chicagotribune--2020-10-13--Good Samaritans help Chicago police officer from squad car after it plummets from overpass onto Kenn

Good Samaritans help Chicago police officer from squad car after it plummets from overpass onto Kennedy Expressway

The officer was on her way to provide backup for another police officer who needed assistance , police said .
@ @ @ @ @ right onto the Kennedy but missed her turn , “ causing her to go through @ @ @ @ @ the grassy embankment , and onto the side of the Kennedy , ” according to @ @ @ @ @

A Chicago police squad vehicle is towed from the scene after it crashed from the Foster Avenue overpass onto the Kennedy Expressway on Oct. 13, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
A Chicago police officer rushing to help an officer needing backup was helped in return by two good Samaritans after her squad car plunged some 25 feet from an overpass onto the Kennedy Expressway below Tuesday morning, according to authorities.
Fire officials who responded said the 50-year-old female officer was in fair condition, having suffered head trauma and a sprained wrist, according to an accident report.
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The officer’s vehicle went off the overpass in the 5200 block of West Foster Avenue about 4:40 a.m. and landed on a grassy area off the expressway near the outbound lanes, police said. The squad car caused some power lines to also fall onto the expressway, according to the report.
Fire Department crews responded after the squad car fell about 25 feet from the overpass, said spokesman Larry Langford.
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The injured officer already was out of the vehicle when firefighters arrived, according to the crash report. That’s because two unknown citizens helped the injured officer out of her vehicle. They left the scene before responding officers arrived, and officials do not know their identities, the report said.
The officer was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge in fair condition, Langford said.
The officer was on her way to provide backup for another police officer who needed assistance, police said. She had intended to turn right onto the Kennedy but missed her turn, “causing her to go through the guard rail, down the grassy embankment, and onto the side of the Kennedy,” according to a statement from police.
Morning traffic is routed off the Kennedy Expressway after a Chicago police squad car crashed from the Foster Avenue overpass onto the Kennedy Expressway on Oct. 13, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
In addition to Illinois State Police and Fire Department crews, the major accidents investigation unit of Chicago police also was at the scene.
The Kennedy Expressway was shut down near Foster. About 7:10 a.m., a tow truck took the damaged squad car away. It appeared to have significant front-end damage, and the air bags were deployed.
Hours after the crash, the Foster overpass was blocked off as Illinois Department of Transportation workers began to repair the damage to the railing.
The metal fence and a gate on the northeast side of the bridge were torn off and fell with the squad car at the side of the expressway.
Traffic was slow-moving as it was diverted off the expressway at Foster. Morning commuters had to make maneuvers around the blocked overpass.
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chicagotribune--2020-10-13--Illinois’ COVID-19 death toll pushes past 9,000

The statewide numbers began stabilizing and then declining , as Pritzker ’ s administration issued a regional , phased-in reopening @ @ @ @ @ the state entered phase four in late June , the state ’ s case numbers @ @ @ @ @ Over the past several months , the state has ramped up its testing capacity significantly @ @ @ @ @ the spring , but the 11 regions as defined under the state ’ s reopening @ @ @ @ @ with their test positivity rates .

CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
The number of deaths attributed to the coronavirus in Illinois surpassed 9,000 on Tuesday amid a recent uptick in new cases as the state continues to struggle to contain the highly contagious virus.
State public health officials on Tuesday reported 2,851 newly diagnosed cases and 29 additional deaths of people with COVID-19, raising the death toll to 9,026 throughout the course of the pandemic. There now have been 324,743 known cases of the coronavirus in Illinois.
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The state on Tuesday reported the seven-day rolling test positivity rate was 4.5% for the period ending Monday, up from 3.4% a week earlier.
“More than 9,000 Illinoisans — our mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, family, friends, and neighbors — have had their lives cut short by COVID-19, leaving tens of thousands more to grieve loved ones lost too soon,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement issued Tuesday.
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Pritzker and Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike both again urged Illinois residents to wear masks and keep a physical distance from others in an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus.
“After 9 months of battling this virus and hearing the updates each day, many of us forget that the hospitalizations and deaths are more than just numbers,” Ezike said in a statement Tuesday.
The state has been on nothing short of a roller coaster since COVID-19 first gripped it in March, with numbers of cases and deaths spiking in the spring, prompting broad and strict statewide regulations meant to stem the spread and fears hospitals would be overwhelmed with patients.
The statewide numbers began stabilizing and then declining, as Pritzker’s administration issued a regional, phased-in reopening plan. But weeks after the state entered phase four in late June, the state’s case numbers began creeping back up. Over the past several months, the state has ramped up its testing capacity significantly from where it was in the spring, but the 11 regions as defined under the state’s reopening plan have charted different paths with their test positivity rates.
Three regions have surpassed a state-defined threshold of 8% for three consecutive days, triggering a scaled-back reopening that saw bars and indoor dining ordered shuttered, and gathering size caps halved to 25 people from the 50 allowed in phase four of Pritzker’s plan.
The northwest region that includes Rockford, DeKalb and Galena remains under a rolled-back reopening after surpassing the state’s 8% positivity rate threshold, while a far southern Illinois region is on the verge of seeing its reopening rolled back.
The 20-county region at Illinois' southern tip that includes Carbondale reached an 8% positivity rate Saturday, the most recently available state data shows. If the state reports positivity rates at or above that level on Wednesday and Thursday, a rolled-back reopening would follow, under the terms of Pritzker’s reopening plan.
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Chicago, which is its own region under Pritzker’s reopening plan, had a 4.7% positivity rate as of Saturday.
Suburban Cook County’s rate was slightly higher, 5.6%, while DuPage and Kane counties were at 6.4% test positivity, and Lake and McHenry were at 6.2%.
The more than 2,800 newly diagnosed coronavirus cases the state reported Tuesday came out of a batch of 55,993 tests conducted during the prior 24 hours.
As of Monday night, 1,848 people in Illinois were hospitalized with COVID-19, with 406 of those patients in intensive care units and 160 on ventilators.
jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-13--Painting, cleanup of alleged murder scene of Lake County teens detailed by suspect’s grandfather dur

Painting, cleanup of alleged murder scene of Lake County teens detailed by suspect’s grandfather during trial

“ I asked him why he had the gun and he said he was going to do some target practice @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m going to take it home , ” Dye said , adding the @ @ @ @ @ case when he picked it up .

A composed Gerald Dye took the stand in Connor Kerner’s murder trial Tuesday, calmly describing the painting and cleanup that took place in his garage while he was on vacation and his own work to patch a damaged spot in the wall at the scene of the alleged murder of two Lake County teens.
Dye told a jury in Porter Superior Court Judge Roger Bradford’s courtroom that he and his wife, Christine, went to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for a few days in late February 2019 to visit their younger daughter. They returned late the afternoon of Feb. 26.
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“I noticed that my 9mm (semi-automatic handgun) was gone and as the days went by, I noticed there was a lot of painting in the garage, touch-up painting,” Dye said.
Thomas Grill, 18, of Cedar Lake and Molley Lanham, 19, of St. John. (Provided by St. John Police)
Kerner, 19, of the 100 block of Kinsale, has pleaded not guilty and remains in Porter County Jail without bond, held on two counts of murder and additional felony counts of intimidation, arson, murder in the perpetration of a robbery and attempted robbery.
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Kerner was 17 when he allegedly killed Molley Lanham, 19, of St. John, and Thomas Grill, 18, of Cedar Lake, on Feb. 25, 2019, at his grandparents' Hebron-area home after a drug deal went bad, then loaded their bodies into the Honda Civic they arrived in and set fire to the vehicle in a wooded area a couple miles away.
Members of Grill’s and Lanham’s families appeared in court wearing face masks embroidered with their loved ones' names.
Dye, who readily identified his grandson, sometimes glanced over at the teen during his testimony; Kerner appeared to look down
Dye told the court he noticed bullet holes in the seat of his Harley-Davidson motorcycle and in the bumper of his Honda CRV, both left in the garage when he and his wife went out of town.
He spotted damage to the wall, by a handrailing for stairs that led into the house from the garage.
“We let it go until Christine said, ‘Let’s get that patched,’ so on Saturday morning, March 2, I patched the wall and that’s the way the wall looked after I patched it,” he said of a picture of the area presented by Chief Deputy Prosecutor Armando Salinas.
Dye said under questioning from Salinas and James Voyles, one of Kerner’s defense attorneys, that he saw no evidence of blood on the walls or doors of the garage, or inside his home.
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The night he returned home from vacation and noticed his gun was missing, Dye said he called Kerner to see if he had it and went to Kerner’s home to retrieve it.
“I asked him why he had the gun and he said he was going to do some target practice and I said, 'I’m going to take it home,” Dye said, adding the gun was not in its case when he picked it up.
Kerner, Dye said, later explained that the gun had misfired and he tried to patch the wall by the guardrail but didn’t do a very good job.
Dye said it was unusual for Kerner to take the gun without him for target practice, something they had only done together a handful of times in the past, and explained the gun does not have a safety.
“I believe it’s easy to have a misfire with someone who’s not familiar with the gun,” Dye said.
Throughout all his interactions with Kerner, including the night he retrieved his gun and again two nights later, when Kerner and his girlfriend stopped by to see him and his wife, Dye said Kerner appeared to be his usual self.
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Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.


chicagotribune--2020-10-13--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: State tops 9,000 fatalities as Indiana added to Chicago’s travel qu

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: State tops 9,000 fatalities as Indiana added to Chicago’s travel quarantine list; 2,851 new cases and 29 deaths reported Tuesday

Exteriors need to draw them in , kitchens need to sparkle , and staged furniture should signal how rooms can @ @ @ @ @ to shifting needs , real estate agents say .
Changes in how we live , @ @ @ @ @ are also changing the composition of our ideal homes , from wanting a designated home @ @ @ @ @ outdoor space to stretch our cramped , homebound legs .

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois health officials on Tuesday announced 2,851 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 29 additional deaths, pushing the state’s death toll past 9,000.
It was the seventh day in a row with more than 2,600 cases. That brings the state total to 324,743 confirmed cases and 9,026 deaths. The seven-day statewide positivity rate is 4.5% for the week ending Oct. 12.
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The new numbers came as Chicago added neighboring Indiana to its emergency travel order that requires travelers returning to the city from there to stay inside for two weeks because of high COVID-19 case counts. The Hoosier state’s inclusion on Chicago’s self-quarantine list was expected.
Starting Friday, people traveling into Chicago from Indiana will be expected to quarantine themselves for 14 days. Violators can face a fine, though the city has taken few steps to enforce the rules.
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Here’s what’s happening Tuesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
3:15 p.m.: CPS still isn’t saying whether schools will reopen next month
Chicago’s mayor and schools CEO were not specific Tuesday when asked when a decision would be made on whether in-person classes will resume when the second quarter starts.
CEO Janice Jackson said a decision was coming “very soon,” but she and Mayor Lori Lightfoot said there are many factors to consider, while acknowledging that parents are anxious to know whether full-time remote learning will continue.
Read more here. —Hannah Leone
2:45 p.m.: Wisconsin hits pair of grim COVID-19 milestones, with record highs for positive cases and deaths
Wisconsin has hit a pair of grim coronavirus milestones, with record highs for positive cases and deaths reported Tuesday, the eve of an overflow field hospital opening near Milwaukee.
The state Department of Health Services reported 3,279 confirmed new cases Tuesday, breaking a record of 3,132 set just five days earlier. There were 34 deaths reported, also a new high, bringing the total number of people who have died to 1,508. To date, more than 155,000 people in Wisconsin have tested positive.
Wisconsin’s death count as of Monday was the 30th highest in the country overall and the 42nd highest per capita at more than 25 deaths per 100,000 people. The 595 new cases per 100,000 people in Wisconsin over the past two weeks, which ranks fourth in the country for new cases per capita.
Read more here. —Associated Press
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2:35 p.m.: Indiana added to Chicago’s travel quarantine list
Chicago made it official Tuesday, adding neighboring Indiana to its emergency travel order that requires travelers returning to the city from there to stay inside for two weeks because of high COVID-19 case counts.
The Hoosier state’s inclusion on Chicago’s self-quarantine list was expected.
The city last week “strongly advised” Chicago residents against traveling to Indiana, pointing to the fact the state already had passed the benchmark of more than 15 new daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents over a seven-day period that warrants getting added.
“I am very concerned that Indiana is a state that is wishing that COVID were over, and it’s not,” city Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said then.
Starting Friday, people traveling into Chicago from Indiana will be expected to quarantine themselves for 14 days. Violators can face a fine, though the city has taken few steps to enforce the rules.
Indiana joins Wisconsin, which was placed back on Chicago’s travel warning list three weeks ago amid skyrocketing coronavirus numbers there.
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And like with Wisconsin, people who commute across the Indiana state line to or from Chicago to work or go to school will be exempt from the quarantine rule, a nod to the symbiotic relationship between the neighboring states. But workers in Chicago from Indiana will be expected to avoid restaurants, bars and other public spaces in the city.
In all, there are now 26 states on the quarantine list: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Read more here. —John Byrne
1 p.m.: Abbott gets emergency FDA approval for antibody test that detects recent COVID-19 infections
Abbott’s latest antibody test — meant to show whether a person has recently had COVID-19 — has gained emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The blood test detects a type of antibody, called IgM, that’s present after a person has been recently infected with COVID-19, Abbott said in a news release.
It’s the second antibody test made by north suburban-based Abbott to gain emergency use authorization, in which the FDA allows the use of unapproved medical products to diagnose, treat, or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases when certain criteria are met.
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Abbott’s first test looks for a different type of antibody called IgG that’s longer-lasting in the body after infection. That test can help show whether someone has recovered from the virus and can help with contact tracing, according to the company.
The new test is more useful when it comes to finding recent infections, which can be helpful for doctors trying to determine where a patient is in his recovery and if treatment or isolation is appropriate, Abbott said.
Read more here. —Lisa Schencker
12:55 p.m.: Illinois coronavirus death toll pushes past 9,000
State public health officials on Tuesday reported 2,851 newly diagnosed cases and 29 additional deaths of people with COVID-19, raising the death toll to 9,026 throughout the course of the pandemic.
There have been 324,743 known cases of coronavirus in Illinois, and the state has recently seen an uptick in the number of new cases public health officials report daily.
The state on Tuesday reported a seven-day rolling test positivity rate was 4.5% for the period ending Monday, up from 3.4% a week earlier.
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“More than 9,000 Illinoisans — our mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, family, friends, and neighbors — have had their lives cut short by COVID-19, leaving tens of thousands more to grieve loved ones lost too soon,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement issued Tuesday.
Pritzker and Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike both urged Illinois residents on Tuesday to wear masks and keep a physical distance from others in an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus.
“After 9 months of battling this virus and hearing the updates each day, many of us forget that the hospitalizations and deaths are more than just numbers,” Ezike said in a statement Tuesday.
Read more here. —Jamie Munks
12 p.m.: Notre Dame president ends quarantine after COVID diagnosis
The Rev. John Jenkins, the president of Notre Dame University, has ended his quarantine after testing positive for the coronavirus less than a week following his attendance at a White House event without wearing a mask.
Jenkins “is symptom-free and looks forward to resuming his normal activities,” the university announced Monday evening. He began his self-isolation period Sept. 28, two days after he attended the Rose Garden ceremony for Amy Coney Barrett, a judge and Notre Dame law professor who is President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Supreme Court justice.
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“Father Jenkins again thanked the many people who offered prayers and well wishes for him over the last two weeks,” university spokesperson Paul J. Browne said in a statement Monday.
Jenkins said he was tested after finding out a colleague with whom he has been in regular contact tested positive for COVID-19. The university announced his COVID-19 diagnosis Oct. 2.
During his quarantine, Jenkins reported that he experienced mild symptoms but continued to work from home.
Read more here. —Casey Smith, Post-Tribune
11 a.m.: New Trier High School halts in-person instruction due to spike in regional COVID-19 cases
Just one week after welcoming some students back to New Trier High School, a spike in COVID-19 cases in suburban Chicago this week has prompted officials to put a pause on in-person instruction.
After starting the new school year with remote learning, officials at New Trier began bringing 25% of its students back to campus Oct. 5 under a hybrid instructional model.
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New Trier Superintendent Paul Sally said in a Monday letter to parents that the decision to return to remote instruction at the high school’s campuses in Winnetka and Northfield was made due to this week’s surge in the number of positive cases of COVID-19 in the area, and the state citing some of the largest numbers of new cases since May.
In addition, Sally said officials have seen an increase in the number of New Trier students testing positive for COVID-19, with 11 students currently positive.
“It is important to note that none of these cases are from school-based transmission,” Sally said. “In fact, most of these new cases have been traced back to a party and a series of weekend gatherings that many students from New Trier as well as students from other schools attended.”
Read more here. —Karen Ann Cullotta, Pioneer Press
7:55 a.m.: District 214 shifting from remote to hybrid learning, calling on families to help mitigate COVID-19 cases
Arlington Heights-based Township High School District 214 is moving to hybrid learning Thursday – which will include a combination of in-person and remote instruction, with one third of its student body invited to return to campuses.
That was the message Superintendent David Schuler emailed to parents and guardians and reviewed with school board members at the Oct. 8 meeting. Schuler said the move is based on expectations that novel coronavirus infection rates reported by the Cook County Department of Public Health will remain below 70 cases per 100,000 people.
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“Unless there’s a massive spike in infection rates…we’ll reopen for hybrid in-person instruction Oct. 15,” Schuler told school board members at the meeting.
Read more here. —Graydon Megan, Pioneer Press
7:20 a.m. Chicago police welcome first class of police recruits joining academy since COVID-19 shutdown
The first group of new police recruits since the Chicago Police Academy shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic was joining the academy starting Tuesday, according to the city.
Recruit training was suspended in March because of the pandemic, according to a release from the mayor’s office. Training with coronavirus precautions resumed in July.
The new class is 53% Hispanic and 27% percent African American, according to the city.
Police Superintendent David Brown was scheduled to welcome the recruits Tuesday morning at the police academy. —Chicago Tribune staff
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7 a.m.: Illinois Rep. Bost says he’s recovering from COVID-19
CARBONDALE — A southern Illinois congressman said Monday he was recovering from a coronavirus infection that’s not caused serious illness.
Republican Rep. Mike Bost said in a video posted to Twitter that he was dealing with only a few minor symptoms and “getting over it fairly quickly.”
Wanted to reach out and thank everyone for the thousands of well wishes and prayers I have received since announcing my COVID-19 diagnosis last week. Here’s a quick update on how Tracy and I are doing. pic.twitter.com/7zoMhsZQRf — Rep. Mike Bost (@RepBost) October 12, 2020
Bost, 59, had announced Friday that he tested positive for COVID-19 late Thursday after experiencing a mild cough and a rapid loss of both taste and smell.
Bost said Monday that he and his wife were both in quarantined as she had also tested positive for the virus but that he was continuing to work remotely. He said his staff and others he had been in close contact with had been notified.
Bost’s district covers much of southwestern Illinois. He was first elected to the U.S. House in 2014 and is seeking a fourth term in November’s election. — Associated Press
6 a.m.: Selling your home during the COVID-19 pandemic? Here are 5 things you should know.
In a time when COVID-19 has sent most homebuyers online for their initial looks at potential future homes, first impressions are everything.
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Exteriors need to draw them in, kitchens need to sparkle, and staged furniture should signal how rooms can be used creatively to adapt to shifting needs, real estate agents say. Changes in how we live, spurred by the pandemic, are also changing the composition of our ideal homes, from wanting a designated home office to yearning for private outdoor space to stretch our cramped, homebound legs.
For those looking to sell in the next year, Chicago-based agents point to virtual tours, quality photography and pandemic-friendly upgrades as vital ways to land a buyer.
They offer some ways to prep your home for a speedy — and, hopefully, lucrative — sale.
Read more here. —Ariel Cheung
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
In case you missed it
Here are five stories from Monday related to COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:


chicagotribune--2020-10-13--Chicago Public Schools will announce ‘very soon' if in-person classes will resume next quarter, CEO

Chicago Public Schools will announce ‘very soon' if in-person classes will resume next quarter, CEO says: ‘We know that parents are anxious’

“ They need the touch of being in a classroom with their teacher , with their colleagues , ” the @ @ @ @ @ The focus , of course , is on the data and public health guidance , @ @ @ @ @ around equity , and I am concerned about whether or not we are doing enough @ @ @ @ @ , particularly our youngest learners and our diverse learners , and we ’ ve got @ @ @ @ @ the opportunities for everyone but particularly those students who I think are the most vulnerable @ @ @ @ @ the biggest challenges in a remote learning environment .
”

Little more than three weeks remain of Chicago Public Schools’ fall quarter, but CEO Janice Jackson and Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Tuesday would not say when they will let everyone know if schools will reopen for the winter.
“We know that parents are anxious to hear from us on this, and we’ve committed to making an announcement very soon,” Jackson said during an unrelated news conference at City Hall. “We know that the second quarter is approaching quickly and we want to be sure that the plan that we put out will be as thoughtful as our parents anticipate.”
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When a reporter pressed for specifics, asking, “This week?” Lightfoot simply said, “Soon.” Fall quarter ends Nov. 5.
While praising what teachers and principals have done to make remote learning work, Lightfoot said some students are struggling, especially the youngest and those in special education programs. In addition to monitoring the course of the pandemic, she said the district is looking at Catholic schools and other private, charter and preschools that have been partially or fully open.
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Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson announces "Teach Chicago Tomorrow" on Oct. 13, 2020. (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune)
“They need the touch of being in a classroom with their teacher, with their colleagues,” the mayor said. “… The focus, of course, is on the data and public health guidance, but it’s also around equity, and I am concerned about whether or not we are doing enough for certain categories of students, particularly our youngest learners and our diverse learners, and we’ve got to make decisions that maximize the opportunities for everyone but particularly those students who I think are the most vulnerable and I think are having the biggest challenges in a remote learning environment.”
Jackson reiterated that remote learning can’t replace in-person school. While her priority is to get students back in school as soon as it’s possible to do so safely, she said there’s a lot to consider.
“We want to be intentional about that," Jackson said. "There is a lot of data, most notably the data around health conditions that we’re looking at. We’re also looking at how our students are engaging in the current model.”
And despite efforts to support students, the district is aware of continued inequities affecting participation.
“What we know about this is that some students do very well in an environment like this because they have a lot of resources and support in order to make it work, but there are a lot of students in Chicago Public Schools, the majority of our students, that need an extraordinary amount of support in a regular setting, so making that work in this remote setting has been challenging, the screen time, just the disparities in what people experience," Jackson said.
hleone@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-13--Chicago aldermen reject Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s proposed ordinance that would roll back part of city’

Chicago aldermen reject Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s proposed ordinance that would roll back part of city’s stricter City Hall lobbying rules

The City Council Ethics Committee voted 16-0 not to send the measure brought forward by Lightfoot months ago to the @ @ @ @ @ have once again allowed elected officials from outside Chicago to lobby the mayor , aldermen @ @ @ @ @ on behalf of private clients , as long as the public body they represent doesn @ @ @ @ @ recurring legislative or contractual matters involving the city of Chicago .

Aldermen on Tuesday rejected a Mayor Lori Lightfoot-introduced ordinance that would have rolled back part of tougher City Hall lobbying rules for elected officials that the City Council passed late last year.
The City Council Ethics Committee voted 16-0 not to send the measure brought forward by Lightfoot months ago to the full council. It would have once again allowed elected officials from outside Chicago to lobby the mayor, aldermen and other city government agencies on behalf of private clients, as long as the public body they represent doesn’t have pending or recurring legislative or contractual matters involving the city of Chicago.
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When she introduced the ordinance back in April, Lightfoot argued the tighter lobbying standards passed by the council went too far by applying to elected officials in other jurisdictions.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks at a press conference in Chicago on Sept. 14, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
But with federal investigators probing lobbying practices in Springfield and past City Hall scandals tied to lobbying infractions, aldermen on Tuesday said this is no time for Chicago officials to walk back the stricter requirements.
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“Many of us have worked for our entire careers as aldermen to try to bring more transparency to our city government, to eliminate conflicts of interest to the extent that we can and to remake the image of City Council,” said Ethics Committee Chair Ald. Michele Smith, 43rd.
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And Southwest Side Ald. Matt O’Shea, 19th, said aldermen can’t expect residents to trust aldermen if they weaken ethics rules.
“I recognize that the amendment before this body today may seem like a small change to some people, but once we carve out this exception, what will come next?” he asked. “If we start watering down this regulation, it will be rendered totally irrelevant.”
Tuesday’s vote came after the city Board of Ethics announced last month that it would finally start enforcing the prohibition on lobbying by elected officials from outside Chicago.
According to the board, the new standards would only bring into conflict one city lobbyist, Gyata Kimmons, who serves as a trustee in south suburban Flossmoor while also lobbying the mayor and aldermen on behalf of Walmart, McDonald’s, the United Center Joint Venture and other clients.
When Lightfoot introduced her plan in April to roll back part of the rules, Smith said she opposed the idea, and the mayor appeared to drop it.
The mayor’s ordinance got new life in late September, when West Side Ald. Jason Ervin, 28th, used a parliamentary procedure to try to force an up-or-down vote on it by the full council. Smith agreed to instead hold a hearing on it in her committee.
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Ervin on Tuesday said if the City Council wants to enact true lobbying reform, officials appointed by the mayor to bodies such as the city Zoning Board of Appeals, who he said often have more real power than elected officials, also should be covered by the ban. “In for a penny, in for a pound,” Ervin said.
Later Tuesday, the mayor tried to distance herself from the ordinance she introduced after its resounding defeat in the Ethics Committee.
Lightfoot said she was trying to address “unintended consequences” in the council rules, but aldermen who supported the tougher restrictions didn’t want to consider her proposed change. Ervin decided to push ahead with trying to pass it, Lightfoot said.
“I said (to Ervin), ‘You can do what you want, but you’re going to have to build a coalition for this change,’” Lightfoot said. “He went forward, I think fully understanding the difficult terrain, and the council voted how it voted.”
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @_johnbyrne


chicagotribune--2020-10-13--Abbott gets emergency FDA approval for antibody test that detects recent COVID-19 infections

IgM tests can be useful when someone receives a positive result , said Dr. Elizabeth McNally , director of the @ @ @ @ @ Northwestern University ’ s Feinberg School of Medicine .
It might be helpful , for @ @ @ @ @ recently felt ill but didn ’ t get COVID-19 tests at the time , but @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s what they had .
It could be helpful for better understanding people @ @ @ @ @ she said .

Abbott’s latest antibody test — meant to show whether a person has recently had COVID-19 — has gained emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The blood test detects a type of antibody, called IgM, that’s present after a person has been recently infected with COVID-19, Abbott said in a news release.
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It’s the second antibody test made by north suburban-based Abbott to gain emergency use authorization, in which the FDA allows the use of unapproved medical products to diagnose, treat, or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases when certain criteria are met.
Abbott’s first test looks for a different type of antibody called IgG that’s longer-lasting in the body after infection. That test can help show whether someone has recovered from the virus and can help with contact tracing, according to the company.
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The new test is more useful when it comes to finding recent infections, which can be helpful for doctors trying to determine where a patient is in the recovery process and if treatment or isolation is appropriate, Abbott said.
IgM often becomes undetectable weeks to months after a person becomes infected, whereas IgG may be detectable for months or years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The new test is 99% accurate when it comes to negative results and 95% accurate for positive results 15 days after a patient experiences symptoms, Abbott said.
A number of other IgM and IgG tests from other companies have already gained emergency authorization.
IgM tests can be useful when someone receives a positive result, said Dr. Elizabeth McNally, director of the Center for Genetic Medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. It might be helpful, for example, for people who recently felt ill but didn’t get COVID-19 tests at the time, but want to find out if that’s what they had. It could be helpful for better understanding people recovering from the illness, she said.
But care must be taken not to read too much into negative results, she said. A person might test negative because the IgM antibodies have already come and gone.
IgM can be highly variable between individuals, McNally said, with some people producing the antibody within a day of becoming ill and others taking seven days. It doesn’t last in the body very long, she said.
“The challenging part of IgM is it’s transient,” McNally said. “It’s a little unpredictable about when it comes up and goes down, and it’s incredibly variable.”
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The new test is the seventh COVID-19-related test made by Abbott to gain emergency use authorization.


chicagotribune--2020-10-13--Ex-Merrillville priest accused of abuse, faking assault is defrocked, church says

He “ has been permanently removed from engaging in public ministry and does not live on premises belonging to the @ @ @ @ @ permitted to celebrate Divine Liturgy/Mass publicly or to administer the sacraments .
He is forbidden @ @ @ @ @ and present himself as a priest .
He is bound in conscience to pray and @ @ @ @ @ those in need of healing due to the harmful actions of clergy , ” according @ @ @ @

In 2018, police said they were investigating an alleged attack on a priest at St. Michael Byzantine Catholic Church in Merrillville. Last month, the priest was officially defrocked. (Becky Jacobs/Post-Tribune )
A former Merrillville priest accused of sexually abusing a girl in the 1980s, and later faking a 2018 beating at St. Michael Byzantine Catholic Church was officially banned from the priesthood this summer, according to a church statement.
After a nearly two-year review, Basil J. Hutsko was defrocked, according to a letter dated Aug. 17, posted online from the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma, an Eastern Catholic sect based in Ohio.
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Hutsko, 67, was placed on administrative leave in October 2018. He could not be immediately reached Tuesday.
He “has been permanently removed from engaging in public ministry and does not live on premises belonging to the Eparchy. He is not permitted to celebrate Divine Liturgy/Mass publicly or to administer the sacraments. He is forbidden to wear a clerical garb and present himself as a priest. He is bound in conscience to pray and offer acts of penance for those in need of healing due to the harmful actions of clergy,” according to the letter.
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Hutsko gained national attention in August 2018, after claiming an unknown assailant attacked him inside the church, yelling, “This is for all the kids!” alluding to the Catholic Church’s decades-long sex abuse scandal.
The incident was investigated by the FBI for a time as a potential hate crime. The church later concluded he made up the assault.
Around 2004, a woman came forward and alleged that Hutkso had abused her as a child between 1979 to 1983, according to a letter then-new Bishop Milan Lach read to St. Michael’s parishioners during a visit in 2018. The woman’s identity or location of the allegation was not disclosed.
When the allegation was originally made, the church recruited a retired FBI agent to conduct an investigation, the letter said. The “eparchy’s independent review board” found there was insufficient evidence of wrongdoing, the letter said, as reported by Horizons newspaper, a Byzantine Catholic publication.
Lach was not aware of the abuse allegation at the time of the August 2018 attack claim. New facts in October 2018 on the case that led to church leaders to reverse their finding, a church lawyer said then.
“It is the same allegation,” attorney James Niehaus said via email. “As a result of new information, the allegation was reviewed again and now determined to be credible.”
Hutsko grew up in Whiting and attended St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church before he was ordained in February 1979 with his twin brother, newspaper archives show. He also served in parishes in Ohio and Michigan before returning to Merrillville.
He was not the only Byzantine Catholic priest with a troubling history.
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A Post-Tribune story last year found the Rev. Stephen Muth worked for seven years at St. Mary’s in Whiting, despite being sued in federal civil court for child sex abuse by a Kansas City man in 2007, a lawsuit later closed. He denied the accusation.
Nearly a year after Muth retired from St. Mary’s, church superiors placed him on administrative leave in October 2018 for a “credible” sexual misconduct accusation “involving a vulnerable adult (considered a minor under canon law)." It was announced on the same day as Hutsko.
Online local and federal court records show no filings against either.
Months prior, Lach, a Slovakia native, was promoted by Pope Francis in June 2018 to Bishop of the Ruthenian Eparchy of Parma, overseeing Byzantine Catholic churches in 12 Midwestern states, including Indiana. The Byzantine Catholic church is affiliated, but not under, the Roman Catholic Diocese.


chicagotribune--2020-10-13--Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s cousin gives $500,000 to group opposed to governor’s graduated-rate tax initiat

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s cousin gives $500,000 to group opposed to governor’s graduated-rate tax initiative

Her donation went to the Coalition to Stop the Proposed Tax Hike , a group that has received nearly $ @ @ @ @ @ proposed amendment .
Her contribution is the second largest to the group after the $ @ @ @ @ @ Griffin , the founder and CEO of the Citadel hedge fund and investment firm .
@ @ @ @ @ $ 15 billion according to Forbes .

Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s cousin Jennifer Pritzker donated $500,000 on Tuesday to a group pushing for the defeat of the governor’s signature agenda item on the Nov. 3 ballot — a proposed state constitutional amendment to impose a graduated-rate income tax.
“There is evidence that the tax hike amendment could eventually raise taxes on the middle and working classes. With so many families and small businesses struggling to recover from the ravages of the pandemic, raising taxes is not a financial solution Illinoisans can afford to enact,” said Jennifer Pritzker, like her cousin a wealthy heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune.
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Gov. Pritzker, worth an estimated $3.4 billion according to Forbes, has donated $56.5 million to the Vote Yes for Fairness group supporting voter ratification of the proposed amendment, which would replace the state’s mandated flat-rate tax with a tax with varying rates that increase with income.
Jennifer Pritzker, a retired member of the Army, attends the Pritzker Liberty Gala on Nov. 16, 2013, at the Chicago Hilton. (Yvette Dostatni / Chicago Tribune)
Jennifer Pritzker, a retired Army colonel and founder and chair of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library in Chicago, is worth an estimated $1.9 billion, according to Forbes. The founder and CEO of private wealth management firm Tawani Enterprises, she came out as a transgender woman in 2013.
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Her donation went to the Coalition to Stop the Proposed Tax Hike, a group that has received nearly $48.9 million to fight the proposed amendment. Her contribution is the second largest to the group after the $46.75 million given by Ken Griffin, the founder and CEO of the Citadel hedge fund and investment firm. Griffin is worth an estimated $15 billion according to Forbes.
Jennifer Pritzker has been a donor to Republican candidates and causes over the years, including a donation of $104,000 to Bruce Rauner’s successful 2014 campaign for governor. J.B. Pritzker went on to defeat Rauner four years later.
She also gave more than $110,000 to unsuccessful 2018 Republican attorney general candidate Erika Harold and $6,000 to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s successful 2019 campaign.
The news of the donation came as details were released about a Cook County circuit judge’s decision late last week to reject a lawsuit from the GOP-aligned Illinois Policy Institute that wanted the court to clarify what it contended were “misleading” statements on both state-issued pamphlets about the graduated-rate issue and the ballot.
Judge Celia Gamrath ruled Friday that the policy group challenged the language in October even though it had been public since May
“Plaintiffs waited until October to file suit, after hundreds of thousands of votes had been cast, and ran into court three weeks before Election Day to say there is an emergency that demands affirmative relief on a summary non-evidentiary basis. Not so. Plaintiffs' delay indicates a lack of urgency and suggests their perceived harm is neither immediate nor irreparable,” Gamrath ruled.
“While Plaintiffs have a clear right to a free and equal election, they have not demonstrated a clear right to corrective action on an emergency basis, for it is not patently clear the language on the ballot or pamphlet is so misleading that it abridges a constitutional right in need of protection,” she wrote.
“Like it or not, the proposed amendment does give the state the ability to impose higher tax rates on those with higher income levels and lower income tax rates on those with middle or lower income levels, just as the ballot describes.”
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Gamrath said the allegations in the lawsuit “merely conclude and speculate that the language is deceiving and confusing to voters without any specific evidence demonstrating confusion or obstruction to a particular individual or group of voters.”
The lawsuit, filed by the Illinois Policy Institute along with three retirees, contended that the language explaining the amendment would “induce retirees into voting to impose on themselves a tax on retirement income.”
Illinois is one of three states with an income tax that does not tax retirement income. The amendment does not mention and has no effect on taxing retirement income. Lawmakers currently have the power to tax retirement benefits if they choose to do so regardless of the fate of the amendment.
Quentin Fulks, chair of the pro-amendment Vote Yes For Fairness group, said “the Illinois Policy Institute’s frivolous lawsuit was nothing more than a desperate and egregious stunt to try to mislead voters and trick them into thinking the Fair Tax has anything to do with retirement income.”
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rpearson@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-13--Watch live: Chicago health officials deliver a COVID-19 update

Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady is expected to deliver a COVID-19 update at 2 p.m. Get @ @ @ @ @

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chicagotribune--2020-10-13--Ex-state rep, Berrios' son-in-law plead not guilty to federal bribery charges

According to prosecutors , the unnamed state senator had told the FBI that Arroyo approached him about “ the passage @ @ @ @ @ the House ’ s 2019 spring session .
At the time , the senator was @ @ @ @ @ hopes he ’ d get a break on expected tax-related charges .

The son-in-law of onetime Cook County Democratic boss Joseph Berrios pleaded not guilty Tuesday to federal charges alleging he bribed a state representative and a state senator for help on legislation benefiting sweepstakes gaming machines.
James Weiss, 41, was charged earlier this month in an eight-count superseding indictment with bribery, wire fraud, mail fraud and lying to the FBI. Weiss is married to Berrios' daughter, former state Rep. Toni Berrios.
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The indictment also added new wire and mail fraud charges against ex-state Rep. Luis Arroyo, who was originally charged in October 2019 with one count of federal program bribery and had been on track to plead guilty.
Both Weiss and Arroyo pleaded not guilty to the new charges during an arraignment held via telephone conference before U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger. The most serious charges carry up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
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James Weiss. ( Illinois Secretary of State)
The defendants spoke only briefly during the 20-minute hearing. When the judge asked if he understood the possible penalties he faced, Weiss replied, “Yes, sir.”
The case centers on the largely uncharted world of sweepstakes machines, sometimes called “gray machines,” which allow customers to put in money, receive a coupon to redeem for merchandise online and then play electronic games like slot machines.
Since the machines can be played for free, they are not considered gambling devices. Critics, however, contend the unregulated devices, which operate in cities like Chicago that have banned video gambling, are designed to skirt the law.
According to the 15-page indictment, Weiss paid bribes to Arroyo beginning in November 2018 in exchange for Arroyo’s promotion of legislation beneficial to Weiss' company, Collage LLC, which specialized in the sweepstakes machines.
The bribes were paid via off-the-books lobbying payments to Arroyo’s consulting firm, Spartacus 3 LLC, which Arroyo failed to report to state regulators, according to the charges.
Both Weiss and Arroyo also conspired in 2019 to pay a state senator $2,500 a month in kickbacks in exchange for the senator’s support on the proposed sweepstakes game legislation, the indictment alleged.
The senator has not been named in court documents, but the Chicago Tribune has reported he is Terry Link, a Vernon Hills Democrat who resigned from office before pleading guilty to unrelated tax evasion charges last month.
According to prosecutors, the unnamed state senator had told the FBI that Arroyo approached him about “the passage of sweepstakes-related legislation” during the House’s 2019 spring session. At the time, the senator was cooperating with authorities in the hopes he’d get a break on expected tax-related charges.
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The indictment alleged Weiss personally mailed the final $2,500 check to the senator on Oct. 22, 2019, three days before the charges against Arroyo were filed under seal.
A few days later, the FBI asked Weiss about the payments during an interview in Maywood. The indictment alleged Weiss lied to agents about whether he knew the money was going to the senator. Arroyo was arrested two days later.
Weiss' wife, Toni Berrios, was a longtime state representative who left Springfield in 2015 and was a good friend of Arroyo’s.
Arroyo resigned his office shortly after he was charged.
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-13--Dolton man faces weapons, drugs and speeding charges after being clocked at 128 mph on interstate: p

Dolton man faces weapons, drugs and speeding charges after being clocked at 128 mph on interstate: police

Sgt .
Glen Fifield said in a release that Trooper Alaa Hamed clocked a silver Ford Fusion roaring past him @ @ @ @ @ 80-94 near the Calumet Avenue exit .
The Fusion pulled over for Hamed after Hamed @ @ @ @ @ it for approximately two miles , Fifield said .

A Dolton, Illinois, man sped himself right into triple charges Saturday after getting pulled over on the Borman, according to the Indiana State Police.
Sgt. Glen Fifield said in a release that Trooper Alaa Hamed clocked a silver Ford Fusion roaring past him at 128 mph on Interstate 80-94 near the Calumet Avenue exit. The Fusion pulled over for Hamed after Hamed activated his lights and chased it for approximately two miles, Fifield said.
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Fifield said Hamed saw the driver, identified as 24-year-old Shatez M. Wiggins, moving around the interior of the car and after searching it, Hamed found a loaded Glock 43 9mm handgun. Wiggins was taken into custody, Fifield said.
Wiggins has been preliminarily charged with Possession of a Handgun No Permit, a Class A misdemeanor; reckless driving, a Class C misdemeanor; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor, Fifield said.
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Wiggins' high rate of speed isn’t the fastest the ISP has clocked this year. A trooper in March clocked Damien L. Holmes, of Gary, driving 145 mph in the 55 mph zone; he submitted to a breathalyzer and was subsequently arrested for operating while intoxicated and reckless driving.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.


chicagotribune--2020-10-13--3 men shot while working at CHA building on Near West Side

The oldest man , 56 , was shot in the right shoulder , back , abdomen and buttocks , and @ @ @ @ @ in critical condition .
A 46-year-old was shot in the buttocks and taken to Stroger @ @ @ @ @ 31-year-old victim was shot in his legs and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good @ @ @ @ @

A Chicago police officer talks with public housing security following a report of three people shot in the 1300 block of South Loomis Street Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Someone shot three men behind a Chicago Housing Authority building Tuesday morning on the Near West Side.
The shooting happened about 8 a.m. in the 1300 block of South Loomis Street. The three men were at the rear of the building working when someone wearing a black, orange and white mask and red shirt fired shots from inside a white BMW sedan, according to a police media notification.
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The oldest man, 56, was shot in the right shoulder, back, abdomen and buttocks, and was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition. A 46-year-old was shot in the buttocks and taken to Stroger in good condition. The 31-year-old victim was shot in his legs and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition, police said.
The scene of the shooting was half a block east of Loomis behind the building. By about 9 a.m., there was little activity in the area and the scene was being guarded by one police car just south of 13th Street.
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No one was in custody and detectives were investigating.


chicagotribune--2020-10-13--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-10-13--Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 29 new deaths, 2,851 new confirmed cases and 55,993 new test resu

Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 29 new deaths, 2,851 new confirmed cases and 55,993 new test results

Illinois announced 2,851 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Tuesday for a total of 324,743 .
The state also announced 29 @ @ @ @ @ of 9,026 and 55,993 new test results for a total of 6.41 million .

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


chicagotribune--2020-10-13--Wisconsin absentee ballot case may be headed to US Supreme Court

“ We hope that the Supreme Court will do the right thing and allow election officials to count all valid @ @ @ @ @ , even if ballots are delayed in the mail and arrive a few days later @ @ @ @ @ , an attorney at Protect Democracy , a Washington , D.C.-based group assisting Democrats with @ @ @ @ @ voters should not count on that .
Everyone voting absentee should submit their ballot as @ @ @ @ @ that their municipal clerk receives it no later than 8:00 pm on November 3rd .
@

MADISON, Wis. — Democrats and their allies said Tuesday they will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether absentee ballots in battleground Wisconsin that are received up to six days after the election can be counted — a move being fought by Republicans who have opposed other attempts across the country to expand voting.
Democrats argue that the flood of absentee ballots and other challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic make it necessary to extend the period in which ballots can be counted. Wisconsin is one of the nation’s hot spots for COVID-19, with hospitalizations treating a record high number of patients with the disease.
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Republicans oppose the extension, saying voters have plenty of opportunities to cast their ballot by the close of polls on Election Day and that the rules should not be changed so close to the election.
A federal judge in September sided with Democrats and said ballots postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 3, could be counted if they’re received by Nov. 9. The judge also ruled that poll workers could include people from outside the county, a change Democrats wanted in order to make it easier to fill vacancies. The judge’s ruling also extended the state’s deadline for registering by mail or electronically by seven days, from Wednesday until Oct. 21.
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[ Strong or shaky? Black voter turnout for Biden in these 3 Midwestern cities viewed as key in race vs. Trump. ]
A City of Milwaukee Election Commission worker processes absentee ballots for the state's primary election in downtown Milwaukee on April 8, 2020. (Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling, but last week put the lower court’s decision on hold pending further appeals.
“We hope that the Supreme Court will do the right thing and allow election officials to count all valid ballots cast by Election Day, even if ballots are delayed in the mail and arrive a few days later,” said Farbod Faraji, an attorney at Protect Democracy, a Washington, D.C.-based group assisting Democrats with the lawsuit. “But voters should not count on that. Everyone voting absentee should submit their ballot as early as possible, so that their municipal clerk receives it no later than 8:00 pm on November 3rd.”
The planned request for the Supreme Court to take the case comes amid confirmation hearings for conservative Amy Coney Barrett, whom President Donald Trump selected to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal icon. While Barrett’s nomination is pending, the Supreme Court has a 5-3 conservative majority.
There are numerous similar fights over absentee ballots happening in other battleground states.
In neighboring Minnesota on Monday, a federal judge upheld a state court agreement that allows the counting of absentee ballots received up to seven days after Election Day. In Michigan, Republicans are appealing a ruling that extended the deadline to receive mail ballots postmarked before Election Day to Nov. 17. And in Pennsylvania, Republicans asked the U.S. Supreme Court to put a hold on a ruling that extends the deadline for counting and receiving mail-in ballots. In North Carolina, several Republican lawsuits challenge a settlement in which the state elections board agreed to change the way defective mail ballots can be fixed by voters.
There is also a federal lawsuit in North Carolina related to witness signature requirements for absentee ballots.
[ Where to securely drop off your mail-in ballot in Chicago and the suburbs ]
In Wisconsin, absentee ballots typically must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day. But this year, as many as two-thirds of all ballots, or roughly 2 million, are projected to be cast absentee, which Democrats fear will overwhelm local election officials. Absentee ballots can’t be counted in Wisconsin until 7 a.m. on Election Day. A group of Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday called for Republicans who control the Legislature to convene a special session to change the law before Election Day. Republicans have rejected earlier calls to change the law.
Democrats cite problems in Wisconsin’s April presidential primary election, including long lines at the polls and thousands of ballots mailed after the election, as reasons to grant an extension. They also argue that potential delays in mail delivery could cause the late arrival of ballots.
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As of Tuesday, 717,000 of more than 1.3 million requested absentee ballots had been returned. To date, the returned absentee ballots account for nearly 24% of the total vote of more than 3 million ballots in 2016.
President Donald Trump won Wisconsin by less than 1 percentage point — fewer than 23,000 votes — in 2016. Polls show Democratic challenger Joe Biden with a slight lead in the state, but both sides expect another close race. Three of the past five presidential elections in Wisconsin were decided by less than a percentage point.
Those suing to receive the extension are the Democratic National Committee; the Wisconsin Democratic Party; the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin; Disability Rights Wisconsin; and Black Leaders Organizing for Communities, a Milwaukee-based advocacy group working to defeat Trump.
The Republican National Committee, the Wisconsin Republican Party and state Republican lawmakers are fighting the lawsuit.


chicagotribune--2020-10-13--Notre Dame president ends quarantine after COVID diagnosis

Jenkins has since apologized , writing in a Sept. 28 letter to the Notre Dame campus that he “ regret @ @ @ @ @ of judgment in not wearing a mask during the ceremony and by shaking hands with @ @ @ @ @ the Rose Garden.
” He continued , “ I failed to lead by example , @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve asked everyone else in the Notre Dame community to do so .
”

University of Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins has ended his period of quarantine after he tested positive for the coronavirus less than a week following his attendance at a White House event without wearing a mask. Jenkins "is symptom-free and looks forward to resuming his normal activities,” the university announced Monday OCT. 12, 2020. (Robert Franklin/South Bend Tribune via AP, File) (Robert Franklin/AP)
The Rev. John Jenkins, the president of Notre Dame University, has ended his quarantine after testing positive for the coronavirus less than a week following his attendance at a White House event without wearing a mask.
Jenkins “is symptom-free and looks forward to resuming his normal activities,” the university announced Monday evening. He began his self-isolation period Sept. 28, two days after he attended the Rose Garden ceremony for Amy Coney Barrett, a judge and Notre Dame law professor who is President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Supreme Court justice.
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“Father Jenkins again thanked the many people who offered prayers and well wishes for him over the last two weeks,” university spokesperson Paul J. Browne said in a statement Monday.
Jenkins said he was tested after finding out a colleague with whom he has been in regular contact tested positive for COVID-19. The university announced his COVID-19 diagnosis Oct. 2.
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During his quarantine, Jenkins reported that he experienced mild symptoms but continued to work from home.
Dr. Mark Fox, deputy health officer for St. Joseph County, said Jenkins “effectively quarantined himself” after returning to South Bend. At that point, however, health officials were not aware that the university president had any high-risk exposures.
“Because of the publicity, and not being in a mask, he chose to quarantine himself,” Fox said. “He didn’t go into the office, and he worked remotely. He was tested later in the week, according to the university protocol, and that’s when he was identified as positive and contact tracing began.”
Several Notre Dame law faculty and administrators joined Jenkins at the White House, though Fox said the county health department has “no indication” that any of those individuals have tested positive for COVID-19 since returning to South Bend.
Some students have criticized the Notre Dame president’s return to campus after pictures from the Rose Garden ceremony showed him without a mask, shaking hands and sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with others at the event.
Jenkins has since apologized, writing in a Sept. 28 letter to the Notre Dame campus that he “regret(s) my error of judgment in not wearing a mask during the ceremony and by shaking hands with a number of people in the Rose Garden.” He continued, “I failed to lead by example, at a time when I’ve asked everyone else in the Notre Dame community to do so.”
Notre Dame, which has about 12,000 students, paused in-person classes Aug. 18 and moved them online amid a surge that saw as many as 89 new cases a day. In-person classes resumed weeks later after a sharp decrease in infections.
The university’s online coronavirus dashboard showed five new cases reported on Tuesday, giving the school 819 total infections among students and staff members. Of that total, the school estimated 29 active cases.


chicagotribune--2020-10-13--Young people are calling out racism at elite Chicago high schools, seeking reforms in admissions, cu

Young people are calling out racism at elite Chicago high schools, seeking reforms in admissions, culture and curriculum: ‘A change needs to happen’

That ’ s “ part of what makes this system of injustice function , ” Russell said .
“ Because @ @ @ @ @ kids can get in , then it ’ s not the system that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ s the individual .
... And the system inside the school , as much as @ @ @ @ @ , is producing the stories that are coming up on these Instagram pages . ''

Amid the summer outcry over racial injustice, young people of color at some of Chicago’s most prestigious high schools started using social media to share their own experiences, challenging administrators early in the new school year to reckon with what the students and alumni say are entrenched cultures of racial inequality.
Students at Walter Payton College Prep, a selective enrollment school on the city’s North Side, founded the Instagram account @bipoc.payton as a space for Black, Indigenous and people of color who go to or attended Payton to tell their stories.
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Within a week of its creation in late June, the Instagram page received more than 200 submissions and attracted the attention of more than 1,000 followers.
After the police killing of George Floyd in May, similar accounts were created for institutions across the country, including locally for Jones College Prep, Latin School of Chicago, Francis W. Parker School and St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago and Loyola Academy in Wilmette.
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Students wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus walk in a single file through a bridge on the campus of the Latin School of Chicago. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Payton seniors Brianna Warren and Jarrius Carroll, both 17, are among seven students running the @bipoc.payton Instagram page. Warren and Carroll said they have witnessed Payton administrators, teachers and students ignore instances of racism, and they hope this Instagram page will force the community to listen to the experiences of students of color.
The students operating @bipoc.payton screen submissions before posting them, identifying the author only by the class year. The page administrators also omit the names of anyone whose behavior or words is called out by the authors.
Warren and Carroll said they hoped that this would prevent followers from becoming fixated on individual bad actors, and instead see these stories as a communitywide issue.
“I really felt that by showing it wasn’t just one group of people and that these weren’t isolated incidents, (that) it’s part of a bigger problem at our school and other schools across the city — I feel like it would really show that a change needs to happen,” Warren said.
Within the first weeks of the new school year, the students said, there were already incidents where racial slurs were uttered during remote learning, including by someone who apparently crashed an online session.
“Even in online school, the fact that we’re in our homes (and) we still aren’t safe, we still don’t feel safe ... that’s just kind of difficult to deal with,” said Shawn Hughes, another Payton senior helping to operate the @bipoc.payton Instagram page.
Hughes, 17, said he’d hoped all teachers would take the time to acknowledge the issues raised on the Instagram page, as well as the political and social climate and the impact it has had on Black students.
“It feels like every single week the Black community gets attacked,” Hughes added. “And that becomes stressful. That becomes a lot.”
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Since Payton’s founding in 2000, the school’s enrollment has increased, and the percentage of Black students has declined.
Last year, Payton’s student body was about 10% Black, 22% Hispanic, 19% Asian and 44% white, according to Chicago Public Schools data. In 2010, Black students were about 27% of the student population, according to state figures.
On the @bipoc.payton Instagram, students recount being called racial slurs by their peers, profiled by school security, confused for other students of color, ignored by faculty and discouraged by counselors from applying to top-ranked colleges.
“A white classmate ‘reassured’ me during my sophomore year that my presence at Payton was meaningful because I helped them ‘meet the quota.’ Nevermind all the hard work I put into testing into Payton and keeping up with the rigorous curriculum,” wrote a member of the class of 2013.
A 2018 graduate recalled a teacher who "referred to the only table of Black students as the ’loud table.'”
Another person wrote about a fellow student who “proudly showed off" a disciplinary note he’d received for using a racial epithet.
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One common thread was the perception of an indifferent response by school officials.
“A lot of these stories haven’t been taken seriously,” said Warren. She said many of the experiences shared are not “overt racism” but "a lot of microaggressions and covert racism that happens Payton.”
Carroll, who is Afro-Latino, has shared his own experiences of being racially profiled by school security and, he said, of having his belongings repeatedly searched.
Payton has a new principal, Melissa Resh, who began just days after the Instagram page was created. Resh told the Tribune she pursued the job “to do the work of racial equity and transformative justice.”
In July, Resh sent a statement to the school community, acknowledging the stories shared on Instagram and affirming her commitment to amplifying the voices of Black, Indigenous people and other people of color. She also began meeting with Black and minority student leaders to ensure her priorities centered around their experience.
“As a white leader, not only do I have to show up as a partner for racial justice ... but it is imperative that I signal to my white colleagues, to my white students and to my white families that equity work is all of our work,” Resh said.
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The administration created student and faculty leadership teams aimed at dismantling systems of oppression in the Payton community and also brought on a director of transformative justice, to help develop procedures for when an incident occurs.
“The vision that’s at the heart of everything we’re doing now is that every student feels a sense of belonging, every student feels their identity centered and celebrated in the curriculum and culture, and academic outcomes are consistent across all groups that we measure including race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and gender identity," Resh said.
The students behind the Instagram page said they’re encouraged by the administration’s response so far.
“I really do appreciate the productivity and the communication that’s going on between the Black students and our new administration," Hughes said. “I think we’re getting there.”
Leslie Russell is a Payton teacher and sponsor of its Black Student Union, of which Carroll is president. Russell said Payton has traditionally catered to students from families of means, rich in resources, while offering space for a few “exceptional kids” who are able to beat the system.
That’s “part of what makes this system of injustice function,” Russell said. “Because, look, if these kids can get in, then it’s not the system that’s the problem. It’s the individual. ... And the system inside the school, as much as the system outside the school, is producing the stories that are coming up on these Instagram pages."
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Russell said she aims to help students understand their own ability to create change and “give them the self-esteem and the agency and understanding of their power so that they can free themselves.”
For the past three years, Russell has made “Sister Outsider” by Black feminist poet and activist Audre Lorde a pillar of her English 1 class. Now Russell has seen students use Lorde’s teachings to advocate for justice within the school.
“They are kids and so they have a lot of options for what to do with their anger and fear and trauma and angst, but the fact that they choose to channel those negative emotions into generative action, that’s a lesson for all of us,” Russell said.
Warren and Carroll, like many others, were inspired to start their Instagram after seeing the page @survivorsoflatin, which was one of the first accounts of the type in Chicago. The page says it aims to share “voices of students, alumni, parents, and faculty at the Latin School of Chicago that have endured anti-blackness, racism, and xenophobia.”
Students exit the Latin School of Chicago, one of the schools where students have started an Instagram account to share incidents of racism they said they've encountered. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
After @survivorsoflatin launched in June, nearly 200 stories were posted about the private school, where tuition is about $38,000.
One of the first, from an alum, reads: “I have nightmares about Latin.” Others shared stories of being bullied, verbally harassed or addressed with racial slurs.
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“I was speaking to an alum of color that went to Latin 20+ years ago and we were able to bond over our shared trauma," one post reads. “It was sad to see how similar our experiences were even though we went to Latin 30 years apart.”
In response to a Tribune inquiry over the summer, Latin’s head of school, Randall Dunn, issued a statement acknowledging the Instagram account and sharing the administration’s commitment to “empathic listening and accountable action.”
Dunn, who is Black, wrote that it is important that these stories have been brought to light, and said the school will now engage in a collaborative process to institute change.
Based on feedback gleaned on @survivorsoflatin, the group that operates it formulated a list of demands that include a curriculum more focused on people of color and a more racially and ethnically diverse staff, as well as more college counseling for students of color and from immigrant or low-income families.
The group notes it’s not only important the school becomes more accessible, especially to low-income students, but also more welcoming and inclusive. Diversity and equity should no longer be a “numbers game,” Instagram page administrators wrote.
Just north of Latin is Francis W. Parker School, where a group that’s behind the @fwpanonymous Instagram page has crafted its own list of demands, calling on administrators to implement changes to curriculum, admissions and school culture. Students, alumni, parents and some faculty have signed on in support.
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A spokesperson for Parker said the school is committed to making the student body more representative of the city and said fundraising efforts have focused on diversity, access and affordability.
“There is no place for racism, harassment or oppression of any kind in Parker’s community, and for that matter, in our global community,” the statement read. “We commit to continuing our efforts to change our educational program, the culture of behavioral accountability and our fundraising and allocation of financial resources.”
The statement did not specifically address the demands from the @fwpanonymous group. Those include an anti-racist curriculum with nonelective courses on Black culture and history and reforms to the admissions process, such as an end to legacy admissions.
The 15-page letter of demands also calls on Parker, where tuition is about $39,000, to focus more of its curriculum on the experience of LGBTQ people and to change the way the school handles disciplines to minimize bias.
“We do not recommend Parker develop hard, unmovable policies for minor violations, but instances of hate speech, assault, harassment, and other similar violations must have a standardized response,” the letter states.
At the Latin School, the operators of @survivorsoflatin went on hiatus, saying they needed to focus on other parts of their lives.
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But, said a last post, “the work is not over. Our hope is that you continue the conversations this page has brought up, endeavor to be actively anti-racist, and advocate for the most marginalized among.”
ssherry@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-13--Man fatally shot moments after entering ride-share vehicle on West Side, cops say

“ When the driver heard gunshots , he fled .
The driver then stopped in the 3100 block of ” @ @ @ @ @ 911 , Kellie Bartoli , a police spokeswoman , said in an email .
The @ @ @ @ @ half a mile apart .

A 19-year-old man was fatally shot soon after entering a ride-share vehicle in Humboldt Park late Monday and Chicago police are investigating the shooting as a homicide, authorities said.
About 11:15 p.m. a 19-year-old had just entered a ride-sharing vehicle in the 3300 block of West Beach Avenue and the driver told police that “moments later he heard multiple gunshots,” according to a statement from Chicago police.
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The driver then looked at the passenger and discovered he’d been shot in the head, police said.
“When the driver heard gunshots, he fled. The driver then stopped in the 3100 block of” West North Avenue and called 911, Kellie Bartoli, a police spokeswoman, said in an email. The two locations are about a half a mile apart.
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The 19-year-old was rushed to Stroger Hospital in critical condition and was pronounced dead a short time later, police said.
The man had not been identified as of Tuesday morning. The Cook County medical examiner’s office was expected to perform an autopsy Tuesday.
The ride-share vehicle was a black Honda sedan. The rear of the car, near the trunk, and the windshield, were damaged from the gunfire, police said.
No arrests have been made.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-10-13--Iowa, the 4th-highest state for rate of COVID-19 infections, surpasses 100,000 cases as Trump plans

Iowa, the 4th-highest state for rate of COVID-19 infections, surpasses 100,000 cases as Trump plans rally there this week

A spokesman for Reynolds , who is an avid supporter of Trump , didn ’ t immediately respond to a @ @ @ @ @ applies to the rally .
She said in a statement that she will attend the @ @ @ @ @ “ is encouraging those attending to adhere to the public health steps the campaign is @ @ @ @ @ , and the use of hand sanitizer and masks .
”

As Iowa surpassed 100,000 confirmed coronavirus cases Monday and remained the fourth-highest state for rate of infection, the mayor of Des Moines expressed concern that President Donald Trump’s rally this week at the city’s airport could become a super-spreader event.
The state averaged 1,300 new cases per day over the past four days, and during that time there were an additional 46 deaths. As of Monday morning, confirmed Iowa had reported 100,052 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1,464 deaths from the disease since the pandemic started.
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The seven-day rolling average of the positivity rate in Iowa has risen over the past two weeks, from 16.39% on Sept. 27 to 18.44% on Oct. 11, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. That rate places Iowa fourth behind Idaho, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
With polls showing a tight race between the Republican Trump and Democrat Joe Biden, the president plans a Wednesday rally at a cargo hangar at the Des Moines International Airport. Trump acknowledged Oct. 2 that he had tested positive for COVID-19, and he now plans to resume campaigning despite skepticism about whether he could spread the virus.
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Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie has required face coverings to be worn in public in the city since August, but Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds has refused to implement a statewide order and has insisted that such local rules can’t be enforced.
Cownie said he’s worried that Trump’s visit could become a super-spreader event. He said it appears in media photos and video that such large rallies Trump has held elsewhere often do not have proper distancing and include people not wearing masks.
“We are hoping that here in Iowa that everybody will make proper use of these guidelines and do everything necessary to make it different from what we’re seeing,” he said.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds waits during a news conference on the state's response to the coronavirus on Sept. 29, 2020, in Johnston, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall / AP)
Kayla Kovarna, an airport spokeswoman, said airport officials were told to prepare for up to 10,000 people, although an exact number isn’t yet clear since tickets can still be obtained.
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Mark Smith said the state should not be hosting the event.
“In no way, shape or form should Governor Reynolds or any of our Republican leaders allow for this event to happen. Iowans need a President who will put the health and safety of the country above their own ego,” he said in a statement.
Reynolds' current state emergency proclamation allows mass gatherings of more than 10 people but requires organizers to ensure there is at least 6 feet of physical distance between each group or individual. It also requires reasonable measures be taken to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19.
A spokesman for Reynolds, who is an avid supporter of Trump, didn’t immediately respond to a question about whether the proclamation applies to the rally. She said in a statement that she will attend the rally and take precautions and “is encouraging those attending to adhere to the public health steps the campaign is taking such as temperature checks, and the use of hand sanitizer and masks.”
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Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said the event will be in an open door airplane hangar.
“We will have safety protocols in place. All attendees will be given a temperature check, masks, which they are instructed to wear, and access to hand sanitizer,” he said.
The Facebook invitation to apply for tickets included a statement that said attendees “voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and waive, release and discharge” the Trump campaign from any liability.
Polk County, which includes ,Des Moines and the airport, has a 14-day average positivity rate of 6.4 percent. The county had a peak in virus activity in early September and has been experiencing a slow reduction in daily cases. The county is still averaging almost 70 new cases per day, county public health officials said in a report posted on Oct. 6.
As of Monday, only four of Iowa’s 99 counties were below 5% positivity, a rate at which many health experts recommend enactment of public health measures to slow the spread including mask use, limiting large gatherings and social distancing.


chicagotribune--2020-10-12--St. Charles man charged in hit-and-run crash that killed 88-year-old woman in wheelchair

According to police , witnesses said Radnoti , who was in a wheelchair , was crossing North Third Street with @ @ @ @ @ pickup truck waiting at the light began making a right turn onto westbound Main Street @ @ @ @ @ Radnoti while she was in the crosswalk , and drove away , police said .
@ @ @ @ @ .

A St. Charles man has been charged in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed a woman in a wheelchair in downtown St. Charles Friday afternoon, officials said.
Andrew Jensen, 23, of the 100 block of South 13th Street, has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in personal injury or death, failure to report an accident and failure to yield at a crosswalk, St. Charles police said in a news release.
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Andrew Jensen. (St. Charles Police Department / HANDOUT)
Police released pictures and a description of the vehicle involved in the crash Friday, asking residents to send in tips. Jensen turned himself in to police before midnight Friday, according to police.
Police and fire crews responded at 4:04 p.m. Friday for the crash at Third and West Main streets, officials said. When they got there, first responders found Helen Radnoti, 88, of Chicago, unconscious in the road.
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According to police, witnesses said Radnoti, who was in a wheelchair, was crossing North Third Street with her adult son when a pickup truck waiting at the light began making a right turn onto westbound Main Street. The vehicle then hit Radnoti while she was in the crosswalk, and drove away, police said. The son sustained minor injuries.
Radnoti was taken to Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva, where she was pronounced dead.
Jensen remains in custody and his bail was set Monday at $500,000. If he posts bond, he is prohibited from driving a car. His next court date is Oct. 20.
mejones@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-14--Daywatch: Chicago adds Indiana to quarantine list, city sees major jump in carjackings and the Tribu

Daywatch: Chicago adds Indiana to quarantine list, city sees major jump in carjackings and the Tribune’s cookie contest begins

Black women and girls are often left out or erased from the social justice movement .
A large part of @ @ @ @ @ the organizations that center them and their experiences are scarce .
The Black Girl Freedom @ @ @ @ @ notable group of leaders and activists , hopes to change that , and specifically invest @ @ @ @ @ .

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Good morning, Chicago. On Tuesday, Illinois passed 9,000 deaths from COVID-19. The state also recorded its seventh day of cases over 2,600, as officials announced 2,851 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 29 additional deaths.
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Meanwhile, in Washington, Tuesday was the second day of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearing. Abortion, health care and race dominated the day, and the nominee did her best to sidestep most questions. Here are all the key takeaways from day two.
Here’s more coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Chicago Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady answers questions during a news conference at the Greater Western Community Development Project in Chicago, Sept. 14, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago made it official Tuesday, adding neighboring Indiana to its emergency travel order that requires travelers returning to the city from there to stay inside for two weeks because of high COVID-19 case counts. The Hoosier State’s inclusion on Chicago’s self-quarantine list was expected.
Indiana, 3 other states added to Chicago’s travel quarantine list this week. Here’s what you need to know to avoid a large fine.
A Chicago police officer signals members of the media away from a carjacking scene in Hyde Park on Aug. 29, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago’s surge in gun violence and two rounds of downtown looting have grabbed most of the attention of police and politicians this year, but a review of crime data shows the extent of another crime problem plaguing every corner of the city in 2020: carjackings.
Students wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus walk in a single file through a bridge on the campus of the Latin School of Chicago. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Amid the summer outcry over racial injustice, young people of color at some of Chicago’s most prestigious high schools started using social media to share their own experiences, challenging administrators early in the new school year to reckon with what the students and alumni say are entrenched cultures of racial inequality.
Sisters Salamishah Tillet, left, and Scheherazade Tillet have been fighting for decades to end violence against Black women and girls. (Anthony Alvarez/Shine Portrait Studio)
Black women and girls are often left out or erased from the social justice movement. A large part of that is because funds for the organizations that center them and their experiences are scarce. The Black Girl Freedom Fund, created by a notable group of leaders and activists, hopes to change that, and specifically invest in Black girls and women.
One of 2019's holiday cookie contest winners. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune; Shannon Kinsella/food styling)
What a year it’s been, right? This year, we need cookies, perhaps more than ever. Fortunately, and just in time, it’s cookie season: Food & Dining’s annual contest is open! The 34th annual Holiday Cookie Contest — which amounts to a giant cookie exchange among all of you — is taking submissions, now through Oct. 30. To enter, go to chicagotribune.com/cookies.


chicagotribune--2020-10-14--Column: Trump’s dance, McConnell’s COVID cackle show reckless disregard for surging coronavirus pand

Column: Trump’s dance, McConnell’s COVID cackle show reckless disregard for surging coronavirus pandemic

I suppose it ’ s also funny that , rather than moving heaven and earth to pass a bill to @ @ @ @ @ , McConnell and his fellow Republican senators are pushing through a new Supreme Court justice @ @ @ @ @ willingness to be confirmed at this moment in time is disqualifying .

President Donald Trump tosses MAGA face masks into the crowd of cheering supporters as he arrives for a campaign rally at Orlando Sanford International Airport in on Oct. 12, 2020 in Sanford, Florida. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
President Donald Trump thinks he’s handling the coronavirus pandemic so well he started dancing at a campaign rally this week.
Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, during a debate in Kentucky, had a long laugh when the pandemic was brought up.
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And Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney, said Monday night: “People don’t die of this disease anymore.”
Great! I guess we can all relax and declare COVID-19 yesterday’s news.
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Recently hospitalized with the virus, Trump was onstage at a Monday campaign event in Florida. Masks were optional, even though coronavirus cases are surging in the state. It was an epidemiologist’s worst nightmare come to life.
But for Trump, it was time to celebrate. He did a little dance to “Macho Man” by Village People, a song his campaign might consider researching more carefully. The president looked absurdly triumphant.
The more than 215,000 Americans who died of COVID-19 so far this year could not be reached for comment, though I can’t imagine they were thrilled about the unsavory man dancing on their graves.
Senate Majority Leader McConnell was debating his opponent, Democrat Amy McGrath, in Kentucky on Monday. When McGrath criticized McConnell’s handling of the pandemic, he smiled. Then he started laughing as she spoke, because a virus that has crippled the economy and left millions of Americans unemployed is, apparently, hilarious.
I suppose it’s also funny that, rather than moving heaven and earth to pass a bill to help the aforementioned unemployed Americans, McConnell and his fellow Republican senators are pushing through a new Supreme Court justice, a judge whose very willingness to be confirmed at this moment in time is disqualifying.
I suppose this all is funny. HAH! It’s funny because hundreds of people are still dying each day, thousands are still getting sick and Republican leadership has adopted an attitude of, “Hey, that COVID-19 thing ain’t a big deal. Suck it up, buttercups.”
Giuliani, last seen loosely clinging to reality, assured Trump supporters in Philadelphia that nobody’s dying from COVID-19 anymore, which is akin to telling children to play in the street because nobody’s dying from getting run over by trucks anymore.
Trump’s dance, McConnell’s COVID cackle and Giuliani’s bat-guano medical advice demonstrate a level of irresponsibility not seen since I was in college and drunkenly tried to beat up an oak tree before falling, deservedly, into a ditch.
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Let me summarize the current state of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States: NOT GOOD!
Health care resources in Wisconsin are presently being overwhelmed by new coronavirus cases. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Tuesday was the state’s worst day of the pandemic, with 3,279 new cases and 34 deaths.
And Trump is dancing.
On Tuesday, the University of Florida suspended all football activity after several players tested positive for the virus. One day earlier, the team’s head coach said his program was a “model of safety.” A recent study of college athletes who had COVID-19 found 15% of them were left with an inflammatory heart condition.
And McConnell is laughing.
Illinois had 2,851 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, the seventh consecutive day with more than 2,600 cases. The state also passed the 9,000-death mark Tuesday.
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And Giuliani is saying, “People don’t die of this disease anymore.”
In 40 states, the number of coronavirus cases are higher than they were a week before. The number of coronavirus patients in Indiana hospitals is the highest it has been in nearly five months.
And President Trump is dancing, and mocking Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on Twitter.
The Washington Post reported Tuesday that hospitalizations for COVID-19 are “rising in almost a dozen states — including Ohio and Pennsylvania — raising the specter that increasing death counts will soon follow.”
William Hanage, a Harvard University infectious-diseases researcher, told the Post: “A lot of the places being hit are Midwest states that were spared in the beginning. That’s of particular concern because a lot of these smaller regions don’t have the ICU beds and capacity that the urban centers had.”
Yet the president took time Tuesday to retweet a QAnon conspiracy theorist alleging that “Biden and Obama may have had Seal Team 6 killed.” So he’s clearly laser-focused on the pandemic.
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A dance. A laugh. An outrageous lie that people don’t die.
That isn’t leadership.
It’s mocking a public health crisis that has impacted millions of American families.
It’s modeling cavalier behavior that all but ensures the virus will continue to spread and people will continue to die.
It’s three foolish and ghoulish men thoughtlessly cheapening the deaths of more than 200,000 souls, and counting.
rhuppke@chicagotribune.com