chicagotribune--2020-09-22--‘Dreadhead Cowboy’ arrested after galloping down Dan Ryan during rush hour while livestreaming the m

‘Dreadhead Cowboy’ arrested after galloping down Dan Ryan during rush hour while livestreaming the message, ‘Kids’ Lives Matter'

But late Monday , the mayor criticized Hollingsworth ’ s actions .
“ What is clear is that this stunt @ @ @ @ @ horse , but also the rider and all travelers on the expressway , ” she @ @ @ @ @ “ There is a right way and a wrong way to call attention to issues @ @ @ @ @ this stunt was decidedly the very wrong way .
”

Adam Hollingsworth rides his horse on the Dan Ryan Expressway with motorcycles and motorists to support Kids Lives Matter. (Vashon Jordan Jr./@vashon_photo) (Chicago Tribune Handout)
A Chicago man known as the Dreadhead Cowboy was arrested Monday afternoon as he galloped down the Dan Ryan Expressway while livestreaming the message, “Kids' Lives Matter.”
Adam Hollingsworth, 33, was stopped by state troopers at 95th Street after he rode his brown and white horse about seven miles on the expressway, escorted by several supporters on motorcycles and jamming rush hour traffic.
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He was charged with reckless conduct, disobeying a police officer and criminal trespass to state-supported property. State police said his horse was taken to an animal shelter because it was bleeding from the left hoof, had an injury on the right hoof and sores on its right side from the saddle.
As Hollingsworth rode south on the expressway, police trailing behind him, he streamed himself on Facebook Live saying, “I shut down the Dan Ryan, Kids Lives Matter.”
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State police and Chicago police had met with Hollingsworth earlier this month about a potential protest on the expressway, according to the state police. His request was denied because officials believed it would dangerous as well as illegal, state police said.
Shortly before 4:30 p.m., state police received calls about someone riding a horse at 47th Street. Officers arrived at 71st Street and saw Hollingsworth riding down the interstate, surrounded by motorcycles and vehicles in local lanes, according to a statement from the state police.
Hollingsworth refused to exit the expressway, and was ordered off the horse and placed under arrest, state police said. Officers escorted him as he and some supporters exited at 95th Street. One of them, Darron Luster, 55, of Chicago, tried to “forcefully gain control of the horse,” according to state police. Luster refused to release the horse and was arrested for obstructing and resisting arrest.
Earlier this summer, Hollingsworth partnered with Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office to encourage people to fill out their census forms. The mayor dubbed him the “Census Cowboy.”
But late Monday, the mayor criticized Hollingsworth’s actions. “What is clear is that this stunt not only seriously endangered the horse, but also the rider and all travelers on the expressway,” she said in a statement. “There is a right way and a wrong way to call attention to issues of great importance, and this stunt was decidedly the very wrong way.”
The horse was taken to Chicago’s Animal Care and Control, according to Chicago police. The agency was working to transport the animal “to a temporary shelter where it can receive proper care,” the mayor’s office said.
Additional charges were pending, according to state police.


chicagotribune--2020-09-22--What to know in the final weeks of the 2020 census

Officials have warned about an undercount in the Chicago region , particularly in communities of color .
Census tracts with @ @ @ @ @ rates in Chicago include Back of the Yards , West Englewood , Little Village and @ @ @ @ @ that are already struggling with lack of resources and stand to lose the most from @ @ @ @

Elizabeth Navarrete, right, gives a response to census worker Lu Babatu on Sept. 11, 2020, at a 2020 census community giveaway day hosted by Metropolitan Family Services on Chicago's Northwest Side. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
As the United States nears the end of its 2020 census count, the response rate in Illinois has just surpassed 2010 levels, while Chicago’s rate continues to lag behind, hovering around 60%.
Responses are particularly low on the South and West sides, with some areas reporting rates just above 30% as officials warn that an undercount in these neighborhoods will only exacerbate existing inequities.
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Here is what to know about the final weeks of the 2020 census:
When’s the last day I can fill out a census form?
The 2020 census count was set to end Sept. 30 but last week, a federal judge in California ruled the Census Bureau must extend the deadline to Oct. 31. The decision came after a coalition of civic organizations and local governments filed a lawsuit against the agency.
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The Trump administration filed a notice Friday that it would appeal the court order, creating uncertainty about the end date.
While the case moves through the courts, the bureau is prohibited from winding down operations. However, a number of Chicago census workers have reported their hours had been cut in half after Labor Day, with some receiving no work at all.
Residents are still encouraged to fill out their census forms as soon as possible.
Where can I fill out the census?
The 2020 census can be completed online or over the phone in English at 844-330-2020 and in Spanish at 844-468-2020. Households can also complete the form by mail by returning questionnaires.
Ellisa Johnson, deputy regional director for the Census Bureau in Chicago, said households should still have enough time to respond by mail if they prefer, but questionnaires must be postmarked by the Sept. 30 deadline and arrive by Oct. 7.
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What questions are asked on the census form?
The 2020 census includes fewer than a dozen basic demographic questions about the household and its residents. The form asks the name, sex, age and race of every person in the house.
If there is more than one person living in a home, the bureau also asks for a description of the resident’s relationship — there are options for roommates, same-sex partners or siblings.
Two people walk past an advertisement on a truck promoting the 2020 census Sept. 16, 2020, in the 3000 block of West 26th Street in the Little Village neighborhood. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Does the 2020 census include a question about citizenship?
No, the 2020 census does not include questions about immigration or citizenship status.
The U.S. Department of Commerce sought to include the controversial question, but the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the effort.
Still, advocacy organizations in the area have noticed many immigrant communities remain fearful of the census, and they continue to urge all households to complete the form, regardless of citizenship status.
Will my answers be confidential?
The Census Bureau is bound by federal law to keep all personal information collected confidential. Personal information “is never published,” according to the bureau’s website, and “cannot be used against respondents by any government agency or court.”
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Census data is only to be used for statistical purposes.
Are census workers still visiting homes?
Yes, census workers are still visiting homes. Census workers should be visiting the homes of those who have yet to respond, and if no one answers, they will leave a postcard reminding residents to complete the census, according to Johnson.
What happens after the deadline?
After the counting deadline, census officials begin to analyze the data. Johnson said some households may be recontacted as officials work to verify information and correct any errors.
If a household does not fill out the census on its own, Johnson said the bureau has “a number of undisclosed operations and ways that continue to collect the data.”
Census officials have until Dec. 31 to review the data and hand it over to the president.
What is at stake for Illinois?
Census data determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives and dictates how the government will distribute hundreds of billions of dollars in federal aid for the next decade.
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Experts predict Illinois is at risk of losing one or two House seats because of population loss alone.
Officials have warned about an undercount in the Chicago region, particularly in communities of color. Census tracts with some of the lowest response rates in Chicago include Back of the Yards, West Englewood, Little Village and North Lawndale, all neighborhoods that are already struggling with lack of resources and stand to lose the most from an inaccurate count.


chicagotribune--2020-09-22--Tracking Chicago homicide victims

Tracking Chicago homicide victims

Though there are homicides recorded throughout the city they are most concentrated in the South and West sides .

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chicagotribune--2020-09-22--Man dies after being pulled from Monroe Harbor

The man jumped into the water about 9:15 p.m. Monday , two witnesses told police .
The marine unit and @ @ @ @ @ to the scene .

A 24-year-old man died after he was pulled from Monroe Harbor by the Chicago police marine unit, authorities said.
The man jumped into the water about 9:15 p.m. Monday, two witnesses told police. The marine unit and the Chicago Fire Department responded to the scene.
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The man was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition, police said. He was later pronounced dead.
Police said they are conducting a death investigation.
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pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-09-21--Bannockburn doctor charged with sexual assault in Oak Brook attack

It is alleged that on Feb. 12 , 2019 , Alrashid met the woman and others at a restaurant in @ @ @ @ @ presentation dinner .
Following the business dinner , Alrashid and the woman traveled together in @ @ @ @ @ to his house , where the victim had left her car .
It is alleged @ @ @ @ @ , Alrashid sexually assaulted the woman , according to the release .

Dr. Arkan Alrashid (DuPage County State's Attorney)
A doctor from Bannockburn has been accused of sexually assaulting a female co-worker in his car, following a business dinner in Oak Brook in February 2019.
Dr. Arkan Alrashid, 54, of the first block of Broadleys Court, has been charged with two counts of criminal sexual assault, a Class 1 Felony, according to a release from DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin.
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It is alleged that on Feb. 12, 2019, Alrashid met the woman and others at a restaurant in Oak Brook for a business presentation dinner. Following the business dinner, Alrashid and the woman traveled together in Alrashid’s vehicle back to his house, where the victim had left her car. It is alleged that during the drive home, Alrashid sexually assaulted the woman, according to the release.
“These allegations are extremely disturbing and will be met with the full force of the law,” Berlin said in the release.
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A statement issued Monday evening Sept. 21 by GI Partners of Illinois, LLC, of which Alrashid is president, said Dr. Alrashid maintains his innocence and intends to plead not guilty to these charges.
“Dr. Alrashid denies these allegations and is vigorously defending the charges in court,” the statement said. “He has cooperated with the authorities and has retained defense counsel to conduct a rigorous investigation and defense. He is confident the evidence will prove that the accusations are false.”
A $50,000 arrest warrant was issued Sept. 15, 2020 for Alrashid, who turned himself in two days later at the Oak Brook Police Department. He posted $5,000, or the necessary 10% of his arrest warrant, and was released.
Judge Alex McGimpsey granted the state’s petition Monday to modify Alrashid’s conditions of bail which, among other additional conditions, now require the defendant to have no contact with the victim or her family, surrender any firearms, firearm ammunition, FOID card or other dangerous weapons, and surrender any passports.
Conditions of bail placed on Alrashid prior to Monday’s hearing required only that he notify the Circuit Clerk’s Office within 24 hours of changing residency, not violate any criminal statute of any jurisdiction and that he not leave the state of Illinois without permission of the court.
“I am proud of the work our investigators did on this case and their pursuit of justice for the victim no matter how long it took,” Oak Brook Police Chief James Kruger said. “I also appreciate the trust the victim demonstrated with us and hope this can bring some small consolation for what she had to endure.”
Alrashid’s next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 4 for arraignment in front of Judge McGimpsey.
This story has been updated.


chicagotribune--2020-09-23--Daywatch: Pritzker readies Illinois National Guard, state residents could get money from Facebook an

Daywatch: Pritzker readies Illinois National Guard, state residents could get money from Facebook and is this a real moment of change for Chicago arts?

Meanwhile , in the U.S. , we hit a grim milestone on Tuesday : the death toll of the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ the highest in the world .
The Tribune has been working to chronicle those who @ @ @ @ @ the Chicago area or who have connections to our region .

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Good morning, Chicago. On Tuesday, Illinois public health officials reported 1,531 newly diagnosed coronavirus cases and 30 more deaths, as Wisconsin was added back to the city’s quarantine list. Here’s a reminder of what you need to know about Chicago’s quarantine order to avoid getting fined.
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Meanwhile, in the U.S., we hit a grim milestone on Tuesday: the death toll of the pandemic surpassed 200,000, by far the highest in the world. The Tribune has been working to chronicle those who have lost their lives in the Chicago area or who have connections to our region.
And, last night, President Trump interviewed on WGN America’s “NewsNation.” The Tribune’s Steve Johnson called it “a 15-minute primetime opportunity for the president to repeat campaign talking points.” Read his full review here.
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Here’s more coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during a news conference at the Thompson Center on Sept. 22, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration said Tuesday night that it “is putting the (Illinois National) Guard in a state of readiness” to ensure members are available as Kentucky’s attorney general is expected to announce whether he’ll file charges in the police killing of Breonna Taylor.
The Louisville woman’s death has been a central theme for protests in several U.S. cities this summer against police brutality. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot met Tuesday morning and discussed the issue, the governor’s office said in a statement.
Judge Amy Coney Barrett attends the Federalists Society's 2019 National Lawyers Convention in Washington, Nov. 15, 2019. Barrett is regarded as the leading contender to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. (Samuel Corum/The New York Times)
When Amy Coney Barrett last appeared on President Donald Trump’s shortlist of Supreme Court nominees, she was only months into her first turn as a judge on Chicago’s 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and had a very slim record of rulings.
This time, as she finds herself a front-runner to be nominated for the seat vacated with the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Barrett, a favorite of social conservatives, brings to the national spotlight more than 100 written opinions and dissents authored over the past 2½ years. They range from writings on mundane issues to lengthy dissents on hot-button topics including gun control and immigration.
In this April 14, 2020 file photo, the thumbs up Like logo is shown on a sign at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. (Jeff Chiu/AP)
Illinois Facebook users can apply to get between $200 and $400 from the social media company as part of a $650 million class-action settlement over alleged violations of a state privacy law. Users will be notified of the settlement beginning Wednesday via email and on Facebook, according to court documents.
A portable ionic air purifier is seen Sept. 17, 2020, on a table at Formento's, an Italian restaurant in Chicago's West Town neighborhood. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Restaurants hoping to see the other side of the pandemic are pouring money into air quality upgrades and other safety features even as business remains devastated by COVID-19. As they burn through cash, they are counting on customers taking comfort in the changes and filling seats. But, it’s a gamble for customers as well as restaurants.
"Camino al Mictlan" by Juan Carlos Torres Gonzalez and Dr. Pedro Ibarra Mosqueda is displayed at the National Museum of Mexican Art during a Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, celebration Oct. 28, 2018, in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
The pandemic has brought about many changes. For the Chicago arts organizations, now is the time to rethink inclusion. But is this just lip service? Or does it mean real change is coming?


chicagotribune--2020-09-23--Column: Take a deep breath and repeat, “Despair is not an option.” An election season to-do list.

Don ’ t rely on the official media rehash , the social media snippets and the talking heads to tell @ @ @ @ @ for yourself .
The debates won ’ t supply all , or even most , @ @ @ @ @ to vote intelligently .
And chances are you already know who you ’ re going @ @ @ @ @ , watching will be interesting and in some way informative .

Bethel Gascho walks past a bright red fall tree along East Main Street in Barrington on Sept. 22. Gascho said, "I love to walk, reflect and pray." (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
We’ve entered a new season. It’s not just the season of autumn, it’s election season, six weeks that stretch before us like an eternity and a nanosecond, weeks that risk being a nonstop brawl. As the countdown proceeds, the noise will get louder and uglier, meaning we, the people, will get louder and uglier. And more anxious.
So today, we turn to a time-honored anxiety management tool, the to-do list. Keep this list handy. Place a check next to each item you accomplish. You can do it.
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2020 ELECTION SEASON TO-DO LIST
1. Register to vote.
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2. Take a deep breath and repeat, “Despair is not an option.”
3. Educate yourself on where and how to vote.
4. Once more, take a full inhale. A full exhale. And repeat, “Despair is not an option.”
5. Go outside.
Gluing yourself to Twitter, Facebook and the TV is not a patriotic duty. On the contrary, it will fog your brain and shrivel your soul. Given that it’s often accompanied by excessive eating and drinking, it might even rot your teeth.
Reading or watching reliable media reports on the candidates and the issues is important, but so is getting out in the fresh air, looking at the autumn trees, calming down. That cliche about how if you’re not angry all the time you’re not paying attention? Wrong. If you’re angry all the time you can’t pay attention.
6. And again. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat, “Less Twitter, more trees.”
7. Vote early. Do it in person, socially distanced and wearing a mask. Or do it by mail. There’s no evidence that voting by mail favors one party over the other, no matter what your cousin insists or what you read on Facebook.
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8. Watch the presidential debates.
Don’t rely on the official media rehash, the social media snippets and the talking heads to tell you what happened. Watch for yourself. The debates won’t supply all, or even most, of the information you need to vote intelligently. And chances are you already know who you’re going to vote for. Still, watching will be interesting and in some way informative.
9. After watching the debates, you’ll really, really, really need to breathe. So again. Inhale, exhale, and repeat, “Despair … etc."
10. Sometimes the best thing to do is to not do. So stop doomsday scrolling. Nothing is improved by reading one more story on our inevitable civil war and the coming apocalypse. And resist the urge to share posts from unreliable sources. Don’t be duped by deceptive organizations and individuals operating on the “enrage to engage” principal.
See “Go outside” above.
11. Time for another full breath. You can’t take too many. How many other things in life can you say that about?
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12. Keep wearing your mask. If you don’t wear one, today’s the perfect day to start.
Conquering the coronavirus requires more than voting. But voting for the guy who understands that the coronavirus is serious will help conquer it in the long run.
13. Take another full breath and repeat Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s wise words: “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”
14. Find out what else is on the ballot before you vote. Do some research. In Illinois, we’re voting for a variety of candidates, including judges. (See links below for details.)
15. Make soup.
OK, I never make soup, but it sounds like a comforting thing to do as the weather gets cool and we wait for the election. It would be a good activity while watching the debates.
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16. Make a log every day of three good things that happened to you. Even when the thought of the election sends you toward despair, you can always find three good things, even if one of them is only, “I woke up today.”
Chicago Tribune Opinion Weekdays Read the latest editorials and commentary curated by the Tribune Opinion team. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >
17. If you didn’t vote early, vote on Election Day. It’s Tuesday, Nov. 3, an eternity and a nanosecond from now.
18. Keep going. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat, “Despair is not an option.”
If you need help with any aspect of voting, try these websites:
ACLU of Illinois
The League of Women Voters of Illinois
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Illinois State Board of Elections
mschmich@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-23--Column: In the battle of the Supreme Court, Democrats need to get down in the gutter with Republican

Column: In the battle of the Supreme Court, Democrats need to get down in the gutter with Republicans

He is all those things .
And he will continue to win at the expense of our democracy unless Democrats @ @ @ @ @ the gutter with him and fight like everything America stands for depends on it .

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell walks to his office at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 21. McConnell is planning to hold a vote to fill Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Supreme Court seat. (Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)
Filling U.S. Supreme Court seats has always been an unpredictable game. It required no particular skills for one team to prevail over the other. Everything was left to chance.
Though the stakes were high, conservatives and liberals for years seemed resigned to accepting whatever fate they were handed. The inherent fairness in the process, afforded by the Constitution, assured that both sides would get a turn.
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That was until Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell abruptly changed the rules. Now, Democrats must do whatever is necessary to get back what was stolen from them.
It’s time for Democrats to start thinking like Republicans. That means almost everything should be on the table, including impeaching Donald Trump a second time or going after Attorney General William Barr.
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McConnell and other Senate Republicans don’t hesitate when it comes to self-preservation. Four years ago, for the first time in history, the controlling political party refused to allow the subordinate party to take its turn.
By refusing to give Barack Obama’s court nominee a Senate confirmation hearing in 2016, Republicans cheated Democrats out of a crucial move that ultimately determined who controlled the Supreme Court.
Their justification for it was ridiculous and obviously now, hypocritical. But the bottom line is they won.
Liberal jurist Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death has given conservatives an opportunity to stack the high court in their favor for years to come. But more than that, a conservative majority would put civil rights, health care, the environment, a woman’s right to control her body, voting rights and other freedoms in jeopardy.
Most Americans agree that nothing should happen before the Nov. 3 contest between Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden is decided.
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Sunday, two days after Ginsburg’s death, 62% of adults said the new justice should be appointed by the winner, while 23% disagreed.
McConnell’s move in 2016 was bold and highly calculated. It was risky too. Liberals painted him as a ruthless cheater, which doesn’t faze him at all. Many Republicans, however, saw him as a brilliant strategist who made a winning move.
He is all those things. And he will continue to win at the expense of our democracy unless Democrats decide to get down in the gutter with him and fight like everything America stands for depends on it.
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Republicans have challenged Democrats to a street fight. Democrats can’t act like they’re going to an afternoon tea party. Protecting Ginsburg’s legacy is worthy of every bit of energy they have in them.
That means dropping the ridiculous mantra, “When they go low, we go high.” The only way to force Republicans to play by the rules is to get rid of that Pollyanna attitude and declare, “When they go low, we go lower.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appears open to the idea of meeting McConnell at his level to stop him from pushing through Trump’s nominee before the election or in the lame duck session afterward.
In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, Pelosi said Democrats “have arrows in our quiver,” but she refused to specify what the options are.
She flatly ruled out holding the nation hostage with a government shutdown. At least she has more concern for the American people than McConnell does. Refusing to fund the government is the GOP’s weapon of choice when they can’t get their way.
Pelosi seemed to leave the door open, however, to the idea of stalling the court nomination process with an impeachment. Democrats could either take another shot at Trump or choose a new target in Barr.
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Barr certainly is an attractive option.
Some Democrats have long called upon Pelosi to initiate proceedings against Barr, who has misused his job as the nation’s attorney as though he is Trump’s personal attorney and fixer.
The most notable offense occurred last year when he appeared to have misled Congress about the findings in special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Among other things Barr’s critics contend could be grounds for impeachment are his use of the Justice Department to intervene in Roger Stone’s sentencing and his attempt to overturn the convictions of Trump ally and former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Chicago Tribune Opinion Weekdays Read the latest editorials and commentary curated by the Tribune Opinion team. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >
Barr also came under scrutiny for firing Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, who was looking into the dealings of Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and other associates.
Democrats have no more of a chance at forcing Barr out of Trump’s cabinet than they did when they tried to remove Trump from office. But desperate times require guts.
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It’s becoming increasingly clear that Republicans will have enough votes to ram through a nominee whenever they’re ready. It’s ridiculous to think that four Republicans will break ranks and join the Democrats on this one.
Republicans are salivating at the prospect of a solid conservative lock on the Supreme Court. There’s no need to try to embarrass them by replaying audio of what they said four years ago. It’s hypocritical of Democrats to pretend as though the excuses GOP senators made in 2016 are valid reasons for waiting this time around. Calling Congressional Republicans liars and cheats won’t stop McConnell and his crew.
Only one thing can stop a ruthless Senate majority leader. It’s an even more ruthless speaker of the House.
dglanton@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @dahleeng


chicagotribune--2020-09-23--Police investigate burned body found in Fernwood home

The man was found around 8:30 p.m. in the 200 block of West 103rd Street on the Far South Side @ @ @ @ @ manner of death is not yet known and pending an autopsy of the body .

Detectives are investigating the death of a man found badly burned in a Fernwood home Tuesday night, according to Chicago police.
The man was found about 8:30 p.m. in the 200 block of West 103rd Street on the Far South Side, police said. The manner of death is not yet known and pending an autopsy of the body.
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The man’s identity is not yet known, police said.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-09-23--‘Dreadhead Cowboy’ charged with aggravated animal cruelty

The Dreadhead Cowboy, aka Adam Hollingsworth, stands on his horse Prince on June 23, 2020, in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
A lone cowboy rode out from obscurity this summer and into local fame, an oddball bright spot in a bleak year.
The Dreadhead Cowboy — born Adam Hollingsworth — became a social media sensation, “our Batman,” a mainstay at Black Lives Matter protests, the mayor’s census ambassador, a friend to children across the city.
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But his gallop down the Dan Ryan Expressway this week ended in ugly allegations that he criminally mistreated his horse, which may now need to be euthanized, Cook County prosecutors said.
Hollingsworth was ordered held on $25,000 bond at a hearing Wednesday; he posted the bail and walked out of jail about 5:30 p.m., with a sorrowful look on his face. He declined to speak with reporters. Hollingsworth faces a felony aggravated animal cruelty charge, along with misdemeanor counts of trespassing and reckless conduct.
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Hollingsworth’s attorney strongly disputed that he would ever do anything to harm the horse, calling him a dedicated community activist who was riding down the Dan Ryan as part of a planned protest.
Adam Hollingsworth exits Cook County Jail after posting bail on Sept. 23, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
“He loves his horses, he’s passionate about horseback riding, there’s no indication my client would ever do anything … harming his horse,” said Assistant Public Defender Emily Bock.
But Judge David Navarro called the alleged treatment “terrible.”
“The horse doesn’t know it’s a part of a protest. The horse only knows how it’s been treated,” he said. “It would appear from (prosecutors) its treatment was criminal.”
Assistant State’s Attorney Kevin DeBoni said Hollingsworth kicked and whipped the horse to force the animal on a 7.5-mile trip down the expressway Monday. By the time it collapsed on the pavement near 95th Street, it was in critical condition, DeBoni said.
The animal was extremely dehydrated, its heart rate had doubled, it had cuts to its front legs and its eyes were “dilated to the point where they looked like cartoon eyes,” DeBoni said. “If medical attention was not rendered immediately, the animal would have succumbed to injuries sustained.”
Bock, Hollingsworth’s attorney, disputed that the horse had been mistreated, saying the animal is well-fed and up to date on its vaccines.
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Hollingsworth was stopped by state troopers at 95th Street after he rode his brown and white horse south on the expressway, escorted by several supporters on motorcycles and jamming rush-hour traffic. “I shut down the Dan Ryan, Kids’ Lives Matter,” he streamed on Facebook Live.
Hollingsworth was placed under arrest and the horse was taken to Chicago’s Animal Care and Control, then transported to an animal rescue shelter for medical evaluation, according to state police.
Adam Hollingsworth exits Cook County Jail after posting bail on Sept. 23, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Hollingsworth has said the ride was meant to shut down the Dan Ryan and bring attention to violence against children. Earlier this month, he met with authorities about staging a protest on the expressway, according to Illinois State Police. His request was denied because officials thought it would dangerous as well as illegal.
Earlier this summer, Hollingsworth partnered with Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office to encourage people to fill out their census forms. The mayor dubbed him the “Census Cowboy.”
But late Monday, the mayor criticized Hollingsworth’s actions.
“What is clear is that this stunt not only seriously endangered the horse, but also the rider and all travelers on the expressway,” Lightfoot said in a statement. “There is a right way and a wrong way to call attention to issues of great importance, and this stunt was decidedly the very wrong way.”
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rsobol@chicagotribune.com
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-23--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,531 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 30 additional deaths reported;

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,531 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 30 additional deaths reported; Wisconsin again added to Chicago’s travel quarantine list

Summer 2020 is officially gone , and as it leaves , in a normal year , the shirtless young men @ @ @ @ @ with it , driven indoors by the chill of autumn .
Grove 13 is the @ @ @ @ @ official name for the patch of Lincoln Park at Wellington and inner Lake Shore Drive @ @ @ @ @ Diversity Driving Range .
Here , beneath the watchful glare of nearby apartment buildings and @ @ @ @ @ is a small workout space .
It ’ s nothing exciting to look at .
@ @ @ @ @ a typical playground and the equipment is so spartan — parallel bars , gymnast rings @ @ @ @ @ might say it looks more like a playground that someone lost interest in midway through @ @

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Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago on Tuesday, for the second time, added Wisconsin to its list of states from which travelers into the city should stay inside their homes for two weeks after traveling there because of high coronavirus counts. Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady made the call as part of her weekly update on the states that have earned the designation because of high virus counts.
Earlier in the day, Illinois public health officials reported 1,531 newly diagnosed cases and 30 additional deaths of people with COVID-19, raising the statewide tally to 277,266 known cases and 8,486 deaths.
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Meanwhile, the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus topped 200,000 Tuesday, by far the highest in the world, hitting the once-unimaginable threshold six weeks before an election that is certain to be a referendum in part on President Donald Trump’s handling of the crisis.
The number of dead is equivalent to a 9/11 attack every day for 67 days. It is roughly equal to the population of Salt Lake City or Huntsville, Alabama.
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Here’s what’s happening Tuesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
9:15 p.m.: Cook County Health officials send Board of Commissioners $3.4B budget plan as pandemic shortfall looms
Cook County Health’s board of directors sent the county’s Board of Commissioners its preliminary $3.4 billion 2021 budget plan this week that would enact cuts across departments aimed at closing a projected $187 million deficit.
In an 8-3 vote, with one director absent, the health system’s board on Monday approved its budget recommendation, despite discord over how much additional tax revenue Cook County should provide the health system that makes up about half of the total county budget. The proposal, which includes slightly more revenue funding from the county, but less than what system officials previously requested, heads to the County Board for further consideration.
The health system board’s initial request had been for an additional $23 million in order to stave off some of the layoffs and other reductions slated for the next fiscal year, but the directors went along with the lesser amount of $10 million in new funds offered by the county.
“Ten million is less than $23 million,” board Chair Hill Hammock said during the meeting. Hammock, who voted yes for the plan, said although the need is great enough that the system could receive an extra $50 million and still be in want, “we have to be realistic. … The county has indicated, to me anyway, that ($23 million) wasn’t available. So we’re looking at a compromise here, no question about it.”
Read more here. —Alice Yin
6:15 p.m.: Chicago-area Catholic schools enrollment drops, with worst decline among pre-kindergarten students
The number of students enrolled at Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago dropped this fall, driven by a decrease in younger students and continuing a nationwide trend of fewer students receiving a Catholic-based education.
Student enrollment is down 10.6% from last year, with a large portion of that decline coming from prekindergarten students, according to the archdiocese.
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“We expected this because a lot of stay-at-home parents are keeping their kids home,” said archdiocese spokesman Manuel Gonzales.
Archdiocesan students returned to in-person learning this fall, while the schools also offered remote learning for students who weren’t comfortable returning to the classroom.
Read more here. —Javonte Anderson
2:35 p.m. (update): Wisconsin again added to Chicago’s quarantine list for travelers
For the second time, Chicago on Tuesday added Wisconsin to its list of states from which travelers into the city should stay inside their homes for two weeks after traveling there because of high coronavirus counts.
Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady made the call as part of her weekly update on the states that have earned the designation because of high virus counts. Her move came as Wisconsin’s governor on Tuesday declared “a new public health emergency” because COVID-19 is spiking there.
“Unfortunately, Wisconsin is currently in very poor control when it comes to COVID,” Arwady said. The Badger State now trails only North Dakota and South Dakota in terms of case rates, she said.
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Arwady warned last week that if Wisconsin’s case rate didn’t come down below the 15 cases per 100,000 residents threshold Chicago officials use to determine the self-quarantine list, then she would include it soon.
Wisconsin’s is now at 31 cases per 100,000 residents, she said..
Read more here. —John Byrne
1:45 p.m.: Huge crowd gathers at Rotary Hill near Naperville District 203 offices to demand area schools reopen
Hundreds of Naperville-area parents and students rallied Monday to urge local school boards to bring students back to the classroom and the playing field.
Most public schools kicked off the academic year with remote learning due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. But parents and students at Monday’s rally said spending a school day in front of a computer screen just isn’t working for them.
Naperville District 203 eighth-grader Eleni Nicolaudes carried a sign that summed up her feelings on remote learning: “Stressed Out.”
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“I feel as if I learn better in person,” said Eleni, who attended the rally with her mother and younger sister. “I’m a more hands-on learning. I like being in school.”
Read more here. —Alicia Fabbre
1:25 p.m.: COVID-19 pandemic takes toll on Evanston’s economy: ‘We are in the calm before the storm’
Evanston’s unemployment rate has more than tripled and local businesses are in the midst of a “retailpocolypse.”
That was just some of the dire financial news recently outlined by Evanston officials. They say the city is likely only at the beginning of the economic fallout from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are in the calm before the storm,” said Paul Zalmezak, Evanston’s Economic Development Division manager, during a virtual presentation to the Evanston City Council Sept. 14.
Read more here. —Genevieve Bookwalter
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1 p.m.: Wisconsin expected to return to Chicago’s travel quarantine list
Chicago is expected on Tuesday, for the second time, to add Wisconsin to the city’s list of states from which travelers into Chicago should stay inside their homes for two weeks after traveling there because of high coronavirus counts, a source said.
Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady warned last week that if Wisconsin’s case rate didn’t come down below the 15 cases per 100,000 residents threshold Chicago officials use to determine the self-quarantine list, then she would include them soon.
Wisconsin’s cases remain above 20 per 100,000, according to city records, and Arwady is expected to announce the move on Tuesday, a source said.
The city of Chicago announces the additions and subtractions from its largely symbolic roll call of states on Tuesdays, and the new quarantine requirements take effect the following Friday.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration first added Wisconsin to the 14-day quarantine order in late July, only to take it off the list in mid-August when case numbers there dropped.
Read more here. — John Byrne
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12:50 p.m.: Individuals at two Northbrook schools test positive for COVID-19
Northbrook District 28 has seen two positive COVID-19 cases in its schools in the past week, according to officials.
The cases were reported at Greenbriar and Meadowbrook, two of the district’s K-5 schools that serve about 400 students each. The schools are running full in-person and full remote options, and about 77% of families had opted for in-person learning ahead of the school year, according to communications director Terry Ryan.
Ryan said the district would not specify whether the recent cases were of students or staff members “in order to protect the identity of the individual” but said the two cases do not appear to be related.
Superintendent Larry Hewitt sent a message to families Monday to notify them that someone at Meadowbrook School reported earlier that day testing positive for COVID-19.
He said the district has been working with the Cook County Department of Public Health to identify and notify close contacts and require them to stay home for 14 days, as well as deep cleaning and sanitizing the school.
According to Hewitt, the individual had been in isolation since the onset of their symptoms, and no close contacts were associated with the person in this case.
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Another case was reported a week earlier on Sept. 14 at Greenbriar School. In a message to families the following day, Hewitt said the individual had been in isolation since Sept. 11.
—Kaitlin Edquist
12:35: Notre Dame cancels its Tuesday football practice in the wake of COVID-19 positive results and contact tracing
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly on Monday called his team’s COVID-19 plan “an evolving situation.”
No joke. The Irish canceled Tuesday’s practice, as first reported by Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel, after four players tested positive last week. Another six were quarantined because of contract tracing.
None of those 10 played in Notre Dame' 52-0 dismantling of South Florida on Saturday.
The 2-0 Irish are scheduled to face Wake Forest on Saturday in their first road trip of the season.
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As part of the team’s COVID-19 protocol, players will not be able to meet up with family members before the game.
Read more here. —Teddy Greenstein
12:30 p.m.: Restaurants bleeding cash during the pandemic are investing big to improve indoor air quality. But will diners come inside?
The host greeting diners at Formento’s, an Italian restaurant in the West Loop, now offers guests a luxury alongside the menu and wine list: a portable air purifier for their table.
The tabletop devices are among a series of air quality upgrades the restaurant introduced this month to assure customers they can breathe easy dining inside.
Diners can also expect to see bussers using ultraviolet wands to sterilize glassware and utensils, and little air-sucking robots in various corners of the restaurant that use heat to kill microorganisms. Unseen are new air filters installed in the HVAC system meant to trap virus particles.
The changes were costly for a restaurant that continues to lose money due to COVID-19. But Phillip Waters, whose B. Hospitality Co. owns Formento’s as well as its sister sandwich restaurant Nonna and The Bristol in Bucktown, said it’s a necessary investment if the businesses are going to survive.
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“We have to convince people that restaurants are safe,” Waters said.
Restaurants hoping to see the other side of the pandemic are pouring money into air quality upgrades and other safety features even as business remains devastated by COVID-19. As they burn through cash, they are counting on customers taking comfort in the changes and filling seats.
Read more here. —Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz
11:25 a.m.: Chicago International Film Festival goes digital AND outdoors, featuring ‘Belushi,’ Rachel Brosnahan, Kate Winslet, ‘One Night in Miami’ and ‘Nomadland’
Nobody’s film festival this year resembles anybody’s film festival in previous years. The Oct. 14-25 Chicago International Film Festival lineup, announced Tuesday, proves it.
The 56th edition follows a pandemic festival hybrid model of mostly digital offerings, along with eight films presented at the popular ChiTown Movies drive-in. Since the summer this modest 2020 Chicago phenomenon has become the city’s preferred drive-in location, located in Pilsen, just off South Throop Street behind the big brick ChiTown Futbol facility.
The previously announced John Belushi documentary “Belushi,” a Showtime project, opens the festival at the Pilsen drive-in. Closing night brings director Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland,” a prestige smash (and a lovely movie) all across the fall festival circuit, starring Frances McDormand. The road movie recently won top prize at the Venice film festival, followed by the equivalent “audience award” at the Toronto festival.
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Chicago International’s drive-in component includes the concert movie “David Byrne’s American Utopia,” directed by Spike Lee (Oct. 15); “Ammonite,” a discreetly torrid 19th Century love story starring 2020 festival Career Achievement Award winner Kate Winslet (Oct. 17); the Chicago-made documentary “The Road Up” (Oct. 18); and Regina King’s directorial debut “One Night in Miami” (Oct. 23) about the time Cassius Clay, Malcolm X, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke got together after Clay’s heavyweight victory over Sonny Liston in 1964.
Read more here. —Michael Phillips
11:05 a.m.: Chicago-based mall operator Brookfield to cut hundreds of employees; 20% of retail group workforce
Brookfield Properties, one of the nation’s largest mall operators, is cutting 20% of its workforce in its retail division, as the pandemic has accelerated online shopping and resulted in a string of store closings.
The Chicago-based mall operator, which operates 170 mall properties, has more than 2,000 employees in its retail division, according to the company.
“2020 has had a profound impact on us all, both personally and professionally,” Jared Chupaila, CEO of Brookfield Properties' retail group, wrote in a email to its employees. “Our business has been frustrated, interrupted and constrained. All of our constituents — retailers, lenders, communities, partners and our own employees— have been affected by the events of this year and forced to revisit their relationships with our industry and our company.”
Read more here. —Associated Press
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11 a.m.: US death toll from coronavirus tops 200,000, equivalent to a 9/11 attack every day for 67 days
The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus topped 200,000 Tuesday, a figure unimaginable eight months ago when the scourge first reached the world’s richest nation with its sparkling laboratories, top-flight scientists and stockpiles of medicines and emergency supplies.
“It is completely unfathomable that we’ve reached this point,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, a Johns Hopkins University public health researcher.
The bleak milestone, by far the highest confirmed death toll from the virus in the world, was reported by Johns Hopkins, based on figures supplied by state health authorities. But the real toll is thought to be much higher, in part because many COVID-19 deaths were probably ascribed to other causes, especially early on, before widespread testing.
The number of dead in the U.S. is equivalent to a 9/11 attack every day for 67 days. It is roughly equal to the population of Salt Lake City or Huntsville, Alabama.
And it is still climbing. Deaths are running at close to 770 a day on average, and a widely cited model from the University of Washington predicts the overall U.S. toll will double to 400,000 by the end of the year as schools and colleges reopen and cold weather sets in. A vaccine is unlikely to become widely unavailable until 2021.
Read more here. —Associated Press
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10:30 a.m.: Avoid ‘traditional trick-or-treating,’ the CDC says, in its guidelines for Halloween 2020
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued guidance for Halloween 2020 that ranks activities from low risk to high risk for spreading COVID-19.
The CDC says “traditional trick-or-treating” is considered high risk.
"Many traditional Halloween activities can be high-risk for spreading viruses. There are several safer, alternative ways to participate in Halloween.
If you may have COVID-19 or you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should not participate in in-person Halloween festivities and should not give out candy to trick-or-treaters," the CDC says on its website.
Read more here. —Pennlive.com
7:45 a.m.: When the gyms closed, the gym rats moved to a patch of workout space in Lincoln Park — and some locals don’t like it
Summer 2020 is officially gone, and as it leaves, in a normal year, the shirtless young men of Grove 13 would leave with it, driven indoors by the chill of autumn. Grove 13 is the Chicago Park District’s official name for the patch of Lincoln Park at Wellington and inner Lake Shore Drive, just north of the Diversity Driving Range. Here, beneath the watchful glare of nearby apartment buildings and senior living facilities, there is a small workout space. It’s nothing exciting to look at. It’s smaller than a typical playground and the equipment is so spartan — parallel bars, gymnast rings, some stairs — you might say it looks more like a playground that someone lost interest in midway through designing.
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Yet, for Lakeview gym rats, bulked out, V-shaped, intense, this fitness area — which has no name itself — became a respite early into the pandemic, a gym away from gym.
A gym that, according to the Chicago Park District, remains closed, like playgrounds and other public fitness areas in the city. Commercial gyms reopened weeks ago at reduced capacity, with social-distancing measures. Yet this outdoor space in Lincoln Park is both closed and busy.
The Park District confirmed what many regulars here already know: A few of the neighbors are not their biggest fans. The city has received complaints about people removing the fencing and police tape.
Read more here. —Christopher Borrelli
6:50 a.m.: Chicago to announce if Wisconsin to be added back to city quarantine list
Chicago could add Wisconsin back to its travel quarantine list Tuesday after warning residents last week that the state again had been seeing an uptick in coronavirus cases.
City Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said at the time that Wisconsin could again join other states on the mandatory self-quarantine list if numbers didn’t improve.
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Arwady said the city was “advising against travel to Wisconsin,” because in the prior week, the state “had the most cases that it has had at any point since COVID broke out last week," with high rates of positive cases.
—Chicago Tribune staff
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 stories related to COVID-19 from Monday:


chicagotribune--2020-09-23--Gov. Pritzker puts Illinois National Guard ‘in a state of readiness’ ahead of Kentucky announcement

Gov. Pritzker puts Illinois National Guard ‘in a state of readiness’ ahead of Kentucky announcement in Breonna Taylor case

In March , Taylor was shot and killed by police in Louisville after officers rammed in a door to her @ @ @ @ @ warrant .
Prior to her getting shot , Taylor ’ s boyfriend has said , @ @ @ @ @ and shot an officer while mistaking the police as intruders in her unit .

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration said Tuesday night that it “is putting the (Illinois National) Guard in a state of readiness" to ensure members are available as Kentucky’s attorney general is expected to announce whether he’ll file charges in the controversial police killing of Breonna Taylor.
The Louisville woman’s death has been a central theme for protests in several U.S. cities this summer against police brutality. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot met Tuesday morning and discussed the issue, the governor’s office said in a statement.
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“As the governor has always said, all of the state’s resources are available to municipalities if needed; this includes additional Illinois State Police troopers and the National Guard,” the statement read in part.
A source said more than 100 Guard members are preparing.
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If needed to respond, the Guard members would fall under the direction of the state police, just as they were when they helped during civil unrest in Chicago following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police on Memorial Day.
The deaths of Taylor and Floyd sparked outrage in Louisville, Minneapolis and other U.S. cities, leading to protests and a renewed national conversation about systemic racism and law enforcement’s treatment of Black Americans. But cities including Chicago also endured looting and other civil unrest.
On Tuesday, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer declared a state of emergency as the city awaits state Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s decision. The declaration gives the mayor the authority to impose curfews and other restrictions if necessary.
In March, Taylor was shot and killed by police in Louisville after officers rammed in a door to her apartment to execute a search warrant. Prior to her getting shot, Taylor’s boyfriend has said, he fired his own gun and shot an officer while mistaking the police as intruders in her unit.
Taylor was shot and killed in the ensuing barrage of gunfire. Officers also came under criticism for rushing to get medical attention for the wounded cop, but allegedly not doing so for Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician.
Police at the time were executing warrants for Taylor’s ex-boyfriend, an alleged drug dealer who had been seen at her apartment on several occasions prior to her death, authorities have said.
Last week, the city of Louisville agreed to pay her family $12 million and enact police reforms. The city also passed “Breonna’s Law,” outlawing no-knock warrants, when police without warning force their way into a home or other building.
Despite having a no-knock warrant for Taylor’s apartment, a news report said officers claimed they knocked before eventually entering her unit.


chicagotribune--2020-09-23--Cook County Health officials send Board of Commissioners $3.4B budget plan as pandemic shortfall loo

Cook County Health officials send Board of Commissioners $3.4B budget plan as pandemic shortfall looms: ‘We’re looking at a compromise here, no question’

“ Ten million is less than $ 23 million , ” board Chair Hill Hammock said during the meeting .
@ @ @ @ @ for the plan , said although the need is great enough that the system could @ @ @ @ @ million and still be in want , “ we have to be realistic .
… @ @ @ @ @ to me anyway , that ( $ 23 million ) wasn ’ t available .
@ @ @ @ @ at a compromise here , no question about it .
”

Tents are set up outside Stroger Hospital on March 29, 2020. Stroger is one of the hospitals operated by the public health system. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Cook County Health’s board of directors sent the county’s Board of Commissioners its preliminary $3.4 billion 2021 budget plan this week that would enact cuts across departments aimed at closing a projected $187 million deficit.
In an 8-3 vote, with one director absent, the health system’s board on Monday approved its budget recommendation, despite discord over how much additional tax revenue Cook County should provide the health system that makes up about half of the total county budget. The proposal, which includes slightly more revenue funding from the county, but less than what system officials previously requested, heads to the County Board for further consideration.
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The health system board’s initial request had been for an additional $23 million in order to stave off some of the layoffs and other reductions slated for the next fiscal year, but the directors went along with the lesser amount of $10 million in new funds offered by the county.
“Ten million is less than $23 million,” board Chair Hill Hammock said during the meeting. Hammock, who voted yes for the plan, said although the need is great enough that the system could receive an extra $50 million and still be in want, “we have to be realistic. … The county has indicated, to me anyway, that ($23 million) wasn’t available. So we’re looking at a compromise here, no question about it.”
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Director Bob Reiter, chair of Cook County Health’s finance committee, voted against the proposed budget because it did not include his $23 million ask.
“It’s completely appropriate for us as a body to push back against the county and ask for more on a tax allocation — that’s the only thing that we can ask them for,” Reiter, also president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, said. “$23 million is less than 1% of the hospital system’s total budget and half a percent of the county’s total budget. … Not to sound pejorative, but it’s a rounding error.”
Now, the county Board of Commissioners has the preliminary budget and will make a procedural vote on Thursday to send it to board President Toni Preckwinkle. She’s expected to present the county’s full 2021 budget plan in October, and it must be finalized by November. The 2021 fiscal year begins on Dec. 1.
The original proposal from budget officials already had an additional $30 million county tax revenue allocation for the operating budget. Now, the total tax allocation for operating expenses lands at $123 million. That money would go toward public health and health care for the jail and is in addition to county funding for pensions and debt service.
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The public health system, which operates Stroger and Provident hospitals and is tasked with providing health care for some of the county’s poorest residents, already was facing a ballooning crisis in uncompensated medical care when the coronavirus pandemic hit, potentially inflicting a $187 million shortfall for fiscal year 2021. The two hospitals continue to provide most of Cook County’s charity care, with a projected cost of $312 million for the 2021 fiscal year, up from an anticipated $268 million this year.
The proposed $3.4 billion budget, while an increase from last year’s $2.8 billion, nevertheless includes a plan to lay off 130 workers by the end of Dec. 1 and enact consolidations and downgrades across hospitals. Of those layoffs, 46 already took place in June. Seventy of those 130 workers would be union employees.
The two clinic locations that would close — Woodlawn and Near South Health Centers — would merge patients and employees with the John Sengstacke Health Center at Provident Hospital, which is almost 3 miles away from both. Provident’s emergency department also would wind down into a “standby” emergency room, which is more similar to an urgent care facility, and Stroger’s inpatient pediatric unit would be suspended.
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About $2.2 billion of next year’s expected revenue would come from CountyCare, the health system’s massive Medicaid program serving low-income residents. The insurance plan is seeing an enrollment resurgence during the pandemic and is now expected to see membership peak in November before it plateaus to about 350,000 for most of next year, potentially offsetting all claims payments.
Throughout the health system board of director’s September budget meetings, dozens of health care union members chimed in with public comments urging them to stop the cuts. They argued that amid the pandemic is the worst time to be scaling back services and employees.
“Cook County Health and Hospital System should be expanding mental, behavioral and general health services instead of cutting services that poor, uninsured, underinsured, and Black and Brown communities rely upon,” SEIU Local 73 President Dian Palmer wrote in Monday testimony.
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-23--Even after a successful claim he was tortured into confessing by Jon Burge, man faces a third trial

Even after a successful claim he was tortured into confessing by Jon Burge, man faces a third trial in slaying of 2 Chicago police officers

Now , a team of appointed special prosecutors is trying to prove Jackie Wilson ’ s guilt without his tainted @ @ @ @ @ decades-old transcripts of previous testimony and a handful of live witnesses .
The effort makes @ @ @ @ @ : someone still facing criminal peril after a judge has found he was mistreated by @ @ @ @ @ conduct resulted in defendant after defendant walking out of jails and prisons to freedom after @ @ @ @ @ .

Jackie Wilson, left, with his wife, Sandra Wilson, as they exit the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago on Sept. 22, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
A living relic of sorts from a notorious era in Chicago history took his seat in court Tuesday, wearing a three-piece suit and a surgical mask, bracing for his third trial in four decades for the same shocking cop killing.
That slaying, in 1982, rocked the city. And the subsequent claims from Jackie Wilson and his brother — that they were tortured into confessing by the infamous onetime Chicago police Cmdr. Jon Burge — have had consequences that reverberate to this day.
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Now, a team of appointed special prosecutors is trying to prove Jackie Wilson’s guilt without his tainted confession, relying instead on decades-old transcripts of previous testimony and a handful of live witnesses. The effort makes Wilson a rarity in 2020: someone still facing criminal peril after a judge has found he was mistreated by the late Burge, whose conduct resulted in defendant after defendant walking out of jails and prisons to freedom after successfully claiming they were tortured.
Undisputed is that Jackie’s brother, Andrew, fired the shots that killed Officers Richard O’Brien and William Fahey in a brutal surprise attack when the officers pulled him and Jackie over.
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The central question is whether Jackie Wilson, now 60, played an active role in the killing — or whether he is legally culpable because the brothers were on their way to spring Andrew’s friend from custody when the officers stopped them.
Prosecutors said the Wilsons were “on a mission” that day, having concocted a plan to dress up in smocks, bust an alleged cop shooter out of the hospital where he was under guard, then shoot their way out.
Wilson said as much in a sworn deposition much later, prosecutors said, and on top of that he was heard to brag behind bars that he killed the officers. He was also at one point involved in a dramatic jailbreak attempt, prosecutors allege.
But that falls apart under any serious scrutiny, defense attorneys argued. Key witnesses were persuaded to tweak their stories between Wilson’s first and second trials, they said. When police pulled over the Wilson brothers, they were driving away from the hospital and not toward it.
And a central witness who got a sweet deal to testify against Wilson is in fact a con man of international repute who pulled off schemes from Hong Kong to Harvey and is known by the FBI and Interpol, the defense alleged.
“Thirty-eight years ago, a single killer took the lives of two of Chicago’s finest,” Elliot Slosar said in opening statements. “The true killer, Andrew Wilson, died in prison. … In the end, the evidence will show that Jackie Wilson is guilty of being Andrew Wilson’s brother, and nothing more.”
Jury trials at the Leighton Criminal Court Building have been suspended indefinitely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wilson’s case is being tried by Judge William Hooks, who in 2018 threw out Wilson’s confession and granted him a new trial. The proceedings, held in a large courtroom with strict capacity limits, are expected to last about a week.
Wilson is being prosecuted not by the Cook County state’s attorney’s office but by a team of private attorneys appointed to handle the matter. Nearly two decades ago, a judge ruled that the county prosecutors’ office has a conflict of interest in Burge-related cases, and since then the majority of those cases have been handled by a series of private attorneys at taxpayer expense.
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Special prosecutors have chosen to drop many of them, as they are generally decades old and sometimes have little evidence to support a conviction beyond a tainted confession.
But prosecutors have been committed to re-trying Wilson from the moment his conviction was tossed out in 2018, perhaps because of the gruesome details and because the victims were police officers. Police union brass vehemently opposed Wilson’s conviction being overturned, saying the evidence Wilson was tortured is “virtually nonexistent."
Tuesday’s trial was Wilson’s third. His first conviction was overturned by an appellate court; at a retrial in 1989, he was acquitted of Fahey’s murder but convicted of O’Brien’s.
Prosecutors’ first evidence Tuesday was the 31-year-old testimony of eyewitness Tyrone Sims, who had said he saw the shooting from his window.
To somewhat surreal effect, each side designated a staffer from their law offices to playact as Sims and read from 1980s-era transcripts on the witness stand. Hooks, reading along, occasionally chimed in to correct the readers when they did not perform verbatim.
Sims in 1989 testified that he saw Andrew Wilson shoot both police officers. Jackie Wilson got out of the driver’s seat and appeared to cooperate with the officers who pulled them over, then stood by as Andrew shot one officer with the officer’s own weapon, then turned the gun on the other.
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In 1983, Sims testified that Jackie Wilson had a look of shock on his face. By the 1989 retrial. Sims said that Wilson had a “blank” look. Wilson’s attorneys on Tuesday attributed that change to meddling by the prosecutors.
And in opening statements Tuesday, before the hours of reading from the transcript, defense attorneys noted that Sims is alive and can be tracked down — and hinted that they might call him as a live witness themselves later in the proceedings.
While allegations of torture are not directly at issue in the new trial, Wilson’s case is inextricably linked to the cascading fallout of the Burge years. It was his brother Andrew’s allegations of torture that ultimately led to Burge’s firing from the force in 1993.
The brothers were tried and convicted together in 1983; after an appellate court ruled they should not have been tried simultaneously, Wilson’s first conviction was tossed out.
After his retrial in 1989, when he was convicted of killing O’Brien, he was sentenced to life in prison.
He stayed there until mid-2018, when Hooks threw out the conviction and the confession, then released Wilson on his own recognizance to await the retrial that started Tuesday. Wilson alleged Burge and his officers beat him, kicked him in the groin, put a gun in his mouth and gave him electric shocks.
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And so, two years later, Wilson again found himself walking the halls of a courthouse where dozens of men have claimed torture at the hands of the commander and his crew.
Burge was suspended in 1991 and fired in 1993 by the Chicago Police Board. Thirteen years later, a separate set of special Cook County prosecutors found evidence of widespread abuse by Burge and detectives under his command but concluded that the statute of limitations on criminal charges had passed.
Burge was convicted in federal court of perjury and obstruction of justice in 2010 after jurors found he lied when he denied witnessing torture or abusing suspects in connection with a lawsuit. While he was not charged with torture, prosecutors had to prove allegations of abuse to support the other counts.
Burge spent 4½ years in prison and on home confinement; he died in Florida in 2018.
The Burge scandal has long fueled resentments among minority communities that have accused the Police Department of widespread abuse and racism, and the former officer’s name is loaded with political significance, both for civil rights advocates and those who allege the claims against him are overblown.
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-24--Column: Justice in Breonna Taylor’s death fell victim to ‘law-and-order’ politics

It ’ s true , as Cameron said in his news conference Wednesday , the grand jury is supposed to @ @ @ @ @ and free from outside influence .
But prosecutors present their side of the events with @ @ @ @ @ side .
They only get to see and hear what the prosecutor puts in front @ @ @

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron speaks during a news conference Sept. 23, 2020, to announce a grand jury's decision to indict one of three Louisville police officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
There will be no justice for Breonna Taylor. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron made sure of that.
He failed to make the case that Taylor’s life mattered. So a grand jury in Louisville did what panels in the police shootings of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York did — give killer cops a pass.
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It is more than a miscarriage of justice. It is a blatant disregard for human life.
One of the officers who burst into Taylor’s apartment and began firing wildly was indicted Wednesday on three counts of wanton endangerment — but not for killing Taylor. He is being held accountable for the bullets that made their way into a nearby apartment, where a pregnant woman, her husband and their 5-year-old child were sleeping.
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Those three people’s lives were endangered by no fault of their own. The evidence also clearly shows that Taylor did nothing to provoke police officers to kill her in a hail of gunfire. Yet no one will be held responsible for her death.
All six of the bullets that struck Taylor were deemed irrelevant. A 26-year-old woman’s life was cut short and, in effect, declared irrelevant too.
Under Kentucky law, the first-degree wanton endangerment charge against Louisville police Officer Brett Hankison means that he showed “extreme indifference to the value of human life.”
There’s no question that Hankison showed no value for Taylor’s life by blindly firing 10 times from outside a sliding-glass door and window. Neither did Detective Myles Cosgrove, who fired 16 times nor Sgt. Jon Mattingly, who fired six times.
It should come as no surprise that this grand jury would render a decision that frees the officers from criminal prosecution in the botched drug raid. Consider who presented the case.
Cameron is a “law-and-order” politician. He made that clear in his speech last month at the Republican National Convention, where he called himself a “proud Republican and supporter of Donald J. Trump.”
Certainly, there’s nothing wrong with law and order. But under Trump’s racially divisive interpretation of law and order, there is no room for questions. Police officers can do no wrong. Their account of a killing is gospel. And anyone who says otherwise is an anarchist.
When prosecutors follow Trump’s lead, it not only raises questions about the investigation but also contributes to the growing mistrust of law enforcement by marginalized groups.
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Cameron should have remained quiet and stayed away from the national political spotlight. He chose instead to reveal his allegiance to Trump’s politically inflammatory brand of law and order in the midst of the Taylor investigation.
Nothing short of an indictment in Taylor’s death could have convinced the masses that the process was fair. So once again, the demand for justice has threatened to throw our cities into chaos.
Grand juries are supposed to be fair, but everyone knows that they often are not. Though they initially were formed to protect the public from an oppressive government, some say they have moved too far away from that mission.
In recent years, there have been calls for the United States to completely abolish grand juries, as they were in England in 1948. The Supreme Court has held that nothing in the Constitution requires the use of a grand jury.
In some cases, they have become a convenient tool for prosecutors who are too scared to make the tough decisions they were elected to make.
It’s true, as Cameron said in his news conference Wednesday, the grand jury is supposed to be independent of the prosecutor and free from outside influence. But prosecutors present their side of the events with no input from the opposing side. They only get to see and hear what the prosecutor puts in front of them.
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When a reporter asked Cameron if the grand jury was asked to consider charges against Mattingly and Cosgrove, he evaded the question. He also wouldn’t clarify whether manslaughter was officially presented as an option.
It is much easier for prosecutors to blame a secretive panel of everyday Americans for failing to indict rather than suffer the fallout from having made an unpopular decision.
Clearly, much of the evidence presented isn’t as solid as Cameron contends.
The question of whether the officers were acting on a no-knock warrant remains unresolved. Cameron said that a witness corroborated the officers’ claim that they knocked on the door and announced that they were police officers.
However, a single witness in a building full of people is hardly enough to remove any doubt. It is just as easy to believe other witness accounts that police tore the door off its hinges with a battering ram and burst in without saying a word.
Cameron said that Mattingly entered the apartment and confronted Taylor and her boyfriend standing in the hallway. Her boyfriend was holding a gun and shot the officer in the upper thigh.
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The officers fired shots all over the place, even into another apartment. That was necessary, they insisted, because they feared for their lives.
But it is just as easy to believe Taylor’s boyfriend’s version that he thought an intruder was breaking into the apartment and fired his legal weapon in self-defense. Charges initially filed against him in the shooting were dropped after the case gained national attention.
There is no police body camera footage or cellphone video to prove exactly what went down, but there are things we know for sure.
Taylor was in her own apartment, minding her business when her killers came calling in the wee hours of the morning. The suspect they were looking for wasn’t there. Taylor was a hospital emergency room technician, not a drug dealer. Her new boyfriend wasn’t either.
This young woman’s life may not have been of any value to Cameron or the people on the grand jury. But for those who are pouring into the streets to protest the decision as well as many other Americans, Breonna Taylor’s life mattered greatly.
dglanton@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @dahleeng


chicagotribune--2020-09-24--Cook County plans to give out grants of up to $10,000 to small businesses hit hard by pandemic

To be eligible , the businesses must be for-profit , have 20 or fewer employees and prove sales dropped by @ @ @ @ @ any month from March to July , compared with February .
If the business received @ @ @ @ @ , the applicant must demonstrate they will use this grant for different expenses .
Finally @ @ @ @ @ have an IRS tax lien or other judgment , and the owners and partners can @ @ @ @ @ of bankruptcy .

Small-business owners in suburban Cook County who saw their revenue evaporate during the coronavirus pandemic could get up to $10,000 in grants, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced Wednesday.
A small-business assistance program will give to businesses a total of $12.6 million in federal CARES Act money that was set aside for the county’s coronavirus relief fund. The county aims to serve about 1,200 businesses through these one-time payments that will be allocated by January.
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Business owners can apply at cookcountysmallbusinessassistance.com.
“Small-business owners are used to dealing with the unexpected, but few have ever been through a crisis like COVID-19 before,” Preckwinkle said at a news conference at Thornton Distilling Co. “Small businesses need recovery and resilience support to weather the storm and then come out stronger on the other side of it. That’s the objective of the program.”
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To be eligible, the businesses must be for-profit, have 20 or fewer employees and prove sales dropped by more than 20% during any month from March to July, compared with February. If the business received federal funding in the past, the applicant must demonstrate they will use this grant for different expenses. Finally, the business cannot have an IRS tax lien or other judgment, and the owners and partners cannot be in the process of bankruptcy.
Applicants should prepare a signed business tax return, a proposed “recovery plan” for the pandemic, bank statements from February to July, a budget for how they would use the funds and confirmation on whether their business had federal funding. Those selected are required to also undergo one-on-one counseling over several months on business management.
Despite the requirements, Commissioner Donna Miller, D-Lynwood, said the program will help those left behind by federal assistance such as the Paycheck Protection Program or Economic Injury Disaster Loan. That includes owners who didn’t have the means to apply in time or struggled to get approved by a bank due to credit or other reasons.
“That was acutely impacting the viability of small businesses, especially in lower-income and diverse communities,” Miller said. “The county’s new small business grant relief fund is uniquely positioned to respond to these barriers.”
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The program also will funnel $2.4 million into a free advising and education service for business owners throughout Cook County, including Chicago, that seek direction on how to weather the pandemic.
Over 30 business service and philanthropic organizations in the county formed a network to support the overall program. The Chicago Community Trust, McCormick Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Polk Brothers Foundation and JP Morgan Chase are helping with funding.
Earlier in April, Preckwinkle announced another $10 million fund for loans to small businesses and gig workers. She revealed on Wednesday that the county received about $40 million in applications, underscoring the “tremendous” need that the pandemic and resultant shutdown has inflicted. According to the county website, a little over $7 million in such loans has been approved.
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The owner of the distillery where the news conference took place also opened up about his business’s challenges. Andrew Howell, co-founder of Thornton Distilling — located in what he said was a historic brewery in Illinois — said he had undergone a four-year restoration project and had prepared for distribution when the pandemic hit, triggering what he called “a scary and devastating point in history.”
Howell had to close the distillery’s doors to the public, cancel weddings and furlough his staff, he said. The business eventually began distributing to the Chicago area in July after a brief pivot to making hand sanitizer, but he is now searching for resources to build out outdoor seating as colder weather looms.
“When the pandemic broke, and the stay-at-home order was announced in March, we, like many businesses, were in a state of shock,” Howell said. “We don’t really know how it’s going to go. … So any sort of resource like (the grant) is huge for us.”
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-23--Gov. J.B. Pritzker warns northwest Illinois region could be headed for stricter COVID-19 regulations

If stricter rules are imposed in the northwest region , it would become the third to see the state scale @ @ @ @ @ The first was the Metro East region , where bar service and indoor dining are @ @ @ @ @ in-person gathering cap is lower than the rest of the state .

Asia Brown, right, and co-worker Lekia Wilson grab bottles of bleach as they shop at Pete's Fresh Market in Oak Park on March 19, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned Wednesday the region of northwest Illinois that includes Rockford and Northern Illinois University and borders Wisconsin and Iowa could soon see stricter rules aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus.
The nine-county region, as defined by Pritzker’s reopening plan, had a 7.5% test positivity rate as of Wednesday, which has climbed “at a concerning rate,” the governor said at a news conference in Chicago.
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Pritzker’s administration scales back reopening when a region reaches or surpasses the state-set threshold of 8% positivity rate for three consecutive days, and Illinois Department of Public Health officials have been in talks with local public health departments to discuss ways to slow the spread, which in other regions has meant renewed limits on bars, restaurants and other businesses.
State public health officials reported 1,848 newly diagnosed coronavirus cases and 22 additional deaths of people with COVID-19 on Wednesday, raising the statewide tallies to 279,114 known cases and 8,508 deaths throughout the course of the pandemic.
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The northwest region’s positivity rate rose to 7.5% from 6% a week earlier. NIU continues to operate with remote classes only, and more than 240 students, with 70 active cases, and several staff members have tested positive for COVID-19.
Universities across the nation have struggled to contain the spread of COVID-19 since students returned to campus for the fall semester, and some have instituted widespread quarantines and online learning. State public health officials also have attributed cases to out-of-state travel, and the northwest region borders two states with significantly higher positivity rates than Illinois'.
According to Johns Hopkins University data, Iowa’s positivity rate is 15.8%, while Wisconsin’s is 17.3%.
NIU announced earlier this month that it would limit in-person instruction until Sept. 28. It wasn’t clear whether that’s still the case. At the time the university made that move, 120 students had tested positive and the numbers have jumped by roughly 100 positive tests since.
University President Lisa Freeman, in a letter earlier this month, attributed the “vast majority of student cases” to students living off-campus or attending off-campus gatherings “where masks were not worn and physical distancing was not respected.”
“We are also aware that some students are not fully cooperating with health officials and following guidelines on reporting symptoms and potential exposure,” Freeman wrote. “These careless and unacceptable activities have led to a substantial increase in the overall positivity rate for DeKalb County and put our entire community at risk.”
If stricter rules are imposed in the northwest region, it would become the third to see the state scale back its reopening efforts. The first was the Metro East region, where bar service and indoor dining are still closed, and the in-person gathering cap is lower than the rest of the state.
That region has seen its positivity rate decline to 7.3% after topping 10% weeks earlier.
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Will and Kankakee counties also saw tougher rules after passing the state’s positivity rate threshold, but were returned to the coronavirus restrictions in place across the rest of the state after the rate decreased to below 6.5% for three days in a row.
The state reported 46,391 tests conducted during a 24-hour period on Wednesday, pushing the cumulative number of tests conducted in Illinois past 5.2 million. The seven-day statewide positivity rate stands at 3.5%.
Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike cautioned people against becoming numb to the numbers and continued to urge people to wear masks, keep physical distance from others in public and to get a flu shot.
Chicago Tribune’s Elyssa Cherney contributed.
jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-23--The Spin: Lightfoot, Pritzker call for peace after Breonna Taylor decision | Obama to voters: Here’s

The Spin: Lightfoot, Pritzker call for peace after Breonna Taylor decision | Obama to voters: Here’s my number, text me | Early voting starts tomorrow in Illinois

“ President Obama has said this is an all-hands-on-deck moment , so we are going to use every tactic we @ @ @ @ @ , '' Schultz said in an emailed statement .
`` We ’ ve always been @ @ @ @ @ finding audiences where they are at , so in this particular moment , of course @ @ @ @ @ reach people in the palms of their hands .
”

Gov. J.B. Pritzker along with Mayor Lori Lightfoot and public health officials provide updated public guidance around the coronavirus, during a press conference at the Thompson Center, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. (Antonio Perez/ Chicago Tribune) (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov. J.B. Pritzker joined Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, among others, to express dismay and call for peace after a Kentucky grand jury did not charge any Louisville police officers for their role in Breonna Taylor’s March death.
The African American woman’s death, like the May Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, also Black, has become a flashpoint in the call for racial justice, prompting incidents of civil unrest nationwide.
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Tomorrow is a big day: Early voting begins in some parts of the state and election officials will send out the first wave of mail-in ballots to voters who requested one in the countdown to the Nov. 3 election.
And former President Barack Obama, who’s campaigning for his former vice president, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, took to Twitter today to share his number — a nod to Chicago with that 773 prefix — and a message: “I want to hear how you’re doing, what’s on your mind, and how you’re planning on voting this year.”
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No question about it, an Obama adviser tells the Spin, he’s trying to mobilize voters where they are at during this pandemic: home and looking at their phones.
Welcome to The Spin.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot announces Chicago's first community-based Contract Tracing Corps and Resource Coordination Hub, during a news conference in Chicago Sept. 14. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
A moment of silence for Breonna Taylor at 7 p.m. tonight: During an afternoon news conference, Mayor Lightfoot said the Louisville grand jury’s decision is a setback in the fight for equality and justice, and called for Chicago residents to step outside their homes at 7 p.m. for a moment of silence to honor Taylor, the Tribune’s Gregory Pratt and Dan Petrella write.
“Afterward, I encourage you to say her name,” Lightfoot said.
Lightfoot says she talked with Louisville Mayor Greg Fisher — whom she describes as a personal friend — multiple times as they awaited the grand jury’s decision. Protesters had taken to the streets en masse this afternoon.
At the same news conference, Gov. Pritzker called the grand jury’s decision “a gross miscarriage of justice.”
“A grand jury in Louisville today made a decision that doesn’t come close to capturing the injustice we know to have happened on that tragic night in March,” the governor said.
About police accountability: “Lightfoot spoke about the need to implement reforms and said no-knock warrants should be ‘extraordinarily rare,’” Pratt and Petrella note. “She criticized the acquittal of Chicago police Officer Dante Servin in the killing of Rekia Boyd and of a group of officers in the Laquan McDonald case, while also noting Jason Van Dyke’s conviction.”
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The mayor said: “Are we satisfied with the way in which Black and brown people have been treated in this city historically and currently at the hands of our Police Department? No. That is why every single day we work hard to make sure that we build real authentic relationships with the police.”
“Chicago police Superintendent David Brown said the department needs to continue holding itself accountable by implementing reforms, including those mandated by a federal consent decree,” Pratt and Petrella write. Read their full story here.
A day ago, Pritzker put Illinois National Guard ‘in a state of readiness’ in anticipation of announcement: Jamie Munks and Jeremy Gorner have the full story in the Tribune.
‘Dreadhead Cowboy’ hit with charges he abused horse, which may be put down after Dan Ryan protest ride: Read the Tribune story here.
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Early voting is expected to drive up election turnout numbers for the presidential election to as much as 80%, an official in DuPage County said. (David Sharos / The Beacon-News)
Early voting starts in some jurisdictions around Illinois tomorrow. Locally, that includes most of the collar counties but you’ll have to wait until October in Chicago and suburban Cook County. Find out more about voting dates on the Illinois State Board of Elections' one-stop searchable database here. Or you can check with your local election office.
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Election officials also will send out the first round of mail-in ballots tomorrow to voters who requested them.
President Trump predicts election ‘will end up in the Supreme Court,’ says he wants replacement for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg confirmed ahead of Election Day: Read the Associated Press story here.
New Casten ad takes aim at Ives 'A' grade for Trump: Democratic U.S. Rep. Sean Casten’s newest campaign ad hit the airwaves this morning, with a cameo by former state Republican Party chair Pat Brady, who’s endorsed Casten over GOP challenger Jeanne Ives in the west and northwest suburban 6th Congressional District. In the spot, Brady suggests Ives and Trump are in lockstep, saying they both “deny climate change and dangerously ignore the scientists fighting the coronavirus.”
It also features an interview in which Ives says of Trump “I give him an A.” You can watch the ad here.
Ives holding fundraiser: The Wheaton Republican held a meet-and-greet fundraiser today at Boulder Ridge Country Club, in, Lake in the Hills.
Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride’s retention race could affect partisan swing state’s highest court: This week "The state GOP also plans to urge voters in north central Illinois' third judicial district to oppose the retention of Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride, who has served on the state’s highest court since 2000. State GOP Party chair Tim Schneider said if Kilbride did not win retention, it would be the first step toward ending Democrats' 4-3 majority on the state Supreme Court.
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Reminder: “Like appellate and circuit court judges, Supreme Court judges go through a partisan primary and a general election. At stake is a 10-year term," writes Scott T. Holland in the Northwest Herald. “If a judge wants another 10 years, they stand for a retention vote, which requires 60% approval. Judges who fail to win retention are replaced as if they had retired, died or otherwise left office: the remaining members appoint a replacement who serves until the next election.”
Going to a Chicago ER? Now you can register to vote while you’re there: The Tribune’s Lisa Schencker has the details here.
Then-President Barack Obama speaks on the phone with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan in the Oval Office of the White House. (Tribune photo by Nancy Stone)
With the pandemic curbing a lot of the old-school campaigning — door-knocking, rallies, even in-person fundraisers — former President Obama, who cut his political teeth in Chicago, took to Twitter and nodded to the changed environment: “All right, let’s try something new. If you’re in the United States, send me a text at 773-365-9687.”
He goes on to write, “I want to hear how you’re doing, what’s on your mind, and how you’re planning on voting this year” and that “I’ll be in touch from time to time to share what’s on my mind, too.”
The president’s using the text-based platform Community - a fave of some A-list celebrities to reach the masses. It’s about engaging voters where they’re at, Eric Schultz, an Obama senior adviser, tells The Spin.
“President Obama has said this is an all-hands-on-deck moment, so we are going to use every tactic we can find to mobilize voters," Schultz said in an emailed statement. "We’ve always been driven by a strategy of finding audiences where they are at, so in this particular moment, of course we are going to now reach people in the palms of their hands.”
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All right, let's try something new. If you’re in the United States, send me a text at 773-365-9687 — I want to hear how you're doing, what's on your mind, and how you're planning on voting this year.
I'll be in touch from time to time to share what's on my mind, too. pic.twitter.com/NX91bSqbtG — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 23, 2020
Gov. J.B. Pritzker discusses fairness in the conditional adult-use cannabis dispensary licensing process during a news conference at the James R. Thompson Center Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
The State Journal-Register’s Doug Finke writes: “Ameren, Commonwealth Edison and other state utilities have agreed to extend a moratorium on residential disconnections until March 31 for low income customers and those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.” It comes days after the Illinois Commerce Commission sent a letter to the utilities asking for the extension. Read the full story here.
Governor warns northwest Illinois region could be headed for stricter COVID-19 regulations: The Tribune’s Jamie Munks has the details here.
Gov. Pritzker was asked today about criticism over his daughter, 18, participating in equestrian competitions while youth sports have been halted in the state amid the coronavirus.
“Let me begin by saying that attacking my daughter for playing in a sport that is allowed, that the doctors have said that people can play ... is inappropriate," he said during a news conference. "I think that people have to understand that what I’m focused on, again, with all of this, is saving lives, is making sure that we’re keeping people healthy.
“The fact that people want to get personal is disturbing,” he said, adding, “people are dying. Maybe people ought to step back a little and ask themselves ‘what is this all about?’”
Pritzker has taken heat over putting a brick on what he’s called “high contact” sports this fall. It’s even prompted protests from parents and student athletes. The governor reiterated that his goal is to keep people safe.
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Empty roads, trains, buses and airports: How COVID-19 and staying at home changed how Chicago gets around: The Tribune’s Kori Rumore takes a look here.
Cook County plans to give out grants of up to $10,000 to small businesses hit hard by pandemic: Alice Yin has the details here.
University of Wisconsin at Madison will restart in-person classes but asks students to move out of dorms if they can: The Tribune’s Elyssa Cherney has the story here.
Critics weigh in as scores of Illinois high schools reopened for SAT makeup exams: My Tribune colleagues have the details here.
Tents set up outside Stroger Hospital March 29, 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s Alice Yin: “Cook County Health’s board of directors sent the county’s Board of Commissioners its preliminary $3.4 billion 2021 budget plan this week that would enact cuts across departments aimed at closing a projected $187 million deficit.”
Closing the gap will involve 130 layoffs, which already have begun, along with closing and consolidating some operations, Yin notes in her story.
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“The public health system, which operates Stroger and Provident hospitals and is tasked with providing health care for some of the county’s poorest residents, already was facing a ballooning crisis in uncompensated medical care when the coronavirus pandemic hit,” Yin writes. Read her full story here.
The county may shrink staff and operations, but with the U.S. Supreme Court about to decide Obamacare’s fate, along with a pandemic-triggered economic downturn that’s left thousands without work, the question is whether the county health system may see an influx of new patients. Stay tuned.
Other news in the region: Chicago’s signature LGBTQ neighborhood will no longer be marketed as Boystown, following complaints: Read Tribune reporter Nara Schoenberg’s 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