chicagotribune--2020-05-05--‘Be prepared for the Wild West’: As real estate’s busy season winds up, here’s how to buy or sell a

‘Be prepared for the Wild West’: As real estate’s busy season winds up, here’s how to buy or sell a home during the coronavirus pandemic

For those readying their homes for sale , tracking down information on past renovations , home services and other features @ @ @ @ @ advantage .
Preparing video tours and offering virtual walk-throughs can also lessen the number of @ @ @ @ @ to see the home in person .
And once a home is listed , you @ @ @ @ @ sooner than expected .

Real estate agent Nykea Pippion McGriff wears a face mask to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and talks with a colleague while showing a home in the Avondale neighborhood May 2, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Christine Park and her fiancé were thrilled to see his Lakeview condo get a couple of offers within a month of their listing it. They took the best one, signed the contract and sent it to the buyers with a deadline: 5 p.m. Friday, March 20.
As fate would have it, Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a statewide stay-at-home order that afternoon to fight the rising spread of COVID-19. The buyers, panicking over the financial uncertainty ahead, backed out.
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“Three more hours, and we would have closed it,” Park said Monday.
In the weeks since, real estate agents and experts have cautiously eyed the state of the market as the world economy flew into turmoil. The Illinois Realtors association issued a cautiously optimistic report in late April, highlighting a 4.7% increase in the number of statewide home sales in March, compared with March 2019. The Chicago area saw a similar spike, although home sales within city limits were mostly flat.
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“There’s been some concern about whether prices are going to tank,” said Nykea Pippion McGriff, president-elect of the Chicago Association of Realtors. “But when you have less inventory and a pretty robust group of buyers, that holds the prices steady.”
Available inventory has been on the decline for years — both nationally and in Illinois — and continued to drop 10.6% statewide since March 2019. In the Chicago region, it dipped 12.7%. And prices keep rising: The statewide median price increased 8.5% to $217,000; in Chicago, it grew 10.1% to $320,000.
Still, the March data is “probably the last to reflect the pre-pandemic impact of the economy,” noted Geoffrey Hewings, director of the University of Illinois Regional Economics Applications Laboratory.
And the forecast for May and the months beyond remains fuzzy.
Research from listing site Zillow, which draws from its database of 110 million U.S. homes, suggests a sharp market downturn in early April might already be rebounding. In the Chicago area, the amount of new listings began to plummet March 20, compared with each day the year prior. By the end of March, there were 30% fewer new listings. By April 12, there were 50% fewer.
The drop bottomed out soon after, and by April 19, the most recent Zillow data available, it had rebounded to a 40% drop compared with 2019. That puts the city seventh in the nation for declines in new listings, falling behind Rust Belt metros like Pittsburgh, and those hit hardest by coronavirus, like New York City and Detroit.
“You could infer that sellers are maybe holding off on selling a property right now, until we figure things out a little bit,” said Nykea Pippion McGriff, who noted that CAR data through April 11 also reflected a drop in new listings and homes going under contract.
Real estate agent Nykea Pippion McGriff wears a face mask to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and puts on shoe covers while showing a home in the Avondale neighborhood May 2, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Park and her fiancé, for example, took the condo off the market when their deal fell through and leased it to a renter instead.
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The shrinking inventory, though, suggests homes aren’t sitting on the market for longer than before the virus, which would indicate a drop in buyer interest. In Illinois, the time it took to sell a home remained stable from last year, at 63 days, according to Illinois Realtors.
But Zillow Research forecasts a roller coaster ahead as the pandemic’s effect on the national economy ripples into 2021. Its team of economists and data scientists predicts national home sales will drop 2% to 3% over the next year, rebounding in spring 2021 to pre-coronavirus levels. The number of home sales could drop by half, and then recover almost completely by the end of 2021.
The research does suggest, however, that a less severe impact hinges on the success of social distancing and containment of the coronavirus, which would prevent a slower economic recovery and potential second wave of infection.
How to prepare for spring homebuying season
Real estate agent Nykea Pippion McGriff wears a face mask to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 as she walks through a hallway while showing a home in the Avondale neighborhood May 2, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
While experts say it’s hard to know just how the market will respond to the pandemic in the months to come, there are steps buyers and sellers can take now to ease the heightened stressors of the peak spring season during the pandemic.
“We don’t have a crystal ball, but what I do know is that people still have to buy and sell and rent,” Pippion McGriff said. “I think we’re going to see a pent-up demand of buyers who were ready to (start searching) in March and decided to hold off. I think we’re going to see those buyers emerge.”
But social distancing measures, like the state’s ban on open houses and limits of four-person showings, as well as municipalities restricting activity like inspections, prolong the process. And the plunge in inventory means that homes in the Chicago area are getting snapped up even faster than before, leading to lengthy hunts for buyers.
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“Any property that does come on the market and is priced well is gone in a matter of hours,” said Sara Acevedo-Schwocher, an agent with Century 21 Affiliated. “There are multiple offers, so you don’t have a shot if you come in on day two or three. It’s an emotional process.”
One of her clients, on active duty in the military, was left in limbo when trying to house hunt, unable to visit Chicago due to the military’s no-fly order, she said. They got permission to fly three weeks before they were to report for duty, but now delayed inspections are holding up a deal on a home.
To ease the process, Acevedo-Schwocher recommends getting financing in order at the start of your search. Getting preapproved for a loan, versus pre-qualifying, also puts buyers in “a much stronger bargaining position,” she said. Most pre-approvals are good for three or four months, meaning buyers can start the process now, so they’re ready to pounce when they find the right home.
Lending guidelines have changed, so it’s important for prospective buyers to follow up on pre-approvals from February or March, said Pippion McGriff, who is also a broker with Dream Town Realty. Some lenders are requiring higher credit scores and bigger down payments, or denying applicants they consider too risky.
Clients of Joe Carcerano, a broker with @properties, experienced this firsthand, he said.
“I had a client who could purchase a home 10 times over in cash, but they were getting a mortgage because it’s easier than paying it all down at once,” he said. “They own multiple restaurants, and they were not able to get preapproved right away, because they were in the hospitality industry.”
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As Illinois relaxes its stay-at-home guidelines, sellers who held off in March and April could feel encouraged to get their homes listed in coming months, Carcerano said.
“We’re trying to have people be prepared for the Wild West when this stay-at-home order is lifted,” he said. “We’re going to see a huge uptick in new inventory.”
To get a jump-start, he recommends clients ask real estate agents about homes on the private listing network, which previews homes that will be “coming soon” to the market.
Agents are also doing what they can while the stay-at-home order is in effect. Curbside closings are more readily available, and notaries are slowly getting approved for electronic services.
For those readying their homes for sale, tracking down information on past renovations, home services and other features can put them at an advantage. Preparing video tours and offering virtual walk-throughs can also lessen the number of prospective buyers who will want to see the home in person. And once a home is listed, you could find yourself packing up sooner than expected.
“If you price it right, be prepared to move,” Acevedo-Schwocher said. “It’s going to sell fast.”
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archeung@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-05--Chicago lands eight nominations in James Beard Awards

“ It was clear that those whose work in 2019 led them to be selected as a semifinalist — and @ @ @ @ @ or a winner — deserved the recognition they earned , ” the statement said in @ @ @ @ @ consulted felt the awards could also offer a glimmer of hope to an industry looking @ @ @ @ @ dark time .
”

Chef Jason Hammel of Lula Cafe, was named among the nominees for Best Chef: Great Lakes. He is pictured at Marisol, where he is also chef. (Kristen Norman / Chicago Tribune)
Today was supposed to be the day of the James Beard Foundation Awards, when the winners in the Restaurant and Chef Awards category were to be announced at a black-tie gala in Chicago, and the celebratory after-parties would have stretched late into the night.
But the coronavirus shutdown postponed — well, everything. And so the JBF picked today to announce the award nominees, a list that, under ordinary circumstances, would have been issued weeks ago.
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The good news is that seven Chicago chefs have been nominated for Best Chef: Great Lakes (a region that includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio). And two other nominations were announced for Chicago.
[ What are the James Beard Awards? Here’s your guide to ‘the Oscars of the food world,’ held in Chicago ]
The nominees are Jason Hammel of Lula Cafe, nominated for the second straight year; Gene Kato of Momotaro, a first-time nominee; Noah Sandoval of Oriole, also nominated for the second straight year; first-time nominees John Shields and Karen Urie Shields of Smyth; first-time nominee Erick Williams of Virtue; and Lee Wolen of Boka, nominated for the fifth consecutive year.
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Other nominees included Spiaggia, nominated for the second time in the Outstanding Wine Program category; and Lost Lake, nominated for the second time for Outstanding Bar Program.
Chicago was shut out of the remaining national awards, including Outstanding Restaurant, Outstanding Chef and Outstanding Restaurateur, three categories in which the city has enjoyed a good deal of success.
As some consolation, a couple of former Spiaggia chefs received nominations. Missy Robbins was nominated for Outstanding Chef for her work at Lilia in New York City, and Paul Bartolotta was nominated in the Outstanding Restaurateur category for his Bartolotta Restaurants group in Milwaukee.
[ There are dozens of James Beard Award-winning restaurants in Chicago. Here's where to find them. ]
The winners will be announced Sept. 25 in Chicago, though the manner of that announcement has yet to be determined. That day would be the first day of the Chicago Gourmet weekend, if in fact that event takes place.
Mitchell Davis, chief strategy officer for the JBF, explained on the organization’s website why the nominations were released today.
“It was clear that those whose work in 2019 led them to be selected as a semifinalist — and perhaps ultimately as a nominee or a winner — deserved the recognition they earned,” the statement said in part. “Those we consulted felt the awards could also offer a glimmer of hope to an industry looking for light in a very dark time.”


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

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-05-05--Michigan security guard is shot and killed after telling customer to put on a face mask; 3 charged

“ The hostile tone that we have seen in recent days on television and in social media can permeate our @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t fully realize or anticipate , ” Leyton told reporters Monday .
“ @ @ @ @ @ we can , wearing a mask when going to the store and staying a safe @ @ @ @ @ — these should not be political arguments .
They don ’ t necessitate acts of @ @ @ @ @ can not devolve into an us versus them mentality .
”

FLINT, Mich. — A woman, her adult son and husband have been charged in the fatal shooting of a security guard who refused to let her daughter enter a Family Dollar in Michigan because she wasn’t wearing a face mask to protect against transmission of the coronavirus.
Calvin Munerlyn was shot Friday at the store just north of downtown Flint a short time after telling Sharmel Teague’s daughter she had to leave because she lacked a mask, according to Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton.
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Teague, 45, argued with Munerlyn, 43, before leaving. Two men later came to the store.
Teague; her husband, Larry Teague, 44; and Ramonyea Bishop, 23; are charged with first-degree premeditated murder and gun charges.
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Larry Teague also is charged with violating Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's executive order mandating that all customers and employees must wear face coverings inside grocery stores, Leyton said.
Witnesses identified Bishop as the man who shot Munerlyn in the back of the head, Leyton said.
Sharmel Teague. (AP)
Sharmel Teague has been arrested. Police were looking for her husband and son.
No information has been released about the daughter, who has not been charged in the shooting.
“It is important that the governor’s order be respected and adhered to, and for someone to lose their life over it is beyond comprehension,” Leyton said earlier Monday in a statement.
On Thursday, gun-carrying protesters and other demonstrators rallied inside the state Capitol, calling for coronavirus-related restrictions to be lifted. Some protesters with guns — which are allowed in the statehouse — went to the Senate gallery. Some senators wore bulletproof vests.
Maalik Mitchell, center left, sheds tears as he says goodbye to his father, Calvin Munerlyn, during a vigil Sunday, May 3, 2020, in Flint, Mich. Munerlyn was shot and killed Friday at a Family Dollar store in Flint. He'd worked at the store as a security guard for a little more than one year. (Jake May | MLive.com/AP)
As of Monday, Michigan has reported 43,754 confirmed COVID-19 virus cases and 4,049 deaths due to complications from the disease.
“The hostile tone that we have seen in recent days on television and in social media can permeate our society in ways we sometimes don’t fully realize or anticipate,” Leyton told reporters Monday. “Decisions like staying home when we can, wearing a mask when going to the store and staying a safe distance from those around us — these should not be political arguments. They don’t necessitate acts of defiance, and we simply cannot devolve into an us versus them mentality.”
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In this Friday, May 1, 2020 photo, employees stand outside the Family Dollar as police investigate a shooting that took place at the store in Flint, Mich. (Sarahbeth Maney/AP)
About 150 people attended a candlelight vigil Sunday night. On Monday, a makeshift memorial was started outside the Family Dollar.
Munerlyn’s mother, Bernadett, said she wants justice for her son.
“They didn’t have to take my baby and it wasn’t that serious,” she said. “All you people just have to do is listen to the law, listen to the governor. Just stay home. If you don’t have to come out, then you wouldn’t need a mask unless you’re out getting groceries or necessities. All my baby was doing was his job working and doing his job.”
Whitmer offered her condolences.
“It is incredibly sad that in this crisis that this life was lost," Whitmer told reporters Monday. “We are mindful of how important it is that people keep a level head, that we do the right thing protecting ourselves and others.”
Williams reported from Detroit. AP reporter David Eggert in Lansing contributed to this story.


chicagotribune--2020-05-05--Social distancing informants have their eyes on you

“ She was very uptight because one of her friends works at this hardware store and she thought it should @ @ @ @ @ said , adding that he explained the store had the right to be open if @ @ @ @ @ , cleaned all surfaces regularly and followed other rules .
“ She was truly driven @ @ @ @ @ friend who was working at a place with a high volume of customers .
”

Kevin Rusch was at home on a recent Sunday evening scrolling through Facebook when he saw a photo that shocked him: A man with an American flag bandanna wrapped around his head stood at a rally demanding Wisconsin lift orders that had shuttered schools and businesses.
That man was David Murdock, a cardiologist from his hometown, Wausau. And, like the hundreds of other people at the rally, Murdock was maskless and did not appear to be practicing social distancing. In one photo, Murdock’s arm was slung around a priest, with the two holding a sign that read “We are an essential service.”
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“His picture popped up, and when I saw it, I was furious,” Rusch said. “I thought, this guy is out here hugging people and rubbing elbows without PPE on and he’s actively seeing patients.”
Rusch shared Murdock’s photo on Facebook with an admonition about the doctor who boldly attended a rally amid a global pandemic: Go to his hospital “at your own risk.”
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Commenters piled on, and dozens of them contacted Murdock’s hospital. Rusch did, too. By the next afternoon, Murdock, 68, who has been practicing medicine in central and northern Wisconsin for 33 years, had been suspended for a week.
Murdock became one of the most public casualties of a growing crowd of social distancing vigilantes, Americans frustrated by fellow citizens violating government orders to wear masks, close nonessential businesses and refrain from gathering in groups.
Largely confined to their homes and worried about the spread of the coronavirus and its risks to their own health or that of loved ones, a segment of the United States has turned informant, calling the police, public health authorities and the employers of people they believe are violating social distancing decrees or stay-at-home orders.
People leave home for the outdoors as the temperature hovered around 70 degrees, even as the stay-at-home order remained in effect with Governor Andrew Cuomo warning that any change in behavior could reignite the spread of coronavirus, on Saturday, May 2, 2020, in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. (Bebeto Matthews/AP)
Across the country, these complaints have led to shutdowns of dog groomers and massage parlors as well as citations and police scoldings to restaurant and bar owners whose patrons are lingering too close to one another.
The citizen action comes into direct conflict with new and mounting calls for the economy to reopen, a dispute that played out that day last month at the Wisconsin rally, with consequences for Murdock’s career. He said in an interview that he had taken vacation time after his suspension and was evaluating whether to return to his hospital.
But such reporting also has occurred in more local ways, with neighborhood websites that once served as bulletin boards for lost cats or plumber recommendations now becoming social distancing complaint boxes.
“Four teenage girls with lacrosse sticks and white hoodies just walked past our place,” read a post on a neighborhood blog in one suburban Boston community. “Parents, you need to do better.”
Some people are resorting to anonymous acts of public shaming. The tone is nasty at times.
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In Manhattan’s East Village, profanity-laden posters have been tacked to telephone poles chastising people for not wearing face masks. In Long Beach, Washington, a popular weekend getaway for Seattleites that had been closed, a flyer left on car windshields said, “Your vacation is not worth our lives.” On Twitter, the hashtag #FloridaMorons was used to shame citizens by posting photos of crowded beaches after they recently reopened.
In Wisconsin, after a local TV news outlet published a story saying that Murdock had been suspended, people cheered in messages on a private Facebook group backing stay-at-home orders.
“YES!!!!! YOU DID IT EVERYONE!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!” one commenter posted.
As President Donald Trump and many Republican governors aggressively push to reopen businesses and some Democratic officials call for continued restraint, the actions are sometimes becoming politicized.
Some liberals said they thought that calling out violators was a civic duty and a matter of public health. But Vicki McKenna, a conservative talk radio host in Wisconsin who has promoted rallies resisting the state’s shutdown orders, likened the outing of social distancing offenders to the actions of informants in a totalitarian state.
“There’s a creepy Orwellian sensibility people have,” she said.
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Murdock, who has become a minor celebrity in Wisconsin’s conservative political world and who wrote a 2,127-word essay about his experience, said he had no hard feelings toward his hospital supervisors. But he found himself surprised by the vitriol he faced — someone left a bag of feces on the front steps of his home, prompting extra police patrols of his street.
“It’s just unfortunate,” he said. “We can’t even have a civil discussion anymore.”
In some cities and counties, vigilantism has been encouraged by municipalities that have set up special phone numbers, apps or online forms to report violations. Some officials have faced backlash for doing so.
The health department in Dane County, Wisconsin, which includes the capital and surrounding areas, took down its website for anonymously reporting social distancing violations after about a week. The volume of complaints had become too large to handle.
New York City’s online reporting system that allowed users to text photos to officials of anyone caught breaking social distancing rules was temporarily shut down after being inundated with obscene images and complaints that it encouraged an authoritarian-like system of snitching.
But many people who have reported offenders say they see their actions as a matter of life or death.
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Delaney Kalea was driving her mother to pick up medicine in Prattville, Alabama, on a recent evening when she spotted a group of teenagers outside a bowling alley, “giving each other piggyback rides, dancing, playing football,” she said.
“I decided to make the responsible decision as we were driving off to call the cops,” she said.
Kalea, a makeup artist who lost all her work because of the pandemic, has diabetes and her brother and mother have compromised immune systems. She and her family leave home only for grocery and medicine runs and the occasional pass through a drive-thru restaurant.
“People who think they’re completely untouchable to this virus are the reason so many people are losing their lives,” she said. “My blood boils almost every day when I think about this. Where is the human decency?”
Officials fielding complaints about social distancing said that while citizens seemed well-intentioned, often they are misinformed about the patchwork of regulations guiding each municipality.
The police in Laredo, Texas, expect an uptick in calls from confused citizens reporting what they think are violations of the state’s new, complex directives from the governor that allow, among other things, malls to open up shops — but not food courts, play areas or interactive displays. Rural restaurants can open dining rooms at no more than 50% capacity while urban restaurants could have no more than 25% capacity.
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Tips in mid-April led police to crack down on a nail salon and an eyelash services business, arresting the operators of each business after an undercover officer was able to book services with them. Each was charged with violating an emergency plan and could face jail time as well as a $2,000 fine.
Public health enforcement officials in Salt Lake County in Utah have closed tattoo parlors, salons and massage parlors in recent days after fielding the more than 500 calls and online submissions complaining about violations of orders in place there, said Ron Lund, the county health department enforcement coordinator.
Some of the calls have come from business owners angry that competitors do not seem to be abiding by new shutdown rules, he said. Others have come from people who misunderstand the orders about which businesses are allowed to operate. One call came from a woman upset that a hardware store was still open.
“She was very uptight because one of her friends works at this hardware store and she thought it should be closed,” Lund said, adding that he explained the store had the right to be open if it offered hand sanitizer stations, cleaned all surfaces regularly and followed other rules. “She was truly driven by her concern for a friend who was working at a place with a high volume of customers.”
Nadine Campbell was worried about her community in Bridgehampton, New York, one afternoon in March when she drove to check out the beach not far from her home and found cars lining the road.
“People were milling around,” she said. “It was really upsetting.”
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She posted a photo of the cars on Facebook and triggered dozens of commenters arguing about whether people had the right to be on the beach — and whether Campbell should have posted the photo at all.
Campbell was quick to point out that she did not get out of her car, and that she did not call the police.
“I don’t want them to close the beach,” she said, adding that people have recently become much better about keeping their distance. “It’s our only salvation.”
c.2020 The New York Times Company


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

Doctors .
Nurses .
Respiratory therapists .
Aides .
Custodians .
Medical supply managers .
Cooks .
As Illinois fights COVID-19 , these are the faces on the front lines .
They are the people who go to work each day — and night — to care for the nearly 5,000 people in Illinois hospitalized because of the deadly virus .
Shift after shift at hospitals of all sizes , they push aside concerns for their own safety and band together to defeat an invisible enemy that science is still trying to fully understand .
They are scared .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they are committed — both to their patients and each other .
At OSF HealthCare Little Company of Mary Medical Center , a 298-bed hospital in south suburban Evergreen Park , the teamwork amazes Dr. Nasser Zakieh , medical director of critical care medicine .
The hospital ’ s physical and occupational therapists , for example , assumed responsibility for turning ICU patients on to their stomachs to improve oxygen levels and then flipping them onto their backs many hours later .
It ’ s beyond the typical scope of their duties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zakieh that he now wears teal scrubs — the bright-colored uniform worn by the therapists at the hospital — in their honor .
“ I was really shocked and surprised by how resilient our team is , ” Zakieh said .
“ This is not an easy task and they have been phenomenal.
” With all the gratitude being shown to doctors and nurses these days , Dr. Simone Liverpool , who works in the COVID-19 ward at Loretto Hospital in the Austin neighborhood , worries the public doesn ’ t fully understand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upon to do their jobs each day .
“ Doctors and nurses are on the front lines , of course .
But so are the housekeeping crews and the cooks , '' she said .
“ Everyone here is an essential employee .
We are all on the front lines together.
” And you can see it on their faces .

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chicagotribune--2020-05-05--Lake County sheriff’s office won’t issue tickets for breaking 2-person boat limit, but boating commu

Lake County sheriff’s office won’t issue tickets for breaking 2-person boat limit, but boating communities push back on Gov. Pritzker’s order

“ It offends the senses of people , ” said Foster , who lives on the lake with his wife @ @ @ @ @ “ It ’ s so illogical .
… We can be in our house locked @ @ @ @ @ can ’ t be out on the boat in the open air .
”

A protest in Fox Lake drew about 75 people at its peak Saturday, according to Tim Foster, who attended with his family. Attendees criticized the governor's stay-at-home order, which was extended through May 30 with some changes. (Tim Foster / HANDOUT)
Boaters in Lake County don’t need to worry about a ticket if they have more than two people in their boat, a Lake County Sheriff’s Office spokesman said Monday.
Revised stay-at-home regulations rolled out by Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic reopened up some businesses and public spaces but set limits aimed at large gatherings.
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Among the new stay-at-home provisions is a rule limiting the number of people on a boat to two, according to a spokeswoman for the Governor’s Office.
“Those health restrictions haven’t changed,” spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said in an email Monday.
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The official executive order signed by Pritzker does not include the two-person rule and instead says boaters need to follow the guidelines set by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, said Sgt. Christopher Covelli, a spokesman for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office has not received any enforcement guidance from the department, and so it can’t enforce the rule, Covelli said.
“Our function on the waterways remains unchanged: maintaining the safety of its users and enforcing the law,” Covelli said. “We ask boaters to use their best judgment, be responsible, and operate carefully.”
The Sheriff’s Office will be enforcing the usual maritime laws in addition to temporary guidelines issued by the Fox Waterway Agency in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Those rules include a ban on tying boats to each other and a requirement that anchored boats be at least 10 feet apart.
“We remind the community to remember congregating in groups of more than ten, or with non-family members could be a violation of the Governor’s Executive Order,” Covelli said.
The governor’s regulation has earned some push back, particularly in some Lake County communities where boating is the backbone of their economies.
A protest Saturday in Fox Lake drew an estimated 75 people at its peak, said Tim Foster, a Fox Lake resident who runs the popular Facebook page “Your Link to the Chain - Fox Lake” and works with many area businesses.
Foster said his family has followed the stay-at-home rules, but he has growing concerns that the Illinois legislature has not been involved in the process and the impact it is having on local businesses.
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He said the protest drew a mix of business and restaurant owners frustrated by the required closures as well as those like himself who also felt the boating rule “just doesn’t make sense.”
“It offends the senses of people,” said Foster, who lives on the lake with his wife and their two children. “It’s so illogical. … We can be in our house locked up together, but we can’t be out on the boat in the open air.”
A Change.org petition that asks Pritzker to revisit the rule, arguing that “families who live together should be able to boat together,” had drawn nearly 14,000 signatures as of 5 p.m. Monday.
It “makes no sense that two people from different households can boat together, but a family of 3 all living together can’t,” the petition said. “Hopefully Pritzker changes this.”
A protest in Fox Lake drew about 75 people at its peak Saturday, according to Tim Foster, who attended with his family. Attendees criticized the governor's stay-at-home order, which was extended through May 30 with some changes. (Tim Foster / HANDOUT)
The Fox Waterway Agency, which oversees the Fox River and Chain O’Lakes, is working with elected officials, businesses and law enforcement to “advocate for your right to safely quarantine with your family in your home or boat,” according to an April 27 letter from Executive Director Joseph Keller.
When rules seem arbitrary or perhaps enacted for the wrong reason, people are more apt just to disregard all of the rules, Foster said.
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He said he worries that could lead to people pushing back and disregarding other rules – including one against tying up boats to each other – that would eventually lead to officials just closing the lakes completely.
Tim and Diane Foster, far right, take a photo with their two children, Axton and Tianna; state Rep. Tom Weber, center; and Studio Hotrods Roadhouse owner Harry Nicodem at a protest Saturday in Fox Lake. (Tim Foster / HANDOUT)
Pritzker did not address the rationale for including families at a news conference Sunday, but said enforcement is up to local authorities. Abudayyeh did not respond to a question regarding the rationale for not allowing full families on boats.
“It’s the data that tells us that if you’re in a large group of people in a small space, if you can’t maintain a six-foot distance between each person in a party, then you shouldn’t be together in that space,” Pritzker said Sunday. “Many boats, most boats that people can afford, don’t really make room for more than two people. We wanted to make sure that people who want to go fishing can do so.”
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases hit 4,292 Monday afternoon, up nearly 500 from Friday, according to the Lake County Health Department. That includes 145 deaths, an increase of 18 from Friday.


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Plastic model kits get boost as coronavirus shut-ins turn to old-school hobby for ‘something to do’

“ You ’ ve got people that did it maybe 30 , 40 years ago and said , ‘ This @ @ @ @ @ to do , if I ever get the time , ’ ” he said .
@ @ @ @ @ ’ ve got the time .
”

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


chicagotribune--2020-05-06--Daywatch: Pritzker’s plan to reopen Illinois, the new normal for Chicago nurses and how you can vide

Daywatch: Pritzker’s plan to reopen Illinois, the new normal for Chicago nurses and how you can video call a therapy dog

Chicagoans looking to fire up their grills should prepare for higher meat prices and restrictions on how many chops , @ @ @ @ @ buy .
COVID-19 outbreaks at meat processing plants across the country continue to disrupt how @ @ @ @ @ way to grocery stores and butcher shops , despite large facilities beginning to resume operations @ @ @ @ @ stay open during the pandemic .

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Good morning, Chicago. Here’s the coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during his daily coronavirus press briefing, May 3, 2020 in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday laid out a regional, five-phase plan to reopen the state based on public health data and health care availability in different parts of the state. The plan divides the state into four regions, which could enter different phases of reopening at different times.
The fifth and final phase — “Illinois restored” — won’t come until a vaccine or highly effective treatment becomes widely available. Festivals, conventions, and all businesses and schools would reopen.
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Norwegian American Hospital nurses perform a drive-thru coronavirus test on April 28, 2020 in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
As a wave of coronavirus infections spreads through Latino neighborhoods in Chicago, one health site in Little Village has seen people so sick with the new coronavirus that they’ve passed out while waiting to get tested. Data on cases and coronavirus-related deaths is opening a window into how hard the pandemic is hitting Latino communities. Across Illinois, Latino-majority areas have the highest number of confirmed cases.
For National Nurses Week, more than 60 Chicago-area nurses told the Tribune how the coronavirus pandemic has shaped their new normal.
Poignant, heart-wrenching stories from the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic have flooded our inbox over the past few days, as the Tribune asked Chicago-area nurses one question: “How are you living through this new norm?”
“Mommy’s not coming back.” Another Chicago-area nurse dies of COVID-19.
Otto Demke, owner of Gepperth’s Meat Market, shows his depleted pork supply May 5, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Chicagoans looking to fire up their grills should prepare for higher meat prices and restrictions on how many chops, steaks or burgers they can buy. COVID-19 outbreaks at meat processing plants across the country continue to disrupt how much product is making its way to grocery stores and butcher shops, despite large facilities beginning to resume operations on a presidential order to stay open during the pandemic.
Ash, one of Canine Therapy Corps operations manager Ann Davidson's therapy dogs, plays in her backyard April 30, 2020, in the Irving Park neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley)
Video call meetings and work-from-home regulations are no longer just for humans. Illinois-based organizations that offer therapy dog services are having their canines offer their emotional support online.


chicagotribune--2020-05-06--Coronavirus pandemic could cause $560 million in Illinois gas tax revenue losses this year, possibly

Coronavirus pandemic could cause $560 million in Illinois gas tax revenue losses this year, possibly delaying some road and rail plans: report

Illinois is in an unique situation in that it already had a backlog of infrastructure shortfalls , which the new @ @ @ @ @ was supposed to address .
A fifth of Illinois Department of Transportation roadways were considered @ @ @ @ @ , and more than a third of the state ’ s bridges are either structurally @ @ @ @ @ design life , according to the Illinois Economic Policy Institute report .

Illinois could lose close to $560 million in gas tax revenue this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, which may delay some big state road and rail projects, according to a new report.
Last year, the Illinois legislature passed a six-year, $45 billion infrastructure package that provided $33 billion in funding for transportation, including road repairs around the state, train line extensions, new locomotives and other equipment. The legislation came after a 10-year drought in funding for transportation projects.
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The bill included money for Amtrak service to Rockford, Metra service to Kendall County, an expansion of a busy portion of Interstate 80 and repairs to the CTA Green Line’s Cottage Grove station. The transportation projects are being paid for primarily through a doubling of the state’s 19-cent-per gallon motor fuel tax, which started last July.
But the report from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank, found that with road travel down by almost half, the state could lose $296 million to $559 million this year alone, depending on different scenarios.
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“The bottom line here is none of us really knows what’s going to happen,” said Mary Tyler, the institute’s transportation analyst and co-author of the report, which is being released Wednesday. “It’s safe to assume we’re going to see some reductions moving forward. A lot of people may be extending working from home, even after the stay-at-home order is lifted."
The scenario for state funding could be even worse than the report predicts, and could extend into next year and beyond, said Frank Manzo IV, report co-author and the institute’s policy director.
“If we do not have more testing, if we don’t have more treatments and a clinically proven vaccine ... there is a chance that our estimate is conservative," Manzo said.
The report recommends that the federal government provide emergency relief for state and local governments, or else some transportation projects face the risk of being delayed or cancelled altogether.
There is no indication that delays to any large projects could happen this year, according to transit officials and a representative for road builders.
The CTA Green Line station at 63rd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue is seen June 6, 2019, in Chicago. Funding for work on the station was included as part of a six-year, $45 billion infrastructure package. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
The construction industry does not expect this year’s work on Illinois Department of Transportation projects to be affected much by the loss in gas tax revenue, because the work has already begun and been assigned to contractors, said Michael Sturino, president and CEO of the Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Association, a trade group.
However, he said that the industry is concerned and has already seen local governments pulling back on some smaller projects, like resurfacing.
The state Department of Transportation has already issued bonds to generate funds for projects in the bill, including about $1.36 billion for transit, according to Regional Transportation Authority Executive Director Leanne Redden. The RTA, which oversees the budgets for the CTA, Metra and Pace, has applied for grants for about 31 projects, including new rail cars and locomotives for Metra, new rail cars for the CTA and a bus garage for Pace on Interstate 55, Redden said.
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Redden said she is “not too concerned” about delays at this point, since the money is available.
“We feel like we got a good jump start on that,” Redden said. "So I guess we’re hopeful. Longer term, beyond that, the world’s kind of taking a ‘let’s see what happens’ approach.”
Transportation departments around the country are seeing tax revenues decline. Last month, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, which represents state departments of transportation, asked Congress for $50 billion in direct emergency assistance to states over two years.
Preliminary projections from state transportation departments show at least a 30% decline in transportation revenues on average for the next 18 months, according to the association.
Illinois is in an unique situation in that it already had a backlog of infrastructure shortfalls, which the Rebuild Illinois law was supposed to address. A fifth of IDOT roadways were considered to be in poor condition, and more than a third of the state’s bridges are either structurally deficient or had exceeded their design life, according to the Illinois Economic Policy Institute report.
Road construction, which provides both good-paying jobs and good opportunities for social distancing at job sites, has been one of the state economy’s bright spots during the pandemic. But that could be hurt in the future by the tax shortfall, Manzo said.
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“Federal funding would allow Illinois to get back on the right track and put Illinois residents back to work, and that would help us get back to some semblance of normalcy and generate as much of that $45 billion as we can in the next few years," Manzo said.
Tyler said continuous funding is especially important for projects that are safety concerns, like bridge repairs and the widening of I-80.
Pace spokeswoman Maggie Daly Skogsbakken said in an email that the agency has not received any of the Rebuild Illinois funding yet, but noted that collection of gas taxes for the program began in July 2019.
“We are hopeful that the revenue already collected and the revenue that comes in after people get back to work will fulfill the budgetary needs of the bill,” Daly Skogsbakken said. “We anticipate the funding to start flowing soon and are ready to go on a few projects.”
Metra still plans to finalize procurement for new rail cars later this year, and is planning station projects and other work, said spokesman Michael Gillis.
Asked if lower gas tax funding could delay projects in the future, Gillis said the commuter railroad is keeping a “close eye” on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on all of its funding, operating and capital.
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“But there are so many unknowns at this point that there is no clear picture,” Gillis said.
CTA spokesman Brian Steele said the agency is continuing construction on several major projects, including Red and Purple Modernization and traction power upgrades for the Blue Line.
“Though it is too soon to know what the impacts of funding for the state capital bill might be, these investments are crucial to modernizing and improving public transit,” Steele said in an email.
mwisniewski@chicagotribune.com