chicagotribune--2020-11-05--Hammond man accused of killing woman after Tinley Park concert released to house arrest until murder

Hammond man accused of killing woman after Tinley Park concert released to house arrest until murder trial

The day after the murder , McGhee picked up a friend in Hammond as he went searching for a place @ @ @ @ @ charges state .
They returned to the Gary apartment , while the friend waited outside @ @ @ @ @ out in a suitcase , according to court documents .
In exchange for immunity , @ @ @ @ @ to the body .

A Hammond man accused of killing his girlfriend after a concert in Tinley Park, Illinois, then leaving her body in an Illinois forest preserve was released to home monitoring Thursday.
Lake Superior Court Judge Diane Boswell upheld her Oct. 19 ruling that James McGhee, 39, charged with killing Sidne-Nichole Buchanan, 27, in July 2019, was qualified to be released on his own recognizance to home confinement with an ankle monitor because the state took too long to bring him to trial.
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Indiana’s Criminal Rule 4 requires defendants to be released from jail if a trial is pushed back more than 180 countable days, or six months, unless it’s due to the defendant’s delays or a backed-up court calendar.
“It’s definitely not what we wanted, we’ve been pushing against that the whole time," Brad Carter, Lake County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman, said. “We did object to it,” adding since it’s a pending case, he couldn’t comment further.
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McGhee’s lawyer, James Woods, filed a motion for release under Criminal Rule 4 in late September. Boswell granted McGhee’s request on Oct. 19, but prosecutors filed Oct. 23 for her to reevaluate in the hearing scheduled Thursday.
Lake County Prosecutor Eric Randall said Thursday McGhee was asking for a release on a “technicality,” arguing past jury trials had been rescheduled several times. He said by his estimate, prosecutors believed they were responsible for pushing the case back 147 days, or under the limit.
“We have time until the next trial,” he said.
Both lawyers agreed McGhee’s interlocutory appeal to the Indiana Court of Appeals from January to March 2020 counted against his time, not the state.
Woods argued the burden was primarily on prosecutors.
“Once the switch is flipped, it is always flipped,” he said.
Randall argued McGhee was a “danger to the community” due to his criminal history, and a flight risk with children in other states.
“I agree, Mr. Randall, there are extreme risks with this defendant,” Boswell said. “However, he is entitled to be released.”
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“The court can’t just say, ‘I’ll keep you in jail, because he is a risk,’” she said, noting he also had time served.
McGhee filed a motion for a speedy trial in Judge Clarence Murray’s court, which was granted in October 2019. A motion to dismiss was denied. A later trial scheduled in June was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
His former lawyer, Jamise Perkins, was appointed as a pro-tempore judge in June in Murray’s court as he took time off for his health. She recused herself, and the case was transferred June 30 to Boswell’s court. A September 2020 trial date was pushed back by the defense after prosecutors added a witness from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Police arrested McGhee in August 2019, accusing him of killing Buchanan in his Gary apartment after a July 27, 2019, Wiz Khalifa concert.
Buchanan left for the concert that night with McGhee from her mother’s Gary house and never returned, court records state. Authorities believe McGhee took Buchanan back to his apartment at the Concord Commons in the 1900 block of Burr Street in Gary where he beat her to death sometime before sunrise, records state. Her body was found on Aug. 12, 2019, in the Thornton-Lansing Road Nature Preserve in unincorporated Cook County, Illinois.
The day after the murder, McGhee picked up a friend in Hammond as he went searching for a place to take her body, charges state. They returned to the Gary apartment, while the friend waited outside as McGhee took the body out in a suitcase, according to court documents. In exchange for immunity, the man later took police to the body.
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McGhee allegedly told him he “lost it” and had “messed up” and killed the woman, records state.
In a 2017 case, McGhee was accused of beating a prior pregnant Merrillville girlfriend, causing her to lose three of four quadruplets she was carrying, records show. He later kidnapped the woman in May 2017 for about a month, documents state, later allowing her to pick up her son from school. Police later found her and the boy, then 6, in the bathroom of a fireworks stand where McGhee worked, documents state.
An officer said the woman appeared to be tearful and was afraid to give her or her son’s name, records state. He told her he could arrest her to get her out of the building, documents state. “Yes, please do,” she responded, in court documents. McGhee received three years on probation, records show.
Magistrate Natalie Bokota who stepped in for the 2017 sentencing said then she had “grave concerns” about the plea deal given the crime’s violent nature, according to newspaper archives.
McGhee’s murder trial in the Buchanan case is set for Feb. 22. A pretrial hearing is scheduled Jan. 20.


chicagotribune--2020-11-05--Watch live: Gov. J.B. Pritzker gives a COVID-19 update

Gov .
J.B. Pritzker will give an update on the state ’ s response to the coronavirus in a briefing @ @ @ @ @ the latest updates on COVID-19 in Illinois here .

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chicagotribune--2020-11-05--Taste of Chicago, Air and Water Show funding not in Chicago’s 2021 budget

There is funding for the city ’ s beloved jumping jack program , through which block parties around the city @ @ @ @ @ bounce house to set up for the day .
It remains to be seen whether @ @ @ @ @ any time in 2021 , after the city canceled the program for this year because @ @ @ @

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels practice ahead of the Chicago Air and Water Show as seen from the area along Lake Michigan near Fullerton Beach on Aug. 15, 2019, in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Summertime 2021 is a distant mirage in Chicago, but if you’re making warm weather plans to help you get through the winter, don’t put Taste of Chicago or the Air and Water Show in your calendar.
With the COVID-19 pandemic expected to continue making large public gatherings dangerous for the foreseeable future, the city has not budgeted next year to run either of the big summer events that draw huge crowds to the lakefront.
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Special Events Commissioner Mark Kelly told aldermen during his annual budget hearing Thursday that Taste and the Air Show haven’t been canceled yet. But the $9 million or so it takes to run them hasn’t been included in his department’s spending plan.
Taste and the Air Show were both canceled this year, as Mayor Lori Lightfoot responded to the coronavirus by clearing the docket of nearly all the major events in Chicago’s downtown and Grant Park.
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Taste usually takes place for a week in mid-July in Grant Park, and the Air Show takes over the lakefront for a weekend in mid-August.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 7 New signs mark the launch of Taste of Chicago To-Go at Buckingham Fountain in Chicago on July 8, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Kelly’s department counts on money coming in through hotel taxes and other tourist-driven sources to pay for its budget. With tourism way down, only a little more than half the $40 million he was counting on for 2020 has come in, Kelly said.
The department’s 2021 budget will therefore go down by nearly half, to $25 million.
Events such as the Taste end up being a net financial gain for the city during normal years, Kelly said, because of all the people who rent hotel rooms and spend money at restaurants and other businesses while they’re in town.
There is funding for the city’s beloved jumping jack program, through which block parties around the city can apply to get a bounce house to set up for the day. It remains to be seen whether block parties are allowed at any time in 2021, after the city canceled the program for this year because of the pandemic.
The city plans to go ahead with “re-imagined festivals” in 2021, and to host house and gospel music, blues and jazz concerts in Millennium Park, according to Special Events spokesman Jamey Lundblad. There is funding in the budget for those types of events, Lundblad said.
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @_johnbyrne


chicagotribune--2020-11-05--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-11-05--Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 97 new deaths, 9,935 new confirmed cases and 86,015 new test resu

Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 97 new deaths, 9,935 new confirmed cases and 86,015 new test results

Illinois announced 9,935 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Thursday for a total of 447,491 .
The state also announced 97 @ @ @ @ @ of 10,030 and 86,015 new test results for a total of 8.1 million .

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


chicagotribune--2020-11-05--Man finds roommate shot to death in bedroom in Avondale home, police say

The man who found his roommate told police that he did not see anyone enter their home but was unable @ @ @ @ @ according to the notification .

A man found his 36-year-old roommate shot to death in his bed in their Avondale neighborhood home early Thursday, according to police.
The man was found with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, torso and leg about 3 a.m. at their home on the 3500 block of North Hamlin Avenue, according to a Chicago police media notification.
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Police arrived at the home after someone called 911 to report hearing shots fired. The person reporting the shots fired was “unknown,” said Kellie Bartoli, a spokeswoman for Chicago police.
The man who found his roommate told police that he did not see anyone enter their home but was unable to provide further details, according to the notification.
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The identity of the 36-year-old has not been released by the Cook County medical examiner.
There were no witnesses to the shooting and no one was in custody, police said.
Area Five detectives were investigating.


chicagotribune--2020-11-05--You lost your job because of COVID-19 restrictions and unemployment benefits are set to shrink in Il

You lost your job because of COVID-19 restrictions and unemployment benefits are set to shrink in Illinois. Here’s what to know.

If you accept full-time work , it will disqualify you from receiving jobless benefits for that week , Wrona said @ @ @ @ @ up part-time work might be eligible for benefits if their earned wages are at least @ @ @ @ @ 100 % of their weekly benefit amount in any week , according to Cisco .
@ @ @ @ @ offset by the amount they earned for that week , she said .

With a new round of layoffs possible amid increased coronavirus restrictions statewide, some Illinois workers will find themselves again collecting unemployment insurance benefits.
As of Wednesday, indoor service is banned at bars and restaurants throughout the state and gatherings are limited to 25 people. The tightened restrictions are likely to lead to layoffs in the hospitality industry.
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Among all states, Illinois last week had the largest weekly increase in initial claims for unemployment benefits — 6,190 more filings than a week earlier, the Labor Department said Thursday.
Illinois has processed more than 2.7 million claims for jobless benefits and paid more than $15 billion in assistance since March 1. The unprecedented amount of applications caused delays in the system, and frustrated people trying to reach the state’s Department of Employment Security.
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As people file for jobless benefits again, and others find themselves unemployed for the first time, here are some things to consider:
Do I have to file a new claim?
Yes. If you received unemployment benefits earlier this year but then went back to work, you need to file a new claim if you were laid off again so the state can verify your employer, wages and layoff date, IDES spokeswoman Rebecca Cisco said.
The state provides eligible individuals up to 26 weeks of jobless benefits in a one-year period, regardless of how many times a person loses a job. Federal programs extended benefits up to about 59 weeks, but some of those programs are set to expire Dec. 26.
A closed Illinois Department of Employment Security office is seen July 14, 2020, in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Chicago. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Without additional aid from Congress, some people might not receive the full 59 weeks of benefits.
Claims can be filed online through the department’s website, illinois.gov/ides.
How do I reach someone at the agency?
During the summer, the state implemented a callback system to reduce wait times and lessen the need for people to have to call multiple times to reach a representative.
People calling IDES are placed in a queue to receive a callback when an agency representative is available, including the claimant services center (800-244-5631), Illinois Job Link (877-342-7533), benefit payment control (800-814-0513) and employer hotline (800-247-4984), according to IDES.
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Cisco said the average wait time to receive a callback from a representative is about one to two weeks, depending the nature of the call.
The agency hired 30 full-time additional call center workers in September, and it’s hiring another 196 workers across the department, Cisco said. IDES currently employs 1,075 full-time employees, she said.
About 400 contract agents from Deloitte are helping the agency process claims. Deloitte’s contract with the state expires at the of the year, though it could be extended, Cisco said.
What extra benefits are available?
The $600 per week federal jobless boost created by Congress in response to the pandemic expired at the end of July. In August, President Donald Trump authorized up to $44 billion in federal emergency funds to provide states with an extra $300 in weekly benefits. Illinois received $1.3 billion to provide six weeks of enhanced benefits to 780,000 claimants.
Those funds have since run out. Negotiations for a second coronavirus relief bill ground to a halt, and it’s uncertain if a deal will be reached before the new year.
“Now people are down to the regular state amount, and it’s not enough to get by. People are hurting,” said Pat Wrona, director of legal services for CARPLS Legal Aid.
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How many weeks of benefits can I receive?
Only claimants who are eligible for regular state benefits and exhausted their 26 weeks can receive an additional 13 weeks of benefits through the federally funded Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, which expires Dec. 26.
The state will determine eligibility and automatically enroll people who qualify.
If you remain unemployed after receiving benefits from both programs, Illinois offers 20 weeks of extended benefits under a federal law designed to help individuals in states with high unemployment rates.
The extended benefits program is triggered when the three-month state unemployment rate is above 8.5%, said Chad Stone, chief economist for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington, D.C.-based think thank. Currently, Illinois has a three-month average unemployment rate of 10.9%, Stone said.
The program will revert to 13 weeks after Dec. 26 without additional funding from Congress. An improvement to the state’s three-month rolling unemployment rate also could trigger its expiration.
Self-employed and gig workers aren’t eligible for additional weeks of benefits under those programs. The federal coronavirus relief package only allotted self-employed and gig workers 39 weeks of benefits, which expire next month. Those workers might not be eligible for any unemployment benefits in the new year if federal programs that extend benefits to gig workers are not renewed.
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“For people who are running out of weekly benefits, there is nothing for them (next year),” Stone said.
How is the amount of benefits determined?
In Illinois, jobless benefits are calculated on wages reported during an applicant’s base period, which is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters. Payments are backdated to when people first become unemployed.
People may receive an additional allowance if the individual has a dependent child under the age of 18 or a nonworking spouse who isn’t receiving unemployment benefits. Individuals can claim one or the other, and claiming more than one child won’t increase an applicant’s benefits. The addition means between $15 and $93 per week for a dependent spouse, and between $26 and $185 for a dependent child.
The average person receives about 46% of their base income in state weekly benefits, but that amount is capped at $471 per week, Wrona said.
What if I’m self employed?
Under the federal coronavirus relief bill, Congress extended unemployment benefits to self-employed and gig workers through the creation of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which expires at the end of the year without additional action from Congress.
Those workers must apply, then get rejected, from receiving regular unemployment benefits. If applicants get an eligibility finding of $0, they can then submit a claim through the online portal.
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When filing a claim, it is important for the self-employed to provide the state with their net business income from last year to avoid getting overpaid and having to pay back those funds, Wrona said.
For self-employed individuals, net business income can be found in their 2019 tax returns from Schedule C (Form 1040) under line 31, Wrona said.
According to IDES' website, self-employed applicants have 21 days to submit tax forms or other documents showing their wages earned after filing their claim.
What if I find temporary work?
People who accept part-time seasonal work might be eligible to receive benefits, but they need to report they are working the next time they certify their benefits, Wrona said. The amount of those benefits is likely to be less, depending on the size of their paychecks, she said.
If you accept full-time work, it will disqualify you from receiving jobless benefits for that week, Wrona said. But people who pick up part-time work might be eligible for benefits if their earned wages are at least 50% but less than 100% of their weekly benefit amount in any week, according to Cisco. Their benefit payment will be offset by the amount they earned for that week, she said.
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abjimenez@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @abdel1019


chicagotribune--2020-11-05--Pilsen mural features residents, including essential workers: ‘It mirrors the community’s resilience

Pilsen mural features residents, including essential workers: ‘It mirrors the community’s resilience'

Though the mural will feature an image of Don Pedro and a few other community members who have died , @ @ @ @ @ be of people who are alive .
At the center will be a phoenix holding @ @ @ @ @ that morphs into a border wall and detention cages .
At the top left corner @ @ @ @ @ group of kindergartners playing with Legos in the shape of the city of Chicago .
@ @ @ @ @ portraits of some essential workers from the neighborhood .

Artist Pablo Serrano paints a mural on the sidewall of Carnitas Don Pedro in the Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago, Oct. 30, 2020. Serrano and Mateo Zapata are painting portraits of residents and essential workers on a mural that would be Pilsen's largest piece of art. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Pedro Duarte’s life story inspired two artists to paint what they believe to be the largest mural in the Pilsen neighborhood.
Duarte established his business, Carnitas Don Pedro, in 1981, after selling traditional fried pork in front of other stores on 18th Street for a few years after he arrived from Michoacan, Mexico.
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Duarte died in 2017 but his story of building a business into a neighborhood institution, despite coming to the U.S. not knowing English and having an elementary school education, mirrors the experience of many others in the neighborhood, said Mateo Zapata, one of the mural’s designers.
The Mexican Americans who crafted the identity of the neighborhood are rarely showcased and after Zapata approached Duarte’s family about a mural and he partnered with fellow artist Pablo Serrano, their vision centered on acknowledging “ordinary” Pilsen residents as well as essential workers from the neighborhood, Serrano said.
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Duarte, affectionately known as Don Pedro, died three years ago. He loved Pilsen and its people, said his daughter Magdalena Castañeda. He was grateful to all of those who supported his business and often donated to local nonprofits, including giving food for the annual kermes bazaar for his church, St. Procopius Catholic Parish.
Now his three children and wife continue his legacy by managing the restaurant, using the carnitas recipe he left them.
Zapata initially approached the family, pitching them an idea about painting the mural on a blank wall of the restaurant building, 1113 W. 18th St. The Duarte family immediately agreed to support the project and brought on Serrano, another neighborhood artist, to create a piece that would serve to honor Duarte and pay tribute to the community that represents a Pilsen that’s been disappearing.
Serrano and Zapata are longtime Pilsen residents who have worked together in the past. In September the two painted a smaller mural to honor Latino essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This time, they focused on depicting Pilsen-area residents on the 4,000 square feet wall to show others their stories, Serrano said.
Though the mural will feature an image of Don Pedro and a few other community members who have died, most of the faces will be of people who are alive. At the center will be a phoenix holding in its mouth a serpent that morphs into a border wall and detention cages. At the top left corner, there will be a group of kindergartners playing with Legos in the shape of the city of Chicago. The mural will also include portraits of some essential workers from the neighborhood.
“The wall is a reflection of who we are and it mirrors the community’s resilience,” Serrano said. “We also want to encourage others to acknowledge each other’s presence, power and strength.”
So far, there are about 15 faces on the wall, including one of a mother without legal immigration status carrying her child and a street musician holding a guitar. Zapata has taken photo portraits of all the living subjects.
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In May, Zapata began photographing workers who have helped Pilsen survive, he said. They include cooks, dishwashers, street vendors, educators, construction workers and even musicians.
For him, creating the mural at this time is powerful because many of the people on there were personally affected by the pandemic.
“It once again challenged them and they proved how important they are to his neighborhood, to this country and society overall. They are resilient.”
There will be a portrait of a teacher, Gina Pacheco-Gamboa, who created online culturally sensitive tools for low-income students. There will be a portrait of a construction worker and one of a street vendor, who might not be officially classified as essential, “but for her neighbors, she was important,” Zapata said.
“I want the future generations to be proud of their community and proud of the role that their families played in 2020,” Zapata said.
Carlos Nuñez, 71, is the musician shown holding his guitar.
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He plays and sings rancheras — traditional Mexican songs related to mariachi music — in the streets of Pilsen almost every day even while suffering from vertigo, which sometimes causes him to lose his balance, he said.
He loves to sing to make others happy, but he never expected any type of recognition, he said.
“This mural will make our neighborhood more beautiful and our image will be there forever regardless of the changes,” Nuñez said. “I feel like a neighborhood hero, it gives me the strength to continue singing and I’m sure my daughters will be proud to see me there.”
On a recent Wednesday evening, Nuñez sat on the corner near the restaurant, playing his guitar and singing while Zapata and Serrano painted.
Zapata said that one of the goals behind the project is to capture the present moment to assure that it’ll be a part of history.
Many new murals in the area “lack substance and are meant to appeal to the eye of others,” he said.
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The Latino population in the Lower West Side community area, which includes Pilsen, has declined by more than 14,000 in the last 10 years, according to the most recent census report. In 2000, almost 90% of the residents were Latinos, but most newcomers are white, according to a study by the University of Illinois at Chicago professor John Betancur and graduate student Youngjun Kim.
Gentrification hasn’t only pushed people out of the area, “it has been slowly also erasing their culture and history,” Zapata said.
So “when you paint a mural acknowledging the community’s past and present, it helps fight against the end result of gentrification.”
Serrano hopes the mural challenges the stereotypes some Pilsen-area residents have about their own community and inspires them to learn about each other’s struggles.
The project kicked off at the beginning of October and it’s about halfway done. The artists hope to finish by Thanksgiving. The two also plan to create an online educational tool that will help others learn about everyone in the mural.
Among them is Paola Zamora-Rojas, the young mother shown holding her child.
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She has been an unapologetic voice for people living in the country without legal permission, Zapata said.
But Zamora-Rojas also lost her child’s father to a heroin overdose a few years ago and has since talked about it openly to raise awareness of the issue within the Latino community. Her family was the owner of La Catrina Cafe, a community center in Pilsen that was forced to close last year because of financial troubles.
“Her story is incredible because she is currently living through it,” Zapata said. “There’s a message behind each portrait.”
Many family and immigrant-owned businesses and cultural institutions in Pilsen have been replaced with modern restaurants and luxury apartment buildings in recent years.
That’s why Castañeda is proud of her father’s perseverance and said she and her siblings work to keep their father’s business where it is.
When she saw her father’s image on the mural, she cried, said Castañeda, and complimented Zapata and Serrano’s vision.
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“Their talent is priceless.”
larodriguez@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @laura_n_rod


chicagotribune--2020-11-05--Tracking Chicago homicide victims

Tracking Chicago homicide victims

Though there are homicides recorded throughout the city they are most concentrated in the South and West sides .