chicagotribune--2020-08-02--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,639 new known COVID-19 cases and 8 more deaths reported a day aft

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,639 new known COVID-19 cases and 8 more deaths reported a day after 11 counties put on ‘warning level’ for resurgence

First , the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast were hit hardest as the coronavirus tore through the nation .
Then @ @ @ @ @ .
Now the virus is again picking up dangerous speed in much of the Midwest @ @ @ @ @ Mississippi to Florida to California that thought they had already seen the worst of it @

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois announced 1,467 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday. The state also reported 14 additional deaths. Illinois now has 181,943 total known infections and 7,517 fatalities.
The new figures come two days after Illinois officials said 11 counties have been put on a state “warning level” based on key metrics for measuring the resurgence of COVID-19. The state classifies a county as reaching a “warning level” when it sees an increase in at least two risk indicators under the state’s coronavirus resurgence mitigation plan.
Advertisement
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
[ Illinois’ new COVID-19 plan: How the state will manage any outbreaks in 3 charts ]
[ Illinois coronavirus graphs: Here's the latest data on deaths, confirmed cases, tests and more ]
Here’s what’s happening this weekend with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
Sunday
US small business bailout money flowed to Chinese-owned companies, analysis shows
President Donald Trump has blamed China for the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis, but as the White House looks to stabilize small businesses in the United States, the rescue effort has had an unintended beneficiary: Chinese companies.
Advertisement
Millions of dollars of U.S. taxpayer money have flowed to China from the $660 billion Paycheck Protection Program that was created in March to be a lifeline for struggling small businesses in the United States. But because the economic relief legislation allowed U.S. subsidiaries of foreign firms to receive the loans, a substantial chunk of the money went to America’s biggest economic rival, a new analysis shows. Read more here. — The New York Times
Dr. Deborah Birx says US in a ‘new phase’ of COVID-19 pandemic
White House coronavirus task force leader Dr. Deborah Birx says widespread coronavirus infections in urban and rural America mark a “new phase” for the pandemic as she doubled down on calls to wear face masks and observe social distancing measures.
Birx, speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday morning, said “What we are seeing today is different from March and April. It is extraordinarily widespread.”
The United States has the world’s biggest number of cases at 4.6 million, or one-quarter of the total, and 154,361 deaths. Birx said mitigation efforts across the west and the south are beginning to work but warned that people need to take the virus seriously and employ significant safety precautions when cases first begin to tick up. Read more here. — Associated Press
Noah’s Ark Waterpark in Wisconsin closed after 2 employees test positive for COVID-19
A popular Wisconsin Dells attraction has closed until further notice after two employees tested positive for the coronavirus.
Noah’s Ark Waterpark announced the closing Saturday on its website. In a statement, Noah’s Ark says it has implemented extensive safety protocols since opening this summer. Read more here. —Associated Press
Have questions about Chicago Public Schools’ fall plan? Here’s what you need to know, as CPS gives parents a week to opt out of in-person classes.
If all goes according to the current proposal, most Chicago Public Schools students will return to classrooms for in-person learning two days a week in September.
But even before CPS makes a final decision about whether to reopen schools, parents have learned that they must indicate by Aug. 7 whether their children will participate in the proposed hybrid approach or stick with all remote learning. Read more here. — Claire Hao
Advertisement
Saturday
Moms and daughters growing closer during coronavirus pandemic, survey finds
Many parents have felt the stress of balancing being a parent, a de facto teacher and a child’s sole entertainer during months stuck at home amid the coronavirus pandemic.
But there also are silver linings.
Some moms say the quarantine has helped them grow closer to their daughters. Recent research from anthropologist Grant McCracken indicates that moms are fostering closer bonds; he said among the more than 500 moms in the United States that he surveyed, 59% said they felt the relationship between mother and daughter was becoming more connected.
“That was striking,” he said. Out of all possible relationships in the home, “This was the one that was really flourishing.”
That’s the case for Lindsay Kosciuk, a Bartlett, Ill., mom who said she and her 9-year-old daughter have been able to spend more time together, without the usual packed schedule — swim lessons, play dates, camps.
“Without so many distractions, our bond is even stronger than it was before,” she said. “I have to be her mom, teacher and best friend to really fill the void that COVID has left.”
Advertisement
Read more here. —Alison Bowen
After plummeting, COVID-19 is again picking up dangerous speed in much of the Midwest
First, the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast were hit hardest as the coronavirus tore through the nation. Then it surged across the South. Now the virus is again picking up dangerous speed in much of the Midwest — and in cities from Mississippi to Florida to California that thought they had already seen the worst of it.
As the United States rides what amounts to a second wave of cases, with daily new infections leveling off at an alarming higher mark, there is a deepening national sense that the progress made in fighting the pandemic is coming undone and that no patch of America is safe.
In Missouri, Wisconsin and Illinois, distressed government officials are retightening restrictions on residents and businesses, and sounding warnings about a surge in coronavirus-related hospitalizations.
Read more here. —The New York Times
1,639 new known COVID-19 cases and 8 more fatalities reported
Illinois health officials on Saturday announced 1,639 new known cases of COVID-19 and 8 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known cases to 180,476 and the statewide death toll to 7,503 since the start of the pandemic. Officials also reported 39,809 new tests in the last 24 hours. The seven-day statewide positivity rate is 3.9%.
Advertisement
See more coronavirus data here. —Chicago Tribune staff
Negotiators report progress as Trump, GOP soften on opposition to $600 unemployment bump
Lawmakers participating in rare weekend talks on a huge coronavirus relief measure reported progress on Saturday, as political pressure mounts to restore a newly expired $600-per-week supplemental unemployment benefit and send funding to help schools reopen.
“This was the longest meeting we had and it was more productive than the other meetings,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “We’re not close yet, but it was a productive discussion — now each side knows where they’re at.”
Schumer spoke alongside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., after meeting for three hours with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
The Democratic duo is eager for an expansive agreement, as are President Donald Trump and top Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. But perhaps one half of Senate Republicans, mostly conservatives and those not facing difficult races this fall, are likely to oppose any deal.
Prior talks yielded little progress. The administration is willing to extend the $600 jobless benefit, at least in the short term, but is balking at other Democratic demands like aid for state and local governments, food stamp increases, and assistance to renters and homeowners.
Advertisement
Read more here. —The Associated Press
CPS families given until Aug. 7 to opt out of in-person classes
Although no final decision has been made on what instruction will look like in Chicago Public Schools this fall, parents learned Friday that they have a week to decide whether they will opt their children out of the proposed hybrid approach for fall.
The state’s largest school system has been seeking feedback on its preliminary framework for fall, which combines two days a week of in-person classes with three days of remote learning. Officials have stressed that parents can opt out of in-person instruction for any reason, though the Chicago Teachers Union continues to push back against any reopening of schools this fall without what its members believe are adequate protections against the spread of COVID-19.
Many parents have indicated they share those concerns, but others have said that remote learning is a poor substitute for classroom instruction and that they trust school officials to mitigate the risks of coronavirus transmission.
Parents received word Friday that they will be required to indicate by Aug. 7, through a registration form to be sent to families soon, whether their children will opt-out of the hybrid plan.
Read more here. —Claire Hao


chicagotribune--2020-08-01--6 dead including 9-year-old boy, at least 15 wounded in shootings as weekend gets underway

On the West Side shortly before 2:45 a.m. , an unidentified woman was fatally wounded in the 4500 block of @ @ @ @ @ the city ’ s West Garfield Park neighborhood .
She was discovered on the back @ @ @ @ @ gunshot wounds to the back .
She was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital , where @ @ @ @ @ Police said there were no witnesses to the shooting .

Police officers and detectives enter the crime scene area where 9-year-old Janari Ricks was fatally shot in the 900 block of North Cambridge Avenue on July 31, 2020. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Six people were fatally wounded, including a 9-year-old boy, and at least 15 others were wounded since Friday evening, Chicago police said.
Among the dead is Janari Ricks, 9, who was playing behind the Cabrini Green townhomes with friends when a gunman walked up and opened fire, hitting Janari in the chest about 6:30 p.m. Friday. Janari was pronounced dead at Lurie Children’s Hospital at 6:59 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Advertisement
Other homicides include a 23-year-old man who was found with gunshot wounds to the chest and leg shortly before 6 a.m. in the 7700 block of South Phillips Avenue in the city’s South Shore neighborhood. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Minutes earlier on the Southwest Side at 5:25 a.m., a 44-year-old man was found shot in 6100 block of South Troy Street in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood. He died at the scene, and circumstances leading up to the fatal shooting were unknown, police said.
Advertisement
On the West Side shortly before 2:45 a.m., an unidentified woman was fatally wounded in the 4500 block of West End Avenue, in the city’s West Garfield Park neighborhood. She was discovered on the back porch of a residence with gunshot wounds to the back. She was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Police said there were no witnesses to the shooting.
About 1 a.m. during an outdoor party in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side, a 23-year-old unidentified man was fatally shot, and four people were wounded. Two gunmen began shooting into the backyard in the 100 block of North Laporte Avenue.
The 23-year-old was shot multiple times and was taken in critical condition to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, where he was pronounced dead, police said. Others wounded included an 18-year-old woman, an 18-year-old man, a 32-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman, all of whom were taken to area hospitals in good condition.
Shortly after 12:30 a.m., a 26-year-old man was fatally wounded inside a home in the 200 block of East 55th Place in the Washington Park neighborhood. He suffered wounds to the head and chest, and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Police said several others were wounded during nonfatal attacks:
About 1 p.m., a 20-year-old man was on the sidewalk in the 4900 block of West Iowa Street when a dark-colored vehicle pulled up and someone fired shots. He suffered wounds to the left arm, abdomen and back, and was taken in critical condition to Mount Sinai Hospital.
About 12:30 p.m., a 25-year-old man was driving in the South Chicago neighborhood in the 8500 block of South Exchange Avenue when a light-colored vehicle pulled alongside and someone opened fire at the victim. He was struck in the lower back, and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where his condition had “stabilized.”
About 4 a.m., a 25-year-old man was leaving a party in the Englewood neighborhood in the 5500 block of South Carpenter Street when he heard shots and felt pain. He suffered a wound to the right foot and was dropped off at the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.
Shortly before 3 a.m., a man and a woman were shot in the Roseland neighborhood in the 300 block of West 114th Street. Police said the woman, 45, was on the front porch, and the man, 36, was inside near the front door when they both were shot. The woman was hit in the abdomen area and hip, and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. The man was shot in the arm and was taken by a friend to Roseland Community Hospital.
Shortly after 12:30 a.m., a 42-year-old man was grazed in the back while driving in the Humboldt Park neighborhood in the 1100 block of North Homan Avenue. He got himself to St. Mary’s Hospital, where he was listed in good condition.
Shortly before 9 p.m. Friday, a 19-year-old man and 17-year-old boy were shot with driving in the Grand Crossing neighborhood in the 7100 block of South Dorchester Avenue. The man was shot in the right hand, and the boy suffered a wound to the left hand. They both went to the University of Chicago Medical Center.
About 8:30 p.m., a 34-year-old man was with a group of people in the 700 block of North Trumbull Avenue in the East Garfield Park neighborhood when he heard shots and felt pain. The man jumped a fence to escape but later discovered he was shot. He got himself to a hospital, where he was listed in fair condition.
About 7 p.m., two people were shot in the Gresham neighborhood in the 7600 block of South Green Street. A 50-year-old man who was working on a vehicle told people he saw a gray car approach, and someone opened fire, striking a 49-year-old man in the upper right arm and a 24-year-old man in the buttocks. Both of those victims were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.
dawilliams@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-01--Federal agent opens fire, thwarts West Side carjacking; suspect gets away

No one was shot or injured during the situation that unfolded about 6:20 p.m. near the intersection of Austin Boulevard @ @ @ @ @ South Austin neighborhood , according to Kimberly Nerheim , a spokeswoman for the Bureau of @ @ @ @ @ and Explosives .

An ATF agent intervened when he saw a carjacking and fired his gun at the suspect Friday night on Chicago’s West Side.
No one was shot or injured during the situation that unfolded about 6:20 p.m. near the intersection of Austin Boulevard and Madison Street in the South Austin neighborhood, according to Kimberly Nerheim, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Advertisement
“He pulled up, he witnesses it going on, gets out, identifies himself and ends up discharging his weapon,” Nerheim said.
It’s not clear how many times the agent, a regular full-time Chicago Field Division staffer who is not part of Operation Legend, fired, but no one was shot and the suspect or suspects got away.
Advertisement
Operation Legend is a recent federal law enforcement initiative created “to fight the sudden surge of violent crime” in U.S. cities, according to the Department of Justice. Under Operation Legend, federal agents are “surged” into select cities to work with state and local law enforcement. On July 22, President Donald Trump announced the expansion of Operation Legend to Chicago.
The crime scene was cleared by midnight.
ATF’s Office of Professional Responsibility is conducting a use-of-force investigation, and Chicago police are handling the carjacking probe, Nerheim said.
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-01--Meyers Leonard explains why he stood for national anthem — and why his teammates embraced him

Leonard , who is from rural Robinson , Ill. , and played collegiate ball at the University of Illinois , @ @ @ @ @ for several days as he agonized over the decision .
He explained his reasoning before @ @ @ @ @ several former ones , almost all of them Black — then stood near midcourt , @ @ @ @ @ as the song blared .

Heat center Meyers Leonard stands as teammates kneel during Saturday's playing of the anthem in the "NBA bubble" on Aug. 1, 2020. (Kevin C. Cox/AP)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla — Meyers Leonard has a brother who served two tours in Afghanistan with the U.S. Marines. He carries a military-themed backpack, wears combat boots and has a phone loaded with Navy SEALs who are his friends.
He also makes this clear: “I absolutely believe Black Lives Matter,” he said.
Advertisement
Still, Leonard simply could not bring himself to kneel for the national anthem.
Wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt over a jersey that he ordered to say “Equality,” and as all other coaches and players around him knelt, Leonard stood for the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” on Saturday before the Miami Heat re-opened their season by facing the Denver Nuggets at Walt Disney World.
Advertisement
“Some of the conversations I’ve had over the past three days, quite literally, have been the most difficult,” Leonard told The Associated Press prior to the game. “I am with the Black Lives Matter movement and I love and support the military and my brother and the people who have fought to defend our rights in this country.”
Leonard, who is from rural Robinson, Ill., and played collegiate ball at the University of Illinois, dealt with anxiety and sleeplessness for several days as he agonized over the decision. He explained his reasoning before Saturday to current teammates and several former ones, almost all of them Black — then stood near midcourt, hand over his heart, as the song blared.
“I am a compassionate human being and I truly love all people,” Leonard said. “I can’t fully comprehend how our world, literally and figuratively, has turned into Black and white. There’s a line in the sand, so to speak: ‘If you’re not kneeling, you’re not with us.’ And that’s not true.
“I will continue to use my platform, my voice and my actions to show how much I care about the African American culture and for everyone,” he added. “I live my life to serve and impact others in a positive way.”
The focus of this restarted NBA season, interrupted for more than 4-1/2 months by the coronavirus pandemic, has been to continue shining light on the need for racial justice and an end to police brutality. NBA teams are kneeling, often linking arms, for the pre-recorded national anthem along a sideline where “Black Lives Matter” is painted.
Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac, who is Black, stood for the anthem before his team’s game Friday and opted not to wear the ‘Black Lives Matter’ shirt that players and coaches have donned at Disney for the pregame ceremony.
The Orlando Magic's Jonathan Isaac stands as others kneel before the start of an NBA "bubble" basketball game on July 31, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Ashley Landis/AP)
Later Friday, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich and Spurs assistant Becky Hammon both stood for the anthem. Popovich, a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, stood with arms at his side. Hammon draped her arms over the shoulders of fellow assistant Will Hardy and Spurs guard Patty Mills.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich stands while wearing a mask as Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton, center, kneels with players on July 31, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Kim Klement/AP)
“I did feel a little bit of a load lifted off my shoulders when they did that,” Leonard said. “Each of those individuals had their own personal reasons, just as I do.”
Advertisement
Heat forward Andre Iguodala, a member of the National Basketball Players Association’s executive committee, said he respected Leonard’s choice.
“On the one hand, we’re saying, ‘We want you to see things from our perspective,’” Iguodala said. “But by saying that, I also have to see things from his perspective. And I can see where he’s coming from.”
Heat captain Udonis Haslem had multiple conversations with Leonard in recent days about his decision. Haslem has made several things clear; he originally wished to see Leonard kneel, but after those talks he came away with understanding — and vowed the Heat would support their teammate.
As the song ended, Haslem was the first to tap fists with Leonard.
“His being out there with us, as our brother, it’s still showing strength, it’s still showing unity, it’s still showing that we’re coming together for a common cause,” Haslem said. “People will question, ‘Why isn’t he doing it their way?’ Well, he’s standing by us. He’s supporting us. He’s with us.”
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 19 Players take a knee for the national anthem before the start of a game between the Nuggets and the Heat at HP Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on Aug. 1, 2020. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
Haslem has seen Leonard’s commitment to helping others. Leonard raised $180,000 in April by streaming himself playing video games online; that money went to causes such as Feeding South Florida, a group with which Haslem and the Heat worked closely.
Advertisement
And Saturday, Leonard said he and his wife will donate $100,000 to a fund that helps pay the fees Floridians leaving jails or prisons must settle before they can have their voting rights restored.
“Because I’ve listened to Udonis and am constantly inspired by him, every single one of those dollars will go to Overtown and Liberty City, where he grew up,” Leonard said, referring to two of Miami’s historic Black neighborhoods. “Those two parts of Miami were most heavily impacted by COVID-19 and voter suppression.”
Heat forward Jimmy Butler also tried to make a statement Saturday, walking onto the court with a jersey without any name on the back. He unsuccessfully lobbied the NBA to play in a jersey with just a number, and had to switch into a jersey with his name before the game could begin.
Former teammates have warned Leonard that he may deal with criticism, possibly from fellow NBA players. His eyes welled with tears many times in recent days as he worked through the decision, his reaction so strong that he was shaking when he explained his choice to Heat teammates.
It was not an easy decision. It may not be popular.
But Saturday morning, a few hours before the anthem, Bailey Leonard, the former Marine, texted his brother and said “Stay true to you. Stay the course. I love you. Your family loves you. Your community loves you.”
Advertisement
If Leonard had any doubt, it evaporated there.
“I know he’s proud of me,” Leonard said. “And if he’s proud of me, and if my brothers on this team are with me, then I know this is what I have to do.”


chicagotribune--2020-08-01--Illinois’ new COVID-19 plan: How the state will manage any outbreaks, in 3 charts

The plan also includes mitigation steps unique to different categories , like restaurants and bars , offices or salons , @ @ @ @ @ specifically respond to a type of outbreak in a specific part of the state .
@ @ @ @ @ s plan here .

Jemal R. Brinson, Nausheen Husain, Jonathon Berlin

Amid an uptick of COVID-19 cases over the past month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker laid out a new approach to managing any resurgence across the state.
The new approach is more surgical, dividing the state into 11 regions — Illinois’ existing Emergency Medical Services regions — and tightening the metrics officials will watch to determine if any action is warranted.
The plan also includes mitigation steps unique to different categories, like restaurants and bars, offices or salons, that could be used to specifically respond to a type of outbreak in a specific part of the state. Read more on Pritzker’s plan here.
Check our tracker for daily metrics for each region.
Here is a breakdown of the plan.


chicagotribune--2020-08-01--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-08-01--Illinois coronavirus graphs: 7,503 deaths, 180,476 confirmed cases and 2.74 million tests

• How are Illinois regions doing ?
Check our daily charts on where each region stands on positivity rate and @ @ @ @ @ .

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


chicagotribune--2020-08-01--Gunned down while playing outside, Janari Ricks, 9, was ‘an honor roll child’

On Friday evening , Janari was playing with friends behind the Cabrini Green townhomes in the 900 block of North @ @ @ @ @ opened fire into a parking lot around 6:45 p.m. , striking and killing the boy @ @ @ @ @ Chicago police said .
Police officials said they did not know who the target was @

Jalisa Ford sits on the ground on Aug. 1, 2020, while rubbing the walkway where her 9-year-old son, Janari Andre Ricks, was fatally shot while playing with friends at the Cabrini Green rowhouses the previous evening. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Janari Ricks loved math and showed an aptitude for it, learning his multiplication tables early and reciting them easily, his parents said.
“He was an excellent student,” his mother, Jalisa Ford, said. “He was an honor roll child.”
Advertisement
Janari, 9, shined in school and was going to be in fourth grade this fall. He loved sports, and his beaming face was a regular sight in the Cabrini Green neighborhood, where he lived, family and friends said.
On Friday evening, Janari was playing with friends behind the Cabrini Green townhomes in the 900 block of North Cambridge Avenue when a gunman opened fire into a parking lot around 6:45 p.m., striking and killing the boy, an unintended target, Chicago police said. Police officials said they did not know who the target was.
Advertisement
He was rushed to Lurie Children’s Hospital, where he died.
Janari Ricks, 9, was shot and killed on July 31, 2020, in the 900 block of North Cambridge Avenue. (Family photo)
Janari’s killing happened as the city experienced the highest number of criminal homicides in any given month since 1992, according to Chicago Police Department data obtained by the Tribune via a Freedom of Information Act request.
In July, Chicago recorded 105 such homicides, more than double the 44 the same month last year, according to the Police Department. The city last saw a higher monthly total in September of 1992, when 109 homicides were recorded, the data shows.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot spoke out about the shooting in a series of posts on social media, tweeting that “we must all be outraged.” She called for federal gun control measures and social services to address gun violence.
“Gun violence is every bit a public health crisis as COVID-19,” she wrote. “It’s well past time that we as a nation begin aggressively treating it through wraparound services, mental health supports and street outreach interventions, support for our community police officers, and — yes — federal gun control to keep firearms from falling into the wrong hands.”
On Saturday morning, a memorial for the boy grew larger, as friends and neighborhood residents dropped off small items. Candles and glitter sat on the sidewalk, and blue and green balloons with grinning sharks were tied to weights on the ground.
A bouquet of flowers sat near a small football with “Janari” written on its side.
Janari’s father, Raymond Ricks, looked at some of the items as a soft rain began to fall. Friends and family walked over and embraced him, carrying a large black umbrella.
Advertisement
“We always played basketball,” Ricks said, recalling his son’s love of all kinds of sports.
Jalisa Ford kneels over a memorial for her 9-year-old son Janari Ricks, who was fatally shot July 31, 2020, while playing with friends at the Cabrini Green townhomes. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Ricks had boarded a flight to Atlanta when he received a call about his son and rushed off the plane, he said. He joined family and friends at Lurie.
Ford was inside her home while her son played with friends nearby when she heard about the shooting from a neighbor. She said she ran to the parking lot and saw Janari on the ground.
“I was talking to him, just talking to him,” Ford said, beginning to cry.
Jasmine Hines, a close friend of Ford’s, received a call just after she got home from working security.
Hines rushed to the hospital but was at a loss as to how to support Ford.
Advertisement
“How do you give her strength?” Hines said.
Hines has six children, including a 9-year-old boy. She loved Janari like a son. “When is this s--- going to stop?”
After looking at the memorial for her son, Ford walked to a courtyard between the townhomes to sit on the walkway where her son was shot.
She sat on the ground, rubbed the cement and placed four small candles where she said he laid on the ground after being shot.
She then placed her head on Hines’ lap while the two cried.
mabuckley@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-01--Man killed in crash on South Side attempting to evade police

About 10:40 p.m. , the man was stopped near the 400 block of West 76th Street for a traffic violation @ @ @ @ @ to place him into custody , he drove off .
A few minutes later , @ @ @ @ @ to investigate , and discovered it was the driver who had just taken off .
@ @ @ @ @ had flipped over after striking two other vehicles , police said .

A male driver who was pulled over for a minor traffic violation Friday night was placed into custody, but drove away and a short time later his car flipped over after hitting two vehicles, fatally injuring himself, Chicago police said.
About 10:40 p.m., the man was stopped near the 400 block of West 76th Street for a traffic violation, but when police attempted to place him into custody, he drove off. A few minutes later, officers saw smoke and went to investigate, and discovered it was the driver who had just taken off. The man’s vehicle had flipped over after striking two other vehicles, police said.
Advertisement
The man was taken in critical condition to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Four other victims also went to local hospitals for minor injuries, police said.
The Major Accidents Unit was investigating.


chicagotribune--2020-08-01--Niles Police suffer loss of three members in Texas motorcycle crash after sergeant dies Thursday

“ I think we will forever be asking why — why our Joe and why his brothers that he loves @ @ @ @ @ post said .
“ So much loss in the span of a little more than @ @ @ @

Niles Police Sgt. Joseph Lazo died July 30 while hospitalized with injuries he sustained in a motorcycle crash that also claimed the lives of a retired Niles police detective and a community service officer. (Niles Police Department / HANDOUT)
Sgt. Joseph Lazo died Thursday of injuries from a motorcycle crash in Texas, increasing the level of grief for the Niles Police Department, which had previously lost two members in the July 18 crash.
Advertisement
Lazo,39, of Morton Grove, died July 30 while hospitalized for injuries he sustained in the July 18 crash that also claimed the lives of a Niles community service officer and a retired member of the force, the Niles Police Department said.
“To say that our entire department is grieving is an understatement,” Niles police said in a statement released Friday afternoon. “This week we buried two of our own: retired detective Joseph Paglia and community service officer Michael White. Now, we must prepare for a third.”
Advertisement
Paglia and White were killed and Lazo was seriously injured July 18 when their motorcycles were hit by a vehicle that crossed over into their lane of traffic on a state highway just south of Kerrville, Texas, a town 65 miles northwest of San Antonio, authorities said.
The driver of the vehicle, identified as Navejas Ivan Robles, 28, was later charged with intoxicated manslaughter and intoxication assault, the Kerr County Sheriff’s Department said.
Lazo, Paglia and White had traveled from Illinois to Texas to ride with the Thin Blue Line Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club, which supports officers who have been seriously injured or killed in the line of duty.
Another man, identified in media reports as Jerry Wayne Harbour, of Houston, also was killed in the collision. Three additional riders were hospitalized, police said.
Lazo, a police officer since 2008, received “numerous accolades, including department commendations” and complimentary letters from members of the public during his years of service, Niles police said. He was promoted to sergeant on Nov. 1, 2018 and completed a certificate in police personnel supervision from the Northwest University Center for Public Safety, according to the department.
He was engaged to be married in 2021, Niles police said.
A GoFundMe page established for Lazo had raised more than $45,000. An update shared on July 31 informed donators of his death.
“I think we will forever be asking why — why our Joe and why his brothers that he loves so much?” the post said. “So much loss in the span of a little more than a week.”
Advertisement
A funeral for Paglia, who retired from the Niles Police Department in 2018, was held July 30, and a funeral for White, a community service officer since 2014 and a U.S. Army veteran, was held the following day.
jjohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @Jen_Tribune


chicagotribune--2020-08-02--Tropical Storm Isaias weakens but packs heavy rain, gusty winds as it approaches Florida coast

“ The response to Hurricane Isaias comes after five consecutive hurricane seasons in which the State has been impacted by @ @ @ @ @ some cases , multiple billion-dollar storms , all while in the midst of the largest @ @ @ @ @ and the State of Florida , the COVID-19 Pandemic/Public Health Emergency , ” DeSantis wrote @ @ @ @

Tropical Storm Isaias has slightly weakened but maintained its tropical status overnight as it approached the southeastern Florida coast early Sunday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center's 5 a.m. update.
Isaias was expected to return to hurricane status overnight. It downgraded to tropical-storm strength from a Category 1 hurricane Saturday afternoon.
Advertisement
Isaias’ maximum sustained winds are near 65 miles per hour, just below hurricane strength of 74 mph, the NHC said in its latest advisory.
Forecasters expect the center of Isaias to move near or over east coast of Florida through late Sunday. Isaias will then turn to the north and northeast on Monday and Tuesday with an increase in forward speed. It’s currently heading northwest at 9 mph.
Advertisement
Hurricane warnings along the east coast of Florida has been replaced with a tropical storm warning As Isaias grows closer to the state.
A tropical storm warning was in effect at 5 a.m. Saturday for Brevard, coastal Volusia, and inland Seminole, Orange, Osceola and Okeechobee counties, acccording to the National Weather Service. This warning, meaning tropical storm conditions are expected in the areas within the next 36 hours, were cancelled south of Hallandale Beach.
Tropical storm warnings also extend northward along the southeast U.S. coast to South Santee River, South Carolina, and tropical storm and storm-surge watches were issued from Edisto Beach, South Carolina to Cape Fear, North Carolina.
The storm is expected to skirt the coast of Brevard and Volusia counties late Sunday before turning northeast and taking aim at North Carolina’s Outer Banks by 2 a.m. Tuesday.
Rain is expected throughout the day on Sunday, about 2 to 4 inches in some areas of Central Florida, with up to 6 inches closer to the coast.
Forecasters warned that any wobble in the path could bring strong winds into Central Florida.
Isaias’ center was about 45 miles southeast of Fort Lauderdale at 5 a.m. After having its strength drained during a pass through the Bahamas, where dry air and wind sheer were present, Isaias was expected to draw strength upon arriving in warmer waters from the Gulf Stream near the Straits of Florida.
Advertisement
The NHC said that a small window of opportunity for Isaias to regain strength overnight is now closing. Isaias has remained adversely affected by the vertical wind shear, making it more difficult to maintain organization.
“Since Isaias has not shown any signs of re-organizing overnight, it appears that the window of opportunity for it to re-strengthen is closing,” the NHC said at 5 a.m.
Aug 2, 5AM | Tropical Storm Isaias will move north along our coast today into early Monday. Damaging winds to focus along the coast.
Coast: Wind gusts up to 75 mph in passing squalls, especially for the barrier islands.
Inland: Wind gusts up to 45-55 mph in passing squalls. pic.twitter.com/ZqAYzPB0GI — NWS Melbourne (@NWSMelbourne) August 2, 2020
Models show tropical-storm-force winds, which extend 115 miles away from Isaias’ core, could be felt in the Florida Keys by 8 p.m. Saturday, said NHC director Ken Graham.
Tropical-storm winds range in strength between 45 and 73 mph. Graham’s message to Floridians was hopeful in a Saturday Facebook video, but urged residents to take the storm seriously.
“When you have tropical-storm-force winds, it’s just too dangerous to be outside,” Graham said.
Hurricane warnings are in effect for Bimini, the Berry Islands and the Grand Bahama Island. A storm-surge watch remains in effect from the Jupiter Inlet to Pointe Vedra Beach.
Advertisement
The Bahamas
Hurricane Isaias snapped trees and brought down heavy sheets of rain throughout the Bahamas, which is still recovering from the devastation brought less than a year ago from Category 5 Hurricane Dorian.
So far, little damage has been reported from the archipelago nation, with nothing resembling the destruction of the 2019 September storm. The loss of power from four substations was reported in New Providence, according to the Bahamas Power and Light Company Ltd.
A time frame for power restoration hasn’t been offered. Advance teams are out in New Providence assessing the situation at this time, reports said.
Multiple Instagram users uploaded videos of gusty winds and tumultuous waves, but damage seems limited to not catastrophic outside of fallen debris, according to early reports.
A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hurricane hunter aircraft departed from Lakeland Linder International Airport at 4:30 a.m. Saturday to take readings of Isaias’ center as it moved toward Andros Island. The team found that Isaias’ center of circulation wasn’t tight and remained open on its west side, according to Ashley Lundry, flight director with the NOAA hurricane hunters.
“We never saw a closed eye on the aircraft tail or belly radar, only about 50%. We encountered the most turbulence on the northeast side of the storm and also flew around a good amount of convection on the east side of the storm,” Lundry said.
Advertisement
‘Remain prepared’
At Saturday news conferences, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged preparedness and advised Floridians to have seven days’ worth of food, water and medicine on hand. The governor declared a state of emergency Friday for all of Florida’s east coast counties from Miami-Dade to Nassau ahead of Isaias’ arrival.
“The most important thing we want people to do now is stay vigilant,” DeSantis said Saturday.
The governor also announced his request for federal assistance had been approved by President Donald Trump.
“The response to Hurricane Isaias comes after five consecutive hurricane seasons in which the State has been impacted by multiple million, and in some cases, multiple billion-dollar storms, all while in the midst of the largest disaster event managed by FEMA and the State of Florida, the COVID-19 Pandemic/Public Health Emergency,” DeSantis wrote to the president.
President @realDonaldTrump has approved my request for a pre-landfall emergency declaration for the counties in the path of Hurricane #Isaias. This will help our state respond quickly to any impacts from the storm. — Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) August 1, 2020
The approval means the Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide reimbursement for expenses related to weathering the storm.
Meteorologists are monitoring Isaias as any slight western adjustment of its path could dramatically vary the storm’s impact on Sunshine State, said FOX-35 meteorologist Jayme King.
Advertisement
“Any westerly wobble will bring these gusts further inland,” King said. “Remain prepared.”
The Saharan dust in the area also should help reduce the intensity of the storm, FOX 35 chief meteorologist Glenn Richards said Friday. Some beach erosion along the Volusia and Brevard coasts is possible, he said.
Hurricane Isaias 5 a.m. update.
What happens next?
On Monday and Tuesday, the center of Isaias will move from offshore the coast of Georgia into the southern mid-Atlantic states.
Current projections show Isaias losing strength over the next 72 hours. The storm is expected to become post-tropical by Wednesday as it moves up the northeast coast.
Advertisement
“Gradual weakening should occur as the storm moves northward along the east coast of the United States,” the NHC said at 5 a.m.
However, for this weekend the Metro Orlando area could see wind gusts of 40 mph and heavy rains with some localized flooding in low-lying areas on Sunday, according to John Pendergrast, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
The area could see 3 to 4 inches of rain with up to 5 inches along coastal areas like Brevard and Volusia counties, Pendergrast said.
What you need to know
Orange County officials said they were monitoring the storm and extended the free, self-serve sandbag handouts until Saturday, pending weather.
Orange County Fire Rescue went door-to-door Saturday morning to manufactured homes in east Orange to help residents prepare. Firefighters distributed weather radios and preparedness guides, according to a press release.
Residents should remain vigilant and be prepared, officials said.
Advertisement
“Even as the storm continues to track east, residents should be aware that severe weather may be in the forecast for this weekend,” a press release said.
Florida and Orange County have halted coronavirus testing in wake of the storm through at least Wednesday, though some sites may reopen before then, depending on the storm’s impact.
For more Central Florida updates, visit our Isaias blog for live updates.
An enigma of a storm
Isaias has been somewhat of an enigma of a storm thus far for meteorologists trying to predict its development.
Forecasters expected the ninth storm of the year to form Tuesday night, but instead saw winds rise to tropical-storm force strength without a well-defined center of circulation. The large storm, over 500 miles wide, had a broad and elongated center of circulation; without tightened organization, Isaias remained only a “potential cyclone” until late Wednesday.
Meanwhile, there are two more developing systems being monitored by the National Hurricane Center. If either one becomes a named storm, it would be Tropical Storm Josephine.
Advertisement
The 2020 hurricane season already has seen seven tropical storms: Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, plus Hurricane Hanna, which hit Texas over the weekend, and now Isaias. The next named storms would be Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred.
As a public service, the Orlando Sentinel is now offering free, unlimited access to hurricane coverage on our website.
Orlando Sentinel staff reporters Paola Pérez and Matthew J. Palm contributed to this story.


chicagotribune--2020-08-02--Have questions about Chicago Public Schools’ fall plan? Here’s what you need to know, as CPS gives p

Have questions about Chicago Public Schools’ fall plan? Here’s what you need to know, as CPS gives parents a week to opt out of in-person classes.

Students would be grouped into so-called pods of 15 or fewer who would stay together throughout the school day .
@ @ @ @ @ with other pods and maintain social distancing “ as much as possible ” within their @ @ @ @ @ to take other classes outside of their pod would take those remotely .
Teachers would @ @ @ @ @ of pods .
Officials have emphasized this pod model in their efforts to convince parents @ @ @ @ @ Students would enter and exit the building through assigned doors with their pods .

Whether Chicago Public Schools like Orozco Community Academy in Pilsen will reopen this fall remains uncertain, even though CPS has proposed a hybrid of in-school and remote learning. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
If all goes according to the current proposal, most Chicago Public Schools students will return to classrooms for in-person learning two days a week in September.
But even before CPS makes a final decision about whether to reopen schools, parents have learned that they must indicate by Aug. 7 whether their children will participate in the proposed hybrid approach or stick with all remote learning.
Advertisement
Five community feedback sessions hosted by CPS in the past week demonstrated that parents, students and teachers had many lingering concerns about both the prospect of schools reopening and the continuation of remote learning. And the Chicago Teachers Union is strongly opposed to reopening schools without what its members see as adequate protections against COVID-19.
CPS administrators have stressed that all parents can opt their children out of in-person classes for any reason at any time. However, those choosing remote learning must commit to this option for the quarter.
Advertisement
Here are some frequently asked questions about the current hybrid proposal:
How many days a week would my kids have in-school classes?
Kindergartners through 10th graders would attend school in person two days a week, either on Mondays and Tuesdays or Thursdays and Fridays. Preschoolers would have in-person learning five days a week. In school, children would be grouped in “pods” that would stay together to reduce interaction among students.
All students except preschoolers would learn remotely on Wednesdays with three hours of live teacher instruction. The rest of remote instruction would involve students working on prepared lessons without a teacher working with them in real time.
What about the plan for high school juniors and seniors?
Under the proposed plan, juniors’ and seniors’ classes would be almost all remote, because their diverse course options make it more difficult to place students in pods, officials have said. However, after much feedback from parents and students, CPS officials have indicated those plans could change and that some schools might be able to bring in juniors and seniors.
Counselors would work remotely to provide college application and other support for seniors. Schools also would have the flexibility to bring in juniors and seniors for counseling or other activities at school, officials said.
How would schools be kept clean, disinfected and well-ventilated?
Officials said Friday that all buildings would be deep-cleaned daily, with additional cleaning every Wednesday in between the two sets of student pods. Preschool classrooms would be cleaned in between morning and afternoon sessions. High-touch surfaces, lunchrooms and bathrooms would be cleaned regularly throughout the day. CPS says it’s hiring 400 new custodians.
Officials say they’ve already purchased 40,000 containers of disinfectant wipes, 42,000 hand sanitizer dispensers and 22,000 infrared thermometers, along with other materials. Plans call for all students and staff to be provided three face masks at the beginning of the year.
Advertisement
CPS is working on equipping schools with enhanced air filtration systems.
How would student ‘pods’ work?
Students would be grouped into so-called pods of 15 or fewer who would stay together throughout the school day. Students would have minimal interaction with other pods and maintain social distancing “as much as possible” within their own pod. Students who need to take other classes outside of their pod would take those remotely. Teachers would rotate among a limited number of pods. Officials have emphasized this pod model in their efforts to convince parents the plan is safe. Students would enter and exit the building through assigned doors with their pods.
What about lunch and bathroom breaks?
Students will eat with other children in their pod, either in their classrooms or in the lunchroom on a staggered schedule.
Student pods will have designated bathrooms, which will undergo frequent cleanings.
Will siblings be allowed to be the on same schedule for in-school days?
Officials say they’ll try to schedule siblings for the same two days of in-person instruction. Siblings in the same grade would be placed in the same pod.
What if a student gets sick at school?
Any student who exhibits symptoms would be sent to a designated “care room” in the building until a parent can pick them up.
Advertisement
What if a teacher calls in sick?
Schools are being provided with a cadre of substitute teachers, officials said, and will limit the movement of day-to-day substitute teachers “to maintain the integrity of our pods.”
What happens if someone in my child’s school tests positive for the coronavirus?
Officials say pods would help with contact tracing when cases occur, “and cases will occur,” said CPS Chief Health Officer Kenneth Fox on Friday.
After a case is reported to CPS, all “first-degree contacts” — every student and teacher in that pod — would be expected to quarantine for 14 days. Siblings of students who are quarantining and students in other pods would not be expected to quarantine, CPS officials said.
What will remote learning look like this fall?
All remote learning will be centralized on Google platforms. All remote learning, except the three hours of live teacher instruction on Wednesdays, will be five hours a day of pre-prepared curriculum for students to complete on their own. Unlike in the spring, attendance and participation will be tracked daily, officials said.
In response to many questions from parents pressing for more information about the all-remote option, a CPS official said Friday that details will be released “soon.”
What about opting out of remote learning?
Any student can opt out of in-person learning for any reason, CPS officials have repeatedly said. However, students will be committing to their choice for an entire quarter and can’t “opt in and out, because you’re breaking the pod,” Jackson said Monday.
Advertisement
What are the health metrics for switching between remote, hybrid and in-person models?
CPS officials have wavered on specifying health metrics. At one point, CPS CEO Janice Jackson said a 5% positivity rate or higher means the virus is out of control. She later changed this to an 8% positivity rate.
CPS should consider moving to all-remote learning if there are more than 400 cases daily in the city using a seven-day rolling average, Marielle Fricchione, Chicago Department Public Health immunization program medical director, said during Friday’s session. Remote learning should also be considered if there are more than 200 cases daily “with concerning epidemiological factors” such as rapid increase of cases and inadequate hospital capacity, Fricchione said.
Why is CPS proposing a hybrid plan instead of focusing on improving all-remote learning?
CPS officials have repeatedly said they believe a hybrid model is the best balance between safety and learning needs, and that they will not reopen if public health experts deem it unsafe to do so. Jackson said on Friday the current plan includes strategies for both in-person and online learning, “so we’re not focused on hybrid at the expense of remote.”
If students choose remote learning, will they lose their spots at or their places in line for enrollment in magnet schools and other selective schools?
No, all students who opt out remain enrolled in their school and will not lose their position for enrollment in selective schools.
chao@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-02--West Rogers Park man, 58, accused of sexually abusing girl who attended same synagogue

Last month , he bought her a cellphone , which was to be kept “ secret ” and just between @ @ @ @ @ Soon after , he began asking her to text him inappropriate pictures of herself , @ @ @ @ @ of his body and “ consistently ” telling her he “ loved her , ” @ @ @

A 58-year-old man who prosecutors said admitted “liking children because of their innocence,” is accused of abusing an 11-year-old girl, at least twice while in a synagogue, prosecutors said.
Phillip Eliah, 58, of the 2900 block of West Fargo Avenue, turned himself in to authorities on Wednesday afternoon, Chicago police said.
Advertisement
Eliah was in court on Friday afternoon for a bond hearing broadcast on YouTube on the felony charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim between 13 and 17, grooming and solicitation of child pornography, police said.
Prosecutors said Eliah, who was a family friend who attended the same synagogue where the victim’s father is a rabbi, began abusing her when he was 56, and told the victim, who is now 14, “he loved her,” when she was 11 and kissed her on the lips when she was 12, prosecutors said.
Advertisement
About four months prior to his arrest, he sexually abused the girl in her father’s synagogue. He abused the girl a second time about a week after the first time, according to prosecutors, who also alleged he kissed her on the lips at the synagogue, but no one witnessed it.
Phillip Eliah, 58, was charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim 13-17 years old, grooming and solicitation of child pornography, after being arrested on July 29, 2020, police and prosecutors said. (Chicago police)
Last month, he bought her a cellphone, which was to be kept “secret” and just between the two of them. Soon after, he began asking her to text him inappropriate pictures of herself, while sending her lewd pictures of his body and “consistently” telling her he “loved her,” prosecutors said.
When her parents found the phone and pictures, they called police. After his arrest, he “admitted to liking children because of their innocence,’' prosecutors said.
Judge Arthur Wesley Willis set bail for Eliah at $600,000 and ordered him back to court on Aug. 19.
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--Tropical Storm Isaias up to 70 mph off the coast of Central Florida

The storm dumped rain , knocked out power and snapped trees as it lashed the Bahamas on Saturday , growing @ @ @ @ @ mph sustained winds with stronger gusts , but lost steam dropping to tropical storm strength @ @ @ @ @ p.m .
It reduced even more by 5 a.m. Sunday as it made its way @ @ @ @

Tropical Storm Isaias maintained 70 mph winds overnight as it moved along the Florida coast early Monday, and the storm may become a hurricane again by the time it impacts the Carolinas, the National Hurricane Center said.
In the 5 a.m. advisory, the NHC said Isaias was located about 115 miles east-southeast of Jacksonville and about 280 miles south-southwest of Myrtle Beach, S.C. The storm’s maximum sustained winds are still at 70 mph as it moves north at 9 mph along Florida’s coast.
Advertisement
A tropical storm warning has been discontinued south of the Volusia-Flagler county line, but now the NHC has issued a hurricane warning from South Santee River, South Carolina to Surf City, North Carolina while a tropical storm warning remains in effect from Flagler County north of the South Santee River and then from Surf City up to Watch Hill, Rhode Island.
Tropical Storm Isaias cone of uncertainty as of 5 a.m. Monday, August 3, 2020. (National Hurricane Center)
“On the forecast track, the center of Isaias will pass well east of the Georgia coast through this morning,” forecasters said. “The center of Isaias will then approach the coast of northeastern South Carolina and southern North Carolina within the hurricane warning area later today. The center will then move inland over eastern North Carolina tonight and move along the coast of the mid-Atlantic states on Tuesday and into the northeastern United States by Tuesday night.”
Advertisement
The NHC said Isaias is expected to become a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph sustained winds later today before making landfall.
Isaias’ tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 125 miles from its center, primarily to the east of the storm.
“Just a big old blob of breeze and rain,” FOX 35 meteorologist Jayme King said earlier Sunday. “The dry air kind of spelling the demise of this late last night and keeping the intensity in check.”
Florida Power & Light, which serves Florida’s coastal counties, reported it restored more than 25,000 customers’ power as of 5 a.m. Monday with around 1,300 still without service.
Advertisement
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 69 A truck drives through rising water in Baltimore's Fells Point neighborhood as Tropical Storm Isaias continues to pelt the region on Aug. 4. (Jerry Jackson)
The storm dumped rain, knocked out power and snapped trees as it lashed the Bahamas on Saturday, growing to as much as 85 mph sustained winds with stronger gusts, but lost steam dropping to tropical storm strength of 70 mph by 5 p.m. It reduced even more by 5 a.m. Sunday as it made its way toward South Florida.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Isaias has already been destructive in the Caribbean: On Thursday, before it became a hurricane, it uprooted trees, destroyed crops and homes and caused widespread flooding and small landslides in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. One man died in the Dominican Republic. In Puerto Rico, the National Guard rescued at least 35 people from floodwaters that swept away one woman, whose body was recovered Saturday.
The NHC was also tracking a tropical wave in the Atlantic a few hundred miles east of the Leeward Islands. Forecasters give that storm a 40% chance of forming into a tropical depression or storm in the next two days, with better odds of 60% over the next five days.
The 2020 hurricane season already has seen seven tropical storms: Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, plus Hurricane Hanna, which hit Texas last weekend, and now Isaias. The next named storms would be Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred.
Advertisement
Orlando Sentinel staff reporters Joe Mario Pedersen, Paola Pérez and Matthew J. Palm and The Associated Press contributed to this story.


chicagotribune--2020-08-02--Chicago Fire Department investigating allegation over removal of Black Lives Matter banner

Black Lives Matter has become a flashpoint in conversations involving both police and race relations , first following the deaths @ @ @ @ @ the hands of police , including Chicago teen Laquan McDonald , and more recently following @ @ @ @ @ in Minneapolis .
Supporters have called Black Lives Matter the newest iteration of the 1960s @ @ @ @ @ critics have derided it as a group of anti-police radicals bent on promoting unrest .

The Chicago Fire Department on Sunday said it has launched an investigation into an online complaint alleging that someone inside a firetruck removed a Black Lives Matter banner along a curving Kenwood road next to Lake Shore Drive.
Dr. Adele Cobbs said she witnessed the removal shortly before 11 a.m. Saturday.
Advertisement
“They literally obstructed traffic to do this,” read Cobbs’ post on Nextdoor, a neighborhood sharing app. The post also contained a photo out of the rear of her car showing Truck 15.
“Unbelievable. They are paid to serve our community and this is what they think about Black lives,” she wrote.
Advertisement
On Sunday, Cobbs recalled the incident in an interview with the Tribune. She said she was driving north on Cornell Avenue toward 47th Street when she came upon the firetruck stopped by the side of the narrow, two-way road next to Burnham Park.
Cobbs said she pulled over when she saw someone get out of the firetruck’s passenger side. From her rearview mirror, she could see someone removing the banner from a chain-link fence.
“I’ve seen that banner. It’s in a discreet place that was bothering no one,” Cobbs said.
Still parked in front of the truck, Cobbs said she could only react. “I stuck up my arms and said, ‘Why?‘” she recalled. The response? A loud, aggressive horn honk, she said.
Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford on Sunday confirmed that the department reached out to Cobb about her post. “The conduct described in the allegation will not be tolerated by the Chicago Fire Department,” Langford said in a statement.
Black Lives Matter has become a flashpoint in conversations involving both police and race relations, first following the deaths of several Black men at the hands of police, including Chicago teen Laquan McDonald, and more recently following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Supporters have called Black Lives Matter the newest iteration of the 1960s civil rights movement, while critics have derided it as a group of anti-police radicals bent on promoting unrest.
Truck 15 belongs to Station 45 in nearby Bronzeville, the city’s historic Black neighborhood from the early 20th century.
Cobbs said she’d never posted on Nextdoor before but felt compelled to make the incident public because she thinks it did a disservice to first responders. Cobbs said it was personal to her as a veteran emergency medicine physician who often works with dedicated paramedics and medical technicians.
Advertisement
“The fact that they would do something so petty and so disgraceful,” Cobbs said. “Why would they take that little piece away?”
Langford did not comment on what penalties a CFD member could face for removing the banner but said the department didn’t support the alleged action.
“The CFD strives to serve every neighborhood with equal response and concern. We have no tolerance for any conduct that demeans any of our residents and visitors, all of whom we have taken a sworn oath to serve. I assure you we will rapidly get to the bottom of this and if found to be accurate, discipline and corrective action will be swift and just,” Langford’s statement read.
wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy


chicagotribune--2020-08-02--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,467 new known cases of COVID-19 and 14 additional deaths

The state ’ s largest school system has been seeking feedback on its preliminary framework for fall , which combines @ @ @ @ @ in-person classes with three days of remote learning .
Officials have stressed that parents can @ @ @ @ @ for any reason , though the Chicago Teachers Union continues to push back against any @ @ @ @ @ without what its members believe are adequate protections against the spread of COVID-19 .


chicagotribune--2020-08-02--Traveling outside Illinois? Chicago residents must quarantine after visiting 22 states. Here’s what

Traveling outside Illinois? Chicago residents must quarantine after visiting 22 states. Here’s what you need to know to avoid a large fine.

Those traveling through Wisconsin on their way to Chicago from a state not on the list do not need to @ @ @ @ @ Wisconsin for less than 24 hours .
But those who travel to Wisconsin , even @ @ @ @ @ hours , still need to quarantine upon returning unless deemed an essential worker and follow @ @ @ @

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
Dick DeGray, of Brattleboro, Vt., puts on his mask before going into the Municipal Building, in Brattleboro, as the town started to require visitors and staff to put their masks back on Aug. 11, 2021, due to COVID-19 virus numbers increasing in Windham County. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer)
Chicago has revamped its travel quarantine order to reflect rising rates of the coronavirus in Chicago and the rest of Illinois, moving from a blanket list of states to a color-coded list comparing the rate of infection here with that in other states.
On Tuesday, the city added New York, California and Washington, D.C., to its orange list, requiring all travelers from those states to either quarantine or prove they have had a negative COVID-19 test 72 hours before arriving in Chicago. Idaho was moved from the stricter red list to the orange list.
Advertisement
Under the original version of the emergency travel order, states had been added to the list when they reached an infection rate greater than 15 cases per 100,000 residents and removed once the daily case average remains below that rate for two consecutive weeks.
Now, the city is using a color-coded list, which will be updated every two weeks.
Advertisement
“First and foremost, I would like people to avoid travel at this time if at all possible. But by creating a tiered system and using Chicago’s case rate as a category threshold, it allows us to be responsive to the changing dynamics of the pandemic,” said city health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady.
States that weren’t on the quarantine list that were added to the orange list the first week were Michigan, Connecticut, Arizona, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, Oregon, Washington and Louisiana.
Yellow-coded states are those with a rolling seven-day average below 15 cases per day per 100,000 residents. Anyone returning from these states doesn’t have to quarantine. Three states qualified as of Tuesday.
Orange-coded states are those with a rolling seven-day average between 15 cases per day per 100,000 residents and Chicago’s rolling seven-day average, which was 60 as of Tuesday. People traveling from these states must either quarantine for 14 days or show they had a negative COVID-19 test no more than 72 hours before arrival in Chicago. There were 35 orange states, plus Washington, D.C., as of Tuesday.
Red-coded states are those with a rolling seven-day average above Chicago’s. Anyone traveling from these states has to quarantine. There were 11 red-coded states as of Tuesday.
People who commute across the Indiana or Wisconsin state lines to or from Chicago to work or go to school will be exempt from the quarantine rule, a nod to the symbiotic relationship between the neighboring states. But workers in Chicago from Indiana will be expected to avoid restaurants, bars and other public spaces in the city.
Here’s what you need to know about the city’s quarantine policies:
City says people will be fined
Anyone who visits red-listed states should stay inside for two weeks upon their return or risk a fine of $100 to $500 per day, according to the city. Those who visit orange-listed states are subject to the same fines if they don’t have a negative COVID-19 test or quarantine.
Advertisement
Despite the list’s fluctuating size, enforcement of the order so far has been nonexistent, save for some billboards and signs that Mayor Lori Lightfoot has said are intended to “educate” people into compliance.
Lightfoot’s initial self-quarantine requirement was implemented during the Fourth of July weekend.
If city contact tracers get information that people who’ve caught the virus were in proximity to someone from a quarantine state and flouted the rules, they’ll issue a citation, Arwady has said.
They’ll also be on the lookout for people who are on social media “flagrantly posting their social activities, clearly out and about in Chicago after being in settings that are subject to our quarantine order, within the time frame,” she said. Investigators will look into any reports about city workers not following the guidelines, the health commissioner said.
Arwady has since clarified that the city “is not Big Brother,” nor does it have the resources to dedicate anyone to aimlessly scroll feeds from Chicagoans.
But if the agency receives a tip or is already looking into someone to determine whether to fine them, that’s when the city may scour social media.
Advertisement
“One of the easiest ways to sort of get enough proof … without me having to send out an inspector … is to look at social media,” Arwady said.
Details for travelers
The order has plenty of exceptions for different types of workers and depending on how long travelers spend in the listed states.
If someone drives through a state on the list but does not stay more than 24 hours, that person does not need to quarantine. But a city employee clarified that Chicagoans who choose to drive into Wisconsin and go out in public, regardless of whether they return later in the same day, do need to quarantine after such voluntary activities.
For example, Chicagoans who drive through Indiana (a red-listed state), Ohio and New York (orange-listed states) to spend a week in Vermont (a yellow-listed state) but who did not stay in Indiana and Ohio more than 24 hours do not need to quarantine. There are similar restrictions for air travelers. .
Travelers visiting Chicago from red- or orange-listed states also are subject to the order if they are staying longer than a day. Everyone older than age 2 who lands at a Chicago airport is required to wear a mask, then quarantine if they’ve come from a listed state.
If someone is staying with a Chicago resident after traveling to an affected state, the traveler must quarantine, but other people in the home who did not travel to a listed state are not required to quarantine. The resident should follow guidance for being around someone who has potentially been exposed.
Advertisement
Travelers or area residents who leave a Chicago airport and immediately travel to a suburb or outside Chicago limits are not required to quarantine — unless their municipality also has a travel restriction in place. The order also states that face coverings should be worn and that public transportation should not be used by those headed outside city limits.
Testing and exceptions to quarantine requirements in the revised rules
Under the guidance revised in November, Chicago residents returning from travel in red states or residents of red states who travel to the city are required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival here, according to the city travel order website.
People in similar circumstances entering Chicago from orange states must either quarantine for 14 days or, with a “pre-arrival negative test result” from no more than three days before traveling to Chicago, may choose instead to employ “strict masking, social distancing and avoidance of in-person gatherings.”
There also is an option for those who can’t get a test while visiting an orange state, such as a visit not much longer than 24 hours. Someone can quarantine upon arrival in Illinois until a test can be arranged locally, according to the city’s travel order website. The test needs to be issued by a private provider because of concerns about limited capacity at public health testing sites.
“If you cannot be tested for COVID-19 prior to arriving in Chicago and do not take a post-arrival test, you must quarantine for 14 days (or the duration of your stay, whichever is shorter),” according to the website.
Essential workers and other exceptions
For those who live outside Chicago but work in the city, it’s important to determine whether you’re an essential or nonessential worker according to the executive order.
Advertisement
There are limited exceptions to the quarantine order for essential workers who have to travel for work. Travelers who don’t live in Chicago but who have to be in Chicago to work and who traveled to an orange- or red-listed state for work do not need to quarantine. Travelers who live in Chicago and who travel to a listed state for work do not have to quarantine, according to the order.
But if workers go to a listed state when they didn’t have to, or for medical care, or because of parental shared custody, they would be subject to quarantine.
People who work in Chicago and live elsewhere can do so if they haven’t traveled to a high-incidence state. If they have traveled to a high-incidence state, they are subject to requirements regarding essential workers who are Chicago residents.
For the purposes of the order, an “essential worker” is a person who works in any one of the 16 critical employment sectors. The term also includes any government workers traveling in their official capacities. Essential workers must:
Avoid any nonessential interactions until the quarantine period has ended. They must limit themselves to work-related activities and related functions, and avoid public spaces as much as possible.
Monitor temperature and signs of symptoms, wear a face covering when in public, maintain social distance, and clean and disinfect workspaces.
Avoid as much as possible extended periods in public, contact with strangers and large congregate settings.
What does quarantine mean?
According to the emergency travel order, quarantine means staying at one place for 14 days before doing any activities outside of the home. Included in the restrictions:
Not go out in public or otherwise leave home, unless seeking medical care or COVID-19 testing.
Wear a face covering and do not use public transit if seeking medical care or testing, or when traveling to or from an airport, train station or bus station.
Don’t go to the grocery store; instead have food and other supplies delivered.
Stay in separate quarters with a separate bedroom and, if possible, use a separate bathroom than non-traveling household members.
Travelers still must quarantine even if they had a negative COVID-19 test because people “can develop symptoms and become contagious up to 14 days from their last exposure.”
Advertisement
Are the rules different for each state or territory?
Generally, the emergency order is applied uniformly to any state or territory on the list. However, with neighboring states, travelers should pay close attention to what constitutes a visit and distinctions between essential and nonessential workers.
What are the state lists?
The following is a rolling list of states on Chicago’s red, orange and yellow lists. The lists will be updated every two weeks:
Red-listed states (11): Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Orange-listed states and Puerto Rico (36): Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.
Yellow-listed states (3): Hawaii, Maine and Vermont.
Chicago Tribune’s Alice Yin, John Byrne and Gregory Pratt contributed.
Advertisement
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-08-02--Illinois’ new COVID-19 plan: How the state will manage any outbreaks, in 3 charts


chicagotribune--2020-08-02--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood


chicagotribune--2020-08-02--Illinois coronavirus graphs: 7,517 deaths, 181,943 confirmed cases and 2.78 million tests


chicagotribune--2020-08-02--Noah’s Ark Waterpark in Wisconsin closed after 2 employees test positive for COVID-19

The water park said it will be working closely with the Sauk County Health Department and other experts on how @ @ @ @ @ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported .

LAKE DELTON, Wis. — A popular Wisconsin Dells attraction has closed until further notice after two employees tested positive for the coronavirus.
Noah’s Ark Waterpark announced the closing Saturday on its website. In a statement, Noah’s Ark says it has implemented extensive safety protocols since opening this summer.
Advertisement
The water park said it will be working closely with the Sauk County Health Department and other experts on how to move forward, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
“The first and foremost priority of Noah’s Ark is the health and safety of our Guests and Team Members,” the statement said.
Advertisement
The closing came the same day that a statewide mask mandate ordered by Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers took effect.


chicagotribune--2020-08-02--Chicago police investigating double homicide after 2 men shot to death in Lawndale

About 6 a.m. , officers were called to the 2300 block of South Kolin Avenue in the Lawndale neighborhood after @ @ @ @ @ detection system reported shots fired .
According to a police statement , officers discovered two @ @ @ @ @ were unresponsive , each with apparent gunshot wounds to the head and body .

Two 28-year-old men were fatally shot Sunday morning, and detectives are investigating the West Side double homicide.
About 6 a.m., officers were called to the 2300 block of South Kolin Avenue in the Lawndale neighborhood after the city’s gunshot detection system reported shots fired. According to a police statement, officers discovered two men inside a vehicle who were unresponsive, each with apparent gunshot wounds to the head and body.
Advertisement
Investigators said the men were both 28, but no additional information was released.
No arrests have been made, authorities said.
Advertisement
Check back for updates.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-08-01--Meyers Leonard explains why he stood for national anthem — and why his Miami Heat teammates embraced

Meyers Leonard explains why he stood for national anthem — and why his Miami Heat teammates embraced him


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--Daywatch: The suburbs and COVID-19, answers to CPS reopening questions and mother-daughter bonds gro

Daywatch: The suburbs and COVID-19, answers to CPS reopening questions and mother-daughter bonds grow during pandemic

If all goes according to the current proposal , most Chicago Public Schools students will return to classrooms for in-person @ @ @ @ @ in September .
But even before CPS makes a final decision about whether to reopen @ @ @ @ @ that they must indicate by Aug. 7 whether their children will participate in the proposed @ @ @ @ @ all remote learning .
Here are some frequently asked questions about the current hybrid proposal @

Want Daywatch delivered to your inbox? Sign up here. | Get the top Tribune stories of the day on your smart speaker | Here’s how to get the most out of your Tribune subscription | Got something to say? Join the conversation on our Facebook page
Good morning, Chicago. Here’s the coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
Advertisement
A patient is tested by phlebotomist Cynthia Robinson at a mobile COVID-19 testing site on July 12, 2020, at Lake Zurich High School. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press / Chicago Tribune)
Some suburban and rural leaders got their wish when their counties were separated from Chicago’s for purposes of monitoring the coronavirus. But now officials warn that many collar counties are seeing higher rates of positive tests than the city, which could prompt tighter restrictions.
In a region where nursing homes once accounted for the majority of cases, health officials say now large gatherings of young people without proper precautions are sparking outbreaks. Positivity rates have been rising in the counties surrounding Chicago, prompting Gov. J.B. Pritzker to ask local officials to start tightening the leash on COVID-19 restrictions.
Advertisement
Whether Chicago Public Schools like Orozco Community Academy in Pilsen will reopen this fall remains uncertain, even though CPS has proposed a hybrid of in-school and remote learning. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
If all goes according to the current proposal, most Chicago Public Schools students will return to classrooms for in-person learning two days a week in September. But even before CPS makes a final decision about whether to reopen schools, parents have learned that they must indicate by Aug. 7 whether their children will participate in the proposed hybrid approach or stick with all remote learning. Here are some frequently asked questions about the current hybrid proposal.
Online education was a mess in the spring. As COVID-19 prompts schools to stay virtual, will it get better this fall?
Alisa Ford sits on the ground on Aug. 1, 2020, while rubbing the walkway where her 9-year-old son, Janari Andre Ricks, was fatally shot while playing with friends at the Cabrini Green townhomes the previous evening. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Janari Ricks, 9, shined in school and was going to be in fourth grade this fall. He loved sports, and his beaming face was a regular sight in the Cabrini Green neighborhood, where he lived, family and friends said.
On Friday evening, Janari was playing with friends behind the Cabrini Green townhomes in the 900 block of North Cambridge Avenue when a gunman opened fire into a parking lot around 6:45 p.m., striking and killing the boy, an unintended target, Chicago police said. Police officials said they did not know who the target was.
A July afternoon in the Manor, where friendships as close as family grow, then: ‘Munchie, Munchie, hold on’
Louie Franchi catches a bluegill at a boat launch in the North Branch of the Chicago River near Foster Avenue on July 31, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Nearly 60 different types of fish are swimming in the Chicago and Calumet rivers these days, up from fewer than 10 during the early 1980s, according to a new study of sampling conducted by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. More robust and diverse populations of fish are examples of how a long fight to clean up the rivers is paying off after decades when regional leaders turned them into industrialized sewage canals.
Lindsay Kosciuk and her daughter, Katalina, have grown closer while staying at home. (Lindsay Kosciuk)
Many parents have felt the stress of balancing being a parent, a de facto teacher and a child’s sole entertainer during months stuck at home amid the coronavirus pandemic, but there is a silver lining. Some moms say the quarantine has helped them grow closer to their daughters. Of the more than 500 moms in the United States in one recent survey, 59% said they felt the relationship between mother and daughter was becoming more connected.


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--Devastating toll of Chicago’s violence: Number of shooting victims younger than 10 years old three t

Devastating toll of Chicago’s violence: Number of shooting victims younger than 10 years old three times higher than last year

The number of shootings victims is up overall this year but not by the same proportion as the youngest victims @ @ @ @ @ gun violence .
As of July 31 , the Tribune counted 2,268 shooting victims of @ @ @ @ @ of 45 % over the same time period in 2019 .
Of that , 222 @ @ @ @ @ younger , an increase of 36 % compared to 2019 .
Shooting victims age 10 @ @ @ @ @ % .

Jonathon Berlin, Jemal R. Brinson, Kori Rumore

The surge in violence in 2020 has had an especially tragic impact: The number of shooting victims younger than 10 years old is three times what it was last year, according to Tribune data.
Twenty-four children, 10 years old and younger, have been shot in Chicago as of the end of July, according to a database of shooting victims kept by the Tribune. Five fatally. The 2019 total during the same time period was eight.
The number of shootings victims is up overall this year but not by the same proportion as the youngest victims of the city’s gun violence. As of July 31, the Tribune counted 2,268 shooting victims of all ages, an increase of 45% over the same time period in 2019. Of that, 222 victims were ages 17 or younger, an increase of 36% compared to 2019. Shooting victims age 10 and younger increased by 200%.
Thirty children under age 17 were killed in shootings so far this year, compared with 19 last year.
They were shot walking down the street, playing in front yards, sitting in car seats, on couches in their homes and in apartment hallways. They were shot Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They were shot before 9 a.m., noon, 4 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and after midnight. They were 179 boys and 42 girls.