chicagotribune--2020-08-20--Illinois Democrats promote racial, social justice at DNC but face divisions on role of policing

“ My neighbors were already struggling to put food on the table , juggling two , three jobs and living @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic , the gaps in access and conditions have grown drastically , ” Garcia @ @ @ @ @ no coincidence that Latino and Black communities have the largest share of coronavirus cases and @ @ @ @ @ .
This pandemic has completely lifted the veil of racism to show us where you @ @ @ @ @ you belong to largely determines the opportunities you have .
”

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton addresses members of the audience after being sworn into office at the Bank of Springfield Center on Jan. 14, 2019, in Springfield, Ill. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois Democrats focused on racial and social justice on the third day of the party’s virtual national convention on Wednesday, branding President Donald Trump as a “racist” who has worked to inflame racial divisions to play to his base.
But as they pledged unity in the belief that their party could heal those divisions with a national ticket of former Vice President Joe Biden and California Sen. Kamala Harris, Democrats also find themselves split over the law enforcement response in dealing with violence and recent looting in the Chicago’s downtown amid protests demanding changes in policing affecting minorities.
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“I wanted to highlight the significance of this moment in time — the desperate need to defeat Donald Trump, the hater in chief, and to elect two people who have fought for justice their entire lives — Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” Mary Morrissey, the party’s Illinois executive director, said before a series of speeches from elected officials.
Juliana Stratton, the state’s first Black lieutenant governor and the third woman elected to the office, was more blunt in her assessment of the reelection-seeking Republican president.
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“We have a racist president and that’s the last thing we need as we face two pandemics — that of COVID-19 and that of systemic racism,” Stratton, a former state lawmaker from Chicago, told reporters Wednesday afternoon.
“From day one, this president has worked to fan the flames of racial divide to the point where our country is more divided than ever,” she said. “Illinoisans across the state, not just in Chicago, but in small towns and rural communities have said, ‘Enough is enough,’ and have banded together to fight racial injustice and demand equal justice under the law for all.”
Democrats see presidential nominee Biden’s pick of Harris, the first Black and Asian major party running mate, who is of Jamaican and Indian descent, as an attempt to reach out to voters of color who felt disaffected by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign after strongly supporting Barack Obama.
In his speech, Attorney General Kwame Raoul noted how Trump had referred to his parents’ native nation of Haiti as a “shithole country” and said “racial and economic injustices is America’s No. 1 preexisting condition.”
“We know that Donald Trump and the Republican Party that he has hijacked have no interest in addressing these injustices,” Raoul said. “In fact, they demonstrate a desire to further divide America and make things worse.”
U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia emphasized that the coronavirus pandemic that caused Wednesday night’s speeches to be delivered remotely has only exacerbated systemic racism in America.
“My neighbors were already struggling to put food on the table, juggling two, three jobs and living paycheck to paycheck. Since the pandemic, the gaps in access and conditions have grown drastically,” Garcia said. “It is no coincidence that Latino and Black communities have the largest share of coronavirus cases and deaths in Illinois and nationally. This pandemic has completely lifted the veil of racism to show us where you live, what racial group you belong to largely determines the opportunities you have.”
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Many of the speakers acknowledged that racial justice cannot be sought without economic justice and encouraging new investment in businesses, jobs, affordable housing and health care, and improved education in areas of poverty and crime.
But the party’s overall goals for racial equality have seen tensions develop in recent days between its more liberal and more moderate wings as a result of looting in downtown Chicago earlier this month and protests in the aftermath of the George Floyd killing at the hands of Minneapolis police, some of which have turned violent.
After downtown protests turned violent in confrontations with police last weekend, 10 Democratic elected officials from the city, including aldermen and four state lawmakers, issued a statement to “condemn” Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago police Superintendent David Brown. They criticized the two for the “use of police force against these demonstrators” and the “continued escalation of surveillance, violence, and detention of protestors.”
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“Many of these young people are themselves anti-violence activists who, like too many other Black and Latinx Chicagoans, have lost friends and family to gun violence,” the lawmakers wrote. “It is their right to protest, and it is our responsibility to listen. We encourage Mayor Lightfoot and Superintendent Brown to do the same.”
In response, 15 Democratic state legislators — four senators and 11 representatives — released a statement siding with police, saying they were “subjected to a well-organized and unprovoked attack while attempting to maintain order.”
“Peaceful demonstrations are always welcome, however, violent demonstrations are never justified. Looting, theft, and criminal damage to property are never justified,” they said. “And unprovoked attacks against police officers are not only unjustified and lawless, they are an attack on all Chicagoans and an insult to those who protest peacefully.”
rap30@aol.com
bruthhart@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-20--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 2,295 new known COVID-19 cases reported — the most since late May —

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 2,295 new known COVID-19 cases reported — the most since late May — as FDA gives emergency use authorization for U. of I. saliva test

The Illinois Department of Public Health on Wednesday announced 2,295 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus , the highest daily case tally since May 24 .
The state has approached the late May number several times in recent weeks amid an uptick in statewide case counts and other coronavirus metrics compared with June and early July .
Officials also said more than 50,000 tests had been conducted during the previous 24 hours .
That ’ s roughly twice the number that were being conducted in late May .
As of Tuesday , the seven-day statewide average positivity rate was 4.4 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier and 2.9 % on July 18 .
Later on Wednesday , state officials said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an emergency use authorization for a University of Illinois-developed saliva test for COVID-19 , which they characterized as a potential “ game-changer ” for surveillance testing .
The saliva test , which is being used at University of Illinois campuses for students and faculty members who are attending in-person classes , is less expensive , faster and requires “ significantly less ” raw materials than other tests , Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Chicago with university officials .
8:20 p.m. : Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren says the decision to postpone fall sports ‘ will not be revisited ’ Facing criticism in the wake of the Big Ten postponing the fall sports season because of the COVID-19 pandemic , Commissioner Kevin Warren released a statement Wednesday reiterating the conference ’ s decision was based on medical advice .
Warren also confirmed presidents and chancellors of Big Ten institutions voted “ overwhelmingly in support ” of a postponement and said the decision would “ not be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parents have been particularly vocal in their disappointment about the lack of transparency since the conference announced the decision Aug. 11 .
Some planned a Friday “ rally ” outside the Big Ten offices in Rosemont and parents from Iowa , Nebraska , Ohio State and Illinois have written open letters to Warren demanding more answers .
Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour cast doubt on the decision-making process earlier this week , telling reporters it was “ unclear to me whether or not there was a vote.
” Many presidents and chancellors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have not responded to media requests for comments about the voting process .
The Big Ten had declined to elaborate since the announcement made it the first FBS program to postpone its fall season , and Warren had not had media availability .
6 p.m. : Mary , Seat of Wisdom in Park Ridge delays school reopening after administrator becomes ill with COVID-19 A Chicago-area Catholic school has delayed the start of its school year after an administrator tested positive for COVID-19 , according to the Archdiocese of Chicago .
Mary , Seat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheduled to open Aug. 25 , but will now begin the school year on Sept. 8 , according to the archdiocese .
The administrator has not been at the school since early last week , and parents and staff members have been notified , the archdiocese said in a statement .
“ The archdiocese takes the COVID-19 pandemic seriously , making our students ’ and employees ’ lives our top priority and being transparent with families and staff , ” the statement read .
“ In conformance with public health guidance and out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will perform a thorough cleaning and disinfecting of the school building.
” The news comes as educators try to figure out how best to proceed with in-person and remote learning amid a pandemic .
Unlike most public school systems in the Chicago area , which have decided to continue with remote learning this fall or open their buildings for limited in-person classes , schools in the Chicago Archdiocese will open full-time , with safety measures in place and remote learning options for parents who choose them .
5 p.m. : Dart urges Pritzker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be incredibly harmful to proceed ’ Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart urged Gov .
J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday to extend the state ’ s eviction moratorium that ’ s been in place during the coronavirus pandemic , citing concerns that households need more time to catch up with rent while assistance fund applications are pending .
In a letter to Pritzker and Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans , Dart urged the current Aug. 22 expiration date be postponed until all city and county rent relief grants are dispersed .
“ Like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic , not just on the health and safety of residents , but on the economic future of the entire community , ” Dart wrote .
“ Obviously , it would be incredibly harmful to proceed with evictions when these funds are on their way to rescue so many tenants and landlords.
” Dart , whose office is in charge of enforcing evictions in Cook County , said while the current pause in evictions has helped , struggling renters remain anxious that the looming deadline on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that waiting until the money is paid out will stop hundreds of thousands of Cook County residents from being pushed out of their apartments .
A spokeswoman for Evans said the chief judge intends to keep the deadline of the county ’ s eviction moratorium in line with the state ’ s end dates .
4:45 p.m. : Short-term rentals like Airbnb banned indefinitely in Naperville so stricter guidelines can be drafted Naperville City Council members Tuesday voted to indefinitely ban short-term rentals like Airbnb from operating in the city until stricter guidelines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ban goes into effect Sept. 1 with a 60-day grace period for rentals booked prior to Aug. 19 and scheduled to occur through Oct. 20 .
Those who try to skirt the ban will be fined $ 1,000 for the first violation and $ 2,500 for each subsequent violation .
The ban comes after the council discussed an ordinance earlier this month to regulate short-term rentals by making owners register their properties with the city , cap visitors at 20 people , ensure house parties are not held or advertised , and require @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a permanent home for more than six months a year .
When questions were raised and opposition voiced about the proposal , council members opted instead for a ban in order to provide the time needed to come up with a regulations that satisfy residents , short-term rental property owners and elected officials .
3:50 p.m. : Metra falling further behind budget amid COVID-19 ridership decline , with cost cuts coming down the line As the pandemic persists and people stay home in droves , Metra is falling further behind its revenue schedule @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rail system upped its projected two-year budget deficit to $ 682.5 million at a virtual monthly board Wednesday , and warned that it will have to start cutting costs more aggressively without additional federal aid like the Coronavirus Aid , Relief and Economic Security Act passed in March .
2:40 p.m. : State says FDA has given emergency use authorization for U. of I. COVID-19 saliva test State officials said Wednesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an emergency use authorization for a University of Illinois-developed saliva test for COVID-19 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ game-changer ” for surveillance testing .
The saliva test , which is being used at University of Illinois campuses for students and faculty members who are attending in-person classes , is less expensive , faster and requires “ significantly less ” raw materials than other tests , Gov .
J.B. Pritzker said at a news briefing in Chicago with university officials .
Work is currently underway to make the test more widely available , including on other public university campuses and in K-12 schools , Pritzker said .
The state set a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ period on Wednesday , with more than 50,000 tests conducted .
A day after the first Illinois region was sent backward in its reopening , Pritzker said another pair of counties are showing “ troubling trends ” in their COVID-19 metrics .
The state imposed additional rules for bars , restaurants and gathering sizes Tuesday in the Metro East region outside St. Louis after the region surpassed a state-set threshold for reopening .
The region that includes Kankakee and Will counties , as well as the southern Illinois region , are the two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ troubling trends , ” though the majority of the state ’ s 11 regions as defined in Pritzker ’ s reopening plan have seen increasing test positivity rates .
2:35 p.m. : Time Out Market Chicago re-opens next week for first time since March Time Out Market food hall in the West Loop announced that it plans to reopen next Wednesday , joining a trickle of bars and restaurants around the city attempting to restart service .
Time Out becomes the city ’ s third food hall to open since March — joining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closing for the pandemic , and Dr. Murphy ’ s , a new venture — when the Illinois state guidelines required across-the-board shutdowns due to the pandemic .
Given the multi-vendor set-up and high level of social interactivity in food hall ’ s business models , the shutdown seemed like it could have a dramatic effect on these types of operations .
The 53,000-square-foot Time Out Market will reopen with new safety guidelines to handle COVID-19 , plus eight returning concepts/chefs : Arami , Chef Bill Kim ( Urbanbelly ) , Chef Brian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cantina , Duck Inn Dogs , Lost Larson , Mini Mott and Pretty Cool Ice Cream .
The food hall ’ s two bars will also be open in full .
The Youth Services Department of the Glenview Pubic Library will be closed until further notice due to a positive coronavirus case , but the rest of the library will remain open .
Library officials announced the department closure Tuesday , saying a staff member working in the Youth Services Department recently reported testing positive for COVID-19 and that a second staff member @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is unfortunate news , we are thankful that both individuals are reporting mild symptoms , ” officials posted on the library website .
The staff member with an official diagnosis last worked in the library Aug. 6 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Officials said they will not release employee names or personal information due to confidentiality laws .
Library officials do not believe any patrons had “ close contact ” with either of the individuals , as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
The CDC defines close contact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for at least 15 minutes , with varying factors .
Still , officials recommend that anyone who has recently visited the Youth Services Department and may be feeling symptoms get tested .
12:05 p.m. ( updated at 1:20 p.m. ) : 2,295 new known COVID-19 cases and 25 more deaths reported The state has approached the late May number several times in recent weeks amid an uptick in statewide case counts and other coronavirus metrics compared with June and early July .
The state also said more than 50,000 tests had been conducted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s roughly twice the number that were being conducted in late May .
As of Tuesday , the seven-day statewide average positivity rate was 4.4 % , up from 3.9 % two weeks earlier and 2.9 % on July 18 .
The state health department also announced 25 additional deaths of people with COVID-19 , raising the statewide death toll to 7,806 .
There have been 211,889 known cases of COVID-19 in Illinois over the course of the pandemic .
As of Tuesday night , 1,519 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in intensive care units and 144 patients on ventilators .
10:25 a.m. : Remote work can continue forever , consulting firm Sikich tells employees months into the coronavirus pandemic Professional services firm Sikich will allow employees to work from home permanently and plans to shrink the size of its offices in one of the most dramatic responses to the coronavirus pandemic in Chicago .
CEO Chris Geier recently told the Chicago-based company ’ s more than 1,000 employees that remote work can continue “ indefinitely , ” as part of a reduction in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but shut down in March because of COVID-19 .
Sikich has 307 Chicago-area employees .
In the near term , employees have been told to stay away from the office unless absolutely necessary , Geier said .
Over the next few years , Sikich plans to replace its current 14 offices throughout the country with about 30 “ micro offices ” that the firm ’ s consultants and other employees can use when they ’ re not working at client offices or from home , Geier said .
“ This was a path @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Geier said .
“ The pandemic is just accelerating it.
” Companies of all sizes are grappling with the short-term impacts of the pandemic while trying to form long-term workforce strategies .
Because many leasing decisions are made months or even years before a move , the coronavirus has added a level of complexity , said Savills office tenant broker Joe Learner , who is not involved in Sikich ’ s plans .
Target reported recorded-setting sales growth online and at established stores over the past three months , more evidence that big-box @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the pandemic .
Walmart , Home Depot and now Target have reported eye-popping sales over the past three months as Americans limit their supply runs to fewer stores and do more cooking and do-it-yourself projects at home .
The shift in behavior is reshaping the retail landscape at the expense of mall-based retailers and other stores forced to close this year .
Many were struggling before the pandemic because of what Americans buy and where they buy it .
7:40 a.m. : Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton , Kamala Harris take to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Convention Democrats hoping to create a surge of enthusiasm behind Joe Biden ’ s presidential bid will look to Wednesday ’ s convention headliners to broaden the party ’ s focus from a multipart rebuke of President Donald Trump to a message of change .
Former President Barack Obama , a transformational figure for the Democratic Party who picked Biden as his running mate a dozen years ago , has top billing for the third night of the all-virtual Democratic National Convention , starting at 9 p.m. EDT .
Before Obama tries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elected him as the country ’ s first Black president , the lineup is set for America to hear from Sen. Kamala Harris in her first prime-time appearance as Biden ’ s history-making running mate .
Hillary Clinton , another barrier breaker as the first female presidential nominee of any major party , will also speak .
6:50 a.m. : ‘ Dear tooth fairy , you may already know this but there is a national coin shortage ’ One of the side effects of the pandemic is a shortage of coins across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nickels aren ’ t circulating as freely as they usually do because many businesses have been closed and consumers aren ’ t out spending as much .
The problem weighed especially heavy on the 10-year-old daughter of Jen Vicker from Bollingbrook .
The girl woke up with a loose tooth recently and worried the tooth fairy wouldn ’ t be able to pay because of the shortage .
So she wrote a note : “ Dear tooth fairy , you may already know this but there is a national coin shortage in America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but until this situation is resolved , I would like cash for my teeth .
I apologize for the inconvenience.
” There was no immediate word from the tooth fairy .
6:45 a.m. : Coronavirus test used by hospitals and laboratories under scrutiny by federal health officials A widely used coronavirus test is under scrutiny after federal health officials warned it could deliver inaccurate results if laboratory technicians don ’ t follow the the latest updates from the manufacturer .
The Food and Drug Administration ’ s warning over Thermo Fisher ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 tests and how easily they can be skewed by faulty processing and equipment .
The FDA action follows a report last month by Connecticut public health officials that the test resulted in at least 90 people receiving false positive results for the coronavirus .
Thermo Fisher ’ s test is one of the standard tools used to screen for COVID-19 , run on large , automated machines found in many U.S. hospitals and laboratories .
The FDA flagged two separate issues that could potentially result in false results : the chemical mixing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the company ’ s machine .
Thermo Fisher has provided new instructions for mixing .
And a software update fixes the second problem , the FDA said .
For all positive results , FDA said labs should review the instrument settings .
Thermo Fisher said in a statement that its data shows the issues are rare and most users get accurate results by following company directions .
6:30 a.m. : CPS fall plan includes full days of remote and live learning , but still prompts union grievance Chicago Public Schools had barely released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Chicago Teachers Union announced it had filed grievance over the guidance that union President Jesse Sharkey said was made “ without imagination or input from teachers.
” The fall plan has a stricter structure and more accountability measures than the spring , when schools were suddenly forced to figure out remote learning amid an evolving pandemic .
Under the fall framework , students in kindergarten through 12th grade will get at least three hours of live instruction from their teacher .
Between that , small group activities with classmates and independent learning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ be engaged ” for the entire length of a typical school day , Monday through Friday .
Other expectations include daily attendance and graded assignments .
But CTU leaders said the district has not done enough to meet students ’ needs and that CPS didn ’ t spend enough time on their remote learning plan because they so badly wanted to include in-person classes .
Here are five things that happened Tuesday related to COVID-19 .

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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)
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Wednesday announced 2,295 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus, the highest daily case tally since May 24. The state has approached the late May number several times in recent weeks amid an uptick in statewide case counts and other coronavirus metrics compared with June and early July.
Officials also said more than 50,000 tests had been conducted during the previous 24 hours. That’s roughly twice the number that were being conducted in late May. As of Tuesday, the seven-day statewide average positivity rate was 4.4%, up from 3.9% two weeks earlier and 2.9% on July 18.
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Later on Wednesday, state officials said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an emergency use authorization for a University of Illinois-developed saliva test for COVID-19, which they characterized as a potential “game-changer” for surveillance testing.
The saliva test, which is being used at University of Illinois campuses for students and faculty members who are attending in-person classes, is less expensive, faster and requires “significantly less” raw materials than other tests, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at a news briefing in Chicago with university officials.
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Here’s what’s happening Wednesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
8:20 p.m.: Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren says the decision to postpone fall sports ‘will not be revisited’
Facing criticism in the wake of the Big Ten postponing the fall sports season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Commissioner Kevin Warren released a statement Wednesday reiterating the conference’s decision was based on medical advice.
Warren also confirmed presidents and chancellors of Big Ten institutions voted “overwhelmingly in support” of a postponement and said the decision would “not be revisited.”
Big Ten football players’ parents have been particularly vocal in their disappointment about the lack of transparency since the conference announced the decision Aug. 11. Some planned a Friday “rally” outside the Big Ten offices in Rosemont and parents from Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio State and Illinois have written open letters to Warren demanding more answers.
Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour cast doubt on the decision-making process earlier this week, telling reporters it was “unclear to me whether or not there was a vote.” Many presidents and chancellors, including Illinois chancellor Robert Jones, have not responded to media requests for comments about the voting process.
The Big Ten had declined to elaborate since the announcement made it the first FBS program to postpone its fall season, and Warren had not had media availability.
Read more here. —Shannon Ryan
6 p.m.: Mary, Seat of Wisdom in Park Ridge delays school reopening after administrator becomes ill with COVID-19
A Chicago-area Catholic school has delayed the start of its school year after an administrator tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Archdiocese of Chicago.
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Mary, Seat of Wisdom School in Park Ridge was scheduled to open Aug. 25, but will now begin the school year on Sept. 8, according to the archdiocese. The administrator has not been at the school since early last week, and parents and staff members have been notified, the archdiocese said in a statement.
“The archdiocese takes the COVID-19 pandemic seriously, making our students’ and employees’ lives our top priority and being transparent with families and staff,” the statement read. “In conformance with public health guidance and out of an abundance of caution, we will perform a thorough cleaning and disinfecting of the school building.”
The news comes as educators try to figure out how best to proceed with in-person and remote learning amid a pandemic. Unlike most public school systems in the Chicago area, which have decided to continue with remote learning this fall or open their buildings for limited in-person classes, schools in the Chicago Archdiocese will open full-time, with safety measures in place and remote learning options for parents who choose them.
Read more here. —Javonte Anderson and Jennifer Johnson
5 p.m.: Dart urges Pritzker to extend eviction moratorium: ‘It would be incredibly harmful to proceed’
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart urged Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday to extend the state’s eviction moratorium that’s been in place during the coronavirus pandemic, citing concerns that households need more time to catch up with rent while assistance fund applications are pending.
In a letter to Pritzker and Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans, Dart urged the current Aug. 22 expiration date be postponed until all city and county rent relief grants are dispersed.
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“Like you, I have been tremendously concerned about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, not just on the health and safety of residents, but on the economic future of the entire community,” Dart wrote. “Obviously, it would be incredibly harmful to proceed with evictions when these funds are on their way to rescue so many tenants and landlords.”
Dart, whose office is in charge of enforcing evictions in Cook County, said while the current pause in evictions has helped, struggling renters remain anxious that the looming deadline on the moratorium is too soon. He wrote that waiting until the money is paid out will stop hundreds of thousands of Cook County residents from being pushed out of their apartments.
A Pritzker spokeswoman did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The governor has previously extended the moratorium.
A spokeswoman for Evans said the chief judge intends to keep the deadline of the county’s eviction moratorium in line with the state’s end dates.
—Alice Yin
4:45 p.m.: Short-term rentals like Airbnb banned indefinitely in Naperville so stricter guidelines can be drafted
Naperville City Council members Tuesday voted to indefinitely ban short-term rentals like Airbnb from operating in the city until stricter guidelines can be put in place.
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The ban goes into effect Sept. 1 with a 60-day grace period for rentals booked prior to Aug. 19 and scheduled to occur through Oct. 20. Those who try to skirt the ban will be fined $1,000 for the first violation and $2,500 for each subsequent violation.
The ban comes after the council discussed an ordinance earlier this month to regulate short-term rentals by making owners register their properties with the city, cap visitors at 20 people, ensure house parties are not held or advertised, and require owners to live in the residence as a permanent home for more than six months a year.
When questions were raised and opposition voiced about the proposal, council members opted instead for a ban in order to provide the time needed to come up with a regulations that satisfy residents, short-term rental property owners and elected officials.
Read more here. —Erin Hegarty
3:50 p.m.: Metra falling further behind budget amid COVID-19 ridership decline, with cost cuts coming down the line
As the pandemic persists and people stay home in droves, Metra is falling further behind its revenue schedule.
The Chicago area’s commuter rail system upped its projected two-year budget deficit to $682.5 million at a virtual monthly board Wednesday, and warned that it will have to start cutting costs more aggressively without additional federal aid like the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act passed in March.
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“CARES funds won’t last forever,” Thomas Farmer, Metra’s chief financial officer, said during the meeting. “We must adjust costs if ridership doesn’t return soon.”
Read more here. —Robert Channick
2:40 p.m.: State says FDA has given emergency use authorization for U. of I. COVID-19 saliva test
State officials said Wednesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an emergency use authorization for a University of Illinois-developed saliva test for COVID-19, which they characterized as a potential “game-changer” for surveillance testing.
The saliva test, which is being used at University of Illinois campuses for students and faculty members who are attending in-person classes, is less expensive, faster and requires “significantly less” raw materials than other tests, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at a news briefing in Chicago with university officials.
Work is currently underway to make the test more widely available, including on other public university campuses and in K-12 schools, Pritzker said.
Nasal swabs have been the primary method for conducting coronavirus tests.
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The state set a new record for tests conducted during a 24-hour period on Wednesday, with more than 50,000 tests conducted.
A day after the first Illinois region was sent backward in its reopening, Pritzker said another pair of counties are showing “troubling trends” in their COVID-19 metrics.
The state imposed additional rules for bars, restaurants and gathering sizes Tuesday in the Metro East region outside St. Louis after the region surpassed a state-set threshold for reopening.
The region that includes Kankakee and Will counties, as well as the southern Illinois region, are the two Pritzker highlighted Wednesday as those with “troubling trends,” though the majority of the state’s 11 regions as defined in Pritzker’s reopening plan have seen increasing test positivity rates.
—Jamie Munks
2:35 p.m.: Time Out Market Chicago re-opens next week for first time since March
Time Out Market food hall in the West Loop announced that it plans to reopen next Wednesday, joining a trickle of bars and restaurants around the city attempting to restart service.
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Time Out becomes the city’s third food hall to open since March — joining Wells St. Market, which reopened after closing for the pandemic, and Dr. Murphy’s, a new venture — when the Illinois state guidelines required across-the-board shutdowns due to the pandemic. Given the multi-vendor set-up and high level of social interactivity in food hall’s business models, the shutdown seemed like it could have a dramatic effect on these types of operations.
The 53,000-square-foot Time Out Market will reopen with new safety guidelines to handle COVID-19, plus eight returning concepts/chefs: Arami, Chef Bill Kim (Urbanbelly), Chef Brian Fisher (Entente), Dos Urban Cantina, Duck Inn Dogs, Lost Larson, Mini Mott and Pretty Cool Ice Cream. The food hall’s two bars will also be open in full.
Read more here. —Adam Lukach
1 p.m. Glenview library’s Youth Services Department closed after staff member tests positive for COVID-19
The Youth Services Department of the Glenview Pubic Library will be closed until further notice due to a positive coronavirus case, but the rest of the library will remain open.
Library officials announced the department closure Tuesday, saying a staff member working in the Youth Services Department recently reported testing positive for COVID-19 and that a second staff member is reporting symptoms.
“While this is unfortunate news, we are thankful that both individuals are reporting mild symptoms,” officials posted on the library website.
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The staff member with an official diagnosis last worked in the library Aug. 6 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Officials said they will not release employee names or personal information due to confidentiality laws.
Library officials do not believe any patrons had “close contact” with either of the individuals, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC defines close contact as being within 6 feet of someone for at least 15 minutes, with varying factors.
Still, officials recommend that anyone who has recently visited the Youth Services Department and may be feeling symptoms get tested.
Read more here. —Kaitlin Edquist
12:05 p.m. (updated at 1:20 p.m.): 2,295 new known COVID-19 cases and 25 more deaths reported
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Wednesday announced 2,295 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus, the highest daily case tally since May 24.
The state has approached the late May number several times in recent weeks amid an uptick in statewide case counts and other coronavirus metrics compared with June and early July.
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The state also said more than 50,000 tests had been conducted during the previous 24 hours. That’s roughly twice the number that were being conducted in late May.
The state reported a total of 3,489,571 tests conducted.
As of Tuesday, the seven-day statewide average positivity rate was 4.4%, up from 3.9% two weeks earlier and 2.9% on July 18.
The state health department also announced 25 additional deaths of people with COVID-19, raising the statewide death toll to 7,806. There have been 211,889 known cases of COVID-19 in Illinois over the course of the pandemic.
As of Tuesday night, 1,519 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized in the state, with 334 of them in intensive care units and 144 patients on ventilators.
—Jamie Munks
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10:25 a.m.: Remote work can continue forever, consulting firm Sikich tells employees months into the coronavirus pandemic
Professional services firm Sikich will allow employees to work from home permanently and plans to shrink the size of its offices in one of the most dramatic responses to the coronavirus pandemic in Chicago.
CEO Chris Geier recently told the Chicago-based company’s more than 1,000 employees that remote work can continue “indefinitely,” as part of a reduction in real estate already envisioned before offices all but shut down in March because of COVID-19. Sikich has 307 Chicago-area employees.
In the near term, employees have been told to stay away from the office unless absolutely necessary, Geier said.
Over the next few years, Sikich plans to replace its current 14 offices throughout the country with about 30 “micro offices” that the firm’s consultants and other employees can use when they’re not working at client offices or from home, Geier said.
“This was a path we were already going down,” Geier said. “The pandemic is just accelerating it.”
Companies of all sizes are grappling with the short-term impacts of the pandemic while trying to form long-term workforce strategies. Because many leasing decisions are made months or even years before a move, the coronavirus has added a level of complexity, said Savills office tenant broker Joe Learner, who is not involved in Sikich’s plans.
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Read more here. —Ryan Ori
8:25 a.m.: Target’s online sales surge 195%, in-store sales up 24.3%
Target reported recorded-setting sales growth online and at established stores over the past three months, more evidence that big-box retailers have become essential points of supply during the pandemic.
Online sales surged 195% and same-store sales spiked 10.9%, second-quarter growth that is unprecedented in the company’s 58-year history.
Walmart, Home Depot and now Target have reported eye-popping sales over the past three months as Americans limit their supply runs to fewer stores and do more cooking and do-it-yourself projects at home.
The shift in behavior is reshaping the retail landscape at the expense of mall-based retailers and other stores forced to close this year. Many were struggling before the pandemic because of what Americans buy and where they buy it.
The pandemic has put those retailers in further in peril.
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Read more here. —Associated Press
7:40 a.m.: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris take to virtual stage on night 3 of Democratic National Convention
Democrats hoping to create a surge of enthusiasm behind Joe Biden’s presidential bid will look to Wednesday’s convention headliners to broaden the party’s focus from a multipart rebuke of President Donald Trump to a message of change.
Former President Barack Obama, a transformational figure for the Democratic Party who picked Biden as his running mate a dozen years ago, has top billing for the third night of the all-virtual Democratic National Convention, starting at 9 p.m. EDT.
Before Obama tries to tap into the broad coalition that elected him as the country’s first Black president, the lineup is set for America to hear from Sen. Kamala Harris in her first prime-time appearance as Biden’s history-making running mate. Hillary Clinton, another barrier breaker as the first female presidential nominee of any major party, will also speak.
What to watch on the third night of the convention. —The Associated Press
7:35 a.m.: More south suburban schools abandon, for now, plans to bring students back to classroom
More south and southwest suburban school districts are dropping plans, at least for the foreseeable future, to try to bring students into the classroom based on new guidance from state health officials.
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Elementary schools including Kirby District 140 in Tinley Park, Tinley Park District 146 and Homewood District 153 say they will now shelve hybrid learning plans that mixed in-person and remote teaching.
School officials have used terms such as “unsustainable” and “untenable” in describing updated guidelines rolled out last week by the Illinois Department of Public Health which could have students and staff exhibiting just one symptom of COVID-19 being sent home.
In a message to families Tuesday, leadership in District 153 said the “new guidelines are unattainable at this time,” and that remote learning would continue “until such time that we can meet the revised safety measures and ensure it is safe for staff and students to return to our buildings.”
Read more here. —Mike Nolan, Daily Southtown
6:50 a.m.: ‘Dear tooth fairy, you may already know this but there is a national coin shortage’
One of the side effects of the pandemic is a shortage of coins across the United States. Quarters, dimes and nickels aren’t circulating as freely as they usually do because many businesses have been closed and consumers aren’t out spending as much.
The problem weighed especially heavy on the 10-year-old daughter of Jen Vicker from Bollingbrook. The girl woke up with a loose tooth recently and worried the tooth fairy wouldn’t be able to pay because of the shortage.
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So she wrote a note: “Dear tooth fairy, you may already know this but there is a national coin shortage in America. You usually leave me dollar coins, but until this situation is resolved, I would like cash for my teeth. I apologize for the inconvenience.”
There was no immediate word from the tooth fairy.
—The Associated Press
6:45 a.m.: Coronavirus test used by hospitals and laboratories under scrutiny by federal health officials
A widely used coronavirus test is under scrutiny after federal health officials warned it could deliver inaccurate results if laboratory technicians don’t follow the the latest updates from the manufacturer.
The Food and Drug Administration’s warning over Thermo Fisher’s TaqPath test underscores the complexity of COVID-19 tests and how easily they can be skewed by faulty processing and equipment. The FDA action follows a report last month by Connecticut public health officials that the test resulted in at least 90 people receiving false positive results for the coronavirus.
Thermo Fisher’s test is one of the standard tools used to screen for COVID-19, run on large, automated machines found in many U.S. hospitals and laboratories. The FDA flagged two separate issues that could potentially result in false results: the chemical mixing process and computer software that runs on the company’s machine. Thermo Fisher has provided new instructions for mixing. And a software update fixes the second problem, the FDA said.
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For all positive results, FDA said labs should review the instrument settings.
Thermo Fisher said in a statement that its data shows the issues are rare and most users get accurate results by following company directions.
—The Associated Press
6:30 a.m.: CPS fall plan includes full days of remote and live learning, but still prompts union grievance
Chicago Public Schools had barely released its fall remote learning plan Tuesday when the Chicago Teachers Union announced it had filed grievance over the guidance that union President Jesse Sharkey said was made “without imagination or input from teachers.”
The fall plan has a stricter structure and more accountability measures than the spring, when schools were suddenly forced to figure out remote learning amid an evolving pandemic.
Under the fall framework, students in kindergarten through 12th grade will get at least three hours of live instruction from their teacher. Between that, small group activities with classmates and independent learning, the district is expecting students to “be engaged” for the entire length of a typical school day, Monday through Friday. Other expectations include daily attendance and graded assignments.
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But CTU leaders said the district has not done enough to meet students’ needs and that CPS didn’t spend enough time on their remote learning plan because they so badly wanted to include in-person classes.
Read more here. —Hannah Leone
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Here are five things that happened Tuesday related to COVID-19.


chicagotribune--2020-08-20--Chicago’s plan to replace city’s lead water pipes expected in coming weeks, official says

Chicago politicians including Lightfoot have long struggled with the issue .
Lead pipes have been linked to health issues and @ @ @ @ @ full-on replacement would cost billions the city can ’ t afford .
In the meantime @ @ @ @ @ have been careful to say the city ’ s water is safe to drink .

A piece of old lead pipe that was being replaced with a copper pipe is shown in 2016. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot will unveil a plan to replace Chicago’s lead water pipes sometime in the coming weeks, top administration officials said, though key details about the plan remain in doubt.
Lightfoot water Commissioner Randy Conner and Budget Director Susie Park told aldermen about the plan at a City Council committee meeting on Tuesday.
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The plan will be voluntary, but other key details aren’t yet known.
Chicago politicians including Lightfoot have long struggled with the issue. Lead pipes have been linked to health issues and violence spikes, but a full-on replacement would cost billions the city can’t afford. In the meantime, Lightfoot and other politicians have been careful to say the city’s water is safe to drink.
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At an unrelated news conference on Wednesday, Lightfoot essentially reiterated the points made by administration officials while acknowledging the city hasn’t figured out financing for the project. But, she added, “The time of reckoning is now.”
Chicago has the most lead service lines in the United States, largely because the city’s plumbing code required the use of lead to connect single-family homes and two-flats to street mains until Congress banned the practice in 1986.
City officials have known for decades that lead service lines are a public health hazard. They largely avoided scrutiny over the years by adding chemicals to the municipal water supply that form a protective coating inside lead pipes connecting homes to cast-iron street mains.
In 2013, experts from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published a study of Chicago homes detailing how that protective coating can break down if water hasn’t been used for several hours, allowing bits of lead or microscopic particles of the toxic metal to leach into tap water.
The researchers also found that lead levels in tap water could spike for months — or even years — if service lines had been disturbed by street work or plumbing repairs, including the installation of water meters.
Other cities have launched programs that split the cost of replacing the pipes with property owners, often on a sliding scale intended to ease the burden on low-income residents.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @royalpratt


chicagotribune--2020-08-19--Mary, Seat of Wisdom in Park Ridge delays school reopening after administrator becomes ill with COVI

Mary, Seat of Wisdom in Park Ridge delays school reopening after administrator becomes ill with COVID-19

The news comes as educators try to figure out how best to proceed with in-person and remote learning amid a @ @ @ @ @ school systems in the Chicago area , which have decided to continue with remote learning @ @ @ @ @ buildings for limited in-person classes , schools in the Chicago Archdiocese will open full time @ @ @ @ @ place and remote learning options for parents who choose them .

A Chicago-area Catholic school has delayed the start of its school year after an administrator tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Mary, Seat of Wisdom School in Park Ridge was scheduled to open Aug. 25, but will now begin the school year on Sept. 8, according to the archdiocese. The administrator has not been at the school since early last week, and parents and staff members have been notified, the archdiocese said in a statement.
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“The archdiocese takes the COVID-19 pandemic seriously, making our students’ and employees’ lives our top priority and being transparent with families and staff,” the statement read. “In conformance with public health guidance and out of an abundance of caution, we will perform a thorough cleaning and disinfecting of the school building."
The news comes as educators try to figure out how best to proceed with in-person and remote learning amid a pandemic. Unlike most public school systems in the Chicago area, which have decided to continue with remote learning this fall or open their buildings for limited in-person classes, schools in the Chicago Archdiocese will open full time, with safety measures in place and remote learning options for parents who choose them.
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None of the other schools in the archdiocese have delayed the start of classes, officials said.
In an email to families Tuesday, the Mary, Seat of Wisdom church pastor, the Rev. Derek Ho, said parish leaders learned that day that the administrator had tested positive for COVID-19 after falling ill last week. The administrator was exposed to the virus through a “family relationship, not from someone at our school,” Ho wrote.
The administrator was last inside the school on Aug. 10, parents were told. Two other administrators who had been in “prolonged, close contact” with the administrator were advised to self-quarantine for 14 days, Ho said.
Teachers had already returned to the school building to prepare for the new school year when it was closed Tuesday.
Ho and Assistant Principal Robert Potempa referred all questions to the Archdiocese of Chicago.


chicagotribune--2020-08-19--Lawyers for indicted Ald. Edward Burke to challenge evidence against him, but some details expected

Lawyers for indicted Ald. Edward Burke to challenge evidence against him, but some details expected to be sealed

Among the protected material , according to Burke ’ s attorneys , are some details of the government ’ s @ @ @ @ @ that allowed the FBI to tap Burke ’ s cellphone .
The motions will also @ @ @ @ @ and other sensitive evidence that should be kept from public view , according to Burke @ @ @ @ @ the entirety of the motions are not expected to be kept from the public .

Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, right, gets applause after his farewell speech on his last day as alderman at the City Council meeting, April 19, 2023. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
After months on the back burner, the bribery case against Chicago Ald. Edward Burke is expected to heat up Thursday when his lawyers file long-awaited motions challenging the government’s wiretaps and other evidence.
How much of the material will be made public, however, remains to be seen.
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In a filing Tuesday, Burke’s attorneys asked U.S. District Judge Robert Dow for permission to redact key portions of their motions or file them as sealed exhibits.
Among the protected material, according to Burke’s attorneys, are some details of the government’s 87-page Title III wiretap application that allowed the FBI to tap Burke’s cellphone. The motions will also include discussions of witness statements and other sensitive evidence that should be kept from public view, according to Burke’s attorneys, though the entirety of the motions are not expected to be kept from the public.
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“In order to avoid the unnecessary disclosure of these sensitive materials, counsel respectfully seek leave of court to publicly file these motions with redactions, and file unredacted versions under seal,” Burke’s attorneys wrote.
Dow granted the request in a minute order Wednesday. A status hearing in the case is set for Sept. 2.
Government wiretap applications are always filed in secret, and it’s not unusual for details contained in the applications — or specific conversations later recorded by law enforcement — to be kept hidden from the public as a case is awaiting trial.
Federal court records show that in Burke’s case, the FBI had the alderman’s cellphone tapped over at least an eight-month period, listening in on thousands of calls made or received. Only snippets of a few of those conversations have so far been made public in the indictment.
The wiretap was approved after prosecutors secured the cooperation of then-Ald. Daniel Solis, a longtime Burke ally, who began working with federal investigators in 2016 after he was himself secretly recorded by a developer. Solis, who abruptly announced his retirement in late 2018, has not been charged with wrongdoing.
Burke and his two co-defendants — longtime 14th Ward political operative Peter J. Andrews and real estate developer Charles Cui — are currently scheduled to go to trial sometime in mid-2021. It’s unclear, however, if the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down jury trials for more than four months at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, will cause further delay.
Burke, 76, a Democratic stalwart and onetime dean of the City Council, was originally charged in a criminal complaint in January 2019. He was indicted four months later on 14 counts including racketeering, federal program bribery, attempted extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion and using interstate commerce to facilitate an unlawful activity.
Meanwhile, Burke easily won reelection in February 2019 despite the cloud of the charges hanging over his campaign. He would be up for reelection in 2023.
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The 59-page indictment outlined a series of schemes in which Burke allegedly tried to muscle developers into hiring his law firm, Klafter & Burke, to appeal their property taxes. Among the projects Burke tried to capitalize on was the massive $800 million renovation of the old main Chicago post office in the West Loop, according to the charges.
Andrews was accused of assisting the alderman in attempting to shake down two businessmen seeking to renovate a Burger King restaurant in the 14th Ward.
The indictment also accused Cui of hiring Burke’s law firm in exchange for the alderman’s help with a sign permit and financing deal for a project in the Portage Park neighborhood.
All three have pleaded not guilty.
In addition to their motion to suppress the wiretap, Burke’s attorneys said Tuesday they will file motions challenging the federal bribery statutes charged in the indictment.
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-21--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,832 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 27 more deaths reported as s

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,832 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 27 more deaths reported as state sets testing record for second day in a row

The department on Thursday reported 1,832 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus and 27 additional deaths .
A day earlier , it reported 2,295 new confirmed cases , the highest daily case tally since May 24 .
The state now has reported 213,721 cases and 7,833 fatalities .
Illinois ’ top public health official had warned Wednesday that more people are testing positive for the coronavirus in the state while rates across the country are generally going down .
“ We are going in the wrong direction , ” said Illinois Department of Public Health director Dr. Ngozi Ezike .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve grown numb to these numbers , and we have to remember they are not just numbers , they are people … who will not be at Thanksgiving dinner this year.
” Illinois Gov .
J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday that most of Illinois ’ 11 regions are seeing increases in positivity rates , but two in particular are reporting “ troubling trends ” : Region 7 , which includes Kankakee and Will counties , and Region 5 in southern Illinois .
7:35 p.m. : Gerardo Victoria had big plans for the fall : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from COVID-19 and died at the age of 23 .
‘ A horrible thing.
’ Gerardo “ Jerry ” Victoria was always coming up with new recipes and sharing them with his family in their South Holland home .
About a month ago , he became ill as COVID-19 spread through his family .
He died on Tuesday at the age of 23 , one of the youngest victims of the coronavirus in Cook County .
As of Thursday , Illinois has reported 213,721 cases and 7,833 fatalities .
“ It was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ He was getting better and getting the help he needed .
He was excited to come home.
” Illinois education officials have announced new fall SAT dates for high school seniors who missed the state-provided exams last spring when they were postponed after COVID-19 shut down schools .
All high school juniors in the state are typically required to take the SAT with Essay exam , and many use that score on college and scholarship applications .
Because those tests were delayed last spring , the Illinois State Board of Education is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 24 or Oct. 14 , or both days , for seniors who want the chance to take it before such applications are due .
However , schools that are planning only remote learning this fall , such as Chicago Public Schools , are asked to have their seniors take the SAT next April along with this year ’ s junior class .
Its restaurants are located inside of office buildings in downtown Chicago , where it was a go-to spot for a midday panini or hand-tossed salad during the workweek .
Those lunch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in March and five months later they still have not returned .
That ’ s left Sopraffina without its primary — really , its only — customer base .
“ It ’ s like the Armageddon situation for a restaurant to be located in the central business district , ” said Taryn Kelly , vice president of development at Sopraffina , which was founded by her parents in 1993 .
The crowd of fast-casual restaurants that cater to hungry downtown office workers is facing considerable setbacks as the continued threat of the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their Loop locations remain closed , a few are shuttering permanently , and with work-from-home likely to endure beyond the pandemic some chains are contemplating cutting their downtown space to focus on delivery or more residential neighborhoods .
4:15 p.m. : A Catholic school teacher in suburban Chicago refused to return to class because of COVID-19 concerns .
Now she ’ s out of a job .
When teachers reported to St. Francis Xavier School in Wilmette on Monday to start the new school year , Elaine Sage was not among them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a cancer survivor , the longtime teacher said she didn ’ t feel comfortable with the Chicago Archdiocese ’ s plans to reopen schools full-time this fall while COVID-19 is still far from contained .
Sage said she asked to be allowed to teach remotely to students who ’ ve opted out of in-person classes .
She did not want to resign , but she did not show up for work when her school reopened to teachers on Monday .
Students are due back on Aug. 31 .
Lord & Taylor had already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including the Northbrook store , when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this month .
The Woodfield Mall location was one of five additional closing stores nationally announced Thursday .
Clothing-rental startup Le Tote bought Lord & Taylor from Hudson 's Bay Co. , which also owns Saks Fifth Avenue , just last year .
Le Tote and Lord & Taylor said they are continuing to review offers for a potential sale of the company .
The closures will leave Lord & Taylor with just 14 stores .
The department store @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2006 , but had four suburban locations until 2018 .
1:50 p.m. : ‘ It ’ s always a scary thing ’ : More than 175,000 Illinois residents may have recently lost health insurance If Vahap Sarac and his wife can ’ t find affordable health insurance for their family soon , they ’ re considering sending their young daughters to live with their grandparents in Estonia .
Sarac was furloughed from his job as a banquet captain at the Palmer House Hilton hotel when COVID-19 hit in mid-March , after working there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health insurance coverage he has through his job is scheduled to end Oct. 1 .
“ We don ’ t want to separate from our kids , ” said Sarac , 55 of Chicago ’ s Albany Park neighborhood .
But he worries about his children , especially his 1-year-old whose lungs weren ’ t fully developed at birth .
“ This virus is very risky for her.
” He also worries that if someone in his family gets sick and has to be hospitalized “ whatever in 30 years I ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for retirement , everything will be wiped out by those hospital bills.
” Across Chicago and the country , many people have a new concern on their ever-growing list of worries during the pandemic : a lack of health insurance .
An estimated 186,000 Illinois workers may have become uninsured because of job losses between February and May , according to a report from consumer health care advocacy organization Families USA .
The pause in practice is in reaction to the school ’ s decision to move classes online for at least two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in COVID-19 cases .
Citing a rise in cases from 58 to 147 in one day , Rev .
John Jenkins also announced that public spaces on campus would be closed .
12:50 p.m. : The IRS is sending extra money to nearly 14 million tax filers .
Here ’ s who gets it and why .
The IRS announced this week that it owes interest payments to nearly 14 million Americans who received their individual tax refunds after April 15 or are still owed refunds .
The average payment will be $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taxpayers walloped by the virus-stricken economy , this year the IRS postponed the deadline for filing returns to July 15 , three months after the traditional deadline of April 15 .
The delay means that refund money sat in the hands of the IRS longer than usual .
In essence , taxpayers who took the opportunity to file later were lending that money to the government .
During that time , the money generated interest — interest that the IRS is now required by law to pay out .
In a surprise announcement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it would not present the winners of its Chef and Restaurant awards this year .
The awards were to have been announced on Sept. 25 .
Instead , a virtual ceremony that day , to be broadcast live via Twitter , will honor previously announced honorees , including the foundation ’ s Humanitarian of the Year and Lifetime Achievement winners , and spotlight the 2020 nominees , whose names were announced in May .
Chicago garnered eight nominations .
This could be seen as a curious decision , considering that voting on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But there are five to six nominees in each of the 21 Chef and Restaurant categories ( 10 nominees for Best New Restaurant ) ; announcing 21 winners would also mean revealing the names of more than 110 non-winners , and that clearly was a big factor in JBF ’ s decision .
“ We did not come to this decision lightly , ” said CEO Clare Reichenbach , in a prepared statement .
“ The uncertainty of this time for our industry is already a hard reality , and considering anyone to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tumultuous hospitality ecosystem does not , in fact , feel like the right thing to do .
An honor which we know is held in high regard ... feels minor when compared to the dire situation we are in.
” 10:45 a.m. : ‘ You can not create a viable business in your basement.
’ In work-from-home world , Chicago ’ s tech hubs struggle with loss of in-person networking For years , tech incubators like 1871 have offered startup companies office space , entrepreneurial programming and networking opportunities .
Much of that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But there ’ s one amenity tech hubs have struggled to replace in a virtual environment : the random collision .
The casual run-ins that occur at incubators as entrepreneurs stand in line for coffee or pass one another in a hallway can lead to connections , funding and inspiration .
Long-term loss of that ethos could stymie Chicago ’ s tech startup scene .
“ How do we create the chance collisions online , virtually ?
” said Betsy Ziegler , CEO of 1871 .
“ We haven ’ t figured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the piece that really is core of the magic of a place like 1871.
” Those random collisions aren ’ t the only aspect of entrepreneurship that has been upended by the pandemic .
Funding is harder to come by , and some startups have had to pivot .
Entrepreneurs must navigate those challenges without the structure and in-person support that ’ s found at incubators .
10:25 a.m. : Big Ten coaches are bullish on a basketball season : ‘ We ’ re going to play in some way , shape or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their football Saturdays , lost faith in some of their leaders and might lost their sanity .
Your grilled brats and Old Oaken Bucket are not returning this fall .
But hang in there .
The league ’ s basketball coaches are positively bullish , predicting you will be able to fill out a bracket in 2021 .
Of that , they are ( almost ) certain .
10:15 a.m. : Back to school : Here ’ s what some kids are saying Lorenzo Grippe is not excited to start 4th grade online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 on school this year .
“ I was hoping it ’ d be in class , but I know we have to do this to keep everyone safe , ” the 9-year-old said .
“ And I bet the teachers are trying to help figure out how to fix this and get us back all in school.
” As Chicago ’ s youths prepare for the upcoming school year , the Tribune asked students of all ages , from across the city and suburbs , how they ’ re feeling .
Millennium @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feature jazz sets and Chicago Jazz Festival archival performances from 4 to 8 p.m. Sept. 3 through 6 on YouTube.com/ChicagoDCASE .
Among the highlights : Von Freeman and Clifford Jordan , Sun Ra Arkestra , Ari Brown Quintet , Henry Butler , Tito Carrillo Quintet , Sept. 3 ; Dee Dee Bridgewater , Jo Ann Daugherty Quartet , AACM Tribute to Black Lives Matter , Sept. 4 ; Doc Cheatham , Jane Bunnett , Matt Ulery , Sept. 5 ; Josh Berman , Dee Alexander , Charlie Rouse , Sept. 6 .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : US unemployment claims rise back above 1 million after two weeks of declines The number of laid-off workers seeking U.S. unemployment benefits rose to 1.1 million last week after two weeks of declines , evidence that many employers are still slashing jobs as the coronavirus bedevils the U.S. economy .
The latest figures suggest that more than five months after the viral outbreak erupted the economy is still weak , despite recent gains as some businesses reopen and some sectors like housing and manufacturing have rebounded .
A rising number of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their loss to be permanent .
The total number of people receiving unemployment aid declined last week from 15.5 million to 14.8 million , the government said Thursday .
Those recipients are now receiving far less aid because a $ 600-a-week federal benefit has expired , which means the unemployed must now get by solely on much smaller aid from their states .
The loss of the federal benefit has deepened the struggles for many , including a higher risk of eviction from their homes .
7:45 a.m. : College athletes may have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will they sustain that momentum when so many aren ’ t playing ?
Within an hour of leaving a rapidly organized , late-night video conference call with other football players early this month from across the country , Michigan cornerback Hunter Reynolds saw a sign indicating the power of college athletes ’ voices never has been stronger .
Reynolds helped form College Athletes Unity , which calls for stronger testing and safety measures for competition during the COVID-19 pandemic .
During the video call , his group ’ s requests coalesced with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working to preserve a fall season .
The airline blamed low demand during the coronavirus pandemic , which has triggered a massive slump in air travel .
Airlines and their labor unions are seeking billions in taxpayer relief .
American said its schedule covering Oct. 7 through Nov. 3 will drop flights to cities including Sioux City , Iowa ; New Haven , Connecticut ; and Springfield , the capital of Illinois .
“ This is the first step as American continues to evaluate its network and plans for additional schedule changes in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a prepared statement .
7:25 a.m. : Newest reason to get up in the morning : Beacon Doughnut Co. drawing lines in a Lincoln Park alley Wander over to Armitage and Halsted on a weekend morning , and you may notice a line of mostly masked , mostly socially distant people snaking out from the alley and around the corner .
They ’ re all waiting for doughnuts .
As Chicago remained largely shuttered due to the novel coronavirus this spring , the aptly named Beacon Doughnut Co. quietly opened .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ indulgences from a window overlooking the alley behind Halsted Street .
Humble , if bulky , vegan doughnuts are dressed to the nines to satisfy every flavor of comfort-food craving .
And so , the crowds came , and the shop started selling out .
Catrambone said he makes about 1,000 doughnuts on a weekday — and maybe double that for the weekends — in roughly a dozen varieties .
6:45 a.m. : An effective COVID-19 vaccine is the great hope .
How do we get there ?
There ’ s no cure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every week and the economy is tanking , leaving an increasingly anxious , frustrated and fearful populace .
So goes the U.S. battle with COVID-19 .
That leaves people pining for a big fix , with much attention centered on one great hope : an effective , widely available vaccine that would allow them to again embrace friends , go back to work and ditch that lurking feeling of dread .
Devising a vaccine is a complex , multistep process that typically takes at least five years and sometimes a decade or more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never succeed .
Yet , scientists have great expectations this time around .
They note the current worldwide focus on vaccine development , recent leaps forward in biotechnology and the federal government ’ s declaration of Operation Warp Speed , a multibillion-dollar taxpayer funded effort to ramp up production of vaccines even before scientists determine which one will be effective and safe .
“ Right now , we pray that this will work , ” said Dr. Kathleen Mullane , an infectious disease expert at University of Chicago Medicine who has been involved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might be able to expect to see a vaccine available commercially either by next fall or Christmas — not the coming one , but a year from now.
” Until vaccines are widely available and enough people are immunized , the usual warnings will hold : Avoid large gatherings , keep your distance , wear a mask and wash your hands .
6:30 a.m. : Even as classes shift online , college students are returning to campuses .
Will that spread COVID-19 ?
As universities across the country invite their students back for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difficult and often conflicting interests .
Only 9 % of returning students and 13 % of first-year students surveyed by a higher education research agency in late July said returning to campus to take all their classes online was their top choice for the fall .
But colleges are increasingly shifting classes online , even those branding the fall as a “ hybrid semester.
” And even among those who disagree with their college ’ s decisions to reopen , some students with mostly online classes are still moving back — often into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jurisdiction .
They acknowledge they are looking forward to seeing friends , but also cite a variety of personal and financial factors .
Here are five stories from Wednesday related to COVID-19 .

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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)
The department on Thursday reported 1,832 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus and 27 additional deaths. A day earlier, it reported 2,295 new confirmed cases, the highest daily case tally since May 24. The state now has reported 213,721 cases and 7,833 fatalities.
The state reported 51,612 tests in the previous 24 hours, the second day in a row that number has topped 50,000.
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Illinois’ top public health official had warned Wednesday that more people are testing positive for the coronavirus in the state while rates across the country are generally going down.
“We are going in the wrong direction,” said Illinois Department of Public Health director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “I’m concerned that we’ve grown numb to these numbers, and we have to remember they are not just numbers, they are people … who will not be at Thanksgiving dinner this year.”
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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday that most of Illinois’ 11 regions are seeing increases in positivity rates, but two in particular are reporting “troubling trends”: Region 7, which includes Kankakee and Will counties, and Region 5 in southern Illinois.
Here’s what’s happening Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
7:35 p.m.: Gerardo Victoria had big plans for the fall: culinary school. But he fell ill from COVID-19 and died at the age of 23. ‘A horrible thing.’
Gerardo “Jerry” Victoria was always coming up with new recipes and sharing them with his family in their South Holland home.
This fall, he planned to follow his love for cooking and attend culinary school.
“He was more than a brother-in-law. He was a friend. We were close,” Vanessa Gusman said.
About a month ago, he became ill as COVID-19 spread through his family. He died on Tuesday at the age of 23, one of the youngest victims of the coronavirus in Cook County. As of Thursday, Illinois has reported 213,721 cases and 7,833 fatalities.
“It was a horrible thing,” Gusman said. “He was getting better and getting the help he needed. He was excited to come home.”
Read more here. —Rosemary Sobol
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7 p.m.: State announces SAT makeup dates for high school students who missed spring exams because of COVID-19
Illinois education officials have announced new fall SAT dates for high school seniors who missed the state-provided exams last spring when they were postponed after COVID-19 shut down schools.
All high school juniors in the state are typically required to take the SAT with Essay exam, and many use that score on college and scholarship applications. Because those tests were delayed last spring, the Illinois State Board of Education is requesting that schools offer the test Sept. 24 or Oct. 14, or both days, for seniors who want the chance to take it before such applications are due.
However, schools that are planning only remote learning this fall, such as Chicago Public Schools, are asked to have their seniors take the SAT next April along with this year’s junior class.
Read more here. —Sophie Sherry
5:35 p.m.: Empty downtown office buildings force fast-casual restaurant chains to shrink menus, look to neighborhoods for customers
As restaurants grapple with how to adapt in the age of COVID-19, Sopraffina, a small chain of Italian-style cafes, faces a special kind of hell.
Its restaurants are located inside of office buildings in downtown Chicago, where it was a go-to spot for a midday panini or hand-tossed salad during the workweek.
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Those lunch crowds vanished when stay-at-home orders took effect in March and five months later they still have not returned. That’s left Sopraffina without its primary — really, its only — customer base.
“It’s like the Armageddon situation for a restaurant to be located in the central business district,” said Taryn Kelly, vice president of development at Sopraffina, which was founded by her parents in 1993.
The crowd of fast-casual restaurants that cater to hungry downtown office workers is facing considerable setbacks as the continued threat of the pandemic keeps those workers at home.
Many of their Loop locations remain closed, a few are shuttering permanently, and with work-from-home likely to endure beyond the pandemic some chains are contemplating cutting their downtown space to focus on delivery or more residential neighborhoods.
Read more here. —Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz
4:15 p.m.: A Catholic school teacher in suburban Chicago refused to return to class because of COVID-19 concerns. Now she’s out of a job.
When teachers reported to St. Francis Xavier School in Wilmette on Monday to start the new school year, Elaine Sage was not among them.
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At age 63 and married to a cancer survivor, the longtime teacher said she didn’t feel comfortable with the Chicago Archdiocese’s plans to reopen schools full-time this fall while COVID-19 is still far from contained.
“This is life and death for me,” Sage said.
Sage said she asked to be allowed to teach remotely to students who’ve opted out of in-person classes. She did not want to resign, but she did not show up for work when her school reopened to teachers on Monday. Students are due back on Aug. 31.
Sage learned late Wednesday that the Archdiocese was releasing her from her contract, effective immediately.
Read more here. —Javonte Anderson and Sophie Sherry
2:50 p.m.: Lord & Taylor closing last Illinois department stores
Lord & Taylor is closing its only remaining department stores in Illinois, at Woodfield Mall and Northbrook Court.
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Lord & Taylor had already announced plans to shutter 19 stores, including the Northbrook store, when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this month. The Woodfield Mall location was one of five additional closing stores nationally announced Thursday.
Clothing-rental startup Le Tote bought Lord & Taylor from Hudson's Bay Co., which also owns Saks Fifth Avenue, just last year. Le Tote and Lord & Taylor said they are continuing to review offers for a potential sale of the company.
The closures will leave Lord & Taylor with just 14 stores. The department store left Chicago’s Magnificent Mile in 2006, but had four suburban locations until 2018.
It’s one of many struggling retailers that have sought bankruptcy protection during the pandemic, including department stores Neiman Marcus and J.C. Penney.
Read more here. —Lauren Zumbach
1:50 p.m.: ‘It’s always a scary thing’: More than 175,000 Illinois residents may have recently lost health insurance
If Vahap Sarac and his wife can’t find affordable health insurance for their family soon, they’re considering sending their young daughters to live with their grandparents in Estonia.
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Sarac was furloughed from his job as a banquet captain at the Palmer House Hilton hotel when COVID-19 hit in mid-March, after working there for more than 30 years. The health insurance coverage he has through his job is scheduled to end Oct. 1.
Estonia has a far lower rate of deaths from COVID-19 than the U.S. and near-universal health coverage.
“We don’t want to separate from our kids,” said Sarac, 55 of Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood. But he worries about his children, especially his 1-year-old whose lungs weren’t fully developed at birth. “This virus is very risky for her.”
He also worries that if someone in his family gets sick and has to be hospitalized “whatever in 30 years I’ve saved for their colleges for them, for retirement, everything will be wiped out by those hospital bills.”
Across Chicago and the country, many people have a new concern on their ever-growing list of worries during the pandemic: a lack of health insurance. An estimated 186,000 Illinois workers may have become uninsured because of job losses between February and May, according to a report from consumer health care advocacy organization Families USA.
Read more here. —Lisa Schencker
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12:55 p.m.: Notre Dame cancels football practice for a 2nd consecutive day after 5 players test positive for COVID-19
Notre Dame canceled football practice Thursday for a second consecutive day, holding off on preparations for its Sept. 12 opener against Duke.
The pause in practice is in reaction to the school’s decision to move classes online for at least two weeks to attempt to contain a spike in COVID-19 cases.
Citing a rise in cases from 58 to 147 in one day, Rev. John Jenkins also announced that public spaces on campus would be closed.
Read more here. —Teddy Greenstein
12:50 p.m.: The IRS is sending extra money to nearly 14 million tax filers. Here’s who gets it and why.
The IRS announced this week that it owes interest payments to nearly 14 million Americans who received their individual tax refunds after April 15 or are still owed refunds. The average payment will be $18.
The reason the IRS owes this money has to do with the COVID-19 pandemic.
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To ease the strain on taxpayers walloped by the virus-stricken economy, this year the IRS postponed the deadline for filing returns to July 15, three months after the traditional deadline of April 15. The delay means that refund money sat in the hands of the IRS longer than usual. In essence, taxpayers who took the opportunity to file later were lending that money to the government.
During that time, the money generated interest — interest that the IRS is now required by law to pay out.
Read more here. —Los Angeles Times
12:35 p.m.: James Beard Foundation cancels chef and restaurant awards in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19
In a surprise announcement, The James Beard Foundation said Thursday that it would not present the winners of its Chef and Restaurant awards this year. The awards were to have been announced on Sept. 25.
Instead, a virtual ceremony that day, to be broadcast live via Twitter, will honor previously announced honorees, including the foundation’s Humanitarian of the Year and Lifetime Achievement winners, and spotlight the 2020 nominees, whose names were announced in May. Chicago garnered eight nominations.
This could be seen as a curious decision, considering that voting on the nominees has already taken place. But there are five to six nominees in each of the 21 Chef and Restaurant categories (10 nominees for Best New Restaurant); announcing 21 winners would also mean revealing the names of more than 110 non-winners, and that clearly was a big factor in JBF’s decision.
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“We did not come to this decision lightly,” said CEO Clare Reichenbach, in a prepared statement. “The uncertainty of this time for our industry is already a hard reality, and considering anyone to have won or lost within the current tumultuous hospitality ecosystem does not, in fact, feel like the right thing to do. An honor which we know is held in high regard ... feels minor when compared to the dire situation we are in.”
This is the first cancellation in the JBF Awards’ 30-year history.
Read more here. —Phil Vettel
10:45 a.m.: ‘You cannot create a viable business in your basement.’ In work-from-home world, Chicago’s tech hubs struggle with loss of in-person networking
For years, tech incubators like 1871 have offered startup companies office space, entrepreneurial programming and networking opportunities. Much of that guidance has moved online during the pandemic. But there’s one amenity tech hubs have struggled to replace in a virtual environment: the random collision.
The casual run-ins that occur at incubators as entrepreneurs stand in line for coffee or pass one another in a hallway can lead to connections, funding and inspiration. Long-term loss of that ethos could stymie Chicago’s tech startup scene.
“How do we create the chance collisions online, virtually?” said Betsy Ziegler, CEO of 1871. “We haven’t figured that out, and that’s the piece that really is core of the magic of a place like 1871.”
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Those random collisions aren’t the only aspect of entrepreneurship that has been upended by the pandemic. Funding is harder to come by, and some startups have had to pivot. Entrepreneurs must navigate those challenges without the structure and in-person support that’s found at incubators.
Read more here. —Ally Marotti
10:25 a.m.: Big Ten coaches are bullish on a basketball season: ‘We’re going to play in some way, shape or form.’
Big Ten fans have lost their football Saturdays, lost faith in some of their leaders and might lost their sanity. Your grilled brats and Old Oaken Bucket are not returning this fall.
But hang in there. The league’s basketball coaches are positively bullish, predicting you will be able to fill out a bracket in 2021. Of that, they are (almost) certain.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said, “that we’re going to play in some way, shape or form.”
Read more here. —Teddy Greenstein
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10:15 a.m.: Back to school: Here’s what some kids are saying
Lorenzo Grippe is not excited to start 4th grade online, but he understands the impact of COVID-19 on school this year. “I was hoping it’d be in class, but I know we have to do this to keep everyone safe,” the 9-year-old said. “And I bet the teachers are trying to help figure out how to fix this and get us back all in school.”
As Chicago’s youths prepare for the upcoming school year, the Tribune asked students of all ages, from across the city and suburbs, how they’re feeling.
Here’s what they said. Responses have been edited for space and clarity.
Read more here. —Abel Uribe, Lauren Leazenby and Milan Polk
8:05 a.m.: Jazz and World Music fests go online for 2020, announce lineup
The Chicago Jazz Festival and the World Music Festival Chicago will unfold in cyberspace this year, due to the pandemic.
Millennium Park at Home: Chicago Jazz will feature jazz sets and Chicago Jazz Festival archival performances from 4 to 8 p.m. Sept. 3 through 6 on YouTube.com/ChicagoDCASE. Among the highlights: Von Freeman and Clifford Jordan, Sun Ra Arkestra, Ari Brown Quintet, Henry Butler, Tito Carrillo Quintet, Sept. 3; Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jo Ann Daugherty Quartet, AACM Tribute to Black Lives Matter, Sept. 4; Doc Cheatham, Jane Bunnett, Matt Ulery, Sept. 5; Josh Berman, Dee Alexander, Charlie Rouse, Sept. 6. For details, visit www.millenniumpark.org.
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Virtual World Music Festival Chicago will run 1 to 3 p.m. Sundays in September at YouTube.com/ChicagoDCASE. Among the highlights: “Ragamala: A Celebration of Indian Classical Music,” Sept. 6; Afro-Diaspora y Folklore, Sept. 13; Anam Mor, Sept. 20; Chicago Immigrant Orchestra, Sept. 27. For details, visit www.worldmusicfestivalchicago.org.
Both events are produced by the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
—Howard Reich
8 a.m.: US unemployment claims rise back above 1 million after two weeks of declines
The number of laid-off workers seeking U.S. unemployment benefits rose to 1.1 million last week after two weeks of declines, evidence that many employers are still slashing jobs as the coronavirus bedevils the U.S. economy.
The latest figures suggest that more than five months after the viral outbreak erupted the economy is still weak, despite recent gains as some businesses reopen and some sectors like housing and manufacturing have rebounded. A rising number of people who have lost jobs say they consider their loss to be permanent.
The total number of people receiving unemployment aid declined last week from 15.5 million to 14.8 million, the government said Thursday. Those recipients are now receiving far less aid because a $600-a-week federal benefit has expired, which means the unemployed must now get by solely on much smaller aid from their states. The loss of the federal benefit has deepened the struggles for many, including a higher risk of eviction from their homes.
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Read more here. —Associated Press
7:45 a.m.: College athletes may have more leverage than ever — but how will they sustain that momentum when so many aren’t playing?
Within an hour of leaving a rapidly organized, late-night video conference call with other football players early this month from across the country, Michigan cornerback Hunter Reynolds saw a sign indicating the power of college athletes’ voices never has been stronger.
Reynolds helped form College Athletes Unity, which calls for stronger testing and safety measures for competition during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the video call, his group’s requests coalesced with the #WeWantToPlay movement, led by athletes working to preserve a fall season.
In about a half-hour, the call produced a list of demands: universal safety protocols, protection for players who wanted to opt out with eligibility guarantees and permission to create a players association.
The NCAA ultimately put some protections in place for athletes. But on Aug. 11, the Big Ten and Pac-12 postponed their fall seasons amid safety concerns with COVID-19.
And now, even as college football appears fractured as some conferences compete and others are sidelined, Reynolds said the mission will be to to sustain momentum.
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Read more here. —Shannon Ryan
7:30 a.m.: American Airlines is dropping flights to Springfield, 14 other cities in October
American Airlines will drop flights to 15 smaller U.S. cities in October when a federal requirement to serve those communities ends.
The airline blamed low demand during the coronavirus pandemic, which has triggered a massive slump in air travel. Airlines and their labor unions are seeking billions in taxpayer relief.
American said its schedule covering Oct. 7 through Nov. 3 will drop flights to cities including Sioux City, Iowa; New Haven, Connecticut; and Springfield, the capital of Illinois.
“This is the first step as American continues to evaluate its network and plans for additional schedule changes in the coming weeks,” the airline said in a prepared statement.
Read more here. —Associated Press
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7:25 a.m.: Newest reason to get up in the morning: Beacon Doughnut Co. drawing lines in a Lincoln Park alley
Wander over to Armitage and Halsted on a weekend morning, and you may notice a line of mostly masked, mostly socially distant people snaking out from the alley and around the corner. They’re all waiting for doughnuts.
As Chicago remained largely shuttered due to the novel coronavirus this spring, the aptly named Beacon Doughnut Co. quietly opened. Owner Andrew Catrambone began dispensing $3 indulgences from a window overlooking the alley behind Halsted Street.
Humble, if bulky, vegan doughnuts are dressed to the nines to satisfy every flavor of comfort-food craving. And so, the crowds came, and the shop started selling out. Catrambone said he makes about 1,000 doughnuts on a weekday — and maybe double that for the weekends — in roughly a dozen varieties.
Read more here. —Jennifer Day
6:45 a.m.: An effective COVID-19 vaccine is the great hope. How do we get there?
There’s no cure, thousands of people continue to die every week and the economy is tanking, leaving an increasingly anxious, frustrated and fearful populace.
So goes the U.S. battle with COVID-19. That leaves people pining for a big fix, with much attention centered on one great hope: an effective, widely available vaccine that would allow them to again embrace friends, go back to work and ditch that lurking feeling of dread.
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Devising a vaccine is a complex, multistep process that typically takes at least five years and sometimes a decade or more. In some cases, the efforts never succeed.
Yet, scientists have great expectations this time around. They note the current worldwide focus on vaccine development, recent leaps forward in biotechnology and the federal government’s declaration of Operation Warp Speed, a multibillion-dollar taxpayer funded effort to ramp up production of vaccines even before scientists determine which one will be effective and safe.
“Right now, we pray that this will work,” said Dr. Kathleen Mullane, an infectious disease expert at University of Chicago Medicine who has been involved in clinical vaccine trials. “We might be able to expect to see a vaccine available commercially either by next fall or Christmas — not the coming one, but a year from now.”
Until vaccines are widely available and enough people are immunized, the usual warnings will hold: Avoid large gatherings, keep your distance, wear a mask and wash your hands.
Read more here. —Hal Dardick
6:30 a.m.: Even as classes shift online, college students are returning to campuses. Will that spread COVID-19?
As universities across the country invite their students back for the fall, students are torn between difficult and often conflicting interests. Only 9% of returning students and 13% of first-year students surveyed by a higher education research agency in late July said returning to campus to take all their classes online was their top choice for the fall.
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But colleges are increasingly shifting classes online, even those branding the fall as a “hybrid semester.” And even among those who disagree with their college’s decisions to reopen, some students with mostly online classes are still moving back — often into off-campus housing outside of their universities’ jurisdiction.
They acknowledge they are looking forward to seeing friends, but also cite a variety of personal and financial factors.
Read more here. —Claire Hao
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Here are five stories from Wednesday related to COVID-19.


chicagotribune--2020-08-21--President Trump invokes ‘blood-stained sidewalks of Chicago’ in attack on Joe Biden

“ If you want a vision of your life under a Biden presidency , think of the smoldering ruins of @ @ @ @ @ of Portland , the blood-stained sidewalks of Chicago , and imagine the mayhem coming to @ @ @ @ @ town in America , ” Trump said in remarks he delivered near Scranton , Pennsylvania @ @ @ @ @ .
“ You ’ re not going to have law and order .
”

In what has become a near-daily occurrence recently, President Donald Trump invoked Chicago’s inability to tamp down violent crime in a preemptive attack against Joe Biden just hours before the former vice president planned to accept his party’s nomination for the presidency.
If Biden and Democrats gain control of Washington, Trump warned, the “blood-stained sidewalks of Chicago” and ills of other major cities will become commonplace across the country. The president has drawn upon such disturbing imagery in recent days to bolster what he’s pitching as a law-and-order campaign.
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“If you want a vision of your life under a Biden presidency, think of the smoldering ruins of Minneapolis, the violent anarchy of Portland, the blood-stained sidewalks of Chicago, and imagine the mayhem coming to your town and every single town in America,” Trump said in remarks he delivered near Scranton, Pennsylvania, Biden’s hometown. “You’re not going to have law and order.”
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In an appearance Thursday evening on CNN, Mayor Lori Lightfoot was asked by anchor Wolf Blitzer if she had a response for Trump.
“I don’t respond to that,” Lightfoot said, before proceeding to do so. She called the remarks part of his “hyperbolic rhetoric” featured in his constant “race to the bottom.”
“We’re going to see that every day between now and Nov. 3. He’s trying to scare white middle-class voters and trying to borrow — and really clumsily so — from the 1968 Richard Nixon playbook,” Lightfoot said. “It’s a different world, and what we have here is a fundamentally failed leadership on every major issue.”
The former federal prosecutor then quickly ticked off a list of what she considers Trump’s current lowlights.
“Why are we meeting remotely? Why are schools not reopening? Why are businesses suffering? Why are we seeing a catastrophic economic decline?” Lightfoot asked. “It all leads back to Donald Trump’s incompetence as president of the United States.”
bruthhart@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @BillRuthhart