chicagotribune--2020-09-27--Duckworth to vote ‘no’ on Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination while Durbin says he doesn’t

Duckworth to vote ‘no’ on Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination while Durbin says he doesn’t know if she’s qualified

“ I voted against confirming Amy Coney Barrett to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit @ @ @ @ @ the capability or willingness to serve as an impartial , fair and independent jurist .
@ @ @ @ @ to be a circuit judge in 2017 and she is the wrong choice for a @ @ @ @ @ Court today .
Once again , she will not have my support , ” Duckworth @ @

Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth on Saturday said she would vote against Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court, while Sen. Dick Durbin said he didn’t know if she was qualified.
In a statement as President Donald Trump announced the South Bend, Indiana, judge’s nomination during a White House Rose Garden ceremony, Duckworth lashed out at majority Senate Republicans for pushing Barrett’s nomination so close to the election.
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Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., pays her respects as the flag-draped casket of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in state at the U.S. Capitol, Sept. 25, 2020, in Washington. (Olivier Douliery/AFP/AP)
“Instead of addressing the many life-and-death issues facing working families during COVID-19, Trump and the Senate Republicans are focused on jamming through this nomination in a transparent grab for power so they can achieve their long-sought goal of repealing the Affordable Care Act and ripping away health care from millions ——including every COVID-19 survivor who now has a preexisting condition,” said Duckworth, who like Durbin voted against Barrett’s 2017 nomination.
“I voted against confirming Amy Coney Barrett to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit because she failed to demonstrate the capability or willingness to serve as an impartial, fair and independent jurist. Judge Barrett was not fit to be a circuit judge in 2017 and she is the wrong choice for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court today. Once again, she will not have my support,” Duckworth said.
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Duckworth contended that if Republicans insisted on confirming Barrett, the Supreme Court “could roll back women’s reproductive rights, greenlight more dark money in politics, jeopardize voting rights and civil rights for Black and brown communities and knock down any progress on climate action.”
Durbin, the state’s senior senator, also cited concerns about the fate of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, and Republicans moving quickly through the confirmation process, though he was more measured in his response during an interview with CNN prior to Trump formalizing Barrett’s nomination.
Still, Durbin, the No. 2 ranking Democrat in the Senate and a member of the Judiciary Committee, said he would seek to meet with the nominee and would attend hearings despite the expedited process pushed by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
President Donald Trump walks along the Colonnade with Judge Amy Coney Barrett after a news conference to announce Barrett as his nominee to the Supreme Court, in the Rose Garden at the White House, Sept. 26, 2020, in Washington. (Alex Brandon / AP)
“Considering the fact that this Supreme Court nominee may serve on the court for 30 years, it is nothing short of outrageous that they want to approve her in fewer than 30 days,” Durbin said. He again contended McConnell and majority Republicans were being hypocritical after blocking President Barack Obama’s pick of Merrick Garland to the court citing the proximity of the presidential election in 2016.
Asked directly by CNN host Michael Smerconish if Barrett was qualified to serve on the nation’s highest court, Durbin said, “I don’t know the answer to that.”
Durbin cited two issues surrounding the court and the nomination — the fate of the Affordable Care Act, which is subject to oral arguments just a week after the election, as well as Trump saying he wants a full, nine-member court in place before the election in case there are legal challenges to the outcome.
“We have with Amy Coney Barrett a pronouncement that earlier decisions by the Supreme Court saving the Affordable Care Act were wrong,” Durbin said. He noted her past criticism of Chief Justice John Roberts' decision to join the Democratic minority to keep Obamacare, citing the law’s individual mandate to buy health insurance as a part of Congress' taxation powers.
But Durbin also cited Trump’s refusal to say that he would abide by the outcome of the Nov. 3 presidential election as another concern.
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“This president has raised a constitutional issue about whether he is going to abide by the decision of the American people in this election. I can’t think of anything more fundamental and constitutional. Then he went further and said and that’s why I need to fill the Supreme Court before the election,” Durbin said.
“When you look at those statements, they are nothing short of amazing, startling, for a president to say that. I want to know what Amy Coney Barrett has to say about that. Is she ready to be on the court? I need some answers,” Illinois' senior senator said.
Durbin and Duckworth voted against Barrett’s nomination to the appeals court both on the Judiciary Committee and on the Senate floor. She was confirmed by the Senate on a 55-43 vote in October 2017.
Durbin’s previous opposition to Barrett was due to her lack of judicial or courtroom experience as a law professor at the University of Notre Dame. He also questioned an academic writing which raised the issue of whether a Catholic judge should recuse themselves from capital punishment cases due to their faith. Barrett, a staunch Catholic, said then that her faith would not play a role in her judicial decisions.
Durbin, himself a Catholic, restated his concerns Saturday about whether she would let her faith influence her decisions.
“That is what you want to hear: that whatever your religious belief whether you have one or not, it’s not going to influence your opinion. What you asked me is it still a concern. Of course,” he said.
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“She’s kind of pushed against this by writings that she published years and years ago which questioned whether people of a certain religious faith could do things on the bench that might violate their conscience,” he said.
Noting the criticism he and other committee members faced for asking her about her writings, Durbin said, “It really has created a muddle here when it comes to what is the appropriate line of questioning. I’m going to be extremely careful.”
Despite political controversy over the timing of the nomination, Durbin said he would meet with Barrett as a “courtesy,” saying “that is not only respectful but it’s important.”
As for talk that some Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee may boycott hearings, Durbin said that speaking for himself, “This senator is going to be at the hearing. I have questions I want answered by a person who wants to serve on the Supreme Court and follow Ruth Bader Ginsburg."
rpearson@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-26--President Trump officially nominates Chicago federal judge and ex-Notre Dame law professor Amy Coney

President Trump officially nominates Chicago federal judge and ex-Notre Dame law professor Amy Coney Barrett to Supreme Court, setting up a bitter confirmation confrontation in Senate

“ The American people know the U.S. Supreme Court decisions affect their everyday lives .
The United States Constitution was @ @ @ @ @ one chance to have their voice heard on who serves on the court .
That @ @ @ @ @ voice should be heard , ” Biden said in a statement after the announcement .
@ @ @ @ @ act on this vacancy until after the American people select their next president and the @ @ @

Three years ago, University of Notre Dame law professor Amy Coney Barrett was plucked from relative obscurity by President Donald Trump to serve as a federal appellate judge on the Chicago-based 7th Circuit.
Now, Barrett has been thrust into an even more searing national spotlight as Trump on Saturday formally nominated the South Bend judge to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
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President Donald Trump, left, introduces 7th U.S. Circuit Court Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to the Supreme Court in the Rose Garden at the White House Sept. 26, 2020 in Washington. With 38 days until the election, Trump tapped Barrett to be his third Supreme Court nominee in four years and to replace Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
“It is my honor to nominate one of our nation’s most brilliant and gifted legal minds to the Supreme Court. She is a woman of unparalleled achievement, towering intellect, sterling credentials and unyielding loyalty to the Constitution,” Trump said in making the Barrett announcement in the Rose Garden, where she was joined by her husband and seven children.
“The stakes for our country are incredibly high. Rulings that the Supreme Court will issue in the coming years will decide the survival of our Second Amendment, our religious liberty, our public safety and so much more,” Trump said. “To maintain security, liberty and prosperity, we must preserve our priceless heritage of a nation of laws and there is no one better to do that than Amy Coney Barrett.”
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Acknowledging what she called a “rather overwhelming occasion,” Barrett told Trump she was “deeply honored by the confidence you have placed in me.”
“I have no illusions that the road ahead of me will be easy, either for the short term or the long haul,” she said. “I never imagined that I would find myself in this position. But now that I am, I assure you that I will meet the challenge with both humility and courage.”
If Barrett is confirmed by the Senate, Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will further an already massive conservative ideological restructuring of the federal judiciary that could last for decades. Barrett becomes Trump’s third nominee for the Supreme Court during his term, following confirmation of Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. She would give the court a 6-3 conservative supermajority.
The effects could be far-ranging, most immediately on a case scheduled for November that could decide the fate of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, to cases dealing with abortion and LGTBQ rights, gun control and employer-employee relations.
The nomination also has immediate political ramifications. Trump picked Barrett just 38 days before the Nov. 3 election — a move that could energize his conservative base while providing more incentive for Democrats to back former Vice President Joe Biden for the presidency. Biden’s running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, sits on the Judiciary Committee.
Less than an hour before Trump made the announcement, his campaign used the nomination in a fundraising pitch. “It’s only a matter of time before the Radical Democrats start OBSTRUCTING our nominee, and it’s going to take all hands on deck if we’re going to FIGHT BACK against their unprecedented smear tactics," the email read.
Barrett’s conservatism also could become a major political issue for suburban women, a critical demographic that Trump and Republicans have seen slipping away. It’s a group that tends to be more socially moderate and one that has made the nation’s suburbs more of a political battleground as it trends Democratic.
Biden noted Barrett had critiqued the high court’s 2012 decision upholding the Affordable Care Act and said Senate Republicans should wait.
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“The American people know the U.S. Supreme Court decisions affect their everyday lives. The United States Constitution was designed to give the voters one chance to have their voice heard on who serves on the court. That moment is now and their voice should be heard,” Biden said in a statement after the announcement. "The Senate should not act on this vacancy until after the American people select their next president and the next Congress.
Judge Amy Coney Barrett is nominated to the U.S.Supreme Court by President Donald Trump in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)
In selecting Barrett — a devout Roman Catholic who is a favorite of social conservatives — Trump stayed true to his word to nominate a woman to replace Ginsburg, albeit one from the opposite end of the political spectrum.
The nomination came a day after Ginsburg, an icon for women and civil rights, became the first woman and first person of Jewish faith to lie in state in the nation’s Capitol building. Trump and Barrett each reflected on her legacy.
If confirmed by the Republican-majority U.S. Senate, Barrett would be the fifth woman in history to join the nation’s high court, and the first since Elena Kagan, who was nominated by President Obama a decade ago.
Though Barrett has continued to live in Indiana while serving on the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, her appointment is the first with direct Chicago connections since John Paul Stevens in 1975.
Barrett, who turned 48 in January, would be the youngest jurist on the Supreme Court and could shape the country’s legal direction for decades to come.
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Her selection to replace Ginsburg just weeks before a presidential election has set off political fighting between Republicans who control the Senate and the Democratic minority and is expected to lead to a fiercely contested confirmation hearing. McConnell has promised to hold a vote as soon as possible, though he has stopped short of saying it will definitely happen before voters go to the polls on Nov. 3.
Trump thanked Republican senators for a commitment to providing “a fair and timely hearing” and predicted she would easily be confirmed.
“Her qualifications are unsurpassed and her record is beyond reproach. This should be a straightforward and prompt confirmation. It should be very easy. Good luck. It’s going to be very quick. I’m sure it will be extremely noncontroversial,” said Trump, before nodding to the controversial hearings surrounding Kavanaugh. “We said that last time, didn’t we?”
Barrett said she looked forward to meeting with senators in the days ahead.
“The president has nominated me to serve on the United States Supreme Court and that institution belongs to all of us,” she said.
“If confirmed, I would not assume that role for the sake of those in my own circle and certainly not for my own sake. I would assume this role to serve you. I would discharge the judicial oath which requires me to administer justice without respect to persons, do equal rights to the poor and rich, and faithfully and impartially discharge my duties under the United States Constitution,” she said.
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Democrats have protested the Republicans' rush to replace Ginsburg, saying voters should speak first and the winner of the White House should fill the vacancy. Democrats also noted that Senate Republicans blocked Obama’s 2016 nominee, Merrick Garland, citing the election year, but won’t do the same on Trump’s pick.
President Donald Trump walks along the Colonnade with Judge Amy Coney Barrett after a news conference to announce Barrett as his nominee to the Supreme Court at the White House on Sept. 26, 2020, in Washington. (Alex Brandon / AP)
Illinois' two Democratic senators, Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, voted against Barrett’s nomination to the appellate bench three years ago. On Saturday, Duckworth said she would vote against her nomination to the nation’s highest court.
“I voted against confirming Amy Coney Barrett to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit because she failed to demonstrate the capability or willingness to serve as an impartial, fair and independent jurist,” Duckworth said in a statement. “Judge Barrett was not fit to be a circuit judge in 2017 and she is the wrong choice for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court today. Once again, she will not have my support.”
Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate and a member of the Judiciary Committee, was asked on CNN prior to Trump’s announcement if Barrett was qualified to sit on the nation’s highest court. He replied: “I don’t know the answer to that.”
Criticizing Republicans as hypocrites for trying to fast-track Barrett’s nomination before the election in contrast to blocking Garland’s nomination, Durbin said Trump’s refusal to say he would abide by the outcome of the presidential election and the president’s desire to have a justice seated in case of a disputed result were concerns.
“When you look at those statements, they are nothing short of amazing, startling, for a president to say that. I want to know what Amy Coney Barrett has to say about that. Is she ready to be on the court? I need some answers,” Illinois' senior senator said.
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CNN reported a tentative schedule of Barrett meeting with McConnell on Tuesday and hearings set to begin the week of Oct. 12.
Barrett’s conservative bent and religious upbringing are sure to be hotly scrutinized, as they were three years ago during her confirmation hearing for the 7th Circuit when Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California told Barrett she was concerned that “the dogma lives loudly within you.”
At the time, Barrett had no record of judicial rulings for senators to dig into. Now she brings to the national spotlight more than 100 written opinions and dissents authored over the past 2½ years offering insight into how she sees the law related to hot-button issues such as gun control, immigration and abortion.
Born and raised in New Orleans, Barrett enjoys the widespread and often passionate support of colleagues stretching back to her days as a clerk for the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia 20 years ago.
Fellow clerks nicknamed Barrett “The Conenator” — a play on her maiden name and reputation for destroying flimsy legal arguments.
But being a judge, let alone a Supreme Court justice, was not necessarily her first career choice. In an interview last year at an alumni function at Notre Dame Law School, Barrett said she’d relished her role as law professor and was still on a steep “learning curve” as a jurist.
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“The judge thing was really out of the blue — I mean that wasn’t something that I, I’m still surprised that I’m not just a 100% full-time faculty member,” Barrett said.
Barrett’s husband, Jesse, is a former federal prosecutor now in private practice. They have seven children ranging in age from 8 to 19, including two whom the couple adopted from poverty-stricken Haiti and a young son born with developmental disabilities.
As the eldest of 29 grandchildren, Barrett, whose father also is a lawyer, has long placed an emphasis on family.
“What greater thing can you do than raise children?” she said during a 2019 interview at Notre Dame. “That’s where you can have your greatest impact on the world.”
Barrett attended an all-girls Catholic school in New Orleans before studying English and French at a liberal arts college in Memphis, Tennessee. She earned her law degree in 1997 from Notre Dame, where she saw the law as a way to use her passion for reading and writing to serve a higher purpose.
“I liked the way that law would enable me to do the reading and writing that I loved, but also be involved in real-world things and have a role in shaping the world,” Barrett said.
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Like Scalia, her former boss and mentor, Barrett has a conservative bent and considers herself a public meaning originalist who strictly applies the intent of the authors of the Constitution or other governing laws at the time they were written.
Barrett’s originalist mindset was on display in 2018 when she cited centuries-old laws in Britain and elsewhere in a dissent over a 7th Circuit appeal involving a Wisconsin man convicted of being a felon in possession of a handgun.
While Barrett’s colleagues ruled that Wisconsin’s law barring felons from having firearms was constitutional, Barrett wrote that since the plaintiff had been convicted of a white collar crime, he was not inherently dangerous.
“Founding-era legislatures did not strip felons of the right to bear arms simply because of their status as felons,” Barrett wrote in her dissent, which said the Wisconsin law should be declared unconstitutional. “In 1791 — and for well more than a century afterward — legislatures disqualified categories of people from the right to bear arms only when they judged that doing so was necessary to protect the public safety.”
Barrett has often spoken about the influence Scalia had on her approach to the law as well as how he handled himself in the face of criticism.
“He was who he was,” Barrett said in 2019 at Notre Dame. “He was a man of faith. He was a family man. He took a lot of criticism from many quarters for the values that he had and the choices that he made, and, you know, his Catholicism and his faith, and he had the strength to be who he was.”
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She also has written in the past about originalism as applied to the legality of the Affordable Care Act, which is due to be argued before the Supreme Court in November.
In a law review article written shortly before she joined the 7th Circuit, Barrett criticized Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. for his ruling that sustained the legislation, saying he had “pushed the Affordable Care Act beyond its plausible meaning to save the statute.”
“Deference to a democratic majority should not supersede a judge’s duty to apply clear text,” Barrett wrote in the 2017 article.
Of all the topics Barrett will be grilled on in her confirmation hearing, it’s the abortion issue that could prove to be the most polarizing, especially given she would potentially replace Ginsburg, a champion of women’s rights.
When Barrett was on the shortlist to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy in 2018, opponents pointed to her scholarly articles and Catholic faith as suggesting she is a religious extremist who could be willing to overturn precedent and end legal abortion established by the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade.
Critics focused in part on Barrett’s affiliation with People of Praise, a charismatic faith group that has been portrayed as oppressive and misogynistic — a charge the group rejects. Supporters and former colleagues, however, described an exacting legal thinker committed to separating her faith from her interpretation of the Constitution and law.
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Her nearly three-year stint on the bench in Chicago has included at least one abortion-related case.
A 2018 ruling by a 7th Circuit panel declared unconstitutional an Indiana law requiring the burial of fetal remains after an abortion or miscarriage, which prohibited clinics from treating the remains as waste.
Barrett joined three conservative judges in asking for the ruling to be tossed and for the full court to rehear the case. They eventually issued a joint dissent that suggested they thought the Indiana law was constitutional.
Barrett became a star among conservatives in fall 2017 after her Catholic faith took center stage during her confirmation hearing to the appellate bench.
During the hearing, Barrett repeatedly said her faith would not intrude on her legal reasoning.
“I see no conflict between having a sincerely held faith and duties as a judge,” she testified. “I would never impose my own personal convictions upon the law.”
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Barrett declined to discuss her personal views on abortion, same-sex marriage and other hot-button topics, but she was questioned on her scholarly writings. Those include a 2013 law review article in which she wrote that the stare decisis doctrine — which holds that past rulings govern future decisions — is “not a hard-and-fast rule in the court’s constitutional cases.”
The Senate panel also zeroed in on a 1998 paper in which Barrett, then a law student, explored when Catholic judges in death penalty cases might have to recuse themselves if they thought their moral beliefs kept them from doing their duty.
Barrett emphasized she was not the lead author — that was one of her professors, John Garvey, now president of the Catholic University of America. Barrett also said that with 20 years of legal experience, she likely would have written the article differently, though she stood by its core principle — that a judge cannot twist the law to match a personal belief.
Durbin said Saturday he remained concerned about her past writings on stare decisis and on religion and jurisprudence.
“That is what you want to hear: that whatever your religious belief whether you have one or not, it’s not going to influence your opinion. What you asked me is it still a concern. Of course,” he said on CNN.
rpearson@chicagotribune.com
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jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-26--Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 25 new deaths, 2,441 new confirmed cases and 65,217 new test resu

Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 25 new deaths, 2,441 new confirmed cases and 65,217 new test results

Illinois announced 2,441 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Saturday for a total of 286,326 .
The state also announced 25 @ @ @ @ @ of 8,588 and 65,217 new test results for a total of 5.43 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--2020-09-26--Teenage boy fatally wounded in shooting in South Austin, man critically wounded in shooting on South

Teenage boy fatally wounded in shooting in South Austin, man critically wounded in shooting on South Side

About 11:10 a.m , the teenage boy was in an alley in the 200 block of North Leamington Avenue , @ @ @ @ @ , pulled out weapons and fired shots at him .
The teenage boy suffered a @ @ @ @ @ torso , and was pronounced dead at the scene , police said .

A 17-year-old boy was fatally shot Saturday morning in an alley in the South Austin neighborhood, and a 19-year-old man was critically wounded in an afternoon shooting on the South Side, Chicago police said.
About 11:10 a.m, the teenage boy was in an alley in the 200 block of North Leamington Avenue, when two people walked up, pulled out weapons and fired shots at him. The teenage boy suffered a gunshot wound to the upper torso, and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
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The gunmen entered a light-colored vehicle and fled south on Leamington.
About 3:45 p.m., a 19-year-old was shot in the Rosemoor neighborhood on the South Side, police said.
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The man was traveling east in a vehicle on 95th Street when another vehicle pilled alongside and someone opened fire. The man suffered a gunshot wound to the back and was taken to Roseland Community Hospital where he was listed in critical condition.
Police were investigating.
dawilliams@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-26--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 2,441 new known COVID-19 cases and 25 additional deaths reported Sa

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 2,441 new known COVID-19 cases and 25 additional deaths reported Saturday

Gov .
J.B. Pritzker often says he is “ listening to the experts ” about which youth sports are safe @ @ @ @ @ pandemic , but when some hockey parents filed a public records request to learn what @ @ @ @ @ , they received a pile of emails in which almost everything was blacked out .

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and labor leaders whose members could bear the brunt of layoffs or furloughs as the city tries to close a yawning 2021 budget deficit called on Illinois' Congressional delegation this week to work toward passage of a federal aid package that could forestall the deepest cuts.
It’s not likely the letter they sent to legislators from Illinois will have much impact on the partisan Washington D.C. impasse over aid to cities and other units of government hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Meanwhile, Illinois public health officials reported Sunday they had logged 1,604 newly diagnosed cases and 14 additional confirmed deaths of people with COVID-19, raising the statewide tally to 287,930 known cases and 8,601 deaths.
However, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has warned that Region 1 in northern Illinois, which includes the Rockford and Dixon areas, has seen positivity rates rise to 7.5%, near the 8% threshold that would bring additional restrictions on public gatherings.
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Here’s what’s happening this weekend with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
Sunday
1,604 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 14 additional deaths reported
Illinois public health officials reported Sunday they had logged 1,604 newly diagnosed cases and 14 additional confirmed deaths of people with COVID-19, raising the statewide tally to 287,930 known cases and 8,601 deaths.
Saturday
2,441 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 25 additional deaths reported
Illinois public health officials reported Saturday they had logged 2,441 newly diagnosed cases and 25 additional confirmed deaths of people with COVID-19, raising the statewide tally to 286,326 known cases and 8,588 deaths.
—Chicago Tribune staff
Youth hockey in Illinois has been frozen by COVID-19 restrictions. Some parents say it’s time for a thaw.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker often says he is “listening to the experts” about which youth sports are safe to play during the COVID-19 pandemic, but when some hockey parents filed a public records request to learn what those experts were telling him, they received a pile of emails in which almost everything was blacked out.
The opaque response infuriated the parents, whose favored sport cannot be played in Illinois under current rules. They say Pritzker and his staff don’t understand the attributes that make hockey safer than other sports classified as high risk, and show no interest in learning.
“If they have information that says youth hockey is high risk because of A, B and C, that’s what I’ve been looking for,” said Kelly Quinn, a Glenview parent of four hockey-playing children and head of a group called Restore Youth Hockey. “I’m a reasonable person. But (the lack of information) makes me believe they didn’t explore hockey at all.”
Read more here. —John Keilman
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Friday
At least 2 Lake Bluff fifth-graders test positive for COVID-19 after gatherings involving students
All fifth-graders at Lake Bluff Elementary School may have to study remotely through next week after at least two students tested positive for COVID-19, according to school officials.
The students may have been exposed to the virus in mid-September at multiple organized sports events and a large social gathering involving mainly fifth-grade students, said District 65 Superintendent Lisa Leali.
“There were enough students who could have been potential contacts that we decided, out of an abundance of caution, to shift the fifth-grade level to all remote learning until the Lake County Health Department could complete their investigation,” Leali said Friday evening.
Leali did not believe it was necessary to have students from other grades at the pre-K through fifth grade school stay home next week because the majority of children at the gatherings were fifth-graders, she said.
“The events, from what we can tell, were very limited in terms of who was participating from the tracing we were able to do,” Leali said.
In a statement issued by the village of Lake Bluff, there were two cases in which parents did not immediately report coronavirus symptoms or that the children had tested positively to the school district.
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Read more here. —Daniel I. Dorfman
‘A failed system’: What it’s like to vote with a disability during a pandemic
Sheryl Grossman voted in Maryland’s primary this year by taping a blank mail-in ballot to her door, alongside a list of her choices.
As she watched through the window of her home in Baltimore, two election officials filled out the ballot, texted her a photo and sealed the envelope. The director of the local board of elections texted her later to confirm that the officials had returned it.
“It was not an independent, private ballot,” said Grossman, 44, the board chair of the Jewish disability advocacy group Yad HaChazakah. “But if that was not an option, I would not have been able to cast a ballot at all.”
Read more here. —The New York Times


chicagotribune--2020-09-26--Watch live: President Donald Trump to announce his Supreme Court nominee

President Donald Trump is expected to announce at 4 p.m. CT Saturday his nominee for the Supreme Court , following @ @ @ @ @ s death last Friday .
It is widely expected that Trump is set to choose @ @ @ @ @ federal appellate judge on the Chicago-based 7th Circuit .
Read more about Amy Coney Barrett @ @

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chicagotribune--2020-09-26--Rally to remember Breonna Taylor, police shooting victims

A rally attendee named Tallis , last name not given , picks up a rose at the conclusion of the @ @ @ @ @ victims at Daley Plaza on Sept. 26 , 2020 , in Chicago .
Organizers encouraged @ @ @ @ @ from the table in a gesture of thanks .

A rally attendee named Tallis, last name not given, picks up a rose at the conclusion of the get-together to remember police shooting victims at Daley Plaza on Sept. 26, 2020, in Chicago. Organizers encouraged women to take a rose from the table in a gesture of thanks. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)


chicagotribune--2020-09-26--State of Illinois takes pledge to protect monarch butterfly habitat as numbers dwindle

The EPA , whose mission is to protect the environment , is keenly aware of pollinators ' contributions to a @ @ @ @ @ Kim said .
Agriculture director Jerry Costello II noted that Illinois leads the nation in @ @ @ @ @ .
2 in corn , so farmers know the key role pollinators play .

A monarch butterfly feeds on a clover flower in a vacant lot in the 5200 block of South Sangamon Street on Sept. 12, 2019, in Chicago. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Four state agencies have signed a pact to protect monarch butterflies and other important pollinators whose numbers are dwindling.
Representatives of the Illinois Departments of Natural Resources, Transportation and Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency signed onto the Illinois Monarch Action Plan on Friday.
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While feeding on nectar, monarchs pollinate numerous wildflowers and also serve as an important food source for birds, small animals and other insects. Milkweed is a favorite food source for monarch caterpillars.
The project brings together public and private agencies and residents to preserve necessary habitat for monarchs to survive and continue their crucial migration.
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“Though small, pollinators play an extremely important role in our survival here in Illinois and the world,” said IDNR Director Colleen Callahan.
The plan calls for 1.3 billion new stems of milkweed in the central United States. Illinois' contribution is 150 million stems by 2038.
The Transportation Department, one of the state’s largest landowners, has adjusted roadside mowing schedules, reduced the use of pesticides and become more discerning in the species it plants, Secretary Omer Osman said.
The EPA, whose mission is to protect the environment, is keenly aware of pollinators' contributions to a diverse ecosystem, director John Kim said. Agriculture director Jerry Costello II noted that Illinois leads the nation in soybean production and is No. 2 in corn, so farmers know the key role pollinators play.
[ Meet the Chicagoans raising monarch butterflies in their homes as experts debate what’s best for the species ]
[ Monarch butterflies surge in Chicago as they migrate. Why cities could be key to saving them. ]


chicagotribune--2020-09-26--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--2020-09-26--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--2020-09-26--Man, 42, shot during robbery in Little Village neighborhood

About 9:15 a.m. , the victim was approached by a robber in the 3100 block of West Cermak Road .
@ @ @ @ @ handgun and announced a robbery , and a fight ensued , police said .
The @ @ @ @ @ striking the victim in the left hip .
The robber then fled south on Albany @ @ @ @ @

A 42-year-old man was wounded during a robbery Saturday morning in the Little Village neighborhood on the Southwest Side, Chicago police said.
About 9:15 a.m., the victim was approached by a robber in the 3100 block of West Cermak Road. The robber pulled out a handgun and announced a robbery, and a fight ensued, police said. The offender fired one shot, striking the victim in the left hip. The robber then fled south on Albany Avenue, police said.
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The victim was taken in good condition to Mount Sinai Hospital.


chicagotribune--2020-09-26--‘It’s just not making sense to me,' says neighbor after girl, 5, fatally stabbed  on West Side

The 26-year-old mother said the Fulton Street residents look out for each other .
She said she wishes she could @ @ @ @ @ problems in the home .

A child's bicycle and other items in the front lawn of a home in the 3200 block of West Fulton Boulevard, which was the scene of a fatal stabbing of a 5-year-old girl on Sept. 26, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
A 5-year-old girl who was stabbed in the East Garfield Park neighborhood Saturday morning has died and Chicago police have arrested a suspect.
Paramedics were called to the 3200 block of West Fulton Boulevard shortly before 9:20 a.m. for a stabbing, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford.
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Chicago police said when officers arrived paramedics were already working on Serenity Arrington, who was slashed multiple times.
The girl, who lived in the same block, was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 9:50 a.m., according the medical examiner’s office.
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An autopsy is scheduled for Sunday that will determine the cause and manner of her death.
A woman who "approached'' officers was placed into custody and taken to the 11th District station to be booked, police said.
CPD on scene this morning where a 6-year-old was fatally stabbed. pic.twitter.com/TAaJWF10Ip — Madeline Buckley (@Mabuckley88) September 26, 2020
As officers stood around the red crime scene tape, Ena Lee walked down Fulton Boulevard with her 6-year-old son and gently told him that the child he sometimes played with on their block had died.
The boy stopped and turned to his mother with wide eyes.
“It’s just not making sense to me,” Lee said.
The 26-year-old mother said the Fulton Street residents look out for each other. She said she wishes she could have helped.
“I would have taken the kids myself,” she said.
rsobol@chicagotribune.com
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mabuckley@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-26--3 dead, at least 12 wounded in overnight shootings in Chicago

A 23-year-old woman was shot in the leg and taken in good condition to Holy Cross Hospital .
A 29-year-old @ @ @ @ @ arm and was taken in good condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn @ @ @ @ @ 30 , suffered gunshot wounds to the leg and abdomen .
One got himself to @ @ @ @ @ the other went to the University of Chicago Medical Center , where he was listed @ @ @ @ @ said .

Three men were fatally wounded, and at least 12 other people have been injured in shootings from Friday evening into early Saturday, including an attack that injured four people in the Marquette Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side, Chicago police said.
The latest fatal shooting happened shortly before 5 a.m. in the Austin neighborhood in the 200 block of North Latrobe Avenue, police said.
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Officers responded to a call of shots fired and found a 20-year-old man with several gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Shortly after 4 a.m., a 42-year-old man was fatally shot at a gathering in a backyard in the Grand Crossing neighborhood on the South Side, police said.
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The man was in the backyard of a residence in the 7000 block of South Harper Avenue when a known male approached on foot in front of house and opened fire, hitting him in the back. He was taken in critical condition to the University of Chicago Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead, according to police.
About 10 p.m. Friday, a 19-year-old man was fatally wounded in 9400 block of South Vernon Avenue in the Burnside neighborhood, police said.
The man was walking with two people through an alley when someone opened fire, hitting him in the chest and back. He was taken in critical condition to U. of C. Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead, said police.
Also Saturday morning, four people were wounded in an drive-by in the Marquette Park neighborhood in the 2400 block of West Lithuanian Plaza Court, police said.
It happened about 3:30 a.m., when the four were standing next to a vehicle and someone in a passing dark-colored car fired shots, hitting all of them.
A 23-year-old woman was shot in the leg and taken in good condition to Holy Cross Hospital. A 29-year-old woman was shot in the arm and was taken in good condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. Two men, both 30, suffered gunshot wounds to the leg and abdomen. One got himself to Holy Cross Hospital, and the other went to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was listed in serious condition, police said.
In other attacks:
About 2:45 a.m. Saturday, an unidentified man was discovered in a hallway of an apartment building in the 7300 block of South Yale Avenue in the Englewood neighborhood. The man suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen, and was taken in critical condition to the University of Chicago Medical Center, police said.
Shortly before 1:45 a.m., two men were shot in the 300 block of West 47th Street in the Fuller Park neighborhood. One suffered a graze wound to the head and was treated and released from Provident Hospital of Cook County. The other man, 36, was shot in the head. He was taken in critical condition to U. of C. Medical Center.
About 12:30 a.m., an 18-year-old man was standing on a corner in the 3400 block of West Chicago Avenue when he heard shots and felt pain. He suffered wounds to the hand, as well as a graze wounds to the head and shoulder. He got himself to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, where he was listed in fair condition.
Shortly before 10:30 p.m. Friday, a 40-year-old man was shot in the South Shore neighborhood in the 2900 block of West 79th Street. The man was in the rear of a building when someone inside a black sedan fired shots, striking him in the right leg. He was taken in fair condition to U. of C. Medical Center.
About 10:10 p.m., an 18-year-old man was shot in the 6700 block of South Ashland Avenue in the Englewood neighborhood. He was standing outside when he heard shots and felt pain in the leg. He was taken in fair condition to St. Bernard Hospital.
Shortly before 6 p.m., two men, both 36, were standing in the 3600 block of West 16th Street when someone in a vehicle fired shots, hitting them both in their legs. They were both taken to Mount Sinai Hospital for treatment.
dawilliams@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-27--Woman’s body discovered in river on North Side, police say

The body was found about 15 minutes past midnight in the 2600 block of West Addison Street on the North @ @ @ @ @ Chicago police marine unit and the Chicago Fire Department removed the body from the river @

Two people found the body of a woman, who had been stabbed, in the North Branch of the Chicago River early Sunday, according to Chicago police.
Her remains were found about 15 minutes past midnight in the 3400 block of North Rockwell Street on the North Side, police said. The Chicago police marine unit and the Chicago Fire Department removed the body from the river.
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Police earlier said she was found in the 2600 block of West Addison Street.
The woman was wearing a black shirt and black jeans, police said. She suffered numerous stab wounds to the neck and face area, police said.
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The woman was taken to Swedish Hospital, where she was officially pronounced dead, police said.
She has not yet been identified and the cause and manner of her death are pending an autopsy.
Detectives are investigating the death as a homicide.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-09-27--15-year-old boy killed in Far South Side shooting, police say

The boy was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition , police said .
He @ @ @ @ @

A 15-year-old boy was shot in the head Saturday night on the Far South Side, according to Chicago police.
The shooting occurred at 9:20 p.m. in the 11600 block of South Prairie Avenue in the West Pullman neighborhood, police said.
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The boy, Omar Alvarado, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition but he was pronounced dead there at 1:05 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Alvarado lived in Harvey.
His death was ruled a homicide, which was caused by a gunshot wound to the head, according to the medical examiner’s office.
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Further details about the shooting weren’t immediately known, police said.
No arrests have been made, police said. The shooting is under investigation.
pfry@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-27--‘It’s just not making sense to me,' says neighbor after girl, 5, fatally stabbed  on West Side

As officers stood around the red crime scene tape , Ena Lee walked down Fulton Boulevard with her 6-year-old son @ @ @ @ @ the child he sometimes played with on their block had died .


chicagotribune--2020-09-28--Prosecutors: Felon accused of masterminding River North hotel rape in order to file a bogus lawsuit

Williams had paid for the hotel room where the women stayed for the night .
The victim was returning from @ @ @ @ @ assailant followed her inside the hotel , authorities said .
After exiting the elevator on @ @ @ @ @ room , she was grabbed from behind and dragged into a stairwell , where she @ @ @ @ @ with her own leggings , assaulted and robbed .

Cook County prosecutors on Sunday said a Woodlawn man out on bail for a Joliet cellphone store robbery was the brains behind a plan for a woman to be sexually assaulted at a River North hotel last month with the objective of later suing the hotel for lax security.
The 32-year-old victim was not in on the supposed scam in which she was forced into a stairwell and assaulted at knife point, authorities said during a bail hearing broadcast on YouTube.
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Tirnell Williams faces charges of armed robbery, aggravated criminal sexual assault and conspiracy to commit aggravated sexual assault related to the early morning assault Aug. 14 at the Home2 Suites by Hilton Chicago River North, 110 W. Huron St.
Tirnell L. Williams, 43, is charged with armed robbery, aggravated criminal sexual assault and conspiracy to commit aggravated sexual assault. (Chicago Police Department)
Judge David Navarro denied bail after a lengthy proffer of the allegations in which prosecutors said Williams masterminded the rape and robbery of the woman with plans to stage a second assault at another hotel owned by Hilton. In addition to being assaulted, the woman was robbed of $3,700 he knew she would have, according to prosecutors.
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Authorities said 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 evening of the assault was to have been a fun last night downtown for Williams’ girlfriend and the victim, who was moving out of town the next day. They had been friends for years.
Williams had paid for the hotel room where the women stayed for the night. The victim was returning from a nearby Walgreens when an assailant followed her inside the hotel, authorities said. After exiting the elevator on her way back to her room, she was grabbed from behind and dragged into a stairwell, where she was tied to a railing with her own leggings, assaulted and robbed.
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, Assistant State’s Attorney Emily Czerniejewski said.
Authorities tied Williams to the case after speaking with a witness who agreed to help investigators. Williams was later captured on a recorded phone conversation admitting to planning the rape and lawsuit against Hilton, a global hotel chain with nearly 600 locations. He told the witness he had instructed the attacker to force oral sex on the victim but didn’t expect the man to rape her, Czerniejewski said.
Prosecutors quoted the witness, who said Williams indicated that he would use the same attacker because the offender is “a real animal, and he enjoys it.”
Czerniejewski also noted that Williams, a supposed paraplegic who has filed lawsuits and claims on his own, admitted being able to walk during the recorded conversations and that he was once video-recorded doing jumping jacks, Czerniejewski said.
Williams’ girlfriend later told authorities he had set up the rape and also admitted that he uses a wheelchair for the lawsuits he files.
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No one else has been charged in connection with the assault.
Williams was out on $500,000 bail related to a February phone store robbery in Joliet involving two other men, as well as prior felonies for aggravated battery and a federal charge of theft of government funds, prosecutors said.
It was unclear whether the theft of funds was related to federal benefits that his court-appointed attorney said he receives. His attorney, Courtney Smallwood, asked the judge to disregard the witness statements, as well as to deny the prosecution’s petition for no bail, but Navarro said he was disturbed by the details.
“The state describes a series of events that, as alleged, are chilling,” the judge said on his way to denying bail and approving a request to deny bail for his prior case.
A representative for the hotel chain did not respond to a request for comment.
Williams, of the 6600 block of South University Avenue, is scheduled to return to court Monday.
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wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy


chicagotribune--2020-09-27--Gary police catch fatal shooting in progress, shoot armed man; union says officers performed in ‘her

Gary police catch fatal shooting in progress, shoot armed man; union says officers performed in ‘heroic fashion’

According to a news release from the Gary Police Department , at 2:30 a.m. , officers responded to the 700 @ @ @ @ @ a nightclub , for a call of shots fired .
But as they worked to @ @ @ @ @ officers heard additional shots and went to investigate , ” Lt .
Dawn Westerfield , @ @ @ @ @ in an email .
The officers found two men , one on the ground and @ @ @ @ @ weapon drawn , shooting at the victim .

Gary police early Sunday responded to a shooting in progress, exchanging gunfire with a man they wounded and would later arrest on suspicion of homicide, authorities said.
According to a news release from the Gary Police Department, at 2:30 a.m., officers responded to the 700 block of Broadway, near a nightclub, for a call of shots fired. But as they worked to disperse the crowd, “officers heard additional shots and went to investigate,” Lt. Dawn Westerfield, a police spokeswoman, wrote in an email. The officers found two men, one on the ground and another standing near him, weapon drawn, shooting at the victim.
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“Officers engaged the male shooter and he exchanged gunfire with officers,” according to Westerfield.
The gunman was shot once in the leg by an officer, she said. He was taken to a hospital, where his condition was stabilized. He was being treated for the gunshot wound and guarded by officers following his arrest. Westerfield did not release the man’s name.
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The man on the ground, later determined to be a 28-year-old, was pronounced dead at the scene as a result of his injuries, officials said. His slaying will be investigated by Gary’s homicide division. The Lake County coroner’s office had not released his name Sunday.
The shooting by police will be investigated by the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, Westerfield said.
No officers were injured in the exchange of gunfire, authorities said.
Gregory Wolf, union president of the Gary Fraternal Order of Police, praised the bravery of the officers for their quick actions.
“We are happy to report that no other citizens or police officers were injured during the incident,” Wolf wrote in an emailed statement.
“We as the Gary FOP are confident that the investigation will show that the officers and members of the Gary FOP performed in heroic fashion using their training and bravery to stop the threat of anyone else being injured or killed,” he said.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-09-27--A bike ride for justice: ‘We all have to work together for peace in this city’

The event , organized by Illinois state Rep. La Shawn Ford , also sought to bring awareness to the 2020 @ @ @ @ @ ’ s West Side .
Tables with free masks , T-shirts and informational materials about @ @ @ @ @ throughout the park .
Several people danced to the “ Cupid Shuffle ” and stretched @ @ @ @ @ expected to go up to 13 miles , according to organizers .

People participate in a "Sunrise Ride for Justice" bike ride Sept. 27, 2020, promoting various issues, including the 2020 census, at Columbus Park in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
As Usher’s hit single “Yeah!” blared through the speakers, groups of people on bikes gathered near Columbus Park to rally through the Austin, Oak Park and Maywood areas Sunday morning to call for justice and peace across the city.
The event, organized by Illinois state Rep. La Shawn Ford, also sought to bring awareness to the 2020 census, specifically on Chicago’s West Side. Tables with free masks, T-shirts and informational materials about the census were set up throughout the park. Several people danced to the “Cupid Shuffle” and stretched for the bike ride, expected to go up to 13 miles, according to organizers.
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“We’re riding for justice, and we’re riding to boost the census,” Ford said. “We all have to work together for peace in this city.”
Lyft provided free Divvy bikes for the bike rally, and around 100 people joined the event.
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State Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch spoke about the need for the community to mobilize and use the census to better their communities.
“The census is so important in what we do,” he said. “It’s about resources and representation. The census helps us do that. In our community, justice is blind. We have to make sure our voices are heard.”
Katrina Thompson, the mayor of Broadview, added that the census can be completed in minutes.
“Do not go under the radar and expect elected officials to carry you. Help us carry you,” she said.
Donning a pink sweatshirt with a portrait of Breonna Taylor, Jillian Caru, of Roseland, was prepared to bike the full route in her honor. The rally followed a week of peaceful protests after a Kentucky grand jury decided not to charge any Louisville police officers for their role in Taylor’s killing.
“Breonna Taylor lost her life and no one has been held accountable for it,” she said, adjusting her biking gloves. “This is the way I chose to lift my voice, not just as a Black woman but as a person who considers herself to be a freedom fighter.”
For others, the rally also proved to be a chance to uplift the voices of those on the West Side.
“I’m here to show support and prove that we can make effective change in our city and this country,” said Candace Bell, of Englewood. Bell added that she filled out the census earlier in the year.
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Christopher Goins, of Woodlawn, said he was happy the rally made residents more aware of the importance of filling out the census.
“This is my third protest, and I like to ride my bike so this was the perfect marriage of my interests,” he said. “I plan to do the whole ride.”
jvillagomez@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @JessicaVillag


chicagotribune--2020-09-27--Chicago representative leads bike rally for justice, census

People join together in a `` Sunrise Ride for Justice '' bike ride on Sept. 27 , 2020 , promoting @ @ @ @ @ 2020 census , at Columbus Park in Chicago .
The ride , organized by State @ @ @ @ @ had a planned route through parts of Austin , Maywood and Oak Park .

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 10 People participate in a "Sunrise Ride for Justice" bike ride Sept. 27, 2020, promoting various issues, including the 2020 census, at Columbus Park in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
People join together in a "Sunrise Ride for Justice" bike ride on Sept. 27, 2020, promoting various issues, including the 2020 census, at Columbus Park in Chicago. The ride, organized by State Rep. La Shawn Ford, had a planned route through parts of Austin, Maywood and Oak Park.


chicagotribune--2020-09-27--Ann Arbor decriminalizes magic mushrooms, psychedelic plants

After some council members were apprehensive about sponsoring the group ’ s proposal earlier this year , some ultimately decided @ @ @ @ @ arguments centering medical and spiritual benefits of using psychedelics , particularly for mental health treatment @

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The city of Ann Arbor has decriminalized psychedelic plants and fungi, including magic mushrooms, and police officers will no longer make them an enforcement focus.
City Council voted unanimously Sept. 21 in favor of a resolution declaring it the city’s lowest law enforcement priority, MLive.com reported. It means that authorities won’t investigate and arrest anyone for planting, cultivating, buying, transporting, distributing, engaging in practices with or possessing “entheogenic plants” or plant compounds.
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The resolution defines entheogenic plants as plants and fungi that contain indole amines, tryptamines and phenethylamines “that can benefit psychological and physical wellness, support and enhance religious and spiritual practices, and can reestablish human’s inalienable and direct relationship to nature.”
The move applies to ayahuasca, ibogaine, mescaline, peyote, psilocybin mushrooms and other substances with hallucinogenic properties considered illegal under state and federal law.
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Additionally, the city council called upon the Washtenaw County prosecutor’s office to halt prosecution of people involved in the use of such plants and plant compounds.
The city of Ann Arbor has decriminalized psychedelic plants and fungi, including magic mushrooms. (PETER DEJONG / AP)
A grassroots group called Decriminalize Nature Ann Arbor, or DNA2, has been lobbying city officials to take up the issue.
After some council members were apprehensive about sponsoring the group’s proposal earlier this year, some ultimately decided that they were persuaded by arguments centering medical and spiritual benefits of using psychedelics, particularly for mental health treatment.
Advocates contend that non-addictive psychedelics can provide a pathway out of opioid addiction.
Council members noted that any major violation of state or federal law or any use of entheogenic plants that poses a threat to public health, safety and welfare still could result in city law enforcement involvement.
Psychedelic substances can be used to help address substance abuse issues, addiction, recidivism, trauma, post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety and other debilitating conditions, according to the resolution.
Last year, Denver became the first U.S. city to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms. The city was then followed by Oakland and Santa Cruz in California, which decriminalized all entheogenic plants.


chicagotribune--2020-09-27--Slain woman’s body discovered in river on North Side, police say

Her remains were found about 15 minutes past midnight in the 3400 block of North Rockwell Street on the North @ @ @ @ @ The Chicago police marine unit and the Chicago Fire Department removed the body from the @ @


chicagotribune--2020-09-27--COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital da


chicagotribune--2020-09-27--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood


chicagotribune--2020-09-27--Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 14 new deaths, 1,604 new confirmed cases and 50,822 new test resu

Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 14 new deaths, 1,604 new confirmed cases and 50,822 new test results

Illinois announced 1,604 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Sunday for a total of 287,930 .
The state also announced 14 @ @ @ @ @ of 8,601 and 50,822 new test results for a total of 5.48 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--2020-09-27--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,604 new known COVID-19 cases and 14 additional deaths reported Su

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,604 new known COVID-19 cases and 14 additional deaths reported Sunday

Gov .
J.B. Pritzker often says he is “ listening to the experts ” about which youth sports are safe @ @ @ @ @ pandemic , but when some hockey parents filed a public records request to learn what @ @ @ @ @ , they received a pile of emails in which almost everything was blacked out .

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and labor leaders whose members could bear the brunt of layoffs or furloughs as the city tries to close a yawning 2021 budget deficit called on Illinois' Congressional delegation this week to work toward passage of a federal aid package that could forestall the deepest cuts.
It’s not likely the letter they sent to legislators from Illinois will have much impact on the partisan Washington D.C. impasse over aid to cities and other units of government hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Meanwhile, Illinois public health officials reported Sunday they had logged 1,604 newly diagnosed cases and 14 additional confirmed deaths of people with COVID-19, raising the statewide tally to 287,930 known cases and 8,601 deaths.
However, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has warned that Region 1 in northern Illinois, which includes the Rockford and Dixon areas, has seen positivity rates rise to 7.5%, near the 8% threshold that would bring additional restrictions on public gatherings.
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Here’s what’s happening this weekend with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
Sunday
1,604 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 14 additional deaths reported
Illinois public health officials reported Sunday they had logged 1,604 newly diagnosed cases and 14 additional confirmed deaths of people with COVID-19, raising the statewide tally to 287,930 known cases and 8,601 deaths.
Saturday
2,441 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 25 additional deaths reported
Illinois public health officials reported Saturday they had logged 2,441 newly diagnosed cases and 25 additional confirmed deaths of people with COVID-19, raising the statewide tally to 286,326 known cases and 8,588 deaths.
—Chicago Tribune staff
Youth hockey in Illinois has been frozen by COVID-19 restrictions. Some parents say it’s time for a thaw.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker often says he is “listening to the experts” about which youth sports are safe to play during the COVID-19 pandemic, but when some hockey parents filed a public records request to learn what those experts were telling him, they received a pile of emails in which almost everything was blacked out.
The opaque response infuriated the parents, whose favored sport cannot be played in Illinois under current rules. They say Pritzker and his staff don’t understand the attributes that make hockey safer than other sports classified as high risk, and show no interest in learning.
“If they have information that says youth hockey is high risk because of A, B and C, that’s what I’ve been looking for,” said Kelly Quinn, a Glenview parent of four hockey-playing children and head of a group called Restore Youth Hockey. “I’m a reasonable person. But (the lack of information) makes me believe they didn’t explore hockey at all.”
Read more here. —John Keilman
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Friday
At least 2 Lake Bluff fifth-graders test positive for COVID-19 after gatherings involving students
All fifth-graders at Lake Bluff Elementary School may have to study remotely through next week after at least two students tested positive for COVID-19, according to school officials.
The students may have been exposed to the virus in mid-September at multiple organized sports events and a large social gathering involving mainly fifth-grade students, said District 65 Superintendent Lisa Leali.
“There were enough students who could have been potential contacts that we decided, out of an abundance of caution, to shift the fifth-grade level to all remote learning until the Lake County Health Department could complete their investigation,” Leali said Friday evening.
Leali did not believe it was necessary to have students from other grades at the pre-K through fifth grade school stay home next week because the majority of children at the gatherings were fifth-graders, she said.
“The events, from what we can tell, were very limited in terms of who was participating from the tracing we were able to do,” Leali said.
In a statement issued by the village of Lake Bluff, there were two cases in which parents did not immediately report coronavirus symptoms or that the children had tested positively to the school district.
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Read more here. —Daniel I. Dorfman
‘A failed system’: What it’s like to vote with a disability during a pandemic
Sheryl Grossman voted in Maryland’s primary this year by taping a blank mail-in ballot to her door, alongside a list of her choices.
As she watched through the window of her home in Baltimore, two election officials filled out the ballot, texted her a photo and sealed the envelope. The director of the local board of elections texted her later to confirm that the officials had returned it.
“It was not an independent, private ballot,” said Grossman, 44, the board chair of the Jewish disability advocacy group Yad HaChazakah. “But if that was not an option, I would not have been able to cast a ballot at all.”
Read more here. —The New York Times


chicagotribune--2020-09-26--Matteson District 159 finance director, facing termination proceedings, hired by Virginia school dis

Matteson District 159 finance director, facing termination proceedings, hired by Virginia school district

In 2013 , she did not seek reelection , but was rehired by the district .
In a 2015 memo @ @ @ @ @ that it had become apparent that Brown was “ unable to take direction ” from @ @ @ @ @ presenting items to the school board in an effort to undermine Mason ’ s authority @ @ @ @ @ to Mason ’ s 11-point plan for corrective action , Brown called the measures “ @ @ @ @ @ refinement , records show .

A Matteson Elementary School District 159 administrator facing termination proceedings for the third time has taken a new job with a Virginia school district, officials confirmed Friday.
District 159 school board members in July approved disciplinary charges and a bill of particulars recommending the dismissal of finance director Demetria Brown. An administrative hearing was scheduled for Wednesday before the board could render a final decision.
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The board met Wednesday for five hours, 40 minutes in a closed-door session but did not reconvene to open session for the online meeting due to " technical difficulties," according to a statement on the district’s website. The statement does not mention Brown or any disciplinary proceeding against her.
Demetria Brown (Matteson Elementary School District 159)
Brown was still listed Friday on the District 159 website as chief school business official/finance director. But Mark Johnston, division superintendent of the Shenandoah County, Virginia public schools, said Friday that Brown had been hired as his district’s finance director in June and started working there July 1.
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District 159 officials Friday declined to answer questions about Brown’s current employment status with the district or whether she was still receiving compensation. Board meeting minutes show that Brown, who was earning a salary of $135,061 under the terms of her 2019 contract, received an unspecified salary bump in early July from District 159.
Brown was terminated from District 159 in 2008 and 2016 before being most recently rehired in 2019. In both termination instances, district superintendents cited instances of insubordination and misconduct, according to personnel records obtained by the Daily Southtown through Freedom of Information requests.
Johnston declined to answer Friday if his district was aware of Brown’s past employment in Matteson, but said that the Virginia district’s hiring practices “include a thorough screening process, interview process, vetting and background check.”
Attempts to reach District 159 school board members were unsuccessful.
Shortly after her dismissal in 2008, Brown ran for a seat on the District 159 school board and won. While serving, she sued the district for her termination. Her lawsuit was eventually settled, though the terms of the settlement were not made available.
In 2013, she did not seek reelection, but was rehired by the district. In a 2015 memo, then-Superintendent Barbara Mason wrote that it had become apparent that Brown was “unable to take direction” from Mason and accused Brown of presenting items to the school board in an effort to undermine Mason’s authority. In a written response to Mason’s 11-point plan for corrective action, Brown called the measures “ambiguous” and requested further refinement, records show.
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The board chose not to renew Brown’s contract the following spring and placed her on paid leave for the final three months of her existing contract, according to a letter from then-assistant superintendent Linda Johnson-McClinton.
Brown sued the district following her 2016 dismissal, charging she was fired for voicing concerns about the district’s dealing with an energy services provider. The district was successful in having the lawsuit dismissed and court records show an appellate court upheld the ruling last year.
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Brown was rehired in 2019, shortly after District 159 Superintendent Mable Alfred was reinstated. In applying for the job of finance director a week after Alfred was reinstated, Brown wrote that she left her job in 2008 to take a “director level” role before returning in 2014 as the district’s finance director. She said her 2016 dismissal was due to the board’s disregard of the superintendent’s recommendation to renew her contract.
Bernice Brown, Demetria’s mother who serves on the District 159 school board, said her daughter wanted to return in 2019, despite past experiences, because she cared about getting the community’s finances in order and that she was hired because she was the most qualified candidate. Bernice Brown was one of two board members who opposed taking disciplinary action against her daughter.
She said only that the complaints her daughter faces have nothing to do with her job performance and credited her financial acumen with having saved the district a considerable sum of money.
Zak Koeske contributed to this article.
Alicia Fabbre is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.


chicagotribune--2020-09-28--9 shot in multiple shootings within 2 hours Sunday

Just after 5 p.m. , a 15-year-old boy was on the sidewalk in the 7000 block of South Kingston Avenue @ @ @ @ @ on the Far South Side when someone inside a nearby vehicle started shooting at him @ @ @ @ @ boy was shot in the left leg and taken to South Shore Hospital in good @ @

Police work the scene where two people were shot, one fatally, on the 6100 block of South Bishop Street on Sept. 27, 2020 in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Nine people were shot — two of them fatally — in five shootings within two hours Sunday, according to Chicago police.
Around 5 p.m., someone dropped off a 20-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the head at St. Bernard’s Hospital and Health Care Center, police said. The person who dropped him off left, and the man died at the hospital.
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Details of the shooting were not known, police said.
Just after 5 p.m., a 15-year-old boy was on the sidewalk in the 7000 block of South Kingston Avenue in the South Shore neighborhood on the Far South Side when someone inside a nearby car started shooting at him, police said. The boy was hit in the left leg and taken to South Shore Hospital in good condition.
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At 5:40 p.m., three people were in a car in the first block of East 83rd Street in the Chatham neighborhood when someone in another car fired at them, police said.
A 25-year-old woman had a graze wound to the chest, a 29-year-old man was shot in the left hand and a 34-year-old man had a graze wound to the head. They were all taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.
At 6:30 p.m., a man got out of a gray minivan and began firing in the 4300 block of South Wentworth Avenue in the Fuller Park neighborhood on the South Side, police said.
A 53-year-old man walking on a sidewalk was struck by a bullet in the right shoulder, police said. He was taken to U. of C. Medical Center in fair condition.
A 20-year-old man was hit in the left calf while sitting in the passenger seat of a car, police said. He was taken to U. of C. Medical Center in fair condition.
Just after 6:40 p.m., a 66-year-old man and a 54-year-old man were on the street in the 6100 block of South Bishop Street in the Englewood neighborhood when they heard gunshots, police said.
The older man was shot in the head and taken to the U. of C. Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead, police said. The younger man was shot in the right leg and taken to the same hospital in good condition.
No arrests have been made in any of the shootings, police said.
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pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-09-28--Daywatch: Illinois Dems look to win more suburban seats, what Chicago employers are doing to help ge

Daywatch: Illinois Dems look to win more suburban seats, what Chicago employers are doing to help get out the vote and educators embrace outdoor preschool

Aerosol transmission of the coronavirus has raised concerns over safety of walled-off spaces , and some parents of preschoolers are @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic is as simple as stepping outside .
Nature-based preschools were increasing before the @ @ @ @ @ in the last three years , and Illinois is among the states with the most @ @ @ @ @

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Good morning, Chicago. Illinois public health officials reported Sunday they had logged 1,604 new known cases of COVID-19 and 14 additional confirmed deaths.
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Meanwhile, as temperatures begin to drop, here’s what experts say about how to keep the coronavirus at bay when spending time indoors.
And, youth hockey in Illinois has been frozen by COVID-19 restrictions — but some parents say the sport is safer than others classified as high risk.
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Here’s more coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan walks out after a House Democratic caucus meeting on Nov. 12, 2019, at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
After winning a slew of suburban state legislative seats long held by Republicans in 2018, Illinois Democrats are looking to expand their reach further in November, even as renewed controversy swirls around their powerful leader, longtime House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Federal prosecutors in July alleged that Commonwealth Edison engaged in a “yearslong bribery scheme” designed to curry favor with the speaker. But Madigan is only on the ballot in his Southwest Side district, and Democrats are hoping to capitalize on a changing suburban electorate’s dissatisfaction with the name at the top of the Republican ticket: President Donald Trump.
Prince Kuuba, assistant general manager at the Nando's restaurant in the South Loop's Roosevelt Collection, stands by the restaurant's voter registration station on Sept. 24 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
A growing number of companies in Chicago and elsewhere say they are actively encouraging workers to vote and offering them more time to do so if needed. More than 730 companies nationwide have signed on to ElectionDay.org, which asks companies to commit to providing employees some form of paid time off to vote.
Rashawn Lindsey stands on the street where he was stopped by police when he was 18 years old as he was walking down the 6600 block of South Carpenter in Chicago. Lindsey's attorney says there was no justification for the stop, and Lindsey is part of a civil suit against the city for excessive stops in the Black community. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Many Black Americans' distrust for police, both in Chicago and around the country, has been highlighted repeatedly in 2020, most recently with outrage over the controversial result of an investigation into the death of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky.
Preschoolers sit along the poetry path and listen to their teacher read to them at the Chicago Botanic Garden Nature Preschool. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Aerosol transmission of the coronavirus has raised concerns over safety of walled-off spaces, and some parents of preschoolers are wondering if one solution during the pandemic is as simple as stepping outside. Nature-based preschools were increasing before the pandemic, more than doubling in the last three years, and Illinois is among the states with the most programs — topping 20.
The lakefront near Montrose Harbor on Aug. 9, 2020. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Fall is here, but you don’t have to give up on spending quality time with friends and family outdoors. Here are a few great (and coronavirus safe) ways to extend summer just a little bit longer.


chicagotribune--2020-09-28--Column: The shooting of Breonna Taylor wasn’t just tragic. It was criminal.

She let him use her mailing address because he had no real place of his own .
She allowed him @ @ @ @ @ When he went to jail , she bailed him out .
It ’ s the @ @ @ @ @ young women think they ’ re supposed to do for their man .

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron speaks during a news conference Sept. 23, 2020, to announce a grand jury's decision to indict one of three Louisville Metro Police Department officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
Police burst into Breonna Taylor’s home in the middle of the night and killed her, though she had done nothing wrong.
Lots of people are emotional about that. They have a right to be.
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Nearly everyone agrees that her death was tragic. However, some don’t understand that it was also criminal. The officers responsible should have been indicted.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron would have us believe that he had no choice but allow her killers to walk free.
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“According to Kentucky law, the use of force by (the officers) was justified to protect themselves. This justification bars us from pursuing criminal charges in Ms. Breonna Taylor’s death,” he said at a news conference Wednesday.
That’s a lie. Kentucky law did not bar the state from pursuing criminal charges.
Cameron inaccurately implied that state law required that the shooting be deemed justifiable, given the circumstances. But he made that decision, apparently before taking the case to the grand jury.
The question of whether the officers properly used force is subjective. Many would argue that firing 32 rounds into Taylor’s apartment on March 13 was excessive force, which is common when Black suspects are involved.
At the very least, one or more of the officers could have been charged with second-degree manslaughter or reckless homicide under Kentucky law.
The officers were negligent in killing Taylor. She didn’t have a gun. She was never a threat. Yet she is the one who was shot.
In such matters, the law always is left to interpretation. A trial jury should be allowed to hear the evidence and decide. Cameron, in pushing his one-sided theory to the grand jury, denied Taylor the opportunity to make her case in court.
Cameron said that his job as special prosecutor was to “put emotions aside and investigate the facts.”
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But after a series of senseless police killings across the country, more people have become emotionally invested and are looking at these cases more clearly. Cameron’s lack of emotional investment narrowed his view.
His statement suggests that those who abhor the decision not to bring charges are reacting emotionally and nonsensically. It implies that those mourning Taylor’s death are instinctively wrong — that they cannot possibly understand what happened because they are blinded by distrust, even hatred, for the police.
More troubling is the suggestion that only those who agree that the cops were justified in killing Taylor are correct because their lack of emotional investment allows them to look at the “facts” objectively, devoid of inherent bias or jaded perspective.
That is not only ridiculous, but irrational and condescending.
Taylor’s story, laid out in an exhaustive piece in The New York Times on Aug. 30 and the accompanying streamed documentary, belies the illogical premise some have that Taylor somehow played a role in her own death.
Cameron’s well-spoken presentation on the national stage last week was meticulously carried out. Those who don’t know the whole story or understand how authorities routinely twist the facts to justify an outcome could have easily been taken in.
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Taylor was a trained EMT who wanted to be a nurse, but her life was also imperfect. Like many 26-year-olds, she was still trying to find her way to becoming the woman she was meant to be.
She hooked up with a no-good boyfriend, a drug dealer who stayed in trouble with the law. She knew that he was bad news, but her emotional ties to him were so strong that she couldn’t think clearly. He realized that and took advantage of her.
She let him use her mailing address because he had no real place of his own. She allowed him to drive her car. When he went to jail, she bailed him out. It’s the kind of thing too many young women think they’re supposed to do for their man.
Taylor made mistakes, but her life cannot be used to justify her death.
Hours before she was killed, she and her current boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, a good guy whom she had thought about marrying and having children with, was at her place watching a movie in bed.
She had no idea that police were watching her apartment, waiting to conduct a drug raid. Why should she?
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She wasn’t a drug dealer. There were no drugs inside her home. She had broken up with her drug-dealing boyfriend and moved on with her life. She didn’t have a criminal record. She had no reason to imagine that police officers would burst into her apartment in the middle of the night.
So when they heard someone banging on the door shortly after midnight, they jumped out of bed and got dressed.
The couple kept yelling, “Who is it?” They never heard an answer. The officers claimed they shouted, “Police. Please come to the door.” You can believe that cops conducting a dangerous drug raid would be that polite if you wish.
Fearing it might be the ex-boyfriend, Walker grabbed his gun and the two of them walked down the hallway, where they encountered Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly. Walker, who had never fired his weapon outside a gun range, shot at the suspected intruder.
Cameron claims that Walker shot Mattingly in the knee. However, Walker’s attorney said the ballistics report by the state police does not support that assertion, indicating that fellow cops firing from three directions could have shot Mattingly.
In the hail of gunfire, Taylor was shot six times. Detective Brett Hankison fired 10 shots blindly through a window and a sliding glass patio door. But Cameron says one of the 16 shots Detective Myles Cosgrove fired from the doorway killed her.
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It is unlikely that malice was involved in Taylor’s shooting, so first-degree murder would be difficult to prove. But this was a classic case of second-degree manslaughter, or involuntary manslaughter as it is commonly known.
It is the same law that would apply to someone who fired into a crowd of people and killed an innocent bystander.
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In this case, Taylor was an innocent bystander in her own home. She did nothing wrong. She didn’t have a gun. She never fired at those officers. She died before knowing why they were there in the first place.
Others argue that it was at the very least, reckless homicide. That occurs, for example, when someone decides to drag race through a residential neighborhood and his or her car swerves out of control and strikes a pedestrian.
It is likely that the barrage of bullets, some of them fired aimlessly, were meant for Taylor’s boyfriend, who had the gun. Perhaps the cops would have been more justified in shooting Walker, though he thought he was firing in self-defense.
But there was absolutely no justification for shooting Taylor.
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She was killed because the cops messed up. It was a botched drug raid from start to finish.
dglanton@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @dahleeng