chicagotribune--2020-12-09--Michigan City woman dies in Chesterton area vehicle accident

The Porter County Coroner ’ s Office was dispatched at 9:22 p.m. Tuesday to the area of Tremont Road and @ @ @ @ @ single-vehicle accident that resulted in a fatality .

A Michigan City woman died Tuesday night in an accident in the Chesterton area, officials said.
The Porter County Coroner’s Office was dispatched at 9:22 p.m. Tuesday to the area of Tremont Road and East U.S. 12 for a single-vehicle accident that resulted in a fatality.
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The coroner’s office identified Sarah Jensen, 30, as the sole occupant of a Chevrolet truck.
The accident is still under investigation. Other agencies assisting include the Porter County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police and Porter Fire.
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Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.


chicagotribune--2020-12-09--FBI looking for man who fired rifle on Metra platform

The surveillance video shows the man had a dark complexion , but it ’ s uncertain from the video what @ @ @ @ @ .
In the videos , the man is wearing a dark puffy coat with over @ @ @ @ @ blue jeans and carrying a gray backpack .
In one video , he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ to be an overpass toward a camera , then seen walking down a station platform @ @ @ @ @ station .

Surveillance video released by the FBI of a man taking a rifle out of a backpack and firing a shot Dec. 1, 2020 at the McCormick Place Metra station in Chicago. (Chicago Tribune Handout)
The FBI is searching for a man who was caught on video firing a rifle on the Metra platform earlier this month.
At 10 a.m. on Dec. 1, the man was caught on video removing a “collapsible rifle” from a backpack on the Metra platform at McCormick Place and firing one shot.
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There were no known injuries, authorities said.
The suspect is described as having a brown beard, close-cropped hair and a receding hairline, according to the FBI.
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Man caught on surveillance video firing a rifling at the McCormick Place Metra station. (Surveillance video via FBI/Surveillance video via FBI)
The surveillance video shows the man had a dark complexion, but it’s uncertain from the video what his race or ethnicity is. In the videos, the man is wearing a dark puffy coat with over a blue hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans and carrying a gray backpack. In one video, he’s seen running from what appears to be an overpass toward a camera, then seen walking down a station platform as a train leaves the station.
After the train leaves the station, the man, who appears to be wearing headphones, stops at the foot of a stairway that leads up from the platform. He then takes the rifle out of the backpack and appears to check it before firing the shot.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or Metra police at 312-322-2800.
jaanderson@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-09--Search on for pilot after fighter jet from Wisconsin Air National Guard crashes in Michigan national

Search on for pilot after fighter jet from Wisconsin Air National Guard crashes in Michigan national forest

“ We are a close knit family and when an incident like this occurs , every member in our organization @ @ @ @ @ Col. Bart Van Roo , 115th Fighter Wing commander .
“ Right now the safety @ @ @ @ @ search and rescue efforts are our top priority , and we will continue to pray @ @ @ @ @ safe return .
”

STEUBEN, Mich. — A Wisconsin-based fighter jet crashed in a national forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula while on a training mission and searchers were looking Wednesday for the pilot, who was the only person aboard, authorities said.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing at Truax Field Air National Guard Base in Madison crashed about 8 p.m. Tuesday, the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs said in a statement.
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The cause of the crash, as well as the status of the pilot, weren’t immediately known, the statement said. The plane went down in Hiawatha National Forest, about 250 miles (402 kilometers) northeast of the base.
“We are a close knit family and when an incident like this occurs, every member in our organization feels it,” said Col. Bart Van Roo, 115th Fighter Wing commander. “Right now the safety of our pilot along with search and rescue efforts are our top priority, and we will continue to pray for the pilot’s safe return.”
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The 115th Fighter Wing participated in a coordinated search effort with local emergency responders, the U.S. Coast Guard and other government agencies overnight. Search and rescue efforts on the ground, in the air, and in the water continued, the department said Wednesday.
The crash site is in Delta County, which is located on the shores of Lake Michigan. It was initially secured by local emergency responders, but military personnel and safety and security personnel from the 115th Fighter Wing have now responded, the department said.
Delta County Sheriff Ed Oswald said the crash occurred in the county’s northeastern corner in a rural area within Hiawatha National Forest, which spans about 879,000 acres (355,718 hectares), according to the forest’s website.
“It’s a very remote area with no cellphone service,” he said.
The closest community to the crash site is the small village of Steuben, located in adjacent Schoolcraft County, Oswald said. The sheriff’s office has blocked off local roads in the crash area, where he and his deputies did not see any fire or flames in the crash area overnight.
The crash remains under investigation Wednesday, authorities said.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers tweeted Wednesday morning that he was “devastated” when he heard about the crash and both he and his wife were praying for the pilot’s safe return.
An F-16 launched from Truax Field in 2011 plunged into a vacant house in Adams County, Wisconsin. The pilot ejected safely but fire and smoke forced 50 people to evacuate their homes.
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The Air Force announced in April that Truax will receive a fleet of 18 new F-35 fighter planes to replace its 21 aging F-16s in 2023. Madison residents who live near the base have complained that the new jets will be so loud they won’t be able to live in their homes.


chicagotribune--2020-12-09--Minneapolis council voting on whether to make deep cuts to police department in response to George F

Minneapolis council voting on whether to make deep cuts to police department in response to George Floyd’s death

Due to austerity forced by the coronavirus pandemic , the mayor ’ s proposal already bakes in a $ 14 @ @ @ @ @ compared with its original 2020 budget , mostly through attrition .
Frey aims to hold @ @ @ @ @ around 770 through 2021 with hopes of eventually increasing the force to its current authorized @ @ @ @ @ Safety for All ” would cap the number at 750 by 2022 .
The department @ @ @ @ @ 120 — partly due to officers claiming post-traumatic stress disorder from a summer of unrest @ @ @ @ @ leave amid retirements and poor morale .

MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis City Council members who tried unsuccessfully to dismantle the police department in response to George Floyd’s death are voting Wednesday on whether to shrink it, a move that could imperil the entire city budget because the mayor is threatening to use his veto to protect public safety amid soaring crime rates.
The plan, which supporters call “Safety for All,” is the latest version of the “defund the police” movement that Minneapolis and other cities have considered since Floyd’s May 25 death ignited mass demonstrations against police brutality and a nationwide reckoning with racism.
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Eleven of the 13 council members have already cast committee votes in favor of the largest parts of the plan, signaling that passage is likely. It would cut nearly $8 million from Mayor Jacob Frey’s $179 million policing budget and redirect it to mental health teams, violence prevention programs and other initiatives.
“I am actively considering a veto due to the massive, permanent cut to officer capacity,” Frey said in a statement Monday night. Reducing the authorized size of the force by 138 officers before enacting alternatives is “irresponsible,” he said.
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Cities around the U.S., including Los Angeles, New York City and Portland, Oregon, are shifting funds from police departments to social services programs in an effort to provide new solutions for problems traditionally handled by police. Such cuts have led some departments to lay off officers, cancel recruiting classes or retreat from hiring goals.
In Minneapolis, violent crime rates have surged since the death of Floyd, a Black man who was handcuffed and pleading for air for several minutes while Derek Chauvin, a white former officer, pressed his knee against his neck. Chauvin and three others were charged in Floyd’s death and are expected to stand trial in March.
Visitors make silent visits on May 31, 2020, to a memorial featuring a mural of George Floyd, near the spot where he died while in police custody, in Minneapolis, Minn. (Bebeto Matthews/AP)
Police have recorded 532 gunshot victims this year as of last Thursday, more than double the same period a year ago. Carjackings have also spiked to 375 so far this year, up 331% from the same period last year. Violent crimes have topped 5,100, compared with just over 4,000 for the same period in 2019.
“This summer happened because George Floyd was murdered by the Minneapolis Police Department and it wasn’t an accident, it’s because the system of policing we know now is not just racist, but it doesn’t create safety for all,” said Oluchi Omeoga, a cofounder of Black Visions, which supports “Safety for All” as a step toward more transformational change.
Due to austerity forced by the coronavirus pandemic, the mayor’s proposal already bakes in a $14 million cut to the department compared with its original 2020 budget, mostly through attrition. Frey aims to hold the number of sworn officers around 770 through 2021 with hopes of eventually increasing the force to its current authorized cap of 888. “Safety for All” would cap the number at 750 by 2022. The department is already down by about 120 — partly due to officers claiming post-traumatic stress disorder from a summer of unrest — with more preparing to leave amid retirements and poor morale.
Passions ran hot on both sides as more than 400 citizens signed up to speak during a marathon hearing last week that ran into the early hours Thursday, with many expressing alarm that the council was even contemplating cuts.
“I think we need to make bold decisions on a path forward,” said Council Member Steve Fletcher, a coauthor of the proposal. While acknowledging that it would mean fewer officers, he defended the plan by saying it would reduce the department’s workload by shifting 911 calls away from armed officers to other specialists such as mental health professionals.
“Combined those investments add up to a safer city for everybody and an approach that creates a more sustainable public safety system for our city,” Fletcher said in an interview.
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On the other side are those like Frey and Police Chief Medaria Arradondo who say there’s no need for an either-or decision — that it’s possible to reform policing without cutting officers. The mayor and 12 of the 13 council members are Democrats; one council member is from the Green Party.
If the council approves the plan Wednesday night, Frey would have five days to veto if he chooses. The council could override him with a two-thirds majority, or nine council members, but it’s not clear whether those nine votes exist. The proposal to cap the number of officers passed with just 7 of 13 votes in committee Monday.
A proposal over the summer to dismantle the department and replace it with a “Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention” initially had support from a majority of the council but faltered when a separate city commission voted against putting it on the November ballot. The city was paying $4,500 a day at one point for private security for three council members who reported getting threats after supporting defunding.
Bill Rodriguez of Minneapolis, part of a community group called Safety Now Minneapolis that formed recently in response to rising crime, said his group supports police reform by funding many of the programs the council wants to fund: expanding violence prevention programs, programs aimed at intervening safely with people suffering mental health issues and finding ways to respond to some 911 incidents without police officers.
But he said cutting police officers is a bad idea and was sharply critical of council members who he said “can’t get beyond” their vow this summer to abolish or defund police.
“They are hell-bent on their agenda,” Rodriguez said. “Everything they do has that taste on it. ... They’re still making this up as they go along. We’ve got a City Council being run by a bunch of inexperienced activists who have never run anything in their lives.”


chicagotribune--2020-12-09--Man and woman found dead with gunshot wounds in garage of their home in Beach Park

It wasn ’ t immediately clear whether one of the residents killed the other and then themself or if there @ @ @ @ @ killed the two , he said .

A man and a woman with gunshot wounds were found dead Tuesday night in the garage of a home in Beach Park, police said.
Lake County sheriff’s deputies were called to the 10000 block of Wadsworth Road, near Sheridan Road, about 9:40 p.m. for a report of a “person down.” There they found a 49-year-old woman and a 52-year-old man in a garage behind the home, according to sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Chris Covelli.
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Both appeared to have suffered gunshot wounds, he said.
“Sheriff’s deputies attempted lifesaving measures, however they were unsuccessful,” Covelli wrote in an email.
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Both were pronounced dead at the scene, he said. The man and woman both lived at the home, he said.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether one of the residents killed the other and then themself or if there was a third person who killed the two, he said.
“All possible theories of what occurred are still in play and being investigated,” Covelli said.
The Lake County coroner’s office responded and an autopsy is expected to be conducted on both the man and woman Thursday. The coroner’s office did not immediately respond to a request for public information.
Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 847-377-4000 or make an anonymous tip.
Check back for updates.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


Warm winter weather

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

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chicagotribune--2020-12-09--Off-duty Chicago officer involved in ‘domestic-related’ fatal shooting

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 3 The body of a man in his 20s is removed from a home on the 5600 block of South Nottingham Avenue in Chicago's Garfield Ridge neighborhood where he was shot to death inside the home, allegedly during an altercation with an off-duty Chicago police officer on Dec 9, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
A man in his 20s was shot to death inside a home on the Southwest Side in an attack involving an off-duty Chicago police officer, the department said Wednesday.


chicagotribune--2020-12-09--Rockford-area coroner buys refrigerated trailer as COVID-19 surges

“ When we reach out to the next of kin and ask them what funeral home they would like to @ @ @ @ @ answers we get are , ‘ I don ’ t have a job .
I @ @ @ @ @ COVID .
It ’ s going to take me a little bit to find money @ @ @ @ @ of my loved one , ’ ” Hintz said .

The Rockford-area coroner’s office has purchased a refrigerated trailer in the event deaths related to COVID-19 overwhelm the office’s capacity to store bodies.
The purchase of the $30,000 trailer was made as the county’s morgue neared capacity, Winnebago County Coroner Bill Hintz said.
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“The way our numbers were rising at an alarming level, and I do say alarming, I did not want to be caught without any spaces left,” he said.
Hintz told the Rockford Register-Star that despite the volume of 12 to 14 deaths daily — largely attributed to natural causes, deaths and homicides — there was ample room through early fall in the 64-body morgue to accept bodies from each of the city’s hospitals as their smaller individual morgues began to fill up. The county morgue began to fill in November.
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Hintz said the morgue’s 64-body capacity doesn’t accurately reflect the number of bodies that can be stored. He noted larger individuals will take up more than one space. He also said the morgue’s capacity is reduced because several spaces are reserved strictly for COVID-19-related deaths.
The refrigerated unit is capable of holding 30 to 40 bodies. Hintz said the trailer would be used to house an overflow of individuals who died by causes not related to COVID-19. Currently, the trailer sits empty.
Hintz said it is not unusual for a body to be kept at the morgue for 30 days or longer, adding that moving bodies to a funeral home in a timely fashion is not easy.
“When we reach out to the next of kin and ask them what funeral home they would like to use, some of the answers we get are, ‘I don’t have a job. I lost my job due to COVID. It’s going to take me a little bit to find money so I can take care of my loved one,’” Hintz said.
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Tuesday reported 7,910 new COVID-19 cases and 145 more deaths.


chicagotribune--2020-12-09--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what happened Dec. 8 with COVID-19 in the Chicago area

It took him four days to be able to get a test , for which he paid $ 150 .
@ @ @ @ @ with his staff , encouraging them all to get tested , too .
For some @ @ @ @ @ it took two weeks to get tested and receive results , preventing them from working @ @ @ @ @ to pivot his business for the second time since March and to reopen the two @ @ @ @ @ 2 as COVID-19 testing sites .

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois public health officials on Tuesday reported 7,910 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, putting the state over 800,000 cases since the pandemic began. The state now has 804,174 cases and 13,487 fatalities after 145 new deaths were reported Tuesday.
The new numbers came as Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the state’s top public health official on Tuesday sought to allay fears about the safety of a new coronavirus vaccine developed under intense pressure on an expedited schedule. The first shipment of the vaccine to Illinois possibly just days away.
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Although it was developed and tested in a matter of months, the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech, which could receive emergency use authorization from the FDA soon after an advisory panel meets Thursday, is based on decades of research on coronaviruses and has been thoroughly reviewed by teams of experts, Pritzker said at his daily COVID-19 briefing.
Meanwhile, Chicagoans traveling to destinations with COVID-19 restrictions are getting more options to get tested before flying. The Chicago Department of Aviation aims to have testing sites at O’Hare and Midway airports up and running next week before December holiday travel begins, and American Airlines is expanding access to at-home testing kits.
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Here’s what’s happening Tuesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
7:45 p.m.: If Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine receives FDA approval, here’s what it will mean for Chicago and the rest of Illinois
All eyes will be on the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday when an advisory committee is set to meet and discuss Pfizer’s request for emergency-use authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine.
Thursday’s meeting marks one of the last hurdles before the Pfizer vaccine can be approved in the United States and begin shipping to health care providers, including in Illinois. Afterward, the committee will make its recommendation to the FDA, which will make the ultimate decision on approval.
“Thursday is a big day,” Chicago Department of Health Commissioner Allison Arwady said in a question-and-answer session on Tuesday. “Approval could come within a matter of days after that.”
The FDA on Tuesday released preliminary documents on its website ahead of the meeting showing promising data, with the vaccine’s efficacy around 95% after the second dose.
“It looks good,” Arwady said of the preliminary report, calling Tuesday an “exciting day.”
With possible approval of the Pfizer vaccine coming within days, officials in Chicago and elsewhere in Illinois are preparing to receive the first doses, maybe as early as next week.
Read more here. —Madeline Buckley
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7:20 p.m. (update): White House offers COVID-19 relief package that would send $600 direct payment to most Americans
The Trump administration dove back into Capitol Hill’s confusing COVID-19 negotiations on Tuesday, offering a $916 billion package to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that would send a $600 direct payment to most Americans.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made the offer to Pelosi late Tuesday afternoon, he said in a statement. He offered few details, though House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy said it proposes the $600 direct payment for individuals and $1,200 for couples, which is half the payment delivered by the March pandemic relief bill.
Mnuchin reached out to Pelosi after a call with top congressional GOP leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who remains at odds with Democratic leaders over COVID-19 relief.
Read more here. —Associated Press
5:40 p.m.: Coronavirus vaccine could be days away from arriving in Illinois
With the first shipment of a new coronavirus vaccine to Illinois possibly just days away, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the state’s top public health official on Tuesday sought to allay fears about the safety of an immunization developed under intense pressure on an expedited schedule.
Although it was developed and tested in a matter of months, the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech, which could receive emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration soon after an advisory panel meets Thursday, is based on decades of research on coronaviruses and has been thoroughly reviewed by teams of experts, Pritzker said at his daily COVID-19 briefing.
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The governor’s remarks came the same day the FDA released its initial review of data on the Pfizer vaccine and as the immunizations began in the United Kingdom. While Pfizer’s own study is still in progress, the FDA analysis of the company’s data found that, so far, the vaccine appears safe and more than 90% effective.
Still, Illinois, like other states, has its own panel of experts reviewing the FDA’s analysis, Pritzker said.
“We all want to make sure this vaccine is safe, and additional sets of eyes on the evidence can only be helpful,” he said.
Read more here. —Dan Petrella
4 p.m.: School employees should be priority in vaccine rollout, Illinois teachers unions say
The two largest teachers unions in Illinois are calling on the state legislature to put educators on the shortlist for the COVID-19 vaccine, and are asking for rapid testing at schools and guidance they say is essential to ensure school buildings are safe for in-person student learning.
Officials with the Illinois Education Association and the Illinois Federation of Teachers said school districts’ failure to follow Illinois Department of Public Health guidance and requirements for schools has put “the health of teachers, students, and communities at risk.”
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Read more here. —Karen Ann Cullotta
3:45 p.m.: Biden vows to reopen most of nation’s schools, distribute at least 100 million vaccines in 1st 100 days
Joe Biden pledged Tuesday to bring the coronavirus pandemic under enough control to open most of the nation’s schools during his first 100 days as president — going much further on the issue than he has in the past, even while warning that the U.S. is facing a “dark winter.”
The president-elect said that promise is dependent on Congress providing sufficient funding to protect students, teachers and campus staff. He made it during an event in Delaware to introduce a team of health experts set to help the new administration combat a virus that has already killed more than 285,000 Americans.
Biden said he plans to distribute at least 100 million vaccines during his first 100 days in the White House and will seek to reopen most of the nation’s schools over the same period.
“It should be a national priority to get our kids back into school and keep them in school,” Biden said. “If Congress provides the funding, we need to protect students, educators and staff. If states and cities put strong public health measures in place that we all follow, then my team will work to see that the majority of our schools can be open by the end of my first 100 days.”
Read more here. —Associated Press
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3:40 p.m.: COVID-19 relief package in the balance as McConnell pushes a smaller deal
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Capitol Hill’s most powerful Republican, proposed Tuesday to shelve a controversial pet provision for an emerging COVID-19 relief package — but only if Democrats agree to shelve one of their top priorities, too.
McConnell, R-Ky., said he would drop a provision that would provide a shield against lawsuits for COVID-related negligence. In exchange, McConnell wants House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to drop a demand for $160 billion or so to help states and local governments with fiscal relief.
McConnell’s offer came as a group of pragmatic, mostly moderate senators are themselves negotiating over the two contentious issues as they seek to dislodge the long-stuck COVID-19 relief effort. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., for instance, said he’s seeking a compromise on the tricky liability shield issue.
The group of moderates, led by Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Republican Susan Collins of Maine, are seeking to rally rank-and-file lawmakers in both parties behind a $908 billion framework. It is more generous than a GOP plan that’s been filibustered twice already but far smaller than a wish list assembled by House Democrats.
Read more here. —Associated Press
3:20 p.m.: Believers find ways to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe for annual feast despite COVID-19 restrictions
Every year, Eusebia Flores prays the novena for Our Lady of Guadalupe in the days leading up to the feast in her honor on Dec. 12, a prodigious celebration for Catholics in Mexico and the United States.
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That day, Flores said, it is essential to thank the mother of Jesus for all that she has done, but this year is special: Flores, who is a few months shy of 95, survived the coronavirus.
“I prayed to her with love and now I’m grateful that we are all healthy once again,” Flores said in Spanish.
For many Catholics, the feast this year will be more significant, despite changes in celebrations brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. While some, like Flores, thank the Virgin Mary for being healthy, others pray for the strength to deal with the pain of losing a loved one to COVID-19, said the Rev. Thomas J. Boharic.
“But it is the faith that has helped to carry them through regardless,” said Boharic, the pastor at Our Lady of Tepeyac, Assumption and St. Roman Parish on the West Side.
Driven by that faith, devotees in the Chicago area have found ways to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe despite the COVID-19 restrictions, which led to the cancellation of the Dec. 11-12 overnight celebration at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines, the largest one outside Mexico City.
Read more here. —Laura Rodríguez Presa
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2:55 p.m.: O’Hare, Midway aim to open COVID-19 testing sites next week as American Airlines widens access to at-home tests
Chicagoans traveling to destinations with COVID-19 travel restrictions are getting more options to get tested before flying.
The Chicago Department of Aviation aims to have testing sites at O’Hare and Midway airports up and running next week before December holiday travel begins, and American Airlines is expanding access to at-home testing kits.
Many international destinations and some domestic ones, including Hawaii, have travel restrictions that require passengers to test negative for COVID-19. Some require PCR tests, which can take up to 72 hours to return results. Rapid antigen test results can be available within 20 minutes.
The Aviation Department’s testing sites will offer both types to all passengers and airport employees, making them the most comprehensive of any airport system in the U.S., spokesman Matt McGrath said in an email Tuesday.
O’Hare will have a walk-up testing site adjacent to the terminal before travelers go through security and a drive-up site in a remote parking lot. Midway will have a walk-up testing site in the terminal. People seeking a test must show proof they plan to fly within the next 72 hours, or that they took a flight within the past five days. Airport employees are also eligible for testing.
The maximum price providers can charge is $150 per test and the PCR test is expected to cost slightly more than the antigen test. Testing facilities will accept insurance, according to the Aviation Department.
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Read more here. —Lauren Zumbach
12:10 p.m.: 7,910 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases, 145 deaths reported
Illinois public health officials on Tuesday reported 7,910 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, putting the state over 800,000 cases since the pandemic began.
The state now has 804,174 cases and 13,487 fatalities after 145 new deaths were reported Tuesday.
There were 95,825 tests reported in the previous 24 hours. The statewide positivity rate for the past seven days is 11.8%.
11:40 a.m.: Chicago alderman’s Ann Sather restaurant facing up to $10,500 in possible fines for indoor dining violations
Wrigleyville Ald. Tom Tunney’s Ann Sather restaurant is facing up to $10,500 in possible fines from the city after the Chicago aldermen acknowledged letting people eat inside the establishment in violation of city and state rules designed to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
How much Tunney’s Lakeview restaurant ultimately gets fined will be determined by the Department of Administrative Hearings at a later date.
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The city also cited an unlicensed event at 1257 N. Milwaukee Ave in Wicker Park. Officials responded to a call early on Dec. 5 and found “a bouncer outside of an event billed as the ‘Wicker Loft,’” Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office said in a statement.
There were 142 people in the building who either weren’t social distancing or wearing face coverings and the city cited them for operating an illegal, unlicensed club, officials said.
City officials also cited River North CrossFit for allegedly conducting indoor fitness classes, Randy’s Lounge on Cottage Grove for allegedly holding an indoor event with 42 attendees, Volare restaurant on Grand and Firewater Saloon on Oliphant for allegedly allowing indoor dining. Another business, Flava Luxx on Madison, was cited for allegedly holding an indoor event with 22 attendees eating and drinking without social distancing or face coverings, the city said.
Read more here. —Gregory Pratt and John Byrne
11:22 a.m.: Indiana has nation’s 2nd highest per-capita COVID-19 spread, CDC says
In the past week, Indiana has the nation’s second highest per capita COVID-19 spread, after Rhode Island, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That trend appears to show the state’s outlook is getting worse, even as cases and hospitalization rates hit all-time highs recently.
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The CDC reported Indiana had 48,000 new coronavirus cases reported in the past week, or 103.1 per 100,000. Rhode Island, reported 8,100 new cases, or 110.6 per 100,000.
Indiana reported 124 new virus deaths Tuesday, with more than 6,100 total deaths and 300 more suspected deaths. With 485,000 people, Lake County hit 500 virus deaths Tuesday. By comparison, South Korea, a country of 51 million, has 552 COVID-19 deaths.
Read more here. —Meredith Colias-Pete, Post Tribune
10:35 a.m.: Mexican restaurants pivot to COVID-19 test sites to increase access for communities in need
You may be familiar with the tacos and margaritas at Moe’s Cantina, but perhaps not with the restaurant chain’s latest line of business. The two locations of the Chicago restaurant have nixed Northern Mexican fare (for now) to transform into COVID-19 testing facilities. Owner Sam Sanchez has partnered with medical professionals to oversee the testing and hired former employees to take care of the nonmedical aspects.
The venture marks the second big pivot for Sanchez’s restaurant group, Third Coast Hospitality, which includes two Moe’s Cantinas and also two locations of Old Crow Smokehouse. At the River North location of the latter, Sanchez has been manufacturing and selling masks since June while simultaneously running restaurant operations. But after the second indoor dining shutdown ordered by the state took effect in late October, Sanchez closed both locations of Moe’s Cantina. Then, in November, something happened to make Sanchez see a new need: He began exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms.
It took him four days to be able to get a test, for which he paid $150. He shared his positive result with his staff, encouraging them all to get tested, too. For some of them, however, it took two weeks to get tested and receive results, preventing them from working. The experience convinced Sanchez to pivot his business for the second time since March and to reopen the two Moe’s restaurants Dec. 2 as COVID-19 testing sites.
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“There’s no way that should take that long,” Sanchez said of the extended waits people have endured to get tested. “People need to work, see their parents and travel. ... People need tests now.”
Read more here. —Grace Wong
10:30 a.m.: AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine about 70% effective, new results show, but questions remain about protection for those over 55
New results on a possible COVID-19 vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca suggest it is safe and about 70% effective, but questions remain about how well it may help protect those over 55 — a key concern for a vaccine that health officials hope to rely on around the world because of its low cost, availability and ease of use.
Still, experts say the vaccine seems likely to be approved, despite some confusion in the results and lower levels of protection than what other vaccine candidates have shown.
Read more here. —Associated Press
9:20 a.m.: US regulators post positive review of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine data
Documents released by U.S. regulators Tuesday confirmed that Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine was strongly protective against COVID-19 — offering the world’s first detailed look at the evidence behind the shots.
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The Food and Drug Administration posted its analysis online even as across the Atlantic, Britain on Tuesday began vaccinating its oldest citizens with the Pfizer-BioNTech shots.
But the U.S. judges experimental vaccines in a unique way: On Thursday, the FDA will convene what’s essentially a science court that will debate — in public and live-streamed — just how strong the data backing the shots really is.
A panel of independent scientists will pick apart the FDA’s first-pass review before recommending whether the vaccine appears safe and effective enough for millions of Americans. The FDA, which typically follows the committee’s advice, is expected to issue a decision in the days following the review. If given the green light, the first recipients would be health care workers and nursing home residents according to plans laid out by each state.
Read more here. —Associated Press
7:15 a.m. Funeral Tuesday for Chicago cop who died in November, as medical examiner rules death was from COVID-19
A funeral was scheduled Tuesday for Chicago police Officer Titus Moore, a 14-year veteran who died at home Nov. 24, as the Cook County medical examiner’s office determined Moore died from a COVID-19 infection.
Three other officers had died from coronavirus-related causes as of Monday, along with 1,526 officers and 46 non-officer department employees who have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the department. Moore was found dead at his West Chesterfield home Nov. 24 and the medical examiner’s office marked his autopsy results pending following an autopsy that week. The office has now ruled that Moore, 46, died from a COVID-19 infection, with other natural causes as contributing factors, according to the medical examiner’s data portal.
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Moore’s private funeral service was scheduled for Tuesday morning at Leak & Sons Funeral Home, 7838 S. Cottage Grove Ave., with internment at Forest Home Cemetery in Forest Park, according to a police news release.
Moore, a field training officer, was hired in February 2006 and most recently worked in the Calumet District. Moore also had worked in the Grand Crossing District. He received more than 70 department awards, including three police commendations, the superintendent’s award of valor and a life saving award. His father, Theopsy Moore also was an officer. He is survived by his father and two sisters, according to the release.
—Chicago Tribune staff
6 a.m.: U. of C. study highlights child care barriers in Chicago’s Latino communities.
When the pandemic forced many day care centers across the city to close, it created a hardship for many local families and added even more difficulty to some who had already faced a tough time finding care in their communities.
Child care challenges in predominantly Latino Chicago communities were noted in a recent University of Chicago Chapin Hall report. The report showed that 86% of Latino families in Illinois live in child care deserts.
Researchers spoke to child care center directors and 32 Latina mothers who live in Belmont Cragin on the Northwest Side and Little Village on the West Side with at least one child under age 5. Mothers said they wanted more child care information and cited barriers such as access (bilingual resources are not always available), cost and convenience. Little Village moms said there were not many programs near their homes. Belmont Cragin moms shared their experiences of being waitlisted or referred elsewhere.
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While the parent interviews were recorded between 2018 and 2019, researcher Aida Pacheco-Applegate said COVID-19 has only amplified the challenges. The study notes how the pandemic has laid bare what communities of color already face: health disparities.
Read the full story here. —Alison Bowen and Laura Rodríguez Presa
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
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chicagotribune--2020-12-08--Connor Kerner, 19, gets 179 years in deaths of two Lake County teens; judge says ‘brutal nature of t

Connor Kerner, 19, gets 179 years in deaths of two Lake County teens; judge says ‘brutal nature of the killings is among the worst I’ve seen’

The victims ’ families poured their grief into the courtroom before Kerner was sentenced , noting his apparent lack of @ @ @ @ @ which included graphic photos of Grill ’ s and Lanham ’ s burned remains , @ @ @ @ @ was the victim , which they said was on display during recordings of three jail @ @ @ @ @ , Roxann Kerner , played during the sentencing .

Connor Kerner was sentenced to 179 years in prison for the deaths of two Lake County teens. (Porter County Sheriffs Dept. / P / Chicago Tribune)
Connor Kerner was sentenced to 179 years in prison Tuesday for the deaths of two Lake County teens last year.
“Unfortunately, there are no winners in a case such as this but it does provide justice to the families for the loss of Thomas Grill and Molley Lanham,” Porter County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Armando Salinas said after the sentencing. “This was an outstanding investigation by the Porter County Sheriff’s Department and a victory for the community.”
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Kerner said at the end of the sentencing, held before Porter Superior Court Judge Roger Bradford, that he plans to appeal.
A jury took less than 4.5 hours on Oct. 22 to convict Kerner on seven of eight felony charges related to the killing of the two teens.
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Kerner, 19, of the 100 block of Kinsale, was found guilty of two counts of murder; two counts of murder in the perpetration of a robbery; two counts of robbery; and a single felony count of arson. The jury found him not guilty on a felony charge of intimidation.
Kerner was 17 when he killed Lanham, 19, of St. John, and Grill, 18, of Cedar Lake, on Feb. 25, 2019, at his grandparents’ Hebron-area home after a drug deal went bad, then loaded their bodies into the Honda Civic they arrived in and set fire to the vehicle in a wooded area a couple miles away.
Kerner, Salinas said during the sentencing hearing, seemed to have everything going for him, including a great set of grandparents and parents who, though divorced, were supportive.
“He threw it all away. He is spoiled, entitled and made excuses for his behavior. As evident on the call with his mother (from jail), he never took it seriously,” he said.
The victims’ families poured their grief into the courtroom before Kerner was sentenced, noting his apparent lack of emotion during the trial, which included graphic photos of Grill’s and Lanham’s burned remains, and his attitude that he was the victim, which they said was on display during recordings of three jail phone calls with his mother, Roxann Kerner, played during the sentencing.
Lindsey Lanham, Molley Lanham’s older sister, said when her sister and Grill were reported missing, she had no idea if she was hurt or even alive, not knowing that her sister’s remains were in a cold field.
“Connor Kerner thought he could kill my sister and throw her away like garbage and walk away,” Lindsey Lanham said. “I’m sure she was so scared and so alone as she was killed senselessly by Connor Kerner.”
Lindsey Lanham said she endured photos of her sister’s burned remains and an audio recording of Kerner killing Thomas Grill during Kerner’s trial.
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“I really wished he would show an inkling of emotion, but no, nothing,” she said, adding later, “I’m terrified of what he is capable of doing if given the chance.”
Stacy Spejewski, Molley Lanham’s mother, said justice may have been served and while that was a victory it would never bring her daughter back. Kerner burned her daughter’s body beyond recognition after killing her with a gun he never should have had, she said.
“Rehabilitation is not an option for you. You are beyond evil,” she said.
Spejewski said she doesn’t know how to go on without her daughter and is unrecognizable from her former life.
“I am now the mother of a murdered child,” she said.
Patricia Grill, Thomas Grill’s mother, said Kerner was not the victim and called him a coward.
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“You tried to erase Thomas and Molley. You cannot. You have taken Thomas and Molley from their families but they are forever in our hearts. You will live in prison the rest of your life. You did that to yourself,” she said.
Murder victims Thomas M. Grill Jr. and Molley R. Lanham. (St. John Police)
Thomas Grill, father of Thomas Grill, said Kerner disgusted him.
“You disgust me as a father, talking to your mother as you did on the phone. You’re a little punk, a twerp. Big, bad Kerner shot my kid and then beat him with a wrench,” he said, noting the cost of the trial and his own lost time attending hearings and the trial. “You’re a time thief and guess what? Your time is up.”
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Armando Salinas requested a sentence of 172 years. Bradford, noting several aggravating circumstances surrounding Kerner’s crimes, sentenced him to 179 years in the Indiana Department of Correction, adding the crimes justify sentencing enhancements, “reserved for the worst of the worst.”
“The brutal nature of the killings is among the worst I’ve seen,” said Bradford, noting the burned remains of the victims had an “extreme effect” on the victims’ families.
Bradford also noted how Molley Lanham, led into the garage by Kerner to see Thomas Grill’s body, turned around to leave and was shot in the back of the head.
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“That’s almost Mafioso style,” he said.
Among the aggravating circumstances brought up during the sentencing, over the objections of defense attorneys James Voyles of Indianapolis and Mark Thiros of Merrillville, was a stabbing in October 2018 in Kerner’s home. The victim, stabbed in the stomach, initially would not tell police who stabbed him because he feared for his life.
The victim came forward after Kerner was arrested in the murder case and said Kerner stabbed him because Kerner owed him $10,000 for drugs and Kerner didn’t have the money.
Prosecutor Gary Germann said three families lost a child in this incident, two of whom will not be physically present in the lives of their loved ones, and said he hoped the community appreciated how much work went into the case, particularly by Salinas, Deputy Prosecutor Christopher Hammer, Det. Sgt. Brian Dziedzinski with the sheriff’s department, and other officers.
“Because of their hard work our entire community is much safer. I cannot thank them enough for the hours and hours of hard work leading up to and during the trial,” Germann said. “In the end the sentence was totally justified by the facts and the law.”
During the trial, Voyles and Thiros tried to place the crimes on co-defendant John Silva II, 20, of Hamlet, who has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of murder and two counts of murder in the perpetration of a robbery and remains in Porter County Jail without bond. Silva was charged May 22 with the alleged crimes and is awaiting the scheduling of a trial date.
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Kerner’s mother, Roxann Kerner, 47, of Chesterton, was charged last month with felony counts of perjury and obstructing justice and a misdemeanor charge of false informing related to her son’s case. She is scheduled for an initial hearing before a magistrate Wednesday.
Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.


chicagotribune--2020-12-10--Man punches Chicago cop in the face while being led from Loop Red Line train for drinking, police sa

Man punches Chicago cop in the face while being led from Loop Red Line train for drinking, police say

As the officers began leading him off the train and writing him up for a city violation , the man @ @ @ @ @ of the officers , Spicuzza said .

A man slugged a Chicago police officer in the face while being led off a CTA train in the Loop Wednesday evening because he was drinking, authorities said.
The man, 55, and the officer were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where they were listed in good condition, according to Chicago Fire Chief Frank Velez.
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Officers spotted the man drinking on a Red Line train at the Jackson Park station around 5:45 p.m., police said.
As the officers began leading him off the train and writing him up for a city violation, the man became angry and punched one of the officers, said Anthony Spicuzza, a police spokesman.
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Charges were pending against the man.
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-10--Girl, 15, shot while riding in car in Lawndale, Chicago police say

The teen was struck at least once in the back and was taken to Stroger Hospital , where she was @ @ @ @ @ police said .

A 15-year-old girl was shot as she rode in the passenger seat of a sedan on the West Side Wednesday night, Chicago police said.
The car passed a parked white SUV in the 4400 block of West 15th Street in Lawndale around 10:15 p.m. when one men in the SUV fired shots toward the car, according to Sally Bown, a police spokeswoman.
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The teen was struck at least once in the back and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was listed in fair condition, police said.
A more detailed description of the gunman wasn’t available, Bown said. “There is no further description of the offenders’ vehicle,” she added.
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No arrests have been made. Check back for updates.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-12-10--Daywatch: Chicago aims to vaccinate all city adults in 2021, firearm permits see record-shattering i

Daywatch: Chicago aims to vaccinate all city adults in 2021, firearm permits see record-shattering increase and the trendiest recipes of 2020

Every two years , Cook County conducts what ’ s called the scavenger sale .
Tens of thousands of mostly @ @ @ @ @ with a significant amount of unpaid taxes go up for auction , with the aim @ @ @ @ @ hands of people who can return the land to productive use and put it back @ @ @ @ @

Good morning, Chicago. Illinois health officials on Wednesday reported 8,256 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 179 additional fatalities. These numbers came as the U.S. topped 3,000 daily deaths from coronavirus for the first time.
Meanwhile, if you’re a weather enthusiast, you may want to get out of the city and look up tonight. Forecasters say there’s a possibility of seeing the northern lights from Northern Illinois.
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Here’s more coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
For your smart speaker | Holiday gift guide | Join our COVID-19 Facebook group | More newsletters | Puzzles & Games
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Margaret Keenan, 90, is applauded by staff as she returns to her ward after becoming the first patient in the UK to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, at University Hospital, Coventry, England on Dec. 8, 2020. (Jacob King / Pool)
With federal approval for two coronavirus vaccines expected soon, Chicago officials said Wednesday they hope to vaccinate all city adults in 2021 as they laid out their plans to roll out the vaccine.
But even as city officials celebrated the news of imminent vaccine approval, Mayor Lori Lightfoot warned residents to follow public health guidance and not grow complacent because widespread community vaccination is still “many months away.”
An abandoned house at 1000 E. 8th Place in Ford Heights on Friday, Dec. 7, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Every two years, Cook County conducts what’s called the scavenger sale. Tens of thousands of mostly vacant and often abandoned properties with a significant amount of unpaid taxes go up for auction, with the aim of getting them into the hands of people who can return the land to productive use and put it back on the tax rolls.
Now, County Treasurer Maria Pappas is out with a new report that concludes the 81-year-old program isn’t working.
Mark Jones, a gun safety advocate and retired ATF agent, displays his firearm owner's identification card during an interview in 2019 in Chicago. Jones called a spike in gun purchases in Illinois in 2020 "a fear-driven surge of purchasing." (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois residents shopped for more guns and applied for more firearm permits in 2020 than at any other time in history, according to statistics released Wednesday by state police.
With events during this unprecedented year driving the demand, there had been more than 500,000 serious inquiries to date about purchasing gunsIllinois health officials on Wednesday reported 8,256 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 179 additional fatalities,, authorities said, representing a 45% increase over 2019.
A skater rolls by on a board at Wilson Avenue and Lake Shore Drive in Chicago on Dec. 2, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Winter temperatures are rising across the country, with some of the most pronounced increases occurring near the Great Lakes.
In Illinois, average daily temperatures in the winter season in the last 30 years have increased 2.5 degrees, relative to about a century earlier, according to an analysis included in a forthcoming report on the effects of climate change in Illinois from The Nature Conservancy.
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Dalgona coffee, aka whipped-up instant coffee on top of milk, was trending on everyone’s timeline and Instagram-worthy breakfast table (yumehana/E+ via Getty Images)
2020 has been a year full of unexpected occurrences, the least of which was a major pandemic. As people stayed home to stop the spread of COVID-19, it allowed them to become more creative in different aspects of their lives, including cooking and baking. Here were the trendiest recipes this year.


chicagotribune--2020-12-10--Pandemic, civil unrest drive record-shattering increase in firearm permits, gun shopping in Illinois

Pandemic, civil unrest drive record-shattering increase in firearm permits, gun shopping in Illinois in 2020

Kelly , however , contends ISP efforts can not be substantially improved until state lawmakers give the agency authority to @ @ @ @ @ FOID , CCL and FTIP procedures .
Saying the permit process has not evolved enough @ @ @ @ @ 1960s , Kelly told the Tribune the system needs to be more about identifying people @ @ @ @ @ guns and less about making law-abiding residents wade through bureaucratic tape to get their card @ @

Paul Becvar examines a Rock River AR-15-style rifle he is purchasing March 18, 2020, at Bat Arms in Plano, as store owner Barry Torphy looks on. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
With the coronavirus pandemic raging and Chicago at times dealing with civil unrest, Illinois residents shopped for more guns and applied for more firearm permits in 2020 than at any other time in history, state police officials said this week.
There had been more than 500,000 serious inquiries about purchasing guns by this month, according to Illinois State Police statistics, representing a 45% increase over 2019.
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The state also had received a record 445,945 applications for firearm owner’s identification cards as of November 2020, a 167% jump from the 166,649 applications in 2017. The Illinois State Police did not release numbers for any other years but said the 2020 applications “blew past” a previous surge in 2013 after concealed carry licenses were first offered.
“It’s a reflection of the great deal of unease and a reflection of the tension we have in this state and across the country,” Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said. “It’s undeniable.”
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There are now more than 2.2 million Illinois residents with FOID cards, a number that has nearly doubled over the past decade, according to state police data. The number of concealed carry licenses has swelled from 90,301 in 2014 to 343,299 in 2020.
A worker shows a customer a gun at Maxon Shooter’s Supplies and Indoor Range on June 17, 2020 in Des Plaines. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
The year’s first spike in gun purchases came in March, as COVID-19 began to take hold in the United States and Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a stay-at-home order aimed at slowing the virus’s spread. In that month alone, there were 64,000 background checks performed in anticipation of a firearm sale, according to state police.
That record, however, was shattered in June, when federally licensed dealers reported more than 65,000 serious inquiries. The spike coincided with social unrest stemming from high-profile killings of Black people by police and the country’s historic reckoning with systemic racism.
State police can track the number of inquires through the Firearms Transfer Inquiry Program, which requires federally licensed dealers to perform background checks on customers before guns can be purchased. Though the check — known as an FTIP — doesn’t necessarily mean a sale was made, law enforcement typically views it as signaling a gun purchase.
Barry Torphy, owner of Bat Arms gun store, sells a variety of guns ranging from pistols to rifles and ammunition in Plano. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)
But in fact, the number of actual guns purchased during the past year is probably greater than the 506,104 recorded FTIPs because the state has a limited ability to track private sales and cannot easily determine if multiple firearms were sold as part of single background check.
Gun experts worry the hundreds of thousands of guns put into legal circulation during this period could eventually result in a flood of illegal guns hitting the street, as the fears and tensions driving much of the 2020 increase fade.
Without a perceived need, the weapons could fall into the wrong hands through private sales or online marketplaces that are less regulated, authorities said. Guns also enter the secondary market through home and automobile burglaries.
“It was a fear-driven surge of purchasing” said gun policy expert Mark Jones, also a former special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “Nobody knows (for sure) what is going to happen, but if history is a guide, they are going to find their way into the hands of people who shouldn’t have them.”
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That can lead to more violent crime, experts agreed. And more guns inside homes pose another risk: the potential to be used in suicides.
“Suicide is the leading cause of firearm death,” said Cassandra Crifasi, deputy director of the gun violence prevention center at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Homes that have guns have suicide rates that are as much as three times higher than homes without guns. It’s not just a risk of interpersonal gun violence. It’s an increase in self-harm.”
Adding to the worry is studies showing that a significant number of the purchasers — up to 40% — are first-time buyers, Crifasi said. This means the need for in-person training and education around safe gun storage is as critical as it is challenging during the pandemic.
“These are record-high spikes,” Crifasi said. “The major concern in my mind is the data we are seeing indicating so many (purchases) are occurring among first-time gun buyers, who might not have access (to training) because of the restrictions. There are some groups doing online training. But in my mind, nothing beats hands-on training.”
Amid the record-high spike, ISP has struggled to keep up with FOID applications and now has a processing period of about 121 days. The average processing time for a concealed carry license is 145 days, according to ISP.
A gun safety advocate and retired ATF agent displays his firearm owner's identification card on May 8, 2019, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
The agency has about 144,476 pending FOID applications. Second Amendment advocates sued over the backlog in 2019 when there were 60,000 people waiting.
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Republican state lawmakers, some of whom are longtime critics of the FOID card’s very existence, are calling on the state to suspend the permitting process until the agency can improve its response time.
“When it comes to our most basic rights, like the right to keep and bear arms, there is no room for error or delay,” said state Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville. “I hear every single day from frustrated constituents who have been waiting months upon months to receive renewals or initial FOID cards and concealed carry licenses. The Pritzker administration is failing to lead on this issue. Illinoisans deserve better.”
Kelly acknowledged the wait time is unacceptable, but he said state police have taken several steps to address the backlog. In addition to hiring 21 new firearms-eligibility analysts, the agency also has modernized its call center, eliminated unnecessary steps in the permitting process and allowed expired cards to remain valid during the wait period.
The changes have resulted in 216,805 FOID applications and 50,577 concealed carry licenses processed this year, according to ISP.
“We certainly want to bring down that backlog,” Pritzker said at a news conference this week where he addressed the new information. “In 2020 there was a significant increase in purchases of firearms, by an enormous amount. And so it just exacerbated the backlog that already existed, that ISP is now attempting to whittle down.”
Kelly, however, contends ISP efforts cannot be substantially improved until state lawmakers give the agency authority to eliminate some redundancies in the FOID, CCL and FTIP procedures. Saying the permit process has not evolved enough since its inception in the 1960s, Kelly told the Tribune the system needs to be more about identifying people deemed too dangerous to have guns and less about making law-abiding residents wade through bureaucratic tape to get their card renewed.
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For example, he would like to revamp the system to increase the focus on FOID cards that are revoked because of criminal records or mental health concerns. Roughly 10,000 FOID holders had their cards revoked in 2020, with 4,300 of those people filling out the required paperwork and accounting for their guns.
The 43% compliance rate marks a significant improvement over last year’s 28%.
A Tribune investigation earlier this year found more than 30,000 revoked FOID cardholders had failed to account for their guns since 2015. It’s a potentially deadly problem that was highlighted in February 2019, when a revoked cardholder fatally shot five co-workers and wounded several others, including five police officers, at the Henry Pratt Co. warehouse in Aurora with a pistol he never should have been allowed to keep.
“Aurora showed to everyone that Illinois should be using less of our resources on an antiquated, outdated, inefficient, ineffective renewal process from the 1960s and more on enforcement against real threats to public safety,” Kelly said. “Our people believe in building a system that makes it hard for the bad guys and simple and safe for the good guys. The Illinois State Police will keep pushing hard, but frankly we will need authority from the legislature to untangle, streamline and integrate the aging patchwork of FOID, concealed carry, firearms transactions and records checks if we are going to fulfill this mission.”
Some lawmakers already have voiced support for finding ways to reduce the administrative hurdles — if they can’t abolish the FOID card requirement completely.
“We should eliminate the FOID card requirement,” said state Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis, a former prosecutor. “While that might not be possible given the current makeup of the General Assembly, the legislature should immediately pass reforms to ensure Illinoisans can exercise their Second Amendment rights without unnecessary delays in the FOID and concealed carry card process. Let’s get to work in Springfield.”
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Chicago Tribune’s Dan Petrella and Jamie Munks contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-12-10--Deadliest year ever for fatal opioid overdoses in Cook County. ‘These are losses that could and shou

Deadliest year ever for fatal opioid overdoses in Cook County. ‘These are losses that could and should be prevented.’

Blacks and Latinos make up 63 % of the deaths even though they represent less than half of the county @ @ @ @ @ she said .
Men account for more than three-quarters of the cases .
The 45- @ @ @ @ @ most likely to die from an overdose , followed by 55- to 64-year-olds .

Cook County will end 2020 with its deadliest year for opioid overdoses, according to data from the medical examiner’s office that underscores how a chronic public health crisis raged to record levels amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The county’s confirmed opioid overdose deaths this year have already surpassed last year’s record-breaking tally, with 1,498 cases compared with 2019′s 1,277, according to chief medical examiner Dr. Ponni Arunkumar.
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There are more than 600 death cases still pending, and about 70% to 80% of them are expected to be ruled as opioid-related. Arunkumar said Cook County is on track to exceed 2,000 opioid deaths this year.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has overshadowed the opioid crisis this year, but this crisis deserves our attention,” Arunkumar said at a news conference Wednesday. “For 2,000 families across Cook County, (2020) will be remembered as the year that opioids took their son or daughter, parent, sibling and uncle or dear friend. These are losses that could and should be prevented.”
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The Chicago Recovery Alliance, a group helping with opioid addiction, is on the street at Cermak at Washtenaw in Chicago in 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Blacks and Latinos make up 63% of the deaths even though they represent less than half of the county’s total population, she said. Men account for more than three-quarters of the cases. The 45- to 54-year-old age group is most likely to die from an overdose, followed by 55- to 64-year-olds.
“We’re in a very bad place,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said at the news conference. “This is an extraordinary time, and surely levels of stress and anxiety are very high, and sometimes folks are tempted to deal with that stress and anxiety with self-medication.”
Arunkumar said 2020′s caseload was already above the same period last year before the pandemic, but there was a spike after Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued his stay-at-home order in March. Fentanyl, an extremely powerful synthetic drug, was the most common opioid in the cases this year.
Officials with the Cook County Department of Public Health revealed a multiyear project with the nonprofit Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities to curb opioid overdoses in suburban Cook County. It will kick off with a partnership among 12 police departments and communities for naloxone distribution and “deflection sites,” senior medical officer Dr. Kiran Joshi said.
Naloxone is a medication that rapidly reverses opioid overdose. Deflection entails approaching someone who is at high risk of an overdose, has previously overdosed or is in need of substance abuse treatment and connecting them with case management and other treatment options that don’t involve the criminal justice system or emergency departments, according to Jac Charlier, executive director of TASC’s Center for Health and Justice.
A Chicago Recovery Alliance outreach worker shows off a bottle of Narcan, which are distributed to clients requesting them at the traveling CRA van, July 16, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Other resources provided would include help with housing, transportation and employment.
As of Wednesday, 78 law enforcement officers were trained in naloxone administration and 169 kits were disseminated, Joshi said. The goal is to give out 2,500 kits by the end of September and train 1,900 officers in their use.
The program is funded by a multiyear grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Joshi said.
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Three suburban police chiefs who participated in a pilot of the project spoke at the news conference about how pervasive opioids are in some areas. Maywood police Chief Vladimir Talley said his ZIP code 60153, which also includes Broadview, has one of suburban Cook County’s highest mortality rates in opioid overdoses. His officers have deployed naloxone at least 42 times, often on a weekly basis, he said.
“At one point, the entire length of 159th Street was nicknamed the Heroin Highway,” Markham police Chief Terry White said. “At its height, we were seeing two to three deaths by overdose every month. One death is too many.”
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-10--Column: Chief Justice John Roberts, please do America a favor and make Donald Trump go away

So , when the Texas lawsuit appears on the desk of the justices , all of them should deny it @ @ @ @ @ did the Pennsylvania case .
But this time , Roberts needs to speak up and @ @ @ @ @ sign their name in agreement .

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts arrives before President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 4, 2020. (Leah Millis / AP)
Only one person has the power to stop Donald Trump’s dangerous quest to get the judicial system to overturn the presidential election. That is the chief justice of the United States.
I am begging you, Chief Justice John Roberts. Please do America a favor and tell Trump to go somewhere and sit down.
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Perhaps Roberts thought the two-line order the Supreme Court issued Tuesday in response to the frivolous lawsuit brought by Pennsylvania Republicans attempting to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in that state would get the point across.
________
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The Chicago Tribune publishes a variety of columnists. Columns are opinion content that reflect the views of the writers and not necessarily the Chicago Tribune
________
“The application for injunctive relief presented to Justice Alito and by him referred to the Court is denied,” the high court wrote without a noted dissent from the three Trump-appointed justices he thought were solidly in his pocket.
But that wasn’t enough. Trump doesn’t recognize subtlety.
While presiding over Trump’s Senate impeachment trial in January, Roberts learned a lot about how Trump manages to weasel his way out of tight or embarrassing situations. Roberts should have known that Trump wouldn’t think the order applied to him.
Trump blew off the Supreme Court’s rejection, saying that his legal team had nothing to do with the Pennsylvania lawsuit, so the order doesn’t reflect on his efforts to overturn the election.
Trump has, however, thrown his support behind another far-fetched lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton alleging that four states which Biden won skewed election results by enacting unlawful changes to their voting laws to expand access during COVID-19.
Trump called the case against the battleground states of Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan “very strong” and suggested that his campaign would join in along with several other states.
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“We will be INTERVENING in the Texas (plus many other states) case. This is the big one. Our Country needs a victory!” Trump tweeted Wednesday.
Missouri, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia later filed a brief supporting the effort.
Roberts needs to shut this mess down immediately. He could do it with a simple, pointed statement — in all caps.
“DONALD TRUMP, YOU LOST THE ELECTION. THERE WAS NO WIDESPREAD VOTER FRAUD. JOE BIDEN WON FAIR AND SQUARE!”
Of course, the chief justice would state the case for dismissing the lawsuit more eloquently than I. But Roberts needs to let Trump know plainly that these ridiculous, unsubstantiated lawsuits brought by Rudy Giuliani and other Republicans trying to get in Trump’s good graces are rubbish.
No respectful judge sitting on a bench anywhere in America would give credence to Trump’s unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud and certainly not the highest court in the land.
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It is abundantly clear that not even the most conservative judges are willing to undo the results of a fair national election to allow a president who wants to be a dictator to get closer to his goal.
The idea of disenfranchising millions of Americans, most of them African Americans, seems appalling to them. They want no part of it.
Some have made that clear. In late November, a conservative three-member U.S. federal appeals court panel in Pennsylvania unanimously agreed to dismiss the Trump campaign’s effort to stop the state from certifying election results.
Judge Stephanos Bibas, a Trump appointee, wrote the opinion stating that the campaign’s claims have no merit. But he went further.
“Charges of unfairness are serious. But calling an election unfair does not make it so,” Bibas wrote. “Charges require specific allegations and then proof. We have neither here.”
America needs Roberts to say loud and clear that the election was not rigged.
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It’s not that far-fetched to suggest that Roberts might want to issue a scathing public rebuke of Trump. Think back to the impeachment trial.
It was heartbreaking to watch the chief justice of the United States rendered so helpless. The Constitution placed him at the helm of the most significant case a chief justice could ever hear, but it did not grant him power to participate.
It made the highest jurist in America appear meek and vulnerable. But he also seemed more human.
Day after day, we watched him sitting on the bench, fidgeting with his hands and squirming in his seat as lawyers and lawmakers stated their case.
He appeared more like us than ever — a person with feelings, opinions and the right to think whatever he chose about whether Trump obstructed justice or otherwise broke the law.
Inevitably, Roberts would have his day in court — the Supreme Court. That likely has been one of Trump’s greatest fears, and the reason he rushed to appoint Amy Coney Barrett as a tiebreaker should his election fraud case come before the court.
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I don’t always agree with Roberts’ decisions, but I think he is a brilliant and thorough jurist who bases each decision on the law. No doubt, any cases that involved Trump’s reelection would be met with the same due process.
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But there is another problem — the human issue.
After weeks of testimony at the impeachment trial, Roberts cannot un-hear all the things he heard. He cannot un-know the damaging things he learned. And because he is human, every bit of that information is tucked away in his head.
As much as Roberts might try to keep it at bay, tidbits trickle into his judgment regarding Trump and could find its way into a ruling. That’s the problem with being human.
So, when the Texas lawsuit appears on the desk of the justices, all of them should deny it a hearing just as they did the Pennsylvania case. But this time, Roberts needs to speak up and all the other justices should sign their name in agreement.
“DONALD TRUMP, IT’S OVER. AMERICA IS MOVING ON AND SO SHOULD YOU!”
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dglanton@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @dahleeng


chicagotribune--2020-12-10--Tenants’ advocates, real estate industry gear up for clash over proposed Cook County residential ten

Tenants’ advocates, real estate industry gear up for clash over proposed Cook County residential tenant, landlord ordinance

Landlords would be given timelines to address upkeep of their properties and would be subject to lease terminations or losing @ @ @ @ @ deadlines .
For example , minor problems , defined as repairs that don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ or half a month ’ s rent , whichever is greater , must be fixed @ @ @ @ @ or else the renter can fix it themselves and deduct the cost from their rent @

A simmering debate between tenants’ advocates and the real estate industry in Cook County is set to boil this month when a Board of Commissioners panel is expected to vote on a proposal to toughen suburban renters’ rights amid the pandemic-sparked housing crisis.
The proposal, dubbed the Residential Tenant Landlord Ordinance, brought by county commissioners Scott Britton and Kevin Morrison, would cement heightened landlord regulations throughout the suburbs, where about 245,000 households are renters not covered by such codes that only exist in three cities in the county: Chicago, Evanston and Mount Prospect.
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It is based on the city of Chicago’s own code that has guided leases since 1986, much to the ire of some landlords who say it overreaches and stifles the market.
During a virtual news conference on Tuesday, supporters of the proposed Cook County ordinance said while the need for suburban renters to have such protections always has existed, the feared eviction wave from the coronavirus pandemic makes the stakes all the more drastic.
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“It’s certainly very clear to everyone that housing is a basic human need,” Britton said.
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But Jeff Weinberg, a Chicago landlord and board member of the Neighborhood Building Owners Alliance, said he believes the legislation would diminish affordable housing in suburban Cook County. It would bury landlords in legal fees and other costs, pressuring them to raise rent, Weinberg said, adding that Chicago’s existing RLTO has hindered his business from expanding.
“An ordinance is a good thing, and I support it,” Weinberg, whose business operates in 25 buildings, told the Tribune. “At the same time, it shouldn’t be built on what I’ll call this myth that landlords are evil.”
Britton said that he believes “99% of landlords are great,” but the bad apples must be weeded out.
Evergreen Park renter Sharon Norwood said she’s experienced nightmarish apartment conditions herself and backs the potential ordinance because her repeated complaints about lack of air conditioning and heating circulation, mold and plumbing issues went ignored. At one point, Norwood said, she draped large quilts over her doors to keep warm during the winter.
Sharon Norwood at her home in Evergreen Park on Dec. 6, 2020. Norwood is a supporter of a proposed Cook County landlord tenant ordinance. (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune)
“It was a nightmare for me to be there,” Norwood said. “When you are a renter, you feel like you have no voice out here.”
The proposal duplicates existing parts of Illinois law, such as prohibiting landlords from retaliating against complaints to government authorities or from locking out tenants without the proper eviction process.
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The legislation also would prohibit landlords from charging late fees greater than $10 a month for the first $1,500 in rent plus 5% per month for amounts over $1,500. It outlines when and how landlords can evict renters. Security deposits would be limited to no more than one-and-a-half month’s rent and must be returned within 21 days, and such payments cannot be disguised as “move-in” fees, under the proposal.
Landlords would be given timelines to address upkeep of their properties and would be subject to lease terminations or losing rent should they miss the deadlines. For example, minor problems, defined as repairs that don’t cost more than $500 or half a month’s rent, whichever is greater, must be fixed in 14 days upon notification or else the renter can fix it themselves and deduct the cost from their rent.
Sharon Norwood shows pictures of her old house at her home in Evergreen Park on Dec. 6, 2020. (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Landlords who both operate and live inside residential buildings with six or fewer units are not subject to the legislation.
If passed by the county board, the proposed ordinance, which is in the Zoning and Building committee, would go into effect June 1, except for the anti-lockout provision that would apply immediately.
Tom Benedetto, government affairs director at the Chicagoland Apartment Association, said he expects the new ordinance would lead to excessive punishments for landlords who commit “minor infractions.” That would be especially dire during a pandemic that has hurt not just renters but also landlords, he said.
His organization had joined with NBOA and the Illinois Realtors in November to ask the Board of Commissioners to postpone talks of an RLTO until after the pandemic’s recession subsides, but their pleas were ignored.
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“It’s really difficult to reconcile that (landlords) were kind of forgotten during the first part of the pandemic,” Benedetto told the Tribune.
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-10--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 8,256 new COVID-19 cases and 179 additional deaths reported as Chic

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 8,256 new COVID-19 cases and 179 additional deaths reported as Chicago officials say they hope to vaccinate all city adults in 2021

“ I ’ ve heard from a number of restaurateurs about this issue but the one thing they ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ this very difficult year for them is just be fair .
Make sure that whatever @ @ @ @ @ they are enforced uniformly , that there ’ s no exceptions , and when people @ @ @ @ @ are held accountable , ” Lightfoot said .
“ Ald .
Tunney understands that he @ @ @ @ @ break the rules .
He didn ’ t just break them as a businessperson .
@ @ @ @ @ alderman who swore an oath to live and abide by a higher set of standards @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s one of the things I ’ ve been hearing a lot from @ @ @ @ @ them really angry and animated about this .
”

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CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
With federal approval for two coronavirus vaccines expected soon, Chicago officials said Wednesday they hope to vaccinate all city adults in 2021 as they laid out their plans to roll out the vaccine.
But even as city officials celebrated the news of imminent vaccine approval, Mayor Lori Lightfoot warned residents to follow public health guidance and not grow complacent because widespread community vaccination is still “many months away.
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The city’s announcement came as Illinois health officials on Wednesday reported 8,256 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 179 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 812,430 and the statewide death toll to 13,666 since the start of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday when an advisory committee is set to meet and discuss Pfizer’s request for emergency-use authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine. Here’s what the FDA approval will mean for Chicago and the rest of Illinois.
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Here’s what’s happening Wednesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
9:30 p.m.: US tops 3,000 daily deaths from COVID-19 for first time
The U.S. topped 3,000 deaths Wednesday in what is a single-day record, according to the COVID Tracking Project. That’s surpassed the level seen during last spring’s peak in and around New York City.
New cases per day have rocketed to more than 200,000 on average, and the number of patients in the hospital with COVID-19 stood at almost 105,000 on Tuesday, another all-time high.
Read more here. —Associated Press
4:45 p.m.: Indiana to cancel, delay elective surgeries as COVID-19 surges, Gov. Holcomb says
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said Wednesday hospitals are ordered to cancel or delay elective surgeries from Dec. 16 to Jan. 3.
The announcement came as Indiana looks for options to fight the nation’s second highest per-capita COVID-19 spread, straining its healthcare system.
“The state of Indiana is on fire,” Holcomb said, noting doctors and nurses are “overwhelmed.”
The state had halted elective medical procedures in April to help preserve hospital equipment and protective gear. State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box said the surgery restrictions will allow hospitals to shift health care workers to help care for patients with COVID-19.
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Holcomb, a Republican, said he was extending the statewide mask order and toughening restrictions on crowd sizes that he reinstated last month. The new rules will prevent local health departments from allowing exemptions for social gatherings of more than 25 people in counties with red ratings and more than 50 people in orange-rated counties.
Read more here. —Meredith Colias-Pete
4:10 p.m.: Lightfoot ‘deeply disappointed’ in Wrigleyville Ald. Tom Tunney after his Ann Sather restaurant breaks pandemic indoor dining rules
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she’s “deeply disappointed” in Wrigleyville Ald. Tom Tunney after the longtime alderman acknowledged letting people eat inside his Ann Sather restaurant despite city and state rules designed to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
Tunney, whose restaurant is facing up to $10,500 in possible fines from the city, “knows that he did wrong” and “will absolutely be held accountable,” Lightfoot said.
“I’ve heard from a number of restaurateurs about this issue but the one thing they’ve consistently said to me throughout this very difficult year for them is just be fair. Make sure that whatever the rules are, that they are enforced uniformly, that there’s no exceptions, and when people break those rules, they are held accountable,” Lightfoot said. “Ald. Tunney understands that he made an intentional decision to break the rules. He didn’t just break them as a businessperson. He broke them as an alderman who swore an oath to live and abide by a higher set of standards than the average person and that’s one of the things I’ve been hearing a lot from people that’s made them really angry and animated about this.”
Tunney, a key member of Lightfoot’s City Council leadership team as her hand-picked chair of the Zoning Committee, previously acknowledged diners have been eating inside his Belmont Avenue restaurant and called it an “error in judgment.”
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Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
3:50 p.m.: Lightfoot-backed plan to let Cubs defer infrastructure payment to city advances
Chicago aldermen moved a step closer Wednesday to letting the Cubs put off a $250,000 payment for infrastructure work around Wrigley Field.
The proposal backed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot allows the team to make the scheduled 2021 “CubFund Project” payment in 2024. It passed the City Council License Committee on Wednesday, and will head to the full council next week.
In introducing the ordinance last month, on the same day she got aldermen to approve a $94 million property tax hike and other fine and fee increases to help balance the 2021 budget, the mayor cited the Cubs’ loss of revenue during the coronavirus pandemic.
On Wednesday, Southwest Side Ald. George Cardenas, 12th, nodded to the potentially problematic optics of giving the billionaire Ricketts family that owns the team a break on neighborhood improvement funds while regular Chicagoans are struggling.
“Someone has to explain, to a least me, from such an organization that has strong financial backing, obviously, it’s a billion-dollar industry, a billion-dollar entity, why we should defer this payment, besides the fact that there’s no baseball and there’s other things in play,” Cardenas said.
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Read more here. —John Byrne
2:18 p.m.: If you didn’t get a stimulus check, filing your 1040 can fix that. Here are 2020 tax tips you need to know.
It’s the time of year to start thinking about taxes — but the upcoming filing season is going to be a bit trickier for many Americans due to rampant unemployment, working from home and general upheaval due to COVID-19.
Here are a few pandemic specific conditions — good and bad — to be aware of.
Read more here. —Associated Press
1:57 p.m.: Only about half of Americans want to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, AP-NORC poll finds
As states frantically prepare to begin months of vaccinations that could end the pandemic, a new poll finds only about half of Americans are ready to roll up their sleeves when their turn comes.
The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows about a quarter of U.S. adults aren’t sure if they want to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. Roughly another quarter say they won’t.
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Many on the fence have safety concerns and want to watch how the initial rollout fares — skepticism that could hinder the campaign against the scourge that has killed nearly 290,000 Americans. Experts estimate at least 70% of the U.S. population needs to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, or the point at which enough people are protected that the virus can be held in check.
Read more here. —Associated Press
1:52 p.m.: Tensions rise over mask requirements as coronavirus grips smaller US cities: ‘The worst health crisis ... and we’re fighting over a mask’
Arguments over mask requirements and other restrictions have turned ugly in recent days as the deadly coronavirus surge across the U.S. engulfs small and medium-size cities that once seemed at a safe remove from the outbreak.
In Boise, Idaho, public health officials about to vote on a four-county mask mandate abruptly ended a meeting Tuesday evening because of fears for their safety amid anti-mask protests outside the building and at some of their homes. One health board member tearfully announced she had to rush home to be with her child because protesters were banging on her front door.
In California, Sacramento County health officials had to suspend a meeting Tuesday after more than two dozen protesters pounded on the chamber doors during a debate over whether to strengthen enforcement against businesses that violate virus restrictions.
And in South Dakota, the mayor of Rapid City said City Council members were harassed and threatened over a proposed citywide mask mandate that failed this week even as intensive care units across the state filled with COVID-19 patients.
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“I think that’s a sad commentary here in the middle of a global pandemic, the worst health crisis in our lifetimes, and we’re fighting over a mask,” Mayor Steve Allender said.
Read more here. —Associated Press
1:34 p.m.: Oak Park approved as vaccination provider, could receive COVID-19 vaccines by mid-December
After the village of Oak Park received approval from the state as a vaccination provider, officials say they could begin offering COVID-19 vaccines to frontline employees later this month.
As one of the few towns with its own municipal health department, the village of Oak Park applied for and received approval from the state on Nov. 27 to become an authorized vaccine provider once a vaccine is approved, officials said.
Read more here. —Steve Schering, Pioneer Press
1:30 p.m.: Chicago officials outline initial coronavirus vaccine distribution plans: ‘We are very ready for the vaccine as it comes’
With federal approval for two coronavirus vaccines expected soon, Chicago officials said Wednesday they hope to vaccinate all city adults in 2021 as they laid out their plans to roll out the vaccine.
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Initial vaccine doses will be sent to all 34 hospitals in the city, officials said. Health care workers who treat COVID-19 patients or are at high risk for coronavirus spread will be first to receive it, the city said.
After health care workers, vaccines will be prioritized for a broad group of people including residents and staff at long-term care facilities, people with high risk due to underlying medical conditions, people who are 65 and older, and workers in “essential and critical industries.”
That broad designation potentially allows a wide array of people to be eligible, though public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said the definition of essential workers likely will be clarified through additional guidance from federal officials.
The city expects somewhere between 100,000-150,000 doses to be available in December, though that’s just an estimate.
”We are excited about this, we are very ready for the vaccine as it comes,” Arwady said.
Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
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12:06 p.m.: 8,256 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 179 additional deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Wednesday announced 8,256 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 179 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 812,430 and the statewide death toll to 13,666 since the start of the pandemic. Officials also reported 92,737 new tests in the last 24 hours.
The seven-day statewide rolling positivity rate for cases as a share of total tests was 9.6% for the period ending Tuesday.
—Chicago Tribune staff
8:28 a.m.: Trump offers $600 direct payments, but would eliminate $300 unemployment boost in COVID-19 relief plan
The Trump administration is back in the middle of Capitol Hill’s confusing COVID-19 negotiations, offering a $916 billion package to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that would send a $600 direct payment to most Americans but eliminate a $300-per-week employment benefit favored by a bipartisan group of Senate negotiators.
The offer arrived Tuesday with the endorsement of the top House Republican and appeared to demonstrate some flexibility by powerful Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. But Democrats immediately blasted the plan over the administration’s refusal to back the partial restoration, to $300 per week, of bonus pandemic jobless benefits that lapsed in August.
The House on Wednesday will pass a one-week government funding bill to give lawmakers more time to sort through the hot mess they have created for themselves after months of futile negotiations and posturing and recent rounds of flip-flopping. Without the measure, the government would shut down this weekend.
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President-elect Joe Biden is pressing for as much pandemic relief as possible, though he’s not directly involved in the talks. McConnell says Congress will not adjourn without providing the long-overdue COVID-19 relief. The pressure to deliver is intense — all sides say failure isn’t an option.
Read more here. —Associated Press
8:16 a.m.: Rockford-area coroner buys refrigerated trailer as COVID-19 surges
The Rockford-area coroner’s office has purchased a refrigerated trailer in the event deaths related to COVID-19 overwhelm the office’s capacity to store bodies.
The purchase of the $30,000 trailer was made as the county’s morgue neared capacity, Winnebago County Coroner Bill Hintz said.
“The way our numbers were rising at an alarming level, and I do say alarming, I did not want to be caught without any spaces left,” he said.
Read more here. —Associated Press
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Updated at 8:15 a.m.: British regulators: Those with ‘significant history’' of allergic reactions should hold off on COVID-19 vaccine
U.K. regulators said Wednesday that people who have a “significant history’' of allergic reactions shouldn’t receive the new Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine while they investigate two adverse reactions that occurred on the first day of the country’s mass vaccination program.
The U.K.’s Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency is looking into whether the reactions were linked to the vaccine. The two people affected were staff members with the National Health Service who had a history of allergies, and both are recovering. Authorities have not specified what their reactions were.
In the meantime, the regulator has issued the warning for anyone who has had a significant allergic reaction to a vaccine, medicine or food. That includes anyone who has been told to carry an adrenaline shot or others who have had potentially fatal allergic reactions.
Read more here. —Associated Press
6:45 a.m.: 5 Bloomington bars & restaurants fined for violating COVID-19 restrictions
Five Bloomington bars and restaurants were fined by the city’s liquor commission Tuesday for violating state-imposed mitigation measures to slow the coronavirus pandemic.
Three others still face a decision before the Bloomington Liquor Commission.
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Last month, Bloomington Mayor and Liquor Commissioner Tari Renner announced five businesses were issued citations for violating those measures. They included Eastland Suites, 1801 Eastland Drive; Parkview Inn, 1003 S. Morris Ave.; Garden of Paradise, 1412 E. Empire St.; Western Avenue Tap, 1301 N. Western Ave.; and Cheeks Bar and Grill, 1206 Towanda Ave.
Since then, three others were cited, including Applebee’s, 502 N. Veterans Parkway, Joe’s Pub, 3907 General Electric Road, and Mickey’s Kitchen, at 1709 S. Veterans Parkway.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Nov. 1 that bars and restaurants would have to temporarily stop indoor service and have all outdoor service end by 11 p.m.
Last month, 12 Bloomington bars and restaurants were issued citations, and Renner held off on fines, but warned that any further violations could result in fines and the suspension or revocation of their liquor licenses.
Applebee’s, Cheeks Bar and Grill, Eastland Suites, Parkview Inn and Garden of Paradise all admitted wrongdoing and have already paid a $400 fine, said City Attorney George Boyle.
—Bloomington Pantagraph, via Tribune Content Agency
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5 a.m.: After a tough 2020, Chicagoans are going big with their holiday lawn decorations.
Seeking to shine a little extra light in a difficult year, Chicagoans are going big with their 2020 holiday lawn ornaments, festooning porches that usually go bare and debuting eye-catching and over-the-top pieces: Christmas unicorns and dragons, life-size Buddy the Elf blow-ups and towering 12-foot snowmen from “Frozen.”
In suburban Highland Park and in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood, residents came together to erect light arches over the sidewalk. In the Rogers Park neighborhood, Treacy Greer managed to hoist an 11-foot pine tree onto her third-floor deck and festoon it with 800 colored lights.
“It just seemed like a good year to go big,” said Rebeccah Willard, 43, an oncology nurse in Oak Park who bought an 11-foot inflatable reindeer. “I think everyone’s feeling we need a little more joy, 2020 being what it has been.”
During a recent earnings call with analysts, Home Depot CEO Craig A. Menear cited strong Halloween decor sales and said the company had similar expectations for Christmas. Customers, he said, appear to be craving normalcy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more here. —Nara Schoenberg
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