional confirmed deaths of people with COVID-19, raising the statewide tally to 293,274 known cases and 8,672 deaths.
—Chicago Tribune staff
11:02 a.m.: Hair loss. Memory problems. Strange rashes. COVID-19 patients report a litany of symptoms outside official criteria, some persisting for months.
As medical experts and scientists grapple to understand the new virus, some patients are reporting a great variety of symptoms that fall outside the official lists issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other major health authorities.
Often these conditions seem to appear or subside without warning, sometimes lingering for months after the virus is supposedly gone.
Earlier in the pandemic, most medical efforts were focused on keeping the sickest patients alive and relieving overwhelmed hospitals. But now there’s a growing need for research on the long-term health of those who survived the virus but don’t seem to be fully recovering, said Natalie Lambert, associate research professor at Indiana University School of Medicine.
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Many sickened by coronavirus express frustration as they battle a new and mysterious illness with no road map and very little history. Unpredictable symptoms — often outside the typical diagnostic criteria — are cited as a common source of stress.
Read more here. —Angie Leventis Lourgos
11 a.m.: Wisconsin hospitals filling with COVID-19 patients as virus surges: ‘We’re going to be in a dire situation in two, three, four weeks’
COVID-19 patients are filling Wisconsin hospitals, forcing doctors to transfer patients to other facilities and build waiting lists as the disease surges across the state.
State health officials have been warning that COVID-19 patients could overwhelm hospitals since the pandemic began in March. Now it appears that fear has become reality.
The number of people hospitalized in Wisconsin stood at 646 on Tuesday, a new record, with 205 patients in intensive care units, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Case spikes in northern and northeastern Wisconsin are driving much of the hospitalizations, the newspaper reported.
Officials at ThedaCare in the Fox Valley said they’ve exceeded capacity in the COVID-19 unit at their Appleton medical center and have started sending patients to Neenah and hospitals in Berlin, Shawano and Waupaca.
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“If it’s growing the way that it has for the past week or so, we’re going to be in a dire situation in two, three, four weeks,” said Michael Hooker, vice president and chief medical officer for acute care at ThedaCare. “Yes, we saw this coming, but didn’t expect it to be quite so rapid.”
Read more here. —Associated Press
10:51 a.m.: What does a ‘K-shaped’ recovery look like? Christmas spending may expose deep economic inequity in US.
This Christmas will be one of exorbitant spending and lavish gifts for many American families. It’ll also be one of tight budgets and difficulty putting food on the table for many others.
That’s the effect of the pandemic recession, which is exacerbating inequalities between the rich and the poor.
High-paid U.S. workers are benefiting from a strong stock market and lower expenses, allowing them to save more money than ever — and spend more on holiday gifts. The less fortunate, meanwhile, are grappling with job losses, eviction and food insecurity. Known as the “K-shaped” recovery, the disparities will be on full display this holiday season.
Read more here. —Bloomberg News
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7:10 a.m.: Lightfoot to hold final online budget town hall with city officials
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and City Budget Director Susie Park were scheduled to hold a final online town hall Wednesday regarding Chicago’s 2021 budget.
The city is running an $800 million budget deficit for 2020 following tax shortfalls because of the coronavirus pandemic and facing a hole of about $1.2 billion for 2021.
Since late August, the city has held a series of online town halls and gathered more than 38,000 survey responses about residents' budget concerns and spending priorities, according to a news release from the mayor’s office. Wednesday evening’s town hall will be livestreamed on Facebook from 6-7 p.m.
Lightfoot is to detail more of her plans for the 2021 budget when she gives her annual budget address in mid-October.
—Chicago Tribune staff
6:46 a.m.: COVID-19 cases traced to adult volleyball games at Gages Lake restaurant
Almost 200 players and spectators were potentially exposed recently to COVID-19 during adult volleyball games at a Gages Lake restaurant and bar, with 14 testing positive for the virus as the result of an investigation by the Lake County Health Department.
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The health department began its investigation on Sept. 23 after investigators and contact tracers identified people who watched or played volleyball with symptoms of the coronavirus pandemic at Jesse Oaks Food & Drink, according to a department press release.
Dr. Sana Ahmed, the health department’s medical epidemiologist and an infectious disease physician, said Tuesday investigators and contact tracers contacted Jesse Oaks when they learned about the outbreak so they could identify as many people as possible who were exposed.
“This could potentially be a large outbreak,” said Ahmed, who estimated nearly 200 people were at risk of getting the virus. “We reached out to the establishment because we were concerned more people were exposed. We identified 14 who became infected.”
Ahmed said the preliminary investigation showed some confirmed cases were among spectators as well as athletes.
Read more here. —Steve Sadin
5 a.m.: ‘This is the future of our sport’: Athletes Unlimited, a venture that treats pro sports like a fantasy league, ends first softball season in Rosemont with plans to return
An intriguing professional sports experiment ended in Rosemont on Monday night when Team Osterman, a softball squad named after its captain, Olympic gold medalist Cat Osterman, won its final game.
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But victory wasn’t really the point. Points were the point.
The six-week league was launched by Athletes Unlimited, a fledgling outfit that treats professional sports like a fantasy league. Players receive points not just for winning games but for performing well individually.
Hit a single, get 10 points. Stretch it into a double, get 20. Knock it over the fence and receive a cool 40 points.
Pitchers, meanwhile, get 4 points for every out but have 10 points taken away for every earned run. Winning an inning yields 10 points for every member of the team. Winning the game brings 50. Earning one of three Most Valuable Player spots voted on by players and fans after each game is worth up to 60 points.
The season was set to start in August, right after National Pro Fastpitch and the 2020 Olympics concluded. But when both were shut down by COVID-19, Athletes Unlimited suddenly became the only place to play.
That drew a surge of big-name athletes, including Osterman, who had been planning to retire after the Olympics. But it also meant the league had to create its own version of a bubble — Athletes Unlimited calls it a “shield” — to keep players safe from the virus.
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Read more here. —John Keilman
5 a.m.: Carbondale Driver Service facility closed after employee tests positive for COVID-19
The Carbondale Driver Services facility has been temporarily closed after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
A news release from the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office Monday said the facility will be closed until Oct. 9 and its employees are under quarantine after an order from the Franklin-Williamson Bi-County Health Department. Attempts to reach representatives from the health department were not successful Tuesday.
The release said there is not a direct impact on customers and that the facility is scheduled to be cleaned while closed. The release also reminded drivers that the Secretary of State’s Office has extended all expiration dates to Feb. 1, 2021, for driver’s licenses and ID cards. The release encouraged drivers to do basic things, like renewing a license or car registration, online at www.cyberdriveillinois.com.
For those needing in-person assistance, the release directed them to nearby facilities in Marion at 1905 Rendleman St.; in Anna at 101A Transcraft Drive; and in Benton at 812 N. Main St.
—The Southern, via Tribune Content Agency
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In case you missed it
Here are five stories from Tuesday related to COVID-19:


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Early voting kicks off Thursday in Chicago, suburban Cook County later in October

“ We ’ re encouraging voters that by mid-October , the third week in October , if you still have @ @ @ @ @ , go to an early voting site , come to a location where we have @ @ @ @ @ boxes , and just drop it in there , just to make sure your vote @ @ @ @ @ is counted , ” Hernandez said at a news conference to kick off the early @ @

Chicagoans who haven’t sent their mail-in ballot for the upcoming election by mid-October should instead submit it in one of the dozens of secure drop boxes at early voting polling sites around the city, an election official said Wednesday.
With in-person early voting for Chicago voters in the Nov. 3 election set to begin Thursday at the Loop location and Oct. 14 at sites in all 50 wards, Marisel Hernandez, chairwoman of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, said people who want to instead vote by mail need to have their ballot envelope postmarked by Election Day. Suburban Cook County voters can begin early voting in person later this month.
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John Powell secures electrical wires for a voting booth on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020, at the Chicago Board of Elections' Loop Super Site Early, where voting begins Oct. 1. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
But with concerns being raised about the U.S. Postal Service’s ability to handle the huge number of mail-in ballots as voters try to avoid voting in person during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hernandez urged procrastinators to use the boxes at the early voting sites.
“We’re encouraging voters that by mid-October, the third week in October, if you still have that ballot in your hand, go to an early voting site, come to a location where we have one of our secure drop boxes, and just drop it in there, just to make sure your vote is received by us and is counted,” Hernandez said at a news conference to kick off the early voting.
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The Loop Super Site will be open seven days a week through Election Day. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Election Day hours are 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Starting Oct. 14, the ward sites also will be open all week through election night. The locations of the ward sites can be found at chicagoelections.gov/earlyvoting.
There also will be early voting sites throughout the Cook County suburbs, listed at cookcountyclerk.com/service/early-voting-locations.
The poll booths will be more spread out at the sites than usual to comply with coronavirus social distancing rules, Hernandez said. Masks will be available for voters who arrive at polling sites without them, she said.
Early voting started last week in DuPage, Lake, Kane, Kendall, McHenry and Will counties, and some voters reported facing hourslong wait times because of the large number of people who came out to cast their ballots in person.
Election officials reported Wednesday that the state was approaching 2 million vote-by-mail applications.
Edmund Michalowski, deputy clerk of elections for Cook County, waves at workers as he leaves the Chicago Board of Elections' Loop Super Site on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
In Lake County, 29.8% of voters requested a mail ballot, compared with Kane County and the city of Chicago, both with 29.2%, Will County with 24%, McHenry County with 25.1% and suburban Cook County with 22.8%.
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Illinois election officials said last week that some of the confusion and delays were attributed to voters who previously applied for a mail-in ballot showing up to vote in person before their mail-in ballot arrived.
If voters applied and were approved for a mail-in ballot but decide to vote in person instead, they must bring their mail-in ballot with them to an early voting location and surrender it to an election official.
Voters who apply for a mail-in ballot but don’t receive one can vote in person but must sign an affidavit under penalty of perjury.
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chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Disorderly conduct charges dropped against woman who said Chicago police dragged her from car and pl

Disorderly conduct charges dropped against woman who said Chicago police dragged her from car and placed a knee on her neck

Police said they were responding to reports of looting at the mall when they came across a car containing Mia @ @ @ @ @ said they suspected the people in the car were “ assembled for the purpose of @ @ @ @ @ disturb the peace .
”

Disorderly conduct charges have been dropped against a woman who said Chicago police officers pulled her from a car by her hair and placed a knee on her neck in May.
The incident — caught on video — happened at Brickyard Mall at 2600 N. Narragansett Ave. during days of unrest following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis who died after an officer placed his knee on Floyd’s neck.
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Police said they were responding to reports of looting at the mall when they came across a car containing Mia Wright and others. Officers said they suspected the people in the car were “assembled for the purpose of using force or violence to disturb the peace.”
But Wright, 25, said she had gone to the mall with family and friends not realizing it had been closed because of looting. While in the parking lot, she said officers surrounded her car, broke the windows with clubs and pulled her to the ground.
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Mia Wright, 25, who was pulled from a car by Chicago police at Brickyard Mall, talks with family and supporters after speaking to media in the parking lot of the Brickyard Mall in Chicago on June 4, 2020. (Antonio Perez/ Chicago Tribune) (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Wright says she was partially blinded in the right eye during the confrontation. She was arrested on municipal charges of disorderly conduct, which were dropped by the city this week, according to Wright’s attorney, Nenye Uche.
“Mia Wright was viciously attacked by a group of Chicago police officers,” Uche said Tuesday. “This attack was not justified.”
The two officers have been relieved of their duties while the Civilian Office of Police Accountability investigates the case. The Cook County state’s attorney’s office has said it is reviewing Wright’s allegations in collaboration with the FBI.
Wright told reporters she has been taking classes to become a paramedic and worries that her injuries may get in the way. “Do they even hire someone who is partially blind?” she said.
“They really messed up my life, and something needs to be done about it,” Wright said. “ If the people who did that had not been police officers, you’d be at 26th and California facing criminal charges.”
WGN-TV contributed to this report.


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Chicago aldermen to consider rolling back part of city’s elected official lobbying ban

When the Ethics Board announced it would start enforcing the rules , it said the decision was in part because @ @ @ @ @ apparently not pass .
“ Sufficient time has now elapsed for any amendment process to @ @ @ @ @ has now confirmed there will be no changes to ( the statute ) , ” @ @ @ @ @ read in part .

Chicago aldermen now appear likely to consider a proposal introduced by Mayor Lori Lightfoot that would roll back part of the tougher rules they passed to prevent elected officials from lobbying City Hall.
West Side Ald. Jason Ervin used a parliamentary rule to threaten an up-or-down City Council floor vote next month on Lightfoot’s ordinance that would again let elected officials from outside Chicago lobby aldermen, the mayor’s office and other city government departments.
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Ervin’s move prompted Ethics Committee Chair Ald. Michele Smith to instead agree to hold a hearing on the proposal in her committee.
While Smith said Wednesday she still opposes any move to weaken the current standards, “I’m willing to listen to ideas my colleagues want to bring forward.”
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The city Ethics Board announced earlier in September that in October it would start enforcing the ban on lobbying by any elected officials, which was supposed to take effect in mid-April.
That seemingly would force registered lobbyist Gyata Kimmons to either give up his lucrative City Hall lobbying on behalf of several prominent corporate clients or give up his seat as a village trustee in south suburban Flossmoor.
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When the Ethics Board announced it would start enforcing the rules, it said the decision was in part because Lightfoot’s ordinance would apparently not pass. “Sufficient time has now elapsed for any amendment process to have occurred; the board has now confirmed there will be no changes to (the statute),” the board’s ruling read in part.
Now, however, the ordinance is back in play, though it could see considerable changes. Ervin on Wednesday said he plans to offer some amendments to the proposal.
Lightfoot’s office released a statement Wednesday saying she “encourages" members of the Ethics Committee “to work together to reach an agreement on Ordinance O2020-2328 — one that upholds the ethical standards all elected officials should abide by.”
Asked whether he’s acting specifically to help Kimmons — the only lobbyist the Ethics Board identified who ran afoul of the tighter lobbying standards — Ervin said he simply wanted to make the rules fair.
“This isn’t about any one person,” said Ervin, who chairs the City Council Black Caucus. “It’s about trying to make sure we aren’t dissuading people from public service. Under the rules as they now stand, a person couldn’t lobby while serving on a Local School Council. I don’t think we meant to do that.
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“Now, we don’t want to see members of the General Assembly lobbying City Hall. They pass laws that affect us, and that has the clear potential for a conflict,” Ervin said. “But what about a county commissioner from Jo Daviess County who doesn’t have any business at all with the city, and might want to represent an organization?”
The statute the council passed by a 48-0 vote late last year barred Chicago aldermen from lobbying the county, the state or any other local government units, and prohibited any other elected officials in the state from lobbying the City Council, the mayor or other units of city government.
But in April, Lightfoot said the clause that would stop officials from other jurisdictions from lobbying in the city went too far. Her proposed amendment would have struck that portion, while keeping in place the part barring Chicago aldermen from lobbying other areas of government.
The mayor’s ordinance ran into opposition from Smith, who said she didn’t support the idea of rolling back Chicago’s tougher lobbying guidelines. The ordinance appeared to have stalled in the Ethics Committee, with Lightfoot unwilling to push it herself, until Ervin filed his motion to force the floor vote.
Smith said she expects to hold a hearing on the plan in mid-October.
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
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chicagotribune--2020-09-30--The Spin: Rahm Emanuel calls Trump’s debate response on Proud Boys a ‘moral stain’ on presidency | G

The Spin: Rahm Emanuel calls Trump’s debate response on Proud Boys a ‘moral stain’ on presidency | GOP Senate candidate ‘all in’ for Trump | Lightfoot accepts New York mayor’s census challenge

As criticism grew louder over the the president ’ s decision not to condemn white supremacists during the debate , @ @ @ @ @ .
Chris Christie , an ABC pundit who also helped Trump prepare for the debate @ @ @ @ @ ABC ’ s “ Good Morning America ” today that he believed Trump had done @ @ @ @ @ on to say that Trump ’ s debate performance didn ’ t go to plan @ @ @ @ @ in “ too hot.
” Christie also criticized Biden for name-calling ( the former VP @ @ @ @ @ “ clown ” ) and suggested he seemed weak and unable to finish a thought @ @ @ @ @ on whether the next two presidential debates will go on as planned .

Moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News listens as President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate former Vice President Joe Biden participate in the first presidential debate Sept. 29, 2020, at Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland. (Patrick Semansky/AP)
Illinois officials are now releasing guidance on trick-or-treating in the time of COVID-19. pandemic.
As the hangover from last night’s hurly-burly presidential debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden wears off and the quarterbacking dies down, some are questioning what such political displays accomplish — and if they should continue.
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“They’re there, they’re just rituals — but you know there have been times in American history where the electorate wasn’t so polarized, where these faceoffs mattered,” Northwestern University associate professor of political science Alvin Tillery told The Spin on the eve of the debate. Tillery noted Ronald Reagan’s famous debate moment in 1980 when the future Republican president looked into the camera and told voters that when they decided between him and then-President Jimmy Carter, “... it might be well if you would ask yourself, ‘Are you better off than you were four years ago?’”
“You know, he won the presidential election on that,” Tillery said.
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Sitting in the pundit’s chair on ABC this morning, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said fellow Democrat Biden may have scored some points by looking into the camera and telling the public the election is about them as Trump talked over him and moderator Chris Wallace. Emanuel called Trump’s comments about far-right extremist group the Proud Boys a "moral stain” on the presidency. He also questioned where GOP members of Congress were to call out Trump.
Later in the day, Trump backpedaled a bit and said he didn’t know who the Proud Boys were; meantime, some Republicans were trying to distance themselves from the president.
As criticism grew louder over the the president’s decision not to condemn white supremacists during the debate, former Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, an ABC pundit who also helped Trump prepare for the debate, told George Stephanopoulos of ABC’s “Good Morning America” today that he believed Trump had done just that. He went on to say that Trump’s debate performance didn’t go to plan and that the president came in “too hot.” Christie also criticized Biden for name-calling (the former VP twice referred to Trump a “clown”) and suggested he seemed weak and unable to finish a thought. Stay tuned for details on whether the next two presidential debates will go on as planned.
During the debate, Trump also held up Chicago’s gun violence as an example of what he calls poorly run Democratic cities, drawing Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s ire.
Meanwhile in Springfield, the partisan divide is just as deep. Democrats on a legislative committee investigating House Speaker Michael Madigan’s conduct amid allegations that ComEd carried out an elaborate influence-peddling and bribery scheme to curry favor with the speaker derailed an attempt by Republicans on the panel to subpoena Madigan, who also is chair of the state Democratic Party.
But fellow Democrat, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, suggested today Madigan should climb on the hot seat and field questions during the hearing.
It’s all become a political flashpoint in the run-up to the Nov. 3 election.
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Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot delivers remarks Sept. 28, 2020. (Jos M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Commission on Presidential Debates to make changes after chaotic first debate: The Associated Press has the details here.
From the Tribune’s Gregory Pratt: Mayor Lori Lightfoot quickly fired back at President Donald Trump after he invoked Chicago’s gun violence to criticize Democrats during Tuesday night’s presidential debate, tweeting: ‘Keep Chicago out of your lying mouth.’”
Lightfoot shared her thoughts on Tuesday’s presidential debate between Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden in a series of tweets. Read the story here.
1) It is stunning to watch and listen to the lies roll off @realDonaldTrump's tongue so effortlessly. It is pathetic that this man lies, while people are dying of COVID-19. — Lori Lightfoot (@LoriLightfoot) September 30, 2020
Republicans distance themselves from Trump after he decided not to denounce white supremacist groups: The New York Times has the details here.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Curran said he didn’t like Trump’s debate tone but is still ‘all in’: “He probably doesn’t need my advice, and what I know about him is he’s not going to take my advice — we’re different people,” the GOP candidate, who’s facing Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, tells The Spin. But he’d probably advise him to tone it down.
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Curran, who says he’s “all in” for Trump, said he thinks of his late mother and conservative seniors still living who are watching this and "want to see manners, they don’t like the interrupting.”
Asked about the president’s decision not to denounce white supremacists and his comments from the podium for the extremist group Proud Boys to “stand down and stand by,” Curran said he didn’t know what that meant.
“I think the majority of people that are conservative want nothing to do with that kind of organization. And really, I’m Catholic, so it’s not really a conservative or liberal thing. We (the church and its members) would never approve of people that act that way.”
Early voting begins tomorrow in Chicago: Read the story, which details mail-in ballot requests across the region, here.
Indiana mail-in ballots can be counted through Nov. 13, judge rules: The Post-Tribune’s Alexandra Kukulka has the story here.
‘Political propaganda’ or ‘essential public health messages?’ Government-sponsored food boxes include a letter from Trump, and some Chicago food pantries are removing it, the Tribune’s Alexia Elejalde Ruiz writes. Read the full story here.
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With just over a month to go before election, will Congress move on new COVID-19 financial relief package? Sounds like it. More here.
Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker talks with President Donald Trump during a meeting with newly elected governors in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Dec. 13, 2018. (Evan Vucci/AP)
Gov. Pritzker said today he’s “very concerned” about Trump not only taking aim at the security of mail-in ballots but now seemingly going after the legitimacy of in-person voting. During last night’s debate, the president called on supporters to “go to the polls” on Election Day and “watch very closely.”
The governor also blasted Trump for not condemning white supremacist groups linked to violence in some American cities this summer, telling the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, to “stand back and stand by.”
Saying the president is “undermining democracy” by making such comments, Pritzker also emphasized that “we’re doing quite a lot to make sure that the polling places are secure,” including calling on people to become election judges and serve as poll watchers.
“Those who try to disrupt the vote, they will be held accountable for their actions and we will not let that interfere with voting on Election Day or in the, you know, (34) days roughly before Election Day when people can early vote and send in their ballots.”
A COVID-19 testing site on the University of Illinois campus in Champaign/Urbana on Friday, September 4, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
From the Associated Press: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin held an “extensive conversation” Wednesday on a huge COVID-19 rescue package, meeting face to face for the first time in more than a month in a last-ditch effort to seal a tentative accord on an additional round of coronavirus relief.
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After a 90-minute meeting in the Capitol, Pelosi issued a statement saying the two would continue to talk. “We found areas where we are seeking further clarification,” she said.
“We made a lot of progress over the last few days. We still don’t have an agreement,” Mnuchin said after meeting with More here.
Coronavirus in Illinois: 2,273 new known COVID-19 cases and 35 additional deaths reported: My Tribune colleagues have more details here.
Champaign region could see stricter rules: Read the full story here.
Wisconsin hospitals filling with COVID-19 patients as cases surge: Read the AP story here.
State Rep. Emanuel "Chris" Welch, D-Hillside, right, addresses House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, during the first meeting of a special legislative committee Sept. 10, 2020, at the Illinois Capitol. The committee is looking into House Speaker Michael Madigan's role in a bribery scandal involving utility giant Commonwealth Edison. (Ted Schurter/The State Journal-Register)
The Tribune’s Dan Petrella writes: “The Democratic chairman of the Illinois House special committee investigating Speaker Michael Madigan’s conduct in connection with an alleged Commonwealth Edison bribery scheme blocked an effort by Republicans to legally compel the powerful Democrat and others to testify.
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“State Rep. Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch of Hillside ruled Tuesday that a motion by Republicans to subpoena witnesses was out of order and didn’t allow a vote. The move comes after Madigan and several other potential witnesses declined invitations to appear voluntarily.”
The partisan spat capped a lengthy hearing in Springfield that featured testimony from David Glockner, ComEd parent Exelon’s executive vice president for compliance and audit, who testified that the state’s largest utility agreed to make payments to Madigan associates in an effort to influence the speaker. Read the rest of Petrella’s story here, an excellent explainer on the hearing and the political posturing on both sides of the aisle at play.
“State lax in enforcing law meant to track, support minority-owned businesses”: The Better Government Association’s Alex Ruppenthal writes, “In an effort to promote diverse businesses, Illinois three years ago passed a law that required companies receiving state tax breaks to report how much work they did with minority- and women-owned vendors. But since the law went into effect, 119 companies that had more than $150 million shaved from their tax bills have not submitted any such reports, a Better Government Association examination has found. And of the 61 firms that did file the required reports, nearly three-quarters reported none of the data the law was intended to gather.”
The legislative sponsors point the finger at Pritzker and Republican predecessor Bruce Rauner for thing to enforce the law. Read the full story here.
Other statewide news: Texas company to close all of its Illinois coal-fired power plants, another sign the global transition to clean energy is accelerating — The Tribune’s Michael Hawthorne has the details here.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks to the media Sept. 14, 2020. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lightfoot wants to hammer out a plan with the City Council for civilian oversight of police after negotiations on the matter with a community group came to a standstill, the Tribune’s Gregory Pratt writes.
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“Lightfoot has long been a proponent of civilian oversight but as mayor has disagreed with activists over how it would work,” Pratt notes. “Negotiations between Lightfoot and community groups stalled in March over who would ultimately approve Police Department policy. Activists want as much say-so as they can get on policies, while police officials want to keep that power in-house.” Lightfoot’s goal is to introduce a plan at the City Council in the next two months.
Lightfoot’s comments drew criticism from some aldermen, including allies, Pratt notes, writing: “North Side Ald. Harry Osterman, 48th, and South Side Ald. Roderick Sawyer, 6th, released a joint statement saying they are ‘disappointed in Mayor Lightfoot’s comments regarding “moving on” from the GAPA ordinance.’” Read the full story here.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio challenges Lightfoot in race to census finish line as new deadline to complete head count sows confusion: The New York mayor went on Twitter and challenged Mayor Lightfoot to a little competition over which city would see a higher response rate.
De Blasio wrote on Twitter, “we won’t be blown away by the windy city.” Lightfoot responded on social media with a bet of her own: The loser must post why the other city is the best, predicting Chicago would win the contest. An equally confident de Blasio took the bet, saying on Twitter: “When WE win, I look forward to you singing our city’s praises louder than Lizzo and Sinatra combined.”
Data points: The Tribune’s Sophie Sherry reports: Chicago’s self-response rate hovers around 60%, with some neighborhoods reporting rates as low as 30%. Meantime, there are reports from New York City that response rates are just over 60%.
As shifting deadlines create confusion over census count, Chicago officials warn communities of color: ‘Our future is in jeopardy’: Last week, a judge scrapped the Sept. 30 deadline — today, Tribune reporter Sophie Sherry reminds. “But then early this week, the Trump administration announced without explanation that it would end the count on Oct. 5, arguing the judge did not explicitly set a new deadline in her ruling,” Read the rest of the story here.
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The census count is going into October, and I hear Chicago is coming in hot.
New Yorkers, we won’t be blown away by the windy city. Let’s show them what we’re made of, and make this extended time worth it. Fill out the Census today! — Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) September 25, 2020
Numbers don’t lie. New York City is LEADING the pack, while Chicago is at our back. @ChicagosMayor, you can’t beat us. — Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) September 25, 2020
Mayor hires Martina (Tina) Hone as Chief Engagement Officer: She most recently served as Chief Equity officer at the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago but had a career in D.C. politics spanning 20 years. There she worked on social justice and civil rights issues as the Education Policy Director on the Education & Workforce Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the mayor’s office. Before that she was an Associate Under Secretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce overseeing national outreach for the census.
As Chief Engagement Officer, Hone will work on the mayor’s agenda “to ensure community voices inform the administration’s focus on advancing substantive outreach with Chicagoans through the development and implementation of city policies and programs,” the mayor’s office notes in a news release.
Thanks for reading The Spin, the Tribune’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons. Have a tip? Email host Lisa Donovan at ldonovan@chicagotribune.com.
Twitter @byldonovan


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Police: 2 dead following vehicle crash at Chicago Executive Airport in Wheeling

Jamie Abbott , executive director of the airport , said he was notified just before 8 a.m. and said the @ @ @ @ @ road on the west side of the airport but the force of the crash sent @ @ @ @ @ through the airport perimeter fencing and onto airport property .
”

Two people were killed when two vehicles collided just outside the Chicago Executive Airport in Wheeling, causing the closure of one of the airport’s runways, according to authorities.
The crash, which happened about 7:35 a.m. Wednesday, apparently was the result of a truck crashing through the fence at the Chicago Executive Airport, 1020 Plant Road in Wheeling, formerly known as the Palwaukee Municipal Airport. Wheeling police in a post on social media said the fatal crash happened near Wolf Road and Messner Drive.
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Wheeling Police confirm a fatal traffic accident investigation at the intersection of Wolf Rd and Messner Dr (near Chicago Executive Airport). Traffic is being re-routed & the incident is being investigated by the Northwest Suburban Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction unit. — Wheeling Police and Fire Departments IL (@PoliceWheeling) September 30, 2020
The truck collided with another vehicle and both continued onto airport grounds, resulting in two fatalities, according to a news release from Deputy Chief Joseph Licari.
“Officers observed two vehicles that appeared to have collided with one another, crashed through a fence, and now rested on the property of" the airport, it said.
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“Two victims were located unresponsive at the scene and will later be transported to the Cook County medical examiner to be pronounced dead. The identity of the victims remains unknown at this time,” Licari wrote.
Jamie Abbott, executive director of the airport, said he was notified just before 8 a.m. and said the collision happened on an outer road on the west side of the airport but the force of the crash sent at least one vehicle “through the airport perimeter fencing and onto airport property.”
“It didn’t involve any airport personnel, equipment or aircraft,” Abbott said. “The main runway is open and operational. We closed the second runway ... there’s debris on a taxiway that connects to the runway so it was closed as a precaution.”
Abbott said his prevailing concern is for the families of the deceased.
“The airfield is secure and safe and we’re more just worried about the families and the people involved,” he said. “Our thoughts go out to the families.”
Wolf Road was closed from Palatine Road to Hintz Road, and traffic was rerouted as crash investigators worked, Licari said.
Licari said the Wheeling Fire Department responded to the crash, as did members of the Prospect Heights Fire Department.
PROSPECT HEIGHTS/WHEELING: Serious crash involving a truck and a vehicle that crashed off the road and onto the Chicago Executive Airport grounds. Wolf Rd is CLOSED Palatine Rd to Hintz. pic.twitter.com/K8uCZiDsbj — Sarah Jindra (@SarahJindra) September 30, 2020
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
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chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Gary teen waived to adult court in Portage woman’s shooting death; Roderick Silas is third teen char

Gary teen waived to adult court in Portage woman’s shooting death; Roderick Silas is third teen charged

The trio , with Silas driving , picked Saucedo up from her home in the 6200 block of Kathryn Court @ @ @ @ @ with $ 20 provided by Saucedo , and drove to a parking lot not far @ @ @ @ @ allegedly shot her to death .
In all , after Saucedo paid for gas , @ @ @ @ @ in the robbery .

The youngest of the three Gary teens charged in the November death of a Portage woman was waived to adult court Wednesday where he is expected to file a plea agreement, officials said, though he will remain in custody at the Porter County Juvenile Detention Center without bond until he is sentenced.
Roderick Silas, 16, who was 15 at the time of Adriana Saucedo’s shooting death, appeared before Porter County Juvenile Magistrate Kristen Mulligan.
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Silas was formerly charged Wednesday afternoon with felony counts of aiding, inducing or causing a murder; murder in the perpetration of a robbery; and robbery resulting in serious bodily injury.
He also faces a sentencing enhancement for the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
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The case is expected to be filed before Judge Mary DeBoer, who also is overseeing cases against co-defendants Shaun Thompson and Jonathan Brown.
Silas, wearing a gray T-shirt and tan slacks, sat with public defender Harold Harper and his mother directly behind him. Other supporters also appeared in the court gallery for the teen, and Saucedo’s sisters and another supporter for her were present as well.
The hearing was held at the courthouse rather than the courtroom at the Juvenile Detention Center to allow for social distancing because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Portage Police Detective Nicole Heuberger, who investigated the case, credited Silas with helping authorities recover more quickly the gun used in the crime and discarded in a wooded area in Gary by Thompson and helping them locate Saucedo’s body at the abandoned Horace Norton Elementary School, 1356 Harrison Blvd. in Gary.
“Because of Roderick telling the truth, you ultimately were able to get the truth from Jonathan Brown,” Harper said.
“Yes,” Heuberger replied.
Heuberger also said it was her belief that while all three teens planned to rob Saucedo, Silas and Brown did not intend to shoot her, confirming that Thompson was the alleged shooter.
According to charging documents, Silas arranged a marijuana deal on Facebook with Saucedo, 27, on Nov. 19 in a conversation that started about the purchase of an iPhone. Silas told the older teens they should rob her instead.
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The trio, with Silas driving, picked Saucedo up from her home in the 6200 block of Kathryn Court, stopped to buy gas with $20 provided by Saucedo, and drove to a parking lot not far from her home where Thompson allegedly shot her to death. In all, after Saucedo paid for gas, the teens netted $80 in the robbery.
They then dumped her body at the Gary school and went out to eat at McDonald’s and Pizza Hut afterwards, documents state.
As the hearing got under way, Harper said the defense acknowledged that the state had sufficient evidence for Silas to be waived into adult court and that there is a provision for a plea agreement there.
“I don’t want to get into the details at this stage. I think it’s premature,” Harper said, adding Silas' sentence will be argued in adult court.
Silas was charged in juvenile court with the same charges he now faces in adult court, minus the firearm enhancement.
Brown, 18, and Thompson, 17, who were 17 and 16, respectively, at the time of the alleged crime, were charged with murder, murder in the perpetration of a robbery and felony robbery, in Saucedo’s death. Their cases were filed directly in adult court; both have pleaded not guilty and are being held without bond at Porter County Jail.
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Prosecutors are seeking a sentencing enhancement for use of a firearm during the crime for both of them if they are convicted.
Katie Lesniak, Silas' juvenile probation officer, recommended the teen be waived to adult court given the seriousness of the charges against him.
“The juvenile justice system is not designed to handle charges of this caliber,” she said, adding that system also can’t effectively handle rehabilitation and, if he had been a few months older and 16 at the time of the allegations, the charges would have been filed in adult court as they were for his co-defendants.
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Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Chicago police reverse order on neighborhood tactical teams, sources say

Before the Tribune published the story Tuesday afternoon , a spokesman for Chicago police Superintendent David Brown said the department @ @ @ @ @ loss of district officers by forming a new citywide unit currently staffed with about 500 @ @ @ @ @ sudden flare-ups in violence in neighborhoods away from downtown .
He also said the city @ @ @ @ @ unit , a temporary citywide unit of about 200 cops , would be in place @ @ @ @ @ November .

The Chicago Police Department has canceled a directive that limited time each day for when certain officers assigned to the city’s 22 patrol districts can work the streets, a reversal of a policy it initiated late last week, according to sources.
The initial order issued Friday meant that no district tactical teams would be working morning shifts, reducing the number of officers patrolling neighborhoods for a good portion of the day.
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The order required those teams — which make the most arrests in the districts and focus on crime patterns like burglaries, shootings and drug activity in the neighborhoods they cover — to begin their shifts no sooner than 4 p.m. each day unless they received permission from department brass to start earlier.
Traffic passes a Chicago police car on North Michigan Avenue on Sept. 29, 2020. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
The policy reversal late Tuesday was issued hours after the Tribune reported on its website about the department’s initial tactical team order, in addition to a separate directive, issued Monday, deploying other officers from every district to guard the downtown area after its high-end stores got hit hard in late May and mid-August by looting and vandalism. When the department moved officers downtown in mid-August, it initially required only some districts to give up officers, excluding districts with high levels of violence.
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After Friday’s order was issued, tactical team supervisors had to scramble to let officers know of the changes to their schedule. Supervisors were told late Tuesday night that they’d now be working as they were before Friday’s order, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the reversal.
A spokesman for the Chicago Police Department declined to say why the order was reversed.
Before the Tribune published the story Tuesday afternoon, a spokesman for Chicago police Superintendent David Brown said the department had made up for the loss of district officers by forming a new citywide unit currently staffed with about 500 and tasked with responding to sudden flare-ups in violence in neighborhoods away from downtown. He also said the city’s summer mobile patrol unit, a temporary citywide unit of about 200 cops, would be in place in the residential areas until November.
Many officers working in those units, however, had already been pulled from district patrols, and those units do not work in every neighborhood. But the police spokesman, Tom Ahern, insisted the department is “deeply invested in neighborhoods” and that all the changes weren’t leaving those areas of the city vulnerable.
“No doubt officers are detailed downtown, but neighborhoods are well-protected,” Ahern said.
Hours after the Tribune’s story was published online, Ahern told the newspaper in an emailed statement that 48% of officers deployed downtown over the summer have since been sent back to the districts, including tactical teams.
“Superintendent Brown has repeatedly expressed and demonstrated CPD’s commitment to our neighborhoods and residents,” Ahern said in the statement. “To imply that the safety and protection of the downtown districts is of higher importance than any of our other neighborhoods throughout Chicago is categorically false.”
Police sources have said the department’s downtown deployment plan over the summer following the Memorial Day death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minnesota, and subsequent demonstrations and looting, has left a shortage of cops in some districts, raising concern among officers that they won’t be able to provide timely police service in neighborhoods. Over the years, patrol districts have routinely struggled to meet the demand for police service.
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The rationale behind Friday’s tactical team policy appeared to deal in part with a shortage of police cars in the districts. Before the policy was canceled, it called for those officers to ride in marked squad cars when they normally patrol in unmarked cars. But if no marked cars were available, they were to ride up to four cops per unmarked squad car.
That meant a district whose tactical team normally operates with six squad cars could be reduced to three. That also further diminishes the number of cops in each neighborhood available to respond to 911 calls.


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--People work at the Hilton Hotel in Oak Brook

Cooking an Indian meal from scratch can be daunting , even for people who grew up eating Indian food .
@ @ @ @ @ complicated at first to understand all the various spices , flavors and techniques , with @ @ @ @ @ know-how , you ’ ll soon catch on that most of the recipes require the @ @ @ @ @ ingredients — just used in different ways for different dishes .
If your local grocery @ @ @ @ @ the right ingredients , you ’ ll want to make a trip to the Indian @ @ @ @ @ online before cooking your way through these Indian recipes .
If you stock up on @ @ @ @ @ and pantry staples , they can be used time and time again for each dish @ @ @ @ @ From butter chicken to lentil curry to chocolate barfi , these aromatic Indian recipes are @ @ @ @ @ and will help you explore a vibrant food culture while having a blast in the @ @

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 9 Room attendant Maria Barajas get supplies for a room at the Hilton Hotel in Oak Brook on Sept. 30, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Employees at the Hilton Hotel in Oak Brook work on Sept. 30, 2020. Bob Habeeb, the founder and CEO of Maverick Hotels and Restaurants, who owns several hotels in Illinois, including the Hilton Chicago in Oak Brook, said his occupancy rates are down by 60% to 75% compared with last year.


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Chicago’s outdoor dining street closures to continue into the fall and winter — here’s the schedule

“ The patio has been great for us because we ’ ve kept our dining room closed the last six @ @ @ @ @ it was unsafe ( for employees ) , ” Sardharia said .
“ We had @ @ @ @ @ because we enjoy the outdoors , but I don ’ t want to keep my @ @ @ @ @ s 65 degrees and be responsible if they get sick .
I ’ m not @ @ @ @ @ our intentions are to re-open the dining room this weekend .
”

After a summer of street closures dedicated to outdoor dining that saw dozens of Chicago restaurants move tables and chairs into the roadways, rest easy knowing that cold weather won’t stand in the way. Some of the shutdowns will continue this fall, and some even into the winter.
The Chicago Department of Transportation, local chambers and officials are still working with restaurants to determine when street closures will end for each area, but for the time being, many permits will be extended as needed.
When the program was initially announced in June, it aimed to be a key strategy in boosting sales for local businesses and restaurants that were struggling as a result of the pandemic. The original pilot program included six areas, but after a successful initial weekend, it expanded to more than a dozen street closures, ranging from just the area in front of some restaurants to multiple city blocks.
Some areas, however, opted out of a full street closure, choosing to close down side streets, parking spaces or shared parking lots instead. Others opted out entirely, instead leaving it up to individual restaurants to apply for sidewalk cafe permits.
Results of the Winter Design Challenge, offered by the city as a way to help restaurants extend the outdoor dining season, have yet to be announced. That means many restaurants are taking matters into their own hands — some are considering opening their indoor dining rooms for the first time since the March shutdown in preparation for guests who no longer want to brave the elements for a meal.
The closure on Schubert Street in Lincoln Park has been a huge help in maintaining business for Faraz Sardharia, owner of Tandoor Char House. He plans on opening the restaurant’s indoor dining room on weekends as the weather turns because he doesn’t want to furlough his employees.
“The patio has been great for us because we’ve kept our dining room closed the last six months because we felt that it was unsafe (for employees),” Sardharia said. “We had a good time doing it because we enjoy the outdoors, but I don’t want to keep my employees outside if it’s 65 degrees and be responsible if they get sick. I’m not happy with that, so our intentions are to re-open the dining room this weekend.”
Yet others will continue to take advantage of the additional outdoor space in the streets.
Meetings between neighborhood officials and business owners are scheduled for this weekend with more in coming weeks, so to stay up to date on street closures in your area, be sure to visit the websites and social media pages of your local chambers of commerce or alderman’s office. There’s no central website to get this information, so we spoke to chambers of commerce or aldermen in each of these street closure areas to get specifics.
The current list of street closures are below.
Andersonville
Two sections of West Balmoral Avenue, one on each side of Clark Street, which remains open.
These two sections will be closed for as long as the city allows, according to business owners on the block, who are still finalizing their plans for the chillier weather. Look for heaters in the coming weeks.
Chatham
East 75th Street from Calumet Avenue to Indiana Avenue.
Although 75th itself won’t be closed, the parking spaces on 75th Street have been replaced by a boardwalk, which started Labor Day Weekend, and will run through Nov. 30 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. Special events during this time include Art Walk & High Tea on Oct. 3; “Thriller” Themed Halloween Celebration and Get Out The Vote on Oct. 31; Give Thanks with arts, crafts and storytelling on Nov. 14; and Shop Black/Shop Local for the holidays and Kwanzaa on Nov. 27. More information can be found at facebook.com/greaterchathaminitiative
Chinatown
Outdoor dining will continue at dozens of restaurants in Chinatown Square near Archer Avenue.
Only one additional restaurant outside of this area (Evergreen at 2411 S. Wentworth Ave.)
has outdoor dining.
Rogers Park
West Jarvis Avenue between Ashland Avenue and Greenview Avenue.
The closures will continue through Dec. 7 with a possible extension. For updates, follow Ald. Maria Hadden’s social media page or subscribe to her newsletter.
Edison Park
North Oliphant Avenue from Northwest Highway to the first alley.
Outdoor dining on this stretch will end Oct. 31.
Fulton River District
West Fulton Market from Halsted Street to North Carpenter Street.
This street closure will continue through the end of December, with the possibility of an extension. Visit wcachicago.org for updates.
Lakeview
North Southport Avenue from Waveland Avenue to Grace Street.
Although the street closures are continuing on a week-by-week basis, expect streets to be closed Fridays through Sundays until Oct. 26 as a part of Dine Out Lakeview.
Lakeview East
North Broadway from Belmont Avenue to Surf Street and North Sheffield Avenue from Belmont Avenue to School Street.
These two areas will both be closed Oct. 2-4 and Oct. 9-11 as part of the Lakeview East Dine Out program. To see a list of participating restaurants, visit lakevieweast.com/dineout. Call ahead because some restaurants require reservations.
Lincoln Park
West Schubert Street from Halsted Street to the alley east of Halsted Street.
This area will be closed through Nov. 8.
Little Italy
South Laflin Street from the alley north of Taylor Street to Taylor Street.
This closure will end Dec. 13, with the possibility of an extension. Visit wcachicago.org for updates.
Near North Side
North Clark Street from Grand Avenue to Kinzie Street.
This is a weeklong closure and details are still pending on when it will conclude.
River North
North Wells Street from Huron Street to Superior Street.
This closure is for weekends only. To stay up to date on any changes, sign up for the Ald. Brendan Reilly’s newsletter.
Roscoe Village
West Roscoe Street from Seeley Avenue to Damen Avenue.
This closure is for one weekend only for the Roscoe Street(ery) Oct. 2-4.
Rush & Division
North Rush Street from Oak Street to Cedar Street; East Bellevue Place from State Street to the first alley east of Rush Street; and West Division Street from Dearborn Street to State Street.
These closures are still going on seven days a week. Any changes will be announced via Ald. Brendan Reilly’s newsletter.
West Loop
West Randolph Street service lanes from the Interstate Highway 94 expressway to Carpenter Street.
This closure will end Dec. 13, with the possibility of an extension. Visit wcachicago.org for updates.
gwong@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Man shot by police, charged in fatal Stone Park nightclub shooting is held without bail

Chicago police were called to the hospital and learned of Stone Park shooting , according to prosecutors .
They found @ @ @ @ @ had its back window broken and found a bullet hole in the back of the @ @ @ @ @ corresponded with where Gonzalez has suffered his gunshot wound , as well as a .40-caliber @ @ @ @ @ and several live rounds in the car .

A Cook County judge on Wednesday denied bail for a man accused in the shooting death of a Cicero man outside a Stone Park nightclub that led to the suspect being shot by police, according to prosecutors.
Jason Gonzalez, 37, is charged with first-degree murder related to an early Sunday shooting outside the Mansion Nightclub, 3801 W. Lake St. in Stone Park. Police arrested him after he sought treatment at a Chicago hospital for a gunshot wound suffered when an officer fired on him as he fled the nightclub parking lot, prosecutors said.
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The confrontation that led to the killing began just after 4 a.m. Sunday, when a group of people leaving the nightclub got into a dispute with Gonzalez and the two passengers in his Mercedes SUV, according to prosecutors.
When Christian Gonzalez-Castillo, 22, left the nightclub with three other people, one of two sisters who were in Gonzalez’s car, which was parked near the nightclub entrance, shouted at the group to stay away from the car, according to prosecutors.
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During the dispute, Gonzalez, who was parked near the nightclub entrance, showed a semiautomatic handgun. One of the people with Gonzalez-Castillo shouted, “He has a gun!” according to prosecutors.
Gonzalez-Castillo approached the vehicle, and Gonzalez fired the weapon out of the driver’s side window, striking Gonzalez-Castillo in the head.
A Stone Park police officer, who was already at the club for an unrelated call, heard someone shout “gun” and saw the shooting, then fired seven shots at the Mercedes as Gonzalez was fleeing the parking lot. The gunshots from the officer hit the back of the car, according to prosecutors.
Jason Gonzalez, 37, of Joliet, shown in a 2017 Chicago police photo, was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Christian Gonzalez-Castillo, 22, of Cicero, on Sept. 27, 2020, outside a nightclub. (Chicago police photo / HANDOUT)
The officer performed CPR on Gonzalez-Castillo, of the 5400 block of West Cermak Road in Cicero, before he was transported to Loyola University Medical Center and pronounced dead.
After leaving the nightclub, Gonzalez went to Amita Health Resurrection Medical Center on the Far Northwest Side, where he was treated for a gunshot wound to the head.
Chicago police were called to the hospital and learned of Stone Park shooting, according to prosecutors. They found Gonzalez’s black Mercedes had its back window broken and found a bullet hole in the back of the driver’s headrest that corresponded with where Gonzalez has suffered his gunshot wound, as well as a .40-caliber handgun, a .40-caliber magazine and several live rounds in the car.
Stone Park police Chief Christopher Pavini declined to give details of the shooting, deferring to prosecutors.
Illinois State Police said, however, that they were investigating "the non-fatal officer involved shooting portion of the incident. The involved officer was an on-duty police officer, he was not working as an employee or (contractor) of the club.”
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Gonzalez, of the 3600 block of Appaloosa Road in Joliet, was out on parole and has six prior felony convictions — three for drug possession and one each for unlawful use of a weapon, defacing identification marks on a firearm and aggravated battery to a police officer, according to prosecutors. State and county records show he was paroled in March after serving prison time for a 2017 drug arrest in Chicago.
Gonzale is scheduled to return to court Oct. 16.


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Hotel job losses in Illinois could double without additional federal aid, industry group warns. ‘We

Hotel job losses in Illinois could double without additional federal aid, industry group warns. ‘We need Congress to act and act now.’

At the start of the pandemic , hotels across the Chicago area furloughed and laid off workers , under the @ @ @ @ @ suspended travel .
The hotel industry , which is a large source of jobs and @ @ @ @ @ , has been one of the sectors hardest hit by the health crisis .
In @ @ @ @ @ jobs in Chicago were down almost 27 % from 2019 , according to the Bureau @ @ @ @

Room attendant Maria Barajas get supplies for a room at the Hilton Hotel in Oak Brook on Sept. 30, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Already battered by the coronavirus pandemic, Illinois' hotel industry could see double the number of job losses if Congress doesn’t pass another stimulus bill, and the outlook for Chicago is particularly grim, an industry group warns.
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The state has already lost more than 67,000 hotel-related jobs since March and about half of Illinois hotel owners surveyed say their properties are in danger of foreclosure, according to an American Hotel and Lodging Association survey conducted in mid-September. The survey polled about 1,000 association members nationwide, according to Chip Rogers, the group’s president and CEO.
At the start of the pandemic, hotels across the Chicago area furloughed and laid off workers, under the strain of stay-at-home orders and suspended travel. The hotel industry, which is a large source of jobs and tax revenue for the state, has been one of the sectors hardest hit by the health crisis. In September, leisure and hospitality jobs in Chicago were down almost 27% from 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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“In Illinois, winter is coming both literally and figuratively. We need Congress to act and act now," said Michael Jacobson, president and CEO of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, during a news conference Tuesday.
Room attendant Maria Barajas get supplies for a room at the Hilton Hotel in Oak Brook on Sept. 30, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
In the Chicago area, the outlook for hotels is particularly grim, according to Jacobson. Downtown hotels are having a harder time filling rooms compared with other urban markets. The week of Sept. 13, the overall occupancy rate for Chicago hotels was around 35.4%, down almost 60% from a year before, according to STR, which tracks the hotel industry. Other cities, like San Francisco, Dallas and Seattle, had occupancy rates around 40%.
Jacobson and his colleagues are calling on Congress to pass legislation extending the Paycheck Protection Program, which ended Aug. 8 after giving out more than 225,000 loans worth $23 billion in Illinois. Businesses with fewer than 500 employees were eligible for forgivable loans of up to $10 million if 60% of the money went toward payroll.
Experts are projecting that without additional assistance, there could be a flood of small-business bankruptcies this fall.
One Chicago-area hotel owner calling on Congress to extend the PPP is Bob Habeeb, the founder and CEO of Maverick Hotels and Restaurants. Habeeb, who owns several hotels in Illinois, including the Hilton Chicago in Oak Brook, said his occupancy rates are down by 60% to 75% compared with last year.
Maverick, which had 1,100 employees before the pandemic, brought back 350 of 450 furloughed employees thanks to the Paycheck Protection Program, but that funding ran out in late June, Habeeb said.
The company could lay off 700 more employees if it doesn’t receive help, according to Habeeb.
“Our PPP money is long gone, the summer travel season is exhausted and we’re being forced to go back and look again at laying off our team members, many of whom have been serving guests for decades,” Habeeb said. “The face of hospitality might look very different in the United States a few months from now if we don’t see some relief and relief quickly from Washington."
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Rogers said the group also wants to see changes made to the Federal Reserve’s Main Street Lending Program, which bases loan eligibility on criteria that excludes many hotels from participation.
“This is urgent and this is necessary,” Rogers said. “We’re simply asking for some help to make it past this really tough stretch on into next spring, next summer.”
Jacobson said downtown hotels are at a disadvantage because of a combination of the state’s restrictions on large gatherings, suspended international travel and recent instances of looting.
An employee arranges outdoor seating for guests at the Hilton Hotel in Oak Brook on Sept. 30, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Since June 26, Illinois has been in phase four of Gov. J. B. Pritzker’s reopening plan with public gatherings restricted to 50 or fewer people. The limit has hurt hotels reliant on business from conventions and group travel. Since March, 159 events at McCormick Place have canceled, which caused hotels to lose out on about 1.4 million hotel room nights, according to spokeswoman Cynthia McCafferty.
Jacobson said while he welcomed Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s easing of city restrictions this week on bars and restaurants, the changes aren’t enough to make a meaningful difference for hotel business.
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“Until some of those restrictions get eased, there isn’t going to be a significant recovery,” Jacobson said, referring to governor’s restrictions on public gatherings. “Leisure travel can only help us so much.”
In addition to the pandemic’s impact on travel, recent looting downtown also has the potential to discourage leisure travelers from coming to Chicago, Jacobson said. In June, the downtown area had a spike in burglaries following unrest in May after the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis.
Over two-thirds of Illinois hotel owners who responded to the American Hotel and Lodging Association survey said they will close if they don’t receive additional aid from Congress.
“These hotel owners need to see a glimmer of hope,” Jacobson said.
The Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association is part of a coalition of nearly 200 public and private sector leaders, including the Illinois Casino Gaming Association and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, who sent a Sept. 30 letter to congressional leaders warning of “catastrophic economic harm” if Congress does not pass additional emergency relief before adjourning for the election.
The group warned that without action, “millions of employees will be furloughed or terminated; millions of unemployed Americans will lose their unemployment insurance pandemic benefits; hundreds of thousands of companies will be at risk of closing their doors forever; and the vast majority of state and local governments will have to curtail critical services in order to balance budgets due to a decline in tax revenue.”
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Some 7,000 laid off hotel workers in Chicago saw their insurance benefits expire Wednesday after a fund for premiums ran dry, according to Elliott Mallen, spokesman for UNITE HERE Local 1, which represents workers at 51 hotels in the city.
Chicago resident Carmella Carothers is one of those workers. In March, she lost her job as a banquet server at the downtown J.W. Marriott, where she had worked for almost 10 years.
The 41-year-old said she’s terrified of losing her insurance. She can’t afford the $500 monthly payment to continue her coverage and does not qualify for Medicaid. Carothers said she will get by using a federally qualified health center, which serves low-income patients, even though that means she’ll no longer be able to see her primary care doctor.
“This is a big deal. Taking care of health care for people should be the first thing on the agenda,” she said. “For companies to just turn their backs, you need employees to be healthy so that when business comes back around, employees can come back healthy.”


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Suspect in three attacks on homeless men is charged with a fourth, a fatal stabbing in Grant Park

During a search , authorities found two knives with the same `` gray and black handle '' as the one @ @ @ @ @ Grant Park , Murphy said , adding they appeared to be part of a `` @ @ @ @ @ '' CTA records showed him using his Ventra card about seven or eight times nearby @ @ @ @ @ of the slaying .
His cellphone was tracked to the area as well .

A man accused of stabbing three homeless people as they slept has been charged with a fourth attack, the stabbing death of a man in Grant Park in early July, according to prosecutors.
Bryant McCalip was “preying upon vulnerable persons in our community,” Judge Mary Marubio told McCalip as he appeared in court Wednesday afternoon on a first-degree murder charge. He was already being held without bond for three other attacks
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Byrant McCalip (Chicago Police Department)
this summer that were not fatal.
In the latest case, police were called to the south end of Grant Park on July 9 after the body of Aaron Curry, 58, was found on his side on a mattress at the south end of Grant Park, according to Cook County Assistant State’s Atty. James Murphy. The blade of a knife was stuck in his right shoulder and he had stab wounds all over his body.
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"The handle of a broken knife was laying on the grass in front of the victim,'' Murphy said. Authorities estimated he had been dead for 24 to 72 hours.
The area of park where he was found is not covered by police pod cameras, and officers didn’t find anything after searching the area, Murphy told the judge. A witness who spoke to police at the scene said she had seen Curry "going through a container'' on July 7 but he seemed "lethargic and was moving slowly.''
Another witness saw him lying in the same spot on July 7 and 8. She saw him again on July 9 and called 911, authorities said.
During a search, authorities found two knives with the same "gray and black handle'' as the one found on the scene in Grant Park, Murphy said, adding they appeared to be part of a "set of kitchen knives.'' CTA records showed him using his Ventra card about seven or eight times nearby and around the estimated time of the slaying. His cellphone was tracked to the area as well.
Last month, McCalip was charged with the stabbings of homeless men on July 15 and 24 and on Aug. 3. Video showed the attacker wearing the same "distinctive'' gray sweatshirt with red lettering and watching the victim "for several minutes'' before carrying out the attacks.
The judge noted the case included "a lot of circumstantial evidence,'' including cellphone records and Ventra records. But she also cited the "randomness of the targeting of these individuals.''
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital da

COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital data in your area

Among the metrics ( see below ) tracked under guidelines set by Gov .
J.B. Pritzker are the percentage of @ @ @ @ @ , the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19-like illnesses , and the capacity of hospitals @ @ @ @ @ state will decide how much or how little to restrict activities based on these metrics @

Note: With Chicago and Illinois moving into phase 5, the Tribune is no longer updating this data. If the state moves back into bridge phase, the Tribune we reassess. Daily metrics on COVID-19, like cases, deaths and hospitalizations, can be found here. And Daily metrics on the vaccination effort can be found here. More on where the coronavirus stands nationally and around the world can be found here.
To assess how different parts of Illinois are handling the COVID-19 pandemic, officials look at the state through the 11 regions of Emergency Medical Services. The city of Chicago is one region, for example, and the rest of Cook County is another.
Among the metrics (see below) tracked under guidelines set by Gov. J.B. Pritzker are the percentage of coronavirus tests that return positive, the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19-like illnesses, and the capacity of hospitals to take in new patients.The state will decide how much or how little to restrict activities based on these metrics. (Cases, deaths and tests data is as of Dec. 31).
• Check out the Tribune’s coronavirus coverage.
• Remembering the lives of those in Illinois who died from coronavirus.
• Other Chicago, suburbs and Illinois COVID-19 metrics.
• See how the governor’s plan to manage the regions works.
Source: Illinois Department of Public Health
Created by the Chicago Tribune dataviz team. On Twitter @chitribgraphics


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--West Dundee man sentenced to 5-year prison term for sexually abusing young girl for six years

“ This survivor was a young child when the abuse started , '' State ’ s Attorney Robert Berlin said @ @ @ @ @ Oftentimes cases of child sexual abuse go unreported for years until the survivor finds the @ @ @ @ @ I hope other survivors know that even though it might take them years feel comfortable @ @ @ @ @ abuse , we will always listen .
”

Gerardo Molina, of West Dundee, was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to a felony count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, the Kane County State's Attorney's Office said. (Kane County / HANDOUT)
A West Dundee who sexually abusing a child on multiple occasions over six years was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison, the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office said.
Gerardo Molina, 51, of the 500 block of Eichler Drive, agreed to a plea deal in which he was given the prison term in exchange for pleading guilty to one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a class 2 felony, a state’s attorney’s office news release said.
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Prosecutors said the assaults occurred multiple times between 2008 and 2014. The situation came to light after the girl, now a teenager, confided in a family member who encouraged her to contact the police, the release said.
In addition to the prison term, Molina must register for life as a sexual offender. He will receive credit for the 15 days he was held in the Kane County jail, the release said.
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“This survivor was a young child when the abuse started," State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “Oftentimes cases of child sexual abuse go unreported for years until the survivor finds the strength to speak out. I hope other survivors know that even though it might take them years feel comfortable to speak up about their abuse, we will always listen.”


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Summer protests fuel ‘critical hiring’ of veteran attorney as Illinois Supreme Court’s first diversi

Summer protests fuel ‘critical hiring’ of veteran attorney as Illinois Supreme Court’s first diversity officer

The court saw an opportunity to speak to the history of “ the disproportionate impact the application of certain laws @ @ @ @ @ practices have had on the African American population , the Latinx community , and other @ @ @ @ @ and nationally , ” the statement said .

Deciding to “put concrete action” toward racial justice following recent social unrest, the Illinois Supreme Court has appointed a its first-ever diversity officer.
Vernadean “Deanie” Brown was named the court’s chief diversity and inclusion officer and will work with leaders throughout the justice system toward the court’s “strategic goals related to diversity, equity and inclusion,” according to a written statement from Marcia Meis, the director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts.
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Brown, a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law who begins the job on Nov. 2, will have an office in Springfield, but she will travel to Chicago and other parts of the state as needed to meet with judges, judicial
Vernadean “Deanie” Brown (Illinois Supreme Court)
branch employees and other court stakeholders.
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Her hiring, announced Tuesday, was made to foster accessible, fair and equitable administration of justice, according to the statement.
Brown, a lawyer with extensive diversity and inclusion experience and expertise, has served as associate chancellor for access and equal opportunity at the University of Illinois Springfield since 2008. She also served as a member of the Chancellor’s Administrative Council and University of Illinois System executive committees.
The decision to hire Brown was sparked, in part, when the court in June issued an acknowledgment of the organized protests and calls to action being made throughout the United States, saying racism undermines democracy and the fair and equitable administration of justice.
The court saw an opportunity to speak to the history of “the disproportionate impact the application of certain laws, rules, policies and practices have had on the African American population, the Latinx community, and other people of color in Illinois and nationally,” the statement said.
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--2 dead, 2 wounded in shootings Wednesday on South, West sides

The other victim , about the same age as the man fatally shot , suffered a wound to the left @ @ @ @ @ the hospital but his condition was not immediately known , police said .

Two people were pronounced dead, and two people were wounded in shootings Wednesday on the South and West sides, Chicago police said.
The latest fatal shooting happened about 12:15 p.m. in the 5600 block of South Wood Street in the Englewood neighborhood. Two victims were shot, one fatally, while being chased, police said.
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One of those victims described as between 20 to 30 years of age, suffered wounds to the torso and leg, and was taken to Stroger Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The other victim, about the same age as the man fatally shot, suffered a wound to the left leg and got himself to the hospital but his condition was not immediately known, police said.
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Police said the victims were being chased by two people who fled the scene in a SUV.
Shortly before 1 p.m., a 22-year-old woman was shot in the Woodlawn neighborhood in the 6500 block of South King Drive.
Police said the woman suffered a gunshot wound to the upper right chest in a stairwell. She was taken in good condition to the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Late Wednesday morning, a 17-year-old boy was fatally wounded as he was walking in an alley in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side, Chicago police said.
Shortly after 11:30 a.m., the boy was walking in an alley in the 200 block of North Central Avenue when he was approached by two males who shot him in the stomach, police said.
He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Police said two male suspects were taken into custody. Detectives continue to investigate.


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--1 shot in Southwest Side attack during funeral, child hurt by flying glass

One male victim was shot in the upper body about 1:15 p.m. near 115th Street and Fairfield Avenue , according @ @ @ @ @ Fire Department took a 7-year-old child to Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park @ @ @ @ @ flying glass , a spokesman said .

One person was wounded in a shooting Wednesday and at least one child injured by flying glass on the Southwest Side as the people injured were involved in a funeral at a nearby cemetery, according to police.
One male victim was shot in the upper body about 1:15 p.m. near 115th Street and Fairfield Avenue, according to police. The Chicago Fire Department took a 7-year-old child to Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park for treatment of wounds from flying glass, a spokesman said.
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Chicago police secure the 115th St. entrance to Mt. Hope Cemetery after a shooting September 30, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
The person who was shot was stabilized and taken to an area hospital, police said. Police did not release information about anyone else injured.
The location of the shooting listed by police is in Mount Hope Cemetery, which is in unincorporated Cook County but bordered by Chicago.
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Police closed the north entrance to Mount Hope, at 115th and Fairfield, but a strong wind kept pushing the gate open. Officers closed 115th Street from Talman Avenue to one block west of Fairfield.
Check back for updates.


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Champaign region could see stricter coronavirus rules as positivity rate rises

The Department of Public Health will being to separate out Champaign County from the rest of the region , which @ @ @ @ @ , in determining whether to institute stricter rules .
However , if those rules are @ @ @ @ @ would apply to Champaign County as well .

The central Illinois region around Champaign-Urbana could be hit with stricter restrictions on restaurants, bars and other businesses as the percentage of positive coronavirus tests is on the rise, state public officials warned on Wednesday.
The massive saliva-based testing program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign can account for roughly 20% of all tests conducted statewide in a given day, giving the 21-county region a deceptively low positivity rate, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
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A COVID-19 testing site on the University of Illinois campus in Champaign-Urbana on Sept. 4, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
The region’s positivity rate stands at 2% on a seven-day average, but when Champaign County is removed, the rate jumps to 7.2%, approaching the 8% threshold that could trigger stricter rules to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, officials said.
Those restrictions include suspending indoor service at restaurants and bars and limiting gathering sizes, measures that will take effect Saturday in the northwest region of the state.
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“We want to ensure that the large volume of tests at Urbana-Champaign does not overshadow the trend that we’re seeing in the broader region and don’t want to be inhibited from taking action to keep people safe,” Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said during a weekly coronavirus briefing.
The Department of Public Health will being to separate out Champaign County from the rest of the region, which also includes Decatur and Danville, in determining whether to institute stricter rules. However, if those rules are put into effect, they would apply to Champaign County as well.
The department “is in contact with local health departments and community leaders in the region and encouraging them to begin taking action right now to reduce the test positivity rate,” Ezike said.
The warning for the central Illinois counties came the same day public health officials announced 2,273 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of known cases statewide to 293,274 since the start of the pandemic.
With 35 more fatalities reported Wednesday, the statewide death toll has reached 8,672.
Across the state, the positivity rate, which public health officials use to gauge the spread of the virus, stood at 3.6% on a seven-day average for the period ending Tuesday. After hovering above 4% for most of August and early September, the rate has remained relatively stable for the past four weeks.
Three regions of the state have now backtracked to stricter rules to prevent the spread of the coronavirus since the whole state moved to phase four of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan on June 26. The northwest region, which includes Rockford, DeKalb and Galena, will see the rules kick in Saturday.
The Metro East area outside St. Louis has been under stricter rules since Aug. 18, while the restrictions were eased once again in Will and Kankakee counties on Sept. 18 after the average positivity rate was brought back under 6.5% for three straight days.
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“We all want to have our schools and our businesses open, and we can do that by keeping community spread low and infections down,” Pritzker said Wednesday. “Illinoisans are proving that we can do that.”
dpetrella@chicagotribune.com