chicagotribune--2020-08-22--The Spin: Kanye West bounced from Illinois ballot | Feds charge former Cook County commissioner | ID

The Spin: Kanye West bounced from Illinois ballot | Feds charge former Cook County commissioner | IDPH acknowledges nursing home abuse allegations weren’t properly investigated for more than 3 months

“ Rallygoers wore black masks with the slogan ‘ Save the USPS !
’ as they stood in front the @ @ @ @ @ S. Cottage Grove Ave .
They carried signs encouraging voting by mail and for the @ @ @ @ @ , a second coronavirus stimulus bill that passed the U.S. House and would inject the @ @ @ @ @ billion.
” Read the rest here .

In this July 19, 2020, file photo, Kanye West makes his first presidential campaign appearance, in North Charleston, South Carolina. (Lauren Petracca/The Post And Courier)
Federal prosecutors have accused former Cook County Commissioner Jeffrey Tobolski, who was also the mayor of McCook, with conspiracy to commit extortion and filing a false tax return.
Meanwhile, rapper Kanye West was booted from Illinois’ Nov. 3 ballot today.
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And, the Illinois Department of Public Health acknowledged Friday that it did not properly process or investigate complaints of neglect and abuse at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities for more than three months during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Jeff Tobolski attends a Cook County Board meeting in 2013, when he was a county commissioner. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)
The Tribune’s Jason Meisner reports: “Former Cook County commissioner and McCook Mayor Jeffrey Tobolski was charged in federal court Friday with conspiracy to commit extortion and filing a false tax return.
“The two-count criminal information filed against Tobolski marked the latest domino to fall in a sprawling federal corruption investigation that has touched some of the Democratic Party’s key suburban political players — including Tobolski’s own chief of staff and fellow local mayor Louis Presta.
“According to the bare-bones charges, Tobolski allegedly conspired with an unnamed McCook official to extort a victim identified only as Individual A by using ‘actual and threatened fear of economic harm.'
“He also allegedly filed a falsified income tax return for 2018, reporting his income for that year as $214,000 when his actual income was ‘substantially’ higher, according to the paperwork.” More here.
* From the Tribune’s Jamie Munks: State Sen. Terry Link resigns as Lake County Democratic chair following federal income tax evasion charge
In this July 19, 2020, file photo, Kanye West makes his first presidential campaign appearance, in North Charleston, South Carolina. (Lauren Petracca Ipetracca/The Post And Courier)
From the Tribune’s Rick Pearson: “Rap artist, entrepreneur and aspiring presidential candidate Kanye West, a Chicago native, did not qualify to appear on Illinois’ Nov. 3 ballot, the Illinois State Board of Elections decided Friday.
“Board members, acting to finalize the fall ballot, voted 8-0 that West, whose independent campaign has been associated with a number of Republican operatives in other states, fell short of filing the required number of signatures needed to appear on the ballot.” Read the rest here.
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Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike during a press briefing on COVID-1 at the Thompson Center on April 1, 2020. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s Joe Mahr: “A month after firing the state’s top nursing home regulator without explanation and disciplining another, the Illinois Department of Public Health acknowledged Friday that the agency did not properly process or investigate complaints of neglect and abuse for 3½ months during the coronavirus pandemic.
“In a news release, the agency said it hired a consulting firm and a former federal prosecutor to conduct a ‘top to bottom’ outside review of its Bureau of Long-Term Care. The bureau oversees regulation of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, which have been tied to more than half of Illinois’ COVID-19 deaths.” Read more here.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker arrives to deliver his budget address to a joint session of the Illinois House and Senate at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on Feb. 19, 2020. Center is Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
From Rick Pearson and Bill Ruthhart: ”Illinois Democrats concluded their virtual national convention with a ready response to counter divisions over their leadership — focus on unifying around defeating Republican President Donald Trump.
“It’s the same response Democrats nationally applied to try healing the continued split between the party’s progressive wing embodied by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and its establishment side represented by presidential nominee Joe Biden.
“But for Illinois Democrats, the divisions are much deeper and say much about the near-term direction of the state party.” Find out more here.
* From Jaime Munks: Amid ComEd scandal in Springfield, ethics reform front and center in Pritzker’s energy agenda
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Mayor Lori Lightfoot uses her gavel to begin a virtual City Council meeting from her office at City Hall on June 17, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)
The Tribune’s Gregory Pratt reports: “Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her City Council allies stalled an effort led by political rivals on Friday to ask the governor to declare a state of emergency in Chicago and send the National Guard into the city.
“At a news conference after the meeting, Lightfoot reiterated her opposition to bringing in the guard by invoking the 1970 Kent State shootings where guardsmen killed four and injured nine others on the Ohio college’s campus.
“‘That was a huge moment in my young life,’ Lightfoot, an Ohio native who was 7 at the time, said.
"Lightfoot said she understands the concerns of people worried about their safety but learned from that experience that National Guard troops have very different training than police.
“‘I don’t want a circumstance where we bring in a tool that isn’t the right tool for the moment,’ Lightfoot said.” Read the rest of the story.
Participants pass posters as the Chicago Federation of Labor hold a rally to protest changes to the U.S. Postal Service by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy in front of the Henry McGee post office in Chicago on Friday, Aug. 21, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s Alice Yin: “About 30 postal union and political leaders rallied in front of a Bronzeville U.S. Postal Service branch Friday afternoon to condemn President Donald Trump and the postmaster general for slowdowns in mail service as the nation prepares for a general election amid a pandemic.
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“Rallygoers wore black masks with the slogan ‘Save the USPS!’ as they stood in front the Henry McGee station, 4601 S. Cottage Grove Ave. They carried signs encouraging voting by mail and for the passage of the HEROES Act, a second coronavirus stimulus bill that passed the U.S. House and would inject the Postal Service with $25 billion.” Read the rest here.
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chicagotribune--2020-08-21--State Sen. Terry Link resigns as Lake County Democratic chair following federal income tax evasion c

State Sen. Terry Link resigns as Lake County Democratic chair following federal income tax evasion charge

“ I can assure you that there is a lot more to the story .
Unfortunately , at this time @ @ @ @ @ on any of this .
I can only say that I respectfully request that you @ @ @ @ @ rush to judgment .
Hopefully in time the entire true story will come out , @ @ @ @ @ sense and you will understand the truth .
”

Sen. Terry Link, D-Gurnee, on the Senate floor at the State Capitol in Springfield in 2013. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Springfield — Longtime state Sen. Terry Link, the Vernon Hills Democrat who was charged last week with a federal count of income tax evasion, is stepping down as chairman of the Lake County Democratic Party.
Link announced his resignation, effective Sept. 15, in a Thursday email to fellow county party leaders.
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Link has held the chairman position for 29 years, and said in his email he has been thinking about resigning his post “for quite a while.”
“While some of you might assume my resignation is related to what you may have read in the news, those who truly know me and know my character and loyalty to the Democratic Party know there has to be more to the story,” Link wrote.
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“I can assure you that there is a lot more to the story. Unfortunately, at this time I am unable to comment on any of this. I can only say that I respectfully request that you not be too quick to rush to judgment. Hopefully in time the entire true story will come out, and maybe everything will make sense and you will understand the truth.”
Link has not commented publicly since a criminal information was filed in U.S. District Court on Aug. 13 accusing Link of not reporting income on his 2016 tax return.
Defendants are typically charged via an information if they intend to eventually plead guilty.
Other Lake County Democrats are calling for Link to immediately resign as party chairman, and as of Friday were making plans to digitally convene a meeting in the coming days to appoint a replacement.
The uproar about Link waiting until Sept. 15 to resign as party chairman centers around concern that if Link were to resign his Senate seat after Sept. 11 but maintain his party chairmanship, a November special election for the seat wouldn’t be triggered, allowing Link to choose his successor.
“November’s election is so important and so consequential that we must put 100% of our energies into the campaigns of every Democratic candidate up and down the ballot,” state Reps. Bob Morgan and Sam Yingling said in a statement issued Friday. “We can’t afford any distractions or delays, which is why we are demanding that Terry Link step down immediately as Chair of Lake County Democrats.”
In all, 15 elected officials from Lake County signed onto that statement issued Friday evening.
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Link had served on the Legislative Ethics Commission, but resigned from that post shortly after the federal tax evasion charge became public.
The Tribune reported last year that Link wore a wire for the FBI as part of an investigation of former state Rep. Luis Arroyo, who prosecutors said had sought a state senator’s support on video gambling legislation that would have benefited one of his lobbying clients.
In the complaint against Arroyo, the state senator was not named and was identified only as “Cooperating Witness 1.” The Tribune has reported that the unnamed senator was Link, which he repeatedly denied.
jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-21--Illinois nursing home complaints not investigated for more than 3 months amid pandemic that killed t

Illinois nursing home complaints not investigated for more than 3 months amid pandemic that killed thousands of residents

The federal regulator of nursing homes , the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid , had said that during the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ concerns about infection control — which Illinois did continue to do ― as well as @ @ @ @ @ neglect , which state officials acknowledged did not happen when it should have .
Regardless @ @ @ @ @ timely investigations of all cases remained in effect .

Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike talks to reporters during a briefing on COVID-19 at the Thompson Center on April 1, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
A month after firing the state’s top nursing home regulator without explanation and disciplining another, the Illinois Department of Public Health acknowledged Friday that the agency did not investigate complaints of neglect and abuse for nearly 3½ months during the coronavirus pandemic.
In a news release, the agency said it had hired a consulting firm and a former federal prosecutor to conduct a “top to bottom” outside review of its Bureau of Long-Term Care. The bureau oversees regulation of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, which have been tied to more than half of Illinois’ COVID-19 deaths.
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A health department spokeswoman said top administrators discovered July 8 that agency personnel had not investigated any of the abuse or neglect complaints it had received from mid-March until June 22 as required by state law. The most serious complaints require an investigation to begin within 24 hours, next-worst within seven days and least serious within 30 days.
The federal regulator of nursing homes, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, had said that during the pandemic states should focus on investigating concerns about infection control — which Illinois did continue to do ― as well as serious complaints of abuse and neglect, which state officials acknowledged did not happen when it should have. Regardless, the state law requiring timely investigations of all cases remained in effect.
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On July 20, the agency fired Debra Bryars, an agency deputy director who ran the Office of Health Care Regulation, and placed Aimee Isham, who oversaw the Bureau of Long-Term Care, on indefinite paid leave. Isham resigned on Monday, state officials said.
Agency officials did not announce these moves and, when asked about them in late July, would not say why they occurred. Officials said Friday that they wanted to focus on catching up on the inspections, figuring out what happened and deciding how to ensure it didn’t happen again.
IDPH now has investigated 272 allegations received during this period and substantiated “the factual circumstances of 17 of those complaints,” according to the agency’s news release.
“Our top priority as a regulator of long-term care facilities in Illinois is ensuring vulnerable Illinoisans are kept safe by those responsible for their care,” IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in the release. “Anything short of that is unacceptable, and our entire department is committed to getting this right as we move forward.”
The lapse in investigations, the agency spokeswoman said, was based on decisions made by a retired employee who had come back to help out through June 5, in addition to Bryars and Isham. Bryars had been paid roughly $120,000 a year and Isham roughly $110,000, records show. Neither has responded to messages.
The advocacy group AARP Illinois said the agency’s delay in explaining what happened highlights broader failings by the state to prioritize Illinois’ aging population.
“On behalf of family caregivers, the lack of transparency displayed here is unacceptable and heartbreaking for families across Illinois. We respect the investigation, but the department’s failure to protect the health and safety of Illinois’ most vulnerable population is inexcusable and has gone on for far too long,” AARP Illinois director Bob Gallo said in a Friday statement.
In its Friday news release, IDPH said Manatt Health Strategies will conduct “a top-to-bottom review” of the bureau that oversees long-term care facilities, “with a focus on recommending best practices to ensure proper licensure and oversight activities.”
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The agency said it also hired A. Courtney Cox, a former federal prosecutor, “to take a closer look at specific investigations IDPH conducted into complaints made concerning long-term care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. This review will inform IDPH’s efforts to improve existing procedures.”
The Tribune for weeks has been pressing the agency to release documents that could explain why, in late July, it removed Bryars and Isham. On Friday, after issuing the release, the agency told the Tribune it would not release additional records, citing exemptions in state law for preliminary drafts and attorney-client correspondence.
The state health department, designated by law as the state’s top regulator of nursing homes, is also the state’s lead agency fighting COVID-19. A Tribune investigation early in the pandemic found a high percentage of Illinois nursing homes had been cited for poor infection control practices, prompting advocates to warn that the state needed to aggressively monitor and fight the virus.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and top leaders have repeatedly said their swift actions limited the virus’ spread and saved lives. Yet the agency’s efforts have at times been broadly criticized as too timid and uncoordinated. Facilities complained they needed help getting more staff and protective gear as infections swept through hundreds of facilities.
The virus has been blamed for killing more than 4,000 Illinois long-term care residents and workers, at last count. Recent federal data showed that the state’s death rate for nursing home residents, at nearly 48 deaths per 1,000 people, puts Illinois among the worst third of states and territories.
Public criticism of the state’s oversight efforts has waned as deaths tied to long-term care facilities began dropping significantly in recent months, from nearly 500 a week in May to now fewer than 100 a week. Homes are now beginning to accept visitors again.
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jmahr@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-21--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 2,208 new known COVID-19 cases and 24 more deaths reported as state

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 2,208 new known COVID-19 cases and 24 more deaths reported as state puts 20 counties on warning list

Illinois health officials on Friday said 20 counties are now considered at a warning level for coronavirus because of rising risk indicators , and that cases of the virus connected to schools are beginning to be reported .
The state also announced 2,208 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus , and 24 additional deaths .
That brings the statewide total of known cases since the pandemic began to 215,929 , and the death toll to 7,857 .
Counties are put at warning level when they surpass a threshold for at least two coronavirus indicators , such as the number of deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19-like illness and the availability of intensive care beds .
The number of counties at warning level is up from 14 a week ago .
The counties listed Friday are Bureau , Cass , Clay , Clinton , Franklin , Greene , Grundy , Hancock , Henderson , Jefferson , Logan , Madison , Monroe , Moultrie , Randolph , St. Clair , Union , White , Will and Williamson .
Will County southwest of Chicago is among the counties that has been on the list two weeks in a row .
World @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serves as the city ’ s economic development arm , will cut nine of its 39 positions as the agency faces a revenue shortfall this year .
The not-for-profit organization laid off five employees earlier this month and will cut another four unfilled positions , Andrea Zopp , president and CEO , said .
The coronavirus pandemic has altered the way World Business Chicago operates , as business travel diminishes and firms have employees work from home .
The agency typically relies on face-to-face interactions to recruit young talent and companies to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months those efforts have become virtual .
World Business Chicago receives about $ 1.7 million each year from the city , but raises the rest of its budget from contributions by board member companies and fundraisers like its November gala , which will be held virtually this year , Zopp said .
“ The economy is struggling and that ’ s impacting peoples ’ ability to contribute in the ways that they used to , ” Zopp said .
The data shows outbreaks have occurred at 767 long-term care facilities in 69 counties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an “ active ” outbreak , defined as a positive test result in the past 28 days .
In all , 26,357 confirmed cases can be tied to long-term care facilities , with 4,319 deaths , as of Aug. 21 .
5:30 p.m. : Chicago postal unions rally in front of Bronzeville post office to attack Trump , postmaster general for mail delays About 30 postal union and political leaders rallied in front of a Bronzeville U.S .
Postal Service branch Friday afternoon to condemn President Donald Trump and the postmaster general for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prepares for a general election amid a pandemic .
Rallygoers wore black masks with the slogan “ Save the USPS !
” as they stood in front the Henry McGee station , 4601 S. Cottage Grove Ave .
They carried signs encouraging voting by mail and for the passage of the HEROES Act , a second coronavirus stimulus bill that passed the U.S. House and would inject the Postal Service with $ 25 billion .
Keith Richardson , president of the Chicago-area local of the American Postal Workers Union , said he would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mail delivery .
“ We stand here today with our allies , community partners and elected officials to send a clear message to the postmaster general to save the USPS , ” Richardson said , opening the rally with a swipe at Louis DeJoy , a top donor to Trump and the Republican Party who was appointed to lead the Postal Service in May .
4 p.m. : U. of I. expects hundreds of COVID-19 cases , but says it ’ s prepared to stop any surge COVID-19 cases in the Urbana-Champaign area @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to campus for the fall semester , but the University of Illinois says it ’ s prepared to handle the influx with quick saliva-based tests and quarantining procedures .
With move-in beginning this week , the university conducted more than 30,000 saliva tests on students , faculty and staff between Monday and Thursday and identified about 100 positive cases .
Hundreds more are likely to emerge , but that would be tens of thousands without the aggressive testing and other interventions in place , officials say .
2:40 p.m. ( updated at 4:40 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off your mail-in ballot in Chicago and the suburbs More registered voters are expected to request mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 election due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
( Though state law allows voters to apply for a mail-in ballot by Oct. 29 , the Illinois State Board of Elections recommends voters interested in receiving a mail-in ballot apply as soon as possible . )
Ballots will be mailed to voters beginning Sept. 24 , and should be returned to the election board that has jurisdiction over your area , such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cook County clerk .
Secured drop boxes will be installed around the Chicago metropolitan area where voters can drop off their completed mail-in ballots — instead of mailing them — but the placement of these drop boxes will vary .
One thing voters should not do with their mail-in ballots is take them to their polling place on Election Day .
“ If they plan to vote in person , they can surrender their mail ballot at the polling place and they will be given a ballot to vote in person , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information officer Matt Dietrich .
Use our map and listings to help find the drop box closest to you .
—Chicago Tribune staff A month after firing the state ’ s top nursing home regulator without explanation and disciplining another , the Illinois Department of Public Health acknowledged Friday that the agency did not properly process or investigate complaints of neglect and abuse for 3½ months during the coronavirus pandemic .
In a news release , the agency said it hired a consulting firm and a former federal prosecutor to conduct a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its Bureau of Long-Term Care .
The bureau oversees regulation of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities , which have been tied to many Illinois COVID-19 deaths .
“ Our top priority as a regulator of long-term care facilities in Illinois is ensuring vulnerable Illinoisans are kept safe by those responsible for their care , ” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike in the release .
“ Anything short of that is unacceptable , and our entire department is committed to getting this right as we move forward.
” A sign on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and oyster bar thanked customers “ for 18 great years , ” and said the decision to close came “ with a heavy heart.
” “ I ’ m not happy , but it ’ s something a lot of us are going through , ” said partner Curtis Wierbicki , who launched the restaurant in September 2002 with partner Colin Turner .
Both had significant restaurant experience at the time ; Turner was a Shaw ’ s Crab House veteran and Turner helped launch North Pond restaurant ( then North Pond Cafe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Tinley Park restaurant into a destination for serious cooking , particularly seafood .
An independent restaurant in a sea of chains .
Wierbicki said he tried different ways to maintain business after the shutdown .
“ But we didn ’ t have any patio , ” he said .
“ We tried carryout , but seafood doesn ’ t travel well , not compared to Italian.
” Illinois health officials on Friday said 20 counties are now considered at a warning level for coronavirus because of rising risk indicators , and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are beginning to be reported .
The state also announced 2,208 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus , and 24 additional deaths .
That brings the statewide total of known cases since the pandemic began to 215,929 , and the death toll to 7,857 .
Counties are put at warning level when they surpass a threshold for at least two coronavirus indicators , such as the number of deaths , weekly hospital admissions for people with COVID-19-like illness and the availability of intensive care beds .
The number of counties at warning level is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The counties listed Friday are Bureau , Cass , Clay , Clinton , Franklin , Greene , Grundy , Hancock , Henderson , Jefferson , Logan , Madison , Monroe , Moultrie , Randolph , St. Clair , Union , White , Will and Williamson .
Will County southwest of Chicago is among the counties that has been on the list two weeks in a row .
“ Safe and clean ” : Those are the bywords AMC Entertainment Group hopes can reassure moviegoers straight back into theaters that , until Thursday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 .
The AMC signage greets the customer on the doors and walls , next to the hand sanitizer next to the parking validation .
Safe and clean .
“ Enhanced cleaning procedures.
” “ Because we care about your health , masks are REQUIRED for all guests & crew.
” One “ safe and clean ” sign reads : “ Not Feeling Well ?
We ’ re excited to see you return to the movies , but if you have symptoms such as fever or cough , or have come in contact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DO NOT see a movie today.
” It ’ s tough to stay afloat when your boat has been dry-docked for five months .
At many of the AMC theater locations , including in the Chicago area , evidence of 2020′s colassal retail struggles is everywhere , in the too-quiet malls housing some theaters , on the streets where not much is open for business .
But the world ’ s largest multiplex chain reopened for business Thursday at 113 U.S. locations , with a throwback , century-old 15-cent admission fee .
New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ New Mutants ” on Aug. 28 , “ Tenet ” on Sept. 3 , with sneak previews starting Aug. 31 .
12:23 p.m. : Mounting US deaths reveal an outsize toll on people of color .
New figures from the CDC highlight the stark disparity .
As many as 215,000 more people than usual died in the U.S. during the first seven months of 2020 , suggesting that the number of lives lost to the coronavirus is significantly higher than the official toll .
And half the dead were people of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans and , to a marked degree unrecognized until now , Asian Americans .
The new figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlight a stark disparity : Deaths among minorities during the crisis have risen far more than they have among whites .
12:05 p.m. : 2,208 new known COVID-19 cases and 24 more deaths reported Illinois health officials on Friday announced 2,208 new known cases of COVID-19 and 24 additional fatalities , bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 215,929 and the statewide death toll to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Officials also reported 51,736 new tests in the last 24 hours .
The seven-day statewide positivity rate is 4.3 % .
11:08 p.m. : Notre Dame had to suspend classes days into the term as COVID-19 cases surged .
Is that a cautionary tale for other college campuses trying to reopen ?
Hours before the University of Notre Dame suspended in-person classes to quell a growing COVID-19 outbreak among students , Clay Goldman walked into a campus testing center that didn ’ t have enough chairs for everyone awaiting results .
Goldman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the center inside Notre Dame ’ s famed football stadium Tuesday afternoon because three of his track teammates contracted the virus , and he worried he ’ d been exposed .
The university ’ s sole testing site has been inundated since students returned in early August , identifying a total of 336 coronavirus cases as of Friday .
Goldman said he called university health services multiple times beginning Monday afternoon to schedule a test but needed to leave messages when no one picked up .
It wasn ’ t until late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ email saying he could come in , he said .
Notre Dame contends that most infections stem from two off-campus parties thrown by seniors .
But cases have surged as students introduce the virus to new social groups , straining the school ’ s resources .
“ I ’ m really just frustrated , ” said Goldman , 21 , of Indiana .
“ I feel like Notre Dame tried to put themselves out there , and it was really naive of the university to think students wouldn ’ t do normal college @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what 18- to 22-year-olds do.
” As the university outside South Bend , Indiana , scrambled to shift classes online for at least two weeks in an effort to salvage in-person learning this semester , its predicament could be a cautionary tale for other colleges inviting students back this fall .
10:51 a.m. : Is Chicago tourism done until 2021 ?
Facing fewer visitors and the possibility of losses , some venues are closing early .
Chicago ’ s tourism season may wrap up early as hotels and some city attractions , struggling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consider shutting down for the remainder of the year .
The Chicago Athletic Association hotel has shut down again , with plans to reopen in the first quarter of 2021 .
Wendella Sightseeing Co. said it ’ s considering winding down its seasonal boat tours early .
And on Tuesday , Navy Pier announced it would close Sept. 8 until the spring .
Industry leaders say the effect of the early closures will ripple through the local economy .
10:32 p.m. : Working from home due to COVID-19 will remain the norm for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s how to avoid burning out .
Without the commute to the office or lunch hours with co-workers thanks to COVID-19 , the boundaries of a work day are blurring , leaving employees less sure of when to take breaks or log off at the end of the day .
A recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research ( NBER ) found that the average workday around the world is 48.5 minutes longer than before the pandemic .
The study examined how work email and meeting patterns changed in the two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 16 cities , including Chicago .
Dr. Alexandra Solomon , a professor and licensed psychologist at the Family Institute at Northwestern University , said work days can feel longer in such a stressful time .
“ I think time is doing very strange things , ” Solomon said .
“ Even if the hours on the page are the same objectively , the feeling is that we ’ re working more.
” For those whose homes have become their offices , with the potential for remote work sticking around for quite some time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ separate your work and home life .
6:35 a.m. : A COVID-19 vaccine still hasn ’ t emerged — but some are already wary of it Christina Glover gets a flu shot each year and has always ensured her daughter ’ s pediatric vaccines are on schedule .
Yet the 36-year-old from the South Side of Chicago said she ’ d be nervous about getting a COVID-19 vaccine once one emerges and hits the market .
“ It ’ s the fact that it ’ s new , ” Glover said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about anything — vaccines , any type of medication — you have a right to be concerned with how it ’ s going to interact with your body .
… You want to see the reaction it ’ s going to have on other people.
” As scientists across the globe race to create a COVID-19 vaccine that is safe and effective , the American public appears sharply divided when it comes to the prospect of getting vaccinated against the new virus , which has so far infected roughly 5.5 million and killed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
6:35 a.m. : Gerardo Victoria had big plans for the fall : culinary school .
But he fell ill from COVID-19 and died at the age of 23 .
‘ A horrible thing.
’ Gerardo “ Jerry ” Victoria was always coming up with new recipes and sharing them with his family in their South Holland home .
This fall , he planned to follow his love for cooking and attend culinary school .
“ He was more than a brother-in-law .
He was a friend .
We were close , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ago , he became ill as COVID-19 spread through his family .
He died on Tuesday at the age of 23 , one of the youngest victims of the coronavirus in Cook County .

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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)
Illinois health officials on Friday said 20 counties are now considered at a warning level for coronavirus because of rising risk indicators, and that cases of the virus connected to schools are beginning to be reported.
The state also announced 2,208 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus, and 24 additional deaths. That brings the statewide total of known cases since the pandemic began to 215,929, and the death toll to 7,857.
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Counties are put at warning level when they surpass a threshold for at least two coronavirus indicators, such as the number of deaths, weekly hospital admissions for people with COVID-19-like illness and the availability of intensive care beds.
The number of counties at warning level is up from 14 a week ago. The counties listed Friday are Bureau, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Franklin, Greene, Grundy, Hancock, Henderson, Jefferson, Logan, Madison, Monroe, Moultrie, Randolph, St. Clair, Union, White, Will and Williamson. Will County southwest of Chicago is among the counties that has been on the list two weeks in a row.
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Here’s what’s happening Friday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
7:35 p.m.: A COVID-19 outbreak sidelined 6 therapists at a North Shore mental health clinic. Now, they’re treating hospital workers free of charge.
When a few employees of the Josselyn Center in Northfield began experiencing flu-like symptoms in mid-March, the close-knit group of therapists suspected they might have caught a seasonal bug from the director of the mental health clinic, who had left work earlier in the week after feeling feverish.
By the end of the week, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 stay-at-home order had shuttered the community mental health center, and clinic director Michael Scholl was in the hospital on a ventilator.
In total, six of the clinic’s roughly 70 employees ended up testing positive for the coronavirus last spring, with Scholl — an otherwise healthy, 56-year-old father of three teenagers — the only member of the group who was hospitalized.
Five months later, and at Scholl’s urging, the community mental health clinic is offering free therapy sessions for first responders.
Read more here. —Karen Ann Cullotta
6:30 p.m.: World Business Chicago cuts 9 positions as pandemic cuts into revenue
World Business Chicago, the public-private partnership that serves as the city’s economic development arm, will cut nine of its 39 positions as the agency faces a revenue shortfall this year. The not-for-profit organization laid off five employees earlier this month and will cut another four unfilled positions, Andrea Zopp, president and CEO, said.
The coronavirus pandemic has altered the way World Business Chicago operates, as business travel diminishes and firms have employees work from home. The agency typically relies on face-to-face interactions to recruit young talent and companies to the city, but in the past five months those efforts have become virtual.
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Zopp also said the agency faces reduced revenue this year.
World Business Chicago receives about $1.7 million each year from the city, but raises the rest of its budget from contributions by board member companies and fundraisers like its November gala, which will be held virtually this year, Zopp said.
“The economy is struggling and that’s impacting peoples’ ability to contribute in the ways that they used to,” Zopp said.
Read more here. —Abdel Jimenez
6:15 p.m.: Coronavirus at Illinois long-term care facilities: 26,357 confirmed cases and 4,319 deaths
The Illinois Department of Public Health is releasing information on COVID-19 tied to long-term care facilities in Illinois.
The data shows outbreaks have occurred at 767 long-term care facilities in 69 counties. Of those, 523 facilities have an “active” outbreak, defined as a positive test result in the past 28 days.
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In all, 26,357 confirmed cases can be tied to long-term care facilities, with 4,319 deaths, as of Aug. 21.
Read more here. —Chicago Tribune staff
5:30 p.m.: Chicago postal unions rally in front of Bronzeville post office to attack Trump, postmaster general for mail delays
About 30 postal union and political leaders rallied in front of a Bronzeville U.S. Postal Service branch Friday afternoon to condemn President Donald Trump and the postmaster general for slowdowns in mail service as the nation prepares for a general election amid a pandemic.
Rallygoers wore black masks with the slogan “Save the USPS!” as they stood in front the Henry McGee station, 4601 S. Cottage Grove Ave. They carried signs encouraging voting by mail and for the passage of the HEROES Act, a second coronavirus stimulus bill that passed the U.S. House and would inject the Postal Service with $25 billion.
Keith Richardson, president of the Chicago-area local of the American Postal Workers Union, said he would not stand for any attempt to undermine mail delivery.
“We stand here today with our allies, community partners and elected officials to send a clear message to the postmaster general to save the USPS,” Richardson said, opening the rally with a swipe at Louis DeJoy, a top donor to Trump and the Republican Party who was appointed to lead the Postal Service in May.
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Read more here. —Alice Yin
4 p.m.: U. of I. expects hundreds of COVID-19 cases, but says it’s prepared to stop any surge
COVID-19 cases in the Urbana-Champaign area will rise as college students flock back to campus for the fall semester, but the University of Illinois says it’s prepared to handle the influx with quick saliva-based tests and quarantining procedures.
With move-in beginning this week, the university conducted more than 30,000 saliva tests on students, faculty and staff between Monday and Thursday and identified about 100 positive cases.
Hundreds more are likely to emerge, but that would be tens of thousands without the aggressive testing and other interventions in place, officials say.
Read more here. —Elyssa Cherney
2:40 p.m. (updated at 4:40 p.m.): Where to securely drop off your mail-in ballot in Chicago and the suburbs
More registered voters are expected to request mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 election due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Though state law allows voters to apply for a mail-in ballot by Oct. 29, the Illinois State Board of Elections recommends voters interested in receiving a mail-in ballot apply as soon as possible.)
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Ballots will be mailed to voters beginning Sept. 24, and should be returned to the election board that has jurisdiction over your area, such as the Chicago Board of Elections or the Cook County clerk.
Secured drop boxes will be installed around the Chicago metropolitan area where voters can drop off their completed mail-in ballots — instead of mailing them — but the placement of these drop boxes will vary.
One thing voters should not do with their mail-in ballots is take them to their polling place on Election Day.
“If they plan to vote in person, they can surrender their mail ballot at the polling place and they will be given a ballot to vote in person,” said Illinois State Board of Elections public information officer Matt Dietrich.
Use our map and listings to help find the drop box closest to you. —Chicago Tribune staff
2 p.m.: Complaints about Illinois nursing homes not properly investigated during pandemic, state officials acknowledge
A month after firing the state’s top nursing home regulator without explanation and disciplining another, the Illinois Department of Public Health acknowledged Friday that the agency did not properly process or investigate complaints of neglect and abuse for 3½ months during the coronavirus pandemic.
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In a news release, the agency said it hired a consulting firm and a former federal prosecutor to conduct a “top to bottom” outside review of its Bureau of Long-Term Care. The bureau oversees regulation of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, which have been tied to many Illinois COVID-19 deaths.
“Our top priority as a regulator of long-term care facilities in Illinois is ensuring vulnerable Illinoisans are kept safe by those responsible for their care,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike in the release. “Anything short of that is unacceptable, and our entire department is committed to getting this right as we move forward.”
An agency spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for an interview.
Read more here. —Joe Mahr
1:15 p.m.: After nearly 18 years, Tin Fish restaurant closed permanently by coronavirus
The coronavirus claimed another high-profile restaurant victim with the permanent closure of Tin Fish, a highly regarded restaurant in south-suburban Tinley Park.
A sign on the front door of the seafood restaurant and oyster bar thanked customers “for 18 great years,” and said the decision to close came “with a heavy heart.”
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The closure was first reported Aug. 11 by the Daily Southtown, a Tribune Publishing newspaper.
“I’m not happy, but it’s something a lot of us are going through,” said partner Curtis Wierbicki, who launched the restaurant in September 2002 with partner Colin Turner. Both had significant restaurant experience at the time; Turner was a Shaw’s Crab House veteran and Turner helped launch North Pond restaurant (then North Pond Cafe). The two of them turned the Tinley Park restaurant into a destination for serious cooking, particularly seafood. An independent restaurant in a sea of chains.
Wierbicki said he tried different ways to maintain business after the shutdown. “But we didn’t have any patio,” he said. “We tried carryout, but seafood doesn’t travel well, not compared to Italian.”
Read more here. —Phil Vettel
12:45 p.m. (updated at 1:25 p.m.): Illinois puts 20 counties on COVID-19 warning list
Illinois health officials on Friday said 20 counties are now considered at a warning level for coronavirus because of rising risk indicators, and that cases of the virus connected to schools are beginning to be reported.
The state also announced 2,208 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus, and 24 additional deaths. That brings the statewide total of known cases since the pandemic began to 215,929, and the death toll to 7,857.
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Counties are put at warning level when they surpass a threshold for at least two coronavirus indicators, such as the number of deaths, weekly hospital admissions for people with COVID-19-like illness and the availability of intensive care beds.
The number of counties at warning level is up from 14 a week ago. The counties listed Friday are Bureau, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Franklin, Greene, Grundy, Hancock, Henderson, Jefferson, Logan, Madison, Monroe, Moultrie, Randolph, St. Clair, Union, White, Will and Williamson.
Will County southwest of Chicago is among the counties that has been on the list two weeks in a row.
State health officials said cases have been tied to long-term care facilities, travel, weddings and other gatherings.
—Chicago Tribune staff
12:31 p.m.: AMC Theatres reopens: Did people get their 15 cents’ worth?
“Safe and clean”: Those are the bywords AMC Entertainment Group hopes can reassure moviegoers straight back into theaters that, until Thursday, had been closed since March because of COVID-19.
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The AMC signage greets the customer on the doors and walls, next to the hand sanitizer next to the parking validation. Safe and clean. “Enhanced cleaning procedures.” “Because we care about your health, masks are REQUIRED for all guests & crew.”
One “safe and clean” sign reads: “Not Feeling Well? We’re excited to see you return to the movies, but if you have symptoms such as fever or cough, or have come in contact with someone who has symptoms, Please DO NOT see a movie today.”
It’s tough to stay afloat when your boat has been dry-docked for five months. At many of the AMC theater locations, including in the Chicago area, evidence of 2020′s colassal retail struggles is everywhere, in the too-quiet malls housing some theaters, on the streets where not much is open for business.
But the world’s largest multiplex chain reopened for business Thursday at 113 U.S. locations, with a throwback, century-old 15-cent admission fee. New movies are coming, slowly, soon: “New Mutants” on Aug. 28, “Tenet” on Sept. 3, with sneak previews starting Aug. 31.
Read more here. —Michael Phillips and Wendy Fox Weber
12:23 p.m.: Mounting US deaths reveal an outsize toll on people of color. New figures from the CDC highlight the stark disparity.
As many as 215,000 more people than usual died in the U.S. during the first seven months of 2020, suggesting that the number of lives lost to the coronavirus is significantly higher than the official toll. And half the dead were people of color — Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and, to a marked degree unrecognized until now, Asian Americans.
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The new figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlight a stark disparity: Deaths among minorities during the crisis have risen far more than they have among whites.
Read more here. —The Associated Press
12:05 p.m.: 2,208 new known COVID-19 cases and 24 more deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Friday announced 2,208 new known cases of COVID-19 and 24 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 215,929 and the statewide death toll to 7,857 since the start of the pandemic. Officials also reported 51,736 new tests in the last 24 hours. The seven-day statewide positivity rate is 4.3%.
—Chicago Tribune staff
11:08 p.m.: Notre Dame had to suspend classes days into the term as COVID-19 cases surged. Is that a cautionary tale for other college campuses trying to reopen?
Hours before the University of Notre Dame suspended in-person classes to quell a growing COVID-19 outbreak among students, Clay Goldman walked into a campus testing center that didn’t have enough chairs for everyone awaiting results.
Goldman, a first-year law student, went to the center inside Notre Dame’s famed football stadium Tuesday afternoon because three of his track teammates contracted the virus, and he worried he’d been exposed.
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But booking an appointment wasn’t easy.
The university’s sole testing site has been inundated since students returned in early August, identifying a total of 336 coronavirus cases as of Friday. Goldman said he called university health services multiple times beginning Monday afternoon to schedule a test but needed to leave messages when no one picked up. It wasn’t until late the next morning that he received an email saying he could come in, he said.
Notre Dame contends that most infections stem from two off-campus parties thrown by seniors. But cases have surged as students introduce the virus to new social groups, straining the school’s resources.
“I’m really just frustrated,” said Goldman, 21, of Indiana. “I feel like Notre Dame tried to put themselves out there, and it was really naive of the university to think students wouldn’t do normal college student things because that’s just what 18- to 22-year-olds do.”
As the university outside South Bend, Indiana, scrambled to shift classes online for at least two weeks in an effort to salvage in-person learning this semester, its predicament could be a cautionary tale for other colleges inviting students back this fall.
Read more here. —Elyssa Cherney and Kelli Smith
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10:51 a.m.: Is Chicago tourism done until 2021? Facing fewer visitors and the possibility of losses, some venues are closing early.
Chicago’s tourism season may wrap up early as hotels and some city attractions, struggling with fewer visitors and revenue losses, consider shutting down for the remainder of the year.
The Chicago Athletic Association hotel has shut down again, with plans to reopen in the first quarter of 2021. Wendella Sightseeing Co. said it’s considering winding down its seasonal boat tours early. And on Tuesday, Navy Pier announced it would close Sept. 8 until the spring. Industry leaders say the effect of the early closures will ripple through the local economy.
Michael Jacobson, president and CEO of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, said Navy Pier’s closure is a “precursor to other tourism entities.”
“As in the case with Navy Pier, they tried to reopen but the math doesn’t add up. We’re heading into the winter months, and it won’t make sense for some of these places to stay open,” he said.
Jacobson said social distancing recommendations, which are likely to continue through the end of the year, and the coming colder weather will make it harder to attract travelers. Chicago’s quarantine rules regarding states with high infection rates further hinders hotels’ chance to rebound, he said.
“It won’t surprise me if they don’t open until next year. Some might choose not to reopen until the demand is there. Hotels might be losing more money to stay open,” Jacobson said.
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Read more here. —Abdel Jimenez
10:32 p.m.: Working from home due to COVID-19 will remain the norm for many employees through 2020. Here’s how to avoid burning out.
Without the commute to the office or lunch hours with co-workers thanks to COVID-19, the boundaries of a work day are blurring, leaving employees less sure of when to take breaks or log off at the end of the day.
A recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) found that the average workday around the world is 48.5 minutes longer than before the pandemic. The study examined how work email and meeting patterns changed in the two months following a government-mandated pandemic lockdown in 16 cities, including Chicago.
Dr. Alexandra Solomon, a professor and licensed psychologist at the Family Institute at Northwestern University, said work days can feel longer in such a stressful time.
“I think time is doing very strange things,” Solomon said. “Even if the hours on the page are the same objectively, the feeling is that we’re working more.”
For those whose homes have become their offices, with the potential for remote work sticking around for quite some time, here are some tips to better separate your work and home life.
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Read more here. —Milan Polk
6:35 a.m.: A COVID-19 vaccine still hasn’t emerged — but some are already wary of it
Christina Glover gets a flu shot each year and has always ensured her daughter’s pediatric vaccines are on schedule.
Yet the 36-year-old from the South Side of Chicago said she’d be nervous about getting a COVID-19 vaccine once one emerges and hits the market.
“It’s the fact that it’s new,” Glover said. “You have your right to be concerned about anything — vaccines, any type of medication — you have a right to be concerned with how it’s going to interact with your body. … You want to see the reaction it’s going to have on other people.”
As scientists across the globe race to create a COVID-19 vaccine that is safe and effective, the American public appears sharply divided when it comes to the prospect of getting vaccinated against the new virus, which has so far infected roughly 5.5 million and killed more than 172,000 in the United States.
Read more here. —Angie Leventis Lourgos
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6:35 a.m.: Gerardo Victoria had big plans for the fall: culinary school. But he fell ill from COVID-19 and died at the age of 23. ‘A horrible thing.’
Gerardo “Jerry” Victoria was always coming up with new recipes and sharing them with his family in their South Holland home.
This fall, he planned to follow his love for cooking and attend culinary school. “He was more than a brother-in-law. He was a friend. We were close,” Vanessa Gusman said.
About a month ago, he became ill as COVID-19 spread through his family. He died on Tuesday at the age of 23, one of the youngest victims of the coronavirus in Cook County.
Read more here. —Rosemary Sobol


chicagotribune--2020-08-21--Coronavirus at Illinois long-term care facilities: 26,357 confirmed cases and 4,319 deaths

The Illinois Department of Public Health is releasing information on COVID-19 tied to long-term care facilities in Illinois .
The @ @ @ @ @ at 767 long-term care facilities in 69 counties .
Of those , 523 facilities have @ @ @ @ @ , defined as a positive test result in the past 28 days .
In all @ @ @ @ @ be tied to long-term care facilities , with 4,319 deaths , as of Aug. 21 @

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


chicagotribune--2020-08-21--Illinois Democrats resurrect Bruce Rauner to counter attacks on House Speaker Michael Madigan, party

Illinois Democrats resurrect Bruce Rauner to counter attacks on House Speaker Michael Madigan, party leadership

“ I think about what happens when you take your eye off the ball .
You know , we lost @ @ @ @ @ with Rauner and Rauner got in there and just ... wanted to follow suit with @ @ @ @ @ He was out to try to destroy labor .
He had an anti-union agenda from @ @ @ @ @ told delegates , referencing Illinois ’ neighboring state to the north ’ s move to @ @ @ @ @ work law .

Gov. J.B. Pritzker is greeted by Comptroller Susana Mendoza before his budget address at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on Feb. 19, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois Democrats concluded their virtual national convention with a ready response to counter divisions over their leadership — focus on unifying around defeating Republican President Donald Trump.
It’s the same response Democrats nationally applied to try healing the continued split between the party’s progressive wing embodied by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and its establishment side represented by presidential nominee Joe Biden.
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But for Illinois Democrats, the divisions are much deeper and say much about the near-term direction of the state party.
House Speaker Michael Madigan, who also is the state’s Democratic Party chairman, finds his leadership under growing fire after being implicated in an alleged bribery scheme involving ComEd.
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The state’s largest utility has agreed to pay a $200 million fine and cooperate with investigators for three years for what federal prosecutors said was a yearslong scheme to win influence from Madigan through contracts and jobs given to Madigan allies.
Madigan has not been charged with any wrongdoing and has denied taking any improper legislative action. But it has not stopped a growing chorus of Democrats from asking him to step down from his role as the nation’s longest statehouse speaker, his party chairmanship, or both.
In a pandemic-created virtual political world, Madigan escaped any direct questioning about his political and governmental tenure. But some Democrats have argued he has become a serious political distraction in a year when the party had looked to not only retain but make gains on its majority status in the legislature and congressional delegation.
Madigan has long been the point man for Republican criticism of Illinois’ problems, an issue amplified during Republican Bruce Rauner’s successful 2014 run for governor, the 2016 legislative elections and in Rauner’s 2018 loss to Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
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While Rauner is gone from the state’s political scene, Madigan’s allies in organized labor and some Democratic officials are looking to resurrect those battles between the former Republican governor and Democratic House speaker for another round this November.
Lonnie Stephenson, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and a Moline native, warned the state’s delegation to “stay united, focus on what the prize is. The prize is Nov. 3 and getting rid of Trump.”
“I think about what happens when you take your eye off the ball. You know, we lost the governorship for one term with Rauner and Rauner got in there and just ... wanted to follow suit with what happened in Wisconsin. He was out to try to destroy labor. He had an anti-union agenda from day one,” Stephenson told delegates, referencing Illinois’ neighboring state to the north’s move to enact a so-called right to work law.
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“But thankfully we had our friends that controlled the House and the Senate in Illinois that stuck by us, stuck by labor,” he said. “Congratulations to you all, you booted him out after one term.”
Stephenson said Democrats shouldn’t think that “couldn’t happen in the state of Illinois because it can and we cannot ever let it happen.”
“Stay close, our labor friends. Stay working with the Democratic leadership in the House and the Senate and now the governor,” he said.
Bob Reiter, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, also brought back the political ghost of Rauner in urging Democrats to not forget the working class — something that hurt the party in Hillary Clinton’s loss to Trump four years ago.
“When the Democratic Party nationally forgets its connection to regular people, to working people, to labor, it loses its soul,” Reiter said. “We have the opportunity as Illinois Democrats to help the rest of the country win back the American worker. We showed Bruce Rauner the door. Donald Trump, you’re next.”
The Rauner reminder wasn’t limited to organized labor.
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“I can’t wait to get rid of this horrible virus that has infected our country. And I also can’t wait to get rid of COVID-19,” Comptroller Susana Mendoza said, appearing to wait for a virtual rimshot before turning more serious and critical before delegates.
“As comptroller, I’ve witnessed firsthand how bad leadership has hurt Illinois, mainly because of two Republicans. ... These two Republicans have a lot in common. Former Gov. Bruce Rauner who nearly crippled our state over political ideology and now President Donald Trump who has botched the White House response to the COVID-19 pandemic and tanked our economy,” Mendoza said.
“Both thrive on chaos and uncertainty. Both made us a laughingstock to our neighbors and our allies. And both vigorously pursued policies that harm women, working families and marginalized populations,” she said.
Democrats and Pritzker have expressed concerns that the issues surrounding Madigan could translate to voter rejection of the new governor’s signature agenda item — a proposed constitutional amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot to move Illinois from a flat-rate income tax to a graduated-rate tax structure.
As a final message to delegates, Pritzker urged them to push for the tax change as part of their phone banking and organizing activities, noting that it would “no longer require essential workers to pay the same tax rate as millionaires.”
“There’s never been a better time,” Pritzker said of the tax change. It would raise billions of dollars for state government at a time when it is on the hook for potentially billions in loan repayments to deal with pandemic-caused tax shortages with no federal aid in sight.
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Trump, who has been frequently vilified by Pritzker over his leadership, returned the favor Thursday night in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News over Democrats seeking aid to the states in a new coronavirus federal relief package.
“So people, all they want to do is get bailout money for their governors who have done so badly in states like New York and Illinois,” Trump said. “He’s done a terrible job in Illinois. Pritzker is terrible. He doesn’t know what he’s doing.”
rap30@aol.com
bruthhart@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-21--Former county official and McCook Mayor Jeff Tobolski charged with extortion conspiracy, filing fals

Former county official and McCook Mayor Jeff Tobolski charged with extortion conspiracy, filing false tax return

He had been under a cloud since FBI agents raided the McCook village headquarters on Sept. 26 .
The raid @ @ @ @ @ when federal law enforcement authorities descended on the Village Hall in nearby Lyons and two @ @ @ @ @ offices and home of state Sen. Martin Sandoval , a Chicago Democrat whose district includes @ @ @

Jeff Tobolski attends a board meeting in Chicago on Sept. 11, 2013, when he was a Cook County commissioner. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)
Former Cook County commissioner and McCook Mayor Jeffrey Tobolski was charged in federal court Friday with conspiracy to commit extortion and filing a false tax return.
The two-count criminal information filed against Tobolski marked the latest domino to fall in a sprawling federal corruption investigation that has touched some of the Democratic Party’s key suburban political players — including Tobolski’s own chief of staff and fellow local mayor Louis Presta.
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According to the bare-bones charges, Tobolski allegedly conspired with an unnamed McCook official to extort a victim identified only as Individual A by using “actual and threatened fear of economic harm.”
He also allegedly filed a falsified income tax return for 2018, reporting his income for that year as $214,000 when his actual income was “substantially” higher, according to the paperwork.
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Defendants charged by criminal information typically intend to plead guilty.
His attorney, James Vanzant, declined to comment. An arraignment date had not been set as of Friday.
Tobolski, who resigned from the county board and from his post as McCook village president in March, could not immediately be reached for comment.
He had been under a cloud since FBI agents raided the McCook village headquarters on Sept. 26. The raid came on the same day when federal law enforcement authorities descended on the Village Hall in nearby Lyons and two days after raids on the offices and home of state Sen. Martin Sandoval, a Chicago Democrat whose district includes both towns.
Agents were looking for evidence including information about a clout-heavy suburban contractor, a local strip club, the town’s police chief, and heating and air conditioning work done on Tobolski’s home, the Tribune previously has reported. The raid also targeted Tobolski’s computer hard drives and items linked to the village exposition center.
In March, Tobolski’s longtime chief of staff, Patrick Doherty, was charged in a three-count federal indictment for conspiring to pay bribes to a help get red-light cameras installed in Oak Lawn. Doherty has pleaded not guilty.
Presta, the mayor of nearby Crestwood, was charged earlier this month with accepting bribes to promote red-light camera company SafeSpeed and then lying about it to the FBI. He too has pleaded not guilty, though he’s expected to change his plea later this year.
Sandoval, meanwhile, pleaded guilty in January to bribery and tax charges, admitting he took money from a representative of SafeSpeed in exchange for acting as the company’s “protector” in the state legislature. Sandoval has agreed to cooperate in the investigation.
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State election records show that Tobolski paid more than $200,000 in legal fees from his campaign fund to two law firms, including the firm representing him in the criminal matter. The payments were made shortly after he resigned from his elected posts.
Though the charges against Tobolski are contained in only two paragraphs, earlier paperwork shows federal authorities were seeking a laundry list of evidence when they descended on McCook’s village center last fall.
A Justice Department property receipt from that raid shows authorities seized checks related to the “Pub Max project.” The restaurant was part of the McCook Athletic & Exposition Center facility until it closed in 2018 and was replaced with another eatery.
Authorities also sought items related to “Latino Night at the Max” and “Chicago Cubs Spring training trips,” and benefits provided by an unnamed law firm or lawyer.
Many of the individuals and entities in the McCook documents mirrored those in the search of Sandoval’s office, including a video gambling operator who had sought state approval to build a southwest suburban horse track and casino.
The gambling operator has since been sent a “nontarget” letter from the U.S. attorney’s office informing him he is unlikely to be criminally charged.
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FBI agents also sought evidence concerning Michael Thiessen, president of the Lyons Township trustees of schools and principal in the development company behind the Max and other sporting venues in Illinois and Texas. Other names revealed in the McCook search warrant included Simo “Sam” Krneta, a La Grange Park contractor whose company, Renovation Associates, has done many projects for McCook.
Among Krneta’s jobs was the 2018 renovation of the Alta Grill restaurant inside the McCook Athletic & Exposition Center facility, also known as The Max, records show.
The McCook search warrants showed the FBI also removed documents about AllStar Bar and Grill, an adult entertainment establishment on 47th Street. Documents related to police Chief Mario DePasquale were also removed, as were other records pertaining to “air conditioning and/or heating” at Tobolski’s residence, according to the documents.
Also named in the McCook warrant is Presidio Capital, a company owned by Omar Maani of Burr Ridge.
Maani, who also was one of the principals of SafeSpeed, has served as a key undercover cooperator in the investigation and has worn a wire on several defendants, including Sandoval and Presta, according to court records.
SafeSpeed and its CEO, Nikki Zollar, have said they were not aware of Maani’s illegal activities and have denied any wrongdoing.
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Tribune reporter Joe Mahr contributed.
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-21--Notre Dame had to suspend classes days into the term as COVID-19 cases surged. Is that a cautionary

Notre Dame had to suspend classes days into the term as COVID-19 cases surged. Is that a cautionary tale for other college campuses trying to reopen?

Dunn said he was told that , because he wasn ’ t showing any symptoms , he wasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ He said he ended up calling the contact tracing line and eventually was able to @ @ @ @ @ came back negative .
He said he was given “ no real directive ” about @ @ @ @ @ only able to get a test by “ circumventing the system .
”

Students skate on campus at the University of Notre Dame, which shut down in-person classes for two weeks to try to stem a growing number of coronavirus cases on campus. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Hours before the University of Notre Dame suspended in-person classes to quell a growing COVID-19 outbreak among students, Clay Goldman walked into a campus testing center that didn’t have enough chairs for everyone awaiting results.
Goldman, a first-year law student, went to the center inside Notre Dame’s famed football stadium Tuesday afternoon because three of his track teammates contracted the virus, and he worried he’d been exposed.
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But booking an appointment wasn’t easy.
The university’s sole testing site has been inundated since students returned in early August, identifying a total of 336 coronavirus cases as of Friday. Goldman said he called University Health Services multiple times beginning Monday afternoon to schedule a test but needed to leave messages when no one picked up. It wasn’t until late the next morning that he received an email saying he could come in, he said.
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Notre Dame contends that most infections stem from two off-campus parties thrown by seniors. But cases have surged as students introduce the virus to new social groups, straining the school’s resources.
“I’m really just frustrated,” said Goldman, 21, of Indiana. “I feel like Notre Dame tried to put themselves out there, and it was really naive of the university to think students wouldn’t do normal college student things because that’s just what 18- to 22-year-olds do.”
Clay Goldman, a University of Notre Dame student, prepares to go for a run in South Bend, Indiana, on Aug. 20, 2020. He said he had some trouble scheduling a COVID-19 test after some track teammates contracted the virus. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
As the university outside South Bend, Indiana, scrambled to shift classes online for at least two weeks in an effort to salvage in-person learning this semester, its predicament could be a cautionary tale for other colleges inviting students back this fall.
Even with months of planning and a program that tested 12,000 students before they returned, the pandemic is pushing the esteemed Catholic university to its limits and might yet force all students to go home.
Already, a wave of colleges have abandoned plans to offer in-person instruction before the start of the school year, encouraging students to learn remotely from home. And on Monday, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reverted to online classes after clusters of COVID-19 emerged in dorms and a fraternity house.
Notre Dame spokesman Paul Browne said the university’s biggest challenge is managing off-campus behavior. Browne also acknowledged the difficulty some students experienced getting tested but said the school has improved its processes.
While campus residents are largely following rules for masks and social distancing, Browne said, a small number of students could jeopardize the semester for everyone. The school’s health center has also seen increased demand, receiving 2,600 phone calls on Monday alone.
“Notre Dame has constructed this very strong chain of health precautions ... and we’ve gotten overwhelming compliance with it, but any chain is only as strong as its weakest link,” Browne said. “The weak link for us materialized initially off campus, and so I think other universities have to find ways to address that.”
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Direct link for the cover story in today’s Notre Dame student newspaper, “Don’t Make Us Write Obituaries” https://t.co/6fkf4Z9dAs https://t.co/au09t1VgZK — Chris Becker (@crsbecker) August 21, 2020
Some Chicago-area colleges will certainly try. Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois schools still plan to open dorms and offer some level of in-person classes in a hybrid model.
Robin Kaler, a spokeswoman for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said the school’s saliva-based testing, which received federal approval Wednesday, will keep COVID-19 under control. Results from the saliva tests are available within six hours, and students participating in campus activities must get tested twice a week.
“There’s going to be an increase when students come back, but by testing those cases very quickly, using places to isolate or quarantine and making sure that we can keep that curve flat, we feel very confident that our approach can beat it,” Kaler said.
DePaul University and Loyola University Chicago are being more conservative. The schools recently scrapped plans to reopen fully because of rising infections in Chicago and a requirement for some out-of-state travelers to quarantine upon arriving in the city.
Students seek off-campus testing, complain on social media
In a video address Tuesday afternoon, the Rev. John Jenkins, Notre Dame’s president, issued a stern warning to students as the campus saw its biggest one-day increase in COVID-19 cases.
Undergraduate classes, Jenkins announced, would be held online for at least two weeks. He also asked students living in apartments to stay away from campus and to limit social interactions.
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“The objective of these temporary restrictions is to tame the spread of the virus so we can get back to in-person instruction,” Jenkins said. “If these steps are not successful, we will have to send students home, as we did last spring.”
A little before Jenkins’ announcement, Goldman learned he tested negative. He thought results from the rapid antigen test would be ready in about 15 minutes, but Goldman said he waited three hours since the testing center was busy. As he left, Goldman said he saw about 20 people lined up outside.
Students interviewed by the Tribune described an array of challenges related to testing. They said it was difficult to schedule appointments, that the health center’s hotline often went to voicemail and that sometimes inquiries weren’t returned for hours or days. Some students also questioned the thoroughness of the school’s contact tracing program, which is staffed by just 21 people.
These issues led some students to get tested off campus, even though that can hamper the university’s ability to account for all cases and to conduct contact tracing.
A public dashboard tallying the Notre Dame infections also reflects positive cases identified at off campus testing centers, Browne said, but they are added retroactively and only if the school learns about them. Students living off campus are encouraged to get tested at the stadium, Browne said.
For Julia Nebiolo, a first-year graduate student in the college of business, getting tested off campus seemed to be the only option.
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Nebiolo, 22, of Michigan, said she was running a fever Aug. 13 but couldn’t book an appointment at the stadium testing center. She said she called University Health Services twice and left a message, but no one responded.
Nebiolo ultimately decided to visit a county site, where she tested negative. Still, she said, the stress of the situation is taking a toll, and she’s disappointed the university brought students to campus knowing young people have a proclivity to party.
“I’ve had several severe anxiety attacks about this whole thing,” she said. “You’re part of a community, and you can hurt members of your community without even knowing.”
Michael Dunn, a senior studying engineering, said he was aggravated that he wasn’t initially able to get a test despite possible exposure to the virus.
Dunn, 20, of Pittsburgh, said he tried contacting the school’s COVID-19 response line Aug. 11 after his girlfriend tested positive earlier that day, but didn’t hear back for four days, despite calling two other times and leaving voicemails.
Dunn said he was told that, because he wasn’t showing any symptoms, he wasn’t eligible for a test. He said he ended up calling the contact tracing line and eventually was able to get two tests, which came back negative. He said he was given “no real directive” about how to proceed and was only able to get a test by “circumventing the system.”
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“That’s my biggest concern, that you could have come into contact with someone and they’re not going to test you,” Dunn said. “And then how do you know where to go from there?”
Following similar concerns expressed by students on social media and Reddit, Notre Dame said Sunday that it would enhance testing protocols, expand surveillance testing beyond just athletes and make it easier for students to schedule appointments at the testing center.
Students who indicate on a daily health check that they have primary symptoms or prolonged contact with someone who tested positive will now be automatically booked for a test on campus.
“The number of cases we experienced in the first week of classes far exceeded our estimates, and it stressed the new systems we put in place to test and care for our community members,” university administrators said in a message to students Tuesday. “Despite dedicated staff working at all hours, we were not able to respond to all student calls in the personal way we pride ourselves on at Notre Dame.”
Dr. Mark Fox, deputy health officer for St. Joseph County, where Notre Dame is located, said the university might be able to contain the outbreak with several weeks of restrictions. The school isn’t seeing community transmission at a high enough level to make contact tracing unfeasible, he said.
“The magnitude of cases coming up this quickly certainly has exposed some process issues with respect to on-campus testing and timeliness of contact tracing and things like that,” Fox said. “Those things could be scaled up.”
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Notre Dame also began providing spaces for students who test positive to isolate, in private apartments and a university-operated hotel where food is being delivered. Some of the facilities lacked silverware, comforters and shower curtains, students said.
‘No limit on cost’ for testing center
By the time Emma Shea tried to contact University Health Services on Aug. 12, some of her friends had been turned away from testing because they didn’t have certain COVID-19 symptoms.
She had also heard the hotline was slammed but didn’t realize it would take 28 hours for someone to call her back.
“It was definitely very nerve-wracking,” said Shea, who’s studying Spanish and sociology. “I didn’t even hear, ‘Oh, you’ll have to wait.’ It was just nothing. I was planning on going somewhere else ... urgent care or somewhere that wasn’t associated with the university.”
Shea, a senior from Texas living off campus, had a sore throat at the time and worried she was exposed by a friend who had COVID-19. She tested negative on campus Aug. 13 but went in again on Monday and tested positive. She’s now in isolation at Notre Dame’s Morris Inn.
Browne, the university spokesman, said Notre Dame recognizes the testing delays described by students during the first week of classes, but said they were not due to supply shortages, adding that there’s ”no limit on cost” either.
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Students who don’t exhibit specific symptoms of COVID-19, such as loss of taste or fever, might be told to monitor their condition for another day before getting tested.
Justin Roy, a senior isolating at an off-campus apartment after testing positive, said he appreciates Notre Dame’s efforts to start the year in person and is sympathetic to the unprecedented challenges.
Roy said it was easy to arrange a test on campus after a housemate contracted COVID-19. He said he has few symptoms, except for fatigue.
The isolation accommodations aren’t perfect — his bathroom lacks a shower curtain and the beds are uncomfortable — but Roy said students shouldn’t expect to “get delivered to a five-star hotel” for getting COVID-19.
“We were the guinea-pig school,” Roy said. “Notre Dame is absolutely doing everything they can. Whether or not resources are stretched thin is out of my place to say, but they are doing everything they can.”
echerney@chicagotribune.com
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kelsmith@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-21--Chicago postal unions rally in front of Bronzeville post office to attack Trump, postmaster general

Chicago postal unions rally in front of Bronzeville post office to attack Trump, postmaster general for mail delays

The rally began hours after DeJoy testified before the U.S. Senate amid an uproar over draconian cuts , sluggish service @ @ @ @ @ After announcing earlier this week that he would suspend some operational changes until after the @ @ @ @ @ told senators Friday morning that the Postal Service “ is fully capable and committed to @ @ @ @ @ election mail securely and on time.
” But he did not promise to restore mailboxes @ @ @ @ @ already removed .

Participants pass posters as the Chicago Federation of Labor holds a rally to protest changes to U.S. Postal Service, in front of the Henry McGee post office in Chicago on Aug. 21, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
About 30 postal union and political leaders rallied in front of a Bronzeville U.S. Postal Service branch Friday afternoon to condemn President Donald Trump and the postmaster general for slowdowns in mail service as the nation prepares for a general election amid a pandemic.
Rallygoers wore black masks with the slogan “Save the USPS!” as they stood in front the Henry McGee station, 4601 S. Cottage Grove Ave. They carried signs encouraging voting by mail and for the passage of the HEROES Act, a second coronavirus stimulus bill that passed the U.S. House and would inject the Postal Service with $25 billion.
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Keith Richardson, president of the Chicago-area local of the American Postal Workers Union, said he would not stand for any attempt to undermine mail delivery.
“We stand here today with our allies, community partners and elected officials to send a clear message to the postmaster general to save the USPS,” Richardson said, opening the rally with a swipe at Louis DeJoy, a top donor to Trump and the Republican Party who was appointed to lead the Postal Service in May.
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The rally began hours after DeJoy testified before the U.S. Senate amid an uproar over draconian cuts, sluggish service and disappearing mail equipment. After announcing earlier this week that he would suspend some operational changes until after the Nov. 3 election, DeJoy told senators Friday morning that the Postal Service “is fully capable and committed to delivering the nation’s election mail securely and on time.” But he did not promise to restore mailboxes or sorting machines that were already removed.
A man listens as elected officials and labor leaders speak during a rally to protest changes to U.S. Postal Service, outside the Henry McGee post office in Chicago on Aug. 21, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Attacks on Trump, who critics say is eroding trust in mail-in voting as he seeks reelection, frequently surfaced as speakers took turns at the podium for about an hour. Last week, Trump acknowledged in an interview on Fox Business Network that without additional money for the Postal Service, “(Democrats) can’t have universal mail-in voting; they just can’t have it.”
Mack Julion, Chicago chapter president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, called Trump the “domestic enemy of the Postal Service.” Civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson led the crowd to repeat after him, saying, “We can do without Trump. We cannot do without the mail.”
Jackson encouraged people to stop workers from dismantling mail equipment.
“When they come to take the sorting machine, block it,” Jackson chanted. “This is the time to engage in civil disobedience for the nation.”
Also at the rally were Illinois 3rd Congressional District’s Democratic nominee Marie Newman, who said, “the Trump administration is no match for all of us,” and city treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin.
“When I heard about mailboxes being removed, when I heard about resources inside the stations being removed, I thought to myself: Are we talking about a kid throwing a temper tantrum, or are we talking about the president of the United States?” Conyears-Ervin said.
As the event wound down, a man driving a Postal Service truck north on Cottage Grove Avenue braked, honked and yelled: “The post office is not for sale. Give us back our mailboxes and sorting machines.”
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ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-21--U. of I. expects COVID-19 cases to multiply as students return but says it can stop the spread with

U. of I. expects COVID-19 cases to multiply as students return but says it can stop the spread with new saliva test

The U. of I. saliva test will also be used at campuses in Springfield and Chicago , offered for free @ @ @ @ @ Since it was first unveiled in July , the university has performed 70,000 saliva tests @ @ @ @ @ do more than 10,000 in a single day .

Saliva specimens are collected for COVID-19 testing in a tent at the University of Illinois campus in July. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
COVID-19 cases in the Urbana-Champaign area will rise as college students flock back to campus for the fall semester, but the University of Illinois says it’s prepared to handle the influx with quick saliva-based tests and quarantining procedures.
With move-in beginning this week, the university conducted more than 30,000 saliva tests on students, faculty and staff between Monday and Thursday and identified about 100 positive cases, according to Martin Burke, a chemistry professor spearheading the testing program.
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So far, that’s in line with the school’s statistical modeling, which predicts an increase in campus cases as the semester gets underway. Classes begin Monday and will be offered with remote and in-person components.
“There is going to be a bump,” Burke said Friday. “We are going to get an increased number of cases if people move back into our Champaign-Urbana community, but we are ready for it.”
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All eyes are on the U. of I. as it attempts to do what other large universities have struggled to accomplish in the last few weeks: reopen campus, fill dorms and offer face-to-face classes without seeing infections surge among students.
The saliva test at the heart of the strategy — which students must undergo twice a week — received an Emergency Use Authorization from the federal government Wednesday and could be a game changer in the fight against COVID-19, Illinois officials have said.
Nigel Goldenfeld, a physics professor who’s helped Illinois with modeling, said his calculations show that twice-weekly testing can help contain the pandemic on campus. The saliva tests produce results within two to six hours, which can help stop asymptomatic spread among students.
Coupled with contact tracing, universal masking and smaller class sizes, the tests can bring the pandemic to “manageable and safe levels” on campus, Goldenfeld said.
Under Goldenfield’s models, about 200 of the 45,000 students arriving at the U. of I. this fall are expected to test positive. Those students were presumably infected before returning, Goldenfeld said.
For the rest of the semester, Goldenfield said he predicts about 680 people will test positive on campus, accounting for non-perfect adherence to the school’s safety protocols. Without any interventions, Goldenfield said, the models predict that 30,000 students, faculty or staff would become infected.
While Goldenfeld’s model is based upon 45,000 returning students, the school expects only 35,000 to 40,000 to come back.
The U. of I. saliva test will also be used at campuses in Springfield and Chicago, offered for free to students and staff. Since it was first unveiled in July, the university has performed 70,000 saliva tests, with the capacity to do more than 10,000 in a single day.
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During that time, the positivity rate has dropped from about 1.5% in early July to below 0.2% before students returned, the university said in a news release. The number has hovered between 0.3% and 0.5% this week.
Burke said the saliva tests have outstanding accuracy when compared with nasal swab tests and are just as able to detect the virus.
“We also have a very, very low false positive rate,” he said. “We are able to show that it’s extremely rare that our test would say you are positive and you aren’t actually positive.”
The university has about 400 rooms that can be used for quarantine on campus and has invested $6 million in the testing program, officials said.
echerney@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-21--Where to securely drop off your mail-in ballot in Chicago and the suburbs

More registered voters are expected to request mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 election due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
@ @ @ @ @ to apply for a mail-in ballot by Oct. 29 , the Illinois State Board of @ @ @ @ @ receiving a mail-in ballot apply as soon as possible .

More registered voters are expected to request mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 election due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though state law allows voters to apply for a mail-in ballot by Oct. 29, the Illinois State Board of Elections recommends voters interested in receiving a mail-in ballot apply as soon as possible.
Ballots will start being mailed to voters on Sept. 24, and may take a few days for delivery. Ballots will come with a return envelope, and may be returned by mail.
Alternatively, they may be delivered to a secure drop box. Secured drop boxes will be installed around the Chicago metropolitan area where voters can drop off their completed mail-in ballots within their jurisdiction — offering an alternative to mailing them — but the placement of these drop boxes will vary depending on county.
Locations of drop boxes and hours of operation are not finalized, and the map below will be updated with more locations as they are announced.
Ballots taken to drop boxes should be returned to the election board that issued them. Voters in Chicago should return ballots to drop boxes located in Chicago, voters in Suburban Cook County should return ballots to drop boxes offered by the Cook County clerk, and so on.
[ Want to vote by mail in Illinois? Here’s how. ]
For voters in Chicago, the Chicago Board of Elections has announced that secure drop boxes will be available at every Early Voting location in mid-October, though those locations have yet to be finalized. Chicago voters can also return their ballots directly to the Chicago Board of Elections at 69 W. Washington, sixth floor.
Voters should not fill out their mail-in ballots then take them to their polling place on Election Day.
“If they plan to vote in person, they can surrender their mail ballot at the polling place and they will be given a ballot to vote in person.” — Matt Dietrich, public information officer, Illinois State Board of Elections
Use the map and listings below to help find the closest drop box in your jurisdiction.
This guide will be updated as more locations are announced.
Sources: Tribune reporting; state and local election boards


Corrections and clarifications

Publishing information quickly and accurately is a central part of the Chicago Tribune ’ s news responsibility and a value @ @ @ @ @ .
Our editorial code of principles governs professional behavior and journalism standards .
Everyone in @ @ @ @ @ live up to this code of conduct .
Download the file .

· A story in Sunday’s preprinted A+E section about the e-book “Uncommon Grace” misstated the year Obama administration White House photographs would be made available to the public. They will be released beginning in 2022.
· A story in Aug. 16 Sunday Books incorrectly named David McCullough as the author of “Washington: A Life.” That book was written by Ron Chernow, whose book “Hamilton” inspired the musical. David McCullough’s book is “John Adams.”
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The Tribune regrets the errors.
Publishing information quickly and accurately is a central part of the Chicago Tribune’s news responsibility and a value shared in all our publications. Our editorial code of principles governs professional behavior and journalism standards. Everyone in our newsroom must agree to live up to this code of conduct. Download the file.
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chicagotribune--2020-08-21--Is Chicago tourism done until 2021?  Facing fewer visitors and the possibility of losses, some venue

Is Chicago tourism done until 2021?  Facing fewer visitors and the possibility of losses, some venues are closing early.

The Chicago Athletic Association hotel has shut down again , with plans to reopen in the first quarter of 2021 @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s considering winding down its seasonal boat tours early .
And on Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ would close Sept. 8 until the spring .
Industry leaders say the effect of the @ @ @ @ @ the local economy .

Kate Sorensen, foreground, and her friend Victoria Freire, right, who is visiting from Boston, ride a Wendella Sightseeing Co. tour boat Aug. 21, 2020, on Lake Michigan. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago’s tourism season may wrap up early as hotels and some city attractions, struggling with fewer visitors and revenue losses, consider shutting down for the remainder of the year.
The Chicago Athletic Association hotel has shut down again, with plans to reopen in the first quarter of 2021. Wendella Sightseeing Co. said it’s considering winding down its seasonal boat tours early. And on Tuesday, Navy Pier announced it would close Sept. 8 until the spring. Industry leaders say the effect of the early closures will ripple through the local economy.
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Michael Jacobson, president and CEO of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, said Navy Pier’s closure is a “precursor to other tourism entities.”
“As in the case with Navy Pier, they tried to reopen but the math doesn’t add up. We’re heading into the winter months, and it won’t make sense for some of these places to stay open,” he said.
Navy Pier is seen from a Wendella Sightseeing Co. tour boat on Aug. 21, 2020. The popular Chicago tourist attraction is planning to close for the season on Sept. 8, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Jacobson said social distancing recommendations, which are likely to continue through the end of the year, and the coming colder weather will make it harder to attract travelers. Chicago’s quarantine rules regarding states with high infection rates further hinders hotels’ chance to rebound, he said.
“It won’t surprise me if they don’t open until next year. Some might choose not to reopen until the demand is there. Hotels might be losing more money to stay open,” Jacobson said.
Some hotels have lost about 50% of their revenue from group and business travelers, and without those visitors, the costs of operating a hotel become too high, Jacobson said.
More than 140 trade shows scheduled to take place at McCormick Place have canceled since March because of the pandemic. Those shows would have brought a collective 1.4 million visitors and accounted for an estimated 1.3 million hotel room nights, according to McCormick Place officials.
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The Chicago Athletic Association reopened in June after a weekslong shutdown. But the hotel retreated from those plans and closed July 22.
Chicago Athletic Association hotel at 12 S. Michigan Ave. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
In an emailed statement, Patrick Hatton, the hotel’s managing director, cited the cancellation of the Chicago Marathon and conventions through 2020, the current restrictions on restaurant occupancy and event size, and the prolonged international travel restrictions as reasons for the shutdown.
The hotel won’t accept reservations until after March, Hatton said.
Meanwhile, hotels like the Palmer House Hilton, one of Chicago’s oldest and largest hotels in the Loop, remain closed.
Hilton Worldwide said in a statement it plans to reopen as “travel restrictions are lifted and business demands increase,” but the hotel chain declined to say when that would be.
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The drop in visitors follows nine consecutive years of tourism growth in Illinois, according to the state’s Office of Tourism and Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Last year, Illinois saw more than 120 million visitors, the agency announced Friday. Those tourists spent a record $43.1 billion, the agency said, citing figures from the U.S. Travel Association.
“While it’s unrealistic to expect the same results in 2020, we are looking forward to safely welcoming travelers back to Illinois and rebuilding our industry,” Karla Flannery, deputy director of the Illinois Office of Tourism, said in a news release.
Some small signs of life have come back to the downtown area after weeks of no visitors and empty streets.
Pedestrian activity on State Street in the Loop was down by 66.7% for the week ending Aug. 9 compared with the same week last year, according to the latest data from the Chicago Loop Alliance. That’s an improvement from May and June, when pedestrian activity was down by more than 84%.
Though the hospitality industry is starting to see an uptick in regional and local travelers, businesses say it’s not nearly enough to stay open.
Craig Wenokur, tour guide and vice president of Wendella Sightseeing Co., conducts a tour on Lake Michigan, Aug. 21, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Wendella is considering ending its boat tours early this year, said Andrew Sargis, chief of operations for Wendella’s Chicago Water Taxi service. Wendella announced last month that it won’t resume its Water Taxi service, which shut down in March, until next spring.
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Wendella didn’t shut its architectural cruises and other leisure tours down last winter because the weather was so mild.
But this year, the company plans to suspend operations at the end of December like it usually does, or sooner given the pandemic-related drop-off in tourism.
The onset of cooler weather, which will make it difficult for Wendella to accommodate social distancing, is also a factor.
“In the winter, the open deck becomes less desirable. We’ve been able to do it in the summer and maintain a 6-foot social distance. … With current social distancing recommendations expected to last until the winter, it’ll be hard to operate and keep everyone spaced out inside,” he said.
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Uncertainty about when business travel might pick up or when large gatherings can resume is also creating challenges for McCormick Place and its workers.
The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which operates McCormick Place, Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, Marriott Marquis Chicago and the Wintrust Arena, has laid off and furloughed 2,602 employees across its business units, spokeswoman Cynthia McCafferty said.
An additional 379 employees, including the Authority’s CEO and other senior leadership, have been asked to curtail their work weeks and are being paid less as a result, she said.
McCafferty said the convention venue has been quiet in the past few months, but expects a strong demand once local public authorities give the green light on large gatherings.
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“Once it is safe, we expect a pent-up demand. We hear that virtual meetings are no substitution for large in-person meetings,” she said.
Jacobson, with the state’s hotel association, said the closures paint a stark picture for the tourism industry for the remainder of the year.
“Tourism is a top employer for the city. We can’t afford if they go out permanently,” he said.
abjimenez@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @abdel1019