chicagotribune--2020-10-28--Democratic group files second complaint against Willie Wilson’s third-party bid to unseat U.S. Sen.

Democratic group files second complaint against Willie Wilson’s third-party bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin

The Democratic group said Wilson reported no contributions or spending in his original year-end report filed with the Federal Election @ @ @ @ @ FEC report covering January through March of this year showed he gave his campaign $ @ @ @ @ @ , the group said , while his report covering April through June showed he gave @ @ @ @ @ and spent $ 15,002 on TV advertising .

The state’s Democratic County Chairs' Association has filed a second federal election complaint against third-party U.S. Senate candidate Willie Wilson, alleging his self-funded campaign failed to report its spending from October of last year through June of this year.
The Democratic group said Wilson reported no contributions or spending in his original year-end report filed with the Federal Election Commission covering 2019. His FEC report covering January through March of this year showed he gave his campaign $45,000 and records no spending, the group said, while his report covering April through June showed he gave his campaign another $15,000 and spent $15,002 on TV advertising.
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“During this period, however, Dr. Wilson was actively campaigning for the U.S. Senate,” the group said in the complaint. “His campaign appears to have incurred a number of expenses through various channels, none of which correspond to any reported disbursements or in-kind contributions.”
An example of unreported spending, the group said, was Wilson’s Oct. 2, 2019, Twitter campaign ad announcing he was seeking the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Dick Durbin, who is running for a fifth term. The Twitter announcement said the ad was “paid for by Willie Wilson for Senate 2020.”
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U.S. Senate candidate Willie Wilson puts on a mask and face shield after a news conference in Chicago on Oct. 23, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
The Democratic group also cited other social media advertisements during the time period, though no expenditures were reported.
Wilson, a wealthy food and medical glove supplier and gospel record distributor, made two unsuccessful bids for Chicago mayor and had a short effort seeking the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 before voting for Republican Donald Trump.
In his most recent campaign finance report, covering July through September, Wilson reported putting $3 million into his campaign and said he started October with nearly $2.2 million in cash available.
Durbin, the No. 2 ranking Democrat in the Senate and Illinois' senior senator, reported $4.2 million available to start October. While regarded as the favorite, he has been running a heavy volume of commercials including ones featuring endorsements from former President Barack Obama and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, a senator from California.
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Scott Winslow, a spokesman for Wilson’s campaign, acknowledged receipt of the complaint.
“Our staff including accountants and attorneys are in touch with the FEC and are in the process of preparing a detailed response,” he said.
The Democratic County Chairs' Association previously filed a complaint against Wilson’s campaign for failing to use the federally required disclaimer acknowledging the candidate approved some of his TV ads. The campaign acknowledged that the disclaimer had been edited out by a production company and the language was put back in.
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Also challenging Durbin are Republican Mark Curran, a former three-term Lake County sheriff, Libertarian candidate Daniel Malouf and Green Party candidate David Black.
rap30@aol.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-28--IHSA board goes against Gov. Pritzker, will start boys and girls basketball seasons on time: ‘It’s b

IHSA board goes against Gov. Pritzker, will start boys and girls basketball seasons on time: ‘It’s been a whirlwind the last 24 hours.’

“ We ’ ve told school districts what the rules are , and I think they all know , ” @ @ @ @ @ , IHSA may have their own views of it , but school districts know what @ @ @ @ @ I think that , it ’ s unfortunate , but they would be probably taking @ @ @ @ @ went ahead and moved beyond what the state has set as the mitigation standard .
@

Lincoln-Way East’s Hayven Smith, center, talks with coach Jim Nair during a workout at the Frankfort school on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020. Using a fall contact day allowed by the Illinois High School Association, the Griffins were practicing in preparation for a season that appears imminent after the IHSA’s board decided Wednesday to start the sport on time. (Gary Middendorf / Daily Southtown)
It was a stunning development.
The Illinois High School Association decided Wednesday the boys and girls basketball seasons are on after all.
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The IHSA took a stand at a special board meeting, deciding to go against the guidelines announced Tuesday by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Practice for boys and girls basketball was scheduled to begin Nov. 16, with games being played by Nov. 30.
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The prevailing feeling by suburban coaches is a mix of shock and happiness with some trepidation.
“We’ve been on an emotional roller coaster,” Hillcrest boys basketball coach Don Houston said. “Is the season starting or isn’t it? Now we know, and it feels great.”
Aurora Central Catholic boys basketball coach Nate Drye couldn’t believe his ears when he received word about the IHSA’s decision.
“I’m blown away,” Drye said. “I can’t believe they actually did it. I’m very much in support of the move to allow kids to play. It’s been too long for people to take into consideration what this (shutdown) has done to kids and their overall health and well-being.
“We’ve been playing in open gyms across the state for a couple months. We’ve been erring on the side of caution. If it shows up to be a problem, you make adjustments. We’ve been in school and had in-school learning for 11 weeks with no issues and not living in fear.”
Craig Anderson, the executive director of the IHSA, had a Zoom meeting with athletic directors statewide at 3 p.m. to announce moving forward with winter sports despite the IDPH changing basketball from medium risk to high risk.
Marian Catholic’s Jeremiah Jones, center, launches a 3-point shot against St. Laurence during a game in Burbank on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020. (Gary Middendorf / Daily Southtown)
The board also voted to move wrestling to the summer season, which will be held April 19 to June 26.
Boys swimming, diving, cheerleading, dance, boys and girls bowling, and girls gymnastics — also classified as winter sports by the IHSA — have been deemed low risk.
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Mitigation rules for those sports will be posted later in the week. Basketball players, coaches and officials, however, will have to wear masks during games.
Oak Forest wrestling coach Shawn Forst wasn’t surprised to see the season moved to the summer.
“I think most of us in the wrestling community saw it coming,” Forst said. “We’ve been doing a lot of virtual meetings and working with college coaches. We kind of knew that this would be moved.
“We figured we’d do the preseason workouts in March and April, when it would have a little more impact.”
Even with the wrestling season postponed until the summer, Forst said he was excited about the change.
“Absolutely, I’m always happy for hope,” he said. “You always want what’s best for the kids. In this day and age, I’m not sure there’s a right answer for anything.”
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Mount Carmel’s Noah Mis, left, wraps up Naperville Central’s Elrin Esporlas during the 138-pound match in the Class 3A Sandburg Dual Team Sectional semifinals in Orland Park on Feb. 25, 2020. (Gary Middendorf / Daily Southtown)
One day after Pritzker’s announcement, the IHSA was expected to fall into line.
Instead, the IHSA statement said in part, “The board has not been presented any causal evidence that rising COVID-19 cases make basketball more dangerous to play by the IDPH or any other health organization nationally or internationally. On the contrary, the IHSA has been looking to bordering states who have sponsored both medium-risk and high-risk sports in the fall that have noted a low incident rate of COVID-19 spread.
“Mounting challenges, from increased mental health issues among our students to a shrinking calendar that limits our ability to move sport seasons this school year, were instrumental in this decision to move forward with basketball as scheduled. We see our students regularly leaving the state to play sports or covertly continuing to play locally. Students can be better protected in the high school setting.”
Part of that protection will be wearing a mask.
Oak Forest boys basketball coach Matt Manzke has no issue with that aspect — as long as it means there will be a season.
The Lincoln-Way East girls basketball team works out at the Frankfort school on Wednesday, Oct 28, 2020. Using a fall contact day allowed by the Illinois High School Association, the Griffins were practicing in preparation for a season that appears imminent after the IHSA’s board decided Wednesday to start the sport on time. (Gary Middendorf / Daily Southtown)
“It’s been shown in other states that this can be done safely,” he said. “We can do this. I also like it from the standpoint that we can keep tabs on what the kids are doing. We can’t do that with their travel teams.
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“The kids have put in a lot of work. There are kids who have worked hard for their opportunity. Now they’re going to get it as long as everyone is on board.”
It’s possible some schools and school districts could follow the lead of Pritzker and the IDHP and decide not to play. In fact, Pritzker touched on that subject Wednesday at his coronavirus briefing in Chicago.
“We’ve told school districts what the rules are, and I think they all know,” Pritzker said. “So, IHSA may have their own views of it, but school districts know what the rules are, and I think that, it’s unfortunate, but they would be probably taking on legal liability if they went ahead and moved beyond what the state has set as the mitigation standard.”
Homewood-Flossmoor girls basketball coach Tony Smith understands whether H-F will follow the lead of the IHSA or IDPH will come from the school’s administration.
“I’m ready to play,” Smith said. “We have planned on it, we prepared for it, we’ve got a schedule, we have everything in place to play. The goal always was to play. If they tell us we can play Nov. 16 and we can practice, we’re all set to go. If it changes, we’re ready to pause and work around it.
“But now, I think, Homewood-Flossmoor is going to make the decision for Homewood-Flossmoor, the student population and our town. I haven’t talked to the people who make that choice, but we’re going to trust them to do the right thing. We’re going to fully honor and support that.”
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Mother McAuley girls basketball coach Keisha Newell admitted having a wide range of emotions upon hearing the news.
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to our administration about it at all,” she said. “So I don’t want to get too high or too low. I kind of just want to wait and see how it plays out.
“I’m hopeful a little bit and excited that we may be able to play. But I’d like to get all of the details first and not jump to any conclusions. We want to make sure we’re making the right decisions.”
Thornton’s Sean Burress (5) takes the ball to the basket against Bloom’s Christian Shumate (24) during a game in Chicago Heights on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020. (Gary Middendorf / Daily Southtown)
Such as the safety of her players.
“I’m not an expert,” Newell said. “Do I want to play? Of course, I want to play. But I also want to protect our players. I care about them a lot.
“We’ve been doing it. We’ve been playing in masks and competing with masks on. Our girls have been diligent. They have not complained one time. Whether it’s safe to play or not, but I would love to play and have a season.”
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Zion-Benton boys basketball coach Bob Worthington, a former forward for Michigan State, doesn’t like the mixed messages from the IHSA and the governor’s office.
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“It’s hard to believe two entities that govern a large body can’t be on the same page,” he said. “I don’t know what message it sends, so I want to get as much information as I can. But it’s surprising. Very, very surprising.
“I’m not sure how it will play out, but I do think some local control makes sense. Everybody belongs to a conference, so things are so connected, and that will make things difficult. Our kids definitely need some normalcy, but they also need to be safe.”
Oswego East boys basketball coach Ryan Velasquez, meanwhile, supports the IHSA’s decision.
“It’s very encouraging,” he said. “I’m glad it looks like we may get an opportunity to play. It’s been a whirlwind the last 24 hours. It was unfortunate to hear the news Tuesday from the governor.
“I’m very excited. But at the same time, these decisions are not made by me. I want my guys to be able to play, but I think some decisions will have to be made within our administration before it happens.
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“But I feel like we can do this.”
Staff reporters Rick Armstrong and Tony Baranek and freelance reporter Bob Narang contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-10-28--Few details released by police after man shot to death in Hoffman Estates homicide

Authorities were called to the 200 block of West Berkley Lane about 11:45 a.m. Tuesday , according to a statement @ @ @ @ @ Bending .
It wasn ’ t clear who contacted authorities to have officers dispatched to @ @ @ @ @ an email , Bending said someone made an unclear 911 call that directed police to @ @ @

Hoffman Estates police are investigating the Tuesday death of a man in the northwest suburb as a homicide after the Cook County medical examiner’s office determined he died from a gunshot wound.
Authorities were called to the 200 block of West Berkley Lane about 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, according to a statement from police Sgt. John Bending. It wasn’t clear who contacted authorities to have officers dispatched to the home, but in an email, Bending said someone made an unclear 911 call that directed police to the home.
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“At the time of the call, the dispatchers were unable to ascertain the nature of the call from the 911 caller,” he said.
When they arrived, “responding officers discovered a deceased subject on the scene,” the statement said. Bending said the victim was a man, but he did not provide additional information, including what type of injuries the man might have suffered.
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The Cook County medical examiner’s office determined the man died from a gunshot wound to the face in a homicide. The man was 20 years old, according to data released by the office.
Natalia Derevyanny, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner’s office, said the man’s next of kin had not yet been notified and she could not release the man’s name.
The homicide remains under investigation by Hoffman Estates police detectives.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-10-28--Watch live: Gov. J.B. Pritzker gives a COVID-19 update

Gov .
J.B. Pritzker is expected to give a COVID-19 update in a briefing scheduled for 2:30 p.m. , a @ @ @ @ @ tighter restrictions that would prohibit indoor dining and bar service in Chicago .
Watch live @ @

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chicagotribune--2020-10-28--Cook County launches jobs training, placement program for suburbs as stricter COVID-19 measures go i

Cook County launches jobs training, placement program for suburbs as stricter COVID-19 measures go into effect

“ This assistance is coming at a critical time in the U.S. employment market , ” Preckwinkle said at a @ @ @ @ @ “ COVID-19 has forced many local businesses to adapt to unprecedented circumstances .
As restrictions @ @ @ @ @ we know that more restrictions are going into effect ... , we will see more @ @ @ @ @ professionals experience a decline in service , reduction of hours for employees and in some @ @ @ @

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle delivers her 2021 budget plan that dips into reserves, does not raise taxes and enacts some cuts at the Cook County Building on Oct. 15, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The day stricter state-imposed coronavirus restrictions took hold in suburban Cook County, officials announced a jobs program funded by $4 million in federal stimulus money to train and employ residents who are out of work due to the pandemic.
Run with the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, the program made possible by Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act money will funnel grants toward seven workforce agencies in the suburbs, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced Wednesday. Participants can take part in job placement, career coaching, and skills training on job hunting and interview preparation.
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“This assistance is coming at a critical time in the U.S. employment market,” Preckwinkle said at a North Riverside news conference. “COVID-19 has forced many local businesses to adapt to unprecedented circumstances. As restrictions go into effect, and we know that more restrictions are going into effect ..., we will see more restaurant workers and hospitality industry professionals experience a decline in service, reduction of hours for employees and in some cases closures.”
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday announced he was imposing stricter measures on suburban Cook County starting Wednesday to curb the latest coronavirus surge that has struck the region with rising test positivity and hospital admission numbers, leaving many small business owners crestfallen over the prospects of their financial survival. The next day, Pritzker announced the same restrictions on Chicago despite alarm from Mayor Lori Lightfoot that a ban on indoor dining would cripple the restaurant and bar industry.
With no second federal stimulus bill coming soon, Cook County has rolled out a flurry of relief programs using CARES Act money over the past month. And the demand likely will exceed the available funds — a $2.1 million direct cash assistance program that aims to serve about 3,000 residents already received more than 14,000 applications since its Monday unveiling, Preckwinkle said Wednesday.
Cook County officials pledged that they will offer more help as the need continues. The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership in charge of the jobs program received a flood of notices from businesses who have had to curtail their workforce in March, said CEO Karin Norington-Reaves, and their situations have remained grim.
“In March, those layoffs were anticipated to be temporary,” Norington-Reaves said. “By the fall, many had become permanent. In short, these are grave times.”
Suburban residents can apply for the jobs program at https://chicookworks.org/initiatives/covid-19-workforce-development-related-information/. In addition to job matching and training, the program will pay for retraining current employees to avoid layoffs, launching a pilot program to give consulting services to small and mid-sized manufacturers who have been hurt by COVID-19′s financial impact, and other resources for employers who are struggling.
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-28--Remembering loved ones lost to COVID-19 with ofrendas for Day of The Dead

Mexican American families pay homage to the victims of the coronavirus through Day of The Dead altars as COVID-19 cases @ @ @ @

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Camila De La O, 16, smiles while holding one of her family dogs, Coco, in front of her family's elaborate ofrenda, or home altar, spanning the living and dining rooms, on Oct. 23, 2020, in Chicago. Camila and her mother, Rosa Lilia De La O, decorate their home to remember relatives and friends who have died, as part of the annual Dia De Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, holiday. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)


chicagotribune--2020-10-28--Suburban voters weighing in on cannabis, school building projects and other issues

Some county board members were critical of placing those measures on the ballot but not dealing with what they said @ @ @ @ @ such as consolidating the recorder of deeds office with the county clerk ’ s office @ @ @ @ @ the county board from 18 to 12 members .

Voters in the suburbs will weigh in this election season on dozens of issues from school funding and marijuana to taxes and the structure of their local governments.
Here is a look at some of the proposals on suburban ballots:
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School issues
A number of communities will decide whether to take on property tax hikes in order to fund school improvement projects.
In Itasca School District 10, the Board of Education is asking voters whether they approve issuing $26.98 million in bonds to do repairs and improvements on school buildings.
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Raymond Benson Primary, Elmer H. Franzen Intermediate and F.E. Peacock Middle schools would receive improvements such as a secured entryway, emergency response systems and new science labs. The funds would also allow for repairs of the plumbing systems and other infrastructure.
In Norridge, voters in Pennoyer School District 97 will be asked whether they support a proposal to issue $10.9 million in bonds for repairs and improvements along with an addition to the one-building, pre-K to eighth grade school.
District officials have said the need for repairs is “urgent,” citing leaking ceilings, lead in the drinking fountains and a lack of elevators for students with mobility issues.
The referendum also proposes building a STEM, or science, technology, engineering and math, lab.
Voters in 2018 rejected a $25 million proposal to tackle similar issues.
Other districts with school funding issues on the ballot are Winfield School District 34 in Winfield, which is asking to issue $4.7 million in building bonds for physical improvements and safety upgrades, and Gower School District 62 in Willowbrook, which seeks to issue $14.95 million for improvements at Gower West School.
Northlake also has a school issue on the ballot, as it asks voters whether the government should support efforts to place all of Northlake in one high school district.
Most of Northlake is included in Leyden High School District 212, while a small portion south of North Avenue is part of Proviso High School District 209. For decades, some residents have advocated to send all students to Leyden High School District 212.
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Cannabis, liquor sales and gaming
Seven municipalities are asking voters to weigh in on whether officials should allow the sale of cannabis. The towns are Elk Grove Village, Mount Prospect, Park Ridge, Western Springs, Wilmette, Glen Ellyn and Batavia.
In Northlake, voters will signal whether they support allowing the “serving and consumption” of alcohol at gas stations. Some gas station owners in the municipality are pushing for liquor licenses, which would allow them to install video gaming machines. Illinois law requires a business that operates video gambling to hold a liquor license.
Elk Grove Village and Lombard voters will also weigh in on video gaming. In Elk Grove Village, voters will be asked whether officials should limit the number of video gaming locations in the village.
In Lombard voters will be asked whether video gaming should be permitted in the village.
Voters cast their ballots in early voting at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton on Sept. 30, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
DuPage County
The DuPage County Board has placed three advisory referendums on the ballot concerning law enforcement and COVID-19 provisions. County residents will be asked:
Shall DuPage County continue to consider financial support of law enforcement and public safety its top budgeting priority?
In order to fight the spread of COVID-19, shall DuPage County obtain a stockpile of personal protective equipment for distribution to nursing homes, first responders, health care providers and at-risk communities who are not otherwise able to obtain personal protective equipment?
Shall DuPage County continue to fund and support training methods that decrease the risk of injury to officers and suspects for local law enforcement agencies?
Some county board members were critical of placing those measures on the ballot but not dealing with what they said were more pressing issues, such as consolidating the recorder of deeds office with the county clerk’s office or decreasing the size of the county board from 18 to 12 members.
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“We’re taking an opportunity away from our constituents,” board member Mary FitzGerald Ozog, D-Glen Ellyn, said at an August board meeting. “Instead we’re going to ask them three questions about issues and functions that we certainly should already be doing.”
Other issues
Westchester residents will vote on whether the village can raise property taxes in order to issue $42 million in bonds for street, alley, sewer and other related improvements.
A report found that 33% of Westchester’s roads are in poor or very poor condition, according to the village.
In Homer Township, voters will be asked whether officials should seek grants to build a multipurpose building.
The building would serve as a community center for social and educational events. The advisory referendum seeks feedback on whether the township should look for grant funding. The proposal would not increase property taxes, officials said.
Oak Park voters will face two nonbinding questions, one asking whether government agencies should return cash reserves to taxpayers when they exceed six months operating expenses and the other, whether capital expenditures of $5 million or more should be subject to approval by voters via a binding referendum.
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The questions were placed on the ballot by an Oak Park resident who cited concern about projects planned by Oak Park and River Forest High School and the Park District of Oak Park using the agencies' cash reserves.
In Lake Zurich, voters will weigh in on whether to hike sales tax by half of a percent to create a stream of funding for infrastructure needs.
A number of towns and villages will pose questions to voters about governmental structure. Among those are McHenry County, which is considering abolishing the office of the county coroner; Lake County, which is considering eliminating the county recorder’s office; Calumet City, which is considering placing term limits on the mayor; and Crestwood, which is looking at becoming a home rule unit.
Pioneer Press reporters Anna Kim and Steve Schering and freelance reporters Alicia Fabbre and Michelle Mullins contributed.
mabuckley@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-28--COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital da

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

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-10-28--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-10-28--Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 51 new deaths, 6,110 new confirmed cases and 70,752 new test resu

Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 51 new deaths, 6,110 new confirmed cases and 70,752 new test results

Illinois announced 6,110 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Wednesday for a total of 389,095 .
The state also announced 51 @ @ @ @ @ of 9,619 and 70,752 new test results for a total of 7.46 million .

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


chicagotribune--2020-10-28--Tinley Park man, 18, charged after accidentally shooting friend, police say

The shooting occurred early Sunday at a home in the 8400 block of South Brookpoint Court , and police said @ @ @ @ @ , who lives in the home , was hanging out with friends when he pointed @ @ @ @ @ them and fired one round .

A Tinley Park man has been charged after accidentally shooting his friend in the face with what he thought was an unloaded handgun, police said Wednesday.
The shooting occurred early Sunday at a home in the 8400 block of South Brookpoint Court, and police said that Robert Cannon, 18, who lives in the home, was hanging out with friends when he pointed the gun at one of them and fired one round.
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The friend was initially taken to Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox then transferred to Loyola University Medical Center for treatment, where he is in critical condition, police said.
Robert Cannon (Tinley Park Police / HANDOUT)
Police responded to the home at 12:06 a.m. and Cannon was later charged with aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated discharge of a firearm and reckless conduct, according to police.
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The firearm belonged to Cannon’s parents, according to police Chief Matthew Walsh. No other information on the victim was available.
Cannon was booked into Will County Jail Monday with bond set at $10,000, and released that evening, according to jail records.
mnolan@tribpub.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-28--Column: Biden closing campaign on note of unity, while Trump sticks with sound and fury, signifying

Column: Biden closing campaign on note of unity, while Trump sticks with sound and fury, signifying hate

“ In the recent encyclical , Pope Francis warns us against this phony populism that appeals to ‘ the basest @ @ @ @ @ He goes on to say that politics is something more noble than posturing , marketing @ @ @ @ @ These sow nothing but division , conflict and a bleak cynicism.
’ He said for @ @ @ @ @ , we do well to ask ourselves , ‘ Why am I doing this ?
@ @ @ @ @ real aim ?
’

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, during a drive-in campaign rally at the Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood in Atlanta on Oct. 27, 2020. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times)
As we enter the final week of the campaign — a week I plan to spend alphabetizing my barrels of existential angst — it seems valuable to note the closing messages coming from President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.
Put simply, Biden’s message, whether you like it or not, is one of unity, of bringing the country together to combat a coronavirus pandemic that is getting worse. He was in Warm Springs, Georgia, on Tuesday, a city with natural springs that President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited for polio treatments.
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“This place, Warm Springs, is a reminder that, though broken, each of us can be healed,” Biden said. “That as a people and a country we can overcome this devastating virus.”
Trump’s message, whether you like it or not, is something more along the lines of: “AUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!! SOCIALISTS ARE COMING TO TAKE YOUR PUPPIES AND THERE’S NO VIRUS AND I AM AMAZING! GAZE UPON MY GODLIKE POWERS AND BE REBORN!!!”
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I’m paraphrasing, of course.
But the real differences couldn’t be more stark.
Trump and his campaign have moved heaven and earth to paint Biden as weak or senile or somehow incapable of stringing together coherent sentences. It’s a curious approach, given that they’re simultaneously trying to paint him as the mastermind of a devious international grift.
But as he spoke those words in Georgia, he didn’t resemble the old-man caricature Trumpists have tried so hard to create. He didn’t stumble or lose his way or hesitate:
“I’ve talked about the battle for the soul of America since the very beginning of this campaign. And I want to be very clear in these closing days about what I mean and about what I intend to do in that battle to assure that our better angels prevail over our worst instincts.
“I believe this election is about who we are as a nation, what we believe, and maybe most importantly, who we want to be. It’s about our essence. It’s about what makes us Americans. It’s that fundamental.
“Time and again throughout our history we’ve seen charlatans, the con men, the phony populists who sought to play on our fears, appeal to our worst appetites and pick at the oldest scabs we have for their own political gain. They appear when the nation has been hit the hardest and we’re at our most vulnerable, never to solve anything but only to benefit themselves.
“In the recent encyclical, Pope Francis warns us against this phony populism that appeals to ‘the basest and most selfish instincts.’ He goes on to say that politics is something more noble than posturing, marketing and media spin. ‘These sow nothing but division, conflict and a bleak cynicism.’ He said for those who seek to lead, we do well to ask ourselves, ‘Why am I doing this? Why? What is my real aim?’
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“Pope Francis asked questions that anyone who seeks to lead this great nation should be able to answer. And my answer is this: I run to reunite this nation and to heal this nation. I’ve said this from the beginning. It’s badly necessary.
“The Bible tells us there’s a time to break down and a time to build up, a time to heal. This is that time.”
As if to swiftly prove Biden’s words precise, the Trump campaign spun a fragment of them into an offensive online campaign ad. They took the three sentences Biden quoted from the pope’s encyclical — “Why am I doing this? Why? What is my real aim?” — and used them wholly out of context to imply senility, ham-handedly making it look like Biden has no idea who he is or what he’s doing.
Taking the words of the pope and using them to inaccurately and sneeringly demean your opponent: That’s the bare essence of Trump and Trumpism. It’s a toxic mix of cruelty, dishonesty and sadism.
And it’s teeing up Biden’s closing message: We can and should be better than this.
Lest I devote too much space to Biden’s words, here are a few things Trump said on the campaign trail Tuesday at large, mostly maskless gatherings in states already seeing dramatic spikes in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.
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In Michigan, Trump seemingly defended a recently foiled domestic terrorist plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who has implemented strict coronavirus rules: “I mean, we’ll have to see if it’s a problem. Right? People are entitled to say maybe it was a problem, maybe it wasn’t.”
He, the president of the United States of America, reveled in the crowd’s “Lock her up!” chant, directed at Whitmer.
He mentally time-traveled back to 1950 and told suburban women: “I’m also getting your husbands — they wanna get back to work, right? They wanna get back to work. We’re getting your husbands back to work.”
And Trump addressed the coronavirus, which has killed more than 225,000 Americans.
“And you know now, with them,” Trump said, pointing to journalists covering the event, “you can’t watch anything else. You turn it on, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID. Well, we have a spike in cases. You ever notice they don’t use the word death, they use the word cases. Like Barron Trump is a case. He had sniffles. He was sniffling. One Kleenex, that’s all he needed. One Kleenex. And he was better.”
That, I suppose, is Trump’s closing message. A bit Shakespearean in that it’s a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying hate.
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People will take what they want from the candidates’ words in this final week. Me, I’ll be alphabetizing my angst barrels and praying that a bit of humanity prevails.
rhuppke@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-28--2 critically ill from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, fire officials say

Two adults were taken to a hospital in critical condition and a cat died after lethal levels of carbon monoxide @ @ @ @ @ 2020 , in a family home in the 8500 block of South Ada Street in @ @ @ @ @ to the Chicago Fire Department .

Two adults were taken to a hospital in critical condition and a cat died after lethal levels of carbon monoxide were found Oct. 27, 2020, in a family home in the 8500 block of South Ada Street in the Gresham neighborhood, according to the Chicago Fire Department. (Chicago Fire Department)
Two adults were taken to a hospital in critical condition and a cat died after dangerous levels of carbon monoxide were found to be in a South Side home Tuesday evening, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
The department responded before 8 p.m. to the home in the 8500 block of South Ada Street in the Gresham neighborhood. Two adults were found inside and CPR was used to revive them.
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They were both taken to Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Evergreen Park in critical condition, the department said.
Carbon monoxide levels were found to be high, possibly due to a generator that was running for electricity, the department said.
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pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-10-28--‘Politicians ran Chicago into the ground.’ When Trump talks about Chicago — and the state of Illinoi

‘Politicians ran Chicago into the ground.’ When Trump talks about Chicago — and the state of Illinois — we track it.

Since becoming president Trump has returned the theme frequently bashing the city in Tweets and interviews .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ .
In a 2016 interview with Fox ’ s Sean Hannity Trump said : “ @ @ @ @ @ have big investments in Chicago , and I think it ’ s a great city @ @

Chicago and its violence have been a frequent subject of President Donald Trump’s attention. It was a common campaign thread Trump used to hammer Hillary Clinton, President Barack Obama and now Joe Biden.
Since becoming president Trump has returned the theme frequently bashing the city in Tweets and interviews. It’s not all vinegar, though. In a 2016 interview with Fox’s Sean Hannity Trump said: “I love Chicago. I have big investments in Chicago, and I think it’s a great city.”
Here are Trump’s mentions of Chicago — and the state of Illinois — with annotations where appropriate.


chicagotribune--2020-10-28--Dr. Ngozi Ezike’s emotional moment shows health care workers feel COVID-19 fatigue too. ‘We feel tra

Dr. Ngozi Ezike’s emotional moment shows health care workers feel COVID-19 fatigue too. ‘We feel trapped in many ways.’

“ Doctors are no different than the rest of the public , ” said Whitney You , an OB-GYN at @ @ @ @ @ trapped in many ways .
We want to see our families and travel and go @ @ @ @ @ all of the normal life things too .
I don ’ t know if the @ @ @ @ @ we are just like everyone else .
”

Dr. Seth Trueger is tired of the pandemic.
He misses his regular breakfast restaurant, which he now passes without stopping because of the risk of eating indoors. He misses his beard, which is now shaved because he wears masks every day. And he misses the old version of his job, when he didn’t have to calculate the risk of possible death with every action.
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Trueger is an emergency room doctor at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he has been on the front lines of COVID-19 since it was declared a pandemic in March.
Fatigue caused by restrictions and hardships of COVID-19 are such a concern that experts are warning Chicagoans to be on guard for a grim winter.
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Dr. Seth Trueger walks his 6-month-old dachshund, Lando, on Oct. 27, 2020, in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. Trueger, an emergency room doctor at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, has been on the front lines as COVID-19 hit Chicago. To cope with the stressors of the pandemic, he picked up guitar playing and got Lando, a "pandemic puppy." (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
At an Oct. 23 news conference, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Ngozi Ezike became emotional while talking about the nearly 10,000 lives lost in Illinois — “People who started with us in 2020 and who won’t be with us at the Thanksgiving table.”
Ezike paused and turned away from the camera as she wiped her tears and took some time to compose herself. She said she understands the emotional toll and knows how hard it is for everyone.
“I don’t get to live in some COVID-free bubble, exempt from all the pain and tragedy of this pandemic,” she said. “If you’re talking about COVID fatigue from having to keep wearing a mask, think about the COVID fatigue for health care workers, respiratory therapists, who are going to have to go through this whole episode again of trying to fight for people’s lives,” she added.
This has been an extreme year for health care workers. They are not removed, Ezike said, from stressors others face in a challenging moment where “you can’t actually see the end.”
Along with the stressors of parenting children who are remote learning and the near absence of friends and family, the past seven months have been a cycle of hypervigilance and fear for health care workers.
Data released Monday from the American College of Emergency Physicians revealed that many are feeling stress and burnout. Among the 862 emergency room physicians surveyed, 87% were more stressed now than since the start of the pandemic. Burnout causes included concerns about family, friends and personal health.
Physicians and nurses told the Tribune they miss traveling and seeing family members. They opt out of visits even a spouse might go on, such as seeing an in-law, not wanting to add their hospital-employment risk.
They, too, are yearning for normalcy.
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“Doctors are no different than the rest of the public,” said Whitney You, an OB-GYN at Northwestern. “We feel trapped in many ways. We want to see our families and travel and go to dinner. We want all of the normal life things too. I don’t know if the rest of the world understands we are just like everyone else.”
Hospital workers such as nurses and health care counselors also are at a higher risk and feeling fatigue.
“When you are experiencing the same level of trauma that your clients are, it gets pretty hard,” said Nicole Yarmolkevich, a counselor at AMITA Health Center for Mental Health. “We feel that loss; we feel that grief too.”
Clifton Saper, lead clinical psychologist at AMITA Health Behavioral Medicine Institute, has facilitated support groups across its health system. About 850 health care workers have joined — doctors, nurses, behavioral health workers, receptionists.
“We’re still seeing patients that are very sick,” Saper said. “It takes a toll. There is frustration and even anger towards lack of public awareness.”
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At the beginning, “Health care workers were saying, ‘I can do this. I can handle it,’” he said. “But you can only do that for so long, and then you start to feel depleted and exhausted, and you’re not getting a lot of support anymore.”
In the spring, when Northwestern began to admit COVID-19 patients, Trueger said, “That first wave was pretty bad.”
That’s when wearing a mask, and sometimes a hat and gown and also face shield, started to become routine. Cases slowed in the summer, but as COVID-19 contractions rise in Illinois, doctors anticipate a tough winter.
The months in between weren’t easy, Trueger said. His wife and 7-year-old daughter lived with his sister-in-law for two months — with only FaceTiming and socially distanced meetups that served as family time. He took care of a staffer at the hospital who was sick for weeks.
Dr. Seth Trueger holds his 6-month-old dachshund, Lando, on Oct. 27, 2020. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Trueger’s morning routine used to involve having a cup of coffee on the bus while commuting to work. Now, he navigates parking downtown, and wonders which moment is safe to pull down his mask for a sip of caffeine.
To cope, he has begun practicing guitar. He also got a “pandemic puppy”: Lando, a mini dachshund. And, realizing he didn’t have the bandwidth for very serious fare this year, he has watched a lot of “30 Rock.”
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He doesn’t plan to regrow his beard anytime soon — he predicts we will all wear masks well into next year. Or, at least, we should.
“Just because we’re tired of it doesn’t mean it goes away,” he said.
abowen@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-28--Chicago 7 prosecutor: ‘They were going to try to destroy our trial. And they did a damn good job.’

If things started to get out of hand , a deputy U.S. marshal would eventually have to try to wade @ @ @ @ @ to remove the offender from the courtroom .
The person would often fight back , @ @ @ @ @ did , others would come to their aid and “ go after the marshals , @ @ @ @ @ to call for backup , Schultz said .

Six of the Chicago 7 defendants appear in 1970. Abbie Hoffman, from left, John Froines, Lee Weiner, Jerry Rubin, Rennie Davis and Tom Hayden were acquitted of conspiracy, but five were convicted of other charges. The guilty verdicts were later overturned. (William Yates / Chicago Tribune)
Even five decades later, former federal prosecutor Dick Schultz has a pretty good idea of when the legendary Chicago 7 trial started to go off the rails: during the testimony of the very first witness.
That day in September 1969, U.S. District Judge Julius Hoffman halted the trial after he was informed that a juror had received a threatening letter purportedly sent from the Black Panthers. Hoffman, famous for his ironclad control of his courtroom, told attorneys from both sides to keep the information to themselves so he could question the juror in private, Schultz told the Chicago Tribune in an interview.
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Instead, the defendants held a lunchtime news conference stating the threatening letter had actually been sent by the government as part of a “plot” to taint the panel. An irate Hoffman ordered the jurors sequestered for the rest of the five-month trial.
The next morning, defense attorney William Kunstler asked for an emergency hearing into the letter’s origin, seeking the testimony of none other than FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and Attorney General John Mitchell, Schultz said.
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Dick Schultz, 82, the last living member of either trial team in the legendary Chicago 7 trial, at his backyard in Glenview on Oct. 19, 2020. (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune)
“That sort of gave me an idea where we were going,” Schultz said. “And it went downhill from there.”
Schultz, 82, is the last living attorney from either side of the Chicago 7 trial, in which political activists were accused of conspiring to incite riots during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
The Chicago 7 case drew national attention and exposed the depths of the country’s divisions over the Vietnam War and civil rights as well as the fairness of the criminal justice system. Among the high-profile defendants were “Yippies” founder Abbie Hoffman, counterculture icon Jerry Rubin, and Bobby Seale, one of the co-founders of the Black Panther Party.
[ Netflix’s ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ is based on real-life events. Here’s what you need to know ]
The circuslike atmosphere of the trial — which included frequent courtroom fisticuffs, outbursts of singing and chanting, and, perhaps most famously, the judge’s order to have Seale bound and gagged at the defense table — has been given big-budget movie treatment in “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” written and directed by Aaron Sorkin and now streaming on Netflix.
Assistant prosecutor Richard Schultz, seated at left, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Foran conduct a news conference after the verdict in the Chicago 7 trial on Feb. 18, 1970. (Walter Kale/Chicago Tribune)
Schultz, who is portrayed in the film by actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, says he enjoyed some aspects of Sorkin’s Hollywood take, but that it ultimately “didn’t touch on what really happened.”
“Everything was so exaggerated, you would think the judge was conducting a trial in the Soviet Union,” he said. He also thought that he was falsely portrayed as somehow embarrassed by the whole prosecution when in reality, “it was precisely the opposite.”
[ The Chicago 7: A timeline of the protests, the clashes, the trial and the fallout ]
Schultz also took issue with the film’s climactic scene, when he is portrayed rising to his feet while defendant Tom Hayden reads the names of U.S. soldiers killed in Vietnam as the group is being sentenced.
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“That never happened. It was a total fantasy for Hollywood, and that’s fine,” Schultz said. The film moment was entertaining, he added, but one other thing: “I never told the attorney general of the United States that we didn’t have a case.”
“We knew that we had more than enough evidence to convict,” Schultz said, speaking of his co-counsel, U.S. Attorney Thomas Foran, who died in 2000. “The only question was could we ever get to a verdict.”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, right, plays Richard Schultz in Netflix's "The Trial of the Chicago 7." (Niko Tavernise/Netflix)
As a young prosecutor, Schultz was head of the U.S. attorney’s office’s criminal division when the riots broke out in August 1968. He was at the Chicago Hilton and out on the streets of Lincoln Park and the Loop watching the violence unfold between police and protesters.
“I saw it all,” Schultz said in a telephone interview last week from his home in Glenview. “I was trying to do what I could, but didn’t accomplish anything.”
Later, he helped lead a grand jury inquiry into the unrest, resulting in not only criminal charges against eight protesters but also a number of indictments against police officers — all of whom were eventually acquitted.
Schultz said his office was acutely aware that the trial of Hoffman and his co-defendants was going to be used as a platform for their beliefs and to stick a fork in the eye of what they perceived was a racist and unjust legal system.
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Before the trial even began, Schultz said, the defendants announced to their followers that “people should come to this trial and fight the pigs in Chicago just like they did a year ago.”
“We were not surprised by any of it,” he said. “They were revolutionaries, and they were going to try to destroy our trial. And they did a damn good job of it.”
[ Column: Few complaints with the ‘Chicago 7’ movie, but it was all different when I was there ]
Schultz said that he and his team, which refrained from public comment throughout the trial, lost the public-relations battle from the outset. Every day, the news depicted throngs of protesters outside the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on South Dearborn Street and relayed the antics from the courtroom, where Hoffman often clashed with the defendants and their attorneys and struggled to maintain control.
“The spectators in the courtroom were totally uninhibited," Schultz recalled. “They lined up every day to get in, would scream obscenities and disrupt the proceedings.”
If things started to get out of hand, a deputy U.S. marshal would eventually have to try to wade through the rows of spectators to remove the offender from the courtroom. The person would often fight back, and as soon as they did, others would come to their aid and “go after the marshals,” who would be forced to call for backup, Schultz said.
What often ensued reminded Schultz of a barroom brawl scene from an old Western film.
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“I used to love those movies, with people being thrown over the bar and chairs being smashed over peoples' heads,” Schultz said. “When I was standing in the courtroom watching all this, it was just like what I saw when I was a kid. It was really exciting. But it was painful too.”
[ The Trial of the Chicago Seven: The real story behind the Netflix movie ]
In part due to the daily disruptions, the trial slogged on for nearly five months, featuring a total of 160 witnesses. Schultz was told by federal law enforcement agencies that his life could be in danger and received 24-hour police protection at his house. He said it began to wear on him and his partner, Foran, but they were determined to see it through.
“Every morning, Tom and I would take a private elevator to the 23rd floor. We’d stand there in silence for a minute or two and just look at each other,” Schultz said. “There wasn’t much to say."
He said Foran would sometimes just drop his head and say, “I’d rather be going to the dentist.”
“And I felt the same way,” Schultz said. “It was like walking into a circus every morning.”
There were also moments of levity. At some point in the middle of the trial, Schultz’s wife brought their then-10 year-old daughter to see the testimony of a witness who was known for singing protest songs. After defense lawyers asked the witness if he could pick up his guitar and sing a few bars, Schultz sprang to his feet and objected.
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From the back of the courtroom, Schultz heard his daughter’s voice cry out, “Aw, Daddy, let him sing!”
[ The only Chicagoan of the Chicago 7 just wrote a memoir and says he’s a fan of the Netflix movie ‘Trial of the Chicago 7’ ]
Schultz also said he believes the trial’s most infamous moment is one of its most misunderstood. When Hoffman ordered Seale bound and gagged in October 1969, Schultz said, it was the culmination of a carefully orchestrated series of events in which the Black Panther leader’s attorneys either withdrew from the case or refused to participate in his defense. Seale, meanwhile, argued loudly at every turn that he was being denied his rights to a defense.
When Hoffman denied Kunstler’s motion to withdraw — which Schultz said he was bound to do under the law — Seale erupted in court, telling the judge, "Listen, old man, you keep on denying me my constitutional rights and you’re going to be exposed. ... You’re a racist, fascist bigot!” according to Schultz’s recollection.
Schultz said that at the time everyone, including Kunstler and Seale, was aware of a ruling from Chicago’s federal appeals court just months earlier saying that unruly defendants could not be removed from their own trial, even if they had to be restrained.
That Hoffman would eventually order that remedy for Seale seemed at the time like an unstoppable train, Schultz said.
“The whole thing was a setup, a way to get Seale bound and gagged so they could demonstrate to the world that the federal courts were racist,” Schultz said. "They played it to the hilt. There was nothing we could do.”
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When the jury stepped into the box and saw Seale restrained at the table, they looked shocked, Schultz said. “One of them was crying. It was sad to watch.”
[ Column: When you watch Aaron Sorkin’s Chicago 7 movie, remember juror Mrs. Jean Fritz ]
The Tribune’s story in the next day’s newspaper described how Seale tried to rise for the jury and “rattled his chains and manacles against his metal chair,” his mouth covered in a cloth and several pieces of white tape.
The account said the last straw for Hoffman appeared to be when Seale had tried to lunge at Schultz during a courtroom outburst earlier that day.
Seale was ultimately severed from the trial and sentenced by Hoffman to four years for criminal contempt, a term later reversed by the appellate court. The government chose not to retry him on the conspiracy charges.
On Feb. 18, 1970, the jury acquitted each of the seven remaining defendants of the conspiracy charge. Five, including Abbie Hoffman, were convicted of crossing state lines to incite a riot and later sentenced to five years in prison, but those convictions were also overturned, as were sentences for contempt handed down by Hoffman.
Schultz, meanwhile, left the U.S. attorney’s office soon after the case was over and built a career in private practice. Despite all the renewed attention on the events of the trial, he said the story has always seemed skewed, depending on who’s doing the telling.
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“We were renounced and laughed at,” he said. “They (the defendants) appeared to be caring, lovable people who were being oppressed. Every night I’d watch the TV news and think, ‘Were we in the same courtroom?’"
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-28--Man shot to death before dawn Wednesday while standing on sidewalk in Back of the Yards

The two men who got out of the vehicle — the make and model were not released — were dressed @ @ @ @ @ were wearing masks .
Citing preliminary information , James wasn ’ t able to say @ @ @ @ @ masks or masks such as those worn to prevent coronavirus spread .
No additional information @ @ @ @ @ the type clothing they were wearing was released .

Chicago police were investigating a fatal shooting Wednesday morning in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.
A 23-year-old man was standing on the sidewalk outside a building in the 4500 block of South Racine Avenue when a black vehicle pulled up about 6:05 a.m. and two men got out and began shooting in the man’s direction, according to police.
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Chicago police secure the scene where a person was fatally shot near the corner of 45th Street and Racine Avenue on Oct. 28, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The man was struck in the neck and the abdomen and he later was pronounced dead at the scene, said Karie James, a Chicago police spokeswoman. The man’s name was not immediately released.
The two men who got out of the vehicle — the make and model were not released — were dressed in all black clothing and were wearing masks. Citing preliminary information, James wasn’t able to say whether the men wore ski masks or masks such as those worn to prevent coronavirus spread. No additional information about their physical description or the type clothing they were wearing was released.
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The men got back into the vehicle and drove away, police said. Information on whether one of the two gunmen had been driving wasn’t released.
No arrests had been made.
Check back for updates.


chicagotribune--2020-10-28--4 inmates have died from COVID-19 at East Moline Correctional Center, out of 29 in state prisons

“ Nobody wants to see anybody die .
It ’ s really unfortunate this is happening , ” Dornes said @ @ @ @ @ been taking better precautions at the facility .
With the country reopening , these things @ @ @ @ @ in prisons , but in any communal-living environment .
The majority of the prison is @ @ @ @ @ .
There is only one housing unit that is a typical prison setup with two-man @ @ @ @ @ .

Four inmates at the East Moline Correctional Center have died from COVID-19, all of them in October, according to authorities.
The fourth death, a man in his 50s, was Monday, according to Lindsey Hess, public information officer for the Illinois Department of Corrections.
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As of Tuesday, 343 inmates and 33 staff have tested positive for coronavirus at the minimum-security prison, 100 Hillcrest Road, East Moline. Deaths are not being reported on the websites for the facility or IDOC.
Hess said no EMCC staff members had died.
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There have been 29 inmate deaths from COVID-19 at Illinois prisons, according to Hess. Stateville Correctional Center, near Chicago, has had 13 inmates die; a man in his 50s was the first death on March 29. The next highest number of COVID-19 deaths has been at Robinson Correctional Center, where three of the five deaths were men in their 70s.
“East Moline Correctional Center activated its Incident Command Center and is using FEMA’s national incident command system model to set and achieve aggressive objectives to respond to COVID-19,” Hess said. "If an offender develops any symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 they are assumed to be at high risk for the disease, and pursuant to CDC and (Illinois Department of Public Health) guidelines, these individuals are isolated and tested.
“To manage outbreaks, the IDOC utilizes point prevalence testing in asymptomatic and potentially exposed offenders. Additionally, exposed asymptomatic offenders are quarantined and monitored for symptoms.”
When employees arrive at the correctional facility, Hess said, they are screened, temperatures are checked and they are given personal protective equipment. The facility has an appointed safety officer whose responsibility is to ensure proper use of PPE, deep-cleaning routines, temperature checks and screening measures.
Olegario Banuelos, 45, is an inmate who tested positive at the East Moline facility in early September. He alleged correctional officers often kept their masks down around their chins and only pulled them up when a supervisor came around. He alleged on several occasions he witnessed correctional officers exit the COVID-19 unit adjacent to his and then enter his unit without changing PPE or washing hands.
Banuelos' fiancée, Lauren Hitchcock, said Tuesday that Banuelos has recovered and is back in his own cell.
All four deaths at EMCC have been in October and were men in their 50s, 60s and 70s.
Cody Dornes, an East Moline correctional officer and president of AFSCME Local 46, said the men died at area hospitals.
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“Nobody wants to see anybody die. It’s really unfortunate this is happening,” Dornes said. "We’ve been taking better precautions at the facility. With the country reopening, these things are inevitable, not only in prisons, but in any communal-living environment. The majority of the prison is an open dormitory-style of living. There is only one housing unit that is a typical prison setup with two-man cells with doors that lock.
“That’s why our facility has been hit as hard as it has been is because of the open environment.”
Hess said IDOC had taken measures to protect the health and safety of staff and inmates. Visitation at all correctional facilities was suspended March 14, and on March 20, the facilities were placed on administrative quarantine with restricted movement. Prisons with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are placed on medical quarantine.
PPE is provided to all staff, and KN95 masks are distributed weekly to all men and women in custody. Additionally, Hess said IDOC is working with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office and the Prisoner Review Board to review inmates who are eligible for early release.
“Hand sanitizer, antibacterial soap and cleaning supplies are being made available to all staff and incarcerated individuals,” Hess said. "We are closely monitoring our supply levels at each facility and are in close communication with our vendors to maintain adequate inventory. All staff are screened and temperature checked upon arrival to their correctional facility. All correctional facilities and transport vehicles are being routinely cleaned and disinfected.
“We are communicating regularly with staff and people in custody to ensure they feel safe,” Hess said.
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Jennifer Vollen-Katz, executive director of the John Howard Association, a prison watchdog group in Illinois, alleged staff could be the only way the virus was brought into prisons since outside visits were stopped in March.
“It’s deeply concerning that the protocols are not strict enough or the enforcement of the protocols aren’t strict enough to protect people in prisons from the behavior of people that can come and go from the prisons right now,” she said.
Vollen-Katz alleges the main issue is compliance of staff wearing their masks when supervisors are not present.
“When the leadership isn’t in the prison with eyes on staff, they stop wearing their masks or wear them blow their chin,” she said. "And (it) makes the people in prisons incredibly anxious because they understand these are people that come and go.
“The people in prison are powerless to enforce this kind of practice among guards.”
Vollen-Katz said her organization continued to get calls, letters and emails from current inmates and family members about the state’s prison system. She said the John Howard Association planned to release comments from inmates that were collected during its COVID-19 survey earlier this year.
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— Quad City Times via Tribune Content Agency


chicagotribune--2020-10-28--Sisters, 18 and 21, accused of attacking store security guard, stabbing him 27 times after they refu

Sisters, 18 and 21, accused of attacking store security guard, stabbing him 27 times after they refused to wear face masks

Each sister is charged with attempted first-degree murder and was ordered held without bail by Judge Mary C. Marubio , @ @ @ @ @ ” of the attacks , as well as statements from witnesses and surveillance that captured @ @ @ @ @ confrontation .

Two sisters are accused of stabbing a store security guard 27 times with a small knife after he asked them to wear face masks and use hand sanitizer, according to prosecutors.
Neither Jessica Hill, 21 nor her sister Jayla, 18 — a recent Simeon Academy graduate — had a criminal history before the Sunday evening attack in the 3200 block of West Roosevelt Road in the Homan Square neighborhood, prosecutors told a judge during a bail hearing broadcast on YouTube.
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Each sister is charged with attempted first-degree murder and was ordered held without bail by Judge Mary C. Marubio, who cited the “randomness” of the attacks, as well as statements from witnesses and surveillance that captured video and audio of the confrontation.
The sisters entered the store around 6 p.m., around closing, but refused to wear a face mask or use hand sanitizer, as many businesses require patrons to do during the COVID-19 pandemic, prosecutors said in court.
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During a quarrel with the 6-foot-5, 270-pound security guard, the women were both asked to leave but they refused and began hitting him with a garbage can, authorities said.
While Jayla Hill held the guard’s hair, her older sister pulled a small knife concealed in a comb and stabbed the man in the head and torso, prosecutors told the judge.
Jessica Hill, 21 (left) and Jayla Hill, 18, sisters from Lawndale, were ordered held without bail Tuesday, Oct. 27, 202, after they were accused of attacking a store security guard and stabbing him 27 times with a small knife after he asked them to wear face masks and use hand sanitizer. - Original Credit: Chicago police (Chicago Police booking photo / HANDOUT)
The guard was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for 27 puncture wounds that did not require surgery or stitches, authorities said.
The women’s court-appointed attorney argued that the stabbing was self-defense and that both women suffered from bipolar disorder.
Both women are expected to return to court next week.
wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy


chicagotribune--2020-10-28--Merrillville couple charged with murder in death of 10-year-old boy whose wounds were covered with m

Merrillville couple charged with murder in death of 10-year-old boy whose wounds were covered with makeup, court records say

Police found a dirt bike on the side of the home under shrubs , court records indicate , but it @ @ @ @ @ when they tried and there was no evidence of a dirt bike path behind the @ @ @ @ @ was riding it .
Several neighbors told police that not only had they not seen @ @ @ @ @ in the area , they hadn ’ t seen him outside often since July , @ @ @

A Merrillville woman once convicted at 17 of tying and sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy at knifepoint now, with her wife, stands charged of killing her 10-year-old brother.
April Lynn Kuchta Wright and Rachel Rose Wright, both 26, on Oct 23 were each charged with one count of murder, Level 1 aggravated battery, Level 1 neglect of a dependent resulting in death and battery of a person less than 14 years old, a Level 6 felony, after Merrillville Police found Leviticus “Levi” Kuchta dead in their Fillmore Court home, according to a probable cause affidavit.
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Levi, who had makeup covering puncture wounds on his face, was riddled with injuries in various degrees of infection and healing to his head, hands, arm, back, groin, leg and ankles, records said.
Rachel Wright (Lake County Sheriffs Dept. / HANDOUT)
Two of the injuries – a dislocated jaw and spine – rendered him unable to walk or talk before his death, records said.
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Police were sent to the Wrights' home after they called 911 around 8 a.m. Oct. 12 because he was unresponsive, court records said. Levi, according to a relative who spoke to police, had been staying with the women after April Wright’s and his grandfather died in August, and April Wright volunteered to take care of him, records said.
Levi was in the grandparents' custody in the first place because his and April’s mother is in the Indiana Women’s Prison serving time for a drug conviction out of Porter County, court records said.
The couple told police Levi had fallen off his dirt bike either Oct. 9 or 10 and had been claiming he had a headache and back pain, but he wanted to ride it again on Oct. 11, records said. After he wrecked the bike a second time, they decided against taking him to the doctor, records said, because they said Levi was afraid the doctor would make him go back to live with his grandmother.
Police found a dirt bike on the side of the home under shrubs, court records indicate, but it didn’t start up when they tried and there was no evidence of a dirt bike path behind the home where they said he was riding it. Several neighbors told police that not only had they not seen him ride a dirt bike in the area, they hadn’t seen him outside often since July, records said.
A relative told police the grandmother had been trying to get Levi back from the couple before his death, but April Wright told her the boy had COVID-19, records said.
During a phone call to his mother in prison, Levi told her, “I want to go back to grandma’s house, and don’t tell them,” records said. When she asked what happened, he said Rachel Wright had grounded him from his PlayStation and repeated, “I want to go home.”
“His voice was very quiet, and he sounded scared,” court records said. “He told (his mother) that ‘Rachel won’t let me go home.’ He then whispered, ‘Please don’t tell them I told you.’”
In a separate call Oct. 9, April Wright said Levi “didn’t do his homework” and “got on her nerves,” court records said. Levi’s mother told her daughter that she could move Levi out if she couldn’t care for him.
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Neighbors told police Child Protective Services had been to the residence many times over the past few years, records said.
April Kuchta Wright has had several brushes with the law after she served time. She pleaded guilty in December 2013 to a Class C felony charge of escape after she was moved to a community transition program for the 2011 crime and, in February of that year, cut the tracking device off her ankle. She left it in a trash can near the program’s office.
She was sentenced to four additional years in prison on the escape charge.
She was then charged in Porter County in December 2015 for a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession from Nov. 14 at Porter Regional Hospital, when staff there found a bag of marijuana in a purse in Kuchta’s hospital room, a police report said.
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Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.


chicagotribune--2020-10-28--Navy Pier taps Blue Door’s Art Smith, former personal chef to Oprah Winfrey, for new restaurant to r

Navy Pier taps Blue Door’s Art Smith, former personal chef to Oprah Winfrey, for new restaurant to replace Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

The deal has been in the works since December , and Smith said he ’ s thrilled to open a @ @ @ @ @ of the Midwest.
” As a proud Floridian , Smith said he hopes to bring @ @ @ @ @ Chicago , which he describes as having a “ Southern heart ” because of all @ @ @ @ @ the South and settled in the city .

Despite Navy Pier temporarily shutting down for the winter due to COVID-19 and postponing the launch of a forthcoming hotel, officials say it’s full steam ahead for a new restaurant coming to the popular tourist destination next year.
Reunion, a Southern restaurant by celebrity chef Art Smith, is slated to break ground at Navy Pier in January, with an estimated grand opening in spring. Smith, an acclaimed cookbook author, has won multiple awards and also owns several restaurants nationally, including one at Disney World.
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Smith is no stranger to the Chicago dining scene; he opened Table Fifty-Two in 2007, which enjoyed rave reviews before re-concepting as Blue Door Kitchen & Table in 2016. Along with forging a long-term working relationship with Oprah Winfrey as her onetime personal chef, Smith has also cooked for former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama in years past.
Reunion will replace Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., which left Navy Pier in September, and is a collaboration with George and Manolis Alpogianis of ADM Restaurant Group, which oversees America’s Dog & Burger.
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Smith has brought on Hector Guerrero, who has worked with Smith since 2006, as the executive chef of Reunion.
Art Smith is opening a new restaurant at Navy Pier called Reunion. (Loyes Bitti / HANDOUT)
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The deal has been in the works since December, and Smith said he’s thrilled to open a restaurant at the “Disney of the Midwest.” As a proud Floridian, Smith said he hopes to bring some of the South to Chicago, which he describes as having a “Southern heart” because of all the people who migrated from the South and settled in the city.
“I want to be that ultimate family destination by the lake,” said Smith, who emphasized that Reunion is family-friendly, whether serving a group of two or 12. “It’s going to be big plates of food, and that’s who we are.”
Expect big skillets of biscuits and cornbread, barbecue chicken and burgers, but also look out for salads plus vegetable- and grain-focused dishes. You’ll find classic Southern dishes, like Smith’s mother’s chicken and dumplings, plus his signature fried chicken and 12-layer chocolate cake, made with his grandmother’s recipe.
“I think that going through all that we’ve gone through (this year), we all need a reunion,” Smith said. “We all need to sit down to a big table of food and celebrate.”
Guerrero, a proud born-and-raised Midwesterner, said he came up in the culinary world alongside Charlie Trotter’s alums, so guests shouldn’t be surprised to see hints of French influence on the menu. He hopes to keep it as farm-to-table as possible, with daily specials, to encourage local customers to return.
“I want people to leave extremely satisfied and wanting to come back as soon as possible,” Guerrero said. “Bringing people together with the love of food is what we plan to do at Reunion. That’s what the name stands for: uniting people, especially in a time like this.”
gwong@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-28--For special education families, an agonizing choice on returning to school: Risk COVID-19 exposure o

For special education families, an agonizing choice on returning to school: Risk COVID-19 exposure or accept ‘heartbreaking’ limits of remote learning

“ We have some great safety protocols in place , but we also have a good portion of students who @ @ @ @ @ due to physical limitations and sensory reasons , and other students who are trying their @ @ @ @ @ taking their masks off , and some try to take our staffs ' masks off @ @ @ @ @ a teacher at Kirk School , one of several programs headed by the Northwest Suburban @ @ @ @

When Katherine Buitron’s son froze mid-sentence and collapsed on his Chromebook during a virtual class, some of his classmates were scared. Others seemed to think he just fell asleep, she said.
She moved her son and closed the Chromebook.
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After the seizure, he had bad headaches and double vision. Subsequent doctor’s appointments took even more time away from classes. In addition to epilepsy, the fifth grader has autism and dyslexia, and is immunocompromised, Buitron said. His two siblings also are in special education programs, but none is in the first groups of students tapped by Chicago Public Schools to return to in-person learning.
The family has already decided they’d continue remote learning anyway, because of health concerns, but would have a hard time making an informed decision based on the sparse plans the district has presented.
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“They expect parents to make choices without the full information,” Buitron said.
Even with the limited details, Deidra Kenar, another CPS parent whose children have individualized education programs, would love for them to return to school.
“We feel like the longer and longer they are away," she said, “the more and more challenges that are coming up for them.”
Rory Dominick pours juice for son Connor, 12, as son Cameron, 14, who is in a special education program at Riverside-Brookfield High School, works on his laptop at the family's Riverside home on Oct. 27, 2020. Dominick said she's thrilled her 14-year-old son was finally back in the classroom. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Although their families don’t yet have the option to send their children back to school before the end of the calendar year, for thousands of other CPS families with special education students, decision day is Wednesday.
Along with prekindergartners, about 5,000 students in moderate and intensive cluster programs have been identified as the first who could resume in-person learning. That includes those who attend specialty schools where most or all students are what CPS classifies as diverse learners.
Based on families' responses to opt-in forms due Wednesday, district officials will decide whether they can support in-person learning five days a week or use a hybrid model for specialty schools, CPS spokesman James Gherardi said.
Matt Cohen, an education and disability rights attorney in Chicago, said that “at first glance, there is some logic" in prioritizing students who have more severe needs.
“But in reality, there are many kids who are not cluster-based who still are at risk of tremendous regression while they are at home and have great difficulty accessing some of the classes," Cohen said.
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Children outside of cluster programs have also been showing signs of regression both academically and socially, he said.
"Certainly I would support that the kids who are in the cluster classes do have a need for in-person learning as much as possible, but I think limiting it in that way is arbitrary,” Cohen said.
Effie Papoutsis Kritikos, a professor and chairwoman of the special education department in the Daniel L. Goodwin College of Education at Northeastern Illinois University, said in-person instruction helps students with both comprehension and turning in assignments on time.
“There is a greater need for structure, support and social cues for many students with disabilities,” she said in an email.
With remote instruction, teachers say many special education students are becoming especially drained or overwhelmed by the amount of time online.
“If this is the case, then it would seem that this could be a disruption which could have negative consequences,” Papoutsis Kritikos said.
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But, she added, “other consequences due to illness could be more severe.”
'Our children ... are our life’
Those potential consequences weigh heavily on Maria Carrasco.
Carrasco, whose son is in a cluster program at Corkery Elementary in Little Village, said she’s not confident in the school’s cleaning practices. Her son, who has leukemia in addition to Down syndrome, is at higher risk if exposed to the coronavirus, she said.
“I think CPS is seeing our children as numbers, but for us as parents, we see our children as life, they are our life,” Carrasco said through a Spanish interpreter during a news event Tuesday. “I see my child’s safety as priority, and I feel that being at home is safer than being at school.”
Another cluster parent, Anne Igoe, said she hadn’t yet submitted her response but was leaning toward keeping her fourth-grade son home from his cluster program at Kilmer Elementary in Rogers Park. His brother, in second grade, will be home regardless. Even after participating in a town hall with the principal, Igoe has more questions than answers about next quarter’s options.
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At least her older son’s individualized schedule has been going well, she said. Most of his classmates have an autism diagnosis, like he does, and they all have modified academics, she said.
“In the spring, it was horrible, I would have said, ‘Get me back to in person right now,’” Igoe said. “The school, the teachers really took a lot of feedback on what did not work in the spring."
Now she’s concerned about her son’s virtual plan if his teacher also has in-person students.
In order to feel comfortable with her son back in school, Igoe said she needs to see the full plan, how the room will be set up, what happens if a child takes off their mask. She’d also follow the lead of front-line workers.
“There is a way to make it work,” Igoe said. “Our kids do need to be back in class, but I have not received any assurances of how this process will work. ... I think there is a way to do this safely."
‘It’s just so heartbreaking as his mom’
At Northside Learning Center, one of the specialty schools that could end up with a hybrid program, Jeannie Liu’s 16-year-old son is struggling to learn through a screen. He has Down syndrome and a vision impairment, called nystagmus. Though not immunocompromised, when he gets sick, he tends to get very sick, Liu said. A cold is often paired with a respiratory infection.
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He recently transferred to Northside in Hollywood Park from a cluster program, in part because the family felt its heavier focus on life skills would better prepare him for adulthood. During his early childhood, Liu advocated for integration with general education peers, but the cluster program was no longer the best fit, and remote learning was not working out, she said. For her son, she feels returning to school would be worth it.
"The cold reality is we live where there’s lots of viruses and germs, and I get everyone is nervous, everyone is scared, but I don’t know if we can ever say, ‘This is as safe as we can get,’” Liu said.
Change for her son is especially difficult, and it helps to have time to adjust, Liu said. Usually she keeps reminding him before a change takes place to help him process it, and she doesn’t want add to his stress by bringing up next quarter before she’s sure he can go back.
“It’s just so heartbreaking as his mom, I can’t provide anything comforting other than, ‘I know how you feel,’” Liu said. “I can’t say when it will be normal again.”
She felt the district should have stuck with its hybrid plan this fall, and that CPS took the choice away from parents. Engagement with families has been lacking, she said.
“You get a Google survey in your inbox ... and you don’t hear what happens to it," Liu said. "You get the survey and then a decision gets made.”
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‘The science tells me not to send them back’
Families like the Kenars and Buitrons, whose children have unique needs but share classes with general education students, don’t get the same choices.
Kenar and her husband have adjusted their schedules so one can always help with remote learning, but between three high-needs children, it can be a lot of work, and her husband gets only four hours of sleep some nights.
“He walks in at 6:30, I walk out at 6:30. ... ‘Tag, it’s your turn,’” Kenar said.
Their third grader, who is autistic, usually has a full-time aide in school. One first-grade twin is also on the autism spectrum, and the other has a fluency disorder, she said.
All three boys are academically at or above their grade levels, Kenar said, but remote learning has surfaced new or reemerging behaviors and challenges, such as “stimming,” repetitive behavior common among children with autism. It turned out headphones were a trigger for one son who has sensory issues.
Her twins finally started receiving speech services again a couple of weeks ago, after stopping abruptly in March. While happy to see the opportunity for cluster programs, she said parents all around haven’t received enough communication about the actual plans.
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Kenar’s oldest has been counting down the days until 2021 and asking if they can go back to school then. When she tried to explain the situation, he said, “Well, why? It’s a new year.” In his mind, the world is black and white, and the pandemic is something that happened in 2020, she said.
“If we were given the option, personally, we would have them go to school,” she said.
Buitron said her son’s neurologist told them prolonged screen time can be problematic for a child who gets seizures.
“Since remote learning started, it has been one of the things my husband and I were afraid of,” Buitron said.
While the other two siblings are more independent, her younger son requires her attention throughout the day, leading her to quit her corporate job while her husband continues working. She said her kids' special education plans have not been followed, with speech and occupational therapy falling by the wayside and the school failing to provide paper versions of assignments.
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Despite the difficulties, even if she had the option, Buitron would not want her children returning to classrooms right now: “The science tells me not to send them back.”
Son’s social life ‘begins and ends at school’
Some suburban school districts have already invited students back, though rising COVID-19 cases have since caused many of those doors to close again.
After months of muddling through remote learning, Riverside resident Rory Dominick was thrilled her 14-year-old son was finally back in the classroom at Riverside-Brookfield High School this month.
Rory Dominick walks with sons Cameron Dominick, 14, who is in a special education program at Riverside-Brookfield High School, and Connor Dominick, 12, in Riverside on Oct. 27, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Brothers Connor Dominick 12, left, and Cameron Dominick, 14, share a moment at the family's kitchen in Riverside. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
But Dominick, whose son Cameron receives special education services, said slipping behind in academic progress because of a less than stellar experience with remote learning was not her primary concern.
“As a child with special needs, my son does not have a gaggle of friends he can meet at the neighborhood baseball field. … His social life begins and ends at school,” Dominick said. “The academics we can figure out, and he is very bright, but he needed to be back at school for social activities like Best Buddies and Special Olympics, where he can hang out with someone besides adults."
Cameron’s phased-in return began with doing his remote learning assignments at the high school, and getting assistance from a speech pathologist and social worker. This week he began attending classes as part of the high school’s hybrid program.
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While her son has several medical conditions, Dominick said she is not worried about him being back in the classroom.
“I’ve lived in fear for the last 14 years with him, so we’re all being very careful to not invite COVID into our house, but dealing with his social emotional health is far more important right now,” she said.
Special education teacher Kerry Doctor was excited to welcome her students back to her Palatine classroom this week.
But Doctor’s enthusiasm is tempered by the fact that in-person instruction for special education students during the pandemic creates formidable challenges when attempting to ensure the health and safety of students and teachers.
“We have some great safety protocols in place, but we also have a good portion of students who don’t wear masks due to physical limitations and sensory reasons, and other students who are trying their best, but they keep taking their masks off, and some try to take our staffs' masks off,” said Doctor, a teacher at Kirk School, one of several programs headed by the Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization.
“That is the reality of the situation — and it’s not our students' faults — but we need to try to figure something out, because it can be scary for our staff,” she said.
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Enforcing social distancing guidelines, which can be tough for any student to follow, is particularly difficult in a special education classroom, Doctor said.
“We have small class sizes, but a lot of our students have one-on-one aides, who can’t possibly maintain 6 feet of social distancing,” she said.
Still, despite the spike in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, Doctor said it’s imperative to open school buildings for special education students to receive essential services, including assistance with speech, fine motor skills and support for social emotional health — all of which are nearly impossible to duplicate with remote instruction.
Yet she does worry about the health of her students, some of whom suffer from serious medical conditions.
“I don’t know the answers, and this situation is so sad for everyone,” Doctor said, adding: “I still believe working with these kids is the best job in the world. And all of their parents are super heroes who deserve an extra cape right now.”
hleone@chicagotribune.com
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kcullotta@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-29--Daywatch: Lightfoot drops opposition to Pritzker’s order, Illinois’ vote-by-mail deadline and rare b

Daywatch: Lightfoot drops opposition to Pritzker’s order, Illinois’ vote-by-mail deadline and rare blue moon on Halloween night

For the first time in nearly two decades , a full moon will be spotted in the Chicago sky on @ @ @ @ @ according to experts .
It will also be a blue moon , an occurrence that @ @ @ @ @ full moons in one calendar month .

Good morning, Chicago. On Wednesday, Illinois health officials also announced 6,110 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 statewide, the second-highest daily cases count since the pandemic began after a count of 6,161 last Saturday.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday night, Dr. Anthony Fauci — the nation’s top infectious disease expert —participated in a virtual Chicago talk about the coronavirus. Here’s what he had to say about a vaccine timeline, what it’s like being insulted by Trump and more.
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Here’s more coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
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From left, Ines Linares, Cristian Garain, Dominic Cervantes and Maricela Santigo dine in at Frontera Grill in Chicago on Oct. 27, 2020. (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune)
A day after indicating she would try to talk Gov. J.B. Pritzker out of tightening coronavirus-related restrictions in Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday she had met with the governor and won’t try to block his order to ban indoor bar and dining service in the city.
“We had a very frank and productive conversation with the governor and his team and my team as well. We explored a lot of issues and we came out of that discussion really committed to making sure that we work hard together,” Lightfoot said.
Pritzker tied COVID-19 cases to restaurants and bars in Kane, DuPage counties. But health departments paint a vague picture of the data.
As state halts indoor dining in Chicago, a Pilsen restaurant tests out sidewalk enclosure. Its designer wants to build more, but needs financial backing.
Margarita Santoni drops off her mail-in ballot in a secured drop box at Truman College in Chicago on Oct. 14, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Thursday is the deadline for your local election authority to receive your application for a mail-in ballot, although for weeks officials have been encouraging voters to send them in sooner. Don’t expect to get yours in on time? Don’t fret. You still have options.
Randy Sadler, a mobile crisis responder with Ada S. McKinley Community Services, responds to a call, Oct. 22, 2020, on Chicago's South Side. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Many are feeling extra and unusual stressors during this time, and people of color shoulder additional burdens. Mental health experts are concerned that the stress and isolation created by the COVID-19 pandemic is adding mental health challenges.
Chicago Public Schools office at 42 West Madison Street, on Sept. 21, 2020. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
What happens if a student takes off their mask in a pod? What if someone in their pod has a medical mask exemption? What are the health and safety protocols for students who need help eating or using the restroom?
On the deadline for students in preschool and special education cluster programs to decide whether they will return to in-person learning next quarter, parents and educators sought details and advocated for their children at the Chicago Board of Education meeting Wednesday.
A plane flies below the full moon over Chicago on Oct. 24, 2018. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
For the first time in nearly two decades, a full moon will be spotted in the Chicago sky on All Hallows' Eve, according to experts. It will also be a blue moon, an occurrence that happens when there are two full moons in one calendar month.