Corrections and clarifications

Publishing information quickly and accurately is a central part of the Chicago Tribune ’ s news responsibility and a value @ @ @ @ @ .
Our editorial code of principles governs professional behavior and journalism standards .
Everyone in @ @ @ @ @ live up to this code of conduct .
Download the file .

· A story about the Evanston farmers market opening on Saturday has been revised to remove a characterization that Illinois Nazis protested the governor’s stay-at-home policy.
· A story in Monday’s A&E section about bobblehead dolls in the likeness of Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot misstated the first name of the New York governor. He is Andrew Cuomo.
Advertisement
The Tribune regrets the errors.
Publishing information quickly and accurately is a central part of the Chicago Tribune’s news responsibility and a value shared in all our publications. Our editorial code of principles governs professional behavior and journalism standards. Everyone in our newsroom must agree to live up to this code of conduct. Download the file.
Advertisement
To report an error, fill out this form.


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Online workout classes — 5 to 60 minutes and mostly free — will get you through the coronavirus stay

Online workout classes — 5 to 60 minutes and mostly free — will get you through the coronavirus stay-at-home order.

TITLE Boxing Club Complimentary access to TITLE On Demand is available to both members and nonmembers for 30 days .
@ @ @ @ @ and kickboxing , to strength and power , and speed and agility , and can @ @ @ @ @ minutes .
The brand hosts free Facebook Live workouts with trainers at 8 a.m. and @ @ @ @ @ , and at 8 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays .
The videos are available for @ @

Gymgoers are doing virtual workouts since most fitness centers are closed to contain the spread of COVID-19. (© Viacheslav Iacobchuk - Dreamstime.com)
Since the stay-at-home order in Illinois has been extended to May 30, Chicagoans have had to find more ways to be active inside — especially since the mayor closed the city’s parks and lakefront after locals were congregating at the beach.
Most gyms have closed and pivoted to virtual classes. Many of the workouts are put on through the gyms via social media, and there are also a number of apps to use as well.
Advertisement
While some items on this list have fees, we’ve made sure most of the classes are free to everyone, whether you’re a member of a gym or not. This list will be updated.
Gyms
Planet Fitness Tune into the “no judgment” gym’s Facebook page every day at 6 p.m. for a live 20-minutes-or-fewer “work in” led by personal trainers, and even special guests. Taking part is free, and you don’t have to be a member. No equipment required. If you can’t make the time, the workout will be available for playback on the Facebook page and the gym’s YouTube channel.
Advertisement
Core Power Yoga The studio has put together a collection of free classes available anytime, on demand here. Classes vary in length.
305 Fitness Known for making cardio a raging dance party, 305 Fitness has about 20 free classes on its YouTube channel while its studios are closed.
Studio Three Studio Three hosts more than 70 virtual classes a week via Zoom, ranging from yoga, body weight workouts, cardio challenges and more. Class time varies throughout the day. A drop-in class fee is $20, and starting May 8, an unlimited week of classes will be available for $45. A new week of classes is posted every Sunday.
LA Fitness Download the gym’s app for free workouts using the Studio Zone feature, which is a free amenity for members.
Brooklyn Boulders This climbing and fitness facility is hosting virtual workouts on its Instagram Live every day starting at 5 p.m. Check out the class schedule to plan ahead.
YMCA 360 This new online community from The Y offers a variety of free, on-demand group exercise classes, like barre, yoga, weightlifting, and programs for seniors and kids. You do not have to be a member to participate.
Runaway Fitness This local fitness studio, which specializes in strength and conditioning, is hosting workouts on its Instagram Live, as well as Zoom workouts for $8 a class. Learn more about pricing and class schedules here.
Advertisement
Orangetheory Fitness Expect a free 30-minute workout that won’t require special equipment, except for random items around your house. The videos post daily here.
TITLE Boxing Club Complimentary access to TITLE On Demand is available to both members and nonmembers for 30 days. The classes range from boxing and kickboxing, to strength and power, and speed and agility, and can go between five and 45 minutes. The brand hosts free Facebook Live workouts with trainers at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and at 8 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The videos are available for playback.
GYMGUYZ Tune into this mobile personal training brand’s Facebook page every Friday at 1 p.m. for a trainer-led workout.
Shred415 Known for its four 15-minute interval workouts, Shred415 hosts virtual fitness sessions on Instagram Live multiple times a week. Additionally, Shred415 has a weekly schedule of 60-minute Zoom classes available for $15 a session, or through a monthly membership. Sign up for classes here. You will receive an email with the Zoom link 30 minutes before the class.
Life Time This gym’s free on-demand fitness classes range from cardio and strength, to yoga and meditation. Nutrition tips and recipes, as well as ideas for family activities, are also complimentary.
Bollywood Groove With a mission to spread the love of multicultural arts and fitness, Bollywood Groove hosts a thrice-weekly cardio dance program with free limited spots. Sign up and learn more here.
Advertisement
Studios FUSE This Lincoln Park studio is offering free daily virtual classes taking place throughout the day, starting as early as 7 a.m. some days and as late as 7 p.m. Workouts include barre, pilates and yoga, as well as kickboxing, Zumba, and more. Check out the full class schedule.
Club Pilates North Center These virtual 45-minute classes have something for all fitness levels. The classes take place multiple times every day. While the classes are free and open to the public, Club Pilates is accepting donations for their instructors and the studio. Check out the daily class schedule.
Apps
Nike Training Club Designed for full workouts at home or at the gym, with or without equipment, this app offers countless free workouts led by trainers. There is also a weekly community workout on the app’s YouTube page every Saturday morning.
FitOn This app is free to download and the workouts, which vary from cardio to weight training to Pilates, are free to access and use at any time. Just sign up, answer questions based on your fitness levels and goals, and you’re set.
FightCamp This boxing brand has made all of its content free. Just download the app, and create an account. The free version offers a limited experience, but users still have plenty of options for trainer-guided workouts, including boxing, speed and core.
Peloton The cult favorite bike brand offers classes that don’t require owning the bike via their app. Peloton has a full library of workouts ranging from yoga to strength for a free 30-day trial within the app. Once your trial ends, there is a monthly $12.99 subscription fee.
Advertisement
Other
Reebok The athletic brand is providing free digital fitness classes on its YouTube channel focusing on core strength, yoga, mobility and more. The classes take place every weekday at various times. No sweat if you miss a class, older workouts are available for playback.
Have a class or fitness app to add to this list? Send details to chrjohnson@chicagotribune.com.


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Union considering lawsuit after United reduces hours for 15,000 airport workers as coronavirus cost

Union considering lawsuit after United reduces hours for 15,000 airport workers as coronavirus cost cuts continue

United employees aren ’ t the only airline workers facing fewer hours and reduced pay.Passenger numbers at U.S. airports are @ @ @ @ @ the same period last year , according to the Transportation Security Administration .
United has @ @ @ @ @ its flying capacity in May and expects to operate a similar schedule in June .

United Airlines plans to slash 15,000 airport workers’ hours to part-time, the latest cost-cutting move for the airline amid a dramatic decline in travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Full-time baggage handlers, customer service agents and reservations agents will work 30 hours a week, rather than 40 hours a week, as of May 24, said Greg Hart, United’s executive vice president and chief operations officer, in a letter to employees Friday.
Advertisement
On Tuesday, the union representing those workers filed a lawsuit asking a New York federal court to halt the airline’s move, saying it believes the reduction violates the terms of an agreement with the federal government giving United $5 billion in financial assistance to keep workers on the payroll.
“For United to obtain federal funds under the false pretense that it would protect its workers through September and then turn around and do this to their most loyal workforce struggling to survive during this pandemic is unconscionable,“ Mike Klemm, president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 141, said in a news release.
Advertisement
The union represents about 27,000 United employees. Delta Air Lines and JetBlue also reduced work hours, according to the union.
United said the lawsuit is “meritless.”
Although the federal funding, part of the $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package, was meant to keep workers on the payroll through Sept. 30, it prohibits involuntary layoffs and reductions in employees’ pay rate, not the number of hours worked, according to the airline.
“We continue to employ 100% of our workforce and continue to pay the contractually required pay rates. This action is the latest proactive, cost-cutting measure we have taken to offset an unprecedented drop in travel demand. Our overall goal remains to preserve as much financial flexibility now so we can not only survive this crisis, but thrive once it is behind us,” the airline said in a statement.
In the letter to employees, Hart said the union’s contract would have allowed the airline to cut employees to 20 hours per week and that the airline made the decision after failing to negotiate “a consensual, more favorable agreement” with the union’s leadership.
“This was a very difficult decision and one we didn’t take lightly,” he said.
United employees aren’t the only airline workers facing fewer hours and reduced pay.Passenger numbers at U.S. airports are down roughly 95% from the same period last year, according to the Transportation Security Administration. United has slashed about 90% of its flying capacity in May and expects to operate a similar schedule in June.
With so few people flying, “tens of thousands” of employees are facing reductions in hours and, therefore, take-home pay, United president Scott Kirby said during a call with analysts Friday.
Advertisement
Hart’s letter said the airline was making similar changes for management employees, and more than 20,000 workers already have taken voluntary unpaid leave or separation options. Kirby and CEO Oscar Munoz won’t receive their base salary through at least June 30 and corporate officers’ base salaries have been cut by half.
The $5 billion aid package gives United time to see whether demand for travel starts to recover by fall, but if it doesn’t, layoffs could follow in October, executives said.
United’s stock fell 5.1% Monday after billionaire investor Warren Buffett said he sold all of Berkshire Hathaway’s stock in United, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines in April. The shares were worth roughly $6.5 billion.
Buffett, speaking at Berkshire Hathaway’s online annual meeting on Saturday, said he had made a mistake in how he valued airlines.
The other three major U.S. airlines saw shares fall between 5.7% and 7.7%.
The New York Times reported that Buffett said because of the coronavirus, “the airline business — and I may be wrong, and I hope I’m wrong — but I think it, it changed in a very major way.”
Advertisement
Associated Press contributed.
lzumbach@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Model kits see resurgence as coronavirus shut-ins turn to old-school hobby for ‘something to do’

“ You ’ ve got people that did it maybe 30 , 40 years ago and said this is something @ @ @ @ @ , if I ever get the time , ” he said .
“ Well now @ @ @ @ @ time .
”

Lou Aguilera, president of Revell USA, holds an Iron Maiden Ed Force One on April 28, 2020, outside of his home in Cary. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
While autos are in a sales slump during the coronavirus shutdown, build-it-yourself plastic versions at 1/25th the size are flying off the shelves.
Revell, the 77-year-old model kit-maker that was acquired out of bankruptcy two years ago by a German investment fund, has seen a resurgence as a growing number of people stuck at home during the pandemic painstakingly piece together everything from ’60s muscle cars to “Star Wars” spaceships.
Advertisement
“We saw a spike in the weeks leading into the stay-at-home directives,” said Lou Aguilera, 50, president of Revell USA, based in northwest suburban Fox River Grove. “Since then, our online sales have seen significant growth from people just staying at home, looking for something to do.”
Founded in California in 1943, Revell pioneered the plastic model kit that would become a childhood staple for many baby boomers. In 1986, Revell merged with its chief rival, Morton Grove-based Monogram, making the Chicago area the center of the model kit universe.
Advertisement
Revell's Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine kit. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
The basic kits feature sleek cars, planes and ships you build by breaking parts off a plastic tree, gluing them together and then painting and applying decals. The process often takes many hours to either complete or abandon in a sticky mess of adhesive collateral damage.
Many aging baby boomers apparently decided the COVID-19 outbreak was a good time to take another crack at it, Aguilera said.
“You’ve got people that did it maybe 30, 40 years ago and said, ‘This is something I would like to do, if I ever get the time,’” he said. “Well, now they’ve got the time.”
A former Motorola executive, Aguilera joined Revell in 2011. He has spent the last decade trying to rev up interest in an unabashedly old-school hobby.
[ Pandemic pivot: How Chicago-area businesses and workers are managing the coronavirus crisis ]
Model kit sales have declined in recent years, failing to capture the interest of a generation raised on video games, smartphones and instant gratification. In 2015, Revell introduced easier snap-together kits in a bid to lure younger model builders.
Revell's Star Wars Millennium Falcon model kit. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Revell's Junior model kit for Disney's Lightning McQueen car. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
In 2018, Revell’s then-parent company, Champaign-based Hobbico, filed for bankruptcy protection. Quantum Capital Partners, a German investment group, bought the Revell assets — a warehouse filled with model kits — and briefly dissolved its U.S. operations, focusing instead on Revell’s sister company in Germany.
Aguilera, who was general manager of Revell under Hobbico, convinced Quantum that he could make a go of it, and a scaled-down Revell USA relaunched in June 2018. The business has 10 full-time employees, with a small network of commission-based salespeople.
Last year, Revell sold more than 1 million kits at an average of $24 each, generating roughly $30 million in annual revenue, Aguilera said.
Advertisement
About 70% of sales run through bricks-and-mortar retailers such as Hobby Lobby and Michaels, Aguilera said. In March, sales were up 90% year-over-year, as customers stocked up on items to keep busy at home as social distancing took hold.
When the stay-at-home orders hit in mid-March, many of the hobby retailers closed. But sales of the model kits exploded online through Amazon and other platforms, keeping April sales on par with last year, Aguilera said.
Revell stores its model kits in a third-party warehouse in Northlake, which has remained open with a skeleton crew during the shutdown. Aguilera said Revell is “a little short on inventory,” with product en route from Asia to meet increased demand.
The company was in the process of creating its own online store when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The shift to online sales makes that project a priority in the months ahead.
Leveraging the COVID-19 pandemic has included beefed up marketing campaigns to reach new customers. Aguilera is hoping some of them will stick with it — even after the golf courses, ballparks and other recreational activities open up.
“The business was going to be gone two years ago,” Aguilera said. “We see that the business can survive.”
Advertisement
rchannick@chicagotribune.com
The coronavirus pandemic is forcing Chicago-area companies and workers to face harsh realities about their paychecks and their place in the local economy. The Tribune is reaching out to hear, and share, their stories.


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Frustration reigns amid efforts to get youths out of Cook County’s juvenile detention center before

Frustration reigns amid efforts to get youths out of Cook County’s juvenile detention center before virus hits

But many residents of the center have been in custody for longer than 30 days , which , generally speaking @ @ @ @ @ juvenile can be held pretrial under normal circumstances .
As of last week , 99 @ @ @ @ @ that limit , though some may be in custody awaiting sentencing or on probation violations @ @ @ @ @

A pedestrian crosses the street outside the Cook County juvenile detention center on April 30, 2020, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
In early April, McKisha Davis’ 17-year-old son sent her a text. “It feel like I have a short breath,” he wrote.
Davis, fearing the worst, asked where he was. “Are you feeling better?”
Advertisement
No response.
“I’m like, what’s going on? You got me worried, now you’re not responding,” she told the Tribune.
Advertisement
Her son was not sick with COVID-19, as she had dreaded. But he had been arrested — picked up on a gun charge and sent to Cook County’s Juvenile Temporary Detention Center.
Thanks to expansive preemptive testing and other measures, the virus has not taken hold in the juvenile center as quickly or ferociously as it has at the Cook County Jail, where hundreds of adult detainees have fallen ill.
But advocates told the Tribune they have at times encountered roadblocks and confusion in trying to win release for juveniles — and feared that their young clients were being denied a fair chance to go home and shelter during the pandemic.
“They’re children, period. They’re kids, they make mistakes, their brain isn’t developed, they don’t understand the consequences,” said Cook County Public Defender Amy Campanelli. “The judges at juvenile court have released a lot of our kids, but there’s more work to do ... everybody should get a shot at a review. There shouldn’t be a technical reason not to do it."
On Thursday, after advocates voiced concerns and reporters raised questions, Chief Judge Timothy Evans’ office announced he would sign an order mandating that all juvenile detention reviews would have a chance to be heard in court.
A push for releases
With 170 residents, the juvenile center was at less than half capacity as of last week, according to the Cook County chief judge’s office.
And release efforts have ramped up significantly as other court operations have all but shut down. From March 16 through April 25, 117 youths who had been in custody for 24 hours or more were released, according to the chief judge’s office. Meanwhile, the number of new admissions has slowed to a trickle, Campanelli said.
But many residents of the center have been in custody for longer than 30 days, which, generally speaking, is the longest a juvenile can be held pretrial under normal circumstances. As of last week, 99 youths had been held beyond that limit, though some may be in custody awaiting sentencing or on probation violations rather than awaiting trial.
Advertisement
Davis’ son, whom the Tribune is not identifying because he is a juvenile, is on track to remain in custody long past 30 days. His next court date is not until early June.
He has had previous encounters with the law and other stays at the JTDC, his mother said.
Ordinarily, she would have been OK with him staying in custody this time around, to “learn his lesson before he becomes an adult,” she said.
But COVID-19 changed everything. Davis knew the virus could spread quickly in a custodial setting. She spent her government stimulus check on a private attorney to try and get him out.
“My son is not an angel. I will never make him look like one,” she told the Tribune. “… I wouldn’t be fighting as hard as I am now if it wasn’t for the virus.”
‘The kids are very anxious’
The spread of COVID-19 among youths in Cook County detention has been relatively limited.
Advertisement
By early April, each new arrival at the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center on the Near West Side was being tested and held separately from general population for at least 14 days. While five new arrivals had tested positive in recent weeks, a massive preemptive testing effort involving more than half the general population revealed zero confirmed infections in recent days.
But advocates worried that those remaining could be in for lengthy stays. And court operations will be shut down until the end of May at least.
“(With) all the uncertainty, the kids are very anxious, very scared,” said an assistant public defender assigned to the juvenile division whom the Tribune is not naming because they were not authorized to speak to the news media. “The detention staff is having a harder and harder time maintaining a calm, peaceful learning environment because the kids are so anxious.”
For the first couple of weeks her son was in custody, Davis was anxious too.
“I’m always up, I’m always thinking about this, I just want him to be OK,” she told the Tribune. “Even if he does get sick, I mean, chances are he probably will survive, he’s young. But I wouldn’t be there for him.”
Davis’ son was first assigned to the “intake pods,” where new JTDC residents are initially held.
Advertisement
The experience there is different from that of their peers in the general population area, said Cristina Law Merriman, a defense attorney at Lawndale Christian Legal Center, which represents mostly teens and young adults.
Newly admitted residents are limited to 30 phone minutes a week, have limited opportunity to write letters, and all the adults wear full personal protective equipment, she said.
“Primarily, they’re just watching TV in masks, which I think is frightening,” Merriman said. “I can only imagine what it would be like to be surrounded by people in PPE all day long without your family.”
And if someone is scheduled to transfer out of the intake pod, but another resident in close contact with them tests positive, that resets the clock. They are placed on quarantine for another 14 days.
As of early last week, there were 33 youths in the JTDC awaiting entry to the general population.
Nancy B. Jefferson Alternative School, where JTDC residents take classes, has shut down along with the other Chicago Public Schools. Residents instead are completing “instructional packets” provided by CPS. Health, music and art programs are continuing via video-conferencing, according to the chief judge’s office. The youths make court appearances remotely via Zoom.
Advertisement
Some of those hearings have involved attempts to get center residents out of custody.
When the virus first hit, that process was relatively straightforward, sources said.
The day before the court shutdown took effect, many juvenile judges put their entire caseload on the schedule and conducted, in effect, mass detention reviews ahead of the looming shutdown, sources said.
The week after the shutdown commenced, public defenders brought 92 cases up for review, Campanelli said.
But not long after that, sources told the Tribune, they started to hit a bottleneck.
Cases go through a single judge
Some lawyers logged on to video-conferenced court calls to try to get their clients released, only to have judges urge them to withdraw their motions for review, sources said — being told they were not emergencies, and Juvenile Division Presiding Judge Michael Toomin had not consented to scheduling those cases.
Advertisement
“We were all confused in the moment (about) what was happening,” the assistant public defender told the Tribune. “We asked, we couldn’t get any clarification.”
Toomin, interpreting a new countywide order from Chief Judge Evans, had begun to vet each juvenile case before it could even be placed on the docket for an emergency hearing.
“Judges will be available in each district to hear emergency (matters), as determined by the Presiding Judge,” the order from Evans read.
Toomin’s interpretation left himself as the sole arbiter of whether a juvenile has a chance at a new proceeding that might see them released. Not all presiding judges interpret the order in that way. In adult court, by contrast, attorneys schedule their emergency motions directly with the clerk’s office.
The juvenile cases were accepted or rejected with little apparent logic, and sometimes without any explanation in writing, defense attorneys said.
“It’s like I’m screaming into the void; a black hole of injustice,” the assistant public defender told the Tribune in mid-April, later noting that seven to 10 of their cases were denied the opportunity to go before a judge that week.
Advertisement
By late April , a sticking point had been identified.
Many of the cases brought for review had cited an Illinois law requiring that, in general, juveniles should be released from detention after 30 days if they had not yet gone to trial.
The law was intended to speed the process for juveniles in particular, Merriman said.
“The whole (juvenile) process is meant to be restorative and rehabilitative and recognize that young children are different from adults and detention is harmful,” she said. “At all stages of the juvenile court process, the presumption is that children should be in their homes with their families.”
That provision of the law is separate from speedy-trial protections that ensure a juvenile goes to trial in a certain time frame. But both are included in the same section of the juvenile code.
And an Illinois Supreme Court order cited the entire section of the juvenile code when it suspended speedy-trial deadlines due to the pandemic.
Advertisement
Toomin has written orders finding that the 30-day detention limit is also suspended as the county and Illinois struggle with the outbreak.
“Although this court is sympathetic to Minor Respondent’s plight, in view of the global coronavirus pandemic and the declared state of emergency to protect the health and safety of the public, the guideposts directed by our leaders must be followed,” Toomin wrote denying one boy’s request to be scheduled for a hearing.
As of last week, sources said, Toomin was allowing cases to be scheduled — as long as they did not cite the statutory 30-day limit in their attempts for a review.
Campanelli says her office intends to contest Toomin’s interpretation of the 30-day limit, and is planning an appeal.
“This is about detention, caging children,” she said. “And I don’t agree with Judge Toomin and some of his rulings, and that’s why we have appellate courts.”
On Thursday, a spokesman for Evans announced the chief judge would soon order that all juvenile detention reviews are eligible to be placed on the docket.
Advertisement
An amended order, signed Friday, states, “Juvenile detention hearings, including all motions to review detention, and other emergency matters will be conducted daily."
Settling in
The private attorney Davis hired for her son successfully scheduled the case for a hearing in mid-April, but did not win his release on an ankle bracelet, she said. The teen is on track to be in custody at least until his next court date.
Davis said she is resigned to that fact. But since her son can’t get out, she hopes other kids will, to empty the juvenile center as much as possible and make social distancing easier.
Her son calls every day now. And he was recently tested for the virus while in custody, she said.
When he called to say he was negative, she felt enormous relief, she said.
“I told him, ‘I feel much better knowing that, now you sit down and learn your lesson and stay safe while you’re in there,’” she said.
Advertisement
Then she reminded him to keep washing his hands.
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--We’ve lowered the paywall on this essential coronavirus coverage

As the scope of this pandemic came into focus , I started thinking about people living in assisted-living facilities and @ @ @ @ @ bound to experience .
I ’ ve spoken several times at assisted-living facilities around Chicago @ @ @ @ @ aspects of life for residents is the social interaction and the activities and entertainment the @ @ @ @ @ s largely gone now .
Worse yet , many facilities have had to limit or @ @ @ @ @ seniors stuck alone in their rooms or apartments .
So maybe there ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ at least that aspect of this crisis .
I tossed an idea out on Twitter @ @ @ @ @ the hashtag # PandemicPals , asking for thoughts and advice on how to network with @ @ @ @ @ where there might be seniors facing isolation .
Read more .

As a public service to our readers and community, we have lowered the paywall on some of our most critical stories so everyone can access this important information. We rely on the support of our subscribers to fund our journalism. If you’re not already signed up, we hope you will consider subscribing.
We are updating a daily live blog with the latest developments on the reopening of Chicago and Illinois. This is where you’ll find updates on the number of COVID-19 cases in our area, as well as the most up-to-date recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Public Health, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Advertisement
As summer nears, Chicagoans are desperate to get out and about — to have a summer picnic with family, to get back to work, to get a haircut. Here’s how and when you might be able to do those things.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday a five-phase plan to get Illinois reopened as the COVID-19 pandemic slows its toll on health care providers. The plan, from “Rapid Spread” to “Illinois Restored,” splits the state up into regions and allows each region to open a different phase should the impact of the pandemic be different throughout the state. The plan also emphasizes that a region can move backward if the health metrics indicate enough risk. Read more.
Advertisement
Testing for COVID-19 has greatly expanded in Illinois, with the state announcing more than 10,000 test results a day since April 24. The expansion has allowed the state to open up its guidance for who should be able to get a coronavirus test. The Illinois Department of Public Health is saying that testing is available without a doctor’s order to anyone with coronavirus symptoms or an underlying risk factor. Tests are also provided to people on the front lines of the pandemic, such as medical workers, first responders and employees of prisons or nursing homes. Search the map for coronavirus testing site near you.
All Illinois residents over age 2 must wear a face mask when they can’t maintain a 6-foot social distance in public. Studies show that the coronavirus can spread between people interacting in close proximity, including people who are not showing symptoms. Here’s where you can find them, what kind to get and how to make your own.
Americans are brainstorming with neighbors, posting questions on social media, and googling for tips and advice. The question at the center of all the hand wringing and head scratching: How do you thank the essential workers who remain out in the world, exposing themselves to greater risk of contracting the novel coronavirus, so that we can buy our groceries, receive our mail, travel by public transportation, and get health care if we need it? Here are some creative ideas to inspire you.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 68 (Chicago Tribune)
They were mothers and fathers, daughters and sons. Many were proud grandparents. Two were sisters from a tight-knit South Side family. All were loved, relatives say, and will be forever missed. As the number of deaths attributable to the coronavirus ticks upward, the Tribune is working to chronicle those who have lost their lives in the Chicago area or who have connections to our region. These are some of those victims.
Hundreds of Chicago restaurants have pivoted their operations to delivery, takeout or curbside pickup after Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced that all bars and restaurants in Illinois are closed for dining-in service through April 30. We’re collecting information on restaurants across the area that are still open for delivery or take out. Find a restaurant near you.
Advertisement
A sign in the windows of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, seen on March 11, 2020, reminds people to wash their hands. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
You wake up with a sore, scratchy throat, and begin coughing and sneezing. It’s probably a run-of-the-mill cold, or it could be the beginning of a bout of seasonal flu. But with dozens of cases of the novel coronavirus surfacing in Illinois, some people are bound to wonder: Could this be the coronavirus? Here’s what experts advise for Illinoisans who fear they are showing signs of coronavirus.
The spread of the coronavirus pandemic has placed an extra burden on Chicagoland nonprofit organizations. Here is an evolving list of where you can make donations to organizations helping those in need.


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Coronavirus and nursing homes: Here’s what you need to know before choosing a site

Anyone considering a nursing home now should ask first what testing the home has done , said Ryan Gruenenfelder , @ @ @ @ @ for AARP Illinois .
Even if the facility has no reported cases , it may @ @ @ @ @ if it hasn ’ t tested everyone .
Gruenenfelder said he would not put his @ @ @ @ @ with an outbreak .

Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Under normal circumstances, health care experts tell anyone deciding whether to seek the services of a nursing home to make an in-person tour of the facility. Better yet, two visits — one unannounced.
Since nursing homes in Illinois began banning visitors in mid-March due to the coronavirus, it’s been impossible for families to see what is going on inside these facilities. Yet new sick and elderly patients continue to need skilled nursing at these institutions.
Advertisement
For families faced with this dilemma, health care advocates say the most important aspect of a nursing home hunt has now shifted from inspections to interrogation. The lack of access has made one of the hardest decisions in life — and one of the most expensive — even harder.
“It’s a lifetime decision,” said Jim Haynes, president of the National Continuing Care Residents Association. “People seldom move from one community to another unless something goes seriously wrong.”
Advertisement
The former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Tom Frieden, has called nursing homes “ground zero” for COVID-19. The older population in a communal setting is more prone to the spread of the virus, and anyone with underlying conditions like lung or heart problems, diabetes or obesity is more susceptible to severe complications.
Many nursing homes have also been cited for poor infection control in the past. During the current outbreak, workers have criticized the industry for low pay that drives high turnover, and for lack of adequate staffing and protective equipment, while families have complained about a lack of communication from administrators.
Tragically, residents and staff at long-term facilities statewide have accounted for about one out of three deaths related to the coronavirus.
Amid all this, with its contract expiring and demanding higher hazard pay for workers exposed to the virus, SEIU Healthcare Illinois has called for a strike at 64 nursing homes Friday.
SEIU Healthcare Illinois union members voted to strike over issues related to COVID-19. Members cheer as a motorist honks during their news conference outside Alden Wentworth nursing home on West 69th Street in Chicago on April 27, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
Nursing home officials have said they are doing the best they can under difficult circumstances and are overcoming broad shortages of protective equipment and health care workers. They say they have separated known and likely cases of the coronavirus from those who don’t have it, but say that is hard to verify because of a lack of testing.
In response, health officials say they are giving infection equipment and control guidance to nursing homes, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said he is increasing testing at nursing homes. After pressure for greater transparency, the state also recently began releasing data on the number of cases and deaths at each facility.
What kind of care is needed?
In this uncertain climate, health care advocates say the first question for any potential resident is whether someone needs skilled medical care, as in a nursing home, or just assisted daily living, such as meals or housekeeping in an assisted living facility.
Healthy retirees can often choose assisted living for themselves, but by the time someone needs help walking, eating or going to the bathroom, their family members may be the ones deciding.
Advertisement
During a pandemic, that decision becomes even tougher. Several advocacy and oversight groups offer a wealth of information to help those needing assistance to make better-informed decisions.
During the outbreak, AARP has come up with a list of coronavirus questions that would apply equally to prospective residents and their loved ones as to current residents. The questions cover how many residents and staff have tested positive, what the home is doing to prevent infections, whether there is sufficient staffing and protective equipment, and how the home and its residents stay in touch with families.
For those thinking of moving someone out of a nursing home, AARP said that depends on each case, though some experts warn against the disruption.
Families must decide whether the person in question needs medical care, or instead needs help with daily tasks like dressing, bathing and cooking, in which case family care or at-home assistance may be sufficient.
Insurance typically covers nursing homes, but not necessarily home care, which can cost hundreds of dollars a day. Medicare generally is supposed to cover both types of care, advocates say, but it may take more work to make it happen.
Medicare provides waivers to allow service in home as long as it doesn’t cost more than a nursing home, which it shouldn’t, said Barry Taylor, vice president of the civil rights team for Equip for Equality, a nonprofit advocacy group for those needing such services.
Advertisement
“People should explore their options in the community,” he said, noting that private or group homes avoid the large communal settings where the virus can spread easily. “That’s much safer in the current environment.”
How much testing has been done?
Anyone considering a nursing home now should ask first what testing the home has done, said Ryan Gruenenfelder, director of advocacy and outreach for AARP Illinois. Even if the facility has no reported cases, it may not know of an outbreak if it hasn’t tested everyone. Gruenenfelder said he would not put his loved one in a home with an outbreak.
Those shopping for nursing homes should also ask what precautions are being taken to prevent the spread of the virus, including whether residents are being isolated if they test positive or have symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath. Ideally, residents should have private rooms, which are lacking at many homes.
Nursing home staffing was an issue long before the coronavirus outbreak. Illinois was the worst state in the nation last year for hours of direct nursing care per resident, he said.
The first source to check for staffing levels and other measures is the Nursing Home Compare site, by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
The site gives federal government ratings for health inspections, quality measures and overall. Shoppers should look for four- or five-star ratings and avoid homes with one-star ratings, advocates said. Several nonprofit ratings sites can be helpful as well.
Advertisement
The National Institute on Aging also suggests talking to friends and family, comparing different homes, carefully reading the contract before committing anywhere, and using the Medicare checklist of important factors to consider.
The stakes for the sick and elderly are high. An estimated 21% of Medicare beneficiaries experienced adverse events during their nursing home stays, according to a 2018 federal report.
Last year, two Pennsylvania senators leaked a federal list of hundreds of nursing facilities with consistently poor records of care. Those homes should be avoided, AARP recommends.
“The best thing a loved one can do is to call and ask these questions and demand these answers,” Gruenenfelder said, “to ensure they’re going to get the best care they can possibly get.”


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Chicago reaches 1,000 COVID-19 deaths, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says

The mayor also was asked about the financial impact from COVID-19 on government budgets .
Lightfoot said the city wouldn @ @ @ @ @ on public safety and police , noting the city ’ s chronic street violence .
@ @ @ @ @ the casino legislation in Springfield and said proposed revenue increases at the statehouse need to @ @ @ @ @ by people and businesses who are hurting .

Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
The city of Chicago reached 1,000 COVID-19 deaths on Sunday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot told reporters on a conference call.
Lightfoot noted the dark milestone during a Monday afternoon call with reporters during which she noted the dead are parents, grandparents, cousins, friends and loved ones — not just statistics.
Advertisement
She said the city hasn’t experienced the scale of tragedy of other cities such as New York, in part due to the city’s efforts on bending the disease’s growth curve by encouraging people to stay home.
“We have to find hope that we haven’t had the same kind of outbreak as other cities,” Lightfoot said.
Advertisement
The mayor cautioned against ending the state’s stay-at-home order prematurely or loosening restrictions. She said doing so might lead to a spike in cases, and pointing to examples in Japan, Singapore and Germany.
She said the city’s seen “some slight progress” but isn’t where it needs to be. Public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady agreed, saying, “We are still in our stay-at-home order for a reason.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot at City Hall in Chicago on April 27, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Asked about a researcher quoted in The New York Times who said the country is in the second inning of its fight against the coronavirus, Lightfoot said the city “might be a little further along than the second inning, but we’re not at the seventh-inning stretch.”
Instead, she said, the city is probably in the fourth inning of “a very tough game that looks like it’s going to go into extra innings.”
The mayor also said her warnings against house parties over the weekend scared off some partygoers, though others ignored her threat to arrest people holding large gatherings.
Lightfoot said the city is looking at the possibility of increasing penalties on those violating the stay-at-home order but said it’s not the first option.
Currently, fines range depending on whether the offender is a person, business or someone using a service such as Airbnb.
“I still think, though, this is not a time when we should be taking money out of people’s pockets unless we have to,” Lightfoot said.
Advertisement
But, Lightfoot said, she feels less compunction about fining individuals who are promoting house parties.
The mayor also was asked about the financial impact from COVID-19 on government budgets. Lightfoot said the city wouldn’t be cutting back on public safety and police, noting the city’s chronic street violence. She did express concern about the casino legislation in Springfield and said proposed revenue increases at the statehouse need to balance the realities being faced by people and businesses who are hurting.
Lightfoot also said when the city reopens, it won’t be an instant return to how life was in February. The mayor said she envisions a new business industry popping up with jobs dedicated to contact tracing and performing wellness checks, among other possibilities.
“I think there’s going to be a real need and opportunity for an infrastructure that maybe exists now, but it’s going to exist on a very different scale later,” Lightfoot said.
Lightfoot also announced that the Arts for Illinois Relief Fund application process will be reopened. Lightfoot and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the fund in March, and it’s reopening through May 11 with another $1.5 million to give out, Lightfoot said.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
Advertisement
Twitter @royalpratt


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Tracking Illinois coronavirus: 2,662 deaths, 63,840 confirmed cases, 333,147 tests, 25% ICU beds, 65

Tracking Illinois coronavirus: 2,662 deaths, 63,840 confirmed cases, 333,147 tests, 25% ICU beds, 65% ventilators open

As the coronavirus spreads and local , state and national governments work to contain and mitigate the outbreak , the @ @ @ @ @ .

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--2020-05-04--Chicago chef Bruce Sherman helps launch CSA featuring small-scale women farmers

“ As a need to do something helpful and more immediate — and frankly , to distract me for the @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve built this small ‘ project ’ to help out some ( farmer ) @ @ @ @ @ the painful reality of the pandemic , ” he said .

The last time we heard from Bruce Sherman, the James Beard-winning chef was stepping down from North Pond restaurant (he remains a partner), contemplating the next chapter of his career.
That was then.
Advertisement
“I’ve been emotionally fraught watching a lifetime’s work and the people/family associated with it suffer immeasurably with no end in sight,” Sherman said in an email. “While technically no longer in the ‘kitchen,’ the connection to the work and lives affected is no less painful.”
“As a need to do something helpful and more immediate — and frankly, to distract me for the next few months — I’ve built this small ‘project’ to help out some (farmer) friends who are also experiencing the painful reality of the pandemic,” he said.
Advertisement
That project is a collaboration among Sherman, his daughter, Kate, and six small-scale growers and producers. Together they’re putting together Thumbelina CSA, weekly boxes of fruit, vegetables, greens, bread, dried goods, eggs and flower bouquets, delivered every Wednesday to a pickup location in Evanston.
The first pickup will be June 3; the final pickup will be Sept. 30. Eighteen weeks/boxes in all, at a price of $720 (plus tax) for the season, which works out to $40 per box.
This CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) consists of women farmers and producers from Mick Klug Farms, Three Sisters Garden, Green Acres Farm, Ellis Family Farms, Petals Farm and Hewn Bread.
Each box, Sherman said, will hold enough for three or four meals for two people. The mix will vary from week to week (a loaf of bread every other week, for instance), and cannot be customized.
Advance payment for the entire season is required. Sign up, or find more information, at thumbelinacsa.com.


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Remembering the lives of those in Illinois who died from coronavirus

As the number of deaths attributable to COVID-19 ticks upward , the Tribune is working to chronicle those who have @ @ @ @ @ Chicago area or who have connections to our region .
These are some of those @ @

They were mothers and fathers, daughters and sons. Many were proud grandparents. Two were sisters from a tight-knit South Side family. All were loved, relatives say, and will be forever missed.
As the number of deaths attributable to COVID-19 ticks upward, the Tribune is working to chronicle those who have lost their lives in the Chicago area or who have connections to our region. These are some of those victims.
If you know of someone or would like to offer a remembrance of someone please share your information here. To file a death notice, go here.
Subscribe to the Chicago Tribune: Our mission is to deliver trusted and meaningful local news. Your support allows us to continue providing the award-winning, watchdog and in-depth journalism our community deserves. Subscribe here.


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Watch live: Gov. J.B. Pritzker and health officials give a coronavirus update

Illinois Gov .
J.B. Pritzker and state health officials are scheduled to provide an update at 2:30 p.m. CDT .
@ @ @ @ @ here .

This website stores data such as cookies to enable essential site functionality, as well as marketing, personalization, and analytics. By remaining on this website, you indicate your consent.


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Column: ‘Listen to Lightfoot’ is a mantra for the moment: Stay home, let coronavirus testing lead th

Column: ‘Listen to Lightfoot’ is a mantra for the moment: Stay home, let coronavirus testing lead the way

If you don ’ t believe me , or Lightfoot or Pritzker , listen to the doctor coordinating the White @ @ @ @ @ Birx , who addressed the anti-stay-at-home-order protesters Sunday : “ It ’ s devastatingly worrisome @ @ @ @ @ because if they go home and infect their grandmother or their grandfather who has a @ @ @ @ @ a serious or an unfortunate outcome , they will feel guilty for the rest of @ @ @ @ @ need to protect each other at the same time we ’ re voicing our discontent @ @

Mayor Lori Lightfoot wears a mask as she prepares to speak about the coronavirus economic recovery plan April 23 at Chicago's Water Tower. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
I have a suggestion for people in Chicago, throughout Illinois and across the country: Listen to Lightfoot.
If you live here, you know who I mean. Lori Lightfoot. Chicago’s mayor.
Advertisement
If you live elsewhere, the name doesn’t matter. But the words Lightfoot spoke Saturday, while criticizing Chicagoans violating stay-at-home orders, do:
“Your actions are going to make a difference between whether or not we get out sooner or later, whether or not we have a summer or we do not. It’s absolutely essential that we stay the course and people stay home.”
Advertisement
She said, “We all need to be thinking about the long game, and having these parties when we need people to continue to stay at home is just silly. What’s it going to mean? It’s going to mean we are never getting out of this.”
You don’t have to like Lightfoot. You can criticize things she has done since the coronavirus outbreak turned our world upside down. But the heart of her comments — “Your actions are going to make a difference between whether or not we get out sooner or later” — are accurate and vitally important.
As separated as we may be ideologically, when it comes to the local, state, national and global fight against COVID-19, we are one, a vast network of inherently interconnected hosts for a virus that doesn’t give a whip about politics or opinions.
Whether it’s a crowded house party in Chicago, a nobody-tells-me-what-to-do protest in Springfield, a packed beach in Florida or a park perversely filled with sunbathers in Brooklyn, at this point in our national pandemic response, it’s a bad, selfish idea.
“People need to follow the rules,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Sunday. “People will get sick if they don’t follow the rules.”
An image of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot appears in a window in a home in the Heart of Chicago community April 17, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
And even if you don’t get sick, or maybe your body fights off COVID-19 with only minor symptoms, you risk exposing others who might not be as resilient. Remember, people can be asymptomatic spreaders of this virus.
If you don’t believe me, or Lightfoot or Pritzker, listen to the doctor coordinating the White House coronavirus response, Deborah Birx, who addressed the anti-stay-at-home-order protesters Sunday: “It’s devastatingly worrisome to me, personally, because if they go home and infect their grandmother or their grandfather who has a co-morbid condition and they have a serious or an unfortunate outcome, they will feel guilty for the rest of our lives. So we need to protect each other at the same time we’re voicing our discontent.”
She was also asked this by Fox News’ Chris Wallace: “More than half the states have started reopening, but not a single one has met the guidelines of two weeks of decline in new coronavirus cases. Are you worried?”
Advertisement
Birx replied: “Federal guidelines are pretty firm policy of what we think is important from a public health standpoint.”
Translation: Listen to Lightfoot. Think about the long game, or we’re never getting out of this.
Key to reopening anywhere is widespread coronavirus testing and the ability to track and isolate people who have come in contact with an infected person. The prevailing wisdom is that testing needs to reach a level where there’s about a 10% rate of positive tests.
Again, don’t take my word for it, listen to the words of a Trump administration official, Admiral Brett Giroir, a member of the White House coronavirus task force: “This is a good metric, that you want to get about one positive for every 10 tests.”
Until you’re at least at that level, people returning to normal routines are effectively flying blind. It would be like me, very much not an electrician, walking into an old house and saying, “I think all the wiring is fine because I don’t see any sparks.”
Without enough testing, nobody has a clear picture of when it’s safe to go out. And our testing level in Illinois and most of the country is nowhere near high enough.
Advertisement
As of Sunday, about 19% of coronavirus tests conducted in Illinois have been positive for coronavirus. That’s way too high.
Despite the Trump administration’s incessant boasting about testing, no state in the country is doing enough, and because there’s no cohesive federal testing plan, what is happening is scattershot and inconsistent.
Anita Cicero, deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told the Tribune that “if communities aren’t able to isolate the sick and quarantine those who are exposed, then rapid community spread is probably likely to increase again, which would bring us back to requiring the strict physical distancing measures.”
And that brings us back to Lightfoot’s weekend comment: “Your actions are going to make a difference between whether or not we get out sooner or later, whether or not we have a summer or we do not.”
Pritzker’s stay-at-home order lasts through the end of the month. The hope is that increased testing and contact tracing will make that targeted end date realistic. But we have to wait and see and, if necessary, be patient, even as the weather turns nicer and our cabin fever heats up.
A too-quick return to some form of normalcy will almost certainly mean an equally quick return to full lockdown.
Advertisement
We are connected, whether we agree with one another or not. Risks you take put others at risk. That’s not an opinion. It’s a viral fact.
So please, listen to Lightfoot. Stay home. Stay the course.
Impatience will kill people. And it will end summer before it has a chance to begin.
rhuppke@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--2 dead in separate Gary shootings

2 dead in separate Gary shootings

The Lake County coroner ’ s office responded to the 1100 block of Williams Street at 10:50 p.m. May 3 @ @ @ @ @ as Ernest Millard III , according to a release .
Millard , who lived at @ @ @ @ @ block , was pronounced dead of a gunshot wound an hour later , the release @ @

Two Gary men were shot and killed in two separate shootings within six hours of each other late Sunday and early Monday.
The Lake County coroner’s office responded to the 1100 block of Williams Street at 10:50 p.m. May 3 and identified the first victim as Ernest Millard III, according to a release. Millard, who lived at an address on the same block, was pronounced dead of a gunshot wound an hour later, the release said.
Advertisement
A second coroner’s release said Dion T. Clayton, 27, of the 5100 block of Indiana Place, was declared dead from a gunshot wound at 3:14 a.m. May 4.
The coroner’s office ruled both deaths as homicides, according to the releases.
Advertisement
Clayton, according to court records, was arrested in January for battery by means of a deadly weapon, battery resulting in serious bodily injury and several charges of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon. He was scheduled to appear June 4 in Lake Superior Court on those charges, records indicate.
Gary’s police and fire departments, Lake County/Gary Metro Homicide Unit and the Metro Homicide Unit are investigating.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Pope Francis accepts Conlon’s resignation as Diocese of Joliet’s bishop

“ I am very grateful to the people of this diocese , for their faith and the generosity with which @ @ @ @ @ the sake of the Gospel , ” Conlon said .
“ My hope is to @ @ @ @ @ among you and even reside in one of our rectories .
”

Pope Francis on Monday accepted the resignation of Bishop R. Daniel Conlon, the bishop of the Joliet Diocese, four months after Conlon went on medical leave.
Bishop Richard Pates, who has served as apostolic administrator since Conlon’s medical leave was granted in December, will remain in that position until a successor is named.
Advertisement
“2019 was a challenging year for me,” Conlon, 71, said in a statement.
"I experienced a lot of stress and fatigue, which I did not always handle well, along with some serious medical issues, plus the death of my best friend. I knew I needed a break."
Advertisement
Conlon was ordained a priest on Jan. 15, 1977. After serving in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Diocese of Steubenville in Ohio, Pope Benedict XVI named Conlon the bishop of Joliet in 2011.
When Conlon took the helm, he inherited the troubles of a diocese that had been mired in a sex abuse crisis. By 2015, the Diocese of Joliet had already paid at least $4.14 million connected to sexual misconduct claims. The diocese settled with 14 men who alleged they were abused as children by priests assigned to their parishes.
Conlon also served as chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People.
“I am very grateful to the people of this diocese, for their faith and the generosity with which they use their gifts for the sake of the Gospel,” Conlon said. “My hope is to continue to live and minister among you and even reside in one of our rectories.”


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--2 killed in Interstate 80 crash in Grundy County, including truck driver from River Grove

State police said the Jeep had been stopped on the right shoulder of the interstate for an unknown reason .
@ @ @ @ @ began trying to merge back into traffic , into the path of an oncoming 2019 @ @ @ @ @ , officials said .
The Freightliner , driven by Heard and traveling in the right @ @ @ @ @ of the Jeep Grand Cherokee .

Two people were killed in a crash between an SUV that was reentering traffic along Interstate 80 in Grundy County and a semitrailer Sunday just before midnight, according to Illinois State Police.
Troopers were called to I-80 west, just east of Brisbon Road, at 11:55 p.m., a state police news release said. The collision killed the 43-year-old driver of the truck, Brandon Heard of River Grove. Of two men in the other vehicle, a 2011 blue Jeep Grand Cherokee, the passenger, a 25-year-old from Morris, later was pronounced dead from injuries suffered in the crash. His name was not immediately released, pending notification of his family.
Advertisement
The 20-year-old driver of the Jeep suffered injuries that were not considered life-threatening, officials said.
State police said the Jeep had been stopped on the right shoulder of the interstate for an unknown reason. The driver of the Jeep began trying to merge back into traffic, into the path of an oncoming 2019 black Freightliner truck-tractor semitrailer combination, officials said. The Freightliner, driven by Heard and traveling in the right lane, struck the rear of the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Advertisement
The Jeep passenger who later died first was taken to an area hospital with serious injuries, only to be flown by air ambulance to a second hospital where he died from his injuries, according to state police.
About 12:40 a.m. Monday, all lanes of Interstate I-80 west were closed for an investigation and traffic was diverted off I-80 at Brisbon Road. The left lane and left shoulder were opened to traffic about 7 a.m., though the right lane remained closed. The investigation into the crash was ongoing, officials said.
Check back for updates.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Indiana reports nearly 100 COVID-19 deaths in Lake County

Since the first case was reported in Indiana on March 6 , about 18 % of those tested were positive @ @ @ @ @ than 20,000 Hoosiers have tested positive for the virus and the state reports more than @ @ @ @ @ .
According to census.gov , the state ’ s 2019 population was 6.7 million .

Two additional deaths were credited to COVID-19 in Lake County Monday, with the total at 97, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.
At least 48 of the deaths were nursing home or long-term care residents, Lake County Health Officer Chandana Vavilala said Friday.
Advertisement
Statewide, Indiana reported 1,151 official deaths from the pandemic. Another 113 deaths were suspected, but not diagnosed. It reported 583 new cases since Friday.
According to the Porter County Health Department, eight deaths and 266 cases are blamed on COVID-19.
Advertisement
Since the first case was reported in Indiana on March 6, about 18% of those tested were positive. To date, more than 20,000 Hoosiers have tested positive for the virus and the state reports more than 113,000 people have been tested. According to census.gov, the state’s 2019 population was 6.7 million.
Elsewhere to date, LaPorte County and rural Newton County both reported eight COVID-19 deaths, while their populations were around 110,000 and 14,000, respectively, according to the U.S. Census.
In Lake County so far, 2,098 out of 9,871 people have tested positive, according to the state. Since Friday, the county has seen more than 170 new cases. In Porter County, the state is reporting nearly 2,000 residents have been tested.
Marion County, which includes Indianapolis, leads the state with more than 6,300 positive cases and 363 deaths, according to the state. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett extended the city’s stay-at-home order Thursday until May 15.
The Gary Health Department on Friday said it has reached 417 positive cases in the city along with 15 deaths.
Also Friday, East Chicago reported six deaths and 121 positive cases to date.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Friday a relaxing of business restrictions imposed to slow the coronavirus spread for much of the state.
Advertisement
However, the restrictions for Lake and Marion counties remain until May 11. Cass County, home of a Tyson Foods plant where half of the employees have tested positive for COVID-19, will keep restrictions in place until May 18.
Some of Indiana’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles license branches will re-open with an appointment-only service format beginning Monday.
Hammond testing scheduled in Hammond
Starting Tuesday, Lake County residents who have COVID-19 symptoms can get tested at Opus Inspection Inc.'s vehicle emissions testing facility in Hammond, according to a press release from the Lake County Board of Commissioners.
Testing will be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., through Saturday at 1231 E. Gostlin St., Hammond, according to the press release. Up to 100 tests will be conducted each day, according to the release.
During testing, residents should remain in their cars and drive toward the testing booth. Methodist Hospitals staff will conduct the tests, and residents can receive their results within 48 hours on the Methodist Hospitals MyChart portal, according to the release.
The testing is a partnership between the Lake County Health Department, Methodist Hospitals and Opus Inspection, Inc., according to the release.
Advertisement
The Associated Press contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Running list of Chicago-area closings and cancellations because of coronavirus

When it became clear residents weren ’ t practicing social distancing on a warm weekend in March , Lightfoot announced @ @ @ @ @ 606 , the Lakefront Trail , and the Riverwalk .
She also banned contact sports @ @ @ @ @ , and baseball .
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle , who has already shut @ @ @ @ @ preserves in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19 , and has closed parking @ @ @ @ @ preserves on weekends .
The county has shuttered all public buildings , nature centers , @ @ @ @ @

Chicago Tribune staff, Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
What began as a trickle of individual closings and event cancellations has become a free fall as the battle to contain the new coronavirus has ramped up with an intensity befitting the virus’s own rate of spread.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has issued and extended a stay-at-home order, a “modified” version of which will be in effect until at least May 30, and asks people to stay home with few exceptions for essential needs — and even then wear a face mask covering both nose and mouth. Pritzker also has extended the closure of Illinois schools to the end of the school year.
Advertisement
When it became clear residents weren’t practicing social distancing on a warm weekend in March, Lightfoot announced she was ordering closed The 606, the Lakefront Trail, and the Riverwalk. She also banned contact sports such as basketball, football, and baseball. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who has already shut down parts of the forest preserves in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19, and has closed parking lots at some more popular preserves on weekends. The county has shuttered all public buildings, nature centers, campgrounds and public restrooms.
Officials have converted McCormick Place from a giant convention center into a makeshift hospital with beds for thousands of people in case there’s nowhere else to put them. The United Center also has been transformed into a logistics hub for Chicago’s coronavirus response — used for food distribution, first responder staging and collecting medical supplies.
Advertisement
With more than 2,100 deaths and more than 48,000 known cases reported in Illinois as of Tuesday, event organizers here have reacted to the local transmission of the virus.
For south suburban closings and cancellations, click here. For North Shore closings and cancellations, click here. Here are Chicago-area cancellations, closings and modifications prompted by the pandemic:
Events
Museums
The Shedd Aquarium announced it was closing.
The Museum of Science and Industry, Adler Planetarium and Field Museum have joined Shedd Aquarium in announcing coronavirus-related temporary closures. MSI said it would close in order to help minimize the spread of COVID-19. Adler said its closure will last “until further notice.”
The Art Institute shut its doors “so that we can thoroughly and thoughtfully respond to the escalating impact of COVID-19,” said a museum statement.
The Illinois State Museum suspended all of its programs, events and school group visits, due to then coronavirus. The program suspension affects the Springfield museum and branch facilities, the Lockport Galley and Dickson Mounds Museum, but those facilities currently remain open during regular operating hours.
Lincoln Park Zoo is closed.
The Chicago Botanic Gardens in Glencoe announced it will keep outside grounds and gardens open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but canceled all programs, classes and events, then closed after the governor’s stay-at-home order.
The Museum of Broadcast Communications said it would be closed beginning March 16, and the Poetry Foundation is canceling its programming. Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum said it would close beginning March 14.
Local museums, such as the Edgewater Historical Society Museum in Chicago, have closed their doors.
Government
Hospitals
Many Chicago-area hospitals are not allowing most visitors, with limited exceptions, because of the spread of the coronavirus.
Highland Park Hospital is among a number of Lake County hospitals that have increased visitor restrictions. Most county hospital policies that limited hours due to COVID-19, have now been changed to exclude all visitors except in special cases.
Lake Forest Hospital allows only one visitor over the age of 18 per patient. North Shore University HealthSystem — which includes Highland Park Hospital, Glenbrook Hospital, and Evanston Hospital — prohibits all visitors, with few exceptions. Vista Health System in Waukegan and Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, part of the Advocate Health Care group of hospitals in the region, also are not allowing any visitors, with some exceptions.
Businesses
All nonessential businesses are closed or have workers at home, with grocery stores, pharmacies and some department stores with groceries open, and restaurants limited to carry out or delivery.
Ford shut down production at the Chicago Assembly Plant on the city’s Southeast Side after a confirmed coronavirus case at a Hammond, Indiana, seat manufacturing plant disrupted the supply chain. Sources later told The Associated Press that all of the Big Three automakers were shutting down production to slow spread of the virus.
On Tuesday, Dispensary33 in the Uptown neighborhood stopped recreational sales until further notice, said marketing director Abigail Watkins. The dispensary could not serve recreational customers and keep everyone at a safe distance from each other, she said. MOCA Modern Cannabis in the Logan Square neighborhood halted recreational sales last week.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered all bars and restaurants to close except for delivery or takeout service.
CME Group is closing its Chicago trading floor as a precaution to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus; floor-based trading will cease until further notice. The Chicago-based futures exchange will continue to trade products electronically.
The Illinois Gaming Board ordered all casinos in the state to close for two weeks starting Monday.
Apple is closing all of its stores outside China.
360 Chicago Observation Deck, 875 N. Michigan Ave., formerly known as the John Hancock Building, closed March 15. Reopening date was not announced. All events and classes planned for the space are also canceled.
Two luxury hotels in Chicago, The Peninsula and Park Hyatt, have temporarily closed. The Peninsula’s website says no reservations will be available until further notice, while the Park Hyatt “is not currently accepting room, restaurant, bar, or other reservations until April 30.” Hotel Zachary, across from Wrigley Field, also is closed.
Schools
Gov. J.B, Pritzker ordered all public and private schools in Illinois closed from Tuesday, March 17, through the end of the month. Pritzker has now ordered all schools closed through the end of the school year.
The University of Illinois has canceled commencement ceremonies set for May at Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield campuses because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a letter from the school to students, faculty and staff. Schools will mail diplomas and are exploring possible alternatives such as rescheduling or holding virtual events to honor the class of 2020.
The Illinois Institute of Technology has canceled its commencement ceremonies, and the school president will instead preside over a virtual event May 16, according to a post on its website. All graduating students will be invited to participate in future ceremonies, and they will be refunded their graduation fees.
All Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago, which covers Cook and Lake counties, were closed indefinitely before Pritzker’s order.
Pritzker’s closing order followed many piecemeal closings of schools related to the spread of COVID-19, including:
Check back for updates.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Are Lollapalooza, Pitchfork canceled? Everything we know about Chicago’s music festivals so far.

“ We ’ re used to putting on a show rather quickly .
You probably know that our first orchestra @ @ @ @ @ until June 9 , the day before we open .
So if we had to @ @ @ @ @ of May , which I doubt is going to happen — if it isn ’ @ @ @ @ @ like for the summer until the end of May , we could hold off 'til @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The biggest challenge for us is we have 31 players in the orchestra @ @ @ @ @ town .
... We ’ re looking at how we might manage that .
”

Update May 6: The Pitchfork Music Festival is canceled.
Update May 5: Gov. J.B. Pritzker revealed a five-phase plan to reopen Illinois. The final phase, which would occur when a novel coronavirus vaccine or highly effective treatment becomes widely available, would allow for festivals and conventions to resume. Spokespeople for Lollapalooza, the Pitchfork Music Festival and Riot Fest declined to comment. Park District representatives did not immediately respond to the Tribune about Taste of Chicago or the Air and Water Show. These festivals are still scheduled, as of Tuesday.
Advertisement
Update May 4: The Grant Park Music Festival 2020 summer season is canceled.
Update May 1: Ravinia announced that it will cancel its entire 2020 summer season.
Advertisement
Update April 24: Square Roots festival in Lincoln Square moves from July 10-12 to Aug. 28-30, 2020. Spring Awakening Music Festival, scheduled for June 12-14 in Union Park, is canceled for 2020.
Update April 21: The city announced it is canceling the Chicago Gospel Music Festival, Chicago Blues Festival and the Chicago House Music Conference & Festival.
Things were just starting to look up for the Hecks. The Chicago band’s sophomore album, “My Star,” was named one of the best albums of 2019 by Vice. Weeks later, the quartet was booked for its debut set at the Pitchfork Music Festival, which is slated to celebrate its 15th anniversary in July.
“We were really, really looking forward to it. It felt like such a win for us. We’d weathered some really hard years,” singer-guitarist Andy Mosiman told the Tribune.
The band is scheduled to play Pitchfork in Union Park on July 19 — as of now. The Chicago Gospel Music Festival, Taste of Chicago, Grant Park Music Festival, Chicago Air & Water Show and Chicago Jazz Festival are also still on for this summer. Lollapalooza organizers say they “continue to remain optimistic” they will hold their music fest, which is set for July 30-Aug. 2 in Grant Park.
The teams behind those events say they are monitoring the coronavirus crisis and following guidelines set by local officials. What’s unclear is when decisions to postpone, cancel or hold as scheduled the major events of Chicago’s festival season will be made — and local leaders are giving mixed messages.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who issued the Illinois stay-at-home order through April 30, said last week that organizers should “think carefully about canceling large summer events.” He later said his comment was simply a suggestion. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday she’s not in a position to discuss the summer calendar. Festival performers, sponsors and ticket holders, meanwhile, are left hanging until there’s clarity.
“We’re trying to focus on where we are in the short-term but obviously we have an eye towards what’s going to be happening in the summer and the fall and thinking already about what things we need to do for example to make sure the November election is done in a way that’s consistent with public health guidance so that we avoid some of the challenges that we saw with the March 17 primary,” Lightfoot said April 15.
Advertisement
For their part, Lollapalooza representatives said they plan to have a “definitive decision” about the fate of this year’s festival by the end of May. Lollapalooza is not the first major event of Chicago’s festival season — but it is the crown jewel.
The four-day fest typically draws about 100,000 music fans each day to Grant Park to see more than 170 acts perform across eight stages. The Chicago Park District is said to have received $5.7 million from Lollapalooza last year, and the local economic effect is even greater with restaurants, hotels and trains packed with visitors.
Last year, the Lollapalooza lineup was revealed on March 20. This year’s lineup has not been announced, and tickets are not on sale. Festival details are scarce. BMI, the music rights management company, typically sponsors a stage at Lollapalooza. Samantha Cox, BMI vice president of creative in New York, said the company is in close contact with Lollapalooza promoter C3 Presents about this year’s event. The festival plays a “vital role” in connecting BMI songwriters with their fans, Cox said.
Grace Weber performs on the BMI stage at Lollapalooza on Aug. 4, 2018. (Kristan Lieb / Chicago Tribune)
“BMI’s top priority is the safety and health of our performing songwriters, employees and fans. We understand the severity of what’s happening all over the world right now and realize that these decisions are not made without careful consideration,” Cox said in an emailed statement.
Lollapalooza is unique in that C3 has a multi-year contract with the Park District, whereas organizers of other private outdoor festivals seek permission from the Park District each year to hold their events. The Lollapalooza contract, inked in 2012, covers everything from revenue payments to the Park District to clean-up responsibilities and festival hours of operation.
Advertisement
Lollapalooza is supposed to take place the first August weekend each year, but the festival can occur on a different weekend if the Park District and C3 agree in writing on a new date, according to the contract. That move would require coordination with dozens of acts and a free weekend on Grant Park’s calendar. The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, held annually in California, was moved from April to October because of the coronavirus.
The Lollapalooza contract has a “force majeure” clause that says neither C3 nor the Park District are obligated to hold the festival “if performance is prevented by” events including a flood, fire, “act of God” or terrorist attack; or if there is an order from a public or military authority because of war, hostilities or economic or emergency controls that could not be foreseen.
Chicago entertainment and media lawyer Jeffrey Becker, who does not represent either side, said the force majeure clause would most certainly come into play if Lollapalooza is canceled because of a local stay-at-home order.
“If, however, the stay-at-home orders are lifted before August, and Grant Park reopens to the public, it becomes a more complicated question as to whether C3 would actually be ‘prevented’ from holding Lollapalooza due to a government order,” Becker, chairman of the Entertainment and Media Law Practice Group of Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP, said in an email. “Thus, if C3 waits too long to make a decision as to whether it will cancel Lollapalooza, it could find itself seeking to do so in the absence of a force majeure event, which means it may remain on the hook financially under its contract with the Park District.”
The Lollapalooza contract, which is set to expire in 2021, outlines payment requirements if the event is canceled. C3 is on the hook to pay the Park District $1.5 million even if the festival doesn’t happen this year, unless it’s because of force majeure. In that case, C3 must pay $750,000. Becker said C3 may be able to argue force majeure if government officials restrict large events even after the stay-at-home order is lifted; or if the pandemic continues to loom into August as an “act of God,” Becker said, and it would be unreasonable for the Park District to compel the promoter to hold an event that would bring tens of thousands of people in close contact.
Pitchfork organizers, meanwhile, announced the festival’s lineup — which includes headliners the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Run the Jewels and the National — on Feb. 19. Tickets are on sale now. Union Park can hold about 19,000 attendees.
Advertisement
Katie Callahan, 25, said she snagged her Pitchfork ticket at the end of January. She is looking forward to seeing Twin Peaks and Waxahatchee perform.
Pitchfork sent ticket holders an email on March 13 that read in part: “We will continue to monitor as the industry, city, and health officials update large-event procedures, and we will implement and communicate those procedures to ticket holders.” Pitchfork organizers promise if the festival is canceled, ticket holders will receive full refunds. When asked for an update, festival representatives pointed the Tribune to the same statement, which is posted on its website.
Callahan said she expects Pitchfork organizers to announce a decision about the festival no later than June, but the Pilsen resident said she has “kind of come to terms with the fact it’s probably not happening this summer.”
“It’s a great weekend,” Callahan said about Pitchfork. “It’s just kind of a different vibe altogether, and it draws a unique crowd.”
2020 was supposed to be the “Year of Chicago Music,” a city designation to celebrate and support the local music industry. Events on tap included the now-canceled annual Gospel Music Festival, scheduled for May 27–30; the June 5–7 Chicago Blues Festival; and the Aug. 28-Sept. 6 Chicago Jazz Festival. These events have been produced by the city Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and were slated for Millennium Park.
The cultural affairs department previously canceled programming through May 15 because of the coronavirus. “Plans for summer programming and events remain under discussion,” a department spokesman said in a statement.
Advertisement
The Grant Park Music Festival, a series of free concerts featuring the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus, is scheduled to kick off on June 10 with Carlos Kalmar — the festival’s principal conductor and artistic director — leading a concert of music by Richard Wagner, Beethoven and Florence Price. Paul Winberg, festival president and CEO, said there’s still time before a decision about the season has to be made.
“We’re used to putting on a show rather quickly. You probably know that our first orchestra rehearsal isn’t even until June 9, the day before we open. So if we had to hold off to the end of May, which I doubt is going to happen — if it isn’t clear what it looks like for the summer until the end of May, we could hold off 'til then,” Winberg said. “The biggest challenge for us is we have 31 players in the orchestra that are from out of town. ... We’re looking at how we might manage that.”
Up in Highland Park, Ravinia Festival organizers have canceled public and private events through May 31. Welz Kauffman, Ravinia president and CEO, said contingency plans are being considered for events beyond that date.
“I won’t share the plans, because they’ll change as soon as we get off the phone,” Kauffman told the Tribune. “We’re working on how to buy more time. How do we continue to talk to artists about what might change? How do we inform audiences and ticket buyers?”
Mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung solos as conductor Marin Alsop leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a tribute to Leonard Bernstein at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park on July 27, 2019. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s annual summer residency at Ravinia is scheduled for July 10-Aug. 16. “I’m in touch with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra,” Kauffman said. “I’ve talked to a bunch of conductors and orchestra leaders around the world. What they’re grappling with is: How do we set up on stage? Six feet between musicians? It’s (normally) six inches. And choruses?”
Festivals scheduled for the end of the season, like the annual World Music Festival (Sept. 11–27 at venues around the city) and Riot Fest (Sept. 11-13 in Douglas Park on the West Side), might be in the best position. Riot Fest organizers announced My Chemical Romance as headliner in January, and three-day passes are on sale now. Last year, the full Riot Fest lineup was revealed in late May.
Advertisement
Dan Gibas, 37, said he purchased his Riot Fest ticket in December. He also has a Pitchfork pass. He said he’s been attending Pitchfork, Riot Fest and Lollapalooza for several years. He first realized his summer festival schedule may be in jeopardy when the Ultra Music Festival was canceled in March two weeks before it was supposed to take place in Miami. South by Southwest in Texas was canceled that same month.
“It’s a little disappointing, but at the same time, everybody’s health and safety is way more important,” said Gibas, of Hinsdale.
The Hecks’ breakout year has already stalled, even without a Pitchfork decision. The band had some of its shows with the Archers of Loaf canceled because of coronavirus. Mosiman said his bandmates are quarantining separately, while still paying rent for their practice space. If Pitchfork was postponed, the band would still play the festival in a heartbeat.
“We’re just really grateful to have been asked to do it at all. We’ve been a band for almost nine years now. You work really, really hard to just get things going for yourself. We had a record come out last year that Pitchfork reviewed for the first time, and we got a nice review from them. Just really had some good wind in our sails,” Mosiman said.
Chicago Tribune music editor Kevin Williams contributed to this report. This story has been updated.
tswartz@tribpub.com
Advertisement
hreich@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Hand forged bread, pastries and sandwiches: Hewn bakery opens beautiful new bakehouse in Evanston

Chef Ellen King and co-owner Julie Matthei must have summoned the supernatural to do what would ’ ve been challenging @ @ @ @ @ alone during a pandemic-caused shutdown .
We can ’ t enter the new stunning shop @ @ @ @ @ get a glimpse through storefront windows of exposed brick walls and reclaimed wood .
Their @ @ @ @ @ more of their 7,000 square foot building , including the wholesale heaven in back .

While you may have been baking sourdough bread, or tried to find flour just to feed your starter, Hewn bakery opened a magical new bakehouse in Evanston on Friday.
Chef Ellen King and co-owner Julie Matthei must have summoned the supernatural to do what would’ve been challenging under normal circumstances, let alone during a pandemic-caused shutdown. We can’t enter the new stunning shop yet, but we can get a glimpse through storefront windows of exposed brick walls and reclaimed wood. Their DIY video tour reveals even more of their 7,000 square foot building, including the wholesale heaven in back.
Advertisement
Just to be clear, the old bakery on Dempster Street has been closed in favor of the new, larger space. Goodbye screen door. Hello air conditioning. How did they work without it?
Founded in 2013, Hewn is best known for artisan bread. Don’t sleep on their hearty pastries though. From seasonal fruit galettes to lemon pound cake to pecan sticky buns to cinnamon brioche roll, and even banana bread.
Advertisement
Take-and-bake croque monsieur ham and cheese sandwich plus pastries by Hewn bakery in Evanston on May 2, 2020. (Louisa Chu / Chicago Tribune)
Get the croque monsieur ($9.95) first. When I lived in Paris, the classic cafe ham and cheese was my re-entry meal whenever I returned from a trip abroad. This is not that sandwich.
What used to be sold at Hewn as a half sandwich Tuesday-only lunch special hot out of the oven now comes as a whole take-and-bake kit. Instead of pain de mie, or Pullman-style bread with a tight white crumb, Hewn uses slabs of its extraordinary sourdough stuffed with smoked ham, Dijon mustard and Gruyere cheese.
No instructions are included in the kit. One side of the sandwich is spread with butter so I placed that down on a baking sheet. Slather the little tub of cold Bechamel sauce on top then sprinkle the grated Gruyere over. Broil until bubbling, but be careful not to burn the edges of your bread.
If you have more patience than I did, add a fried sunny egg to make it a croque madame with a vinaigrette-dressed green salad on the side.
Every bite, from crunchy crust to chewy crumb evokes French memories. Yet this creation establishes its own bold identity.
All orders must be placed in advance for a pickup 48 hours later. Add on Janie’s Mill flour, Talking Farm leaf salad mix and a signed copy of King’s cookbook “Heritage Baking: Recipes for Rustic Breads and Pastries Baked with Artisanal Flour from Hewn Bakery.”
Hewn is also participating in the Neighbor Loaves program where you can donate a loaf. The Artisan Grain Collaborative launched the program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bakery has sent nearly 2,000 loaves of bread to the Hillside Food Pantry in Evanston.
You’ll get a message when your order is ready. It will tell you to write your name on a big piece of paper to hold up to the front window. They’ll bring your order out to a cart in front of the door.
Advertisement
Take it. Bake it. We’ll always have Paris — and hopefully Hewn.
1733 Central St., Evanston; 847-869-4396; hewnbread.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--McLean County authorities identify mobile home fire victims

The fire in a mobile home near Lexington was reported at 3 a.m. Saturday .
Authorities say firefighters arrived quickly @ @ @ @ @ advanced too far and prevented rescue of the victims .

LEXINGTON, Ill. — Investigators in central Illinois have yet to determine what caused a fire that claimed the lives of a mother and two children, authorities said Sunday.
County Coroner Kathy Yoder identified the victims as Hillery R. Peters, 27, Emerlyn Bennett, 3, and 16-month-old Sawyer Bennett. The victims died of carbon monoxide intoxication from inhaling smoke and soot, Yoder said.
Advertisement
The fire in a mobile home near Lexington was reported at 3 a.m. Saturday. Authorities say firefighters arrived quickly, however the fire had advanced too far and prevented rescue of the victims.
Fire departments from Lexington, Chenoa, Towanda, Hudson and Normal battled the fire. The cause is under investigation by the McLean County Coroner’s Office, state fire marshal’s office and the McLean County Sheriff’s Department.