chicagotribune--2020-09-11--The Spin: Read Eric Trump’s texts to Mayor Lightfoot during Chicago unrest | From Lightfoot to Trump

The Spin: Read Eric Trump’s texts to Mayor Lightfoot during Chicago unrest | From Lightfoot to Trump a 9/11 message of unity |  Ex-Mayor Emanuel, Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts at Chicago fundraiser for Kamala Harris

He cautions that “ it ’ s going to take some time to count all of the mail ballots that @ @ @ @ @ I think the public , which is often used to seeing election night results at @ @ @ @ @ o ’ clock at night , ( they ’ re ) likely not going to @ @ @ @ @ the next day , the day after — and not to mention the national results @ @ @ @ @ states , I think might be even slower .
”

Eric Trump, a son of President Donald Trump, and his wife, Lara Trump, left, watch as President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the New York City Veterans Day Parade at Madison Square Park in Washington on Nov. 11, 2019. (Andrew Harnik/AP)
Just in from the Tribune’s Gregory Pratt: “As civil unrest surged across the country and Chicago at the end of May, Mayor Lori Lightfoot called President Donald Trump’s son Eric to express her support, according to text messages he sent her.”
On June 1, as the city was cleaning up from widespread looting over the weekend, the younger Trump texted Lightfoot: “Mrs. Mayor, I am thinking about you. I really appreciated your call on Saturday – it was incredibly kind,” he wrote. “I have passed along your support to our team. ... Please know, I and we truly appreciate you.”
Advertisement
The city did not release any records showing whether she replied.
Just in from the Tribune’s Jamie Munks: Longtime state Sen. Terry Link stepping down from legislative seat The Vernon Hills Democrat is exiting roughly a month after he was charged with a federal count of income tax evasion. He turned in his resignation letter Friday. Read Munks’ full story, including details about Link reportedly wearing a wire for the FBI as part of a probe into a fellow lawmaker, here.
Advertisement
In the news business, it’s called the Friday afternoon news dump: Announcements and responses to requests that elected leaders would prefer die on the vine at the start of a weekend, as the reading public is generally distracted.
On today’s 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, elected leaders — from Democrats Lightfoot and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to Republican President Trump — touched on themes of unity and reminded how Americans had come together then in the face of tragedy.
And Chicagoan and former Obama White House social secretary Desiree Rogers called Democratic vice presidential hopeful Kamala Harris a skinny-jeans, Chuck Taylors-wearing “boss queen” who “has no fear” during a virtual fundraiser yesterday. There were some boldface names in the crowd including former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts, among others.
Harris also talked about how she and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden are working to win Midwest states.
Welcome to The Spin.
Laura and Eric Trump speak during a Trump campaign rally at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 20, 2020. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)
Mayor Lightfoot first referenced the texts from Eric Trump last month, after the president made an issue of her decision to raise the downtown bridges following a second round of looting, the Tribune’s Pratt reports.
At a Wisconsin event, Trump said Lightfoot “literally raised up the drawbridges to prevent hordes of rioters from ransacking the city.”
She responded: “One of the bridges we put up is near Trump Tower because our protesters and vigilantes would love nothing more than to attack Trump Tower.”
Advertisement
“So those little notes that I get from Eric Trump after every time that we’ve protected that property, if they want us to stop, say the word,” Lightfoot added.
The Tribune subsequently filed an open records request for any texts or emails between Lightfoot and Eric Trump. Read Pratt’s full report on the texts here.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot warns aldermen someone has been using a fake email in her name: The Tribune’s Pratt has that story, too. Read it here.
Other city news: Despite ban, Flossmoor trustee continues lobbying Chicago City Hall: Nearly five months after rules took effect banning elected officials from lobbying Chicago aldermen and Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Flossmoor Trustee Gyata Kimmons, who also lobbies on behalf of Walmart, McDonald’s and other businesses, continues to do so with the blessing of the city’s Ethics Board, the Tribune’s John Byrne writes in a new story here. With federal investigators probing lobbying activities at the state level, the City Council banned elected officials from lobbying its members or the Chicago mayor as part of an effort to make sure elected officials look out for the best interests of the people who elected them, not special interests.
Sign up for The Spin to get the top stories in politics delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot attends the 9/11 remembrance ceremony at the Chicago Fire Department's Engine 42 Station in downtown Chicago on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Lightfoot recalled this morning “how she learned about the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackings and attacks, and said she hopes America can again find the kind of unity and strength that characterized the nation following the tragedies,” the Tribune’s John Byrne writes.
Advertisement
“We unfortunately are living in a time where, too often, we are talking past each other, where we are vilifying others that don’t share our particular views, whether it’s on politics or policy,” Lightfoot said after joining firefighters downtown to commemorate the attacks and the many firefighters who died attempting rescues at the World Trade Center in New York. Read the full story here.
Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden issued a statement that suggested the terrorist attacks and their aftermath serve as a template for dealing with the pandemic, making this anniversary of the terrorist attack an important day to “come together as a nation.”
Trump delivered a patriotic message at a memorial service in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, one of the crash sites, and also noted how the country had come together after 9/11 — without mentioning the current divisions in the country over the virus and other issues, according to this Associated Press account.
“It was a unity based on love for our families, care for our neighbors, loyalty to our fellow citizens, pride in our great flag, gratitude for our police and first responders, faith in God and a refusal to bend our will to the depraved forces of violence, intimidation, oppression and evil.”
And in that same vein, Pritzker tweeted today, “(f)or those of us who remember the horrors of 9/11, one thing that ought to stick in our memories is how we pulled together in its aftermath,” adding “we need each other.”
Wearing a mask with the State of Illinois emblem, Gov. J.B. Pritzker arrives at a coronavirus testing site at Coles Elementary School on Chicago's Southeast Side on July 8, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Gov. Pritzker was asked about the biggest challenge facing Illinois when it comes to pulling off the Nov. 3 election. While safety is key — for voters, election judges and other workers — so is managing the expectations of an electorate used to knowing who won hours after the polls close.
Advertisement
“You know, this is an unusual election right in the middle of a pandemic,” ticking off all the new things the various local election authorities responsible for pulling it all off must deal with, from an expected spike in mail-in ballots to making sure they have cleaning supplies and masks at the ready for those who vote in person. Pritzker is still pressing the electorate to consider the safest route: voting by mail.
He cautions that “it’s going to take some time to count all of the mail ballots that will come in, so I think the public, which is often used to seeing election night results at 10, 11, 12 o’clock at night, (they’re) likely not going to see those results until perhaps the next day, the day after — and not to mention the national results, which in many other states, I think might be even slower.”
Wisconsin Supreme Court temporarily halts mailing of absentee ballots in critical battleground state: The ruling from the conservative court came in a lawsuit by Green Party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins, who asked the state’s highest court to take up his challenge of a Wisconsin Elections Commission decision keeping him off the ballot, The Associated Press reports. The order injects confusion into voting in Wisconsin a week before a state’s deadline for absentee ballots to be mailed out and a tight race in the state between Trump and Biden. Read the full story here.
Disinformation scams are becoming more aggressive as Election Day nears, city and state election officials say: The Tribune’s Kelli Smith separates fact from fiction in this piece.
Campaign trail — Chicago fundraiser for Harris: Former Obama administration staffer Desiree Rogers along with Chicago-area attorney Stacey Sherr Michelon co-hosted a virtual fundraiser for Harris late yesterday afternoon.
Harris was asked how she and Biden are working to secure victories in Midwestern states: “We’re going to be present where the voters are and speak to them again by Zoom, or in person,” Harris told the group, according to a pool report. “We’re going to be traveling more than we were as a campaign earlier and going to compete in every corner of our country.”
Advertisement
In 2016, three so-called blue-wall states in middle America — Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — went for Trump and from the looks of the Trump-Pence and Biden-Harris schedules they’re both making tracks in those states.
Local radio host and podcaster Maze Jackson pitched a question during the event about what a Biden-Harris administration would do to address racial injustices highlighted by police officers shooting and killing African American men.
“The issue is that we need to address all of the disparities — all of the inequities understanding the historical context,” Harris said, bringing up disparities in income, homeownership, health and access to capital between white and Black Americans.
Harris also mentioned in broad strokes a plan for police reforms.
Race for Cook County top prosecutor — Foxx vs. O’Brien: “Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx sparred Thursday with Republican challenger Pat O’Brien over wrongful convictions and her tenure — four years that the former judge argued has led to ‘more crime and more fear,’” the Chicago Sun-Times Rachel Hinton writes.
As expected, O’Brien raised questions about how Foxx handled the case of former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett, but even as she’s faced criticism over the case, Hinton points out that it seemed to be a mere “blip” in the spring primary, which Foxx won handily.
Advertisement
The Democratic incumbent, O’Brien and Libertarian candidate Brian Dennehy were part of a question-and-answer session with the Sun-Times Editorial Board, hoping to win the newspaper’s endorsement.
RELATED — FBI refuses to give records of ‘ongoing criminal investigation’ in Jussie Smollett matter to city: The Tribune’s Jason Meisner and Megan Crepeau have the details here.
Underwood, Oberweis support protesters, call for police reforms: During a meeting with reporters and editors from the Daily Herald and Shaw Media, Democratic first-term congresswoman Lauren Underwood and Republican state Sen. Jim Oberweis, a dairy magnate, did little to differentiate themselves in a battle for the U.S. House seat in Illinois’ far west and northwestern suburban and exurban 14th District, Read the Daily Herald story here.
Attorney General William Barr gives an update on Operation Legend at a news conference at Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. He's flanked by U.S. Attorney John Lausch and acting ATF Director Regina Lombardo. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Tribune opinion writer John Kass got a one-on-one interview with Attorney General William Barr, who was in the city earlier this week to talk up a federal crime-fighting program he says has helped curb crime. Read the full Kass column here.
In the interview, Barr called Chicago “out of control” but fondly recalled the days of working as AG for President George H.W. Bush traveling here regularly “spending long nights at great steakhouses with the late Gov. James Thompson and former U.S. attorneys Dan Webb and Anton Valukas.”
Barr told Kass he “enjoyed going to the Chop House, up to the second floor, drinking all night and eating my steaks."
Advertisement
Something Barr and Lightfoot can agree on: Chicago U.S. Attorney John Lausch — Federal prosecutors across the country serve at the will of the sitting president and it sounds like Chicago’s U.S. Attorney John Lausch has found himself in the good graces of the Trump administration, no easy feat.
Kass asked whether Lausch, who oversees prosecutions in the Northern District of Illinois, would stay on if Trump wins reelection and Barr said: “I’m going to ask John to stay on. Under a Trump administration, John can be here as long as he wants to be here.”
Lausch seemingly eased tensions between the White House and mayor earlier this summer when Trump said he was sending in federal agents, concerned the clashes between federal law enforcement and protesters in Portland would play out here.
At one point Lightfoot said she would sue if more federal law enforcement agents were sent in without her approval, only to later welcome the help. The mayor changed her tune after talking with Lausch, a former colleague. The two served together in the U.S. attorney’s office and she has said she respects and admires Lausch, who she said assured her an influx of law enforcement would be working “collaboratively” with Chicago cops against violent crime.
The number of people held more than five years in the Cook County Jail is sharply up, according to an analysis by the Chicago Sun-Times. The long delays for justice is attributed to, in the short-term, the pandemic. But longer term, outdated and lousy technology also are problems. And for those suspects staring down a 20-year sentence if convicted, there’s little incentive to demand the wheels of justice speed up. Read reporter Frank Main’s piece here.
Jaime Espinoza shows the eviction notice he received, outside his apartment in Hillside on Sept. 4, 2020. Six months into the pandemic and residents, like Espinosa, a DJ, are receiving eviction notices despite he ongoing extensions of the moratorium. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Some Illinois renters are finding themselves in housing limbo as they struggle to pay rent due to the financial constraints brought on by COVID-19, the Tribune’s Darcel Rockett and Hannah Herrera Greenspan wrote. They note: “And despite Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s latest extension on the statewide eviction moratorium (currently set to expire Sept. 19) and a federal halt on some evictions through 2020, some people continue to receive warnings of evictions that can seem like the real thing.” Read the full story here.
Advertisement
DuPage among 30 counties on Illinois' latest coronavirus warning list as state announces 2,145 new known cases, 32 deaths: Get the latest here.
Cook County health department announces plans to spend up to $5.4M fighting COVID-19 in hardest hit parts of the suburbs: The Tribune’s Hal Dardick has the details here.
CPS first-day attendance down from last year as remote learning begins; some schools see fewer than 50% of students participate: The Tribune’s Hannah Leone has the details here.
Ex-Bears receiver Josh Bellamy charged with coronavirus loan fraud: Bellamy allegedly received a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan worth $1.2 million “for his company, Drip Entertainment LLC, and spent it on Dior and Gucci items, as well as jewelry. He allegedly spent $62,774 in PPP loan money at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in South Florida, and withdrew more than $302,000 more,” Chicago Sun-Times reporter Patrick Finley writes. The aim of the PPP was to provide small businesses, struggling amid the pandemic, forgivable loans to meet payroll.
Owner of the Palmer House Hilton, shown on Sept. 8, 2020, has been sued for $338 million in missed loan payments, in the largest Chicago foreclosure case to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
My Tribune colleague Chris Jones' plaintive piece about the grand Palmer House hotel in the Loop, locked up amid the coronavirus and in a deep financial hole, was a reminder that these places aren’t just for the weary to lay their head, but have offered meeting spaces and stages for some of the biggest political events of our time.
It was then-candidate Bill Clinton’s temporary headquarters during the 1992 primary when he won the Super Tuesday primaries and went on to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Advertisement
When Chicago officials pursued the 1996 Democratic National Convention, then Illinois Democratic Party Chairman Gary LaPaille hosted a three-day conference in 1991 at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel for the Association of Democratic State Chairmen.
Also on hand? The Democratic National Committee and all several of the Democratic presidential hopefuls in the 1992 election. All together, it was the largest gathering of national party leaders in Chicago since 1968. Later on, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama would hold fundraisers there on the campaign trail.
On the eve of that convention, the Tribune examined the Palmer House’s storied political, albeit bipartisan, history, noting that in 1880, the lobby, or grand rotunda as it was then known, was the site of an impromptu reception after Republicans nominated James Garfield for president.
Accounts said 1,000 people were on hand to shake his hand. Garfield would go on to win and was assassinated in office in 1881.
Four years later, history repeated itself when William Jennings Bryan and William McKinley campaigned in the lobby — at the same time — taking opposite sides of the room (and the issues, no doubt) and tried to outshout one another for the attention of onlookers.
Grover Cleveland, the successful Democratic candidate in 1884, selected the Palmer House as his headquarters.
Advertisement
He was reelected in 1892, and once again the Palmer House was the headquarters hotel. Read that Tribune piece here.
Thanks for reading The Spin, the Tribune’s politics newsletter. Have a tip? Email host Lisa Donovan at ldonovan@chicagotribune.com.
Twitter @byldonovan


chicagotribune--2020-09-11--‘A monumentally huge and cruel problem’: Number of children in DCFS care who remain in psychiatric h

‘A monumentally huge and cruel problem’: Number of children in DCFS care who remain in psychiatric hospitals after being cleared for release continues to grow

The number of children in Illinois Department of Children and Family Services ’ care who have remained in psychiatric hospitals @ @ @ @ @ release continues to grow , even as Gov .
J.B. Pritzker has vowed to address @ @ @ @ @ long-troubled agency , according to a new report from the Cook County public guardian .

The number of children in Illinois Department of Children and Family Services’ care who have remained in psychiatric hospitals after being medically cleared for release continues to grow, even as Gov. J.B. Pritzker has vowed to address the many problems facing the long-troubled agency, according to a new report from the Cook County public guardian.
During the state budget year that ended June 30, 314 children — one as young as 3 years old — remained in a mental health facility “beyond medical necessity,” according to the report. The public guardian filed a federal class-action lawsuit against DCFS over the issue in December 2018, and the case is ongoing.
Advertisement
The agency has struggled for years to find placements for children in less restrictive settings after they no longer require intensive inpatient psychiatric care, but the problem mushroomed in recent years after the agency discontinued contracts for 500 residential beds, Public Guardian Charles Golbert said.
The 314 children staying longer than necessary in psychiatric hospitals last year was up from 75 in the state’s 2014 budget year, a more than fourfold increase. And those children are being held longer after their release dates: an average of 50 days last year, compared with 28 days in 2014.
Advertisement
DCFS has promised to address the issue but has not, Golbert said.
“They have to build the placements,” he said. “This boils down to they don’t have the placements they need for their kids. This is not rocket science.”
The 314 children cited in the report represent a small portion of the more than 18,000 kids who were in the agency’s care as of July 31.
However, “in the scheme of things, I don’t consider this a smaller issue at all,” Golbert said. He called it “a monumentally huge and cruel problem.”
The coronavirus pandemic has created an even more urgent need to find placements because being in a hospital setting puts the children at a greater risk, he said.
“As of yet, I’ve not learned of COVID-19 outbreaks affecting DCFS kids at these hospitals,” Golbert said. “But I think that’s fortuitous.”
Despite the immense pressure COVID-19 has placed on the state’s finances, the budget Pritzker signed in June increased funding for DCFS by nearly $152 million. Some of that funding is targeted toward increasing residential and foster care capacity.
Sign up for The Spin to get the top stories in politics delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.
Advertisement
DCFS spokesman Bill McCaffrey pointed much of the blame for the problem at previous administrations, citing a reduction in available residential beds and 2,300 fewer foster homes since 2015.
“This administration is reversing course and thanks to the governor and bipartisan members of the General Assembly, the department is working to establish a system of care to rebuild the network of living environments for young people ready to leave psychiatric hospitals,” McCaffrey said in a statement.
There are currently 34 children waiting for placement despite having passed their medical release dates, McCaffrey said, and the agency has placed 61 others since July.
“These longstanding challenges will not be overcome overnight, but we will continue to rebuild and expand this network to ensure our first priority, which is serving every child in this state who needs our help," he said.
The lack of adequate residential and foster care placements is a contributing factor in many of the major problems facing DCFS, Golbert said. He acknowledged that increasing the placements available for children who are ready to be released from psychiatric care would be somewhat costly upfront.
But Illinois taxpayers would save money in the long run because hospital stays are the most expensive kind of care and the federal government does not reimburse the state for any time kids remain in care after it’s no longer recommended by doctors, he said.
Advertisement
dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-11--Pope Francis appoints new auxiliary bishops to the Archdiocese of Chicago

Lombardo came to Chicago in 2005 at the request of George to establish a mission outreach to the poor on @ @ @ @ @ Side , according to the release .
He is the founder and director of the @ @ @ @ @ the Angels , located at 3808 W. Iowa St. , according to the release .
@ @ @ @ @ and superior of the Franciscans of the Eucharist of Chicago , whose mission is to @ @ @ @ @ community .

Pope Francis appointed three new auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Chicago who will be ordained in November, according to the archdiocese.
The Rev. Kevin M. Birmingham will continue serving as director of the archdiocese’s Department of Parish Vitality and Mission, while the Rev. Jeffrey S. Grob will be the vicar of Vicariate I in the northwest suburbs and the Rev. Robert J. Lombardo will be vicar of Vicariate III on the West Side of Chicago, according to a news release from the archdiocese.
Advertisement
“Each of these fine priests has made a unique contribution to the life of the church and society, yet they share in common a solid record of pastoral service, fidelity to the Gospel and inspiring personal witness,” Cardinal Blase J. Cupich said in the release.
The Rev. Kevin M. Birmingham. The Archdiocese of Chicago announced Sept. 11. 2020, that Pope Francis appointed three new auxiliary bishops for the archdiocese: Bishops-elect Jeffrey S. Grob, Robert J. Lombardo and Birmingham. (Archdiocese of Chicago / HANDOUT)
Birmingham, who is fluent in Spanish, was appointed as titular bishop of Dolia. He was born in Oak Lawn but was raised in Chicago Ridge. Ordained by Cardinal Francis George in 1997, he has since served as associate pastor and pastor at various parishes across the city. He also has been a member of the Presbyteral Council and Priest Placement Board.
Advertisement
The Rev. Jeffrey S. Grob. The Archdiocese of Chicago announced Sept. 11. 2020, that Pope Francis appointed three new auxiliary bishops for the archdiocese: Bishops-elect Robert J. Lombardo, Jeffrey S. Grob and Grob. (Archdiocese of Chicago / HANDOUT)
Grob, who was appointed titular bishop of Abora, is from Madison, Wisconsin. He grew up on a dairy farm outside Cross Plains, Wisconsin and was ordained a priest by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin in 1992. Grob has also served as an assistant pastor and in many other positions, including the assistant chancellor, judicial vicar and vicar for canonical affairs.
Lombardo, named titular bishop of Munaziana, was born and raised in Connecticut. Lombardo was ordained to the priesthood in 1990 by Cardinal John O’Connor in New York and is a founding member of his community, the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, according to the release. As a young religious, Bishop-elect Lombardo did missionary work in Bolivia and Honduras. He is fluent in Spanish and has held several positions in the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal.
The Rev. Robert J. Lombardo. The Archdiocese of Chicago announced Sept. 11. 2020, that Pope Francis appointed three new auxiliary bishops for the archdiocese: Bishops-elect Kevin M. Birmingham, Jeffrey S. Grob and Lombardo. (Archdiocese of Chicago / HANDOUT)
Lombardo came to Chicago in 2005 at the request of George to establish a mission outreach to the poor on the city’s West Side, according to the release. He is the founder and director of the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels, located at 3808 W. Iowa St., according to the release. Lombardo is also the founder and superior of the Franciscans of the Eucharist of Chicago, whose mission is to serve the West Humboldt Park community.


chicagotribune--2020-09-11--Retired Chicago firefighter accused of sexually assaulting two sisters, one a decade ago, the other

Retired Chicago firefighter accused of sexually assaulting two sisters, one a decade ago, the other last month

In one incident , Davis and the victim were in a car together on the way to her aunt ’ @ @ @ @ @ prosecutors said .
The victim didn ’ t come forward earlier because she thought no @ @ @ @ @

A man identified by prosecutors as a retired firefighter has been accused of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl a decade ago and her sister last month.
Edward Davis, 67, is charged with criminal sexual assault of a family member under the age of 18 and aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim under the age of 13, authorities said.
Advertisement
Davis, distantly related to the sisters by marriage, allegedly assaulted the 9-year-old girl from May 2010 to August 2010.
In one incident, Davis and the victim were in a car together on the way to her aunt’s house in Chicago, prosecutors said. The victim didn’t come forward earlier because she thought no one would believe her.
Advertisement
Davis was arrested Thursday at his home in Pullman after he was identified as the person who assaulted the first victim’s sister last month, prosecutors and police said. The recent victim, who is under the age of 18, told a relative and police were called.
Edward Davis (Chicago police )
His attorney said Davis is a lifelong resident of Chicago and a retired firefighter. He has been married for 40 years, has a 14-year-old child who lives with him and has no criminal background.
In setting a $50,000 bond, the judge said the bond amount and special conditions were the "only conditions that would ensure the safety of the community.''
Davis will be back in court on Oct. 20.
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


Corrections and clarifications

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

· In Friday’s newspaper, Jussie Smollett’s last name was misspelled in a headline.
The Tribune regrets the error.
Advertisement
Publishing information quickly and accurately is a central part of the Chicago Tribune’s news responsibility and a value shared in all our publications. Our editorial code of principles governs professional behavior and journalism standards. Everyone in our newsroom must agree to live up to this code of conduct. Download the file.
To report an error, fill out this form.


chicagotribune--2020-09-11--Former Chicago Public Schools chief of staff pleads guilty to charges of lying to FBI

“ He would want to get information but I don ’ t think I gave him anything , ” Soto @ @ @ @ @ the charging document .
Soto said when Individual B would “ dig ” for what @ @ @ @ @ scenes , Soto would “ just listen ” but was never persuaded to do anything @

A former top aide to Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson pleaded guilty Friday to a charge of lying to the FBI about whether he passed secret bid information about a massive $1 billion custodial contract to an operative working for one of the bidders.
Pedro Soto, 45, who resigned as Jackson’s chief of staff before he was charged last month, admitted in a plea agreement with prosecutors that he repeatedly fed details about CPS’ internal bid deliberations to the operative in exchange for “various benefits.”
Advertisement
Pedro Soto, former chief of staff to Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson. (CPS / HANDOUT)
Sources with knowledge of the contract probe told the Chicago Tribune that it was an offshoot of the FBI’s investigation into then-Ald. Daniel Solis, who at the time had already been recorded on numerous wiretapped calls talking about exchanging favors for official action.
The political operative who was talking to Soto — identified in court records only as Individual B — was also recorded on numerous calls with Solis in 2015 allegedly arranging campaign donations, erectile dysfunction pills and even sex acts at a Chicago massage parlor for the alderman in exchange for official support or action, sources said.
Advertisement
The Tribune is not naming the operative because he has not been charged with wrongdoing. Reached by phone Friday, he said he had not been contacted by any federal investigators regarding Soto or the CPS contract bid.
Under preliminary sentencing guidelines, Soto faces from probation to six months in prison. He is cooperating with prosecutors in the hope of earning leniency, and has agreed to delay his sentencing until after his cooperation is over, according to the plea agreement.
Soto’s plea before U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman marked yet another black eye for CPS, one of the nation’s largest school districts, which has been beset for years by mismanagement and budget and labor woes.
The contract at issue in Soto’s case was put to bid less than a year after the school district’s then-CEO, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, was charged in a scheme to collect kickbacks in exchange for steering more than $20 million in contracts to an education consulting firm where she had previously worked.
The charges against Soto also lifted the lid on yet another tendril of the sprawling corruption probe involving Solis, who began cooperating with federal investigators after he was confronted in 2016 and wore a wire on his longtime colleague Ald. Edward Burke, who was charged last year with racketeering conspiracy.
Soto admitted in court Friday that he lied about his contacts with Individual B, who was working on behalf of a lobbyist for Company A that in 2016 was vying for a custodial contract worth “in excess of $1 billion.”
At the time, Soto, who was the chief of school operations, was serving on an evaluation committee that would recommend to the school board which company should be awarded the contract.
The FBI investigation centered on “what benefits Soto solicited, was offered, promised or had received” from Individual B, “and the reasons for (Soto’s) receipt of those benefits,” a criminal information filed last month.
Advertisement
In an interview with FBI agents on Dec. 17, Soto falsely denied he’d ever shared “non-public information” about the custodial contract with Individual B, according to the charge.
“He would want to get information but I don’t think I gave him anything,” Soto told investigators, according to the charging document. Soto said when Individual B would “dig” for what was going on behind the scenes, Soto would “just listen” but was never persuaded to do anything.
Asked again whether he’d ever told Individual B what was going on inside CPS as far as the contract evaluation, Soto answered, “I don’t think I have, no. I would — I don’t think so,” the charge alleged.
In his 19-page plea agreement, Soto admitted he’d had numerous discussions about private CPS deliberations with the operative in 2016 and 2017, including providing details of what the evaluation committee was looking for in the bids and relaying information that certain committee members were working to torpedo Company A’s application.
Details revealed in Soto’s plea agreement show Company A — which eventually lost its bid for the contract — was GCA Services Group. A recent state lobbying report showed the lobbyist for GCA has also used Individual B as a contractual lobbyist in the past.
The Tribune is not identifying the lobbyist because he has not been charged with wrongdoing. He did not return numerous phone calls and emails seeking comment. A representative for GCA, which has since had an ownership change, also could not immediately be reached for comment.
Advertisement
Soto, who appeared in court Friday via video conference, resigned a week before the charges against him were made public. Jackson later sent a letter to the CPS staff saying her office took away Soto’s access to the district’s information systems and started an internal review as soon as she learned about the allegations.
The 2016 bid was part of a CPS plan to privatize building maintenance duties amid the district’s bleak financial condition. Officials said the move would save millions of dollars, but complaints about filthy schools mounted and the schools' labor union representing mechanics cried foul.
In 2016, the Chicago Board of Education approved expanded maintenance contracts worth almost $500 million to SodexoMAGIC, a company partly controlled by former NBA superstar Earvin “Magic” Johnson — a big booster of then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel — and Pennsylvania-based Aramark, records show.
In her letter to the CPS staff, Jackson said that even though Soto’s actions did not appear to have resulted in the awarding of any contracts, the charges were nonetheless deeply disappointing.
“Soto’s alleged conduct represents a stunning betrayal of trust and an immense failure of judgement and character,” she wrote. “There is no place in our school district for anyone who would engage in these activities, and we are moving forward without him.”
The Tribune’s John Byrne contributed.
Advertisement
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-11--Despite city ban, Flossmoor trustee continues lobbying Chicago City Hall

At the time , Lightfoot said she didn ’ t think her proposed rollback would weaken Chicago ’ s lobbying @ @ @ @ @ Ethics Board had expressed “ some concern that the original language of the ordinance that @ @ @ @ @ too broadly and extended to elected officials in other jurisdictions that were doing some business @ @ @ @ @ Chicago .
That wasn ’ t our intent . ''

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot's gavel at the beginning of a virtual City Council meeting from her office at City Hall, June 17, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Nearly five months after rules took effect banning elected officials from lobbying Chicago aldermen and Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a man who serves on a south suburban village board continues to do so with the blessing of the city’s Ethics Board.
Gyata Kimmons is an elected village trustee in Flossmoor. He also lobbies at City Hall on behalf of Walmart, McDonald’s, Starbucks, the United Center and other clients, according to his lobbyist registration records.
Advertisement
A city statute that took effect in April barred Chicago aldermen from lobbying the county, the state or any other local government units, and prohibited any other elected officials in the state from lobbying the City Council, the mayor or other units of city government.
Kimmons could not be reached for comment on Friday.
Advertisement
With federal investigators probing lobbying activities at the state level, the measure was touted as an effort by aldermen who backed the change to set rules to try to make sure elected officials look out for the best interests of the people who elected them, not special interests.
Steve Berlin, executive director of the city Board of Ethics, said in an email that board members are “well aware of the Kimmons situation and are working to resolve it one way or another.”
Sign up for The Spin to get the top stories in politics delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.
Berlin noted that Lightfoot in April also introduced her own amendment to the lobbying rules that would have partially rolled back the tougher standards and cleared the way for Kimmons to continue his lucrative City Hall lobbying business while keeping his village board seat in Flossmoor. “Clearly the proposed amendment would affect his situation,” Berlin said.
At the time, Lightfoot said she didn’t think her proposed rollback would weaken Chicago’s lobbying rules. Lightfoot said the Ethics Board had expressed “some concern that the original language of the ordinance that was passed last fall swept too broadly and extended to elected officials in other jurisdictions that were doing some business here in the city of Chicago. That wasn’t our intent."
But Lincoln Park Ald. Michele Smith, who the mayor picked to chair the City Council Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight, said in July she had no plans to call Lightfoot’s ordinance for a vote. Smith, 43rd, said she didn’t agree with the mayor’s proposal to change the new lobbying rules, which Smith co-sponsored.
On Friday, Smith said she understands giving Kimmons more time to become compliant before enforcing the statute. But she said she expects her tougher guidelines to remain in place, and for Kimmons to meet the new standards soon.
“There are many ways for people to participate in their government without having to be elected officials,” Smith said. “Residents all across Illinois volunteer in their communities, and that’s something they can continue doing under the guidelines we now have in place.”
Advertisement
Asked whether Lightfoot supports Kimmons being allowed to continue lobbying while holding his elected Flossmoor post, the mayor’s office did not respond directly. Instead, mayoral spokesman Patrick Mullane released a statement pointing to various ethics reforms Lightfoot has backed since her 2019 election.
“The Mayor continues to work with City Council to ensure that these restrictions effectively promote accountability and good governance,” the statement reads in part.
Kimmons was paid $139,000 by his clients for lobbying between April 1 and June 30, according to city records.
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @_johnbyrne


chicagotribune--2020-09-11--Longtime Democratic state Sen. Terry Link resigns his seat a month after being charged with federal

Longtime Democratic state Sen. Terry Link resigns his seat a month after being charged with federal income tax evasion

Link has been a lawmaker since 1997 , and was assistant majority leader for part of his tenure .
He @ @ @ @ @ effort to expand gambling in the state and was one of the primary architects of @ @ @ @ @ in 2019 allowing for a casino in Chicago and several others around the state , @ @ @ @ @ betting .
That legislation passed with bipartisan support , with the new gambling revenue slotted @ @ @ @ @ statewide public works project .

State Sen. Terry Link on the Senate floor at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on May 29, 2013. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Democratic state Sen. Terry Link is quitting the seat he’s held for more than two decades, roughly a month after he was charged with a federal count of income tax evasion, he said in a resignation letter Friday.
Link’s resignation is effective at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Advertisement
Link, of Vernon Hills, has not commented publicly since a criminal information was filed in U.S. District Court on Aug. 13 accusing him of not reporting income on his 2016 tax return. He did not immediately return a call seeking comment Friday afternoon.
Link is the third Democratic state senator to face federal criminal charges in a little over a year amid a sweeping federal corruption investigation. He resigned his position on the Legislative Ethics Commission the same day the charges were made public.
Advertisement
The one-page criminal information filed last month in U.S. District Court alleged Link’s income was substantially higher than the $264,450 he reported on his 2016 tax return.
The Tribune reported last year that Link wore a wire for the FBI as part of an investigation of former state Rep. Luis Arroyo, who prosecutors said had sought a state senator’s support on video gambling legislation that would have benefited one of Arroyo’s lobbying clients. Link has repeatedly and vehemently denied wearing a wire.
In the complaint against Arroyo, the state senator was identified only as “Cooperating Witness 1.” During one conversation that was recorded, the unidentified state senator told Arroyo he was in the “twilight” of his career, and wanted to boost his income, records show. The cooperating witness was also wearing a wire when Arroyo handed over a check for $2,500, records show.
The Arroyo complaint said the senator was no longer a confidential source after it became clear he had filed false income tax returns, but later began cooperating with authorities again in an effort to seek relief on anticipated charges related to the income tax returns.
In a statement issued following Link’s resignation, Senate President Don Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat, said he looks forward to “welcoming and working with a new senator from Lake County,” in a statement issued Friday.
Link has been a lawmaker since 1997, and was assistant majority leader for part of his tenure. He was long part of an effort to expand gambling in the state and was one of the primary architects of legislation the General Assembly passed in 2019 allowing for a casino in Chicago and several others around the state, in addition to legalized sports betting. That legislation passed with bipartisan support, with the new gambling revenue slotted to help fund a major statewide public works project.
In 2007, Link sponsored the legislation that banned smoking in restaurants, bars and public buildings statewide.
The longtime lawmaker would be eligible for an annual pension of about $77,000 based on his time spent in the legislature, according to the General Assembly Retirement System.
Advertisement
Link announced last month he was stepping down as chairman of the Lake County Democratic Party, which he initially planned to do Sept. 15. That sparked an uproar among fellow Lake County Democrats who were concerned Link would resign his seat after Friday, the cutoff date after which a special election would not be triggered, but maintain party chairmanship for the narrow window of a few days, allowing him to choose his successor.
A slew of fellow Democrats in Lake County called on Link to immediately resign as party chairman and were planning a meeting to appoint a replacement. Amid the backlash, Link resigned as party chairman in August.
State law gives local party leaders in the district 30 days from the date Link vacates the office to meet and choose a replacement.
The Tribune’s Dan Petrella contributed.
jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-11--Young adults, people of color and unpaid caregivers face increased mental health risks 6 months into

Young adults, people of color and unpaid caregivers face increased mental health risks 6 months into pandemic

“ I think it ’ s the persistent nature of all of these stressors that are going on , not @ @ @ @ @ our society , ” she said .
“ Many of us can mount a good @ @ @ @ @ to acute stressors , but when these stressors become chronic , it wears down even @ @ @ @ @ ”

Findings released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that Americans are facing increased symptoms of anxiety and depression. (Luis Alvarez / Getty Images)
Nearly six months after Illinois shut down, how is our mental health?
Not great, in a nutshell.
Advertisement
As many Americans know, the coronavirus brought with it many additional stressors. Job insecurity. Child care crises. School closings. Health fears and constant second-guessing of tasks that used to feel routine, which can contribute to a feeling of decision fatigue.
The stress is beginning to show. Findings released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in August show that Americans are facing increased symptoms of anxiety and depression. Nearly half — 41 percent — reported at least one adverse mental or behavioral health condition, including a trauma- and stressor-related disorder or substance use.
Advertisement
When people feel something is temporary or short-term, said Shannon Gritzenbach, a psychiatrist at Advocate Medical Group, coping can be easier.
But the uncertainty with the COVID-19 disruption creates challenges.
“I think it’s the persistent nature of all of these stressors that are going on, not just with COVID but with our society,” she said. “Many of us can mount a good coping strategy and coping response to acute stressors, but when these stressors become chronic, it wears down even the best of us.”
Younger adults, people of color, essential workers and unpaid caregivers reported worse mental health, according to the CDC, which suggested increasing prevention efforts that prioritize these groups.
Essential workers
Doctors, nurses and other hospital workers face extra stress and anxiety as they treat patients with the virus and worry about bringing it back to their own families.
In April, a group that Chicago psychologist Saloumeh Bozorgzadeh works with began collecting iPads, loading them with meditation videos and breathing exercises, and donating them to hospitals. Since then, the group, Caring For Our Caregivers, donated 166 iPads to hospitals in 26 states and four countries. They are still collecting money to donate more, she said.
Bozorgzadeh has wrestled with not getting too stir-crazy at home and creating a separation between her experiences and her clients' experiences, which include nurses who are sharing situations from their work and home life, including fears of getting sick themselves.
Hospital workers might need help this fall, as things slow down. Until now, it has been “crisis mode,” she said. “Adrenaline is pumping and people are just go, go, go. … Now is when they feel the impact.”
Advertisement
People of color
The months since COVID-19 arrived in the United States have been especially fraught for Black and Latino communities, who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
The CDC noted, “Long-standing systemic health and social inequities have put many people from racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19.” This vulnerability to the virus parallels how people of color are more impacted by other diseases as well, from sickle cell anemia to diabetes.
Brandi Jackson, a psychiatrist at Rush University Medical Center, told the Tribune that Black mental health patients have been hit hard. She has noticed an uptick in anxiety and depression in her primarily Black clientele, she said.
Meanwhile, the added stress of seeing national news stories about police brutality and health disparities adds anxiety. “We were already at a breaking point, but the recent police violence is just an extra reminder of what we always knew to be present and has never gone away,” Jackson told the Tribune.
Children and young adults
Young people, who have been stuck at home or with limited social engagement for months, also are experiencing mental health challenges. Among young adults 18 to 24, three-fourths reported having at least one mental or behavioral health symptom, according to the CDC data.
John Walkup, head of the Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Lurie Children’s Hospital, often talks to parents worried about their children during the pandemic. He said this time may highlight children who have untreated mental health struggles.
Advertisement
“That group of kids are particularly vulnerable during this time because you’ve added an additional level of uncertainty to their lives,” she said.
It’s understandable that many might have a high level of demoralization or anxiety right now, he said, because families are dealing with a lot. Parents of this generation of children, he added, try hard to smooth paths for their children, and now find themselves unable to do much.
“They can’t fix this,” he said. “There’s no amount of money or shrewdness or brains that can put their kids in a different spot.”
Kids benefit from a regular bedtime and a structured daily routine; even older kids should have a routine. “That restores a sense of predictability and is the thing that addresses fear and worry,” he said. “For kids, having a predictable life experience really is important.”
Unpaid caregivers
Another group highlighted by the CDC as at risk for mental health issues is caregivers. Many are facing situations like limited visiting options or choosing to bring family members home from senior facilities. All of these decisions are hard ones to make; often, no choice feels like the best choice.
The CDC noted that many are caring for relatives who are more at risk should they contract COVID-19; in some cases people are juggling both children and an older parent.
Advertisement
Mental Health America created an assessment tool for family caregivers to identify issues like depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. The group’s tips include staying in touch with friends, family and people who you rely on for support, or finding an online group or forum.
What can help
Therapists are finding new ways to reach people, especially as the coronavirus crisis has exacerbated the situation for people with pre-existing mental health conditions, another group the CDC said was disproportionately affected.
For many, the things that improved wellness and mood — taking walks outside, being able to more safely create social outings in an outdoor environment — might change with the weather.
“We’re just going to need to shift our mindset and think of creative ways that we can still interact with people,” Gritzenbach said. Think of things like volunteering with a place like Meals on Wheels America, which can involve interaction at a safe distance and positive feelings from helping.
Gritzenbach also suggests getting outside for 30 minutes of exercise. Practicing mindfulness or meditation can also help calm thoughts. Try to find ways of socializing, such as taking an exercise class over Zoom with a friend.
As far as seasonal woes, items like light boxes can help head off seasonal depression.
Advertisement
And remember that telehealth and options like Chicago Connects, which link people to a variety of resources, exist to help. "Care is very accessible,” Gritzenbach said.
abowen@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-11--Dajore Wilson’s killing brings Canaryville neighborhood together: ‘We’re not living in our parents’

Dajore Wilson’s killing brings Canaryville neighborhood together: ‘We’re not living in our parents’ or grandparents’ Chicago’

“ I ’ m encouraged by seeing so many different ethnic races come together for this young lady , but @ @ @ @ @ like this for us to gather , ” said William Calloway , one of the @ @ @ @ @ “ That ’ s the only thing that troubles me , that it took something @ @ @ @ @ for us together like this .
But I am encouraged that we all are coming @ @ @

The clear casket carrying the body of 8-year-old shooting victim DaJore Wilson is carried out of Abundant Living Christian Center in Dolton after her funeral on Sept. 18, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
The three men who organized the vigil for 8-year-old Dajore Wilson, shot to death on the Canaryville neighborhood’s southern border on Labor Day, looked out to see a racially diverse crowd and reflected on what felt like a small moment of progress born out of this tragedy.
“I’m encouraged by seeing so many different ethnic races come together for this young lady, but I hate it takes something like this for us to gather,” said William Calloway, one of the vigil’s organizers. “That’s the only thing that troubles me, that it took something this tragic, senseless, for us to gather like this. But I am encouraged that we all are coming together.”
Advertisement
William Calloway speaks as people gather Sept. 9, 2020, for a vigil in memory of Dajore Wilson, 8, near where she was killed in the Canaryville neighborhood. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
In that way, this vigil was unlike most in Chicago, a city with a history of racism, where politicians have made decisions designed to keep Black and Latino residents separate from white residents. Gang violence in Black neighborhoods usually involves Black gangs and Black mourners. It’s the same in Latino neighborhoods.
Canaryville is a white enclave that, like Bridgeport to the north, has a reputation for racism. The reputation was earned by acts of racial violence dating back to the 1919 race riots and the location of the Dan Ryan Expressway to separate Black residents from the white residents who formed the base for the first Mayor Daley’s political power.
Advertisement
Dajore’s family car was followed to this intersection, 47th Street and Union Avenue, from the Back of the Yards neighborhood to the south. Someone stepped out of a Dodge Charger, fired as many as 15 shots toward the car and fled.
Adults nearby moved almost by instinct to try to save the girl, whom they found on the street with her mother hunched over her, trying to keep her awake.
The girl’s death rattled residents of this neighborhood, one of a few white enclaves on the South Side where the frequency of gunfire doesn’t compare to the Back of the Yards and Fuller Park neighborhoods nearby. The majority of residents east, south and west are Black or Latino.
Canaryville is more diverse now than it’s ever been, but it’s still majority white and a neighborhood whose residents, and their parents and grandparents, likely grew up there.
Its reputation is something its residents are sensitive to, and outsiders know about.
“White, Black, browns gathered together in Canaryville, which, as a Black man, it has always been the (stigma) for us as … traditionally racist, right?” Calloway said. “So just to see the amount of whites that come out to support this young Black girl’s life, and demand justice for her, is telling itself.”
When the scene had settled Monday night, when word spread of Dajore’s death, residents started turning to one another on Facebook, wondering about a memorial.
Neighbor Jackie Martin prays as community members and family gather for a vigil in memory of Dajore Wilson, 8, near where she was killed Sept. 7, 2020, at 47th Street and South Union Avenue in the Canaryville neighborhood. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Because there aren’t many murders here, there aren’t many vigils. Hundreds of homicide memorials or vigils are arranged every year. Surviving relatives, sometimes with the help of a priest or pastor, arrange most vigils as acts of mourning at the place a loved one died. They’re in public, the whole neighborhood able to see, but they’re intended as intimate remembrances where outsiders are unwelcome.
Advertisement
Others, like this, are arranged by young activists or neighbors who seek a sense of community and purpose afterward. It can be a point of intervention, a reminder of shared humanity. That there might be some good to come, despite the circumstances that led people here.
As a matter of courtesy but also to ensure things go off without resistance, organizers seek the blessing of a victim’s relatives or neighborhood groups. The day after Dajore died, Berto Aguayo was introduced to Justin Griffin through a mutual friend. Griffin, also known as “Biff,” is a 35-year-old member of St. Gabriel Roman Catholic Parish and the Knights of Columbus fraternal organization.
Aguayo then asked Calloway to speak. Aguayo and Calloway were friends before this; both have political ambitions and lost aldermanic elections, and both work in activism and community organizing. Aguayo is from Back of the Yards and is the director of an anti-violence group, and Calloway is from South Shore and runs a faith-based nonprofit.
The three of them — a 26-year-old Latino man from Back of the Yards, a 31-year-old Black man from South Shore and a 35-year-old white man from Canaryville — come from neighborhoods unlikely to share politics on a lot of issues. But on the one issue before them, the death of Dajore Wilson, the three found themselves fellow travelers.
A hundred or so people gathered on Union Avenue for Dajore. Between half and two-thirds of the crowd were white neighborhood residents. Relatives had set up a tribute in shades of pink against the tree where Dajore’s father’s car came to rest, and the vigil’s organizers gathered on the sidewalk while residents formed a half circle around them and crowded in.
Tom Gagen, with his wife and their five kids, walked south from their Canaryville home to the memorial.
Advertisement
Gagen’s an engineer with Local 399 of the International Union of Operating Engineers. He grew up at 48th and Union, and didn’t have a Black classmate until high school. That’s just the way it was.
His wife is a Chicago Public Schools teacher. Gagen’s oldest child is about the same age as Dajore, who was with her family Monday night when someone fired more than a dozen rounds into their car.
“When we heard that day that an 8-year-old was shot, I thought about my son, who will be 8 years old next month,” Gagen said. “We told them exactly what happened, and we just told them, you know, someone bad did something very bad and an 8-year-old girl lost her life because of that.”
Gagen stood with his stroller, his kids trying to stay still, his wife holding one of the children.
Calloway spoke first. He projects his voice and he speaks passionately. He spoke as an outsider, and acknowledged this at the beginning of his remarks. But in the few minutes he spoke, the crowd nodded in agreement.
Advertisement
Calloway has an 8-year-old daughter of his own. He implored those gathered to consider this a Chicago problem, “not just a Black problem, ... not just a brown problem,” or a neighborhood problem.
“If it happened in this city, that’s a Chicago problem. That is a Chicago problem. We not going to racially divide this. What affects (him) and his community,” he said before the prayer, pointing at Aguayo, “that affects me and my community. What affects me and my community affects him.
“We can no longer play how we been playing with these politics and racial divisions, we can’t do that,” he said.
Those aspirations have never been the way Chicago has worked. Residents often relish in the tribalism of the city. Of checking outsiders or people who claim Chicago but live in a suburb. Of saying, “you’re-not-from-over-here." Or in politics, the act of “not wanting nobody nobody sent.” Or among gangs, protecting the hood from outsiders.
Part of the reason Griffin helped organize the vigil was to address the neighborhood’s reputation, he said afterward. And his presence helped: People approached after to say hello, to thank him, and he moved through the crowd as somebody at home. During the vigil, he spoke of a need for unity to address deaths like Dajore’s. He also pleaded with those gathered to follow and support Aguayo and Calloway.
“I see a lot of people out here who are friends, family,” Griffin said. “This is at our doorstep. This is where we grew up. We walked down these streets a thousand times. This shouldn’t happen. These gentlemen are exactly right,” he said about Calloway and Aguayo.
Advertisement
“I will not believe in my heart that together as a city and together as communities that we can’t find a way to change it. I will not believe that in my heart, neither should you,” he said.
Gagen, after the vigil, said the neighborhood’s reputation, “rough and gruff and a tough nut to crack,” has relaxed over the years.
“The hate’s not there, our grandparents and to some degree our parents, the generation before us,” Gagen said. “We’re not living in our parents' or grandparents' Chicago, or even how it was originally designed, and everyone was kind of set up in their own neighborhoods purposely, to keep us divided. We’re not living in that anymore. I teach my kids to spread love.”


chicagotribune--2020-09-11--Feelings chart depicting ‘out of control’ child as Black upsets parents at Gurnee school

“ A kid is a kid and they ’ re going to look at this and say , ‘ That @ @ @ @ @ ” said Massey , father of a first grader at Spaulding School .
“ How @ @ @ @ @ sure my kid doesn ’ t see himself as the angry kid ?
” Massey @ @ @ @ @ , the same day parents picked up their kids ' remote learning materials .

The laminated chart was intended to help young Gurnee schoolchildren identify emotional “zones” while learning remotely. Were they happy, calm and ready to learn? Frustrated, worried, losing control? Or maybe they were angry, yelling and hitting — out of control.
But when parent Alonzo Massey saw the chart in his son’s back-to-school materials, he was taken aback. Of the four cartoon images of children used to illustrate the feelings chart, two were white, including the “ready to learn” child and another shown as sad or tired. But the “losing control” and “out of control” children were Black.
Advertisement
“A kid is a kid and they’re going to look at this and say, ‘That looks like me,’” said Massey, father of a first grader at Spaulding School. “How are you going to make sure my kid doesn’t see himself as the angry kid?” Massey contacted the school Aug. 24, the same day parents picked up their kids' remote learning materials.
Gurnee District 56 Superintendent Colleen Pacatte (Gurnee District 56)
Gurnee District 56 Superintendent Colleen Pacatte said a Spaulding staff member had gotten the chart from a website called teacherspayteachers.com, where educators buy and sell original teaching materials. Eight teachers at Spaulding, which serves students in prekindergarten through second grades, used the chart, she said.
Advertisement
A spokeswoman for the website said the chart had been removed and its teacher author was asked to review the site’s policy on “inappropriate content.”
In a letter sent to Massey and other parents, Pacatte said the district would investigate how the chart made it into some children’s school bags. She expressed disappointment and reassured them that school employees would do better.
“It wasn’t used by everybody," Pacatte said. "It was selected by a single grade level and a couple of other miscellaneous teachers. As soon as we found out it was going out, we stopped.”
Educators call these groups of feelings “zones of regulation,” and using them has become common in schools focused on teaching social-emotional skills, especially for students with disabilities.
Hundreds of other mood charts are available on the website used at Spaulding and elsewhere on the internet. Most use emoji, road signs or just colors, rather than depictions of children. One popular sign uses a series of emoting llamas.
The chart sent home at Spaulding set off a discussion on Facebook among upset parents. Angenetta Frison, whose prekindergarten daughter attends Spaulding and was one of the recipients, found a plethora of other options when she looked. Why use this one, she wondered, when it was so obviously problematic?
"I felt like somebody had to have seen it — whoever was putting these together — and had to have no problem with it,” Frison said.
A feelings chart was a good idea, Pacatte said — educators are concerned about kids' social and emotional development as they learn from home during the pandemic.
Advertisement
Just not this one.
“I know the staff that are involved feel horrible,” she said.
The eight teachers are being provided training on implicit bias from an outside consultant, Pacatte said. Gurnee 56 also is in its third year of a districtwide study of racial inequality, which will continue.
“I’m heartbroken that it happened because we have been doing so much work on this. It’s evidence that we have to continue. And we will do that,” Pacatte said.
She’s also invited the teachers to join an ongoing study of the book “Unconscious Bias in Schools: A Developmental Approach to Exploring Race and Racism.”
“What’s blatantly obvious to some people hasn’t been obvious to others,” she said.
Advertisement
jrichards@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-11--They’re still working. They’re still healthy. But they’re still scared. What the past six months hav

They’re still working. They’re still healthy. But they’re still scared. What the past six months have been like for Chicago’s essential workers

Benjamin , who takes several buses and trains to reach her clients ' homes , said CTA rider limits imposed @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus have made her feel safer .
But she said she isn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ two employers — a home health agency that pays $ 14 an hour , after @ @ @ @ @ , and a state agency that raised its pay to $ 14.50 thanks to contract @ @ @ @ @ she has been fighting for more personal protective equipment and hazard pay .

When the streets emptied of people six months ago, a new class of heroes emerged.
They were the drivers, grocery clerks, janitors and others who braved the early unease of the pandemic to show up for work, exempt from the state’s stay-at-home order because they were deemed too important.
Advertisement
The Tribune profiled five essential workers in March just as the state’s shutdown set in. Six months later, all remain at their jobs, with perspectives to share about experiencing the pandemic outside the safety of their homes.
Advertisement
Home health aide Adarra Benjamin, 26
Many people have grown lax about disinfecting every last object that comes into their home. But Adarra Benjamin, a home health aide and personal assistant with elderly and disabled clients, has not let down her guard.
Adarra Benjamin, 26, is a home health aide who continues to work through the COVID-19 crisis because her elderly and disabled clients need her. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
She still wipes down every grocery item before leaving the store and sprays the bags with disinfectant, vigilant about keeping the virus away from the people in her care as well as the Woodlawn home where she lives with her mother.
“The fear and caution are still there,” said Benjamin, 26. She, her family and her clients have not contracted COVID-19, she said, but a friend who works at the post office, and another who works at a day care, have.
Benjamin, who takes several buses and trains to reach her clients' homes, said CTA rider limits imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus have made her feel safer. But she said she isn’t getting enough support from her two employers — a home health agency that pays $14 an hour, after Chicago raised its minimum wage, and a state agency that raised its pay to $14.50 thanks to contract negotiations. Through her union she has been fighting for more personal protective equipment and hazard pay.
To her surprise, Benjamin has felt a shift in her relationships with some of her clients, who have become so isolated by the pandemic that she is their only connection to the outside world. One client in particular, a 20-something woman with an intellectual disability, has had a difficult time comprehending the changes to her routine. They take walks together.
“Our relationships have grown deeper because now I see you have that dependency on me,” Benjamin said. “I’ve grown closer than I’ve ever thought possible in such a short amount of time.”
Advertisement
CTA car servicer Bennie Hill III, 41
About a month into the state’s shutdown order, Bennie Hill III, who cleans CTA trains, received permission to take extended time off. He has diabetes, an underlying condition that makes him vulnerable to COVID-19, and stayed home for nearly four months to prevent exposure.
CTA car servicer Bennie Hill III mops the floor of a Red Line train car at the 95th Street station on Sept. 10, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Hill returned to work mid-August because he needed the paycheck. Armed with gloves, a mask and hand sanitizer, he disinfects train cars at the 95th Street Red Line station, which is still largely devoid of commuters.
“I’m back on the scene and practicing safe social distancing,” said Hill, 41, who has worked at the agency for 23 years and earns about $30 an hour.
Advertisement
The light ridership, including fewer homeless people sleeping in the cars, has made him feel safer, he said.
Still, he worries about bringing the virus into his Evergreen Park home, where his 15-month-old daughter lives with her mother and two other children.
“That’s constantly on the brain,” Hill said. “All you can do is stay aware of your surroundings. So far, so good.”
About 200 CTA train workers represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 308 have been documented as having contracted COVID-19, said union President Ken Franklin. There have been no fatalities. Bus employees are represented by a different local of the union.
Hill has felt gratitude from passengers. “Some people actually say ‘thank you’ and commend us for our work ethic,” he said. “It makes me feel good that I’m helping out and that it’s being recognized.”
Advertisement
Janitor Urszula Przybys, 65
When workplaces sent employees home en masse, not knowing when they might return, Urszula Przybys worried she would lose her job cleaning a major downtown office building.
Urszula Przybys walks to the entrance of the building where she cleans offices March 19, 2020, in Chicago. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
She has been spared, as her union’s contract protects jobs by seniority, but many of her colleagues have been laid off.
Advertisement
“The most difficult thing is that I worry about (office) people never come back,” said Przybys, who immigrated from Poland 40 years ago and has cleaned downtown buildings for more than 30. “Nobody thinks that it’s going to take this long.”
About 1,300 janitors represented by Service Employees International Union Local 1 were laid off during the pandemic, or 10% of its janitorial members. A fraction have been called back, said union spokeswoman Izabela Miltko-Ivkovich.
Downtown office buildings remain largely empty as workplaces pushed back plans to reopen amid a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, but Przybys is there, disinfecting bathrooms and other surfaces with special cleaning solutions for those who have returned.
“I feel lonely, you know,” said Przybys, not only because employees aren’t there but also due to rules to maintain distance from colleagues. “We have to be separate because of safety.”
Supplied with masks and gloves, Przybys said she feels relatively safe. She carpools to work with a friend to avoid taking the train, and neither she nor anyone in her household has gotten COVID-19.
She is more concerned about the pandemic killing her job, which provides her with good insurance and benefits. She is the breadwinner at her home, where she lives with her adult daughter, who has a disability from back surgery, and three grandchildren.
Advertisement
Truck driver Todd Feitl, 37
Alone in his truck for hours at a time, Todd Feitl isn’t worried about contracting COVID-19. He is worried about his income as continued economic uncertainty threatens to disrupt the flow of goods.
Advertisement
Todd Feitl, 37, is a truck driver who is working through the coronavirus crisis, often hauling food from rail yards to warehouses. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Feitl, who transports mostly raw materials from rail yards to warehouses, said work started to sputter in April, as government shutdowns across the globe interfered with imports.
Some weeks his paycheck was 10% of what it usually is. He spent the ample downtime working on home remodeling projects he’d put off for years.
Feitl, an independent contractor, broke even during those difficult months thanks to an $8,250 loan he received through the federal paycheck protection program, but he isn’t sure he’ll be able to get it forgiven.
“The PPP loan scares me because if I have to pay it back it will be difficult,” said Feitl, who lives in Chicago’s Clearing neighborhood.
Business has picked up significantly during the past two months as companies restock, to the point that there aren’t enough trucks to handle all the freight, he said. The closure of some small trucking firms during the crisis is pushing more business his way, said Feitl, who recently returned from hauling canned food to Iowa and car batteries back.
Still, the boom is not giving him peace of mind. He suspects much of it is artificial demand as stores bolster inventory in case there is another shutdown.
Advertisement
“There’s so much uncertainty,” he said. “This industry can shift overnight.”
Grocery store worker Luke Magana, 20
After working for months as a cashier and eager to try something different, Luke Magana recently transferred to Mariano’s pickup department, where he fulfills online orders and contacts customers when items they want aren’t available.
Mariano's supermarket employee Luke Magana fills online orders at the Oak Lawn location on Sept. 11, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
The days go by quickly as he shops the aisles at the Oak Lawn store, which feels like it has returned to normal since those frantic early days of the pandemic when people were making runs on toilet paper. The only items that still seem to be consistently out of stock are certain brands of disinfectant wipes and sprays. Some shoppers buy more than they should.
“People act like there’s nobody else in this world,” he said.
Advertisement
Magana, who lives with his mother in Clearing, has not contracted COVID-19 and neither has anyone in his family, he said. He has a drawer full of “cute, colorful” masks that he says make him feel safe.
Though he faces the public all the time at work, Magana said social gatherings make him far more nervous, and he’s declined friends' invitations.
“At work they’re wearing masks,” he said. “At parties they’re not wearing masks.”
Most customers comply with store rules requiring masks, but Magana recalls one maskless shopper in his checkout line who was asked by a colleague to put on a mask but declined to do so.
Mariano’s policy on dealing with such situations is to offer to sell the person a mask, or give them one if they decline to purchase. If they still refuse, “we politely ask customers to observe on their next trip and remind of pickup or delivery,” spokeswoman Amanda Puck said.
Magana, who has worked at Mariano’s for three years, is starting to explore careers outside of grocery stores. While the bonus pay that grocery store workers received during the early months of the pandemic was helpful, more recently hours have been unpredictable and he wants a steady paycheck.
Advertisement
He is thinking he might go back to school to become a medical assistant, a job that attracts him because “I love helping people.” He is in the process of figuring out how to apply for federal student aid.
aelejalderuiz@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-11--Mayor Lori Lightfoot warns aldermen someone has been using a fake email in her name

“ It has come to our attention that a fake Mayor Lightfoot email address has been created and emails have @ @ @ @ @ address , ” the email to the city ’ s 50 aldermen said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ opening emails from external , non-city accounts .
”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot conducts a virtual City Council meeting from her office at City Hall in June. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office notified Chicago aldermen on Friday afternoon that somebody has been using a fake email account in her name.
“It has come to our attention that a fake Mayor Lightfoot email address has been created and emails have been sent out under this address,” the email to the city’s 50 aldermen said. “Please be very careful when opening emails from external, non-city accounts.”
Advertisement
Sign up for The Spin to get the top stories in politics delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.
In the message, Lightfoot’s office added, “The mayor will only use a city email account to communicate with you about city business.”
Advertisement
In a statement, Lightfoot’s office said the administration alerted all aldermen to make them aware of the matter and “they should be careful when opening emails from external, non-City accounts, and we provided additional guidance from the City’s Cyber Safety Newsletter on how to protect against potential phishing and fraudulent emails.”
It’s not clear which aldermen were contacted through the account and whether the emails were potentially harmful if opened.
Oh what the hell....even fake Lori doesn’t talk to me https://t.co/0pojE7diKM — Ald. Raymond Lopez (@RLopez15thWard) September 11, 2020
Southwest Side Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, a frequent Lightfoot critic who has clashed with her since the beginning of her administration, joked about it on Twitter.
“Oh what the hell....even fake Lori doesn’t talk to me,” he wrote.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @royalpratt


chicagotribune--2020-09-11--House explosion sends 7 Porter family members to hospitals: ‘I don’t know how we lived’

By Friday , three family members were still in the hospital , including granddaughter Ela Laster , 3 , who @ @ @ @ @ s Hospital in Chicago with two broken legs , a broken arm , broken collarbone @ @ @ @ @ possible injuries ; Kayla Boomsma , 25 , Ela ’ s mother , who was @ @ @ @ @ to Comer with difficulty breathing and broken ribs ; and Jason Boomsma ’ s wife @ @ @ @ @ , transferred from Porter to Memorial Hospital of South Bend with a severe break in @ @ @ @ @ and a broken hip .

Jason Boomsma, left, and his son, David Boomsma, look at the remains of their home in the 400 block of North First Street in Porter on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, after an explosion and fire the previous afternoon demolished the house. (Amy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)
Jason Boomsma caught a whiff of a natural gas Thursday when a deliveryman brought a refrigerator for a kitchen remodeling project at the family’s Porter home.
Later, his daughter Marissa said she smelled natural gas. Jason Boomsma said the gas was shut off to the stove and the oven because of the remodel.
Advertisement
“I checked the pipe and the valve and set my wrench down and it blew,” he said Friday morning as he and son David looked over the burned remains of the family home.
The remains of a home in the 400 block of North First Street in Porter are shown Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, after an explosion destroyed the house the previous afternoon. (Amy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)
The Thursday afternoon explosion sent all seven family members to area hospitals.
Advertisement
By Friday, three family members were still in the hospital, including granddaughter Ela Laster, 3, who is at Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago with two broken legs, a broken arm, broken collarbone and tailbone, and other possible injuries; Kayla Boomsma, 25, Ela’s mother, who was transferred from Porter Regional Hospital to Comer with difficulty breathing and broken ribs; and Jason Boomsma’s wife, Amie Boomsma, 45, transferred from Porter to Memorial Hospital of South Bend with a severe break in one leg below the knee and a broken hip.
Jason Boomsma, who wept softly as he spoke, said his granddaughter suffered the worst injuries of the seven. He and Marissa and her fiancé, Nick Certa, were bruised and scraped up and Certa also had breathing problems. David Boomsma, who was able to escape immediately after the explosion, had some scratches and other bruises.
“I don’t know how we lived. Everybody’s hurt, but we lived,” Jason Boomsma said, peering through the chain link fence around what used to be a four-bedroom ranch home, around 1,600 square feet, built in 1955 and situated in the 400 block of North First Street.
“I was right there. My wife was right there,” he said, pointing through the fence to various spots around the house where family members were when the house blew up.
A plastic jungle gym still sat in the backyard. A pink blanket and bicycle, a Barbie doll and toy shovel, sat among the rubble. The chimney and fireplace remained standing; Jason pointed to a framed picture, still on the mantel and falling over.
“We have one picture left,” he said, going on to list what was in the house, including his wallet and phone and his wife’s purse.
The family’s cat perished in the fire; their two dogs survived and one was taken in by neighbors and the other was transported to the Porter County Animal Shelter.
Porter Fire Chief Jay Craig Jr. (Amy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)
Porter Fire Chief Jay Craig Jr. said dispatch received a call at 4:32 p.m. Thursday about a possible house explosion with people possibly still trapped inside. When firefighters arrived, there was heavy fire at the back of the house and reports of a 3-year-old still inside.
Advertisement
Several people, including David Boomsma, called about the explosion and fire. Several neighbors and first responders scoured the debris for Ela and Amie Boomsma, and two medical flight helicopters were called to the scene, though Craig said first responders used only one, to transport Ela to Chicago.
When Craig arrived at the scene, around 10 first responders and 10 to 15 neighbors were looking for Ela and Amie Boomsma.
By 4:40 p.m., Ela had been located and removed from the home and by 4:41 p.m., everybody was out, Craig said.
“It felt like forever but it really was only minutes,” Craig said.
He called the rescues “a collective effort” by neighbors and first responders who were going through debris and picking up sections of the roof to look for survivors.
“It was an amazing show of teamwork. It was a sight to see,” he said.
Advertisement
Neighbor John Markos, who lives around the corner on Main Street, had just gotten home and was in his garage when he heard “kind of a whooshing sound” and then an explosion. He felt the ground shake. He knew which direction it came from and that it had to be someone’s house
“I just took off running,” he said, adding he saw Jason coming out in a daze. The flames were as high as a tree and the east side of the house was still standing but was going to catch fire.
Markos, who has lived in his home for 40 years, looked for an opening to the house and went in. He heard someone crying for help. Not far from where Markos entered the house, he found Amie in pain with an obviously broken leg.
“I told her we had to get out of there because it was burning and the flames were getting closer.”
He and two others got Amie out of the house and into the front yard. A firefighter told him Ela already had been located.
“It was one of those things, you work on instinct. You see people need help and you just help them,” he said.
Advertisement
The devastation and injuries are “heartbreaking,” Markos said, adding first responders were “awesome” in how they handled the scene.
“I don’t care what anyone says about police officers or firefighters. They’re the best people in the world,” he said.
Officials from Northern Indiana Public Service Co. and the State Fire Marshal’s Office arrived on the scene Thursday, joining the Porter Fire and Police departments and surrounding departments there. Craig expected the fire marshal to return Friday afternoon, and said officials cleared the scene around midnight.
NIPSCO shut the gas off to the home late Thursday evening.
“Our main focus is to make sure the area is safe,” said NIPSCO spokeswoman Megan Henning, calling the explosion and resulting injuries “a tragic incident” and noting that it is still under investigation.
Jason Boomsma, 47, a crew leader at Central Coil Processing at the Port of Indiana, said he felt himself lifted by the force of the explosion. He landed in the home’s crawl space.
Advertisement
“I lifted myself out and I just knew I had to get out,” he said.
The extended Boomsma family moved from Lake Station into the house six years ago, renting it for two years before buying it, Jason Boomsma said.
“The neighbors here are unreal. They came in a mob. They dug and dug and when I couldn’t dig any more, they kept digging and got everybody out,” he said. “Without them, I don’t know where I would be any more.”
David Boomsma, 22, was on his parents' bed looking at his phone when the house exploded. He said he was thrown a little bit, heard “God awful thunder” and everything was gray.
He jumped out the window in one of the few parts of the house that’s still standing. What he saw was “completely foreign.”
Advertisement
“If I didn’t know where I was at, I wouldn’t have been able to tell,” he said.
He heard neighbors calling 911 but called anyway. From the back of the house where the gas meter was, he saw flames. He saw his father jump out of the house. His sister, Kayla, was pinned underneath a mattress and part of the roof and he tried to help her.
“I couldn’t get her out but I knew she was alive and visible so I left her and went looking for other people,” he said, adding he was most concerned about Ela.
He thought she was on the back porch but when those at the scene lifted the roof, she wasn’t there. Rescuers found her in the living room buried under a door and a 2-by-4. “A neighbor and a cop pulled her out,” he said.
The Boomsmas have plenty of family and friends who reached out and are gathering them clothes and basic necessities, David Boomsma said.
Beyond that, he isn’t sure how the family will move forward
Advertisement
“I don’t know where we’re going to go but we’re going to keep going any way we can,” he said. “At this point, it’s one day at a time.”
Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.


chicagotribune--2020-09-11--$10,000 cash reward offered to find Dajore Wilson’s killer

“ I know sometimes you get timid and afraid .
I will personally walk you in , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ at large , if you know anything , we ’ re not going to stop @ @ @ @ @ to say enough is enough .
”

The clear casket carrying the body of 8-year-old shooting victim DaJore Wilson is carried out of Abundant Living Christian Center in Dolton after her funeral on Sept. 18, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
City officials hope a $10,000 reward will lead to the prosecution of anyone involved in the killing of 8-year-old Dajore Wilson in Canaryville on Labor Day.
Dajore was in a car with her parents and a family friend when someone opened fire just before 6 p.m. Monday, at the intersection of 47th Street and Union Avenue.
Advertisement
Philanthropist Early Walker offered up the $10,000 cash reward at a Friday morning news conference, along with other members of the “I’m Telling, Don’t Shoot” organization.
“Do the right thing,” Walker said. “And let me make this clear as well. This isn’t your average reward where you have to wait on the funds. They’ll be immediately dispersed if we get the correct information and correct charges. Ten thousand dollars cash.”
Advertisement
Others spoke about the need for Dajore’s family to see justice after the girl’s death.
“If you know anything about this and you are not speaking up, then you are co-signing a child’s murder,” Bishop Larry Trotter said at the news conference. “Or you’re participating in a child’s murder, because somebody knows something. You participate by being silent.”
Trotter offered to help the shooter turn himself in to authorities.
“I know sometimes you get timid and afraid. I will personally walk you in,” he said. “To the community at large, if you know anything, we’re not going to stop it till somebody speaks up to say enough is enough.”
Police ask that anyone with information call Area 1 detectives at 312-747-8380 and reference case JD359834. People can also submit a tip anonymously online at cpdtip.com.


chicagotribune--2020-09-11--DuPage among 30 counties on Illinois’ latest coronavirus warning list as state announces 2,145 new k

DuPage among 30 counties on Illinois’ latest coronavirus warning list as state announces 2,145 new known cases, 32 deaths

“ The CDC have said that below 5 % is something everybody should strive for , but with regard to @ @ @ @ @ would just send every kid back to school , I don ’ t know what @ @ @ @ @ but we ’ re a long way from it , ” Pritzker said this week @ @ @ @ @ be looking at what number we ought to be looking at , but there ’ @ @ @ @ @ s even close , though , to where New York is .
”

CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
DuPage County is on Illinois' latest list of counties that have reached a “warning level” for a resurgence of COVID-19.
The ever-changing weekly list this week covered 30 counties the state said had reached two or more benchmarks that indicate the virus is spreading there.
Advertisement
[ Illinois’ COVID-19 positive test rate down but hospitalizations rising: ‘We can’t outrun this virus. It hasn’t gone away.’ ]
The warning list came as the state announced 2,145 newly diagnosed cases of coronavirus and 32 additional deaths of people with COVID-19 on Friday.
Speaking Friday morning at an unrelated news conference in Chicago, Gov. J.B. Pritzker noted that the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks comes as Illinois and the U.S. are grappling with “yet another tragedy” — a pandemic that has killed more than 190,000 Americans, including 8,273 in Illinois. Nearly 3,000 died in the 9/11 attacks.
Advertisement
“I believe the lessons of community and of resilience that echoed through the United States in the aftermath of 9/11 ought to guide us today as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic,” Pritzker said.
The state is now reporting 257,788 known cases of coronavirus in Illinois throughout the course of the pandemic.
[ COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital data in your area ]
Lake County, which was on last week’s warning list leading into the holiday weekend, was removed from this week’s group.
In addition to DuPage, the counties on the list are Bond, Bureau, Cass, Clinton, Coles, Crawford, DeKalb, Effingham, Greene, Grundy, Hancock, Henderson, Jackson, Jasper, Jersey, Lawrence, Madison, McLean, Monroe, Morgan, Pulaski, Schuyler, Shelby, Stark, St. Clair, Tazewell, Vermilion, Washington and Williamson.
The statewide test positivity rate for the seven-day period ending Thursday was 3.9%. The rate sat at 4.1% a month earlier, and was 2.9% as of July 10. Earlier this week, the statewide positivity rate dropped below 4% for the first time in more than a month.
Coronavirus cases that are connected to schools are also being reported, as public health officials have said for the past few weeks.
Asked at a news briefing Thursday at what level Pritzker would call for Illinois schools to fully return for in-person instruction across the state, he said, “It’s a lot lower than where we are now.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last month students across that state could return to the classroom this fall with the low positivity rate there.
Advertisement
“The CDC have said that below 5% is something everybody should strive for, but with regard to what level at which we would just send every kid back to school, I don’t know what that number should be, but we’re a long way from it,” Pritzker said this week. “We’ll be looking at what number we ought to be looking at, but there’s no region that’s even close, though, to where New York is.”
Public health officials said cases have been tied to college parties, bars, weddings and travel to neighboring states, while “general transmission of the virus in the community is also increasing.”
Public health officials also blamed a lack of local enforcement in some areas of a statewide mask mandate for public settings, and some people refusing to participate in the contact tracing process or chalking up symptoms to allergies and waiting to get tested.
In determining which counties are at a “warning level,” the state Department of Public Health considers a range of factors, including the number of deaths, availability of intensive care beds, weekly hospital admissions and whether there are clusters of cases.
The Tribune’s Dan Petrella contributed.
jmunks@chicagotribune.com