chicagotribune--2020-07-13--Loyola University Chicago announces fall classes will be mostly online as coronavirus cases continue

Loyola University Chicago announces fall classes will be mostly online as coronavirus cases continue to rise

But many colleges and universities have struggled to balance the need to keep students , faculty and staff safe with @ @ @ @ @ campuses in the fall , especially as coronaviruses cases continue to surge in many parts @ @ @ @ @ instructors are leery of campuses reopening .

Though students may be returning to Loyola University Chicago in the fall, most classes will remain online, officials announced Monday. (Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune)
Loyola University Chicago announced Monday that most classes for the upcoming fall semester will be held online.
A few exceptions will be made for classes, labs and research that require face-to-face interaction, according to a letter released Monday by President Jo Ann Rooney and Provost Norberto Grzywacz.
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The announcement comes as the daily number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has seen a recent uptick, with 883 new confirmed cases reported Monday.
Loyola had previously announced a tentative plan for both on-campus and virtual instruction depending on a student’s preference, with only some online courses to keep the numbers of students on campus down.
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But many colleges and universities have struggled to balance the need to keep students, faculty and staff safe with the desire to reopen their campuses in the fall, especially as coronaviruses cases continue to surge in many parts of the country and many instructors are leery of campuses reopening.
“Our priority remains the health, safety, and well-being of our Loyola community. This priority is important as we welcome new Ramblers and provide a vibrant academic experience for all students,” the Loyola letter stated. “As COVID-19 infection rates and deaths continue to increase across numerous states, we share the concerns of our faculty, staff, and broader community.”
With Loyola’s change of plans made public Monday, the university also said both domestic and international students would be taught in-person if necessary, an announcement that comes on the heels of ICE’s new policy requiring international students taking online courses to leave America and banning visas for new students under virtual instruction.
Despite the plans to keep most classes online, Loyola officials are still anticipating many students will return to campus. To that end, officials reiterated that students on campus would be housed in single-occupancy residence hall rooms and “we also have begun planning for additional robust, low-density, socially distant programs for our students,” the letter states.
To prevent COVID-19 exposure, the university plans to implement precautionary measures including frequent testing for the virus, contact tracing, staggered work schedules, reduced class sizes, restricted gathering spaces and mask and social distancing requirements. The school will also identify students who have to quarantine when arriving on campus in the fall.
Loyola officials launched a Return to Campus website Monday delineating more guidelines for community members returning to campus.
The release said more details would be announced in the coming weeks.


chicagotribune--2020-07-13--Voting by mail in Illinois this year? Read this first.

Yes .
Illinois has some of the most open voting access laws in the nation and allows anyone to vote @ @ @ @ @ give a reason .
Ballots have to be postmarked by Election Day and they are @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t get them until two weeks afterward .

Fueled by fears over the coronavirus pandemic, early voting and voting by mail in the Nov. 3 presidential election is expected to occur in unprecedented numbers.
By mid-July, Chicago election officials had received a record-high 121,000 applications for mail-in ballots, and that was before the effects of a new state law kick in that will see every Illinois resident who voted in recent elections automatically getting an application to vote by mail.
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[ Chicago sets record for mail-in ballot applications ahead of new state law that will offer vote-by-mail to anyone who voted in last few elections ]
Here are answers to some questions about voting by mail in Illinois:
Am I eligible to vote by mail?
Yes. Illinois has some of the most open voting access laws in the nation and allows anyone to vote by mail without having to give a reason. Ballots have to be postmarked by Election Day and they are valid even if election authorities don’t get them until two weeks afterward.
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How do I vote by mail?
Voters can download the application for a vote-by-mail ballot. Ballots will be mailed out beginning Sept. 24. Anyone who sends in an application after that date should receive a ballot within two business days. Instructions for filling out the ballot and mailing it back will be included. The last day that election authorities can receive a mailed application for a mail-in ballot is Oct. 29.
Under a state law the General Assembly passed in May, some 5 million voters who participated in the 2018 general election, the 2019 municipal election or the March 17 primary will be sent vote-by-mail applications. Applications also will go out to anyone who registered to vote or updated their address after the primary.
Once received, mail ballots must be returned and postmarked before midnight on Nov. 3. The law will allow local election authorities to set up secure drop boxes for collecting mail-in ballots without postage and to establish curbside voting. Mail-in ballots can also be dropped off at the voter’s polling place on Election Day.
What are the dates I need to know for voting early?
Registered voters may cast a ballot before Election Day without having to provide a reason for wanting to vote early. For mail-in-ballots, you can drop it in the mail as early as Sept. 24. Online voting and early voting at the local election authority or designated early polling places also begin Sept. 24. Early voting by those methods ends Nov. 2.
Are mail-in-ballots a COVID-19 health risk?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have indicated that there is currently no evidence that COVID-19 is being spread through the mail.
Scientists generally agree that the main method COVID-19 spreads is through the tiny droplets that are sprayed into the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. Still, the Postal Service has undertaken several protective measures for its employees in the Chicago district and around Illinois.
Even if you choose to vote in person this November, there are ways to reduce risk. The CDC recommends reducing crowd size at polling stations and to use voting methods that minimize direct contact with other people. If you do choose to vote in person, the CDC recommends arriving at the polling site at off-peak times, when the crowds might be lighter.
Is mail-in voting more susceptible to fraud?
Nationally, efforts to expand mail-in voting because of the coronavirus pandemic have become a focus of partisan debate, with Republicans led by President Donald Trump opposing voting by mail, based in part on unsubstantiated claims that it leads to fraud. Numerous investigations have found no evidence that voting by mail results in increased voter fraud.


chicagotribune--2020-07-13--Alinea’s rooftop popup cancels two dinners after employee tests positive for COVID-19; plans to reop

Alinea’s rooftop popup cancels two dinners after employee tests positive for COVID-19; plans to reopen Wednesday

“ We had a single employee test positive ( for the coronavirus ) — a porter — who hadn ’ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said co-owner Nick Kokonas .
“ Our policy is to contact trace who @ @ @ @ @ day , then who was in ‘ close contact ’ by the CDC definition ( @ @ @ @ @ feet of an infected person for at least 30 minutes starting from 48 hours before @ @ @ @ @ did that and it was only six employees.
“

For those diners hoping to dine at Alinea’s temporary outdoor popup — dubbed AIR, for “Alinea in Residence” — the email marked URGENT delivered bad news.
“We are sorry to inform you that AIR — Alinea in Residence — will be closed for service on July 11th and 12th,” the email read. “Unfortunately, we are unable to meet the standard of service we require and you respect.”
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The email went on to detail rebooking or refund options, and apologized for the short notice.
So what happened?
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“We had a single employee test positive (for the coronavirus) — a porter — who hadn’t worked for several days,” said co-owner Nick Kokonas. “Our policy is to contact trace who worked with him on that day, then who was in ‘close contact’ by the CDC definition (someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 30 minutes starting from 48 hours before illness onset). We did that and it was only six employees.“
Those employees were notified and the entire staff informed, Kokonas said. The temporary closing is one of a handful of such COVID-related measures taken at Chicago restaurants in recent weeks, including Longman & Eagle, Calumet Fisheries, Replay Andersonville and Fork. Replay, Longman & Eagle and Calumet Fisheries have since reopened.
“We decided this time to get everyone tested, not for medical or scientific reasons but for peace of mind for our team,” Kokonas said. “Unfortunately, testing in Chicago is busy and slow right now, so we closed while that process is completed.”
Kokonas said that the results are back for 60% of the staff (”all negative, thankfully”), and he’s hopeful that he’ll get the rest of the results no later than Tuesday morning — which, if all negative, will allow Alinea to resume service, as scheduled, on Wednesday. (The restaurant is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.)
There will be a lot of crossed fingers, because seatings are completely sold out for the rooftop popup at 952 W. Fulton Market.
“We are working very hard at both safety and building a bridge to a future for The Alinea Group and for our employees, while keeping them and our customers safe,” Kokonas said. “We are going above and beyond trying to both survive, thrive and spread a bit of joy. But admittedly the situation changes day to day.”


chicagotribune--2020-07-13--City closes West Loop bar for violating Chicago’s coronavirus crowding rules

With images of long lines of maskless patrons in Wrigleyville and other Chicago entertainment districts continuing to flood social media @ @ @ @ @ in recent days in the number of COVID-19 cases and the positivity rate , Lightfoot @ @ @ @ @ concerned Chicago might follow other hot spots around the country that have seen massive virus @ @

The outdoor patio at Wise Owl Drinkery & Cookhouse on Monday, July 13, 2020 in the West Loop. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration closed a West Loop bar and cited a handful of other venues over the weekend for flouting COVID-19 capacity or social distancing rules, part of her promised crackdown on violators aimed at limiting the spread of coronavirus cases throughout the city.
Wise Owl Drinkery & Cookhouse was shut down because it was over capacity and groups of patrons weren’t at least 6 feet away from each other, wearing masks or seated, according to the city Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.
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The bar and restaurant, which bills itself on its website as “a refreshing return of the local neighborhood tavern,” was issued immediate closure orders on both Saturday and Sunday evenings, according to the department.
Wise Owl was cited four times, each violation carrying a $10,000 fine.
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And as a result of those violations, the city has denied its expanded outdoor dining permit, according to the department. That means Wise Owl can no longer use an adjacent parking lot as a dining and drinking area to increase its capacity by spreading out tables throughout the space.
The Lightfoot administration is also pursuing “additional disciplinary actions” because of the “egregiousness” of the problems inspectors saw there over the weekend, according to the city.
In all, six businesses were issued citations over the weekend for failing to meet the city’s current guidelines to operate during the pandemic.
Wise Owl’s operator could not immediately be reached for comment.
On Monday morning, Wise Owl’s Twitter account advertised a Wednesday night screening of the Janet Jackson-Tupac Shakur movie “Poetic Justice” at the bar.
This was the second weekend in a row the city hit businesses with fines, after Lightfoot said the time had come for people to comply with the rules.
With images of long lines of maskless patrons in Wrigleyville and other Chicago entertainment districts continuing to flood social media and the state announcing increases in recent days in the number of COVID-19 cases and the positivity rate, Lightfoot on Monday said she remains concerned Chicago might follow other hot spots around the country that have seen massive virus spikes.
But she said she does not have immediate plans to end indoor dining or take other major steps to roll back the city’s reopening.
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“In Chicago, we continue to be on a good trajectory. However, we do have concerns,” Lightfoot said Monday at a news conference to talk about increasing census response numbers. “And we specifically have concerns in the 18- to 29-year-old cohort, who we’re starting to see an uptick in cases.”
Lightfoot said city inspectors will keep working to make sure bars, restaurants and gyms where young people congregate meet the rules. “If we don’t see progress, we’re going to take some specific steps, but my hope, always, is to educate people into compliance,” she said.
More drastic steps could be coming, Lightfoot said, a position she has maintained for weeks in an attempt to get businesses to comply on their own.
“I’m not going to take anything off the table,” she said. “I don’t think we’re at that point just yet, but I am deeply concerned because we’re starting to see this uptick. We’re starting to see an uptick in daily cases.”
Other than Wise Owl, the city did not release the names of the businesses that got cited this weekend.
Over the July 4 weekend, the city shut down the operator of a Lake Michigan party boat that was overcrowded and cited five businesses for violations.
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jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
lchu@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @_johnbyrne
Twitter @louisachu


chicagotribune--2020-07-13--Chicago sets record for mail-in ballot applications ahead of new state law that will offer vote-by-m

Chicago sets record for mail-in ballot applications ahead of new state law that will offer vote-by-mail to anyone who voted in last few elections

In Chicago , election officials said vote-by-mail applicants who provide an email address will receive updates notifying them when their @ @ @ @ @ ballots are mailed — which is expected to start in late September — along with @ @ @ @ @ envelope to the voter ’ s address , as well as the ballot ’ s @ @ @ @ @ of Elections .

Chicago election officials have received a record 121,000 applications for mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 general election, even before the rollout of a state-mandated effort to offer vote-by-mail to anyone who voted in recent elections.
The number of requests tops the 118,000 applications in advance of the March 17 primary as coronavirus restrictions were being put in place. It’s also higher than the number of requests made for the November 1944 election, when U.S. troops were fighting overseas in World War II.
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City election officials this week are set to send out more than 900,000 vote-by-mail applications under a new state law that requires mail-in ballots to be offered to anyone who voted in the 2018 general election, the 2019 city elections or the March primary. The new law applies statewide.
In addition, another 500,000 residents will receive voter cards along with information on how to receive a mail ballot.
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[ Voting by mail in Illinois this year? Read this first. ]
Those who already applied to vote by mail will receive voter cards, along with information on when they will get their ballots and options on how to return them to election officials for counting.
“Now, it’s just a matter of time before we see when Chicago voters may double, triple and maybe quintuple those records from March 2020 and before that, November 1944 in World War II,” Lance Gough, executive director of the Chicago Board of Elections, said in a statement.
In addition to sending out vote-by-mail applications, the new state law also allows those registering to vote or updating their information online to be able to register to receive a mail ballot.
Voters can either choose to return their ballots by mail or to use secured drop-off boxes at early voting sites.
The new state law also makes Nov. 3 a state holiday, allowing local election officials across the state to use government buildings and schools as in-person voting sites and help avoid fears of spreading the coronavirus.
In Chicago, election officials said vote-by-mail applicants who provide an email address will receive updates notifying them when their application is processed, when ballots are mailed — which is expected to start in late September — along with a website to track the envelope to the voter’s address, as well as the ballot’s return to the Chicago Board of Elections.
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The email notifications also will allow city election officials to let voters know when they receive the ballot and whether it has been accepted and counted, or if questions have been raised about the envelope or voter signature.
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In addition to the mailings, board officials said they plan a series of outreach events with community, civic and neighborhood organizations along with traditional and digital media to let voters know of the mail-ballot option.
The vote-by-mail issue has become a national one due to President Donald Trump’s repeated attacks that it is backed by Democrats and encourages voting fraud — though statistics nationally show few instances of tainted vote-by-mail activities. Trump has backed in-person voting even though he voted in Florida’s March primary by mail.
Researchers at the University of Illinois’ Institute of Government and Public Affairs on Monday released statistics showing confidence among voters has grown over the use of voting by mail, reaching 91% among voters in 2016, which was up from 86% four years earlier, according to the Survey of Performance of American Elections.
The study encouraged broad efforts by local election officials across the state to educate voters about how to vote by mail as well as warning voters that election results may be delayed due to the processing of mail-in ballots.
The authors also noted the skepticism among the GOP nationally to voting by mail “is a shift, given that the reform was originally a Republican effort in the mid-20th century to increase military and older voters’ participation.”
The new state law has forced some Republican candidates who are strong Trump supporters to backtrack from their initial opposition to expanding vote-by-mail access when Democratic state lawmakers first advanced the issue in Springfield.
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In April, Republican Jeanne Ives of Wheaton, challenging first-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Sean Casten of Downers Grove in the west and northwest suburban 6th Congressional District, issued a fundraising email that called enhanced vote-by-mail an effort by Democrats to use the pandemic to “advance their radical agenda.”
“While I understand the concerns about the impact of COVID-19, we can’t lose who we are as a country in the process. All Americans deserve to know that the results of our elections are legitimate and we cannot compromise the integrity of our elections,” Ives wrote then.
But on July 1, Ives appeared on social media standing in front of a post office to offer instructions to supporters on how to get and cast a mail ballot.
“Illinois has always had very liberal rules concerning vote by mail. And now, it’s going to be even more incumbent upon people to take care of their health and take care of their vote,” she said in the video.
rap30@aol.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-13--Where does Illinois stand on the reopening plan? Here are the charts

With each of the state ’ s four regions in Phase 3 of Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s Restore @ @ @ @ @ starts on moving on to Phase 4 , where more businesses and activities are allowed @ @ @ @ @ Illinois — from restaurants and salons to open space to non-COVID-19 procedures at the hospital @ @ @ @ @ depends on a host of metrics laid out by Pritzker .

Chad Yoder, Nausheen Husain, Jennifer Smith Richards, Jonathon Berlin

With each of the state’s four regions in Phase 3 of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan, the clock starts on moving on to Phase 4, where more businesses and activities are allowed. The plan to reopen Illinois — from restaurants and salons to open space to non-COVID-19 procedures at the hospital to concerts and festivals — depends on a host of metrics laid out by Pritzker.
The metrics focus on a rolling average of positive coronavirus cases and hospitalizations to keep track of the direction of the outbreak as well as availability of hospital beds and ventilators that would be needed to handle a possible surge. There are also benchmarks for testing and tracing positive tests.
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
A key element of the plan is that a region can move both forward and backward, where more parts of society can open and shut depending on the seriousness of the outbreak.
Here is a breakdown of where each region stands.


chicagotribune--2020-07-13--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-07-13--Ex-state’s attorney of LaSalle County sues successor for ‘malicious prosecution’ after case accusing

Ex-state’s attorney of LaSalle County sues successor for ‘malicious prosecution’ after case accusing him of official misconduct fizzles

Towne ’ s lawsuit claims Donnelly ’ s prosecution was politically motivated and not supported by probable cause .
He @ @ @ @ @ prosecutor to take over for Donnelly , saying she was biased against him , and @ @ @ @ @ dismissed the criminal case against Towne , saying his rights to a speedy trial had @ @ @

A long-running legal soap opera in LaSalle County added another chapter Monday, when an ex-state’s attorney filed a lawsuit saying his successor violated his rights through a “malicious prosecution” that accused him of misdeeds while in office.
Brian Towne served as the county’s state’s attorney from 2006 to 2016, losing a bitter election to lawyer Karen Donnelly, who had earlier worked in the office. Once she took over, Towne claims, she investigated his tenure “to settle a political score” stemming from his prosecution of her son several years earlier.
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The inquiry produced a 17-count indictment, handed up in 2017, accusing Towne of having his staff conduct political activity during office hours, donating thousands of dollars in public funds to a local high school club and paying personal expenses with money generated through a controversial asset forfeiture program.
That program, known as the State’s Attorney Felony Enforcement unit — or SAFE — saw special investigators from Towne’s office stop the cars of suspected drug traffickers on Interstate 80, seizing vehicles, cash and other assets that amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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An Illinois appellate court ruled in 2015 that the unit exceeded the limits of Towne’s authority, and the program was later disbanded. Donnelly made the program a key part of her campaign, accusing Towne of being “a rogue state’s attorney who is running an unregulated, private police force.”
Three people stopped by the special investigators sued Towne — two were men who spent months in jail on drug charges before the charges were dropped — but judges threw out the lawsuits for exceeding the statue of limitations.
Towne’s lawsuit claims Donnelly’s prosecution was politically motivated and not supported by probable cause. He succeeded in getting a special prosecutor to take over for Donnelly, saying she was biased against him, and last year, a judge dismissed the criminal case against Towne, saying his rights to a speedy trial had been violated.
The lawsuit accuses Donnelly, several of her employees and two Ottawa police officers of violating his constitutional rights, malicious prosecution and intentional infliction of emotional distress, saying “(their) conduct is something one would expect in a totalitarian government where political opponents are routinely persecuted and executed; it is not expected here.”
Donnelly said by phone that the lawsuit contains “flat-out lies” and was likely meant to boost the fortunes of her opponent in the November election, a former prosecutor named Todd Martin, who worked under Towne.
“You can file a lawsuit over anything, but what the case will ultimately be decided on is proof and facts, which Mr. Towne will have a hard time proving,” she said.
Towne seeks unspecified damages and attorneys’ fees.
jkeilman@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @JohnKeilman


chicagotribune--2020-07-13--Illinois coronavirus graphs: 7,193 deaths, 154,799 confirmed cases, 2 million tests, 4.2% positivity

Illinois coronavirus graphs: 7,193 deaths, 154,799 confirmed cases, 2 million tests, 4.2% positivity rate for Chicago area

• When can Illinois reopen ?
Check our daily charts on where each region stands on positivity rate and other @ @ @ @ @

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


chicagotribune--2020-07-13--No bail for La Grange man accused of killing his stepfather and citing fears of a blood sacrifice fo

No bail for La Grange man accused of killing his stepfather and citing fears of a blood sacrifice for the Illuminati

“ It appears there may have been some kind of psychotic break , according to the information the state has @ @ @ @ @ he was acting differently just prior to this incident , ” Willis said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ the family of the victim and the family of everybody involved in this based on @ @ @ @ @ the defendant ’ s mind of what may have been happening at this time .
@

DeAngelo Hughes, 25, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Curtis Lee Clark on July 10, 2020. (Cook County sheriff's offce)
A 25-year-old man is accused of killing his stepfather in their La Grange home on Friday morning, shooting him five times in the head and torso, authorities said.
DeAngelo Hughes is charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Curtis Lee Clark, 51, in the Bluff Avenue residence. Clark was pronounced dead on the scene; an autopsy revealed two wounds to the head and three on his thigh and lower back.
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Clark was a security guard who, according to records, was dating Hughes’ mother off and on for 20 years. Two days before the shooting, officials said Hughes sent a text message to a childhood friend indicating that he was going to “smoke” Clark.
According to Cook County prosecutors, Hughes shot and killed his stepfather after alleging Clark and a cousin had a plot to kill him. Hughes also claimed that Clark needed a blood sacrifice for the secret society known as the Illuminati.
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Hughes’ family informed police that he had not been acting like himself in the days leading up to the shooting. Prosecutors said that Hughes was seen on FaceTime after answering Clark’s phone when Clark’s son called shortly after the shooting.
Judge Arthur Wesley Willis denied bail Sunday afternoon during a hearing broadcast live on YouTube.
“It appears there may have been some kind of psychotic break, according to the information the state has received from family members that he was acting differently just prior to this incident,” Willis said. “This court is saddened for the family of the victim and the family of everybody involved in this based on what may have occurred in the defendant’s mind of what may have been happening at this time.”
Hughes is scheduled to return to court Tuesday.
drockett@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-13--Watch live: Preckwinkle discusses 25th anniversary of deadly heat wave, announces clean energy plan

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle discusses the 25th anniversary of the deadly 1995 heat wave in Chicago and announces @ @ @ @ @

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chicagotribune--2020-07-13--Molson Coors stops production of Saint Archer Gold light lager after pandemic disrupts rollout

Collins said Molson Coors will boost its hard seltzer production by more than 400 % and increase packaging capacity at @ @ @ @ @ , facility to make hard seltzer and other beverages .
The project includes the installation @ @ @ @ @ and a new filtration system in order to bring production in-house .

Molson Coors said it will stop production of Saint Archer Gold beer due to a disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. ( Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune; Shannon Kinsella/food styling)
Brewer Molson Coors said it will stop production of its light craft lager Saint Archer Gold, which began rolling out nationwide earlier this year, due to the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
In a memo to distributors and employees sent Friday, Molson Coors Chief Marketing Officer Michelle St. Jacques said “the effects of the coronavirus on our industry caused an immediate loss of momentum for the brand.”
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The company said it is increasing its investment in hard seltzer brands like Vizzy and its Blue Moon LightSky ale. Molson Coors also is focusing on the national launch of Coors Seltzer in September.
Molson Coors, the nation’s second largest beer company, began introducing Saint Archer Gold to other markets earlier this year to compete with Anheuser-Busch’s Michelob Ultra after initially launching in four test markets last year.
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The Chicago-based brewer said Saint Archer Gold performed well with consumers earlier this year, but plans to offer samples in liquor and grocery stores across the U.S. to introduce more drinkers to the brand were disrupted by the pandemic.
St. Jacques said in the memo that the company will sell its existing inventory of Saint Archer Gold and will cut off marketing for the brand.
While the brewer is putting Saint Archer Gold in “hibernation,” the company could revive it in the future, said Adam Collins, chief communications and corporate affairs officer.
Molson Coors bought San Diego-based Saint Archer Brewing Co. in 2015 for an undisclosed amount. Saint Archer will continue to produce other beers like Hazy IPA, Tropical IPA and its 50/50 multipack franchise, St. Jacques said in the memo.
Collins said Molson Coors will boost its hard seltzer production by more than 400% and increase packaging capacity at its Forth Worth, Texas, facility to make hard seltzer and other beverages. The project includes the installation of a new canning line and a new filtration system in order to bring production in-house.
“We are increasing hard seltzer production. That is a demonstration of where the seltzer industry is heading. It’s safe to say, seltzer is here to stay,” Collins said.
abjimenez@chicagotribune.com
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chicagotribune--2020-07-13--MCA sets re-opening for July 24 with new hours and entrance — and no admission charge

Now Chicago will get a chance to see it , as the museum announced Monday it will re-open July 24 @ @ @ @ @ so with free admission through the end of August , as well as new hours @ @ @ @ @ meet new safety rules .

Garments designed by Duro Olowu in the exhibition Duro Olowu: Seeing Chicago, at the MCA, Friday, Mar. 6, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
When COVID-19 forced its closure in mid-March, the Museum of Contemporary Art had just opened the compelling exhibition, “Duro Olowu: Seeing Chicago.”
Now Chicago will get a chance to see it, as the museum announced Monday it will re-open July 24. And it will do so with free admission through the end of August, as well as new hours and a limited capacity to meet new safety rules.
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MCA joins most major cultural institutions in reopening this month following the city announcing it had moved into “Phase 4″ of its recovery plan. The news, though, comes amid severe COVID-19 case spikes elsewhere in the country as well as increased numbers in Illinois in recent days.
“The spacious design of the MCA offers wide-open physical spaces to easily accommodate physical distancing,” Director Madeleine Grynsztejn said in a statement, and the museum will follow city guidelines of limiting visitorship to no more than 25 percent of capacity.
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“Seeing Chicago,” featuring hundreds of artworks from the city’s collections pulled together by the London fashion designer, has been extended through Sept. 27.
The museum will also have a new, pandemic-related show on view with the reopening. “Just Connect” uses works from the MCA collection to “explore how we connect,” the museum says, while aiming to reflect how we have coped with and will rebuild from the pandemic.
New museum hours are Friday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the 11 a.m. to noon hour reserved for seniors and people with an elevated coronavirus risk. The museum asks that visitors reserve the free tickets online in advance but says some may be available for walk-ups.
Masks will be required, coat checks will be closed, and new signage steers visitors on a one-way path and reminds them of social distancing. That pathway begins with a new entrance on Pearson Street and ends with an exit through, yes, the gift shop.
sajohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @StevenKJohnson