chicagotribune--2020-10-13--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what happened Oct. 13 with COVID-19 in the Chicago area

Exteriors need to draw them in , kitchens need to sparkle , and staged furniture should signal how rooms can @ @ @ @ @ to shifting needs , real estate agents say .
Changes in how we live , @ @ @ @ @ are also changing the composition of our ideal homes , from wanting a designated home @ @ @ @ @ outdoor space to stretch our cramped , homebound legs .

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CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois health officials on Tuesday announced 2,851 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 29 additional deaths, pushing the state’s death toll past 9,000.
It was the seventh day in a row with more than 2,600 cases. That brings the state total to 324,743 confirmed cases and 9,026 deaths. The seven-day statewide positivity rate is 4.5% for the week ending Oct. 12.
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The new numbers came as Chicago added neighboring Indiana to its emergency travel order that requires travelers returning to the city from there to stay inside for two weeks because of high COVID-19 case counts. The Hoosier state’s inclusion on Chicago’s self-quarantine list was expected.
Starting Friday, people traveling into Chicago from Indiana will be expected to quarantine themselves for 14 days. Violators can face a fine, though the city has taken few steps to enforce the rules.
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Here’s what’s happening Tuesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
3:15 p.m.: CPS still isn’t saying whether schools will reopen next month
Chicago’s mayor and schools CEO were not specific Tuesday when asked when a decision would be made on whether in-person classes will resume when the second quarter starts.
CEO Janice Jackson said a decision was coming “very soon,” but she and Mayor Lori Lightfoot said there are many factors to consider, while acknowledging that parents are anxious to know whether full-time remote learning will continue.
Read more here. —Hannah Leone
2:45 p.m.: Wisconsin hits pair of grim COVID-19 milestones, with record highs for positive cases and deaths
Wisconsin has hit a pair of grim coronavirus milestones, with record highs for positive cases and deaths reported Tuesday, the eve of an overflow field hospital opening near Milwaukee.
The state Department of Health Services reported 3,279 confirmed new cases Tuesday, breaking a record of 3,132 set just five days earlier. There were 34 deaths reported, also a new high, bringing the total number of people who have died to 1,508. To date, more than 155,000 people in Wisconsin have tested positive.
Wisconsin’s death count as of Monday was the 30th highest in the country overall and the 42nd highest per capita at more than 25 deaths per 100,000 people. The 595 new cases per 100,000 people in Wisconsin over the past two weeks, which ranks fourth in the country for new cases per capita.
Read more here. —Associated Press
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2:35 p.m.: Indiana added to Chicago’s travel quarantine list
Chicago made it official Tuesday, adding neighboring Indiana to its emergency travel order that requires travelers returning to the city from there to stay inside for two weeks because of high COVID-19 case counts.
The Hoosier state’s inclusion on Chicago’s self-quarantine list was expected.
The city last week “strongly advised” Chicago residents against traveling to Indiana, pointing to the fact the state already had passed the benchmark of more than 15 new daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents over a seven-day period that warrants getting added.
“I am very concerned that Indiana is a state that is wishing that COVID were over, and it’s not,” city Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said then.
Starting Friday, people traveling into Chicago from Indiana will be expected to quarantine themselves for 14 days. Violators can face a fine, though the city has taken few steps to enforce the rules.
Indiana joins Wisconsin, which was placed back on Chicago’s travel warning list three weeks ago amid skyrocketing coronavirus numbers there.
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And like with Wisconsin, people who commute across the Indiana state line to or from Chicago to work or go to school will be exempt from the quarantine rule, a nod to the symbiotic relationship between the neighboring states. But workers in Chicago from Indiana will be expected to avoid restaurants, bars and other public spaces in the city.
In all, there are now 26 states on the quarantine list: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Read more here. —John Byrne
1 p.m.: Abbott gets emergency FDA approval for antibody test that detects recent COVID-19 infections
Abbott’s latest antibody test — meant to show whether a person has recently had COVID-19 — has gained emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The blood test detects a type of antibody, called IgM, that’s present after a person has been recently infected with COVID-19, Abbott said in a news release.
It’s the second antibody test made by north suburban-based Abbott to gain emergency use authorization, in which the FDA allows the use of unapproved medical products to diagnose, treat, or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases when certain criteria are met.
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Abbott’s first test looks for a different type of antibody called IgG that’s longer-lasting in the body after infection. That test can help show whether someone has recovered from the virus and can help with contact tracing, according to the company.
The new test is more useful when it comes to finding recent infections, which can be helpful for doctors trying to determine where a patient is in his recovery and if treatment or isolation is appropriate, Abbott said.
Read more here. —Lisa Schencker
12:55 p.m.: Illinois coronavirus death toll pushes past 9,000
State public health officials on Tuesday reported 2,851 newly diagnosed cases and 29 additional deaths of people with COVID-19, raising the death toll to 9,026 throughout the course of the pandemic.
There have been 324,743 known cases of coronavirus in Illinois, and the state has recently seen an uptick in the number of new cases public health officials report daily.
The state on Tuesday reported a seven-day rolling test positivity rate was 4.5% for the period ending Monday, up from 3.4% a week earlier.
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“More than 9,000 Illinoisans — our mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, family, friends, and neighbors — have had their lives cut short by COVID-19, leaving tens of thousands more to grieve loved ones lost too soon,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement issued Tuesday.
Pritzker and Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike both urged Illinois residents on Tuesday to wear masks and keep a physical distance from others in an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus.
“After 9 months of battling this virus and hearing the updates each day, many of us forget that the hospitalizations and deaths are more than just numbers,” Ezike said in a statement Tuesday.
Read more here. —Jamie Munks
12 p.m.: Notre Dame president ends quarantine after COVID diagnosis
The Rev. John Jenkins, the president of Notre Dame University, has ended his quarantine after testing positive for the coronavirus less than a week following his attendance at a White House event without wearing a mask.
Jenkins “is symptom-free and looks forward to resuming his normal activities,” the university announced Monday evening. He began his self-isolation period Sept. 28, two days after he attended the Rose Garden ceremony for Amy Coney Barrett, a judge and Notre Dame law professor who is President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Supreme Court justice.
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“Father Jenkins again thanked the many people who offered prayers and well wishes for him over the last two weeks,” university spokesperson Paul J. Browne said in a statement Monday.
Jenkins said he was tested after finding out a colleague with whom he has been in regular contact tested positive for COVID-19. The university announced his COVID-19 diagnosis Oct. 2.
During his quarantine, Jenkins reported that he experienced mild symptoms but continued to work from home.
Read more here. —Casey Smith, Post-Tribune
11 a.m.: New Trier High School halts in-person instruction due to spike in regional COVID-19 cases
Just one week after welcoming some students back to New Trier High School, a spike in COVID-19 cases in suburban Chicago this week has prompted officials to put a pause on in-person instruction.
After starting the new school year with remote learning, officials at New Trier began bringing 25% of its students back to campus Oct. 5 under a hybrid instructional model.
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New Trier Superintendent Paul Sally said in a Monday letter to parents that the decision to return to remote instruction at the high school’s campuses in Winnetka and Northfield was made due to this week’s surge in the number of positive cases of COVID-19 in the area, and the state citing some of the largest numbers of new cases since May.
In addition, Sally said officials have seen an increase in the number of New Trier students testing positive for COVID-19, with 11 students currently positive.
“It is important to note that none of these cases are from school-based transmission,” Sally said. “In fact, most of these new cases have been traced back to a party and a series of weekend gatherings that many students from New Trier as well as students from other schools attended.”
Read more here. —Karen Ann Cullotta, Pioneer Press
7:55 a.m.: District 214 shifting from remote to hybrid learning, calling on families to help mitigate COVID-19 cases
Arlington Heights-based Township High School District 214 is moving to hybrid learning Thursday – which will include a combination of in-person and remote instruction, with one third of its student body invited to return to campuses.
That was the message Superintendent David Schuler emailed to parents and guardians and reviewed with school board members at the Oct. 8 meeting. Schuler said the move is based on expectations that novel coronavirus infection rates reported by the Cook County Department of Public Health will remain below 70 cases per 100,000 people.
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“Unless there’s a massive spike in infection rates…we’ll reopen for hybrid in-person instruction Oct. 15,” Schuler told school board members at the meeting.
Read more here. —Graydon Megan, Pioneer Press
7:20 a.m. Chicago police welcome first class of police recruits joining academy since COVID-19 shutdown
The first group of new police recruits since the Chicago Police Academy shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic was joining the academy starting Tuesday, according to the city.
Recruit training was suspended in March because of the pandemic, according to a release from the mayor’s office. Training with coronavirus precautions resumed in July.
The new class is 53% Hispanic and 27% percent African American, according to the city.
Police Superintendent David Brown was scheduled to welcome the recruits Tuesday morning at the police academy. —Chicago Tribune staff
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7 a.m.: Illinois Rep. Bost says he’s recovering from COVID-19
CARBONDALE — A southern Illinois congressman said Monday he was recovering from a coronavirus infection that’s not caused serious illness.
Republican Rep. Mike Bost said in a video posted to Twitter that he was dealing with only a few minor symptoms and “getting over it fairly quickly.”
Wanted to reach out and thank everyone for the thousands of well wishes and prayers I have received since announcing my COVID-19 diagnosis last week. Here’s a quick update on how Tracy and I are doing. pic.twitter.com/7zoMhsZQRf — Rep. Mike Bost (@RepBost) October 12, 2020
Bost, 59, had announced Friday that he tested positive for COVID-19 late Thursday after experiencing a mild cough and a rapid loss of both taste and smell.
Bost said Monday that he and his wife were both in quarantined as she had also tested positive for the virus but that he was continuing to work remotely. He said his staff and others he had been in close contact with had been notified.
Bost’s district covers much of southwestern Illinois. He was first elected to the U.S. House in 2014 and is seeking a fourth term in November’s election. — Associated Press
6 a.m.: Selling your home during the COVID-19 pandemic? Here are 5 things you should know.
In a time when COVID-19 has sent most homebuyers online for their initial looks at potential future homes, first impressions are everything.
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Exteriors need to draw them in, kitchens need to sparkle, and staged furniture should signal how rooms can be used creatively to adapt to shifting needs, real estate agents say. Changes in how we live, spurred by the pandemic, are also changing the composition of our ideal homes, from wanting a designated home office to yearning for private outdoor space to stretch our cramped, homebound legs.
For those looking to sell in the next year, Chicago-based agents point to virtual tours, quality photography and pandemic-friendly upgrades as vital ways to land a buyer.
They offer some ways to prep your home for a speedy — and, hopefully, lucrative — sale.
Read more here. —Ariel Cheung
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
In case you missed it
Here are five stories from Monday related to COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:


chicagotribune--2020-10-15--Daywatch: Chicago police announce changes to use of force policies, CPS students petition for no hom

Daywatch: Chicago police announce changes to use of force policies, CPS students petition for no homework and how to stay in the iconic ‘pie house’

The five changes to the department ’ s use of force policies , which reform advocates have criticized as too @ @ @ @ @ largely symbolic and generally focus on broad philosophical language , rather than technical rules governing @ @ @ @ @ example , the department plans to change the name of the main use of force @ @ @ @ @ “ de-escalation ” and “ self-restraint .
”

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Good morning, Chicago. On Wednesday, Illinois reported 2,862 new known cases of coronavirus and and 49 more deaths. With COVID-19 case numbers on the rise and a steadily increasing statewide positivity rate, the state’s top health official also urged residents to rethink the traditional ways of celebrating the holidays.
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Meanwhile, more than 100 MBA students from University of Chicago are now in quarantine, in connect with a large off-campus event in River North, where some people weren’t wearing masks. Tribune reporter Elyssa Cherney has the story.
Here’s more coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Chicago police officers outside Nini's Deli in Chicago on June 7, 2020. (Raquel Zaldivar / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago police officials announced Wednesday they will adopt a handful of changes to their use of force policies while declining to enact numerous other recommendations from a task force touted by Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
The five changes to the department’s use of force policies, which reform advocates have criticized as too permissive, appear to be largely symbolic and generally focus on broad philosophical language, rather than technical rules governing officers' conduct. For example, the department plans to change the name of the main use of force policy to include the words “de-escalation” and “self-restraint.”
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle listens in as speakers discuss the impact of a potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act during a news conference at Cook County Health in Chicago on Oct. 7, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is scheduled to unveil a $6.9 billion plan for next year’s budget on Thursday that would not raise or introduce taxes but would dip into reserves in order to help plug an overall projected $409 million hole amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Michael LaPorta stretches with the assistance of neurofitness specialist Creighton Goss during a physical therapy session on March 20, 2017, at the Next Steps rehabilitation center. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
After nearly a decade of insisting Michael LaPorta shot himself with a Chicago police officer’s gun, the city now wants LaPorta’s help in proving the patrolman actually pulled the trigger in January 2010 and lied about it for years.
Kayla Medellin and her mother, kindergarten teacher, Leticia Medellin outside their Chicago home, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune) (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
After a month of remote learning, Idalia Rizvic was getting headaches, feeling stressed and struggling to finish her schoolwork early enough to hang out with her family before bedtime. So last week, the eighth grader at Boone Elementary in West Rogers Park started an online petition to shorten the virtual school day.
After spring’s abrupt transition to remote learning, many students indicated they wanted more live instruction and engagement. But for some, stricter schedules this year have been too much.
The two-bedroom Deerfield house known locally as the "pie house" for its unusually narrow design is now available to rent on Airbnb. (Jacob Hand)
Not gonna lie: We’re as curious about Deerfield’s “pie house” as much as the next person. So when news dropped that the residence — which features walls as narrow as 3 feet wide — would be available for short-term rentals via Airbnb, our interest was further piqued.


chicagotribune--2020-10-15--2021 pandemic budget plan from Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle includes dipping into re

2021 pandemic budget plan from Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle includes dipping into reserve fund, no tax hikes

The general fund budget would add up to $ 1.89 billion , a slight dip from this year , and @ @ @ @ @ go to public safety .
But the budget for the sheriff ’ s office , @ @ @ @ @ of numerous advocacy groups who want to defund and reallocate its budget , would drop @ @ @ @ @ 573.2 million next year , under Preckwinkle ’ s proposal .
Revenues , hit hard @ @ @ @ @ overall likely to continue decreasing by about 4.8 % next year despite a new influx @ @ @ @ @ and sports betting tax revenues .

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle listens in as speakers discuss the impact of a potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act during a news conference at Cook County Health in Chicago on Oct. 7, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is scheduled to unveil a $6.9 billion plan for next year’s budget on Thursday that would not raise or introduce taxes but would dip into reserves in order to help plug an overall projected $409 million hole amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Preckwinkle will propose making the one-time transfer of $76.8 million from the county’s general fund reserve, which is estimated to be a little more than $400 million, to avoid tax increases and more critical cuts as the pandemic hammers local government revenues across the U.S.
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In addition, hundreds of vacant positions, largely in the sheriff’s office, would be purged, certain fees would go up, and some health and hospital system employees would be laid off, according to a presentation with reporters on Wednesday. After a series of hearings, county board members are expected to vote on the budget on Nov. 24.
“Frankly, we’ve worked for a decade to put the county in a good place financially and we had, as a result, sufficient reserves to deal with this calamity,” Preckwinkle said.
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With a $222.2 million forecast gap in next year’s general fund, which includes the finance, public safety and president’s offices, and a $187 million projected shortfall in the health fund, which includes the CountyCare insurance program and Stroger and Provident hospitals, the proposed budget would be balanced and still increase spending by $700 million from this year, Preckwinkle’s budget director Annette Guzman said. Most of the additional spending would be attributed to CountyCare’s increasing membership, and the budget was modeled on the assumption that no more federal stimulus funds are coming.
“This has been an extraordinarily challenging year,” Preckwinkle said. “A combination of the pandemic and the economic collapse of course have wreaked havoc with our families and our government at every level. But we’re very pleased to present to you today a budget that requires no new taxes.”
Besides the use of reserves, Preckwinkle’s plan to fill the general fund gap calls for the $61.3 million-saving elimination of 659 full-time equivalent vacant positions, an expected $27.7 million revenue jump from Chicago tax increment financing and county sales tax projections, and $50 million in reimbursements from federal CARES Act money before it expires in December.
The general fund budget would add up to $1.89 billion, a slight dip from this year, and 60.5% of it would go to public safety. But the budget for the sheriff’s office, which has become a target of numerous advocacy groups who want to defund and reallocate its budget, would drop about 4%, under Preckwinkle’s proposal. Revenues, hit hard by the pandemic, are overall likely to continue decreasing by about 4.8% next year despite a new influx of online sales, cannabis and sports betting tax revenues.
Preckwinkle’s plan would introduce some cuts to personnel and services at the public hospital system to balance the deficit, spurring a nurse’s union to announce an upcoming protest outside the county’s downtown headquarters following her planned budget speech on Thursday. That plan includes laying off 130 workers by the end of Dec. 1, and enacting consolidations and downgrades across hospitals.
Her proposal also would inject $40 million more in the county’s tax allocation to the system, bringing it to $122.7 million, and predicts additional money from rate negotiations, immigrants living in the country without legal permission enrolling in a Medicaid-like plan under a new state law, revenue cycle improvements and more.
The $3.39 billion health fund budget also would be increased by $563.4 million from 2020′s total and would account for a $465 million increase in membership for CountyCare, more staffing at the jail’s hospital due to social distancing and a commitment to dole out an anticipated $312 million in charity care.
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Despite the proposed cuts, the budget plan reflects some of Preckwinkle’s messaging on racial equity during the pandemic as well. An additional $20 million will go toward public safety efforts in the next two years such as violence prevention programs, reentry for formerly incarcerated people and restorative justice courts. Another $20 million will bolster small business assistance, workforce development and housing assistance.
“(The pandemic has) highlighted the need for looking at racial equity in the programming and services that we invest in and the resources that we have at our disposal,” Preckwinkle said. “It’s shone a bright light on the impacts of inequity, particularly in terms of who got the disease, who succumbed to the disease and the impacts on Black and brown communities.”
Nonetheless, long-term trouble looms for Cook County’s finances. Should the pandemic follow a “worst-case scenario” without a working vaccine until 2022, there could be a $328.3 million dip in the fund balance compared with the current middle-of-the-ground projection. And even without that development, the projected deficit could land at around $86.7 million due to expenses outpacing revenues. Some of that is because the county’s base property tax levy has failed to keep up with inflation.
“Sustaining our investment in equity, making sure that we’re not raising taxes, especially in a time where a lot of our residents are hurting, and also avoiding a critical cost,” county Chief Financial Officer Ammar Rizki said. “We’re hitting on all fronts to be able to address the needs across the board.”
ayin@chicagotribune.com
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated how much the Cook County sheriff’s office budget would be decreased under Toni Preckwinkle’s plan. It would be decreased by 4%, not 7%, under her proposal.


chicagotribune--2020-10-15--Chicago police announce changes to use of force policies, drawing early criticism and leaving behind

Chicago police announce changes to use of force policies, drawing early criticism and leaving behind many recommendations from task force

“ We have folks coming from within our community expressing what type of change they would like to be seen @ @ @ @ @ know , some folks ( may say ) ‘ well , it ’ s only @ @ @ @ @ ' `` he said .
“ Five is a very powerful number in itself .
@ @ @ @ @ , ‘ OK , we hear you and ... we are going to take some @ @ @ @ @ ’ re going to put them out there . ''

Chicago police officials announced Wednesday they will adopt a handful of changes to their use of force policies while declining to enact numerous other recommendations from a task force touted by Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
The five changes to the department’s use of force policies, which reform advocates have criticized as too permissive, appear to be largely symbolic and generally focus on broad philosophical language, rather than technical rules governing officers' conduct. For example, the department plans to change the name of the main use of force policy to include the words “de-escalation” and “self-restraint.”
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The new use of force rules have not been finalized, but as the announcement was imminent one panel member said he felt the group’s work had mostly been disregarded. Craig Futterman, a University of Chicago law professor and reform advocate who is on the task force, said he didn’t believe the policy changes amounted to meaningful reform and pointed to roughly 150 other recommendations from the panel.
For example, the group called for the department to make it mandatory for officers to try to de-escalate confrontations before using force. The current rules call for cops to use de-escalation tactics “when it is safe and feasible to do so based on the totality of the circumstances.” The panel also called for the department to require officers to intervene when they witness colleagues using excessive force. The current policy calls for cops to do that but offers a loophole for “extraordinary circumstances.”
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Chicago police officers outside Nini's Deli in Chicago on June 7, 2020. (Raquel Zaldivar / Chicago Tribune)
“The process is a sham that is designed to create the illusion of community engagement just for the purpose of checking a box and for public relations as opposed to actual and true community engagement of listening to, engaging, going back and forth, and learning from folks in the community when it comes to their use of force policy,” Futterman told the Tribune. “CPD has no intention on changing the rules of engagement about when force can be used.”
The changes the department announced Wednesday included expanding its definition of “sanctity of life” to newly spell out that people from various races, genders and other demographic groups should be treated with dignity. The department also plans to refer to “persons” and not “subjects” in its policies.
Deputy Chief Ernest Cato, who co-chairs the committee, defended the changes in an interview with the Tribune.
“We have folks coming from within our community expressing what type of change they would like to be seen done. And, you know, some folks (may say) ‘well, it’s only five (changes),' " he said. “Five is a very powerful number in itself. And the department is saying, ‘OK, we hear you and ... we are going to take some of your suggestions and we’re going to put them out there."
The department timed the public release of the planned changes to coincide with a meeting between the task force and the police brass Wednesday night. Department officials hope to have a revamped use of force guidelines in place by next year.
Lightfoot announced the committee in June, the start of a summer of heated street protests against police brutality sparked by the death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer in late May.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot answers questions after announcing a new Community Working Group designed to review and revise CPD's use of force policies at City Hall on June 15, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
The panel immediately generated controversy after co-chair Arewa Karen Winters — the great aunt of Pierre Loury, who was shot to death by police in 2016 — used the city’s introductory news conference to describe at least some officers as “psychopaths with guns.” Some aldermen and police union officials condemned Winters.
Lightfoot ran for mayor touting her police reformer credentials, but activists have criticized her as too hesitant to make significant changes to policing. The summer’s street protests amplified complaints about the Police Department, as well as calls to cut its budget and fund other services.
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While the new revisions add to other changes to the use of force rules in recent years, the city is not the final authority on its own law enforcement policies. That’s because Chicago is under a consent decree, a broad 2019 court order designed to force changes to police policy, supervision, training and the way officers treat people. Former federal prosecutor Maggie Hickey is leading a monitoring team overseeing the implementation of the decree, and U.S. District Judge Robert Dow Jr. can enforce the order.
The order calls for various changes to use of force tactics and requires the study of more potential reforms.
The court order stemmed from a 2017 U.S. Department of Justice report that described Chicago police as poorly trained and supervised and prone to excessive force, particularly against minorities. Federal authorities launched their investigation amid the protests sparked by the November 2015 release of video of white Officer Jason Van Dyke shooting Black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times.
The city has attracted criticism for its slow progress toward court-ordered reform. Hickey found in June that the city had missed more than 70% of its deadlines in the first year under the order.
jgorner@chicagotribune.com
dhinkel@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-16--Chicago police make plans for election night on the city’s streets

With 19 days until the election , city officials spoke to reporters mostly in generalities about their plans at an @ @ @ @ @ But they sought to assure the public they ’ re better prepared than they were @ @ @ @ @ demonstrations gave way to looting and vandalism on Chicago ’ s streets following the Memorial @ @ @ @ @ at the hands of police in Minnesota .

Chicago police and other city departments said Thursday they have been devising plans over the past few months to “respond to any situation” on the city’s streets for the upcoming presidential election, including civil unrest.
The contest between President Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, promises to elicit strong emotions from both sides of the political arena.
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With 19 days until the election, city officials spoke to reporters mostly in generalities about their plans at an afternoon news conference Thursday. But they sought to assure the public they’re better prepared than they were earlier this year when peaceful demonstrations gave way to looting and vandalism on Chicago’s streets following the Memorial Day death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minnesota.
“Practice, practice, practice makes perfect. And yes, we’re talking about practice,” said Chicago police Superintendent David Brown. “Our drills really integrate all of our city services, not just police, not just fire, but all of our city departments working together so that we can have the best response regardless of whatever scenario happens on Election Day.”
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Chicago police Superintendent David Brown speaks during a news conference on Sept. 14, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Brown said there was a “coordinated effort” over the summer by “agitators” to embed themselves in peaceful demonstrations and cause trouble, which is something police will be monitoring for the Nov. 3 contest. Brown said he has no plans to impose departmentwide cancellations of time off for the election.
Instead, only select units in the 13,000-member Police Department will be commanded to work and the shifts extended, he said.
“Everything is uncertain,” Brown said. “And so we’re trying as best we can to anticipate any hazard that might happen, including a weather hazard. Snow might happen in our city. Along with anything related to protests, embedded agitators that might loot or cause violence or destroy property.”
So far, he said, there have been no credible threats to the city ahead of the election.
Rich Guidice, executive director of the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications, said his department has been meeting with business leaders who no doubt have concerns about the unrest that flared up beginning in late May and again in August, when groups looted stores downtown and in some neighborhoods, and caused other disturbances.
“Over the last few months, we have been performing drills and holding workshops to be ready to respond to any situation or possible event that should occur in the city before, on and after Election Day,” said Guidice. “This includes both retail corridors in the central business district and throughout city of Chicago (neighborhoods).”
Thousands of angry protesters took to Chicago’s streets following Trump’s victory over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in November 2016. Groups gathered throughout downtown and outside Trump Tower in an angry show of opposition.


chicagotribune--2020-10-16--Former Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson sued for alleged sexual misconduct, accused of ta

Former Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson sued for alleged sexual misconduct, accused of tampering with evidence in incident that led to his firing

“ She knows that Eddie Johnson knew her cellphone was on her desk and that ’ s the last she @ @ @ @ @ last she heard about it , ” McLaughlin said .
“ ... We don ’ @ @ @ @ @ that ( Johnson ) then destroyed Officer Donald ’ s phone , but certainly in @ @ @ @ @ ’ re going to do our best to find out who did that .
”

Megan Crepeau, Annie Sweeney, Jeremy Gorner, Gregory Pratt

Chicago police Officer Cynthia Donald outside her lawyer's downtown office on Oct. 15, 2020. She filed a sexual misconduct lawsuit against former police Superintendent Eddie Johnson. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Ex-Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson allegedly committed “shockingly violent” acts of sexual assault against his former driver, an officer who was with him on the controversial night that ultimately led to his firing last year.
In a lawsuit filed late Wednesday, Officer Cynthia Donald said Johnson raped and abused her repeatedly for more than three years, and later destroyed evidence of that abuse on his cellphone when the city Inspector General was investigating his conduct.
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[ Read the lawsuit filed against Johnson here ]
The stunning allegations further complicate a case that has already brought significant embarrassment to the city, including the unceremonious firing of Johnson, who was supposed to take up the charge of reforming the beleaguered department when he was appointed four years ago. Instead he was dismissed after being found asleep at the wheel on a city street, allegedly after a night of drinking, and then lying about it to Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
“My hope in coming forward publicly … is that other women who are also survivors of abuse and harassment by Superintendent Johnson and other male Chicago Police Department officers will have courage,” Donald said at a news conference Thursday.
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“The Chicago Police Department and city of Chicago need to be held accountable for what happened to me, and what is likely happening every day to other female Chicago police officers just like me.”
Johnson’s attorney, Tom Needham, said Thursday that Johnson “adamantly” denies any allegation of sexual misconduct.
Johnson also issued a statement late Thursday denying the accusations.
“The allegations of sexual assault and harassment made by Ms. Donald never happened. Her accusations are not only patently false, they are egregiously dehumanizing towards true victims who have truly suffered sexual assault and harassment in the workplace,” the Johnson statement read. “The claims are an affront to everything I believe in and stand for. I pray for Ms. Donald’s well-being and look forward to the opportunity where the facts can be presented.”
Johnson has previously acknowledged a “lapse of judgment” on the night in question but denied lying about the incident, when he was found asleep while parked on a neighborhood street after visiting a downtown bar and was then escorted home by police officers.
The suit came just after it was revealed some officers are facing suspension for their roles in the incident. Details about their conduct will likely be disclosed as soon as Friday, when the inspector general releases a summary of his investigation in his office’s quarterly report.
[ At least five officers, including a commander, face suspension after probe of former police boss Eddie Johnson’s conduct ]
But Johnson’s abuse began long before that scandal, Donald alleges. The former driver said he raped her for years, including in his personal office at police headquarters; sent her nude photos of himself; and pressured her into complying with his sexual advances by promising her promotions within the department.
Donald was not comfortable reporting Johnson’s alleged assaults to anyone within the department, attorney Robert McLaughlin told reporters.
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“This was the highest-ranking officer in CPD,” he said. “This is a boss with a badge and a gun.”
In a statement, the Cook County state’s attorney’s office said it was unable to confirm or deny any review of the matter.
Donald, who was assigned as Johnson’s driver, was with him at a restaurant in October 2019 just before he was found asleep at the wheel of a running city vehicle.
As the city inspector general’s office was investigating the incident, a fellow officer accused Donald of destroying a SIM card on her cellphone, which was wanted as evidence in the probe.
[ City releases bodycam video from night former police Superintendent Eddie Johnson was found asleep at the wheel ]
Then-Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson talks at police headquarters on Nov. 7, 2019. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
But, Donald’s suit alleges, it was Johnson who destroyed evidence, including tampering with his own cellphone, which would also have covered up any evidence of his misconduct with her.
“Eddie Johnson told Officer Donald specifically that he destroyed and wiped his own cellphone before turning it in,” McLaughlin said at a news conference Thursday.
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Donald was told to turn in her cellphone, which she left on her desk, McLaughlin said.
“She knows that Eddie Johnson knew her cellphone was on her desk and that’s the last she saw of it, the last she heard about it,” McLaughlin said. “... We don’t have the evidence yet that (Johnson) then destroyed Officer Donald’s phone, but certainly in this case in discovery we’re going to do our best to find out who did that.”
The lawsuit further complicates the tangled series of accusations against Johnson, who was fired by Lightfoot last year.
The lawsuit also alleges that Lightfoot “worked to deflect blame” from the city over the incident and ordered Johnson to “dump” Donald by removing her from his detail and sending her to a police district.
Johnson declined, sending her to the records department instead so she could remain nearby in police headquarters, the lawsuit alleges.
Johnson referred to Lightfoot as “That b----” and said she was trying to steal his “music" — meaning Donald, according to the lawsuit.
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Lightfoot’s office declined comment and referred questions to the city’s law department. Spokeswoman Kathleen Fieweger released a statement saying the allegations, “if true, would be inexcusable.” She did not address whether Lightfoot ordered Johnson to “dump” Donald to a police district.
The lawsuit paints a picture of Johnson as a serial assailant, jealous and manipulative, who would brag about the female officers who wanted to give him sexual favors in exchange for promotions and pressured Donald to do the same.
Johnson’s first alleged assault on Donald occurred in his office in mid-2016, according to the suit, which accuses him of forcing oral sex on her, then saying, “now you know you belong to me.” The incidents of abuse were “regular and frequent” after that, according to Donald, until his firing late last year.
After learning last year that Donald was interested in taking the test for promotion to sergeant, he pressured her into studying for it and said she needed to “stay on his good side” if she wanted a chance at a merit promotion, the lawsuit states.
He once told her “the list of favors” she owed him “was growing longer with each person he moved to a different unit to clear the way for (Donald) to be promoted to Sergeant,” according to the lawsuit. “In exchange, Superintendent Johnson demanded that Plaintiff ‘pay up soon.’"
The city inspector general’s office opened an investigation into Johnson’s conduct shortly after he was found asleep at the wheel at 34th Place and Aberdeen Street in the Bridgeport neighborhood on the night of Oct. 16, 2019.
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Johnson publicly blamed the incident on his failure to take blood pressure medication but privately told Lightfoot he had “a couple of drinks” with dinner that evening, which she disclosed in an interview with the Sun-Times.
The following month, Johnson announced his intention to retire during an emotional ceremony attended by Lightfoot at police headquarters, the same event where the mayor acknowledged to reporters she would likely be interviewed by the IG’s office. But weeks later, Lightfoot announced she was firing Johnson because he’d intentionally misled her about the incident.
At the time, Ferguson continued to investigate the case and did not give Lightfoot a full report until earlier this year. The city so far has declined to release it, citing legal reasons.
A few days after Johnson was found in the car, Donald was reassigned from her security detail, records show. But shortly after that, on Nov. 1, she went on paid medical leave after falling off a chair in a Records Section office at police headquarters.
Donald, 45, has worked as a Chicago police officer since November 2006, records show.
She has received at least 22 awards from the department, including eight honorable mentions and a commendation.
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In 2011, the department moved to fire Donald on allegations from one of her supervisors that almost three years earlier she lied about circumstances to acquire death-in-family benefits and take bereavement leave from work after claiming a close relative had died. Records show she was accused of claiming her “father-in-law” died even though she was not married.
In an August 2008 interview with an investigator from CPD’s internal affairs division, Donald claimed that she had disclosed to the department that person who died was her fiancé's father, and she thought that would still make her she eligible for bereavement leave. Donald beat the case after the Chicago Police Board found there was no evidence of wrongdoing on her part, according to records.
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com
asweeney@chicagotribune.com
jgorner@chicagotribune.com
gpratt@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-16--Prosecutors drop fugitive aid charges against man who swapped identities with gun suspect on parole

Henderson was set to be released from county jail on May 2 for a new felony arrest when Jahquez Scott @ @ @ @ @ to be detained on a bail violation — approached him in the jail ’ s @ @ @ @ @ in exchange for Henderson ’ s court paperwork , which granted release , authorities said @

A West Side man who allegedly gave his Cook County Jail paperwork to another inmate, allowing that man to escape jail custody for a week, had charges of felony aiding and abetting dropped in exchange for a guilty plea in a separate case.
Quintin Henderson, 28, was sentenced to six years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to a manufacturing and delivery of heroin indictment before Judge William Raines on Friday, according to authorities and court documents.
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Henderson, of Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood, was credited with 159 days in jail and given three years of mandatory supervisory release, according to court records.
In exchange, prosecutors dropped the aiding and betting an escape charge, a Class 2 felony, that Henderson picked up in May, according to state’s attorney’s office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton.
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Henderson was set to be released from county jail on May 2 for a new felony arrest when Jahquez Scott — a 21-year-old parolee set to be detained on a bail violation — approached him in the jail’s receiving tunnel offering $1,000 in exchange for Henderson’s court paperwork, which granted release, authorities said.
Scott was facing jail, having just been ordered held for a gun case, violating bail bond on a pending drug case, and violating parole on an aggravated battery to a peace officer conviction.
Jahquez Scott, left, and Quintin Henderson. (Cook County Sheriff's Office)
Jail surveillance cameras captured Henderson handing his paperwork to Scott and both men swapping hooded sweatshirts, prosecutors told a judge. When Henderson’s name was called, Scott stepped forward, identifying himself as Henderson, while the real Henderson stayed put, authorities said.
Despite having distinctive face tattoos, Scott, wearing a face mask, participated in Henderson’s jail release interview and signed out of jail as Henderson, prosecutors claimed. Henderson was arrested and charged after the ruse was discovered. He later told authorities that Scott offered him $1,000.
But Henderson likely never received the money as Scott quickly disappeared, leading Chicago police, county sheriffs and the FBI on a weeklong manhunt across the area until he was arrested in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.
Scott, of the West Garfield Park neighborhood, was later ordered held without bail and remains housed at the Stateville reception center following a violation of his parole, according to state records. Court hearings for Scott’s pending gun and escape cases are scheduled for early next year.
wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy


chicagotribune--2020-10-16--Most CPS students will continue remote learning 2nd quarter but pre-kindergarten and some special ed

Most CPS students will continue remote learning 2nd quarter but pre-kindergarten and some special ed students will return to schools; teachers union calls plan ‘dangerous’

District officials did not respond to requests for comment .
On a call Thursday night hosted by CPS ’ s @ @ @ @ @ and Services , district representatives did not have many answers for parents asking about a @ @ @ @ @ they had been in an “ assessment phase.
” One CPS parent on the call @ @ @ @ @ been hearing from principals and what had been reported in major news outlets , she @ @ @ @ @ officials on the call didn ’ t know anything about cluster programs going back .

Chicago Public Schools plans to offer in-person learning to its youngest students next quarter, according to school administrators briefed Thursday on the district’s plan.
While the district has not released details to the public, sources say their plan would involve in-person learning for pre-kindergarten and some cluster programs of special education students, who could also opt to continue remote learning. All other students would continue with remote learning full time when the second quarter begins Nov. 9. It ends Feb. 4.
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The Chicago Teachers Union called the plan “dangerous" and tweeted that it “was hatched by district officials all by themselves. No educators, parents, students...nothing.”
“Special education students — children who are among the school district’s most medically vulnerable students — will be learning in-person in November, along with the District’s littlest learners,” according to a statement from the CTU. “That move defies the science and puts thousands of students, family members and educators at risk from the deadly pandemic.”
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District officials did not respond to requests for comment Thursday night, but on Friday morning released more details about their plan.
On a call Thursday night hosted by CPS’s Office of Diverse Learner Supports and Services, district representatives did not have many answers for parents asking about a return to school and said they had been in an “assessment phase.” One CPS parent on the call said given what parents had been hearing from principals and what had been reported in major news outlets, she found it hard to believe officials on the call didn’t know anything about cluster programs going back.
Earlier this week, CPS CEO Janice Jackson and Mayor Lori Lightfoot promised families a plan would be out “very soon.”
On Tuesday, Lightfoot seemed to be foreshadowing the decision to bring preschool and some special education students back when she said, “I am concerned about whether or not we are doing enough for certain categories of students, particularly our youngest learners and our diverse learners, and we’ve got to make decisions that maximize the opportunities for everyone but particularly those students who … are having the biggest challenges in a remote learning environment.”
Meanwhile Thursday, the seven-day rolling daily average of newly confirmed coronavirus cases in Chicago climbed to 442, up 32% from last week.
Over the summer, as CPS leaders contemplated whether to hold any in-person classes during the first quarter, officials said remote learning would be triggered if Chicago’s rolling daily case average surpassed 400, or 200 with concerning factors, such as rapidly increasing cases.
Those guidelines allowed hybrid learning with fewer than 400 daily cases, and a full return to in-person school would require fewer than 100 daily cases without a vaccine. But CPS has not provided clear reopening criteria this time around.
The teachers union said the move to in-person learning “defies the standards that CPS itself set this summer.”
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On Wednesday, CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates had said she was expecting a decision about second quarter to be grounded in science.
“What has changed with the virus, with the rate of infection since March that would make for a safe reopening in Chicago?” Davis Gates said.
Chicago’s seven-day rolling average of 442 coronavirus cases was up more than 100 from 335 a week ago. And Illinois public health officials on Thursday reported the highest number of newly confirmed coronavirus cases in a single day since the pandemic began and the most deaths in a day since late June. Incidences of COVID-19 have caused some suburban schools that were in-person to go back online, while others are moving ahead with blended reopening plans. At least two of Chicago’s charter networks have announced they will continue remote learning next quarter.
There's a lot wrong with the decisions CPS and the mayor make around our schools. It's hard to know where to begin sometimes. Perhaps the most glaring in this case is how this plan was hatched by district officials all by themselves. No educators, parents, students...nothing. — ChicagoTeachersUnion (@CTULocal1) October 15, 2020
The union said it is planning to launch a “COVID-19 tracker” showing schools where cases have been identified, because CPS has not made that information publicly available. CTU leaders said they have learned of cases involving at least 25 schools since fall quarter started, and members have reported problems ranging from ventilation issues to widespread failure to enforce mask wearing and social distancing.
The district is challenging an independent arbitrator’s ruling that CPS violated its contract with CTU by making some employees work in person under what may not have been “safe and healthful” conditions.
“We will need filtration and ventilation upgrades in our school communities," Davis Gates said. "... We also need to work on making our remote learning situation more humane and sustainable for every stakeholder.”
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hleone@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-15--Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his wife’s state taxable income dropped to $2.4 million last year, partial ta

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his wife’s state taxable income dropped to $2.4 million last year, partial tax records show

But the top pages of the federal and state tax returns released by the campaign don ’ t paint a @ @ @ @ @ ’ s vast wealth , much of which is held in domestic and offshore trusts @ @ @ @ @ Pritzker , many of which were set up in the Bahamas by his grandfather , @ @ @ @ @ Illinois taxes at a rate of 6.45 % and $ 33 million in federal taxes @ @ @ @ @ the governor ’ s campaign .

Billionaire Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his wife’s personal income has taken a hit since the Hyatt Hotels heir entered public life, according to partial tax records released on Thursday by the first-term governor’s campaign staff.
The records show the Pritzker and his wife, M.K., had $2.4 million in state taxable income in 2019, down from nearly $4.4 million in 2018 and nearly $55 million in 2017. The Pritzkers personally owed $118,255 in state taxes and $419,853 to the federal government in 2018, according to their returns.
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But the top pages of the federal and state tax returns released by the campaign don’t paint a full picture of the couple’s vast wealth, much of which is held in domestic and offshore trusts. The trusts benefiting J.B. Pritzker, many of which were set up in the Bahamas by his grandfather, paid $6.7 million in Illinois taxes at a rate of 6.45% and $33 million in federal taxes in 2019, according to the governor’s campaign.
The Pritzkers had until Thursday to file their taxes after receiving an extension. The release of their 1040 forms comes a little more than two weeks before Illinois voters will decide the fate of the governor’s key policy initiative: an amendment to the Illinois Constitution that would shift the state from a flat-rate to a graduated-rate income tax.
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If the change is approved by voters Nov. 3, new higher rates on higher incomes would kick in Jan. 1. The top rate under a law signed by Pritzker is 7.95% on the full incomes of joint filers making more than $1 million.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during a news conference at the Thompson Center in Chicago on Oct. 14, 2020. (Youngrae Kim/Chicago Tribune)
If those rates had been in effect in 2019, the Pritzkers and the trusts together would have paid an additional $3.7 million in state taxes, according to the campaign. However, the released documents don’t allow for an independent assessment of that claim.
The Pritzkers made $1.1 million in personal charitable contributions last year, the campaign said, dwarfed by the $56.5 million Pritzker has given to the main ballot initiative committee supporting the graduated tax.
Pritzker comes in at No. 238 on Forbes' list of America’s billionaires, with an estimated net worth of $3.4 billion, making him the country’s wealthiest politician. He gave a record-setting $171.5 million to his successful 2018 campaign.
After being elected, Pritzker gave control of his personal investments to an independent trustee at Northern Trust Co., a move he said would allow him to avoid potential conflicts of interest. He also promised to divest of "his personally-held direct interests in companies that have contracts” with the state, though he has never provided a full accounting of those transactions.
Pritzker and his multimillionaire predecessor, Republican Bruce Rauner, both said state economic interest disclosure requirements prevented them from putting their assets in true blind trusts.
The governor also has said the rules governing his family trusts don’t permit them to be placed in a blind trust. He pledged to relinquish any decision-making power in those trusts, which he has not identified by name or location, and has said he doesn’t receive reports on their performance.
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dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-15--The Spin: Officer’s sex abuse lawsuit against Chicago’s ex-top cop | Illinois, like rest of US, sees

The Spin: Officer’s sex abuse lawsuit against Chicago’s ex-top cop | Illinois, like rest of US, sees COVID-19 surge | Trump, Biden’s dueling town halls raise ethics questions

“ You have a situation where the presidential debate commission made the rules , and Donald Trump decided he didn @ @ @ @ @ by them .
And Joe Biden , who was willing to play by the rules @ @ @ @ @ a town hall .
And now for NBC to set up a town hall session @ @ @ @ @ seems unfair to say the least — and it owes everyone an explanation about why @ @ @ @ @ , ” Peter Slevin , a Northwestern University professor who teaches classes on politics and @ @ @ @ @ .
He spent a decade on The Washington Post ’ s national staff and is @ @ @ @ @ The New Yorker , focusing on national politics .

Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden will field questions from voters in separate televised events at the same time tonight, creating at least a logistical headache for some and ethical concerns for others. They both air at 7 p.m. Chicago time.
Today’s technology — various forms of which have been around since the invention of what people of a certain age would refer to as a VCR — means we can opt to see one live and quickly watch a recorded version of the other almost immediately. That also means voters will still get a chance to see it either on their own or in news reports. But the competing nature of the events has triggered questions about NBC’s decision to schedule and air a live town hall event with Trump at the same time as ABC’s already announced town hall with Biden.
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Here’s what we do know: If Trump gets the bigger ratings, count on that refrain through Election Day, now three weeks away.
Illinois, like the rest of the nation, is seeing a spike in the number of people being diagnosed with COVID-19. State officials reported a short time ago a one-day high of just over 4,000 newly reported cases.
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Mayor Lori Lightfoot fired former Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson almost a year ago, but that situation does not seem to be going away soon.
One of Johnson’s subordinates while he ran the department has filed a lawsuit alleging the city’s former top cop sexually assaulted her over more than three years. The officer, who was Johnson’s driver, was with him on the night that ultimately led to his firing last year.
And, the officer also alleges that Johnson destroyed evidence in order to cover up his sexual conduct and harassment of her.
Welcome to The Spin.
This combination of photos shows President Donald Trump, left, and former Vice President Joe Biden during the first presidential debate at Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland on Sept. 29, 2020. (Patrick Semansky/AP)
Instead of a face-to-face debate, as originally planned, Trump and Biden will be in separate cities and on separate networks tonight taking questions with a moderator on hand to steer them back on track when they veer off course.
Trump, who announced he had tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks ago, backed out of the debate set for tonight after organizers called for a remote event. ABC announced last week that Biden would instead appear for a town hall, and in recent days NBC announced Trump would be on the network — at the same time for a town hall. Again, both get underway at 7 p.m. Chicago time.
But some critics are holding their noses over NBC’s move.
“You have a situation where the presidential debate commission made the rules, and Donald Trump decided he didn’t want to play by them. And Joe Biden, who was willing to play by the rules, went ahead and scheduled a town hall. And now for NBC to set up a town hall session at exactly the same time seems unfair to say the least — and it owes everyone an explanation about why the decided to do this,” Peter Slevin, a Northwestern University professor who teaches classes on politics and media, tells The Spin. He spent a decade on The Washington Post’s national staff and is currently a contributing writer for The New Yorker, focusing on national politics.
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He said dueling events don’t benefit voters, while adding that “it’s important for voters to see candidates in action and take tough questions.” That’s why, he argues, NBC could have scheduled it on another day.
Playing devil’s advocate, I asked whether they should give up a chance to host Trump if that was the only time slot available or that he agreed to. Slevin says: “As reporters, we always have to be aware of the agendas of the people covering. In this case, the Trump campaign agenda is crystal clear: to diminish any extra attention given to Joe Biden.”
The question, too, is whether it hurts voters — as small as that number may be. Not really in this digital age, says Victoria M. DeFrancesco Soto, assistant dean of civic engagement & external Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin and formerly of Northwestern University.
“If this were 15 years ago, I’d say ‘yes,’ but nowadays with our technology and streaming,” it’s easier to access media. “My folks aren’t very technologically savvy, but my 87-year-old dad knows enough how to Google with the voice command and find stuff on YouTube. So, you know, I think that because of the technology, they can watch it if they really want to kind of get both sides, as opposed to in the olden days, having to flip back and forth between channels,” Soto says.
Citing the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, Soto says 10% of voters make up their minds during or after a televised debate. Soto thinks there’s even a smaller percentage with early voting already beginning in so many states. That said, these debates become pep rallies of sorts for people who already have made up their minds.
“I think that the real power of these debates and town halls is helping mobilize the base for each candidate’s respective party," she said. Both sides claimed victory after the previous debate. "Every side saw what they needed to see, and every candidate went in there and did what they needed to do.”
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Women’s March Chicago to host ‘Zoom to the Polls’ on Saturday — one of hundreds of events across the country to encourage voting: The Tribune’s Angie Leventis Lourgos has the details here.
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In this Oct. 28, 2019, file photo, former Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson participates in a news conference at police headquarters in Chicago. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)
The Tribune’s Megan Crepeau, Annie Sweeney and Gregory Pratt write: "Ex-Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson allegedly committed ‘shockingly violent’ acts of sexual assault against his former driver, an officer who was with him on the reportedly drunken night that ultimately led to his firing last year.
“In a lawsuit filed late Wednesday, Officer Cynthia Donald said Johnson raped and abused her repeatedly for more than three years, and later destroyed evidence of that abuse on his cellphone when the city Inspector General was investigating his conduct,” my colleagues report. Read the full story here.
Timing: My colleagues note, “The suit came just after it was revealed some officers are facing suspension for their roles in the incident where Johnson was found asleep at the wheel of a city vehicle after visiting a downtown bar. Details about their roles in the case will likely be disclosed as soon as Friday, when the Inspector General releases a summary of his investigation in his office’s quarterly report.”
The lawsuit also alleges that Mayor Lightfoot “worked to deflect blame” from the city over the incident and ordered Johnson to “dump” Donald by removing her from his detail and sending her to a police district, my Tribune colleagues note.
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Johnson sent her to the records department instead so she could remain nearby in police headquarters, the lawsuit alleges.
“That b---- is trying to steal ‘my music,’” Johnson said of Lightfoot, according to the lawsuit.
Obama highlights Evanston’s police reform efforts in Twitter thread: Genevieve Bookwalter has the details in the Evanston Review.
Rachel Ilesanmi, a family practitioner with Christian Community Health Center, administers a free COVID-19 test to Janet Gogins outside Apostolic Faith Church in Chicago on Aug. 26, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
My Tribune colleagues write: "Illinois public health officials on Thursday announced the highest number newly confirmed cases of the coronavirus in a single day since the pandemic began and the most deaths in a day since late June.
"There were 4,015 new cases of COVID-19 announced Thursday, topping the previous high of 4,014 cases on May 12. The state reported 5,368 new cases on Sept. 4, but that was due to a backlog in processing test results.
“Officials also reported 53 more fatalities, the most since 64 deaths were reported June 24. The statewide death toll stands at 9,127.”
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Are we just falling in line with neighbors Wisconsin and Indiana where cases are spiking? Schools reopening? Mask fatigue among adults who are out and about socializing?
Big picture from the New York Times: “The number of new coronavirus cases in the United States is surging once again after growth slowed in late summer. While the geography of the pandemic is now shifting to the Midwest and to more rural areas, cases are trending upward in most states, many of which are setting weekly records for new cases.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci: Rethink your usual plans for Thanksgiving — Read The Associated Press story here. Illinois and Chicago’s top public health officers are echoing that sentiment.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle prepares to listen to public comments before delivering her 2021 budget plan on Oct 15, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The Tribune’s Alice Yin reports that Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s $6.9 billion spending plan next year calls for dipping into reserves, layoffs in the massive public health and hospital system, and hiking some fees to close a yawning budget, but no tax hikes.
Some of the expected savings come from eliminating 650-plus jobs under the umbrella of the Cook County sheriff’s office, WGN-TV points out, which oversees the jail. That’s little more than $61 million right there, according to the county’s math.
State and local governments across the nation are trying to stitch together austerity budgets amid a pandemic that has triggered stay-home orders, resulting in a falloff in sales tax revenues, and job losses that have left people and businesses unable to pay property taxes, another key revenue to government operations.
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Yin writes: “Cook County government’s general fund is expected to face a $222.2 million deficit, while the health fund, which includes the CountyCare insurance program and Stroger and Provident hospitals, has a projected $187 million shortfall, officials said.”
Not counting on federal dollars: “Preckwinkle’s proposed budget would be balanced and still increase spending by $700 million from this year, Preckwinkle’s budget director Annette Guzman said," Yin writes. "Most of the additional spending would be attributed to CountyCare’s increasing membership, and the budget was modeled on the assumption that no more federal stimulus funds are coming.” Read the full Tribune story, which makes the important note that the county board still has to sign on to the spending plan, here.
In Chicago, we’ll get a better sense of how Mayor Lightfoot plans to deal with the city’s fiscal crisis next week: The mayor will unveil a 2021 budget proposal on Wednesday aimed at filling a $1.2 billion budget hole. Lightfoot has said nothing is off the table, including layoffs and property tax increases, the latter often seen as the third rail of politics that members of a sometimes unpredictable City Council — who take the final vote here — may push back on. A reminder that the ongoing coronavirus crisis also has driven this year’s budget shortfall to nearly $800 million.
Statewide, Gov. Pritzker said only a few weeks ago that he’s asked the heads of state agencies to prepare for 5% cuts to budgets for this year and 10% cuts next year in the event the federal government doesn’t deliver another round of aid.
Pritzker’s $43 billion spending plan for the budget year that began July 1 relied heavily on federal aid and borrowing to plug a massive hole caused by revenue lost to the COVID-19-induced economic slowdown. It drew pushback from Republican lawmakers concerned it relied too heavily on uncertain funding.
Metra sues Union Pacific for refusing to send conductors to collect tickets on trains during the pandemic: The Tribune’s Robert Channick writes, “Metra filed a breach of contract lawsuit Wednesday in Cook County Circuit Court alleging Union Pacific’s ‘arbitrary and capricious’ refusal to send conductors back into passenger cars during the pandemic has damaged Metra’s bottom line, reputation and customer experience." Read the full story here.
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8 million have slipped into poverty since May as federal aid has dried up: The New York Times has the story here.
Bridget Degnen, County Board commissioner, 12th District, at a Cook County Board meeting in Chicago on Jan. 16, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)
The Tribune’s Robert McCoppin writes: "A Cook County commissioner who is a former Illinois cannabis regulator said she is part owner of a company that is applying for cannabis licenses and that she was paid to write the applications.
“After previously declining to answer questions about the matter, Bridget Degnen confirmed that she has ownership in and wrote applications for AmeriCanna Dream LLC, which was named a finalist for 36 of 75 available licenses after getting perfect scores in regions across the state, though businesses are limited to 10 licenses.”
The Sun-Times was the first to report the story.
Degnen said she followed the proper channels. But a former member of the county’s ethics board along with the leader of a good government group are holding their noses over it. Read the full story here.
The state is scheduled to issue 75 new licenses — each potentially worth millions — for recreational marijuana retail stores, but the process has been delayed, most recently because lawsuits filed by losing applicants who say the scoring process was unfair.
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Applicants are now getting a chance to correct their applications and get rescored. Each license potentially is worth millions of dollars.
Legal pot case in court: Applicants who originally won a chance to receive a license said yesterday that the state is trying to rush an illegal do-over before they could be heard in court, McCoppin writes in a separate story.
Reminder: Last month, the state named 21 finalists who got perfect scores on their applications and qualified for a tiebreaking lottery to win 75 new licenses to open recreational pot shops. That prompted a lawsuit from some of the 900-plus losing applicants. When Gov. Pritzker announced a do-over, that prompted a suit by the original finalists. Read the full story here.
Lisa Donovan is the host of The Spin, the Tribune’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.
ldonovan@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @byldonovan


chicagotribune--2020-10-15--Column: When you watch Aaron Sorkin’s Chicago 7 movie, remember Mrs. Jean Fritz

When the trial started , in September 1969 , Fritz was what the press referred to as a “ housewife.
@ @ @ @ @ also worked alongside her husband at their Western Auto store in the Chicago suburb of @ @ @ @ @ 51 , had three daughters , wore her hair in the bouffant style and taught @ @ @ @ @ considered herself politically moderate , but in the 1960 election voted for the Republican , @ @ @ @ @ to the Democrat , John F. Kennedy .

Jean Fritz, now deceased, of Des Plaines, is shown in a family photo at left, was one of the jurors (pictured in a family photo at right) during the Chicago Seven conspiracy trial after the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. She kept a journal, also shown here, documenting her thoughts during and after deliberation. (Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune)
Today would be a good day to remember Mrs. Jean Fritz.
Fritz was a juror in the Chicago 7 trial, which is back in the news thanks to Aaron Sorkin’s movie, “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” arriving Friday on Netflix. It’s a story that has been told many times, typically with the focus on the men accused of coming to Chicago in 1968 to incite a riot during the Democratic National Convention.
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You may know some of their names. Abbie Hoffman. Tom Hayden. Jerry Rubin.
But Mrs. Jean Fritz? That name, as she was often referred to back then, is less familiar. She was one of the so-called ordinary people chosen to sit in judgment of those famous men. Her part in the trial is worth keeping in mind while you’re watching Netflix.
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Jean Fritz, now deceased, of Des Plaines, is shown in a family photo from 1968. She was one of the jurors during the Chicago 7 conspiracy trial following the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Chris J. Walker / Chicago Tribune)
I wrote a long story on Fritz a couple of years ago, based on the journals she kept while on the jury. They’re a remarkable record of a woman and of the times, and of how the times changed her.
When the trial started, in September 1969, Fritz was what the press referred to as a “housewife.” In truth, she also worked alongside her husband at their Western Auto store in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines. She was 51, had three daughters, wore her hair in the bouffant style and taught Methodist Sunday school. She considered herself politically moderate, but in the 1960 election voted for the Republican, Richard Nixon, who lost to the Democrat, John F. Kennedy.
By the time of the trial, during Nixon’s eventual presidency, the country was driven by fear and anger, a state of division and disarray that was remarkably like today’s, yet different. The news back then was of war in Vietnam, the fight for civil rights, street riots and rebellions, political assassinations, cries for law and order, a clash of generations.
A family photo belonging to Margie Fritz-Birch, of Chicago, shows her mother, Jean Fritz, back row, second from left, posing with her fellow jurors during or after the Chicago 7 conspiracy trial following the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune)
A common conservative view of the era was reflected in a Chicago Tribune opinion piece that characterized Woodstock, the 1969 summer music festival, as “a Saturnalia attended by hundreds of thousands of frenzied aberrants of the human species.”
Fritz was not conservative in that way, but she expressed a conventional attitude when, early in her trial journals, she noted her fear that young people didn’t share her appreciation for “the most wonderful country in the world.”
“Have always had a great love for my country,” she wrote. “Always get chills when I see a parade and the flag goes by. What is happening today?”
But as the trial went on, as she heard how protesters were mistreated by police and deceived by government informants, her mind opened and her fears shifted.
“I used to make remarks about boys with long hair,” she wrote at one point. “Since I have been (here) I have learned why some of them have it. Will never judge people again on their appearance.”
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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 37 Six of the Chicago 7 defendants appear in 1970. Abbie Hoffman, from left, John Froines, Lee Weiner, Jerry Rubin, Rennie Davis and Tom Hayden were acquitted of conspiracy, but five were convicted of other charges. The guilty verdicts were later overturned. (William Yates / Chicago Tribune)
After testimony from undercover agents, she wrote: “I know we need police and am all for them. But I don’t like people like this and have sure learned not to trust a lot of things. … Am getting more afraid for our freedom every day that I sit here.”
At the trial’s end, the bitter, fractured jury reached a compromise verdict that convicted five of the men on one of the charges. Fritz thought they should have been entirely absolved, and for a long time afterward, she felt she had betrayed herself and the defendants by failing to fight hard enough.
Eventually, she spoke out about what she thought had gone wrong at the trial. Her outspokenness had a price.
“We got death threats and hate mail,” her daughter Margie Fritz-Birch said when I called her Thursday. “People stopped coming into my dad’s store.”
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But Fritz’s views helped lead to an appeals court hearing, which led to a reversal of the convictions, and in the long run, the experience made Jean Fritz a better citizen. She became an election judge and a committed student of politics.
A handwritten page from a journal kept in 1969-70 by Jean Fritz says, "Never again, I hope, will I judge people before I really know what it is all about. Have listened harder these last 4 months than I have in my whole 51 yrs." (Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune)
“It made her much more conscientious,” her daughter said. “It gave her an eye-opening awareness of the dangers of what can happen when you have the division in the country that you had then and have now.”
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More about Fritz’s life is on display at the Edgewater Historical Society and Museum in Chicago, where her daughter mounted an exhibit on the trial a couple of years ago. Hoping to add insight to Sorkin’s movie, Fritz-Birch wrote to people involved but never heard back. She’s wary of the film but plans to see it this weekend.
“I hope the film makes people aware, especially younger people, of the similarities between then and now,” she said, “that you are not the only people to go through this.”
Today’s divisions aren’t precisely the same as those that threatened the country in the 1960s. In some ways, they feel more dangerous. But Jean Fritz’s era reminds us that this is not the first time that people, led by the young, have protested in pursuit of a more egalitarian country, or the first time we’ve felt our nation on the verge of collapse.
Fritz’s life gives us hope that individuals can open their minds to the need for change and help make it happen. Maybe one day she’ll get her own movie.
mschmich@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-15--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: State reports highest one-day COVID-19 case total since pandemic be

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: State reports highest one-day COVID-19 case total since pandemic began, along with 53 more deaths; positivity rate climbs to 4.9%

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CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois public health officials on Thursday announced the highest number newly confirmed cases of the coronavirus in a single day since the pandemic began and the most deaths in a day since late June.
There were 4,015 new cases of COVID-19 announced Thursday, topping the previous high of 4,014 cases on May 12. The state reported 5,368 new cases on Sept. 4, but that was due to a backlog in processing test results. Officials also reported 53 more fatalities, the most since 64 deaths were reported June 24. The statewide death toll stands at 9,127.
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The share of coronavirus tests returning positive results also has been surging. The seven-day rolling average for the week ending Wednesday was 4.9%, up from 3.7% a week ago.
Meanwhile, Chicago Public Schools plans to bring its youngest students back to classrooms next quarter, according to sources briefed Thursday on the district’s plan. While the district has not released details to the public, sources say their plan would involve in-person learning in some capacity for prekindergarten and some clusters of special education students. All other students would continue with remote learning full-time when the second quarter begins Nov. 9.
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Here’s what’s happening Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
(Updated at 5:30 p.m.) 4:35 p.m.: Most CPS students will continue remote learning 2nd quarter but pre-kindergarten and some special ed students will return to schools
Chicago Public Schools plans to bring its youngest students back to classrooms next quarter, according to sources briefed Thursday on the district’s plan.
While the district has not released details to the public, sources say their plan would involve in-person learning in some capacity for prekindergarten and some clusters of special education students. All other students would continue with remote learning full-time when the second quarter begins Nov. 9.
The Chicago Teachers Union called the plan “dangerous” and earlier Thursday tweeted, “We have learned that a 3 p.m. meeting has been called for principals today, presumably for CPS and the mayor to inform school administrations of their plans to return SPED and early childhood ed students back to unsafe school buildings in November.”
District officials did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Read more here. —Hannah Leone
3:24 p.m.: City, Park District announce new events for week of Halloween, provides more guidance for safe trick-or-treating
Chicago Park District and city officials Thursday announced more events for what the city’s dubbed “Halloweek,” as the city gave more recommendations for how people can safely celebrate the holiday.
The city recommends “that trick-or-treating groups remain limited to six people” or fewer and that “trick-or-treaters stay on the move without congregating – which means more houses visited and more candy for all!” according to a news release. “People passing out candy are asked to try to socially distance while doing so, perhaps by using a tube or pipe to drop candy into trick-or-treaters' bags from a distance.”
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Among the newly announced events is the Arts in the Dark Upside-Down Halloween Parade in Washington Park, which usually draws about 100,000 people and features artists from city institutions such as the Art Institute of Chicago, Lookingglass Theatre and After School Matters, according to a city news release. This year, it will be reverse parade from noon-3 p.m. Oct. 31, in which people can drive through the park to see the artists and performers, and requires reservations at https://artsinthedark.com/attend/.
The city also will host trick-or-treating stations at some Chicago Police Department district headquarters from 4:30-7 p.m. on days leading up to Halloween and at all district headquarters on Halloween, with local parks also handing out treats. Details will be available at local parks Oct. 26.
Police districts will hand out treats on this schedule:·
Oct. 26: Districts 6, 17, 25;
Oct. 27: Districts 3, 14, 15;
Oct. 28: Districts 8, 9, 12;
Oct. 29: Districts 5, 7, 10;
Oct. 30: Districts 2, 4, 11;
Halloween: All districts.
Blommer Chocolate Co. is donating 10,000 goody bags for the parade and Ferrera USA, Pepsico/Quaker Oats, Ferrero, Mars Wrigley, Jelly Belly, The Hershey Company & Amplify Snack Brands are donating treats for other events, according to the city.
The city will provide more detailed safety guidelines, in line with state guidance, as well as information on other events, at ChicagoHalloweek.org starting Oct. 18.
—Chicago Tribune staff
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(Updated 2:17 p.m.) 12:38 p.m.: Illinois records 4,015 new coronavirus cases, a single-day record; 53 deaths is most in a day since late June
Illinois public health officials on Thursday announced the highest number newly confirmed cases of the coronavirus in a single day since the pandemic began and the most deaths in a day since late June.
There were 4,015 new cases of COVID-19 announced Thursday, topping the previous high of 4,014 cases on May 12. The state reported 5,368 new cases on Sept. 4, but that was due to a backlog in processing test results.
The seven-day average of new cases has continued to increase throughout this week after reaching a new high Monday. As of Thursday, the seven-day average for new cases was 2,989, up from 2,180 a week earlier.
The share of coronavirus tests returning positive results also has been surging. The seven-day rolling average for the week ending Wednesday was 4.9%, up from 3.7% a week ago.
With the additional infections reported Thursday, the state has now seen 331,620 known cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Officials also reported 53 more fatalities, the most since 64 deaths were reported June 24. The statewide death toll stands at 9,127.
The state received results from 67,086 tests in the previous 24 hours.
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Read more here. —Dan Petrella
12:46 p.m.: Retail workers getting new training for holiday season — how to handle customers who won’t wear masks
Many retail workers will receive a new sort of preparation for this year’s holiday season: training on how to manage conflicts with customers who resist mask-wearing, social distancing and store capacity limits.
The National Retail Federation, a trade group representing about 16,000 retailers, said Thursday that it had teamed with the Crisis Prevention Institute, a company focused on reducing workplace violence, to help retail workers learn how to prevent and de-escalate shopper disputes that emerge from pandemic restrictions.
The training puts a spotlight on the unexpected challenges that store workers have been forced to grapple with during the pandemic. Most retailers were early to require masks and distancing in stores, but some shoppers have flouted the rules, putting employees in uncomfortable and sometimes frightening positions. Altercations with belligerent customers have regularly gone viral on social media this year and have even led to violence, spooking staff and other shoppers just as stores try to drum up foot traffic.
Read more here. —The New York Times
12:36 p.m.: County Board President Toni Preckwinkle outlines $6.9 billion budget plan: ‘This pandemic has dealt Cook County and its residents a catastrophic blow’
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle outlined her plans Thursday for a $6.9 billion 2021 budget that would plug an overall projected $409 million coronavirus-driven shortfall through layoffs, tapping reserve funds and new revenue from online sales, weed and gambling taxes.
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During a special meeting of the Board of Commissioners of Cook County, Preckwinkle presented her tentative budget in a speech driving home her mission to deliver racial equity through government and enunciating the deep pain the pandemic has inflicted on people and businesses both locally and across the country.
Read more here. —Alice Yin
10:47 a.m.: Sen. Kamala Harris cancels travel plans after 2 people associated with campaign test positive for COVID-19
Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, will suspend in-person events until Monday after two people associated with the campaign tested positive for coronavirus.
Joe Biden’s presidential campaign said Thursday that Biden had no exposure, though he and Harris spent several hours campaigning together in Arizona on Oct. 8. Both have tested negative for COVID-19 multiple times since then.
It’s the Biden campaign’s first major coronavirus scare, after months of careful health procedures that brought mockery from President Donald Trump, even after a White House virus outbreak that included the president and first lady Melania Trump. The Democratic campaign’s cautious reaction underscores again the differences in how the rival camps have approached the pandemic, both in terms of preferred government response and the candidates' personal protocols.
Read more here. —Associated Press
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10:43 a.m.: Dr. Anthony Fauci: Rethink your usual plans for Thanksgiving
Dr. Anthony Fauci says Americans should rethink their usual plans for Thanksgiving gatherings, citing increased coronavirus infections and hospitalizations.
Fauci told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Thursday that given the rise in cases, “we’ve really got to double down on fundamental public health measures that we talk about every day because they can make a difference.”
As for Thanksgiving, when millions of Americans travel to gather with families and friends, Fauci says this November may need to be different. “We really have to be careful this time that each individual family evaluates the risk-benefit.”
Read more here. —Associated Press
8:49 a.m.: Six Flags Great America to reopen for first time in 2020 for holiday light show
Six Flags Great America announced it will open for a holiday “light experience” starting Nov. 27.
The Gurnee amusement park said its Holiday in the Park plans met the approval of state officials and are within the Restore Illinois guidelines for operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Because of the pandemic, the event will mark the first time the park will be open in 2020, though the adjoining Hurricane Harbor water park did reopen in July.
The holiday display boasts more than 2 million lights on displays throughout the park, entertainment and “socially distanced photo opportunities with costumed characters,” an announcement said. No rides will be operating.
The number of visitors will be limited, and operators said they’ve implemented extensive hygiene protocols.
The park will be open for the display on weekend and select weekdays through Dec. 27.
—Staff report
7:20 a.m.: County health officials concerned about possible 2nd COVID spike at Illinois State University
McLean County health officials don’t want a repeat of late August and early September when COVID-19 cases spiked after some Illinois State University students returned to Normal from summer break.
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That’s why representatives of the county health department want to meet with ISU and Town of Normal officials to develop a plan to mitigate COVID spread after students return to Normal following winter and spring breaks.
“We want to take what we learned in September,” county health department Administrator Jessica McKnight said Wednesday night following the monthly meeting of the county Board of Health.
“How can we use what we learned in the fall semester and apply it to the spring semester?” she said. “What might we expect in the spring semester and how can we plan ahead? The goal is to control the spread of COVID-19 in the community.”
Read more here. —The Pantagraph
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In case you missed it
Here are five stories from Wednesday related to COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois: