chicagotribune--2020-04-26--We’ve lowered the paywall on this essential coronavirus coverage

As the scope of this pandemic came into focus , I started thinking about people living in assisted-living facilities and @ @ @ @ @ bound to experience .
I ’ ve spoken several times at assisted-living facilities around Chicago @ @ @ @ @ aspects of life for residents is the social interaction and the activities and entertainment the @ @ @ @ @ s largely gone now .
Worse yet , many facilities have had to limit or @ @ @ @ @ seniors stuck alone in their rooms or apartments .
So maybe there ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ at least that aspect of this crisis .
I tossed an idea out on Twitter @ @ @ @ @ the hashtag # PandemicPals , asking for thoughts and advice on how to network with @ @ @ @ @ where there might be seniors facing isolation .
Read more .

As a public service to our readers and community, we have lowered the paywall on some of our most critical stories so everyone can access this important information. We rely on the support of our subscribers to fund our journalism. If you’re not already signed up, we hope you will consider subscribing.
We are updating a daily live blog with the latest developments on the reopening of Chicago and Illinois. This is where you’ll find updates on the number of COVID-19 cases in our area, as well as the most up-to-date recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Public Health, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
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As summer nears, Chicagoans are desperate to get out and about — to have a summer picnic with family, to get back to work, to get a haircut. Here’s how and when you might be able to do those things.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday a five-phase plan to get Illinois reopened as the COVID-19 pandemic slows its toll on health care providers. The plan, from “Rapid Spread” to “Illinois Restored,” splits the state up into regions and allows each region to open a different phase should the impact of the pandemic be different throughout the state. The plan also emphasizes that a region can move backward if the health metrics indicate enough risk. Read more.
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Testing for COVID-19 has greatly expanded in Illinois, with the state announcing more than 10,000 test results a day since April 24. The expansion has allowed the state to open up its guidance for who should be able to get a coronavirus test. The Illinois Department of Public Health is saying that testing is available without a doctor’s order to anyone with coronavirus symptoms or an underlying risk factor. Tests are also provided to people on the front lines of the pandemic, such as medical workers, first responders and employees of prisons or nursing homes. Search the map for coronavirus testing site near you.
All Illinois residents over age 2 must wear a face mask when they can’t maintain a 6-foot social distance in public. Studies show that the coronavirus can spread between people interacting in close proximity, including people who are not showing symptoms. Here’s where you can find them, what kind to get and how to make your own.
Americans are brainstorming with neighbors, posting questions on social media, and googling for tips and advice. The question at the center of all the hand wringing and head scratching: How do you thank the essential workers who remain out in the world, exposing themselves to greater risk of contracting the novel coronavirus, so that we can buy our groceries, receive our mail, travel by public transportation, and get health care if we need it? Here are some creative ideas to inspire you.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 68 (Chicago Tribune)
They were mothers and fathers, daughters and sons. Many were proud grandparents. Two were sisters from a tight-knit South Side family. All were loved, relatives say, and will be forever missed. As the number of deaths attributable to the coronavirus ticks upward, the Tribune is working to chronicle those who have lost their lives in the Chicago area or who have connections to our region. These are some of those victims.
Hundreds of Chicago restaurants have pivoted their operations to delivery, takeout or curbside pickup after Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced that all bars and restaurants in Illinois are closed for dining-in service through April 30. We’re collecting information on restaurants across the area that are still open for delivery or take out. Find a restaurant near you.
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A sign in the windows of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, seen on March 11, 2020, reminds people to wash their hands. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
You wake up with a sore, scratchy throat, and begin coughing and sneezing. It’s probably a run-of-the-mill cold, or it could be the beginning of a bout of seasonal flu. But with dozens of cases of the novel coronavirus surfacing in Illinois, some people are bound to wonder: Could this be the coronavirus? Here’s what experts advise for Illinoisans who fear they are showing signs of coronavirus.
The spread of the coronavirus pandemic has placed an extra burden on Chicagoland nonprofit organizations. Here is an evolving list of where you can make donations to organizations helping those in need.


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Daywatch: Pritzker warns party social distance violators, how school shutdown affects kids with spec

Daywatch: Pritzker warns party social distance violators, how school shutdown affects kids with special needs and recapping ‘The Last Dance’

“ I have not seen the video though I did hear about it , ” he said Sunday during his @ @ @ @ @ First , I want to remind everyone that by doing that , by standing together @ @ @ @ @ many people not wearing masks , you ’ re literally putting everyone around you in @ @ @ @ @ you in danger and , very importantly , all of those people are putting their @ @ @ @ @ are not there with them in danger .
”

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Good morning, Chicago. Here’s the coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Sunday announced 2,126 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state and 59 new deaths, bringing the state’s total to 43,903 known cases and 1,933 deaths
In the U.S., nearly 965,000 people have been infected and more than 54,000 have died as a result of the coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University on Sunday
The official death toll from the virus topped 205,000 worldwide on Sunday, with over 2.9 million reported infections, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, shown April 19, 2020, admonished people for potentially putting themselves or family members at risk of contracting the coronavirus by attending a large party, purportedly held in Chicago. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
A viral video purporting to show a crowded house party in Chicago over the weekend prompted Gov. J.B. Pritzker to admonish the young partiers who appear to be standing shoulder to shoulder and flouting social distancing orders amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I have not seen the video though I did hear about it,” he said Sunday during his daily coronavirus briefing. “First, I want to remind everyone that by doing that, by standing together, not social distancing, many people not wearing masks, you’re literally putting everyone around you in danger. They are putting you in danger and, very importantly, all of those people are putting their families and their friends who are not there with them in danger.”
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A mock patient room in Hall C of the McCormick Place coronavirus field hospital is shown April 17, 2020. (Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times)
City and state officials have decided to open 2,000 fewer beds at the McCormick Place medical center for now, citing the slowing growth of COVID-19 cases in Illinois.
McCormick originally was supposed to have 3,000 beds in case Chicago-area hospitals were hit with more coronavirus patients than they could handle at once. For the time being, however, a planned 1,750-bed hall won’t be opened. And a separate hall for sicker patients has been scaled back by 250 beds.
Miles Palmieri, 11, and his mother, Christine, walk to their Chicago home. They both had symptoms of COVID-19 and have recovered. Miles requires one-on-one speech therapy, but not all such services have been available during the school shutdown. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
The shutdown of schools across Illinois — now extended for the rest of the academic year — has created particular hardships for families of students with disabilities. Some students are paired with full-time aides at school or get speech or physical therapy, roles that aren’t easily filled by parents who are also figuring out remote learning, working from home or dealing with their own economic challenges.
Josephine Tapiru, 56, with her husband, Luis Tapiru Sr., 59. She, along with their son, Luis Tapiru, 20, died of COVID-19 this month. Luis Tapiru Sr., 59, remains hospitalized, sickened by the virus (Donna Oduca/Photo courtesy of Donna Oduca)
Josephine Tapiru had been pulling extra shifts, working from 9 a.m. until sometimes 11 p.m., because the North Side nursing home was getting more and more short-staffed as co-workers fell ill. She kept a close watch on her temperature: still 98. Fine, she thought.
After clocking out on April 3 from Park View Rehab, Tapiru told a friend her throat was getting sore and she was coughing. She stopped at a drugstore, picked up a bottle of NyQuil and went to bed as soon as she got home. Sometime that night, she slipped into a coma. The world’s novel coronavirus was beginning to take its terrible toll on her family.
The Tribune identified at least one dozen Chicago-area families who suffered a double loss from COVID-19 in the last several weeks.
Michael Jordan hugs the NBA Championship Trophy after the Bulls defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 after Game 5 of the NBA Finals on June 12, 1991. (Ken Levine/Getty Images)
Carmen Electra hiding in a Las Vegas hotel room when Michael Jordan comes to retrieve Dennis Rodman and the Chicago Bulls winning their first NBA title under Phil Jackson highlight Episode 4 of “The Last Dance,” ESPN’s 10-part documentary on the Bulls’ 1997-98 championship season and the era it ended.
Now that we’ve had a chance to see the fourth hour, let’s see what we can take away. And here’s our recap of episode three, which focuses on how Dennis Rodman became a member of the Bulls.


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Column: Donald Trump hasn’t lost his mind. He’s just a lonely man looking for love.

Trump tells us what he thinks we want to hear , in a futile attempt to convince us that things @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve ever been before , as long as we stick with him .
He @ @ @ @ @ he has done already , such as creating the “ strongest economy in the history @ @ @ @ @

President Donald Trump listens to a speaker during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus on April 23, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images/AFP via Getty Images)
We could be all wrong about Donald Trump.
Maybe America isn’t in the grips of a madman. There could be a more benign reason for his bizarre and erratic behavior.
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Perhaps it’s something as simple as this: The president just wants to be loved.
Trump uses the “L” word repeatedly during his coronavirus briefings. Sometimes it comes out of nowhere, at a moment we least expect it. Then he moves on to something so ridiculous that we forget that he even said it.
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He uses the term — love — to describe make-believe relationships with racial and ethnic minorities who don’t particularly care for him. He lumps people together, based on what they do for a living, the region of the country they live in or simply how they enjoy spending their time — and proclaims his love for them all.
Sometimes it appears the love he professes is contradictory. Sometimes it seems downright insincere.
He has declared his love for Asians, though he insisted on calling the coronavirus the Chinese virus. He says no one loves Hispanics more than he, yet he labeled Latino immigrants as rapists and opposes citizenship for “Dreamers” who have lived in America all their lives.
His Jewish son-in-law, Jared Kushner, says that Trump loves Jewish people, yet the president has been known to promote anti-Semitic stereotypes and at times has been reticent to denounce Neo-Nazis.
In recent weeks, he professed his love for Michigan, Missouri, Georgia, Wisconsin, Louisiana and New York. But he thinks every state is “beautiful” and he loves them all the same. When he gathers all the governors on the phone, it’s a “love fest,” he says.
An oh, he loves Europe too.
He loves farmers, bikers, the First Amendment and the new Abbott coronavirus test. And he loves Dr. Anthony Fauci, contrary to what some might think.
He loves the “people who have to go out and look for money” in the midst of the pandemic shutdown. The other day, he told us how much he loves “those people that use … the spas, the beauty parlors, barbershops, tattoo parlors.”
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He stopped short recently of saying he loves mosques, but he is “in favor of leaders and people that love mosques.” Perhaps that’s close enough.
He would love for us to believe that his love is returned full force but, of course, we have our doubts.
When “PBS NewsHour” reporter Yamiche Alcindor asked him whether more people might have gotten sick from COVID-19 because he downplayed the severity of the virus early on, he responded by insisting that he is loved.
“A lot of people love Trump,” he said. “A lot of people love me. You see them all the time, right?”
He wishes it were so. But deep inside, he knows that it’s not.
At a recent briefing, he confessed that no one shows him any love. That must have been hard to admit.
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Maybe that’s why he lies to us. It’s a desperate attempt to make us like him, a plea for affection that might someday turn into love. How nice it would be if we looked at him longingly, clinging to his every word.
How happy he would be if we saw him as a president much better than Barack Obama ever was.
Trump tells us what he thinks we want to hear, in a futile attempt to convince us that things will be better than they’ve ever been before, as long as we stick with him. He constantly reminds us of all he has done already, such as creating the “strongest economy in the history of the world.”
We are stubborn and too set in our ways to believe him.
If only he didn’t fail so miserably every time he tries to make us laugh. If only the media “got” him, rather than always setting out to get him.
Had we understood the man behind the bigoted, incompetent facade, we would have known that his theory about using household disinfectant and ultraviolet light to treat COVID-19 was a lame attempt at sarcasm.
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We would not have created memes that made him look like a fool. We would not have been terrified that the people who actually do cling to his words might decide to toast a glass of Clorox to everyone’s good health.
We would have known that no one, not even a man who has said equally ridiculous things in the past, could possibly be that stupid. But Americans took him seriously, because he is, after all, the president.
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Over the course of the coronavirus crisis, he is drifting deeper into a state of delusion. We see the fear in his eyes, the frustration in his voice and the desperation in every move he makes. That’s what happens to people when they feel unloved.
Oh, how he misses being on the campaign trail, where love and adoration overflowed. There is no one to boost his ego now, no one to cheer him on.
Maybe we would feel sorry for him, if he had once shown empathy for others. But he has been too selfish, too quick to toss people aside. He could never gain our trust.
If he had the chance to read this column, he would, no doubt, call it fake news.
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We know exactly who Donald Trump is. And America definitely is in the grips of a madman.
dglanton@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @dahleeng


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Refugees try to make new start in Chicago as COVID-19 upends daily life: ‘Once we get back to the no

Refugees try to make new start in Chicago as COVID-19 upends daily life: ‘Once we get back to the normal life, we want to walk freely’

Though refugees are often seen as the most protected group of immigrants , they are more at risk of receiving @ @ @ @ @ have been in the past , said Porter .
The federal coronavirus relief law allows @ @ @ @ @ unemployment , but recent arrivals and those working in the gig economy face more challenges @ @ @ @ @ bill provides $ 350 million to the Bureau of Population , Refugees and Migration , @ @ @ @ @ ’ t yet know how those funds will be prioritized .

Farhan Ali, 21, outside his apartment in Aurora, on April 13, 2020. Refugees from Afghanistan who'd fled to Pakistan, Farhan, his parents and siblings arrived in the United States on March 6, just before the coronavirus changed everything. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Like many practicing social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, Farhan Ali has turned to Netflix.
But Ali, 21, isn’t just watching for entertainment. He’s improving his English. About a month ago, his family arrived in the United States from Pakistan as refugees. Though they’re from Afghanistan, they’d fled to Pakistan out of fear of persecution by the Taliban. They spent their first week here living with his oldest sister in suburban Aurora.
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“We went to Millennium Park,” Ali said by phone, recalling his first week in Chicago. “We’ve never been that much happy and free.”
But within two weeks of their arrival, Ali and his family were under a stay-at-home order like the rest of the state, as cases of COVID-19 continued to climb. Resettlement organizations have spent weeks helping refugees navigate unemployment benefits while others deemed essential workers have continued working. Recently resettled refugees like Ali are learning how to navigate their new country online from their new homes.
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In total, 155 refugees have migrated to Illinois this year, according to federal Refugee Processing Center data, with nearly 50% coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo. President Donald Trump has drastically lowered the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. in recent years. The proposed refugee cap for fiscal year 2020 was 18,000 people , the lowest the cap has been since the Refugee Act was implemented 40 years ago.
Flights for refugees arriving in the U.S. have been suspended until at least May 15, said Susan Sperry, regional director for World Relief in the Chicago area.
“Refugee resettlement is a vital lifeline for those how have already been through the screening process,” Sperry said.
Jims Porter, spokesman for RefugeeOne, a refugee resettlement agency in Chicago, said the organization’s main concern has been collecting emergency funds for those losing their income. RefugeeOne staff members have been working to help refugees file for unemployment, he said, and have been checking in with each family once a week.
"We'll continue to call every week to find out what new needs are arising and how we can do things differently to help people in this moment," said Porter.
World Relief’s Sperry said the agency has helped at least 150 refugees who have lost their jobs or had their hours significantly cut.
Though refugees are often seen as the most protected group of immigrants, they are more at risk of receiving too few resources than they have been in the past, said Porter. The federal coronavirus relief law allows some refugees to file for unemployment, but recent arrivals and those working in the gig economy face more challenges in getting benefits. The bill provides $350 million to the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, although Porter said agencies don’t yet know how those funds will be prioritized.
Local and national advocacy groups are pushing Congress to make sure all refugees, including those who arrived most recently, are eligible for the cash payments.
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Agencies also have tried to emphasize to refugees that they cannot be penalized, under President Trump’s “public charge” rule meant to discourage immigrants from using government services, for seeking medical attention. Despite these measures, the most vulnerable refugees — those who have just arrived — are left unprotected, Porter said.
Many refugees in Chicago are on the front lines of the pandemic, working as certified nursing assistants or helping manufacture medical supplies, Sperry said.
Seema, Ali’s oldest sister, who asked that only her first name be used for publication, has lived in the country since 2016. She said her husband works at a factory that makes medical supplies. At least one employee had tested positive for COVID-19, and Seema wasn’t sure if her husband would go back to work.
“I feel not good,” about the situation, she said by phone.
Lalia Mweniake, who arrived in the country in mid-2016, is the only person in her family who has a job so far. Her husband made it to the United States only last month, and they have a 3-year-old son, born months after Mweniake arrived. Both lived in a refugee camp in Tanzania, but they’re from Congo.
Mweniake works at a retirement home in Uptown, but her husband, who speaks French and Swahili, is still looking for work. RefugeeOne has been helping the family with rent and groceries.
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“I’m the only one who works, so I will need help,” said Mweniake.
Most refugee agencies in Chicago have had to move their services, such as English as a second language classes, health services and applications for city services, online.
Jani Alam, who came to Chicago as a Rohingya refugee in 2011 and now works for RefugeeOne, said that a hurdle for Myanmar’s Rohingya community has been that many can’t use written information about COVID-19 because Rohingya is a spoken language only. Most of the newly arrived Rohingya families can’t read or write yet, Alam said. And many of Chciago’s approximately 500 Rohingya families live in the West Ridge area, which has seen the highest number of coronavirus cases in the city.
Refugee families also have had their arrivals postponed. Alam said RefugeeOne was supposed to have a family of seven arriving in March, but their travel plans had to be canceled.
“We still have the apartment we got for them,” he said. “There’s a chance they can still come, but we don’t know when. It will take time.”
Elmida Kulovic, the refugee resettlement program director for Catholic Charities, said case managers are regularly checking in on refugees by phone to reduce their isolation.
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“Our biggest concern are people who did face such a trauma," before coming to the U.S., Kulovic said. “And we are concerned that now staying home and isolation could cause more of the traumatic stress."
For Ali, social distancing has meant virtual English classes for his family. His siblings, ages 16, 9 and 3, aren’t able to start school until fall. Ali, who wants to study photography, has kept himself busy with YouTube videos on the subject.
Despite the slow start of his new life in America, he is optimistic about the future.
“Once we get back to the normal life, we want to walk freely," Ali said.
emalagon@chicagotribune.com
nhusain@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Coronavirus school shutdown has been particularly tough on kids with special needs: ‘It’s not just a

Coronavirus school shutdown has been particularly tough on kids with special needs: ‘It’s not just a disruption. We’re going to see kids who actually go backward.’

For the eight students in her virtual classroom , she put together bags with materials they might need , such @ @ @ @ @ dry erase markers , glue and crayons , and dropped them off at schools .
@ @ @ @ @ their bags there , but only six have been able to engage in Zoom lessons @ @ @ @ @ mother had her phone disconnected ; another works in a grocery store and “ is @ @ @ @ @ ” Perales said .
“ The encouraging thing for me is the majority of my @ @ @ @ @ they ’ ve been on the calls with my students .
”

When their fevers finally broke, Christine Palmieri and her sixth grade son Miles had a whole new world to navigate — one without speech therapy or recess buddies, with more screen time and less human interaction.
Miles, who is autistic, normally receives special education services at school, but those have been severely cut back since Illinois schools closed due to the coronavirus and he and his mother experienced symptoms of COVID-19. The 11-year-old Chicago boy had milder, flu-like symptoms and a 100-degree fever for nearly two weeks. The illness was harder on his mom. It got so difficult for her to breathe that once she fainted in the kitchen of their Lakeview condo.
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“We really were just focused on surviving and staying healthy,” she said.
Though they’re feeling better, Miles and his mother are now looking ahead at the weeks or months it may take before he can return to the routines and services he gets at school.
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“Being an autistic kiddo can be very isolating, and he will withdraw into his own world a bit,” she said, “so I need to have as many opportunities to keep him engaged as possible.”
Miles Palmieri, 11, and his mother, Christine, walk to their Chicago home. They both had symptoms of COVID-19 and have recovered. Miles requires one-on-one speech therapy, but not all such services have been available during the school shutdown. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
The shutdown of schools across Illinois — now extended for the rest of the academic year — has created particular hardships for families of students with disabilities. Some students are paired with full-time aides at school or get speech or physical therapy, roles that aren’t easily filled by parents who are also figuring out remote learning, working from home or dealing with their own economic challenges.
“The school closures have been hurtful to all kids, but students with disabilities are most vulnerable, and tend to react badly to transitions,” said Chicago attorney Matt Cohen, who represents families with special education and school-related issues.
“For special education students, school closures are not just a disruption but a regression, and we’re going to see kids who actually go backward,” Cohen said.
Even during normal times, the quality of special education in the Chicago area ranges from excellent to poor, often depending on a district’s leadership and funding, Cohen said. He predicted the recent pivot to remote learning will likely have a negative effect on most students with special education plans.
Cohen contends that many schools aren’t providing students access to their full-time aides.
“And even those that are, when we’re talking about kids with more severe cognitive, motor, attention, behavior and health issues, many of these kids are just not going to be able to do it (remotely),” he said.
Palmieri, an architect and an advocate in the Chicago special education community, said some schools “hit the ground running three weeks ago with full supports and services.” But with other schools, she said, “families have received zero communication.” Even through the second week, across schools, “some (special education) staff are doing great and some are not for various reasons, both within and without of their control,” Palmieri said. For some of the children waiting on services, the time to draw them back in may have passed, she said.
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The Illinois State Board of Education has made clear that schools must still address the needs of students eligible for special education services, but less apparent is what qualifies. The U.S. Department of Education has noted schools may not be able to provide all the services they usually do, and indicated schools would “offer flexibility where possible.”
Chicago Public Schools officials have said they’ll do what they can but, during remote learning, can’t commit to providing the full amount of service minutes outlined in a student’s individualized education plan during remote learning, with teachers not expected to work full days.
Stephanie Laine-Nazaire said her first grade twins, who attend Murray Language Academy in Hyde Park, are missing out on speech lessons. She said both children, born at 23 weeks, are on the autism spectrum, with one of the boys needing more specialized instruction than the other.
For one twin, things have been going OK. For the other, "it’s been pretty much heartbreaking,” Laine-Nazaire said. His special education teacher has been posting videos, but they’re not interactive, and he misses his friends, she said. She tried having him sit in online general education classes, but though the teacher has been making an effort to include him, he gets down when he can’t follow along with the reading and math lessons he’d usually be pulled out of.
“He has felt very dejected during this process,” she said. “He sees his brother having the interaction. It’s gutting.”
Laine-Nazaire, a graduate program administrator at the University of Chicago, said she empathizes with teachers, who she believes are doing their best. But without services like speech therapy, she’s concerned.
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While one twin mostly needs help with enunciation, the other mixes up pronouns and time references — “for him, everything happens yesterday, even if it was five months ago."
“The way he process something is the only way he can see it,” Laine-Nazaire said. “You have to find a way to undo the way his mind sees it.” Both twins also need to continue occupational therapy, where one boy was learning coordination and how to grip a pencil.
CPS policy has been updated to allow school psychologists, counselors and social workers to have one-on-one video calls with students if certain circumstances are met — something that’s typically forbidden between students and staff members. But parents of students who need speech or occupational therapy say their children should be allowed that too. On a recent Zoom call with special education parents and supporters, CPS’ chief of diverse learner services, Stephanie Jones, said speech therapy was not allowed one-on-one, but the district is considering other ways to provide that service.
Whether all missed speech or occupational therapy time will be made up later remained unclear in an updated fact sheet released by CPS last week.
In new guidance released April 20, the Illinois State Board of Education noted federal recommendations that schools consider teletherapy. The state agency noted districts are still expected to comply with federal and state law “as it is presently interpreted” during the coronavirus outbreak.
Commonly called SECAs or aides, the classroom assistants in CPS have been spending their time during the school shutdown “supporting teachers” in various ways, including attending virtual lessons with teachers, according to the district. But Palmieri said they need to continue supporting students directly. Many students like her son need an aide to participate in remote learning for the same reasons they get that support in the physical classroom, she said.
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Miles has a full-time aide in school, whom he considers a trusted adult, and he’s also often pulled from general education classes and meets one-on-one with his social worker and other specialists. His mother said he has not been able to get the one-on-one speech or occupational therapy he’s used to having weekly.
Last week, he was supposed to start having small-group video sessions for math. But during the second session, he was the only student who showed up, and the teacher said they had to end the video call when no other students were logging in, Palmieri said. He held it together on camera, but then he started crying.
“He is really wanting engagement and not getting it,” Palmieri said. She’s already noticing him start to withdraw and hopes it’s not a permanent regression.
On Friday, the school’s speech therapist sent a speech-language newsletter put together by the district saying CPS has not yet given the OK for speech therapy through teleconferencing but “we are hopeful this will change.”
Both parents and teachers have said they need clearer guidance.
“The guidelines have been all over the place,” said Linda Perales, a bilingual special education teacher. “Can we use Zoom; can we not use Zoom? Can we have one-on-one sessions? ... Is technology being given to our students?"
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She added: "We are doing the best with what we have, but in reality we need more guidance.”
At Corkery Elementary in Chicago’s Little Village, Perales works with 12 students who are pulled aside from their general education classes. Remotely, she’s been upholding their routine as much as she can, assigning similar work to what they do at school.
For the eight students in her virtual classroom, she put together bags with materials they might need, such as pencils, scissors, dry erase markers, glue and crayons, and dropped them off at schools. All eight families picked up their bags there, but only six have been able to engage in Zoom lessons. One student’s mother had her phone disconnected; another works in a grocery store and “is really overwhelmed right now,” Perales said. “The encouraging thing for me is the majority of my parents have been responsive and they’ve been on the calls with my students.”
Perales and her peers are trained to work with students in special education programs, and it’s expecting a lot of parents to fill that role, she said.
“I know a lot of them are trying, but they don’t know exactly how to teach the diverse learners,” Perales said. “A lot of students in special education have difficulties with concentrating and focus in the classroom. There’s a routine set up and the student knows the routine, the teacher is in the classroom, maybe a paraprofessional is in the classroom that may redirect the student constantly. But when a student is at home they may not have that support.”
As the mother of two students who attend Abraham Lincoln Elementary school in Lincoln Park, Anne Chalesle said her family’s remote learning has been particularly challenging for her younger son, Raphael, 8, who has a special education plan that provides extra help for math and reading.
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“As a parent with a diverse learner, I’m still trying to figure out how this is going to work,” said Chalesle, an administrator for a nonprofit organization.
Raphael typically gets pulled out of class every day for an hour for math help, and when schools closed, "it just stopped,” she said.
Still, Chalesle said she has nothing but admiration and gratitude for her son’s teachers, including one who has reached out directly to him with messages of support and encouragement.
“The fact that she has to teach a special education class online for an hour each morning ... they’re doing what they can do with the worst of circumstances,” Chalesle said.
With both Chalesle and her husband working from home, she said Raphael and his brother, Gabriel, 14, have two parents available to “troubleshoot.”
“I’m trying to keep things in perspective. ... There are many parents who are essential workers at hospitals and grocery stores, or who don’t have an internet connection," Chalesle said.
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For April Soristo Anderson, having a child in special education programs for both cognitive and physical disabilities has made her family’s transition to e-learning difficult. Her daughter Guilianna, 9, had a one-on-one nurse supporting her in the classroom at Prairieview Elementary School in Bartlett.
“It’s very challenging to try to explain to a special education student that even though she’s at home, she can’t just play with her toys, and it’s school time,” Anderson said.
Above all, Anderson said she’s worried that Guilianna, a twin, is falling woefully behind, especially as her medical condition caused her to be absent from school frequently even before the pandemic.
“She already was owed more than 20 hours of tutoring due to her absences. ... I’m petrified that she’s going to regress back and forget everything she’s learned this year," Anderson said.
Perales worries about regression for students with learning disabilities that make retention a struggle already.
Denise Dyer, whose eighth grade granddaughter receives help from a special education teacher at Nicholson STEM Academy in Englewood, shares the concern, and the sentiment that parents and guardians are ill-equipped for remote learning.
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“We have to find whole new ways of doing things,” Dyer said. "We weren’t trained to do this. I don’t know how to make adjustments to her algebra or modify it in some way. I can’t do that. There’s nothing I can do to help her.”
She’s tried to fill in other gaps, ordering copies of “The Outsider” for both the eighth grader and her older brother to read at the same time, along with chapter quizzes. She also got texts on African American history, adding on their own family stories.
As a member of the CPS parent advisory council for diverse learners, Dyer talks to parents from all over the city and said many share her frustration that communication to families has been inadequate. Many parents “truthfully cannot say” that children have been able to continue learning.
“Now I am afraid that when this is all over that these children are going to be so far behind, and when you’re already behind you can’t afford to get further behind,” Dyer said.
Already, special education lawyers are anticipating an influx of claims seeking compensatory services, and recommending families keep detailed records during remote learning. ISBE is also telling schools to document educational opportunities offered to students during the suspension of in-person instruction.
CPS officials have said the district will do its best to make sure students get services. “However, we do understand that there may be instances where a student has not received services for an extended period of time,” according to a district fact sheet. “When that occurs, compensatory services will be considered on an individual basis following the school closure period.”
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kculotta@chicagotribune.com
hleone@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Judge calls teen accused in gang slaying, high-speed Bishop Ford chase a ‘one-man crime wave’

With Caraway ’ s mother watching from a spectators ’ gallery , prosecutors recounted the string of events beginning with @ @ @ @ @ to Caraway ’ s arrest .
Prosecutors said there was little mystery about the slaying @ @ @ @ @ the faces of two people cutting through a gangway and firing numerous shots at Suggs @ @ @ @ @ car in front of his home in the 400 block of Normal Avenue in Chicago @ @

Prosecutors on Sunday said Michael Caraway was already wanted for murder when he allegedly led at least 13 Illinois State Police vehicles on an 11-mile chase through the south suburbs that reached speeds of 120 mph.
He is accused of attempting to evade capture Friday morning by driving over a median and grass on the cloverleaf-shaped ramp at the Sibley Boulevard exit from the Bishop Ford Freeway, before popping a tire, authorities said.
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When the car finally stopped and Caraway was taken into custody, police found two guns, a 50-round drum magazine and a detached laser sight inside the car, prosecutors told a judge during a publicly broadcast bail hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.
“The state floors me and tells me he’s only 18 years old,” Judge John F. Lyke Jr. said in denying bail for Caraway in the Feb. 29 shooting death of Donta Suggs, 23. Caraway, of the 2900 block of South State Street, faces numerous charges, including first-degree murder, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, aggravated fleeing and eluding and armed violence.
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With Caraway’s mother watching from a spectators’ gallery, prosecutors recounted the string of events beginning with Suggs’ death and leading to Caraway’s arrest. Prosecutors said there was little mystery about the slaying as surveillance video clearly captured the faces of two people cutting through a gangway and firing numerous shots at Suggs as he worked on a car in front of his home in the 400 block of Normal Avenue in Chicago Heights.
Two officers immediately recognized both offenders in the video, including a police detective who had worked security at Caraway’s old high school and allegedly had numerous run-ins with him, according to Assistant State’s Attorney Carolyn Nevin. Authorities also located a photo on social media allegedly showing Caraway and his accomplice holding guns and wearing the same distinctive clothing they wore when Suggs was killed, she added.
The accomplice, a 16-year-old, was arrested and charged five days after the shooting and ordered held without bail. Authorities said the shooting was related to an ongoing gang conflict in the south suburb.
It wasn’t until Friday around 12:45 a.m. that a Chicago police sergeant noticed a Chrysler 300 driven by Caraway was wanted in connection with a separate shots fired call in Chicago Heights four days earlier, Nevin said. State police later located the rented Chrysler near 73rd Street and the Dan Ryan, and the chase started when Caraway allegedly refused to stop.
After hearing the details, Lyke called Caraway, who watched the proceeding from a holding area, a “one-man crime spree,” calling Suggs’ death an execution and lambasting the defendant for putting other motorists in danger from his pursuit. The judge also approved a petition for parole violation for a juvenile aggravated discharge of a firearm conviction.
Caraway is expected to face a different judge at the Markham Courthouse on Tuesday.
wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--University of Washington modeling marks May 19 as date Illinois may be able to relax coronavirus res

University of Washington modeling marks May 19 as date Illinois may be able to relax coronavirus restrictions, but experts caution estimates will keep changing

In a media briefing Friday , IHME Director Dr. Christopher Murray cautioned that the potential “ opening dates ” represent @ @ @ @ @ likely to change as more information comes in from individual states .
Among the key @ @ @ @ @ likely to drop sharply once they peak , or whether — as seems to be @ @ @ @ @ they will plateau and decrease slowly .

Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
As Illinois enters another month with a modified stay-at-home order in place, easing up on social distancing guidelines — if an intensive containment strategy is in place — may be possible by late May, according to one team of modelers.
Projections from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation mark May 19 as the point at which restrictions may be able to be relaxed in Illinois. But that’s dependent on a system of widespread testing, contact tracing, isolating cases and still limiting large gatherings.
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The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation has regularly updated its projections, based on each state’s policies and demographics.
The dates represent the modelers’ best estimate of when the daily new infection rate in each state will drop below 1 per 1 million people.
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Some states shouldn’t ease social distancing guidelines until late June and mid-July, according to the model. Others have projected dates in early May.
The projected data is available here.
But experts have warned precise data is still lacking and the various projections are uncertain.
The latest projections are an outgrowth of IHME’s continued work to forecast the scope of the pandemic in every state and in several other countries. They come as the group’s work, which has been influential from the White House to statehouses, is attracting criticism from some disease experts.
A person wears a mask while walking on North Broadway in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago on April 26, 2020. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
In a media briefing Friday, IHME Director Dr. Christopher Murray cautioned that the potential “opening dates” represent a first take and are likely to change as more information comes in from individual states. Among the key variables are whether deaths are likely to drop sharply once they peak, or whether — as seems to be occurring in New York — they will plateau and decrease slowly.
Another main factor will be how soon states can quickly diagnose and isolate newly infected people and everyone they have come in contact with. States that bolster their health departments and expand testing capacity might be able to start opening up sooner, Murray said.
IHME’s modeling has been criticized for being too optimistic and too pessimistic. Earlier estimates that as many as 90,000 Americans could die have been scaled back to about 60,000, while the swings in some states have been more extreme.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week extended a modified stay-at-home order through May.
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Pritzker addressed social distancing violations Sunday, after a viral video purporting to show a crowded house party in Chicago over the weekend, with partyers who appeared to be standing shoulder to shoulder.
“The whole purpose of social distancing, of wearing masks, of staying at home in fact, is we don’t want to spread this to our loved ones or to others in the community,” Pritzker said. “So I would suggest that all of those people violated not only the intention of the order that we put out but also violated the trust of friends and family.”
During Sunday’s news conference, Pritzker announced 2,126 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 43,903; there were also 59 new deaths, and thousands remain hospitalized with the virus.
That’s the third time in recent days that the number of new daily cases has topped 2,000, with the peak so far at more than 2,700 on Friday. This recent spike in positive cases comes amid a massive increase in testing for COVID-19 in Illinois, with more test sites launching across the state as well as a recent expansion of previously restrictive testing criteria.
Chicago Tribune staff contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Video of crowded party said to be in Chicago prompts Gov. Pritzker to warn social distance violators

Video of crowded party said to be in Chicago prompts Gov. Pritzker to warn social distance violators: ‘You’re putting everyone around you in danger’

Angie Leventis Lourgos, Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, shown April 19, 2020, admonished people for potentially putting themselves or family members at risk of contracting the coronavirus by attending a large party, purportedly held in Chicago. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
A viral video purporting to show a crowded house party in Chicago over the weekend prompted Gov. J.B. Pritzker to admonish the young partiers who appear to be standing shoulder to shoulder and flouting social distancing orders amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I have not seen the video though I did hear about it,” he said Sunday during his daily coronavirus briefing. “First, I want to remind everyone that by doing that, by standing together, not social distancing, many people not wearing masks, you’re literally putting everyone around you in danger. They are putting you in danger and, very importantly, all of those people are putting their families and their friends who are not there with them in danger.”
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While the Tribune could not verify the authenticity of the video or the location of the large party, other media outlets reported that the footage was taken in Chicago. Some of the youths in the video were wearing Chicago sports paraphernalia; a few attendees appeared to be wearing masks, though none maintained the prescribed safe distance of 6 feet.
“The whole purpose of social distancing, of wearing masks, of staying at home in fact, is we don’t want to spread this to our loved ones or to others in the community,” Pritzker said. “So I would suggest that all of those people violated not only the intention of the order that we put out but also violated the trust of friends and family.”
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This is not the first instance of reported social distance violations amid the pandemic. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said earlier this month that she personally broke up an underage drinking party on the Far North Side of the city. Viral images of St. Patrick’s Day revelers lining the sidewalks of Chicago and spring breakers along the beaches of Florida have incited rage over the last few weeks as the highly contagious virus spread.
Chicago police officials on social media acknowledged the footage of the party but said they could not verify the incident or location.
“We are aware of a video circulating on social media depicting a large house party inside of an alleged Chicago residence,” CPD said on Twitter. “While we cannot authenticate the nature or location of the gathering, we want to remind everyone of the social distancing requirements in place. CPD will disperse crowds in violation of social distancing requirements, and if necessary, issue citations or as a last resort, enforce via arrest.”
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Twitter also rebuked the people in the video, adding that residents can anonymously submit tips about house parties to Chicago police at http://cpdtip.com and authorities will shut them down immediately.
“I have seen the video which shows what appears to be a house party taking place inside a Chicago residence,” she said. “What was depicted on the video was reckless and utterly unacceptable.”
Pritzker last week extended a modified stay-at-home order through May. While the state has “the ability to enforce these things,” the governor said officials have largely chosen to “allow people to self-enforce, to do the right thing.”
“We obviously have asked the police and other law enforcement to remind people, when they see them and they’re not following the new social distancing norms and they’re not wearing a mask, that they need to do those things,” he said.
The governor added that if violators repeatedly refuse to follow social distancing practices, “there is the ability by the police officers to charge them with reckless conduct and take them into custody, though again, we have discouraged police from doing that because we believe that people will in general follow the rules.”
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During Sunday’s news conference, Pritzker announced 2,126 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 43,903; there were also 59 new deaths, and thousands remain hospitalized with the virus.
That’s the third time in recent days that the number of new daily cases has topped 2,000, with the peak so far at more than 2,700 on Friday. This recent spike in positive cases comes amid a massive increase in testing for COVID-19 in Illinois, with more test sites launching across the state as well as a recent expansion of previously restrictive testing criteria.
eleventis@chicagotribune.com
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Chicago police cite homeowner for crowded weekend house party in viral video after Mayor Lori Lightf

Chicago police cite homeowner for crowded weekend house party in viral video after Mayor Lori Lightfoot says, ‘It goes against all the things we’ve been talking about’ during COVID-19 pandemic

” The city will follow up with the owner of the property and attendees to ensure any health risks that @ @ @ @ @ party are monitored and mitigated .
The Department thanks the surrounding community members and Alderman @ @ @ @ @ this investigation , ” Agostini said .

John Byrne, Jeremy Gorner, Gregory Pratt

Chicago police said they cited a Northwest Side homeowner with disorderly conduct on Monday following a crowded weekend house party that drew nationwide condemnation after video surfaced of attendees packed shoulder to shoulder in violation of social distancing rules.
The citation came on the same day as Mayor Lori Lightfoot blasted the large party, which to her looked like “hundreds” of people standing “literally cheek to jowl.”
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“It goes against all the things we’ve been talking about,” Lightfoot said at an unrelated news conference.
Chicago police spokesman Luis Agostini said officers responded to the home early Sunday morning after receiving multiple calls and dispersed about 50 people from the residence. After further review, police followed up and cited the homeowner for disorderly conduct, Agostini said.
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Agostini did not have the name of the homeowner but confirmed the residence depicted in the viral video was in the 2000 block of North Narragansett Avenue in the city’s Galewood neighborhood. The Tribune’s attempts to reach the person listed in property records as the homeowner were unsuccessful.
“Earlier today, the Chicago Police Department confirmed the location where the viral video depicting a house party took place and determined the property was responded to by officers this past weekend,” Agostini said in a statement.
At her afternoon news conference, Lightfoot said police were still investigating the party.
The mayor said “everybody involved in that bears a level of responsibility” for a party she said was “foolish and reckless.”
“Every single person there who put themselves at risk puts the next person and the next person that they come into contact with at risk,” Lightfoot said.
Video reportedly posted from inside the house showed a huge crowd, prompting Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Sunday to criticize the partygoers for “putting everyone around you in danger.”
Ald. Gilbert Villegas, 36th, said earlier Monday that it was an isolated occurrence, not an indication of widespread flouting of the stay-at-home order meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Still, he said the incident showed “unacceptable behavior.”
“(It’s) a clear violation of the stay-at-home order and will not be tolerated,” Villegas said Monday. “I’m working closely with the Chicago Police Department to investigate this fully. The health and safety of our residents is our priority, most especially during a pandemic.”
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Neighbors living in a townhouse attached to the one where the party was taking place called police after “a strong smell of cannabis” wafted through the heating ducts into their home, said the alderman, who’s Lightfoot’s City Council floor leader.
”The city will follow up with the owner of the property and attendees to ensure any health risks that could have arisen from this party are monitored and mitigated. The Department thanks the surrounding community members and Alderman Villegas for their partnership in this investigation,” Agostini said.
An administrative hearing is set for next month, at which time a fine could be set, Agostini said.
On Twitter over the weekend, Lightfoot also rebuked the people in the video, adding that residents can anonymously submit tips about house parties to Chicago police at http://cpdtip.com and authorities will shut the gatherings down immediately.
“I have seen the video, which shows what appears to be a house party taking place inside a Chicago residence,” she said. “What was depicted on the video was reckless and utterly unacceptable.”
This is not the first instance of reported social distance violations amid the pandemic. Lightfoot said earlier this month that she personally broke up an underage drinking party on the Far North Side of the city. Viral images of St. Patrick’s Day revelers lining the sidewalks of Chicago and spring breakers along the beaches of Florida have incited rage over the last few weeks as the highly contagious virus spread.
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jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
jgorner@chicagotribune.com
gpratt@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--The Spin: Trump fires on states run by Democrats | Lightfoot further condemns weekend Chicago house

The Spin: Trump fires on states run by Democrats | Lightfoot further condemns weekend Chicago house party | Michelle Obama’s COVID-19 PSAs airing in Chicago, nationally

“ What I know taxpayers in this city and this state pay a lot to the federal government and all @ @ @ @ @ is our fair share , '' Lightfoot told reporters .
“ And that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ not : ‘ Let me , Donald Trump , assess who has done a good @ @ @ @ @ , the president ’ s ability to judge how someone is performing and functioning is @ @ @ @ @ is badly damaged , because he thinks he ’ s done a good job in @ @ @ @ @ could be further from the truth .
”

President Donald Trump speaks during the signing of a coronavirus aid package to direct funds to small businesses, hospitals, and testing, in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, April 24, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (Evan Vucci/AP)
A Downstate judge delivered a setback to Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker this afternoon, issuing a temporary injunction allowing Republican Rep. Darren Bailey to ignore the governor’s stay-at-home order, my Tribune colleagues are reporting.
Pritzker vowed to fight it and went after Bailey, from the small Downstate town of Xenia, accusing him of playing politics and ignoring the medical threat of the virus. The court case underscores how government’s regulatory response to the coronavirus has inflamed already heightened regional tensions between rural Downstate areas and the Chicago area, the Tribune’s Jamie Munks, Dan Petrella and Rick Pearson write.
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As federal lawmakers gear up to try brokering a relief package to help cash-strapped state and local governments pay for their COVID-19 response, President Donald Trump turned the cannon on Illinois and Democratic officials elected throughout the country.
On Twitter, Trump wrote: “Why should the people and taxpayers of America be bailing out poorly run states (like Illinois, as example) and cities, in all cases Democrat run....?"
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Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov. Pritzker both expressed frustration over a jam-packed weekend party on Chicago’s Northwest Side. Police have cited the homeowner. From the looks of the shoulder-to-shoulder gathering, thanks to a video that surfaced on social mediate, there wasn’t much social distancing going on and most partygoers were not wearing masks.
And Michelle Obama has a new public service announcement out aimed at African American communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19. It’s airing on black radio stations in Chicago and the rest of the United States.
Welcome to The Spin.
The Illinois State Capitol building is photographed Tuesday, May 21, 2019, in Springfield. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
A downstate GOP lawmaker vs. the governor, a Democrat from Chicago: My Tribune colleagues write: Clay County Circuit Court Judge Michael McHaney’s ruling today on Pritzker’s stay-at-home order came in a lawsuit filed by Bailey, who challenged Pritzker’s authority to issue extended stay-at-home orders under the state’s Emergency Management Act.
The suit underscores how government’s regulatory response to the coronavirus has inflamed already heightened regional tensions between rural Downstate areas and the Chicago area.
Residents in central and southern Illinois, which has become increasingly conservative and heavily Republican while seeing declines in industry and population, have chafed over what they believe is a state run by Chicago, imposing upon them the city’s liberal ideology and beliefs. Read the full story here.
“I’m hoping that this doesn’t evolve into the politics that I think often people at the federal level like to make it—and obviously you can see there are legislators who don’t understand this, who think everything is fodder for the political world,” the Democratic governor said in an afternoon news conference, making a pointed reference at Bailey’s lawsuit.
In seeking the injunction on April 23, Bailey asked the judge to find that the lawmaker was “irreparably harmed each day he is subjected to” Pritzker’s executive order and to enjoin the governor or anyone under his authority “from enforcing the March 20 executive order against Bailey from this date forward.”
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Senate GOP Leader Bill Brady says it’s time for the legislature to reconvene “Today I called the governor, the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate and told them Illinois Senate Republicans stand ready to return to Springfield to take up the timely and important issues facing Illinois and its residents," Brady wrote in a statement, clearly pointing to the ongoing hiatus amid the pandemic. “The work we do for our residents is essential and it can be done in a safe manner by following the proper social distancing guidelines." Stay tuned.
University of Washington modeling marks May 19 as date Illinois may be able to relax coronavirus restrictions, but experts caution estimates will keep changing: Read The Associated Press story here. The latest prediction comes as the city’s public health commissioner says Chicago’s COVID-19 curve is flattening but is “not on the way back down yet,” the Tribune’s Madeline Buckley reports. You can read the rest of that story here.
Newly released state figures show jump in COVID-19 deaths at some Illinois long-term care facilities: The data shows 625 deaths, more than double reported a week ago, the Tribune’s Joe Mahr and Patrick O’Connell report. As of now, a third of all Illinois deaths from the virus have been tied to long-term care facilities, which are licensed, regulated and inspected by the Illinois Department of Public Health, according to the state’s website. Read the full story here.
Illinois repeals controversial workers’ compensation rule that presumed front-line workers with COVID-19 got it on the job: A Sangamon County judge last week issued a temporary restraining order blocking the new rule, which would have granted benefits to workers deemed essential who contracted the new coronavirus, the Tribune’s Jamie Munks writes. The judge’s order resulted from a lawsuit filed by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association that had the support of more than two dozen business groups. Read her full story here.
Polish medical delegation helping with COVID-19 response tours Cook County’s emergency operations center: The Tribune’s Madeline Buckley has the story here.
Federal judge orders additional social distancing measures at Cook County Jail: The Tribune’s Jason Meisner has the details here.
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Illinois Supreme Court to hear arguments via video: It’s the first time in history that the state’s highest court is hearing oral arguments through videoconference, another pivot tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read that Associated Press story here.
With and Gov. J.B. Pritzker standing behind her, Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks at a news conference at the Thompson Center in Chicago on Feb. 28, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago police said they cited a Northwest Side homeowner with disorderly conduct on Monday following a crowded weekend house party that drew nationwide condemnation after video surfaced of attendees packed shoulder to shoulder in violation of social distancing rules, the Tribune’s John Byrne, Jeremy Gorner and Gregory Pratt report. Read the full story here,
During an afternoon news conference, Lightfoot was asked how the city can prevent these parties, particularly as summer approaches and people tend to gather. The mayor said she “can’t prevent people from being foolish” but added: “What we can do as a city is educate people about why taking those kinds of risks are unnecessary and foolish.”
Chicago releases new COVID Coach app to help people track symptoms, find testing sites: The Tribune’s Gregory Pratt and John Byrne have the story here.
Lightfoot said she can imagine Cubs, White Sox baseball being played in Chicago this summer — without fans: She said the decision over whether professional sports will come back is going to be made “at the league level” but said she could imagine baseball being played over the summer. But she added, “Is it likely to be without fans? Probably.” (Gregory Pratt)
Alderman wants to buy protective masks directly from former Chicago mayoral candidate, businessman Willie Wilson, who’s sparring with Lightfoot: Far South Side Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, a Lightfoot critic, said he and four other aldermen want to use money from their local ward funds to buy masks from Wilson, a wealthy businessman who was part of the crowded field of mayoral candidates that included Lightfoot, my Tribune colleague John Byrne writes.
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It comes days after Mayor Lightfoot said she refused to purchase masks from Wilson because he wanted an upfront cash payment, something Wilson denied. The Lightfoot administration would need to approve taking the money out of those accounts for the purchase, since the funds are usually used for local infrastructure projects such as street repaving, Beale said. Read the full story here.
Lightfoot leads ‘virtual field trips’ to major cultural institutions during coronavirus: The Tribune’s Steve Johnson has the story here.
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J.B. Pritzker, left, and Ron DeSantis with President Donald Trump at the White House on Dec. 13, 2018, during Trump's meeting with newly elected governors. At the time, Pritzker was governor-elect of Illinois and DeSantis was governor-elect of Florida. (Evan Vucci/AP)
President Trump tweeted about Illinois this morning: “Why should the people and taxpayers of America be bailing out poorly run states (like Illinois, as example) and cities, in all cases Democrat run and managed, when most of the other states are not looking for bailout help? I am open to discussing anything, but just asking?”
It’s not surprising the president singled out the Land of Lincoln. Trump and Gov. Pritzker have traded barbs throughout the pandemic, each questioning the other’s response. But GOP lawmakers have been holding their noses over Democratic Illinois Senate President Don Harmon’s request to federal lawmakers, asking for more than $41 billion for the state in the next coronavirus relief package, including $10 billion to stabilize Illinois’ underfunded pension system.
Hours earlier, Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who represents Illinois’ 16th Congressional District, said on WFLD-Fox 32 that while the state may get some relief money, "one thing we’re not going to do is bail out Illinois’ mismanagement that existed before this coronavirus. They will get help based on this coronavirus damage, but as the Senate president came and basically asked us to fix that mismanagement, that will not happen.”
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He’s referring to a two-week-old request from the Illinois Senate president asking Congress for $41 billion in COVID-19 relief funding, including $10 billion for the state’s chronically underfunded pensions.
In response to the president’s criticism, Pritzker said during an afternoon news conference: “Unlike, Donald Trump we proposed and passed and have effectuated a balanced budget for the year that we’re in. Had it not been coronavirus, we would have had a (budget) surplus."
Pritzker also pointed out that Illinois is a “donor” state that pays more in federal taxes than it receives but that every state is suffering fiscally because of COVID-19 and could use a financial shot in the arm from the federal government.
Asked what it would mean if the state doesn’t get some federal funding, Pritzker said: “If we don’t get any further federal aid, it will be extremely difficult” and that goes for other states, too.
He also said: “All states need it now, because coronavirus - COVID-19 - has blown a hole in every state budget all across the nation. There’s not a single state that would not benefit from or does not need support from another CARES Act package,” Pritzker said, acknowledging that he was among the governors on a call with President Trump, Vice President Pence and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and a top adviser, earlier today to talk about boosting COVID-19 testing, a key part of reopening the nation’s economy.
Lightfoot blasted President Trump’s tweet, praising Pritzker for his stewardship during the pandemic but particularly “in taking the specific steps that were necessary to keep people safe, we have caused damage to our economy." She also mentioned that bars and restaurants largely have been closed — save for takeout and delivery — for more than a month.
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“What I know taxpayers in this city and this state pay a lot to the federal government and all we’re asking for is our fair share," Lightfoot told reporters. “And that’s what should be the calculus not: ‘Let me, Donald Trump, assess who has done a good job or not.’ Obviously, the president’s ability to judge how someone is performing and functioning is clearly off. His meter is badly damaged, because he thinks he’s done a good job in this crisis, and nothing could be further from the truth.”
Timing of next relief bill: “I don’t know when it’s going to happen. I don’t necessarily think it’s going to happen anytime soon. I think we need to assess the overall damage from this so we can assess what the right thing to do is,” Kinzinger said.
Opinion: Harmon’s plea for a bailout yet another reason to reject the Pritzker Tax in November: That’s the Tribune Editorial Board’s take. Read the piece here.
Why should the people and taxpayers of America be bailing out poorly run states (like Illinois, as example) and cities, in all cases Democrat run and managed, when most of the other states are not looking for bailout help? I am open to discussing anything, but just asking? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 27, 2020
Former first lady Michelle Obama is shown on June 22, 2018, speaking at the American Library Association annual conference in New Orleans. (Gerald Herbert / AP)
In Chicago and beyond, COVID-19 is killing African Americans at higher rates than other racial demographics. Chicago native and former first Lady Michelle Obama has put together “Stay home” public service announcements that are airing on black radio stations here and nationwide, according to the Obama Foundation, which oversees the planned Obama Presidential Center on the South Side.
“Hi everybody, it’s Michelle Obama. Our communities are among the hardest hit by the coronavirus and we have got to do everything we can to keep each other safe. That means staying home, because even if we’re not showing any symptoms we can still spread the virus to others,” she says, counseling those who want to have dinner, attend a church service with family and friends not under the same roof to do it by telephone or video. You can listen to the 60-second spot here and a 30-second spot here.
Michelle Obama’s ad encourages those who must leave home to wash their hands before leaving and again when returning and maintain social distancing.
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Jeanne Ives is shown on March 20, 2018, when she was a Republican candidate in the governor's race challenging incumbent Bruce Rauner. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
As Republicans work to take back the majority in the Democratic-led U.S. House this fall, a national GOP congressional campaign organization announced today it has put Jeanne Ives on its list of “contenders” that the party will work to help win in this fall’s election.
Ives, of Wheaton, is a former state representative and gubernatorial candidate trying to unseat first term Democratic U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, of Downers Grove, in the west and northwest suburban Illinois 6th Congressional District. Casten rode into office amid a blue wave in the 2018 midterms that saw Democratss win in traditional GOP strongholds.
Now, the National Republican Congressional Committee, the fundraising arm for House GOP members, has put Ives on the NRCC’s “Young Guns” “contenders” list — the second of three levels in the program, which opens the door to fundraising and other help. Casten so far has out-raised Ives this campaign season; Federal Election Commission reports showed Casten with $2.5 million in cash on hand at the start of April, while Ives reported $366,211.
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