chicagotribune--2020-07-07--Free saliva-based COVID-19 tests begin at University of Illinois, but school won’t say if students a

Free saliva-based COVID-19 tests begin at University of Illinois, but school won’t say if students are required to take them

Burke said the results are processed at a university lab that has been certified by the Illinois Department of Public @ @ @ @ @ is also applying for federal approval so the tests can be conducted on a wider @ @ @ @ @ parts of the state .
His team is in communication with the Food and Drug @ @ @ @ @ for an emergency use authorization within the next three weeks .

Marcus Jackson completes his COVID-19 saliva testing on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, in a tent outside the Alice Campbell Alumni Center on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Urbana, Illinois — On a boiling summer morning, students and faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign trickled into a large, open-air tent and got the first glimpse of what will become a common sight on campus this fall: a COVID-19 testing center.
Unlike many of the tests used to detect the coronavirus, which require an uncomfortable swab deep into the nose, the tests at UIUC rely on saliva. All participants need to do is drool into a test tube, hand it to a worker and wait for results within about 24 hours. The process, school officials say, can help the university reach its goal of conducting 10,000 tests per day at more than a dozen campus sites by Aug. 24, when in-person classes resume.
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“We think this is breakthrough technology,” said Tim Killeen, president of the University of Illinois System, who submitted his own saliva sample on Tuesday. “It’s low cost. It’s rapid. We’re going to be able to do this for many, many people coming in.”
With thousands of students possibly returning for the fall semester, rigorous testing is a core feature of the university’s plan to begin offering safe, in-person instruction during the pandemic and to avoid becoming a new hot spot. While students can opt to stay at home and take courses remotely, officials still expect a large number to come back, live in campus dorms and go to classes. Testing will be available continuously throughout the semester.
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But many professors have voiced opposition to the plan, and key questions about the tests linger: It’s not clear if students will be required to undergo testing, and the school has yet to receive federal approval to expand testing beyond the university community, though one of its labs is certified to analyze results. The testing — which is free for faculty, staff and students with a school ID — is not yet available for neighboring residents.
“We can’t say categorically, ‘Sign here, this is absolutely required.’ But the expectation is that every member of our community will take it,” Killeen said. “It’s very noninvasive. You walk in. ... It’s simple.”
On Tuesday morning, when the first testing tent opened near the Alice Campbell Alumni Center, university administrators and a small number of students dropped by to try it for themselves. Workers in bright orange T-shirts manned the tent, signed people in and provided a clear test tube for participants to use. The workers, a mix of students and residents, wore masks but did not need to be trained medical professionals.
One recent graduate student who submitted a saliva sample said the process took just a few minutes. He stood in an area marked by tape to ensure 6 feet of distance from others, drooled into the test tube and went on with his day.
“I wanted to come give it a shot,” said the man, 30, who just earned his doctorate but did not want to provide his name for privacy reasons. “It seems easier than sticking something in your nose. ... It seems pretty seamless. I think it will work on scale too. As long as it’s accurate, it seems like it will help the university get back.”
Barbara Wilson, executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs, takes the saliva test for COVID-19 on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, in a tent outside the Alice Campbell Alumni Center on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Dr. Martin Burke, a chemistry professor who is leading the university’s testing efforts, said participants are asked to dribble in the tube and not spit so they don’t produce small droplets that could drift to others.
“Our goal, of course, is to have everything as safe as possible,” he said. “We’re outside. ... It’s much better in the open environment, where you don’t get buildup of high concentrations. The idea is by not spitting — you just dribble into the tube — then you don’t create aerosols.”
Those interested in getting tested also should not eat, drink, brush teeth, chew gum or use tobacco or mouthwash 30 minutes before providing a saliva sample, the university says.
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Burke said the results are processed at a university lab that has been certified by the Illinois Department of Public Health but that his team is also applying for federal approval so the tests can be conducted on a wider scale, possibly in other parts of the state. His team is in communication with the Food and Drug Administration and intends to apply for an emergency use authorization within the next three weeks.
A fact sheet handed to participants at the tent said false negatives are possible in some people who do have COVID-19, while “there is a very small chance” for false positives. Burke, citing industry etiquette, said he could not discuss his research about the accuracy of the saliva tests because he has submitted his findings for publication and they have yet to be peer-reviewed.
Killeen, however, said the accuracy findings are encouraging, noting that scientists have compared results from individuals who underwent both type of tests.
Before the new school year begins, UIUC plans to open more than a dozen additional on-campus testing locations. Killeen said the University of Illinois campuses in Chicago and Springfield are also preparing to roll out the saliva tests.
Nancy Markstahler collects a sample as COVID-19 saliva testing is conducted on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, in a tent on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Despite the promise of comprehensive testing, many faculty and staff members say they oppose returning to the Urbana-Champaign campus, fearing that some students might not abide by new protocols or act cautiously. A group of professors in late May published a statement against reopening, saying that “adequate protection on a residential campus the breadth and size of ours is nearly impossible.” More recently, faculty members have circulated a petition in the academic senate that is also critical of opening for in-person instruction.
As many as 52,000 students could return to the campus because the university is not limiting the number of students allowed to live in its residence halls as other schools, including elite private schools and public universities outside Illinois, have chosen to do.
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UIUC Chancellor Robert Jones said he expects “a very large number” of students to return to campus, barring any unexpected developments before mid August. He did not offer a specific number.
Speaking through a thick face mask at the testing site, Jones said he hopes the testing will help assure students that UIUC is approaching the fall semester with plans rooted in science and data. He also said students should not expect to see a tuition reduction, even for those taking classes solely online.
“Our students have made it very very clear that their preference is to do face-to-face instruction,” Jones said. “The hybrid model that we have developed is going to allow that core desire to be implemented as well as giving us flexibility.”
Graduate student Brett Cain completes COVID-19 saliva testing on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, in a tent on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Robin Kaler, a UIUC spokeswoman, would not confirm whether students will be required to undergo testing or if it will be voluntary.
“We’re still working out the details of our testing program,” she said in an email. “We’ll share them later this month.”
Students begin moving in to campus residences Aug. 16 and can bring items to their dorms even earlier by appointment.
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echerney@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-07--Woman in her 90s killed, 2nd woman injured in Chicago domestic stabbing attack

Both of the women who were stabbed were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center , according to the @ @ @ @ @ man was taken to St. Bernard Hospital for injuries he suffered during the attack .

A man is comforted in the 7700 block of South Laflin Street in Chicago on July 7, 2020, near the scene of a reported fatal stabbing incident. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
A 96-year-old woman was killed and a 73-year-old woman was seriously hurt when a 41-year-old man stabbed both of them multiple times in the Gresham neighborhood Tuesday morning, according to police.
Emergency crews were called to the 7700 block of Laflin Avenue about 11 a.m. Tuesday, according to a Chicago police media notification. The older woman, 96-year-old Myrtis Jackson, was stabbed multiple times with a pitchfork, according to other police information and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
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Jackson, who was pronounced dead at 11:43 a.m., also lived in the same block where she was killed, the medical examiner’s office said.
An autopsy Wednesday determined the primary cause of her death was multiple injuries from an assault, with heart disease listed as a secondary cause of death. Jackson’s death was ruled a homicide.
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Police initially were called for a mental health disturbance and a battery in progress, police spokeswoman Sally Bown said
Both of the women who were stabbed were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, according to the police media notification. In an updated media notification, police said the younger woman’s age was 73, not 57.
The man was taken to St. Bernard Hospital for injuries he suffered during the attack.
Police said the man has a history of mental illness and as of Wednesday evening, no charges had been announced.
Check back for updates.


chicagotribune--2020-07-07--31-year-old man dies after being pulled from water at Evanston beach Monday night

Emergency crews responded about 8:23 p.m. to a call of a person drowning at Clark Street Beach , 1811 Sheridan @ @ @ @ @ news release .
When they arrived , officers found a person in the water trying @ @ @ @ @ the lake .
Evanston firefighters also helped to pull Quito from Lake Michigan .

A 31-year old Chicago man drowned at Evanston’s Clark Street Beach Monday evening, according to Evanston police.
Marco Quito, 31, of Chicago, was pronounced dead about 9:13 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
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Emergency crews responded about 8:23 p.m. to a call of a person drowning at Clark Street Beach, 1811 Sheridan Road, according to a news release. When they arrived, officers found a person in the water trying to pull Quito out of the lake. Evanston firefighters also helped to pull Quito from Lake Michigan.
Firefighters immediately began CPR and other life-saving measures, according to the release.
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Quito was transported to Evanston Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the release.
Evanston detectives are investigating the drowning, but there is no evidence of foul play, police said.
Quito’s family could not immediately be reached for comment.
gbookwalter@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-07--27,412 Illinois companies got PPP loans of more than $150,000: Search our database

More than 200,000 Illinois companies received loans through the federal government ’ s Paycheck Protection Program .
The U.S. Department @ @ @ @ @ the names of companies that received loans of more than $ 150,000 .
Those 27,412 @ @ @ @ @

More than 200,000 Illinois companies received loans through the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program. The U.S. Department of Treasury is only releasing the names of companies that received loans of more than $150,000. Those 27,412 companies are listed below.


chicagotribune--2020-07-07--COVID-19 risk chart: When going out in public, use this chart

“ You can use this matrix every time you are thinking about a public activity , ” Arwady said in @ @ @ @ @ we continue to move forward , the risk is going to hopefully continue to drop @ @ @ @ @ keep making these same decisions day in and day out with each new activity .
@

With a host of new public activities now available, how do you figure out how much risk is safe for you to take?
“We’ve been getting a lot of questions about individual activities and peoples’ individual risk for COVID-19,” said Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Public Health, in a video on the city’s portal for resources on COVID-19. “I want to introduce you to a matrix that will help you think twice as you’re thinking about your COVID-19 risk.”
The matrix centers around two groups of questions: The first centers on whether you and the people around you are at a higher risk for a serious outcome if they contracted coronavirus. COVID-19 is more dangerous for people older than 60 and those in poor health or with preexisting medical conditions.
The second group of questions centers around the activity you’d like to do and whether you are able to take adequate precautions that can limit the possibility for COVID-19 to spread.
You can read more about the matrix here. The Tribune took the city’s matrix and stretched it into a flowchart where you can answer the questions, follow the path and assess your risk.
“You can use this matrix every time you are thinking about a public activity,” Arwady said in the video. “As we continue to move forward, the risk is going to hopefully continue to drop but you are going to keep making these same decisions day in and day out with each new activity.”


chicagotribune--2020-07-07--Pet store owners, activists clash on Chicago proposal that would block pet stores from selling breed

Pet store owners, activists clash on Chicago proposal that would block pet stores from selling breeders’ puppies

“ If you could see the inhumane manner in which these puppy mills operate , no Chicago pet owner that @ @ @ @ @ money to go to support an industry like that , ” Ald .
Brian Hopkins @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It ’ s abhorrent , it ’ s offensive , and the only @ @ @ @ @ in the darkness .
”

A proposed ordinance sent to the full Chicago City Council this week would bar pet stores from selling dogs and only allow them to take fees for adoptions of pets from shelters and animal rescue groups.
The proposal aims to close a loophole from an ordinance passed in 2014 that attempted to prevent the sale of dogs from large-scale breeders at Chicago pet stores.
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The 2014 ordinance’s language allowed breeders to sell pets to retail stores under the guise of nonprofit organizations, a 2018 Chicago Tribune investigation found. The city’s Committee on Health and Human Relations on Monday recommended the revised ordinance for approval by the City Council. The guidelines also would apply to cats and rabbits.
“If you could see the inhumane manner in which these puppy mills operate, no Chicago pet owner that I know would want their money to go to support an industry like that,” Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd, said Monday. “It’s abhorrent, it’s offensive, and the only way it can exist is in the darkness.”
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Pet store co-owners Stephanie and Lane Boron said the pet rescues that supply their store get dogs from commercial breeders, surrenders and other sources. The pair owns Pocket Puppies, 2479 N. Clark St.
“Rescues are not required to provide disclosures on sourcing. We do,” Stephanie Boron said. “There’s no loophole. There’s no fraud. ... We should not be put out of business for doing it better with stricter control.”
David Dinger, vice president of operations for the Anti-Cruelty Society, said his rescue does not get dogs from breeders. He said they get dogs from other rescues and humane societies to prevent overcrowding issues.
“If it’s true that there are agencies that are participating in this charade, then we should shine a light on that because that is unethical behavior that flies in the face of the important work that real animal advocates are struggling with each and every day,” Dinger said.
Hopkins challenged pet store owners to find other ways to remain profitable without selling dogs at high prices from breeders.
“If any business is incapable of staying open unless they have the opportunity to make their profits on the backs of these animals, then they deserve to close,” Hopkins said.
Stephanie Boron added that the ordinance could prohibit rescues from holding adoption events at retail stores like Petco and PetSmart.
Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, said the ordinance does not do anything to end puppy mills, while Hopkins said preventing retailers from purchasing dogs from breeders could shut down puppy mills.
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“We’ve heard a lot of impassioned rhetoric today about that, but this has nothing to do with that,” Lopez said. “This has to do with three businesses in the city of Chicago.”
Pocket Puppies is one of those three stores. The other two were notified of the hearing, but did not testify.
Cari Meyers, president of the Puppy Mill Project, a nonprofit organization that aims to educate the public about what it considers inhumane breeders, said no responsible breeder would ever sell to pet stores. She said responsible breeders will want to meet potential owners, sometimes on multiple occasions, to make sure they are a good fit for a dog.
“They have been committing fraud against consumers, as well as the city of Chicago, by saying these are rescue dogs, which they are not,” Meyers said. “They are coming from the mills — they are the exact same dogs that have been in the stores before — and they are charging thousands of dollars for these dogs.”
The City Council is scheduled to vote on the ordinance July 22.


chicagotribune--2020-07-07--From museums and restaurants to law firms and supermarkets, thousands of Chicago-area businesses got

From museums and restaurants to law firms and supermarkets, thousands of Chicago-area businesses got PPP loans worth $1 million or more

The SBA released the names of more than 660,000 businesses nationwide that received PPP loans of $ 150,000 or more @ @ @ @ @ of the more than 4.9 million loans approved during the program , as the names @ @ @ @ @ were not released .

Guests with face masks enter at the South Gate as Brookfield Zoo reopens, although only with outdoor exhibits. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The Small Business Administration on Monday released a list of some of the businesses approved for federal payroll protection loans, and a lot of prominent Chicago-area companies received funds to help them through the coronavirus pandemic.
From museums and restaurants to law firms and supermarkets, nearly 4,000 Illinois businesses and nonprofits were approved for PPP loans worth $1 million or more, according to SBA data, which was published online. Others received smaller sums.
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The Brookfield Zoo, Cubs sponsor Sloan Valve, Willow Creek Church and Baird & Warner are among the 255 Illinois organizations with PPP loans between $5 million and $10 million — the most allowed under the program.
Other well-known Chicago-area companies approved for at least $1 million in PPP loans include Rosebud Restaurants, Pete’s Fresh Market, Steppenwolf Theatre and Encyclopaedia Britannica.
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[ 27,412 Illinois companies got PPP loans of more than $150,000: Search our database ]
The SBA released the names of more than 660,000 businesses nationwide that received PPP loans of $150,000 or more. That represents a fraction of the more than 4.9 million loans approved during the program, as the names of borrowers under $150,000 were not released.
The list is notable for its breadth and diversity, emblematic of the widespread economic devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic and the statewide stay-at-home orders that have disrupted business since March.
In addition to the Rosebud group, Chicago-area restaurants approved for $1 million or more in PPP loans include Buona Beef, Eataly, Home Run Inn, City Winery and the Purple Pig.
The Crescent Garden, which contains flowers with colors conducive to pollinators, is seen July 23, 2019, at the Bees and Beyond exhibit at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe. The garden received a Paycheck Protection Program loan. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
The Adler Planetarium, the Museum of Science and Industry and the Shedd Aquarium are among the museums that received the $1 million-plus PPP loans.
The Chicago Botanic Garden, Lincoln Park Zoo, Navy Pier, Morton Arboretum and the Joffrey Ballet are among other cultural destinations that received loans.
Also receiving them were media companies including public TV station WTTW-Ch. 11, public radio station WBEZ-FM 91.5, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Arlington Heights-based Daily Herald.
Real estate development companies including Lincoln Yards developer Sterling Bay, Oxford Hotels and Inland Real Estate Investment Corp. also received $1 million or more in PPP loans.
Chicago’s Admiral Theatre, which sued the SBA for allegedly shutting adult nightclubs out of the PPP program, was approved for a loan of between $350,000 and $1 million last month.
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Launched April 3, the federal paycheck program offers businesses with fewer than 500 employees forgivable loans of up to $10 million to cover eight weeks of payroll. The initial $349 billion in funding ran out in less than two weeks, with many smaller businesses shut out, as banks allegedly prioritized larger clients ahead of mom-and-pop businesses.
That led to a number of class-action lawsuits and pushback from lawmakers and small-business advocates, pressuring some “larger” small businesses like Ruth’s Chris, Shake Shack and Chicago-based Potbelly to give back their loans.
The $310 billion second round of PPP, which began April 27, focused on smaller businesses, but demand fell off amid concerns about loan forgiveness. Last month, Congress approved legislation making the terms more flexible, extending the covered period to 24 weeks and reducing the portion of the loan that must be used for payroll to 60%.
When the program expired June 30, the government had approved nearly 4.9 million loans worth more than $521 billion, with an average loan size of about $107,000. In Illinois, the SBA approved 202,143 loans worth nearly $22.5 billion, with an average loan of about $111,000.
The SBA reopened loan applications Monday, extending the deadline through Aug. 8 in an effort to distribute the remaining $138 billion in funds.
rchannick@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-07--Man killed in Northwest Side home, suspect in custody, police say

Police responded to an emergency medical call in the 4800 block of North Central Park Avenue about and found the @ @ @ @ @ head injuries , according to police .
The attack was domestic , police said , @ @ @

A 23-year-old man has been charged with murder after police said he pummeled another man’s head with a baseball bat Tuesday on the Northwest Side.
Carl Noffz, 23, was charged with murder in the death of Philip Noffz, 28, said Officer Steve Rusanov, a Chicago police spokesman. Rusanov declined to confirm any relationship the men had.
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Philip Noffz, 28, was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:43 a.m. after being hit with a baseball bat multiple times in the head and face inside a residence in the 4800 block of North Central Park Avenue on Tuesday, according to a police media notification and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Police responded to an emergency medical call and found the elder Noffz unresponsive and suffering from head injuries, according to police. The attack was domestic, police said, without elaborating.
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Carl Noffz, 23, was charged with murder after using a baseball bat to bludgeon a 28-year-old man to death in the 4800 block of North Central Park Avenue on July 7, 2020, Chicago police said. (Chicago Police Department)
Noffz, who lived on the same block where he was killed, died of head injuries from a beating and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the medical examiner’s office, which performed an autopsy Wednesday.
Carl Noffz, who also lived in the 4800 block of North Central Park Avenue, was scheduled to appear before a judge on Thursday for a bond hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.
Detectives were investigating the death as a homicide.


chicagotribune--2020-07-07--‘Bruno,’ the wandering black bear who traveled through Illinois in search of a mate, is relocated fr

‘Bruno,’ the wandering black bear who traveled through Illinois in search of a mate, is relocated from a St. Louis suburb

Crowds of curiosity-seekers occasionally spooked Bruno , but he seemed to be on a determined search for a mate .
@ @ @ @ @ and Iowa in the 19th century , so experts believe he was aiming for Missouri @ @ @ @ @ of black bears , so much so the state is considering the legalization of hunting @ @ @

Bruno the black bear, who has wandered from Wisconsin to Missouri in search of a mate. (Illinois Department of Natural Resources)
ST. LOUIS — Bruno the black bear, whose interstate wanderlust inspired an international legion of followers, was tranquilized in Missouri and relocated for the safety of the animal and public. Missouri conservation agents tracked the bear, which on Sunday “cornered himself” north of Interstate 70 and near Interstate 40, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.
There, a crowd of 400 onlookers gathered.
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“The bear found itself in a tough spot, stuck by several major roadways,” State Furbearer Biologist Laura Conlee said in a statement. “Due to the proximity to the roadways, coupled with the busy travel day, MDC staff determined the bear had little chance of safely leaving the area on its own.”
“In the interest of public safety and the bear’s safety, MDC staff made the decision to immobilize the bear and transport it to a nearby area of suitable bear habitat outside this urban corridor,” she added.
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MDC staff trained in wildlife handling successfully sedated the bear, the conservation department said. The bear’s condition was monitored by State Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Sherri Russel and he was “released unharmed when he awoke,” the department added.
The bear, which spent much of June trekking though west-central Illinois, swam across the Mississippi River and into Missouri last week. On Thursday, the 350-pound animal lumbered into the area of Elsberry, a city of 1,934 residents 60 miles northwest of St. Louis.
Bruno the Bear tranquilized in St. Charles County, moved from area https://t.co/VxWerIqDme — KMOV (@KMOV) July 6, 2020
A spokesperson for the Elsberry Police Department said that Bruno had been released to a “private location.” However, the Missouri Department of Conservation later said Bruno had been released into the wild, in a “suitable habitat outside the urban area.”
On June 10, the bear departed his native Wisconsin and crossed into Illinois. He briefly slipped into Iowa before returning to Illinois, spending much of the rest of the month wandering south through west-central Illinois – meanwhile acquiring the nickname “Bruno.”
Crowds of curiosity-seekers occasionally spooked Bruno, but he seemed to be on a determined search for a mate. Black bears vanished from Illinois and Iowa in the 19th century, so experts believe he was aiming for Missouri, which has a population of black bears, so much so the state is considering the legalization of hunting the species.
In Illinois, police blocked off traffic on interstates to allow safe passage for Bruno. Much of his trip has been documented by a Facebook page, “Keeping Bruno Safe.”
The journey also has been followed by news media worldwide. “We’re rooting for you, Bruno!” declared a Sunday headline in England’s Daily Mail. “Black bear who has traveled 400 miles across four states in search of a mate becomes an unlikely social media star.”


chicagotribune--2020-07-07--Illinois promised in April to improve the system to file for unemployment benefits. But people are s

Illinois promised in April to improve the system to file for unemployment benefits. But people are still having trouble, and ‘hundreds of thousands of calls’ come in every week.

“ I call both states and I get no answer at all .
And then , when you go online @ @ @ @ @ call .
… It ’ s very stressful because you just don ’ t know @ @ @ @ @ be at all , ” Madey said .

Illinois said it has processed more than 1.4 million claims, paid more than $7 billion in unemployment insurance benefits since the beginning of March and made promises to improve systems overwhelmed by jobless residents seeking help.
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But issues persist for many applicants, some of whom claim they have made hundreds of phone calls a week to the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the state agency tasked with processing claims. Residents worry they’ll miss out on the expansion of unemployment insurance through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, a federal law that increased unemployment funds and extended benefits to gig workers and freelancers.
The nation’s unemployment rate fell to 11.1% in June, a decrease from 13.3% in May. In the week ending June 27, Illinois received more than 45,000 initial claims for benefits, a slight decrease from more than 46,000 initial claims the previous week. Still, claims remain high compared with the same time period last year, when more than 8,000 initial claims were filed.
A spike of coronavirus cases in the South and West caused several states to reverse or suspend reopening plans in late June, and that likely will put some workers out of a job a second time. The idea of having to go through the unemployment claims process again is a concern for some applicants who have waited weeks to receive benefits.
Information signs are seen posted June 5, 2020, at an Illinois Department of Employment Security office in Chicago. Many applicants have reported difficulty filing for Illinois unemployment benefits. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)
Kristen Kowalski, 37, of Downers Grove, estimated she made more than 2,000 phone calls before receiving her first unemployment check in early June. Kowalski, an eyelash extension aesthetician, went on furlough in mid-March after salons, barbershops and other nonessential businesses closed under the state’s stay-at-home order.
“I got so desperate I started asking my state representative to see if I can get any information or recommendations on what to do,” Kowalski said.
She is worried what will come next. Kowalski said the state sent her a note in late June saying she owes about $5,000 because she was overpaid, but she hasn’t been able to reach anyone at the agency to follow up.
“It’s been a lot. … Another 940 phone calls, and I have not been able to get through. This has been a disaster, and I know it’s not just me,” Kowalski said.
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Some lawmakers have grown frustrated trying to reach the agency.
Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, who's district includes suburban Downers Grove, said her office has been helping constituents with filing issues since the start of the pandemic, and the agency was responsive at first.
But it all changed once the state became swamped with claims at the end of March. In recent weeks, Stava-Murray said her office has received little to no response from the agency.
“People are getting desperate,” she said. “We are robbing people of their days and weeks.”
Stava-Murray said some of her constituents’ issues could be easily fixed if they were able to get a hold of someone.
“In some instances, they call because their application wasn’t filled out correctly. Or people who are approved and go through the certification process get stuck because there is a glitch in the system. As soon as someone pays attention to their case, they can get their money again,” Stava-Murray said.
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On June 26, dozens of state representatives, including Stava-Murray, sent a letter to Thomas Chan, acting director of the department, asking the agency to revamp how it handles phone calls and help resolve outstanding cases.
“These constituents are left feeling incredibly frustrated, with no confidence in state government’s ability to provide the relief they are entitled to — and despite their best efforts, our staff are unable to help as there is no mechanism to allow them to coordinate with IDES claims services, leaving many issues unresolved,” lawmakers said in a letter obtained by the Tribune.
In the letter, state representatives asked the agency to call applicants back within seven to 10 days and schedule a time for when it will contact applicants. They also asked the agency to streamline the way staffers answer general questions from the public so answers can be provided within a couple of days.
“Most of our solutions can help IDES to free them from the endless hell of phone calls,” Stava-Murray said.
IDES said it continues to receive about 200,000 calls each week from applicants. The agency has 562 call center workers, an increase from 143 before the start of the pandemic, spokeswoman Rebecca Cisco said in an email.
“As the COVID-19 outbreak unfolded, IDES quickly moved to increase our web capacity to handle the unprecedented increase of claims, and improve our web capabilities, like implementing a web bot to improve the user experience,” Cisco said.
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Cisco said the agency does not have a backlog of claims. But some applicants have been waiting for months to receive benefits.
A spokeswoman for Gov. J.B. Pritzker called the issues facing IDES “math problems.”
“The General Assembly could appropriate funding to hire an additional 2,000 workers and that still wouldn’t give the agency enough personnel to answer the hundreds of thousands of calls that come in a week,” spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said in an emailed statement.
Abudayyeh said it would take nine months to train additional call center workers.
But time is running out for some applicants.
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Shelby Madey, 25, moved back home with her parents in Chicago after she was furloughed in March from her job as a carpenter technician for a show in Las Vegas. She was working in Nevada for about six months, and previously worked in Illinois, but said she has had difficulties applying for unemployment insurance benefits.
Madey said she was told she was ineligible for benefits in Nevada because she hadn’t worked and lived in the state long enough. She decided not to appeal the decision — which she now regrets — when she filed in March because she thought she would be back at work after a few weeks.
Now, she is trying to figure out where she is eligible for unemployment. Madey said she made about 100 phone calls in a single day to the Nevada and Illinois offices, but had no luck reaching anyone in either state.
“I call both states and I get no answer at all. And then, when you go online it says you have to call. … It’s very stressful because you just don’t know when your next paycheck will be at all,” Madey said.
abjimenez@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @abdel1019


chicagotribune--2020-07-07--‘Nothing I’d ever seen before’: Illegal fireworks light up Chicago skies over July 4 weekend

“ Growing up , me and my neighbors ’ favorite game to play : Is it gang shots or fireworks @ @ @ @ @ “ If me and my family were hanging out on our front porch and we @ @ @ @ @ important for us to try and figure out if that was just a firework or @ @ @ @ @ more concerned .
When it ’ s all fireworks , all the time , it @ @ @ @ @ the difference .
”

People look at fireworks for sale at Uncle Sam's Fireworks store in Hammond on June 22, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Officially, the city’s Fourth of July festivities were canceled due to COVID-19 social distancing considerations. Many enjoyed virtual celebrations instead.
Unofficially, numerous illegal fireworks displays exploded over the Chicago skyline Saturday night.
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Chicago is lit up tonight like I've never seen before. pic.twitter.com/KAzOKvhLE2 — Dylan Doppelt (@DylanDoppelt) July 5, 2020
Dylan Doppelt, 23, tweeted a video of the July 4 fireworks in Chicago from his apartment building in Uptown. Doppelt said he heard fireworks continuously from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.
“Every year we have tons of fireworks, but this year was definitely nothing I’d ever seen before,” Doppelt said. “It was just nonstop, all day ... much longer, much more intense than any year I’ve seen growing up here.”
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Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Merritt emphasized that fireworks use is illegal in Chicago.
“A lot of people don’t understand fireworks, including sparklers, are illegal in the city of Chicago,” Merritt said. “Our recommendation is people don’t use them at all because they are dangerous and they are illegal.”
Continuing a trend seen throughout the summer, the city received an unusually high number of emergency calls for fireworks disturbances leading up to and during the holiday weekend.
The 911 call center received 9,092 calls between June 28 and Sunday, approximately three times the number of calls received in the same time period last year, according to data provided by Mary May, an Office of Emergency Management and Communications spokesperson.
As of Sunday, the city had received a total of 19,925 fireworks-related calls this year, compared with 4,612 calls by the same date last year — a 332% increase.
Some Chicago suburbs have also seen more fireworks complaint calls than usual.
Doppelt said he thinks people may be shooting off more fireworks because usual activities have been canceled.
“Last year, I had to spend my Fourth of July between three different events, three different kinds of family, and that’s been pretty similar every year,” Doppelt said. “This year, I had nothing to do other than watch the fireworks. I didn’t go and buy any, but if I owned a car, probably would’ve driven to Indiana and gotten some myself.”
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Several Indiana fireworks stores faced shortages in supply leading up to July 4. Illinoisans looking to buy fireworks often travel to neighboring states such as Indiana, where sale and possession of consumer pyrotechnics are legal.
The Chicago Fire Department responded to 33 calls and made 26 transports due to fireworks-related injuries from Friday to Sunday of the July 4 weekend, Meritt said.
According to Merritt, the incidents included hand, wrist, finger, eye and burn injuries, none of which were life-threatening.
Fireworks explode while police investigate the scene of a fatal shooting on July 4, 2020, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Though Doppelt said he found the displays visually appealing, especially in such numbers, he said he was concerned for pets and people with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Having lived most of his life in the Hermosa neighborhood on the West Side, Doppelt said he was worried the constant fireworks mask similar-sounding gunshots. He said this is problematic, especially following a series of violent weekends in the city.
“Growing up, me and my neighbors’ favorite game to play: Is it gang shots or fireworks?” Doppelt said. “If me and my family were hanging out on our front porch and we heard something, it was important for us to try and figure out if that was just a firework or if we had to be more concerned. When it’s all fireworks, all the time, it can be hard to tell the difference.”
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Merritt said he could not specify the number of fires started by fireworks in the city.
The Chicago Police Department declined to comment on how many people were arrested on fireworks-related charges over the weekend.


chicagotribune--2020-07-08--Daywatch: Inside Illinois’ graduated-rate income tax fight, Sen. Tammy Duckworth fires back at Tucke

Daywatch: Inside Illinois’ graduated-rate income tax fight, Sen. Tammy Duckworth fires back at Tucker Carlson and U. of I. offers saliva-based COVID-19 tests

Unlike many of the tests used to detect the coronavirus , which require an uncomfortable swab deep into the nose @ @ @ @ @ the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign relies on saliva .
All participants need to do @ @ @ @ @ tube , hand it to a worker and wait for results within about 24 hours @

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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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Illinois reported 37 new COVID-19 deaths Tuesday, more than the daily totals from over the long holiday weekend but still well below the number of daily deaths during May and June. The state also announced 587 new cases.
The positivity rate for the state’s Northeast region — which includes Chicago and its suburbs — remains at 4.2%. Here’s where each region stands on key COVID-19 metrics.
Across the country, states have either delayed reopening or reimposed restrictions amid surges in COVID-19 cases. Here’s how Illinois compares.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks in downtown Chicago on March 20, 2020. The fight over Pritzker’s signature policy initiative, moving Illinois to a graduated-rate income tax, is intensifying with about four months to go before voters decide the issue. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
The fight over Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature policy initiative, moving Illinois to a graduated-rate income tax, is intensifying with about four months to go before voters decide the issue.
A coalition of Illinois organizations that represent businesses launched an effort Tuesday to beat back the proposal, a move that follows Pritzker’s recent $51.5 million contribution to the ballot initiative committee that’s backing a shift from a flat state income tax to one that would impose higher rates on the highest earners.
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How the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic fallout is adding an emotional element to the battle over Pritzker’s graduated-rate income tax plan
Sen. Tammy Duckworth travels with staff between meetings June 20, 2017, at the U.S. Capitol. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Purple Heart recipient who lost both legs in a combat helicopter crash in Iraq, fired back at Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Twitter after he challenged her and other Democratic leaders’ patriotism and charged that they despise the country.
Could Duckworth’s remarkable life story help make her Joe Biden’s pick for vice president? Here’s a look at her chances.
Marcus Jackson completes his COVID-19 saliva testing on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, in a tent outside the Alice Campbell Alumni Center on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Unlike many of the tests used to detect the coronavirus, which require an uncomfortable swab deep into the nose, a new test at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign relies on saliva. All participants need to do is drool into a test tube, hand it to a worker and wait for results within about 24 hours.
With thousands of students possibly returning for the fall semester, rigorous testing is a core feature of the university’s plan to begin offering safe, in-person instruction during the pandemic. But many professors have voiced opposition to the plan, and key questions about the tests linger.
College campuses are trying to reopen in the fall. The main source of opposition? The faculty.
Construction has stopped at the 74-story condo tower called 1000M, at 1000 South Michigan Avenue, in Chicago. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
A Helmut Jahn-designed skyscraper along South Michigan Avenue is on hold at least until September and buyers of the luxury units are being offered some of their deposits back, after the project’s lender stopped funding its construction.
The latest delay, resulting from economic concerns tied to the coronavirus pandemic, raises questions about the viability of the biggest condo project to break ground in Chicago in more than a decade.
The Aon Center has paused plans to build an observatory with a thrill ride atop Chicago’s third-tallest skyscraper. The $185 million project will start almost a year behind schedule because of the pandemic.
Jessica Ruhl, a third-generation co-owner of Northwestern Cutlery, stands outside the small Fulton Market shop July 2, 2020. The shop is moving to the northwest side of Chicago. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
One of the last vestiges of Fulton Market’s once bustling meatpacking district is moving out. Northwestern Cutlery, which has operated in the neighborhood for nearly 50 years, will move to a larger store in the northwest neighborhood of Norwood Park in September, after selling the property to developers.


chicagotribune--2020-07-08--Illinois US Sen. Tammy Duckworth fires back at Fox News host Tucker Carlson after he questions her p

Illinois US Sen. Tammy Duckworth fires back at Fox News host Tucker Carlson after he questions her patriotism

Carlson showed only a short clip from her CNN interview and said , “ A national dialogue ?
Please .
@ @ @ @ @ for a colloquy .
What they want is a soliloquy .
We speak , you @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s long been considered out of bounds to question a person ’ s @ @ @ @ @ a very strong charge and we try not ever to make it .
But in @ @ @ @ @ this , the conclusion can ’ t be avoided .
These people actually hate America @ @

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth obliges for a selfie with a voter outside Union Station in Chicago following her re-election to the Senate on Nov. 9, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Purple Heart recipient who lost both legs in a combat helicopter crash in Iraq, fired back at Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Twitter after he challenged her and other Democratic leaders’ patriotism and charged that they despise the country.
The volleys started when Carlson, in a nearly 14-minute segment, included Duckworth’s answer on CNN over the weekend when she was asked whether she also supported removing monuments honoring historical figures in U.S. history who were slave owners, such as George Washington.
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In her response, which went on to criticize President Donald Trump’s recent appearance at Mount Rushmore, Duckworth said there should be a national dialogue on the issue at some point. When pressed, Duckworth said, “I think we should listen to everybody.”
On his show Monday night, Carlson noted that Duckworth is among the contenders to be Democrat Joe Biden’s running mate this fall and criticized her call for a national dialogue on the historical monuments issue.
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“You’re not supposed to criticize Tammy Duckworth in any way because she once served in the military,” Carlson said. “Most people just ignore her. But when Duckworth does speak in public, you’re reminded what a deeply silly and unimpressive person she is.”
[ Could Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s remarkable life story help make her Joe Biden’s pick for vice president? ]
Carlson showed only a short clip from her CNN interview and said, “A national dialogue? Please. They’re not looking for a colloquy. What they want is a soliloquy. We speak, you shut up and listen ... it’s long been considered out of bounds to question a person’s patriotism. It’s a very strong charge and we try not ever to make it. But in the face of all of this, the conclusion can’t be avoided. These people actually hate America.”
Duckworth is one of at least 13 women being vetted by Biden’s team as a possible vice presidential candidate.
On Nov. 12, 2004, Duckworth, was in the Army Reserve and co-piloting a Black Hawk helicopter in Iraq when her aircraft was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. Then 36, she lost almost all of her right leg and her left leg below the knee and badly injured her right arm. She nearly bled to death.
Does @TuckerCarlson want to walk a mile in my legs and then tell me whether or not I love America? — Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) July 7, 2020
Duckworth replied to Carlson’s attack on Monday night by posing a question via Twitter.
“Does @TuckerCarlson want to walk a mile in my legs and then tell me whether or not I love America?”
On Tuesday night’s show, Carlson again targeted Duckworth, along with Minnesota U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, calling them “vandals” who hate the United States, The New York Times reported.


chicagotribune--2020-07-08--Column: Let’s make slain 7-year-old Natalia Wallace the newest face of the social justice movement

It is our civic duty to fight for reforms that would allow a little girl to visit her grandmother on @ @ @ @ @ shot in the head .
We have the power as a city to make it @ @ @ @ @ , do we have the will ?

Nine-year-old Nathan Wallace holds balloons during a vigil July 5, 2020, for his 7-year-old sister Natalia Wallace, who was shot and killed as her family gathered to celebrate the July Fourth holiday in the South Austin neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
It is easy to feel helpless about the killing of 7-year-old Natalia Wallace.
A sweet little girl was playing on the sidewalk on the Fourth of July when all of a sudden, a white car pulled up, three men got out and started shooting at a group that had gathered to celebrate the holiday.
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Natalia’s grandmother told the Tribune that the bullets just came from nowhere. There was nothing she could do. There was nothing anyone could do to protect Natalia.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot had called for “all hands on deck” over the holiday weekend and indeed, outreach groups stepped up to do what they could. But it was not enough.
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Police Superintendent David Brown saturated the streets with an additional 1,200 police officers. But none were there when Natalia needed them.
As much as we hate to admit it, there is likely nothing anyone could have done to change Natalia’s fate that evening.
None of us are directly responsible for the barbaric actions of a group of men who callously set out to injure or kill someone for whatever reason. But there is much we can do to alter the environment that allows such killers to thrive.
Elizabeth Perry gets a hug during a vigil for her 7-year-old granddaughter Natalia Wallace on July 5, 2020, in the South Austin neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
A photo is attached to a tree during a vigil for 7-year-old Natalia Wallace. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
It is our civic duty to fight for reforms that would allow a little girl to visit her grandmother on the West Side without being shot in the head. We have the power as a city to make it happen. The question is, do we have the will?
Natalia’s death comes as the nation is trying to reconcile the inequities that have shortchanged African Americans for generations. Poverty and poor access to education and good-paying jobs have convinced generations of Black people that their lives are of no value, much less anyone else’s.
Perhaps we have waited too long to do anything about hard-core killers who have no regard for a child’s life, other than throw them in jail. But we can pave a new path for the troubled youngsters who are treading on their heels.
A true social justice movement cannot only be about police reforms to combat the rampant killing of unarmed Black people by law enforcement. It must also include reforming the flawed societal system that allows, and even encourages, poor people to prey upon other poor people, often with impunity.
You might wonder what Floyd, a 46-year-old man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, had in common with Natalia.
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Other than the fact that they both were African Americans, there are no obvious similarities in the way they died. But there were many commonalities in the way they lived.
They were from similar environments, born to families that struggled economically even during America’s best of times. They were killed in gentrifying neighborhoods, still plagued by violence that lingers long after the poorest residents have been forced out.
The disparities have long been visible on the South Side of Chicago where Natalia lived, in South Austin where she was killed, in Houston’s 3rd Ward where Floyd grew up and in Minneapolis’ Powderhorn community where he died.
Posters are attached to a fence during a vigil for 7-year-old Natalia Wallace. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Both were victims of an economically unbalanced racial system, which places far less value on the lives of African Americans than white people. Let’s be honest, 7-year-old white girls aren’t shot to death the way Natalia was.
In Chicago, everyone expected people to die during the long Fourth of July weekend. Over four days, 87 people were shot, 17 of them fatally. The victims also included a 14-year-old boy, who was killed when four masked gunmen opened fire at a gathering in Englewood.
It isn’t that no one wants to stop the carnage in Chicago. The simple truth is that no one knows exactly how to do it.
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Neither police nor city officials have an effective plan to deal with the evil misfits society created and continues to nourish. Frankly, previous officials did not care enough to figure out what needed to be done.
For years, no one made getting to the root of the evil a priority. Most Chicagoans rarely think of the misfits until they rise up and wreak havoc on neighborhoods that are so distant that we ignore that they are part of our city.
A killing on the Fourth of July isn’t just about what happened that day. It can’t be looked at as merely retaliation for a prior shooting. The self-hatred exemplified in the senseless cycle of “you did something to me so I’ve got to get back at you” won’t end by simply throwing three shooters in jail.
There will always be someone to step in and take over the unfinished work.
In order to end the cycle of violence, we must first understand its origins. Natalia’s death was the culmination of a series of racially driven policies that city leaders put in place long before the shooters and the victims were born.
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Until now, no mayor has been able to grasp the social complexities that contribute to the violent culture. Lightfoot alluded to it Monday when she called the violence a “public health crisis” that is as much a threat as COVID-19.
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The only way to combat it, she said, is through investment in social services, jobs, education and so much more. It also requires building authentic relationships between police officers and communities, she said.
The goal of social justice reform is to lift up people who otherwise would be invisible. Natalia and every little girl and boy like her deserve to be seen.
There is nothing we can do for her now. But by putting Natalia’s face alongside Floyd’s in our fight for social justice, we have a chance to save many other children from becoming homicide victims or killers.
They are helpless, but we are not.
dglanton@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @dahleeng


chicagotribune--2020-07-08--Demand escalates for pet food pantries during COVID-19 crisis: ’We didn’t know how we were going to

Demand escalates for pet food pantries during COVID-19 crisis: ’We didn’t know how we were going to manage’

Care for Real , which also provides food and clothes for people , started a pop-up food pantry in Rogers @ @ @ @ @ down in the area , Meyerson said .
The added labor meant their pet food @ @ @ @ @ while a smaller number of staffers tried to help more people in need of other @ @

Volunteer Max Duran, left, helps Robert Hall load up food for his dog, Aura, as the Care for Real pet food pantry reopens on July 2, 2020, in Edgewater. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Nancy Meyerson struggled to fall asleep for weeks after the pet food pantry she oversees closed because of COVID-19.
“We didn’t know how we were going to manage,” said Meyerson, board chair of Care for Real, a nonprofit with a pet food pantry in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood.
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“I personally have never been terrified for myself,” she said. “But the thought of closing down when there were so many people in need kept me awake at night. It kept all of us awake.”
Chicago animal shelters and pet food pantries have scrambled to provide enough resources for pet owners as demand has escalated as people have lost their jobs and suffered financial strain during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Many pet food pantries in the region have shut down, while others looked to new ways of doing things to stay afloat.
“From the 15th of March to ... the end of May, we registered 600 new households,” Meyerson said. “That’s almost as many clients as we registered for all of 2019.”
Pantries have had to abandon their reliance on volunteers, many of whom have been told to stay at home to adhere to social distancing guidelines and minimize exposure to COVID-19. As a result, fewer workers are picking up more work.
Volunteers Patti Colandrea and Stephen Klozik pack up orders for cats and dogs as the Care for Real pet food pantry reopens on July 2, 2020, in Edgewater. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Care for Real, which also provides food and clothes for people, started a pop-up food pantry in Rogers Park because others had shut down in the area, Meyerson said. The added labor meant their pet food pantry had to temporarily close while a smaller number of staffers tried to help more people in need of other essentials.
But during the three months the pet pantry was closed, inquiries poured in about its reopening, Meyerson said.
“We found out that many of the people, particularly seniors, would choose to feed their pets rather than themselves,” Meyerson said. “So they would go hungry to provide food for their animals.”
Several other groups that provide food to people struggling to feed their pets also have seen an uptick in demand.
Evanston Animal Shelter has been giving out about 1,000 pounds of pet food a week since COVID-19 reached Chicago, said Vicky Pasenko, shelter executive director. The need has been so strong that the organization now buys its own pet food to give out instead of relying on donations.
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“We’re basically tapping into every resource we can find to make sure that we can continue to keep the pantry funded,” Pasenko said.
The result has been a shift in focus to finding donations, instead of new homes, for pets in the community. Organizations have turned to virtual pet food drives and events to bring in the money needed to sustain themselves.
“Everybody realize(s) the need for the pet food pantry,” said Megan Lutz, vice president on the board of C.A.R.E., a Skokie animal rescue that operates a pet food pantry twice a month.
“We’re still doing the animal rescue, but now it’s part of our mission to support pet owners and keep animals out of shelters,” Lutz said.
C.A.R.E. grew from 15 pet food pantry clients before the coronavirus pandemic to about 150, Lutz said. She noticed pet owners scrambling as local shelters and pet food pantries shut down in the pandemic’s wake.
But as the community’s need for pet food grows, help from the community also has skyrocketed.
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Cook County awarded $8 million in animal shelter grants to the city of Evanston in late May to prevent animal overcrowding. Pet adoptions have soared for many organizations.
According to PetPoint, which compiles data related to animals in rescue and welfare organizations, since March Illinois has seen a 23% rise in foster care for dogs and 22% increase for cats as compared with the same time period in 2019.
All of the animals in C.A.R.E.’s shelter were taken in by foster homes two days after the group advertised the need, Lutz said. In addition, during a recent virtual food drive, C.A.R.E. brought in more than 2,300 pounds of dry pet food and 1,000 cans of pet food.
“This is pretty unprecedented how it hit so many people personally, either through family members getting sick or people getting laid off work,” Lutz said. “People are still putting their volunteerism first is what we’re realizing.”
Lutz compared the community’s response to the aftermath of a hurricane. Just as people come together to rescue animals after a natural disaster, donors and foster families have stepped up to help others impacted by COVID-19.
“We have over 350 volunteers so we know what the community does,” Lutz said. “This just reinforces that when something that’s bigger than all of us is happening, people will still come together for a cause that they believe in.”
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kelsmith@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-08--Ingredients dropped off, sewing patterns delivered: Chicago students earning stipends through online

Ingredients dropped off, sewing patterns delivered: Chicago students earning stipends through online summer program

In Beverly , Victor Davis is in his fourth year of After School Matters ’ Leadership Council program .
Entering @ @ @ @ @ finance pathway at Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences , Victor wants to continue studying @ @ @ @ @ , with particular interest in tech branding .
A problem-solver who loves figuring out how @ @ @ @ @ efficiently , Victor said he ’ s inspired by innovations from Elon Musk and Google @ @ @ @ @ been moved by businesses helping the community .
In addition to telling his mom his @ @ @ @ @ he said he writes them down in a journal .

After School Matters chef Gloria Hafer teaches how to make lasagna roll-ups in an online cooking class July 7, 2020, from her home in Chicago. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
This summer, incoming Lane Tech senior Jasmin Aquino is sewing a fanny pack.
Enamored with fashion design since childhood, Jasmin finally learned to sew clothing through an After School Matters program in 2017. She’s since made jumpsuits, a floor-length gown, shirts, backpacks, and recently, masks for friends and family to wear during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Knowing how serious the virus is and how cautious people need to be, Jasmin said shifting the summer program online offers students like her a chance to earn a bit of money and do something they love from home.
More than 10,000 Chicago teens could earn stipends this summer for participating in After School Matters programs, now in their 30th year. Close to 17,000 applied for a spot in one of more than 500 programs, which began Monday. Summer students earn participation stipends ranging from $336 to $850, depending on the program’s complexity, time commitment and level, such as apprenticeship and internship, said Chief Program Officer Melissa Mister.
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Programs are also offered during the school year. Funding for the nonprofit comes from the city and state, the private sector and individual donors. In fiscal year 2019, more than half its revenue came from government grants, according to the organization.
After School Matters chef Gloria Hafer, center, walks into the dining room where instructors Elisa Louden, 19, left, and Adriana Alvarado, 24, monitor questions from students who are learning online. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Though the stipends are paid in installments to encourage consistent participation, Mister said program leaders believe in “compassion over compliance,” understanding many teens need to help with babysitting or other home responsibilities, or contribute financially.
“The stipend really is about communicating to the kids, it empowers them, reinforces the value of their time and efforts,” Mister said. “‘Your hard work means something and it’s important,’ and kids need the opportunity to earn money whether it’s to meet their own needs, remove barriers to participation.”
For the fanny pack, Jasmin’s instructor already sent a pattern and fabric, selecting prints in shades of blue, her favorite color, and of the Disney princess Jasmine.
Though she’ll miss the in-person conversations and “calming vibe” of class, she’s still looking forward to learning more creative skills this summer.
“I love the idea of turning something completely normal into something extravagant,” Jasmin said.
Skills she’s learned through the program made her realize what she wants for a career, and she has started looking into colleges with fashion majors. With the stipend, she’s been able to put money aside for college and living expenses, knowing she wants to go somewhere out of state. She’s also a cashier at Target and worked about 15 hours a week during the school year.
In Beverly, Victor Davis is in his fourth year of After School Matters’ Leadership Council program. Entering his senior year in the finance pathway at Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, Victor wants to continue studying finance and become a CEO, with particular interest in tech branding. A problem-solver who loves figuring out how to finish a task most efficiently, Victor said he’s inspired by innovations from Elon Musk and Google, but lately has also been moved by businesses helping the community. In addition to telling his mom his ideas all the time, he said he writes them down in a journal.
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Victor said the program “also gave me a chance to learn that what you should do in a career is something that you like to do and get paid for it.”
As After School Matters chef Gloria Hafer, not pictured, teaches students online how to make lasagna roll-ups, instructors Adriana Alvarado, 24, left, and Elisa Louden, 19, assist. Adriana and Elisa help answer some questions for students and help set up laptops for online learning. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
As a 2019 George Washington High School graduate, Elisa Louden is excited to be helping her former instructor, chef Gloria Hafer. Louden now attends the Washburne Culinary Institute at Kennedy-King College.
She noted the pandemic has caused significant job losses, and with more parents out of work, the money teens earn may be of extra help this year.
“I relied on the stipends to support my family when I was in high school and even now to help pay for school, groceries ...” she said.
Since she was 8 years old, cooking has been her passion. When budget cuts affected the culinary arts program at her high school, she sought another way to pursue her goals.
Instructors can play an important role in teens’ lives, Louden said.
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“Chef Gloria has really been an icon for me, and I hope now that I am an instructor, I will be able to do the same and motivate my teens daily,” she said.
Getting the inside perspective on what Hafer dealt with when Louden was a student has been humbling, she said.
The week before summer programs officially started, Hafer spent hours weaving through the city, delivering more than 200 packages of ingredients to her students.
“I am going from 13400 south to 800 north, so from one end of the city to the other,” said Hafer, who lives in Chicago’s far southeastern East Side neighborhood.
Her six-week recipe plan uses the perishable ingredients early on, and everything can be made at home using minimal supplies, she said.
“Youth are fun because they’re inquisitive, and they want to learn,” she said.
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But she’s also enjoyed teaching adults, some who never had the opportunity to learn how to cook: “When in the kitchen learning how to cook, 99% of the time I don’t care if they’re 14 years old or 75 years old, they’re asking the same questions, which is fun.”
hleone@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-08--As violence rages, Chicago police superintendent decides to create new version of swarming citywide

As violence rages, Chicago police superintendent decides to create new version of swarming citywide suppression unit

“ What I like about a community service day once a week for groups like this , it keeps that @ @ @ @ @ of the community , rather than every day , all day , every day , @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s all they do is enforcement , ” Brown said in the interview @

Following an especially bloody holiday weekend in Chicago that saw dozens wounded and at least 17 killed by gunfire, police Superintendent David Brown has announced plans to create a permanent, specialized citywide unit to stop sudden flare-ups in violence and other crime, officials said.
Brown first told the Tribune in May he was contemplating forming such a unit, a controversial crime-fighting strategy that has occasionally been used here.
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Details of the new unit were still being worked out this week, but once formed, it will be the first time CPD has used such a roving team on a permanent basis since 2011. That’s when two similar citywide units were disbanded amid concerns about their aggressive style and after a previous unit was rocked by a corruption scandal.
The announcement of the new unit comes fresh off an especially violent July 4 weekend in Chicago that saw about 90 people shot, at least 17 of them fatally, including 7-year-old Natalia Wallace on the West Side and 14-year-old Vernado Jones Jr. on the South Side.
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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 13 Nine-year-old Nathan Wallace holds balloons during a vigil July 5, 2020, for his 7-year-old sister Natalia Wallace, who was shot and killed as her family gathered to celebrate the July Fourth holiday in the South Austin neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Through Sunday, homicides in 2020 had risen sharply across the city by 39%, with 353 homicides compared with 254 during the same period a year earlier, official CPD statistics show. Shooting incidents with at least one victim fatally shot or injured had jumped by 42% to 1,448, the records show.
The new citywide unit will be different from past efforts, CPD officials said. Officers working in the new group would spend part of their shifts engaging with the neighborhoods they patrol by mentoring young people, helping senior citizens and taking part in other community-service efforts.
At an unrelated news conference Wednesday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Brown is “cognizant” of the problems similar units faced before and will put in safeguards to ensure it is properly supervised.
The revived unit will be “much smaller” than before, but the city needs “flexibility” of a centralized group, Lightfoot said. It’s unclear how large it will be, officials said, but at least one of the last versions had a few hundred officers before it disbanded in 2011.
It’s important for the city to be “always looking at the data,” and officials will make strategic deployments when they see hot spots flare up, Lightfoot said.
“That’s the strategic, I think, importance of this group, but we need to make sure we put the safeguards in place so we don’t have the kind of challenges that we’ve had in years past,” Lightfoot said.
In an interview with the Tribune in May, Brown said this idea was similar to a program used by Dallas police officers. Brown was that city’s police chief from 2010 to 2016.
Chicago police Superintendent David Brown greets recruits as they leave the CPD Education and Training Academy on July 6, 2020, after resuming their training with social distancing and safety precautions in place. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
“What I like about a community service day once a week for groups like this, it keeps that group sensitive to the needs of the community, rather than every day, all day, every day, they come to work, that’s all they do is enforcement,” Brown said in the interview.
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But he also said “there’s some challenges” with forming a citywide unit, especially at a time when CPD has struggled to become more trustworthy in certain neighborhoods and is working to become more professionalized through a court-ordered consent decree designed to implement various reforms within the department.
Critics of the department were not pleased with the announcement of the new unit. Craig Futterman, a law professor at the University of Chicago who specializes in police accountability issues, called the new unit the “opposite of community policing,” despite its community engagement component.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois reacted to the news Wednesday by noting CPD is behind in complying with the consent decree.
“The city continues to ignore its residents’ calls for community investment, instead adopting the harmful policing strategy of roving, citywide units,” Elizabeth Jordan, staff attorney for the ACLU of Illinois, said in a statement, noting the units have been criticized in the past as “jump-out squads” that targeted minority areas and alienated those communities.
“The reliance on citywide units is particularly troubling because the City just received its second straight failing grade on the consent decree — a Court Order aimed at curing those historical and ongoing abuses. With these units, the City is moving backwards,” Jordan’s statement said.
John Catanzara, president of CPD’s largest union, called the new unit a “recycled” version of an old department strategy and said he wasn’t sold on its community engagement function. Cops who work in CPD’s community policing offices are a better fit for that responsibility, he said.
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“I’m not saying it’s a bad idea,” Catanzara, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, said of the new unit. “If it knocks down the crime numbers, so be it. The community component, I don’t think a team that you’re creating for citywide to go to hot spots should be designated for anything other than tamping down the hot spots. ... If you’re going to create this force, it should be to suppress the violence and the guns behind that violence.”
In order to form the new group, CPD will be emptying what are known as area gang, gun and saturation units, police spokesman Luis Agostini said Tuesday night. Those units had been part of a new restructuring of the department earlier this year that moved more cops under the purview of five deputy chiefs and commanders of CPD’s 22 patrol districts.
Chicago police Superintendent David Brown takes off his face mask for a news conference at McCormick Place on May 28, 2020. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Agostini said the officers from the area teams would either be reassigned to form the new citywide unit or moved to district patrols.
Agostini also said the new effort will be separate from the summer mobile unit, also a roving citywide group that attacks crime hot spots but only operates during the warmer weather months.
CPD has used permanent citywide units to aid in their crime-fighting strategies in past years, only to disband them because of controversy and concerns about bad community relations.
Under the administration of Superintendent Phil Cline, who led the department from 2003 to 2007, the special operations section and targeted response unit were used regularly to aggressively patrol dangerous areas and take narcotics and illegal guns off the street. Some within the department credited the units for playing a role in helping homicides drop by 25% in 2004.
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But a police scandal that involved crews of special operations section officers who committed robberies and home invasions led to the shutdown of that unit. Police and city leaders viewed it as problematic to have that often-unsupervised tactical group moving through the city without being limited to certain geography.
A new, better-trained version hit the street in 2008, known as the mobile strike force. But in 2011 that group was broken up when Garry McCarthy took over as superintendent under Mayor Rahm Emanuel, disbanded over concerns the unit fostered division between police and minority communities.
Chicago Tribune’s David Heinzmann contributed.
jgorner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-08--Column: There’s a place for Trump’s proposed ‘National Garden of American Heroes’ — on the scrap hea

Column: There’s a place for Trump’s proposed ‘National Garden of American Heroes’ — on the scrap heap of history

Still , most of the protests have been peaceful .
And the protesters have been right to target symbols of @ @ @ @ @ like statues of Confederate generals that should have come down long ago .
Those generals @ @ @ @ @ .
Despite the gap between the ideals articulated by the Declaration of Independence and their @ @ @ @ @ Washington and Jefferson put us on the path toward a more perfect union .

President Donald Trump’s proposal for a “National Garden of American Heroes,” is a ludicrous, transparently political stunt. It’s also his latest ill-considered salvo against modern art and architecture.
Back when the 45th president was a real estate developer, he dressed his skyscrapers in glitzy glass and metal. But ever since he moved into 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., he’s gone retro, as he did in February, when news leaked of a draft executive order that would mandate classical and traditional styles for federal buildings. Nothing, fortunately, has come of this step toward aesthetic authoritarianism.
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Trump’s noxious nostalgia has resurfaced in the heroes garden plan, which he unveiled Friday at Mount Rushmore, after issuing a blanket condemnation of protesters who have torn down statues to protest police brutality against Black people.
The garden would be built at a still-to-be-determined site and filled with statues of “historically significant Americans.” The statues, Trump’s order says, must “be lifelike or realistic representations of the persons they depict, not abstract or modernist representations.” (The thinking behind this dictate, if it deserves to be called “thinking,” would have forbidden the stark beauty of Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial.)
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Who deserves to be deemed historically significant? The president offered a slapdash list of 31 people, mostly white males, among them six former presidents, pioneers, generals, and two figures beloved by his conservative political base — Antonin Scalia (the lone Supreme Court justice on the list) and the Rev. Billy Graham.
While eight women and five African Americans made the list, it has no Native Americans, Hispanic Americans or Asian Americans. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat who led the U.S. through the Great Depression and World War II, didn’t make the cut, yet Trump saw fit to name Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, an obscure Republican Maine governor who commanded troops at the battle of Gettysburg.
Go figure. You never know how important Maine’s four electoral votes might be.
It’s not hard to see through such political pandering: The heroes garden represents the flip side of Trump’s blunt verbal attack on the protesters who took to the streets after George Floyd died at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. It’s the shiny wrapper of a dreary package (think “American carnage”), an errant shot in Trump’s never-ending culture wars.
Protesters, Trump claimed with his usual hype Friday, are “determined to tear down every statue, symbol, and memorial of our national heritage.”
No they’re not, though some have lapsed into Jacobin excess by defacing or tearing down statues of slave-owing presidents like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
Still, most of the protests have been peaceful. And the protesters have been right to target symbols of racism and white supremacy, like statues of Confederate generals that should have come down long ago. Those generals sought to destroy the Union. Despite the gap between the ideals articulated by the Declaration of Independence and their actions as slaveholders, Washington and Jefferson put us on the path toward a more perfect union.
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Trump still doesn’t get the difference between symbols of honor and those of disgrace, as he showed Monday when he ripped NASCAR for banning the Confederate battle flag.
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And by sticking to the outdated aesthetic ideal of the lone heroic figure on a pedestal, the president’s heroes garden would be backward-looking in form as well as substance.
Instead, he should recognize the “ordinary” people who built America, from African American slaves to Chinese and Irish railroad workers to unionized factory workers who made America the “arsenal of democracy” during World War II. And if he goes that route, he should find creative new ways to honor such people, like the oversized LED screens of Millennium Park’s Crown Fountain. They turn the old “general on horseback” model on its head by portraying the larger-than-life faces of ordinary Chicagoans at heroic scale.
The bottom line about Trump’s heroes garden is that it would be a colossal waste of taxpayers’ money (no cost estimate was included in the executive order). We already have an extraordinary site that tells the nation’s story through architecture, art and landscape architecture — the National Mall. Its expansive neoclassical design has proved both enduring and adaptable, projecting the transcendent ideals of democracy even as it incorporates shifting narratives and styles.
Trump’s reactionary statuary park is unlikely to ever live up to that high standard. Let us hope that Congress refuses to fund it or that Trump never gets a chance to build it. Let him go back to plastering his name on shiny modern skyscrapers.
Blair Kamin is a Tribune critic.
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bkamin@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @BlairKamin


chicagotribune--2020-07-09--U. of C. removes tributes to late Illinois Sen. Stephen Douglas, a slavery defender: ‘Douglas does n

U. of C. removes tributes to late Illinois Sen. Stephen Douglas, a slavery defender: ‘Douglas does not deserve to be honored on our campus’

A prominent figure in Illinois political history , Douglas is credited with building the state ’ s Democratic Party and @ @ @ @ @ of Representatives and the U.S. Senate .
He lost the presidential election of 1860 to @ @ @ @ @ the “ Lincoln-Douglas Debates , ” in which Douglas argued that each state should be @ @ @ @ @ permit slavery .
He also proposed the law that overturned the Missouri Compromise , which @ @ @ @ @ the expansion of slavery in the North .

The Classics Building on the University of Chicago campus is seen on July 8, 2020. A stone from the “Old University of Chicago” was removed from the building yesterday as part of the university's effort to distance itself from former Illinois Sen. Stephen Douglas, a staunch defender of slavery who argued the practice was a matter of states' rights before the Civil War. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
The University of Chicago announced Tuesday that it removed two displays honoring late Illinois Sen. Stephen Douglas, a staunch defender of slavery who argued the practice was a matter of states’ rights before the Civil War.
The tributes ― a bronze plaque of Douglas in a student center and a stone mounted to a wall in another building ― were ordered to be taken down and relocated to a collection in the university library, according to a message from school officials. U. of C. received the plaque as a class gift in 1901 and the stone as a donation in 1927.
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“Douglas profited from his wife’s ownership of a Mississippi plantation where Black people were enslaved,” the message says. “While it is critical to understand and address the ongoing legacy of slavery and oppression in this country, Douglas does not deserve to be honored on our campus.”
The changes were made as part of “the university’s commitment toward building a stronger, more inclusive” community, the message said. Following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in May — and the nationwide protests in response ― colleges and other major institutions are confronting their legacies. In one example, Princeton University stripped President Woodrow Wilson’s name from its school of international affairs because his “racist thinking and policies make him an inappropriate namesake.”
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At U. of C., officials want to distance themselves from Douglas, who died in 1861. Douglas donated land in Bronzeville that was used by the “Old University of Chicago,” a Baptist school that folded in 1886 due to financial difficulties, according to the school’s library. While university officials say today’s school is not linked to Douglas, some have disputed that accounting of history.
A prominent figure in Illinois political history, Douglas is credited with building the state’s Democratic Party and served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. He lost the presidential election of 1860 to Abraham Lincoln two years after the “Lincoln-Douglas Debates,” in which Douglas argued that each state should be allowed to decide whether to permit slavery. He also proposed the law that overturned the Missouri Compromise, which had set a boundary prohibiting the expansion of slavery in the North.
Other Illinois universities memorializing Douglas might also face a reckoning as pressure to remove symbols perpetuating racism intensifies.
At Eastern Illinois University, a former professor is calling on the school to rename an all-male dorm known as Douglas Hall. His online petition says that “Douglas is remembered by historians for authoring racist legislation that expanded slavery and destabilized the nation.”
A spokesman for EIU said the school is aware of the petition and understands the sensitive issues at hand.
“While no decisions have been made, alternative options are being discussed that might better honor the area’s history and allow EIU to more discernibly uphold its commitments to diversity and equality,” the school said in a statement.
Christopher Hanlon, the petition’s author, said EIU could move more quickly if it was committed to change. He said he first proposed the building be renamed in 2010, an idea twice endorsed by the faculty senate.
“It always struck me as strange to have the name of Stephen Douglas in a place of veneration on the campus of Eastern,” said Hanlon, who specializes in antebellum literature at Arizona State University. “There’s no question that when you name a building after a person you are saying, ‘This was a decent person, an admirable person.‘”
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Douglas’ remains are preserved in the South Side’s Groveland Park neighborhood, on land marked by a granite sculpture and a mausoleum. The State Historic Preservation Office refers to Douglas on its website as “a distinguished statesman.”
Efforts to rename Douglas Park, which spans North Lawndale and parts of Pilsen, have also picked up steam in recent years. Opponents of the name say the park should instead honor Frederick Douglass, an abolitionist and escaped slave who chronicled his experiences in widely read autobiographies.
Sherry Williams, founder of the Bronzeville Historical Society, said she used to visit Douglas’ grave and read the names of 129 slaves who were forced to work at the Mississippi plantation. The list, she said, was provided by descendants of Douglas’ family in 2012.
Williams withheld comment on U. of C.‘s decision to remove the tributes, saying she wanted to know more about what prompted the school to do so. But in her research, Williams said, she found no indication that Douglas was sympathetic to enslaved people.
“I never came across anything that showed that he potentially found it troubling to be someone who owned slaves,” she said. “And he had a management agreement that every month he received money from the enslaved men and women.”
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echerney@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-09--The Spin: Pritzker calls for national mask mandate | Lightfoot ignores Trump’s call to fully reopen

The Spin: Pritzker calls for national mask mandate | Lightfoot ignores Trump’s call to fully reopen schools | Illinois National Guard coronavirus testing mission to wind down

“ ‘ They ’ ve helped us build a groundbreaking testing infrastructure that will continue to make a difference to @ @ @ @ @ is completed in the coming days , ’ Pritzker said at a news conference .
@ @ @ @ @ months away from their families and their regular civilian jobs to see our state through @ @ @ @ @ .
What I hope is the worst of this pandemic . '
`` Jamie Munks @ @ @ @ @ story here .

Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton and Gov. J.B. Pritzker speak with community members June 4, 2020, during an event in the Austin neighborhood. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
As President Donald Trump and members of his administration push for the nation’s schools and universities to reopen fully this fall, Gov. J.B. Pritzker made his call for a national mask mandate and other measures aimed at fighting the spread of the coronavirus.
Pritzker gave testimony today before a congressional committee and called for a national mask mandate, a national containment strategy for COVID-19 and additional federal aid for states to offset large revenue losses created by the pandemic. As for the president’s calls to reopen schools, both Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot said it’ll be a local decision despite Trump’s threat to withhold federal funding.
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And, more than 500 Illinois National Guard members will end their missions this month at 11 state-run testing sites, the governor announced today.
Welcome to The Spin.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker arrives in a mask to speak April 19, 2020, at the Thompson Center during the coronavirus pandemic. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s Jamie Munks: “Gov. J.B. Pritzker called for a national mask mandate, a national containment strategy for COVID-19 and additional federal aid for states to offset large revenue losses created by the pandemic in testimony before a congressional committee on Wednesday.
“Pritzker said a national containment strategy for the highly contagious COVID-19 should involve additional testing and contact tracing.
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“‘It may even mean national restrictions that will be followed in every state,' Pritzker said, testifying remotely to the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security.
“The mask mandate that took effect in Illinois May 1 ‘aligns with our most significant downward shifts in our infection rate,’ Pritzker said. ‘It’s not too late for the federal government to make an impact. In fact, it’s more important than ever.’
“The governor also called for more clarity from the federal government regarding insurance coverage and coronavirus testing.
“‘Testing in not a one-off tactic. We need regular testing across our population,” Pritzker said. “That means people need to know their insurance will cover their testing every time.’” More here.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks to the media June 18, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
“Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday said the question of whether schools should reopen this fall must be a local decision, and she doesn’t put much thought into what President Donald Trump says, adding that it’s ironic for a Republican to advocate against individual states’ rights.
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“‘Making some broad declaration at the federal level and ignoring the particular circumstances of a locality, where they are ... what their plans are, eliminating the possibility for some kind of a hybrid model, that doesn’t make any sense,’ Lightfoot said.
“Trump on Tuesday pressed state and local officials across the country to reopen schools and colleges this fall. Health and education officials at a White House event also argued that keeping students out of school for the fall semester would pose greater health risks than any tied to the coronavirus.” Read more from the Tribune’s Gregory Pratt and Jamie Munks here.
* Vice President Mike Pence says CDC will issue new safety guidelines to reopen schools after Trump criticized them as ‘impractical’
Airman Katia Campos, of Chicago, a member of the Illinois National Guard, packs samples at the COVID-19 test site at South Suburban College in South Holland on July 2, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
“More than 500 Illinois National Guard members will end their missions this month at 11 state-run testing sites after administering more than 200,000 tests since being called up in March, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Wednesday.
“‘They’ve helped us build a groundbreaking testing infrastructure that will continue to make a difference to Illinoisans long after their mission is completed in the coming days,’ Pritzker said at a news conference. ‘These citizen soldiers spent months away from their families and their regular civilian jobs to see our state through the worst of this pandemic. What I hope is the worst of this pandemic.' " Jamie Munks has the rest of the story here.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle answers questions from the media May 27, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
“Cook County suburbs will receive about $51 million in federal aid under a formula that officials say will prioritize areas with the direst financial and public health needs, board President Toni Preckwinkle announced Wednesday.
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“More than 100 cities, towns and villages will receive a slice of the money, which makes up 12% of the total $429 million coronavirus relief fund given to Cook County under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, Preckwinkle said at a news conference in west suburban Berwyn.” The Tribune’s Alice Yin reports here.
* Which parts of the Chicago area got the most PPP loans? Check out this ZIP code analysis.
President Donald Trump arrives on stage to speak at a campaign rally at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 20, 2020. (Evan Vucci/AP)
From the AP: “President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa in late June that drew thousands of participants and large protests ‘likely contributed’ to a dramatic surge in new coronavirus cases, Tulsa City-County Health Department Director Dr. Bruce Dart said Wednesday.
“Tulsa County reported 261 confirmed new cases on Monday, a one-day record high, and another 206 cases on Tuesday. By comparison, during the week before the June 20 Trump rally, there were 76 cases on Monday and 96 on Tuesday.” Read more here.
* Kanye West says he no longer supports Trump, had coronavirus and that ‘Drake can’t be sicker than me’ in wild interview
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