chicagotribune--2020-11-12--Daywatch: Illinois hospitals see record COVID-19 patients, restaurants call for more aid and hunt fo

Daywatch: Illinois hospitals see record COVID-19 patients, restaurants call for more aid and hunt for video game consoles is on

Women who have an insufficient cervix lose otherwise healthy pregnancies quickly , with no warning , during the second trimester @ @ @ @ @ are planning the nursery .
Adding to the angst is that many doctors do not @ @ @ @ @ multiple miscarriages .
One doctor , Arthur Haney , wondered if there was something more @ @ @ @ @ help families .

Good morning, Chicago. On Wednesday, Illinois officials reported 145 deaths — the most in a single day since late May. The state also reported 12,657 new confirmed and probable cases, topping a record set a day earlier. Officials stopped short of a stay-at-home order but urged residents to stay home.
In lighter news, with the holidays nearly upon us, there’s never been a better time to brush up on your baking skills. To help, the Chicago Tribune is hosting a virtual cookie making and decorating workshop at The Chopping Block in December. And you’re invited! Find all the details here.
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Swedish Covenant Hospital, which is part of the NorthShore University HealthSystem, is pictured on June 26, 2019. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Faced with a record number of COVID-19 patients, some Illinois hospitals are returning to strategies similar to those they adopted in the early days of the health crisis, including limiting elective surgeries and adding more beds.
One health care provider, NorthShore University HealthSystem, has converted its Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview back into a COVID-19 hospital, meaning it is no longer taking patients in need of overnight care if they don’t have COVID-19. Non-COVID-19 patients who need to be hospitalized are being sent to other facilities in the system.
Maria Sinkule, a school social worker, rallies with the Addison Teachers Association in late October in support of switching to remote learning. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
More than a third of Illinois teachers surveyed said they’ve considered leaving the profession amid the safety concerns and debilitating stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials at the state’s largest teachers union said Wednesday.
Manager Richard Koskowski places bottles of hand sanitizer on tables in an outdoor tent dining area for Formento's Italian restaurant on Nov. 11, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
The Fulton Market Association in Chicago joined calls across the state of Illinois for more financial aid for the hurting restaurant and bar industry, adding that more transparency was needed in decisions it says threatens their survival.
Michelle and Abne Hall, with their 2-year-old son, AJ, who they had with the help of Dr. Arthur F. Haney, a reproductive endocrinologist. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Women who have an insufficient cervix lose otherwise healthy pregnancies quickly, with no warning, during the second trimester — just when many families are planning the nursery. Adding to the angst is that many doctors do not diagnose this condition until after multiple miscarriages. One doctor, Arthur Haney, wondered if there was something more he could uniquely do to help families.
Employee Xavier Hayes speaks with Juan Avina and Timothy Jimenez at the Avondale neighborhood GameStop store in Chicago on Nov. 9, 2020. (Raquel Zaldivar / Chicago Tribune)
The video game industry has flourished as millions of Americans sheltered at home to quell the spread of the novel coronavirus. As new versions of gaming consoles like the Xbox and PlayStation are released this week, demand for video games shows no signs of slowing down.


chicagotribune--2020-11-12--Without graduated income tax, Illinois state universities brace for ‘almost inevitable’ budget cuts

Without graduated income tax, Illinois state universities brace for ‘almost inevitable’ budget cuts ‘because there’s just nothing left'

Public universities contacted by the Tribune had little to say about the failed constitutional amendment .
A spokesman for Illinois @ @ @ @ @ “ will have to wait and see what next year ’ s budget cycle looks @ @ @ @ @ spokesman for the University of Illinois System did not offer comment beyond confirming that no @ @ @ @ @ planned for this year .

In Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s first remarks after voters rejected his administration’s signature proposal for a graduated-rate income tax in Illinois, the first-term Democrat singled out higher education as one of the many state-supported areas that could lose funding as lawmakers try to balance the next budget.
With no new sources of revenue and an expected drop in gains from sales tax during the coronavirus pandemic, Pritzker warned that he is left with few favorable options.
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Reducing discretionary funding for the state’s 12 public universities and community colleges could make it harder for students to afford college if schools raise tuition to offset the losses, some experts said. And there could be less money to support a grant program for low-income college students who qualify for state assistance in a time when more applicants are expected to seek aid.
While Illinois universities are not expecting any budget changes for this fiscal year, which began July 1, some advocates and policy experts said the long-term implications for Illinois higher education could be severe if new sources of funding aren’t found.
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“Without new revenue, our fear is that we will continue to see the same trajectory that the state has been on in terms of lower enrollment, especially for Black students,” said Kyle Westbrook, executive director of the Partnership for College Completion, a Chicago-based nonprofit.
Over the past two decades, Westbrook said, state appropriations for public universities have remained relatively flat but haven’t kept pace with inflation, and a greater share of the funding is being directed to pensions for public university and community college employees.
On top of that, some schools are still reeling from the state’s two-year budget impasse under former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, Westbrook said. Universities that rely more heavily on state dollars and serve a higher number of lower-income students were disproportionately affected by the funding delays.
“You could argue the situation was dire even before the budget impasse, but that created a crisis in the system as a whole,” said Westbrook, who led education policy in former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration. “The failure of the (tax amendment) to pass is so catastrophic for higher ed in the state.”
Adam Schuster, senior director of budget and tax research at the right-leaning Illinois Policy Institute, agreed that inflation-adjusted spending on higher education is significantly down. Funding has dropped by nearly 20% since 2010, when accounting for inflation, while spending on pensions has skyrocketed, he said.
But Schuster called for reform to the state pension system, a politically divisive issue, as opposed to changing Illinois’ flat income tax rate of 4.95%.
“Estimated progressive income tax revenues were not earmarked for any particular purpose and would have failed to close the state’s structural deficit,” he said in an email. “Cuts to state spending on higher education stem from the unsustainable growth in contributions to the state pension systems.”
Public universities contacted by the Tribune had little to say about the failed constitutional amendment. A spokesman for Illinois State University said the school “will have to wait and see what next year’s budget cycle looks like.” Meanwhile, a spokesman for the University of Illinois System did not offer comment beyond confirming that no changes to state appropriations were planned for this year.
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The Student Center East building on the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago on Oct. 6, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
“It would be premature for us to comment on the current budget cycle or future appropriations until the governor’s office and the General Assembly share their plans,” said Mike Hines, a spokesman for Northeastern Illinois University.
On Thursday, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees approved a request for an 8.3% increase in state funding next year as officials projected $270 million in costs related to the pandemic. The request is sent to the state Board of Higher Education, the governor and the legislature for consideration.
But Jennifer Delaney, associate professor of higher education at U. of I.'s Urbana-Champaign campus, painted a darker picture. Because higher education spending is the largest discretionary portion of Illinois' budget, it is often the most vulnerable when cuts are required, Delaney said.
Delaney, who also serves on the Illinois Board of Higher Education, said her research shows that higher education funding is more volatile than other spending categories and closely tied to economic conditions. She said the pandemic-related recession exacerbates the situation this year.
“It’s almost inevitable that higher ed will be cut because there’s just nothing left,” Delaney said. “The hope of the (tax amendment) is that it would have brought new or additional revenues in, and without those, it’s just not at all clear where the money will come from.”
Pritzker’s graduated-rate income tax proposal might have provided some relief, but it fell short of the thresholds needed to pass on Election Day. The administration estimated the measure would have generated $1.2 billion in the budget year that ends June 30 and $3.4 billion in future years.
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The state remains on shaky financial footing, with the administration projecting a combined loss of $6.5 billion in revenue this year and next year. Pritzker also asked state departments to propose cuts of 5% this year and 10% next year and previously warned there could be a 15% cut to discretionary spending without the constitutional amendment.
In addition to potential cuts, Pritzker said he is considering raising income taxes by 1 percentage point across the board. The General Assembly would have to approve the rate hike.
Melissa Hahn, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Board of Higher Education, released a statement saying “we’re still in the budget development process,” but did not provide further comment.
During a spring session that was truncated because of the pandemic, the General Assembly passed a $43 billion state budget that held funding relatively steady for education. That was a disappointment for universities, which were hoping to receive a 5% bump in funding before the pandemic hit.
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission, a state entity that manages need-based grants for college students, was also in line to receive an additional $50 million but instead saw its funding frozen at last year’s level.
Eric Zarnikow, ISAC’s executive director, said he understands that budget challenges were created by the pandemic but hopes lawmakers will continue to prioritize his agency’s grants, which are distributed through the Monetary Award Program. MAP saw funding increases in 2018 and 2020, bringing it to a historic high of approximately $451 million.
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Zarnikow said he thinks budget constraints might be a long-term issue and that it would help if lawmakers in Washington stepped in.
“In Illinois, as well as across the country, education and particularly higher education has been really impacted by COVID-19,” he said. “We think support from the federal government is really going to be important to meet the needs of the education community.”
Chicago Tribune’s Dan Petrella contributed.
echerney@chcicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-12--Column: Give Republicans a standing ovation for their voter fraud performance

When massive numbers of Americans vote , Republicans lose .
In a nation that is rapidly becoming more diverse , @ @ @ @ @ wants is to make it easy for people to cast their ballot .
It goes @ @ @ @ @ been doing for decades to suppress the votes of minorities and others who fundamentally disagree @ @ @

A woman shouts toward supporters of President-elect Joe Biden, as supporters of President Donald Trump protest outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia on Nov. 8, 2020, a day after the 2020 election was called for Biden. (Rebecca Blackwell / AP)
One by one, Republicans have taken to the stage to show their support for Donald Trump’s ridiculous claim that the presidential election was stolen from him.
But it is just a performance.
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Despite how genuine their acts might appear, the GOP has already abandoned Trump. The problem is that Trump and his supporters don’t seem to realize it.
This preposterous brouhaha over “illegal ballots” has nothing to do with keeping Trump in office another four years or unveiling legitimate fraud that might overturn the election. Top Republicans such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell know Trump lost the election fairly. This is about their future, not his.
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The fact that nearly 150 million voters cast ballots in last week’s election — some 77 million of them for presumptive President-elect Joe Biden — terrifies Republicans. The only way the GOP can survive going forward is to make sure that many people never get to vote again.
That’s why McConnell went on the Senate floor Monday and affirmed Trump’s right to challenge the election in court using unproven allegations of fraud.
“President Trump is 100% within his right to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options,” he said in a strongly worded speech.
In encouraging Trump to go on, McConnell condoned the circus surrounding alleged voter fraud. He gave credence to false and absurd claims about using dead people’s names to vote, backdated mail-in ballots and GOP observers being barred from rooms where mail-in ballots were being counted.
Though Trump might think these apparent displays of loyalty are about him, Republicans have something else on their minds. As always, they are looking out for No. 1.
The only way to stop another tsunami of Americans from performing their civic duty is to shut down the idea of mass mail-in ballots. Efforts to move the country toward all-mail elections have been in play for years. Finally, Republicans see an opportunity to put an end to those discussions once and for all.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham admitted it on Fox News last week.
“If Republicans don’t challenge and change the U.S. election system, there will never be another Republican president elected again,” he said, urging Trump not to concede.
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When massive numbers of Americans vote, Republicans lose. In a nation that is rapidly becoming more diverse, the last thing the GOP wants is to make it easy for people to cast their ballot. It goes against everything they’ve been doing for decades to suppress the votes of minorities and others who fundamentally disagree with them.
When people vote by mail, there is no need to show photo identification. There are no long lines at the voting booths, no worries about broken machines and fewer means to practice voter intimidation.
Of course, this GOP performance addresses some immediate needs as well, such as the two upcoming Senate runoffs in Georgia.
Keeping Trump supporters fired up over an alleged stolen presidential election could prompt them to turn out in large numbers in January to stop Democrats from gaining control of the Senate.
That may or may not work, given Georgia’s changing, more diverse demographics that led to Trump’s defeat in the state. But it’s a tactic McConnell and others feel they must pursue. Otherwise, they will lose all their power in Washington.
Regardless of which party ends up controlling the Senate, Trump won’t benefit. Two weeks after the Georgia election, he will be gone from the White House.
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Republicans have to think about what will happen to their party after the era of Trump has ended. That means walking a fine line to keep from alienating Trump’s base and thus losing votes themselves.
While Trump recently has stayed out of public view and allowed surrogates to make his case for voter fraud, Republicans have gradually co-opted the message.
Trump’s initial goal was to toss out every mail-in ballot counted after he went to bed on election night. He claimed that those “illegal ballots” mysteriously showed up overnight, erasing his substantial lead in states he desperately needed to win.
Over time, however, that changed. Most Republicans were smart enough to know that was a ludicrous argument, since Trump voters tended to vote in person on Election Day and an overwhelming number of Biden voters mailed in their ballots.
The focus shifted to an argument that seemed more plausible, though impossible to prove. While the definition of “illegal ballots” remains vague, Republicans have turned their attention to the process by which mail-in ballots are counted in an attempt to cast a shadow over the entire system.
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Democrats previously have tried unsuccessfully to pass legislation in Congress to standardize all-mail voting across the country. Five states — Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington — currently hold all-mail elections, in which voting is conducted primarily, though not necessarily exclusively, by mail. Several other states allow some form of all-mail voting for some elections.
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Proponents have long argued that voter participation dramatically increases when people can vote from home. It was proven last week. The record turnout was largely due to the expansion of mail-in voting in most states due to the pandemic.
Republicans will never allow that to continue.
Long after Trump is gone, the GOP will still have to deal with America’s rapidly changing landscape. In a few years, the majority of Americans will be Black and brown citizens who have little, if anything, in common with the mostly white Republican Party.
It is unlikely that Republicans will be able to attract substantial numbers of this new electorate to their side. The only thing they can do is try to keep them from voting.
dglanton@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @dahleeng


chicagotribune--2020-11-12--Column: Trump’s denial of defeat creates fantasy MAGA-verse. Here are some election facts to burst h

Column: Trump’s denial of defeat creates fantasy MAGA-verse. Here are some election facts to burst his bubble.

10 ) Speaking of embarrassing , the Trump campaign waved around a 234-page binder of affidavits from Detroit poll watchers @ @ @ @ @ claims are vague , at best , and most are along the lines of this @ @ @ @ @ a few dozen military ballots be counted .
Although I can not provide specific numbers @ @ @ @ @ estimate that at least 80 % of the military ballots I saw were straight ticket @ @ @ @ @ Biden ’ s name filled in on them .
I had always been told that @ @ @ @ @ more conservative , so this stuck out to me as the day went on.
” @ @ @ @ @ weak it tastes like hot water .

Supporters of President Donald Trump rally at the State Capitol in Lansing, Michigan, on Nov. 7, 2020, after Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was declared the presumptive winner of the election. (Seth Herald/AFP/Getty Images)
Donald Trump is doing an excellent job creating a fantasy world — let’s call it “the MAGA-verse” — in which he won the 2020 presidential election.
On regular planet Earth, of course, Trump lost. By a good margin. The vote count shows that, as does the fact that the Trump campaign’s desperate, and often disgraceful, claims of voter fraud are standing up as well as a piece of tissue paper in the rain.
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There are those of us living here who would like to move on with things and see, for once in a long time, some norms of our democratic system remain intact. Norms like a concession speech, a willingness to help a new administration prepare to hit the ground running and a peaceful transfer of power.
But Trump’s fantasy world is making that hard, largely because facts tend to burn up when entering the MAGA-verse. So I figured maybe if we fired enough facts in that direction, one or two might find a way to sneak in.
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Let’s see what happens.
1) Democratic and Republican voting officials in states across the country have clearly stated — to the Associated Press, to the New York Times and to myriad local and national publications — that the 2020 election went smoothly and there is no evidence of widespread fraud of any sort.
2) A team of international monitors invited BY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION to observe the vote count in states across the country released a preliminary report praising the election process, saying it found no evidence of fraud and criticizing Trump for spreading baseless allegations.
3) Trump spent months priming his supporters for a disputed election, claiming there would be massive fraud and even saying, “The only way we’re going to lose this election is if the election is rigged.” He has not claimed any fraud in states where he won, nor has he or any Republican lawmaker suggested fraud relating to Republican victories in races involving congressional seats.
4) In the lead-up to the 2016 election, Trump guaranteed there would be widespread voter fraud. After he won the Electoral College but lost the popular vote by millions, he launched a commission to investigate the wholly nonspecific specter of “widespread voter fraud.” That commission, predictably, was disbanded in early 2018 without any preliminary findings or an ounce of evidence to support Trump’s claims.
5) Trump and a number of other Republicans and campaign officials have repeatedly decried “the media” for calling the election in favor of Joe Biden. They have acted as if it’s unheard of for news organizations to make such calls. In fact, The Associated Press has been analyzing vote counts since before the Civil War, and television networks started calling races in 1960. It’s notable that neither President Trump nor any of his GOP supporters questioned the media calling the 2016 election in his favor. It’s also worth noting that on Wednesday, Trump’s daughter Ivanka sent a tweet celebrating the AP calling the election in Alaska: “President Trump and Senate Republicans win Alaska, overwhelmingly and by a massive 20 point spread! Put AK in the books for @realDonaldTrump!” So … hmmmmmm.
6) Hillary Clinton quickly conceded the 2016 election in a phone call to Trump. His lead in pivotal swing states like Michigan and Pennsylvania were smaller then than Biden’s lead over Trump is in those states now. The day after the election, Clinton gave a concession speech, saying: “I still believe in America, and I always will. And if you do, then we must accept this result and then look to the future. Donald Trump is going to be our president.”
7) I, your humble liberal-jerk of a columnist, wrote this on Nov. 9, 2016: “Respect the system we have, because it worked the way it was supposed to and it gave America a new president — Donald Trump. If you’re unhappy with that outcome, as I and many millions of Americans are, go ahead and be unhappy. Or be disgusted. Shed tears. Be afraid. And then move forward.”
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8) Rather than concede, or even acknowledge that in claiming victory the burden of proof is on the Trump team to demonstrate fraud, Trump, his campaign and his allies in right-wing media circles are disseminating outrageous fabrications and lies about the election. One suspect tweet claimed a dead woman named Donna Brydges voted. The AP spoke with the very much alive Brydges by phone. Still, the dishonest tweet had already been shared 50,000 times.
9) Trump tweeted this about the vote in Pennsylvania: “Pennsylvania prevented us from watching much of the Ballot count. Unthinkable and illegal in this country.” There is no evidence to back up that claim. In fact, a Trump campaign lawyer admitted as such before a federal judge last week. The judge demanded the lawyer confirm whether Trump observers were in the ballot-counting room, and he said: “There’s a nonzero number of people in the room.” That’s just embarrassing.
10) Speaking of embarrassing, the Trump campaign waved around a 234-page binder of affidavits from Detroit poll watchers alleging voter fraud. The claims are vague, at best, and most are along the lines of this one: “I saw a few dozen military ballots be counted. Although I cannot provide specific numbers of names, I can estimate that at least 80% of the military ballots I saw were straight ticket democrat or simply had Joe Biden’s name filled in on them. I had always been told that military personnel tended to be more conservative, so this stuck out to me as the day went on.” That tea’s so weak it tastes like hot water.
I can sling barrage after barrage of facts like these, example after example of shameless hypocrisy and internal contradictions. But first I need some sign from the MAGA-verse.
Are any of these making it through?
rhuppke@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-12--Man, 25, fatally shot, another man critically injured in West Side shooting, police say

Officers responded to a call of shots fired about 6:25 p.m. in the 1300 block of South Homan Avenue in @ @ @ @ @ a 25-year-old man unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head , police said .
@ @ @ @ @ the scene .

Police work the scene where two people were shot, one fatally, in the 1300 block of South Homan Avenue in the Lawndale neighborhood on Nov. 11, 2020, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
A 25-year-old man was killed and another man was critically injured Wednesday night in a West Side shooting, according to Chicago police.
Officers responded to a call of shots fired about 6:25 p.m. in the 1300 block of South Homan Avenue in the Lawndale neighborhood and found a 25-year-old man unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
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A 36-year-old man was shot in arm and stomach and taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center in critical condition, police said.
No arrests have been made.
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pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-11-12--Large fire engulfs Far South Side warehouse, officials say

The fire started about 8:40 p.m. at Era Valdivia Contractors Inc , located at 11909 S. Ave. O , officials @ @ @ @ @ the fire is unknown , said Ofc .
Ronald Westbrooks , a police spokesman .

Members of the Chicago Fire Department work to extinguish a fire in the 11900 block of South Avenue O on Nov. 11, 2020, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
An extra-alarm fire engulfed a Far South Side warehouse Wednesday night, but no injuries were reported, according to Chicago fire and police officials.
The fire started about 8:40 p.m. at Era Valdivia Contractors at 11909 S. Ave. O, officials said. The cause of the fire is unknown, said Officer Ronald Westbrooks, a police spokesman.
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Members of the Chicago Fire Department work to extinguish a fire in the 11900 block of South Avenue O on Nov. 11, 2020, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
The fire was extinguished by 10:55 p.m.
No injuries or displacements occurred, officials said.
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pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-11-12--IHSA says nearly 300 high schools surveyed aren’t planning to start basketball next week

“ I feel like they just keep kicking the can down the road , ” Pittman said .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ coming out and saying there won ’ t be a season .
But there ’ @ @ @ @ @ to play right now by adhering to the safety guidelines .
Let us do that @ @

St. Rita’s Christian Henry, left, takes a shot against Leo during a game in Chicago on Friday, Feb. 14, 2020. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown)
The ongoing saga of high school basketball took another turn Wednesday.
And it’s a turn that won’t lead to a firm answer until at least Nov. 19.
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The Illinois High School Association announced its board of directors had invited representatives from Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office and the Illinois Department of Public Health to attend the IHSA’s next board meeting on Nov. 19.
Those aren’t the only invitations. The IHSA also is seeking representation at the meeting from the Illinois Principals Association, the Illinois Association of School Administrators, the Illinois State Board of Education and a group of nearly 200 school superintendents who recently contacted Pritzker’s office about sports.
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“The board hopes to create a dialogue and build a more collaborative relationship with all the entities involved with developing sports policy in our state as everyone tries to navigate the myriad issues caused by the pandemic,” IHSA executive director Craig Anderson said.
The IHSA announced Oct. 28 that basketball practices could start Nov. 16 and games could be played beginning Nov. 30. That came a day after Pritzker said winter sports were “put on hold.”
The IHSA board also said Wednesday that schools planning to begin basketball practice on Monday should adhere to the IDPH’s Level 1 mitigations until at least Nov. 19.
Despite being able to start practice Monday, Chicago Christian boys basketball coach Kevin Pittman is skeptical about the possibility of games being played Nov. 30.
“I feel like they just keep kicking the can down the road,” Pittman said. “It’s better than them coming out and saying there won’t be a season. But there’s an opportunity for us to play right now by adhering to the safety guidelines. Let us do that.”
Most local coaches rejoiced when the IHSA announced Oct. 28 the season was going forward as planned. The celebration was short-lived.
Without adhering to the COVID-19 guidelines set forth by the governor and the IDPH, insurance companies would not cover the liability costs for schools.
The risk was too great, according to Ty Harding, the superintendent of District 218, which includes Eisenhower, Shepard and Richards.
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“We want our students to play basketball,” Harding said. “We know it’s good for them physically and psychologically. No matter how people feel about the health risk, when you add in the liability on top of it, it’s a no-go.”
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That was apparent from the results of a survey completed Tuesday. The IHSA sought greater direction from its 813 member schools.
The survey revealed that among the 546 schools that responded, nearly 300 don’t plan to start basketball on Monday, and another 212 schools are unsure.
Pittman confirmed Chicago Christian was one of the few schools that agreed to start the season on time.
“We didn’t have any issues during our contact days,” he said. “We wore masks. We sanitized. We maintained a clean, healthy environment. The same thing during our summer camps. We didn’t have one positive test. We are proof that it can be done.”
Homewood-Flossmoor boys basketball coach Marc Condotti is sympathetic to the IHSA’s dilemma.
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“You have to err on the side of caution,” he said. “The numbers for people getting sick from the virus is going up. So is the positivity rate. It’s not only what’s best for the athletes, it’s what’s best for everyone.
“Our contact days were a good indicator of how things could go. We had no issues. But if the IHSA decides to delay the start of the season, I’m fine with it. Of course, I want to have a season. But people have to feel safe.”


chicagotribune--2020-11-13--As COVID-19 cases spike, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot issue dire warnings urging

As COVID-19 cases spike, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot issue dire warnings urging people to stay home  to avoid more drastic measures

When asked whether he ’ d wait the full three weeks that the state is asking people to stay home @ @ @ @ @ or possibly impose a stay-at-home order sooner , Pritzker said : “ This is definitely @ @ @ @ @ day by day .
I look at these numbers every day , and several times @ @ @ @ @ it is absolutely possible , and certainly likely if the numbers keep going in the @ @ @ @ @ may have to take more stringent action .
”

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)
As coronavirus cases continue spiking across Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot warned that stay-at-home orders could be coming soon but stopped short of imposing such sweeping restrictions on residents, instead urging people to stay home voluntarily and cancel holiday gatherings.
“If things don’t take a turn in the coming days, we will quickly reach the point when some form of a mandatory stay-at-home order is all that will be left,” Pritzker said at a coronavirus briefing in Chicago on Thursday. “With every fiber of my being, I do not want us to get there. But right now, that seems like where we are heading.”
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Earlier Thursday, Lightfoot announced she was issuing a non-mandatory stay-at-home advisory to take effect Monday. It encourages residents not to leave their homes except to work, attend school, seek medical care, shop for groceries or pick up takeout food. Those who do go out are encouraged to wear a face mask at all times. A day earlier, the Illinois Department of Public Health released similar guidance urging residents to limit “nonessential” trips to public places and to work from home, if possible.
The statewide stay-at-home order Pritzker put in place this spring, during the first COVID-19 surge, was the farthest-reaching measure he’s taken to curb the spread of the coronavirus to date, and Thursday’s threat of another comes as the state for the second consecutive day recorded the highest number of hospitalizations seen during the pandemic so far.
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The state Department of Public Health on Thursday announced an additional 12,702 newly confirmed and probable cases and an additional 43 deaths of people with COVID-19 in Illinois. The new and probable cases set yet another record for a daily high, and the average number of new cases over the past week now stands at 11,625.
The number of people with COVID-19 in Illinois who were in the hospital as of Wednesday night, 5,258, was higher than at any point during the first surge of infections in the spring.
“We never saw that number in wave one,” Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said. “This is an all-time high, and I am telling you that number is only going to increase based on the number of cases that we’ve identified for the last several weeks.”
Of those hospitalized across the state, 956 patients were in intensive care units and 438 were on ventilators.
With the addition of Thursday’s new cases and deaths, the state is reporting 536,542 known cases throughout the course of the pandemic, and a death toll of 10,477. The newly confirmed cases on Thursday resulted from a batch of 100,617 tests conducted during a 24-hour period.
The seven-day statewide positivity rate for cases as a share of total tests conducted was 12.6% for the period that ended Wednesday, up from 8% on Nov. 1 and up from 4.3% a month earlier, on Oct. 12.
When asked whether he’d wait the full three weeks that the state is asking people to stay home and avoid nonessential activities, or possibly impose a stay-at-home order sooner, Pritzker said: “This is definitely something we’re monitoring day by day. I look at these numbers every day, and several times a day, and so it is absolutely possible, and certainly likely if the numbers keep going in the wrong direction, that we may have to take more stringent action.”
Lightfoot and other Chicago leaders, meanwhile, sounded a dire note about the city’s COVID-19 outbreak.
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“If we continue on the path we’re on and you and me and others don’t step up and do more, our estimates are that we could see 1,000 more Chicagoans die from this virus by the end of the year,” the mayor said.
In response to a question about why any nonessential businesses are allowed to be open if people are supposed to stay home, Lightfoot said she’s worried about “completely and utterly” destroying the economy and putting people out of work.
City officials also plan to deploy roughly 2,000 city workers, including up to 550 contact tracers, and a network of hundreds of community-based organizations to reach Chicagoans about the risk of COVID-19.
The mayor also threatened fines and potential shutdowns for businesses that aren’t following social distancing rules.
“If we see you violating these rules in any way, we’re not gonna hesitate to take action,” Lightfoot said.
Chicago public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady also warned that the city’s cases could reach 4,000 per day by Thanksgiving if the current spike in cases continues.
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“I am more worried about COVID right now than I have been at any point since March,” she said.
Asked about the stay-at-home advisory being optional rather than mandatory, Lightfoot said, “This is a progressive step. I hope we don’t have to go any further than this.
“If the possibility of 1,000 more people dying in the city in the next seven weeks doesn’t grab you by the throat as it did me when I started seeing that modeling, then there’s little we’re going to do to move you,” she said.
Chicago is recording an average of 1,920 cases over the past seven days, up from 1,410 a week prior, and the city’s rate of people testing positive has risen to 14%, Arwady said.
Putting those figures into perspective, Arwady said the city would record hundreds of deaths even if the spike quickly subsided.
“If we magically stopped our outbreak growth today, we would still have another 400 COVID deaths in Chicago in the next 49 days,” she said.
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In recent weeks, Pritzker has been suggesting that tougher restrictions statewide could be on the horizon if the numbers don’t improve. Thursday’s briefing, however, marked the closest he’s come to indicating the state could be on the cusp of another statewide stay-at-home order, and the governor has been facing significant pushback, most notably from the restaurant industry, for the restrictions he has already imposed across Illinois.
All 11 regions of the state, as identified in Pritzker’s coronavirus reopening plan, are currently under some level of tightened restrictions including an order to halt indoor dining and bar service in each of them, triggered after every region reached a state-set bench mark indicating COVID-19 is surging there. But new infections, hospitalizations and the number of deaths have continued to rise despite those measures being in place for weeks across much of the state.
Pritzker lauded Lightfoot’s advisory Thursday, and noted “the city of Chicago is actually doing better than the rest of the state right now.”
The city of Springfield and Sangamon County reversed course this week and, after previously flouting the rules, announced they will begin enforcing the state restrictions that took effect in that region of central Illinois earlier this month. Pritzker on Thursday urged local officials who continue to tell businesses in their communities that they won’t enforce the state’s coronavirus restrictions to follow suit.
“Are you waiting for health care workers to get sick to a point where you don’t have enough staff in the local hospital to cover the next shift?” he said. “What about if the hospitals become so overrun that your sick and your dying have nowhere left to turn? Because I promise you, while you fail to take responsibility in your city and your county, that day is coming closer and it will be on you.”
There have been nine deaths of residents at the Illinois Veterans' Home in LaSalle, Ezike said Thursday, two higher than the number of deaths the state reported at that state-run long-term care facility a day earlier. The facility, which is in the midst of a COVID-19 outbreak, has reported 170 cases during the pandemic, including 82 residents, Ezike said.
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There have been COVID-19 outbreaks at the state’s four other veterans homes as well.
As of Thursday afternoon there have been 108 cases in Manteno, including 61 residents, and 17 deaths since the pandemic began. At Prince Home, which is separate from Manteno but on the same campus, there have been seven cases, including three residents and four staff members.
At the Quincy home in western Illinois, there have been 86 cases, including 15 residents, and one death.
The Anna home in southern Illinois has had 13 cases, including six residents.
The Department of Public Health has said it’s working to ramp up antigen testing at the homes.
Chicago Tribune’s Dan Petrella contributed.
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jmunks@chicagotribune.com
gpratt@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-13--Judge allows rescoring of Illinois marijuana license applicants to continue

In response , Pritzker announced the state would send out a second round of deficiency notices to applicants and allow @ @ @ @ @ rescored .
The awarding of the licenses , set for May 1 by law , @ @ @ @ @ due to the coronavirus pandemic , was further delayed indefinitely .

A judge Thursday denied a request to stop Illinois officials from rescoring applications for recreational marijuana licenses, allowing the disputed process to continue.
Sangamon County Judge Adam Giganti refused to grant a temporary restraining order against state regulators. The judge ruled that the plaintiffs didn’t show they would be irreparably harmed by letting the licensing do-over go ahead, and failed to show that they were likely to prove their case.
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The suit was filed in October against Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state administrators by three companies that received perfect scores to qualify for a lottery to win cannabis licenses — SBI IL LLC, Vertical Management LLC and GRI Holdings LLC.
Their attorney, John Fitzgerald, argued that Pritzker was caving in to “political expediency” by giving losing applicants a second chance. He said it was in violation of the state law that legalized commercial sales of marijuana this year and set forth how to award 75 new recreational licenses.
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Thomas Wells, left, and David Scott of Vertical Management on Oct. 4, 2020, in Bellwood. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Losing applicants previously had filed suit alleging the scoring process was unfair because they were not given required notices of deficiencies in their applications. They also said identical portions of different applications were scored differently by the consulting giant KPMG.
In response, Pritzker announced the state would send out a second round of deficiency notices to applicants and allow them to have their applications rescored. The awarding of the licenses, set for May 1 by law, which the governor already delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, was further delayed indefinitely.
In his ruling, the judge wrote that an injunction would disrupt and delay the issuance of licenses, and therefore the “public interest” favors allowing the scoring do-over to proceed.
State officials could not be immediately reached for comment. The plaintiffs said they were weighing their options.


chicagotribune--2020-11-13--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Lightfoot issues stay-at-home advisory as Pritzker warns of another

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Lightfoot issues stay-at-home advisory as Pritzker warns of another order; state breaks record for 3rd day in a row with 12,702 new cases

As coronavirus cases in Chicago continue to spike , Mayor Lori Lightfoot will impose a 10-person limit on weddings , birthday parties , funerals and some social events starting Monday morning .
While stopping short of issuing a citywide shutdown order , Lightfoot also is urging residents to stay home during the coming weeks .
Later in the day , Illinois Gov .
J.B. Pritzker warned that he may again put in place some form of a “ mandatory ” stay-at home order , the farthest-reaching restriction to curb the spread of COVID-19 he ’ s used to date .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a turn in the coming days , we will quickly reach the point when some form of a mandatory stay-at-home order is all that will be left , ” Pritzker said .
“ With every fiber of my being , I do not want us to get there .
But right now , that seems like where we are heading.
” The warnings came as Illinois health officials on Thursday announced 12,702 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 , topping the record set a day earlier .
It is the third day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record for cases in Illinois .
Officials also reported 43 additional fatalities , bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 536,542 and the statewide death toll to 10,477 .
As coronavirus cases skyrocket across the state , U.S. District Chief Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer on Thursday ordered a temporary suspension of in-court proceedings at the federal courthouses in Chicago and Rockford , where both clerk ’ s offices will close to the public .
Pallmeyer ’ s order comes after a rash of recent COVID-19 positive tests from employees and visitors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past several weeks that had already prompted her to suspend all civil and criminal jury trials until further notice .
Most recently , a courthouse security officer assigned to the public screening area in the lobby on Tuesday has tested positive for the virus , Pallmeyer said in a letter announcing the decision Thursday .
She also noted that Gov .
J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lightfoot have issued stay-at-home advisories and recommendations for restrictions on travel and in-person gatherings .
As of 4:30 p.m. Friday , the clerk ’ s offices at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dearborn St. and the Roszkowski courthouse in Rockford will close to the public and not reopen until at least Jan. 19 , Pallmeyer said .
In addition , beginning Monday , all civil case proceedings will be held virtually , either by phone or video conference , “ to limit the number of individuals in the courthouses at any time , ” she said .
Her letter does not spell out what changes , if any , will be made to in-person criminal hearings , though most of those proceedings are already being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will issue a formal order with more details soon .
The order marked the second time the clerk ’ s offices have been shut down at the courthouses due to the virus .
After an initial closure this past spring , the offices reopened to the public in June and trials later resumed in a limited fashion , with face coverings and social distancing measures in place to try to curtail the virus ' spread .
Pallmeyer said in her letter Thursday that the recent slew of positive tests show the courthouse “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Your safety remains my first priority as chief judge , ” Pallmeyer wrote Thursday .
“ Please do your best to protect yourselves and others , not only here in the courthouse , but also in your personal lives .
This will be behind us—soon , I hope—and I want all of you back in person and healthy.
” 5:25 p.m. : As cases continue surging in Illinois , Pritzker warns possible 2nd state stay-at home order could be near If Illinois ' coronavirus resurgence doesn ’ t begin to subside , Gov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may again put in place some form of a “ mandatory ” stay-at home order , the farthest-reaching restriction to curb the spread of COVID-19 he ’ s used to date .
“ If things don ’ t take a turn in the coming days , we will quickly reach the point when some form of a mandatory stay-at-home order is all that will be left , ” Pritzker said at a coronavirus briefing in Chicago on Thursday .
“ With every fiber of my being , I do not want us to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that seems like where we are heading.
” The state Department of Public Health on Thursday announced an additional 12,702 newly confirmed and probable cases and an additional 43 deaths of people with COVID-19 .
The new and probable cases set yet another record for a daily high , and the average number of new cases over the past week now stands at 11,625 .
4:05 p.m. : School buildings shut for quarantine , reopen for 3 days before new COVID cases in Norridge shut them down again After having its school buildings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school district reopened Monday and taught three days of in-person classes before a surge of new COVID cases forced it to send students at one school back home for remote learning .
Some teachers also composed a letter saying they felt they were facing unsafe working conditions .
Norridge School District 80 , a two-school elementary district that serves just over 1,000 students , began the school year with hybrid in-person and remote learning .
At the end of October , families of students and some teachers reported positive cases of COVID-19 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a move to remote learning .
Students and teachers returned to school Monday after the quarantine period ended , but by Wednesday evening , the district superintendent announced an immediate return to remote learning .
Too many teachers and staff members had either tested positive for COVID-19 or are quarantining due to possible exposure , she said .
“ We are trying very hard to stay open , but at this time between not being able to staff my buildings and too many sick kids coming to school and too many families @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Superintendent Stephanie Palmer said in an interview Thursday .
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that it obtained an email that Liz Uihlein sent Wednesday to employees at Uline , the couple ’ s shipping supply company , saying they had the virus but would return to the office on Nov. 19 .
“ Dick and I tested positive for COVID , ” she wrote .
“ After all these long months , I thought we ’ d never get it .
...
If we had not been around people with COVID @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” 12:45 p.m. : Mayor Lori Lightfoot imposes 10-person limit on weddings , funerals and other events , encourages people to stay home as coronavirus cases continue spike While stopping short of issuing a citywide shutdown order , Lightfoot also is urging residents to stay home during the coming weeks .
As part of her stay-at-home advisory , Lightfoot is encouraging residents not to leave their homes except to work , attend school , seek medical care , shop for groceries or pick up takeout food .
Those who do go out are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all times , she said .
During a webcast , Chicago public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady also warned that the city ’ s cases could reach 4,000 per day by Thanksgiving if the current spike in cases continues .
Chicago is recording an average 1,920 cases over the past 7 days , up from 1,410 a week prior , and Chicago ’ s rate of people testing positive has risen to 14 % , she said .
12:45 p.m. : Cook County sheriff gives coronavirus update at jail , asks community for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sheriff Tom Dart on Thursday pushed back against the narrative that jail staffers were negligent in responding to the coronavirus earlier this year and pleaded with the community to follow public health guidelines for COVID-19 as cases are on the rise again across the state .
At a news conference in front of Cook County Jail , Dart adamantly defended the “ heroic ” job his staff has done with containing the virus among detainees in their custody .
Earlier this year the sprawling Southwest Side facility had to grapple with the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a two-month span , including seven who died , earning the facility a label as a national hot spot .
“ The majority of people who are positive at any given moment inside the jail are people who came into the jail positive , ” he said .
“ There wasn ’ t this wild spread going on in the jail.
” Joe Biden ’ s top allies on Capitol Hill adopted a combative posture on COVID-19 relief on Thursday , accusing Washington Republicans of dragging their feet in acknowledging Biden ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 trillion-plus relief bill that ’ s a nonstarter with congressional Republicans .
The message from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. , and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y. — both of whom witnessed disappointing outcomes in House and Senate races last week — was that Republicans should concede the presidential election was won by Biden and immediately return to negotiations on COVID relief , with the Democrats ' $ 2.4 trillion “ HEROES Act ” as the starting point .
“ It ’ s most unfortunate that the Republicans have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will of the people , ” Pelosi told reporters .
“ It ’ s like the house is burning down , and they just refuse to throw water on it.
” Illinois health officials on Thursday announced 12,702 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 43 additional fatalities , bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 536,542 and the statewide death toll to 10,477 since the start of the pandemic .
Officials also reported 100,617 new tests in the last 24 hours .
The seven-day statewide rolling positivity rate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tests was 12.6 % for the period ending Wednesday , up from 8 % on Nov. 1 .
Corey Lewandowski recently traveled to Pennsylvania to assist Trump ’ s efforts to contest the state ’ s election results .
He said Thursday he believes he was infected in Philadelphia and he ’ s not experiencing any symptoms .
Lewandowski appeared with Rudy Giuliani at an event last Saturday outside a landscaping company and lobbed unfounded accusations of voter fraud as the race was called for Trump ’ s challenger , now-President-elect Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Night party at the White House last week linked to several virus cases .
11:31 a.m. : States start ramping up for the biggest vaccination effort in US history , as COVID-19 spikes across country With a COVID-19 vaccine drawing closer , public health officials across the country are gearing up for the biggest vaccination effort in U.S. history — a monumental undertaking that must distribute hundreds of millions of doses , prioritize who ’ s first in line and ensure that people who get the initial shot return for the necessary second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early as next month , when federal officials say the first vaccine may be authorized for emergency use and immediately deployed to high-risk groups , such as health care workers .
“ The cavalry is coming , ” Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday on ABC ’ s “ Good Morning America.
” He said he hopes shots will be available to all Americans in April , May and June .
11:08 a.m. : Elementary districts in Glenview , Northbrook will pivot to online learning as area coronavirus cases continue to rise Four elementary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back to online learning for the next two months as new COVID-19 cases continue to surge locally .
School districts 27 and 28 in Northbrook , Glenview School District 34 and Northbrook-Glenview School District 30 have decided to jointly take an “ adaptive pause ” that will begin after Thanksgiving and run until after Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January , school officials announced .
“ We whole-heartedly realize this shift can be disruptive to our district families and therefore wanted to give you as much notice as possible , ” District @ @ @ @ @ @ @ message to families .
“ We know this news is not easy to hear.
” An adaptive pause is a strategy created at the beginning of the school year to allow schools to pivot to remote learning when needed , according to Illinois Department of Public Health guidance from August .
10:45 a.m. : Time to relive the garage parties of your youth .
Chicagoans are remodeling outdoor spaces to socialize safely as winter approaches .
After spending months working from home in tight quarters with her two college-aged children , Katie Wrobel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would make it through winter confined in the same living space .
“ I was inspired by the garage parties of my youth , ” said Wrobel , who ’ s in her 50s .
“ I had to do something because if they were home for extended periods of time during the winter and had no access to outdoor socializing … Well , then , it was going to be bad for everyone.
” 8:58 a.m. : Building in a pandemic : Steppenwolf ’ s new theater campus is a $ 54 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March of last year , Chicago ’ s Steppenwolf Theatre officially announced its campus expansion : a new $ 54 million theater-in-the-round .
Back then , theaters still staged live shows and cared not for streaming video .
Zoom was a comic-book term rather than a communication lifeline .
Layoffs and closures were far from ubiquitous in the cultural sector .
And social distancing was an oxymoron .
But thanks to the lockdown exemption for construction projects throughout the COVID-19 crisis in Illinois , this transformative addition designed by the Chicago architecture film @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , incredibly , continued on schedule , rising alongside the mostly shuttered eateries and bars of a Halsted Street devoid of its usual foot traffic .
8:02 a.m. : Wisconsin , inundated with COVID-19 hospitalizations , now at ‘ tipping point , ’ health experts say Health and hospital officials said Wednesday they feared Wisconsin ’ s COVID-19 situation was becoming increasingly dire , as the state reported more than 7,000 new cases and more than 60 deaths for the second day in a row amid record hospitalizations .
“ We ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this could get much worse quickly , ” Dr. Ryan Westergaard , a chief medical officer with the state Department of Health Services , said the day after Gov .
Tony Evers gave a rare prime-time speech announcing an order advising residents to stay home .
A record 2,102 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 Wednesday , including a record 441 in intensive care .
Eric Borgerding , CEO of the Wisconsin Hospital Association , said staffing is a bigger challenge than finding beds because hundreds , if not thousands , of health care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with or exposed to the coronavirus , often in the community .
Borgerding said hospitals in every part of the state are stressed , some with patients ready to be discharged to nursing homes that won ’ t take them because of coronavirus outbreaks or concerns .
Leaders of the Mayo Clinic Health System in northwestern Wisconsin said Tuesday they had 83 COVID-19 patients , and their hospitals in Barron , Bloomer , Eau Claire , Menomonie and Osseo were full .
7:56 a.m. : Interested in the Pfizer vaccine , or the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We ’ re answering readers ' questions about COVID-19 .
Pfizer Inc. says its COVID-19 vaccine , now in a final stage of testing , may be 90 % effective .
But how does it work ?
Can you explain the new colors and the changes in Chicago ’ s quarantine travel list ?
These are the two latest questions from readers that we ’ ve answered with the help of health and science experts .
For the complete list so far , go here .
Ask your own questions here .
—Alison @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rockett 7:05 a.m. : Fewer plan to travel for Thanksgiving because of pandemic and unemployment , AAA says Fewer Illinois residents plan to travel by plane for Thanksgiving than since 2009 , with the estimated number of Illinoisans taking a Thanksgiving trip by car the lowest since 2016 , according to estimates by AAA .
“ AAA projects 50 million Americans will travel this Thanksgiving .
In Illinois , the expectation is 2.4 million travelers and in Indiana it is 1.1 million .
However , these figures could be even lower as Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to a news release .
Overall , the number of people expected to travel for the holiday in Illinois is the lowest since 2014 , according to AAA .
Nationally , the number of people expected to travel is down nearly 10 percent from 2019 , although the group expects that number could decline further .
The number of people who plan to travel by bus , train or cruise ship is the lowest on record , according to the private travel association .
“ Health concerns and unemployment are the key @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lowest Thanksgiving travel volume in four years , and the largest yearly decline since the Great Recession , ” according to the release .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “ says staying home is the best way to stop the spread of COVID-19 , ” Molly Hart , a Chicago-area spokesperson for AAA said in the release .
“ For those who still decide to travel , we urge you to take every precaution possible to protect yourself and others.
” Here are five things that happened Wednesday regarding COVID-19 @

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CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
As coronavirus cases in Chicago continue to spike, Mayor Lori Lightfoot will impose a 10-person limit on weddings, birthday parties, funerals and some social events starting Monday morning. While stopping short of issuing a citywide shutdown order, Lightfoot also is urging residents to stay home during the coming weeks.
Later in the day, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned that he may again put in place some form of a “mandatory” stay-at home order, the farthest-reaching restriction to curb the spread of COVID-19 he’s used to date.
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“If things don’t take a turn in the coming days, we will quickly reach the point when some form of a mandatory stay-at-home order is all that will be left,” Pritzker said. “With every fiber of my being, I do not want us to get there. But right now, that seems like where we are heading.”
The warnings came as Illinois health officials on Thursday announced 12,702 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, topping the record set a day earlier. It is the third day in a row with a new daily record for cases in Illinois. Officials also reported 43 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 536,542 and the statewide death toll to 10,477.
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Here’s what’s happening Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
7:15 p.m.: In-court proceedings temporarily suspended at federal courthouses in Chicago and Rockford
As coronavirus cases skyrocket across the state, U.S. District Chief Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer on Thursday ordered a temporary suspension of in-court proceedings at the federal courthouses in Chicago and Rockford, where both clerk’s offices will close to the public.
Pallmeyer’s order comes after a rash of recent COVID-19 positive tests from employees and visitors at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse over the past several weeks that had already prompted her to suspend all civil and criminal jury trials until further notice.
Most recently, a courthouse security officer assigned to the public screening area in the lobby on Tuesday has tested positive for the virus, Pallmeyer said in a letter announcing the decision Thursday. She also noted that Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lightfoot have issued stay-at-home advisories and recommendations for restrictions on travel and in-person gatherings.
As of 4:30 p.m. Friday, the clerk’s offices at both the Dirksen building at 219 S. Dearborn St. and the Roszkowski courthouse in Rockford will close to the public and not reopen until at least Jan. 19, Pallmeyer said. In addition, beginning Monday, all civil case proceedings will be held virtually, either by phone or video conference, “to limit the number of individuals in the courthouses at any time,” she said.
Her letter does not spell out what changes, if any, will be made to in-person criminal hearings, though most of those proceedings are already being done by teleconference. Pallmeyer said she will issue a formal order with more details soon.
The order marked the second time the clerk’s offices have been shut down at the courthouses due to the virus. After an initial closure this past spring, the offices reopened to the public in June and trials later resumed in a limited fashion, with face coverings and social distancing measures in place to try to curtail the virus' spread.
Pallmeyer said in her letter Thursday that the recent slew of positive tests show the courthouse “is not immune to coronavirus.”
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“Your safety remains my first priority as chief judge,” Pallmeyer wrote Thursday. “Please do your best to protect yourselves and others, not only here in the courthouse, but also in your personal lives. This will be behind us—soon, I hope—and I want all of you back in person and healthy.”
—Jason Meisner
5:25 p.m.: As cases continue surging in Illinois, Pritzker warns possible 2nd state stay-at home order could be near
If Illinois' coronavirus resurgence doesn’t begin to subside, Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned Thursday that he may again put in place some form of a “mandatory” stay-at home order, the farthest-reaching restriction to curb the spread of COVID-19 he’s used to date.
“If things don’t take a turn in the coming days, we will quickly reach the point when some form of a mandatory stay-at-home order is all that will be left,” Pritzker said at a coronavirus briefing in Chicago on Thursday. “With every fiber of my being, I do not want us to get there. But right now, that seems like where we are heading.”
The state Department of Public Health on Thursday announced an additional 12,702 newly confirmed and probable cases and an additional 43 deaths of people with COVID-19. The new and probable cases set yet another record for a daily high, and the average number of new cases over the past week now stands at 11,625.
Read more here. —Jamie Munks
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4:05 p.m.: School buildings shut for quarantine, reopen for 3 days before new COVID cases in Norridge shut them down again
After having its school buildings closed for quarantine, a Norridge elementary school district reopened Monday and taught three days of in-person classes before a surge of new COVID cases forced it to send students at one school back home for remote learning. Some teachers also composed a letter saying they felt they were facing unsafe working conditions.
Norridge School District 80, a two-school elementary district that serves just over 1,000 students, began the school year with hybrid in-person and remote learning. At the end of October, families of students and some teachers reported positive cases of COVID-19, leading to a district-wide, two-week quarantine and a move to remote learning.
Students and teachers returned to school Monday after the quarantine period ended, but by Wednesday evening, the district superintendent announced an immediate return to remote learning. Too many teachers and staff members had either tested positive for COVID-19 or are quarantining due to possible exposure, she said.
“We are trying very hard to stay open, but at this time between not being able to staff my buildings and too many sick kids coming to school and too many families having COVID, we have to close,” Superintendent Stephanie Palmer said in an interview Thursday.
Read more here. —Anna Kim
2:55 p.m.: GOP megadonors Liz and Dick Uihlein test positive for COVID-19
Republican megadonors Liz and Dick Uihlein have tested positive for COVID-19, a newspaper reported Thursday.
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The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that it obtained an email that Liz Uihlein sent Wednesday to employees at Uline, the couple’s shipping supply company, saying they had the virus but would return to the office on Nov. 19.
“Dick and I tested positive for COVID,” she wrote. “After all these long months, I thought we’d never get it. ... If we had not been around people with COVID, we would not have been tested.”
Read more here. —Associated Press
12:45 p.m.: Mayor Lori Lightfoot imposes 10-person limit on weddings, funerals and other events, encourages people to stay home as coronavirus cases continue spike
As coronavirus cases in Chicago continue to spike, Mayor Lori Lightfoot will impose a 10-person limit on weddings, birthday parties, funerals and some social events starting Monday morning.
While stopping short of issuing a citywide shutdown order, Lightfoot also is urging residents to stay home during the coming weeks. As part of her stay-at-home advisory, Lightfoot is encouraging residents not to leave their homes except to work, attend school, seek medical care, shop for groceries or pick up takeout food.
Those who do go out are encouraged to wear a face mask at all times, she said.
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During a webcast, Chicago public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady also warned that the city’s cases could reach 4,000 per day by Thanksgiving if the current spike in cases continues.
Chicago is recording an average 1,920 cases over the past 7 days, up from 1,410 a week prior, and Chicago’s rate of people testing positive has risen to 14%, she said.
Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
[ You’re not going to your family’s house for Thanksgiving. Here’s how to tell them. ]
12:45 p.m.: Cook County sheriff gives coronavirus update at jail, asks community for help heading off next wave
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart on Thursday pushed back against the narrative that jail staffers were negligent in responding to the coronavirus earlier this year and pleaded with the community to follow public health guidelines for COVID-19 as cases are on the rise again across the state.
At a news conference in front of Cook County Jail, Dart adamantly defended the “heroic” job his staff has done with containing the virus among detainees in their custody. Earlier this year the sprawling Southwest Side facility had to grapple with the virus when over 700 inmates tested positive during a two-month span, including seven who died, earning the facility a label as a national hot spot.
“The majority of people who are positive at any given moment inside the jail are people who came into the jail positive,” he said. “There wasn’t this wild spread going on in the jail.”
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Read more here. —Javonte Anderson
12:08 p.m.: Post-election warfare clouds chances for a COVID relief bill
Joe Biden’s top allies on Capitol Hill adopted a combative posture on COVID-19 relief on Thursday, accusing Washington Republicans of dragging their feet in acknowledging Biden’s victory while doubling down on a $2 trillion-plus relief bill that’s a nonstarter with congressional Republicans.
The message from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. — both of whom witnessed disappointing outcomes in House and Senate races last week — was that Republicans should concede the presidential election was won by Biden and immediately return to negotiations on COVID relief, with the Democrats' $2.4 trillion “HEROES Act” as the starting point.
“It’s most unfortunate that the Republicans have decided that they will not respect the will of the people,” Pelosi told reporters. “It’s like the house is burning down, and they just refuse to throw water on it.”
Read more here. —Associated Press
12:06 p.m.: 12,702 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 43 additional deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Thursday announced 12,702 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 43 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 536,542 and the statewide death toll to 10,477 since the start of the pandemic. Officials also reported 100,617 new tests in the last 24 hours.
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The seven-day statewide rolling positivity rate for cases as a share of total tests was 12.6% for the period ending Wednesday, up from 8% on Nov. 1.
—Chicago Tribune staff
11:44 a.m.: Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski tests positive for coronavirus
Corey Lewandowski recently traveled to Pennsylvania to assist Trump’s efforts to contest the state’s election results. He said Thursday he believes he was infected in Philadelphia and he’s not experiencing any symptoms.
Lewandowski appeared with Rudy Giuliani at an event last Saturday outside a landscaping company and lobbed unfounded accusations of voter fraud as the race was called for Trump’s challenger, now-President-elect Joe Biden.
Lewandowski was also at the Election Night party at the White House last week linked to several virus cases.
Read more here. —Associated Press
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11:31 a.m.: States start ramping up for the biggest vaccination effort in US history, as COVID-19 spikes across country
With a COVID-19 vaccine drawing closer, public health officials across the country are gearing up for the biggest vaccination effort in U.S. history — a monumental undertaking that must distribute hundreds of millions of doses, prioritize who’s first in line and ensure that people who get the initial shot return for the necessary second one.
The push could begin as early as next month, when federal officials say the first vaccine may be authorized for emergency use and immediately deployed to high-risk groups, such as health care workers.
“The cavalry is coming,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” He said he hopes shots will be available to all Americans in April, May and June.
Read more here. —Associated Press
11:08 a.m.: Elementary districts in Glenview, Northbrook will pivot to online learning as area coronavirus cases continue to rise
Four elementary school districts in Northfield Township are moving back to online learning for the next two months as new COVID-19 cases continue to surge locally.
School districts 27 and 28 in Northbrook, Glenview School District 34 and Northbrook-Glenview School District 30 have decided to jointly take an “adaptive pause” that will begin after Thanksgiving and run until after Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January, school officials announced.
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“We whole-heartedly realize this shift can be disruptive to our district families and therefore wanted to give you as much notice as possible,” District 27 superintendent Dave Kroeze said in a message to families. “We know this news is not easy to hear.”
An adaptive pause is a strategy created at the beginning of the school year to allow schools to pivot to remote learning when needed, according to Illinois Department of Public Health guidance from August.
Read more here. —Kaitlin Edquist
10:45 a.m.: Time to relive the garage parties of your youth. Chicagoans are remodeling outdoor spaces to socialize safely as winter approaches.
After spending months working from home in tight quarters with her two college-aged children, Katie Wrobel began to worry about how the three would make it through winter confined in the same living space.
That’s when Wrobel began to see potential in a neglected part of her Evanston property: a 100-year-old detached garage.
“I was inspired by the garage parties of my youth,” said Wrobel, who’s in her 50s. “I had to do something because if they were home for extended periods of time during the winter and had no access to outdoor socializing … Well, then, it was going to be bad for everyone.”
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Read more here. —Katie Surma
8:58 a.m.: Building in a pandemic: Steppenwolf’s new theater campus is a $54 million bet on returning to normalcy
In March of last year, Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre officially announced its campus expansion: a new $54 million theater-in-the-round. Back then, theaters still staged live shows and cared not for streaming video. Zoom was a comic-book term rather than a communication lifeline. Layoffs and closures were far from ubiquitous in the cultural sector. And social distancing was an oxymoron.
But thanks to the lockdown exemption for construction projects throughout the COVID-19 crisis in Illinois, this transformative addition designed by the Chicago architecture film of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill has, incredibly, continued on schedule, rising alongside the mostly shuttered eateries and bars of a Halsted Street devoid of its usual foot traffic.
Read more here. —Chris Jones
8:02 a.m.: Wisconsin, inundated with COVID-19 hospitalizations, now at ‘tipping point,’ health experts say
Health and hospital officials said Wednesday they feared Wisconsin’s COVID-19 situation was becoming increasingly dire, as the state reported more than 7,000 new cases and more than 60 deaths for the second day in a row amid record hospitalizations.
“We’re close to a tipping point, where this could get much worse quickly,” Dr. Ryan Westergaard, a chief medical officer with the state Department of Health Services, said the day after Gov. Tony Evers gave a rare prime-time speech announcing an order advising residents to stay home.
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A record 2,102 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 Wednesday, including a record 441 in intensive care. Eric Borgerding, CEO of the Wisconsin Hospital Association, said staffing is a bigger challenge than finding beds because hundreds, if not thousands, of health care workers are at home after being infected with or exposed to the coronavirus, often in the community.
Soaring demand for care “is coming at a time when our capacity to treat that demand is becoming more and more diminished,” Borgerding said.
With 7,048 new coronavirus cases reported Wednesday, just below Tuesday’s record of 7,073, Wisconsin remains a national hotspot and the state’s daily average of new cases was nearly 6,000, more than four times the average from two months ago. Overall, 2,457 residents have died from COVID-19.
“Right now our real biggest concern is making sure that our hospitals and clinics have the capacity to save everyone,” Westergaard said. “That tipping point is when we stop being able to save everyone who gets severely ill.”
Borgerding said hospitals in every part of the state are stressed, some with patients ready to be discharged to nursing homes that won’t take them because of coronavirus outbreaks or concerns.
“It’s not slowing down,” Borgerding said.
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Leaders of the Mayo Clinic Health System in northwestern Wisconsin said Tuesday they had 83 COVID-19 patients, and their hospitals in Barron, Bloomer, Eau Claire, Menomonie and Osseo were full.
Read more here. —Wisconsin State Journal
7:56 a.m.: Interested in the Pfizer vaccine, or the city’s new quarantine list? We’re answering readers' questions about COVID-19.
Pfizer Inc. says its COVID-19 vaccine, now in a final stage of testing, may be 90% effective. But how does it work? Can you explain the new colors and the changes in Chicago’s quarantine travel list? These are the two latest questions from readers that we’ve answered with the help of health and science experts.
For the complete list so far, go here. Ask your own questions here. —Alison Bowen, Christen A. Johnson and Darcel Rockett
7:05 a.m.: Fewer plan to travel for Thanksgiving because of pandemic and unemployment, AAA says
Fewer Illinois residents plan to travel by plane for Thanksgiving than since 2009, with the estimated number of Illinoisans taking a Thanksgiving trip by car the lowest since 2016, according to estimates by AAA.
“AAA projects 50 million Americans will travel this Thanksgiving. In Illinois, the expectation is 2.4 million travelers and in Indiana it is 1.1 million. However, these figures could be even lower as Americans monitor the public health landscape,” according to a news release.
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Overall, the number of people expected to travel for the holiday in Illinois is the lowest since 2014, according to AAA. Nationally, the number of people expected to travel is down nearly 10 percent from 2019, although the group expects that number could decline further. The number of people who plan to travel by bus, train or cruise ship is the lowest on record, according to the private travel association.
“Health concerns and unemployment are the key factors in what is expected to be the lowest Thanksgiving travel volume in four years, and the largest yearly decline since the Great Recession,” according to the release.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “says staying home is the best way to stop the spread of COVID-19,” Molly Hart, a Chicago-area spokesperson for AAA said in the release. “For those who still decide to travel, we urge you to take every precaution possible to protect yourself and others.”
—Chicago Tribune staff
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 things that happened Wednesday regarding COVID-19:


chicagotribune--2020-11-13--AP declares Democrat US Rep. Lauren Underwood winner in Illinois’ 14th District over Republican Jim

AP declares Democrat US Rep. Lauren Underwood winner in Illinois’ 14th District over Republican Jim Oberweis

Oberweis claimed victory the day after the election , then said he would seek a recount after mail-in vote results @ @ @ @ @ said Thursday that he was not conceding , and was exploring and would pursue “ @ @ @ @ @ that are at our disposal .
”

U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood crosses her fingers while talking with supporters after arriving at her election night gathering for the 14th Congressional District race on Nov. 8, 2022, in Plainfield. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Democratic U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood won her bid for a second term Thursday, narrowly defeating Republican challenger Jim Oberweis in the west and north suburban and exurban 14th Congressional District, The Associated Press declared.
The AP’s call of the race came before Underwood’s advantage over Oberweis grew from 4,288 votes on Wednesday to 4,604 on Thursday after an additional 886 ballots were reported by Lake County authorities.
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The latest unofficial vote totals showed Underwood with 200,638 votes, or 50.6%, to 196,034, or 49.4%, for Oberweis.
Oberweis claimed victory the day after the election, then said he would seek a recount after mail-in vote results found him trailing. He said Thursday that he was not conceding, and was exploring and would pursue “all of the legal options that are at our disposal.”
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The AP’s call “doesn’t change anything in this race from a legal standpoint,” Oberweis said in a statement that also pointed to seeking a recount. “There are still votes that have yet to be counted.”
Under state law, local election authorities can count until Tuesday any mail-in ballots that were postmarked on or before Election Day on Nov. 3.
Underwood, however, said she was “honored” to win the support of the district’s voters for reelection.
“This was a tough race under some very difficult circumstances, and I want to say thank you to my supporters, the voters, and our elections officials for their diligent work,” she said in a statement.
“Whether you voted for me or not, I pledge to represent every member of this community. That’s my responsibility, and I take it seriously. It’s a privilege to bring northern Illinois voices and values to Washington and I can’t wait to build upon all that we’ve accomplished, together,” she said.
Underwood said the district and the nation face “urgent challenges” and would work on “protecting our families, ensuring a robust economic recovery and lowering the cost of health care.”
The contest between Underwood, of Naperville, and Oberweis, a state senator from Sugar Grove, was a surprisingly close one. Oberweis, who received little help from national Republicans, largely self-funded his campaign at a significant cash disadvantage to the freshman Democrat.
Underwood raised more than $7 million for her reelection while Oberweis raised about $3 million, including $1.7 million in personal loans. But Oberweis benefited in part by a late push by President Donald Trump for his base to turn out in a district with historic conservative Republican leanings and several rural areas.
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In 2018, Underwood defeated three-term GOP Rep. Randy Hultgren of Plano by 5 percentage points, or roughly 15,000 votes. The 14th District and the suburban 6th District, won then by Democrat Sean Casten of Downers Grove, marked a blue suburban wave that took congressional seats from Republicans. Casten also won reelection.
Her narrow win was yet another indication of the changing partisan ideology of Chicago’s suburbs, which had long been a GOP firewall to the city’s Democratic majority. The district includes parts of DuPage, Kane, Lake, Will, McHenry, DeKalb and Kendall counties, and unofficial results showed her winning in DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will counties.
The Underwood-Oberweis contest was the last major race in Illinois to be decided, with about 14 other congressional races throughout the country that haven’t been called. Democrats are expected to maintain their majority, though by a narrow margin over Republicans.
It was the second time Oberweis, 74, failed in a bid for the seat, losing in 2008. It joins a string of losses at the federal level for the investment and dairy magnate that included unsuccessful bids for the U.S. Senate in 2002, 2004 and 2014. Oberweis also lost a 2006 bid for governor and was unsuccessful in a past bid for the state GOP chairmanship.
As a result of his bid for Congress, Oberweis could not seek reelection to the state Senate seat he has held since 2013. Jeanette Ward, a Republican seeking to replace Oberweis in Springfield, conceded her race against Democrat Karina Villa.
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Underwood, 34, a nurse, worked as a health policy administrator in President Barack Obama’s administration. She has said her candidacy came after Hultgren opposed provisions of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, that guaranteed health care coverage of preexisting conditions.


chicagotribune--2020-11-13--12-year-old boy shot while with his father to pick up school supplies on West Side. ‘Kids can’t go o

12-year-old boy shot while with his father to pick up school supplies on West Side. ‘Kids can’t go outside, they can’t do anything'

Lamar was able to talk to his mom at the hospital and told her he had no idea who shot @ @ @ @ @ He was just sitting there in the car and someone shot him , ” she @ @ @ @ @ ’ t go outside , they can ’ t do anything .
”

Police work the scene where a 12-year-old boy was shot while sitting in a parked vehicle Nov. 11, 2020, in the 1400 block of South Ridgeway Avenue. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Lamar Davis was 2 when he left Chicago with his mother.
Now 12, he is moving back to the city and getting closer to his extended family — and learning just how dangerous his new home is.
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Wednesday night, he was with his father to pick up school supplies from a family friend when a maroon SUV pulled up just in front of their car parked in the 1400 block of South Ridgeway Avenue in Lawndale, police say.
As the boy’s father talked on the phone, someone in the back seat of the SUV rolled down the window and fired several rounds from a .45-caliber handgun.
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The seventh grader was hit in the back, lower backside, hip and leg, and was taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition. His father was not hurt.
“I freaked out and rushed to the hospital,” said Lamar’s mother, Melisa Robinson, 30, adding she learned of the attack from the friend with the school supplies. "He’s a strong baby.''
Lamar was able to talk to his mom at the hospital and told her he had no idea who shot him or why. “He was just sitting there in the car and someone shot him,” she said. “Kids can’t go outside, they can’t do anything.”
Lamar Davis, 12, was shot multiple times on Nov. 11, 2020, about 9 p.m. in the 1400 block of South Ridgeway Avenue in the Lawndale neighborhood. Lamar is pictured here, while at his aunt's home.
The boy was released from Stroger Thursday afternoon, but will go back to the hospital early next week for a follow-up appointment.
Robinson said Lamar spent the first two years of his life in Chicago but they moved to Bloomington, Indiana. They are now in the process of moving back to Chicago so Lamar can be closer to his relatives.
He likes playing football but found a new love last year: basketball. He is the oldest of six and has two sisters and three brothers. “He is protective of them,” his mother said.
No arrests had been made, but police said they were reviewing surveillance tape from nearby homes and a school.
“Everybody just needs to think about what’s going on in the world and try not to harm others,” Robinson said. "I am just grateful he is OK.''
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Police work the scene where a 12-year-old boy was shot while sitting in a parked vehicle Nov. 11, 2020, in the 1400 block of South Ridgeway Avenue in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
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chicagotribune--2020-11-12--Mayor Lori Lightfoot has delivered a warning to Chicago aldermen who might vote against her budget:

Mayor Lori Lightfoot has delivered a warning to Chicago aldermen who might vote against her budget: sources

“ Black aldermen have repeatedly told the mayor that for years , they have stepped up , taken the hard @ @ @ @ @ nothing to show for it .
The mayor is committed to addressing these past wrongs @ @ @ @ @ tenure through investments on the south and west sides , ” Ruiz said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ some to step up , bear the burden and then for others who chose not @ @ @ @ @ have the same expectations of receiving taxpayer dollars that they are unwilling to support through @ @ @ @

As Mayor Lori Lightfoot works behind the scenes to muster the 26 votes she needs to pass her 2021 city budget, she has delivered a message to City Council members: Those who vote against her spending plan should not expect their wards' needs to be prioritized, according to aldermen.
In recent weeks, Lightfoot has held a series of meetings with aldermen to lobby them to support her controversial spending plan, which includes a $94 million property tax increase this year and annual bumps in the future, hundreds of city employee layoffs and a gas tax hike. The mayor’s budget also relies on increased money from fines and fees, including a plan to ticket people caught by electronic speed cameras going 6 mph over the limit.
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On Wednesday, Lightfoot met virtually with members of the City Council Black Caucus, where she made waves by telling them that aldermen who don’t support her budget won’t have their wards prioritized, according to six aldermen who were in the meetings.
“Don’t come to me for s--- for the next three years” if you don’t support the budget, two aldermen recalled her saying.
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Asked if the mayor made those remarks, Lightfoot spokeswoman Anel Ruiz did not directly answer but released a statement containing a more diplomatic version of that message.
“Black aldermen have repeatedly told the mayor that for years, they have stepped up, taken the hard votes, and then had nothing to show for it. The mayor is committed to addressing these past wrongs as she has throughout her tenure through investments on the south and west sides,” Ruiz said. “It is fundamentally unfair for some to step up, bear the burden and then for others who chose not to take tough votes to have the same expectations of receiving taxpayer dollars that they are unwilling to support through revenue votes.”
City Council members wondering whether a “no” vote on a mayor’s budget could lead to some form of retribution is nothing new at City Hall, but some aldermen were surprised by the mayor making the threat so directly.
The comments, though, mirror Lightfoot’s combative approach to aldermen who voted no on her 2020 budget, which passed 39-11. After the vote, Lightfoot launched a website shaming Chicago aldermen who voted against her first budget, casting it as a civic tool for the public despite criticism that it was petty and bullying.
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This time around, some North Side aldermen and others who represent majority-white wards have expressed concern about supporting property tax increases. That’s always a politically fraught issue in North Side wards, but some aldermen are especially concerned due to rising tax bills caused by recent Cook County reassessments.
In another attempt to build support for her budget, Lightfoot also has approached the Latino Caucus to remove exceptions in Chicago’s Welcoming City ordinance, the city’s sanctuary law, that allow police to cooperate with federal immigration authorities under limited circumstances. The city’s welcoming ordinance has been criticized by activists for years due to such allowances.
The move is being pitched as a budget sweetener to help secure their support, though some Latino aldermen have balked at that. The Latino Caucus is against the move, which some members see as a cynical attempt to wrangle votes, said Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, 35th.
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“While I’m happy that the mayor has decided to finally act on this Welcoming City amendment that’s been sitting before her for a year now, it’s not right for her to hold it hostage in the budget in order to extort votes for her property tax increase,” he said.
At an unrelated news conference Thursday, Lightfoot was asked about the carveouts being part of the budget and cast it as an attempt to fulfill a campaign promise.
“If you don’t support it, if you don’t think that our immigrant and refugee community deserves protection, you’ll be on record as casting your vote against that, but I think many people understand this is really essential to the essence of who we are as a city,” she said.
Earlier in the week, Lightfoot signaled optimism about her budget vote, telling reporters she thinks her administration is “getting very, very close.”
But Lightfoot has struggled to lock in a majority for the budget.
As first reported in the Tribune, Lightfoot’s approach to closing a projected $1.2 billion hole relies on a 3-cent gas tax hike and a $94 million property tax increase. It also includes a provision to raise property taxes annually thereafter by an amount tied to the consumer price index. That could prove agreeable to aldermen, who wouldn’t have to take as many deeply unpopular votes on such increases.
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In addition, Lightfoot is asking to refinance $501 million in city debt, which would provide a jolt of new revenue next year, but likely cost taxpayers more down the road. Similar borrowing tactics under Mayors Richard M. Daley and Rahm Emanuel drew deep criticism, but the Lightfoot administration said the city’s current financial disaster makes such a move appropriate.
Lightfoot has tried to head off opposition to the property tax hike and spending plan, calling it a “modest” increase and arguing that she’s taken other measures to reduce the hit on taxpayers.
“Some had predicted that this budget would be predicated on hundreds of millions of new property tax dollars. Not so,” Lightfoot said last month. “And for the average Chicago home valued at $250,000, you will pay just 56 additional dollars for the whole year. That’s right, just 56 new dollars per year.”
But whether aldermen whose constituents' finances have been walloped by the pandemic-fueled economic downturn agree with the mayor remains to be seen.
Lightfoot’s had other colorful exchanges with aldermen. After George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police prompted national civil unrest, Lightfoot held a call with aldermen where she mixed it up with Ald. Raymond Lopez.
After the 15th Ward alderman finished making comments, Lightfoot tried to move on without answering him, and Lopez insisted that she address his questions.
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“I think you’re 100% full of s---, is what I think,” Lightfoot responded.
Lopez replied, “Well, f--- you then.”
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
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