chicagotribune--2020-05-16--Former President Barack Obama to headline nationally televised commencement speech tonight

Obama ’ s step back into the spotlight is a sign of things to come : In whatever form it @ @ @ @ @ be campaigning for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden , who served as Obama ’ @ @ @ @ @ also comes as a leaked phone conversation with Obama criticizing President Donald Trump — the @ @ @ @ @ face off with Biden in the fall — and his handling of the COVID-19 outbreak @

President Barack Obama waves to graduates during the commencement ceremonies at historically black Hampton University in Hampton, Va., on May 9, 2010. (Steve Helber/Associated Press)
Former President Barack Obama will take to the airwaves Saturday night to headline a nationally televised high school commencement event where he’ll reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption of school life, especially for seniors who have missed out on their milestone rites of passage.
The event, titled “Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020,″ is scheduled to get underway at 7 p.m. Chicago time and will be airing on ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC along with more than 20 other broadcast and digital streaming partners, according to the announcement Tuesday from organizers.
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[ ‘This is your generation’s world to shape’: Former President Obama delivers televised commencement speech to students who’ve seen graduation, rites of passage canceled ]
Obama’s step back into the spotlight is a sign of things to come: In whatever form it takes, he’ll be campaigning for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who served as Obama’s vice president. It also comes as a leaked phone conversation with Obama criticizing President Donald Trump — the presumptive GOP nominee who will face off with Biden in the fall — and his handling of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Several high school students from Chicago Public Schools — the Chicago-born former first Lady Michelle Obama graduated from Whitney Young Magnet School — and the Obama Youth Jobs Corps will join. There will be A-list celebrities, too, including the Jonas Brothers, Yara Shahidi, Bad Bunny, Lena Waithe, Pharrell Williams, Megan Rapinoe and H.E.R.
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The event is hosted by the education advocacy group XQ Institute, The LeBron James Family Foundation and The Entertainment Industry Foundation.
The country’s first African American president also is delivering a virtual commencement speech Saturday for the graduates of historically black colleges and universities.
The Associated Press contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-05-16--Watch live: Former President Barack Obama headlines nationally televised commencement speech

The event , titled “ Graduate Together : America Honors the High School Class of 2020 , ″ is scheduled @ @ @ @ @ p.m. Chicago time and will be airing on ABC , CBS , Fox and NBC @ @ @ @ @ other broadcast and digital streaming partners , according to the announcement Tuesday from organizers .

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chicagotribune--2020-05-16--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Federal appeals court says Pritzker’s executive order limiting gath

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Federal appeals court says Pritzker’s executive order limiting gatherings will almost certainly withstand legal challenge

“ The Executive Order does not discriminate against religious activities , nor does it show hostility toward religion , ” @ @ @ @ @ Easterbrook , Michael Kanne , and David Hamilton stated .
“ ( The ) temporary @ @ @ @ @ apply not only to worship services but also to the most comparable types of secular @ @ @ @ @ , lectures , theatrical performances , or choir practices , in which groups of people @ @ @ @ @ , especially where speech and singing feature prominently and raise risks of transmitting the COVID-19 @ @ @

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Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 1,734 new coronavirus cases Sunday and 51 additional deaths. The newly released numbers pushed the statewide total of known cases to 94,191 and total Illinois deaths to 4,177 since the pandemic began.
The daily deaths released Sunday were the lowest in a 24-hour period since May 4.
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The statewide seven-day coronavirus “rolling positivity rate” is 15%.Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said that to move forward to the next phase of reopening the state, the share of people testing positive for the coronavirus must be at or under 20% and increase no more than 10 percentage points over a 14-day period.
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[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
[ How will Illinois reopen? Three charts breaking down Pritzker’s plan ]
[ As the coronavirus spreads, the Tribune is tracking Illinois cases here ]
Here’s what happened May 16-17 with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
11:10 p.m.: Sean Penn, Mayor Lightfoot to tour coronavirus testing facility on Monday
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and actor Sean Penn will tour one of the coronavirus testing sites she set up with support from his charity on Monday, her office said.
Last week, the city announced it would ramp up Chicago’s COVID-19 testing capacity ahead of a potential reopening by adding six sites in mostly black and brown communities with an assist from Community Organized Relief Effort, a charity Penn co-founded with Ann Lee.
One of the sites will open in the parking lot at the White Sox’s Guaranteed Rate Field in Bridgeport for asymptomatic first responders and health care and other essential workers, the city said.
The others largely will be aimed at the city’s black and Latino communities, including sites at Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy in Little Village, Dr. Jorge Prieto Math and Science Academies in Hanson Park, Kennedy-King College in Englewood, Senka Park in Gage Park and Gately Park in Pullman. Locations have been chosen because they’re near public transportation, easily accessible by vehicle and have large spaces for proper social distancing, city officials said.
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So far, the sites at Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy and Prieto Math and Science Academy are open and have performed 800 combined tests in less than a week, the city said. Lightfoot is scheduled to tour the testing site at Prieto Math and Science Academy with Penn and Lee. Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
7:59 p.m. (Updated): Hundreds defy stay-at-home order to attend church while mayor’s office warns that violators may be cited after review
Met by protesters and defying the stay-at-home order, Michael Valentine attended services Sunday at Metro Praise International Church in the Cragin neighborhood of Chicago, an area that has been particularly hard hit by the coronavirus.
“There is something great about praising the Lord when you’re with other brothers and sisters,” the 24-year-old said. “It’s powerful, and it strengthens your faith and encourages you, especially during times like these.”
Valentine joined at least 100 other members of the congregation who also decided to attend the in-person services, according to the Rev. Joseph Wyrostek, one of the religious leaders advocating for local and state governments to allow all churches to open as soon as possible.
Wyrostek is not alone. Across the country, a growing assortment of church and faith leaders has been pressing for government restrictions on worship services to be lifted. Read more here. — Laura Rodríguez Presa, Patrick M. O’Connell and Jessica Villagomez
2:40 p.m.: 51 reported deaths is lowest daily toll since May 4
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 1,734 new coronavirus cases Sunday and 51 additional deaths. The newly released numbers pushed the statewide total of known cases to 94,191 and total Illinois deaths to 4,177 since the pandemic began.
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The daily deaths released Sunday were the lowest in a 24-hour period since May 4.
The statewide seven-day coronavirus “rolling positivity rate” is 15%.Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said that to move forward to the next phase of reopening the state, the share of people testing positive for the coronavirus must be at or under 20% and increase no more than 10 percentage points over a 14-day period.
The Sunday cases included 28 deaths in Cook County, six in Lake County, five in DuPage County and four in Kane County.
Officials reported 20,295 daily coronavirus tests, bringing the statewide total to 581,944.
After a week in which the daily case totals climbed above 4,000 on Tuesday and above 3,000 on Thursday, Sunday’s case amount was a slight drop from the previous day and the lowest since Wednesday. –Patrick M. O’Connell
11:50 a.m.: Data breach in new Illinois online unemployment system for gig workers exposes private information
A glitch in a newly-launched state system for processing unemployment claims for gig workers publicly exposed personal information, a spokeswoman for Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Sunday.
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The Illinois Department of Employment Security “is aware there was a glitch” in a new system for processing unemployment claims for independent contractors and the self-employed that “made some private information publicly available for a short time, and worked to immediately remedy the situation,” Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said in a statement. “A full investigation is under way to assess exactly what happened and how many people were impacted. Those who were impacted will be notified.”
It’s the latest in a series of issues for a beleaguered state agency that has struggled to handle a deluge of unemployment claims as the coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the state’s economy.
For months, people have reported issues accessing the online filing system and getting through by phone, which Pritzker has blamed on inadequate technology and agency understaffing. Read more here. –Jamie Munks
10:55 a.m.: At hard-hit Geneva nursing home where nearly a quarter of its residents died, anger and a rallying cry amid COVID-19 outbreak
Bria of Geneva has more coronavirus cases and deaths than any long-term care facility in Kane County. Since the start of the outbreak, the nursing home has reported 113 cases of COVID-19 among its 91 residents and 120 staff. Nearly a quarter of residents — 22 — have died at the nursing home, state and nursing home figures show.
Most of the residents and staff who tested positive are no longer ill, a nursing home spokeswoman said, and resident Debbie Jacobs said it feels at Bria like the worst of the outbreak may have passed. But, at the height of the outbreak, Jacobs, staff and families have painted a picture of an onslaught of cases. The nursing home became a rallying point for the Geneva community, receiving an outpouring of support. Some families said the nursing home failed to adequately communicate during the pandemic. Read more here. –Sarah Freishtat
10:30 a.m.: Southland communities lay off, furlough staff as coronavirus pandemic craters revenue projections
South suburban communities are being forced to make painful personnel decisions as they scramble to recalibrate their budgets in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Many municipalities in the Southland have already eliminated or furloughed staff to offset significant projected revenue declines, and officials aren’t ruling out additional cuts if the state’s reopening is delayed.
“It’s gut-wrenching, heartbreaking and extremely difficult,” Oak Lawn Mayor Sandra Bury said. “But in the absence of any federal or state assistance, we really have no alternative.”
Bury said the village, which anticipates an $8-10 million revenue shortfall due to the pandemic, has had to eliminate six positions already and may have to cut more if financial relief doesn’t materialize. Read more here. –Zak Koeske
May 16
Federal appeals court says Pritzker’s executive order limiting gatherings doesn’t appear to discriminate against religious activities, will almost certainly withstand legal challenge
A federal appeals court on Saturday said Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive order limiting gatherings amid the COVID-19 pandemic does not appear to discriminate against religious activities and will almost certainly withstand a legal challenge.
The order by the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals came as part of a lawsuit by the Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church on Chicago’s Northwest Side and Logos Baptist Ministries in Niles seeking a federal court injunction allowing them to hold services without “threat of criminal sanctions” by state and local officials. Leaders for both churches vowed to adhere to strict social distancing guidelines.
In an opinion issued last week, U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman blasted the lawsuit as “both ill-founded and selfish,” writing that a restraining order “would risk the lives of congregants ... their family members, friends, co-workers and other members of their communities with whom they come in contact.”
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In filing their appeal, the churches made the longshot bid of asking the 7th Circuit to issue an injunction anyway, while the case was being briefed. A three-judge panel shot down that request on Saturday, saying that Pritzker’s order limiting religious gatherings to 10 people or fewer appeared to be lawful amid an “extraordinary public health emergency.”
“The Executive Order does not discriminate against religious activities, nor does it show hostility toward religion,” the order by Judges Frank Easterbrook, Michael Kanne, and David Hamilton stated. “(The) temporary numerical restrictions on public gatherings apply not only to worship services but also to the most comparable types of secular gatherings, such as concerts, lectures, theatrical performances, or choir practices, in which groups of people gather together for extended periods, especially where speech and singing feature prominently and raise risks of transmitting the COVID-19 virus.”
The court gave the churches until Friday to file a full brief on the issues. Oral arguments are not expected until next month.
The lawsuit is one of two religious challenges to Pritzker’s order currently being considered by the appellate court. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge John Z. Lee denied a bid by The Beloved Church in rural northwest Illinois for a temporary restraining order. Briefs are due to the 7th Circuit in that case on June 15. —Jason Meisner
2,088 new known COVID-19 cases and 74 additional deaths
State health officials on Saturday announced 2,088 new known cases of COVID-19, pushing the statewide total of known cases to 92,457.
Another 74 deaths were reported Saturday, for a statewide total of 4,129 deaths since the pandemic began, according to statistics released by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
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Of the new reported deaths, 54 occurred in Cook County, including according to the health department. The youngest reported victims were two men in their 30s, while three victims — two women and one man — were at least 100 years old.
One fatality was reported by the Illinois Manteno Veteran’s Home in Manteno, the third resident of the home to have died from the disease, according to the release.
Just over 23,000 tests were administered over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of tests statewide to 561,649, officials said.
Health officials also reported that statewide 7-day “rolling positivity rate” is 15%. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said that to move forward to the next phase of reopening the state, the share of people testing positive for the coronavirus must be at or under 20% and increase no more than 10 percentage points over a 14-day period. —Jason Meisner
Protesters rally outside Thompson Center
A few hundred people rallied in front of the Thompson Center on Saturday afternoon, protesting the governor’s stay-at-home order.
A speaker yelled to the crowd with a megaphone, “We need freedom!”
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Protesters stood at the corner of Clark and Randolph streets carrying signs and flags, including one that read: “God is essential. Open church now.”
Another protester carried a sign proclaiming: “Fear of government overreach, not a virus,” and a shirtless man waved an American flag, swaying to Jon Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer.” Pritzker’s order has been in effect since March 21, and has been under increasing scrutiny as other states have begun to reopen.
A Trump 2020 flag waved above the crowd, and cars drove past on Randolph Street, honking horns and displaying American flags and other protest signs. Dozens of officers on foot and bicycles lined the corner, but the gathering remained peaceful.
As the protest was winding down, a man with a ski mask walked around with a banner with an apparent Neo-Nazi sign, causing a stir among protesters who yelled at him to leave.
“You’re making us look bad,” one man yelled as officers surrounded the man while he waved the flag.
“Take off your mask coward,” another yelled.
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Officers on bicycles stayed near the man as he walked down Randolph with the sign. —Madeline Buckley
Chicago making progress towards re-opening, Arwady says
Chicago is making progress toward a phase where the city gradually reopens, according to Allison Arwady, director of the Chicago Department of Public Health, but she warned people to continue abiding by the state's stay at home order even as the weather grows nicer.
"Even on days like today, go out and enjoy the sun on your porch or backyard or on a walk with the people you live with," Arwady said Saturday during a daily question-and-answer session on social media. "Do not use it as an opportunity to get together with people."
Still, Arwady had a measure of good news, as she noted that the city is doubling its number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 every 20 days or so. Earlier this year, Chicago was doubling its caseload every few days.
As of Saturday, there were 35,316 confirmed infections, resulting in 1,600 deaths. That marks an increase of 903 cases and and 48 deaths since Friday, Arwady said.
More than 128,000 people have been tested in the city, now averaging more than 3,000 tests each day. Just over 20% percent are coming back positive, she said.
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"We do continue to make progress," Arwady said.
These metrics are key parts of Mayor Lori Lightfoot's plan for reopening Chicago.
In order to move to phase 3 to "cautiously reopen," the city would need to see a decline in the COVID-19 case rate over 14 days and a declining rate of new cases; stable or declining rates of hospitalizations; ICU admissions and deaths; fewer than 1,800 coronavirus patients in hospital beds; fewer than 600 coronavirus patients in ICU beds; and fewer than 450 on ventilators.
Regarding hospital capacity, Arwady said local hospitals are full, but so far have generally been able to "tolerate this surge of patients."
Asked whether hospitals could handle a new surge of cases as the city gradually reopens, Arwady said hundreds of beds are still available in one section of the McCormick Place medical facility as a backup.
State and city officials are not currently staffing the alternate care facility because the stay at home order has flattened the curve enough so that the extra beds are not needed as of now, she said. But the FEMA-funded facility will not be dismantled in case there is a spike in cases.
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“If we get to a point where we have another surge, the last thing we wanted to do was undo all of that work,” she said. —Madeline Buckley
—Chicago Tribune staff and The Associated Press
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chicagotribune--2020-05-16--Officials see some progress in COVID-19 battle but call for cautious reopening steps that are too sl

Officials see some progress in COVID-19 battle but call for cautious reopening steps that are too slow for some

“ Even on days like today , go out and enjoy the sun on your porch or backyard or on @ @ @ @ @ you live with , ” Allison Arwady , director of the Chicago Department of Public @ @ @ @ @ question-and-answer session on social media .
“ Do not use it as an opportunity to @ @ @ @ @ ”

Progress Chicago is making toward a gradual reopening will only continue if residents remain resolute in practicing social distancing as a COVID-19 precaution — even as the weather grows nicer, the city’s top health official said Saturday.
“Even on days like today, go out and enjoy the sun on your porch or backyard or on a walk with the people you live with,” Allison Arwady, director of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said during a question-and-answer session on social media. “Do not use it as an opportunity to get together with people.”
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Arwady’s comments came as state health officials on Saturday announced 2,088 new known cases of COVID-19, pushing the statewide total of known cases to 92,457.
Another 74 deaths also were reported Saturday, for a total of 4,129 fatalities since the pandemic began, according to statistics released by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
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Though the numbers continue to rise with increased testing, both city and state health officials reported a measure of good news in recent trends.
The statewide seven-day “rolling positivity rate” was at 15% as of Saturday, below the threshold of 20% that Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said the state needed to maintain for at least 14 days before the next phase of wider reopening can begin.
Arwady, meanwhile, noted that the city is doubling its number of confirmed coronavirus cases every 20 days or so. Earlier this year, Chicago was doubling its caseload every few days.
“We do continue to make progress,” Arwady said.
But the progress has not been quick enough for some who believe the measures taken to curtail the spread of the virus have been unnecessarily harsh.
On Saturday, a few hundred people rallied again in front of the Thompson Center in Chicago’s Loop to protest the governor’s stay-at-home order, which has been in effect since March 21 and has been under increasing scrutiny as other states have begun to reopen
As a speaker used a megaphone to yell, “We need freedom!” to the crowd, protesters stood at the corner of Clark and Randolph streets carrying flags and signs with slogans like, “God is essential. Open church now,” and “Fear government overreach, not a virus."
According to the state statistics, 54 of the newly reported deaths occurred in Cook County. The youngest reported victims were two men in their 30s, while three victims — two women and one man — were at least 100 years old.
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One fatality was reported by the Illinois Manteno Veterans’ Home in Manteno, the third resident of the home to have died from the disease.
Just over 23,000 tests were administered statewide over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of tests to 561,649, officials said.
In Chicago, there were 35,316 confirmed infections as of Saturday, resulting in 1,600 deaths, according to Arwady. That marks an increase of 903 cases and 48 deaths since Friday, she said.
More than 128,000 people have been tested in the city, now averaging more than 3,000 tests each day. Just over 20% are coming back positive, she said.
Arwady said the metrics are key parts of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan for reopening Chicago.
In order to move to phase three to “cautiously reopen,” the city would need to see a decline in the COVID-19 case rate over 14 days and a declining rate of new cases; stable or declining rates of hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths; fewer than 1,800 coronavirus patients in hospital beds; fewer than 600 coronavirus patients in ICU beds; and fewer than 450 on ventilators.
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Regarding hospital capacity, Arwady said local hospitals are full, but so far have generally been able to “tolerate this surge of patients.”
Asked whether hospitals could handle a new surge of cases as the city gradually reopens, Arwady said hundreds of beds are still available in one section of the McCormick Place medical facility as a backup.
State and city officials are not currently staffing the alternate care facility because the stay-at-home order has flattened the curve enough so that the extra beds are not needed as of now, she said. But the FEMA-funded facility will not be dismantled in case there is a spike in cases.
Signs that the outbreak may not reach the levels some officials once feared has continued to fuel protests in Chicago; in Springfield, where some 800 gathered Saturday; and elsewhere in the U.S.
Under sunny skies on Saturday afternoon, the protesters outside the Thompson Center drove down Randolph Street, honking horns and displaying American flags and “Trump 2020” banners. A shirtless man waved an American flag, swaying to Jon Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer.”
Dozens of police officers on foot and bicycles lined the corner, but the gathering remained peaceful. No arrests were reported.
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As the protest was winding down, a man with a ski mask walked around with a banner with an apparent neo-Nazi emblem, causing a stir among demonstrators who yelled at him to leave.
“You’re making us look bad,” one man yelled.
Police officers on bicycles stayed near the man as he walked down Randolph.
Chicago Tribune’s Sophie Sherry and Rick Pearson contributed.
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
mabuckley@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-16--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-05-16--Tracking Illinois coronavirus: 4,129 deaths, 92,457 confirmed cases, 561,649 tests, 27% ICU beds and

Tracking Illinois coronavirus: 4,129 deaths, 92,457 confirmed cases, 561,649 tests, 27% ICU beds and 67% 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--2020-05-16--Crews resuming search for 18-year-old woman swept away in DuPage River

The West Chicago woman was walking two dogs around 6 p.m. at the Winfield Mounds Forest Preserve when she crossed @ @ @ @ @ got caught in a current , according to a news release from the DuPage County @ @ @ @ @ woman is autistic , the release said .

Emergency responders are resuming their search Saturday for an 18-year-old woman who was swept away by a current in the DuPage River on Friday night in Winfield, officials said.
The West Chicago woman was walking two dogs around 6 p.m. at the Winfield Mounds Forest Preserve when she crossed a flooded pedestrian bridge and got caught in a current, according to a news release from the DuPage County Forest Preserve District. The woman is autistic, the release said.
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A bicyclist who saw her walked through the waist-high water to try to help her but lost sight of her in the river, the release said.
Emergency responders used boats, divers, drones, thermal imaging and helicopters in a search Friday evening. They found one of the dogs, but called off the search around 11 p.m.
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The Naperville Fire Department undertook several other water rescues in the DuPage River on Friday, prompting them to warn people away from the river due to the high water levels.
More than 4 inches of rain fell at O’Hare International Airport on Thursday and early Friday, leaving parts of the Chicago area under flood warnings on Friday.


chicagotribune--2020-05-16--Family remembers 12-year-old boy who died from COVID-19. ‘Absolutely heartbroken, we are trying to s

Family remembers 12-year-old boy who died from COVID-19. ‘Absolutely heartbroken, we are trying to stay strong’

Ernesto was the baby of the family and a “ soul that kept our family close-knitted , ” Sergio Lara @ @ @ @ @ had family gatherings , everyone would go to his room to see him , especially @ @ @ @ @ knew he couldn ’ t play with them .
”

Mourners gather around the casket of 12-year-old Ernesto Guzman at Resurrection Cemetery on May 20, 2020, in Justice. Ernesto was the youngest person to die of COVID-19 in Cook County. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Standing 6 feet apart and wearing face masks, Ernesto Guzman’s teachers bid him farewell with white roses Wednesday as his family drove past his elementary school on their way to the cemetery.
Ernesto is the youngest person in Cook County to die from COVID-19. He was 12.
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"Our hearts remain broken for Ernesto and his family. Acero Marquez teachers, scholars, staff and families continue to mourn with Ernesto’s family. We are thankful for the opportunity to be a part of Ernesto’s remembrance. His spirit fills us with love and only fuels our commitment to service. He is our light now,” an Acero Marquez Elementary School statement said.
Nearly 20 teachers and school staff members waited for the procession that briefly stopped in front of the school. As part of a symbolic goodbye, a funeral home worker placed a cross with white flowers by the sidewalk.
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Teachers and staff of Acero Marquez Elementary School watch as the funeral procession for student Ernesto Guzman drives past the school on May 20, 2020, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
“My little boy left,” said his mother, Rosa Lara, amid tears days after his death.
Ernesto was 6 years old when he underwent his first surgery for a rare disorder that was steadily damaging the nerves in his arms and legs.
Doctors told the family there was no cure, and the young boy would endure at least six more surgeries as he fought the debilitating disease.
“He was very strong and kept positive,” said his uncle and godfather, Sergio Lara. Ernesto hoped to get a job and buy a truck for his father, maybe make enough money so his mother could stop working.
In the last few weeks, Ernesto’s mother began having headaches and a fever, and immediately sought out a testing site for COVID-19. She tested positive. Ernesto and others in her family were tested, too, and the results came back positive for the boy, his older brother and two nephews.
Ernesto worried everyone the most. He had other health problems, including asthma, and struggled to leave his room at times.
Nearly two weeks after he was tested, Ernesto died from pneumonia caused by the coronavirus. His other conditions were listed as contributing to his death.
The boy’s mother is “absolutely heartbroken, we are trying to stay strong for her,” Sergio Lara said.
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Ernesto Guzman. (Family photo)
Ernesto was the baby of the family and a “soul that kept our family close-knitted,” Lara said. “When we had family gatherings, everyone would go to his room to see him, especially the kids, because they knew he couldn’t play with them.”
They would often drop off video games or his favorite food. He loved pizza, cheese sticks and burritos with green salsa his mother made.
More than anything, Lara said, Ernesto loved his nieces and nephews. Many of the photos shared by Lara show the boy carrying them as babies.
The last time Lara saw his godson was on April 10, when he stopped by the home. “He loved his family and always wanted us to be together.”
Ernesto Guzman, shown during a previous hospital stay. (Family photo)
Luis Vega remembered his younger brother as “a bright young man with many hopes and aspirations. He was very caring and thoughtful of others, especially his family. He had many goals to accomplish in life. His main priorities were assisting his parents.”
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Ernesto’s faith seemed to grow stronger as his disease progressed, according to Lara, who was Ernesto’s sponsor for First Communion last year. “He had an image of our Divino Nino (Divine Child Jesus) in his room.”
On a Facebook post, Tania Vega shared a collage of family photos to commemorate her little brother. “Your nephews will know the amazing person you were,” she wrote. “I promise you … please watch over us Ernie ... I know you aren’t going to be suffering no more and you’re somewhere up there with grandpa now.”
Teachers and staff at Acero Marquez Elementary School place white flowers on a chalk memorial in honor of their student 12-year-old Ernesto Guzman on May 20, 2020, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Before May 14 the youngest COVID-19 victim in Cook County was a 19-year-old man from south suburban Riverdale, according to the medical examiner’s office. In March, public health officials said a 9-month-old boy from Chicago died after testing positive for COVID-19. But samples are still being tested to confirm the cause, the office said.
In the hours after Ernesto died, Lara created a GoFundMe page to help the family with funeral expenses. He asked for $5,000. Within 24 hours, it had raised more than $24,500.
“Ernesto was such a sweetheart and so funny,” friends of the family posted. “He was a light wherever he went.”
Lara said the family was “extremely” grateful for the kind words and the support. “It is a testament of the impact that Ernie had in this world,” Lara said. “But unfortunately, not even a million dollars will get him back to us.”
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larodriguez@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-15--The latest from editorial cartoonist Scott Stantis

Your home is a place that is meant to be comfortable for you and your family .
Therefore , it @ @ @ @ @ is properly maintained .
There are probably some tasks that need to be crossed off @ @ @ @ @ and who better to do them than you ?
Here are some DIY home maintenance @ @ @ @ @ your place in tip-top shape .


chicagotribune--2020-05-17--Former President Obama delivers pair of online commencement speeches, encourages students and critic

Former President Obama delivers pair of online commencement speeches, encourages students and criticizes nation’s pandemic response

“ It ’ s when you get to decide what ’ s important to you , the kind of career @ @ @ @ @ who you want to build a family with , the values you want to live @ @ @ @ @ current state of the world , that may be kind of scary , but I @ @ @ @ @ inspiring , '' Obama said .
`` With all the challenges this country faces right @ @ @ @ @ tell you , ‘ No , you ’ re too young to understand , ” @ @ @ @ @ how it ’ s always been done.
’ Because with so much uncertainty , with @ @ @ @ @ , this is your generation ’ s world to shape .
”

Former President Barack Obama delivered a pair of virtual commencement speeches on Saturday, honoring students across the country during a challenging time and criticizing U.S. leaders overseeing the nation’s coronavirus pandemic response.
Obama spoke on “Show Me Your Walk, HBCU Edition,” a two-hour event for students graduating from historically black colleges and universities that was broadcast on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. His remarks also touched on current events beyond the virus and its social and economic impacts, but at times were political.
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“More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing,” Obama said. “A lot them aren’t even pretending to be in charge.”
Later Saturday, Obama delivered a second commencement speech — this time for graduating high school seniors — on prime-time television, during which he told them not to mimic some of the “so-called grown-ups, including some with fancy titles and important jobs.”
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“Do what you think is right. Doing what feels good, what’s convenient, what’s easy — that’s how little kids think. Unfortunately, a lot of so-called grown-ups, including some with fancy titles and important jobs, still think that way — which is why things are so screwed up,” he said.
While Obama didn’t name names, his comments seemed pointed at his successor, President Donald Trump — and could be a sign of things to come in the fall. He’ll be campaigning for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who was Obama’s vice president and will be facing off against Trump.
A recent leaked recording of Obama in a phone conference call with former White House staff members captured the former blasting Trump’s handling of the crisis, calling it an “absolute chaotic disaster.”
As he congratulated the college graduates Saturday and commiserated over the enormous challenges they face given the devastation and economic turmoil the virus has wrought, the former president noted the February shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, 25, who was killed while jogging on a residential street in Georgia.
“Let’s be honest: A disease like this just spotlights the underlying inequalities and extra burdens that black communities have historically had to deal with in this country,” Obama said. “We see it in the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on our communities, just as we see it when a black man goes for a jog and some folks feel like they can stop and question and shoot him if he doesn’t submit to their questioning.”
The former president, who cut his political teeth in Chicago, also recognized that the COVID-19 outbreak and its domino effect — shuttered schools and businesses among them — may be one in a line of major hurdles they’ve leaped to get to this moment.
In his televised address to graduating high school seniors, Obama said, “Graduating is a big achievement under any circumstances. Some of you have had to overcome very serious obstacles along the way, whether it was an illness or a parent losing a job or living in a neighborhood where people too often count you out,” the former president said in his address. “Then, just as you’re about to celebrate having made it through, just as you’ve been looking forward to proms, senior nights, graduation ceremonies and let’s face it, a whole bunch of parties, the world is turned upside down by a global pandemic.”
But virus or no, “what remains true is that your graduation marks your passage into adulthood, the time when you begin to take charge of your own life.”
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“It’s when you get to decide what’s important to you, the kind of career you want to pursue, who you want to build a family with, the values you want to live by. And given the current state of the world, that may be kind of scary, but I hope it’s all inspiring,” Obama said. “With all the challenges this country faces right now, no one can tell you, ‘No, you’re too young to understand,’ or, ‘this is how it’s always been done.’ Because with so much uncertainty, with everything suddenly up for grabs, this is your generation’s world to shape.”
Several high school students from Chicago Public Schools — the Chicago-born former first lady Michelle Obama graduated from Whitney Young Magnet School — and the Obama Youth Jobs Corps were part of the event. A-list celebrities were on hand, too, including the Jonas Brothers, Yara Shahidi, Bad Bunny, Lena Waithe, Pharrell Williams, Megan Rapinoe and H.E.R.
The event was hosted by the education advocacy group XQ Institute, The LeBron James Family Foundation and The Entertainment Industry Foundation.
The Associated Press contributed.
Lisa Donovan is the host of The Spin, the Tribune’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.
ldonovan@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @byldonovan


chicagotribune--2020-05-19--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Pritzker announces effort to ramp up contact tracing; 2,294 new kno

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Pritzker announces effort to ramp up contact tracing; 2,294 new known COVID-19 infections and 59 additional deaths reported

The glitch was “ something that was a result of the work that was done to build it , ” @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus briefing on Monday .
“ But they are offering credit reporting for all of @ @ @ @ @ it to make sure that they can monitor their credit in case there ’ s @ @ @ @ @ undergo .
But we are still investigating the number of people who were affected by @ @ @ @ @ make sure that we get the system completely hack-proof and safe .
”

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)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday announced an effort to ramp up contact tracing in Illinois with a pair of pilot programs in Lake and St. Clair counties.
Pritzker has said that a comprehensive way to track, notify and quarantine everyone who has had significant contact with diagnosed COVID-19 patients is one of the key requirements for fully reopening the state.
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Illinois officials also reported 2,294 new COVID-19 infections and 59 additional deaths. The latest numbers pushed the statewide total of known cases to 96,485 and deaths to 4,234.
Earlier Monday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city will be fining churches that had more people out than allowed under the statewide stay-at-home order. This came after at least 100 people gathered for services at a Belmont-Cragin church on Sunday.
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[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
[ How will Illinois reopen? Three charts breaking down Pritzker’s plan ]
[ As the coronavirus spreads, the Tribune is tracking Illinois cases here ]
Here’s what’s happening Monday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
7:24 p.m.: Lawsuit claims negligence in coronavirus-related death of resident at Bria of Geneva nursing home
The family of a woman who died with the coronavirus at a nursing home in Geneva filed a lawsuit Monday, alleging that the facility left its residents vulnerable by failing to follow basic precautions against the spread of the disease.
Bria of Geneva officials disputed the allegations, reporting that most of those who had COVID-19 there never showed any symptoms from a “silent enemy.”
The lawsuit, filed in Kane County Circuit Court, claims that the nursing home was negligent in failing to provide adequate protective equipment and testing, and failed to isolate sick residents, allowing the disease to spread like wildfire through the facility. There were 122 cases reported at the home as of Friday and 22 deaths, among the highest totals in the state. Read more here. — Robert McCoppin
6:47 p.m.: Chef José Andrés visits coronavirus testing site in Chicago, delivers meals to school and hospital
Chef José Andrés, perhaps best known now for his humanitarian work worldwide, joined actor Sean Penn and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot at a new coronavirus testing site on the Northwest Side on Monday.
World Central Kitchen, the non-profit founded by Andrés, will help provide meals for workers at new testing sites in the Hanson Park and Little Village neighborhoods. The chef created the non-governmental organization in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. He emerged as an outspoken leader during disaster relief efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017. Read more here. — Louisa Chu
6:27 p.m.: State Farm cuts auto rates $2.2 billion as Americans continue to stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic
State Farm announced Monday it will cut its auto insurance rates by $2.2 billion as Americans continue to drive less as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Bloomington-based firm is the nation’s largest underwriter of auto insurance. State Farm is seeking regulatory approval in each state to reduce auto rates nationwide, and it estimates the national average for those rate cuts to be 11%.
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Last month, State Farm said it would return $2 billion to policyholders as part of its “Good Neighbor Relief Program" because fewer people are driving during the health crisis. Most auto policyholders received a 25% credit. All together, State Farm estimates its customers could save about $4.2 billion between the rate reduction and the rebate. Read more here. — Abdel Jimenez
4:38 p.m.: Chicago aldermen, restaurateurs call for crackdown on delivery apps
Chicago restaurant owners and aldermen on Monday called for crackdowns on third-party restaurant delivery fees and practices that are facing increased scrutiny as their business booms while restaurants struggle to keep operating during Chicago’s COVID-19 shutdown.
Grub Hub, Door Dash and other delivery apps that take additional fees from restaurants in exchange for delivering food have been criticized in recent months because of the various costs they charge restaurants in order to make deliveries.
Beverly Kim, co-owner of Avondale restaurants Parachute and Wherewithal, told a City Council committee Monday that her restaurants don’t deliver. But she realized recently that a delivery company had set up a fake Website advertising Parachute and offering to deliver food to people’s homes, she said. Read more here. — John Byrne
4:01 p.m.: Pritzker says investigation into unemployment portal data breach is ongoing
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday the state is continuing to investigate how many people were affected by a data breach in a new Illinois Department of Employment Security unemployment portal that made private information of Illinois residents public last week.
It’s unclear at this point how many people were affected, but private information for some people applying for unemployment benefits, such as addresses and social security numbers, was publicly exposed.
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Deloitte built the new state system, which went live last week for gig workers to apply for federally-funded unemployment benefits under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program.
The glitch was “something that was a result of the work that was done to build it,” Pritzker said at his daily coronavirus briefing on Monday. “But they are offering credit reporting for all of those who are affected by it to make sure that they can monitor their credit in case there’s any problem that they may undergo. But we are still investigating the number of people who were affected by it and we want to make sure that we get the system completely hack-proof and safe.”
For months, people have reported issues accessing the online filing system and getting through by phone, which Pritzker has blamed on inadequate technology and understaffing at the agency.
A constituent contacted Republican state Rep. Terri Bryant last week to say she “stumbled upon” personal information for thousands of unemployment applicants on the IDES website, while trying to apply for benefits herself. —Jamie Munks
3:52 p.m.: Harper College decides to keep campus mostly shut in the fall
Classes at Harper College will continue to be mostly online in the fall.
As other area community colleges and four-year institutions wrestle with when and how to reopen, the Palatine-based school has decided to keep its Palatine campus mostly closed in the autumn and to continue to deliver most instruction online. Read more here. —Karen Ann Cullotta
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3:29 p.m.: Cook County Forest Preserves head urges residents avoid gatherings on Memorial Day weekend ahead of more parking lot closures: ‘That’s not a safe way to celebrate’
On a regular year, Cook County Forest Preserves enthusiasts would be dusting off their grills and wrapping up picnic baskets in preparation for this Memorial Day weekend.
But amid the coronavirus outbreak, the head of the nature preserves system is pleading with residents to stay away from the county’s 70,000 acres of nature and wildlife this holiday weekend.
“That is not something I ever expected to say,” Arnold Randall, the forest preserves general superintendent, said in a Monday news conference.
“It goes against our entire history and all of our efforts every day to provide a place where people can access the outdoors in nature right here in Cook County. This is a testament to the importance of stopping the spread of this deadly disease.”
To drive away crowds at the preserves, Cook County will be closing two additional parking lots during the three-day weekend and extending existing weekend closures to Monday. Read more here. —Alice Yin
2:58 p.m.: Windy City Smokeout cancels 2020, shifts lineup to 2021
Windy City Smokeout, the annual country music and barbecue fest slated for July in the United Center Parking lots, announced Monday it is canceling this year’s event out of coronavirus concerns.
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“We’re optimistic we can all get together again next summer,” says the event’s web page. “If the public health situation allows, we will hold the festival on July 9-11, 2021. Our buddies Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley & Jon Pardi will return as our festival headliners. That’s right; same parking lot, same party.”
The event is offering this year’s ticket holders a food-credit bonus for hanging on to them and using them next year. Refunds are also available but must be requested by June 17, the site says. Read more here. —Steve Johnson
2:43 p.m.: Pritzker announces effort to ramp up contact tracing; 2,294 new known COVID-19 infections and 59 additional deaths reported
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday announced an effort to ramp up contact tracing in Illinois with a pair of pilot programs in Lake and St. Clair counties.
Pritzker has said that a comprehensive way to track, notify and quarantine everyone who has had significant contact with diagnosed COVID-19 patients is one of the key requirements for fully reopening the state.
With a significant increase in testing for COVID-19 in the state over the past month, short of 30% of known cases in the state are part of a contact tracing effort. The goal is to more than double that to “the industry standard of over 60%,” Pritzker said Monday.
The state Department of Public Health is engaging with 97 local health departments across the state on their abilities to “expand and deploy their contact tracing capabilities.” The state Department of Public Health will coordinate funding for local health departments to hire contact tracers using federal aid dollars and Disaster Relief Act funding.
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State officials on Monday announced 2,294 new known cases of COVID-19, pushing the statewide total to 96,485 since the pandemic began. Nearly all Illinois counties – 100 of 102 – have seen confirmed cases. There have been 59 additional deaths, for a total of 4,234 deaths statewide. —Jamie Munks
2:33 p.m.: Uber laying off another 3,000 workers, raising questions about the company’s future in Chicago
Uber Technologies is laying off 3,000 additional workers and closing about 45 offices around the world as the coronavirus pandemic continues to take its toll on the company’s main profit generator, its ride-share business.
The news throws into question the tech giant’s plans for Chicago. Uber already halted construction on its massive space at The Old Post Office last month because of the pandemic, and pushed back its move-in date from this fall.
The San Francisco-based company announced last year that it signed a 10-year lease for 463,000 square feet in the long-vacant Old Post Office. Uber planned to consolidate its Chicago offices and hire 2,000 employees over three years.
“While we don’t expect to use those offices until 2021, we don’t anticipate any changes to our strategy at this point,” Uber spokeswoman Lois van der Laan said in an email Monday.
She declined to share how many people in Uber’s Chicago offices are being cut.
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The company had more than 1,000 employees in the Chicago area as of September, including workers in the Uber Eats and Uber Ride businesses, such as sales staff, lawyers, marketing, and operational staff for Chicago and other Midwest markets. Read more here. —Ally Marotti
2:07 p.m.: Civil rights groups decry anti-Semitic and other hate messages at stay-at-home protests
Civil rights groups on Monday spoke out against anti-Semitic and other messages of hate among stay-at-home protesters in Springfield and Chicago.
Swastikas have appeared on some signs carried by the demonstrators, with at least one comparing Gov. J.B. Pritzker — who is Jewish — with Hitler.
“Invoking Hitler is not only grossly inapt but it is counterproductive,” said Lonnie Nasatir, president of Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago. “It is a real affront to Americans who fought against Nazis as well as survivors of the Holocaust.”
Andy Kang, executive director of the Association of Asian Americans for Justice Chicago, said such rhetoric is dangerous.
“It’s not about the stay at home orders,” he said. “Hateful rhetoric has almost always led to violence and hate incidents.”
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Sindy Benavides, head of the League of United Latin American Citizens, noted that COVID-19 cases are grow among Latinos and he worried about the pressures felt by vulnerable people.
“It is our hope that individuals respect the state at home orders, especially for those who can not work from home,” she said. —Jessica Villagomez
1:17 p.m.: Business owners now face misdemeanor charge if they reopen in spite of Pritzker’s stay-at-home order
Business owners who disregard a statewide stay-at-home order to reopen could now face a Class A misdemeanor under an emergency rule Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration filed late last week.
The new enforcement provision comes as the state nears the beginning of a third month under Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, which faces growing opposition.
Among the businesses the new rule targets are restaurants, bars, gyms and fitness centers, salons and barbershops, which have been ordered closed to serving customers on-site since March.
Under Illinois law, a Class A misdemeanor can carry a fine of $75 to $2,500. Read more here. —Jamie Munks and Rick Pearson
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1:13 p.m.: Five reasons your stimulus check may have been for less than you expected
Why is my stimulus check so scrawny? Why am I getting far less than I thought I would?
As much as you’d like to be happy about seeing a stimulus check in your mailbox — or spotting the direct deposit in your bank account — sometimes, you end up wondering why you didn’t see more money.
And more people than some might imagine are miffed. The Internal Revenue Service even now has listed a group of reasons for why the dollar amount of your Economic Impact Payment could be, as the IRS delicately puts it, “different than anticipated.”
Many people already have received stimulus payments of up to $1,200 for singles and up to $2,400 for couples, plus $500 for dependent children ages 16 and younger.
But those amounts aren’t guaranteed. They will vary based on your income. And in some cases, you might not see any money at all.
Here’s a look at some reasons why your stimulus might have fallen a little short. Read more here. —Detroit Free Press
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12:23 p.m.: Chicago public health officials report 626 COVID-19 cases in homeless shelters, two deaths among workers there
There have been at least 626 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Chicago homeless shelters, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health. Two staff members at the shelters have died from complications of the virus as of May 14.
Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said it was “pretty remarkable” that no homeless people have died from the virus so far.
She credited the use of downtown hotels to isolate residents and “decompress” the shelters.
Arwady discussed the statistics during a public Q&A forum on Monday. Last week, the city released data on positivity rates in shelters, with about 12% of people living in single rooms testing positive for the virus compared to 32% of people in shared sleeping arrangements. —Cecilia Reyes
11:10 a.m.: Lightfoot says city will fine churches that violated social distancing rules
The city will be fining churches that had more people out than allowed under the statewide stay-at-home order, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday.
Which ones specifically will be determined later today, Lightfoot said.
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Over the past week, Lightfoot had been asking churches to abide by social distancing rules and warning that she would take action against churches that refused.
But on Sunday, hundreds of people defied Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order to attend church anyway and the mayor’s office warned that violators may be cited after review.
At an unrelated news conference to highlight coronavirus testing sites aimed at black and brown communities, Lightfoot said the city would be fining those churches that didn’t comply with her directives, though she didn’t specify which. Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
11 a.m.: Actor Sean Penn joins Lightfoot on tour of Chicago coronavirus testing site
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and actor Sean Penn toured one of the coronavirus testing sites she set up with support from his charity on Monday, drawing attention to expanded testing aimed at black and brown communities and lower-income residents.
Last week, the city announced it would ramp up Chicago’s COVID-19 testing capacity ahead of a potential reopening by adding six sites in mostly black and brown communities with an assist from Community Organized Relief Effort, a charity Penn co-founded with Ann Lee.
Standing at a podium outside Dr. Jorge Prieto Math and Science school on the Northwest Side with Penn behind her, Lightfoot emphasized that the tests are free and officials won’t ask about immigration status.
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"Please, please come out of the shadows,” Lightfoot said.
Penn, who’s known for his humanitarian work, said his organization exists to help governments and other organizations address public health issues.
“We like to think of ourselves as a quick unbureaucratic weapon in the arsenal of bureaucracies,” Penn said. Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
10:18 a.m.: The pandemic is boosting a stagnant meal kit industry. But will interest persist when people are no longer stuck at home?
Meal kit services like Chicago-based Home Chef are enjoying a surge in demand as legions of people cook from home amid COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. That’s a welcome development for an industry that was crowded with more than 100 competitors and stagnating before the coronavirus struck.
The share of the population using meal kits has grown to 7% since the pandemic began, after being stuck at 5% all of last year, according to Darren Seifer, food and beverage analyst with NPD Group. The lift may be temporary, but some say it could be a seminal moment as people avoid going out and look to stretch their dollars.
"These meal kits have an opportunity now to prove their value,” Seifer said. Read more here. —Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz
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8:38 a.m.: Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine trial shows promising early results, it says
The first coronavirus vaccine to be tested in people appears to be safe and able to stimulate an immune response against the virus, its manufacturer, Moderna, announced Monday.
The findings are based on results from the first eight people who each received two doses of the vaccine, starting in March.
Those people, healthy volunteers, made antibodies that were then tested in human cells in the lab and were able to stop the virus from replicating — the key requirement for an effective vaccine. The levels of those so-called neutralizing antibodies matched the levels found in patients who had recovered after contracting the virus in the community.
The company has said that it is proceeding on an accelerated timetable, with the second phase involving 600 people to begin soon, and a third phase to begin in July involving thousands of healthy people. The Food and Drug Administration gave Moderna the go-ahead for the second phase earlier this month. Read more here. —The New York Times
7:58 a.m.: After ending extra hazard ‘hero’ pay, Kroger to give bonus to front-line workers
Just days after announcing it would end hazard “hero” pay to front-line workers, Kroger says it will give them extra “thank you” bonuses, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
The move comes after an outcry from the grocery store’s union, the United Food and Commercial Workers International, which said workers are still risking their lives by coming to work.
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The bonus is $400 for full-time workers and $200 for part-time workers to be paid out in two installments on May 30 and June 18, Kroger announced Friday. Hazard pay was a $2-per-hour supplement. Read more here. —Associated Press
6:30 a.m.: Lakeview restaurant worker struck by deliveryman during quarrel over social distancing, police say
Criminal charges were pending against a food delivery driver who was recorded driving his Toyota Prius into a worker during a quarrel outside a Lakeview restaurant, authorities said.
The incident took place around 6:15 p.m. Friday outside Ms. T’s Southern Fried Chicken in the 3300 block of North Broadway, Chicago police confirmed.
A 40-second video posted to YouTube picks up after the quarrel has already begun and showed two women standing along the curb blocking the driver’s car from traffic. “He threatened to run me over!” said a woman standing just off camera, exchanging words with the driver behind the wheel wearing a face mask. Read more here. —William Lee
6 a.m.: Chicago’s St. Anthony Hospital fights for survival, sues state for money owed
In a workshop at St. Anthony Hospital, maintenance crews spend time each morning making the sanitizing wipes the medical center can no longer afford to buy.
After soaking paper towels in a liquid mixture developed by an infection preventionist, they deliver the 3.5-gallon buckets — bright green drums with “Menards” printed on them — throughout the 151-bed hospital.
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The regular vendor stopped supplying the wipes weeks ago when the medical center struggled to pay its bills on time. And a worldwide shortage has made them difficult to find on the open market, where hospitals now try to outbid each other for precious stock.
With a century-old mission to care for people living in Little Village and other nearby neighborhoods, this is the unorthodox approach St. Anthony must take as it battles both insolvency and a deadly virus that has hit the neighborhoods it serves harder than other parts of the city.
“We needed a solution and we found one,” said Dr. Alfredo Mena Lora, the hospital’s medical director of infection prevention. “There has been a lot of difficult problem-solving since the pandemic began, but it had to be done because we’ll be dealing with COVID for a long time."
If, that is, St. Anthony can survive. Read more here. —Stacy St. Clair
6 a.m.: With a new, stricter grading system — plus warmer weather — Cook County is now getting a D on social distancing
Chicago still has work to do when it comes to staying at home, according to one assessment.
Residents of Chicago and the surrounding Cook County suburbs are now getting a D in social distancing from a New York City data firm that’s been grading the country on compliance with stay-at-home orders.
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That’s a significant drop from late March, when the area got an A, but the difference is more about revisions to the grading system than a huge change in behavior. Unacast, the firm drawing the measurements from a sampling of cellphone data, toughened its criteria based on input from public health experts.
Grades also fell in many other locales across the country, including Chicago’s collar counties and Illinois as a whole. Some areas, however, fared better than the Chicago region. New York City, perhaps hit harder by COVID-19 than anywhere else in the United States, scored a B as of Friday. Read more here. —Hal Dardick


chicagotribune--2020-05-19--Lawsuit claims negligence in coronavirus-related death of resident at Bria of Geneva nursing home

But Osucha ’ s family says they didn ’ t even know Osucha was sick until April 26 , when @ @ @ @ @ called to say she had died in her sleep the night before .
It wasn @ @ @ @ @ the funeral director informed them she had died with the coronavirus , Colwell said .

The family of a woman who died with the coronavirus at a nursing home in Geneva filed a lawsuit Monday, alleging that the facility left its residents vulnerable by failing to follow basic precautions against the spread of the disease.
Bria of Geneva officials disputed the allegations, reporting that most of those who had COVID-19 there never showed any symptoms from a “silent enemy.”
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Helen Osucha in an undated photo. Osucha's family has filed suit against a nursing home where she lived. (Family photo)
The lawsuit, filed in Kane County Circuit Court, claims that the nursing home was negligent in failing to provide adequate protective equipment and testing, and failed to isolate sick residents, allowing the disease to spread like wildfire through the facility. There were 122 cases reported at the home as of Friday and 22 deaths, among the highest totals in the state.
Helen Osucha was a 97-year-old woman who had lived at the home for about a year with memory, vision and hearing problems, but none of the most common conditions that make people most vulnerable to the disease, such as heart or lung disease, obesity and diabetes, according to her son-in-law, Michael Colwell.
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Osucha had seemed fine when Colwell and his wife, Pam, last saw her before the federal government directed all nursing homes to ban visitors in mid-March, and to screen all staff and residents for fever and respiratory symptoms.
But Osucha’s family says they didn’t even know Osucha was sick until April 26, when someone from the nursing home called to say she had died in her sleep the night before. It wasn’t until later when the funeral director informed them she had died with the coronavirus, Colwell said.
As far back as April 1, the lawsuit alleges, a resident of the home showed COVID-19 symptoms and had a chest X-ray that showed signs of infection identified as pneumonia. The patient died with COVID-19 on May 1 ― yet was never isolated from other residents, according to the suit.
The facility’s medical director, Dr. Philip Branshaw, said previously that it wasn’t until mid-April that the home had its first positive test for COVID-19. Within days, he said, there was a “landslide” of cases.
“What happened at this facility is outrageous,” said Peter Flowers, attorney for Osucha’s family. “They didn’t follow the precautions. And to compound it, they did not inform the families of what was going on.”
A Bria Health Services spokesperson issued a statement noting that COVID-19 is highly infectious, and that public health directives continuously evolved with new information.
“Because testing was not immediately accessible, the high number of asymptomatic carriers among residents and staff created a silent enemy impossible to detect and difficult to defeat,” the spokesperson said.
“We remain committed to providing compassionate care to our residents, and as of Monday more than 50 residents and 33 staff have now recovered from the virus or remain asymptomatic after testing positive.”
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Under guidelines issued by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on May 13, health care facilities and their employees shall be immune from civil liability in treating COVID-19 unless they engage in “gross negligence or willful misconduct.”
Osucha had been a member of St. Adalbert Catholic Church in Chicago’s Heart of Chicago neighborhood before getting married, having two children and moving to Downers Grove. She worked as a bookkeeper and server at the renowned Como Inn in Chicago before the turn of the century and was a lovely woman, Colwell said.
“We’re concerned about what will happen to patients in similar situations,” he said, “and what can the government and nursing home owners do to prevent this from happening again.”
The nursing home industry has complained for weeks that the government has not supplied enough protective equipment and testing, while state mandates such as in Illinois call on nursing homes to provide equipment and testing.
On Monday, the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine issued a statement calling for states that require nursing homes to test for COVID-19 to provide funding for the costs and workers necessary to do that.


chicagotribune--2020-05-19--Business owners now face misdemeanor charge if they reopen in spite of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-

Business owners now face misdemeanor charge if they reopen in spite of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order

“ Three years ago when I decided to run for governor , I put all assets in blind trust form @ @ @ @ @ be in that form , so I ’ m not involved , ” Pritzker said @ @ @ @ @ companies .
“ I really don ’ t even know the engagement of those businesses @ @ @ @ @ do with this , and I ’ m really three years from having had any @ @ @ @ @ .
”

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)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday sought to downplay a new enforcement tool he quietly filed last week that allows the state to cite nonessential businesses with a misdemeanor for opening up to customers in violation of his executive orders dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pritzker contended that a misdemeanor is actually a “lighter enforcement mechanism” against business owners than having their businesses ordered shut or having any business license suspended.
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“There are people who are endangering people in their own communities, and we wanted to be able to give local officials, local law enforcement the ability to do what they needed to do,” Pritzker said.
The governor, who is facing growing pockets of protest and revolt over his stay-at-home order and five-phase reopening plan, dismissed Republican charges of overreach and said he merely altered his executive orders to take advantage of existing powers over law enforcement through the state health department.
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The ongoing efforts to enforce the order come as Pritzker’s administration announced the launch of its long-discussed plans for contact tracing of people who test positive for the coronavirus, a key component of the reopening plan.
[ How will Illinois reopen? Three charts breaking down Pritzker’s plan ]
The first phase of the Illinois Contact Tracing Collaborative, led by local health departments, will begin with a pilot program in suburban Lake County and in St. Clair County in the Metro-East region near St. Louis.
The state on Monday announced 2,294 new known cases of coronavirus from among 21,297 tests over the previous 24 hours. There were 59 additional deaths, bringing the death toll to 4,234 since the pandemic began.
Statewide, there have been 96,485 confirmed cases of COVID-19 from a total of 603,241 tests, the state Department of Public Health said. The statewide seven-day rolling positivity rate, from May 9-15, was 14% — an indicator that the four regions in Pritzker’s reopening plan continue to head toward moving into the next phase on May 29.
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
The emergency rule change Pritzker filed late last week opens business owners who disregard a statewide stay-at-home order to a Class A misdemeanor. The new enforcement provision came as the state nears the beginning of a third month under Pritzker’s stay-at-home order.
Among the businesses the new rule targets are restaurants, bars, gyms and fitness centers, salons and barbershops, which have been ordered closed to serving customers on-site since March.
Under Illinois law, a Class A misdemeanor can carry a fine of $75 to $2,500 and up to 364 days in jail.
Pritzker has repeatedly said he would largely rely on local jurisdictions to enforce the statewide stay-at-home order that took effect March 21, and leave it to people to police themselves. At his daily briefing on April 23, the governor said he wasn’t “encouraging police officers to stop people and arrest them, or take drastic action.”
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[ Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says city will fine churches that violated social distancing rules ]
But last week, he threatened to hold back federal dollars from communities that buck his order, and he said businesses that flout the restrictions would face enforcement measures by the state Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and licensing bodies.
There remain pockets of the state, primarily Downstate, where local law enforcement and county state’s attorneys have said they will not prosecute businesses seeking to reopen in violation of Pritzker’s order.
Pritzker argued that the new rule doesn’t really change anything.
“It’s in the law today. It’s in the Illinois Department of Public Health Act. There’s not an overreach here,” Pritzker said.
But leaders of the Republican minorities in the Illinois House and Senate found plenty to criticize.
“I just think this is wrong. People think this is wrong. We can and need to unify ourselves to bring ourselves together. This is just more division,” said Senate GOP leader Bill Brady of Bloomington.
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House Republican leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs likened Pritzker’s action to an attempt to change workers’ compensation rules to assume that coronavirus-related illnesses were work related. Businesses fought the change and a court struck it down.
“A court will throw it out. This goes beyond the scope of the Illinois Department of Public Health,” Durkin said, calling it “overreach” on the part of the governor.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during a press briefing regarding the coronavirus pandemic on May 3, 2020 at Thompson Center in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Before addressing questions on the issue, Pritzker focused his news briefing on contact tracing, saying that while it has been used since the beginning of the pandemic, the current system can’t keep up with the increased number of people being tested.
“Now that testing has ramped up, only about 29% of our known cases are engaged in a tracing process. That’s a number we want to push to as high as possible to the industry standard of 60%," he said. “But given the sheer scale of our population’s widespread susceptibility to COVID-19, we can’t get there with our existing infrastructure alone.”
The new system, when fully rolled out beyond the trial sites of Lake and St. Clair counties, will be led by the 97 local city and county public health agencies across the state under the direction of the state Public Health Department.
He didn’t address the cost, though he previously estimated an $80 million price tag. He also didn’t discuss the numbers of contact tracers that local public health departments will need, a number Johns Hopkins University study previously estimated at 3,800.
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State public health officials said partial results from a survey of about half of the state’s local health departments had an average request for 70 additional tracers, though one agency sought 900.
Pritzker urged people seeking work to sign up as contact tracers through the state public health department’s coronavirus website, though it will be up to local health departments to do the hiring. Wages will be at comparable local rates, he said, and funding will come from federal coronavirus relief programs.
A move to the less-restrictive fourth phase of Pritzker’s reopening plan requires a region to begin “contact tracing and monitoring within 24 hours of diagnosis for more than 90% of cases in region.”
With lawmakers set to return to Springfield on Wednesday to begin a special session focused on drawing a new state budget amid a massive falloff in government revenue, Pritzker lashed out at Republican lawmakers who said they would not follow public health guidelines and wear a face mask.
“I hear that there are people planning to show up in Springfield in the legislature not wearing a mask. Think about what that says, right? Because a mask isn’t designed to protect you. It’s designed to protect the people you’re with,” Pritzker said, calling it a “callous disregard for people’s health.”
At the news conference by state GOP leaders, Durkin called on members of the General Assembly to seek an audit of the Illinois Department of Employment Security over its problematic handling of record numbers of unemployment insurance claims, as well as revelations that personal data had been leaked from a new system to deal with gig workers.
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“The responsible bipartisan thing to do is to call for a performance audit within IDES based on how they have managed the unemployment insurance problem and also to look into how this breach occurred,” Durkin said.
Also Monday, Pritzker was asked about recent social media posts that circulated among Pritzker’s conservative critics alleging he may be profiting from the pandemic.
The Pritzker Group, an investment firm founded by Pritzker and his brother, Anthony, has investments in at least two health care companies involved in testing. The governor had resigned from the firm more than a year before it invested in Cue Health, which announced in March that it had won a $13 million federal contract to develop a new COVID-19 test.
In addition, the Pritzker Group’s private equity division has owned Tennessee-based Pathgroup since 2016. The company, which provides myriad testing services for hospitals, announced last month that it would be conducting COVID-19 antibody testing.
“Three years ago when I decided to run for governor, I put all assets in blind trust form, and they continue to be in that form, so I’m not involved,” Pritzker said Monday when asked about the companies. “I really don’t even know the engagement of those businesses in anything that has to do with this, and I’m really three years from having had any knowledge about any of those.”
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chicagotribune--2020-05-18--Amid ridership plunge, South Shore receives $73 million in federal aid

Public open-house sessions about the Double Track project — a second set of tracks between Gary and Michigan City — @ @ @ @ @ June , as planned earlier , but will be on a virtual platform instead of @ @ @ @ @ .
He said information on those events will be published soon .

Special funding from Congress will help keep the South Shore Line’s trains running despite plunging revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The railroad will receive $73 million in CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act) money, South Shore President Michael Noland said.
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That money comes from $25 billion that the $2 trillion CARES allocated for public transportation.
“We’re grateful for the funding,” Noland told the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation Board during a virtual meeting recently.
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He said South Shore Line’s expenses usually come to about $50 million a year.
South Shore trains have been running with as few as 5 percent of their usual riders since March, when stay-home mandates forced most businesses to close.
Daily commuters are expected back in early June, when Illinois businesses begin reopening, but it will take longer before “discretionary” riders — those going to museums, events and games in Chicago — return.
Noland said the South Shore will use some of its CARES money to buy ticket-vending machines that take cash, so the train’s conductors don’t have to handle money potentially contaminated with virus.
If the purchase is approved at the July 20 NICTD meeting, the machines could be installed at stations by the end of the year.
CARES funding can’t be used, however, on the railroad’s major projects – the West Lake Corridor extension and the Double Track project.
The West Lake project made “significant progress,” Noland said, when the railroad reached agreements recently with NIPSCO and the three railroads the new tracks will cross. He said a recent Federal Transit Administration review of the project “went very well.”
Public open-house sessions about the Double Track project — a second set of tracks between Gary and Michigan City — will still be conducted in June, as planned earlier, but will be on a virtual platform instead of in person, Noland said. He said information on those events will be published soon.
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Tim Zorn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.


chicagotribune--2020-05-18--Food should ‘not be a problem, but actually the solution,’ says chef José Andrés as he delivers meal

Food should ‘not be a problem, but actually the solution,’ says chef José Andrés as he delivers meals to Chicago school and hospital

“ When we see photos of food being wasted on farms and at the same time long lines at food @ @ @ @ @ believe that we need shorter lines and longer tables , ” he said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ make sure that we use total resources of the federal government , the private sector @ @ @ @ @ will not be a problem , but actually the solution .
”

Chef José Andrés, perhaps best known now for his humanitarian work worldwide, joined actor Sean Penn and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot at a new coronavirus testing site on the Northwest Side on Monday.
World Central Kitchen, the non-profit founded by Andrés, will help provide meals for workers at new testing sites in the Hanson Park and Little Village neighborhoods. The chef created the non-governmental organization in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. He emerged as an outspoken leader during disaster relief efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017.
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The chef, restaurateur, author, television host and 2019 Nobel Peace Prize nominee described himself simply when asked.
“I’m a cook,” said Andrés. “People call you weird names like ‘celebrity bull****’ and all that stuff. I am what I do. I’m a cook.”
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Chef Jose Andres (stars and stripes bandana) and his team from World Central Kitchen deliver prepared meals to Norwegian American Hospital in Chicago on Monday, May 18, 2020, to support front line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
During a busy day crisscrossing the city, he spoke by phone while visiting Gibsons Italia, a World Central Kitchen partner, en route to Barrio restaurant on the Near North Side, before dropping off meals at Norwegian American Hospital in Humboldt Park.
“We’ve been here over a month helping like we do everywhere else,” said Andrés. “We have more than 15 restaurants in Chicago that have been doing around 100,000 meals per week now. Today we delivered food in Englewood at the Montessori school there where we were serving food with the help of The Trotter Project and chef D’Andre.”
Andrés made an impromptu stop at The Montessori School of Englewood on the South Side, surprising chef D’Andre Carter, co-owner of Soul & Smoke barbecue kitchen in Evanston. Carter was delivering meals in partnership with World Central Kitchen and The Trotter Project, a legacy of the late Chicago chef Charlie Trotter.
The Spanish-American chef, once heralded for modernist fine dining, posted on Twitter: “Reporting in from Englewood in Chicago where we @WCKitchen are distributing fresh meals to the community here with our partner @TrotterProject ! Proud to be working with local chef DeAndre Carter...we are cooks who feed the few but together we can feed the many! #ChefsForAmerica”
Reporting in from Englewood in Chicago where we @WCKitchen are distributing fresh meals to the community here with our partner @TrotterProject! Proud to be working with local chef DeAndre Carter...we are cooks who feed the few but together we can feed the many! #ChefsForAmerica pic.twitter.com/KoWtIHCzGy — José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) May 18, 2020
“Chef D’Andre is a guy who spent his young years in Englewood,” said Andrés. “It’s amazing that this chef can put his restaurant to work as he partners with us and serves that community where he came from.”
World Central Kitchen has purchased more than 1 million meals from local restaurants nationwide for those in need as part of its Chefs for America emergency food relief program.
Andrés added that World Central Kitchen is also providing meals with Chicago Public Schools daily with local non-profit partners including the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Healthy Hood Chicago and The Trotter Project.
“In total in America we have over 1,600 restaurants working with us and that’s how we’re able to do 350,000 meals a day across America, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico,” said Andrés.
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“Quite frankly in other emergencies when there is no light and total destruction things are harder, because sometimes you cannot reopen a restaurant,” said Andrés. “They’ve been destroyed in the areas we need to help, but we do open kitchens for other things.”
“Here the restaurants have been shut down, but they're in perfect condition,” he said. “So what we did is what we always do. We adapt. We have restaurants that we could put into the service of feeding people in need. Why not do that?”
“At the end of the day what World Central Kitchen has done is prove concepts,” said Andrés. “The concept that we can be talking to Congress over what we should do to make sure that on top of the health crisis and economic crisis that we don’t have a humanitarian crisis.”
“When we see photos of food being wasted on farms and at the same time long lines at food banks across America, we believe that we need shorter lines and longer tables,” he said. “We need many ways to make sure that we use total resources of the federal government, the private sector and NGOs so that food will not be a problem, but actually the solution.”
After helping deliver prepared meals to Norwegian American Hospital in Chicago on Monday, chef Jose Andres, second from left, and his team from World Central Kitchen stop for burgers and hot dogs at Fatso's Last Stand. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
The James Beard Foundation awarded Andrés the Humanitarian of the Year award at the annual gala event in Chicago in 2018.
The chef had planned to open three restaurants in Chicago by this year. His fast casual and vegetable focused Beefsteak opened in the Gold Coast neighborhood last fall, but has closed temporarily. Two high profile restaurants are still in the works: a location of his famed Jaleo with Spanish tapas at the former Naha space in River North, and a riverfront restaurant with the Gibsons Restaurant Group in The Loop.
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“We’ll open in the next year or two, when the time is right,” said Andrés.
Andrés joins former Vice President and presidential candidate Joe Biden for a live virtual town hall to discuss the coronavirus crisis, the future of the restaurant industry and the issue of food security amid the pandemic on Tuesday hosted by Yahoo News.


chicagotribune--2020-05-18--State Farm cuts auto rates by $2.2 billion as Americans continue to stay home during the COVID-19 pa

State Farm cuts auto rates by $2.2 billion as Americans continue to stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic

Last month , State Farm said it would return $ 2 billion to policyholders as part of its “ Good @ @ @ @ @ fewer people are driving during the health crisis .
Most auto policyholders received a 25 @ @ @ @ @ , State Farm estimates its customers could save about $ 4.2 billion between the rate @ @ @ @ @

State Farm announced Monday it will cut its auto insurance rates by $2.2 billion as Americans continue to drive less as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Bloomington-based firm is the nation’s largest underwriter of auto insurance. State Farm is seeking regulatory approval in each state to reduce auto rates nationwide, and it estimates the national average for those rate cuts to be 11%.
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Last month, State Farm said it would return $2 billion to policyholders as part of its “Good Neighbor Relief Program" because fewer people are driving during the health crisis. Most auto policyholders received a 25% credit. All together, State Farm estimates its customers could save about $4.2 billion between the rate reduction and the rebate.
Rival insurers, including Allstate, Geico and Progressive Insurance, issued $10.5 billion in credits or reduced premiums in April, citing a reduction in driving due to the coronavirus lockdowns.
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“As we continue to see driving behavior evolve based on current trends, we are looking to cut rates,” said Kristyn Cook-Turner, a senior vice president at State Farm.
Cook-Turner declined to say how much less policyholders have driven since states began implementing stay-at-home orders.
According to Arity, a mobility data and analytics firm owned by Allstate, the number of miles driven is down 38% as of May 9. The firm expects people will hit the road more as the weather improves.
Cook-Turner said it is still too early to predict if Americans will continue drive less as the year goes on.
“We don’t know how long these trends will remain,” she said.
Since the start of the pandemic, consumer advocacy groups like the Consumer Federation of America have urged state insurance commissioners to push insurers to cut auto rates.
Doug Heller, an insurance expert with the organization, said many State Farm customers will welcome the rate reduction, but 11% won’t be enough savings for millions of Americans who are unemployed or have experienced hardships because of the COVID-19 health crisis.
“There is no question that right now, and for the foreseeable future, auto insurance rates are excessive and consumers should be paying less," Heller said. “Our driving has changed dramatically, and it will not snap back to pre-pandemic levels anytime soon, if ever.”
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chicagotribune--2020-05-18--Family searches for Griffith woman who went missing

A man who works in the industrial complex said he saw Glover , 48 , standing by the Tri-Union Express @ @ @ @ @ 6 a.m. and 6:15 a.m. Saturday , shortly after she ’ d gone missing .
@ @ @ @ @ him during their search Sunday afternoon , and the man explained that she might have @ @ @ @ @ tracks toward the Park West Apartment complex .

A worker in an industrial complex on Griffith's north side shows Deonte Glover, Vetrice Seals and her husband, Raymond Seals, where he saw Dushawnda Glover early Saturday morning. Dushawnda Glover went missing May 16. (Michelle L. Quinn/Post-Tribune) (Michelle Quinn / Post-Tribune)
The tip came just as about 20 of Dushawnda Glover’s friends and family members fanned out over the north side of Griffith in the pouring rain.
A man who works in the industrial complex said he saw Glover, 48, standing by the Tri-Union Express Trucking Company sign somewhere between 6 a.m. and 6:15 a.m. Saturday, shortly after she’d gone missing. Family members rushed over to him during their search Sunday afternoon, and the man explained that she might have headed east over the railroad tracks toward the Park West Apartment complex.
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The thought made her niece Vetrice Seals’s blood run cold.
“What if no one saw her and she got hit by a train?” Seals said
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Griffith Police Detectives were following up on leads Sunday afternoon, police spokesman Cmdr. Keith Martin said. The department brought out its K-9 units Saturday, and they caught Glover’s scent up to the Public Storage storage complex at 1915 N. Cline Ave. before it went cold, he said.
The Indiana State Police issued a Silver Alert for Glover Saturday; the Lake County Sheriff’s Department also sent up a helicopter, but aviation officers were unable to find her.
She is described as 5-feet tall, 180 pounds and soft spoken, police said.
Dushawnda Glover went missing May 16. (Michelle L. Quinn/Post-Tribune) (Michelle Quinn / Post-Tribune)
Glover has been having a hard time lately, Seals, said. Glover, a 48-year-old woman who went missing from an independent-living apartment in the 100 block of West 35th Court in Griffith in the early morning of May 16, lost her mother and caretaker, Mary Glover, five months ago and another close friend more recently.
She first went to live with Celeste Glover, Seals’ mom and Dushawnda Glover’s sister, in East Chicago after Mary Glover died, Seals said. Celeste Glover’s work schedule, however, meant that she wasn’t home enough to watch Dushawnda, who family members describe as having the mental capacity of a child.
“She still plays with baby dolls,” Seals said.
The family decided to enlist Tradewinds in finding Dushawnda Glover a place where she can have her own space but still be looked after, Seals said. She’d been at the Griffith apartment just two weeks before she went missing.
“She’s mourning our grandmother, and she did not want to be there,” Seals, who came up from Indianapolis to help the family find her aunt, said.
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Dushawnda Glover was seen heading toward the gas stations around 5:45 a.m. wearing a white shirt or jacket, blue jeans and black slides, Seals said. She did not bring her phone with her.
“We programmed the numbers of all the people she would call, so she wouldn’t have known to call anyone else to come get her, and she doesn’t go online,” Seals said. “The last person she talked to was a family friend in Wisconsin on Friday.”
Her cousin, Kenny Glover, of East Chicago, did not understand how she got away from anyone quickly since she walks with a limp. “People take people all the time. They hide them in basements, sell their organs,” Kenny Glover said Saturday as he, Seals and Celeste Glover plastered flyers with Dushawnda Glover’s photo on the doors of neighboring buildings.
Anyone believes who believe they’ve seen Dushawnda Glover or know where she is asked to either call 9-1-1 immediately or Griffith Police Detective Al Tharp at 219-924-7503, ext 252.
Michelle Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.