chicagotribune--2020-10-08--10-year-old girl in serious condition after she was shot in Far South Side park, Chicago police say

The outside of the University of Chicago Medicine 's Comer Children 's Hospital where a 10-year-old girl was taken after @ @ @ @ @ on the 8300 block of South Shore Drive Wednesday Oct. 7 , 2020 in Chicago @ @ @ @ @ Tribune )

La’Mya Sparks made it as far as the tennis courts in Russell Square Park when the bullet hit the middle of her back. The 10-year-old fell but got back up, fell again and started screaming Wednesday night.
A boy from her Far South Side neighborhood rushed up, took off his shirt and pressed it on the wound until paramedics arrived and took the girl to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was recovering Thursday.
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“He calls her his little sister,” said La’Mya’s mother Shawnte Williams. “He was trying to help her until the ambulance came. He was crying too.
“It could have been worse, but I never thought this would happen to her,” Williams said from her daughter’s bedside. “I see it every day in the news. I just never thought one would be mine.”
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La’Mya Sparks, 10, pictured here on her 10th birthday, was shot in the back and seriously wounded Oct. 7, 2020 about 8:15 p.m. in Russell Square Park in the 3000 block of East 83rd Street on Chicago’s South Side. She is recovering at Comer Children’s Hospital. (Family photo)
At least 29 children 10 and younger have been shot so far in Chicago this year as it continues on pace to be one of the most violent in decades. In all of last year, 18 children in that age range were shot.
This year’s young victims include 9-year-old Janari Ricks, shot dead while playing in a parking lot in the Cabrini-Green neighborhood; 10-year-old Lina Nunez, shot and killed while sitting on her family’s couch in Logan Square; 1-year-old Sincere Gaston, shot and killed in while riding in a car with his mother in Englewood; 3-year-old Mekhi James, fatally shot while riding in a car in Austin over the Father’s Day weekend.
The bullet that struck La’Mya damaged several internal organs, her mother said. Her gallbladder was removed and a tear to her stomach was closed with four staples. The fifth-grader’s kidneys and liver were also damaged but the doctors have told Williams they should heal. But they are worried about her intestines.
“She will need a feeding tube for a few months,” Williams said.
La’Mya was with her 15-year-old sister and other friends Wednesday evening at the park, about a block from her home. Two boys and two girls between 15 and 17 walked up, according to police. There was an argument and one of the boys, known as “Ghost,” fired at least six times.
Responding officers found La’Mya lying on her back near the tennis courts in the 8300 block of South Houston Avenue. No arrests have been made.
Williams said she held tightly to her daughter’s hand at the hospital and talked to her a little while her father went to the scene of the shooting. “She remembers a lot,” Williams said.
Some kids were “messing” with La’Mya and her sister and their group, the mother said. The kids causing the trouble left the park but came back with some other kids, including the shooter, Williams said.
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La’Mya heard the gunshots and began to sprint. “That’s when she was shot in her back and fell. She got up and she fell again and started crying and screaming,” her mother said. As the friend tended to her, La’Mya’s sister called their mother and said she’d been “hit.”
“The younger generation has these slang terms,” Williams said, adding that she thought she’d been in a fistfight. So she and her husband jumped in the car and began speeding to the scene.
Then came another call: “Hurry up. Hurry, please hurry, she passed out,” a friend of their daughter’s said. “She got shot.”
La’Mya got out of surgery at 2 a.m. “She has been sleeping all day,” Williams said, and has been awake only when the doctors examine her. “It hurts,” she quietly tells them.
La’Mya, a fifth grader at New Sullivan Elementary School, has been attending classes remotely from home because of the pandemic. She doesn’t love it and misses her friends, but is dealing with it pretty well, Williams said. “It’s a challenge, she’d rather be physically at school with her friends.”
La’Mya loves to dance and make Tik Tok videos, and would gladly sit at her computer all day using FaceTime to play computer games with her friends. On Thursday, they sent her balloons and teddy bears.
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Her dad is taking the shooting particularly hard. Almost exactly two years ago, his brother Kenyate Sparks was shot to death during a violent weekend in 2018. He was 29. Sparks was among 40 people shot in Chicago during seven hours on Aug. 5.
Williams plans to keep her children out of the park. “I thought it would be OK for them to go to the park but after last night, no,” Williams said. “Never again.”
rsobol@chicagotribune.com
pfry@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-08--Column: The fly on Mike Pence’s head during the vice-presidential debate: A transcript

This is…this just seems rude .
It ’ s almost like this man whose head I ’ m sitting on @ @ @ @ @ respect for women .
He ’ s just doing whatever he pleases .
Heck , @ @ @ @ @ s not even answering the question , just going on and on about what a @ @ @ @ @ dude Trump have done on the coronavirus and…

A fly rests on the head of Vice President Mike Pence on Oct. 7, 2020, as he takes notes during the vice presidential debate against vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris in Salt Lake City. (ERIC BARADAT / AFP via Getty Images)
For about two minutes during Wednesday night’s vice presidential debate, a large, black fly planted itself on Vice President Mike Pence’s white hair.
It may have been the most compelling live television of 2020. A nation in dire need of something good to cling to sat fascinated, wondering if the fly might remain atop Pence’s noggin for the entirety of the debate. Social media lit up with fly jokes. Entomologists, I assume, rejoiced.
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I doubt many Americans could understand what that fly was saying during the debate. Our educational system has never prioritized Diptera-as-a-second-language classes. Fortunately, I am fluent in fly, and the winged insect’s comments were picked up clearly on Pence’s microphone.
As a service to my fellow Americans, those rooting for Pence as well as supporters of Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris, I am happy to provide the following transcript:
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Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Oh man, what is this stuff I’m on, snow? Nah, it’s not cold. Kinda sticky, though.
Whoa, I’m on some dude’s hair! Oh, bug, I must be standing out like a sore leg segment. Hope there aren’t any frogs around.
This dude better not try to swat me. I’ve still got a good 15 days left. Last thing I need is to get squashed on some human’s helmet head.
What’s with all the lights? Are those cameras? COOL! Hey, look at me, focus on me! Hey, I’m a fly, check out these wings.
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! Man, that’s fun to say. I never get sick of that.
Wow, this guy sure talks a lot. Let me listen.
Hold up, hold up. Is this the vice president? Did I land on the head of the (expletive) vice president?!? Oh, man. HEY DAN, YOU WATCHIN’ THIS? I’M GONNA SPIT ON THE VICE PRESIDENT’S HEAD!
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Boy, I hope my brother Dan’s watching. He’ll be so freakin’ jealous.
Man, does this guy ever shut up? That lady over there who’s asking the questions seems to want him to stop talking but he just keeps going.
C’mon, dude. Shut up! She’s asking you nicely, man.
I hear her, she keeps saying, “Thank you, Vice President Pence. Thank you, Vice President Pence. Thank you, Vice President Pence.”
And you’re still talking! That’s just rude. Take a hint, buddy.
Oh, now the other lady is talking, the one behind that clear barrier thingy I almost flew into.
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All right, she’s kind of making some sense here. I want to hear … WHOA, WHITE HAIR, YOU JUST CUT HER OFF! SHE WAS STILL TALKING AND YOU JUST …
Hey, why isn’t the question-asking lady doing anything? Dude just cut off the other lady and now he’s talking a mile a minute.
This is … this just seems rude. It’s almost like this man whose head I’m sitting on doesn’t have much respect for women. He’s just doing whatever he pleases. Heck, half the time he’s not even answering the question, just going on and on about what a great job him and that dude Trump have done on the coronavirus and …
Wait a minute. Great job on the coronavirus? HAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAAAAAAA!
Listen here, dude whose head I’m on. I’m a common house fly. I darn near killed myself a couple of minutes ago because I don’t understand what Plexiglas is. I have a brain the size of a poppy seed, and even I know you and your boss screwed up this coronavirus thing.
You, sir, are lying! I can’t believe … OH MY GOD, HE’S TALKING OVER THE QUESTION-ASKING LADY AGAIN!
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Are there any brains under this pomade-heavy hunk of white hair? You’re disrespecting the lady behind the Plexiglas, and you’re straight-up ignoring the one asking questions. Does the word “misogynist” mean anything to you?
C’mon, dude. I find this offensive, and I like sitting on poop! How do you think this is playing in the suburbs, my dude?
Lord, I can’t take this anymore. I came along looking for a place to rest, maybe lay a few hundreds eggs. And I have to bear witness to this 1950s throwback trying to … OH NO, NOW HE’S TRYING TO SAY THERE’S NO SYSTEMIC RACISM?
Well, at least he didn’t ... OH MAN NOW HE BROUGHT UP HIS BOSS HAVING JEWISH GRANDCHILDREN AS A DEFENSE?!?
That’s it. I’m gettin’ out of here before I tarnish the good name of flies everywhere. I’ll find a more wholesome place to lay my eggs.
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
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rhuppke@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-08--Ex-FOP leader, suspecting politics at play, gets 3-year suspension from Chicago police union for use

Ex-FOP leader, suspecting politics at play, gets 3-year suspension from Chicago police union for use of camera in rival’s office

Graham said the camera was installed during his time as president because of suspicions that someone with access to his @ @ @ @ @ a sensitive document or other items .
A source familiar with the matter said the @ @ @ @ @ someone doing work at the union facility , 1412 W. Washington Blvd.
, after Catanzara @ @ @ @ @ .

Kevin Graham, the former president of the Chicago Police Department’s largest union, was suspended from the organization for 3 years on Wednesday for leaving behind a tiny camera that continued to record in his old office while it was occupied by his successor, and not telling him about it, officials said.
Graham, however, has denied any wrongdoing and plans to appeal the decision.
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In an interview with the Tribune Wednesday evening, Graham indicated the decision by the Chicago lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police was flawed since it was handed down by union officials aligned with John Catanzara, the current FOP president, who won Graham’s spot earlier this year by defeating him in an election.
Graham said the camera was installed during his time as president because of suspicions that someone with access to his office had stolen from there a sensitive document or other items. A source familiar with the matter said the camera was later discovered by someone doing work at the union facility, 1412 W. Washington Blvd., after Catanzara took over as FOP president.
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During Graham’s time as president, he said, his office aides were the ones who primarily had access to footage from that camera and others at the facility.
“It was clear I didn’t do anything wrong,” Graham said in a telephone interview. “Never once did I have any control over the camera or its content.”
Graham said he merely forgot to tell Catanzara about the camera. Graham also said if it wasn’t for the camera issue, Catanzara’s team would’ve likely tried to accuse him of another infraction.
Graham said the union tried to expel him outright from the organization but instead settled on the 3-year suspension. This means that as a Chicago police officer, Graham will not have union protections — which includes free legal representation from the FOP in the event he’s accused of police misconduct — during that period.
Kevin Graham President of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, expressess his satisfaction at the guilty verdict for Shomari Legghette, the man that killed Chicago police Cmdr. Paul Bauer, after the verdict in the lobby of the George Leighton Criminal Courthouse, Friday, March 13, 2020. Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Graham served for 3 years as FOP president from April 2017 until this past May when he was defeated by Catanzara in a runoff election for the top spot. Catanzara received close to 55% of the vote, garnering 4,709 votes to Graham’s 3,872. But after that and up until now, he continued to serve with the FOP in the position of immediate past president.
Catanzara, known for his outspoken public criticism of anyone opposing him, including Graham and Mayor Lori Lightfoot, said he’s glad the whole saga over the camera is done.
“Some people just don’t take losing very well because they’re losing grip on control that they’ve had over this lodge for a long time,” said Catanzara. “There’s new sheriffs in town and we’re running this lodge more black and white than ever before.”
The camera drama was the latest high-profile display of infighting within the FOP.
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When Graham was its president in 2018, one of his closest deputies, Martin Preib, tried to get a former FOP president kicked out of the union, alleging he misrepresented himself as the group’s spokesman in public comments related to Officer Jason Van Dyke’s murder trial for the 2014 killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.
But the FOP cleared the former president, Dean Angelo, after finding no evidence of wrongdoing.
In 2014, the FOP voted to remove from office its then-president, Michael Shields, for publicly questioning the fairness of past union contract negotiations with the city.
But Shields then filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the FOP claiming he was wrongly barred from union activities after being removed from office. He eventually reached a $100,000 settlement in the same lawsuit against the Illinois FOP lodge and months later was awarded $21,600 in the case from a Cook County jury.
The FOP, which represents thousands of rank-and-file Chicago cops, has gone through tense contract negotiations with the city ever since its last collective bargaining agreement expired at the end of June 2017.
Last month, Catanzara and Lightfoot exchanged a heated war of words with one another in the media over contractual issues. The FOP in September rejected the city’s proposal of a 10% raise for rank-and-file cops over a four-year period along with changes to how the city handles disciplinary issues involving allegations of officer misconduct.
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jgorner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-09--Winnetka businessman charged with  price gouging in sale of protective masks during pandemic

Topouzian later sold nearly 40,000 of the masks to customers for prices as high as $ 19.95 per mask — @ @ @ @ @ 367 % , the information alleged .
Topouzian kept selling the masks at inflated prices @ @ @ @ @ law enforcement and others that it was illegal .

A North Shore businessman was charged in federal court in Chicago on Thursday with illegally price gouging customers seeking to purchase protective masks amid the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Krikor Topouzian, 60, of Winnetka, was charged in a criminal information with violating anti-price gouging laws. The misdemeanor charge carries a maximum of one year in prison.
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According to the charge, Topouzian, who owns a medical supply company based in Skokie, accumulated in March and April a stockpile of nearly 80,000 respirator masks, including N95 masks, for roughly just over $5 per mask.
Topouzian later sold nearly 40,000 of the masks to customers for prices as high as $19.95 per mask — a markup of up to 367%, the information alleged. Topouzian kept selling the masks at inflated prices despite being repeatedly warned by law enforcement and others that it was illegal.
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Nearly all of the sales were made to individual customers, the charge alleged.
An arraignment date for Topouzian had not been set as of Thursday.
“Amassing and reselling personal protective equipment at large markups during a global health crisis is not only greedy, it’s illegal under the Defense Production Act,” U.S. Attorney John Lausch said in a written statement.
Topouzian’s lawyer, Thomas Leinenweber, strongly denied the allegations, saying in an emailed statement that it was unfortunate Topouzian was charged “with something that he absolutely did not do.”
Topouzian’s Concord Health Supply primarily sold pulse oximeters, non-touch thermometers and hand-sanitizing wipes, and once the COVID-19 pandemic hit the company was declared an essential business virtually overnight, Leinenweber said.
Leinenweber said Topouzian “was not looking to get into the mask business” until a former employee who could not sell them on his own approached Topouzian and asked for help.
“Concord priced the masks for individual purchase and was absolutely not gouging,” Leinenweber said. “Concord’s prices have always included all packaging and shipping costs. The overwhelming majority of their customers were extremely satisfied with the products, reliability, and prices.”
Topouzian was at least the third Chicago-area business owner to face charges in U.S. District Court related to the ongoing pandemic.
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Elgin restaurant owner Melissa Turasky was accused in August of fraudulently obtaining a $176,000 paycheck protection loan meant to keep businesses afloat during the pandemic even though she’d abruptly closed the restaurant weeks earlier and terminated all her employees.
In June, Rahul Shah, 51, who owns the Evanston-based technology company N2N Holdings, was accused of falsifying paperwork in April seeking a $441,000 PPP loan.
The cases against Turasky and Shah are pending.
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-08--IHSA doctor says high school basketball could happen in Illinois if players wear masks

“ We have yet to see an outbreak , if you will , from football , ” he said .
@ @ @ @ @ , I believe , the contact is going to be as close as it is @ @ @ @ @ the absence of any evidence to the contrary , I believe the decision in most @ @ @ @ @ these young athletes playing .
”

The senior member of the Illinois High School Association’s sports medicine advisory committee said Thursday that high school basketball might be possible this year if all players wear masks.
Dr. Preston Wolin said that idea is being considered by the Illinois Department of Public Health, whose COVID-19 guidelines place restrictions on high school and youth sports. As of now, basketball is considered a medium risk for virus transmission, meaning athletes can scrimmage but not compete against other schools.
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The high school basketball season is supposed to start Nov. 16.
Wolin said recent communication between the IHSA and the state has included "a draft considering allowing a basketball season to proceed with everybody being masked. As to whether there is actually an IDPH policy that has been promulgated describing this, that I don’t think I can answer.”
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Asked for comment, an IDPH spokeswoman responded: “There are no updates to the guidance planned at this time."
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said the organization would prefer to make masks optional for players, but might seek permission to play basketball with mandatory masks if the advisory committee supports that.
The statements marked yet another nebulous development in the effort to ease restrictions on sports participation during the pandemic. Illinois has been stricter than most other states, where football, hockey, soccer and volleyball — sports that IDPH considers high to medium risk — are still being played.
In Illinois, only the ostensibly low-risk sports of cross-country, swimming, tennis and golf have been allowed this fall, with higher-risk sports pushed to the spring. Parents sued the IHSA, trying to force it back to the original competitive calendar, but a DuPage County judge last week turned back the attempt.
Now attention has turned to basketball, one of the state’s most popular high school sports. Nearly 40,000 boys and girls participated during the 2018-19 season, the last available tally.
Wolin, an orthopedic surgeon who has served as team doctor for numerous Chicago-area college and professional teams, said the evidence that has amassed since school began suggests basketball would be relatively safe.
“We have yet to see an outbreak, if you will, from football,” he said. “(In) basketball, I believe, the contact is going to be as close as it is in football. So in the absence of any evidence to the contrary, I believe the decision in most cases is in favor of these young athletes playing.”
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Dr. Stephen Simons, a sports medicine specialist in northern Indiana, said that region hasn’t had any notable COVID-19 outbreaks among young athletes despite allowing all sports, including football, to be played. The cases that have been detected appear to have originated mostly from family members, not teammates, he said.
But he sounded a note of caution as winter approaches.
“So far things have been very optimistic,” he said. “Whether that will change as we get into the cold weather and are confined to indoor activities, going into restaurants and bars, leading to family members becoming exposed and then exposing their adolescent athletes ... that all remains to be seen.”
jkeilman@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @JohnKeilman


chicagotribune--2020-10-08--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 3,059 new known COVID-19 cases reported Thursday, first time daily

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 3,059 new known COVID-19 cases reported Thursday, first time daily count has topped 3,000 since mid-May

The daily number of new known coronavirus cases announced by Illinois officials on Thursday was the highest in nearly five months , except for a day in early September when the state caught up on a testing backlog .
The 3,059 new known cases represents the first time the daily count has topped 3,000 since May 14 , when the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 3,239 cases .
The department reported 5,368 new cases on Sept. 4 , but that was due to a backlog in processing test results .
In addition to the newly confirmed cases , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 310,700 statewide since the pandemic began , officials on Thursday reported 32 more fatalities .
That brings the death toll to 8,910 .
Officials also reported 72,491 new tests in the last 24 hours .
The seven-day statewide positivity rate is 3.7 % .
The new numbers come as Gov .
J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday that the gains that most regions in Illinois had been making in bringing down COVID-19 positivity rates in recent weeks have “ cooled off a bit.
” The governor noted specifically that the northeastern region that includes Lake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after a period of decline .
6:20 p.m. : IHSA doctor says high school basketball could happen in Illinois if players wear masks The senior member of the Illinois High School Association ’ s sports medicine advisory committee said Thursday that high school basketball might be possible this year if all players wear masks .
Dr. Preston Wolin said that idea is being considered by the Illinois Department of Public Health , whose COVID-19 guidelines place restrictions on high school and youth sports .
As of now , basketball is considered a medium @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can scrimmage but not compete against other schools .
Wolin said recent communication between the IHSA and the state has included “ a draft considering allowing a basketball season to proceed with everybody being masked .
As to whether there is actually an IDPH policy that has been promulgated describing this , that I don ’ t think I can answer.
” Asked for comment , an IDPH spokeswoman responded : “ There are no updates to the guidance planned at this time.
” 5:05 p.m. : Winnetka businessman charged with price gouging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A North Shore businessman was charged in federal court in Chicago on Thursday with illegally price gouging customers seeking to purchase protective masks amid the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic .
Krikor Topouzian , 60 , of Winnetka , was charged in a criminal information with violating anti-price gouging laws .
The charge carries a maximum of one year in prison .
According to the charge , Topouzian , who owns a medical supply company based in Skokie , accumulated in March and April a stockpile of nearly 80,000 respirator masks , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 5 per mask .
Topouzian later sold nearly 40,000 of the masks to customers for prices as high as $ 19.95 per mask — a markup of up to 367 % , the information alleged .
Topouzian kept selling the masks at inflated prices despite being repeatedly warned by law enforcement and others that it was illegal .
4:45 p.m. : Outdoor dining winterization money comes as some push for tougher Chicago requirements on third-party delivery apps Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday touted $ 500,000 the city ’ s getting from restaurant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while proposals by aldermen to further crack down on such apps during the coronavirus pandemic languish in City Council committees .
In announcing the grant from the delivery company to help restaurants prepare for winter , Lightfoot thanked DoorDash “ for investing in Chicago and its restaurants to assist them in continuing to serve Chicagoans this winter.
” Third-party apps such as DoorDash , Grubhub and Uber Eats that charge additional fees to restaurants to deliver meals have drawn increasing scrutiny from elected officials since the virus outbreak began , as diners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ordering more to-go meals , fueling a boom for the companies .
4:35 p.m. : Wisconsin surpasses 3,000 new COVID-19 cases for first time as Upper Midwest and Plains emerge as troubling hot spots A surge of coronavirus cases in Wisconsin and the Dakotas is forcing a scramble for hospital beds and raising political tensions , as the Upper Midwest and Plains emerge as one of the nation ’ s most troubling hot spots .
The three states now lead all others in new cases per capita , after months in which many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ downplaying the risks of the disease that has now killed over 210,000 Americans .
“ It ’ s an emotional roller coaster , ” said Melissa Resch , a nurse at Wisconsin ’ s Aspirus Wausau Hospital , which is working to add beds and reassign staff to keep up with a rising caseload of virus patients , many gravely ill. “ Just yesterday I had a patient say , ‘ It ’ s OK , you guys took good care of me , but it ’ s OK to let me go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ ve cried with the respiratory unit , I ’ ve cried with managers .
I cry at home .
I ’ ve seen nurses crying openly in the hallway.
” Wisconsin surpassed 3,000 new virus cases for the first time on Thursday , more than 200 above its previous daily record , set earlier this month .
Orland Park has dropped a federal lawsuit against Gov .
J.B. Pritzker challenging restrictions put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic , according to court filings .
The village and other plaintiffs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in mid-June , and last month told the judge overseeing the case it planned to file an amended lawsuit by this Thursday .
The short document filed Tuesday did not give an explanation why the village decided to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit .
Mayor Keith Pekau said Thursday that the Village Board decided in a closed session following Monday ’ s meeting to drop the case , but defended the village ’ s use of taxpayer money to pursue the litigation .
2:18 p.m. : Cook County launches suburban $ 20 million mortgage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relief runs thin : ‘ More is going to be needed ’ Homeowners in suburban Cook County can apply for mortgage assistance starting Friday as part of another coronavirus recovery program funded by CARES Act money , but uncertainty remains on when more federal relief is coming .
The $ 20 million program will dole out payments of up to $ 10,000 directly to mortgage collectors , giving homeowners reprieve for one to three months on overdue or future payments , Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced at a Thursday news conference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between 2,500 and 3,000 homeowners , with an average of about $ 7,800 per individual .
1:56 p.m. : Second stimulus check updates : Nancy Pelosi says she ’ s ‘ at the table ’ even after Trump scrapped COVID-19 relief talks House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she ’ s “ at the table ” and ready to negotiate a coronavirus aid package even after President Donald Trump halted talks abruptly .
His decision earlier this week sent the jittery economy reeling and left his GOP allies scrambling as millions of Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support or expanded testing protocols weeks before Election Day .
Pelosi said she told Trump ’ s chief negotiator , Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin , she is willing to consider a measure to prop up the airline industry , which is facing widespread layoffs .
But that aid , she said , must go alongside broader legislation that includes the kind of COVID testing , tracing and health practices that Democrats say are needed as part of a national strategy to “ crush the virus.
” In a stunning admission , Senate Majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had stopped going to the White House two months ago because he disagreed with its coronavirus protocols .
His last visit was Aug. 6 .
Orland Park has dropped a federal lawsuit against Gov .
J.B. Pritzker challenging restrictions put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic , according to court filings .
The village and other plaintiffs in the case had initially filed the complaint in mid-June , and last month told the judge overseeing the case it planned to file an amended lawsuit by this Thursday .
The short document @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why the village decided to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit .
The daily number of new known coronavirus cases announced by Illinois officials on Thursday was the highest in nearly five months , except for a day in early September when the state caught up on a testing backlog .
The 3,059 new known cases represents the first time the daily count has topped 3,000 since May 14 , when the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 3,239 cases .
The department reported 5,368 new cases on Sept. 4 , but that was due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In addition to the newly confirmed cases , which bring the total number known infections to 310,700 statewide since the pandemic began , officials on Thursday also reported 32 more fatalities .
That brings the death toll to 8,910 .
The state received results from a near-record number of coronavirus tests in the previous 24 hours , with 72,491 screenings reported for a single-day positivity rate of 4.2 % .
The highest number of tests reported in a single day was 74,286 on Sept. 19 , but there were only 2,529 new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rate of 3.4 % .
For comparison , the one-day positivity rate on May 14 was 14.2 % because the 3,239 positive results came from just 22,678 tests .
10:35 a.m. : Willie Wilson , who ’ s running as an independent against U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin , says he has tested positive for coronavirus Willie Wilson , the entrepreneur and frequent candidate for political office who is mounting an independent challenge to Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin , announced Thursday he has tested positive for COVID-19 and will begin a 10-day quarantine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at this time .
However , I am confident that we will beat COVID-19 , ” said Wilson , 72 , a food and medical service glove distributor who also has his own gospel orchestra and record distribution company .
10:34 a.m. : Logan Square ’ s City Lit Books to close Dec. 1 , a casualty of the pandemic The pandemic has claimed City Lit , a vibrant independent bookstore and a fixture of the Logan Square neighborhood .
Citing a 50 % drop in revenue , owner Teresa Kirschbraun said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 .
City Lit has maintained its staff of four through the pandemic with the help of a loan from the federal Paycheck Protection Program , Kirschbraun said .
But between rent , staffing and book costs , the store , which has remain shuttered during the pandemic , has been operating at a significant loss .
City Lit has offered online ordering and curbside pickup , but Kirschbraun said the safety protocols required to reopen the store didn ’ t lend themselves to a quality shopping experience .
“ The point was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of being with the people who came in all the time who loved books , ” Kirschbraun said .
Also , it wasn ’ t clear that people would come into browse if City Lit had opened its doors to the public .
Neighborhood foot traffic has changed dramatically , she said .
City Lit is accepting orders for curbside pick-up through Oct. 15 .
Nov. 30 is the last day for online orders .
9:25 a.m. : Regeneron asks FDA for emergency approval for experimental antibody cocktail that Trump , without evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said on Wednesday evening that it had submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency approval of the experimental antibody cocktail that President Donald Trump had praised just hours earlier without evidence as a “ cure ” for the coronavirus .
The company said that at first , access to the treatment would be extremely limited , with only enough doses for 50,000 patients , a far cry from the “ hundreds of thousands ” of doses that Trump said in a video released Wednesday he would soon be making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There is no evidence that the treatment is the reason he was feeling better , and his doctors have said he has taken other drugs as well .
8:53 a.m. : Trump refuses to do a virtual debate with Biden after contracting COVID-19 : ‘ They cut you off whenever they want ’ President Donald Trump vowed Thursday not to participate in next week ’ s debate with Democratic nominee Joe Biden after organizers announced it will take place virtually because of the president ’ s diagnosis of COVID-19 .
“ I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debate , ” Trump told Fox Business News , moments after the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates announced the changes .
“ That ’ s not acceptable to us .
I beat him easily in the first debate , ” the president said .
“ I ’ m not going to waste my time on a virtual debate .
That ’ s not what debating is all about ... they cut you off whenever they want.
” Trump told Fox anchor Mario Bartiromo he had been cured by Regeneron , one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Walter Reed military hospital , and said he didn ’ t think he could spread the coronavirus .
8:49 a.m. : Players ' parents not allowed at the Wisconsin Badgers home opener on Oct. 24 because of COVID-19 surge In a release Wednesday night , the university announced it could not host the estimated 1,500 people it expect at the Badgers ' season debut against Illinois due to the increase of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations around the state .
Only essential personnel — players and coaches from both teams , public safety officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of media — will be allowed into the stadium .
UW faces Illinois either Oct. 23 or 24 , with the game ’ s date and start time yet to be determined .
Submissions were called , ideas were proposed , finalists were selected and now , winners for Chicago ’ s Winter Design Challenge have been announced.The competition aims to solve the problem of how to continue outdoor dining come colder weather , and netted more than 600 entries both serious and comical .
( I ’ m still not over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preliminary rounds of judging by the design firm IDEO and the city of Chicago , 26 finalistswere chosen and presented to a panel of judges made up of architects , designers , chefs , restaurateurs and servers , who picked the final three feasible and safe proposals .
Each of them will take home a $ 5,000 cash prize .
Ellie Henderson ’ s Heated Tables : A modification of the Japanese kotatsu , a low table covered by a blanket that also has a small electric heater on its underside .
An @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the blanket .
This proposal was inspired by Henderson ’ s experiences in Japan .
6:51 a.m. Wilmette ’ s last American Legion post , named after soldier who died during pandemic of 1918 , is disbanding : ‘ COVID was the final straw ’ More than a century has passed since a 22-year-old U.S. Army soldier from the North Shore died during the influenza pandemic of 1918 while aboard a ship headed to Europe .
Peter J. Huerter , who had hoped to serve in World War I , was buried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in what is now Wilmette , his grief-stricken family and friends paid homage to the young man by naming one of the area ’ s two new American Legion posts in his honor .
But this month , amid the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic , the last remaining American Legion post in Wilmette will cease operations , and its abandoned century-old headquarters are slated for demolition and a farewell 21-gun salute later this year .
“ We just don ’ t have the horsepower to continue , and COVID was the final @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 74 , of Wilmette , a U.S. Army veteran and the former commander of Post 46 .
5 a.m. : Illinois confirms COVID-19 outbreaks in 44 schools this school year but won ’ t say where they occurred Nearly two months into the school year , Illinois public health officials said they have verified COVID-19 outbreaks in at least 44 school buildings across the state , but they declined to say where those cases occurred and acknowledged they may not know the full scope of the virus ’ s spread in schools .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t publish the number of cases linked to schools or which schools have been affected — even as parents and educators try to assess whether in-person learning is safe .
State health officials released overall numbers at the request of the Tribune and ProPublica Illinois .
With more than 1,800 public schools operating in person at least part time , along with an unknown number of private schools , the outbreaks represent a tiny fraction of Illinois schools in session , according to an analysis of state education data .
Most outbreaks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases at each school — but at least 105 students and 73 employees at public and private schools have been affected .
State health officials said many COVID-19 cases seen among children are tied to gatherings outside school and other community events , while acknowledging that local contact tracing efforts likely have missed some school-related cases .
This story is a collaboration between the Tribune and ProPublica Illinois .
Read more here .
—Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards Here are five things that happened Wednesday related to COVID-19 :

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
The daily number of new known coronavirus cases announced by Illinois officials on Thursday was the highest in nearly five months, except for a day in early September when the state caught up on a testing backlog.
The 3,059 new known cases represents the first time the daily count has topped 3,000 since May 14, when the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 3,239 cases. The department reported 5,368 new cases on Sept. 4, but that was due to a backlog in processing test results.
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In addition to the newly confirmed cases, which bring the total number known infections to 310,700 statewide since the pandemic began, officials on Thursday reported 32 more fatalities. That brings the death toll to 8,910. Officials also reported 72,491 new tests in the last 24 hours. The seven-day statewide positivity rate is 3.7%.
The new numbers come as Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday that the gains that most regions in Illinois had been making in bringing down COVID-19 positivity rates in recent weeks have “cooled off a bit.” The governor noted specifically that the northeastern region that includes Lake and McHenry counties has seen a reversal after a period of decline.
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Here’s what’s happening Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
6:20 p.m.: IHSA doctor says high school basketball could happen in Illinois if players wear masks
The senior member of the Illinois High School Association’s sports medicine advisory committee said Thursday that high school basketball might be possible this year if all players wear masks.
Dr. Preston Wolin said that idea is being considered by the Illinois Department of Public Health, whose COVID-19 guidelines place restrictions on high school and youth sports. As of now, basketball is considered a medium risk for virus transmission, meaning athletes can scrimmage but not compete against other schools.
The high school basketball season is supposed to start Nov. 16.
Wolin said recent communication between the IHSA and the state has included “a draft considering allowing a basketball season to proceed with everybody being masked. As to whether there is actually an IDPH policy that has been promulgated describing this, that I don’t think I can answer.”
Asked for comment, an IDPH spokeswoman responded: “There are no updates to the guidance planned at this time.”
An IHSA spokesman did not return a request for comment.
Read more here. —John Keilman
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5:05 p.m.: Winnetka businessman charged with price gouging in sale of protective masks during pandemic
A North Shore businessman was charged in federal court in Chicago on Thursday with illegally price gouging customers seeking to purchase protective masks amid the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Krikor Topouzian, 60, of Winnetka, was charged in a criminal information with violating anti-price gouging laws. The charge carries a maximum of one year in prison.
According to the charge, Topouzian, who owns a medical supply company based in Skokie, accumulated in March and April a stockpile of nearly 80,000 respirator masks, including N95 masks, for roughly just over $5 per mask.
Topouzian later sold nearly 40,000 of the masks to customers for prices as high as $19.95 per mask — a markup of up to 367%, the information alleged. Topouzian kept selling the masks at inflated prices despite being repeatedly warned by law enforcement and others that it was illegal.
Nearly all of the sales were made to individual customers, the charge alleged.
An arraignment date for Topouzian had not been set as of Thursday.
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Read more here. —Jason Meisner
4:45 p.m.: Outdoor dining winterization money comes as some push for tougher Chicago requirements on third-party delivery apps
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday touted $500,000 the city’s getting from restaurant delivery company DoorDash to winterize Chicago restaurants, while proposals by aldermen to further crack down on such apps during the coronavirus pandemic languish in City Council committees.
In announcing the grant from the delivery company to help restaurants prepare for winter, Lightfoot thanked DoorDash “for investing in Chicago and its restaurants to assist them in continuing to serve Chicagoans this winter.”
Third-party apps such as DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats that charge additional fees to restaurants to deliver meals have drawn increasing scrutiny from elected officials since the virus outbreak began, as diners skittish about eating inside restaurants have been ordering more to-go meals, fueling a boom for the companies.
Read more here. —John Byrne
4:35 p.m.: Wisconsin surpasses 3,000 new COVID-19 cases for first time as Upper Midwest and Plains emerge as troubling hot spots
A surge of coronavirus cases in Wisconsin and the Dakotas is forcing a scramble for hospital beds and raising political tensions, as the Upper Midwest and Plains emerge as one of the nation’s most troubling hot spots.
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The three states now lead all others in new cases per capita, after months in which many politicians and residents rejected mask requirements while downplaying the risks of the disease that has now killed over 210,000 Americans.
“It’s an emotional roller coaster,” said Melissa Resch, a nurse at Wisconsin’s Aspirus Wausau Hospital, which is working to add beds and reassign staff to keep up with a rising caseload of virus patients, many gravely ill.
“Just yesterday I had a patient say, ‘It’s OK, you guys took good care of me, but it’s OK to let me go,’” Resch said. “I’ve cried with the respiratory unit, I’ve cried with managers. I cry at home. I’ve seen nurses crying openly in the hallway.”
Wisconsin surpassed 3,000 new virus cases for the first time on Thursday, more than 200 above its previous daily record, set earlier this month.
Read more here. —Associated Press
2:18 p.m.: Cook County launches suburban $20 million mortgage assistance program as hope for more federal relief runs thin: ‘More is going to be needed’
Homeowners in suburban Cook County can apply for mortgage assistance starting Friday as part of another coronavirus recovery program funded by CARES Act money, but uncertainty remains on when more federal relief is coming.
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The $20 million program will dole out payments of up to $10,000 directly to mortgage collectors, giving homeowners reprieve for one to three months on overdue or future payments, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced at a Thursday news conference. The fund is estimated to help between 2,500 and 3,000 homeowners, with an average of about $7,800 per individual.
Read more here. —Alice Yin
1:56 p.m.: Second stimulus check updates: Nancy Pelosi says she’s ‘at the table’ even after Trump scrapped COVID-19 relief talks
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she’s “at the table” and ready to negotiate a coronavirus aid package even after President Donald Trump halted talks abruptly. His decision earlier this week sent the jittery economy reeling and left his GOP allies scrambling as millions of Americans go without jobless assistance, hoped-for business support or expanded testing protocols weeks before Election Day.
Pelosi said she told Trump’s chief negotiator, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, she is willing to consider a measure to prop up the airline industry, which is facing widespread layoffs. But that aid, she said, must go alongside broader legislation that includes the kind of COVID testing, tracing and health practices that Democrats say are needed as part of a national strategy to “crush the virus.”
“Lives are at stake,” Pelosi said at the Capitol. “This is deadly serious.”
In a stunning admission, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that he had stopped going to the White House two months ago because he disagreed with its coronavirus protocols. His last visit was Aug. 6.
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Read more here. —Associated Press
12:45 p.m.: Orland Park drops lawsuit against Gov. Pritzker challenging COVID-19 restrictions
Orland Park has dropped a federal lawsuit against Gov. J.B. Pritzker challenging restrictions put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to court filings.
The village and other plaintiffs in the case had initially filed the complaint in mid-June, and last month told the judge overseeing the case it planned to file an amended lawsuit by this Thursday.
The short document filed Tuesday did not give an explanation why the village decided to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit.
Read more here. —Mike Nolan
12:07 p.m.: Illinois reports more than 3,000 newly confirmed coronavirus cases
The daily number of new known coronavirus cases announced by Illinois officials on Thursday was the highest in nearly five months, except for a day in early September when the state caught up on a testing backlog.
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The 3,059 new known cases represents the first time the daily count has topped 3,000 since May 14, when the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 3,239 cases. The department reported 5,368 new cases on Sept. 4, but that was due to a backlog in processing test results.
In addition to the newly confirmed cases, which bring the total number known infections to 310,700 statewide since the pandemic began, officials on Thursday also reported 32 more fatalities. That brings the death toll to 8,910.
The state received results from a near-record number of coronavirus tests in the previous 24 hours, with 72,491 screenings reported for a single-day positivity rate of 4.2%.
The highest number of tests reported in a single day was 74,286 on Sept. 19, but there were only 2,529 new cases reported that day, a positivity rate of 3.4%.
For comparison, the one-day positivity rate on May 14 was 14.2% because the 3,239 positive results came from just 22,678 tests.
Read more here. —Dan Petrella
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10:35 a.m.: Willie Wilson, who’s running as an independent against U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, says he has tested positive for coronavirus
Willie Wilson, the entrepreneur and frequent candidate for political office who is mounting an independent challenge to Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, announced Thursday he has tested positive for COVID-19 and will begin a 10-day quarantine.
“I am experiencing mild symptoms at this time. However, I am confident that we will beat COVID-19,” said Wilson, 72, a food and medical service glove distributor who also has his own gospel orchestra and record distribution company.
Read more here. —Rick Pearson
10:34 a.m.: Logan Square’s City Lit Books to close Dec. 1, a casualty of the pandemic
The pandemic has claimed City Lit, a vibrant independent bookstore and a fixture of the Logan Square neighborhood. Citing a 50% drop in revenue, owner Teresa Kirschbraun said the shop would close for good on Dec. 1. City Lit has maintained its staff of four through the pandemic with the help of a loan from the federal Paycheck Protection Program, Kirschbraun said. But between rent, staffing and book costs, the store, which has remain shuttered during the pandemic, has been operating at a significant loss. City Lit has offered online ordering and curbside pickup, but Kirschbraun said the safety protocols required to reopen the store didn’t lend themselves to a quality shopping experience.
“The point was the joy of it, the joy of being with the people who came in all the time who loved books,” Kirschbraun said.
Also, it wasn’t clear that people would come into browse if City Lit had opened its doors to the public. Neighborhood foot traffic has changed dramatically, she said. City Lit is accepting orders for curbside pick-up through Oct. 15. Nov. 30 is the last day for online orders.
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Read more here. —Jen Day
9:25 a.m.: Regeneron asks FDA for emergency approval for experimental antibody cocktail that Trump, without evidence, claims cured him
The drugmaker Regeneron said on Wednesday evening that it had submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency approval of the experimental antibody cocktail that President Donald Trump had praised just hours earlier without evidence as a “cure” for the coronavirus.
The company said that at first, access to the treatment would be extremely limited, with only enough doses for 50,000 patients, a far cry from the “hundreds of thousands” of doses that Trump said in a video released Wednesday he would soon be making available to Americans free of charge.
There is no evidence that the treatment is the reason he was feeling better, and his doctors have said he has taken other drugs as well.
Read more here. —The New York Times
8:53 a.m.: Trump refuses to do a virtual debate with Biden after contracting COVID-19: ‘They cut you off whenever they want’
President Donald Trump vowed Thursday not to participate in next week’s debate with Democratic nominee Joe Biden after organizers announced it will take place virtually because of the president’s diagnosis of COVID-19.
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“I’m not going to do a virtual debate,” Trump told Fox Business News, moments after the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates announced the changes.
“That’s not acceptable to us. I beat him easily in the first debate,” the president said. “I’m not going to waste my time on a virtual debate. That’s not what debating is all about ... they cut you off whenever they want.”
Trump told Fox anchor Mario Bartiromo he had been cured by Regeneron, one of the drugs he was given by doctors at Walter Reed military hospital, and said he didn’t think he could spread the coronavirus.
“I don’t think I’m contagious at all,” Trump said.
Read more here. —Associated Press
8:49 a.m.: Players' parents not allowed at the Wisconsin Badgers home opener on Oct. 24 because of COVID-19 surge
Players' parents will no longer be allowed at the University of Wisconsin football team’s opener the weekend of Oct. 24.
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In a release Wednesday night, the university announced it could not host the estimated 1,500 people it expect at the Badgers' season debut against Illinois due to the increase of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations around the state.
Only essential personnel — players and coaches from both teams, public safety officers, stadium operations personnel and a limited number of media — will be allowed into the stadium. UW faces Illinois either Oct. 23 or 24, with the game’s date and start time yet to be determined.
Read more here. —Wisconsin State Journal
8:45 a.m.: Winter Design Challenge winners announced in Chicago: A cabin, block modules and heated tables
Submissions were called, ideas were proposed, finalists were selected and now, winners for Chicago’s Winter Design Challenge have been announced.The competition aims to solve the problem of how to continue outdoor dining come colder weather, and netted more than 600 entries both serious and comical. (I’m still not over Leaf-blowers = win.) After two preliminary rounds of judging by the design firm IDEO and the city of Chicago, 26 finalistswere chosen and presented to a panel of judges made up of architects, designers, chefs, restaurateurs and servers, who picked the final three feasible and safe proposals. Each of them will take home a $5,000 cash prize.
The winners are:
Amy Young’s Cozy Cabins: Small, modular and adjoining cabins outfitted with radiant floor heating that fit in a standard street parking space. The idea, proposed by ASD | SKY based out of Atlanta and San Francisco, was inspired by ice fishing huts.
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Neil Reindel’s Block Party: Takes a parking lane and converts it to outdoor seating block modules. Blocks can be arranged according to preference and even combined together — a single block module holds two people, with sizes increasing by two with each additional block. Reindel is an urban designer and planner and also an adjunct professor at Northwestern University.
Ellie Henderson’s Heated Tables: A modification of the Japanese kotatsu, a low table covered by a blanket that also has a small electric heater on its underside. An additional table top is placed on top of the blanket. This proposal was inspired by Henderson’s experiences in Japan.
Read more here. —Grace Wong
6:51 a.m. Wilmette’s last American Legion post, named after soldier who died during pandemic of 1918, is disbanding: ‘COVID was the final straw’
More than a century has passed since a 22-year-old U.S. Army soldier from the North Shore died during the influenza pandemic of 1918 while aboard a ship headed to Europe.
Peter J. Huerter, who had hoped to serve in World War I, was buried at sea that October. Back home in what is now Wilmette, his grief-stricken family and friends paid homage to the young man by naming one of the area’s two new American Legion posts in his honor.
But this month, amid the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the last remaining American Legion post in Wilmette will cease operations, and its abandoned century-old headquarters are slated for demolition and a farewell 21-gun salute later this year.
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“We just don’t have the horsepower to continue, and COVID was the final straw,” said Andy Haszlakiewicz, 74, of Wilmette, a U.S. Army veteran and the former commander of Post 46.
Read more here. —Karen Ann Cullotta
5 a.m.: Illinois confirms COVID-19 outbreaks in 44 schools this school year but won’t say where they occurred
Nearly two months into the school year, Illinois public health officials said they have verified COVID-19 outbreaks in at least 44 school buildings across the state, but they declined to say where those cases occurred and acknowledged they may not know the full scope of the virus’s spread in schools.
Unlike many other states, Illinois doesn’t publish the number of cases linked to schools or which schools have been affected — even as parents and educators try to assess whether in-person learning is safe. State health officials released overall numbers at the request of the Tribune and ProPublica Illinois.
With more than 1,800 public schools operating in person at least part time, along with an unknown number of private schools, the outbreaks represent a tiny fraction of Illinois schools in session, according to an analysis of state education data. Most outbreaks have been small — two or three cases at each school — but at least 105 students and 73 employees at public and private schools have been affected.
State health officials said many COVID-19 cases seen among children are tied to gatherings outside school and other community events, while acknowledging that local contact tracing efforts likely have missed some school-related cases.
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This story is a collaboration between the Tribune and ProPublica Illinois.
Read more here. —Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
In case you missed it
Here are five things that happened Wednesday related to COVID-19:


chicagotribune--2020-10-08--Column: Failed plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer shows danger of anti-government rhetori

Column: Failed plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer shows danger of anti-government rhetoric

“ There has been a disturbing increase in anti-government rhetoric and the re-emergence of groups that embrace extremist ideologies .
@ @ @ @ @ recruit new members by seizing on a moment of civil unrest and using it to @ @ @ @ @ and armed resistance .
This is more than just political disagreement or passionate advocacy , @ @ @ @ @ mission is simply to create chaos and inflict harm upon others .
”

Armed protesters stand near the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing on April 30, 2020, during a demonstration demanding the reopening of businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Jeff Kowalsky/Getty-AFP/Jeff Kowalsky/Getty-AFP)
On June 11, 2001, I stood in a tight, gray-walled room at a federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, and watched through a window as Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, expressionless and strapped to a gurney in the execution chamber, took his final breaths.
Despite my misgivings about the death penalty, it was hard for me to see it as anything but justice for the horrific act he committed, killing 168 people, including 19 children, in the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.
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Covering that execution and the anti-government movement that propelled McVeigh from a man with unhinged views on America to a mass-murdering terrorist left me with one key belief: You don’t feed these beasts.
Federal law enforcement, in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, clamped down on the anti-government groups that fancy themselves “militias.” But the movement still ebbs and flows, and as we saw Thursday with the announcement of charges against six men who plotted to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, it’s on the rise.
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That’s because anti-government sentiment is being fed, often by right-wing squawkers making money hocking fear, but also by the very person in charge of our government.
The Whitmer kidnapping plot stemmed from restrictions she put in place to protect Michigan residents from the coronavirus. When armed protesters showed up at the statehouse to threaten her and other lawmakers over the COVID-19 lockdown, President Donald Trump egged them on, at one point tweeting: “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!”
He also described protesters armed to the teeth in a state government building as “very good people” and went out of his way to show support and sympathy for them, something he does only for protesters who support him.
The problem is, those armed protesters and the men charged with plotting to kidnap the governor, along with seven other men charged separately Thursday under Michigan’s anti-terrorism law with plotting to target police officers, are fellow travelers. They’re Americans who view any governmental action they disagree with as tyranny.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued this statement regarding the charges against seven men associated with a group called the “Wolverine Watchmen”:
"The individuals in custody are suspected to have attempted to identify the home addresses of law enforcement officers in order to target them, made threats of violence intended to instigate a civil war, and engaged in planning and training for an operation to attack the Capitol building of Michigan and to kidnap government officials, including the governor of Michigan.
“There has been a disturbing increase in anti-government rhetoric and the re-emergence of groups that embrace extremist ideologies. These groups often seek to recruit new members by seizing on a moment of civil unrest and using it to advance their agenda of self-reliance and armed resistance. This is more than just political disagreement or passionate advocacy, some of these groups' mission is simply to create chaos and inflict harm upon others.”
Whitmer spoke at a Thursday news conference and put it simply: “When our leaders speak, their words matter.”
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It’s easy to write off people who dress up in camouflage clothing and join anti-government groups with tough-guy names like the Wolverine Watchmen as cosplaying conspiracy theorists. But we do that at our own peril.
The men who plotted to harm Whitmer met in July and “discussed attacking a Michigan State Police facility” and “shooting up the Governor’s vacation home,” according to court documents.
They apparently planned to take Whitmer to a location in Wisconsin, where she would stand “trial.”
It’s all outrageous, and it’s deeply anti-American. In recent weeks, the FBI has reported rising anti-government sentiment on the right and emphasized the seriousness of the threat posed by domestic terrorists associated with white supremacist movements.
You don’t feed these beasts. You don’t give them oxygen. You don’t toss around words like “tyranny” or “liberate” or do anything to validate their warped views of America.
The men who threatened the governor were caught before they could harm Whitmer, as were the men plotting attacks on law enforcement. That’s law and order — brave investigators using sources within anti-government groups to halt plans before they can happen.
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But it’s not always enough. Before the Oklahoma City bombing, federal investigators knew the federal building was a target, and they were on top of some groups they thought posed a threat.
Then McVeigh came along and showed Americans the horror one man flying under the radar can inflict.
People like McVeigh and the men charged in Michigan can pop up anywhere. They feed on distrust in government institutions.
We can’t have leaders tossing them red meat.
We simply can’t feed these beasts.
rhuppke@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-08--The Spin: Trump, Biden debate future debates | Did Harris, Pence answer whether they’re ready for th

The Spin: Trump, Biden debate future debates | Did Harris, Pence answer whether they’re ready for the big job? Yes and no | More infighting at Chicago police union

Foxx said she had hoped Trump ’ s diagnosis meant he ’ d be more understanding of the toll the @ @ @ @ @ Americans .
But instead , according to her , “ What have we got ?
@ @ @ @ @ series of tweets over the last two days that have dangled resources in front of @ @ @ @ @ back , conspiracy theories leveling out of allegations and accusations here , there and everywhere @ @ @ @ @ people wondering , Is this an issue of steroid rage , or someone who ’ @ @ @ @ @ reality ?
” ( Alice Yin )

President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden on Sept. 29, 2020, during the first presidential debate at Case Western University in Cleveland. (Patrick Semansky / AP)
While President Donald Trump announced in a TV interview this morning he’s pulling out of the next debate, citing organizers’ announcement that it would be virtual, who knows whether the door really is shut on the Oct. 15 showdown.
That’s what the Chicago member of the Commission on Presidential Debates, which sponsors and organizes the debates, tells The Spin. The ink was barely dry on the commission’s announcement about the changed format for the Oct. 15 debate, and Trump was on Fox Business News, saying: “I’m not going to do a virtual debate.” He raised concerns about being “cut off” or muted and said it’s not the right way to hold a debate.
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The campaigns may offer the debate commission new ideas — perhaps even an outdoor location — that could be taken up by the organizers, said Newton Minow, a Chicago attorney and former Federal Communications Commission chairman.
“Anything can happen in the future — believe me, we’ve seen that this year‚” Minow told The Spin with a chuckle.
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The commission announced that the candidates would be beamed in from remote locations for the debate “to protect the health and safety of all involved.” The changed format comes a week after Trump announced he had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and was subsequently hospitalized.
This morning, we learned U.S. Senate candidate Willie Wilson, a third-party candidate running against Democratic incumbent Dick Durbin, has tested positive for COVID-19 and now will quarantine for 10 days.
And more infighting at Chicago’s Police Department’s largest union. Kevin Graham, the former president of the Chicago lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, has been suspended from the organization for three years after leaving behind a tiny camera that continued to record in his old office unbeknown to successor and rival John Catanzara, officials say. Graham, who lost his bid for another term as FOP president earlier this year to Catanzara, has denied any wrongdoing.
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President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden on Sept. 29, 2020, during the first presidential debate at Case Western University in Cleveland. (Patrick Semansky/AP)
It all started with President Trump scoffing at the notion of a virtual debate with Democratic rival Joe Biden after organizers this morning announced the change in format for the Oct. 15 debate.
Now, Trump and Biden are tossing out new dates and formats, with each rejecting the other’s ideas, leaving the question of whether last week’s showdown would be their one and only before the Nov. 3 election.
“I’m not going to do a virtual debate,” Trump told Fox Business News, moments after the Commission on Presidential Debates announced the changes.
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“That’s not acceptable to us. I beat him easily in the first debate,” the president said. “I’m not going to waste my time on a virtual debate. That’s not what debating is all about ... they cut you off whenever they want.”
The debate commission held a vote via videoconference yesterday and decided unanimously that candidates should debate from remote locations, Minow, the Chicago member of the debate commission, told The Spin.
Asked whether the president’s COVID-19 diagnosis and fears he may still be infectious played a role, Minow said: “Our thought process is based on safety first — and the medical advice. In view of the spread of the pandemic ... we felt safety required that we move to a virtual debate, which has happened before.”
He pointed to the third presidential debate in 1960 between then-Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard M. Nixon, who were brought together via remote link from opposite coasts.
Told that Trump was irritated about the debate commission’s unilateral decision and that he thought it might give Biden a leg up, Minow said the organization is nonpartisan and that neither campaign was consulted.
Biden vs. Trump on the debates, an update via The Associated Press: After the president and his reelection campaign said this morning he was pulling out of the Oct. 15 matchup, Biden’s advisers suggested it could be pushed back a week to Oct. 22. Trump’s team accepted that date but said a third debate should happen on Oct. 29 — just before Election Day — and said it wouldn’t accept virtual substitutes. Biden’s team rejected the late October debate.
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Strong or Shaky? Black turnout for Biden in these 3 Midwestern cities viewed as key in race vs. Trump – The Tribune’s Bill Ruthhart is on the campaign trail and writes, "When Democrats lost the presidency to Donald Trump four years ago, their biggest vote drop-offs were centered on a trio of Midwestern Rust Belt cities with large Black populations — Detroit, Milwaukee and Cleveland. This year, all three anchor battleground states that Democratic nominee Joe Biden hopes to reclaim for his party, and recent polls show him in the lead.
“But in 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton led some of the same October polls in Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio only to lose them all,” Ruthhart writes, adding that in recent “interviews with more than 60 Black local elected officials, religious leaders, grassroots organizers and voters in visits to all three cities reflect a shakier situation — one where there is often little enthusiasm among African American voters for Biden and prevalent concerns that the campaign has to do more to improve turnout.” Read the rest of the story here.
Road to November: In Illinois’ graduated-income tax debate, both sides find threat of a tax on retirement benefits a powerful motivator with elderly voters – The Tribune’s Rick Pearson has the details here.
Chicago early voting locations 2020: Where to cast your ballot in the city, suburbs before Nov. 3: My Tribune colleagues Chad Yoder and Jonathon Berlin have the details here.
More on what you need to know about voting in Chicago’s suburbs: Sarah Freishtat takes a closer look in this Aurora Beacon-Beacon news piece.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence during the vice presidential debate Oct. 7, 2020, on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. (Morry Gash / AP/AP)
In sum, the moderator needed to ask shorter, more direct questions of Republican Mike Pence and Democratic challenger Kamala Harris in last night’s vice presidential debate and rein them in when they veered off topic, says Todd Graham, the debate director at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and an expert on presidential debates.
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Moderator Susan Page, of USA Today, asked in a roundabout way whether Harris had talked to Biden and if Pence had talked to Trump about stepping into the role of president should either suffer a disability that makes them unable to run the country.
Pence ducked the question altogether, saying “let me go back” and defending the White House’s COVID-19 response, Graham points out, directing people to double-check the transcript here.
While Harris didn’t say she and Biden had a discussion, Graham argues, she did tick off a curriculum vitae that includes district attorney of San Francisco, attorney general of California and now a sitting U.S. senator representing California.
“She absolutely answered it because she said why she was qualified, she said what she’s done in her role as attorney general, that she’s a U.S. senator and the works she’s done there, which is all to show her answer to the question, ‘Yes I can take over,’” Graham said.
Before Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris made history as the first Black woman to appear on a vice presidential debate stage, four of Illinois highest-profile Black female politicians cheered her on in a watch party Wednesday night. Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Cook County state’s attorney Kim Foxx, Cook County clerk Karen Yarbrough and Illinois U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly joined Cameron Joost, state director for the Biden campaign, to make the case for the Biden-Harris ticket.
Echoing other Democrats over the past week, their arguments for Biden included stern lectures on President Trump and how the White House responded to its own coronavirus outbreak.
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Stratton was grateful the president was on the mend but said, “I am discouraged, however, that his own experience with the virus did not result in a shred of empathy or compassion. … It is insulting. It is cruel. It is dangerous, and it is the latest chapter in the nightmare that we’ve all been forced to endure for these last four years.”
Foxx said she had hoped Trump’s diagnosis meant he’d be more understanding of the toll the coronavirus pandemic has inflicted on Americans. But instead, according to her, “What have we got? We’ve gotten a series of tweets over the last two days that have dangled resources in front of communities and then taking them back, conspiracy theories leveling out of allegations and accusations here, there and everywhere. We’ve got people wondering, Is this an issue of steroid rage, or someone who’s lost their grip on reality?” (Alice Yin)
Mayor Lightfoot issued a statement after last night’s debate, praising Harris, whom she met with in Chicago when the senator was still in the mix as a Democratic presidential candidate. “Kamala Harris exposed the profound leadership failures of the Trump-Pence administration. Platitudes and empty rhetoric by Mike Pence cannot paper over Donald Trump’s worst transgressions.
“Kamala Harris is committed to building our economy back better, protecting healthcare access and guaranteeing equity and justice for all Americans.”
Review: Late-night looks for laughs touched by COVID-19, upstaged by fly – My Tribune colleague Steve Johnson has the report here.
Willie Wilson speaks at a news conference May 12, 2020, at the Thompson Center in Chicago. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s Rick Pearson: “Willie Wilson, the entrepreneur and frequent candidate for political office who is mounting an independent challenge to Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, announced Thursday he has tested positive for COVID-19 and will begin a 10-day quarantine.
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“‘I am experiencing mild symptoms at this time. However, I am confident that we will beat COVID-19,’” said Wilson, 72, a food and medical service glove distributor who also has his own gospel orchestra and record distribution company.”
Pearson notes: “Wilson was at Chicago’s early voting site as it opened to voters on Oct. 1, strolling the line of voters and offering fist bumps.” Read the rest of the story here.
The latest on stimulus talks Washington: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she’s ‘at the table’ after Trump scrapped COVID-19 relief talks. Read the Associated Press story here.
Related: Cook County launches $20 million suburban mortgage assistance program as hope for more federal COVID-19 relief runs thin - The Tribune’s Alice Yin has the details here.
Illinois daily count of new COVID-19 cases tops 3,000 for first time since May: The Tribune’s Dan Petrella has the details here.
Illinois confirms COVID-19 outbreaks in 44 schools this school year but won’t say where they occurred: The Tribune’s Jennifer Smith Richards and ProPublica Illinois' Jodi S. Cohen have the details here.
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‘Wisconsin is what happens when you politicize public health,’ Mayor Lightfoot says: The Tribune’s Gregory Pratt has the details here.
Chicago’s outdoor dining design competition winners announced: A cozy cabin, block modules and heated tables — The Tribune’s Grace Wong writes about it here.
Wilmette’s last American Legion post, named after a soldier who died during the pandemic of 1918, is disbanding: ‘COVID was the final straw’ — Karen Ann Cullotta has the details in the Pioneer Press.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot releases the City's 2021 Budget Forecast, with Budget Director Susie Park, CFO Jennie Huang Bennett, and Comptroller Reshma Soni at the Chicago Cultural Center on Monday August 31, 2020. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune) (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Agents foiled a stunning plot to kidnap Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, authorities said Thursday in announcing charges in an alleged scheme that involved months of planning and even rehearsals to snatch her from her vacation home, the Associated Press reports in this piece.
The Tribune’s Gregory Pratt reports: Asked to react to the unfolding situation in Michigan, Chicago’s Democratic mayor said “it’s chilling” and added, “I think all roads lead back to Donald Trump.”
Lightfoot specifically singled out an April post where Trump tweeted, “Liberate Michigan!”
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“Unfortunately, every single time he attacks a public official and I know this personally, there are those who take that as license to come after us,” Lightfoot said. “The level of hatred that has been spewed towards me every time the president or his spokesperson uses my name in public, not just attacking the city but me personally, and I know this is the experience of other mayors and other elected officials across the country.” Read the full Tribune story here.
LIBERATE MICHIGAN! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2020
City news: Mayor Lightfoot touts PepsiCo, JPMorgan Chase programs to boost lending, job training - The companies are pledging to do more in Chicago on both fronts. Gregory Pratt has the Tribune story here.
Owner of clout-heavy fuel distribution firm embroiled in federal corruption probe accused in bankruptcy court of lying under oath: Black Dog Chicago LLC and Amit Gauri “have been under fire since they were each named in federal search warrants and subpoenas filed in September 2019 in a sweeping political corruption investigation of former state Sen. Martin Sandoval and a number of suburban mayors and industry heavyweights, including Illinois' so-called Asphalt King, Michael Vondra,” the Tribune’s Jason Meisner writes. Read the story here.
Tents are set up outside Stroger Hospital on March 29, 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
With the nation’s highest court set to hear arguments in a case that could decide the fate of the Affordable Care Act next month, Illinois Democrats are warning that a repeal would mean 300,000-plus Cook County residents could lose insurance benefits, the Tribune’s Alice Yin writes.
The domino effect could put further strain on the already financially strapped Cook County hospital system, the county’s largest provider of uncompensated charity care.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said at a news conference with several Democratic congressmen this week: “Here’s the bottom line: The repeal of the ACA would not only financially cripple Cook County Health by dramatically increasing the amount of uncompensated health care we provide, it would be catastrophic — catastrophic — for the patients we serve.” Read the full story here.
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Then Chicago FOP President Kevin Graham, shown March 13, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner: “Kevin Graham, the former president of the Chicago Police Department’s largest union, was suspended from the organization for three years on Wednesday for leaving behind a tiny camera that continued to record in his old office while it was occupied by his successor, and not telling him about it, officials said.
“Graham, however, has denied any wrongdoing and plans to appeal the decision.
“In an interview with the Tribune Wednesday evening, Graham indicated the decision by the Chicago lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police was flawed since it was handed down by union officials aligned with John Catanzara, the current FOP president, who won Graham’s spot earlier this year by defeating him in an election.” Read the full story here.
Thanks for reading The Spin, the Tribune’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons. Have a tip? Email host Lisa Donovan at ldonovan@chicagotribune.com.
Twitter @byldonovan


chicagotribune--2020-10-08--Friend uses his shirt to stop the bleeding after 10-year-old girl is shot in the back. ‘He calls her

Friend uses his shirt to stop the bleeding after 10-year-old girl is shot in the back. ‘He calls her his little sister. He was crying too.’

La ’ Mya was with her 15-year-old sister and other friends Wednesday evening at the park , about a block @ @ @ @ @ boys and two girls between 15 and 17 walked up , according to police .
@ @ @ @ @ one of the boys , known as “ Ghost , ” fired at least six @ @


chicagotribune--2020-10-08--Outdoor dining winterization money comes as some push for tougher Chicago requirements on third-part

Outdoor dining winterization money comes as some push for tougher Chicago requirements on third-party delivery apps

“ I ’ m happy to see DoorDash step up and support outdoor dining , but if they really want @ @ @ @ @ , they should put their money where their mouth is and support this ordinance , @ @ @ @ @ The app companies should embrace this initiative if they ’ re really interested in providing @ @ @ @ @ struggling restaurants .
”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday touted $500,000 the city’s getting from restaurant delivery company DoorDash to winterize Chicago restaurants, while proposals by aldermen to further crack down on such apps during the coronavirus pandemic languish in City Council committees.
In announcing the grant from the delivery company to help restaurants prepare for winter, Lightfoot thanked DoorDash “for investing in Chicago and its restaurants to assist them in continuing to serve Chicagoans this winter.”
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Third-party apps such as DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats that charge additional fees to restaurants to deliver meals have drawn increasing scrutiny from elected officials since the virus outbreak began, as diners skittish about eating inside restaurants have been ordering more to-go meals, fueling a boom for the companies.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot visits Camp DoorDash at the 2019 Taste of Chicago in Grant Park. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
During a May City Council committee hearing, struggling restaurateurs said the companies charge 30% or more to deliver food, and sometimes set up their own websites masquerading as those of the restaurants themselves.
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Northwest Side Ald. Scott Waguespack, 32nd, introduced an ordinance to cap fees at 5% of the cost of the meal, but it got shunted to the City Council Rules Committee, where ideas the mayor opposes often get sent to die.
And while the council did adopt Lightfoot-backed rules requiring delivery apps to itemize the fees they charge, stricter bench marks backed by downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, have gone nowhere.
Reilly on Thursday said if the city wanted to really throw a lifeline to struggling restaurants, it would adopt the tougher standards, and the companies would readily agree to abide by them.
“I’m happy to see DoorDash step up and support outdoor dining, but if they really want to help the restaurant industry, they should put their money where their mouth is and support this ordinance,” Reilly said. “The app companies should embrace this initiative if they’re really interested in providing relief to Chicago’s struggling restaurants.”
There’s precedent for a Chicago mayor drawing criticism for not taking a harder line with corporations. During his first term, Mayor Rahm Emanuel caught flak from food policy watchdogs after announcing he would include calorie information on pop machines in city buildings, at a time other mayors were pulling sugary soft drinks out of machines in their cities.
Emanuel also unveiled a competition between Chicago city workers and those in San Antonio to earn rewards from a $5 million national beverage lobbying group.
He later announced Coca-Cola would pay $3 million to fund exercise and nutrition programs through the Chicago Park District to try to fight obesity and diabetes, and touted an agreement with the soft drink giant to pay $2.59 million for 50,000 blue recycling carts for Chicago homes that included images of Coke products on the lids.
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Emanuel also drew the ire of Chicago cabdrivers who said he favored ride-share companies such Uber — a company that his brother, Hollywood super agent Ari Emanuel, had an ownership stake in — over taxis in drawing up Chicago’s ride-share industry rules.
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @_johnbyrne


chicagotribune--2020-10-08--In graduated-income tax debate, both sides find threat of  a tax on retirement benefits a powerful m

In graduated-income tax debate, both sides find threat of  a tax on retirement benefits a powerful motivator with elderly voters

The amendment does not directly affect retirement income in any way , either by protecting retirements from taxation in the @ @ @ @ @ a tax from being imposed .
Lawmakers already have the power to make that change @ @ @ @ @ three states that levies an income tax but does not impose it on retirement income @ @ @ @ @ IRA and 401 ( k ) plans .

The political potency of a potential tax on retirement income to motivate elderly voters in the debate over a graduated-rate state income tax was on full display Thursday as a leading senior advocacy group warned that could be next if the amendment is not approved.
Only a day after AARP Illinois joined with other senior advocacy groups in decrying amendment opponents for contending the proposal could lead to a tax on retirement income if it is ratified, the group sent out a mailer saying “state lawmakers may be forced to consider adding a tax to retirement income”or cuts that will especially hurt seniors if it is voted down.
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“Voting yes on the graduated income tax could help the state raise around $3 billion a year to deal with the budget crisis and ensure funding of essential services,” the AARP mailer said. “It also protects older taxpayers by ensuring they aren’t taxed on Social Security and other retirement income, such as pensions, 401(k)s or IRAs.”
The move finds AARP Illinois in the unusual position of joining the opposing Coalition to Stop the Tax Hike Amendment in using the threat of taxes on retirement income as a powerful persuader as each side vies for help from elderly voters, traditionally one of the most dedicated voting demographics in Illinois.
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And it comes as the pro-amendment Vote Yes for Fairness group debuted a new TV ad accusing anti-amendment forces of “trying to scare” seniors with the retirement tax issue.
The debate surrounds a proposed change to the state constitution that tops the Nov. 3 ballot, asking voters whether to eliminate the state’s currently mandated flat-rate income tax with a graduated tax that levies higher rates as income rises.
The amendment does not directly affect retirement income in any way, either by protecting retirements from taxation in the future or by preventing such a tax from being imposed. Lawmakers already have the power to make that change. Illinois is one of three states that levies an income tax but does not impose it on retirement income, such as pensions and IRA and 401(k) plans.
But amendment opponents in a flurry of TV ads have contended a graduated tax would open the door to lawmakers imposing a tax on retirement benefits because the amendment would allow it to be levied on higher retirement incomes.
“Every state with a graduated income tax also taxes retirement income, which is further proof we simply cannot trust Springfield politicians with the new power this tax hike amendment gives them,” Lissa Druss, spokeswoman for anti-amendment coalition said in a statement. “They are desperately trying to backtrack what they’ve already said they support—which is taxing retirement income if their tax hike amendment is approved.”
Opponents point to remarks in June by Democratic state Treasurer Michael Frerichs who said one point in favor of adopting the graduated-rate amendment was that it could allow the taxing of retirement income for those who could afford it and was “worth discussion.”
Frerichs has since said he opposes taxing retirement income, noting the proposal’s chief proponent, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker does as well.
Opponents now are pointing to a WTTW-Ch. 11 interview in February 2018 — months before Pritzker defeated Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner — in which then state Reps. David Harris, R-Arlington Heights, and Christian Mitchell, D-Chicago, spoke in support of considering a tax on wealthier retirement incomes.
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Harris, who proposed a plan taxing retirement income of $100,000 or more in 2018, is now Pritzker’s director of the state Department of Revenue. Mitchell is a deputy governor in Pritzker’s administration.
Proponents of the amendment are now contending it is anti-amendment forces who are backing a tax on retirement income. They note one group that is opposing the amendment, the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, proposed imposing such a tax in February 2019.
In a new TV spot from Vote Yes for Fairness, a senior identified as Amy Boatman pitches support for the amendment.
“The billionaires are spending a fortune trying to scare us. They want to keep getting away without paying their fair share. I did my research and here are the facts: The Fair Tax will not tax retirement income,” Boatman says in the ad. “As a matter of fact, 97% of Illinoisans will get a tax cut, including seniors like me. It’s time for change. Vote yes for fairness.”
Proponents have said that those making $250,000 a year or less, about 97% of Illinoisans, would pay at least the same or less income tax than they do now under a rate schedule that would take effect Jan. 1 if the amendment is adopted. But opponents contend adoption of the amendment would hurt businesses, cost jobs and allow lawmakers to cherry pick income groups for future tax hikes.
The debate over taxing retirement income comes as the Illinois Chamber of Commerce announced 40 business organizations, including the state’s automobile dealers' association and 27 local chambers of commerce, joined a coalition against the amendment that it is leading along with such groups as the Illinois Farm Bureau and the National Federation of Independent Business—Illinois.
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chicagotribune--2020-10-08--Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: ‘All roads le

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: ‘All roads lead back to Donald Trump’

“ Unfortunately , every single time he attacks a public official , and I know this personally , there are @ @ @ @ @ license to come after us , ” Lightfoot said .
“ The level of hatred @ @ @ @ @ me every time the president or his spokesperson uses my name in public , not @ @ @ @ @ but me personally , and I know this is the experience of other mayors and @ @ @ @ @ country .
”

In this photo Sept. 16, 2020, file photo, provided by the Michigan Office of the Governor, Gov. Whitmer addresses the state during a speech in Lansing, Michigan. According to a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday, Oct. 8, six people plotted to try to kidnap Whitmer at her vacation home. (AP)
Republican President Donald Trump and his rhetoric bear a “measure of responsibility” for a stunning plot the FBI alleges was aimed at kidnapping Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Thursday.
“This is a lesson for all of us, words matter, and when you’re in public life, you have to choose your words carefully,” she said.
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Asked to react to the unfolding situation in Michigan, Lightfoot said “it’s chilling" and added, “I think all roads lead back to Donald Trump.”
Lightfoot singled out an April post where Trump tweeted, “Liberate Michigan!”
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LIBERATE MICHIGAN! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2020
“Unfortunately, every single time he attacks a public official, and I know this personally, there are those who take that as license to come after us,” Lightfoot said. “The level of hatred that has been spewed towards me every time the president or his spokesperson uses my name in public, not just attacking the city, but me personally, and I know this is the experience of other mayors and other elected officials across the country.”
She also said Trump has “emboldened and empowered an element in our country that we know exists, sometimes we don’t want to talk about it, but it’s absolutely there and there’s a lot of racist, misogynist, xenophobic, violent people that are out there who threaten me and my family and other elected officials because the president gives them license.”
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The six men charged in federal court plotted for months, consulting and training with members of a group that federal authorities described as a militia, and undertaking rehearsals in August and September, according to an FBI affidavit. They were arrested Wednesday night and face up to life in prison if convicted.
Four planned to meet Wednesday to “make a payment on explosives and exchange tactical gear,” the FBI said in the court filing.
The FBI quoted one of the accused as saying Whitmer “has no checks and balances at all. She has uncontrolled power right now. All good things must come to an end.”
Andrew Birge, the U.S. attorney in western Michigan, called them “violent extremists.”
Whitmer, who was considered as Joe Biden’s running mate, has been praised but also deeply criticized by the Republican-controlled Legislature and conservatives for Michigan’s response to the coronavirus. She put major restrictions on personal movement throughout the state and on the economy, although many of those limits have been lifted. The governor has exchanged barbs with Trump on social media.
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The Associated Press contributed.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @royalpratt


chicagotribune--2020-10-08--Park Ridge man, 22, charged with attempted murder in stabbing of mother, police say

According to police , an investigation determined that Kozhukhov used a kitchen knife to stab his mother five times in @ @ @ @ @ body after the two became involved in an argument on the morning of Oct. 7 @ @ @ @ @ knife on himself , stabbing the side of his chest one time , but not @ @ @ @ @ police said .

Franchesko Kozhukhov was charged with attempted murder in the alleged stabbing of his mother on Oct. 7 in Park Ridge. (Park Ridge Police Department / HANDOUT)
A 22-year-old man is being held without bond for allegedly stabbing his mother several times, police said, inside the Park Ridge apartment the two shared near Advocate Lutheran General Hospital.
Franchesko Kozhukhov, 22, of the 1400 block of Carol Street, was charged with attempted murder following the alleged attack, which police said left his 60-year-old mother in critical condition Tuesday.
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According to police, an investigation determined that Kozhukhov used a kitchen knife to stab his mother five times in the upper part of her body after the two became involved in an argument on the morning of Oct. 7. Kozhukhov then used the knife on himself, stabbing the side of his chest one time, but not causing a life-threatening injury, police said.
According to police, Kozhukhov held his mother down on a bed to keep her from leaving the apartment, but she managed to escape and run to a neighbor’s apartment for help.
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Park Ridge police said a 60-year-old woman was stabbed by her son Oct. 7 inside their apartment on the 1400 block of Carol Street. (Jennifer Johnson / Pioneer Press)
Both Kozhukhov and his mother were taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, which is located one block west of their apartment. Kozhukhov was treated and released into police custody, police said.
Park Ridge Police Department Executive Officer Tom Gadomski said Kozhukhov gave investigators a “full confession,” but Gadomski declined to elaborate on what he told police or what the nature of the reported argument was involving the mother and son.
Police had contact with the family “a couple months ago,” Gadomski said, but he described the incident as “nothing substantial.”
Kozhukhov was ordered held without bond following a virtual bond hearing Thursday and will undergo a mental health evaluation, according to police.
His mother is expected to survive her injuries, Gadomski said.
This is the second reported stabbing of a woman by her son to occur in Park Ridge in a little over one year.
In July 2019, 47-year-old David Krystyniak was charged with murder after he allegedly stabbed his 74-year-old mother twice with a sword inside the pair’s Park Ridge home. He remains in Cook County Jail custody and is being held without bond pending trial.
jjohnson@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter: @Jen_Tribune