chicagotribune--2020-10-08--Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot pledges to push through her plan for City Hall review of polluting indu

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot pledges to push through her plan for City Hall review of polluting industries despite aldermanic opposition

“ We have to change that around so this isn ’ t about aldermanic prerogative or power , it is @ @ @ @ @ are protected and that they have fair notice when somebody ’ s coming into their @ @ @ @ @ their health through air quality issues , ” she said .
“ We have to @ @ @ @ @ and the ability to impact the kind of things going into their neighborhoods .
”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot pledged Wednesday to continue pushing for City Hall control of zoning rules for some polluting industries, after aldermen who criticized it as a power grab stalled the plan this week.
The council on Wednesday did not consider a proposal by Lightfoot to require city planned development review for large industrial developments, including certain industrial composting, manufacturing and waste-related businesses that residents in many cases don’t want near their homes.
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The ordinance failed to get enough votes to get out of the Zoning Committee this week amid criticism from aldermen who said the mayor was trying to wrest control of zoning authority that’s better handled by them.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot gets ready to preside over a virtual meeting of the City Council from her office at Chicago City Hall in April. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
After Wednesday’s council meeting, the mayor said she expects to push her ordinance through despite the opposition. “First of all, it’s not a failure. We plan to absolutely move forward with it,” Lightfoot said. “I’m confident we will get it passed.”
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And she called the arguments against her proposal “completely specious, and that’s lawyer-speak for nonsense.”
Lightfoot said the current law allows a development to move in without seeking approval from anyone if a new tenant takes over.
“We have to change that around so this isn’t about aldermanic prerogative or power, it is about making sure that residents are protected and that they have fair notice when somebody’s coming into their neighborhood who can potentially endanger their health through air quality issues,” she said. “We have to give residents a fighting chance and the ability to impact the kind of things going into their neighborhoods.”
Since taking office, Lightfoot has faced pushback from aldermen opposed to her pledge to centralize more city zoning authority at City Hall. Lightfoot has argued the move will help cut down on corruption tied to aldermen holding the power of zoning approval, while council members contend City Hall is ill-equipped to understand ward-level zoning and development concerns.
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Aldermen approved an ordinance Wednesday that would set a framework to take away tax incentives in the future from companies that don’t meet their obligations to the city. Southwest Side Ald. Mike Rodriguez, 22nd, introduced the proposal after an April demolition at a former coal power plant on the Southwest Side owned by Northbrook-based Hilco Redevelopment Partners sent a cloud of dust through nearby residential streets.
While Rodriguez said it’s not clear whether Hilco can see its incentives retroactively pulled, “the important thing is, developers are on notice that we won’t stand for this.”
Lightfoot also said she’s “firmly in support” of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed amendment to the state constitution that would impose a graduated-rate income tax, as opposed to the current mandated flat-rate system. Lightfoot said she doesn’t think it makes sense for poorer residents to pay the same as those with higher incomes.
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Also on Wednesday, aldermen approved an ordinance to hold hearings on creating a temporary special service area along North Michigan Avenue, allowing additional taxes to be collected from businesses along the Magnificent Mile to pay for security in a shopping area that has seen high-profile looting incidents in recent months.
The council also made four appointments to the Northwest Home Equity Assurance Program, an agency created to try to stem white flight in the late 1980s, which collects small amounts of additional property taxes annually from about 48,000 homes in the Northwest Side bungalow belt. In exchange, homeowners can sign up to get a guarantee that they will receive at least the appraised value of their houses if they sell.
Southwest Side Ald. Matt O’Shea, 19th, introduced an ordinance to halt enforcement of the residential permit parking zones that blanket many Chicago neighborhoods from noon the day before a holiday until noon the day after that holiday, which would make it easier for family members to legally park on permitted streets while visiting one another’s homes.
Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, introduced an order calling for a six-month moratorium on the kind of “no knock” warrant that Louisville, Kentucky, police were executing when an officer fatally shot Breonna Taylor, an incident that has become a rallying cry for police reform advocates. Lopez’s order calls for the creation of a commission to review the need for such warrants going forward.
Aldermen also approved an ordinance sponsored by freshman Ald. Andre Vasquez, 40th, that will require the city to list “non-binary” along with “male” and “female” on forms that ask gender identity.
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
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chicagotribune--2020-10-08--CPS says clerks must report to work in person, despite labor ruling that questions COVID-19 protecti

CPS says clerks must report to work in person, despite labor ruling that questions COVID-19 protections in schools. CTU says the action ‘threatens jobs.’

While students and teachers continue remote learning at least through Nov. 5 , clerks and other employees have been working @ @ @ @ @ the start of the new year .
But an independent arbitrator on Friday ruled that @ @ @ @ @ the CTU by making some employees work in person under what may not have been @ @ @ @ @ conditions .

Despite an arbitrator’s ruling that certain Chicago Public Schools employees should be allowed to work from home when feasible during remote learning, the district is continuing to require them to work in person.
An email from Chief Talent Officer Matt Lyons sent late Tuesday told clerks, clerk assistants and technology coordinators that the expectations have not changed.
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“As critical members of our school community, you are integral in our collective work communicating and supporting families, staff, and students,” the email states. “This means you will continue to be expected to report to work in person, unless you have an approved or pending request for a leave of absence or accommodation.
“You may have received conflicting information recently on this reporting requirement,” the email continued, "but we are writing today to confirm CPS' expectation and directive to report to work onsite.”
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Without a leave of absence or accommodation request approved or pending, employees are not allowed to work from home, according to the email, which states that if employees don’t show up in person, “CPS will consider your absence unauthorized and proceed accordingly.”
The Chicago Teachers Union is interpreting the email as a threat of discipline and an attempt “to strongarm workers into schools in defiance of the ruling.” The union also claims CPS is stalling on bargaining over remedies.
“I was a clerk, my mother was a clerk and my daughter is a clerk, and this is a slap in the face to every clerk in CPS,” CTU Recording Secretary Christel Williams-Hayes said in a news release. “For three generations, my family has proudly served Chicago Public Schools, and the fact that the mayor is choosing to fight Black and Brown women instead of the virus makes no sense to me.”
While students and teachers continue remote learning at least through Nov. 5, clerks and other employees have been working in school buildings since before the start of the new year. But an independent arbitrator on Friday ruled that CPS violated its contract with the teachers union by making some employees work in person under what may not have been “safe and healthful” conditions.
CTU has reported problems ranging from ventilation issues to widespread failure to enforce mask wearing and social distancing. But CPS detailed safety measures it has taken and is challenging the ruling. Earlier this week, spokesman Michael Passman said the district “will be moving to have the ruling reconsidered based on local and national public health standards and a complete assessment of the district’s efforts to protect staff."
CPS also released a statement noting the arbitrator’s ruling allowed employees to report to schools for work that can’t be done remotely.
CTU President Jesse Sharkey said the district is wasting time by challenging the ruling. Accusing the district of gaslighting employees about their rights, CTU lawyer Thad Goodchild said the district is unnecessarily putting them at risk.
“CPS obviously disagrees with the arbitrator’s decision, but the district is bound by the decision whether it agrees with it or not,” Goodchild said. “It is illegal for CPS to refuse to comply with a binding arbitration decision, and it is illegal for them to retaliate against employees for exercising their rights under that decision.”
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Chicago Public Schools has not released information on COVID-19 cases or testing at its schools since fall quarter started Sept. 8, and has not fulfilled a public records request seeking a breakdown of positive cases by school.
CTU has reported cases at Lane Tech and Morgan Park high schools, Lindblom Math and Science Academy and Mount Greenwood, Canty, Jameison, Belmont-Cragin, Pulaski International, Greeley, Clay and Ryder elementary schools, as well as at Funston Elementary, which lost a bilingual teacher to COVID-19 last week. The person who tested positive at Lane Tech was there for in-person SAT testing.
“The mayor and her CPS team continue to delay a safe return to our schools and refuse to listen to the educators, parents and communities who know these schools best and face the greatest risks,” said CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates.
hleone@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--The Purple Pig employees protest over concerns of coronavirus safety negligence

“ It starts small , ” Love said about the number of people who showed up at the protest outside @ @ @ @ @ heart of Chicago ’ s Michigan Avenue business district .
Others voiced their support in @ @ @ @ @ attend the protest out of fear of losing their jobs , Love said .
Another @ @ @ @ @ for the protest , did not attend because she says she thinks she is sick @ @ @ @ @ third employee emailed a statement to the Tribune , detailing the last seven months of @ @ @ @ @ of the grievances raised by Love .

Purple Pig restaurant employees Juanita Lozano, center, and Ryan Love, right, protest outside the restaurant at 444 N. Michigan Ave. on Oct. 7, 2020. Employees say the restaurant management waited too long to tell the staff that an employee had tested positive for COVID-19. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
After spending much of Tuesday night calling colleagues at The Purple Pig, Ryan Love felt upbeat about the five people who committed to picketing the Chicago restaurant Wednesday morning.
The protest, which ended up being four people greeting passersby with signs saying, “211K Americans dead. Tapas anyone?” and “No transparency, no accountability,” was inspired by frustration over the perceived actions of restaurant chef and owner Jimmy Bannos Jr. and other members of management. Love contends they did not take appropriate steps to keep employees and guests safe after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 on Sept. 24.
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“It starts small,” Love said about the number of people who showed up at the protest outside the acclaimed restaurant in the heart of Chicago’s Michigan Avenue business district. Others voiced their support in private but were hesitant to attend the protest out of fear of losing their jobs, Love said. Another employee, who also called for the protest, did not attend because she says she thinks she is sick with the coronavirus. A third employee emailed a statement to the Tribune, detailing the last seven months of his employment and echoing many of the grievances raised by Love.
Purple Pig employees Juanita Lozano and Ryan Love create protest signs outside the restaurant on North Michigan Avenue in Chicago on Oct. 7, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Love, a lead server and bartender, said a full week had passed before the restaurant was deep-cleaned and staff was notified about the employee who tested positive. And management didn’t act until pushed, he said. He heard the news that a staff member had tested positive from other colleagues during his shift Sept. 26 and emailed management Sept. 28. There was no all-staff announcement before Love sent his email, he said.
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“That was basically the confirmation that they’re not taking this seriously and it is a serious situation," Love said. “I was really, really mad that they would be so careless.”
Restaurants have been evaluating the risk of positive COVID-19 cases in their establishments since the city allowed them to reopen. Other restaurants, such as The Alinea Group and Longman & Eagle, have reported cases of employees falling ill with the coronavirus. In both instances, each restaurant closed temporarily for cleaning and staff was tested and asked to quarantine for 14 days.
When a positive case is found in a business and reported to the Chicago Department of Public Health, a case investigator is supposed to be assigned and kick off contact tracing procedures, according to city guidelines. A business is only required to report to CDPH if two or more cases are found within 14 days, and employees are required to stay home if they are sick. The city conducts regular inspections to make sure that all food establishments are abiding by the municipal code and public health orders. Several restaurants have been fined, such as Cork & Kerry and La Estrella Blanca Nightclub, and some even closed for a night.
Fines and notices are issued if a business is not complying, and customers and employees are encouraged to report to the city if they witness any violations of masking, capacity or social distancing orders.
The ways restaurants handle positive cases vary, in the end. While some opt to close for weeks and test all employees, others do not, especially those with only one case. Contact tracing also varies, with some utilizing reservations apps to track all their guests, others requiring personal information before being seated, and others not doing it at all. Some restaurant owners have complained about the lack of education of patrons, as they’re expected to enforce guidelines themselves. Others don’t enforce guidelines at all, beyond the required posted signs.
Purple Pig restaurant employee Ryan Love talks with a police officer who was asking him to take his signs off private scaffolding outside the Purple Pig restaurant on North Michigan Avenue in Chicago on Oct. 7, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
According to a statement from Bannos at The Purple Pig, the employee who tested positive last worked Sept. 20 and he had a normal temperature, was asymptomatic and masked at all times. No one else at Purple Pig was exposed or tested positive since they were alerted Sept. 24, he said in the statement. The staff member was required by the company to quarantine. The restaurant also routinely deep-cleans by a disinfection and viral remediation service and adheres to health guidelines, according to the statement.
“We remain committed to these and any updated strategies, recommendations, and practices that will protect The Purple Pig family — including our team, loyal guests, vendors and partners — during this difficult time," the statement said.
The statement also noted that The Purple Pig has had Dr. Kiran Chekka, a pain physician and anesthesiologist, as its medical counsel since May, and that he advises management weekly, in addition to hosting both in-person and virtual meetings with staff on COVID-19 topics.
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Chekka is one of the founders of Pandemic Solutions, LLC, which helped set up Roseland Community Hospital’s COVID-19 response unit in Chicago. They also created a team to help businesses operate safely, according to a statement from The Purple Pig.
Love, who has worked at The Purple Pig for a little over a year, returned after restaurants were allowed to reopen this summer because his unemployment was slated to run out. If he had a choice, he would not be back working in the food and beverage industry, he said, citing concerns around reopening guidelines. He said he’s been increasingly frustrated with what he described as the company’s relaxed treatment of reopening guidelines and “letting things slip through the cracks.”
“We need to do contact tracing and we need to get tested. It starts with one person,” Love said. “We’re out there putting our lives in danger so people can get tapas. Not essential at all.”
A screenshot of an Oct. 1 email from Vanessa Covarrubias, assistant sommelier and manager of The Purple Pig, said that it was “brought to management’s attention” that a staff member had tested positive for COVID-19 and that the restaurant had followed guidelines from the Illinois Department of Public Health, and would also hold an all-staff meeting Wednesday with Chekka to answer more questions and provide advice. The protest took place just an hour before that meeting.
The email also said that the staff member who tested positive, plus two other team members, were taken off the schedule and required to quarantine.
Screenshots of a second email Sunday, this time from Bannos, reiterated that the restaurant was following guidelines and had deep-cleaned Oct. 1-3 in addition to nightly cleaning. He also promised to review and reinforce guidelines with customers, and informed staff of the measures the restaurant had already taken, such as Plexiglas barriers in high-traffic areas, kick-pulls on bathroom doors and mandatory pre-shift health screenings.
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“Thankfully, to our knowledge, no one else at the restaurant has been exposed or has tested positive,” Bannos said in the email.
Another concerned staff member, Kathleen Roberts, had also called for her colleagues to join Wednesday’s protest. Roberts said she posted a message Monday in the restaurant’s internal scheduling app, writing, “We feel that the response has been slow, and there’s been no transparency about what’s actually going on. Pile that onto the lack of communication or help we got during quarantine, and the general mismanagement we’ve seen since we’ve reopened, and it feels like things have gone too far.”
In response, management asked staff members not to use the company’s app for personal emails, and to bring any additional concerns directly to management, according to screenshots shared with the Tribune.
“Because of how irresponsible and incompetent they are, every day I’ve been waiting to hear this news that someone got sick and they didn’t deal with it correctly,” Roberts said in an interview. “I feel really angry and frustrated. I’ve been in the restaurant industry for 16 years and I really loved it for a long time. But there’s this culture of narcissistic macho chef guy that can be really unhealthy, and I feel like with our restaurant, and other restaurants where this is happening, their toxic personalities are literally becoming a biohazard.”
She spoke through coughs and wheezes Wednesday afternoon and said she planned to get tested for COVID-19 on Thursday. She did not attend the protest, for fear of infecting others, and believes she may have the coronavirus and that she caught it at work.
Love said he thought company responses were insufficient, if not insulting. He believes guests and staff should have been notified the same day management found out about the positive case, and the restaurant should have immediately closed for cleaning. Love said he and a few other staff members even tracked down customers and emailed them to let them know they had potentially been exposed.
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Love also said that management should have paid for all of the staff to be tested and paid during their time off, should someone need to be quarantined. He also lamented the lack of protective equipment accessible to staff, saying the restaurant was constantly short of masks, gloves and glassware detergent. These demands, and more, are listed in the petition that Love and others were handing out to staff and passersby Wednesday morning.
“If something like (an outbreak) is going to happen, you need to tackle it head-on, you need to tell us, we need to be aware and there needs to be transparency to keep us safe,” Love said. “I don’t feel safe, nor does anybody else.”
This article has been updated to add background about Pandemic Solutions, LLC.
gwong@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--‘Wisconsin is what happens when you politicize public health,’ Mayor Lori Lightfoot says

Only 16 % of Wisconsin ’ s 11,452 hospital beds were available as of Tuesday afternoon , according to state @ @ @ @ @ of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had grown to 853 , its highest during the pandemic , @ @ @ @ @ Project , with 216 in intensive care .

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot blamed Wisconsin Republicans for that state’s recent spike in coronavirus cases, saying, “Wisconsin is what happens when you politicize public health.”
Lightfoot made her comments after Wisconsin health officials announced Wednesday that a field hospital will open next week at the state fairgrounds near Milwaukee as a surge in COVID-19 cases threatens to overwhelm hospitals.
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Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has repeatedly clashed with Republicans in that state over measures to curb the coronavirus.
Conservative justices on the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ monthslong stay-at-home order in May.
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Referring to the field hospital, Lightfoot said, “The fact that, in October, a state is having to open up a field hospital because of the stress on the health care system, because of the explosion in cases requiring hospitalizations, is a disgrace.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks during a press conference at the Greater Western Community Development Project in Chicago on Sept. 14, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
And alluding to the clashes between Evers and Republicans, Lightfoot said, “Public health should never be politicized.”
“In a time of crisis as we are right now, in a global pandemic, the fact that those partisans put their party over public health is shameful,” Lightfoot said.
Only 16% of Wisconsin’s 11,452 hospital beds were available as of Tuesday afternoon, according to state health department. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had grown to 853, its highest during the pandemic, according to the COVID Tracking Project, with 216 in intensive care.
The Associated Press contributed.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @royalpratt


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--The Spin: Why the Pence, Harris showdown tonight 'is the most important vice presidential debate’ ev

The Spin: Why the Pence, Harris showdown tonight 'is the most important vice presidential debate’ ever | AARP, other senior groups say opponents of graduated tax are misleading older voters | Gambling tax revenues fall by $200M

What to expect from Pence : Now that he has four years under his belt , Pence will likely find @ @ @ @ @ House ’ s record while touting Mideast peace efforts and touting pre-pandemic successes .
Graham @ @ @ @ @ is to go on the offense , '' taking aim at Biden ’ s long @ @ @ @ @ .
Also look for Pence to `` attack some obscure thing Kamala Harris did or @ @ @ @ @ but something that happened in the attorney general ’ s office ” in California when @ @ @ @ @ .

The stage is set with glass between seats ahead of the vice presidential debate at the University of Utah, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, in Salt Lake City. Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic vice presidential candidate, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., will participate in the debate Wednesday night. (Julio Cortez/AP)
Tonight’s televised face-off between Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris “is the most important vice presidential debate we’ve ever had,” says Todd Graham, the director of debate at Southern Illinois University and an expert in political debates.
With President Donald Trump in his mid-70s and Joe Biden in his late 70s, Pence and Harris already were prepping to prove they could step into the top job. But the burden of defending their ticket is even heavier given the chaos of last week’s presidential debate — which allowed for almost zero policy discussion — and Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis — which leaves a real question about whether his scheduled second and third debates with Biden will happen.
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Graham expects the vice presidential candidate debate to have the decorum we didn’t see at last week’s presidential showdown: “We’ve seen evidence that they can debate for 90 minutes without getting out of hand and constantly interrupting one another. They’ve both proven themselves to understand the value of debate, more than our current president has so I do believe it will be better."
The Tribune’s Rick Pearson writes: “The specter of a tax on retirement benefits in Illinois being raised by opponents of a proposed graduated-rate income tax amendment has prompted an outcry from leading seniors' groups that are backing the proposal.” They say it’s all an attempt to mislead older voters.
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And Gov. J.B. Pritzker, still in quarantine after a top staffer tested positive for COVID-19, told reporters today he’s tested negative for the virus. The Democratic governor, who calls Chicago home, made the comments at a virtual news conference, joking that he, his wife and their two children, who are at home e-learning, are seeing a lot more of one another.
Welcome to The Spin.
The stage is set with glass between seats ahead of the vice presidential debate at the University of Utah, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, in Salt Lake City. Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic vice presidential candidate, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., will participate in the debate Wednesday night. (Julio Cortez/AP)
Viewers should expect to see a mix of policy talk along with the expected rhetoric from Pence, a one-time talk show host, and Harris, a California U.S. senator who regularly taps into her former life as a prosecutor to argue a point.
What to expect from Pence: Now that he has four years under his belt, Pence will likely find himself defending the Trump White House’s record while touting Mideast peace efforts and touting pre-pandemic successes. Graham said “his best move is to go on the offense," taking aim at Biden’s long tenure in the U.S. Senate. Also look for Pence to "attack some obscure thing Kamala Harris did or not even something she did but something that happened in the attorney general’s office” in California when she was at the helm.
What to expect from Harris: “She will attack Donald Trump time and time again,” Graham said, noting that front and center will be the Trump administration’s response to COVID-19. Online news outlet Axios reported this morning that Harris is expected to zero in on Pence’s role as head of the White House’s COVID-19 task force, and paint him and the president as failed leaders in responding to the deadly outbreak in the U.S.
All roads lead to COVID-19? While the topics haven’t been disclosed, the debate format will be divided into nine 10-minute segments, The New York Times reports. “Kamala Harris will be trying to tie all of the topics to coronavirus and rightfully so, if you list any topic for me right now I promise you, within six degrees of Kevin Bacon, I can get you to the coronavirus in a second,” Graham says.
Posturing: We’ve heard a lot about the Plexiglas going up between the candidates, a COVID-19 safety precaution, but not a lot about how the two will be seated at tonight’s debate, something Graham said could level the playing field for both candidates.
Graham said Republicans likely requested the candidates sit because Pence could come off as timid versus Harris, who proved to be a powerful orator in the Democratic presidential debates.
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On the other hand, given the sexist view of seeing assertive women as overly aggressive, “I think Kamala Harris seated will actually make her assertiveness not seem overboard to people who might be a little bit sexist,” Graham said.
How to watch: The debate gets underway at 8 p.m. Chicago time on the major broadcast and cable news outlets. Learn where to stream here.
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President Donald Trump boards Marine One at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Oct. 5, 2020, after receiving treatment for the coronavirus. (Evan Vucci/AP)
From The Associated Press: "The White House on Wednesday tried to salvage its favorite items lost in the rubble of COVID-19 relief talks that President Donald Trump blew up, with his administration pressing for $1,200 stimulus checks and a new wave of aid for airlines and other businesses hard hit by the pandemic.
“As part of a barrage of tweets and retweets, Trump pressed for passage of these chunks of assistance, an about-face from his abrupt and puzzling move on Tuesday afternoon to abandon talks with a longtime rival, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The California Democrat has rejected such piecemeal entreaties all along.”
The president called on Congress to send him a “Stand Alone Bill for Stimulus Checks ($1,200)” — a reference to a preelection batch of direct payments to most Americans that had been a central piece of negotiations between Pelosi and the White House.
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Left out of the tweets is any discussion of aid to states and cities, save for this: “Nancy Pelosi is asking for $2.4 Trillion Dollars to bailout poorly run, high crime, Democrat States, money that is in no way related to COVID-19.″
Mayor Lightfoot isn’t optimistic the federal government will hammer another stimulus package before she delivers her 2021 budget to City Council in the coming weeks. Staring down a $1.2 billion budget hole, it might have helped. “Not only will be a missed opportunity, but I think candidly, it will be turning it a back on people at a time we are all desperately in need of additional resources,” Lightfoot said, saying that states and cities with leader in both parties need the assist. “I hope that doesn’t happen. But my optimism for a deal getting done really has grown to the single digits.”
Also: Recovering from virus, Trump goes to Oval Office - Read the Associated Press story here.
...request, and looking to the future of our Country. I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election when, immediately after I win, we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business. I have asked... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 6, 2020
COVID-19 in Illinois: State health officials announced 2,630 new known cases of COVID-19 and 42 additional confirmed fatalities today, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 307,641 and the statewide death toll to 8,878 since the start of the pandemic, my Tribune colleagues report. Updates here.
Another financial bite – Illinois annual gambling tax revenues fell $200 million due to pandemic shutdown: The Tribune’s Robert Channick has the details here.
Preflight COVID-19 testing could be landing at O’Hare: The Tribune’s Lisa Schencker has the details here.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker discusses fairness in the conditional adult-use cannabis dispensary licensing process during a news conference at the James R. Thompson Center Sept. 22, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
“Officials from AARP Illinois, the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans and Jane Addams Seniors in Action contend ... opponents (to the graduated income tax measure on the ballot) are attempting to mislead older voters by saying the proposal could lead to a state tax on retirement benefits. The senior groups are asking that opposition advertising saying as much be taken down.” Read the full story here.
Pearson reminds: "Illinois is one of three states that levies an income tax but does not impose it on retirement income, such as pensions and IRA and 401(k) plans. There is nothing in the language of the proposed amendment that changes state law that prohibits taxing retirement benefits.
“But opponents have seized on an amendment provision that would allow lawmakers to set various tax rates on various incomes as creating the potential for state lawmakers to someday seek to enact a tax on those with large retirement incomes.”
Mayor Lightfoot 'firmly in support’ of graduated income tax, but watching battle 'with great interest’: During a news conference this afternoon the mayor weighed in saying “it doesn’t make sense to me it really never has... that people who make modest income pay the same rate as people who make more."
An attorney who worked as a federal prosecutor as well as career with the behemoth Chicago firm Mayer Brown before becoming mayor, Lightfoot said “I’ve been fortunate enough in my life to make a substantial amount over time. And I think people recognize the need for everyone to pay their fair share.”
Still, the political brawl is an eye-catcher, she says: “I continue to follow with great interest the back and forth.”
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Pritzker and Madigan: With the election just weeks away, WTTW-Channel 11′s Amanda Vinicky posed the best question to Pritzker during today’s virtual news conference: When deciding which Democratic candidate campaigns he’ll help fund, is he having conversations with those candidates about their position on House Speaker Mike Madigan?
The governor certainly skirted the question: “I’m supporting Democrats up and down the ballot all across the state. And so … I’ll continue to do that. My consideration is that the values of Democrats and the positions on issues that Democrats hold are compatible with mine and compatible with the working families middle class and people are striving to get there across the state. So I’m going to continue to do that.”
GOP challenger accuses Foxx of being 'crime lover’: In his first TV ad of the campaign Republican candidate for Cook County State’s Attorney Pat O’Brien calls Democratic first-term incumbent Kim Foxx a “crime lover,” and points to the 25,000 people who saw their felony cases – including murder and sex crimes - dropped by Cook County prosecutors since she took office. A Tribune investigation published in August examined the statistics. In the 30-second spot, which you can watch here, a narrator calls Foxx a “crime lover” and tells voters to “save Chicago, Fire Kim Foxx.”
Foxx has declined to debate O’Brien, with her spokeswoman accusing him of “Trump-like name calling and fear mongering.”
NYC Health and Hospitals/Elmhurst CEO Israel Rocha thanks Hyatt and American Airlines for surprising thousands of front-line workers with free vacations. The announcement occurred May 8, 2020, in New York City. (Ann-Sophie Fjello-Jensen )
The Cook County Health Board of Directors has chosen Israel Rocha Jr., CEO of Elmhurst and Queens hospitals at the New York City Health + Hospitals system — hard hit at the height of the pandemic — to lead the county’s public health system, the Tribune’s Alice Yin writes today.
Yin writes: “Rocha’s experience, which includes guiding the once-overflowing Elmhurst Hospital as it bore the brunt of the coronavirus' early toll on New York, aligns with the needs of Cook County’s health system that overwhelmingly serves the poor and also was inundated with COVID-19 patients earlier this year, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said.”
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Rocha’s appointment comes as Cook County Health, which continues to provide most of the county’s uncompensated charity care, is also struggling financially. Read the full story here.
900 children in suburban Cook County public housing to get free laptops as remote learning continues to present digital barriers: Alice Yin’s on that story too.
More news: Marijuana ads are here and largely unregulated, as the industry acts to set own guidelines: The Tribune’s Robert McCoppin has the details here.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot presides over a virtual City Council meeting in April. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s John Byrne and Gregory Pratt: “Mayor Lori Lightfoot pledged Wednesday to continue pushing for City Hall control of zoning rules for some polluting industries, after aldermen who criticized it as a power grab stalled the plan this week.
"The council on Wednesday did not consider a proposal by Lightfoot to require city planned development review for large industrial developments, including certain industrial composting, manufacturing and waste-related businesses that residents in many cases don’t want near their homes.
“The ordinance failed to get enough votes to get out of the Zoning Committee this week amid criticism from aldermen who said the mayor was trying to wrest control of zoning authority that’s better handled by them.” Read the rest of the story here.
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Twitter @byldonovan


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--Newly released footage shows Chicago cops, videographer ducking for cover when shots ring out during

Newly released footage shows Chicago cops, videographer ducking for cover when shots ring out during August looting

None of the videos captured visible images of the shooters or make it clear where the shots were coming from @ @ @ @ @ reactions of police officers and civilians as the shooting unfolded .

Newly released video shows shots fired at about 4:30 a.m. on Aug. 10, 2020, during a night of looting incidents in downtown Chicago. (Chicago Tribune Handout)
On a night when looters were tearing through downtown and Chicago police were scrambling to clear the streets, nearly a dozen gunshots rang out in the Loop and for a few frantic moments everyone ran for cover.
Or nearly everyone. Newly released video shows a man with a camera dropping the leg of his monopod and recording the scene after the first round of shots were fired about 4:30 a.m. Aug. 10.
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After a half dozen more shots, he took shelter behind a standing sidewalk sign, maintaining a view of the scene. Neither he nor anyone else was hit by the gunfire.
The videos were released Wednesday by the independent watchdog that investigates police shootings. The 11 videos from police and surveillance cameras offer another view of the bedlam that unfolded when widespread looting erupted downtown and moved to adjacent neighborhoods.
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The vandalism is believed to have cost millions of dollars in damage, stolen merchandise and police overtime.
None of the videos captured visible images of the shooters or make it clear where the shots were coming from, though it shows the reactions of police officers and civilians as the shooting unfolded.
Police said they were fired on as they responded to calls of looting.
Two videos posted showed a man standing near officers around 55 E. Lake St. when the sound of nearly a dozen gunshots echoed through downtown. The unidentified man continues to record throughout the shooting, taking shelter behind the sign.
A soundless video from a different angle outside a 7-Eleven shows two officers ducking behind their squad car, while a man takes cover behind one of the store’s support columns.
The videos also captured looters fleeing the convenience store as officers arrived. So far, there have been 76 felony arrests, 26 vehicles seized and 48 undercover purchases of stolen merchandise from that night, according to authorities.
wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--New Trier High School

New Trier High School

Treja Kelley had been hesitant to come forward after witnessing the murder of her 17-year-old cousin .
But she found @ @ @ @ @ stand last year and helped secure a guilty verdict .
Her testimony , though , @ @ @ @ @ head , prosecutors said .
Just a few months after testifying , Kelley was shot @ @ @ @ @ not far from where her cousin had been slain .
She was 18 and pregnant @

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 7 New Trier High School students present school IDs to staff as they arrive for in-person learning, Oct. 6, 2020, in Northfield. After starting remotely for all but select students, the school reopened Oct. 5 with 25% of students in person at a time. There were five positive student COVID-19 cases and none among the staff reported before the school reopened, and New Trier does not have an outbreak. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
After starting remotely for all but select students, New Trier High School reopened Oct. 5, 2020 with 25% of students in person at a time. New Trier Township School District 203 updates an online dashboard twice a week with the number of staff and student COVID-19 cases, as well as the number in quarantine. There were five positive student COVID-19 cases and none among the staff reported before the school reopened, and New Trier does not have an outbreak.


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--Survivors of COVID-19 wrestle with questions about God and purpose; one man shares his story.

“ They ’ d be having these really mixed experiences or emotions — a lot of gratitude for having survived @ @ @ @ @ time , being really thrown for a loop , ” she said .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ lives that are those big moments , those scary moments .
That ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ those big questions , those existential questions .
”

Emanuele Morso, center, receives spiritual therapy from chaplain Susan Doubet, right, who offers him Communion at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital in Wheaton on Sept. 30, 2020. Morso's wife, Janet, sits by his side. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
On the dresser in Emanuele Morso’s hospital room stand two religious artifacts.
One he brought from home — a statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel holding baby Jesus. The other is a crucifix given to Morso by Susan Doubet, a chaplain at the Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital in Wheaton, where he is recovering after contracting COVID-19 in June.
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Doubet works in spiritual care and helps patients sort through complex questions, such as why they are alive when others are not, and what to do about the way life looks now.
“They’d be having these really mixed experiences or emotions — a lot of gratitude for having survived, and at the same time, being really thrown for a loop,” she said. “We have these times in our lives that are those big moments, those scary moments. That’s a time when we turn toward those big questions, those existential questions.”
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Many wrestle with what it all means.
Recently, Morso, 69, who goes by Elio, received a letter from his niece. It revealed that after months of not praying, she began praying for him.
“This is the purpose,” Morso said lying in his hospital bed while his wife, Janet Morso, sat in a chair beside him. “I hope it helps people come back to God.”
He said doctors thought he wouldn’t come off the ventilator. “The whole experience has been horrible,” he said.
He does believe, however, that the weeks of prayers — spoken by friends and relatives during regular Zoom rosaries, and moments like his niece returning to talking to God — are why he is getting better and soon ready to go home.
“These things happened to me. But what was happening outside me was beautiful,” he said.
Emanuele Morso gets pulmonary and muscular therapy from physical therapy assistant Lisa Popp at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital in Wheaton on Sept. 30, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Many Marianjoy patients are reeling from complicated and stressful medical procedures, Doubet said. COVID-19 compounds the stress.
Her patients have been isolated, some with no visitors for months. Some have lost family members while hospitalized. Some suffered nightmares and hallucinations while intubated. Many remain scarred and confused by experiences they may not fully remember.
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They ask the spiritual care staff, “What is my purpose now?”
“The role of the chaplain is to walk with this person, sit with this person and help them flesh this out for themselves,” Doubet said. “We’re not providing any answers, but we’re helping to facilitate their reflections. We’re helping them to hear their own questions.”
Each patient is visited by a spiritual care staffer. Doubet helped Morso with Communion. Patients are also offered things like meditation exercises and aromatherapy.
“They’re not just a body,” said Doubet, who tries to understand what spirituality means to each patient. “They have minds and spirits and feelings, and we don’t just care for the body. We care for all of that.”
Almost every person she meets finds purpose in protecting others, she said.
“A lot of people felt like, ‘I have something to do,’ whether they’re religious or not,” she said. “I’ve had people say, I didn’t take this too seriously at first, and now I want to tell people, ‘I just spent three months in the hospital.’”
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For Morso, life will look different. His lungs are scarred by COVID-19. His exhausted body struggles to move. A recent afternoon of occupational and physical therapies included practicing actions such as lifting an arm to put a dish in a cabinet and shifting his body from a chair to a wheelchair.
Morso had retired after years of being an internal medicine physician. He and his wife enjoyed weekly gatherings with his grandchildren, whom the Sicily native was teaching how to tell when pasta is perfectly cooked.
Emanuele Morso tested positive for COVID-19 in June. He is scheduled to be discharged from Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital in Wheaton on Oct. 15, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
It was at a Father’s Day gathering that he contracted the virus; his son had it and did not know. Janet Morso, 67, also got it. She lost her sense of smell for a short period, but did not experience any other symptoms, she said.
Elio Morso was tested for the virus on June 25. On July 5, he was taken to Northwestern’s Central DuPage Hospital by ambulance and ultimately put on a ventilator.
“What I remember is being face down for days,” he said. “It became like torture.”
He does not remember being intubated. “Everything is blended,” he said. Janet Morso recalls a doctor saying her husband was blown away by the change of date. He was weaned off the ventilator in September.
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He arrived at Marianjoy that month. He is scheduled to be discharged Oct. 15.
Every day he requests a visit from the spiritual care team. On a recent afternoon, Doubet brought him a Communion cup. They said the Lord’s Prayer together: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done.” Janet Morso’s hands were folded below her mask to pray.
Doubet prayed, “Send your healing spirit to rejuvenate and strengthen Emanuele, all those who love and care for him, and we thank you for your many blessings.”
When the couple met in Florence in 1973, he was an atheist and she was a Catholic. Around 2000, he had what he describes as a conversion.
Emanuele Morso is recovering from COVID-19 at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital in Wheaton, where he is seen with his wife, Janet, on Sept. 30, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Looking back, he said he saw signs — different times that pointed to Mary, the mother of Jesus, for example. Days and places that Catholics associate with her have been meaningful in his life, he said. He passed his licensing exam in Baltimore, which he noted was in Maryland. And now, he is at Marianjoy.
Faith is a gift, he said, freely given. But it works best if people can give too. He likens it to receiving a bouquet of flowers. “You receive it as a gift, but you have to do your part. Put it in water,” he said. “And then it grows.”
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This year has not changed his faith, he said. In the hospital, he had accepted death.
But God, he said, did not want him yet.
“One of the purposes why you’re still alive,” he said, “is to share.”
abowen@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--U. of C. Lab School teacher credited by Nobel winner Andrea Ghez recalls former student’s ‘sense of

U. of C. Lab School teacher credited by Nobel winner Andrea Ghez recalls former student’s ‘sense of wonderment’

It was also difficult for women to find work in the field at that time , said Keane , 80 @ @ @ @ @ , keeping the challenges of being a woman in the field on the periphery , @ @ @ @ @ way .
At Lab , Keane was the only woman in the physical sciences .
@ @ @ @ @ it was for her to see a woman in that role .

Judith Keane remembers the former student who received an A in her class decades ago. So she wasn’t completely taken by surprise when that student received the Nobel Prize in physics this week.
“It was amazing to me,” Keane said. “But not totally unexpected, I have to say.”
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Early Tuesday, Keane found out that Andrea Ghez had become a Nobel recipient for her work involving the existence of a supermassive black hole. Ghez, the fourth woman to win the physics Nobel, has credited Keane, who taught at the University of Chicago Laboratory School for nearly 40 years, as being a role model.
Andrea Ghez, professor of physics and astronomy at UCLA, on May 30, 2015. Ghez was one of three scientists who was awarded this year's Nobel Prize in physics. (Elena Zhukova/UCLA/AP)
In class at Lab, Ghez, a 1983 graduate, was an outstanding student in a “remarkable class,” said Keane, who recently looked up the cohort in her archives. Ghez seemed to possess an innate curiosity about the universe. “She always had a kind of sense of wonderment about her,” Keane said.
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Keane, who attended the University of Chicago and worked with the chemistry teacher at Lab during graduate school, got a call a few years after she graduated. The school needed a new chemistry teacher and asked if she would be interested. Keane said yes, she would be.
“I guess I just enjoyed knowing about the materials around me,” Keane said of her interest in chemistry. “And it just seemed to me that that was the thing to do.”
It was also difficult for women to find work in the field at that time, said Keane, 80. But she kept going, keeping the challenges of being a woman in the field on the periphery, despite some realizations along the way. At Lab, Keane was the only woman in the physical sciences. Ghez has said how important it was for her to see a woman in that role.
“Teachers hardly ever know what effect they have on their students,” Keane said. “They hardly ever know. Once in a while they hear from students, and it’s gratifying.”
Keane keeps a photo with Ghez on her desk from a lecture Ghez gave at the Adler Planetarium.
“It hadn’t been that long since she was actually a student in my class and I thought, ‘Wow, here she is, giving a lecture at Adler. How impressive is that?’ So I have to go see her.”
She’s not much for giving advice, Keane said, but for students interested in STEM fields, she recommended, “Do what Andrea did.
“She followed her instincts. She looked at the world with wonderment and tried to figure out what was going on. And just tried her darnedest and tried to keep improving.
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“It’s her honor and her work. But I just feel good about it,” Keane added.
Ghez, who grew up in Hyde Park and is now a professor at UCLA, spoke to reporters Tuesday morning about the win.
“I take very seriously the responsibility of being the fourth woman to win the Nobel Prize,” Ghez said. “I hope I can inspire other young women into the field. It’s a field that has so many pleasures, and if you’re passionate about the science, there’s so much to be done.”
Ghez shared the prize with Reinhard Genzel, of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany and the University of California at Berkeley, for research on a likely massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. The other half of the award went to Roger Penrose of the University of Oxford “for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity.”
“The discoveries of this year’s Laureates have broken new ground in the study of compact and supermassive objects. But these exotic objects still pose many questions that beg for answers and motivate future research. Not only questions about their inner structure, but also questions about how to test our theory of gravity under the extreme conditions in the immediate vicinity of a black hole,” David Haviland, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, said in a news release.
Keane said she might have a root beer float to celebrate at her Wisconsin home. And send over a message to her old student.
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“I think I’ll probably drop her a note and tell her what she already knows.”


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--Planning to vote in person this year? What Illinois voters should know before heading to the polls.

Your election judge may issue you a provisional ballot for a number of reasons , including if your name does @ @ @ @ @ in Illinois ; your voting status has been challenged ; you didn ’ t provide @ @ @ @ @ and don ’ t have your ID with you at the voting site ; you @ @ @ @ @ having voted early ; a court order extends voting time at your precinct and you @ @ @ @ @ ; or you admit to receiving a mail-in ballot but you didn ’ t bring @ @ @ @ @ to an election judge .

Early voting in Illinois is underway.
While a record-setting number of people have applied for a mail-in ballot in Illinois, scores of voters across the state have ventured out of their homes to cast an in-person ballot for the Nov. 3 general election.
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From Cairo to Galena, as of Friday more than 147,000 voters across Illinois had cast an in-person ballot at early-voting sites and nearly 379,000 of more than 2 million applicants had returned ballots by mail. Many more early-voting sites are set to become available in the coming weeks: In Chicago, locations in each of the city’s 50 wards open Oct. 14; and suburban Cook County, which opened a handful of early-voting sites Wednesday, will expand voting to more than 50 sites Oct. 19.
[ ¿Planea votar en persona este año? Lo que los votantes de Illinois deben saber antes de ir a las urnas ]
Whether you’re a longtime voter or new to the process, voting can be confusing. Here’s what you need to know when casting your vote this year.
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Early voters line up and down north Clark Street to vote at the Loop Super Site on Oct. 1, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Do I have to show my ID?
If you’re already registered to vote in Illinois, you should not need a form of identification at your polling site, but election officials encourage bringing one just in case.
Election judges may ask for identification if they challenge your right to vote, you did not provide proof of ID when registering by mail or online or you are not listed as registered to vote in the state.
“If the judges have doubts about your identity because your signature doesn’t match the one on record they could ask for ID,” said Matt Dietrich, an Illinois State Board of Elections spokesman. “But it takes judges of both parties to do that.”
If an election judge asks for your ID, you are not required to show one to vote in person. You may cast a provisional ballot without showing your ID. The poll worker should then tell you how you can separately submit proof of registration to your election authority.
If election judges tell you that you’re not listed as registered, and you’re sure you did register, make sure they spelled your name correctly. You can give them your address to make sure you’re at the right polling place. You can also ask them to call your county elections office.
If you’re not yet registered but hope to vote through a standard ballot, you’ll need to bring an election judge two forms of identification, one of which must include your current address. You can then register — and vote — at your polling place.
What is a provisional ballot?
Provisional ballots allow residents to cast a vote even if their right to vote has been questioned. They’re investigated and processed in the two weeks after Election Day and kept separate from standard ballots.
Your election judge may issue you a provisional ballot for a number of reasons, including if your name does not show up as registered in Illinois; your voting status has been challenged; you didn’t provide identification when registering by mail and don’t have your ID with you at the voting site; you’re listed as already having voted early; a court order extends voting time at your precinct and you vote during that extended period; or you admit to receiving a mail-in ballot but you didn’t bring it with you to surrender to an election judge.
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You should be informed about provisional ballots if election judges challenge your right to vote. You also reserve the right to know if your ballot was counted. If it was not, you’re entitled to know why.
Some local election boards have a lookup tool on their website, which voters can use to check the status of their provisional ballot.
An election official keeps watch during the first day of early voting at the Loop Super Site on Oct. 1, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
What can I bring to my polling place?
You’re allowed to bring any written or printed materials into the voting booth to assist you.
You also can bring children younger than 18 into the voting booth with you, so long as they don’t interfere with the voting process and election officers approve of it. All you’ll need to do is tell the election judge before entering the voting booth.
Keep in mind voters are prohibited from wearing campaign items at voting sites because polling places are campaign-free zones. Election judges may ask you to cover any campaign clothing, buttons or stickers.
What if I show up at the wrong polling place?
During the early-voting period, you can cast your ballot at your local election authority’s office or at a designated early-voting site in your area. Be sure to check your local election authority’s website to determine which polling places are available for you to vote.
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On Election Day, you can only vote at your assigned polling site. State officials have a polling place lookup website and an online database for all Illinois election boards, which voters can use to check their polling places. You can still cast your ballot after the polls close so long as you were in line when they closed.
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If you show up at the wrong polling place, you can give the election judge your address and they’ll help you find the right location. If you’re in the wrong election jurisdiction or your address isn’t found, you or the poll worker can call a local election authority for more information.
This year, election workers also could direct voters to a polling place where all voters can vote, which all jurisdictions are required to have under the special election law in place this year, Dietrich said.
Be sure to check your local election authority’s website to confirm your polling site before going to vote. Polling places are subject to change because of concerns with COVID-19.
What happens if I just moved?
You must live in your election precinct at least 30 days before Election Day to register there.
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If you moved before Oct. 5 to your current Illinois address, vote at the precinct polling place for your new, current address.
You can register for the first time or update your registration online until Oct. 18 or at your new local polling place through Election Day.
If you moved on or after Oct. 5, vote at your old jurisdiction. Then, after Election Day, update your registration ahead of the next election.
Local election officials encourage voters to cancel their old registration by sending a signed letter to the election officials in their previous jurisdiction.
What if I make a mistake on my ballot?
If you make a mistake on your ballot and have not yet cast it, you’re entitled to a replacement ballot.
If you want to replace your paper ballot, you can ask an election judge at the voting site to spoil that ballot and you’ll receive a new one. If you make a mistake on a mail-in ballot, you can take the ballot to your local polling site and surrender it to an election judge. You’ll then be able to vote through a standard ballot.
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If you’ve already cast your ballot, there are no take-backs, and it’s illegal to vote again. Voting more than once in an election in Illinois is a felony, punishable by two to five years in prison.
Can people talk to me at polling places?
No one is allowed to try to influence a voter inside or within 100 feet of a polling place. Outside of that zone, campaigning is legal, unless a church or private building designated its entire property a campaign-free zone.
Exit pollsters, who try to poll voters as they leave their voting site, must also be outside the campaign-free zone, according to Dietrich.
“Not sure if voters should expect them, but it’s possible they could encounter them,” he said.
If you feel intimidated, election officials encourage you to tell a poll worker and report it to your local or state election board, the U.S. attorney’s office or Illinois attorney general’s office. Knowingly preventing another person from registering or voting by methods including intimidation or threats is a felony in Illinois.
What if I want to vote in person but already have a mail-in ballot?
If you applied and were approved for a mail-in ballot but decide to vote in person instead, you must bring your mail-in ballot with you to your polling place and surrender it to an election official. You’ll then be given a standard ballot that you can use to vote in person.
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If you’ve opened your mail-in ballot, or it was torn or mutilated, you can still surrender it to an election judge for cancellation.
If you lost your mail-in ballot and therefore can’t surrender it to an election judge, you can still cast a provisional ballot. Election authorities will process it in the two weeks after Election Day after verifying you didn’t vote by mail.
If the poll books show you received a mail-in ballot but you never did, tell an election judge. You’ll then be able to vote after signing an affidavit under penalty of perjury.
If voters cast a ballot in person after signing an affidavit, and later receive a mail-in ballot, they should discard it.
If you voted by mail and the ballot was rejected, you must be informed within 48 hours and given a chance to resolve the issue, if possible. Ballots that arrive unsealed are automatically rejected, according to Dietrich.
How can I track my mail-in ballot?
Election boards provide various ways for voters to track their mail-in ballot.
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Chicago: Voters should receive emails updating them on their mail-in ballot’s status. They should receive one when their vote-by-mail application has been received and processed. If the application is approved, voters will be notified via email again and sent a unique link allowing them to track their mail-in ballot through the U.S. Postal Service. Once they’ve filled out and sent the ballot, voters will receive another email once the ballot has been received by the election board, and another once it’s been approved for counting or if there are any questions.
Suburban Cook County: Voters can check on the status of their mail-in ballot by filling out the online “What Is My Mail Ballot Status” form on the county clerk’s office website.
DuPage County: Voters can check on the status of their mail-in ballot by signing up for the county’s Ballot Trax database, which can be accessed through the county clerk’s website.
Kane County: Voters can check the status of their mail-in ballot by signing up for the county’s Ballot Trax database, which can be accessed through the county clerk’s website.
Kendall County: The clerk’s office has a list of voters who voted by mail on the county’s website.
Lake County: Voters can track receipt of their application and mail-in ballot through the county’s online Voter Power database, which can be found on the clerk office’s website.
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McHenry County: Voters can check the status of their mail-in ballot by signing up on the county’s Ballot Trax database, which can be accessed through the clerk’s website.
Will County: Voters can check on the status of their mail-in ballot by filling out the online “Track My Vote By Mail Ballot” form on the county clerk’s office website.
kelsmith@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @KelliSmithNews


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--Our Lady of Angels school, site of devastating 1958 fire, has fire sprinkler system installed

On Wednesday , Ford was joined by fellow firefighters as well as the founder of the Mission of Our Lady @ @ @ @ @ recently was named a bishop , and nuns who work there to celebrate the installation @ @ @ @ @ system throughout the same building that sits on the site of where one of this @ @ @ @ @ fires occurred .

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES. Aerial view of Our Lady of the Angels grade school on fire Dec. 1, 1958, in Chicago. The fire, on the city's West Side, took the lives of 92 children and three nuns. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)
Chicago Fire Commissioner Richard Ford couldn’t help but reflect on one of Chicago’s greatest tragedies as he spoke in front of where the original Our Lady of Angels school once stood.
“At this site, the lives of so many people changed 62 years ago,” Ford said.
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On Wednesday, Ford was joined by fellow firefighters as well as the founder of the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels, who recently was named a bishop, and nuns who work there to celebrate the installation of a modern fire sprinkler system throughout the same building that sits on the site of where one of this country’s most devastating fires occurred.
Six decades ago, 92 children and three nuns died in the blaze that swept through the Our Lady of the Angels Catholic School in a few hours.
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Bishop-elect Bob Lombardo, of Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, gives a final blessing and prayer during the dedication of a new fire sprinkler system installed at the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels in Chicago on Oct. 7, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Pipes from the new fire sprinkler system installed at the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels in Chicago are shown Oct. 7, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Today, the mission uses the three-story building that replaced that one to provide social services to the community, including a food pantry and after-school programming. It is being renovated further to become an outreach center for Humboldt Park, West Humboldt Park, East Garfield Park and other surrounding neighborhoods.
Sprinkler Fitters union Local 281 donated the money to cover labor from the United States Alliance Fire Protection. U.S. Alliance Fire Protection donated the design, engineering and materials for the project. And fire sprinkler fitters, plumbers and pipe fitter unions installed the system free of charge.
What may seem like a routine installation of fire safety equipment is a momentous step for a building that replaced the site of the 1958 fire. Without the sprinklers, the mission risked not being able to use the former school building’s classrooms or set up parts of the building as sleeping quarters.
“We pray for those who died here every single day at the mission, and we’re so grateful to be able to pair those prayers with a building that’s completely up to the codes,” said Sister Stephanie Baliga, who lives at the mission.
So there was an added level of excitement being able to outfit the entire building with a “state-of-the-art” fire protection system.
The $400,000 project was overseen by Local 281, based in Alsip. Tom Collins, Local 281 business manager, said he was in disbelief when he learned the building only had fire sprinklers in the basement.
“We are extremely proud and happy that we were able in some small way to assist Our Lady of Angels' mission and the lasting memory of those who perished on that fateful day,” he said.
Reflecting on the tragic fire decades ago, Ford noted how the fire led to overhauls of fire codes and higher standards for building safety.
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“Following Our Lady of the Angels school fire, numerous changes were made to improve school safety, not only in Chicago but nationwide,” he said.
“Our Lady of the Angels school fire was a tragedy for our city, but thanks to the advancement in fire safety that’s been made since 1958, no child has been lost to fire in the city of Chicago in a school, public or private. That’s a record I want to keep unbroken.”
jaanderson@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--Gov. J.B. Pritzker says state’s recent progress on COVID-19  has ‘cooled off a bit’

“ In fact , in the positions that we really need , there was nobody in many of those positions @ @ @ @ @ , ” Pritzker said Wednesday .
“ And so , as we ’ re trying @ @ @ @ @ government that actually serves people , it ’ s very difficult to consider who to @ @ @ @ @ .
But they are coming up with their own ideas about how to reduce costs @ @

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)
The gains that most regions in Illinois had been making in bringing down COVID-19 positivity rates in recent weeks have “cooled off a bit," Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday, noting specifically that the northeastern region that includes Lake and McHenry counties has seen a reversal after a period of decline.
Pritzker said last week that there were “promising declines in nearly every region of the state,” with the exception of the northwest region, where the state imposed more strict rules over the weekend due to the positivity rate there surpassing a threshold that triggers a scaled-back reopening.
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“That progress has cooled off a bit, across Illinois,” Pritzker said Wednesday during a virtual news conference, as he continued to quarantine after one of his staff members tested positive for COVID-19. “We are seeing changes in positivity averages around the state level off, with three regions that were decreasing last week now sitting at a stable level.”
Rachel Ilesanmi, a family practitioner with Christian Community Health Center, administers a free COVID-19 test to Janet Gogins outside Apostolic Faith Church on South Indiana Avenue in Chicago on Aug. 26, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
State public health officials on Wednesday reported 2,630 newly confirmed cases and 42 additional deaths of people with COVID-19, and said there have now been more than 6 million tests conducted over the course of the pandemic.
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To date, Illinois has reported 307,641 known cases of the coronavirus and 8,878 deaths of people with COVID-19. The seven-day statewide positivity rate currently stands at 3.5%, down from 4.2% a month earlier.
The nine-county northwest region of the state, which borders Wisconsin and Iowa, and includes Rockford, DeKalb and Galena, peaked at an 8.7% positivity rate and was at 8.6% as of Sunday, the most recent data the state was reporting.
The neighboring northeast region that includes Lake and McHenry counties began seeing its positivity rate tick up over the past week, while new coronavirus infections and hospitalizations across the border in Wisconsin continue to surge, prompting a scaling back of that state’s reopening.
On Sept. 29, the northeastern region had a 4.9% positivity rate. It surpassed 5% the following day and was hovering at or just above 5.5% for the following four days.
The region didn’t appear to be in immediate danger of triggering tougher reopening rules, which the state puts in place when a region logs a positivity rate of 8% or higher for three consecutive days.
As of Sunday, positivity rates were lower in other suburban regions — 4.8% in suburban Cook County and the region that encompasses DuPage and Kane counties, and 4.3% in Chicago.
At 6.3%, the Metro East region outside St. Louis, which has been under tighter regulations since late August, dropped below a threshold that could soon allow it to return to the phase four rules in Pritzker’s reopening plan.
As of Tuesday night, 1,679 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized in Illinois. Of those patients, 372 patients were in an intensive care unit and 165 were on ventilators, according to the state Department of Public Health.
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As restrictions on businesses aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 continue to wreak havoc on Illinois' economy, Pritzker said state agency leaders are identifying possible budget cuts that are the “least damaging possible.”
The search for savings comes amid continued uncertainty about federal coronavirus aid to states from Washington, as well as the question of whether voters will approve Pritzker’s proposal to shift Illinois to a graduated-rate income tax.
Agencies are looking at “grant programs, they’re looking at their own personnel and the hiring that they’ve needed to do,” Pritzker said in response to a question about what possible cuts have been identified.
“In fact, in the positions that we really need, there was nobody in many of those positions when I came into office,” Pritzker said Wednesday. “And so, as we’re trying to just build back a government that actually serves people, it’s very difficult to consider who to lay off among those positions. But they are coming up with their own ideas about how to reduce costs.”
Last month, Pritzker asked state agencies to ready for 5% cuts during the budget year that began July 1, and 10% cuts next year. State agency heads were due to submit their plans for potential cuts by Friday
Pritzker voiced some optimism about pandemic relief to states coming from Washington after the Nov. 3 election.
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“I do believe that whoever wins the election, that the Congress and the president are going to have to step up to the plate, although I anticipate that after the election there will be a real desire to get something done quick,” he said.
Tribune reporter Dan Petrella contributed.
jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--Cook County Health board chooses New York hospital executive to be its next leader

“ When you have great people in your organization , you know that someday they may be lured away , @ @ @ @ @ Mitchell Katz wrote in a statement .
“ Israel Rocha is an extremely talented , @ @ @ @ @ s no surprise that the Chicago Cook County Health and Hospitals system has tapped him @ @ @ @ @ We will be sad to lose him but also are very proud that he will @ @ @ @ @ great public systems in the U.S .
”

An executive who presided over one of New York’s worst-hit hospitals during the height of the coronavirus pandemic was selected by Cook County’s public hospital system to be its next CEO.
The Cook County Health board of directors has chosen Israel Rocha Jr., CEO of Elmhurst and Queens hospitals at the New York City Health + Hospitals system, to be its leader, Cook County Health spokeswoman Caryn Stancik wrote in a Wednesday statement. The candidate still needs to be confirmed by the Cook County Board of Commissioners, which is expected to review his qualifications and vote on him later in October.
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New York City Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst CEO Israel Rocha on May 8, 2020, in Queens, New York. (Ann-Sophie Fjello-Jensen/AP Images for Hyatt)
Rocha’s experience, which includes guiding the once-overflowing Elmhurst Hospital as it bore the brunt of the coronavirus’ early toll on New York, aligns with the needs of Cook County’s health system that overwhelmingly serves the poor and also was inundated with COVID-19 patients earlier this year, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said.
“This is a very challenging time for health care professionals at every level, particularly in public hospitals,” Preckwinkle said Wednesday. “The height of the pandemic, half of our patient load in Stroger Hospital was COVID-19 patients, so we had a disproportionate share of the burden of caring for pandemic patients. And I’m sure that was his experience in New York, as well.”
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Rocha, leader of two hospitals in neighborhoods with high concentrations of immigrant, working-class families, also understands Preckwinkle’s vision of racial equity for Cook County, she said.
“I’ve been committed from my first day in this office to work for racial equity and in particular to try to address the challenges faced by our African American and Latinx communities,” Preckwinkle said. “The young man who’s been proposed to lead our health and hospital system comes from New York and shares, I think, that commitment to a focus on racial equity and inclusion in his own health care experience.”
In an emailed statement, Rocha declined an interview: “Out of respect for the formal process, it would be premature for me to say anything more than I look forward to the next steps.”
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Stancik wrote that Rocha’s appointment comes at a “critical time” for the health system that runs both Stroger and Provident hospitals. Cook County Health, which continues to provide most of the county’s uncompensated charity care, also is looking at likely budget cuts due to revenue shortfalls from the coronavirus pandemic.
Internally, the financially struggling hospital system has gone through a series of upheavals, beginning with the ouster of Dr. John Jay Shannon as CEO last year. Cook County Health’s board of directors decided not to renew his contract following investigative reports revealing hefty debts and pay raises that the health system disputed. Since then, Preckwinkle and the Cook County Board upped their authority over the independent board by giving themselves power to approve the next CEO, among other oversight measures.
Coronavirus patients on ventilators at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, New York, on May 8, 2020. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times)
Rocha’s potential exit from the New York City Health + Hospitals systems was met with warm, if bittersweet, congratulations from its top executive.
“When you have great people in your organization, you know that someday they may be lured away,” President and CEO Dr. Mitchell Katz wrote in a statement. “Israel Rocha is an extremely talented, compassionate leader and it’s no surprise that the Chicago Cook County Health and Hospitals system has tapped him as their next CEO. We will be sad to lose him but also are very proud that he will be leading one of the great public systems in the U.S.”
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Cook County Health’s interim CEO Debra Carey said Wednesday she would resume her previous post as deputy CEO of operations once the new leader is on board. Her successor faces multiple battlefronts — including a potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act — in the mission to deliver health care to Cook County residents beyond traditional means, such as tackling housing and food insecurity, she said.
“I would like to believe that any CEO will continue to kind of work on those things,” Carey said.
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--Two stabbed at Park Ridge apartment building near hospital, police say

Police did not immediately provide the age , genders or relationship of the wounded individuals or indicate if a suspect @ @ @ @ @ The police department did say that the stabbing was determined to be an “ isolated @ @ @ @ @ is “ no danger to the public .
”

Park Ridge police said two people were stabbed at an apartment building on the 1400 block of Carol Street on Oct. 7. (Jennifer Johnson / Pioneer Press)
Two people were hospitalized in a reported stabbing incident that occurred at a Park Ridge apartment building just east of Advocate Lutheran General Hospital Wednesday.
According to a statement from the Park Ridge Police Department, officers and paramedics responded to the 1400 block of Carol Street for a report of a “domestic disturbance.”
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When officers arrived, they found two people with stab wounds and took both to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital where one person was listed in critical condition and the other was listed in stable condition, police said.
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Police did not immediately provide the age, genders or relationship of the wounded individuals or indicate if a suspect was in police custody. The police department did say that the stabbing was determined to be an “isolated incident” and that there is “no danger to the public.”
Check back for updates.
jjohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @Jen_Tribune


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--Uncle: Jacob Blake, shot 7 times by Kenosha police, is released from hospital, sent to Illinois reha

Uncle: Jacob Blake, shot 7 times by Kenosha police, is released from hospital, sent to Illinois rehab center

Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times Aug. 23 after walking away from the officer and two others @ @ @ @ @ him .
The officer , Rusten Sheskey , shot Blake after Blake opened an SUV @ @ @ @ @ leaned into the vehicle .
Three of Blake ’ s children were in the back @ @ @ @ @ captured on video that circulated quickly online , fueling protests hours later .

In this social network video released on by his lawyer Ben Crump, Jacob Blake delivers a message from a hospital bed in Kenosha, Wisconsin on September 5, 2020. (Photo by - / @AttorneyCrump Twitter account / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / @AttorneyCrump Twitter account" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS --- NO ARCHIVE --- (Photo by -/@AttorneyCrump Twitter account/AFP via Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD ** (@AttorneyCrump Twitter account)
Jacob Blake, the 29-year-old Black man left paralyzed after he was shot in the back by a Kenosha police officer in August, was discharged from a Milwaukee hospital and is now undergoing treatment at an Illinois rehabilitation clinic.
Blake’s uncle Justin Blake told The Associated Press that his nephew was discharged “about a week ago.” He declined to say be more specific about where Jacob was being treated, citing threats to the Blake family since the shooting.
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“He’s doing well,” Justin Blake said. “He’s getting mentally stronger and physically stronger. ... He’s still paralyzed. He’s entering therapy at a rehab center, trying to get his strength and body in whatever best condition that is to push forward.”
CNN first reported Blake’s release, with attorney Patrick Cafferty saying he was being treated at a spinal injury center in Chicago. He declined to give more details and his office referred AP’s calls to another law firm handling Blake’s case that didn’t immediately return a message.
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Justin Blake said his nephew is an in-patient at the rehabilitation center.
Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times Aug. 23 after walking away from the officer and two others who were trying to arrest him. The officer, Rusten Sheskey, shot Blake after Blake opened an SUV’s driver-side door and leaned into the vehicle. Three of Blake’s children were in the back seat. The shooting was captured on video that circulated quickly online, fueling protests hours later.
Kenosha County’s district attorney is awaiting a report from an outside expert, former Madison Police Chief Noble Wray, before making a decision on whether officers should be charged in the shooting.


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--Watch live: Mayor Lightfoot holds press conference after presiding over virtual City Council meeting

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is expected to hold a press conference following a virtual meeting of the City Council .

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chicagotribune--2020-10-07--COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital da

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

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 42 new deaths, 2,630 new confirmed cases and 58,820 new test resu

Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 42 new deaths, 2,630 new confirmed cases and 58,820 new test results

Illinois announced 2,630 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Wednesday for a total of 307,641 .
The state also announced 42 @ @ @ @ @ of 8,878 and 58,820 new test results for a total of 6 million .

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


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--900 children in suburban Cook County public housing to get free laptops as remote learning continues

900 children in suburban Cook County public housing to get free laptops as remote learning continues to present digital barriers

“ A majority of those who do not have access are members of our Black and brown communities , ” @ @ @ @ @ Flowers Apartments in south suburban Robbins .
“ This is inequity , needless to say @ @ @ @ @ t give our residents , especially our children , the tools they need to learn @ @ @ @ @ It relegates them to second-class citizenship .
And that to me is not acceptable .
@

Hundreds of school-age children in suburban Cook County public housing will get free laptops paid for by federal coronavirus stimulus money starting Wednesday, as part of an ongoing effort to ensure digital access after the COVID-19 pandemic upended in-person learning.
About $270,000 of CARES Act money allocated to the Housing Authority of Cook County will be used to purchase laptops for 900 students who live in the public housing complexes to keep and otherwise would struggle to complete remote learning. The giveaway is part of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s efforts to address long-standing racial inequities that have intensified under the grip of the coronavirus.
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“A majority of those who do not have access are members of our Black and brown communities,” Preckwinkle said at the Richard Flowers Apartments in south suburban Robbins. “This is inequity, needless to say, and this doesn’t give our residents, especially our children, the tools they need to learn, grow and succeed. It relegates them to second-class citizenship. And that to me is not acceptable.”
Earlier in September, all families with school-age children in HACC buildings or possessing a voucher were invited to join a free broadband internet program under a partnership with Comcast that also was funded by federal CARES Act money. The target for that initiative added up to nearly 14,000 children in more than 6,500 households and followed a series of promises Preckwinkle announced in May to jump-start recovery in areas hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic.
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Now, beginning with 20 children at Richard Flowers on Wednesday, students will receive the free laptops in the next few weeks. HACC Executive Director Richard Monocchio said the new program was an “incalculable investment” because unlike electronic devices loaned from some school districts during the academic year, these laptops don’t need to be returned.
“I can’t think of a better way, to be quite honest, to invest government funding than on our kids,” Monocchio said. “This pandemic has really magnified the discrepancies that we see in this country and this county. And it’s not acceptable.”
But outside the two HACC programs, the need for digital access in the south suburbs remains, Preckwinkle said. About 1 in 5 Cook County residents lack broadband internet access, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and Preckwinkle estimates that figure is higher in Black and Latino areas that have faced disinvestment. She said more announcements on extending broadband internet access in the south suburbs are coming.
“All of our children must have the same opportunities in this remote learning environment as any other schoolchildren,” Preckwinkle said. “No one should succeed or fail based on their ZIP code.”
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--Girlfriend of alleged River North hotel rape mastermind accused of intimidating victim and a witness

The judge gave Taniqua Williams the high bail partly because of the cruel nature of the rape case .
“ @ @ @ @ @ this rape and armed robbery was set up by this woman , according to the @ @ @ @ @ ” Lyke said .
“ And this woman was allegedly her friend .
With friends @ @ @ @ @ need an enemy . ''

The details from the Sept. 27 court hearing were chilling.
A violent sexual assault inside a River North hotel was, according to Cook County prosecutors, the plan of a career criminal and con man hoping to sue the hotel’s parent company for lax security. Those who know the man told investigators that he’s an able-bodied man who uses a wheelchair as a prop in bogus lawsuits, attorneys told a judge.
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The victim, unaware of the plan, was lured to the downtown hotel by the man’s longtime girlfriend for a fun weekend getaway before she moved out of state the next day. Instead, she was accosted by a masked assailant after she exited an elevator, tied up and assaulted at knife point in a stairwell.
On Tuesday, prosecutors alleged that the girlfriend, Taniqua Williams, called the victim’s mother and asked her to pass along a message: Recant your rape claims and tell police that you lied.
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The call came the same day authorities had charged her fiance, Tirnell Williams, with several felonies, including conspiracy to commit aggravated rape related to the Aug. 14 attack at the Home2 Suites by Hilton Chicago River North.
The victim was upset and frightened after her mother relayed Williams' message to her, prosecutors told a judge during a bail hearing broadcast on YouTube. Days later, Taniqua Williams allegedly threatened another unidentified witness in her boyfriend’s criminal case, telling the person, “We know you’re a (expletive) snitch! Bang bang!" pointing her finger like a gun, according to prosecutors.
Taniqua Williams, 33, now faces felony charges for communicating with and harassing a witness.
Taniqua Williams, 33, has been charged with felony communicating with a witness and harassing a witness. - Original Credit: (Chicago police / HANDOUT)
Taniqua Williams, a resident of the Woodlawn neighborhood and mother of an 8-year-old, was ordered held on $250,000 bond, along with house arrest if she posts the required $25,000.
Tirnell Williams, 43, remains in custody after being denied bail by another judge. At his Sept. 27 hearing, authorities described Williams as a predatory opportunist and admitted scammer who lied with regularity. A nine-time felon, Williams had prior relationships with “several civil attorneys through bringing in potential lawsuits,” adding that he receives money from attorneys to bring in clients.
Authorities said Tirnell Williams had scouted out the Hilton Corp. as a target for a personal injury lawsuit due to what he thought was poor security and a lack of surveillance cameras.
The state’s attorney’s office has disclosed that a recorded phone conversation allegedly captured Tirnell Williams admitting to planning the August rape and lawsuit against Hilton, a global hotel chain with nearly 600 locations.
In court on Tuesday, authorities said Taniqua Williams’ message to the victim following her boyfriend’s arrest was done despite both a police detective and an assistant state’s attorney advising her not to contact the victim or her mother.
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But recorded telephone conversations allegedly captured Taniqua Williams admitting to someone that she called the victim’s mother, Assistant State’s Attorney Amanda Bielinski told Judge John Lyke Jr. Williams later allegedly made the same admission to police, she added. Authorities gave no other details about the recorded conversation.
Prosecutors recounted the graphic sequence of events first heard during Tirnell Williams' bail hearing. The 32-year-old victim was quietly tailed while returning to the hotel after a short trip to a nearby Walgreens. The victim was on the phone with Taniqua Williams during her walk back, but the call ended when the victim reached the hotel, Bielinski said.
Taniqua Williams said she awoke to find the victim hadn’t returned and left the hotel to look for her, Bielinski said. She later found her friend in the stairwell, tied to the railing with her own leggings, authorities said.
Taniqua Williams denied the allegations through her court-appointed attorney, Emily Bock, who said she was an unemployed mom with mental health issues and a volunteer for a south suburban youth cheer team.
The judge gave Taniqua Williams the high bail partly because of the cruel nature of the rape case. “In essence the victim of this rape and armed robbery was set up by this woman, according to the state’s proffer,” Lyke said. “And this woman was allegedly her friend. With friends like this you do not need an enemy."
Lyke also called the harassment case an attack on the legal justice system. “If we allow witnesses to be intimidated or threatened not to come to court, then bad guys can get away with doing bad things.”
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The judge barred Taniqua Williams from contacting the victim or any witnesses.
She is scheduled to return to court next week.
wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy